Regaining composure her face neither remained completely straight, nor did it remain icy or blank. It was not though at the same time very expressive. Cloudy eyes became clearer but confused, thin eyebrows raised slightly, and mouth became lightly slackened.

"Why are you here?"

The other face child's turned slightly whimsy, as she played with the Frisbee between her fingers. It spun around and around as the dirty blonde pressed her lips together a second, that could have lasted longer caught in the moment, but a moment later was split by precious sarcastic smirk.

"Because."

Jean green eyes narrowed a slight bit more on the girl before her. She looked the same. The exact same as that very exact day. Blue jeans and a bright red t-shirt. So bright a color. Why wouldn't he have seen? They were loved, and roughed houses in, both evident by the wear at the knees, and the dirt ground on them. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, her bangs fluttering close enough to touch her eyelashes, but somehow staying on her forehead.

"I-" the girl seemed to hesitate, as she stopped twirling the Frisbee. The peeling stickers on it, sparkled even in the darkness, making her unwary of it. "To see why you were still here."

"You're dead, Annie." She said harshly still looking from her to the Frisbee. She'd bought the stickers herself with an allowance long time ago. They had started to peel off months ago, but somehow the girls had always made them stay on.

"And?"

"And?" Jean's eyes went wide, and she actually moved in her chair. Her legs slid to a sitting position, and she used her arms to push her foreword, so that she was leaning out, looking at her life long friend defiantly. "And? And shouldn't you be in heaven or some place like that?"

"Suppose so," the other girl replied with a slight shuffle of her tennis shoes, as she looked around the area. She didn't seem to have any answers she was giving out. Perhaps, she didn't know any then. "This sure is a lovely place you've got, Jeanie. What's with the darkness and the buzzing noise?"

Turning to look out into the darkness the small girl in the chairs face turn apprehensive. Out there. Out there was the overwhelming darkness and faint buzzing, that threatened every minute to get louder and louder and louder till it was deafening. All those voices over lapping, crossing, doubling up until there wasn't a voice just this manic humming sound of chaos that tortured her with sound and thought, to the point where she couldn't think herself.

"I don't know." She answer uncertainly, as if to say that she had half an answer but no understanding of it at all. "I just know if I stay -right here- it can't get me."

"No that this place lacks in umm, looks, but, just to ask: What about your parents? What about school?"

"Haven't gone to school for months, Annie." She said as she turned her face back to her best friend, who she'd thought she'd lost forever. It was odd, and yet comforting to have her right here. Leaning back in the chair, Jean sighed faintly, with an expression that made her look as I f she were sulking she looked up at where the light came from, not knowing where it did really.

"Right now Mom's putting my purple sweater on me -you know, the one I hate?- and she talking about the fact that I have an appointment with someone in an hour. I've already seen ten therapist, twelve specialist, and eight doctors, but still she keeps taking me to these people." Jean pursed her lips, feel her eyes start to sting. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to say it was unfair. She wasn't going to do anything she did earlier on. "No one can help me, Annie. I'm just going to be stuck here for the rest of my life."

"That doesn't sound like you." The other girl came walking closer to her in the light now. She let the Frisbee drop beside her on the floor. Discarded like it was an old toy, simply forgotten. "What happened to the brave best friend I had? Jelly Bean?"

Jean moved over at Annie's touch, and let her climb up into the chair by her. She shook her head, looking at Annie. It was an expression that tried to be defiant and easy, but relayed a simple fact. Jean Grey was a child. A small girl child, with no idea what was happening to her. Someone who had first lost something most precious, a friend, and then something even more precious, herself, and was simply scared out of their mind.

That came with the small tears that started to form in her eyes. But this time she didn't simply stop. Even though it was a touch awkward when Annie pulled her close she just let herself cry. It was Annie after all. Annie who convinced her to stick eight pieces of gum in her mouth and chew them. Annie who dared her to jump off the bridge into the creek first, since she had been scared. Annie who spent the night often, and sometimes they got to make pancakes in the morning.

Annie…who best of all….had been her, one and only, best friend.

With sniffles, and a rubbing of a nose it stopped after a while, though how long and when, they had no idea. There was no time or place here. Just simple being of that moment it seemed, though neither had time to think of that yet. They were just being two girls; together, for the first time what seemed like eternity.

"I imagined you'd have white wings and a golden halo by now," Jean said after sniffle, and rubbing her left eye with her right hand since she was curled up against her.

"Me? A golden halo? After all the stuff I've done?" She tried to sound like she was joking, except it didn't come out so much a joke anymore. It seemed to be empty words this time, where she reached her limit or what went where.

"I don't know, really. I sorta remember that day. Well, sorta. It's all blurry for me. I know I'm…" but the sentence wasn't finished. They both knew that part.

Jean thought vacantly that was good. Annie shouldn't have to remember that. Even if she remembered it crystalline clear. Everything. The squealing of the tires, the screaming, the pain, and the sudden snap where everything went weird.

"I don't remember anything magical or white or any kind of light, except maybe that one," she said pointing up above them. "But I don't think that's what they were talking about. All I remember is seeing this light and hearing you talking about the fairy princess. And- yes, and that it's cold out there where it's dark."

Jean looked up at Annie, who's face was above her since she still was leaning on her friend. "You- you've been here all this time?"

"I don't know. Don't remember if I haven't." Annie shrugged a little off placed herself now. Moving upward, Jean put her arm around Annie's back since hers was around her shoulders, and they both leaned against each other as she finally did respond.

"But I'm here now. That's what's most important, right?"

Jean nodded slowly, her small wary seeming to vanish. "Mmhmm."

And maybe it was at this second that it happened. That the darkness became a little bit thinner, or perhaps it was the light that became a little bit brighter around the two. But they didn't realize this, and neither did they realize that a shadow had fallen inside this small cone of light from the heavens above the darkness that surrounded.

Forged by one small object on the ground.

A red Frisbee.