Author's Notes:

OMG- Extremely short chapter! I feel bad putting up one so short, but I figure a little taste is better than nothing... Spring break this week so I should have a little extra time to try to get Chapter 24 finished! (It's almost done- just gotta connect it all...) Anyway, I hope you enjoy even though it is so tiny! Shout out to my buddies The Aniles for her German proofreading and to my friend Kristy for proofreading! Thanks, guys! :)

~The Lady Mage

FERITY: (fehr-ih-tee) - (noun) - 1.) The state of being wild or untamed. 2.) Savagery; Ferocity.

It was almost annoying sometimes how she knew just where to touch him to get him to do just about anything. She could smile at him and make him want to give her the world. She could brush against his skin and melt away a bad mood, or purr and soothe his nerves, calm his rages. For years he'd been a loner. He didn't feel much need for pack or family- not anymore, really- but he somewhat enjoyed the Brotherhood. He had his reasons for helping Erik, and enjoyed annoying the shit out of his 'siblings' on a regular basis- be they the ones here or the larger groupings across the sea.

Her hands were making slow, exaggerated circles across his bare back. He was laid out on his stomach on the bed, naked as the day he'd been born, enveloped in the inky darkness of the room. She sat against the headboard beside him in an identical state, drawing pictures with her fingertips against his skin. They'd sated their lusts- for now, at least- before scrubbing clean in the cold shower. The bedding and blankets had been washed that day, and though they hinted of Ororo and Sari, they smelled fresh and clean.

She spelled her name down his spine, then gently drew her hand over the skin as though she were erasing imaginary ink. She gently drew a V, then a cross, and finally a letter Z. Satisfied, she leaned down, pressing her lips to the skin between his shoulder blades, enjoying the clean smell of soap mixed with his unique scent.

He almost felt like purring. Moments like this were hard to come by, and he would miss this when he had to leave again.

"This makes me miss our home in Canada, mon amant." she whispered against his skin, sliding down so that she lay next to him. "I miss waking up and laying with you." She smirked, pulling his arm so that it was over her. "And naked laundry days."

He smirked, his eyes still closed, as he tightened the arm she'd put around herself. "When there was no one else home and we walked au natural while the sheets dried on the line." he half-murmured, relaxed.

"Mm-hmm." She nodded, cuddling up to him. "And I'd cook breakfast... ham and potatoes and eggs..."

"I always stuck to the damn kitchen chairs." his eyebrow quirked and she chuckled. "What are you laughing for? So did you."

Zoe chuckled louder. "Just remembering." said the smaller feral, leaning up to place a kiss on his nose. He snapped at the last second, capturing her mouth instead. Within a few seconds, he had her under him, pinned to the bed.

He tangled one hand in her hair, and used the other one to push himself up so that he was looking down at her. Her eyes were pitch black, reflecting the dim glow of light shining from beneath the bathroom door. The pearly white fangs from her mouth were poking out from between her lips. Fully feral, she waited, her breathing shallow. With a smirk, he let a low growl rumbled through his chest, watching her suck in a breath and arch her back. "Does meine Katze like that?" he teased darkly.

She started to move her mouth to answer, but paused to turn her head towards the door. When he tilted his head similarly, he heard what captured her attention.

Down the hall, the weather witch's door opened and closed, and the hungry mewlings of the cub rang out into the night.

"It must be four in the morning." Zoe said softly, gently disentangling herself from his strong arms. "...We'll... continue this..." She smirked, standing from the bed.

"Damn straight, we will." he said, reaching out and slapping her ass. She laughed, dancing away from him to grab his shirt from the floor. He watched her, flipping over onto his back, as she slipped into his 'Chicago' t-shirt.

Before Ororo could knock on the door, Zoe pulled it open. "Four A.M. on the dot." Ororo said softly, her voice amused, as she handed the crying cub to its mother. "Do you need me to come back?"

"No, we have her." said the redheaded feral, cuddling her cub. "Thank you for watching her for us."

"Anytime." Ororo smiled. "You know I love the petite chat. I'm going back to bed. Goodnight, Zee." (little cat)

"Bonne nuit, mon moka. Merci." (Goodnight. Thanks.)

"Jeuh t'en prie, Zee." (You're welcome.) said the wind-rider, giving Sari one last pat on the back. "Bonne nuit, Chaton."

Shutting the door, Zoe carried the fussing cub to her rocking chair, taking a seat and hiking her mate's shirt up to nurse the poor baby. Victor watched her curiously for a moment before standing out of bed. Without warning as to his intentions, he deftly lifted his mate from the rocking chair, turned, seated himself in it, then planted her in his lap with his cub against his chest. The redhead only giggled, leaning her head down against his collar bone.

"How have you kept busy these past weeks?" asked the redhead, watching Victor gently lay Sari in her bassinet. "Besides buying Twinkies in random gas stations across the state?"

The paternal feral ran his fingers over his cub's auburn hair, then tucked her soft pink blanket around her to keep her warm. Finished, he turned back to his mate laying in the bed. "Hey, I been eating Twinkies since they put cream in 'em instead of that nasty banana shit." he answered with a smirk. "Odd jobs mostly. A few easy marks and the like." He joined her on the bed. "Made a little blood money."

"Your favorite kind." she smirked at him, cuddling to his side. "Mystique is running around as a Senator apparently. I'm sure you knew that, though."

"Yeah. Has an even more annoying spouse now than when we were all back up in Canada."

