Of Queens and Demons

Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter sucks. I'm not the best with action scenes.

The young mutant barely registered fear before Selene Still placed a hand on the inch of skin just at the girl's wrist which the shirt had bared.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you,” Rogue croaked, screwing on her best brave face. “My skin's poison. I'll kill you.”

“I should say the same thing,” Selene murmured, utterly dumbstruck that her power didn't seem to have any effect on the girl. “What are you?” she breathed in wonder. “No one has ever been able to resist the pull of my power.”

“I already told you,” Rogue snarled, yanking her arm from Selene's hold. “My skin's poisonous.”

Selene raised an eyebrow at this. Despite the skin-to-skin contact, she remained standing. “Apparently we're deadly to everyone else but each other.” A wide grin spread across her face. “You are a most fascinating specimen, child.”

“Excuse me? I ain't no exhibit in a museum.” Knowing that her power wouldn't save her, Rogue was reduced to sass. “And who the hell are you anyway? I don't even know you!”

Just then Emma returned, a glass of champagne in each hand. She smiled and moved forward as if to kiss Rogue on the forehead. But she stopped short when she saw Selene. The drinks slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor. Her eyes widened considerably, and her diamond armor thickened, an unconscious defensive effort.

“Emma Frost,” the raven-haired beauty purred. “Fancy meeting you here.” Her smile turned serpentine. “I was just talking with your friend here. I must say, she has a very interesting gift. Have you been keeping her just for me?”

“I do hate obscenity,” Emma returned with an even, though slightly strained tone, “but take your fuck-me pumps and evil agenda elsewhere, you rotten bitch.”

“Ouch,” Selene whispered, clutching her chest in mock-pain. “If I had a heart, Emma dear, that might have wounded me.” She placed her palms parallel to the floor, adding, “But sticks and stones break bones. Words will never hurt me.”

Suddenly, the dance floor became an animated, living thing. Under Selene's control, it reached long fingers to Emma's ankles, leaving the blond unable to move. Rogue cried out and ran to Emma, trying in vain to free her.

“I don't think so,” Selene hissed, and with a flick of her wrist, the floor lurched and swallowed Rogue's legs up as well.

By this time, the music stopped and the patrons watched the spectacle anxiously. No one had ever broken the no-powers rule before. No one knew how to react.

The remaining X-Girls, however, sprang into action. They were trained heroes. Now that all bets were off, they wielded their powers to their fullest extent. Boom Boom aimed two time bombs at her teammate's feet, dismantling their strange confines for only a moment. Amara followed suit, suiting up into her Magma form as she and Kitty rushed over to the dance floor.

“Stay back, fools!” Selene shouted. She managed to trap Emma again, and then sent another piece of flooring hurling towards Shadowcat. Though she meant to hit the girl, Kitty surprised the villain by phasing through the material and coming close enough to rub noses.

“Let go of my friends, you crazy bitch!” Kitty snarled, raising a fist.

Selene grimaced and readied herself to drain the girl's energy. 'Let's see if she can escape this,' she thought. But before she could focus her power, Magma materialized through Kitty's ghost form, stepping through the girl and placing her lava-hands on Selene's arms. Shadowcat could always be counted on for the element of surprise.

Selene howled in pain as Magma's fiery touch seared her skin. “Rogue!” Amara shouted, still clutching the woman. “Now's your chance.”

“My power doesn't work on her,” she murmured. “I don't know what to do.”

Kitty, ever the quick thinker, grabbed her dance partner. He had been watching from the sidelines, afraid that getting involved would be like breaking up rabid dogs. It would be better to avoid crossfire, or so he told himself. But Kitty pushed him in front of her roommate, sending him smack-dab in the middle of the action.

“Here!” she shouted. “He's got control over some electric current.” She only knew this because he had been bragging about it since the two started bumping and grinding. “Absorb him. We need your help.”

Rogue stared at her victim, surprised. During any official mission, Kitty would have never done something like that. No one but Emma had ever encouraged her to steal power from others. Well, no one but Emma and Mystique. She hesitated for a moment, processing the situation.

Her friends were in dire need of help. And Emma seemed paralyzed in fear, not able to move from her confines or use her telepathy. Selene had managed to break free of Magma's hold, and was busy draining a bystander of his life force. The deep burns Magma left on her skin closed rapidly. A second wave was coming, and she had to act fast.

“Sorry 'bout this,” she muttered, removing a glove and touching her hand to the boy's cheek. He dropped to the floor instantly, and once Rogue recovered from the jolt of power and bliss that came from the transfer, she turned to Selene.

“You wanna fight?” Rogue bellowed. “Come on, bitch. I'm finally ready to take you on.”

“I see,” Selene said once her arms returned to their creamy composition. “You're a thief, like me.”
She took a step toward Rogue, grinning maliciously. “We would make a good pair you, and I.”

Seeing Selene advance on her lover, Emma blinked, coming to. Her questions could wait. She had to save Rogue.

“You're a vampire,” she said, sending a psychic blast her way. “And demon.”

“Don't be stupid, Frost,” Selene snapped back, holding her arms up to create a psychic shield. “Those parlor tricks don't work on me.”

“Maybe this will,” Rogue said from behind her. She placed two hands around Selene's neck. A charge of electricity traveled through her hands to Selene, and the woman's head rocked back and forth violently from the impact.

“Yes!” Kitty cheered, grabbing onto to Emma and phasing her through the floor. “Go Rogue!”

