Hey Friends! Another chapter update for you. Hope you like it, let me know! - Sevy14
The Mission: Chapter Twenty Five
-London's Point of View-
My head bumped softly from a dip in the road, waking me from my nap. I sit up, rubbing my eyes. First, turning to check on Henry, who was sound asleep, his tiny fingers coiled about the teddy bear atop him. I smiled, he was really a cute baby. I looked about and located my camera and turning it on I snap a photo. The sniff of the man driving drew my attention from the little moment of life's preciousness. My eyes made contact with Victor's. I looked away as our eyes made contact. My attention drawn the scenery flying past us. There was a clearing as we came out of the dense woods and a sign, a town sign. I felt my stomach hop from excitement at seeing signs of life and also nervousness. We had to be there. Here… To wherever it is we were going. I looked back at Victor again.
"So uh… So this is the town?" I ask him. My voice seemingly loud in the silence that has taken over car ride. He sniffs but does not answer. "Where are we?" I continue looking at him. The sign comes and goes, stating that 'Fairbanks' was twenty miles west. I balk. "We aren't near any town?!"
"Not one on any map." His voice terse.
I look at him, somewhat shocked. "What are we going to do for food, for-for…" My voice trailed off. I wasn't even sure what I was saying. I had no idea that we would be so far away from civilization. My mind caught up with the shock and emotional overload and I looked up at him sharply. "Wait! What do you mean not near anything on a map?!" I was not prepared for this. At all. He looked at me, his eyes lacked any emotion and he did not respond. God he was such an ass. "So….?" I said, my voice questioning and annoyed, clearly.
"Small town. It is not on any map." He repeats. I glare at him.
"You know, that does not really answer my question… You know that right?" I say. I watch as he shrugs and I roll my eyes. "Right…" I counter. "Well, will there be people around? I mean, like close or are we going to have to drive forever to get food, supplies, contact with others?" I ask. My irritation with him muted my care for the level of his annoyance.
"You do not need to be in contact with them." He grunts.
I give him a look. "I do not understand what that means… Could you elaborate, please?" I ask him, my voice softer.
He rolls his eyes and adjusts his grip upon the steering wheel. "Humans. Don't need to contact them."
I wouldn't have described the tone as angry or mean, but it had an edge to it, one that left the hairs upon the back of my neck standing on end. I mouthed the word 'Oh' and nodded at him. Not sure what to say or how to respond to that. He obviously felt strongly about mutants being in contact with humans. Of course, that wasn't surprising considering his alignment with Magneto. "So uh… Are we going to be relatively close to stores at least?" I ask.
"See for yourself." He responds.
I look at him, that makes absolutely no sense. We round the bend and a house comes into view. I look at him and then back out the window. One house turned into two, then three, four and five. The speed in which we passed them slowed until finally we found ourselves passing by shops and pedestrians stopping to look at us as we drove by. I kept my eyes trained out the window, fascinated by this small town. "What is this place?" I ask, not looking at him. A moment passed between us before he answered.
"Sabers Town." Was all he said.
I made a face as I turned to look at him. "Sabestown?" He did not respond or look back at me. "Sabers…" A pause, "Town?" I say, slower, raising an eyebrow and looking at him. "As in, Sabertooth?"
He shrugs and sniffs, "Sabers Town." Was all he said.
I shook my head and looked out the window once more. "What are the odds that you are going to be living in a place called Sabers Town." I comment. I do not get a response from him. I smile to myself. There was no way this was a coincidence. Victor had to have a connection to this place. I looked up at him about to say something, but the eyes meeting me in the mirror told me that my questions could wait for another time.
We drove through the town. It was small, of course, being an out of the way place as it was. There were more shops than I thought possible at first, so there must be more people than what I could tell. I wondered if Charles knew more about this place, I bet he did. I wondered if he knew about Victor's history with this place, or Jimmy's for that matter. There were so many questions going through my head. I kept sneaking glances at Victor, although if he noticed, he did not let on. I was sure that he did, not a lot got past him. We exited the town and I turned to look out the back, around our belongings, to see it fading from view and around the bed.
"So we are not going to stay in Sabers Town?" I ask. He shakes his head and does not respond. "Okay… So we will be close to Sabers Town, then?" I ask. He looks at me, eyes bored and I raise my eyebrows and shrug. Perhaps if he would just answer questions or offer context he wouldn't get so annoyed with people when they ask him questions.
