Picking away the moments that make up a dull day, dull in the mansion? Yeah right things were never dull here even if he wanted them to be. Sitting patiently in the War Room or also known now as the meeting or Conference room thanks to all his other meetings Sam’s index finger swirled and swivled in the tall cup of water as he activated his mutation. Over the past week he had met with other members of the team both team leaders and trainees all of whom had been enthused about the team getting more organized and active than they were before.

Seeing as Sam was picking up the pieces of the puzzle that made the X-Men a fully functioning team with the help of Tricity he decided that there was one more piece that needed to be updated on the events that will be taking place in the next few weeks and the changes to the team that will be made. After all the woman he would be talking to had been apart of the team far longer than he has, even before he arrived to the mansion or even entered the state of New York.

Skimming the file over in front of him he looked down at a picture of the woman. She was pretty by anyone’s standards, blonde hair red highlights then there was the almost hypnotic crimson irises, he never had the courage to ask her if it was due to red contacts or because of her mutation. Sam had met Layla on several occasions the first of which was intimidating due to her personality but the more time he spent with her the more and more he had come to admire her unique personality. It was defiantly more abrasive and aggressive than others but he knew that despite the rough edges there was a good and trust worthy person on the inside.

Trust was as he stated before were key to this team people he trusted people he knew that had similar feelings towards the harmony of both man and mutant. He didn’t know of Layla’s personal views but he knew she was on the team for a long time. Now what was the real reason he set up the meeting? Was it because he wanted to see those views to see if she was ready to become more active? Hell it could even have to do with the fact that she tried to kill Sara the werecat who was a close friend to Sam and when he tried to stop her she continued to fight. These two reasons contributed to the meeting today, all he had to do is wait for her to show.

Deathstar received an email of a meeting that was set-up by Sam, she wasn't looking forward to meeting the ice mutant, every time she is called to the war room it felt like being in the principle's office. She brainstormed many times trying to come up for a reason, maybe he wants a date, or better yet wanna ask to marry me, she thought,this better be worth my time. "I wonder what is this about?" she mumbled as she locked the door to her dorm and proceeded downstairs to the war room. Deathstar couldn't help but come up with crazy ideas, she knew she wasn't in trouble and that made the process annoying.

Deathstar enters the war-room eyes immediately shifts toward the folders on the table , so she quickly jumped to conclusions, if she was going to be kicked off the team, she's going to go out in style. "Whats is this about Sam?" she said with arms folded, "I don't know who the hell you think you are, ever since Tricity left you out of all people in charge, you think you can pick off who you want", She remain standing refusing to let Sam get her pride. "I'm going to tell you this, listen and listen good, I'm not going anywhere you hear me?" she turned her back toward Sam and heads for the door.

A smile instilled onto Sam’s face as Deathstar (or as he preferred to call her Layla) entered the War room but where to start? He had so many questions that needed answering he had no idea where to begin, he figured he’d start with the basics and then proceed to go onto the more complex answers till his thirst for answers had been quenched.

However upon her entrance the expression on her face and her response to him sitting at the table with her folder in front of him as his finger swirled in the water was less than welcoming. “DeathStar!” Sam called jumping to his feet and slamming his hands out on the table in front of him causing the glass to spill a few drops of water. Clearing his throat Sam continued in a calm manner “Stop jumping to conclusions, I have no intentions of letting you walk away or getting kicked off the team, we need you, which is why I called this meeting!” sitting down now Sam gestured to the chair across from him so they could continue on the meeting.

“Tricity trusts me enough to leave me in charge when she is away so I hope that can be enough for you to trust me, that’s what this team is about trust, and if I didn’t trust you I wouldn’t have bothered calling this meeting, Tricity trusts you as do I now please sit so we can talk, alright?” Sam said in a more pleading tone than anything else, it wasn’t his forte this pleading but he figured he would try to appeal to DeathStar’s ego in hopes to keep her around long enough to hear him out.

Deathstar stopped dead in her path when Sam called her name, in a sick way she was infactuated by his commanding demeanor ,"why didn't you just say that from the beginning, with so many changes I couldn't help but ...whatever!", she said as she turned to face Sam. Feeling a little embarrassed she slowly walked toward the table, pulls a chair, and sits down with her hands binded as if she was mocking an innocent school girl. "Sam, my dear", she said while pulling hair her out her face, "I don't know this is all about, but if its about trust then be my guest", she leans back against the chair with her arms folded like she being interrogated.

