Rise Again

.: Chapter Four :.
X Grass Is Always Greener X

*Flashback*
Green Family~
Location: South Texas, Texas; Green Residence~
Date: About A Year Ago

Jeanette sat in her room at her desk, looking at herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure who she was looking at. She was so used to the "goth girl" look she had adapted throughout middle school and her freshmen year. Then, she moved. To Texas no less. She knew how her parents felt about her appearance. She knew how her brother felt ashamed. But Jeanette Green wasn't the type to care about what people thought of her... well, until her powers emerged at the end of her Freshmen year.

With everyone's thoughts in your head with just a single look, it was no wonder she failed most of her classes fourth quarter. She was glad her father had decided to take the new job and relocate. Maybe a new environment could help relieve the stress, is what her parents were thinking. Though, it sort of did help.

They had a house in the middle of nowhere and that meant she didn't have to have millions of random thoughts running through her head. She could simply focus on Oliver, her mother, and her father. Everyday, throughout summer break, she would practice reading their thoughts. It actually came in handy sometimes. She knew what her father wanted for father's day, she knew what her mom wanted for her birthday, and she knew when Oliver needed someone to talk to. The only problem was, Oliver didn't want to talk to anyone.

Reading thoughts was useless if she couldn't put it to good use. By the end of the summer, she had managed to turn off the constant mind reading. But she really didn't want that. The cold feeling of not knowing what someone thought of you was just... unbearable.

A knock at her bedroom door shook her out of her musing.

"Yes?" She called. She didn't bother reading the mind. Only a knock so lifeless and dead could belong to her older brother.

"Come on. Mom's driving us to school."

Taking one last look, Jeanette stood up and grabbed her backpack off of the stand and slipped it over her shoulders. She opened the door, a bit surprised to find Oliver still waiting there. He was texting someone on his phone before he looked up and let out an audible 'woah'.

Jeanette wore a blue jean jacket over a white dress with a pink floral design at the bottom that ended just below her knees. She wore white converse shoes with a floral anklet on her right leg. Her hair was no longer the awful black her family was accustomed to, but her natural brunette hair was wavy and flowing and extended down her back.

He cleared his throat. "I mean, er.." he turned away, facing the stairs. "At least I don't have to act like I don't know you" He walked down the stairs and out the front door.

Jeanette's green eyes lit up with hope. She did read his mind that time. And what he really meant to say was "You look nice. I like it."

Jeanette started down the stairs and walked out the door. Her father was outside, washing his car with the hose. He did a double-take when he saw Jeanette and grinned widely.

"That's my sweetheart!" he yelled, throwing his fist in the air. He waved and Jeanette waved back before walking to the red van her mom owned.

"Hi, sweety. It's nice to see you're not decked out in Satan's clothing." Her mom laughed, starting the car. Jeanette rolled her eyes and climbed in the back seat as Oliver was already in the front. Oliver sighed at his mom's terrible joke and looked back at Jeanette, giving her a reassuring smile. He turned around and their mom drove out of their driveway, heading to their school.

Jeanette had managed to tackle her family. Now she just needed to do the same for the first day of school.

*Flashback End*


S.H.I.E.L.D~
Location: Corpus Christi; St. Steve Rogers Hospital~
Date: August 7th, 2015. 3: 03 PM~

Agents filled every room of the hospital, taking statements from everyone and anyone about the disappearance of Oliver, Jeanette, and Scott. The doctor who had treated Oliver, Dr. Ribbon, had failed to take the names of Oliver's companions, though he knew it was a teenage brunette girl and a brunet older male with red shades. Unfortunately, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gigantic database, it was all they would need.

Dr. Ribbon knew there was something wrong when he saw dozens of agents filing out of the four trucks that brought them here. It wasn't his first rodeo with S.H.I.E.L.D. and he usually had an idea of what they were after. This time, he was pretty sure it was about that Oliver kid who had went missing just hours earlier. He filed a police report, but he didn't think big shots like S.H.I.E.L.D. were interested in the small case. So when the person in charge, an Asian woman with strange purple hair, came walking down the hall yelling orders at him, he was speechless and utterly shocked.

"D-uh, um, what?" Dr. Ribbon stuttered. The woman leered at him.

