Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Please don't sue me...
Authors note: Contrary to how it might seem in this prologue, this is not a Phoenix fic. Promise! :D
*****************************
"And when man faces destiny, destiny ends and man comes into his own."
-André Malraux,
**************************************
Prologue:
*************************************
Existence, as she had once known it, ceased to be.
She floated in the darkness, caught somewhere between life and death. There was no sound...no light...no feeling. Only a terrible, aching emptiness that filled the space where her soul had once resided.
And fire.
All around her, fire.
Power of a kind that others could only dream of was finally within her grasp. Free now from the constrains of her mortal mind, she could weald stars and planets with her merest whim. Time stretched before her into an eternity - both meaningless and absolute in her new guise - and each day melted within the next in an endless cycle of death and renewal.
She was the infinite, the creator and destroyer of worlds...
...She was a God...
...She was Phoenix.
**********************************************
Life at the Xavier Institute had changed very little over the past few years, Kitty mused. Same old corridors, same old classes...even the same flavours of ice-cream in the kitchens sizable refrigerators. Humming to herself, the dark-haired woman nosed around in the cold ice-chest, eyes narrowed as she cast a critical eye over the contents. Spotting her snack of choice - chocolate-chip whip - she withdrew the carton and expertly swung the door closed with a tap from her hip.
The kitchens were dark and quiet at this time of night...which was largely the reason why Kitty had come down there. Much as she loved her job as an Instructor, it left her with very little in the way of personal time. Gone were the days when the mansion housed only a handful of mutants...at last count there were over eighty students at the Institute, with more enrolling at every semester. Kitty's days were full and hectic, and she treasured these few snatched moments of solitude.
Turning away from the refrigerator, Kitty gave a small start as a shadowy figure appeared in the open doorway. The shock lasted only a second, however, and was quickly replaced with relief when she saw who the newcomer was.
"Scott! Jeez, don't scare me like that...I almost phased through my ice- cream."
Scott hesitated, then took a step into the kitchen. His bare feet padded quietly against the tiles. "Oh...sorry. I didn't think that anyone would be down here."
Kitty gestured towards the ice-cream carton cradled in her arm. "I got a major case of the midnight munchies."
"Ah. I see."
There was a short silence, as there always was with Scott nowadays. He was still the dedicated leader that he always was...still a firm Instructor...but with all that had happened in the past few years, Kitty found it very difficult to maintain a conversation with him. It was as though his mind was always elsewhere...somewhere where she could not follow...
"Soo..." Kitty rocked on her heels, trying desperately to think of something to say, "How was training today? Rogue said Hank's new simulation put the kids up against Sentinels...musta been pretty tough."
Scott's stare - partially obscured by the ever-present visor - was fixed intently on his feet. "It was okay."
Another pause.
Kitty chewed anxiously on her lower lip, uncertain on whether or not to speak what was on her mind. Cautiously, she took a slow step towards the X- Men field leader, venturing to rest a hand on his bare forearm.
"You know...if you ever want to talk about her, I'm here."
Scott sighed, then managed a weak smile. "Yeah. Yeah...I know." He glanced upward to her, the last embers of their friendship briefly kindled. "Night Kitty."
Kitty returned the smile and gave a short nod. "Night Scott."
Then he passed out of the doorway, leaving Kitty alone with her ice-cream.
**********************************************
"Kitty's getting worried about Scott."
Rogue didn't pause in her work. She did, however, allow a small scowl to line her forehead, jaw clenched firm and unrelenting. "Kitty worries about everyone," she muttered, tugging at a stubborn weed around the gravestone.
Her brother gave a sardonic smirk. "I mean more than usual. She says that he was really bummed out last night."
"Again, tell me something that I don't know."
Kurt ignored the sarcastic response. His cat-like eyes narrowed reproachfully at an errant trail of ivy and brushed it away from the grave with a sweep of his hand. "Perhaps I should try and talk to him..." he mused aloud, voice low and considering, "...Maybe get him to open up some. We used to be pretty close before all of this happened."
"Or better still, just give the guy a break." Rogue set her trowel down and heaved herself to her feet. "When he wants to talk, he'll talk."
Kurt shook his head, stray wisps of indigo hair falling over his forehead. "It's been over a year. He needs to move on. Dwelling on the past the way that he does...it's not healthy."
Rogue looked across to her brother, arms folded across her chest. A fond smile ghosted at the corners of her lips. "You never stop trying to help people do you?"
The blue-furred mutant gave an offhand shrug, then tapped a finger at the dog-collar that encased his neck. "It's my job."
"Yeah, well it gets kind of annoying after a while ya know?"
"Ooo, touchy!" Kurt gave a fanged grin, tail swaying restlessly with malicious glee. "Whats wrong? Remy stand you up again?"
Rogue feigned indigence and pushed his lightly, always mindful so as not to do any damage with her newly acquired super-strength. "For your information, hairball, *I* stood *him* up!"
"That's not the way he tells it..."
Arguing light-heartedly between themselves, the two mutants turned and began to walk back to the mansion...leaving Charles Xavier's carefully tended tombstone to the autumn winds.
