During the next months, they worked hard, helping Rogue control her powers. It was not Sissy's idea of a good time, but it was something that had to be done. They didn't to tell anyone because Rogue wanted it to be a surprise. When she finally mastered it, she couldn't believe it.

"I don't believe it! I-I'm not hurting you!"she said, as she hugged Arthur.

"Congratulations!"

He was very happy that Rogue had achieved her goal. The octuplets were very happy, too. With their aunts' help, they had managed to convince Scott about Pietro and Jean, and they saw that Rogue was much happier now. She said that now, Scott was courting her, and that the touching thing was not a problem. This made them very happy. Rogue would tell them about going on long walks, holding hands without wearing gloves, and so forth. She almost felt grateful towards Pietro. Scott was convinced that Jean had never really cared for him, and he knew that Rogue did. He knew that she must have suffered a lot because of the no touch thing. Now, that she opened her heart to him, he could see that she had a heart of gold.

Meanwhile, Sissy decided that in order to succeed, she would need them to see Ma.Eugenia's uncle.

"What if someone recognizes us, Sissy?"

"Don't you guys take orders from Sissy? If she says you should, then you should, shouldn't you?"

"We guess so."

"What are we waiting for?"

"We're not telling anyone. We'll be back in no time, get your hat."

A minute later, they were outside a building. It was a big building, and very depressing.

"So this is it?"asked Ma.Xamila.

"Yes."Sissy answered.

"It looks very depressing."Ma.Eugenia said.

"I'm sure it is. What are supposed to say?"

"Just the very truth."

"Whatever you say, Sissers."Ma.Xitclalli said uncertainly.

All the girls crossed themselves, took a deep breath, and walked in.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"I'm sure."

They came across a guard that asked them what they were doing there.

"We're here to see someone who goes by the name Cain Marko, I think."Ma.Ximena said.

"There's no visitors allowed."

"Oh, no, you see, we're not visitors, not really, anyways. You see, Maru's his family. And it's urgent."

"He has no family, except his half-brother."

"Never mind, it's none of...never mind. Look, mister, you have to let us in, right now. It's for your own good. We really don't want to have to hurt you. But you don't seem to want to cooperate."

Ma.Xamila put her hand on his arm, he shook violently, and he was on the floor.

"I'm sorry. You just wouldn't listen, we warned you. It was only sound vibrations, anyway. A little violent, but...what are you going to do about it?'

They walked on, with Sissy in the lead. When they reached the room, Sissy looked happily, at the figure floating in the tube in front of her.

"Oh, wow."said the dectuplets in unison.

"This is so neat. I've never seen anything like it. Sissy, we should've brought Cuzzy with us. He wouldn't been so interested in all this."

"This is none of 'Cuzzy's' business."Sissy answered.

"And what are supposed to do now. Are we supposed to let him go, or something. You don't think he can hear us, do you? Understand us?"

"Yes, you're supposed to drain all that fluid."

"Fine, we will. Whatever it is. But wouldn't that be dangerous? He looks dangerous. I think I can understand why he's here."

"Nothing's going to happen, because I will reason with him."Sissy assured them impatiently.

"Fine, fine, fine. One, two, three."

Sissy was prepared for whatever might happen. She immediately made it impossible for Juggernaut to do anything to the girls. She set up a barrier with her eyes. It was only Sissy and him inside.

"I suppose you've been quite a long time in there, haven't you?"she said to him. "We didn't just come to set you free. I know you don't make deals, or anything, and even if you did, I couldn't take the risk of you betraying me. People have done so much harm. You should know that. I see you've been a victim yourself. It is impossible to just stand by and do nothing. Ma.Eugenia was also a victim like that. I know for a fact that your half brother and you both have the same father? Correct?"

"Who are you? A cat?"

"I'm not an ordinary cat, any more than you are an ordinary person. Are you?"

"NO!"

"You see, right there, in the same room, the girls, that looks different from the other ten, the one with the dark hair. Ma.Eugenia, your niece. I suppose you would say half-niece, though, wouldn't you?"

"I don't have any family."

However, Sissy paid no attention, and went on with what she was saying.

"I'm not that familiar with human terms. You see, my species, we are all half-siblings. It's very rare that in the same litter you get a kitten from the same mother and father. Maybe in a different litter."

"I'm not interested in your family history. Let me go."

"Ma.Eugenia, or Maru, as everyone likes to call her, Maru's father never cared for her either. She's just like you. Illegitimate. You were the 'bastard', surely, while your brother was the rightful son, heir, you get the idea. Wasn't that so? I mean, you have the same father, why not the same name? I don't think those things should happen, and go by unpunished. Someone has to pay, don't they? Why did he get more than you did? Why? That's just where you come in. You can't harm any of these girls, they are going to help you. You think that by simply killing Xavier, that will make things right, but there are things much worse than death. What good would it do you killing him? That's why I'm here. Maru has been doing quite a good job in making her father believe that she forgave him. You must do the same as her. You must pretend to forgive and forget. It will take you much farther. You have only yourselves, you must stick together, for your own protection."

