red rain prt 1

by jaxi

the final part of the trilogy started with Lost in the Shadows.

Red Rain

The conclusion to Lost in the Shadows and Crimson Mist.

Chapter one

Thomas de Torquemada

"I returned to the Kremlin only after my wounds had healed. I had heard de Sade's death cry but it was not of pain, more of release. He last telepathic communication to me had been that this world held no more pleasure for him, better the next world then this.

Six months have passed since that fateful day and I have only just regained the strength to face the Red King and his fury was incandescent. I have never feared for my immortal life, in the years I have walked this earth I have been the one to cast fear I have been the one to see into the heretics eyes and judge him in the holy name of my father and son but now, now as I felt his eyes blaze into the top of my head I know now what those heretics felt when they faced me.

He forgets that I am the one who judges the likes of him in the name of God and as he brings his hand to grip my face I remind him that he lives only because I allow it.

Upon my return I heard that I have been made the lord high Justicar, and he knows it, his authority now pales into mine and slowly the rage passed.

He was able to listen to what I have said and digest it as the rational man he is. Then he sent me away and told me that he would have need of my services soon enough.

I am not sure I like the sound of that. The Red King rules by fear but fear is something I learnt to control scarlet centuries before and because of this I do not fear for my life.

He takes his retribution on the children of Bathory and demolishes her Kine and her minions in a week of bloody vengeance.

Such is the price of failure to the Red King. I may have escaped his wrath but there is a group of people that have not and for them this is far from over."

The kremlins secret halls shook with the fury of the Red King. He was used to having his will enacted to the letter. He should have known better. He should have known better then to trust a serial killer with the passions of a woman in the sack and out of it to do what he should have done himself,

He was born on the 12th of August 1904, the youngest of five children. His father had been the Tsar Nicholas the II and his mother had been the Tsarina Alexandria. All his family doted on him, after all he was the hopes and dreams of the Romanov line. His sisters doted on him and protected him, his parents spoilt him and in life he had been the life and soul of the winter palace.

It was said that wherever he went sunshine and laughter would follow. A practical joker and one that meant no harm to anyone.

He didn't seem to have a care in the world until his mother, held under the sway of the mad monk Grigori Rasputin.

He was said to be the spitting image of his mother and tall for his age even then. His auburn hair shone in the palace lights but his condition made it impossible for him to totally enjoy life as any young boy, royal or otherwise should have done. His parents were always forbidding him to do something and whilst he was well educated and learned his haemophilia allowed him to be spoilt as his parents could not bear to discipline him.

His large blue grey eyes drew people in and held them for hours captivated, something that now still worked when he was hunting prey or caused fear when he was angered.

When his parents were assassinated along with three of his sisters Alexi and his sister Anastasia survived, his beloved Stasi had tried to help him but when his Haemophilia began to change into something else she felt that she could not help him too much more and that was that. She fled and left him to become what he was.

He was 19 when he finally became Vampiri and full of hate for the men that took his family from him and caused his beloved sister so much madness that she abandoned him.

When he was strong enough he took down women of Lenins most trusted advisors and revealed himself to the man that ordered the killing of his family.

He made Lenin an offer the Bolshevik could barely refuse. The Soviets would rule the Empire, that was how it was but he would rule from behind the scene and many attributed Stalins demise to the revenge of the Red King when Stalin tried to break the pact made by his predecessor.

Now standing in his state room he clenched and unclenched his fists anger still hot and raw.

He was waiting for his advisor to return. A wait that was agonising. Finally his wait was over as Demetrius came into the room and bowed low.

"We have the details you required my liege."

"Well?"

Demetrius had been a warrior of the White Guard, who had tried to save his Emperor during the Civil war and whom Alexi had turned when his vampiric change was complete. To serve the rightful Tsar was all the soldier wanted and he got his wish and he was one of the few men and women whom Alexi trusted completely.

"Your sister Anastasia did indeed make it to the Americas where she had three sons, one of whom returned to Russia and joined the army" Alexi nodded "he changed his name to Romanova so as he would not be connected to the Imperial line, seeing as Lenin and later Stalin were eager to eradicate any and all traces of the Imperial line, even changing the name of St Petersburg to Leningrad. When the modern revolution came, Alexi was relieved to see the name of the former Imperial city put back to how it should have been.

"Continue" Alexi lit a cigarette and sat in his high backed chair his anger cooling as he listened to his oldest friend.

"Well it seems that Anastasia has a great-grandchild who now lives in America" The advisor handed his liege a file and said no more for the moment, letting his masters eyes take in the information that it contained and watching the smile crease across his lords face.

