Disclaimer: I must shamefully admit that the X-men are all mine. Mine in their entirety, I loaned 'em to Stan Lee…*distinctive sound of guns cocking*…umm…okay…not good. Anyone want to read a story?

Best Laid Plans

Dreams of Flame

          Kitty's eyes blinked open and she sat up with a gasp, Kurt was at her side in a second. "Kitty?"

          "Oh Elf! What did I do? Why did I? I can hear Jean in my head…she needs help…"

          "Oh Katzchen, it was a nightmare. You are safe…Jean is there, asleep…she cannot hurt you…"

          "That's just it Kurt, she didn't…just think for a second. We all reacted in a much more violent way than anyone here has…well except wolvie…and me when I was possessed. We all turned on Jean like ravening dogs…it doesn't make sense…and it certainly doesn't sound like the X-men…And I dreamed. I dreamed of a Phoenix all chained up and drooping while a shadow laughed."

          Kurt cradled Kitty in his lap and stroked her hair making small, comforting noises. Then the door opened. Rogue and Remy walked in "Now hang on shugah, I know Hank keeps those hangover pills here somewhere..." They both seemed shocked to see the med-lab so full. "Shugah, we missed something while we was on the roof…"

          "Oui…find Gambit dem pills an we can here de full story from Kurt…"

*   *   *   *   *

          It was a rather brief telling, with Kit chipping in every time she regained consciousness.

          "Are you telling us that Jean turned against everyone?"

          "Seems that way friend Rogue. Jubilee is still not awake, Wolverine, as you can see has gone feral once more…Kit fought Jean and won, sort of. But Kitty was telling me that she dreamed of a chained Phoenix…and was trying to tell me something else…something like her not being this violent since she was possessed…but as you can see, she did not fare to well in the fighting and has been unable to stay awake…"

          "Brother, shugah, repeat that dream bit"

          "A chained Phoenix while a shadow laughed…"

          Rogue paled and curled her arms about herself "…no. NO! He's dead! We killed him…"

          "Gambit always thought it were a bit too easy neh?" He wrapped his arms around Rogue, offering comfort. "An Jeanie was der for a time…"

          "But we killed him, it was mah head! Ah felt him die!"

          "But he called hisself master of de mind no? What if we felt what he want us to feel? And wit Jean's abilities…he could rile up de whole house for fun."

          "That means…" Rogue turned to face Jean's body "Did we kill jean or just injure them both?"

          Kurt blinked, a little bit lost "Perhaps we should find the professor."

*   *   *   *   *

          Professor Xavier was sitting in his office, with the lights off when Rogue found him. "Proffessah? Ah don't mean tah bother ya…but we need your help…"

          "I'm afraid that the wedding preparations will have to be postponed, Rogue. Please, just…"

          "It's not dah weddin! It's about Jean!"

          "She…is no longer a threat."

          "Yes, she, or rather HE is."

          "Excuse me?"

          "Remember when Remy came back and I was locked up inside mah head…and he helped get me out…well, there was another guy in there. We thought we killed him, we was sure. Wolvy couldn't find a trace of 'em and Jean…well Jean scanned me and said Ah was clean…"

          "Yes, I read the report."

          "Well…Remy an Ah are startin to think maybe he ain't dead…he been in Jean's head. He exists tah cause trouble an hurt people, and what happened tahday was not like the X-men."

          "I see Rogue. But Jean controls the Phoenix force. I doubt an intruder could so completely control her as to make her do these things…"

          "Well, Kit's been wakin up every few minutes, says she's been dreamin about a Phoenix in chains while a shadow laughs…"

          "And?"

          "And now that ah think about it, Scott started havin trouble with Jean a little while after Remy saved me. Please, just come to the med-lab and check. Please." Her emerald eyes started to tear up as her arms started shaking, ever so slightly "Ah got to know…"

*   *   *   *   *

          Professor X and Rogue stepped into a scene of utter chaos. The med-lab was in utter disarray…Kurt was slumped over Kitty, and Remy was valiantly trying to stand. He seemed rather relieved to see them. "Gambit t'ought dat Kitty sliced up de femme's brain…how come she got 'nough juice get up an walk out, smashin us on de way?"

          "Where did she go?"

          "Down de hall, dat way…" He waved his hand a little too enthusiastically and fell once more.

          Xavier glanced down the hall in the direction he had pointed "Rogue, stay here, and make sure everyone is all right. I'm going to deal with her. If she comes back down that hall without me…kill her."

          Rogue stared in shock at Xavier, then nodded her head "Ya'll be careful proffessah, ah need yah to give me away when we all get patched up."

          "I shall try" He left down the hallway, to the only other door in that direction. The word CEREBRO was printed on the outside.

*   *   *    *    *

          Rogue crouched over Remy and helped him stand once more "You ahlright shugah?"

