Isaac and Zac
Isaac rubbed at his temples and then fell back on his bed, closing his eyes. This was insane. Taylor had been missing for a couple of days now and no one had any idea where he was. Tanya was super concerned - she had dropped by to give him his treatment, and of course, he wasn't there. She had gotten a team together herself then, and started looking for him - and Mouse too, but of course, Taylor was her main concern.
There was a tentative knock at Isaac's door.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened slowly and Zac stepped in.
"Ike? Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked quietly.
Isaac opened an eye and looked at his brother. Zac? Quiet? Great, now what was wrong?
"Sure. What is is?"
"Well," Zac started pacing the room, wringing his hands. "I did it again."
"Did what again?"
"Got someone... got someone..." he gulped, and said the next word in little more than a whisper, "pregnant."
"Faith?"
"No."
"Damn it, Zac."
"Please don't get mad," Zac begged.
"Well, what do you expect me to do? Who was it this time?"
"You remember... I told you about that girl I slept with after I got drunk?"
"Ahh."
"Her name's Desiree. She... she just called me then."
"I see. So what's the verdict?"
"She said it was up to me," Zac replied. "She didn't want it. So I said... oh man... I said if she wouldn't mind carrying it to term I'd keep it. You know we both feel the same about abortion. I couldn't just... and I couldn't... my child being raised by someone else? No, I couldn't do that either."
Isaac sighed.
"So you're going to be a full time parent, huh?"
"It would seem so."
Glad that he had gotten it off his chest, Zac collapsed on a chair.
"Ike?"
"Mmm?"
"How do I tell Faith?"
"You find her, open your mouth, and talk."
"Very funny."
"Hey look, with all the stuff you guys have gone through, I think your real problem is telling Mom and Dad you got someone else pregnant."
Zac groaned.
"Speaking of which," and Isaac adjusted himself on his bed so that he was looking at Zac, "alien or human?"
"Neither. Mutant."
"Ouch."
"What's ouch?"
"Your baby is going to have powers from day one. Before day one. You know that second generation mutants have their powers from birth. And that on top of any Dathrian abilities..."
Zac threw up his hands.
"Hey, I'm already having one kid with Stealth."
"Yeah, but unless Julie moves in with us, she's gonna be doing all the real work."
"I know, I know," Zac sighed. "This is insane."
"You're telling me!" and then it was Isaac's turn to sigh. "I won't say I told you so, but -"
"I think you just did."
"This is girl number three."
"I know. And from this day forth I refuse to have sex with anyone other than my girlfriend until further notice."
Isaac laughed.
"Good for you. It's a shame it's taken three - well, really two - pregnancies to get that through your thick skull."
"Hey don't knock the thick skull. Thick skulls prevent me from getting head injuries when fall off Betsy - rare occasion as that may be.."
"No, that's call a helmet," Isaac replied, raising an eyebrow.
Zac pulled a face at him. There was silence for a moment.
"Ike?"
"What?"
"Can you tell Mom and Dad for me?"
"Oh I see. You're working on the shoot-the-messanger theory?"
"Well, see, I don't think they would actually shoot you. They'll probably kill me, though. And then who would look after the baby?"
Isaac laughed.
"I'll consider it. Why don't you get things sorted with Faith first?"
Zac nodded, chewing his lip.
"Okay. I'll tell her tomorrow."
"Good."