In the 7 months that Marie and Victor had been on the road together, they built a relationship deeper than any companionship she had come across. They were friends first. She told him anything and everything about herself, but avoided the topic of The Wolverine at all costs. That was the one thing about her mind that she held to herself. It wasn't like Vic didn't try to bring him up, but after knowing her intimately for so long... he knew better than to bring him up in any conversation.
"He and I's friendship is ovah Sugah. Ah don't wanna talk 'bout it. It ain't what's important anymore. Ah ain't plannin on seein' him anytime soon, so just drop it." Toward the end of her speech, her attitude went from smart to bitchy.
"I didn't mean for it to seem that way My Pet, I was just curious." Victor had grown very attached to this woman. Him, just like any other feral would be, was very overprotective of Marie. That meant that whoever made her upset in the slightest was going to face the wrath of 'The Animal'; including himself if he so did such a thing.
"You're curiosity will getcha nowhere." Her voice was full of adoration despite the annoyance that was obvious.
"I beg to differ." Vic smirked slyly at her and ran his right hand up her jean-covered upper thigh. Instantly her scent changed from aggravated to slightly aroused. He loved how he could change how she felt based on something so simple as a single stoke of her leg.
Marie blushed. "Victor, ya insatiable."
He chuckled heartily, his eyes glancing from hers back to the road. It was about a month and a half ago that they decided to settle down somewhere, to get their own place rather than spending every other night in either a motel or Marie's truck. After staying up all night talking in bed, they had decided upon what they both wanted. Vic wanted to open his own bar and Marie wanted to run a diner. So with that in mind, they merged the two ideas into one and decided to open up a bar that had an amazing and lengthy menu attached to it.
She straddled him with the sheets bunched up at her waist, in nothin but her purple bra. "Ya really wanna do this Sugah? Ah mean.. it ain't gunna be easy..." Marie started to have her doubts, her eyes easily gave that away.
"It really ain't gunna be that hard Darlin'. His hands rested on the tops of her thighs, "We just gotta handle things one at a time. It'll be easier then squashin an..." Oh Shit he was gunna say 'an X-man'... THAT WAS A BAD IDEA.
"Easier than squashin' WHAT?" Hands on her hips and emerald eyes suspicious as hell.
"An...an alligator-with a house."
Silence for a second. Then inexplicably loud laughter. Marie was holding her sides. "Easier than squashin' an alligator with a house?" The laughter increased until she thought she was gunna piss herself. "Ah dunno 'bout you Sugah, but that's the most ridiculous thing Ah have evah heard." More laughter, a few coughs and gasps as Vic rolled his eyes at her. "Ah think ya need some psychiatric help."
That got a growl out of him and a firm smack on her backside. "I do not." Vic rolled over, pushing her off of his waist. He was apparently butt-hurt at her remark.
A few giggles escaped her, "Come on Vicky! Ya know Ah didn' mean it."
With his eyes closed and in a non-amused voice, "Go to sleep Marie."
She sighed and snuggled up against his back. Her fingers started to run up his naked arms and all the way down to his waist. "What if Ah don't wanna sleep?"
Victor Chuckled. "Woman, Ya gunna be the end of me." He rolled over and pinned her to the bed.
Eyes gazing into each others; she responded.
"Ah'd rather be the beginning."
His heartbeat continued to pulsate as he leaned down and kissed her.
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After 2 weeks of searching they found a place that they could afford to buy and make renovations to. It was quite larger than they expected. The maximum capacity of people they could contain was 200. It even had a large loft apartment above it. Thus, they didn't have to travel very far to go to work. It was perfect for them. The bar was even in a decent location, on the outskirts of Toranto. It had a beautiful lake behind the woods at the back of the property.
Currently they were on their way to a construction company's office to talk about the different renovations that they wished to commence. Victor could do a lot of the work himself, so long as he had the materials to do it, but they wanted to be settled within the next 6 months.
Although they were thrilled when they heard the news, he knew that Marie was still worried about a stable environment to raise their child.
That's right folks. Marie is pregnant. With Victor's baby. 10 weeks pregnant to be exact.
With every passing day she was becoming more and more beautiful to him. Not just that fact that his child was growing inside of her, but because she was the most beautiful person he had ever come across. Her hair was getting so long, almost reaching her lower back. The long wavy brunette waves were contrasted by that big streak of snow white. Her eyes got this glimmer in them every time she looked at him. Radiant pale skin, with the cute little light brown freckles spread throughout her body. And obviously, he thought her body was that of a Greek goddesses. All of that may have been the physical characteristics, but Creed had come to absolutely love her personality. She is funny, kind, she has a huge heart that is capable of so much love, her intellect challenges his own on many occasions, but most of all-- when he told her the wretched things that he had done and his own life experiences... she listened and was not judgmental about who he WAS... but she was supportive and gentle to the man he IS.
If that's not a woman that he would wanna spend the rest of his life with, then what the hell was he doing buying a bar with her?
"Victor? Are ya even listenin' t' meh?" Marie crossed her arms out of frustration.
He just grinned. "I'm sorry angel, I was just thinkin' about how pretty you are today."
She rolled her eyes with such force that she almost gave herself a headache. "Oh please. Anyway, as Ah was sayin', we have a budget to go off of, so don't get too carried away with all the detailed wood work ya wanna do. We can always replace what we're gunna have with whatevah we want when we get some cash-flow in. Not only that, Ah know just how picky ya can be about things thatcha want your way, so we might as well save some money an' just have ya d' it yaself so that ya can get exactly whatcha wa---."
"Marie?"
"What?"
"Baby, You talk to much."
Silence for a few beats. "What in tarnation d' ya mean Ah talk t' much! Look at you! When Ah bring up somethin' about masonry or doin' anythin' that ya have specific interest in, Ah can' getcha t' shut up!"
