"Hey Little Sister."

All recognizable characters and settings belong to Marvel; I am using them without permission but mean no harm and am making no profit. The plot and original characters, however belong to me. Any and all feedback is appreciated at [email protected]. Redistribution of this tale for profit is illegal. Please do not archive this story without contacting me first to obtain my permission.

Emma tossed back her arms and sunk deeper into the softness of her bed. The yielding white sheets molded around her body as she sought to ease further into the hollow created by her weight. She casually flipped the white duvet up around her shoulders and rolled, taking the entire set of bedclothes into a wrap around her form. Emma Frost was taking a day off, and determined that she start by being late for it. She had informed Sean of her intentions several days ago, giving him plenty of time to build up anxiety which was twinned with the chore of handling several mutant teens with a rather creative grasp of responsibility. With a smile she burrowed further into the covers, relishing in the simple pleasures of it. Ever since she was a child, Emma Frost had loved the sensations of the hyper detached awareness achieved in that state between sleep and wakefulness, when the mind can only process sensations, rather than thought. The soft slide of silk along the arms, the warm, reassuring weight of the duvet against her bare back, and the comforting support of the pillow on the cheek. Rarely did she have the opportunity to enjoy these simple pleasures for more then a few moments, but this morning was different for her. Only one thing could possible ruin the perfect start to her day...

" MIZ FROST!!!"

...and that was Jubilee.

" MIZ FROST!!!"

{{ What is it, Jubilee? I really am not the mood to be disturbed.}}

" EV HAS GLUED HIS..."

{{ Child, when I contact you telepathically, do remember to respond in the same fashion. Shouting through the mansion is hardly suitable behavior.}} Emma responded with a tired sigh.

{{ Sorry. Ev's glued his head to the shower and we can't find the dissolver for it.}}

{{ Everett glued his own head to the shower? On purpose?}}

{{ Well, I sorta changed the contents if his shampoo bottle, but only 'cause he called my Bullwinkle boxers stupid!}} Emma rolled her eyes at Jubilee's convoluted explanation of the event.

{{ Jubilee, do find Sean and inform him of this. I am unavailable today for anything, and any disturbances will be met with swift discipline. My discipline. Understood?}}

*gulp* {{ Yup.}}

{{ Good, and Jubilee?}}

{{ Yeah?}}

{{ You are grounded for the next week. I think putting you on washroom duty would be ironically appropriate. Good morning.}} Emma broke the telepathic connection and made a quick check to determine that her door was locked before returning to her bed. Snuggling back under the covers, she drifted back to sleep with the morning sounds of the school and Jubilee to lull her to sleep.

* * *

" And you are sure it will work?"

" Mademoiselle, Monsieur De'Flurasque thought extremely highly of my work."

" That was hardly my question, was it?"

" Oui, it will work perfectly."

" And all that I have to do is use the implant to connect with this Pool?"

" As I have said, it will show you the structure. My device merely gives you the starting point. You must harness it yourself."

" Good, and that means you are no longer necessary."

" Pardon? I must have misheard....aaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!"

" No, you heard correctly. But please, do not feel bad. You have given me the means for my revenge, Monsieur Dantelles. For that I will be generous and allow you to die quickly."

* * *

" Emma?" Sean knocked quietly at the door. There was a muffled grunt from behind it, the sort made by a she bear woken three months early.

" Lass, ye said ye wanted up afore noon." Sean called. He was frankly shocked when Emma had informed him of her plans last week. In her entire tenure at the school, she had not taken even an afternoon off of the teaching. Sean briefly wondered what the White Queen did on a day off. Sort her whips? Wax down her leather underwear? Casually disembowel a few employees?

" Actually, I waxed my underwear last week." Emma voice came through the door, cold as a winter morning. Sean winced as she opened the door.

" Tch, sorry Emma. It's just that yer always so private that..."

" ...you just had to speculate on my life outside of this school. Thank you Sean, but I have a normal range of interests and duties. As you are so interested, I plan to have lunch with Bobby in the city, pick up some items, take care of a few business matters and catch a late dinner before coming back."

" Look, Emma. I, uh.." Emma shock her head and gently pushed Cassidy back into the hall.

" Sean, I take no offense. Honestly, I can't really blame you. You have opened up and bonded with the kids. I... I don't have the ability to do that easily." Emma winced slightly. She never liked to admit difficulty with anything, especially to do with her abilities as an educator.

" Lass, it's not that you have ta do much. Just let us into your world every once and a while."

