The Worst Shade of Green

"Logan." Forge said coming into the room. "He's here." Logan turned from watching Toad in the cell and pulled the cigar from his mouth to see the man enter the room after Forge.

"Hello Tony."

"I must admit when I heard you called asking for help I was...well surprised." Tony smiled as he buried his hands into his pockets. "Of course my sincerest apologies for not being able to to take your call myself. That him?"

"Yeah that's him." Logan said putting his cigar back in his mouth. Tony moved closer to the cell and stared down at Toad with Logan.

"Stop staring at me!" Toad yelled and jumped into the glass again.

"He's been doing that for the whole seven days he's been here." Logan said.

"Certainly a jumpy fellow." Tony said with a tone tone and equally bored expression as he stared at Toad. "So where's this machine?"

Forge jumped slightly. "Oh it's uh... right this way." Forge said leading him out of the room. "I've taken a look at the thing and I think I know what's wrong with it but... I can't fix it."

"Uh huh?" He replied as he sauntered along next to him. He stopped when he saw the machine and scratched his goatee. "Hm..." He circled around it. "Interesting piece of machinery."

"Isn't it?" Forge asked. "I wanna know who built it but... Toad won't tell me."

"Well from the looks of it it's some kind of machine that could possibly stabilize different types of chemicals. In his case it could be used to stabilize the chemicals entering his brain which are making him unstable."

"You got that just from looking at it?" Forge asked. "It took me a whole week just to figure that out!"

Tony chuckled as he knelt down and poked around the machine for a second. "He did a pretty good job a fixing it. I could use him around my workshop." He stood back up. "Ok. Pen and paper!"

Forges eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "How can you tell what he tried to fix and what I tried to fix?" He asked handing him a pad of paper and a pencil.

"I'm talented." He smirked as he scribbled down a list onto the pad and handed it back to him. "I'm going to need these parts." He said not even looking at Forge.

"Uh... yes sir..." Forge said grumbling as he walked out of the room.

He turned back to the machine and unbuttoned the coat of his suit and tossed it onto the nearest table. He unbuttoned his shirt and cuffs next and then rolled up his sleeves.

It was a few hours before Forge returned with the parts. "You think you can fix it?"

----

"Hey kid. Hank wants to see you." Logan said knocking on her door but not coming in. "Kid?"

Callie moved up from the bed and walked slowly to the door. She hesitated before opening up and stared up at him. "I heard you." She said quietly.

"Come on." He said leading her downstairs.

"Where's your cigar?" She asked. Logan looked at her a moment. "I've never seen you without your cigar before." Logan smirked and walked with her to the infirmary.

She stepped into the infirmary and looked around for the large blue man patiently.

"Oh Ms. De Montague." She looked up to see Hank fall to the floor. He jumped slightly but thought nothing of it.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked.

"Yes uh... I have your test results. Logan if you could excuse us this is a private conversation." Logan nodded and excused himself shutting the door behind him.

Callie sat down in the chair that Hank motioned to with his hand. She held the collar tightly in her hand like a life line.

"...I'm sick right?" She asked as the color drained from her face.

"Why do you ask that?" He asked.

"I've been throwing up a lot. I can't really keep anything down. I've been tired a lot and I've been getting these weird like... gassy feeling in my stomach. Like my stomach won't stop growling."

Hank smiled. "Well... I can tell you right now you're not sick. What you are... is an expecting mother."

"...what?" She whispered faintly.

"You're pregnant."

Her heart fluttered as she pressed her hand to her stomach. "No way." She said happily as the color returned to her face followed by a smile.

"You're happy about this?" Hank asked slightly shocked. "But he... he forced this upon you." He said slightly confused.

"No he didn't..." She replied as she continued to smile. "I was a consenting party when this baby was conceived."

Hank didn't argue the matter. "So you wish to keep it?" He asked. "And what of the father?"

"I'm keeping him and his daddy." She replied while swinging her legs.

"I mean what if Mortimer doesn't get better. What if this machine can't be fixed?" Hank asked. "You'd be putting both you and your child at risk. On top of the fact that you're human Caledonia. If anyone found out about this both you and Mortimer will but put into slave camps and your child will be taken from you." He said. "How long do you suspect he would last locked in a prison full of humans?" He asked. "I want you to think about this... Callie... and not only for your sake... but for Mortimer's and this child's."

Callie bite her lip and blinked back a wave of tears. She had never thought she'd be scrutinized to badly for merely wanting to keep her child. Standing up quickly she ran from the hospital wing and back to her room.

Hank watched her leave before following her back up to her room. He knocked on the door. "Callie?" He asked. "Callie can we talk please?"

Callie sat with her back against the door, her hands gripping her knees so tightly at her knuckles were white. She didn't respond to him as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Callie please. You do have options." He said. "I'm sure we can think of a way this could work just please talk to me. I didn't mean to upset you I just wanted to make sure you understood how difficult this will be if you keep it."

"It takes a very cold man to make a girl choose between her baby and his father!!" She snapped and struck the door with the back of her hand.

"Callie you're twisting my words around that's not what I meant." He said.

"The hell you didn't, leave me alone!" She replied.

"Callie, I just want you to make sure you know what you want." He said. "That's all. I'd hate to see you or Mortimer get hurt." He said before leaving.

She rested her forehead against her knees as she heard Gambit complaining down the hall to someone. She felt terrible and lost. Keeping the baby was to dangerous it seemed and left her with a very hard decision to go through with. As she looked up through her tears she lifted the collar from the floor and stared at it.

