Been a while since I hit a 10th chapter of anything. This is usually the mark where I decide whether to go on or stop here...but this story has only just begun. There is so much I want to do with these two characters and the next two chapters are going to be much more exciting!

-SG

Beatrice spent the morning hours training again. Today was different however since Bea usually stopped training after about three hours. No use beating a dead horse when she had other things to do. Today however she continued her training, well into the afternoon. It concerned Victor by how much she was training. He stood in the kitchen looking out the window to the back where she worked her muscles to the extremes. It was like she was training for battle.
Just as the sun was setting now, Bea stopped. Her hand firmly planted on the shoulder of the wood dummy. Her shoulders going up and down as she panted. With the dim light, Victor could still see drops of sweat rolling down the side of her face. This was the hardest he'd seen her train in a long time. He half expected her to drop to the ground and finish the day with more push ups. That's not what happened though. Beatrice Crow, stunned even Victor.

Her claws dug into the wood and scraped down, her back still to the cabin, facing the sunset. As she stepped forwards her claws scraped the wood in thick cuts until she was too far away to reach the dummy. Slowly she turned to face her enemy. Her back to the sunset as it ended, her breaths became more shallow and quiet. She was still like a statue. Her eyes glistened in the dim lighting around her, even looked cat like from where Victor was standing. She waited though. Like this was a moment she had been training for all day. Staring at her dimly lit features he could tell she was about to do something that took a lot of strength out of her. Much like a cat swaying their hips before pouncing, Bea took her stance and steadied herself before...taking a deep breath, then letting it go in the most powerful way she could. From her mouth came a burst of fire like a dragon. The flame was longer than her own body was tall, and hotter the closer it came to her mouth. She held the flame for about 60 seconds, give or take before she bent over in a coughing fit. The flame charred the wood dummy before her like a log in the fireplace. The red paint for it's face was unrecognizable anymore, and the ashes began to blow off with the breeze.

Bea gulped as she held her throat, looking up at her target in disgust, not pride. Although she had managed far more now then when she was back at Penn labs, she was still disappointed. She could do more and she knew it. Even though her throat hurt, and her lips were bleeding from how chapped they were, she stood again and took a deep breath. Releasing it again as a flame larger than before. Instead of coughing this time, she spit and took a deep breath doing it again. She didn't give her body the chance to quiver and cough. She let out all her rage in the form of the biggest and brightest flame she could muster from within.

This was a dire moment where Victor realized that his words had reached her, but not in the way he wanted. He watched her push herself over and over again til she could hardly handle it anymore. She was right, it hurt more than he could imagine. Victor couldn't watch her do this to herself anymore. He rushed out the back and shouted to her "BEATRICE!" Finally when she stopped, she collapsed onto both knees. Panting and wheezing like her lungs might collapse. Victor rushed over to her and set a hand on her shoulders "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Bea?!"

Bea coughed and lifted her head up to meet Victor's gaze "Ff...fi.." She had such a raspy, deep voice at that moment, like the smoke was literally killing her "F-finding my...l-limits" Although Victor was relieved to see she was doing this of her own will and not to prove a point to him, he felt guilty. He should have stopped her a long time ago.

"Bee...You don't have a healing factor, you can't push yourself so hard" He sighed and forced her to sling her arm over his shoulders "Come on, let's get you inside...I think you're done for the day. Maybe a couple" He slipped one arm on her lower back and the other under her knees. Lifting her up into his arms while she rested against him.

"I'm fine, Vic" Although the smoke cleared from her lungs with every breath, her voice was still scratchy. Like she had lost it during a bad cold.

Victor carried her in the house and set her down on the couch "No, You're not" He sighed and stood above her now "You work yourself to death trying to get stronger. I know I told you to use your fire more often but not like this..." He sighed and looked at her dry and bleeding lips. Her throat was red like it was burned from the inside out "Jesus, you look terrible..." He looked surprised for a moment looking her over before he nodded "I'm gonna go get the needle, you need to heal now before that shit gets infected" Before Bea could protest, Victor was off into their only bathroom and pulled out a pack of one-use syringes.

