Angelo nervously adjusted his bow tie and checked his image inducer before knocking on the apartment door. He had hoped to take Paige out to eat before the ball. To his disappointment, her big brother opened the door.

"Come in," he offered. Angelo noted Sam's smile never made Sam's eyes, and gulped. Sam motioned for the younger boy to sit down in a chair positioned in the middle of the floor. The older man moved behind Angelo and sat down at a desk.

"Paige ready?" Angelo asked as he heard the sound of a nut being cracked. He winced.

Sam stared at his back and replied, "Rahne's doing her hair." Then he turned his attention to the walnut he had cracked. "Ah love it when Ah split them just evenly so that Ah get two perfect halves of the shells." Sam dug out the meat and reached for another nut. "Takes a lot of practice."

Angelo gulped again and sat firmly in his chair.

***

Matt Brown looked at his girlfriend with an air of disdain. "You're late." He pulled on the coat of his tux as he looked her over. She was presentable, at least.

Celeste started to nod, but felt her pride refusing to die down. Silently, she blessed Emma and Tony. "Of course, I'm late- you're early." He had shown up fifteen minutes early and she had only gotten back from the airport a hour ago. She was doing well to be out the door in forty-five minutes. She wrapped herself in her coat, determined that he not have a chance to remark on her dress.

"If you weren't so stupid, you could get ready on time." The word stupid hit her right between the eyes. She may have been learning disabled, but she was by no means stupid. A stupid woman could not get win-win agreements for the person she was talking to and Emma's mutant Underground while helping Tony in his bid to take over the Network. In fact, her learning disability uniquely gifted her, so that she could better read others and pick up their nonverbal cues.

"And if you were more intelligent, you might know how to treat a woman like a human being." Gosh, those words felt wonderful to say to him. No wonder he hated her being around Tony, Tony could give her back what Matt tried to take away from her- her self-esteem. With Matt, she had to lose at pool. With Tony at her side, she could carry on high level negotiations with people she'd never even imagine talking to.

Matt glared at her and reminded her of his trump card. "And if you weren't so stupid, you might actually be able to control Ariel with my help."

And that was the reason she wouldn't break up with him, she couldn't help her sister. She knew the dangers of the path Ariel was going down. Today it was shoplifting for thrills, tomorrow it was shoplifting for drug money. It was beer at a party now, later it'd be blackouts. While Celeste hadn't been all the way down that path, she'd been far enough down it to know where it led. A lot of her friends in Hollywood were dead or in rehab. And she would give anything to keep her sister from ending up like them.

Even her self esteem and pride.

Matt grabbed his girlfriend's arm, not seeing her wince in pain at his action, and firmly led her out the door. At the car, he pushed her down in her seat. Getting in his side, he sped off.

***

Gloria looked at the two dresses Dimitri had laid on her bed for her to choose from and sighed. Lately, everything centered around what he wanted, from the way she dressed to the way they made love. It was so hard being the perfect wife to him.

Of course, he deserved nothing less. He had moved heaven and earth to get her a child to raise, his own daughter. He gave her all the pretty clothes she wanted and spoiled her rotten. He'd take her to the best restaurant and order the best food for her to eat.

As long as she didn't do anything stupid, like wear her hair the wrong way, she could make him happy. And, she knew well enough, she didn't want to make him unhappy.

She still had the bruises from the last time that happened.

***

Ariel sat in the kitchen and watched the fight between Celeste and Matt. How could he look at her sister like she was chattel and treat her like dirt? How could her sister stand there and take it?

Then she reminded herself that this was one fight, and she couldn't base her opinion of that relationship on just one fight. After all, her sister wasn't everything she believed her to be. Take Nina for example.

Sure, Ariel wanted to believe her sister when she said she had been raped, but she remembered the way that Celeste had hung over Tanner, Mateo, and Peter whenever she had been home. She had dressed and acted easy as a teenager, after all. And how could her sister keep the secret of her daughter from her for so long? Ariel didn't know what to believe.

More than that, she had been so scared in the hospital this last time when she woke up and found her sister wasn't there. For some reason, Celeste's job came first. What could be more important than her own sister?

