The city looked much the same as it ever did. Buildings scraped the sky, drivers scraped fresh snow off their cars before joining the morning commute, plebeians went where they needed to go and did what they needed to do to scrape by.

The city did not burn. Smoke did not blot out the dull winter sunlight. The streets didn't reek with the bodies of the dead.

Apocalypse averted.

Sebastian was sorry for all the promises he had broken by leaving last autumn without much of a word to anyone. He didn't much like prophetic dreams, and he liked them even less when they indicated that being in New York City that winter would mean that in the future there wouldn't be anything left of the world but a dust heap with bands of mutants squabbling over scraps of food like rats.

In the dream he had inadvertently played a crucial role in causing the world's downfall. Someone hadn't like him, they had sent an assassin, an explosion had gotten out of hand, etcetera etcetera until the whole world was bombing itself into pieces.

No, thank you.

He had decided that, at least for a little while, he'd lay low. He'd avoid the problem by avoiding everyone and everything.

So he had gone to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin was a serene place in the heart of the American continent. The people were friendly and hard working, it was quiet, there were lots of green pastures, that is until November hit, then there were lots of white pastures. He had started another branch of the Church of Eternal Life and many of the young mutants there had been eager to embrace its philosophy of using one's mutation for good.

Sebastian had intentionally left out the teachings about earning immortality in this lifetime. The dream had also proved that to be a bad idea. For one, it wasn't as permanent as he had thought, and two, people misused it for business that had nothing to do with the church's teachings.

Now that it was nearing spring, the unicorn god figured it was about time to revisit his more urban flock. The danger had likely passed and he didn't want to grow too distant.

Sebastian was back.

He went to the church first before making any other stops. He found a place to park his uniquely painted mustang convertible and walked the rest of the way toward the holy building. As he neared the front door pain exploded in his chest. He staggered and fell back against a lamp post. His hand came away red and his vision swam.

Was it impossible to escape fate after all?

--------------------------------

Ginny Douglas couldn't believe her luck.

She actually recognized the pale figure framed in her cross hairs. It was the actual “god” of this so called “religion”. Sebastian, or whatever the hell he called himself, was back.

Back to tell more silver tongued lies to troubled youths, back to taint the minds of humans with the very idea that mutie freaks were worthy of worship, back to damn more souls eternally to hell by leading them along his false path.

She hadn't fought three years in a war so this country could suffer from an invasion of heretic freaks. She hadn't risked her life so horned mutant assholes and their cults could steal away the city's children. She hadn't become a sniper, a killer for her country, so that her own son could be influence by such devils.

Ginny Douglas wasn't a murderer. She was an executioner.

She had come to execute the three young leaders of the church. Instead she'd had their false god walk into her trap. This was proof that what she was doing was correct. Fate had meant for this to happen.

Now she would prove that the unicorn man wasn't a god after all.

She squeezed the trigger and smiled as red soaked the front of his chest and he collapsed backwards.

--------------------------------

Sebastian blinked at his reddened hand then let it fall to the ground. Biting cold seared his chest, hurting nearly as much as the bullet had. He breathed in slowly, trying not to take too deep a breath. Ice seared him from the inside out. It felt like the bullet had gone through his lung. He decided to stop breathing for the next few moments, if at all possible.

On top of his own church there was a glint of light off a piece of glass. A telescope?

No, one of those miniature telescopes that could be mounted on a gun.

The fierce cold in his chest diminished as its healing powers knit his wounds closed once more and the unicorn man pushed himself back to his feet. Most pedestrians that hadn't already fled in terror when he'd collapsed decided that now was the opportune time to leave. Assassinations were one thing, and unicorn zombies quite another.

The immortal stared up at the steeple above him, trying to assess how the assassin had gotten up there. How had he or she even known that he would be here? Was it the same person who had originally been going to blow him up and had instead decided on shooting him? He had to find out. Or he had to kill them so they could never come back and try again with explosives.

He saw a glint of red hair as a woman, presuming her job to be finished, made her way across the roof toward where the slanted peak was closest to the ground and a pickup truck parked ready and waiting for her to jump into its bed and drive away.

“Not so fast.”

