X-Men III

[DarknessOfDeath]

I've been doing a bit of writing in the past and kind of geared my way to X-Men...and decided to write a version of what X3 could have been. In this version, its mostly about Jean and Scott...

“Mutation...it is the key to our evolution. It is how we’ve evolved from a single cell organism and into the dominate species of the planet. This process is slow, taking thousands and thousands of years but every few millennia, evolution leaps forward.” – Jean Grey

Twenty years earlier before the events of X-Men II: United

"Are you sure about this, Charles?" Asked Erik who was walking alongside his friend, who sat in a wheel chair. "Of course I am, Erik. I am just as anxious as you are in meeting Ms Grey, a possible candidate for my school." Erik shook his head and sighed as they neared closer to the door of the Grey's house. "There are many mutants in this world. Why this one?" "She's unique,” Charles said as he smiled.

Mr Grey stared at the man in the wheelchair and back at his wife who seemed all too quiet. "Hmm. Professor Xavier's school for gifted youngsters...how come we haven't heard about this until now?" "John..." Elaine said for she didn't quite like her husband's tone of voice. "I dunno...Elaine. After the events of what happened to Annie...I just want what's best for our daughter." "You must trust my every word of all that I have explained. It is a safe place for Jean and other's alike." When Xavier finished, a young boy stepped forward. "This is Scott Summers, one of my latest recruits. Would it be possible to meet your daughter?" "Of course. Jean?" Elaine called out for Jean to come into the living room. A young girl suddenly appeared and sat down on the couch before the two men. Her eyes focused on them at first but turned her attention to the young boy who stood next to the professor. "Who are you?" She asked. "Forgive me. My name is Charles Xavier and I am here on behalf of my school, which is a place for young students like your-self, Jean." She gave Scott a glance or two and turned to face Xavier. “See? Don’t think you’re the only one who can read people’s minds. You’re not alone as you might have thought and you and I are no different from each other.” Suddenly, things in the room began to float in midair. Impressed with her abilities, Xavier smiled warmly at Jean. “Would you be interested in joining my school? The choice is yours alone. I can assure you that with my guidance, you will be able to learn to control your powers before it could control you. How about it, Jean? Are you in?” “I’m in,” she said. “Good. It’s settled then. You’ve made the right choice, Jean. You and Scott will be among my first students. I will be able to teach you everything you want to know in life besides learning to control your powers.” “How so?” “With patience and time,” Xavier said.

Once Jean said her goodbyes to her parents, she followed Xavier, Erik and Scott out to the car. There was nothing but silence within the car as they made their way to the school when Jean turned to eye Scott. “What’s your mutation?” Before Scott could speak, Xavier spoke for him. “Scott is capable of producing optic red energy blasts from his eyes; therefore, he must wear protective sunglasses at all times for the rest of his life.” “Does it hurt?” Scott turned to face her. “Every time.” They arrived at the mansion sooner than expected but once everyone piled out of the car except for Erik, Charles turned towards him. “Are you sure you don’t want to join us, Erik?” “Not today, Charles. At least not this day. I think it’s for the best we do not cross paths again for some time but until then, just remember what I’ve said, old friend...don’t get in my way.” With that, he drove off into the distance. “What was that all about, Professor?” Scott asked. “In time...you both will understand,” said Charles as he watched Erik disappear down the road and was never seen again until many years later.

Fifteen years later...in the not so distant future...

“That will be all for today. Make sure you have your assignments completed to hand in to me on Friday,” Professor X reminded his students before they took off for the rest of the day. As Jean Grey was about to leave, a young man held a door for her. She smiled as she brushed past him, “Thanks, Scott.” “You’re welcome,” he said calmly, without trying not to be nervous around her. He swallowed hard as she past him but not before she disappeared down the narrow hallway, he followed to catch up to her. “Hey Jean...” he called out to her and this made her turn around. “Are we still on for later? You said you’d help me with my thesis paper...” “Of course, Scott. How can I forget?” She said, turning around. Scott took a deep breath and then swallowing hard, he didn’t know what else to say for he was a loss for words. “Uh...” “Is there something on your mind, Scott?” She asked but deep down she began to realize how he felt about her and yet, she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge that yet. To her, Scott was an exceptionally nice guy and he was different because of the way he treated her. She liked him but something in her heart made her think twice about wanting something more. “No...I was just making sure wither we were still on for later today.” “Okay...I’ll see you then,” she said, flashing him a warm smile and with that she walked away from him. Scott watched her go, but he couldn’t help but noticed just how beautiful she looked in that red dress of hers. The way the dress showed off her long legs and the way she moved down the hallway, was enough indication that he was very much infatuated with this woman. Taking a moment to himself, he let out a sigh and walked down the opposite direction.

