Chapter 14: "What Is It With This Team and Evil Grandfathers?"

It was late on Wednesday night when Tyler came in. He was starting his residency in Chicago in the summer, so he'd be in the city before the rest of the Chicago teachers. But leading up to that, those last few weeks in Westchester were just… nuts. The hours were insane, and the workload was crazy, but once he was done with his residency, he'd be official. Dr. Tyler McCoy.

Not to mention how crazy it was at the school in Westchester… which was why he and Tammy had rented a small house in Salem Center so Tyler could get some sleep in between all of the crazy of his final year.

But it wasn't exactly the best schedule to keep up with the news on what was going on, so he arrived at the mansion and grabbed a few newspapers to catch up on what he'd missed. Congress was back in session, and it had apparently been long enough since the stupid Leslie Initiative that they were throwing around the usual rhetoric again.

Yeah, wouldn't it be great if they started up with this crap again and barred me from the hospitals, he thought grimly to himself as he read about the somehow-still-a-Senator Robbins and his latest tirade.

"I'm glad you're back," Tammy called out from their room. "I have to tell you about everything that's been going on in Westchester."

He grinned as he folded up the paper and headed her way. "What, this sleepy little place? Exciting?" he teased.

"Oh, well only in a roundabout way," she said with a little smirk before she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. "Welcome home."

"It's good to be home," he agreed. "I don't know how people who can't heal do it. I'd've collapsed of sleep deprivation a while back."

"I think most of them mainline coffee or energy drinks," she informed him with a little grin.

He laughed and nodded. "True," he had to agree, though as he put his newspaper under his arm and followed her back, he had to pause when he caught the scent on the air from the cracked window. "Oh crap," he said under his breath before he reached for the comm in their room to put the place on lockdown — and send out the text to the necessary people — before he pointedly closed the window and made sure it was locked.

"What?" Tammy frowned when she saw the look on his face.

He shook his head as he headed for the hall. "That's Sabretooth's scent," he said.

She raised both eyebrows but quickly nodded, already headed for Tristan's room to make sure if they needed to get somewhere safe, she was with him — but she froze, and Tyler did the same when he looked over her shoulder into the room to see that Sabretooth was right there, holding Tristan and seated perfectly comfortable with the little guy curled up asleep in his arms.

Almost immediately, and without even thinking about it, Tyler started to growl, and Tammy took a step back into him with wide eyes.

Sabretooth lifted one finger to his lips to shoosh him. "Easy now. Don't want to wake him, do you?"

"Put him down," Tyler growled out.

"Don't worry," he replied. "I don't want to keep him. Just thought I should meet him."

"His name's McCoy," Tyler said, still in that same low growl. "He's not yours."

Sabretooth chuckled low at that. "We'll see about that when he's grown."

"Just put him down," Tyler replied with his eyes narrowed. "And stay out of my family. You're not welcome here."

"What are you gonna do, pup?" He asked. "From where I'm sittin', ain't a damn thing you could do without hurtin' the kid."

"You said yourself you're not keeping him. Put him down and I'll show you," Tyler promised, his lips pulled back and barely containing the snarl.

Victor snorted at the boy's display. "Sure you will." He looked up at the two of them. "Now, back off nice and easy and I'll hand him back to his mother. If you still wanna spar, we'll take it outside. No reason for the boy to see his father get his ass kicked."

Tyler's growl just intensified at that, but he glanced toward Tammy, whose gaze was absolutely locked onto Tristan, so he let out a breath and stepped slightly back, still ready to pounce if Sabretooth tried to pull anything.

But to his surprise, Victor was perfectly gentle in handing off Tristan, then very carefully put a hand on Tammy's shoulder and gently redirected her out of the way. "Now. If you want to take this outside, I'm game. Otherwise, I'm going to leave either way."

"Settle it like civilized men?" Tyler growled.

But at that, Victor openly laughed. "Ain't never gonna happen. We'd have to lower ourselves to do that." But when Tyler didn't do more than glare at him, Victor shook his head, smiled, and just walked past him.

