Tyger Stripes

I don't own Vic – or Logan or any of the crew –but sometimes I wish I did, – Diane is mine as is Victoria .

Chapter 14 X-tream Involvement

It was Fury.

"Nice place."

"What do you want?" Victor growled.

"Xavier and his crew are looking for Diane – they didn't buy the dead body." Fury leaned against the door jam.

"Come in." Victor snarled. "What'd you tell 'em?"

"The truth…that she's a mutant, a feral, that you'd taken her 'under your wing' so to speak, and that she was here in Salem with you. Logan was a little pissed." Fury grinned; he had two hobbies that Victor knew of, one they had in common, pissing off the Runt.

"Like I give a shit." Victor grinned. Hearing Logan was pissed always made his day.

"So what does this mean?" Diane chimed in.

He glared at the frail. She was going to have to learn when to keep her yap shut.

"It means – the X-Men know you are in Salem, and will be watching."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"How rough you like things…Logan's exact words were 'if he leaves a mark on her, I'll cut his balls off.'"

"Fuck him." Victor grumbled.

"Xavier backed him up…seems they think you just kill and rape for fun." Fury grinned.

"Well – hell. YOU set this mess up – you fix it. I have to get Vicky settled so I can get back to fixing YOUR other messes." He growled.

"About that…"

"Now what?"

"You have one week – then I need you in Singapore."

"ONE WEEK!...FUCK YOU!" He roared.

"Creed – you know the deal. Back out – please. I'll revoke all those nice pieces of paper so fast your head will spin and you can sit in a maximum security prison until you are a GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT Grandfather…GOT ME!" Fury roared back. "200 consecutive life sentences is a long fucking time."

Victor just growled – and nodded. Fury had him over a bed of hot coals. If he backed out, he'd be dragging the kid with him every time he had to run, and he'd gotten used to not running. Now he had Diane to worry about too. If he was caught, there'd be no one to protect them, keep them safe.

"Fine, Singapore in a week. But this deal's only till the kid's eighteen, and then I walk."

"Unless circumstances change." Fury grinned at him and glanced at Diane.

"What – the frail? She's here for the kid." He growled.

"We'll see…catch you later, Creed." Fury said and walked out the open door. Victor reached out to slam it behind him but saw the furniture delivery truck pull up. He hoped to HELL it was his office furniture, he needed to get away.

"We need to talk." She said softly.

"I don't need this shit right now." He growled Victoria stuck her head out of her room.

"What's going on, Vic?"

'NOTHIN' Go back to your room." He really wanted to kill something at the moment.

"Victoria, why don't you and I go pick up some groceries, let your Dad handle getting the furniture where he wants it." Diane said. Vicky just nodded. Vic looked at her, and handed her the keys to the car and the debit card from the checking account. Them getting out of the house was a good idea. He watched them walk out the door.

The delivery went fairly smoothly, and by the time this delivery was done the other truck was there. The apartment was furnished to his satisfaction but he was STILL ready to kill something.

He sat down hard in the new chair. He was feeling confined – caged; he HATED feeling caged. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, call Fury, take him up on the standing offer to work for SHIELD, it gave him time to hunt, things to kill, and legitimacy for the kid, but now – he wanted to bolt. Diane would take care of her; he didn't have to be here anymore.

He'd make sure they had what money they needed to get by. He could leave for Singapore, and just not show up. He cringed, that was the other part. IF he didn't do what Fury wanted, they knew where the kid was – and Fury would LOVE to get his hands on her and train her. He didn't want her turning out like he did…killing because he had to, because it was the only release – only pleasure he knew.

He gripped the arms of the chair, his claws sliding through the upholstery. He couldn't back out, not until she was grown, and able to take care of herself. Tomorrow he'd start looking for houses, someplace for her to grow up. Six years – he had to put up with Fury for six more years.

XXXXXXX

"What's going on, Vicky?" Diane asked as they pushed the cart through the grocery store.

'I don't know. I know Dad's really pissed at this Fury guy." She reached out and grabbed a box of cereal but Diane glanced at her. "It's for Dad."

"Okay. Who is Fury?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure – but I think he works for the government, and Dad works for him. This is the first time I've seen him, but he's called the house a few times."

"Your Dad doesn't seem happy about that."

"He's not. He didn't know I could hear him, when he struck the deal – to work for Fury until I was grown, and Fury had to leave me alone."

"Why would they bother you?"

"I think for the same reason the guys that killed my mom wanted me…I'm a kid, they can find ways to make me do what they want easier than an adult." Diane was shocked – both at the casual way she referred to her mother's death, and the insight into a very adult situation.

"Were things bad with your mom?"