"My name is Psylocke, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.. I am here under an official investigation concerning the disappearance of the patient you call Oliver and his company, a young brunette girl and a man with... red glasses?"

"Um, yes. That sounds about right." Dr. Ribbon gulped. He wasn't a fool. It sounded like they already knew what they were after. This was just to make the case seem more... legal.

"Look," Psylocke glanced down at Dr. Ribbon's name tag,"Dr. Ribbon. S.H.I.E.L.D. has reason to believe that you were harboring a vicious criminal with a habit of creating havoc wherever he goes. Just earlier this year, the suspect in question was caught on camera injuring two young boys. If there's anyway you confirm this is true, than it is your obligation to follow suit. Is there anything? Anything at all that you can tell us that would help put this bad man away."

How typical, thought Dr. Ribbon. Big shots really thought they were king of the world. First, they would bombard you with big words and a scary story of how bad the criminal was. Then, they'd try to make you feel terrible and like you actually play a pivotal role in the case. Then, they'd ask you anything. Anything at all that you could tell them that would help the case. Well, Dr. Ribbon may have been a bit dumb, but he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't tell them anything, anything more than they already knew.

"Nope. Sorry, Ms. Psylocke. I can't think of anything at the moment." Dr. Ribbon shrugged his shoulders. Psylocke watched him intensely and for a few seconds, it was just silence. Psylocke turned away, looking to make sure the hall was clear. It looks like her men were doing there job. Turning to face the man, she held up her hand and positioned it by his head.

Dr. Ribbon frowned and was begin to move when a pink energy blade erupted from hand, practically severing his tiny hairs off the side of his head. He gulped loudly. He could feel the energy radiating from the knife.

"Dr. Ribbon." Psylocke started, smiling devilishly. "You don't get to my position in S.H.I.E.L.D. without having some... unique traits to apply to the field. Now I'm going to ask you one more time and you better think about your answer long and had before you open your mouth, because if I'm unsatisfied, I'll just go digging. And it won't feel pretty to you. Do you understand?"

Dr. Ribbon wanted to protest. He wanted to say this was unjust and that she couldn't do this. He wanted to say he could sue her. But deep down inside, he knew that nothing would happen. He'd probably lose his job and be shunned out by the community. He had no choice but to oblige.

"Yes."

"Tell me what you know."

Dr. Ribbon sighed. "The man said some guy who could shoot lasers or something hurt the kid. That's all that I know. It' s not much, barely anything. Now will you let me go? I do have to run a hospital, you know."

Psylocke's blade vanished into thin air and the doctor let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Yeah, you're right."

Dr. Ribbon proceeded to walk around her wen she latched an painful iron grip on his arm.

"Wha-what are you doing? Let me go! I swear! I'm telling you the truth!"

"No no I believe you. It's just that... your answer didn't satisfy me."

"Wha-" Dr. Ribbon began to say when within a flash, Psylocke had her psychic blade in his head. Dr. Ribbon's eyelids fell and his mouth hung open. Psylocke dug into his thoughts, pulling out what she wanted to know before eventually erasing his mind of all that just occurred.

"Now this... is satisfying." Psylocke chided, smirking wildly.


Green Siblings~
Location: Bayville, New York; Oliver's Room, X-Mansion~
Date: August 7th, 2015. 7: 20 PM ~

Jeanette sat in Oliver's room, reading a mystery novel. She was glad she didn't know who killed the wife, but if the butler ending of being the killer, she would probably end up dropping the mystery genre all together. She flipped through the pages at a timely manner, trying to dive deeper into the book with each word. The author, Stan Lee, had a magnificent way of telling stories and creating highly-developed characters. It was magical reading his work.

Oliver groaned and Jeanette closed her book and placed it on the nearby nightstand. His fingers twitched on the linen sheets.

'Are you okay, Oliver?'

'Totally. I'm fine. My body just burns, that's all.

'You know it was an accident.

'Yeah, well saying that doesn't mean anything to me at the moment. I feel like I'm trapped. Within my own body. That's burning.'

Jeanette tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

'Can I get you anything? Water? Ice? Some music maybe?'

'No. You've done enough for me. Thanks'

Jeanette frowned. That wasn't really the case, was it? How could he even say that. She caused all of the trouble in his life and he was always either cleaning it up or having to deal with it. It wasn't fair of him to say that.