"So, Anastasia lived" Alexi murmured more to himself and turned his chair away for a moment so that his advisor could not see the are moment of sorrow in the Tsars eyes. He didn't have to see it, he knew the closeness of the Tsar to his family especially Anastasia.

He glanced again at the picture that stared back at him and traced a finger down the length of the face. She had an imperial bearing, a noble look about her, a look that he had almost forgotten.

"She is a former KGB agent My Tsar" Demetrius added "and is a member of the American Hero team The Avengers"

Alexi glanced over his shoulder and span his chair round once more "Aren't they led by that Captain America man?" His advisor nodded "I think it is time I took a trip old friend."
"My Tsar there are warriors to do this for you!"

"Yes and look what happened there. no it is time I took a hand in this" he looked back down at the picture "after all it is becoming a family affair and an affair of honour" Alexi got to his feet "I will deal with this, as I should have done in the first place."

"Then allow me to come with you"

"No old friend, I need someone to keep an eye on that blasted Yeltsin."

Alexi left the room leaving his advisor concerned for his Tsars safety after all these mortals had disposed of the warriors he had sent already.

He picked the picture up and heaved a sigh "Your grand uncle is coming to see you even if you do not know who you truly are"

The stern features of The Black Widow looked back at him.

Chapter two.

Wanda Maximoff sat looking into the stars a cup of herbal tea sat cupped in her hands. She was in black having buried her beloved twin brother and newly found sister a few hours ago.

She ran a hand through her dark red brown hair and rested back in her chair. How could she even look at Crystal or her niece an explain that her husband, the father of their daughter had been torn to pieces by friends. She turned to see her father descend before her and step over her balcony to come to rest beside her.

"New York looks like nothing would harm it doesn't it?" He attempted conversation.

Wanda had never been close to her father, it had tried her sanity more often then not to even be involved with him but she acknowledged his presence respectfully after all he had lost children too.

"She is a sleeping dragon, father" Wanda sipped her herbal tea and only then did she see Exodus hovering a short way away "Your bodyguard is here too I see what do you think I am going to do? Kill you?"

Magneto heard the weariness in her tone. Wanda's sanity had always been a little fragile. People had played with her head too many times, himself included. Her reality warping powers sometimes too powerful for her to contain had done more then its fair share of that.

"Wanda, the other bodies we discovered belonged to Sara Grey and her two children. I need you to come with me to tell the Greys"

"Don't you think Jean would have done that herself!" Wanda snapped.

"Jean Grey, Logan, Remy LeBeau, Alex Summers and Rhaine Sinclair have not been seen since the destruction of Salem"

"And this interests me because?"

"because they are the only X-Men left and because I believe that whoever they were fighting has not finished yet" Erik turned serious "I lost my son,. My daughter and my oldest friend and I want revenge, are you going to help me Wanda?"

Wanda heaved a heavy sigh. Her fathers relationship with Charles Xavier over the years had been – tempestuous to say the least however, they had a friendship that not many people could understand her being one of them.

In times of non megalomaniac madness her father and Xavier had been comrades in arms, he even took over tutorage of the New Mutants to try and see where Charles came from, to see if he could believe in the co-existence dream.

It never lasted, nothing ever did, sometimes Wanda thought Humans sealed their own fate.

"When do you plan to go to the Greys?" She asked with a resigned sigh, knowing that they were more likely to talk to her or accept what they were going to be told from her rather then her father. Her reputation was a lot better standing then Magnetos for obvious reasons.

"In the morning" Erik crouched down "Wanda, I know we have not been close I want to change that"

Wanda turned her gaze to his and held it for a long time "it is going to take more then this to let us become close father." Her voice was quite cold and Magneto's heart sank a little. "but it is a start and I believe Lorna would have wanted us to at least try so lets just say I will help you avenge Pietro, Lorna and Charles but only because the X-Men were my friends" she got up "I am going to see Natasha now I will meet you here in the morning" She motioned to where Exodus was still hovering "and tell your lap dog he had better be on his best behaviour or I will hex him back to his tomb in the desert. Is that understood father? The Grey's are not mutant haters they are a grieving family and will be accorded the respect they deserve"

Magneto nodded "You have my word Wanda and if nothing else that must count for something"

Wanda had to admit to herself that it did, her father, despite everything else was a man of his word "you know the way out father" she set her mug on the side and walked out.

Magneto returned to where Exodus was waiting and the two of them disappeared into the night.

The Black Widow stretched and set her glass on the table. It had been a bad day. The Avengers had been the ones to respond to the fire at Westchester and only now could the full burial s take place. The Press were all over the story and now it was wildly believed that the X-Men had fought their last battle.

Thankfully Capt had managed to remove the more mutilated corpses of X-Factor and the civilians not to mention the almost cannibalised form of Bobby Drake.

