Yey! This is the last chapter! I now officially announce this completed! WOOT! first time to actually finish a story...^^ and i know it had been a long time since i last updated...it almost seems like it had been a whole year before i even finished this..._ so as a sorry gift for all my readers, i have a surprise for you at the ending. O_O well anyway, i hope you'll enjoy...^^
Part Twenty-Three: SAY GOODNIGHT
Victor knew that running away like that was childish but he didn't care. He just wanted to get away from them, but to be honest, he just wanted run away from himself. He couldn't take another risk of hurting them. He couldn't believe it. He had fallen into one of Anthony's trap. He slowed down and turned around. He swore he had caught someone's scent. It wasn't Logan's, but it was Piper's.
"Victor?"
He was startled to hear her voice behind him. He was certain that she might never catch up with him, since he was fast while she wasn't. He looked at Piper. His expression softened at the sight of her. He wanted to touch her, feel her, know that everything will be the same as long as she was there. But who was he kidding? He was the killer, and she would just be the victim who'll be stupid enough to come closer to a murderer, a cold-blooded murderer. No, he wasn't just a cold-blooded murderer, he was a monster. He has no right to have this girl in front of him.
Trying to block out her sweet voice, he continued running, faster this time. Just hearing her voice made him angrier to himself. The monster inside of him was coming out again. He wanted so badly to beat something or someone up. His claws dug into his palm, tearing into his flesh, making fresh blood to drip down.
"Victor! Wait!" Piper called after him, trying to catch up with him. She knew that it was no use since he wasn't the type of man who would listen to somebody. It's what he called "manly pride." But no matter how bleak her hopes of catching up with him, she wouldn't give up. Maybe it's not too late for him to get tired of running away from himself.
Victor kept on running, not caring if she was calling him.
Due to her clumsiness and lack of attention to her surroundings, she tripped on a small stone lying around. She fell flat on the ground, hitting the ground flat on the face. Her legs felt sore and tired. She wanted to cry at her own weakness, but she knew that crying would only be another sign of being a weakling.
Victor couldn't help it but turn around to check on Piper. As he thought of it, she tripped. Sighing, not able to resist helping her, he stopped running and went back. Once he was standing in front of her, he wondered if he was making the right decision. Was it a good idea to turn back? Didn't the saying say that we should always move forward? Stand up, he thought, not relying on his voice.
Upon hearing the familiar voice which she always loves, she looked up to see him towering in front of her. He got this torn expression on his face. I knew it, she sent, telepathically. She smiled, warmly, upon knowing that somehow, it made him feel better.
Without saying a word, he helped her up on her feet. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, not making eye contact.
Piper patted his cheeks, reassuringly, as if nothing had happened. Her cheery mood lightened up his sulky mood. "It's not your fault. It wasn't you back there."
Victor met her gaze, staring deep inside her eyes. "Back there, that was the true me."
Piper's stomach suddenly felt twisted. Her chest felt tight and she suddenly got the urge to hug him and comfort him. "No. This is the true you," she told him, firmly. When she realized that her hand was still touching his cheeks, she put them on her side, slightly embarrassed.
Victor noticed her sudden uneasiness and so he got this disgusted look on his face. "I hate myself," he spat. He clenched his fist once again.
"What's there to hate about you? Yes you may be an idiot, short-tempered, ugly brat, but there's still some lovable traits which you have."
Her words slightly stung him, especially about the part where the ugly brat comes in.
"No offense, though," she said. Sighing when he wasn't feeling any better, she touched his arm. "And anyway, you had protected your little brother and you'll even sacrifice your own life. That's a trait which people wouldn't hate."
When Victor heard that, he wanted so badly to tell her that he'll not only protect his little brother, but also her. She IS his life, and so he wouldn't sacrifice it. She IS something more special and important than his life. Even if it means having Logan as his rival to get Piper's heart, he wouldn't let him get her. She IS his and nobody would change his mind. Getting frustrated for not being able to say all of those things to her, he unconsciously growled.
Why?
"You're trying to get inside my head again," Victor grumbled, angrily. He didn't want her to know anything. It was just too embarrassing.
Piper glared at him. "I know you for a long time already, Victor, but it seems like you're still a puzzle I cannot answer. Just for once, let me know what you feel," she said, her expression softening.
Victor shook his head, irritably. "It's not that easy."
"How do you know? You haven't even tried," Piper argued.
Victor shook his head. "I'm not a man of words. I just cannot put into words what I'm feeling," he mumbled under his breath.
"Then show me."
