This is what I thought,
I thought you need me,
This is what I thought so think me naïve,
I promise you a heart you'd promise to keep,
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.
-Prelude 12/21 by AFI
"Ann, may I speak with you for a moment?" Snively inquired. It was late
August, two months since he had returned home from the cliff.
"Yes, what about?" Ann asked innocently.
"I believe you are cheating on me," Snively said. There, after two months, he
finally said it.
"What? How did you come to that assumption?" Ann replied, acting hurt.
"My two-year-old daughter had seen you with St. John," Snively answered.
"No, I've done nothing of the sort. I was watching a romance flick on
television when you were gone late at night. "Chibi had woken up and came in.
She saw what I'm assuming she told you what I did on the movie and fell
asleep after it," Ann told him. "I didn't think she would remember that, let
alone switch it around."
"Why did you let her watch that?" Snively questioned.
"I'm sorry, I won't let it happen again," Ann said.
He gave her a kiss. "Much better. Speaking of Serenity, have you seen her or
her siblings?"
"Here we are, Dad," Hope said, coming in with her brother and sister, all
three with a knapsack.
"Ready to go?" he asked. The three nodded, though Mecha looked unsure.
"You'll be fine," Ann spoke. Snively opened a portal and he and his children
walked through. ''Bout time he leaves,' Ann thought disgustedly.
----
Snively and the kids appeared in a parking garage. 'I suppose it's a good
thing to know how to operate an automobile. I would look odd using a hover
unit here,' Snively thought. He fastened Chibi in her car seat, giving her a
miscellaneous toy from her bag while Hope also got in the back, switching on
her iPod (a gift from her mother). Mecha slid in the passenger's seat,
holding a piece of paper, reading it carefully.
Snively got in the driver's seat, checked his mirrors, fastened his seatbelt,
told Mecha and Hope to do the same (them doing so while grumbling), and
started the ignition and pulled out. After a few minutes, Mecha gave a
direction, which Snively listened to. This continued for twenty minutes
before they turned onto a street full of estates.
"Mom said hers was the huge white one with the crescent moon on the gate,"
Mecha said. Snively saw the gate and pulled in, where a guard was waiting.
"You must be Mr. Kintobor," the guard said.
"Yes, sir." The guard turned to the tall brick wall and pressed a button.
"Miss Brody, you're 1:45 is here," he said into a speaker.
"Oh! That's great! Let 'em in!" Sam's cheery voice answered.
"Yes, Miss Brody." The guard pressed another button, causing the gate's doors
to swing in. Snively pulled through slowly, marveling at the inside of his
ex-wife's estate. He pulled into the drive, shutting off his black SUV. He
got out and got Chibi out of her car seat, grabbing her bag and picked her
up.
He carried her to the front porch of the mansion, where Hope and Mecha were
waiting, feeling terribly small. Hope rang the doorbell six times, Snively
catching her hand before she could do it a seventh time. The door swung open,
revealing Sam. The kids gave their mom a hug, then went inside.
"Um, aren't you coming in?" Sam inquired, noticing Snively staring off into
space, knowing what he was thinking about.
"Hmm?" he asked
"Stop staring and come inside," Sam said, going inside. He followed her,
assuming her mansion was at least five times bigger than his father's. He
noticed Sam's back glisten with sweat, but averted his eyes quickly so she
wouldn't catch him staring again.
"You seem hot. What were you doing?" he asked.
"Not much. Just working out. I didn't expect you to be here this early, so I
didn't have time to change," she explained, adjusting her sports bra.
"Could I ask you a favor?" Snively inquired.
Sam nodded, "of course!"
"This is incredibly awkward, but could you help me pick out Ann's engagement
ring?"
"Uh, yeah, sure," she replied, hiding the fact that she really didn't want
to.
"We could go right now if you want to," she continued. He nodded.
"I gotta shower and change first," Sam said, walking off. "By the way, I
don't want an audience."
Snively looked down; she hadn't forgotten the incident at the cliff. 'I don't
blame her, though,' Snively thought.
"Daddy, look a' my room!" Chibi said, running to him.
"Okay," he answered. The toddler took his hand, leading him up the stairs.
They went down a hallway, stopping at a pale yellow door. Chibi pushed the
door open, revealing a large bedroom, also a pale yellow color. He noticed
the room's theme looked like a jungle. "Mommy did good job."
"Yes, she did."
"Play with me, Daddy," Chibi said, picking up a toy truck and pushed it
around the floor. Snively joined his daughter, figuring it would be better
than waiting on Sam. After awhile, he started to enjoy himself. He realized
that he hadn't spent much time with his children recently. 'I've been a
horrible father. It's something I need to work on,' he thought.
"Having fun?" He turned around to see Sam leaning against the doorway, arms
folded over her chest and wearing a cocky smile.
"Ready to go?" Snively inquired, dodging her question.
"Yeah, Mecha and Hope are already waiting in my Porsche."
"Oh." Great, now she made him feel like an idiot. She entered the room
casually and picked up her daughter. Snively didn't understand; why wasn't
she feeling as nervous as he was?
He followed her out of her home and into her back drive way, seeing at least
six different types of vehicles. She put Chibi in one of them, fastening her
in her car seat. She got in on the driver's side, turning the car on, rolling
down the window.
"Coming?" she asked, putting on a pair of black tortoise shell sunglasses,
flashing a smile.
"Uh, yes." He got in on the passenger side slowly, feeling like he had
butterflies in his stomach and who were trying to find a way out. She pulled
up to the gate, doing a burnout. Snively gripped his armrests, hearing Sam
laugh.
"Nervous?" she smiled.
"I really didn't think I'd be going through this again," he said.
"Nobody said you had to do this," Sam said, stopping momentarily at a red
light before making a right turn. Mecha and Hope talked to their mom while
Chibi slept and Snively thought about his love for Ann, and Sam, and how to
deal with it.
"Hey, Snively, we're here," Sam said, startling him.
"What?"
"I said we're here."
"Oh." They piled out of the Porsche and walked towards Kay's Jeweler's.
