Let's do a little Shoping {Dalacur}

[Victor Creed]

When he saw that bruise on her face his grip upon Dalacur's neck tightened. He could choke him right then but the look she gave him distracted that idea. What was wrong with her? She wanted to leave? This wasn't the Phoenix that he knew...thought that he knew at least. Something was wrong with her. Maybe there was more to this body transfer thing than they thought. Either way he didn't like the way her fire dwindled. It was as if she had gone on vacation or something and he was missing her. And how dare this man take that fire from her, even if it was just temporary.

"You're lucky the lady just saved your life." He snarled at Dal and let go of his neck to let him drop to the ground.

"Let's go get what you came here for Darlin'." The last thing he was going to let her do is run away. She had a reason to be here and she had every right to finish it. He moved away from that wall and started to walk towards the shops he assumed she was headed to. "Are you feeling all right?" He knew he should have done some more research on this whole body transfering thing, but he assumed that she knew what she was doing. But perhaps she was a little in over her head after all.

[The Phoenix]

Phoenix didn't know what was wrong with her. Her emotions were running all hay wire. She was humiliated and scared. But she was also angry. She had wanted to kill that man back there but she couldn't. She didn't have the strength to kill him. She wasn't used to people being stronger than her. She was used to being stronger than everyone else. She walked with Victor down the street towards the shops. He knew why he didn't take her back to his apartment. He wanted her to finish what she had started and to not run away like a coward. She silently thanked him for that.

"I'm fine."

Phoenix finally started to regain her composure. Or she really forced herself to. The fire was slowly coming back to her but there were thoughts still in her head. Maybe she had done this body transfer wrong. She knew her powers were slowly building up again she could feel that but she could also still feel a link back to Jean. It was like a thread that tied her to the red haired woman. She should have been totally cut off from her but there was still that tie. She needed to figure out how to get rid of it.

They entered a shop and Phoenix quickly went to picking out some clothes. They were all skin tight and very revealing just the way she liked it. Her eyes kept going to Victor though. She had seen the concern in his eyes when he had first showed up. She had also heard the concern in his voice when he had gotten her out of there. This wasn't the man she had first met in the bar. He was different but he was still the same man in a way. He was still the animal that she had grown to be so attracted to. She grabbed her clothes and paid for them as they walked out of the shop. The humiliation was still there in her eyes.

"Thank you, Victor."

[Victor Creed]

He waited for her to finish her shopping. He loomed nearby like a bodyguard and got plenty of strange looks from the other women that saw him there idlely following Phoenix around. If he found something that might have struck his eye he tossed it in her direction as a..suggestion. But he was still surprised at how quickly they were out of the shops and heading back to his apartment.

"For what?" It was a simple question that didn't need an answer. Basically telling her that she didn't need to thank him. After all he knew the humiliation of being 'saved' from a situation. They were a lot a like and he didn't want her to think that he expected anything from her or that he would think any less of her. Unfortunately sometimes you needed that extra person to watch your back. It reminded him of the days when he and Logan still got along. Those were good times.

Victor walked with her, by her side while his hands were in the pockets of his overcoat. "You should let me know if you feel anything strange...like that again." He spoke to her but didn't look at her. He found himself caring more and more about this woman but he still could keep that distance. He really needed to keep that distance. "I know a few people, maybe there's something that can be done."

While he had no idea what exactly gave Phoenix the powers that she possessed. Certainly science could at least find some sort of a solution. He didn't want to see her like that again.

[The Phoenix]

She walked a little ways in front of Victor. She didn't want him to see her like this. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. She wasn't the woman she had been last night with Victor. Last night had been a night of blood, sweat, passion, and dominance. She wanted that again. She didn't want to feel that way again. She wanted to feel powerful again. This waiting for her powers to come back to full strength was killing her.

She hefted the bag of clothes back into the crook of her arm as it slipped down. She just wanted to get off the streets. She just wanted to scream! She was so frustrated with herself right now. She had shut down completely when Dalacur had hit her. He had knocked her down to the ground and had knocked her ego down a little bit as well.

"There's nothing that can be done. We just have to wait for my powers to come back. I can feel them building slowly."

She was blunt and sharp with him and she regretted it the moment the words had left her lips. But she didn't want him to see her as weak. She didn't want him to see how bad she really was. The finally got to his apartment and she walked in and threw the bag onto the counter. She couldn't take it anymore. She walked across the room and punched the wall. Since her powers weren't at full strength the wall only cracked slightly as she pulled her fist back and winced from the pain that shot through it.

"Damnit!

[Victor Creed]

Victor watched as she punched the wall, but didn't say anything. He let her be for a moment to gather herself before he finally walked over to her. In and instant he grabbed her and pushed her against that wall. He used his body to press her to that wall and keep her from fleeing from him. His hand moved up to grab her chin, holding it so that it forced her to look at him.

