Chapter 59

At the Institute...

The Professor has reached an impasse. His priority at the minute is to get Clark back to normal before Clark's aberrant personality, known as Kal, decides he has had enough of hanging around here. If Clark chooses to leave he is too powerful to really be curtailed in anyway. Well there is a way but the Professor is hoping to avoid using that. That meant everyone tolerating Clark's mischief around here. Although if all Clark does is some harmless mischief then Charles can live with that.

The impasse Charles was referring to that without magic...without doing what Isobel did to assist Emma he can't get inside Clark's mind to try and undo the damage. He needed Stephen to be blunt but Stephen was still beyond reach.

The whole conclusion with the Hellfire Club was a mixture of results. On the face of it, if you look at the bare facts, things may seem to have gone well for the X-Men. They now had the 2nd stone in their possession and out of anyone else's who might seek to misuse its power, Shaw would at least take awhile to recover while he tries to shore up his position within the Inner Circle after what transpired and Sage's loyalty did not seem as in question as before since, as it now transpired, she aided Clark...only it still doesn't answer all the questions about her not knowing information she should know. So Charles is still left with a few lingering doubts abut Tessa.

Then there was Claire and who she is. Good God, Charles knew Sebastian Shaw had no moral scruples whatsoever but that is taking the biscuit. In may ways it reflected the situation Rogue and Logan were in with the exception Claire wasn't here and Martha was deeply upset.

Right now, as much as he cared for Martha, that wasn't Charles' main preoccupation. It was that Martha and Jonathan had told him about Clark departing on some impulse of his. The trouble is Clark can go anywhere he wants and there is no way to track the alien teen. He is worried because in his current state Clark doesn't think straight. He just charges in on impulse. Who know where he went, what he is doing and what trouble he may be getting himself into...or more likely causing.

Then the door to the Professor's study is blown open, a gust of wind disturbs everything in the room and Charles finds too teenage girls, plus bags and one alien teenage boy standing there.

"Hi Prof!" Kal greets the wheelchair bound man. "Look who I brought!" he indicates by pointing at the two girls.

It takes the Professor one moment to get over the surprise appearance before he responds. "Claire," Charles acknowledges the presence of the redhead. "And...Marie isn't it?" he asks the other girl to confirm he recalls her name correctly.

Tarot nods. "Oui...yes, it is." she confirms nervously. She is rubbing her arm in a nervous gesture. This is a totally crazy impulsive decision she made to defect but after overhearing everything that happened around her girlfriend she just couldn't stay with those people any more. That wasn't why she joined Emma's school. The whole thing with the Inner Circle always made her uncomfortable...and Selene way beyond uncomfortable. She went along with it more than actually believed in it because she didn't really have anywhere else to go...except home to her parents who would, no doubt, be very disappointed in her. Marie looks at her girlfriend. This is really why she is here because when Claire said she was leaving Marie didn't want to be left behind. It's crazy. She knows that. They haven't been dating that long yet she has strong feelings that can't be denied. She starts to explain herself and her presence to the Professor. "Um...I know this is out of the blue but..."

The Professor cuts her off with the answer to the question Marie was inevitably going to ask. "You are most welcome here," he assures her. He is surprised and he can sense her being here has more to do with her feelings for Claire but that is a start. He now turns to Claire. "Claire. Welcome back."

Claire doesn't quite meet his gaze. "Yeah. Thanks. Look I know you probably want to talk and stuff."

"That can wait until you're settled back in and you feel ready to talk," the Professor says, not wishing to push her in any way. He has to broach what drove her away sensitively. The Professor sends a telepathic summons to a few people.

First to enter the room are Logan and Storm. They both pause in surprise at seeing the 2 girls.

Logan blinks. "Firefly?"

"Firefly?" Marie queries with a growing teasing grin.

"Don't even think about it," Claire warns the French girl off about using that as a nickname.

"N'auraient jamais l'idée de celui-ci, Luciole," Marie says, tongue in cheek. Translated that is 'Would never dream of it, Firefly'.

Logan points at Tarot. "She's a Hellion," he points out, suspicion and mistrust in clear evidence in his tone and expression.

"She has decided to join us," Charles explains as much as he is willing to right this moment. He turns to Storm. "Ororo, could you please prepare a room for our two newest students," Charles requests.

