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.
What was once the proud world of Dreams, was now almost completely absorbed by the darkness of the nightmare realm. Mist and death could be seen everywhere; the Dream had literally turned into a living nightmare...
A large fortress left a forbidding shadow in the light that managed to come through the mist... creatures ran around like insects as if preparing for war. One lone figure walked along the ground outside the walls. A big hand grabbed a hand full of sand from the ground.
"Like us, they never had a chance..." the roaring voice said as the dust scattered from his hand, leaving some small green and gray scales in his hands... Dragon scales. "You fought them side by side... till the end. What allies could ask for more than that?" The figure stood up again... and looked up at the fortress.
"See what you have done? This dragon could not have been more then 70 years, and even she had a braver soul then any of your kind! I will avenge every drop of blood that you have spilled in the worlds in your reach..." The figure closed his fist. "Including my Wife." he whispered.
A clock sounded in the night of the Dream Realm, as the nightmare creatures prepared for the inevitable... knowing that this time there would be no victory to a cowardly betrayal...
"Prepare for the void..." the figure said as the dragon scales fell back to the ground.
One by one, Dragons started to come out of the mist, walking to the fortress. Soon it was surrounded by over a hundred Dragons, ready to extract vengeance on the creatures that had killed all but a few of them so long ago. The figure raised it's head and looked up; the distorted Dragon face showed no emotion but hate and anger... and sorrow.
"ATTACK!!!!!" Jonas roared as his dragon form emerged from the shadows and attacked the fortress.
In a small nursery, two cradles were slowly rocked by two young girls... while two large men stood at the door.
"It's a miracle that they are still alive." Hercules said, looking at the two children in the cradles.
"It was no miracle... thee saw Thor, he almost gave his life to protect them." Balder looked sternly at Hercules.
"And now it is my obligation to care for them." Zeus said as he heard them.
"Noo!..." Thor said, stumbling through the corridor.
"I vowed to her that I would protect them..." he staggered towards the wall; Balder remained standing, knowing that Thor would not want his aid now.
"You could not protect them in your state... they would not be safe here. Who would protect them until you recovered? Remember, Hercules saved your life." Zeus looked at the by now barely standing God of thunder.
"Until my son recovers, I will watch over the children. The mother asked Thor to save them, and now as long as we are cut off from the Realm of Nightmares, they will stay here at Asgard under my Protection." Odin said sternly.
Zeus looked at the mighty God, and for a moment he was tempted to challenge him... but quickly saw the wisdom in the matter...
"Aphrodite and Hercules will remain here and guard them as well. I trust you have no objection." Zeus frowned.
"None, old friend, but I hope it's not out of any misguided thought that I can't protect my home... I will teach them both our ways, and of the world of humans..." Odin said, and walked into the nursery.
Thor collapsed in the corridor from the injures he sustained fighting his way out of the Nightmare Realm. Odin looked down at the two children, knowing that it would be a long time until they would see their parents... if ever...
Jonas stood in the center of the ruins of the fallen fortress... they had killed everyone; the anger was to bitter from what they had seen.
"The Creatures are on retreat everywhere." a dragon said as it walked up to him... Jonas' Dragon form shadowing him at almost twice the size.
"If they try to counter us, kill them... but let them flee for now. They closed the Nightmare Realm for us when we started the attacks in our homeland; only Ymela can open a door. Then we can attack and extract vengeance at the core of all this evil, and end it once and for all." Jonas' voice was full of hate, and his face displayed nothing but pure anger.
"Yes... it will be done." the Dragon took to the air and flew away...
Jonas looked at his hands... they were covered with black blood. It had bothered him at first... but now he almost enjoyed it. He hated what he had become, but it had to be done... the Dragon Realm was all but destroyed, and they needed to reform the allies with the Dream Realm, to awaken the Dreamers from their deep sleep; only they could help rebuild the Dragon's world, and this.
It had taken the Dragons 20 years to run the Nightmares from the Dragon Realm. Jonas was not sure of how much time had passed on earth; but the constant dimensional jumping made the years pass quickly, and he was glad that as a dragon he was immortal in the Dragon Realm... or what was left of it. Now he would make the prophecy come true... He would hunt down every nightmare creature, and kill it with his bare hands.
