Chapter 17

There is something very odd going on here. That's the 1st thought that enters Clark's head when he wakes up.

The 2nd thought is that it's odd he is waking up as he can't remember going to sleep.

The 3rd thought is wondering whether there is kryptonite nearby because he has a pounding head and a nauseous feeling in his stomach...but then realises that apart from that there is not the usual death inducing pain, that he can feel down to the cellular level.

The 4th thought is another odd feeling. He thinks...he thinks he's thirsty. His mouth is so dry...drier then he ever remembers it being.

The 5th thought is a more happy one at the female presence wrapped in his arms. Rogue. That always makes him smile. With his eyes still closed he inhales deeply...wait one damn minute!

That scent. The scent of the woman in his arms is not Rogue.

Clark's eyes snap open and then he winces at sudden brightness that stings his eyes. It takes a minute for them to adjust and for Clark to see he is lying in a bed...not his nor Rogue's...he is lying in a bed with...oh god he truly is going to throw up now.

He's in bed with Lois Lane!

Rogue is going to kill him in the worse way imaginable!

At this minute Lois starts to wake up. Her eyes flutter open. "Yeugh," she makes the strange sound as she tastes what her mouth is like. She then focusses in on the fact she is the arms of Clark Kent lying in a bed. "Smallville?" she queries. "Please tell me we're wearing clothes?" she begs of him, making an appalled face at the idea they might not be.

"We're wearing clothes," Clark can happily, joyously confirm because at least in his mind that means he didn't sleep with Lois.

"Thank god!" Lois mutters in relief.

"No kidding," Clark mutters back, equally relieved sounding.

"Don't sound too happy Smallville," Lois says with the full force of her sarcasm.

"Hey!" he protests. "I have a girlfriend whom I love very very much!" he shoots back with passion. God knows how he'll explain this to her.

"Yeah then how did we end up here and why are you still holding me?" Lois asks him back.

Clark realises that is exactly what he is doing and shoots out of bed, almost at superhuman speed. Lois spins her legs round and moves to sit up on the edge of the bed. She brings her hands to her pounding head. "Wow that must have been some party," she remarks. "You know when I said to spike the punch in my instructions I was half joking," she points out.

"I didn't spike the punch," Clark insists.

Lois tilts her head to look at him and can see he is speaking the truth. "Well then who did? Because I tell you I have a stonker of a hangover. They must have laced it with some really good stuff."

"Oh god is this what this is? A hangover?" Clark asks, looking ill, as he grabs his still pounding head.

Lois grins. "First time huh? Yeah that's always the worst one."

"I...that's impossible. I can't get drunk," he mutters absent-mindedly. When he ran away to Metropolis he drank a lot. Once he drank 5 whole beer kegs in a row and then crushed them on his forehead but the point is he didn't even get a buzz, let alone anywhere near intoxicated. He can only conclude that his alien metabolism makes it impossible...yet here he is nursing what Lois says is a hangover.

"What did you say?" Lois asks him, not hearing him above the drums someone is beating on top of her head.

"Nothing...I...this is Kitty's room," Clark finally figures out where he is by the boyband posters on the wall.

"If you say so. Now please tell me Smallville how the hell did we end up here?" Lois asks him.

"Well...I..." Clark's brow furrows as he tries to recall. "I can remember you arriving. Uh the first hour of the party and then...then..."

"Then?"

"I've got nothing," Clark says, in completely disbelief that he said that because that is also impossible. He has a perfect memory...Jor-El mind wipes aside. "What about you?" he asks Lois back.

Lois thinks. "I can remember arriving. The first hour..."

"And then nothing?"

Lois nods, now looking as equally confused as Clark. She's had some hangovers in her day and sometimes nights are sketchy but they've never been a complete blank.

Clark looks around Kitty's room and spots her alarm clock. He picks it up and his expression fills with more disbelief at the situation. "It's Sunday."

"That can't be right," Lois says, denying that idea, as she stands up and grabs the alarm clock off of him but her visual inspection only confirms what Clark said. It says Sunday. 7.18am. That would make it roughly 17 hours since Lois' and Clark's last coherent memory. Lois throws the clock down on the bed. "Ok I know mutants have lots of powers but just what the hell went off here yesterday?" Lois demands to know in a stern tone and placing her hands on her hips in a stern manner.

