Okay I had another one hit me. Yes I know I have unfinished ones, and blame the blockage monster - and a few real world blockages - at least the creative juices are flowing in some direction.
Summary: We all know that the most successful hunters, serial killers, and psychopaths hide in plain sight, successfully blending in with normal society. Logically, Sabretooth should follow that trend. I've written him in a normal environment before, but not like this. 25 years after Origins, Origins Sabretooth/Victor CreedXOC. (Yes that puts him 'working' during X1, I am assuming the events of X1 took place over spring break, and that Creed has some control of how to alter his appearance so he is not 'recognized' in his 'day job.')
Disclaimer: I don't own them, no really I don't. I swear I make nothing off of this except the satisfaction to get some sick stuff out of my head safely.
A little darker side of the X-Men comes out in this, but I've always considered Xavier a master manipulator.
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She managed to get through Friday. She called the university and had them fax her the forms for withdrawal, and growled when she saw the grade on the mid term calculus test, a B minus. If he hadn't distracted her while taking the test she would have aced it. She managed the paperwork without having to deal with most of the inhabitants of the nut house she was living in.
Xavier kept trying to get in her head, she knew because he had a frown line on his forehead every time he looked at her and she'd heard him talking to the woman they called Storm about how she was as hard to read as Victor.
Rogue kept trying to play nice, but she wasn't buying the act. Her scent was off, mostly scared when she was supposed to be relaxed, and any time Kathy showed any sign of her mutation other than the obvious, Rogue was as jumpy as a cat. She did give Kathy a few recipes designed to help the healing factor recover quickly.
Logan growled at her most of the time, but sometimes tried to play nice, usually because Rogue reminded him that Kathy was as close as family, and they needed her help to try to control Victor.
It was funny how telepaths and other ferals forgot just how sensitive her ears were. After the first few inadvertent snippets, she started listening for low tones of voice and whispers. By the end of the day she had a good idea what the X-Men's plan was.
They were going to try to get her locked into something, either classes at a university nearby or working on some project at the school, so that he'd feel obligated to stay and play nice and join the team and be 'reformed' in the image of The Wolverine. She knew he'd snort at that. She hated manipulation, she'd lived with it for too long to put up with it any more.
And then there were the kids, they gave her a perpetual headache. They were loud, they stank, they left a feeling as if she were being hunted by a pack of hyenas, and the yellow kid, Jubilee was the worst.
Instead of talking to her, they listened to that bubble gum chewing, fashioned crazed perpetual teen ager to decide what she liked. No one asked if she liked the clothes Victor bought her, they just assumed she'd bought them, and that she and Jubilee would be fast friends because of it. They had no idea that what she really wanted was her old ragged T-shirts and jeans, and to curl up someplace quiet with a book, but there wasn't any place completely quiet in the entire mansion, not even her own sound-proofed rooms. They thought she'd settle in and just be 'one of them.'
Nothing could be further from the truth, and if he didn't get his ass back here and take her someplace else, she was grabbing her backpack and leaving, his selfish ass could find her.
By the end of the day she was exhausted. She knew he would be back tomorrow, and she wanted to be rested. She was going to have to fight with him, to get him to take her someplace else and she was going to need all her energy to be able to stand up to him again.
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Marrakesh was a nightmare, not only did Fury's target not stay put, he wasn't in any of the locations Victor had been given. He'd spent the entire day just tracking the asshole down, then, after killing the bitch with the target, Victor realized he didn't even have time to make it a 'good' kill. He couldn't play with the little mousie like he wanted.
He did take the time for a small incision and pull the target's intestines out and play with them, but when he figured out he was trying to spell her name with in intestines, he just slashed the asshole's throat, took the picture for Fury to get paid, and ran straight to the airport where Toad was waiting.
He promised her he'd be home by Saturday, and was not going to break his word to her, hell he wanted to get home to her as soon as possible.
He put up with Toad's teasing back to Newark, and climbed into the limo for the ride to the school. On the seat of the limo was an envelope with his name on it. He opened it and stared in shock at the pictures of her day at the mansion. The note with them simply said "Tomorrow, 1:30, Xavier's, have another job for you." He had to get her out of there, and where Fury had no influence or eyes. He was so angry he was ready to kill something.
The door to the school was locked and he growled and pounded until James opened the door.
"You're back early."
"Just get out of my way." James stepped back, chuckling. If the Runt didn't quit he'd be chuckling out his ass. Victor let out another growl and headed straight to the guest suite.
He opened the door wanting nothing more than to grab her up, fuck her till she screamed, and then drop into dreamless sleep for a few hours. The living area was empty, and he snarled as he walked to the door of his bedroom. He glared at the empty bed for a moment, then felt a roar building in his throat. Where the hell was she?
He dropped his duster on the floor and walked to the other bedroom door of the suite and kicked it in.
"Did I tell you to sleep in here. You belong in MY fucking bed." He roared at her sleeping form on the bed.
"What the hell are you yelling about?" She said as she sat up in the bed.
He couldn't take it, the rage inside him exploded, he grabbed the first thing he could get his hands on, a small iron vase, and slammed it across the room. He watched in slow motion as she sat up further, putting herself right in the path of the projectile. He saw blood splatter, and heard her mew of pain as she clutched her head.
