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In a secret, underground cavern. In another place, another time, lay an unconscious Cara. In the shadows lurked the mystical Anon.
It was cold. Bitter, endless, freezing cold. It was the first thing Cara was aware of when she first began to regain consciousness. She tried to move, to open her eyes, to no avail. Images flashed across her closed eyelids. Dark memories, visions of death and destruction, playing themselves out in the battlefield of her mind. Death and destruction which she, her husband, and her brother had caused.
~Little one....~ spoke a soft, silvery voice into Cara's mind.
/Anon.../ Cara thought, as she struggled harder to wake up.
~Yes, my child... it is I, Anon.~
/What do you want? Where am I? Why have you brought me here?/
~Because of what you have done, what you have become.~ said the silvery voice.
/What? What are you talking about?/
~For years you fought the nightmares, in a battlefield created in your dreams. You thought to play the hero... you thought yourself to be the good in a sea of evil, but time after time you proved yourself to be no better than they.~
~They caused you pain, misery and fear. Gradually, you gained control over your dreams, but instead of stopping the madness, you continued it. You wanted all of the nightmares to feel the same pain and fear which they had caused you. You plotted revenge, and it was sweet.~
~After some time had passed, you understood what it was doing to you, what you were becoming. A monster, a nightmare, more bitter and cold than one you had ever dreamed. Frightened for what the future held for you, you regained control over yourself, and banished the darkness to the furthest corners of your mind.~
~But you couldn't cheat the future, you couldn't cheat your destiny. You postponed it for a time, but you were destined to become one of the very nightmares which you fought. In the raid against Sinister's Castle, you gave into your darker side... to the hate and negative emotions which plagued your childhood. You became the monster of your past... delighting in destruction and pain. It is your destiny, and it is destiny which you will share with your unborn children.~
/Children? What children.../ Cara thought.
She began to remember something. It was when she was back on the tropical island. She and Jamar had been standing in the kitchen of their bungalow, when Cara suddenly sensed three new presences. She didn't quite understand it then, but she understood now. They belonged to her unborn children.
~Yes, little one. Your children. The children which you had waited for, and wanted for so long.~
/My children.../ Cara thought with a small shred of happiness.
For years, Cara and Jamar had wanted children, but she had been unable to bear any. Now, she carried three. She wished she could share the news with Jamar, but she didn't sense his presence anywhere.
~I can feel your happiness, little one... but it won't last. Your children are destined to follow the path which you have set for them this day. There is nothing which will alter their course. Look now, at what the future holds for your children...~
Cara gasped at the dark images which sprang forth into her mind. Images of her daughter and two sons, all radiating pure evil as they led the dark armies of the nightmare realm. All delighting in the pain which they caused others.
/NO!!! This is not the future I wanted for my children. It cannot happen... I will not allow it... I cannot allow it!/ Cara thought frantically.
With a surge of energy and will which she never knew she had, Cara awoke, and sprang up from the floor to her feet in one swift movement. She turned to face the cloaked figure of Anon, who stepped out of the shadows and moved to stand before her.
"I will never let you have my children... never..." Cara spoke, her voice low and even.
~You have no choice. You are already one of us, and they are ours as well. Your own dark emotions will in time infuse themselves with your children. You, yourself, will ultimately corrupt them.~
"NO...I don't believe you...it can't be true..."
~You don't believe me? Feel towards them, and find out for yourself...~
Cara opened her eyes wide. She felt towards her children, then gasped in horror. Love and light were dimming, and darkness was beginning to build. Cara's emotions were a whirlwind of darkness. If something wasn't done soon, her children would be lost to that darkness.
~There is nothing which you can do. It is your destiny, and theirs.~ spoke Anon, with the air of one who has won.
Suddenly, a burst of psychic energy washed through the cavern; causing Anon to look up in fear, and the hairs on the back of Cara's neck to stand on end.
~There is no destiny which a person does not write themselves...~ spoke a familiar voice from out of the darkness.
Cara gasped at the sound. "Amanda?!" she said.
~Yes, Cara. I am here. I am with every one of you, never forget that. I must go now... my time here is limited. But, you must remember. You choose your own destiny. It is not chosen for you. Search inside yourself for your true strength. Find the light inside, and let it be your guide.~
And with that last message, the presence of Amanda faded out of the cavern.
