1841, Palace of Versailles

Jimmy groaned at the ache in his back when he walked down the gangplank. The damn bed in his cabin had been too short—again—but he had arrived safely. After getting back to his home and finding Victor and Charlie absent, he almost got angry but went to check with Abigail, one of Charlie's friends. She had left word saying that she had gone home for a visit and Victor insisted on going with her. A part of him was glad he kept her safe but the rest of him was uneasy at her being alone with his brother. He wasn't worried about infidelity, he knew her well enough to know that wouldn't happen, but he did worry about Victor's ability to control himself.

Pierre had extended an invitation to Jimmy to come to Versailles the prior year, when Charlie had told her grandfather where she went. To say that the elder Dubois was ecstatic over the match was an understatement, hence the invitation.

Thanks to Victor's lack of self control, he had killed a princess of some sorts and pissed off the English Royal Family. Thankfully, the princess was a mutant and her healing factor was extraordinary, bringing her back from the dead but that didn't make the Royals any less pissed. Victor would have to beg for their forgiveness if he wanted to get the bounty off his head. And that's why Jimmy had arrived in France. He would pick up his brother and go to England and hopefully it would all blow over. Then he could get back to Charlie, whether it was here in France or on their little piece of land. He didn't care, really, as long as he could be around her.

He arrived at the palace and heard the music playing from the foyer. Jimmy didn't let the butler take his coat because he'd be leaving as soon as he found Victor. There was dancing in the main dining hall and Jimmy stood in the entryway, his eyes scanning the room for Charlie. He found her sitting next to her grandfather, a hand on his forearm and her mouth open as she laughed. Her chestnut hair was curled and pinned up, a few tendrils down around her neck. The dress she wore was a pale yellow, a color that he was partial to as long as she wore it. Her shoulders were bared and a diamond necklace draped around her neck. Even from this distance, he saw the braided leather bracelet he had given her on her birthday. She was beautiful.

Victor approached her and offered his hand so they could dance. Jimmy saw her stiffen but she nodded once and joined him, allowing him to put an arm around her waist and placing her hand in his. He knew Victor saw him and restrained a growl when his brother leaned down to scent Charlie, trying to goad him into attacking. To her credit, Charlie pulled away from him, finally noticing that Jimmy had arrived. With a wide smile, she approached her lover and greeted him with a kiss then whispered, "May I have this dance, James?"

Hearing his name on her lips always had the intended effect and he let a small growl escape his lips, resisting the urge to carry her to the closest private room and have his way with her. It was harder than he thought, especially when she pressed her body flush against his as she kissed him again. "I'd love to but I'm here for Victor."

Charlie pouted but released him and said, "You owe me a dance."

"I look forward to it." He smiled down at her, which quickly turned to a frown when Victor finally joined them. "We need to go."

"Don't trust me with your girl, Jimmy boy?" Victor taunted.

"You've got a family to apologize to." Jimmy raised an eyebrow at his brother who, to his surprise, said he'd come with him without an argument. With a promise to Charlie that he'd return soon, Jimmy escorted his brother to the harbor.

Victor was using a claw to carve nonsensical designs into the railing of the ship when Jimmy said, "You need to keep away from her."

"It's not up to me." Victor didn't look at his brother. "She's my mate. You know it, she knows it. It's time that you let me have her."

Jimmy growled at Victor. "You're dangerous. She has trouble controlling herself and you wouldn't help her."

"You think you can?" Victor scoffed.

"I know I can."

Victor brushed the wood shavings away and straightened himself to his full height. "Doesn't really matter. It's not an issue of 'if' she leaves you, it's a matter of 'when'. Charlotte and I have already had several...shall we say special moments and I can understand the appeal of her. The way she smells when she's ready and willing is like a hit straight to my-"

Jimmy's hand closed around Victor's throat with a snarl but Victor laughed and shoved his brother's hand away, fixing his coat. "She may love you but that doesn't mean anything when you're not her mate. She'll end up in my bed and you can find your own bitch."

His words were meant to enrage Jimmy and they had the desired effect but Howlett controlled himself. Charlie wouldn't like it if he killed Victor because he had been doing so well at controlling himself. She didn't like Creed but he wasn't worth starting over for. That thought alone spared his brother's life.

"I'm not letting her go."

"What if she wants to leave?" Victor posed an interesting question.

Jimmy sighed roughly. "If Charlie decides to leave, I'll let her go. But I know her. I know how she thinks and I know she loves me just as much as I love her."

"Keep tellin' yourself that."

-0-

Roxie had been watching Victor for a long while when they arrived at the house where he was instructed to take her. They were waiting for his employer to show up and Victor, to his amazement, was feeling guilty over abducting Roxie. She seemed to notice. "Are you sad, Daddy?"

"No."

"Are you scared?" Roxie asked with childish curiosity. When Victor didn't answer, she said, "It's okay if you are. Mommy says everybody gets scared but being scared makes us brave."

Roxie furrowed her eyebrows when he stayed silent and jumped off the couch she was on, moving to climb onto the loveseat Victor was sitting on. "Mommy sings to me when I'm scared. I can teach you the words, if you want."

"I told you I'm not scared." Victor said, more harshly than he intended. Roxie jumped slightly and frowned, obviously disappointed. With a sigh, Victor said, "Let's get some food."

"Can we have sandwiches?" Roxie took his hand and looked up at him expectantly.

"Sure, kid." He found some cold cuts in the refrigerator and put together a sandwich, sliding the plate in front of her. Roxie stared at the sandwich for several seconds before Victor asked, "What?"

"The crust is still on it."

Victor groaned inwardly but extended a claw, slicing the crust off the bread. Roxie deemed the sandwich safe to eat now that it was crust free and Victor enjoyed the quiet. The sound of car doors slamming made his ears twitch and he was happy to have backup. Roxie wasn't hard to handle but he was uncomfortable. Something else that surprised him.

Roxie squealed and ran to his employer, throwing her arms around her neck. "Nixie! You're here."

The redhead squeezed the little girl back, then pulled back to smile at her. "Yes, I am, Roxie. I told you I would be."

Victor stood and found a bottle of liquor, pouring himself a drink before addressing his employer. "Phoenix."

"Sabretooth." She replied as she stood, taking Roxie's hand in hers. "I have to admit that I didn't think you could give her the virus. Didn't think you'd have the guts."

"When do I get my payment?" Victor asked, gulping his liquor and pouring another.

"When Roxie and I have our...friends." Phoenix replied with a wry smile.

"Friends?" Roxie echoed. "We're going to play with friends?"

"Even better." Phoenix cooed. "You're going to make them."

"People don't like me." Roxie said softly and Phoenix knelt in front of the little girl.

"You're very special," She assured the tiny feral. "Now you have a very special gift that lets you make friends and they'll listen to everything you say. They'll do everything and anything you want. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Roxie nodded with wide eyes and high hopes of new friends. Phoenix continued, "But first, I need you to do something for me."

A/N: Thanks to the new alerts and new favorites to this story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review and let me know what you think! :) A huge thanks to my reviewers, brigid1318, OptimusPrimegirl213, and Jinxofthe2ndLaw. You guys rock. :)