Moments of Cuteness
by ALC Punk!

It began accidentally. Not that Dom wasn't prepared for that sort of thing, but... she thought she'd been too old for it. Really.

He came as a shock to her, one afternoon. She'd been complaining to Tabitha about being sick in the mornings--guessing there was something in the air, or nightmares, or something.

Tab's reply had been a snicker. "Maybe you're preggers, boss-lady."

"I--" Dom had blinked, shocked by the thought. "I'll see you in an hour for a Danger Room session."

Never let them think you weren't still a hard-ass.

Domino took a quick shower to restore her senses, then went and thrashed the child.

Two days later Tabitha handed her a brown paper bag, "I'm getting sick of seeing you sick in the morning. Check, so you can either sleep in, or get rid of it."

In her typical fashion, Dom decided not to think about it yet. A week later, this came back to bite her on the ass.

"Dom?"

She didn't look up from the deep stretches she was doing. "Hrm?"

"What's this?"

"It's a pregnancy test, Nate."

"The strip is... pink."

"Yes, Nate, I'm having a girl."

He knelt next to her, an odd look in his eyes. "You're..."

"Yes. Now, dammit, get out of my way." She rolled over and stood, flexing her legs and arms.

"But--"

"We'll talk about this later. Right now I have to go kick some teenage butt."

--

"Dom?"

"Hrm?"

"Do you think he'll like these booties?"

She stared at them. "Nate, you have no taste."

He waggled the pink monstrosities at her, looking hurt. "But..."

"Besides, even if he's a she, she's *not* wearing that hideous shade of pink."

He set the booties back on the shelf and looked at her over the shopping cart. "Dom...."

"Don't give me that puppy-dog-eyed look, Summers." She held a hand between them, "It doesn't work on me, remember?"

"I never took you for the maternal type, Dom."

She shrugged, "I feel like it."

--

"Oh, GOD! I'm going to kill you, Summers! And then I'm going to rip your corpse to shreds, burn them and dance on the grave barefoot! Augh!"

"I think she wants that epidural. Now."

"I'm sorry, sir, it'll take a moment. I--"

"Aaaaaaaaugh!"

"I'll pay for that window."

"OOoohhhhhhh!"

"And the chair."

"I'll get another needle."

--

"He sort of looks like you, Nate."

"I'll have you know I did not look like a wrinkled crab when I was a baby."

"Nathan, that is SO not true. I was there, I should know."

"Mother..."

"What, no hug for the woman who brought you to life, tried to sacrifice you for hell on earth, died, then was brought back to life by the alternate version of you and now exists only in a state of energy?"

"Hello, Maddie."

"Domino."

"Nate's right, he does look ugly. But they all do, don't they little one?"

"Mother... It's really creepy to watch you coo over my son."

"My first grandchild. I'm so honoured."

"You're welcome."

"*chuckle* What are you naming him, Dom?"

"We're naming him, uh..."

"Stryfe."

"..."

"Dom, have I told you lately how much I love the way you put my son in his place?"

"Thanks, mom."

"..."

"Nate, it helps if you breath."

"Nathan."

"STRYFE???"

"Why not? He's the one who brought us together, in a twisted way."

"No. I am NOT naming my son after that body-stealing, mind-altering bastard."

"So name him Fred."

"You are not naming my child Fred. We'll name him Gordon Stryfe Summers."

"..."

"Nate..."

"I'll leave you two lovebirds to argue this out. Toodles."

"Bye, Maddie."

--

"Nate, stop that. He's going to say 'gun' before he says 'mom' or 'dad,' now."

"Aw, Dom, he likes sucking on the stock. I think it's the shininess."

"Nate..."

--

It was a lovely day at the zoo. People milled around in the sunshine, cheerily absorbing the mild breeze and good company of each other. The animals lazed contentedly, posing for every tourist's camera and then some.

One couple in particular seemed to be enjoying themselves. Or rather, their young son was. He had very pale blond hair and bright blue eyes that gazed happily at the animals.

"Kit-ty!" The lions and tigers were in seperate enclosures, netted over and fenced in. This didn't deter the tyke from trying to climb at least one fence. His mother retrieved him.

Domino sighed in exasperation as the toddler began making his way towards another fence. "Nate, it's your turn to catch him."

The tall man at her side looked down at her over his sunglasses and shrugged. "He's okay, Dom."

"Kit-ty!" Another clamber up onto the lowest rungs.

She retrieved the pointing child. "That's not a kitty, that's a lion, Stryfe."

"Kit-ty!" He replied, wriggling in her arms insistantly.

"Nate, he's getting that look in his eyes." She put him down and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at the laughing man in front of her.

"This is why he's your child, Dom."

"Mine? I seem to remember you having quite a bit to do with him, buster."

"Yes, well--" Nathan Dayspring Summers froze in mid-sentence, his gaze resting on a point past Dom's shoulder.

"Kit-ty!"

"What?" She turned. "Oh. Shit. Nate, would you carefully stop him from playing with the kitties?"

Their son, blond-haired and innocent, had figured out the proper way to climb over the fence and under the netting. Even now he was slowly approaching a very large tiger who was sunning himself. Imperceptibly, the child began to rise off the ground. A moment later he was being walked back under the netting and over the fence, where his mother took hold of him.

"That's enough excitement for you, young man. And, for your punishment, no--" Dom paused and leaned in closer to whisper, "--no grenades for you to play with this week."

--

"We're like the dysfunctional family from hell."

Lorna Dane chuckled and sipped at her cocoa. "I know what you mean, Dom... Say, did you get cravings for pickles and chocolate?"

A shudder wracked the dark-haired mercenary. "No. Worse."

"Worse?"

"Sushi and cotton candy."

-finis-

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