"Listen to me." He was about to go on a rant about something but then his attention turned to that bruise upon her cheek. His thumb brushed over that cheek gently. "I know you're frustrated. But you have to be honest with me. If your powers do not return then we need to look into why. I have connections, there's things I can probably dig up. I wont, unless you ask me to." It may be a shot to her pride to ask him about such a thing, but he wasn't going to go through such research if he didn't have to. He just had to make sure they were on the same page. And perhaps it was enough to settle her mind that if things didn't go the way they were supposed to then there was a back up plan. Even if it betrayed emotions on both their parts.

Victor wasn't one for sentimentality, but then again he also wasn't one for sharing a bed with the same girl for this long..

[The Phoenix]

She was taken by surprise as he was suddenly holding her against the wall. his body weight pinned her there and left her motionless. She couldn't have gotten away even if she wanted to. She thought that he wanted her again but when he took her chin in her hands and forced her to look at him she knew it was something else. He wanted her to see that he wanted to help. That she didn't have to go through this alone.

She felt his thumb gently run down the bruise that was on her cheek. It was getting darker by the minute. She leaned her face on his hand for a second as she winced slightly. It still hurt but she could deal with it. She had to deal with it. She looked Victor in the eyes. She studied them for a minute or two. The concern was back in them. He wasn't the hard animal he had been when she had first met him. She noticed that he didn't mind her staying with him.

She figured that this was different for him. She knew that before he must have had hundreds of different women in his bed. She figured that she would have just been another one to add to the list. But now that she was staying with him he had been different. She would sometimes find him with his arms around her in the middle of the night while they slept. She took her hand and laid it on his cheek as she looked him in the eyes.

"We'll give it a week and see if they come back on their own. If not then we can do some research or call those people you know. I promise."

[Victor Creed]

Victor would be lieing if he said that he hadn't grown accustomed to her being so close. And that brought along the posessiveness and desire to keep her that way.

"Good." That was the response that he gave her. It was a little on the sharp and simple side, but he was attempting to seem like didn't care that much. His hand slipped from her cheek and the way his body pinned her to the wall slackened slightly. He was still pressed against her but not with so much pressure as before.

Victor knew the moment he gave in and admitted that he had such caring feelings would certainly be his downfall. He had plenty of enemies that would jump at the chance to take advantage of something like that.
Then again with Phoenix at her full strength, it would be hard to take advantage of her.

He already had the odd dream now and again that both of them ruling the world under an iron fist. Certainly with the Brotherhood at his disposal, that dream might just come true. But that also depended on what she wanted...

"You know, you never told me what your plan was. Or do you even have one? What is it that you want to accomplish with that strenght you possess?" Victor had his own ambitions but while they seemed to think a like, he wondered if they planned a like as well.

[The Phoenix]

Phoenix leaned against the wall. She felt his body still against her but not as strong as before. It seemed he was just standing there to be close to her. She would never know what he was thinking though. With his training he had had it made it impossible for her to get into his mind at all and he never gave away any type of feelings in his demeanor. Every once in awhile she would catch a small glimpse of some sort of emotion but it would be gone before she could really figure out what it was.

"I would love to put the humans in their place. Rule them with an iron fist under my feet where they belong."

The thought of her ruling the humans and mutants alike had always been in her mind. She had always wanted to put the pathetic humans in their place. She hated humans and always would. Before she could just see herself ruling them. But now she could see Victor there beside her. The weird thing was that she wanted him there. She wanted to share that with him. But did he want the same? That was the big question. Did he want to stay with her for that long? She looked down for a second then back up at him as she got her confidence back.

"We could do it together. No one would be able to stop us."

[Victor Creed]

He almost wanted to laugh to the way that it seemed like she was reading his mind, when he knew she wasn't. Anyone wandering through his head he could sense and would openly laugh at. But she actually had the same image and idea in her head that he did. It almost made him want to believe in fate.

"We could. And they will try. But we will prevail." He smirked to her with those simple use of pronouns that spoke more volumes than those actual words did. He wasn't a fan of humans either and would easily see them exterminated or even used for slave labor. He didn't care as long as they realized who was higher on the food chain. Mutants were an evolution, and were meant to take over...the humans needed to get with the program and take their step back.

After Victor spoke those words he leaned his head in closer to hers. His eyes closed as he took a moment to take in her scent, perhaps reminding himself how much he enjoyed that smell. And then he pressed forward, bringing her into an oddly passionate kiss. Certainly ripped and blood stained fabrics were in the future of what that kiss started. But that kiss wasn't his usual 'you're mine now' kiss...it was something deeper...