CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR:
AN: Review Replies: Seriously, reviewers, you guys are making it SO worth it to continue this fic and encouraging me to start my own original story.
TO: BARN OWL EYE: I absolutely ADORED your review! I love Greek Mythology….hmmm, maybe I can tie that into this fic…..but it's not Athena who's blessed me, it's the Lord. (Please don't get offended people). :P
Still, I think Athenas really cool, though Artemis is my favorite….Or Demeter…..Okay, getting off track.
AN: Although I am not going to tear down this fic and re-post it, there are still errors I'm finding while I'm re-reading my fic. I thought I'd post a few spelling corrections here.
CHAPTER 1:
'mustant' should be 'mutant
'rainf alling' should be 'rain falling'
CHAPTER 2:
'turne don' should be 'turned on'
CHAPTER 9:
'Marie Darkholdm' should be 'Marie Darkholm'
'when he protector was criticized' should be 'when HER protector…`
…..and that's enough for right now. Onto the fic!
IF YOU FIND ANY MORE SPELLING ERRORS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN A REVIEW AND INCLUDE THE CHAPTER: THANK YOU!
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CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR:
The Date (DUN DUN DUUUUN)
~flashback~
He bent down to nuzzle her neck making her gasp and lean into him. "Jimmy can watch the kids fer a bit, can't ya Jimmy?" he shot a glare at his younger brother telling him that he damn well better watch the kids.
Logan grumbled at him.
Victor nibbled on his mates neck a bit, making her gasp. "Come on, it's time fer our date."
~end flashback~
Cassie gasped, and Victor gave a little annoyed growl.
"What is it, frail?"
She bit her lower lip and looked up at him bashfully. "I'm not ready for a date yet…..No, no, you misunderstand!" she put in quickly when she noticed the flash of pain and annoyance in the ferals eyes. "When a girl goes on a date, she generally dresses up to impress the guy. I'm not dressed for a date."
Victor stepped back a little and eyed her up and down, the heat in his eyes making her blush. "Yer dressed just fine ta me, mate." He leered at her, making her blush grow then suddenly, his gaze turned serious and he started to think about the weather. The rain. "On second thought, probably oughta get you into somethin' warmer, frail." The last thing he needed was her getting sick on him.
Cassie couldn't help the smile that pulled on her mouth. "I think the whole idea of dressing for a date is to be attractive, not necessarily warm."
Victor snorted his disgust at this notion. "Well, it's a stupid idea."
She laughed and the sound made Victors thoughts stop in their tracks. Her laughter played over him like sunlight in a clearing during a hunt, warm and inviting and…..home. Had he ever heard her laugh in the week he had 'known' her? No, he would have remembered if it had. It took him a few seconds to realize he was smiling as well and it took another few seconds to quickly wipe the smile off of his face and glare threateningly at his gloating brother.
Gently but firmly, he reached out and wrapped an arm around his mates waist, pulling her snug against him. "Come on, frail." He began to lead her towards the door, Logans panicked voice following them;
"Wait a sec, you guys aren't really going to leave me with the kids, are ya!?"
Victor smirked back at him. "Don't be a wuss, Jimmy." And with that parting shot he guided his mate out the door for their first date.
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STEVE ASWELL:
"You've been off the grid for almost three days and you refused jobs from both the Pentagon and the Navy. What the *&^% is going on Aswell!"
Steve closed his eyes, the only outward sign he would ever give that he was annoyed; even though his handler couldn't see him at the moment.
"Something came up." The blonde replied smoothly, letting no trace of agitation in his voice. Any sign of emotion could land him back in the Academy for more training, no matter that he was thirty years old and one of their best.
"Something came up…Something came up!? What the %$# could come up that you would have to turn down the Pentagon, Aswell, the PENTAGON!?"
"Family matters." Steve answered, crossing his 'room' calmly.
"FAMILY!" his handler exploded. "YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FAMILY!"
Steve took another deep breath. "I assume there were complaints?"
"YOU BETTER BELIEVE THERE WERE COMPLAINTS!"
Steve held the phone away from his ear, his eyes annoyed. "They were compensated, were they not? I believe the company has insurance for that."
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT ASWELL! WE HAVE A REPUTATION TO PROTECT! AND HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT WHEN OUR EMPLOYEES WON'T EVEN SHOW UP FOR THE JOBS!"
Steve remained cool. Calm. Collected. Just as he had been trained. Too bad he couldn't say the same for his handler, Ole'Jack. How the guy had gotten the job he had no idea. Probably because his last handler had gone to Jamaica to live out the rest of his life with his remaining limbs (it wasn't Steves fault the man hadn't followed his instructions and stayed down when the bomb went off).
"WELL HERE'S ANOTHER JOB AND YOU'RE DAMN WELL TAKING IT!" Ole'Jack ordered over the phone.
