Running Away ((Blair1216&&Lady_Squall_Lionheart))

“I know. I’m sorry.”Jason sighed softly, his shoulders slouching a little as he considered how he’d responded before swallowing hard. “we’ll go back in a few days, I would like to make sure that you really are fine, and chad can do that.”He muttered taking her hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, swallowing hard. While he knew they didn’t have to work as hard, he also knew that despite chad’s willingness ot help, he shouldn’t be totally trusting yet. So, he’d make sure they kept their jobs. “I’ll call the diner and shop, tell them you needed a few days of rest. Don’t worry about it.”he muttered before looking up at chad as he walked in.

“No.”The man hissed roughly, the words ground out.”I’ll finish the nursery when we get back.”he said looking annoyed at the idea of someone else taking care of something that was his to do.

Vera nodded, trusting him to call in to work for her. "Okay, we'll stay for a few days..."

Chad nodded, his smile fading a bit, but he didn't look too effected by the other man's angry tone. "Very well," he answered, "I'll leave you two alone to rest. Let me know if you feel any sort of discomfort, Vera, and I will look in to it." With that, the man climbed the stairs and headed for his bedroom, not wanting to bother them any longer.

Vera leaned back into the bed, feeling tired and worn out after the plane ride and all of the tests. "You're going to stay with me in here right?" she asked, patting the bed beside her. His presence made her feel better, and she had every intention of staying close to him, especially while they were in this new, strange place.

"Are you upset?" she asked, biting her lip as she laid her head on the pillow, "I mean... that the baby is your's?"

Jason winced a little, looking away from chad as the man’s smile faded, feeling bad for snapping at him before nodding as he left. Shifting to lay down next to vera he nodded, “I’m not going anywhere. Remember, I’m supposed to take care of you.”He muttered sighing softly as he laid down on his side, laying next to her as he thought, before looking away from her.

“Not…not like you mean. I mean…as a kid, I always wanted kids. But…when I was changed, I’d given up on the idea, since I knew the mutation was at a genetic level, that any child of mine, would also hold my…mutation.”He sighed closing his eyes, trying to relax. “I was a adult when I learned to control my instincts…whats it going to be like for a child?I never wanted to condemn someone to that life…”

Vera frowned and watched him, seeing the frustration and confusion in his expression. She felt guilty about putting him in this situation, even if she knew he was going to take care of her. She couldn't help but wonder if it was purely out of obligation, or he really did care this much about her and the child.

"We will take it one step at a time," she murmured, snuggling down into the blankets, "You never know... It may not be as extreme as your instincts. She might have a stronger hold on it considering she'd half human." Reaching up, she stroked a hand down his arm, trying to make him feel better. "And she will have you to help her."

With that, she leaned down and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

Jason sighed softly, snuggling close to her, resting as she relaxed. “Maybe. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”he muttered closing his eyes as he tried to relax.”That’s true…I’ll be here.”he said brightening a little at the idea as he drifted off to sleep.

In the morning Jason was sitting up at the kitchen table waiting for chad, looking vaguely..anxious. not wanting to ask, but because he needed to. Having gotten up early to make sure vera wouldn’t miss him, he’d be back downstairs before she got up. “What about the others. I need to know…if you all are moving near me…or going to affect my life…I would like to know who’s here.”he said his face set into hard lines, already thinking over the captives he’d known, wondering who’d done what he’d done, and gotten away.

Chad smiled at the sight of Jason, moving over to pour himself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table. "Just a handful of them will be coming with me, and like you, they are people too. You just have to meet them," he said, sipping his coffee, "There is Sara, who is a teleporter. She doesn't have the same string of mutation you have. No animal instincts. However, she could be in Paris in less than a second... There's Schuyler. He's a shape-shifter. His string of mutation causes him to be able to shift back and forth between a human form and the form of large dog, though he is starting to figure out how to shift into other forms through his training." He took another sip of his coffee and opened the news paper. "Carter has a great deal of strength, so much so that it took months of training to teach him how to hold a spoon without snapping it in half. Madison can start fires with her mind, and trust me, that took a while to control... They aren't any different than you, Jason. They all have things that they are trying to overcome."