"Guys, don't touch anything," Sam warned. Hope and Mecha nodded. Snively
walked up to the counter, where several dozens of rings were displayed.
"See any she'd like?" Sam asked, referring to Ann.
"What about that one?" he replied, pointing at a ring.
"'S'alright," she answered.
"It'll have to do," Snively said.
"Why?" Sam asked, pulling out her checkbook.
"Sam, no. There is no way I'm letting you pay for Ann's ring."
"Fine," she said, putting her checkbook back. He carefully had paid for the
ring and watched as the cashier polished the ring and put it in its box. He
handed Snively the box.
"Do you think she'll care about what you paid?" Sam inquired. As they were
walking back to the Porsche, Snively smiled, "what Ann doesn't know-"
"-won't hurt her," Sam finished, "when did you get so rebellious?"
"Since I met a good friend three years ago," he replied. Sam fastened her
youngest into her car seat, then got back into the driver's seat. She
retraced her way home, creating small talk between herself and her ex-
husband. They pulled up to her home, stopping at the back door, so Mecha and
Hope could get out. She parked her car by the garage. She and Snively got
out, him taking Chibi out of her car seat.
"Sam, could you hold on to Ann's engagement ring for a few days?"
"Uh, sure." They walked around to the front of her house, standing by his
SUV.
"I've gotta go," he said.
"Hmm, you're relaxed if you're using slang," Sam said smugly.
"Which reminds me," she continued, pulling a disk out of her pocket.
"This will tell you everything you wanted to know, as I've promised." He took
the disk and gave her Serenity.
"What's this?" he inquired.
"The truth, Snively, the truth."
He nodded, "but why a disk?"
"Hope told me you had gotten a laptop recently. You put this in the drive,
but make sure two people go with you. I want Sydney to go with you and you
can choose whomever you want as the third," Sam explained.
"I suppose I understand." Snively glanced down, feeling like he should get
home before he lost it again like months before and begin to kiss Sam. He
looked into her eyes, curious if she was feeling the same way. Her eyes
seemed to be void of any emotion, though she wore a small smile.
"I'll see ya later," Sam said.
"'Bye, Daddy!" Chibi cried happily.
"Goodbye," he replied. Sam turned and walked back to her house's door and
went inside. He waited for a minute to see if Sam would rush back outside to
him and kiss him like she used to; she didn't. Snively got in his black SUV
and drove back to the parking garage, where he knew it was safe for him to
teleport back to Knothole.
----
When Snively got home, he noticed that Ann was not home. He dismissed it
carelessly, more focused on finding Shadow, and how to contact Sydney. He
found Shadow talking to Sally and strode up to them.
"Shadow, may I speak with you?"
"Yes, of course," Shadow said, noticing the urgency in his friend's voice.
They walked off, leaving Sally to herself, until Sonic showed up.
"What's wrong?" Shadow queried. Snively showed the ebony hedgehog the disk
and briefly explained to him what his ex-wife had told him.
"How do we find Sydney?" Shadow asked.
"I don't know. I suppose I'll have to call Sam," the human replied. He dialed
Sam's phone number on his cell-phone and waited for her to answer.
"Hello?" an unfamiliar male voice answered.
"Yes, who is this?" Snively answered.
"Xavier, why?" He could hear Sam's voice in the background, mentally kicking
himself again for divorcing her.
"Is Sam there? It's important."
"Oh, yeah. Here she is."
"Hello?" Sam's sweet voice picked up.
"Sam, how do we get a hold of Sydney?" Snively asked, "you didn't exactly
tell me earlier."
"Oh, yeah, sure," Sam replied. She gave him the phone number.
"Who's that man there?" he inquired.
"Xavier's my boyfriend. Listen, my phone's goin' dead. Bye!" Sam hung up
before he could say anything else. 'Sam's moved on with a new boyfriend?'
Snively thought in horror and, then again, jealousy. He called Sydney,
quickly explaining what was happening. Saying she'd be there in about forty-
five minutes, Sydney readily agreed. The two men sat around, waiting for her
to arrive.
"Ready?" Sydney inquired.
"I didn't hear you come in," Snively said.
"We should get started as quickly as possible," Shadow said, "since we are
unsure of how long this will take."
The other two nodded. Snively turned on his laptop and inserted the disk Sam
had given him into the drive. The screen started to flash brightly, causing
the three in the room to shield their eyes. They felt like they were being
sucked into the small computer, when in reality, they were.
----
Snively, Shadow, and Sydney fell through what felt like air for what seemed
like forever. Their bodies jerked as they hit the pearl white floor which was
etched with gold and silver lining intersecting with each other.
"Where are we?" Shadow inquired, getting up. Since he was the Ultimate
Lifeform, the impact of the fall didn't affect him as much as the other two.
"I think we're at the Moon Palace," Snively replied.
"It looks so much different than when I was last here," Sydney commented.
"We're in the past," Shadow said. They saw King Raciel, looking much younger
and worried, coming down the hall with several guards and a nurse.
"How is she?" Raciel asked. The group walked past the trio, not acknowledging
them. They followed, wanting to know what was happening.
"Your daughter is fine if-"
"No, no, no! Not her, Serenity," Raciel interrupted.
"She is also fine. Just a little tired is all," the nurse said.
"This must be when Sam was born," Snively said. They went into the room where
King Raciel was going in. The room appeared to be Queen Serenity's bedroom,
due to its feminine décor. She was holding a small bundle of cloth and
nursing what was inside, looking relieved.
"Love, what are you doing? You cannot get attached to it," Raciel said
scornfully.
"Why not? She could be a great ruler when she's older," Serenity said softly.
"You weren't even supposed to have this infant! You know as well as I that
this infant was a mistake from the beginning," Raciel explained. Snively
stared at Sam's father in disbelief. 'He never wanted Sam from the start?'
"Your Majesties!" A servant came fleeing into the room.
"What? What is it?" Queen Serenity asked.
"Your Majesty, Ramano is he-" The servant fell to the floor with an arrow
piercing his back. The aforementioned man stepped into the room with at least
twenty-five troops behind him.
"Ramano, friend, what is the meaning of this?" Raciel asked.