He drew his swords from the holster that crisscrossed his back and took off at a run. He reached the truck before she did and leaped up on top of it in two jumps. In another he was able to scramble up to the sloped section of the roof.

The lady took off in the opposite direction, up to the top of the peek. Her now packed away rifle swung behind her in its case.

It felt like a lifetime since he worn an outfit so very similar to this one. He supposed it was lucky that the time of year suited the outfit well. The tan trench coat and raised hood drew no attention from the crowd of like garbed folk. Neither did the red scarf obscuring the lower portions of Drew's face. The combination was such that between the hood and scarf little could be seen of his face other than his eyes. Beneath the trench coat was a white shirt and white pants. The ensemble that rendered him unremarkable save to those who had seen it before was completed with a pair of black gloves and a matching pair of combat boots. Unlike its twin this particular set of clothes held no associated memories. They were new and crisp where the others had been careworn. It was better that way. They weren't memories he particularly wanted to relive. Even Styx's good memories held pain for Drew.

There were two additions to the outfit though that Styx hadn't had. At his side was a matched broadsword and dagger. He'd sought them out after returning to New York. So few people carried such things that he generally got away with a few strange looks. After all, no one actually carried sharpened swords around. Drew knew how to use them but actually accustoming himself to doing so? It was frustrating to have the knowledge but not the necessary experience. In short he'd just have to practice with the darn things until he was as comfortable with them as he had been.

It had been even longer since he'd actually walked these streets. It had been before the dream actually. Drew hadn't been able to bring himself to return to the vicinity of the church afterward. Yet now here he was walking toward the place again dressed as he had in the dream. There hadn't been any coming to terms with the events that had occurred or his role in them. Oh no, Drew was here dressed in this manner for one reason.

He wanted to see if the role still fit.

Drew had felt like he was cast adrift ever since returning. He wasn't sure where he fit now after everything that had happened, both in the dream and elsewhere. Becoming Styx again, if only for a day, was something of a test. He was drawing near to the church when the crowds abruptly changed direction and most ran as fast as they could. Drew frowned as he trudged through the sudden panic. It was probably another demonstration gone violent. New York had turned into an ideological battleground just as he'd returned. The closer he got to the church the easier it was to move since most folks had already high tailed it elsewhere. At least Drew could catch sight of what was happening without being jostled.

It took a moment but he saw the movement on the rooftop of the church. Moving in closer he noticed that A.) There was a woman being chased across the roof and B.) There was a familiar head of white hair doing the chasing. Swearing under his breath, both at the presumed form of his erstwhile church leader and at himself for being such a glutton for heroics, Drew ran toward the church. Going inside and finding the stairs to the roof or bell tower or some such were out. If that was Sebastian then he didn't have that kind of time.

Drew searched around for something readily available. He could just climb the side of the building. There were enough handholds that he could see to make it feasible but not swift enough. Thankfully one of the neighboring buildings held the answer in a fire escape that Drew could scale relatively swiftly. By the time he cleared enough of the church wall to see the woman was running up toward the peak of the church roof with Sebastian in pursuit.

The roof slanted upward at a steeper angle than Sebastian had anticipated. It was too difficult to keep his footing and his balance with both hands tied up with swords. Stupid. He should have realized that from the beginning. He'd just been upset and let his anger get the better of him rather than calmly surveying the area he'd be fighting.

He didn't want to fall, not that it would kill him, but it would be damned inconvenient for catching his assassin. The unicorn man took a moment to rectify the situation and slide one of the blades back into the scabbard.

With both hands available for holding on, the red haired woman was actually gaining ground on him.

Not for long, though.

Sebastian continued to scramble up the slanted roof towards the peak where the woman was now running as best she could while balanced on the thin beam at the top of the roof. The church was in a very crowded part of town. The back of the church almost touched the building behind it, and the peak of the church was just slightly taller than the highest part of that roof. It would be an easy jump for the red head.

Finally he reached the peak, clambered up to the top of it and paused for just a moment. The building on the opposite side had a fire escape. That would have made climbing quicker. It also had a person on the fire escape.

