11:55 PM

As Heatwave scanned the room, she saw Ophilia exiting through a door, set into the side of the ballroom.  Her actions seemed a bit hurried and when Clementina glanced at the clock she could guess that it was because it was almost midnight.  Her boss' eyes swept the room, and finding what she was looking for, she headed in that direction.

Seeing Ophilia was busy and not seen Nemesis anywhere Heatwave decided to forego saying goodnight. There was no one else at the party she wanted to speak to so she made her way to the front door and slipped out into the night.

Soldier Boy watched as Heatwave left. It wasn't fun jumping on her like that, and he wanted to find a way to take his mind off the nastiness. Another scotch maybe?

"Hey, Soldier Boy, why the long face?"

It was Danny Cider's voice. He'd recognize it anywhere. Soldier Boy turned and checked out that 'do anything for a story' look on her face. Yeah, she'd do.

"Three more Minutes, Ladies and Gentlemen!  2009 is almost upon us.  Let's all raise our glasses to, Hope for Hudson City.  Success for the Conquistadors. ..and a prosperous new year!"

* * * * *

"Three more Minutes, Ladies and Gentlemen!  2009 is almost upon us.  Let's all raise our glasses to, Hope for Hudson City.  Success for the Conquistadors. ..and a prosperous new year!"

JACE turned at the announcement of the time.  He had been chatting pleasantly with some of the press, waiting for the party to end.  It had already gone past the point of interesting for him, but decor and a proper public image required him to remain, at least a little longer.  The entire idea of celebrating a purely arbitrary moment that had no real significance was ridiculous, but obviously appealing to the lesser minds around him.  It was occasionally necessary to follow even pointless traditions to keep them happy.  The doctor smiled , and raised his glass for the toast, ignoring the waiter who came by conspicuously carrying glasses of champagne.

Celeste took a glass off the tray and smiled at Jonathan, raising her glass with his.  She knew about his aversion to alcohol, but didn't share it.  Not one to overindulge, she still appreciated a fine glass now and then, and this promised to be some of the finest available.  Grinning at him mischieviously, she leaned in and whispered in his ear.  "Of course, I expect my midnight kiss, Dr. Jace.  Just for appearances sake, of course."

Jonathan sighed slightly.  Not that he minded kissing Celeste, but it hardly seemed necessary to do so just because of pointless tradition, especially in such a public setting, but he would do what he must.

Ophilia slipped through the room like a woman with a purpose, the look on her face, forstalled the usual pleasantries that assaulted her wherever she went.  She saw the host taking the stage for the Ball Drop announcement at the same time she met Mason's gaze.  She gave him an apologetic smile as she slid into place next to him.  "I'm sorry."  She apologized, "that took longer than I expected."

Mason smiled, "No worries.  You made it.  I had no doubt you would."  He cocked his head at her thoughtfully, his heightened senses picking up on something.  Quickened pulse, flushed cheeks, a light scent of sexual exitement that emanated from her breasts that strangely smelled like sweet, wild onions to him.  His eyes took on a suspicious cast as her own avoided them quickly.

"Three more Minutes, Ladies and Gentlemen!  2009 is almost upon us.  Let's all raise our glasses to, Hope for Hudson City.  Success for the Conquistadors. ..and a prosperous new year!"

He handed her the full glass of champagne that had been in his hand briefly forgotten and glanced with a smile at the server that stood on hand with a bottle to refill  their glasses after the ball dropped.  He tried to ignore the way she looked at him adoringly, and turned his attention to the happenings on stage.  He heard nothing the speaker said as his mind was still processing what his senses were telling him about Phi.  He glanced at her with a furrowed brow again, and smiled pleasantly when she looked at him. 

Mason looked back the way she had come from and then back at the stage.  She had said that she was going to talk to Nemesis.  She had said that there was something there, but that it could never happen.  He pursed his lips as he thought back over what he knew of Phi...would she?  No.  They'd been too close for too long.  She wouldn't lie to him, or be deliberately misleading about something like this.  He shook his head to himself and put it out of his mind.  He mentally reinforced to himself, as if telling himself, "No.  It can't be. She wouldn't do that.  It's just a primal urge.  It's a territorial thing.  I am in control of this thing.  Down Boy."  He chuckled to himself at the biker's remark from earlier.  It was kind of funny now.  He took a dep breath and let it go.

