020.

Magneto's feet hovered inches above the ground. His arms were crossed across his chest, a haughty and amused look on his face. He planted his feet firmly on the ground without a sound. His head was covered by the helmet that protected him from the professor's ability to control minds.

"Hayley, it's been a long time since I've seen you. You've turned into quite a lady," Magneto called out to her, his voice ringing clearly in the deserted mall.

Her heart was beating hard as if it wanted to break out of her chest. She clenched her fists and was ready to blast his metal ass with fire but the soft cries of the girls got her to actually use her brain and not follow her emotions. She needed to get them out of here first before she attempted to do anything.

Magneto seemed to have thought the same thing because his smile grew bigger. "There's no need for us to fight, Hayley. Charles wouldn't want you to fight out in the open like this. The little girls don't need to be a part of this mess."

Hayley growled under her breath. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Hayls," Jubilee spoke softly. She cleared her throat. "Please, just let the girls go. Let them go at least," Jubilee spoke loudly.

Magneto stared at them, lost in thought. He then smiled again. "I suppose that if I let these youngsters go, one of you would have to go with them. To ensure their safety."

Jubilee grimaced. "That's right. Hayley would go with them."

Hayley turned around sharply, shocked that Jubilee would say something like that. "What the fuck? Are you kidding me?" she hissed.

Jubilee shook her head. "Look, I'll be fine."

"He'll rip you apart!"

Magneto's chuckle interrupted their conversation. Hayley turned back to him. "What?" she snapped.

"Are you sure you want to leave us, Hayley? You don't want to stick around?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

He grinned. "Wouldn't you want to see an old friend?" He nodded his head, indicating her to turn around.

Hayley hesitated. She didn't want to turn her back against Magneto. He was dangerous.

"Hayley?"

Her heart nearly stopped at the familiar voice. She spun around quick and stared long and hard at John Allerdyce. He was clean shaven, dressed in dark blue jeans and a green shirt with some sort of design. He smiled at her weakly, a guilty look on his face.

"John."

"Hey."

She couldn't believe her eyes. He couldn't be there... how could he be there and teaming up with Magneto again? Her anger and heartache was starting to come out of her heart but she clenched her fists even tighter in an attempt to calm herself down. She wasn't going to allow him to get the best of her again.

"You look good," he commented.

Hayley remained silent. She didn't know how to respond to that or what to say to him. There were so many things left unsaid. But she had moved on from him. She started over and she was happy. Would it be worth her time to bring up those things again?

She turned around to face Magneto who seemed to have a triumphant smile on his face. Her face grew hard. "Let the girls go," she said sternly.

"Are you not happy to see your dearest Pyro? The one you fought so hard for over the years?" Magneto asked, completely ignoring her request.

"You let them go NOW," she said again with her more coldness in her request.

"They'll be fine," John interrupted. "Magneto's not going to hurt them."

Hayley turned back around and glared at him. "Stay the hell out of-"

There was something different about John.

His posture, his mannerisms... something was off about John. He seemed completely different from his stance to his tone of voice.

Her eyes examined him carefully and thoroughly.

"You're not John."

immediately she raised her hand towards the imposter and fire unleashed from her hands. The fake John smiled and leaped out of the way, his pale skin transforming into a shimmery blue. Fucking Mystique.

"You've grown wiser, Hayley," Magneto commented.

Without saying a word, she turned around to attack him but a metal bar came flying her way. She moved out of the way just in time. She looked at Jubilee who was holding onto the girls. "Jubilee, get the girls out of here! I'll be fine!" she yelled.

Jubilee hesitated but she gathered the girls and started to run towards safety. Magneto and Mystique both seemed uninterested in the group of young girls. Their eyes were set upon Hayley and Hayley alone.

"You know, Hayley. You have amazing gifts and talents. The Brotherhood could use someone of your caliber. There is so much more inside of you that you don't even know," Magneto commented.

"Bite me," she growled.

Mystique stepped forward and leaped into the air, coming at her with a leg pointed towards her. But Hayley merely used her telekinesis to push the transformer out of the way. She snorted. It was rather amusing to see Mystique trying so hard to beat her when in reality, there was no chance in hell that this woman would match up to her.

