The Boogie Man
Sequel to Kittens Have Claws, Too. Victor, Katherine, Tayla and Mystique discover the secret to helping keep female ferals alive…But will nightmares be the setback for an old friend, or will her personal Boogie Man be the one to save her soul.
I DON'T own them…at this point I wish I did…I would put them all out to pasture and go on with my LIFE…SOMEONE get Victor Creed OUT of my head. Wait, never mind. (Victor muse purring in the background as he throws back the covers on the bed…) I am going to pet the kitty while you guys enjoy the story.
A/N Thanks for all the great reviews.
SparrowsVixon – I have always thought that after all these years of trying to kill each other, the play by play does get a bit like an old married couple…there will be serious Victor/Logan fight action later in the story…Victor is going to have to beat some sense into the Runt…
Cerdwyn3 – Yes, Tay has issues. I tried to make that clear in the first story…but they are MUCH worse now. Her issues are a major part of the plot in this so I won't go into a whole bunch but, foresee much Logan/Tayla angst.
Contorce – All the others started slow so I thought a nice action sequence would be a change of pace.
Arden Skysender – as usual, your reviews are the BOMB! Henry will have a huge part in this…I won't say how or when…but he will figure prominently. I love the blue furball too!
Jinx of the 2nd Law – The female feral thing has been in the works for a while, and I am so glad it is working.
And now onto less pleasant subjects – sorry this one was so short, but I don't like dwelling in the dark shadows…at least not without Victor to protect me.
Chapter 3
She looked out the window at the New York City skyline. It wasn't the Rockies, but it came close, especially from a penthouse. She could hear him moving around in his office behind her. Megan cringed when she remembered how they had met.
She had been down on her luck after the whole X-Men incident. She couldn't go home, she tried, but both of her parents had refused to allow it. At that point she had been in debt deep. She couldn't remember how many people she had owed money too, and some of them came with serious delinquency penalties. She had been trying to pay off one of her debts working in a club – in the back room, when he had come in.
He had been dressed in a three piece suit, hair combed back, and he had looked vaguely familiar. She had just been serving drinks, that night, and he had struck up a conversation. They talked a while, and then he had asked for her number. She had done something she rarely did. She told him the truth. She didn't know why, but he seemed so sympathetic, so kind after what she had been through. He came back every night, and made sure all she did was serve drinks. By the end of the month he had asked her to move in with him, and paid all her debts.
"I don't care what it takes, get it on the ballot." He shouted into the phone before slamming it down. "Idiots – they know how important this presidential election is."
"Gray, honey, settle down – they will take care of it." She said walking behind him and slipping her arms around his neck. He reached up and took one of her hands. "You will get on the ballot – the party is already behind you, and this new platform should win over the moderates too."
"Megan, you know I don't like you to talk politics." He snapped.
"I am just worried, you are so tense." She started to knead his shoulders.
"I have a fund raiser tonight." He stood up, brushing her hands away.
"Is your wife going?" She asked.
"No, Martha is sick – again." She smirked. His wife was always sick with something, usually booze or drugs. That was what he liked about Megan, she stayed clean, and when he needed a pretty ornament, she could be that. "Just be here when I get home." He snapped
"Of course, Gray." She smiled.
"Where in Colorado did you say you were from?"
"It's a small town, between Boulder and Ft. Collins." Why was he asking that?
"There has been some mutant activity – we may be looking into it. I thought if you knew the area you might come along." She smiled at him. Mutant activity in Colorado – I wonder if it has anything to do with 'Uncle Vic'. She thought.
"I haven't been home in a while, it sounds nice." There was always the chance of running into her sister and brother-in-law. Wouldn't Victor be surprised to see her with his son? She had been surprised when she found out exactly who he was. She had been living with him about a year when he got really drunk one night and started cursing his mutant parents. She hadn't said a word to him, but he was her ultimate revenge on poor Uncle Vic. She almost hoped she would get pregnant. Wouldn't THAT be a kicker, poor little Megan carrying Uncle Vic's grandchild.
Graydon left the penthouse, slamming the door behind him. He rarely engaged in pleasantries at home, he had so many he had to deal with on the road. Running a presidential campaign as well as the entire Friends of Humanity organization took a great deal of his time. Now if only the erstwhile Mrs. Martha Creed would just die, Megan would be more than happy to step into her place.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
He looked at the reports in front of him. Why were feral mutants congregating in that small area of Colorado? Ferals made the best soldiers, and his war was far from over. If he could recruit…wait – it couldn't be.
Erik double checked the report again, and then called Pyro into his office.
"Is this correct?"
"As far as we could tell, yea."
"These were females? ADULT females?"
"Yea, two of them were VERY pregnant, too." He said with disgust.
