A New Reunion (Rose, Cain)

[sky]

Sky stood in the barren wasteland, looking around her in worry. Yes, this was surely the mind of a person who was dying...she had seen it many times. But this time it scared her...Sky had finally come to accept Ian and his relationship with Rose. But now he was dying and she felt...regret? Remorse? Sky herself had almost killed Ian because of what he did, but now she stood there with tears welling up in her eyes. But she quickly turned when Ian spoke to her.

Sky saw Ian completely in black and she expected that. Everyone's mind persona became black when they were on the verge of death. "I came to check up on you, Ian. Rose...Rose is falling apart because of what happened. I promised I would tell her if you were ok or not." This time, she was speaking normally. Her own persona wasn't mute, in a mind's world. But the rest of her was the same, including her pregnant self. Ian's world was affecting her moodiness...already, Sky was depressed and she couldn't stop her tears.

[ian]

"Rose..."

He spoke Rose's name like a curse, something foul and unwanted. His hands balled into fists as he looked over the waves. In the sky, the last memory of him being conscious, facing Cain with Rose in the middle, the fear in his eyes as Rose turned against him. The last thing him seeing was the evil on Rose's face and the emotionless eyes. Within a moment he was standing in front of Sky, his sunglasses gone, but so were his eyes. His sockets were empty as he looked at her, a darkness inside them that one could get lost in for eternity.

"You came to check up on me...she is worried. Does it look like...I give a dam about her now." He took a few steps back, spreading his arms out , "Look around you! I'M DIEING YOU IDIOT! I'M DIEING BECAUSE OF HER!!!"

His voice echoed through his mind once more, the sky above him ing and shattering, showing nothing but darkness above it. The sky was completely gone, and it it's place was a clock, a clock that was counting down instead of forward. Ian turned, looking up at the clock as if he was expecting it.

"Funny..." he said, his voice back to being calm and emotionless, "Tomorrow would've been two months...two months since the day I first saw her. Funny...that I die the very minute the clock turns to that day."

[sky]

"Ian..."

Sky's heart ached as she heard Ian talk about Rose, as if she meant to hurt him. Her eyes narrowed in regret. She then saw the glasses disappear and his eyes were nothing more but sockets. Soon, she looked up and saw the clock.

"Ian, you know she's lost her memory! She just remembering things that are bad. You're seeing the memories caused by our parents...by our training. And she has realized that you betrayed her at one point..." Sky didn't want to make it worse, but she was just stating the reality of it.

[ian]

"You think I don't know that? I was there remember? You tormented me to help me remember what I did."

He looked ahead at the cliff where he stood, his back still to Sky. His he looked at the ground, knowing that Rose had lost her memories. He had tried to help her remember wanted to help her. He turned and looked to Sky, his skin becoming a little more pale due to the time that was passing.

"I tried to help her remember. I never intended to hurt her, I told her the truth. I told her about you, Parker, her family...about us." he looked away as the last part came, then looked back to Sky, his face full of anger and once again, "What did I get for being by her side all this time? I get !"

[sky]

Sky just looked down, not knowing what to say.

"She's so fragile right now, Ian...even I don't know what's going on in her mind." Sky then looked up at Ian. "I don't how to answer your questions. I'm sorry. But I just get a feeling that you'll be ok."

[ian]

"She didn't seem so fragile while she was crushing me." he looked down as his thoughts played overhead, "I had a plan, and it was Alex's idea. I was going to show her pictures, little things that could help her remember. That's...when the explosion happened. I ran to her, saw her there with Cain...I should've just stayed where I was. It would've spared me the pain of realising what she kept telling everyone." he looked up at Sky again, his eyes filled with , "That's not Rose anymore, not my Rose."

He was beginning to grow tired of seeing Sky in his mind. He wanted to be alone, to let the world around him crumble and finally take him. A wind began to slowly pick up, growing stronger and stronger, not affecting Ian at all, but pushing against Sky. Ian just stood there, the torn, ful look on his face.

"I think it's time you left, Sky," he turned and began to walk back towards the cliff, his voice still able to be heard, "If I do survive this, Rose better be careful. I'll be returning the favor."

[sky]

Sky nodded, but her face became deadly serious and dark.

"I won't stop you this time...I can't afford to. But if you do get better and if you kill her, expect my wrath, Ian." She then left his mind, hoping that he understood her threat.

"Rose? Ian's going to be fine." Sky didn't know that for sure, but Rose deserved more than the truth right now.

[Rose North]

Rose hadn't moved from her spot on the floor while Sky 'checked' on Ian. She wanted him to be alright, but that other part of her hoped he was dead. Hoped he wouldn't be able to betray her ever again. Get rid of the source of all this pain she was feeling. Why was she remembering all the painful things first?!

More and more painful emotions were flooding back to her now, but never the memories. She could remember the pain of events she couldn't recall, the thing that had caused the pain...

In one she felt like she was drowned, like something was weighing her down. She didn't know it, but that was how she'd met Ian. He'd saved her from almost drowning.... Another. She felt like she was being crushed, barely able to breath or move. When Cain had taken her to Sky and Shadow the first time. She felt anger and sorrow as something she couldn't recall was taken from her. When the Sentinels had tried to take Ian. Everything linked to Ian, or bad events linked to him... the emotions were coming back. She didn't realize that he hadn't done anything wrong in those times. She couldn't remember what had happened then. Only... Only the pain and suffering from it. And somehow... She just knew Ian was somehow causing her to feel these things.

When Sky said he would be alright, Rose slammed a hand into the floor, Nightshade emotions taking control during her unstable period. "Dammit!" Words kept repeating in her head, words that weren't hers. Words she'd been taught. Kill those that cause you pain, the pain will be forgotten then. And Ian... was causing her pain right now. Worry, agony, misery, terror. Destroy the source of the pain.... And she'd be free of the pain...

