Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters except for the ones that don't belong in the show. Marvel, WB, and Cartoon Network own them. If I owned them, I wouldn't be writing for fanfiction.

Author's Note: Hey, I really hoped you guys liked all of my chapters and please don't forget to review. I need your opinions to know if I'm headed in the right direction with this story. Feel free to make any suggestions if possible, please. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and thanks Sweet Like Chocolate for your reviews. I really appreciate it!

Chapter 4

Scott drove on the long road in his hot red, decorated car. His foot never left the gas pedal. He didn't admire the sun anymore and he didn't care about a thing in the world. His mind was blank and he couldn't feel anything. It was perfect with his eyes on the road.

Jean, Scott's mind recited as Scott knitted his eyebrows. Why did that name sound familiar? He tried to block out the thought because thinking meant more concern and wonder and he couldn't allow that in his perfect life.

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Scott, Jean's mind said in a dark corner. That name sounded so familiar. Jean tried to brush it off as she continued petting the furry gray cat for which seemed like forever. She had her eyes closed the whole time. She took her hand off the cat a few times to reach for chocolate to eat, but that's all she did all day. She couldn't care less about anything or anybody. She didn't even care about the cats and dogs deep inside anymore. Whatever her past life was, it was forgotten because this is where she was now.

A place of eternal happiness and no hope for tomorrow.

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Kitty waved her hands in the air and rocked her body back and forth. She couldn't stop moving to the faded music. Her eyes were closed for she couldn't see anything anymore. But she was still having a really good time. She didn't care if the noise of people and music had quieted down, because she was having the time of her life. Without anybody to tell her to take a break or to go home. This was her home now. No worries, just dancing endlessly to no music in her ears.

No music at all.

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Kurt popped another popcorn in his mouth and yawned. He had his eyes closed for forever now, never wanting to open them. All he did was eat and sleep and he enjoyed the life. He didn't have to worry about anything or anybody. He had forgotten about everyone and he couldn't care less. This was the life. He hadn't opened his mouth to speak and he didn't intend on doing so.

"Ah, my favorite thing in the vorld is you guys, the X-men, my family," Kurt's mind said in the very back, for the rest was empty with thoughts. He ignored it and continued doing what he enjoyed. He would never leave this place. Ever.

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Evan skated up and down the huge platform without one ounce of sweat. He loved this. He never got tired for he was restless. He didn't have a care in the world. No one telling him he was a freak and no one telling him what to do. He didn't feel tired or hungry or lonely. He didn't feel anything. He didn't have to worry about people and their needs and the world's rejections. This was perfect. He closed his eyes and continued doing what he had been doing for what seemed like forever.

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Rogue turned to Gambit as they walked down the sandy beach. Her eyes felt dim and heavy. Gambit didn't say much and Rogue didn't feel anything for this handsome man. It didn't feel real somehow. She didn't feel anything but skin and she liked it. They could just walk down the beach holding hands all day. She liked it. She wanted it to stay this way forever.

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"NO!!!!!! Don't leave me!" the little boy cried as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Give me my son back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the mother of the little boy cried. "He is NOT A FREAK!! PLEASE!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Momma!" the little boy cried as the army of the ruler of their country took him away. They locked him up in a dungeon. The little boy looked around in the dark and closed his eyes. Minutes turned into hours that turned into days. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Months turned into years and years turned into a decade. He was locked up in the dungeon for a decade without food or drinks. No one talked to him or looked at him.

One night, the ruler decided to get rid of the body because they thought he was dead. The soldiers came into the dungeon to find it empty. "Where is the boy?" one soldier with bulging muscles asked in fear. How could he have gotten out? Suddenly the door shut, tight.

The soldiers held their swords up in fear as they started breathing harder. It was pitch dark. Then they saw light. They turned around to see eyes appear from nowhere. They were bright red. They looked into his eyes and fell to the ground. Then the man disappeared after saying his last words.

"I am Deleterious. The giver of dreams, the taker of life. Dreams that ended suffering for mutants," Deleterious said.

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"Scott! Kurt! Rogue! Kitty! Evan!" a soft voice yelled from a far away place.

"Jean!" a manly voice spoke with tenderness. "Where are you?"

"Ah don't know where everybody is?" a southern voice spoke with fear.

