First, like always, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who's reviewed all my fics to date, thanks guys, it's a real inspiration
Disclaimeer: I don't own the X-men, X-Men: Evolution, Reed Richards or Tony Stark (who're owned my Marvel Comics), all my OC are mine though, so it's not all bad news
I'm not sure when I'll post the next fic, it'll probably be a few days, I'm still kicking ideas around about what it'll be about, so enjoy this chapter, it'll be the last one for awhile
Chapter Ten: Futures past and new days dawning
As Rachel started to get fainter and fainter, the others looked at one another, they wanted to save the girl who'd given everything to save their future, but they had no idea how
"You got any ideas?" Kitty asked Cyclops, who shook his head
"Nothing, Professor, can't you think of anything?" he cast a ruby tinted look at the leader of the X-Men
"Scott, I don't think there's anything we can do" he said honestly
"So that's it? We just let her get erased?" Jean cried
"She's literally being erased from time, I don't know of any one, or combination of our mutant abilities that can stop that. I'm truly sorry Jean" he said softly, wheeling over to place a hand on her shoulder as she sank to her knees
'It's not fair, I just got to know her, she's given up everything, her home, her parents, her…her love and now she's given up her existence, and we can't do anything, I can't do anything, I'm a horrible mother' she thought as Cyclops pulled her up and gathered her into his arms, tears trickling down form beneath his red visor. He'd shed no tears for his comatose brother but now, for a daughter he'd never sired, for one he'd never know, one who'd never even exist, they fell freely
"This isn't fair, she's done so much and we can't do anything for her" Kitty said
"There has to be something we can do" Hellblade replied
"Valon, you heard what the Professor said, there's no way…"
"There's always a way, we just need to find it" he replied fiercely, looking at Jean and Cyclops
"Jean, Professor, you're two of the most powerful psychics on the planet, think, there has to be something you can do"
"I…I don't know, I mean she's literally fading out of existence, it's not like I can force her body to remain here", the Professor was stuck by a stroke of genius at her words
"Wait, that's it. Jean, use your telekinesis, I can anchor her mind with my telepathy, you can deal with her body" then Kitty spoke up
"Could I help? I mean could my powers?"
"Yes, all we need to do is bring her part way back, then Kitty can grab her and phase her the rest of the way" the Professor exclaimed
"Kitty you can't, you might die" Hellblade told her
"Val, if we don't then Rachel's lost forever" she replied, Hellblade grabbed her hand
"I don't want to lose you, I've only just found you" he said softly, Kitty squeezed his hand
"I don't want to lose you either but there's no other choice, the Professor and Rachel need me" she leaned in and kissed him quickly "Don't worry, I'll be here when this is all over" she whispered upon breaking away and running over to jean and the Professor
"Isn't that kind of a temporary measure? I mean what's going to stop her from fading away once you bring her back?" Cyclops asked
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, at the very least, it should buy us some time to work on a more permanent solution. If we can get her back to the Institute Hank can study her, and I have a few associates in New York who might be able to help" the Professor replied
"Guys, hurry, she's fading fast!" Kitty cried, Jean almost cried out when she saw Rachel. Her daughter was now barley visible; completely see through like a ghost. She has a vacant, serene expression on her face, completely oblivious to the goings on around her and the looks on the faces of all who witnessed her departure from existence. Upon seeing this the X-men swung into action
The Professor, wishing he had Cerebro, placed both his hands on the sides of his head, calling upon every spare fraction of mental power, willpower and telepathy his mind could spare, and more that it couldn't, he hurled it outwards like an astral lifeboat, hoping desperately that Rachel's floundering, fading mind would grab hold and let him pull her from oblivion
Jean was doing the same thing, sending what telepathy she had to help the Professor she gathered all her telekinetic power together, channelling all of it into her hands and then sending it forth, many psychic tendrils probing, prodding for what part of her daughter remained in existence, locking it down and trying to call more if it back from the beyond, or wherever it had been sent. A tiny trickle of blood began to drip form her nose, jean felt it drip off to splatter on the floor, creating a tiny red puddle of liquid vermilion but she didn't care, at that moment, saving Rachel was all that she cared about
Rachel looked down and smiled in amazement, the little fraction of her mind that remained started to grow, to feel, to comprehend as more and more of it was returned. Then her look changed to one of fear and desperation as she looked at her mother, enough of her vocal cords were there to allow her to say
"Mom, help, I don't wanna go, I wanna stay here" Jean went into double time as she heard her child speak those words, the tiny trickle grew into a steady stream and the puddle on the floor was getting bigger, it was touching the soles of her shoes
"Kitty, do it now!" she yelled, Kitty ran forwards to grab Rachel's arm, closing her eyes she, like the Professor and Jean, channelled her power into Rachel, willing her to become solid, it started to work as Rachel grew more and more opaque
