Laying Low

[Victor Creed]

"Why are you asking that now?" He could only guess it was because of her connection to Jean. A glance was given towards her but before she could answer the question he had turned his attention back to his task and started to answer her question.

"We're war buddies." He chuckled to his simplistic answer. "We've fought every major war together. Civil, World War one and two, Korea, Vietnam." He couldn't help but have memories wash over him. He actually missed the times where he wasn't trying to rip Logan to pieces. They were one in the same but Logan didn't really see it that way. Nor did he give into the animal that was caged up inside of him.

"The last few we ended up in a 'top secret' group called Weapon X. There were a few others with us. Maverick, Wraith, Silver Fox. If it wasn't for the government Logan wouldn't have those shiny bones of his." And actually Victor wouldn't have his claws either, but his claws came along a long time after and really only by chance. "Since we both have the same healing factor I was slated to get one after him. But thanks to the Runt he trashed the place before that could happen. But the organization was experiment happy. They used both of our blood on the other members. It extended their lives quite a bit. Don't know whether they appreciate it or not. I followed Logan's orders on the missions just like everyone else. But there grew a time where the higher ups weren't pleased with his decisions. So they started having me keep a keener eye on 'im." Victor continued to cut at the dead beast infront of him as he talked. If she wanted a 'story' well she'd get one. He was a closed off man but he supposed he had to tell someone sometime. "we had a good thing going and he was too busy looking at the bigger picture."

"But I guess the real reason that started Logan after my skin was when I killed his Squaw." Victor couldn't help but smirk a bit as he remembered that. Perhaps it was jealousy in a matter. The woman was turning Logan soft and distracting him from the missions. She was a good shot and fun to torment in the game of witty words. But in the end she was nothing but a liability. Truthfully the program had ordered him to kill her, but he was the one that chose to kill her on Logan's birthday. They wanted him back and to be ablle to concentrate on the missions. Unfortunately for them it just made him go crazy. They already screwed with his mind when the adamantium came around but he moved on and then the whole Silver Fox thing happened. Logan had the worst luck really, but Victor had no remorse in it.

"Ever since then I've made a point to visit him on his birthdays but he doesn't appreciate the sentiment." Victor chuckled to himself as he remembered a few of their fights that almost got way out of hand. One of these days the two of them would end up killing each other. And he wouldn't allow anyone to kill the Runt before he got the chance...

[The Phoenix]

Phoenix listened to him talk. She hadn't heard him talk this much before. He talked on and on about Logan.

War buddies, huh? She somehow remembered those wars. She hadn't been in Jean then but maybe she had been in a different body at that time but she had flash backs of the fighting, of people dying, of her hands covered in blood, even of a family long ago. To tell the truth, Phoenix didn't even know where she had come from. She didn't know if she had actually been born or created. All she knew was that she was here. She was alive apparently skipping from one body to another.

"So that's why you want to kill him? Because he left the group?"

She was curious right now. Her mind seemed to like the sound of his voice and she wanted to keep him talking. About anything, really just so she could hear his voice. It was rough and animalistic and ironic and sarcastic at times. But she had grown accustom to it. She liked his sarcasm and bluntness. It seemed that they were alike in more ways than one.

Phoenix had a similar bond to Jean Grey. She had occupied her body for so long she still felt connected to her. She wanted her dead but she wanted to kill her. She didn't want anyone else to have that satisfaction.

"I guess I'm the same way with Jean. She is mine to kill and no one else's. I was stuck in her body for so long I still feel connected to her at times."

[Victor Creed]

He thought about her question for a second then shrugged, "It was an order. And he was a traitor.." Sure Victor hadn't been one for orders but that was a time in his life that things were getting taken care of for him. It was a nice deal, a nice paycheck and Logan had ruined it for the lot of them.

Victor really wanted to kill Jean himself. But he supposed Phoenix really had the right to it. So his scar on the woman's hip was just going to have to do for his goal in pissing Logan off.

He had finally finished cutting the pieces off of the deer that been strung up on his porch. He cut what was left of the beast down and picked it up. Victor carried it from off the porch and a few yards away. He left it out for the other animals to scavenge off of the body but far enough that it wouldn't cause problems to them. When he came back to the porch he grabbed the metal plates and carried them back inside. He had to prep the meat for freezing, besides the ones they'd eat tonight of course.

[The Phoenix]

Phoenix listened to the short sentence he blurted out. That was all she got out of him. But she was in a mood. Not an irritated mood though like she usually was. She seemed to be content where she was. Right now she wouldn't want to be anywhere else which was weird for her but she liked it. She was in a rather pleasant mood now.

She stood up and followed Victor inside the cabin. The cold air was stinging her hands a bit but the warmth from the fire he had going hit her as soon as she stepped through the doorway. She followed him into the kitchen and hopped up on the counter top as she watched him prep the meat. She watched his hands move. Her eyes followed every move he made.

"I still can't picture you taking orders from anyone. It doesn't seem like you. But I guess a lot of things lately haven't."

