The Howling

by Serenitatis Cove

Snively helps Sam reclaim the universe. Um...I'll fix the summary when I think of a good one. Sorry-it's my weak point. R&R please! You won't regret it. :

Q.N. Well, we're at the beginning of another 'fic. Sorry this one took so long to write but I wanted to make sure I had every detail in here that needed to be here. It's been fun writing it, even if it did take over three months to write/edit. Without further ado, here is 'The Howling'…. Enjoy!

= (equal signs) = flashback or dream, whichever you prefer

/ = telepathy

When we start killing it all will be falling down
From the Hell that we're in
All we are is fading away
When we start killing...
When we start killing...
I feel they're getting closer
Their howls are sending chills down my spine
And time is running out now
They're coming down the hills from behind
The sun is rising
The screams have gone
Too many have fallen
Few still stand tall
Is this the ending of what we've begun?
Will we remember what we've done wrong?

'The Howling'~ Within Temptation

= "Sam, breathe," Sophia ordered. Sam choked on her air, sobbing.

"I-I can't," Sam answered between gasps. Her hair was drenched with sweat and she was exhausted and wanted to rest.

"Sam, just one more time," Dr. Quack said patiently.

"N-no," she replied. She barely noticed someone else coming in the room but could not tell who it was. Her sight was blurred because of her tears. She wanted out of this now. She wanted the pain to stop. She had already been through a lot of pain hours before. Armageddon had taken such a toll on her. "G-get Snively."

"I'm sorry, Sam, but he can't be in here. He would distract you from what you are supposed to be doing," Sophia told her. She hated seeing her sister in so much pain but it had to be done.

"Once more, Sam," Dr. Quack said. "You're almost finished." She did as told, sobbing more.

"Get me my husband," Sam groaned. "Now!"

"We can't. You're almost finished," Sophia snapped. She upset Sam even more.

"Sophia, be ready to catch it," Dr. Quack said. Sophia did as told. "Okay Sam; ready?"

"No! That's the dumbest question I've ever heard!" Sam snapped.

"Sam, please," Dr. Quack said, trying to keep his patience. "Push."

Sam did as asked, trying hard not to scream. Then, the pressure was gone. She breathed in relief before feeling the awful pressure again. "D-Dr. Quack?"

"Yes?" the doctor replied calmly.

"You said the pressure would go away once the baby came, right?" Sam asked.

"Yes, but you haven't had it," the doctor replied. "That was just a…a contraction."

"Oh," Sam said simply. She repeated what she had done before and after what seemed like forever, the maddening pressure was gone again. She could hear a baby cry and was relieved. Dr. Quack gave her her baby, quieting his patient. "Why do I hear another baby crying?"

"It's someone else's," Sophia said quickly.=

- - - -

"No!" Sam yelled, sitting up. She looked around wildly, drenched in sweat. The darkness irritated her quickly.

"Alumina," she mumbled. Once she recognized her surroundings, she sighed in misery. She was still at rehab. She lay back in her bed and frowned. She had soaked her clothes and half the bed with sweat. She got up and went to the dresser and took out clean nightclothes. She changed, trying to rid herself of the vivid memory she had dreamed. Sam had that dream frequently and she hated it. She looked at her bed and sighed. She wished her husband had come with her so she wouldn't be so completely alone. Sam reluctantly got in the dry side of the bed, trying to go back to sleep. Hours later, she fell back asleep, but it was a fitful rest…

- - - -

"Come on, Serenity; your mother is waiting for us," Snively said, trying to get his daughter back on the sidewalk. He didn't want to be late to get Sam. He knew she wanted to be released from rehab as soon as possible because she had told him several times on a daily basis.

"But I'm picking flowers for Mommy," Serenity protested, holding up several dandelions. She found a big dandelion with a long stem and happily picked the flower. She wasn't quite sure how many she had but she thought there was more than ten.

"We have flowers for her," Snively replied. He was holding a large bouquet of white flowers. The child frowned in what appeared to be annoyance.

"Yeah, but those are the ones you got her," the little girl said, picking another dandelion.

"Alright, just hurry. She may be waiting on us," he answered. He let her pick a few more dandelions before making her continue on. Even so, she continued picking more dandelions on the way to the main office. They went inside an office building, Snively having Serenity sit down in the waiting area. She ignored his request and began playing with the toys there. Sighing, he went up to the check-in desk, trying to remember what Sam had checked in under.

"Name?" the secretary queried. She appeared to be a bored, middle-aged redhead who acted like she had better things to do and would rather be somewhere else.

"Oh, no," Snively replied. "I'm not checking in, I'm picking someone up from their stay."

"Name?"

"Didn't you just-"

"The patient's name." The secretary took on a very annoyed look.

"Oh, uh... 'Sam Brody?'" The secretary checked the computer.

"She's still in her room."

"May I have a key to her room?" The secretary begrudgingly gave him a key. He thought it would be unnecessary to thank the secretary, seeing how she was rude to him and acted like she wanted him out of there as soon as possible. "Let's go, Serenity."

"Okay, Daddy." The child scampered to her father and together they left the building. They walked through the property, the dry, summer heat somewhat bothersome, looking for where Sam was staying. They found the small apartment and Serenity grabbed at the doorknob and frowned. "It's locked."

"I have a key, remember?" Snively said, putting the key in the lock. He unlocked the door, letting Serenity inside before going in himself. The small apartment was darkened and cool.

"Is Mommy here?"

"Yeah…somewhere." They started turning on the lights, trying to find the bedroom.

"Mommy!" Serenity said loudly in another room. Snively orbed to the room he heard his daughter in and saw her sitting on his wife, who looked very confused and disoriented. "I bringed you flowers!"

"Uh, thanks," Sam replied, taking the dandelions. She smiled to let her daughter know she appreciated the lengths her daughter had gone through to get the clump of weeds. She knew Snively probably didn't like the fact that the child was slowing down the rate at which he wanted to get things done.

"Daddy got you flowers too!"

"Did he?" Sam smiled. Snively gave her the bouquet of white flowers. She smelt them and smiled more. "Easter lilies, my favorite flower. Thanks. And Serenity, you brought me my second favorite flower."

"I did?" Serenity inquired incredulously.

"You did." The child beamed.

"Sam, why did you sleep so late? It's nearly eleven," Snively said.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I haven't been sleeping well lately. Been having nightmares."

"I see. Do you want to go eat lunch?" Snively asked, concern now in his voice. She waved off his concern.

"Can I get cleaned up first?" Sam replied.

"But of course." Snively and Serenity waited for twenty minutes as Sam showered, dried her hair, got dressed, and finished packing. "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," Sam replied, grabbing her bags. As they were walking towards Snively's SUV, she asked, "Serenity, what do you want for lunch?"

"Burger King!" Her parents laughed as her father helped her into the vehicle. And with that, they were off.

"Sam, are you alright? You look exhausted," Snively said as he was driving.

"I'm fine."

"Mommy, turn on the radio," Serenity spoke loudly. Her mother turned on the radio, turning it up a little. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," her mother replied. Serenity watched as her father took her mother's hand and held it. Serenity yawned and slowly drifted to a nap.

- - - -

"So, how should we take out Sophia?" Sam asked. She and the rest of her Senshi were having their weekly meeting. So far, it was the same old-same old. The same ideas were being tossed around again and again, just worded differently. Sam sighed; she was beginning to have serious doubts about winning this war.

"Kill her?" Danielle suggested. The others gave her curious looks. "Hey, I 'am' the Senshi of death."

"We can't do that, even if we wanted to," Snively said. "It would make us look bad, let alone go against everything we stand for."

"Does anyone else second Snively's motion for no body count?" Sam questioned. She looked around the room, giving a stern but friendly look at the Senshi, trying to convince them that her husband was right.

"Yeah, I do," Alex spoke. Others began agreeing. Sam smiled at her husband, who began to look more confident.

"You are all dismissed," Snively said, watching the others leave. He was happy about his minor victory. He looked over at his wife, who looked concerned. 'She wears that look more and more each day.' "What's wrong?"

"I don't think I can do this," Sam said quietly. It was too obvious that she was upset about the war. He pulled her closer to him, her head on his shoulder.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I might lose my temper in battle and kill one of my friends or my sister," she replied. "I don't think I could ever forgive myself for doing something like that."

"Nonsense," Snively said, trying to clam her. "You'll be fine, I promise. You'll have the entire thing over as soon as it begins."

"You think?"

"Of course." He kissed her forehead lightly. Her smile quickly began to form, making him feel thankful that he could cheer her up. "We have to pick Serenity up from day camp."

"Let's go. Can we stop somewhere? I'm hungry."

"Again?" He glanced at her stomach. 'How is she possibly hungry? She ate two hours ago,' he thought, 'and that was more like a banquet than a snack or even a meal.' Her belly had always been flat. He did not really consider weight gain when his wife had been pregnant since she worked off every pound she gained in a matter of days.

"Please?" she pressed gently. He sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue with her. She would win.

