She stretched lengthwise in the bed. They'd spent his day off there and she felt him stir next to her. Her body was sore, but no major damage and she decided if a marathon with him was going to be this easy she could handle it.

He growled slightly in his sleep and she rolled onto her side to look at him. Sleeping she could see the resemblance between the brothers and she smiled. Putting up with Logan's moodiness for the last three years seemed to be good training for Victor. She leaned her head on her hand, propped up on her elbow, the sheet draped around her waist.

"You gonna watch me all night, or are ya gonna do something after that stretch." He growled low.

"Ah kinda like watchin ya. You're kind a cute when you're asleep. Does make me wonder if you'd purr if Ah rubbed your belly.". She grinned.

He looked over at her, a look she was starting to recognize as dangerously playful in his eyes. "Try it and find out."

She laughed. "Then it wouldn't be a surprise." She did trail her fingers across his bare chest, and slowly down his stomach.

"You like to live dangerously.". He started to purr when a loud gurgling sound vibrated up her arm. She threw her head back and laughed until she heard her own stomach rumble.

"Ah'd say food first, before any more fun."

"Fun? You are having fun?". His eyes were hooded, hidden from her as he sat up.

"Yes. Ah know, its kinda surprised me too, ah guess the whole idea of not havin ta worry about my skin has made today like a holiday or somethin. Ah know the real world is out there but today it hasn't mattered."

"Get dressed, and don't forget gloves. We're goin out." He gave her a toothy grin.

She felt a slight surge of panic. She didn't want to go out. Didn't want to face the world again. Why couldn't they just eat here.

"Move Woman!". He roared at her.

She climbed slowly out of the bed and dragged her feet to the closet. He snarled and yanked open the doors. He reached in and grabbed a short black dress and conservative black pumps and threw them at her. "I'm hungry."

Her hands shook as she tried to open the drawers in the dresser. He just growled and dressed himself. She was sitting on the bed pulling on a pair of textured tights she'd found in the drawers. He looked over his shoulder at her with a smoldering look that made her want to forget dinner. "Hurry up." He grinned at her. She couldn't help smiling back, but she had a sneaking suspicion he was up to something.

She slipped the dress over her head and he practically danced across the room like a cat on cat nip to zip it up for her. She pulled a box out of the nightstand and he frowned as she put a string of jade beads Logan had given her around her neck. She grabbed a jade green scarf and gloves to complete the outfit. He nodded approval and opened the bedroom door.

She followed him out the front door of the penthouse and he locked the door behind them.

"Remind me to get you a set of keys made.". He said as they walked to the elevator. She was nervous about being in public with him but she was covered so it should be okay. The elevator opened on the first floor of the building and they stepped out into a crowded Friday afternoon lobby.

"Evening, Mr. Creed.". Several people said as they passed by. Several women shot daggers at her with their eyes. Victor put a possessive arm around her waist as he guided her to the front doors.

There was a like of cabs sitting outside the building and they filled up quickly as they walked across the outer lobby of the building. He opened a cab door and waited for her to get in, then walked around and got in the other side.

"Good evening, Mr. Creed. Where to?". The cabby asked.

" The new place on 57th street. This is Marie."

"Evening Miss.". He smiled at her in the rear view mirror and gave her a once over before grinning at Victor. "Will you need a pick up later?"

"Depends...I'll call dispatch if we do, Frank."

"You own the cab company, too?". She asked.

"No, just a contract, its safer to have them on call for employees than having the congestion when people get off work."

Wow, working for him must be nice. She was going to have to consider her options after the year was up. They didn't say anything in the cab, but she noticed his eyes kept darting everywhere and the arm under her hand was tense. The cab pulled up in front of an upscale restaurant and she recognized the place. Jubilee had been trying to get reservations for the three of them since the place opened. Kitty and Jubes would be green that she was having dinner here on the spur of the moment.

He opened the door of the restaurant and walked right past the line and the hostess who was trying to seat other guests. A man walked up and grinned at Victor.

"About time you took me up on my offer, Vic. Your table is right this way.". He led them to a table with a reserved sign on it. The table was right in the middle of the picture window looking out on the New Yorkpedestrian traffic. She sat down as he held out the chair for her and tried to hide her nerves.

"It's okay, Marie. Its just dinner.". He chuckled as he sat down across from her. She had Logan's senses b ut not his control and this was overwhelming. She hoped she didn't try to pop the other inheritance from Logan. The claws stayed in her arms, without the healing factor she'd nearly bled to death the first time they'd come out.

She glanced around the place and recognized several people either from television or movies. Victor had to grab her gloved hand to remind her to stop gaping like a fish as her favorite singer came in the door.

"Damn, Kidd Rock is here!". She gasped quietly.

Victor just grinned. The waiter came to their table and Victor ordered drinks and appetizers. She kept craning her neck to see who was there, and she felt him grip her hand again a split second after her sharp intake of breath.

"Damn him!" She hissed.

"Who?"

"Bobby.

Victor looked around and chuckled when he saw Bobby with some red head that definitely wasn't Kitty. Marie watched as the jerk kissed the red head on the cheek. Just then another guy walked up to them and Victor growled.

