Looking out the window at the purple electrical storm, she was surprised no one had mentioned the constant storms on the news. Even more shocking was that no Mage had come trying to find the source of the storms. Her hands firmly planted on the sides of the windowpanes as she stared out intently into the city. A slow smirk twisted her already crazed face as she stood up again.

"The time is now." Turning and walking to her lab she grabbed a duffel bag. She walked out of her apartment heading towards the stairs that led to the roof. Throwing her indigo goggles over her eyes, she then dug into her bag to pull out various items she needed. Lancing her palm, her blood splattered over her items of destruction causing the storm clouds to start swirling. With that done, she smeared the blood over her face and lab coat and began chanting her mantra. The clouds started to swirl heavily, merging over her apartment building. A funnel cloud of electricity hovered over her, blowing her hair around as she continued on with her mantra. Violet lightening strikes flashed, touching down around her. A rumble could be felt in Salem, resembling a minor earthquake while the illusion of her world became reality.

Almost like an airplane crashing down on a small part Salem with a thud, inhabitants of that small section town were about to wake up to a little surprise. This was her world now, her rules, and her way. The area took on an indigo hue. Trees in her Realm started erupting into flames. Destruction left, right, and center happened by her mere words. The folks outside her realm neither heard nor saw anything, with the exception of the violent electric storms. The Realm then began to blaze with lovely orange hues from the constant fires burning in random places.

A large explosion illuminated the area in the purest blinding white light. The building under her feet started to shift, rumbling, growing. It was shifting from a ghetto building to a cathedralesque fortress, her strong hold in her Horizon Realm. Past the third street lamp from Foundation park, stretching to just mere yards from the Hospital. After a trip into her world the populace would need to go and check into the psycho ward of that hospital. For this was her playground, and anyone who entered became subjects to her rules, her game. Her avatar took on physical appearance, standing beside her.

"Horla, dictate the rules of my chess board." Grinning, Madison turned around to look at the man, her avatar, and her sense of power.

"The rules are, Changlings come in their true form, be it cat, skunk, or rat. Vampires come as their inner beasts, No matter Brujah, Gangrel, or Lasombra. Faes, hold no freehold in your ground, Not Square or round. Mages will have their avatars talk to them like Horla is. Mortals are the pawns, you are the queen, I am the rook, must write this in a book."

With a sadistic childish giggle she looked at Horla. "Come, time to celebrate our achievement. Something father could never hope of achieving..." She jumped from the building at it's incredible height, crashing down then seeming to float as she light touched the ground.

Walking to the third street lamp from Foundation park, Horla appeared to evaporate before stepping out of the Horizon realm. The storms stopped the moment her foot hit the grass. She wasn't in the realm, no need for the ominous theme. She stopped and threw out a mental mind link to her father with the aide of Horla, showing him everything that he never could achieve with the words, "I'm the God you never could be." ringing in his head. With a malicious grin, she called, "Come out and play Daddy."

"Vacation is over, damn it. If you can call working a vacation. But then, with the way life has been rolling along, a working vacation was better than none, and whenever I've got a gig at the Castle, it is always a vacation. It was definitely good to see Chris, Claude, and George again."

As Xavier pulled himself out of the cab in front of his townhouse, he couldn't help but feel a change in the air. He wasn't exactly sure what it was all about but it did make him frown in passing concern. The acceleration of the cab's engine as it left pulled his attention towards it and he watched as it faded into the bustle of street traffic around the park near the Foundation. Xavier's gaze went past the traffic to the building know simply as The Foundation and followed it to the top, squinting as the sunlight glinted off the peek of the obelisk-type building.

'Dad is in there, and now that I am back home, I should visit him. Why does that thought knot up my stomach and give me a headache?'

Heaving a deep sigh Xavier turned his attention back to the front door and the lock. Schlepping the bags inside and dropping them at the entrance, he kicked the door shut behind himself, his coat sliding down his arm and falling on top of the bags. He thought enough time had passed and that coming home wasn't going to be such a big deal. He was wrong. He realized he hated Salem. With each passing moment it became his least favorite place on earth. He knew he had to move, and soon.

After taking care of unpacking, listening to phone messages, and checking on the science experiments in the fridge, he slumped down on the sofa, beer in hand, and turned on the TV to update himself on the latest garbage going on in Salem. At some point, between commercials for anti-fungal foot powder and female sanitary menstrual protection, he dozed off.

Dreams, no, more like nightmares, plagued his sleep. Visions of living thunderstorms, and death, and destruction pour through his mind yanking him awake, panting for breath. Clutching at his chest, his heart pounds with a fury strong enough, feeling like any second it will leap out of his body.