For the first time since he met her Clark finds himself agreeing precisely with Lois. Just what the hell happened here yesterday but more importantly where's Rogue?

Peter has woken up many times to a pounding head...usually after going several rounds with some villain, so it's not a new sensation to him what he is feeling right now...although the nausea is new as is the fact his mouth as dry as a desert.

Peter's brow furrows as he registers a soft weight on top of him, that feels strangely like a girl cuddling up to him. Not that Peter has huge experience of that...well Felicia but that's a whole other story...and there really wasn't that much cuddling if he is being honest. Felicia isn't the cuddling type. More like the...'Stop babbling Parker!' he mentally yells at himself.

Peter open his eyes and registers he is lying on a couch, in one of the many rooms of the Xavier Institute. More than that though, lying on top of him, her head resting on his chest, is Kitty Pryde. One of her hands has hold of his shirt tightly, almost pulling it to herself.

'Well at least they're still clothed,' Peter thinks to himself with some relief. Unlike that time with Felicia...'I really need to stop dwelling on that!' Peter mentally tells himself.

'Ok think Parker. How did you end up here like this?'

Peter thinks and thinks and thinks.

'Nope. I've got nothin!' his brain reports back.

Peter sighs and raises a hand to his head. He wonders how dead he is this time.

Peter looks down at the sleeping figure of Kitty. She is really kind of cute looking in her sleep and if he is going to die he might as well enjoy lying with a pretty girl before his end comes. Peter's brow furrows once again. Kitty wasn't wearing that purple vest top and black leather pants the last he remembers. Just how much has he forgotten?

"Hmm Peter. Keep me warm," Kitty mumbles thickly in her sleeping state.

Peter was never one to turn down the request of a pretty lady so he puts his arms around her and Kitty cuddles closer into him.

"Oh god just kill me," are the mutterings of one Amanda Sefton as she wakes up to the same pounding head everyone else seems to have. Her eyes flutter open to find herself lying on the soft fur that composes her boyfriend.

Amanda then looks around. She and Kurt are lying on a blanket on the floor of...where the hell are they? With Kurt's teleporting abilities they could almost be anywhere but the point is Amanda has no memory of how they ended up here.

She gently pokes Kurt. "Kurt. Wake up."

Kurt shifts slightly and mutters in German. Amanda thinks it was something along the lines of 'Too early Liebe.'

"Kurt!" she snaps.

"Oh not so loud Liebe," Kurt protests. "My head hurts."

"That'll be the least of your worries believe you me. Open your eyes."

Kurt does so and his eyes recognise the roof of the Blackbird. "How are ve in zhe jet?"

Oh so that's where they are. Amanda thought it looked familiar having been in it once when she went to Washington to testify to Congress. "I was hoping you could tell me along with how we ended up sleeping beside each other in only our underwear."

Kurt's head snaps round to see, indeed, Amanda in nothing but a blue bra and pink panties. Kurt blushes under his fur and averts his gaze.

Amanda blushes as well. "Uh...I had no clean matching pairs," she explains the mismatched colours.

Kurt looks at himself, down only to his own white boxers. Oh God what did he do last night? Did...did he take advantage of her? He could never live with himself if he did.

"Kurt," Amanda says in a soft reassuring tone. "Do you remember how we got here?" she asks him.

Kurt thinks before answering. "Nein."

"Me neither," Amanda says. She reaches forward and turns his head to look at her. "Hey. Are you ok?"

"Nein Mandi. Vhat if I...did ve?"

Amanda thinks she can guess what he is asking. "I don't think we did that Kurt. Had sex I mean."

"How do you know?"

"Well first off we are both still in our underwear and uh...I think a girl would know. She would feel it...you know the first time is suppose to leave you a little sore. Well that is what I heard anyway."

"Heard from vhere?"

"Oh you know just girl talk with my girl friends. Anyway that's not important. The second reason I know we didn't is the important one."

"Vhich is?"

"I trust you Kurt Wagner not to take advantage of me like that," she says with complete faith in him.

"I vish I trusted me," he mutters, running his hand through his hair.

"Well I have enough trust for both of us. Besides Kurt you're so Catholic I half expect you to say you want us to wait until we're married."

"I'm not zhat strict a follower of zhe teachings."

Amanda smiles teasingly. "I was joking Kurt."

Kurt frowns. "Not zhe best time Mandi."

"If not now then when," she giggles.