Of the remaining X-Men there was no sign but whatever had happened at the school was a story that might not ever be revealed.

She had spent a pleasant evening with Wanda and fully understood her reasons for a leave of absence. She had always known there was something special about Lorna and had expressed a niggling feeling that she was hers and Pietros long lost sibling, they'd only just got their heads round the truth when it was all took away from her.

She hoped that her friend would not allow the madness that seemed to take her at times of grief surface. Natasha looked out over the New York skyline and picking her glass up finished her Vodka.

It was times like this that she missed Russia. She rarely went home, her former employers had put paid too that by sending out another Black Widow. Natasha smirked dryly to herself.

"They will never learn there is only one Black Widow and that is me"

She headed into the shower tomorrow would be another day.

The summer nights breeze blew her curtains gently. Moving with hardly any help at all. Her fan twirled silently keeping her cool as she slept. The thin sheets barely containing her naked form.

As the Curtains fluttered back to settle in their place their moulded around the figure of a man.

Powerfully built he stood in the shelter of the window staring at the sleeping woman. In the sliver of moonlight that fell across the bed he took in her exact form, reading her lines and looking deep into her face. She had the features of a Romanov even though the very name would have caused fear in old soviet Russia now it would just be an irritant.

Even the powers in the public eye muttered about how the old regime has never died. One mortal cabinet minister even dared call him a worse tyrant then the Tsars that had given him his lineage.

Alexi had made him suffer for that in a way that made them all realise he was nothing like his father, although he had loved his father he had been weak and Alexi showed that mortal and the minister that ruled the Kremlin that he was indeed like his ancestor Ivan the Terrible and his grand dame Catherine the Great.

He was impressed with what he had read about her. The pride of the motherland until the west corrupted her, or so he believed. She was his link to the dear sister he had scared away and she would be the perfect vessel to extract his revenge.

He moved towards her and smiled as she turned in her sleep. Her neck open to him inviting him and with a smile on his lips that never touched his eyes he took the ungiven invitation.

The house was like any in the suburb the only difference was the curtains were drawn at the height of the day. Wanda took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

At first there was no answer and she thought she was intruding where she was not wanted but then finally, the door opened to reveal the drawn and haggard features of John Grey.

He recognised Wanda and then saw who was with her, with a weary sigh he let them in.

Exodus remained outside. He did not feel it prudent to enter such a grieving house besides he did not want to be in the company of humans for too long. Despite his feelings towards non-mutants he knew enough about the Grey family to know that their youngest daughter was one of the most powerful minds on the planet and that they had been advocate in the fight for mutant rights but he still felt uncomfortable around humans.

The visit was short but respectful. They had buried their daughter and grandchildren but they had no idea where Jean was. They did not even know if she was even alive.

Wanda and her father made their apologies and paid their respects then left the Greys to their grief. Or so they said but Wanda had the distinct feeling they were lying it wasn't like Jean to go off and not tell her parents where she was.

Magnus stood by the Mercedes' and leant against the bonnet. He could not believe that the destruction at the mansion had claimed all the X-Men and X-Factor lives. He also knew Logan was virtually indestructible he had proved that when he recovered from his grievous wounds Magneto had inflicted on him when he had drawn the adamantium from his body.

He rubbed his jaw and folded his arms "Was Storm found?" He asked Exodus.

"No lord, she is registered as being buried in Elizabeth Town."

Magnus's frown deepened Storm not with her family? Wanda looked back at the house and guessed her fathers thoughts.

"Maybe the missing X-Men were fighting their own. Pietro said that there was something wrong with the X-Men"

Magneto nodded and opened the car door "Then we had better go to the mansion. We might find some answers there."

The car pulled away.

Lady Jane tended the grave of Storm and sat back on her haunches. It had been a long time since she felt this at peace. She was about to take afternoon tea when her vampiric senses went into overload.

She had to steady herself such was the power and almost fell to the ground. Her mind searched for the source of the power. A powerful Vampire was in town that much she knew.

His signature was so overwhelming she first thought it was her sire but it wasn't that strong or that old. She rested her head against the cool stone of Storms grave breathing harshly and suddenly she knew she was not alone.

She slowly stood and turned her eyes narrowing as she found the source of her discomfort.

"Alexi" She growled.

He bowed his head and walked towards her, taking her hand he brought it to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles. "Jane"

She took her hand away and stepped back from him "What are you doing in my domain!"

"Giving you a friendly visit" Alexi smiled cordially.

"nothing you ever do Alexi is friendly" Jane recovered her shock quickly. She was not afraid of him if the truth be told he was more afraid of her but that was only because of the blood in her veins and nothing else.

