Rating: PG-13 for language and violence
Disclaimer: All Marvel characters belong to Marvel. All non-Marvel characters belong to the authors of this story. No money is being made off of this story.
Sammi awoke again. She felt refreshed and completely back to normal. She sat up and decided that she was going to check out where she was. She moved form the bed and out the door. She saw that she was in a hallway, so she went in the direction that she heard voices coming from. She ended up in a huge throne room; and sitting on one throne was Sinister. She walked over to him.
"It seems that our Sleeping Beauty has awakened." Sinister said as she stepped towards her. "So, how is my daughter feeling?" He asked as he lifted her chin to look into her eyes.
Sammi's blue eyes had turned black, and her blue streak in her hair had turned blood red. She smiled up at Sinister and said, "I feel wonderful, father."
Sinister smiled evilly and said, "Good, my dear. I have a job for you."
"Anything for you, father." Sammi said with an equally evil grin.
Sammi stood on the upper level and watched as her brother, Nightmare, ransacked the lower two. He was having fun, and she was loving every minute of it. She smelled ozone and looked in the direction that it was coming from. She saw a portal open, and watched as Vision X and the X-men filed out.
"That's right. Come and meet my brother... come and meet your doom." Sammi said in an evil voice.
When everyone was out of the portal and it closed, Sammi stood on the railing and yelled down to them. "Goody, You all came to play."
Everyone looked up to see Sammi standing on the railing. She was wearing a pure black suit and the streak in her hair had turned blood red, and she was grinning evilly.
The shock and relief at seeing Sammi back was reflected on their faces.
"Sammi! You're back!" Jubilee said. "Glad you are. We've been going nuts wondering where you have been."
"MY NAME IS SAMANTHA!! NOT SAMMI!!" She yelled as she jumped down to the first level.
Everyone gasped as they saw her jump and then land perfectly on the floor. When she landed, Logan looked at her and could immediately see the difference. Her eyes held none of the warmth which was the old Sammi... now they were just filled with darkness.
Jubilee, seeing Sammi land, went running towards her. "Sammi! I'm so happy you're back." She didn't even get two feet before Samantha fired a fire-blast at her feet.
Jubilee was thrown back by the blast, and stared wide eyed at Sammi, as did the others.
"I SAID MY NAME IS SAMANTHA!!" Samantha yelled, and shot a glare at Jubilee.
As Samantha was glaring at Jubilee, Logan took a little step forward. "What did they do to you, darlin'?" He asked as he looked at her face.
Samantha turned to him and said, "They did nothing to me. They made me better. You are the ones that made me lose everything that's dear to me. That's why you must die." She glared at them and pointed towards Jubilee. "That was a warning. Cross me again and you will die."
Samantha turned towards Nightmare, but quickly turned back as she heard someone moving forward.
"I warned you." She said, and she aimed one of her hands at everyone, firing a huge fire- blast. She turned back to Nightmare and said, "Come, Brother, our work is done here." A portal opened up and they walked through.
The portal opened and Sammi and Nightmare walked out. Sinister walked over to them.
"Excellent work, daughter." he said to Sammi.
"How can you call THAT excellent work?" Kyle screamed from the corner of the room. "She didn't even kill them! She hit the floor!" He started towards her.
Samantha moved from Sinister and yelled at Kyle, "I was having fun! I didn't want to kill them that fast! I want them to Suffer!" As she walked, she popped her claws that were now laced with adamantium.
"Stop it, both of you!" Sinister yelled as he stood between them. Samantha and Kyle were still staring each other down. "Kyle, go to your room. I'll talk to you later."
Kyle sent Samantha a glare, and she in turn sheathed in her two outer claws, leaving only the middle one out.
jubilee_79 and Dreamweaver
Ymela watches as the events take place, a furrow of worry creasing her brow. She can't do anything where Amanda and Anon are concerned, it was a fight between the two of them. Anon had finally pushed Amanda too far. All Ymela could do was to watch. She sees the nightmare that Anon had created, causing a rift to form between Hope and Hank. Her hand moves to her chest, feeling her heart ache.
/Oh my dear daughter, I had hoped that you would be spared the agony... but I can't do a thing./
A noise from outside makes Ymela move from the fire, to glance out her window. She gasps and hurries outside, her iridescent wings opening to lift her to the darkened sky. She could see the fog of the nightmare creatures moving towards her island.