Laughter.
"God damnit Vic, what the hell is so funny?" Her temper was starting to act up again.
"You're cute when ya get angry." He didn't even bother to take his eyes off the road to look at her, he already knew.
"Ah'm bein' serious here an' ya just keep ramblin' on 'bout how pretty Ah am. Are ya okay Sugah? D' ya got a fever?" She began to get over dramatic.
"Marie, you know damn well that I can't get a fever."
"Well ya actin' funny, an' Ah wanna know why." There's the hormonal defensiveness. What a joy to life.
"Well, I lied. I do have a fever." He looks over to her and smirks. "I got a constant fever for you my Sweet."
And damnit all to hell, he got her to smile.
"Shut up." She crossed her arms and smirked at him.
"That's what I was tryin' to get you to do."
Marie scowled at him.
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Later that week they found out that it was going to cost them about $6,000 to have the old piping torn out and redone. Another $4,000 to have the roofing redone and for the reinforcement of the structure of the building fixed. Add that with the $7-9,000 to refurnish the bar how they wanted, along with the $10,000 for supplies for the bar and the loft upstairs and you got yourself almost $30,000 to begin their dream. Between the 2 of them they had about $15,000 that they could spare with savings and old debts in their favor.
"How are we going to come up with the other $15,000?" Marie was sitting in the booth across from Victor as they ate their supper. Sitting in the old school diner that was a few miles away from their new place, they were eating a typical meal of Thanksgiving comfort food. Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed veggies, Mac and cheese, dinner rolls, apple pie and a bowl of fresh fruit for Marie.
Vic was cleaning the turkey off of the Wishbone before he licked his lips and looked up at his fertile mate. "Don't worry about it."
A few beats of silence. "How am Ah supposed to not worry about it when we only have half the finances we need an' we got a little one on the way?"
"Look Marie, I know you worry about money and how we're gunna ge it, but I said don't worry about it. So don't worry about it, okay?" He stabbed his fork into a glob of mashed potatoes and hoisted it into his mouth. After a moment he swallowed it and continued talking. "You worry too damn much. Don't wanna put the baby at risk. I'll take care of you. Both of you. I promise."
Damn those hormones! She wanted nothing more than to burst into tears and cry her heart out until the problem was resolved. But then again was the question of how they would get the money really what was bothering her? No. It was how he said it, low, slow and full of promise. 'I'll take care of you...I promise...' Yeah she had heard that line before.
"Fine." She was getting up, which was not as easy as she thought. Ever since she found out she was pregnant she had felt as though she was carrying a metaphorically huge package that weighed 20 pounds under her shirt, even though she wasn't showing much.
"Where ya goin'?"
"To take a piss."
"Have fun."
"Thanks Vic."
"Don't fall in."
She rolled her eyes and continued her path to the bathroom. The restroom had 3 stalls in it, just out of habit she went into the biggest one. It was relatively clean. She had taken a piss in worse conditions. As she pulled down her jeans and her panties she started to wonder why she was in such a crabby mood. She obviously wasn't phasing Vic with her bad moods, he had taken them as they came and treated her with nothing but kindness. Sure he would poke fun at her every once in a while but that was just the Victor thing he did.
I'll take care of you...I promise...
Well Logan, you didn't hold true to your promise.
Logan.
She had pushed that name from her mind so many times that she lost count. Recently it hadn't been as hard not to think about him. She had Victor to keep her occupied and their new establishment and finding out about the baby...
Oh God the baby, was she really really ready to be a Mommy? What if she wasn't any good at it? Oh God what if the Cure wore off and she killed her baby? What if Vic left her?
Logan.
Ah miss Logan. Especially the one in my head.
Ah lost Logan a long time ago.
Hell maybe he wasn't even mine, not even for a second. Ah thought we couldda been... but hell Ah ain't seen him once since Ah left. If he really gave a damn he wouldda came an' found meh an' convinced meh t' come home. Ah wouldn't be pregnant. Ah wouldn't be with Victor. Ah'd be at the mansion doin' some good...
Oh yeah. Ah ain't a mutant no more. That's why Ah left. Logan wouldn't give a damn about some useless human. And Ah got a good thing goin' here with Victor. As far as Ah'm concerned he loves me. And he loves our baby. An' damnit Ah know he ain't gunna let me down. Why?
"Because he ain't Logan." she whispered to herself as she finished up her business and flushed the toilet.
Pulling up her pants, fixing the button, zipping the zipper and exiting the stall brought her to look in the mirror as she washed her hands. Her face was still the same face, only the woman looking back at her seemed happier than the girl who couldn't touch anyone. Her hair was longer. She had a few more freckles. She had gained a little weight but no one could really tell because it filled out in all the right places. To be honest she looked beautiful. She felt beautiful.
She quickly dried her hands, adjusted her bra straps and straightened her pinkish flowered blouse before walking out the bathroom. Instantly she felt his eyes on her. She net his with her own. Then he gave her that one smile, the one that said, "I-know-exactly-what-you-feel-like-naked-and-I-wouldn't-mind-taking-you-right-here-right-now." Her insides melted. And all of her doubts and fears flew out the window.
Of course he wasn't Logan. He was better.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I know a lot of you guys don't like this story because it focuses too much on Marie and Victor. But I cannot help but have the story go this way. It is almost out of my hands, as though the story is writing itself.
Anyway, I would like to apologize for the delay of this chapter, it was hard for me to focus on along with everything else going on in my life. But here it is, I hope you all enjoy!
Anyway, I would like to apologize for the delay of this chapter, it was hard for me to focus on along with everything else going on in my life. But here it is, I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter End Notes:
Tell me how this chapter makes you feel.