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"Descent of the Phoenix" By: Wicked-Wytch
Disclaimer: *Singing the "I do not own the Xmen, even though I really, really want to so please don't sue!" song (and dancing to it)*
Note- Just in case you were being a bad reader (^_^) and didn't see my note on the end of the last ch. , this chapter takes place a few hours later. Oh, and all students mentioned are real Xmen... or at least have lived in the Marvel world.
Also, I apologize for taking long with chapters. I've been having this evil plot bunny bouncing round in my head. The funny part about it is that it's a fricking romance. Evil ppl like me aren't supposed to write romance. *sigh* anyway... it's been distracting me a lil. But no worries, I will make sure to never neglect this fic- at least not for very long.
R/R and Enjoy! (Please review- it makes the next chapter come *faster*!!!) Happy reading everyone ^_^ *Warning: bad accents ahead*
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(The X-Institute)
The sky had grown bright, the morning crisp and clear. Though it was mid summer, it was still early, meaning that it wasn't quite as hot as it was at midday. Rogue and Bobby had successfully snuck back into the house, hoping that no one had noticed their absence. As they emerged from their rooms at approximately 9 AM, dressed in their night clothes, they could tell from the bland looks they got from their friends that no one had realized their late night activities.
The common room of the Xavier Institute was a large, bustling living room that was almost always filled with students at all times. Weekend mornings such as these were usually when the room was most crowded and, with students littered around the room this rang true.
As Rogue made her way downstairs she viewed many grinning, friendly faces.
"Hola, mami," said a boy with gray colored skin and dark hair.
"Hey, Skin," Rogue smiled back at him. Skin, or Angelo Espinosa, was sitting beside a young Asian girl, named Xi'an, (known by most as Karma) and, as she turned to greet Rogue, he placed a long, gray arm around her shoulder.
"Get the hell off," the girl growled, closing her eyes and using her power of mind control to fling his arm off her.
"Hey!" Angelo muttered, "No powers!"
Rogue simply chuckled and moved past the two. Walking into the middle of the common room in a long gown and elbow length gloves, Rogue took a seat on the couch. Kurt sat on the opposite end, flipping through the channels. He caught a glance of Rogue and grinned amiably at her. Within a second, Kitty Pride had plopped herself in between the two.
"Damn it," she muttered in a soft growl, "I wish there wasn't a line to the bathroom." She too was still dressed in pajama shorts and a tank top.
"You know," Rogue said matter of factly, "You can always just walk into the bathroom. It's not like a door is going to stop you."
"Please..." Kitty muttered, "I've tried that already... and caught sight of..." she shuddered, "nakedness." Both Kurt and Rogue turned their heads away and laughed hard at that. Sighing heavily, Kitty turned her attention to the television, telling Kurt to stop and put on channel seven.
A newsperson was suddenly staring into the room, a fake smile plastered on her face. "...The fire was apparently started by mutants and police were called out in riot gear to calm the crowd." The picture on the television screen flashed to the scene of the Sanctuary last night. Kitty looked up in interest, but Rogue looked away, her cheeks pink with guilt.
"Will you look at that?" Kitty asked, outraged, as they showed innocent looking mutants in handcuffs. "They probably didn't do anything!" Rogue mumbled softly in agreement, but said nothing.
"Onto other news:" The reporter's face grew serious, "The President is still here in New York, listening to the debates on the International Mutant Codes. Depending on how the vote goes, mutant kind around the world might be facing some harsh restrictions or none at all. Most of the world is waiting for the final decision. It's said that the vote will be depending on how the President of the US and the Prime Minster of Great Britain swing. It's being said that the Prime Minister will probably vote against the law. Just weeks ago, the President put the Mutant Registration Law on hold, stating that humans and mutants needed to work together to find a peaceful solution. With this revelation and the previous treatment of the US government toward mutant kind, the President is said to be the true wildcard of the group. For a more in depth analysis we turn to Daniel Santiago. Daniel?"
An annoyed look on her face, Kitty muttered, "Change the channel," to Kurt, who after flipping between channels at a rapid speed, only stopped on a cartoon. Face delighted, he watched with rapt attention.
Within minutes, Bobby was walking down the steps and into the common room. Passing Rogue, he gave her a smile and a pat on her shoulder, making sure to touch the skin that was covered by her gown. But instead of stopping in front of the TV, he walked on to a corner, where his friends Colossus and one of the newest X-students, known only as Gambit, were sitting playing cards.
"Aye would not do that if aye were you, mon amie," there was a devilish look on Gambit's face that told Colossus to fold, and he did just that. "Aye win again," Gambit chuckled. Colossus seemed to be muttering something.