The person wore a tan coat with a turned up collar, a blood red scarf, black gloves and boots. Sebastian recognized him immediately. Drew, or rather Styx when he was dressed like that, was a potential complication to what he was currently trying to do.

“Merda¹,” he swore in the ancient language, then took off after the assassin once again, balancing carefully on the beam on the top of the peak. Hopefully he could get to her before the other man could get between them and cause problems.

---

_{1. merda = censored}

The woman managed to reach the peak with some distance yet on Sebastian. It gladdened Drew to see it. The more distance the woman could put between herself and Sebastian the less likely she was to die tonight. Drew spent a few moments more taking in the situation. He had two choices. He could get a bit further up the fire escape and leap to the church roof. That would put him behind Sebastian. He'd get closer quicker but maybe not quick enough to prevent Sebastian from harming the woman. The question of why Sebastian would choose to suddenly become homicidal did occur briefly to Drew as he continued scaling the metal structure. It was dismissed as quickly as it came. The why wasn't all that important at the moment.

Another look to the church roof brought Sebastian into view. Not only into view but looking at Drew. Well, it was inevitable that he would be recognized as soon as Sebastian appeared. His second option, and the one that Drew favored, was continuing up to this rooftop and then crossing to the roof that the woman and Sebastian were running toward. The corners of the buildings were close enough that there was little danger of missing. The only downside being that this building was taller and so the fall was longer than the jump would be from the church roof.

Preferring one jump to two, Drew continued his climb to the top of the building. He paused only to take down his hood. His identity didn't need to be kept safe from Sebastian and it would limit his vision. It was difficult to check on the two on the church roof with it on at any rate. Their progress was as important as his own. Thankfully it was easier to climb ladders and stairs than steep rooftops. He lost as little time as he could in this since he'd only been half way up when Sebastian made it to the peak of the church roof.

As soon as Drew's boots hit roof he was running to the corner of the building. He spared a glance over to Sebastian and the woman as he prepared to jump.

So it was to be a race, then, was it?

Beautiful red headed assassin, versus pale, murderous unicorn man, versus the tall, tattooed horseman of death. Who would jump first?

Sebastian didn't like running on the narrow beam. It took him longer to cross it than he would like, and while he crossed the man on the fire escape made it to the top of his building. It looked as though he would be jumping down to meet them on the next building.

The assassin reached the end of the beam then and safely made her jump. A few more steps and she had disappeared behind some sort of machine that always seemed to be on rooftops. Sebastian didn't know what it did, other than hide snipers from view long enough for them to start pulling out guns and taking aim with them.

The immortal took the last few steps and glanced up. He couldn't see Styx from this angle, but he was sure the other man was racing across the top of the building by now, ready to begin being a nuisance at any moment.

Sebastian stepped back, readied himself, then made the jump down to the next roof top.

The woman had managed to take refuge behind some machine or another. Drew didn't know what it was. It was just there and conveniently provided cover for the woman to hopefully get away. Sebastian got to the end of the church roof and jumped before Drew could. White haired man landed gracefully just as Drew leaped for the roof. His own landing was less than ideal. Drew ended up having to tuck and roll a little ways and he still landed in a heap.

"Well darn, there goes my entrance." he grumbled as he dragged himself to his feet, "Been a while Sebastian. Last I checked chasing women across rooftops with murderous intent wasn't your thing."

Not that he'd know but you couldn't start a sword fight without some form of banter before hand. It just wasn't done. Well, unless you were on the battlefield. This wasn't a battlefield though so Drew felt it was safe enough. He drew his broad sword though because it wouldn't do to be caught unprepared. Whether it was Drew or Styx, he remembered that Sebastian was infinitely more skilled than him. Maybe he could have presented a challenge once but not now. Drew had lost that level of skill when he'd come back.

His eyes darted over to where the red haired woman had gone and he caught a glimpse of that hair. She was still around but hiding. Waiting maybe. It would be better but he'd take what he could get. Drew settled himself into a stance that would let him react quickly. He didn't want to fight but rather assumed it would go that route.

"You'll probably be the first person I have to use this blade against you know."

The promise keeper got himself all tangled up in a heap. Sebastian used the small bit of extra time to cautiously explore around the big machinery vent-thing to search for the red head. She wasn't on the other side. So she was either hidden somewhere else, or she'd gone all the way around it and back to...

