A/n: The good news – I've written the end of the story. The bad news – this isn't it, and there is a lot that needs to happen between now and then. I haven't yet gotten a beta for this story – if anyone out there is willing, please contact me. I don't know how to use the 'beta' system on FFN, but I do know how to use google documents or good old emailing.

Summary: X-men Twilight crossover. The shopping trip ends

[Person's thoughts]

Other character's thoughts

'Visions'

Projected thoughts from OC

[Projected or strong personal thoughts]

_+_+_+_+_+_+

R- POV

I turned around to where the voice was coming from, and before me stood my childhood best friend – Sam. Call it an automatic reaction – I didn't even think about it - I ran and jumped straight into his arms. He felt so good, like safety and home and... hot, like he was burning up. I slide back down him and realized another big difference. He was bigger than before, both in muscles and in height, towering over me at well above 6 feet. I looked him up and down.

[He looks more like 25 instead of the 18 years he should be. And his face is too hard, fierce.] He was glaring at me, [No, at someone behind me. Oh shit, Edward. I totally forgot about him.] I gave Edward the same treatment, and realized that his stance was tense and nearly predatory – much like the one Sabertooth had taken when he fought Logan. They look like two ferals fighting over a mate. I sighed loudly, agreeing with Erik but not sharing his amusement. It caused both men, no, really boys, to break their concentration and look at me.

"Sam, you're enemies with one of my only friends? Really?" I shook my head while saying it struck me - I hadn't seen this man in years, and he was like my best friend! "Come on, give me a break. Sure, Edward's weird, but so am I. And so are you. You are burning up! Look at you! Have you been taking growth hormones or something? Jesus, you have to be at least 6 foot 5. And the leech thing, how did you… oh never mind. I don't even want to know... " I stopped speaking, realizing that the boys had returned their attentions to each other, and I was rambling besides. If looks could kill, or either of them had Cyclops' power, I was sure blood would have been shed already.

I cleared my throat loudly. [I don't know Edward that well, but Sammie never could resist me.] "Talk" I barked at him, crossing my arms over my chest and narrowing my eyes. His eyes shifted back and forth between Edward and myself, before he mumbled quickly, "Now's not the time."

Ok, now I was pissed. [Seriously Sam, you're are better than this.] "No Sam, now is the perfect time." I gave him a disappointed look. "Anything you have to say about one another shouldn't be said behind each others' backs."

Unexpectedly, Edward's voice washed over my ears. "Our families had a big property dispute when we moved into town. We bought acreage that was originally reservation property, and the entire tribe had a fit over it." he said this smoothly and calmly, and I couldn't pick up whether or not he was lying. I just didn't know him well enough.

Instead, I looked back at Sam. "Yeah, that's the nice way of putting it. Money grubbing leeches, all of you." I sighed, lifting my hands in defeat. Obviously Sam was willing to back up this bullshit story. His eyes betrayed the falseness of their statement, but I knew that if Sam was willing to lie to me, I wouldn't get the real answer any time soon. [Is this what has happened to our friendship? What have I done?] "Whatever, boys. You don't have to tell me. But Sam, don't even try to lie to me. You never could, and you never will."

Sam turned his attention back to me, seemingly now ignoring the god of a man next to me, or sworn enemy, as I am sure he was in Sam's eyes. He searched my face for a minute before letting me know his thoughts. "Where have you been Marie? You should come to La Push sometime soon. You owe me as much. I've thought you were dead now for 3 years Marie."

I gasped; my Sam was in so much pain. His eyes were tearful, as I am sure mine were too now, and his face was contorted and scrunched between the eyebrows.

Sam had been a dear friend of mine – all my summers were spent here in Forks where my mom's family was from. My mom didn't have a job – she was an at-home mom, and proud of it. It allowed her to stay away the whole summer; my dad could only visit for a few weeks. When they had... passed away, I knew everyone thought I was dead. In fact, legally, Anna Marie D'Acanto still was, though I had a fake ID with her name and a newer picture in it, courtesy of one Mr. Jenks. At the time, I figured it was for the best; I would have preferred them assume I was dead then be disowned and shamed, cast out for what I couldn't control.