Later that day, there was a knock on his door and Scott went to open it and there she was, standing there still wearing that red dress with a white lab coat over top. “Jean...” He said and let her into his room. She took off the lab coat and laid it on the edge of his bed before sitting down on the bed. Getting a little comfy, she slid one leg over top of the other and Scott couldn’t help but swallow hard. He knew he had to tell how he felt before he could lose her completely and he didn’t want that. They were now in their mid twenties, soon to be in their thirties but to Scott, age didn’t matter so much to him. Though having her help him complete his thesis paper wasn’t the only reason he asked her to be here but part of him realized that Jean had already suspected that. He could tell she was trying not to use telepathy powers to read his mind. He wondered if she knew just how much of a crush he had on her and after so long being really good friends to each other. Scott swallowed hard again. “Jean...there’s something I want to say to you but I can’t find the right words...to-““Tell me how you feel about me,” she finished his sentence for him. Scott looked down but Jean rose to her feet and walked casually towards him. “You know, I’ve been feeling the same way about you too for some time...and sometimes, we can’t always help how we feel.” “No...Your right,” he said nodding in agreement. “Scott...there’s nothing wrong with how you feel. Nothing you should feel ashamed of. I understand.” “I think the fact is, Jean. We get each other after being friends for so long...I can’t get you out of my mind.” She smiled and slid her hands up to rest on his chest. Scott stared down and caught her by the wrists before sliding his hands down her arms. “It’s okay...Scott. I trust you.” Scott breathed and then leaned into her for a kiss. The kiss was sensual at first, but as their lips were locked against each other, neither of them couldn’t help themselves. They kissed passionately as Scott held her close to him and soon it was over and Jean slipped her arms around his neck. Together they shared a hug – one they couldn’t escape from just yet. “Oh Scott...I’m so glad we found each other.” “Me too,” he said. “I mean...I’ve always felt this way about you but I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

He looked down at her and something made him feel bad as if she looked deeply into his soul and was searching every corner. Do I really deserve this girl? He asked himself, but when she only stared up into his face, there was no denying deep within her how she felt about him. “I wish I could see you without these glasses,” he said trying to end the silence between them but Jean smiled warmly at him with a slight giggle. “I’m sure we can work on that,” she sighed, hesitating at first when she brought her hands up to reach for his glasses. “Jean no! I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t want to hurt you.” “I don’t want you to hurt me either but this could be the only way if you want to see me.” She heard Scott sigh as she slowly removed his glasses and set them down on the edge of the bed. Raising her hands steady, she focused hard on pushing back the optic beams of red light from surfacing but as she tried, certain objects around the room began to float in midair. “Open them,” she said but Scott couldn’t bear to open his eyes for her. He slightly opened his eyes and a dim red light appeared. Fearing she couldn’t control it any further, she used her physic powers to lift Scott’s glasses off the edge of the bed and moved it towards his eyes with her mind. Scott adjusted his glasses just as the things that were levitated were set down to the ground with a thud. Swallowing hard, he held Jean’s hands with his as she ceased to use her powers. “I’m sorry Scott...I thought I could do it,” she apologized to him. “It’s alright...I guess I’ll just have to get used to seeing you in red like I always do.” Jean sighed and mustered a smile. “One of these days, Scott, we’ll make it work somehow.” Scott smiled at her. “I should go,” he heard her say but at the same time when he nodded, he didn’t want her too. “It’s getting late.” She leaned into him and kissed him on the cheek, much to his liking but before he knew it, she was gone...

Gone.

Present Day – post Alkali lake incident and Jean Grey’s death...

“SCOTT!!”