He gave the man a reassuring smile, looking over the paper with a casual glance. As he read, he sipped his coffee and ate a bowl of cereal. "I haven't told any of them that you or Vera are here. They get nervous when new people come around, and the idea of Vera or any human being here would take some time to get used to."

Jason smirked, raising a eyebrow. “You can say a lot of things about us doctor, but us….mutts…aren’t just people anymore.”He said smirking, proving that despite having been a social shut in, the man had watched movies. And he better then anyone, knew that any of the mutations weren’t just normal anymore. Tilting his head as he thought about the others he sipped his coffee, staring at the table before nodding.

“Well having them anywhere near Vera or the baby make me nervous to, so it all evens out.”he said shrugging a little, thinking things over. At least back in louisanna, he would have home team advantage on which to deal with the people who’d be moving near him. No matter how much he felt for the other mutations, or knew that he should be sympathic, the animal instinct was strong enough to want to protect his den, mate and child more then anything else.

Chad chuckled a little, because in all honesty, he had not expected Jason to be as protective as he was. He seemed to be in constant panic and worry about who or what came in contact with Vera or the baby. "They won't hurt her," he said, shaking his head, "It's against anything and everything that believe in. They are here to adjust to being a normal being and to blend in with those around them." Giving him a reassuring smile, he turned when he saw Vera walking into the kitchen.

She looked beyond sleepy, her dark hair a bit messy. Her hand was on her stomach, and the other hand was keeping her balance against the doorway. "Hey," she said to Jason, giving him a smile, then turned to Chad with a nod.

Chad frowned a bit. "Vera, I'm sorry if we woke you, but you should really be careful about getting out of bed."

Vera pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I feel fine."

Jason frowned thinking about it before nodding a little. “Then we will see how this goes.”he said trying to relax at the idea of the others being anywhere near them, even if they didn’t know until after that Jason and vera were closeby, they were still moving close. Looking concerned when he glanced up to look at vera he frowned.

“You should be resting.”He growled, looking concerned. “You promised to do what I asked…..rest. please?”he muttered looking worried and resisting every urge to get up and carry her back downstairs.

Vera pouted and huffed like a stubborn child. "Well, you promised me that you were going to stay with me, but when I woke up, you were gone! So excuse me for going to look for you," she snapped, rubbing her stomach as she talked, "And I'm hungry."

Chad smirked a bit, watching the stubborn couple argue back and forth. "I will scramble you some eggs and make some toast," he said, getting up and going through the cabinets for a pan.

Vera shook her head, feeling a bit guilt. "Oh, no, you don't have to cook for me," she said, "I make myself breakfast."

Chad started to crack some eggs into a bowl. "No, I have in under control," he said gently, "You go get back in bed and I'll bring it down with some orange juice."

Sighing after a moment, she looked at the two men and frowned. "Okay, okay," she whined, moving to head down the stairs. Ugh. She hated laying in bed all day. It made her antsy and bored...

“Well, I wanted to find out who was moving closer to us before you woke up.I thought I’d be back downstairs sooner.”he snapped back, the man looking annoyed before nodding his thanks to chad.”Thanks.And you, you’re going back to bed. Come on.”Jason said smiling a little as he picked her up, heading downstairs he settled them both in bed before sighing quietly.

“I’m sorry…I really had thought I wouldn’t be gone that long…”He said sounding contrite as he looked down, anxious that he’d upset her.

Vera sighed, taking in his remorseful expression. "I'm not mad at you, Jason," she said, "I was just worried. We are across the nation in the house of a man I've met twice. When I woke up, you were gone, and I was worried. Remember, worry goes both ways." She gave him a look, but settled into bed and turned on the television to one of her favorite morning talk shows. It seemed that quitting the diner had not only forced her to spend more time at home, but to submit to watching television. There were only so many books she could by before it started cutting into the budget.

"Look, I'll promise to rest more if you promise to not treat me like an infant, okay?" she said, leaning against the pillows.

