Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men. I do however, own a really snazzy lighter.

Thanks for the reviews! I missed posting and writing on these stories! I don't know what I'll do when they finally end. If anyone has any cool idea or notes or anything, let me know!

Maid of the Mer- sorry it took me a while to update, buy I'm glad you like the beginning!


Tears fell down Aiko's face as the group spoke to her over the video link. "They desecrated her grave! They took her body, Professor!"

"Why would anyone do that?" Rogue asked.

Logan's claws released. "I'll slice them apart!"

"Calm down, Logan. We'll find the culprits." Professor turned back to Aiko. "Do you know who it was?"

"No, but they burned all the grass and her tombstone is scorched and broken! It's a mess! They took her body!" Aiko put a hand over her mouth. "How could someone be so cruel?"

"Calm down, Aiko. We'll find out what's going on. We promise. Just try to fix some of the damage and calm the others," Xavier ordered.

Jubilee spoke. "We called the police, but there's no evidence of somebody breaking into the grounds."

"I'd hate to think a student was capable of this," Jean stated.

"I doubt that. No one at the school had bad feelings for Nicole and if so, why wait? I think it was just some vandals from New York." Scott took a deep breath. "Probably some dumb kids who hate mutants."

Xavier turned to Eric. "I'm afraid we must leave early old friend."

Eric nodded. "Of course. You are always welcome back, Charles."

The door burst open and Dom stood there. "We have to go home, now. Something's wrong."


She wandered alone, through New York City, a dirty white dress sticking to her soaking wet frame. She held her arms around herself, the wet hair clinging to her face. She stumbled barefoot, having abandoned her shoes a long time ago. Each breath she took stuttered, as she eyed all the neon lights and a police siren wailed in the distance. Finding an overhang, she sat underneath it and hugged her knees.

She stared out, blankly, into the streets as a police car, stopped and shone a light on her. Two officers got out and approached her.

"You can't sleep here, girlie. Go on," one ordered, shining his light in her face. "Jesus, she must be a junkie, her eyes aren't even dilating."

He reached down for her and when his hand touched her skin, he jumped back like he had been burned. "Holy shit!"

"What?" the other asked.

"Her skin! It's like an oven! She fucking burned me!"

"What the hell are you-"

She outstretched one hand and both turned to see their car levitating six feet off the ground. Down the street other cars began to rise.

"What the fuck?" He turned and pulled his gun on her. "She a mutie! Put down the cars, bitch! Now!"

His partner was slammed into the wall by and unseen force and he shot the gun, point blank. The bullet stopped inches from her skin and shattered into dust. Her eyes moved to him and the cars dropped. He stared in awe as his gun split in half and was thrown to the ground. Her body, suddenly, burst into flames and he backed away from the heat and threw his arm to cover his face. When he dropped his arm she was gone, only a scorch mark marring the concrete.


Xavier's eyes widened and he put a hand to his temple. They were on their way back home in the Blackbird. He looked across the jet to Jean, who met his eyes.

"Professor? Did you-"

"We must get to New York, quickly. Something is wrong."

"What is it?" Rogue asked.

"I felt something powerful. Something is happening in New York and-"

Dom smirked as he stared off into space. "She screamed my name."

Rogue unbuckled her seat belt and kneeled before him. "What?"

"She screamed my name." His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell back into a dead sleep.

"Dom? Dom-"

Jean stopped her. "He's asleep."

"Well, he hasn't slept in almost two weeks. I think he was overdue," Logan growled.

"No, it doesn't work like this," Jean said, checking Dom's pulse. "He shouldn't black out. We need to get him to the mansion so I can check him out."

Rogue held his face in her hands. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"His pulse rate is going strong… I think he's okay. He's not even in REM yet."

When they got to the mansion, Jean took Dom downstairs to the med lab. Hooking up heart monitors to his chest, she got his vitals going on screen. She attached a brain activity monitor to him and sat back to watch, while he slept. Rogue came in with a cup of coffee for her.

"How's it going?"

"He hasn't even went into REM at all. It must be the suppressants." Jean sipped her coffee. "I'm not even getting anyth-"

The machine beeped and Rogue leaned in closer. "What's that?"

Jean looked over at Dom and saw his eyes rolling underneath the lids. "He's in REM. He's dreaming."


