Chapter 19 – New beginnings

Xavier's School for the Gifted Youngsters, Westchester, New York.

It was barely past seven a.m. when Scott Summers woke up startled. He looked to his right side and noticed that Jean was stirring in bed, her sleeping obviously agitated by last day's events. He watched the redhead with concern for a few minutes, wondering if he should wake her, but in the end chose not to… He remembered how tired she had been just a couple of hours before and concluded that she probably needed some more hours of sleep. He glanced one more time at her before getting up – it felt painfully inappropriate, and yet wistfully familiar, to wake up beside Jean. Nevertheless, Cyclops knew he had a busy agenda ahead of him and opted to quickly dismiss those early morning apprehensions and start the day. He headed to the small adjoined bathroom to take a quick shower, putting on the same uniform he'd used the day before. He made a mental note to ask Warren for some borrowed fresh clothes later.

He exited Jean's bedroom and went down the stairs, turning left in the hallway to head to the den. He found Wolverine sprawled on the leather sofa, a half drunken bottle of beer hanging from his hand.

"Morning, Logan," Scott greeted. The older man scanned him and sniffed the air, only snorting in response – the one-eyed prick smelled like Jean.

Cyclops ignored his animosity. "Have you heard anything about the Senate voting?"

"'Bout to start," Wolverine grunted, gulping the rest of the beer. He changed channels with the remote control and soon Robert Kelly's face appeared on the screen. His speech had just begun.

"My fellow compatriots, I come here this morning with a lighter conscience and a heavier heart. I have made a terrible mistake in the past years and I am determined to make amends to all the American people today. I have defended a bill that is based on prejudice and hatred, and I say – no more.

Last night, I had an epiphany… I saw a country segregated instead of unified towards a common goal. I saw America in flames, divided into two groups that spared no efforts to exterminate each other. Humans against mutants, mutants against humans, in a never-ending battle. I assure you, fellow citizens, there are no winners in that war. The devastation will be without precedents, and we cannot allow it to happen.

Therefore, I am here today to withdraw the bill on the Mutant Registration Act. I refuse to be the bearer of civil war to this great country and great people. I plead to my companions in this noble Senate to never revive this petition again, for now I fully understand its malicious purposes.

I ask you, my good compatriots, both humans and mutants, to forgive me for the blindness that has ravaged my mind. I am deeply ashamed of my inaccurate previous beliefs. I promise you that, from now on, I will work in this Senate with the sole purpose of guaranteeing the peaceful union of our people. You can rest assured of that."

"Well done, Emma," Cyclops said out loud, felling relieved and hopeful for the first time in years.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was the end of fall in Westchester, the midday sun barely generating enough heat to warm Kurt Wagner's smooth fur. The usually high-spirited man looked disheartened as he wandered alone throughout the School's grounds.

"Hello, Kurt. Logan told me I'd find you here."

"Hi, Mystique."

She hesitated for a moment, feeling oddly insecure. Putting out her cigarette, she asked. "Can we… talk?"

"I suppose we should," Nightcrawler replied, motioning to a nearby wooden bench. They sat side by side.

"I-I was very young when you were born, back in Munich. I was only eighteen and thought I was in love…" He remained quiet, and she took his silence as a cue to continue. "Your father was a rich man, a politician from an important local family. I was ashamed of my real appearance, so I never showed my true body to him; he never knew I was a mutant."

"Go on," Kurt encouraged her, being able to relate to the feeling.

"When you were born and he saw you – the blue skin, the tail, the ears – he wanted to kill you. He argued that a mutant son would compromise his career. I'd never let him hurt you, so one night I ran away with you in my arms. That's when I met Sinister for the first time."

Nightcrawler raised a furry brow in surprise. "What happened?"

"He took us to his home in London. Essex convinced me that he could revert our mutations, so I let him experiment on me… and on you," she gulped, holding back her tears and looking down at her hands. "As I've told you, I was young and naïve at that time… I didn't know our mutations couldn't be undone. He kept us locked in his basement as guinea pigs for almost six months. There were other mutants there too; he'd experiment on us all," she took a deep breath and stared back at him. "Until one day, Erik found us. He set everyone free and burned Essex's house down."

"And zhat's why you've been following Magneto ever since…," Kurt concluded.

