"I'm telling you how it is Chuck. He's holding that girl hostage even though she doesn't know it".
Logan was back in New York again, reporting to Charles Xavier about everything he had found about the young woman in Victor's house. He was strolling through the room, still filled with anger when he thought about the young girl behind those gates. A caged bird, that's what she was. Sure, she lived in a grand Victorian mansion now. But she lived there with Victor fucking Creed and god knows what he did to her behind those gates. Well, Logan knew perfectly well what he did to her...
"Are you absolutely sure about this Logan? And you are also absolutely sure that your past troubles with Victor have not clouded your judgment in this matter?".
Logan rolled his eyes and strolled through the office "Listen, we all thought he was on the right path Charles. But apparently he's not. He bought her from that arena, she can't possibly be there willingly. Or she may think that she is, but she doesn't know any better".
"Hm" Hank McCoy sighed "It's a shame really, if this is true. When he started his company all those years ago, I hoped his criminal days were over".
"Not so fast Hank" Charles interrupted "We know nothing for sure yet. He might not have done anything wrong so far".
Logan scoffed loudly "We've always known that Victor never stopped killing Charles, so did you".
"Yes we did" Charles agreed shamelessly "But I deliberately gave no priority to those facts since the people he was hired to kill, were underworld people. For example the kind of people who ran this arena. I am not approving of Victor's acts or hobbies, but my concern is with the real victims in this".
"The real victim in this, is that girl!" Logan exclaimed still filled with frustration and rage.
"Logan settle down" Charles tried to calm him down "We will get to that".
"When?" Logan wanted to know.
"I will invite Victor over, let him know that we want to meet the girl and make sure she is okay and not being held against her will".
Logan pulled out a piece of paper and slammed in on Charles desk "You know what this is professor?".
Charles looked down at the paper and back up at Logan "I do. No pun intended".
"This is the copy of a fucking marriage certificate" Logan continued with a raised voice "She has been locked up in that arena for 10 years. She has been with Victor for 10 weeks now. And this certificate dates back to exactly 9 weeks and 5 days. You do the math. This certificate has been forged! It's a fake! It has to be. She did not sign this! And if she did, he fucking forced her. After 10 years in lock up, she cannot understand what this means!".
Hank picked up the piece of paper from the desk, smelled it and then read it carefully "I believe Logan has a point here" he concluded as he put the paper down again "This looks like an official document but I find it hard to believe that her autograph is on this. I suspect it has been forged".
Charles sighed deeply, trying to think of the right thing to do. Something which wouldn't make an enemy out of Victor Creed but still the right thing for the girl.
"I will invite them over and I will let him know that my invitation is not optional".
Logan growled "We should just go there with a group and take her away".
"Logan, I honestly feel that is not the right way to approach your brother. If we invite him, let him know that we mean no harm and that we just wish to talk to the girl, then he might come willingly".
"Fine" Logan grumbled "But if he declines, I'm going there, with or without you and I will take her away" Logan promised them before turning around and slamming the door behind him.
He left behind Hank and Charles who sat in silence for a while. Both thinking of the best way to approach Victor but still managing to achieve their goal: make sure the girl is okay.
"It's a shame really" Hank finally said "Victor is not a bad person. I mean, he's definitely an ex-criminal and some of his recent activities are not entirely legal at best, but he did help Logan with his memories and I'm still convinced that he's the one who gave us the coordinates to the arena. He did not have to do any of those things".
"Yes" Charles agreed "I've always believed it was Victor who gave us those coordinates".
"We best not let him know that we know that" Hank said as he scratched his blue beard "He'll be a lot less compliant if we ruin his reputation like that".
Charles chuckled lightly "Good point. Though I do wonder why he would do this".
Hank shrugged a little "Perhaps even Victor Creed gets lonely from time to time. He knows he's bound to grow very old. He's already been here for over 200 years. How can he possibly not get lonely and sick of straying this earth without any sort of goal? Without someone by your side?".
Charles nodded slowly "And a feral mutant, feline even, would seem to be perfect for him. But I think we must not forget that this is Victor we are talking about".
"Of course" Hank said "But if Logan got to talk to her while Victor was out, that means Victor is not particularly keeping a close eye on her. It simply doesn't sound like she's locked up Charles".