Victor abruptly looked up at her, his eyes held confusion. How could he possibly show her what he felt if he too didn't know what he felt? Turning around, trying to block her view of the puzzlement held in his face, he looked around and scratched his head, frustrated. Why did she have to make it so hard for him to be honest? It was as if she had this enchantment over him to make him so...baffled. Piper didn't urge him further. She just waited for him to decide what he would do. Even if she wanted to read his mind, she couldn't since he had put up barriers again.
"Close your eyes," Victor spoke up, tearing the silence that fell between them.
Piper gave him a skeptical look. "Why?"
Victor rolled his eyes. "You're making it harder for me."
"Fine," Piper snapped, finally closing her eyes.
Victor took a deep breath, wondering if he was doing the right thing. Should he? Would she be mad after this? Shaking his head, as if dismissing the topic from his mind, he leaned forward, closing the gap between them. He leveled his eyes to Piper's closed ones. "If you're wondering, yes I'm an idiot," he said, before covering her soft lips with his.
Piper's eyes fluttered open at the shock she received when Victor kissed her. Her heart felt like it was about to burst and her body became rigid. She didn't know how to react, but it just felt so good to feel Victor that close. Not knowing what to do, she just let loose. She felt like she was melting under his touch.
What was he doing? Victor quickly pulled away from her. "Sorry," he said, averting her gaze.
"For what?"
"For that."
Piper shook her head and smiled warmly at him. "That's nothing to be sorry about," she said, softly. Without thinking, she took another step forward and elevated herself a little to level her eyes to his.
Victor smirked and leaned forward to savor another kiss.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Piper quickly pushed Victor away and stepped away from him, hastily. Victor, likewise. The two of the turned to the source of the voice. Logan appeared from the bushes, looking disheveled and irritable. "Here I was looking for the two of you, and this is what I get? Oh great!" he shouted, enraged. Of course he knew from the start that he had gotten the short end of the rope, but he didn't have to see this. He was exhausted and he wanted to find peace. But finding his two most important persons in the world kissing each other? That was...
"Jimmy," Piper started, but Victor raised a hand up to silenced him.
"You already know," Victor said, darkly.
Logan gritted his teeth. "Yes. I did." And he turned around, heading back.
"Where are you going?" Piper shouted after him, taking a step toward him, but Victor restrained her. He shot her a warning glance. He had seen that expression on Logan's face and you wouldn't want to be near him when he's in that kind of mood. Trust him.
Piper watched anxiously as Logan walked away, slowly. It was her fault. Maybe if she didn't cross that line then...
"Don't blame yourself," Victor muttered. "He knew."
Piper glared at him. "It's not about him knowing, Victor. It's about his feelings!"
Victor didn't say anything. It tore him to see his brother looked so...sad and disappointed. It almost felt like he had let his little brother down. We're brothers now, Jimmy and brothers look out for each other. Those words echoed inside his head. True, they were brothers and nothing could ever separate them, but they couldn't go on pretending that they could share something forever. Love wasn't like that at all.
"I'll go talk to him," Piper suddenly said, interrupting his train of thoughts.
"No. This is between men," Victor said, sternly, walking ahead of her. "Just stay behind me."
Piper was about to protest, but as she saw the grave expression on Victor's face, she didn't utter a word. He was right, but she couldn't explain the sudden feeling that this was so...surreal. And the fact that she was forgetting something and she couldn't remember what it was.
Victor took her hand and squeezed it gently, reassuringly, but he avoided her eyes as they walked.
"I'm afraid," Piper squeaked, not knowing why she said that aloud.
"Don't be."
Piper frowned. A ringing sound entered her ears. At first, it was just so soft that she barely noticed, but as they continued walking, the ringing got louder and more unbearable.
"Are you alright?" Victor asked.
"Of course," Piper lied, forcing a smile. In truth, she wasn't alright. The ringing had turned into screeching and the sound was making the hair on her arms to rise. A splitting headache entered her head, unwelcomed.
When they saw Logan, leaning on the trunk of a huge thick tree, Victor let go of her hand and went ahead. Piper froze, seeing her surroundings spun. She was getting dizzier and dizzier and her vision was getting blurrier. And she had this gut wenching feeling that she was forgetting something.
Logan angrily looked up, sensing his brother's scent as well as Piper's. "Just leave me alone," Logan grumbled, looking away from Victor.
"I would glad to, but you know how Piper would react," Victor said, trying to sound light-hearted.
The scowl on Logan's face deepened. "What's Piper to you?" he asked, still not looking at him.
"That's hard to answer," Victor said, shrugging.
Finally Logan looked up at him, anger burning right through his eyes. "If you're not going to take this seriously, then I'm going to kick your ass, so answer me!" he yelled at him.
