Sage and Bishop
Author: Everyone belongs to Marvel. Xtreme X-men comicverse.
Bishop tossed his jacket onto the couch and kicked off his boots. "That you Bishop?"
"Yeah it's me." he called.
"Dinner's about ready." a second voice called. He entered the kitchen to find Sam pulling drinks from the fridge and Lila setting the table.
"Hello Lucas." another woman said, looking back at him.
"Hi Amara." he said. Amara or Magma as she used to be called was an off and on visitor to the house.
"I hope you're hungry." she told him.
"He's always hungry." Lila teased.
He smirked and then in a very good imitation of the plant from Little Shop of Horrors said, "Feed me Magma."
Dinner was set on the table, grace was said and food was served. Bishop looked at the empty spot to his right. "Where's Sage?" he asked.
"I haven't seen her all day." Sam said.
"I saw her briefly early this afternoon. She looked like she was heading out somewhere in her car. But I never saw her come back." Amara told them.
"Is her car in the garage?" Lila asked.
"Keys were by the door." Bishop said.
"Should we go check on her?" Sam wondered.
Amara looked towards the stairs and whispered, "She may not wish to be disturbed."
"I'll go up after dinner and take her a plate. Knowing her she's caught up in work." Bishop offered.
"And after you do dishes." Amara told him. He rolled his eyes.
About an hour later, Bishop knocked on Sage's bedroom door but got no respon-se. "Sage? he asked. The silence was broken by a soft sound from inside. Tucking a bottle of water in the crook of his elbow he opened the door. "Girl I hope you're decent." he said. Carefully he opened one eye and saw her curled up on her bed. Shaking his head, he moved to other side of her bed. "I brought you dinner. Amara's worried since you didn't come down." he said. She lifted her head then sat up. He sat on the edge of the bed, his weight making the springs creak in protest.
"Thank you." she whispered, taking the plate from him. His eyes narrowed as he noticed tear streaks on her face.
"Sage, what happened?" he growled.
"It's nothing." she said, lowering her head.
"Hey, look at me." he said, taking her chin in his hand and turning her face towards him. Her eyes were several shades lighter than the usual blue-black color they tended to be.
"Damn it Bishop." she muttered.
"Don't damn it me girl, what happened." he demanded.
Her eyelids fell shut and she whispered, "I was having nightmares last night and flash backs today of... my time in the Hellfire Club as Tessa." His heart ached as he remembered the whispers of stories he had heard about when she went under the alias Tessa while working for the Hellfire Club as Sebastian Shaw's personal assistant. It was no wonder she seemed so focused on her work for the X-Men but at the same time so jaded outside of the X-Men. She rested her cheek againest his arm.
"Gonna be okay?" he asked. Sage nodded and kissed his cheek. Bishop tensed in surprise; Sage was not affectionate by any means. The most he ever got from her was a few smiles and a thank you, never a kiss. She watched him with hooded eyes, then scooted away in embarrasment. "I'm sorry, Bishop..." she began, before she was cut off.
Sage's dinner was forgotten as Bishop traced the scars on her face. She shiver-ed briefly under his touch before she reached up and touched the "M" brand over his right eye. He flinched and pulled away from her. "Is it a scar or tattoo?" she asked.
"Scar. Bastard's made sure everyone knew what I was." he growled, a muscle in his jaw twitching. Her arms slid around his neck again and she pulled him down onto the bed. "I weigh a lot more than you do." he reminded her.
"I know." she told him, before she kissed him. He growled softly in his throat as his heated gaze took in her underneath him. She inhaled sharply and froze, suddenly wide eyed.
"Sage?" he asked. Her mind was years in the past, to her days in the Hellfire Club and when Shaw would pay her late night visits. He hadn't cared about making sure she got pleasure out of the sex, only that he did.
"Sage?" Bishop whispered, touching her cheek. She jerked under his touch and began to scratch at him.
"Easy girl, I'm not gonna hurt you. And I don't want Sam, Lila and Amara coming up here to find you like this." he told her. She kicked him in the stomach, which made him move away. She rose into a crouch, glaring at him. Several minutes passed before Sage backed againest the headboard, hugging her knees to her chest.
"I'm sorry." she muttered.
Bishop looked at the scratches on his arm and laughed, "I've had a hell of alot worse."
She shivered and muttered, "Shaw used to come to me late at night, when he was bored with his usual whores. He was only ever worried about his own pleasure, not mine. Half the time, he didn't care if I wasn't exactly willing either."
"Damn, so what brought it on?" Bishop asked.
"When you had me pinned down, looking at me like I was some piece of meat." she snarled.
He smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry."
There was a bit of silence before he got up and picked his shirt up off the floor. He turned as he felt her hand touch his arm.
"Stay.. please." Sage whispered.
Bishop nodded and then asked, "Can I go take a cold shower first?" Her eyes trailed down to his rather obvious erection before nodding. He stepped into the bathroom as she got up and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top to sleep in. She eyed her cold dinner on the bedside table before taking it downstairs. Lila looked up as she walked into the kitchen.
"You okay, doesn't look like you ate?" she asked.
"I don't feel well." Sage lied, dumping the food down the disposal and flicking it on. The paper plate found it's way to the trash as she set the fork in the dishwasher.
"Do you need anything?" Lila offered.
"No thank you Lila." she told her. The other woman shrugged as her team mate went back upstairs.
Sage was half asleep when the springs creaked loudly. Her eyes flew open and she stiffened when an arm slid around her waist.
"It's just me." Bishop told her. Her eyes moved to the clock on her bedside table which read almost 10 pm. "I went and talked to Sam, Amara and Lila after my shower. Lila said you came down and told her you weren't feeling good." he said.
"What did you tell them?" she asked.
"The truth." he admited. She groaned softly and buried her face in the pillow. "They deserve to know the truth Sage. They're family." he muttered into her hair.
She relaxed and whispered, "Thank you."
"For what?" he asked.
"Being here earlier and being understanding." she said. He smiled.
"I love you, Sage," he whispered as they fell asleep. She smiled but was already sleeping.