Hey it's me again.  Before I start I would like to apologize to Rob Liefeld.  I said some mean comments in my first introduction that were totally out of place.  They attacked him personally instead of his work.  I don't like his work but he obviously has more talent them me as he is the one who worked for Marvel.  I have no right to judge.  Email me with truthful comments at llm202@psu.edu.  This is the second volume of my three volume story.  Again this is fan fiction; I don't own any of these characters.  I could claim to own the few I made up, Susan Grey, Catherine Summers, Ajax Johnson, Claude Monet, Laura "Grendel" Klostien, Steven "Ghost" McGregor, and Janet "Phantom" McGregor but they're not really original.  Susan is basically Rachel without any of the future baggage, Catherine is just because I wanted Corsair and Hepzibah to have a kid, Ajax and Claude are names I gave Beef and Bevatron because Marvel never did give them real names (Did they?), and Laura, Steven, and Janet were created as random Hellions (There was 15 who died I made three).  The song Doug sings at the wedding is Life in a Northern town by Dream Academy.  It's a good song.  There is also a quote from the movie the Princess Bride in my story, if you've never seen that movie stop reading and go rent it.  That is the only time I would suggest watching a movie over reading.  The space pirate joke is an in-joke between me and my friend.  If you get confused by all the Shi'ar stuff, good, I just did that so I could include Deathcry.  To everyone who actually did read my first story, I'm slightly upset that no one corrected me on my mistakes (E.G. I called them Ani-men instead of Ani-mates and Bruce when his name was Robert the Bruce).  Now I'm not going to recap in my introduction what happened in volume one but I won't suggest you even read volume one in fact I don't suggest you read this story.  This story in fact is worse than volume one and it's longer.  I only wrote this because I had an idea for a story that I had to get down but alas I don't have any talent.  I instead suggest you read Valerie Jones' Betrayal trilogy or Strange Encounter/Faith and Dreams or Dyce's Generation Cat or Second Strings/Maturity in B Minor.  I think you can find all of these but the Betrayal trilogy at Luba's site where my story is also posted; I graciously thank her for giving my story a chance though it didn't deserve one.  Betrayal, Faith and Dreams, and Generation Cat aren't finished yet but they are much better than my crap.  If the people who can write well like them don't finish their stories, crap stories like mine will take over.  I can't write, I'll admit it but I'm going to finish.  I'll finish because I need to as I need to get this story out of my head.  I don't know when volume three will be out but it will be out and I can promise it will be the worst of the three.

Prelude:

 Katherine Pryde had really been enjoying life these last few years.  She was on her way to graduate with high honors and better yet no super-villains.  Kate had spent so much time being a hero she forgot how good a normal life felt.  She had a stable boyfriend unlike some she had dated before.  He was in the living room of their apartment trying to start a fire while she poured them some champagne.  She couldn't believe how sweet Bruce was.  He was so gentle and caring and smart.  They had dated so long that neither could have been happier.  They weren't only lovers but business partners as the Operating System they designed and would be releasing would probably crush Apple, Microsoft, and Linux.  She didn't think about that much though because she was madly in love with him.  Her personal peace was suddenly interrupted when she heard a whooshing sound from the living room.

 Bruce sat there just staring at his accomplishment of starting the fire.  He of course was covered in soot but this was something in his recent life that gave him pride.  He has caused so much pain but now there was only the love he had for Kate.  He sat there on the carpet waiting for his beautiful angel to return.  Almost on cue she walked in from the kitchen caring a champagne bottle and two full glasses.  Tonight was the night he thought as he reached in his pocket.
End of Prelude

Chapter 1: Homecoming

One week before Christmas:

 They were coming home.  Kate dreaded this idea with every fiber.  She hadn't even told anybody that she had a new boyfriend but now she was going to tell them they were engaged.  They had told her everything that had been going on like Alex's wedding, Jean's daughter being born, Gambit and Rouge leaving, and Warren's betrayal but yet during those phone calls she couldn't find five minutes to tell them that she had a new boyfriend.  "Logan, Ororo, Jean, Oh God, they're gonna freak," She thought as she sat in the passenger seat, rubbing Lockheed's back, staring at her fiancé.  Fiancé she thought, it still sounded weird even after three months.  Bruce was a good guy but he always had this calmness about him.  That disturbed her because nothing seemed to surprise him.  She remembered the first time he met Lockheed.

 **Flashback**

 "Why tonight?" Kate said to no one in particular as she ran around her apartment trying to straighten it up.  She just had to invite Bruce over tonight.  Of course, she thought any other night would probably produce the same reaction but then tonight was no place for logical thinking, just unjustified worry.  She just finished with the living room and was heading into the kitchen where she passed by the phone.  She thought about calling him and telling him not to come.  Her hand reached the receiver.  "No!" she shouted as she phased her hand through the phone and ran back into the kitchen.

 Lockheed watched this spectacle from high on one of Kate's bookshelves.  He had never seen her get so worked up over a new boyfriend before.  Lockheed thought if this man was going to cause so much distress to her he might have to scare him off like he did to stinky.  He hated stinky because he was going to take her away from him.  Kate was mine he thought smugly as he watched her run back through the living room.  He didn't bother with Doug or Piotr as he never saw them going anywhere with Kate but stinky was a whole other story.  Yes he thought as he got comfortable, he would scare off this lad who wanted his Kate.

 Around an hour later there was a knock at the door.  Kate ran to the door as best as she could in her high heels.  She was in her nicest dress she had, though for the life of her she couldn't think of a reason why as they were just staying in tonight.  The reason came as soon as she opened the door.

 He stood there in a dark blue suit with his red hair pulled back from his face with his perfect blue eyes just staring at her.  In one hand was a bouquet of roses and the other had a bottle of wine.  She just stood there speechless staring at him.  All the feelings of calling off this date disappeared and of course would be improbable at this moment.

 "So?" Came the voice at the door.

 Kate broke her stare of the man and blinked a few times just to allow better focus.  "Hmm?"

 "You going to invite me in or do I have to stand out here all night?"  Bruce's smile beamed with every word.  That smile could warm anybody Kate thought.

 "Well, only if those flowers are for me."  Kate said with a smile.

 "Well they are now," Bruce said jokingly, "I was going to give them to that nice girl a few doors down."

 "Oh? Do you mean the cross-dresser or the eighty year old?"  Kate said keeping up the joking mood.

 Bruce came in and planted a kiss right on her lips and handed her the roses.  Lockheed gagged as he saw these emotional interactions.  He would have to get rid of this guy and do it tonight.  He fluttered down to the couch and was lying still waiting for the opportunity to scare this guy senseless.

 Kate took the roses and the wine.  "Here let me get some glasses and you can take a seat on the couch."  Tonight was going to be perfect she thought as she headed into the kitchen.  She couldn't figure out why she was worried before.

 Bruce sat down on the couch.  This is great he thought as he made himself comfortable.  He couldn't figure out why he was worried before.  Then he saw one of the reasons.  It was Lockheed.  If he still was Doug this wouldn't be a problem but now that he's Bruce the dragon would see him as a stranger.  He knew the dragon was Kate's eternal protector and that if the dragon didn't like him it was over.  Next he thought of how someone who had never seen Lockheed before would react.  He came up with an idea.  "Hey, Kitty!" he shouted to the kitchen.  An indistinct yes came back.  "This dragon stuff animal is cute."  That was Lockheed's cue to act.

 Stuffed animal? Dragon? Lockheed!  Kate's mind was racing as she dropped the glasses back down on the kitchen counter.  Oh crap was her next thought as she ran into the living room where she saw a sight she didn't want to see.  There on the couch was Bruce and fluttering at eye height with him was Lockheed.  "Oh no," she thought, "He's going to run and scream and I'll never see him again."

Just then Bruce turned to Kate and said something that surprised her, "So where's the wine."

Kate's draw practically dropped.  How could he be so calm?  He wasn't screaming or yelling but just wanted to know where the wine was.  "Bruce, you do know there is a purple dragon hovering in front of your face."

 He rolled his eyes at her.  "No, Kitty.  I didn't realize there was a purple dragon fluttering in my face for I have no eyes.  Of course I see a purple dragon."

 Kate would've been angry at this comment and should've been but she was still in shock to his initial reaction.  "So why aren't you...?"

 "Running and screaming?"  He still had a smile on his face.  "Well I had only two options in this situation really.  One was what you suggested.  Running and yelling calling you a freak but that would've really ruined this evening wouldn't've.  My second choice was just to stay calm.  I mean in a world like ours with mutants and Norse gods and aliens there had to be a few dragons.  Besides he's cute."  He turned and reached to pet the dragon but Lockheed snapped at his fingers.  "Cute, but still fierce."

 Kate felt like she wanted a drink more than any other time in her life.  She wanted to go back into the kitchen grab the bottle of wine and drink it all by herself but she didn't want to leave these two by themselves.  She made it to the chair by the couch and sat down.

 Bruce looked at these two people now on both sides of him.  He had to find a way to break the tension and the first thing that came to his mind was "At least he's not a cat.  I'm allergic to cats."  They both turned and stared at this man.  "OK," he thought, "Jokes won't work."  His next idea would though, "I think we could all use a drink," he said as he left the couch to go to the kitchen.

 Soon as he was out of the room, Kate turned to Lockheed and gave him a look.  He responded with a sheepish grin that could be interpreted as 'what did I do'.  One thought ran through her mind, "Who was this man, who was this man, who was..."  Over and over again it just ran through her mind.

**End of Flashback**

 Bruce focused his attention back to the road.  They were about an hour away from Xavier's but thanks to the snow and holiday traffic it was anywhere from two to three hours.  He was coming home but Kate didn't know that neither did anyone there, except the professor.  He was so glad that he left that in the professor.  At least that would be one person not jumping on the guy taking away Kate.  "Oh but Wolverine, I wonder if it's going to hurt when he jams those claws in my chest," he thought as he slowly moved the car along in traffic.  "I have to pretend I don't know them," his thoughts continued, "can't screw up like they day she revealed herself to be a mutant."

 **Flashback**

"I can't believe we've been dating two years," Bruce said as he handed Kate her other ice skate.  "This is the longest I've been dating anyone."  He had his usual smile as he looked at his girlfriend.

"Hey when I find something better you're out of here buddy."  Kate said as entered on the ice rink.  She began her skating and Bruce was soon to follow.

"Ditto."  He caught up to her and speeded past her.

"Hey where do you think you're going?"  Kate began putting up the speed to catch up to him.

He started skating backwards.  "To find something better." She finally reached him and embraced him spinning a little.

They skating rink was outside on a lake and they were just having fun now.  He kissed her on the lips and continued the dash around the lake.  This was truly fun for them both as they didn't have any responsibilities except to be in love with each other.  Then Kate in her most serious voice decided to talk.  "Bruce."  He turned to her.  "I have something to tell you."  They skated over to one of the benches surrounding the frozen lake.

"Bruce, do you believe in the honesty of a relationship?"  She asked him as she grabbed his hand.

He knew exactly where this was going.  She had shared Lockheed with him but there was still one secret she had not brought up, her mutantcy.  He knew about it but she didn't know he knew about it.  The fact he knew secrets like this was the worst problem with starting over.  He looked into her eyes and was about to say the most hypocritical thing he had ever said in their relationship.  "Yes."

"Bruce I'm a mutant."  With that she stuck her hand through the table and brought it back out.

"Kay." He sat there with his smile on his face.

"What do you mean Kay!?!?"  Kate had daggers shooting out of her eyes.

"Um well," He was about to choose his words very carefully.  "I'm a mutant, too."

"What!" Kate was angry.  She had poured a deep secret out to this man and he acted like it was no big deal.  "If you're a mutant what's your power."

"Underwater telepathy."  He had said the first power he knew he couldn't show her.  He didn't want to tell her the real power yet.  He was regretting it though because what kind of person would have underwater telepathy.  That is even worse than his language power.

Kate had a blank expression on her face.  He had said something she wasn't prepared for.  "Underwater telepathy?  If you are not kidding this relationship is over."

He looked in Kate's eyes; his smile had melted away into a somber frown.  "Kate, do you believe in honesty of a relationship?"

"Yes." She knew he was about to say something hard for him to say.  He had lost his smile.  This was going to hurt him to say it.

"Kate, I am a mutant.  And if you truly feel the love I feel for you, you won't ask me about my power.  If I told you my power it would ruin our relationship.  I will tell you but not now."  He was holding her hand and she could feel it trembling.  He was scared.

"What kind of power could hurt our relationship?  You don't manipulate emotions do you?"  She knew she shouldn't ask but he was acting like this was the worse thing that could've happen to them.

"Like Manny?"  She snapped back.  He should've never, ever said that.  He had been so cautious but now that they were getting so close, he became more relaxed and let things like that slip.  He had to cover it.

"Manny? Manny! Do you mean Manuel del a Rocha?!"  Kate was furious.  How could he possibly know of that Hellion?

It was time to add another lie based on truth.  It seemed that's what he kept doing to this relationship.  "Uh, yeah.  When I was first developing my powers I was approached by Manny and some lady named Frost to join some private school.  The, um, Massachusetts school or something like that.  We turned them down."  His smile was slowly returning.

"Who are you?  Really?"  That was Kate's only response.

"I'm Bruce," another lie, "And if the love I feel for you and the love you feel for me is real that should be enough."  A long silence followed as they just looked at each other.

"Bruce, I love you."  She leaned in and gave him a kiss on his lips.

**End of Flashback**

"Bruce, I hope you don't mind this but I want to wait until dinner before I tell them the good news," she said as she slipped off the engagement ring and placed it in her pocket.

"As you wish."  He said with a smile.  "At least," he thought, "They won't kill me until later."

A couple hours later of uncomfortable silence and they were pulling into the mansion's gates.  This was the time to come as most of the teams stopped by during the next few days before they went off to their own holiday plans.  Kate and Bruce got out of the car and grabbed the luggage.  Bruce carried all three of Kate's suitcases and his own duffel while Kate carried a bag with presents she bought for her friends, Lockheed rode on her shoulder.  They got to the front door and Kate reached to knock at the door.  She turned and looked at Bruce, Lockheed looked with her.  "You know we can still back down.  We can head back to the car now and leave."

He looked back at her with his smile.  "Kitty, you've told me these people are your family and I love you.  I think I'll love them too.  You said they were kind of weird but hey I can deal with that being weird myself.  As long as there isn't a short Canadian berserker with metal claws threatening my life because I'm marrying you, I will be fine."

"Wait? What did you..." but before Kate could finish talking the door swung open and they were greeted by a friendly face.  At least to Kate it would be friendly but to anybody else it was the face of a demon.  It was Kurt Wagner, the man known as Nightcrawler.  He had one of his big grins on his face.

"Now who is this fair maiden who has decided to grace us with her beauty on our doorstep?"  He reached in with his sense of dramatics and planted a kiss on Kate's cheek.  "I had seen your car pulled up and didn't want to give you a chance to run."

Kate blushed a little, "Oh Kurt."

He then turned to the man standing next to her holding all the bags and then turned back to Kate.  "And who is this, fraulein?"

Before Kate had a chance to answer Bruce spoke up and surprised them booth, <I'm Bruce, Bruce Douglasson.  I'm Kitty's,> He looked to Kate for the approval of the next word but she was stunned by the fact he was now speaking perfect German, <boyfriend.>

Kurt answer back in German, <Boyfriend?  Well I'm Kurt the demon who ate Kitty's last boyfriend.>

<To be honest sir, I'm more afraid of Lockheed than you.>

<To be also honest, if I was dating her, I would be too, but there is one more person I would be the more afraid of.  I kind of think this may be redundant by the fact you don't have a look of shock and fear but Kitty told you we were all mutants.>

<Yep and I'm one too.>

Kate had enough of this.  "Ok you too.  No more German.  If you're going to speak in my presence, probably about me, use English."  They booth turned to the now infuriated Kate.

