Emma was the first to awaken. She looked around and reached out with her mind. She was only mildly surprised when nothing happened. Crawling, she shook Paige. "Paige? Paige! Wake-up." Paige mumbled and rubbed her head. Gingerly she sat up.

"Miss Frost? What happened?"

Emma only shook her head.

"I'm not sure but for now we need to regroup. There must be an inhibitor field around us. I can't sense anything." She paused and looked around. "You wake the other students and I'll get the mighty X-Men on their feet."

She walked over to Xavier and rolled him over.

"I've been waiting for this all day." She drew back her hand and slapped him. Her heart wanted a punch but that would have defeated the purpose. "Wake up."

Xavier groaned and asked the inevitable question. "Where are we?" He looked around. "Where are the others?"

Emma looked around and took a silent roll call. She stood suddenly as she realized that both Everett and Jubilee were missing. She ran over to the door and called out.

"Everett! Jubilee!"

Nothing. Assessing the situation, she checked her other students and the other X-men.

As soon as Wolverine woke and realized that Jubilee was missing, he ran at the door followed by Penance. But before they could reach it, a blinding light shot out and surrounded the avenging duo. Suddenly the door flew open and a grotesque man entered. Grinning evilly he motioned and ten men carrying various weapons surrounded the two groups. Emma moved back as Wolverine and Penance struck out at the field. Xavier was the first to speak.

"Who are you? Why have you brought us here?"

The man stopped grinning.

"Silence old man."

"How dare you speak to him that way!" Scott moved forward and was clubbed in the stomach.

"Scott!" Jean ran to her fallen husband. Storm came forward to help her drag him back to the cot.

"I dare because you are at my mercy! Don't try my patience unless you want the Master to lose a new slave." The man ogled Jean and Storm before turning his attention back to the others. "My Master will join you soon." He cocked his head. "Here he is now."

A distinguished looking Asian gentleman entered and stood by the first man.

"My name is Dante. This is my right hand man Silas. Forgive me for the abrupt way I brought you here. It was a last minute decision." He smiled disarmingly.

Emma had stood silently until he smiled. She stepped forward.

"Where are my students?" She looked Dante in the eyes and felt a chill down her spine. "What have you done to them?" She balled up her fists to hide the trembling.

"What could I do to them that your precious X-Men have not?" His innocent question set off Emma anger. She turned to Xavier.

"This is your fault. You wanted to force yourselves into her mind! You call me a monster behind my back because of my past but you openly steal from her mind!"

Xavier shook his head as if clearing away something. "What are you talking about? All I remember is going to the attic. Everything after is kind of fuzzy. What . . . I think I remember . . . Oh my God! What have we done?" Tears formed in his eyes. He turned and noticed Dante's smirk.

"You! You did this somehow! Why make us harm her?" He grimaced at Dante's laugh.

"My, my Charles. How quick you are to place the blame elsewhere. I can not make someone do something. I merely placed the option in your minds and stripped away the obvious reasons not to do it. In the end the choice was still yours. I have to admit I was disappointed to learn you were captured so easily. After all I have heard about your escapades, I thought there would be more of a fight. A pity really." He tsked his teeth and smiled. "At least not all is lost. I have her back, safe from you perverted clutches, and a lot of new slaves."

"We are not your slaves, bub!" Wolverine growled out.

Penance sat and watched.

Only Emma caught the first part of his sentence. "What did you mean when you said you have her back? Jubilee? Where are they?" She stepped forward, ignoring Silas' appreciative grunt.

You wish to see the girl? Guards, see you Mistress in." He clapped his hands. The guard nearest the door held his hand out and a slender gloved hand was placed in it. First one leg appeared, then a hip and finally the whole body emerged. A collective gasp was heard. Jubilation Lee stood before them in a midnight black China Dress that emphasized her every curve. She turned slowly, modeling herself for them. Smiling devilishly she spoke.