But that was one step too far for Tyler, and with a snarl that he wasn't bothering to hold back, he rushed toward Sabretooth, claws out as he pushed the momentum of the pounce away from Tristan's room.

He just hadn't ever fought his father alone before, and he wasn't prepared. Victor was fast, and he didn't hold back either, nearly catching Tyler and rolling with the hit. When the two of them came to a standstill, Tyler didn't get his arm drawn back all the way before Victor hit him with two fast, hard shots in the center of his chest that stole his breath and knocked him silly.

But that was about all that it did, and while Tyler had gotten in a few good scratches initially., it was clear that Sabretooth had no intention to finish him off. As soon as Tyler was gasping hard, he finished the fight with a couple more hard, full-strength hits that knocked Tyler out cold.

When Tyler opened his eyes again, it was with a startle as he focused on his dad — Hank and Storm had come to see what the call for help was about, and Hank was looking at him in a most concerned manner. "What in the world were you thinking trying to fight that monster?"

Tyler shook the cobwebs out of his head and frowned toward Tristan's room. "He had Tris," he said, still with a growl to his voice that he hadn't quite been able to stop since the whole thing started.

"Did he hurt him?" Storm asked, suddenly more alarmed as she headed for Tammy.

But Tammy showed her the little boy and shook her head. "He was just… holding him," Tammy said in a nearly breathless voice.

"Show me," Storm replied, gesturing for the young woman to get into her side of the story.

Tammy just gestured into Tristan's room. "He was sitting by the crib with Tristan when we found him," she explained.

Storm started to look around the room, trying to rule out the possibility of any surveillance that might have been left behind, when she spotted an envelope sitting on the boy's dresser with a messy scrawl across it. "Was this here before?"

Tammy followed Storm and then very shakily shook her head. "No," she said, holding Tristan a little closer.

"What is it?" Tyler asked as he made his way over, with Hank still frowning at the good bruises he'd gotten.

Storm picked it up carefully and frowned at the writing before she opened it to find a sizeable stack of cash. "Money."

"I'm not touching anything he gave us," Tyler said with a glare.

"What would you like me to do with it?" Storm asked.

"I don't know," Tyler said, still frowning. "It's blood money. I don't care what you do with it."

"I'll have Kurt distribute it to a few churches," Storm decided.

"Fitting," Tammy said with a small smirk as the group of them made their way out of the room and she settled Tristan in on their bed — since she wasn't going to set him down in his room anytime soon.

It wasn't too long before Logan came in, looking livid and not saying a word to anyone as he worked through the little house, backtracking a few times and glaring in one room or another — though he didn't go in all of them. He finally stopped, took a critical look at the three of them, ignoring his teammates altogether, let out a little grumble, and hopped out of the window that Creed had obviously entered.

"Stay inside," he called over his shoulder, leaving Hank and Storm to explain why Logan was so incredibly chatty.

"It's been a long week or two," Hank said, letting his shoulders drop slightly.

"I'm sorry to hear it," Tyler said, though his gaze was on the window before he turned Hank's way. "I thought it was good? Tammy told me about Rachel?"

"Yes, that was good," Hank replied. "But the days leading up to that revelation was not nearly so good. There was an incident that I won't go into detail about, but the long and short is that a couple of old problems have reared their ugly, rather smelly heads. One of which is, of course, Sabretooth." Hank let out a deep sigh. "He very nearly killed K — and of course, Logan was not very thrilled with him over it. Threats were made on their children … he's understandably on edge."

Tyler looked livid, but Tammy just looked that much more upset as she said in her shocked, quiet tone, "But he was so gentle with Tristan."

"I assure you: had it been one of Logan's children, that would not have been the case."

"He hasn't been able to get to the school, right?" Tyler asked, concerned. "I mean, coming here is one thing…"

"Not close enough to make contact, no," Hank replied. "But he's apparently been watching them at school and, I'm sure, when they are outside."

Tyler narrowed his eyes at that and shook his head. "Maybe I should catch up with Logan…"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Hank said. "He's trying a new tactic."