Kurt smiles reluctantly.

Amanda takes a moment before kissing Kurt on the lips. She pulls back a little and looks him straight in his yellow eyes. "Look I meant it. I trust you. We probably just did some serious making out."

Kurt hopes so.

"Still how did we end up here and why can't either of us remember?" she has to wonder.

"I'm sorry Mandi. I haven't a clue."

"What's the last thing you do remember?"

"Uh zhe party. I got you some punch after talking to Clark's friend Lana as she vas standing zhere."

"I remember that," Amanda says. "But that's it. There's nothing after that."

"I'm definitely sorry zhen."

"For what?"

"Vhen somezhing zhis veird happens around here it's never good. It means somezhing is going on vith somevone who has it in for us. I don't vant you caught between our enemies Liebe. I could never live vith zhat."

"Kurt I made that choice the second I agreed to date you so don't you go backing out." She can see the uncertainty in his eyes. "At least hold off judgement until we find out what is going on," she pleads with him.

Kurt nods, accepting that condition.

"We should get changed...uh where are our clothes?"

Kurt sits up and looks around. His and Amanda's clothes are not here. Just the blanket they are lying on. Kurt mutters some more in German before deciding, "I'll teleport us to my room. If it comes to it I'm sure vone of zhe girls vill lend you somezhing to vear."

Amanda nods in agreement. She gets to her feet and feels no stiffness down there so she is pretty certain she is right in her trust in Kurt. She adjusts her bra and just under it spots a bite mark on the swell of her breast that can only have come from Kurt. Well that's certainly 2nd base reached if not perhaps 3rd Amanda muses as to how far they did go.

Kurt gets to his feet too and sways a little. He feels nauseous but he can get them to his room.

"Kurt," Amanda says.

"Ja?"

"Whatever did happen we went pretty far I think it is safe to say."

They must have, Kurt supposes, to be down to their underwear.

Amanda continues. "If we did go that far I really think..." she takes a deep breath and steadies herself. "I think once we sort this out we'll have to tell my parents the truth about us...about you."

Kurt gulps. Amanda had avoided telling her parents she was dating the blue fuzzy one of the X-Men which he was pretty happy about because...really whose parents would want their daughter to date the demon looking boy. If they knew the truth Kurt fears their reaction. Worse case scenario they bar him and Amanda from seeing each other. "If you zhink it best Mandi," Kurt replies, leaving it to her to choose.

"I do," Amanda says, although with not a huge amount of conviction. She has no idea really how her parents will react but they need to know and she can't keep putting it off especially considering how strong her feelings for Kurt are.

Kurt touches her gently on her bare shoulder, which causes goosebumps to rise on Amanda's skin, before they both vanish in a puff of blue smoke.

Tabby groans as she wake up with a severe headache. Her eyes flutter open and the brightness of the morning light stings her eyes. As her eyes adjust, as she pushes back the nausea, she spots she is dressed in her black leather Sirens' outfit. That's odd. She doesn't remember how she got into that...or where she is...or how she ended up where she is...or...well there are a lot of questions she doesn't have the answer to right now.

"Tabby?" a terribly shocked voice asks in a whisper laced with a southern accent.

Tabby looks to her right to find she is lying in bed next to Sam. Her lips curl up. "Damn. You're a fast worker," she jokes about Sam getting her into bed already.

Sam's eyes widen in horror Tabby would describe it as. "Oh mah god. What did I do to ya?"

"Nothing good...I hope," she replies with a salacious grin.

"Tabby...I...I..."

Tabby raises a hand to Sam's lips and feels them tremble under her touch. She realises she needs to say something reassuring. "Shh. It's alright Sam. You don't remember how we got here do you," Tabby guesses from Sam's expression.

Sam shakes his head a little.

"Neither do I...but I'm pretty certain you didn't do anything to me...well nothing I wouldn't ask you to at least. Lets just...take a few moments because I think any sudden movements will make me puke."

Sam feels like that too. Really god what happened?

"Do you have to speak so loud?" another voice complains from the other side of Sam.

Sam's eyes widen before he turns his head to the right while Tabby lifts her head high enough to peer above Sam's frame and what both find is Amara, dressed in her Sirens outfit, looking decidedly pale and un-princess like, her hair a mess as she lies there unable to make any movement at the moment.

