TITLE: Motherly Love.
DEDICATION:To my friend Corey Westerly, because the dangerously addicting cycle of southern King and Queen Cards reflects our own sometimes.
SUMMARY: Motherly love. Is that what she called it? All the torment and trouble Rogue went through because of Mystique's return…that was love? No, she knew what love was, because she'd found it along the way. ROMY.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel, yada, yada, yada, yada. If I did…well, I'd be rich and…doing whatever it is the lucky owners of Marvel do.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I thank the reviewers so far, and dedicate this chapter to them, no matter now numerous they are. :) Alright, chapter four here we go.
Motherly Love,
an X-Men Evolution fanfic
CHAPTER FOUR – Hello, Phoenix
"Like what happened Professor?" Kitty squeaked as she and most of the other students grouped in the main hallway.
"It's Jean, the mental walls I put up against a powerful force in her subconscious have somehow broken," Xavier stated worriedly, looking at his students. "The mansion is under lock-down. Storm, Hank, evacuate the New Recruits through the back exit. X-Men, with me."
Storm and Hank nodded, rounding up the New Mutants and ushering them off down one of the halls. Tabitha and Laura remained however, seeing as they were considered part-time X-Men nowadays.
"You don't have time to suit up, we need to get upstairs immediately and help Jean. Scott is already there," Xavier told his team. They nodded and took off up the stairs.
"Scott!" Kitty yelled once the team rounded the corner of the hallway and spotted Scott lying amongst rubble in the hall. With him was Roberto Da Costa AKA Sunspot. The entire hallway was a mess, things thrown askew everywhere, walls cracked, and Jean's bedroom door blown to shreds.
"He's out cold!" Roberto announced as he supported Scott and walked towards the others. "Jean's in her room, she's tearing the whole place apart with her powers."
"What happened?" X-23 frowned, helping him support Scott and get him into another room, where they leaned him against the wall before rejoining the others.
"You mean you couldn't hear them argue?" Roberto looked shocked. "I thought she was screaming loud enough for the whole world to hear!"
"It doesn't matter, we gotta get in there and stop Red from causing anymore harm!" Logan growled. "Let's go!"
The team charged into Jean's room, stopping just inside the doorway as a wave of telekinetic energy threatened to knock them off their feet. Jean hovered in mid-air in the middle of her room, chunks of long-destroyed furniture spiraling around her in funnel formation. Her eyes were closed, and her arms were stretched out at her sides.
"Vat's going on?" Kurt inquired, his voice raised against the rushing sounds of the room.
Her powers have manifested far beyond her control, Xavier announced to them all telepathically. I had set up mental shields to keep this from happening, but it appears her emotional outburst earlier caused them to crack. The young woman before you may look like Jean, but I suspect a powerful force that was buried in her subconscious with her powers is at work here.
Breaking them from their thoughts was Jean's scream and a chill spilled down each of their spines as her eyes narrowed upon them – eyes black as night.
A desk was hurled their way and the team jumped apart to avoid it. Roberto clenched his fists and looked at Jean – she may look powerful and super-pissed, but she was still Jean. She was still the same mentor he'd beaten in a Danger Room sparring session no more than two weeks ago.
As the others took refuge behind the remaining pieces of furniture, Roberto leaned closer to the open window, basking in the afternoon sunlight that filtered through. A little sunlight here, a little strength there, this wouldn't be any different from a Danger Room session.
Suddenly his body covered itself in a black filter, which in turn was covered by harmless flames and specks of sun spots. Grinning, Sunspot clenched his fists and vaulted over the bedside table he'd been hiding behind.
"Sunspot, are ya nuts?!" Rogue yelled, but the boy ignored her, running forward towards Jean.
He ducked under a broken mirror, a few random hair clips, a textbook as well as a desk chair before finding himself right up beside Jean. See, easy as ca—
Jean's black eyes shifted to him and her arm shot out so fast Roberto had no time to react. His throat burned at her touch and his powers shorted out, seconds before he was thrown backwards with such force to blast through a wall into the next room.
"Ugh…," he exhaled before passing out.
"Stupid kid, Ah told him not to!" Rogue cursed, ducking behind the cover of half a dresser with her brother and Tabitha.
"What are we gonna do?" Tabitha inquired. "She's gone nuts! There's no way we can beat her when she's got this much power!"
"Then let's take a little off her shoulders, shall we?" Rogue smirked, tugging on one of her gloves, only to be stopped by her brother's hand.
"Now look who's talking nuts!" Kurt exclaimed. "Just think vat'll happen to you if you absorb the mess going on in ver mind!"
"Got any other bright ideas?" Rogue arched an eyebrow, and at her brother's lack of response, she smirked. "Didn't think so. Look, it's the only one we got. And unless you want all of us to be send flyin' trough a wall like el-stupido battery-boy, you gotta help me."
Kurt sighed in resignation and nodded. "Vat do you need?"
