I ran behind him through the surrounding woods of the mansion that belonged to Professor Xavier. He held my hand tightly within his own so that I could keep up with his incredible speed and dexterity. The warmth of his touch, the gleam in his eyes when he glanced back at me every once in a while, it was all so surreal, and yet every time I pinched myself I found myself still in his grasp.

So I decided to live for the moment for once. I could leave all of my problems behind, with not understanding my powers, having lost my home and the few acquaintances I may have had. Right here and now I was in the presence of a gorgeous man, running through the woods. It was probably the most exhilarating thing that had ever happened to me, that hadn't been accompanied by fear.

I had already told him I didn't trust him, but I had agreed to try and let him earn my trust. But now, as we reached the edge of the woods towards a small ditch filled with patches of grass and sharp pointed rocks, I wondered if I had made the right decision. I glanced across the ditch to see a motorcycle parked on the side of the road. It was a sleek black motorcycle with red symbols on it in various places. It simply rested there with its front tire pivoted towards us. A pair of eyes was stylized on the sides of the front of it, and it looked frightening, yet safe.

"Is it yours?" I asked, feeling idiotic as I allowed to words to slip past my lips. I looked up at Remy LeBeau, the man I had met not but ten minutes ago and the sight of his warm smile sent butterflies flurrying about in my stomach. Something I immediately tried to ignore, but when he nodded and cast his gaze upon the motorcycle, I lost the desire to fight so hard.

"Yeah, it's something that's been with me for about a day now." Remy sad with a small chuckle, which brought to my attention, that I doubted he had actually bought the motorcycle. And yet rather than make me afraid, my mind simply dwelled on the fact that he was a lot more crafty than I would have first presumed. "Are you ready to go? Or do you want me to take you back, beau."

I was at a crossroads now, I could choose to turn back and return to all of my problems and my life… which sounded like so much fun at the moment. That was the rational, safe, easy, boring choice. Or I could put a little faith in Remy LeBeau and go with him, to wherever it was he was going to take me. That was the emotional, dangerous, hard, and fun choice, one I thought I'd never be allowed to choose.

I looked down at our hands, still interlocked within one another's, and I thought, 'To hell with rationality.' I was at a crossroads, one where I could choose where I went. And with my ability to summon and control water now open to me, I could easily defend myself if I had to. So I turned my eyes on him and smiled. "Let's go."

Remy's smile grew into a grin as he lifted me up off of the ground and carried me in his arms across the ditch. The sound of my laughter from surprise followed us until he leaned forward and set me back on my feet. "Now that we're across the threshold, here's your crown," Remy said as he palmed a black helmet with red accents. I smiled as I took it in both of my hands, unable to do the same maneuver as he had to hold it, and placed it on my head. I quickly strapped the helmet close to my head while Remy did the same almost effortlessly.

Remy climbed up onto the motorcycle and waited for me to do the same before he craned his head around to get a glimpse of me, flashing me that dashing smile once again. "No matter what happens, hold your arms around my waist as tightly as you can." He told me with a warm yet firm tone. I wasted no time in slid my hands around him, noticing for the first time that he was wearing a leather jacket and a pair of black denim jeans with a pair of heeled boots that wrapped around his feet tightly. Looking down at myself, the wrist length brown t-shirt that buttoned down halfway when I wanted it to and a pair of blue jeans that hugged my body tightly, followed by a pair of Nike tennis shoes. Somehow I felt grossly underdressed for the occasion.

"And when I move my body, just go with it." Remy said with a smirk as he tightened his grasp around the handlebars. I nodded as I laced my fingers together when I found them finally touching. It was frightening, but for some reason I wasn't afraid.

Remy revved the bike, and then we were off, speeding down the road at a speed I would've considered dangerous and reckless driving. And all I could do was scream and laugh out in joy as I pressed my chest to his warm and toned back. I was in heaven or something completely better. I was ready to face what was going to come of this, whether it was positive or negative. I was going to see this through.

So I continued to hold on to him as tight as I possibly could. The wind rustled through my hair, allowing it to flow around and behind me at its full length. I held my eyes closed to keep Remy's hair out of my eyes, and in a split-second decision I placed the side of my head against his back and lay there, just letting time flow by as he sped down to only god knew where.

But I found that I really didn't care that I didn't know where we were going. I had always run my life as if I had to do what I was told, if only to avoid the wrath of my father. And now I was riding on the back of a motorcycle with a guy I literally just met. And I just didn't care.

My lips curved into a smile as I tightened my grasp and took in the spice-like aroma that was emanating from Remy. It was like gumbo in musk form, and I found it rather intoxicating. The aroma filled my nostrils when he craned his head around for a second to look down at me out of the corner of his eyes.

The feel of his body dipping to the left forced me to remember what he had said before we had taken off. Seeing that we had reached a corner, I immediately followed suit and dipped left with him. My hair billowed back and forth as I did, catching a draft when my head went past his body. Following his body back to its original positioning on the bike, I wondered how exactly I had gotten this lucky. Only a few days ago my life was mundane and uneventful. And now here I was.

I had never taken risks in my life, not even to run away from home. I hadn't had many close friends, and I was definitely never close with my family. About the only good thing to come out of school was gymnastics. When I was out there on the balance beam, alone in a crowded room, yet it was silent even though all around me people were yelling out, that was when I had felt the most whole I had ever known. And yet this was so much better than that.

Time seemed to stand still as Remy weaved around car after car, our destination never truly becoming obvious. I didn't really know much about the State of New York, other than what most people who didn't live here knew. So when we crossed a long bridge and all I could see were soaring skyscrapers, all I could think was, 'Manhattan.'

New York was extremely foreign to me, even though I had grown up in San Francisco and lived for a few years in Seattle. The place was jam-packed with people, and loud noises that the natives had apparently grown used to. Traffic was rampant and people came and went as they pleased, green light or no. It was all so overwhelming, and yet just what I needed.

I watched as Remy weaved in and around the traffic, dodging car after car, light after light, never stopping for anyone. It was dangerous, reckless even, and so much fun! I hugged him tightly as we came to a sudden stop before a luscious park full of trees and plants under the now moonlit sky. I hadn't realized it had gotten to be this late, but I was nineteen, curfews hadn't been an issue for me for a rather long time anyways.

Remy kicked the kick stand out after turning his bike off and then proceeded to remove his helmet. Both of our hair had been long enough to still blow in the wind, and so when I took mine off, I took a few moments to run my hands through it, styling it slightly. "So, what's in New York that you can't find in Salem Center?" I inquired wryly as I let Remy help me off of his motorcycle. His red-black eyes peered down into my hazel eyes, locking our gazes for a few seconds until his lips curled into a smile.

"I figured it'd be a lot more fun to see a fireworks show in the city than off in the distance." Remy said as his hands slid from around mine and fell to his side. He motioned for me to follow him as he started off into Central Park. I hesitated for only a moment before I followed after him, my hair flowing in the wind behind me. It was an adventure, and I was starting to treat it as such.

"So, what do you do… for fun I mean?" I asked him as I walked alongside him, running my hand through my hair to keep it out of my face. Remy looked out through the trees along the path longingly in deep thought.

"Well, I like to eat, that's for sure, but I really like magic tricks." Remy said as he reached into his jacket pocket and revealed a deck of cards. "Why don't you pick a card and we'll see if ole' Remy can guess it, Mon beau." My French was truly lacking, but I knew that beau meant handsome, so I simply went along with it.

Remy spread the cards in his hands evenly, walking sideways while he did this. I looked around him as he did this noticing how he effortlessly dodged any obstacle that would seriously hurt a lot of other people. But when my eyes returned to his face, I saw him smiling warmly, so I reached out and picked a card. It was the two of hearts, but rather than blurt it out I pressed the card against my chest and watched him intensely.

Remy thought for a moment, looking down at the card that was pressed against me, as if he could see through it and through me. That thought alone brought to mind about what power he might possess. And I could tell he was a mutant, like me, there was just something about him that shouted mutant to me. And that only made him more alluring to me.

Remy smiled as he raised his eyes to mine and asked, "Two of hearts, mon beau?" My eyes brightened as I pulled the card away from my chest and turned it over. "Oh, look at that." Remy said with a smirk as he held his hand out for the card.

"Magic is a lot more complex than telling me what a card I pulled from a deck is." I said with a small smile as I patted the deck of cards in his hands. "It's a mathematical probability, and one anyone can do after a little training. But it is quite impressive, I must say."

Remy held his hand against his heart and made a mock pained expression as if he had been tragically hurt by my words. But when his expression turned to one of happiness, as he let out a boisterous bellow. He reached out towards me with his free hand and stroked my chin gently. "The sound of your voice is quite enthralling. But there's time for talk in a little while, why don't we continue on so we can see the fireworks."

I smiled my thanks before nodding. Remy slid his hand down my arm and took my hand into his before we continued off into Central Park, hand in hand. I felt a feeling of intense arousal flow through me at the feel of Remy's hand over mine. I was feeling like I was on top of the world, and nothing could bring me down from where I was now. Not even the buzzing phone in my pocket which I casually turned off.