A few minutes later, Chad came down with a tray of breakfast for both her and Jason. Vera blushed and sat up to eat, giving him a gracious thank you, then digging into the food. Good Lord, she was hungry.

~*~

A week later, Vera was still in the same position - laying down in bed. Luckily, the television was set up in the bedroom, helping with her boredom, but she was still a little lonely. After all, Jason still had to go to work, and she was forced to take a maternity leave from the antique shop. Mr. and Mrs. Whittington graciously decided they'd pay her even when she took a break for the baby, and it made Vera feel awfully guilty. With the money Chad had given them, they were doing okay with out it, but she knew that she couldn't risk them knowing about Jason, Chad, or the condition of the baby...

Chad had been coming to the house to check on her every evening, and he told Jason that the tests he wanted to do on him could wait until after the baby was born, so they still had not met the other mutts. It was probably a good thing, considering Vera knew that Jason didn't need another thing to stress out about... However, Chad had moved to Louisiana with the other mutts in a remodeled Victorian mansion on the outskirts of town.

Vera heard Jason come in from work and smiled. "Jason? Mrs. Whittington brought over a casserole about an hour ago. It's in the oven if you're hungry," she said, glad that the elderly woman didn't mind cooking for them sometimes.

Jason grinned as he shut the door behind him,psusing for a moment to just enjoy the feeling of having a home before laughing at her yell."oh good. I don't have to let ou coom."he teased as he got a plate of casserole for the both of thrm before heading up to the stairs to the bedroom.

"How you feeling?"he asked smiling as he handed her her plate and settled on the bed next to her. While he hadn't met the others yet he was getting to the point that he wanted to because he knew they were there and every instinct made him want to protect vera and the baby,and the territory he'd claimed as home.

Vera smiled and took the plate from him, sitting up enough to eat comfortably. "I feel huge," she admitted, even if it was a bit ridiculous. The small-framed girl looked similar to what she looked like before she was pregnant, except for the large basketball-like stomach and rounder hips. "Other than that, I feel pretty great. I only feel those sharp pinches of pain every once in a while, and I figured out that if I keep covered with the electric blanket, I don't feel them as often. She likes to be warm." She shrugged and started to eat her food, smiling over at him. She liked to see him coming home looking so... content. She never thought she'd see that look on Jason's face, but he really did seem to be somewhat happy with how things were. Sure, their were still dangerous things to come, but right now... Right now, everything felt pretty great.

"How was work?" she asked, tilting her head. "Have you heard from Chad? I think he's supposed to be over here in a little while."

“You are huge.”Jason readily agreed, though his dark eyes showed amusement, showing that he was just teasing before smirking a little.”Good. And of course she likes to be warm. Even this far south, it gets cold in the winter. And she cant do like me and just bundle up more. So she has to let you bundle her up.”he muttered snickering a little as he started to eat, knowing it was weird to be this happy, considering everything that was going on in his life, but he really was. Despite still having his moments of extreme isolation and assholeness, the man had learned to play well with others….at least with vera and chad. It was going to be interesting when the others met him.

“It was long. And we got everything unloaded, but damned if its not chilly out.”he said smiling a little before shaking his head.”No, not yet. But he’ll probably be over soon, he usually comes about this time at night.”

"Well, I see an electric baby blanket in her future," Vera laughed, rubbing her stomach gently. She finished eating and set the plate aside. Sure enough, the door bell ran, and Vera turned to Jason with a smile. "Ah, there he is... Come in!"

A few moments later, footsteps could be heard coming up the small stair case. Chad walked in and smiled, leaning against the door way. "It's nice to see that you are actually resting in bed as you should be."

Rolling her eyes, Vera sighed. "I've been resting as I should be since we got home."

"I know, I know," he said, moving into the room, "I'm just teasing." He winked and nodded to Jason, as he started to take his supplies out of his bag. Like always, he checked all of her vitals and the position and heartbeat of the baby. "You are looking good, Vera. Everything is on track and okay. However, I would expect her by the end of January. Just based on her growth in weight and the fact that her position is already starting to drop."

