Everyone probably has their own version of the "Dark Phoenix" story. This is mine. The back story is contained in "Rebirth and Awakenings" and "Scylla and Charybdis," but you don't have to read those stories to understand this one.
As always, I'd like to thank my intrepid beta-readers, Jen and Amy, without whom this story would have a lot more spelling mistakes and plot holes.
Standard disclaimer: I don't own them; I'm just borrowing them for our entertainment.
Phoenix Rising
Chapter 1 – Aftermath
It didn't take long for Logan to realize that the kids were great. Then he changed his mind – they were phenomenal.
He decided that the night after their return from the disaster at Alkali Lake - where they lost Jean Grey. Scott, devastated, had pulled himself together enough to get through the trip to Washington, where they were able to convince the President not to declare war on all mutantkind, and then get everyone back to Westchester. Once the jet landed, the children came out of their hiding places. Since most of the rooms were damaged and everyone was throughly traumatized, sleeping bags were pulled out and the children camped out in the den. Logan stayed with them. He noted with gratitude that Stryker's assault force had taken their dead with them. The kids didn't need to see that.
Scott tried to help, tried desperately to do what needed to be done, as he always had. But he couldn't. Finally, gently, the Professor sent him to bed. Scott didn't stay with the others; he went to his room, the room he had shared with Jean, closed the door and didn't come out for the rest of that night and all the next day. Both the Professor and Storm checked on him periodically - both came out of the room saying nothing.
x x x x x
Late the next night, Scott finally emerged. It was almost midnight; only Storm, Kurt, Logan, Bobby and Rogue were in the kitchen. Scott hesitated for a moment in the doorway.
"Sit down," Storm said when she saw him. "I'll get you something to eat."
That was it. Nothing else was said. Scott did as she said and was soon slowly eating some soup Storm had heated for him. But somehow, the kids knew Scott had come downstairs. And one by one, so did they.
They loved him, Logan realized. They were worried about him and needed to see he was all right. At first, it was a simple succession of "Good night, Mr. Summers." Then Artie, little forked tongued Artie, gave him a quick hug. Scott seemed startled, but pleased. But everyone's nerves seemed to dissolve with that artless expression of emotion. Jubilee was emboldened enough to give him a peck on the cheek. The students obviously needed to express their feelings as well.
The next day, Scott and Logan met with Professor Xavier. Both men were still shell-shocked, reeling from the enormity of what Jean had done. The conversation with the Professor threatened to break Scott's control again. But he fought for it and kept it. And afterwards, when Logan offered him the only thing he had to give, that Jean had chosen Scott, Scott merely nodded and walked away. Somehow, Scott found the strength within himself to at least survive.
x x x x x
Word quickly spread to the former pupils of Xavier's school of the attack on the school and the loss of Jean Grey. The phone rang off the hook. Many asked to speak to Scott, but he refused most calls. Logan knew there was someone named Alex he did talk to for almost an hour. But he wouldn't talk to anyone else, and certainly none of the Greys. Storm had accompanied the Professor to see Jean's family and break the news. Scott had not. That had surprised Logan, but all he could find out was that Scott had a difficult relationship with Jean's family. If the students knew any details (and Logan suspected some did), none of them were saying.
Apart from phone calls, there were also actual visitors. The first to arrive was a huge creature - big, blue, and hairy. Logan wasn't sure what to make of this arrival, but he certainly understood the reaction of the children and staff. The cavalry had arrived.
Mingled shouts of "Hank" and "Dr. Beast" greeted the new arrivals. Storm jumped into his arms and looked like she was going to burst into tears. Then Scott appeared on the staircase.
"Hank?"
Scott took the stairs two at a time and, like Storm, walked straight into a tight embrace. It was almost comical – the huge man almost enveloped poor Scott.
"Please tell me you're staying," Scott begged.
"Well, I haven't spoken to Charles yet," unlike his physiology, the voice was urbane and intelligent. "But, yes, I'm staying."
Scott took a deep breath and, for one second, relaxed. Logan was surprised. Scott had shied away from this kind of display since their return. That told Logan as nothing else did that this man was special.
x x x x x
Later that afternoon there was another arrival. The man who came through the door was tall and blond, with an aura of wealth and privilege. Once again, they were all in the hall when he came through the door.