I followed Remy to the edge of Central Park and from there I caught my first glimpse of the reservoir that was hidden within the park. I walked with Remy up to the edge of the reservoir and pressed my hand against a metal railing and leaned forward. "This is gorgeous, Remy." I said with a wide smile, my gaze going from his smiling face to the glistening water standing before me.

"I've only been here a few times before, but every time I come I feel free, as if there's nothing that could possibly hold me back or keep me down." Remy said as he leaned forward and leaned against the metal bar, his hand over mine holding me tightly. "It's a beautiful sight, and when the fireworks show starts it's quite an impressive one on top of its natural beauty."

"I can see why," I said as I gazed up at the sky, the stars twinkling in the sky around the bright moon. It looked as if the night sky was smiling down upon us, a radiant beam of moonlight focused solely on us. It was beautiful, serene, and eye opening all at the same time. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Remy slip his phone into his pocket with a small frown taking over his entire expression, and then his eyes fell upon me and his whole expression brightened.

"It's nothing important Remy said, at least not at the moment." Remy said as he leaned in close to me, the warmth of his body keeping me warm in the cool night air. "Look," Remy whispered as he craned his head up towards the sky. I looked up and suddenly a loud boom sounded up in the sky, and then it was filled up with a bright array of lights.

"When I was in high school, I was on our school's gymnastics team," I said as I brushed my hair back with my free hand. I looked over at Remy and gave him a small smile before I gazed back up at the sky as more fireworks exploded above us. "When I was out there, I felt free, as if there was nothing that could possibly hold me back. And now I'm here trying to learn how to control these powers I don't fully understand."

"It's alright that you don't understand your gift." Remy said as he took his hand from mine and slid a card into it which he then maneuvered erratically with his fingers until it began to glow intensely. "When I was younger, in the heart of Louisiana, my powers developed and I didn't understand them."

But slowly over time," He flicked the card out over the reservoir and closed his eyes, and mouthed silently a countdown. I watched him, utterly enthralled by his smooth features, only to snap my head around when I heard a small explosion. The ashes of the card flitted down onto the surface of the water, where they slowly vanished as they were graced with water's wet touch. "You just learn to go with the flow."

"It's funny that you mention flow," I said as I focused on the water as hard as I possibly could. I'd learned to summon water on my own, but if I had power over water than I should be able to control water that already existed. Slowly, a tentacle of water swirled up from the surface, sending ripples around the reservoir as I controlled the water. The soft hum of couples all around us, ignoring us because they couldn't clearly see us helped me make the decision to continue with my display of power.

I plucked it from the reservoir with a single thought and formed it into a ball of solid water which I then brought towards me. "I found out that I can summon and manipulate water." I said as I directed it into a dance of sorts with a simple flick of my fingers. "I think Professor X called it Hydrokinesis. When I was growing up I thought I could only see the future. And in all my life I never thought I'd be here."

"I'd say the best things in life should be left to be surprises," Remy said with a wily grin as he captured m gaze within his own again. "Sometimes, going with the flow has more to do with livin' life than on how to control our powers." Remy cast his gaze out over the reservoir, and then up towards the sky as a violet firework exploded loudly above us. "And right now, I'm enjoying the flow."

"I think I might be too," I whispered under my breath as I quickly looked away from him. He was so tall and muscular and suddenly I felt extremely insecure about myself. I had always told myself that I could be with anyone and that leagues were only applicable to sports. But life didn't really follow anyone's rules other than its own. Boyfriends for me had been as far and fewer in between than true friends had been.

Although now as I looked back on life, I remembered one friend I had had for a couple years in my last few years of high school. We'd grown quite close over the years, Madelyne and I. She was a mutant like me; I guess that was why we had gotten along. She always knew how to bring a smile to my face with her telekinetic powers. "You know, this is a lot of fun Remy." I said as I closed my eyes softly and turned my head up towards the sky, allowing the moonlight to shine down upon me.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Remy chuckled as he returned his hand over mine and squeezed it tightly. "I know I'm sure enjoying myself," Remy added as he looked on up at the sky for a few moments.

It truly was glorious, and right now I really was having the best time of my life, so I decided I was going to enjoy this for as long as I could. The sudden silence around us felt like we were the only ones in the world. And I wouldn't want to spend that silent moment with anyone else that I knew, at the moment. My attraction to Logan and Scott suddenly became miniscule in comparison to my actual liking of Remy.

Fireworks flooded the sky above us suddenly, illuminating the entirety of the park that surrounded us. It was beautiful, truly beautiful and a sight I wouldn't trade anything for in the world. "So is this where you take all your first dates to?" I asked coyly as I brushed my hair back gain, it having fallen from my ear, and glanced up at Remy.

"Date," Remy said with an inquisitive smile as he looked directly into my eyes and held my gaze within his own. "Does that mean you trust me, Mon beau," Remy said with a sly smile before adding, "Or that you're willing to give me a chance, eh?"

"Why don't we see where the night takes us," I said as I looked down at our hands and placed my other one on top of his and squeezed it tightly. I then cast my gaze up at Remy and felt as if something else were compelling me. But I didn't really care at this point, so I let the invisible force lead me up to his face, and to his lips with my own lips.

I could feel the sparks flying between us as our lips neared one another. Remy slid his hand around the back of my waist and pulled me in close to him. I closed my eyes, the last thing in my line of sight being Remy's alluring eyes. Darkness enveloped me, only to be filled with a bright flash of light. I could tell it was the firework that was filling the darkness caused by my closed eyelids. His lips brushed against mine, and then it felt as if the very earth shook beneath my feet.

But when I was knocked back from Remy I found that the earth really was shaking, and the ripples in the reservoir let me know that whatever was causing the ground to shake was very close. A burst of light caught my attention and then the very air around us began to heat up. I looked around frantically until my eyes fell upon Remy's fearful expression. He was looking directly up towards the sky, and when I followed his gaze I gasped in shock.

Emma Frost led the three men towards the elevator, barely noticing a sleek black car with extremely tinted windows parked out front of the building. The valet should've already picked a car up, and there were only two explanations for why it was still there. Either the valet was dead, or there were vampire guests were in the building.

Emma swayed up the granite staircase, Dean and Sam Winchester following dutifully behind her while Pietro sulked off on the side. Emma spared the two brothers only a cursory glance over the shoulder, their attire sending annoyed thoughts through her mind. They were dressed in heavy jackets that were scarred, patched, and burned, which covered simple dark colored t-shirts with denim jeans and heavy boots. "Atrocious," Emma whispered under her breath. But it was something she had to let go for now. Emma strolled past a shoulder-length haired blonde girl who had her head in a book.

Emma straightened out her back, trying to remove a kink she'd gotten somewhere along the line. Jerald the manager of her building stood behind the desk, reprimanding the red haired concierge who was trying to shrink away from him in fear. The woman was petite, wearing a fashionable black dress jacket that hugged her waist with the top four buttons undone allowing a clear view of her light blue blouse that allowed a glimpse of her cleavage. The jacket hung cleverly over the black pencil skirt she wore, although her feet were out of Emma's line of sight, from her posture she could tell the woman was wearing a pair of heels she wasn't comfortable in.

"Jerald," Emma announced as she placed her hands on the polished oak, hand crafted desk she'd purchased from Venice. Immediately the two of them focused all of their attention on Emma, having been too engrossed in their previous subordinate-superior babble to notice her arrival. "Jerald, please have Genevieve prepare some clothes for my friends Dean and Sam, here. They'll be staying with us indefinitely and I expect them to be treated as if they were me."

"Yes, Miss Frost." Jerald said with a polite, yet brisk nod. He'd been working for her for several years now, running the hotel portion of her enterprise. Making millions a year wasn't easy when you had to keep up appearances, so she employed many others to do the dirty work for her. "And Miss Frost, you have a few visitors upstairs, a Mr. Northman, and Mr. Compton, I believe were their names. Miss Tessa is with them at the moment and a bottle of… blood," Jerald choked out while trying to keep a straight face. He took a moment to recompose himself before finishing with, "was sent up to keep them entertained."

"Oh Jerald, you do know how to keep vampires happy now don't you." Emma teased as she ran her index finger along the desk before she turned around to face the people who were strolling around the lobby. Her gaze fell upon the blonde who had meandered over towards the emergency stairwell, her face still buried in the book that she held within her hardened hands. There was something interesting about the woman, something that Emma couldn't put her fingers on. So rather than waste time guessing, Emma opened her mind so that she could peer into the minds of those around her.

She'd been a telepath for a very long time now, and was one of the strongest ones around, her only true competition being that of Charles Xavier. So it was almost like a reflex when she reached out towards the blonde. Instantly Emma established a connection when her power breached the mental barriers that most people had, although this particular woman had several more barriers than most. But there were just as few people out there with impressive mental barriers that could truly resist the touch of Emma Frost.