For Ophilia's part she was still waring with her racing heart and completely missed the cues that would have normally told her that something was troubling Mason.  She thanked him again for the glass of champaign and clinked it with his, before taking a small sip.
 

* * * * *

Nemesis exited the lounge with a smile. He paused as the door closed behind him, eyes scanning the crowd to see if he'd missed anything of import or interest. Likely both, he thought with a chuckle, but he was surprised to find he didn't care all that much. It was New Year's Eve, and he was definitely on track to make this year one to remember. Besides, if anyone needed him it wasn't like he was hard to find. How many armed vigilantes could there be, even at a party like this?

He nodded to a few guests both familiar and not as he wound his way through the crowd to the bar again. He smiled at the tender and ordered his soda with a lime and took a moment to wash the taste of Scotch out of his mouth. A few guests made small talk while they ordered their own cocktails and Nemesis was content with being friendly and conversational and letting the night progress. He was a patient man, and he could wait another few minutes or so for the ball to drop.

"Three more Minutes, Ladies and Gentlemen!  2009 is almost upon us.  Let's all raise our glasses to, Hope for Hudson City.  Success for the Conquistadors. ..and a prosperous new year!"

Nemesis sighed and took a glass of champagne from a passing server. Three minutes. Three hours, more like...

"Hey...Ne...me...sis."  He felt a light tap on his shoulder along with the greeting behind him.  When he turned he saw Christie Danner standing there, and damned if she didn't manage to make his hero name sound like a cute little kitten.  She looked very lovely tonight, and even though she was leaning against a bar stool, he was able to pick up on the subtle clues that she was intoxicated.

Nemesis laughed softly and inclined his head in greeting.  "Hey, yourself, Miss Danner." He gestured to the room around them with his untouched glass of champagne. "Quite a night so far, huh?"

"You have no idea!"  She said brightly.  "As a matter of fact..."  she tilted her head cutely, "...I spoke to my very first biker gang guy today.  ...and he was not nice.  ...and then... Stone came by and encouraged them to leave.  Thank goodness.  ..and then there was the unveiling!  I'm so proud of Phi.  ...and the glasses.  and I met Heatwave.  It has been some night, indeed."

Nemesis flashed her a smile. "Glad to hear you've had a good time." He took in the crowd around them. "I've met quite a few folks, myself. It's definitely a night to remember."

"I just wanted to say hello..."  Christie drew her words out a bit as she thought of her next ones.  "Stone and my friend Tara were getting kind of chummy, so... I thought this would be as good an opportunity as any."  She paused for a moment and looked towards the ceiling.  "I've kinda been wanting to meet you again, but according to Phi, you're too busy to ever come and hang out.  ...but.  I can see where the logistics of that could be difficult."  

Nemesis ducked his head almost shyly. He wondered how much of the logistics were real and how much was Phi's way of steering her friend clear of him. Not that he'd do anything to jeopardize his professional--or personal, if it came to that--relationship with Phi, but he could see where she'd be a little guarded about such things.

"I tend to stay pretty busy," he admitted. "And Phi's been pretty protective of us prior to the unveiling. But every now and again even I like to socialize, and things will hopefully settle down to a more manageable routine in the near future." He set down his champagne and picked up his soda and took a drink. "Next time you're at The Cathedral and I'm there, let me know. They have some great coffee, and I'm always up for coffee."

"Yeah?"  Christie said in surprise.  "Seriously?  ...I mean, yeah.  I should do that."  She grinned at him, she knew that she was coming off like a fool, but she also figured that the alcohol in her system would make it a forgivable offense.  

Nemesis shrugged in that it's up to you manner. "I'll make sure it's okay with Phi, but I'm sure she won't mind."

"Phi usually tells me everything, but since this stuff with the team, I hardly ever see her.  ...and she's been very tight lipped about things."  There was a hint of remorse in her tone as she spoke.  "I guess that she needs to be, it's just different than it used to be.  ...like...." 

She hesitated for a moment, drawing the last word out as she did so.  "...I wondered if the two of you had something going on.  ...but she says no, but anyone that knows Phi, knows that she can say whatever she wants and manage to make it sound like the honest to god truth.  A very irritating talent of hers."  She looked up at him then, like she was going to ask him a question, but got distracted.  "Those goggles are kind of creepy.  Has anyone told you that before?"
 