"Like hello you guys! I'm so lost………lost," a sweet voice called from far, far away.

"Man, everything is so confusing," another voice spoke, no one listening to it.

"Vhat? Vhere am I?" another voice yelled with concern and helplessness.

Colors of green, blue, red, yellow, and brown eyes drifted through the air helplessly. The colors were amazingly full of pure goodness. But the colors didn't know where they were going.

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Scott drove his car off into a rode of nothingness. Suddenly, he stepped on the brakes of the car for the first time ever as he saw someone in the middle of the road. Stopping him from losing his way. He looked at this woman with red hair. She just stood there in stiffness. He stayed in the driver's seat not able to take his eyes off of her.

The red headed woman looked to the side and saw a girl holding hands with her partner. The man suddenly disappeared and she stopped next to the car. Then a skateboard comes across the car and the boy lands on his feet. He freezes in his tracks. Then a blue person comes down the road with a bowl of popcorn in his hands. He drops the bowl and stares at everyone. Then a perky girl with brown hair comes down the road. She comes in a fancy outfit. A pink sequined shirt with pink leather pants and pink high tops. She stops dancing as she reached the car.

Everyone paused in their tracks and looked at each other with their faded eye color. The blue man opened his mouth to say something. Something that he didn't even think about saying for a second. Something that had to come out. Something the boy felt.

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"This can't be happening!" Deleterious screamed in vein. "This is Empyrean. My mind! A place where people are happy. That doesn't include people interacting with each other!"

He had to do something about this. He had to diminish their souls forever or all is lost. "But how could they have come to bump into each other?" the man asked with confusion. They were in their dreams, their minds, connected with his. Empyrean was located in his mind which was somewhere no one could find. As if in a fantasy world. The only way people could be here was if they allowed their minds to enter. They each were disconnected from interacting with each other because that only brings hurt and suffering.

"They cannot diminish Empyrean! I WON'T LET THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

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Scott looked at the unknown creature. Rogue eyed them all in fear as she let go of Gambit's hand and he disappeared. Jean stood stiffly, closing her eyes. Kitty looked blankly at the fake scenery. She saw a tree fading but didn't say anything, for she didn't care. No one cared about anything or anybody. Evan looked at everyone and waited. Did he know what he was waiting for?

Kurt looked at Jean. Then Scott and Evan. Then Rogue. Then he looked at Kitty and closed his eyes. "Ah, my favorite thing in the vorld is you guys, the X-men, my family," Kurt blurted out as they all looked at him with their eyes wide open. An image suddenly popped into his head. He felt a flow of emotion rise in him. It was a wonderful feeling. A feeling of being loved and appreciated. A power of friendship and family. That love had brought them back together.

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"Kitty! There you are, ah've been looking all over for you," Rogue's voice spoke, filled with joy as green, blue, brown, red, and yellow glowed around her. "Ah felt so scared without you guys. Ah didn't know where ah was or who ah was."

"We're here now Rogue," Scott's voice spoke comforting the glow of brown light.

"Ja, no vorries," Kurt said happily as the light combined and formed one great light. A light so bright, that nothing could stop the light from shining.

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Jean took out Scott's red sunglasses from her pocket and placed them on his face. They were mutants again, and that's a part of who they were.

"Kurt," Kitty screamed as she closed her eyes and opened them again. She ran to Kurt and gave him a hug. Her eyes were shining bright with happiness. Real happiness, because she was with her family now.

Rogue's face lit up with joy as she ran over to Kurt. She was about to hug him when she realized she couldn't. "Jean, jacket please," Rogue said as Jean threw her her jacket and Rogue hugged Kurt and Kitty with the jacket in between. Jean ran over there and joined the group with a smile. Evan grabbed Scott and ran over with him as they dived in the Kodak moment.

"Awww………how sweet!" Deleterious said coming out of nowhere. "Saying your good-byes?" His smile that everyone knew faded into an evil laugh. "You can never escape me, I am Deleterious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hey, ve are the X-men, for your info. Ve can defeat anyone together!" Kurt screamed as they all stood there ready to fight. The man split himself into six different people and went after each of them.

