What The Cat Dragged In Ch. 26

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"You, you mean."

A little smile this time. "It's not such a terrible place and it isn't forever. Hardly any time at all in the context of your lifetime."

She fought the urge to answer quickly. "I never said it was a terrible place. If things were different I'm sure that I would jump at the chance. It's not just about safety though, it's about where I belong."

"Because he's told you that you're a possession of his."

She shook her head. "Because I can't imagine being anything other than his. If that sounds like possession to you, then I suppose that's as good a label as any. Frankly, I'm sick of explaining and defending."

A warm smile. "That isn't what I was asking for."

She looked at him flatly. "Then you'd be the first one."

"Perhaps if you understood our position more fully-"

She rolled her eyes. "God, not another list." She crossed her legs. "Better give me the abbreviated version; I've been looking forward to seeing Cassie all day."

A quiver at the corner of his eye. "My intent is not to shock you-"

"Just to change my mind."

"To make you consider all the facts."

"I have to consider all the facts for you to believe I'm thinking 'rationally' about my situation. Of course you don't have to."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Seems pretty obvious to me. He's kept his word about everything since he's come here. He showed more restraint this morning than I thought he had in him, considering how upset I was. Let me just point out that it's all this secrecy that led to the whole incident to begin with. You still treat him like a leper, and everyone I've come into contact with takes every opportunity to try and convince me that I don't know what I know." Kelly took a deep breath and got her temper back under control. "So, I understand the generosity of your offer and I appreciate that and offering me a place to recover, but I'm not staying here without Victor."

He watched her for a long moment. Kelly never flinched. His calm smile was back. "I can see how upset you are, that wasn't my intent."

She nodded. "I'm certain that you're busy. Is there somewhere else I could wait?"

"Please, let me take you on a tour. Even if you are just visiting you should at least be comfortable."

A little smile, this one was warmer. "A mobile debate?"

He smiled back. "No debate at all and no ducking in doorways or behind large pieces of furniture."

Kelly sighed. She could fight with him until Cassie was out of class, or she could make nice and take a look around the place. She got up. "Alright. What little I've seen has certainly made me curious."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Creed walked down the path back to the cottage. Jimmy was next to him, but he might as well have been a million miles away. Every instinct in his body was telling him to go back for the frail, to take her out of there, pack her in the closest vehicle and drive as far and fast as he could. Course he knew what that would do to her. She wasn't ready for that, even though she'd say she was. Fucking mess.

"Well?" Jimmy asked.

Creed glanced over at him. Clearly, his brother was waiting for something.

"Well what?"

"I asked if you still run."

Creed smirked a little. "That a trick question?"

"Nope, just curious."

"Fuckin' nosy you mean." His smile widened. "Figured I'd do that while she was up at the big house."

Jimmy looked away.

"What? Ain't like I got anything else to do. So far, she ain't taught me how to knit and your boss don't see fit to put any books in that damn place."

"You know you can't-"

He stopped and faced the smaller man. "Jesus Christ Jimmy! I jumped through his fucking hoops, the only thing I haven't done is kiss his wrinkled old ass. I think at least I deserve a few minutes to myself."

Jimmy crossed his arms and sniffed the air. He looked at Creed and shrugged.

Creed growled. "What? You fishing for a fucking invitation?"

"That so terrible? You used to like it."

Creed looked away into the trees. "You didn't use to hate my fucking guts either."

Jimmy shrugged. "Yeah well, you're still an ass but at least you haven't been unbearable."

"You're still a fucking pain in the ass." He looked at his brother and then back into the snow-laden trees. "I ain't gonna slow down for you. You can't keep up, tough shit." Creed didn't wait for an answer; he took two long strides, then dropped to all fours and headed into the trees. He didn't look back to see if the runt was following.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Kelly walked slowly through the school while Professor Xavier told her a little more about the school and what his students were offered. It wasn't quite the neutral tour he'd promised, but she hadn't really expected that either. At least he'd left the subject of Victor alone. It was enough to keep her smiling and nodding. They finished the tour in a small sunroom. The warm room was a contrast to the snowy scene outside. A bell sounded from somewhere in the building. She looked at the professor.

"That's the last bell of the day." He smiled. "Cassie will be here in a moment." He rolled toward the door. "You know, you can change your mind about my offer at any time."

She nodded. "I appreciate that. Am I confined to this room once she gets here?"

He smiled a little. "No, though I thought you might be more comfortable at first if you weren't surrounded by quite so many people. The choice is yours though."