" Sounds easier than it is. Thank you for the wake up call, Sean. I will be down shortly. Oh, and Sean?"

" Hmm?"

" Can you please ask Everett why he bothers using shampoo in the first place?"

* * *

" Scotty!" Drake yelled from his door. Cyclops came bolting around the corner, skidding to a halt in front of Bobby's room.

" What is it, Bobby?" He said, eyes searching everywhere for the threat.

" Uh, I wanted to ask your opinion about what I'm wearing."

" You paged me on the emergency line to ask about your clothes?" Scott's eyes narrowed behind his ruby quartz glasses.

" Yeah. Whadda think? The blue tie or the white?" Bobby held the two ties up in front of the stunned X-Man. Before Scott could answer, Phoenix and Gambit rushed up from the ground floor, ready for battle.

" What is going on?" Jean looked from her husband to Bobby and back.

" Bobby wants clothing advice." Said Cyclops through clenched teeth.

" From you? Ami, take Gambits advice an' do it alone." Abruptly the tension broke. Scott put his head in his hands and laughed helplessly. Jean helped support him while trying to keep a straight face. Gambit smirked and walked into Bobby's room.

" That was not funny." Scott choked, still laughing.

" Boss, you is da one wit' the plaid suit and de brown loafers."

" I have asked him to throw those out dozens of times." Jean chuckled.

" Um, could we get back to my problem." The three shook their heads and began to rummage through his wardrobe. Scott and Jean occasionally held up and article of clothing and laughed, obviously sharing a memory of their younger days. Gambit, on the other hand picked through the clothes with the occasional snort of disbelief.

" Bobby, is dere nothing here not five years out of date?"

" Well, I don't do much shopping."

" No kidding. I bought this shirt for your birthday nearly six years ago." Jean held up the clothing in question.

" And the fact that none of your socks match doesn't help." Cyclops idly picked up a red sock and blue sock which had been rolled together into a tight ball.

" I just wanted an opinion on a tie, people! I'm going to be late if I let you try to dress me." Bobby cried plaintively. Gambit draped one arm over his shoulder.

" Bobby, Gambit is goin' show you 'ow to impress your amore. And Gambit, he don't try. He succeeds." Gambit said with a grin. Bobby rolled his eyes.

" Great, I'm taking fashion tips from a man who talks about himself in third person." Said Bobby as he allowed Gambit to lead him away.

* * *

" I never imagined it was like this. The power! The sheer immensity of it all! And it's mine."

* * *

" Emma?" Called Bobby from the bottom of the stairs. He was supposed to pick her up for lunch but his fashion experiment with Gambit had made him late. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin her day off by being late.

{{ Just a minute, Robert.}}

Bobby took a seat in the foyer, adjusting his collar. The clothes felt unfamiliar, and he was not at ease with them. Gambit had taken him and his credit card on a quick blitz at the local shops on the way out of the mansion. One hour and three hundred dollars later, Bobby was pronounced suitably attired for public. He had snuck glances of himself on the way here, but was still unsure of the true effect.

" Ah, Robert. Shall we go?" Emma called from the top of the stairs. Bobby turned and his jaw dropped. The White Queen, usually resplendent in white leather and silk was wearing a large white sweater, jeans and a pair of casual short boots. Her shoulder length blond hair was pulled back into a common ponytail, and she was bereft of any makeup or jewels. Bobby had never seen her this casual in his life. Emma stopped mid-step, looking at him with a certain amount of surprise.

" Robert, why are you dressed like Remy?" She said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

" Huh?" Bobby stammered. He groaned as her saw her inspect his clothes. " I, uh... well, I was trying to, uh... never mind."

" You asked for advice, didn't you?"

" 'es."

" Robert, if your clothes mattered to me, I would have had your current wardrobe burned long ago."

" Oh, uh... thanks."

" Shall we go?" Emma said, picking up a white satchel and her purse.

" Right." Booby held the door open for her as she swept out. With a final shake of his head, he followed her, into the unknown depths of Emma's day off.

* * *

*ding dong*

Jubilee looked up from the sofa, staring past the foyer at the door. Paige put her book down on the table beside her chair. Angelo tossed the remote behind him onto the easy chair. The three students stared at the door for a moment and then their eyes locked on each other. A slight narrowing of the eyelids, a tremor of the lashes, a twitch of the muscles at the side of the face was open to scrutiny. Like western gunfighters they watched, waiting for the slightest hint of intention to betray their opponent.

