I actually learned something from this chapter: the difference between X-Man and Cable! Go me :D Yeah, I'm slow. Hope ya enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men or anything like that. But hey, I can still think I do.

X-Mansion

Kitty sighed as she walked down the steps of the lower level. Everything was falling apart. Rogue had gone ahead of her and told her friend she wanted to be alone. Pete had stayed on the grounds to have a cigarette, something she scolded him on.

"Kitty." She heard a girl's voice say. Kitty looked down the hall to see Sarah sitting on the floor with Dirge by her feet. "Where's Remy? Did he come home with you?" She asked the older girl.

'Oh crap, why do I have to be the one to tell her.' Kitty cursed to herself. "Um, Remy is . . . " She paused for a moment to think of something to say. "On a mission right now." She told her.

"But no one else went with him. I saw Rogue walk by and she looked upset." Sarah whispered and brought Dirge close to her. "Where is he?" She asked again.

Kitty closed her eyes. 'What did Remy and Rogue say where Logan went to? Wasn't it he was on vacation?' She thought to herself. "He needed sometime away and will be back, honey." Kitty said as she sat down next to the small girl.

"But why didn't he bring me with him?" Sarah asked as she pet Dirge on the head. She knew that Kitty had left something out and wouldn't give up until she found out what it was. Then she remembered that was the same thing that Remy had told her about Logan and he hadn't returned yet. "He's dead?" Sarah whispered and her eyes got all watery.

"No, he's not dead." Kitty tried to calm the girl, but she had already started crying.

"He's dead." Sarah repeated and started crying. "Everyone dies on me!" She screamed. Dirge rubbed his face against her arm to try and make her feel better, but it didn't work. "First mommy and daddy, then Mr. Logan, and now Remy!"

"Honey." Kitty tried again to help, but Sarah got up from the floor and ran the opposite way.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She yelled.

"Just great." Kitty thought to herself. She heard a soft 'meow' next to her and looked down at the cat. "Your upset with me too, aren't you?" She said as the cat stared at her. Dirge meowed one more time before he took off after Sarah.

"Is everything alright, Kitty?" She heard Piotr ask as he walked over to her from the shower room.

"No, Piotr." She answered sadly. He sat down next to her and put his arms around her to comfort her.

"Hopefully, we can get it back."

Hallway

All Rogue wanted to do was jump onto her bed and cry into her pillow. She still couldn't believe that last thing she had said to Remy was she wanted to break up with him. 'Ah'm so stupid. Why did Ah say that?' She thought to herself. Kitty and Pete had tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault and that she didn't know that Mesmero was going to try and capture one of them.

"That's another thing Ah can't tell them." She whispered to herself as she stopped in the hallway, outside the War Room. If the others had found out she had killed someone, they would throw her into one of the cells along with John.

"Rogue?" She heard Joseph's voice say and turned to see the white-haired man standing at the doorway. "Are you alright?" He asked her with concern in his voice.

"A-Ah don't wanna talk about it." She told him and tried to walk past him, but he held out an arm and stopped her.

"You can talk to me about anything. I will never tell anyone." He vowed to her and took her hand. Joseph then guided her into the War Room and had her take a seat. "Now tell me what's wrong." He asked her again after he took a seat himself. His hand still rested on hers and rubbed it.

"Ah broke up with Remy." Rogue whispered to him.

"I am sorry. I am sure you had good reason behind it." Joseph said as he stopped rubbing her hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulder to bring her close to him with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Ah told him he was actin' like Bobby was when we were goin' out. And then this guy came out of no where and took him." Tears fell from her eyes as she said that last part.

"Who took him?" Joseph asked and started to stroke her head.

"This guy that was workin' for Apocalypse. He was aimin' at meh, but Remy pushed meh out of the way. It should have been meh, not him." Rogue wiped her face with her left hand.

"Sh, it's alright. I must say that I am thankful he did do that." Joseph told her and tilted her head to look at him with his fingers under her chin. "You're very important to me, Rogue. Unlike everyone else here who refuses to speak with me, you actually gave me a chance. No one else has ever done that for me." He said.

"Ah'd rather have it where no one was taken instead." She sighed and her eyes looked down at the metal table.