We drove in silence for another fifteen or twenty minutes before he took a sharp turn off the road, surprising me. My arm instinctively went to my side to steady Henry and I glared up at him. He did not acknowledge my glare. After another ten minutes or so of driving we rounded a bend and a house came into view. I leaned forward, eyes taking in the place. It was a two story place, the road up to the house crowded with trees on both sides but there was a spacious yard in front of the house, green grass surrounding the driveway, which coiled about up to the garage. The home appeared to be similar to the one in Montana, only larger. It appeared to be a hunting lodge, only… More house-like in its design. From what I could tell the place had been renovated at least twice, if the different type of stone and wood, as well as change in architecture seemed to lean that way. I wondered if Victor had built this place as well as the Montana residence. If so, it would certainly be surprising to know that this man every soul deems crude and stupid, save instinctual intelligence aspects of his reputation. It appeared that there was much more to this mutant than anyone gave him credit for. My eyes caught Victors in the rearview mirror and he looked straight ahead, not saying anything. As before, we pulled up, the garage door opening and Victor slid the car in, slowly coming to a stop. I go to get out and he grunts, giving me pause.
"Wait." He says. I sit back and watch as he exits the vehicle. A second door shutting draws my attention and I look backwards to see Jimmy exit the rental truck and go around the side of the house. My heart raced, it was unsettling to think that I might have to wait for it to be 'safe' every time the residence is left empty.
Henry's gurgling catches my attention and I look over at him. I smile as I coo at him and he smiles back, happy to be awake and noticed by myself. I unbuckle him and lift the boy out of the car seat and hold him close. He does not reach out for my chest nor does he smell of a dirty diaper, thankfully. I hold him and he makes happy little noises and I smile at him, ignoring my nerves for a second or two.
A knock on the window draws my attention, it was Jimmy. "London, you two can come in now." He says.
I nod, "Alright, thanks!" I put Henry back in the car seat and exit the vehicle. I stretch, raising my arms high above my head. My body feels like silly putty stretching itself after being balled up. I sigh deeply and move about the car, taking in a deep breath of cool air. It was fall, and the air smelled crisp and cool. I round the car and open Henry's door. I remove the car seat from the car and sling the diaper bag over my head before shutting the door and maneuvering about the vehicle. The house was cool and I shivered a bit.
"Heat's on." Victor's voice says from behind me, startling me.
I turn, "Oh… Thanks." I say and move forward through the mud and laundry room into the kitchen. I put Henry down upon the kitchen island and look about. The kitchen was larger than the place in Montana, a pantry went off the side of it. I peeked my head in there, shocked to see that there was food already inside. Backing and shutting the door I turn and move across the space and open the refrigerator, it too, was stocked. I checked the date on the milk, fresh. Steps on the floor drew my gaze, "Who has been here? The kitchen is fully stocked." I say, my eyes making contact with Jimmy's.
He shrugs. "Not sure, maybe Charles was here?"
I nod, "Not one of Victor's friends?" I ask. I was uncomfortable with the idea of anyone being allowed to come and go in a place I was expected to be. Especially if I did not know them or if I am in a new location. I will have to ask Victor about it and demand an answer or get ripped to shreds trying. I sighed.
Again, a shrug. "I don't know. Unlikely a friend of Victor's… Not sure if he has friends, rather, business partners?" He says passing through carrying a box.
"Do you need help? I can bring stuff in." I say, loudly, my voice trailing after him.
"No. Make food." Victor's voice cuts across the room and I look up at him. I narrow my eyebrows at him.
"Seems uneven in workload." I respond, more to myself than him.
"Just. Make. Food." He says, more a growl than spoken word.
I look over, unsure of how to take the way he directed those words at me. Deciding to not say anything, we had just been in a car together forever, no use in setting him off just as we arrived. "Right… Any request or just, food?" He does not respond, keeps moving throughout the house with the box. "Okay." I mutter. I sigh and turn on the water and wash my hands. Turning I look at Henry. "Alright little man,." He coos and I smile. "What should we make for dinner?" I ask, moving him from the counter to the top of the table. I pause, looking at him and give him a little tickle about the belly, he kicks and squirms with laughter, I smile again.
The fridge was stocked full with meat. What a shock, I thought and rolled my eyes. In the freezer I was surprised, pleasantly, by the frozen vegetables and fruit. I pulled out the fruit, deciding on making a smoothie for myself. Also, there was large packages of tater tots, I pulled those out. I got busy readying the meat, pulling down a pan to prepare it before putting it in the pan to make tater tot casserole. I hummed to myself as I worked quickly. I found multiple pans and figured making double the batch would be the smartest option considering how much the two men ate. Neither Victor nor Jimmy came through the kitchen again as I was cooking, although I heard them moving about. I assumed they were just bringing boxes in and not unpacking, but recalling the wood cutting, from a few days ago I couldn't be sure, they worked fast and efficiently. Once I had prepped the meat and put all of the ingredients in their respective pans, I popped both into the oven and set the timer. Additionally, I found fresh vegetables, I was thankful for this and made a spinach salad, more for me than them. Also, making my smoothie, I sipped on it happily while I cleaned up the kitchen. Henry's whimper drew my attention and I looked over at him.