Jeanette stood up and marched out of the room.


*Flashback*
Green Family~
Location: Corpus Christi; Bruce Banner High School~
Date: About A Year Ago

Jeanette and Oliver watched their mom speed off down the school parking lot and make a sharp turn, almost hitting a school bus. They both sighed and Jeanette giggled a little. Oliver laughed a bit too but stopped himself. He muttered 'later' and walked off towards the school entrance. Jeanette stuck her tongue in her cheek and looked at the sky. Well, it wasn't ignoring her.

Surprisingly, she had managed to find her way to her classes easily. Her locker was in a good spot in the school, or at least that's what she had been told, and everything was moving along smoothly. For some reason, a bunch of guys were looking at her as she walked in the halls and a bunch of girls she would never even come close to associating with were super friendly towards her. She could see why girls dressed like this everyday. If looking good came with this much power, she would have to do a little bit more shopping.

By the end of the day, she was the talk of the school, albeit it was a pretty small high school. Nevertheless, Jeanette had made more friends in one day than she had her entire freshmen year. And she couldn't be happier.

Oliver was waiting outside the school after the bell rung. Jeanette was usually the first one out of school back at home so he was beginning to worry. Suddenly, a large crowd of teens walked out, all swarming around... Jeanette! Oliver hurried over to the crowd, thinking they were making fun of the poor girl, but as he got closer, he heard laughing and joking. It wasn't about her but rather with her. Oliver had never seen Jeanette so happy in his life and it made him hurt on the inside.

"Oh, hey, Oliver." Jeanette said. The girls around her whispered and giggled while some of the guys got jealous. "He's my brother" she quickly added, knowing the thoughts being circled around her. The guys relaxed and the girls got even more hyper.

"He's cute" one of them tossed out. The females int he crowd giggled at the thought, realizing that it was true.

A bigger guy, one built with muscle than fat pulled Oliver a side. "Dude." He said. "Name's Justin by the way and I'm totally crushing on your sis. Big time. You wouldn't mind if I asked her out sometime would ya?"

Oliver was extremely confused. He wasn't sure what was going on. What the hell had happened to the weird Jeanette he had knew before?

*Flashback End*


Cyclops & Emma Frost~
Location: Bayville, New York; Emma's Room, X-Mansion~
Date: August 7th, 2015. 7: 23 PM ~

"Well, this is a great idea, Scott! Let's meet the girl you technically just met in her bedroom. I'm sure everyone will understand." Emma said sarcastically, leaning against the far window. Scott had just walked in and shut the door behind him. He had decided to talk with Emma later about their... awkward situation.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk since this afternoon" Scott said, running his hand through his messy and slightly greasy hair. His shades had managed to hide the bags and dark circles around his eyes from lack of sleep at the hospital, but his hygiene gave him away. He was pretty sure his deodorant had ran out sometime around noon and he could feel the presence of a midnight shadow developing. His clothes felt like wet paper stuck to his skin.

"Or rather, that night." Emma spat bitterly. How like a guy to forget all the important details. Did he expect her to forgive him for what he did to her? Was she supposed to? Emma wasn't sure if she could find the maturity to bury the hatchet, if that was what he was expecting.

Scott sighed. Why it had flashed across his mind, he hadn't been prepared for that comment. "Look, Emma. I'll be frank as I want to take a shower. Asap."

Emma raised her eyebrows, wrinkled her nose, and nodded. "More like need she muttered." Scott glared at her briefly before letting go a sigh.

"I'm. I." Just a second ago, Scott knew what he wanted to say. But what did he want to say? I'm sorry? It was an accident? He hadn't really thought much about the future of his relationship with Emma. Was there even a future? But that sounded like he wanted to be together with her. Did it? Did he? And how were the two supposed to react around each other. It wasn't like he could just forget... wait!

"Emma. Could you erase my memories of you?" Scott blurted out, suddenly enthusiastic.

Emma gasped. Was he serious?! "Are you freakin' serious?" She shouted. She slapped Scott across the face and slammed the door on her way out. How dare he ask that? Erasing memories was just a cheap way of trying to run away from one's problems. It was childish of her to think that Scott had changed since their last encounter. Some men were really idiots.