“Jean!?!” He awoke to find that he was alone in his bed and the first thing that came to mind was Jean. Since the day when she gave up her life at Alkali Lake, Scott had been trying to cope over his loss of the one woman he loved and it hurt like hell. He wished all too deeply that she was here – with him and knowing that he couldn’t go back and change the past; this made him sink deeper into depression. He had awoken from a dream of the time when he first told Jean how he felt about her and it was like a distant memory that he wanted to hold onto for eternity. Sometimes, he would sense she was with him everywhere he went but every time he did, his nightmares of her would haunt him. If he could change one thing, it would be to be with Jean again. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her. What hurt him the most were the words he said to her, “I won’t let anything happen to you,” and look where it got them. He sat up at the edge of the bed, tears streamed down his face as he tried to prevent them from coming but he couldn’t hold them back. “Jean...” he said but he knew she wouldn’t hear his voice because she was long dead. Scott glanced up and with a determination on his face; he got up out of bed. He had been bed ridden for weeks now since Jean’s passing and she was all he could ever think about, day in and day out. Why did she have to die? He kept asking himself. There had to be another way to save her. He knew there was but deep down; he knew Jean wouldn’t have let anyone save her when she was saving them.

“In the past yes...she might have let us...but she made a choice,” Professor Xavier once said shortly after her death. If Jean needed help, then why on earth didn’t she ask? Why did she leave the jet? These were questions that he wanted answers for and the only way he could get these answers were from Jean alone. But he was too late – even to ask. Scott felt his eyes weld up with more incoming tears and he realized he couldn’t help himself of how he felt about his loss. It cut him so deeply like an edge of a knife that he didn’t know whom to talk to about his feelings. With a sigh, he got dressed and sitting on the bed again with a bag packed, he was confronted by another haunted image of Jean, engulfed by water and was calling out to him. “Jean...” he almost said too silently. It was time. Time to confront his lover’s grave in solitude.

 

[ThePhantasm]

I wouldn't mind reading this, but the format is a bit daunting. Could you break up the text a bit more?

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

Sure. Sorry about that.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

“There...good as new,” Beast said as he did a once over on the fixing he made for rebuilding Cerebro, whose parts were partially taken by Stryker’s team to construct a second version of the machine many months ago. “Thank you, Hank. You’ve done exceptionally well.” “Not a problem...though I did make a few modifications on it but the moment you put the head gear on, it should work like it never was taken a part in the first place.” “I don’t know how we could have done it without your help.” Together, they left the room and all was silent between them.

“I have to ask, Charles, how is Scott holding up? I mean, after what happened to Jean?” “He’s coping but I do worry about him since he hasn’t been turning up for the majority of the training sessions. I feel that he blames himself too much for Jean’s death when he shouldn’t. He just hasn’t been the same since that day. I hope that he recovers soon. After all, I gave him a leave of absence of his leadership duties, leaving Storm in charge for the time being.” “I sure hope he pulls through. I hate to see my best friend torn up like this for the rest of his life, not that he was my only friend, but Jean was too.” “Yes. And don’t you forget Warren. I, for one am glad he came back to help out with the kids. How could I ever repay you both for pulling everybody together?” Beast looked down at Charles and smiled. “Think nothing of it. You’ve done all you could to help the others through the tough times, but if only we could get through to Scott in some way. Perhaps a little Shakespeare will cheer him up.” Xavier chuckled. “One of these days.”

“Hey Scott...We’ve been looking for you downstairs, you didn’t show,” said Logan as he caught sight of Scott who was about to sneak his way out of the mansion. “What’s it to you, Logan?” “Well, I had to cover your ass for starters when I didn’t have to.” “No one asked you to,” said Scott who started to become annoyed with Logan. “No but the professor did. Look, I understand. When Jean died““Don’t...” “You’re not alone, Scott. We all miss her just as much the same as you but that’s no excuse for missing out on all the training sessions.” “You should talk. You know, everything was fine up until that day I had to save your life. You know nothing about what it’s like to lose someone you’ve cared about for so long.” “So what you’re saying is that Jean’s death is my fault?” Logan growled as he grabbed Scott by the shirt and slammed him into the wall.

The shove made Scott want to remove his shades to blast some sense into Logan but he stopped himself when he noticed they were being watched by some of the youngsters who were passing by them. “Listen, Cyclops! You might believe that I don’t understand what you’re going through when in fact, I do but Jean was nothing more but a friend to me. You deserved her more than anyone in this world ever could. So don’t even think for a second that I know nothing of how you feel when we all lost Jean. I think it’s best for you to move on just like the rest of us have.” He let go of him and relaxed. “Not everyone heals as fast as you do, Logan,” Scott said as he moved away from him. Logan watched him go before he trudged on.

