Three years prior.
Warren looked at his watch, anxious and a bit apprehensive about what he was doing. The alien world of Thrang wasn't as alien looking compared to Earth as one might think. It had its vacation spots, different and clashing cultures, and many religions. It was at one of them that Warren had been drawn. The smell reminded him of a coming rainstorm in the air. It was one of the most calming and pleasant smells he could think of. He loved being around Ororo for that reason. It was like a rainstorm followed her everywhere.
He looked around to see if Bobby was looking for him. This was supposed to be a business opportunity for Worthington Industries through the government. They wanted to expand their reach and influence with other worlds. The governments of Earth were tired of being used or ignored. Warren's dark suit looked nothing like the clothing of the locals. He didn't look anything like the locals, but that didn't stop many a man or woman from wanting to spend the night with a human. He did decline. This time.
He looked at his watch again. This was taking much longer than he anticipated. He didn't want Bobby to find out what he was doing. Hell, even he thought this was just some snake oil. Or poison.
The people of this world were beautiful to Warren. Their different hues of purple could hide almost any flaw. Even when aged, they were still magnificent to look at. He wondered if that's what people of Earth thought when they looked at him.
The woman he was waiting for finally walked out of the building. It was evident she was older, but even with age she was still very stunning. She walked slowly toward him with a box in her hand.
"How did you like our country?" she asked in her native tongue, the universal translator taking a moment to interpret what she said.
His smile was wide and genuine. "If the rest of your world is as beautiful, I will be back here very soon."
She nodded in satisfaction. She then raised the box and looked at it sadly. "I do hope you find what you are looking for in this," she stated. "Our sect is very small and dwindling by the year. Where we looked to our world for healing, we now trade medicines with other species. But I have found that our natural medicines are much more potent to off worlders than to natives." She held out the box with Warren placing both hands on it, but she didn't let go. "It is a potent potion. I placed a container with what you wanted, specified for just you, and a vial of what we mix it in. I hope you have something that is like it on your world as they need to be mixed in a full glass of it and one single drop of the potion." She released the box.
Opening it, there was indeed a container with a lime greenish substance in it and a vial that had a solution that looked like water. "So this stuff will fulfill my desires?" he asked for conformation. She nodded. "What if my desire is to destroy the universe?"
"Then you wouldn't be prey anymore," she said in a matter of fact tone. He tried to hide his shock and surprise. Those were the words he thought in his head when she asked him his desire. He asked her to make what she thought it would be and make it for him. But the real question is: How can this do what he hoped it would do?
Now.
Warren looked over at his salvation. The safeguards in place would make retrieving it impossible with Sabretooth holding him down. His attacker grabbed his right wing at its base and squeezed.
"I knew I smelled you here. Months old scent, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure why you of all people would be at this shack," Sabretooth said in a low voice to Warren. He leaned over to Warren's ear, pushing his left wing down and out into a painful position. "But here you are."
No way out. No way to fight. "If you are going to kill me, do me a favor."
Sabretooth grunted. "Oh! And what would that be?"
"Shut the fuck up and get it over with. I don't need to hear your threats before I die."
Before he could figure what was happening, Warren had flown through the air, hitting the wall by the back door with such force that he couldn't react when Sabretooth approached. The animal leapt swiftly and pushed Warren to the floor. His wing joints cried out in pain with the force of the push and the weight of Sabretooth's massive frame. Clawed hands encircled his neck. At first, Warren tried to fight, his hands grasping at what was squeezing the life out of him. It was instinct after all. Then it hit him. He had no way to really fight this monster off. Why bother? He was unhappy unless he was at the cabin and now that was taken away from him.
Warren removed his hands and let Sabretooth strangle the life from him. It was almost a relief to finally give up. No more lying to himself or his family. No more worrying that he was a burden to others. Tears streamed from the sides of his eyes, the claws tightened, digging slightly into his skin.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Sabretooth seethed through clenched teeth. He shook Warren several more times, squeezing just a tad more. His anger turned to confusion. "Fight back!" Warren couldn't respond. His face started to turn a shade blue and his eyes began to roll back. That's when Sabretooth released his neck.
Warren threw up almost immediately. As soon as he could take in air, his body would expel more vomit. It went on for several minutes and then he just lay in it, body wracked with too much pain to move or even care about the vomit. At some point he knew he had enough energy to sit up against the wall. His wing joints hurt like fire, his head would swim if he moved it too much, and it felt like all his muscles had been in a marathon.
He sat and listened for the monster. Sabretooth was still here, the faint sound of pages being turned and the drinking of a beer. Warren wondered if he had lost his mind or if he had died and death was playing an odd joke on him.
After a time, he decided he could stand on his own without the swimming. The small healing in his blood was kicking in.
Walking out of the small kitchen, he saw Sabretooth sitting on the couch reading a paper, beer on a coaster on the coffee table.
"Why?" Warren asked in a raspy voice.
With a sigh, Sabretooth stated, "What's the fun in killing an X-Man that doesn't fight back?" He reached over and took his beer. "Life just too hard for the pretty boy?"
Warren held his neck as he looked at this asshole incredulously. "Who the hell are you to judge anything I do? Why the fuck am I here? Why the fuck are you here?"
