Summary :Remy needs a break and takes one, but even in the Big Easy, not everything is as it seems. Part 20 of my Kimble series.

Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.

AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.

Updated 10-19-13 to add (break)s and fix yet more appalling mistakes, lol.

(One)

Kimble packed his Master's clothes, unhappy. The past few days had been so very nice, just lazing around the cabin here. Now it was time to go back to the City, his Master had work to do. The thought of his Master working made him nervous, those were often days he had to wash blood from Victor's clothing, not a pleasant chore. Creed had assured him this job was a simple kidnapping, there should be no blood letting at all...assuming the ransom money came in. Kimble wasn't thrilled with the idea of kidnapping anyone, he knew his Master was brutal. The best he could hope for was that the work he had done trying to calm his Master's temper would pay off.

Kimble finished with the bag and carried it outside to the limo. It was late morning and the sunlight was reflecting brightly on the snow all around. He paused and gasped sharply as he was temporarily blinded when he opened the door and stepped outside.

"A little bright for you?"

Kimble swayed and blinked his eyes. "Yeah. S'all the snow, I guess."

Mary was out on the steps, drinking coffee. She was often outside, he had noticed. It was cold - freezing actually - but she was dressed only in a T-shirt and jeans. She never seemed to feel the cold when she was in the sun. He had asked her about it once and she told him that she was actually absorbing a bit of plasma energy from the sunshine, it recharged her internal batteries and heated up her body. Kimble laughed, it was just like how her power warmed his own.

"All packed up?" Mary asked, brushing her hand lightly against his own as he passed.

He smiled at her, warmed by the contact. "Yep. Jus' don' wanna go, is all. I likes it here."

"We'll come back. This job is a quickie. Won't last more than a day or so."

"Why we gots ta go at all? Master's got money."

"A promise is a promise, my dear. Victor won't get any more work if he keeps backing out on things."

"What's he backed on b'fore?" he asked, but then frowned when he realized he already knew the answer. "Oh. It's me, huh? He wuz suppozta gives me ta Jael."

"Don't sweat it, dear," she said, tugging on him gently. "No one else knows about it. Your Master will be safe."

Kimble nodded and walked over to the limo to toss the bag he had packed into the open trunk. Creed was there, shuffling some things around. He smiled when he saw the pilot approach. "Hey, Kim."

"Kristalay."

"Why so glum, huh? I told ya we're commin' back."

"I knows. I jus' had a good time is all."

Kimble had recovered from his fright from the day he had built the snow castle. There had been no further trouble and the time here had passed quickly. His Master had no need to punish him for anything further and all three of them had been happy. Kimble was worried that he might screw up again if they went back to the City, he didn't want to incur his Master's wrath.

"You'll like the loft. It's in a quiet away place, not like the penthouse. It'll be just the three of us, just like it is now," Creed promised, hoping to calm Kimble's nerves. He could see his servant was nervous and fidgety. Kimble had been good and quiet these past days, Victor didn't want any more unpleasantness. Besides that, he wanted the privacy for himself. He no longer wanted it known that Kimble was still at his side, it was too dangerous. The only thing that kept Jael at bay now was that he hoped the terrorist still had no clue where he was. Creed had vowed to keep his treasure separate from what was left of his gang, Mary would be the only one who knew Kimble was still with him.

Kimble nodded and went inside the car to wait. He himself had packed up already, he only had just a couple sets of clothes. He stretched out on the bench seat and closed his eyes.

Yous guys better not gits me inta no more trouble, he cautioned to his fractured selves.

We wouldn't ever do that! Lakotashay teased, cackling.

I means it. Things have been good, don' wants ta screw this up.

Zander was quiet. It was true things had settled down. Although they were no closer to freedom, there was no mistaking the Lover's happiness. Zander didn't speak of it, but he just didn't understand why Kimble tolerated the abuse. The Master was better, but it didn't keep them from being clawed and hit when the rough play started. Granted it was less and less — or the Lover simply minded it less and less, much to the Punisher's horror — but it didn't look it was ever going to stop. Zander was aware that Kimble believed them ruined, corrupted beyond the ability for a normal user to ever want to have them. Zander did not agree. He had faith that they could still be loved and desired. They just had to get out of this bad spot they were in. No big deal.

Beyond that, there was the business of finding their angel. They had power now, they knew how to make a blade and Channel the plasma through it. That had been their goal of going out and learning in this world, Zander believed that now. That chore was now done. All they had left to do was get back to the X-men, practice to stay in shape and wait for their angel to come. Zander did not want to be in Creed's custody when that happened. He instinctively knew it would be bad, Creed would damage their precious find. Just the presence of the tiny pilot child in their own mind was enough to convince him of that. The new arrival had been very quiet lately, he had curled up in his chains and gone to sleep in his blanket shroud, hopefully for good as far as Zander was concerned.