"First off, a distraction, then a way to get over there," Rogue replied. Suddenly, the missing half of the dresser they were hiding behind was dumped back into place, Shadowcat, X-23, Wolverine and Colossus hiding behind it.
"Perfect timing team-o," Tabitha grinned. "Roguey here's got a plan, and needs a nice little distraction. Anyone up for helping?"
"What's the plan Stripes?" Logan inquired.
"Simple: you give me cover, Kurt and I port over, I zap off the extra craziness," Rogue summarized, pulling off both her gloves.
"Sounds a bit risky," Logan began, but then grinned. "I like it."
He turned to look at the three beside him. "Half-Pint, you and the metal man take the left half, me, Boomer and the kid'll take the right."
"Deal," Kitty smiled before looking up at Colossus. "No fastball special today eh Pete?"
The large young man smiled and nodded before Kitty phased them through the dresser, immediately attracting Jean's attention, who threw a chair their way. Piotr deflected it easily with his metal-covered arm, wrapping the other around Kitty to protect her and not at all noticing the bright shade of red she turned.
Jean's attention was drawn to her complete right now as a small and annoying explosive went off in the air amongst the items she was throwing around.
"Hey Psycho!" Tabitha laughed, causing black eyes to narrow at her. "Yeah, I'm talking to you! Mind coming here a moment? I got a little gift for ya!"
Boom-Boom clapped her hands and several small yellow and orange spheres appeared in her palm. In the next few seconds they were up in the air, flying towards Jean. X-23 flew out from behind cover and out came her claws, slicing through the little explosives causing them to burst and shower Jean in a flurry of smoke and blasts.
BAMF!
Kurt and Rogue ported in as close as possible and Rogue pulled on her brother's blue tail, dragging him down to the ground with her and narrowly avoiding a huge desk that had been flung randomly when the explosives burst and Jean got distracted.
"It's now or never!" Rogue announced, lunged at Jean, her hand heading for the bare skin of Jean's cheek.
Rogue, no! the Professor broadcasted, but it was too late.
Jean turned, her black eyes reflecting amusement as her hands reached out and gasped Rogue's, two pairs of bare hands connecting in a flurry of searing pain for both girls.
"Hmm, a much more suitable host than this one," a dark and airy voice escaped Jean's lips, and was not at all her own. "You'll do much better. Nothing to lose."
"What…ack…are ya doin' crazy?!" Rogue yelled, trying to pull away but the other girl would not let go, and kept this skin-to-skin contact going as Rogue felt herself welling up with a power she suddenly had not bargained for.
As the others watched in horror, both girls were lifted into the air, their joint hands glowing with such intensity it was hard to look at. They twirled through the air slowly as the power surged between them, and their on-looking teammates were filled with worry.
Suddenly, Jean's body went limp and the blackness in her eyes disappeared as they rolled upwards. A bright flash enveloped the room as her hands unlocked themselves from Rogue, followed by enough shockwaves of telekinetic and psychic energy to wipe everyone off their feet into a crumbling heap.
"Ugh, my head feels like a boulder got dropped on it," Laura grumbled, opening her eyes slowly and struggling to her feet. She looked around the room slowly, taking in the details of its decimated contents, and her teammates, who were all returning to their conscious minds like she just had.
"Like totally," Kitty agreed as Piotr hooked an arm around her waist and hoisted her to a standing position with little effort. "What happened?"
"Last I remember was Rogue and Jean having some mid-air arm wrestle mercy challenge kinda thing," Tabitha muttered, blowing a charred piece of paper out of her hair.
"Rogue!" Kurt shouted, suddenly realizing that she was not present in the room.
"What happened to Stripes?" Logan growled, grimacing as he retracted his claws and walked over to check on the unconscious Jean.
"I'm afraid that is a matter up for discussion," Professor Xavier stated from the doorway. He had wheeled halfway into the room and could go no further due to a large chunk of wood - which used to belong to Jean's desk - was blocking the way.
"Well it seems Red is fine at least," Logan announced, removing his finger from Jean's neck, where it had been finding a pulse. "Slim and the solar battery?"
"Already on their way to the Infirmary," Xavier replied. "I want Jean to join them quickly but first, bring her here please."
Logan obeyed and picked up the redhead, walking over to the Professor. Xavier reached his hand up to her forehead and the other to his temple, concentrating. A few silent moments later, he drew back.
"The alter personality known as the Dark Phoenix is currently gone from her subconscious and conscious mind, but I'm afraid there's a bad piece to this information," Xavier sighed, looking a his team. "It seems it has taken control of Rogue's mind now, and run off. I…I can't track her."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Voila! Gotta love cliffhangers…if you're the writer that is. Then again, this little furry plotbunny kept hopping back and forth between leaving it at the explosion between Jean and Rogue, or Xavier's words. In the end, Xavier won out, and I leave you here to speculate, worry and the like. Have fun.