Victor's lightness was instantly replaced by coldness. He narrowed his eyes on the man, who was his little brother, in front of him. "Piper's worth all the letter there is in the alphabet. There's no word to describe what she's worth to me," he told him. It was the truth and he found it embarrassing to say since it was just so out of his character. For so long, he was building this reputation, an image, which he tried so hard to stand, but now, it was just turning to dust and it was all because of Piper.
Logan sighed, covering his face with his right hand. "I knew this from the beginning. She told it before she told you," he said. "Maybe I'm just becoming like this because a lot of things had happened today-"
A scream interrupted Logan. Instantly, the two men were alert and tensed. Their eyes darted to where Piper was supposed to be, but was dismayed to see her gone.
"PIPER!" Logan shouted, anxiety and fear lacing his voice.
Victor couldn't blame Logan, he also did felt scared. Where was she? He swore under his breath. Without a word, he took off, tracking her down by her scent lingering around the air. Logan did the same.
But there was a new scent mingling with hers. It was Maestro's.
"Damn it," Logan yelled, angrily. "How could we be so careless?" He punched a tree nearby before continuing his search.
Victor growled as the scent smelled stronger and stronger. They were getting nearer, nearer the shore and to the warehouse. He ignored his brother, just focusing on Piper's scent. Somehow, he felt unusually calm. Maybe because the pure bliss he had felt from a while ago was still lingering inside him, but nevertheless his worry grew with every step he took. Too bad he didn't have enough time to celebrate.
"There they are!" Logan suddenly exclaimed, spotting two figures near the gentle lapping waves on along the shore. Quickly, without even thinking twice, the two brothers ran towards them. As they were getting nearer, Victor saw that it was Piper and Maestro. Maestro was supporting Piper.
"Piper!" Victor shouted.
She didn't look behind. The two of them went on, as if they heard nothing. Suspiciously, Victor pushed his legs harder until he finally caught up with them. Without warning, Victor slashed on Maestro's back with his deadly sharp claws, unbeknown to him that it was growing longer and sharper from his search for Piper.
Maestro stagger forward, not able to turn around. Letting go of Piper, he fell down on his knees, coughing and spitting blood. Piper fell likewise, but Victor quickly caught her before she could even touch the ground. "What the hell are you doing?" Victor shouted at Maestro.
Maestro looked at his hands, stained with his own blood as he touched his wound at his back. His hands trembling and his eyes wide. "Y-you," he stuttered, looking accusingly at Victor. "You don't know what you're doing!"
Victor growled at him. "ME? You're the one who's trying to kidnap Piper! You filthy rat." Victor yelled, his body poised for an attack.
Logan finally caught up. "Victor," he warned, trying to calm the older man. The two men may have almost the same abilities except for the part that Victor got nail like claws instead of bone claws protruding out of his knuckles. They both have heightened senses and the two of them get to know if one person is lying. But Victor wasn't the type to sit down and take things peacefully and slowly. He was a man of actions and not words.
Victor glared at Maestro, wanting to attack so badly, but Piper was in his arms. If he moved, he might hurt her. Maestro wasn't doing anything anyway, he was way too stunned to speak. He just stared numbly at his bloodstained hand.
Victor looked down on Piper. She was pale and unconscious. He was baffled. What happened to her? Suddenly, she just looked so weak. The usual youth she held in her face was gone. He was used to seeing her small face with small features, resembling almost a fourteen year old and a bright smile, but now, she looked tired and weary.
"Her real name is Patrice Felixia Thompson," Maestro suddenly said.
Victor was startled. "Huh?" he asked, dumbly. Of course he heard him clearly, but somehow, he couldn't believe that she was called Patrice Felixia Thompson. He had known her since she was twelve and yet he still didn't know her whole name. His stomach churn when he realized that her past had always been a mystery to him. He didn't know anything about her aside from the fact that she ran away from home because of committing a murder.
"She's the daughter of my brother," Maestro continued. "We have the same abilities, but hers was different from mine."
"What do you mean?" This time, it was Logan who asked.
"Her power isn't what it seems to be," he muttered, shrugging. His voice was growing weaker and weaker. "It's uncontrollable."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Before Maestro could even answer his question, a blank expression fleeted on his face before he fell flat on his face on the soft sand. And standing behind was the sinister Anthony Butcher with a scary smile which screamed kill.
"Think you can finish me of, don't you?" Anthony said, creepily.
Logan growled. He unsheathed his bone claws. "Take care of her," he whispered to Victor, referring to Piper. Before Victor could say a word, Logan charged, but Anthony was fast. He jumped off to his left, stepping away from Logan's path, narrowly missing his three deadly claws.