"Of course," Ororo replies before turning to Marie. "Welcome, child. It is always a delight to welcome new students to the Institute." And having seen her power in use against them Ororo knows Tarot could be an immense asset.

"Thanks," Marie says, a little off-put by how nice people are to her considering she was fighting them yesterday...literally.

The door opens again and Martha and Jonathan walk in. Upon seeing Claire a huge bright smile forms on Martha's face. "Claire!" she says ecstatically.

Claire turns to look at the older woman, her face cracking with emotion. This is why she chose to come back. She chose the mother she knows cares over the father who was most probably using her. In the end she couldn't find an argument against what Superman pointed out. "Hi...um...mom."

Hearing Claire say that makes Martha's heart swell in her chest.

Claire makes some introductions. "Marie this is my...mother Martha Kent. Mom this is Marie. We're..." Claire rubs the back of her neck nervously. "We're dating," she admits with unusual shyness on her part but she has never had to even contemplating introducing her girlfriend to her mother so that's probably understandable. Her hand ends up reaching for Marie's who slips her hand into Claire's and they give each other a reassuring squeeze.

Martha smiles and turns her attention to Marie. "Hello."

"Bonjour," Marie says with a nervous smile at meeting her girlfriend's mother. She's funnily more nervous about this than the thought of what Claire's father might do...although not by much. Shaw will probably be very upset to put it mildly but it's too late for to turn back now. Marie's made her choice and she's sticking to it.

"Aw! Group hug!" Kal pronounces, feeling he has been silent for too long. In a blur he pulls Claire, Martha and Jonathan together and wraps his powerful arms around them in a family group hug.

All 3 are incredibly uncomfortable looking. "Uh, can't breathe," Claire complains.

"Wimps," Kal snorts but releases them. "So how did I do huh? I told you I would fix it," he says to his parents, looking for praise to boost his already large ego. "And not only did I reunite a family I brought one extra." He blows on his fingers in a smug, self-satisfied manner. "Man I'm good. You can admit it."

"You did this?" Jonathan asks.

"Yep."

Martha kisses him on the cheek, her eyes moisture filled. "Thank you," she says completely touched that, even as he is, he did this for her. It proves to her that under all the smug arrogance it is still her son.

Kal shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets as he plays it cool. "I just did it to stick it to Emma."

"Oh mon Dieu," Marie swears, suddenly remembering about Emma. "Ms Frost...she'll blow a gasket once she finds we're gone."

Kal chuckles manically, with a dark gleam in his eyes. "Oh don't worry about that. I took care of that just before we left."

Everyone looks at him, deeply concerned about what he means by that.

Earlier at the Academy of Tomorrow...

It would take a little while before the Inner Circle could be reconvened. That bought Emma time to try and shore up her position. To put it crudely she was covering her ass as best she could. At least Selene would be out of commission for several weeks by Emma's reckoning and who knows where Isobel fled to.

Emma sits in her office, wishing the damn aspirin would work better on her headache. She had been making calls to prominent people with the Inner Circle all morning. Suddenly there is a gust of wind. Emma's snowy blond eyebrows drop. What was that?

That is when she notices the folded piece of paper sticking out of her top from between her cleavage. Emma plucks it out and unfolds it. She starts to read.

Hi Em, darling!

Kal here...wuz here. Anyway shortly you'll find a couple of your precious students have defected.

Why? How?

I'm certain you're asking that. The answer is simple. I'm simply that damn good. Given a couple of hours I'm certain I could have talked your entire student body around but it'll be much more fun if I spend the next several months doing that to prolong the suffering.

What can I say? I'm cruel like that.

I'm certain we'll meet again soon. People like you are so predictable with the need to get revenge. I'm looking forward to laughing and pointing in your face at your abject failure to achieve that. In the meantime I'll comfort myself with knowing that you'll never, ever get to personally know just how good I am. People like you, Em, just don't do it for me.

See you soon,

Kal.

PS: Cue the blood-curdling scream of frustration and rage.

On cue that very scream escapes from Emma's office and echoes down the corridors.

At the Institute...

In one of the sitting rooms Amara is hanging out with Tabby. She finds her blond haired friend staring at her. "Why are you looking at me?" she asks, starting to get weirded out.

