I DON'T Own them – not at all not a bit – not even an itsy bitsy bit…well except any OC's that happen to raise their heads – but I don't own them not a bit.
A/N This started as an unrelated oneshot, but I just couldn't stop wondering exactly who the wife was, exactly why Sabretooth was put away, and exactly why he decided NOW to bring it out. I have my answers, and as the third in the Dictation Trilogy – now so do you.
Victor had tamed the beast, locked it away for almost thirty years, but without the ones that grounded him – kept him human, Sabretooth was clamoring for freedom again.
Chapter 11 – Pain Tolerance
"HELL!" He crossed the room in three strides and yanked her up off the bed.
He gripped her arm tightly and she could feel his claws digging into her arm, cutting through fabric and skin. She could feel blood dripping as he dragged her out of the room, down the hall and pushed her into Angel and Todd's room.
"You three are having this out – I'm sick of it. I'm not letting ANY of you out until you can get along." He roared, and slammed the door, locking it from the outside. She could hear his angry steps fade down the hallway.
"Tad are you alright." Angel ran across the room, and pulled her over to the bed to sit down.
"I'm grounded." She said, still slightly stunned.
"Yeah – me too." Angel laughed.
"What are you grounded for?" She asked as she tried to pull gravel and leaves out of the ends of her hair from the ride on the bike.
"Trying to play matchmaker for my Dad." Angel said with a slight snarl. "He thought I was interfering."
"Well you are." Tad snarled back.
"I'm just worried about both of you, alright." Angel snapped. They sat there for a bit, neither one saying anything until Todd cleared his throat from across the room. Tad looked at Angel.
"Well throwing us in bed together isn't going to help anything, sex isn't always the answer." She said with a wry smile.
"I KNOW that. But I'm worried and concerned about both of you. I don't want either of you to be alone, and you both could take care of each other…"
"Angel, that's no reason to throw two people together, I LIKE your dad, okay, but he's still very wrapped up in your Mom and I'm not going to play second to someone else, not anymore."
"I got that – okay, and Dad explained it to me a bit. Dad's not…he's confused. He told me some things I didn't know, about him and my Mom, and I have a feeling he's in the same boat you are about not wanting to be second anymore."
"That's hard to believe." Tad scoffed.
"I know – but after what he told me I kinda get it…and that we didn't exactly make things easy on you either…and now with Candice and this Sinister stuff, I get it."
"Good…because I was really starting to feel pressured…and I don't think your Dad is ready for anyone else in his life yet."
"I do. I think he needs to get on with things, and I really think you two would make a great couple." Angel said. Tad wished she'd just drop it.
"He's SABRETOOTH! Hello." Tad said.
"I KNOW that, but he's still my DAD!"
"Angel you are insane."
"Maybe – but I hate seeing both of you hurting…you said you like my Dad, is it that far to go just another step." Tad just glared at her for a moment before trying again.
"Angela, I don't know how to get this through to you. I like your Dad, and if he wasn't your DAD, okay he's HOT, but he's your Dad, and you just lost your Mom, and all I can see is your Dad."
"So take me out of the picture…"
"It's not that easy, and even if YOU weren't in the picture, he still just lost his wife, and I don't want to…I want to be THE ONE for someone, not the second wife, or have to pick up the leftovers…just once, I want to be IT."
"I get that…I really do, and I guess I've been pushing a bit, but…"
"There's no but." Tad said.
"Right, he's just my Dad…got it."
"Good."
"But if you change your mind…I so get to say I told you so." Angel said with a grin as she reached over and pulled Tad into a hug. Todd tried to ignore them.
"For the record, I told her she was nuts too." He said finally.
"Thanks." Tad grinned.
"So what are we doing about Sinister?" Todd asked.
"I have no idea." Tad said.
"Well – I know Victor's plan is to bait him, draw him out either into a confrontation or a conversation either way. This thing he's developed, it's worse than Xavier's people thought." Todd said, leaning back in his chair and putting his book down. "The clone thing, that's more an annoyance, it's the bullets that are the big issue."
"I thought we'd already figured out that we need to avoid them – and find some way to counter what they can do." The door opened and all three turned, expecting Victor to be standing there.
"We did." Mystique said from the door. "But there's a bigger problem. Vic just left, to go to Xavier's again."
"Why?" Angel asked.
"The wound – it's not healing, and he hasn't said anything but he's still in pain from it."
"What?" The three said in unison. Tad knew she'd been smelling pain from him, but just assumed it was from something else.