Emma walked down the hall, fist clenched. She turned the corner, almost bumping into Jeanette. Jeanette hardly flinched and walked around the blonde. Something was wrong with the young girl. Call it woman's intuition.

Emma called out to the girl and she turned around. "Jeanette, right?"

"Yes." The brunette responded.

"Is something the matter? You seem a bit... saddened?"

Jeanette stared at the woman. She couldn't read her mind which meant she was probably a telepath. Emma could have easily read her mind... but resulted to asking instead. What a waste of time...

"Why didn't you just read my mind, Ms.?"

Emma was taken back. "Um, because that's a violation of privacy and I respect people's feelings. Well, heh, most of the time."

Jeanette thought about what she said. The brunette knew that mind reading was invasive, but... she never thought respect was a factor. Was that why she had read anyone and everyone she could? A lack of respect fueled by her distrust in the people around her. Every since her powers emerged, and even before that, she could feel the piercing eyes from judgmental people who criticized her for not "fitting in". Telepathy was her escape into a world where she knew what one was thinking. A world where she had all of the cards and was ready for anything before it actually happened.

Jeanette stared at the ground, lost in thought. There was no doubt in the world that she loved her brother and had grew fond of Scott's company, but deep down inside, did she not truly trust them? Abandonment. That was it. She was scared that Oliver would finally get tired of her and leave her in the dust. Her old friends had done it, her teachers had done it, and even her own parents had done it. Whose to say her own brother wouldn't do it? What made him different from the others?

"Love."

Jeanette quickly looked up from the ground, her widened green eyes meeting Emma's soft blues.

"W-wait. What? What did you say?"

"The only reason your brother stayed was because of love. Pure and simple love for his sister." Emma spoke, setting her hand on Jeanette's shoulder. Jeanette played around with the statement.

Love? Love is the only reason Oliver stayed... and Scott, too. They stayed with her because they loved her. Her brother and a complete stranger loved her. Tears bubbled at the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away with the palms of her hand and hugged Emma.

Emma was surprised, to say the least, but hugged back.

"Why did you decide to read my mind now" Jeanette said, cheek squished into Emma's chest. Emma rubbed the girl's head, smiling gently.

"When you have a lack of respect for yourself, you give the world permission to do anything they'd like to you. Remember that."

Jeanette closed her eyes and embraced the thought as well as the hug. It had been such a long time since her last hug. She had forgotten the warm and fuzzy feeling she had remembered as a child. When she was scared, her brother... Oliver... would hug her tightly and coax her to sleep. It was funny how memories resurfaced when you needed them.


*Flashback*
Green Family~
Location: Corpus Christi; Bruce Banner High School~
Date: About A Year Ago

Halfway into October, life was good for Jeanette. She was walking down the school halls headed to the lunchroom when she heard chanting and saw a large crowd of students. They were repeating "Mutant! Mutant! Mutant!".

As Jeanette got closer, she was horrified. The people that she had once regarded as good people and friends were harassing a goth girl named Rebecca. She think she even saw a teacher or two.

Rebecca had been cornered by the large mob and was curled up in a ball. Her skin was fading away then reappearing in short intervals. Jeanette guessed that she could turn invisible, but it didn't matter as the crowd threw wildly colored frozen drinks on the poor girl.

Jeanette pushed her way through the crowd and stood in front of Rebecca who was shivering. The crowd died down, waiting in anticipation. Why had a popular girl like Jeanette stopped to help the mutant freak?

"What are you all doing?!" Jeanette screamed.

"She's a nasty mutant freak. She deserves it!"

"No one deserves to be harassed and assaulted!" Jeanette responded.

"Just shut up and move, already!"

The crowd eventually grew angry with Jeanette protecting the mutant and proceeded to throw slushies an drinks onto Jeanette and Rebecca. Jeanette ducked and crouched over Rebecca, trying to prevent anymore cold drinks from soaking the goth.

"You didn't have to, ugh, do this" Rebecca gritted, swatting a chunk of hard ice away from her.

"No, I did. This isn't right!" Jeanette screamed.

