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.
17. Sentimentality and Education
It was Sunday morning. Creed had met Mystique in Paris exactly two weeks ago, even if they had then taken four days beating about the bush before that infamous dinner which had ended in Picard's kidnapping. As a nearby church tolled its merry calling for the faithful to come to mass, Creed knocked on the door to the mutant's apartment. He could hear her laughing a moment later, just before the door swang open.
"Ten days, Mr. Hyde!" She crossed her arms and stretched her body provocatively on the door frame, stopping him from entering. "Ten full days you've kept me waiting."
"Seems like someone knows how t'count."
"Really?"
She had a devilish smile that annoyed Creed. If he weren't under cover, he would have forced her back inside and taught her a lesson she'd have loved in the end. And throughout too, if she hadn't dropped her taste for roughing it. So he did what Sabretooth would never have done in a million years: he turned his back with a shrug and started moving away.
"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going, Hyde?"
"If ya're so worked up over me walkin' out on ya that ya actually counted the days I was gone..."
"Don't be an ass and get in. You're paying lunch, by the way." Creed walked up to the door again and peeked in. Mystique had just gotten to her bedroom and stopped to glare back at him. "And dinn...Why are you standing there?"
"I didn't stop by t'get laid 'fore lunch." Especially because he had more important things to do. There was clear surprise etched on her blue features and Creed let his eyes wander briefly across the bare walls of the square hall. "I just meant t'invite ya fer lunch. Ya know, fer havin' disappeared so suddenly when we had just, hmm... gotten t'know eachother."
Creed had to suppress a laugh at Mystique's frown of shocked incredulity. It wasn't often she got that kind of expression. She put a closed fist on her hip and it immediately reminded him of Isabel. He really was not in the mood to spend time with Mystique, of all people.
"So... when were you expecting to get laid, then?"
He shrugged.
"I got us a table at Le Jules Verne. One thirty. I'll have a car pick ya up at one, if that's ok."
She blinked twice, even more stunned, then shook her head very lightly and said it sounded fine.
"See ya then," and Creed pulled the front door close.
He was aware of her eyes on his back as he crossed the street and got on a rented motorbike. He looked up at her window and raised his hand in a half-salute gesture before putting on the helmet and speeding away. That would have her rolling in curiosity.
"It's almost one, Creed," Cannonball pointed out. "Ya should be gettin' goin' t' the restaurant or Mystique'll get there first."
He nodded, mentioning he'd be leaving in a sec. Instead, though, he got the phone Summers had given him and headed to a window.
"You've just spent over half an hour on the phone!" Bishop grunted from somewhere.
Creed didn't even pay him any attention. Lilia had been playing with her puppy so he'd been able, for the first time, to actually text Isabel. He had asked about the secrecy over the pregnancy and she'd texted back that she'd thought it was best to keep it secret. There was a lot of ill will around and she'd just…
"why didnt you tell the doc," he'd texted.
"I don't trust him," she texted in Portuguese.
"you CAN TRUST McCoy," he'd sent. "I bet he will keep all the secrets you ask TRUST HIM"
She hadn't answered. He'd sent a few more texts but she hadn't answered any of them yet. He could guess why. She had made the decision she had felt was best and she did not recognise him the right to give her any shit about it. Even if it had been a bad call. It was always the same. Truth be said, her decisions were usually sound enough, but this time…
He pressed the first key and leaned outside. Lilia's voice was soon chirping at his ear, the puppy barking exitedly in the background.
"Pappa!"
"Hey there, Lil' Devil. Pappa's goin' dark, now." She giggled conspiratorily from the other side.
The girl had called him the moment she'd woken up, before seven in the US, and Creed, who'd been expecting it and had hurried away from Mystique's in order to lounge about near the phone, had chatted until breakfast time, always reminding her she wouldn't be able to call him once he had to go out and work undercover. He'd taught her the expression, to go dark, and she had loved it.
"So, what d'ya do now?"