"There is nothing you can do or change." Joseph used his other hand to capture Rogue's while the hand under her chin moved to her cheek. Rogue closed her eyes. It had been a long time since she had ever felt skin on skin contact, except for the other day when she discovered she could make that contact with Joseph. She would normally enjoy the sensation of being able to touch another living thing without getting his or her memories or powers sucked into her, but at the moment her only thoughts were on Remy.

She felt his hand move from her cheek to the back of her neck and brought her closer to him. She felt his lips on hers in the next second and her eyes open to look at his blue eyes.

Danger Room

Jubilee walked into the Danger Room to get her books. She had decided to study to get her mind off of Jono. She couldn't believe he had hidden something from her.

"Don't you dare talk back to me!" She heard Gayle's voice shout. Jubilee looked over towards Jono's bed and saw Gayle hit him on the arm.

I didn't mean ter. I just asked yer why yer even wanted ter see me? The last time yer said that I disgust yer. Jono said to her in a quiet tone.

"Yer do. All yer mutants do." Gayle stated as she glared at Jono. "But yer owe me, Starsmore. Yer took away me life and now yer gonna give it back." She told him and was about to smack him again.

"Hey! Don't hit him!" Jubilee shouted as she walked over to the two quickly

"Why don't yer mind yer own business, girl? This does not concern yer." Gayle glanced at Jubilee. "He's me boyfriend and he is goin' ter pay fer what he did ter me."

"If he was your boyfriend and you loved him, you wouldn't have hit him." Jubilee shot back and moved to Jono's side. "As far as I am concerned, it doesn't look like you do love him."

"If yer know what's good fer yer, then get lost." Gayle growled.

"Or what? You're going to bitch at me?" Jubilee challenged her. "Bring it on."

"Why would yer even fight fer him? All he will do is hurt yer like he did ter me. The only thing he is good for is bossing around." Gayle said as she looked over at Jono, who turned his head away from her.

"No, he isn't! He is one of the sweetest guys I've ever met. If you hadn't tried to beat him down all the time, you would have seen it. That's your loss because he is MY boyfriend now and I love him to bits." Jubilee told the other girl and placed her hand on top of Jono's.

"Don't make me puke." Gayle rolled her eyes. "I am not leavin' this mansion without Jono." She told Jubilee before she turned to leave.

"Maybe we can sacrifice her to that Apocalypse guy." Jubilee joked to Jono with a smile, but it disappeared when she saw the look in his eyes. "What?" She asked confused.

Thanks. He told her and hugged her close to him. No one's ever stood up fer me before. Jono said.

"Hey, no problem. No one pushes my Jonie around and gets away with it." She promised him and returned the hug with a side kiss to his cheek.

Xavier's Office

Cable was looking through the files on the Phoenix. During his time, the Phoenix had not been a problem. In fact, the Phoenix helped them against Apocalypse after it claimed a new body.

"Hey, whatcha doing?" Domino asked as she walked into the room and took a seat across from him. He gave her an annoyed look and went back to reading the files. "You know it is polite to answer a person when they ask you something."

"I don't have time to talk to you." Cable responded as his eyes shifted off the paper and towards the Domino.

"Seriously, you need to be more social. So far all you've been is Mr. Secretive." She rolled her eyes and decided to start again. "Okay, let's go over something easy. Do you like guns?" She asked him.

"Yes." He answered, but kept his eyes on the files this time.

"Wow. We are making progress! Maybe there is a way for you to become a people's person." She cheered sarcastically. "Okay, let's try another one. Who was that guy you were fighting in here?" Domino asked.

Cable put the papers down for the first time and glanced at her. His cyborg eye glowed. "His name is Stryfe. He is my clone that was created from the future. Apocalypse originally wanted to take me, but made a mistake and took him instead and raised him." He explained.

"There's something you don't hear everyday." She mused. "Okay, next one. What is your name?" She asked.

Once again, Cable hesitated. He didn't know if he should give her his real name. He had been advised to not give that information. "I can't give you that." He told her.

"Aw, come on. I won't tell. I don't have a big mouth." Domino stated and glared at him when he gave her a surprised reaction.

"Swear you won't tell anyone." He said to her.

"I swear I won't tell anyone what your name is." Domino rolled her eyes. "You seriously need to loosin' up and not be so uptight."

"I have reason to." He responded before answering. "My real name is Nathan Christopher Charles Summers." He finally answered.

