AN: Sorry for the long wait!
She could smell it, the mutant person moving outside the walls and gates surrounding their house. What did he want from her?! She wished Victor was here. But he had gone for the day. He promised he'd be back tonight around dinner time. Told her to study her languages and after that she could do whatever she liked. And what she liked, was to go swimming in the heated outside pool while it was cold outside. But not with that dog-person luring outside.
Fuck this, she decided, this was their house! Victor and hers, or so he had told her anyway. That this was her house also. So other people would not decide where she could go.
She walked outside angrily. Annoyed by the stalker outside the gates. He quickly disappeared as she came outside.
"I can see you" she called out to him "I have seen and smelled you the entire time so just show me who you are because I will find you and hurt you if you don't".
Slowly but eventually, a tall dark haired man with side burns like Victor stood in front of the big gate. She could smell he was feral and if he wanted, he could easily jump over the gate. Even though it was twice his length.
"Who are you?" she asked quite defensively. But she already knew who this man was.
He held out his hand through the gate "My name is James Logan. I'm Victor's brother".
Aria did not shake the man's hand. Instead she looked at him nervously for a moment and then moved closer to the gates "You can't come in here. Victor told me about you, I'm not allowed to let you in. So please go away".
"Listen" James Logan said as he put up his hands "I'm not going to hurt you and I won't come in. I will stay here, outside the gates. I just want to talk to you, alright? I want to make sure you're okay. I swear, that's all I'm here for".
"Well" she responded insecurely "I guess that's okay, but you better stay on that side of the gate. Because I will hurt you if you try to come in. And Victor won't like it when I tell him you've been here".
"You don't need to tell him. He doesn't need to know. I just want to talk to you".
Aria took in a deep breath "So talk".
"My name is James Logan. I'm a teacher at Xavier's school for gifted youngsters. That school is a special place for people like you and me, for mutants. The professor who sent me here, well, let's just say he really cares about mutants and when he found out what happened to you, he wanted to meet you".
Aria frowned "What do you mean what happened to me?".
Logan growled "Ya know, Victor abducting you and keeping you here and all".
Aria scoffed in atrocity "He didn't abduct me. He paid for me, fair and square".
"Yeah sorry I forgot, he bought you" Logan replied as he rolled his eyes "Look. I just want you to know that we are here for you. And I wanna take you with me to the professor. You'll be safe there".
"Listen, mister Logan sir, you seem like a good person and your friends must be also. But I am fine where I am right now and I really don't want any trouble for Victor so maybe you should just leave us alone".
"Aria, you need to understand that is it against the law to buy a person and keep her hostage".
"I am not a hostage!" she spoke quite defensively.
Logan was dumbfounded, did this girl seriously think that she was not a hostage? He sighed deeply and shook his head.
"Look mister, I really think you should leave now" she said as she stared to walk back towards the house.
"Aria" Logan called after her "Can you do one thing for me?".
She turned around hesitantly "What?".
"Ask him if you can leave. Ask Victor to let you go".
She shook her head and walked back towards the house. Why on earth would she do that?
Aria quietly walked into the living room, Victor was sitting on the couch, going through some papers and files, work probably. He came home about 10 minutes ago but still had a lot of work to do.
"Uh, Victor?".
"Hm?".
"Your brother was here again today".
His head snapped up and he instantly put down the papers "You didn't let him into the house did you?".
She shook her head immediately "No".
"Good" he said as he relaxed again.
"But uhm-" she hesitantly tried to explain "We did talk for a bit. Through the gates".
He growled under his breath.
She moved closer to him "Did I do wrong?".
He looked at her worried face and reached out his hand "Come here" he said.
She strolled towards him and when she reached him, she instinctively sat astride on his lap. He placed both his big hands on her sides.
"You did nothing wrong" his hands moved up to the side of her face "I just fucking hate him from time to time. He's a pain in the ass. What did you two talk about?".
She shrugged "It was a very brief conversation. I went outside to tell him to go away. He introduced himself and told me he wanted me to come with him to this school. He said some bad things about you and then I ended the conversation".