"This incident with Bathory. Your doing?" he sat himself in the garden seat and crossed one leg over the other.

Jane arched an eyebrow "I thought she was your lap dog Alexi, sent to avenge Vlad." She smirked thinly "this business was your doing, you sent a psychopath to do your bidding. I am certain that Tomas has filled you in on all that has happened."

"Vlad was one of our greatest he deserved to be avenged." Alexi held his chin up, his royal nature showing through. He would have made a good Tsar Jane thought to herself but kept her features stone. You didn't give a man like him a way in.

"Vlad was insane. Everyone knew that Alexi even you, that's why you kept him in the cold for years!"

Alexi's smug expression faded "I came to tell you this was now personal"

"Really and am I supposed to be scared about that?"

He got up and moved to the tombstone "So, Vlads African bride lies here and you tend the grave"

"She gave her life so her friends, what were left of them lived. But you still haven't answered my question. Am I supposed to be scared about that?"
Alexi looked at her. Of all the Vampire rulers and many he had disdain for this one he held in the highest regard. Her battle prowess and her strength was often under estimated and he would be a fool if he did that.

"Jane you think you are the only one with descendants in this rat hole of a country" she remained silent "I vow to you if your grand niece can survive this then I will give you my life"

Jane scowled "You would never give up your life Alexi"

"I will on this for I am also of the Tepesche line Vlad was a distant ancestor of mine so it is personal to me I will have my revenge I cannot allow a bunch of mutants to kill my people and get away with it what sort of message will that send out!"

Jane walked over and leaned into his face "That you are no better then the animals that killed your parents." She stepped back in satisfaction seeing the anger flash in his eyes "very well Alexi bring it on. We will see who has the greater compassion."

The Red King smiled thinly and began to walk away then stopped and turned "Trust me Jane, I will let none of their line live. My revenge will be absolute and how long will your sires powers protect you from one who has seen more violence then even you!"

"Insolent Cur!" Jane clenched her fists "you know nothing of suffering, nothing"

He laughed, a laughter that was dark and foreboding and that echoed around her long after he had left.

Jane thought about his words and realisation set in. "Gavin get me to the Grey house! NOW!"

Natasha wept tears of blood as she tried to get the taste out of her mouth. Her stomach cramped as she was forced to relive what she had just committed. The Greys were a decent family and yet she had awoken this evening to a hunger that food or drink could not sate. The stranger had come to her and took her to their home and in her madness she had killed them.

As she replayed the night her sanity began to fray, throats chest, limbs all torn and broken and all of it from her own hands and teeth. He now sat across from her waiting for her to compose herself. He guided her to a seat as her tears subsided.

"What have you done to me!" She screamed.

"Calm yourself niece remember who you are talking to!"

"I am talking to the man that turned me into this!" She shrieked.

Alexi got to his feet and stood over her, then back handed her so hard she was sent sprawling to the floor.

"You are the granddaughter of Anastasia Romanov! You have the blood of the Tsars in your veins and you will do as your calling dictates!"

"I am nothing of the sort!" She spat and got up only to be struck down again

"I am Alexi Romanov, the last of the Tsars."

Natasha's eyes widened "You're dead"

"Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated" He sneered "but I am indeed something above that . You dear niece ignore what you are because you were raised to believe that all of our line were traitors to mother Russia." He crouched down and looked deep into her eyes "Natasha Romanova the Black Widow, hero to the Americas but do they tell you that you are hero to Mother Russia? Niet they do not. Your line has called you niece and I need a new heir but only after you have avenged your family." He slit his wrist with a deft strike of his nail "by taking the Grey blood you have started the road, now take more of my blood and you will see where your heart truly lies."

She couldn't help herself, his will was stronger then hers and she was compelled to do as he said. As she drank the last vestige of her humanity faded. Images ran through her head images that were ancient before even Alexi was born.

Vlad as a warrior of the Church cursed to wander the earth as a Vampire, Alexi's change to a vampire because of a heritage that came from Queen Victoria of England. He held his wrist there until he was certain she had enough. Tipping her chin up he nodded in satisfaction there was a warrior in there, one that was ready to fight for Mother Russia no matter what the cause. She was a Romanov and that was all she needed to know.

The images fleetingly stayed in her mind, until one stayed. One of the Bolsheviks, a man that was shorter then the others, glazed eyes.

He was standing in the firing squad his rifle aimed and when the commander ordered the firing squad to fire she watched as the short man shot her great grandfather. Then battered the skull of the daughter Olga.

"Logan" she whispered.

Alexi smiled thinly "Yes, the one they call Wolverine." He rested a hand on her shoulder "Now what do you think of that!

Natasha returned her uncles gaze "He will die."

"That's my niece" Alexi grinned.