"Dear, dear Raciel, don't you already know? It's because of your daughter."
Ramano strode towards Queen Serenity, who now held the baby Sam snuggly in
her bosom, the baby making gurgle noises, not knowing of the danger her life
was in.
"Ramano, no! Can't you seek mercy for this child?" the queen of the universe
begged.
"That's my father," Sydney said, "but mother said that Sam's parents caused
the war."
"Shh," Shadow said throatily. Ramano picked the infant up, Queen Serenity
screaming hysterically. Raciel moved, but was stopped short when two troops
blocked his path and held him in his place. Ramano pulled a small dagger from
his cloak, ready to kill the infant. Then, strangely, a small crescent moon
appeared on the baby's forehead, glowing brightly. Sam cried loudly and
Ramano, dropping the dagger, dropped to the floor, beside the dagger.
The baby cried louder and, one by one, the twenty-five troops had dropped to
the floor and disappeared in a cloud of dust. Her parents looked at the baby,
still in Ramano's grip. Raciel picked her up and gave the child back to his
wife.
"We can't just do away with her; she saved our kingdom," the queen said.
"Fine, we'll bind her powers until she'd of age, and then give her to someone
on Earth," Raciel said. The room and whoever was in it started to fade and
give into darkness.
"That's it?" Shadow asked.
"No, there's so much more," Sydney replied.
"I had no idea her birth was so grim," Snively commented dismally.
"No one did, myself included," Sydney said. The three noticed a light shining
brightly and walked towards it, unsure if they were ready to see more. After
all, Sam had barely lived through the first five minutes of her life.
----
As soon as they passed through the light, they found themselves in a trashed
living room.
"What happened?" Sydney muttered. They heard a young girl scream in pain.
"Stop! It hurts! No more, please! Anything!" the begging was cut off with
what sounded like something being hit. They followed the sounds of the
beating to the home's kitchen, where they saw small splotches of blood. They
noticed a man beating a little girl with ragged brown hair which was dull.
Sydney assumed that the hair used to be long and beautiful and silky. The
girl's face was covered in small cuts and scratches, along with dirt, tears
that were pouring from her clear blue eyes, and some blood smeared on her as
well. Even this seemed to catch Shadow by surprise for the little girl was
Sam. Snively took a step forward, knowing exactly what she was going through.
"These must be her foster parents," Shadow said. The man stopped after five
more minutes, satisfied and exhausted. He and his wife, who had been watching
in amusement, walked into a different room.
The child cried, trying to get up. She eventually got up and left the house
through the back door. The three followed her and after forty-five minutes,
she ran into a building quickly. The trio followed quickly and when they got
inside, was, again, surprised. The child had unknowingly led them to the
library! They noticed her not going into the children's area as any normal
child would, but instead went into the nonfiction area. She walked to the
secretary who had just finished checking out someone's book out for them.
"Miss Patty, I need help," Sam had said, looking down.
"Child, what has happened to you?"
"My foster daddy beat me up. That's not important, though. I can't reach the
book about jazz music," the child replied. Snively hid a small smile; even
when she was a mere child, she could make him smile and was interested in
music.
"Child, what is your name?" Miss Patty said.
"Samantha, but I don't like it. It makes me sound juvenile. I would much
rather prefer Sam." The librarian looked at the little girl in astonishment.
"Sam, darling, where do you live?" The child gave the necessary information
simply.
"One more thing: how old are you Sam?"
"Five." They watched as Miss Patty called the police while the five-year-old
version of Sam sat in a big chair, reading a book about the history of
Halloween. The scenery of the library and everything around it faded out as
it had before, leaving the time travelers in darkness again.
----
After the first two memories of Sam's past, Shadow, Sydney, and Snively
weren't entirely sure if they wanted to see more. They saw a healthier and
slightly older Sam playing with a big blue ball in the middle of a yard. The
house the yard belonged to was huge, and blue.
"Samantha, time to eat," a woman's voice said. She looked in the direction of
the voice and dropped her ball and ran to the door. The adults followed
quickly, not wanting to be left behind. The child sat down at the table and
waited patiently. The other two members sat down with her and ate in silence.
Sam finished first and took her plate into the kitchen and put it in the
sink.
"So this is where she had learned to take her plate to the kitchen," Snively
muttered.
The next two hours were just used as time fillers of Sam doing things a child
her age would do such as play with her toys and draw. Later on, when she had
went to bed, she watched outside her window in interest. The trio also looked
outside, seeing her foster parents arguing with who they assumed to be
neighbors. They watched in horror as Sam's second set of foster parents
killed their neighbors in cold blood.
"Why isn't this fading?" Sydney inquired.
"It's not over yet," Shadow replied. Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open.
"Sam, let's play hide-and-seek. Allan is counting. Follow me for a great
hiding spot," the woman said.
"Okay," Sam replied, though she sounded unsure. She followed her foster
mother downstairs and to a door.
"In here! He'll never find you," the woman said.
Sam opened the door, "Angie, it's a closet. It's not that hard to find a
person in a closet."
"Just get in." Angie shoved the child in, shut the door, and placed a chair
under the knob.
"Hey, let me out!"
"Sorry, sweetie," Angie said, walking away.
"Come back here, you crackhead!" Sam retorted. Angie poured liquid everywhere
in the household and went to find her husband.
"Now what?" Snively said. The other two shrugged. Sam's foster parents came
back in, Allan with a match. He lit it and threw it on the floor. The small
flame grew quickly and the couple escaped the house through an open window.
The flames gripped onto the liquid that Angie had poured and grew three-fold.
"Gasoline!" Sydney shrieked. They heard sirens come from outside and watched
as firemen opened the front door, looking for Sam. They saw the closet door
and heard Sam's shrill scream for help. They moved the chair and opened the
door. Sam ran into one of the firemen's arms and was carried outside. The
trio followed quickly, watching as the fire engulfed the house.
"Damn, that was a pretty house," Sydney commented. The memory faded into
darkness, for which the three were thankful for.