Chuckling, the vigilante nodded. "Yeah, actually, they have. And that's kinda the point." He tapped his goggles. "They not only help protect my identity but they help protect my eyes. Most people get a little unnerved when they can't see a person's eyes. That usually works in my favor in this line of work." He gestured with a nod to the center of the party. "That's probably why Stone wears his. Bugs the hell out of folks that they can't see his eyes, and he loves to bug the hell out of people."

Christie gave a very serious, if somewhat comical nod at that.  "He...he sure wasn't happy when Celeste took them from him.  He has very nice eyes though."  She nodded again to emphasize her point. 

Beneath his 'creepy' goggles Nemesis blinked. "Celeste...took them from him?" His head turned to scan the crowd, looking for Stone or Celeste or both.

When she realized that Nemesis didn't know what she was referring to, she continued.  "It was actually one of the more exciting things tonight.  That pretty hero, Heatwave, came over to Stone and we didn't know what she needed, but  it came up later."  Here she paused to look across the ball room floor, trying to locate Soldier Boy. 

She never did find him, but she continued anyway, this time in a hushed tone.  "...anyway.  Soldier Boy had told Heatwave to get Stone's glasses, but she didn't.  She asked Stone to just give them to her, but he wouldn't.  ...but then.  later.  Celeste just bippy boppitty booed them, right off of his face.  He was NOT happy.  He went to talk to Soldier Boy about it, but seemed okay when he came back later."  Here she shrugged her shoulders.

"Soldier Boy told Heatwave..." Nemesis trailed off with a sigh. Between the bathroom visit and the lounge he'd been away for fifteen, maybe twenty minutes, tops. He shook his head. He couldn't remember seeing Stone without his shades. That couldn't have gone as well as Christie seemed to think, but if things were quiet then it couldn't have been all that bad, either.

"Have you seen Phi?"  Her eyes took in the crowd again and she shook her head.  "She's too short, I always have to look for Mason.  Not only is he tall, but people usually don't stand too close."

  "Um.." Nemesis turned his mind back to the here-and-now. "Not for a little bit. We were talking, she got paged, ran back into the crowd." He faced Christie. "Why don't people stand too close to Mason? Does he smell or something?" I wish, he mentally added.

That made Christie giggle.  "No...no, nothing like that.  He's just a Willoughby."  Realizing that didn't mean a whole lot to Nemesis, she continued.  "Just in circles like this, you don't crowd in on a Willoughby.  It's like High Society 101.  Between his last name and some recent rumors about his temper...people just give him space.  Kind of like you."  She gave him a big grin.  "I bet there haven't been too many people crowding you."

"No," Nemesis agreed with a chuckle. "No, there haven't." He took a sip of his soda then checked the chronometer on his gauntlet. "Almost midnight." To Christie he added, "Do you have someplace to be?"

"Nope."  She said matter of factly, "not yet.  I'll just help you fend off the overly friendly crowd.  I'm sure Phi would appreciate that.  ...unless of course, you're trying to get rid of me." 

"Not at all," Nemesis corrected. "I was going to ask if you wanted to venture out into--" he gestured with his drink--"that and try and find Phi."

"Oh.  Yeah.  Sure."  Christie said brightly as she pulled away from the stool that she'd been leaning on.  He could tell that she was a little unsteady on her feet, but could likely navigate the crowd without too much difficulty.

Nemesis set his soda down and retrieved his champagne. He smiled at Christie and led her back into the crowd, his eyes searching for signs of Phi.

Three...Two....One....!

As the countdown began, Mason began counting along with the crowd.  As the time neared, he wrapped his free arm around Ophilia's waist and gently lifted her off the ground, pulling her towards him.  With his champagne held in his right hand, he pulled Phi's body in tight with his own, and into a hungry passionate kiss.  Her dark brown eyes lifted to meet his and he saw a flash of surprise in them just before they closed.  It was clear that she hadn't expected such gusto from him, but as was their way, and in a way their bane - she relinquished her body to him.

Phi had been so distracted by her encounter with Nemesis, that she had completely missed the signs coming from Mason.  The entire night had been such a whirlwind, that she hadn't had much time to spend with him.  ...but now, now that she was wrapped in his familiar embrace, she felt the sincerity and intention in his kiss.  While this would certainly look good in the tabloids tomorrow, this meant more to him, than the usual photo opp.