Kitty Pryde stood before the tombstone of Jean Grey, paying her respects when Bobby and Rogue came up beside her. Even though she wasn’t there when Jean had given up her life to save her team mates; it made such an impact on everyone that Jean’s death devastated her the most. Jean was not only a role model to her but she was to those who knew her. Kitty sniffled and placed a flower down before the tombstone. “We’ve been looking for you, Kitty. We thought this was the only place we could find you here,” said Bobby who then stared down at the tombstone. Then he sighed as the memory of Jean came to his mind.

“It won’t be the same without having Ms Grey around here,” he swallowed hard. “What she did for us was the greatest heroic thing anyone else could have done.” “We were there, Bobby but there was nothing neither of us could have done to save her in return,” said Rogue. “Just goes to show that we x-men stick together. No matter what happens...no matter what the cost is. Jean made a choice to make sure we got out of there alive, a choice we will never forget through the memories we have of her.” “I just wish...” Kitty tried to say. “I know, Kitty. We all wish the same thing that she still lived but like Rogue said, there was nothing we could have done.” “We’re going to be late for class, come on. Let’s go,” said Rogue and turned back towards the mansion with Bobby who followed suit behind her. Kitty took one last glance at Jean’s tombstone and followed the other two back inside.

“A word with you, Kitty...” Professor Xavier said once everyone had left the room. “Something tells me that you’ve been behind on some of your assignments, which is unusual for you.” “I’m sorry, professor...there’s been a lot on my mind as of late.” “Because of Jean’s death.” Kitty looked up at him and nodded. “Listen, Kitty. You’re not the only one who feels Jean’s death has caused great pain. I want you to understand, that what she did was an act of heroism but it did, however, cost her life dearly when she sacrificed herself. Could we have done more to save her? Yes...but she chose the latter of the choice she made. It was her or all of us.” “I wish there was something I could have done to help if I was there.” “Now, Kitty. I think everyone wishes that but not even I could have been of much use to help her. Getting back to the discussion at hand, I’ll give you an extension on those assignments.” “Thank you professor,” said Kitty and waved goodbye before vanishing through the door. Xavier watched her go and sighed as he was left all alone.

Logan stepped into the kitchen for a soda when Rogue happened to be in there. “Hey, Logan.” “How you doing, kid?” “Alright, I guess. It’s just not the same as it used to be around here.” Opening the bottle of soda, Logan looked at her before taking a sip. “I know what you mean.” Moving to sit down across from her at the table, he took another sip and then settled the bottle down in front of him. “You...uh want to talk about it?” “No. I think I’ve had my fair share of heartbreak for once. Seeing Scott so lost without Jean has put a damper on everything. It’s no wonder he never showed up at all in the danger room. Look, Logan, I know how you felt about her, how close you two have gotten...” “Not that kind of close...but yeah...I remember the first time we met. She was the only one who really warmed up to me...as a friend.” “Have you ever thought that if you could change something of the past, would you?”

Logan stared at her. “If it means seeing Jean again...I would.” “I think we’d all want that...but we can’t always have what we want.” She turned away from him but not without given him a sadden look. “Hey...just remember you’re not alone with how you feel about what happened back at the lake. We saw what happened and yet, there was nothing we could have done more to help her. We all just have to face the facts and accept that she’s gone.” “Have you, Logan? Accepted it?” He looked at her as a wave of emotions ran through him concerning Jean. “Let’s just say...not everyone heals as fast as they would like.” He tilted his head back and took a swig of his soda before taking off.

 

[DarknessOfDeath]

Scott pushed the kickstand of the motorcycle in place with his foot and glanced up towards the distance. Turning slightly to the right, he could make out that the lake was dried up and this caused him to frown. Getting off the seat of his bike, he walked towards the exact place where it all happened. The ground itself feel squishy and mucky from where the water once flowed but it had been months since the dam had ruptured. He scanned his surroundings as the sun blared down on him forcing to shield himself from the sun’s ultra violet rays. It felt like yesterday when Jean had given up her life to save her friends from the flood. Scott let out a deep breath as the memory of Jean flashed before his eyes. “Scott! Scott!!” “NO! Stop it! STOP IT!” Hearing her call his name was becoming too unbearable to take and that’s when he tore his sunglasses off.