/Find the light inside... what light? All I feel is darkness. There is no light./ Cara thought, stricken.
~For your sake, and the sake of your children, There must be. Find the light, Cara, do not allow the darkness to win.~ came the voice of Lady Ymela into her mind.
~Silence, sister. You do not have any power in this cavern.~ spoke Anon angrily. ~Cara, your time has come. Whether you surrender to the darkness willingly, or unwillingly, it makes no difference. But you will surrender. And so will your children. You have seen their future. There is not a force of this world which will stop it. You have lost.~ Anon spoke into Cara's mind.
Cara numbly stood, watching as Anon walked to the middle of the cavern, and slowly raised her arms above her head. Dark energy began to swirl around her... slowly building in concentration, becoming a large, dark, tornado of negative energy.
Cara didn't know what to do. She didn't feel there was any light left in her. She mutely watched as the dark energy grew in size, filling most of the cavern, and closing in on her. She couldn't move...
Cara gasped as the dark energy hit her... choking and burning her, as it began to infuse itself with her. Cara tried to run... tried to get out of the dark cloud, but it was no use. There was nowhere to run. She was trapped. Trapped in a cavern with a heartless witch.
Cara sank to the ground in despair, closed her eyes, and hung her head down. She didn't want that dark future for her children, but she didn't know how she could fight it.
Cara's heart was beating in her ears, roaring and thundering... above the roaring, the words which Amanda had spoken echoed over and over in Cara's mind. /You choose your own destiny. It is not chosen for you... Find the light inside, and let it be your guide./ And the words of Lady Ymela, which came after Cara thought there was no light in her. /For your sake, and the sake of your children, There must be. Find the light, Cara, do not allow the darkness to win./
/I have no strength or light left. But, for the sake of my children, I must. I cannot allow that dark future to happen. I will not allow it./ Cara thought with resolution.
With her heart thundering in her ears, and the dark energy swirling around her, Cara slowly got to her feet. With her eyes still closed, she focused all her power and energy inward, searching herself to the furthest most depths of her soul for light. And she found it. The last shred of hope, light, and love... pure emotions, which she felt for her unborn children.
She focused upon it, blocked out all other emotion except for this ember of light and love. Cara used her powers to fan the ember into a small flame. And the flame of hope and love, began to grow. Like a wildfire, it spread throughout Cara's heart and soul, dispelling grief and hate. The dark energy which had infused itself with Cara and her children began to lose its hold. The dark energy was weakening, and Cara was growing stronger.
~NO! I will not allow you to win!~ Anon exclaimed angrily, and she attempted to attack Cara's mind in order to slow her down.
Anon was unprepared for the sudden burst of pure energy which came from Cara; or the blinding light which erupted from Cara's body, dispelling the Dark energy in the cavern. Anon gasped and shuddered as the light energy began to flood into her own body. She could not shut down the mind link. Pain tore at her; pain caused by emotions that were familiar, yet unknown to her. It was killing her.
In one last, desperate attempt to survive, Anon tore her mask and cloak off and threw herself at Cara. She reached through the hot flames of light which surrounded Cara's body, grabbed onto her and lifted her high into the air... ready to break the girl into a thousand pieces. Blood dripped down Cara's body from the wounds caused by Anon's sharp fur, but the light never dimmed.
Cara opened her eyes and looked straight into the silver, glowing eyes of Anon. Anon froze, and gasped at what she saw. White light had replaced the red. Courage, hope, and Love, burned brighter than a thousand candles... courage, hope and love, which burned itself straight into Anon's soul.
"These emotions are familiar to you, Anon. They are the emotions which a mother feels for her children. I feel these emotions for my children, as you felt them for your child. No matter what Sinister did to you, you still feel these emotions. And you do love your son. I can feel it. Find the light inside yourself, Anon. Become what you once were, the guardian of pure emotions. Become free once more." Cara spoke in a calm voice.
For the first time in her endless life, Anon herself felt like she had been turned into stone. She couldn't look away from those glowing eyes. She put Cara down, and stepped back away from her, but she still could not look away.
Memories came unbidden into her mind. Of what she'd been. Of the cavern in which both her son and herself had been captured. Of Sinister's lab and the pain and endless agony of everything she loved being torn from her. The endless agony her prison caused her.
"Find the light, Anon, and become free once more." Cara spoke again, in a soothing, gentle voice.