----
As they proceeded onward, Snively felt a sense of guilt. 'Father was somewhat
right. I didn't get to know Sam as well as I could have. I should have had
more patience with her than I did.' A tablet appeared before them, with
numbers on it, starting at ten. They walked into another living room, only
more homey and certainly cleaner. They saw Sam talking to an older girl with
black hair.
"So, this is your first time in a foster home with other kids around?"
"Yeah." Sam looked at the clock briefly, then asked, "Jessi, when are they
going to be home?"
"You need to chill, Sam. They'll be home soon." Sydney, Shadow, and Snively
felt like they were falling again.
"What happened?" Sydney yelled.
"Who knows?" Shadow replied. They hit solid concrete, groaning while getting
up.
"Ungh, what happened?" Shadow inquired.
"Who knows," Snively replied darkly. They noticed a group of teenagers
standing around, dressed in black and watching the sun go down. They saw Sam,
looking kind of like they were used to seeing her. Differences they took
notice of were she was a couple inches shorter, she looked younger, and her
hair was black. The group remained silent until the sun set and night had
fallen.
"Ready?" Sam inquired abruptly. The group moved quickly and silently. Sydney
looked at the tablet that Snively had.
"Look," she said, pointing at the tablet. The ten had been crossed off and
under it was the number thirteen. They looked up at the group, taking notice
of the spray paint cans they were holding.
"I know what's going on," Sydney said, "this is that one destructive gang."
"Gang? No, no, no; Sam would never be in a gang," Snively said hurriedly, not
wanting to believe the truth.
Once he saw Sam and the rest of the gang spray painting buildings, he had to
face the fact that Sam was a gang member. They heard the sirens of the police
cars. They heard Sam mutter something lowly but couldn't make out what she
said. The gang took off in separate ways, planning on meeting somewhere else.
Sam brushed past Snively and ran off, hearing the sirens getting closer. She
tripped on a tree root, falling and twisting her ankle. The three watched as
two police officers pulled her up off of the ground. One of them held her
still while the other cuffed her hands behind her, Sam not moving because of
the pain that her ankle was giving her.
"I know, I know: 'I have the right to remain silent. Anything I do can and
will be held against me in the court of law,'" Sam said.
"Lovely, we have the one with the smart mouth," one of the cops said.
The scene faded into black and Shadow said, "you wouldn't think Sam was ever
in a gang, let alone get arrested for vandalism." The other two nodded in
complete agreement.
----
Sydney, Shadow, and Snively walked towards a light, Snively noticing the
tablet dissolve into dust. He ignored that and saw an older looking Raciel
discussing something with Sam, who looked less than pleased, Mrs. Brody, and
her husband, both also looking upset.
"Call forth that picture hanging on the wall," Raciel ordered. Sam gave him
an odd look, but did as she was told.
"Uh, picture?" she said, unsure. The picture disappeared from the wall and
landed in Sam's, who yelped in astonishment, lap.
"No, you will not take the rest of what remains of Sam's childhood," John,
Sam's foster father, said firmly.
"If she does not train, she will not know how to protect herself and die,"
Raciel replied fiercely. "Furthermore, since she's of age to use magic, it
should be her decision, not ours."
"Dad, what if this can be part of my community service?" she inquired,
looking at John.
"I guess it's alright with me if it's alright with your mother," John said
finally. Sam looked at her foster mother with her eyes begging.
"Just...be careful," Elizabeth answered.
Sam let out a whoop of victory and the memory seemed to be blurring. The next
five minutes showed some of her training along with her first battle in a
dream sequence. It eventually led the time-travelers to Sam with her gang and
the outlook looked grim.
"Guys, look, I need out of the gang," she said.
"How come? You turning against us?" a boy asked.
"Xavier, guys, you know I'm not like that. Some things have come up, that's
all."
The rest of the gang circled around her, preparing for what they knew to be
inevitable. One of them threw a rock at Sam, who dodged it easily, but did
not do so well during the next ten minutes. The trio tried to see what was
happening, but failed to do so, but instead, they heard Sam's sharp cries of
pain. Eventually, the gang backed off, leaving a bloody Sam struggling for
air and laughed.
"There's no way you can leave us without a price to pay," a girl with purple
hair sneered. What surprised them was that Sam was slowly getting back up,
but failed while holding her leg in pain.
"Hey, what's going on?" a somewhat familiar voice inquired.
"Watching an old friend of ours die," another boy replied. The speaker soon
showed herself to be Morgan, with Alicia, Alex, and Erika with her.
"One more step and I'll- I'll shoot her!" Xavier shouted, pulling out a gun.
The four girls stood where they were, unsure of exactly what to do.
"Go now!" Sam spoke with intense pain in her voice. Xavier turned and fired a
bullet into Sam's lower abdomen. She winced and gasped, but never said a
word.
The gang watched her, so surprised by her reaction which gave Alex the time
necessary to call the authorities.
"If you thought that hurt, then this will be painful," Xavier said coldly,
firing again. This time, Sam whined and moaned.
"Put down your firearms! This is the police!" Xavier and the rest of the gang
turned around and put their hands up, knowing that they'd been caught. A
group of paramedics rushed to Sam's aid as fast as they could. The memory
faded briefly as another appeared quickly.
Sam came into her foster parents' house, looking extremely excited. She
stopped short when she saw Elizabeth crying.
"Mom? What happened?" she asked.
"Sam, sweetie, your dad was sent to fight in the war," Mrs. Brody said.
"What? No!" Sam said. She fled to her bedroom, slammed the door, threw
herself on the bed, and let out a sob. Snively took a step forward, wanting
to comfort her, when Shadow stopped him.
"Don't," he warned. Again, the memory faded briefly and a cemetery appeared.
"Why are we here?" Sydney inquired. They saw Sam sitting in front of a
tombstone, tears in her eyes. They read the tombstone and understood what had
happened. The tombstone read:
John Brody
January 4, 1968- September 21, 2006
"Sam had just turned fifteen," Snively said. The memory faded into black and
the group knew that that part of Sam's past was over.
----
"Do you think we're almost finished?" Shadow queried.
"Sam said this should only run through until she's twenty-three," Sydney
replied.
"We're back at the Moon Palace," Snively commented. They saw Sam running
through the hall.