"V-vic..." Bea sighed, coughing once in a while.

"No, Beatrice, don't you fight me on this..." Victor started as he walked in and sat down next to her "I'm not gonna watch you cough up blood and wheeze the rest of your life because you're an idiot" Victor's voice was firm and angry, but his intentions were good. He slipped the needle into his skin and extracted his own blood. Then slipped it back out and looked up at her "Arm" He demanded. Bea had no choice but to follow suit. She lifted up her sleeve and rested her arm against his knee.

"Vic..." she breathed out again.

"Don't" Victor warned as he began to insert the syringe into her arm. Injecting the blood into her system "There. We'll wait an hour to see if any changes have been made, if not I'll give you another dosage"

"Victor" Bea sighed with a more forceful tone of voice, or at least the best she could do with a broken voice.

"What?!" Victor yelled, irritated with the current situation alone.

Bea didn't flinch at his tone or the raising of his voice. She knew he was frustrated with her and probably assumed that she would tell him not to worry about her, or remind him that she was okay, but that's not what she did. Instead she lifted her arm up from his knee, to his shoulder and rose both eyebrows to him "Thank you" She whispered in a raspy tone.

This made Victor sigh softly and nodded slowly "You're welcome" He mumbled, and looked away from her "Don't do this again" He looked in her eyes "Don't go thinking you're invincible okay? Not even I'm that indestructible. Which means you doubly aren't" He looked her up and down and then at her arm, that still rested on his shoulder.

"I won't...But I n-need your help.." She admitted, biting her lip "You were right, Vic...I need to use my fire more often" She wheezed out "I can't be afraid of it"

"That doesn't mean hurting yourself, Bee" Victor frowned and lifted his hand to touch her red throat with the pads of his fingers "Once or twice you managed fine, but the 6 or 7 times after that and you almost crisped yourself" He rubbed the back of her neck now and pulled her in close, to where his forehead was touching hers. He looked into her perfect ocean colored eyes and sighed, feeling comfortable so close to her "If I knew a way to give you part of my healing factor, I would..."

Bea leaned in close to him and smiled warmly at him "I know" Was all she could say. She knew that he would give it up, mostly if it meant he wouldn't have to worry about her anymore, but also because he didn't want to loose her. The closer she was to his grey eyes the more she understood that. This wild giant had a gentle side to him as well. Though he showed it a lot to her, to any one else, they would know the cold Sabretooth cat that he was.

This moment faded slowly into the night as Beatrice rested her voice by watching TV with him until she was asleep on the couch.

. . .

"Camping" Bea announced.

Victor stood under the green canopy, next to the trailer, when Bea arrived. Wearing a flannel shirt and a pair of torn jeans, She must have just taken a shower because usually she was in a ratted shirt and sweats. Victor was cleaning his tool box and rose his eye brow to her "Living out in the woods isn't close enough to camping for you?"

"Well..." Bea bit her lip and sighed thinking about it "Not necessarily camping in the woods" She sighed and sat in some old plastic lawn chair, thinking of the right words "Maybe camping in america? Or maybe we could drive over to my home state, Alaska?" She stood up again "You have an empty trailer that hasn't been used in a long time, and I have been cooped up in this house for months, I'm going crazy I want some more adventure!" She smiled up at him "I've never seen anything, no landmarks, or important sites...but I want to. I want to go and see the world, Or as much as is available to me, Vic"

Victor smiled softly at her and turned back to his tools. Thinking it over as he leaned against the work bench "You don't want to go camping, you want to go on an adventure?" He chuckled "You sure, you're not a child?"

Beatrice rolled her eyes, and groaned "Let's not have this discussion again, last time I almost wanted to kick your ass"

Victor laughed harder "Like to see you try, frail" He smirked and then after a short pause, nodded his head "If you help me pack the trailer, and make a plan for everything we'll need then, yeah...we can go on a vacation" He shrugged "I need to look for mercenary jobs anyway"

"Why can't you get a normal job?" Bea asked more curiously, then she did condescendingly.