Not able to stop himself, Logan crashed on the rocky wall of the cliff.
"Tired?" Anthony taunted, turning to Victor. "You're the one I want."
Victor glared at him. "Are you sure? You don't stand a chance of even laying a finger on me," Victor threatened. Gently laying Piper on the sand, he stood up, retracting his claws.
"Ha!" Anthony said, spitting. "C'mon. I'm ready for you." He had a defensive position on as he waited for Victor to attack.
Victor put on his signature cocky smirk. "Bring it on." He saw Logan getting back to his feet behind Anthony. He didn't want Logan to meddle with his fight. It was only between him and Anthony. It was a fight he wanted to settle the score between them. He wanted to kill Anthony himself without his little brother's help.
"Jimmy, stay out of this," Victor shouted, not taking his eyes off his foe. Anthony just smiled, mischievously.
The two men were immediately on their offensive stance. Both of them ready to pounced on the other. This was over. Victor knew that this was only an easy win since Anthony was just a coward and a weakling. Taking the first attack, Victor ran towards Anthony, tackling him. The two men came sprawling on the sand. Easily, Victor was on top of Anthony, his claws raised, ready to slash Anthony into strips but a searing pain entered at his sides. As he checked where the pain was coming from, he saw a knife sticking on his side. He looked down on Anthony's smug face.
"Stabbed a vital part," he taunted, punching Victor on the face successfully able to take Victor off him. He quickly got to his feet and charged the off-guarded Victor who was pulling the knife off. Anthony reached him, just in time for Victor to be able to pull the knife off, but giving Anthony the chance to kick the wound. A new wave of pain entered Victor.
This guy played rough, he thought. But he could play that game too.
Anthony was laughing his butt off as he saw Victor's sprawled on the ground, clutching his bleeding side. "Aw. Does the kid wanna cry?" he taunted.
A smirk found its way on Victor's face. "Who you calling kid?" he asked, kicking Anthony behind his kneecap. Anthony fell on his knees as he cried in pain. "Getting a little too rusty, old man?" Victor said, reaching for Anthony, his claws scraping on Anthony's bare skin.
Anthony cried out in pain as he felt Victor's claws dug on his skin. Victor was now towering over him. With just one hand, Victor lift him up to his feet, his claws digging deeper on Anthony's skin. "Aw. Does the kid wanna cry? " Victor mimicked, throwing Anthony over the huge boulder near the water. The gentle waves lapped on the boulder, making the bottom wet and darker than the top.
Anthony hit it with his back and Victor knew that a normal man could break his ribs with that impact. Pinning Anthony down with both of his clawed hands gripping on the collar of his shirt, Victor bared his two sharp fangs on him. "Who's the kid now?" He was about to finish him off when a new voice tore in the heavy atmosphere.
"Who am I?"
Victor froze. Slowly, he turned around to see Piper sitting up on the sand, looking confused and bewildered. Her eyes were wide and innocent as if she hadn't seen the world's true form.
Unconsciously, Victor let go of Anthony and walked towards Piper. When he reached her, he knelt down and looked straight into her eyes. He didn't know what made him do that. It was foolish to leave your enemy like that since he could attack you anytime, but his emotions were just too strong for him to actually know what's happening. He reached for her cheeks, stroking them with his thumb, ignoring the fact that his claws her crusted with blood. "Piper."
"Who's that?"
Victor paused. His heart could not stop from beating so fast. "You don't remember?" This was what he had feared. He was afraid that she would forget everything. Everything that had happened between them. All those years of building this certain bond between them were gone now. "Please don't tell me that you had forgotten," he pleaded.
The more he talked, the more she got more confused. "Who are you?"
That was the worst question she could possibly ask. Who are you? Those words echoed inside his head. It rang inside, making him feel empty and cold. "I'm Victor, remember?" he said.
But Piper didn't seem to remember him at all. "Where am I?"
Victor's face fell. This was it. Everything he had done. Everything that had happened between them were gone and buried. The worst thing that could possibly happen.
"VICTOR!"
Before Victor could turn around and look at Logan who was running towards them with horror written all over his face, he felt something entered his body and went straight out of it. He slowly looked down. Every part of him hurts. Something cold was inside him and as he looked down, he realized that a long knife had impaled him. Anthony was behind him, smiling wickedly.
"Idiot," Victor muttered under his breath, anger boiling in his blood, but before he could even turn around to finally finish the guy off, Logan reached them and stabbed Anthony with his bone claws in straight to the heart, ending his life.
Anthony's eyes were wide in astonishment. "It's unfair," he croaked, pointing his finger feebly at Logan, but before he could even extend his arm, he fell down, face flat on the ground.