"Damn!" Tabby has to say again. "That must have been one hell of a party!" she remarks for the 3 of them to end up like this.

Amara just makes a face at that and pulls a pillow over her head. Gods her head hurts!

Speaking of the party leads to whom the party was held for. Chloe Sullivan, who is so wishing that damn rock group would stop playing atop her skull as she wakes up this morning.

No, wait, that's just her head pounding.

Well her reporter skills are obviously still fully functional if she can work that out.

Chloe's eyes flutter open to a darkened room, with the sun just peeking a shaft of light through the curtains. She is lying in a bed...someone's bed. Not hers.

"Where am I?" she asks herself because she has no memory of this room.

"Wha-uh?" comes the query from somewhere near Chloe's feet.

She sits up, grabs her stomach as it turns over several dozen times and looks down. There is a lump under the covers next to her.

'Oh God. Oh god. Oh God,' Chloe repeats over and over in her head. What did she do last night? She couldn't have...surely she would remember if she did that. Well even if she did that and can't remember it that would still make it a more memorable experience than when she lost her...

Right. Moving on.

Investigative Reporter mode. Take stock of the situation and no jumping to conclusions.

Clothes still on...check.

No soreness like last time...check.

Those are good signs she didn't do that...because considering most of the single males in this mansion are under-age she really doesn't want a statutory rape charge stuck on her.

Chloe groans and grabs her head as the movement next to her increases. The covers are rolled back and a brown haired head pops up. Chloe frowns and takes a moment to remember the name. "Bobby?"

Bobby's eyes widen as it sinks in where he is and who he is with. "Chloe? Oh god Clark's going to kill me isn't he?" he says with a groan of pain.

"Um...no. I don't think so unless you did something inappropriate...in fact if you did that Clark won't have to kill you cause I'll sic Lois on you," Chloe promises and Lois...hoo boy Lois can be vicious when provoked into action.

Bobby tries to fight through the headache and nausea in some attempt to remember how he ended up here with Clark's best friend...whom he does find kinda cute. Shame she couldn't stay longer. He might let Roberto have Cat Grant and try his luck on Chloe instead if she were to stay. Back on subject. "I can't remember anything beyond the start of the party," he admits.

"Me neither," Chloe says. She then flops back down to the pillow and sighs. "You know when I leave Smallville I expect weird stuff not to happen to me," she complains.

"Then you shouldn't have come here," Bobby jokes. "I'm afraid weirdness, along with the breaking of several laws of physics, happens here on a semi-regular basis."

Chloe takes a moment before rotating herself round and getting out of bed. She gets to her feet and takes several moments to stop swaying as she waits for the light-headedness to pass. "Right. First off superstrong coffee and then we'll solve this," she lays down the plan.

"You ok?" Bobby asks.

"Yes. Why?"

"You seem awful calm about all this."

Chloe snorts with amusement. "I've been living in Smallville since I was 8. Weirdness becomes normal and then add to the fact my best friend is an alien from another galaxy. You really have to go some to get me worked up these days."

"Well I'm up to the challenge!" Bobby declares with confidence, bordering on cockiness.

Chloe looks at Bobby with a wry smile. He wasn't a bad guy. He was kinda cute. Joked a little too much to be perfect. "Uh huh. Be careful saying that around my cousin. She may just take you up on it," she cautions him.

Well considering Lois is pretty hot Bobby wouldn't say no to that idea.

Consciousness returns to Ororo Monroe and she shifts slightly under her sheets and is caught out by a certain stiff, sore feeling. She moves to roll over only to bump into something under the sheets with her. Her hands reach out to figure out what it is. It is large, warm, hairy, well-muscled...

Wait.

Muscled?

As in muscles...as in...is there a man in her bed?

Ororo's eyes shoot open. "Oh by the Goddess," she says in a barely spoken whisper at what she sees. Her hand tentatively reaches out, shaking slightly. She touches her bed companion just to make sure he is real and she is not dreaming.

He's real.

"Logan," she gasps quietly in complete shock.

Ororo gulps and lifts up the sheets covering them slightly. It confirms what she thought. They're both naked and it that wasn't proof enough the smell lingering in the room certainly confirms it.

They had sex.

And Ororo can't remember one jot of it.

Ororo covers her face with her hands. It's not like she has never gotten drunk before because she has and there might have been the one drunken tryst but she was young and just new to America after the Professor brought her and her sister over from Africa.

