Evolution by BJ Jones

Stage Six – Rise of the Machines

~ Las Vegas, Nevada: Caesar's Palace ~


Catherine gazed out of the Penthouse windows, looking across the street at The Bellagio.

For the first time in a long time, she felt settled, and it gave her a surprising sense of peace.

After the birth of her son, named Sabos Nicholas Willows, she had moved into the Penthouse for some rest, having retired from LVPD to be a full-time Mom.

It had been a little weird, but she was glad she'd made the choice. She knew she wasn't getting any younger, and she needed to just be herself without the pressure of a job.

The Penthouse had been a great idea, but it wasn't the usual High Roller type of place, normally found in Vegas. Nico had ensured the two-bedroom suite was fully decorated to her taste, making it into a more comfortable living space for a mom with a growing baby. The Master bedroom was next to an equally large second bedroom, which was ideal as a Nursery. The living room was comfortable without feeling like you were even in a hotel, and it had become the Family Room in no time; there were baby toys and blankets scattered all over the floor and across the couches no matter how often she tidied.

Everything had been baby proofed though, for Sabos was a curious child, and the moment he figured out how to crawl he was into everything.

The Penthouse had also given them security.

The moment Nicolaus discovered just whose Soul young Sabos was carrying, he had demanded they move to a safer location immediately, knowing full well that Catherine and the baby would be easy targets elsewhere.

Those few who also got to hear that Spartacus had returned, were neither shocked by the speed of his reappearance, nor surprised by whose family line he had shown up in.

Imenand had agreed with Sylum's Clan Leader that only a small selection of individuals would know about him, and even fewer would know where Catherine and the baby were living. She'd felt like she was about to be imprisoned for the sake of her child, but in the end, it had turned out strangely okay.

The Las Vegas City Center was likely to have been a better place for them, and that was where she'd wanted to go, given its role as a small city functioning within the bigger city. But problems lay in that it wasn't going to be completed for another few years at least, thanks to the housing market crash, the strain on the Vegas construction community while Willie Bank was constructing his own hotel, and then a year later when it was condemned, and then there were the bodies that were found in the old foundations.

You could take the Mob out of Vegas, it seemed, but not Vegas out of the Mob.

So until the City Center was finished, and things were straightened out in that regard, Catherine had agreed to raise Sabos in the virtually brand new Augustus Tower at Caesar's. It was Forty-Six stories high, and stood perpendicular to the Strip. Nicolaus had requested that Terry Benedict have at least two security cameras trained on the building from The Bellagio, in order to help them watch over the place and its precious inhabitants, and it was done with a minimum of fuss.

Basher had enhanced safety in the Augustus Tower by adding extra cameras in the hallways, elevators and stairwells, and anyone who wanted to get onto the Penthouse floor needed a special key card to do so.

Danny and Rusty both stopped by to check on Catherine at least once a day. And the Babysitter had been vetted by a few dozen people, several times over, including Ed Deline.

So when Danny had gotten a call from Nico, telling him that there was a threat on the way to Vegas, the very last thing they had expected was a Mutant scaling the Tower.

It had been Benedict's Security Team that called Basher Tarr, warning them that there was an intruder on the outside wall.

It was the 'on' part that had been a little confusing, apparently.

But alarms had sounded, and security personnel swarmed the area.

None of them had quite been prepared to deal with Sabertooth though.

Catherine had turned back from the windows and smiled at her guest.

Stella was holding the baby, singing him a Greek lullaby, trying to settle him down.

"He's usually not this fussy." She walked across to the couch, laying a hand on the dark hair that her son had inherited from his father. "He's been an angel compared to Lindsey, who kept everyone in the neighborhood up with her screaming."

She smiled softly at the memory. It had taken a while, but she had finally been able to remember the good moments with her daughter, and not get choked by the emotional trauma of having lost her. But fear of losing Sabos, was one the main reason she'd agreed wholeheartedly about moving out of her old house to somewhere much better.

She never regretted entering Nico's world.

At times she wondered what her life would have been like if she'd never known the truth about Vampires and Souls and she figured she'd probably have left the city to go work for the FBI at Quantico. They'd been pestering her enough over the last few years, to go join their lab.

Lindsey would've been starting High School…

She shook her head. Those 'might have beens' didn't matter.

She had a real future to think about, not a make believe one.

She glanced at her buzzing phone, and just moved to grab it off the coffee table, when the windows shattered, scattering the living room with glass.

She screamed, turning away from the flying debris, the violent impact knocking her face first onto the rug.

She heard the distinctive sound of metal against leather, and when she looked up through her tangled hair, Stella was holding Sabos close to her chest with one hand, while in the other she held her weapon on an intruder.

"Get away from me!" Stella took a few steps back.

She knew the Master bedroom was not that far behind her, and there was a second exit that had lead into the main hallway.

She had been prepped on security procedures as much as Catherine had.

"I just want my nephew," Sabertooth assured her, his voice softer than one would have expected for such a large man. "Put the weapon down, and I won't hurt you."

"You're an idiot if you think I'm going to let you take this child." Stella did what her professional training had always taught her to do, and kept the focus on her, not the intended victim.

"I'm his family," he snarled, flashing his teeth in anger. "He needs to be with his true family."

"And that would be us."

A hard voice came from behind her.

Stella didn't have to look around, to know who it was. She just kept stepping backwards until the two men who'd come to their assistance, could move in front of her.

The moment she saw the intruder's focus fall on them, she turned and fled.

She heard shooting and snarling, and didn't stick around long enough to see how Methos and Attila dealt with it, instead she cringed at the sound of repeated impact, and wasn't sure who just got thrown into the wall.

She stumbled through the emergency exit, to find Catherine in the hallway with Danny and Rusty.

Sighing with relief, she handed over the crying infant to his mother, who was more than happy to have her son in her arms again.

The Managers of Caesar's Palace, turned and pushed Catherine behind them, when the Penthouse doors crashed open, as Attila was tossed out into the hallway.

"I think we need to leave." Rusty knew their strengths lay in the Con, not in displays of brute strength.

No matter how well Seth had worked on training the both of them, they wouldn't stand a rat's chance in hell against anything that could toss Attila the Hun on his ass.

"I agree!" Catherine stepped back, all her attention focused on getting to the elevator, when she crashed into a solid mass of muscle. She stiffened, then slowly turned around, gasping at the face before her. "Keppler…?"

"My brother wasn't as lucky I was in the gene pool." Sabertooth grinned a little lecherously, displaying teeth, letting her know he was more than he appeared. "I'm hoping his son will continue the line of Mutants."

Catherine pulled Sabos close to her, shaking her head fiercely. "Look, you son of a bitch," she said, hearing herself sound rationally calm, "I've already lost one child. I will not lose another."

"I heard of your loss." Sabertooth bristled at the tragic death of any child. "It's never easy to lose family. My heart broke at the death of my brother. When I discovered he had a child, I could not stay away."

Stella pulled her gun up, and aimed it at him. "Step back! Right now!"

He licked his lips. "That thing will not kill me, though I do admire your spirit. Greek blood. Very stubborn." He reached out and gently brushed a clawed finger through the baby's hair.

Sabos quieted, settling down, a small hiccup escaping him before he laid his head on his mother's shoulder. "You see? He knows I'm safe," Sabertooth rumbled, a small smile lighting his face.

Danny reached forward and took Catherine's arm, pulling her back from the intruder. "You could've called to ask to visit your nephew. Crawling up the wall and destroying the Penthouse is a tiny bit excessive, if you want to show us that you're stable enough to be around an infant."

Stella stepped in front of Catherine, gun still raised.

Rusty held up his hand and gave everyone a big, confident smile. "Look, the family thing? We get it. Let's just sit down and get to know each other…"

Sabertooth growled, turning on his heel with astonishing speed, one huge and heavy fist swinging back to block the attack he had sensed coming from behind, effectively knocking Stella into the wall with a bone shattering crunch.

He snarled as he faced the threat aimed at his head, his claws slicing clean through the sword that flashed in his face, before he grabbed his attacker by the throat, and shoved him up against the wall.

"Stella!" Catherine screamed, as without hesitation, Danny grabbed her and pushed her into his Mate's arms.

"Rusty, get them out of here!" he yelled, as he moved in to help Stella.

"Danny! Damn it!!" Rusty rolled his eyes as he scooped Catherine and the baby into his embrace, and moved her back down the hallway to the stairs.

He yelled at the cameras, demanding Basher summon cops, SWAT, and immediate medical assistance.

He just hoped to God, Danny didn't do anything stupid, 'cause he sure as hell didn't want to be dealing with a pissed off Terry Benedict any time soon.

Danny Ocean wasn't a hero.

He was far from it, but he refused to leave anyone in the path of a creature who seemed intent on doing everything possible to destroy the place.

He slid down next to Stella, horrified by the blood pooling around her head. Try as he might, he could hear no heartbeat.

"No! No…Stella come on!"

Danny startled when he suddenly felt a body pressing over his, and his instincts kicked in to cover Stella.

Gunshots crashed in the hallway, followed by a roar and the sound of shattering, splintering woodwork.

When he was freed to look up again, there stood Ed and his Mate Danny, both in complete shock.

It was Terry who had protected him.

Shifting to stand up, Benedict looked down at his own Mate with the kind of expression that told Ocean in no uncertain terms, that they would be having a discussion later about his reckless behavior.

"What the fuck was that?" Danny McCoy gawped at the devastation. "And was it me, or did it just go out through the wall?"

"It wasn't just you. That was Mr. Sabertooth," Benedict said primly, as he stepped back to retrieve his fallen cane. "And he apparently has no taste for doors."

Even Danny O. snorted at that one.

"What were you doing in the middle of this?" Terry eyed his Mate, having sensed through their Bond the rush of fear and adrenaline he'd been experiencing.

That he'd actually fled across the road to Caesar's Palace, running through the traffic and daring the Valet to just stand back and let him get hit with another car, was somewhat irrelevant at that point.

"Stella's injured." Ocean was still holding her in his arms, feeling utterly helpless.

McCoy crouched next to him, reaching over to check her pulse.

There wasn't one.

With a curse he gently cupped her head in his hand, then laid her gently down on the floor.

Just to be safe, he checked for breathing, not finding so much as a wisp.

He sighed, and when he sat back up and pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood.

He looked up at his Mate, and shook his head.

Ed cursed as he holstered his gun. "Someone needs to call Nico."

"Fuck!" Ocean stood up and moved away from Terry's outstretched hand, as he fell against the wall.

He liked Stella. She had sass, and was damn good at cards. Many times she'd come by Caesar's and played a few hands with him and Rusty to cool down after a long day at work. She made them laugh, and had taught them Greek; or at least enough to get some good food, curse at the taxi drivers, and find a bathroom.

Catherine and Stella had become good friends in five minutes almost, both of them relying on the other when things just got too much. Catherine understood the life of a CSI, and would listen to Stella rant about the lab and the cases she was working. While Stella reignited her love for kids, and watched over Sabos so Catherine could get some rest.

Benedict squeezed his Mate's arm, then stalked away to poke his cane at the two Vampires standing further down the hall.

Council Hunters doing their big and mean act, weren't exactly as intimidating to him as they'd probably have liked to be.

"Now I know you two weren't supposed to know about Sabos. So what are you doing here?" he demanded, arching an eyebrow at them.

"Protecting our Mate," Methos answered, without the slightest regret.

"Well you just got someone killed." Danny McCoy glared over at them. No one seemed to have had any idea that two Council Members were in Vegas, which said a lot about how well they'd been hiding. "And I'm pretty sure Nick's going to be pissed as hell."

"Oh, you have no idea," Benedict snorted. He was actually looking forward to watching Nicolaus take them both on. He'd seen the Roman get angry, and he'd also seen him work a con, so he knew first hand just how formidable a Vampire Nico could be.

"We were doing our duty," Attila assured them. "Any one of you would do the same."

Benedict chuckled. "I give house odds that he'll take you both down, and not give a rat's ass."


~ Portland, Oregon: Angel Detective Agency ~


The small building was utterly unassuming.

Which was just how the occupants liked it.

There were two other businesses in the small complex: a Dentist on the far corner, with an Accountant service right next to it.

There was an empty office between them and the Angel Detective Agency, which took up two sections.

The front lobby looked simple and clean, but in truth was rigged with the best in high tech security systems, including cameras, motion and heat sensors, and infrared viewing. The windows and door were fitted with bullet proof glass, and there was a metal security screen that could drop over the full expanse of the front desk area in the event of a serious emergency.

Their clients, however, saw none of that.

Instead all they saw were a few ratty old chairs, and a worn leather couch, surrounding a coffee table filled with out of date People and Time Magazines. There was a small side table and little chairs in the corner, with coloring books and some wooden toys for kids to use when their parent came in looking for information that could help them in their custody hearings.

In the middle there was a simple reception desk.

It was decked out with an array of computer screens and keyboards, along with a half empty liter bottle of Orange Soda, and virtually empty packet of Oreo cookies. The top half of the desk that sat higher than the work station behind it, bore pamphlets on the Angel Detective Agency, detailing their mission statement and hourly prices.

There was also a sign-in sheet for their guests and customers, and a half dead plant sitting in a faux-bronze urn in the far corner.

Their Receptionist was hunkered down behind his computer screens, whispering heatedly into his Bluetooth.

Alec Hardison was in deep shit.