"No – she kept me in private schools, screened my friends pretty thoroughly and did her best to keep the bad guys as far away from me as possible. She'd been a cop when my Dad met her, so she knew what she was doing."

"Your mother was a police officer?"

"A detective; I have her badge and all her awards at home. Dad made sure I had them when he went back to our house to get the important stuff."

"You sound like you were proud of her."

"I was – I am. I miss her." Diane heard the catch in her voice.

"Did you ever think your parents would get together?"

"No. Mom was real plain with me – when we had the 'talk' you know. Dad wasn't interested in anything from her but sex, and I was a BIG accident. He never wanted me to know about him, and he wouldn't have me with him, except Mom decided he was the best chance I had if anything happened to her."

"How long have you been with your Dad?"

"About nine months." She looked at the girl. Her mother was dead less than a year and she was facing who knew what danger daily and still managed to be a kid. Diane smiled at her.

"Dad's not bad you know. He makes me get my homework done, makes sure I eat, he's been teaching me to use my mutation, and he gets hard on me when I need it. He's not doing a bad job."

"No he isn't." Diane said softly.

"I like you – and I want you to like my Dad."

"Victoria…"

"And not just for sex…" Diane glared at her.

"That's none of your business."

"Hey – he's never brought a woman home before – for any reason, so hearing you two make out this afternoon was funny." She giggled.

"We did NOT make out." Diane said.

"Yes you did, I opened my door, and you were definitely making out, besides you're married right? Isn't that what married people do?"

"It's not that simple."

"Do you like my Dad?"

"Sometimes, I liked him when he was helping with school, even when he helped me out with a problem, but the last few days – well that part of him I don't like very well."

"I don't either…but that's Sabretooth. He tries to leave that at work, and not bring it home much."

"You know about Sabretooth?"

"Yes…my Mom made sure I understood everything I could about my Dad, in case I ever had to live with him. She only knew Sabretooth, so Victor's been weird to get to know."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How often do you see Sabretooth?"

"The day we went after the guy that had my Mom killed – a couple times on the road, when people had a problem with us being mutant, and the last couple days."

"We went after?"

"Yeah – we didn't kill them, if that's what you are thinking, Dad put the fear of us into them, and made them turn themselves in and confess to what they did. He said let the cops deal with it, since Mom had been a cop."

"But he let you help?"

"I wanted too…they killed my Mom." Diane glanced over at the girl, and saw a reflection of the man she'd seen the last few days.

"I guess I see your point." They were in line at the register. Diane decided to change the subject – for now.

"So what do we want for dinner?"

"Pizza – I'm gonna be tired from putting all this away." Diane grinned at her.

"Pizza it is – we can order when we get home." The woman on the register laughed.

"I hope your husband is there to help you with all of this."

"He is." Diane said without thinking – and realized, he was – her husband. She thought about it as they loaded the groceries in the car. She'd never been married, had very few relationships in her life, due to what she was, and now she was legally married to someone who shared her mutation – and had a child she was responsible for, all in a matter of days.

"You okay?"

"Things just sinking in." She said as they climbed into the front seat.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure?"

"If we were still in Tennessee, and everything was fine at the school, and my Dad asked you out, would you go out with him?"

"No – I don't date my student's parents."

"Okay – if I wasn't in your class."

"Yeah – I would."

"If he asked you to marry him – would you consider it?"

"I don't know – that's complicated."

"But you wouldn't say NO!"

"No – I'd say I'd have to think about it, but not NO right off the bat."

"So what's the problem? It just got streamlined a little." She looked at the little girl sitting next to her.

"That's not the point. I didn't have a CHOICE."

"Dad offered you one. I mean you could leave – go live at the school, file for divorce."

"I don't want to do that." She said softly.

"Why not? Dad and I would be fine, it's not like you're really my mom or anything."

"I think I want to be married to him – that sounds crazy but…"

"Things work fast around Dad – I've figured that out." Victoria said with a grin.

"I think I'm figuring that out too." She reached down to turn on the car, when someone tapped on the window. She glanced over and saw a man standing there. He was in a flannel shirt and jeans and seemed fairly non threatening so she lowered the window a bit.

"Diane McGrath?"

"It's Diane Creed." She said simply.

"Name's Logan – hi kid." He nodded to Victoria who just rolled her eyes. "Do you know who you are living with?"

"Yes."

"We want you to know – if he hurts you or the kid – there's someplace you can go." He slipped a card inside the window.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Diane said, and she could feel her eyes changing. "I don't think I'll need the help."

"If you get into any trouble – at all – call us." He said again, and walked away. She watched him get on a motorcycle parked nearby, and wait for them to pull out. He followed them back to the apartment complex, and then drove off.

"Tell Dad." Victoria said simply as she grabbed the bag of bread and eggs.