A Mother's Desperation Part One

This story is dedicated to my mother,

It was thanks of her that I discovered my love of reading,

She was the one who inspired me to write,

She supported me every step of the way,

I could never have gotten this far without her,

Thank you for everything.

Introduction

Stories, throughout all recorded history, mankind has told them. They may recount tales of past events and times, or maybe they'll be myths of magic and of the unknown. "Why do we tell these stories?" Many a youth has asked. Well, depending on who you ask though, that answer will change. Some will say it is for the sake of entertainment, for others it could be to teach an important lesson. Like I said everyone will give you a different answer. Mine for example is very simple, it is to always remember.

Who am I, well that is a bit of a tale in and of itself. I have been given many labels and titles throughout my time, a hero, a villain, mercenary, rival, that to be honest I kind of stopped caring. So many and yet only one has truly mattered to me more than anything, mother, and this tale starts with one of the happiest moments of my life.

Now as much as I would love to just jump right in and start, I must inform you a little about myself and my past. Hey! Don't give me that look, sure it may be boring and you heard similar things in other stories but introductions such as this are important. How else are you supposed to know what the hell is going on? So quit your complaining and get over it. Now where was I, oh right…

I was born into a humble family, just me, my four brothers, and my mom and dad. We lived in a cozy four-bedroom house with a moderate income. My world on the other hand, not so humble. Like some comic or cartoon, it was full of Heroes and Villains. I grew up constantly hearing about big shot heroes with impossible powers being brave, saving the day, and keeping the world safe. Then there were the 'terrible villains' causing mass chaos with some overly complicated doomsday device whilst wearing some ridiculous outfit. And just like any other child, I wanted nothing more than to be just like them.

Huh, my name? Didn't I already… Oh well I guess I didn't. Sorry about that, my name is Jean Terror… … Yes, my last name is Terror… Seriously it is, get over it. Anyway, back on topic, growing up I wanted to be a hero more than anything, so you could imagine my surprise and joy when I discovered my own super power at thirteen, mimicry.

Before you ask, no I didn't have some traumatic event happen to me, no loved ones dying, no freaky accidents or dangerous experiments. That doesn't happen EVERY time, I mean really does it have to? I simply hugged one of my friends while heading home one day and somehow managed to turn into an exact copy of her, plain and simple.

By the end of that day, I had received a formal invitation to the Society of Heroes Training School. The name is cheesy as hell sure, but at the time I was just too excited to give a damn. And again, before you ask things like, "What about your secret identity?" or stuff like that, there are a couple several hundred-thousand people with powers. Heroes, villains, and even regular civilians ranging from super strength to mind reading.

Add in that most of the governments around the globe signed an agreement with the Society of Heroes, or just The Society for short, that agreed that all Evolved Humans or Evos for short are to be registered. So then, explain to me how you would keep a "secret identity" with all that. Even the codenames that heroes that are currently used are mainly for old times' sake and publicity. Hell, even most villains never bothered to keep their identities secret for long, those who did were either smart enough to not get cocky or preferred to stay low profile: IE assassins or mercenaries.

Back to topic, I got ready as fast and in what felt like the blink of an eye, I was unpacking in my dorm at the Society of Heroes Training School or S.H.T.S for short… … yes, I know what that looks like, parents have been petitioning for it to be changed for years now. Now stop interrupting me! I was so excited during my first day that I felt like nothing could bring me down, or so I thought. Those feelings were crushed into paste by the end of the first class and I discovered the terrible truth. The whole place was nothing more than a glorified high-school! Just with a higher range of ages.

I mean sure there were specialized classes there designed to help someone learn to controls their abilities, but the ones for me lasted only a few months before being defined as APS or "Adequate for personal Studies" and dismissed from said classes. When that happened I figured that simply meant I was done and would be going home, but oh no, I had to stay for the full education period. For those who don't understand, that essentially meant I was forced to continue going there four years. Completely separated from my family, except for the holidays. With nothing but regular classes… insert sarcastic comment of joy.