Admiral
Hank does attend the barbeque along with the others. However he keeps to himself while he eats, his gaze drifting over to Hope as she plays with the kids. He watches as she causes bubbles to come out of nowhere for them to pop. He listens to her bell-like laughter of delight, as Kat and the other children pounce on them. He sighs to himself, thinking about his and Hope's argument, and the fact that he was thought to have attacked her. He would never have done anything like that to her, no matter how angry he got.
Shaking his head, he moves to leave, not wanting to bother anyone with his blues. As he turns to leave, he notices that Storm is moving towards him from one side. Hank decides to go the other way; but Jubilee, with a determined look on her face, stops him from leaving. Resigned to his fate, he waits for Storm to arrive.
"What can I do for you Ladies?" he asks quietly.
Storm and Jubilee take him by one arm each, and lead him away from the party. Once they are a little distance from everyone else, they stop.
"Okay, what is the problem, Hank?" asks Jubilee, "You've been gawking at Hope all evening long. Why don't you just take her in your arms and kiss her? I know you want to."
Hank looks away, feeling just a bit uncomfortable. Storm notices his discomfort.
"Jubilee, enough." She says in a reproving tone.
"I'm sorry, but we all know that he didn't hurt Hope... it was all just a trick on Anon's part to separate them. So he needs to just get over it and get things taken care of!" Jubilee exclaims.
"How can I just get over it? First of all, we got into an argument because of my petty jealousy. Her powers make me feel so useless... with just a touch or a wriggle of her nose, she makes things happen."
"Hank, now listen to me carefully," says Ororo quietly. "We all have our own individual gifts that we were blessed or cursed with. But that is what makes us who we are. I don't really think that Hope was trying to make you feel bad about your abilities. Hank, you are needed and we love you. I think that you need to go talk with Hope to get things cleared up."
"I don't know if she wants to talk to me, after all that has happened." he replies.
"Hank, I know that she loves you... you love her as well. If that love is strong, it should be able to see you through the bad times, as well as the good times."
Hank nods. "All right. I'll see what I can do... I hope that she will forgive me."
Storm puts her hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze while Jubilee gives him a hug.
"Go for it, Big Blue!!" Jubilee says while hugging Hank.
Hank chuckles. "I am lucky and very glad to have such friends like you. If you will excuse me," he gives a bow and leaves.
Hope helps to gather up the kids and carry them to Athena and Bobby's bungalow. Kat is picked up by Victor, then carried away to be put to bed. Athena and Bobby carry Mac and Robbie, Hope carries LJ. It was decided that LJ should stay at Athena's place so that Jamar and Cara are not disturbed. Once that is accomplished, she bids Athena and Bobby goodnight and takes her leave.
Athena gives her a hug before she leaves and whispers, "Make certain that you find Hank to get things taken care of."
"Okay, I will... and thank you for being my friend." Hope whispers back.
Athena watches as her friend walks up the path away from the bungalow, then she turns to Bobby.
"I really hope that she and Hank can get this resolved. It's a pity that this happened, but I think that things will turn out for the better."
Bobby smiles at his lady, then moves over to the door and wraps his arms around her, nibbling at her neck. Athena giggles when Bobby carries her off to their bedroom.
Hope sighs as she walks to her bungalow. She didn't see Hank at all this evening... she knew that he was avoiding her. Feeling downhearted, she sits down on the stoop and places her head in her lap. There is a faint tinkling of a bell just above her, and she looks to see where it is coming from. There on the knob of her door is a silver bell with a ribbon attached to it. The ribbon seems to lead off to an unknown direction. Hope, curious, decides to follow it.
The silver ribbon winds it's way to a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean. There attached to the end of the thin silver ribbon is a single red rose. Attached to the rose is a note which says,
'I'm sorry dear lady, please forgive me. Hank'
Hope picks up the rose and puts it up to her nose, smelling of it's sweet perfume. Then she kisses the rose gently.
"I'll forgive you, if you will forgive me." She says softly.