Ymela raises up her hands and summons the elements of the sky. Clouds gather around her, lightning flashes, thunder booms. She then moves her hands in a circular motion and a water spout appears, swirling towards the fog. It quickly catches up to the nightmare minions, catching them in it's deadly path and whisking them away from her island.
A movement catches her attention, as a fiery dart nearly hits her. She sees a dark, thin man riding on the back of a skeletal griffin.
She sighs, /Looks like I have my work cut out; good luck Vision-X and X-Men. I hope that you can defeat Nightmare. I know that isn't what Amanda named him, but that is what he is and I can't call him, Hey You!!/
Ymela moves to confront the nightmare man on the skeletal griffin. The griffin's wings are leathery, like that of a bat.
"You are trespassing. Leave this area, or suffer the consequences."
The man only grins, then lets loose another bolt of fire. Ymela does an acrobatic roll in the air to avoid being hit by it. She attacks, directing a bolt of lightning at him. In one smooth motion, the griffin tucks its wings in and drops, the lightning missing it. Then with a flap of it's leathery wings, it shoots back up high in the sky.
Ymela looks up to see what the griffin and it's rider are about to do. The griffin, at a silent command, tucks it wings against itself and dives at Ymela. Ymela concentrates, and she is now wearing prismatic armor and carrying a lance, waiting for the griffin's arrival.
As the griffin and it's rider nears her, Ymela hovers in one spot waiting for their descent. The man looses another of his hellish bolts, which hits but bounces off of her armor. Faster and faster the griffin descends, almost becoming a blur. Ymela braces herself, hoping she can stop him.
The griffin hits, driving itself on the lance. The lance explodes, killing the griffin on contact, and the rider as well. Ymela falls towards the ground, stunned by the impact of both griffin and explosion. Ymela crashes into a tree, then to the ground below. She lies there motionless. Minutes pass by... then slowly, painfully, she gets up; her armor disappearing.
/That was a close call. I had better see what has happened to the others./ she thinks.
She moves to where she can fly back into the air, leaps up and spreads her wings. Ymela screams in agony; one of her wings had been injured in the fight. Ymela waits until the pain recedes, then walks back home.
Once she gets back, Ymela makes herself some herbal tea, a concoction that Hope had invented. She sips it as she looks once more back into the fire to see what has happened.
Looking into the fire, she watches the scene unfold at the mall. She sees all of the X-Men and Vision X enter through the portal. She hears an evil laugh, the fires focus moves over to it. Ymela sees Samantha's face. She drops her tea cup and stares in horror at the sight before her.
/My dear sweet child, what could have caused such a pure hearted witch to turn so evil?/
Ymela's eyes follow as she watches Samantha jump down to the others. She stares in horror as she sees the blast, and everyone being thrown back by it.
/My baby!/ She says as she watches Hope being thrown.
She leaves the fire on that scene to make sure that everyone is all right. As she watches everyone get up, she breathes a sigh of relief that they are all unharmed. She changes the scene in the fire to show her where Samantha went after leaving the mall. As she looks at the room, she sees a figure in the corner. The fire shows a close up view of the figure. Ymela gasps.
/Omus??? It cannot be!!!/
The figure in the corner smiles, picking up Ymela's thoughts.
/No, I'm not Omus.. though I was at one time a part of her. I'm Dischord... Hello, Sister/
Ymela shudders, /First Anon is changed, now this?? /
/Welcome to your nightmare, Sis./ Dischord laughs where only Ymela can hear.
Ymela changes the picture in the fire, and notices Sinister on the throne. /Where did the Goblin King go to?/ She thinks to herself.
The fire changes scenes, and she watches the events unfold.
Sinister, Doctor Cornelius, Anon and Mystique arrive in the realm of nightmares. Anon is welcomed with open arms by the Goblin King, as well as her companions. Sinister promises to help in the war against Ymela as long as he can reside there. The Goblin King agrees. One night, Sinister decides to get rid of his host. Under the guise of making battle plans, he implements his treachery.
At a signal from him, Anon moves to the Goblin King and gets his attention. At that very moment, Sinister pulls out a little device aims it at the goblin king, imprisoning him in an energy crystal. The crystal is hauled away to an isolated area and closed up inside a wall.
Ymela shakes her head, then she moves time forward, wondering what caused Sammi to turn so dark. She watches the horror that Sammi faced, the breaking down of her mind and will. Ymela shudders. Something has to be done about that. What can be done? She gets up and moves her wings, wincing in pain. This will not do. She gets up and moves to where her husband's and Hope's labs are at, and goes in.