And what high-school isn't complete without those ever-loved divisions of social castes. The nerds hung out with the nerds, cute girls with other cute girls, jocks with jocks, you get the idea. Me, well at first I fit in well with the average joes, at least until after a specific incident with another student during P.E. During a game of super dodgeball, dodgeball where you were allowed to use your powers, I copied the appearance of someone on the other team and discovered that I could temporarily copy powers and even continue to use watered down versions afterwards. Unfortunately, once word of this spread, every other student there decided to give me a wide birth.

After all, nobody wanted to risk having what made them special stolen by the 'Ability Thief' as they called me.

I was never more thankful when graduation day finally came and I could get the hell out. Afterwards the administration gave me two choices. I could either return home and have a normal, civilian life, or I could accept the Society's offer and become a real hero. I'm pretty sure you can figure out which one I chose.

I was officially registered under the alias The Copy Kitsune and after a week was assigned a mentor, Ms. Amazing. …Yes, even she hated the name, but it was the one the Society assigned her. It also didn't help that almost every name you could think of was now under copyright so what could you do?

Ms. Amazing, also known as Alexandra Heltly, Alexa for short, was truthfully much better than I was expecting (S.H.T.S. obviously left a terrible first impression) having immediately focusing on getting me combat ready. Her own powers consisted of super speed and technopathy. She taught me how to use specific gadgets, how to communicate without words in the field, etc.

We did have a few rough bits at first because she tended to be a bit (read: extremely) of a mother hen towards me, whilst I tended to be hotheaded and impatient. We bickered, clashed, and otherwise argued but over time the tension eased and we grew closer, until Alexa became my closest friend. Teaching wise, Alexa was a complete slave driver, never relenting till I had every lesson memorized by heart. She was constantly drilling in the importance of knowing as much you can, and to never overspecialize or become overly reliant on your powers.

One of my biggest concerns before all this however, was what my outfit would be. Other people may have been fine with it, but there was no way in hell I was going to prance around in a skin tight piece of rubber. Which is why I will be forever thankful for the "Spandex Vs Chicago Trial" as it was called several years before. It was from many concerned citizens who claimed that such outfits were inappropriate for the public, which I completely agree with.

In the end, my 'Hero Suit' consisted of black military style clothes with white highlights. Light armor swatches, like Kevlar, had been carefully sewn inside for added protection. There was a plain equipment belt wrapped around the waist and a pair of stun batons set in holsters. To finish it off, it came with a fox half mask that barely covered my upper face. (purely for protection, the makers claimed).

For three years, Alexa and I worked together. We solved cases together, caught several minor and upstart villains, even clashed a few times with a few major ones. Eventually though, Alexa had taught me all that she could, or so the Society deemed, and I was given reassignment orders. So with a reluctant goodbye, we parted ways and I headed out on my own.

My new assignment was a solo guarding of a small city in Iowa that had several plants used for toxic and nuclear waste disposal. As such, they were just 'Perfect' targets for some godforsaken reason, proven by the fact that almost every inmate in the local prison was there for trying to steal from these places. Occasionally Alexa and I would team up for old times sake, and the Society would temporary partner me with other heroes, individually or teams.

This continued for another five and a half years before I decided that I was done. The long nights, the constant battles, the aching bruises, had long since drained the wonder and excitement I had once felt with being a hero. The final straw was on my twenty-sixth birthday, where instead of being able to celebrate it with my family like planned I was forced to deal with a megalomaniac who managed to get his hand on a fission bomb. So I officially retired, hung up my mask, and settled down into the quiet life of a librarian.

As it turns out I wasn't the only one to think so, as not even three months later Alexa also retired. Though it was more likely because she was two weeks pregnant. She used her skills as a technopath to get a job at a high end tech company.

Speaking of relationships, I too had met a nice guy, Karl Ecnayov, a somewhat laid back, average joe kinda guy, plain brown hair, a bit short, and plain grey eyes. But he was also the sweetest guy I ever knew, always trying his best to keep me as happy as possible. We ran into each other at the library I worked at. He came in to do a bit of meteorology research. After the third or fourth visit, we started chatting and before I knew it we were an official couple. We dated for a little over half a year before he gathered his courage and popped the question. I swear my mother was trying to deafen me with how loudly she squealed after I told her. A month later we were married and a few weeks after that I was pregnant with our child.

Now you may be a little confused. This sounds like the end of a story, and in a way it is. The end of my story. This was to be my happily ever after as it was… Or at least it should have been.