Almost unbidden, as if in a trance, Anon began to look within, searching her own soul for light.
Deep within her heart, Anon found what she was looking for. A glowing ember of love which she still felt for her son. She closed her eyes and concentrated upon that ember of love. Pain flooded through her body, causing her to shake and tremble. But still she continued. She would not let this ember die.
Bright light began to pour forth from Anon's body, as the ember fanned into a flame, and grew into a wildfire which consumed Anon and all the dark energy which remained in the cavern. A horrible cracking, crackling sound shook the cavern to it's depths, as the prison which had encased Anon for so long, shattered into a billion pieces... and the evil witch known as Anon was no more. She had finally found freedom.
Rainfall
Maggie spoke up, cutting off her sibling's chatter.
"Shall we put it to a vote? All those in favor of Sammi as our acting leader, say aye or nay so we can get on to more pressing matters."
"I vote, Aye," Eric the younger said, as he smiled at Sammi. "She'll make a fine leader. I know Amanda would be proud of her."
Before anyone else could say anything, a blinding flash of light filled the room. Everyone shielded their eyes, and turned towards the source. The light gradually dimmed, and Cara was suddenly there standing in the middle of the room. She had a somewhat dazed expression on her face, and she wove back and forth for a moment before falling to her knees.
Jamar was by her side in an instant. He wrapped her up in a tight hug, and through their mindlink, he learned what had happened in the cavern, and that Gateway had sent her back shortly after Anon had been freed.
/Is Anon dead?/ Jamar telepathically asked his wife.
/No, she isn't dead... she's been returned to her original form. I don't know where she is right now, but I can still feel her presence. She's happy... and she's finally free.../ Cara replied, before succumbing to unconsciousness.
It was then that Jamar noticed Cara's wounds.
"Leilee! Come quickly!" he shouted over his shoulder.
Leilee ran over to Cara and dropped to her knees. She concentrated and used her powers to close Cara's wounds.
"She'll be okay, all she needs right now is rest." Leilee said. She got up and started to walk away, but she turned back around and said, "And the kids are fine too, pop." then she winked and walked over to Remy who had just come in from another room.
Jamar just stared. /Kids...?! Pop!?/ he thought, dazed.
He looked down at his wife. She woke up and smiled at him.
"/Cara?...." he said.
Cara just smiled more and nodded. Jamar's eyes got big, and he smiled a rather goofy smile that only soon to be fathers get.
Rainfall
Charles smiled at the scene before him. Everything was beginning to work out for Vision X, and he was happy for them. He knew that the path they had all chosen when they met would be difficult, but they had gotten through as a team. They were the representation of what he had dreamed of. They were also family, and he was proud.
"Congratulations, Jamar. You and Cara will make excellent parents, and I believe Sammi will make a great leader." he stated.
"Professor, how did you get here?" questioned Cyclops.
"The castle was good enough to send me here. I wanted to see if everything was all right."
"Not everything, Professor." stated Sammi.
"I know. The castle teleported her body back. She will have a proper service."
There was an air of sadness in the room, but Charles knew that everything would be all right and that in time everything would heal for the X-men and Vision X.
In Charles' mind he heard Sammi state, /I am sorry that there will be no wedding./
/So am I, but I know that she died fighting for what she believed in. I will always love her, and she will always be in my heart.... She would be happy to know that she won the bet. It would seem you guys notice things faster then the X-Men.)
Sammi smiled at Xavier and knew that despite what happened, Amanda would always be around in spirit. It was time to say goodbye.
A.C.
Sammi looked around at everyone. She saw Jamar and Cara talking. Jamar looked like he was going to pass out so she sent, ((Careful, Bro. I don't think kids of the "Best at what he does" are allowed to pass out.))
Jamar looked up at her and smiled and sent back, (At least it isn't twins.)
Sammi smiled and started laughing.
Cara, catching Jamar's message, said, "Huh, Hunny?"
"Yes, Darlin'?" Jamar asked.
"They're not twins, But they are triplets." Cara said with a weak smile. "Jamar?"
Jamar was staring at her and said nothing. Then he passed out.
Sammi kneeled down to him as Jonas came over to them and asked, "What happened?"
Sammi looked up at him and said, "Well, it seems like me and Athena aren't the only ones in the multiple birth department."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Well, Cara is having Triplets." Sammi said, looking at Cara and smiling. Cara smiled back.