However she has never been so drunk as to have absolutely no memory of anything...wait.

How did she get drunk at a party for Chloe?

There should have been no alcohol. In fact she and Martha specifically double checked everything just in case the students tried something.

This makes absolutely no sense.

And when that happens around here that means something is going on. Something that is usually bad for them.

Whatever happened...however it happened she and Logan will just have to wait to sort this out. Well she better wake him up...which is unfortunate in its way she has to think as she gazes at his sleeping form.

Ororo has never seen him sleep. Not once in all the years she has known him. He looks...odd. Peaceful. At rest. Things he is never normally. He is really very attractive she would have to concede...in his way and...

Ororo has to mentally slap herself. Something odd is going on and here she is daydreaming about Logan...well that wouldn't be the first time.

'Oh dear Goddess what is wrong with her?' she silently asks herself. Focus. She needs to focus.

"Logan," she says in a stern authoritarian tone.

Logan sits up at a start ready to take care of whoever...wait a second where is he?

His head snaps round to see Ororo...a naked Ororo lying on what he thinks is her bed in her room.

Ororo cuts him off, pre-empting the inevitable questions. "Yes and yes. Yes, we are in my bed and yes, we probably had sex but unless you can remember how we got here I think we have more serious issues to deal with and we can talk about this later."

Logan blinks. Sometimes he forgets how dispassionate Storm can be at times. "How did we get here?" he asks her.

"Something is definitely up," Ororo concludes from that because it seems Logan can't remember either. She sighs and as elegantly as she can swings her legs round and stands up. Nudity does not bother her a great deal and right now she doesn't have the luxury of indulging in the western custom of modesty as she moves to her wardrobe and pulls out a robe. She slips it on and ties the strap together. "I suggest you get changed while I go shower. I have a feeling this is going to be a long day."

Logan watches her depart for the en-suite shower all the teachers have for their rooms. He runs his hand through his wild hair and tries to let it sink in just where he is and the situation he is in. God he can't believe he slept with Ro but his enhanced sense of smell can't let him deny it. The smell of sex and sweat is everywhere.

However she is right. Something is wrong and this...this can wait...maybe forever if Logan can help it.

Elsewhere in the mansion everyone finds themselves waking up with sore heads, queasy stomachs and in a lot of cases, odd places. Hank wakes up hanging upside down from the rafters in the attic while the Professor wakes up in his office still in his wheelchair...although the smoking jacket, with the playboy rabbit symbol on it, that he is currently wearing, he certainly has never seen before. He better get that off before the Hugh Hefner jokes start.

Ray wakes up in the back of the x-van dressed in nothing but a Hula skirt. Evan wakes up on the floor of a shower with cold water flowing over him. Paul and Taryn wake up lying on the floor of the sitting room where the party was. Roberto finds himself lying on his surfboard in the pool.

Jamie wakes up cuddling into someone. He wakes up to find he is cuddling himself...well one of his dupes...or is he the dupe and he is cuddling the real him?

That question always hangs over Jamie. Is he the real Jamie or is he a copy and the real Jamie was absorbed long ago?

Jamie isn't sure he really wants an answer to that.

As for Domino...

"Ok this is certainly a new one for me," she comments as she wakes up in the bathtub...a bathtub full of baked beans. "Great," she mutters in sudden complaint. "Now I'm going to smell like the inside of a bean tin for the rest of the day."

Domino moves to brush her hair back with her hand, only to realise too late her hands are covered in bean sauce and now so is her hair. "Some days it's just not worth waking up," she comments. Now if only she could remember how the hell she ended up here.

For two couples the morning does not bring anything surprising beyond the headaches, nausea and lack of memory. Martha and Jonathan wake up, as they often do, in each other's arms.

The same was true of Scott and Jean, only they were not in their own room, and right now they were trying to sneak out without getting caught. If anyone saw them it would be fairly obvious what they have been up to.

"Oh you two are so busted!"

Jean and Scott freeze and cringe.

"Not the time Lois!"

Jean and Scott look to their right, along the hallway, to find Lois and Clark glaring at each other.

"Lighten up Smallville," Lois says.

Clark is getting aggravated. He knows she really doesn't get it that something is going on here besides what she thinks, i.e. they all got drunk but he isn't in the mood to indulge her. Clark walks forward and takes Scott by the arm. "Can I have a word Scott?" he asks as he takes his friend out of Lois' ear shot. "Do you remember anything about yesterday?" Clark asks first off.

