Into the Woods

by Rosmund Chadwick

After the fall of the Brotherhood, with Jean and Cyclops dead, Victor Creed makes a deal with Charles Xavier to stay in some woods and not harm anyone to keep his freedom, but when a young hiker strays in his woods and he finds its his mate...well, you'll have to read to find out.

41. TWO chapter in one go!

CHAPTER FORTY:

AN: Woot! Considering how I started this chapter and the next on the same day (which technically was yesterday 6/28/13) this is THREE CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY!

How's THAT folks!? My muses really conked me over the head this time.

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WHERE WE LEFT OFF: [Logan has corralled Rogue, Clarisse, Jonesy, Kitty, Roddy and Cassie into Maries room]

Cassie looked scared. "You make it sound like this is permanent!?"

"If it was, would it be such a bad thing?" Logan asked. "You couldn't be safer. Sure, he's a little rough around the edges, but, give him a chance. Do you think you could do that?"

Cassie chewed her lower lip. "I need to think…..I, I need to absorb all this."

Logan nodded. "Yah have time, darlin. And Vic, as you're mate, should be able to give ya time. If he doesn't, you tell me. But you have to at least TRY. We'll be behind you all the way."

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PRESENT:

In the whole conversation, nobody really paid too much attention to Katherine Pryde, aka Kitty, as she sat and listened and observed. Listened to the story of Sabretooth, the great Boogyman of the X-men (second only to Magneto) freaking out over a shaving cut. Listened to Logans explanations of ferals and their instincts and how he (Sabretooth) had taken the newcomer as his mate.

She watched as Logan practically CUDDLED Rogue, completely ignoring her deadly skin and little Jonesy in Logans lap. Then, head swimming with information, she quietly phased herself through the wall and went to find Bobby Drake.

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STORM:

Ororo Munroe ran down the hallways of the Xavier mansion and school, following the furry blue feral mutant known as Beast.

She, along with all the other X-men, had heard the Professors 'broadcast' about Sabretooths hijacking and was rushing to retrieve the high-tech stealth jet. Still, doubts and thoughts swam in her mind.

"Hank?" the Moroccan witch asked as she ran alongside her feral friend. "Why do you think Sabretooth took the Blackbird?"

"I do not know." The feral scientist responded. "I can think of many possibilities in which Mr. Creed would be doing this but, for some reason, none of them seem very likely." They both took a sharp turn and the blue scientist bounded onto all fours. "I confess, however, that Mr. Creed has been making me realize that some things DO need to change around here."

Ororo furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

They came upon the security doors that Sabretooth had ripped open and breezed through them.

"Later, my dear. Perhaps we should focus on retrieving the Blackbird. I believe the airy domain is your forte."

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VICTOR CREED / SABRETOOTH

The feral thought he had made it 'home clear' so to speak, once the loading boys doors opened and the Blackbird was in the air.

He had a course charted out for Nick Furys hellicarrier and he was on his way when the air began to get very choppy. Choppy, however, turned into a pretty bad turbulence which then began to turn into several F-5 tornados.

`There's no way this is a coincidence.` Victor thought, and when he banked the jet to check on the school, it was confirmed for not an inch of the school was being touched. Then he saw the weather witch and that triple confirmed it.

Content that the school (and therefore the cubs) were in no danger, a predatory smile crossed his face. "Why the hell not, I need a challenge." She he began to put the Blackbird through its paces.

The heavy winds buffeted the jet, forcing it into barrel rolls and loops as Victor tried to find a way through the air currents, laughing his head off the whole time.

The appearance of lightning sobered him a little, though. He had been electrocuted by lightning before and it had NOT been a fun experience. Regrowing crisped skin was NEVER pleasant and his back teeth had tingled annoyingly for months afterwards.

(He had gotten so desperate he had even tried one of those odd, circular teething rings they made for cubs that you put in the fridge, but his fangs had shredded the green plastic and how Toad had laughed!)

When lightning DID strike the Blackbird, it shocked him out of his reminiscing, but the jet was obviously well insulated against the extreme weather, and Victor laughed, making his way towards Nick Fury's hellicarrier.

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STORM

The winds began to die down and Storm lowered her arms, looking to her blue furred companion. "Well, I tried."

Hank gave her a knowing smile. "All we could ask for my dear." But the feral knew very well that Storm hadn't done half as much damage as she could have. "Perhaps you would like to join me for a cup of warm tea?"

"That sounds wonderful." Ororo sighed, linking her coco colored arm through Beasts blue one.

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BUNNY

Stepping out of the cab, Kayla Selene, known as 'Bunny' arched an eyebrow at the four F-5 tornados- that had previously buffeted a black jet—disappear into the air as quickly as they had come.

"Well, damn!" The Native American exclaimed, watching as the jet made off scott free. "I can tell THIS is going to be interesting."

Patting herself briefly to make sure her knives and throwing stars were in place, Kayla (also known as Bunny) made her way to the impressive front gates of Xaviers School for Gifted children and rang the bell.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE:

AN: Wow. 2 (actually 3) chapters in one day! How's THAT my dear, constant readers? You may now shower me in sakura blossoms and caffeine.

By the by, in my fic, Beast and Storm aren't together…..yet. Also, I'm having a little writers-block on how to further incorporate Bunny into this fic. Suggestions in the reviews are WELCOME! Especially from my dear 'Guest' Reviewer with the plot-bunny powers.