Oliver had just come from retaking a test when he saw the mob and heard screaming. A gap in the people opened briefly and Oliver saw Jeanette getting pummeled by drinks. His face went red almost instantly and he began to emit a hot pink aura.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" He shouted, rushing towards them at incredible speeds. He slammed into the crowd, sending dozens of kids flying or sliding back. He was slightly dizzy from the impact, but shook his head. He grabbed his shocked sister and tried grabbing Rebecca bust she took off down the halls faster than a bullet. Olive picked up his sister bridal-style and flew out of the school.

After that... school was a virtual nightmare for the the Green family. The incident had been broadcast on the news and the whole city, state, and perhaps country knew of the event that went down at the high school. Oliver and Jeanette's parents always harbored a deep hatred and prejudice against mutants and with the entire city pointing fingers at the family, it didn't take long for them to pack up and leave... without their children.

*Flashback End*


X-Men~
Location: Bayville, New York; Dining Room, X-Mansion~
Date: August 7th, 2015. 8:00 PM ~

"Are you not eating with us, Jeanette?" Emma asked the brunette who was currently carrying her plate away from the dining table. Sitting down were Ororo, Scott, Alex, Bobby, and Emma.

"No. I don't want to leave Oliver by himself for too long. Plus, it'd be mostly adults anyway."

Emma smiled and let the girl walk off. She couldn't believe how well she and Jeanette had made a connection. It stumped Scott too who was utterly shocked when he saw the two chatting after he had gotten out of the shower. It sort of made him feel uneasy and Emma secretly took amusement in it.

Storm stood up, clearing her throat. She looked at the mutants gathered among her. "Well. Concerning Jean, I can't get a hold of her. It appears she isn't coming. So let's not wait any longer and dig in. I prepared the food myself so I hope you enjoy it."

Scott and Emma shared a sigh of relief, but the two knew they had been given a freebie. Jean's sudden absence was too much of a close call and the two really needed to work out their problems before it escalated into a big fiasco. Scott had long pushed his earlier suggestion to the back of his psyche, but Emma was starting to consider it. All of their problems would be solved if Scott simply forgot they existed. She could always put them back if push came to shove, but the only barrier standing in the way of that road was if Jean knew.

Alex was silent, watching the his brother and the blonde closely. He wasn't an idiot. He may have missed a few precious years away from Scott, but he still knew when his brother was acting strangely. From the moment Emma entered the room, there was a weird chemistry. There was no denying that. It certainly wasn't a love at first sight either. Alex had a creeping feeling that the two knew more than they were letting on. It was his job to find out what it was.

Ororo fixed her plate lost in thoughts of her home in Wakanda. Wait- what was she saying? This was her home now. Here at the mansion, helping the next generation of mutants. She was supposed to be happy. It was just what she wanted. An opportunity back in the field. Sure, living a fine, secure, and stable life of royalty was fun and all, but adventure and thrill is what she sought! Remembering her days as an X-Men brought her heaps of nostalgia and she was tired of it! This was her way of getting what she wanted. What she needed. And she didn't care if her family... if her husband was against it.

Bobby was starving! He hadn't eaten all day and had finally gotten rid of that nasty headache Emma gave him. Food was the only thing he could think about. For some reason, the little ice detective inside him was telling him that there were problems sitting all around him, but he really didn't care. The only thing he cared about at the moment was not letting his food get cold... and Roberto. Why was Bobby thinking about Roberto of all things? That intriguing Hispanic that worked at the Bayville Coffee Shop that always made his coffee extra extra hot and was always surprised when Bobby managed to slurp it right down. Maybe intriguing was the wrong word. It made him sound... Nahhh. Couldn't be.

"And remember" Ororo said sometime later. "Today was the official opening for the school but tomorrow we get to work finding young mutants who need guidance. The school year starts in eight days and we need a good population before than. Forge has created a prototype algorithm of potential mutants who need assistance. The list is extremely small as he is still working on the bugs, but feel free to take from that if you're struggling. I expect each and every one of you to help out."


Greem Siblings~
Location: Bayville, New York; Oliver's Room, X-Mansion~
Date: August 7th, 2015. 8: 19 PM ~

The room was pleasantly quiet and smelled like the well-cooked dinner Jeanette had just previously eaten. Her plate lay cleared aside from the tiny specks of food dotting here and there. Oliver's breathing was steady and strong. It appeared as if he was recovering.