Zoe chuckled. "So I hear. Well, perhaps she will do some good in Washington."

"I think it may be a little too late now, Katze."

"I don't know. I've listened to Erik for a long time, but I still think a little diplomacy never hurt anyone. It certainly can't hurt to try."

"Yeah, but I don't ever expect humans to decide to welcome us all with open arms. Not when we are the future and not them. They'd fight if only for survival. Put yourself in their shoes- you're a human on the edge of the era of humanity." He chuckled. "It's a losing fight, of course, but I don't begrudge it to them."

"Not every human hates us."

"Enough of them do." He shrugged. "It's the 1800's again, but our skin is a lot lighter. Wanting us to come forward and register because this time they can't tell who is the human and who is the slave by skin-color alone... well, except for Bluebutt." He snorted and she grinned. "There are groups of humans out there who spread hate and lies, saying that mutants are not the future but are freaks of nature- stupid, overgrown stem cell atrocities that should be sterilized at birth so they cannot reproduce."

"We are at one with nature- not freaks of nature." Zosia frowned.

"Yet they think we are less evolved than they are- that we're stupid neanderthal running among them- something that went wrong."

The redhead laughed. "I can't speak for everyone, but I know damn well that we are not stupid neanderthal. We read and write and think just as well- if not better." She moved atop her mate, straddling his hips. "We're just as capable of every human emotion... just with a bit more mixed in." She leaned down, laying on him. "But I still don't think they're monsters- they're not near as capable of being so as we."

"Has living here made you a pacifist?" he chuckled, bringing his arms up over her.

"Nein." She shook her head, fanning her hair out over them so that it hung down around his head where she lay over him. "Just trying to be aware of the other side, I think."

"Just be careful."

"Ha. I could tell you the same, my love."

"Never said I shouldn't be careful, too." He rolled them over so that she was beside him, his arms still around her. "I'm not going to get my ass caught on a whim."

"You better not... You better come back to us."

"Never say that I was false of heart, though absence seem my flame to qualify. As easy might I from myself depart as from my soul," He gently caressed the skin over her heart with the pads of his fingers. "Which in thy breast doth lie... Never believe, though in my nature reigned all frailties that besiege all kinds of blood, that it could so preposterously be stained to leave for nothing all thy sum of good; for nothing in this wide universe I call, save thou, my rose. In thou art my all." He leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on her nose.

Zosia smiled, lovingly running a hand over his stubbled cheek, then playfully bopped him on the head. She chuckled at his half-way surprised look. "Vic, you're a dork." He only grunted, quirking an eyebrow. "You do know what happened to MacBeth and Lady MacBeth, don't you?"

Victor smirked. "...They both died..."

"If you're going to quote Shakespeare at me then quote the comedies, my love." She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Our lives are too tragic for anything else right now."

He smiled wryly, leaning down to nuzzle the side of her face with his own. "What takes your fancy?"

"Hmmm... Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth? Unapt to toil and trouble in the world, but that our soft conditions and our hearts should well agree with out external parts?" She recited quietly, running her hands over his shorn head. "Come, come, you forward and unable worms. My mind hath been as big as one of your's, my heart as great, my reason haply more, to bandy a word for word and frown for frown. But now I see our lances are but straws, our strength is weak, our weakness past compare that seeming to be most which we indeed least are. Then veil your stomachs for it is no boot, and place your hands below your husband's foot in token of which duty, if he please, my hand is ready. May it do him ease."

Victor snorted. "You know that is sarcastic, right?"

"Oh, you actually can read!"

He growled playfully, pinning her hands and bringing his face down to her's. "I'll show you read..." He pulled her arms above her on the bed so he could hold both of her wrists with one hand, then used his other hand to run his claws over her ribs. The redhead half-roared, wriggling away from his tickling claws.

"Vic!" She squirmed again, "Quit!"

The blonde only tickled her harder until she finally giggled, then cut her off with a kiss. She laughed against his mouth, wiggling her hardest to escape his tickling hand. When he quit tickling her a second later, he pulled away. "For someone who says they miss me, you sure don't seem to want to kiss me." he teased.

"It's hard to kiss you when I'm busy trying to escape!"

"Oh, so now you want to get away from me, huh?"

She giggled again. "Whatever!"

"Don't whatever me, Zosia Creed!" He tickled her again, leaning his head down to nibble her neck. "If you don't want me here, I'll just go on out the windo-"

The redhead pulled her hands free and threw her arms around his neck. "No!" She pulled his head back up to look into his eyes. "Don't go just yet. Please?"

The mood of the room sobered instantly. His eyes softened, peering into her's. "The sun will be up in an hour." he said softly. "Can't be seen leaving here." He cupped her face with one hand. "Can't risk being seen this close to you, babe."

"But you've been up all night! You need rest- and you haven't eaten a thing!" She frowned, concerned. He smirked in amusement. "Please, why not sleep out the day? I'll bring you something to eat, and then you can leave out tonight when it gets dark again."

"I don't think that the little professor would like that much." Victor joked, pecking a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Or any of his little ever-faithful students."

"I don't care what they like." returned his mate, gently poking him so he would let her up, "And I don't for a second believe you do, either." She stood from the bed, and looked down at him, totally relaxed on the bed. "What do you want for breakfast? Eggs over easy? Fried ham and potatoes with rosemary?"

His stomach growled- loudly.

"Ha! You are hungry." She smirked. "I win. Come on."

Thanks for reading! :)

~The Lady Mage