The sweat dripped from him as he staggered onto his feet, a hand going to his bowed head to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Damn," he said more to hear the reality of his own voice than as an exclamation of the nightmare.

Xavier made his way into the bathroom to splash cool water from the spigot onto his face, hoping that would revive him and wash away the lingering visions that still swam across his conscience sight. Leaning on the sink as his arms propped him up, he stared at the face in the mirror. "What the hell is going on? Something's not right."

Pushing himself from the sink, Xavier made his way into the bedroom to change his clothes. "I think I'll go look in on Madd. Who knows what she got herself into with that demon trash she conjured up."

Walking back through the living on his way to the front door, He stopped to finish his now warm beer. "Ah, liquid sustenance." He smacked his lips as he put the bottle back down, and then walked out and down the sidewalk to Madison's place.

No sooner did he step up onto the curb on the block where Madison lived then he felt the shift in reality. The sky became dark, and everything that looked living otherwise now appeared dead, a shadow of its living self. Even the people where walking horrors, moving about in their oblivious state. Xavier's eyes went wide as he looked around him, approaching Madison's home.

Testing the door to see if it was locked, the knob gave way under his hand, and he carefully entered, poking his head cautiously inside. "Sis? Hey, Sis! You home?" He was afraid to enter any further, afraid of what he might discover.

"In the lab!" Her voice had an odd pain. Two voices were in the room, hers and another man's. The other man was her avatar's psychical self, Horla. She sat there in the corner of her lab panting, pissed off, and panting.

Horla stood in front of her blocking all view to Madison and shaking his head. "You made the deal with a devil." A strained voice screamed at him.

"SHUT UP! I KNOW THIS!" A sweaty hand came into view grasping the lab table, shaking.

Xavier cautiously made his way inside Madison's home and back into the laboratory. The atmosphere was quite different. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but it was definitely ... twisted. Turning the corner into the lab, he saw a man standing over Madison blocking his view of her so that all Xavier saw of his sister was a sweaty hand clutching the table.

"Madison, what gives?" He made his way into the room.

Horla moved out of the way to hunker down beside Madison. There she sat, extremely pregnant, with Finch's offspring.

"What does it look like?" Horla helped her to her feet slowly. She looked at him ready to fall over at the girth of her stomach. "Where have you been?"

Raising his hand to hide the grin on his face, Xavier did his best not to laugh, but finally succumbing to the snicker that escaped, he lowered his eyes to the floor. Pinching his nose then rubbing his upper lip, he regained his composure and looked over at her.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with that deal with Finch, would it?" Yes, he was having a blast with this one. "Just how long do you have left, because that belly of yours just popped right on out there pretty quickly, Sis."

Xavier walked further into the room to lean against the edge of the counter. "I had an offer for a gig at the Castle, so I took it. I needed to get away for a bit. Seemed good at the time, but by the looks of things, maybe I should have stayed." He snickered again, this time not hiding the action.

Just then Xavier noticed a little wisp of a female had followed him into the room. Frowning at not seeing her when he came in, he looked over at Madison.

"Another friend of yours, Sis?"

Madison hauled off and punched Xavier in the face for his giggles and comments.

"I don't know how much time is left. I didn't know I was this until this happened," pointing to her stomach shaking out the hand that punched him. She waddled to a chair sliding down into it with the aide of Horla. She looked at the female who had come in, shaking her head.

"No Xavier, never met her before." Horla looked up with a smile, seeing his fellow Avatar.

Staggering back a couple steps from the unexpected slug his sister just gave him, eyes riveted to the floor, Xavier gingerly touched his jaw and tried moving it to be certain that it wasn't broken.

"Ok. Remind me to stay a good arm's length from you while you're prego, Sis."

He looked up just in time to see the man with Madison smile at the woman, and she smiled back at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You two know each other then."

The wispy little female looked over at Xavier and frowned, shaking her head, and then looked back at Horla, shrugging her shoulders. Horla looked at the female.

"You avatar an idiot," His eyes shifted to Xavier, taking the woman in his hand. "Sinclair spawn, this is your avatar. It is the rule of the chessboard. We exist."

"He does have his moments of adorable innocent idiocy." She smiled in agreement with Horla.

Xavier stared at the man and woman, then blinked as the woman's hand was placed in his. "Oscar?"

The woman smiled at him. "As you call me."

Madison rolled her eyes at the sappy shit going on. She got up, and walking past Xavier smacked his dumb ass upside the head.

