DISCLAIMER The X-Men belong to Marvel, The Scribe and Darqstar belong to themselves, and Lestat (me) belongs to Alchemax (remember Marvel 2099?). All related characters belong to their authors. The real Lestat belongs to Anne Rice

It was the room next to the last one, in the café. It was a dark, damp place, with an overheard lamp the likes of which you would pick out from an old gangster movie. In fact, the whole scene seemed to come out from The Godfather, with its round table and wooden chairs, and three figures sitting around playing poker.

"So, Kielle, when are you going to introduce me to Abyss?"

"Soon, Lestat, soon. But I’m pretty sure you’d be great drinking buddies."

"By the way, don’t you think you’re drinking too much? That’s your fourth beer in half an hour!"

"Only four? Sorry, Cindy, I’m running behind. Bartender!!!"

"So, Darqstar, how’s the X-S novella coming along?"

"I’ve told you K, if I told you, I’d have to kill you."

The door slowly crept open, and an unidentified, generic bartender came into the room.

"Yes, sir?"

"Two more beers for me, a new bottle of gin for The Scribe and Darstar, …and another three bowls of popcorn, s’il vous plait "

"Certainly, sir. And by the way, there are some persons at the door, who want to see you."

That was my cue to come in. Me, and my "super friends", as the old cartoon would say.
The crowd had a lot of us… there was a white-haired woman, no wait, there were two of them. There was also a lovable, small blue furry kid, and she was holding hands with another kid, a pretty red-haired girl. There was also a small family, parents and a child, as well as a teenage boy. And there was me, of course, a charming, six foot tall blond haired man. Well, vampire, but that’s not the point.

"Monsieur Lestat?"

"Yes…? ", the sitting figure said. He was short and wore glasses, wholly unlike me, and looked as though he had seen a ghost, and the two women beside him were staring, open mouthed, at the rest of us.

"Siku? -Is, is that you? I mean, you look different from the drawing I got from Tapestry…"

"It’s me, "Mom". Along with Rachel, remember?"

"And.---" Kielle shouted -"Vertigo, is that you? What’s going on here?"

The two twins came full into view, near the table. They must have looked scary to the assembled writers, I suppose

"What’s going on? You would be the one to ask! What’s going on, guys?"

All at once, the monkey crowd screamed: "We! Demand! Fair! Treatment!" Not me, though

"Fair treatment? What do you mean", Cindy asked, wide eyed. "Siku! YOU have had fair treatment! Everybody loves you."

"Well, in fact, I’m here by association. It’s Rachel here who was treated unfairly."

"But that’s Marvel’s fault, we’re just fanfic writers!", Lestat replied

"Not really", the red-haired girl said. "Remember Tomorrow’s Child, Darqstar?"

"Oh, gosh, Cindy, I told you Sinny couldn’t be allowed to keep the kid! ", Kielle said, visibly shaken. "and you would be…" she said, pointing to the family.

"No, no, no; you wouldn’t know it. My daughter, my husband and me have been on the run most of our lives, all because you told the whole online community where we were! And you don’t remember. Sure. File us away under embarrassing first tries."

"On the run? Because of me? That’s impossible"

"No," , the husband said, "It can happen."

"Oh, God, so now every character we’ve ever written about is coming to say hi. ", my short, long haired namesake answered. "And you, kid, would be?"

"First, I’m not much younger than you, ‘Daddy’. And second, you wouldn’t know, since I’m apparently too embarrassing to you, I didn’t even get access to Lestat’s Tavern archive."

"I remember you… well, not your name, but you were my TCP story… right?"

"And you killed me!!! Such an interesting power, an empathy running amok, and you killed me!"

Suddenly, a loud laugh cut off all the bickering and chattering. Of course, that would be mine. But then I felt it coming. First, sparks were coming out of my fingertips, and my pupils were replaced by a bird of fire, who then grew enough to engulf me. I shrieked, and the lamp blew out "ENOUGH!!!"

They all stared at me. The lamp was gone, but I provided enough light for them. Their mouths were hanging open, like a cartoon. That’s rich.

"I – I’m afraid to ask who you are."

"And why would that be, Darqstar? Would the Jubilee Phoenix version be better suited to you?"

"So, you’re--- you’re me, right?"

"Not you, Lestat, per se. In fact, I am the REAL Lestat. And you never bothered to properly identify me into your story, never bothered to say how I got into the world of the X-Men."

"You were my first fanfic ever written!"

"Well, then, you’d better keep trying"

The others were frightened, but not Kielle. After all, she was The Scribe, the world of fanfiction was much better known to her.

"So, what do you want?"

"Me? That’s simple. Freedom. Imagine, a vampire who glows like the sun. A pity. As for the others, they’d like their stories rectified, nobody likes to die, you know. I could have told you that, several times"

"And that’s where we come in?"

"Yes, ‘Mom’, that’s where you come in. " , Siku said. Cute kid. Wonder what her blood tastes like? " The mutant family wants to be left alone, Rachel and I want to be friends in a stoy--- THIS Rachel, not the one in my own X-S series, and the kid wants to live as well."

"Nobody remembers my name! I can’t f%&% believe it!"

"Oh, I remember you, Jacob something.", said Kielle, once again proving her mastery thanks to CFAN: Amusing. "And Vertigo—er, Vertigoes?"

"Simple. We want to be the strongest ever marauder, kill Sinister with a thought."

"I’m glad to see you make simple demands," Lestat, my writer, said. " And you, oh Tom-Cruised Lestat?"

"I’ve told you. Freedom. I want to cross over with the X-Men, and taste the blood of every female. I want to feel the flesh of their throats, not for killing, but for kissing."

"And--- here is your tools. Lestat, would you help me?"

"Of course Rachel", I said, as I hauled three computers into the room. "They’re state of the art, but don’t think about putting a call for help from a.c.ff, the Recscue of Abyss, this isn’t."

"And if we refuse?"

Ah, Darqstar, brave to the last. "Well, let’s just say, the sun is coming down, and I’m getting thirsty."

THE END

Did you like it? I truly hope so!

Best of luck

Lestat