'Gotta find a way upstairs and get these freaking vampires,' the woman thought intensely as her eyes simply looked at the pages she held before her, not actually seeing the words though. She swayed from side to side, every once in a while glancing over the edge of her book. 'I can't believe Willow found them, we've been looking for these particular ones for a long time, and now I finally have my chance to take them down.'

"Interesting," Emma whispered as crossed her arms over her chest, but somehow managing to press her cleavage up higher. Dean glanced over at Emma before turning around along with his brother Sam to see what she saw. "Jerald darling, could you please have security escort that lovely young lady outside. I do despise squatters, you know."

"Yes Miss, right away miss." Jerald said at once, making his way towards the red phone hidden under the desk. Emma's lips curled into a dark smile as she motioned for the three gentlemen to follow her. Emma led them across the marble floors towards the wall of five elevators and once again stepped before the center elevator. It was the only one that had access to the top four floors of Frost International.

The doors opened allowing the group access which Emma did so swiftly while the others stepped inside after her. Turning around caused her hair to swing around her like a tail, allowing her a glimpse at the blonde woman being escorted outside. There was little doubt in Emma's mind from what she had read of the woman that she was Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer. And it was her that Emma had offered to remove as an obstacle for the Vampires. And now that she knew what the woman truly looked like, erasing her memory would be easy once she had her hands around the woman's head.

Emma placed her hands on her hips and mulled over what she would do to the woman. She was certainly not alone, and from the brief glimpse Emma had had, she knew the woman wouldn't be gone for long. The doors closed before them, cutting off the lobby from Emma and her small group. "So, who's the blonde?" Sam inquired as he leaned against the wall of the elevator with a small frown.

"It seems a lovely little vampire slayer has found her way to New York." Emma said as she glanced over her shoulder, her hair flowing down her back as she did. "But the woman will most assuredly be back, so once we reach my suite, I'll increase security."

"I could always waste the chick," Dean said with a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. Emma simply turned away, a smile still on her face. The man was being completely honest; taking his original job to heart even in his knew life. "If she's after one group, she'll soon be after them all."

"Yes, people do tend to generalize when they have hatred already within them." Emma murmured as she watched the buttons light up as the elevator ascended towards the first of her four residential floors. Although she rarely used the top two floors, she had them for times like this. The seven other bedrooms that she had on the floor with her own were flashier than the ones above, and although she had a few bedrooms on the main residential floor which dipped down below a half level, party guests didn't always have rides home, even in New York. So she kept a series of bedrooms and other entertainment areas above her to keep them out of her hair but still keep a mental eye on them. Although, her own room was a two level loft, with a reinforced glass staircase leading up to where she actually slept while the lower floor was a seating area, Emma was never a stickler to waste space, and money was no object in her life. And with the floor to ceiling windows that made up the west side of her wall, it allowed her to view the sunset.

And as her ranks increased with the addition of Magneto's Brotherhood and the Vampire's emissaries, and most recently the Winchester brothers, whom she would personally house on her own floor, the penthouse was getting overcrowded. And one thing Emma did not approve of was overcrowding.

"In time, my dear, in time," Emma cooed with a sly smile which grew into a more business smile when the elevator doors slid open. Emma strode through the short hallway that led towards the half-circle sprawling staircase that led down into the lowered sitting room. Emma saw that Tessa and two new men she hadn't met before were sitting together around the tiered coffee table, the two men drinking wine glasses that were half-filled with blood.

Emma directed the trio of men upstairs and mentioned which rooms the brothers could take up for the duration of their stay, and then she continued on down to the sitting room. The first one was shorter than the other man, with brown styled hair and a strong southern drawl which added to his vampiric allure. He had a strong chiseled face with light blue eyes which gave the impression of ice. He wore a fashionable black button down dress shirt made of fine silk with pinstripe pants made of the same silk. A pair of black dress shoes completed the ensemble and gave a touch of elegance to an already appealing man.

The one next to him had short styled blond hair, also having blue eyes which were impeccably lighter than his companion's. He had a more sleek face that came to an end with a slightly pointed chin and a small amount of stubble. He was wearing a simple blue short-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of denim jeans that reached down to a pair of thick brown leather boots.

Tessa on the other hand was wearing one of her Hellfire Club outfits, a black lace corset that allowed her cleavage less than ample breathing room. The lace ran through the corset, allowing the entire middle section of her body in a vertical line to be visible. Black lace panties that had a baroque design allowed anything considered "sinful" to be unseen. Thigh high black cloth hoots with hard plastic stiletto heels covered her legs while a series of red metal circles formed a belt around her waist. Her long flowing raven hair was styled back and up, in loose curls that cascaded around her head.

Emma smiled as she came into full view of the men and Tessa, knowing full well that they had already sensed her arrival. "Mr. Compton and Mr. Northman, I presume." Emma said when the three of them stood up. Emma swiftly accessed her telepathy and discovered who was who instantly. Emma held her hand out towards Bill Compton first, and shook his hand firmly, before doing the same with Eric Northman. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, gentlemen."

"And yours as well," Bill said with a short nod, Emma gestured for the them all to sit as she made her way over towards the white chaise lounge she rarely used. Slowly, Emma sat down on it and leaned back against it in an overtly sexual manner. "Roman and Salome have mentioned several reasons for our presence here. Although he didn't care to elaborate much upon it, would you though?"

"He probably didn't elaborate because of how he doesn't trust you at the moment," Emma murmured as she trailed her index finger along her lower lip before she decided to sit forward. "But that's neither here nor there at the moment. You've been sent here as test subjects for a proposal I came to Roman with. If our lovely Scarlet Witch can use her potent powers to grant you all a life in the sun, then he'll join us whole… heartedly."

"So if it's a failure our deaths are all but ensured," Eric pointed out as he leaned back against the couch and relaxed himself with a cursory sip of blood. "I guess this is our remittance for killing that traitorous bitch Nan Flanagan." Eric mumbled in annoyance, catching Emma's attention immediately. So that was why the blonde vampire had suddenly vanished from the many commercials and interviews that had been conducted over the last few years. Her replacement would most definitely have to pick up the pace, if this failed that was. Vampire equality with Humans was only being done because the former required the latter as a source of food to sustain their eternal lives.

"Who's to say that their success guarantees us our lives anyway?" Bill questioned with a grim expression as he took a sizeable gulp of the blood. He cast his gaze on Emma Frost, clearly hoping that she held an answer. But she didn't, Roman was fickle when it came to releasing information he considered important, as any good businessman should. So Emma simply crossed her legs and motioned for Tess to leave.

The woman rose immediately and silently before she made her way down the hallway where her own personal suite was located. Tessa was generally always on hand to do things Emma required of her, but their relationship went a lot deeper than simple servitude. Emma had grown to consider the woman a close and personal friend. And she knew that the other woman considered Emma the same, even without the use of her powers.

"Well then gentleman, why don' we get down to business." Emma said as she focused her attention on the two vampires who sat before her. "If Scarlet Witch is able to use her powers to grant you a life in the sun, Roman has agreed to fully back us in our endeavors. So, we can only hope that it is a complete success."

"Of course," Bill said with another short nod after he had spared his companion Eric a glance. The two of them seemed to be holding something back, but nothing could be completely withheld from the White Queen. So Emma utilized her telepathy to peer into their minds so she could see what it was they were trying to hide from her. And what she found was quite interesting. It seemed as though Roman had taken extra precautions with these particular vampires. They were currently in a great deal of trouble with the Vampire Authority, stemming from the murder of Nan Flanagan, the resident face of the Vampire's regime for equality. An action that was already being crushed by the likes of Bolivar Trask and Lex Luthor, so in an attempt to secure their futures, they had agreed to come up here. But from the slight bulge in their shirts, Emma could see that Roman had placed stakes against their hearts which were strapped to their chests. Stakes which apparently could be set off with the touch of a button from any distance, and possibly the only thing keeping them in line at the moment, interesting indeed, they were practically vampires on a miniscule leash.

"Don't worry gentleman, this can either be a lucrative arrangement or a dismal one, what comes of it is up to you." Emma said coldly as she propelled herself forward and strode up the stairs and over towards the bar where a fresh decanter of wine had been placed. Emma poured herself a glass of wine before she turned back towards the men who had remained seated. "If you do as I say and will, your deaths will be prevented. Cross me and you'll find out the true reason mutants are not to be trifled with."

"Understood," The men said, although obviously with reluctance. Both men were clearly used to being dominant and in control of the women they worked with. But Emma had given up being submissive to men a long, long time ago. And she had no intention of returning to the pastime. So they would have to suck it the fuck up and do as she said, or she would personally have a hand in their deaths.

"Good, then we've come to an agreement. You're ability to walk in the sun is all but guaranteed." Emma said as she walked towards the spiral staircase and ascended it. Glancing down at the two of them she smirked, "Tessa will show you to rooms just down the hall. Don't get any blood on anything."

The men actually gulped, apparently having decided to drop the act of feigning interest. She knew they were strong, but very few could withstand the strength of her powers. She'd proven a long time ago that her diamond form was far stronger than a vampire's increased strength, and their vulnerabilities to her psionic powers all but made them useless against her. Of course she couldn't do both at once, her telepathy wasn't useable in her diamond form, so she generally picked and chose what way she would fight from the beginning of a battle.