"Sorry."  They both stated.

"Come in, come in, you must both be so cold standing out here."  Kurt walked in the door to the mansion.

Kate turned to Bruce, "Two questions, first when did you start speaking fluent German and second, what did you just tell him?"  Kate had anger in her eyes and Lockheed had a grin from ear to ear.

"Oh I thought I told you I could speak a few multiple languages.  Hmmm.  Guess I just forgot."  He had his smile, hoping it would be enough to calm her down.  It wasn't.

"And the second?"

"Well I introduced myself and told him I was your boyfriend and he made a threat on my life."

"Oh." Before she could continue Bruce stepped through the doors in to the mansion.

She followed him and there was Kurt standing on the stairs waiting for them.  She was going to continue talking to him but then they both heard a familiar voice.  Bruce couldn't of course acknowledge that it was familiar but he did know it.

"Kitty!"  Xi'an Mahn Coy ran up and hugged Kate almost causing her to drop the bag with the presents she brought.  "I've missed you so much."  She turned to the man who was standing next to Kate, "Who are you?"

Kate didn't answer and neither did Bruce because Kurt had decided it would be more fun if he said it.  "That's Bruce, Bruce Douglasson.  He's the scoundrel who has stolen Kitty's heart."  Kate slapped her hand against her head but quickly removed it with what she heard next.

<Hello Madame, it is a pleasure making your acquaintance.> Bruce was now speaking in French to her.

Xi'an didn't indulge this one moment.  She instead looked him straight in the eye and said in plain English, "If you hurt Kitty in any sort of way, I'll hurt you in ways that will make sure you won't hurt anyone ever again."  Xi'an's face turned back to a smile as she hugged the surprise Kate and ran off probably to tell everyone else.

Kate turned to Bruce, "French too?"

"French too."

"And how did you know she spoke French?"

"I heard a little of an accent so I gave it a shot."  He had a smile still on his face.  Two death threats so far and he still had a smile.  She couldn't help feel sorry as he couldn't possibly know what would be coming later.

Lockheed flew off her shoulder and decided to explore his old haunts.  Kate turned to Kurt, "Can you show us to our room before a certain person hears the news."

"Yes, I could but if we are thinking of the same person he's out at the moment but I will still show you to your room."  Kurt headed up the stairs and the bewildered couple followed faithfully.  They came to a guest room at the end of one of the halls.  "Here you go but before you make yourself comfortable might I suggest Bruce gets a separate room."

"Goodbye Kurt."  Kate closed the door on his face and turned to Bruce.  "Still want to be here."

"I want to be anywhere you are," he said as he leaned in to kiss her.  The moment was interrupted as they heard Bamf followed by a smell of brimstone.  "Oh Kitty, one more thing, the professor wants to see you."  He disappeared again as Kate threw her fist at the empty air.  They set their things down on the bed and both headed downstairs as Kate didn't want to leave her boyfriend alone.  Bruce just kept on thinking if only I stayed Doug.

They walked into the sitting room which was strangely empty except for Xavier.  Xavier looked at these two and then he saw it.  It was Doug.  Just as he said he would, he returned.  "Hello Kitty."

"Hello professor.  I guess Kurt already told you about Bruce."  She looked waiting for the next threat but instead came a smile.

"Yes, he did, and I couldn't be happier for you."  The professor's smile was now ear to ear as he moved his wheelchair closer to them.  "Kitty if you don't object I would like to talk to Mr. Douglasson in private."

"Wellll..."

Before Kate could finish Bruce spoke.  "I would enjoy that very much."  He turned to Kate.  "Kitty I think it would be good for me to get to know the authoritative figure from your childhood."

"Fine!"  Kate said with in a humph.  "But professor do you still have the intergalactic communicator set up in the sub basement?"

"Yes, why?"  The professor wasn't surprise at the request but the fact she spoke soon candid.

"I have a long distant call to make."  She walked out of the room leaving the two men.

"So?" Bruce turned to the professor.

"So I see you've made good on your promise of returning."

"Of course."  Bruce walked over to one of the chairs in the room and the professor wheeled his chair across from him.

"So does she know?"

"No, not yet.  I was going to reveal it tonight to everyone before she makes her other announcement."

"What other announcement?"

"Marriage."

"Marriage?!?"  That statement was almost surprising enough to cause the professor to stand up.

"Yeah I guess that's why she wanted to use the communicator.  To tell Cerise."

"Oh yes the Shi'ar from Excalibur."

"I'm hoping that she at least will forgive me after I tell her the truth but the marriage might not go through that's why I'm saying my piece first."
"Doug, did you know who Xorn really was?"

He gave a look to the professor then averted his eyes away.

Then the professor thought for a second, of course he did, he knew everything up until the point he stop using his powers.  That explained the chess games.  "He gave me back my legs then took them away again.  Even though I hate him, I still believe that he has some decency hidden deep in him."

Bruce gave him a questioning glance.  "What does that have to do with me and Kitty?"

"Well I believe if that even though you're not Doug anymore, you're still Doug somewhere.  Doug was who you were and you can't change that.  Bruce is just another aspect of Doug.  You're just bringing Doug back."

"I guess that theory will get tested tonight when I reveal the truth to them won't it?"  He stared at the professor and the professor just stared back.  Neither talking anymore because nothing more could be said.  Bruce decided to speak, "Yeah but hopefully less people will want to kill me after that."

"Probably not Logan." The professor said with a smile.

"Yeah probably not," Bruce answered back with his own smile.  Then these two laughed, laughed as they needed a true moment of happiness.

Kate had made it to the sub basement and was in the communication room.  Her password still worked and she booted up the communication computer.  She searched for the right line and saw one called Shi'ar monarchy.  If she remembered right Cerise was still a consultant to Lilandra.  She activated that line.  A mechanical voice asked her to input her name and who she was trying to contact.  "Kitty Pryde of Earth for Cerise."  She stated proudly with as much dignity as she could.

Many light years away the message was being received on the throne world of the Shi'ar Empire.  A young officer in charge of the communications' array from the sector received the line and stared at it.  It was on a frequency meant only for the current emperor.  He decided it would be best to ask the emperor what to do with it before he did anything.  He knew messages on that line would allow him to talk to the emperor so he told his supervisor where he was going and the supervisor muttered something along the lines of better you than me.  He approached the doors to the throne room and told the guards that a message came over the royal line.  They had to let him in.  He walked down the grand hall watching all the Imperial Guard watch him.  Two in particular watched him, the oldest member Gladiator and the newest, the one they call Deathcry.  He now realized why no one wanted to be the one to deliver the message.  He approached where the advisor council sat with Emperor Adam at the head and former Empress and current head advisor, Lilandra, sitting to his right.  Cerise the one who the message was for was sitting close to the head of the table.  He looked at his emperor who currently had his face buried in his hand.  He looked tired as if he didn't want to be there.  "My liege I come with a message over the royal line."  He stated proudly as he bowed down before the ruler of the empire.

Adam didn't acknowledge this person.  He continued just to sit there with his face buried in his hand.  He hated being a ruler.  He misses the fun he used to have.  He hopes that something would end the tedium of the bureaucracy.

Lilandra bowed close to Adam and whispered to him, "Adam you have to acknowledge him."

Without even bothering to look up he speaks, "What is the message you have for me?"

"Actually my liege," He didn't want to upset the emperor, "It is over the royal line but it's not for you sir.  It comes from Earth."

Earth? Adam looked up at that comment.  He remembered Earth.  Earth was fun; he wasn't a ruler but just some guy with no real responsibilities.  But before he could speak, Lilandra spoke.  "Is it for me? From Charles of Earth?"

"No, Grand Advisor.  It is not for anyone in the monarchy.  It is for her."  He pointed to Cerise, who had a look of shock placed on her face.  "It is from one Kitty Pryde of Earth."

Cerise turned to the emperor with a look of can I please take this message.  He looked back and saw something in her eyes.  "Put the message into my private chambers.  Cerise you may answer the message there but I want you to inform this Kitty Pryde that the royal line is meant for royals only."  Cerise got up from her seat with a smile on her face but quickly remembering where she was she bowed down to the emperor and left for the chambers.  The man who had delivered the message bowed down to the emperor and left, breathing a deep sigh of relief.

Cerise arrived in the chambers and opened up the message screen.  In a few seconds the black screen disappeared to reveal the face of Kate Pryde.  "Kitty!"

"Cerise, how are you?" Came the voice from the screen.  The women both had smiles on their faces.  "I haven't seen you since Brian's and Meggan's wedding."

"Yes it has been a while.  I'm doing fine.  I'm still an advisor.  How about you?"

"I just finished up my schooling.  Still an advisor to Lilandra?"

"No, to the new emperor, Adam, the son of D'Ken."

Kate recognized both names.  Though she never met either she read about Adam the X-Treme and D'Ken in some of the files in Cerebro.  "So what happened to Lilandra?"

"She's now grand advisor to Adam."

"That's good."

"Yes. Now I know you didn't use the private royal line just to catch up on what we have been doing so what do you need to say?"

"Well I have to tell someone because if I don't I'll burst.  And if I tell someone here the news would be out to everyone before I could blink.  So I decided to share the good news with you.  Cerise I'm getting married."

"What?  Young Kitty someone has finally won your heart."

 "I'm marrying a new man named Bruce and I was hoping you could come to the wedding.  It is June twenty-fifth of the next coming earth year."

"I would be honored young Kitty but first I must ask the emperor if it would be alright.  I will contact you in the next few days to give you my official acceptance."

"I guess I will talk to you in the next few days."  With that both screens went dead.

Cerise walked out of the chambers and headed to the throne room.  She entered the doors and saw that the advisor meeting was over.  The only people left were the imperial guards, Adam, and Lilandra.  She approached her emperor and bowed down before him.

"So Cerise, what did Kitty Pryde of the X-Men want?"  Lilandra gave him a quick ran down of who Kate was and once he heard X-Men wheels in his mind started turning.

"She was inviting me to her wedding, my emperor.  Happening during the next Earth year.  I was wondering if I could go."  She looked up at him and he looked back.

"This was perfect," he thought.  "Yes I will allow it but under two stipulations.  One is that you convince the Starjammers to take you and two is that I'm allowed to accompany you."  Now he was going to get his chance to make peace with the Summers.

The guard member known as Deathcry spoke up as she heard about this trip to Earth.  "My liege," he turned to her.  "Allow me to come to protect you."  He looked at her.  He knew this wasn't the reason she wanted to come to Earth.  He knew full well that she had made friends on earth just as he had.

"Deathcry will also be allowed to come if the Starjammers allow it.  And before any other guard member volunteers only Deathcry can go.  I do not want this to look like an invasion."  The guard stood in shock as did Lilandra.  "Everyone is dismissed."  He returned to his throne as everyone left.  Lilandra approached him.  "I thought I said everyone dismissed."

"Adam," she spoke in her serious tone. "Why must you go to Earth?"

"I have unfinished business there."

"The Summers?"

"The Summers."

"Do you wish me to accompany you?"

"What I think you're really asking is 'can I go to see Charles again'."  He looked at Lilandra again who was now blushing.  No matter how old she got Xavier made her feel like a young woman.  "I would normally say yes, but I can't as I need someone here to run the empire unless Deathbird comes back by that time it will be you."

Many light years away, back at the third planet of the Sol system, Kate was walking back up to the main floor of the mansion to check on Bruce.  From the sitting room, where she had left them, she could here laughter.  She decided to sneak in and see what was going on.

"So there I was," Bruce was speaking with huge hand gestures while the professor sat there with a smile, openly laughing. "In this old looking bar, I'm about to fight this girl because I had to prove my worth or something and they give me a huge sword which I can barely lift, right and then..."

"Hello Kitty." The professor interrupted Bruce.

Bruce turned around and saw a head phased through the door which was quickly follow by the rest of Kate's body.  He was hoping, no praying, she hadn't heard too much.  He looked at her with a huge look of shock.  "So Bruce," Kate had a smile on her face as this was the first time he had seen Bruce in a state of shock, "Then what happened?"

"Well, um," he was floundering.  He considered just telling her the truth right now which would've been much easier but he wanted Kate to be happy for a few more hours.  "Uh, the sword, um, turned into a banana, right and then I woke up.  So, uh professor what do you, um, make of that dream?"

"Well," trying hard to suppress his laughter and barely succeeding, "as I said before I'm not much on dream analysis but it seems perfectly fine."

"Riggght," Kate being sarcastic took Bruce by the arm and plopped down on the couch.  "If you don't want to tell me what you two were discussing, fine.  Hey Professor, who's all here?"

"Well besides Kurt and Xi'an, Rahne, Jean and her daughter, and Cain are all here.  Jubilee, Emma, and Ororo are out getting a tree.  Alex and Anne as well as Cable are all coming later for dinner.  Logan is out doing whatever he does when he disappears and the rest are mostly out shopping."

"Great, I only have two more death threats until later," thought Bruce as he slunk into the couch.  He gave a smile to Kate hopping it wouldn't appear forced.

Kate looked at Bruce and gave him back a forced smile.  "Great," she thought, "At least only two more death threats, until later."  They both turned to the professor who had the only real smile in the whole room.  Everyone let out a nervous chuckle.  Kate couldn't really explain Bruce's chuckle.  He had told him about her extended "family" but never enough to cause nervousness at the mention of their names but what came next was something that should cause real distress.

The door swung open and standing there was something that defies all logical human anatomy proportions.  Standing at seven feet tall with a sweater that had to be at least four X was Cain Marko, the unstoppable Juggernaut.  He was just standing there holding a couple boxes in a festive holiday sweater with a smile on his face.  "Hey, Chuck, where do you want the boxes with the decorations?"  The two young adults looked at this huge man.  Kate has seen the Juggernaut before but usually from the other side.  She knew he had reformed but still it was hard to accept.  Bruce in any of his lives had never before seen the Juggernaut, not even during those three months at the mansion.  He just swallowed.

"Just leave them in the main hall by the stairs, Cain." The professor had a smile on his face.

Cain turned his attention to the two sitting on the couch.  Kurt had told him about Kate's return and the fact she had a new boyfriend.  He was told to put the fear of God into the boy but thinking about what the others would say to the kid he just looked.  "So you're back."

"Yep." Kate was nervous but not as much because Cain wouldn't threaten Bruce as he didn't know Kate that well to be protective.

"And you must be the boy the elf was talking about."  He looked straight at Bruce.  Kate looked too, with thoughts of hurting Kurt.  Bruce meekly nodded.  "He told me I should scare you a little but have you met Logan yet?"  Bruce wanted to shake his head no but the fear kept it nodding so Kate reached over and made it go from side to side.  "Hmm.   Tonight will be fun.  Oh and if the elf asks tell him I scared you."  Cain laughed a little, turned and headed out the room.  Bruce sat there nodding for a couple moments after.

"Ahh," Kate let out a sigh of relief.  "Well, me and Bruce are going to head to the kitchen to get something to drink."  She kissed the professor on the cheek and grabbed Bruce by the arm, dragging him out of the room.

The professor sat in his chair with a smile on his face.  "Cain is right," Xavier thought, "Tonight will be interesting, I just wonder if those two kids know how much.  I have no doubt they will get married, no matter what happens tonight."

Kate and Bruce walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.  Bruce was just starting to come out of the shock of seeing the Juggernaut.  They made it to the kitchen and when they opened at the door was something that made Kate face go white.  Sitting around the table was Xi'an, Rahne, Kurt, and Jean who was holding her daughter.  They were all drinking tea in a very suspicious nonchalant way.  When the door opened they all turned their attention to the two people standing there.

Kate turned to Bruce, "Stay behind me.  I'll use my body as a shield while you make a run for the car and get out of here."  She wasn't joking.  The look on her face was anything but joking.