He had been following Stillson and the whole Mutant frenzy thing very closely. He had friends to protect, and he was absolutely not going to let some government lackey waltz in and takes his family away. So he used his mad skills to find out what the Republican Candidate for the Presidency, was really up to.

And it wasn't pretty.

The connections between Stillson, Gen-Cris Pharmaceutical, and Crimson International were thick and tight.

And highly illegal.

So Hardison had sent the information he found, to the only person he knew could use it.

Bartlet.

Yes, as in Jed Bartlet, the current President of the United States.

And he knew the Pres had got it all, by the kick ass press conference he'd issued, calling out Stillson's connections, using the very same material he'd sent for such a purpose.

It was awesome!

The only problem was, someone had hacked him back.

Hardison had tried to block the trace, but even after pulling every trick he knew, they still got into his system.

Leading them directly back to his family.

And he knew it could only be a matter of time before some serious people showed up at the office, looking to take care of the situation.

So he swallowed his pride and called the only man he knew could help him.

"Count! Dude, am I glad to hear your voice. I seriously need your skills, man." Hardison was not above begging. "I'm in deep here."

'Lucy, baby!' The Count's voice was light and soft.

"I hacked into something I shouldn't have. It was totally the right thing to do. I mean Stillson is one crazy ass batshit mother, but I got family to protect here. But Crimson International hacked me back and…"

'Lay it on the line. How bad?'

"Bad." Alec closed his eyes, trying to take a deep breath. "The things I saw on their servers? If they got a hold of my boys…? It wouldn't be pretty. And I can't let that happen."

'Fuck, Hardison!'

He swallowed, hearing some heated discussions and whisperings on the other end of the line.

Hardison didn't want to know how 'The Count' knew his real name.

Not that it surprised him to hear it.

The Count was the best hacker in the world.

Rumors going around said that The Count had ties to Stark, which also wouldn't be much of surprise for Hardison if it turned out to be true. Hell, even with his mad skills he couldn't get into anything The Count had set up, unless he worked with Scotty, and then maybe the two of them could get close.

Maybe.

'Okay, pay close attention there Lucy. I'm going to send you some help…'

"Oh, fuck!" Hardison looked up to see two men approach the office, and walk straight in.

They were both tall, well-built dudes, wearing jeans, t-shirts and some type of jacket or over shirt. He could tell they were both packing, and from the way they took in the office frontage, locating all the exits and scoping the place for threats, they meant business.

The taller one had noticed at least three of the four cameras that were positioned around the room.

That meant they were good.

And there was no way they were looking to hire a Private Eye.

"Hold on a second, man," he muttered. "Company."

Alec put on his best smile, and stood up behind the desk. "Gentlemen! Welcome to Angel Detective Agency. How may I help you?"

"I'm Dean, this is my brother Sam…"

The first guy acknowledged the taller man beside him with a tilt of the head, his steady gaze not leaving Hardison for so much as a second.

'Winchester?' The Count asked in his ear with a knowing chuckle.

Hardison didn't respond, just focused on the two men in front of him.

"…Winchester."

'Yes! Lucy, listen closely. Since it's obvious I know your real name you need to trust me on this. Trust them. They're the good guys.' The Count's voice was firm and there was a clear sense of relief to it. 'They're Hunters for another good guy, and will do what they have to in order to protect you and your boys.'

Alec looked at the brothers, wondering what The Count meant by 'Hunters' exactly. Hunters of what?

He took a deep breath.

Trusting his own instincts was also a good plan, and The Count had never let him down; so if he knew the Winchesters were good, then Alec was going to trust him on that.

If he got killed, he'd just come back, find The Count, and haunt his ass for a few long and very satisfying years.

'Keep me posted. If you still need help, my boys are on standby.' And with that, The Count hung up.

Alec couldn't help but wonder who The Count's boys were, exactly, but he figured one of them was probably the dude with the sexy Spanish accent he'd heard a few a times.

Hardison took the Bluetooth out of his ear and set it down on the desk, then he discreetly pushed a button under the worktop, to buzz the backroom.

He might've trusted The Count, but also helped to have back up, and he knew he'd feel instantly safer if Eliot was in the room.

Sam stepped up to the desk, one hand out. "I'm not sure how to explain this, but we were sent here to help. It looks like trouble is heading in your direction."

Alec shook the hand he was offered, trying to laugh off his nervousness. "Not sure what you heard, but Angel Detectives are all licensed and reputable…"

"So you were the one who hacked into Crimson International." Dean walked around the room, looking at the photos of clients, an array of Community Awards and even some art that hung on the walls.

What he'd said, was not a question.

Hardison gave a wide and charming grin, shrugging it all off. "I'm not sure what you're implying."

"Dude!" Dean gave him a steely eyed stare from under a single raised eyebrow. "You're going to deny it?" He glanced over at Sam, who held up the flash drive that Nicolaus had given them before sending them out to Portland. "Our boss got it from the President of the United States."

"Shit!" Hardison snagged the flash drive and shoved it in his pocket like it was red hot. Which it was, kind of. "How?"

Dean went to make a smart ass comment, when he saw a man move quickly into the room from one of the side doors.

The guy was quiet, and moved fast.

"Sam, down!"

Sam moved without hesitation, dropping to one knee, and tucking into a sideways roll.

Leaping to his feet again, he moved back for cover, facing the oncoming threat.

Dean was next to him in seconds. "Sam? You good?"

"Fine, Dean." He noticed his brother didn't have any of his weapons drawn, so kept his own weapons holstered, following his lead.

"What Clan?" The newcomer stood in front of the Reception desk, perfectly still, arms crossed over his chest.

Dean had no doubt he was figuring how fast he could take both of them down.

And he was betting on it being fast.

"Sylum," Dean answered, watched him carefully.

He felt sure the man was a Vampire, but he was hearing a heartbeat.

"Nico." The guy replied, showing no emotion whatsoever.

Nor did he reveal anything of what his intentions might be.

"Sent us here," Sam continued, assessing the situation.

The Hacker was still behind the counter, but he had no doubt the dude had used their distraction to pull a weapon.

He could also smell two other people just behind the side door.

He had no idea how the man in front of them knew about Clans, or Nico for that matter, but Dean hadn't moved into a fighting stance, and he fully accepted that his brother had an uncanny knack for reading strange situations a little better than he could.

"Why?"

The guy was still unmoving.

Which was oddly disconcerting.

"Because your friend here," Dean answered, motioning at Hardison, "hacked into an evil cooperation that is trying to start a damn war between Humans and Mutants. We got word that the big baddies were sending some thugs here to deal with you, and not in a nice, polite, friendly way."

"Hardison?" The guy growled out but didn't take his eyes from where Dean stood.

"It was righteous, man!" He defended himself, glaring at the back of his protector's head. "I didn't count on them hacking me back."

"Do they know?" An angry voice entered the reception area, as the two others they'd been smelling, came out of hiding together.

One of them was tall, and looked a hell of a lot like Hannibal King.

"No!" Alec scoffed, totally offended. "I'm not that stupid! Nothing on this system has information about…" His mouth snapped shut when he realized what he'd been about to say.

"Which one is the Mutant?" Dean asked, trying not to roll his eyes.

"I am." The voice that answered him was soft but firm.

Its owner stepped out from behind the Hannibal clone.

He was shorter than the others, but there was something about him that made you want to pay attention to whatever came out of his mouth, no matter how insane.

His dark hair verged just on the acceptable side of scruffy, and his smile was shyly innocent, though his eyes were anything but.

They couldn't see much else about him under the long, beige trench coat he wore almost down to his knees. But it looked weirdly bulky, and hung on his slim frame, giving him the appearance of being much older than he probably was.

"My name is Castiel," he said simply.

"Well Cas." Dean took a few steps closer, ignoring the growling from the Hannibal clone. "I'm Dean. Me and my brother, Sam, are here to help."

"We don't need your help," the Hannibal clone snapped. "Ever!"

"Wade, it's okay." Cas laid a hand on his friend's arm.

"Castiel, we know nothing about them." He turned and looked down at him. "They could be here to…"

"Cure me? Are you here to cure me?" Castiel stared at them accusingly, his clear blue eyes boring into theirs.

Sam shook his head. "We've seen what the 'Cure' can do, and I would never subject anyone to that."

Cas took a half-step closer to Dean. "You've seen it, haven't you."

Dean stiffened at his tone, but held his gaze. He knew what the guy meant. He knew full well. "Hell?" he snorted. "Yeah, I've been there."

Castiel laid a hand on Dean's shoulder, and then turned to the rest of the room. "I trust them."

"Of course you do!" Wade rolled his eyes dramatically, then looked at the one who was still standing perfectly poised, arms crossed over his chest like a statue. "Eliot?"

"Hunters for Nico?" he asked.

There was no indication of what might be coming.

He simply moved in on Sam.

Dean stepped in front of his brother, grabbing Eliot's arm, using his own momentum to push him back into the reception desk.

Eliot grinned as he head butted the Hunter, knocking him away. "Quick reflex."

"Don't touch my Mate!" Dean snarled, his hands itching for his guns. "I don't care how pretty you are."

"Mated Pair." He whistled appreciatively. "Nicolaus picks them well."

"Who are you?" Sam asked calmly, not fazed in the least by Dean's actions.

Castiel was the one who saw him slip a knife from his belt, and he knew the two protected each other fiercely, much as his small family protected those in its midst. He didn't move or say anything to alert anyone, he just stood and watched, knowing things had to play out.

"Eliot Spencer." He smiled brightly at the Hunters. "I've known Nico for a long time."

"Never heard of you." Dean didn't shift from his protective stance toward Sam, but he could better distinguish how the heartbeat he'd been hearing was in fact, a simulator.

It was something they'd run into once before, and was pretty effective unless you knew what to listen for.

"I've been out of the loop for a while." Eliot shrugged smoothly. "You can call Nico give him my name. He'll verify it."

"Already did." Sam held up his phone to show them the text message thread he'd started. "Nicolaus says, and I quote, 'tell the long haired ruffian to get his ass back to the Manor, Neal got himself thrown in jail again'."

"What?!" Eliot rolled his eyes, cussing silently. "Stupid, impulsive kid can't stay out of trouble for more than five minutes! Did it have something to do with a woman?"

"Gee, that sounds familiar." Hardison looked pointedly at Wade, who just flipped him off.

"Seriously, are you related to Hannibal King?" Dean smirked at the guy's attitude.

"Who?" Wade asked curiously.

"No!" Eliot scowled, pointing fiercely at Wade, then at Dean. "The two of them won't be meeting."

"Um, Eliot?" Castiel snagged their combined attention. "Do you want to share with the rest of the class?"

"They don't know?" Sam asked, incredulous.

"It never came up." Eliot started to explain about Vampires, when the bell over the door dinged softly.

They all turned as one, seeing three men walk into the office.

Well, two were men, but no one seemed exactly sure what the third was.

The best description any of them could have come up with at that moment, was possibly a Toad.

Dean snarled, barely able to keep his fangs concealed.

The one advantage they had was that Mutants had no idea about Vampires, and it probably wasn't wise to clue them in on that right at that point.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," he sneered.

Sam watched the three carefully. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wade step in front of Cas, while Eliot took position in front of the reception desk to protect Hardison.

"Welcome to Angel Detective Agency! How can I help you?" Hardison gave the newcomers his most charming smile.

"Are you the one who stole our information?" Pyro stepped forward, aiming for Alec, only to stop when Eliot slid in front of him. "Goin' to take me on?" he asked, flicking the lid of an old metal lighter, open and closed repeatedly.

It was very annoying.

Spencer didn't say much, just reached out, grabbed the kid by his hair, and slammed a knee straight into his face, before tossing him to the floor.

He looked over at the older man. "Hard to find good help these days."

"You have no idea," Magneto chuckled. "We can make this easy, just hand over the geek." He sighed as though he couldn't quite believe he'd said that with such a deadpan expression.

"Not going to happen," Wade commented.

Magneto wasn't surprised. "Then we can make this difficult."

"Look old man," Dean smirked, "last time we wiped the floor with your Mutants, so I would suggest you just turn around and walk away, while you can still walk…"

"Dean? Sam?" John Winchester stepped into the room and looked at his two boys proudly. "It's okay! They're here to help."

Dean and Sam both paused, and stared slack jawed at their Father for a second.

As Dean glanced back at the older man, one eyebrow rose archly, and he gestured at his Dad like he was trying to find something better to say than just 'what the fuck?'. In the end, he settled for, "Really?"

"Wow!" Sam actually took a step forward and peered at their Dad more closely. "That's totally a good likeness. I mean it's even got that scar on his hand and everything."

"I know the truth." Magneto looked from one to the other of them significantly.

Frankenstein had sent him their file.

They were both Mutants, and their Father had kept them hidden all their lives to protect them once their mother died. They were currently meant to be traveling the country, staying under the radar, helping other Mutants. He admired them for that. It was an honorable thing for them to do. But no one had thought to describe their Mutations. Rumor had it that the younger brother was Psychic, but that could not be substantiated.

Yet.

John Winchester had apparently done a good job of keeping his boys off the grid.

"You should never have to hide your Mutations. Your Father did well in protecting you all these years, but now you must see that now it is time for us to show the world who we really are."

Sam and Dean blinked, first at each other, then back at Magneto.

He smiled at the silent communication he could see happening between them.

All he needed was one, and the other would follow.

Dean pulled a gun and aimed it at 'John Winchester'.

Only to have it fly out of his hand.

Torn away by something he couldn't see.