...Sadly it wasn't to be as disaster hit during my third month of pregnancy. Karl, who had been promoted to manager at a local news station, had suddenly collapsed while talking with various sponsors and reporters. He had suffered an aneurysm and had died before he even hit the ground.

Heartbroken I did the only thing I could think and called my family and only friend. They came over as quickly as they could, and whilst I cried over my mother's shoulder, Alexa offered to let me stay with her. Mother did the same, but we both knew that dad and her couldn't afford it. So I moved in with Alexa for at least the remainder of my pregnancy.

Thus bringing me to the present…

Part one Happily ever after… or not.

Jean sighed as she looked at the mirror before her, memories of her life casually passing through her mind. "Not much longer…" She murmurs to herself with a soft smile as she tenderly rubbed her eight-and-a-half-month pregnant stomach. She was content to stay like that while gentle rocking back and forth in her chair before she picked up a small worn brush and started running it through her bronze colored locks.

It still surprised her at time how fast her once darkly tanned skin had faded back to a light peach, since sunbathing wasn't that high on her priorities anymore. Her slightly freckled complexion occasionally marred by very faint scars. Honey yellow eyes shined in the low lighting, pupils widening and shrinking at rapid at an unusually rapid pace before settling.

A light knocking echoed from the door beside her as she finished straightening the last curl before opening, "Hey, how you feeling?" The familiar voice of her closest friend asked.

"Fine, other than the irritating constant need to pee." Jean said as she spun her chair around. Alexa was, much to her chagrin, a very short individual barely reaching 4' 5", made only worse by Jean's own height of 6' even. Dark, slightly dulled, onyx hair, hung in an even bob cut and her heterochromatic eyes, one venomous green and the other a royal purple, calmly matched Jean's gaze. In her arms was her six-month old son Marcus Jr., who looked like a mini-miniature version of her only with matching green eyes.

Alexa gained a look of mirth as she settled down on the nearby bed. "Yes, well it certainly better than the morning sickness and odd cravings. Remember those chocolate-covered jalapenos you were in love with."

"Yep, especially when I needed the restroom afterwards." They both shared a short laugh as Alexa stood back up.

"Now come on, It's time for your bi-monthly checkup." She stated before blurring out of sight. Before Jean could do much more than blink, she was rapidly lifted from her seat and changed from her pajamas into a simple pregnancy dress.

Shaking her head from the short but very rapid motion, Jean gave Alexa a half-hearted glare, "You know how much I hate when you do that, I always end up getting friction burns in the worst places." She only got a cheeky grin in response.

"Well, come on then," Alexa said still wearing that grin as she lifted her son into her arms and walked ahead. Jean just grumbled under her breath before shuffling after her. The walk was killer on her legs, especially the stairs, but she ignored it as best she could as they finally stepped outside.

Despite her brilliance in all things technological, Alexa has an intense dislike of any form of urbanized location. The Heltly homestead reflected this as it was in a moderately wooded area, mostly consisting of pines and oaks. Warm summer sunlight streamed through the branches, giving a calming feel.

The main house was a well-crafted two story building, with a variety of brown colored paints giving it an earthy feel, and a large covered porch with a toddler swing. About two or three dozen feet away, there was another building about half the size with a very similar design. The only real difference being the very advanced looking door with a complex lock/scanner to the side.

A short walk over, Alexa rapidly typed in a series of numbers before placing her hand on the scanner. A series of muffled clicks were heard as the door moved back and slid into the floor. Jean walked through without breaking stride, having already seen this many times over the last few months. The inside was Alexa's lab, a moderately spacious room that like normal was littered with various designs and projects Alexa was working currently working on. The majority of these however were currently shoved into the back corner, in their place now sat a comfortable looking exam chair and a table covered with various tools and gadgets.

In the far corner sat a penned off area with a few toys that Alexa made as a safe area for Marcus to play. After placing said toddler there, Alexa helped Jean settle into the chair. "Just lean back and relax," Alexa said as she slowly opened the stomach flap in the dress, exposing the swollen mass that was Jean's unborn child. Slipping on a pair of transparent rubber gloves, Alexa grabbed a small bottle and poured out a handful of gel out before spreading it onto Jean's stomach.