"Hm" Charles mused deep in thought "She might simply believe that she is there out of her own free will. Her life is probably better now than it was in the arena. But I wonder if she is allowed to leave him should she want to".
"We cannot jump to any conclusion though" Hank said "If she is feral, and he leaves her alone to go to work all the time, she could escape easily. Why would she not simply escape if she really wanted to be away from him?" Hank wondered.
"True" Charles agreed "But still, she's been locked up for a long time. So like I said, she might think she is there willingly but still not allowed to leave. And I'm pretty sure Victor would find her, smell her out and track her down. He may have threatened her if she tried to escape. God knows what he's doing to that poor girl inside his mansion".
Hank looked slightly uncomfortable, he wanted to believe this girl was with Victor willingly, but what the professor said, also made a lot of sense "I think it's quite clear what he's doing with that girl in his house" Hank replied.
Charles nodded "I'm afraid of that also".
Aria left Cora in the living room. She had told the housekeeper all about Moscow and after that Cora said it was probably time for some rest after all the excitement and the long flight. But she was very pleased that the girl had had such a good time. She deserved it after all she'd been through the last years.
"What's wrong?" Aria asked as soon as she opened the bedroom door. She could smell Victor was on edge even before she entered.
He looked up from a letter he was holding in his hands. "Nothing's wrong. Just gotta fix a thing or two" he said as he got up from the bed, took out his phone and walked over to her "Get some sleep. You're exhausted" he said as he kissed her hair "I'll be there in a sec".
"Okay" she replied as she took off her clothes and hopped into bed. Sleep would be nice.
Victor paced back an forward through the hallway as he dialed the number. How dare they send him that fucking letter. Who sends letters these days anyway? Where did those holy X-men get the nerve to tell him… HIM! That they would come for her if he didn't comply. If he didn't work with them. Which meant that he would have to take Aria to New York so some doctor could investigate her and talk to her and get into her fucking head?!
No fucking way. Hell would freeze over before he'd bring her to them.
The letter said they just wished to speak to her. To make sure she was okay and not being held against her will. And if he didn't bring her, they would get the authorities involved and take her by force.
"Give me Charles Xavier" he demanded sharply as soon as some asshole had picked up the phone on the other end.
"Charles Xavier speaking" he heard about 20 seconds later.
"It's Creed. I got your damned letter" he growled "And I'm not coming to New York. I fucking hate New York".
There was a sigh and a long silence on the other end of the line.
"Then you will have to face the consequences of your omission mister Creed. Because I cannot stand idly by while you may be keeping a young woman locked in your house".
"It's none of your concern old man. Not every fucking mutant is your fucking concern. You and your lackeys need to stay out of my business or I will start killing again and your school will be my first target. I'm taking care of her, she has everything she needs and I'm not fucking abusing her or whatever it is you think I'm doing!".
"Abuse comes in many forms mister Creed. We just wish to investigate your new companion to make sure she is okay. We know she has been locked up for many years".
"Yeah, and now she's not locked up. Seems like fucking progress to me so leave us alone".
"We simply wish to talk to her mister Creed. If you refuse to come to New York, perhaps we could visit you in your home. On your own territory".
Creed growled and didn't know what to say for a few seconds as he thought about it. He was proud and stubborn, but he wasn't fucking stupid. These people were not gonna let this go. He would have to receive them in order for them to piss off.
"Fine" he agreed to Xavier's request "But don't bring your entire crew. I can't stand the sight of you people".
"I will bring only Doctor Jean Grey and Hank McCoy. And your brother if that is okay with you. No one else".
"Fine" Creed grumbled, wanting to finish this conversation as soon as possible "Be here exactly one week from now. Call before you arrive or we might not be home. And don't send me any more fucking letters".
Victor hung up angrily as he paced back to the bedroom where he found Aria sound asleep already. His anger slowly faded and made room for something else as he stared at her sleeping form.
Panic.