She laughed a bit. It was true. A lot of things he had been doing lately didn't seem like things he would do. The same went for her. She never thought that she would be here. It was almost like she was settling.

[Victor Creed]

Yea he took orders..within reason. If he didn't want anything to do with it, he'd disobey. But then he supposed that it was a part of his history that she didn't realize. He also spent a lot of his life as a mercanary too. Following orders wasn't really a foreign concept but they all knew he was a loaded cannon. The second you irritated him, he was onto you instead of what you hired him for.

He stopped what he was doing and looked over at her. "Doesn't seem like me? Ha.." He shook his head a little. No one really knew him and he liked it that way. And now she just made him realize that he was letting her get in so close. How did that happen again? It seemed to move so gradually that he didn't even realize it until she mentioned that she assumed who he was. The thought of that made his muscles tense a bit. What had changed?

"Maybe I have changed from who I was back then. But thats how things work. Animals will always surprise you." He smirked in her direction. Yes, he was irritated with what she said but there wasn't really a point to start an arguement, not when the only place you can get away from each other was miles and miles of woods.

[The Phoenix]

She noticed the tense in his muscles. She had irritated him...but how?She hadn't really said much but that didn't seem to matter with him sometimes. One word could set him off. And when he was set off it wasn't pretty....to most people. To Phoenix it was the ultimate aphrodisiac. She loved seeing him heated and irritated. Sometimes she would irritate him just for the fun of it and for the passionate and angry night that it usually led to. She didn't mean to do it right now though.

She leaned her back on the cupboard that was behind her and stretched her legs out in front of her to admire them for a second. Her mind wandered to where she was now. How had she let herself get so close to someone to have her even think about settling down? This man in the room with her had done something to her not only physically but mentally as well. He seemed like the perfect match for her though.

He could keep up with her and her blood lust. He satisfied almost every need she had. The animal in him was what she had been searching for for....how long? Her mind then drifted back to how long she had really been on this earth. She truly didn't even know.

"Well, it doesn't seem like the you I've known...or the one you've shown me."

[Victor Creed]

"Animals always surprise you." He was going to leave it at that. Mainly because he didn't even want to realize the changes he has made. Over a hundred years of life and he didn't think that he was going to change? That would be ignorant. But it didn't mean he had to like it.

He had finished packaging the meat up for the freezer and turned away from her to put the steaks, ribs and other cuts into the floor freezer. It was a lot of meat, that weighed a lot as well, of course to him it was nothing in the weight department but it was enough meat to last for a month at least.

When he turned around from the freezer he looked over at Phoenix. His eyes scanned over her body. He couldn't help it. She was gorgeous. She was primal. She was bloodthirsty. Maybe it really wasn't so bad how things were turning out. He walked over to her and stood right infront of her, between her legs as his legs pressed against the counter she sat on. His hands moved to rest against the counter top. "Something tells me things aren't going to stay the same...for either of us."

[The Phoenix]

Phoenix wrapped her legs around him as he stood in between them and pressed against the counter top. It was a reaction she had grown accustom to and it was sort of instinct now. She looked at him as he said things weren't going to be the same with them. He was right. With this baby things were going to change drastically between them. Who knew...maybe it could even drive them apart or pull them closer. Life was weird like that she had come to find.

She had always thought that things with her were always going to stay the same. But Victor had changed that outlook on life. Her being with him was a huge change for her. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him in to kiss her. It wasn't the fierce, thirsty kiss she usually gave him. It was gentle in a way and she pulled back slowly as it ended. Yes, things were going to change but was she ready for it? Was he ready for it? Could they handle this together? So many questions were running through her head at that moment but one thing was certain. Phoenix grabbed his hand off of the counter and moved it to her stomach. She placed it flat on her stomach and rested her hands over his as she looked him in the eye.

"Things are never going to be the same, Victor."

[Victor Creed]

That kiss had been soft and sweet, something even he wasn't used to. It was far from what he craved usually as well. But something about it...was perfect. Things were changing and it was happening right before his eyes and he still didn't realize it. He did, but he didn't.

What really shocked him was the way she took his hand and placed it at her stomach. For some reason that almost startled him, it was weird. Of course there were conflicted feelings in him. One wanted to dig his claws into her skin and then rip straight across her stomach. Another thought of the way her stomach was going to change over the next months. His child growing within her. He never had this chance with Graydon, not that he really cared at all...but it was something foreign to him. What was he supposed to feel in this whole thing? What was he supposed to do? What should he do? He should rip her stomach open. That thought wasn't going to go away. But instead he simply smirked to her. "I guess you're right." It was all that he could think of saying.

[The Phoenix]

She smiled up at him as she saw that smirk. Things were different now. She felt him flex his claws slightly and her body tensed a little. She knew she still had to be careful around him with this baby. She didn't know if he wanted it like she did now. Right now she wanted this baby more than anything and she didn't know why.