"God, I hate how cold and slimy this stuff is." Jean said, stifling a shiver as Alexa finished,

"Oh stop your whining, it isn't that bad," Alexa shook her head with fake exasperation as she fiddled with what looked like an odd flashlight. Flicking a switch on the side caused it to emit a soft blue glow and a blank screen to be projected behind it as it was pressed tenderly onto Jeans stomach.

"Okay, so far so good." Alexa said slowly moving the scanner in slow circular motions. This continued for several minutes before she stopped and wiped of the remaining gel. Alexa then picked up a small handle with a long bar lined with small red lights. Pulling a trigger that sat on top, the lights lit up and another screen appeared while she ran it straight up and down her stomach this time.

She did this three more times while looking at the same screen, before she suddenly froze partly through the fifth time. "… … … Well that's not good."

As soon as those words past her friend's lips, Jean's eyes bugged as she shot up, or at least tried to, failing so quite spectacularly. "What is it! Is something wrong with my baby! Is she okay! Please tell me she's okay!" She asked, panic rushing through her body, as her mind jumped to the worst of conclusions.

Alexa blinked in bafflement for several seconds before snapping back. "What? Oh! No, no no no the baby is fine," Jean visible relaxed, "The problem is with you." And back to panic.

...

"WHAT!!!!" Jean screamed out, whilst Alexa winced.

"Easy, easy… really should have put that better, you and the baby are both perfectly healthy. Now please calm down," They sat there in awkward silence as Jean gradually managed to relax. After a few minutes, she nodded to Alexa and she continued.

"Now, the baby is perfectly healthy. Unfortunately, your hips aren't widening enough to manage natural childbirth," Alexa explained as calmly as she could, "It's nothing to worry about though, I'll make a few calls and have a C-section scheduled in no time."

"…She is really okay?" Jean asked calmly, but the underlying fear was easily heard.

"Completely, see for yourself." Alexa stated, placing a small pyramid device in Jeans hand. Jean gingerly lifted the small object up and squeezed it causing it project a 3D image of the baby, showing it curled up, with a gauge on the side reading the heartbeat.

"God, don't scare me like that Alexa." Jean said, relaxing back into the chair. As her old friend went to the phone, she spent what felt like eternity just contently staring at the image, listening to the soft rhythm of her child's heartbeat.

"Okay, the appointment is set for the twelfth of next month." Alexa's voice jarred Jean back to reality as she finally noticed her standing at the door, phone in hand. "That gives you two weeks to get ready, probably be best if you call your family." Alexa said as she handed Jean the phone.

'Two weeks," Jean thought as looked at the phone before looking at her swollen stomach and smiled. 'Hopefully it passes quickly, your Momma is very excited to meet you.'

_______________________

"Now Mrs. Terror," Her doctor, a somewhat elderly man whose hair had just started to grey named Samson according to his nametag, spoke, "We'll begin by administering a mild sedative, just enough to help you stay relaxed. Afterwards I'll have the nurse carefully administer a numbing agent through your lower back. I won't lie, it will sting quite a bit for about a minute or so before it fully takes effect."

Jean nervousness grew as the doctor explained everything to her. Meanwhile several nurses hurried around the room carrying in equipment and setting up curtains to block her view of the soon to start operation. "Are you sure you can't just sedate me fully?" She asked with a nervous chuckle at the sight of some of the 'instruments' they had, particularly the not so little needle they'd be using.

"My apologies but no," Dr. Samson stated with a shake of his head and a mildly amused smile, clearly used to answering this exact question. "Doing so could put the baby into distress or have harmful effects, neither of which you want I'm sure."

She could only nod jerkily in agreement, wishing Karl was there to help her through this. "I know you're nervous, if it's any comfort for you, this is an extremely simple and standard surgery. I have performed it countless times without a single issue." That did indeed help, if only minutely.

"Doctor it's time," One of the nurses spoke, maneuvering between the two in order to stretch the final curtain across her chest. The doctor nodded before moving into the curtained area, leaving Jean to her thoughts as she stared at the curtain intently. A few seconds later she clenched her eyes shut as a mild but sharp stinging sensation hit her. It started near the base of her spine and rapidly spreading outwards.