"Yeah, he was working with Janet and she kicked him in the side, and it started bleeding again. He's going to see if Hank can get it out – see how far its spread." Mystique said quietly.
"Dad." Angel whispered, anguish in her voice. Tad wanted to echo the sentiment, but it wasn't her place. He'd taken that bullet because of her, and now she was feeling guilty again. She put her arm around Angel, and tried to reassure her.
"It should be fine. Hank was able to get most of it before, we just have to wait and see. He's Sabretooth, remember, it will take more than this to take him down." Tad said.
"That's the spirit, Kid." Mystique said, but Tad could smell her concern too – and Mystique never gave a damn about anyone but Mystique.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He drove himself, the wound was bleeding sluggishly. He was getting sick of this shit. He had been ignoring it, letting his factor work on it, like always, but when that frail kicked him today, it just wouldn't stop bleeding. He hoped Angel and Tad got things worked out, because he wasn't going to be able to bash their heads together if they hadn't.
He pulled up to the gate.
"Charles."
"Victor…Hank and Logan are in Medlab waiting for you." The gate opened and he drove to the front door. He didn't even question Logan waiting.
He walked straight to the elevator, holding a towel against his side. He walked the familiar metal lined corridors to the Medlab. The blue feral was waiting, already in surgical scrubs – and so was Logan?
"What the HELL?" He asked.
"Cauterization didn't work, we're going to try removing that portion of your body out with Logan's claws, and let it heal naturally."
"That's gonna hurt." He snarled, glaring at Logan.
"I have a local anesthetic prepped that should work; it will deaden parts of Logan's body for surgery for up to ten minutes."
"Fuck – just get it over with." He snarled and laid down on the gurney.
He winced at the needle piercing his side. It did help the pain, but the idea of Logan cutting on him – without fighting back – was really getting on his last nerve. It was the cold gel and the colder pad of the machine that startled him.
"What the…?"
"Ultrasound – we need to see how far the damage has spread, and which organs are being affected."
"Just cut it the fuck out – I've survived being disemboweled by this asshole before."
"That is not my concern. If this has spread into your organs, we may be facing complete organ failure, and death, Victor."
"Just do it."
He closed his eyes and waited. The injection worked – he couldn't even feel the paddle from the machine anymore. He felt another stick, this time in his arm, and everything faded.
"…lucky if we got it in time." He heard Charles saying as his eyes fluttered open.
"Be still, Victor, you will be down for a few more days." Hank said laying a gentle hand on his left shoulder.
"Why?"
"You have to re-grow most of your torso." Charles said.
"What?"
"The contaminant spread farther than we thought, we had to knock you out and have Logan excise a huge amount of your left side and chest."
"How much? How long have I been out?"
"You've been out three days, and your lungs just started working again this morning."
"My lungs."
"It didn't reach your heart but it was close."
"God! How bad?"
"We were able to save your right shoulder and arm, your neck, and your hip…the rest was cut away to the spine." Hank said matter-of-factly. "The lung grew back last night and you started breathing on your own this morning. The contaminant was difficult to get, and I am not one hundred percent certain I got it all."
"Shit! You mean I might have to do this again?"
"No, Victor, if I didn't get it all, we won't be able to…you'll die."
"I can't die." He snarled. His left side felt warm and he tried to lift his head but it was restrained. "What the hell?"
"We need you immobile while your organs regenerate." Hank said as he adjusted an IV stand over Victor's head.
"How LONG will I be like this?" His breath was already short.
"You should sleep through most of it, as soon as that medication hits your system." Hank said, his white teeth shining in his blue face as Victor's eyes blurred and his vision faded.
"When should we tell him the other situation?" He heard Logan ask…as his hearing faded out.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Tad woke up, her head pounding, cotton in her mouth and unable to move. She'd called Logan last night to check on Victor, and gone to bed, and now she had no idea where she was. She tried to turn her head but she was laying on her stomach, her body pinned down, and burning pain in her back. Her head was trapped and all she could see was a small section of wall.
"Subject has regained consciousness and is reacting to the solvent." She heard a deep cultured voice with a strong British accent say over her back. "Restraints have been secured – begin experiment 859342."
She felt something cold drip onto her back – and then it started to burn. She fought the pain as long as she could…before the pure feral roar of rage and pain ripped from her throat.
"Pain tolerances above normal…as expected. Continue experiment."
The dripping continued – until she blacked out again.