Uncanny West Coast Avengers

Chapter 11: The Next Step- Part 1

By

The Uncanny R-Man

Disclaimer- All familiar characters belong to Marvel. Vince belongs to Agent-G. I own Jessie/Demona.

Shout Outs-

The Dude- Thanks for the review, uh… Dude. Copycat isn't a villain. She's kind of an anti-hero. I've never been a fan of Namor either. Arrogant king-type jerk. Vince and Vance cheating at bowling? Hmm, we shall just have to wait and see. It's funny that you should mention Ant-Man and Songbird actually, they're going to be the focus of the next chapter. :D

Ruby631- In her human form, Greer Grant-Nelson has black hair. Other than that, I don't know.

Todd fan- I bet Namor would prefer to be up Sue Storm.

Sean Malloy-1- Sorry, no plans for anybody getting married in the foreseeable future.

Doza- I haven't been reading House of M actually, I kinda lost interest in Bendis' stuff ever since the Carnage arc in Ultimate Spidey. Yes, Copycat is jealous. Could this mean the end for her and Maddie? We shall have to wait and see…

Agent-G- If you will remember, Cap and Wanda were having lunch with Pietro and Crystal in a nearby diner when Namor popped up. Namor is one tough guy so I'd guess that he can heal quickly. If he can stand up against a Hydra-controlled Wolverine, then I'm sure Namor can withstand an arrow in the chest.

Quote of the day- 'If God wanted us to be vegetarians, he wouldn't have made animals out of meat.'

Tigra's Room-

Tigra let out a reluctant moan as she felt the rays of the morning sun shine on to her back. It had been yet another sweaty night for the weretiger. The Californian heat added to a full pelt of fur didn't make for a very comfortable night's sleep, hence Tigra's preference to sleep naked.

'Bleurgh.' Tigra mumbled as she rolled on to her side to look at her clock. 'Uch, quarter-to six. Have to get up.'

Against her better judgement, Tigra slowly got up out of bed and headed for her mirror.

Tigra looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror and patted her belly.

'Hunh. Have to cut down on those late night snacks.' Tigra sniffed as she scratched her neck. 'Have to hurry. Gotta train the kids…'

Tigra slunk over to her bathroom to get freshened up for her training session with Luna, Cassie and the rest of the Young Avengers.

Tigra peered into the mirror on the bathroom wall and inspected the bags under her eyes.

'Blech. I'm too old for this junk.' The weretiger muttered. 'I'll never be able to have my wicked way with Vince looking like some kind of scantily-clad panda.'

Tigra leant into the shower and turned on the water. She waited for the water to heat up a little before stepping in.

Tigra hummed to herself as she lathered up her hands and began to wash. It was a big day for the veteran Avenger. Tonight was the night where she had decided to take the next step in her relationship with Vince. The pair had become much closer ever since Vince had told Tigra about his past and it was only a matter of time until the pair went all the way to becoming an official couple. But first Tigra had to take care of the training session with the Young Avengers, as well as a girls' night out with Angelica and Melissa.

Downstairs-

After her shower, Tigra got dressed in her usual skimpy black bikini and headed downstairs to snag some breakfast. The weretiger stopped near the bottom of the stairs as she heard the sound of crying nearby. Tigra peeked around the corner and saw Maddie slumped on the sofa crying to herself. Tigra's heart went out to the woman, ever since Maddie had taken in Baby Gabriel, her relationship with Vanessa had hit a slump. The mutant shapeshifter had become jealous of all the time that Maddie had been spending with the child.

Tigra walked over to Maddie and sat down beside her.

'Maddie, is everything okay?' Tigra asked gently.

'I-I'm fine…' Maddie sniffed as she rubbed her tearstained eyes.

'Maddie…' Tigra sighed. 'This is about Vanessa, isn't it?'

'Oh God…' Maddie threw her arms up in the air in exasperation. 'Does everybody know about us?'

'It's hard not to notice when you guys stay up all night arguing.' Tigra responded. 'Do you want to talk about it? I'm here if you want to.'

'No, I'm alright, really.' Maddie shook her head. 'I'm sure it's just my time of the month.'

'Mel, Angel and I are having a girls' night out. You can come along if you want.' Tigra suggested. 'You never know, it might help you feel better.'

'It's nice of you to offer…' Maddie smiled slightly. 'But I don't want to be a third wheel. I'd only get in your way.'

'If you're sure…' Tigra nodded. 'I won't force you. But remember, if you want to talk, I'll always be willing to lend an ear, 'kay?'

'Thank you, Tigra.' Maddie smiled again. 'You're a real friend.'

Tigra nodded sadly as she headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Maddie and Vanessa's relationship was skirting on a thin line and it was only a matter of time until they broke up. Everybody could see it, the relationship was on its last legs. Tigra just hoped that they didn't have another Inferno on their hands when the pair did break up.

Later-

Tigra looked into her mirror and admired her dress. The weretiger was wearing a slinky black number that was rather conservative compared to some of the clothes she wore. The dress was nice and snug in places but still allowed Tigra's tail freedom of movement.

'Oh yeah, pure man bait.' Tigra grinned as she gave herself a twirl. 'Rrowr!'

Tigra looked over at her alarm clock and cursed to herself.

'Aww, dammit!' Tigra hissed. 'I'm gonna be late. Crap! Crap! Crap! I have to find my shoes. Shoes. Shoes. Shoes…'

Tigra scampered around her room in search of shoes that matched her dress.

'Why couldn't I just leave them in their box?' Tigra muttered to herself. 'I just had to try them out. Now, where did I put them…?'

Tigra continued to mutter to herself as she turned her bedroom upside down in search of her shoes.

Elsewhere, Vince was preparing for his night out with Vance and Scott. The Canadian mutant had selected a simple red shirt and black pants. He was just as nervous as Tigra about the special night. The pair hadn't actually talked together about making tonight 'their first night' but Vince was smart enough to understand that his feline girlfriend was considering it.

Vince was in no way new to this kind of thing, his first time had been quite some time ago back in Canada, but he was still nervous about being intimate with Tigra. Tigra was one of the most attractive superheroes in the world. You could forget Emma Frost or the Scarlet Witch, Tigra was the one for him.

Unfortunately, there was also the matter that Tigra had issues with her human form. Vince had never even seen the real Greer Grant-Nelson, and hopefully he would be able to help Tigra with her issues. Vince had managed to get the courage to show Tigra all his scars, both physical and psychological, and it was only a matter of time until he managed to help Tigra with hers.

Vince straightened out his shirt and checked his hair.

'Yup, that'll do.' Vince nodded at his reflection. 'It's now or never…'

Vince took a deep breath as he headed out the door. Hopefully he wouldn't crash and burn. That would be terrible, to work so hard at this relationship and then ruin it by trying to help his girlfriend…

Vince shook such thoughts from his head and made his way to Vance and Scott.

TBC…

Next: The Next Step- Part 2

Will Vince be able to help Tigra with her issues about her human form? Tune in next time to find out…