"Yes. I owe him our freedom and our lives," Raven nodded. "I never forgave myself for letting Sinister use you, though. I blamed myself and thought I didn't deserve you. I figured you'd be safer if you were away from me. So, when you were two-years old, I gave you to your foster parents… They agreed to raise you and promised me to never tell you about your horrible biological mother."

"I see. But why are you telling me zhis now?" The German mutant looked straight at the woman's yellow eyes, so alike his own.

"Because, despite giving you away, I couldn't keep you safe. Sinister found you here, at Xavier's. I needed to save you from him again…"

"But if you knew zhat Essex was here… and knew zhat I was here… why didn't you come to warn me earlier?" The X-Man was trying to rationalize the woman's choices.

"Because… because… somethings are easier said than done," Mystique stared at her feet, unable to sustain her son's honest gaze.

Kurt took a moment to look at the sky. "I understand," he finally said. "I'll pray to God to give me the strength to forgive you someday," he then stood up and walked away from his mother.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was past noon when Jean woke up. She vaguely recalled Scott carrying her to bed the night before. Did he also sleep in there? The telepath looked around, only to find that she was alone in her bedroom.

After taking a long bath, Jean went to the kitchen, where she found Ororo and Peter preparing lunch.

"Hello, my friend," the wind rider hugged her, followed by Rasputin.

"God, how I've missed you guys! The real you, I mean," she hugged them back with a warm smile in her face. "Are you feeling all right? I didn't hurt you yesterday, did I?"

"No, you didn't, Jean," Colossus assured her. "Actually, Storm and I haven't felt this good in a while, tovarisch. We feel… free!"

"I'm glad," the redhead disentangled herself from their arms. "Listen, have you seen Logan?" She asked, pouring herself some coffee and grabbing an apple from the fruit basket.

"Last time I saw him, he was heading to the lake with the girl, Laura."

"Thanks, Ro," she waved at her friends from the doorway and was soon gone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jean walked a few hundred yards towards the lake at the end of Xavier's estate. She spotted Logan resting under a tree, but the girl was nowhere around.

"Hey, you," she sat beside him on the grass, taking a bite out of the apple.

"Grrrrrr!"

Jean jumped, startled by the menacing growl coming from above. "Oh my God, Logan! I couldn't sense her there," she cried, placing her right palm over her racing heart. She glanced up, noticing Laura's mean eyes staring back at her. The girl was crouched on a thick tree branch just above them.

"That kid ain't easily caught, Red," Logan explained, stealing the apple from the redhead's hand and giving it a bite. The girl growled again. "Cut it off, Laura!"

Jean gave a muffled laugh. "I don't think she likes me, Logan…"

"Bullshit. O' course she likes ya, Jeannie, she's got my genes."

Jean blushed at the flirtatious innuendo, but soon realized the implication beyond his words. Her green eyes widened. "Your genes? You mean, she's your daughter?"

Wolverine chuckled. "I wish, darlin'… It'd be less complicated," he gazed at the juicy fruit in his hand, and then at the redhead sitting beside him. "She's my clone."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Found her at the Weapon X facility up in Canada. She was created there, to be a weapon," he bit the apple again, a little too fiercely, "twelve years ago. Never had a day o' fun in her life."

Logan sounded beyond mad, not without good reason. Jean was speechless… How could people do such terrible things to a little, innocent girl? She looked up again – apparently Laura was concentrating on something. Was she trying to hunt a bird?

"So, whatch'ya gonna do now, Red?"

She looked down, surprised by Logan's sudden question. "I have no idea," she replied truthfully, staring at her shoes. "I mean, I have to think about Xavier's burial… can't keep his body rotting down in the lab. Plus, there's Magneto's and Beast's trial, Angel's transformation, Bobby's condition…"

"Iceman?"

"Yeah… He's alive, Logan," Jean beamed at the mention of her dear friend, "but his back's injured and his legs are paralyzed… He's stuck in a wheelchair. I have to bring him back to the School, he's in Tex…"

"I meant you, darlin'. Whatch'ya gonna do with your life?"

"Oh," the telepath exclaimed, looking back at his face. "I haven't given a thought about it, yet."

Logan nodded. He reached for his wallet in his jeans' back pocket. "Can't help ya with the big plans, Jeannie. As for the smaller stuff, ya should give these guys a call. Matt knows me; he'll help ya."

Jean took the business card from his hand. She turned it around and read 'Nelson and Murdock – Attorneys at Law'.

She gave him a peck on the cheek and stood up. "Thanks, Logan. I'll call them."

