Chapter 8 Review Thanks: mandya1313 (gracias!), HelHound, Bre-Wolf666, adrian, QuirkyCullen, Sinario, Masked Revolt, Porcelain Destiny, Vanessa Martin, Kai-Qui, Obscure Stranger, EmberFlame (thanks for the wonderfully detailed review!), xPrincetonx, Black Rose Kalli, Wolfy Pup, Lil Mizz Blondi, AnnaDruvez, booksmartblonde333, tulip tea, kunfupandabear, bookdreamer17, My Beautiful Ending, ninjamoneky20 and chrissyissy!
Chapter 9 Review Thanks:
Masanya – Here's your update! Thanks for reviewing!
Porcelain Destiny – Thanks for another review! Hope this chapter is a bit better than the last! Romance will be arriving very soon!
chrissyissy – I'd love to read your story! I'll definitely check it out now that I have time to breathe again. Thanks for another review, hope this speeds things up a bit!
Obscure Stranger – Heeeerrrreeee's Victor!
WhiteChocolate123 – Hope this chappie doesn't disappoint! It's kind of a set up chapter for the next one.
HelHound – First off, LOVE your name. Secondly, thanks for reviewing! Glad you could visualize their expressions, I was hoping it would translate!
Kai-Qui – Yay! A fellow horse/baseball/Sabertooth fan! I love you! The Reds are a cool team but I have to say your little sister is now my arch nemesis (just kidding). Damn Yankees and their damn pinstripes! And don't get me started on that traitor Johnny Damon! LOL
xPrincetonx – I had a Thoroughbred and a Quarter horse when I was a teenager and have to say I kind of identify with the Quarter horse myself more, but Thoroughs are beautiful! What's your horse's name?
Bre-Wolf666 – Hope I wasn't too late and you haven't exploded yet! ;-) Thanks for reviewing!
My Beautiful Ending – Here ya go, doll face! Thanks for the review!
Bookdreamer17 – Of COURSE I mentioned you! You're my idea-bouncer-offer, practically my beta! And I'm the president of your official fan club. ;-)
Fire Black Dragon – YAY Red Sox Nation! I know, people love to underestimate us, I kinda enjoy watching people sputter with surprise when we kick ass all the way to the playoffs.
QuirkyCullen – More of Victor's reaction will be in the next chapter, but here's a start for you!
ninjamonkey20 – Thanks for the wedding well wishes, I realllllly needed help these past two weeks! Glad the last chappie made you do a happy dance, thanks for reviewing darling!
LiveFreeDieWell – Wait no longer, dearest! Victor is here! ;-)
Black Rose Kalli – Here ya go, I brought Victor back JUST FOR YOU! ;-) Thanks again for the reviews, they're wonderful to read!
booksmartblonde333 – LOL, I totally had the clearest mental image of the Professor's face when he figured out how old she was, glad you enjoyed the image too!
Thanks to HelHound, bonnemine2, NightStalkerBlade, Ironhide's Lover, Wolfy Pup, Sinario, Bre-Wolf666, aislinn aira, tygrus-2000, jazzybca, and Mz. MaNgOz for favoriting/alerting!
A/N:
Sooo sorry for the long delay but the wedding's finally over and I've finally caught up on my much neglected sleep. OK folks, this is the BIG ONE, the chapter where Victor and Lupa are FINALLY reunited, so I expect MUCHO reviews for this. It's a little rough but I wanted to get it out ASAP since you all have been so patient. I'll come back and do some editing in the next couple days before posting chapter 10. Enjoy!
A/N 2.0: Re-Edited and extended as promised!
Chapter 9
Reunions
Charles was staring at the phone resting atop his desk. Next to it lay a black business card with a 10 digit number printed in bold white lettering. There was no name or address, just the phone number. It didn't matter there was no other information though, Xavier knew who the card belonged to. Erik had given it to him years ago, right before they parted ideological ways. Charles had remained staunch in his stance that non-violence was the only way for mutant tolerance and acceptance to come about. Magneto became convinced a war was coming and that it would be better to make the first strike.
In hindsight, Xavier realized Erik had foreseen their inevitable split and gave him the card for the future, for a time when they weren't working side by side. He remembered how the metal manipulator had pulled him aside one day and pressed the card into his hand. Erik had said should he ever need something, should he ever fall into deep trouble, to call that number. The serious manner in which the words were spoken had Charles paying full attention. He understood it was a kind of last resort contact, and in the years since, he had never called the number.
Yet the Professor knew that despite the fact they were now adversaries, his long ago friend Erik would still help him if it were in his power, if Charles really needed it and if it did not conflict with Magneto's own interests. Theirs was a complicated relationship, but it was lifelong and that stood for something.