They were having dinner in the living room that night. Aria was asking Victor a lot of questions about his company. It was difficult for her to understand. Part of his company built big cargo ships. Then there was another part, purely focusing on international transport. Apparently there were a lot more people involved than the people who built the gigantic ships and sold them. There were investors who had an actual vote when it came to company decisions, silent partners, and also a board of shareholders. Then there were account managers, lawyers and all kinds of department directors who each had a staff. She didn't quite understand what all those people were supposed to do, but it seemed they made a lot of money for Victor. She wondered if he did any actual work when there were thousands of people working for him. He explained that the biggest part of his job was making decisions about the companies course. And networking, a lot of networking. His least favorite part. Until now anyway. Now that he had a personal assistant, it would be a lot more fun to meet with people he couldn't stand.
He was just about to explain to her what 'shares' were and how you could get them, when Cora knocked on the door.
"Mister Eric Lehnsherr is here to see you mister Creed".
Victor frowned "Why? I don't recall making an appointment with him".
Victor didn't like it when people dropped by unannounced, especially when he had other things to do.
"Isn't he your friend?" Aria asked curiously and without judgement.
Victor sighed. "Yeah. But I don't like surprises".
She smiled "But he's your friend. We could ask him to eat with us".
Victor sighed again, a low growl erupting from his throat this time. He had other plans for them after dinner.
He turned to Cora "Ask mister Lehnsherr if he's hungry".
Victor stared at the table cloth angrily. Eric was his friend, but he didn't care for people who interrupted his schedule. And tonight he simply wanted to eat steak, take Aria to bed and possibly tell her about the X-men who were going to come by. Although he had no fucking clue how he would go about that. But he had to tell her something. He guessed in this case it was a good thing she had already spoken to Jimmy. That way she already knew one of them and it wouldn't be difficult to explain why they were coming over.
"Good evening" Eric walked in with a kind smile on his old face "Always good to see you Victor, how is everything?".
Victor rolled his eyes at Eric "Drop the act, we all know why you're here" Victor replied as he gestured to his mate "You can't stay long Eric, we've got shit to do".
Victor suddenly felt a small object kicking him in the shin "Did you just kick me frail?" he growled softly.
"I'm sorry" she blushed a little "But you're being rude to your friend".
Eric was already amused by the young lady scolding his old friend as Victor bared his teeth next to her ear and slowly got up from the table "I will deal with you kicking me later little one" he said, a small smile playing around his lips. "This is Aria. Aria this is Eric Lehnsherr, I've come to know him as Magneto".
Eric turned to Aria "It is such a pleasure to meet you my dear. I have heard so much about you".
Aria smiled, this man had such a fatherly face to him, he seemed warm and sympathetic.
"I am glad to meet you too. I just wish I could say that I have heard much about you also".
Eric glanced at Victor and then back at Aria "Do not worry about it my dear, I was telling a white lie when I said I heard much about you. It's just saying to be polite. Truth is: Victor is a very private person and so far, I only know you exist and nothing more".
Aria laughed wholeheartedly "Then I am glad to meet you so we can talk".
For Aria, the dinner could not have gone any better. Eric was a lovely personality and Victor loosened up around him. She hadn't yet seen him act around people the way he did with Eric, except around her. He smiled a lot more, or well, he smirked, but it was close enough. And he made jokes as did Eric. It seemed these two men had a long history and so Eric was able to tell Aria a lot of good stories about Victor and his past. Funny stories and also tales of when they worked together. When she started yawning she excused herself and wished the men goodnight, telling Eric that she hoped to see him again. He assured her that they would.
"So Raven tells me you've been to Moscow and stayed longer than you planned" Eric said as he drank his coffee after Aria left for bed "I never took you for a tourist Victor".
Victor grunted "She liked it there. She's never been anywhere. Made no sense to just go without showing her a thing or two".
Eric nodded appraisingly and couldn't hide his sarcasm any longer "That's what I admire about you Victor, always thinking about someone else's needs before your own".
Victor eyes Eric angrily "Do not mock me Eric. I'm in deep shit with those X-men so I don't wanna deal with your shit too".
"Ah, yes" Eric chuckled "Charles Xavier and his never ending quest to help humankind, especially gifted mutants".
Victor had already told Eric about Logan's visit, Xavier contacting him and what they wanted from him now. Eric was actually the first to call when he needed to get out shit like this. It had always been like that. Eric and Mystique were the few people Victor would trust with his life if it came to it.
"It seems you have two choices" Eric explained "Work with them, or don't and face the consequences of their nuisance. You made a wise choice by inviting them here my boy".
