2014.06.04 - Not the Homecoming Expected

Engaged, chaos, controvery. That is Millie Collins with Sebastian Shaw. Still, she just got back from a modeling runway job in Russia, and using the key she has to Sebastian's place lets herself in to 'surprise' him. She has a warm, rich smile upon her face, her eyes alight with excitement, and she is even carrying a little cardboard container that holds two cupcakes from a speciality bakery that she picked up for their celebration reunion. Sure, it's a little silly, but maybe this way Sebastian will stop trying to stuff her full...she swears she gains weight just by looking at the man!

Sebastian Shaw has been going through his own level of chaos and craziness since Millie left on her trip to Russia. One was dealing with the fallout of some of his political allies in Russia who didn't want the pro-equality everything Millie Collins doing modeling in the currently very Conservative Russian Political Environment. He kept her from being arrested twice and kidnapped for Ransom three times and she didn't even know it. Nor would she ever know that.

Second the Lords Cardinal of the Inner Circle was changing again. Victor Creed had gone into hiding after an encounter with Wolverine and took his little Mary with him. A mercenary witch had replaced him on the council but she was... a handful.

Thirdly Shaw had faced down with the time-travelling mutant Cable and his X-Force, leaving third degree plasma burns on his chest, they were healing rather well thanks to his own mutant abilities but the marks were still visible, if only because the flesh was still white and the hair on his chest hadn't grown back yet.

We wouldn't even get into the injuries he got from a Kryptonian stripper, do to be fair he literally asked for that. Mainly because he wanted to see just how hard a Kryptonian actually punched. It was... much harder than he expected.

He had just stepped out of the shower getting ready to head down to the airport to pick her up. He was unaware of her early arrival and had walked into the living room with only his towel as he checked his phone for messages for anything that required his immediate attention before he left the apartment.

He was completely unaware that Millie was already home.

And Millie didn't attend a single protest or one civil rights meeting there! All she did was work! Though she was asked her opinion a few times on camera during the couple weeks fashion convention. Millie was always the type to believe one not only talked the talk, but walked the walk.

In either case, Millie is waiting for him in the living room as she hears movement from the bedroom. She's about to set the cardboard cupcakes down, her luggage sitting just inside the doorway to be dealt with later, when Sebastian walks into the living room. Her eyes lift up instinctively, "Sebast...," and her fingers drop the cardboard cupcake container and she gasps. The injuries the burising, the white marks on his chest, all visible! So much for saying, 'Sebastian, surprise!' She didn't even get his name out.

Sebastian Shaw nearly dropped the towel in surprise alright! He looked at Millie his eyes were a little wide as he wasn't expecting her. But he should have to be honest, Millie was always the Queen of Surprises. And what was one more to add to the list.

"Millie," Shaw said a bit in shock and then he coughed heavily, the kidney and pierced lung hadn't exactly healed entirely either and the sudden surprise had made it harder for him to mask those internal injuries, "Welcome home, I promise you there is a good explanation. But it's not one you want to hear."

Millie looks conflicted, between erupting into worry and panic and yelling at Sebastian! She takes a deep, shaky breath and slow lets it out, hands shaking slightly. she goes to try and fix the cupcake container back into upright position. She then says, voice carefully controlled so her temper and compassion, neither get the better of her, "It is not a matter of want Sebastian, it is a matter of honesty. At least now I see why you have not wished to webcam with me while I was over in Russia."

"To be honest, I was hopping they would heal before you got back. Or that I would have had a moment to talk to you about it before you saw them," Shaw said with some sadness in his voice, "I've told you before my life is not pretty, and I have enemies."

"A few weeks ago during a charity event a group of thieves came into the Hellfire Club and stole from us. Something very dangerous to be in the hands of a man like Magneto. So I tried to recover it."

He sighed, "I ended up in a confrontation with a man who shot me with a plasma rifle. I obviously survived, and the burns are healing. Another day or so and they'll be gone. And that man has promised to stay out of my way from that moment on."

"Oh yes, because shooting each other and then talking is the most productive route." Ooooh, if Millie got ahold of Cable! He would likely bodyslide away to escape her, darn the man! She crosses her arms over her chest, "And the others?" Oh yes...Millie isn't letting herself be a push over this time!