Deep down, Ariel could admit she was hurt and confused over so many things. Sometimes, she just felt like her life was spinning out of control and there was nothing she could do to help herself. Not even her best friend, Jubilee, knew that Ariel was drinking more and more. Ariel had gone to school drunk and her sister didn't notice. Her sister said she felt trapped, how would she feel if all she could think about was her next drink?

There were times that all Ariel wanted was her mother's love, but her mother was dead. The best thing Celeste could give her was Matt, who would give her more to drink. For all of Celeste's good intentions, no one could really help her. She might as well be dead.

Ariel heard the car race away as she found the bottle she had stashed and smiled, glad she hadn't made supper. Everything was easier when she was drunk.

***

Rahne walked out nervously. This dress wasn't like her, it was too. . . much. It started as a halter top and ended at her ankles, with a very long slit up the side. The color was the darkest forest green she had ever seen, so dark it was nearly black. Her hair, long and swept up off her neck, had been dyed so it had just the slightest tint of red. She wore simple diamond hearts as earrings.

Sam stared at her for a moment before a simple "Wow" came out of his mouth. There was no doubt, at all, as to who the most beautiful woman at that ball would be. He continued to stare at her as he slipped the matching shaw around her. "Yer beautiful," he whispered.

Rahne knew he meant it and smiled at him. "A wanted tae be for ye." After the past few weeks, she wanted to make him happy.

"Yer always are," Sam assured her. "There are times Ah can't believe Ah'm in love with such a beautiful woman." Rahne's eyes lit up, just the way he knew they would. "Now, couldja help me with this tie?"

Rahne smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. Eventually, she get the bow tied right, but it would take some time. It was kind of hard to do when her lips were busy kissing his.

***

Paige walked out quietly, leaving her brother to spend a special moment with Rahne. Carefully, she walked over to where Ange was sitting and briefly wondered why in the world he was sitting in the middle of the room. Ange smiled when he saw her.

"I would get up- but I'm afraid of your brother," he admitted. Paige looked at the bowl of walnuts with a smile. It was an old trick of Sam's.

"I'll let you up," she whispered as she slipped on her coat. Her dress was a long, ice blue satin sheath which looked very good against her complexion. Ange handed her the corsage he brought, feeling very happy that he had picked an arrangement that slipped over her wrist instead of one that had to be pinned against her chest.

"Don't feel bad," Paige tried to assure her friend. "Sam's used to playing big brother. Back home, Li'l Bit's dates all had accidents- they would accidently decide to fly out the house or accidently hit their eyes against Sam's fist."

***

Celeste, a former actress, knew how to attract attention. And the gown she wore reflected that fact. It was a strapless rainbow of softly muted colors, randomly swirled across her body. Matt was trying to force her to wear her jacket when she made her way over to Emma.

"Wonderful dress," she complimented her boss. Emma glittered in white diamonds from head to toe in a tight, body hugging gown. Bobby looked like he had to fight to keep from pointing out that the beautiful woman was his date.

"Thanks." Emma pointed to Tony, who stood in the background. "Just a warning." Celeste groaned, realizing that she would have to spend the night trying to be friendly to her friend and keeping his presence a secret from her date. One meeting would prove to be the last between the two.

Celeste smiled sadly as Emma pointed out, "You could have had a great time if you left Matt at home."

Celeste's spirit was bruised from the ride down and she just didn't feel like lying. "He reaches Ariel. I can't break up with him." Everything she tried to do to reach her sister without Matt's help failed. With as much as Ariel knew about the school, Celeste was limited in her options. When Celeste had set up a therapy appointment with Dr. Tolan, Ariel walked out on that. Short of hoping that the younger girl would grow out of this stage, there were only two options. Put up with Matt or find a family in Emma's Underground that would help her try Tough Love with her sister.

Emma frowned, remembering the way that Ariel always seemed to be at her worse when Emma needed Celeste the most. Last week, Celeste had to cut out of an important meeting to prevent her sister being suspended. "We'd be glad to have her in our school, you do know that."

Celeste nodded. "I don't want to take away her last constant thing. This all started when we moved to the school." Actually, she reflected, this had kind of started when she told Ariel about her rape and her daughter, Nina. However, as bad as things could get with Matt, at least he could get through to her sister. Ariel respected Matt and when he told her no more, she stopped her behavior. "Matt's not that bad, really."

