Sabretooth and others belong to Marvel, the rest are mine.

Comments welcome.

Freddy sank into the chair in front of Creed's desk and glared obstinately, waiting for whatever was going to happen. The feral man hasn't looked up at him yet, instead was scrawling notes on the pad in front of him. Finally, he flipped to a fresh piece of paper and poised his pen over it.

"How many times you been in rehab?"

"Is that your business?" Freddy replied.

"Yes, it's my fuckin' business." Creed growled.

There was a pause while he tried to decide whether to answer. Victor was patient. "Twice."

"Didn't stick?" His answer was a shake of a blond head. "Well you better start makin' it stick. Whaddya use?"

Grinding his teeth, not needing another lecture, Freddy replied, "Alcohol, Codeine, I tried heroine a few times but like coke a lot better."

"Name four things you aren't doing in this house." The request was rhetorical. "So what the hell are you gonna do with your life? You just gonna sit around like a slob, eatin' up my money, makin' my wife worry about you?"

"I don't need this." Freddy stood up and walked to the door.

"Sit your ass back down." Victor stood menacingly, threatening to come over and force the man to sit down. Instead Freddy compromised by standing with his head against the door and resting his hands on his head. "Sit down." He was prompted again and complied. "I don't like this any better than you, but I ain't getting no rest if you're out wandering the streets makin' my wife sick with worry. Smarten up, we're trying to make a better life for you."

"Well don't do me any favours." Freddy mumbled under his breath like a passive aggressive thirteen-year-old.

"Fuck - get outta my sight! But you listen t'me, I don't want your drunk ass anywhere near my son."

The door slammed behind him as he left, storming down the hallway and running gingerly up to his designated room in the mansion.

"Gren!" Came the roar.

oooo

"You seem to have your shit together so we're gonna make this quick." Creed growled and flipped to a new sheet on his pad. Gren had closed the door to the study, taking in the leather and wood surroundings, the smell of tobacco hung in the air. It came from a lit cigarette in the ashtray to Victor's left.

"Freddy has that effect on people." He sat in the chair that both his brothers had used before him.

"What's that?" Creed glared up from under bushy blond eyebrows.

"Needing a smoke to calm down." Gren continued. "I know he's a pain in the ass, but he has his reasons for being the way he is."

"Don't make excuses. You're both grown men, take responsibility for yourself and only yourself." Victor reached over with his right hand and picked up the cigarette, inhaling deeply and shooting the smoke out his nose. "How much longer you got in school?"

"I'm finishing classes this year and then I have a year long internship rotation which should start next Fall if I apply successfully." Gren he could deal with, the kid seemed like a straight shooter, held his head up high, didn't clutter conversation with meaningless chit chat.

"Why a lawyer?"

"I've always liked puzzles."

Creed tapped the desk in thought. No other questions seemed to come to mind. "Alright, get outta here, send Emma in, will ya? And Gren - I don't want you brinin' any boyfriends home for sleep overs."

Gren gave him a horrified look halfway to the door. His face melted in confusion and then replied, "I'm not seeing anyone right now, with school and..."

"Don't care, pass the word to your brothers as well. No friends or lovers in this house." Creed stubbed his butt out in the glass ashtray.

"What about study groups?" Gren cleared his throat.

"Fine, as long as you're all quiet as the dead." The larger man waved him out.

"Do I really look gay?"

"It's in yer scent." Creed replied, his patience wearing thin.

"I smell gay?" Gren asked for clarification.

"It's more complicated than that - just go get my wife." Victor dismissed him and started to scribble on his note pad.

oooo

Emma put Collier down on the floor by his father's desk and handed him Bobo the hippopotamus before standing cross armed in front of Victor, who was now standing, leaning against his desk, taking a drag from his second cigarette.

"You wanted to see me?"

"I've decided they can stay. I've also decided that I don't care how fuckin' angry you are that I run around on you, you're my wife, you got wifely duties in the bedroom, and you're gonna get your ass back in my bed tonight or so help me, I might lose my temper." Creed breathed quietly. He noticed his son peering at him from over the counter. "Come here Col." He picked up his son and cradled him absently, waiting for Emma's response.

Instead she walked out of the room in silence, her scent furious in her wake.

"Momma says I have new brothers now." Collier pressed his cheek against Victor's shoulder and pulled Bobo up an inch.

"Yeah, momma says a lot of things, but you just remember that I'm the one whose word you listen to." He stroked his son's fawn hair gently while looking outside at the dead leaves on the ground.

"Cause you're the boss?" Collier asked.

"Cuz I'm the boss." Victor confirmed.