Chapter 24. The fire within

At first, there was pain and sorrow, someone crying. And than the voices came, people whispering, more crying, past voices returning, one voice in particular, male, something about a baby. Than strong grief, very strong, crying, wailing. Then it all went silent. Darkness everywhere, only darkness. Slowly memory started to return.

Amara's eyes slowly opened, only to be met with more darkness, but this was different kind of darkness. Her skin itched painfully, her muscles ached, her bones felt brittle. Her memory was perfect, up until all the water came, than all she could remember was voices, and crying. Something was missing but, part of her sole, her mind felt week, at the loss. Suddenly Amara realised, it was John, he wasn't part of her any more, she couldn't feel him.

Desperately she tried to move, her skin felt like it was stuck, she could feel her skin detached it's self from and outer layer, painfully. She tried to scream in pain but it was impossible. She felt the presents of the layer all around her, suddenly she realised she was in a shell. She was so thirsty and hungry, she could tell that her body was starved, which she supposed was a good thing, because her cacoon was forged when she was better nourished, meaning she had some space. Gritting her teeth, she tried moving again, more stinging pain shot through her body, and her muscles screamed with the effort of moving. she began to come panicky, she couldn't break free, she felt so week, mentally at the loss of John, and physically at her under nourishment. Trying again to move, she tried to move her arms, pain beyond pain cursed through her, she could peel tears form behind her eyes, even this caused her pain.

Helplessly on the edge of hysterics, she reached out with her mind, searching for the only person that would be able to help her. He was close, opening the forgotten link, she screamed through it, 'JOHN!!', she cried desperately. Her mind weekend from the projection, started to fade out, but she clung desperately to the link she had opened.

'AMARA!?' . hearing a reply sent waves of relief, through her broken body. 'John, please help me I can't get out' , was the last thing she sent through the link, before she started to hear sounds, just out side of her shell. "Amara, are you in there", she heard John from the outside world. Gathering her strength in one last protest, she tried to move once again. The pain shot through her limbs, but she was expecting it, and continued pushing against her shell, the sound of cracking reached her ears, she could feel fresh air, on her stomach. The shell was apparently weaker there. She was about to attempt another moving when, she felt fingers on her skin, and the shell being puled from her skin, she groaned at the pain this caused, but her relief was equally as strong. "Hold on luv., I'll get you out", she heard her savour say, as she felt more hard shell being pealed from her skin.

XXX

John knew that this must be hurting her, as he pealed the black layer off. The skin was a bright pink colour, but as he began to peal more off, the skin would fade back into it's normal colour, but it was slightly different from what he remembered, her skin now had a golden glow to it, but John looked past all that focusing of freeing her.

As John began to peal more of the damned substance off, he noticed that the job was made easier by a system of small hairline fractures especially on her chest and stomach. He realised with shock that these were the places that he had been crying on. John continued to work until he had cleared the whole entire area of her stomach, it became incredibly noticeable, that Amara's suit had been melted into her hard exterior, meaning that when the shell was entirely pealed off she would be naked.

John had started to clear, away the substance on her chest when, he heard the med lab doors open.

"John, mon ami, are you still in hear", her heard gambits voice call, from the opposite side of the drawn curtains.

"Remy, she's awake, get Beast, quickly!", he shouted.

He head Remy exclaim something in French, before he left the room running. Soon John heard the doors open again, and Hank soon stepped into the curtains. Followed by Xavier.

"Oh, my stars and garters", Hank exclaimed. As he looked at the sight in front of him, before he also joined John, in pealing off the layer.

Hank took to work on her legs, as John continued with her chest, tacking very special care with pealing it from her breasts, so as not to cause her too much pain. When he had finished that area, he grabbed the sheet pulling it over so that it covered her exposed breasts. His next target was her arms, and he set to work at them, while Beast was taking special care of removing it from her toes with out breaking them. Once John had freed her arms and shoulders, Amara slowly sat up, separating her skin from the large piece of substance that ran across her back, everyone in the room heard her groan in pain at this. Hank had cleared away the substance from her feet up to her thighs, where he stoped respectfully. John tied the sheet around her, under her armpits, because it had fallen off when she sat up.

Amara's hands shot to her face, and began to quickly tare the matter from her. John helped her with this. Soon John glimpsed waves of long, unkempt, mattered hair, that was now several shades lighter then it had last been, it was now a dark blond colour. Amara griped the piece that covered the front of her face like a mask, and took a deep breath, before pulling the whole thing off, in one piece.

John saw her face for the first time in five months, and he could feel tears start to fall from his face, but he did not care, he was with her again, he had her back, so he let the tears fall freely.

Amara was taking deep shallow breaths, trying to recover from her last moment of pain, she sounded like some one on the verge of hysterics, or hyperventilating. Her eyes were still closed, as they had been when she was encased.

John reached out cupping her face, running his hands tenderly across her cheeks. "luv, open your eyes", he requested in a chocked whisper.

Slowly the lids to her eyes opened, and John gasped slightly, as her dark brown eyes, were now replaced with bright golden ones. Their eyes locked and John felt more tears slid down his face.