He just sat there like Warren hadn't asked anything. A minute went by and Warren was fed up. Just as he was about to berate the murderer, he spoke.
"It was quiet here and I just wanted time to myself. To just not worry about all the bullshit."
The X-Man was speechless. Sabretooth wanted a break? "A break from what? Murdering people?"
He grunted as he drank the rest of his beer and crushed it. "You don't know me. None of you really know me. I can be here once in a while and have no one's expectations on me."
Each word was like a punch in the guts to Warren. He must've been too quiet as the hunter turned to him and stood. Again, Warren forgot he was prey. "I don't know you? You broke my fucking wing! You nearly killed Betsy!"
Sabretooth arched an eyebrow. "Is that all I've done? Go on, keep listing them. All of you have done shit that is way worse than anything I've done." He started walking around the couch. "Yea, I've killed innocents, but let's be real here, almost every one of you X-Men have done way worse." He stood next to Warren. "You all love to say that something was controlling you and you didn't mean it. You might not have meant it, but you took satisfaction in it." Amber and blue eyes locked. "Tell me I'm wrong."
Warren looked away as the monster walked over go get another beer in the kitchen. He saw right through him. "I needed a place to be the real me," he said to Sabretooth. "I know who I am, but no one else does." He looked back to the man in the kitchen. "I am prey and this is my only sanctuary."
With a second beer in his hand, he handed it to Warren. "I'm impressed that one of you could actually be honest. There might be hope yet," laughed Sabretooth, slapping Warren on his sore back. He sat back on the couch like nothing had happened not that long ago.
Something about the man clicked with Warren. He looked like a brainless brute, but he was highly intelligent. Maybe there was something more to his murder and torture sprees than anyone knew.
This was supposed to be the day to be himself, instead he is actually contemplating sharing his sanctuary with someone that needed it just as much as he. "You can stay here as long as you like without me telling the X-Men where you are, with the stipulation that this is a place to relax. What happens at the cabin stays at the cabin."
Those amber eyes looked at him like a lion looks at dinner. As quickly as that look penetrated Warrens soul, it was gone, replaced with that of a lazy cat that was aware of their surroundings but relaxed enough to sleep on its side. Contentment. He didn't give Warren a response. He just turned back to the paper.
"I get the bed when I'm here," stated Warren. That drew a chuckle from Creed.
As he went to bed with a murderer just feet from him, he went to sleep almost immediately.
In the morning, a shower and a change of clean clothes felt wonderful. He was a bit down because this whole fiasco cost him his precious day. All the meticulous planning to cover his tracts were ruined. Then the fear hit him. For that brief moment he thought Sabretooth would be on the other side of the door ready to rip out his throat. He was surprised to find Creed in the process of slicing deer meat for some breakfast.
"There is a lot of frozen deer meat in the deep freezer. How'd you come by it?"
Invasive question that he didn't feel Creed deserved an answer to. "Are you making enough for just you or both of us?"
"It's your meat. How much you want?"
Warren didn't realize how famished he was. "As much as you are eating."
Creed stopped slicing and looked over his shoulder. "A little Logan."
"I don't understand."
"He's always been a watered down version of me. Like you trying to compete for that title."
Warren frowned. "Because I'm hungry? I used a lot of energy last night trying to recover. I need to eat."
"You killed this deer."
Warren said nothing. He would not confirm or deny it.
"If this is a place for both of us to be ourselves, how far do we trust each other?"
Warrens frown deepened. "We are not friends, Creed. Even with understanding, you hurt me. This agreements ink is still wet."
The sizzle of the grill started. Warren could only assume Creed was cooking the meat for him. "You don't have to cook all the meat."
Creed gave out a hearty laugh. "You want to eat it raw? That's pretty bold of you!"
Sitting on the far part of the couch, he crossed his legs. "No, I thought you'd like it raw."
"I'm not that much of a fucking animal."
"But Logan told me you ate people!"
"I like to feel the blood drain from their neck, hear their pulse quicken then slow. That's not the same as eating them," he explained to Warren. He added another slice of meat to the grill.
Warren sat back in the couch. He knew exactly what Creed was saying. He understood what Creed was saying.
They ate in silence. Warren contemplated what it really meant for Creed to be here. Was he really like Creed? Not in every way obviously, but if deep down they had some of the same traits, how could he call this man a monster and not call himself that?
Before he left, he told Creed of his stash of quality liquor in a secret compartment in the kitchen.
"And what of that other thing in the kitchen? That off limits?" Creed asked, smirk on his face. Warren wondered how long that asshole had been watching him.
"It's off limits."
Creed laughed. "Oh is it? Now I really want to know! Smelled not from this planet."
"IT'S OFF LIMITS!" screamed Warren. It was much more forceful than he had intended, but Creed was playing a game with him and he wanted and needed to nip that in the bud.
The smirk left his face and the amber eyes of Sabretooth glinted for just a moment. "You tell me in your own time," he said with a calmness of a friend wanting to comfort another. That irritated Warren to no end. He walked out of the cabin and hopped in the air. This is his time to transition from the Warren of the cabin to the Façade.
He hated Thursdays.