Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any of its original characters. Nor do I have any type of claim to those characters. However, the characters of my creation belong to me, and cannot be used without my permission.

A Twist of Fate

(To Know In Your Heart Part III)

By

Moonchampion

"Jean! Jean, where are you!" called Scott as he searched through the wreckage. It was amazing that he had survived the crash, but the fact the Jean was missing made the miracle seem like a curse. "Jean! Can you here me?!" Scott suddenly felt a searing pain on his forehead. He brought his hand up, and touched the wound. He sighed at the sight of blood on his hand. It wasn't important right now. The only thing that mattered was finding Jean.

Scott's entire body was covered with cuts and bruises, but his drive to find Jean was stronger than ever. Scott looked at his surroundings. Around him he mostly found nothing but forest, however, there was a creek nearby. The creek! Scott saw an ivory arm protruding from some wreckage near the creek. Scott limped over there as quickly as he could. He reached down and pushed the wreckage out of the way, and underneath he saw Jean lying there practically unscathed.

Scott kneeled down next to Jean and lifted her head into his arms. "Jean. Jean?" he called. Then, he cupped his hand and dipped it into the creek. He brought his cupped hand towards Jean's mouth and tipped some of the cool water into her mouth. Within seconds, her eyes fluttered open and Scott felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Jean, you're all right," he whispered.

Jean sat up, and stared at Scott. "Uh, yeah, I am, but… you…" she began. Jean started to touch one of Scott's wounds, but he caught her hand, held it and smiled. "What?" she asked.

"I'm just glad you're okay," he said. "Come on, we better get started back towards the mansion. The radio is shot, but we're only about a mile or two away."

"What about your leg?" asked Jean.

"I'll be fine," said Scott. "I think I just pulled something, nothing major. Come on let's go." Scott pushed himself to his feet, and Jean stood with him. Despite Scott's constant reassurances that he was okay she helped along their journey by taking some of the weight off his leg using her telekinetic abilities. After a long walk, and just as the sun was about to set, the mansion came into view. "Well, we made it," said Scott.

"Yeah, we did," said Jean. She turned her gaze from the mansion and focused on Scott. "Thank you, Scott… for everything." Then, Jean reached up and turned Scott's head so that he was facing her, and pressed her lips gently against his.

The kiss didn't last long, but certainly caught his attention. Jean started to walk forward, leaving Scott to ponder about the kiss momentarily. "Your… welcome," said Scott as he started after Jean.

She could feel pain all over her body. In fact she could barely move. She tried to move her arm, touch her face, but it was useless. She opened her eyes. Everything was blurred. She closed them, and opened them again. Her surroundings were more focused. She repeated the process and could see now with some clarity. She looked around and could see that she was in some sort of laboratory. She turned her eyes to her limbs, and saw that she was strapped to a table.

Then, she heard a noise in the distance. Someone was coming. "Excellent," said the man, "you're awake." Jean began to struggle against her confines, but it was useless. "I suggest you don't struggle. Most likely, you'll suffer a rash grinding against the restraints like that." The girl stopped moving. Not out of compliance with his wishes, but to change tactics.

"Forget it," he said. "Your powers won't work. The collar around your neck has seen to that." The girl looked down. She couldn't see the collar, but she could feel it tighten against her neck as she swallowed. The man stepped out of the shadows, and the sight of him raised fear in the girl's heart. His face was pale white, and trimmed with a dark, thin goatee. His eyes were evil and red, like the marking on the center of his forehead. He brought his hand up and caressed her soft skin, and then brushed the strands of red hair from her face.

Jean moved her head away from his touch. "So, your spirit is just as vibrant as your hair. Don't worry, Miss Grey. No harm will come to you… yet," he said.

"You know my friends will be looking for me," said Jean. "They won't give up until they find me."

"Why should they look for you, Miss Grey?" he responded. He stared at her, his eyes could and cruel. "Why would they look for you, if you aren't even missing?"

Jean didn't understand. The man began to chuckle as he watched the confusion form on her face. "Who are you?" she asked.

"My dear, there was a time when I was a renowned scientist throughout the world. That was then, this is now," he said as he began to pace the room. "However, like fine wine, I grew well with age. Then, I was but a mere man exploring life on this planet. Now, I… am… a god!"

"You're mad!" cried Jean.

This caught the man's attention. He turned to Jean and walked towards her so that he could stare directly into her eyes. "No, my dear… not mad." He brought his hand up to caress Jean's cheek once again, and again she tried to avoid his touch. However, this time, he reacted by grabbing her chin and making her face him. Then, he moved closer so that they were only millimeters away from each other. Finally, he whispered his name so that there was no mistaking his identity, "Sinister. Mr. Sinister."

TO BE CONTINUED…