But now, I had to face what I had done. It was easier to imagine my betrayal of Sam in abstract, than in person. I honestly hadn't even considered talking to him since I'd returned – naively assuming that he would have forgotten me. The guilt of abandoning my best friend without a word and causing him suffering worked its way through my veins, and my voice broke as I spoke, "Oh Sam, I'm so sorry. I know, I owe you a big one too. We'll talk. I promise. How about next weekend?" And I meant it too damn it. If anyone deserved an explanation as to how I disappeared for 3 years only to return seemingly whole and well, it was Sam; he meant too much to me, at one point in time anyway. He agreed quietly and left Edward and I without much further adieu.

Marie, Ah feel a little betrayed. (Cody)

I started at that thought – it wasn't often that the humans psyche's I'd absorbed would speak up – in fact, they rarely did at all. I always thought that it was odd, especially since they were usually the ones who... passed away as a result of my touch, but the professor had said that the mutants I had were probably louder and made a stronger presence because my mutation knew to value them over non-mutants. [Why is that Cody?]

You hugged him. (Cody)

Oh get over it human. She was with Bobby for 2 years! Were you always this annoying? (John)

Yeah But... (Cody's voice, fading)

I was her boyfriend, at the time, but still, it's just a hug, right? (Bobby)

Are you ever going to get over your jealousy, Popsicle? (Logan)

[Come on guys, can it! This isn't that important. I don't think Sam would ever be interested in me that way – I mean, this is the guy I can remember eating bug and mud pies with when we were 7.]

We got to the bookstore quickly enough; Edward left me alone during our walk. I inhaled deeply, taking in the woodsy scent of the bookstore. The scent appealed to more than just me. Erik, a few of my accidentals, John, and Logan, believe it or not, were all fond of the sappy and worn smell. [I'll have to come back here often.]

I found myself up the stairs in the middle of the store some time later, debating with Logan over the merits of a Canadian Tour guide book. [Whoever wrote this crap has obviously never been to the real Canada.

You wouldn't be so sore against it if you'd have raveled in the heat of the summer(Logan)

[Yeah, and that's only, what, one months? A few weeks?] I laughed to myself.

Got company (Logan)

I was a little surprised to see Edward leaning down in front of me. [I hope he didn't hear me – was I speaking out loud?] He didn't look too suspicious, so I figured I was safe.

I ended up finding three books worth buying: a new copy of Wuthering Heights, because mine was falling apart from too many miles, literally, a book by A. Huxley that Erik and Logan promised me was good, and John claimed he always wanted to read, called, Brave New World and a book on Schizophrenia and Multiple personality disorders.

I had debated my third choice vehemently with my other personalities, most of whom thought that I was being ridiculous, but if I was honest with myself, as a human, I was no longer mentally normal. And hearing Cody's voice today confirmed it – I was getting less stable. I hadn't had my mental shields and constructs properly maintained since Xavier died, and I was beginning to notice little things were off. I can't remember which color is my personality's favorite, and a section of the mansion in my mind has begun to fade away – blurry at the edges when I walk through it. Little things, but I didn't want it to get any worse.

On top of that, my nightmares, which were always intense, had gotten worse, which I chalk up to he cure dampening my walls' protection. It was risk I had known might happen, and honestly it wasn't as bad as I had thought; of course, it wasn't what I had hoped for either, which was for them, the personalities, memories, urges, and fears, to be gone. Even without my curse, some of my personality's were still downright dangerous. Hopefully, the book would have something in it for assistance controlling the souls I'd stolen.

I realized I'd checked out while was mentally checked out, and turned back to Edward. He surprised me when he asked me about Sam's comment. I hadn't fully realized that Uncle Charlie didn't let the rest of the family know that I as okay, when I had called him so long ago. I realized I would be betraying Sam by telling his enemy before him, even though I thought they were being foolish. Whatever this fight between them really was, it couldn't be that bad; I mean, it wasn't like they were mortal enemies or anything... I told Edward that I couldn't tell him yet, and he thankfully seemed to understand. [How can Sam hate him so much? Edward seems like an okay guy, once you get past the occasional scary looks and standoff-ishness.]

