“You sure that’s what he said?”

“Yes, New York City, there’s a warehouse,” Wild Child said, a coughing fit overtaking him.

Sabertooth looked the mutant over, he looked terrible and he didn’t trust him, but couldn’t smell a lie on him either. Granted, it was hard to smell anything over the foul odor that had started about two days ago, one that screamed of sickness, of disease, of death. Smelled like an awful way to die and Creed smiled at the thought. Wasn’t any less then the grinning fool deserved after that stunt he pulled. A growled erupted from his chest at the memory.

Wild Child looked over at him knowingly. “You still can’t honestly be mad at me?”

“It was my call, my game, you were to wait for my signal. It was too damn risky!” And you don’t fucking touch my girl! He didn’t say the thought out loud, but it was there, screaming out in his mind.

“Well you were taking too fucking long to get the job done. Magneto wanted it handled. I just forced your hand,” he sniveled, “Besides, it all worked out in the end” He watched as Wild Child’s gaze drifted over to the small form lying on the far hotel bed. She’d finally fallen asleep about an hour ago, exhaustion winning out over her desire to remain awake for whatever might befall her. Four days with next to no sleep was a lot for anyone, even with healing abilities, and hers were being taxed pretty badly by having to continuously fight the paralytic drug they had to inject her with on a regular basis.

He snorted and moved to lay down on the bed next to the girl, leaning against the headboard, arms across his chest. The scent of interest on the grinning hyena hadn’t left since he had first smelled it while fighting the Wolverine when all the shit had gone down and he’d taken to making sure he never kept her out of his sight, preferably within arm’s reach.

They spent the first two days running, back tracking, running some more. Never stopping, sometimes there were some definite perks to being feral and a healer. He knew they had about two hours tops for Wolverine’s throat to rebuild itself and then he had no doubt in his mind the runt would hunt them down with everything he had, because if the roles had been reversed, that’s exactly what he’d do.

On the third day he finally allowed them to come up for air and Wild Child was able to learn through the grape vine that the X-men had arrived soon after their departure and taken the mutants, Wolverine included, away to Xavier’s. They had stayed in an abandoned barn that night, and tonight he finally gave in to the hyena’s persistent whining and allowed them to check into a motel room. He had to admit, having a shower for the first time in months that didn’t involve a guard, collar shock therapy, and a large fire hose was worth any risk they might have at getting found, but tomorrow they would meet up with Magneto and then it would be too late. Not much better protection from an enraged super healing adamantium enhanced mutant then someone who could manipulate metal like it was child’s play. Soon they’d be home free.

He looked over at Wild Child who was still ogling the girl. He growled, “Why don’t you turn your eyes before I claw them out of your fucking head!”

Startled out of whatever twisted daydream he’d been having, the grinning mutant simply snorted, “Wouldn’t get too attached if I were you,” and then collapsed onto the second bed in the room.

Creed frowned at that and looked down at the girl lying next to him. Maybe the mutt had a point, he didn’t know why Magneto wanted her, but he knew enough that it wasn’t just to give the whole “Join the cause” speech. The whole endeavor had been too risky, too much on the line, helmet head wanted something from this girl and he had no doubt he’d take it from her, willing or no. And what would he do if it came to that?

Sabertooth didn’t have loyalties beyond the paycheck. If he decided it was what he wanted, he’d have no problem screwing Magneto over and getting the hell out of dodge. He didn’t have a speck of metal in his entire body and he knew the Brotherhood organization threw and threw. They didn’t scare him, but he knew he sure as hell scared them. He was an uncontrollable loose cannon, it had its perks. No, double crossing the boss wasn’t what gave him pause about the whole situation, in fact he imagined doing so might be some great sport.

What bothered him was why the fuck he would want to save the girl to begin with?

Sabertooth didn’t fucking care about anything but himself. If it was just about the damn way she smelled, about the lusting and that he wanted to fuck her ragged, and he did, badly, he’d have done it by now and been done and over it. The fact that he had thoughts running about in his head about her tied in with words like MINE and MATE just didn’t fucking compute and the fact that they were coming from the darkest, most animal parts of him just added to the confusion.

He spent the rest of the night watching her sleep, trying to figure out what the hell was going on inside himself and when he smelled her start to wake up, he rolled her over onto her back and looked down into those eyes as if they might contain all the answers to the questions he was asking himself. They didn’t. They just looked at him, big and brown and staring, nothing behind them except maybe his own questions staring back at him. What was he doing? Why hadn’t he gutted her or raped her yet? What was his game plan? Where the fuck was Wolverine?

“Good luck answering those questions darling, cos I’m asking myself the same damn things,” he growled, leaning in closer, drinking in the smell of her. A slight twitch in her cheek caught his attention. Dammit. The drugs seemed to be wearing off quicker, as if her body was building up sort of built in immunity to them with each dose. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a needle, pausing for a moment, before plunging it into her neck.

