Disclaimer: M-X, Don't own them.

Rain is a strange thing. The off spring of water and pressure can defy it's maternal gravity, either bathing one in redemption or drowning them in sorrow. We only see slants of liquid, or heavy teardrops spatter to the ground, but the emotion is so much more. This act is one of cleansing, whether we know it or not. It takes either accepting the wash or drowning in the weight of the water for one to finally face themselves in all their naked emotion. Whether light on the skin, heavy in smell to the nose or battering against already weighted shoulders, the act is God's way of rinsing hurt from his children. Two people in particular needed this washing that night. One was Alejandro Movaro, and the other, Jesse Kilmartin.

Even as he ran the halls in blindness along side the elemental, his insides were tearing apart. The mind, as treacherous as it was kept throwing the image of Shalimar Striping for the frenzied crowd. His sister demeaned herself and he had no clue. But wasn't he as guilty as the rest of the testosterone in the club? He'd come there to chase women, and he followed Brennen into the stage area. He watched with almost unapologetic guilt as Lexa tore off her clothes. The only thing he didn't view was Jordan, and he thanked God for that, for himself and Brennen.

The elemental, he thought, his brother in arms. He'd been quiet as the blonde led him along the corridors to look for the women -too quiet for his personality. They reached a case of stairs laced with windows, thus coming face to face with the pounding liquid. It ran down the pains insistently. The molecular looked up, seeing the glass run to the ceiling. For once, he wanted to phase into the storm, into the water-into anything that carried an element of Emma.

"What now?" Brennen exhaled, leaning against the black railing. The run had somehow cleared his mind, though the images still remained. Shalimar, Lexa and Jordan. He knew his man-whore issues would catch him one day.

"Now, we think,,," Jesse paced back and forth, running his fingers through his hair. "There is a reason for this."

"No shit." Brennen sat on the steps, leaning on his elbows. "There is a reason the female members of this team would lie to us about where they were so they could 'entertain' in a high priced strip club." His fists clenched in thought. " And it better be damn good."

The molecular kneeled in front of the man, then moved to sit so his back was on the window. The immediate cool slid through his shirt, and somehow into his mind. He finally managed to speak. "Brennen, what do you know about this place? I mean you've know about it for a while, right?"

"Yeah,,," The elemental sat back on the staircase, stretching his arms till fingers grazed the bottom rails. " I knew about it for a while, but came here recently -maybe a few months ago."

"And what have you seen since you've been here?"

"A lot of money and a lot of sex. Everything changes hands at some time in this place."

Jesse frowned in thought. "Obviously illegal."

"Of course, who else can get away with breaking the law?"

"No one but people with money."

"And lots of it. Jess, these people shit hundred dollar bills."

The molecular again pressed his brow in thought. "Anything to deal with new mutants?"

Brennen was quiet for the moment, his dark eyes processing under lowered lids. "Maybe, but,,,Damn, I can't remember."

"Okay, we have three females on the stage-"

"Three female mutants."

"I'm willing to bet the others were too." Jesse's mind flashed back to the redhead. "In an expensive, exclusive club."

"A club where anything is offered for the right price."

"Anything." The men exchanged stark looks, brown eyes slipped closed in defeat as blue widened in shock.

"We've got to find them, Brennen."

"That goes without saying. We won't leave till we do."

"How?"

The elemental leaned forward, adjusting his elbows on his knees. "The place is open twenty-four hours. So staying in isn't an issue."

"Open all the time to cater to clients." The footsteps brought them out of their thought, causing the men to hide in shadows under the stairs.

Two dark suits, stood talking as cigarette smoke drifted down from their position. Their words were unreadable to the Mutant X men, whom dared not move from their place. Soon, they descended the steps back towards the stage corridors. The new mutants moved quickly, jogging the stairs up to the top floors in silence. Brennen pushed the door slowly, light escaped through the crack exposing a bustle of bodies.

The men watched as women walked to and from, dressing outrageously amongst the noise. Each was a stranger, till the molecular saw the flaming hair from earlier. The men moved, only to pause when three suits cut with their backs to them.

"Ladies!" a large man sang over the crowd. "You all are looking beautiful tonight." His voice held a cigar smokers scruff to it, that and an unreadable accent. "You look like money! And when you look like money, I make it!" The prick busted at his own laughter, followed by the two suits behind him. He moved forward, caressing the face of some brunette whom looked a little under- aged to the elemental. It was then that he got it. "Let's continue to have a good night. Our clients are what make us, so make them happy." With that, he walked from the room, followed by his partners. Why was that girl so shaken, Brennen thought. That pondering pushed deeper into his brain when another woman came to hug her. It was then that the tears barreled down her cheeks.

