Author's Notes: This is my first real effort at fanfiction in a long time. It's also inspired by a dream I had right before I wrote it.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Marvel Comics does. This just a fun writing exercise.
An Old Love Reborn
Scott Summers also known as Cyclops, stands in a conference room. The wide floor lengths windows give him a view of Earth. It's a view he's trying not too look. Scott ducked in here to have a moment to himself, but he almost wishes he hadn't. Everything around him is just a little too Star Trek. Though he'd never admit it to anyone, he's never been very comfortable in space. Earth is or was his home. Everything he wanted was down there. Was is the word. All his dreams are shattered and broken.
He's burned so many bridges with so many people. But when trouble really comes, when things get as bad as they can, everyone always to turns to him. The X-Men always do. Most of them act he's like the perfect leader, the model citizen. Scott tries so hard to live up to that image. But he done things he's ashamed of. He's done things he should never have been forgiven for.
The conference room doors open, and Scott turns around. Madelyne Pryor walks in, with the doors shutting behind her. She still looks so much Jean. Jean Grey has been dead for many years now, but she's still the first thing he thinks of when he sees Madelyne. The second thing he thinks of is Madelyne's spirit and spunk. She has always has had a certain liveliness, a personality to her that Jean never had. Madelyne might be a clone of Jean, but she is her own person, as unique and distinct as anyone can be. But still, he should have never married her. No, he couldn't think that. To regret being with her was to regret the existence of his son, Christopher Nathan Summers. Young Christopher who through time travel, was now a man older than Scott, a hero known as Cable, and in some ways, a better man than Scott. Scott's son was, is, one of the few things in his life he is proud of. But even there, there were, there are, regrets…
As Madelyne comes further into the room, closer to him, Scott tells her, "I should have stayed with you Maddie. All those years ago, I should never have left you."
"No," Madelyne says, "I should never have asked you to leave the life you lived. Being a hero was everything to you. It always was."
"It wasn't. You were everything I wanted. You and Christopher."
Madelyne moves to stand right in front of him. She stares him straight in the eyes. "If we were everything to you, you would never have left us. It wasn't just Jean you left us for either. Any excuse would have done it. You listen to me, Scott Summers. You weren't meant to live an ordinary life. No matter how much you thought you wanted it, it was killing you inside. I saw it almost everyday that we were married and together. You were like a bird in a cage. A gilded and comfortable cage is still a cage. Maybe if I had the guts to let you go, you'd have come back to me."
"I still care for you, Madelyne," Scott says.
There's a moment's pause, an uncomfortable quiet, before she says, "I know. I love you too. I always have."
Scott turns away in shame. "I'm so sorry. All those things I did."
"And I sorry too," Madelyne says, "I forgive you. I hope you forgive me. We've both done things we never should have. Horrible things. But it's past. Now is all we have. Now and the possibility of the future. You're needed on the bridge."
Scott gestures helplessly at the room around him. "This isn't even my ship."
Madelyne shakes her head, with a slight smile. "It isn't really Alex's either. He stole it."
Alex Summers also known as Havok, is the current leader of the group known as the Starjammers. The Starjammers is a very large team of intergalactic outlaws, a mix match of aliens who fought with Scott's father, and a number of former X-Men.
This ship that Scott and Madelyne are standing on, used to belong to the Shi'ar navy, before Alex took it. Before he stole it. It's wrong. It's criminal. But Scott has done things just as bad or worse. And this ship just helped the X-Men save over forty thousand lives, both mutants and normal humans alike. That was yesterday.
Scott put an arm around Madelyne. She leans against him. They stare down at the Earth. The Earth which has mostly been taken over by a zombie apocalypse. The only standing government for all humanity is a makeshift one, with Scott Summers in charge. That's got to change. He can handle being the leader of a team of heroes. He can even handle being the head man in charge over several teams of heroes. But he can't be like a president or king, not for long. That goes way past his training and abilities.
It's early though. Morning just beginning. The sun is rise over the side of the Earth that they're in orbit over. It's a brand new day.
"I love you Maddie," Scott says.
"I know." Madelyne says, and they kiss.