"I'm just committing this moment to memory," Tabby replies.

"What?"

Tabby grins. "Well it's probably never going to happen again."

"What isn't?" Amara asks, getting a little frustrated at Tabby's evasiveness.

"The day you're in more trouble than me." It's a day Tabby will have to remember because it is probably never going to happen again.

Amara fixes Tabby a dirty look. "That's not funny Tabby."

"Who's joking? You are in more trouble. You're the one who sneaked off in the boot of Mrs K's car and went off to fight these Inner Circle jerks." By the way Tabby is, in reality, so very proud of Amara. Tabby can see she has been a good influence on her friend.

"I didn't do much fighting," Amara points out in what could be construed as modesty.

"Whatever. My point is you so got chewed out."

Well yes, Amara did. She's grounded and cleaning the x-jet is in her immediate future as punishment. "I just had to do it," she defends herself. "For my people. For the memory of those who died to free us from Selene. For our Saviour."

Tabby picks up on that last line. Amara had explained it. "So CK's father...he's a big deal back home?"

"He's our Saviour. He's a God who we pay homage to with a week long festival."

"If CK's father is seen as a God what does that make CK?"

Amara fidgets uncomfortably. "I don't know."

Tabby's eyes widen slightly. She can tell when Amara isn't comfortable and she thinks she knows why. "Wow. You think..."

"No!" Amara intervenes. "Well yes. Well maybe. I don't know Tabby," Amara tries to explain that which she can't. She doesn't know how she is suppose to regard Clark now.

"Well I mean he certainly is built like one I agree."

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Amara asks, with a critical look.

"And that means I've suddenly gone blind?" Tabby asks back.

Amara rolls her eyes.

"Look Sammy's a total hottie but CK's..."

"Built like a God. You said."

Tabby observes Amara a bit more. "That's not what is bothering you is it?" she concludes.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Well I don't think it's Claire coming back with girlfriend in tow. I've already helped you through that mope," Tabby says, referring to Amara's summer long mope over Claire. Tabby is pretty certain Amara is over that. She had certainly seemed back to her normal regal self. It had already gotten around the mansion that Claire was now back with Tarot in tow. It was a bit of shocker in all honesty. Not just Claire and Tarot defecting from the Hellions but hearing about Claire being Mrs K's daughter with that Sebastian Shaw guy.

"I most certainly did not mope," Amara protests. She's a princess. They don't mope.

"Then what is it?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Tabby thinks she should be insulted by that. "Try me," she dares.

Amara sighs. Tabby is not going to let this go so she tells her friend what is really bothering her and hasn't told anyone and that is Selene's claim about being her grandmother.

"Uh...ok," Tabby says a little caught out. Amara has spoken of her terror of Selene so she can see how that would be a terrible revelation that would shake her.

"No. It's not ok Tabby. It's about as far as can be from ok."

"In what way?"

"If it's true not only is Selene, the most reviled evil, despicable person in this world, not only is her blood inside me it also means my parents have lied to me my entire life!" she says in raised angry tones.

"Ah. Now you see here I get ya. After all my father doesn't know what a truth looks like," Tabby reminds Amara about the piece of work her father is. He's in jail last time she checked. Good riddance.

"Do you have any advice?" Amara asks, since she doesn't know what she is suppose to do now.

"Well just the one piece. Unlike me don't go along with it just because they're your parents. You have a right to the truth."

"That's awful profound," Amara says, surprised that came from Tabby.

"I looked past what my father was for too long because he was my father," Tabby admits a painful truth. "You know where that got me."

Amara rubs her brow.

"So what will you do?" Tabby asks, genuinely concerned for her friend.

"I don't know. I don't think I can just go up to my parents and start yelling at them for lying to me."

"Why not? It's what I would do."

Amara laughs at that because she believes Tabby means it.

"Mara. Don't let yourself be defined by Selene. You're not her," Tabby offers some advice.

"I know...but if it is true it creates a link that can't be broken no matter what I want."

"Yeah. That sucks," Tabby concedes because that was true with her and her father. There's a link no matter how much she doesn't want there to be one.

"And then there's my auntie Isobel," Amara adds, trying to be humorous even if it is gallows humour.

Tabby snorts with laughter. "God and I thought my family tree was screwed up."