"Jess," he started watching the women.

"I'm way ahead of you." The molecular replied. "How do we get them out?"

"There's a lot of them, and I bet a good bit are not quite eighteen."

The footsteps came again, but this time the men had no where to go. Brennen conjured up a volt in his hands, waiting for the oncoming fight. The steps were close, around the corner and advancing quickly. Brennen positioned himself to lung as Jesse massed behind him, the flash paused their action.

The men were silent, now hearing a single set of heels. They strained against the wall in anticipation.

"You two are so obvious." Lexa smirked, solidifying from her invisible state.

Brennen exhaled, his heart jumping in his chest.

"Not exactly a young gun anymore, huh?"

Jesse pulled from his massed state, moving towards the woman. "Are you alright?"
"I think I should ask you that." Her smirk faded with the seriousness of his eyes. "I'm fine, Jess. Thanks."

"Where's Shal and Jordan?" The elemental demanded.

"They're in there." She replied pointing back to the large dressing room. "But you can't go in! There are guards everywhere."

Brennen shot death at the woman with his eyes. The brunette actually stepped back, feeling the heat from him. "I just bet this was your idea." He said.

"It was and I was right! You guys shouldn't have known."

"Shouldn't have known?" Jesse interrupted. "What are you all doing in this 'place'?"

"The owner's goons double as bounty hunters, illegally collecting new mutants.

They focus on young females, selling them on the black market."

"How did you all get in?" He continued.

"We came in on the club's legitimate front, as 'dancers'."

"So they don't know you're mutants?" Brennen asked.

"Nope. Even if we were, they focus on young ones with and older look. Late teens to early twenties."

Jesse froze. His mind said don't speak but his lips were long gone. "Jordan is in her early twenties." He didn't have to look to see the look on Brennen's face.

"So, you dragged Shalimar and Jordan into this with you."

"No, they agreed to join in. None of us wanted these girls stuck in this place." The brunette tied her robe tighter as she peered past the men. "None of them are nearly strong enough for this."

"And you are?" Jesse asked. Dumb question, he thought.

She looked at him momentarily, then diverted her attention back to the room. "Look, I just came out to tell you guys to go home."

"What!" Jesse spat.

"Fuck no!" Brennen interjected. "We're not leaving without Shal and Jordan, and I guess you as well."

"I'm touched." She smirked. "Look, if we leave now, we lose any chance of bringing this guy down."

"And who is this guy?" The elemental asked folding his arms.

"Alejandro Movaro." They jumped at the footsteps coming behind them. Lexa pushed the men into a dark corner before slipping back in the room. The men knew she wouldn't be able to come back out.

"At least we have a name." The molecular whispered.

"Yeah, Lets get back on the floor. See what we can find."

Jesse grabbed the man's arm before moving. "What about the girls?

"We have to trust they'll take care of themselves." The elemental sounded defeated in his words as Jesse finally followed. "For now, we need to find Movaro."

The man had watched the three women all night.

"New dancers?" he asked a heavyset man on is left.

"Yeah. Richie saw them two days ago. Hired them on the spot."

He grinned under the curl of cigar smoke. "That Richie always had good taste. Which one was on when the crowd broke?"

"The black one." He gestured as the woman sat talking with her other two friends. "But they all got that reaction. People were pounding the fuckin' walls."

"Mutants?"

"Nope." The man replied handing the other a beer. "All human, all woman."

"You sure?"

"Yeah.

"The names?"

"The blonde is Sunny." He gestured. "She got the place up to begin with. The brunette is Angela, she did a number on them too."

"My secretary should look like that."

"I thought she did boss." The man asked honestly.

"She does, that's why I'm doin' her." The men broke in stark laughter, relaxing as they again watched the women. "And her."

"Her name is Carmen. She was something! The place would have killed her if she fell in the crowd."

"How'd she get away?"

"Ran when the lights got out. Richie found her back in the dressing room, said she was shook up."

"Well, the man gestured, getting up from his seat. "Can't have our real dancers nervous around the actual merchandise, can we?"

"What do we do?"

The man eyed her again. "Put them in something expensive, let them walk the floor. Nobody touches them. When do they dance again?"

"Tomorrow."

"I'll talk to her tonight." His voice was seething in danger. "Carmen."