Scott shakes his head in the negative.

"Neither do I...and despite what Lois will claim in a minute it can't be because someone spiked the punch."

"How do you know?" Scott wonders.

"Because alcohol doesn't affect me yet I can't remember a thing. Whatever happened here Scott affected me and you know how little can do that."

Scott's expression becomes serious. If Clark was affected then something is very wrong. He rubs his face as he thinks and then notices the deep seated worry on Clark's face. "What's wrong?"

"I can't find Rogue," Clark reports. "I've scanned the mansion top to bottom. She's not here. I would go look for her but I can't seem to get away from Lois," he complains.

"It's alright Clark. We'll find her," Scott promises.

There is a loud whistle that makes Scott, Clark, Jean and Lois wince. They all glare at a certain blond-haired trouble maker called Tabitha Smith. "Hey has anyone seen Wanda this morning?" Tabby asks, since after getting out of bed next to Sam, which she regrets having to do, her next thought had been to find Wanda which she hasn't been able to do.

Scott looks to Clark whose eyes flash electric blue and Scott watches those eyes scan the mansion in moments. Clark then shakes his head to say no. Wanda isn't here.

This is getting worse and worse and looks more like an attack of some kind Scott has to say. The memory loss could have been a way of covering whoever was responsible's tracks.

A door beside Clark opens and out of it, staggering slightly, comes Lex. "Lex? You alright?" Clark asks.

Lex would be if he could remember how he ended up here. "Have you seen Lana?" is his first question.

Clark does another quick scan and then shakes his head to Scott once again. Lana isn't here either.

Then Scott hears a telepathic summons from the Professor who is calling them all together to see if they can figure out just what happened here yesterday.

There are many cups of coffee, grumbling, teasing, Peter and Domino both making their usual trademark lame jokes and comments, a couple of trips to the bathroom to throw up but eventually everyone is gathered together in the kitchen. Even Lex is there, since they can't avoid it, with him being affected as well.

When Logan comes to stand next to Clark, leaning against the cabinets, Clark has to look twice at him...because of the smell. Clark can smell Storm all over the feral mutant along with...ok there's a mental image Clark could do without.

"You ok kid?" Logan asks when he catches Clark staring at him.

"Yeaaahh...sure. Well apart from being worried about Rogue," Clark quickly deflects the questioning.

Logan grunts. He's worried too...about his daughter. God does that still sound weird to him. Of course weird is exactly what is going on here because whatever happened to them it wasn't alcohol. First off Logan would have smelt it a mile away and second off with his healing factor it takes literally days of drinking to get him so drunk to start forgetting stuff.

The Professor brings the meeting to order and everyone relays their last memory and it all is pretty much the same. After about an hour into the party no-one can seem to remember anything.

"I would like a volunteer for someone to allow me to attempt to scan their minds," the Professor requests.

"I'll do it," Jean steps forward. It makes the most sense to her since she and the Professor spend a lot of time together with him teaching her and he therefore knows her mind quite well. It'll make it easier and quicker to find anything out of the ordinary.

A chair is pulled up in front of the Professor's wheelchair and Jean sits down. She leans forward and the Professor touches his fingers to her temples. Lex looks on with deep interest having never been witness before to a telepath.

The Professor's brow furrows as he probes Jean's memories. He travels along them to the moment the blank period begins and runs...slams is a more accurate description, into a powerful mental block that is quite unlike any he has ever encountered before.

"Jean," he telepathically speaks to her.

"Yes Professor."

"Scan my mind and see if I have the same mental block," he instructs her.

Jean does and she slams into the same barrier. "It's...what is it?" she asks, having never seen a block like this either.

The Professor pulls out of Jean's mind and takes a moment to regather his metal processes.

"What did you find Professor?" Scott asks.

"A mental block sealing away the memories for the missing 17 hours."

"Another telepath?" Kitty inquires.

Charles briefly looks to Clark. Another telepath is unlikely due to the nature of Clark's alien mind. He can't say that because of Lex's presence. However he doesn't need to. "No," he replies. "All telepaths leave a unique impression behind...a kind of psychic fingerprint. The barrier in Jean's mind lacks any such fingerprint. It exists yet it shouldn't because there is no sign of how it was placed there. I can make the assumption for all of us present here that we all have the same block."