"Alright." They left HQ's meeting room in a portal to pick up their daughter.

- - - -

Serenity slid down the slide, having the time of her life. She was happy that her parents said she could go to day camp because she loved it. She had to almost beg them to go. She noticed a boy swinging by himself on the other side of the playground. He acted upset about being alone. She looked over at her friends, who seemed interested more with what they were playing than anything else. She walked over to the boy, who was focused at staring at the tire shavings on the ground.

"Hi," she said, smiling. The boy looked up, startled by her presence.

"Hi," he replied shyly. She sat down on the swing beside him. The tips of her shoes just barely touched the ground.

"I'm Serenity. What's your name?" she asked.

"Eugene."

"Why are you all by yourself?"

"Nobody likes me," Eugene replied.

"I do," Serenity said. They began to swing as they talked.

"Eugene!" a woman called. The boy looked up, acting like he was extremely disappointed by the interruption.

"I have to go," Eugene said, sliding out of his swing.

"See you tomorrow!" Serenity answered. She watched her new friend leave with his mother and sighed. She really didn't want to go back to her friends. They were playing a game that wasn't all that interesting to her.

"Serenity." Her mother and father were at the entrance of the school building. She slid from her swing and ran to her parents. Her mother picked her up and began bouncing her on her hip.

"Hey, kiddo!" her mother greeted.

"Hi, Mommy," Serenity replied.

"Let's go; we've already signed you out," her father said. 'He's always serious. I wonder why; it's pretty outside today.' On the way to the parking garage Serenity told her parents about her day at camp.

"And I met Eugene at the swings. He was all by hisself," Serenity said. "Then we swinged together. Then, his mom came and he went home. He's really nice and you would like him."

"I'm sure we would," her father answered, smiling at her for the first time since the morning. He pulled into a restaurant. The child smiled happily. They rarely ate out because they had to feed everyone else at home.

"You seem excited," her mother said thoughtfully.

"Mommy, we're eating out tonight."

"I know."

"We never eat out."

"I know."

"So I'm happy."

"Serenity, she's kidding," her father spoke, his tone not as bored. 'He's happy today,' the child thought cheerfully. He got out of his SUV and helped the child out of her car seat. She skipped to the restaurant while her parents walked along behind her.

- - - -

Over the next few days, Serenity and Eugene played together at day camp. They played near the swings or on the playground equipment. Serenity just barely took notice of her other friends keeping her out of their games. She didn't notice much though.

"Hey, do you wanna play with my friends?" Serenity asked one day. He shook his head.

"No, they don't like me," Eugene answered.

"Yes, they do. They just don't know it yet." She grabbed his hand and pulled Eugene to her other friends. He protested by pulling backwards as she dragged him forwards. They stopped what they were doing and looked at the newcomers. "Hi, guys!"

"Hi," one of the girls answered flatly.

"Whatcha doin'?" Serenity asked.

"We were just going inside," a boy replied. Then, the small group began to walk away, leaving Eugene and Serenity behind. Serenity tilted her head to the side just slightly, puzzled by the sudden alienation.

"See?" Eugene said quietly. Serenity frowned. They heard the bell and ran inside, happily disregarding the unfortunate conflict. They ate their lunch and when it was naptime, they laid their mats by each other.

"Hey, Serenity?" Eugene queried.

"Yeah?"

"What's your Mommy like?" Serenity was thrilled by the question. No one ever asked about her mother.

"Well….she's really nice and she loves me. She tucks me in at night too…What about yours?"

"She doesn't act like a Mommy."

"What do you mean?" the girl asked, confused.

"She doesn't hug me or tuck me in."

"Well…" Serenity thought for a moment. "What about your Daddy?"

"What's that?" Eugene asked curiously. The word was foreign to him.

"He's like a mommy but a boy."

"Oh. I wish I lived with you." The girl frowned. Somehow, that upset her a lot and she didn't understand why.

"Eugene," their counselor said. The pair looked up, assuming that they were in trouble. "Your mom is here to pick you up."

"Bye, Serenity," Eugene said while getting up. He sounded like he was very disappointed. Serenity knew he didn't like to go home.

"Bye Eugene," Serenity replied. As she watched her friend go, she saw someone she didn't expect to see. Her 'Aunt Sophia' was leaving with Eugene and his mom. It was like her aunt was trying to play hide-and-go-seek with her. 'Maybe I should tell Mommy,' she thought. She knew something was different about her aunt, she just did not know what. "Can I go to the bafroom?"

"Serenity, be quiet. And yes, you may," the counselor replied, annoyed. Serenity frowned; she didn't particularly like her counselor. The child got up and left the room. She went in the bathroom and shut the door. She struggled in turning the lock but managed to lock the door. Then, she orbed to her mother.

"Serenity? How did you get in here?" Sam asked. The child looked around. She was in her mom's music shop. Her mother had not seen her orb before. "Serenity?"

"Mommy, I seen Aunt Sophia," Serenity spoke. Her mother's face was blank.

"Where?" Sam queried.

"At camp." Sam picked Serenity up and carried her to the bean bag chairs. She sat her daughter down in a chair before sitting down beside her.

"Tell me what happened," Sam said.

"Eugene's Mommy came to pick him up early and Aunt Sophia was with his Mommy," Serenity said. Then she took a saddened look, like she was going to cry. "Mommy?"

"What's wrong?" her mother asked, taking the little girl into her arms.

"Eugene don't like his Mommy!" the child cried. "She is cold!"

"Shh, it's okay," Sam soothed calmly. She steadily rocked her daughter, trying to calm her. "Everything will be fine. We need to get you back to camp."

"The bafroom door!" Serenity remembered. "Bye Mommy!" And with that, the child orbed out of the shop quickly.

"What is she up to?" Sam muttered, referring to her sister. She got up when she saw a group of customers flocking into the store. She waited on the customers anxiously, wishing they would hurry. As the last customer was leaving, Sam searched for her phone, cursing under her breath. She found her phone under the counter and began to quickly dial her husband's number.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Snively asked over the phone.

"Serenity was here."

"How?"

"I…think she orbed," Sam replied, still unsure of how her daughter got there.

"Orbed?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be right there."

"Wait, where are you?"

"Walking towards your store."

"Oh." She hung up and lazily watched him walk past the window and to the door. She ran to the door and tackled her husband to the floor.

"Ow, Sam! Easy!" Snively groaned. He stopped complaining when she smiled down at him. He lifted his head to kiss his wife, who happily accepted what he was doing. "Sam, get off."

"Why?"

"You said you had to tell me something." She sat up on his legs while he sat up.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Well, Serenity orbed here and told me that she'd seen Sophia where she is going to day camp. She said that Sof was with Eugene's mom."

"Serenity orbed?" Snively inquired, confused.

"Sweetheart, focus! What if Sophia tried to kidnap Serenity?" Sam replied, getting off her husband and striding to the counter. He followed her.

"Sam, I'm sure your sister would not do such a thing." Sam started organizing the shelves around, slamming things down in their places.

"I wouldn't put it past her," she said coldly. The conversation quickly dropped.

"Maybe we should invite Eugene over," Snively suggested abruptly. His wife glanced over at him, curiosity evident in her eyes.

"Why?"

"Well, it would be a great opportunity for us to get to know Serenity's friend."

Sam shrugged indifferently. "Alright, whatever."

"I'm going to go get Serenity. I'll talk to Eugene's mother about him staying over for a night."

"Okay but you'll be on patrol the whole time he's here."

"Why?"

"Baby, it's two kids at the same age. You'll have your hands full and besides, it 'is' your idea," Sam explained, still working.

"See you in a little bit," Snively said. "Give me a kiss."

She did as requested and watched him leave before continuing what she was doing.

- - - -

Sam glanced at the clock; 4:15. She was happy that it was Friday. She was waiting for her husband to bring the kids home so she could see her family, plus her daughter's friend. He had easily convinced Eugene's mother to let her son stay at their house. She loved her daughter's excitedness when she was told that her friend was staying the night.

/Sam, we're in the village,/ Snively said.

/And?/

/You're serious about not helping me, aren't you?/

/Naturally./ He didn't reply for a long moment, concerning her quickly. /Snively?/

/Sam, this kid looks a lot like our daughter. They act similar too./

/Maybe you should come inside,/ she suggested. /Sounds like you've been in the sun for too long./

/Cute, Sam. I'm fine. But you must see this kid./

/Okay, fine./ Sam walked out of the hut and saw her husband walking with the kids. She laughed when both children started to run. Then, she got a fairly good look at Eugene. He was just barely taller than her daughter, perhaps half a centimeter, and had her shade of hair color. His eye color reminded her so much of her husband's because of the pale blue color. He appeared to be weak because he was small and puny looking, like he was suffering from malnutrition. 'They're practically twins,' she thought as she let the kids inside, her husband quickly behind them. She instantly thought about her tortuous recurring dream but quickly disregarded it after realizing how insane her conclusion was. 'He can't be mine,' she thought while fixing dinner, cutting up potatoes. 'I only gave birth to one kid…didn't I?'

