Disclaimer: Nope still don't own X-Men: Evolution. Man I wish though!

A/N: Wow, it's been over a year since I've updated. I just want to apologize to everyone following this story. I know I've kept a lot of you waiting but better late than never right? Don't worry I haven't abandoned this story so since I'm back ENJOY!

() =Telepathic conversations

""=Speaking

''=Thoughts

The Battle Draws Near

The scenery was blood red and charcoal black. The smell of burned flesh, coppery blood and smoke invaded my nostrils. Giant thudding footsteps and explosions were heard all around. Fire surrounded me in all directions, there were ear shattering screams of pain echoing through the air and as I looked around I saw piles of dead bodies. One of those piles contained my fallen teammates and family. Atop the pile stood Bolivar Trask, cackling evilly. A hand grabbed my shoulder and veered around to see Pietro. I embraced him tightly and cried into his chest. There was a high pitched whir and the relieved smile on Pietro's face started to fall. I touched his back before I looked at my shaking hands and noticed the blood on them. Pietro dropped to his knees and I cradled him in my arms, struggling to keep myself together. I looked behind him and saw a Sentinel with smoke coming out of it's recently fired laser cannon. The last thing I remember was the same laser being pointed at me and Trask eerily saying "Goodbye mutie."

I woke with a start as tears dripped from my eyes. Alex quickly sensed the movement in the bed and without a word he pulled me close and kissed my forehead. I clutched him tightly and sat there with him in stony silence. It was a few long moments before I spoke up.

"Our rehearsal dinner is today," I quietly said. "There's no time for you to worry about me. We should get dressed." I struggled from his arms and started for the bathroom but he caught my arm.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it at least?" Alex asked. My nightmares were becoming more frequent, more real as each night passed. The worse they got the more I didn't want to talk about it.

I smiled weakly. "It's not even worth talking about. Let's just start the day off on a positive note and look forward to out rehearsal dinner tonight."

Alex eyed me and knew that I was going to be adamant about talking about my nightmare and sighed heavily before releasing my arm. "Fine. You win."

After I showered and got dressed, I followed Alex downstairs for breakfast with the others. After breakfast I had to head out to run a few errands so I wouldn't have to do them right before the rehearsal dinner. As I grabbed a plate I began to pile it with scrambled eggs and bacon. As I laid the last strip down I had a sick sense of deja vu as I heard a boom which sent my hands to my head and my plate crashing to the ground.

"Semina, what's wrong?" Alex asked as he instantly flew to my side.

"Didn't you hear that? Didn't you hear that explosion?" I asked as my heart beat rapidly. I looked around the room at the faces that stared at me like I was losing my mind.

"It was the t.v Mina," Kitty explained as she gestured toward the movie playing on the screen. "Are you feeling alright? You see jumpy."

"Yeah, no, I-I'm fine," I sputtered trying to calm myself down. I looked down at the plate I broke and shook my head before I went to the kitchen closet to grab a broom. "Sorry about the plate, Ororo. I'll clean it up but I don't think I have much of an appetite anymore."

"I'll pour you some tea," Ororo offered as she stood to grab a teacup. "It should calm you down."

"That sounds great," I agreed as I finished sweeping up the plate and food. "Um, what movie are you guys watching?"

"War of the Worlds," Scott replied.

'Seems fitting since we're on the verge of a war ourselves,' I grimly thought. Ororo passed me my teacup. I shakily brought the cup to my lips and sipped the warm liquid as I kept my eyes glued to the t.v. As the alien tripods attacked the humans I felt as if I was there in the chaos. I smelled the smoke, I felt the shaking and for a split second the image on the screen changed from an alien tripod to a Sentinel. I felt something warm splash on my legs and looked down to see that I had been gripping my teacup so tightly that it shattered. Shards of glass were in my hand and on the floor and luckily none of them had pierced my skin.

"Semina, what is going on with you?" LaToya exclaimed in concern.

"I-I...," was all that could come out of my mouth. I was visibly shaking and everyone continued to stare at me and before long I felt the need to just run. "I need to go." I bolted out of the kitchen and headed toward the garage before anyone could stop me. I started my motorcycle and peeled out of the garage without a second thought. I didn't know where I was going but I had to go. Maybe a drive would clear my mind. After driving for a while on the highway, I had managed to calm down significantly. I felt my stomach tighten and realized that I never ate breakfast. The sign on the highway said that there was a diner coming up in a couple miles and I decided that a nice quiet breakfast alone would be just the thing I need right now. I parked my bike outside of Sonny's Diner and entered the small establishment. The smell of food was met with a growl of anticipation from my stomach. I picked a booth, sat down and a black haired waitress approached me.

