The X-men of X-Corporation have faced many uphill battles as they struggle with fighting for peace against those who hate and fear them the most. This battle only becomes further complicated when personal battles are added into the mix.

Having just faced a cosmic-level threat when the Inner Circle corrupted the Phoenix Force, the X-men faught to save their teammate, Jean Grey, who'd been in the heart of such chaos. Through an act of sacrifice, Jean Grey and the Phoenix came to the realization that they need each other, and that they will teach one another how to fix everything broken within them.

Now, reunited with her identical twin sister, Madelyne, Jean is finally at a place of peace as she accepts all that's happened to her, and the universe proves to be stable once more.

Issue 81: At Ease

X-Corporation Tower – Jean's Room

After the aftermath of the Phoenix affair, Jean found that she was released from the infirmary the next morning.

The X-men had arrived home at three o'clock in the morning, with Emma and Madelyne taking up two extra rooms. Madelyne knew that she wasn't going back to the Inner Circle, and wanted to take a day or two to decide what she wanted to do. Emma, however, had headed back to Boston so she could return to her academy and her students. For Jean, she was still taking in the fact that she now always had an essence of the Phoenix inside her.

Sitting on her bed, Jean reminisced to the moment the Phoenix told her that in order to show gratitude, they were going to become one and the same. For Jean, it had been the moment she'd felt the most at peace. The past twenty-four hours had been the most chaotic. But ironically, they also led to the moment where she felt more peaceful and secure than she'd ever felt in a long time. It had started with her visiting her parents' graves and learning to accept that they were gone. The final piece of it all was the Phoenix expressing gratitude toward her, telling her that they were going to become one.

After using the powers of the Phoenix Force to save her "family" from Selene, Jean could only assume that it had taken a lot more out of her than she'd ever expected it to. She'd awoken in the infirmary, with Scott explaining to her that she'd fallen asleep on the plane ride home the other night. He'd been sitting beside her bedside, holding her hand in his.

After she awoke, Hank and Cecilia had both given her a quick check-up, assuring her that she was free to leave the infirmary. Scott took her up to her bedroom so that she could have some time alone. And more than anything, she needed it.

Tapping into the powers of the Phoenix, Jean decided to test her new abilities. She allowed a fiery aura to release from her fingertips. She smiled at the feeling of warmth it gave her.

As Jean continued sitting on her bed, she could hear a soft knock at her bedroom door and saw Madelyne standing there in the doorway, smiling tiredly at her before moving to sit down.

"I take it everything's well now?" Madelyne asked.

"Yeah," Jean said with a grin. "But there were a couple good things that came out of this whole ordeal."

"And what would that be?" Madelyne asked her.

"That we found each other again, and that now, I no longer have to worry about being out of control. I'm finally back in control of my powers, and my life again. I haven't felt this at peace and this happy in a very long time, it seems like. Even though I had our other brothers and sisters back in my life, even though I had this family, there always seemed to be a part of me that was missing. Traveling back home, and visiting Mom and Dad's grave, I – I was finally able to accept that they died. I feel as though I can finally move on," Jean whispered, tears stinging in her eyes.

Madelyne felt tears burning in her eyes as Jean said that. "Yeah."

"So, what's going to happen with you?" Jean asked. "I know you're not returning to the Inner Circle."

"Hell no. The more time I spent there, the worse it got," Madelyne joked. Jean giggled. "But I'm not sticking around to become a member of the X-men. I-I need to figure out what it is that I want to do. I need to figure out who I am, where it is that I belong right now."

"You have a place to stay?" Jean asked.

"I've got a small condo in my name located here in Manhattan, and I'm going to be applying for jobs. I also have a bank account with a generous amount of money my adoptive family gave me. That was probably the nicest thing they ever did," Madelyne said bitterly. "I just need some time alone right now. I need my independence."

Jean nodded in understanding. "Of course, but if you ever change your mind, know we've got plenty of space here."

Madelyne nodded, hugging Jean firmly. "Well, I better get going. I've got to get to my new home and start job hunting."

"Good luck, I love you," Jean whispered.

"Love you, too." Madelyne kissed Jean on the cheek softly before getting up to leave. Before reaching the door, however, she turned to face Jean again. "Oh, and by the way, I'm going to be meeting with Tony's lawyer. I want to legally change my last name to Grey."

Jean smiled as her sister left the room. She was happy that Madelyne was already adjusting. However, soon after Madelyne left, Jean was once again not alone. Logan walked into the room, needing to speak with her, too.

"Hey, Jeannie," he whispered. "How're ya doing, kid?"