"Sam," Snively said, noticing her jump. Something had to be troubling her if he had caught her off guard. "Jumpy?"

"No, I was just thinking."

"Lucky you. I can't get the kids to leave me alone."

"Doesn't that suck?" She began making hamburger patties.

"Sam, please, trade me jobs so I can have a break."

"Love, no one ever said you 'always' have to be with them."

"You're telling me this 'now'?"

She shrugged carelessly. "You never asked."

He sighed then looked at the beginnings of his dinner. "Hamburgers?"

"Mmhmm," she smiled. "And homemade fries."

"I feel spoiled." They laughed as Sam formed another hamburger patty. "Do you need any help?"

"Yeah; can you finish the patties?"

"Sure." He began making hamburger patties as she peeled more potatoes and cut them into strips.

"Don't use much grease, baby," Sam said, lining the fries up on a cookie sheet. She preheated the oven and put the fries in it.

"You're baking them?" he questioned; she nodded. He put a hamburger patty in the skillet. He put in three more patties after that. He looked over and saw Sam searching the cupboards. "What are you looking for?"

"Applesauce." As they finished fixing dinner, Sam set the table. Snively placed the dishes of food on the table, then looked for the kids. "Check outside."

"I didn't hear them go out," he replied.

"Serenity can orb now, remember?" Sam said, stirring some cinnamon in the applesauce.

"Right." He went outside, seeing the kids playing with the other children of Knothole. "Serenity, Eugene; come inside."

"Bye, guys," Serenity said, waving as she and Eugene followed her father inside. She and Eugene washed their hands in the bathroom and then scampered to the table. They sat down as Sam made their plates. Her parents prayed and they began to eat. Throughout the meal, Serenity noticed her parents watching her and Eugene eat. "Mommy, can we have juicy juice?"

"After supper," Sam replied. She loved having two kids at home, especially young ones. It made her complicated life more enjoyable.

/Sam?/

/Yeah?/ she asked.

/Watch how they hold their spoons,/ Snively said. She watched both children closely, almost astonished. They both gripped the spoons where the tops of their hands faced up and they were both using their left hands.

/Wow./

/I don't know why Serenity uses her left hand; I'm right-handed./

/I'm left-handed./

/Since when?/

/Since forever./

"Mommy, we're done," Serenity proclaimed, bouncing in her chair. Sam got up and looked for juice boxes. She found two boxes and gave the kids one each. They left the table and went to Serenity's room. Sam sat down at the table and looked at her husband.

"Okay, I'm officially freaked out," she spoke. He took a sip of his tea.

"I know," Snively replied. He could easily see the anxiety in her eyes. "What' s wrong?"

"I'm just…thinking," she said.

"About?"

"The nightmare I've been having recently."

"And?"

"I don't know. I get this…this weird feeling around that kid, like…like he's my son or something," Sam said. "I mean he 'looks' like us and Serenity and does the same things we do."

"I know," Snively replied, "but he's not ours."

"How do you know this?" she replied as they cleared the table.

"Sam, we both saw the sonograms; there was only one baby."

"Well, the other baby could have been hidden," Sam argued gently. "It happens all the time in hospitals."

"I just don't think it's remotely possible."

"Alight, whatever," she said. She heard a loud thump down the hall and sighed. "You're needed."

"What for?"

"Daddy!" Serenity wailed, running down the hall, Eugene right behind her, also crying.

"Never mind." Snively picked up both kids and carried them to the living room to talk to them.

- - - -

"Goodnight, Sam," Snively said, settling into bed. He felt her snuggle into him, her head on his chest like usual.

"Goodnight, Snively," Sam replied softly. He began stroking her hair.

"Did you take your meds?" he queried.

"Yeah." They kissed and began to fall asleep. After awhile, Snively heard someone banging on their front door. 'Who in the world is up at this time?' he wondered. He untangled his wife from him and got up. He left the room quietly and walked through his hut to the front door. He opened it, seeing both Sonic and Sally.

"Uh…hi," he said.

"We're so sorry to disturb you," Sally said, "but we really need to talk to you guys about something."

"Come in," Snively replied, letting them inside. 'At this hour?'

"Where's Sam?" Sonic asked, looking around.

"She's in bed. What's wrong?" Snively answered.

"I know I should have waited but I couldn't. Will you and Sam please come with us on a recon mission tomorrow evening?" Sally asked.

"As far as we know, we can. We just have to take Eugene home and find Serenity a babysitter," Snively answered.

"So you'll go?" Sonic asked. The human nodded. "Way past!"

"Sh! You'll wake everyone up," Snively scolded, annoyed.

"Too late," Sally said. The other two looked to the hallway to see Sam walking down it slowly. She was visibly shaken up about something, staring down at the floor. She sat down in the recliner and curled up, her eyes nearly blank.

"Sam?" Snively gently asked. He hated the listless look on her face.

"Yes?" she replied quietly.

"Are you alright?"

"Nightmare."

"Hey, I'm really sorry for wakin' ya up," Sonic apologized.

"I was already awake."

"So tomorrow?" Snively said. Sally nodded.

"Late afternoon, early evening. We're going rain or shine," she replied. She glanced at the clock. "I'm sorry for keeping you up. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Snively said, opening the door. The couple left, Sonic carrying Sally as he ran. Snively looked at Sam, who looked miserably exhausted. "Come on; let's get you to bed."

"I'm fine," she said quietly.

"No, you're not. You need a lot of rest if you are going on the mission tomorrow," Snively replied.

She yawned. "Yeah; guess you're right."

"Of course I am." She rolled her eyes and got up. They walked to their bedroom and shut the door. They got in bed, Sam sighing. "What?"

"I don't want to sleep."

"Why not?" he inquired.

"I don't want to have that dream again." He pulled her into his arms, cradling her almost.

"You won't," he replied softly. He kissed her forehead and then each of her cheeks before kissing her lips. She smiled before closing her eyes. He sighed in relief before slowly drifting to sleep…

- -- -

"Thank you so much for watching Serenity for us," Snively said.

"It's not a problem. Eugene has told me things that make me feel that Serenity is very well-behaved," Eugene's mother said. Snively glanced over to Eugene and his daughter. The children were happily at play, climbing the playground equipment.

"She's always been well-behaved," he replied. "Anyways, she shouldn't be much trouble and I have to go."

"Alright; see you later," Eugene's mother said. He nodded and left, hoping Serenity was in good hands.

- - - -

Rain began to pour from the sky as the Freedom Fighters edged in towards Robotropolis. Sally couldn't shake the strange feeling she had, like something bad was going to happen. She looked over at Sonic and Sam, who both looked eager.

"Ready?" Sally queried. The others nodded, determination of their faces.

"Let's do it to it," Sonic replied, flashing his cocky trademark smile. The Freedom Fighters split up, going down their assigned routes. Sonic picked her up and ran to the main building. Sally grabbed Nicole from her boot and told her to unlock the massive door. The small computer did as asked and the squirrel and the hedgehog went inside, the metal door shutting quickly.

- - - -

Bunnie and Antoine ran through the side streets, Bunnie's feet clanging against the pavement.

"Bunnie! We are being in danger!" Antoine said loudly.

"Can it Ant! Y'all attract every 'bot in the city!" Bunnie replied.

"Oui, oui! I will be shutting up." The pair ducked behind scrap metal as two Swatbots marched by.

"This here is gonna be harder than Ah thought," Bunnie muttered before she and Antoine began to go on with the mission…

- - - -

"Sam, slow down!" Snively said, trying to catch up to his wife.

"Sorry; it's just been awhile," Sam replied as she slowed down to a brisk walk. He nodded in agreement.

"It has been awhile since we've been on a mission…I wonder how everyone else is doing."

"Yeah."

- - - -

Bunnie and Antoine walked to the meeting place at the edge of Robotropolis. Soon after, Sonic and Sally joined them. The hedgehog looked around.

"Where're Sam and Snively?" he wondered.

"We figured they met up with y'all," Bunnie replied. "Do you think they went back to Knothole already?"

"Non," Antoine spoke. "Snipley and Sam are being much too responsive to go back to Knothole without us."

"That's 'responsible', Antoine," Sally sighed. "We'll wait five more minutes."

"That won't be necessary," a harsh, feminine voice said. "In fact, you should leave now."

"Why should we?" Sonic demanded.

"If you don't, you will die," the voice replied curtly.

"Sorry we're late," Snively said, running to them.

"No!" Sally yelled. The human stopped short when the owner of the voice stepped out and stabbed him several times with a curved sword. He fell, looking at the person in shock.

"You're dead!" Snively sputtered.

"Do I look dead?" The person was suddenly tackled to the ground.

"I thought October got rid of you," Sam spoke lowly.

"No, she just wounded me. Sophia healed me and sent me back here to finish the job."

'"And what job might that be, Arable?" Sam questioned angrily.

"Killing you!" With that, Arable stabbed Sam before getting up. Sam got up and drew her sais.