Jane emerged from the house and leant against the wall as Wanda pulled up.

"Jean!"

"Don't go in there!" Jane commanded and shut her eyes "I am not Jean, I am – a member of the family. Call your police" She walked away.

Wanda frowned and hurried indoors only to emerge vomiting and crying.

Jane got into the Mercedes' and spoke to Diego "Home…now!" She drew the private glass up and wept.

Chapter three

Remy put the phone down, as he did he noticed his hand was shaking. Slowly he made his way to the window of the big town house that he owned just off Bourbon street in the heart of the French Quarter.

In his days as a lone thief he made sure that he invested wisely should the day ever come that he found himself without a place to call home. Now he used it. He couldn't go back to the Thieves Guild after all he didn't have a lot to do with them nowadays, not since they had turned their back on him when they made a new alliance with the Assassins.

The bitter taste of betrayal sat heavily in his throat at the thought. For six months this had been a haven from the heartache and the horror that had been their lives. Logan worked by the docks doing honest to goodness back breaking work with men he had bonded with in the clubs of New Orleans docks district. Alex was a physed coach at the local high school. His boyish charms and good looks being a hit with quite a few of the female staff.

Rhaine was a proud graduate of the NYPD Night force, the Nightstalkers as they were affectionately nicknamed. The coppers that always worked the graveyard shift and investigated many of the – supernatural – occurrences in New Orleans. Their missions were so secret that not even Remy with his numerous contacts could ascertain what they were doing, which was frustrating when he wanted to know how Rhaine was.

She had become seriously religious since their flight from Salem. Every Sunday without fail she could be found in the Church of our Holy mother.

Remy knew it well, Tantie would send him there often enough and he noticed that she did not ever remove the star of David from her neck. When he had asked her about it over a game of poker that he was teaching her top play so she could beat her colleagues she said it made her feel like Kitty was still there with her.

Remy could understand that. He often felt Storm was still with them, when the sun shone a little brighter where he was walking or the breeze was a little heavier on his face sometimes.

He took a deep breath and walked onto the balcony where below Jean was stood talking to one of the girls from the local Jazz clubs, her Saxophone case sat at her feet.

Jean actually owned a nightclub. She had brought, with Remy's help, an old dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of the city and turned it into the trendiest nightclub in New Orleans.

She had a keen business sense on her and Remy felt that a lot of people had underestimated her in that department.

She said her goodbyes to the saxophonist and made her way into the town house. Remy was protective of her, more so now since that call. He only hoped that the bond she had with her family wasn't wiring the news to her and sending her into overload.

He turned as she came in and knew that she knew. Her eyes were cold set and hard. In the last six months they had softened once more and now they were hard and cold, the last time he had seen that look was when she had immolated Scott.

Remy took a step towards her and she stepped back "Not now Remy" she coldly said.

"How you know?" He asked accepting that this was her way of dealing with it and having realised that he also knew the last thing she needed was an empath interfering with her wayward emotions.

"Wanda called me"
"Wanda know where we are?" Remy was incredulous.

"She found my address at my parents. I had to tell them where I was they are my parents Rem" she hugged herself and moved away "now they are dead torn apart like wild beasts!" He watched as she shook from head to toe barely containing her grief "its not over is it!"

Remy crossed the room and wrapped his arms round her well aware that her mind could throw him across the room and out into the river if she didn't want him to comfort her.

She struggled at first but he wasn't going to let her bottle this, not when there was someone willing to be there for her.

He could feel the heat in her body rise as the Phoenix force rose to the fore and suddenly with a grief that he expected but that still shocked him in its intensity the fire went out the window and formed the Phoenix over the Big Easy.

He held onto her and brought her to him and turned her round to face him so her head could rest upon his chest.

He laid a gloved hand on her hair and held her as her body racked with sobs.

He kissed her red hair comforting her and soothing her. It was all he could do, all he could think to do.

He was still holding her when the others retuned having seen the Phoenix and one look at her and Remy they knew what had happened. They didn't even have to be told they just felt it.

"here we go again" Alex muttered.

No one answered him.

Wanda knocked on Natasha's door and stepped back as it opened all on its own accord. "'Tasha" She called, she glanced at Exodus who sent his mind out to see if there was anyone there. he shook his head and they both gingerly walked in.

The apartment had a smell to it that Wanda and Paris were used to even if they didn't like the smell. Wanda flicked the light and started to look around the apartment. Natasha was such a meticulous person but now it looked like a bomb had dropped from a Tomcat and wrecked the joint.

Paris checked the bedroom and turned to face Wanda when he was jumped on by Natasha her teeth and claws barred,

He span round and round trying to shake her off feeling her talons dig into his shoulder.