"Don't be silly, Kitty," he whispered back to her moving in to kiss her reassuringly on her cheek but then seeing who was in the room just stopped.  He looked at all of them and saw they all had devilish grins on their faces.  "Either me or them is going to feel really bad about this later," he thought as Kate and him slowly entered the room.

Rahne ran up and gave Kate a huge hug.  "Kitty I missed ye."  Her arms wrapped around Kate's neck.  She looked over Kate's shoulder and gave Bruce an evil eye.

"I've missed you too, Rahne."  They pulled back and Rahne's face did a very quick metamorphosis, when Kate looked her back in the eyes.  Not even Kate would've been able to tell she had given Bruce a look.  "I guess Kurt and Xi'an informed you all who this is."  She made a gesture towards Bruce.  They all nodded.  "Good."  She turned her attention to Jean, "and this must be your daughter."  She looked down at the baby in Jean's arm.  She saw it then, though this baby was just a little over a year old it had an uncanny resemblance to someone Kate knew.  She turned her focus to Jean, and with the distraught of someone who had just seen a ghost mouthed one word, "Rachel?"

Jean had come to expect this.  Her new daughter bared a strong likeness of her old "daughter".  She wanted to try to take it in stride but something never let her.  "No, not Rachel.  Never Rachel."  Jean was upset and started to cry.  She hated the idea of labeling this child Rachel just because there was another Rachel from the future who was her daughter.  "It's Susan."

Kate knew she had said something wrong.  It was just when she saw the child, it brought back the memories of Rachel.  Kate missed her with her entire being.  "I'm sorry."

"That's okay," Jean returned slowly back from her somber expression to comfort her child, "You didn't know."

Bruce had to watch.  He knew why Kate was upset but because of his secret he couldn't do anything about it.  He also knew that Rachel was still alive.  That omnipotence he had really made simple things like love complicated.  He could fix all their problems yet he didn't as it wasn't his place.  He loves Kate more than anything and wanted to never see her sad again.  That's why tonight, he must do what he must do.

Bruce and Kate both pulled a chair up to the table.  "So any more tea?"  Kate asked the group whose focus returned to her and Bruce.

"I think there is some in the pantry."  Kurt responded sipping on his own cup.  Kate turned to Bruce not wanting to leave a sheep with the wolves but he gave her back a look which told her to go get the tea because he would be fine.  She sighed and walked to the large pantry.

He looked at the four now with him.  No more Kate to protect him.  He thought about it for a second trying to exactly pick out how the threats on his life would come.  In the moment of silence before it started he figured it out.  Jean, Rahne, Kurt, Xi'an.  He smiled and braced the chair to hear them.

"So Bruce," Jean started just as he guessed.  "Do you have any ill intentions towards our Kitty?"

"No, mam."  He was openly sweating.

"Good because if you did I would do things to your mind that wouldn't kill you just make you wish for death."

"And after she's done with yer mind," Rahne, "I'll hurt yer body in such unspeakable ways they make me blush."  She shifted to her transitional form and then back.

Kurt chimed in.  "And if you unchivalrous lout are still not in significant enough pain, I'll run you through with my swords."

"And if Jean left anything of your mind," Xi'an decided it was her turn.  "I'll cause you to cause pain to yourself."

Bruce let every threat sink in.  He thought about everyone he had received.  Either these people don't trust Kate's judgment of men or he was really coming off as a threat to Kate.  If these are the people who were only slightly protectful of Kate, what would happen when Storm and Wolverine got here?  He gulped at that thought.

After they sat and talked for a while it seemed that they were lightening up.  No more threatening eyes came on Bruce as everyone just seemed to relax.  All of them actually came to like Bruce, not enough to actually admit it but enough to not want to kill him.  Later in the day, Bruce, Kate, Cain, and Jean were in the sitting room just talking about how school was going for Kate when they heard a loud squeal from outside.  It was the sound of Jubilation, the person not the emotion.  Cain looked out the window to see Ororo and Emma yelling at Jubilation for unhitching the tree from the roof of the car.  Cain decided to go out to help.  Jean decided it would probably be best if she also helped.  Actually she just wanted to give Kate and Bruce a moment alone.

Kate looked in Bruce's eyes.  He put his hand on her cheek and brought her in a passionate kiss, closing his eyes.  She reciprocated but after a minute of this loving embrace Bruce's eyes opened back up.  "Crap," was the thought that ran through his head as he continued the kiss, not as passionately before.  In that moment, he remembered that he told Kate he had met Emma before.  He broke the kiss.

Kate gave him a startled look.  "What's wrong?"

"Uh, I got to go talk to the professor."  He said nervously trying to get off the couch.

"Why?"  Kate inquired holding him down.  "Don't you want to meet my friends?"

"Trust me, I got to go see the professor."  With that he got up, gave Kate a soft kiss on her lips, and took off out the door.

Kate stared blankly at the space which held her boyfriend just moments before.  She knew something was wrong as he seemed scared.  That's twice he's been truly scared today.  She was wondering what was wrong.  She didn't want to second guess the wedding but she felt that whatever he was always hiding from her was starting to come to the surface.

Bruce ran done the hall to the professor's office.  His mind was clouded with panic.  He opened the door, and saw Xavier sitting at his computer reading some files.  Now the professor could tell something was wrong with the lad even without reading his mind.  "I know that you've been gone for a while but we still have rules about knocking, Doug."

Trying to regain his breath, "Emma... Kitty... Lie... Trouble..." Bruce couldn't talk.  He was out of breath and worried.  The professor poured him a glass of water which he chugged down.  "Okay," a little more composed, "I told Kitty that I met Emma before which isn't technically a lie but Emma will not know who I am.  I wanted to give Kitty just a few more hours of happiness before I told her the truth.  Crap.  What am I going to do?"

Xavier listened to the ranting of this man.  Being a man who has experienced love himself, he knew exactly how Bruce felt.  Now he was never one to play cupid, but he decided to help keep this relationship going.  "Well why don't we let Emma on the secret early?"

"No proof.  She has no way of accepting me as Doug.  No mind reading or anything can prove it until I reveal the truth."

"Well why do you just reveal the secret early?"

"Let's be honest.  How will Kitty react when she finds out that not only have I been lying to her for the last three years but that I kidnapped her and I'm her dead friend who couldn't deal with being myself anymore.  I don't think she'll take it that well."

Xavier knew Doug was right.  He had only one trump card left.  "Well dinner will be starting in about two hours.  What if you ask Kitty to take you into town for a couple hours?  I'll make sure no one interferes with you leaving.  I sense the others are still outside with the tree and I can telepathically call Kitty here."  He touched his hands to his brow and summoned Kate to the office.  About five minutes later there was a knock at the door.  "Come in."

Kate walked in the door and saw Bruce sitting in a chair and the professor behind the desk.  "Yes you wanted to see me, professor?"

"Um, yes, Kitty.  I think it would probably best for all parties concerned if you and Bruce left the mansion, just for a couple hours."  Kate gave the professor a look.  "Everyone is high strung right now and you telling them you have a new boyfriend, whom you kept secret for three years, isn't going to be very good for them.  Let them have the couple hours than tell them."  Kate thought about it for a second and nodded.  The professor sensed that the others were now in the sitting room trying to get the tree up.  The couple got up and left with professor keeping the others psi-blinded from seeing them.  He sat in his wheelchair.  All this stress just made him think about his own relationship with Lilandra, he missed her dearly.

Kate and Bruce made it out to the car without incident and made an eerily quiet drive to Salem Center.  Meanwhile back at the mansion, Cain had finally gotten the tree in the right position after listening to the bickering of three opinionated women.  Emma wanted it by the window so it could be seen, Jubilation wanted it closer to the corner, and Jean thought it would look better in the main room.  Ororo finally settled the debate by telling Cain to choose.  He picked out a spot close to the fireplace but not close enough to start a fire.  Jean looked around the living room, "I wonder where Kitty went off to."

Ororo turned her attention to Jean, "Kitty's here already?"

Cain answered the question with his usual tact, "Yep and with the guy she's shacked up with."

"What?!"  Storms eyes lost their color and the room became a few degrees colder.

"Its not as bad as Cain put it Storm."  Jean was trying to alleviate the situation before they had a blizzard in the room.

"Kitty's got a new beau," Jubilation had decided no one had heard from a while so she opened her mouth.  "Way to go girl!"

"Jubilee this is not a time for unreasonable celebration.  Kitty has fallen for someone we don't know.  He could be an evil mutant or a spy from the friends of humanity."

"Yeah, a spy who's been with her for three years.  Ha" Cain was being very smug at this point, something Ororo didn't really care for.  He realized that as he suddenly noticed snow on his shoulder.

"Lister Ororo, Kitty's a big girl now.  I admit we all sort of over reacted when we met him but he's seems alright."

Ororo was not listening.  She was mad, no not mad; she was suddenly living up to the fury of her codename.  Emma in all this discussion had decided to seek out a calmer mind.  She went to the professor's office and decided to get his opinion on the situation.  She found Xavier sitting in his room looking at a group shot of the New Mutants, all together.

"You miss them, don't you?"  Emma's words startled him which is not an easy task to do to someone who is telepathic.

"Yes."  He was being very somber at a point but there was also a look of hope in his eyes.  Emma could pick it up but decided not to ask about it.

"At least the majority of yours survived," Emma was feeling upset.  The memory of the Hellions just kept resurfacing even though Emma had to deal with more dead students after that.  "I had so many people to bury Charles.  I don't know why but it wasn't their deaths that were the real problem but how people viewed me because of their deaths.  They saw me as the ice queen I always tried to be.  Truth is Charles I hated myself so much.  I lost them and it was my fault.  I miss them so dearly."

A thought ran through the professor's head but hidden under his mental barriers so Emma couldn't read it.  The Hellions were alive.  Doug told him that before he left.  He could tell her right now and end her pain but Doug told him that she wasn't ready.  Could she be ready now?  He looked at her.  She wanted to cry but couldn't.  No, now wouldn't be the time to tell her but he would tell her something else.  He had to as this was the only way to make sure she didn't do anything drastic.  "Emma," her attention focused on him, "There's something I have to tell you about Kitty's new boyfriend..."

A couple hours later a car pulled up to the main house.  Kate and Bruce had spent the day going all over Salem Center.  Kate didn't enjoy it because there was something wrong with Bruce.  He was suddenly distant and just felt awkward or uncomfortable while they walked around.  Bruce had his reasons to act that way and if Kate knew she would've understood why he did.  He was upset by the fact that he knew the places he was going and couldn't enjoy them.  When he saw Stevie he almost ran up and hugged her but he knew he couldn't give in until later.  Now they were back at the mansion and out front there were other cars parked.  The one Kate almost immediately noticed was Logan's bike.  He had left it out side which was unusual for him.

Inside there was a little tension in the living room.  Dinner was being set out by Xi'an and Scott in the dining room but in the living room Logan and Ororo were sitting uneasy.  Logan had decided to leave his bike out to give Kate one final warning.  When he came back and heard the story of Kate's new boyfriend he was a little better at controlling his emotions than Ororo but still thought about showing this kid why he's the best at what he does.  Then he heard the car pull up.

"They're here," he stated plainly giving a quick nod to the window as he got up from his seat.

Ororo watched his movement and followed him out to greet their guests.  Emma who was also in the room pretending to read had decided to follow them.  She didn't want anything happening to Bruce.  They all approached the main hall and just watched the main door as the knob turned.  In walked Kate and Bruce who were greeted by three of the most unfriendly faces they could've hoped for.

Kate looked at the three who just looked back.  She was trying to figure out who was going to be first.  She had a feeling it would Ororo.  She turned her attention to Bruce whose face had changed from a somber expression to one of help me.  She wasn't prepared for what happened next.  Emma with a huge grin hugged her.

"I missed you Kate," Emma said something as sincere as she could.  She just held on to the startled Kate for a couple moments then turned to Bruce and with the same grin hugged him.  She bent in and whispered two words, "I know."  She then gave him a kiss on his cheek.

This made Kate more startled than the hug she had gotten.  She also noticed the other two X-Men were confused by Emma's actions.  Emma finally let go of the startled Bruce who had a great look of shock on his face.  Emma looked at all the startled faces.  Kate decided it would fall her to ask, "Frost, explain."

"Well, when I was getting together the Hellions, Bruce here was going to be a recruit.  I got to know him for about a week and in that time I thought he was a pretty good guy.  Now that I see him again, it just brought out some emotions.  I'm just glad, Kate could choose such a good person."

Before anyone could press the issue Cain came in, "Chow's served."  And on that note Emma dragged Kate and Bruce into the dining room.  Ororo and Logan were still trying to figure out what had just happened as they followed into the dining room.  Everyone had taken their seat.  Xavier was at the head of the table with Bruce and Kate to one side and Cain to the other.  Emma was on the other side of the couple figure to serve as sort of a buffer zone.  Next to her was Cable who felt uncomfortable coming but still came.  On his side were Carter, Alexander, and Anne Summers who had decided to enjoy a quiet dinner with friends.  Jonothan Starsmore and Paige Guthrie were at the end of that side holding hands under the table.  At the far side was the other Summer's family, Scott, Jean, and Susan, who seemed to be arguing about something stupid as that's what Jean and Scott have been usually doing since the birth.  Kurt was out of his seat trying to get the baby to smile.  On the other side, directly across from Paige and Jonothan sat Samuel Guthrie who kept his eyes trained on these two like a hawk.  Samuel's newest and most involved girlfriend Allison Crestmere was trying to get him not to stare.  Ororo, Logan, and Jubilation came next.  The two former kept their eyes on Bruce and Kate while the latter was trying hard not to look bored.  Kurt's seat would be next but he was currently out of it.  Xi'an and Rahne were reminiscing about old times which unbeknownst to them Bruce was listening in and enjoying.  Henry McCoy was on the other side of Cain making comments meant to be funny.  The professor looked over his students and friends and just wondered if everything they've been through was worth it.  He decided it was as he looked to Bruce and Kate.

The dinner went about without incidence except for a couple comments made by Logan which were quickly diverted by Xavier and Emma.  The end of the meal was coming and Kate decided to make her announcement.  She stood and in a typical fashion, clanged her knife against her glass to get everyone's attention.  "Hi guys," Everyone was focused on her, especially Bruce, "Well I guess by this time you've all met Bruce."  Everyone turned their attention to him.  "He has been met with mix feelings but I have an important announcement about us."  It was time.  Bruce stood up and grabbed Kate before she could continue.

"Kate, before you say what you have to say, I have to say something."  Bruce said as seriously as he had ever been.  Kate looked at him and knew something was up.  "It's time for the truth and I hope that at least after what is said you can forgive me."  He gave Kate one last kiss.  Nobody knew what to make out of what he was saying as he moved to the professor.  "Charles, I'm ready, are you?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."  Xavier noticed that he finally called him Charles.  He said before he hadn't earned the right and now it seems he has.  He reached out and placed his hands on Xavier's shoulders and looked at him with unblinking eyes and said something in an Aramaic dialect that hasn't been spoken in millennia.

<What I have sealed, I now set free and may the gods of our ancestors forgive me.>

Emma was wondering how this would work.  The professor had explained everything to her about Bruce's true origins but it still seemed weird.  All her powers couldn't detect that this was Doug or that her mind had been tampered with yet she trusted what the professor had told her.  She wanted to see this but she was unprepared for what happened next.

The professor's mind screamed.  It let out a psychic pulse which touched every mind in the universe at once.  Even those things which do not have minds were touched by this mind wave.  The professor wasn't attached to the wave but was ground zero of it.  The X-Men at the table looked around as three months of memories, remixed in with what they thought was the truth.  Everyone at the table was in a state of shock as they looked to Bruce but did not see him.