When Sam mentioned Tricity leaving him in charge, a bit of jealousy lingered in her mind. "I for one, need to talk to Tricity about who she leaves in charge, selecting you must have been a quick decision", Deathstar had to tell Sam how she felt about the new leaders of the team, she was never the one to shy away from conflict. "I think others could have filled that position better than you, so don't you ever get antsy with me, I don't care who left you charge", Sam would have to be a peace guru in order to take Death star's antics without retaliating, but in a way she was testing him.

"So what is this really about Sam, trust?, oh!, we all know your the most trustworthy", She said sarcastically, "Does Sara ring a bell?, you were suppose to be on my side, what the hell were you thinking?. Remnants of the New York fight became Deathstar's reason for the meeting, She never forgave Sam for his actions and clearly wanted him to know it. "Now back to the X-men needing me out of people, why all of the sudden you need me?, maybe it's a possibility that you have run out of muties or better yet we just plain suck, So what's the real reason I'm here Sammy? I'm all ears", She said as she leaned closer to the table to read his reaction.

His eyebrow raised as DeathStar changed her insulting tone and demeanor to a nicer more innocent one. ”Unfortunately for you, you have no say who is left in charge by Tricity and if you’re really that unhappy about my new position I’m sorry, there isn’t much you can do.” said Sam a smile forming on his face as DeathStar sat. Did she really think he was incapable of running the X-Men in Tricity’s absence or was this way of trying to see what she could get away with? If she was looking for a show of his power she wouldn’t get it not even a swing of the fist or change in the temperature in the room. ”Next time you run into Tricity feel free to bring up your opinions, I am sure she would love to hear them alright? Moving on!”

”Actually Sara was one of the reasons I called you to this meeting, I want you to explain in full why you attacked her, your no longer an individual but a member of this team when you attack someone on the streets it brings a lot of implications and problems to the team. Not to mention you didn’t stop fighting even when I stood in your way, that is something I can’t over look, if your going to be a part of this team your going to have to compromise and cooperate with me and your teammates.” sipping on the water and then setting it down he stared at DeathStar waiting for her response.

He didn’t want to bring up this topic again because she still seemed rather upset about it but he had to know why she attacked one of his friends and ripped a diner apart in the process a diner that he personally had to pay for so they wouldn’t press charges not to mention hold off the police so no one was arrested. ”And the only reason we suck is because we lack communication trust and teamwork.” Sam said his eyes locked on DeathStar, ”Something I have been working on perfecting since Tricity appointed me in charge.” he leaned in closer as well mimicking DeathStar’s movement to try and gauge a reaction the way she was trying to gauge his.

Deathstar's eyes squints at Sam as she fights to hold back tears of anger, she clinches her jaws, breathing heavily attempting to calm herself down, but the calming technique she learned at the retreat wasn't going to work this time. With her fists balled she ready to strike Sam in the face, but instead hits the table and knocks over his drink, "Damn it! Sam...when are you going to get it through your thick skull, the world is not righteous, man-up and accept it" she yells out loud. "You got to understand I am not like the rest of the X-men, Tricity takes me for who I am and you will as-well", she quickly stands up to Sam knocking the chair back on the floor, "do you really want to know why I did what I did at the diner?,huh? that answer is obvious" she paces back and forth in a second attempt to calm herself down.

"I wanted vengeance, that piece of crap thought she can take me on, nobody messes with me a gets away with it, me and her have a long history at camps I don't how you can befriend anyone like that", Deathstar looks back at Sam as if he was the enemy. She had a lot to get off her chest and this was the best time to do it, "When you took her side I felt betrayed, I would put my life on the line for anyone on my squad and did so in the past, but you......you are another story" she brings her tone down a bit so that Sam would truly understand how she felt.

"What am I saying?... I don't have to explain myself to you, don't think that since Tric left you in charge you can change the dynamics of this team, it was working fine before you took over" Deathstar always rebelled against authority figures such as Sam, she had a hard time taking Tricity serious as-well.