And while Magneto was currently sitting in his plastic prison, his second in command at the Brotherhood was MIA. Mystique may not like the X-Men or Charles' dreams of unity, but she would do as Erik would want, at least the Professor hoped she would…
Fortifying himself, Xavier picked up his phone and dialed the ten numbers. It rang twice before he heard an answering machine click on, then a beep. "This is Charles. I need Sabertooth."
oOoOoOoOoOo
The day after the ferals met with the Professor, the Wolf Girl moved into her own room in the teacher's wing. Logan also eagerly introduced her to Rogue and the two female mutants instantly liked each other, though both were usually shy. It made Logan happy to see 'his girls' happy together.
Lupa was introduced to Xavier's pupils as a friend of the Wolverine but nothing more of her history was explained. The students accepted the limited information without issue, it was an unspoken rule at the mansion that if a mutant didn't speak of their past, no one would ask about it. More than a few of them were looking to start anew here themselves, leaving old lives and memories behind.
Days passed and she was settling in nicely at the mansion, gaining strength and even a little bit of weight. Lupa spent her time wandering the mansion's gardens, talking to Rogue or one of the X-Men, eating and napping. When Logan teased Lupa about her sleeping habits, she had almost remarked that at least she wasn't taking any accidental naps*, but then remembered he would not understand the joke.
The Wolf Girl still spent much of her time with Storm, but Dr. Gray seemed to be busier now that her patient was on the mend. It saddened Lupa, but she understood Jean had important work to do; she obviously busy with her responsibilities as a leader here.
Filling the hole left by Jean, the Professor issued a standing invitation to Lupa for High Tea in his rose garden every afternoon at four. There they would speak of historical events she had lived through, places she had been, things she had seen-it was a mutually beneficial and enjoyable arrangement. Charles got to ask her questions no textbook could ever truly answer for him and the attention made Lupa felt valued as well as useful.
One such afternoon Xavier asked the Wolf Girl if she would consider helping Scott teach some of his history classes. Lupa initially balked at the idea, she was horrified at the thought of having to speak before an entire class, she even felt a bit like a fraud, who was she to be teaching anyone anything? She had no education after all, how long would it take before they realized what a mistake they'd made?
But the Professor anticipated her fears and managed to soothe her. He explained she had precious personal knowledge of events like the persecution of minority groups during the Third Reich or the effects of the Industrial Revolution. Two subjects Scott happened to be teaching this semester. He even said he thought it would be 'good for her,' though she did not quite understand what he meant by that…So Lupa relented, she agreed to help Cyclops. The feral felt she was indebted to them after all, they saved her life and reunited her with Jimmy Runt.
The Wolf Girl assisted Scott with one class a day during the school week and slowly was becoming more at ease. It was difficult for her of course, what with the large number of people constantly about the mansion and the communal environment. After all she had to adjust to essentially a complete reversal of the way she'd lived for the past two decades, from isolation and solitary confinement to life in a boarding school for growing young mutants. The Wolf Girl often felt like her senses of smell, sight and hearing were overloaded.
Lupa had many sleepless nights full of worry and self doubt- hours spent with her stomach cramped into a tiny ball, panting to catch her breath to the verge of hyperventilation. Treacherous musings would infiltrate her mind then; she began to learn she could not trust her own thoughts, her own mind, during those times.
What will you do if you can't find Victor? Where will you go then? What if Logan grows weary of you? What if the Professor asks you to leave? You have no education, no trade and no experience beyond 'circus freak' and science experiment/lab rat.' How long will they really let you stay here waiting for your mate?
At those times she clung for her memories of Victor to get her through the episode, until she could calm herself down from what Jean called 'anxiety attacks.' Lupa would focus on his musky scent, how his body had felt pressed against hers and the way he had tasted when she kissed him so long ago. She never let herself doubt Victor's desire for her though, she never let the question what if he doesn't want you anymore? cross her mind. To do that was to admit complete defeat, the female feral might as well stop breathing once she did that.
Yet Lupa held herself together, worked through the bad nights and persevered. She kept going to the classes and answering the students' questions, speaking quietly but clearly and firmly.
Two weeks passed and Xavier still had not mentioned anything about Victor. Both Jimmy and Lupa kept their peace, forcing patience upon themselves. He would give them news when he got it, no sooner than that. They chafed quietly and while waiting, wondered aloud to each other where Victor could be now. Lupa said somewhere cold, Logan guessed in a military base.
Innocuously, it was a quiet, beautiful afternoon when everything changed. The Professor was in his favorite garden passing time until Logan arrived for their meeting, he needed to speak to the feral about improving the mansion's internal and external security systems. As he waited, Charles felt no psychic warning nor did the birds stop their chirping or clouds ominously block out the sun. One moment he was alone in the garden and the next, he wasn't.
"Hello Charlie Boy," a smooth, deep voice purred from behind the telepath.
Xavier tilted his head and smiled tightly, "Hello Victor." He straightened his shoulders and suppressed a shiver.