She sighed and looked around knowing she had to talk with Toad about it first. "What am I thinking? He's not going to... want a child..." She looked down at the collar, staring at it deep in thought as the sun began to set over the horizon outside her window.

Once it had set she crept along the halls of the old school silently. Once she reached the door leading to the holding cells she pressed the button. Watching it slid open, she looked around before entering; Logan had got to bed she hoped, but what was more important was he wasn't guarding Toad.

She stepped up to the glass and put her hand against it. He was still curled in a ball at the bottom of his cell. With a pout on her face she moved to the keypad and punched in the code.

As she stepped into his cell she turned around to make sure no one had seen her as the door closed. Looking back to him she felt her nervousness begin to set in. "...Mort?" She asked softly.

Mortimer didn't move from his spot. He stayed crouched on the ground his arms resting on his knees in a very toad like manner. He was mumbling to himself though she couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Hey?" She blinked and approached him slowly, kneeling down at his side, and rested her hand on his back.

Toad jumped away from her landing literally ON the wall near the ceiling.

She jumped slightly then stared up at him. "Come down...I need to tell you something...please?"

Toad glared at her for a few moment before sliding down the wall sticking every few inches.

"I'm not going to hurt you..." She pouted.

"You shouldn't be here." Toad said.

"I have to talk to you..." She replied, lightly shrugging her shoulder and cringed when her wounded one ached.

Toad finally landed on the floor. "Get out of here." He said.

She stood up and moved up to her. She stood inches from touching his chest with hers and stared into his eyes. "Not until you listen to me."

"What?" He asked getting annoyed.

"I'm pregnant." She said quickly then stepped back from him just in case.

Toad crouched down on the ground in front of her his face unreadable.

She looked down slowly and stared at the top of his head. Her heart beat against her chest as she watched him carefully. Was he going to attack her or just stay there. "...they say I should get rid of him..." She said in a choked tone. "But I don't want to." She added, twisting her fingers around themselves. "But if I don't...the wrong person might find out..."

"And?" Toad asked half crawling half hopping away from her.

"...What should I do?" She asked in a faint tone. "I mean...you're his father..." She added even more faintly as she continued to tie her fingers around themselves, nervousness apparent in her voice.

He stared intently at the ground picking at a spot on the ground.

"Mort?"

Toad looked up at her his eyes glazed over.

"What should I do?" She asked.

"About?"

"The baby!" Callie said getting frustrated.

"What baby?"

"You're baby!" Callie practically screamed.

"Oh... I have a baby?"

"Well that depends on you, now answer me." She grumbled as she tried to keep her annoyance to a minimum. She knew it wasn't his fault for how he was acting and she knew she should be annoyed with him. Then her mind raced to their baby again, would she be forced to give him up? Or if she kept him would they be caught and locked away like animals?

"Why are you giving me the choice?" He said quietly not looking at her. "Do what you want."


"Because I'm scared of what might happen..." She looked down to the floor as she felt tears pricking her eyes. "I don't know what to do, I can't make a choice between you or our baby..." She dropped to her knees then and hid her face on her hands.

"Not much of a choice there...." Toad said moving farther away. "No one ever picks me... Ugly Muti Mortie."

"What are you saying?" She looked up over her hands and blinked. "You think I won't pick you?" She asked as she crawled closer to him.

"Stay away from me." He said not looking at her. "You're all alike."

She looked hurt by his comment and stood up quickly. Turning on her heels she walked to the door and punched in the code again. The door slid open and she stepped out. After it closed behind her she moved to the stairs with out looking back at him.

Toad watched her leave and stayed there a moment before jumping into the glass again cracking it a bit more.

---

Callie moved quickly up the stairs and moved towards her bedroom. She paused and sighed. She needed someone to talk to. Looking over at her moms room she made her way over and knocked on the door.

"Momma? Are you awake?" She called as she idled outside her door.

"Callie?" Came her mothers voice. "Come in dear."

She gripped the handle and turned it. The door squeaked as she pushed it open and stepped inside. Shutting the door behind her she turned and walked to her mother's bed and sat down with a frown on her face.

Morna sat up in bed and looked to her daughter. "What did he do now?" Morna asked though whether she was talking about Mortimer or Logan she didn't know.

"...I'm pregnant momma..." She blurted as tears pricked her eyes again. "Toad won't give me an answer on what I should do..." She continued as she gripped her dress nervously. "I'm so scared..."

"What is it YOU want?" She asked. "What do you want to happen?"

"I want to keep it...but everyone keeps telling me it's so dangerous." She replied in a faint tone as she wiped her eyes slowly.

"It is..." He said. "For the both of you." She said. "But I think you should follow your heart. Do what you think is right."

She fell silent as an idea came to mind. "....will you still love me no matter what happens?" She asked in a serious tone.

Morna sighed knowing she had something in mind. She was going to keep the child.

"Of course I will." She said.

"Promise me?" She took Morna's hand tightly and squeezed. "No matter what, you won't give up on me."

"Of course... I will support anything you do."

She slid across the sheets and hugged her mother tightly. "Thank you..." She said through a sniffled as tears finally fell from her eyes.

"It'll be alright." She said letting go of her. Callie smiled at her and made her way out of the room once again. She paused in the hallway and sighed looking around to make sure no one was watching her.

She made her way down to the work room where Toads machine was kept.

"Tony?" She asked spotting him in the room alone. "I need your help."

-The End-

((Oh I smell a sequel! Lulz hope you all liked))