Just then, Jubilee walked passed the three (giving Gambit a flirtatious smile) and up to Rogue, "Bathroom's free. I'd hurry if I were you." Rogue did as told, running quickly out of the room.
"Deal me in," Bobby said suddenly to his friends, taking a seat between the two, his game face on.
Gambit had a sly look on his face as he shuffled the cards and Bobby couldn't help but feel suspicious of him. The newest addition to the school had arrived only a few days after Jean's death. Bobby still remembered the day, it had been interesting. It seemed to him that besides having the power to make anything he touched explode, Gambit also had a hell of a hold on women. And his first day had had most of the girls in the school swooning over the cocky Cajun. Even Rogue had seemed a bit taken by him (Bobby remembered angrily) but, to his relief, his appeal seemed to wear away... at least to some girls. Strangely quiet about his past, Gambit chuckled as he dealt the card on the table. His startling red eyes seemed to shine with an unusual enthusiasm.
Across him, Colossus, or Piotr Nikoleivitch Rasputin [A/N: and you wonder why no one uses his real name], sat scanning his cards with light blue eyes. He was a large, muscled teen who towered over the rest of the students in the school. Bobby felt a pang of jealousy as he thought about how the Russian boy also made girls in the school swoon.
Examining his own hand and realizing that he was going to have to fold, he suddenly wished for a cool accent or a better build. Sighing, he put his cards down and held his arms up in defeat.
Colossus smiled brightly, thinking he had a chance and showed his hand, giving Bobby a look that said, 'I'm going to finally whup his ass'. He waited patiently for Remy who sat unflinching.
"Pathetic," Gambit happily muttered showing his own hand. "Aye win again."
"I give up, Tovarisch," Colossus muttered, tossing his cards back to the Cajun. Bobby shot the boy a grin and, as he was about to speak, became distracted by the two figures that were quickly making their way to the school's entrance. *Logan's back,* Bobby thought unhappily, *Another heart throb makes his entrance.* With an unhappy groan, Bobby's eyes flew to the spot where Rogue had been sitting.
~~~~~
Logan and Lita had waited for Merci until the morning sun had been high in the sky. Much to Lita's disappointment, she never showed and after a long, silent pause, Logan talked her into leaving. It had taken a bit of persuading; Lita had looked much like a worried mother, but after twenty extra minutes, the two had left for Xavier's school.
Arriving sometime after nine in the morning, Logan stepped into the school and was greeted by a handful of students. As he walked (with Lita by his side) to the common room, Jubilee was the first to shout "Morning," cheerfully to him. Jubilee and Logan had bonded in the time after Jean's death and they considered each other to be very good friends.
"Hey kid," he said to her quickly.
"Morning, Mr. Logan," Kitty added. Logan waved in her direction in response.
"Anyone know where the Professor is?" Logan asked
"Pull an all nighter?" Colossus asked, eyeing Lita. She shot the boy an annoyed look and Logan simply ignored him.
"He's in the lower levels," Kurt answered Logan's question. "Think he went to Cerebro."
"I'd check his office first, though" Jubilee added.
"Thanks." With that, Logan and Lita made their way down to Xavier.
~~~~~
Scott was sitting in a plane en route to Canada, lost in thought. He had left the X-Jet back at the school, too angry to fly and not willing to take anything that belonged to Charles Xavier. As he sat in the cramped seat, next a snoozing elderly man, he angrily thought of the Professor.
How could that bastard just turn his back on Jean like that? It was almost as if he'd just forgotten all that she had done for him, all that she had been willing to do for him. She'd been like a daughter to him. And he had just turned his back on her. Still fuming, Scott wondered how Xavier, who loved Jean almost as much as he, could so easily forget about her. He was giving up on her. It was almost like betrayal, as if Xavier had stabbed him in the back. Damn, how it bothered him. It infuriated Scott to think about it.
But there was still that tiny nagging voice in the back of his head that made him doubt. It mocked him, told him he was a fool. There wasn't any way she could have survived, the voice of reason informed him. It was smarter to just give up before he ended up hurting more. More than once, while he was in the airport, Scott had almost turned around and gone back home.
But his heart stopped him. Try as reason might, it couldn't stop the love he had for Jean from taking over. Nor could it squelch the need to prove Xavier wrong. And after nearly an hour of silent debate, Scott decided that he would search for her. If he found her body, he would have the proof that she was dead as well as a grim sense of closure. If he couldn't... then he would have to decide what to do from there.
Scott sighed loudly, turning to look out the small window and stare at the clouds. For a moment, he remembered the firebird from his dream and Jean's cries of help. Determination suddenly took hold of him. He vowed he'd find her, one way or another.