Thankfully, just like the doctor said, the pain eased off just as quickly and she lost all feeling in her torso except for a mild tingling. Jean breathed out a sigh as she tried her best to relax and slowly opened her eyes… … only to snap them again as quickly and as tightly as she physically could. It seemed that whoever built this room had the ever so brilliant idea to make the ceiling exactly above where she was out of metal. Solid, clean, 'REFLECTIVE' metal. What Jean just saw would be forever seared into her mind, never to be forgotten… never.

After quite possibly the worst mentally scarring moment of her life, at least since her parents gave her the ever dreaded 'Talk', everything else went along smoothly. After what felt like an eternity, really three minutes and thirty-seven seconds according to the nurse, loud crying rang through the air. This sound followed one of the nurses who rushed out from the curtains and back out of sight, a small bloody bundle held in her arms.

After a few moments the crying died down and the nurse came back slowly, this time holding a clean white bundle. "Congratulations Mrs. Terror, you are now the mother of a beautiful little girl." She said gently placing the newborn into the woman's arms, before going back to behind the curtains.

The moment that Jean's eyes settled on the baby's face, she felt the most joyful in her life since her wedding day. Her eyes were barely open, but Jean could the make out her honey colored eyes, which along with her small tufts of bronze hair were just like her mother. The baby gave a few soft gurgles before drifting off to sleep in Jean's arms.

So focused on the young life now in her arms, Jean didn't even notice when the doctor finished up and she was moved to a recovery room. It wasn't until she was she was being swarmed by her family as they all clamored in to see the baby that she finally snapped back to reality.

Naturally, the first allowed hold the newborn was her grandmother, Claire. Claire Terror was a kind woman, and wonderful mother. She had given birth to and raised four children, something that showed in her somewhat chubby figure due to the baby fat she never managed to rid herself of.

However, most people focused on the woman's towering height, which reached at a very respectable 6' 9". Her eyes were also honey colored, something every one of her children and most grandchildren shared.

Her hair once a beautiful bronze, once again inherited by all her children, had dulled to a light brown with lots of grey while her face held many wrinkles, but that did nothing to stop the pride it showed as she held onto her newest grandchild.

Next to her stood her husband Thomas with his arm wrapped around her waist and joy written all over his expression. He was a relatively short man of five-and-a-half feet with salt and pepper hair, slightly dulled brown eyes and wore a plain grey suit with white undershirt and a purple tie.

Behind him stood her three brothers starting with Earl, the oldest and her senior by five years. He was also short like their father, barely even reaching five feet. His hair was a ragged mess that looked as if he had cut it using a pair of safety scissors. He wore a plain black shirt, jeans, and had a satchel on his left side which most likely had his laptop for work.

After him was Max, her junior by two years, who took almost entirely after their father, minus the hair and eye color, even wearing pretty much the same outfit only white with a blue undershirt and black tie. In his arms was a small camera that he was currently using to take as many pictures of the baby as possible.

And finally, there was Stan, who was older than her by two years. Just like Jean he took almost entirely after their mother, easily towering over his siblings at six-and-a-half feet. He stood back with his wife, a somewhat overweight young woman with dirty blond hair named Susan. They both looked ready for a vacation as they wore flower pattern shirts and shorts. Their two-year-old paternal twin children, John and Jane were held up in their parents' arms, while their four-year-old daughter, Gabriella peeked shyly behind their legs.

Alexa and her Husband, Marcus Sr., a skinny athletic looking fellow with black hair and who currently held Marcus Jr., stood next to them, content to just watch. After being handed back the baby, Jean settled back into her bed and cuddled with her daughter,

"Have you decided on a name yet?" This question came from her father who had just finished wrangling the camera from Max to get him to calm down.

Jean smiled, "Yes, I knew exactly what to name her the moment I found out I was having a daughter. Her name is going to be Claire," A soft gasp escaped from her mother, causing her smile to widen. "Claire Ecnayov Terror." The newly named Claire remained blissfully unaware in her slumber as her grandmother hugged the duo, crying tears of joy.

The celebration continued for another hour or so, only ending when a nurse came in and to take Claire to the nursery and informing them that visiting hours were over. So after a few (read several) goodbye hugs and congratulations, Jean laid down in order to get some much-needed rest.