"Because I am a creature of habit. Besides, I haven't killed anything besides deer for a long time now and I'm starting to get that...primal itch again" He scratched the back of his neck lightly and yawned "Maybe I can find something for the both of us?" He shrugged "You're pretty strong now, there's no reason you can't handle being a merc"

Beatrice smiled and hopped on top of the work bench "You think so?"

Victor chuckled and leaned against the bench, hovering over her a little by resting his claws very close to her thigh "I do" He had a big smirk on his face "You're quite the little animal now, Ms. Chimera" He winked and then slid away from her to toss an old rag inside the tool box.

Beatrice chuckled softly, and a bit sadly. Although she liked to hear this, the nickname he used for her made her remember her days back at the lab. Hearing her less-than reaction to his comment, made Victor turn back in her direction "I know" Bea said before he could "I should take back the name instead of dwelling on it every time I hear it..." She sighed "It's just hard sometimes"

Victor strolled back over to her and stood in front of her, face to face. Her knees touching his sides "You...are a lioness" He smirked "A fire breathing lioness" He lifted her chin up with one claw "I think Chimera suits you, way more than you know" This made Bea chuckled softly, and smile slowly "Besides you've got an attitude like a viper, absolutely poisonous" He made her laugh now and he shrugged "Claws, Poisoned tongue, fire breathing...anything I'm missing on this mythical beast?" When she shook her head, Victor smiled again "Then...you should reclaim that nickname. Not as what the guards and scientist shit heads used to call you, but as the mythical she-beast that you are"

Beatrice cracked up into laughter now, and shook her head at him "You paint me like some goddess, Vic"

He rubbed her cheek with his thumb softly, and rose an eyebrow to him "To me? You are" There was this moment now, where Bea's smile faded, but her good spirits and exhilaration didn't. In fact there was light in her eyes, as a bright and simple thought crossed her mind. Looking into her eyes, Victor appeared to read her mind as he leaned in closer to her as she reached up to him. Lips just inches away from each other, the two nearly kissed in what looked to be a final moment of pure affection. Something Victor had been craving for months. Though just as this itch was about to be scratched, the canopy above them...collapsed. Beatrice gasped as the tarp that held it together collapsed to one side, dowsing them in the heavy rain water collecting above. Victor shuddered at the cold water and groaned at the poor timing of the tarp breaking. Beatrice could only laugh, just as drenched as him.

When they were both done laughing, and the smiles faded, Bea nodded to him "We should get inside and warm up, tomorrow we'll pack the trailer, okay?" She raised her voice so she could be heard above the rain around them.

Victor chuckled and nodded "Yeah, come on" Although he had missed his opportunity to kiss her and bring out the animal he knew was inside her, he felt he was closer now than ever. Her walls were coming down and her shell was breaking. He would get to the primal nature of her soon enough. It was only a matter of time before he had her breaking, in all the best ways.

. . .

Beatrice lifted the plastic tote up from the kitchen counter to the side door leading to the open door of the trailer. Thankful it was one of the sunnier days then the poor weather they had been having recently. Victor was inside and up front as he tinkered with the radio. The trailer was small inside, not very expensive at all. There was one bed, in the very back and it was just big enough for two people. Bea had slept next to Victor before hand so it wouldn't be that big of a deal, not to mention the fact there was a spare bunk hidden under the dining table chairs. If she felt she needed it, she could just pull that out.

"Bee"

Bea's packing away was interrupted by Victor's voice in the front "Yeah?" She called back, sliding the plastic tote under the sink.

"Grab the small safe in my bedroom, that should cover us on cash. Other than that, we're set right? All packed on food and shit?" He turned around in the driver's seat to face her.

"Yeah, we're all set" She nodded and wandered over to him, setting her arm on the chair he sat in "So where are we going first?"