"Like what you see?" She looked at Xavier. "Am I a dirty old man's fantasy or what?" She laughed at his shocked expression and walked over to Dante. She draped herself on his arm and addressed her friends. "Someone say something. I know you're dying of curiosity. Don't be shy, ask away."

Monet spoke first. "Where is Everett?"

"Around. Probably tied up with other things."

She looked up as Everett's still body was lower from an opening in the ceiling by the tentacle things. Monet attempted to catch him when he was released but without her mutant strength she was powerless. Instead they ended up in a pile on the floor. Jubilee laughed.

"Anymore questions?"

"What is wrong with you?" Paige looked at her as if she was something that had just crawled out of a swamp.

"What happened is I'm finally home. My mission is over. My Master has his slaves and I have my status back." She grinned at Dante.

"You've been spying on us? Gathering info for him?" Scott could barely believe that this girl whom they trusted had betrayed them. "We took you into our home, our lives. We loved you, protected you, and this is our payment?"

"Last I heard love was free and unconditional. You loved me but expected me to be a carbon copy of the X-Men. You wanted a mindless drone to carry on your great dream of peace. You toss the word Love around like the garbage it is. A word used to control. You never loved me. You used me. We all know that if I hadn't been a mutant and saved Logan's life, you would have never looked at me twice. I would have been just another homeless street kid until they found me dead in a gutter. Your kind of love I can do without."

Jubilee's eyes glittered dangerously and stepped forward. Throughout her tirade, Emma had begun to look at her differently.

Jubilee looked around at her so called friends and was thrilled at their looks of hatred and disgust. "What's the matter? Can't handle the truth? Hurts like Hell don't it."

"How could you? You pretended to be our friend and all along you were this evil bitch looking for some amusement! Fuck you!"

"Paige, now how would your mama like it if she heard you talk like that? Would you like me to bring her here to hear you?"

Paige paled visibly as Sam stepped to her side.

"Leave our family alone!" He moved to attack her but was subdued as an energy whip lashed into his side.

"Down animal!" One of the guards drew back to hit him again but Paige grabbed his writhing body and pulled him back. She threw Jubilee a hateful glare.

"I hope you burn in Hell!"

Jubilee laughed.

"If you only knew." Her tone was sad and reproachful even though the smile never left her face. Dante had remained silent throughout the exchange but spoke at her words.

"Enough! I tire of this." He pulled Jubilee into his arms and kissed her. "Come dear. Let us leave them to stew."

"Take her out of here." Emma stepped closer. "After all, that's not my Jubilee." The pair stopped and stared, Dante amusingly and Jubilee amazed.

"I was never yours, Emma." Jubilee half turned away.

"I don't know who you are or why you're doing this, but you are not Jubilation Lee."

Dante looked at Silas who silently left the room.

"And what makes you jump to these conclusions?"

The others looked to Emma, curious and hopeful. "Her attitude is all wrong. Even if she were some super spy her attitude would not differ. Two, she called Wolverine Logan. Not even behind his back has she ever called him Logan. We even had an argument once about his name and she refused to even say Logan. Three, she called me Emma. I may find it slightly derogatory, but Jubilee either calls me Miss Frost or Frosty. Never Emma. And finally, her eyes are wrong. The vitality and youth I saw in my Jubilee's eyes were unfakable. This one has neither. Now I'll ask you again, where is my Jubilee?"

Dante stared at the woman in the stained white clothes and was impressed. The Jubilee before them fell to her knees. Her form wavered and changed until a haggard older woman lay at their feet. She raised her lined face slowly and stood with obvious effort. "Selena, return to your room."

She quickly ran from the room on trembling legs.

"How astute of you. The rest of your teammates should be ashamed. I know what they say behind your back and yet you were the only one who did not believe. Even the animal Logan was baffled. As reward, here is your friend."

The door opened and a sad looking Jubilee was dragged forcibly in. "What do you think of your mighty X-Men now? They condemned you without question." Dante waited for her answer.

"Not all were convinced. " She looked at Emma and smiled. Enraged by her unbroken faith, Dante drew back and hit her. Jubilee stood her ground but did not retaliate. The others tried to move but the guards motioned them back.

