Ok...I don't know what's going on with me but I'm having a really hard time coming up with something interesting and cool for this chapter and the previous one (obviously). So I'm so so so soooooooo sorry if I update really slow. But don't worry, I'll do my best to post a chapter every now and then.

Anyways, I would like to thank all those who reviewed and who took the time to read this story. I hope you like it. And also, I apologize for not being an interactive author so I promise that from this chapter onward I'm going to send you a message after reviewing. ^_^

By the way, I would like to thank LauRa-ReaDinG-XoX for giving me this great idea. If she hadn't suggested it, this chapter won't come out. ^_^

Disclaimer: X-men is not mine.

Part TwentyEight: SHE WILL BE LOVED

I lied down on top of my bed, staring at the ceiling as I tried to focus my mind on my breathing. Somehow, I couldn't lull myself to sleep. Just the very thought of Victor creeping in my room was haunting me and was preventing me to get the sleep I deserved. But now that I thought of it, I hadn't been sleeping very well for the last few months. There were so many questions hanging in the air which were bothering me.

The thought of sleep was far from my mind.

For a long time, my eyes were wide open and I stared at one fixated spot at the ceiling. My ears were alert and perked as they tried to pick up sounds from the living room just below my room. The house was silent. Everyone was probably asleep; after all, it was already midnight. The moon peeked from the clouds, shining brightly amid the dark skies. Every now and then, my eyes darted to the windows checking if Victor was there. The branch reaching up to my window was making some sort of noise as it hit the window. It must have been windy outside.

I turned my attention back to the ceiling, letting my mind wander off again.

My parents were absolutely hiding something from me. They knew something I didn't. Once again, I was getting the shorter end of the stick. I was being left out from all the vital information that may or may not involve me and my future.

For the past days, I had noticed that all the people I met kept on talking about me and the stupid prophecy.

Damn it.

I rolled to my side and grabbed a pillow. I wound my arms around it and buried my face on its warm and soft surface, closing my eyes at the process. A year ago, I wouldn't have imagined being in this type of situation where I felt so clueless and so lost. It was as if I was stuck in a deserted island with no food, no water and no hope to survive.

Trust me, it didn't feel so good.

A sigh escaped my lips as I brooded, feeling so tired. A heavy burden had perched itself on my shoulders and there was nothing I could do to lessen its weight. A frown fell on my face. Of course, killing myself wasn't an option. I wasn't too desperate. I had a lot of things I wanted to experience first before I die. I could run away but then I knew that this burden would haunt me.

Or maybe I shouldn't meddle with my destiny? Maybe I should just let the prophecy happen and get this thing over with?

I shook my head, pushing those thoughts away. The very thought of bearing a child that would destroy the world greatly distressed me- not to mention the father would be the notorious Victor Creed. Man, I need to get use to that fact. How long had I known this information? Two weeks? Three? One?

My brow furrowed. When would the prophecy happen? Was there a due date or something? Surely, fate must have its schedule, right? I sighed once more overwhelmed with the new questions that popped out of nowhere.

Great...

My eyes were opened again and I stared at the east wall where I was facing; the pillow still wedged tightly between my arms. I sneaked a glance at the window, making sure that Victor wasn't there yet. There was still no sign of him.

I sat bolt upright, shaking my head vigorously as I cleared my head with those stupid questions. Why was I waiting for Victor anyway? I had closed the windows so I was very sure that he wouldn't sneak in my room. I was safe. He wouldn't be able to get to me. I needed to sleep the questions off.

My head hit the pillows as I lied down again but one pillow was still tucked between my arms. "Good night," I whispered to no one in particular. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and forced myself to sleep.

:

Pain. Confusion. Fear.

Those words reverberated inside my head as I studied my surroundings. It was so dark that I couldn't see anything; the only thing I could see was myself. There were no signs of light. I didn't know where I was but I was very much aware that I was isolated. There was no one in sight, but I could hear people calling my name. They were calling for help. Without second thoughts, I started to run searching for them.