Indeed. Rogue's borrowed power did manage to fry the woman's beautiful hair and skin.

“Don't get too cocky,” Emma cautioned. Selene purposely sent a wave of agony hurtling toward any psychically-inclined mind, forcing Emma to stagger backward. “She's way too powerful for us to face alone.”

Selene's quickly regenerating face was evidence of this. Two more bystanders fell to the floor from her drain, and the rest of the crowd fled in terror, screaming.

Luckily, Tony and Alison did not follow the frightened mutants. Instead, the two came running to the group's aid.

“What's going on?” Tony asked, looking from Rogue and Selene's struggle to the rest of the team. “Alison and I heard you call to us.”

“No time to explain,” Emma answered, trying hard to keep her mental shields up. Selene was no Jean Grey or Charles Xavier, but she did have a formidable control of telepathy and telekinesis made all the more terrifying by her extensive knowledge of sorcery. “We need to get out of this place, fast.”

“Understatement of the century,” quipped Alison.

Magma tried to help Rogue and sent another fiery blast to Selene. But the woman retaliated quickly, using her telekineses to knock the girl back into a wall.

“Amara!” Tabitha cried, running to her aid.

Rogue tried to electrocute her opponent again, but she was too slow. Selene grabbed her wrist and twisted it – hard.

“You best stop it, little girl,” the raven-haired villain hissed “Or I'll really have to hurt you.”

“Rogue!”

Selene glared at Kitty and the rest of the mutants. Yanking Rogue's arm, she drew the girl closer and wrapped her free arm around her throat. “If any of you come any closer, I'll snap this girl's neck.”

Alison looked over at Tony, who, human as he was, had little chance of helping the girls. “Even if someone sees me,” she whispered to herself, “I can't stand by while people are getting hurt.”

Thus convinced, she gritted her teeth in concentration and sent a blanket of light energy throughout the club. It knocked back several witnesses who were still stupid enough to hang around, which she hoped would create a safe distance between them and the fight. In addition to this, the swirling, multicolored lights that exploded with varying frequency and brightness succeeded in blinding Selene long enough for Rogue to escape and join the rest of the group.

“Emma, do you know her?” Rogue asked, sending another shock to Selene.

“No time,” she repeated. Selene's psychic projections broke through again, sending Emma to her knees. “We have to retreat.”

“I'll call for the Professor,” Kitty suggested. Amara and Boom Boom had rejoined the group, and were voicing their agreement with Shadowcat's plan.

“No!” Emma shouted, struggling as Tony helped her to her feet. “Don't bring the rest of them here. We need to get back to the mansion. She won't follow. She wouldn't dare.”

“My Hummer's out front,” Tony stated. Emma would have laughed at his choice in vehicular transportation if her head wasn't throbbing. “Let's go.”

“Who are you?” Tabitha asked. “I mean, obviously your girlfriend is one of us, but I'm not getting the same impression from you...”

Selene emitted a low growl, focusing everyone's attention back on the task at hand. Tony and Boom Boom hoisted Emma over a shoulder and guided her to the front door. It proved a difficult endeavor, as Emma's mass was more than doubled in her diamond form, and she wouldn't stand a chance without it to protect her from Selene's onslaught.

Kitty grabbed Rogue's gloved hand and waved for Amara and Alison to follow. The group managed to make it outside before Selene drained more life force, recovered, and caused the pavement to awaken. Luckily, the silver SUV was just ahead. If they could just escape Selene's telekinetic attack for a few seconds...

“Brace y'rselves!” Rogue cried. She knew without thinking that if she got the right voltage, she could make the group levitate. Doug had done it before. Of course, it wasn't in this life-or-death situation. But she had a chance, and none of them had time for second-guessing. With a grimace, she focused her borrowed electricity and aimed it at the ground. Selene's asphalt minions faltered, and the static created by the blow allowed the group to float a few inches above the pavement.

“Hurry!” Alison cried, catching on and sending one last flash of light at Selene, who stood glowering in the doorway.

The group rushed the car. Rogue was the last to reach the vehicle, as she was still trying to fend off Selene's telekinesis. But Tony was tearing out of the parking lot just as Tabitha managed to pull her to safety.

“Thanks!” Rogue cried. She didn't have a second to catch her breath, however, as Selene looked very, very pissed off and the road began to come alive again. Thinking quickly, Rogue managed to close the door just in time to block Selene's telekinetic attack.

As the Hummer roared down the highway, Alison caught sight of Selene in the rear-view mirror. Despite the fact that her victims were traveling at over 100 mph, the villain controlled more of the road, which buckled behind them. “Step on it!” she urged.

“I can't go any faster than this,” Tony said. “If we make a turn too fast, we could topple this thing.”

“There has to be another way,” Kitty whimpered. She sat by Emma, monitoring the telepath's condition.

But the blond, though obviously wounded, detested such babying. She sat up and placed a hand to her right temple.

“No!” Shadowcat protested. “You're hurt!”

“Let me do this,” Emma hissed, pushing the girl away and gritting her teeth in pain and frustration. “I'm not going to be bested by that witch!”

Though everyone objected, Emma focused her mind and sent an enormous psychic strike outward. The rumbling pavement fell back, and Selene disappeared from sight. Thanks to her, they were in the clear.

However, the energy required to reach a target at that distance left Emma completely drained. Her head felt full of cotton, and she barely heart Tabitha say, “What the hell was all that about?” before she fell back, unconscious.