"Father knows about this. I made sure he found out," a dark chuckle escaped her lips.

"Ow, what was that for? You're an awfully physical pregnant witc ... ah, person," he retorted, rubbing his head. Catching a glimpse of the numerous sigils that now peppered Madison's back, Xavier turned to follow her, leaving Horla and Oscar to talk, or whatever it was avatars did when they're together.

"So you saw him. How's he doing? Did he say anything about... about his phoenix?"

"He's isn't here, I didn't see him." She waddled down the hall holding her back. "I hate Finch for this. The shit I was forced to do for power." Resting against the wall she looked at her brother. "He didn't say anything about any phoenix."

"Oscar? I'm sorry, horrid name." Walking around Oscar, Horla mused, "Why does their family have to be so strange? Kissing siblings, it's not natural."

Madison looked at her brother, "So, you come back to join me or to kill me?" She stroked his cheek. "You know, Finch did this out of spite of you. He made that very clear as he was doing this." She looked at her stomach, this wasn't what she wanted, hell no. "So much for saving myself for someone right?" She chuckled looking back up to him. Lightening illuminated the hall they stood in; she leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder groaning.

"I hate being the one to say I told you so, but ...," a snicker escaped Xavier again as he raised a hand to stroke her shoulder. "I didn't come back to join you, or kill you. I just came over to see how things were going. And by the looks of things," he glanced down at her belly, "they're going just ducky."

"This family is a mystery." Oscar replied to Horla, her head tilting, watching him as he walked around her, amused by his curiosity. "Some of them have been lovers in times past. It could very well be those latent memories that drives them." Her laugh sounded like the twitter of small birds on a spring morning.

"So, just how many of these... Finch seeds, do you have to spit out before the bill is paid off?" In spite of her obvious discomfort, Xavier was finding an immense amount of pleasure in her backfired plan to rule the world. Well, it looked backfired to him. He did do his best, however, to color the tone of his voice with concern for her well being.

"Are you alright? How about I help you over to the chair. You'll feel much better once you're off your feet." He placed a hand under her elbow and the other hand against her back to help steady her walk.

"I know you're enjoying this Xavier. You're just like the rest of the family." Madison sighed slightly, "I don't know how many, I don't even want this one. And stop looking at my stomach."

"Yes, this family is a Mystery, Oscar. I see yours doesn't like mine. Finds pleasure in her pain. Mine finds pleasure in their father's pain. We are ruled by very spiteful people."

Madison waddled over with him, plunking down. "This wasn't what I originally wanted Xavier. I just wanted to meet him, meet my mirror image. Everyone else said I was out for revenge, I gave them what they wanted." Her stomach slid to the side as the spawn shifted inside. The lightening illuminated again, highlighting her drawn, exhausted appearance. This thing was sucking her life from her like a parasite.

Horla looked at Oscar, "She is a confused angry person. I sense yours is the same, just not to that degree."

Xavier helped Madison as she lowered herself into the chair, and then stood back and watched, concern for Madison starting to outweigh the amusement over her condition. He could see the stress this pregnancy was putting on her, zapping her life energy from her. He frowned and his lips pursed together.

Oscar smiled at Horla, but no emotion showed in her eyes. "Yes, confused, but not so much as of late. He learns from his mistakes, and his indifference for life is rebuilding itself into empathy."

"Maddi, you can't do this again." Xavier stooped down at her feet to look at her eyes. "You hear me? When I told you to not mess with a demon, I had good reason to say that. Look at you. Look at what he's done to you. Is it really worth it? This, this... thing, is eating you alive, Madison. You can't do this again. No more deals with the devil. Got that?"

He smacked her knees then stood up, looking down at her, and scratched the back of his neck. Xavier hadn't known his sister long, but there was some bond there that he couldn't deny. And that bond was telling him to take her away from all this to some place where she could start over, some place where they never even heard the name Sinclair.

Madison dropped her head back exhausted. This was too much too fast. A few weeks ago she didn't even look pregnant. What the hell did Finch do to her? She wasn't even allowed to eat according to Finch; this power was too great to fuck it up. Her face was nearly hollow, extremely defined now. The energy drain from the Horizon Realm and this thing inside of her had made her no more than an empty shell.

Horla shook his head, "I'm losing grip on mine. She has made the deal with a devil and it's taking all her energy. I barely exist now, but she refuses to give up power."

"The power is too great Xavier, I'm the god our father could never achieve or dream possible." Just as she finished that statement a sigil appeared on her face, between her eyes. "Finch will not let me go, especially now, when I'm so close to becoming a full fledged God."