Victor sighed. He had hoped that after his talk with Jimmy, those X-men would leave them alone. But instead Jimmy had come again when he was out of the house. Victor growled. He would have to keep an even closer eye on Aria from now on.
She snaked her little arms around his neck "He's gone now, so everything is fine, right?" she asked with hopeful eyes.
He smiled grimly "Yeah, everything's fine".
Aria moved her face closer to his and carefully placed her soft lips upon his. Ever since he had first kissed her, she wanted to do it more often, but she was also a little afraid he would reject her.
His arms entwined her body though, as he opened his mouth to kiss her back. The kiss was slow at first but soon became more forceful, he claimed her mouth. And as he brought her down on the couch while kissing her possessively, he knew he would never ever let anyone fucking take her away from him. She was his. And he would die before he'd let that happen.
He broke away for a second "Listen, tomorrow I have to go to Russia for work, just a few days. And you're coming with me".
Her eyes grew wide "Really? To Russia? And I'm coming?".
He frowned "Yeah, I just said all that. Are you deaf?".
She laughed softly "Sorry, I'm just really excited. What should I do there? What should I bring?".
"Just pack some clothes, I'll order some evening wear for you. Bring books or whatever you like to spend time with cuz you'll be bored when I'm working. Oh yeah, and put this around your finger" he said as he pulled a ring from his pocket and put it around her finger.
"What is it for?" she asked curiously as she looked at the ring.
"Just a casualty. You have to wear it at all times, understood? Never take it off".
She nodded "Okay I won't. It's very pretty" she smiled at her finger "Oh, you have one also" she pointed out as she looked at his finger.
"Yeah" he grunted, glad she didn't know what it was really for.
Jimmy's words still resounded in his head;
'Listen asshole, just because you got a corrupt public servant at city hall to forge some marital papers, doesn't mean you're married'.
Victor had straight out laughed in his face and told him that was exactly what it meant.
Aria had never been in a plain before. And what she knew from plains, was that there usually were a lot more people aboard. But Victor explained that this was his own plain. So they were the only passengers. She had been super excited all the way, and he had to admit; it was quite amusing.
"Look outside Victor!" she eagerly told him "Everything is miniature from up here!".
He chuckled as he went through some work papers "I know, I've seen it many times before".
"This is so exciting!" she exclaimed with her hands and nose pressed up against the glass as she stared down at the earth. The landscape got smaller and smaller before her eyes.
He looked her over in her cute green dress and little boots. She obviously didn't realize how cold Moscow was this time of year. It was a good thing he brought some winter wear for her or she would freeze to death. Then again she was feral so she wouldn't get cold easily.
"Did you bring anything to keep you occupied?" he asked her as he put his papers away "This is a long flight and you'll be bored in no time".
She looked at him and nodded "Yes, I brought books and music but I'm sure I won't be bored, look how amazing everything looks from up here" she perkily replied as she continued to stare out the window again.
He chuckled and shook his head "I bet you won't be staring out of that window for nine hours straight, cuz that's how long this flight is. You can watch movies if you like" he said as he pointed towards the big screen at the back of the plain.
She leaned back into her chair, took a book from her bag and smiled at him "Did you bring anything to keep you occupied or just work?" she asked.
Victor grinned lustfully at her "I brought something".
"What is it?"
"You".
"Oh" she smiled self-consciously and went back to her book quickly with a slight blush on her face.
Victor had been wrong though. Aria didn't get bored easily at all. And she did stare out of the window quite a lot. The rest of the time she was reading a book while listening to music on her headphones and when she got tired, she still refused to go to sleep because everything was too exciting. Eventually she put her book down and joined Victor on the big couch in the back off the plain.
"You tired little one?" he asked as he stared at the screen.
"No" she yawned "Lack of energy. What are you watching?" Aria joined Victor on the couch as she laid down and put her head in his lap.
"I have no fucking clue" he replied "Some shit about ancient Egypt".
Just before her eyes closed she recognized what he was watching "I like this channel, it teaches me a lot about history" she sleepily said.
"Hm" he mused "What did it teach you so far?".
But Aria was drifting off to sleep and was now too tired to answer him.
He closed his eyes and leaned back "Bet it taught you how to be a nosy little kitten" he murmured.