*ding dong*

" I'LL GET IT!" The three shouted simultaneously. In a mad dash, they leapt for the door, scrabbling and fighting.

" Ah said ahd get it!"

" Not a chance, Hayseed! Hey! No fair husking!"

" Chica, get your foot out of my face!"

" Oh gross! He's lengthening his nose!"

" Ahm almost... whoof!"

" Tripped up by a nose, si!"

" Angelo!"

" And the crowd goes wild as Jubilee makes her move!" Jubilee broke away from the tangle with a shower of pyrotechnics, driving her teammates back from the display of sizzling flashes of light. She skidded to a halt in front of the door, yanking it open.

" The winner! Can I help you?" She crowed to the stunned visitor at the step.

" Hello... Jubilee, isn't it?"

" Hey, you're Frosty's sister, right?"

" Yes, yes I am. Is my sister home?"

" Naw, she's on her day off."

" Ahm sure she'll be back soon. Would you like ta wait here for her?" Said Paige, coming to the door.

" Yes. I would like that very much, thank you. It is so nice to see you all again." Cordelia Frost smiled like a shark as she walked into the mansion. " I can't wait to see my sister again."

* * *

" Honestly Emma, I don't know how you do it." Drake mused as he started on his meal. The cafe was packed, one of the exclusive spots in Manhattan, yet a few words from Emma and a table was cleared for them. It was one of the things Bobby was having problems dealing with.

" Money, Robert. Lots and lots of money."

" Please Emma, no false modesty...." Joked Bobby.

" The way of the world, Robert. I just know the game better than most. Did I ever tell you how I made my first million?"

" No." Bobby leaned closer, interested in hearing Emma talk about her past.

" I was seventeen years old, and it was my birthday. I had gotten a polite card from my father and his new wife telling me that I had a sister. Furious at them, I had stalked into the most expensive restaurant in the city and ordered a huge meal. While I sat there, stewing in grief and using my telepathic powers to keep from being kicked out, I picked up a thought from a man at a far table about ChemCore Industries making a big discovery. He seemed very agitated about it, and excited. I ran down to the Exchange to switch my portfolio over to buy a huge chunk of stock, everything I had." Emma stopped to sip her wine, her eyes clouded over as she relived the past.

" Anyway, while I sat there gloating at my good fortune, I saw one of the ChemCore executives come into the Exchange. I tuned into his thoughts and discovered that the big discovery was that an executive had embezzled nearly fifty million dollars from the company and that they were filing for bankruptcy protection. I was desperate, because when he made his speech, my investments would be completely useless. Without a chance to glean any telepathic insider information, I had to rely on my own business instincts. I made a lightening shift of stocks minutes before ChemCore dropped the bomb on the Exchange. The Company I had switched heavily over to immediately opted a huge buyout of ChemCore assets and tripled its value in less then ten minutes. I was a millionaire, and even better, I had become one by my own perceptions and intelligence." Emma smiled, enjoying the relaxing storytelling.

" Then why was that guy at the restaurant all excited?"

" I found out later that he was a raider working for the company that bought out ChemCore. This was his big break." Bobby laughed with her at that.

" So, Frost Enterprises came about because..."

" ... I have more than telepathic powers in my head, yes." Emma smiled. She sipped the Merlot, savoring the mellow flavour and the relaxed atmosphere. Bobby grinned at her and polished off the last of his meal.

" Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!" Emma checked her beeper, killing the irritating sound.

" What is it?" Said Bobby.

" Oh, Sean wants me to drop off the Hellions files right away. Curious that he needs them so urgently."

" Where are the files?"

" I was going to get them from the office after lunch."

" Tell you what. Grab the files and I'll drive them over to Sean. I told Storm I'd pick up some furniture from the school any ways. You go on with your day and I'll see you this evening." Bobby said, picking up his jacket.

" Are you sure?"

" Sure. Hey, it's your day off." Emma laughed.

" Very well, Robert." She said, tossing money down to cover the bill and leaving the restaurant with him. " If you are sure that you can handle walking into a house with those children and minimal supervision."

" Hey, how bad can it possibly be?"

* * *

" Sean, is it? I know the answer already, but one must attempt to maintain a veneer of politeness in conversation, don't you think?" Cordelia smiled brightly at the inverted and suspended teacher. Cassidy struggled against the telekinetic hold, trying in vain to break it. From the corner of his eye he could see Jono slumped bonelessly against a tree, a metal headpiece covering his eyes. Waves of psionic energy rippled out from his inert form, coalescing into crackling streamers of energy which danced around Cordelia Frost.

