Hellfire Club II

Emma Frost entered the house and inspected it. It was clean and organised, she felt the surroundings and frowned, going to the main bedroom where she saw a woman snuggling in the bed, a bit wet and covered in the bedsheets.

'Y-You? What are you doing here?!' She almost couldn't hold herself back from screaming.

'What is Shaw's ex-girlfriend doing here and how does she relate to the boy?' She frowned and placed her palm on top of Veronica's head, memories rushed into her mind and she gasped like never before.

'No way, he's this woman and Tony Stark's son... then, is that why he is working together with Obadiah from Stark Industries? He never told me the reason why he suddenly put his gaze on Stark Industries. Could this be one of the reasons? He's one jealous motherfucker' She groaned inwardly. Having gotten a lot of information that she wasn't expecting. 

What shocked her the most was that this woman not only didn't know her son was a mutant, she didn't even look that much involved in his life. Nevertheless, Emma didn't care. 

She couldn't help but lick her lips with infinite thoughts of possibilities for the future.

"Tony Stark's illegitimate son, Ray Stark~"

She went to his room and dropped the Jacket and Balaclava on his bed, noticing the room was rather plain with nothing but a computer and plenty of books on engineering and science. She fiddled on and about, looked under the bed and sure enough there they were, four bags full of cash. 

She giggled and pushed the bags back under the bed, checking up on the desktop.

"No wall posters, movies, games... not a single basketball, tennis ball, soccer ball, or baseball... not one porn magazine with blondies in it, nothing... are all kids this boring nowadays? does he even have a personality?"

She wanted to know something that she could use to appeal to him, but there was no such thing so she gave up and decided to use just the old technique, brainwashing.

Emma closed the door and locked it, headed downstairs and boarded her Ferrari. She checked the registries she had in her notebook

'The other girl that was in the restaurant with him aside from Annie Richardson was... Jean Grey. Not much about her but her parents are Elaine and John Grey, a history teacher at Bard College... she lives en route, guess that's where he's going, to meet his girlfriend~'.

**

**

I reached Jean's home, it was my first time coming around, I knocked on the door and the one to open it for me was Jean's mother, a cute lady. 

"Oh, Ray! Please come in, Jean told us you were coming!"

"Good morning Mrs Elaine, thanks for receiving me".

Their house was quite humble but lively, Jean had a little sister called Sarah. She and her mother were cooking breakfast.

"Please wait on the table, it will be done soon~" The redhead winked, she was wearing a white top and black skirt, a casual and beautiful tone.

"Thank you".

He didn't expect to get breakfast but accepted it regardless. When he sat on the table there was a man already sitting there, reading newspapers. The man lowered the newspapers and watched him through his clear glasses.

"Good morning, Mrs John".

"Good morning, Ray. I didn't think you'd visit us".

"It was somewhat impromptu, Jean needed some help with maths".

"I appreciate your willingness to assist her, truly. Tell me, what are you two-?" The dad asked ominously but Ray already had experience with ominous parents. 

"We've been friends for a few years now, sir".

"I'm glad to hear that, you're a good boy. Jean has said you're at the top of the class and have a bright future ahead of you".

"She's exaggerating, sir".

"I will be the judge to that, hope you enjoy your stay~"

After that he didn't say another word. Jean and her mom prepared us waffles with maple syrup, they were delicious. We discussed school with Mrs Elaine asking me questions that seemed friendly but lowkey wanted to know if I was into Jean 'that way'. 

I answered everything honestly, saying that Jean was a beautiful girl but now I wanted to focus on my career and hers, thinking about our future. They were baffled and Jean even more so.

'Big words for a thief' I felt she was transmitting that thought, in fact, at some point I did hear her voice in my mind calling me a hooligan and a liar. She was still blushing though. After that was done we went to her room. Rather plain with just one or two plushies, it didn't look like what I expected a girl's room to be. 

She sighed and started changing in front of me, first removing her skirt and wearing shorts. I looked at her, flabbergasted and when she saw me looking she blushed and covered.