"Stupid bitch! I give you evidence of their lies and you still trust them. They would have turned their backs on you without question, they tried to steal your most private thoughts and you still have no hate for them!"

"It's called faith." Jubilee faced him. She never flinched or showed any fear.

Dante looked sad for amount as his eyes glazed over. "And yet you look at me as a monster?"

Jubilee reached out her hand and touched his cheek. Her voice was sad yet truthful.

"I lost my faith in you a long time ago." For a moment she thought he had heard but suddenly his eyes cleared.

"Fool!"

She saw his fist coming and made no attempt to block it. The force behind the blow was enough to knock her into the wall. As blood leaked from her nose, she stood straight and glared at him.

"Come Silas. Leave her to her delusions."

Dante's walk was stiff as he left followed by Silas and the other guards. Jubilee was left with the others staring at her. She wiped the blood from her face with the back of her hand.

"Well?" She waited for the accusations, the questions, and the apologies, anything but the silence that filled the chamber. "Someone say something."

Xavier posed his words carefully. "I'm sorry. We didn't know."

Scott's words were more asinine. "You could have told us about him. We could have helped you."

Jubilee stared for a moment and started laughing hysterically.

"Helped me? Look around Cyclops. You're more of a prisoner than I have ever been. How could you help me when you can't even help yourselves?"

"Jubilee, I don't understand? How are we more imprisoned than you?" Emma stepped forward.

"Try to open the door." Jubilee moved away from it. "Try."

Scott walked over and pulled but nothing happened.

"Now move away from it." Jubilee walked back over and lightly grasped the handle and it swung open. When Scott moved toward it intent on them escaping, it slammed shut.

"How is this possible?" Xavier pushed the controls on his chair and moved toward Scott and Jubilee.

"I have free reign here. I may go where I wish, when I wish it. He knows there is no way to escape, especially for me."

She stepped back until she came to the force field holding Wolverine and Penance. She reached out and touched it. The field crumbled and Wolverine grabbed Jubilee and held her tight.

"The field will stay down until he returns."

She pushed him away from her and backed up to the corner and slid down.

"Why has he brought us here?" Monet questioned as she tended Everett's wounds. "Obviously you've known him some time, but why now?"

"I'm almost seventeen." Jubilee spoke with a sadness that touched Emma.

She walked over to her and sat beside her. When the child only looked at her, she pulled her into her arms. They sat that way for a few minutes before Jubilee began to talk.

"Let me tell you a story.

"Once upon a time, far far away there lived a wealthy merchant in China. He was a fair and generous man whom everyone respected. One day as he visited a village neighboring his he happened across a slave auction. Although he didn't believe in holding another person against their will he was compelled to watch. Suddenly he saw a beautiful woman dragged onto the wagon. She held her head defiantly at her captures and spoke in a foreign tongue. The merchant found himself calling out an enormous sum, one no one else could outbid. The woman whose name was Arielle was given to him in ropes. He set her free and took her to his home.

Over time she learned to trust him and one day to even love him. They taught each other their languages and he learned that she was from across the sea. Her people were on a ship coming for spices and silks when pirates attacked them. Her father put her in a smaller boat and set her adrift with food and water. Eventually a ship carrying slaves picked her up. He vowed that nothing would ever harm her again."

Jubilee sighed angrily. Everyone was afraid to interrupt her tale as Emma rocked her softly.

"A couple of years later, the had a little girl. She was pretty and smart. When she was five they gave her a little brother. She doted on him. He was a sickly boy and she became his protector. Where she went, he went and anyone who picked on him for his small size quickly shut up when she looked at them. They feared her because one day when some older boys pushed her brother down, her anger came out in the form of fire from her hands. No one was hurt but one boy had a sore behind for a few weeks. It was determined that her ancestors had gaven her this gift so that she could better protect her brother. No one knew what a mutant was and after she received the Elders blessings, no one hated her for what she was. Life was good for her family. And then she found a cave."