Where Bruce was standing a few moments ago now stood a blonde haired fellow in Bruce's clothes.  Everyone just stared at him.  Doug averted his eyes from the staring especially Kate who was as white as a ghost.  Doug continued looking down at the ground and muttered something to himself, "I guess it worked."

"D-Doug?"  It was Sam he decided to take charge and ask the question going through all their minds.

"Yep."  Doug wanted to cry but he couldn't.  He didn't deserve to cry.  He had done this himself and was the cause of all the problems that would be brought forth from it.  No he didn't deserve to shed one tear.

Kate stood up and looked through Doug, trying to find her fiancé Bruce.  She couldn't see him.  She reached down and pulled Doug's face up so she could look him in the eyes.  She looked into his eyes and studied them with her hand on his cheek.  She felt something in her building up.  "Are you really Doug?"

"I am."  Wham!  Kate had placed her fist into Doug's face and he went reeling back down onto the ground.  Kate ran out of the room crying.  Kurt, Rahne, and Xi'an followed her to see if they could help.  "Kate! Wait!"  Doug shouted trying to get back up as blood dripped down his face.  Cain walked over stopping Doug from getting up and looked him over.

"Kid two things," Cain lifted Doug off the ground, "First, when a woman is that mad, you have to give her some time to calm down.  And second, I'm no doctor but I can recognize a broken nose when I see one.  Anne if you could help me get him checked out?"  Anne followed Cain to an elevator which would take them to the Medical lab.  Everyone else turned their attention to Xavier who was slowly recovering from the unleash of such psychic energy.  Xavier would have some explaining to do.  Cable looked around and just thought that he really didn't want to be here.

Kate ran upstairs and not even bothering to unlock the door, phased through it to her and Doug's room.  She plopped down on the bed and continued to hysterically cry.  Lockheed was on a dresser watching her.  He was quite confused after being hit by that wave but knew Kate was upset.  The three following her upstairs found her door locked.  Kurt used his powers to port them into the room.  They respected Kate's privacy but they knew more than ever she needed a friend.  What they saw was something none of them expected.

Kate was in shambles.  It looked like her whole world had suddenly just fallen apart which in this case was true.  She had her face buried in a pillow and was just crying.  She looked worse than they had ever seen her.  Kurt decided since he knew her the longest it should be him who approaches her.  "Kitty?"  He said reaching a hand out to the ball of sadness on the bed.

"Go away!" Kate sounded angry.  An irrational anger than cause self destruction and pain if not held in check.

Kurt tried to place his hand on Kate's shoulder but it phased through.  He turned to the others who also looked distraught.  "Kitty we need to talk."

She turned to face him.  Her eyes red from crying and her expression was a mix of rage and hurt.  The Kate of old was lost in it.  "Talk?! Talk?!  What the hell is there to talk about?!  I want Bruce!  I want Bruce! I want..."  She started to violently shake.  Kurt reached out to grab her hoping that she wasn't still phased.  She was.  He turned to the other two looking for anything.  Rahne decided she wanted to talk but was having trouble to step forward as she was crying now, the return of those memories hit her hard.  So it fell to Xi'an to speak.

"Kitty, why do you care about Bruce so much?"  She decided that would be a good question.  She had never seen Kate get this worked up over a boy before.  She wasn't even this worked up when Piotr or Illyana died.

"Why do I care?"  Kate was screaming at no place in particular.  "He was my fiancé!"  Everyone looked around.  Rahne stopped crying at that revelation.  Kate didn't even notice their reactions and continued yelling.  "I finally came to terms with Peter's death and Doug's death.  I moved on.  I had a new man and we were perfect.  He had his secrets but I respected him.  Now he's gone! I want him back."

Rahne looked at her and decided to speak.  "But he's not gone, he's Doug."

"Doug's dead.  He died.  Doug's dead.  He died."  Kate went into a full tantrum.  Obviously she wasn't ready to accept those new memories in her mind.   She could remember it all, the kidnapping, the wishing for death, and the love she felt.  She loved Doug.  She had realized it at that point three years ago and now that thought came back to haunt her.  She loved Doug.  She loved Bruce.  She just couldn't accept the reality that they were the same.  She grabbed Kurt and held on to him in an embrace.  It was an embrace meant to never be broken.  Kurt looked down at her and than at the other two girls.  He wrapped his hands around Kate and said nothing because nothing could be said.

Meanwhile, Doug had his nose patched up and had returned to the main floor of the mansion.  He sat down in a chair and the living room.  He looked like he had his heart had been torn out but he had accepted it.  He caused it himself and was the only one responsible.  He didn't deserve pity.  He would wait till the morning, grab his stuff and leave.  He wouldn't cause his friends any more pain, physical or emotional.  His moment of peace was interrupted as two people entered the room.

"Doug," it was Samuel and Allison.  They seemed a little nervous but he was guessing they were handling it the best next to Cain.  The professor explained the situation but Sam decided he wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, "Or is it Bruce."

Doug turned to Samuel as he took a seat across from him with Allison sitting next to him.  He hadn't heard Allison speak the last time he was here.  He knew she was different than what he remembered but then again he too was different.  "It doesn't matter anymore."

Samuel gave a glance to Allison who looked back to Samuel.  Samuel was about to speak then Allison interrupted him, "Why?"

Doug looked to her from the chair.  "That would be the twenty million dollar question.  Why?  Why did I kidnap you guys?  Why did I want to die?  Why did I leave?  Why did I choose to move to where Kitty was?  Why did I have to let Kitty fall in love with me? Why did I return?  Why did I restore your memories?  Why am I planning to leave again?  Where would you like me to start?"  Doug gave them a glance behind his cold eyes.  "I kidnapped you so you would kill me.  I wanted to die because I was overwrought with guilt.  I left because me being here hurt you guys on a level you didn't realize.  I loved Kitty that's why I started over where she was.  I let her love me because I loved her.  I returned because of my love for Kitty.  The memories I restored were because I couldn't lie to Kitty anymore.  I'm leaving again because I love Kate too much to cause her pain anymore."  He didn't even look winded from his explanation.  He looked Samuel in the eye and he looked back.

"You're right.  It doesn't matter anymore.  The Doug I knew wouldn't act like this and that Bruce guy loved Kitty so much he would never leave her.  You're neither so it doesn't matter what I call you."  He got off the sofa and took off out of the room.  Allison who was still sitting in her seat watched her boyfriend stomp out.  She looked back to the man who looked like he had nothing left.

"Doug, I forgive you."  She gave him a kiss on his cheek and left.

Doug's eyes went wide at this.  He was no longer asking for forgiveness because he was beyond salvation at this point yet Allison gave it to him, openly and without any strings.  He tried to digest that.  That was when he heard a scratching noise.  He turned and saw Logan taking a lit match he struck off the doorframe, and light a cigar.  He walked over to Doug and gave him a quick look over.  Doug was thinking about what horrible things Logan was going to do to him because of what he did to Kate.  He drew on his cigar, shook his head and walked off.  Logan didn't think Doug was even worth the effort.  Doug continued to digest it and just sat in the chair.  Warlock was right.

"Doug?"

He didn't have long to contemplate any of these revelations when he heard his name.  He recognized the voice and thought he wouldn't have to deal with her.  He had thought the revelation would've made her incapable of talking to him.  He looked to the figure at the door and had to look away.  Her face was red with tears but her eyes dry.  She couldn't cry anymore.  It was time for the situation to be resolved.  "Kate."

"Why?"  She hadn't moved.

"That's the second time I've been asked that.  You know what the real reason is.  I'm scarred.  I love you so much and I'm afraid me being here will hurt you."  He didn't look at her.  He couldn't.  He had no right too.

"Doug," worry was in her voice, "You not being here would hurt me.  I love you!" She moved into the room.

"Don't you think I knew that?  That's why I erased your memories in the first place," he was standing up from his seat but he still couldn't look in her direction.  "I don't want to cause you any pain but I couldn't stay away.  I sought you out because I felt an emotion that I thought was dead.  Love.  After killing all the X-men and everyone else in that world, I had lost all my emotions.  With you I found love again."

Kate moved in closer.  "Doug, you leaving hurt me.  I love you too.  I missed you more than you will know."

"More than I will know.  I've killed you before.  I killed everyone in that room.  I know about missing people and I know people would be better off without..."  He couldn't get out the last word Kate had moved right next to him.  She turned his face to hers and their eyes met, hers red from so much crying and his with a shine from tears that wouldn't come.  In that brief moment nothing else mattered but the silence of the bond they had.  The lips met and whatever the fight was about was solved.  They broke the timeless embrace they had and just looked into each others eyes as Kate reached in her pocket.

"Do you remember what you said that day at the lake?"

"Yes."  She placed the ring in his hand.

"I found someone better," Doug's eyes went wide with this, "His name is Doug and he should be the one to propose."

He dropped down to one knee and looked up at her.  "I know I don't deserve you but will you, my angel, my love, my everything, give me, Douglas Ramsey also known as Cypher, a pitiful worm who doesn't deserve to breathe the air you breathe, your hand in an eternal bond of love and friendship.  What I'm trying to say is Katherine Pryde also known as Aerial, also known as Sprite, also known as Shadowcat marry me."

"Ehhh... let me think about it..." she looked up into the air, and then snapped her head back to face him, "YES!"  She pulled him up from the ground and they both had a smile on their face.  Something they haven't had in hours.  Then they kissed and then Kate broke away.  "So do you want to go tell the others?"

"I just want to hold you for a little longer.  I don't want to worry about anybody else but you."  He went back in and kissed her for the rest of the world could go to hell for all he cared.

"Hmmph," Neither of them noticed the man standing outside the door.  "Finally."  He took a drag on his cigar and walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.  Everyone had decided to gather in the kitchen.  Logan opened the door and everyone shut up about their own speculations waiting for him to speak about what he had heard.  He walked over to an ash try and snuffed out his cigar and all the eyes followed him.  The room was in complete silence.  They only watched as Logan went to the refrigerator and pulled out an Iron City and popped the top.  Everyone was getting a little nervous and then the phone rang.  Everyone jumped except Logan who walked over to it peacefully and picked it up.  "Xavier's...Hey, Danielle how's the ski trip going with the students...Yeah you just did have three months of memories return...Yeah Ramsey still alive...Kitty's here too...No they wanted some alone time...okay see you in a few days."  He took a swig of his Iron City.

"Soooooo?" Everyone turned to Jubilation as she opened her mouth.  She was tired of the waiting and wanted to know what happened.

"Patience is a virtue, Jubes."  They all turned to the door where Doug and Kate were now standing arm in arm.  Kate had a smile on her face and unless somebody saw her a few hours ago nobody could tell she had been crying.  "Logan, Kurt, Jean, 'Ro, Professor, we have some exciting news."  She turned to Doug.

He looked at all the faces and seeing that they all had warmed up decided he should say it, "We're getting married!"  He leaned in and kissed his future bride.  The kitchen was silent.  Silent as the dead.  The silence only lasted a few moments before it was interrupted.

"Way to go Ramsey!"  It was Samuel.  He seemed to have all forgotten the words they spoke earlier.

"I knew ye can do it."  Rahne wanted to be the first to give the couple a celebrating hug but Kurt ported over faster than she could move.
"My little Katzchen, finally growing up."  He gave the two a big hug.  Logan leaned on the counter and just gave a silent smile of approval.

"Not bad big sis."  Jubilation looked over at Kate, "Not my taste but what works for you."  Paige giggled at that comment and looked at her own boyfriend and leaned in and kissed him while Samuel was distracted.

"Two of my favorite people are getting married."  Xi'an joined in the celebrating hug.  Cable on the other hand was holding Susan for Scott and Jean as the news made them forget about their troubled relationship for awhile.  He felt out of place not really knowing either Kate or Doug.  Alexander and Anne had already left but asked for someone to call with news when it finally came.  The professor had a dopey grin on his face.  It was a grin he had hardly shown in awhile.  Emma had snuck away to get a bottle of champagne and Cain was just enjoying this feeling of family.  Allison had finally joined in with the hug but Ororo who had said nothing had suddenly become the focus of attention.  Everyone turned to her to await the reaction she would give.

"I knew Kitty would find true love one day," she lifted her head up with a smile and turned to the couple, "I'm just happy it's with someone like Doug."  Kate phased through the crowd and ran over and hugged Ororo for giving her approval.

"Enough of this," a cork from a champagne bottle flew over everyone.  Emma stood, holding three bottles with one already bubbling from being open.  "If we're going to celebrate good news let's do it right."  The party went on all night.  The teams reminisced about those three months that were dumped on them and the times before it.  Doug received a great assault of pillows when he said that he thought Ororo should grow back her mohawk.   Nobody thought that was an appropriate comment.  The only one not enjoying the evening was Cable he disappeared from the festivities to get some fresh air outside.  It was a peace that was interrupted by a voice speaking a language he hasn't heard in a while.

<Cable.> Doug had stepped out of the party so he could talk to Cable about a few things.  He decided to speak in the Canaanite language to make him more comfortable.  <We have a few things to talk about.>

<I see that language skill in your dossier is quite impressive.> He barely acknowledged Doug and continued looking out into the evening.

<You going to tell her?> Doug moved next to Cable, a distinct contrast could be made from these two by only the casual observer.
<Who?>

<Listen, I've been through a whole lot, probably on an equal level with you, and I know a certain red head might enjoy seeing Kate again and for that matter little Susan.>

<Who would you be talking about?>

<Fine, you want to play it that way.  Good.  Let me ask you this Cable, would I have been a part of your team if I lived.>

Nothing came in reply.

<Cable would I've been on your team.>

<No.  For one simple and undeniable reason, X-Force wouldn't have existed with you.  Sure the X-Men blame me for turning them into soldiers but truth is I took kids who couldn't deal and showed them ways to help out their anger.  If you hadn't died or if the X-Men hadn't died or if Illyana never deaged, X-Force couldn't have existed.  Your death was a starting point.  It made those kids become adults.  Sam and Dani had to accept the true burden of leadership.  Roberto and Warlock learned actions have consequences.  Rahne learned guilt by realizing even with her powers she can't save everyone.  You made them human with your death and if you survived they would've all probably ended up like Cyclops.>

Doug let out a sigh and turned to Cable.  <Thanks.  I needed that.> Doug started heading back towards the mansion.
<Ramsey,> Doug focused in on Cable, <I'll tell her but I'm not promising anything.> Cable looked back across the cold night.  He wondered if Rachel would come when he told her.  He looked to the sky with a smile.  He was finally glad he came.

Chapter 2:  Decisions

Two Months before the wedding:

He awoke next to her and just starred.  Doug has done this every time he woke.  He would just lie in their bed with his arms around his love.  Maybe it was disbelief, maybe it was fear, but whatever it was he knew he was just glad she would be there when he awoke.  He hoped she would just stay asleep for a little longer so he could just drink in her beauty.  His wishes were unheeded as she stirred.

Kate rolled over and looked at her fiancé in the eye.  Life was hectic but these moments of serenity made her realize what it was all for.  It was for them.  Their love and their passion.  She gave him a smile and he smiled right back, and then leaned in for a kiss.  Since moving back to the mansion she worried about what everyone would think about them living together but since the initial incident everyone has been fine.  They both teach classes now and since it was Saturday they would have the day to themselves.

"Hi there."  Doug was still taken back by her beauty.  She was everything for him and he would do anything for her.

"Hi yourself."  Kate loved him and nobody would convince her otherwise.

"You know I have to get up."

"Its Saturday, no classes."

"Did you forget what Saturday it is?"

"Yes."  She let out a little giggle with her response.

"It's the Saturday, Sam and Bobby are throwing me a bachelor party."  He tried to swing himself out of bed but Kate held on.

"You don't have to go.  We can stay in bed and have some fun."  He broke away from Kate and stood up.  He was wearing his boxers and a beater.  He started his walk across the room to their private bathroom so he could clean himself up.