Logan snarled and sunk his claws into a tree when he saw Nicole's grave and the broken stone. He dropped low to the ground and sniffed the air. All he could smell was torched grasses, freshly upturned dirt, and cedar from the coffin. His nose quirked as he caught a different scent, briefly. It was definitely feminine. It was a woman who was here and tore apart the grave.

"What's going on, Logan?" Scott asked approaching.

"It was a chick that did this. I can smell a woman, but can't pinpoint her. When she left, she went that way, over the fence." Logan pointed. "Towards the city."

"Any chance you could track her to the city?"

"I could try, but the trail's old. Didn't the security cameras get anything?"

Scott shook his head. "Only the fire after it started. A damn glitch in the camera setting, cut out about two minutes before."

"I don't like this. I can't smell any gas or any flammable liquid. I think it was a mutant that did this."

"Who is that strong and has firepower?"

Logan shrugged. "It was only one person by scent, and female."

"Who has that kind of fire power and strength?"


Dom's body was twitching slightly as Rogue and Jean watched the monitor attached to his brain scan.

"This is crazy, these scans are like he's having a nightmare." Jean watched and turned to check on him. "I don't see how he's dreaming, though. He has enough of those pills in him to overdose."

He began to toss and turn on the table and mumble. The machine began to beep and Jean looked on in worry as his heartbeat increased.

"Jesus, he could have a stroke!"

Suddenly, the machine exploded in a shower of sparks and fire. Dom's eyes opened, slowly, and he sat up on table, wires hanging from him. He stared at the two women.

"My head hurts."


When she awoke, she was still wet and cold. She woke up in an alley, in the same position that she had scorched herself in with the cops. She looked around, and got to her feet. Stepping back into the street, she saw it was now daytime and beautiful. She looked up at the sun and closed her eyes as she felt it shine down on her. Holding her arms out, she took a deep breath.

"To feel the sun, again…" she whispered. She opened her eyes as they blazed with fire and turned a maroon color. She gazed down at the ruined dress she wore. Catching a glimpse of herself in a broken mirror, she turned, "This won't do, will it?"

Eyeing a clothing store across from her, she headed for it. She went inside and began to look through the clothes. A salesman approached her.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Can I help you?"

She turned back to him. "Clothes. I need new clothes."

He eyed her dirty dress. "I doubt that you have the money for a dress here-"

"No, but I do." A loud voice stopped them both. A tall dark haired man with a beard and mustache appoarched. He was dressed in a fine Italian suit and seemed very sophisticated.

"Mr. Shaw?" the attendant asked.

"Whatever the lady wants… is on me." Shaw looked her up and down, apprieciativekly. "My name is Sebatian Shaw, and you are?"

She smirked. "Not interested."

"Do you have the money for these clothes?"

"I have something better than money?"

"Oh? What is that?"

"Persuasion. Give me two minutes and he'd been begging me to take everything."

Shaw laughed. "Really? How do you figure?"

She stepped closer to him and smiled, seductively. "I have rare, God given talents, Mr. Shaw."

"Talents you say, well, please allow me the honor of buying your purchase's, Ms-"

Her crimson lips curled into a smile. "Phoenix… Just Phoenix."

"Phoenix? That's an odd name."

She walked on, looking at clothes. "Really? Is that not a proper name? Should I call myself something else?"

"No… I believe Phoenix fits you well, Madame.

She stopped and gave him a sexy smile. "Good. I rather like it myself."

"May I ask where you are staying at?" Shaw asked.

"Wherever I want."

"May I make a suggestion?"

"You may." She cocked her head to one side.

"My hotel? A suite all to yourself."

"What do you get out of it?"

He smiled. "I want to learn about your God given talents."


"No more tests! I'm fine!" Dom yelled as he struggled against the straps holding him to the bed. "Let me go! Something's wrong!"

Jean shook her head. "We just need to run some scans, Dom. We need to make sure you're okay and see why you fried our machines."

"I'm fine! Healing powers, remember? There ain't nothing left in this world that'll kill me. So let me go."

Logan snarled at his son. "You're stayin' right there, bub."

Dom growled. "Are you gonna make me?"

"Damn right."

"Fine." Dom jerked one arm, breaking the metal railing from his bed and hurling it at Logan's skull. Logan dodged and ducked as Dom ripped the other free and pitched it at him. Dom leapt to his feet on top of the bed and released his claws.

Logan glared at his son. "Fancy moves."

"Samuari training." Dom smirked.