"Can you break these blocks?" Lex is the one to ask.

"They are strong," the Professor cautions about expecting too much too soon. "It would take a considerable amount of time which I am willing to take. However we have a more pressing issue. The 3 of us that are missing."

"What's the plan Doc?" Domino asks, as she sips of her super sweet coffee. Just the way she likes it.

"As you know we have been waiting for quite some time for parts to repair Cerebro. Right now I have Hank jury rigging some temporary parts and bypassing a few safety protocols that should allow me to perform a short range scan for Rogue and Wanda and hopefully Miss Lang is with them."

While Lex is concerned about Lana he has to say this is a wonderful opportunity to study and learn about Clark's friends. Lex looks to his friend and wonders if they ever had a serious talk yesterday about all of this. How Clark ended up here. The state of their friendship etc etc.

Bobby walks into the kitchen after a rushed trip to the bathroom to vomit and then he had to change his shirt. While he was in his room he found something he hadn't noticed earlier. A video camera with a full memory when yesterday it was empty. He mentions this to the room.

"Wait. You think you recorded the party?" Evan asks Bobby.

Bobby shrugs. "I haven't had a chance to look yet." But it was a good assumption.

"We should hook it up to the big screen tv," Tabby suggests.

"Since we lack any other leads at the moment that seems a prudent course," the Professor agrees.

Everyone heads out for the sitting room with the big screen. Clark stays behind to talk to the Professor at the back of the group. "Professor what if I did something...super on this tape?" he asks, with concern.

"You refer to Lex learning your secret?"

"Yes...and Peter too," Clark adds in, trying to keep his friend's secret identity as Spider-Man secret too.

"The human brain goes through a process when storing memories from the short term to the long term. If you intervene at a certain stage a memory is not held for more than a few seconds."

"You'll make sure Lex can't remember if any secrets are revealed," Clark deduces.

"It is your choice Clark."

Clark sighs. "He's too close to SHIELD and his father at the minute. There's no choice," Clark says but with much regret about it.

Charles regrets it as well but it must be done. He can just hope for the moment that this tape gives some insight into what has happened here over the past 24 hours and perhaps a clue as to what has happened to Wanda, Rogue and Lana. Until Hank finished with Cerebro there is little else that can be done at the moment. Charles can only hope wherever the 3 girls are they are alright.

The Bayville Boarding House...

For once Pietro found himself the first to wake up. Unable to get to sleep he decided to just get some breakfast. It isn't like he has much else to do.

Expelled from school and essentially grounded by his father for what transpired the night of the school-board meeting.

Pietro just didn't get it. He had thought and thought and thought about it but just didn't understand what it is he did that was so wrong in his father's eyes. He is still convinced he tried to do the right thing to push forward his father's agenda.

Some day he'll prove to his father he was right. Some day he'll get back at Clark Kent for humiliating him in the way the freaking goodie two-shoes did. Some day Pietro will figure out just how to expose Clark Kent to the whole world.

Some day...just not right now because his father, via Mystique, had made it quite clear in his instructions that Clark Kent was off-limits. Pietro didn't get that either.

Pietro stomps down the stairs in a lazy fashion and turns to walk through the lounge into the kitchen. It is then he comes to a dead stop. Hanging over the arm of a chair are a pair of black high heeled boots and attached to them are some fairly impressive female legs. Pietro wasn't sure who this was but this could be a good time to turn on the old charm. He hadn't managed to break down Plastique's hard to get approach so a break for him would be nice.

The figure in the chair sits up and Pietro's jaw drops at seeing who it is dressed in a black, low cut dress, slit up the side, accented with heavy gold jewellery, with hair curled and piled on top of her head and her eyes heavily outlined with make-up. Blue eyes identical to his own. Her lips curve up with a cheerfulness he hasn't seen on this person's face in a long time. "Hi Pie-pie!" she greets him.

"Wanda?" he queries while inwardly he cringes. 'Oh god he just lusted after his twin sister!'

"Who else would it be?" Wanda asks him with a strange smile. She then swings her legs round and stands up. She literally sways round the chair and starts walking toward him.

Pietro cringes more as the thought slips into his head that dressed like that Wanda's hot. He mentally slaps himself. "What are you doing here?" he asks her, completely confused by her presence. Any attempt he has made to reconcile with her she has rebuffed forcefully.