Pain.

Whoever were wailing, they sounded hurt. I could feel their sufferings by just listening to their screams. It was heartbreaking and it made my blood run cold. And I felt more and more isolated and alone in this deserted abyss.

"Mama!"

The sudden intrusion of a cheerful voice made me jump. I whirled around, searching for the source of voice. The voice sounded like it came from a child and was obviously out of place. My eyes widened when it landed on a small form running towards me. I squinted, trying to adjust my vision and see who it was. I saw a young boy running towards me with his arms outstretched. He had wide blue eyes- the bluest eyes I had ever seen. It reminded me a bit of Victor's. His hair matched my brown one. Finally, I realized that I was the one he was calling.

I was his mother...

After recovering from the initial shock, I realized that my mouth was hanging open but I found myself spreading my arms wide enough to welcome the small child. Willingly, the boy jumped into my arms and wrapped his short arms around my neck. I lifted him off the ground and hugged him, as if I had known him for a long, long time. He buried his face at the base of my neck. Instantly, my maternal instincts clicked in and I had the urge to protect him from whatever was out there. I took in his scent which reminded me vaguely of wet grass in an early morning.

The boy's shoulder started to shake and I could hear him sniffling and sobbing so hard. I rubbed his back and whispered comforting words to him. "What's wrong?" I asked, soothingly.

"I thought that I will never see you again," the kid said in between sobs.

My heart felt like it was about to break into a million pieces when I heard his sweet voice. He sounded so innocent and fragile that I only wanted to hold him and keep him away from all the evil things in the world but that heart-wrenching moment vanished when a loud wailing tore through the air. The boy started to cry again. More tears started flowing out of his blue eyes. His fists went up to his face and started rubbing his eyes while letting the tears fall.

"Shh.. It's alright. Don't listen to them," I said, hugging him tighter. I would want to cover his ears to block out the horrible cries but my arms were too preoccupied carrying him.

"They deserve it," the boy said, gravely. His tear-stained face turned serious. He looked at me in the eyes and repeated what he had said. "They deserve it."

Confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked, baffled at the sudden change of demeanor. Although what he said was dark and eerie, there was still a trace of innocence in it. It was as if he just couldn't help it because he was a child.

"He's trying to take me away from you."

Fear.

My eyes widened. "Who?" I asked, anxiously.

"Him."

My heart started to pound against my chest. Pandemonium reigned inside my ribcage as my heart went berserk. "Say his name," I said, shakily.

"Victor Creed."

:

I woke up with a start. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest and I found myself drenched in sweat. I was trembling from head to toe and I wasn't so sure if it was because of the cold or because of fright.

"You're awake," a voice mused at the other end of the room.

I ignored the voice and focused on calming down my heart. My breath was too hard to catch but I eventually succeeded. After a few seconds, my heart started to slow down, allowing me to breathe steadily. And now, I had to deal with the severe headache which was causing havoc inside my head. My teeth were clenched tightly and I closed my eyes.

"Nightmare?"

Instantly, I looked up to see Victor approaching my bed. As always, he had a smirk on his face. I glared at him. "No," I lied through gritted teeth. I didn't want to be bothered by him at this time. The dream I had was very troublesome and it involved himand ourkid. I shuddered at the thought. How could an innocent child have a monster for a father? I closed my eyes and waited for the searing headache to subside.

I felt the bed moved as Victor sat down on top of it. A moment of silence fell and I had the distinct feeling that he was scrutinizing my face. He suddenly chortled. "Doesn't look like it," he said huskily. I didn't say anything nor did I dare open my eyes. His voice wasn't helping me get rid of my headache.

"Please, just go away," I mumbled, groaning out in frustration.

"That's kinda hard, considering you're in that state where you won't fight back," he taunted. He placed a hand on my shoulder and forced me to lie on her back. His blue eyes were on mine holding that same mysterious glint it usually had. My heart started to pick up pace when he dipped down his head to touch my forehead with his.

