Victor woke to the sound of a heart monitor beeping incessantly. Another, more annoying noise, a swishing hissing noise gave an uneven undercurrent to the beeping. He sat up and looked around. He was in a hospital room. He stiffened before realizing his mistake. It wasn't a hospital room. It was the mansion infirmary. He reached up with scrub the fog from his eyes but his hand jerked to a sudden stop. He looked at his wrist. He'd been cuffed to the gurney. Someone chuckled across the room. "Don't worry bub. It'll come off when we're sure ya won't go rampaging around."
Victor glared over at his brother. Logan was slouched in a chair arms crossed chewing on a cigar. "Better get it off me Jimmy or I'll break it."
"Yeah yeah. Answer a question first. Was Rhian here to get Rogue and I together?"
Victor didn't answer immediately. When he did answer his tone was serious and there was less the feral mutant in him than Logan had thought possible. "I watched you every day since Liberty Island. When you took off looking fer yer past I took off too, followed you to Canada and back. When you came back and saw Rogue with the Blond Ice Kid I saw the way you reacted, like he'd taken something he shouldn't have. Over the years you started looking at Rogue the way I look at Rhia but then when she told you how she felt you broke her heart and ran again. I almost kicked yer ass fer that. See Rhia makes me more than an animal. She makes me want to be somethin' more because she believes I'm somethin' more. Rogue does that fer you and fer two screwed up half animals like us if we can find women who can make us men then we shouldn't ignore them. We should never hurt them or cast them aside or we are no better than animals." He looked Logan in the eyes. Amber meeting hazel.
Logan chewed his cigar for a long moment before speaking. "So because you knew I'd try to kick yer ass if you showed up here you sent Rhian."
"I don't send Rhia anywhere. Rhia goes where she damn well pleases whether I like it or not." Victor retorted. Rhia asked if I wanted her to go. I said no. She said as soon as I was ready all I had to do was ask and she'd go. Damned hardest thing to do too. Askin' her to go where I couldn't follow her. Hardest two months of my fucking life. What sent me asking fer her help was watching Rogue trip right in front of you and watchin' you not try to catch her at all. Even though I knew you had to have wanted to reach out and grab her. Yer a damned fool trying to protect her from love. You can't protect her from that any more than I can protect Rhia. They'll do as they please and all we can do is hang on fer the ride."
Logan grinned. "And what a ride." He growled.
He stood up and unlocked the cuff. "Rhian's in bad shape. Some mutant hating bastard came here lookin' fer his kid, his ex-wife was using the support money to pay fer the kids tuition. Rhia got gut shot twice trying to talk him into lettin' the kid go."
"And you didn't stop him?" Victor growled savagely.
"He had her at point blank range. I moved an inch and he shot her just cause he could. If it's any consolation he won't be picking up a gun ever again. Not with one hand a stump and the other missin' fingers." Logan retorted.
"Shoulda killed him." Victor snarled.
Logan grabbed Victor by the shoulder and turned him around. "I don't kill unless I have to. I've done enough killing. He ain't gonna hurt anyone else and Rhian's still alive."
"Where is she?" Victor asked shrugging Logan's hand off.
Logan pulled the curtain back and Victors knees almost gave out on him. Rhia was laying in a gurney that looked too big for her. Her black and white coloring was more definite in the huge white hospital bed. A heart beat monitor showed her heart rate, blood pressure and O2 levels. But what really made him feel like killing someone was the ventilator tube in her mouth. She couldn't breath on her own yet and that scared the shit out of him. He lurched over to her side. Rogue who'd been sitting on the far side of the bed stood up. "It looks worse than it is." She said softly. "Jean says she'll be off the ventilator as soon as she regains consciousness. She doesn't know when that will be though since no one can read her mind."
Victor reached out and stroked Rhia's cheek gently wishing it were him in the bed instead of her. He lifted the sheet and examined the bandages on her abdomen. They were clean, no blood seeped through and for that he was grateful. Rogue reached over and put a tiny hand over his. "She saved that kids life Sabertooth. And Ah think Rhian's the kinda person who'd count that as a victory no matter how she ended up."
Victor let his eyes travel up Rogues arm to her face. His amber eyes met her big brown eyes. "My name is Victor." He said stupidly. "You can call me Victor."
She smiled and Victor could see the radiant light that filled her face when she slide her hand under his and clasped it. She pumped it twice. "Nice to finally meet the real you Victor." She let go of his hand and walked around the bed towards Logan who was watching the whole exchange carefully. Victor watched her walk to his brother. 'She's just like Rhia sometimes. No wonder he loves her.'