XXXXXXXXXX

Jean had just hung up the phone when Cyclops entered the professor's studio.

"There you are," he said with a smile while cleaning his greased hands with an old rag. "I've been looking all afternoon for you."

"Hey, Scott. I was just calling this lawyer's firm… I figured I'll need help in the next days with Xavier's inventory and Hank's trial," she explained, her eyes fixed on the bloodied Persian rug underneath her shoes.

"That's probably smart," he agreed. "So, Dr. Reyes' dismissed Tolanski from the infirmary this morning. She concluded that he only suffered a small head concussion and is out of risk now."

"That's good," Jean felt as if her stomach was twisting.

Cyclops continued. "Also, I've finished fixing Magneto's jet. That means the Brotherhood's ready to go…" Scott noticed that the redhead was starting to look queasy. "Ok, let's get this thing out of here, it's stinking," he said, kneeling on the floor to roll up the offending carpet. "We can send it to the laundry…"

"Wait, Scott. Can't we just… get rid of it?"

He furrowed his brows. "Get rid of it? Why? It's a perfectly good, expensive rug."

"I hate it. Always have," she admitted, her eyes now scanning the whole room. "I hate everything about this place. It looks like a mausoleum and smells like death."

The young man chuckled. "You're right. I guess Xavier wasn't very fond of contemporary design, huh?"

Jean laughed at his attempt of humor, momentarily forgetting the morbid scent. She approached Scott and looked at his face, suddenly recalling what he'd said. "What did you mean by 'the Brotherhood's ready to go?' Are you planning on leaving?"

"Well, I... I suppose so. I am the Brotherhood's field leader, after all. I'm no longer a X-Man, Jean," he paused, choosing carefully his next words. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure the X-Men are needed anymore, now that Xavier's dead."

"But Essex could still be around," the telepath's eyes went down with disappointment. "I-I thought you'd stay here at the School… with me."

"This hasn't been a school for a long time, Jean," Cyclops spoke, reaching for both her hands. He stroked them with his thumbs, lovingly, and she stared at his face again. "Why don't you come with me? The Brotherhood will always welcome you..."

"I can't. There's so much to do here… Warren, Kitty, Laura… they still need the X-Men, Scott."

He considered his options for a moment. "Ok, I have an idea. Why don't we gather everyone – Brotherhood and X-Men – for a friendly meeting? Emma's just arrived from D.C. and the Maximoff family is on its way back from the city. Maybe we can figure out what to do, together."

"That's a great idea," Jean smiled. "I'll let everyone know."

XXXXXXXXXX

About two hours later, everybody met in the kitchen – it was the biggest, non-smelly room currently available at the mansion. Only Dr. Reyes and Shadowcat, who was still recovering in the med bay, were absent. Ororo was the first one to speak.

"My friends, today is a truly joyful day. Without the poisoning influence of Charles Xavier, we reunite here as allies, no longer as foes. I speak for all the X-Men when I say we are happy to invite all Brotherhood members to join us."

"We appreciate the gesture, Storm. It's good to know that we, mutants, can coexist in peace. Yet, joining the X-Men as one team is a decision that we couldn't make without consulting my father," the Scarlet Witch justified.

"We understand, Wanda. What is his current situation?"

"Not good, Ororo. He wasn't a primary defendant and he just confessed murder. We couldn't bail him out," Quicksilver explained.

"I've agreed to testify in his favor, Pietro."

"I know you have, Jean. Still, the circumstances could've been better for him."

"I must say, I'm impressed that he hasn't broken free yet," Emma said.

"My father's trying to do the right thing, Frost; Kelly's speech has touched him deeply," Wanda went out in defense of the Master of Magnetism.

Jean interfered. "About that… Storm and I have discussed something earlier today. Since the Government is no longer engrossed in persecuting our kind, we thought about remodeling this house… turning it into a real school for young mutants. Here these kids would learn not only the regular school stuff, but also how to use their powers responsibly. That's what this place was supposed to be since its beginnings. You are all welcome to stay, either as instructors or students."

"We are all grown-ups, darling. I don't think we are in need of any further education," the blonde telepath retorted. "Plus, how would it be called, huh? 'Jean Grey School for Higher Learning'?"

"Something like that," the redhead spat with annoyance.

Polaris stood up from her chair. "I'd like to stay. I haven't finished high school, and I could use a lot more training on my mutant skills."

