This is a work of fanfiction, no profit was made from it. All Marvel characters are their property. The other characters are mine.

Keri Wilson

LEBEAU PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Chapter 5: Renard's First Year

"Remy wake up! I'm havin' contractions!"

"How chere?" Remy says sleepily."Baby's not due f' another t'ree mon's."

"Ah know! But it's happenin' now! Ah'm goin' down right now tah our infirmary! You come down when you're dressed."

"I'm coming now, cherie! I'll help you!" Remy says, fully awake now, quickly grabbing a pair of his pants and putting them on. Then putting his arm around Tara, they hurry to the infirmary.

"Ah'm glad Moira's here, visitin' her son, Ian!"

"Me too, mon coeur." Remy says softly, trying to calm both of their panicking.

"You're mah heart too, Remy." Tara says gasping between another contraction.

"Here at last, come on chere, sit down on the bed."

Remy calls up Moira's room and tells her what's going on.

Moira races to the infirmary.

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"Ach child, what are we gonna do with ye?" Moira says with a nervous humor as she comes into the infirmary, and sets up the equipment she'll need.

Professor Xavier, Jean and Scott were also visiting. Jean and Professor Xavier both arrived at the infirmary observation room at the same time, Jean looked at him and said, "You sensed it too?"

"Yes Jean, that child is already telepathic. He is transmitting his distress telepathically. At this time it could only be instinctive."

Jubilee runs into the infirmary observation room wincing, "Oh! What telepath is in pain? They're giving me a world class headache!" she says.

"It's Tara and Remy's baby! It's imperative we deliver the child now if it's to survive! Moira we have to get the ICU unit ready for the child!" He goes into the infirmary and helps Moira set up the unit.

Tara grabs Remy's hand. "Ah'm gonna ta have ta have an emergency C-section, right?"

"I'll be right here besides you the whole time, m'love."

"Ah'm ready.'

"Now ye just relax an' will get your bairn out safe an' sound." Moira says trying to reassure them and herself.

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The boy was delivered alive, but convulsing. He is put into the ICU on total life support. That finally calms his telepathic screams to whimpers."

"Will he survive, Moira?"

"I canna guarantee it, but I think so, but he's so young he'll have to stay in the ICU for the next three months, if he survives that long, he should be out of danger."

Tara and Remy look at each other, both upset about the child.

"Remy, he might not even survive!" She cries.

"I know he'll be fine, chere, he's ours, he's got our genes, so he's strong." Remy says gently hugging her.

"Remy what are we gonna tell the kids? Roman and Rowena are too young to really understand what has happened, ah guess we could just tell them that the baby's real sick. The rest of them are old enough to understand, but are they old enough to enough tah be able tah deal with it? Here ah am 35 years old an' ah don't know if ah'm goin' tah be able tah deal with it."

"Maybe at first it would be better f' all of us, chere, jus' t' say dat the baby's real sick. Dat maybe is all we need t' say, mon amour." Remy prayed that he was right and the baby wouldsurvive. He prayed, begging his patron saint every day for the baby to live and be healthy.

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Tara and Remy spent all the time they could spare for the next three months, with the baby. Their other children felt a little neglected, but the older ones also felt a little bit guilty about feeling that way, because they understood why their parents were spending so much time with their infant brother, who their parents decided to call Renard.

"Maman, do they know if he's goin' to live?" Renee asked toward the end of the three months.

"Ah don' know shugah, we think so, but we might always have tah be careful with him. One blessin' is that his heart an' immune system is devolopin' good an' healthy, they're worried about his lungs though. Moira said they're a bit small for his developmental stage. She an' Forge are riggin' up a special oxygen machine for him."

"I'll help you and papa take care of him,maman."

Tara hugged her oldest child with tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank yah, shugah."

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The next week Moira finished the tests she had been running on Renard, and she and Forge set up the oxygen machine.

"Yuir son is doing better than I thought he would be at this time. He can be safely removed from the ICU unit, but at least for the next week I want him on a oxygen machine for at least eighteen hours a day, with a machine standing ready at all the times he is off it."

"So he'll probably have ta stay in the infirmary for at least the next month?"

"It'd be for the best, we have several backup machines in here, there's just one in yuir room."

"Alright. Well at least ah can hold him in mah arms now. Ah'll tell Remy, bet he'll be down here in three seconds flat! He'll want ta hold the baby first!"