A beam of red energy shot out from his eyes, blasting towards the sky and fearing that he lost control, he fell back as he closed his eyes shut. He swallowed hard and rose up to his feet when her voice seemed to cease. Putting his glasses back on, he turned around to head back to his bike when suddenly, he felt the back of his jacket feel warm. At first he thought it was just the sun’s rays but then as he turned slowly around, there was an aura of light glowing right in front of him. As the light dissipated, he could make out a tall human like figure, suspended in mid air. He gasped as he could make out the human as a woman who had a fiery aura of flames surrounding her. “Jean!?!” With her arms outstretched like a phoenix bird, she lowered them as she descended down towards him. She stood there and then the aura of flames disappeared and there she stood right before his eyes: Jean Grey.

“Scott?” He took a step forward. “I don’t understand. You died.” “I did,” she stared down at herself and then glanced up at Scott who was so mesmerized by the fact that Jean was alive after all this time. Scott swallowed hard at her. “But the water should have killed you. No one could have survived the impact, but...You’re here...I don’t believe it. Jean?””I’m sorry Scott. But I did make a choice.” “Yet your choice wasn’t supposed to die...” “No...But somehow, it was meant to have happened either way. ““Then why did you do it? Why did you leave me all alone?””You may not have realized it, Scott, but it was my fault for what happened when the dam had ruptured at Alkali Lake...” she looked around her. “Well...when there was a lake. You’re optic blasts is what caused the generators to be destroyed when I was deflecting them but when I realized what was happening, it was too late.” “You can’t blame yourself for what happened, Jean. If I hadn’t been brainwashed by Stryker, we wouldn’t be standing here talking about it now would we?” Jean suppressed a smile. “You’re right, Scott but in truth, what happened-happened. I put all of you in danger – something I could never live with for as long as I lived.”

“So what you’re saying is you’d rather stay dead?” She looked down and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “It was my choice and mine alone. There was nothing you could have done to stop me. Don’t you see, Scott? I was trying to save you and the others. I was the reason that the jet wasn’t able to take off because of the inference of my powers.” Scott swallowed hard and nodded. “That explains why there was so many malfunctions that the power wasn’t able to come back on until the very last moment when you were outside...” He gulped. “That was some great power you displayed but it clearly wasn’t enough to save you and... me.” He looked down but Jean reached out and lifted his head up by cupping his chin. “It never is enough for you, is it, Scott?” “I’m sorry...I was really furious when you left the jet – especially when you had closed the door on my face.” “I didn’t want you to die with me.” “We never wanted you to die, Jean. Not even the professor and those who looked up to you.”

Tears were now welding up in Scott’s eyes when he saw a vision of her holding back the water at bay. She advanced towards him when he moved closer to her and she threw her arms around his neck as they hugged each other closely, never wanting to let go of the other. “I thought I lost you,” whispered Scott. Jean squeezed him tightly, smiling. “You never did, I’m right here, Scott,” she said as she pulled away from him and looked deeply into his face. He slid his hands into her hair, overjoyed in seeing her again and all he could think about now was the fact that he was able to be with her once again. They both gazed up into the sky as it slowly began to darken when the sun started to sink slowly in the horizon. “It’s probably too late to head back to the mansion. We can camp here for tonight and make our way home in the morning,” Scott said and the two of them made their way towards his bike. He had managed to pack some tent gear before he left so he was well prepared. He wheeled the bike off the road and onto the grassy ground as Jean helped set up the tent.

All was good now as Scott entered the tent with his bag and was now setting up a bed for him and Jean to rest on. Jean remained outside, watching as the sun set, thinking all this time as to why she was brought back alive. Somewhere inside of her, she wished she had remained dead but now that she was here, there was no going back to the way things were. Part of why she was resurrected will always be a mystery to her and to those around her. She sighed, not knowing what to do when she touched Scott’s mind. She turned around and unzipped the zipper of the tent and stepping inside, she wandered over towards him. Scott swallowed hard as he was about to sit up straight but she stopped him by placing her hand against his lips. Then she slid her hands to the sides of his head and as she lowered him back down, she kissed him softly. Scott closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her and next thing he did, he flipped her onto her back. Pressing his mouth hotly against hers, he knew he couldn’t help the way he felt about her. Slowly, he pulled away from her and rolled onto his back so he was lying next to her.