As Sissy was saying these things, she made sure that Juggernaut listened to her, and not be distracted by his anger. He did listen, and what the cat told him made sense. Someone did have to pay. He didn't understand what could be worse than death, but she seemed to know what she was talking about. For some reason, he decided to listen to her. Suddenly, there was no barrier, and Sissy jumped on Ma.Xacinta's shoulders.

"Oh, jeez, Sissy. You've calmed him down! What did you say to him? Now, what? Are we supposed to take him with us, or something?"

When they were back at Piedras Grandes, everyone was shocked to see that they had brought Juggernaut with them.

"We spoke to him, and well, he said that he realizes that he was wrong, and you get the idea. Quiere hacer las pazes."they said.

"How in the world did you convince him?"Logan asked, mystified.

"It was Sissy."

Xavier was grateful to Sissy, that she had managed to change his brother's mind. He was happy that now they would be able to live just as they were, brothers. Meanwhile, Pietro could see that now was the perfect time to propose to Ma.Xamila. He knew that this wasn't the way thing should be done, but he thought, if she accepted then her relatives would be forced to say yes, besides, he had put up with enough, and now that Scott and Rogue were together, and Rogue was happy, because of his help, now would be the perfect time to do it.

"Ma.Xamila, would you marry me?"he asked in his most romantic voice, and putting a diamond ring on her finger. His job as the overseer at Piedras Grandes paid very well, and he had saved everything to buy it.

Ma.Xamila simply looked at him.

"I am not unaware of the honor you have bestowed on me in wanting me to become your wife, but, no."she answered. "You don't want to marry me, Pietro."

She took off the ring, and put it on his palm.

"What? Why...why not?"asked Pietro shocked, and taken aback.

"Because you don't know me. If you ever did know me, you would probably be shocked."

"I do know you."he insisted.

"No, not really. Besides, I couldn't leave my sisters, you know. Look, you just don't deserve to marry someone like me. I'm very...farsighted. My imagination doesn't take me to the altar and no further. I see beyond that. And I know that marriage isn't for me. You know, Rebecca once described me as a wild animal. I can't live in a zoo! I want to be free. Besides, there are so many rules married women have to follow, you know. We don't like rules. That's just why my sisters and I always stick together. There's no one else in the world who sees things are way. We hate to go out into societies. They are so...we don't like them. We don't like people. We hate them."

This was not at all going the way he planned.

"I'll do anything to prove to you that I'm good enough."

"Even if I did decide to marry you, my mother wouldn't allow it."

"Of course she would!"

"Of course she wouldn't. She knows nothing of your family. I don't know if you've noticed, but that's why Maru can't marry, either, because no one knows anything about her father's family. About her grandfather. Besides, you wouldn't be happy with me. I'm not the kind of person who knows how to make people happy. I know nothing about people. I've never really associated with them. Just my family, and you can't really call my sisters people, can you? I know how to make a dog, a cat, or a rabbit happy, but not a person. Never a person."

"Oh, I would be very, very happy with you. You have no idea how happy I would be."

"No, you and I aren't the same. We are different. I am not human."

"Neither am I."

"Not in that way. What I meant was...I am not human in any way. Except maybe the appearance, and you don't know how ashamed I am of it. The disgust I feel every time I look in the mirror. I...I hate what I see in the mirror. That is why there are no mirrors in this house. Didn't you ever wonder why that was. Only maybe in the guest rooms, and so forth. Anyway, you see, in the room we sleep in, there are no mirrors. We asked that they be removed. Father, of course, agreed, and had them removed at once."

"Well, I think you look beautiful."

"Pietro, it isn't from low self-esteem that my sisters and I suffer! It's something else. You wouldn't understand. I guess you could say we suffer from the opposite. And I will not marry you! Or anybody else! Ever! I have my reasons, and Sissy would never allow it. When Sissy doesn't want something to happen, it will not happen. I assure you. All I really want is for there to be happiness, peace, so that...well, my ideas are complicated. It would never work out."

She got up and walked away, leaving him there, with his jaw dropped. Then what was all that effort he put in for? He thought about what she had said. They didn't like the way they looked? How ridiculous! Why, a lot of girls would give anything to have those looks.

Ma.Xamila was telling her sisters, the octuplets, and Sissy about what had just happened.

"You were quite right in refusing, of course."Sissy told her.

"Yes, I suppose so. Sissy, I heard that you know, Juggernaut will be staying here, now. He won't be going back to where he was."

"Of course not."

"I don't get what that was all about."

"Oh, it wasn't about anything. But someday soon you will find out what it was all about. Very, very soon."Sissy told them, with her eyes shining.

The End

Sissy will tell the girls the truth about themselves. Sissy has always told them what to do, and kept them together, but why? They will find out very soon. I will write the sequel as soon as I can. After I write a Planeteer story. I haven't got a title for it yet.