"Samantha, come meet your sister," Raciel said. Sam slowed down to a walk,
seeing Sophia.
"She looks exactly the same!" Sydney said.
"Samantha, this is your younger sister, Sophia," Raciel said.
"S'up?" Sam inquired, holding out a fist. Sophia took a step back.
"Nah, nah, nah. See? Ya pound it," Sam said. She illustrated what she meant
using her own hands.
"Samantha!" A woman with long silvery hair came running and embraced Sam, who
stood there.
"I kinda go by Sam, you guys," she said, pulling away from the woman.
"Sam, I'm your mother," Queen Serenity said. A purple energy ball hit her
from behind, killing her before Sam's eyes.
"M-mom?" Sydney noticed her younger self with another energy call. Sam formed
a white ball of energy, ready to fight. The memory faded and a gray fog
replaced it.
"What happened?" Shadow asked.
"I don't know," the female of the group answered. The fog disappeared, giving
away to a gym.
"Sam Brody!" a voice said cheerfully. They watched as Sam walked down an
aisle with a black gown on.
"This is her graduation," Snively muttered.
"Miss Brody has exceeded with high honors and has been given a scholarship to
Harvard University," the one calling the names said. There was comforting
applause as Sam took her diploma and shook hands with the officials. The
memory blurred until the three could feel themselves sitting. Seeing Sam in
front driving alerted them that they were in Sam's vehicle.
Suddenly, a truck swerved in front of Sam's car. Sam tried to swerve,
swearing in the process, but failed horribly. Snively, Sydney, and Shadow
were jerked out of the car and rolled onto the pavement. They watched as the
truck went through Sam's car when they noticed smoke and a small flame. The
memory faded into the familiar darkness the trio had come to know so well.
----
Sam's next memory seemed very familiar to Snively. They saw Sam walking down
a sidewalk. They then saw Snively, when he was shorter and had no hair, on
the ground unconscious.
"Dude, are you okay?" Sam asked. To the present Snively, if felt like déjà
vu. They watched as the day went by, with Snively anxious to leave. He didn't
want the others to see when he had first met Sam; he cherished that too much
for anyone else to see.
The three time travelers were suddenly pulled from the dream Sam was having,
seeing her wake up. She practically dove out of bed and hurried down the
hallway.
"She's looking for me," Snively said, amazement in his voice. She swung open
the guest bedroom's door to find a disappointment. They watched as Sam
searched the room in vain, trying to find the Snively in her dream.
She flopped down on the bed and after a minute or so, shrugged and smiled,
"he was kinda cute."
Shadow and Sydney looked at Snively who was blushing. They felt like they
were being pulled again, when they saw floods of memories coming in a dream
sequence. Snively remembered everything; when they met in person, their first
kiss (literally: both had admitted to never kissing anyone else), smaller
memories in between, like curling up together in his hut when it snowed
heavily outside with hot cocoa, Sam admitting to who she really was, Sam
meeting Robotnik for the first time, when Snively had proposed, when they
tried to rid Sam of the crystal (also being the first time they had made
love, at which Snively had turned bright red from blushing, due to the
scene), their wedding, his and Sam's honeymoon, he and Sam finding out she
was pregnant, Sophia's death (Sydney feeling extremely guilty), and when Hope
had came to live with them.
They saw Sam's twenty-first birthday, when their daughter from the future had
died in their arms (who Serenity got her nickname from), and them spending
time together with Hope. Snively knew exactly what to expect next; parts of
Armageddon danced past them, Sam giving birth to Serenity (Sam demanding in a
foul manner to get Snively), Mecha moving in with them, Naugus's return,
Snively's death and coming back to life, Hope's father (Colin Sr.) disowning
her, Snively and Sam adopting Hope and Mecha, some miscellaneous memories
such as them playing basketball with their kids and them kissing. Snively
noticed that there were several memories of them showing their love for one
another. 'Had she truly loved me that much? Was being married to me the
happiest point of her life?' Snively wondered to himself. They noticed Sam
and the past version of Snively in each other's faces, yelling.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam demanded.
"I WANT, no, I DEMAND A DIVORCE!" Snively saw himself yell in Sam's face.
"What?" she asked, her voice smaller. Then, the memory faded into darkness.
"No, that was the worst possible time for it to just fade out," Snively
muttered.
"No kidding," Sydney agreed. They noticed a flurry of memories and ran to
them. The memories were random things such as her getting a job with the CIA,
Sam recording her debut album, her looking at the Top 100 Billboard and
discovering her Cd went double platinum, Sam receiving two Grammy's, and
looking very heartbroken throughout all of her memories. The memories
dissolved, giving away a new memory. The three walked towards it, unsure if
it would be a good memory or a dark one.
----
The trio noticed it was nighttime in L.A. and saw Sam running, panting
heavily.
"Man, I can't shake this guy!" Sam said, pausing momentarily. She looked over
her shoulder, gasped softly, and took off running in the direction she was
going. Sydney looked at the direction Sam had come from and saw a man chasing
her partner. Shadow carried Sydney while Snively hung onto his neck. Shadow
followed suit, gaining ground smoothly. Sam tripped and fell, landing on her
back and groaned. As she was starting to get up, the man chasing her shoved
her back down, her head hitting the pavement.
"What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Sam demanded rudely. The man
didn't answer but kissed Sam instead. She brought her knee up, causing the
man to roll off her and roll around on the ground holding his crotch. He
stopped when he saw Sam starting to escape. He pulled out a knife and stabbed
her left calf. She ran, wincing with each step. He caught up with her, since
she could not run as fast. He pinned her against a tree, she trying to
escape.
"Who are you?!" Sam screamed. The man slapped her across the face roughly.
Sam screamed as loud as she possibly could, seeing some lights flicker on
from the residential areas of the neighborhood.
The man stabbed her in the chest, where her right lung was located. She
moaned softly and slid to the ground, leaving a streak of blood on the tree.
The trio heard sirens in the distance, seeing the man run off. Snively walked
to Sam, hearing her moan his name softly, over and over. He touched her face,
noticing it felt invisible, like he was touching thin air. Sam looked up into
his eyes and whispered, "help me."