"I wait that you caw," she chirped, though not as giddily.
"And how long can that be?"
"Many, many hou's," she droned, happiness gone. He insisted and she added that maybe even days. Because bad guys don't sleep.
"And what's the first thing Pappa's gonna do when I'm done wi'the bad guys?"
"Caw me!"
Exactly. Lilia had been playing with her brand new 'Pappa phone' for a couple of days now and, though it seemed to help the child feel more confident away from Creed, he was worried about the nights. Summers still didn't want him alone with Isabel, so she had decided to keep on sleeping in the infirmary. That way, the girl could sleep in her arms while Creed slept on another bed under either Summers' or McCoy's steady watch. Far from perfect, but at least the child had been sleeping entire nights, and he'd been sleeping too. Better yet, he'd been able to hold and kiss his woman every single night, while his babbysitter caught some z's. He hadn't dared to bring up the topic of her dumb decision because it would ed up with someone raising their voice - whether it was him, her or both - and being caught in an argument with the woman was a big no-no.
More worrying was the fact that Lilia didn't want Mamma touching her phone. However, Creed knew Lilia was possessive; she had taken after both Mamma and Pappa on that one. They'd see how it went. For now, the important thing was that the nightmares were gone and she was getting less clingy. Besides, Creed had no idea of spending the night with Mystique, so, if this first night without his presence didn't go as smoothly as expected, he'd be able to chat to his girl on the phone.
He heard Isabel's voice then, in the background. Lilia apparently ignored what her Mamma was saying so Creed had to tell her off lightly, remind her to do what she was told. Grudgingly, Lilia piped out 'have fun' before she hung up. Taking a deep breath, Creed glanced about the street. Maybe Pryde was right and they should enrol her for pre-school afterall, keep her too busy with novelty and kids her age to fret over silly childish fears.
"Creed, are you done yet?"
"Yupe."
Time to get back to work: Raven had secrets to spill.
The early evening was sunny and warm. As Mystique walked up the Champs Elysées, with the Marigny Theatre dead ahead, her eyes looked eagerly for her target. Mystique was not easily put off, but she had to admit Hyde was getting there. As perfect as lunch might have been, he had rejected her advances and taken off. Sure, he'd agreed to have dinner but... why was the man playing hard to get? And to think she had planned a pleasant afternoon before getting down to nasty business. Such a pity!
There he was, sitting on one of the green park benches, all suited up. She paused for a moment, enjoying the view. He seemed relaxed, captivated by a group of children playing with a puppy. On the night they'd spent together, Mystique had almost wondered if he wasn't actually Victor Sabretooth Creed in spite of everything. But Victor Creed being entertained by a bunch of screeching brats prancing over a puppy after having refused sex twice? Never in a million years! He was even smiling. Lightly, but he was.
She kept on walking. He glanced carelessly her way before looking back at the children. She was almost by his side when he got up. He nodded towards the restaurant, Le Laurent.
"Ya do have taste afterall," he smirked cordially.
"You, on the other hand, forgot the bouquet."
He shook his head, the amused smirk getting a bit brighter.
"I ain't the type t'offer flowers. And I didn't take ya fer the type t'wanna get flowers either."
She took his arm.
"Then you were wrong."
He smirked.
" 'Fraid I'm still not the type t'get a woman flowers."
As they walked up to the restaurant, the children and their puppy ran across the path, getting in their way for a moment. Mystique didn't hold back a grumpy complaint over parents who let their kids prance about without supervision.
"They're old enough t' have some autonomy. 'Sides, they's kids! Ya don't expect 'em t'behave like old half-wits, do ya?"
For as long as they didn't behave like young half-wits.
"So you enjoy having kids shrieking about, then? Have you got a litter of them trailing behind you somewhere, huh?"
That struck a cord. He paused and eyed her suspiciously, Sabretoothly.