"I'm okay," she replied. "I'm alright. I'm better than I ever could've been."

"Good. I'm glad. Listen, kid, I need to speak with ya about something," Logan told her.

"I need to talk, too," Jean said, wanting to clear the air with Logan. Scott had told her shortly after she'd awoken in recovery that Logan had tried stabbing her and killing her. While she did not remember, she still wanted to talk to him about it. Because there were a few things she wanted to say to him, too. "But you go first," she added.

"No, you first," Logan told her.

Jean took in a deep breath before saying, "Scott told me that you tried to kill me, the other night."

Logan hesitated before speaking to her. He couldn't help but feel a little badly, especially as he saw the look on Jean's face when she said those words. Her face was downcast. "Jeannie, you know, if there had been any other way, I would've found it. But I feared thatcha had been so far gone, I saw at the time there was no other option."

Jean swallowed her tears back before speaking. "Logan, I-I don't remember much about what I did. But I know that you would've done whatever it took to protect the others from me."

"But that wasn't you. Ya weren't in yer right mind."

"But I know I did things that were horrible," Jean whispered. "According to Scott I killed somebody. I nearly killed Dr. Reyes, the professor, Scott, and Ororo. I tortured someone."

"Would it make ya feel better if I hated ya fer it?" Logan asked.

Jean shook her head. "No, but if you wanted to, I wouldn't be mad at you. It would be justified."

"Look, kiddo, you know I'm not good with words. I could never hate ya fer not being in your right frame of mind. But I wanted ta ask ya if you remember this," Logan told her.

"What is it?" Jean asked, her voice threatening to tremble. She looked down at her feet.

"You called me James," Logan told her.

Jean hesitated before speaking again. "Surprisingly enough, I – I remember that part," she whispered.

"Is that –?"

"Yeah, James is your birthname, Logan," Jean whispered. "I-I didn't see much of your past, but from what I could pick up from your recollections, you were born as James Howlett. You had been born to a wealthy family up in Alberta, Canada, and your stepfather's name had been Logan."

"Was that all?" Logan asked.

"Yeah. That's all I can remember," Jean whispered. "Logan, you know that even if you had killed me, I couldn't hate you. I love you, as a father or an uncle. I would've understood. I know that you care even though you never say it. If you didn't, you wouldn't be as overprotective as you are."

"Just know, darlin', I'm sorry fer not havin' much faith in ya last night. Butcha saved every single one of us last night."

"I'd do anything for you guys."

"I know. That's why despite all this yer still you, sweetheart." Jean was surprised when Logan initiated a hug between them, something he'd never done before. But it did not mean it was unwelcome. Jean sighed and leaned into Logan's embrace, allowing her tears to flow down from her eyes. It amazed her greatly, because Logan was never the one to display affection. He was the type that kissed you when you were sleeping because he needed to maintain the image of being stern so that he continued to be respected.

As Logan hugged her, Jean felt as though a hundred pounds had lifted off her shoulders. She felt as though she could finally breathe again knowing that Logan didn't hold anything against her. Out of all the people there were to disappoint, the last thing that she ever wanted to do was disappoint Logan. Ever since he came into her life, he'd acted as a father-figure for her, but he wasn't a father that coddled her every minute. He allowed a person to deal with things on their own and didn't force them into talking about anything they didn't want to talk about.

"I'm so sorry," she whimpered. "I don't want . . . I just . . . I hate disappointing you."

"It's okay. Yer forgiven, darlin'." Jean felt Logan pressing an unexpectedly tender kiss on the top of her head. "I love ya, kid," he added, knowing Jean needed to hear it.

"I love you, too. And thank you for talking to me," Jean replied, sniffling as she felt Logan stroking her hair.

Hellfire Manor – Regan Wyngarde's Room

'I still cannot believe this!' Regan Wyngarde thought bitterly as she paced her bedroom in Hellfire Manor.

In the past twenty-four hours, not only had Madelyne and Emma jumped ship on the Inner Circle, but the Inner Circle had failed at gaining the powers of the Phoenix. On top of this, the Phoenix-controlled Jean Grey had killed her father. The eighteen-year-old blonde could barely take it. She was murderous with rage.

Continuing to pace in her Black Pawn outfit, Regan's fists clenched and unclenched. Her father perishing at the hands of a cosmic entity was something that she wasn't taking too well. She didn't even feel sadness. All she felt was her rage. It went against everything she was raised to be like. But she did not care in the least.

Suddenly, that was the moment she heard quiet knocking at her bedroom door as Selene walked into the room. Regan turned to face the woman who was her godmother.