"Who said that I won't fight back?" I said indignantly, struggling to get out of his touch.

I saw the corner of his lips lifting and forming his signature smirk.

I prayed hard that Victor wouldn't notice the lie stumbling out of my lips. The warmth radiating from his body which was so close to mine was already attracting me. Heck, the hand on my shoulder was already burning even though the fabric of my shirt served as a barrier between our bare skins. An involuntary sigh escaped my lips and before I knew it, my eyes drooped. The minimal distance between us was unbearable but I still managed to keep a strong, clear voice.

This was Victor Creed in front of me. Before, he was a monster who would kill anyone without the slightest hint of remorse. Now, the bits of his humanity were slowly surfacing. I wondered if the cause of this change was me. The man on the wheelchair once told me that Victor had taken a peculiar interest in me and was even surprised at seeing me in one piece. Even I was surprised as well.

This time, I opened my eyes to scrutinize his face. He was looking back at me. When he noticed that I was also gazing at him, he closed his eyes and leaned forward. At first, I thought that he was about to kiss me but then he settled to having the tip of our nose touching. He sighed and slowly nuzzled me in a very affectionate and gentle way.

Now I was beginning to doubt that this was Victor Creed in front of me.

This was the man who would ruthlessly kill someone for simply looking at him. He could kill anyone with just a glare. No logical reasoning could change his mind. This was the type of man who just wanted to watch the world burn.

But why did he have this different persona whenever he faced me?

He was just a tired guy who needed some break…..A really long break. It suddenly occurred to me that his mask was already slipping. He was the one who was giving in, not me. He was losing the battle he had declared in the first place.

Why did he choose to protect me and risk his life? Of course, he had already told me that he only wanted something valuable from me that was why he was keeping me alive but it wasn't convincing. He could have forced it from me and yet he decided to wait. He could simply get anything he wanted by threatening me, or using his brute strength but he did not use the shortcut.

"Why?"

It was too late when I realized that the short question had already stumbled out of my lips.

"Why?" he repeated. The question sounded alien to him. This urged him to open his eyes and look straight into my eyes once more. It was blue just like the child from my dream…..

Our child.

Up until now, I was not used to hearing that. Even though the prophecy had stated it clearly that we would have a child together, the possibility was still so farfetched- that was if he would continue waiting for my permission. I would never, in a million years, let him use me as a vessel to destroy the world. I still had a grasp of my sanity.

I took in a shaky breath and continued my question. "Why me?"

Victor chuckled but his eyes held no amusement of some sort. "The question is too general. You've got to have a better question than that," he mumbled, leaning in closer. The top of his nose grazed my cheek and I felt a pleasurable jolt at the spot. I tried hard not to be fazed by it. My hand rested on top of his chest and pushed him gently off of me. Miraculously, I found him slipping at my side with his arm wrapped around waist. He pulled me closer to him and buried his face into my hair.

He was not helping in my formulation of question.

"I didn't know that you are capable of being human," I stated, frankly. The new position we were in was uncomfortable and it was making it hard for me to think.

"That wasn't your question. Your question involves you; not me."

I sighed and decided to look straight at the ceiling and pretend that his hand was not around my waist with his lips so dangerously close to my ear. His breath tickled my ear but I ignored it. "Well, if the prophecy is true, why aren't you doing anything to fulfill it?"

Once again, he laughed so softly against my ear. "Are you disappointed?" he sneered.

I rolled my eyes. "Not even close."

Silence hung lowly in the air as Victor continued to trace a line of soft kisses at the crown of my head. Lying like this with him, everything seemed to be normal; it was as if he wasn't a bad guy and I wasn't being hunted by murderers.

Beside me was a human being who was capable of feeling. I just hoped that this would last.

"Is this real?" I squeaked.

He chuckled. "No. It's just a dream."

I groaned. "I knew it."

And it only made him laugh some more.

:

The next day, everything seemed normal except for the occasional curious glances my mom kept on throwing at Victor. My dad became uncharacteristically quiet the whole day while Victor was, well, being Victor.