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HANK MCCOY

Hank McCoy, alias Beast, poured out a warm cup of chai tea and seasoned it with lemon, just the way Ororo liked it, then carried it over to where the weather-witch reclined in a chair.

"Oh, thank you Hank."

"Not a problem, my dear." The feral soothed, removing an afghan off the back of Ororo's chair to drape it over her.

If Victor Creed had viewed the scene, he could have told Beast every instinct that was running like magma through his veins;

Keep her warm.

Keep her dry.

Keep her fed.

Keep her safe.

Ororo gave him a warm smile that could have shamed the sun. "Thank you, Hank. You're so attentive."

"You are quite welcome." Hank replied, taking his own seat across from her, his own cup of Oolong tea in his hands.

They sat for a while in comfortable silence, sipping their tea before Ororo spoke.

"Hank? What did you mean when you spoke about change earlier?"

Hank took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sure you noticed the deer Logan and Mr. Creed brought to the school."

Ororo scowled impressively, the air in the room swirling around her. "Don't remind me."

"Surely you must understand that Logan and Mr. Creed were only attempting to feed all the children in this school."

Ororo was not to be calmed. "By taking out an entire herd!? There was no need to do that!"

Without even being taught, Hank started up what Cassie had titled 'The Purr', his chest rumbling, the calming sound filling the air. Even though she knew what was happening, the Weather Witch couldn't help but sag in the comfy chair even as she sent him a half-hearted glare.

"That is what is called cheating, Hank."

Hank chuckled through his purr. "It is called self-preservation, my dear. I have no desire to find my study in the midst of a miniature monsoon."

Ororo couldn't help but smile at that as she lolled her head back on the chair. "You were about to explain to me how killing a whole herd of deer is understandable."

Hank took another sip of tea. "Earlier in Victors…..visit to our charming establishment, he came stampeding into my classroom and thoroughly frightening my students."

Ororos eyes widened. "How OUTRAGEOUS! What on EARTH did he think he was doing!?"

"I believe my students would call it 'casing the joint'." Hank replied.

"Did you tell the Professor!?" Ororo eyes flashed muted fire under the effects of 'the purr'.

Beast held up a calming hand. "Let me continue my story my dear."

-flashback-

Instead, Sabretooth opened the door to the next room to encounter an entire class full of mutants sitting at tables with beakers while a big, furry blue guy stood infront of the classroom wearing a lab coat.

All of the students turned to look at him. Mouths fell open, some gasped. The blue guy narrowed bushy blue eyebrows. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Just checkin' the place out." He grunted, stalking into the room, ignoring the cubs as he went to the windows, looking out to the green garden below.

"I see, well, I'm teaching just now, is there anything you need to know in particular?"

"Well, well, well another feral. Can you fight?" he began to stalk slowly up to the front.

"If need be." The lab-coated mutant said, narrowing golden eyes at the other feral mutant, not backing down, his fur bristling out, making him look bigger. "I have fought many of your comrades and come out none-the-worse."

"Former comrades." Victor grunted, stopping his little stalk and standing straight, feet shoulder-width apart, well muscled arms crossed over his chest. He sniffed the air again, frowning when he scented blood. Following his nose, he looked to where a young mutant frail was sitting at one of the little tables, papers infront of her, a pencil clutched in her hand, red eyes wide. He pointed to her with one claw, looking back over to the blue furball. "Has your sense of smell stopped working or what!? " he growled accusingly. "Make sure that one eats some meat. You, of all mutants, should know how to care for a cub, even if she has just started her monthlies."

The mutant frail in question turned about six shades of red till her face matched her bright red eyes. Victor rolled his eyes, annoyed, and stalked out of the room.

-end flashback-

Storms sympathy instantly came over her face. "How mortifying for the poor girl!"

"Yes, I do believe if the earth could have opened up and swallowed her whole she would have been very grateful." Beast nodded his head. "However, Victor had a point. "

Ororo arched an eyebrow at him.

"As discreetly and delicately as I could, after class I asked Miss. Mallory to please go see our new nurse and my new helper, Mrs. Clemmens, then called her to ask if she would please run some simple blood tests on Miss. Mallory."

Ororo nodded again.

Mrs. Clemmens was the newest staff member of Xaviers school, taking over for Jean Grey. She was an older mutant with white hair, hawks eyes and a small healing talent.

"It turns out that Miss. Mallory is anemic." Beast continued. "Nothing too serious and easily fixed, an 'Iron-Deficiency anemia' not a 'Sickle-cell Anemia' where red blood cells are destroyed or 'Aplastic Anemia' that results from bone-marrow failure. All she needed were some slight iron pills to use once a month and some red-meat. Meat that Victor and Logan had provided."

Ororo frowned and shifted a little on the comfy chair.

"But I was concerned. As he left, I heard Victor mumbling something about needing a cattle ranch to keep the 'cubs' as he calls children, fed." Hanks mouth twitched in amusement at the memory. "I became curious and so, asked all of my class to give a little blood sample down at the doctors office." Beasts face turned serious. "You would be surprised at the amount of slight malnutrition that is going on here in our very school."

Ororos jaw dropped.

"I don't mean that anyone is starving." Beast cut in quickly. "Not at all, but they're still not getting the nutrition they need."

Ororo shifted again uneasily on the chair. "What is your point, Hank?"

"My point, Ororo," Hank said gently, rising only to kneel infront of her chair and gently take her hand inbetween his blue, furry ones. "Is that Victor may have the right idea. This school does need some changes, minor ones I believe, but ones that Victor is willing to do. We need to give him some leeway and hope Charles comes to his senses."