Cassie appeared at the door a moment later. She dropped her books in a chair and hugged Kelly. Kelly fought the urge to cry, even though she didn't understand where that urge was coming from.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Creed lounged on a stout, low branch of a bare tree next to a small frozen pond. Jimmy sat a short distance away on a large rock. He wasn't sure how far they'd gone, but he knew they'd circled the property at least once. The exertion in the cold air had done him good. Almost as much good as a hunt would have, but he figured he couldn't have everything. The breathing woods, sunshine on his skin and a frail who'd be happy to see him when he got back was pretty damn close to everything anyway.

"You're quiet."

"Yeah, and?" He didn't turn his head.

"Just an observation."

"Thanks. Without it I might not have known."

"She really put up with that mouth of yours?"

Creed glanced over at his scowling brother. He smirked. "Hell, half the time she gives it right back to me."

Jimmy chuckled. "Glad someone does."

Creed looked up at the sky again. For a few minutes silence and winter birdsong filled the space between them. "Guy who brought me here is coming back later tonight with some stuff. Gonna be a big pain in the ass to get him let in?"

A different kind of silence grew for a long moment. "Depends. What do you need so bad?"

Creed looked at him. "Jimmy-"

"You forget how long I've known you. I ain't just gonna say yes without asking some questions."

He looked away again. "You want an inventory? Fine. Mostly it's dinner. Figured I'd give the frail an evening off. Beyond that I bought her a coat.

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "A coat?"

"You know, one of those things you put on over your clothes. Keeps you warm. She'll wear my shit and not complain about it but I'm damn sure sick of seeing her like that. Any part of that contraband?"

"No." Jimmy sounded curious and baffled at the same time. "Dinner and a coat?"

Creed rolled his eyes. "And I suppose you didn't take care of your girl -- whether she was yours or not -- after all that Liberty Island shit went down." His brother looked away. Creed sat up and straddled the branch. "Son of a bitch, you left." The surprise registered in his voice.

Jimmy turned his face away. "It wasn't like that! It wasn't just some random-"

"Sure, you've always got your reasons. Lemme guess, it had something to do with your deep, dark forgotten past."

"So what if it did?"

"Goddamn you're a fucking idiot sometimes."

Jimmy faced him again, this time he was angry. "You Dear fuckin' Abby all of sudden?"

"No, but I recognize a load of horseshit when I see it." He swung his leg over the branch and jumped down. "You do what you want. Run away, stay here and torture yourself watchin' all the little boys sniff around her, or you can find your balls and do what you've wanted to do all along. Doesn't matter to me one way or the other, I'm just sick of seeing you mooning around like a lovesick cow. I'm going back. You don't wanna come, I know the way."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Cassie and Kelly stretched out over the comfortable furniture in the sun room. Winter sunshine cast a golden glow over everything in the room.

As bright and cheery as the sun was, things had been awkward at first. Kelly could tell that Cassie had a lot she wanted to ask, but the other girl wasn't sure where to start. "You can ask anything you want to know."

She looked at her pink polished nails. "I shouldn't."

"Why not?" Kelly was starting to wonder if Professor Xavier just liked secrecy or if he was genetically disposed to it.

Cassie shook her head. "I never thought I'd see you again, I don't want to upset you."

Kelly took a deep breath. "I'm not made of glass and I'm sick of secrets. If you want to know something, ask. If I can't tell you because the wound is still too raw, I'll let you know that."

"Did he...kidnap you? Sabertooth I mean." Cassie's eyes were wide.

"Of course not!" Kelly wasn't shocked by the idea, but she was certain that Victor's prices were well outside of Stan's budget at the time. She kept that bit of information to herself. "He saved my life."

The look of disbelief on Cassie's face spoke volumes.

Kelly told her the whole story, from the time she was packed off in Roland Dawes' old car to her last desperate escape attempt. "Victor could have left me in the woods, but he didn't. He took me back to his house, fed me, let me rest and heal."

"And you think that was because he cared about you?" The disbelief was still in her voice.

"Oh God no. I don't really know why he did it at first. I was a mess, malnourished, beaten up, certainly not much to look at or much of a challenge. Maybe he figured if he gave me enough time I'd be more interesting, or at least put up more of a fight."

Disbelief was replaced with shock. "And that's what got you all excited?"

Kelly laughed. "Well, not exactly. He was rude and abrasive and intentionally scary ninety-eight percent of the time." Kelly drew her feet up under her and watched the light play off a glass bowl on the coffee table. A little smile still on her lips. "There were other times though. He'd say something and it'd be really funny or unexpected and I'd laugh and he'd give me this look like that was the last thing he ever expected, but he liked it. It was like a little peek behind all the walls. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see." She looked at Cassie again. "I guess there was something he liked about me too."

Cassie leaned closer. "With everything I've been told about him I just figured he must have hurt you to get you to stay with him."

