Diane and Kitty came back from the dance class looking tired but happy. Stevie, like Kitty had liked the dance and they had worked on it a lot. It was so much fun! She had forgotten how much she loved to dance…well not really…but she had forgotten how much fun she had when she practiced with a good teacher. Kitty was too tired to hop, but she did walk quickly. She disappeared when they got to the mansion, presumably to Ororo's attic. Diane stumbled back to her room, but didn't make it. She flopped on Nightcrawler's bed. It's a good thing Kurt isn't here. she though wryly. Or I'd never get some rest. Of course, all that achieved was that he just teleported to her, hearing this.
~*Oh, go away.*~
**Why? I wasn't doing anything of importance.**
~*You…!*~
**Of course, leibling. Whatever else?**
~*Oh, go away.*~
**Herr professor said that you need to make a better costume for yourself than the generic kind that Kitty wears.**
~*Oh, go away.*~
**Later then. If you need help…just DON'T ask Kitty…"
His underlying suggestion made her wince. "No thanks." she murmured aloud. "I wouldn't let men help me design my costume." Nightcrawler jumped. That was unnerving. He hadn't asked, but she'd answered anyway. It was rather strange now and then. Ah, well, just another part of Diane. And he really couldn't complain. He tickled her chin with his tail.
"Get some rest, leibling." Then he was gone. Diane, however, couldn't sleep. She was resting, examining the ceiling when a voice in her mind, quite different that either Nightcrawler's or hers, or any of the other X-men's she'd heard, whispered.
*****
**Leibling?**
~*That wasn't me…*~
(((((Diane! Nightcrawler!)))))
**Herr Professor?**
~*Professor?*~
(((((That was Phoenix…Jean Grey.)))))
**Jeanie…**
(((((I don't know if it's Phoenix or Dark Phoenix. I can't reach her. Watch out. She can hurt you through your link.)))))
~*Why are the evil people always bothering us?*~
**Because we're the X-men.**
~*Sigh.*~
(((((Tell me if you hear it again.)))))
**Don't worry, knowing Jeanie, you'll hear it.**
They tried to go about what they normally did during the day, but the feeling that her voice had inspired in both of them lingered. Nightcrawler because he was her friend, and Diane because the feeling was strong. The professor had quietly told Cyclops, who was currently very silent. He knew the professor wouldn't poke fun about this, at least not to him. But what about the others? Nightcrawler wouldn't, but he wasn't so sure about Diane. They hadn't told her about Jean or Phoenix, but what if she'd picked it out of Nightcrawler's mind? He let his thoughts trail off. He shouldn't worry. If Jeanie was coming back, that was good! If she wasn't, then there was no change. But why did this feel different?
*****
Louder this time, they both ignored it as best they could, but told the Professor.
*****
Several had passed and they told the Professor, who was now very worried, but still couldn't find Jean, with Cerebro or with his mind.
*****
This time it was really loud. Some of the other X-men wondered when both Gaea and Nightcrawler had flinched in unison. Finally, during the silent and tense dinner…
*****
Both Nightcrawler and Diane fainted. No one understood why. Finally the professor had to get them all together and explain it.
"Phoenix, or Jean Grey…has risen again. I'm not sure whether its Dark Phoenix or the Jean Grey we know. We have to be careful. If you see her, don't greet her. I'm sorry, Cyclops."
Cyclops scowled, but nodded. He could understand that. There seemed to be a breath around the room as he said, all the rest stirring as they heard her name. Even Kitty, who had never met her, blinked. It turned out that they needn't wait for Phoenix. The astral image of the flaming bird appeared in the hall.
The image disappeared, leaving the stunned X-men to blink as the fury-fire of her phoenix's glow faded.
"Hmm. It's not like Jeannie to repeat herself." Wolverine said, the first to speak.
"Well, at least we have nothing to fear from her." Cyclops commented.
