CHAPTER ELEVEN:

Brothers Part Two

AN: Super thanks to reviewer RISIKA. Growl, purr, growl, purr, growl growl growl growl growl, purr purr purr purr purr. Yeah, I'm trying to have Sabretooth/Victor using more animal means of communication right now since he kind of slipped over to the "animal side". I'm trying to have him regain his humanity slowly.

She was still as confused as heck.

Okay. So this guy was a mutant `Excuse me, a feral mutant.` she amended in her head.. His alias was Sabretooth, his real name was Victor and he had a brother named Jimmy-boy—

`-Is that seriously his name? Jimmy-boy?` she wondered.

-or maybe his name was Logan…. There seemed to be some confusion on what this guy was actually CALLED. And this brother of his, this Jimmy-boy/Logan person didn't seem to remember who Sabretooth/Victor/her captor was.

`Ah, family drama…..` she sighed.

Now she was following her captor (or was it former captor) as he walked quickly down the hall, actually sniffing the air, looking everything like a wild animal on the prowl. Ah, yes, now they were looking for Jimmy-boy/Logan.

`Why am I even following this crazy guy?` She wondered to herself. True, the bald professor had asked her to give the crazy guy a chance; had reminded her how this feral mutant had fed her and kept her warm….. `…..and scared the living
bejeezies out of me.`

`Is it possible I have Stockholm syndrome?` she wondered to herself, thinking back to what she remembered about the psychosis. Two bank-robbers in Stockholm, Sweden had stormed a bank, guns blazing, and captured several bank-tellers, holding them hostage for so many days. When the police had finally rescued the bank-tellers, they had actually DEFENDED their captors, even starting a fund to get the men out of jail.( see footnote)

She looked at the broad back of her former captor. `But I'm still afraid of him…..kinda…..`

* , I do not believe you are suffering from Stockholm syndrome.* the voice of the bald professor came into her head.

She jolted, tripping over her own feet (as she did often) and falling towards the floor. In a flash, Sabretooth turned and caught her in his arms, giving a low rumbling purr. "Watch where you're going, frail."

She blushed. "Sorry, I'm a klutz."

He growled a little low, and somehow she knew it was a growl of frustration. Then he swept her up into his arms bridal style, making her eep and continued down the hall, still sniffing.

`I'm being carried by a blood-hound cat.` she mused to herself, sighing as he still stalked through the halls. Everywhere he went students (some looking to be around her age and some younger) cringed to the edges of the halls and gaped at the two of them. Of course, he WAS still dressed in his pungent animal furs and she had yet to take a bath herself.

She poked at his well muscled shoulder.

"Um, I really need to take a shower. You could use one too. And laundry." Did he even know what laundry was? How long had this guy been in the woods?

He growled a little. "After we find Jimmy-boy."

She could work with that. "Okay." It WAS really nice to be held. Even if the guy was stinky.

She tried to take in the school as they (well, he) walked (make that stalked) but he was moving far too fast for her to catch too much except that the place was expensively decorated and there were a lot of kids and some her age, almost all carrying books and school supplies and some looking very odd….mutant-y…..with tails or animal ears or, in one case, blue-scaled skin.

This shot her head into musings of what it would be like to have blue skin.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000

SABRETOOTH

He was on the right track, the cat-like mutant could tell. His little brothers scent was growing stronger. He even noticed some areas where the Wolverine had "marked" his territory and chuckled at the thought of the bald professor finding his brothers little "leavings". Although, he wasn't sure his brother had done it consciously. It seemed that his little brother had figured out how to control his claws too.

He remembered when Jimmy-boys claws had first showed themselves, the night he had killed their good-for-nothing father. He remembered how terrified Jimmy had been that night in the rain when his claws wouldn't go back in.

-flashback-

"Victor! They won't go back in! They won't go back in! make them go away!" his little brother was all tears and fear, shivering in his small red robe, looking up at him as if he could solve all the problems in the world.

Instinctively, Victor began a rumbling, soothing, purr, rubbing his little brothers arms up and down gently. "Heah, heah, it's okay Jimmy, relax, it's okay."

"Make them go away, Victor!" the tears in his little brothers eyes cut at his heart.

"It's alright, Jimmy, they're a part of you. It's alright, just relax. If you relax, they'll go back in." he went to take hold of his brothers hands but Jimmy jerked back.

"Don't! I don't want to hurt you!"

"You won't hurt me, Jimmy." He purred, reaching slowly again. "I heal, remember? It's alright. Come here, runt."

He pulled the scared little boy into his arms, still letting out that rumbling purr, then sat on the ground, pulling Jimmy into his lap with his back to him, even rubbing his cheek up against his little brothers. "It's okay, Jimmy. You just need to calm down. Once you've calmed down, they'll go back in. It's okay."

Victor gently took one of his little brothers small wrists in his own hand, massaging the muscles , feeling the bones, careful that he didn't hurt him with his own claws. Keeping up that steady purr, he rubbed his little brothers wrists and hands until the claws went back in.

"There, see?" Victor asked gently, hugging his little brother briefly before nudging him off of his lap. "Look at me, Jimmy." Jimmy turned, his blue eyes wide and rimmed with tears. "Those claws are a part of you, Jimmy. They're not something to be afraid of. They protect you. It's kind of like owning a hunting knife, you just have to be careful."

-end flashback-

It had taken a while for Jimmy to get used to his new "claws" and it took even longer for him to learn how to control them. There had been many a time when Victor had to calm his little brother down, massaging his wrists and hands until the claws when back in, then licking away the blood until his healing factor kicked in.

When Jimmys scent grew stronger, he snapped out of his musings, looking down to check on the frail who, to his pleasure, was looking a little drowsy, resting her head against his chest, slowly petting his hunting furs with one hand.

Normally, he would protest, (he wasn't some type of house cat!) but if it kept her calm, then he wasn't going to stop her.

That's when he heard the sound of metal on metal and stopped, a little puzzled.

The frail looked up. "What's that?"

*That,* came the Professors voice into both of their heads *is the danger-room.*

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000

END CHAPTER

INFO ON STOCKHOLM SYNDROM:

Carver, J. (2011, August 11). Love and stockholm syndrome: The mystery of loving an abuser. Retrieved from ?option=com_content&view=article&id=167