Snively felt tears well up in his eyes and felt horrible because he could do
nothing to help her. The memory began to fade into black, Snively trying to
pull Sam with him. Shadow and Sydney dragged him away.
"No! She's in need of my help!" But, by then, the memory had faded
completely. They saw some more miscellaneous memories of Sam performing on
stage, her writing song lyrics, and recording some songs. They saw a blurred
highway ahead of them and proceeded further.
----
The saw Hope and Sam talking on the side of the highway, then move to Sam's
lambo. Their vision blurred until they found themselves on a stage. Snively
heard 'Attitude's' chords being played by Sam and saw an audience. They
watched Sam finish the song and say something about where they were was the
last stop for the Attitude Tour. They moved into the crowd, deciding to watch
the rest of the concert. Snively saw Hope dancing alongside her mother, which
he couldn't decide whether to be proud or upset, during the last song 'What
Dreams are Made of.' The three followed the mother-daughter pair backstage,
watching as they got sodas and sat down at a table.
"Ready you two?" a member of the security inquired.
"Let 'er rip!" Sam replied with a smile. The guard opened the door, letting
fans come pouring in. Sam and Hope both started autographing miscellaneous
things as the memory blurred and Shadow, Sydney, and Snively felt like they
were falling once again. They landed in Snively's hut, hearing a knock at the
door.
"Are we back?" Shadow asked.
"I'll get it!" Mecha said, rushing to the door. He swung open the door, being
greeted by his mom and sister. They watched as Sam gave her kids their gifts,
Ann inviting her to dinner, and Sam and the Snively of that particular memory
engage in small talk. Sydney, Shadow, and Snively could see, feel, and hear
the intensity between the two of them. Sydney looked around, "where's Ann?"
"She was in the kitchen making dinner," Snively replied. Sydney ran in there,
the men following her.
"What's so important about this?" Snively demanded.
"Watch," Sydney instructed coldly. The time-travelers watched as Ann pulled a
small vessel of something from her pocket and poured it into a glass of wine.
"What is that?" Shadow asked.
"Cyanide," Sydney answered crisply.
"Ann tried to poison Sam?" Snively muttered to himself.
"So, Sam didn't drink the wine because she didn't want to, but because she
had known of the poison," Snively said, finally understanding the looks Ann
and Sam gave each other that evening at the dinner table. The scene blurred
and they found themselves in a place Sydney recognized.
"Headquarters," she muttered.
"I work alone," they heard Sam say coldly.
"Except now," the commander had said.
"She wasn't exactly happy when finding out she had to work with me," Sydney
said. The memory again blurred and this time they found themselves in a large
dorm.
They heard two voices yelling and walked towards them. They looked into the
bathroom, seeing Sam pinned against the wall, wet, undressed, and looking
furious, being held by Snively, who was clothed and also looking upset.
"Because you were too busy yelling about getting a damn divorce!" Sam yelled.
She yelled for thirty more seconds before the Snively in front of her pulled
her face to his, giving her a passionate kiss. Snively watched, seeing that
Sam had actually enjoyed it and glanced to the door, across the hall, and to
her bedroom. 'She was thinking the same thing I was!' Snively thought,
glancing at her curves. The memory faded into black and Snively, Shadow, and
Sydney felt like they were being sucked into something.
----
Sydney, Snively, and Shadow landed on Snively's hut's floor, in front of the
laptop, which popped the disk out.
"W-we're back," Sydney said breathlessly.
"There you are!" Ann said. "Snively, I need some help fixing dinner. Shadow,
Sally's been looking for you."
Shadow and Sydney departed from the couple's house, leaving them alone. "Ann,
do you remember a few months ago when you had invited Sam over for dinner?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"You tried to kill her, didn't you?" Ann averted her eyes; he found out.
"Yes, but I had good intentions," Ann said quickly.
"Ann, don't give me that! There was no reason for you to try to kill Sam,"
Snively answered angrily. "Ann, honestly, I feel like we should go our
separate ways."
"We can't," she replied.
"Why is that?" Snively demanded. He had assumed that she would come up with
some type of sob story.
"I'm pregnant and you're the father," Ann said.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes, it's true." Snively sat on the couch heavily.
"If you don't want it, I can abort it," she suggested.
"No! Ann, just...get out of my sight. I need some time to think," Snively
answered. He got up and walked out of the hut. He continued on until he was
sure no one would see him open a portal and leave Mobius altogether. He got
in his SUV at the parking garage and drove out. He wasn't sure where he was
going, but didn't care.
He glanced at the clock while waiting for a stoplight to change green. He
sighed. 11:45 p.m. He had forgotten Earth's time system was faster, but the
years went by slower. He pulled into a small structure with neon lights. He
went in, sitting down at the counter heavily.
"Vodka, please," he said tiredly. The bartender served him faithfully for an
hour and a half. He stumbled out with a black eye and a bloodied lip.
"I can't drive," he mumbled to himself, realizing his problem. He pulled out
his cell-phone, trying to press the blurred numbers.
"Hello?" a female's tired voice picked up.
"Sam? I-I need help. I'm not able to drive," he said sheepishly.
"Are you okay? You sound drunk," Sam replied.
"I, yes."
"Do you know where you are?" He looked at the sign. The letters looked very
blurred.
"No, I can't read the sign. I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Not trusting you." Sam was silent for a moment.
"Are you able to describe the place to me?" she inquired.
"It's, uh, small, and it has a neon blue boot as a sign."
"Snively, you're at Booter's?" I can't believe you're at a bar. I'll be there
soon. I gotta wake Mecha up to let him know I'm leaving."
"'Bye, Sam," Snively hung up. He sat in the backseat of the SUV and
eventually fell asleep, waiting for his ex-wife.
----
"Snively? Wake up," Sam said. She pounded on the SUV's window trying to gain
Snively's attention, then tried the door; locked. She slid down the side of
the vehicle and looked to her left and saw a large boulder. She struggled in
lifting it and threw it against the window, shattering it. She stuck her hand
in, feeling for the handle to open the door. She found it and opened the
door, watching shards of glass spill out. She got in, sitting on Snively's
lap, facing him.