Kimble was out cold asleep when his Master finally slipped into the car beside him. He never felt it when his head was carefully raised and placed onto the large warm lap, he just snickered softly and readjusted himself without waking. The Master's vibrations of happiness and comfort seeped into him and his dreams were quiet and wistful.

He awoke somewhere around Boston, snorting softly and rubbing his eyes. It was unlike him to sleep for so long, but he had been so warm and comfortable. He felt his Master's hand on him next, issuing unspoken commands. Their relationship had grown stronger at the cabin - in many cases, a single word or gesture would be enough to let Kimble know what was required of him – and Kimble was happy enough to serve. He dropped down to the floor of the car and slid in between Creed's large legs on his knees, letting his mouth offer a means to end his Master's own boredom. When he was finished, he lay his head back down on one of Victor's large naked thighs, satisfied and happy with his work, feeling the heat from his Master's skin warm his cheek.

"Are ya hungry?" Victor questioned softly, his hand on Kimble's head, petting him gently now.

" 'Pends on what it wuz, I guess," Kimble answered with a soft laugh. He was warm and comfortable, happy.

"This's Boston. Got some good chowder here."

"What's chowder?"

Creed just laughed and used the tiny intercom to speak to Mary about rustling up some chow. He dressed quickly and they pulled over to a tiny roadside place. They were past the city proper now, but not so far away they would miss this treat. Mary went inside the restaurant and Creed got out and stretched, blocking the view of Kimble's pilot body through the now open door with his own. He looked around him, ever watchful that they were being tailed. It looked clear enough so he was calm. Mary came out with the food and they ate inside the car. Kimble got to sample from both his Masters' plates, enjoying what he was given. The chowder he liked very much, but Mary's steamed clams were better. She had grabbed lots of napkins, the meal was delightful but messy. She was thoughtful and bought him a Coke, knowing it was one of his favorite drinks.

Kimble sipped his drink and did his best to peer outside the still open car doors. It was warmer here than it had been in Maine but was still chilly. The fresh air was nice though, Mary had draped a blanket over his wings to hide them and to make him more comfortable. "I likes it here, like this," Kimble said softly after he swallowed another exquisite morsel of clam that Mary had given him. "We should jus' drives around ferever."

Creed laughed. "Sounds like fun, Kim. I know lots of places I could take ya."

"Been a while since we've been down to Florida," Mary popped in, munching happily.

"Humrph. Too hot," Creed replied. "I was thinkin' more like Canada since the kid likes the snow so much."

"Montreal could be fun," she offered again.

"Maybe after this job."

"What about the Rally?"

Creed groaned inwardly. It seemed to be some kind of mental block with him that he kept forgetting. It was just as well they were going back, he had to get ready. "Gotta stop at Frasier's on the way back. He's got papers for me."

Mary nodded. "I'll call ahead." She reached for her phone.

Kimble wasn't paying attention. His belly was full now from the food and drink and his eyes droopy again. Food always seemed to make him sleepy. The Master's business was a million miles away from him and unimportant.

They packed up and drove on, not stopping again until they were finally back in New York City. They stopped at a large house in Brooklyn, but when Kimble asked if this was the loft, Mary shook her head. The Master got out and went inside, coming back out a short time later with a couple of large paper mailing tubes under his arms. He got in and tossed them on the opposite seat, saying nothing.

They drove on, going over the Brooklyn Bridge and back into Manhattan. They went down to the waterfront near a large warehouse. Here they finally stopped and got out. They unpacked the car and Kimble peered around him in silent dismay. This was no bright shining cabin in the middle of the sparkling woods. This was a derelict building barely standing, rusted and reeking of dead fish. All the windows were boarded up, he couldn't see inside. He meekly followed his Master inside and kept his head down as they went up a set of rickety stairs and into a loft apartment that was on top of the empty warehouse.

When he got a better look around him, he smiled then. Whatever this place may have looked like outside, the inside was finely furnished and comfortable, a cloaked and homey place not unlike the Lucky Dragon. No one would ever suspect such a place was located within. He saw his Master's face looking at him with wry amusement. "Told ya it was nice here. Gonna take it personal how ya never seem ta trust my judgement."

Kimble bowed at him. "Sorry, Master."

Creed snorted happily and walked up to one of the bedrooms. These rooms were the only ones walled in, the rest of the place was open, although Kimble could see an office that was separated by large screens with beautiful Japanese decorations on them. Kimble followed his Master in the bedroom and settled in as he had in the cabin, his position as the Master's bedmate would not be challenged. He lay on the bed and pawed at one of the long paper tubes. "What's in there?"

Creed grunted. "Plans fer the next big job."

"You said we wuz goin' back up ta Maine."

"We are, but we gotta come back fer this just like we come back today," Sabretooth explained with surprising patience. Kimble was like a child and there was much he didn't know. Creed usually hated to speak of things that should have been obvious, but Kimble had made his statement in a gentle voice with no hint of whining, he was merely inquiring.