Logan looked down at his bloody bone claws and unmistakably, a tear dropped down on the sand. And just by the sight of the tear drop, a terrible realization entered Victor's head. He quickly looked at Piper whose eyes were wider than saucers, but the most horrible part was that her front shirt was stained with blood.
Hastily, Victor pulled the sword off his back. It was a painful process, but he felt numb as he looked at Piper. Her eyes were unfocused and her breathing was ragged. Her chest kept rising up and down. Throwing the bloody sword away, Victor quickly laid her head on the ground and covered the gaping wound on her abdomen with his hand. Logan was on his knees now, beside Piper. His knuckles were pulled into a fist. He was clenching so hard that his knuckles turned white.
"I-it hurts," Piper said, feebly. Her voice was raspy and they knew that she was dying already. She would survive that wound except if she had healing factors like the two brothers.
"It's alright. I'm here," Victor said, brushing his hand on her cheek, feeling its warmth. Logan reached for her hand, stroking it.
"I don't know who you are, but thank you," Piper said, her voice slowly fading. Her eyes felt heavy.
Victor bit his lower lip, trying hard not to cry. His chest felt painful. He didn't know what hurts the most. The part that this might be her final thank you or the fact that she would die with no memory of her past with them. But either way, it hurts to see her suffering. He didn't imagine that her life would cut short just like that.
Logan gripped her hand tighter. "You're always welcome," he said, smiling.
A smile tugged Piper's lips despite her current condition. "I like your smile," she told Logan. "What's your name?"
"Jimmy," Logan said, his voice wavering.
Piper's smile widened. "I like your name," she whispered, finding it hard to summon her voice.
Victor didn't want to see her like this. Tears were trying to force its way out of his eyes, but he pushed them away. He didn't want her to see him like that.
Don't cry, Piper told him, inside his head.
He was too sad to be surprised. I'm not crying, he told her.
With one final smile, she took in her last breath and after that, everything went still.
Because of grief, Logan shouted at the top of his lungs, his lower lip trembling. He couldn't believe that she died just like that. He pulled her head closer to his chest.
Victor, on the other hand, was quiet. He didn't move. He didn't say anything. He just stared, with empty eyes at the far horizon. Everything felt like a dream, a dream which he could never wake up from. The tears which were threatening to come out were gone. He felt numb. He didn't know what emotions he held. He didn't even want to look at Logan.
The wind blew. The sound of bird flying overhead echoed. The gentle waves lapped noisily on the shore. Amidst those sounds, it was quiet and still. Victor felt empty and hollow. He didn't know what to do.
Suddenly, sounds of barking dogs echoed, snapping him out of his thoughts. Victor looked around. With three dead bodies around here, the people might think they were the murderers. Laying his hand on Logan's shoulder, he said, "Let's go Jimmy. Let her go."
Logan glared at him. "How can you even say that?"
Victor didn't say anything, avoiding his eyes. He started moving, without even looking back.
Logan, with last final look, laid Piper down and closed her eyes. Before standing up, he kissed her forehead and followed Victor, his heart felt heavier than his steps.
The barking dogs were getting nearer. Victor were able to pick up some voices. They were running away again, just like the old times, but in this case, Piper wasn't with them anymore. And she will never be with them anymore. Daring himself to look back, he looked at Piper's petite body before breaking into a run.
Why? he thought, feeling angry. He wanted blood. He needed more. He could feel his claws growing longer and sharper. He clenched his fist, feeling that sharp claws dug on his skin. This was it. This was it. He won't let his guards down this time. He wouldn't let anyone off the hook. He wouldn't be Victor anymore. He would be Victor Creed who wouldn't be so soft and forgiving like before. He stopped, turning around to face Logan's tear stained face.
"It's you and me now, Jimmy. Whatever happens, we're not going to leave each other behind," he said. It felt like they were starting all over again.
Logan wiped his face with his sleeve and nodded his head. "Yes. We won't leave each other behind."
"And from now on, nothing can ever come between us, okay?" Victor said, placing his hands on Logan's shoulder.
Logan just nodded his head, feeling his strength sapped out from his body.
And thus, their lives continued to unfold...just like what Piper had said, Life goes on...
Yeah, I know it is sad that it had ended just like that, but i hope you like the whole story..._ i'll miss the trio, but don't worry there'll be a sequel...^^ you might be wondering how's that if Piper's dead? well...who said that she's dead? O_o anyway, thank for all of your support and I hope you'll tune in to the sequel...it would take place at the time when the brothers work under stryker...^^ well anyway, hope you would like it. ^^ and remember...Life still goes on...^^