"I'll take Magneto." Scott said and held up a hand to forestall Wolverine's objections. "I know you have a score to settle with him but every time you face each other he uses his mutation against your claws and wins. Your heightened senses will work better against Mystique. You'll be able to tell who she transforms into."
Wolverine nodded reluctantly.
"I'll go after Emma." Jean laid a hand on Scott's shoulder.
Remy looked at Scott and dared him to argue. "We'll go after Magneto." Scott just nodded and glanced back at Jean. He knew what it was like to want to protect those you cared about and Magneto had targeted Willow from the beginning.
Remy held out his elbow to Willow, "Ready, chere?"
Willow looked nervously at Tara and Kitty who were both smiling encouragingly. She nodded at Gambit and together they entered the back room.
The others were going to wait until Willow and Remy were far enough inside and that there wouldn't be any suspicions until it was too late.
"Welcome back, Willow." Emma smiled and motioned for Willow to join her, "I'd like to introduce to you another member of the Hell Fire Club. This is my partner Sebastian Shaw."
Willow smiled at Shaw, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shaw."
Sebastian leaned down and kissed both of Willow's cheeks in a European greeting. "Emma's told me so much about you." He smiled delightedly at Willow's blush. He could feel power emanating from her but couldn't put his finger on what kind of power. Emma had told him that she wasn't a mutant, which was why she was there. Magneto had targeted her along with a Tara McLay but Willow had slipped through Eric's fingers when he had gone after them. In his travels he had met others that were pre-mutants but none had the power he felt with Willow.
Remy watched as Willow shifted uncomfortably while talking to Sebastian. He had planned on getting close to Magneto so when the fighting started he'd be nearby but he changed his mind and headed over to Willow.
Willow tensed as she saw Tara and Kitty phase in through the far wall away from the others. She hadn't planned on being anywhere near Sebastian, Emma, Mystique or Magneto when the X-men began their fighting. Willow scanned the room and smiled when her eyes met Buffy's.
Buffy was bouncing from foot to foot waiting for the fight to begin. She grinned when she saw Tara phase through the wall and knew the action was soon to start.
Before Remy could get over to Willow a loud bang filled the room as Wolverine pushed open the doors.
"I'm hurt. A party and no one invited me."
Magneto turned to look at Remy and Willow before rising on the magnetic waves toward Wolverine.
Logan felt his body stop and struggled to move against Magneto's power.
Scott raised his hand to his visor and shot at Eric.
Jean moved quickly over to Emma but halted when she heard Storm's cry. She quickly changed directions and knelt down beside Storm who was panicking.
"Can't breathe. It's too tight. Closing in." Storm panted out with unseeing eyes.
Jean tried to calm Storm down and break Emma's hold on her, "Ororo it's not real. You're not trapped." Jean was fighting Emma psychically while trying to calm Storm and it was draining her.
Kurt teleported next to Emma and swiped her feet out from under her with his tail. Jean smiled her thanks to Kurt as she helped Storm stand.
The wind began to howl and Storm's hair billowed around her, "You might want to hold onto something."
Sebastian had grabbed Willow when the fighting began and she was struggling in his grasp. Gambit knew Sebastian absorbed kinetic energy but he hit him with a card anyway.
Buffy saw Sebastian grab Willow and Remy throw a card at him. The card exploded but didn't seem to do much damage. She searched until she found a pole and was just getting ready to throw it when an unnatural wind began to blow. She frantically looked around to see where this latest threat came from and saw Storm's eyes turn white and her hair blow around her face. Lightening seemed to crackle the air around her.
A bolt of lightening shot out from around her and flew toward Sebastian.
Both Remy and Buffy yelled, "NO!" as they watched in horror the lightening strike Sebastian and Willow fly out of his grasp.
Remy quickly ran to Willow's side and knelt beside her, "Chere? Chere? Are you alright?"
Willow could only nod before looking over at Storm who was now standing over an unconscious Sebastian. Buffy ran up to Storm and glared, "Are you insane?! You could have killed Willow!"
Storm just turned calm eyes to Buffy, "She was not harmed nor was she in danger of ever being harmed."
Willow stood shakily next to Buffy and placed a calming hand on her arm, "She's right, Buff. I just felt a slight tingle. It was the toss from Sebastian that knocked the wind out of me."
Buffy continued to glare at Storm before turning back to the fighting.
Scott's blast had hurt Magneto but only to distract him from Wolverine. Magneto now turned his full attention to Scott. His eyes caught a metal table and with a flick of his wrist threw it at Scott.
Kurt teleported over to Scott and got him out of the way of the flying table.