Emma walked along beside the pool she had had installed in between the bedrooms as the primary water feature of this floor. The decision to include it was one Emma never regretted, as it allowed her a soothing place to sit and look out over the city when she tired of her bedroom and the downstairs sitting room. But as she reached the edge of the pool, a sudden chill coursed through Emma's entire body, something she had only ever felt when a large group of people thought the same thing at the same time.

Emma reached for the remote that had been left on the tall glass table that stood between her bedroom door and the adjoining bedroom. Quickly she turned around and pointed it up at the ceiling; a large flat holographic television screen flickered into existence. Emma swiftly turned the volume up once she had reached the news channels and then paled as she took an unintended step back. "No," she breathed as the remote slipped through her fingers and her hand immediately covered her lips in horror.

"What is it?" Eric and Bill called out at once, their sudden appearance at the top of the spiral staircase going almost completely unnoticed. The sounds of Tessa rushing upstairs as well were overshadowed by the sudden appearance of Dean, Sam, and Pietro from the duo's bedroom. Emma simply pointed up at the screen, while Tessa pushed her way past the vampires and helped the woman sit down on a chair that stood before the edge of the pool.

"This will be a day the history books will be noting very soon, the day the Sentinel Program was signed into action with the first sentinel already released for its patrol in our very own city." The young female reporter said as she walked along an assembly line that was full of robotic limbs. "Lex Luthor was able to sway the necessary amount of people required to get this bill signed into reality, and now every police station in the United States will soon have Sentinels as a part of their forces. Bolivar Trask is heading the development, Bolivar, is there anything you'd like to say on this monumental achievement for your company?"

The woman had just reached the older man before she had called him to attention, and the vile smirk that his lips had curled into turned Emma's stomach. The man was positively idiotic if he thought the mutant, vampire, and super human residents of the country would sit back and let this happen. Emma had to do something; she would not stand idly by and let this go unchecked. But as Emma recomposed herself and muted the television, she noticed something she wished she hadn't.

"Remy, Wanda, John and Dominik are still out there, and from what the woman said the Sentinels will be out tonight." Emma whispered hoarsely, having completely lost the composure she had just given herself. Even though she'd only been in the company of them for a few days, Wanda had begun to grow on the blonde telepath, and now she knew what they had to do. "We're leaving immediately, we might just have a chance to find them and get them to safety. Pietro call your sister, she should be with Dominik and John. Tell them that under no circumstance are they to leave wherever they are right now. Tessa call Raven and let her know what's going on."

With her words the others immediately sprang into action. There was no time for rookie mistakes, not now, and definitely not in the next few hours. Emma peeled herself up off of the chair and strode towards her bedroom. The sudden buzzing in her front right pocket brought Emma's hand reaching inside for her cell phone.

"I suggest you four," Emma said as she pointed towards Sam and Dean, and Eric and Bill individually. "Get ready, you're coming with me on a special mission." Emma said as she reread the text that Remy had sent her. 'With Adam, be in late.' Remy was in danger and he had unknowingly brought Adam, the source of their possible hope, into its midst. Emma had already noted destruction of her property as something she would not accept, and harming of her true friends as another. Remy had been honest with her, and she could sense the ties between herself and Remy. But if the Sentinels got their hands on Adam, it would all be over. And if they did get their gigantic robotic hands on Adam, then Bolivar Trask and Lex Luthor would meet the hands of Emma and the entirety of the Hellfire Club, Hellions included.

"If it's so special, then where are you going?" Eric inquired as he interlaced his arms across his chest and leaned back against the tall post that was attached to the spiral staircase, separating it from the glass half-wall that acted as a barrier to a fall that would lead to certain death. Marble floors were never known to be friendly.

"I'm going to change, I'd rather not make a first impression to a certain young man that could be construed as… over the top." Emma said with a smug smile as she turned the crystal door knob and stepped inside her bedroom. Emma shut the door behind her and pressed her back against it as she texted Remy back and told him what was going on. Hopefully he could lead Adam away from the Sentinels, but with their ability to detect mutants, they may fall right into their hands anyways.

Only time would tell, and that was one thing they were quickly running out of, so Emma quickly ran up the staircase that led to the actual bedroom portion of her quarters and threw the armoire open. She had an extensive wardrobe in her clothes room, but this was where she stored quick to go outfits, and right now that was a blessing. "It's time to go," Emma said as she kissed her lips and pressed them against a picture pinned to the doorway of her armoire.

Emma grabbed a purse and shoved her cellphone into it before she slid on the violet mini skirt she'd picked along with a black halter top. White wasn't the only color she wore, just the one she was most noted for. It definitely was time to go. Emma wondered how exactly humans had gotten to the point where they fought for equality, yet were prejudiced all the same, as she slipped off her stilettos and replaced them with black high heeled pumps. But humans had always been prejudiced even those who fought for equality, and Emma was through dealing with being considered subhuman.

She could sense fear in the minds of all those people around her, fear that they might be found out for what they could be. And fear for what they could out that the people they knew and loved might be.

So Emma would have to deal with it accordingly, and by that idea Emma used her power to block out all nonessential thought patterns. With all the extra noise now out of her mind, Emma slung the long strap of her purse over her shoulder and left her bedroom entirely. There was a lot of work that had to be done and Emma actually looked forward to getting it done.

"Tessa, I want you to stay here and wait for the others to get back." Emma said as she reached into her purse and pulled out a tube of lipstick, which she then went about applying. "If the Sentinels do happen to come here, under no circumstances are you to engage them. Towers can be rebuilt, people cannot."

"I understand, Emma." Tessa said at once, before heading down the spiral staircase, phone in hand. The woman was brilliant at what she did, and Emma truly appreciated that in the current situation they had found themselves in. Looking over at the four tall broad-shouldered men before her, Emma smirked.

'Alone with four strapping men, this can only get better,' Emma thought as she gestured for them to follow her.

Buffy watched the blonde woman descend the staircase with four men walking behind her. Correction, two men and two vamps waiting to bite the dust. She'd been a vampire slayer for a long time, and in the past few years she'd been one of many, rather than the slayer. But having dozens of slayers to back her up made her job a whole lot easier.

Buffy strolled along the sidewalk just out of view of the small group. Brushing a strand of hair back she watched them enter a Mercedes Benz and then speed off into the darkness of nights. Buffy pressed her index and middle finger on the small button of the ear piece, connecting her instantly with Faith Lehane and Willow Rosenberg. "Buffy what's going on, I thought you were going to take the vampires out in the hotel." Willow said the moment she had noticed the connection had been established.

"Security got in the way, and at this point with these particular vampires, stealth is our friend." Buffy said as she turned away from the retreating car and stalked towards the other two women's location. They had taken up in the van across the street, cliché she knew, but it was large enough for the equipment to fit inside.

Equipment that was especially useful in hunting down the specific breed of Vampires that had 'come out of the closet' as some had put it. They were stronger, faster, and had several other abilities that she'd never encountered before. Having the other Slayers on hand to help out had just become a whole hell of a lot more of a blessing than the curse Buffy had initially took it as.

Buffy looked in both directions as she crossed the street and made her way over to the dark blue van. Once she reached it, Buffy circled around the back, rapped her hand on the door as they had decided upon, and only then did she pull the doors open so she could climb inside. Faith greeted her with a frown as the brunette haired woman with a strong face and muscular build moved aside and let the petite blonde Buffy sit beside her.

Faith was garbed in a black tank top and a pair of tight denim jeans that flowed down her toned legs to a pair of clunky heeled brown boots. Willow on the other hand was wearing an ankle length red dress with diagonal violet stripes across it with high heeled calf high boots. Buffy though was wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top as well, mostly because it allowed her the freedom to kick ass and not be too noticeable at the same time. Although her cleavage could've been hidden better than a black sports bra, Buffy noted.

"They seem to be in a hurry," Faith pointed out as she pressed a button, Willow having used her magic to hack into the security cameras. "If we go now we'll catch up to them in no time. And if we catch up with them," Faith said as she punched her open palm with a brutal smirk having taken over her previous smile.

"Get the stakes and the crossbow," Buffy said as she climbed over the two women and clamored into the front seat. Buckling her seat belt, Buffy turned the key in the ignition and propelled the van down the street after them. There would be no mistakes when it came to this upcoming fight. The vampires would be dusted in no time. "Willow, get Xander on the phone, have him and Giles get busy on the vampire sightings in San Francisco. When we get back there, I'd rather take a break than clean up after him."

Willow nodded her understanding and reached for her cellphone before quickly dialing Xander Harris, one of their core members, and Giles Buffy's former watcher and mentor. They'd been working with Buffy, along with Willow since practically the beginning. She didn't really know what she would do if she lost any of them.

But she couldn't worry about that right now. Right now the vampires were getting away from her, and she had every intention of staking them when she got the chance. So Buffy pushed the pedal to the metal and sped off after them. Willow was in the back talking to Xander, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Faith moving towards the front of the van.