Vera's eyebrows raised. "That's like... That's really soon. I thought she was due mid-February?"

Chad nodded. "She is, but baby's like to come early all of the time. A couple weeks is normal, nothing to worry about."

“Well, I’ll see if I can find one. Surely they make such a thing.”he said frowning thoughtfully, actually wondering where in the world he could find something like that. Maybe babies-r-us? Looking up at chad he offered the man a small smile as he ate, “But you’re always wanting to get up. Which isn’t really resting.”Jason teased smiling at her.

Tilting his head he thought about it, before eating another bite.”Not only that, but…because of the changes, serpents have a shorter pregnancy length then humans….I mean, its okay for humans to go early to, but that might be a reason to.”he said shrugging a little before looking up at chad.”Also, I was wondering, how are the others settling in?”

Vera seemed to be the only one stunned in the room, and that annoyed her. "Jason! That's nearly two weeks away," she said, eyebrows raising, "You realize that, right? The nursery isn't even finished, and what is our doctor going to say when I give birth a month early to a child with retractable fangs?"

Chad shook his head, chuckling bit. "I have everything needed for you to give birth here if you'd like," he said, "That way we don't have to risk exposure."

Vera pouted a little, but nodded. She turned to Jason and sighed. "Am I the only one who is freaking out a little bit? The room isn't even painted, we don't have a changing table..." It was clear that her extra time in bed had led her to read a few too many parenting books - all of which convinced her that she was so not ready for this baby. She was going to make a horrible mother, and she knew it. "We haven't even talked about names!"

Chad sat in a chair across from the bed and sighed. "Vera, stress is not good for you."

Jason shrugged a little looking at her. “Its two weeks. Like… 168 hours…I can paint things by now.”he said frowning, looking concerned not about what he hadn’t done yet, but her reaction. Frowning as he considered her question he opened his mouth, before relaxing. “Well then, we’ll have the baby here.”he agreed looking around himself, trying to figure out why she seemed to think that they would both be failing so badly.

“Vera, what’s wrong?We still have time. Alex said I can have the week off whenever I want, when you got closer to being due…I’ll just take it off earlier then I thought…”he said frowning.

Vera sighed and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder as she looked down at her stomach. "I'm just nervous, Jason," she whispered, "I don't feel like I'm ready..." It just scared the living shit out of her to think that in two weeks, she was going to be a mother. This was a living baby that they were about to have together, and believe it or not, they were still "runaways" and they still had danger lurking around every corner. It made her nervous to think that if they had to be on the run, they were going to have an infant daughter with them to protect.

Chad frowned. "You two will be fine," he said, "Don't worry." He stood up and started to gather his things. "I have to get to dinner, but you two try to relax and not get to nervous. And for the love of God, Jason, paint the nursery."

~*~

A week in a half later, Vera was alone at home and in quite a bit of pain. She was a stubborn girl, and it was hard for her to admit that this was it - she was about to go into labor. These were actual contractions. It scared her to think that there was no preparation time left...

"Jason!" Vera called from the bedroom, her teeth grinding together in pain. She wasn't sure what he was up to, but she just hoped that he could hear her over whatever he was going. "I... I think we should probably call Chad."

Jason appeared in the doorway after a few moments, eyes widening as he looked at her, a smudge of pain on his cheek. Despite having painted and gotten whatever vera wanted in the week since they’d talked, he’d been painting the ceiling with glow in the dark paint, painting stars. Eyes widening swallowing hard as he pupils narrowed, nodding quickly as he walked out of the room to, quickly calling chad and explaining what was going on before moving to sit next to her, holding her hand as he muttered, the soft senseless words sounding slightly hissing as he struggled to be calm for her, to not give into the fear, and the need to hurt whatever was causing her pain. But since it was her own body, he was having a hard time figuring out how to protect her.