"What's the matter lil guy?" I ask softly making my way over there. I lift him out of the carrier as he wriggled. "Woah! Diaper change time!" I say. I pick up his diaper bag and leave the kitchen and go into the laundry room. I change him and look about the room. It was well stocked with every kind of cleaning detergent or tool possible. I had never seen such a well equipped laundry room. Once the clean diaper was on him, I held him high, "All better?" He shrieked, smiling and kicked his legs in the air. I smiled and exited, holding him on my hip.
I took out the silverware and napkins and went about setting the table, taking his carrier off the center and putting it on a chair. Henry played with the loose strands of my hair while I set the table, plates and utensils clinking. The timer dinged and I looked up, over at the oven. "Alright, time to go back to your carrier." I say, I set him down and he whines. "I know… I will see if we can get you a high chair and some other stuff now that we're here." I say to him, even though he doesn't have a clue what I was saying to him. Reaching the oven I turn the beeping off and pull out the casseroles, smiling as the warm delicious scent reaches my nostrils.
"Dinner's ready!" I yell.
"What is it?" Victor's voice startles me.
Turning, slightly wide eyed. "Would it kill you to walk louder?! Geeze!"
"Yes." Was all he said, his deep voice ripples across the room hitting me.
I give him a look, not sure what to make of his response. "Right…" I say turning with a pan in my hand. He raises an eyebrow. I look away and clear my throat. "Tater tot casserole." I say, moving to the table and setting it down. "Have you ever had this?" I ask him. He shakes his head no. I nod, "Well it has meat in it, no worries. I didn't try to feed you a vegetarian meal or anything." I smile to myself as I turn and grab the utensils from the drawer and the salad. When I turn around he is looking at me and I shrug.
Just then, Jimmy enters. "Looks good. Thank you for making dinner London." He says, dropping down into the chair next to Victo,across the table from me, I watch as Victor gives him a look.
"No problem. Tatertot casserole is super easy to make. Had enough to make two pan fulls, hopefully it lasts some." I respond. "Salad?" I ask, looking at both of them expectedly. Victor glares at me and I sigh, putting a large portion on my plate. He puts about half of the casserole on his plate. I look and shake my head but don't say anything.
"Victor, beer?" Jimmy asks, rising.
A nod, "Yup." He says in between bites of caserole.
Jimmy brings over some beers for the two of them. "What do you have there?" He asks me.
I swallow my bite of salad and look at him, "Oh! A berry smoothie." I say, with a smile. "If you want, I can make you guys one?" I offer.
"Might be nice." Jimmy says. Victor's eyes slide back and forth between us, but does not say anything.
"Okay!" I say with a smile. Henry whimpers slightly and I look over, concern on my face. I reach down and put my hand on his. He smiles at me, gurgling. "Not hungry, just want some contact?" I ask. He giggles and I leave my hand there and continue to eat.
Dinner was a quiet affair after the initial conversation waned. Neither man spoke, just ate and ate. They finished off the tater tot casserole, both pans. I shook my head at that. It was shocking just how much they ate and as before, it did not escape my attention at the amount that Victor ate. Far more than Jimmy. While I cleaned up the kitchen they disappeared out of the kitchen and went back to whatever it was they were doing prior. Once done, I picked Henry and exited the kitchen.
We wandered the house, coming into the living room first, fully furnished and a large television on one wall and a fireplace on the other. Next a sitting room of sorts and a locked door. I wondered if it led downstairs or if it was an office. I couldn't determine why there would be an office though but let my curiosity go for now. There was also a bedroom which I found to be unexpecting. Turning, I made my way up the stairs their voices, or rather, grunts of hard work became louder. Reaching the top of the stairs I open the first door and find a small room. The next door, a bathroom, with a deep tub and shower. Another room, converted from a bedroom to some sort of sitting room or something. The next door was a nursery. A crib, dresser, chair, changing table, and book shelf were all set up. There were toys and stuffed animals piled up in one corner, obviously not put away yet. I opened the closet and found there to be clothes, baby supplies, blankets, and extra bedding inside. I opened the other door in the room to see Victor and Jimmy, shirtless, working on bed frame. I stop short surprised to see them, even though I knew they were up here. They both pause and look at me before returning to back to work. I turn and leave, letting them finish their task. I take Henry downstairs and plop down on the couch and turn on the television. I clicked through the channels before settling on volleyball, University of Washington versus UCLA. I lay there with Henry on me, not sure of what I should be doing or if Victor even wanted me to do anything. I figured with them working in there, perhaps not much for me to do, I was sure I would find out eventually.
Hello Reader, I know this was a long chapter, thanks for sticking around for the whole thing. I hope you enjoyed it. Have a good night! - Sevy14