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Scott sat in the back corner of The Hub in one of the booths that offered both a fair amount of privacy, yet at the same time a nice view of the entire floor of the club. He should have been happy; the club had been THE hot night spot almost from the night it opened, each night there was a line outside that extended halfway down the block of people waiting to get in. On top of that, the city had been quiet in the days since the Pax Metahumana terrorists and Nightmare had been defeated. For the first time in weeks, he had been able to relax, and he knew that he should enjoy it while he could, because he knew deep down that it wouldn’t last.

He should have been happy; however he couldn’t help but to feel that the one person that he had hoped to share this moment with, aside from Eric, wasn’t there. She had left for Pacific Point just after D-Day and she made it perfectly clear that she was not planning to return. He couldn’t really blame her, she had been right; this city was not for everyone. Lost Haven had always been a troubled city, but the fact that Amber had been right in her decision to leave  Lost Haven and him, didn’t make it any easier.

“So, I’d say we’re a hit.” Eric said as he seated himself in one of the plush lounge chairs in the booth across from Scott.

“Yeah.” Scott said noncommittally.

“Dude,  I know that you still haven’t gotten over Amber leaving, and it totally sucks, but we’ve got other things to worry about right now. She’s been gone for weeks and we’ve got a packed house right now, and you really need to enjoy this.” Eric scolded. 

“This is great,” Scott said, “This is more than we could have hoped for. I really am excited, it’s just…”

“Yeah, I know. You thought that she’d be here for it.” 

“Exactly.” Scott confirmed.

“I get that, I really do. But you can’t sit here being all butt hurt because she left, especially not tonight. Look at this crowd, for the first time in a long time people are out and enjoying themselves without having to worry about being dismembered by a serial killing demon and his Manson Family minions. You can’t just sit here and mope, I won’t allow it.” Eric said with a mock resolve.

Just then, Eric’s attention was diverted when he saw a stunning brunette make her way from the dance floor to the bar, where she took a seat and just seemed to watch the other club goers. There was something about her that caught his eye, it wasn’t just that she was beautiful, which she was, but there was just something about her that drew is attention to her, he seemed to recognize her, but he couldn’t quite place her.

“Dude…hottie at 9 O’Clock.” He said to Scott, motioning to the woman.

“Have you been walking around with your eyes closed? The place is full of hotties.” Scott replied, teasing.

“Scott, seriously…not like this one. This chick is sex on a stick, you owe it to your self to check her out.” Eric said in a tone that made it difficult to tell if he was joking or serious, however Scott knew that the truth was somewhere in between. 

However, Scott followed his friend’s advice and looked in the direction that Eric had been motioning toward, and his heart nearly stopped. Scott couldn’t believe that the woman that Eric had been so eager to point out to him was the same woman who he had just fought side by side with in West Virginia and again against Nightmare. 

Radiance.

When they had fought Nightmare and his followers, he had seen her unmasked, and he knew without a doubt that this was the same woman.

“I don’t believe it…” Scott said as he got up from the booth and made his way over to where the Radiance sat. 

As he approached her, he slowed his pace and relaxed. To anyone in the club who might have been watching, he looked like just another guy with possibly a bit too much confidence as he strolled up to his next conquest. He didn’t want to startle her, but she had given everything she had during their recent battles, and she had taken a beating. The least he could do was to buy her a drink.

When he finally reached the stool where Radiance had taken residence, he simply sat down in the seat beside her and smiled as he noted the absence of a glass or drink of any kind in front of her. He motioned to the bartender to get her a drink of some sort as he turned to her.

“Let me get you a drink.” He said as he waited for her to turn to face him, not knowing exactly what to expect. “I’m Scott, this is my place, and you are?”

Alexa sat on the stool, which she found surprisingly comfortable given that every part of her body currently ached. She had taken a beating at the hands of Black Widow, and again just a couple of days later from Cannibal King. She was aware of someone approaching her, and when he introduced himself as the owner of the club, something inside of her wanted to tell him to get bent. But there was something about his voice, something familiar, and she chose not to. Instead, she turned to meet his gaze, and when she did she honestly could not believe here eyes.

“I’m Alexa.” She said with a smile and a note of recognition in her voice. “Iconic, isn’t it?” She asked.

“Excuse me?” Scott asked.

“Ironic that out of all the places I could possibly walk into, I walk into your bar.”

“I think you have me-” Scott started before being cut off.

“Mistaken for somebody else?” Alexa finished for him. “No, I don’t think so. I can see why people don’t get it, you’ve got a good cover. Nobody would suspect you. But when you get as close to…’him’ as I was, when you get the chance to get a good look at ‘him’ as up close and personal as I did, there’s no mistaking it.” She explained.

Scott felt his heart sink. He had gone out of his way to make sure that nobody ever figured out who he was, and now he was sitting face to face with someone who had done just that after two brief encounters. He leaned in close to her and began to speak, softly so nobody would overhear.

“Well, what do you want to do now?” He asked, suddenly unsure of himself.



“Well, first I’m going to buy [b][i]you[/i][/b] a drink.” She said with a smile as she locked eyes with him, “and then we’re going to get out of here.”