"I'd like to see you try." Bunnie and Sonic helped Snively get out of the way, ducking behind an abandoned building. Snively tried to heal himself and panicked when he couldn't. He noticed his wife doing horrible in battle. She was fine before…'before I was stabbed. What if my injury is affecting her?'

"Give up, Sam," Arable said. "You cannot win! Your husband is drawing your energy so he can live. You're growing weaker by the second!"

"Shut up!" Sam snapped. She tried to hit Arable, but Arable grabbed her wrist and pulled Sam towards her. Arable kicked Sam down, making sure her adversary's head hit the pavement. Sam groaned in pain, feeling weak. 'What the-?' She slowly got up and faced Arable.

"What's wrong, Sam?" Arable taunted. Sam tried to form an energy ball and found she couldn't.

"Great," she muttered. Arable drew her Space Sword, advancing towards Sam. Sam tried to block the attacks but only lost more ground. Arable stopped suddenly and pulled out a vial. She uncapped the vial and dumped its contents onto the blade of her sword. Sam backed away quickly, coughing. She knew what the liquid was and did not want anything to do with it. She tried to keep from breathing in the potent liquid while trying to run. She debated about following Arable when the Senshi of Uranus orbed to the top of a building.

"Screw it," she finally decided. She orbed to the top of the building, ready for a fight, and fell to her knees. Sam tried not to scream, choking on a groan. Arable pulled her sword out of Sam's chest quickly, doing further damage. She kicked her opponent, knocking her down.

"You're so pathetic," Arable said. She smiled viciously before kicking Sam off the building.

"Might as well finish the job," Arable muttered. She jumped from the building and landed gracefully on the ground. She pulled Sam up from the ground, listening in amusement as Sam moaned in pain. She knew Sam was just barely alive, just barely breathing. She formed an energy ball and held it close to Sam's face. "Any last words?"

"Yeah," she heard Snively reply. "Goodnight." She turned around to see him grabbing one of his wife's sais and dropped Sam, running off. He threw it as hard as he could manage. He watched as the sai struck Arable in the back, causing her to fall to the ground. He saw Sam crawling towards him, dripping blood on the ground. He held her as she collapsed beside him.

"I-I'm sorry," Sam mumbled before coughing. He kissed her forehead.

"You tried and that's all that matters," Snively whispered. He heard Sally saying something about them but couldn't comprehend what she was saying.

"Snively?" he heard his wife ask softly.

"Yes?"

"I'm so scared."

"I know. Just rest for right now and I promise everything will be fine," Snively told her, seeing his wife's frightened look relax some. As they were being hurried to Knothole, the couple quickly drifted to unconsciousness…

- - - -

= "Sam, breathe," Sophia ordered. Sam choked on her air, sobbing. 'Wait,' she thought, 'this is my dream. But what am I missing?'

"Sam, just one more time," Dr. Quack said patiently. Sam let herself repeat the horrible dream, trying to figure out what was missing. She delivered her baby and waited for the dream to stop, but felt the horrible pressure again. 'What the-?' she wondered. She glanced up and saw Arable in the room. 'When did she get here?' She went on with the dream, feeling miserable.

"You said the pressure would go away once the baby came, right?" Sam asked.

"Yes, but you haven't had it," Dr. Quack replied. "That was just a…a contraction."

"Oh," Sam said simply. 'I could have sworn I had Serenity already…Wait! This is it!' she thought. 'This is the missing piece!' She did as the doctor instructed, feeling anxious. She felt like she was delivering another baby. 'It would support my theory,' she mused. She finally heard the sound of a baby crying and looked around the room. She saw Dr. Quack coming to her with one human baby and watched Sophia and Arable carry another human baby away to a different room. 'I had two?' she wondered. Her dream quickly began to fade as she heard someone saying her name loudly……..

- - - -

"She's coming to," Rotor said gently.

"Wouldn't you know it? She woke up a couple of minutes after he did," Sydney spoke.

"Could you speak a little softer," Rotor asked gently, yet at the same time annoyed. Sam groaned and looked over to see Snively staring at her, looking very concerned.

/Where are we?/ she queried softly.

/The Medical Hut in Knothole,/ he replied. /Why?/

/Sam we got the shit kicked out of us. You look worse than I do./

/Perfect,/ she said sarcastically. She shivered involuntarily, realizing that she was sweating. She sighed shakily. /The dark angel's poison./

/What?/ Snively asked.

/Arable gave me a large dosage of dark angel's poison when she stabbed me. I'm honestly surprised we're not dead yet. That should have killed us almost instantly,/ Sam answered tiredly.

/Sam./

/Yeah?/

/It 'did' kill us. October managed to bring us back./ Sam stared at him, surprise evident on her face.

/How?/

/Someone said she was in here alone and heard her say something./

/I see./

/Hold still,/ Snively ordered gently.

/Why?/ Sam answered.

/They're going to try and extract the poison./

"WHAT?!" she yelped, trying to get up, making herself dizzy.

"Hold still, Sam. It will be over before you know it," he replied, pulling her to him. He held her firmly as Dr. Quack came in and helped Rotor extract as much of the poison they could from Sam's body. "Shh, it's alright."

She whimpered and held onto him tightly. She wasn't about to let herself cry. She heard Dr. Quack say something about being finished and narrowed her eyes. "How could you hide the fact that I had a son?" she whispered angrily.

"Sam?" Snively questioned. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, there is," she replied, glaring at the doctor. "He hid Eugene from us."

"What are you talking about? Eugene isn't ours."

"Yeah, he is. Right, Horatio?" Sam replied darkly. Snively and the others present in the room looked at the duck, who began to look nervous. "He is my son, isn't he?"

Dr. Quack glanced down at the floor in what appeared to be shame and guilt. "I…I'm sorry for keeping this from you, but yes, he is yours."

"What?" Snively replied blankly.

"Dr. Quack," Sally said once she found her voice, "how could you keep that a secret?"

"I'm so sorry, but I had to protect Knothole. Sophia said she'd tell Robotnik the location of Knothole if I said anything about it."

"Is that why I wasn't allowed to be there when the kids were born?" Snively asked.

"Yes, it is," Dr. Quack replied. Sam slowly began to get up, struggling some in the process. "What are you doing? You need rest."

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going to find my sister," Sam answered, gathering her sais and double edge sword, as well as her pistol.

"Not without me," Snively said, getting up. He wasn't about to let her take on her sister alone. There would be no way that she'd be able to survive the battle.

"You guys," Dr. Quack began.

"Sonic, can you create a diversion for us?" Snively queried.

"Yeah, no prob," Sonic replied.

"Okay, let's round up the Senshi," Sam said. "We have a war to finish…"

- - - -

Sonic Hedgehog ran through the halls of the Moon Palace, trying to create as much of a diversion as possible. He managed to get most of the guards chasing after him. 'Feels like I'm back in Robotropolis,' he thought.

"Now guys!" the hedgehog shouted, stopping suddenly.

"Whaa-?" one of the guards questioned, stopping. Snively, Sam, Sydney, and Bane appeared and placed crystals around the group of guards.

"Sorry guys," Sam said.

"Nice work, Sonic," Snively spoke, looking at the hedgehog. "Now you need to go somewhere safe."

"Why? I wanna help," Sonic protested. Sam looked over at him from where she was.

"Sonic, why do you want to help?"

"Because I know you'll help us when we beat Naugus and Robotnik."

"Sonic," Snively began. Sam strode up to the hedgehog and pushed him into the wall. "Sam?"

"Sonic, listen to me," Sam ordered gently. The hedgehog looked over at Snively. The human shrugged, but looked confused by her actions nonetheless. "Are you listening?"

"Y-yeah," Sonic stuttered, alarmed.

"You know you will be the one to bring down Robotnik. Not us, not Sally, nor Shadow or the rest of the Freedom Fighters, you. We'll help you so far but then you will have to finish it," Sam spoke, staring him in the eyes.

"Why just me?" Sam backed off, allowing him some space.

"Destiny." Sam looked at Snively. "Let's get this over with."

Snively tossed a small button to Sonic, who caught it. "Press the button down and think about Knothole. It will open a portal back to Mobius."

"Thanks," Sonic replied. He did as told and left, leaving the couple alone.

"Come on," Snively said. Sam looked around. "What?"

"Where'd Syd and Bane go?" she asked.

"I…don't know," Snively replied, glancing around cautiously. "Let's-"

"-go."

"Exactly," he spoke, pulling his wife closer to him. They walked through the halls of the Moon Palace, alarmed by every sound. "Sam, where is everyone? Even the servants seemed to have disappeared."

"Yeah, no kidding," she answered, glancing around warily. "Too much inactivity is just as nerve-wracking as too much activity."

"I'm going to call Eugene's mother and check on Serenity," Snively said, while taking out his cell phone.

"Hey, did Eugene's mom ever tell you her name?" Sam queried.

"…No." They were silent for a moment.

"Can I see your phone?"

"Sure." He gave her his cell phone and watched her call Eugene's mother.

"Hey Sof," Sam said crisply. "So uh, how are my kids?"

