A Madman's Heart
Jubilee could remember little to nothing of the car trip with the stranger. She was often in and out of conscience. She could piece small images together of the man driving and looking over at her. Next the memory of him stopping and bandaged her wounds again. After that came the image of a small home that held an almost old yet elegant feel to it. Next she could remember a woman slowly looking her over and then looking to the man with sad eyes. After that things were blank and confusing.
Victor Creed, A.K.A. Sabretooth, pulled up to the home of an old Wiccan healer he had crossed paths with in her younger years. He pulled the young Asian girl out quickly, yet gently as to not hurt her wounds, and walked into the house not bothering to knock. A few teenagers surrounded a table with an older lady. The ladies hair had long since turned white and her face, though covered in wrinkles, seemed to be unchanged by the fabrics of time while holding an endless wisdom. The teenagers stood up and stood near the woman as if to protect her. Creed only growled in response while setting the Asian girl on the table.
"It is okay children, go enjoy the day while I talk to an old friend." The older woman said and watched the teenagers leave. She turned her eyes to Creed and smiled softly worried about what her future would hold from crossing paths yet again with this man. She looked to the girl and then back to the man. "It has been a long time, Victor. May I ask who this young girl is or would I rather not know?" She asked and moved to examine the girl.
"I came to collect on that favor you owe me. Heal the girl and I will leave you be." Creed told the woman and she smiled softly to him. She checked over the young girl's wounds, frowning as she went.
"Victor, I am entirely to old to heal the girl. My powers have faded with time and besides this girl needs medical treatment." The woman told Creed and replacing the bandages covering the young Asian girl's side.
"Heal her, Merriam, or else I will make sure you never teach again." Creed told her in a threatening growl. Merriam frowned and looked over the girl's wounds again. She could see the entry wound quiet clearly, but it seemed to be slightly more discolored then normal, Almost as if the flesh was being eaten away by a disease or virus. Merriam frowned again and pushed her hands over the wound using her mutant powers to heal the girl. After short few minutes, she removed her hands and the color had returned to normal. The blood seemed to stop and the wound partly closed up, but the bullet remains in.
"I need the help of a friend, the bullet is spreading a deadly disease into her body and she can't fight it alone. Thea, come in here." Merriam yelled and a thin tall young woman walked in whipping her hands on an apron. The young woman seemed to be the opposite of Merriam. She had long black hair that was pulled back into a braid. Her soft slightly pale face scanned the room as she walked in. She stopped when she noticed Creed and looked over at Merriam.
"Grand mother, who is this?" She asked and her eyes fell on the girl's body on the table. "What happened to her?" She said and raced over to her grand mother's side.
"She has been injured and I need you to help me heal her." Merriam told Thea and took her hand. She put her other hand over the Asian girl's wound and slowly a light cam from her hand as she began to heal her. "Victor, I need you to pull the bullet out." Merriam told him and waited as Creed pulled the bullet out while trying to do as little damage as possible. Merriam then continued to heal the girl and slowly the wound closed. Merriam pulled her hand away from the Asian girl's body and from her granddaughters. "What now Creed, do you plan to take this girl back to where she came from or give her a place to belong?" Merriam asked in a sharp tone and wiped her hands on a small cloth near the table. Her old hands shook from the use of her powers.
Victor looked at the girl and frowned deeply unsure of what to do. On one hand it would be nice to raise a child unlike he had been able to do with his own son, but then on he other was the fact that she could become a liability. Also weighing on the hand was the fact that any enemy who knew about her could easily use her against him and the fact that who he was and what he did was not for a child's eyes. Creed looked down at the sleeping girl and frowned. Perhaps that last part won't apply; she isn't exactly a child on the inside if not the outside. "She can decide whether she wants to return or stay with me." He said and slowly picked her up beginning to walk out. Merriam walked over and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder before smiling softly to him.
"Perhaps it would do you some good to have a friend instead of an enemy by your side. She has a strong soul; I could feel it and can still. It radiates of her almost like a man I met all those years ago." Merriam spoke softly and returned to her granddaughter's side.
"You may be right about the first part, but that man died years ago." Creed said and walked out of the home to the jeep. He slides the Asian girl into the back seat and got in the front seat. He pulled the jeep away and headed towards the mountains.
Later that night Jubilee woke up for longer then a few minutes and blinked her eyes a few times before looking around. "Note to self, next time stay out of the bullets path." She told herself out loud.
"Seems to be a good idea, pup. Might have to remember that for myself." The man said holding a glass of what looked like green tea. Jubilee didn't have time to react before he handed her the tea and sat in a chair across the room. Jubilee looked at the tea and took a small sip before drink a good mouthful. After a few seconds of silence she sat the cup down and looked over to the stranger. His face was shrouded in the shadows making it hard to tell what he was thinking. He seemed to be sitting in the chair in a lazy matter almost as if he had nothing to fear from a small girl like herself.
"So, um, where are we?" She asked looking around the cabin taking in the fact that the moon shone brightly outside the front window. The cabin itself smelled of sweet cedar and a bit of a peppermint to it. It looked fairly big for a single person to live in, but not big enough for two. A small kitchen sat in the left-hand corner with a few items placed on the stove. Near it was a small table with a few chairs and a mug of something in the middle. Next her eyes found a small chair in front of the fireplace. The fireplace itself was at full blaze providing the only light she could see in the cabin. Here eyes finally came to where she was; a small dresser that had a few scratches down the center and a nightstand that was out of place. Finally she looked at the bed she was in. It was fairly large and soft.