Dreamweaver and Jubilee_79
~The Mall~
Amanda arrived in time to see Sammi leave with Nightmare. She had left Anon on the astral plane to help her friends. She could sense the hurt and betrayal, and knew things had gone to far. She had to find a way to make it better, even if was the last thing she did.
Charles saw her approach, and noticed that something was different about her. It was not hostility or darkness like with Sammi. Amanda seemed to radiate with some foreign power. He gently prodded her mind to ask Thanagar if he knew what was going on, but the dragon was just as confused.
"Sinister is going to pay." Amanda stated as she helped Logan up.
Logan saw the purpose in her eyes, and knew that he would get his little girl back. Rogue also caught the look, and knew that somehow she would see Jonas again.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I am tired of getting jerked around by Sinister and Anon. They have crossed the line in so many ways that they will never be able to get out of the punishment they have waiting for them." stated Amanda.
The X-men and Vision X gathered forward. They knew that it was time they took a stand. They had all had enough of what Sinister had done. Amanda seem to sense this new resolve and smiled slightly.
"We need to regroup and relax. We must stop letting Sinister and Anon jerk us around. We need to gather our strength... and I know just the place to do it."
"How are we going to get there without attracting attention?" asked Bobby.
At that moment, both teams were surrounded by wings of fire. When the wings disappeared, both teams and the children were on a beautiful island resort. They all noticed that their clothes had been changed to normal vacation gear.
Charles turned to face Amanda and asked, "How did you do this?"
"We all have our own little surprises, Charles. Let's just say that the cosmic forces would not allow Anon to exist if they did not have some means to stop her."
"I thought..." began Hope.
"There are some things that have not been revealed to your mother yet, Hope. She will soon find out this was meant to happen for a reason."
"How do you know this?" asked Magneto, who was wearing a fun Hawaiian shirt.
"I'll explain later. For now, I need you all to relax and gather your strength. The battle we were all destined to fight is at hand; we need to be prepared, or all time and space will be lost."explained Amanda.
A.C.
Wolverine decide to go for a walk. He had to think about a few things... most of which was Sammi. When he saw her like that, it tore his heart. His Baby, His Little Girl was evil. He couldn't believe it. But he knew Two things for sure. One, Sinister was going to pay big time for hurting his family, and Two, Logan would get his Baby Girl back. He saw the look on Amanda's face, and he knew she meant business. He was brought out of his thoughts by the smell of Rogue coming. She fell into step with him.
"Wanna talk, sugah?" Rogue asked as she saw the look on his face.
"Maybe in a little bit, darlin'." Logan said, looking over the beach and the ocean.
He knew Sammi would have loved this place. He shook his head to clear away his thoughts about Sammi, but a few new ones popped in. These ones were of Maggie, and how much like Sammi she was. "Could she be my daughter, too?" He thought, but didn't realize that he said it out loud.
"Who, sugah?" Rogue asked as she stopped him from walking. That's when he realized that he said it out loud.
"Maggie. She's so much like Sammi. Do you think she's my daughter, too?" He said, looking at her face for an answer.
"Probably. She's got the same tempa' as you and Sammi. And she looks like you both, too. When everything calms down, why don't you have Hank perform a DNA test?" Rogue asked.
"That's a good idea, darlin'. Now, to change the subject. What's up with you and bird boy?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow and giving a lopsided grin.
Rogue started to laugh and said, "Ya know, when you do that, you look like Jamar."
"No changing the subject again." Logan said, but what she had said stuck in his head.
"Well, I don't know. We got closer when Besty left; and then when I saw him get hurt, I was scared. I thought I might lose him, and that hurt here." She said, and she placed a hand over her heart.
Logan looked at her. When she talked about Warren, she got the same look on her face that Sammi did when she talked about Jonas. He remembered what they were like at the mansion. They acted like Jonas and Sammi did when they first started being together.
He looked at her and smiled, "Does a brick hafta hit ya two for you ta know that you're in love with each other?"
Rogue looked at him blankly. She remembered all of their talks and how she felt when he got hurt, and it hit her. She WAS in love with him, but did he feel the same?
Rogue was so happy. She threw her arms around Logan in a Cara special and said in his ear,"I do love him. Thanks for pointing it out. I owe ya!" And she kissed him on the cheek.
Logan sniffed the air. Pushing Rogue back, he said, "Darlin', you better go tell him, because I think he just got the wrong idea."
Rogue looked at Logan and then to the sky, and she saw Warren flying away very fast.