"Cyclops…Don't go looking for her. She will hurt you if you interfere. Didn't you hear her?" The professor warned.
"I hardly think loving her is interfering."
"Cyclops. Will you defy me after all these years?"
"Yes. For the woman I love, yes. Even if it means losing the X-men. She means that much to me."
"Then you have my permission to leave." The professor told him coldly.
That evening, several tearfully, the X-men watched Cyclops leave. No one noticed, but as he went, a tear leaked out of the Professor's eye.
Storm watched him leave with a little relief, but much more sadness. He had been a great friend. However, things had gotten tense between them through the unspoken rivalry for leadership. They hadn't wanted to fight, but, alas, that was human nature. They had tried their best not to show it, but the rivalry had put a huge strain on their friendship. She was happy that that was over, not because she had complete leadership, but because the strain had bothered her into many sleepless nights.
Wolverine watched with a sad look on his face. He had admired Cyke's leading skills, but he respected Storm, too. He had seen the unwanted rivalry, but had wisely said nothing. As for Jean…he had loved her once…but not anymore. He preferred to keep his job. But obviously not Cyclops.
Kitty watched this, biting her lip. She knew that Cyclops was one of the best leaders the X-men ever had, but her loyalty to Storm had made her respect their black leader more than Cyclops. Now she wished that she had been more respective of him and his decisions.
That night was unusually quiet after Diane and Kurt woke up. The professor told them privately, and Kurt was stricken. Diane, who hadn't known him long was sad because she knew he was a good leader, and he had always been kind, but he hadn't been a friend, like Nightcrawler. Diane did her best to cheer him up, and Kurt tried to be happy, but he had seen too many of the X-men leave or die.
The next few days were just a silent and dreary. They worked in the Danger Room, cleaned, cooked, and lived the same, but all was silent, but for a few murmured words. The Professor was keeping an eye out for Cyclops with both his mind and Cerebro to make sure he didn't run into trouble. The unspoken agreement that they would help him if he was in trouble hung in the air every time Professor X reported.
Scott Summers, was at that moment, leaving the Grey's house. They had been happy to see him, but, unfortunately, had told him he was crazy and thrown him out when he'd asked if they'd seen Jean. They thought that he was playing a mean joke on them, even though they should have known better from him. As he trudged down the street, he puzzled over where she could be now. As he passed the graveyard where she was buried, he decided to stop and look at her grave. When he got there, all looked as it had been when he had last seen it, the day before Phoenix rose. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but the dirt was in place and the gravestone was still new…He gaped. The date of her death had been erased as though it had never existed. If now read,
"Scott? I don't know anyone named Scott, though I can't deny my name is Jean."
"The X-men, Jean, don't you remember? Me, Scott, Cyclops!" He wasn't aware of anything as all of a sudden he collapsed. In the empty street, a glow began to build, and then it blinked out.
Back at the mansion, Professor X woke up with a start. He'd been dozing in his chair. Cyclops was gone! He woke all the X-men up with a mental shove and projected an astral image.
(((((Cyclops had been taken. We have to go help him. I can't reach him with my mind, but whoever has him forgot about Cerebro. He's in the large unused toxic plant at the edge of the city. I can't reach whose holding him.))))) He didn't voice that it was probably Jean, but it was implied.
Diane woke up to a mental slap. She shook her head as she listened to the message, then frowned when the image disappeared. Then a tiny smile lit her complexion. She had a surprise for the X-men, although this was serious. The mood in the mansion was getting seriously thick, and she had hatched a plan to lighten it. She had been getting worried. Even Kitty was subdued. She waited for Nightcrawler to grab his costume, then she sneaked to a locked cabinet at the foot of her bed…
The X-men were gathered around the Professor's wheelchair. People kept asking where Diane was, they needed to go soon, and the professor only smiled a little. He had picked this out because he was anxious for the X-men to go, but he did know that everyone in the mansion needed a smile. Diane came into the hall, pretending that nothing was different. She was just in her suit, ready to go. She pretended like she didn't know they were staring at her.