Steve simply looked at his watch, checking the time. He had things to do, it was best to wrap this up quick. But Ole'Jacks next words caught his attention whole-heartedly. "NICK FURY'S IN A SNIT BECAUSE SOMEONE STOLE HIS INFINITY SERUM AND YOU'D BETTER GET YOUR ASS DOWN THERE AND INVESTIGATE NOW!"
Steve blinked. The Inifinty Serum? Well, well, well…..It looked like his and the older ferals time would become more…..quality.
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VICTOR CREED /CASSIE
Victor led his mate calmly through the twists and turns of the school, easily taking her to the front door and holding her elbow when they went down the steps.
"So what exactly are we supposed to do while we're walking on this 'date'?" the Sabretooth growled out the question. Dating was entirely new territory, and new territory meant unfamiliar. Victor didn't like unfamiliar. His feral side, Sabretooth, HATED the unfamiliar…..with a passion. But if this made his mate more comfortable with him, he was willing to put up with it. Besides, walking outdoors with her wasn't so bad.
"Well," Cassie chewed her lower lip thoughtfully and tugged at her long hair. "you talk to each other; get to know each other. What you like what you don't like, what you've done and things you've seen. You know, that kind of stuff."
Victor snorted and stated off, very matter-of-factly; "Fine. My name's Victor Creed, I'm about three-hundred years old—"
-here Cassie choked—
"—I like my meat raw, and I love to hunt. There." Victor looked at her expectantly. "Is that all we do?"
The young woman face palmed herself. "Oh boy. This is going to be interesting."
As they continued to walk, Cassie attempted to explain the finer points of getting to know each other. 'ATTEMPTED' being the key word. She herself didn't think she did all that well in conversation either. With gentle prodding, (okay, flat out blunt questions) she finally managed to get his favorite color out of him (green) his past occupations (soldier, marine, spy, mercenary, farmer, not necessarily in that order) and how his little brother had lost his memory of him (getting shot in the head could do that to a fast-healing feral, apparently).
"Is that…..is that how you learned to deal with kids? Er, cubs?" Cassie asked, thinking back and smiling on the memory of Victor playing with the children on the green. . . . . Was it her imagination or was the behemoth actually BLUSHING!?
"Kinda, I guess." Victor responded, looking to obviously around him. "I was the only one there ta raise the kid. It was mostly instinct." He gave her a lecherous leer. "I'm almost pure instinct, mate."
"So you raised Logan?" she decided to follow that line of the conversation, being the most curious about that part and wanting to ignore the other part.
Victor nodded. "Yeah." He smirked. "Heck've a ride it was too."
She gently bumped into him, not even rocking him an inch (she doubt she could have if she slammed her whole weight into him) and he gave her an amused look. "Tell me about it."
He arched an eyebrow at her. "Ya sure, frail?"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm sure! Tell me!" when she linked both arms through one of his he felt his heart soar.
"Well, there was this one time when Jimmy decided he was going to catch some fish without knowing how to swim yet—"
"Why do you call him Jimmy?" she suddenly cut in and he gave her a stern look.
"Do ya want the story, frail, or are ya going to keep pepperin' me with questions?"
She pouted at him. "Can't help it. You want me to be your mate, questions come with the package. So, why do you call him Jimmy?"
Victor gave her a soft growl, but it wasn't serious. "His name's really James, not that he remembers it. Logan's his middle name. Only I started call'n him Jimmy when he was just a little runt and I was change'n his diapers."
Cassie giggled and Victor found himself smiling as well. "You changed his diapers? I bet that was an adventure in of itself!"
Victor gave her a wink. "Runt was full of shit, even back then. Had some of the stinkiest junk I've ever smelled, and I've smelled a lot."
She giggled again, only this time it was kind of like she was hissing through her teeth. It amused him while at the same time it annoyed his hearing a little.
Suddenly, she became contemplative. "Why wasn't your Mum changing Jimmy's diapers?"
Just as quickly, Victors face became grave, all humor gone. "The slut didn't have a paternal bone in her body." He wasn't aware that he began to growl low in his throat. "Ta her, Jimmy was just somethin' that made noise. Somethin' she could hold and pretend ta love when her husband was around then abandon the instant he left."
He gently steered her around a rock that she almost tripped over, doing it so smoothly, she wasn't aware of the action. "Jimmy and I, we don't have the same Ma, just the same Pa. Not that my Ma was much better." His face became dark, but there must have been some sadness because she stopped suddenly and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug, burrowing her face against his chest. (A little below it actually, since he was so tall.)
"I'm sorry."
He growled again. "I don't want yer pity, mate. I don't need it."
"You have my admiration." She mumbled into his chest and he blinked, not certain he had heard her right.
Very gently, he entangled on hand in her long hair, mindful of his claws, and tugged tenderly, bringing her head back. "I can't make out what ya say when yer face is in my furs. Now what was that?"