"S-Sorry! I'm not used to having boys in my room!"

"Not a problem but... if you want to show some skin just say it".

"Shut up! I just feel uncomfortable in this skirt, mom made me wear it because you were coming, that's all!"

Her room had a table and we sat there, ready to study. I genuinely came to help her with her math, hoping she'd stop coming to my place at random moments just to get her homework done. 

"I spoke to Annie in the morning, she told me everything... her dad is rejoiced and thankful with life... also... he's thankful with that unknown person that saved them~"

"Good for him".

"He says that person is like an angel".

"He doesn't know anything".

"Right?~ that angel is a shameless thief".

"Right".

"But he's still an angel" She leaned her hand on her elbow, looking at me and blushing. 

"We're here to study Jean".

"You never answered my question before".

"What?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"I don't".

"Do you want one?"

"No".

"Why not?"

"I want to focus on my future".

"You can focus on your future and still have a girlfriend, it is not like those two cancel one another" She frowned.

"Are you postulating yourself?"

"What if I am?" Her stare was so intense and passionate, that it almost left me breathless. Ever since the incident... she's been quite aggressive. 

"I thought you said you don't like thieves. Also, if we went to that, shouldn't it be me courting you? I am the man here, not you".

"If I wait for you who is so FOCUSED IN THE FUTURE, to start courting me, I'll turn into bones and dust" She sighed and opened her book to the page that I told her.

I resisted the urge to laugh, "It is good that you know what to expect~"

"Idiot..." She sighed in resignation, so much so that it made me feel a bit sad for her. In a different timeline, under different circumstances... I would have definitely dated her. She's beautiful, she's fun, she's lively... she has everything I like in a girl.

But she's not Lana.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you... that I don't intend to get a girlfriend any time soon?" I peeked at her, trying to gauge her reaction, but it didn't feel like that sounded any better. 

"How does that make me feel better? I'm not the 'if he's not mine he won't be no one's type of girl. I hope that you will find someone that makes you happy... and I hope that someone will be me" Her voice was serious. 

Her insistence made me feel weird. Also, I couldn't just ignore her. Not only had we shared yesterday's experience, but she understood my point of view, but she's also a mutant... not just any girl.

"Since when have you liked me, Jean?" I asked tentatively, by now she had more than confessed. Her confession was yesterday, the eyes of longing she had when she asked me if I had a girlfriend. I had shamelessly postponed the question, so she invited me over to study as an excuse... just to finalise that topic. 

"Since you beat the crap out of Walter and his boyfriends~" She giggled.

"That's way back, we weren't even friends!".

"That's how much it took me to become you friend, idiot! Stop playing hard-to-get! Ever since you saved us from that accident... I couldn't forget you, I was relieved when I met you at school but you were so distant, we felt breathless just trying to approach you"

"Why didn't you give up?"

"Because you wouldn't talk to Annie and me, but you were a good boy. You always looked after everyone, cleaned the classroom, and fed the birds... always with a nonchalant cold expression, but what does the expression matter? what's important is what you do"

"..."

"Ray, you act like a villain... but when everyone's out of view, you are a hero. I'm sure even that money, you don't intend to do anything bad with that money. I don't even need you to tell me".

She placed her warm hand on top of mine, I could almost feel her touch. Lana's touch. But I didn't want to overlap between the two. I wanted them to be different in my mind. And I hoped that eventually in a not-so-far future, I would be able to move on from Lana. Just, I can't do it now. 

Because I still feel so much wrath inside me and I feel so empty and hollow. I still want to massacre Oblivion with my own hands and tear his skull... and I don't want Jean to be part of any of that, she's just a normal junior-high girl.

"Let's study, Jean. Thank you for your words, I appreciate them".

"... It was nothing~"

**

**

We did more than just study, we played games and watched a movie with her parents, I left at about six afternoon.

"See you tomorrow at school, if you want... you can pick me up and we will go together, okay?" She said and I took her for granted. 