~~~~~
John and Merci sat together in a large, elegant room, both looking around curiously. It had taken them some time to arrive at this place and it took even more time for them to wait for Emma who had left the two alone because she needed to take care of an important call.
Looking left and right, John couldn't help but feel envious of the woman. It was obvious by the various personal effects around them that Emma lived in the large, spotless apartment. It was a beautiful place, the kind of place that John had always dreamed of living in. She must have been rich, he deduced from the many paintings that hung on walls and expensive looking furniture. This caused John to sneer. He never had gotten on well with the rich. Turning a lazy eye to his right, he caught sight of Merci, who was sitting in a large armchair. She seemed to be staring into a portrait on a wall in curiosity. The two of them had barely spoken a word together on their way to Emma's- not even the smallest sarcastic exhange. It seemed to John that Merci was either angry or extremely cautious around Emma. His eyes made a trail down her body. Being the badass he was, John said nothing to break the silence. He was slightly surprised when in a low voice and without her turning to him, she spoke.
"So why'd you choose to save me from the cops?" Merci made sure to keep her eyes on the face in the picture. She waited for a long moment, after a while wondering whether he would respond at all.
"I owed you." John answered simply. "I don't anymore."
"Ah."
And the silence stretched once again. Merci sighed heavily. Why she had followed him, she had no idea. She should have left him after the cops, she told herself. But something about the woman named Emma made her unsure of leaving him. She wasn't to be trusted, Merci believed.
"Why're you still following me?"
"Got nothing better to do," Merci responded carelessly.
"Ah."
And as Emma made her way into the room, Merci's belief that the woman was not trustworthy was reinforced. As she made her way, she threw Merci a dark, angry look. But just as quickly, the look was gone and her placid gaze was on John.
~~~~~
*Damn him,* Emma thought as she listened to the message for the third time, *He said he'd be able to take care of it! Now he needs my help. Damnit!* For a moment, she lost her perfect countenance and a dark looked passed over her face. Rage filled her every pore and her normally calm blue eyes were storming. Angrily picking up her phone, she dialed his number and, when voice mail picked up, she spoke through gritted teeth.
"Damnit, *Jason*," she began darkly, "You said you were the 'Mastermind' and that you wouldn't need help until you brought her here! I'm busy Goddamnit! I have my own things that need taking care of! Because of you I will have to cut a meeting short. And," she spat, "you are going to have to wait. So I *hope* you can handle the situation for a few damn hours!"
She hung up the phone quickly and resisted the urge to throw her phone against the wall. "Useless," she muttered. Taking a deep breath, she flattened her white dress and walked to the room where John and Merci sat.
Emma quickly saw Merci sitting on her armchair. It annoyed her to see the girl, who reminded Emma much of a gutter rat, to be there. There had been plenty of times on their walk to the apartment that she had considered telling the dark haired girl to leave, but then she decided against it. After all, she didn't know John's relationship with this girl and she didn't want to anger John just yet.
"Hello John," Emma beamed at him, ignoring Merci. "I must apologetically admit that we won't be able to speak for as long as I would have wished." She sneered, "I have a flight to catch." Realizing that she had a scowl on her face, she brightened a little. "But I would like to open an invitation to you. I have been watching you for some time and must say that you impress me. Because of this, I would like to inform you that you are welcome to join my group of associates, The Hellions, whenever you wish."
John gave her an annoyed look, "That's why you took me here? To ask me to join your side?"
"I know that you've had a recent..." she looked up at him, "change of heart concerning where you belong. But I must ask you: do you really wish to be Magneto's pawn for the rest of your life? All he'll do to you is bring you into his war and use you to his liking. You'll end up dead with him."
"And you won't do the same?" John asked.
"No..." Emma smiled, "You come here by choice, John. I could use my powers on you and force you here, but I believe that there's a better way to work." She paused. "I am honest to my associates. They're more like partners. I don't leave them in the dark and they do as they please. And they get paid." John's eyes flashed at this, but he quickly resumed his bored look.
John grimaced, "Sounds a hell of a lot like Magneto to me." He rose from his chair.
"You're bored, John. You deserve better."
"Yeah... whatever lady."
"Well, the option is always there if you change your mind." The look on Emma's face was strained, as if she was fighting the urge to scream, but she kept control of herself.
"Yeah," John mumbled, already heading toward the door. Merci was close behind. John let the door slam behind him and started to walk toward the elevator. "Let's get the hell out of here," he muttered in a voice that was barely audible.