"Done looking or do ya want me to give ya the grand tour." He asked with sarcasm dripping from the last few words. Jubilee looked him straight in the eyes and waited for him to answer. After what seemed to be a contest of whom could stare the longest, Jubilee looked away and turned to look at the fire too proud to look at her hands. She felt weird here, almost as if this place seemed to think she shouldn't leave or perhaps even the opposite. "We're in Colorado. Ya gotta choice on whether you want tah go back or do what ever." The man said in a low growl. Jubilee again looked him in the eye looking to see what he left out. She finally nodded and stood up slowly stretching the kinks out of her body. Then the truth hit her, she was healed. She slowly lifted her shirt up just to the curve of her waist and looked at the flat, unblemished skin. The man let out a small laugh. "Got a friend to fix yah up. Don't think it don't come with a price though."
Jubilee dropped the shirt and frowned at him. "I saved your life, you just repaid your debt is all." She told him in a angry tone. He threw his head back and laughed.
"Pup, the only thing ya saved me from was a two minute wait for the healing factor to heal up the wound. Ya ain't the only one with "Gifts" around here." He told her and stood up going to the stove and flipping something over. "Name's Victor Creed."
Jubilee seemed to hesitate for a short second and sat down at the table. "Jubilation Lee, but call me Jubilee." She said and he brought over the food. He slides the three eggs and some bacon on his plate before setting the pan on the table a little out of Jubilee's reach. Jubilee put her hands on her hips and reached to grab the food. Victor grabbing her hand almost faster then her eyes could follow stopped her short.
"Ya want the food, ya got to earn it." He said in a low tone. Jubilee looked at him and looked to the door wondering if now would be a good time to leave. "Would even think of it Pup. The wolves will get ya before you made if half way to town." Jubilee snorted slightly.
"Yeah right. There isn't any wolves in Colorado." She said in a matter of fact tone.
"So sure of that are we now. Ya ever been to Colorado? Those wolves will tear ya apart slowly, enjoying each bite of meat. It will take them two or three mouth full of meat before you even get close to dying. That is if they show mercy, if ya get attacked by a rogue, well then you're in for a long agonizing torture of pain. He'll eat ya slowly then just as ya think you can't feel any more pain, he'll find a new way." Creed stated in a dark tone. Jubilee held her 'I'm not afraid' manner and pulled her arm out of Creed's hand. He took a bite of his food and Jubilee suddenly felt the hunger pains sink in from not eating for three or so days.
"What do I have to do?" She asked shyly, almost afraid to get an answer. Creed smiled and sat back.
"Put some logs on the fire." He told her and went back to his meal.
Jubilee let her jaw drop. 'All that and all he wanted me to do is put a log on the freaken fire.' Jubilee could have hit him if not for the fact that he didn't seem like the kind to be hit with out getting mad. Jubilee walked over to the fireplace and started to pick up one end of the log. She found it to be heavier then what it looked. The piece seemed to be about three feet long and at least a foot wide. She picked up one end and dragged it over to the fire. She tired to roll it in, but found that the log wouldn't roll. Then she picked up one end and tried to push it in. After about ten minutes of trying and failing she sat down and kicked the log.
"Lot a good that will do ya. Try to use your legs to pick it up. Then drop it slowly just out side the fire." Creed said over his back as he drank a beer of some sort. Jubilee smiled sarcastically.
"Thanks, really making me do this has been tons of fun." She said and started to pick it up bending her knees instead of trying to lift it straight up.
"If ya want fun, then you'll go hungry. Around here you earn your keep and if you don't then forget about eating for the night." He said and took a piece of bacon from the pan. Jubilee looked out the window and saw the sun beginning to make its way over the hills. She sighed and dropped the log into the fire not remembering what he said about dropping it off to the side. She watched in slow motion as the fire wood crashed on top of the others and sent ash and pieces of burning wood at her. She instinctively covered her face with her arms. The material on her jacket caught fire and the flame went up half her arm before she felt herself being thrown to the ground and rolled around. When Creed finished putting out the fire, she looked at him and hung her head slightly. "Shit pup, I told you to drop it to the side for a reason. Next time listen or else something worse then a burn will happen." Creed told her in an angry; half growling voice and pulled off the jacket to reveal a small patch of her skin that was burned. He stood up and walked over to the dresser pulling out a small safety kit. He pulled out some aloe and a bandage to put over the burn. After applying the medical bandage and putting the kit back, he held out his hand to help her up. Jubilee took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think it would do that." She said and looked at the fireplace with an evil glare.
"That's what you did wrong in the first place. Ya have to think to survive. Now go eat something before it gets any colder then it is." Jubilee went other to the table and took a bite of the bacon before shoveling in the rest of the food. After her hunger pains stopped she looked at Creed who seemed to be hiding a slight grin.
"What, I was hungry. Now what are we going to do." She asked leaning back in the chair. Creed smiled and threw an old coat in her direction.
"We're not doing anything. You are going fishin while I go huntin." Creed said and walked out the door leaving it open for her to follow.
"Great, just great. Try to help someone and you get yourself stuck with mister outdoorsman. Why can't I find a normal friend." She said to herself and put on the coat.
"Quit your yaking and get out here. We ain't got all day to be sitting around." Creed yelled at her and she went out the door.