"Why indeed?" Wanda asks back as she advances on him.

Pietro starts backing up feeling incredibly uncomfortable at the way she is acting until he bumps into something...or more accurately two someones.

"You're kind of...cute I think the saying in this century is," the someone behind him to the right says.

Pietro's head snaps to his right to find Rogue...dressed like he has never seen her. She is in her own strapless black dress that is literally hanging off her curves. Most of her dark make-up is gone except for, like Wanda, around the eyes. Around her neck is a black strap with interlaced loops hanging down which automatically draws your eyes to her cleavage...and boy does she have some. Pietro had no idea Rogue was this incredible looking under all that Goth stuff. She is also looking at him with a hungry lustful gaze as if she is a lion and he's a zebra.

"Must you Brianna," the one behind Pietro's left chastises Rogue...although why she is calling Rogue Brianna Pietro has no clue.

His head snaps round to the left to see a girl with long hair dark dressed in a black dress that has one strap over the left shoulder and around her neck is a necklace with some kind of red gem in the centre. She is exotic looking and pretty gorgeous in her own way too Pietro would say.

"It's been 400years," 'Brianna' complains in response, sounding whiny and also with no trace of Rogue's normal southern drawl.

"We have a quest to complete. Once that is done and we have ultimate power then you can indulge with whomever who want, as often as you desire," the other girl says in a stern tone.

"You know you never were very much fun," 'Brianna' criticises.

"Perhaps you should remember who brought you back from beyond the veil and who can send you back there just as easily," the girl warns harshly.

Suitably chastised 'Brianna' seems to shirk slightly which is definitely out of character for Rogue.

The woman to Pietro's left grabs his shoulder and spins him round to face her. Now that she has Pietro notices in one hand she holds an old looking, rather battered, leather bound book. "Hello there. You are the one known as Quicksilver," she states as if she knows this to be fact.

"Yeah?" Pietro says, still in a complete befuddlement at what is going on.

"I am the Countess Margaret Isobel Thoreaux," she announces herself in a haughty high-classed tone with a strong, but slightly odd, French accent. "And I have a task for you and your..." She looks to Wanda. "What was it again Madeleine?" she inquires for her memory to be jogged.

"Brotherhood," 'Madeleine' fills in.

"Brotherhood," the Countess repeats.

"Look...lady. Unless my father sent you I don't perform any task for anyone," Pietro says, finally starting to get his mind moving up a gear. Even he can tell something here is very wrong when his sister is getting called by the wrong name.

The Countess laughs amused and 'Brianna' and 'Madeleine' join in.

"You speak as if you have a choice. Poor little Pietro always trying to live up to his father's dreams but never quite being good enough. Such the disappointment," the Countess says with glee.

Pietro starts to get angry. "You don't know what you're talking about!" he snaps.

"But I do," she corrects him. "I have seen it all before. Technology may change but humans remain the same as do sons trying to prove themselves to their fathers but enough about the past. Lets talk about the future. I can help you Pietro if you help me. I can make it so you are everything your father wants you to be. Also help me and there will be...rewards," she adds with a deeply husky tone.

"Rewards?" Pietro asks, with a sudden squeak.

The Countess licks her lips and moves her face towards his. "Pleasurable rewards," she promises enticingly.

"Pleasur..." Pietro's words are cut off when the Countess kisses him deeply. Her lips move a little way from his and she whispers, "Obedire."

Obey.

A reddish-pink energy flows from her mouth into Pietro's. He gasps a sharp intake of breath. The Countess smiles knowingly. "Now your help?"

Pietro drops to his knees in front of her. He takes her hand and kisses it. "I'll do anything you want my Countess."

The Countess laughs. "Of course you will. The weak minded are always so easy to influence." Her fingers glide over his jaw. "Now you and your Brotherhood are going to help me with one simple task."

"What's that?" Pietro asks as he gazes with glazed over, love-sick, eyes up at her.

A dangerous, almost malicious gleam, full of anticipation comes to the Countess' eyes as she declares, with absolute certainty of this, "You're going to help me defeat the X-Men!"

Author's Note: I skipped over details of the party so that you can share in the confusion and loss of memory at what happened. Everything will be filled in eventually. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Bobby's video reveals a few revelations and Isobel lures out the X-Men as her plans begin.