He knew she'd heal but he immediately dived for her, pulling her hands away. He watched the small gash knit and felt his own hands trembling. How the hell was he going to protect her when he couldn't even protect her from himself.
As soon as the bleeding stopped he pulled back. He was as bad as the assholes he was trying to save her from. Her father had treated her like shit and Fury wouldn't be much better. He stood slowly, backing away from her. She was still cowering on the bed, as soon as he'd moved she'd covered her head with her arms and curled away from him.
He stormed into his room and grabbed his pack. He started shoving everything he owned into it, regardless. His expensive suits he just shoved into the top after his duster and other hunting gear that he'd left behind. He was the fucking monster, he couldn't even have a mate without turning into the same kind of abusive bastard her father was, and if he wasn't here, if Fury thought he'd deserted her, she'd be safe.
She'd be better off without him. Xavier would make sure she was safe, would be able to finish school. He'd stay away, forever. She didn't need anymore abuse, especially from him. He was her mate, supposed to protect her and her cubs from harm, keep her safe, keep her...he stopped, dropping the Brooks Brothers jacket in his hand onto the floor and stared at the moisture on the cloth. He could smell salt in the air, but it didn't smell like her.
He looked at his hands as another drop fell, splashing against his palm He looked up at the ceiling, but there was no leak. Where was the damned salty stuff coming from. He felt a strange sensation in the back of his eyes, a burning he'd never felt before. With it came the sensation of a small trickle down his cheek, and another drop onto the wadded up wool on the floor.
"What the hell are you doing?" He could smell her fear and anger but was so absorbed in the strange liquid he didn't really notice her except in an abstract way.
He felt a strange weakness in his legs, and tried to answer her but his voice only came out in a harsh stutter, something he'd only ever heard from frails or targets, it sounded like a sob.
He tried again, "I have to go, you can't be safe with me. I have to keep you safe." He started repeating it, over and over as he bent down to pick up the jacket and stuff it in the bag. As another drop landed on it he realized where the liquid was coming from, his own eyes.
"YOU ARE NOT LEAVING ME HERE!" She roared, he couldn't have stopped her if he'd wanted to. Her fists pounded into his chest, his face, her claws cut his flesh, and he just stood there, knowing she deserved her rage. He wasn't any better than her father, a man he hated because of the harm done to his mate, and yet, Victor had already drawn her blood
He just stood there, even as the door burst in, and James came roaring into the room, blades flashing from his hands.
"Get away from her you bastard." James roared, then paused. Victor couldn't imagine how it looked but it shook him out of his daze. He grabbed Kathy's shoulders, pushing her back, as her claws slashed across his face again.
"Calm down." He said, in the softest voice he'd used in a long time, then shook her gently. Her eyes were pure black. He didn't know if he could get through to the animal in her without hurting her.
She seemed to take a deep breath, and glared at him, hate flowing off of her. "Fine, be a fucking coward and run. Leave me here, I won't stay. I'll be gone if you ever decide to come back. I hate it here, hate them all." She hissed every word, and he saw James switch targets.
She shook of Victor's hands and turned, claws still out. Victor could smell the defeat on her, but James was still in full battle mode. He could see the muscles in his brother's legs bunching for a lunge at what James saw as a threat. He moved, but not before the lunge started. Victor threw himself between James and Kathy, the blades plunging into his chest, her claws ripping into him from behind and he let out a roar of pain, and rage.
"Don't you EVER touch my mate." He shrugged her off, and pushed her back with one hand. He grabbed James by the throat with the other, and even with the extra weight of the metal on his skeleton lifted him up off the ground.
"Victor." He glared at Charles as he wheeled into the broken door way.
"GET OUT!"
Victor felt James's blades pierce his neck, he could feel the cold metal against his spine and knew it was the only way to protect her. He couldn't keep hurting her, it was tearing something deep inside him, something he hadn't felt since Jimmy left him with Stryker in the jungle. He remembered what James asked him the day before, did he love her, and suddenly he knew the answer. Yes. He glared at James. "Do it, Jimmy. KILL ME! Break this fucking bond with her. DO IT!"
Suddenly James's hands were bladeless, the cut on Victor's neck seeping blood as it closed.
"Put him down, Victor." Charles said quietly. Victor slowly lowered James to the floor. He could hear the hissing and spitting from the wild cat behind him, and knew she'd reverted to full feral. He had to stop her from attacking the old man. He turned, to reach for her and she lunged, at him.
"You hate me so much you wanted him to kill you." She hissed in her rage, her claws slashing into his face. He grabbed her hands, twisted her arms and secured her claws behind her back.
"No." He said quietly. The calm voice seemed to calm her for a second. "I can't protect you...I love you enough to let you go." He whispered the last.
He didn't notice anyone leaving the room, just the smell of salt, this time he knew what they were. The tears flowing down his face as her lips brushed his.
"You don't have to protect me, just love me." She whispered. "We'll work out the protection stuff later. But don't you ever leave me here again."
"If you'll promise not to ever sleep in any bed but mine again." he whispered back. He didn't know where he was going to take her, or how to keep her safe from his own animal, but she was right, they'd work it out.