Disclaimer: Not mine, if you now them. Mine if you don't.

The former New Mutants were in a state of shock. And of course they had every right to be. Standing before them was one of their own, with a tiny child. A tiny child who called her Mommy.

Shatterstar was the first to recover. Stepping forward, the alien warrior asked, "Tabitha? Is that you?"

Tabitha Smith took a deep breath. (Here goes nothing.) "Hi, 'Star. Yeah, it's me."

Shatterstar looked at the girl for a long moment before asking, "Who is this?" and pointing at Sami. The child was looking at the adults around her with large blue eyes, and a confused expression.

"I told you who I was! Weren't you listening?" Sami demanded before her mother could say anything.

Rictor suppressed a laugh at Sami's expression of indignation. Beside him, he heard Demi giggle softly. Roberto looked over at them with a shocked expression on his handsome face.

"I take it you knew about this Ric?" Bobby's words were innocent but they held an icy overtone.

Rictor decided to ignore Bobby's tone. "Of course. Sami's my and Demi's goddaughter."

"Oh really?" Amara asked, tipping her head to the side.

"Ja, we are." Demi added, smiling prettily.

Rictor turned his gaze to the tall southern man who had been suspiciously quite through everything. Sam's face was still the awful gray it had turned when seeing Tabitha. His eyes were unreadable but they followed Tabitha's every move. His breathing was slightly ragged, and his lips were beginning to turn a faint blue.

"Sam? Are you alright?" Rictor asked, placing his hand on the taller man's arm.

"Wha'? Yeah, yeah Ah'm..fine." Sam replied distractedly. He continued to stare at Tabitha though, as though she was the only other thing in the world.

Tabitha was studiously not looking at Sam Guthrie. She knew that if she did she would probably burst into tears. Sami was still looking at her like she knew something was wrong. Knowing her daughter, she probably did realize what was going on here. Clutching Sami to her, Tabitha continued to smile at Shatterstar as though she was listening to him.

Suddenly Roberto spoke up. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I am freezing! I vote we take this little reunion inside where it's warmer!"

Most of them laughed, and the travelers went to collect their luggage. Tabitha struggled to lift both her and Sami's bags and hold on to her footing. Suddenly she slipped on a piece of ice and nearly fell. To her surprise a pair of strong hands caught her.

'Don't worry, Ah got ya." A voice whispered into her hair. It was the same voice she heard every night in her dreams, Sam's soft accent. (Oh, god.) Tabitha wanted to weep, and fling her arms around Sam's neck and scream 'I love you! She's your daughter! Please forgive me!'

Of course she didn't. If nothing else, Tabitha had learned to control herself since Sami had been born. Tabitha struggled to regain her footing, and then turned to face the father of her child.

He was unchanged in almost every way. His blonde hair was still long in the front and shorter in the back and his nose still had the funny bump in it. He was still tall, and looked like he had put on even more muscle. But there was something missing from his eyes, and his mouth looked like it hadn't truly smiled in years.

Sam looked back at her, as she stared at him. She had changed a great deal. Her hair was a little bit passed her shoulders, and it was the same deep auburn as Sami's. She looked older, more grown up too. Sam didn't know what had changed about her, but he knew something had.

"Thank you." Tabitha said in a tightly controlled voice.

"Don't mention it." Sam responded, his voice holding a hint of pain. Tabitha turned and walked toward where Sami was waiting patiently for her.

"Who was that man Momma?" Sami asked as she laced her fingers through Tabitha's.

"That was..he's..I don't.." Tabitha stuttered, her eyes filling with tears. She blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. As hard as she tried, though, she could not keep them from spilling over and splashing down her cheeks.

"Momma?" Sami cried in alarm. "What's wrong Momma?" The tiny child wrapped her arms around her mother and pressed her face into her legs.

"Nothing baby." Tabitha wept, putting the bags down and lifting her daughter. "I'm okay. Really, I am."

Demi happened to look over at the porch at that moment and saw Tabitha and Sami. With a glance at Julio, Demi walked quickly to where the two were standing.

"Tabitha, are you alright?" The blue furred German asked her friend.

"Wha'? Yeah, Demi, I'm fine." Tabitha let Sami slip to the ground and rubbed at her face with the back of her hand.

"Are you sure?" Demi was still worried.

"I said I was fine Demi." Tabitha said quickly. To quickly for Demi's liking.