Faith slid into the front passenger seat and clicked her seatbelt over her shoulder before she craned her neck and smirked over at Buffy. "Don't worry B, we got this. Those vamps won't know what him 'em, until it's too late that is."

Buffy chuckled at Faith as she tried to focus on the road and the cars she had to dodge to keep up with the Mercedes. "Is it that obvious?" Buffy wondered aloud as she watched the expensive car pull into the parking lot of Central Park. Buffy drove past the first entrance and pulled into the further entrance to keep them from noticing that they were being followed. "That I'm nervous I mean."

"B, when you're in doubt you're like an open book." Faith laughed as she reached for her seatbelt and undid it. "Now let's go kick some vampire ass!" Faith exclaimed as she jumped out of the van and slammed the door shut, prompting Buffy to shush her as she got out herself. Buffy rounded the van and joined Faith in stalking their prey. Buffy made sue to grab her trench coat on the way out before she shut the door quietly.

She had no intention of harming those others with the vampires, but if they happened to get in the way, there would be nothing Buffy could do to help them either. It was never her prerogative to harm those who couldn't defend themselves. But she'd also come to discover that a certain kind of person hung out with vampires. And they certainly looked like they could handle themselves.

Willow hopped out of the back before she made sure all of the doors were locked. In the big city, one could never be too careful, especially when supernatural forces were involved. Buffy walked in between her two companions, a stake hidden under each sleeve of her jacket. Buffy glanced from one side to the other and said, "Let's get them guys."

"Hey isn't that Adam?" Kitty called out to as she came to a halt, having caught a glimpse of two young men on a motorcycle speed past their small group. She, Bobby, Sam, Rogue and Piotr had decided to go to the movies to get away from all the commotion in the mansion. But Professor Xavier had attached a few strings to it; Scott Summers and Carol Danvers were accompanying them as chaperones. Even though they were all nineteen, or twenty in Piotr's case, and a part of the X-Men, they were still treated like students. Kitty's gray pleated mini skirt flowed around her as she leaned forward, barely covering what it should. The sea-green hoodie that covered the V-neck shirt she'd chosen though did more covering than her strappy heeled shoes.

Bobby held his hand against his forehead in an effort to block out the sun as he followed Kitty's gaze, his hand intertwined around hers. He was wearing a nice form fitting tank top and a pair of cargo shorts that cradled his crotch in an enjoyable manner. Kitty licked her lips as she remembered what she'd done to that crotch only a few days ago in the grove of trees when no one had been watching. That had been a fun time, definitely.

"Looks like the kinda fun we all need," Sam joked as he placed his hands on his hips. The tight tank top he wore clung to his muscles as did the pair of long shorts he wore which held his legs tightly, until his calf muscles poked out of them. He had chosen to wear a pair of sandals that strapped all around his feet with solid soles, the kinds little kids usually wore.

"It looks like it, but who's that he's with?" Rogue asked as she led Piotr over towards the edge of the street and stared at the backs of the two men. Rogue had her arm interlaced with Piotr's, holding him close to her body without actually touching him because of her powers. Although the two of them had apparently discovered that her power had no effect on him when he was in his metal form. How she had done that though was what truly interested Kitty. Rogue was wearing a long sleeved form fitting black blouse that bared her midriff, which itself was covered by a violet sheer fabric. A pair of jeans covered the entirety of her bottom half, with an oversized ring belt covering the rest. A pair of bulky high heeled boots clacked loudly against the pavement. Piotr though, was wearing a button down red shirt with a pair of khakis and loafers.

"Hey, what are you guys doing over here?" Scott asked in a militant tone as he and Carol strolled over towards the group of young-adults. He had put on a short sleeved muscle t-shirt that did exactly as its name implied, and the tight jeans he wore really hugged his butt and fit well around his pelvis, accentuating something Kitty had always hoped to see. He had an inquisitive expression, as did Carol, although hers was much more amused than anything else. The older woman's blonde locks were curled loosely and flowed don her back, covering the backless portion of her blouse which itself flitted in the wind around her beige pants.

"We're pretty sure we just saw Adam on a motorcycle speeding down the street." Bobby said as he glanced up and over his shoulder at Scott's stern expression. Scott frowned as he adjusted his ruby quartz sun glasses and followed the sight that everyone else had begun to look at. "He sure looked like he was having fun."

"That might be true, but it's getting pretty late." Carol noted as she rolled her shoulders, the sound of them cracking causing Kitty to shudder. "I'll follow him so we can give him a ride back to the mansion." Carol said as she strolled towards the alleyway that wasn't too far from them.

"Are you sure, I can always go with you, ya know." Rogue offered as she turned to follow Carol. Kitty chuckled as Carol agreed to the company. She watched as Rogue removed a glove and gently touched Carol Danver's arm so that she could absorb the woman's abilities.

"Alright" Scott announced with a loud clap, capturing the attention of the others. "Carol, make sure Rogue stays in your line of sight, you guys keep up with me." Scott ordered as he pointed towards them. "Now let's get going."

Carol and Rogue ducked into the alleyway, and out of the corner of Kitty's eye she saw the duo take off into the sky as fast as they could. Kitty frowned as she lamented the fact that she couldn't fly, something she'd always wanted to be able to do. But she wouldn't give up her power for anything that was for sure.

Kitty clung to Bobby as their small troupe walked down Madison Avenue in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Kitty loved looking at the older buildings that the wealthier New Yorkers could experience on a daily basis, and with every block they past, she could catch glimpses of Central Park. The park was absolutely gorgeous, even though it was usually flooded with people, although New York itself was practically always flooded with people anyways.

"What do you think he was doing with that guy?" Piotr asked with an inquisitive expression as he shoved his large hands into his pockets. Kitty was extremely perceptive when it came to the people she called friends, and she could already tell the attraction that Piotr held for the newest addition to the mansion. Even if he wasn't ready to admit his homosexuality, she and most of the group knew it, and it did nothing to change how they felt about the Russian man. But that didn't mean they would force him to come out until he was ready to.

"The way he was smiling makes me think he was on a date." Sam said with a smirk as he patted Piotr on the back. "Makes me wonder if I can get a date that fast," He laughed as he walked on ahead of the group to stride next to Scott. The older man kept glancing around them, as if he were unnerved by something. The constant looking and checking made Kitty tighten her grip on Bobby's hand, actually causing her boyfriend to become quite uncomfortable.

Yet, the increase in dry heat that had begun to bombard them was also making the young woman nervous. She fanned herself constantly as the group strolled along another block; dodging myriad of civilians all the while making sure no one robbed them in the chaos.

But when Scott's head snapped towards the sky, Kitty visibly paled as she noticed that the crowd had stopped moving. Not like when Professor X used his powers to stop them from moving, but they had all forced themselves to stop moving. Slowly, Kitty, Bobby, Piotr, and Sam raised their gazes up towards the sky. A scream echoed throughout the streets of New York, and chaos ensued.

Prue watched as her three younger sisters stood in a triangular formation, calling on the Power of Three the strongest force of magic to ever grace the planet. A collective that she had once belonged to, and one that she did truly yearn for, but had chosen to let go after she had returned to life, something she had known she had had to do. Her destiny hadn't been holding her to the Charmed Ones, she had been doing it all on her own. But that wasn't important right now. An Elder, a powerful magical being and those who sent Whitelighters to guard witches and guide them was coming, and he would be there shortly.

Then a flutter of blue lights swirled through the roof of the attic and coalesced before the four sisters until a human figure appeared. "It's about damn time." Piper said at once, her impatience almost tangible. Piper had never had much faith in the Elders, and what little faith she had had in them had slowly dissipated over the years to its current zero status.

"Who are you to summon me?" The Elder demanded, his white flowing robes floating around him as he spun around, looking the sisters in the eyes individually. "I was in the middle of a deliberation, one which had just reached a consensus on the identities of the demons you asked for. If you had simply been more patient, I would've-."

"Well you're here now, and we're out of time." Paige said at once, interrupting the older Caucasian male who had been summoned by their awesome power. "Phoebe had another premonition, one about New York and a robotic army known as the Sentinels."

"Why are you interfering with human affairs?" The Elder demanded, earning a condescending glare from Phoebe, who simply placed her hands on her cocked hip. The man seemed a lot more aggressive than Prue had ever recalled an Elder to be, but then again she hadn't truly dealt with them for several years now.

"Because the Demons are involved in it now, and the young man I saw before," Phoebe said in a monotonous tone as Piper straightened her back and crossed her arms. She was obviously trying to keep herself from using her lethal powers against the man. But how long that would last would have to test time itself. "If we don't get involved, his powers will overload and the demons can take advantage of him. They'll probably crown him as the next Source."

"And we're tired of dealing with the Source of All Evil, ya know." Piper said with a cocked eyebrow. "We've already located him; he's in New York City. Central Park to be specific," Piper said as she strolled over towards the Book of Shadows and flipped through the pages. "We haven't been able to identify the teen yet."