"I am sensing your rage, Regan," Selene said softly.

Regan rolled her eyes. "Stay out of my head, Selene," she spat.

"You do not think that this is enraging to me, either?" asked Selene. "We had a chance at destiny. We had a chance at unlimited power, and we failed."

"It's not even that! My father's dead because of the Phoenix Force! It was tied to Jean Grey. We tried taking its power, and now look at where we're at!" Regan growled.

"Believe me, my dear goddaughter. I understand your frustration. I understand what it is that you desire. But time will come, and we will have our revenge," Selene said softly with a bitter smile.

"What are you talking about?" Regan asked. "What could possibly be worthy?"

That was when another presence came up behind Selene. It was Nathaniel Essex.

"Hello, my dear Regan," Essex said.

"Hello, Godfather," Regan said softly, fully aware that her godfather was one of the X-men's worst enemies. She knew of the X-men's last encounter with Essex, and how their newest teammate, Remy LeBeau had managed to escape his clutches. How this added up into Selene and Regan's revenge, Regan wasn't so sure.

"Selene, would you mind telling me why Uncle Essex is here?" she asked.

"My dear, Regan, you and I, we both have the same goal. We both have the same aspiring purpose of retaliation against the X-men. But it does mean going back to the basics," Essex said.

"What does that mean?" Regan asked, suddenly interested.

"Where it all started for me," Essex said softly as Selene kissed his cheek gently, before going over and wrapping an arm around Regan's shoulders.

"Trust me, Regan. Our time against the X-men will come, and you and I shall both have our vengeance," Selene said quietly, a dark smile on her face.

Regan returned her godmother's smile. She knew exactly what Selene was thinking, and she didn't even need to be a mind-reader to know.

Claremont Memorial Park

"Jean, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Scott as he pulled up in front of Claremont Memorial Park. He had Jean with him in the passenger's side of his car. She was clutching a bouquet of flowers in her hand and had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Yeah, Scott. I have to, and I want to," she whispered, stepping out of the car.

Scott took her by the hand as they made their way through the cemetery together. There was a light, mid-March rain drizzling down, the skies grey. The distant sound of a soft thunder sounded throughout as Jean kept an umbrella over her and Scott's heads. But it looked all the more beautiful as Jean led them towards her parents' grave.

Stopping at Elaine and John Grey's tombstone, Jean breathed out a sigh she'd been holding in as she placed the flowers down on the dirt. She could feel her eyes starting to sting as Scott pulled her into a tight hug.

"You know, before yesterday, I couldn't accept it," she whispered. "I-I couldn't accept that they died for thirteen years, since I was six years old."

"Because you never had the opportunity to grieve them," Scott told her. "All you knew was that they were dead, and you kept hoping that somehow it wasn't true."

Jean nodded. "When I was in the mental asylum, I would constantly hope that somehow, they'd show up and they'd come get me," she whispered. "And it never happened. What happened last night, when I visited this place, I realized that I needed to learn to accept it so that I can move on with my life. It's funny though, because until last night, until the Phoenix made us into one entity at last, I hadn't felt happy in such a long time. Sure, I had my siblings. Yes, I had you, and the other X-men, and the professor, but I was never at peace. Now I feel I can finally be at peace again. I feel as though I can live again, finally."

Scott leaned over and pushed Jean's pom-pom beanie back a little so he could kiss her hairline. "Accepting it is always the worst," he whispered. "But that's what it takes to move on."

"I've been holding onto that for so long," Jean whispered as they felt a cold, early spring breeze passing them. She pulled slightly at the strings attached to the Culinary Institute of America sweatshirt Julia had loaned her. "I guess I was so scared of living, because I feared death. I feared dying because my parents died in a way that was so painful . . . and I'd felt it all. But I think me, merging with the Phoenix Force, I feel that I was in a way reborn, too. I feel there's finally life in me again."

Scott pressed another kiss to the top of her head. "I love you," he whispered. "But I have to ask you this. Now that you have got these new powers, would you consider changing your codename?"

Jean nodded. "Well, what new name do you think I should choose?"

"How about Phoenix?" Scott asked.

Jean nodded at that. "Yeah, it's got a nice ring to it," she said with a smile as she squeezed his hand. They turned around and proceeded to leave.

"So, do you want to stop by your sister's house to let her know you're okay?" Scott asked.

"No, I'll Facetime with her later," Jean said with a mischievous grin. "I'm thinking of something else for the two of us."

Scott looked at her for a brief moment, before he caught onto how she worded it. "Are you sure you're ready to take the next step?"