Emma pointed to Tony. "Go talk to him. I'll cover for you." Her assistant nodded happily and went over to find her friend.

***

Jim Thompson was looking for his girlfriend, Brooke, when he bumped into Laura. Allowing his eyes to linger on her chest, he greeted her. "Hello, Laura."

"Hello, JT," she murmured as she scanned the room. Spotting Scott talking to Allie and Jake, she went over to them. Jim followed at a discreet distance.

***

Tony had watched as Celeste entered the room. That dress made her look great and really showed off the muscles she'd developed boxing. The farther away from the jackass that was her boyfriend she got, the more attractive she became. True beauty came from strength of character and, in that, Celeste was the most stunning woman he had ever known.

He understood, better than anyone, why Celeste didn't hand Matt his walking papers and lock her sister down on the school campus. Her fear of her sister turning out wild was part of it and her reaction to the fact she couldn't have children was another, but she had never been one to step down from a challenge. Matt was a challenge and a punishment to her, one that she would try to master.

She was more beautiful every step she took away from Matt. Even a friend could see that.

***

Matt watched his girlfriend walk over to her boss with a sense of satisfaction. He loved Celeste, and very soon she'd never leave him again. Ariel's bitterness towards her sister was the exact tool he needed to get back in Celeste's life. The crush her younger sister had on him, constantly nurtured by their little talks and him buying her drinks, made it easy to control Ariel, and through her, Celeste.

Celeste needed him. She couldn't handle her sister becoming what she had been- a wild, rebellious, alcoholic teenager. Celeste was helpless to control her sister, and the more helpless she was, the more she needed him. The more she needed him, the less chance she'd have to leave him. And to ensure that, he'd cut down her self esteem and confidence. Tonight would be the last time she'd talk back to him.

He looked over to where Sam and Rahne had entered the room. How hard would it be to convince her that the mutant lifestyle led by her friends and boss would hurt her sister? How long until her world was built around Ariel and him? How long until he had her exactly where she wanted to be?

***

Dimitri Merrick smiled coldly as he walked into the room. He had almost all the wealth, power and prestige one man could want. He was so close to his ultimate goal- the first nonmutant to make the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club- he could taste it. Even Shaw's death wouldn't hold him back for long.

Tessa had even helped, although he didn't know how. She had made him "a better candidate for membership" as per Sebastian's orders. And life had gotten more interesting.

He wrapped one arm around his wife and smiled at the stab of pain that went though Tad Martin's heart. At one time, they had been the closest of friends but now all Dimitri wanted to do was hurt those who had once been kind to him.

***

"Scott?" The young man, who had been holding up the wall, turned around to find his ex-girlfriend standing nervously behind him. "You still want to know the truth about what happened to me?" Laura bit her lip after asking the question.

Had he falllen asleep already? "You know I do," he answered her. Laura offering to tell him the truth had to be a dream.

She seemed to want to tell him there but she saw her mother in the corner and paused. "I can't tell you here.... Meet me at the boathouse in half an hour." Laura wandered off, not noticing Jim following her. Scott watched in amazement.

***

Paige quickly saw her friend, Celeste, walking over to Emma's head of security and then looked at Ange and Sam. This could be very messy, what with the grudge between Ange and Tony over something that had happened in the gang, and Sam's reaction to someone that tried to hurt a friend. Spotting Matt in the corner, she pulled the two men over to say hello.

Ange was the first to object. "After the stunts he pulls on Ariel and Celeste, I don't want to speak to him." Sam agreed.

Paige hissed, "Smile!" Angelo plastered on a fake smile as she asked, "What stunts on Ariel?"

The fake smile left his lips as he whispered to her, "She was bitter that Celeste couldn't be there immediately when she was hospitalized. The next thing I know, Matt's at the hospital, suggesting ways to get her sister's attention." He and Ariel were good friends who were very happy they didn't work as a couple. He had spent weeks trying to get to the bottom of her attitude change with no real success.