Wanda reacted as fast as she could and fired a hex bolt at the Black Widow who went flying out the window. Wanda ran to the window ledge and looked down thinking her friends was about to be crushed into pulp when she couldn't see her she looked up and saw Natasha on the roof of the building across the block.

"Jesus Christ" she whispered.

The woman in black vanished although where she went Wanda had no idea. She knelt down by Paris to make sure he was ok and apart from some superficial cuts and a few bruises he would live.

Paris got to his feet and swallowed a little "Wanda"
"What?" She snapped

"Did you notice something?"
"What you mean when you were attacked by the Black Widow who had teeth and talons?"

"Apart from that" he scowled "I meant she didn't cast a reflection"

Wanda nodded. She had noticed it. She had been born in Wundagore and the mountains around it had spoken in the hushed tones of the Voralok, the Vampire how it had stalked the villages and the families at night killing the men and enslaving th women.

She got to her feet as a woman came into the room, the same woman that had been at the Grey House the day they were murdered.

Paris went to go for her but was flung back with a flick of her wrist, Despite the circumstances Wanda was quite amused to see the mighty leader of the Acolytes laid low.

"You are not Jean Grey are you?" It was a pointless question but Wanda thought that her friend might not be herself.

"No but I am a relative of Jeans." Jane replied "if you want revenge on the people that killed your brother and sister then come with me."

Wanda glanced at Paris who was rubbing the back of his head "What about him"

"If he must" Jane turned on her heel and walked away leaving the Avenger and Acolyte to follow her.

Natasha met Alexi on the roof of the Empire State. With him were other kindred she recognised, where once her heart would have melted she simply acknowledged them as relatives of blood.

Cannonball, Sunspot, Moonstar, Meltdown from X-Force, Living Lightning, Tigra and Moon Knight from the now defunct West Coast branch of the Avengers.

"Uncle?" She queried

"The battle cannot be won alone Niece" Alexi told her "I have been busy while you slept and accepted your change. Now I had minions bug the Grey House. They are in what Americans call The Big Easy, where is this?"
"New Orleans" Moonstar answered

"Then that is where we will find the prey." Alexi looked around him the moon was high, the group needed to feed and this city was a smorgish board of delicacies. "Bring death to this city that never sleeps tonight" as his new children set about their nights of killing and slaughter his laughter reigned down on the people of New York like a great daemon of death.

Chapter four

Logan.

"We watched the news as it reports not only on the deaths of Jeans parents but twenty-five New Yorkers too.

The funny thing about Vampires, just when you think you have killed one or even two of them, more turn up to take their place. I can see now why Blades battle is never ending. Looks like ours is going to be as well.

Jane's on her way down with three others. She says her people on the night force of the NYPD have been kept busy all night. I can believe that.

Remy told us what Jane had told him about Jeans parents and we were all at a loss as what to do or say. We thought the nightmare was over, I guess it isn't.

Rhaine has gone to work, she isn't letting this interfere in a life that she has worked hard to build. Alex gets up and despite me telling him our enemies may already be here he tells me he is heading for the nightclub,, Jeannie and Remy's club The Crypt.

Remy is sipping from a tumbler of Bourbon and Jean is asleep, her head on his lap.

Call me suspicious but my senses are never wrong and I begin to wonder if there is more to these two then meets the eye.

I decide that I can't do much till Jane gets here so I grab my coat and tell Alex to wait up.

The nightmares I been getting have nothing to do with my time in the Weapon X facility and I don't want to go there again."

Alex set the beer in front of Logan and sat down next to him at the bar. He popped the bottle from his Bud and clinked his bottle against Logan's and drank a little.

"Seems to me that we are marked for death" he said more to himself.

"got that right kid" Logan lit a cigar and scowled,

"Something on your mind Logan?"

Logan didn't answer at first his mind seemed fixed on a place that was far away from here. When he finally spoke there was a hint of disgust to his voice that Alex had never heard before, the disgust he had heard but not the self-loathing that was tinged round the mans voice.

"You know I was in Russia for a while back in the 1900's" he scratched the back of his head and took a swallow of his beer before continuing "The Bolsheviks seemed to have the right idea at the time. You know the Tsar and his family with all the aristocracy eating the best food and drinking their fine wines whilst the people starved and went cold, whilst soldiers died in the war"

"never put you down as one of the Red Army Logan, bolshy sometimes but not like that"
"I had a rough time around then, I lost a whole sense of my identity and I had been taken in by Lenin and nursed to health. I had been a Canadian soldier and my memory was gone, only to return years later."

"Shell shock?"
"Yeah, seeing the bodes at the Somme, going over the top alongside the British bobbies and watching them and the Germans die for a piece of land probably no bigger then New York. A shell threw me in the air and I banged my head, lost my memory when Lenin found me I was half starved and out of my mind with ferocity."

