Illyana strode confidently down the hallway. Now Emma, you pay.

She pushed open the wide double doors and found the entire Hellfire Club assembled behind them. They were seated around a long wooden table.

"Good, you're all here." She smiled. "I'd like to thank you all for…"

But she was interrupted.

"Quiet Illyana." Sebastian intoned.

She was stunned in to silence. Uh, ho…

"While it is true that you called this meeting to discuss Emma's alleged use of her power against you… Emma has raised some fine points. And we would like them clarified before we continue."

Emma smiled sweetly from the table. The fact that she was seated and Illyana had to stand spoke volumes as to who was really in trouble here.

"Yes." Emma smiled. "Please, make yourself comfortable. This could take a while."

Damn. Illyana cursed. Damn, damn, damn

Back at the lighthouse the psycho was diving for Betsy.

Lucy's eyes went wide and she lashed out quickly. She came in from under his claws as he leapt, and she swung up hard, severing his claws and sending splinters everywhere.

He shrieked in horror.

But Lucy wasn't finished there. She turned her forward momentum in to a backward spin and came around again, this time slashing him across his face. He wheezed and fell slightly but pressed on with his attack.

Lucy caught herself for just an instant and then let loose with knee to his chest, driving him back.

He locked his de-clawed hand around her arm and began digging in to her chest over and over again like an animal with his free hand.

She brought her foot up and sent him sprawling backwards with a savage kick.

He laughed as he slammed in to the wall.

She dropped in to a fighting stance to defend Betsy. Lucy was breathing hard and she looked concerned.

"You've got Adamantium poisoning." He smiled, rising up slowly. "I can heal much faster than you can."

He turned to face her and she could see that he was telling the truth. While the gaping hole in her chest was slowly knitting closed, he was healing with a maddening speed.

"But you still want the metal, don't you?" She wheezed.

"Who wouldn't?" He asked. "It's invincibility for someone who knows how to use it."

"And you think that's you?" She asked. I've got to keep him talking… I need time… Kurt's coming. I need to heal…

"You're stalling." He smiled.

She growled.

"And you're boring me." She sneered back. "You've got all the answers and all the gifts… And yet you're still looking to take me out to better yourself." She smiled. "No wonder they dumped you from the project. You're second rate to a little girl."

Betsy laughed. Join the club…

But X12 didn't find it funny at all.

He roared madly and advanced on her with a stunning speed.

"We're faster without the metal too." He laughed, sweeping his fist in to slice her calf wide open from behind as he slammed in to her, driving her back against the railing. He caught her face in one hand and her free wrist in the other as he pinned her other arm behind her.

"Did he get this close?" He whispered as he held her down.

"Did he touch you?" He smiled. "Did you like it?"

And he brushed her cheek with his and slowly licked her face.

She shivered and trembled as she fought against him.

"No." She told him. "Don't."

He laughed and dropped his eyes to her breasts. "Why not?"

She whipped her knee up again, this time bashing him right between the legs.

He roared and whimpered a whisper in the same breath but refused to let go.

She twisted away and created just enough space between them to kick him, again, between the legs.

And with that kick, she let loose the claw in her foot.

It sank deep in to his groin at an upward angle and pierced his stomach.

"GET OFF OF ME!" She screamed, driving her foot to the ground and tearing open his crotch.

He gasped in shock as she wrestled free and blood poured out of him as though she had turned on a faucet.

She wanted to scream. She wanted the words to tell him what a pale imitation he was of Logan. She wanted to explain the difference between having a penis and being a man. She wanted to tell him that he was stupid. That she knew better than he did about all things human – and she had just begun to learn.

She wanted to…

But all that came out was a primal snarl from the depths of her gut and a flurry of claw-strikes.

Betsy was bathed in second hand blood and the horror of seeing Lucy turned loose.

X12 threw himself backwards in a panic. She's so small. Where does she get the strength? He turned slightly and dove for the edge. The fall from the lighthouse may hurt, but he'd live to see another day.

"NO!" She roared as he turned and she dove for his legs, Nailing one to the lighthouse deck with a claw.

He shrieked in agony and pulled his leg loose, breaking the bone.

"YOU LET HIM COME FOR ME? YOU KNEW WHAT HE WOULD DO?" She impaled him again, this time through the thigh. "BASTARD!" She shrieked.

He turned with an animal's madness and began hacking in to her face and shoulder with his clawed hand But Lucy refused to let him go and she kept him pinned to the deck.

She snatched at a piece of his claw that lay broken on the deck and when she had it she thrust in quickly in to his eye.

He howled in pain and threw back his head as he tried to dive for the edge of the landing.

Her eyes turned up and she reached out and raked through his throat with her claw.

He let out a horrible gurgle and she pulled out the claw that had him pinned and dove toward the railing, rolling with him as they fought.

And as they arrived at the edge…

He was on top of her, hammering in to her with his de-clawed fist.

And she slammed up a knee, caught him unaware, and sent him flying up and off her, over the railing.

Lucy jumped and had a grip on his hair as he went over the edge and she fell, hard and slid down the railing to the ground.

Betsy had heard a massive 'crunch' and the tearing of skin as they fought at the railing – but in the end, Lucy lay motionless on the ground against the railing in a fetal ball while X12 went over the edge.

Betsy rose slowly from her waist.

"Are… Are you alive?" Betsy asked, concerned. "Please?"

Lucy rolled backwards to lay flat on her back. Her head fell towards Betsy.

Half her face was gone – including an eye.

"Oh no…" Betsy stared at her for a long moment.

"I'm all right…" Lucy's lip twitched as though she was trying to smile. "look…"

And she held up X12's head with her far hand from where it had fallen. Then she let her arm fall and the view was once again blocked by Lucy's mutilated body.

Betsy actually breathed a sigh of relief as she fell to the ground. "Good." Betsy smiled. Feeling lightheaded from the loss of blood and the excitement. "I thought we might be in trouble."

Lucy lay there, her blood flowing everywhere, still unable to stand. "Us?" Lucy asked, looking Betsy over. "Nah…" She breathed heavily. "We're fine."

Betsy nodded, her body beginning to shake from the adrenaline rush. "Never… better."

She raised her head and met Lucy's good eye. "By … the way." She smiled. "Thank you. I didn't want … a a … boyfriend…"

Lucy smiled. Thank you… She mulled it over. "I guess… You're welcome." She finished at last, collapsing back against the deck.

Thank god. Betsy sighed. I've never been so thankful to be 'welcome' in my life…