Victor shrugged "I figured since it's easiest, we'll drive till we reach Alaska, seeing the sights on our way there" He smiled, seeing her excited reaction "Then we can loop around into Washington or Idaho and go cross country from there...I figured if you were gonna see the world, you might as well see the closest countries we can get to, before we tackle the issue of a plane or something"

"No, that sounds wonderful...I'm excited" she smiled down at him and rubbed his shoulder.

"Good" Victor smiled warmly "Now, Go get that safe..."

. .

Victor and Beatrice sat in the kitchen for the time being, going over a list together to see if they still had everything ready to go. This was mostly Bea's idea, Victor just sat there drinking his beer, humoring her. Teasing her once in a while about being so analytical. This wasn't what ruined Bea's mood though. What did was a sudden crash just out side their cabin. This made Victor stand straight and sniff the air. At that very moment, he smelled nothing but him and Bea. Though he heightened sense of sound, told him that there was indeed, something out there.

"Stay" Victor's voice lowered into a stern low tone, stalking slowly to the back door. Making little movements and sounds to try and not startle the one that made the noise.

Beatrice grunted, not wanting to stay behind, but when Victor switched into his hunting mode, she knew very well to stay back and let him do his thing. After coming between him and his brother, her shoulder nearly became shredded meat. She did however, cover him. Standing near the door in case he needed back up. She gazed out into the darkness, seeing moving shapes and the sounds of boots hitting the ground. She gulped. Both of them knew that they were surrounded. That didn't stop him from growling loudly, his claws growing to their full length as he took a powerful, strong stance to defend his home and his companion. The men then came out form the shadows with guns in hand, pointed at Victor and ready to shoot.

"Mr. Creed! By order of Baxter Penn you are to release the feral mutant named Beatrice Crow, or we are ordered to terminate you at all costs!" One shouted at him. They weren't government but privately employed gunmen. Dr. Penn some how found them, and wanted his prized mutant subject back...back in a cage. Bea swallowed hard and had a look of panic in her eyes at this. She had been free for more than a year now, she had no intentions of going back and she knew, thankfully, that Victor would do anything to make sure that didn't happen. Neither would she.

"You can kiss my ass!" Victor shouted back to the gunman "You ain't takin' her!" He roared to them all, stalking closer to the men. They were all prepared to shoot him at all costs, but it was Bea that made them hold.

"Victor!" She stood still in the door way, waiting his orders, but made herself clear to the group of men. Knowing Dr. Penn, he would want her alive, and these men wouldn't jeopardize that.

"Beatrice get back inside!" he ordered to her.

They were surrounded and they were there to get her. Bea's mind was suddenly rushed with thoughts and ideas on how to escape, how to get them off their back. Men alone, she and Victor could take down, but what they were faced with were perhaps over ten men with guns. High powered guns. Victor could handle this himself no problem, but not if he was trying to protect her. She then remembered a place she could go, miles from the cabin that would throw the men off. She was about to do something crazy. Something that if spoken aloud, would send Victor into a rage. She took a deep breath and whispered, just loud enough for a mutant with a way to hear her with "I'm sorry" she said slowly. This made Victor look over his shoulder at her, like he was worried on what she would do.

Beatrice next leapt off the side steps and towards the back of the cabin, Taking a deep breath as she ran. The men began shouting orders to each other, and shot at her feet to try and stop her. She heard Victor scream her name behind her. There were three men in her way as she ran, and with a deep breath she released it and scattered the men with a large burst of flame. Although this slightly burned her, she kept running. Using Victor's trick and pouncing further like a big cat. Trying to get as far away as possible. She knew Victor would be mad, but he had to have known that running would have been a better option then sitting and waiting for them to take her.

