Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, storylines, anything from either the X-Men movies or the X-Men comic series.

The air was misty, and the dewdrops on the plants that morning played with the young sunlight they caught on their opalescent, glassy surfaces. Ribbons of mist rose ever-so-slowly from the damp grass and soil. The utter stillness of the air lulled the world into a state of purity, quiet and peace. It was one of those mornings when everything seemed new. It was nature at its most serene. But for the one man awake at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters this fine morning, peace and serenity were the last things on his mind.

He didn't even notice the first rays of the sun peeking over the horizon. He crouched stone-still in the garden, holding a pristine white lily in his left hand, which he fiddled with absentmindedly. Before his bare feet were two gravestones, chilling centerpieces in a yard that was otherwise bursting with life this time of year. One was marked with the name of Scott Summers; the other, Jean Grey.

"Be well…"

And he did it. He saw her face contort in pain before she smiled that last, beautiful smile at him…and she passed.

Visions of her last moments consumed his mind. He held his face in his free hand. He felt like crying, but no tears came. He'd spent too many over the past year. Why did it have to be him? He had loved her, and he was the one responsible for her death… it was everyone's worst nightmare to kill the one they loved. It still haunted his dreams as fiercely as though it were really happening.

Logan didn't sleep much these days.

He placed the white lily on Jean's grave and continued to stare at it as he became lost in his own thoughts. He relived the moment over and over. It was torture.

"Logan?"

A hand on his shoulder and a gentle voice drew him out of his waking nightmare. He looked up toward the horizon. The sun was already up. He'd been there a long time. His gaze shifted over to the person addressing him. "Oh. Hey, Ororo." He'd recognized the shock of white hair first.

Ororo looked around the yard and inhaled a breath of fresh air as she smiled. "Beautiful morning, isn't it? I didn't even have to do anything this time," she joked. Logan humored her with a small laugh. "Yeah it is nice out." His eyes drifted almost involuntarily to the lily again. Ororo's smiled faded. Normally she'd know exactly what to say, but now there was nothing she could. She knew how much Logan had cared for Jean. And she knew what day it was. But he needed to start living again, and how could she tell him that without sounding cruel?

Logan stood up suddenly and faced Ororo. "Let's go get some breakfast," he said, sounding a little forced. Ororo was surprised; it was almost as though he'd read her mind. "That sounds good," she replied.

As they walked back toward the building, Logan took one last glance at the two graves side by side. I will always love you, Jean, he thought, wherever you are.

It was exactly a year since the day he'd ended her life on Alcatraz.

The air was cool and damp on her skin. The sounds of water smashing against rock were the first sounds to fill her ears. She felt rocks poking at her stomach and arms. Discomfort. It was a feeling she knew. The smell of ash and salt inundated her senses.

Wake up.

One hand clutched at the ground and grasped dust and soil… tangible things. She breathed in humid air, and she coughed as she inhaled dust also. Even so, she savored these first few moments in the world. Everything was real again.

Sit up. Look around you.

She opened her eyes laboriously and rolled over onto her back with a groan. Light flowed in through her pupils as she opened her eyes wider and blinked some. It was morning, and the sunrise lit her stunning green eyes with flecks of gold. Long, fiery red hair fell all around her face. She stood up in one sweeping motion and opened her fingers to let the dirt run out of her hand. Looking down at herself, she saw she was wearing a white sundress. Her feet were bare. She let in another breath and could almost taste the salt this time.

"I'm… alive," she whispered in awe, and that was the final confirmation. Memories came flooding back to her. Everything. Annie, the Professor, Scott, Logan, the Phoenix, death, death, DEATH! She held her head in her hands as she tried to suppress the fierce, primal force within her… the force that had used her to kill everything that threatened it. She still felt its raw power surging through her body, beating at the walls of her mind. Could she stop it this time?

She felt a lump rise in her throat. She would have to be stronger. Or she'd condemn herself to death again. Somehow, she'd find a way.

She released her grip on her head as she felt the Phoenix become calm inside. She sorted out her memories. I have to return to the school, she thought to herself. I have to face what I've done, and let my teammates be my judge. She lifted her eyes heavenward. "God be with me," she said aloud before she stepped gingerly toward the waters of the San Francisco Bay.