Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except my characters. Which are quite a few this time around. Let's try it this way: I don't own any Marvel characters that happen to show up in the upcoming chapters and which I'm sure you'll recognise without any need to name long lists. I also do not own Jenny, which Dizi created a few years back and which is a fabulous character. I strongly recommend you read her adventures with Wolverine and the X-Men.

8. Misunderstandings

Scott's hand was on the command that would release a paralysing shock to Creed's nervous system. Logan, although keeping his claws in check, had his entire body tensed up and ready to leap into action. But what kept all of them from acting on their instincts and subduing Sabretooth, was simply the fact that Kitty was in their way, and that the killer seemed to be listening to her reasoning.

"Or can you think of anyone here who would really say something bad about Isabel?"

Truth be said, the fact that Lilia was calm, despite some occasional heaving and the tear streaked cheeks, had some influence, too.

"Ya mean, 'sides Frost? LeBeau? Dra…"

"Give me a break, Creed! Just because we all think she's crazy for being with you, it doesn't mean we'll call her coward. There's a big difference."

Creed himself wasn't sporting a truly threatening stance, at least not the way he was holding Lilia – one arm supporting her, the other free and ready to either comfort or defend.

"Can't you see this is just a misunderstanding?!"

And yet his reddened eyes told a different story.

"Misunderstanding? Ya mean Lilia just made it all up, 's that it? She's lyin', is that what ya're sayin'?"

"But is t'ue, Pappa!" The girl said urgently. "She said too! She said, she said Mamma's afwaid o' you. They aw said. I'm not lying, is t'ue!"

Creed bared his teeth at Kitty and, as Logan's claws unsheathed, he took a better hold of the girl with a hand supporting her back. Scott bit down a curse.

They had all discussed that messed up connection between Creed and Isabel, especially when he'd been injured and Isabel, despite previously being afraid of him, standing by his side day and night. But they all realised the child lived happily within that messed up relationship, adoring her pappa and not the slightest aware how scared her mother was of him. Scott had talked about it with Emma and she'd just shrugged it off. First of all, she didn't think Creed would be that abusive towards the mother and still garner so much love from the girl. Not to mention, she didn't think he was smart enough to be able to brainwash the woman into that level of devotion and, besides that, Isabel was not as innocent as she appeared to be, either. There was something else in the picture they weren't seeing, she believed. And, anyway, the guy was stuck with them for good. If their relationship really was that abusive, Isabel would eventually realise she could walk out on the man safely while he was in the hands of the X-Men and the problem would solve itself.

The point was that, no matter how much the topic was mentioned and discussed, they had all been very careful not to say anything anywhere near the ch... No, that was not right. There had been at least one occasion he'd witnessed when the topic had come up near the child. But she'd been playing with her puppy and hadn't been exactly within earshot. Perhaps someone had been less careful, though.

Still, right now, it was best to be diplomatic and defuse the situation. He couldn't allow this to escalate into a fight, not with the child there.

"Ok, Creed, you've got a point, I'll give you that. No one should have told Lilia her mother was afraid of you. But no one ever intended for that to happen, either. You know that." He snarled but didn't dispute it. "It was an accident. First of all, no one sees Isabel as a coward. Being afraid of someone that can kill you does not make anyone a coward, but Lilia must have overheard a conversation and she didn't make the distinction between being afraid and being a coward. So it is like Kitty said: a misunderstanding."

"Ya told Lilia her Mamma's afraid o' me and ya think it's no big deal?!"

"We didn't tell Lilia anything of the sort, Creed!" Even Kitty was getting frustrated. "She must have overheard someone talking, that's all!"

"And it ain't like nobody lied."

When Creed's glare focused on Logan, Scott signalled to Kitty so that she'd be ready to take Lilia to safety.

"What're ya sayin', boy, that Isabel's 'fraid o' me? Ha! That'll be the day. She ain't ever been 'fraid o' me, and she sure as hell ain't gonna start now."

Logan neither sheathed his claws nor eased his stance. If anything, he was even readier to strike.

"Like I said before, ya must've fergotten how ta use yer nose, Creed. Or ain't ya noticed how the woman gets scared everytime she sets her eyes on ya?"

Kitty signalled back at Scott that she was ready.

"She ain't scared! You're the one who's fergotten how t'use yer nose. She's apprehensive. It's a completely different scent, you asshole. And even if she was scared, so what? It still wouldn't be me she'd be scared of."

