xp_logs | Hank and Sheldon

Before the court hearing Hank manages to speak with Sheldon, his mother and Dani, making him a busy man. Unsurprisingly, Sheldon once again proves himself to be a world-class idiot. sadly, he doesn't get beaten up.

"Mutie bitch," Sheldon Gilbert muttered, crossing his arms and leaning against the fall wall of the courthouse, trying to put as much distance from his soon-to-be ex-wife in the process. As far as he was concerned there shouldn't even need to be a hearing, their joke of a marriage should have simply been anulled.

"You, young man, really ought not to speak disparagingly of a lady," Hank said with the mild coolness that would have told someone who knew him that trouble was brewing. "Especially given how shamefully you've treated her." He was wearing his image inducer for this, using the appearance he'd had before the fur as a template. He was still obviously a mutant, but a fair-skinned one with brown hair, rather than an indigo-skinned one with blue fur.

Rolling his eyes, he lit a cigarette off his shoe. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled, purposefully turning towards McCoy, "That ain't a lady. She's a slut and a mutant," he didn't mention how she and her 'friend' had beat him up last time they were in town. This time he was prepared if he needed to be.

Hank looked meaningfully down at his own enormous hands, then back up at the slimy little weasel Dani had somehow fallen for. "Mutant, certainly," he said coolly. "But slut? I think not. I would advise you not to say that again." His fists were already itchy, but he couldn't just go around smacking teenagers just because he wanted to, or there would be times at the Mansion when he'd never stop.

Sheldon turned looking closer at Dr. McCoy, eyes narrowed to mere slits. It figured that she'd bring more mutants with her. "Figures," he muttered, before his curiosity got the better of him, "Why do you care? She's just another rezzie and she can't control herself. She's a danger."

"She's a young woman doing her best to cope with the very difficult cards fate has dealt her. And doing so quite well, under the circumstances." Hank returned the disdainful look. "Isn't it interesting how some people show themselves at their best in times of trouble, and others show their very worst side?"

He rolled his eyes again, running his hands through his long hair and retying his ponytail, "She didn't have to get knocked up, you know," he informed the larger man, "I said I'd help her pay for an abortion. She refused. If she hadn't none of this would be happening, so don't blame fate. It's her fault."

"It takes two to tango," Hank said mildly. "You must have been involved at some point. And certainly she's done nothing to warrant your contempt, or your puerile and baseless insults."

"Yeah? She ruined my life is what she did," Sheldon informed him angrily, "You know how much a lawyer costs? Ain't no way I'm paying alimony though," he looked smug.

"You ruined your own life when you opted not to keep it in your pants," Hank said coolly. "However, fortunately for all concerned, she is strong enough and brave enough not to let you ruin hers. She... and the baby... will do just fine without you."

"Whatever," Sheldon wandered towards an overweight older woman, speaking to her briefly, eyes flickering towards Hank, gesturing with his cigarette.

Hank folded his arms, and did his best Wise, Learned, and Smarter than You expression, the one he'd perfected in high-school. The mother, maybe? If so, Hank had some things he'd like to say to her too...

After a minute, he wandered over, smiled brightly, and held out a hand to the older woman. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said cheerfully. "Doctor Henry McCoy. I'm one of the doctors at the school Danielle currently attends, and came along for moral support. And you are?"

"Bess Gilbert," the older woman replied, giving her son a look. He glared back, but wandered abck to the wall he had come from. "You're a...mutant then?"

"Mutant, physicist, physician, part-time researcher and generally acknowledged joker of the scientific genius set," he said cheerfully. Think that Danielle didn't have a future just because she was a mutant, did they? He'd show them. "I even teach, when I have time."

"I see..." she didn't really, but she smiled anyways, he seemed rather nice, if energetic. Dani was a nice girl, even if she had caused them all sorts of problems. Sheldon may have been her son, but she wasn't stupid, "You stopped her from giving everyone nightmares, then? She don't hurt noone?"

"Her pregnancy caused some of her problems... pregnant psis do tend to run into problems. Otherwise, it's simply a lack of training and practice. " He smiled. "In the meantime, there are ways to inhibit her powers and prevent any real damage. It helps, I believe, that most of the students at the school are familiar with the problems new powers can bring, and are sympathetic." The woman seemed less hideously objectionable than her son, at least. "The baby," he added, therefore, since she might want to know, "is doing fine."

She exhaled, relieved, "That's good. I told him and told him to keep his pants zipped," Bess Gilbert began to rant quietly, "What do I know? I'm just the mother. Now this. You keep her away from us though, I don't care what you have do, she's still dangerous. It ain't right what she does."

"It's hardly her fault," Hank said mildly. "Any more than it's my fault that I was born with hands as wide as my head. And there have been psi-powers cropping up now and then for millenia... it's theorized that many of the most powerful seers, mystics, and shaman had some form of psychic power."

"She ain't old enough to be a shaman," Bess correctled sharply, only women who couldn't bear children anymore could become shamen, "And her grandfather knew better than to teach her things he shouldn't. Young girls aren't ready for that sort of thing or they go...crazy," realizing what she just said, Bess realized what must have happened, "Black Eagle taught her things he shouldn't have. That's why she went crazy."