He looked at his empty fist then back at the old man. "You can rant on about freedoms and liberties for all, but you're not touching anyone in this room," he cautioned.

"Dean!" John glared authoritatively at his eldest son. "Have I not taught you anything, soldier? You must protect Sam…"

Sam growled, and before anyone could think to stop him, he had John Winchester up against the wall, one hand wrapped around his throat.

John quickly morphed into Jessica Moore, right there in front of his astonished face. "Sam? Honey," she choked. "Stop, you're hurting…"

When the hand tightened further around her windpipe, Mystique realized she'd made an error in judgment.

Sam apparently had some issues he should work through.

She let go of her disguise and reverted back to her natural form, bringing her elbows up to knock Sam's hand away.

Braced against the wall, she pulled her legs up and kicked him in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards with a grunt.

Dean caught and steadied him. "Oh, bitch it's on!"

Mystique just smiled, before making a move on the brothers.

Both dove away from her, Dean coming back around, fingers gripping the back of her neck to use her own move against her, and slam her into the wall.

At which point, she ran up the wall and back flipped over him, slamming Dean into it instead.

Sam grabbed her arm, tossing her backwards, away from his brother.

He pulled his favorite knife, only to have it ripped out of his hand.

It left a long, deep cut along his palm, but he ignored the pain and circled the shape shifter.

She was stronger and better trained than the Mutants he'd gone against on Tracy Island.

Eliot rolled his shoulders, as the Toad-like creature squatted down.

When its tongue shot out, Spencer dodged it, only to counter the Mutant's move and snag its leg as it flew over him toward Hardison.

The body hit the far wall with a splat, and tumbled to the floor.

But it didn't stay down long, and Eliot watched the Mutant crack its neck before it started bouncing on its haunches, just waiting for the right moment to move.

"Eliot!" Alec screamed, as a ball of fire swept toward them.

Both men dove away from the reception desk.

Hardison slid into the wall. "Damn!" He cried aloud when he saw his precious equipment go up in the blaze behind him. "Oh you are goin' down!" He stood up, and glared at the kid who was still playing with the lighter, flicking the tiny flame around.

"Come on. Let's see what the big scary geek's got." Pyro raised his other hand, and made a 'come hither' gesture, teasing him to make the first move.

Hardison rolled his eyes as brought up the fire extinguisher he'd crashed into a moment before, and promptly dispersed foam all over the smirking Mutant.

When it was empty, he gripped it like a plank of wood, and slammed it into the kid's face, knocking him totally senseless.

"Age of the geek, baby!" Hardison threw the canister aside, only to be tackled to the ground by the Toad instead.

Magneto moved for the side door.

Pyro's rash actions had taken out the computer systems at the front desk, though he doubted a Hacker of such caliber would keep much valuable information on an office computer that was potentially accessible by anyone who came in the front door.

Mystique was doing fine taking care of the Winchester boys, though he hoped she didn't damage them too much. He would still like to recruit them to his side if it were possible. They had enormous potential as commanders in his army, and if there was any truth to the rumors of the youngest being psychic, he could use him against Charles.

What Magneto wanted to know though, was who the brothers were protecting. Who was the Hacker protecting? One didn't just randomly hack into Crimson International in the hopes of finding vaguely useful information. He had gone straight to the files on Mutants and the studies conducted on John Conner for the Cure.

He stopped, coming face to face with yet another man with a gun, who seemed determined to stop him heading into the back of the building.

It was so feeble, it was pathetic.

Magneto threw the weapon across the room, and took a step forward, only to stop again when in the blink of an eye the man moved over to the wall and grabbed two Samurai swords from a display just inside the main office door.

He was back in front of Magneto in less than the time it took to swallow.

The swords danced before him, moving faster than the eye could follow.

Magneto smiled.

He had found his Mutant.

The swords went flying out of Wade's hands, embedding themselves in the same wall they'd been hanging on.

He frowned and looked at the old man in front of him. "I don't care what you can do, dude. You're not getting through me."

Magneto admired courage, even if was rather misplaced and laced with too much bravado.

Reaching out, he forced the nearby filing cabinets away from the wall, rattling them until they broke their brackets and flew toward the man in front of him.

He didn't want to kill him, just get him to understand who held the real power.

"Wade!" Castiel dashed into the office, grabbing his friend and pulling him back as the cabinets flew across the room, crashing through the windows and out onto the sidewalk.

Magneto paused yet again at the sight set before him.

The smaller man stood still, his head slightly cocked to the right, those knowing blue eyes staring at him intently.

A beautiful set of white wings were unfurled behind him, shielding his friend from harm.

"So you're the Angel." Magneto wanted to reach out to touch the perfect feathers. "You're magnificent. Why should you hide in such a place as this?"

"Step away from him."

It was the only warning Magneto got, before he was slammed into from behind, and he found himself sailing out of the broken window.

Dean spat blood on the floor as he leaned for a second against the wall, hoping to steady himself.

Sam was slowly standing up from the shattered remains of the coffee table.

"I am seriously starting to hate this bitch." Dean wiped his lips.

"Can we just kill her?" Sam asked, as he moved next to his brother.

"We don't kill humans."

"But that's debatable, isn't it?" Sam glared at Mystique, as she rocked on the balls of her feet waiting for the next go around.

Dean looked over at her, then back at his brother. "Dude, we're bad ass Hunters, we should be able to take her down."

"Yeah, well maybe if we had backup," Sam muttered.

Hardison dodged the Toad, and jumped back as the fire started to spread from the reception desk to the back wall.

Scrambled over to one of the remaining filing cabinets, he pulled open the bottom drawer, yelling in triumphant as he grabbed his backpack.

He nearly ended up on his ass again, when Toad landed on top of the cabinet, and crouched there, grinning at him, blinking a set of very strange, reptilian eyelids.

"That is just not right!" Alec reached into his bag and grabbed his Taser, just as Toad jumped into the air.

He tracked the Mutant and as it passed over his head, he pulled the trigger, hitting his mark right in the chest.

Toad convulsed mid-air, and flew out the window just behind Eliot and Magneto.

Hardison crashed back on the floor, breathing heavily. "And Nana said video games were a useless waste of time."

Eliot jumped up, shaking off the glass and debris he'd gotten covered with, bending backward to avoid being hit by the flying Toad, who fell with a bone twisting crunch, and lay twitching in the street.

"No one hurts my family," Spencer growled.

"I'm trying to protect your family, you fool!" Magneto glowered at the hick in front of him.

"You're using them for your war," Eliot fired back. "You don't care about any of them, you just what they can do for you. I've seen enough men like you down the years, and it always ends the same way. Everyone dies."

"You rather have the Humans simply cure what you are naturally?" Magneto argued.

"The problem with you…"

The sound of sirens could he be heard in the distance, as smoke started belching out of the office building.

"…is you have no faith in Humanity. Theirs or yours."

Magneto watched Pyro stumble out the door. "You idiot! Get Toad! It's obvious these Mutants are too Human to understand how they will be crushed underfoot."

Pyro wiped the blood from his eyes as he moved to help the sill convulsing Toad off the sidewalk.

They headed for the van that was parked in the front lot, slid open the door, and fell into the back as an undignified heap.

"Mystique!" Magneto called her as he stalked to the van.

She casually pushed open the front door, the small bell ringing softly. "It was nice playing with you boys," she purred over her shoulder as she left.

"Bitch!" Dean growled, as he and Sam staggered of the smoke.

"Everyone accounted for?" Eliot yelled, looking for his small family.

Hardison stepped out of the shattered window, shoving a laptop into his backpack.

Wade pulled Castiel out of the building, helping him back into his trademark beige coat, covering his massive wings.

"We're here," Cas answered softly.

They all ended up gathered together in the parking lot, watching the firefighters do their thing everywhere.

But in the end Angel Detective Agency was gone, their offices destroyed, along with all their client records and computers. They had explained to the cops how a disgruntled client came in threatening them, and ended up setting the place on fire before they could stop him. In return they got a few commiserating pats on the back, some somber nods, and the assurance that it could've been worse if someone had died.

But that was it really.

As the firefighters and cops pulled out, their jobs done, so they left behind a wet and ruined building, and very little else.

Everyone whose life just got turned upside down, looked at one another, not at all sure what came next.

"Well, shit!" Hardison sighed at Eliot. "It's all gone, man."

"It's not safe for any of you," Dean assured them. "We need to get you out of here."

"It's time to for me to take you home," Eliot murmured, embracing his family.

He then turned his back on the building and started walking toward a black Mercedes van that was parked in the rear corner of the lot.

"Eliot!" Dean chased after him. "Nicolaus is in New York, with someone who can help them." He nodded over at Wade and Castiel.

"Then we'll follow you," he said simply.

Sam and Dean made their way over to the Impala.

"Hey girl, missed you," Dean sighed, running his hand over her roof.

Sam just smirked at his brother. "We were only away from her for an hour!"

"Dude!" Dean gave him a long-suffering stare. "You forgetting we were sent to Tracy Island, then got diverted to Los Angeles so we could come here? I don't even want to know how she even got from New York to LA." He shuddered at the thought of her being manhandled, and leaned against her, petting her softly. "I'm just giving her a true hello, since we didn't have time when we landed."

"This is your car?" Wade whistled appreciatively over the sleek black beauty in Dean's arms. "She's awesome."

"See?" He glared at his brother. "Someone who finally understands the importance of a man's relationship with his car." Dean smiled at Wade as he opened the door. "You riding with the geek or in a classic?"

"Like you have to ask?" Wade didn't hesitate, sliding easily into the back.

Dean and Sam shook their heads as they climbed into their respective seats.

Dean glanced into the review mirror to pull out, and jumped when he saw Castiel sat right there behind him. "How the hell!?" He spun round, positive he'd seen the guy heading to the van.

Cas just smiled. "I too appreciate a classic."

"Okay, Angel boy." Dean turned back, gripped the wheel, and decided he'd been freaked out quite enough for one day. "I have to ask though, why Castiel? Out of all the Angels listed in the histories, why that one?"

Sam had no idea when Dean might've read anything about Angels, but it that was the least strange thing of their day so far.

Cas held Dean's gaze in the review mirror. "Thursday was the day my Mutation appeared. When my family threw me out, I left behind my birth name, and took Castiel."

"The Angel of Thursday." Sam turned in his seat. "And you?" he asked the Hannibal clone.

"He wades into trouble." Cas smiled at his friend. "He's never left my side."

"And I don't plan on it." Wade gave him a knowing chuckle. "Now what about you two? I saw, you know."

"Saw what?" Sam asked, as Dean headed for the highway, making sure the Mercedes van wasn't far behind.

"The fangs." Wade motioned at his own, pretty normal mouth. "I don't think that scaly bitch saw them, but I did."

"It started when I was six months old…" Sam figured they had time enough to start telling their story.

They had at least a three day drive ahead of them, and that was a long time to be cooped up with strangers.


~ Las Vegas: Caesars Palace: Security Room ~


Catherine had a job to do.

And she wasn't about to be argued with.

The Las Vegas PD Forensics Lab, welcomed her back in their midst again with open, and sympathetic arms, as with Al Robbins she helped perform Stella's autopsy. She owed it to her friend, and couldn't bear the thought of someone else doing such thing.

The preliminary cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

When Sabertooth had turned, his large paw had clipped her perfectly, slamming her skull into the wall with a huge amount of force, killing her instantly.

Not wanting to take the baby to the Morgue, she'd left Sabos in the safety of her Vampires protectors, knowing he would be okay with them until she could get back.

When Methos had reached for the young child, Terry Benedict swooped in from left field, and scooped him up instead. Consequently, Sabos Willows lay curled up, sleepily in the arms of the owner of the Bellagio, much to the surprise of everyone else.

He scoffed at their expressions. "I once had two children." He looked pointedly at Danny.

"Can you change diapers too?" Ocean smirked at his Mate.

Benedict sighed, like that was the most ridiculous concept he'd ever heard. "That was why they had nurses."

Danny's smile softened. "You just look so adorable with a baby in your arms."

Terry shook his head, moving the contented infant up onto his shoulder so he could rest easier.

Sabos reached out with a tiny fist and grabbed the gold watch chain from his top pocket.

"At least he has good taste," Terry muttered, bouncing him a little.

"Okay that is kind of adorable," Rusty confessed, peering at them over his Mate's shoulder.

"I feel so much better as a person, knowing that you approve of my baby holding skills." Benedict tried to ignore his Mate's Mate.

It wasn't always easy.

Ed ignored the bickering Triad.

Well, Triad…ish.

It was an unusual situation, but it seemed to work for the three of them.

Danny kept Benedict calm.

Benedict kept Danny from being too manic.

And Rusty gave Danny his freedom, while forcing Terry to give up some of his control.

Danny gave Rusty an equality to balance his creativity.

And Terry was Rusty's biggest pain in the ass.

Or so he'd heard.

It was best not to get in the way.

They could all be vindictive sons of bitches in their own rights anyway.

No outside help required.

He glanced over at his own Mate, who looked tired and run down.

Running the Security Office at The Montecito was hard enough every day, but adding on their current situation, his Mate seriously needed a break.

Basher's fingers flew over the keyboard in front of him, and with a few more clicks they had a connection to Nicolaus in New York, as well as Albus and Lamont in Geneva.

"Someone want to explain how a Chosen One is dead?" Nico brushed straight past the polite greetings, and spoke directly to Methos and Attila.

"Sabertooth killed her." Methos was blunt, his voice tight and clipped. "Now, I want to know why we weren't told about Spartacus."

