Author's Notes: I've decided to commit to this story after receiving so much feedback (most of them very passionate lol). I've also gotten some less than happy reviews/PMs come my way for those who hate Scott/Jean together or those who prefer Scott/Emma together. My answer to you all who are angered by my story is simply, just don't read my fic.

If you want Scott and Emma to end up together so badly, stop wasting your time telling me how much you hate my story, and instead write your own where whatever you want goes. I will say that there will be no character bashing in this story. That is not my purpose for this. This is a story centering around Scott's journey back to the land of the living, and yes, it's also a story centred on him and Jean. Now, for those who still want to stick around... enjoy the next chapter below.

Chapter 2

Scott had slept on and off for the last several hours. After Jean had left, he found his initial adrenaline wearing off, and realized his wife was right and that he did need to recuperate. But recuperate from what? From coming back from the dead, obviously. He had so many questions.

Jean had promised she would return, but she hadn't yet. Scott wasn't sure how much time had passed since they last saw each other, but he guessed it was at least half a day. He decided if Jean wasn't going to come back to him, he'd go to her. He carefully took off the attached monitors and IV he had on him, and made his way to the door.

Scott opened the door and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a great white shark heading towards him! He had his hand on his visor when the creature made a beeline to the left. Scott blinked a couple of times, not sure what he just witnessed. Then he looked closer and realized there was a barrier between him and what was outside.

"Searebro," Jean had said to him. She mentioned that they were underwater. With that memory, Scott's heart started slowing back down to normal. He realized he was standing in a grand hallway that stretched quite far. He was surrounded by glass, or at least some type of see-through barrier that made him feel like he was in an underwater aquarium.

Remarkable. The water pressure must have been immense, yet it seemed to cause no problems for the structure that was obviously currently keeping him alive. Scott started wondering about decompression sickness when his thoughts were interrupted. "You're not the first to be awestruck by my home. You certainly won't be the last."

Scott turned around and before him stood one of the last men he'd expect to see. "Namor," Scott said.

"Your wife charmingly calls my home 'Searebro'... uhh, is she still your wife?" Namor asked, in a slightly smug tone.

"Yes," Scott answered with no hesitation. "We're still-"

"Whatever. I lost interest in my own question," Namor interrupted haughtily. "As I was saying, Searebro is built with Atlantean technology and sensibilities. It has no compare."

"It's impressive," Scott answered honestly. Considering he was supposedly in the man's home, he decided he'd ignore his condescending behaviour.

"Jean and her team have made it their home for almost two years now. It's served us well," Namor said proudly.

"Jean's team?" Scott asked.

"Ahh, she hasn't told you? Well, perhaps I'll leave that story for her," Namor answered. "I am short on time at the moment."

"Don't let me keep you," Scott said, trying to insert a level of coolness into his voice. And with that, Namor walked away. It was funny how Scott couldn't muster up any angry feelings towards the man who had slept with Emma. The only thing he felt towards the man was a slight irritation at his arrogant manner. Scott shrugged and kept on walking down the hall.

After a minute or so of walking, he came across a room and heard some shuffling inside. He peeked in and was surprised to see Laura Kinney. She seemed to be slicing a tomato. Was she part of Jean's team? Before he could open his mouth to say anything, she beat him to it.

"Would you like me to make you a sandwich while I'm at it?" Laura asked without looking up.

Good to see her enhanced senses were as sharp as ever. "Uhh, sure, thanks," Scott said.

"Jean said you'd probably start getting antsy and start wandering around," Laura said.

"She knows me like the back of her hand," Scott said, accepting the sandwich Laura handed to him. "Have you seen her, by the way?"

"She left several hours ago with Nightcrawler, Gentle, Trinary and Gambit. They're doing some reconnaissance on some intel we received. It's possible an underground ring of mutant haters are planning a terrorist attack and want to frame mutants for it. Jean's hoping we can nip it in the bud," Laura explained.

"Did she give an ETA on her return?" Scott asked, wishing he'd been asked to come along. He had to remind himself he'd been pretty weak just mere hours ago.

"No. But I can't imagine it should take very long. It's just reconnaissance after all," Laura answered. She took a sip of her drink and started reading the paper she had in front of her.