"Well, all right." Demi said, her face still contorted with worry. She then wondered back over to where Rictor was talking to his friend Shatterstar.

Tabitha lifted Sami and carried her on one arm and took one of the bags. She was just bending to grab the other one when another hand grabbed it.

"I have it!" The Irish accented voice told her. Tabitha looked up and broke into a smile.

"Theresa! It's great to see you!" Tabitha said cheerfully.

"Aye, 'tis great ta see ye too!" The red head said, smiling brightly. Then Theresa seemed to see Sami, who was laying her head on her mother's shoulder. "Who is this little beauty?"

Tabitha smiled at her old friend. "Terry this is my daughter, Sami. Sami, this is my friend Miss Cassidy."

"Miss Cassidy?! Dinna tell the wee lass to call me tha'! Sweetie, ye ken call m' Terry if ye want ta." Theresa cooed at the little girl. Sami smiled at her. Then she yawned and put her head back on her mother's shoulder.

"Ah, I think tha the wee lass is tired from her long trip. De ye wanna put her down fer the night?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Tabitha agreed, shifting Sami and the bag around.

"Alright follow me." Terry said, leading the two into the great house.

Terry led them through the halls of the old mansion, just talking away. Tabitha found out that she was dating Wade Wilson, and that Jimmy was engaged to a young woman named Flame. And that was really her name too! It was on her birth certificate and everything. Tabitha also found out the Excaliber had disbanded and that most of the former members were now on the X-Men. Generation X had also graduated and most of them were on the X-Men too. Chamber and Jubilee had joined X-Force though. X-Force was now working with X-Men and lived in the mansion. Cable and Domino were getting married and Amara and Bobby were already married. Her father, Sean Cassidy, was dating Emma Frost, who Terry had decided have a long period of time really wasn't that bad, but Terry wouldn't be too upset if they broke up. Gambit and Storm had gotten married and Rogue was, according to Terry, trying to break them up.

They finally got to the room where Tabitha and Sami would be staying. It was a rather big room, with two twin beds in it, and some nice furniture. Laying the sleeping child on one of the beds, Tabitha began to undress her.

"Will ye be coming down after ye get the wee lassie inta bed?" Terry asked from the doorway. Tabitha looked up at her.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I really want to leave her alone in a strange place." Tabitha started her voice nervous.

"Aye, tha' makes since. Then I'll be seein' ye in the morning." Terry chirped, turning to leave. "'Tis really go ta see ye again Tabs."

"Good to see you again to Terry." Tabitha said, smiling at her friend. Terry nodded and walked off, her long hair swinging.

Tabitha looked at her face in the mirror. Slowly tears began to fall down her cheeks again. "What am I doing here?" She whispered aloud to herself. Only Sami's soft breathing broke the stillness of the room.

Tabitha rose to her feet and lay down on her own bed. She looked up at the ceiling for a long time before finally falling asleep.

*****

Sam looked up as soon as Terry walked into the room. Jumping to his feet, he raced over to the red haired Irishwoman.

"Well?" He asked, his eyes scared and hopeful at the same time.

"She is nae comin' down, boyo. I'm sorry." Terry told him. Sam nodded, his face downcast.

"Thank you anyway, Terry." Sam said quietly. Turning he headed for his own room.

When he got there, he found the bottle of whisky he always kept under the bed. Pulling it out, he took a long swig from it, closing his eyes as it burned a long fiery trail down his throat. A tear slowly fell down his cheek as he reached out to pick up the photo of Tabitha he kept by his bed.

"So, are you married girl? Who's this little girls daddy?" Sam whispered aloud to the picture. Slowly more tears slipped down his face, and he took another drink of the whisky.

He passed the rest of the night in much the same fashion, crying and drinking.

*****

Rictor and Demi had also gone to bed. The rest of the New Mutants were sitting around talking about Tabitha and her child.

"I canna believe she has a child! Where is her father, I wonder?" Rahne Sinclair asked the group at large.

"You know, that little girl is named Samantha. Do you think she could be Sam's child?" Shatterstar asked.

"NO! Didn't you see her? She looked about two to me." Bobby stated. "There isn't anyway she could be Sam's!"

"She seemed to bright for a two year old but Bobby is right. That child is far to young to be Sam's." Amara agreed.

"Then who is her father?" Dani Moonstar asked.