"Don't fight it. Don't you want to be on the winning side? We... I can help you find your real strength, the real you."

"She said no and I suggest you back off of her, boss."

Hayley turned around to find Remy approaching her, cards in hand. He stood alone, his eyes hard and protective. She shot him a quick smile, grateful that she had back-up.

"Oh? And who is this young man?" Magneto smirked. "Could this be Pyro's replacement? You move on so quick."

Hayley was about ready to snap but Remy held a firm hand on her shoulder.

"The name is Gambit. You must be the high and mighty Magneto that everyone talks about," Remy called out. "Don't see what's so scary about an old man in a cape."

Magneto did not look amused. Mystique rolled her eyes. "You sure know how to pick them," she said dryly.

Hayley started to move forward but Remy grabbed her arm. "Don't," he said. "That's probably what this hag wants." He cleared his throat. "Look, we don't want no trouble. It'd be best if you two get outta here."

"Consider joining the Brotherhood, Hayley," Magneto said, ignoring Remy's warning. "Charles can only teach you so much... we can teach you more. I can let you know the full extent of your powers. You would be a perfect asset to our team."

"I'm not joing anything that involves you," Hayley snapped.

"But would you consider if you knew that your friend was one of us now?" he asked.

Hayley's eyes widened when from behind the rack of jackets, Rogue appeared. The Southern belle looked tired and guilty as she stepped forward next to Mystique.

"ROGUE?"

"Isn't it funny how things work out?" Mystique chuckled. She threw an arm around Rogue whose head hung low.

"And since you so rudely declined our offer, I think it's best we return the kindess," Magneto said firmly and snapped his fingers.

From all around, mutants emerged. There had to be at least fifty and their numbers were increasing by the second. Their eyes were full of hatred and rage. Hayley recognized some of them including the Multiple Man and Juggernaut. How Magneto managed to get all these mutants on his side was beyond her. She and Remy were outnumbered.

"Be careful with the big one," Hayley muttered under her breath, referring to Juggernaut.

"Don't worry about Remy, cherie. I ain't letting any of these bastards touch you," he replied back with a wink. "What you gonna do about Roguey?"

"I don't know," she said, staring back at her friend. Rogue had her head up this time and looking back at her. Hayley wished that she could've been blessed with the gift of telepathy- it would've been most useful at a time like this. What on Earth was Rogue thinking? "Ready for this?"

"Would be nice if we had some back-up but what can you do? Let's do it, cherie."

"Don't think we're gonna let you two have all the fun!"

Hayley and Remy turned around to see Logan, Bobby, Piotr, Warren, Kitty and Jubilee with them. Logan's eyes were fixated on Magneto.

"Long time no see Logan," Mystique called out flirtaciously.

"Rogue?" Bobby said, shocked. Kitty had the same shocked expression as well.

"Finish them!" Magneto shouted.

The Brotherhood launched a full-on attack on the X-Men. Hayley moved out of the way as one of them shot spikes from their hands. She raised her hand as the spikes continued to speed towards her, stopping them and forcing them to turn around and attack the mutant. The mutant screamed in pain, stumbling backwards.

Hayley spotted a poor mother and her child, huddling in the corner. She ran towards them. "You okay?"

"Please don't hurt my child!" the mother wailed, holding her baby girl close. The little girl clutched onto her mother's arms. Hayley smiled softly.

"I won't. I'm going to help you get out of here," she said, reassuringly. "I'll keep you safe."

"You sure about that?"

Hayley turned around to find the Juggernaut, an evil grin on his face. He tried to intimidate them by cracking his knuckles but she wasn't phased one bit. She merely stood up with a bored look on her face. "Really? You think you're some tough badass with that thing on your head?"

"Don't you know who I am?!" he roared, obviously angered by Hayley's lack of fear.

She smirked. "Well, don't you know who I am? I'm a Level fucking Five mutant who can kick your ass anytime of the day." With a wave of her hand, Juggernaut flew backwards, colliding into the other mutants who had spotted Hayley. They all groaned and shouted curses under the heavy weight of the Juggernaut.

Hayley turned back around and reached out for the woman's hand. "C'mon, let's get out of here!" she ordered.