Moira and Tara laughed. And sure enough when Remy is told he ran down immediately. Remy very carefully lifts his son out of the ICU. Remy gets that look on his face that Tara knows comes only when he is overwhelmed by his emotions. She goes over to him and leans against his right side, so that the baby's head is partly resting on her breasts, and she strokes the baby's head with her left hand.

"Tol' you chere, he's got our genes, I knew he'd be strong enough t' survive dis. He'll be up running around in no time."

"Then he'd really be different, Remy, biologically he should just be a newborn now!"

"Y' know what I mean Tara, mon amour, I jus' bet he'll be fine by his first birthday. You won' even be able t'tell he had all dese problems, chere."

"Remy, ah hope so." Tara said as she took the baby.

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The next morning Tara was in the infirmary again, having just put the baby back on the oxygen machine when the door opened. "Mama, me wanna see baby." said, Rowena as she walked into the infirmary, holding Luna Maximoff's hand.

Luna, now eighteen, was attending a small college in a nearby town. Luna was an early education major. She was living at the LeBeau Preparatory School, and while not taking classes or working on papers, watched the babies and toddlers in the nursery. Rowena had heard from her older brothers and sisters, that their little brother was better, so she decided she wanted to see her little brother right then and there. Luna figured it wasn't an outrageous request and brought her to see her baby brother.

"Tara, I hope you don't mind, Rowena insisted on seeing her baby brother."

"It's fine." Then addressing her daughter, "C'mere shugah." She said while sitting down in a chair next to the baby's bed, "Climb up into mah lap, uhmph," Tara says with mock strain, as she helps her daughter climb into her lap, "You're gettin' tah be a big girl, gonna be three in just four more months." She smiled at her daughter.

"An' go to school too!" Rowena says sitting up proudly in her mama's lap, she was a big girl, not a baby anymore, she didn't even have to wear stinky ol' diapers no more! Then Rowena remembered about her brother and turned her head towards the baby's bed. "Maman, why baby have tubes in his nose?"

"It helps him breathe. He can't breathe that good yet."

"But Lucas don't have no tubes, an' he's a baby too."

"Yes, but Lucas isn't sick like Renard."

"Will 'Nard get better, mama?"

"Yes, but it's gonna take a long time."

"Too long." A familiar voice says, as Tara's head jerks up. Mystique, her foster mother had made her appearence. "I don't know why you bother. Look at it, can't even breathe without a machine. Even if it survives how useful will it be?"

Tara angerly retorted, "His name is Renard, mama. Can you bring yourself to say his name? And he can breathe already several hours without the machine, and even if he couldn't ah wouldn't care, ah love my children, ah don't drop them as newborns ovah a waterfall, or abandon them at twelve just because they didn't fufil mah ambitions!" Tara looked as shocked as Mystique at the words that came out of her mouth; she hadn't intended to be so sharp with her foster mother, especially in front of one of her children, she started to apologize, "Ah'm sorry mama, ah didn't mean tah be so harsh, but yah don't understand how much ah love mah children. Ah carried them in mah womb, ah talked tah them everyday..."

"Yes, yes I know Rogue, you love your children, you've 'absorbed' Xavier's teachings too much, you've become soft and weak!"

"Carin' about an' doin' everything for your children ain't soft and weak mama. You always ruled by the iron fist.

"So what. I guess you use the velvet glove, Rogue."

Rogue glared at her foster mother, but said nothing. She knew that Mystique had said that on purpose, a none too veiled reference to her now recessive gene for absorbing; the same with that crack about "absorbin' Xavier's teachings".

Rowena was still sitting in her mother's lap, she hadn't understood everything mama and grandma had said, but she had understood that her grandmother meant that it would be better if Renard had died. That made mama real angry and she said bad things back to grandma. Then grandma had said more bad things to mama. Rowena hated her grandma now. She looked angry at grandma too.

Mystique saw both her foster daughter and granddaughter giving her same look, and almost laughed when she realized the child looked almost exactly like her mother; more than likely Rogue looked just like her at that age. Mystique left with a parting shot, "Well at least Rowena looks like you, thank goodness. I'll visit the other grandchildren before I leave, if that's alright with you, Mrs. LeBeau?" She added in a very sarcastic tone, as she walked out of the infirary. Tara just glared until the doors closed behind her foster mother.

"Grandma's mean, mama."

"She can be, sometimes, shugah."

"Why?"

