Disclaimer & Summary can be found on the first page.
A/N – Thanks to all my reviewers so far! (Even those that might not like Gambit… I guess everyone's gotta have a fault, right? I'm joking! It's ok – just laugh now.) I am aware that Gambit wasn't in the movie, but he's in my fic. Don't worry, I'll go into how that happened later. And SLW – you're right!!! I did mean Mary Sue. *slaps own forehead* Blame it on the fact that I've also been watching Spider-Man repeatedly. Many apologies for the slip. And apparently you're all in luck – Gambit won't be in the next movie. Much to my disappointment. Now, have you gone to see what she looks like?? No? Go now. www.webheaddesign.us/defi.html
Chapter TwoThe approaching mutant watched the scene carefully, eyes moving steadily from man to man, gauging each one of them. She measured each one, the one giving the orders, the one that had moved first to block her way towards the redhead, and the one that was simply trusted to back them both.
"Now Jean," Scott kept his voice firm as he backed up Logan's assessment of the situation. Jean finally complied, holding her hands palm up in front of her and dropping her gaze.
The girl in front of them stopped just in front of Cyclops. Her large green eyes held his, then moved to his companions. She frowned when Jean looked up and held her gaze.
"I'm sorry," the telepath apologized softly, still holding her hands out as if waiting to be sniffed. "I didn't mean to offend you."
"She's telling de truth, cher," Gambit purred as he carefully dropped his shields. He felt his charm reach out to her, calming her into compliance. Or so he hoped.
She moved slowly towards Gambit until she stood a few inches in front of him. Acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she reached up to move the Cajun's heavy bangs away from his red eyes, then smacked his forehead lightly. "If I don't like her messing around in my head, what makes you think I'm going to like what you're trying to do?" Her voice flowed over him teasingly.
"Everything ok, Ty?" It was the big guy they'd followed into the crowd.
Ty watched Jean for a little while, then nodded. "Yeah, it's cool Andrew."
The X-Men visibly relaxed – until they heard a scream pierce the dark in front of them. Ty spun around and crouched, her head tilted in the same manner she had used while stalking Jean. Andrew crumpled to the ground before she could react, one of the racers that had lost standing behind him. Ty sniffed the air, almost tentatively, searching for blood. Thankfully, it seemed Andrew had simply been knocked out and not seriously hurt. Then her eyes settled on the woman that made up the fourth member of her pack. She was being held by the throat, not far from where her comrade had fallen. A knife blade caught on one of the headlights and threw the light back into Ty's face.
Ty moved slowly, circling away from the rest of her pack. She glanced at Wolverine, then nodded her head in his direction. Cyclops didn't wait for the situation to be explained; instead he and Jean moved to the right of the pack, leaving Wolverine and Gambit to guard the left.
"What're we doing, homme?" Gambit's eyes moved lazily between Ty and the man she was facing.
"Protecting the pack." Wolverine's claws slid out.
Ty had quit paying attention to anyone but the man holding a knife at her packmate's throat. She had no doubt that the people protecting the rest of her pack had enough power to take care of anyone who wanted to keep this from being a fair fight. She stood up straight, her long fingers flexing, claws lengthening. The green in her eyes flecked gold, until the man was left staring into an unblinking pair of wolf's eyes. Her top lip curled, revealing the long fangs she'd kept hidden. When she spoke, her voice was deeper and rougher than before. Less human.
"Let her go."
"No way in hell, freak. You think I'm fuckin' stupid? There's only one way you could've won that race. You cheated somehow." The man was taller than her by almost six inches. His large hand was wrapped firmly around the handle of the knife.
"Yeah…" Ty purred. "I cheated. I smelled a loser like you comin' a mile off. Step down, bastard. Everyone else here knew what I am. Not my fault you're new here." Ty took a step forward, testing her opponet's resolve. She stopped, snarling, when the knife bit into his captive's skin. "You get three for every cut you give her."
"Fuck off, bitch. You back off and give me the money I should've won, or else she dies."
"No." Her gold eyes shone in the dark.
"You're not getting the picture, here." The man actually laughed. "There's only one way this goes. You back off, give me the money you stole from me, or I gut this stinkin' freak lover."
"No." Ty sunk into a crouch again, leaning her head to the side and looking at the tableau in front of her. "This is how it goes. You let her go, and I only hurt you three times as much as you've already hurt her. Or you kill her, and I have the freshest meal I've had in a good long time." Her red tongue touched her lips. "So go ahead. Kill her. I dare you."
The entire situation exploded suddenly – one of the loser's friends jumped towards the X-Men, only to be met midair by Wolverine. His wild snarl seemed to snap something in Ty, who lunged unexpectedly, knocking both the attacker and victim to the ground. Her fingers tightened painfully around the hand that held the knife, pulling it away from her friend. Once her packmate had scampered away from the danger, the scene seemed to freeze once again on the mutant and her prey. The would-be thief and tough man was now sprawled on the ground, held there by the smaller body on top of his. There was one knee by his side and one on his groin. One clawed hand shoved his shoulder in the dirt. The other drew slowly across his midsection, slicing through shirt and skin. Blood seeped slowly from the shallow cut.
"That's one."
Now the hand was moving down his cheek, leaving another slim line of red.
"That's two."
The man suddenly began to struggle, bucking in an effort to throw his tormentor off. The knee at his groin settled down with more pressure. Then the hand began to move again, this time drawing a stinging line across his throat. Inhuman eyes stared into his, then disappeared as she bent her head, bringing her tongue to the blood at his throat.
"That's three." Her tongue slipped softly over his skin, tasting the coppery fluid. When her head rose her lips were pulled back to expose teeth that were tinged red. "Now if I were you, I'd run away. Whaddya say?"
As soon as the weight was lifted from his body the man ran backwards on his hands and feet until he reached his car. He stood, glaring at the people in front of him, then sped away, followed by his friends that had suddenly lost all interest in furthering the confrontation. Ty turned and walked back to the people now huddled around the shaking girl. Her eyes faded back to green and her claws retreated again until they could resemble normal fingernails. Only the fangs and the fierce look remained. She pulled the crying girl to her, holding her tightly. Without needing to be directed, her pack all retreated to their cars, waiting for her to join them. She nodded again at the X-Men and then left.
"Well. That was interesting." Cyclops sighed and ran a tired hand through his hair.
"Don't worry Cyke," Wolverine grinned. "The mission ain't over yet."
"How do you figure?" Jean asked, rubbing her temples.
"Just trust me. Let's go get a motel room." The tired X-Men followed, willing to try to get a good night's rest before returning to the Professor empty handed.