It was another half an hour before Logan returned, leisurely walking along and finishing off a cigar that he tossed before he walked up the steps. "Everyone okay?"

"Tris and Tammy are fine; I just got knocked out," Tyler said with a frown. "I take it you didn't find him?"

"Oh, I found him," Logan said. "Just stuck around long enough to let him know he wasn't worth my energy today. Got my girl to get back to."

Tyler raised both his eyebrows before he turned toward Hank. "New tactic?"

"Victor Creed does not like to be ignored," Hank said with a smirk.

"Or to be reminded that he's not the most important thing in anyone's world," Logan added.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Tammy asked quietly. "I mean… won't he escalate?"

Logan laughed at that. "Right. Because he's not going to escalate anyhow with me?"

"I just mean maybe it's not a good idea to make him think he has to do more to get your attention," she said.

"More than threaten to rip her head off?" Logan challenged.

"I'm just asking."

"It doesn't matter what I do or don't," Logan pointed out. "He's going to escalate. If I fight him, he'll keep pushing. If I don't fight him, he'll keep pushing. I'm just taking my wife's advice and not playing by his rules."

"And the rest of us have been sure to make it so he can't step foot in the mansion," Storm assured Tammy.

"This is the first that he's contacted anyone — and it was outside of the mansion," Hank added. "Though it probably would be best — just in case — to come back until K and Logan get this settled. And I might add, the amount of diabolical giggles coming out of that woman while she was chatting with Tony Stark this morning was disturbing."

"Yeah, I think it'd be a good idea to move back in," Tyler agreed. "I know Tammy and I aren't going to be able to sleep with Tris in that room alone anyway…"

"I'll go after you," Logan said. "You guys ride with Hank — probably safer that way."

"Thank you," Tammy said, already starting to pack a bag for Tristan.

"I'll ride shotgun with you," Tyler told Logan. "Sabretooth already showed he's not interested in hurting Tris — until his powers come in, anyway."

"Vic won't live that long," Logan said in a relaxed tone.

"Either way, I'd like to come with you," Tyler said.

"You really don't have to," Logan pointed out. "I just kicked his ass a few days ago. He's not really looking for another round. He probably had some traps out there waiting for me to walk into."

"That's real comforting," Tyler said dryly, already following Logan toward the car.

"You know he's a pain in the ass. This shouldn't be a shock."

"No," Tyler admitted. "But it was real nice not having to put up with his crap for a while there."

"Yeah, no kidding," Logan agreed. "But I should have made sure K kept her training up on him. He's not as fast as he was, but he's still a freakin' freight train."

"Yeah, I was going to ask — think you could add me to that training?" Ty asked.

"You up for it?" Logan asked with a little frown.

"Hey, Tammy and I are headed to Chicago in a few months. I'd better be up for it or this kind of crap will keep happening."

Logan nodded to himself and drew in a breath. "I can work with you. Teach you how to work against him. But you're not going to like what I have to say."

"Fine," Tyler said. "But if he's going to be coming into my kid's life like that — whatever it is, I'll do it."

Logan watched him for a moment. "Alright. You react the same way he does under pressure."

Tyler looked honestly surprised and insulted. "What?"

"You get pissed off to a certain point and then don't really go beyond it," Logan explained. "Took me a while to see it, but he does the same thing. See, if I get pissed off enough, it all tips over into a rage. Can't really stop it or hold it back." He shook his head lightly. "You two … don't really do that. Not the same way anyhow."

Tyler frowned but finally let out a breath as he thought it over. "No," he finally had to agree. "I can stop it — at least, I can now."

"You've never really lost it like I do, and honestly, neither has he," Logan told him. "He gets mad and focuses. Operates better that way. And so do I — to a point. But to get to him, you have to keep your attacks controlled. Letting your instincts get the better of you will only end up with you hurting."

"Then I've already got a leg up," Tyler pointed out. "I've never gotten to that point, like you said."