"She was curious and went in. She and her brother walked hand in hand for a long time and were just about to turn around when they saw a brilliant light. The boy was scared but followed his older sister. She told him to stay put while she looked. In the center of the light was a beautiful crystal. She was about to touch it when her brother cried out.

'No, Juliana! No touch!" he cried. When he saw that she was going to touch it anyway, he pushed he away and grabbed it. The minute his small fingers grabbed it the light died. He started to cry. Frightened the girl grabbed him up and ran from the cave. The jewel was given to their father who had it made into a necklace for his wife. Three days after it was given to her the boy died." Jubilee bowed her head in respect for the boy in her tale.

"The night his spirit was released, the house was awaken by a horrible scream. The merchant was the first to reach his son's room. He grabbed him and tried to calm him down but was unable to. Suddenly he stopped. Something was spoken and the merchant stood up. He looked back at his wife and young daughter as his son relaxed into death. The little girl saw a tiny smile on her father's face but dismissed it as she ran to her brothers' side. She blamed herself for his death.

From that night on things changed. Her father became sullen and often hit her or her mother. He cheated people out of their belongings and homes and one day he killed a man who called him a liar. Arielle took her young daughter and ran from her husband. She found a ship that would take her back to her home and she never returned to China. That was over four hundred years ago."

"So Dante was that merchant. But how did you know? If it was as long as you say, the story would have been lost." Paige was slightly bewildered at Jubilee's stare.

"Simple Paige. Jubilee must be a descendant of Dante's family." Monet spoke with her 'How-could-you-not-see' voice.

"I wish you were right Monet. Everything would be so simple if it was that easy." Jubilee detached herself from Emma and stood. "I know the tale because I was there." She waited for them to understand. "I was the little girl."

"No!" Emma stood. "Impossible!"

"More impossible than Jean coming back to life? More impossible than Bishop coming from the future? Even more impossible than the existence of mutants and alien civilizations? Think of all we've seen and experienced and you'll see Miss Frost that nothing in this world is impossible. I am over four hundred years old." She turned her backs to them and slipped the necklace from her pocket and over her head. She tucked it under her shirt and turned to face them.

"How is this possible? In all the testing you never mentioned you were immortal and it never showed up." Xavier questioned her.

"You don't know a lot about my abilities. You know what you were allowed to know. I am not immortal. I can be hurt and I can die if he allows it. He keeps me alive as my mother was kept. Some part of my father refused to give us up. By the time he found us again I was seventeen and about to be married. My betrothed was ripped to pieces by those tentacles that brought us here. My mother and I were brought to this place. He held us here for seven years and never allowed us to age. When Silas was brought it was suggested that we be allowed to leave but never so far as he could not find us. It became a game to them. We were released, we ran they captured us and then it started all over again. I have never aged past seventeen before. When he is ready I will be changed."

"Changed? How?" Monet helped Everett sit up.

"He will give me the body of a child again." She looked at Everett. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this. I would have never stayed with you this long. Whenever I tried to leave you always came after me." She held Emma's hand. "If you had just let me die, you would be safe now."

"Enough Jubilee! No more death. If I wanted you dead I could have just let those slimy things drag you off."

"What are they, anyway?" Scott asked.

"Imprisoned souls. He promises them release if they do his bidding. But he will never let them go." She sat down a put her head on her knees. "And now he has you." Suddenly the force field around Wolverine and Penance reappeared. "He's back." The door swung open.

"I come bearing gifts. I know we got off on the wrong foot but I want to be the bigger man and forgive you." He walked over to Jubilee as two of his guards grabbed Emma and held her between them. Jubilee tried to grab her but was wrenched back by Silas. "I am giving you a chance to save your precious friends." He clapped his hands and both teams were grabbed by tentacles and slammed into the wall. "You will entertain us with you skills and to make it easy on you, met your opponents." Two rough looking youths ambled into the room and looked around.