_________________

It was four days after bringing Claire into the world that both mother and daughter were released from the hospital. The duo was loaded up with the rest of the family and headed off to Jean's new home. During her pregnancy, Jean's mother and Alexa had convinced her that it would be best if she moved. It hadn't truly taken much since every time she stepped inside her old apartment, old memories would threaten to overwhelm her.

So after a few months of looking, they had settled on a nice place only thirty minutes away from Alexa's and a few hours to her parents. The reason she hadn't lived there till now was A: They had only just finished the remodeling the month before, and B: Alexa wanted to be nearby at all times in case something happened.

Her mother opened the door, since her own arms were holding the baby carriage, and her father and siblings were loaded up with supplies such as diapers and baby powder. Even though Alexa and she had gotten supplies her mother had been VERY insistent they go shopping earlier. Add in that every one of her male relatives was whipped, her argument was quickly made invalid.

While said male relatives struggled to move the supplies into the kitchen, Jean quickly found herself being dragged up the stairs by her mother towards the nursery. A look of wonder crossed Jean's face as this was the first time seeing the room since she had purchased the place. The room itself was not very large, but not too small either, having enough room to fit everything and still walk around comfortably. The walls had been painted a variety of blues and purples, ranging from dark violet and royal purple to navy and midnight blue that blended perfectly together while a single window on the far wall covered with dark violet curtains.

Meanwhile the floor was covered in a soft white carpet, a very stark contrast from the theme but it would make spotting any rouge toys or messes that much easier. Finally, there was the crib itself. It sat in the far right corner and was painted a light purple with slightly darker blankets and pillow. The only real oddity was the small fox plushy that sat next to the pillow. The greatest part of the room was revealed when Jean's mother switched off the light causing dozens of previously hidden lights that were embed into the walls to light up with a gentle glow, mimicking the night sky perfectly.

Gently setting the baby into the crib, Jean cooed a little as she saw her daughter's eyes wander around the room. When her gaze settled on the plushy, little Claire gurgled happily before rolling over and trying to grab it with her small hands. "A curious little one isn't she?" Grandma Claire said/asked while reaching down and scooting the plushy close enough for baby Claire to reach. Gurgling again, the infant grasped the small stuffed animal and hugged it while mindlessly sucking on one of ears.

"Just like her father," Jean whispered, remembering all the times her husband gotten into trouble just to satisfy his never-ending curiosity.

"That reminds me, wait right here." Without further ado, her mother got up and headed out of the room at speeds that contrasted with her elderly appearance. Surprised at the randomness of this, Jean could only sit there, occasionally blinking.

A minute or so later, her mother returned, an old cardboard box now held in her arms. Something looked to have been written on the side of it, but age had caused the ink to fade, leaving only a few barely recognizable letters here and there. She set it down next to the crib and peeled back the tape covering the top. She routed around the inside for a few moments before pulling out a small bundle covered in dust that she carefully shook off,

"Look familiar?" Claire asked before holding it up

"Is that…"

"Your baby blanket, why yes it is." Said blanket was enclosed inside a protective plastic bag that Claire tugged open and allowed the blanket to unfold in her arms. It was masterfully made with dark scarlet yarn, a forest embroidered onto it in sparkling gold yarn.

"I wove it over the entire nine months I carried you, didn't finish the last stitch till just as my water broke. Do you really think I would lose something like that?" She questioned while handing it over to Jean, who slowly ran her fingers through the soft material.

"I made one for each of my children and grandchildren, and now it's time for this to be given to its new owner." Her mother said, taking the blanket back. Leaning down to the crib, Claire picked up her granddaughter , the fox still held in her grasp. With the ease and skill of an experienced mother, she wrapped the blanket around both the infant and fox before gently setting her back down into the crib.

Little Claire squirmed around for a few moments, almost as if she was getting comfortable, before stopping, seemingly satisfied, and suddenly drifted off to sleep. Jean was caught by surprised at this since after the first night, Claire had been an extremely fussy sleeper, her mother on the other hand, "You were the exact same as a child, you would absolutely refuse to go to sleep without that blanket until you were-"

"Seven, until I was seven." Jean cut her mother off, old memories of her childhood flashing through her mind. Hiding from thunderstorms, playing in her room, even when she first saw and wanted to be a hero, it while snuggled with that blanket.