Tara and Kitty were quietly getting the interns out of the room and the line of fire.
Jean was concentrating on Emma. Both were locked in a battle on the psychic plane.
Wolverine was now tracking Mystique who had changed from Senator Kelly. He searched the room knowing she was still there. He could smell her but who had she turned into. His eyes flicked over to Tara. Hadn't he just seen her leave? Of course if she phased back in she would have returned quickly.
He watched as Tara gathered a group of interns. He made his way over, "I'll keep the others occupied why you get them out."
"O-okay."
Wolverine waited for Tara to walk by him before his claws struck out and hit her in the chest.
Willow screamed in terror and rage as she watched Wolverine kill her friend. Remy held her, "It's not Tara."
"How can you be so sure? They said that Emma messes with your mind!"
Remy tried to soothe Willow, "The Canucklehead has a sniffer that can smell anything. Even if Emma messed with his mind he'd be able to smell Mystique."
Willow slowly relaxed as she watched 'Tara' morph into Mystique's true form as she fell to the ground.
Magneto gave a cry as he watched Mystique fall from Wolverine's claws. With a wave of his hand Wolverine flew against the far wall.
Seeing that Jean was locked in a psychic battle that only she could fight Storm turned her rage on Magneto. Just as Scott hit Eric with a blast from his visor Storm hit him with a lightening bolt.
Magneto twitched and then fell to the ground unconscious.
"Damn, I didn't get to fight." Buffy pouted as she made her way to Logan.
Scott turned concerned eyes to Jean and Emma. Both were staring sightlessly at the other and not moving at all. Suddenly Emma twitched and her eyes rolled up into her forehead before falling.
Jean began to breathe heavily as she too fell to the ground.
"JEAN!"
Jean smiled tentatively at Scott, "I'm okay. Just took a lot out of me."
Tara escorted the last of the interns out of the back room before returning with Kitty.
"I-is everyone alright?" Tara asked as she made her way to the still sitting Jean.
Jean nodded, "The Professor sent me a bolt of power while I was fighting Emma. I'm afraid she won't wake up anytime soon."
Remy toed Sebastian who was still unconscious. "What'd you hit him with, Stormy?"
Storm smiled at Remy, "I thought maybe an overload of energy might be too much for him to absorb and don't call me Stormy."
Remy just grinned.
Wolverine grunted as he lifted Magneto to his shoulders. "Police on their way?"
Kitty nodded, "Called them the first trip out."
Buffy had Mystique around her shoulders. "Come on, let's get out of here."
The others exited the room leaving Remy and Willow behind.
"You okay, chere?" Remy asked as he slipped his arms around Willow.
"Yep, just thinking."
Remy chuckled as he nuzzled her neck, "Mebbe Remy can fix that."
Willow smiled but made no move to turn in his embrace, "If we leave this here someone else can use this knowledge."
Remy placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, "Allow me, Madame." He charged up a couple of cards and sent them into the electronic equipment.
Willow watched as they exploded and began to burn. She started giggling when the overhead sprinkler systems turned on and quickly exited the room.
~~Epilogue~~
"Remind me again why I agreed to do this?" Wolverine growled at Remy.
Just then Buffy came out of the dressing room wearing a short red halter dress. She twirled in a circle to show Willow her latest outfit and Willow nodded approvingly.
Remy watched as Willow showed Buffy her latest outfit of a clinging blue dress. His eyes began to glaze over as Willow turned in her own circle.
Remy looked over at Wolverine who was staring at Buffy and grinned. He leaned over to Wolverine, "Still wondering why we agreed to take Willow, Buffy and the girls shopping?"
Remy laughed when his question was met with silence. He smiled as he sauntered over to Willow and Buffy.
"Mmmm, Remy approve chere. I think this is outfit for tonight."
Willow smiled over at Buffy who was staring at Wolverine. Willow's eyes bounced between both of them before snapping her fingers in front of Buffy's face.
"Earth to Buffy! I think someone's smitten."
"W-wha? Huh?" Buffy turned glazed eyes to Willow, "Did you say something, Will?"
"Nope, not me. Remy was just telling me about Logan deciding he was going to Sunnydale to see if that had any connection to his missing past. The soldier guys and all that. A certain blonde Slayer wouldn't have had anything to do with that decision would she?"
Willow giggled at Buffy's blushing face.
Buffy narrowed her eyes at Willow, two could play this game.
Turning innocent eyes to Willow, "Nope, not anymore than a certain auburn haired N'awlins hunk having anything to do with your decision to transfer to NYU."