Kitty jumped when she heard the noise. She rushed to the edge of the deck and looked.

There was a slight vanishing blur between the car and motorcycle. Both now – obviously sported flat tires.

"We're stranded." She whispered.

A sword passed through her from behind and she whipped around to see a dark figure vanish before her eyes.

Yikes! I'm glad I was phased!

"She's a teleporter!" She called out in to the house. "Watch out!"

Forge and Alistaire turned back to back in the room and stood ready.

Kurt dove for the ceiling and clung there, climbing slowly and cautiously around the room.

Tabby and Lucy took to watching each other's back and roaming room to room.

A great crash came from below and the lighthouse plunged in to darkness.

"Damn." Forge swore. "It took hours to get that generator running."

Forge pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The lighthouse's emergency lights came on – shadowing the entire place in a soft blue glow.

"That's better." Alistaire nodded.

Forge swallowed. "I'm no good at this." He admitted.

"I've always been a pacifist by nature." Alistaire said softly. "And I would remain one if given the choice."

"But some people…" Forge muttered, smiling.

"Exactly." Alistaire agreed. "Exactly."

"How… Bad?" Biran asked.

"Not bad." Alistaire told him.

"Yeah. We're on it." Forge agreed somewhat less confidently.

Out in the hallway Tabby turned slowly towards Lucy.

Something about the shadows around the young girl didn't look right.

"Lu…" She reached out and Lucy fell – strait down as though through the floor.

Tabby grabbed her and was pulled along with her through the portal that had opened under her feet.

They emerged just to one side of the lighthouse deck outside.

Just on the other side of the railing.

"No!" Tabby reached out and grabbed it with her free hand – the other gripping Lucy tightly.

Tabby screamed loudly, being stretched between the railing and the girl.

Lucy glanced down. "Drop me." She said.

Tabby's mind retreated to her brief time at the mansion. Something Logan had said about falling from great heights and how his vertebrae could sever his spinal column.

"No! This could kill you."

Lucy swallowed. "I…know." She admitted.

"Climb up me!" Tabby cried out.

Lucy reached but couldn't get a grip. "I…can't."

Kitty raced back towards the edge. Damn! She dove and slid through the railing.

"I've got her." Kitty whispered in Tabby's ear. "Let go now."

Tabby swallowed and hesitated only a fraction of a second before she did. She pulled herself up, gripping the railing from the outside and looking back down as Lucy and Kitty fell… Then vanished in to the ground below.

Tabby turned, her eyes hard and angry, towards the lighthouse door.

She saw a shimmering begin to appear and threw herself over the railing.

She hit the deck and spun, bringing herself to face the shimmering and assaulting it with her explosive power with a grand flourish.

She watched as the brilliant sparks flew in to the distortion and she heard them resound inside the lighthouse as they exploded.

Second floor! Kurt dove and swung around the small inner hallway. Another bomb exploded to his right and he smiled as he came around the corner. There was a dark figure on the floor.

He kicked the sword away and grabbed her by the wrist. "No you don't." He told her.

And the ground seemed to open beneath them as she summoned a portal.

"Eep!" Kurt squeaked, teleporting away with her and reappearing on the deck.

Tabby whipped on the both of them and let loose a flurry of bolts.

Kurt forced the girl between them and let her take the brunt of the blasts.

Tabby dove to pull her off Kurt and wrapped an arm around her neck to jerk her off.

She was incredibly strong.

She wrestled herself free of Kurt's grip and slugged Tabitha hard with her metal fist before they both fell through the floor and vanished.

"Ach!" Kurt called out, watching them go. "No!"

Another portal opened and Tabitha fell out, just out of reach of the railing and fell from the top of the house.

Kurt dove and grabbed her foot, teleporting hem both back on to the deck where they landed flat – with a great thud.

Suddenly there was a great crash from inside followed by the shouting of Alistaire and Forge.

Kurt ported away.

Damn! Tabby ran for the noise.

Illyana had recovered her sword and sliced Alistaire pretty badly in the process of destroying Forge's gun.

She jumped with a stab just as Kurt appeared. And she opened a portal under his feet and he fell through and back on to the deck. She pushed Alistaire through for good measure and swung her sword for Forge's throat.

Alistaire landed on his feet, gripping his arm and moving towards the room just behind Kurt.

He saw Kurt disappear around the corner – then Both Kurt and Tabitha came sailing past – in to a portal in the wall.

No! Alistaire thought, gripping his gun tightly a he rounded the corner. And there she was, standing in the doorway with her mask torn off.

She saw him and he panicked – but his gun came up between them and he fired.

She fell to the ground, landing on her back and twitching.

He approached cautiously.

"Forge!" He called out. "For…"

"Yeah. We're fine." Forge called out. "It was Brian… He managed to toss her… Looks like it took a lot out of him…"

"She must have hit Tabby and Kurt – they went flying in to one of those transport holes." He called back.

Forge stuck his head out the door. "So how's the gun work?"

Alistaire nodded. "I think I like it." He smiled, keeping it leveled on Illyana.

Kitty and Lucy came running up from below. Lucy was covered in dirt but Kitty was clean.

"Awww… It's over?" Lucy demanded.

"I told you not to let go." Kitty told her, watching Lucy try to dust herself off.

"Ny told you na-na-na-na…" Lucy remarked.

Kitty smiled at her and laughed.

"Alistaire! Forge!" Kurt called out.

"We're fine. It's over!" Kitty called back as Kurt came up the stairs.

Kurt and Tabby broke in to smiles as they came up the stairs.

"We fell all the way that time." Kurt said, laughing.

"I fell farther." Lucy mumbled.

Kurt chuckled and looked at her. She was very quietly and cautiously looking Forge over.

Kurt looked between them twice.

She's worried about him… He realized. Probably why she was staying close by while she could…

Kurt smiled softly.

Forge looked at Lucy.

"Flip her over." He said.

Lucy gladly slipped up and turned Illyana over.

"You've got quite a power center down town, don't you?" He asked Illyana. "But I've got a bigger one here." He smiled. "And now… you're on my turf. And here… my will supercedes your own."

He reached out and smeared the invisible mark from her forehead and she screamed.

At first it was a scream of horror. And then it was a scream of pain. And then – one of remorse.

Tears streamed from her face and she collapsed to the floor and crouched in to a ball.

Forge picked her up and Lucy felt a pang of jealousy as he set her down on a chair in Brian's room.

"She's no trouble now." He said. "She was under a spell. She couldn't control herself."

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.

"Positive." Forge smiled and closed the door. "And hungry."

And a chorus or agreeing tones and grunts arose through out the group.