AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a story I've been working on for a while now. It's been sitting on my computer hidden from the rest of the world. I seriously had to debate with myself whether I wanted to post this story. I think I still might take it down, but the writing style I use in this one is vastly different from my other stories. Oh well, if you're a fan of Gambit and Batman you may/may not like this.
Also, I've been reading a lot of the Catwoman New 52 comics. Totally epic! I'm basing the Catwoman from that series on the one in this series.
Please leave me a review. Always appreciated. :)
Chapter 1
Remy's P.O.V. (Past)
There's very little I believe that can be said for what I felt at the time. The X-Men had, literally, been going to shit. Scott was hell bent on their being child soldiers. Logan had gone off to who knows where leaving me in the midst of all this crap. Quite honestly, I was getting ready to quit the team myself. Increasingly the leader of the X-Men had begun to demand I do more questioning things. Tasks that went against my morals when it came to "normal" people.
My main question is this: When did it become "us" vs "them"?
Sure, I had no problem dealing with other mutants. Showing up to scare the occasional mob with my powers. A few spins of my staff, toss down a few fireworks, and pretty much they went running. Now, I never had anything against the usual civilians. Unless a person is holding a gun directly to my head I can pretty much guarantee you safe passage in my presence. I have nothing against you, and you probably have nothing against me. Disregarding the fact I've been told I look like a demon incarnate with my eyes.
Scott had been on the ever increasing war path everyone was against mutants. Everyone. I don't mean the usual military people who came knocking at our schools front door. Not even the maniacs who kept trying to reboot old "make your own killing machine programs" like the Weapon X one. I'm talking about just normal people in general he claimed to hate. Guys who worked 9-5 jobs and whose only concern was making another mortgage payment.
I believe that's what ultimately led to his downfall. Scott was beginning to increasingly insist I take out people who, quite normally, we would have saved in the past. With Logan gone I could see a man I once respected beginning to slip away. No one but me dared to step up and scream in his face what we were doing was wrong. I had just been in a fight with Scott over a group of locals who had been getting their families off an island which had dissolved into mutants fighting each other to the death.
I won't go into detail what happened, but I did get a few burns and bruises for my trouble. I was so pissed I turned my back on the man who had once called himself Cyclops and walked away. Trying my best not to land flat on my face as I half slid down the side of a mountain. I had been awake for the last twenty-four hours. Doing nothing but fighting, fleeing, screaming at Scott, and once again fighting. I had nothing to eat and had only a few bottles of water to keep me going. So to say I was exhausted was an understatement.
I was fucking high is what I was.
I'm not sure why I did it. I just remember hearing a distinct roar. Considering the noise pollution due to the explosions down below in the village, the cries coming from my former team further up the mountain, and the Sentinels beginning to descend on the place it was I miracle I heard one distinct noise at all. I froze in my descent to listen again.
After five minutes I began to think I had misheard it. Just as I turned my back I heard the roar again. This time of pain echoing off to my right. Then I heard a curse bit off at the end of another roar. For a moment I had a choice. Pretend I hadn't heard and keep going down, or go investigate.
Considering I was no longer under any form of protection I decided to investigate. I managed to navigate my way to what turned out to be a small cave. I frowned, not sure of what I'd find. I peered inside but still couldn't make out much of anything. On the floor I noticed drops of blood and a smear of blood along the sides. Whoever had come in had been hurt.
"Hello?" I called. Not to smart on my part, but at the time the only thing keeping me from keeling over in exhaustion was knowing I would fall to my death if I closed my eyes. Immediately I heard a low growl and the scrape of what sounded like claws. My heart picked up a beat when I heard that sound. There was only one person I knew in the entire world who could make that sound.
Taking out a card I charged it lighting up the cave. I instantly regretted that decision when a hand lashed out. My wrist was instantly caught in a vicelike grip as I was suddenly dragged forward. My heart jumped up into my throat as I found myself inches away from two amber eyes glaring down at me. My breath came short as I tried to form words but none came.
"I ain't the runt." Sabretooth snarled into my face. At seven feet tall and three hundred pounds of hard muscle, if not more, he is not a man to be messed with. He dwarfed my 6'2 easily and I had to wonder what he meant to do. When last we had met Sabretooth had been locked in a cage with me tormenting him. I actually hadn't even known the man was still alive.
"Let me go." I hissed back at him. I think I actually surprised us both. I knew I was scared, and he could probably smell I was terrified. Instead, Sabretooth laughs at me. His deep baritone voice echoing in the small cave. That's when I noticed the blood flowing from several cuts on his body. Why hadn't they healed?
"Sure, as soon as I rip your head off. I'm about as good as dead anyway. Maybe I should take you along with me?" Sabretooth threatens. For some reason, at the time I didn't believe him. I completely doubted his ability to murder me in cold blood. Despite the fact he had been known to kill for far less then someone finding his hiding spot.