She takes the folder from the table, "If you want to know me, you would have to walk in my shoes not in this folder" she said as she throws the folder in the air causing paperwork to glide down in the room like rain. Deathstar resented the fact that Sam was in charge, she was jealous she did not get the position so she took all of her frustration out on him. She stopped her rage and stood silent for a moment, disappointed on the way she just behaved, she leaned against the wall, and slowly slided down in a seated position, putting her head into her folded arms and silently begins to cry. She was mad at herself that she let someone get her to that point, she hoped Sam didn't see her weep it would definitely ruin her image.

Man up and accept it? The World isn’t righteous? Sam blinked in somewhat surprise as she continued, her voice getting more and more distraught to match her angry face. Her fists clenched and her eyes started to water. His guard was thrown off as she continued to yell at him, did Tricity really accept someone not following her orders and putting the entire team in danger to exact vengeance? Sam didn’t think so, in fact he knew this wasn’t the case he knew Tricity wouldn’t jeopardize the members or the team or what she was trying to do for the world for someone to go off like a loose cannon. He knew that DeathStar was upset about the situation but this upset?

Mention of the camps reminded him of the emotions that people got whenever they were mentioned. Treated worse than rats or vermin caged chained beaten and then killed. He knew similar feelings to this after all the early part of his years was spent in a cage and when he was released for a time he was leashed like a dog. Still that was no reason to say someone was awful from the camps. ”Regardless what she acted like in the camps…” Sam said his voice calm and more concerned than anything else, ”I never knew what Sara was like in the camps, I met her on the streets and she has saved my life more than once, and I never took sides, if anything I took your side, if you continued to do what you were trying to do, you would have hurt someone, an innocent bystander perhaps I know Tricity wouldn’t appreciate that one bit…”

He blinked once his body remaining calm and relaxed she was throwing a temper tantrum now, like a child. He knew she hid her sensitive side but when she started to cry watching and sighing slightly as she sat up against the wall and crying in her arms Sam reached for a box of tissues and some water and stood up. She was right, he didn’t have to change anything. He didn’t have to because they had done well before, but she was wrong about a few things. ”Members of the team had been hurt on several occasions when they weren’t prepared for a mission or a run in with the order… I am trying to change that. You can say the team has been running smoothly before but you’d only be lying to yourself. I’m tired of watching friends get hurt because things didn’t go the way they were supposed to…”

Sam sat down next to DeathStar and set the box of tissues near her side so she could see them if she moved her arms at all, he didn’t feel like arguing or kicking her off the team. He only wanted to reassemble a team that could handle anything and he thought that if he could sway DeathStar to cooperate he would be well on his way to creating such a team. ”I can’t walk in your shoes but if you tell me about you life I think I might get more insight you, more than those papers can say anyways.”

Reaching his hand out and patting DeathStar on the back he said, ”I know you might not be happy about Tricity leaving me in charge, something we have in common, though she said would be good for the position and I was needed.” sighing slightly and shrugging Sam continued, ”I am also aware that you have a problem with authority, how about you think of me more as a friend than anything else, I don’t want to be know as the one in charge anyways.” said Sam as he took a sip of his water.

Deathstar lifts her head when Sam sat next her revealing her eye shadow painted face, her eyes meets the walls with a blank as if she was in deep thought. She pulls her hair from her face as Sam calm tone eased her burning rage, she refused to look at him for she was ashamed of her childish behavior. Deathstar lips trembled as she attempted to speak, she had a much needed breakdown and she was finally ready to face her past face to face. "When I was a little....", finding it difficult to relive her past she takes in a deep inhale and clears her throat, "When I was a little girl I always wanted to be a singer, but life had another plan for me" she said softly while pulling tissue out of the box wiping her face. "It seems like I will never be happy, everything I know and love ends up in tragedy" her quick reflexes catches a tear before it ran down her cheek.

"I'm pretty sure you read my history, but its not that simple", she regains her confidence to look Sam in the eyes as she spoke, "I killed my family, these very hands that I have to look at everyday will forever be stained with blood no matter how many times I clean them", She takes a deep sigh feeling relief as she released her inner most hidden secrets. "My family is the order, their responsible for all the turmoil and chaos thats been happening lately, I always felt that it was my job to put them to an end, but now I realize I can't do it alone" she gazes her eyes to the wall across from them.

"The real reason I joined X-men was to kill my sister, I cannot fathom the thought of letting her run free knowing what she did to me, this is what motivates me to wake up every day" as honesty sets in her mind, she felt a rush of emotions running through her veins. "I sometimes often think when she is gone what will be my purpose for living", she grabs the whole box of tissues and holds it in her arms as if it were a football.