~~~~~
Professor Xavier sat in his office, hands folded neatly on his lap. He had just emerged from Cerebro and knew that Logan and a stranger were on their way to meet him. But he couldn't be too bothered by this. His thoughts were too focused on what he had found in Cerebro.
It seemed that there was still the faintest traces of Jean's energy where the accident took place. This hadn't shocked Xavier too much. It had been there since Jean had saved them. Xavier had rationalized this to be some left over traces of Jean's energy. He figured this a strange phenomenon, but with the amount of power Jean had been using, he supposed that something would have remained.
What had really left Xavier speechless was the unmistakable red blur he had seen not too far from where he had found the first blur. This, though, wasn't nearly as faint. Xavier had found the brain patterns of a psychic woman who seemed too familiar for comfort. Something about it had been slightly different, but the difference had been *so* small.
Of course, the Professor hadn't believed it possible. But then again, Cerebro didn't lie. If that was true, then the last few weeks had been nothing but a horrific nightmare. And what he had found was nothing less than a miracle.
Jean Grey was alive and well, still in Canada.
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(I believe that that would be what most authors call a climatic point) hehe...anyway...Where will John and Merci go? Will Emma make it to Jean and Jason before Scott? In fact, will Scott even find Jean? Will our Wolvie get more time in the lime light? and *MOST IMPORTANTLY* What is Xavier going to do with this new revelation?? Next Chapter, soon!
Reviewers:
Imogen262- *gasp of shock* How dare you try and buy a bootleg??? I'm appauled and surprised. I mean- that's so very illegal!!! You evil person U!... hehe jk. Thanks.
RogueCajun- I hope you liked Remy here. *crossing fingers that the accent wasn't cheezy* I freaking hate putting in accents. It always comes out looking stupid.
Dark Angel- Thanks. I couldn't just go and make Pyro all nice and kind so suddenly, that's why he had that wait. Plus... that's just his way of things
Ali-MUAHAHAHAHAHAH *Evilness emerges* Maybe I would.... maybe I wouldn't.... ]:D. I guess it's sweet that there are some scott/jean fans... personally can't stand them... tho i suppose the story *might* turn that way. hehe... I apologize for Scott's absence. I was going to put him in, but it just didn't sound right. So he's here. Not everyone can be in every chapter... but i try. And I post as much and as often as I can. Thanks for the review.
chattypandagurl- Thanks! ^_^
Eadha Ohn- hehe... shucks... thanks for the compliment. hehe. we'll be seeing much more of the phoenix soon enough... patience, they say, is a virtue ^_~
That's all for now, Folks! ~Wicked
"Descent of the Phoenix" By: Wicked-Wytch
Disclaimer: *Singing the "I do not own the Xmen, even though I really, really want to so please don't sue!" song (and dancing to it)*
Note- Just in case you were being a bad reader (^_^) and didn't see my note on the end of the last ch. , this chapter takes place a few hours later. Oh, and all students mentioned are real Xmen... or at least have lived in the Marvel world.
Also, I apologize for taking long with chapters. I've been having this evil plot bunny bouncing round in my head. The funny part about it is that it's a fricking romance. Evil ppl like me aren't supposed to write romance. *sigh* anyway... it's been distracting me a lil. But no worries, I will make sure to never neglect this fic- at least not for very long.
R/R and Enjoy! (Please review- it makes the next chapter come *faster*!!!) Happy reading everyone ^_^ *Warning: bad accents ahead*
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(The X-Institute)
The sky had grown bright, the morning crisp and clear. Though it was mid summer, it was still early, meaning that it wasn't quite as hot as it was at midday. Rogue and Bobby had successfully snuck back into the house, hoping that no one had noticed their absence. As they emerged from their rooms at approximately 9 AM, dressed in their night clothes, they could tell from the bland looks they got from their friends that no one had realized their late night activities.
The common room of the Xavier Institute was a large, bustling living room that was almost always filled with students at all times. Weekend mornings such as these were usually when the room was most crowded and, with students littered around the room this rang true.
As Rogue made her way downstairs she viewed many grinning, friendly faces.
"Hola, mami," said a boy with gray colored skin and dark hair.
"Hey, Skin," Rogue smiled back at him. Skin, or Angelo Espinosa, was sitting beside a young Asian girl, named Xi'an, (known by most as Karma) and, as she turned to greet Rogue, he placed a long, gray arm around her shoulder.
"Get the hell off," the girl growled, closing her eyes and using her power of mind control to fling his arm off her.
"Hey!" Angelo muttered, "No powers!"
Rogue simply chuckled and moved past the two. Walking into the middle of the common room in a long gown and elbow length gloves, Rogue took a seat on the couch. Kurt sat on the opposite end, flipping through the channels. He caught a glance of Rogue and grinned amiably at her. Within a second, Kitty Pride had plopped herself in between the two.