Jeanette sat next to Oliver's bed, flipping the final pages of her mystery novel. Apparently, the sister had done it. Stan Lee had written a story so complex and perplexing that the young telepath didn't know what to suspect. Which was rare for her in her own right. The thing that made Stan Lee different from the other authors must have been love and respect. Love for the characters he created and respect for the fans that read his works.

'Why are you smiling?' Oliver asked. 'Did the butler do it?'

'No'Jeanette responded, gently closing the book and placing it on the nightstand. All was calm in her in mind once more and she felt... content. 'Lisa did it. She killed her sister. She killed Gerald's wife.'

'That ending sucks. You don't see it coming'

'That's why it's the opposite.' Jeanette chuckled. She reached over and grabbed Oliver's hand.

'Jeanette...?'

'Yes, Oliver?'

'Please don't kill my wife, okay?'

Jeanette laughed and Oliver slightly smiled. 'Your wife wouldn't be my sibling. I would have to kill you, silly.'

'Well, don't do that either.'

'I couldn't even come close.'

'Riiiight.'

'Hey, Oliver?'

'Yeah, sis?'

'I just wanted to say thanks for staying by my side even with everything that's happened'

'No need for thanks. We've both been through it all together. And that's what makes us stronger. I will always try my best to support you and I'm sure you feel the same.'

Jeanette nodded, almost as if Oliver could see her. She stood up and left the room, taking her plate with her. Emma was right all along. Love was the common denominator present through every situation the two were put in. With it, they managed to survive. And they would continue to do so as long they did it together.

As she walked down the hallway to her room, there was no need to think about the past. There was no need to finish the memory. Everything she needed to focus on now was nothing other than now, the present.


S.H.I.E.L.D.~
Location: CLASSIFIED~
Date: August 7th, 2015. TIME CLASSIFIED~

Psylocke walked into a dimly lit room with a file in her hands. A man with a black eye-patch sat in a luxurious chair hidden in the shadows. He pushed a button and a bright spotlight hit Psylocke, blinding her momentarily.

"An update, please." The man commanded.

"Yes, Sir. Cyclops was indeed at the hospital in Corpus Christi, but he was seen accompanying two young teenagers, one by the name of Oliver. It is unknown how the three managed to escape the hospital, but I have learned a few useful things. The blood test for Oliver shows that he posses the X-Gene, but I couldn't determine his identity from that. I looked in databases for incidents where the name Oliver might appear and we found that he and his sister, Jeanette, were involved in a event at their high school. Due to that, I was able to get their last name which is Green. The Green parents left their children to run away and the children dropped off the radar. It is highly likely that Cyclops picked them up and has been with them since. That is all, sir."

"So what is in your game plan now?" The man asked. Psylocke was a more than capable agent who always had multiple angles when it came to her cases.

"With the recent announcement of the late Professor Xavier opening, it would be wise to check there."

"Can you be sure the X-Men would be willing to give up their comrade?"

"I'm sure the X-Men would be more than willing. After all, I am very persuasive. Besides, they should be interested to hear what our little mutant friend has been up to these past years. If they still do not comply, do I have permission to use a little... force?"

"You have my permission to engage should the need arise. Let's try to keep this under wraps, okay? S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot afford too much negative media exposure. You give the press one idea and it spirals into major problem."

"Understood, sir. It'll take me a few days to organize the operation, but I can handle the mission."

"You're dismissed then."

"Thank you, Nick Fury, Sir."

Psylocke turned and strutted out the dark room, smirking. She would make Cyclop's life a living hell. She guaranteed it.


Rise Again

.: Chapter Four :.
X
Grass Is Always Greener X

So this chapter put a lot of focus onto Jeanette Green. Psylocke's here! Yay! Where's Jean? Whose this Roberto Bobby's thinking about? What did Scott do to earn the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Will Emma end up erasing Scott's mind? What's the deal with Storm and Wakanda.

This chapter set up for the oncoming wave of awesome OCs that will be introduced in the following chapters of Rise Again. I have a pretty good idea of the order of which to introduce the new OCs so don't worry about clutter. All in due time.

P.S. Let me know if there are errors. I know for a fact I didn't catch everything.