          "Remy fine, his head just 'bout to split open is all. Must'a been the beer, never woulda tried tah take on Jeanie alone if Remy was sober…but she just sat up like the night of the livin dead and waved her hand…heard Kurt's head hit de wall, and turned to look. He was out cold, and Jeanie, well, she wasn't too happy wit me neh? Mumbled somtin about it bein my fault, an Remy told her dat it was not, and den, well, she used my head for a nuclear testing site…"

By this point, rogue had settled him into a cot and wrapped a blanket around him "Yah'll be quite now shugah, an rest. Ah gotta check on Kurt…"

He reached his hand out and snagged hers as she turned away "Chere…chere still goin to marry me?"

"Well, Ah think a delay of the ceremony is in order, but of course ah am. I cant have all my bridesmaids in the med-lab…"

He laid back and closed his eyes "Good. Remy love you chere"

"Ah love you to swamp rat" She walked over to Kurt's slumped form and gently picked him up. Gambit had been right, he was out cold. A quick scan revealed nothing broken. Kitty started to whimper the moment she took Kurt away…so, after the scan, she tucked Kurt in next to Kitty "Ah know ya'll gonna try an kill me when ya'll wake up…but for now, you need each other." She took one, last, fond look around the room and went to stand in the hallway.

*   *   *   *   *

Xavier closed the door behind him as he moved towards the only light in the room, a glowing chamber, in which sat Jean Grey. She watched him approach with eyes that had bled from her sparkling green to ice blue. "Hello Xavier, I knew you would come. I've had such fun here…"

"Why?"

"Oh, the usual spiteful bit. Rogue, well, she didn't die…that annoyed me. So what better way to get back at her than by ruining her wedding? But that isn't the true reason…this is Remy's precious family. And Remy, he really pissed me off."

He was within three feet of the cerebro unit…only a few feet to go "How did he do that?"

 "Remy and I could have gotten along so well…but he had to be good. If anyone has read Robin Hood too many times, it is him. So when the chance came to jump into another head…one equipped to create so much mischief…oh, I wouldn't come any closer. Jean suffered quite a severe injury, using the cerebro unit would undoubtedly cause her harm…which will happen if you step any closer."

Xavier stared into those azure eyes and stopped moving. Then he did what he had promised his students he would never do. He forced himself into Jean's mind.

*   *   *   *   *

Her mindscape was stark, and burned…as if a flame had roared across it seared everything. There was a long ravine running  down the center, Kitty's work. He could hear screeching, he turned and there was Jean…or more appropriately, her mind. It couldn't seem to decide whether it was Jean or Phoenix. Either way, she was chained securely in the center of the ravine.

A voice thundered out of the sky "And that Kitty, she had such an adverse reaction to my mind touching hers…so violent. She broke my lovely toy…but I did tell you, Xavier, if you came any closer, I would use Cerebro…I am going to find another host. You could of course stop me…but that would mean that you aren't shielding Jean and she will die. I wonder which you will choose?"

Xavier felt the coursing energies of Cerebro…and he only had one choice. He wrapped himself around Jean's mind and held for dear life. The energy receded after a moment, and they were still "alive" he breathed a mental sigh as the chains binding Jean began to smoke and melt. The phoenix burst free in mighty sweep of flaming wings, and he found himself back in his own body.

Fire glinted off the metal surfaces of the room, and he watched Jean flood back into her body. She healed before his eyes, flame racing around her. Then her eyes were green, the flame died, and she stared out into the room looking lost "Scott?"

*   *   *   *   *

Xavier's thoughts found a very drunk Scott in his room, staring at divorce papers ~Scott, please report to the Cerebro unit~

In a few moments he did, and was ecstatic to take a sobbing, normal Jean into his arms. He looked over her damp red curls at the professor and mouthed a thank you.

In the hallway, he met Rogue "Is it ahlright proffessah?"

He looked at her and wished with all his heart he could say yes "The…entity got away, I had a choice between saving Jean and stopping him…I'm sorry."

"That ain't no kind of choice professah, and you know it. Yah did right. Now, ah'm going to get some sleep before the sun rises…then ah get tah deal with rescheduling the weddin"

"And I will make sure everyone is fit for it. Especially Logan and Jubilee."

"Ya'll better, this is a two couple weddin. Now get some sleep shugah, then yah can find Jubilee." She walked into med-lab and curled up next to Remy.

Xavier glanced in the room, three couples all blissfully, and some painfully, curled up together. He felt old, but he also felt proud. His X-men were growing up. He went upstairs to bed, and dreamed of a Phoenix flying through a field of stars.

*   *   *   *   *

What? Did you all expect that I had unjustified Jean bashing??? *look of extreme offense* I would never do that, it's all in the story, and it all is working out. So for those of you I may have upset…I am sorry.