"It's a page in our history we haven't ever given any stock in, what with mutants and witches being from two different genetic pools. But with all the hybrids running around we decided to see if it was possible. This young man is a Mutant-Witch hybrid." The Elder said as he began to pace back and forth, having left the circle of power that the Charmed Ones had used to summon him to them. "He's quite rare indeed, and his power is strong. Of course his magical side is nowhere near the collective Power of Three, as no magical witch can ever truly surpass a Charmed One. But his power, at least his Wiccan power is that of copying powers. We don't yet know if it is a strain of Power Mimicry, in which case your powers usage on him would give the man immunity to your gifts. Or if it is simply to copy them, permanently, both mutant and Wiccan powers that is. If he were to copy your powers… well I needn't tell you what would happen if he possessed all three."

"He'd have access to the Power of Three, and the strength to kill us all." Paige said as understanding finally dawned on all of them. This wouldn't be like the so called 'Ultimate Battle' where the witches were on equal footing because Prue's presence on Earth had severely hampered the Charmed One's collective power. That had been a crock. But if someone was truly able to replicate the actual powers of the Charmed Ones and be magical by nature already…

Tragedy would strike the Halliwell family, and Prue refused to let that happen to her sisters. She would keep herself from reactivating her powers by avoiding the usual situations that unleashed them. But now, Prue wondered what they would do to combat the situation.

"We're gonna go to New York and take care of this immediately." Piper announced as she looked over at her sisters. Piper was now the strongest of the Charmed Ones, although she hadn't as much individual power as the younger half of the four sisters, hers were by far the most lethal. "We're going to look out for this young… mutant-witch, and make sure we eliminate the threat of the demons. If what Phoebe saw is correct, he's just another innocent, so there shouldn't be a need to use our powers on him."

"Who's to say he hasn't already been corrupted." Phoebe pointed out as she walked over towards the table that they used to brew potions. There were dozens of vials on there, most of them offensive in nature, something Prue was glad to know that they had mastered. Phoebe grabbed a handful of potions and began placing them in pockets. "I at least can understand the lure of evil."

"Desperate times," The Elder murmured as he turned away from the sisters, a thoughtful expression having taken hold of his face. "Yes, you should go, but only the three of you. There is no guarantee that Prue can be revitalized again."

"I wasn't planning on going anyways," Prue said as she crossed her legs, one over the other and leaned into the back of the antique couch. There was something off that she couldn't put her finger on, as if it were just within her reach but ever so out of it at the same time.

"Alright then girls, it's time to go save the world… again." Paige said as she held her hands out, which Piper and Phoebe swiftly took a hold of. Instantly they were enveloped in a swirl of white lights that flitted out of the room like a dance of fireflies.

"I thought they'd never leave," The Elder suddenly said, his voice having changed considerably to a more dark tone. Prue looked up as the man spun around, his white robes vanishing in a cloud of black smoke which soon surrounded the man, who suddenly took on the appearance of the demon that had attacked them at Piper's restaurant. Prue jumped to her feet and reached out for the potion bottles that were just in reach of her.

But a single flick of the man's hand sent Prue hurdling into the wall behind her. Prue let out a gasp as she connected with the wall, throwing her head back and sending her sprawling on the ground. Prue let out a groan as she pulled herself up, blowing strands of her short blonde hair out of her face in the process.

"How…" Prue hissed as she glared up at the smirking demon that had short styled brown hair and a domineering gaze which was focused solely on Prue. "How did you impersonate an Elder when they summoned you?" Prue demanded as she eyed the ruggedly handsome demon who now approached her slowly, but not in a cautious manner.

"Because witch, I was an Elder once." The demon said as he closed in on her. He knelt down in front of her and cupped her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes, to which Prue immediately spat in. But it never reached the demon, as flames erupted before them; small flames that were still hot enough for her to feel it against her skin, even though it wasn't against it. "The name's Azareth and you'll be coming with us for a while."

"That's what you think!" Prue exclaimed as she propelled herself forward and jabbed her knee into his chest. Azareth grunted in pain as he fell backwards, apparently not expecting a powerless witch to fight back. Prue leapt towards the table and grabbed six potions, immediately spinning around so she could throw one at him. To which Azareth effortlessly caught midair with his telekinetic powers.

Azareth wagged his fingers in a deprecatingly manner which annoyed Prue to know end. "What do you want with me?" Prue demanded as she took a step back for every step he took forward, until he wrapped his hands around the floating potion. Azareth's lips curled into a devilish smile that actually sent shivers down Prue's spine.

The sudden appearance of Leo with wings and a long sword initially caught Prue off-guard, until she remembered he had picked it up during the Charmed Ones last fight with Neena in the Heavens. "Prue stand back, this demon's dangerous."

Azareth's smirk never left his face, and in an instant he flung the potion towards Leo before tearing the others from Prue's hands and then slamming them onto the ground before her, all without moving from his place. Leo crumpled to the ground, unconscious from what appeared to be a sleeping potion, something the fumes from the others were now causing Prue to feel.

"Don't worry Prue; we'll take good care of you at least that is until your powers are back. Then we'll unleash you on the world, and the Charmed Ones will be nowhere near as strong as they need to be." Azareth laughed as he strolled towards Prue, who was now having trouble keeping her balance. Azareth swiftly caught Prue as she fell forward, and then she felt the faint heat of flames as the demon activated his mode of teleportation, Flaming.

"I got her," Azareth said as the two of them reappeared in a dark and homey place, something Prue hadn't been expecting. She'd expected them to drag her down into the underworld, but a suburban house?

"Good work and the sister's really bought your story about Adam?" A woman asked her voice faintly familiar. Prue's vision had grown hazy, and she was sure she was about to fall asleep at any moment. And then everything went black.

"Yes Demetre, they believed every word of it. They'll try to avoid using their powers on him, but something tells me they won't have the choice. I sense the Vampire Slayer is there as well, along with two of her friends. They'll provide a wonderful distraction." Azareth said as he hauled Prue around the room and placed her on a comfortable couch. Capturing her had been easier than he had previously anticipated, as she had been the most powerful of the Charmed Ones. The operative word being had, and that had been a long time ago.

"Regna, Amrak, keep an eye on her, Demetre, Nomed, and I are going to pay a little visit to the scene. Maybe insight a few fights if we feel like it." Azareth said as he stood up to his full height and ran his hands through his hair. The whitelighter had almost gotten in the way, but luckily Prue had provided the man with a potent sleeping potion. Amrak and Regna nodded casually as they walked towards the sleeping witch and towered over her.

"Just make sure you don't harm Magneto's children," Mystique reminded them as she and Nomed entered the room together, her red hair quite disheveled. Nomed had a manly grin and an aura of satisfaction about him, which brought a smile to Azareth's face. The man had needed to blow off some steam, and the woman had been more than willing after she'd seen the size of Nomed's endowment. Women always were slaves to their emotions, especially mutant women. But that hadn't ever bothered Azareth.

"Don't worry Mystique, we'll leave them alone." Azareth said as he turned away from the duo and motioned for Demetre to join him. The woman quickly joined him, moving briskly in her red leather mini skirt and thigh high black leather boots. Her breasts were barely contained by the tight leather sleeveless button down top she was wearing. Azareth himself had decided to wear a dark pair of khakis and a button down shirt of similar dark tones. Nomed though had simply grabbed a t-shirt from the hamper apparently and a pair of shredded jeans.

When the three of them were all hand in hand, Azareth flamed the three of them into the depths of Central Park, they were on their way to battle again and hopefully this time Azareth would be able to do something. Azareth smirked as they flamed into existence a short distance away from the screams of hapless civilians. It would be time to prey on them soon enough. So Azareth followed after Nomed and Demetre through the bushes to see what was going on. His interest was piqued, and his bloodlust had already begun. It definitely was time for him to unleash his rage on something.

Clark eyed Bart as he fiddled with some of the buttons on the jet that Oliver had chosen for them to take. Zatanna had had a sudden premonition only a few hours ago about a calamity in New York City, and rather than wait until the morning like they had initially planned, they were already there. Clark and Bart had insisted on running there, their speed being unmatched by others, but then Oliver and Arthur wouldn't have been able to join them. And Chloe had insisted on the four of them being together.

She was obviously worried about them all, and Clark couldn't exactly argue with her reasoning. Clark might be Superman, but even he had weaknesses. And those weaknesses might very well be exploited tonight by those with magic who would be there. He had found out a long time ago, when his ex-girlfriend Lana Lang, his best friend Chloe, and his wife Lois had been possessed by ancient witches, their powers had a huge effect on him, and he had no intention of being caught off-guard.

So they were together. Zatanna would've come with them, to combat those with magic for them, but she'd fallen unconscious shortly after letting them know what would happen. It was almost as if someone had wanted her to stay in Metropolis. But as far as they knew, no one knew of their involvement in this.

Oliver coughed audibly as he pulled the jet down onto the airstrip. They'd made good time and would thankfully be in place a while before whatever was going to happen would be happening. And now it was time to bring their game faces. A battle was about to ensue, and they might actually be unable to do anything to stop major destruction from occurring, but they would try their damnedest.