"We might as well not fear the future anymore," Jean said. "I want to take this next step with you. After what happened last night, I don't want to waste any more time."

"I for one can agree with you, Jean," said the Phoenix in her soft, gentle voice. "I think you two of all people ought to have a moment of passion."

Jean and Scott both chuckled at that. Jean was still getting used to hearing the voice of the Phoenix in her mind.

"Thank you, Phoenix," she whispered with a smile, and she turned her head up to kiss Scott on the lips. Scott ran his fingers through her flaming red hair, closing his eyes as he melted into her.

Avengers Tower – Tony's Office

Journal Entry 212

The past twenty-four hours have truly been an eye-opening moment for me. Never have I thought that I would be facing a threat as dangerous as the Phoenix. After having battled Purifiers and Ultron, the Phoenix was one of those things I wasn't prepared to face.

Hearing the spirit of that cosmic firebird made me revaluate everything in my life. It made me do a lot of thinking, part of the reason why I am on my fifth cup of coffee today. Jean under the possession of the Phoenix Force had basically called me out for every shitty thing I've done in life. All my arrogance that I've ever had in my life just always led to me making the wrong decision.

It's quite ironic that Jean made me open my eyes. She made me realize that I've got to stop caring about only myself, and start taking accountability. That apology I said the previous night hadn't been just towards Jean. It had been towards all the X-men. I know that Warren especially is pissed off at me, considering he was practically down my throat after Jean had become evil.

Before Tony could continue writing in his journal, he looked up to see Vision and Jocasta coming into the room.

"Mr. Stark, Warren is here to speak with you," Vision said.

"Thanks, buddy," Tony said as Warren opened the door to his office.

"Mr. Stark," Warren said curtly.

"Look, kid, I know you're probably still pissed at me for what happened to Jean, but when I apologized last night, I'd meant it," Tony said.

"I know that you did," Warren said. "That was actually a big step for you. I came here to tell you that I accept."

"Why?" Tony asked as he got up out of his chair to look out the window.

"It takes a lot to admit that you're wrong," Warren said. "Tony, you and I – we both have that in common. When I was sixteen, despite living on the streets, I was an arrogant spoiled brat who thought that he knew it all. I honestly thought I could fight off a group of street thugs who were assaulting and harassing Emma and I. But I couldn't. That was what landed me in the hospital in the first place."

"So, what are you saying?"

"That you're forgiven, as far as Jean is concerned. She doesn't remember much of when she was the Phoenix. All she knows is what we've told her. We've had to fill her in on quite a bit," Warren explained, moving to stand beside Tony. He grabbed a bottle of triple sect that was sitting there and poured himself a glass.

Tony breathed out a sigh. "Look, Warren. I cannot apologize enough for my part in this. You warned me that Jean wasn't ready for something like that, but I pushed her because I was too stubborn."

"Here's a tip, Tony," Warren said, leaning a hand onto his friend and boss's shoulder. "Quit wallowing and start moving forward. From what we saw last night, I'd say life is short." Taking a sip of the orange liqueur, Warren set his glass down and walked out of Tony's office.

Tony leaned against the window, thinking hard about what Warren had just told him. He knew that Warren had been especially hard on him because he expected more. Closing his eyes, he couldn't help but take Warren's words to heart. In many ways, Warren was somewhat wiser than Tony gave him credit for.

Shooter's Bar – One Hour Later

'Alright, dealin' with cosmic-level shit, that's somethin' I never thought I'd be doin',' thought Logan Howlett as he downed his fifth shot of Russian vodka at Shooter's Bar.

After the Phoenix affair, Logan couldn't help but feel the need to have a drink. He knew he wasn't going to be getting any good liquor at X-Corp, so he headed down to Shooter's Bar. Typically, he'd never go without Hank, Carly and Warren, but he felt the need to go alone.

Ordering another shot, Logan found that he was thinking back to his conversation that he had had with Jean earlier. He felt happy that at least, he'd managed to speak with her and they both got closure after the conversation. Logan was typically never good at expressing emotion. But seeing Jean's downcast face and seeing how much she still blamed herself prompted Logan to feel the need to speak with her. He wanted to make it clear to her that he did love her, and wanted to make sure that she knew if he'd thought there could've been another way of saving her, he would've done it. The last thing he wanted was for Jean to feel as though he'd given up on her.

'At least Jeannie's feelin' better about the whole thing,' he thought as he downed down another shot of vodka. He'd lost count after ten shots. However, along with his drunken thoughts about Jean, he couldn't help but think back to the conversation he'd had with Ororo at the Hellfire Club's party.

