Red

A Jean vignette focusing on her transformation into Dark Phoenix- and its consequences. JOTT if you squint.

Oh fudge, I am writing way too many angsty and dark little fics. All the same though, once this idea wormed its way into my head and refused to leave, I had no choice but to write it.

Thanks to my beta, who does not exist, because my boredom led to me proofreading everything twice. (Didn't say I was paying attention while reading it through, though xD)

The very reasons that Charles Xavier had chosen Jean Grey to be his first student would ironically turn out to be her ultimate demise.

Her TK wasn't that great. She couldn't lift objects that were too heavy and she'd give out after only a short while of exertion. Nevertheless, the young woman showed promise and hidden potential.

Her real power lay in her telepathic abilities- useful for conveying commands in battle and having mental conversations with Scott in Kelly's boring detention classes.

She couldn't summon gigantic blizzards that lay waste to entire buildings like Storm did. She didn't have Rogue's deadly touch or Wolverine's razor-like claws.

But there was something else about her that didn't seem right. A piece of the puzzle was missing somewhere.

The truth about her began to rear its ugly head one normal day.

By normal, I mean that the X-Men were in intensive battle with the Brotherhood and the various objects that were hurled towards them, courtesy of the Scarlet Witch- who wasn't quite sane that day, but then again; she almost never was.

A car flew towards Scott and he turned around to blast it to bits. Must have sensed something amiss behind him.

Too bad his instincts couldn't save him from the blue-skinned shapeshifter sneaking up behind him.

Mystique squeezed the trigger of her pistol as soon as she had the sights aimed properly at Cyclops' undefended back.

Jean's screams rent the air as her love fell, and Raven bared her sharp teeth in a triumphant grin.

Rage. Grief. Frustation at herself for not being there when he needed her.

But most importantly… Vengeance.

She raised a hand as her hair burst into flames… And burned… And burned… And burned.

She was, quite literally, raging.

Mystique rolled her eyes and easily ducked a few projectiles of Jean's. There was something wrong with the young telepath, but who cared? In her overconfidence, Mystique believed that she could end Xavier's most precious student just as easily as she'd done Cyclops. Maybe even bring their bodies back to Magneto for studying. It was going to be a good day for the ruthless assassin! Or so she thought.

But, it just so happened that Raven had miscalculated- she hadn't taken into account the very limits of Jean's anger.

Because there were none at all.

And as she reloaded her weapons and leapt forward, she slammed into a telepathic wall while pink tendrils wrapped around her, knocking the breath out of her. The force of the crushing bonds forced her to let go of her guns even as she felt her bones begin to fracture.

Only when the world burst into flames around her did she finally begin to feel fear.

'I am Phoenix,' she heard a low psychic voice say. 'And you really shouldn't have crossed me.'

A high-pitched, terrifying laugh echoed in her skull.

It was the last thing she was aware of as her soul was sucked away from the land of the living.

Mission accomplished. Right? Not a chance.

Hellish flames roared around a crazed Jean Grey as she started destroying everything she could see. Distracted, the respective teams paused their battles.

Suddenly, she fell to her knees and her fiery curls dimmed; even as her friends rushed to help her, she collapsed and lay on the ground unmoving.

Somewhere in the back of her subconscious thoughts, the dark entity known as the Phoenix roared in fury as a strong psychic force managed to subdue it.

It screamed and lashed out as it was once again caged in the nether regions of Jean's mind.

Logan could only watch and pace as Xavier tried to repair the damage done.

'What's happening to her, Chuck?'

Without a word, the professor wheeled himself to an open window and gazed out at the horizon.

'This ain't a movie,' growled Wolverine. 'Staring at clouds may add drama to this whole thing, but it won't help Jean. I need answers. What's wrong with her?'

Charles Xavier sighed. 'The beast is free,' he said.

Was that a note of fear Logan heard in his voice?

Far in the distance, as the sun set, it cast red waves like wildfire onto the grounds of Xavier Mansion.