"Warren," Storm breathed and she gave him a warm hug.
"Where's Scott?" he asked.
"Here." Scott moved from the doorway, took two steps into the room and stopped. It wasn't obstinance, he simply couldn't go forward.
Warren closed the steps between them and unreservedly gave Scott a hug. "I loved her, too," was all he said.
x x x x x
That evening after dinner, Warren, Hank, and the other adults gathered in Xavier's private sitting room for coffee. Scott had just stepped out to check on the children.
"Now tell us, what is his actual condition? I will not accept prevarication." Hank asked.
"He's lost the love of his life," Logan found himself responding. "How do you think he's doing?"
Warren replied, "In a pit of darkness where no light can ever be." He gave a twisted smile, "I've been there."
"What about Jean's belongings," Hank continued. "Has anyone ... "
"Don't – push – him," Warren advised again. "Good God, I had Candy's stuff around the apartment for over a year after she was murdered. I couldn't bear to move anything. Then one day, I cleaned out the medicine chest. A few weeks later I did the dresser, and finally got to the closet. If it gives him comfort to see her clothes hanging beside his, then let him keep them there. He needs to grieve and he needs to do it at his pace."
Logan found himself liking this Warren.
"I still cannot accept that she is gone," Hank said. "Professor, you are confident there is no possibility ..."
Professor Xavier shifted uncomfortably. Granted, he had felt after their return – but he had felt nothing since. He wasn't going to give Scott or anyone else false hope. "The Jean we knew wasn't powerful enough to survive that," he stated. "But, if you're asking me if it were likely that Jean's powers mutated again .. I don't know. I haven't felt anything recently. I have to assume no."
Just then, Scott reentered the room. "You all finished talking about me?"
"No," Logan replied. "But we can always get you out of the room again."
"Thanks," Scott said drily as he took another cup of coffee.
The rest of the evening passed quietly.
x x x x x
Logan stayed in the Professor's study until the others had all gone. He turned to the Professor. "You asked them to come?"
"Hank was coming, regardless," Professor Xavier said calmly. "Warren – yes, I did ask Warren to come. If Scott is going to get through this, he's going to need his friends around him. The people he trusts."
"He trusts them?"
"Oh yes," the Professor replied with a slight smile. "Easily."
x x x x x
Logan went for a walk the next afternoon, looking for a quiet place to enjoy his cigar. He had to admit, the grounds were beautiful and were made for strolling.
He finally settled on the edge of a ridge. He had a choice for a view of the lake or the school. Since Jean's death, large bodies of water depressed him. He chose the school. He sat down and reached for a light. Then he heard the voices.
"I can't deal with the pain. I always thought heartache sounded so sappy. But there's a weight in my chest and I can't breathe half the time."
It was Scott. Logan rose slightly and looked over the ridge. Storm, Scott, Warren, and Hank were grouped together with the remains of a picnic nearby. Last night, Logan had wondered about Warren's mutation, but now he could see what it was. Wings. Big, beautiful, white fluffy wings. It was stunning. The guy could fly.
But the quartet below was quite used to Warren, that was obvious. Scott was lying on the grass, and near his head sat Storm. The other two were sitting on the perimeter of the picnic blanket. Despite the emotional nature of the conversation, Scott looked more at ease than any time since their return from Alkali Lake. The Professor was right – Scott needed his close friends around him to help him heal from the loss of Jean.
Logan unabashedly listened.
Warren spoke. "I wish I could tell you how long it will be, but I can't. It's a platitude, but time does heal."
"I told you that after Candy was murdered," Scott commented.
"Yes, you did."
"It was a stupid thing to say, Warren," he said firmly. "Hit me. It was stupid and I deserve it."
"I'll take a rain-check," Warren responded drily. "I'll save it up for a day I'd really like to belt you. And it wasn't stupid. It was true. The pain does ... subside ... in time. But let me ask you another question – would you trade having known Jean to escape the pain you're feeling now?"
"No."
Well, at least that was firm, thought Logan.
"Sometimes I wonder," Scott continued. "Did we wind up together ... because we were both here..."