Tara groaned inside, now Rowena was getting to the "why?" stage. They always seemed to ask why to the questions that were hardest to answer."Well grandma is not a happy person, she's only really cared for two people during her life, me and your other foster grandmother, Irene; who died a long time ago. Mama never told me about her parents, but they must not of loved her, and maybe they were mean to her. So she can't love people very well.

"Why?"

Tara sighed, Rowena's definitely starting the "why" stage, this conversation will take quite a while...

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The next day, when Tara was in the infirmary holding Renard in her lap during his time period free of the breathing machine, Belladonna Boudreaux visited. She looked at the baby. "Doctor say dat boy survive?"

"Yes, he's getting stronger by the day. Aren't you shugah?" She said talking to the baby with a big smile on her face.

"Hm. well dat's good. Is it okay wit' you if I go see my godson, Richard?"

"Sure, go ahead, he's probably playin' football out back with the other kids."

"Okay, best o' health to de baby."

Tara watched her leave, Belle had looked at Renard and wished him health, but she had performed as if it was a duty she was bored with. Only the chance for her to see Richard; who Tara and Remy had somewhat belatedly chosen for Belladonna to be the godmother of, had she shown any real interest.

In fact, they had belatedly chosen godparents for their three oldest children at the same time, plus the new baby, at that time, Regina. Magnus and Ororo for Renee, Professor Xavier and Belladonna for Richard, Kurt and Kitty for Roger, Logan and Jubilee for Regina, then later: Bishop and Jean for Roman, Sam and Rahne for Rowena, and now Forge and Moira for Renard. Ah insisted on Magnus as godfather for Remy an' mah first child. To me Magnus' help was the most important reason Remy an' ah were able tah meet in the first place. Remy chose Ororo, because through his meeting her,he met me. Remy insisted on havin' the actual ceremony in a Catholic church, no less. The priest knew we were mutants, he was the priest that Kurt used tah talk to, the same one who married us. Ah felt kind of funny bein' in a church, bein' an atheist, but ah saw how much it meant tah Remy, that it be held in ah church, so ah went along with it. Ah like itbecause it's a way of thanking our friends for all of their help tah us ovah the years, and it acknowledges that really they are our family too. We haven't done the official ceremony yet for Renard. That'll have tah wait till he's bettah.

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Moira tested Renard again a week later,"Yuir son's made amazing progress, Tara! I'm going to allow him to be off the machine for most of the day and night, I'm dropping it to six hours, and this can be all at night. I still want him to stay in here for the rest of the month, but I'll test him again next week. If he continues to make progress I'll drop him down to three hours a day. I don't think we should go below that though, it'd be too much strain on his lungs, yet. Maybe in a few more months. Then Moira left Tara alone with her son in the infirmary.

A few minutes after she leaves the door slid openned again. Tara smiled at Magneto. "The child is improving, I heard. I was not able visit until today. When I heard about your frightening experience at the boy's birth, I was determined to visit and offer my help, but my associates kept making foolish strikes on targets I specifically told them not to. I had to keep rescuing them; finally yesterday I told them I would no longer be a partner to their activities. Whatever trouble they find themselves in from now on they will deal with on their own. I have decided my policy towards humans will be to ignore them, excepting those sympathic to mutants, I have gathered a few like minded friends, and we have created a colony on yet another satellite. You and your family are welcome, as are any you call friends, including Xavier and Dr. McTaggart.

"Ah couldn't Magnus, but ah'll tell everybody what you said, if anyone wants tah go they can."

"I thank you for that, at least. Now might I look at the baby, and see his medical records, perhaps I can devise something to help him. "

Tara gently picked up Renard, and laid him in Magneto's arms. A brief irrational thought pops into her head, that Magnus would take her child with him. Then she berated herself for even thinking such a thing. Magneto held the child, and looked sad, "I remember the first time I held Anya, my daughter who was taken from me. She was so small and fragile looking, smaller than your son now..." He handed Renard back to Tara, and she put her son back on the bed. Then she called up Renard's medical records. Magneto looked at them thoroughly, then he said, "I can only find a small adjustment to make in the oxygen tube, to make it more comfortable for your son to use for hours at a time." He made the adjustment on one of the back up machines. "If Dr. McTaggart thinks this modification is better, she can change it quite easily on the primary machine."

Tara hugged Magneto,"Thanks Magnus."

"You're quite welcome, Rogue." He smiled after he said her codename, and Tara realized he had said it on purpose, not by accident.