"Snively?" she asked. She took him by the shoulders and shook him roughly.
"W-wha-?" he asked groggily. Lifting his head up, he noticed Sam looking at
him, anger and concern in her eyes.
"Come on, I need to get you out of here," Sam said.
"No, I can drive now," he replied.
"Bull, you're completely wasted." She pulled him out of the vehicle, him
struggling.
"Snively, hey, let's play a game," Sam suggested. He nodded.
"Um, can you walk on this line?" she asked, pointing to a crack.
"What's in this for me?" he inquired, suspicious.
"Uhhh, a makeout session with me, no holdbacks." That seemed to capture his
interest. He walked on the crack, wobbling horribly.
"Let me smell your breath." He blew into her face, Sam smelling the vodka
strongly.
"Can you put your hands above your head?" Sam inquired, walking behind him.
Snively felt something cold circle each of his wrists, hearing two small
clicks.
"You're under arrest. Anything you say or do can and will be held against
you," he heard Sam say weakly. She pushed him to the back of her lambo,
making him get in. She got in the driver's seat, calling someone to tow his
SUV to a car shop.
"Why am I in cuffs?" he asked, his words slurring.
"You failed the sobriety test. You're luck I'm not turning you in," Sam said.
"No making out?" he pouted.
"No is right. I can't believe you," she answered, noticing he went back to
sleep. She eventually pulled into her driveway. She dragged her unconscious
ex-husband into her kitchen from the backdoor. She nudged him with the toe of
her boot, waking him back up. She uncuffed him, pulling him off the floor and
sitting him on a chair. She pulled an ice pack from the freezer, put it in a
cloth, and placed it on his left eye.
"Hold it there; it'll make the swelling go down." He obeyed, watching her get
ice out of the freezer, milk, two mangoes, and a cup full of blueberries. She
chopped the mangoes up, placing the pieces in her blender, followed by
everything else she got out. She turned the blender on, watching it mutilate
the ingredients. She opened a cabinet, pulling out a plastic glass and turned
the blender off. She opened a different cabinet, pulling out a small jar of
something and some Tylenol. She measured two teaspoons of liquid from the jar
and placed it in the glass, then poured it in the fruity drink. She mixed it
together, finally turning to Snively.
"Here, drink this," she ordered, handing him the drink.
"Why?"
"It'll make your hangover go away a little faster and less painful. Take
this," she replied, giving him a Tylenol. He did as told, feeling ashamed.
She placed the trashcan by him. He gave her a curious look, then felt sick.
He vomited into the trash can, feeling something hold his shoulders firmly.
He looked up, seeing Sam was the one holding him.
"I-I feel hot," he said weakly.
"Finish your drink," Sam said, going into a different room. He did so,
wondering where she went. She came back in, helping him up and guiding him
down the hall and upstairs.
"Where are you taking me? I need to go home," he said.
"I'm taking you to bed because you are in no condition to go anywhere. "How
do you feel?" Sam continued.
"Sick to my stomach. Why?"
"Because I have a gut feeling that you're going to be sick in about thirty
seconds," she replied, shoving him into a bathroom and shutting the door.
Snively fell to his knees by the toilet, barfing again. Sam again held him
firmly, feeling saddened.
"Are you finished?" she inquired, seeing him weakly nod. She pulled him up to
a standing position. She supported his weight by putting his arm around her
shoulder and her arm around his lower back, walking him to a spare bedroom.
"Sam, I'm very hot," he whined, tugging at his shirt's collar. She
reluctantly helped him get his shirt and undershirt off and took his boots
off his feet. She folded his shirts and put them on a table, his boots under
the table. Sam nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Snively wrap his
arms around her, caressing her neck with his lips.
"Snively, please stop," she said, shrugging him off. He looked hurt, but back
off regardless. Sam guided him to the bed, forcing him to lie down. She
cupped Snively's face with her hand, then turned to leave the room.
"Stay with me," Snively abruptly said.
"I can't," she replied.
"Please, I need you." Sam sighed, walked back over to him and sat down on the
other side of the bed.
"I cannot wait until you're sober. That way, I'll feel like I'm having an
intelligent conversation with you," she said. He only blinked and scooted
closer to her. He rested his head on her ample breasts, yawning. Sam told
her ex to get off several times, but he only ignored her. She finally
accepted the fact that Snively was going to use her bosom as a pillow and
stroked his hair until she heard his breathing relax and saw his chest rise
and fall steadily. She gently rested his head on a fluffy pillow, hoping he
wouldn't notice the difference, and got up. She left the room, flicking off
the lights and quietly shutting the door.
----
'Where am I?' Snively thought, waking up, head pounding and stomach rumbling.
He sat up, trying to recollect his thoughts from the previous night.
"Why is it so hot in here?" he muttered, getting up. He walked to the door
and opened it. He proceeded down the hall and stairs, hearing voices to the
left of him. He walked into a sunny kitchen, seeing his kids at a table,
eating sandwiches, chips, and watermelon.
"Daddy!" Chibi chirped, climbing from her chair and running to him.
"Feeling any better?" he heard Sam say.
"What are you talking about?" Snively asked. Sam's back was facing him, but
he could easily tell she was hot, in more ways than one. Sam turned with a
smirk on her lips.
"Enjoying the view, I see." He glanced quickly at her outfit, before she
could catch him gawking. She had on dark blue jeans, black high heeled
sandals, and a sea green tunic with white, small polka dots. The shirt was a
partially button-up one, though it really didn't have to be, because the
neckline was a v-neck and was cut a few centimeters in between her breasts.
He had obviously spent too much time looking at her neckline because she
started tapping her foot impatiently and finally took Chibi out of his arms,
breaking him out of his daydream.
"You may want to consider a cold shower," Sam said, tossing a bag to him. He
caught it, giving her an odd look.
"Why?" he inquired.
"Uhm, look down." He did so, blushing brightly.
"Where's the, uh..uh, bathroom?" he asked weakly. Sam took his arm and pulled
him out of the room, leading Snively to where he wanted to be.