" Ye damn mindwitch. When ah get....urkle." Sean was cut off by the telekinetic pressure on his throat.

" Now, now. This is not the way civilized people, or Irishmen for that matter, behave. I really must punish you for that. Hmm... what would serve to hurt you the worst? Pain and torture is pointless on one as stubborn as you. But an different solution, may haps?" Cordelia walked over to where Paige hung helpless in the air. " Perhaps you could be best broken by hurting others. I could make you take this pretty young morsel by force. Imagine the pain and horror in not only your eyes but all of your valued friends? The question of did he really fight hard enough against the telepath?" Cordelia idly stroked Paige's cheek, fingers chilling her to the bone.

" I mean, she is a pretty girl, in a scrubbed, innocent sort of way. Imagine being her first time? Forcing your way between her thighs and stealing something from her that you can never give back?" Cordelia smiled as she unsealed the front of Paige's uniform, exposing most of her front to view. She traced idle patterns along the tops of Paige's breasts. " And now Sean, imagine that you want it so bad that you would not stop at once, twice or even a dozen times? Excited now?"

" Oh gross, with a capital -oss!!! Like, I thought Frosty was bad, but now we get her, is it possible, more perverted lesbo sister! And here I was assuming that this only happened on pay-for-view!" Jubilee said, contempt ringing clear in her voice.

" Jubilation, are you mocking me."

" Naw, you're not worth the effort." Paige watched her friend hurl insults wide-eyed. She could tell by the desperate look in her eyes that she was trying to divert attention away from the rest of them.

" You really think that Wolverine is coming to save you?"

" Stay outta my head, you discharge!"

" Oh no. I think I will enjoy seeing what you fear most, Jubilation. I will enjoy it very much."

* * *

Emma ran her finger along the spines of the books, tracing the names of the authors. A collection of Byron, a copy of 'The Prince', an untried work on Quantum Mechanics, and secretly at the bottom of her stack, a paperback mystery novel. She dropped the packet at the front, luxuriating in the atmosphere of the used book shop. The undescribable smell of thousands of books stacked in careless piles in the odd and strangely positioned bookshelves. Emma gave the cashier the money, eyes roving the shelves behind the counter, seeking out anything to catch her fancy. With a smile she accepted the pre-offered bag and left, striding out into the city streets.

" I wonder how Sean is doing with the kids." She muttered to herself as she caught a cab to the Frost Enterprises building. " I'm sure he must be going out of his mind."

* * *

" Leave her alone!" Screamed Banshee, trying to activate his sonic scream. In front of him Jubilee twisted and writhed, screams of pure horror emanating from her. Her fingernails tore bloody furrows down her face and arms as she struggled with her own mind. The sounds of pain echoed in the Grotto, rebounding back and forth in a dreadful cacophony of tortured humanity. Cordelia stood beside the contorting form, her eyes closed and a smile on her lips as she drove Jubilee's horror to new heights.

" So much pain... so much..um, so.. Oh god." The look of pure ecstasy washed over her face, her body shuddering with the force of the mental stimulation. The raw cries of Jubilee died out slowly, replaced with deep, wracking sobs. Cordelia petted the prone form.

" You know, I have never felt feedback like that from anyone. I think we will have to have another session very soon. Won't that be nice?" She said, smiling at Jubilee.

" I will kill ye when I get free. Know that, woman!"

" Yes, but dear Sean, when will that be? I believe we were speaking about you and Paige before I was interrupted. Now, I think I will... wait. Even better." Cordelia cocked her head to one side, as if straining to hear a sound. She turned and left the Grotto, not sparing a glance to her captives. Banshee waited for the door to close before saying anything.

" Monet, Everett, Angelo! Can any o' ye move? Use your powers or such?" The youths struggled but finally had to admit their helplessness. " Damn. Jubilee, lass?" Banshee pitched his voice softly, hoping not to startle her. She lay completely unresponsive to him. Banshee shut his eyes and tried to find a way to access his powers, for all their sakes.

* * *

" Um, hi? Is Sean around?" Bobby asked to the unknown young woman in front of him.

" Yes, he's in the Grotto with the students. They were having a meeting of some sort."

" Oh, uh, okey. I'll just drop these files off in his office." Bobby nodded to the girl and moved to get past her but she positioned herself in front of him.

" I can take you him. I doubt it will be a problem." Cordelia said, a shy smile on her lips.