Magneto had remembered the last time she had hugged him like that, and he wanted to see if she still remembered. When she first looked puzzled at his use of her codename, he feared she had forgotten, but then her face broke into a brilliant smile, and her eyes danced with mischief, and she said with a extra thick accent,"Why Mr. Lensherr, ah do believe you are flirtin' with me, just a bit."

He smiled back at her, "I am glad to see you are still the same person inside as the young lady I knew, Tara." He looked at her with a sad smile.

He still loves me, she realized. She stepped back from him but squeezed his hand quickly. "Yah want me tah call the other kids down here, or do yah want tah visit with them upstairs?"

"I believe I will go upstairs. I brought gifts for each of your children, including the baby, can you leave him for a few minutes, or bring him along?"

"I'll call Moira,she just left for a while tah have some time foh herself, an' give me time alone with Renard."

The children were very happy to see their "Grandpa Magnus", especially when he brought out the presents for them. Tara did not bring up the daughter Magnus had with Mystique. She knew that the girl was still with her father, and he wasn't about to let Mystique have anything to do with the child. She knew that Magnus called his daughter Amber, not the name Mystique had given her,Raven. She was called Amber, because that was close to her hair color, and also the child was more precious to him than a piece of amber. Beyond that she knew nothing else about her, other than her birthday.

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Moira told Tara that indeed Magnus' improvement was quite good, and she had all the machines immediately modified for Renard. In spite of the improvement though, they were not able to lessen the time under three hours a day on the oxygen machine until three weeks before Renard's first birthday.They successfully reduced the time to an hour a day. Finally just five days before his birthday, they were able to take him off it completely. Two days later he said his first real word: "mama". When he said that Tara hugged him and cried. She had been startled to hear it from him a month earlier telepathically. He had spoken that way first.

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On his birthday he was given the biggest celebration his parents and godparents could manage. Some of the stuffed animals, that seemed to be the most common gift he recieved, towered over him. Tara and Remy filmed and photographed him surrounded by all the toys. They were especially overjoyed when the cake was brought out he stood up on his own for the first time. The fact that he immediately fell down on his bottom, and cried in surprise didn't diminish their happiness.

Scott Summers was very annoyed to see his oldest daughter Scotia hanging around with Louis and Richard. Jean smiled knowingly though, sheknew what it was like being attracted to the "bad boys". Scott could be too uptight sometimes. Scotia was a good girl she knew how to handle these boys.And she hadn't seen them in months besides, since she started going to the Academy last fall. Louis and Richard wouldn't be there for another year and a half, Scotia could get interested in one of the older boys before Louis and Richard got there. But Remy and Tara should keep an eye on their daughter Renee and Jubilee's other son, Lotan, those too look entirely too attached to each other at their age.

Tara and Remy had noticed the growing attraction between their oldest daughter and Jubilee's quiet son, Lotan. Tara thought it was cute and trusted Renee to not do anything she was to young to be doing. Remy was more pragmatic, he knew he better have a talk with both of them seperately very soon to make sure if they were doing something they were taking the precautions they should be.

Edwina McCoy sat on her father's shoulders while he talked to Amanda Sefton. Edwina loved when her father Hank came for visits. He tried to make it up there once a week to spend whole day with her. He hoped that would be enough so she wouldn't feel deprived of her parents. His ex-wife did come up fairly often as well. Hank felt ashamed that his marriage had failed. He had been so sure that their love would endure, alas it had not. She had become more and more annoyed at all the hours he spent in the lab. He had thought she would understand, being a doctor as well. The marriage had lasted barely past Edwina's second birthday. Perhaps he had spent too much time in the lab. That was the past though, no way to make up to his ex-wife she was coolly polite whenever they saw each other since the divorce. Maybe some day they could be friends again. He never said an unkind word about her to Edwina, he hoped that she did the same.

Kurt's wife, Amanda Sefton-Wagner was relieved Renard had finally become a healthy toddler. Other than a little help she was able to give him a couple of days after his birth, his health problems had been too severe for her to help heal. Her healing power was really minimal, nowhere near what that woman Remy LeBeau knew, the one he called Tante Mattie. The woman was unable to leave New Orleans to help though, so Amanda had done what she could at the time.

Rowena picked up her little brother and carried him around even though she was barely bigger than he was. She had become very attached to him and very protective. Renard seemed to understand this because despite the fact she was carrying him by holding him around his infant waist with him feet dangling uncomfortably he was quiet and looked at his older sister with baby smiles.