"You're hurt, cher. Let me help you." I responded. Again, my voice completely calm. Sabretooth frowns the points of his fangs touching his bottom lip. He could have easily have tossed me down the mountain to my death. We were up high enough that if I started rolling I would be unable to stop myself.
"Why are you suddenly charitable all of a sudden? Huh, Cajun? Or do you just like the runt fucking you from behind that much? It feels good when he buries his claws into you?" Sabretooth snarls. Still, I'm completely unfazed by what he is saying. It's as if my mind has gone beyond meaning for me. I really could care less at this point to be honest.
"Non, but I'm to tired to fight. If you're worried about Scott and the others coming to find me, don't be. They kicked me out."
"When?"
"Just now."
"What'd you do, make-out with Emma Frost?"
"Non, I refused to kill a boat full of innocent people."
Somehow telling Sabretooth at the time felt right. I don't know why I bothered. At the time I could only guess the only reason he had bothered to continue talking to me thus far was because out of pure curiosity. Now satisfied I could all but see the wheels turning in the feral's head. I braced myself imagining him slashing my throat at this point. In my sparring sessions with Logan he's always careful about using his claws. He never pushes as hard as I wish he would, but from time to time I have been cut with them by accident. While the cuts were shallow I can attest they hurt like a bitch. The worst part being Logan's claws are so sharp you don't even feel the cut until nearly five minutes later. Which is why he's probably such an efficient killing machine.
Sabretooth studies me for a long moment. His hand is still wrapped around my wrist. Yet, slowly, he lets go. Then abruptly he sat down and pulled me down along with him. So instead of me looking at him face to face I was now suddenly partly in his lap. He held up his arm in between us and glared at me defiantly.
"Well? You wanted to help me, didn't you?" Sabretooth growls at me. I blink, staring at the damage. Then, with a sigh I take off my trench coat which is already torn to shreds. I'm so tired I can't even rip it into strips.
Sabretooth makes an irritated sound in the back of his throat. He snatches the coat from me with his good hand, and with his fangs rips off a long strip of cloth. He glares at me like I'm stupid when I retrieve the strip. I don't say a thing. I simply take out my last water bottle. I rinse his wounds as best I can before I wrap the makeshift bandage around his arm. Managing to cover up at least the worst of the wounds.
We continue in this fashion for a good half hour. Me tying the bandages around him while he rips my trench coat into strips. At the end of it I'm realizing just how tired I am. My head is drooping and I can barely keep my eyes open. At one point I think Sabretooth was saying something to me. Yet I could only hear the sound of his voice. Unlike Logan's voice, Sabretooth's is extremely deep with an edge to it. Smooth like honey but it makes you want to lean in to listen.
I didn't even want to stand up. I crawled away and found something move under my hand. When I grabbed whatever it was and lifted it up I recognized it as Sabretooth's coat. There was a line of real fur along it and the rest was made of leather. I had never noticed just how soft it was. Despite Sabretooth's increasing annoyance with me I yawned and lay down on that soft coat. Drawing it around me tiredly strangely satisfied. I liked not giving a shit about anything. It was nice.
I know I slept for a long time. It was one of the first times since I ever slept so deep. The only other times when Logan would lay beside me. His strong arms wrapped around me as he snored in my ear. When I woke back up I couldn't figure out why it was so dark. Only to realize with a shock it was night outside. I was in a cave with the elusive Sabretooth, and I was sleeping with his coat wrapped around me.
When I moved I felt an arm tighten around my waist. So that part of my dream hadn't been a lie. I was pulled back down against a warm chest. I heard the scrape of claws along stone and felt a body shift next to mine. Reaching down I felt around in my pocket for a card. I had so few left it was a miracle I hadn't lost any more of them. Drawing it out I charged the card giving me some light to see by.
Sabretooth was right beside me. His makeshift bandages stained with dried blood. He had pushed himself up on one elbow when I had moved. With a shock I realized he must have been sleeping beside me the whole time. I felt my mouth go dry as I tried to think of what to say. When my card lit up the feral bared his fangs at me. Reaching up he covered my hand in his hiding the light. I felt the prick of his claws along my wrist. Felt a thrill go through my body at the thought he had been lying beside me in the dark.
"Thanks for stealing my damn coat." Sabretooth growled his breath washing over me. I shivered, realizing how cold it must have gotten. I looked towards the entrance of the cave and saw stars out over the ocean. It was completely silent outside. When I felt a tug on the coat I yanked back refusing to give it up.
"Non, get your own!"
"It is mine, you ass. Give it back."
"Non, you tore mine to shreds. This is my payment."
"You offered to help me. How the hell is that my damn fault you don't carry around a first aid kit?"
"How the hell does your healing factor go on the fritz that you have to hideout in a cave? Besides, the cold won't bother you. Logan told me you walked around in sub-zero weather before buck naked."
"Not willingly!"
"Non, the coat is mine."