Alex half turned in his seat.

Logan very rarely spoke about his past he knew that he had an interesting one but this was something new.

"You have to have seen the conditions and then with the Tsar and his family listening to a so called Holy man who knew fuck all about politics telling a man that had barely set foot on the field of battle to take over the running of the war, is it any wonder they threw him out.?"

"I can understand that" Alex sighed "just wonder if they realised what they were getting in its place"

"When people are hungry, in a war they do not want to be in and cold anything is better then what they have. Lenin saw what I could do and said I could be their greatest warrior. I believed him. So I was sent out to a place where this family was. It was 1918 and the Reds had been in power since 1912." Logan's eyes met Alex's "I shot this family and I caved a young woman's skull in" Alex swallowed heavily as he began to fully understand what Logan was saying "When my memory came back it was all I could do to stop myself from ripping my own heart out."

"bloody Hell Logan the Tsar?"

"yeah the Tsar it ain't easy knowing you were part of a group that murdered a Emperor Alex" Logan drained his bottle and asked for another ""memory or no memory"

Alex ran a shaking hand over his mouth and then said "Wh- Why tell me now?"

Logan took a long toke on his cigar and blew the thick smoke in the air ""There were two survivors. Anastasia and Alexi. Alexi was a Haemophiliac Anastasia was his protective older sister. I should have killed them but I couldn't I had enough blood on my hands and I wasn't going to have anymore. I let them go, undercover of darkness I gave Anastasia some medical supplies and let them go.

Alexi was – changing back then I found him sucking at his nannies neck once when he was imprisoned there in that cellar but there were no marks and it seemed to be one of his practical jokes but as the years went on and I got to know Jane a bit more she would tell me of the feared Eastern Vampire warlord, the Red King. Who let the Revolution continue because it suited his needs, how he took out the Eastern kings and brought them to his fold or killed them. How he was descended from Vlad Tepesche, Dracula" Alex's jaw fell open a little "when Remy, Storm and I fought Dracula all those months ago we thought we were saving Storm" he stopped and raised his bottle absently in a salute to absent friends, Alex did the same "it didn't strike me at first why any Eastern Vampire would want to come after us, hell we probably did some of them a favour but then Bathory, de Sade and Torquemada all heavy hitters in the Eastern Cabals came after us and destroyed the X-Men and X-Factor I realised who it was.

The Red King is out for revenge but more then that Alexi is finishing what he started all those blood soaked decades ago."

"Alexi Romanov?" Alex whistled "the Tsar of Imperial Russia is this Red King that Jane spoke of?"

"The Red King is one of the only Vampires that was never bitten, usually to become a Vampire you get drained to the point of death then take their blood and viola you open your eyes go on a killing spree and you become a monster"
He looked weary and Alex had never seen Logan look weary "Logan, 'Ro's death hit you hard didn't it?"

"I helped save 'Ro only for her to die anyway," Logan put the bottle to his mouth and tipped the lip a little bit "I gotta live with that" he swallowed some more beer.

"That's not what I meant"

"I know what ya meant 'Lex" Logan looked at him again "she was a beautiful woman, a woman that I loved dearly but a woman I respected enough to keep my feelings to myself. 'Ro died a goddess and that's how she should remain remembered as."

Alex called the barmaid over and put a hundred bill on the bar "Keep them coming Lisle until the money runs out" she nodded and Alex fell silent.

Since his brother had died he had bonded with the others, they were his family now but this was starting to sound more like Blades type of work. He had to ask himself if it would ever end. If they would always be running or looking over their shoulders and who were they going to be fighting again this time?

He thought he could forget the life he had as Havok and just be Mister Summers, the good looking, good natured Physed teacher who had built a winning track and field team for the High school.

He looked at the battered picture in his wallet and took it fully out. Lorna and himself in happier times, in Hawaii when they opted for a very private and very memorable vacation.

Ii miss you Lorna, every night I miss you he sadly thought.

She had recently found out that she Wanda and Pietro's sister that she really was the daughter of Magneto but their love had seen them through she wasn't even suppose to have been with them that night, she was supposed to have been with Magnus in Genosha doing her bit as mutant liaison officer between Genosha and the UN she'd only come because he asked her.

If Logan felt guilty about his past then Alex had just as much to feel guilty for. Scott was lost to him but he had a chance to make the old fella feel better and he did just that.

He picked his beer up and kicked Logan's stool a little "C'mon lay some green on the table lets see who's the better player"

Logan was going to say no when he saw the new pool table Remy had put in. although new was probably not the right word for it, it was an antique one, one that Logan would play on in his US Army days.

