Howdy, people! Welcome to the first chapter of The Silver Lining! Sorry it took so long, but Feb is my busy month. Anyway, I'm here now, and we're gonna start this party!

Quick A/N: Silver Lining starts about a couple months after Apokalypse. Scott and Jean are 19, Tyler, Rogue, and Kurt are 18, Kitty, Bobby, Ray, and Roberto are 17, Tabitha and Jubille are 16, Rahne is 14, and Jamie is 12

Another A/N: Jamie might be OOC for a while, but please bare with me. I've only seen some of the show and I'm going off of what I have seen and read. I'll try to put Jamie back in character ASAP.

Chapter 1: Two Boys

Bayville, New York

"What the hell was that?"

"I think it was Jamie."

"Again!"

"Yeah."

"Damn, that's the third time this week!"

Jamie Madrox sat shivering in his bed, hearing, but not listening to, the voices outside his bedroom door in the hall. His 'favorite' nightmare had played for him once again. His brother had died, again.

"Alright, ya idiots." snapped a new voice, this one female. "Git back ta bed."

"Rogue, what are you doing here?"

"Yeah, you're a girl."

"Ah know that." Rogue snapped. "Now git."

"But-"

"We don't-"

"Bobby, Ray, if ya'll two don't git, Ah'll drain ya right here, right now."

"Later!"

"Goodnight!"

There was the sound of two people running, then a tap on the door. "Jamie? Can Ah come in?"

Jamie didn't answer, just watched mutely as the door opened and Rogue came in. "Jamie? Ya alright?"

Jamie shook his head and Rogue sat down on his bed. "Wanna talk about it?"

"It was my brother." he whispered finally. Rogue, who had heard the story a few weeks back when his nightmares had began, took Jamie's hand in her gloved one. "He keeps haunting me." Jamie continuned. "The closer we get to the day...it happened, the more he makes me watch."

He was silent for a second. "Rogue?"

"Ah'm here, shugah."

"Why did he have to die?" he wailed. "Sure, he'd done bad things, but he wasn't a bad person! Why!"

Rogue didn't answer, she just pulled him into a hug.

The door opened again. "Stripes?" came a gruff voice. "How's the kid?"

"He's alright, Logan." Rogue replied, still hugging the little boy. "He just had a nightmare."

Logan nodded. "Alright." he said. "You two can skip this morning's Danger Room session, just meet me there after school."

Rogue nodded. "We'll be there."

Logan nodded again and left. Rogue looked down at Jamie. "Ya gonna be alright?"

Jamie shook his head franticly. "Don't go."

Rogue gave a ghost of a smile. "Don't worry, shugah. Ah'm not going anywhere."

XM XM XM

San Diego, California

Tyler Malone had also woken up from a nightmare, but he quickly shook it off. He got up and headed to the door of his San Diegan hotel room. He had been promised a package, and there would be hell to pay if he hadn't gotten it by now.

He opened the door and grabbed a large envelope on the floor. Going back inside, he opened the package.

Inside, there were documents on one man, local crime lord Diego Esparana. While reading the documents, Tyler's cell phone went off.

"Malone."

"Good evening." said a male voice. "You've got a delivery."

"You're a little late." Tyler told him, deadpanned.

"Another nightmare?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Tyler snapped. "Where is he now?"

"In his downtown penthouse." came the reply. "You know, you could always-"

He was cut off when Tyler shut the phone.

He went to the bed and pulled a box out from under it. He quickly opened the box and pulled a silver ninja's uniform out. He put it on and covered his face with the hood, becoming the Silver Clad Ninja.

He closed his eyes and silver energy formed a dome around him before morphing into a large bat and flying through the walls.