Clark had been put through so many trials by his father, Jor-El, and had already been declared prepared to protect the world. And right now, this wasn't a trial, but the real deal, just like Darkseid had been. Clark was determined to do everything in his power to protect Earth, although he knew there were just some things he couldn't push himself to do. But that was why he had his friends. What he couldn't do, they could.

Clark waited patiently as Oliver landed the jet before he undid his seatbelt, moments before the others had even begun with theirs. "Come on guys, we have a lot of work to do." Clark said as he made his way to the door of the jet and sped outside. He could fly himself, it having taken him little over a decade to actually learn how and it was something he was grateful for being able to do. He could only wonder how they would fit into matters that they were about to plunge themselves into.

Until recently they had been a completely unknown party to the plots that were going on around this young man that was destined to have a hand in the destruction of a city. And that had been their one and only saving grace. Being unknown meant they could spend some time working out a plan one they did know what was going on. And this might be their best shot at finding out what was truly going on.

"So Superman," Oliver said as he walked up alongside Clark and patted him on the back stiffly. Olive Queen had taken on the, at one point secret, identity of Green Arrow, and was a strong member of the Justice League. Bart had taken up the codename impulse, and Arthur Aquaman. Together they made up some of the brute force of the Justice League, and right now that might be a good thing. "What's the plan?"

"I'm still working on it, I figure we can make it up as we go along," Clark said in an uneasy manner as he led the small group along the runway. A sleek black car was already waiting for them, and would be their transportation to Central Park. Even though two of the four of them could get there in the blink of an eye, it would give them time to come up with some sort of plan. "Let's work on it in the car."

"Sounds like a good idea to me, Supes," Bart said with a mischievous grin as he sped towards the car. He was the youngest of their group, and he acted his age quite a bit. But that was something Clark refused to take away from the young man. In many ways he still was a child, and he had been pushed into a position of great responsibility. Something not many would've asked for.

"Yeah, it is a good idea," Arthur said with a much more serious tone than Bart as he strode past Clark and Oliver, giving the two of them a long seductive leer as he did. Clark blushed at the attention he was getting from the Atlantean and from their resident bowman. There would be time for fun and pleasure later; right now they had business to contend with.

Clark held the door open for Arthur while Oliver ran around the car to the driver's seat. Once Arthur and Bart had settled themselves, Clark shut the door and opened the front passenger door and climbed in front with Oliver. "Alright guys, hang on." Oliver said as he shifted into reverse and swung the car around before he sped off the Airport lot at speeds Clark knew weren't even close to being legal.

"So there are at least four magical people there." Clark said as he twisted his torso around so he could look at Arthur and Bart while he spoke. "If you can handle them, Arthur I can focus on the guy that's supposed to destroy the city."

"I'll try and keep em at bay, Clark," Arthur said with an impish smile as he thought of what he might do to keep those with magic away from Clark. Clark then turned his attention to Bart and explained what he wanted the younger man to do. If Bart could keep some of the others busy, there' be less hostility around Clark. Oliver could then keep watch from a distance away and fire nonlethal shots at those who tried to interfere.

Whether or not this would work would have to wait to be seen. But it was really all they could really do with what little information they actually did have. Clark really hated going in without all the facts, but it couldn't be helped right now. They had to do something to protect that city in the future. And New York in the present, that was for sure. He only wondered if what they were about to do was the right move.

Pietro sped up to his sister, Wanda who was sitting at a café with John and Dominik enjoying a cup of coffee with the young men. His sudden appearance startled the three of them, as they hadn't expected him to be there.

"Guys, the Sentinels have been released." He said at once, immediately capturing their attention with his brash tone, and then paled when they realized what he had said. "Emma wants us to stay put, and keep out of the way so we can stay safe."

"Stay safe, where are they?" Wanda demanded as she jumped to her feet and glared at her brother. Pietro knew the anger was that they had been told to stay put and not at him exactly, but it didn't make it hurt any less. John and Dominik exchanged worried glances with one another as they also got up onto their feet.

"Wanda, I know you want to go and fight and I'm sure you could do something to help," John said as he reached out towards the fuming woman and placed his hand on her shoulder. "But if we do go, we might just get in their way at this point. And they don't need to be worrying about us and their selves."

"I know that, but it doesn't make it any less annoying." Wanda said as she cast her gaze down at the ground. Pietro heard his sister begin to weep, and he fought the urge to join her. He wanted to fight just as much as she did. But he knew John was right, against a Sentinel they might not actually stand a chance, especially Pietro since he lacked an offensive power to fight with.

But he was determined to protect Wanda with everything he had. So he took her hand into his own and led the group into the café so they could hide out for a while. Hopefully, and he thought that painfully, the Sentinel would focus on them and not come after them. He didn't have any idea what they might be able to do against it.

"Don't worry guys, I shake the Earth if they come for us," Dominik said with a bravado he hadn't seen from the man in a long time. His words brought a semi-smile to Pietro's face as he brought them up to the counter and ordered a drink. He needed something to focus on, otherwise he might go insane from waiting on what might or might not be happening in the next few hours. That was all he could do right now, that and watch out for his sister.

Remy looked up in true fear as the Sentinel descended upon them, fire jutting from its feet to keep it afloat. Adam had been pushed back a few feet from him when the thing had first appeared, the flames strong enough to actually buckle the ground beneath their feet. And it had shown its face at the absolute worst of times.

Remy had felt the sparks flying between the two of them, and he actually wanted to kiss Adam. But because of the giant robot now levitating above them, what the two of them had just considered a date had been irreparably interrupted.

"Remy, I'm scared," Remy heard Adam whisper, his eyes having gone glassy as the handsome young man stared up at the Sentinel. Remy wasn't about to take any chances with this. He knew what Sentinels were capable of, and the two of them alone didn't stand a chance against it. At least not without drawing a crowd of people into the mix, people that could be killed in the crossfire and Remy did not like seeing people being harmed, let alone killed.

So he dashed towards Adam and snatched Adam's hand into his own before he turned and ran in the opposite direction. He knew his grip around Adam's hand was probably painful but he wasn't about to leave him behind, especially not after the progress they had made. He was truly beginning to feel something for Adam, which he had been hoping would happen.

So Remy ran as fast as he could, all the while able to sense the fear from Adam as the younger man ran as fast as he could to keep up with Remy. After a few hundred yards, the two of them were out of breath, so Remy immediately darted off to the left and pulled Adam into his arms before he pressed his own back against the tree and held himself and Adam there.

Remy held his index finger over Adam's lips, silently asking the man to be quiet as he craned his head to the side and listened for the sounds of the Sentinel. A flash of light burst past them, and Remy immediately spun out of the way, sending the two of them onto the ground. Remy fell on top of Adam, their eyes meeting as he did. Remy smiled down at him before he reached into his pockets and grabbed a deck of cards.

Throwing himself off of Adam, Remy spun around and quickly charged card after card which he sent flying towards the Sentinel's arm. Small explosions ran up along the length of the Sentinel's arm, but they had almost no effect on the thing. Remy had known that that would be the case, but he had to do something to protect Adam as well as himself. So Remy reached around to his back and wrapped his hand around his bo-staff. It was time to get physical and take this fucking Sentinel out.

Remy kicked his feet against the ground and propelled himself up into a fighting stance, twirling his bo-staff around as he did. He spared Adam, who was slowly pulling himself up, one glance before he ran towards the Sentinel, swinging his staff in what appeared to be a wild manner, although it was a lot more calculated than he would ever let on.

He slammed his staff down onto the large bulbous fingers of the Sentinel, deviated his power through his staff and into the robot's pinky. It began to glow a bright orange with black spots, as Remy's power took full hold of the finger. Remy leapt backwards, dodging the larger explosion which had just claimed the Sentinels finger. "Hah, hah take that bitch!" Remy laughed out, only to pale when the hand spun around towards Remy and fired a bolt of energy at him.

Remy let out a scream of pain as he was sent hurdling back faster and harder than his original leap had propelled him. The sound of Adam's voice rang through his ears, but he didn't actually hear what Adam said, instead he felt the pain of his head colliding with a tree, and then his vision clouded.

Carol Danvers flew alongside Rogue just above the trees that made up a large portion of Central Park. She had caught a glimpse of the young man, Adam Luca walking through the park with the man he was with. Rather than interrupt them as Scott had probably intended, she had motioned for Rogue to simply fly around with her. Adam seemed to be on a date of sorts, and Carol had no intention of barging in on it, at least not yet.

"Wow, look at the fireworks! Rogue exclaimed from behind Carol, bringing the older woman to a halt so she could take in the wondrous view they had. The fireworks were truly beautiful, and it seemed the young men were enjoying the show as well. "I can't believe it; I've never seen them from up here. I feel like I can actually reach out and touch them."

"With my powers, you probably could," Carol laughed as she placed her hands on her hips and glanced to the left for a moment. She was really enjoying the fact that she had taken Xavier up on his offer to work at his school. The students were a lot of fun, and so was Scott.