/Sam?/

/Yeah?/

/How-/

/Just had a feeling./ Sam turned her focus back to her conversation on the phone.

"How did you know?" Sophia demanded over the phone.

"Serenity told me she saw you with Eugene's 'mother' when she picked Eugene up from day camp the other day."

"Impossible! I was hidden."

"Well not very well obviously," Sam snorted.

"Just surrender now, Sam. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble," Sophia replied.

"Screw you," Sam snapped haughtily before hanging up. "We have to hurry."

"Why?" Snively questioned, beginning to run after her.

"She might kill them," his wife replied, rounding a corner quickly.

"Are you certain?" He finally matched her running speed and ran in pace with her. She looked at him.

"I think I'd know my own sister."

"Right; just like you knew she'd send Arable to kill us and steal our son," he replied sarcastically. She averted her eyes to the ground. He stopped and forced her to do the same. "Sam, I'm sorry. I'm just w-"

"-worried, I know." He suddenly pulled her into a hug. "Snively?"

"Hmm?" He glanced down at her. 'She looks scared.'

"You okay?"

"Of course, but…"

"But what? What are you thinking?"

"I think we should split up to cover more ground," Snively spoke, seeing her wildly alarmed look.

"What if we need help?" Sam questioned.

/I'll let you know if I do,/ he replied, /and I know you'd do the same./

"Yeah, but-" He kissed her before she could finish her thought.

"It'll be fine, I promise." He pulled away from her and began to walk away. He stopped when he heard her say his name. "Yes?"

"I love you." He smiled.

"And I love you. See you soon." He began walking away again, hearing Sam's footsteps fading the further he walked. He rounded a few corners, coming to a closed door. He turned the doorknob easily and pushed the door open.

"Hello Snively," Raciel spoke gravely as he picked up two swords. He threw one at Snively, who barely caught it. Snively dropped it instantly after realizing he caught it by the blade. He heard Raciel chuckle as he wiped the blood on his hand off onto his jeans, irritated. 'Why did I ever let Sam talk me into buying these blasted things?' he wondered as he picked the sword up by the handle from the floor. He thought it felt a little heavier than the one he was used to using when training. "I see Sam hasn't taught you much about swordplay."

"You'd be surprised," Snively smirked. "You should be proud of her."

"I'm rather disgusted with her," the former king answered in an appalled tone, walking towards his son-in-law slowly.

"Why is that?" Snively questioned, taking a defensive stance. Something about the former king just didn't seem right to him. It was like he had been replaced with some stranger whose new outlook on his daughter was obtrusive.

"She should have done what was traditional and married someone of royal blood instead of you. I suppose 'you two' getting married was beneficial after all," Raciel said, swinging his sword towards his opponent.

Snively blocked the attack cleanly. "How so?"

"You managed to get Samantha out of the palace. That gave Sophia the perfect opportunity to take over the universe." The former king blocked an attack by Snively.

"That seems like traitorous talk if you ask me," Snively replied. He dodged the wild slash from Raciel, but just barely.

"Call it what you want but neither you nor Sam will be walking away tonight," Raciel snarled. He tried to attack again but failed as Snively dodged again and provided a very notable counterattack. "Hm, I'm impressed. Perhaps Sam has taught you something after all."

"Of course she did," Snively snapped, swinging his sword in a sloppy offensive attack. The former king was launching verbal attacks about his own daughter and Snively absolutely hated it. "She is very intelligent."

Raciel laughed, startling Snively. "How did you come to 'that' conclusion?"

"I know she is!" Snively swung his sword fiercely towards his opponent, deftly knocking Raciel's sword out of his hands.

"Yes, and I suppose you believe her to be a good mother," Raciel spoke coldly as he hastily snatched up his sword.

"She IS!"

"Does she know where her children are now? Furthermore, does she know she has a son?" Raciel said.

"Of course she knows she has a son-"

"-now!"

"-and that our kids are with Eugene's 'mother,'" Snively replied. He didn't consider that woman the child's mother anymore since it was just a façade to keep him and his wife away from their son. Raciel laughed again, attacking Snively again. Snively held his arm; the sword had nicked him across the arm, but it was enough to draw blood.

"Eugene's mother works for me," Raciel said. "She was supposed to keep him hidden from you but failed."

"I don't need to be reminded." Snively suddenly angrily charged Raciel, who failed miserably at blocking the attack. "Raciel!"

Snively, realizing what he had done, pulled his sword back quickly but gently so he wouldn't cause any more damage to Raciel's major organs than he already had. He threw his sword down to the side and eased his father-in-law to the floor as gently as he possibly could.

"What have you done?"

"I'm so sorry!" Snively replied while trying to heal the former king. Raciel slapped his hands away and then threw an energy ball in Snively's face. Snively was launched into the air and through the back wall, unable to react to the attack. He fell through the wall and landed in the hallway among the destroyed plaster. He tried to move but failed. His head hurt so much and felt a little wet. He presumed he was bleeding because of the sticky wetness. He tried to stay awake but eventually fell into unconsciousness……..

- - - -

/Snively?/ Sam questioned. She was worried because he hadn't answered her since they'd split up. She stopped suddenly, listening anxiously to the unnerving silence.

"-Flame Sniper," she heard someone say softly. She turned and was knocked back by a ball of fire. She quickly got up from the floor to find the Senshi of fire. Nothing. She didn't see anyone. /Snively, answer me!/

"Deep Submerge," she heard a different voice say, but it was just as familiar as the fist voice. Sam managed to dodge the large ball of water but was thrown into the wall by a small tornado. She groaned and slowly got up. 'Where are they attacking from?' she wondered, drawing her sais.

"What's the matter, Sam?" Sam heard Sophia say. "Afraid?"

"Come and fight me!" Sam yelled.

"Fine," Sophia replied, appearing before her sister. She quickly swung her sword at her sister, who blocked the attack with her sai. Sophia glanced around the room, seeing her Senshi beginning to come out of their hiding spots. "Secure the palace!"

"Huh?" Sam turned and was knocked to the floor. She glared at her sister as she got up quickly.

"Star Sensitive Inferno!" Star Healer yelled, aiming at Sam. She dodged but was attacked by Sophia, being knocked into the wall again.

"Hope, finish her off," Sophia spoke, walking away.

"Coward!" Sam yelled. "Sending a child to do your work."

"Shut up and die," Sophia retorted coldly. Sam looked around, trying to figure out where her oldest daughter was.

"Hi, Mom," Hope said icily from behind Sam.

"Hope," Sam replied calmly, not bothering to turn around.

"Don't move."

"And why not?"

"I'll kill you." Sam gave a short, light-hearted laugh. "I will!"

"You can't kill me, Hope."

"Watch me," Hope snapped as her mother turned. The teenager drew a jeweled sword, swinging it at her mother. 'Her sword looks childish. But then again, it's fitting for her age,' Sam thought. Sam blocked the attack easily, watching Hope's alarmed look. Hope tried to attack again, but failed because the attack was sloppy and looked like something her aunt would try.

"Hope, this is ridiculous. Why fight someone else's battle?"

"I requested this: I wanted this fight," Hope said, swinging wildly again. She'd almost struck her mother and was rather proud of it. "Aunt Sophia tried to discourage me but gave in eventually."

Sam snorted in annoyance. "How foolish; giving into a child whose thirst for vengeance is insatiable."

"What about your 'thirst' for revenge?" Hope asked, blocking an attack from her mother. "You wanted Naugus and Robotnik dead because they killed Dad."

"You're right," Sam replied simply, blocking an attack from her daughter easily. Hope stopped.

"I am?"

"Of course. But you have to realize it was natural for me to want that."

"How?" Hope suddenly swung her sword; Sam blocked the attack without any effort.

"They killed my husband. It was the only way I'd be able to find closure."

"Mom, you were almost killed."

"And that was where my closure was."

"That's stupid," Hope said. She swung her sword and looked at her mother. 'I….did it,' Hope thought in amazement, seeing her sword in her mother's side. Her stomach gave an unsettled gurgle. "I…I-I think I'm going to be sick."

"You should get used to that feeling if you think you'll ever amount to being a good Senshi," Sam said bleakly as she pulled the sword's blade out of her side.

"R-right," Hope replied, turning pale. She took a step forward, wobbling. She fainted, falling forward. Sam caught her, laying the girl on the floor.

"Knew she couldn't handle it," Sam snorted. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. "Sydney?"

"Are you okay?" Sydney questioned over the phone immediately.

"I'm fine; find Hope and revive her."

"Sam, what happened?"

"She fainted after she stabbed me."

"Wait, Hope 'stabbed' you?"

"Yeah; just hurry up and bring our Senshi; you may have to fight. As for me, I gotta settle things with Sophia," Sam replied. She hung up without giving Sydney a chance to question her further. Sam stood and began walking down the hall she noticed her sister leave through earlier…

- - - -

Sally looked up when she heard her hut's door shut.

"Sonic, is it-" she began.

"I don't know," the hedgehog admitted.