Paige didn't really understand what had been going on between Matt and Celeste so she wasn't able to piece two and two together. Sam had been distracted by his conversation with Rahne which had involved what he'd like to do with the creep that was working so hard to put their friend down.

"Ah don't like him, Ah really don't." He whispered to her.

Rahne nodded, agreeing. "But if we don't make the effort, he'll try tae cut us out of Celeste's life." He could try and, if that suggestion hit Celeste's ears at the right time, it might work.

"Ah guess Ah can talk Star Trek with him." Sam used to be a huge fan of the series and Matt was an avid Trekker. Sam had since moved on to other science fiction works.

"A hear Peter David, that bonnie writer, is comin' out with a new book. He can really write good characters." Rahne said with a smile.

***

Over time, Kitty had discovered ways to get Pete to do what she wanted. This night, she wanted him in a tuxedo. Something that threatening him with a promise to remind Moira it was time for Pete's annual physical and mentioning how much she missed Lockheed couldn't do. Finally, he gave in when she said please.

"Kit, I think you should know something about me and Emma," Pete started, just as he rehearsed. It would be best to start to tell his girlfriend about Emma in public and continue the conversation in private. There wasn't much to tell except many years ago, he and Emma had slept together a couple of times.

Opal Courtland waved to his girlfriend as she started to turn to him. "Howdy!" she called across the room. Tonight, she wore a long blue velvet gown, topped with five layers of baubles and beads. In her hair, she wore a tiara.

"Bloody hell," Pete muttered as the woman walked over to talk to them. Something about her strident voice just got on his nerves and her timing stunk.

"This is my boss's wife so behave-" Kitty whispered, "or I'll tell John you wanted to set him up with Rahne." Pete had thought the women of Muir Isle had been trying to set the younger woman up with the worst possible date before Rahne started dating Sam. And he had owed his friend for leaving him to pay the bar tab once too often.

"So this is yer sweetie," Opal started as she took a sip of her champagne. Pete loosened his bow tie. Something told him he wasn't going anywhere for a while.

***

Celeste smiled at her friend, Tony. "Nice to know we're so protected tonight." Her experienced eye could just make out the bulge of his gun.

Even as difficult as his presence made the event for her, she wouldn't want him anywhere else but here. He made her better than she was, and she encouraged him to stay on the side of angels. They had created a partnership that couldn't be beat. She drew on his strength as she met with the people he knew to set up the mutant underground, he used hers to take the same people and use them to support a takeover of the Network. Her business savvy helped him numerous times, his calm nature helped her in more ways than she could remember. Their deep respect for each other, their trust in each other, their belief in each other made them stronger together than apart.

"Emma wanted me to be alert." Tony turned so he was standing in front of her, keeping her back to a corner so that Matt couldn't see them talking. "What with the attack on the television station and all, extra caution is needed." Celeste nodded. "How's it going?"

The plastered-on smile cracked for a second as Celeste remembered the car trip from Center City. "Tell me I'm beautiful, intelligent, and a wonderful woman." She needed to hear that so bad.

Tony nodded and leaned in, cupping her chin with his hand. "Celeste, you are so beautiful flowers can't do you justice, so smart Emma knows what a good thing she has in you. And baby, you are so wonderful, I'm in awe of you. You've survived so much in your life, so much to let you have a gentle heart and the strength to use it." He meant every word and more. This woman, his kindred spirit, was very special to him.

Celeste took his other hand as a tear came to her eye. "Thank you." After a second, she continued, "Matt's not that bad, really."

"Baby, just keep telling yourself that and one day you might just believe it." Mentally, he added, but I hope you don't.

"There are times I tell myself, if I just give in, become the person Matt wants me to be, things would be easier. He'd be there to help out with Ariel, he'd pamper me like a princess, like a bird with a broken wing...." And that was how she felt, like she was a swan with a broken wing. "And then, my best and truest friend looks at me and sees me as I am, as who I want to be." Tony's eyes lit up as he realized that she had called him her best friend. "And I could never give in." She whispered "Thank you" just before she kissed him on the cheek.

***

Gloria flinched as Dimitri was snubbed by her friends from the hospital. Didn't they know how bad it would be for her when they got home if tonight wasn't a success for her husband?