He grinned as he made his way over and ran his hand over the green baize the table felt right and felt like a winner to him "Yer on kid"

Rhaine sat in the black unmarked cruiser with her partner Francois Dijon it was quiet tonight no reports of voodoo shenanigans or anything else for that matter.

She was distracted though, the thoughts of six months ago had already made her edgy and she subconsciously found herself holding not just her crucifix but the Star of David too.

"Gonna get a coffee Rhain' you wan' one chere?"

"Aye" she nodded and he got out and made his way to the Diner.

Rhaine sat back and closed her eyes willing the images to go away. Suddenly the hackles on the back of her neck went up, the supernatural sixth sense she had had since her Garou nature shone through and which had never let her down started tingling worse then an electric shock. She glanced in the rear-view mirror and almost screamed when she saw Kitty watching her.

Her face was pale, but there was nothing to suggest that she had ever been a Vampire.

"Sam's coming Rhaine" she said "Sam's coming and he's one of them"

Rhaine span round to see if what she was seeing was real but the image or ghost was gone.

"Kitty?" She clambered out the cruiser and looked all around her "KATHERINE!!" she screamed.

All she got in return was strange looks. She looked around her feeling foolish and clutched the Star even harder.

"Yer tired Rhaine" she said to herself "yer way too tired"

"Your not tired Rhaine I am always with you as long as you wear that, Sam is one of them he is on the way and he's not alone" She looked into the rear-view again

"Are yer a ghost now?"

"yeah rally am a ghost now" Kitty grinned "you have something of mine so I can help you Rhaine. Trust me please and I'll help you through this"

The door opened and as she glanced to her left her partner got back in the cruiser Kitty was gone.

Rhaine took the coffee and mumbled a thanks was this a warning from beyond the grave or was this another Vampire trick. She didn't know and she really didn't want to know.

She sipped her coffee but no matter how hard the werewolf tried she couldn't escape the fact that she was being watched and it was by someone or something that she couldn't see.

Whether it was friend or foe that was another story.

Remy handed Jean a coffee and perched himself on the coffee table as Logan and Alex came in. "No news yet?" Alex asked

"Non" Remy replied "no' yet then again eve' Jane take time t' ge' here"

"Maybe" Logan muttered "still we can handle whatever they do ok?"

They nodded and stared as Rhaine hurried in and looked to all intense and purposes like she had seen a ghost.

"Whoa slow down darlin'" Logan put a arm out to steady her as she rushed around the apartment checking the sky out the windows and closing them.

"They're coming Logan" She breathed "They coming,"
"We know, Rhaine calm down" Alex gently held her shoulders "We know, we'll deal with it lil sis"

"Ach yer dinnae un'erstan' Kitty tol' me"

"Kitty?" Jean set her coffee down "Rhaine Kitty's dead." She knew that Rhaine would be the most sensitive of them all, she was still only a young woman and she had, had to kill one of her best friends.

"Ah know she's deed!" When Rhaine was panicking or stressed to this point her Scottish accent came thicker and faster then normal "she was in ma cruiser! She said Sammy's one of them!"

The three X-Men glanced at each other. Logan knew Rhaine was not lying he could smell a lie faster then you could throw a baseball.

Rhaine had seen something that looked like Kitty and she believed her.

The door opened and They turned to see Jane standing there with Wanda, Paris and a man that caused Logan to snarl deeply.

"I do not come as your enemy Logan" Magneto raised his hands.

"What do yer come as Bub!" Logan snarled.

"An ally" Jane rested a hand on Logan's arm "We got here courtesy of Wanda's hex power but they are not too far behind and we don't have much time."

Rhaine shook her head "Ah cannae do this again, ah cannae"
Jean crouched down and cradled the weeping Rhaine she didn't know what to tell her how to make her feel better surprisingly it was Magneto who took Rhaines hand and gently pulled her to her feet.

"Rhaine, do you remember what I told you when I was your tutor"

Rhaine nodded "Sometimes strength come in tha hardest of situations"
"that's right and right now we need your strength and your senses, because you and Logan are our special weapons, I promise you Rhaine nothing will happen to you. Nothing"

She pushed herself from Magneto and stood on the balcony.

Remy watched her for a few moments then said to Jane "We better get ready for an ass kicking shit storm then"

Everyone stared at him for a while not at what he said but for the first time they realised there was not hint of a Cajun accent.

On the outskirts of Louisiana a black cloud made its way to New Orleans, their target the Big Easy for a showdown that would finally lay vengeance to rest.

The Big Easy had a reputation for violence and peace in degrees harmony and chaos, supernatural and natural but this time the Cloud was going to turn it upside down and its name was death.

To be concluded.