"I doubt that would have done it..." Hank shook her head. "But pregnancy in the teens, even the late teens, almost always has side-effects. In this case, it gave her powers a kick-start they weren't really ready for. It happens more often than most people realize... a young mutant who suffers a sudden shock or injury - or pregnancy - can experience a sudden jump in their power levels that they aren't ready to cope with."

Bess nodded understanding and yet still defiant towards the more scientific basis for power eruptions, her knowledge, like Dani's, favored the spiritual and supernatural explanations over the scientific. "Her grandfather died just after they were married. Only family she had. Now she'll have that baby. You make sure she don't take my boy for all we got. You make sure she does the right thing and leaves us alone."

"I would be delighted," Hank said coolly, "if she never saw, spoke to, or accepted anything from you or your family again. What she does, of course, is up to her.... I can't tell her what to do, only support her in the decisions she makes. I trust that, since he favours adoption, your son is willing to sign over all present and future rights to access to the child?"

"That mutie ain't mine!" Sheldon replied, coming up behind Hank, "It's a ve'ho'e baby," he spat on the ground. A whiteman's baby. "I ain't it's father. Maybe you are."

Bess nodded in agreement, "Shedon would never have a mutie baby, we ain't freaks."

"Actually, it's entirely possible that the baby is entirely normal. We won't know for some time yet." Hank shrugged. Poor Danielle, to think that this was all she'd thought she had to look forward to. "Mutants are more likely to have mutant children than normal, but it's not an absolute. However, whether or not the child is a mutant, you, young man, are most certainly a completely unfit parent. I trust you'll sign the paperwork?"

"Whatever," Sheldon rolled his eyes, "Come on, Ma, it's almost time," Nodding at Dr. McCoy, they pushed past him heading into the little county courthouse.

Hank glared after them, and headed for the small room where Dani was consulting her lawyer. With a hurried 'excuse us, please', he took Dani's arm and drew her into a quiet corner. "Danielle, I just had the distinct displeasure of meeting your hopefully soon-to-be ex. He is rude, immature, crass, and accused ME of being the baby's father." He made an annoyed little growling noise. "You can do far, far better than him, my dear. The villain unaffectionately known as Little Miss Cooties can do better than him."

"Uhhh," Dani replied, incoherantly, wondering what exactly had happened. She still wasn't used to his image inducer, "He's a teenager?" she finally replied, not entirely certain if she was defending him or not, although the reference to Little Miss Cooties certainly helped her realize how much of a bastard he was. "That's why I'm divorcin' him," she replied, her accent thicker than normal.

"Good." Hank gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "You deserve far better than that... that sleazy, self-absorbed little wretch! And so does the baby." He took a deep breath. "So... if your offer still stands, regarding... custody arrangements..."

"You will?" Dani's face lit up in happiness, he had said yes! She wasn't sure she'd been this happy on her wedding day, "Thank you Dr. McCoy! Thank you!" she jumped up, hugging him closely around the neck. The baby kicked.

He hugged her gently, rubbing her back with a big hand. "On the condition," he said firmly, "that Sheldon gives up *all* rights, present and future, to access to or information about the child. I wouldn't even tell him who you'd arranged to have adopt him, were I you."

"Why would I tell him? He don't want nothing to do with it, remember?" Dani replied, confused, "It's my baby. He's made it clear he don't want it. So fine. He won't then. And in ten years, it's his loss."

"Good." Hank nodded, smoothing her hair back from her face. "You and I will have to sit down later and work out how we're going to arrange your access to the baby," he said gently. "I certainly have no intention of keeping him from you, even if you aren't ready to assume the full responsibilities of a parent quite yet."

"Access?" she parrotted, she needed 'access'? "It's my baby. Even if I give her to you. That's part of why I asked you, because you're not some strange person out in Kalamazoo. And we had talked about breast-feeding," she was babbling uncharacteristically, getting herself more and more worked up. This was not how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to divorce Sheldon, Hank would have custody and she'd be able to see the baby whenever she wanted.

Hank nodded, taking her hands and holding them gently. "Working it out legally, I mean," he said gently. "To ensure that while I have primary custody, you still have rights in regards to seeing the baby, and that if something happened to me, you would regain custody. That sort of thing."

Legal custody. "I hate legal stuff," Dani muttered, breathing deeply and trying to calm down. She had wanted to not need the inhibitor during the trial but she was beginning to think she might.

"I know. But I want to be absolutely sure that you can't be denied access, even if I'm not around." He gave her another hug, rubbing her back soothingly. "But I promise, I will take the very best care of her that I can. I'll even handle the night-feeds, so you get to sleep."

"You don't have to, you work in the lab and," Dani wasn't making much sense, "I mean," she looked at him confused, "I need to pee."

He laughed, and patted her shoulder gently as he let go. "You do that, then. And I'll be right here if you need me, okay? For you and the baby both. So don't worry about Sheldon. We don't need him, we don't want him, and we'll do just fine without him." He patted her tummy. "I promise, I'll be a MUCH better daddy," he told the very large bump solemnly. "Mind you, that's not saying a whole lot."

"Is so. It says a lot." Dani disagreed, holding up one hand to stop him from denying it, "Don't disagree or I'll pee on you," she left the room and headed to the bathroom.