"Zhen welcome aboard, fräulein," Kurt greeted Lorna with a smile. She smiled back.

"All right, so the kid stays. If we're all done here, what's stopping us from returning to Texas?" Wyngarde asked impatiently.

"Me," all eyes turned to Cyclops, and he stood up. "You're absolutely right, Jean. This place was originally a school for mutants, and that's what it should remain to be. I'd love to be part of it."

The redhead's green orbs sparkled with joy. Emma rolled her eyes. "Please, let's just leave now, Brotherhood. This airy-fairy happy-clappy nonsense idea of school is making me nauseous."

Scott and Jean exchanged glances from across the big kitchen table, trying hard to conceal their giggling as the exasperated blonde and her teammates exited the room.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"In conclusion, Ms. Grey, given that Charles Xavier has legally adopted you and didn't leave any recognized biological children, all of his possessions are to be bequeathed to you immediately. His declared inventory comprises the School's estate, including every piece of art and furniture within, all previously catalogued; three other smaller estates, all located upstate New York, currently non occupied; six different bank accounts, two of them situated overseas; and Essex Enterprises' stock exchange shares, whose total value is estimated in eighteen million dollars," Foggy Nelson listed, finally closing his notebook.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. Did you say Essex Enterprises?" Jean asked the blonde lawyer.

"Yes, I did, Ms. Grey. Is there a problem?"

"Actually, yes. I'd like to get rid of these shares as soon as possible. I don't want to have any connections with Essex."

"It certainly won't be problem. I'll be happy to put them on the market for you," the attorney replied politely.

"Thank you, Mr. Nelson. One more thing, though. Could you see to announce them way below market price?"

Foggy raised a questioning eyebrow at the red-haired beauty. "Ms. Grey, you do realize you'd be losing a great amount of money by doing such a thing? And most likely triggering a significant depreciation to the company's value?"

Jean exchanged a look with Scott, who was sitting beside her on the living room's couch during the whole meeting. "Yes, I'm quite aware of that, Mr. Nelson."

"All right. I'll start making arrangements then," the blonde man said, standing up from a brown leather chair to shake Jean's and Scott's hands. "I'll leave you to my associate, now. Mr. Murdock here will act as your attorney during the trials," he explained, nodding towards the distinguished blind man sitting on a matching chair in the mansion's living room.

Matthew Murdock waited until his partner was gone to address the couple in front of him. Despite sightless, the lawyer appeared to be looking straight at Jean. "Ms. Grey, I understand that what happened in this house in the past couple of years is certainly far more complicated than it appears…"

Jean remembered what Logan had told her about the man; she couldn't sense any malice coming from his words. "Mr. Murdock… Matthew. I'm aware that you and Logan are friends; good friends, I suppose, since he trusts you. As such, I'm guessing that you're familiar with the fact that Logan is a mutant."

"Yes, I am indeed, Ms. Grey."

"Please, call me Jean."

"All right, Jean."

"Well, I'm also a mutant, and so is everyone living under this roof. We are the X-Men, I'm sure you've heard of us at some point." Murdock nodded. "I'm a telepath, which means that I can show you exactly what happened in this house since the first day I arrived here. I can telepathically walk you through everything that Xavier, McCoy and Essex did to me and to the others, and how Charles was killed two days ago. If you agree to it, of course. And don't worry, it would be a one-sided way of communication; I won't have access to any of your memories."

The attorney considered her offer; if Wolverine trusted this woman, so should him. "Well, I guess that would make things faster and easier for all of us, Jean. And since you have just shared a big secret with me, I suppose I can take your word that you won't be peeking inside of my mind. We all have our secrets, after all."

"I promise you, Matthew, I won't."

"Let's do it, then," he consented.

Jean delicately created a psychic bridge connecting her mind to his. It took the telepath about an hour to pour everything she remembered from the past six years into Murdock's head; the lawyer gasped when the rapport was severed, slightly stunned. He had been able to see everything, from her perspective. 'So many colors.'

"Wow, Jean. That is certainly a lot to process," he stated, cleaning the sweat off of his forehead with a handkerchief. Suddenly, he felt a great deal of admiration for this woman and her friends.

"I'm so sorry, Matthew… I know it can be a little overwhelming," she apologized.

"There's no need to apologize, I'm tougher than I look. I'm all right," he reassured her. "Well, we surely have a winning court case here. Are you sure you want to propose an agreement to him? After everything you and the other X-Men have endured in his hands?"