"Summers? Why does that name sound familiar?" Domino asked as she began to think. "Wait, Scott Summer! You're related to Scott?" She asked.

"Yeah." Cable responded and looked down at the files on the table. 'Why did I give her that information?' He asked himself.

"So, are you like his brother, distant relative, or son?" Domino asked as she rested a hand over the files he was reading. She wanted an answer and she was going to get one.

"Son." He told her.

"So, then I am guessing we get Jean back and they have a kid which is you?" Domino asked as she stood up and looked down at him. He sighed. There was only one way to get rid of her and that was by telling her.

"No, it's a bit complicated." He answered.

"How can it be complicated?" She asked and placed her other hand on her hip.

"My mothers is Madelyne Pryor. A few years into the future now, they will meet and get together." Cable told her.

"So, Jean dies or Scott cheats on her?" Domino asked him another question and sat down on the desk in front of him.

"Neither. A scientist cloned Jean and created my mother. Scott didn't know who she was, he thought she was Jean. That is why you can not tell anyone. If I hear someone heard about this, I'll kill you." He told her.

"No need to worry. My lips are sealed." Domino winked at him. "I'm going to get some food. See ya around."

Hellfire Club-London Branch

"I thought I told you I wanted white roses, NOT red!" A woman with black hair, gloves, boots, and dress yelled at the woman in front of her.

"I am sorry, Black Queen. I promise to get it changed." The woman quickly said and got out of the other's way.

"A little upset, are we Selene?" A blonde haired woman dressed in white laughed mockingly.

"I am not in the mood for an agreement, Emma." Selene told her and walked past.

"You should know better than to anger her by now, White Queen." Sebastian Shaw said as he walked down the hallway and saw the young woman standing.

"But it is too fun." Emma smirked. "When is the meeting?" The White Queen asked Shaw.

"It is nothing big, we are going to start up a new branch in New York and there is some paper work the Club needs to go over." Shaw said to her. "Shall we go?" He asked and held out a hand to her.

"It would be my pleasure." Emma smiled as he guided her into the other room where all the other members of the Hellfire Club were waiting.

Outside

The sky darkened as the Phoenix flew down to the city and landed on a building. She rested her elbows on the cement ledge and watched the people below. "Pathetic, aren't they." She said to herself.

"Not a care in the world." The Phoenix mused as her finger traced itself in the cement. A small smirk soon appeared on her lips. "Let's see if this will change their minds." She said as the ground began to shake. People started screaming and running in fear. "Now that's better."

She flew into the air and sent flames in every direction. Buildings were hit and caught on fire, which caused panic inside them. People on the streets looked up at the Phoenix and terror and started to run. "So new and great." The Phoenix spoke as she watched a family try to get away. It had been so long since she had been free and felt emotions.

She directed her next attack on a tall building to the side.

Inside the Hellfire Club Building

"So, it is settled. We will start construction right away." Shaw stated, very pleased. "That is all for-"

"-what is that!" Lady Mastermind shouted when flames shot through the windows and the walls began to melt.

"Who dares to attack the Hellfire Club?" The Grey King shouted. All the members got to their feet and stared at the Phoenix who finally turned to acknowledge them.

"You are not worth my time." The Phoenix spat at them and directed another blast to the streets below.

"Don't you dare turn away from us! I am the Black Queen. You will answer to me now!" Selene shouted at the Phoenix

The Phoenix tilted her head and looked back at the group. Her red fiery eyes scanned for the person who talked back to her. "No one talks back to the Phoenix!" She screeched and held out her hand in front of her with her palm facing up. Selene began to rise into the air.

"What is going on? Put me down!" The Black Queen demanded, but the Phoenix only laughed.

"As you wish." The Phoenix said and closed her hand. Fire surrounded Selene's body and burned her with heat that almost matched the sun. The other members of the Hellfire Club watched in horror as their beloved Black Queen turned to ash and blew away in the wind. "Now for the rest of you." She spoke and began to heat the building.

"Get out now!" The Black Rook shouted. Everyone in the room made a run for it. Some were able to escape to the stairs, while other's shoes melted into the floor. While others had been desperate enough to jump out the windows.

