Disclaimer: Generation X, the X-Men, and all villains named belong to Marvel. Any of the other products, movies, television programs, composers, and television stations belong to whoever. I’m not making any money off of this. Amy Archer belongs to me, though I don’t know what anyone else would want with her. Even I hate her, and she’s my creation.

This takes place in my own continuity, where the Academy is still private, Cyclops is still part of the X-Men, and Paige still has her good hair.



Part 1: The Beginning of the End



It was Friday afternoon at the Massachusetts Academy. The GenX kids were busy discussing what to do with the weekend. "We could go shopping." Jubilee said. "NO!" Everyone screamed. "That’s all you ever want to do!" Exclaimed Everett. Jubilee threw a handful of popcorn at him. "We could rent a movie." Paige suggested. "Good idea." Said Jubilee. "But what?" They all considered this for a moment. "Scream?" Said Angelo. "I've seen it, and it's not too bad. Might be a little too adult for Jubecita here though." Jubilee glared at him. "It's not too adult for me. I've seen it too." "Well," said Paige, "if everyone's already seen it, why bother renting it?" "Because it's better than sittin’ here and watchin’ TGIF, that's why Hayseed." Jubilee leaned back in her chair and flipped the channel to some Japanese cartoon. "Besides, we can always rent the other one." "There’s more than one?" Ev asked. "Yeah, one and two." Replied Angelo. "Oh. I guess that explains why the people looked different. I thought I was seeing the same movie twice." "Honestly Ev, sometimes I wonder about you." Monet could see that this conversation was going nowhere, so she decided to interrupt before things got even more out of hand. "How about Life is Beautiful?" "Sub-titles? I don’t think so!" Jubilee exclaimed. Ev was about to say something when they were interrupted by Emma. {{There is a new student arriving at the school. Come to the front door immediately.}} "Well that came out of nowhere." Said Jubilee. "She coulda at least said please." Monet sighed. "Come along Jubilation, before you annoy everyone more than you already have." "Oh, stop being such a snob M. And don't call me Jubilation." Paige, deciding to intervene, grabbed Jubilee and led her out the door. "We don't want to be late. And I for one am curious about this new student." The kids walked down the hall to the entrance. Sean and Miss Frost, who gave them an annoyed look at their tardiness, hustled them to the door and down the steps. "Geez Frosty, what's the rush? You're wrinkling my coat." "How can you tell?" asked Angelo. "It looks like it's never even seen a washing machine." "Funny." Jubilee said as she punched him in the shoulder. "You should have your own HBO special." "Oww!" Angelo backed away, holding his injured arm. "Chica, calm down, it was only a joke. What, is it that time of the month or something?" "Angelo, shut up." Paige punched him in the arm. "OW! You girls are loco, stay away from me!" Angelo said as he positioned himself between Jono and Ev, the only sane members of the group as far as he was concerned. Just then, a cab pulled up in front of the school. A young girl stepped out, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Wow." Breathed Angelo, Jonothon, and Everett. The girl was tall and slender, with pale, flawless skin, and legs like a Barbie doll (in Angelo's opinion). But her most striking feature was her long glossy hair, black as coal. Jubilee hated her on sight. Angelo leaned toward Paige and whispered: "Man, look at the size of her..." "Angelo you pig!" "...luggage. She's got a lot of bags. Get your mind out of the gutter Paige." He shook his head at her. Sean and Miss Frost, after conferring with the gorgeous stranger for several moments, approached the students with the girl in tow. "Children, I'd like you to meet your new classmate, Amy Archer. I hope you'll make her feel welcome. As Sean and I have some paperwork to deal with, I expect one of you to show Amy to her room and give her a tour of the grounds." With that, the two teachers left, leaving them to make their own introductions. Amy turned towards the group, and examined them coldly with her emerald-coloured eyes. They in turn fidgeted nervously under the weight of her stare. Everett, being the nice guy he is, stepped forward and held out his hand. "Hi there. My name’s Everett Thomas, and it’s very nice to me-" "Take my bags inside to my room," Amy said airily, waving towards the giant pile of matching luggage that rested next to the steps. "I’ll be along presently." Everett stood there dumfounded, too shocked to speak. Jubilee, never being at a loss for words, jumped to his defense. "What do ya think he is, your bellboy? Carry your own bags." Amy simply ignored the young girl, and walked past her up the steps. "Wait a minute!" Yelled Paige. "Miss Frost said we have to show you around." Amy turned around and glared at her. "I can find my own way around, without any help. Especially not from somebody who dresses in clothes from the Salvation Army." With that, she turned and haughtily walked away, leaving a sputtering Paige behind. {{Nice.}} Muttered Jono. {{This is gonna be fun.}}