"Yes, I've talked to the others and we've thought this through already. There's no other way around it."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Two days later, Jean Grey and Matthew Murdock entered New York's High Security Prison Complex. A police officer guided them to an interviewing room, where Henry McCoy waited alone. The furry mutant was sitting on a chair, restrained to the ground with extra-strong titanium cuffs.

"Hello, Hank. This is Mr. Murdock, my attorney."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. McCoy. I'd like to inform you that you're granted the right to have a defender lawyer present here for this meeting."

"I appreciate the enlightenment, Mr. Murdock. I'm afraid I don't envision a significant motive for bothering my legal representative at this moment," he replied, turning his gaze to Jean. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit, Ms. Grey?"

"Let's cut to the chase, Beast. I'm willing to withdraw some of the charges against you. I could say that Xavier obligated you to do most of the things you did to me… That he even made you experiment on yourself. I'm sure everybody will buy it, giving your current appearance. I'll testify that he was a fucking lunatic and that he and Essex have threatened you several times."

"You would still be accused of stealing classified technology, physical abuse and drug dealing inside of a school, Mr. McCoy; but my client and I would present these new, mitigating factors that will surely minimize the extent of your sentence," the blind lawyer explained.

Hank examined his opposite faces. "I see. Xavier is already dead, and Essex is missing. What do you expect me to grant you in return?"

"I want you to tell me how to revert the process. How to change our friends back," she demanded, dead serious. "Specially Warren."

"Why, Jean, dear? Don't you like dangerous blue mutants? Are you that prejudiced?" Beast scoffed, and Jean's eyes turned black and wide for a split second.

Murdock sensed the change in the air and his voice raised inside the room. "Mr. McCoy, I suggest you take my client's proposal into serious consideration. It could represent a fifty percent reduction to your final sentence."

The young woman's eyes slowly returned to normal, and Matthew sighed in relief. It was almost as if the blind man could see the changes in her.

Hank looked to and fro between Murdock and Grey, considering his options. He then asked for a pencil and piece of paper and wrote down a name and a phone number. "Call Dr. Moira McTaggert in Scotland. She's an internationally renowned geneticist... Most of our experiments were based on her previous studies," he clarified, noticing the redhead's suspicious look. "She is not familiar with any of our works at the School, rest assured."

"Thank you," Jean folded the piece of paper and put it in her purse. "There's one more thing," she added, opening the door. A few seconds later, Iceman wheeled inside the room, dressed in civilian clothes. Cyclops was close behind him, leaning on the doorframe.

"Oh, Jean, this is just despicable," she heard McCoy saying. "Robert was my best friend. I have mourned his death long enough. How can you toy with my mind like this? I thought you considered yourself better than Xavier?"

"Oh, she is much better, Hank. It's really me, Bobby, obviously I didn't die in that mission," the young mutant spoke, a grim look in his face. "You should be ashamed of what you did to us… You knew Xavier was messing with our minds and you agreed to it!"

"H-how? How's that possible?" McCoy muttered, taken aback by the crippled living ghost of his ex-friend.

"I don't owe you any explanations, Beast. Because of you, Xavier and Essex, I'm stuck in this wheelchair for life," Bobby yelled at him. "I'm only here today because Scott flew me back from Texas and Jean asked me to come; if it were for me, you'd rot in prison." He turned around in his chair and exited the small room. "I'll wait for you guys in the car," he told Scott before leaving.

Murdock was silently leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, while Scott and Jean stared at McCoy's face; the blue mutant had tears in his eyes. "I didn't know… I-I swear, I didn't know...," he whispered. "Please, Jean, tell me what happened," he pleaded.

"Cyclops and the Brotherhood saved Bobby after your last battle, but they couldn't fix his broken spine; his legs are paralyzed for good," the redhead informed him.

"I'm so, so sorry… I wish I could take it all back… Nonetheless, I can't. Oh God!"

"You know, Hank… At moments like this, when I see you truly regretting the bad deeds you took part in… I wonder if there's still hope for you…"

"Jean, I…"

"Let me finish, please," she said, extending her open palm in his direction, making him stop in mid-sentence. "I want to believe that the old Hank McCoy – the sweet, funny teenager I once knew – is hidden somewhere beneath this dark Beast we see these days. With that in mind, I'll offer you a chance of redemption."

Beast furrowed his blue brows. "Redemption?"