Hank steps out from where he was hiding and approaches her. Hope steps towards him. Hank draws near to her, and then he pulls her close to him, kissing her... a kiss full of warmth and love. Once the kiss is done, Hank leads her to a seat. They sit, holding each other and talking about a lot of things until the morning comes. When the sun rises, bringing about a new day, Hank walks Hope to her bungalow, holding hands. He kisses her once more before she goes in, and then he leaves for his own.
Dreamweaver
Charles and Amanda were lying on the beach, just relaxing and looking at the stars when Magneto found them. He smiled when he saw his old friend's expression. It seems that one does not always grow old as time passes, he thought.
"I hope I am not disturbing you two?" he asked as he approached.
Amanda smiled and said, " I think it would be hard to disturb a telepath, because they always know you are there."
Charles smiled and Eric stated, " I believe you are right. Besides, you are no ordinary telepath."
Amanda laughed out loud as she got up. She smiled at Charles, who had gotten back into his hover chair. She leaned down to deliver a very passionate kiss. Eric lightly tapped his foot as he waited. If it wasn't so annoying, he would think it was romantic. Amanda, sensing his discomfort, broke it off and smiled.
"I may not be an ordinary telepath, but you'll have to wait to find out what I am, Eric. I not giving away my secrets just yet. I'll see you later, Charles." she winked and walked off.
Charles smiled and admired the view as she walked away. Her two piece suit was slightly crumpled, but who would notice? Charles did notice the way Magneto watched her, and decided they need to talk.
"May have a word with you, Eric?" hissed Charles.
A.C.
Early the next morning, Athena woke up and looked beside her. Her face dropped when she realized that Bobby was not there. She did, however, find a tropical flower resting upon his pillow, and underneath it was a note.
Athena picked up the note, and read, "Find the twin ice pops that are sweeter than this (indicating the flower), say good morning to each and give each a kiss".
/Twin ice pops? He must mean the children./ Athena thought as she smiled.
She got up out of bed and threw on her robe, excited at the prospect of a treasure hunt. She walked out of the room and entered the room of the children. All three were still sound asleep... Robbie, Mac and LJ. Athena stood in the doorway, listening to the sweet sound of the children's even breathing. So dear, and so sweet they all were. Athena tiptoed to Mac, and without waking him she kissed him on the forehead.
He rolled over and mumbled sleepily, "Morning, Mommy!" then went back to sleep.
Athena crept over to Robbie and kissed him on the forehead as well. He also mumbled sleepily, "Morning, Mommy." and rolled over onto his side. When he rolled over, Athena saw another note under Robbie's head. She gently pulled it out, and read, "Underneath a blanket blue, lies a gift from me to you."
Athena quietly searched around the room, then found what she was looking for in the closet. Underneath a blue blanket was a brightly wrapped flat square box, about 2' by 2'. Athena smiled, and took it back to her room.
She laid it on her bed and carefully unwrapped it, then took the lid off the box. Inside lay a beautiful sundress, gauzy and lightweight, and was the most beautiful shade of robins-egg blue. Athena took it out and held it up in front of her, and looked in the mirror. The color made her look radiant... and it was wonderful with her red hair.
Athena laid the dress down and went into the bathroom to shower. When she came out, she dressed in the sundress, then looked in the box again. Inside was a small square pillow, and pinned to it was another note.
"Bring with you this cushion soft, much like the clouds aloft. Then find the one who flies, and brings rain from the skies."
/Bring this cushion? Okay, I'll do it... it's a little strange, but I'll do it. Now the second part is easy, the one who flies and brings rain can only be Storm...but what about the kids? I can't just leave them here alone!/ Athena thought.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Athena went out of her room and answered the door... there stood Storm.
Storm smiled at Athena, "Bobby has asked me to watch the children, and to give you this." she said and held out a note.
Athena took the note, and read, "Find the one who sparkles bright, gathering seashells dark as night. In the East you'll find her there, waiting for the one with red hair (and I don't mean Jean)."
Athena smiled, and thanked Storm. She went into her room and picked up the pillow and placed it in a basket. Storm smiled and went inside the bungalow, and sat down in a chair. Athena said goodbye to Storm and went out the door, and she started her quest for the one who sparkles bright.