"Well? Are we going?" She kept her face blank. People continued to stare. She was wearing a bright, goldenrod yellow leotard with wings on the shoulders. The neckline was edged in dark blue, and there was a dark blue sash tied around her waist. She had a golden band with a black opal set in it around her forehead, and her hair cascaded to her feet. Her golden gloves also had wings and were edged with blue. Her flexible leather boots came up to her knees and there was a stripe down the middle of them, their tops were lined with dark blue fur.
"Whoa-ho-ho…That's somethin', babe." Wolverine commented wryly.
"OHMEGOSH!" Kitty screeched. "Howdidyoumakethat? Thatistotallyawsome. Canyouhelpmemakemine?
"M-mien Gott…" Was all Nightcrawler could manage. Diane merely shrugged and raised a brow.
"Are we going?" She asked again, calmly. There was slow nod from all sides. "Good." She marched out. The rest of them followed her, still goggling. "What?" she asked again. "Is there something wrong."
"It's…ah…bright…" Kurt ventured.
"So?"
"Nothing."
"Then lets go! You people are exasperating."
Storm, still shaking her head in bewilderment, walked out to the garage where the kept to Rolls. They all piled in and silently Storm drove them to the old plant. They parked in the shadows surrounding the old un-used building. Then they crept out. To all's surprise, no resistance met them as they entered the building. A quick search of the floor they were one showed that there was nothing here. Nothing to show that this was where Cyclops and his captor were hidden. They found stairs and quickly searched this new floor. Again. Nothing. There didn't appear to be anymore places to go in the building. Finally after much searching, Wolverine, using his acute senses, found a door that was so welled sealed that the only trace of a tiny line.
"'Roro. Should I stab this thing?" He growled.
"No. Kitty. Will you phase through and let us in?" Kitty nodded and walked through the door. There was a click and the door opened. But it wasn't Kitty that opened it.
It was a red-haired woman that looked so much like Jean…that she was Jean to the X-men that had known her. But it wasn't Jean. She was so different. She didn't have the usual Jeannie glimmer in her eyes that the X-men knew. Her eyes were dull, hard, but they were not enemies eyes. They were still, dead eyes of someone with a great pain on her heart. Everyone knew that this was Jean anymore, but a stranger that just looked like her. They knew that they couldn't appeal to her as their friend, but only as a stranger that meant no harm. They couldn't attack her, but couldn't embrace her. It was so hard. So hard.
Kitty stood behind her, eyes wide. She'd walked through but this woman had smiled and told her there was no need to sneak in. Knocking would have done. Then the woman had opened the door, but obviously did not know the X-men.
"What do you want?" Phoenix Eternal asked in a polite and forgiving tone.
"W-we want Cyclops." Storm managed. It was so hard to speak to her friend after all this time, even though she knew this wasn't Jean.
"Scott?" she gave a musical laugh. "You can have him and welcome. He's been moping forever because I don't 'remember him', as he put it. She smiled. "But you must eat dinner with us." She led the X-men up the stairs, her long sweeping dress falling behind her.
Wolverine was antsy. This whole thing was wrong. He could almost smell it, but he managed to convince himself it was simply the abandoned quality of the place. She even smelled like Jean, but somehow it wasn't her. It was…like…
His thoughts were interrupted as they burst into a scantily furnished dining room. Cyclops was sitting in a chair, and he looked up startled as the X-men came in. Then he jumped to his feet. "Guys…" he sighed, then sat back down. "You shouldn't have come." he started to say, but then fell silent. The door closed behind them, and then Wolverine knew there was something wrong. He used his mental block techniques as well as the device that was clipped to his arm that would neutralize psionic blasts. He inched over to Storm.
"'Roro." he hissed she looked startled, but nodded. "They're trappin' us in here, an' that's not Jeannie."