" Great." Bobby followed the girl. There was something very strange about her that he just couldn't put his finger on. Something... familiar about her. He walked along the halls to the Grotto with her in front. Out of the corner of his eye he caught an image in the monitors through the glass windows of the control room. Sean, upside down and looking like he was having his soul torn out. Drake's eyed widened and he turned to the girl in front of him.

" I think he looks better that way." Cordelia said as she lashed out with her powers. Drake staggered back under the sheer power of the wave of psychic force. However, his time dating Emma had taught him some of the more advanced mental defenses, and to the surprise of them both, he held under the first assault. Water molecules coalesced around his form, creating the icy shell which he was so familiar with. With a thought he hit Cordelia with a wave of icy water, using the distraction to punch a spike of ice through the glass of the window, slamming the end into the emergency alarm. " That wasn't very nice." Snarled Cordelia, as she obliterated Drake's psychic defenses with a barrage of mental energy. Bobby winced has he felt the power fill the neurons and psnypes of his mind. Years of mental shields buckled and disappeared in the force of her attack.

" You're mine now, Mr. Drake."

" Oh boy, I've just completed the collection of a teen psychopath. Just how I wanted to end my day." Bobby smirked, trying to mask his terror.

" Ah yes, you are the jester of the X-Men, I had forgotten. I will enjoy making the senior team into my mind slaves." Cordelia said.

" Yeah, right. Sorry, but Jean and Betsy will paddle your rear and send you crying home."

" The Asian hussy and the soppy red-head? I think not." Cordelia smiled contemptuously.

" Yeah, and I'm sure you've had to handle the Phoenix Force on occasion? Lady, I've had meals that were scarier then you. Go impress the yokels, would you?" Bobby said. Cordelia's eyes narrowed and Bobby fell to the ground, pain coursing through his body.

" Mock me, will you? I could drive you mad with pain, so intense that you would beg like a dog for death. And I..., you and Emma!" Cordelia looked shocked as she plucked the piece of information from his mind. " This is better than I could have imagined. Come with me, Mister Drake. We must prepare for the arrival of my sister."

* * *

" How strange." Emma looked up from the stack of files on her desk to her pager. The small red light on the top was flashing repeatedly, winking like a erratic firefly. Emma leaned back to look at it. The emergency signal was only used twice in the entire history of the school, and Jubilee was severely punished both times. Surely, it must be a prank, she thought. With not only the full compliment of teens and Cassidy active, but Bobby's power and experience would require a threat of major proportions to necessitate the alert. Sighing, she took the pager and dropped it into her bag.

" Miss Watkins?" She said into the intercom.

" Yes, Miss Frost?"

" Would you please have a car prepared for me. And transfer the details of the new accounts to my home computer. Something has come up."

" Yes, Miss Frost." The crisp, efficient voice said. " Will you require anything else?" Emma pondered the question for a moment, a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right impacting on the back of her mind.

" Miss Frost?"

The feeling of unease sat on her mind, like a tiny ripple which disturbs a still body of water. She tilted her head back and opened her mind to the psychic ocean of thoughts and feelings. The indirect empathic plane which was generated by every person's thoughts was definitely wrong, a black hole in the fabric, drawing the energy into one point, warping the plane around it into a funnel. Emma had to use all of her experience to keep elements of her own thoughts and power from slipping down the steep slope.

" Miss Frost?"

Emma's eyes snapped open, and she took a deep breath. She knew where the funnel ended, but she didn't know why. That bothered her a great deal.

" Miss Watkins, have the garage load the box marked Shaw Enterprises into the car as well. I'll be down in five minutes." Emma flicked off the intercom and carefully gathered her belongings. Emma Frost had never feared death in her life, assuming that until her time came, she could handle any challenge which might attempt to shorten it. But now, she was possessed with the overwhelming feeling that she was rushing to meet that very event. It annoyed her a great deal.

* * *

" There you are, Mr. Drake. How interesting you look." Said Cordelia brightly as she tossed the straight razor over her shoulder. " I think it is a fine start on your re-modeling."

" Peachy. I'll recommend you to all my friends." Bobby quipped weakly. Blood dripped from the many paper thin slashes across his body. A slowly growing puddle was under his inverted body, and his eyes stung from the lines of blood running into them. His chest was a slowly flowing wave of blood, and his hair was sticky from it.