She leaned forward and rested her forehead on his chest. She inhaled his scent and just sat there for awhile thinking. His body was so familiar now. She could see it with her eyes closed. His scent was always around her even when he wasn't there. Her mind seemed to always revert back to him. She even wore his t-shirts to bed sometimes. Things were different in the fact that she finally admitted to herself that she loved him. He was the man she was supposed to be with.

She had been so possessive over him in the beginning because he was her little plaything at first. She had no idea when these feelings had started to rise up inside her. Now she knew that if she lost him the whole world would pay. She would rip every single person who came in her oath apart from her rage and even her sadness. Her hormones were rising in her and making her do and say things she would normally never say. Right now was one of those moments. She felt vulnerable right now without her powers but she knew she had Victor there to protect her. She whispered the words. Barely audible even to Victor's ears.

"I love you....

[Victor Creed]

He knew she said something but he could barely hear it. Instincts led him to believe what she said and he wasn't sure if that was even possible. Well she was a woman and women did crazy things. But could he say something like that? Maybe...but not now. And why give into such a statement when she said it so quietly anyway. He looked down at her at the way she laid her head against his chest. She could be rather adorable sometimes.

Victor let out a soft growl as he pulled his hand from her stomach finally, and then placed that same hand on her head. "Are you hungry?" He knew that they hadn't really eaten much for the day and she needed her strength..right? Or he supposed in this case, they both needed that strength. He still wasn't sure about all of this child rearing stuff...but he was being rather mellow about it for now. Then again they were in his cabin in Canada. It was the wilderness and seclusion that always soothed the beast within him. When they got back to the base and the city, who knew what would happen.

[The Phoenix]

She heard the growl soft in his chest as he pulled his hand away. She felt it rumble against her skin. She closed her eyes and listened to him talk, hearing it echo in his chest as she kept her head there. She nodded. She was really hungry she hadn't noticed until now that she was this hungry. In response her stomach growled. She lifted her head from his chest and just looked at him.

She couldn't believe that she had said those words out loud. She wondered if he even heard her. She had said them so softly. Why had she said them softly? Because she was embarrassed to show him any weakness. She wasn't supposed to have a weakness and without her powers right now she needed to make sure she didn't show a sign of one. Her love for him was a weakness.

The open spaces and wilderness seemed to calm Victor somehow. He seemed more tense when they were living in the city. She made a mental note to come back here with him some day. It wasn't so bad really. She had actually learned some things about Victor that she had never known before.

[Victor Creed]

He looked down at her after she nodded and pulled her head back from his chest. He stared her in the eyes for a long moment. If he could ever tell anyone that he loved them...it probably would be her. There was just something that tugged at his heart. And was driving his mind crazy. Right now it didn't matter.

"Then git out of my kitchen." He smirked to her as he moved out of her way so she could slip off of the counter. "Pick something out of the pantry." He pointed towards the pantry door so that she could find a can of something she might want to eat with the steaks.

Victor moved over to the stove with the steaks he left out and worked with seasonings before he threw the steaks down onto a pan. This was getting strange and fast. How did they both end up like this? It seemed so sudden and yet, natural. As if they had been like this for years. Like this was just another day that had come and gone like countless once before it. How did something like this happen so easily? How did things change so fast? He turned his head to watch her for a moment. This was insanity.

[The Phoenix]

Phoenix looked at him and laughed a little when he told her to get out of his kitchen. She smiled and hopped down off of the counter. She walked over to the doors that he pointed to. She walked in and started to look through the cans of food he had in there. She wished it was fresh vegetables but in this place it was impossible to get any. At least the steaks were fresh. She picked out a can of green beans and opened the door again.

She stood there and watched him cook the steaks. This was weird. Before this trip their relationship had been nothing but physical. Now...they were talking and even joking around a bit. They had only slept together once while they had been here. Usually it was more than that. What was happening?

She shook her head and walked over tot he freezer. She dug around until she found some bacon at the bottom and she started to cut it up. She opened the can of green beans and threw them into a pan on the stove next to Victor along with the bacon. She grabbed some vinegar and some other seasonings as she walked over to the stove. She pushed him over a little with her hip and looked over with a grin.

"You're not doing all the cooking here."

[Victor Creed]

"I'm not?" He couldn't help but smirk to that little bump of her hip so that he would share the stove with her. He glanced into the pot she had. That had been an interested thing. It was the first time he ever saw or thought of putting bacon and green beans together. He'd try it, he couldn't imagine it tasting too bad. It just surprised him that Phoenix even knew how to cook something. Hell this was the first time he saw her even attempt to cook. They had always eaten out before.

He watched as she cooked along side him. Wasn't this the picture perfect situation? It was like something you'd see in a movie or a sitcom. He couldn't believe this was all happening right infront of him. And yet he was okay with it, it was peaceful, actually peaceful. And for people like himself..and even her, he could imagine, this was something unique. Something that didn't come around all the time. It was a thing that needed to be protected, and he knew now if anyone so much as laid a finger on her their arm would suddenly be missing.