"This is why!" Nico's tone dropped a clear octave. "You should never have been anywhere near him. Now because of your interference we have a Chosen One dead."

"If we had not interfered, Sabertooth would have killed everyone." Attila defended their actions without hesitation. "And Spartacus would be gone."

"His name is Sabos" Imenand growled. "And I agreed with Nicolaus, that telling the two of you about the baby's Soul would not have been a wise move. Considering only my Mate and Lamont knew of Sabos and his location, I am particularly curious as to how you should have come by such knowledge."

"We have our resources," Methos informed him.

"Resources?" Even in the Digital Age, Lamont still hid in the shadows, preferring to sit back from his desk, away from the camera's direct light. "You mean you broke into my office and hacked into my system."

"We should've been told," Methos snarled. "We had the right."

"No! You did not!" Nicolaus leapt to his feet, and stood ramrod straight, his arms behind his back, the very figure of an angry, pissed off Roman General. "You have no say in how Sabos is to be raised. You have no say in the decisions that concern him. You have no say in what he wants to do with his life. You have no say in anything, until he comes to you and asks."

"He is our Mate!" Attila growled in frustration. "We will do anything to protect him."

"And what if he doesn't wish to be Turned!" Nico argued back. "He is Human. He's barely eighteen months old, and he does not need you influencing his life."

"How could you possibly understand!?" Attila yelled, taking a step forward to emphasize his anger.

"You did not just say that to me."

At that moment, everyone was thankful there were at least a couple thousand miles separating them from Sylum's Clan Leader, as there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Nicolaus would have had Attila's head for such a comment.

"This situation is different," Methos added. "We were with Spartacus for over a thousand years before we lost him during a war to save you."

No one was more surprised than Danny Ocean himself, when he hit Methos. "Everyone who fought in Egypt went because it was the right thing to do. That included Spartacus! How dare you throw his death in my Clan Leader's face, when he lost his own brother that day too!"

"We also lost a fellow Council Member." Imenand's tone was one rarely ever heard. "Do not disgrace the death of your Mate, or anyone who we lost that day, by trying to hide your own selfish actions behind those who acted with selfless honor."

"I will not apologizing for defending my future Mate from that creature!" Methos stood his ground. "Are you going to tell me that your con men here could have stopped him? He would have killed them all without thought, and stolen our Mate."

"He is not your Mate." Lamont was coldly deliberate. "He is a sixteen month old baby."

"He's ours!" Attila snapped.

"No, he isn't." Benedict looked over the sleeping baby's head at the two Council Hunters. "He's his own person. And until he decides that he wants to be with you, that's exactly how he'll remain. You are incredibly lucky to have seen him return. And even more fortunate to have him well cared for. You'll be even luckier if he actually wants either of you for his own. But until he's ready to tell you that, freely, of his own volition, you have no claim on him."

"That's rich coming from you, Benedict." Methos glared over at Danny, still itching to return the blow he'd been given.

"Danny was in his thirties. Sabos is barely out of the womb. Big difference!" Rusty added. "And the fact I'm defending Benedict right now, should point out how totally fucked up this situation has become."

"Ah! Russell! Who ever knew you cared?" Terry smirked, and winked at him for good measure.

"You're not getting an extra weekend out of this," Rusty bit back.

"I had the ability to walk away." Danny stared Methos and Attila down as though facing off with them over a Poker table. "I also had the ability to come back if I chose. I was an adult who could make those decisions for himself. What you're doing right this moment, is influencing his decisions before he can come to terms with who he really is."

"You can't stop us from protecting him!" Methos glanced around the room, assessing who were the real threats.

Ed and Danny were by far the best trained, though Benedict wasn't someone to turn your back on either.

"I am ordering you back to Geneva," Imenand instructed. "If the two of you are not in my office in forty-eight hours, I will send out our best Hunters to bring you back."

"We trained your best Hunters," Attila muttered, rolling his eyes.

"I have other means, gentlemen." Lamont was still as cold. "And at this moment I am seriously considering letting them off their leashes. Dead or alive, you are coming home."

"I suggest you leave Las Vegas." Nicolaus held up his hand before the two could interrupt him. "Mac and Danny are on their way to bring Stella back to New Orleans, so she can be buried next to Lindsay Monroe. They've lost two close friends in less than three days. They are hurt and angry. If they see you, I will not hold them accountable for their actions, just as you failed to be accountable for your own."

"Methos? Attila?" Imenand looked at both of them. "Sabos is well protected and the threat is gone."

"How do we know Sabertooth won't come back?" Methos demanded. "He's clearly capable of anything."

"Probably." Ed spoke up, thoughtful and quiet. "But it's not your place to know if he returns. We got it covered." He nodded. "But if you think for a second that any one of us here wouldn't lay down his life to protect that child, then your faith in your fellow Vampires is seriously lacking."

"A good woman is dead because of all this." Danny McCoy needed to have his say, before he too lashed out and did some damage to the Council's Hunters. "Leave now, before more innocent blood is shed."

Attila growled, and stormed out of the room.

Methos watched his Mate leave, then turned back to the Vampire Council Leader, offering a curt, conciliatory bow. "We will be in Geneva as you request, but you will not keep us from our Mate."

He spun round, showing them his back, as he too walked away.

"If he so much as shows up in the same State as Sabos Willows again, I'll Hunt him down myself," Nicolaus informed Imenand, knowing he had every right to be aggrieved to that end.

"I will make sure they stay in Geneva, my friend." Imenand sighed, suddenly feeling every single year of his very long life. "Lamont? Come to my office. There are things we need to discuss."

Lamont nodded and turned off his connection to their conference.

"Nico…?" Albus addressed him an unspoken question.

"I will do what I need to," Nick informed him.

"I would expect nothing less from you." Imenand gave a small bow to the rest of the participants in their meeting, and shut off his own connection.

"Ed, can you make sure Mac and Danny are taken care of?" Nico asked his fellow Casino owner. "I can talk to Josiah once I step out of this room."

"No need. I'll put them up at the Montecito, and we'll make sure everything is taken care of. If you need to move Catherine and Sabos, I've got a penthouse on the top floor we can convert over."

Nicolaus glanced at Danny and Rusty. "How's our security?"

"It's in good order," Basher answered. "But the new Tower's gonna need a shit load of repair work and a brand new Penthouse. Kittywhatsit totally did a number on every damn thing that moved."

"I would move them to The Montecito," Terry suggested, shifting the sleeping child in his arms. "Your two Hunters could stay with Catherine until you move them to an undisclosed location."

"Would I do that?" Nico's grin was devious.

"This little one is your direct blood line. I would be highly disappointed if you didn't." Nicolaus had held Benedict's respect from the moment he'd waltzed into his office, demanding to know what his intentions were toward Danny Ocean.

He'd then he sent his mother.

The man had no problem getting his hands dirty, and no qualms about letting someone else get their hands dirty.

He could full appreciate that.

"Is there anything we more need to know about this Sabertooth?" McCoy asked, his mind racing through all the details of the Montecito's security systems, trying to assess what else might be needed to fend off a second attack from Kittywhatsit.

"The one thing you need to know," Nico replied, "is that he'll try again. No questions asked. We just need to hold him off until I can get his target to safety."

Basher grinned over at McCoy. "I can come by the Montecito and we'll hash out some stuff. I've got some damn good footage from all this shit, and we can put down some Catnip or something to fend him off with. Get me on the dog 'n' bone later."

"Sounds good," McCoy nodded, wondering what the hell the 'dog 'n' bone' was, but pretty sure he'd heard that wrong somehow.

"After he gets some rest." Ed eyed his Mate with concern. "Don't you argue with me. You keep this up, you'll be ranting at the turtle."

Basher had no idea what 'ranting at the turtle' meant but it sounded like fun.

"I have to ask…" Rusty looked at the Mated pair, his head cocked to one side. "Why are their sharks? We're in the desert and you have an aquarium with sharks?"

"Ed's a romantic." Danny grinned at his Mate.

"I'm not touching that one," Rusty snorted under his breath.

"You and me both," Ocean replied.

"I'm trusting you to take care of my family." Nicolaus glared at everyone in the room.

"We got your back," Ed assured him generously. "Now go deal with your situation, and make sure to keep an eye on Josiah. Our Clan Leader is the only thing keeping that bunch of renegades, rebels and rogues together."

Nicolaus acknowledged them all with a quick salute, then ended the conference.

"I'll give twenty-five to one that Catherine and Sabos disappear within the week." Rusty called the bet. "I can start a Pool on where he's gonna stash them, and how soon before Methos starts gunning for Nico."

"Twenty-five to one?" Benedict rolled his eyes. "No wonder Caesar's is losing money. If anything, it's at least in the hundreds, and if we're putting down bets I want ten grand riding on Nicolaus kicking Methos in the head before this is done."

"House isn't taking that bet," Rusty smirked.


~ New York: Xavier's School for the Gifted ~


Nico stalked out of the communications room, only to run into Tony and Speed.

They both looked at him, with the kind of expression that said they wanted every single damn detail on what the hell was going on.

He sighed.

Josiah and Chavez were leaning up against the wall by the door.

He gave his kids a tired smile and a quick shrug, then walked past them to his fellow Clan Leader. "I needed Ed and Danny to do a few things for me in Vegas. They already agreed."

Josiah nodded. "That's fine. Do I need to know?"

Nicolaus hesitated for a moment before he spoke, pinching the bridge of nose to curtail the headache that was setting in again. "Sabertooth went after Catherine. Methos and Attila showed up and a Chosen One was killed."

"What the fuck?!" Josiah shook his head. "Why were they even there?"

"How did they find out about Sabos?" Tony asked from behind his Sire.

"Who is Sabos?" Chavez asked, thinking he'd missed something.

"Catherine's son," Nico explained. "Spartacus came home a lot sooner than anyone thought. We've kept it quiet, but considering Ed and Danny are taking a risk to hide him and his Mom at the Montecito now, you should know the truth of it."

Josiah nodded, seeing the need for protection. "Do you need me to send other Hunters?"

"Mac and Danny are on their way." Speed had already heard about Stella's death when Messer called him. "Given the loss of Lindsay and what happened with that, they might not hold back, even against Council Hunters."

"I know." Sylum's Clan Leader wondered how the hell things had gotten so out of control all of a sudden.

"Is Sabertooth still a threat?" Josiah asked.

"Probably," Tony muttered.

"Where the hell are Methos and Attila right now?" Speed demanded, envisioning a few nasty scenarios he'd really rather not have considered possible. "Having them in Vegas is just asking for trouble."

"Called back to Geneva," Nico said quietly.

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but his Sire cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"Don't ask. I have no idea how they found out about Sabos or knew where he was located, but they were hiding their actions well until this happened, and then they got in the way. Lamont will keep them in check, at least for a while, until we can find somewhere to hide Catherine and the baby for good."

"Border would be too obvious." Josiah looked to his Mate, who was utterly horrified at thinking about a baby stuck in the middle of other peoples' power plays.

"Catherine would stand out." Chavez frowned. "What about Vachon? He's hidden a few people in the past. He knows how to do it, and he's got good escape routes."

"Even more obvious," Tony muttered. "Methos and Attila would have a hard time getting to Camelot."

"Arthur's too busy protecting…" Timothy paused before he said any more, his eyes shifting over to Border's Clan Leaders.

"I don't want to know." Josiah held up his hands, shooing away what he'd heard. "I got my own issues to deal with." He still had the information Doc and Marty confided to him before he sent them into hiding, let alone dealing with Ronon.

"The irony would be hiding them at the Council." Chavez chuckled at that idea, then paused when he saw Brisco at the end of the hallway.

The Hunter gave him a significant look.

Chavez nodded. "Looks like Ed's gotten a hold of Brisco. We'll deal with what we can on our end. Okay?"

"Thanks." Nicolaus watched Josiah and Chavez head for Brisco, before he turned back to his boys. "Ideas?"

"Yeah, I got the perfect place to hide them," Speed smirked. "No one would dare try and get past the security."

Tony flailed. "Where?"

"The Vatican." Timothy chuckled at the thought of it. "No one's getting past Olivetti."

***


Warrick walked out onto the back lawn, following the narrow path that led out across the grass to the trees, finding his Mate stood quietly in the peaceful shade.

He stepped up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

For a moment they merely stood there, watching dusk settle and the light change.

Warrick broke the silence. "Just got a call from Dean, they're about a day and a half out."

Nico leaned back into his embrace. "Am I doing the right thing, 'rick?"

"Hiding Catherine?" Warrick kissed the top of his Mate's head. "Yes. You know you are. She'll be safe in Italy with Lucretia. And with Ernesto working security, not even Methos is getting to her. Though someone needs to give the Pope's Bodyguard the whole Mutant speech thing, and by 'someone' I mean you."

Nico couldn't help but snicker. "Thanks."

Warrick felt his tension through their Bond, and turned him around, kissing him hard and deep. "Let it go, General."

"I'm having a hard time with this one." His head dropped as too many thoughts and emotions ran rampant. "Was I any different, pushing the issue with you…? The way I Turned you?"

"Oh, hell no!" Warrick slipped his fingers under Nico's chin, and forced him to look up at him. "We buried this a long time ago. And I will not let you wallow in guilt, not now, not ever. This situation is different. I was a fully functioning grown up when we met. Sabos is a baby."

Nico pulled him down, kissing him harder, enjoying the feel of his Mate against his body. "We have some time before everyone arrives."