"Welcome to Sonny's," she greeted. "Here's your menu and I'll be back to take your order in a little bit."

I thanked her and as she walked away to serve another customer I scanned the menu for something I liked. A couple minutes later, the waitress returned with a cup of coffee.

"Wait, I didn't order anything yet," I told her.

She pointed across the room and said "That woman in the suit over there asked that it be sent over to you."

I followed her hand and saw a woman in a gray suit with black hair and glasses. Next to her sat a woman with dark black glasses, short brown hair and a green sweater. I raised an eyebrow and said "Well then do you mind if I move over to sit with her? She's an...old friend of mine." When I moved over to the booth where the woman was sitting I gave the waitress my order and as she walked away I directed my attention to the woman.

"Aren't you going to say 'hello'?" the woman asked.

I found no amusement in her little game. "How did you find me, Mystique? And where have you been fro the past two years? After the Apocalypse fiasco you disappeared. What have you been doing?"

"That's not important," Mystique replied. "What is important is that you pay attention to what Destiny is going to tell you because I assure that it's something you need to hear."

Mystique was a lot of things; ruthless, selfish and virtually fearless but I could have sworn that in her eyes I saw just that: fear.

"I'm listening," I said, finally deciding to give her a chance. After what happened at the gala, there were a few questions that needed to be answered.

"I've seen a vision. A horrible vision filled with horrible things," Destiny began. "Trask and Mayor Kelly are making their move soon. A move that will begin the end of life as we know it. And there isn't much time left to stop them."

"What are they planning?" I inquired. "When are they gonna make their move?"

"I cannot determine when they will strike but hundreds of Sentinels are going to be released into the city," Destiny replied. "And soon. If the X-Men cannot stop the Sentinels then all hope will be lost."

"So what do you intend for me to do?" I asked. I quieted down as the waitress brought me a plate of pancakes, hash browns, bacon and sunny side up eggs. "And why come to me with this information?"

"Because you and I are a lot alike. You like to get your hands dirty and unlike the rest of the X-Men you don't mind conversing with people with opposite moral views," Mystique smirked. "What I want you to do is make sure that your team is ready. It's up to them to stop Trask." She pulled out a folder and slid it across the table to me. "This is all the information you'll need regarding your mission. By any means necessary you have to stop Project: Wideawake."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "And what the hell are you gonna be doing while we risk our lives to stop him?"

"That's none of your concern," Mystique hissed as she stood. "Now if you'll excuse me I have more pressing matters to attend to."

"More pressing than an impending war between the mutants and humans?" I scoffed.

"What I do is my business," Mystique curtly said before she helped Destiny out of the booth. "Just make sure you're ready." With that, Destiny and Mystique exited the diner.

"As if I didn't have enough shit on my plate," I grumbled to myself. "First the wedding plans now-" My eyes widened before I slapped a hand on my forehead. In my hasty departure from the mansion I had forgotten that I had to run errands before the rehearsal dinner tonight. I had to do a final check on the flowers for the bouquets and centerpieces, make a decision on the cake for the reception and meet the girls for the final fitting of my wedding dress. I waved the waitress over and asked her for the check after I quickly devoured my breakfast. I threw a couple bills on the table and bolted out of the diner. There wasn't much time before the rehearsal dinner so I had to get everything done as fast as possible. First stop: the florist.

At the florist

I walked around the table inspecting the centerpieces that were laid out for me. White hydrangeas and white orchids filled the centerpiece that sat before me. Fitting with the white and gold color scheme of my wedding there were golden ribbons tied around each flower and the flowers were placed in lovely rectangular crystal vases.

"This beautiful," I smiled. "They're going to look amazing on the tables at the reception. Is my bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets ready as well?"

"Yes they are, Ms. Wilson," the florist replied as she went to retrieve my bouquet and handed it to me. "It was strange of you to call last minute to get the flowers changed so close to your wedding day but I was able to-"

"What do you mean last minute change?" I questioned as I took the bouquet from her and sniffed the flowers." I never called to make a change." I felt a tickle in my nose and my eyes began to water. I dropped the bouquet and kicked it across the room. "Did you put daisies in my bouquet?!"

"Why, yes," the flustered florist sputtered. "That's what you asked for when you called last week."