"As much as I love the idea of staying in bed with you, I can't insult them by not showing up for a party they're throwing.  Sam and Bobby would be sad."  He made it to the bathroom and started brushing his teeth.

"And by sad you mean pissed off because they are hoping to use this party as a way to convince you to choose one of them as the best man."

"Mmph."  Came a response from the bathroom.

"So who is it going to be Sam or Bobby?"  Suddenly the shower water came on.

"Can't hear you.  I'm in the shower.  I'll get back to you later."

Across the space ways someone else was facing a hard decision.  Cerise was figure out exactly what she would tell the Starjammers.  She knew they had some sort of quasi-respect for Lilandra but as for the rest of Shi'ar, well they really didn't like them.  Cerise had no reason to doubt why they disliked them, most of the crew were escapees from slave pens and most of their races were forced into the Shi'ar empire by teams like she once was apart of.  Their leader's wife was raped by D'ken and now his son has taken the throne.  Adam told her to offer something they couldn't deny, besides triple their normal fee, she was going to offer star charts to the Mephistoid home world.  She has only to hope to appeal to Corsair as a man of reason.  She still wondered about the emperor's stipulation but she didn't question it.

She activated the view screen and sent a message out to their ship.  "Attention Corsair of the Starjammers.  My name is Cerise of the former Earth team Excalibur and currently an advisor to the Emperor of the Shi'ar, Adam.  I seek communications with you."

A picture appeared on her screen.  It was Corsair, on the bridge of his ship.  He looked the way he was always described, calm yet impulsive.  Time has not affected him that much but he still was starting to show signs of his age.  "So Cerise of Excalibur what can me and my humble crew do for the bloated Shi'ar empire."  He let out a gentle smile with his comments, almost trying not to make them seem rude.

"Corsair, in two months, Earth time, a friend, you may know her as Kitty Pryde of the X-men, will be getting married."  Cerise was trying not to appear as nervous as she felt but Corsair could read her reactions.

"And what, pray tell, does that have to do with me or my crew?"

"The emperor said the only way I could go see her wedding is if the Starjammers take me."

"Again, what is in it for us to transport the Shi'ar to earth and why should I care what the son of D'ken has to say?"

"Well besides triple your normal fee, and the chance to go home which is something I know you want.  Have you even seen your granddaughter or your new daughter-in-law yet?"  Corsair gave her a dark stare at those words.  "We also offer you this."  The display on the Starjammers shipped filled with a star chart.  "That is part of the chart that will take you to the Mephistoid home world.  As I understand it you have a Mephistoid on your crew, Hepzibah, who as I know you have become romantically involved with.  I can assure you the people of that race are quite alive.  You do this for us and you will get the complete chart."

Corsair's face went white at this revelation but he kept a level head.  "What are the conditions of this contract?"

"You have to transport me and the emperor to Earth and back, safely.  Also a former member of the Avengers, who now is also a member of the Imperial Guard, would like to come too but if she comes, it is at your discretion.  Her name is Deathcry."

"I will have to discuss this with my crew but I will get back to you very soon."  With that the screen went blank and Cerise sighed in relief.  She didn't feel good at all.  She was almost forcing them to the Shi'ar's will which was a practice she had hoped to give up a while ago.  She wasn't killing anymore but still it wasn't right.  She wanted to see Kate again but not if she forced the Starjammers away from their beliefs.

On the bridge of Corsair's ship he surveyed his crew.  He wanted to go home as Cerise said.  He hasn't seen his new grandchild or his daughter-in-law yet.  Also it was about her.  He turned and looked at Catherine at the weapon array.  His sons didn't know about his new daughter yet, and that was one of the reasons he hadn't gone back.  He was afraid of their reactions.  He turned to his wife and looked at her.  Hepzibah was still as pretty as ever after all these years.  She was still a little in shock at the revelation she could see her home world again.  He looked to Ch'od and Raza.  His loyal crew as it was.  This mission seemed more personal than anything and he wouldn't feel right about dragging them in.  "So you all heard her proposal, choices."

"If Hepzibah wants to go home, I will help captain."  Ch'od spoke in his normal tone.  He understood what it could mean to go home.  His people were destroyed.  He wanted to make sure that didn't happen to anyone else.  If Hepzibah wanted it he would help.

Raza sat quietly just thinking.  He didn't trust the new emperor at all.  He was the son of D'ken.  He didn't want something like that on this ship but he knew that if he could help Hepzibah and Corsair he would.  "I'll go with whatever you decided my captain."

"See home world I want but if endanger crew not go we." Hepzibah was silent with her response.  She did want to go home but this crew was her family now.  She had a daughter and a husband who loved her more than anything.  She didn't want to put any of them at risk.

"Mom's right dad."  It was Catherine.  She learned to speak English better than her mom.  She looked kind of angry about why there was a discussion.  She hated the Shi'ar but her hatred was learned in, without any real reason except from her parents.  She also didn't care about seeing any of her ancestors' worlds.  They didn't mean a thing to her.  "I don't want that son of a bitch emperor any where near me."

Corsair knew about his daughter's brashness.  She showed it very often.  It looked like the deciding vote would come down to him.  "Ch'od, open back up a line to Cerise."  The screen activated in front of him.

"Cerise here."  She looked a little more composed.

"You got a deal.  Adam, you, Deathcry can come if Lilandra joins you.  And if you try anything we won't be held responsible for the consequences."  He cut out the transmission.

Back on Earth at a local bar Doug has been wondering if going out tonight was such a good idea.  Samuel, Warlock, James, and Roberto had decided to through him a bachelor party.  He expected since it would be just the five of them it would be just some simple drinking at Harry's but they decided to invite other people, some of whom he never met.  There was Cable, Rictor, and Shatterstar all originally from X-Force.  Logan and Kurt came but that was more of a way to make sure he didn't do anything to hurt Kate tonight.  Jonothan had come to try to work on Samuel about Paige but that wasn't going anywhere.  For some reason Brian Braddock had came from otherworld to join in the fun.  Doug expected two reasons for this, one is because they wanted to keep tabs on him and see if he still had his almighty power and two is because he was highly protective of Kate.  Doug was avoiding him for a personal reason as Brian made him think of Elizabeth and that was something he didn't want.  He sat there staring at his fifth bottle of Coors and was glad that they had Harry's tonight just to themselves as some of the drunken debauchery going on was not meant for human eyes.

"Dougie! Dougie! Du-Du-Dougie," Samuel plopped down right next to him, obviously with a little too much to drink.  "Man, you got's to make me yer best man.  Come on!  Ah'm your buddy."  He elbowed Doug a little too hard causing him to spill his beer.  Then Roberto came.

"Ey if any one is Doug's best man, it's me.  I'm Roberto Dacosta and I am the best man."

Doug looked around the room as most of the guys were feeling the effects of the libations except Brian and Warlock.  Neither of them had been drinking and seemed the most level headed out of everyone.  Samuel and Roberto had continued their argument as Doug slipped out between them.  He approached the bar and looked around at these people.  He didn't see a bunch of drunks anymore but a family, a family he didn't really belong to.  He had to get out of there.  He went up to the bar and bought a fifth of Jack for the road and left.  He headed through the streets of Salem Center to a place most people don't go when they're drunk, a cemetery.  He walked up to a lone grave.  He's been there a few times before but never in this condition.

"Hey there.  It's me which I guess is you."  He looked at the grave marked Douglas Ramsey and took a swig of his bottle.  "I haven't been here in a few years since I changed.  I guess I should tell you I'm marrying Kitty.  It's not right.  You should be alive not me.  I killed the X-Men and everybody else.  You did nothing yet here I am breathing and you are in some box beneath the ground." He took another sip.  "I hate you!  You know how much pain you caused them.  That's the only reason they accepted me.  To make up for that pain."  He whipped the bottle at the headstone and the glass shattered allowing its contents to drip down off the letters.  Doug was crying and in a voice barely audible, "They want you not me.  Not me."

"Bull."  A hand reached downed and landed on the kneeling Doug's shoulder.  Doug turned around and saw Warlock standing behind him.  He was in his human template but the circuitry was showing through.

"Go away."  Still barely audible he batted away the hand.

"No.  I'm your friend and we're going to talk this through."  Warlock moved in between Doug and the grave.

Doug looked up a Warlock.  His eyes red with tears.  "That's just it we're not friends.  You're standing on your friend and I'm a facsimile."

"No, you're just as real as Doug was.  More real than when I was Douglock.  You know what Kitty did then.  She phased into this grave to check for a body.  She was so convinced I was Doug resurrected she checked for a body.  She even tried to convince me to embrace all of Doug's habits and tastes.  Has she ever tried that once with you?"

"No."

"Has she ever talked or compared you to the old Doug?"

"No."

"Do you think she loves you for you or because you remind her of a friend who had died, a friend she has totally accepted as dead?"

"..."

"Do you?"

"No!"

"She loves you." He reached down and helped Doug to his feet.  They brushed off his clothing.  "Now do you want to go back to your party, Sam and Bobby were in the middle of singing Karaoke to convince you to be the best man.  They hadn't even realized you left."

"Well I hate to disappoint them but I have my best man right here."  He placed his arm around Warlock's shoulder as they headed back to Harry's.  Unbeknownst to them someone was listening to their conversation.

"About bloody time someone right for Pryde came along."  He lit up a cigarette and disappeared back into the shadows.

Chapter 3: An off-white wedding

The Starjammer was just pulling out of the warp gate for Earth.  The feelings of hostility between the crew and the Shi'ar were going strong.  Catherine was especially antsy.  When ever she wasn't on the bridge she was spying on Adam.  He knew that she was there and let it go.  She couldn't do anything to him.  He could easily beat her but that would hurt Corsair and he had no wish to cause Corsair any pain.  He decided to talk to Corsair on the bridge before they touched down.  They had about five hours until the wedding began.

"Captain."  He wanted to sound diplomatic but it came off almost childish.

"Yes, 'Emperor'." Corsair was afraid to show his disdain one bit but as always he was a business man first.

"We need to drop off Deathcry at Avengers' mansion before we proceed to Westchester for the wedding."

"Why?"

"She was a member of that team and she wants to see them again."

"You know on Earth we have a saying, 'You can't go home, again.'"

"What if you never been home?"

"Hmmm?"

"Nothing.  When we get to Xavier's I need to speak to you and your two sons.  I know you want to catch up with your family but this is important.  It concerns Katherine Summers."

"My daughter."

"No, not her."  He left before Corsair could respond.

At the mansion confusion was running rampant.  The cake was three hours late.  Not enough chairs were available.  Emma Frost who was in charge of arranging everything was busy arguing with Robert Drake about an ice sculpture he made.  It was of Doug trying to run away from the altar but being stopped by Lockheed.  Charles was in his office making a few finishing touches on a speech he had been asked to give.  Lila Cheney and her band were busy setting up their stage.  Doug was in his room with his groomsmen finishing up their tuxedos.  "What's the time Lock?"

"You have exactly three hours, thirty-two minutes, and fifty one seconds left right now."  He was the only one fully prepared.  He just shaped shift his body into a tux while the others were having problems.  Roberto who was the head usher, Doug had to give him something, pants were too large, Sam still couldn't fix his tie right, and James whole suit looked like it was ready to burst at the seems.  Doug was slumped in a chair, he was in a beater and a pair of pants.  His shirt was wrinkled and was currently being ironed by Henry.  His coat was late for delivery and was sent two left shoes by mistake.  He wondered if this was God's way of saying leave now.  He looked out the window and saw a girl in a red dress walk up to the mansion, her long, red hair flopping back and forth as she approached the mansion.  Cable came through.  He now wondered if that was God's way of saying stay and do it.

Kate was in her gown twirling around for her bridesmaid.  Ororo, Rahne, Xi'an, and Danielle were dressed in hideous dresses in comparison.  Jean was with them, her daughter was looking at all of them with child like innocence.  She surveyed them remembering her wedding day.  So much had changed between Scott and her, was their any love left.

Outside another redhead was getting ready to reintroduce herself.  It had been so long she saw any of them.  Cable had shown her to Kate's room.  After a quick mind swipe she knew everyone in that room.  Her own psychic defenses were stopping anyone from sensing her.  Besides Kate who Rachel felt would be a lot to dump on her especially on her wedding day, she could sense her "mom".  She also sensed a mind like hers but very different.  She could feel love emanating from Jean to her.  It was a family bond.  If Rachel suddenly appeared it could hurt everyone.  Why did she have to come, why?  She then had an abrupt reminder of why she came.

"Hey."

She turned around and saw a large man standing behind her.  Hey was wearing a tux which didn't really make him look right.  He needed a gun or he just looked naked.  "Hey yourself."

"Shouldn't you be on the other side of the door?"  Cable smiled as he looked down at his little sister.  She's technically older but to look at them no one would know.

"I don't belong anymore."  She said trying to find a way around Cable.

"You belong as much as I do."

"Yeah but you don't have a counterpart.  Why didn't you tell me Jean and Scott had a kid?"

"It didn't seem like it mattered.  So they have another kid but hey they accepted you right before you left, things haven't changed that much."  She turned away from him and looked at the door.  Before she could react he reached over her, knocked, and ran.  She looked to follow but the door was already opening.

"I'll get it just in case it's Doug," Rahne walked over to the door and opened it but was faced with somebody else, somebody totally unexpected.  Both of them had an expression of surprise.  They've met each other before but one of them was suppose to be gone forever.

"Rahne? Who's there?"  Kate asked from her position in the back of the room.

"Well... It's um... It's... Uh...," Rahne couldn't find the word.  She wanted to say Rachel but that word had suddenly become totally foreign to her.  "It's somebody we dinnae expect ta see."

Kate got up and started walking to the Scot at the door to see who could've possibly silenced her.  She got right over the young woman's shoulder, "Well let's see who made Rahne quiet...," she looked at the ghost standing in front of both of them.  Kate let out a whisper, "Rachel?"

"Hi, Kitty."  She looked at Kate in her long flowing wedding gown.  She looked like something out of a fairy tale.  Ororo, Xi'an, and Danielle turned and looked to the door.  Jean, on the other hand at hearing that voice was already three fourths of the way to the door.

"Wait?  How?  When?  What?" Kate's stammering would have almost been humorous if it didn't come off so pathetically.
"It's a long story.  I was sent to the future, Jean probably remembers meeting me there, and then when Apocalypse was defeated and that future was obverted I was sent back.  Cable knew I came back but I told him not to tell anyone because I wanted to try a life away from the heroing.  Doug, I don't know how, knew about it so he asked Cable to invite me and here I am.  There's more detail but I don't really think today would be appropriate time to discuss it."  Rachel's eyes began to water as Jean and her two year old daughter stood behind Kate.  Kate hugged her but Rachel was still looking at the women behind Kate.  How would she react was the thought running through her head.

"Rachel?"  Jean's eyes were also full of tears as she looked at this grown women before her.  This was her daughter but not really.  She had come to accept her as her daughter.  She loved her as if she was her real daughter.  The last time she saw her was when she was transported to the future to help raise Cable.  Kate stepped back and looked at these two women.  The gazes were an impenetrable force.

"Hi, Jean..." She couldn't get anymore out as Jean wrapped her arms around Rachel.  She was hugging her with a motherly strength.  This was the embrace that only a true mother and daughter could share.  Tears streamed down Jeans face as she tightened the hug.  She lost Rachel once just when she was just starting to accept her and she wouldn't let it happen again.  Rachel didn't return the hug.  She was still surprised at the action.  She had expected a lot of reactions but this was not one of them.  The idea of acceptance never, ever entered her mind.  She wanted something she was use to.  Hatred, disbelief, out and out rage, any negative emotion she could deal with but love, unconditional, was so new to her.  She slowly brought her arms around her mother.  They stood there in the doorway, arms around each other ignoring everyone else for a few minutes.  What was going on was something that few others new about.  It wasn't just a physical hug, but one of the mind.  They linked their minds together sharing every emotion they felt between them.  Anything else was lost as these two came back together.