" I should thank you. You should have my sister running straight here, into my hands. Then, I will finally take that which is mine. And speaking of taking, you and my sister have been intimate, correct? Since all that was my sister's will soon be mine, perhaps I shall start with taking you. The pain you can recognize combined with the mental pleasure should provide an interesting experience." Cordelia smiled brightly. She stepped forward and placed her hand on Drake's belt, starting on the clasp.

" I think this has gone quite far enough." The icy tones of Emma Frost cut through the grotto. Cordelia turned to face her sister, who stood calmly with her arms clasped lightly behind her back.

" Why, dear sister! I have been waiting so long to see you. What do you think of my handiwork." Cordelia said, waving idly at the suspended figures.

" The work of an untrained amateur, who fails to understand even the least aspect of her supposed art." Emma's voice was ice cold, biting and cruel.

" Ah, always the harsh word, Emma? Always the need to prove a flaw, to display reproach. I have defeated you and still you refuse to concede."

" Have you? I was not aware of that."

" How does it feel to fail again, Emma?"

" Don't start, Cordelia. This is your only warning."

" Really? As if you can threaten me. Emma, do you think that the death of these students could finally show you the lack of abilities that curses you. Do you think Jetstream screamed like Everett will? Or Catseye begged for her life at the end of it with the same tears and pleas that Paige will use?"

" Stupid child, playing with what you don't understand."

" Child am I? You really require proof, don't you? You have asked for this, dear sister!" Cordelia lashed out with her psychic powers, tearing into the core of what was Emma Frost. The mental shields crumbled under her attack, and she felt her essence flow into Emma. She could suddenly smell every individual scent in the air around her sister. Every strand of hair, every drop of sweat, and every nerve transmitted it's information into the mind of Emma Frost and thus, Cordelia. It was a shock to feel the heightened sensory input, far more then normal. Just as curious was the fact that she was riding the sensory sectors of the brain, not the higher order functions. She saw and felt as Emma Frost brought her arms from behind her back, the razor in the left hand, the smoothness of the handle washing through her senses.

" Cordelia, you have never understood what telepathy is really about, have you? It's not the amount of power in your control or the people that you influence. It's about yourself, from mind out. Every little neuron, every vessel, every thought. The power is from the source inside from which the elements that make up a person come from. The core of all that you are. It's the true power, out of the blood and the bone and the head. The one that you have never tried to understand." Emma raised the razor and smiled. " And it's about the balance, the more you use the power, the more it uses you. The more you take, the less you have. And it's about pain, Cordelia. It's all about pain."

Cordelia realized in horror what Emma was about to do, and tried desperately to gain control of her entire mind. But, years of experience had given Emma the ability to temporarily thwart the greater power until it was too late. What frightening precision she drove the razor into her forearm and dragged it up along the muscles, the blade scraping against bone. Cordelia screamed as the pain tore into Emma, amplified hundreds of times from her connection. The feel of the flesh parting under the blade, each individual nerve firing a message directly to the brain, flooding it with sensation. The almost sensual feel of the razor's edge as it effortlessly severed the muscle, the coppery scent of the blood filling Emma's nostrils, and her own. With a scream the connection was severed, a survival instinct on Cordelia's part to prevent her own senses from overloading. Emma stopped and tossed away the razor, ignoring the blood which gushed from her arm. With slow, careful steps she approached her sister and took an object from her neck, hidden by her hair. Emma held it up for a moment and crushed it between two fingers. The fragile wires crumpled and twisted, and she dropped the ruined machinery to the grass at her feet. The energy which had been transmitting from Chamber to Cordelia stopped abruptly, and the floating forms dropped heavily to the ground. Cordelia looked up through tear-filled eyes at her sister, who stood over her.

" But, I won." She wailed, bewildered.

" No, at the end of the day, all that matters is where you stand. You have lost Cordelia, and to me."

" Wh-what are you going to do?"

" What do you think I should do, Cordelia? Give you the same fate you had planned for us?"

" I-I... I don't...." She stammered.

" Run, Cordelia."

Cordelia ran.

* * *

" Emma, oh man, that was unreal!" Exclaimed Bobby, has he hurried over to her. He swallowed heavily as he caught sight of her arm. " Geez, let's get you to the Med-Center."

" No, Robert. I still have unfinished business with her."

" Lass, are ye daft? Tha' witch is on the run. Let Monet and Jono handle her. Without her device, what can she do?" Sean said, helping his students to their feet.

" Sean, this is family. It is my responsibility." Sean locked eyes with her, and saw the conviction in them. He sighed heavily.

" Ah, weel, if ye must. But take care o' that arm first." Emma nodded.