"There must have been some kind of mistake because I never called you to make a change," I spoke between wheezes. "Just please change it back to how I originally asked."

"Of course. Are you okay?" she asked as she noticed my heavy breathing. As long as I didn't stay in the flower shop for much longer I wouldn't break out into hives.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm just allergic to daises. But thank you so much for what you've done already," I gushed. I looked at my wrist and noticed I had about three hours left to pick a cake, get my dress and head back to the mansion. "Besides the bouquet, everything else is perfect."

After finalizing plans with the florist I zipped over to the bakery to pick out a wedding cake. Alex wanted me to have whatever I wanted so he let me have final say on the cake. How sweet of him. The smell of sugary desserts flooded my nose and made me smile. I'm telling you, the best part of planning a wedding is sitting around tasting cake.

"Ah, Ms. Wilson!" Antonio the baker exclaimed as I walked up to the counter. He rushed over to kiss my cheeks and said "Your sample cakes are all ready to be tasted."

"Point me toward the cake," I beamed as he escorted me to a table with three small plates on them. I was stuck between three flavors and today was the day I finally pick my favorite.

"First, we have the Strawberry Shortcake which is a french vanilla cake layered with strawberry mousse filling and topped with vanilla bean icing and fresh strawberries.

I took a bite and my eyes rolled to the back of my head as I savored the sweet strawberry mousse and moist vanilla cake. "Ugh, this is literally perfect."

"Well I only bake the best," Antonio smiled. "But there are still two more cakes. Here we have a chocolate cake with a butter cream filling drizzled in a coffee liqueur chocolate ganache sauce."

I took a forkful of the chocolate cake and moaned the moment all of that chocolate hit my taste buds. I could really taste the coffee liqueur and it really made the ganache sauce taste that much better.

"Last we have the red velvet cake layered with white chocolate mousse and topped with cream cheese frosting and white chocolate shavings."

This was by far the best red velvet cake I've ever tasted. I was now even more torn because I love red velvet cake but that strawberry shortcake still reigned supreme. "I've made up my mind. I'll take the strawberry shortcake!"

"An excellent choice!" Antonio raved as he hugged me. "I'll make the cake five tiered, drape it in golden accents and I give you my word that I will make it the most deliciously fabulous cake you've ever had."

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you," I beamed as I hugged him once more. "I can't wait to see it!"

After eating the rest of the sample cakes, my last stop of the day was to the bridal shop to make sure my wedding dress fit. I told the girls to meet me there and sure enough when I approached the shop there was my very excited bridal party. Of course my sister was my maid of honor which left Kitty, Rogue, Jean, Amara and Tabby as my bridesmaids. We exchanged greetings and waited for the associates to pull my dress. I wanted to feel like a princess for the day so I bought a giant white ballgown. The corseted top had a sweetheart neckline, the bodice was covered in shiny beads and the bottom was a huge and poofy with ruffled tule. It was every little girl's dream dress and I couldn't be happier to have it. When I first tried on the dress it was a little too snug around the chest and waist so I asked to have them let it out slightly. I just hoped that this time and wasn't too loose.

"The last fitting! Aren't you excited?!" Kitty exclaimed.

"I'm nervous," I truthfully told. "Not just for the dress but also because the wedding is tomorrow!" Time seemed to fly by quickly because I could have sworn that I had just gotten engaged a couple days ago. But a month had indeed passed and my big day was almost here.

"You're marrying the man of your dreams," LaToya said as she took my hand in hers. "You have nothing to worry about. Everything is going to be perfect and you're gonna get your happy ending."

I looked at my sister and pulled her into a hug before saying "Aw, what the hell. Group hug!" and pulling everyone else into our little love fest.

The sales associate, Kate, walked in and said "Ms. Wilson, we have your dress ready for you. If you'll just come with me I'll help you get into your gown."

I followed the woman to the fitting room and after I stripped down I stepped into the ballgown while Kate zipped up my back.

"Alright turn around and tell me what you think," Kate smiled.

I took a deep breath, turned to face the mirror and froze. Tears welled up in my eyes and I choked back a sob. Everything fit the way it was meant to. The bodice hugged my torso and accentuated my curves while still looking beautiful and tasteful. The tule wasn't too heavy and the ruffles reminded me of the soft waves of the ocean on a calm day. It was...perfect. And that's when it finally hit me. I was getting married. "Oh my God. I look like a bride."