"How's your head?"
"It hurts some, why?"
"And your stomach?"
"Hurts very much, but why?"
"I'll tell ya later," she said, opening the door to the bathroom they were in
last night.
"Why not now?" he inquired.
"Because I have a feeling that you are still daydreaming about me in bed with
you," she replied, as if she were talking about the weather. He went in,
closing the door behind him. As he was showering, he tried to think of what
had happened the previous night. He toweled off, looking in the bag Sam had
given him; clothes, men's clothes, his clothes. 'How'd-?' Snively dismissed
the interrupted thought.
He came out, going back to the kitchen, seeing a lone dish on the table, with
food on it, and a glass of tea sitting by it. He sat down at the table,
wondering who it was for.
"You're not hungry?" Sam asked, walking in. "I'm surprised actually. I
figured you'd be starved after throwing up as much as you did."
"I am. I didn't know this was for me. What happened last night?" he asked.
"You don't remember a thing?" she asked, Snively shaking his head.
"You called me about twenty after one last night from Booter's, which is a
bar, asking me for help. I came to get you, but you were asleep in the back
of your SUV, with the doors locked. I had to bust a window out to unlock the
door and get to you."
"You busted my window?"
"It's being fixed now. I, I had to arrest you to get you to come with me. I
gave you a couple of things to help with your hangover. You threw up once in
here and again in the bathroom, and it took you awhile to get through both,"
she continued. "I made you go to bed and you-"
"I what?"
"You wrapped your arms around me and kissed my neck, like you used to. You
listened when I told you to stop. You also asked me to stay with you. I told
you 'no' repeatedly, but finally gave in. You, um, used my chest as a pillow
last night," she told him, seeing him look guilty.
"As soon as you were asleep, which was about 3:00, I moved your head to a
pillow and left."
"Sam, if I caused-"
"Don't worry about it. You were better off calling me than driving."
"What do you think of Ann?" Snively inquired without warning.
"Honestly, you do not want to know what I think of her."
"Not good?"
"You could say that."
"I was considering breaking up with her, but now I can't."
"Why is that?" Sam pulled a chair out and sat down.
"Ann's pregnant."
"Oh."
"I just don't see how though," Snively said, taking a bite out of his
sandwich.
"Why not? We did it a lot when we were married," Sam replied, receiving a
dirty look.
"But, seriously though, did you ever, well, you know?"
"I-"
"Truth would be nice."
"...no, I keep getting nervous," he answered.
"Then, it's not your kid."
"What do I do then?"
"You can do one of two things: Leave her, or stay with her and be
miserable," Sam said coldly.
"Sam, that doesn't help me much."
"Sorry, but that's all I have to say. If you don't like it, don't ask for
it." Mecha walked in, saw the tension, and was about to walk out when his
mother stopped him.
"Yeah," he inquired.
"Get your sisters ready to go home. Your father is ready to leave."
"Yes, ma'am." After forty-five minutes, Sam pulled into the garage that her
ex-husband used and let him and her children out.
"Nuh-uh, not without giving your mom a hug." The kids gave her a hug and
Snively walked up to the car.
"By the way," she said, pulling out Ann's engagement ring and dropping it
into his hand, "I believe this is Ann's."
He nodded and stepped away, allowing her to leave. He opened a portal,
ushering his children in and following them himself.
----
A week later, Sam went to Knothole to visit her children, only to find out
they were at school. Instead, Sam climbed up in a tree and watched Knothole's
citizens go about their daily routines, falling asleep.
"What are you doing up there?" Sam glanced down with one eye, adjusting her
black fedora slightly so that she could see better, for its rim covered her
eyes.
"Waiting for my kids to come home from school. By the way, how do you like
your ring?"
"Shut up; I only agreed to marry him for two reasons," Ann snapped.
"Oh? And those would be?" the brunette questioned.
"Well, you and I both know the only two things he's good for; his money and,
'kahuh,' need I say more? Besides, I have another boyfriend I'd rather be
with, and who's better-looking," Ann replied.
"And I pity you for that," Sam scoffed.
"I don't see what you saw in him, let alone what I saw in him. I don't think
I really cared for him, now that I think about it. I just needed some extra
cash and someone to screw around with," Ann said, looking amused with
herself. Sam jumped down from the tree and shoved Ann against it.
"If you ever hurt Snively, I swear I'll kill you," Sam threatened darkly. Ann
shrugged carelessly.
"It doesn't really matter. He'd believe me over you, Sam Brody," Ann replied
smugly. Sam took a step back, stunned, giving the other woman time to break
free. Ann walked off, laughing a little as Sam watched her go with narrowed
eyes. She was climbing back up the tree when someone yanked her down,
spinning her around.
"Sam what did you say to Ann?" Snively demanded.
"What did I say? Excuse me, but I believe you're mistaking me for someone
else," she replied. He shook her.
"Sam, grow up! I don't need your lies right now!"
"Lies? Who are you anymore? Ann's only marrying you for your money!"
"Don't LIE to me!"
"I'm not lying, Snively. I'm trying to warn you before you go bankrupt and
get hurt," Sam said earnestly.
"Are you jealous, Sam? Are you? I'm beginning to wonder. As for the children,
I've decided to revoke your visitation rights."
"What?! You have no frickin' right to do that!" Sam yelled.
"I brought up your childhood to my lawyer, which is rather disturbing, might
cause you to go insane when you are alone, or worse, with the children."
"You know what? I'm through with you." I'm at my best right now and I'm not
letting go. I have you figured out, so don't you dare start shovin' stuff on
me, 'cause I'm not the problem, it's you, Mr. Kintobor," Sam said, walking
away. 'The sad fact of her words,' Snively decided, 'is that they're true.'
And, he was correct.
The End!
Q.N.
Yeah, I know you don't name the Prologue and Epilogue, but I had my reasons.
I did make a cd for this 'fic (not surprising for me). If you would like a
copy of the songs, e-mail me. This one seemed like it took forever for me to
write! As I've promised months ago, this one was darker than any of the other
ones I've ever written.
Later!
M.P.
Moon Princess
(
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