“Save me, he's after me,” the woman made a run for it and dashed behind Drew, again seeking shelter behind whatever she could find. Her grey eyes were wide with an innocent expression, tucked behind him like a pup behind its master.

The young man already had his sword drawn.

“Get out of the way, Styx,” Sebastian warned him, pointing his own blade at the infinitely younger man and gesturing with it in a slight shooing motion. “That meretrix¹ and I have our own business to take care of right now.”

Maybe he could talk the young impulsive man out of this fight, talk him into giving up the woman.

“It doesn't have to go like this. She deserves what she's going to get.”

Or perhaps he couldn't. Either way, he was going to be ready. Sebastian turned his body and assumed the dueling position.

“Look at my coat, she's completely ruined it.” And his shirt, too, for that matter.

---

_{1. meretrix = censored}

The lady took shelter behind Drew as he faced down Sebastian. A small part of him admitted to fear at the prospect of facing Sebastian. Another insisted that this was stupid and suicidal so he must be trying to get himself killed. Mostly however he was just determined to protect the lady from Sebastian. Besides, he was sure that the man wouldn't kill him.

Probably.

After all Sebastian was taking the time to try and talk him out of this. That boded well for his survival even if they did fight.

"Sorry Sebastian but I can't do that. You knew me then. You should know I have a thing for protecting people."

That had been what he'd mainly concerned himself with in that future. That was one thing that Drew was proud of Styx for. Regardless of the side he'd chosen he had tried to help and protect people. Though Drew couldn't help but wonder how Styx would have turned out if he'd gone on his holiday before the dream. Forcibly yanking himself from his thoughts, Drew smiled bitterly at Sebastian.

"I'm afraid it does have to be like this. If any blood is going to decorate those blades of your today I'd rather it be mine than hers." Drew chuckled at Sebastian's commentary on the coat, "I'll pay the dry cleaning bill later."

He shook his head and motioned for the woman to step back. This fight was going to happen anyway. He glanced at the woman briefly.

"You might want to take this chance to run."

Then Drew's attention was fixed on Sebastian as he charged toward the other man. He couldn't win this fight. But he could delay the unicorn long enough for the woman to get away. His sword lashed at Sebastian in a diagonal cut that would bite deeply into the man's shoulder if it connected.

It was only a matter of time.

When someone fired shots in a public area, it wouldn't be long before the police arrived. It may have been Sebastian's imagination, but he thought he could already hear the sirens in the distance. Soon someone would put the pieces of the puzzle together and figure out where the shooter and the shooting victim had gone. Soon, someone would burst out of the door in the center of the roof that led to the stairwell. Soon someone would pass their judgement as to whether the man with the sword or the woman with the gun was the guilty one.

It was only a matter of time.

As one of New York's most wanted and a visible mutant currently attempting an attack on an unarmed woman, Sebastian had no doubt who they would believe in this instance. A little blood on his coat with no bullet wound would mean no harm was done to him and no crime was committed. Proof of that was standing right in front of him, protecting the would be assassin and all but formally promising to pay his dry cleaning bill. As if that was what he was really upset about. Hadn't the man seen what had happened? He certainly hadn't tripped and stabbed himself with his own sword to spill all that blood.

No, if he wanted justice, he was going to have to take it for himself.

It was only a matter of time.

He had to keep the woman from escaping, either down the stairwell or down the fire escape. If he could keep her pinned in the corner of this roof, then he could prevent her from getting away. The only problem was Styx standing right in the way, doing his damnedest to distract him.

The first blow, slashing down and to the side was easy to dodge. Sebastian's own strike was aimed not at Styx, but at the spot next to him, the area where the woman would try to run first.

Nope, not that way.

He didn't care if Styx thought he had missed. He was not letting his attempted murderer get away before the police arrived. Styx would get tired, he'd mess up, there would be an opening, and when there was, Sebastian would carry out his justice and prevent his assassin from ever trying again, prevent her from causing the apocalypse.

The sirens in the distance wailed louder, definitely heading this way.

It was only a matter of time.