Kate suggested we go show everyone and opened the curtain of the dressing room to usher me back out to the girls who all gasped. Words of me looking "stunning" and "gorgeous" and "like a cute, fluffy cupcake" came from my bridal party. As Kate walked over and fixed a veil atop my head I let some tears fall down my cheek, turn to my friends and said "I'm ready to get married."

The guests had all arrived, food was prepared and laid out on the table and everything was set to begin our rehearsal dinner. It was a semi formal dinner so I had dressed in a cream colored strapless dress that stopped just above the knee with a pair of matching heels. Alex wore a white button down with a blazer thrown over it and black dress pants and shoes. Before we sat for the dinner, it was customary for the couple-to-be to greet their guests. Of course everyone in my bridal party was there so naturally Alex's groomsmen, Scott, Kurt, Ray, Bobby, Remy and Lance were there as well. I didn't expect Lance to agree to be in the wedding because of his friendship with Pietro but thanks to some convincing from Kitty he finally accepted. Among the adults that attended the rehearsal dinner were the professor, Hank, Vivian, Ororo, Logan, Alex's parents, Joanna and Andrew, and the priest who was to officiate the ceremony. I had also taken the liberty to invite Chelsea and Wanda. Chelsea and I were becoming closer friends so naturally after the gala I sent her an invitation to the wedding and saved her a place at the rehearsal dinner. Although I invited all of them, I only wanted Wanda here because unlike the rest of the Brotherhood she knew how to behave herself in a formal setting. And as much thought as I put into it, I don't think I could have been able to diffuse any tension at this rehearsal if I had invited Pietro too. Two people who were also not here tonight were my parents. Not because they couldn't fly out from Virginia but because I hadn't invited them to the dinner or my wedding for that matter. They were the last people I wanted to see there and despite my brother and sister trying to persuade me otherwise, I refused to have them attend. This left the role of who would walk me down the aisle to the only man I saw fit for the job: Logan. He was taken aback by the request but agreed nonetheless. He may not have showed it but I knew he was happy to do it.

After finally greeting everyone, we all took our seats and started the dinner. Alex clinked a spoon to his champagne flute and remained standing to address the guests. "I would like to thank you all for coming to this dinner. I'm sure my gorgeous fiance and I can both say that it means to the world to have all the people we care about in one room here to celebrate our upcoming nuptials. So let's drink, be merry and enjoy all the delicious food Ororo prepared."

The guests cheered and all eagerly dug into the meals set before them. Ororo prepared prime rib and lobster tail with a side of roasted red potatoes and green beans and a vegetarian pasta dish for Kitty. The night flowed without a hitch as we ate, laughed and exchanged stories. However, despite all the positivity in the air I wasn't as cheerful as the rest of the guests. I barely even touched my food! I had far too much on my mind to enjoy myself because I had gone through the file Mystique gave me and I couldn't believe it. I knew that Gyrich was funding Kelly and Trask to build anti-mutant weapons and Sentinels but I didn't know that they had the resources to build hundreds of Sentinels all of which were fully operational and ready to be launched at any minute. How did they go undetected for this long? At least the file has the location of Trask's facility and everything we would need to take him down. I was just worried we would be too late stopping them.

"Can I have your attention please?" Andrew said as he and his wife stood up. "We have a couple words to say to our son and soon to be daughter in law."

"I've always wanted a daughter and now that I'm getting the next best thing, I couldn't be more excited," Joanna grinned as she looked at me. "Semina is the sweetest..."

I plastered on a fake smile and looked in their direction as their speech droned on. As much as I tried to focus on their words, my mind was no longer on my wedding. All I could think about was Trask. I was planning on briefing the team about the information I acquired after the rehearsal dinner but something told me I would have to spill the beans now. I was sensing a distressed mind approaching fast and knew exactly who it was. I abruptly got up from the table in the middle of Joanna's sentence and ignored the bewildered cries of the guests. I went to the foyer and disabled the weapons system as the person headed toward the institute finally made it over the gate. Opening the door I ran out to the yard to find the director of the MRD limping as fast as she could toward me.

"What's going on?" I questioned as I tried to mask my panic. She was wounded. It looked as if she'd been shot at and there was blood dripping from her leg and arm. "What happened?"

"Mina, it's begun," she whispered before she collapsed into my arms.

A/N: A little short, very fluffy but what a lovely little cliffhanger. It's been a while since I've written for this story but give me time and I'll get my touch back. I do still plan on doing another sequel because I did promise you guys that. But for the time being REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!