She had long since lost her idealism about being a bird in a gilded cage. She was nothing more than a bracelet to her husband in public and a punching bag in private. If only people wouldn't treat him so meanly, if only she could be the perfect wife, then things would get better.

The saddest thing was she had loved Dimitri at one time, when he stood by her side as she helped to take care of his first wife, Angelique. And their friendship remained strong up until the time he started going to the Hellfire Club. Then his world fell apart and, shortly afterwards, hers did too.

***

Paige made a quick excuse to the group around Matt, and walked into the powder room. Laura was standing there, nervously examining herself in the mirror. "Hey!"

Laura jumped at that. "Geez, scare me next time, why don't you?" She laughed, "Just a little jumpy. Scott and I are going to talk and then all hell is going to break loose."

Paige sat down in a chair and motioned for Laura to do the same. "You two going to get back together?"

"Maybe... I hope so," Laura flipped her red hair behind her shoulder. "But tomorrow, I'm going to do something I should have done a long time ago."

"You don't seem that happy about it," the blonde observed.

"No, I'm not." Laura took a deep breath. "I'm going to do something tomorrow that will hurt a lot of people and might mean I'll go to jail, but I'm tired of keeping something a secret, you know?"

Paige shook her head, "I can understand how keeping a secret can hurt, but what could you have done that was so bad?"

Laura got up and sighed. "I was stupid, Paige. I took someone's word for something that I shouldn't have." She got up and walked out.

It took half a second for Paige to decide to discreetly follow Laura. No friend of hers was going to go through something so painful alone.

***

Out of the corner of her eye, Rahne saw Celeste kiss the gentleman she was talking to on the cheek and mentally cheered on her friend. Whoever that guy was, she liked him. Those two had a chemistry that she couldn't believe. They did more than click, they sent off sparks. Then she turned her attention back to the conversation the group was having.

Emma and Sam were on either side of Matt, listening to him complain about how long Celeste took to get ready. "She's an actress, what do ya expect?" Sam asked in defense of his friend.

Matt snorted, indignantly. "Since she'll never be a pretty as her boss, I'd expect she'd take less than half an hour. It takes me five minutes to get ready. Now she's most likely gotten lost on the way to the punch table." Emma looked the man over, noting how his jacket was buttoned wrong, and agreed he looked like he had dressed too fast.

Emma quickly sent Celeste a telepathic message to bring her back a drink before answering Matt. "I do not hire less than fully intelligent people."

Before Matt could make the remark Sam was expecting him to make, Celeste walked back. "I had a hard time finding the vintage you wanted, Emma," she said as she handed her boss a goblet of red wine. "Sam, I got you your favorite, a southern comfort, and Matt a Manhattan," She handed them out gracefully. "Rahne and I'll have this wonderful sparkling cider."

"Thank ye," Rahne smiled. She didn't drink, so she appreciated the sparkling cider. Celeste wouldn't drink but had very good taste. "Ye know, it's been such a long time since we could talk..." She sent an apologetic glance to Sam, who understood what she was trying to do.

Celeste hooked her arm though Rahne's. "Let's."

Emma went to rejoin Bobby, and Sam left to find his sister. Matt stood in the corner and started to steam.

***

Laura walked into the boathouse and sighed. She was so sorry that she had ever allowed herself to make those porn pictures. She could only hope that Scott would understand.

Jim slammed the door and grabbed her arm. "JT!" She screamed in fright. The man's eyes were wide open and he had a gun trained on her. "Scott knows I'm here," she blurted out, trying to get him to let go of her. He was scaring her.

"Then I guess you'll stand him up." Jim gripped Laura's arm. "It's so tragic, you disappearing and all."

Paige looked in on the scene from an outside window and decided to quickly run for help. Unfortunately, she broke a branch with her foot. Jim heard the branch pop and started to panic. "Who's there?"

Paige froze, knowing her best chance was not to be seen. But Jim was desperate, and couldn't be trusted to think clearly. He had a gun and nothing to lose. She heard Laura gasp. "Come out or the girl gets it," the man shouted. She had no way of stopping the man, so she walked into the boathouse and turned herself in.

"This does complicate things..." Jim said.