Athena walked along the beach, headed eastward; a little ways ahead, she spotted Jubilee who appeared to be picking up clam shells left over from the barbecue. Jubilee smiled when she saw Athena, and without a word she held out a note and a sealed clam shell.
Athena took the clam shell with a bit of surprise, and she opened the note. It read, "Bring this treasured shell with you, it is a symbol of a love that is true. Now head towards the South 'til you reach a gate, where Multiple Replica's guard and wait."
Athena thanked Jubilee, slipped the shell into the basket with the pillow, and started heading Southward.
/What does Bobby mean, Multiple Replica's?/ she wondered, confused.
Up ahead, Athena saw a hiking trail which went through the tropical forest. At the beginning of the trail stood Multiple Man and Replica, otherwise known as Eric the younger, Cara's twin. Athena smiled at the two men, and Eric held out a note.
Athena opened it and read, "Follow this trail right from the start, it represents the path to my heart."
Multiple Man smiled at Athena, and pointed to a ribbon with hearts printed on it, which was tied in a huge bow to a tree. He handed her another note, which read,
"Follow these and you will not fail...and my friends will help keep you on the right trail."
Athena smiled, and Multiple Man and Eric pointed the way she should go. Athena waved goodbye to them as she headed in that direction. She walked for a while, coming every so often to a tree with a heart ribbon tied to it; and standing under each tree was another Multiple Man and Replica, waiting to point her in the right direction.
Athena finally came to the end of the path; there stood the last pair of Multiple Man and Replica... Eric held out a note and grinned.
Athena took the note and read, "On bended knee I wait for thee, thinking of your great beauty. By shimmering waters great and clear, I wait for you, my beloved, to appear."
Athena's heart began to pound...she knew she was at the end of her quest. She wondered at the words, they seemed to hold such promise. Eric and Jamie pointed in the final direction which Athena should take, then quietly retreated to re-merge with their counterparts. Athena took a deep breath, and walked out of the tropical forest.
She gasped at the beauty which surrounded her. The path had opened up into a beautiful lagoon, and at the other side was a beautiful shimmering waterfall. And there was Bobby, pacing worriedly up and down the beach. He turned around and saw her... His eyes sparkled and he smiled, then walked over to her.
Bobby took the sealed clamshell and cushion from Athena, then he placed the cushion on the ground and knelt upon it. He opened the clamshell, and took out a small, carefully wrapped item from inside. Athena's heart was pounding; but when Bobby unwrapped the small object, and Athena saw it glittering in the bright sunlight, her heart skipped a beat. Tears formed at the corners of Athena's eyes as Bobby gazed smilingly into her eyes, and held up a diamond engagement ring.
"You mean more to me then anything else in the world. When I was apart from you, my world ended. Now that I have found you again, I never want to be apart. Please, Athena, Marry me, and make me the happiest man in any dimension." Bobby said, and held his breath as he waited for his lady love to answer.
Tears formed more rapidly in Athena's eyes, and trailed their way down her cheeks. Bobby's face dropped... and for a moment, he was afraid that she might say no. Athena smiled and dropped to her knees in the soft white sand. She flung her arms around Bobby's neck and said in a shaky voice,
"Yes, Bobby, YES! I will marry you!"
She was so happy... she'd dreamt of this day for so long, and finally it was here. Bobby pulled back from the hug only long enough to slip the ring on Athena's finger, then pulled her close to him and kissed her. They would never be apart again.
Rainfall
Amanda was outside when she sensed Athena's excitement. She was glad that Athena and Bobby would be able to raise their children as a family. She was also glad that Hank and Hope had made peace. Over all, this trip was turning out to be better then she had imagined. There was every possibility of there now being a wedding.
/Well, it seems your plan is working just fine. I admit I was surprised when you suggested it, fair lady,/ stated Azmaru.
/I need a rest before I finish Anon, and the X-men need to get their heads together if they wish to survive./
/Can they do it, my lady? Can you defeat the dark witch, even with your new powers?/ asked Thanagar.
/Can Jonas succeed in his task? The twins are safe for now, but for how long? I don't know./ she replied.
/You are the chosen one to take over the task of protecting the universe. The Phoenix gave up her powers so that you could take up her struggle. Anon must be destroyed, but you cannot kill her. If you take her life, you will lose your soul in the process./ Thanagar warned.