No one had an answer for her, The former New Mutants were in a state of shock. And of course they had every right to be. Standing before them was one of their own, with a tiny child. A tiny child who called her Mommy.

Shatterstar was the first to recover. Stepping forward, the alien warrior asked, "Tabitha? Is that you?"

Tabitha Smith took a deep breath. (Here goes nothing.) "Hi, 'Star. Yeah, it's me."

Shatterstar looked at the girl for a long moment before asking, "Who is this?" and pointing at Sami. The child was looking at the adults around her with large blue eyes, and a confused expression.

"I told you who I was! Weren't you listening?" Sami demanded before her mother could say anything.

Rictor suppressed a laugh at Sami's expression of indignation. Beside him, he heard Demi giggle softly. Roberto looked over at them with a shocked expression on his handsome face.

"I take it you knew about this Ric?" Bobby's words were innocent but they held an icy overtone.

Rictor decided to ignore Bobby's tone. "Of course. Sami's my and Demi's goddaughter."

"Oh really?" Amara asked, tipping her head to the side.

"Ja, we are." Demi added, smiling prettily.

Rictor turned his gaze to the tall southern man who had been suspiciously quite through everything. Sam's face was still the awful gray it had turned when seeing Tabitha. His eyes were unreadable but they followed Tabitha's every move. His breathing was slightly ragged, and his lips were beginning to turn a faint blue.

"Sam? Are you alright?" Rictor asked, placing his hand on the taller man's arm.

"Wha'? Yeah, yeah Ah'm..fine." Sam replied distractedly. He continued to stare at Tabitha though, as though she was the only other thing in the world.

Tabitha was studiously not looking at Sam Guthrie. She knew that if she did she would probably burst into tears. Sami was still looking at her like she knew something was wrong. Knowing her daughter, she probably did realize what was going on here. Clutching Sami to her, Tabitha continued to smile at Shatterstar as though she was listening to him.

Suddenly Roberto spoke up. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I am freezing! I vote we take this little reunion inside where it's warmer!"

Most of them laughed, and the travelers went to collect their luggage. Tabitha struggled to lift both her and Sami's bags and hold on to her footing. Suddenly she slipped on a piece of ice and nearly fell. To her surprise a pair of strong hands caught her.

'Don't worry, Ah got ya." A voice whispered into her hair. It was the same voice she heard every night in her dreams, Sam's soft accent. (Oh, god.) Tabitha wanted to weep, and fling her arms around Sam's neck and scream 'I love you! She's your daughter! Please forgive me!'

Of course she didn't. If nothing else, Tabitha had learned to control herself since Sami had been born. Tabitha struggled to regain her footing, and then turned to face the father of her child.

He was unchanged in almost every way. His blonde hair was still long in the front and shorter in the back and his nose still had the funny bump in it. He was still tall, and looked like he had put on even more muscle. But there was something missing from his eyes, and his mouth looked like it hadn't truly smiled in years.

Sam looked back at her, as she stared at him. She had changed a great deal. Her hair was a little bit passed her shoulders, and it was the same deep auburn as Sami's. She looked older, more grown up too. Sam didn't know what had changed about her, but he knew something had.

"Thank you." Tabitha said in a tightly controlled voice.

"Don't mention it." Sam responded, his voice holding a hint of pain. Tabitha turned and walked toward where Sami was waiting patiently for her.

"Who was that man Momma?" Sami asked as she laced her fingers through Tabitha's.

"That was..he's..I don't.." Tabitha stuttered, her eyes filling with tears. She blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. As hard as she tried, though, she could not keep them from spilling over and splashing down her cheeks.

"Momma?" Sami cried in alarm. "What's wrong Momma?" The tiny child wrapped her arms around her mother and pressed her face into her legs.

"Nothing baby." Tabitha wept, putting the bags down and lifting her daughter. "I'm okay. Really, I am."

Demi happened to look over at the porch at that moment and saw Tabitha and Sami. With a glance at Julio, Demi walked quickly to where the two were standing.

"Tabitha, are you alright?" The blue furred German asked her friend.

"Wha'? Yeah, Demi, I'm fine." Tabitha let Sami slip to the ground and rubbed at her face with the back of her hand.

"Are you sure?" Demi was still worried.

"I said I was fine Demi." Tabitha said quickly. To quickly for Demi's liking.