"If I had a brood somewhere, as ya says, I wouldn't be here. I'd have dropped this line o' work an' gone inta somethin' less dangerous. As fer shriekin' kids... Ya know, I follow my instincts when it comes t'kids. And I've always figured women had the right instincts when it came t'kids, too. Apparently you don't."
Marvelous. Now they were getting into an argument even before sitting down for dinner.
"Shrieking children have nothing of natural. It's a simple by-product of poor parenting." They resumed walking towards the restaurant. "Parents should instruct the children into developing the right skills from an early age, not let them run about without a thought!"
The host at the entrance directed them to their table in the terrace. There was a cover of white fabric that filtered the early evening sun and created a magical atmosphere. Mystique almost wished she had delayed business till the following day. Unfortunately, she couldn't risk letting Hyde disappear again.
"So that speech 'bout parentin'," Hyde resumed as he picked up the menu, "is that from experience?"
She could have told him to stuff it; instead, she thought it over. Carefully. Even if Sabretooth possessed parenting instincts strong enough to overpower his love for the kill, they still wouldn't be strong enough for the man to enjoy shrieking kids. Even if they were his own, she still couldn't picture Sabretooth turning all daddy. He looked at her over the menu and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. For the millionth time, she decided he was not Creed undercover (as if the man had the skills or the self-control to endure a long out-of-character performance).
"Why? You're looking for advice?"
He put the menu down.
"I don't need no advice; I got instinct. That's all I need. You?"
She shook her head and focused on the menu. Asparagus, morels, foie-gras... She'd have the morels for starter. As for the main course, she'd have fish rather than meat. Maybe the...
"That's why ya can work with 'em, isn't it?"
She looked up at Hyde.
"It's nuthin' t' you, that they's kidnappin' kids. I always thought women wouldn't go wi'that kind o' stuff, ya know, on account o' yer motherly instincts. But ya ain't got 'em, so it's all the same t'ya."
This was starting to annoy her.
"You know, he was always going about instincts too. But you and him, you're both wrong. What you're talking about, Hyde, is sentimentality and no, I have no sentimentality when it comes to children."
Hyde snorted and Mystique put the menu down to get her point across.
"Sentimentality, yes! Those instincts you're talking about? They're just mellowing you, softening your predator instincts and keeping you from losing your temper with children. That's why ferals like you need them, because of your short tempers. But what children need isn't softened hearts! Hyde, children are the future of our world. When you let sentimentalities get the better of you, you stop seeing clearly and you ruin that future because you end up raising foolish people that either fall short of their potential or waste it completely. You need to stop and think; and you need to teach children to stop and think from the earliest age too. It's not enough to start working on them when they hit puberty and their powers manifest because by then their personalities are set, with all the weaknesses that the wrong education got into them. As a parent, you have to make absolutely sure they develop the right skills to fulfill their destinies from the very beginning. Or at least as early as possible."
A waiter was coming their way and Mystique opened the menu with a hasty sigh. The fillet of turbot, she decided. But they'd better change the topic before she got indigestion by anger. Hyde ordered meat, naturally. Instincts. Please!
"Ya got really strong views on the subject, don't ya?"
"Experience will always give you strong views," she explained, a bit too grimly for her taste.
Especially bad experiences, her mind added bitterly. But at least she had the chance to fix some past mistakes; most people didn't. Shaking her head lightly, Mystique entwined her fingers and forced a smile.
"But let's talk about you, shall we? I can't seem to shake this feeling that you're trying to avoid me."
"That's 'cause I am," he snorted. "Ya're part o' my original's life and I'm tryin' t'steer clear o' that, remember?"
Oh, yes, indeed.
"In that case, I don't think you're making a very good job of avoiding me."
"No, I guess I ain't."
"I promise you one thing, though," she smiled alluringly. "I'm going to make sure you'll have a night to remember."
There was an expression on his face that had her suddenly annoyed.
"You were not thinking of getting rid of me right after dinner, were you?"
"No, 'course not."
Although that sounded a lot like a yes.
"Good. Because, like I said, I've got big plans for the two of us."
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