"You see, Iceman visited all the best neurosurgeons in Texas; they were unanimous regarding the severity of his injury – they've all confirmed that the damage to his spine is irreversible. However, we have seen a lot of things initially deemed as impossible happen in our short lives."

McCoy was listening to her with renewed interest. "For instance, Angel's resurrection," he offered.

"Among other things," Jean nodded. "As you know, I do have the necessary power, but I lack the knowledge on human anatomy and physiology required to repair a smashed vertebral column..."

"On the other hand, I do hold a medical school degree and have devoted several hours of my life unravelling the mysteries of the human neurological system," he paused for a few seconds. "You'd like me to instruct you – and Phoenix – how to rectify Robert's nerves and bones. It's a brilliant solution, Jean, simply brilliant," he admired the idea with enthusiasm.

"Would you help me? Help Bobby?"

"Undoubtedly," he grinned, receiving a matching smile from the compassionate woman in front of him.

"Good. Then teach me everything you know, Hank," Jean asked, opening a mind link with the furry mutant. He taught her everything he knew, and after about twenty minutes they were finished.

"Thank you," she said, meaning it.

"Actually, I should be the one expressing my undying gratitude, Jean. I… I truly appreciate your trust… and the opportunity of assisting Bobby. I hope you and Phoenix can succeed in this noble enterprise. And again, I am truly sorry about how things turned out…"

"I hate to interrupt you, Ms. Grey, but our time is over. We'll see you in court in a few weeks, Mr. McCoy," the blind lawyer said, opening the door for Jean. Cyclops lingered behind, arms crossed and face unreadable.

"Is there anything you would like to express, Cyclops?" Beast asked him with a hint of sarcasm.

"Actually, there is," Scott replied, slowly approaching the other man. "Don't you dare to screw this up, McCoy. Jean has a big heart… She might trust you for now, but I don't. If you hurt her again, or Bobby, or Warren, or any other X-Men for that matter… I'm going to blast you to ashes," his eyes flashed menacingly below the red-quartz lens.

"You misinterpret my previous actions, Scottie-boy. Believe me or not, I have always merely intended to protect Jean. Even your more than impressive imagination could never begin to conceive what Essex would have gladly done to the lovely Ms. Grey if I wasn't around to safeguard her."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that, Beast. In fact, it's the only reason why you're still breathing today," Cyclops notified him before turning around and exiting the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Red, ya sure ya wanna try this?" Wolverine asked Jean for the hundredth time as both of them stepped into the Danger Room. Drake was laying on an improvised operation bed in the middle of the room in his underwear, the left side of his face and chest touching the cold metal below him. The other X-Men were all watching from the observation booth above.

"Yes, Logan, I'm sure. Will you help me or what?" She replied impatiently. Jean was wearing her old green Marvel Girl uniform, while Wolverine was dressed in his usual brown and yellow outfit.

"Ya ain't givin' me an option here, darlin'," he grunted.

"Good! Then just do your job."

"Humph."

"Are you ready, Bobby?" The telepath asked her friend, "We can still stop this, you know?"

"I'm not afraid, Jean. Really. I trust you," he squeezed her hand.

"Logan will be standing right by my side, in case things get out of control…"

"They won't," Iceman assured her.

"All right. Let's do this."

Jean used her telepathy to put her patient to sleep. Next, she recalled everything that Henry McCoy had taught her about anatomy and only then she allowed the Phoenix to emerge. She shut her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, her body was once again surrounded by golden flames, hovering a few inches above the floor; her dark eyes darted down to the young man lying peacefully on the operation table. She ignored Logan, who started pacing around the room, claws itching below his knuckles. Within her mind, Phoenix could see all the small fragments of Bobby's smashed thoracic vertebras and how they had ruined the adjacent neural connections. There had been almost four months since the incident; too much time had passed for the neural tissue to maintain its viability. Still, Phoenix started bonding the tiny bone pieces together; she cleaned the remaining blood cells that were scattered around the injured tissues, mending the small veins and arteries; then she reassembled the neural cells, one by one, reconnecting the axons and rebuilding the spine plexus. Her hands glowed over Iceman's backbones, generating a delicate nervous impulse; he didn't stir. After no more than five minutes, Phoenix's voice filled the Danger Room. "It's done."

Jean's feet touched the floor and Wolverine looked at her – her eyes were bright green, the flames slowing fading away from her skin and hair. "Did it work?"