Kelly shook her head. "I don't know that he would have gone to that kind of trouble. If he were going to use force, I don't think he would have wanted to keep me with him." Kelly leaned closer and smiled. "Enough about me. Tell me more about what you've been up to."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Creed's eyes snapped open in the dark room. Something had awakened him, but he was damned if he knew what it was. The frail was curled up against his side. For the first time in days she'd fallen asleep next to him on the sofa and stayed asleep with the sweet scent of her relaxation surrounding them both. If that was the effect that girl had on her, he'd make damn sure they got to see each other as often as possible.

She shifted against him and murmured something in her sleep. He didn't bother trying to decipher it; he just stroked her back until she was deeply sleeping again, her slim fingers spread over his heart.

Couldn't be as simple as the girl, or the fact that she'd loved the meal or the fact that she practically cried when he gave her the coat. Maybe she was starting to process some of it. Either that or it was pure exhaustion.

A soft beep from somewhere in the house drew his attention. He glanced at the dresser and saw that his cell phone wasn't plugged in. Had to be a message. He sighed and shifted the frail carefully so that he could get up. For a moment, he watched to make sure that she didn't stir, then he went out to find his phone. Another soft beep led him to the kitchen counter. The only missed call was from Conlon. He dialed quickly.

"What?" He said, as soon as the phone was answered.

"Kelly's mother was brought into the ER about four hours ago now. Attempted suicide apparently."

Creed leaned back against the counter and closed his eyes. He didn't give a shit about the bitch, but the frail had had just about enough in his estimation. "Fuck. You sure she tried to off herself?"

"Yeah. The nurse I got on Cody is friends with the one who did the intake in the ER. I don't have all the details yet, but what I know so far is that she tried cutting her wrists, but none of the wounds were life-threatening. I figure if she'd had help, the help probably wouldn't have botched it."

"Probably not. That leaves the kid under Stan's care?"

"Yeah."

"Can he pull the plug?"

"Not from what I understand. Cody's breathing on his own, he's got brain activity. He's got a feeding tube, but he's been making steady progress and the prognosis looks pretty decent for the kind of injuries he's had."

Creed's eyes were fixed on the dark hall. "Bitch gonna be in the psych ward awhile?"

"Seventy-two hours at least. Last I heard though, her psychiatrist was making arrangements for her at some private clinic. I don't have the name yet."

Creed shook his head. That fucking stunk too, but he didn't have time to worry about it. "Keep me informed." He ended the call and immediately dialed Joe's number.

The phone rang a long time before Joe finally answered. "Demmer." His voice was guarded and surprisingly alert for two-thirty in the morning.

"Creed."

"Is Kelly okay? What's wrong?" His anxiety rose, but he kept his voice down. Probably to avoid waking up the old woman.

"Frail's fine." Creed heard the other man sigh with relief. "Apparently her mother tried to off herself earlier tonight. You got a lawyer?"

"Does Kelly know?"

"I only found out ten minutes ago and she ain't gonna find out until tomorrow morning. There's nothing she can do about it. I damn well know she wouldn't want the kid left in Stan's care alone. Figure if you want to or need to make a legal move, this'd be the time."

"I'll have a lawyer tomorrow morning. You or Kelly will keep me up to date?"

"She probably will, 'less I get some more information that she doesn't have."

Creed said goodbye and ended the call. He went back to the bedroom and found the frail still sound asleep. She'd moved into the spot he'd been laying in. He pulled the blankets back and got in on the other side. She shivered and he felt the goose bumps prickle her skin. He wrapped himself around her and she relaxed again.

12
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TheBigBadRobobTheBigBadRobobover 12 years ago
AMAZING!

I wish you would update more often! And forgive me if I'm wrong, but is Logan crushing on Rouge? And if he is, can you do a story about them next?

As usual this was a 5 star submission. Keep it up!

AnonymousAnonymousover 12 years ago
pls pls pls

more! i need an update!!! so impatient for more -.-

AnonymousAnonymousover 12 years ago

Ahhhhh!!! This is brilliant! I love the story so much! I find myself checking for a new chapter multiple times a day! You have made a previously unknown character to me one of the hottest and sexiest guys I have heard about. Don't ever end this story!!!!!!! And thank you for this brilliance!

gw0313gw0313over 12 years ago
5 *****

I am Back to Impatiently Waiting for the next Chapter. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, POST....I NEED SOME "CREED"...PLEASE I FEEL NEGLECTED AND UNLOVED.

AnonymousAnonymousover 12 years ago
sooooo happy

you've continued to develop the story and characters in a great way.

its a joy to read this and i got so spoiled rotten by the way u posted regularly not too long ago. now i find that the longer breaks between chapters make me anxious and starving for more and i get to a point where i check daily. XD

k.

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