Logan nodded his head in agreement. "But he thinks that the instincts … the more animalistic the attacks ... that's what he wants. He can fight that. The minute you keep your head about you and focus on how to fight right, he loses all his focus."

Tyler nodded. "Alright. I'll just have to focus … not let him get to me."

"And learn a little better style," Logan said. "Basics that were covered in class aren't anywhere near useful against Vic."

"Fine." He paused. "My schedule's crap right now with school, by the way."

"I'm not goin' anywhere by order of Scott," Logan pointed out. "Let me know when you're free and we'll make it happen."

"Alright, I'll let you know," Tyler said, then leaned forward, rubbing his hands over his face. "I'm rusty, I'll warn you now. Been more focused on school than anything else."

"Not surprised," Logan said with a nod. "Don't feel bad. K was rusty in that fight too."

"What happened, anyway?" Tyler asked. "Hank said things have been busy the last week or so, but he didn't say why Sabretooth's back."

"Turns out he's been back for a while planning something big. He just had his plans kicked up — which is probably for our benefit, honestly. He's been watching the kids for months."

Tyler bared his teeth at that. "The kids alright?"

"Never saw him, no contact," Logan assured him. "We just had a jerk get in the middle and set up a fight between him and K. I wasn't supposed to be able to get involved, but like I said… when it all goes red …"

Tyler frowned at that but nodded all the same. "Just pisses me off that he's coming after kids now. I'm not surprised," he added quickly. "Just pissed."

Logan shook his head. "He doesn't care about the kids," he said with a little chuckle. "They're just a tool to him. He hurts one of them, he knows I won't be rational enough to focus on anything. At all. And he's not wrong. The way he had a hold of K and the crap he was saying was enough on its own."

Tyler nodded along to each word. "Yeah. You know I'm really not a fan of killing, but…"

"The line forms to the left," Logan said as he flipped on the radio. "You'll have to take a number. You got at least … oh. A dozen or so in line ahead of you."

"Yeah, I'm not signing up to do it myself; I'm just saying I won't weep when he's gone," Tyler said with a smirk.

"In that case, talk to Kate. I'm pretty sure she's plotting out one party or another anyhow."

"Isn't she always?" Tyler smirked.

"She needs to, she's got monster in law troubles again," Logan told him. "Same day. Different fight."

"Again?" Tyler frowned. "What kind of week did you guys have?"

"Just told you. Well. Half of it. The girls had to fight for us. Annie creamed the White Queen, Jubilee took out Warbird, Kate and K took a chunk out of Azazel, then K and I dealt with Creed. Long day."

Tyler smirked the slightest bit. "Most of that sounds like it sucks, but I'd have loved to see Annie's fight."

"K says she's been a very good student," Logan told him with a smirk. "And by all accounts, it wasn't even close."

"I'll bet it wasn't," Tyler chuckled.

"Jubes did a number to Warbird too."

"That doesn't surprise me either. Whoever was picking the fights for those two didn't know what they were doing. Winner was a given."

"They did with Kate and K," Tyler pointed out. "But they had pissed the guy off already, so I'm not surprised."

"And they've got a little more heavy-duty problems to deal with, honestly," Tyler said. "Is Azazel still an issue? Because you know I'm ordained…"

"And Kurt was a priest," Logan said. "That's not the issue."

"Yeah, I'm not sure how much it'll help when he's not a demon anymore anyway, but I thought I'd offer just in case," Tyler admitted.

"If it comes down to it, can't hurt to try," Logan agreed. "I'll hold him down. You two can pray there's anything left to identify the corpse."

Tyler smirked. "Yeah. That sounds about right." He leaned back in his seat and shook his head. "This is what happens when I leave the mansion," he chuckled under his breath.

When the two of them pulled up to a four-way stop, Logan looked over to find that the car that pulled up next to them was a familiar one. "Wave to your pain, Ty. Use just the middle finger. That's the only one he understands."

Tyler looked over and fell into a glare before he closed his eyes and shook his head, turning his attention back to Logan. "Thought you said not to stoop to his level."