"Good, 'cause I plan on having my wicked way with you." Warrick took his Mate's hand and pulled him back toward the school. "I'll put a 'do not disturb' sign on the bedroom door."

He had no doubt that in the years to come there would be a confrontation with Methos and Attila. But at that precise moment there were more pressing matters to consider.

First, he needed his Mate naked.

Second, they had a corrupt politician to take down.

Third, there was a Mutant war to still try and stop.

And if they could take out Frankenstein while they were at it…?

Well, that would definitely be a bonus.


~ Two Days Later ~


Charles heard the commotion from his office.

He looked over at Nicolaus, and both of them frowned as they headed for the door.

What they found outside in the entrance hall, was total chaos.

Scott was yelling at Sam and Dean, demanding to know who the hell they were, which consequently pushed the older Winchester into protective mode, and scared the crap out of other people. Sam had a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down, but the closer Scott got to them, the more irritated Dean became.

Wade was keeping Castiel behind him, eyeing a few of the other inhabitants of the school, who were standing on the staircase watching them. He had no reason to trust anybody, and was getting annoyed when Cas kept trying to get him to move.

Hardison stood in the doorway, clutching his backpack, trying to blend into the walls.

While Peter Burke flailed manically at what was going on right in front of his face.

Suddenly everyone else stopped, turned and watched the spectacle too.

It was nothing if not entertaining, and maybe somewhat educational…

For Neal had been pounced on, and pinned to the wall, faster than his Mate could ever have reacted to stop it.

And all Peter could do was stare, as Neal instinctively wrapped his legs around the other man's, and ran his hands through that long, thick hair.

The very appreciative moans Neal made, as he tightened the unexpected embrace and deepened the kiss that fell upon his lips, went straight to Peter's groin before he could say a word.

The sound of a ringing phone had Peter reaching for his cell on autopilot, rather than out of conscious thought.

Sadly he also hit the speaker button in his flailing.

'What the hell, Peter? I can feel your anxiety from here! Are you flailing?' Elizabeth Burke sounded utterly exasperated.

"Our Mate is making out with some long haired ruffian!" Peter gestured wildly at the two men against the wall.

'Is he hot?' El asked curiously.

A few of the older kids who'd been caught between classes, started to giggle.

"What!?" Peter stopped and looked down at his phone. Blushing, he hit the speaker button again before continuing. "He's handsome…" He nodded, feeling his cheeks burn that much redder. "I will not…! El!! Don't… I… Okay, fine." He hung up, then fiddled with his camera setting, snapping a couple of pictures.

He then texted them to her quickly.

Just as Neal untangled himself, righting his clothes as he turned to his Mate.

"Peter! This is Eliot Spencer," he said by way of introduction, as though nothing strange had happened in the slightest. "Eliot, this is Peter Burke, one of my Mates."

Eliot glared at Neal. "You could've mentioned that before I said hello."

"I haven't seen you in decades," Neal pouted. "I missed you." He ran his hand through Eliot's hair, soothing it down a little bit.

Peter glared, but still held his hand out. "Hi! I'm Peter. The woman sending me text messages demanding more photos, is Elizabeth my wife, and his other Mate. And we have no idea who you are."

Eliot took the hand he was offered and shook it firmly. "I've been keeping Neal out of trouble since the day I caught him thieving from a market stall." He grinned so very proudly.

Burke's eyebrow rose, sensing a possible ally in his reach. "Any tips?"

"Chain him to a bed." Eliot winked wickedly. "A well fucked Neal doesn't get into trouble."

Neal preened. "Alleged trouble."

Nicolaus wasn't sure who to yell at first.

Instead he just gave a not so subtle cough.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Eliot chuckled, then strolled over to where he stood.

"Is he going to kiss him to?" Wade asked, shocked at seeing Eliot so open with his emotions.

He had always shown nothing but compassion toward him and Castiel, and when Hardison became part of the group he slowly opened up to the geek too. But they had never seen him quite so very comfortable. Eliot was normally always looking over his shoulder, making sure they were safe, and yet suddenly, there he was, behaving like he trusted those in the room to watch his back.

Wade wasn't sure how to respond to the situation.

"Not unless he wants Warrick to smack him one." Neal commented, heading toward him with a charming smile on his still seriously flushed cheeks. "Hi! I'm Neal. And you are?"

"Wade," he answered, as they shook hands. "This is Castiel."

Neal grinned at them both. "Welcome to Xavier's School for the Gifted."

"Oh man!" Hardison's shoulders sagged in relief when he heard the name. "Charles Xavier?" he asked, finally coming forward. "He's the one helping the Mutants?"

"Yes." The Professor moved his wheelchair around to the small group. "That would be me."

Alec shifted his backpack, wiped a sweaty palm on his pants, and held out his hand. "I'm Hardison, and we are totally glad to be here! You have no idea how much we need your help!"

Eliot stood in front of Nicolaus and pulled him into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

Nico held onto him for a few moments, just glad to have him back in one piece.

He'd been shocked as hell when he read Sam's texts, explaining what happened in Portland. He hadn't heard from Eliot Spencer in twenty-years, and though the man had a tendency to disappear and lay low for a while, especially after difficult and trying times, he'd still worried about him. Friends did that for each other.

It had started with a fateful voyage on the worst ship in the world in 1912, then he'd barely weathered two World Wars, and a POW camp in Vietnam. So Sylum's Clan Leader hadn't really been that surprised when he just dropped off the face of the earth.

When Sam had called to tell him they were bringing in some Mutants too, Nico had realized that Eliot was just been doing all those years, exactly what he always did – helping those who couldn't help themselves.

He pulled away from the fiercely protective embrace that held him, making sure he had Eliot's full attention. "No reason to be sorry."

"I should have been there, Nick." He shook his head in disgust at himself.

He had kept a wary eye on the Vampire world often enough, but his focus had been on his 'kids' and their safety. He hadn't even heard about what went on in Egypt until a few months back, and though he'd been tempted to get in touch with Nicolaus and just make sure things were okay, Castiel had gotten sick.

"You were needed elsewhere. I understand that. And folks managed pretty good even without your ass kicking skills." Nico chuckled, but was serious again as nodded over Eliot's shoulder to the three men who were talking with Charles. "What happened?"

"I found Wade trying to steal some food right in front of me. He was maybe fifteen." Eliot shook his head, remembering how small and frightened the kid had been. "He ran away from me, and let me tell you, he's freakishly fast. It took a few weeks but in the end I tracked him down and discovered him protecting Castiel. They were just kids, in way over their heads, desperate and hungry."

"So you took them in?" Nico smiled at his old friend, and squeezed his arms. "Of course you did."

"Well, Wade was a rebellious smart ass." Eliot chuckled dryly as he remembered the running commentary his newly found charge had been able to keep going for days on end, after he'd brought them to the small cabin he owned. "I'd been tempted to leave them, but Castiel just looked me up with those big, innocent, blue eyes, and there was no way I could walk out on them."

"You made them your family." Nico smiled softly. He knew Eliot only too well. "They're a credit to you. What about the other?"

"Hardison?" He snorted. "Castiel brought him home one day. Wade was in class. Cas dragged Hardison into the house we were renting near the University. It took a while to get the story out clearly, but somehow Alec had found out who Cas really was. Needless to say he freaked, kidnapped him, and brought him to me. I had a long sit down talk with the kid and put the fear of God in him."

Nicolaus snickered, totally envisioning that conversation.

"I didn't expect him to show his face again, but a week later he turned up with full IDs and completely new backgrounds for all of us. He'd wiped out Wade's and Castiel's real names. As far as anyone was concerned they never existed."

"He's the one who hacked into Crimson International." Sylum's Clan Leader was liking him already.

"After that, he was another part of the family, and he does what he can to protect us. He just got in over his head." Eliot shrugged. "I'm glad you sent your guys out to get us."

"You're home now." Nicolaus hugged him again tightly. "And so are they."

"Thank you, my General." Eliot placed his fist over his heart then gave him a salute that spoke of honor, duty, dignity and strength.

The children saw it as something verging on a Nazi gesture, but those who were Ancient, knew better.

"We are yours to command."

Nicolaus bowed his head, accepting respect he was given. "Then come, introduce me to your friends, Laelius."


~ Xavier's School for the Gifted: Conference/Security Rooms ~


Alec Hardison's eyes grew round as pie plates, as he saw the layout of the Conference Room, and he stood at the heavy oak doors for a moment, just willing himself to breathe it all in.

There was a long, highly polished mahogany table down the length of it, facing a wall of flat screens and computer panels. Along the far wall a second table had been set, and both were packed with people sitting in high backed leather chairs.

He looked to his right, and found a fully decked out computer workstation that faced the screens.

And he couldn't help but whistle.

The amount of technology in that one area alone, was a geek orgasm.

He slid behind it, into one of the shockingly comfortable chairs, taking in the variety of programs and systems being used.

He was in some kind of geek nirvana, when a man with unruly dark hair, plopped down next to him.

He wasn't sure the dude was, but it seemed obvious he was in the military. He just carried himself like someone more used to a uniform and sidearm, than jeans and a tee.

Hardison watched him flip open one of the laptops and begin typing codes into what looked like a secured server.

"Damn!" He blinked a few times, watching some serious encryption play across the screen. He had never seen anything like it, and wondered if The Count could even hack it.

"Okay where's the geek who hacked into Frankenstein's place?"

Hardison startled and blinked up at one of the screens at the front of the room.

His mouth dropped open when he realized who'd addressed him.

"You're Tony Fucking Stark!"

"That would be Mister Fucking Stark to you," Tony replied, surprising everybody when he swore. "No one calls me Tony 'til they know me better."

Hardison tried to lean back in his chair and look cool and calm, but he inclined a touch too far and fell out of it onto the floor, flailing.

He stood up, fixed his seat, and sat back down without breaking a sweat.

"He's adorable." Tony glanced over to where Nicolaus was sitting. "Where did you find him? Geeks-R-Us?"

"Hey! This fine geek over here hacked into Crimson International!" Hardison spoke up, defending his geekly honor. "And into the White House I might add."

"Mr. Hardison, the only reason you're sitting there right now, and not under arrest for what you did, is down to the fact that your information is helping us."

Another voice came over the speakers.

Hardison glanced around the room for another face, but all the other screens were devoid of life.

"Conference call."

He could hear the smirking tone from whoever it was talking to him.

"Once all this is taken care of, I would like to talk to you about a possible job."

Alec leaned over to the guy next to him. "Who is that?"

"Harvey Specter."

Hardison nodded thoughtfully, then looked back at him a second time. "Yeah, who?"

"Eliot where did you pick this guy up?" Harvey asked, then paused for a moment. "I can see you rolling your eyes from here, Mr. Hardison."

Alec froze, trying discreetly to pick out all the cameras in the room. Finally he threw his hands up. "You're all insane!"

"Welcome to the family," the guy next to him said, with a small yet knowing grin. "I'm John Sheppard by the way. Most just call me Shep."

"Alec." He held out his hand. "Just to be safe, is everyone here a Vampire?"

Yeah.

Vampires.

Now that was a long drawn out conversation that took at least two States and a dozen or so pit stops to get out of one Eliot Spencer.

By the time they finally arrived at the school though, Hardison had confirmed that:

a) Vampires did exist

b) Eliot was one, which didn't surprise him, 'cause really had anyone actually met Eliot?

c) There was this whole network of Clans

d) The Republican Candidate for the Presidency of the United States was also a Vampire trying to take over the world, which also wasn't that shocking, given that Republicans just weren't normal in his book

e) There really were Mutants, which he knew, 'cause hello! Wade and Cas

f) Mutants didn't know about Vampires and vice versa – yeah that was going to be one hell of an awkward conversation somewhere…

g) The whole gigantic fiasco there were caught up in, was in fact, caused by Victor fucking Frankenstein – as in Frankenstein 'It's ALIVE!' Frankenstein

h) Come to find out it was Frankenstein who owned Crimson International, and was now gunning for everyone who go in his way, which was namely Alec Hardison by that point

i) He was in deeper shit than he thought

"Mostly," Shep answered, tearing him out of his own head there for a moment. "Charles and his team are Mutants."

He wasn't sure the poor kid was quite ready to hear about Aliens yet.

His head would probably go 'splodey.

"So you're a Vampire?" Hardison asked, just to make sure.

"Yep."

"Okay, anything weird I should know about?" he asked, looking around the room. Most of those present were lost in their own conversations, and he quickly realized they were waiting for another person to hook up via Video Conference. "Besides the Vampire and Mutant thing?"

"Lucien…" Shep pointed out La Croix and his Mate, who were sitting a few seats down from Nico. "He's Knight Clan's Leader."

"That's important?" Alec asked curiously, eyeing the pair, wondering how much lace the smaller one was actually wearing, and whether Liberace knew his wardrobe had been stolen. "Eliot explained Clans and stuff like that."

"Knight is famous for stepping around that fine line that makes all the difference between respecting a Clan Member and a beheading a Rogue," he said briskly. "Though I have to admit, after Egypt and now this, I can't say I trust him any better than I did before, but I know he's got the good of the Vampire Community at heart, or at least the good of his Clan."

"Who's the cowboy?" Alec pointed out the Vampire who'd got Scott to back off from Sam and Dean.

"James Hickok, Nico's bodyguard." Shep grinned at Hardison's expression. "Yes, as in Wild Bill Hickok. The short guy next to Lucien, is Billy the Kid."