" Capital suggestion. Paige, if I may." Emma unsnapped one of Paige's forearm guards off while she was busy resealing the top of her uniform. Emma locked the guard on her own forearm. With a motion, she tightened the seals at the top, cutting off the bleeding like a tourniquet. Blood soaked the white wool of her sweater, and covered the ground around her.

" Miz Frost? Are you sure you want to do this? I could handle it." Said Everett. Emma shook her head.

" No. As I told Sean, this is my problem. Is everyone alright?"

" Yes, expect for Bobby and Jubilee."

" I'll be fine, just minor cuts. But the firecracker looks bad." Said Bobby, dabbing at his oozing chest with his shirt.

" Take her to my room. I will join you all in the medical center shortly." Sean thought about protesting for a moment, and stopped himself.

" Alright kids, this way o't. Emma, if ye need us, call. Understand?"

" Sean..."

" Understand?"

" Very well." Emma watched them leave, and turned to the forest around her. She touched her arm for a moment and looked back. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the forest. A brief moment later she was gone, only the slightest movement of brush to indicate where to.

* * *

Cordelia ran up the hill towards the exit, the briars and heather tearing at her dress. The humiliation banged back and forth in her skull. Stupid malicious old mindwitch! She'd won. By all the rules, she had won, and somehow Emma had found a way to take it from her, like everything else. That stung. The smug look on the faces of the children as they were saved, everyone supporting Emma, who had no idea about what power really was about, and what it could become. She'd show them, Cordelia thought. She'd show them all!

" I doubt that."

Cordelia stopped cold, dreading as she turned to see Emma leaning casually against a tree.

" I thought you couldn't read my mind."

" When you linked us, you shattered the genetic mental shields." Emma said.

" You followed me."

" You know, Logan once told me that a good hunter tracks, but a great hunter need only wait."

" So, you are hunting me then?"

" Don't you think I should? After all, you are the one who lost, and that is the first and only mistake nature allows." Emma walked towards her sister.

" How did you...?"

" I used a sensory enhancer of Shaw's to make everything more acute. Since I knew you would try to gain control, I routed you into the sensory pathways and overloaded you. Simple enough, when you think about it." Emma smiled in a tired way. " And now I have to decide about you. If you had merely come after me, I would have been able to understand, but you decided to harm my students. And that I will not allow to happen again."

" It's always your choice, and your decision!" Cordelia screamed at her sister. " Always you in control and nothing for anyone else! You have taken everything and left nothing for me."

Emma said nothing, only regarding her for a moment. Then, with shocking swiftness, slapped Cordelia hard.

" You blame me for your lack. You, who have spent you life moving sideways through it; never learning, never working, only taking. You always wanted the quick answer, the shortest path and never, ever tried to understand what it was really about! I learned, Cordelia. Everyday, I learned. From the ground up, I fought and strained and learned about what I could do. I learned from the people, and the animals, from the smallest neuron to the forces which bind the human race together. You know nothing, to use the Pool in that manner!"

" You know about it?"

" Of course I do. I learned what it was and how it worked. And I know what it is like; a river of power, flowing just for you to harness and control. It is like a dream, power the like no one has ever seen. The problem is that it only lasts so long. Soon, it asks more and more for less and less. Eventually, you are absorbed into the forces which you tried to control. The only thing that you have is yourself, and if that isn't enough, that's too bad." Emma snarled.

" You're lying!"

" Am I?" Emma said, and the air around them crackled with energy. Cordelia felt herself drawn up into a whirlpool of power. At the center stood Emma, casually harnessing the forces around her.

" You never have understood, have you?" Her voice was eerie, as if it was emanating from a long distance and immediately next to her simultaneously. She gasped as Emma was in inside her mind for the briefest of moments, and then there was nothing. Cordelia collapsed to the ground, her mind feeling closed and empty. Gone was the background noise of surface thoughts and feelings which was the constant of every telepath. Cordelia shrieked and clasped her head.

" What have you done to me?" She cried.

" Burned out your power. Not necessarily permanently, but for a long time at the least."

" You've taken away my life!"

" No, Cordelia. I have given it to you, in a sense." Emma smiled, or at least bared her teeth in a non-threatening manner. " You no longer can pass through life with your mental powers to ease the transitions. School will require work, a job will require production, and power will require ability. You have an expense account. You can freely waste your years in mindless hedonism, but you will never be able to threaten us again. Should you wish revenge, you will have to accumulate the resources to do so. On your own. That is what I will give you, Cordelia. I will give you your life, in the fullest sense of the word. Hopefully, I shall not be disappointed." Emma turned and walked into the forest.