Turning his head, he gazed into her eyes as many questions continued to pop into his mind. “When it happened, did it hurt?” Jean swallowed hard as she turned to look at him. “It happened so fast...as if I was slipping uncontrollably from the world itself. When the water surged around me, I couldn’t breathe due to the water filling up my lungs and for a while I felt lifeless but something happened then and I couldn’t make out what it was when I felt its power join with my own.” She turned away from him to glance up at what was above her and she sighed. “I guess I wasn’t ready to die just yet and next thing I realized what was happening, I reached the surface. Wherever the power came from, it was just too unstable for me to control that I fainted and fell back down into the water. I don’t remember much of what happened after that or why the lake had dried up, I...just don’t know.” Scott took her hand in a loving gesture and kissed it gently with his lips. “It’s okay Jean...you don’t have to explain everything,” he told her and moved a little closer towards her.

Then he rested his head down next to her and breathing slowly, he let his eyes close as he drifted off into a deep sleep. He awoke several hours to find himself alone inside the tent. His heart raced at the very thought that Jean had left him but as he unzipped the front of the tent in order to pass through, he found her. Standing alone with her back turned against him, it seemed to him that she paid no notice of him when he first stepped his way towards her. She hugged her body close as the air became crisp and cool while it flowed through her long red hair. “Jean?” “It’s so peaceful...everything was before it...happened. I thought for sure it was really the end for me but how could I be alive when I should be dead?” “It’s because you deserve a second chance to live, Jean, regardless of what you did to save us. Out of all the people that I’ve come to know better and care about, it’s you because I love you too damn much.” She glanced down. “No one blames you for what happened. I think everyone blames themselves for not seeing what was happening to you. You’re afraid of the unknown, I get that but Jean, what you did back there, was one of the most heroic thing I’ve seen you do that it hurt everyone that it made them feel so helpless to save you in return.”

“What if I’m not the same woman you’ve loved? What if I am not Jean Grey? “She asked as she turned around when Scott advanced towards her and stood before her. “What kind of talk is that? You are who you are. There’s no one who can change that.” “I hope so, Scott. Sometimes...I’m afraid of my own free will...afraid of what I can do now. This power...I can feel it growing inside of me, ready to devour anything or anyone who will stand in its way.” “We can help you, Jean. It’s never too late to ask for help. The professor-““Isn’t here, Scott. I’m not sure if I am ready to return home. At least...Not yet anyway.” “You need time to adjust things...I get it,” he drew her into his arms and kissed the side of her cheek. Jean smiled at his touch and taking her hand, Scott led her back into the tent where they retired for the rest of the night.

“Logan? Have you seen Scott?” Xavier asked as he was wheeling by Logan in the hallway. “Yeah...I’ve seen him. He was just passing through to leave the mansion when I was on my way to see him. Why? You’re not going to read my mind are you?” “No. And I don’t have to. I think, Logan...Scott has been somewhat under distressed about Jean’s death.” “Ya think?” “Not saying she hasn’t affected us all but to a certain extent, did Scott say where he was going?” “No. But I think I have an idea.” “Alkali Lake...I don’t know but I can almost sense that Scott’s life could be in danger. Something is a mist there. I can feel it.” “I’ll prepare the x-jet.” “I’ll use cerebro to track Scott’s whereabouts to make sure that where he’s going is in fact Alkali Lake. Oh and take Storm with you. She might be able to dissuade him in returning back with you. Scott has taken Jean’s death very hard that he can’t seem to focus on the present at hand.”

“I think he needs more time, Professor.” “No Logan, he needs to learn to cope and move on like the rest of us. I hate to lose a valuable team leader like Scott. He’s like a son to me. It grieves me to see him the way he has handled her death and I fear the worse for him.” Logan sighed and then nodded before taking his leave of Xavier who wheeled his way towards a window. Looking out through the glass, he saw the X-jet rise up into the air, heading straight towards its destination. A determination appeared on his face and turning away from the window, he made his way down to the lower levels of the mansion. “Welcome professor,” said the computer as it did a retina scan of Xavier’s eye to let him through in order to use cerebro. After approaching the computer inside the room, he settled the head gear device on his head and closed his eyes to focus.