* * * *

Later that night, Sean Cassidy walked into the school’s rec. room, where the students had decided to spend their evening instead of getting a movie. He scanned the room: Jono and Angelo playing pool, Everett, Jubilee, and Paige playing Clue while listening to CDs, and Monet reading a thick book. "Kids, where’s the other student?" "Artie and Leech are in the attic, building a fort." Offered Everett as he moved his yellow piece into the conservatory. "A fort?" Asked Angelo, "I thought that was banned. I mean, after what happened last time..." Paige and Jubilee snickered. "No, I meant Amy. Why isnae she here?" "Maybe she had to go get her broom cleaned." Suggested Jubilee mischievously. "Jubilee, that’s nae funny." "Well it wasn’t supposed to be funny. The girl’s a witch." Sean sighed. "Jubilee, think about it. The lass is far away from her home, her friends, and her family." "Mr. and Mrs. Charles Manson." Whispered Angelo. Jonothon nodded in agreement. "I know she may seem a little cold, but she’s just lonely and nervous. Make her feel welcome, and she’ll be sure tae warm up to ye. Think of how ye felt when ye first came t'the school." The kids exchanged guilty looks. They hadn't really thought about it that way. Sean exited the room, satisfied that the kids were going to be more receptive to the girl from now on. Back in the rec. room, the games continued, but with less enthusiasm than before. "Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the revolver." Said Jubilee dully. As Everett leaned over to show her his card, Paige spoke up: "You know, Mr. Cassidy is right. I mean, I know I was nervous and not really myself when I first got here. Maybe someone should go and invite her to join us?" "Why not." Said Angelo, as Jono sunk two balls with one shot. "I could use someone else to play with. Jono cheats." {{Yer just sayin’ that because I creamed ya five times in a row.}} "Well, then we're decided. But who?" Immediately five pairs of eyes turned toward Monet. "Me? Why in the world would I want one more annoyance here to distract me from my studies?" "Nobody's forcin’ you to stay M." Said Jubilee. "I can give you lots of reasons," Everett added hastily, effectively cutting off any retort Monet might've had. "For one, she didn't really seem to like me or Paige. Also, Jubilee might be a little, uh...short tempered with her. No offense Lee. Jono's a little too antisocial, and Angelo might hit on her." Angelo grinned. "So, by process of elimination, you're the only one left. Besides, she seems like your type of person: very cultured and high society-ish." "I suppose I can't argue with that. Fine, I'll go, but I don't promise anything." Monet rose and headed out the door. Jubilee, who had been biting her lip to keep from talking, finally exploded: "What in the world was all that crap ya were spoutin', Ev? C'mon, 'cultured,' 'high society,' ya made the rest of us sound like uneducated hicks. Sorry Hayseed." Paige glared at her. "How many times do Ah hafta tell ya, we are not uneducated. Sam went to college for goodness sake. And if ya make one more comment about mah family like that, I'll smack ya into next week!" "Like to see ya try!" The two girls faced off. Everett, with no regard to his own personal safety, jumped between them. "Stop it! There's no need to fight about this!" "Ah think ya should mind your own business Ev. What do you think, Jubilee?" "I think I agree with ya Guthrie. On three?" "Three!" Shouted Paige, and they both tackled Everett, who went down screaming like a little girl. Angelo and Jono turned away from the carnage, and picked up their cues. {{Shall we continue mate?}} "Be my guest. Hey Ev, pipe down will ya? We’re trying to concentrate here."

* * * *

Monet approached Amy’s room, and paused before knocking. She heard music coming from inside. Mozart, she remarked approvingly. Perhaps this school finally has someone of my caliber to associate with. She rapped softly on the door with her knuckles. "Who is it?" Called Amy. "Monet. May I come in?" She heard Amy sigh. "If you must." Monet opened the door and stepped in. Amy sat curled up on her bed, with a book of Renoir paintings in her lap. Without lifting her eyes from the page, Amy addressed the other girl. "Well, what do you want?" Monet was surprised by her annoyed tone. "On behalf of the rest of the group, I wish to invite you downstairs." Amy snorted, the first unladylike thing she’d done since her arrival. "Please. Tell your friends that I’d rather throw myself into the Seine than voluntarily spend time with all of you." Monet felt her anger rising. The nerve of this witch to insult her, Monet St. Croix: beautiful, rich, and cultured daughter of Algerian dignitaries. "I believe I’ve already answered your request. Are you going to leave, or stand in the middle of my room all night, in that hideous blouse?" Monet turned on her heels and stormed out, leaving a very amused Amy behind.

* * * *


It was Monday morning before any of the students saw Amy again. She strolled into the 8 am training session twenty minutes late, wearing some kind of designer work out clothes. Emma, already angry at Amy ignoring her telepathic summons, was now furious. "Where is your uniform?" She asked. "Oh, you mean that disgusting yellow and red spandex thing? There’s no way I’m wearing that. It makes *anyone* who puts it on look like a circus reject. I’ll be more comfortable in this, thank you." Emma was ready to physically attack the insolent girl, until Sean stopped her. "Calm down Em. Just let the lass get used to this whole super hero business, okay?" Emma nodded, still too angry to speak. "All right kids, let’s get started. Oh, I forgot to ask ye Amy, what exactly is your power?" A smug look came over Amy’s face. "Well, as of right now I know that I have flight capabilities, super strength, super speed, a healing factor, telepathy and telekinesis, fire powers, ice powers, the ability to control nature, and invulnerability. But I’m sure more will develop." Sean stared at her, his mouth agape. "Y-ye cannae be telling the truth lass. That’d make ye more powerful than all of us combined!" "Yes, I suppose it would." Said Amy, examining her nails. "Well, can we have a demonstration?" "Certainly." Sean turned to face the rest of the group. "Kids, would ye please leave while Amy gives us her demonstration? Think of it as a day off." He and Emma consulted with each other as everyone but Amy left the room. In the girls’ change room, Jubilee couldn’t stop grumbling. "Who does she think she is? I’ve got every mutant power ever discovered, blah blah bitty blah. She can’t really believe we’d fall for that crap." "Well," said Paige uncertainly, "maybe she’s not lying. Maybe she really does have all those powers, and more." "That’d make her even more powerful than Ms. Perfect over here." Jubilee jerked her thumb in M’s direction. "Please Jubilee, as if that would be possible. However, as much as I hate to admit it, Paige could be right. Perhaps Amy is that powerful." "Man, would that suck." Paige, after carefully folding her uniform, held the door open for the other two. "Come on guys, let’s forget about this and have breakfast. I know I’m ready for some Sugar Bombs."