Even though Victor was three times his age, Eric always saw him as something like a son. And Victor never cared to correct these social roles. Eric looked a lot older and they met when Eric was around 45 years old. Eric assumed that Victor was younger, and even when Victor revealed his true age, it didn't change a thing for Eric. He saw Victor as something of a younger brother or a son even.
Victor ran a hand through his hair, visibly worried about what would follow if the X-men got involved. But they were already involved. And they wouldn't just leave.
"Have you told her about-" Eric frowned in silence for a few seconds "Well, let's say... what's going on inside her thanks to you?".
Victor shook his head.
"My boy you are digging your own grave here. You need to come clean with this young lady. Or else they will do it for you".
Victor sighed frustratingly and leaned back into his chair again, he was restless and couldn't find the right position "What if they take her from me? What if they get into her head and fuck with it? What if-".
"You are thinking in worst case scenario's" Eric interrupted him "There is no need for that. She seems content here. With you. Happy even. Have you seen the way her face lights up when she looks at you?" Eric asked curiously.
Victor growled "Yeah she has this dumb smile on her face all the fucking time. I fucking hate it".
"No you don't".
Victor growled silently. His friend was right and it made him anxious.
Eric smirked and they were quiet for a little while as they drank.
"Victor, you have little to worry about my friend. Leaving you, is the last thing on that woman's mind. You simply need to tell her the last bit of truth".
Victor gazed at the carpet, not at all reassured by Eric's words. Whether Aria wanted to leave to not, was only half of his concerns.
"Maybe she just thinks that she's free. How can she fucking know what 'free' really means Eric? She only knows the arena and living with me" He scoffed "She doesn't fucking know freedom" he sighed "Maybe I should just-".
"Send her away?" Eric finished Victor's sentence as he cocked a brow "Would you be able to?".
Victor growled and shook his head "No, of course not. I can't let her go. But-" he took a big gulp of whiskey and sighed.
"You're wondering if maybe you should. Because you want her to stay only if she truly wants to be with you. And you think her mind isn't capable of choosing freely" Eric concluded.
Victor didn't say a word. What Eric said was spot on. He rested his head in both his hands, looking like a man beaten down.
"When I got her, I had this plan" he explained after a long silence "I was gonna lock her up and do with her whatever I wanted" he said as he straightened his back and looked at Eric "Instead I fixed her education and took her to fucking Moscow. Bought her all the crap she needed but mostly crap she doesn't need. Got her a job, clothes, books, jewelry. She doesn't even care about jewelry" Victor shook his head as he exhaled "I don't know what I'm doing anymore Eric. I'm fucked up".
Eric shook his head, a fatherly smile on his face "It's not difficult to see what's going on here. You are buying off your guilt Victor".
Victor shrugged and looked at Eric "Suppose I am" he agreed.
"You need to look at it this way my friend: if you had not gotten her out of that terrible place, she would still be in there".
Victor poured himself more whiskey, Eric was still working down his first cup of coffee. "Sometimes I wonder if she'd-" he didn't quite know how to say this "If we met differently… then she might not-"
"You want to know if you met her differently, if she'd still feel as strongly about you as she does now. It's only natural to wonder. But that scenario never happened. So you're pondering on nothing my son. Let it go".
"You're right" Victor said "As always".
"Your real problem here is the following" Eric said as he crossed his legs "You care for her, you never expected to care for her, but now you do and it's new for you so it scares you. And the more your feelings for her evolve, and the stronger they become, the more guilt you will experience about the way you got your hands on her".
Victor grumbled in agitation "I fucking hate when you do that".
"Do what exactly?" Eric asked.
"That whole explaining about feelings and shit. Analyzing it and spelling it out for me".
Eric chuckled "You dislike being confronted with the truth when you feel it might expose some weak spot. But trust me, it is not a weak spot. I have loved a woman once, and if anything, it made me stronger".
Victor put his empty glass down on the table "That's a lot of sentimental shit you're spouting there old friend".
Eric smiled kindly "You have a choice you know. Be honest with her. Tell her why you got her and what has changed since. Tell her what the X-men want from you and explain what real freedom is. And then-" Eric paused for a few seconds as he looked sternly at Victor "Offer her real freedom. Give her the choice to leave you".