"Kitty, don't be afraid," a woman said evilly turning into fire. She headed for Kitty but it phased through her. Then the woman ran after her ready to punch her. Kitty moved her head out of the way, not in time to dodge a kick in the middle of her stomach. She clenched her stomach for a second then tried to aim a punch at the evil woman. She kicked her and they both tumbled down a hill. The hill wasn't there before but had formed because Kitty had an image of the woman rolling down the hill.

Kurt dodged a man that was yellow and let off energy that electrified you and made you loose your body temperature. "Man, this mutant guy sure is poverful!" Kurt screamed as he kept teleporting away from the man's intensity. He spotted Kitty falling down a hill with a woman who turned into a huge man who flew high in the sky, ready to drop Kitty.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kitty screamed at the top of her lungs as Evan grabbed his skateboard ready to catch her wherever she falls. Kurt got away from the man that was after him and teleported to Kitty who was falling in mid air. Her hair was flying as Kurt caught her and teleported away. He teleported behind a tree. The tree just came up because Kurt was thinking about teleporting next to a tree. The yellow man following him came out behind the other side of the tree, turned dark blue and shot red beams out of his eyes.

"This guy can be anything and do anything he wants!" Kitty screamed as they fell onto a rock near a river. Rogue had thought of a river for them to fall in and it had turned against her. They were probably unconscious now because Kurt hadn't had time to teleport after they were hit by the red beam and hard rock.

"Kitty, Kurt!" Rogue yelled as she heard no response.

"Where's Kitty," Evan said. "Did Kurt get her?" Before Rogue could answer that question, a big lion ran after Evan. It was growling loud and catching up to Evan's skateboard. Finally, the lion jumped on the skateboard allowing Evan to tumble over into a hole in the ground.

"Evan!" Rogue yelled worrying about her friend. She turned around to spot a man with a horse body and human head aiming an arrow at her. "What the……" Rogue questioned herself as she started running in zigzags so the arrow won't point at her. But it was like a magnet, following her wherever she turned. She thought of an iron box she could hide in but she knew it couldn't be.

"I try to give you everything you want, but you never even thanked me. If you want to play it the hard way, so be it. You want a fight, I'll give you a fight. But I assure you you'll regret it!" the half man, half horse said angrily at Rogue who felt something closing in around her.

It was an iron box. She felt herself tumbling and her body moving up and down and her head feeling dizzy. The box seemed to be going down a rocky hill. Suddenly she heard a splash of water as she was unconscious and sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

Scott shot red beams from his eyes at the muscular woman that was after him with her sharp, metal splinters. One had passed over his head as he ran to hide behind a wall. The wall was looking exactly how he had imagined it. He hid behind it as one of the splinters actually came through the wall. Scott moved away in time. He was ready to go out there and fight for what was right as he stepped on a splinter and shocked himself. He was not unconscious, but his body was so weak. He couldn't move a muscle. He turned to see Jean with a shield over her. She was trying to stop a man with daggers coming out of his hands.

"Jean! Be careful!" Scott screamed with little energy. They were losing to this guy.

Jean looked over at Scott who was lying on the ground, helpless. She was so worried about everyone. What were they going to do? Jean put her hands on her head and concentrated. She knew she probably couldn't reach everyone's mind because they were unconscious, but she knew she had to try.

Rogue, Kitty, Kurt, Evan………Scott……… Jean thought as she tried to speak to her friends through her mind. We can defeat this guy. We can do it. We can't give up. We just can't. The Professor always tells us to be there for each other, and no doubt about it, we always are there for each other. Now get your butts over here and help your friends!

The whole land suddenly turned flat, to what it used to be. No more rock, iron box, or hole in the ground. Everyone got up and stood up proud and tall. The woman after Jean disappeared as all six people rejoined Deleterious. Jean released the shield around her and joined her friends. Deleterious' eyes were wide with surprise and maybe a little fear.

Jean looked at Scott. She put her hand in his as he held it tightly. Scott held Kurt's hand and Kurt reached for Kitty's. Kitty grabbed Rogue's hand as Rogue pulled Evan in. They were all connected now. When they were connected, nothing could stop them. Nothing.

"Is this supposed to mean something to me?!" Deleterious asked as they all stared at him.

"I love the world. I love being with my friends and family," Jean said.

"Ah love them, even though they can be crazy sometimes," Rogue added.