"Well compared to me your family is perfectly normal."

"It could still be worse."

"How?"

"You could be Rogue and have Badger for your dad."

Amara bursts into laughter. After all, when in a situation this messed up, what can you do but laugh.

Amara and Tabby are joined by Theresa being accompanied by Ray and Bobby. The boys around here were following the Irish girl around like she was in heat or something.

Theresa is currently just trying to get the lay of the ground as far as the situation with Volcana and Tarot. It seems stories spread around here in no time at all. "I cannot believe this Shaw fella did that," she says.

Ray shrugs. "You know I wish I could say I was surprised but that kind of thing is pretty common garden around here."

"It's a sad indictment of our lives...well Ray's at least but his life is very sad," Bobby jokes.

Ray gives Bobby a stern look for that.

Theresa is finding she is enjoying herself here very much, worry over her father being missing and captured aside. She can see Rahne really underplayed this place when she called it a madhouse. A smile comes to her lips. It's great!

Just then a horizontal, scarlet red, portal forms in the middle of the room and coming tumbling(literally!) out is one Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch followed by 3 other teenage girls, one boy, a bald man and Dr Stephen Strange. They all groan from the heap they have formed.

"You call that a portal spell!" one irate voice complains from the pile. The voice belongs to the half demon sorceress in training known as Satana Hellstrom.

A blond girl is rubbing her butt. "For once I'm forced to agree with the soul sucker," Jennifer Kale says with a groan.

"Yeah, yeah," Wanda grumbles. "Hey. Here's an idea, how about you all get off of me!" she shouts since she is at the bottom of the pile and is getting crushed.

Dr Strange levitates himself into the air and with a quick wave of his hands has his friend Wong and his students magically rearranged on their feet. "That was perfectly adequate for a first attempt," he defends Wanda's efforts at teleportation. It was truly her first attempt at moving people and the chaotic nature of her powers was always going to add a certain randomness that normal magic practitioners don't deal with.

Stephen lands gently on the ground and finds several pairs of eyes upon him. Wanda was suppose to teleport them to outside the door. She missed. "Please excuse our abrupt entrance," he apologises. "I am here to see Professor Xavier. I believe he has been trying to reach me," he explains why he is here now.

Stunned silence.

Wanda rolls her eyes and snaps her fingers. "Hello! Is anyone home?"

Tabby snaps out of it first. "Wanda!" she greets her friend.

Wanda manages a small smile at seeing her first friend again. "Tabby."

"Where have you been girl?" Tabby wants to know. "We've been trying to reach you for days."

"Um..." Wanda pauses trying to think how to describe where they've been. "We...were on a sort of retreat...you know somewhere isolated to train."

"And you didn't have phone reception?" Bobby queries.

"Ah...no. This retreat...it is kinda...on another world in a different dimension."

"Those exist?" Theresa asks, her eyebrows having risen to a new high.

Wanda looks at the redhead suspiciously as it is someone she doesn't know and therefore doesn't trust. "Who are you?"

"She is Theresa Cassidy, the daughter of an old friend who selflessly came here to assist us," the Professor explains as he rolls in the room. "Stephen. I sensed your presence," he greets his friend and explains how he knew to come.

"Charles. Sorry I did not get your messages sooner," Stephen apologises.

Charles accepts the apology instantly. "I understand you have many other commitments. Thankfully we emerged, relatively, unscathed from the experience. However, now that you are here I still require your assistance with a certain...consequence of our recent adventure."

"I feel there is a quite a story there," Stephen remarks.

"You have no idea Magic Man," Tabby says to that.

"Yes quite. In the meantime I shall leave my students here...if that is fine by you Charles?" Stephen seeks permission.

"That is fine," Charles acquiesces. "We are always welcome to guests."

"They will behave themselves," Stephen says, shooting them all a glare to get across that is a directive from him.

Satana rolls her eyes. "You won't rest until you spoil all my fun will you?" she complains.

For her remark Satana gets an elbow to her ribs from the red haired, blue eyed boy with slightly pointed ears, standing next to her. "Shh," her brother Daimon Hellstrom hisses at her. He turns to Dr Strange. "She'll behave Dr. I'll make certain of it," he promises.

