Remember when...?

"I'm not afraid of you, Victor," Bradley said, "I'm not afraid to die."

And really, he wasn't. Uncertain, sure. Wary, yes. Turned on, hell yeah. But afraid? Not even for a moment. Which he knew was a stupid mistake that would definitely get him killed, but it was Victor and Bradley had a hard time being afraid of anyone he had once considered a lover.

"How do you know?" Victor had said, in the same teasing voice Bradley remembered from so many steamy nights where he'd been pinned down and wound up for hours before victor gave him release. "You've never tried it."

Then Victor was on him, pinning Bradley with his weight as his claws dug delicately into his throat.

"How 'bout one more romp, for old time's sake, huh Bradley?" Victor growled and cut off any reply with a harsh kiss.

Bradley closes his eyes and remembers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ seven years earlier ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a hard day for everyone and all Bradley wanted to do was curl up some where and sleep. Or maybe run away screaming into the night, but he didn't think he'd make it very far considering who else was on the team. So he'd settle for some sleep and pray the nightmares didn't return.

Bradley shivered as he passed Victor, feeling the feral man's eyes on him as he headed towards the showers. He just hoped that Logan could keep his brother in check, he had no desire to be the mouse in Victor's hunting game.

His shower completed Bradley headed back to his tent. The fact that Victor wasn't watching him on his way back made him more nervous than reassured. The fact that Logan apparently didn't care where his brother had gone off to only made him slightly less nervous as it gave him some hope that the other man had merely gone to find a private tree and that he'd be safely, (he snorted at that word), back in his own tent before Victor returned.

He made it back and listened to the camp slowly falling silent, the only sounds coming from small game, the fire and the men who had sentry duty tonight. Even the sounds of his teammates's snoring was strangely muffled tonight. Slowly he began to drift off to sleep, only to be forced to full wakefulness by a hand roughly clamping down over his mouth, the sharp claws leaving little pin pricks in his skin.

"Hello Pretty." Victor growled in his ear. "You shouldn't tease me like that you know. makes me want to eat you all up." and Victor had bitten him, just hard enough to break the skin but not hard enough to do any real damage.

Bradley made a noise that couldn't have been mistaken for anything but what it was, a moan of desire. Victor gave a victorious smile.

"You want this too don't you, Pretty? Gonna make you scream." Victor said voice husky with lust.

All Bradley could do was whimper, scream and moan as the onslaught washed over him.

And when it was over Bradley found that he didn't mind. The oppressive sense of waiting was gone and he slept peacefully for the first time since he had joined this accursed
team.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ six years previously ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day had started so promisingly.

Bradley had woken up crushed to the chest of his long time lover feeling deliciously used and he couldn't wait for Victor to wake up and ravish him again.

Not that he had any illusions that Victor loved him, the only person Victor might love was his brother and Bradley was careful to keep speculative thoughts of the possible relationship between the two out of his head when around either of them. After all, Victor had the unnerving habit of knowing what he was thinking. Or at least smiling as if he did.

But now, mere hours after that, it had all gone to hell. the innocent civilians had been almost all killed, Murdered his concienscience whispered, and the only man who had any real control over Victor was leaving.

"NO! " Victor yelled. " Logan! You can't leave me. LOGAN!"

Bradley wanted nothing more than to run away, to hide somewhere and let his sanity slip his grasp, but he was shocked into stillness. The despair in Victors voice was enough to leave him unable to move as the drama unfolded before him.

And when Logan disappeared even from Victor's enhanced senses, the feral man's attention switched to Bradley.

"You!" Victor had screamed, taking only two steps to reach Bradley and wrap his strong hand around his throat, lifting him from the ground with ease. Bradley went completely limp, not wanting to incite him to further violence. "You are mine. You don't get to leave me. Do you understand?"

Bradley had been unable to do anything but nod as his face began to take on an unhealthy bluish tinge.

Victor had dropped Bradley only to grab his shirt as he struggled to his feet and dragged him off to Bradley's tent. He spent the night marking Bradley and making sure he knew his place, knew who he belonged to.

"Mine." Victor growled as he came for the last time.

"Yours." Bradley had moaned as he felt Victor's unmentionable tears soak into his hair.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Three years previously ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why? What did I do?" Bradley asked, silent tears coursing down his face.

"Nothing, just leave. If I need you, I'll find you. Just remember you're mine and even if I let you go now, I'll kill whoever tries to take you away from me. Now go." And with one more viscious kiss Victor handed Bradley his bag and shoved him out the door.

Standing on the stoop all Bradley could do was stare at the door in forlorn hope. but he knew it was futile, once Victor made up his mind it was final, or at least final until Victor changed his mind and nothing Bradley could say would change that. So with a last sigh he turned away and caught the first greyhound to where ever.

He managed to get a job with a traveling fair and worked his way up until he had his own booth. And for a while he was content. there had been people who offered themselves but Bradley remembered Victor's warning and always turned them down. he'd lost a few friends but everyone else assumed he was in mourning and left him to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Present ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And as Victor brought the two of them to a shuddering climax there was only one thing on Bradley's mind. There was just one thing he needed to tell Victor and since he was going to die anyways he didn't think it would matter anyways.

"I love you Victor."

With one simple sentence Victor's eyes had gone cold and with a disdainful sneer he had ripped out bradley's throat.

"Love is for the weak." Victor said to the rapidly cooling corpse and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reviews feed the plot bunnies, so please review.