Carol had really enjoyed spending time with the stern man, finding him rather appealing. Especially when he barked orders, she'd noticed. His muscles tightened in all the right places, and she could swear she could see a bulge in his pants. It was as if he got hard from telling people what to do, and even harder when they did it. Carol knew she could have some fun here. That, she'd noticed. His muscles tightened in all the right places, and she could swear she could see a bulge in his pants. It was as if he got hard from telling people what to do, and even harder when they did it. Carol knew she could have some fun here. Her sixth sense had told her that Scott was interested in here as well, which was what was prompting her to go through with her plans on asking him out. That is, if he didn't ask her out first.

The glint of something deflecting the sun caught Carol's attention instantly, and when she turned along with Rogue to see what was causing it, she gasped in shock. "A Sentinel," she whispered, her hands covering the lower portion of her face in fear.

It was heading for Adam and the man's companion, and as the two women flew closer to the scene, she saw that the two were running away from it. Then suddenly they went left. Several small explosions, followed by a larger one, which itself were followed by a flash of light, and then she heard Adam scream out, "No, Remy!"

I watched in utter horror as Remy was sent flying to a tree by a flash of light from the robot's hand. Immediately I ran over to him and fell to my knees beside him as I began checking to see if he was okay. But panic was surging through me, trying to take control. And out of the corner of my eye I could see the robot coming towards me. It was closing in on me, and I was still trying to determine if Remy was alright.

I angled my body so I could see the robot that was slowly stomping towards me and I flung my hand out towards it, sending a burst of water towards it. A burst of water the bounced off it uselessly. "Oh no," I breathed as I felt myself fall backwards. My head fell next to Remy's and a small flutter of hope began anew when I heard him breathing softly. He was still alive, which meant I had a reason to keep fighting.

So I could protect him from this intruding robot. So rather than sit there and wait to be claimed by it, the thing I was now presuming to be a Sentinel. Professor Xavier had mentioned its name a few days ago at the large dinner when he had introduced to his students the four new teachers. And now it looked like I was about to face one. Face one and win at all costs.

The Sentinel raised its hand towards me, a large beam of light appearing from within a hole in its hand. So I raised my hands and held them side by side, summoning as much water as I could. The moment the Sentinel released its attack on me, I unleashed my power of water on it! The two powers collided, and for a moment it looked as if I were going to win the beam war. But then its power speared through mine and crashed into the ground beneath my feet, at least having been slightly diverted by my efforts.

I screamed as I was thrown back towards the tree. But I didn't have time to lay unconscious, so I directed a large amount of water behind me as fast as I could, creating a cushion for me to crash into. A cushion that seemed to work out beautifully as I simply jumped down onto the ground and sent the water towards the Sentinel's hand, a moment before it could unleash another beam upon me.

The water soared through its hand shorting out the electricity within that hand. And as it raised its other hand, I prepared to do the same thing, when a missile fired out at me. I summoned a wall of water instantly but it was useless. The missile pierced it effortlessly and was inches away from me. I flinched back in fear as I waited for the inevitable, only for it to never come.

Slowly I opened my eyes to see that the missile was no longer moving, at all. It was if it were frozen in time or something. "Nice timing Piper, another minute and it would've killed him." A strong toned woman said as a swirl of blue lights appeared all around me.

"I was working with what I had; my powers aren't always reliable mid-orb like yours Paige." Another woman said, one I presumed to be Piper. "But you're right, that was close."

"Enough bickering," A third woman said as the three of them appeared before me, the one on the left holding her hand out in the direction of the missile. She had long, literally waist length brown tresses that billowed around her in the wind as she craned her head around to peer over at the Sentinel. She was wearing a normal black t-shirt and a pair of dark blue denim jeans which covered a large portion of her leather boots. "Piper, do you think you can blow it up?"

"It looks just a wee bit too big for that, don't ya think Phoebe." Piper said to the woman on the right, who had long wavy brown hair, although it wasn't as long as the other woman's hair was. She had a softer, more approachable demeanor than Piper seemed to have, and was wearing a low one shouldered maroon shirt with a pair of cargo pants and tennis shoes that somehow added to her already phenomenal beauty. But the three of them looked equally dangerous in their own way.

The first one who had spoken, Paige had red hair that was voluminous and just as long as Phoebe's and flowed around her shoulders, covering portions of the green V-neck short-sleeved over blouse she was wearing over a shimmery black medium length sleeved shirt. All of which flowed down to a pair of blue denim jeans and comfortable heels.

"Who… who are you?" I questioned before my gaze returned to the Sentinel, along with theirs. They seemed confident in one another, and had come at the perfect time as I knew I couldn't take this thing on by myself.

"We're the Charmed Ones, and you are?" Piper asked as she turned around fully so she and the other two could face the Sentinel, all the while keeping me in her gaze. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Carol Danvers and Rogue flying towards us, looks of concern on their faces. I parted my lips to respond, when suddenly another group of people ran up, led by a woman with long blonde hair who was wearing a black halter top and violet mini skirt. Four men weren't very far behind her, and once they caught up to her, the woman instantly covered herself in a glittering diamond skintight shell.

The woman's diamond eyes fell on Remy's unconscious form, and then she immediately ran over to him, a look of concern somehow visible in her diamond features. "Oh my god," She whispered, the hint of a British accent clearly there. "You must be Adam; Remy told me he was going out to see you. I hadn't expected to see him unconscious this soon though, Emma Frost." The woman said nonchalantly as she extended her diamond covered hand out towards me. I hesitantly took it, mentally noting that she was friends with Remy.

The stares I was getting from Rogue and Carol were definitely not helping me out any, but I was still completely worried about Remy and his condition, so I tuned the two women out and focused on Emma. "He tried to fight the Sentinel off, but he was hit by some… sort of beam."

"Well then, why don't we face that thing together, and then Remy can properly introduce us." Emma said as she placed her hands on her hips and glanced over at the four men. "Dean, Sam, Eric and Bill, stand watch over Remy. If anyone comes near him who isn't here right now, do what you have to."

The four men nodded their understanding and immediately ran towards Remy, while Emma led me, Rogue, and Carol away from him. "It's best if we keep the fighting as far away from him as possible. One stray power could be the end for him." Her words were unarguable in my immediate opinion, and I parted my lips to thank her, only to be interrupted by the sudden arrival of two strapping broad shouldered men. One was exceptionally tall, just an inch or so taller than Remy with a curl in his brown hair, and if the red and blue tights and cape were any indication, I'd say he was a superhero of some sort. The stylized "S" on his chest reminded me of something I thought I had seen before, but at the moment it wasn't that important to me. The other man, with lighter brown hair and considerably shorter, wore a red leather vest with the torso portion being a different, darker shade of red. The vest was accompanied by a pair of leather red pants that hugged his crotch tightly, although not as snuggly as the spandex on the first man.

"What is this, hero's weekly?" I asked to no one in general as I began counting off how many people were now there. Fourteen, including an unconscious Remy, and it was then that I noticed that the Sentinel hadn't been moving for a while. So I cast my eyes upon it to see that it was still activated, but as motionless as the missile.

"Paige, orb the missile away, I'm about to unfreeze this big boy, and I'd rather not have to deal with a bomb at the moment." Piper said as she held her stance, her hands focused on the missile and the robot at the same time. It was then that I realized she was the one keeping them from moving, although she wasn't using telekinesis, which was a certainty. It was something else, something a lot more useful.

"Alright, I guess the fireworks show can use a little upper," Paige joked as she turned towards the rocket and waved her hand towards it. "Rocket," Paige called out, and suddenly it was enveloped in the same blue lights that they had arrived in, and then it was gone. But the sound of the explosion high above us caught my attention. It had been timed to blend in with those of the fireworks, but anyone close enough would know what it was.

"Impulse, are you ready for this?" the tall dark and handsome superhero asked as he turned towards the Sentinel and held his arms out in an offensive position. The shorter man who had arrived with him nodded with an obvious smirk.

"You know I'm always ready to go Superman," Impulse said with a chuckle as he began to run in place at an exceptional speed that caused his legs to be little more than a blur. The two of them obviously had super-speed, although whatever other tricks they had up their sleeves I figured I would soon find out.

"Are you ready, Adam?" Emma asked me as she placed her hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner, sending a wave of comfort roiling over me. I nodded over at her, getting a smile from her when I did which I quickly returned. I had absolutely no idea who most of these people were, but we all seemed to have a common goal at the moment. Defeat the Sentinel, and survive.

And as I took one last glance at Remy, I knew that I would do that so that I could protect him like he had just done for me. I had literally just met this man a few hours ago, but I felt a connection with him, one I hadn't ever felt before. For some reason, I felt as if I could place my life on the line for him and him for me. But I didn't plan on letting either one of us perish today. So I took an offensive fighting stance and summoned a ring of water around me, and glared up at the Sentinel.

Piper looked around herself, checking with all of them to see if they were ready. Finding a unanimous decision to be had, so she returned her gaze to the Sentinel and flicked her hands at it, this allowed the Sentinel free motion once again. The Sentinel cast its glowing red eyes upon us, and unleashed a flash of light.