Here and again, I would see Victor wandering around the vineyard. The workers were obviously bothered by his presence but they were smart enough to ignore him and go on with their work. I, on the other hand, tended to stay indoors and reintroduce myself with bits of my childhood past. I read books I read back when I was in high school. I went over my drawings when I was little and realized how inartistic I was.

"Nice drawing."

I jumped when a smooth voice filled the once-silent room. I instantly closed the sketchpad I was holding and whirled around. It didn't surprise me when I saw Victor Creed standing at the doorway. He was leaning on the frame with his signature smirk pasted on his face. I scowled. "There's a door because one can always knock on it," I said, sarcastically.

"Say that again and I swear I will tear that door down so that there won't be a door to knock on," Victor threatened playfully. Although he was only mocking me, I had a feeling that he wouldn't hesitate to do that. In fact, he would probably enjoy doing it.

"You won't dare," I said.

"Try me."

"No thanks," I said quickly.

Victor approached my bed on which I sat on. He was peering closely at my sketchpad. Hastily, I tried to put it away but he snatched it away from me.

"I'll take that," he said, gruffly.

"Hey!"

He pretended to not hear me and browse through my drawings. "Very artistic," he mused.

I forced out a sarcastic laugh. "Mock me all you want."

Victor tore his gaze from the pieces of paper and sought out mine. "You really are too mockable."

Mockable? What the heck? Was there such a word?

"And your face is so readable," he said.

"What's new?" I mumbled, snatching the sketchpad away from him again.

Victor leaned forward, holding on to my gaze. He brought his face close to mine. "Last night…"

"I slept," I stated, bluntly.

Victor chuckled. "Yes, you slept—just as when we were…"

"Going to sleep too," I cut him off, standing up abruptly. I didn't even want to hear about it. My hands automatically covered my ears and I started humming to myself. The sketchpad was tucked in between my arms.

"Sit down," he barked, pushing me back on top of the bed.

I had no choice but to oblige and shoot him the meanest look which I could muster. He bent forward so that his face was leveled with mine. His piercing blue eyes were locked on to my own brown ones and a smirk smeared his face. "What's going on inside that head of yours?" he asked; his voice so dangerously soft.

I willed myself to not look away from him. "I thought I'm too readable?" I scoffed—a pathetic attempt to make him annoyed. In fact, he looked even more amused than before.

"Indeed, you are too readable," he said, chuckling. "But sometimes, your thoughts are too confusing. Can it be that you are also confused?"

Heck yeah.

Once again, another amused look flickered in his face. "You love me," he said, so bluntly—it was so simple but for me, it was the most complicated statement ever.

Love? How could I be in love with a monster like him?

Ironically, my heart started to beat fast as he mentioned the word love. Why? Why would I be in love with him? What led him to believe that I was in love with him? It was impossible. That could never happen. Sure, we kissed a couple of times but I wasn't so sure if I was brave enough to make that leap yet. I wasn't so sure if I was in love.

I tore my eyes away from him, searching for something else to look at. His blue eyes were distracting me and it wasn't making me think any clearer. How would I know if I was in love? Were there signs? Where were the red lights that would signify that I loved this guy?

"You love me. Admit it," he whispered.

The nearness….. I could almost feel his skin against mine and it made me shudder.

This guy didn't know the meaning of love. He only knew lust. Who was he to tell me that I was in love with him?

"Look at me," he hissed; catching my chin and making me face him. I resisted but his nails dug unto my chin, pricking it slightly. He noticed the small red spot—that was my blood— at the place where he accidentally injured. Without warning, he brought his lips on it and licked the blood away. And at that moment, I felt like my whole body was on fire. The feel of his rough, wet tongue against my bare skin made me dizzy and light headed. Was this love? Or was this lust?

His lips lingered on that spot before moving up to catch my lips.

"Victor," I warned, against his lips.

He ignored me and roughly pushed me back, making me lie on top of my bed with him on top of me. He would have been heavy if he hadn't had his arms supporting his whole weight. The kiss wasn't rough nor was it in haste. He was being gentle and cautious. Because of this, it was making me woozy.