Victor Creed stayed behind and dug his thick claws into the bodies of a few men that came after him, finding himself hit by more than a few of their bullets. He had no worries of that though, the bullets popped out almost as quickly as they entered. His body was great at healing it's self. After seeing the burst of flames from his partner, and watching her continue to run off into the dark of the night, he knew she would be safe. That was until more men ran after her. With half the men down and the other half chasing after Bea, he had to catch up. Victor's heart was in his throat as he leapt forward to try and catch up with his mutant speed. It was no longer a matter of, if they hurt her they would be dead, they were all presumed dead after even trying to hunt her down and capture her. He told her he would never allow her to be put in a cage again...and he meant it.
Victor raced through the woods. Catching a strong whiff of Beatrice's scent. For once hope struck his mind, taking a deeper sniff and rushing in the direction she was in. All he could think of now, was the waterfall. The waterfall he caught her hiking over to. The same place he taught her how to track. She must have thought that if she could hide behind the falls she would be safe.

She wasn't safe though.

When Victor arrived on the scene, Bea was held at the top of the water fall, inching closer to the edge with every step the gunmen took towards her. This just seemed to anger the beast inside him. How dare they point their weapons at her like this? By now, Victor not only saw Bea as a partner, but a potential mate. His affection for her had grown so much, the animal in him now saw her as his mate...and damn the man that threatened his mate. A loud roar from the mutant made the men with guns turn to Victor, Three of the five turning their guns on him. They were now in the middle between two feral beasts. Beatrice saw this, and issued a warning growl. Catching their attention further. Finally...the fight ensued.

Two men rushed Beatrice to try and tie her down, the other three, raised their weapons and shot at Victor. With a pounce Victor clawed the throat of one. Bea swung her foot around to knock another onto his knees, where she lunged down to bite his neck open. The second man tackled her from behind and pressed her into the mud. While Victor sliced the belly of a fourth man open, the fifth issued a bullet to his neck, which then prompted a clawed both hands around his head with a quick snap of his neck. Victor then turned to see Beatrice get back on her own two feet and slash at the last man. Victor stalked closer to try and deliver the final blow...when this man wrapped both hands around her waist and threw her off the waterfall's edge.

"BEATRICE!" Victor shouted watching her go over without enough time to grab and pull her back over. Fear now stuck in his throat as he watched her fade into the white rapids of the falls. He searched for a short time before he leapt over the edge himself. He could withstand the fall...he just needed to know if she did or not.

The waters were mostly still, only interrupted from the falls. That was until Victor broke the surface with a wet and weak Beatrice over his shoulder. He swam to the edge and laid her down on the rocky beach. He panted and searched her face for any life "Come on...Come on, Beatrice...don't you leave me, not now, baby...not now" Victor's words were rushed and panicked. He pressed two fingers to her throat to look for a pulse, resting his hear to her chest cavity. A feint heartbeat gave him hope. Pumping both hands on her chest to try and help her breath, start her heart further into a rapid healthy heart beat. He sat there for awhile giving her CPR to try and bring her back. Each moment that passed that she didn't open her eyes, just made Victor that much more...desperate "Bee...Come on" It was the first time Victor had been close to tears in a long time. He had finally realized, that he couldn't loose her. He needed her way more than she needed him "I'm so sorry, Bee..." There it was. The only verbal apology, Beatrice has ever gotten "You can't go...not like this, baby doll, not like this" He shook his head slowly and finally closed his eyes tightly, denying the fact that she may actually be gone.

It was in this moment that Bea's chest felt warm and from her mouth came gasps and loud coughs of desperate breaths. Victor saw this and lifted her up to spit up the water she had swallowed, and breath in air once again. When she laid back again, this time in his arms, she very slowly opened her eyes "H-hey there, sugar" She chuckled, choking a little more as she did.

Victor laughed and looked down at her, relieved that she was alive and okay. He pulled her up and into his arms, his embrace tight and warm. Beatrice weakly wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and his wide shoulders. Closing her eyes as she felt safe in his close embrace "I thought I was gonna loose you, Bee" He whispered into her ear as he held her.

Bea closed her eyes and rubbed his back gently "Not today" She wheezed out weakly.