Jean pulled back from Rachel and just stared at her.  Rachel returned the gaze as their tearful eyes met.  Jean grabbed Rachel by the hand and brought her into the room to where Ororo sat.  "Rachel, I would like you to meet your younger sister, Susan."  Rachel looked at the little redheaded two year old being held by Ororo.  She reached down and picked her up and the child gave no fuss.  Rachel was surprised as she felt Jean's arms wrap around all of them.  Jean felt complete.  After so many years her family felt complete.  Rachel felt the completeness also.  Kate looked on at these happy people.  Today she would have a chance at that kind of happiness and no one will take it away from her, no one.

Doug stood at the altar fiddling with his tie.  It was more a nervous reaction than anything.  He looked at the assembled X-teams or what is left of them.  Excalibur is gone, X-Force is gone, X-factor is gone, Generation X is gone.  He only saw X-men now.  That was all that was left.  He didn't really even know those teams but they were all different.  Now there was X-Men and nothing really else.  They were mostly here for Kate.  He was becoming more comfortable with them, but he knew he would never be fully accepted.  He looked over at the Summer's family.  They were all together.  Rachel sat with Susan on her lap, on one side of her was Cable.  He had a dopey smile on his face, he knew that Rachel being back was good, it couldn't be anything else.  On the other side was Jean who was holding on to her husband.  She looked much happier and it seemed as if all the troubles of her marriage could be forgotten.  The look of Scott could shatter that felling.  He was holding onto his wife but there was something emotionally distant about it.  It looked like he only held on for the sake of appearances and for nothing else.  Doug left the sight of that family and continued to scan the crowd.  He saw Charles and next to him was Lilandra.  They weren't holding each other like Scott and Jean but the emotions coming off of them were much stronger.  That was what real love looked like.  It came off him and Kate when ever they were together and he could read it from other people too.  He saw Brain and Meggan who came from their guardianship of the omniverse just to attend this wedding.  Cerise had taken a seat by Kurt.  There was still something between them but neither wanted to admit to it.  Cerise had approached both him and Kate earlier.  She wanted to see Kate again but she wanted to judge Doug instead.  He was glad he passed but according to her just barely.  The Starjammers were also present, and they stood in the back.  Doug read their body language.  Corsair felt strong attraction to the two women with him, one was a sensual love and the other was the love a parental love.  He was also signally fear from the sight of Scott and Alexander.  The young woman, who was the one receiving parental love, was emanating hatred in almost every language towards the man who stood towards the back on the other side.  It was Adam X, the emperor of the Shi'ar Empire.  He was the son of Scott's and Alexander's mother.  They didn't know it but Doug did.  Adam had guilt as his primary body language.  He was going to tell them but Adam wanted them to enjoy the wedding first.

Doug one more deep breath as they wedding procession began.  Kate didn't want a Jewish wedding so they went with a traditional Christian wedding for Doug but their children, if they had any, would be raised Jewish.  First out were the bridesmaids and their respective groomsmen.  Warlock and Xi'an, Roberto and Ororo, Samuel and Rahne, which looked weird because of the height difference, and finally James and Danielle all walked up and took their respected places.  Then the music started playing as Logan and Kate walked up to the altar.  Kate asked Logan to be the one to give her away, and all the X-Men felt this was right.

The ceremony went off perfectly.  This wedding had almost as much fanfare as the wedding of Scott and Jean.  There was not a dry eye in the house except for the Starjammers and Adam.  Neither of those groups had really been focusing on the wedding proceedings.  The reception started and everyone broke off into private conversations.  Lila Cheney was playing all the back up music to the reception.  Warlock delivered a brilliant speech as the best man.  The bridal bouquet landed in the hands of Paige while the wedding garter some how landed with Jonothan.  Adam decided while the festivities were going on he would approach the Summers and beg them to forgive his shame.  He saw Corsair and decided to approach him first as he could draw in his sons.

Why me? Corsair some how was cornered by a very drunk Robert Drake.  He just wanted to go see his new grandchild and new daughter in law that was all but somehow Robert felt like he should be asking Corsair questions.

"Sew misstur spaced pie rat," Robert could barely stand, "I half a quest shun dat all wayz bottered me.  What is the difference between a pirate and a space pirate?"

Corsair couldn't think of a reply.  That question was just so stupid.  No way could Corsair answer that without being bothered by another ten questions.  He was about to say something but Adam came and answered for him.

"The difference between a pirate and a space pirate is that a space pirate goes into space while a normal pirate hardly ever goes into space.  Now if you excuse me Iceman, I think Corsair would like to visit with his family." Corsair didn't even argue as Adam grabbed him by his arm and dragged him away.  "Corsair it is time for a talk, get your two sons and meet me there."  He pointed to a tree away from the party and walked over to wait.

Corsair hated taking orders from that Shi'ar but he did say he had something to say about Katherine.  He loved Katherine, probably always will, but now he has a new wife, and daughter to look after.  He wanted to hear the message but if he wanted to say it in front of his family it would have to include Hepzibah and Catherine.  He went off to find them.

Adam stood by the tree he had designated waiting for the Summers to come.  He felt a knot twisting in his stomach as he considered what exactly to tell them.  He saw them approached, Scott and Alexander came from opposite sides with Corsair, coming up in-between them but he wasn't alone.  Corsair was bringing his wife and daughter with him.  He didn't want a big audience for his humiliation.  "Corsair, I thought I told you just to bring your two sons."

"Whatever you have to say to me and boys, you can say to my wife and daughter, that's right Scott, Hepzibah is my wife now and we had daughter.  Her name is Cathy" Corsair seemed a little coarse with his son.  He wanted to deal with this thing one at a time first Adam then whatever Scott thought of his new step-mother.

"So wait, I'm no longer the youngest?" Alexander seemed almost happy about that.  He had grown up so much in years but being the youngest Summer always held trouble for him.

"Yeah, I guess that makes you the middle child now." Corsair looked at Alexander with his normal emotional resolve.  He loved his sons so much but he hadn't really been there for them. "So Adam what do you have to say to my family?"

Adam took a deep breath, mustering up all the courage he had locked away for this time.  It would be just easy to say it he thought, but it still made him sick.  "My father is D'Ken, I'm sure you're all familiar with him aren't you," He looked around, not really expecting anything except hatred and despise coming from them and that's what he got.  "Well he has done many things I would say aren't necessarily things to be proud of, in fact they are wrong by almost any moral standard of any world."  He looked to Corsair, "He killed your wife right in front of you."  Corsair's eyes were starting to fill with rage.  Adam expected this.  Corsair may have a new wife but memories don't die, they just hide getting stronger.  "There was another aspect to Katherine's and D'Ken's relationship."  He swallowed.  The words were there but he couldn't get them out.  He did the only thing he could think of, he knelt down before Corsair, "I have no right to ask this but I will beg it from you Corsair, forgive me for D'ken's sin.  He-he-he raped Katherine.  I am the after effect of that."  Adam wasn't crying.  Crying was not his option.  All he could hope for is they would still transport him back alive.

Corsair stood agape at this revelation.  Alexander and Scott were letting the words settle in.  Corsair looked down towards Adam who had his eyes adverted towards the ground.  He grabbed and lifted his face by the chin so he could look Adam in the face.  He studied the face.  He saw it, Katherine.  She was there just like in Scott's or Alexander's face.  His wife was still alive in these three men.  "You mean you're her..."

"Son."  He looked back at Corsair whose eyes were watering.

"Great, two new siblings and one is the ruler of an empire.  Next I'll find out Storm's my sister and Logan's my grandfather."  Alexander tried to alleviate the emotions with some humor but it wasn't working.

Adam was going to stand up but he didn't have a chance.  He was down on his back with Scott on top of him, his fist squarely in his face.  "You.  Bastard.  I'll.  Kill. You!" Every word was punctuated with a fist.  Adam didn't fight back he let every blow rain down on his face.  He finally found the reaction he expected.  It was almost a comfort to feel the fist drive into his face.  He felt another blow and another and another but than became alarmed as the blows suddenly stopped.

He opened his battered eyes and saw Scott being dragged off by Alexander and Corsair.  He was kicking and throwing a tantrum like a kid.  A crowd had gathered around the proceedings.  Lilandra stood next to Charles with a face of understanding.  She had expected something like this but wasn't expecting Scott to be the one to do it.  Charles looked shocked and dismayed as he saw the one he considered to be the student he felt represented his dream the best behave like a monster.  ~Jean, if you will, please, take your husband to my office.  I'll be there in a minute. ~

~Ok Professor. ~ She took her husband off his father and brother and dragged him to the main house.

The professor took a look to Kate and Doug who like everyone else had gathered to watch this spectacle.  Kate was in horror.  Her wedding day was ruined.  She was emanating anger and Charles could sense that all she wanted to do was run and hide from everyone.  Doug on the other hand had no anger.  He looked more disappointed than anything.  It was almost as if he was waiting for something like this to happen today.  The professor sighed.  He hoped somebody could return the peace of the day back and do it quickly.

Adam felt a hand grab his and lift him up.  He opened his eyes and saw a very familiar and friendly face staring back.  It was Shatterstar's.  Shatterstar was one of the closing things to a friend he had this planet.

"Adam."  Shatterstar acknowledge him nonchalantly as he got back on his feet.

"Shatterstar." Adam answered back with the same kind of emotion.  He liked Shatterstar because he had respect for him, not as an emperor, but as a warrior and Adam shared this same respect.  He showed no distress from his wounds but blood continued to trickle down his face.  They started to walk away as the crowd disbursed.

"So why did you let him beat you like that?"  Shatterstar was very interested in that.  He knew how Adam fought and knew that even on Adam's worse day Scott Summers couldn't have done that.

"Duty and responsibility."

"Hmmm.  To who?"

"My mother.  She was his mother too."

"So what duty does one brother have to another that entails a beating like that?"

"A debt left over from my father.  My father raped my mother, and then killed her later on, right in front of Scott's father.  I came here knowing full well I would receive a beating like that.  If he couldn't get to my father, I guess I'm the next best thing."

"Sins of the father.  You know we've been followed."  He gave a nod over to one of the trees by the lake.

"Yeah.  She's been tracking my actions since I've been on her ship.  She doesn't trust me.  She's good at tracking but not good enough to fool me.  You can come out now Catherine."

A graceful feline figure descended from a tree.  She looked over them both and let out a humph.  "So you're related to my brothers?"
"I guess that I am."

She gazed him in the eye.  She didn't have the hatred in her eyes anymore.  There was something else, almost a searching.  She was looking for a reason to trust him.  "My father is going to want to talk to you."

"That he will.  I also want to talk to him."

"Why?"

"I want to find about my mot... Katherine."  He didn't feel right about calling her mother in front of these people.  He hadn't known his mother but he loved her with the admiration any son would feel.  He could hold back for a while longer.

"I guess old Scotty boy wasn't ready for two new siblings in one day."

"No, he was ready for you at least.  Me, I'm just a representation of my father to him.  That's all he can see, D'Ken.  He can't even see his mother in me."

"I never met either.  All I see is a Shi'ar."  She couldn't hide the detest in her voice for Adam's species.

"Only half, and not for longer.  I have plans for the empire, big plans, that won't exactly go over well with the council."  He had a smile on his face.
"What kind of plans?"  Her quizzical glance heightened her feline features.
"Well for starters..."

On the other side of the grounds, Doug was trying to figure out a way to salvage the wedding.  His knew wife was crying but was trying to be consoled by Ororo and Logan.  Corsair had started some heavy drinking, already finishing two bottles of Jim Bean.  Scott, Jean, and the professor where in his study still talking.  Alexander was trying to bond between his wife and his new step-mother.  Doug knew it was time for plan B as he walked up to the stage with Lila on it.  He whispered something in her ear and she nodded in agreement.  Doug set this plan up earlier and was hoping to do it under better circumstances but now was probably the last chance he would get.  He stepped up to the mike.

"Hi there.  For those of you who don't know I'm Douglas Ramsey and I was your groom today.  Now this wedding started off really great.  We were all happy and enjoying ourselves, something I don't think the X-Men do enough of anymore, and then bam, back to sadsville.  Well I'm not going to take that lying down.  So here's what I'm going to do, me and Lila here have set some wheels into motion, and I'm going to sing you a song and no just any song, a special song.  This song means something to someone out there in the audience that is very special to me and I hope she considers me just as special."  He turned to Lila and began tapping out a beat with his shoe.

A light guitar strummed along.  "The Salvation Army band played."  Doug's voice came out a little flat but still on key.

"And the children drunk lemonade.
And the morning lasted all day, all day.
And through an open window came,
Like Sinatra in a younger day.
Pushing the town away... "
 Two back-up singers and Lila joined in,
"Hey-oh, ma-ma-ma....
Hey-oh, ma-ma-ma, hey-oh
Life in a northern town
All of the work shut down
Hey-oh, ma-ma-ma"

 Doug began to walk down of the stage as Kate looked at him.  The song began to sink in.  This was the first song they ever danced to in college.  Doug hated to sing and yet here he was making a fool of himself, singing their song to her.  She stood up from Logan and Ororo and began to walk towards Doug.

"He sat on the stony ground.
And he took a cigarette out.
And everyone else came down to listen.
He said in Winter 1963
It felt like the world would freeze,
With John F. Kennedy and the Beatles."

 Doug and Kate were standing less than an inch a way.  Her sadness had totally alleviated as she stared into his eyes.  He gave her smile as he threw the mike back to Lila who caught it while she continued to sing the chorus.  Kate wrapped her arms around Doug and they shared a kiss.  They became oblivious to everyone but each other.  Kate hadn't even realized that she was using her phasing power to lift them off the ground towards the sky.  Life could only get better from that point.
 
 

Chapter 4: Proof of Life

He came down the stairs of the mansion.  These last three years living here have brought a great deal of changes he thought as he made his way through the halls.  Kate was still in bed which was nice to know.  He used to always disturb her when he would awake in the middle of the night.  He still had nightmares from the deaths of them, but he has slowly been dealing with them.  After the wedding things got back to normal for the X-Men as a group but for the people who were the X-Men things changed, things changed greatly.  Anne and Alexander had their first kid.  It turns out a month after his and Kate's wedding, Paige and Jonothan eloped.  Samuel didn't find out until the following year during his wedding to Allison that they had been married.  He found out when she gave birth during the ceremony.  Samuel was never as angry as he was that day and Jonothan was never as scarred as Samuel beat the hell out of him.  There's an uneasy peace there now but a great deal of tension.  Then of course there was the divorce.  No one had expected it.  They were supposed to be the perfect X-Couple but the tension finally got to them.  I'll never forget Susan's crying as Scott stormed out that day.  Jean has pretty much buried herself in the school.  Scott doesn't live here anymore but out of respect to Xavier still goes on missions.  Wolverine's gone now.  That's probably the worst aspect.  Not that he left but the reason why.  Poor Jubilation.  He wasn't in the loop technically but damn his powers, he figured it out.  Emma had taken charge of the care of Jubilation and he had always wondered if he should worry her further by telling her about the Hellions now.  She had Jubilation to take care of now.  Did she need to know?  He made his way to the kitchen, his intended destination.  He found a glass of water helped him sleep.  He heard soft crying from the kitchen.  He opened the door slightly.

He saw a woman at the table crying.  He didn't know who it was, he couldn't place the figure.  He could see it was a woman with platinum blonde hair and she was wearing black clothing.  She was crying the saddest cry he had ever heard.  It almost sounded as if her mind was crying at the same time.  He finally placed the shape of the figure.  It was Emma.  She finally gave up on being above them.  No purity of her white clothing anymore, she was now wearing the clothing of the tainted.  It was time.  He had waited till a point like this before he would tell her about the Hellions, a point where she finally stopped being the White Queen and was just Emma.  He wished it was under better circumstances but it was now or never.