But no matter how tempting it was to lie down and kiss him the whole day, my conscience was shouting at me to stop it before it would go too far. Plus, the fact that the door was open made me hesitant to continue.

"Victor—the door," I mumbled, thoroughly distracted by the way he nibbled my ear. I heard him growl in frustration but didn't even bother to stand up and close the door. "The door," I repeated, stubbornly.

"I don't care if it's open," Victor rumbled.

"Just close the door," I pleaded, getting a little impatient as I pushed him away from me. Victor tugged the hem of my shirt playfully before getting off of me and walking over to the door. He slammed it shut, obviously irked.

He looked at me and asked, "Better?"

"It would have been better if you had gently closed it. What if my parents heard that and they would come up to check on me? They wouldn't be happy to find you harassing me," I said.

"You call that harassing?" Victor asked, sarcastically.

I smirked. "Yes."

He chuckled. "I'm not forcing you to kiss me."

"Yes, you are."

Slowly, he approached the bed and stood beside it. I sat up and met his gaze. He smirked. "You're parents aren't in here."

"Where are they?" I asked, calmly even though I could feel my heart picking up pace. If my parents weren't at home, then that meant we were alone.

"They went out, I guess," Victor replied.

"Damn," I muttered under my breath.

Victor merely grinned down at me. "So that means we're all alone," he said, climbing up on top of the bed. "You can scream all you want but no one will come and save you."

If Victor had said that the first time we met, I would have fainted from terror. But at the present, it had a different effect on me. The huskiness of his voice made me shiver with anticipation and I just couldn't explain the fire that burned deep within me. I met his gaze and noticed that his eyes were beginning to darken. Then, there was that sudden yearning to run my fingers all over his face. I wanted to know the feel of his bare skin underneath my hand. I wanted to be enveloped by his warmth.

I just wanted him.

As if reading my mind, his lips found mine and he started to kiss me furiously. One hand supported his weight while the other hand was rubbing my thigh, but then his hand moved up and slipped under my shirt. His hand hovered over my bare stomach, making me feel like jell-o.

"S-stop," I stammered, quickly grasping my sanity back.

"Why should I?" he asked. His nails were tracing circular patterns on my bare stomach and it was making it harder for me to think straight once again. My senses were slipping away from me again.

So the prey had finally fallen under the predator's trap. I had read a book on animals somewhere that said there is this certain type of predator whose bite acts like a sedative and it relaxes its prey so it will not struggle as it tries to eat it.

So this was probably what the prey felt.

"You can't fight me. Elijah," he whispered. He brought his face towards my stomach and started making a trail of soft kisses up to my navel. His lips were coming dangerously close to my chest and it was making it hard to breathe. "We can't fight our destiny."

Was it really our destiny to have a child together? Was that the one which brought me in this situation?

I felt my whole body trembling violently. Victor sensed it too so he stopped and brought his face close to mine once more. His hand caressed my face, careful to not scratch me with his claws. He smirked. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

My hand flew up to his face, wanting to feel its texture. I was not surprised to find his facial hair prickly against the palm of my hand. I continued to run my hand all over his face, feeling his eyelashes, the curve of his nose, the softness of his lips, and his eyebrows. Fortunately, it had lessened my trembling. I looked straight into his eyes, mustering up my courage. "I'm not afraid of being hurt. I'm just afraid of losing you."

This made him smile—not the usual mischievous grin he always had. This time, it was more on relief and triumph. "Remember what I told you?"

"What?"

"You can't run away from me."

….

And the rest, you do not want to know.

SURPRISE! I feel so evil right now. ^_^

P.S: You can kill me now for the veeeeeeeerrrrryyy late update. I won't be surprised if you guys are angry at me. I AM SOOOO SORRY! It's not my fault! Tom Hiddleston is distracting me! (Oh-oh, Liev might get jealous….O_O)

Current Song: She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5