And he stepped back. It was unexpected and almost had Scott push the button. Creed took in their positions, changed Lilia to his other arm – his eyes trailing from Logan to Scott and Kitty – and slowly moved to the left.

"That woman ain't fuckin' scared o' nuthin'," he grumbled.

He positioned himself behind an armchair that was near Scott's desk. The child was now fully facing the X-Men, but before Kitty could reach her, if she phased, she'd have to go through both the armchair and Creed's body, not to mention they were both much further away from her grasp now.

"Creed…" Kitty tried to cut in, hoping to get closer to them while talking, but the mutant wasn't about to listen to anything.

"YOU don't know NUTHIN' 'bout the woman, ya morons! She LIKES worryin'! It's like some blasted hobby o' hers, just worryin' 'bout everythin' an' nuthin' and bein' 'fraid that somethin' bad's gonna happen. I ain't gonna go 'bout wastin' my time guessin' what she's worried 'bout. I wanna know, I ASKS her. And I suggest next time ya just plain ASK her 'stead o' tellin' the kid LIES that YOU made up."

There was a moment of silence, adversaries measuring each other and calculating chances.

"She ain't ever been 'fraid o' me."

If Scott hadn't known better, he might have thought he heard a hurt undertone; as it was, he simply noted Creed was calmer – having yelled away at least some of the built up tension – and that now was the time to finish defusing the situation without fighting.

"Lilia was too upset with Isabel's situation and has eaten nothing all morning. Why don't you fix her a late brunch? Kitty will help you."

Creed hesitated and measured the man up and down, studying his proposal.

"I don't need no help from none o' you."

Creed didn't wait for a plainer invitation and promptly left, not letting anyone out of his sight until he was out of the room. He heard Kitty's steps – she'd be following him to the kitchen. Only he wasn't headed for the kitchen and he didn't want a shadow either. He turned a corner before Kitty set eyes on him and swiftly jogged to the stairs.

It didn't take long to reach the infirmary.

There was no one around, so he locked the door behind him and softly sat Lilia on her sleeping Mamma's bed. Creed held his breath for a moment as he took in Isabel's pale face. He touched her forehead and found it cold.

"Nesi," he called softly, as if someone other than Lilia might risk hearing him. "Can ya hear me, my sweet Nesi?"

She didn't respond, obviously; and the blond almost punched the bed in frustration. Instead, he caressed her face gently.

"Why did ya keep mum 'bout this, Nesi? Damn ya and yer stubborness! Ya trust Angie; why didn't ya trust McCoy? He's way more qualified than anyone t'deal with yer rare blood, woman."

He growled out his frustration. What the hell could he do for her? Nothing! And he didn't have much time, either. The others would be on his trail in a few moments, if they weren't already.

"Lilia, ya listen ta Pappa, now." The girl's wide brown eyes reminded him of Isabel's, only these were filled with innocence and awe at him. "Yer Mamma ain't no coward, ya hear? And she ain't 'fraid o' no one."

She just kept gazing at him. Unconvinced, he figured.

"Yer Mamma is one o' the strongest, bravest women I've ever met."

Not to mention stubborn and unmanageable. Lilia glanced briefly at her Mamma.

"But... Mamma's aw'ays sca'ed, Pappa."

He growled. He could understand his baby girl's confusion: fear and apprehension are very close together. One could almost claim that apprehension smells a lot like a low level of fear, but it was still different. Someone with senses as heightened as Logan, and with as much experience as he had, really should know better than to mix the two. Creed, for example, could distinguish it from afar, on his woman. He could distinguish the most minute changes in her scent from afar. But Lilia wasn't aware her senses were above everyone else because he didn't want her to know about it and accidentaly out herself as a mutant while playing with the other kids in Creston.

There were steps approaching, outside. Logan, Pryde, Summers. McCoy, too.

"Listen, my Lil' Devil, it's easy t'confuse worry an' fear. Yer Mamma worries 'bout you an' me... an' they've gone an' confused worry with fear, that's all. D'ya understand what I'm sayin'?"

Lilia bobbed her head up and down uncertainly, biting down her lip, as the door opened, Logan bursting in with a growl and a single claw extended, McCoy fast on his heels. Creed groaned, knowing he wouldn't be able to talk to Isabel, and glanced at his woman, fighting the urge to send them all to hell and just holding her tight and safe in his arms till she woke up.

"It's all 'bout worryin'," he insisted under his breath.

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