AUTHORS NOTE: I Think Clarice has a spine, in AOA she's had to kill people to defend herself and Creed, so why should that change? She's shy and naïve but not weak check
DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognise belongs to Marvel, lucky them, Anyone you don't know which includes Sarah are mine, I made them up in my mad little head, any reference to people real or fictional is a terrible mistake or new psychic powers.
THANKS: To Yass, Unanon (I'd lile to take him home too!) and everyone else who's reading along, I want at least two reviews before I do the next chapter, you have been warned
FEEDBACK: *deep breath* feedback will be worshiped adored looked over and poured with melted chocolate covered in whipped cream eaten and cherished nourished and thanked for later, everyone who feeds the feedback machine gets the X Man/Woman of choice covered in the feedback chocolate combo and hand delivered via my mail @ the following address.
Silk and Steel
Part Three
Crash
The smash of car on car outside the window distracted her from the thoughts that had haunted her. Typical New York, from the swearing that she could just catch one of the drivers at least had been a cabbie. She walked over to the window and looked the full fourteen stories down, the penthouse had a perfect view, right across to central park, yes, there was the bright cab, and impacted into the side of it was an old style Chevy, she hoped the insurance was good.
Stepping away from the window she looked around, the furnishings were tastefully underdone, chrome and wood, a skull of something neither human or animal over the fireplace. Silk rugs on the floor, over all it was easy to keep clean, and after all, that's what it said on her job agreement, she would keep the place clean.
One of the chrome appliances caught and threw back the slight smile she gave at that thought, that was how Vic had decided to give her time and money to recuperate after saving his tail. The apartment was hers while he wandered off to Canada, to 'unwind' as if he ever would. She put the expresso machine on to heat the water and shifted back to the window. Her canvas was set up there, but the portrait she painted on it had nothing to do with panoramic view of the city that she had from the window.
It was a panther, beautiful and stately, pacing though a landscape that was made of black glass, there were a sequence of cracks behind it firing red, as if by movement it was breaking its world, the red and the perfect gold of its eyes were the only colours there. To a less discerning eye it would have been perfect, but in her own eyes it was still flawed, something was still elementally wrong.
A click at the door brought eyes the same colour as the landscape focused, there would have been a warning if anyone other than the owner had come up in the private lift, but still, better to be safe than sorry. She lifted the mini Uzi from her paint box and rested it on her thigh. The door swung open and she started to smile at the massive blonde in the doorway, before she noticed the tiny bundle that he was holding cradled in one arm.
Dropping the gun she stood up, the movement strikingly swift. "Vic, what the hell?!" he looked at her, eyes as challenging as the panthers, the same flashing deadly grace. And then a half smiled "Sarah, glad you're here" Glad, ah no, she shook her head in instant denial "I don't care Vic, whatever it is I don't care" For a moment he looked angry and then he allowed the edge of the blanket to drop.
The sleeping face it revealed was as innocent in sleep as that of a small child's, despite being older, early teens, the skin was purple, but under that she could see the pale weariness of recent illness. Her second thought was that the girl was much to slim and needed feeding….. Then she realised how thoroughly her curiosity had been roused "Oh" she made several rude gestures in the mercenary sign language that she had grown up with, which brought a flare of appreciation to Creed's eyes.
She moved behind him and shut the door, before shifting in front of him again. "Well come on then, we'll but the little on to bed, and then you can tell me what you were thinking to bring a child here of all places" the long suffering roll of his eyes almost brought on an explosion of temper but she shifted quietly towards the small guest bedroom that at the moment held the door to Vic's private weapon arsenal. She peeled back the light coloured coverlet and indicated it. Creed was much too big for the room they were in but he managed to sit on the bed with the child.
When he finally had her settled to his liking he moved away, and she saw how very tiny the girl was. Even her hair was purple by the looks of it, and it wasn't paint. Amazing, the child must have had a terrible time, being that blatantly mutant. She backed out of the room and closed the door, Victor was already pacing the living room, back and forth, like a caged animal. Waiting for her questions, how unusual, she would have thought he'd run while her back was turned.
Sprawling onto the couch she raised and eyebrow before just settling back and waiting. After around fifteen minutes he sighed in defeat and started to talk "Her name's Blink, and I pulled her out of the snow up in Canada" The story he related after that had her alternately surprised and in fits of laughter. The thought of Victor Creed, the ferocious Sabertooth nursing a child, was much too much. Although he didn't appreciate it the way she did, he had his revenge. "I thought I'd keep her here, with you"
About to object to him keeping the girl like a pet she did a double take, "Me, take care of a kid! Vic!" his smile was full of teeth, not at all charming "She'll make more mess for you to clean up, an' stop ya thinkin'" a rare insight from someone who was determined to hide all traces of intelligence set her back on her heels. To have someone there who would keep her mind off of that last disastrous mission.
Her own eyes met his, gold and black clashing almost sending up sparks before she nodded. "Ok, I'll do it, but you better come back from time to time, all kids need a male role model, or they turn out like me" A mock shudder from her companion had her laughing, but he was edging for the door, she stood shaking her head. "Don't you dare go without saying goodbye" He sighed, but to her surprise actually moved towards the bedroom, she wished she knew how the kid had done it. She had been Vic's lover, was his friend, and he didn't do a thing for her that he didn't have to.
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It would have comforted her to know that Sabertooth felt exactly the same, even as he looked down at Clarice, fast asleep against the pillows. She had been a tiny bundle most of the way back from Canada, but when she had been awake there had been a big, adult personality looking back at him from white eyes. She was smart too, knowing what he wanted to know without having to be asked, or course, she knew him, or at least a version of him, better than anyone else on the planet.
Putting down a hand he ruffled her hair and turned to leave. "Mr Creed" a sleepy murmur, the edge still slightly rough, he turned in the doorway, blocking out the light from the living room window "Yeah Clarry?" the nickname had come easily too, for some odd reason, he chose to ignore it, that was always easiest, "'r you going away?" still the sleepy little voice, he made the slight noise that marked yeah, and she turned over against the pillows as if trying to find a cool spot.
When no sounds came he started to leave again, and only his hearing would have caught her final words "Take care, 'n come back soon" The slight twisted smile caught at his lips, he banished it before he turned to Sarah blowing a mocking kiss and walking out of the door, glad to be going again, but somehow wishing to stay.