"Dude!" He realized he was just about squeeing like a five year old. "Really? So all those history classes…?"

"You'll never look at a history book the same way again. Ever." John turned back to his computer, and hit a few things, typing in passwords and adjusting stuff.

Hardison tried to make it seem like he wasn't really watching.

"I normally don't do this, but my Mate couldn't be pulled out of the lab."

"Mate?" Alec asked, then stopped when the second screen came online.

"At least you haven't been kidnapped yet." O'Neill's smirking face turned to Nicolaus. "I had Radek here, but he got distracted by the shiny in the conference call with the geeks."

"We can just pull their call into here?" Shep suggested.

"How's civilian life?" O'Neill asked him.

"What civilian life? So far I've said hello to the kids, and gotten pulled into a Mutant War. It's like being back in Atlantis," John muttered, as he keyed in a few more codes.

But he grinned when the last screen came online.

The view was split between Radek at Stargate Command, and the scientists huddled down in the lab at the school.

"I don't care what 'The Doctor' said, there are more specialized elements within the Ancient Gene than we first realized." Radek pulled off his glasses, and glared at his computer as though it were the source of all things evil in the universe.

"One of them being the Mutant Gene?" Banner asked, as he pulled out his own notes, going through them as if looking for something.

"One of many," Radek sighed. "If it's true that these wolf creatures fully evolved, this could be a whole new discovery in the field of…" He blinked. "Why do I suddenly have two conference screens?"

"Because you're connected to both conferences," Shep answered simply.

Rodney looked up from his own research. "We don't have time for this."

"Make time," Nicolaus responded easily. "Have you found anything new since our last discussion?"

"No." Rodney shrugged. "The Doctor ran off with his pet wolf and the crab fisherman, so we've been on our own."

"Wait!" Speed turned to him sharply. "James left?"

"The fisherman dude? Yeah. They took off a while ago." Rodney didn't bother looking up from his paperwork. "Wasn't really paying attention. Important stuff to do here. We are trying to figure out if there's a cure for the 'Cure'."

"Bruce?" Tony asked, from his own workshop on Tracy Island.

He'd been half-listening to the boring, routine, mundane nonsense, and it had taken him a moment to realize there was a familiar voice in it all.

"Hey, Tony." Bruce looked up, startled, his glasses falling off his nose as he focused on the screens in front of him.

"You don't call, you never write…" he teased. "How could you possibly refuse to talk to me? Am I not the devastatingly charming man I've always been?" Tony gave him a winning smile.

Banner hesitated. "I, er… I just needed to get away."

"I found the files."

He had recruited Bruce Banner for Stark Industries the moment they'd met at a symposium on the future of medical technologies in the digital age.

The man was brilliant.

And his work in Gamma Radiation held great promise for one day curing Cancer.

Not just a type of Cancer.

All Cancer.

He had pretty much left him to his own accord, not demanding updates or progress reports. Science moved at his own speed after all. He knew this only too well, and Banner wasn't the type to need hand-holding and constant supervision.

The only time he knew something had gone wrong, was when he received a quick, almost panicky message from Bruce Banner's cell, right before he disappeared.

Even with his own powerful resources, and help from Scott Tracy and the DoD, Bruce had apparently vanished off the face of the earth.

And nothing ever vanished without a trace.

Ever.

So he'd looked into the details of Banner's research, trying to find a clue to what ever the hell had happened, only to discover it had all been destroyed, and everything on the servers at his lab, had been wiped utterly clean. The farther he'd dug, however, the more uneasy he'd become, especially when he learned there were casualties from some sort of equipment malfunction, and strange rumors that the lab had been destroyed by a ' huge angry monster'.

By the time he'd been able to pull it all together and shut down Stane's biological weaponry division, he'd been halfway out to Afghanistan.

"So you know why." Bruce pushed his glasses up his face.

"We need to talk." Tony gave him a very deliberate stare. "Without the kids."

Bruce nodded, a small, shy smile on his face.

He'd read the usual tabloid stuff about Tony, and picked up on what Stane had allegedly done to him. But it was hard to tell the truth from the bullshit. Even so, he'd wanted to reach out to his friend when he first came home in a blaze of media attention, but his own fears had stopped him.

There were too many fears.

And sometimes, they never went away.

But a good friend stayed at your side.

And Tony was a good friend.

"That would be good, Tony. I'll bring the Scotch. You still like that rare stuff?"

Stark nodded, his grin widening. "So the, now we have the best scientist on board with us, what do we know?"

Rodney scoffed loudly.

Tony ignored him.

And that was probably a bigger insult than actually acknowledging him to start with.

"The only real way to stop Magneto from reproducing the cure, is to get the 'Cure'," Jean informed them. "John Conner's Mutation is what they're using, and no on even wants to contemplate what he's enduring right now to give it. We need to find where they have him, and get him back."

"Any word from Dexter?" Nicolaus looked over at La Croix.

"He's in the Pacific Northwest," Lucien informed them. "He hasn't found the lab, but he knows he's in the right area judging from all the Mutant activity."

"The moment we have a location, we'll carry out a raid." Nico turned back to the screens. "Powerful people in high places want this boy back alive."

No one argued with that.

"Making any headway on curing the cure?" he asked Banner.

"No." Bruce shook his head. "There might not be any need for it. Dr. Neville and I have been testing it on blood samples taken from a wide variety of Mutants. In some it doesn't do a single damned thing. In others it cures them instantly, but as time passes the cure fades and Mutation returns."

"Conner isn't really a cure he's a suppressor," Jean added. "It's a logical deduction. If you're near him your Mutation is suppressed, but if you walk away it starts coming back."

"Like a dampening field," Radek said, nodding. "The interesting thing isn't the 'Cure', it's the connections that exist between the three major Genes, and the possibilities that can now be reached from that."

"If we raid wherever Conner is being held, are any of the X-Men going to be affected?" Scott demanded. "If just being near him is enough to cancel out everything we can do, we're going to be useless in a fight."

"X-Men?" Warrick asked.

Charles nodded. "They will come into their own. But that is a conversation for later."

Nicolaus agreed. "Absolutely."

Jean smiled. "We need to ensure that those who go to get Conner out, can fight without their Mutations."

"Or you let us Vampires go," Jimmy commented, from his spot behind Nico.

"We may have an issue with that," Dean growled. "When we faced off with this Magneto dude, he pulled our weapons from our hands like they were nothing."

"Telekinesis?" Mal asked, glancing at Charles.

"He can manipulate metal," the Professor informed them. "No matter how small the amount, he can bend it to his will, even from a distance."

"So our guns, swords, all our weapons our useless." Hickok sighed, trying to figure out how to raid what would likely be a heavily armed facility with no weapons whatsoever but their fists and their wits.

"Plastic," Radek said bluntly.

"Porcelain," Tony countered.

As it turned out, they spoke at the exact same moment.

"Or you can polarize the metal," Tony continued, thinking of the protective layer on the Iron Man Suit.

"How about this?" Radek started scrawling the chemical components for a new resin compound and after a moment, held his notepad to the screen.

Tony instantly snagged the image and started working with it, the two of them rapidly lost in a swarm of competing notations and scientific babble.

At one point, when Radek responded in Czech and Tony answered back in the same language, they lost everyone else who'd been trying to follow their discussion.

"Okay, so moving on." Nicolaus smiled at the two men still arguing back and forth. "Boys?"

They totally ignored him, moving onto their own private little chat screen instead.

Apparently Tony Stark had something fun to play with for a while.

Nico rolled his eyes good naturedly, and turned to Hardison instead. "You're up."

"What?" Alec looked at him, eyes wide.

"You're the one who hacked into Crimson International," Harvey prodded.

"Show them what you found, Hardison." Eliot encouraged him firmly. He had been standing between Hickok and Warrick through the meeting, just behind Nicolaus. "It's cool."

Alec glanced over at Shep, who was fiddling with the laptop he'd been using earlier.

"Here," he said easily, handing it over. "Your files are on there."

With a nervous shrug, Hardison took the offered computer, pulling up screen shots of the material he'd found on the server he'd hacked into.

"After Stillson's big 'Mutants are Among Us' speech, I decided to do some research into Gen-Cris Pharmaceutical." He swallowed, and coughed, trying to sound professional. "Their servers weren't that difficult to get into, but most of it was all formulas and files and stuff, concerning their drugs, patents, clinical trials, yada yada yada. Very boring. When I did a prelim search on the company itself, I found out that a certain Angela Petrelli was on the Board. She inherited the seat from her late husband."

He then flicked through some financials. "I followed her paper trail, 'cause hello! Stillson's running mate is one of the Petrelli brothers and Mom isn't exactly pure as the driven snow here. Her banking trail led to an offshore account that had Crimson International listed as a beneficiary. That just made me dig a bit further."

He pulled up an image of filepaths and routing directories. "It took me a while to get into their system, which pretty much told me I was on the right path." He clicked on another image to show an Official Listing for the Board of Directors of Crimson International. "What got me interested was finding this, but no accompanying photos or bios. Who puts together documents for a new company, but doesn't flash it's Board at people to get them to invest? And then I realized there was one name…"

Tony Stark leapt to his feet.

"…of some real interest, considering he was supposed to have died a few years back."

"Obediah Stane?" Banner asked, looking at Tony, wondering if he was the only one who'd spotted how much Stark suddenly paled.

"That was when I realized the Board at Crimson International all have ties to Gen-Cris. Wasn't hard to find," Hardison continued. "But this was getting into some serious shit with the Election and all those laws we've got about Campaign Finances so I decided to tell someone."

"And you picked the President of the United States?" Nicolaus stared at the Hacker, more impressed with his skills than he wanted to admit.

Glancing over his shoulder, he watched Eliot grin with pride.

"Considering it showed Stillson's main campaign contributor was also the backer of Gen-Cris and they were the ones selling all that hogwash to the media, I figured I'd be doing a public service, 'cause the Prez would need it the most." Hardison shrugged with a lot more bravado than he actually felt. "If the Prez had the information and back-up documents to cover his ass, his statement would hold more weight than just quoting from some anonymous hacker in the basement."

"Is this when they hacked you back?" Nico asked.

"I was looking for the smoking gun, when I found this tiny image in the top right corner of their 'contacts' page. When I clicked on it, the entire site started shutting down. That was when I noticed a tracer going through my set up accounts and IP Addresses. As I got out, I got a screen cap of the image just in case, but obviously it was too late to stop it. And I tried to stop it. I swear."

He clicked on the last picture of his little slideshow.

And that was when Nicolaus leapt to his feet in horror, followed swiftly by Speed.

"I have no idea what it means, but it's weird." Hardison tilted his head, still trying to figure it out.

"Noafa cac!" Speed gasped, the Gaelic slipping out unbidden.

Sylum's Clan Leader nodded.

Hardison was lost. "It's a what now?"

"A diamond formed of the ancient elements with such perfection that all those who saw it could only stare in wonder," Nico whispered, quoting Doctor Robert Langdon word for word, from the last time he had seen such a terrible thing.

For he had only seen it once before.

On a redhot Brand, seared into the chest of Camerlengo Patrick McKenna.

He glanced over at Speed, whose eyes were fixed unblinking on the screen.

Horatio reached over and took his Mate's hand, feeling a surge of extreme emotion through their Bond.

And Warrick too, put a hand on his own Mate's shoulder, though Nico barely even felt it.

He took a breath.

One thing was for sure, Hardison would have to go into hiding.

"Illuminati," Nicolaus said at last.

"Wait! What? As in the Secret Society above all Secret Societies? That Illuminati?" Alec stared at him his goggling at what he just heard. "No way! That was all just bullshit from the news! I mean, really? Really?!" He flailed at Sylum's Clan Leader. "They really did all that shit in Rome?"

"Yes," Nico answered flatly. "And now they know who you are."

Hardison flopped down heavily in his chair again.

He was in way beyond deep shit; this was Dinosaur shit pile, like in that movie. "Fuck!"

"Couldn't have said it better," Speed muttered darkly.


~ Next Day ~


Nicolaus sat quietly on the patio wall, looking over the lush green lawn and the neatly sculpted flowerbeds.

It reminded him vaguely of Camelot.

He waved a tired hand at Warrick, who along with the two guys Eliot had brought home, was busy playing with the some of the smaller kids.

It looked like the kids were winning.

Castiel wasn't wearing his trench coat for once, and he had a contentment about him, at being able to have his wings freed from the confines that normally held them. The kids were swarming around him, reaching out, trying to touch his feathers.

He was truly like some Archangel fallen to Earth.

Wade had stood nearby watching for a while, but he'd given in and joined their fun once the giggling started.

Nico turned as he felt Charles settle just behind him.

"I've contacted Imenand. Something's happened." He glanced back out over the kids. "They had to sedate him."

The Professor nodded. "You worry for him."

"From the moment I met him." Nico sighed heavily, then smiled wanly at Charles. "You think it will work?"

Charles nodded. "Without doubt. I sensed the turmoil within him, but I was not in a good place at that time, and could not reach out for him as I did you. He has things in his system that get so much in the way."

Nicolaus nodded again. "I know. And it's not for lack of trying." He'd made his decision, and knew there was no more denying it. "When this is over, I'll arrange a meeting."

He pulled his phone off his belt as it buzzed, and frowned when he saw who was calling.

"Maximus?"

'Nicolaus.'

"You know the moment anyone says my full name like that, I know its bad news," he growled, but felt the soothing touch of his Father, and his mind calmed enough to deal with the moment.