She did make a choice...and it was her`s alone when she limped her way out of the jet and down the ramp, realizing that her mutant powers were interfering with the Jet’s ability to take off. Biting down her lower lip, she walked alone away from the jet to stand between it and the oncoming wave of water, in which the dam had been broken and was being telekinetically pushed back. Just to give her friends more time that they needed to get away from this godforsaken place. Jean swallowed hard as she turned when Scott tried to reach the ramp after her but she closed it abruptly before him as he tried to descend down the steps. She could hear his furious voice when he demanded that the ramp be lowered back down but Jean would have none of that. Telekinetically turning the Jet’s power back on and turning away, she focused on the rushing water much harder than before. “This is the only way...” she said telepathically to Scott through Xavier. The jet began to rise as she levitated it up off the snowy ground. Yes...this was her choice - the only way to save those she loved and cared about. It was the most darest move any x-men could have done but Jean knew that it would cost her life dearly. Suddenly she felt an aura of flames radiate around her just as the jet was high enough to escape. Then with one last ounce of strength left in her, Jean Grey closed her eyes and let the flood of water take her life. It surged around her as she felt helpless to control the water, sweeping her away as it kept rushing forwards where the Jet once situated. It felt like a life time since the water took her under but somewhere inside of her made her realize this was not the end. Then, all of the sudden she felt herself rise right out of the water, only to stop midway in the air as she was held in suspension. An aura of yellow and orange flames radiated all around her as she had her arms spread out like an eagle. She had her eyes closed but when she opened them, a tear or two ran down her cheek. I’m alive again...how can this be? She thought to herself. Confused, she felt herself fall back into the water and the moment she hit the water, the water began to vaporize as the flames dissipated around her.

Jean woke suddenly inside the tent and she stared down at Scott who was fast asleep. She rose up and climbed her way out and stood on the grassy ground watching the sun rise in the distance. With all the destruction she had predicted long ago, the growing power that was residing deep within her was beginning to scare her. And she didn’t want to face it alone. The only one she had wanted to face these nightmares was with Scott alone because deep down, she still needed him for he was her strength. While the power of her justice blew her away when she rose out of the water, she began to realize that she couldn’t fight against herself no more. Petrified, her thoughts were far from her, not knowing how to explain to Scott of how she became alive again.

But there was something she knew she never said to him before the incident at Alkali Lake. That she loved him. “Scott...I can’t imagine you expect much from me and I don’t think I can find the right words to explain everything...at least not now...” She said as she sensed him making his way out of the tent and she turned to face him. “You don’t have to...listen to me, Jean. I want you to forget what happened here and just...just come home with me.” “Scott...I’m scared...” “Of what?” “I should be dead and you know why.” Scott shook his head. “You’ve got nothing to be worried about...I’m here. “ She smiled warmly at him and let her fingers touch the side of his glasses. "I want to see your eyes...” she said but Scott shook his head. "I don’t want to hurt you." "You won’t. Relax...I can control them now." She took off his glasses but Scott had his eyes closed shut. "Open them...You can’t hurt me." She said slowly and he did. There was a slight red beam that appeared but it grew dim when Jean used her telekinetic powers to hold and push back the energy beams at bay. Awestruck by the very power she beheld, Scott looked longingly at her and with that, he leaned into her for a kiss, which Jean willingly accepted with eagerness.

Shutting his eyes again, their lips met with a passion that was still very strong between them. She held him close, holding the back of his head as they kissed passionately. But something at the back of Scott’s head alarmed him that something was wrong. As if she was draining the very life of him, he was reluctant to let go of her. He pulled away but when he realized she no longer was holding his energy beams back at bay, they shot out at her but Jean was quick to resist the beams from hitting her. An aura of flames began to radiate around her like a shield and as much as she tried to stop herself from hitting him in return, she telekinetically pushed him away from her, sending him a hundred yards into the deep forest. Confused but distraught, Jean collapsed, fainting as the power she held was too much for her to bear. Meanwhile, Scott could feel himself flying back into the forest and next thing he realized what happened, he felt his back slam hard against a tree. He groaned as he fell unconscious as his body slumped down hard to the ground.