On our way out the store, I spotted a small grocery. [I guess now's the best time to take care of none fashion-ista purchases.] I asked Edward to wait for me outside and went in. I have had to dye my white streak – it too a lingering scar of my genetic defect - and was grateful when the store had the brand I'd been using, it's all natural formula resulting in a nearly scentless dye job. I automatically grabbed John and Logan's favorite brand of cigarettes, toasted to perfection Lucky Strikes. Logan had smoked them back in World War 2 when on the front lines, and they were the only brand he would tolerate. John had always insisted that they were the closest to his favorite Australian brand he could find.

Edward seemed put out when I returned, eying the bag that held my purchases carefully, but I didn't feel like fessing up to my addiction yet, especially to some snobby Northerner. He wouldn't understand, and even though it was perfectly legal for me to smoke, he'd probably try to badger me into quitting. I didn't want to see rejection in his eyes just yet.

Alice and Jasper reappeared before us. Something tickled in the back of my mind, and I carefully examined the two of them. Alice was wearing a cute, knee length skirt with leggings and a sweater, and Jasper a gray button down shirt, with black slacks. He looked... familiar. I shook my head, and turned to address Alice, "Where to?"

"I think we're going to call it a day for today. If we head back now, we'll catch a little traffic but should be back by 5. Did you still want to redecorate your room today?"

I was a little stunned – the shopaholic pixie was giving up on shopping? [Wait, help me decorate my room...] I raised one of my eyebrows, looking at Edward with the question in my eyes. He shrugged his shoulders, "Can't keep secrets around Alice."

I sighed, apparently he wouldn't be fessing up to meddling, "Alright, that's fine. Let's go. But I'm warning you now, Alice, my room is my room. You're gonna be sorely disappointed in my tastes."

We piled into the car, my most recent purchases in my hands – though I am sure the other purchases were hidden in the trunk. The ride home was fairly uneventful, for which I was grateful. I was feeling kind of tired after a day full of shopping, and I slipped off to sleep.

_+_+_+_Dreaming_+_+_+_+

I stare across the field at the man who was leading the Confederate army. I could see his blond locks in the breeze; his gray uniform plain excepting the embellishments that clearly showed his rank – Major. Major Whitlock's command was brutal to fight against. There was a saying... "May you never come across one of Whitlock's men, in battle they fight like a bull in a pen." His soldiers were known to enter battle like women been wronged – they fought viciously and with vengeance. But I was stronger, and better.

I tore through bodies, the tickling feeling of bullets penetrating my flesh slowly fading as fewer and fewer men stood before me able to fire. Finally, the Confederate army before us called a retreat. I glared up at the Major, and his youth shone through in his shame. He couldn't have been more than 20. He covered his face quickly and withdrew from the field.

"This ain't over yet, bub. Not by a long shot." I turned to my brother, Victor, and we retreated from the field. Victor kept shaking my shoulder...and I tumbled out of Logan's dreams, but unfortunately for me, into someone else's.

I'm walking down the street, searching for my next...treat. I hear a whimpering in the alleyway, and pursue the sound. A boy, no older than 10, is lying huddled in nicer dress clothes behind a dumpster. I'm smiling as I approach him. The ground is shaking beneath us, but I keep advancing on him. "Are you lost, little one?" He sees me, his face scrunched up in confusion for a second, before he inhales deeply to scream. I quickly clamp my hand down over his mouth, "Not yet, sweetie, let's not ruin the surprise." The ground shakes harder beneath us... and suddenly I'm falling through the ground, through my mind, and into consciousness.

_+_+_+_End Dreaming_+_+_+_+_

My eyes shot open and I was instantly aware of two cold, strong hands on my shoulders and the scratchy, prickly feeling of tears on my cheeks. "You can let go of me now, Alice. I'm awake." My voice was scratchy and soft, but she let go immediately. I wiped my face quickly, rubbing my cheeks to make them a uniform red instead the red-streaked I knew they probably were right now, and then noticed we were stopped.