/I am aware of that. I will not kill her. I will honor the pact that I made with the forces./
/Have you told Xavier that little secret of yours?/ Azmaru teased.
/No. the time hasn't been right. I don't know how he will take it./
Both dragons laughed at her obvious discomfort. Amanda blushed at their amusement. She didn't know if what Charles felt was strong enough. She didn't know If he would be able to accept who she was now. She wasn't the same woman he fell in love with. What if he couldn't accept that?
/I think you give him little credit, fair lady,/ stated Azmaru.
/I hope you are right. There are enough tests coming for all of us. I pray we will be strong enough to handle them./ she replied.
A.C.
Jonas and his Dragon Army stood face-to-face with the Nightmare Army guarding the Island... but the island was no longer there. His anger was beyond hate... somehow the Nightmare Creatures had destroyed the last paradise, and their last hope.
In a split second, one of the less intelligent nightmare creature charged Jonas, ramming his spear at his chest. Jonas didn't even move, part of him wishing that he would die... his future was lost without Ymela... all was lost.
The spear broke as it made contact with Jonas' scales; Jonas grabbed the surprised creature by the neck. Not only were they stupid, but they quickly forgot that their magic weapons didn't work when they were cut off from their own realm. Jonas snapped the offending creature's neck with a snap, and let it slip to the ground.
The battle was over in a hour; and even though the dragons were angry and full of hate, they did their best to live up to the Dragon code... but it was hard, and soon the battle ground was filled with the corpses of the Creatures that had defiled this place of dreams.
~Jonas!~
Jonas swung around as a voice sounded in his mind. He looked out over the lake, and saw that the Island had started to reappear...
"To the air! Secure the island!" Jonas yelled as years of instinct kicked in... it was not defenseless, he could feel it.
The dragons positioned themselves all over the island. Jonas recognized the building... it was here Azmaru had observed as The Dragon and Dream Realms signed as allies...
Jonas and two other dragons entered the small room... the magic surrounding the house was Dragon, and the three dragons shrunk in size until they was able to enter. They found Ymela on a bed.
"She is one of the dreamers," one of the Dragons said, as both of them bowed their heads in respect.
Jonas put a hand on her arm. Ymela opened her eyes, startled.
"Fear not. We have rid this realm of the nightmare... but we need your help to open a gate to the Nightmare Realm to finish them off once and for all, and put an end to this war..."
Ymela looked with joy as she saw that it was Jonas... but quickly she drew back as she saw the anger and hate in his eyes... had he changed so much?
Admiral
Years passed by, while only days passed on Alpha Earth. The seasons came and went. Aphrodite and Hercules had stayed as Zeus wished, but they loved their time with the twins. Zeus, himself, was a regular visitor. He loved the twins. They reminded him of Sammi as he used to watch her grow. They both had her pure heart, and were naturals at magic even though they were only two. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Sammi's pure heart would show her the way. He wished he could help, but the laws of the Gods forbid interfering with such matters. So he stayed with the children. His sister Aphrodite was taken by the young Josephine; where she looked like Sammi, she acted like Jonas. She was strong in both mind and spirit. Like her father, she was part Dragon... but this could, so far, only be noted by her catlike eyes. She would always lookout for everyone, even Thor and Odin. She was also a great deal stronger then your average two year old... combined with her great will to learn, everyone could see that she was going to be a wise young lady one day. From this, Zeus knew that one day she would be a leader. She was a natural.
Hercules had found that he had a soft spot for young Alexander. Even at two, he showed great potential as a fighter. He had his mother's instincts, and his father's looks. Even at two, he had Sammi's temper... and every time he got mad, you couldn't help but laugh, because his face would turn red and his eyes would close until they were only little slits. His eyebrows would scrunch down til they were almost over his eyes, and his lips would take on a snarl. And as he stood there looking like that, everyone knew who he looked like... his Grandfather. And when he got like this, the only one who could calm him down was Josephine. She never talked to him, but somehow when she looked at him, he relaxed and would be his playful self again. No one knew, but something in their eyes told everyone that it was telepathic.