"Emma?"  He approached her with the caution he knew she would need now.  She had become so delicate in this time.

"Oh Doug," She stopped crying but her eyes were still red, "I was, uh, I was."

"I know what you were doing and I know why."  He took the seat across from her.

"What are you talking about?"  She looked worried as if he hit a raw nerve, and that's precisely what he had done.

"I know what happened a few months back to Jubilee, I know why she became withdrawn, and I know what he did to her."

"Ho-How?"  She looked worried.  They had all been careful to keep this from everyone.

"My powers.  You know they let me see patterns.  I'm literally super-observant.  I take in every small detail no matter how minuscule."  She gave him back a look of dread.  "Don't worry I haven't told anyone.  It's none of my business but if you need help I will, especially with the new turn.  She's pregnant isn't she?"

"Yes."

"Thought so.  Emma I have a question for you, though no matter what the answer is we will both regret it."

"Yes, Douglas."  She looked so different.  She had no more of the confidence she use to just ooze.  She was literally broken.

"You remember that night in the infirmary were you ask me about why you had to see so much death."

"Yes."  It was barely a yes, as the lips moved and a sound could be heard but it took a lot of effort to just figure out what that sound was.

Doug sighed; time to get on with it.  "Emma do you miss the Hellions?"

"You know I do with all my heart."

"Is there enough love there to share with Jubilee and the Hellions or can you just focus it on one person?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Please," His eyes reflected all aspects of seriousness.  "Just please answer the question, can you love them both?"

"Yes."

"Emma I have something to tell you, but if I tell you it you have to promise you will wait three days before taking any sort of action.  Three days is all I ask because I am going to tell you something that will change your life.  I won't give you all the details until the third day because this affects more people than just you.  Can you give me those three days?"

"Yes Douglas.  I trust you."

"Thank you Emma," He got up from his seat and headed for the door.

"Doug," He stopped right before the door.  He could feel the hard wood beneath his hand.  "What did you have to say?"

He let out a breath and turned to Emma.  "The Hellions, they're still alive."  He pushed open the door and walked out leaving Emma to hear those words.  It was going to be the longest three days of his life.  As he got done the hall he pulled out his cell-phone and pressed a button on his speed dial.  The line sounded dead but he knew the person was on the other end.  They planned this out so long ago.  "It's time.  Three days from now, here at the mansion."  He closed the cell-phone and walked back to his room.

Three days later and Doug was standing in the X-Men war room.  He hadn't been here in a while as he never did become an X-Man.  He lost all taste for adventuring and settled in as a teacher.  His wife was in a chair close to the head of the table.  Doug told her the complete story of the Hellions already and what he was planning to do.  He didn't want to risk her life but she didn't want to let Doug risk his life by himself.  He was just waiting for the others now.  He had asked them all to gather here.  James, Allison, Samuel, and Danielle were easy as they all return to live at the mansion.  Still he wasn't sure whether to invite Danielle or not as she had never been one of them.  She had never been a Hellion either time they joined but if he was going to invite Warlock, he had to also invite Danielle.  Roberto he also questioned after he called him in from California.  He was a Hellion during that brief time Emma captured Kate but did that really count.  He let it go reasoning that if he didn't invite Roberto he would pound the hell out of him.  Rahne had taken up residence in town and so had Xi'an so it was pretty easy to contact them.  The last person was somebody he questioned a lot about coming.  She was a Hellion but not really.  She was also an Avenger now and he knew Avengers never did things like they were going to do but she had agreed to come just to hear him out.

He sighed as the room started to fill up.  They were all in street clothes and Emma looked quite upset.  She hadn't spoken to Doug or anyone else in these last three days besides Jubilation.  He knew what he was going to say would hurt her the most but this was going to always be her choice.  There were two parties absent, Warlock but Doug knew where he was and the Avenger known as Firestar.
Everyone began taking a seat looking at Doug.  He wanted to give Angelica a few more seconds before he told them what he had to say.  Suddenly the door opened again as Angelica walked into the door.  She gave a cursory nod to Emma acknowledging her present before taking a seat in-between Roberto and James.  He sighed, waiting for the first question, it came from Samuel.  Some how Doug knew he would talk first.

"So Dougie why ya'll get us together."  His wife was holding on to his hand.  Allison was pregnant.  Doug hopes that they wouldn't come to the mission but he still had to include them on this.

"Well I would like to say this is New Mutant business but its not.  As you can see three people present never were New Mutants.  This is Hellion business."  A few murmurs of shock could be heard except from Emma whose eyes were borrowing into Doug like a drill.  "Everyone here besides Danielle was a Hellion.  Some of you were forced when me and Kitty were kidnapped, some here were voluntary and others came thanks to some trauma with um they guy with dark black hair that I don't really want to talk about."  There came sounds of agreement.  He was right.  They all once wore the purple colors of the Hellions, excluding Danielle.  "Now a couple years back some tragedy befell the Hellions, namely they were murdered by Fritzroy.  Today I'm here to disprove the point."  Blank stares came from all around.

Kate dispensed out computer pads as Doug activated a holographic projection.  It was Warlock down in the basement, in the prison.  "I'm here Doug."  Warlock's voice came out as he fixed the camera to focus on three cells.

"Now, Warlock has been in the plans of this for quite a while.  I needed him to bring our other three guests.  They all had parts in this conspiracy except one.  She was a victim.  Now our first guest came willingly.  He has asked for forgiveness in return for information.  He's outside this room right now.  I believe you've been working with him in California haven't you Bobby?"  The door skid open and in walked a man whose arrogance was famous.  He looked different now as he was staring to gain concepts of right and wrong.  He looked almost human.

"Rocha!"  Allison's anger surged as she stood up from her seat.  She almost activated her powers which was advised against during her pregnancy.  Samuel caught her arm and tried to calm her down a little.

"Hey 'Mara.  Hey Mizz Frost. Hey Dacosta.  Surprise to see me.  Well none of you can hurt me after you find out the truth."  Manuel took a seat in the corner.  He had a smug smile on his face but it wasn't his normal smug smile.  He was hiding as he knew that all his failings were just about to catch up to him.

"Doug!"  It was Emma's voice.  She sounded just slightly indignant.  "What does De La Rocha have to do with this?"

"Emma we will get to him in a second but first we have two other guests.  The next one isn't really a Hellion but I needed him to get third guest.  Lock show us who is cell number one."  Lock activated the lights in the first cell.  There chained up in the some kind of restraining harness was Chris Aaronson.  He looked broken and beaten.  "Hey Lock, did you have to rough him up so much?"

"He was resisting Doug.  I needed to take care of the problem."  Warlock had a slight smile as he knew what Chris did.  Warlock had become so cynical in the last few years after Hope died but still was searching for ways to help the world.

"What does Bedlam have to do with this?!?"  Emma stood fully erect.  She was tired of all this dancing around the issues.  She wanted the answers now.

"Emma please.  You need to just wait a little longer.  Everything will make sense in a little longer.  Lock number two."  They saw the hologram of Warlock activate the lights in the second cage.  Now this one was the most surprising.  Danielle wasn't as surprised as she knew if Chris was here, she would have to be here too.  Emma on the other hand became very distraught.  Her demeanor had changed from anger to sadness.  She reached out to the hologram of the girl she once believed to be dead.

"'Ello, Mademoiselle Frost."  The women's eyes made contact with her former teacher's.

"Marie?" Emma looked disenchanted by seeing this girl in the same device as Chris.  "Doug!  Why is Tarot treated like Bedlam?"

"Emma, I think Marie should answer that.  Marie, if you weren't restrained what would you do?"

"Free Chris, no matter what."  She sounded detached to any emotion that should have come with that statement.

"And why would you do that?" Doug knew the answer but he wanted everyone else to hear it.

"I am his."

"Marie what do you mean by that?  Doug what does she mean by that?"  Emma was just hysteric.  She couldn't control any emotion she had.  Doug looked at everyone else.  Angelica seemed the most upset.  She was an Avenger now an Avenger's don't do this kind of thing.  She was only a Hellion on a technicality and Doug questioned if she would come with them.  Everyone else had decided to keep their mouths shut.  This was Doug's and Emma's show now.

"She means exactly that.  King Bedlam bought Marie from the people we're going to stop."  Doug activated the screen behind as all their computer pads activated.  On the screen appeared the pictures of eight Hellions.  "These are the Hellions that are still alive.  They are Haroun ibn Sallah al-Rahman, Jennifer Stavros, Sharon Smith, Ajax Johnson, Claude Monet, Laura Klostien, Steven McGregor, and Janet McGregor.  Their code names were Jetstream, Roulette, Catseye, Beef, Bevatron, Grendel, Ghost, and Phantom.  The first three were part of the original team as I knew them, the middle two joined later, and the last three were part of the team were when Emma started taking in a larger number of students.  They use to have a ninth prisoner but like I said Chris there bought her."

"Doug who are holding them?"  James came from his quite solitude.  Seeing his teammates and friends who he believed dead on the screen was starting to reach him emotionally.  The last few years his life settled down as he and Theresa finally got back together.  He wasn't prepared for finding dead teammates back alive.  He just wanted some peace.

Doug pressed another button and the image changed showing four people.  The room went dead silent.  Doug knew this was something to handle with the utmost seriousness but good taste alleviated from him for just a second.  "A gold star to anyone who can name our four conspirators."

"Fritzroy!"  James identified the first one.

"Adrienne."  Emma's voice came out as a whisper.  Doug figured she would be the one to identify her.

"Pierce."  Danielle tried hard to hold back her distaste.

"Hodge!"  Rahne had shifted to her full wolf form.  She had never let go of any of that anger towards Hodge.

"Right.  That's all of them.  Now its time to explain to you all a complicated plan that makes little sense and has no real purpose in the real world unless it was conceived by a madman.  First off Emma, Fritroy was working with Adrienne but unbeknownst to him Adrienne was working with Pierce.  Now that might seem weird, her being a mutant and Pierce wanting to wipe out every mutant but war makes strange bed fellows and according to my research that's exactly what they were.  Now Adrienne had been watching you for a while Emma.  She really hated you as you got a lot of good things out of life and she felt second best.  She decided that she was going to capture your Hellions and make them hers.  She began secretly working with Pierce on these plans and found a contact that could help.  That would be Manny.  He was sparred because he was feeding her information.  You didn't think he cut himself off completely in Nova Rome did you.  Now she needed a pawn to help her capture the Hellions.  Enter one Trevor Fritzroy.  He was already being manipulated by the Gamemaster and saw her goals ran very similar to his own.  Thanks to elaborate computer things from the future he made all the deaths seem believable.  Did that sound as stupid as it sounded in my mind?"  He looked around for a response but no one was willing to answer.  They were all just trying to follow what Doug was saying.  "I just dumbed that down a little but anyway Fritzroy first attacked Pierce and Adrienne had told Pierce this would be coming.  Pierce's men would be killed but Pierce could see Adrienne's big picture so it didn't matter.  Pierce had Gateway send them to New York, and I bet you all know what happened next.  Hellion deaths but not everyone was going to be killed only led to be believed to be killed.  Fritzroy captured all the originals minus one Manny, Beef and Bev since they were also early on and a few random new members.  This was a plan to get to you Emma.  Psychotic and over complicated but did it work?  No because you killed Adrienne.  Pierce kept the project going out of some insane loyalty.  The project is designed to brainwash mutants into weapons of destruction.  So that's basically how the Hellions are still alive, any questions?"

"Yes.  Just one."  Rahne stood up from her seat.  "What's Hodge's connection?"

"Now here is where it becomes personal for me.  The technology Pierce is using is the same Hodge used on me.  Hodge built that technology for Pierce using funding from the Right and Genosha.  He hasn't used it to do what he did on me yet but he might someday.  He did it to Tarot there when Bedlam bought her.  She was imprinted with nothing but loyalty to Bedlam and would do anything for him.  The others are waiting for that kind of personality as their driving force.  Now I don't want to force anyone into this dangerous mission.  I have a feeling this will be extremely dangerous and I know great risk will be involved but I'm going through with it no matter what.  I invited all of you here as people who had some sort of connection to the Hellions.  It will be each your own decision but please make one except for Magma.  She's not going no matter what.  I'm not letting a pregnant woman go on this mission."

"I'm coming."  He knew Emma would no matter what.  She wanted this very badly.  Revenge was something he knew wouldn't change for her even if she wasn't the White Queen anymore.

"Me too." James gave Doug a vote of confidence with a nod.

"Count me in Doug."  Danielle.  Doug wondered if she was more into coming because of Pierce than of rescuing the Hellions.
"I understand why I can't go Doug but Sam will be going."  Samuel turned to his wife who had made the decision for him.  He looked into her eyes and saw the anger there.

"Ah guess Ah will."  Samuel sat back as he looked back towards Doug.

"I'm an Avenger now and haven't done this vigilante thing in years since the Warriors but screw it.  I need to help them.  They were my teammates."  Angelica didn't even notice the smile Emma shot her way.  That takes care of the one Doug was the least sure about and now comes the last three.

Rahne just nodded in agreement.  She had been manipulated before by people like Hodge and she was ready to make them suffer.  Doug hoped she would come.  Rahne had always been the moral anchor but that had changed.  He still believed she would stop them from doing anything brash.

"I'll come but only as support.  I can't risk my life too much especially since my siblings have no one left."  Xi'an nodded to them all.  Her staying back from the fighting would be perfect he thought.  It would fit exactly with the plan he had.

"Doug do you even have to ask?" Roberto gave him a smile.  He was exactly at the other side.  "But when I get back I will deal with Manny."

"No you won't Bobby.  I gave Manuel my word that no one would hurt him.  The X-Men took back Gambit, we can take back Manuel."  Doug got looks from everyone.  He turned to the man sitting in the corner.

"So who is going to watch our guests?"  James had to be curious as he knew they were all leaving and though Manuel had supposedly reformed, he still didn't trust him with Allison.

"That would be me."  Ororo walked into the room.  She carried herself showing her age but she was still the proud woman she always was.  "If Bedlam or Tarot try anything I will stop them.  The same goes for Allison and Manuel."

"Why me?"  Allison gave Ororo one of those women looks that say you better not be talking about me.

"You're hatred for Manny is well known and I know he still loves you.  This band I'm wearing makes me immune to his powers but yours on the other hand are quite dangerous.  I hope you have the common sense not to endanger your child."

"Noted."  Allison gave her a challenging look but then turned away.

"Doug why didn't Pierce just kill them after everything?"  Emma had a million questions running through her head but that was the one that reached the surface.

"Bait.  He wants you Emma to suffer and he wants you to see your helpless students one last time before he kills you and them."  His eyes focused on Emma.  He wondered if she was truly ready.  He thought she was but now it seems as if something changed in her.
"Okay, I understand."

"All right here's the plan..." Doug went through his plan.  Explaining what they would be doing, where the base was located, and any problems the newly awaken Hellions would face.  The mission would commence in two days.  This gave everyone plenty of time to get a few affairs in order.  Emma asked Hank to look after Jubilation while she was gone.  Next to Emma, Hank was the person Jubilation felt most comfortable around.  She didn't talk to Hank like she talked to Emma, but instead usually held onto him and cried until she slept.  Somehow he provided comfort like a giant Teddy Bear.