"Don' know yet, Red," Logan told her, massaging his knuckles in relief. "We better take the kid to the infirmary. Reyes can take care of him now."

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that day, Cyclops talked to Dr. Moira MacTaggert on the phone. He discovered that the Scottish geneticist was actually a homo superior supporter, having adopted a mutant kid herself five years before. Rahne Sinclair was the girl's name, currently rebaptized as Rahne MacTaggert. Scott informed the good doctor about everything that had happened in Xavier's School in the past years, and Moira was shocked to know that a fellow renewed geneticist like Essex could perform such horrible tests. She booked a flight ticket to New York to the very next day – she wanted to examine these poor, experimented mutants as soon as possible.

Cyclops checked on Bobby and Kitty – they were recovering well in the infirmary. Shadowcat was able to eat again, and Iceman had just woken up from the telepathic sedation, feeling no pain or dizziness.

It was almost dark, and Scott decided to indulge himself in a little leisure time. Plus, he needed to straighten up his relationship with a certain red-haired woman. He knocked at Jean's door.

"Come in, Scott," she opened the bedroom door with telekinesis. The young woman was drying her hair in front of a full-length mirror, obviously having just taken a shower after a busy day.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her bluntly. She noticed how the man had recently shaved and was wearing a nice pair of black pants and blue sweater. He looked good.

"I am, actually," Jean answered suspiciously. "Why?"

"Put on a nice outfit. I'm taking you out to dinner," there was no room left for argumentation. "I'll meet you in the garage in twenty minutes."

XXXXXXXXXX

Jean smiled as Scott pulled the car to a stop. "I can't believe you've brought me here," she said motioning to the bright neon sign with the lettering 'Il Cacciatore'.

"Well, you love Italian food, and you did say you were hungry," he winked at the beautiful redhead as he held her left hand into his right one, gently pulling her to the restaurant's entrance.

Soon they were sitting at a small table near the window, candlelight illuminating their features. A young blonde waitress took their orders and quickly disappeared behind the kitchen door.

"So, what did Dr. MacTaggert say on the phone?" Jean questioned him, trying to break the awkward silence.

"She's coming to the School tomorrow. Moira seems to be really interested in helping the X-Men," Scott explained. The waitress returned with a bottle of red wine and a corkscrew.

"That's great. I really hope she can help everyone, especially Warren," Jean told him optimistically. She sipped from her glass.

"Me too."

"Do you think Bobby will be all right? I'm planning on hiring a full-time physical therapist, I think it would be of great help to his rehabilitation. Maybe Dr. Reyes can refer someone from the hosp…"

"Jean, stop. I didn't bring you here to talk about work," Scott interrupted her, and she raised her brows. "I invited you here to tell you that I want you back," he stated, reaching for her left hand across the table.

"Oh," she exclaimed, surprised. "I… I don't know what to say, Scott… I mean, so much's happened…"

"Say yes," he told her. "I love you. I know you love me. Just… say yes."

Jean blushed slightly at his ascertained tone, remembering how skinny and insecure Scott was when they first met. He'd certainly grew into a very attractive and confident man. She looked down at their entwined fingers, then up at his honest, handsome face. "Are you sure you want to get entangled in my crazy, messy life again?"

"I'm pretty sure, yes," he responded with a grin.

"You're not afraid? I mean, Phoenix's powers can be really intimidating sometimes…"

"Oh, I'm totally intimidated. How could I not be? Look at you, Jean… You look absolutely amazing."

This time the redhead blushed to an impossible tone of red, and Scott laughed wholeheartedly at her. He then kissed the top of her hand. "Stop looking for excuses, Jean. We deserve some happiness. Just say yes."

She caught his eyes behind the thick red lenses. "Yes."

XXXXXXXXXX

Scott woke up on the next morning feeling well rested and happy for the first time in over two years. He stared at the woman sleeping soundly beside him. He gently traced his fingers over her naked arm, and soon she started to slowly stir in bed.

"Morning, sleepy," he greeted her, placing a kiss on her bare shoulder.

"Mmm… Hey you," Jean turned around in bed to face him, drowsily opening her eyes. She smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Oh yes," he told her, catching her lips in his. "So much better than the last nights on the den's couch…" He moved on top of her and kissed her deeply, both soon losing themselves in each other's arms.

A/N: So, we've got only one chapter left, and I would really appreciate some reviewing. Thanks for keeping up with me so far.