"Actually I did come to him to talk. Well his thief anyways. Cable was the one who threw the first blow. He even tried to rip my mind apart and get the information from me that way. You've always said I'm stubborn, apparently that came in handy this time around."

Shaw let out a little cough as she mentioned other injuries. That's the problem with being a mutant that heals with supernatural power, when your fiancee sees you coughing she knows that something else is wrong, "The other was a punch from a woman with immense strength. She punched me through a wall and created some internal injuries. Most of it is healed but it has slowed the healing of the burns and given me a bit of a cough. Plus I've been staying away from alcohol until the kidney heals fully."

And Millie's lips press into a thin line. "And /why/ did she punch you Sebastian? And /who/ is she?" It sounds like Millie is about to track down this woman and give them a piece of her mind! Uh-oh!

"She is a friend of Leo Luthor, an associate of mine. She was trying out for a dancing job at the Hellfire Club." Shaw said simply, "And -before- you try to read to much into that. Emma was there and can speak to my professional nature to the audition. She demonstrated super-human strength and I wanted to know the limits of it. It's important to know the abilities of those who are going to work for you."

"It's important not to be a big idiot and play games about who is more powerful than whom? If I /ever/ hear of you pulling such a stupid stunt, I...I don't know what I'll do!" Millie stops her one foot, arms now down at her side, "I don't know..not...not talk to you for a /week/! Do you think I want to bury you not from old age or you protecting someone, but rather because you wanted to see who was more powerful? I care too much about you to just stand aside and watch you risk your life for such a reason."

"For goodness sake, she's a dancer! What does it matter if she can break a chair, or throw a car? She's dancing on a pole for goodness sake, Sebastian, not beating up on your club members," Millie adds for effect!

Shaw smiled a little and approached Millie, putting a hand on her face, "Trust me, lesson was learned. If not from the internal injuries, well then the tens of thousands of dollars I spent on repairing the wall. Which I had to oversee myself because Emma sent Tessa on a short vacation until it was fixed."

As to not beating on club members. It was somewhat sweet and endearing how little she understood about the Hellfire Club sometimes. You never know when a dancer might be asked for a private show that involves beating on a member. But he'd let her just not know about that. It was safer that way, "But you're right. I guess, when I was younger my powers were a much more active part of my life. Since I've... grown up, it feel like I'm squandering the gift that was given to me by using it for such silly things as not getting drunk, not getting lung cancer, looking young."

He got a devious little smile, "Staying up for hours on end giving the woman love endless waves of pleasure."

Millie's eyes narrow, "If you think I'm going to forgive you over sex, you got another thing coming Sebastian. I'm getting the sex anyway, forgiveness or not." Yep, that /just/ came out of Millie's mouth. Then she realizes what she just said, her eyes widen, and even she blushes at that! "I would punch you, but you wouldn't feel it anyway." And she moves to carefully hug Sebastian to her. "Don't you ever dare hurt yourself again," she warns.

Shaw held Millie in his arms and managed to hide the slight wince caused by a bruised rip still had since his face was no longer infront of hers, "Seems like I'm rubbing off on you more and more. Next thing you know, you'll be swearing."

He did nod as he held her though and said, "I won't intentionally put myself into harms way again, I promise."

That of course didn't mean he wouldn't get hurt again, but he'd stop asking people to hit him when he didn't know if they could hurt him or not.

"You better not break your promise Sebastian," Millie says. "And no, I express myself better with words like flabberghasted and fiddersticks than I do with cursing. It makes me be a little less angry that way," and she raises a hand to pet Sebastian's hair.

"I always keep my promises. That's why I'm so successful at what I do," Even if what he did, wasn't always very nice.

He inhaled deeply and slowly letting her scent fill his lungs. He had definitely missed her presence. And he had definately fallen back into a few bad habits while she was gone. Nothing too horrible, but he was definitely a tad more cruel when she was not around. He pulled away from her slightly and said, "That's how I won you after all."

He did a quick check to make sure the towel hadn't fallen down in their embrace. While that would be quite the home coming for sure, he suspected that's not what she would want right now.

Millie sighs softly, "I'm not sure who did the winning in our relationship." She then leans up and kisses the tip of your nose. "Go get dressed darling. I have cupcakes for us, and hopefully the frosting isn't too squished that it affects the celebration." She then smiles softly. There is still worry in her eyes however.