The twins were amazingly fast at everything. They had crawled at three months, and walked at six. They started climbing out of their cribs at one, which surprised Thor when they decided to crawl into bed with him. They were closest to Thor. It was almost like they knew that He was the one that saved them.
They started talking in full sentences a little while after they turned a year old. But now at two, they were both a handful. Josephine wanted to know everything... and Alexander, well, he wanted to do everything. Everyone knew where he got his prankster side from... his mother and his uncle. He surprised everyone by pulling different pranks. He put food coloring in Hercules's shampoo, which turned his hair a distinct shade of blue. He put eggs on the chair before Aphrodite sat down to read to him.
Josephine was more obedient, but would often be caught hiding in the Hall of Warriors, listening to the old tales of Asgard. Sometimes Odin would let her stay and listen. She also had the habit of running away and hiding in one of the many rooms, so that Thor, Aphrodite and Hercules would spend hours looking until they would have to go to Odin and ask him where she was. He had taken quite a liking to the young girl, who seemed to want to learn everything that he could ever teach her... and she seemed to remember everything.
While Alexander played pranks on everyone, Josephine was content to hear all about History, about the Gods, and about her family. Most of all, she wanted to know about her parents. They both did. They would sit for hours as someone told them about their parents, and everything they had done. Zeus would tell them about how pure hearted their mother was, and about some of her past lives.
Aphrodite would tell of how Sammi and Jonas were destined to be together, and how much trouble it had always been to get them that way. But you could tell that she loved every moment she spent making sure that it all worked out in the end. Thor was the one that always told them about Jonas. About how Honorable he was, and caring. But it always ended up right back to the time that he first met Jonas. You could tell by listening that he took Jonas under his wing and would do anything for him.
Jubilee_79 & Admiral
Amanda sat on the beach and looked out to the ocean. She was reviewing what had happened in her life in such a short time. Her dreams had become reality, and her life had gone from that of a writer to a protector. She remembered how it happened.
She had been fighting Anon with every ounce of strength, when she felt something pulling her away. She had tried to resist, but the force had taken over her and she left Anon in confusion and went away. When she had regained control, she had found herself in what looked like a shimmering castle of crystal.
"Your hate will destroy you if you do not let go," a voice stated.
"Are you telling me that I should just let Anon get away with all she has done? Look at all the lives she has destroyed! She must be stopped."
"Your hate will destroy you like it did her," replied the voice.
"How do I stop her? I don't know what to do. I don't like feeling this rage, but how do I stop her from hurting those I love?"
"If you are willing to let go, the power will be granted to you. A power that will allow you to protect those who need protecting, if you will give up the hate," the voice replied
/I do not know why, but I trust the voice, fair lady./ Azmaru stated.
/What do you think, Thanagar? I trust both of your opinions,/ questioned Amanda.
/I do not know if it is the right decision, but you cannot live with this hate in you any longer. You must let go, and find the strength in love in order to defeat what is dark,/ stated Thanagar.
"Anon was pure, but got lost in hate. If your choice is purity of love, the power you need is yours. It is more than magic, and more than genetics. One once possessed it and was called Phoenix; but she turned from love to passion, and became a creature that was forced to wander the universe to find a host so it could have the love it lost." the voice stated.
So that is the story behind the Phoenix, she thought. Amanda now understood the importance of her decision. She was being handed great power, but she had to release all the darkness to get it. Could she really forgive Anon? Could she stop the hate that was growing inside her?
"Make your choice."
Amanda thought about how she felt when the power was bestowed upon her. The feeling of warmth and purity of it. The voice had told her how Sinister had been planning and waiting for her to choose the darkness, and how if she had, she would of ended up like Sammi.
Amanda wasn't sure if she could help Sammi or not. The voice had stated that the only one who could save her was a creature of darkness who would show her the light. She didn't understand what it meant. She debated on whether to tell Logan that Sammi's children were safe, but she decided that she would wait until the family was together again.
Amanda also remembered that the voice said that both teams had been gathered for this one battle, and that weapons and power would not save them. It would be the strength of their hearts that would. That the purity of light of love could erase the nightmares of hate. She wished that she knew what it meant by that. Amanda thought about that as she watched the waves crash on the shore.
A.C.