The woman, holding onto her daughter, grabbed Hayley's hand and they raced through the carnage and destruction of the mall. While running, Hayley could see other civilians running around in panic, looking for an escape.

"HEY! OVER HERE!" Hayley yelled at them. Some of them automatically ran to them while a few stood, suspicious of who Hayley was.

"It's alright, just come! She's okay!" the woman cried out.

"Please get us out of here!" they all cried.

Quickly, Hayley counted heads. There were many of them and she wasn't quite sure how to get this large group out of the building. She looked around for some sort of help. Everyone was off fighting the Brotherhood.

"Damnit, think think think," she muttered.

"Dickhead! Over here!"

Hayley's ears perked up and a lightbulb went off in her head when she saw Kitty Pryde egging Juggernaut on.

"Kitty!" she called out, hating herself that she had to resort to this. "Kitty, I need your help!"

"I'm a little busy here!" Kitty shouted back, phasing herself as Juggernaut ran through her.

Hayley groaned and raised her hand again. The Juggernaut was elevated off the ground and he yelled out curses and flailed his arms around as he tried to get himself back on the ground.

Kitty, looking a little relieved, ran towards her. "What?" she snapped.

Hayley ignored the attitude in her voice. "Get these people out of here. I can't do it fast enough and who knows what'll happen here with all these powers. You're the only one who can get them out of here the fastest."

Kitty looked as though she was going to sass her but she held her tongue. She nodded and turned to the frightened group. "Everyone, hold hands and don't let go! Whatever happens, don't let go!"

"Thank you Kitty," Hayley said. She made sure all of them went through the walls safely. The mother that Hayley had rescued earlier, gave her a thankful nod before disappearing behind the concrete walls.

"Now, as for you," she said, turning back to the Juggernaut. He glared at her.

"You betta put me down or there's gonna be hell to pay!"

"Oh that's nice," Hayley feigned a yawn. "So what would you like to go through? The walls, glass or up the ceiling? There are so many possibilities."

Suddenly she felt a blow to her back and she fell forward, groaning. The ground shook underneath her and Hayley got up quickly, knowing that the Juggernaut had made it back to the ground. With fire in her hands, she turned around to blast the scumbag who had attacked her from behind.

"Rogue?"

Rogue grinned. "Surprised?"

"What the fuck is going on?"

"Don't you see, Hayls? The Brotherhood has given me more than the damn X-Men could ever give me. They treat me like a family, like I'm a part of something."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Give me a fucking break, Rogue. That's the biggest crap I've ever heard you say."

Rogue glared. "Say what you will about them but I ain't leaving the Brotherhood. They're my real family now." She nodded her head at the Juggernaut.

Hayley levitated herself high in the sky as the Juggernaut ran towards her but dug his feet into the floor to bring him to a stop. She dropped back to the ground, the fire still in her hands and a smirk on her face. "Oh Juggy, haven't you had enough?" she instigated.

The Juggernaut growled and was about to run towards her again when Rogue placed her hand on him. "I've got this," she said calmly.

"You sure?" the Juggernaut asked.

Rogue grinned. "100%."

The Juggernaut suddenly didn't look so hot. His tan face started to turn a bit pale. His body started to shake and the veins began to pop out from his body. He gasped for air, struggling to stand. "You- you- you bitch!" he managed to blurt out.

"Don't fuck with the X-Men," Rogue simply said, removing her hand from his shoulder. The Juggernaut fell to the ground, his eyes closed. He laid perfectly still.

She couldn't believe her eyes. "Fucking Rogue!" Hayley ran towards her best friend, throwing her arms around her. "I can't believe you're here right now! Where the hell have you been?!"

"Hayls, I don't think right now is the appropriate time to discuss this," Rogue laughed. "C'mon, I'm in the mood to throw some heavy shit at people."

The two girls raced back to their friends. Logan was busy slicing mutants up and surprising them when his wounds healed immediately. Warren dodged attacks, left and right. He was carrying Bobby by the arms and Bobby shot out ice from his hands upon the Brotherhood mutants.

Hayley threw a fireball at a couple of mutants as her eyes raced around the mess in front of her. Where was Remy?