"Oh, no." She said as she took to the air after him.
Warren had looked around and didn't see Rogue anywhere, then he spotted her flying after Logan. He decided to follow, because he wanted to talk to her. Over the past year, they had become very close friends. Rogue was the only one who knew about Sammi's message for him, and he needed to talk to her... because he realized that over the past year he had fallen in love with her.
It wasn't in the same way he had loved Betsy, it was different. It was like they were meant to be together; and after he saw Sammi like that, he realized how much things can change in such a short time. Warren knew he needed to tell Rogue how he felt, and now was as good a time as any.
He walked behind them a little ways, and when they stopped, he stopped. He couldn't tell what they were talking about, but when he saw Rogue throw her arms around Logan, He was crushed. His heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces. He had to get out of there, so he took off flying. He wanted to get away from everything, especially away from Rogue.
He heard her call out to him, but he didn't want to hear how happy she was with Logan. So he ignored her and flew faster. Before he knew it, something hit him and sent both him and it into the water. He crashed into the water head first with whatever hit him hanging on for dear life. As he got to the top of the water, whatever it was let go. He turned around to see Rogue right next to him.
"You did that?" Warren asked in disbelief.
"Well, It was the only way for me to get to talk to ya, sugah." Rogue said as she waded in the water.
"Why would you want to talk to me? Wanna Brag about being in love?" He said, hurt as he headed for the shore.
"Wait! Warren! It's not like that!" Rogue yelled as he swam towards the shore. When she knew that he wasn't turning around, she yelled,"I LOVE YOU, NOT LOGAN!"
That stopped him. /Did she just say that she loved me?/ He asked himself. He turned himself around and swam back to her. When he got there, he asked, "Did you just say that you love me?"
Rogue smiled at him and said, "Yes, with all my heart."
Warren couldn't speak, so he did the next best thing. He grabbed her and pulled her into a Cara special and kissed her. Rogue snaked her arms around him and deepened the kiss. As the two love birds kissed out in the ocean, everyone on the shore started clapping and cheering.
Jamar turned to Cara and gave her a kiss, and they both said, "It's about time."
jubilee_79
Charles smiled as he watched two of his X-men find happiness. This little island get-away had proven useful after all. The X-men needed to relax and find some peace before they faced what the future held.
Charles had gone looking for Amanda a few hours ago. He finally spotted her talking to Magneto near the beach. At first he felt a cold stab in his heart when he saw her laughing with Magneto. He decided he was going to have a little talk with Magneto when they were alone. Preferable away from the water.
As he approached them, he saw Amanda's smile grow, and could feel her delight at seeing him. He also felt a strange warmth flow through him, and could feel her connecting with him in a way she never had before. At first he was alarmed, given her familiar new power, but it soon faded when he realized how wonderful a feeling it was. It was as if she literally poured her love into him.
"What are you two up to?" he asked.
"Eric was telling me about a bar fight you started when you were young. It was amusing little story. I wonder what Logan and Remy would think if they heard it." teased Amanda.
"Don't you dare." warned Charles in good humor.
"What is the matter, Xavier? Don't want you spotless image ruined?" teased Magneto.
Xavier began to tense, preparing for a fight. Magneto too got tense. He was just teasing him. Why he takes it so seriously all the time, I'll never know, thought Magneto.
/Behave, boys... or I'll throw you in the water myself./
Xavier and Magneto looked at each other for a few minutes. Neither knew just how to take that threat.
/Relax... I'm just kidding./
Both men began to laugh, and were soon joined by Amanda.
A.C.
Cara and Jamar watch the goings-on around them with mild amusement.
"Well hon...what say we take a walk along the beach, eh? But first." /I hope this works./ Jamar waves his hand before them, and their clothes shimmer and change.
Jamar stands now clad in a Hawaiian shirt, complete with straw hat. Cara looks down to see she is wearing a flowing sundress with a floral print.
"Hey, it worked." Jamar says, surprised.
Cara takes his hand and says, "How 'bout that walk. mister?"
They set off down the beach a good distance from the group to an isolated cove. Cara looks out at the ocean, watching the waves lap across the rocks in suds of white motion.
"Beautiful, isn't it!?" she says, awe struck.
"It sure is." Jamar replies.
His eyes lock on Cara, his emotions tickling the edge of her senses. As the sun begins to drop to the ocean in a mix of crimson, purple and blues, they embrace before the stillness of sunset with only the ocean as their witness.
Jamar and Cara return, laughing.