A half groan escaped her lips as she returned his kiss, she was hesitant for a moment as she tried to process the emotions that she was feeling.  Her own emotions were hard to distinguish from the powerful surge of feelings that were coming from him and fueling his passion.  The groan turned into a moan as the kiss overtook her.  That peculiar and new something about Mason, enveloped her.  It was a raw animal attraction that sliced right through her, and when it combined with her already heightened libido, she simply couldn't help herself.  Without realizing it, her arms had encircled his neck and she was encouraging him.  The image of Nemesis that had been so firmly pressed into her mind, almost slid away, and again she wondered, what it was that was making Mason have this affect on her. 

Lost in the moment, a realization came to Mason's mind like an electric shock.  The scent of another man.  In the crowd, he hadn't noticed the smell was coming from her.  Now, it was impossible to ignore.  It was coming from Phi's face and mouth and his nose was pressed right up against it.  His eyes opened wide with shock.  It took a moment to recover from the initial surprise, and then he relented.  

The familiarity of the embrace became his world and he pushed all else aside.  It felt right having her there, but there was something different, usually when they kissed she was open to him, but not tonight.  That soft buzz of pleasure from her mind, the way she slid into him with murmurs of contentment and desire, the constant whispers of the unintelligible.  Things he could feel but not translate, something so palpable and defining, that its absence was acute.  From experience he knew that it was an exercise for her to close her mind off during intimacy, so the fact that she was resisting it, only deepened his suspicions.    

It was with a crashing sort of realization that Ophilia finally pulled away from his kiss, but still her body stayed nestled close to his.  The timing was bad.  Something was wrong.  She was leading Mason on.  Her libido was out of control.  Not knowing what to do or how to say what needed to be said, she leaned her forehead against her ex's broad chest.  She was already working to gather her thoughts and emotions as she tried to prioritize what she wanted and what she needed.

* * * * *

Three...Two....One....!

The crowd counted down the last few seconds together. Even Christie was yelling and laughing with the others when the chime sounded and crowd erupted in good natured cheers and well-wishes.

Nemesis felt her arms around him before he'd realized that Christie had given him a hug. He returned it with a laugh, yelling "Happy New Year!" above the din. She said something in return and started to move into the crowd, presumably in search of her friends. Nemesis chuckled again and turned slowly, scanning the crowd for a friendly face.

He found it. Just through a break in the crowd he saw a flash of her dress. From there it was easy to pick out Mason above most of them. Nemesis watched Mason's head duck and, because Fate can be cruel that way, the crowd parted enough to show him Ophilia DiSantiago pressed against Willoughby.

He stood, a rock in the midst of a sea of celebration, and watched them kiss. They broke, and Mason's eyes came up, scanning the room. Nemesis wasn't sure what or how, but he knew that Mason was looking for him. He stood patiently, waiting, and when the moment came he felt it like a physical blow.

Their eyes met, Mason's and his own behind the goggles. There was a lingering moment as the two men stared at each other. A small group came by, hands in the air, hats and horns shattering the scene, and Nemesis blinked once before turning away.

With feigned casualness he walked from the ball room to the lobby and set a room card on the desk.

"Someone dropped this," he said with a smile he didn't feel. The man behind the desk took it with a "Happy New Year." Nemesis nodded, then retrieved his own card. "And I won't be needing this." He set it on the desk and left the hotel without speaking to anyone.

Mason watched the costumed crime-fighter turn and leave with a casualness belied by the stiffness of his spine, and examined his own feelings on the matter.  There was a predatory territoriality within that was somewhat satisfied.  There was also a rising anger that Phi had played him.  She had used him. He was her cover, nothing more.  But this gave way quickly to disappointment. Disappointment in Phi.  He couldn't blame Nemesis for being attracted to her, but he had thought he shared a bond with Phi.  And so he'd been blind-sided.  And he even couldn't confront her with it because he'd be giving away a secret, one that he had been planning to share with her after the party.

He took a breath and let it go.  He knew then that he could no longer confide in her.  He truly was alone.   So he put on his best smile, clinked champagne glasses, and congratulated those around him as if all was well.