Vera cried out in pain with a blood-curdling scream as she squeezed his hand. As she did so, the sheets became soaked as her water broke. "Oh! Oh, Jason, it hurts. It hurts." Her face was contorted in pain. "Please tell me he's on the way, and please tell me he can give me something for the pain."

At first, she thought she might like the idea of natural child birth. Now she realized exactly how wrong she was in that thought. What a stupid idea. She wanted to be drugged, and she wanted to be drugged now.

Chad came in the door around twenty minutes later, and right when he got the bedroom, Vera let out another scream. Her body literally quaked with the contractions, her back arching.

"Well, looks like we have a baby on the way," Chad said calmly, starting to get out his supplied. Gently, he helped Vera out of the pajama shorts she was wearing and draped a sheet over her naked bottom half. When he inspected her, he nodded. "Just as I suspected. You were stubborn and let yourself nearly fully dilate before saying anything, hm?" He smirked. "No surprised."

He turned to Jason. "I have two guys downstairs that I've trained to assist me, but they are going to stay down there unless I absolutely need them, okay?"

Chad winced a bit when Vera let out another scream, sitting on a foot stool at the foot of the bed. "Breath, Sweetheart," he whispered, "I don't want to give you medication for the pain unless absolutely necessary. I'm not sure how it will react with the baby and I don't want to take chances."

“He’s on the way. He is.”Jason said holding onto the thought desperately as he clung to her hand, totally spiraling out of control, but having no way to know how he’d lash out if he did. Swallowing hard when he saw chad he watched for a moment before hissing at the man, tensing a little as he watched her scream, tensing, struggling between the need to go for chad, his instincts telling the man he was leaving vera in pain, and staying wehre he was, comforting vera. “Chad…you need to get the other two up here…now…”He growled knowing he was losing control, and knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it. Vera’s pain was driving him to a breaking point, and he knew there was no stepping back from that until the babe was born and vera stopped screaming.

Vera looked at his with fearful eyes. "What do you mean? Jason, what's wrong - OW! OH! - Jason, you can't leave me, please!"

Chad shook his head, and looked up at Jason with a frown. "Okay, Okay," he said, nodding carefully, "Schuyler! Carter! I need you up here!"

Vera let out another scream, and Chad started to put his gloves on. "Don't push yet, Sweetheart," he said, trying to be as kind and gentle as he could. The man really did have a soothing voice, and it made one wonder why he ended up as a doctor for the government, and not originally in a maternity ward. "Just keep breathing. In and out. Jason needs to step out of the room so that he doesn't do something that he can't control, okay? But I'm here. Everything will be okay."

Vera had tears going down her cheeks, because she was scared, and she never expected to have to do this alone. However, Chad saw Jason's urgency, and he quickly turned to the two men that ran up the stairs. "Carter, I need you to take Jason down stairs and keep him constrained," he said, quickly, "Schuyler, you will lock the door behind him and stay in here for assistance. Got it?"

Carter ( a man who was known for being the -very- strong and silent type) simple nodded and took Jason by the arm. His super strength allowed him to take Jason out of the room like a human would a rag doll. There was no use in fighting Carter, because no one would ever win.

((Carter))

Chad watched as Schuyler locked the door behind them, and as soon as the door shut, Chad allowed Vera to start pushing. It wasn't long before he could see the baby's head, and thanks to the lack of medication, Vera's screams did not relent.

((Schuyler))

Jason growled despite the soothing tone to chad’s voice, barely stopping himself from lunging for him, in fact going for his throat as carter grabbed him, fighting like a animal enraged to get free of the man holding him, despite his rational mind knowing that it was futile, that chad wasn’t hurting her, the man’s instincts were driving him insane, telling him that chad was hurting her, that she was screaming for a reason, that he needed to stop that reason.

Schuyler winced a little watching the two men leave the room before moving to stand next to vera, trying to decide what to do, gently taking her hand, “You can squeeze my hand if you need to. I promise if you break bone, I wont hold it against you.”the man said, offering her something to laugh at as he tried to sooth her, already hearing things breaking downstairs as Jason fought to still get away. Wondering how much of the house was going to be left standing when vera stopped screaming.