"I can't believe you won the limbo contest." Cara says.
"I cheated a bit; after all the daiquiri's I drank, it was a bit hard limboing without using telekinesis."
"Cheater!"
They both begin laughing again as they step up to the Condo, when Jamar notices Wolverine sitting out on the shore, looking at the moon.
The sorrow rippling off of him cuts through Cara's heart. /Jamar, Why don't you go to him. He needs someone./
/We've never really gotten close./
/There's no perfect time like the present./
/How come I feel like I've entered into a Cable-Scott moment here?/
/Just go, hon. I'll be waiting for you upstairs./ She replies. She kisses him, giving him a devilish grin and a wink as she heads up the steps.
Jamar walks over the sand until he stands beside Wolverine. The fact that Wolverine doesn't notice sends tendrils of worry up Jamar's spine.
"Uh...Father!?" Jamar says. His voice sounding like a hollow whisper against the sound of the sea. There's no reply so Jamar sends it mentally. The silence stretches out for a series of heartbeats.
"...that look." Logan says... but nothing else is said. Nothing needs to be.. Jamar understands.
"We all know Sinny did something to her head. She'll be fine." Jamar says, placing his hand on Logan's shoulder.
A growl escapes Logans lips, "How can you be so sure?"
"Because, father, I still sense good in her. Sinister could not totally purge all of the Sammi we know from her," He says as he walks up to the Condo, leaving his father to contemplate what he's said.
Chaos
Ymela walks into her husband's lab, and looks around. She moves to a wall and runs her hand over a certain spot. The wall opens up to reveal a staircase leading down to a hidden underground chamber. She hadn't been down here in a long time. Inside there is a table with ornate carvings on the legs, made of dark mahogany. Around it are chairs made of the same wood, with the same carvings on their backs and legs.
Ymela kneels down and looks at the carvings on the table. The carvings are that of dragons in fighting stances, breathing fire at their opponents. She runs loving hands across the carvings. Malcolm had made the table and chairs by hand. She remembered watching him for hours, seeing the loving care he took in each part of the creation. Ymela presses her face against the seat of the chair, running her fingers over the carvings, tears filling her eyes.
"Oh, Malcolm, I miss you so much.." Ymela feels her wing twinge, reminding her of her injury.
Carefully she gets up and moves to a roll top desk. She opens it, and there she sees the item she is looking for. It is a large piece of crystal, cut like a diamond. She passes her hand over it. A small form appears just above it, much like the holograph of Princess Leia in Star Wars. She smiles happily, seeing her husband again.
"Hello, dearest," Ymela says.
"Hello, my love." He answers, " I see that something must have happened, since you are activating the crystal. What can I do for you?"
"I have been injured, and I need to heal. Is there something you can do?"she asks, her voice quavering a bit.
"Ah, yes. I can help you out, my dear angel.. In the lower right hand side of the desk there is a compartment. Open it. Inside you should find a white ball with a red cross on it. Yes I know, it's a bit corny, but it works. Once you get a hold of it, take it over to the bed where the metallic dragon claw is. Place the ball in the claws then lie down. That will start the healing process."
"But what about the nightmare creatures?? They got too close for comfort today." she says, worriedly.
"Now, Ymela, don't worry about that. I made preparations just in case something like this should happen. You look tired, so you need to rest. Just let me take care of you for now. Yes, I know that I'm just a hologram of my former self, but I guess just a little bit of me slipped in. So please do as I ask."
Ymela nods and does as he instructed her to do. Once she lies down on the bed, Malcolm's hologram smiles.
"All right.. now it's time to sleep. See you in your dreams."
Ymela closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep, the bed glowing as it heals her injuries. And while she sleeps and dreams, all of the boundaries of the island start to glow, and then it seems to fade from view.
Sinister looks at Dischord and Sammi, as well as Dr. Cornelius. Anon comes back after being left in the astral plane by Amanda.
"Amanda didn't finish the fight. She simply left, just as things were getting interesting. I don't know where she is, including the X Men or Vision X."
"What??!!" Sinister says. "You can't find a mediocre team like X men and Vision X anywhere? This cannot be true."
"It is, Mr. Sinister. Even Ymela's Island has disappeared. I am unable to explain how this is possible." Dr. Cornelius exclaims.
Sinister gets up from the throne very angry, and storms out of the room. He goes to where he can look out over the land to where the Island is. Sure enough it was gone. Without another word, he goes to his room to brood. The other villains continue to look for the two teams, without having any luck.
Dreamweaver