"Snively and Sam made me come back before I could find out." Sally noticed his troubled look.

"What is it?" the princess prodded gently.

"Sam said it was my destiny to beat Robotnik," Sonic spoke, sitting down beside Sally. "Sal, it's been eighteen years."

"I know."

"I have to stop Robuttnik once and for all," Sonic said gravely. "So…what should we do?"

Sally smiled. "I've got a few ideas."

- - - -

Snively blinked his eyes and noticed a pair of brown eyes staring at him in concern. "What-?"

"Just me," Leo said, helping him up.

"Thanks. When did you get here?" Snively questioned, seeing his Senshi. He saw October and Cale guarding his oldest daughter, Hope. Then, he noticed someone missing. "Where's Raciel?"

Leo averted his eyes. "Raciel's dead. You killed him."

"No, I-"

"He died from blood loss because of the wound 'you' gave him."

"No, I…I didn't mean to kill him. But he was speaking ill of Sam and spoke traitorous things."

"It's understandable," Leo replied.

"Unhand me!" a woman shouted. The two looked up to see Sailors Luna and Saturn coming to them with a tall, dark-haired woman. Snively recognized her easily. She was the one who claimed to be his son's mother.

"What do you want us to do with her?" Ikshu questioned.

"Kill her?" Danielle suggested hastily.

"I believe killing her would be completely irrational, Saturn," Snively replied, seeing the woman's terrified look ease some. "She is a mere servant; nothing to be alarmed about."

"Thank you," the woman spoke, trying to bow. Sailor Luna held her up.

"Bowing is unnecessary," Snively replied. "Where are the children?"

"The n-nursery," the woman answered.

"Let's go get the kids," Snively said, starting to lead his Senshi. He stopped suddenly and turned to look at the woman. "What is your name?"

"N-Nancy," the woman said softly.

"Which way to the nursery?" Snively asked.

"Down the hall, up the stairs to the left, and go down the right hallway and it is the second door on the left," Nancy said.

"Let's go; everyone, be cautious," Snively instructed. He and the rest of his Senshi began to go down the hall….

- - - -

/Sam?/

/Yeah? Where are you? Are you okay? Why haven't you been answering me?/ Sam asked, filled with relief.

/I'm on my way to the nursery and I'm fine. I had a run-in with your father so that's why I haven't been able to talk to you. And you? Have you found Sophia?/

/No unfortunately./

/Be careful./

/You too./ Sam saw a flash of motion out of the corner of her eye and was thrown into the floor. "What the-?"

"What's the matter, Sam? Surprised?" Sophia queried, appearing in front of her sister. Sam quickly got up and drew her sais. "It's not polite to draw a weapon, Sam."

"How dare you!" Sam replied sharply. She charged towards her sister, not thinking through her attack. An invisible force threw her back into the wall. She slid down to the floor.

"How dare I?" Sophia questioned in a mocking voice. "You are the one who decided to come and ruin my palace."

"You STOLE my son!" Sam was on her feet instantly and orbed behind her sister. Sophia turned, formed an energy ball, and launched the energy ball in Sam's face. The attack sent Sam half way across the room. Sam coughed out blood as she got up. Sophia smirked. Sam formed an energy ball. "Why?"

"Simple; I wanted to train him so I could used him later to destroy you," Sophia explained, wearing a sadistic look as she formed an energy ball.

"What the hell is your problem with me?" Sam demanded before throwing her energy ball.

"I hate you, that's 'my' problem," Sophia snapped, throwing her energy ball. The balls of energy hit together, exploding like fireworks. Sophia took off running, shoving Sam back to the ground. Sam got up and followed her younger sister throughout the palace. Sophia launched herself through the doors in Sam's face. 'Darn her,' Sam thought while trying to force open the garden's doors. Her cell phone rang, making her frustrated than she was before. She ignored her phone and used an energy ball to blast the garden doors. She looked around the garden, trying to find her sister.

"Sam." She looked up to see the twin of one of her Senshi, Chi. She gave a smile before scowling. "Plants Blizzard!"

"No!" Sam dove into the pool to dodge the attack. She kicked up and broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. She'd accidentally swallowed water when she dove. She orbed up to the top of the waterfall, being cautious so she wouldn't get caught of guard. She let out a shaky sigh. She unhilted her sais, glancing around. She took a step, then froze; she heard movement in a bush by the edge of the waterfall. The bush was rustled again and she backed up a step. A scarlet macaw flew out of the bush, startling Sam, causing her to yelp. Sophia appeared in front of her sister. "Bout time you showed yourself."

"Shut up!" Sophia snapped. The sisters began fighting as soon as the queen drew her sword. The battle seemed to drag on forever as the two Senshi began to wear out. "Give up, Sam. You're going to lose."

"You first," Sam replied, blocking an attack. She quickly wiped sweat from her brow before trying an offensive attack; Sophia blocked it. Sam knew they were both tiring, it was just a matter of who would tire out first.

"Sam!" October yelled, bursting into the garden. Sam looked down at her before yelping in pain. Sam sank to her knees as her sister pulled her sword out of her. Sam looked at where October was and realized it was a shape shifter hired by Sophia.

"It's over, Sam," Sophia said, stabbing her sister. Sophia looked at Vanessa, who was coming up to her with Melissa. Both were carrying heavy chains.

/Snively?/ Sam queried, trying to stop the bleeding. There was a long pause.

/Yes, are you alright?/ he replied.

/N-no,/ she said. /Please help me. Where are you?/

/The nursery./

/No./

/What?/

/That's on the other side of the frickin' palace!/

/Why? What's wrong?/

/I'm dying./

/Hang on; I'll be there./ Sam felt Sophia, Vanessa, and Melissa putting the chains on her, securing them.

"Goodbye, Sam," Sophia said in a cold, harsh tone. She and Vanessa dragged her older sister to the edge of the waterfall. Sam groaned in pain. Sophia smiled before kicking her sister in the face, knocking her off the edge of the waterfall. Sam dropped twenty-five feet before crashing into the water. "Let's go; we need to find the rest of the resistance."

"Shouldn't we make sure she's dead first?" Melissa queried, watching the water carefully.

"No, it would be pointless." Sophia and Vanessa began walking away.

"How? She can orb, remember?" Melissa replied.

"She's too weak from blood loss. Let's go or you will be joining her," Sophia snapped. Melissa reluctantly followed the queen down the waterfall and out of the garden, wondering if Sam was actually dead…

- - - - -

"Sam?!" Snively burst through the garden's doors. 'Where is she?' he wondered frantically. "Search the area."

"Divide up into groups of three," Sydney said. The Senshi did as told, running through the garden.

"Hey!" Sailor Mau shouted. "I-I think I found her."

/Sam?/ Snively questioned as he was walking to Mau.

/…y-yeah?/ she replied weakly.

/Where are you?/

/In the garden's p-pool./ That was all Snively needed to hear. He sprinted to the pool. /I love you. See ya on the other side./

/DON'T QUIT ON ME, Sam!/ Snively dove into the pool, bumping Sailor Mau and Echo in also.

/I can't…fight-/

/Stay with me./ Snively swam around, remembering how big and deep the pool was. He was already tiring out.

/Snively…/ He swam down.

/Focus on breathing, Sam. Move around so I can see you./

/I'm…too tired. I just…wanna…..sleep./

/STAY AWAKE! Don't fall asleep!/ Snively began to feel a sudden surge of power and felt something pressed up against his face, but disregarded it. He saw a shimmer at the bottom of the pool. /Oh Sam…/ He swam down faster, seeing his wife encircled in chains, her eyes closed. 'No.' He tried to pull the chains off but failed. 'Wait.'

"Chains," he mouthed, watching oxygen bubbles float to the water's surface. The chains holding Sam disappeared in a green aura and appeared in Snively's hands. He let the chains go. He felt himself beginning to grow tired. Snively quickly grabbed Sam, pulling her close to him, and swam as fast as he could to the surface. He broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. He didn't care about the Senshi watching him. He put Sam on the edge of the ground before he got out of the water. The Senshi immediately began to crowd around them.

"Back off!" Snively snapped. The Senshi hesitated but got out of the way. Snively began to press on Sam's chest to get her breathing, ignoring the Senshi's stares.

"C'mon, damn it," he muttered. He was beginning to feel light-headed. 'I'm…dying,' he realized. He put his mouth to his wife's, giving her air. He continued giving Sam CPR but somehow knew it was pointless.

"Snively, she's bleeding," Leo blurted.

"I…can't save her," Snively replied quietly. Leo squatted next him and grabbed Sam's wrist with his fingers.

"There's a pulse," Leo said. "It's weak but it's there."

"Then why isn't she breathing?!" Snively demanded.

"Because you aren't helping her." Snively began giving Sam CPR again.

/C'mon, Sam. You can do this./ He put his ear to her chest. He felt relief wash over him when he heard her heart beating. Then, he felt something more comforting as Sam's chest slowly rose and fell. He stayed like that for a moment, feeling his wife's breath against his hair.