"Warren!" Hayley yelled when the two flew over her. "Where's Gambit!"

"He's been fighting Magneto!"

Ignoring Warren and Bobby's pleas for her to stop, Hayley ran around aimlessly. She spotted Jubilee as she fought off Mystique. "Jubs! Have you seen Gambit?!" When Jubilee didn't answer, Hayley angrily threw her hands towards Mystique, sending her hard against the coat racks.

"Downstairs," Jubilee panted. "It didn't look good- I wanted to help but he refused and told me I was needed here."

Hayley nodded and ran. Her heart was racing. She didn't want to think what Magneto was doing to Remy. She ran down the stairs.

A huge piece of metal flew past her and Hayley saw it exploding into little pieces. She ducked to avoid the chunks hitting her but stood back up to find Magneto with a rather amused look on his face and Remy with his cards out. His face looked tired and a small line of blood trickled down his face.

"Is that still the best you got?" Remy taunted.

"You have some fight in you. I will give you that," Magneto said. Both his arms were raised up towards Remy.

From all around, pieces of metal, all various sizes attacked Remy. There were too many for Remy to defend himself with. He groaned and fell to the ground.

"Remy!" Hayley yelled and ran towards him. He coughed harshly but somehow managed to flash Hayley a smile.

"Cherie, it's good to see you."

"Shit, Remy. What the hell are you thinking, fighting him?"

"You worry too much about Remy. It's flattering."

"Well I have to now. You're my boyfriend," she snapped.

Remy laughed again.

"So nice of you to join us," Magneto interrupted.

Hayley turned around, furious with Magneto. "Why the fuck can't you leave us alone?"

"Such language coming from a beautiful woman like yourself." Magneto sighed. "It's a shame that you waste yourself with the wrong side."

A huge piece of metal came flying her way but she moved it out of her way easily. She shot a stream of fire at Magneto but he was just as fast as she- he had another metal piece blocking the fire.

Remy had gotten up by this time. "Lemme help you, joli." He flung a card at the metal and it exploded instantly.

The only time Hayley had seen Magneto finally get taken down was the night of the Alcatraz incident when Dr. McCoy had stabbed him with shots of the Cure.

Magneto had fallen to the ground, not a sound coming from his lips. He was unable to move, too shocked from the blast.

"Holy shit," Hayley and Remy said at the same time.

"Erik!"

Mystique's loud screams caused Hayley and Remy to cover their ears. She ran to him, urging him to get up. "Erik! What did they do to you?! What did they do?!" She turned to them. "What have you done?!"

"Given him a taste of his own medicine," Hayley snapped.

Mystique got up to her feet, her hands into fists. "You little bitch... you are going to pay!"

"Bring it!" Hayley shot back at her.

A breeze rolled and out of nowhere, Callisto appeared. The small tattooed woman shot an angry look at her before turning to Mystique.

"We need to get out of here. The police are coming and they've got Cure cartridges."

Mystique screamed in frustration. "Get Magneto out," she ordered. Callisto didn't argue but merely walked over to their fallen leader and with a blink of an eye, the two disappeared.

The angry blue woman stared at them with such venom and hatred in her eyes. "This isn't over."

"I'm glad it isn't, bitch," Hayley retorted.

When Mystique ran off, Remy let out a loud laugh and picked Hayley off her feet, spinning her off. "Ah, now this is the Hayley that got me hooked. This sexy, feisty beb... Remy likes," he growled. "Perhaps we can take this elsewhere?"

"Shut it, Cajun," she said, laughing. "We gotta get out of here."

"Alright, cherie. Hold on." He walked over to a rack and pulled off a black tuxedo. He turned around and held it up to his body. "What you think?"

Hayley laughed and shook her head. "I think we better round up the kids and go home." She took his hand as they walked down the stairs together. She couldn't help that despite holding hands with Remy LeBeau, Magneto was up to no good and something big was going to happen. She couldn't shake off the feeling.

"C'mon cherie," Remy coaxed, pulling onto her hand.

"I'm coming," she replied, putting on a smile for him.

Thanks again for the reviews; I really appreciate them. Hope you're enjoying the story- sorry if it seems a bit.. filler-ish.