She jolted in discomfort as the head of the thing in her womb dropped down into place. "It's a small price to pay Xavier to show our father he threw away the wrong child." Madison's eyes drew up as he stood, "Finch owns me now."

Since walking into this realm of Madison's creation, Xavier had been fighting waves of nausea that were now becoming stronger with each breath he took.

"Madison, this isn't true power. This is hell. This is lies. And this is deception!" The volume of his voice rose as he spoke, fighting the nausea. "There is no real power in that! You have completely deluded yourself. Why do you think Ben didn’t go this far? Hum? Because he was some kind of weakling? No! Because even in his arrogance he knew that real power doesn't come from hate, or revenge, or any of the other negative forces you've surrounded yourself with. Real power comes from the simple pure act of caring, giving beyond yourself for someone else, for... for..." He suddenly stopped, and then rushed for the bathroom and dropped, just in time, to his knees before the porcelain god, leaving his offering of airline cuisine and beer.

Oscar shook her head. "I am truly sorry for you, Horla. She may expire soon, then. It would be a pity to be lost and so far from the path."

Xavier slowly rose to his feet and turning on the spigot at the sink, rinsed out his mouth before venturing slowly back out to the living room and Madison.

"Sorry about that. Being here isn't agreeing with my head or stomach." He smiled weakly at her. Pity filled his eyes because there was nothing he can do for her as long as she remained in her little world. She had effectively ripped out all the positive threads that made up life, and left nothing but the negative: anger, hate, revenge, envy, and the like, leaving him nothing to work with here. Leaving him powerless.

"Maddi, come away with me. I have a standing invitation at a resort down in the Bahamas. We could live there quite nicely. You could rest, get back on your feet. Teach." Xavier smiled at her, hoping that teaching would entice her to change her mind, that the allure of teaching again would draw her out of this hole she had dug for herself.

Horla shook his head, looking at her. "I had a foreboding. She will be killed in order to stop this abomination she has created. I cannot stop or disobey, because without her I wouldn't exist. She wasn't always like this, in some respect. Mostly hurt, confused, and angry, she has taken those feelings and twisted them in the direction that doesn't involve the source of this rage." Rubbing his face with a hand, "She is a lost cause, no?"

"When did you become so loving and understanding to a man who left you to rot without parents? You defend him after tearing up his familiar?" The sigil on Madison's face swirled around ominously. It was twisting her mind. Finch had a hold on her mind; he would soon have a hold on something more dearly to her.

"I have real power! Look into my Lab. Your avatar stands there talking to mine!" She points to the window. "Look out there! That's all my creation. Benedict fears me now! As do you."

"Finch will not let me leave Salem, he owns me. I need him. I need this power. I have an understanding of my spheres that surpassed our father's, even yours. I can make the undead alive now. I can kill by a mere flick of my wrist. What can he do, Xavier? Try half assed to make amends after forty years of absence?" She stood up, hanging onto the wall for support. "Teaching has never done this for me! It's always had me thrown out of Chantries."

As Madison walked over to him holding her back, Xavier could get a clear sense that she hadn't slept or eaten in days. "What happened for your desire to stand by my side when I was ready to create this world? Benedict got to you didn't he? Made you weak like him?" She made a fist, slamming it against the wall and shouted in a voice that was exact to Finch's. "I... AM... GOD!"

"Yes, she is," Oscar quietly agreed with Horla.

Her words about his treatment of their father's phoenix were like salt in an open wound. Showing no emotion, Xavier just stared into Madison's eyes as she ranted on about her power. Those eyes that had been so full of life, but now reflected the abyss that was attempting to eat away her soul. His gaze shifted only after she had slammed her fist into the wall, to glance at where the fist had connected, and then back to her eyes. His gaze never flinching, his voice became quiet with restraint.

"No, I don't fear you Madison. I pity you. And you are not god. I won't stand by you, not like this, but I won't stand in your way either. You are on your own on this one, Faust. Good luck." He turned and walked toward the door, motioning for Oscar to follow.

Oscar nodded to Horla and quickly trotted after Xavier, following him out the door.

"Pity is another word for weak!" Madison shouted as she watched him head out the door followed by Oscar. "You run, you run to the man who left you to rot, Xavier!"

A splash was heard on the floor a moment later. "Oh this can't be good. Horla... HORLA!" Horla came walking out of the lab, looking at Madison, as she stood there surrounded by a puddle. "I think I need to lay down soon." He nodded and helped her to the sofa. "This hurts."