The sight of her own daughter now wrapped in that blanket brought a smile to Jean's face as she hugged her mother in gratitude.

She would treasure these moments for every day of her life…

________________

Four months later

Jean sighed nervously as she paced back and forth in the doctor's office, her now four-month old daughter lay in a cot with a bunch of monitors attached to her. Claire had suddenly developed a dangerously high fever in the middle of the night and now Jean was slowly driving herself crazy waiting for the doctor to tell her why. Just as she was sure she was going to go insane, the door opened and Alexa walked in.

"I came as soon as I got your message, is Claire okay?" She asked as she hugged her friend supportively.

"Y-yeah, the fever broke an hour ago, but they still have told me what caused it." Jean would've continued to pace nervously had Alexa not grabbed her and forced her into a chair.

"Jean, calm down, panicking won't do any good right now," Alexa told her, speaking as soothingly as she could. "Like you said, the fever broke which means that whatever it is, it's getting better, right?" Nodding in agreement, Jean tried to follow her friends advice and did her best to calm down.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the doctor came in, but the look on his face said it wasn't good news. "Mrs. Terror?" She nervously nodded, "The results of the tests are in, but to be honest I don't think the results will be of much help." This served to only further confuse and agitate her.

"What results? What were the results? What's wrong with my baby?" She asked as more fear flooded her towards the answer.

"We're not sure," The doctor said as he held his clipboard towards the duo. On it were a bunch of charts and readouts that made little sense to the worried mother, but clearly made some sense to Alexa. She snagged it from the man and rapidly flipped through the pages, her brow arched as an angry sneer spread across her face.

"Is this some form of sick joke. These results are from a dozen different individuals other than Claire!" She all but snarled while throwing the clipboard at the wall, embedding it several inches and causing the doctor to gulp nervously.

"I-I a-assure you-you that I-I a-am be-being entirely serious," He stuttered out, holding his arms out passively. "Each time we ran a test these are the kind of results we got. If I didn't know any better, I'd agree with you and say the tests were of different people, but I personally redid each of them twice. It's as if her cells can't decide what they are."

"…Was there anything conclusive?" Alexa asked, her anger dying down while Jean paid rapt attention. The doctor shook his head,

"Just that whatever it is, it's bad." He stated nervously, pulling one of the sheets off the clipboard still in the wall and handing it to Alexa. "The only thing I could find conclusive is that this… condition, is slowly but surely killing her. I wish I could be of more help, but something like this is way beyond what normal doctors can treat. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Your best bet would be to take it up with the Society, I'm sorry." With that the doctor bowed his head slightly before quickly leaving the room.

The door shutting was the last straw for Jean as she broke down into tears. She snatched her child up and hugged her to her chest as sobs racked her body. Alexa tried to consul her as best she could, but with no success as Jean was completely out of it.

Given her lack of response, Alexa gave up and carefully pushed Jean out of the hospital and to her car. For the entire drive, Jean refused to release her grip on Claire, fearful to let her daughter out of sight for even a second. So many thoughts and emotions ran through her at once, what she was going to do, was this in some way her fault, if her daughter was going to live to see her first birthday.

Each moment passing left her that much more scared and stressed. Fear easily digging it's claws deep onto her being and latched on tightly.

*SMACK*

A small, slender hand struck across her cheek, knocking her free of her depressing, fear driven thoughts. Momentarily stunned, Jean shook her head and took in her surroundings. She had clearly been completely lost inside her own thoughts as she now found herself inside Alexa's lab instead of the car.

"Finally," Alexa said, drawing Jean's attention back to her. "I've been trying to get your attention for almost an hour now." She said giving her friend a hug. Pulling Jean up to her feet, Alexa guided her to a large machine she didn't recognize, though to be honest she could barely remember a what a tenth of Alexa's tech looked like. It was a large yellowish-white cube with several buttons on top and a clear glass barrier on the side showing its hollow center. Alexa pressed two of the buttons and the glass slid downwards before she turned back to Jean.

"Jean, I know you're nervous and scared, but I need you to let me take Claire."

"W-w-w-why?" Jean stuttered, her grip tightening slightly.

"So I can find out exactly what's going on with her." Alexa stated, gently wrapping her arms around Claire and, after a bit of effort, pulled her away from her severely worried mother.

