A/N: Trying a new method out for getting out one shots. Bear with me. This is a short one because I'm working on a lot of things at once.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Victor glanced over at Calli as she slept. Her body was stretched out next to his, her shirt curled up over her soft belly. Victor felt sorely tempted to touch the soft skin there. To just rest his hand upon her and feel her softly breathe.

She looks so peaceful, Victor thought, gazing upon his mate. So different from what I came home to…

OOOOOOOO

Hours before…

Victor entered the house and immediately the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Calli?" he called out, eyes turning feral black.

Footsteps could be heard overhead. Followed by a crashing sound.

Victor growled and took the stairs up to the second level two at a time. Calli had him thrown against the wall as soon as he cleared the bedroom door. Victor's little mate smirked and looked at him with inky black eyes, words scribbled around her throat.

"Calli, snap out of it," Victor growled, peeling himself off the wall. "It's me."

"I know," she said simply. "Throwing you around is fun for me." She smirked. "I want to see you bleed a lot."

Victor spun out of the way of her next attack. "This isn't like you, sweetheart."

"I am not your sweetheart. I'm no one's sweetheart."

Ink monsters rose up from the ground and started coming at him. Victor tore through them with ease. The problem was that they kept reforming. Calli laughed coldly.

"Oh, nice try, dumbass! What are you going to do next? Use scissors on them?"

Victor bit back a smartass remark. He grabbed Calli and held her struggling form tightly against his body. The Goth growled and kicked out, trying to get at him.

"Easy, easy!" Victor ordered, holding her tighter. "Calli, it's me."

"A dead man!" Calli snapped, twisting in his arms. "A fucking dead man walking!"

Calli ran her tongue over her teeth and hissed. Victor ran his hand over the back of her neck, smearing the ink there. Calli's body went stiff.

"Calli, what's gotten into you?"

Calli growled. "Who?"

"Calli."

"Doesn't ring a bell." The Goth shifted. "I don't know Calli."

Victor sighed. "Valkyrie."

"What?"

"What made you come out?"

The alter smiled. "Bad day at the job. All the girls and boys were naughty, so Valkyrie made them play a game and now they're all better…Much better behaved."

Victor frowned. "What did you do to the staff at the hospital?"

The alter looked at her sharp ink black nails. "Something you wouldn't approve of."

Victor sighed and threw her onto the bed. The alter bounced onto her knees and smirked at him, looking like a cunning black widow, eyeing her prey. The large feral mutant pointed at her and growled.

"Let Calli out now."

"No. I like it here. I like the freedom. No boxes to cage me in. And you." Her eyes lit up. "You, I haven't tasted yet."

"And you're not going to, Valkyrie. Let Calli back out now."

"How about no?"

Valkyrie twisted her hand and red ink spread through the air like thousands of little needles. Victor ducked under the spray and Valkyrie laughed, bouncing on the bed. Victor was not amused,.

He didn't want to hurt Calli's body, but Valkyrie was certainly asking for an ass kicking.

"Bitch," Valkyrie purred, glaring at him. "C'mon. You know you want to call me that."

Victor climbed to his feet and made his way to the bed's side. "You are so much worse that that, Valkyrie. But you won't get the satisfaction of hearing those words coming from my lips."

"Pity."

Victor brought his hand back and slapped Valkyrie across the face. The line that naturally split her bottom lip down the middle, burst and blood trickled down her chin. Calli's body stiffened and she turned to look at him with wide eyes.

Calli was back.

And she was hurt.

"Calli, sweetheart, I'm sorry," he said, reached out to cup her face between his hands. "It was the only way to get rid of Valkyrie."

Calli flinched away and then leaned into his touch. "Can you please…try to find a different way next time? A less ouchy way?"

"I'm not going to give her what she wants," Viktor told her firmly, holding his mate close.

Calli nuzzled his neck, careful to keep her blood off of him. "What does she want that's so hard to give to her?"

Victor rubbed her back. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Present…

Victor put his hand lightly on her stomach and closed his eyes, trying to envision a world where his mate didn't have to be plagued with so many horrors. His calloused skin could feel the that upraised scars across her belly, reminders of a past she refused to write away. Victor swore no one would ever hurt her again.

The price Valkyrie wants is too much, Victor thought, opening his eyes and looking at his slumbering mate. She'd take all the best of me….and leave nothing for you.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

A/N: Bear with me, we will get through this and work on more. Thanks- Scarlet