Then standing up, he walked over and picked up the mattress Wild Child was snoring and drooling all over, grabbing it firmly and flipping it over hard onto the floor, satisfied by the loud string of curse words now coming out from underneath it.

“What the fuck you do that for?” Creed made a note that the rash had now gone from just his neck, all across the mutts chest and over onto his arm. Wouldn’t be long.

“Time to get moving, go get a car.” Wild Child eyed him angrily, but obeyed, slamming the door as he left.

A two hour drive found them pulling down a long road into a large empty parking lot.

“This is it?” He lifted an eyebrow. The building was a huge warehouse near the docks. He looked out across the dark blue water to find the Statue of Liberty staring down at them, “Seems a bit exposed.”

“I don’t question, I just do as I’m told. Get the girl, unless you want me to bring her in. Been awhile since I got to touch her after all, but the tastes still fresh on my tongue.” Wild Child waggled his eyebrows.

“Best get your ass inside unless you got a death wish,” he growled, two steps away from shredding into him piece by fucking piece.

Creed watched as Wild Child just shrugged and made his way into the abandoned building. He frowned, something didn’t smell right about this, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe it was just the girl. She was making him fucking soft and paranoid. He looked at her laying on the car seat, eyes just staring and watching, like they had been the past four days.

He hated this. It was weak, pathetic keeping her drugged up. She was as fierce a fighter as he’d ever come across and the whole situation felt like he was cheating somehow and the animal in him didn’t like it. He could just imagine what she’d do to Wild Child once the drugs wore of and he was almost tempted to not give her the next injection. And if he was honest, he missed the sound of her voice, even the yelling, especially the yelling. Ever since she came back to her senses in the lab and could talk again she hadn't shut up. Four days of nothing but silence was driving him a bit mad.

Damn fucking complications again. He shook his head and picked her up, carrying her inside the warehouse and finding a spot to lay her down on, using his jacket as a pillow for her head.

“Just going to do a quick look around, make sure everything’s secure,” he shouted out, hearing Wild Child’s grunt of acknowledgement from the other side of the building. He looked down and could see the widening of Rogue’s eyes, the fear clear as day on her face. The smell of it reaching his nose and making his head hurt.

He kneeled down, looking into those big eyes. What did she fucking want from him?! He frowned. Maybe he could help a little, maybe let her know the odds weren’t stacked against her. That it was still a fair fight and she didn’t have anything to fear, least of all from the long eared mutt. Anything to get her to quit with the big eyes and the smells that made him want to kill something. He grabbed her face in his hands making sure she was paying attention to what he was about to say, it was important, he’d never done anything like this before, NEVER, and he wasn’t likely to ever do it again.

“Look,” he growled, “I promise you won’t get hurt. Stop smelling so damn worried.” He saw a spark of doubt, and then confusion, and then anger in her eyes. He could read it so clear across her expression, it was like she was screaming it at him. I don’t need your damn pity or help! God she was stubborn! Serve her fucking right if he did let Wild Child have his freaking way with her. He knew he’d never let that happen though, for completely personal reasons all his own. Sabertooth didn’t share.

He stood up and glared down at her. Paralyzed and completely helpless and she still didn’t want to admit she needed help, needed looking after, especially from the likes of him. He had to admit, he admired it about here, even if it was stupid and going to get her killed one of these days. He admired the rage in her, the animal in her, and the dark parts in her that drew him like a moth to the flame. She was as good an advisory as the Wolverine had ever been, and deserved better than this, a prisoner, caged in her own body. Sabertooth knew all about cages and he hated them. He scowled.

He turned and made his way outside, not liking some of the thoughts and questions going on in his head. He needed to get away from her, he’d been around her too damn long and it was making issues. He was getting as bad as the Wolverine, a fucking promise. He shook his head. What was he thinking? She was nothing but a target, that’s all. Making a track around the building, he found nothing but the scent of animals. Apparently it had been abandoned for quite some time.

Enjoying the fresh air, air not reeking of death or the girl, he found a large crate and sat on top of it. Thinking. Something he needed to stop making a habit of and quick. Thinking of Wild Child and the strange smells coming off him, of all the too many convenient accidents that’d been happening because of him, showing up in the lab, the break out, injecting the girl and forcing his hand, even the damn X-men showing up and taking off with Wolverine stunk of some sort of higher plot, some larger end game, and it just reeked of Magneto. The fact he hadn’t been included in it gave him more worry then the fact of its actual existence. He’d need to be careful tonight.

A sudden wind flew past him and he frowned. He thought he had smelled something on it, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Damn, maybe he was getting paranoid, but all the signs said he had a good fucking reason for it. One more perimeter check and then he’d feel more secure. He wasn’t sure why Magneto wanted Rogue, but he’d promised her she wouldn’t come to any harm and he might be nothing but an animal, but he was an animal who kept his damn promises.

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