Victor nodded slowly and pulled himself apart from her to brush her wet blonde hair out of her eyes "Let's get you home" He lifted her up and into his arms like he had before hand, and carried her out into the dark forest. More at home with the wild animals he passed, than he did any human. That quiet walk back to the cabin made him realize that the hole his brother had left behind, was filled twice over with the mere person Beatrice was. Victor never saw himself in a position of caring for someone so deeply than he did Bea. Even as she closed her eyes and rested in his arms, did she look absolutely stunning. Not just in body but in soul. Victor Creed would never find another person like Beatrice Crow ever again. This...was enough for him to hold on with all he had.

. .

He skipped the cabin and went straight to the trailer. Laying her down on the bed in the back and sat down next to her. He let her rest while he sat there, stationary, in silent thought on what to do next. Besides the obvious changing his wet clothes for dry ones, he decided that they would take their trip anyway. Penn knew where they were now, which meant they needed to find a new home. Or at least hide away from this one until Baxter Penn was taken care of. Of which he would be. He crossed a line by trying to go after Bea again...this was enough reason for him to be put on Victor's shit list.

"Vic?" Bea's voice made Victor turn his body to her and look down.

"Yeah, Bee...What's wrong?" Victor leaned over her so that she wouldn't have to raise her voice.

"I'm cold"

Victor nodded quickly and stood up to their cabinets above the bed "I'll get you some dry clothes...you can rest as long as you want okay? We'll just be driving for a long while" He pulled down a t-shirt and a pair of shorts for her. She could wrap herself in blankets once she was dry. He handed them to her and helped her to sit up "You need nay help?"

Beatrice actually began to chuckle "You wanna watch me get naked, Vic?" She rasped her words, but still had light in her eyes "I'll be okay...just," She slapped her hand onto his cheek and turned his head in the other direction "Look away, old man"

Victor chuckled softly and nodded, getting up and having his back to her "Better?"

"Yeah" Bea then began to force off her wet clothes, and slip on the dry ones. Once she was dressed again, she coughed and rubbed the back of her neck"You're good" Victor nodded and then turned back to the cabinets. Grabbing clothes for himself. He looked over at her, only to see that she did the respectful thing in turning her gaze from his naked body. He didn't care but made sure he was quick in putting on a new pair of jeans and a button up shirt.

"you can look, Bee" He said while he began to button up his shirt. Bea turned just as he finished and turned to the kitchen portion of the trailer "Now, Get comfortable..." He grabbed the keys from the counter and knelt besides her next "We've got a long drive ahead of us. This is the perfect time to do nothing but sleep" He looked in her eyes and couldn't help but sigh in relief "I'm so glad you're okay, Bea" He whispered to her softly.

Bea looked in his eyes, and nodded to him slowly "You can't get rid of me that easily anymore, Old man"

This made Victor chuckle and shake his head, gesturing for her to lay down "I wouldn't want to..." He pulled the blankets over her once she did lay down "In fact, I wanna keep you around a lot longer, Ms. Crow" Although his smile faded, his voice was full of determination "I'm gonna find a way to give you part of my healing factor, Bee...You won't ever have to worry about dying, or hurting yourself again" He rubbed her cheek softly "I swear to you" He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek in a tender kiss. Then stood up and moved over to the cab of the trailer, starting the engine up.

Beatrice felt the trailer begin to move but it wasn't the sudden movement that caught her breath, no the kiss Victor left on her cheek that left her speechless. It was in this moment that she began to think over her rejection of him. Perhaps it was time to let go of the past. Moving on with the future like they moved on from this cabin. In all her dire moments, there was one that was always there for her. As the breath she held escapes her gaping mouth, a plume of smoke flows out and danced like the thoughts in her mind. Even if she wanted to sleep...she was too distracted to now. Her head wad clouded with so many questions...all of them involving Victor Creed.

WOW. That took a lot out of me.
But here it is, the 10th chapter to this story and man was it an exciting one! I hope every one liked it.

I love reading your reviews by the way, it makes me smile and inspires me to write another chapter right away. So thank you, all of you.

I hope you guys enjoy the next one too. It's going to get much more juicier from here on, and also a little more R-rated. So fair warning!

-SG