[sky]

Sky felt nostalgic, seeing the Rose from before she deserted the Nightshades. But she didn't like the fact that Rose was showing too many evil characteristics...it just didn't seem like Rose. More like Shadow. Sky just closed her eyes and wondered when the time would come when Rose regained all of her memories. She knew Cain went off to report to Shadow about Rose's new personality...but how long would that last? How long until Rose regained her most recent memories? Sky considered breaking into Rose's mind and seeing for herself, but doing that would make Rose even more unstable and cause her to lash out at her own sister.

"You should probably go see Shadow, Rose. Maybe she can help you with your feelings right now." Although who knows how long that will last, Sky thought to herself.

[cain]

Cain didn't know what had happened between the two, nor did he know that Sky had paid a visit to Ian. If he had known Ian still had life in him, he would've went and finished the job Rose had failed to do. But for now, he was too filled with pride at what he had accomplished. Shadow had come to know that Parker was hers for the taking, and Rose had returned to her powers when she was with the Nightmares.

He walked into the building, his boots echoing on the floor. He looked around for Rose and Sky, not being able to find them for a few moments, but soon spotted Rose huddled against the wall. He was almost disgusted at how weak she looked, but his focus turned to sky and he walked up to her, tracing a finger through her hair and along the back of her neck.

"Shadow requests the presence of your sister, Sky. It seems she wishes to reunite family."

[sky]

Sky worried over Rose's unstable state and hoped that it wouldn't last too long. But as soon as Cain entered the building, Sky lit up with a smile at his return. Soon, she waited for him to reach them and she stood up to greet him. When he came up and touched her, delightful shivers went down her skin.

"Welcome back, darling." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long, gentle kiss. "I've missed you." When he mentioned that Shadow wanted to see Rose, she nodded, giving him another kiss.

But Cain needed to know what Sky thought. She sent him a private message in his mind. "Rose is very unstable. We need to be prepared if Rose regains the rest of her memories that caused her to leave in the first place. And Ian's dying, but those X-Men may save him. We need to prepare ourselves if he comes after Rose, as well."

[cain]

He enjoyed the reaction he gave Sky, his love for the woman matched only by his love for destruction. When she kissed him, her arms around him, he placed his arms around her as well and returned it.

"As I've missed you, my love."

When she kissed him again, he returned it once more. He looked at her, listening to her words inside his mind. The smile in his eyes faded and the he felt could almost be reflected in his mind. The boy lives? he returned his thoughts to her, Perhaps it's time I paid the mansion one more visit. It was easy to kill Faith, it should be no problem a dieing boy. He kissed her once more, speaking the part of the news of Rose out loud.

"Do not worry, my love. Rose will be protected as I promised." he trailed a finger through her hair and behind her ear, "Shadow will help her understand things better then either of us could."

[Rose North]

Rose hadn't moved, she just stared at the floor, her emotions confusing her. She wanted Ian dead, but she didn't at the same time. She wanted to erase him to forget this pain, but would it really sooth her sorrow? Why was she have such conflicting thoughts because he was alive?!

Then.... Cain was back. That word... or name... Shadow..... Why.... Why was it so familiar?! Not familiar in the sense that she'd heard it.... But as if memories were trying to tell her who the woman was, but couldn't. Suddenly Rose gasped, her hands clamped over her ears again, eyes shut...

More was coming back to her. But not emotions. A memory...

She was in room of some sorts... One that looked like it was used for training and other things.... And Rose looked only to be little more then seven or eight. She was being lectured by a man.... Sky and Rose's father probably. He left suddenly, leaving the young Rose to sulk. She'd made a mistake or something, and now he was mad at her.

She'd stayed in the room for a few minutes, she'd been told to stay there until she figured out what she'd done wrong...The thing was, she didn't know. Suddenly, the doors opened again. Rose first thought it was their father returning, but no... It was an older girl, maybe late teens with hair as white as snow. Shadow Nightshade. But... She didn't have that evil appearance she did today. She approached Rose, kneeling in front of her and smirking.
"Do you want to learn how to really fight?" She'd said, Rose nodding in response.

Rose gasped, dragging herself out of the memory. Shadow had.... Shadow was the one that taught her how to fight? Shadow had been her mentor? Or.... was her mentor?

[sky]

Sky nodded when Cain talked to her in his mind about Ian. She frankly didn't care about him all that much and wasn't going to protect him from Cain. If Ian was threatening to go after Rose, he would be better off dead.

Her eyes widened when she felt more instability from Rose. Hearing a memory, Sky looked over at Rose. She was remembering Shadow? Her eyes narrowed in jealousy. Why would she remember Shadow before remembering her own sister?! Her heart ached and Sky leaned into Cain's embrace, smelling his intoxicating scent. When her body was against his, she felt the bulge in her stomach and suddenly, she smiled. Maybe it's a boy...she thought.

[cain]

His attention was drawn from Sky to Rose, seeing the shocked look on her face. Was she remembering something? He prayed it didn't have anything to do with Ian, he had to go and make sure the boy was this time, but after their meeting with Rose. He saw the frustration on Sky's face, something irritated her about Rose's memories, maybe it was something she didn't expect Rose to remember first. He traced a finger along Sky's cheekbone, down to her chin and raising her eyes to his.

She will remember you soon, my love, have patience. he let her read his thoughts as he gave her a tender kiss, allowing it to last and on her lips. He placed his arms around her as she leaned into him, letting his fingers move through her hair. He felt the bulge in her stomache and moved back only a little to feel her stomache.

"Our child is growing."