" You can't...!"

" Goodbye, Cordelia." And Emma was gone. Cordelia sat and stared at the door for a long time, and finally opened it to step out into the world, for truly the first time in her life.

* * *

" How is she?" Emma stepped into her room where Bobby had put Jubilee.

" I dressed her cuts, but she won't wake up."

" Very well. I will take it from here."

" Not so fast, Emma. We 'll take care of that arm." Drake wheeled the Sh'iar device over to her.

" If we must." She sighed and laid her arm in the groove. The top closed and Emma felt her arm go numb. The machine made a slight humming noise as it worked. Drake watched her over it.

" Where is Cordelia?"

" I assume she is walking down the access road into town. It is only an hour or so on foot."

" And she isn't....?"

" She will not be able to threaten us again." Said Emma, answering his unspoken question. Bobby smiled at her.

" Kinda blew your day off, huh?"

" Well, I have had more relaxing afternoons."

" Well, we all owe you."

" Do you, Robert?"

" 'Course."

" Good, then you can watch them tomorrow with Sean while I complete what I had intended to do today." Drake paled.

" Well, I...uh...." Emma smiled.

" Thank you, and please tell Sean." She gently forced him from the room, and locked the door. The machine beeped twice and her arm was freed. The gash was now closed with extremely fine and strong stitches, and the cut was already healing. Emma wrapped a length of gauze around it and sat down beside Jubilee. Small cuts were all over her face and neck, and her body lolled with the bonelessness of a catatonic. Emma reached out with her mind, and gently slid her essence into Jubilee's mind. Deftly, she examined the connections, noting carefully the ones torn open and amplified by her sister during the torture. With swift precision, she began rebuilding the neural structure, erecting mental shields to replace those which had been blasted apart and reforming that which was Jubilee. Emma was surprised by the little damage done to the inner core of her mental process. Obviously, Jubilee had more will than people credited her with. Emma flowed back out of her mind, leaving no trace of her tampering. Jubilee still lay unconscious, but her breathing switched from the bare breaths of a catatonic to the deep inhalations of the sleeper. Emma smiled and leaned to make the finally test to see if Jubilee would awaken, and if her repairs had worked.

" You're not going to let her win, will you, Jubilation?"

Long moment passed. And another. The clock sliced time into small segments with the rhythmic ticking. Emma glanced at it in worry and then back to her charge. One bloodshot eye opened and looked straight at her.

" 't's Jub'lee, Miz Frost." Emma smiled at her, and helped the young girl sit. Jubilee stared ahead for a moment and turned to Emma, bursting into tears. Emma held her close, cooing softly into her ear. The sobs shook Jubilee's whole body, as she poured her fears and feelings out to Frost in a flood. Emma held her and felt the cries wash over her, helping to draw out the fear and pain and anger with gentle words and feelings. The shadows lengthened outside and the sun dipped below the horizon as Jubilee slept exhausted in Emma's arms. Emma sat propped up on the headboard, occasionally shifting to better support the dead weight of the girl's prone form. She looked out the window, watching the dying light of the sun touch the trees, painting them in fire. The velvet darkness stole into the room, greying the white atmosphere. Emma looked down at her student and back out, a feeling of satisfaction filling her. In her minds eye, she could see the forms of her Hellions, for once the happy teens she had known, rather then the pain-wracked bodies which usually tortured her dreams. Maybe, I have finally started to pay my debts, she thought. Jubilee shifted and Emma smiled, content for once to simply sit and watch the night heal the fires of the day. Content to simply be Emma Frost, for once when it was needed most.

FIN

Afterword

First, I never do afterwords, but in this case I think it is necessary. I would like to thank Lady Phoenix, who showed me an element of Jubilee which I had missed in 'Jubilation Phoenix'. As well, I would like to thank Min for her works on Emma, which have very much helped me develop Emma Frost more and more past the White Queen. Jelpy and Mirage get the most helpful awards for not only holding on to my writing, but constantly telling me that I'm better then I actually am. And Kielle, who seems to drive my fanfiction to higher levels, without really knowing it. This is the end of the Emma Frost trilogy. I have enjoyed it immensely, but there are other tales I wish to tell. However, I don't think I can quite leave the White Queen behind, so you may see a few more. Thanks to all everyone who was nice enough to send me feedback or just support. That is what drives a fanfic writer.