"So you have twins. I have triplets." Cara said, then she looked over to Maggie.
Sammi looked at Maggie too and said, "You'll probably end up with Quints."
Maggie got pale. Scott starting laughing.
Sammi looked at him and asked, "What are you laughing at, Cyke?"
Scott glared at her and said, "The fact that with all of your kids you have a new team. And half of them are relatives of Logan." Scott turned to Logan and said, "You're family is as bad as mine."
At that, Logan paled and muttered under his breath, "Just don't let me be a long lost Summer's."
Sammi, Maggie, and Jonas heard this and they all started laughing. The laughing woke Jamar up, and he asked, "What's so funny?"
Sammi sent him what Logan had said, and Jamar said, "See. I'm not the only one who sees it."
jubilee_79
Leilee looked up and grinned. "Maybe that warp hole we went through to meet you guys is the reason why. Because, I don't think I'm having just one baby either."
Leilee
Maria laughed with the rest of the group at Remy's startled face. It seemed everyone was having babies. She didn't have someone special in her life yet, but she was the youngest so there was still plenty of time. With her luck, she would probably end up with seven.
Magneto was watching the gathering somewhat amused. He had worked well with the X-Men and was actually enjoying being in their company. He and Charles had even begun to renew their friendship. All in all, this adventure so to speak had been positive for almost everyone involved, with one big exception.
"Well, Charles, if this keeps up, you will be guaranteed that your dream will succeed due to the fact that half the world are X-Men."
Everyone laughed, and even Charles smiled. Magneto could tell his friend was putting up a brave front. He would talk to him later. Help him in any way he could.
"I hate to be one to bring down everyone's good mood, but how should we deal with Sinister?" asked Magneto.
A.C.
Jamar glanced over at Sammi and Maggie. The others fell silent for a moment.
**Jamar, what do you think we should do with Sinny?**
//Yeah, he's caused our family so much grief. He can never atone for what he did to us.//
***I know what you guys mean. One part of me wants to fry his sorry ass.*** A hand slides to Jamar's shoulder, and he visibly calms. ***Okay, we don't fry him... but I have something just as bad in mind.***
**//SPILL IT, BRO'//**
***I figure what's the worst thing that you can possibly do to an immortal. Life Imprisonment.***
//So, what, we like drop him in a black hole or somethin'?//
///Naw, that'd probably destroy him. How bout a dead zone./// Jonas says winking at Jamar.
The others watch the exchange and wonder at it's meaning.
///So, Yoda, do you think you can pull it off? It has been several years and lifetimes since you've done it.///
***Dragonboy, trust me!***
Sammi gives Maggie an "Oh brother" look.
Magneto stands there waiting. No one had said anything for several minutes. Charles looked nervous because he couldn't read any of the Logan kids now.
"Magneto, don't worry about Sinny. Everyone, back up... my brother is planning to send Sinny on his merry little way."
"Jonas, I'm gonna need your help with this one. Last time I did this, there was a lot of energy in the room." Jamar says as energy dances in his hand.
"Hey, Cable. We're gonna need a very large TK shield on my mark, okay?" Jonas says as he loses himself in meditation. Energy begins swirling like a cyclone around him. Rain, fire, and lightning wrap around the twister. "Now!"
Jamar looses the energy, ripping a gaping void across the air. The void burned bright with purple fire as jagged teeth line the maw of energy. At it's center stood a black disc, rotating and flipping over like a gyro.
The bubble holding Sinister begins to be drawn forward by what can only be described as a tongue. The X-Men and members of Vision X turn away as the void devours the fiend with a sickening pop.
Chaos
Leilee eyes widened as she turned back around. "Kewl..." she whispered, and then snuggled back into Remy's arms, rubbing her stomach slightly. Maybe now the world would be safe for their children. How ever many they may have.
Suddenly, she felt a little niggle in the back of her head as Cara announced her psychic presence.
::Just thought I'd let you know. It's twins.::
Leilee grinned and answered, ::So, we have Amanda Maria Nicole, and Cara Samantha Charlotte. Unless you don't want.....::
Cara let out the equivalent of a telepathic squeal. ::I want! I DEFINITELY WANT!::
Leilee grinned as Cara left, and pulled Remy's head down slightly to whisper in his ear what Cara had told her. Remy's face whitened, and he pulled her into a nearby room.