"As time went on I realize the X-men is here for a larger purpose, but I just can't put the X-men objectives over my own, she must die for all the hell she put me through, and I am willing to do anything to get my hands on her", she felt a lot weight come off her shoulders. "I still hate Sara by the way" she said sparking up a sense of humor.

Nodding his head he Sam replied to reading her history but what there was of it was very brief either due to files being tampered with or Neena or Tricity going out of their way to make sure certain elements of DeathStars past remain a mystery. That he could understand and the more she told him about her past the more he wished more information about her past could be hidden away in more private files. The last thing he wanted was someone finding out she was related to members of the order and trying to attack DeathStar to try and get to the Order. Then again, with things the way they were now, there would be no one stupid enough to try anything like that in the mansion, and if there was Sam would personally see to it they would stay busy in the Danger Room till he could figure out better solutions.

He didn’t bother asking any more on the subject like who specifically was she related to or how she killed her parents, questions like that he felt were inappropriate at this time. That and they didn’t really matter. ”Maybe…” he said thinking the best way to phrase his words, ”Maybe… you need something else to motivate you, you know something else to help get you moving, I know revenge is a great motivator, but at some point, it gets old fast and then your left with nothing…” sighing Sam leaned his head against the wall behind him and then thought what was his other motivator besides revenge.

Peace… since the Mission to Hawaii that’s all he really thought of, friends and peace, all he wanted and this team was a start to both of those things. ”I know the feeling of being fueled by revenge, everything becomes insignificant, emotions other than hate don’ register, your angry all the time, food loses taste you lose sleep, these are things I am familiar with but at some point you need to ask yourself if it is all worth it…” he looked to DeathStar his head turning slightly, ”If you truly want to be on the team you have to follow orders, and if you do, I’ll help you get your revenge, if you should want it at that time, just do me a favor and think what would your parents want and what you truly want.”

He reached over and patted her arm holding the box of tissues, ”You can hate whoever you want but if I saw not to fight in a crowded area full of innocent people that could get hurt I expect you to consider it in the future,” leaning forward and standing up Sam smiled and reached his hand down to help her up, ”So can I count on you?”

”So can I count on you?”

Staring at Sam's hand, Deathstar contemplated suppressing her stubborn ways or leave the team to pursue and destroy the woman who she sought after from the beginning. Looking at his hand as if it was a choice, she had to make a decision to stay or to leave, it wasn't an easy decision but she had to look at the whole picture. She slowly lifts her arm and take a firm grip of his hand, using his body as support, she lifts herself onto her feet. "I'm not doing this for you or the X-men, I'm doing this so there would never be people like myself wandering around". While still having Sam's hand in her grip she pulls him in closer as if she was going to kiss him, "Don't you ever, and I mean ever, tell anyone about this meaning or I will seek to it myself that you will have a miserable stay here, so don't tempt me" she threw a hesitant smile at the ice mutant as she released his hand.

"I can't promise you that I will always do what you or those other so called leaders say, all I can do is make sure my team is alive and the mission is successful, but for what its worth, I will try", Deathstar' s remarks may be blunt and to the point, but she's always honest. "Now whats on the agenda?..., partner".

Keeping his smile on his face and his hand outstretched Sam waited for DeathStar to take his hand, it took her a minute but she eventually took it. There was hesitation before she took her hand as if she was contemplating not taking his hand, she had problems with authority figures and he was at this time a figure of authority so he hoped she could look past this and agree to help.

Blinking as he was pulled in closer to DeathStar inches away from her face Sam pulled his head back slightly hoping she wasn’t going to try and kiss him, after all he did count Alex as more of a girlfriend than a friend. Nodding his head Sam quickly said, ”It’s already forgotten,”

Pulling his hand away and backing up as he turned to collect the papers Sam nodded his head, ”Survival and listening to your team leaders often go hand and hand, but thank you.” picking up the folders and the papers Sam cleared his throat and said, ”Now? Now you wait till you get your first mission, while I continue to get things prepared. I have your number and you have your X communicator so you will be hearing from me soon.” as he collected up the paper Sam smiled and then waved to DeathStar ”It was good seeing you again, and expect a call soon!”