"If you're not trying to claw his eyes out, you're not at his level," Logan pointed out before he turned to give Victor an obvious look of disgust and shake his head before simply driving on. "We're too close to the mansion for him to try now. Rachel's keepin' an eye on me. She'd have Kurt and Scott out here in a heartbeat if he tries."

"Nice to have backup, seeing as all I'd do it scratch him up," Tyler muttered.

"That's all I ever do," Logan deadpanned.

"Yours are a little deeper'n mine," Tyler chuckled.

"Just because you don't know how to use 'em right yet," Logan pointed out. "Might not go a full foot deep, but he's done a lot of damage articulating those damn things."

"Yeah, well, haven't had much use for practice. They'd frown on mutilating cadavers in my year, I think," Tyler said with a straight face.

"Good thing we got holograms for that."

Tyler chuckled. "Yeah, I remember." He paused. "You're not going to bring in that mohawked idiot again, are you?"

"He'll be busy," Logan told Tyler with a smirk. "Got an island crime syndicate to deal with."

"He making inroads into dismantling it at all?"

Logan did a little double take with a frown. "No," he said, shaking his head a little bit. "He's running it."

"Ah." Tyler nodded. "Yeah… that… that sounds like him. No offense."

"It's a process," Logan said. "I did it too."

"That doesn't sound like you."

"Wasn't the only one I ran either," Logan admitted.

"And here I was about to make a comment on sons being nothing like their fathers," Tyler smirked.

"I was a different person, stuck between wars with nothin' to do," Logan said.

"Yeah, yeah, but the joke just doesn't work anymore," Tyler said, grinning a little wider.

Logan matched his smirk. "No, I think it does fit," he said finally. "Seeing as most of my crap choices were wrapped around a woman. And Daken … is making his own choices."

Tyler nodded at that. "Different motivations, yeah, that'll do it." He leaned back as they reached the mansion. "I've got a few nights free before things get crazy with school again. Think we can start tomorrow?"

"Sure," Logan agreed. "As long as you don't piss off my current crime lord."

"I make it a point not to ever cross her," Tyler chuckled.

The two of them pulled up to the mansion a little ahead of Hank's car — since Tammy had taken the time to get Tristan packed away — but once everyone was in, Tyler relaxed a little, one arm around Tammy and the sleeping little kid as they headed inside to Hank and Daisy's little suite off to the side of the labs.

None of them had been expecting Daisy or Jolie to still be up at this time of night, but apparently, Jolie had woken up a little while earlier and wanted to come snuggle with Daisy before she would even think about going back to sleep — though even that small progress was out the window when she saw Tyler and wriggled to be let down, running over to him on all fours so she could be faster and then attacking his leg in a hug with delighted squeal of "Ty!"

Tyler broke into a huge grin as he bent down to scoop her up and throw her in the air. "Jo!" he called back to her in mid-air before he caught her and pulled her into a hug. "You been giving Mom a hard time?"

The little fluffball of a girl giggled and shook her head. "Noooooo."

"You sure about that?" he asked, grinning. "Tris is sleeping just fine and here you're being a goofball all night?"

She buried her face in his shoulder, giggling as her tail swayed behind her. "No," she repeated, purring all the while.

Tyler grinned that much wider and snuggled her. "Me and Tammy and Tris are gonna stay here for a while — is that alright with you?" he asked, as if he was truly concerned that she wouldn't want them to stay.

She rubbed her face on him as she nodded her head, pulling herself into a little ball. "Okay."

He grinned down at the little ball of fur and then at his mom. "I can put her to sleep; I'm still a little keyed up anyway," he said.

Daisy smiled at that and made sure to give both Tyler and Jolie a kiss on the cheek, even if Ty had to bend down for it. "Alright, but don't let her bully you into staying up all night. I know your hours are horrendous. I remember how it was."

He grinned and nodded, curling up with his little sister as Tammy followed Hank back to the rooms so she could lie down with Tristan and try to get some sleep herself after the eventful night they'd all had.