The Phoenix looked around and saw that already most of London was destroyed. She wanted to find something new, but she didn't know what. When she had been around before, she loved it when people were worshiping her. Those people then turned on her and acted as if she was nothing and expected her to defend them. "Then there were those who trapped me into that lake." The Phoenix spat. "I will make sure I never end up there again and have this world worshiping me."

X-Mansion-Med Lab

Scott entered the infirmary and walked over to the Professor's bed. The older man looked pale and almost as if he was dead. He raised an eyebrow. From what Hank had told everyone, Xavier should have been up by now and that it was only a light bump.

"Henri." Scott called to the blue doctor working on the computer.

"Yes, my friend?" Dark Beast asked, playing his role perfectly. As far as he knew, no one in the entire mansion knew that he was not Hank McCoy.

"What's wrong with him?" Scott asked as Dark Beast joined him. "You said he would be up by now." He commented as he turned his attention back to his mentor.

Dark Beast took off his glasses and rubbed them into his shirt, just like Hank always did. "It first appeared that he would be okay. I gave him some medication to help him wake up when I noticed he was long past the time. From what it appears, he has fallen into a coma. At the moment I am trying to figure out how this could have happened." Dark Beast sighed. "So far I have been unsuccessful, but I will not rest until he is up again."

Scott shook his head. 'First the love of my life, now the man that is like a father to me.' He thought to himself as he rested a hand on the Professor's. "We'll never give up. I promise you." He told him as he released the other man's hand and turned to leave.

"Hey bro, what's up?" Alex Summers asked his brother as he entered the Med. Lab. He noticed that Scott looked even more down than he had been earlier.

"I don't want to talk about it." Scott said quietly as he left the room.

"He is upset about the Professor being in a coma." Dark Beast answered as he placed his glasses back on his face. "Is there anything I can do for you, young man?" He asked.

"Yeah, help me find a way to kill Bobby." Alex grumbled to himself, but Dark Beast still heard it and smirked at him.

"You and Mr. Drake are not getting along to well I take it?" He asked as he checked the IV in the Professor's hand.

"You got that right, man. Ever since I saw Lorna, I knew she was the one for me. I've tried being friends with her, but I don't want that, I want to be with her!" Alex sighed as he sat down on a spare bed. "If Drake wasn't in the way, we would be happy. I know we would work out together." He said.

"Well, it is possible." Dark Beast mused to himself as he walked over to his computer.

"How?" Alex asked. The blue doctor now had his interest.

"It depends. How much are you willing to sacrifice to be with her?" He asked when he sat down at the computer.

"The entire world." Alex mumbled and stood up from the bed. Dark Beast smiled to himself.

"There is a way I know of you could be with her, but it all depends if you can keep a secret." He told the younger mutant.

"What is it already? Whatever it is, I'll do it. I'm good at keeping secrets. There's a stash of clams under my bed at home no one knew about." Alex stated and looked at Dark Beast. "Well, until now."

"You've heard of Apocalypse?" Dark Beast asked, baiting the young man in.

"Yeah, he's that guy that the X-Men are after." Alex replied.

"What those fools don't know is that Apocalypse only wants a better world. One free of war and suffering. If all that was gone in the world, the X-Men would be out of a job. That is the only reason why they are after him." Dark Beast said to the blonde haired teen.

"What does this have to do with Lorna and me?" Alex asked annoyed. He hated it when people talked about something he wasn't interested in.

"I was just getting to that, my friend. Apocalypse also has the power to give everyone what they most desire. For some it is land and for others its love." He told Alex. "Lorna would love you and forget all about Drake in an instant."

Alex thought about it for a moment. It was what he always wanted. For Lorna to love him and for them to be happy together. "What do I have to do?" Alex asked.

End of Chapter 8

Note: I feel really bad for tormenting Scott, I'll make it up to him later. For the Magneto part in the last chapter. Mags has a bit of his own agenda going on. And yeah, he could never win father of the year since he doesn't really care what happens to them, only when they are useful to him as you'll see coming up later.

Special Thanks to: Loneraven, CykePhoenixSummers, halleyjo, Roguechere, Chica De Los Ojos Cafe, firestorm13, CW, and enchantedlight. Thank you guys so much for reviewing the last chapter (hugs and plushies all around)

Next Chapter: Famine The Last Horsemen will finally be revealed. And what will Rogue do? Return Josephs kiss or kill him? Some other stuff is gonna be happening next chapter