The mercenary feral slowly stalked around to face the Professor, his own smile easy and wide. Charles could see that Victor had not changed much since Liberty Island five months ago, still dark haired, blue eyed, half way to seven feet tall. He idly wondered if the feral had been amused when his signature muttonchops came back into fashion in the 1970s, over 150 years since the style first became popular.
Creed was wearing his usual ominous black overcoat and towered over the wheelchair-bound mutant by several feet. He kept the smile on his face as he husked, "Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. Heard you need me for somethin', that right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well, now ain't this interstin'. What could the holier than thou Professor Charles Xavier want from the Big Bad Sabertooth? Need someone offed, old man? Got somebody that needs torturin'? Got to say, didn't think it would take you this long to come over to the dark side. Good on ya" Victor smirked. He was fully aware Charles wouldn't take the bait, but wanted to see how the mind reader would react to the barbs. Might tell him what the situation was and how Charlie Boy felt about it.
"Actually, I asked you here for something more…personal. Recently we have had a new arrival at the mansion, someone who led me to believe that you and Logan may have a-a shared past together, a bond that connects you two together." Xavier could see the Sabertooth's eyes darkening. "They said that you and…Jimmy are brothers. I would like to know if this is true or not."
Creed chuckled harshly, "And who might this informant be? What was the name of the little birdie that told you?"
"First tell me if it is true or not," Xavier hedged, he was extremely hesitant about revealing Lupa as his source, not to mention her current whereabouts.
"Yeah, it's true. That pain in the ass is my little brother. He don't remember shit 'bout that, though." Victor snorted testily, old memories of them were rising up in his mind, both bitter and sweet. "Now, who. Told. You?"
Suddenly a third voice spoke from just outside the small garden, from behind the ivy covered wall. Someone was coming. "Professor? Logan asked me to tell you he's running late for your meet-"
Both Victor and Charles' heads snapped toward the intruder as they turned the corner while speaking. All three mutants stood stock still, frozen in disbelief and shock, their positions making a perfect triangle. Lupa spoke first, "V-Victor?"
Creed didn't answer, he was just staring at the female feral he hadn't laid eyes on in over 20 years, his lips slightly parted and face paler than normal. His mind was blank, it was as if he couldn't quite process the fact that his long lost mate was now standing right in front of him. No more searching, no more hunting, no more dead ends, no more cold trails, no more waiting with righteous, murderous rage…He had found her. Or rather she had stumbled upon him.
Like an old time nickelodeon, Victor's mind lit up with memories of Lupa and him together, scenes playing out before his minds' eye in milliseconds. Then it was like his vision suddenly became sharper, more clear. All the little details he had loved most about his mate jumped out at him, reminding him of what he had been missing: her glorious mane of mahogany curls, the delicate little black claws on her hands and feet, those starry eyes and her sweet summertime scent.
Without warning, and as Victor continued to gape at her, a snarling Lupa flew at her mate with claws bared and fire in her eyes. She started slashing and tearing and scratching and biting at him, using both her blade-sharp fingernails and white wolf fangs as weapons. Little rivers of blood flowed down Victor's torn clothes, the wounds they flowed from healing before the crimson liquid stained the grass. Creed remained still and motionless.
As she beat at him, Lupa was growling something in her native language of Roma, with an occasional English word thrown in. "M-ai left me! M-ai parasit toate alone! Ta mate! De ce nu te duci tu ticalos?! Why nu te lasa-ma pentru atat de so long?! Ce v-ati Lasa-mi coleg?"**
The Sabertooth seemed to come back to himself when she finished her half sobbed speech. He snatched up Lupa's wrists mid strike and yanked her into his arms, practically crushing her with the strength of his desperate, disbelieving embrace. If the male feral hadn't buried his face into his mate's mass of curly locks, Xavier would have been able to see Victor's expression of agonized relief and amazement.
Both ferals were silent now, though Lupa continued to cry gently, softly. They simply held onto the other for dear life, with no space left between their bodies, their heart beats and breathing in unison. Charles backed up his wheelchair and made to leave the garden for an obviously private moment. Clearly Sabertooth truly was Logan's brother, and clearly Lupa was closer to Victor than she had initially let on. But just as the Professor reached the vine covered exit, Logan arrived for their meeting…
A/N: OK, so yeah it's a cliffie but Victor and Lupa are finally together again!!! Hurrah! Next chapter will have a more detailed description of what those two lovebirds were thinking/feeling, so be prepared for a little fluff. Of course there'll be violence too, can't forget that either…Please review and let me know what you think, I love all comments and constructive criticism!
*'Accidental naps' are a reference from the first story The Feral, kind of an inside joke between Logan and Lupa. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend you do so, a lot of things from The Dreaming Animal will make sense after you read The Feral. This is a sequel after all.
** Translation from Romani: "You left me! You left me all alone! Your mate! Why did you go, you bastard?! Why did you leave me for so long?! Why did you leave me, my mate?"
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