Authors note – I do not own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel and/or 20th Century fox

Chapter 1 – Rebirth

Alkali Lake was once a top-secret government facility, hidden beneath a large dam. All that remains of the once prosperous testing centre is now flooded, that dam, breached. The lake is no longer empty, but filled after a climactic battle that saw Jean Grey, a mutant, killed saving her friends from certain death. Scott Summers had loved Jean Grey from the moment he first set eyes on her, many years ago. He had always been afraid that she'd knock him back, so he always put it off. His fellow friends at Xavier's school for gifted youngsters all told him it was stupid to bottle up his feelings. One day, to his surprise, Jean telepathically spoke to him from across a room, and did what he could never do.

Scott stood on the edge of the lake, gazing out over the water that had swallowed Jean. Scott was there, and he didn't do a thing about it. Scott fell to his knees, since Jean's death he hadn't even cried. He'd wanted to, but the glasses that stopped him obliterating everything in sight always held the tears back.

This is the last time, Scott promised. His eyes tightly closed, Scott removed his specially created glasses and threw them into the water. He wanted to do anything but open them, yet he had an irresistible urge to do so. Ignoring his worries, Scott opened his eyes, releasing the full force of his blasts. The red beams from each eye fired across the water, evaporating the molecules into steam with the sheer heat of the beams. Scott collapsed on the hard rock; a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He could finally do what he had been waiting to do for months, deal with what had happened with Jean and make peace with himself. Scott attempted to stand, realisation hitting him that he had blinded himself. He cursed himself and reached for his mobile phone, clipped to his pocket. The day he forgot to bring a spare pair of glasses would be the day he cast them into the water in a surge of anger.

"Ororo? It's Scott; I'm at Alkali Lake. Could you bring the Blackbird as soon as possible, and my visor? No, no trouble, I've just been real stupid. Thanks."

Scott sat down and smiled. In his eyes, what he did wasn't stupid; it was something only he could understand. When you're cursed like he is, letting go is a welcome relief. Then he felt it, an intense heat in Scott's vicinity.

"Hello?" Scott spoke aloud and grasped at the air, to his surprise he felt something. His glasses had been floating in front of him, with confusion; Scott placed them back into position. The lake reappeared, but everything was different. The water level had dropped noticeably and the air around him sparked with red light. A shadow fell over Scott; causing him to leap up into the air, ready to blast the intruder unconscious. Before he even had the chance, Scott froze. He had always suspected he'd see her again, she looked different, her hair had changed and she radiated a purple fire. She seemed so unnatural.

"Jean?" The fire dispersed revealing the same old Jean Grey, innocent and beautiful.

"Hello Scott."