"Cool boss. I like your taste. Sort of 'The Crow' meets 'Spawn'. I like it." The dirtier of the duo spoke. He nudged his friend and looked at Emma and Jubilee. "Wow boss. For us? You shouldn't have."

"I like the older chick. She's mine, man."

Jubilee paled and Wolverine raged against the shield. He was the only person other than Jubilee who recognized the young men. Before his surrogate daughter and partner stood Remo and Molokia, the boys who had killed her parents.

"Murdering bastards. You lay one hand on either of them and I'll rip you a new face!" Wolverine screamed out.

Jubilee regained her composure and simply stared.

"Oh like we're really scared of you gramps." Remo laughed.

"Not like you can get us from in your bubble anyway." Molokai snickered.

"Fight them Jubilee. Kill them and your friends are free. Lose and they die." Dante smiled wickedly. He would destroy her faith eventually. He knew how the X-men looked on killing.

"I will not kill." Jubilee spoke with conviction but Xavier saw the way her hands flexed like Logan and he knew it was only a matter of time. He wanted to call out to her but his mouth was covered and he could only watch as the play unfolded.

"Why not? They killed your mother, not to mention what they did to you!" He say Emma's raised eyebrow. "So she did not tell you everything that happened that night."

"What are you talking about? How could she know? She wasn't there." Emma stained against the guards.

"She was. After the car went over the cliff, she climbed out to find help. The gas exploded and she listened to her mother burn to death. Then these idiots who can't get a simple assignment right decided to have some fun with her." He watched Emma pale.

"Enough." Jubilee stopped him from continuing. "You sent them to kill us? Why?" Jubilee's back straightened. "Why keep us alive this long and then kill us?"

"They were supposed to bring you here. Instead they botched up. I hadn't been monitoring their progress and Arielle died. I didn't kill her or rape you. They did it. Them! Turn your hatred to them and have your justice!" He pointed to the guys who were starting to look uncomfortable.

"It would not be justice." Jubilee turned from them and looked at Xavier. "A wise man once told me that justice and revenge were closely related and it's up to us to tell the difference."

"Fine, don't kill for revenge or justice. Do it to save your friends. If you don't, their souls are mine." Dante nodded to Silas who released Jubilee. "Eleven for the price of two."

"Master, may I add something?" Dante noticed the gleam in his eye.

"Go ahead."

"If she wins, not only do her friends live but she spends the evening with me."

He grabbed himself lewdly and ran a callused hand down her arm. Jubilee trembled but not from fear. She was furious.

"You friends lives or your morals?" Dante taunted her. Remo made her mind up for her.

"Come on girlie. Bow down to me and maybe we'll go easy on you." He snickered and stepped in front of Jubilee. He grabbed her arm and the room went silent. Dante, Silas, the two guards and Emma backed up. The majority of them knew what was about to happen.

Jubilee forgot about Dante and the X-men. She forgot about what she had been taught about peace and coexistence. In the moment he touched her she forgot everything but her mothers face as the flames enveloped her. She remembered how the shrieks seemed to go on forever. Lucky for him, her stepfather had died instantly. But her mother felt her death, smelled her own burning flesh, and watched her skin melt. Jubilee's head came up slowly and her eyes mirrored such hate that Emma took an involuntary step backward.

Remo's snicker was cut off as Jubilee's other hand shot up and grabbed his neck. With an almost demonic strength she lifted him off his feet and when his face began to darken she threw him. Even the haughty Monet was amazed.

Molokai rushed her when he saw his friend hit the floor. "You bitch!"

His attack was stupid. Jubilee swung around and put all her anger in a punch that knocked him across the room. She calmly walked over to him and raised her foot. Thinking she was going to kick him in the face, he put his hands up for protection. He was so unprepared for the force that came down on his private parts that he lost all control of his bowels. The dungeon filled with his stench. Hardly able to breathe, he reached up to her. Viciously she grabbed his hand and snapped his wrist.

Shrieks greeted Remo when he snuck up on the bitch. But just as he was about to hit her, she spun around and suddenly he was in a headlock. His struggles ceased with a loud snap.