"And you're just jealous because you lack that, which is like a great thing," Kitty said with heart-filled words.

"You kids don't know anything!" Deleterious screamed. "The world doesn't accept different people. You are mutants, don't you understand!? No one is going to accept you. Then you'll experience real suffering," Deleterious screamed.

"Yeah, well we'll get through it," Evan yelled rebelliously.

"How is that young one?" Deleterious asked, every word dripping with sarcasm.

"Together!" Kurt and Scott yelled as they all attacked him. Before they made another move, Deleterious looked at them with his glowing red eyes. They were so empty and emotionless. They all fell back and shut their eyes because of the pain.

"Together huh!" Deleterious screamed as they all got up and attacked. Deleterious' eyes widened with fear. Everyone saw the great fear and loneliness in his eyes. No one could miss it. They all fought him making him drop to the floor. They back away breathing hard as they collapsed to the ground. He was so powerful. But not powerful enough because now he was laying on the ground. Him being the helpless one.

"David!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" a sweet voice called from far away. "You have forgotten my words David. I told you that hatred can destroy everything. Including the love for your mother. Don't you love me David?"

When he heard the sweet voice he started to tremble. Deleterious looked up from the ground he was laying on. The ground started disappearing as Deleterious' eyes turned light brown. They were filled with so much brightness for the first time in a very long time.

"To love someone means to get hurt and experience pain and suffering," the woman said softly in the air. "Now is that such a bad thing for the people you love? Does it not teach you how important they are to you? Emotion is a great thing. Your memory of me and emotion has brought me here to take you with me. You brought my soul back from the corner of your mind. Come with me this time. Because I'm not leaving you behind."

The X-men watched in awe as the tears in Jean, Rogue, and Kitty's eyes streamed down. Scott, Evan, and Kurt looked at the mother and son as if a miracle was happening before them.

Deleterious' body softened as he became restless. He smiled at the X-men as they returned the smile. His smile was so pure and wonderful and the emotion of the man was so great. His body turned into ashes as he became a pure brown light. All souls that he has kept there, in his mind, escaped to where they needed to go. The image of the son and his mother reunited was extraordinary. The ground began to shake as the fake scenery disappeared.

"Now that he is free, the world he had created is being destroyed," Jean said as Scott gave her a long, intimate stare.

"Uh very great. I'm so happy for him. But vhat happens to us?!?" Kurt asked in fear.

"He won't let us die," Scott said as Jean looked at him. "I know he won't." Scott let out his hand as Jean put hers in it. They smiled at each other as they all linked hands.

"If we do go down," Evan screamed over the swirling of the unmeaningful place.

"We go down," Kitty screamed as she held on tighter and closed her eyes.

"TOGETHER!" Rogue yelled even louder as everything swirled around them like a tornado. They were all being pushed back by the great gust of wind but still held on tightly. None of them let go. They were all in a circle with no end. It was a powerful circle.

The wind twirled around them with great might. They were in that gust of wind now. But no matter how hard it gets, they still have each other. The wind twirled around and around and around. Deleterious' mind exploded into thin air as it vanished. It was free now.

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The X-men stood in the backyard of the mansion. Their eyes were shut tight and their hands were together in one circle. When they heard no noise they opened their eyes slowly and looked at each other. They all formed smiles on their faces and hugged each other.

Scott held Jean in a big hug and twirled her around, lifting her feet off the ground. He placed her down only inches away from him. He gazed at her green eyes that were shining brightly now. He felt something rush through his body. It was a feeling of……love. He wanted to kiss her so bad…

Jean pulled him close to intertwine their lips together in a passionate kiss. Scott smiled and they both ran to the rest.

"Glad to be back," Kurt said as they all looked up at the shining sun. It was so real and they all felt alive. Living each day experiencing and learning knew things.

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There is a story about a man who lived in a place where there was everything that he wanted. But he didn't have one thing. Love. He lived forever in his mind, where everything was perfect. He didn't realize that hatred had caused the world of Empyrean. Greed was filled in him and that made him forget how wonderful love was. When he saw what really mattered, something that he was deprived of, he remembered that feelings and emotion are the reason people live. No suffering or pain makes you forget about the meaning of life.

True happiness lies with those you love. Nothing can replace love. Absolutely nothing.

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