Leilee looked at him, slightly confused. Remy's face wasn't white anymore. It was red. And he looked pissed. In a quiet, slightly shaky voice, he said, "You knew you were pregnant when you got involved in the fight?"
Leilee gazed up at him. "Remy, I've been sick for the past 3 months, since the first night you got here. I kinda had to know."
Remy grabbed her arm, his voice increasing in volume. "YOU KNEW?!"
Leilee pulled her arm back, but Remy tightened his grip. "Remy, you're hurting me!"
Remy's eyes flashed in anger. "Are you stupid? Or just crazy?! You're fighting when you're pregnant! Did you think about the baby? Did you think at all?"
Leilee's face tightened. "Ex-SCUSE ME?!" She stepped up to him. "Oh yes. I asked to be knocked out. And I asked to be kidnapped. And I SOOOO asked to be tied down to the bed and nearly raped. But what I want to know is, where were you? Were you even thinking about me? Or were you cozying up to Rogue instead...."
Remy's hand flashed out and slapped her across the face.
Leilee gasped and grabbed her face. Remy's eyes widened and he stared at his hand for a second before turning his head to look at her. Leilee's eyes had filled with tears, and a red mark was starting to spread across her cheek.
"Chere....I'm sorry....I..."
Leilee's tear-filled eyes just stared up at him. "You bastard." With that said, her leg flashed forward, and she kicked him in the groin, cracking the body armor.
As he sank to the ground, Leilee ran out of the room and over to Jamar.
Stopping in front of him, she looked up and whispered, "Jamar, can you teleport me home please, I gotta get out of here. Now."
Jamar looked like he was about to say something, but then he noticed the red mark on her face. "Did he hit you?"
Leilee just stared at him. Jamar's face got mad and he started to go towards the room, but she grabbed his arm. "Jamar. Please?"
He watched her face for a moment and then nodded. He whispered to Cara what happened, took Leilee's hand, and teleported her home.
Leilee
Cara's face was white. Jamar had told her what happened between Leilee and Gambit, but she already knew. She'd felt the pain coming from the other room as strongly as if she, herself, had been slapped. As she watched her husband and friend disappear in a swirl of purple flame, only one thought stood out in her mind.
/How could he? How could he hit her?/ Cara thought with disbelief.
A flare of white fire momentarily flashed in her eyes, then was replaced by the familiar red glow. Cara stood up and advanced toward the room Gambit was in. Eric widened his eyes as he watched his sister's movements.
/Cara...what are you going to do?/ he asked her on their twin link.
/Don't worry, brother. I'm going to talk to him, not fry him. Not much, anyway.../ she replied, as she reached the entrance of the room, and went in.
Eric looked around at the others in the room. He decided it was time for a change of subject.
"Hey, Professor. If Amanda's dead, does that mean we need to start planning a memorial service for her?" he asked.
A flash of pain crossed Xavier's face and he closed his eyes. Magneto stared in wide-eyed disbelief at his son. Eric cringed, and uttered the one word he thought he would never use. "eep!" he said, with one eye closed.
Sammi knelt down by Eric and said, "Well, that's putting it gently. You certainly have a way with words."
She looked over at her father and sister, and simply shook her head. Eric was an okay kind of guy, but he sure had a big mouth. Magneto walked over to where his son sat, pulled him up by the arm and hustled him into a nearby room.
Charles watched them leave, then turned his attention towards the rest of the rooms inhabitants.
"Although this wasn't the way I had planned to broach the subject, Eric was right. We do need to talk about a memorial service for Amanda." Charles said in a tired voice.
Rainfall
Scott could see that his mentor was tired and suffering too much to stay in this place for much longer. He didn't understand the relationship the Professor had with Amanda, but he knew it was special. He remembered when he lost Jean, and the pain he had felt. Jean, sensing these feelings, squeezed his hand.
"I think we all need to get out of here." stated Scott.
At that moment, everyone in the area was teleport back to the castle. Cara and Remy were missing and so was Magneto and his son. Scott just shrugged his shoulders and figured that they were appear when the time was right. He was tired of trying to explain everything.
Xavier smiled slightly at Scott. He too had long given up the idea of trying to figure things out. He only hoped that Cara would help Remy while Jamar handled Leilee. They had all come too far, and dealt with too much to lose it now.
A.C.