"But…"
"Its not. Looks, talks, even smells just like her, but I have other senses. That ain't her. It's…not…her eyes…not Jeannie. Her body, maybe, but not Jeannie. Jeannie wouldn't forget. She'd rather stay dead than to rise and forget."
"Are you trying to tell me that that's someone else in Jean's body."
"That's the sum of it babe."
"Very good, Wolverine. You are much smarter than I thought for one of your size."
"You're wrong." A voice snapped from behind the rest of them. "We will fight you."
"You will fight me, little woman?"
He held her tight, trying to convince her that she wasn't alone. No, he was there, holding her as hard as he could. Gradually Diane stopped shivering and her eyes flamed. She held her temper, now knowing that a direct attack would do nothing to help and only hurt her. She clung to Kurt, pretending to still be hurt. Suddenly Kurt understood. It almost felt like she was still in his mind. Just a moment ago, he could have sworn that he'd felt a blast of the most intense yellow color he'd ever seen. She was still there, but not because of the rapport, but because of the love between them. There was a bond and a mind-link that no demon could change.
The rest of the X-men stared. They'd just seen one of what they knew was on of the Professors strongest and best rapports brushed away like a fly. Suddenly they all knew that their devices and mind blocks were not enough.
The dark black power washed over all of them, their worst fears came into their minds, and none could use their powers. But for one. Diane was still in the corner, eyes wide, watching Kurt thrash at something she couldn't see. She suddenly knew it was up to her. She reached out with her mind, forgetting that the rapport was gone, and touched his mind lightly. Then she began to attack the Black magic there. She smashed at it with her love. It dissipated, leaving her exhausted. She knew that it wouldn't help to free the rest, they would be harder. Black magic was immune to everything but love, and the rest weren't Kurt. Plus, the demon would only settle the magic again, and Diane didn't have the strength to do it twice. She knew she needed Kurt, she couldn't fight when her worst fear was loneliness, and she was too weak now to break the magic in her mind. With Kurt there to break the loneliness with his love, she could use her powers freely. If the demon was wrapped up in holding her spells, maybe Diane could get passed. Maybe.
Kurt's mind cleared. Instead of the horrible phantom of his long-ago brother, he saw Diane, her face almost touching his, with sweat dripping onto his shirt. When she saw him open his eyes, she collapsed, breathing hard. He knew now that she had battled past the strong magic, and from his experiences with Amanda, he knew that Dark magic could only be broken by love. Didn't that mean…?
Diane gasped one more time. She pushed information into his mind quickly. Just keep inside my head. She rolled over and over, pretending to be curled on the floor, rolling around in agony. As she neared the demon, for the second time in her life, her mental walls were as strong as she could make them, and that was pretty damn strong. But this time, Nightcrawler was inside her wall, which meant…he could basically read her mind. She pushed it out. The survival of the X-men was more important than her whims. The demon didn't notice her. She was laughing, watching the X-men writhe. Diane rolled directly into her legs, knocking her over. The demon got up again, laughing still, thinking this was all a part of her plan. Diane gasped a Celtic curse and got to her feet. The demon stopped laughing and hissed. She couldn't reach into this child's mind anymore. WHY NOT! She smashed with all her black power, but it wouldn't work. Diane began to glow blue, deep blue, shimmery blue. The color spread around. The furious demon kept throwing black balls at her, but they simply dissolved against the glow. The fire of Diane's love shone in the whole room now, the rest of the X-men blinked and watched, spellbound, as the hissing demon retreated from the love around Gaea.
"You can't hide from love, Eternal." The glow grew brighter. "You have tried to harm the people that I love. I will no longer deny that I love them. For that you will pay." The glow consumed the monster, which shrieked horribly, and then, bit by bit…she disappeared.
Diane was in coma before she hit the floor. Kurt ran to her, picked her up, and held her slight body against him. She was alive. But more important…He stood, holding her limp form. "She's…losing it. Fast." he told all the worried faces.