"Kin I looks at them?"

"What?"

"Kin I see the papers."

"Why you so curious?"

"Bored," Kimble answered honestly.

Creed grinned. "I got you a cure for that."

Kimble smiled up at him, interested.

Creed shrugged. "Go on, if ya want. I gotta unpack. Then we'll play."

Kimble opened the mailing tube and slid out the papers inside. He was surprised to see that the scrolls were large blueprints for a massive building. He cocked his head, intrigued. Kimble knew many things and how to read schematics was one of those things. "Says Yankee Stadium on here. We gonna go see baseball?"

Creed snorted. "Not quite." He paused when he saw how Kimble was actually looking at the plans for real and understanding what he was looking at. "You seen something like that before?"

"Shure. I helped Remy and Logan blow up some buildin' on Cerise 'fore we came here."

Creed froze, stunned. "What?"

"Yeah, there were these Dognan guys and they had this huge base. We had ta blow it up sos we could all come home and Seth found plans jus' like this. There was a big plasma fusion reactor in the middle of it, you know? Shang-tu frisknartu alay. Big bang, very nasty. Took out 'bout six or seven hundred of them cat guys. Remy almost didn't make it out, he left Justin behind."

"Big blast, huh?"

"Uh huh," Kimble replied. He was still scanning out the plans, not seeing the hard look on Creed's face. His Master had just been reminded there was much about his servant he didn't know. " 'Bout two klicks 'round, the charges were C4 from here and we also grubbed up some dynamite. 'Spoze the Clan musta moved in after that, salvagin' the Dognan ships. Gots no ships fer a space battle that's fer shure, the dumb fucks. Not since we used the Dragon an' all ta git here."

"Where was this?" Creed asked in confusion, keeping his voice steady.

"Cerise. You wouldn't know it, 's off-world fer you. We had ta jump ta git back."

Sabretooth cocked his head. "Off-world?"

Kimble looked up at him and his smile faded when he saw the swirling of Creed's shine. Was he in trouble now?

Creed tried to soften the look of his face. " 'S all right, Kim. Just keep fergettin' you ain't from around here."

"I don't wants ta go," Kimble spoke, insecurity swamping him.

"I ain't lettin' you go, I'm just askin' some questions."

Kimble began to explain in a gentle easy voice all of his adventures, happy when Creed lay down on the bed next to him and listened with rapt attention. Kimble loved to tell jokes and stories and was pleased he had his Master's attention. He spoke of Siska and what he remembered of his life there. He explained how Fallen had found him and about Zander's horrible experiences on Clan Station Nine. He went on to say how he'd had troubles at the Xavier place and how Remy had taken him in, was his good friend. Kimble lost himself in his tale, not fully cognizant of how he was giving away a lot of vital information. Creed was familiar with the Mansion, it wasn't that, but Victor was learning about dissension in the ranks of the X-men and got a snapshot view of the team he hadn't had before. He knew Kimble's views were flawed by his feelings of being persecuted, he was more familiar with these guys than his servant. He learned this marvelous creature beside him could fly and repair spaceships and had an understanding of foreign technology that he might be able to use for himself. He was especially interested in these cloaking devices Kimble seemed to know how to make and managed to extract a promise from him that some would be made.

Kimble was oblivious of what he was saying, he had forgotten that this large man beside him was once his enemy. He felt so close to this new Master that his memories from before were fading. He had fallen into Victor's warm embrace and didn't realize just how trapped and vulnerable he was. He knew only that he was loved and cared for again, everything else had been deliberately forgotten.

Creed was happy. He now knew Jael for what he was, he had a better understanding of what the word Dognan meant. Jael was a renegade from off-world slavers and now seemed a lot less mysterious and whole lot more mortal. Perhaps Jael wasn't the threat Creed had perceived him to be. If that dumb fuck Logan and that stupid sucker thief blew up a whole base of these guys, maybe he could try taking Jael out himself and be free and clear with the toy in front of him. He had no desire to run forever, it wasn't his style.

"Creed?"

"Yeah, Mary?" he replied, looking up at her soft knock.

"Got your pals on the phone. The Brinks girl will be on target tomorrow morning as planned. Best get some rest."

"Right. Tell 'em it's a go."

"Right, boss." She departed, closing the door.

"Sleepy time, Kim."

"You said we wuz gonna play. Didn't git no real chance ridin' in the car."

Creed just laughed and tumbled Kimble over onto his back. "Yeah, we'll play."

Kimble giggled and allowed himself to be mauled, robbed of his clothes and laid down on his belly. Forgotten now were the plans from the stadium, they had fallen now to the floor from all the thrashing taking place on the bed. He never saw the small fine print detailing the expected damage, the body count in the thousands as Friends of Humanity mutant haters would be destroyed. He knew only his Master's will and desire, his new reality swamping the old as he embraced his life as Creed's servant.