Rogue slide an arm around Logan's waist and Victor smirked slightly. 'Rhia did it.' Rogue gave Victor an encouraging smile. "Ah think she's been waitin' to hear from ya. Might want to talk to her a little. We'll leave ya be. When she wakes up push the red button. Jean will come remove the ventilator tube."
Roge pulled Logan away leaving Victor alone with Rhia. He stroked her hair brushing strands of black away from her cheeks and eyes. "Why do you always have to take such risks Rhia?" He asked. "He was just one kid. Do you know how dumb it is to get shot over one snot nosed brat?"
He lifted one of her tiny slender hands in his and kissed the finger tips. "Scaring the crap out of me isn't smart either Rhia. I could feel it though. I felt something happen, all the way out in the woods. Is that how you feel all the time? Being so in tune with everythin' around you that you feel everythin'?"
He waited for a response, a twitch, eyes opening, her hand to grasp his but nothing happened. "Come on Rhia. You can't sleep forever. I need you with me. I promised you a better life than hanging around the woods watchin' my dumb brother. I can't make that life if yer not awake."
He rmbled for a while longer before falling silent. He held her hand stroking the soft skin on the back of her hand and remembering all the times those fragile looking hands had dealt such staggering blows. Yet had been as soft as kittens fur later. He closed his eyes and remembered the feel of her hands on his bare skin. The way she knew just how to touch him to make him come apart. **" Do you ever think about kids?" "Not really. I'm an animal Rhia. Not much good fer raising kids ya know? Too scary."** She'd hit him for that and told him that he wasn't an animal.
"I was thinking about somethin' you said a while ago. About having kids. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if their yer cubs and all. Maybe one or two. I still don't think I'd be much of a dad but if you want to try we can give it a shot. If I turn out to be a screw up we can always drop the cub off here." He hadn't opened his eyes, he was too busy imagining the look of consternation she always got when he maligned himself.
His eyes flew open when he heard a gagging noise. He looked down at Rhia who was chocking on the tube. "Shh, shh baby it's ok. You have a breathing tube in ya. Shh, calm down." He tried to soothe her leaning over her and pressing his forehead to hers.
Her eyes were wild and frightened but the pressure of his hands on her shoulders and the feel of his skin against hers calmed her a little. "I'm gonna call the doc. She'll have that out in no time."
He pushed the red button then looked back down at her. She stared up at him her black eyes questioning. He stroked her cheek. "I came to find you baby. I felt somethin' happen to you and I came lookin'. Ran into Jimmy and we duked it out. We managed to figure things out. He and Rogue are together so we can finally start our life."
He heard Jeans heels clacking up behind him. "I need you to move Sabertooth." She said frostily.
He moved so she could get to Rhian. Jean took a firm grip on the base of the tube. "This is going to be uncomfortable Rhiannnon. You need to cough a few times while I'm pulling it out and you may gag." She spoke coldly and Victor could smell her hostility.
Rhia could sense it too. She coughed a few times while Jean pulled the tube out. Once it was out she swallowed a few times and glared up at Jean. "Get over it Jean." She said hoarsely. "You never asked if I was involved with anyone and it's not like Victor has tried to hurt any of you recently."
"He kidnapped Rogue." Jean replied planting one hand on her hip.
Rhia rolled her eyes. "So he screwed up and did dirty work for a complete asshole. Bet you've screwed up plenty Jean. The past is the past. Its what he does now that counts. And before you get all defensive on Rogues behalf maybe you should ask Rogue how she feels."
Jean scowled. "I think I will. You." She said pointing at Victor. "Will not move from this room until someone comes to escort you. You do and I'll have Scott blow you into nasty meaty chunks."
She stalked out her heels clicking angrily. Rhia sighed. "I liked her." She muttered. "And I really tried not to like anyone here so I wouldn't leave any friends behind."
Victor scooped her up and sat on the bed cradling her small frame. "I'm sorry Rhia."
She looked up at him and shook her head. "Friends come and go love. You are my eternal. Besides if she's willing to toss the friendship aside so easily maybe it's better that way."
He kissed her gently but the undercurrent of loneliness worried him. He knew she'd spent most of her life alone before him and he knew she wished for female companionship. "I was thinkin'. Maybe we could have a cub. Settle down since we don't have to follow Jimmy around anymore we can start our own life."
Her hands tightened on his arm and she looked up at him. "You mean it?"
He grinned at her. "Yeah. I mean it."
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Almost at the end. Just a few more loose ends to tie up. Prolly only one more chapter. Hope everyone is enjoying this. ** means past event.
Chapter End Notes:
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