"Well, all right." Demi said, her face still contorted with worry. She then wondered back over to where Rictor was talking to his friend Shatterstar.

Tabitha lifted Sami and carried her on one arm and took one of the bags. She was just bending to grab the other one when another hand grabbed it.

"I have it!" The Irish accented voice told her. Tabitha looked up and broke into a smile.

"Theresa! It's great to see you!" Tabitha said cheerfully.

"Aye, 'tis great ta see ye too!" The red head said, smiling brightly. Then Theresa seemed to see Sami, who was laying her head on her mother's shoulder. "Who is this little beauty?"

Tabitha smiled at her old friend. "Terry this is my daughter, Sami. Sami, this is my friend Miss Cassidy."

"Miss Cassidy?! Dinna tell the wee lass to call me tha'! Sweetie, ye ken call m' Terry if ye want ta." Theresa cooed at the little girl. Sami smiled at her. Then she yawned and put her head back on her mother's shoulder.

"Ah, I think tha the wee lass is tired from her long trip. De ye wanna put her down fer the night?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Tabitha agreed, shifting Sami and the bag around.

"Alright follow me." Terry said, leading the two into the great house.

Terry led them through the halls of the old mansion, just talking away. Tabitha found out that she was dating Wade Wilson, and that Jimmy was engaged to a young woman named Flame. And that was really her name too! It was on her birth certificate and everything. Tabitha also found out the Excaliber had disbanded and that most of the former members were now on the X-Men. Generation X had also graduated and most of them were on the X-Men too. Chamber and Jubilee had joined X-Force though. X-Force was now working with X-Men and lived in the mansion. Cable and Domino were getting married and Amara and Bobby were already married. Her father, Sean Cassidy, was dating Emma Frost, who Terry had decided have a long period of time really wasn't that bad, but Terry wouldn't be too upset if they broke up. Gambit and Storm had gotten married and Rogue was, according to Terry, trying to break them up.

They finally got to the room where Tabitha and Sami would be staying. It was a rather big room, with two twin beds in it, and some nice furniture. Laying the sleeping child on one of the beds, Tabitha began to undress her.

"Will ye be coming down after ye get the wee lassie inta bed?" Terry asked from the doorway. Tabitha looked up at her.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I really want to leave her alone in a strange place." Tabitha started her voice nervous.

"Aye, tha' makes since. Then I'll be seein' ye in the morning." Terry chirped, turning to leave. "'Tis really go ta see ye again Tabs."

"Good to see you again to Terry." Tabitha said, smiling at her friend. Terry nodded and walked off, her long hair swinging.

Tabitha looked at her face in the mirror. Slowly tears began to fall down her cheeks again. "What am I doing here?" She whispered aloud to herself. Only Sami's soft breathing broke the stillness of the room.

Tabitha rose to her feet and lay down on her own bed. She looked up at the ceiling for a long time before finally falling asleep.

*****

Sam looked up as soon as Terry walked into the room. Jumping to his feet, he raced over to the red haired Irishwoman.

"Well?" He asked, his eyes scared and hopeful at the same time.

"She is nae comin' down, boyo. I'm sorry." Terry told him. Sam nodded, his face downcast.

"Thank you anyway, Terry." Sam said quietly. Turning he headed for his own room.

When he got there, he found the bottle of whisky he always kept under the bed. Pulling it out, he took a long swig from it, closing his eyes as it burned a long fiery trail down his throat. A tear slowly fell down his cheek as he reached out to pick up the photo of Tabitha he kept by his bed.

"So, are you married girl? Who's this little girls daddy?" Sam whispered aloud to the picture. Slowly more tears slipped down his face, and he took another drink of the whisky.

He passed the rest of the night in much the same fashion, crying and drinking.

*****

Rictor and Demi had also gone to bed. The rest of the New Mutants were sitting around talking about Tabitha and her child.

"I canna believe she has a child! Where is her father, I wonder?" Rahne Sinclair asked the group at large.

"You know, that little girl is named Samantha. Do you think she could be Sam's child?" Shatterstar asked.

"NO! Didn't you see her? She looked about two to me." Bobby stated. "There isn't anyway she could be Sam's!"

"She seemed to bright for a two year old but Bobby is right. That child is far to young to be Sam's." Amara agreed.

"Then who is her father?" Dani Moonstar asked.

No one had an answer for her.

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