Authors note: Contrary to how it might seem in this prologue, this is not a Phoenix fic. Promise! :D
*****************************
"And when man faces destiny, destiny ends and man comes into his own."
-André Malraux,
**************************************
Prologue:
*************************************
Existence, as she had once known it, ceased to be.
She floated in the darkness, caught somewhere between life and death. There was no sound...no light...no feeling. Only a terrible, aching emptiness that filled the space where her soul had once resided.
And fire.
All around her, fire.
Power of a kind that others could only dream of was finally within her grasp. Free now from the constrains of her mortal mind, she could weald stars and planets with her merest whim. Time stretched before her into an eternity - both meaningless and absolute in her new guise - and each day melted within the next in an endless cycle of death and renewal.
She was the infinite, the creator and destroyer of worlds...
...She was a God...
...She was Phoenix.
**********************************************
Life at the Xavier Institute had changed very little over the past few years, Kitty mused. Same old corridors, same old classes...even the same flavours of ice-cream in the kitchens sizable refrigerators. Humming to herself, the dark-haired woman nosed around in the cold ice-chest, eyes narrowed as she cast a critical eye over the contents. Spotting her snack of choice - chocolate-chip whip - she withdrew the carton and expertly swung the door closed with a tap from her hip.
The kitchens were dark and quiet at this time of night...which was largely the reason why Kitty had come down there. Much as she loved her job as an Instructor, it left her with very little in the way of personal time. Gone were the days when the mansion housed only a handful of mutants...at last count there were over eighty students at the Institute, with more enrolling at every semester. Kitty's days were full and hectic, and she treasured these few snatched moments of solitude.
Turning away from the refrigerator, Kitty gave a small start as a shadowy figure appeared in the open doorway. The shock lasted only a second, however, and was quickly replaced with relief when she saw who the newcomer was.
"Scott! Jeez, don't scare me like that...I almost phased through my ice- cream."
Scott hesitated, then took a step into the kitchen. His bare feet padded quietly against the tiles. "Oh...sorry. I didn't think that anyone would be down here."
Kitty gestured towards the ice-cream carton cradled in her arm. "I got a major case of the midnight munchies."
"Ah. I see."
There was a short silence, as there always was with Scott nowadays. He was still the dedicated leader that he always was...still a firm Instructor...but with all that had happened in the past few years, Kitty found it very difficult to maintain a conversation with him. It was as though his mind was always elsewhere...somewhere where she could not follow...
"Soo..." Kitty rocked on her heels, trying desperately to think of something to say, "How was training today? Rogue said Hank's new simulation put the kids up against Sentinels...musta been pretty tough."
Scott's stare - partially obscured by the ever-present visor - was fixed intently on his feet. "It was okay."
Another pause.
Kitty chewed anxiously on her lower lip, uncertain on whether or not to speak what was on her mind. Cautiously, she took a slow step towards the X- Men field leader, venturing to rest a hand on his bare forearm.
"You know...if you ever want to talk about her, I'm here."
Scott sighed, then managed a weak smile. "Yeah. Yeah...I know." He glanced upward to her, the last embers of their friendship briefly kindled. "Night Kitty."
Kitty returned the smile and gave a short nod. "Night Scott."
Then he passed out of the doorway, leaving Kitty alone with her ice-cream.
**********************************************
"Kitty's getting worried about Scott."
Rogue didn't pause in her work. She did, however, allow a small scowl to line her forehead, jaw clenched firm and unrelenting. "Kitty worries about everyone," she muttered, tugging at a stubborn weed around the gravestone.
Her brother gave a sardonic smirk. "I mean more than usual. She says that he was really bummed out last night."
"Again, tell me something that I don't know."
Kurt ignored the sarcastic response. His cat-like eyes narrowed reproachfully at an errant trail of ivy and brushed it away from the grave with a sweep of his hand. "Perhaps I should try and talk to him..." he mused aloud, voice low and considering, "...Maybe get him to open up some. We used to be pretty close before all of this happened."
"Or better still, just give the guy a break." Rogue set her trowel down and heaved herself to her feet. "When he wants to talk, he'll talk."
Kurt shook his head, stray wisps of indigo hair falling over his forehead. "It's been over a year. He needs to move on. Dwelling on the past the way that he does...it's not healthy."
Rogue looked across to her brother, arms folded across her chest. A fond smile ghosted at the corners of her lips. "You never stop trying to help people do you?"
The blue-furred mutant gave an offhand shrug, then tapped a finger at the dog-collar that encased his neck. "It's my job."
"Yeah, well it gets kind of annoying after a while ya know?"
"Ooo, touchy!" Kurt gave a fanged grin, tail swaying restlessly with malicious glee. "Whats wrong? Remy stand you up again?"
Rogue feigned indigence and pushed his lightly, always mindful so as not to do any damage with her newly acquired super-strength. "For your information, hairball, *I* stood *him* up!"
"That's not the way he tells it..."
Arguing light-heartedly between themselves, the two mutants turned and began to walk back to the mansion...leaving Charles Xavier's carefully tended tombstone to the autumn winds.