Amara's eyes started to mist, and soon she was joining him in crying. John's hands were still on her face, and losing all self-control, he bent, crushing their lips together. Amara's hands griped his neck pulling him closer, if possible, responding in full force to his kiss, John could feel the air around him heating, but he didn't care, he continued to kiss her violently until, they had to separate, both needing air.

The two continued crying, still looking at each other, John tried to form some words, but they came out all chocked, and unrecognizable. They remained like that for many minutes, just staring at each other, until Amara tore her gaze from his to observed her surroundings. Her eyes fell on Hank, and Xavier, and she held her arms out, requesting a hug from them. Hank smiled happily complying with her wish, and Xavier wheeled closer to her so that he could also comply.

When she had pulled away, she spoke for the fist time, in a horse neglected voice, "How long?", she rasped, keeping her words to the bare minimal.

"It has been five months", Xavier answered.

Amara was about to ask another question, when her eyes fell on her skin, with it's new golden sheen, and her new bright eyes widened in shock. "What's happened to me?", she asked voice starting to become clearer.

" I do not understand the reasons for your new appearance ether Amara, but with some testing perhaps we could find a probable cause.", Xavier offered.

"New appearance", she repeated, staring at her hands, and arms. Her hands then went to her face, and her tangled hair, and John watched her as he felt a flicker of horror pass through there newly established link.

"It's ok, luv, your still as beautiful as you were before", he reassured her, "I'll get you a brush and mirror, don't worry". He reached for her hand holding it firmly in his.

"What day is it?", she asked.

"It's Christmas eve, luv"

Amara didn't reply to that, instead her eyes began to close, and she leaned back onto her pillow, "I'm so thirsty, and hungry, and tired", she stated wearily.

"After Hank checks you out, then I'll arrange some food from our feast to be taken down, but until that time I recommend you get some rest", Xavier ordered.

Xavier left and John began to follow, "No!!", Amara cried, grabbing his wrist, preventing him from leaving.

"It's ok luv, I'm just going to get you that brush and mirror", he reassured her, gently stroking her hand. Amara reluctantly released him, a pleading look in her yes for him to return quickly, which he did a couple of minutes later, with the brush and mirror at hand.

"luv, before I give you the mirror, I want you to know, so your not too shocked, that your hair and eyes have changed colour"

her eyes widened, and she held out her hand for the mirror, impatient to see her new face. John gave it to her. she stared transfixed at her self, until she shock her self out of it.

"Wow", she breathed, touching the skin just under her eyes. "I look,..I look really shiny, and, and… sexy"

John smiled at her statement, he had to admit she was sexy, even though her old form was equally appealing as her new one.

"I look like, I rubbed golden syrup on myself, and my eyes are soo cool", she exclaimed. "Too bad about my hair though"

"Well, we will just have to fix that", John said, holding up the brush.

He can forward and Amara moved further down the bed, John sat behind her, and set to work untangling her hair as best he could without causing her pain. He was halfway thought the job when Beast came in and gave her a check up. John watched as he took her blood pressure, a sample of her blood, a sample of her shell that was scattered around the floor, he listened to her lungs and heart, and shined a light in her eyes, which reflected the light making her eyes glow a wild yellow colour, like a cat's. Hank recorded everything, and soon left to get both Amara and John some of the Christmas feast.

As John began to brush her dark blond hair again, he thought back to five months ago, when her saw her in the black cast, he though he had lost her forever, and now hear she was sitting in front of him, slightly undernourished, and tired, but he now had her back, and she was as beautiful or perhaps more beautiful than he remember her, but John could not have cared if she looked any worse, but the fact was that he had his love back, and he was happier than he had been in months. As he thought about these things, John failed to realise that he was crying again. He finished unknotting her long hair, and she turned around to face him. John now realised that he was crying, because Amara's hand came forward to wipe his tears away.

"John, what's wrong?", she asked, tenderly caressing his face.

"Nothing", he answered, taking her hand and kissing it, "everything's perfect". He went to kiss her hand again but she pulled it away, John was about to enquire why she did this, but his question was answered, when she put her hands around his neck pulling him down, so his lips could meet hers.

XXX

AN: yay, Wohoo, she's awake people can't kill me now, but don't think it's all over yet, they still have to get married, Rogue still has to have a baby, Piotr still has a sister to bring back, and certain cat that needs some of his loving. People the next chap is going to be a good one, and it is also going to be the last for a month, because I'm going on holiday, so stay tuned for it.

Thanks to:

Valthraema

Lady Element

CajunBelle (wicked grin, so your going a vacation,….you're going on a vacation with your boyfriend,…..you're going on a vacation with your cute Cajun boyfriend, …..you're going on a vacation all alone with your cute Cajun boyfriend. Hummm, I wounder what will happen, lol. Don't hurt me.)

BloodDevil (love the pen name)

v son sayian

SperryDee (sweet I rule)

Prowler-125 (you know lots of people have cried over this fic. I never knew I had such power)

animechix666 (glad your enjoying the story)