"Fine, but if you get shot because someone thinks your me it ain't my fault." Sabretooth snapped at me. Now, this was a man who could easily lift a ton if he needed too. Instead he yanked at his coat a final time before he stood up. Leaving me on the floor as he ventured outside into the open air. I pulled the coat around my shoulders as I stood up. Sabretooth's coat dragged on the floor as I followed after him unsure of what else to do.
Outside there was nothing but night sky and ocean. The water had become so still it was hard to determine where the stars started and the sea ended. Below us I could see a few dim fires from the day's battle beginning to burn out. Here and there I spotted dark masses which I assumed were pieces of Sentinels which had been destroyed. Cast about like broken building blocks as in front of me a man who should have killed me a while ago surveyed the damage.
He didn't say a word. Didn't even look at me. Sabretooth simply sniffed the wind and then began to make his way down the mountain. He moved easily in this environment. I skidded after him not wishing to be left behind. The thought of being alone actually scared me. I didn't know why I did. I suppose I had grown so used to always being in a group. Someone always having my back I never had anything to worry about.
We continued our journey in silence. Not once did Sabretooth turn around to offer me assistance. Neither did he stop me from trailing after him like a lost puppy. I'm still not sure why he didn't tell me to at least leave him alone. Maybe in some weird, strange way he's lonely too.
Eventually we came to the bottom of the mountain. I continued to follow his dark silhouette my eyes trained for anyone who might come out of the dark to finish us off. I hadn't managed to get a good look at Sabretooth's wounds by the light of my card. By the way he moved though the feral man seemed perfectly fine. From time to time I actually found myself shivering despite his thick coat I had taken. I had hitched it up higher to wrap around myself, but a chill had begun to set in. A wind blowing in from the beach doing nothing to help.
I found I actually missed sleeping in that small cave. Why Sabretooth had chosen to wrap his arm around my waist I had no idea. Some instinct, perhaps, to seek out a mate? Logan had told me from time to time he was hit with a sudden need to mate. Usually it didn't matter to him who it was. He explained it to me that it really all just boiled down to it being a warm body or not. He never did rape, mind you, but I know there were times when I slept with the Wolverine it was just for a release. I used him in the same way a lot of the time. Easier that way for the both of us.
Come to think of it, I think it was the same way for Sabretooth. The need to have a release now and again. I remember one time when the feral had gone missing beneath the abandoned subway tunnels of New York City. He had kidnapped a girl to make his mate, but somehow she had gotten away. Logan later told me he thinks the girl may have just been allowed to leave. Somewhere deep in Sabretooth's head there must have been a mental switch that had been flicked on. The girl had escaped scared and crying, but there hadn't been a scratch on her. Sabretooth hadn't even laid a hand on her.
Imagine my surprise when Sabretooth led me to a hidden dock. I had been so tired before I hadn't even noticed it was there. A boat had been tied to it for who knows how long. When he got on board I hesitated for a second. When he began to untie the boat I took my cue and got on as well. Not even sparing me a glance Sabretooth started the engine and off we went.
I can't say how long we rode in that boat. At some point I think I may have fallen asleep again. My mind filled with thoughts about where we were headed. Where I was headed. Where would I go after we landed? I certainly couldn't go back to the mansion, but thankfully I had nothing worth going back for. Everything of sentimental value I had could literally be boiled down to a picture in my wallet and a pair of dog tags I wore around my neck. Technically, I shouldn't have taken them. Logan had left them on the dresser however in his bedroom. I had gone in there a week after he had been gone.
Seeing the dog tags just lying there I couldn't help myself. I guess at the time I felt angry. Betrayed even that he wouldn't say anything to me. He could have at least told me whatever it is we had was over. But Logan once told me he was a coward. He hated good-byes. So did I, for that matter, but at least I was man enough to let the person I was with know how it was going to end.
I guess I still cared about the damn man. Considering I wore his dog tags wherever I went. With a start I woke back up. I wondered what had woken me until I realized the boat had stopped moving. I blinked, sitting up in the boat as I looked around. Sabretooth was completely gone. There was no sign of him. When I took out a card and charged it to give myself some light I saw remains of the makeshift bandages I had put on Sabretooth. They were scattered all over the place.
"Someone healed up fast." I muttered to myself. Again, I felt this sense of complete peace come over me. I frowned when I noticed a series of deep scratches on the bottom of the boat. I knelt down on the deck of the boat to get a better look. Then realized with a shock I was looking at a message written in a spidery hand:
Keep the coat, Cajun. Don't follow me. From here on out you're on your own. –S
As if he needed to sign the message. Force of habit, perhaps? Regardless I shook my head. The entire affair to damn weird for me to dwell on. I raised my head eyes narrowed as I looked at the place I was docked at. A few yards away I saw a highlighted billboard. Paint peeling off it as it rotted in its moorings. I frowned, studying the sign intently.
"Gotham Bay?"