"You're such a dullard. You know that right," Satana accuses her brother. He's always spoiling her fun. How a half-demon became so straight laced defies any logic as Satana understands the concept.

"Just try not to eat anyone," Jen says.

"Eat anyone?" Ray queries with a gulp because he truly believes that girl can and would eat him just by the vibe he picks up off her.

Satana looks at the boy who spoke with a hungry grin. "Don't worry little boy. Luckily I ate before we left...although I do always have this gnawing hunger."

"She's joking, Ray," Wanda assures the electricity generator.

"You're sure?" Ray asks, the look this girl giving him being most disconcerting.

"If she tries it I'll Hex her," Wanda promises.

Satana snorts. "You couldn't take me," she states confidently.

"Make sure you never test that," Wanda warns the succubus.

"Enough!" Stephen intervenes, in stern tones. "Behave," he lays down the command as their mystical teacher. "You know my rules and the punishments for breaking them," he reminds them as a warning. "Now I can send you home right now if that is what you desire. I merely thought you would like to meet the friends Wanda has told you about. Choose," he tells them.

Topaz bows her head in respect. "We will, of course, follow your instruction, Master."

"Yeah. You know it's only Satana that causes trouble Dr S," Jen says.

Stephen arches an eyebrow. "Who put that curse on the toaster Jennifer?"

"I said I was sorry! It was only a joke!"

"It was kinda funny," Wanda remarks with a fond smile of that particular prank.

"See!" Jen says, pointing at Wanda, as proof of her defence. If Wanda found it funny then it must have been.

Stephen presses a finger to his forehead as a pained expression comes to his face. "Do you face these sort of issues, Charles?" he wonders.

Charles smiles in spite of himself. "Often."

"I shall watch them Doctor," Wong promises so that they can't get into too much trouble.

"Thank you Wong," Stephen says, eternally grateful to his friend for all he does to assist him.

With that taken care of the Professor and Dr Strange leave the groups to start mingling while they go to Charles' office so they can talk in private.

Wanda turns to her friends. "So what's been happening?" she asks, truly interested in knowing about what she has missed.

Tabby laughs. "Girl, I don't even know where to start."

"Uh, how about it wait a minute. I really need to use the bathroom," Wanda excuses herself. She departs the room, taking in the ambience of the mansion. She knew why she had to be at Dr Strange's but she can admit she missed being here.

"Wanda-licious!"

Wanda blinks and looks up and blinks again at the figure dressed all in black and in a way that would get more than a few hormones pumping. He looked incredible. "Clark?" she queries, puzzled why he would be dressed like that. She has never seen him dressed like that.

Kal smirks. "I thought I heard you yelling. Come for a visit?" he asks her as he advances on her with this smooth grace, like a predator stalking its prey.

Wanda is getting this really weird vibe off of him...and since she starting learning magic, Dr Strange has been teaching her to use senses beyond the normal 5 most people are familiar with. Perhaps he feels weird because he is an alien. Perhaps it is just due to the sheer enormity of the power she can feel radiate off him. She is still getting use to her new mystical senses after all. "What did you call me?" she asks him, getting back onto that.

"What? You don't like it?" Kal asks, with a hurt looking expression. "Ok how about Wanda Babe?! You see what I did there?"

"Yeah...ok. Can I ask a question?"

"Oh sure. Anything you want," Kal permits her.

"Who the hell are you?!" Wanda demands to know because Clark would not talk to her like that. He's just lucky she hasn't hexed him already.

Kal chuckles and advances more on her. Wanda finds herself backing up until she is pressed against the wall. Kal places a hand on the wall next to her head and leans in with a lazy grin. "You remember me saying that if you ever met the evil me you'd never forget it?"

Wanda looks deep into his eyes trying to fathom him out. "Yeah?" she says, unsure the relevance.

Kal waves jovially. "Hi! I'm evil Clark and right now I'm going to make sure you never forget me."

"What do you...mhumpf!" Wanda's words are cut off by his lips enveloping hers as he proceeds to kiss the life out of her.

Author's Note: I couldn't help myself with the last scene. Kal's reasons...well they'll make sense to him I'm certain. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Time to restore Clark to normal and get some explanation about just what Clark/Kal/Kal-El were thinking and planning when it came to the Hellfire Club.