"Sam?" Snively asked, pulling away. She sighed shakily.

"S-Snively?" She opened her eyes and stared at him in confusion.

"What?"

"I-I'm sorry; I thought you were my husband."

"Sam, I 'am' your husband."

"Look in the water," Sydney muttered. Snively did as told and looked in the water. He saw himself in a white eye mask and noticed he was wearing a tuxedo. 'How-?' He turned back to Sam and stared at her.

/Sam, it's me./ She reached up and touched his face. She smiled and tried to sit up. She yelped in pain.

"My side." Sam grimaced as she lay back down. Snively healed her side and helped her up.

"Better?"

"Much."

"Sam, did you finish Sophia?" Morgan queried.

"No."

"Let's do it then," Snively replied. "Everyone else secure the palace and be prepared for battle."

"Y-yes, Your Majesty," Deimos spoke. Sam transformed and orbed out with Snively…

- - - -

"I just can't believe that you can transform," Sam spoke.

"It's not like I was expecting to transform. I didn't even feel myself transform," Snively replied.

"How? Didn't you feel the pure energy?" The two had been walking around for fifteen minutes without any luck.

"Well, yeah but…" He didn't know what to say. She smiled.

"It felt good, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did. I'm not sure how to describe it either."

"None of us do," Sam spoke. "We just enjoy it after we can control it."

"I've noticed," Snively replied before looking ahead. He saw a small group of people at the end of the hall and frowned. /Sam…/

/I know./ She looked at him, wearing a grim look.

/Perhaps we should orb past them?/

/No, it wouldn't work. They would sense us instantly./

/Then we have to face them-/

/-head on, but yeah./

/Great./

/Just use your head./ She paused for a moment. /You may be able to take them all on by yourself./

/Uh…/ She giggled.

/Maybe not./

"There they are!" an outrageously captivating voice shouted. Sam was stopped by Snively before she could even take a step.

"What?" she queried.

"That's Dayanara, the one who-"

"-messed up your eardrums. Should we call the rest of our Senshi?" Sam said.

"It couldn't hurt," Snively replied. He texted Sydney and within seconds, their Senshi was standing in front of them.

"No body count," Snively spoke. The Senshi nodded gravely. "Attack."

Sydney and Sam charged forward with the rest of their Senshi behind them. Snively orbed beside Sam and formed an energy ball before throwing it at Sailor Chi.

/Who's Chi in civilian form?/

/Kate, Lea's sister./

/Oh./ He watched his wife hit Vanessa with an energy ball before glancing at him. /What?/

/Take over for me; I have to find the royal pain in my side./

/don't you mean 'ass?'/

/No, I mean 'side'. She stabbed me in the side./ With that, Sam took off running down the hall. 'Good luck,' Snively thought as he dodged an attack from Melissa.

- - - -

Sam ran down the halls as fast as she could, searching for her sister.

"Where is she?" she muttered.

"You mean me?" she heard Sophia say before feeling something connect with the back of her head. She staggered, trying to stay on her feet. She looked at her sister in disgust as she stood and drew her sais. "You should give up. It's for your best interest."

"Yeah, and so is letting you kill me," Sam scoffed sarcastically. Sophia took a swing at her older sister, who blocked that attack simply. The sisters sustained many injuries as they fought. Out of nowhere, Sam got an idea to swing up. She did so, forcing her sai into something solid. She looked into her younger sister's eyes, seeing agony.

"Sof?" she questioned gently, trying to register what had just happened.

"Traitor," Sophia whispered. Sam felt her sister's blood trickle down her hand and arm. She tugged her sai out of her sister as gently as possible.

"No," Sam began. She eased her sister to the ground, trying to stop the bleeding. "Sof, I didn't-I didn't mean-"

"Enough!" Sophia snapped before coughing. "Sam?"

"Y…yeah?" Sam was alarmed by this sudden quietness. Then again, she wasn't surprised. Her sister wasted a lot of energy when she had yelled.

"Does…Is dying painful?" Sophia quietly asked.

"At first, it's a little painful," Sam explained as she took her sister's hand. "But you're so overwhelmed by peace that the pain doesn't matter."

"And the soul bond? What's it like?"

"It's one of the best things that's happened to me. You'd be surprised about what it does for your love life."

"That good?" Sophia coughed in amazement. She acted like she was impressed.

"No, better," Sam paused, tossing a question back and forth in her head. She didn't think she should ask but decided to ask anyways. "So, we cool now?"

"No, you're still a traitor…but, I suppose you'll be a good queen," Sophia replied in a cold but, at the same time, somewhat pleasant voice. She closed her eyes and heaved her death rattle. Sam's eyes welled up with tears. She rested her lips on her sister's forehead, ignoring the shouts she heard.

"Sam?" She was pulled away from her sister and into someone's arms.

"I killed her," Sam whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "I killed her."

"Shh, it's okay." She was given a quick kiss and knew she wasn't talking to her husband. She should have known that already by the pitch of the person's voice. It was feminine.

"Where's Snively, October?"

"He's getting your kids," October replied, cradling her. Sam winced when her ex touched her side.

"Cracked rib."

"I see." The two looked up, seeing Snively walking in with their kids. 'My kids,' Sam thought, trying to smile. Snively helped her up after he fixed her rib and any other injuries she had. He held her in his arms while she sobbed. He glanced down at his kids, who noticed Sophia's blood and began walking to it.

"Don't you two even think about it," Snively said, stopping the kids in their tracks while they tried to appear innocent. Sam looked at them and smiled.

"We've won," Sam said, realization hitting her. She looked at the others in the room and smiled. "WE'VE WON!"

"It's over," Snively breathed. His wife smiled at him and snuggled closer to him. "Love?"

"Just shut up and kiss me," she replied, a smirk on her lips. He jerked her towards him and gave her a long kiss, happily ignoring the whoops of joy and cheering the Senshi were making…

- - - -

Three Weeks Later…

"Sam, are you ready?" Snively questioned, knocking on the door.

"Almost!" Sam called back. He sighed, but smiled.

"You said that ten minutes ago." He fingered his wedding band fondly, remembering the past seven years. 'Life's going to be completely different now that we're living in the palace.' He looked up when the door opened. "Ready?"

"Not really," Sam replied, smiling. She stopped smiling when she saw him staring. "What?"

"Nothing; I'm just admiring your beauty," Snively answered.

"Yeah, right," Sam giggled.

"I am!" he protested. "You look wonderfully beautiful."

"Sure, I do," she replied sarcastically. As they walked, Sam tripped over the skirt of her dress continuously.

"Sam, pick your skirt up so you won't trip." She looked at him but did as he told her. "Better?"

"Much." They continued in silence until they came up to set of double doors. "Ready?"

"Not really."

"Me neither."

"There you guys are!" Sydney and Bane came up to them, wearing smiles. "What took you so long?"

"I've had a bad hair day," Sam explained, playing with a ringlet of hair by her ear.

"It looks great. I bet it took hours," Sydney replied.

"Nah, twenty-five minutes. The pins took the longest."

"I better not have to help you get those damn things out of your hair," Snively spoke, eyeing the diamond encrusted pins.

"Of course not," Sam replied. "Syd, you look amazing."

"Thanks. The good thing about this dress arrangement is no one will have the same dress," Sydney answered. Her silky golden dress swayed as she took a step, revealing her golden heels.

"Excuse me," Bane spoke abruptly, going inside the double doors' room.

"I should go with him," Sydney said, slipping through the double doors after her soul mate. Sam looked at her husband.

"Nervous?" he queried, seeing the apprehensive look in her eyes.

"I didn't think I would ever be going through with this," she replied.

"It'll be fine." He kissed her forehead, giving her comfort. "You do look wonderful."

"Um, thanks," Sam replied. Sydney cracked one of the double doors open. "Yeah?"

"We're ready for you," Sydney smiled before disappearing behind the door.

"Remember, you're on your left, my right," Snively said. His wife stared at him in confusion.

"What? Am I on the left?" she asked. He came up to her, taking her right hand.

"You're right." He knocked on the door gently. "Ready?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's just get this over with so I can eat." He raised a brow. "Oh, come on; you know me better than that. I'm 'always' hungry."

"Yes, because we wouldn't want you to miss a meal." The double doors opened and the playful argument was quickly dropped. They walked through the double doors together and walked down the two staircases, Sam down the left and Snively down the right. They gracefully met back together at the bottom of the stairs. They walked slowly down the aisle, trying to ignore the audience staring.

/I can't do this,/ Sam said, beginning to sound apprehensive.

/You can and you will. Think of this as a concert. By the way, how's that corset?/ Snively answered.

/I'm breathing, aren't I?/ She continued, /besides, it's giving you pleasure./

/How so?/

/It pushes my breasts up. You can't say you don't appreciate it because I know you do./

/Touché./ By then, they reached the front of the room. The priest greeted them with a stern look.

/'That's' the dude coronating us?/ Sam questioned in bewilderment.

/For the love of- Sam, it's the 'high priest,'/ Snively replied.