"That's enough of that," Warren said firmly. "Don't give me any "it was convenient" crap. It wasn't convenient. At the time, it was very inconvenient. Let's cast our minds back to the past, shall we? Jean was a grown up in medical school when you met. She'd been on dates and had had other men – in every sense. If she had wanted someone else, she would have picked someone else. She had a boyfriend at the time – who you got rid of. And I don't think any of us ever thanked you for that at the time. But I will now."
Logan smiled at that. So, Scooter had knocked the competition out of the water. Good for him.
"If she had stayed with him, she'd still be alive," Scott commented.
"If she had stayed with him, she would have suffocated," Warren stated. "She chose you, Slim. Don't ever forget that."
"Still, I don't know how I'm going to get through this," Scott admitted.
"Slowly," Hank said. "There is one thing of which I am very sure – you are a strong man, Scott Summers. You are strong in the way it counts. You have survived terrible things and you learned to live. You will survive this – and you will live. Not exist – live."
"Is that the doctor's orders?" Scott's tone held a tinge of sarcasm.
"Yes, it is," Hank said firmly.
x x x x x
Logan left them to their private picnic and smoked his cigar closer to the house and away from the group. That evening, they all met in the Professor's study for coffee again. Logan decided to try some therapy of his own.
"So you were here at school all at the same time," he began. "Tell me, what was he like in those days?" He nodded towards Scott.
Warren regarded Logan with a glint of amusement. "Well, let's see. Scott was - the most scared kid that ever walked through those doors."
"Hey," Scott protested.
"War, be fair, he was still blindfolded when he got here ..." Storm began.
"Thank you, 'Ro."
"But he was still terrified," she finished, smiling at Logan. She apparently agreed that a little gentle teasing might be worthwhile.
"Scott was actually the youngest of us when he arrived," Warren offered. "The Professor spent all summer getting him geared up to go back to school; I remember that."
"The kids today don't know how lucky they are," Storm said. "When we started, this wasn't an actual school. We had to go to the local high school."
"Otherwise known as state sponsored hell." That was from Warren.
"I don't know," Scott said. "I didn't mind high school that much."
"Goody-goody straight-A types usually enjoy it," Logan remarked.
Stunned silence filled the air before Warren, Storm, and Hank burst into laughter.
"Boy, has he got you fooled!" Warren said, as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"I was a good student," Scott said defensively.
"Good," Hank intoned, "but your academic abilities rarely reached consistent superior levels of achievement."
"So I take it he wasn't a straight A student," Logan chuckled.
"You clung to that B- in chemistry by your fingernails," Warren said. "And the only reason you did that well was Jean tutored you whenever she was here."
Surprisingly, the mention of Jean did nothing to change the tone of the conversation. And the admission that Scott may not have been the perfect Boy Scout now had Logan intrigued. "So what else did he do?"
"Well, let's see," Storm said playfully, turning to Scott. "You blew up the bleachers – twice – and got suspended for fighting. For a week as I recall."
"Eh, it was worth it," Scott replied. "Wayne had it coming."
"Fighting, huh," Logan said. "Whose honor was he defending?"
Storm held up her hand with a grin. Scott simply hid his face in his hands.
"I thought the Professor was going to kick me out," he admitted to their general laughter. "He sent me to karate lessons instead."
"Really," Logan said, staring back at the Professor. He had no doubt Charles Xavier had begun training his X-Men before they even knew what they were doing. Which, of course, he had.
"I always wished you had used some of that on Dr. Bob," Warren admitted. "Still, you broke them up, so we can't have everything."
"Who's Dr. Bob?" Logan asked. He was pretty sure that was Jean's boyfriend that they had spoken of earlier.
"He was a boyfriend of Jean's," Storm explained.
"What happened to him?" Logan asked.
"They broke up," Scott said simply.
"Scott is once again omitting the salient details of the story," remarked Hank drily.
"He's editing out the good stuff," Warren translated.
"There wasn't any good stuff," Scott protested. "He was a jerk and she dumped him."
"Actually," Warren offered. "I remember him catching you in Jean's bedroom – and Jean shutting the door in his face. And ours."
"The thing was, you didn't see what you thought you saw," Scott said. "We weren't lovers then; that didn't happen until later."
Warren leaned towards Storm. "Is it too late to collect on that old bet?"
Scott picked up a cushion and threw it at Warren, saving Storm from having to respond.
x x x x x