"I heard that" she whispered with a smile.
"I know what the ring is for you know" she whispered against his lips as he tried to catch her lower lip between his teeth.
She wouldn't let him. She wouldn't let him kiss her. Not this time. His stomach turned, she rejected him. He'd always known that she would someday reject him. Her cold eyes were narrowed at him, her usually beautiful features now showing a look of despise and loathing.
"I know more than you think" her voice was threatening "I know everything Victor Creed".
His mouth was dry and he couldn't move his limbs. He wanted to speak but he choked up. What the hell was happening? Why was he paralyzed?
"It doesn't mean anything Victor" her voice was pure hatred by now "The ring, the papers you forged, it means nothing. I would never be yours willingly" her little hands ruining his shirt as she scratched his chest, his body still wouldn't move.
"You're just an animal" she growled as her sharp nails impaled his chest wickedly "A monster. No one will ever love you, because you see-" her nails dug deeper as she slowly entangled the place where his heart should be with her sharp claws "You have no place for love in your heart, because you have no heart".
His head pounded as his vision blurred slowly. Shocks went through him as his body bounced on the couch. The plain was probably shaking with turbulence.
"Victor?" A female voice, quietly and far away.
The plain shook again. Fiercer this time. The same voice resounded in the distance. It was her voice. Something warm was pressed against his shoulders.
Shaking him, or maybe holding him. He couldn't move yet. Everything was blurry.
"Victor!".
He felt it now more clearly, something was holding him down, shaking him lightly.
His eyes flashed open in shock. He roared wildly and instinctively, his claws extended as they went straight for the object holding him back.
His vision returned and he was staring straight into her big frightened eyes.
A dream.
Just a dream.
Not real.
She looked at him with shock and then flinched in pain.
"Fuck!" he growled as he quickly retracted his claws and let go of her arms "Fuck, Aria, are you-".
There was blood, he reached for her arms, taking in the damage. But before he even touched her again the wounds had healed, leaving small stains of blood behind.
"I'm fine" she stuttered with eyes big as tea cups while trying to mask the scents of fear leaving her body "Healing f-f-factor remember. I tried to wake you" she staggered "Were you having a nightmare?".
He looked around him frantically.
The plain. They had landed. It had just been a bad dream.
"Was it one of those nightmares?" she asked in genuine concern when he didn't answer her.
He looked her over, but no matter how many times he'd take her in, those blood stains would not remove themselves. He had fucking attacked her and he cursed himself for doing so.
"I don't remember" he lied about the nightmare "You alright?".
She smiled reassuringly "I'm fine, just a little shaken up. Like I said: healing factor. Though you ruined my cardigan. But then again you paid for it so you really ruined your own cardigan" she joked it off.
He smirked slowly "I never thought of myself as a cardigan owner".
She still looked at him with concern, not fear and definitely not hatred. That had just been a dream. He took a deep breath and exhaled, just a dream. There was no hatred, no loathing, she hadn't rejected him or called him a monster.
Just a dream.
Her eyes were still focused on his, waiting for some kind of explanation. Her hand stroked his face slowly "You're sweaty" she laughed softly as she wiped the drops of water from his hand. Her hand lowered as she stroked his side burns. Her face moved closer and she slowly kissed him.
His arms instantly wrapped around her, pressing her tightly against him as he kissed her with hungry and familiar passion. She was still here, it was just a dream. She wouldn't leave. Besides, she was his. She wasn't allowed to leave.
Aria carefully broke the kiss "Look, we're here" she nodded in the direction of the window as she took off the blooded cardigan.
Just when she wanted to get off him to search for some new clothes, he reached around her and grabbed her wrist "Don't do that again" he murmured.
She looked at him on confusion "What should I not do again?".
"When I'm like that in my sleep, don't try to wake me, it's dangerous".
"But Victor, you were having a nightmare".
"Doesn't matter. I'm telling you; don't do it again" he replied sharply. They had been lucky, it had just been her arms this time. He couldn't even imagine the consequences if he'd pierced her lower stomach some time.
AN: please review and let me know what you think! :-D
I lo0o0o0o0o0ve reviews hehe