/Well, the high priest looks like he's suffering from constipation./

/SAM!/ Snively yelped. /Have some respect./

/Oh come on, that was funny!/

"We are gathered here today to witness history being made," the priest spoke, unaware he was the subject of Sam's amusement. "This man and this woman are to be crowned the new king and queen of the universe. Speak now if there are objections of any sort."

/Please don't let there be an interruption,/ Snively spoke. There was a random cough in the audience but other than that, not a word was spoken.

"Let us begin," the priest said. They each had to read the rites of the kingdom, Snively struggling since he wasn't used to reading Japanese written material. Then, they had to demonstrate simple things using their powers. Both had to demonstrate the basics of swordplay and spoke in more tongues. Then, the priest began drilling the couple about their personal lives, knowing when they lied or wanted to.

"These two are both trustworthy."

/Is it over?/ Snively asked, still mortified by the fact that he had told the audience and high priest what he had done with/to Sam.

/No, I think there's something else,/ Sam answered, who acted completely comfortable.

/How are you calm?/

/Feels like another interview to me./

"Colin," the high priest said, slightly startling Snively. 'He called me by my first name. How did he know?' "Do you solemnly swear that you will guide this kingdom, protect it at all costs, and will not fall to the power of tyranny?"

"I…I swear," Snively answered, holding up his right hand. The priest quickly moved onto Sam.

"Samantha," the priest spoke. "Do you solemnly swear that you will guide this kingdom, protect it at all costs, and will not fall to the power of tyranny?"

"I swear with my life," Sam answered gravely. The priest looked at Snively.

"Have you been knighted?" Snively glanced at Sam in concern, and saw she looked just as alarmed as he felt.

"He's an active member of the Senshi," Sam said quickly.

"I am not speaking with you," the high priest answered in a stern voice. Sam instantly backed off.

"No, I haven't," Snively said, looking down. The priest looked at Queen Serenity, who was walking up to him. She picked up the sword that was used for Snively and Sam's swordplay demonstrations.

"Come here, Snively," Queen Serenity spoke in her soft voice. Snively looked at his wife, who nodded, and walked up to the former queen.

"Yes 'mm," he replied, dropping on one knee.

"Due to your loyalty to my kingdom and serving this kingdom in its desperate time of need, you shall be knighted." Queen Serenity tapped each of Snively's shoulders twice with the sword. "Rise, Sir Colin James 'Snively' Kintobor."

Snively stood and looked at Sam, who gave him a smile. "Thank you."

"Yeah, Sniv-Meister!" a certain voice brayed. Snively gave Sonic a dour look. The hedgehog, oblivious to the look, smiled and gave the knight a thumb's up. Snively hurriedly walked over to Sam, who kissed his forehead. Sydney and Bane walked up the aisle, each carrying a large wooden box. They stopped by the high priest. The priest stared at Sam and Snively, who were beginning to feel unnerved by the stare.

"Kneel," the priest ordered. Snively noticed Sam struggling to kneel because the corset of her dress kept her from bending over. She finally was able to kneel, but he knew she was extremely uncomfortable.

/Almost done, Love./

/This sucks./ The high priest opened each of the boxes, revealing crowns. Snively noticed for the first time that Simon was standing rather closely to Queen Serenity. The former queen picked up the queen's crown while Simon picked up the king's crown. Snively and Sam made sure to have their heads bowed as they were being crowned. The queen and guard placed a crown on their heads, respectively. The crowned couple stood when told to, Snively helping Sam up.

"Presenting," the high priest spoke loudly, "King Colin and Queen Samantha."

The room was dead silent. Snively swore that not one person was breathing, but holding their breath. It was as if all were pausing their lives just to remember this moment in history. Then, the audience began cheering and clapping. Snively grabbed Sam and pulled her into a kiss. The newly crowned king and queen walked down the aisle with guards following after them. The couple led everyone to the large dining hall. Soon, all of the guests were seated, the royal family seated at the front of the hall. The servers brought out the meal and dinner began. Eugene looked at his parents uncomfortably after seeing his meal.

"Mommy?" the child queried. Sam looked up, food on her fork.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"I don't know what this is," he said. She began pointing at things on his plate as she talked.

"Well, the meat is chicken and you know those are mashed potatoes. And that's spaghetti noodles with sauce," his mother answered. The child ate, realizing his mother was correct.

"Mommy, I don't like my name." Serenity looked up from her meal. She knew he was going to say that. She thought about saying something, but disregarded the idea.

"I know."

"Can I change it?"

"Let me talk to your dad." His parents began discussing his plea to change his name. Eugene looked at his sister, who was waiting for dessert. She smiled at him.

"Eugene," Snively spoke, getting his son's attention. "Do you like the name 'Caleb?'"

The child thought about it. "Yeah."

"Would you like it to be your name?" Sam queried.

"Yeah." Sam and Snively stood, immediately getting everyone's attention.

"Your attention please," Snively spoke, though it was unnecessary. "Our son, Eugene, will be known as Caleb Jonathon Kintobor."

The guests clapped and soon, dinner was over. Music began playing and slowly, people drifted to the dance floor. Snively danced with Sam the whole time. He looked over and saw his kids dancing with some of the servants' children and smiled. Soon, the guests slowly began to leave. Sam stopped her foster family as they were leaving. "Why don't you stay here for tonight?"

"Well," Elizabeth began. Snively walked up to them, carrying a child in each of his arms. His wife took their daughter from his arms so he could hold their son easier.

"Please, we insist," Snively spoke.

"Alright," Elizabeth replied, seeing her daughter's pleased expression.

"We'll have some guards take you to your rooms," Sam spoke.

"So," Brandon said. "You know if there're any cute girls around?"

"Mom," Sam whined. Elizabeth smacked her son, but smiled.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Elizabeth said, leading her son down the hall.

"Night," Sam answered. She was disappointed that her other brother and sister weren't able to make it to her coronation but was happy that her foster mom and youngest brother could. She looked at her husband. "Let's get these two to bed."

"They've had a big day," Snively agreed, walking down the hall with his wife. They walked down their family's corridor, the Royal Corridor, and stopped at a door. Snively opened the door, letting his wife inside the room before going in. The parents helped the tired children get ready for bed, laying their children's dress clothes aside. They put the kids to bed, tucking them in and kissing them goodnight. They left the room, Sam turning on the nightlight while Snively flicked off the light.

"Good night, little ones," Sam whispered.

/Come on, let them rest,/ Snively said, guiding her away gently. The royal couple went to their bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

"Glad today's over," Sam said, kicking her heels off. She felt relief immediately. "Help me with my dress."

"You couldn't say please?" Snively replied playfully as he was unlacing the back of his wife's coronation gown. He undressed and dressed for bed, watching Sam happily shed her dress. She put on a tank top and a pair of pajama pants and walked into the bathroom. He followed her, knowing she'd be at the sink brushing her teeth. He didn't mind; she was usually quick about it. Sam finished brushing her teeth and gave him the sink. Snively brushed his teeth as she took the pins from her hair and took off her jewelry. He watched her shake her hair out as he finished brushing his teeth. Together, they walked out of their bathroom and into their bedroom. Sam giggled as Snively picked her up and swung her around in his arms. He gently lay her in bed, then went to turn out the lights. He climbed into bed, collecting Sam in his arms. She snuggled into him, wanting to play.

"Baby?" she queried playfully, getting up on his belly. He held her in place, loving her sudden playfulness. She hadn't been that way for a long time. 'No, she'd been the complete opposite for months. It's a good change,' he thought as he reached up and passionately kissed her. 'Now it's time to turn on the charm and tell her we need to rest.' "Love?"

"Yes, darling?" Snively answered, running his fingers through her wavy hair. He had missed doing that and did so when he was given the opportunity.

"Why did you stop?" He kissed her forehead and made her lay down.

"Because we've had a long day and need rest if we're going to help the Freedom Fighters reclaim Mobius."

"That's true," she replied, playing with a lock of his hair. He noticed she always played with the same lock. He rubbed her side, watching her grow tired under his control. "Baby, we're king and queen of the universe."

"I know," Snively said before yawning.

"What-what if I screw up?" He pulled Sam closer, trying to comfort her insecurity.

"They'll understand. You're learning." He gave her a kiss, resting her head on his chest. "Let's get some sleep; I'm exhausted."

"I love you," Sam whispered. She felt his lips on her head.

"I love you," Snively said. He closed his eyes and moments of silence passed.

"You wanna go on vacation, just the two of us?" Sam queried loudly. Snively exhaled a short breath in amusement.

"I'll think about it. Goodnight, Sam."

"Night, Snively." Slowly, the two went to sleep……

The End!

Q.N.

This was probably one of my most favorite things to work on because there's so much going on and reminds me of one of my favorite songs by the band Within Temptation, hence the 'fic being titled as a namesake for the song. There's probably two more in the third series and we'll see about a possible fourth. That's it for now.

Later!

M.P.

'The Howling' is by Within Temptation (as aforementioned multiple times I believe).