Logan charged the bed and Dom leapt towards him in the air and both braced themselves for and impact that never came. Jean stood beside them, hand out and concentrating.

"All right. Pissing contest over?" Jean let them free and they fell to the floor.

"I'm not staying!" Dom got to his feet. "Something is wrong and I have to leave!"

"We need to ch-"

Dom's hands when to either side of his head and he groaned in pain. "No!!! Make it stop! Make it stop!!"

"What?" Jean asked. "I'm not doing-"

"Make it stop!" Dom yelled, dropping to his knees.

"Behave and I will," a dark haired woman stood at the door to the room, dressed in black.

"Besty" Jean shouted. "Let him go!"

"Very well." Betsy released him and Dom shook his head. "Sorry Jean. I thought he was attacking you both."

"No. He's just unwilling to stay." Jean stepped towards Dom.

"Don't touch me." He stood up straight, rubbing his temple. "Damn psychics."
Besty glared at him. "This damn psychic learned a lot of shit about you right then."

"That's why I don't like psychics. They get in your head and fuck with things." Dom dropped his arm. "You do that again and-"

"Yes, yes." Besty waved her hand. "I know-"

Dom slammed her against a wall, his forearm pressing against her throat and claws in her face. "You misunderstand, bitch. I don't have a damn thing to live for except the personal satisfaction I get by killing people that piss me off. You do that again and I will kill you."

He let her loose and stepped towards the door. "Where are my bags? I'm going to the city."

Betsy massaged her neck. "Like father like son I see."

Logan growled and followed Dom who was in the next room, dressing. "Hey, kid. Don't be stupid. Let Jean check you out."

Dom turned around and tugged a black wife-beater over his head. "No. I am going to New York. Whatever is causing my dreams is there and I'm going to stop it."

Jean and Betsy came to the door. Jean put her hands on her hips. "Dom-"

"No."

Logan grabbed his son's arm. "Nobody wanted tell you this, but… Nicole's grave's been messed with."

Dom's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"I just know it was a woman, but I lost the scent."

Dom jerked his arm free. "I'm going to her grave."

"It's pretty bad, kid. They… They even took her."

Dom stopped at the doorway, one hand bracing his body on the doorframe. "They took her body?"

"And busted the tombstone and burned everything."

"Fire?" Dom's spoke, softly. "The Phoenix bursts into flames and is reborn from the ashes."

"Phoenix? She's gone, Dom."

He left the room and headed upstairs. He passed by the bewildered students and thrust open the back doors, heading for the cemetery. Aiko met him at the gate and matched his stride.

"Make them pay, Dom-chan. Make them pay for what they did to her."

He nodded as he entered the graveyard, stopping to view the destruction. He went to the shattered headstone and saw the angel, with its head a few feet away. He eyed the scorch marks and paused. Stepping back, he stared.

"What is it?" Aiko asked.

He turned and began to climb a tree at the edge of the small cemetery. He leaned out over the graveyard and his eyes widened. The burns were in the vague pattern of a bird.

"Phoenix."


A limousine pulled up to the front of The Shaw Hotel. Shaw stepped out and held out his hand to the woman seated inside the limo. Her slender hand came out and a silver ring caught the light. He helped her to her feet and she smiled. Phoenix brushed back a lock of her dark hair and stepped forward, her heeled shoes clicking on the cement under the long red dress.

"Nice place."

"Thank you, my dear." He held out his arm to her and she took it, switching the bag of clothes to her other hand. "This is not only my hotel, but serves as my place of residence."

"Really? How interesting." She snaked her arm away fro his as they entered the enormous lobby. She looked around herself, and smiled. "Fantastic."

"Pleased?"

She turned to him, her blue eyes glittering. "Where is my room?"

"Follow me." He led her to an elevator and turned a key for the penthouse. "I'd like to offer an invitation for dinner. My hotel also hosts a marvelous restaurant downstairs."

"It would be rude of me to refuse." Phoenix stepped into the suite as the doors opened. "Amazing."

"Thank you."

The room was large and spacious and done entirely in marble and whites. The entire wall in front of her was one big window leading to a balcony that overlooked the city. She walked further into the room and turned back to smile at Shaw.

"Beautiful."

Shaw grinned and followed her into the room. "I'm glad you approve. It suits you."

She went to the window and looked out over the city. "There is so much life out there, Mr. Shaw. So much life… and I intend to live it to the fullest."