* * * *

Later that morning, Generation X sat around in the living room, watching one of those trashy talk shows. Their classes had been canceled earlier during breakfast by Mrs. Frost, who had offered no explanation. "So Paige," said Jubilee casually, "are ya excited to see all your relatives on TV?" "What?" asked Paige, confused. "You know, Auntie Ellie-May here." Jubilee gestured towards the television, where one of the scantily clad women on the talk show started yelling in her southern accent and pulling on another girl’s hair. Understanding dawned on Paige’s face, and she jumped up off her seat. "That’s it Jubilee! That’s the last straw!" "Well, maybe you should go down to the barn and pitch some more." "AH’M GONNA KILL YOU LEE!" Screamed Paige, and Jubilee took off down the hall. Paige followed hot on her heels. The other occupants of the room glanced at each other, then went back to their program. A few minutes later, they heard a crash coming from the hall, followed by squeals of pain and a shout: "Ya think that lady on TV was rough? Ah’ll show ya rough!" At that precise moment, the front door opened, and in wheeled Professor X, followed by Cyclops. Paige gasped in shock, and let go of Jubilee’s hair. Jubilee, brushing the dust off her precious coat, rose also. "Hey Prof, 'sup?" She said cheerfully. "Hello Jubilee, it's nice to see you again. And you too Paige." The Professor smiled slightly at Paige's bright red face. "I don't think I'm going to ask what was going on at the moment of our arrival, but I suggest you clean up before your teachers arrive." Paige's face went an even deeper shade of red, and she quickly picked up the small table that had been knocked over in the melee. "Charles, Scott! Tis so nice to see you." Sean entered the room, followed by Emma, who nodded to the men. "It's nice to see you too Sean." Replied Cyclops. "I understand there's a student you'd like us to meet?" "Ah yes, Amy Archer. It's almost too strange to believe, but you definitely have to see what we saw this morning." "Lead the way then Sean." Said Professor X, and the adults left the room. The two girls looked at each other. "What was that all about?" Asked Jubilee. Paige shrugged, then, remembering what had been happening before their interruption, grabbed a fistful of hair and continued the torture.

* * * *

Later that evening, while the kids were eating supper, (pizza, ordered out. Jubilee had made a casserole for supper, but hadn't really followed any kind of recipe per say, and the result was an unappetizing gooey mixture containing god knows what.) the four adults and Amy entered the room. The Professor and Cyclops looked slightly stunned. Sean cleared his throat: "Ah, kids, will ye listen up for a minute please?" They put down their pizza. This sounded serious. Emma continued the recitation. "Well, as you all know, we've been observing Amy's power's for most of the day. The findings were quite astounding: it seems that Amy has every mutant power ever recorded, with an amazing degree of control over all of them. In other words, she's the most powerful mutant to walk this earth, including Apocalypse." Angelo started to choke on the mouthful of pizza he had been chewing on, and Jono jumped up to give him the heimlich. "It's *Cough* okay amigo *cough, cough*. I'm fine." "You can't be serious." Said Jubilee, absolutely shocked. In fact, they were all shocked. Even Monet looked mildly unsettled. "Oh, we are quite serious. This young lady has the power to defeat any and all of the villains on the planet: Mr. Sinister, Sabretooth, the entire Hellfire club, etc." Said the Professor, looking extremely disappointed. "*Sigh*, Scott, you'd better go and call the rest of the X-Men back from their mission. Amy will be more than able to take care of it." "All right." Cyclops left the room, giving Amy the evil eye, even though she couldn't see it. "I gave the best years of my life to this stupid dream." He grumbled to himself on his way out. "Now we're being put out to pasture by some airhead teen. Wonderful, just wonderful." "Well," said the Prof after Cyclops was gone, "I suppose we'd better take Amy back with us. You know, to get rid of all the bad guys and stuff. Come on." He wheeled out of the room, followed by Amy, who gave one last self-important smile to the group at the table. "Ta ta losers!" For a long moment nobody spoke. "Well," said Everett, trying to look on the bright side of the situation. "At least she's gone, right?" No one answered him. "So what now?" Asked Paige. No one answered her either.



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