Disclaimer: They aren't mine, they're Marvel's. Sami's mine, though...so ha!

Tabitha leapt to her feet, pushing Sam away from her. Running fast then she had in her entire life, Tabitha reached her and her daughter's room in record time, Sam not a second behind her.

But they were too late. The room was in shambles. The sheets were torn from the bed; clothes were ripped and scattered about. A giant hole gaped at them, allowing the cold night air into the house. Sami was no where to be seen.

"Sami?! SAMI!?" Tabitha screamed, her voice trembling, but nonetheless loud. Sam looked over her shoulder at the room where his young daughter had been no more then three minutes before.

"Sami?!" Sam called, his voice as shaken as Tabitha's. Quickly he moved past her, into the room. Looking everywhere, he could find no sign of the tiny child, or any record of whom may have taken her.

"Tabitha.." Sam whispered, turning to face the mother of his child. Her face was pale, her eyes wide open, but seeing nothing. Sam stepped forward, reaching out his arms for her. Numbly, Tabitha stepped into them, and laid her head against his chest, still in a state of shock.

"Sam.." She whispered, forcing the words out as best she could, "Where..where's...my-my daughter? Where's our daughter, Sam?"

Sam bit back a scream of rage. He had to stay in control. Tabitha needed him. Tabitha needed him. The mantra was still running through his head when he finally answered her. "Ah don't know gal...Ah don't know. But Ah'm gonna find her. Ah swear Ah will."

This seemed to reassure Tabitha to a limited degree. She continued to cling to Sam for a few seconds longer, until the rest of the inhabitants of the mansion arrived.

"Sam? What's going on in here?!" Roberto cried.

"Sami..somebody grabbed her!" Sam cried, clutching Tabitha tighter.

"Any ideas who?" Scott Summers asked.

"None." Sam shook his head no, still maintaining his grip on Tabitha.

"Lord have mercy.." Somebody whispered.

"All right people. I want you all in the war room in five minutes." Scott barked.

The assembled crowd disintegrated. Sam held Tabitha for a moment longer, before pulling back and whispering, "Ah have to go now."

Tabitha nodded, her eyes still vacant and shocked. Sam hated that look. "Listen to me Tabitha. Ah'm gonna find our daughter. Ah swear Ah will."

"I believe you, Sam." Tabitha whispered, hugging herself. Sam stopped for an instant, worried about leaving her alone.

Kit Rasputin solved that problem for him. The pregnant Englishwoman was standing at the doorway, looking at Tabitha worriedly.

"Is she okay?" Kit whispered to Sam as he passed.

"Ah don't know." Sam whispered back.

"You go find her daughter. I'll stay here and take care of Tabitha." Kit informed him.

"Alright. Thank you." Sam agreed.

"Don't mention it." Kit said, shooing him out the door.

*****

"Alright people..we've got a lot to do and not anytime to do it. Who ever grabbed Samantha knew how to get inside our defenses without setting them off, and that means everyone's in trouble." Cyclops told the assembled teams.

"I wanna bloody know who the hell knew Samantha and her mother were here, to begin with." Chamber spoke up from his position on the wall.

"He's got a point." Husk said from the other side of the room.

"And why grab Sami? Her mother isn't even an X-Man anymore!" Kitty Pryde asked.

"So many questions...and I have so many answers for them." A new voice said from the comm. link. Whirling around, the X-Men found themselves looking at a man with a long grin ponytail, and a cruel smile.

"Gideon!" Cannonball ground out, glaring at the External.

"Greetings Samuel Guthrie. I hear you have misplaced something rather valuable. May I offer my assistance?" The immortal mutant asked pleasantly.

"You have her, don't you?" Cannonball rasped, his eyes nearly white with suppressed fury.

"Have who? Oh, you mean..her?!" Gideon asked, laughing cruelly as he lifted a struggling Samantha Zacharia Smith into view.

"Sami!" Cannonball cried, his eyes locked on her tiny struggling form.

Gideon's wicked laughter turned to a shriek of pain as Sami twisted around and bit his fingers. Unfortunately, her bite didn't make Gideon put her down, only shake her so that it looked as if her neck would break.

"Insolent brat!" Gideon spat at her, tossing her to the floor. Sam thought he could hear her yelp of pain, as he dropped her to the floor.

"Don't you hurt her!" Sam screamed, his eyes full of rage.

"I'll do a lot more than that if you don't give me what I want." Gideon snarled back.

"And what's that?"

"You."

Sam glared at him for no longer then a second. Gritting his teeth, he snapped. "Fine. Me for Sami. Bring her to a place of my choosing and we'll trade."

"Oh no, my dear lad, it doesn't work that way. You come to me, and I give Sami back. I won't let you slip through my fingers again, boy." Gideon replied.

Sam shook his head. "How do Ah know that you won't double-cross me?"

"What use do I have for this little brat?" Gideon laughed. "Bring her mother with you, and we'll trade."

"Why Tabitha?"

"The child misses her mother. Why else?"

Sam closed his eyes. "You got a deal."

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