"I'll do that".

She kissed me on my cheek and went back inside the house, I rubbed the spot where she kissed me, it felt like a fire mark. She's cute, that's undeniable. Hope she can pass tomorrow's test. 

I felt fresh in my heart and didn't want to take the bus, it would take about an hour walking, but I felt like walking. Sadly, something ruined it. 

The first thing I saw once I turned around from Jean's house... was a white Ferrari F40.

'There is no way'.

It couldn't be a coincidence, you don't see those cars twice a day, let alone the same colour... and same number plate. I watched the rear visor of the car and she was there, that blondie with sunglasses, I didn't know if she was awake or not, but she was looking at the visor too.

I sighed and thought about how to resolve this in the easiest way possible. 

**

**

Emma Frost wasn't expecting that in the least. She followed the boy, she expected to have a face-off with him, otherwise she wouldn't have been so obvious as to park right in front of the girl's house. 

What she didn't expect was for him to phase through the back of the car, sit on the copilot spot and point his finger at her head as if it were a gun.

"Who are you, why are you following me and what do you want?"

"..."

The first thing she thought of, was the gaping hole in the brains of all of Wilson Fisk's goons. If she made the wrong call, it would be her head next, but she expected this much after having attained enough information. 

"Ray Stark, I know you're not a psychopath and neither am I. I came here to talk with you, how about you lower your weapon?~"

Her voice was so sweet and seducing, that the woman looked straight at him with his finger on her forehead. She was a total hottie. Ray could tell with confidence and a bit of reluctance that he had never seen a girl so beautiful in his life. Sadly, not even his Lana could compare. 

"..."

Ray frowned, he wasn't wielding any 'weapon' but her rhetoric was enough for him to know she knew about his powers. Still, he wasn't here to show weakness so he pointed his gun towards her purse. A pitch-black sphere manifested out of nowhere, and half of the purse was gone.

!!!

"My phone! Y-You-!" Emma was shocked, she saw it in action... she saw it from this close, and she didn't feel any psionic or psychic energy. 

'His power is not Telekinesis?!' She grits her teeth, understanding the predicament she had naively placed herself in. All the proof and traces left behind told her that this boy was a Telepath with Telekinetic capabilities.

Ray thought as much too. The pretty lady made that rhetoric, she wasn't scared despite knowing about his powers, she was so confident that she even put herself on the line coming like this. 

That's because she thought she had the means to prevent it. With that simple move, he let her know that was not the case. 

And he also let her know he was in control.

"I don't know who you are, if you're a mutant or whatever but let me tell you something, woman... you don't have a way to counter this. If I want to kill you, you can't stop me".

"..."

She raised in a surrendering manner and stared at him straight in the eyes. 

'Even if your powers are not psychic, I can still-'

!!!!

She tried to see what was in his mind. And Emma found herself in a completely pitch-black world. There was nothing but darkness, an endless abyss without colours where could clearly see herself. She tried to breathe but couldn't.

Emma held her throat, shocked... unable to breathe, it was like being in space. 

'H-Help...' The words wouldn't come out of her mouth. Two immense white eyes stared at her from the endless abyss. 

'When you stare at the abyss, the abyss stares back at you~'

'H-Help! S-Someone!-'

'Nothing can also be a thing. A thing can be anything. Anything that ever existed and will ever exist, began as nothing'.

'S-Some...one...' The darkness consumed her.

'And so the cycle begins anew, once again, everything is oblivion'.

She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, she couldn't exert her psychic powers, all she could do was see how the light disappeared from her body, sucked into the darkness... ever so slowly. 

'You have seen N0tHiNg, got it~?'

!!!

Emma's consciousness returned to the car, she took a deep breath, starving for oxygen, coughing saliva and spewing it all over her cleavage. Ray looked at her, confused. 

Her gaze turned towards him, pale, scared to death, shivering. 

"R-Ray Stark... w-what are you...?"