"Who is breeding ferals?" He asked.
"I don't know. I didn't see any familiar faces, but the town is just crawling with them."
"And they are living in – peace." He sneered the last word.
"As far as we could tell, there weren't any protests, and the normals in town didn't seem to mind a bit."
"Hrm, perhaps I need to call in my own 'feral' and have him check on this – more intimately." Erik looked at the blonde fire bug.
"I thought you cut him loose years ago?"
"I did. But I can always tug his leash. I need to contact Mystique as well, mend some fences. I haven't seen or heard from her in a few years either."
"Well, that last fight you guys had was a big one. If I remember correctly she told you to eat shit and die, and she would be glad to dance on your grave." Eric refrained from slamming the young man against the wall – he needed him. He just glared.
"Lover's spat – I am certain she is over it by now."
"Whatever." Pyro walked out of the room. Erik was going to have to break him of that impudence, someday.
XXXXXXXXXX
"I don't like this." Storm said as she paced the small room for the eight time that hour.
"Ro, calm down, Logan is cooperating with them, so we should get out ok." Rogue said.
"But cooperating by doing what? I know what Mystique said when she came to see me, but I can't imagine them having to hold us hostage for THAT!"
"For what?" Pete said from against the wall.
"She told us about a program that she was involved with – that matched feral mates – and that Logan had matched with one of the females in the program. She wanted to introduce them, to convince Logan that this girl was his – I don't know – life mate or something. She said something about it being a very serious life threatening situation, but I just can't understand all of this – just to introduce him to some girl."
"Ro, he was half naked when I saw him, pale and drawn, looked like he hadn't slept in days. He wouldn't tell me what they wanted from him."
"Well, I can't say the accommodations are what we are accustomed to, but, for Mystique and Sabretooth, they have been civilized." Pete said with a chuckle. "The food is decent, and there is plenty of it."
"Pete don't you think with anything but your stomach." Marie teased.
"Not when Kitty isn't around." The two young people laughed, and Ororo smiled. At least they were keeping their spirits up. She started when the door opened and the young woman she had almost met nine years ago walked in.
"I am sorry, it should just be a day or so longer – and you will be free to go."
"Why are you holding us?" Ororo demanded of the feral woman.
"To ensure Logan's cooperation, if we could trust him to – do what we need him to do, without holding you, we would have already released you."
"You don't trust him?"
"It's complicated."
"I am sorry – about that night." Ro said softly.
"You mean the Prom…get over it, I did." She laughed.
"We weren't introduced. I am Ororo Monroe."
"Katherine Creed."
"This is Marie and Piotr."
"I know who they are. Please understand, I am sorry you have to endure this, because your team mate is an absolute ass, but don't for a moment think I don't know everything you and your teams have done to my mate – my friends – my family."
Ororo was shocked by the hostility in her voice.
"Mate?" Marie asked.
"Victor Creed…the one you call Sabretooth, is my husband – my mate."
"Is Logan goin ta have to marry this 'mate' of his?" Marie asked.
"NO!" she snarled, it was almost a growl.
"Okay! I take it things aren't goin well, then?"
"Things are going fine. She will live, as long as he continues to…" She took a deep breath "do what we want him to do, and when her cycle is over, you will be free to leave, and take that adamantium laced twisted piece of shit with you." Even Pete was taken aback by the vehemence in her words. Why did she hate Logan so much?
"Get some rest. You should be out of here in a few days at the most." She said before closing and locking the door again.
"You said you saw several ferals here?" Ororo asked Marie.
"Yeah…more than just the ones that took us down in the courtyard…kids, teens, adults, even pregnant women; it's strange, all of them gathered in one place like this."
"It is definitely something we will have to have Hank look into." Ororo sat down in one of the chairs again. As soon as she did she could feel the walls closing in, this had better be over soon.
XXXXXXXXXX
They stood in the darkened room, faces covered, identities protected, not that he didn't know who each and every one of them were, but some of them didn't know each other.
"Tribune – are you certain that this is a wise course of action?" One of the masked members asked, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"This nest of breeding mutants must be eradicated." They didn't know that his own father was involved. He wanted to see that mutant dead. The background they had gathered wasn't complete – yet. Victor Creed would face judgment for his crimes, and after he was finished with his father, he would hunt down his slut of a mother and butcher her as well. He could feel himself straining against his slacks. Megan had better be home when he got there, the slut. At least she was loyal, he would give her that. Five years since he rescued her from that dive she was working in, and she had never once given him any reason to doubt her. He needed to finish the background check on her, soon. Martha was getting tiresome, and he didn't need her father's money any more. Megan would be a far lovelier First Lady, as long as she had no major skeletons in her closet.