When speaking to Ororo, Logan felt as though he'd been questioning his relationship with Carol, and whether he truly had any family. Of course, the X-men were in many ways his family. Jean and Scott were the daughter and son he only hoped he could've had. But blood-related family was different. He couldn't help but wonder if he still had any blood-related family left in his life.

'Jeannie said my name's James,' he thought. 'I wonder if she knows more than she's lettin' on. No . . . she barely remembers havin' called me James. She probably don't even remember half of what was goin' on when she was taken over by that cosmic parrot. The prof keeps on sayin' I'll find out with time. How much time is the question here?'

Slamming down his money, paying for the drinks, Logan stumbled out of the bar, exhausted. Looking at the time, he could see it was now close to six at night . . . almost dinner. Walking out, he decided to take a shortcut home.

Breathing out a sigh, Logan walked down the back alleyway towards home. However, what happened next set off an alarm for him.

He could hear the sounds of a loud, angry snarl that sounded feminine. Turning around, he could see a young, angry girl facing him, a glare permeated on her face.

"What the fuck is yer problem, kid?" he snapped.

"Sabes qué demonios está pasando! (1)" the girl screamed out in fluid Spanish.

"Can you speak English for God's sake?!" Logan shouted at her.

"No Inglés! ¡Pero sabes qué diablos está mal! ¡Todo lo que está mal conmigo es por ti! (2)" the girl screamed.

"Would you shut up?!" Logan shouted as the girl continued screaming at him in Spanish. "Shut up! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

The girl was briefly silent upon Logan shouting at her. But as Logan looked closer at her, he could see something about this girl that looked . . . familiar. She had long, thick dark hair, dark brown – almost black-colored eyes, a tan complexion, and a muscular body-frame. What was startling was the fact that she looked no older than twelve years old. However, the girl began speaking again.

"Tu y yo . . . misma sangre! ¡Falleron veintidós veces antes de tener éxito conmigo! (3)" the girl screamed, running forward. She jumped on top of Logan, and that was when Logan took notice to the fact that she had two claws penetrating out of her right fist. Her screams were loud, feral and violent as she started slashing at Logan again and again.

"Kid, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Logan shouted at her as he fought back, shoving the young girl off of him. That was when he took notice to the fact that this girl was wearing filthy, torn black clothes, and she had claws unsheathing from her feet. It was a sight that was so uncanny, it disturbed the former living weapon greatly.

Breathing hard, Logan was thinking it was the liquor messing with his head. But as he looked on, he could tell he wasn't nearly drunk enough to imagine something like this. He was bleeding from the scratches that the girl had made on his exposed skin. As he looked into her eyes, he could see that familiarity. It almost felt as though they were . . . related. He then thought back to the girl saying veintidós. He didn't know how, but he was pretty sure it was the Spanish translation for twenty-two. Somehow, this young girl was trying to tell him something. It was obviously something that was making her feel deeply enraged.

Slowly but surely, the girl backed away from him, still growling in anger as she ran off. But she'd ripped off some kind of dog tag. Logan bent down, picking it up. What he saw disturbed him deeply. The dog tag looked just like the kind Weapon X had given him. Except this dog tag said: X-23.

'Weapon X,' Logan thought, panting hard. Closing his eyes, he sat against a trashcan, hardly able to believe what he had just bore witness to.

A/N:

And with that, we end another volume to the universe of Peace in Our Time. To those who took the time to read, I deeply appreciate it. As I've said before, with this story at this point, I'm posting it for me, as I'm not even going to beg anymore for reviews or constructive criticism from people. If people care enough to do so, then by all means, please do. Because I'm posting it due to me feeling this is a story that should be told.

In the coming weeks, the next volume will be posted. So, if interested, keep a look out on it.

Once more I'd like to thank my co-author MarvelMaster616, who has helped me shape this universe into what it is. In return, I'd like for you to go and read his series he posted to here titled X-men Supreme. Excelsior.

DC-MarvelGirl 1997

Translations:

Spanish: Sabes qué demonios está pasando!

English: You know what the hell is happening!

Spanish: No Inglés! ¡Pero sabes qué diablos está mal! ¡Todo lo que está mal conmigo es por ti!

English: No English! But you know what the hell is wrong! Everything that is wrong with me is because of you!

Spanish: Tu y yo . . . misma sangre! ¡Falleron veintidós veces antes de tener éxito conmigo!

English: You and me . . . same blood! They failed twenty-two times before succeeding with me!