Jasper and Edward weren't in the car. I could see them walking around outside – we had pulled off the side of the road in a relatively unpopulated area, with woods surrounding us. I stared at Jasper; he was a spitting image of the Major in Logan's dreamed memory. Alice was turned towards me in he back seat, her golden eyes boring into mine, filled with questions. I decided to try to head off the barrage. "Sorry about the fuss. You didn't have to stop."

"Do you want to talk about it?" her bell-like voice held a heavy dose of concern, which was unnecessary. Just another dose of involuntary event recall. I'm already forgetting them as best I can.

"No." My answer was quick and short, and my voice was returning.

"What was it about?"

Her prying started to grate my nerves, and I lashed out, calmly, "I said I don't want to talk about it Alice. I don't even remember. Can we go?"

As if on cue, though I know they couldn't have heard me, both boys re-entered the car. Neither said a word to me, though they both had a softness about their eyes that showed their concern, but I didn't care. There wasn't anything to say.

The ride home reached staggeringly high speeds, and while I was the only one buckled up, I didn't bother saying anything. I was too distracted, and honestly, I doubted that another Victor Creed as going to be throwing logs into the car to capture a non-mutant.

Jasper looked exactly like Major Whitlock. I could blow it off as a mere relation, maybe a descendant, except that my gut was telling me not too, that this look alike was more than just coincidence. But how could that be possible? Even Logan had aged some since the turn of the century. Of course, Logan's appearance could have aged more as a result of the adamantium skeleton – I can imagine that constantly fighting heavy metal poisoning would decrease his factor's ability to combat aging.

His siblings gave no indication of Jasper being different from them, did they? When Jasper was around, they were more relaxed, practically the opposite of most of the students around the mansion when around Logan, except me. But hell, even I felt more calm around Jasper. Could he also be an empath? Alice looked at me funny, actually, all of them looked at me funny, [Crap did I say something?]. I made an overly obvious shrugging gesture, "Sorry. I realized I forget to get something at the store." None of them believed me - they didn't ask about what I forgot. They left me alone though, So I guess I didn't say anything too revealing.

I knew I felt more at ease around him than his other siblings, but was it because he was a feral, or because he was an empath. [I've only run into one other empath before – the thievin' swamp rat that helped me navigate New Orleans when I was on the road.] His effect had always been very strong, not the subtle suggestion that Jasper's was. Or maybe Jasper was trying to be subtle. Or maybe you're freaking crazy and reading more into the situation than is there.

[Thanks for then support John.]

You aren't crazy. Something about this family as a whole doesn't sit right with me. (Logan)

Yeah, but they don't seem like they mean me any harm. (Jubilee)

That didn't answer the question of his longevity. He didn't seem like a feral – he was mild mannered. Course, his eyes did change colors like Logan's or Sabertooth's did when their mutant side overwhelmed them. His eyes were still a deep black, starkly contrasting their earlier topaz shade, kind of like Edward's had done throughout the day...[Assuming that it's actually him. It could be someone else.]

It's him. It has to be. (Logan)

Not necessarily. It could be a descendant. Or a clone. (Erik)

[Oh like that's realistic. Who would have the desire, much less the technology, to clone an old Confederate soldier?]

Why would did he choose this family to be with? Logan and Sabertooth are loath to stay anywhere for an extended period of time. I realized Erik's scheming thoughts were influencing mine, but let him continue anyway.

What ties does he have to the family? He loves the girl – the pixie like one. What about his brothers, his parents, or at least, parent-like figures? Does he feel the same affection towards them? (Erik)

I dejectedly realized Alice had obviously done what I couldn't do – tie a wandering feral down.

Marie, you don't love me like she loves him. She is obviously in love with him. You and I, we're like family. I will always be there for you... (Logan)

[No Logan, you won't. You've proven that. Remember?] I was upset with him, and it only added to my growing depression. I felt a wave of calm wash over me, and it clicked. [He is empathic!] I was giddy excited suddenly, and Jasper's eyes found mine in the rear view mirror. I gave him a raised eyebrow and a smirk, but didn't say anything. His family probably didn't know, and I wasn't about to out a mutant that didn't want to be outed. It wasn't my place. But I felt better, knowing that I wasn't alone in Forks anymore.