The two days just flew by as final preparations were made.  Doug stood in the hanger in the X-Men's new light armor.  Someone suggested wearing their old uniforms but Doug advised against it.  This was serious and they weren't going in unprotected.  He fiddled with his collar as he waited for the rest of the team to come.  He hated wearing any costume.  He had given up adventuring a long time ago and always felt like he was suffocating when he ever dawned any costume.  He looked at the energy riffle that was slung of his shoulder.  He learned to be a pretty good shot in the last few years with it but that was just for defense.  He looked at the new helicopter they would be taking.  It had better stealth capabilities than the Blackbird but lost some of the speed.  Xi'an and Kate were going to stay on it ready to provide a quick escape while the others broke in two teams.  He, Emma, Danielle, Warlock, and James would be going after the Hellions while Rahne, Samuel, Roberto, and Angelica would be leading a head on assault to cause a distraction.  Nothing could go wrong, until something does as it always does.

They all started coming into the hanger.  Doug looked them all over.  They were wearing the same kind of armor as he was.  It could take the Shi'ar's strongest blaster at close range and most any other earthy projectile.  He had also asked them to get a blaster riffle like he had.  They had been in so many situations where their powers were negated he thought that having something like a laser gun would make common sense.  Few of them who came in carried any sort of weapon.  Doug held his head low running the plan as many times as he could through his head.  He had to make sure no one would get hurt.  He won't lose any of them.  He was so lost in his train of thought that he didn't even notice the hand fall on his shoulder.

"Doug?"  His wife looked at him with her deep brown eyes.  He was still trying to prove to himself that he deserved her.  Nothing he did ever felt right.  He loves her but hangs on to the doubt that she doesn't love him.  "They're ready."

"Oh, um, let's get aboard then."  Doug got on to the helicopter first and looked of the assemblage of friends, no, not just friends, this was his family.  These people know him better than anyone else.  He saw Samuel and Allison share one last kiss goodbye.  He wondered if that was truly what it was, the last kiss goodbye.  That was the main reason he never went on missions anymore, he always wondered if he would be coming back.  He made his way to a seat in the helicopter.  He had to get those thoughts away.  Thoughts of failure would cause them failure; he couldn't doubt what they were doing now.  No, it's time to finally do the right thing.

The helicopter left through the basketball court as it always had, Doug always wondered had a student ever played basketball on the court when the hangar opened.  The flight was silent excepted they kept going over the mission briefing.  Doug didn't want anything to go wrong.  He knew the plan would fail as all the X-Men plans failed.  There was always something that would change as if some cosmic scripter was always having a joke at their expense.  Doug kept wondering about Angelica.  She was wearing a suit like them but she was an Avenger now.  She could only do so much as if the Avengers knew what was going on she would probably be kicked out, but she agreed anyway to this mission.  The helicopter made its way to a complex in the Nevada desert.  Doug heard someone mutter Area 51 under their breath.  That wasn't too far off but this was a private complex owned by Pierce.

The helicopter descended at a rocky protrusion in the desert about five miles away from the perimeter of the complex.  This was the safest distance that in case Kate and Xi'an had to pick them up quickly they could, and still not be detected.  Warlock turned himself into a dune buggy and Doug's team started their way to a point behind the main building just outside the fence.  Samuel and his team flew to the main doors of the complex.  He was carrying Rahne as he bellowed his way to the front gates.  They were supposed to come in loud and destructive so the guards would focus their attention on them.  Doug's team would wait at their position until Angelica shot off a giant flare which would signal that they were clear to go in.

Doug and his team waited at their position.  He clasped his riffle.  Everyone on his team had the same kind.  These were designed to do some heavy damage.  Warlock was the only one without one.  All of them looked exactly the same in their uniforms.  They were form fitting but didn't reveal too much of their body shape.  They were design to be totally ambiguous for any power use.  Doug let out a sigh as he heard a loud crash.  It was started.  The rest of his team tensed up as they waited for the signal.  About five minutes after the initial crash and the alarms blaring they saw Angelica's flash.  Doug turned to his team and let out the breath he was holding, "Let's go."
It was quite easy actually to make their way in to the complex.  Doug had all the building plans from some computer files memorized.  They met with little opposition as they made their way to the lab building were they stored the Hellions.  Doug could only guess the others were doing alright as they had radio silence between the two groups.  They finally made it to the locked vault that served as the lab.  Doug placed a small charge on the door and everyone backed away.  After the explosion Doug took point and went in but froze right after he entered.  He thought his mind was prepared but it couldn't have been.

Emma came next through the door, pushing past Doug.  She looked at him then looked at what he was staring at.  She almost became just as stunned.  Their floating naked in a tube was Sharon Smith.  She had huge scars across her body like she was beaten senseless.  They all looked open and Emma reasoned they weren't bleeding because of the fluid she was in.  Warlock moved to the computer set up before her as James and Danielle checked the other tubes.  They were all there.  They were either in the same or worst condition as Sharon.  Haroun looked the worst out of everybody.  They had completely removed his cybernetic legs and his faced looked so beat up it was almost hard to recognize him.

Danielle placed a hand on Doug who hadn't moved since entering.  "Doug! Snap out of it.  We need you now."  Doug's mind was gone.  He went through the same thing as the Hellions and thought he had come to grips.  The shock was hitting him as he now could see what it looked like from the other side of the tube.

Smack!  A sharp slap came across Doug's face.  "Douglas, we have work."  Doug focused his eyes on Emma.  Her slap had worked.  They made their way to the computer terminal and he and Warlock got to work.  After about ten minutes of typing they had undid the locks on the tubes.  They were going to start pulling them out when Doug stopped them.  "They've been subdued."

James focused his eyes on Doug.  "What do you mean?"  He was about to open the tube for Jennifer.

"Their personalities have already been pushed down.  It's what happened to Marie.  They push down their normal personalities and rewrite one they want over it.  Theirs are already down but nothing has been written over.  Their sort of like, anyone read the file on Carol Danvers condition."  He looked around at the blank stares.  "After Rouge took Carol's powers and personality, she recovered.  She had memories but no emotions associated with them.  That's how they are now.  I can't restore their old emotions but rewrite new ones."

"No!  We will take them back to the mansion and I'll restore them just like I did for you guys after the Beyonder incident."  Emma was furious.  She had enough.  She wanted to free her students and punish Pierce in the worst ways possible.  "Free them."  It was a command of a woman who had nothing else to lose.

Danielle and James began freeing them while Warlock turned into a gurney to carry them out.  Emma was shaking.  She couldn't handle this anymore.  Doug went over to try to comfort her.  At first she stepped back at Doug's attempt then took it.  She realized Doug had to go through the same thing as the Hellions.  He recovered and that gave her hope.  Doug on the other hand was more realistic.  He had gone over the research too many times to have hope.  The chance of them recovering was almost zero.  His recovery was different.  Hodge didn't do a complete wipe but instead bent him to an emotion.  Anger.

They loaded Ajax last on the gurney and took off except Doug who placed an explosive device in the lab.  He set it for ten minutes and then they headed for the rendezvous point.  As they made their way back through the complex they heard the fighting.  The second team was giving it their all.  They made finally to the point and Doug sent Warlock and the others back towards the helicopter while he on the other hand took off.  He was going after Pierce.

Warlock made it back to the helicopter in less than five minutes.  He and Xi'an proceeded to secure the Hellions in the mobile med lab in the back of the copter.  After they were locked in Danielle made her way to the front where Kate was still sitting.

"Where's Doug?"  Kate looked up at the other women with eyes full of worry.  She didn't want to lose her husband now and him not being there made her worry.  The second team was supposed to wait for a signal to return and Danielle hadn't given it yet.

"Change of plans," she took the copilot seat.  "He went after Pierce, we're going back to get him and the other team."

"But what about the Hellions."  Kate said that but wasn't actually thinking it.  She was already starting up the helicopter.  She was going to get her husband back.

"They'll be fine.  Not losing the others is what's important."  Kate turned to Emma who was already strapped in her seat.  She wanted Pierce herself and would do anything to get rid of him.

The helicopter took off for the base.  The battle between the new Reavers and the second team was increasing.  It looked like there was no stopping Samuel's team.  Everyone was falling.  Kate scanned the scene and saw Doug.  He was in a fire fight with Pierce on the roof of one of the buildings.  She landed the Helicopter in an open area.  Samuel's team moved quickly around it to take up a defensive position.  He had already figured they had rescued the Hellions after he saw the explosion but was wondering why they would risk it coming here.  The door to the helicopter opened and before Samuel could react Emma ran out followed by Kate and then Danielle.  Suddenly Warlock and James took defensive positions with Samuel.

"Where they all headed off to."  Samuel tried to get the information as he blasted his way into another squad of troops.

"They went after Doug who went after Pierce."  James mentioned it casually as he opened fire with his laser riffle.

Damn.  The plan was falling apart.  He expected something hotheaded and foolish like that from anyone else but not Doug.  He was always so cautious when he came back.  Whatever set him off had to be extremely drastic and beyond any normal pain.  Samuel took a breath and wished them all the best of luck and headed back to the fight.

Doug stood on the roof.  His mind was focused squarely on the man before him.  It might not have been Hodge but Pierce was just as good now.  Doug's riffle fired another blast.  He was using it to keep their distance; as long as he had distance he could beat him.  Pierce started going off into the normal villain patter but he didn't care.  This wasn't hero versus villain, it was revenge.  Pierce was also wielding an energy weapon, not nearly as powerful as Doug's but he had more experience using.  Any time Pierce rushed him he could blast him back but hadn't had a chance to hit him dead on yet.  That's when he noticed Pierce had stopped firing but was instead smiling.  He wasn't smiling at Doug but at something behind him.  Doug took a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Emma pulling herself up onto the roof, and then he felt the floor under him disappear.

Pierce had blasted the roof out from underneath them.  Both he and Doug fell into the building below them.  Emma had just made it to the roof as it happened.  Kate and Danielle was just a step behind her.  They all looked down into the hole but couldn't really see anything as smoke was still rising from the crash.  "Where is he?!?"  Kate grabbed hold of Emma and began shaking her.  She wanted her husband back.  She knew he was in danger and the thought of losing him was driving her insane.  She would be more worried if she could see what was happening down there right now.

Doug was on the ground.  His suit took most of the brunt of the fall but he still hurt.  He saw something he didn't want to see.  It was Pierce with his gun trained on Doug.  "Who do you think you are, you filthy animal?"  Pierce walked over keeping the gun on target and kicked Doug in the ribs.  "Mutie scum."

Doug tasted blood.  Pierce's cybernetics made him strong and that kick probably broke a couple ribs.  "I'm a victim."
"You're a victim?"  Another kick into Doug's ribs.  "I'm the only victim here.  A victim of you gene jokes.  You killed my only love."  He hit Doug in the face with the butt of his gun.

"Your love was a gene joke too."  Doug tried to put out his best smile to go with the confidence of that statement but he was in too much pain.

"Shut up!"  The butt of his gun again.  "What do you know?  She was everything I ever wanted.  And now... and now you're as dead as she is."  He pointed the gun directly in Doug's face but didn't get a chance to pull the trigger.  He fell over as a psychic arrow hit him in the face and was stunned.  Kate, Emma, and Danielle descended into the complex.  Kate ran over to Doug as Emma and Danielle headed for Pierce.

"Hey beautiful." *Cough* "You're suppose to be in the helicopter."  Doug tried to give Kate his smile.  He knew she would come if he didn't show up but he didn't want her to see him so helpless.

"Shut up, Doug, just shut up."  She pulled him off the ground and was supporting him on her shoulders.  Doug looked over to Emma and Danielle who were standing over Pierce.  He was missing one of his legs.

This felt right he thought.  Pierce deserves to die.  That's why he was there.  Just like Illyana.  That last thought made him stop his wife from continuing to walk.  Pierce was evil and he killed him once already in his own world but didn't he went Emma and Danielle to do it now.  Danielle was still a teacher and Emma had finally stopped being her old-self.  Neither of them needed something like this on their consciences.  He was prepared to take the responsibilities but didn't want to force anyone else to.  "Stop!"  He broke from his wife's grasp, ran over, and grabbed Emma's arm as she was about to fire in Pierce's face.

"Douglas!  What are you doing?"  Emma's face was cold again.  She was ice again.  Danielle's on the other hand was emotionally drained.  It looked like she was ready to end everyone and everything.

"You can't kill him.  I won't let you."

"Why not? He deserves death."  Emma kept the gun pointed on him.

"No more death, Emma.  You wanted to know why you were forced to see so much death.  It's because you can't let it go.  It's time to just let the revenge and hatred go.  You don't need the grief anymore."  He looked at Emma.  Her face suddenly grew soft.  She had her emotions return.  She was Emma again.

"Doug but what he did..."  Emma wrapped her arms around Doug as Kate finally caught up to the group.  Doug was right.  She was emotionally unstable but he didn't want to lose her.

"He will pay but not by our hand."  Danielle walked over and placed her hand on Emma's shoulder.  "We aren't about revenge.  We're about right and wrong.  The means do not justify the ends."

Doug turned to give Pierce one last look.  He raised his gun towards Emma and pulled the trigger.

He felt a burning sensation in his arm then nothing.  It was as if his arm wasn't there anymore.  Danielle caught Emma as Doug pushed her out of the way.  He felt his body go limp as he headed for the ground.  He looked at Pierce.  He could hear his wife scream but then blackness engulfed him.

Kate didn't even remember what happen next.  She saw Doug push Emma out of the way as he fired.  Then she saw him go limp for the ground and she felt something snap.  Now she stood over Pierce's dead body with what appeared to be a human brain in her hand.  She looked towards Emma and Danielle who had already called for the others through the headsets.  Samuel was the first in.  He saw Doug's body grabbed it and flew as fast as he could.  Emma grabbed Kate's arm and dragged her away as suddenly Kate's body couldn't moved.  Outside everyone had stopped fighting.  Pierce's troops were overran and had already fled.

Everyone was piling into the helicopter.  Emma and Angelica had already begun hooking Doug up to the machines to help him out.  He had lost a lot of blood and was missing his left arm.  Kate just kept saying over and over again, "Don't die again, don't die again..."

Samuel had gotten the full story of what happened.  Doug stopping them from killing Pierce, Pierce trying to kill Emma, Doug getting shot instead, and Kate, Kate had done something wrong.  She phased Pierce's brain from his body.  She was the only one down there who didn't want to kill him and she was the one who did it.  Samuel could only think if that was Allison would he have done the same thing.  This was truly a failure he thought, then he looked towards the bodies of the Hellions, and then again maybe not.

Epilogue:

Five years later:

"Ramsey, I'll kill you!"  Kate had been in labor for about three hours and Doug's hand was showing it.  Since her water broke she had been holding onto it and was no completely white from the pressure exerted on it.  She was quite upset about this delivery.  It was her first and it was twins and because of her unique... chemistry it had been full of tons of tests.

"Kitty calm down.  Hank knows what he's doing."  He turned to Hank.  "You do now what you're doing, right?"

"Oh indubitably, Douglas.  It should only be a little longer."  He went back down to see if the baby was coming.

"You hear that honey.  You'll be fine."  He looked at his wife again.

"Shut up.  You did this to me.  Never again.  You'll never touch me again."

"OK honey.  Just breathe."

"Breath this, You bastaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

"I can see a head.  It's coming through.  It's a boy."  Anne who was serving as nurse took the child off of Hank, wrapped it in a blanket, and handed it to Doug.  He held his son cradle in his arm.  "We're not done yet.  Kitty if you could give me another push like that one, we'll be home free."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"  Her body heaved as she pushed.

"It's your daughter."  He handed her to Anne who again wrapped the new born in a blanket.  Doug handed his son to Kate and took his daughter in his hand.  His son looked back at him.  Doug thought he saw some kind of wanting but Doug couldn't hold them both at the same time.  He sometimes regretted not getting a bionic replacement for his arm but that was his decision.  He handed the child to Kate who cradled both of them.

"So names?"  Hank gave them a quizzical glance.

"Piotr Ramsey."  Kate looked down at her son with a smile.

"Elisabeth Ramsey."  He placed his arm around his family.  He finally had what he wanted and it would never change.  Their lives were only beginning.