Then suddenly there was a massive flash of blue light and she was thrown backwards
"KITTY!" Hellblade yelled, throwing himself forwards to catch her and landing roughly on the floor. There was a snap as his left ankle and foot buckled and then gave way. A dark stain appeared and then started to spread as the black shoe, sock and trouser leg began to be saturated with blood, a tiny piece of bright white could be seen, the bone had broken the skin
"Kitty, Kitty come on, speak to me" he said, sounding frantic, Kitty opened her eyes
"Valon…" she glanced down at his ankle
"Your leg, it's…"
"It will heal, all that matters is that you're safe" he told her, they looked over at Rachel and the X-men's psychics
"What are they going to do now? What can we do to help?" she asked
"Just have faith, that's all we can do" he told her
Jean was pushed down on one knee, she could feel her strength waning, she'd given everything she had, and more besides, and it had all been for nothing, they'd failed, she'd failed, she'd failed Rachel, she'd failed her daughter
"Please someone, anyone, help..." she whispered as her eyes fluttered shut and she began to drift in and out of consciousness
Suddenly the room around her was consumed in flame, it coated the walls and then moved inwards to engulf her. Jean pushed herself to her feet to look around; she could see nothing but bright, golden flames
"What is this? Who's doing this?" she called out, glancing around. She noticed a patch of the flames in front of her rising up, forming a shape that reminded Jean of a bird
"You, you did this didn't you?" she asked, the shape moved slightly, as if it was nodding, acknowledging that it had
"Can, can you help me save my daughter?" she asked it, again it nodded and she asked her final question, put forth her request
"Then please, please help me" the shape nodded for a final time and he flames left as suddenly as they'd come
Back in the Capitol Jeans eyes snapped open, they glowed with a bright yellow light, a sign she was using power that was not her own. A triumphant smile crossed her face and she looked on as her daughter quickly became more and more solid, then Jean lowered her hands, she'd done it, Rachel was safe, for good
"MOM!" Rachel cried, flying into her mothers arms, Jean held her tight as Scott came over and embraced both of them tightly
Looking over her daughters shoulder Jean saw a tiny golden ember wafting away on a non-existent breeze, she mouthed a silent "Thank you" to it as the ember drifted away
On another plane of existence the shape rose out of the room of golden flame, as it watched the happy reunion it felt…happy? What it felt was new but it liked the feeling, it knew it had done a good deed that day
"Humans, what interesting creatures"
The next day…
"Well Doc what's the diagnosis, am I gonna be sticking around?" Rachel asked in the infirmary
"It looks like it Rachel, I can't explain it, neither can Mr Richards or Mr Stark but somehow you've become anchored to this timeline, it's as if you've always been here" Dr McCoy said
"Well, I guess it could be worse" Jean said, she and Cyclops hadn't left their daughters bedside since she'd been brought back from Washington. The Senators vouched for the X-Men and all present had voted against the O.N.E bill, two thirds of all Senators in the country
A few beds down two mutants were having a discussion
"How's the leg?" Kitty asked as the vampire shifted slightly in his infirmary bed
"I can't complain, it's healing very well, if a little slow, I haven't had any blood for awhile"
"Well don't think you're getting any of mine, I don't even like flu shots" the vampire rolled his eyes
"Charming, I'll remember that the next time you need someone to save you" he muttered
"Thanks for that by the way" she said, leaning in closer, Hellblade did the same, they got closer and closer and closer…
Then Hellblade pushed her back slightly
"Kitty, look, about what happened…"
"Yea, I know, I'm not really sure about it either"
"Yes, I think it's mainly down to what Rachel told us about us being together in the future" Kitty nodded in agreement
"Yeah, but that future's been erased, hasn't it?"
"It has" the vampire replied, Kitty looked uneasy
"So…what does that mean about us? I mean before Rachel showed up we couldn't stand each other, and I was with Lance" she said, Hellblade was silent for a second before he started to reply
"Kitty. You are a very attractive young woman with a great personality and a very positive outlook on life, but I have to admit, I got caught up in the moment with what Rachel said, I will always consider you a friend but I…" Kitty cut in
"Yeah, and I have to admit, the whole dark, handsome, mysterious thing you've got going for you's hot, but I wanna try and stay with Lance, see if we can work things out" Kitty replied
"So we're just friends?" Hellblade asked
"Yea" Kitty replied
"That's fine with me, and if things don't work out…" he started
"…We can always pick things up where we left off" Kitty finished, after that she pulled out a magazine and started teaching Hellblade all the things he'd need to know to pass for a normal teenager, at Bayville High
"So Rachel, you sure about this?" Cyclops asked
"Yea dad, I wanna stay here, at the Institute" Rachel told him
"But what about the family you left behind, this place can't be full of happy memories" Jean said. Rachel smiled
"Mom, as far as I'm concerned, all the family I'll ever need is right here"
The end
To be continued in the next X-Men: The Next Evolution fic
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