Scott started eating his sandwich and observed the woman before him. He thought back to their early days together. He had recruited Laura for his X-Force squad. He knew at the time that she had been created as a human weapon whose sole purpose was for wet work. And under his leadership, she was put right back into that life. A life he knew she longed to escape.

Scott felt a sharp stab of guilt. He wanted so badly to apologize, to express his remorse. But he knew deep down he'd probably make the same decisions again. The stakes had been high. But it bothered him now that it didn't bother him then.

"Are you okay, Cyclops?" Laura asked. She'd caught him staring.

"Sorry... I was uhh... just woolgathering," Scott mumbled.

She gave him an odd look, but went back to her reading.

"How long have you been on Jean's team?" Scott asked. For some strange reason, the silence between them bothered him.

"Since she formed it," Laura answered.

Scott waited for her to say more, but she was a taciturn one. "How did you come to be a part of Jean's team?" Scott asked, trying to encourage her to speak more.

"She came to see me shortly after she returned. Said she didn't have much family left and I had connections to someone important to her. Soon afterwards, she showed me her plans to make the world a better place and asked if I wanted in. Jean can be quite convincing, you know," Laura said.

"Yeah, I know," Scott said, trying not to let it show that her reference to Logan touched a nerve... a raw one. He vowed Jean would never again feel like she didn't have much family left.

Before Scott could say more, he heard a loud gasp behind him. "Oh, wow! You're Cyclops!"

Scott turned around to see a very young girl who couldn't have been more than four and a half feet tall. She had an infectious smile, and he couldn't help but like her immediately. "Uh, hello there. I don't believe we've met," Scott said.

"My name is Gabby. I'm also known as Honey Badger. That's my code name, you know," Gabby said proudly.

"You'll have to forgive my sister, her enthusiasm can be a bit daunting," Laura said wryly.

"It's okay. It's nice to meet you, Gabby," Scott said extending his hand for a handshake which Gabby shook quite excitedly.

"You're a lot taller in person than in pictures Jean showed me," Gabby said.

Scott chuckled, heartened that Jean had kept pictures of him. "Yes, well, if you think I'm tall, you should see my son. Nathan's got another few inches on me." Scott quickly wondered how his son was. And his daughter for that matter. He made a mental note to ask about them the next time he saw Jean.

"Don't think you're too special now, everyone's tall to Gabby," Ororo said, walking in.

Scott stood up, instinctively giving respect to one of his oldest friends. "Ororo... it's good to see you."

"Likewise, Scott... likewise," Ororo said smiling.

Scott noticed Laura subtly take Gabby's hand and started making their way out. "Laura, wait..." Scott said. He wanted a chance to say more to her, but knew the moment was lost, nor was he even sure what it was he'd say. So he settled for, "Thanks for having Jean's back. She was wise to recruit you."

Laura just nodded in return. "Jean was wise to recruit everyone she did. I must say, I've never been a part of a team quite like the one she's built," Ororo said.

"How has she been, 'Ro?" Scott asked.

"Good. She's done a lot of good since she's been back. I've never seen her so driven, so dedicated to bringing peace into this world. She's found a purpose, and I've never seen her so... well, so alive," Ororo answered.

Scott nodded, glad that Jean found a place for herself back in the world she had left for quite some time. There was a question Scott wanted to ask but was also afraid of the answer. Ororo, perceptive as she was, seemed to sense it. "What's on your mind, Scott?"

"Has Jean uhh... you know, moved on?" Scott asked, bracing for the answer. Ororo raised her eyebrow, obviously making him work for his answer. "I mean, has she moved on with someone else?"

"Perhaps that is a question better left for Jean, my friend," Ororo answered.

Scott knew she was right. He knew he was being a coward asking Ororo instead of Jean. But he had to admit, even to himself, that the coward in him often seemed to manifest when Jean was involved. He then realized that in all the time he'd been interacting with everyone there, it hadn't even occurred to him to ask how he even came to be there. His thoughts had been on everyone but himself.

"Ororo, maybe you could answer this question for me. How did I get here? How am I alive again?" Scott asked.

Ororo opened her mouth about to answer when Gabby came running in and out of breath said, "The team's back. Jean's been hurt!"

Scott's stomach dropped at Gabby's words. His blood ran cold and he rushed right out of the room. It took him a few moments to realize he didn't even know where to head to.

To be continued...

Let me know what you think. I welcome suggestions as well as constructive criticism. Thank you for reading.