"What?"

"Parker." He snarled, his hand on her tightening, she winced from the pain as Kitty came running in the door, out of breath, Jubilee in toe. The other guy kissed Kitty, which made Marie glare even harder.

"And I was hoping for a quiet dinner." She heard Victor mutter under his breath.

"What am Ah gonna tell them?". She could feel herself panicking.

"What do you mean 'what are you gonna tell them?'?" He growled at her.

"They're gonna see us. We need ta make sure our story is straight.". She could see his eyes were pitch black, but she was to locked in her own panic to recognize the warning sign.

"You agreed to this." He snarled low.

"Ah KNOW that, but Ah cain't just tell them we hooked up in a cure line."

"I don't give a shit what you tell them but it better be believable." She looked over at him and realized how angry he was.

"Victor, it ain't you. Ah just...they don't know why Ah left. Bein with you ain't the problem, its not bein with them." She out her other hand over his on the table. He snarled and started to pull away when Jubilee bounced over to the table.

"Rogue! Where have you been...never mind, I can see where you've been, you go Chica." Marie blushed. "So who's your new squeeze." Jubes dropped into one of the extra chairs at the table.

"Victor, this is my friend, Jubilation."

"Victor huh...certainly a victory for you, Chica, Kitty's givin Jerkwad a really hard time about you bein here without us and with him. Saw ya when we came in and you're lookin good."

"Thanks. Who's that with Bobby?" She asked.

"Oh you don't KNOW! That's Angelica...he's been seeing her for over a year...yeah I know the whole time you two were dating he was two timing. And we thought he was a jerkwad for tryin' ta kiss Kitty." Jubilee blew a huge bubble and Victor reached up, with a low growl and popped it with one claw.

Jubilee's eyes got wide as she watched the claws on his fingers grow to almost four inches. She gulped.

"So I guess the new squeeze is a mutant, huh?"

"Sabretooth." He growled low and Marie watched the blood drain from Jubilee's face.

"He won't kill you, at least not tonight, not if he wants ta get laid." She had a little growl of her own in her voice as she glared at him.

"We'll see about that." He growled back, but there was a twinkle in his eyes and they were back to slate grey.

"You're dating SABRETOOTH... Logan's gonna have a shit fit when I tell him."

"Then don't tell him, dumb ass." Marie snapped. "It's not like he won't see our pictures in the paper or something."

"Huh?"

"There's more to Vic than just 'mutants ruling the world' shit." She said. Victor glared, but leaned back, slipped his hand out from between hers and pulled his hands back to the edge of the table. He stood and held his hand out to a man approaching the table. He was an older gentleman with steel grey hair and chewing a cigar.

"Jonah." Victor greeted him.

"Victor, nice to see you out and about. You going to make the event tomorrow?" His voice boomed through the restaurant.

"Planning on it. This is Marie." He held a hand out to indicate her.

"Pleasure to meet you, young lady. 'Bout time this animal settled down with something worth looking at." She watched Victor flinch at being called an animal but he smiled and laughed and clapped the man on the back. "Are we still on for Monday, my accountants really want to look at that retirement plan you were talking about."

"Sure are Jamison. Monday at eleven, and I'm buying lunch, I insist."

"Sure sure...you can feed the accounting team too." Jamison laughed, and then stopped. "PARKER, I don't pay you enough to be able to eat at a place like this." He yelled at the young man that had kissed Kitty. Marie watched him walk off, and heaved a sigh of relief that he wasn't staying.

"OOOOOOOHHHH...Peter's busted." Jubilee grinned. Victor even chuckled. They heard a plaintive "JUBES!" from across the restaurant and she let out a huge sigh. "I somehow think dinner with you two will be more fun than dinner with the four of them. Kitty and Pete have been dating about a month and just found out Bobby had been cheating the whole time you were with him and is pissed, the only reason she came is its so damned hard to get into this place.

"Hard? We just walked in tha door." She watched Jubilee's jaw drop.

"Oh yeah, I'd really rather be here with you guys." She gave Victor a once over. "Does he have a brother."

"Yeah...but he's not your type." Victor growled.

"Oh...if he's gorgeous, dangerous, and rich he's my type." Jubilee grinned.

"Well right now he's short, poor and doesn't remember shit, so nope he's not your type." Jubilee got up and shrugged.

"Too bad, I'd treat him real good." She started to walk away and then turned back with a puzzled look. "Logan?"

Victor just glared, and put a finger with claw fully extended to his lips. She nodded slowly, and Marie had a bad feeling about this.

"Well that was unexpected." She said quietly.

"You really don't mind them knowing you're with me?" He asked, leaning back in his chair again as the waiter brought their dinner, she hadn't remembered it even being ordered.

"No. Ah just don't want them knowin' I went ta take the cure, that's all." She said as she looked at the food on her plate, trying to decide where to start first.

He reached a claw across and tilted her head up to look at him. "Good."

They finished dinner without any more interruptions and he called dispatch for a cab to pick them up before he ordered desert.