She dropped his lifeless body and stared at it.

"Are you satisfied now?"

"The other lives."

"He will not die by my hand." Jubilee looked at Dante.

She avoided Emma's horrified eyes.

"Fine."

At his nod a bullet was placed between Molokai's eyes. His shrieks stopped.

"Look at your friends now, little one. Look at how the are disgusted by your actions even though it was for them."

With a quick glance she knew he was right.

How dare they pass judgement on me? Jubilee fumed silently. She stiffened at Silas' words.

"First your punishment, then my pleasure."

Using a technique her mother had taught her, she focused and her mind slipped away. Her empty body was roughly thrown against the wall opposite the imprisoned teams. Her shirt was torn away and Emma screamed.

"Leave her alone! Haven't you done enough!"

She was backhanded.A glowing whip was produced and Silas began to hit the girl's tender back. Although her body jerked she never cried out. The X-men struggled against their bounds but were helpless to stop the beating. Wolverine and Penance doubled their efforts to break the shield but to no avail.

When the whip finally stopped whistling, everyone was exhausted. Emma was bruised and bloody after her fight with the guards. Jubilee was picked up by Silas who carried her out of the room like a prize. As Dante turned to leave, Emma yelled at him.

"How could you do this to your own flesh and blood?"

Dante faltered in his step but recovered quickly. He left without a word. Emma was roughly thrown across the room as the others were released.

"I'll kill him!" Wolverine leapt at the door and tried to destroy it.

But no matter how hard he hit it or how deep his claws went, the door simply regenerated itself to fast for him. Finally he fell exhausted and muttering Jubilee's name. Paige and Monet helped Emma while casting the X-men looks that clearly said they were the cause of everything.The X-men mumbled among themselves.

"I can't believe what just happened."

No one noticed the wispy figure moving toward Penance.

"She just killed him . . . like that." Sam snapped his fingers.

"I never thought she would take a life? After everything she was taught . . ." Scott's words were cut off.

"I have heard just about enough of your holier-than-thou attitudes! Jubilee risked her life for all of us. She gave up a piece of herself for us and you can stand there and judge her?" Everett was angry. "Fuck you! I can't believe I ever looked up to you. She made you all out to be this great family that never let her down. We listened to every one of her 'When I was with the X-men . . .' stories and groaned because we were afraid we'd never match up to you. Right now I'm ashamed to wear this."

He reached under his sweatshirt and ripped the X-men emblem off his suit and threw it on the ground. The Generation X'ers followed and a pile formed. They turned their backs on the X-men and huddled together. Paige threw her brother a look that spoke of the death of her idol worship. He was no longer her invincible older brother but a traitor to her friend.

Shamed beyond words the X-men sat quietly and waited. In the corner the red girl was smiling slightly. Only she saw the figure crouched before her or hear the familiar voice in her heard.

*Jubilee! How? I thought there was a field? *

^There is. I left my body. I didn't want to feel.^

*What will happen now? *

^My body will be returned soon. Don't let anyone touch me. It could be dangerous for them.^

*I understand. I hear noises. Is that them? *

^Yes. Silas is finished grunting. I hope he enjoyed fucking a log!^

Her words became rushed and graphic and hurt Penny's sensitive ears. She put her hands up to ward off the noise and Jubilee quieted.

Soon the doors swung open and two servants with sad faces placed Jubilee face-up. Before anyone could get near her body, Penance sprang up and swiped her hands at them. A grunt escaped her lips as she protected her fallen friend.

"Penny, we have to help her!" Paige moved forward but quickly jumped back as the girls hands came close to opening her chest.

Resigned to wait from a distance they backed up. Their wait was a short one.

Unlike a sleeper who awakens slowly to the world, Jubilee flew back into her body. One moment she was dead to the world and the next her back was arched and she sucked in a large amount of air. Emma thanked the God she had given up on for Jubilee being alive but she knew it would take more than a prayer for the nightmare to end. She feared the cost to her students.