'There's been a situation.' Maximus paused. 'Leo's been Turned without Consent.'



~ Washington D.C. ~


Jed had stayed at his friend's bedside for two days.

It had taken his entire senior staff, Maximus, Quintus and finally Leo himself, to force him back to the White House to do his job. He was, after all, in the middle of a re-election dealing with what were possibly the most insane accusations in the history of Washington politics.

And knowing Washington politics, that was really saying something.

Leo had told him personally, just who he thought should step in as Chief of Staff.

"Tell him to jump off a cliff," he'd muttered. "He can do it. I believe in him."

Yet Jed had refused, saying the job would be still be there for his oldest friend when he returned.

Leo had sighed, and given him the type of quietly pointed look that Jed knew full well he couldn't argue with.

So he did as he was told, listening as well to the advice Abbey gave him, knowing that Leo was lucky to just be breathing, let alone thinking about heading back to one of the most stressful jobs in the world.

Nothing would be the same.

And he had no desire to admit it.

But he named Joshua Lyman as his new Chief of Staff.

Naturally, Leo's Deputy had stared at him blankly for a few moments when he said it, but in the end he'd just nodded at both his Commander in Chief, and his outgoing boss, and gone to work, quickly realizing there was a hell of a lot going on around him that he had no idea about, and that was also saying something in the history of Washington politics.

Jed looked up from his desk to where his non-Secret Service Bodyguard sat casually on one of the sofas, reading the Post. "I would like to go visit Leo today."

"Ron has already cleared security at the hospital," Maximus replied. "Charlie's getting the car up."

Jed just stared at the Hunter over his glasses. "That should worry me."

Maximus stood up and buttoned his suit coat, covering the shoulder holster and weapon he was carrying.

He smiled graciously and held out his hand for them to leave by the side door. "Mr. President."

Jed stood up and threw on his own coat, buttoning it quickly as they strode like men of great purpose, out of the Oval Office. Debbie flew out from behind her own desk, and nabbed him before he could get away, demanding he sign the letters she'd been detailing. Toby slid in next to him for a few moments, talking about a speech that had been planned for the next day. They went over a few facts, before Toby slipped away again and Josh slid into his place. They talked about election strategy for a few moments, tossing around the idea of a series of Town Hall Meetings to get close and personal with the people, discussing the real issues of the looming election.

Josh nodded then headed down one of the hallways.

Jed glanced back at Maximus, who had spent the entire journey just two paces behind his right shoulder, like the perfect Secret Service Agent. Except he wasn't one. But nobody knew that. "One day there'll be a massive staff pile up at the corner of the Cabinet Room and the Press Briefing Room. With photos."

He chuckled softly. Watching Jed deal with the influx of people and information that came at him during any given moment of every single day, reminded him of old times back in Rome, when Marcus Aurelius could conduct at least three separate conversations, deal with military strategy, and find out what was planned for dinner, all while moving from one end of the Camp to the other.

It seemed such a skill ran Soul deep.

They were quiet on their way to the hospital.

Jed stared out the window, watching the people who stopped to stare and maybe catch a glimpse of him, and he realized he had a hard time remembering whether he'd ever been that carefree.

After talking to Abbey about what could well be coming in the months ahead with regard to his health, he wondered what another Term would do to him, truly, and whether it was ultimately worth it. But no matter how he argued with himself, the fact remained that he loved his country, and he wasn't going to let it fall into the hands of someone like Gregory Stillson. And from all the things that Nicolaus and Maximus had told him about Victor Frankenstein and Crimson International, he knew he'd fight to his dying breath, to make ensure the United States was safe from such influence.

They pulled into the rear of the hospital building, away from public access, and out of sight of the media.

Jed stepped from the limo, pausing for Ron, who had ridden in the front of the car, and Maximus who had sat beside him, to take their positions as they went inside.

He had to admit it was a bit incongruous, to enter through the Morgue.

In the elevator, Maximus was staring rigidly ahead.

Which also troubled him, but for reasons he could not quite identify.

And he wondered if it was a Vampire thing…

When they stepped onto Leo's floor, Jed knew instantly that something was wrong.

As they turned down the hall, so a tall, dark-haired man in a Doctor's coat, came out of Leo's room, closing the door behind him.

He looked up, as though startled, yet paused just long enough to give them a self-satisfied grin, and a jaunty salute, before dodging away at a run.

Maximus was down the hall in seconds, sprinting like a hare after his prey.

"Stay!" Ron ordered, pushing the President into the corner away from the windows, drawing his gun, making sure there were no viable threats in the immediate vicinity.

Alarms blared as 'Code Blue' screeched out over the intercoms.

Jed knew full well what that meant.

He'd married a heart surgeon.

He got it.

Shoving his way past Ron, against all good judgment and sound advice, he moved to Leo's room, shaking his head, chasing away the inevitable, even as a mantra of 'no, no, no' repeated over and over on his lips.

He opened the door.

The IV stand was knocked over.

The heart monitor wailed as a flat line crossed the screen.

Hanging by its plastic tubing, the pale blue oxygen mask Leo had worn, dangled over the bed rail.

The sheets were covered in blood.

Drenched in it.

Soaking through the cotton, to drip on the floor.

Jed stood frozen, utterly unable to tear his gaze away from the body of his lifelong friend.

The room was suddenly filled with people.

Doctors.

Nurses.

Security personnel.

He felt a hand on his arm, and looked up to see Maximus there at his side.

Maximus.

Thank God for Maximus.

'It is you they honor, Maximus…'

He was pulled from the room.

That horrible room.

And handed him safely over to Quintus.

But the Council's other Hunter looked strange, sick almost, as though he'd been ill.

Jed had no idea what was happening, just that he had lost his best friend in the world.

He heard Abbey as she screamed at the medical staff, yelling at them all to get the hell out.

She was Leo's Doctor, and she would take care of him.

His Abbey.

She was always there when he needed her.

Jed couldn't help but smile.

That was the woman he loved.

So like his beloved Faustina…

He wasn't sure how long he sat there in that hallway, refusing to move, refusing to go back to the White House, refusing to leave.

He knew only that Ron and Quintus were standing over him.

And he had likely aged twenty years.

"Jed?"

"Josiah!"

"Mr. President?"

"Josiah Edward Bartlet!"

"Jethro!!!"

"I hate it when you call me that," he grumbled, lifting his head to find Abbey looking down at him.

He wasn't sure where he'd been, but it felt like a battlefield somewhere. It was snowing, and he was cold…

"Now I've finally got your attention." She reached out and touched his face, cupping his cheek gently. "It's okay." She took his hand and pulled him up, guiding him into Leo's room, which suddenly seemed so blissfully quiet without those terrible alarms and bleeping machines.

All that blood had been cleaned up.

The IV stand was gone.

Jed took a deep breath, and looked at the bed, prepared for the worst, needing to say his goodbyes.

But Leo was lying there, staring straight back at him.

"Leo?!" Jed was by his side in an instant, revitalized at the sight of him. He didn't care if he had tears in his eyes, or that he may have even leaned over and kissed him. "I thought you were gone." He took his friend's hand and held it tight, even as he scooted onto the bed to sit with him.

"He's been Turned," Maximus said quietly, from where he'd been watching in the corner.

Jed looked over his shoulder at him, then back at Leo. "What? Why? And by who?"

"It was an influential Rogue who is well known to us. His name is Don Jon." Quintus spoke up from the doorway. "I'm not sure why he did it, but there was a reason in there somewhere. He has never been known to do anything without cause, even if that cause may seem futile or childish."

"To distract Jed from the Election?" Abbey asked, pushing her glasses up her nose as she stood at the foot of the bed, scribbling notes on Leo's chart to explain in medical terms the new status he had undergone.

Jed straightened up and looked at his wife. "That would more likely piss me off."

"Yes it would," she agreed, giving him a tight smile. "Obviously this Jon person, doesn't know you as well as he thinks he does."

"Not many do," Maximus grunted.

"He did it because he could," Leo said simply, his voice a little raspy after everything that had happened. It still felt like he had a rhinoceros sitting on his sternum, but he had to admit he felt a hell of a lot fitter than he had just a couple of hours ago. "No reason but to cause chaos."

"That's not an acceptable reason!" Abbey was adamant.

"Now what do we do?" Jed asked, still not leaving his friend's side.

"You go win your Second Term, Jethro," Abbey snorted, like it was the obvious thing in the world. "Leo makes a miraculous recovery, Doctors hail his stubbornness in not dying. Then once he's healed he becomes one of your personal advisors." Abbey was absolutely not going to be argued with. "The staff are all waiting outside. CJ's fending off the press. Toby is tearing out what's left of his hair, and Sam is trying to talk Josh down from sealing off DC to try and find the man responsible for this. So there's work to do. Are you up for it, or are you just going to sit there and look like a lost little boy for the rest of the night?"

God, she was hot when she was pissed.

The President stood up, patting Leo's hand as he put it back on the blankets that covered his legs. "Sounds like I have my orders."

Leo smiled at him, tired but functioning. "Yes, sir, Mr. President."

"Will you be alright with this?"

Leo nodded. "Later, we'll talk about it more. But these two Hunters of yours aren't about to let me get all mushy."

Abbey tutted. "You were born at the age of fifty-five, Leo. You've never done mushy."

"Then I'd hate to disappoint you, Abbey," he snarked.

"I will train you," Quintus assured him. "Don Jon got past me and for that I will forever be asking for your forgiveness."

"Don't go there Quintus." Maximus gave his Mate a warning look. "You saved someone's life, and we know full well Don Jon is not above killing others to get what he wants."

"What did he do?" Jed demanded, not liking this Don Jon one tiny little bit.

He would talk with Maximus later and demand Nico have him dealt with.

"There was a threat against the hospital," Quintus explained. "A man drinking blood in the Emergency Room. I knew it was a Rogue, and thought perhaps it was someone newly Turned and desperate to feed. Such a thing would not be unheard of, and someone in that state could cause harm to others. When I got down there, he pulled a gun and was intent on using it against the patients. I cornered him in a cubicle and took him out easily where none could see it, but then realized it was merely a diversion. By the time I got back up here, Maximus had already gone after Don Jon."

"You did the right thing," Leo said quietly. "You saved innocent people, and in the end I'm still here. Shadows and dust, is that not so, Maximus? Shadows and dust…" He was on the verge of falling asleep.

Quintus felt a jolt through the Bond as his Mate's suspicions about Leo's Soul were confirmed.

"Ay, Proximo. Shadows and dust," he murmured.

"Do you plan on staying here?" Jed asked, confused.

He had talked with Nico on many occasions about the history and laws of the Vampire Community, and had no idea who the Maximus was talking about.

Leo snorted, blinking up at him. "You think for a second I'm going to let some European trash stop me from living my life?" He smiled, a small chuckle rumbling up from his chest. "At least I don't have to worry about you giving me any more heart attacks with some crazy scheme you come up with to solve world peace…"

He lay his head back and sighed.

"…now go do a job, would ya?"


***


'Leo's going to be released shortly, and will spend a few weeks in recovery as far as the media are concerned.' Maximus sighed. 'Quintus is going to take the time to train him. I could talk to him 'til I'm blue in the face, but it won't stop him when he's got his mind set.'

"Damn Stubborn Romans," Nico agreed, and that won him a short, barking laugh. "D'you see Don Jon coming back?" he asked.

'No. He did his damage. He won't need to come back, when he can sit and watch things unfold in the world press, at his leisure, in his pajamas someplace.'

"What do you think his plan is in all this?" He looked up in time to see Speed walking toward him across the lawn, James Harrison towering over his shoulder.

'Nothing,' Maximus said. 'He did it because he can, because it was fun, and if it hurt Jed in his Campaign but turning things upside down, well that would just be a bonus. It's a game to him. Usually when he's bored.'

"Are you staying in DC?"

'Through the Election. We're taking rooms at the Hay Adams. Quintus has plans, and Jed will need to have a few things pointed out to him. I'm going to let Abbey give her husband the Mate speech. Should be entertaining to watch. Though my own talk with Leo may be as uncomfortable. I never had the easiest relationship with Proximo.'

"You were right about Leo then?" Nico chuckled.

'And that he's Jed's Mate. Proximo and my Great Father. Is this how it feels to suddenly realize your parents had sex now and then?'

Nicolaus snorted so hard he thought he was about to pull a muscle. "Sounds about right to me!"

Maximus sighed. 'So distract me from this. What information do you have on your end?'

Speed stopped in front of him, and James handed him a sheet of paper.

Nicolaus opened it up, frowning.

All he saw was a set of GPS coordinates.

"We have the location of the facility."


***


"Excuse me?"

Brisco paused, and looked over at Storm. "Jean said that the Conner kid can curtail Mutations."

"And?" She stood there with her hands on her hips, regal and imperious.

"You fight with your Mutation." Brisco realized he was in serious trouble for what he'd just suggested. "So if you can't use your skills…"

He let that hang in the air between them for a minute.

"Are you saying I can't fight?" Her voice dropped to a deadly growl.

"Look!" He threw his hands up in surrender. "We talked about the whole Mate thing, right?"

"Yes, and you're just going to have to get used to the fact that I will not stand down. Magneto is hurting my people, and I will not stay behind because you think I can't fight!"

"I'm not saying you can't fight. Vampires don't do well when they lose their Mate, that's all." Brisco sighed heavily and flopped back on the couch.

The library suddenly felt stifling.