"I said, you have my admiration." She repeated. "Jimmy seems to have turned out really well, despite his temper, but I'm guessing that runs in the family." She gave him a mischievous grin, inviting him to share in her humor and he found himself smiling back. "Besides, I've seen you with Roddy and the other children. You're an excellent father-figure."
Both Victor and his feral counterpart puffed up their chests. `Good. She recognizes that I'll be a good father to our cubs. Keep both her and them safe.` "I'll be even better with our cubs, mate." He purred to her warmly, wrapping both arms around her in turn, encasing her in safety, in his warmth. He couldn't understand why she suddenly tensed. Why she pulled away.
He growled a little, not wanting to let her go, but let her withdraw anyway. Just a little, though.
"We're still getting to know each other, Victor. We can't talk about kids just yet."
He actually rolled his eyes, something he had seen Logans firecracker cub, Jubilee, do. Of COURSE there would be cubs. It was natures natural progression. He thought of her, stomach rounded with their cubs, nestled safe and warm inside her body while she slept and rested in his arms. He pictured hunting for her, helping her hold their first child, feeding them from her breast; a little girl with her hair and his eyes, and a little boy with claws just like his, claws that would be allowed to grow naturally from the get-go. It took him a few seconds to realize he was purring and that she was getting sleepy because of it.
He knocked down the purrs potency a few levels and gently gripped both her shoulders to steady her. "Easy frail." Then he frowned. "You don't want kids?"
Her next words came as a great relief to him. "Of course I want kids! Just not now. And I have to find the right guy first."
Victor gave her a low growl. "Well, you've already found the right guy, frail. You've got me."
Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. Victor found he didn't like it as well when she did it.
"I don't know that you're the right guy, Vic, that's why we're dating. So we can find out if we're right for each other."
Victor growled again. "Then we might as well cut this out, 'cause I'm the only one fer ya, frail. Yer my mate."
She made a disgruntled noise and pulled away from him. "And here I was starting to feel all warm and fuzzy towards you and then you go and say something like that!" she glared at him. "This is NOT the stone age, Victor, whether you were born then or not!" and she COULD just see him with a spear, no just his claws, hunting down a mammoth.
The thought distracted her for a few seconds before she got herself back on track. "Sometimes, dating doesn't work out, two people aren't right for each other. And so they break up."
"Well, that's not going ta happen ta us. Don't damn us just before we've even gotten started, mate." Victor ordered.
She stopped in her tracks and actually stomped a foot. "That's just it, Victor!" her frustration was rising fast, her distress tickling his nostrils, kicking in his instinct to calm her, when he replayed the last few seconds.
"…..Did you just stomp yer foot?"
She glared at him. "That's not the poi—"
"Do ya need a nap frail?" he was smirking now, even as he drew her stiff body to his and started to rub her back from the base of her head down to her tail-bone in long, smooth strokes, starting up his purr just a little, pleased when she started to calm.
Her voice, however, was still annoyed. "If you're not going to be serious about this dating thing, this getting-to-know each other deal, then there's no point in my staying here at all and I'll just get Bunny and get out."
His purr turned into a growl and his arms tightened, though not to the point of hurting. "That's not gonna happen, mate."
"Well, I REFUSE to be in a relationship where the guy is an absolute controller who tells me how everything's going to be!"
Now his voice rose. "When I tell ya ta do somethin' it's for yer own good, mate! I'm not give'n orders just ta give orders! If you haven't noticed, it's not all flowers and roses out there! I'm bigger an' stronger than you for a reason! It's my job, no, it's my RIGHT to protect you and you won't even give me a chance!"
She shoved him against the chest as hard as she could, even though she knew it wouldn't budge him. Her hazel eyes flashed fire, he could practically see her hair rising. "Won't give you a chance! What is this that we're doing if I'm not giving you a chance!? I could've left and high-tailed it out the very instant Uncle Steve and Xavier got us back to the mansion with those deer! I'm meeting you half-way here, Victor, you have to man-up and go the other half!"
Man up? Did she just tell him to MAN UP!?
He actually stuck a finger in his ear to make sure there wasn't some clump of wax or something obstructing his hearing.
Nope. All clear.
He let out a low commanding growl, an alphas rumble, making her freeze and stiffen on instinct. He pushed himself into her personal space, amber eyes flashing fire, voice low and deadly. "I'm man enough ta know that you need a protector and I'm man enough ta do the protecting whether you like it or not. I'm man enough to keep you and the cubs we'll have safe, and if yer going to be having cubs it WILL be with me!"
Her voice was quiet now. "So you're going to cage me? Like when I was that cabin? Take away my choice?"
Her voice, the softness, the quietness, set off an alarm in him. The animal in him froze itself, poised like a hound on point. Listening. Sensing. Gauging his mates reaction.
"I'm' my own person, Victor. I'm not an object." She said, still softly. "Not something to lock up. If you can't see that, Victor Creed, then we've got problems."
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VOCABULARY:
OBSTRUCTING: blocking