She carefully put her into a baby carriage (that looked suspiciously like the one Jean had been missing for a week) and placed her inside the machine. Jean's anxiety only increased further as blue colored light grids passed over Claire in various intervals and patterns.

Once the machine finished, Jean got up to get her child only for Alexa to beat her to it. Instead of giving her back though, she walked over to another machine and set the seat onto another machine. This continued for hours, Claire was thoroughly scanned, tested, and finally (With extreme reluctance on Jean's part) a small blood sample taken. The sun had long since raised and set again by the time Claire was back into her mother's arms, nursing happily.

"I'll need to contact a few associates for some help with this. It will probably take a while to go over everything and get anything conclusive. In the meantime, you should really go get some rest you've been up for over two days." Alexa said leading Jean out of her lab and into her house, directly towards Jeans old room. Only stopping to grab a collapsible bassinet from one of the closets, something that she had for when Jean stayed the night.

Setting it up in the corner, Alexa watched as Jean cautiously laid Claire down and hugged her upset friend. "Everything will be just fine, I'll get you the instant I have something." She said supportively, before leaving the room. Jean crumbled onto the floor next to the bassinet, her gaze still locked onto her child.

As she looked at the peaceful expression on her child's face, Jean couldn't help but smile softly even as more tears silently slipped down her cheeks once again. She stayed that way for several minutes until all the exhaustion from the last two days finally managed to catch up to her and she slipped into unconsciousness.

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Jean's eyes slowly cracked open as she lifted herself off from the place she lay, taking in her surroundings with confusion. Gradually the memories of the day before filtered in and she quickly shot up to check on Claire. Thankfully she still laid in her bed sleeping, her blanket partly undone from tossing around. Running on autopilot, Jean gently picked up her baby, fixed up her blanket, tucked her into a cradle hold, and headed to the dining room.

Alexa sat at the table with her laptop, specially reinforced to handle the speeds at which she typed, her hands nothing more than a blur with a light buzzing sound. Marcus Jr. was next to her, sat up in his high chair playing with some cereal. As soon as she sat down, Jean a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast seemly appearing in front of her. "Thanks Alexa," She stated not even surprised as she grabbed her fork and slowly ate.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, minus the soft buzzing of the keyboard and baby speak, Claire having woke up a few minutes earlier was happily nursing away. Finally, after the last bite was finished, Alexa stopped typing and sighed. "I've got good news and bad news, which you want first?"

"... bad." Like a band-aid, better to get it down quick and fast.

"I consulted with several associates over the data. From what we can tell, Claire partly inherited your ability to mimic people."

Jean gave a look torn between horror and confusion, "So this IS my fault?" Seeing no reason to lie, Alexa just nodded sadly,

"The problem is that she didn't inherit your ability to control these changes. Her body, more specifically her internal organs, are in a constant state of change. The fever last night was from the hypothalamus being distorted from this." Jean was rapidly swirling into depression when Alexa spoke again.

"On the bright side, I already have several ideas that can help her. One of them should at least buy us enough time to hopefully devise a proper cure." By now Jean was feeling at least slightly more hopeful. "I'll try contacting the society later today, being retired members should at least get us help with this. Hopefully they respond quickly, without aid Claire will..." Alexa trailed off as she felt Jean grip he shoulder tightly at that, making her realize she was saying too much. "Come on, we need to get everything set up as soon as possible.

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Jean felt cold inside. Looking down at her little girl, barely over four months old, hooked up to so many devices, just to ensure she'll stay alive and healthy, left her feeling numb. How else should she feel, her greatest joy in this world was seriously ill and all she could do was sit there and hope her oldest friend could do something.

She had just called her own mother a half hour ago, to inform her of all this. Unfortunately, she and her father were stuck due to extreme rainstorms. Earl was in a similar issue, for some reason she couldn't reach Max at all, and Stan had to work or his boss would fire him. Of all the times, the one moment she needed her family the most and they were out of reach. The only saving grace so far was that Alexa had gotten into contact with the Society and they had a meeting the next Tuesday to discuss their situation.

She pressed her hands against the glass that separated her from her child and said, "Don't worry Claire, mommy's right here and she'll make sure you get better… … I promise you."

End of Part One