"You won't lose me." She stepped up to him and crouched down by his knees, reaching to cup his cheek. "I promise you that, Brisco. I've been fighting for a long time, not just for myself."

He leaned down and kissed her softly.

And outside the skies above the school suddenly cleared, letting the fullness of the moon shine on them through the windows.


***


"Why can't I go?" Jean demanded.

"I think it would be unwise." Charles held his ground against her wrath.

"Why?" she asked again, confused.

"Jean, there are still things we don't know about your Mutation." He moved his chair closer to her, taking her hand and patting it affectionately. "Between Conner's ability and Magneto's desperation, I need you here."

"Besides, someone has to watch over your new playmates." Scott slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her neck. "Though I think Dr. Banner has a secret crush on you."

"Bruce is a sweet guy, and he knows I'm married." Jean kissed him back and sighed in frustration. "I still feel like I should be with you!"

"Trust me, Jean," Charles murmured. "You will be needed here."

Scott nodded. "He's right. You know it too."

She rolled her eyes. "Just come home to me, okay?"


***


Horatio sat back on the lounger, content to hold his Mate close to him for a while.

When everything was done, he fully intended taking Speed back to Ireland.

Alone.

Without kids.

After a week of quality time, Dino and Terry could bring them out.

Maybe.

"How's Danny?" he asked softly.

"Pissed," Speed replied. "Though he's a lot calmer than his Mate."

"I talked with Mac. He's going to take care of Catherine and Sabos. It's what Stella would have wanted. But he's not guaranteeing their actions if either of them see Sabertooth, Methos or Attila any time soon."

"Don't blame them." Timothy shifted, squirming a little until he could look up at his Mate, trying not to lose the blanket that lay over his knees. "So were you going to tell me about Marisol?"

"Once I knew had enough evidence to take to Nico." H was smart enough to know that lying to Speed never worked. "I didn't realize that he was already investigating her."

"Yeah, well Jack McCoy called me." He sat up a little more, to look his Mate square in the face. "Did you know she was sleeping with Van Doome?"

Horatio balked at that. "What the hell?" It surprised him to hear that much shock in his own voice.

"That's how outside forces found out about the meeting with Yev." Speed watched as the implications struck him head on.

Without a blink, Horatio leapt to his feet and began pacing, anger seething through him.

"She paid for her crimes, H."

"She got Yev shot, hoping it was you!" He sighed, suddenly feeling very old. "Why? I mean, did she really think that you being shot would make me suddenly run into her arms?"

"Rational thought wasn't part of her plan." He reached out for the redhead, pulling him back to the cushions, eager to feel his lips; the reassurance of his kiss. "It's done, and we don't have to worry about her."

"I'm sorry, my love," Horatio whispered.

"Don't be. It was not your doing. If she returns, we can pray her Soul will better understand the situation next time around."

"I…"

"Hush…" he murmured. "I love you. And nothing is ever going to change that." Speed pulled him close, kissing him deeply, needing to block out all the things that kept nagging at his mind.

He didn't even want to consider that the Illuminati were in the middle of everything else too.

He just needed his Mate.

Horatio grinned. "Then how about we take full advantage of not having two rambunctious two-year-old ready to raid our bedroom at a moment's notice?"


~ Conference Room: Late Night ~


Nicolaus sat down, and looked at the four men seated around the table.

They were old Souls; men he had trusted for over a thousand years.

They'd helped him in his worst moments, and they'd been there for his best.

And when he asked, they did things without question.

He trusted them with his life.

He trusted them with his secrets.

All of them.

Ish…

Harvey Specter had driven up from New York, intent on being at their meeting in person. He had talked with Nathan Petrelli earlier that morning, arranging for him to meet with the President. Nathan had wanted to make sure he could be fully protected, along with his brother and daughter. That there was a child involved had come as a slight shock to the normally unruffled lawyer, but it then answered so many questions.

Eliot Spencer set down some appetizers down for them on a couple of large silver platters, and then took his own seat. He had been out of the loop for far too long, and he knew it. He had not regrets at all about what he'd done with the last couple of decades, but it was time to do what he did best. And that didn't necessarily involve his culinary expertise. Well, not all the time.

Neal Caffrey tossed his hat onto the table, ignoring Eliot's lecherous grin, as he reached over and snagged one of the appetizers, moaning in semi-orgasmic pleasure as he popped it in his mouth and bit down. He had really missed Eliot's cooking over the past few years. Amongst other things that Eliot was very, very good at.

Remy LeBeau leaned back in his chair, enjoying playing with a deck of cards where no one would stare, or assume he was simply practicing some elaborate magic trick. He twirled them around his fingers, spinning them high up in the air, watching them sparkle with the energy he charged through them. It helped him switch his mind off, and still his emotions. Being out of New Orleans generally made him irritable, but when Nicolaus asked, he obeyed.

It was the way things had always been between them.

And so he had just gotten back from a reconnaissance mission, helping locate Crimson International's facility. They had hidden it very well indeed, deep inside the vastly forested lands of the Pacific Northwest, and it had taken some considerable time to uncover. But much like the research facility underneath Eureka where they had once kept Alyc, it too was tied in to the local city, hiding in plain sight amidst an unknowing populace.

Getting in and out, was going to be a bitch.

Nicolaus smiled when he saw the appetizers.

But his team were most impressed by the thirty year old bottle of whisky he set down with the food, even though the best he could do for drinking vessels was a packet of cheap plastic beakers.

"Ah, Nico." Harvey reached instantly for the alcohol. "You're going to ruin a very fine, very expensive scotch with disposable cups?"

"You goin' to say no?" Eliot grabbed one without hesitating, and held it out for Harvey to pour.

"We're in a school. Be grateful there's alcohol at all," Nico laughed.

Harvey rolled his eyes, but made sure everyone had sufficient to drink, before he raised a toast. "May our lives never be boring!"

They saluted one another, and their continuing comradeship.

"Boring isn't all that bad," Sylum's Clan Leader pointed out, downing his drink with a grateful gulp.

"So how is being a stay at home grandpa?" Harvey asked, not entirely sure he needed to know.

"Boring," he answered, with a knowing chuckle. "Though after the past few years, I'm taking advantage of the rest when I can."

"And where the hell have you even been, Eliot?" Harvey demanded. "You never asked for a lawyer, so I'm assuming you weren't running from the law. Again."

"Just raisin' some kids," he answered, with an easy shrug. "I needed some time out."

"I can get with that, cher." Remy reached over and snagged some of the food before it all disappeared. "Mon Dieu! Have I missed your cooking!"

"Oh, you have no idea how much I've missed his meals." Neal snagged a few more appetizers, and took his time enjoying each one. "Prison food is awful."

"And why were you in prison? Again?" Eliot glared. He'd still not gotten that story in its entirety.

"I allegedly stole a painting." Neal shrugged, popping a treat in his mouth.

"And why didn't you get him out?" Remy asked Harvey.

"He didn't call, and by the time I saw his case, he was already sentenced." Specter gave their Thief a meaningful stare. "Though I could have argued that technically it wasn't stealing, since he painted it originally."

"Allegedly stole." Neal gave him a perfectly innocent smile.

"So the St. George and the Dragon that's sitting in Arthur's study, wasn't from you, Raphael?" Nico asked, with a casual smirk.

Caffrey chuckled lightly. "I've been meaning to ask actually… Just how did you get that call through to me?"

"What call?" Remy was confused.

"When Nico was running around Rome, he needed information on some of my Renaissance work, and a few contemporaries," Neal explained. "So how did you?"

"Jed had me patched through." Nicolaus answered him like it had all been so very simple.

"And how are you friends with the President?" Eliot grabbed the bottle, and poured everyone another round.

"Commodus." He glanced over at Harvey, whose face grew almost instantly blank. "Sam Seaborne has the Soul of Lucilla. Her husband came back in Toby Ziegler. Maximus has been keeping an eye on the White House ever since that was discovered."

"Son of a bitch!" Specter growled low and deep at the idea of Commodus even being in the conversation.

"Moving on." Remy reached over and laid a hand on Harvey's tightly clenched fist, getting him to uncurl his fingers, and relax a little bit. "Is the Hacker your Mate, cher?"

"What?" Harvey looked at him, confused.

"Haha! Funny thought," he chuckled. "Not you cher, Eliot." He winked at their Hitter.

"No!" Spencer shook his head. "Good kid though. Would go to the ends of the earth for his family."

"Speaking of Mates." Harvey glanced over at Neal. "You get Mr. FBI and his wife?"

"He looks good in cheap black suits and ties." Caffrey shrugged, but defended his Mate. "El at least has taste and sophistication, so I won't have to live on beer and peanuts every day."

"What's wrong with beer and peanuts?" Eliot and Nicolaus said at the same time.

Neal ignored them. Both. "He's the one who caught me." He actually smiled at the memory. "Peter is a good man, and Elizabeth is beautiful. I'm really not worthy of either of them let alone both."

"You're worth both of them," Eliot said softly, leaning over to smack him upside the head.

Remy chuckled at Neal's yelp then grew serious as he looked at Nico. "Rumor has it that you have a traitor in your Clan."

"I do." He nodded slowly at their Grifter. "I'm dealing with it."

"You know who it is?" Eliot asked, eyes narrowing. "I can take care of the situation."

"Like I said, I'm dealing with it." And his tone implied that enough had already been said on that subject.

"Shall we get down to business then?" Harvey suggested. "What do you know about the Illuminati?"

"That Galileo better not show his face near me, or the Vatican any time soon," Nico answered with a growl. "Though I would pay to see him try and take on Ernesto."

"The Italian I've heard so much about?" Neal asked. "So what's your deal with him?"

"He's close to me. Let's leave it at that for the now." They all knew that particular tone too, and none of them pushed it further.

"Any word on where Galileo is?" Eliot asked.

Nico shook his head. "Nothing since That Night."

"So the fact that Hardison hacked into a front company of theirs, is going to have them gunning for him." Spencer sighed. "We're going to have to hide him. And hide him good."

"He's safe here, for now at least. Let's focus on what's in front of us, then deal with Galileo and his Secret Society." Their Counsel leaned back in his chair. "As I see it, our main threat is Stillson."

"We don't need to worry about him," Nicolaus responded. "Connor MacManus is already in New York with Johnny Smith."

"Really? So he takes the little shit out, but we still have his name and his accusations hanging around like a bad smell," Specter commented, like he could actually smell it at that precise moment. "We need to ruin him before he's gone, or at least make his disappearance look like he ran."

"How much information has Petrelli given the President?" Neal pondered.

"Financials for the entire Campaign, and a comprehensive breakdown of where Stillson is getting his money. It's not complete though, just copies. It all leads directly to Gen-Cris and Crimson International," Harvey explained, looking decidedly smug.

"Does he have access to Stillson's penthouse?" Caffrey's eyes a fire burning in them, that told everyone in the room he was plotting a Con.

"What are you planning?" he asked quietly.

"I may have a painting that may be missing from a very respectable location. And if say, the White Collar Division of the FBI were to get a tip that it may be in said Penthouse and while searching for further evidence of his complicity in art fraud, found the rest of his financials…" Neal dangled that thought out there for them to play with.

"Even if his lawyers are good enough to take me on, and try to put the blame on Petrelli, the images of FBI stiffs pulling out boxes of paperwork from his home and piling them into a van, would ruin Stillson's name." Harvey smirked gleefully.

"Which painting?" Remy asked, curious to know.

"St. Jerome in the Wilderness." Neal shrugged. "I keep getting nasty calls from Da Vinci. So I figured it might be good time to return it."

Nico's chuckle turned into a full-on belly laugh. "So you did steal it!"

"Allegedly." Neal smiled brightly. "It took them years to figure out the one currently on the wall is a fake. I was just testing their security and observations skills."

"You realize the Vatican is going to swoop down and take it." Harvey was positive of that.

"How else are we going to get to meet Nico's famed Italian?" Neal winked. "And I thought I was your famed Italian!" He pouted perfectly.

"Neal, you are an evil genius." Eliot laughed too as he leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

"I hate you all!" Nicolaus shook his head, laughing with the rest of them.

It was good to have them all back.

He had missed them more than he realized.

But there were too many years, and far too much history between them, for them to ever be part for long, and he cherished their time together.

"You love us, cher." Remy leaned over and kissed Nico on the cheek. "You can admit this."

He held up his forefinger and thumb, squeezing them close together. "Harvey, can you take Neal and Peter back into New York and help arrange everything?"

Harvey nodded. "It'll be a pleasure."

"I'll be heading out to the facility…"

"Oh, hell no!" Eliot yelled, sitting bolt upright in his chair.

"That is not an option, mon Général." Remy voiced his own disagreement, and was blunt about it.

"Okay, you do realize I can take care of myself, right?" They all just glared at him. "Fine, then you two can come, while Harvey and Neal go do their thing."

"He makes it sound so dirty," Neal moaned, winking at Harvey.

"Damn right we're comin'." Eliot leaned back, arms crossed. "I have a few bones to pick with a few Mutants. One of them burned down my business."

"And you will need all the help you can get," Remy informed them. "Raccoon City has a considerable civilian population, and is heavily protected. The facility itself is in the middle of it all, meaning we have to get through the City itself first, leaving us exposed, with a grave danger of potential Human casualties in high numbers. Nasty place, cher. Very nasty."

"Then I suggest we drop in on them when they least expect it." Their Mastermind sat back in his chair, knowing Magneto would never see it coming.


Stage Five | Stage Seven

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