She turned and her eyes blazed with fire. He gave her a smile and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Under my care, I can assure that for you, Phoenix. I have more money than you could ever imagine. Anything you want is yours. By the way, call me Sebastian."

"Of course."

"About those God given talents, madam… Tell me."

"How about I show you?" Phoenix said as all the doors in the hotel room opened with a bang and her body burst into a fiery flame. Objects began to rise in the air all around the room. Her body began to levitate and she stared him down, flames licking her body.

Shaw stared at her in awe. "Amazing."


Dom sat outside the school, staring at the scorched graveyard in the distance. He absently rubbed his chin as Jubilee came to sit beside him.

"Hey, scruffy. I brought you a beer."

"Thanks." Dom opened it and down it quickly.

"I'm digging the new duds. Very retro cool. You're just one step away from dressing like trailer trash." Jubilee sipped her beer. "What do you think happened out there? Why would someone do it?"

"I don't know, but when I find them, I'll kill them."

"I figured as much."

"Something is wrong. Very wrong. I need to go to the city and-"

Yuriko came to the door. "Dominic."

Dom stood as his mother came to embrace him. "Mother."

She stepped back and eyed the graveyard. "Is it bad?"

"The place looks horrible. They even took her body." Jubilee rose, also. "Daniel come with you?"

"Yes, he and Jessie are spending some time together." Yuriko sat beside her son and Jubilee could see the warmth and love in her eyes for him. "What are you doing next?"

"I'm going to New York." Dom answered.

"And?"

"I'm going to find her and bring her back." Dom rose and stared off. "They will know fear when I find them."

Yuriko nodded as he went inside. Jubilee turned to her. "Does he ever just creep you out a little?"

Yuriko laughed. "Yes. He has much of his father in him."

Dom crossed through the living room, smiling at the children who recognized him. He scooped Domi and Gavin into his arms and they hugged his neck.

"Hello, little ones."

"Dom! Mommy said you came back! I'm in kindergarten now and I lost a tooth, see?" She grinned and showed him the hole where her front tooth should be. "Evan knocked it out and I wolluped him good."

"Yeah! She knocked the tar outta him!" Gavin yelped.

"Very good," Dom chuckled. "Where is your daddy?"

"Kitchen with Mommy. They're talking about Aunt Nicole. They do that a lot."

He sat them down. "I've got to go, I'll be back later and we'll play cards."

"Okay!"

Dom made his way to the kitchen and found Logan and Rogue arguing.

"I don't care! I don't want you going on some revenge killing spree!" Rogue yelled.

"It's for Nicole!"

"She wouldn't want death!"

"Boy, you two are always fighting," Dom smirked. "Hello mommy."

Rogue's face brightened and she went to hug him. "Dom! Please tell me you aren't as crazy as him."

"Crazier, I'm afraid. I'm going after them and I will kill them." Dom said as Rogue leaned back to stare at him. "Logan doesn't have to go."

"The hell I don't!" Logan growled and pointed a finger at his son. "Listen, bub, you weren't the only one sufferin'. We lost her too!"

"I'm well aware!" Dom snarled and moved closer to Logan. "You-"

"Why don't the both of you just calm down!" Rogue yelled. "Let Xavier have a chance to work on Cerebro and see what's going on!"

Both men stared at the small woman who stood between them. They backed down and stood in silence.

"I understand what you two are thinkin'. We all miss Nicole and want to find out who did this but you can't just go running off without a plan!"

"I have a plan," Dom stated and turned to walk away. "I find them and I kill them."

"Sounds good to me," Logan went to follow.

"Logan!" Rogue yelled. "If you go, don't expect me to be waiting here for you this time!"

Logan ignored her and followed Dom outside. As they got to Logan's truck Dom grinned. "She'll be pissed."

"She'll understand."

"She does… but she worries about those of us still alive." Dom stared at his father. "I'll be in the city. You'll know when I'm around."

With that Dom walked away from his father and headed for the mansion gates. Logan watched him leave and stood beside his truck, debating.

"Well?" a voice came from behind him and Rogue was there. "Are we going or not?"

"We?" Logan asked as she climbed into the truck. "I don't-"

"If you're going, then I'm going. Professor said that there is a powerful mutant in New York. One of the most powerful he's ever seen. He thinks it may be what's behind Dom's dreams and maybe Nicole's grave…"

Logan climbed into the driver's seat. "Buckle up, darlin'."

She did as he asked and smiled. "Isn't that what I should be telling you?"