"Damn it," she muttered in a soft growl, "I wish there wasn't a line to the bathroom." She too was still dressed in pajama shorts and a tank top.
"You know," Rogue said matter of factly, "You can always just walk into the bathroom. It's not like a door is going to stop you."
"Please..." Kitty muttered, "I've tried that already... and caught sight of..." she shuddered, "nakedness." Both Kurt and Rogue turned their heads away and laughed hard at that. Sighing heavily, Kitty turned her attention to the television, telling Kurt to stop and put on channel seven.
A newsperson was suddenly staring into the room, a fake smile plastered on her face. "...The fire was apparently started by mutants and police were called out in riot gear to calm the crowd." The picture on the television screen flashed to the scene of the Sanctuary last night. Kitty looked up in interest, but Rogue looked away, her cheeks pink with guilt.
"Will you look at that?" Kitty asked, outraged, as they showed innocent looking mutants in handcuffs. "They probably didn't do anything!" Rogue mumbled softly in agreement, but said nothing.
"Onto other news:" The reporter's face grew serious, "The President is still here in New York, listening to the debates on the International Mutant Codes. Depending on how the vote goes, mutant kind around the world might be facing some harsh restrictions or none at all. Most of the world is waiting for the final decision. It's said that the vote will be depending on how the President of the US and the Prime Minster of Great Britain swing. It's being said that the Prime Minister will probably vote against the law. Just weeks ago, the President put the Mutant Registration Law on hold, stating that humans and mutants needed to work together to find a peaceful solution. With this revelation and the previous treatment of the US government toward mutant kind, the President is said to be the true wildcard of the group. For a more in depth analysis we turn to Daniel Santiago. Daniel?"
An annoyed look on her face, Kitty muttered, "Change the channel," to Kurt, who after flipping between channels at a rapid speed, only stopped on a cartoon. Face delighted, he watched with rapt attention.
Within minutes, Bobby was walking down the steps and into the common room. Passing Rogue, he gave her a smile and a pat on her shoulder, making sure to touch the skin that was covered by her gown. But instead of stopping in front of the TV, he walked on to a corner, where his friends Colossus and one of the newest X-students, known only as Gambit, were sitting playing cards.
"Aye would not do that if aye were you, mon amie," there was a devilish look on Gambit's face that told Colossus to fold, and he did just that. "Aye win again," Gambit chuckled. Colossus seemed to be muttering something.
Just then, Jubilee walked passed the three (giving Gambit a flirtatious smile) and up to Rogue, "Bathroom's free. I'd hurry if I were you." Rogue did as told, running quickly out of the room.
"Deal me in," Bobby said suddenly to his friends, taking a seat between the two, his game face on.
Gambit had a sly look on his face as he shuffled the cards and Bobby couldn't help but feel suspicious of him. The newest addition to the school had arrived only a few days after Jean's death. Bobby still remembered the day, it had been interesting. It seemed to him that besides having the power to make anything he touched explode, Gambit also had a hell of a hold on women. And his first day had had most of the girls in the school swooning over the cocky Cajun. Even Rogue had seemed a bit taken by him (Bobby remembered angrily) but, to his relief, his appeal seemed to wear away... at least to some girls. Strangely quiet about his past, Gambit chuckled as he dealt the card on the table. His startling red eyes seemed to shine with an unusual enthusiasm.
Across him, Colossus, or Piotr Nikoleivitch Rasputin [A/N: and you wonder why no one uses his real name], sat scanning his cards with light blue eyes. He was a large, muscled teen who towered over the rest of the students in the school. Bobby felt a pang of jealousy as he thought about how the Russian boy also made girls in the school swoon.
Examining his own hand and realizing that he was going to have to fold, he suddenly wished for a cool accent or a better build. Sighing, he put his cards down and held his arms up in defeat.
Colossus smiled brightly, thinking he had a chance and showed his hand, giving Bobby a look that said, 'I'm going to finally whup his ass'. He waited patiently for Remy who sat unflinching.
"Pathetic," Gambit happily muttered showing his own hand. "Aye win again."
"I give up, Tovarisch," Colossus muttered, tossing his cards back to the Cajun. Bobby shot the boy a grin and, as he was about to speak, became distracted by the two figures that were quickly making their way to the school's entrance. *Logan's back,* Bobby thought unhappily, *Another heart throb makes his entrance.* With an unhappy groan, Bobby's eyes flew to the spot where Rogue had been sitting.
~~~~~
Logan and Lita had waited for Merci until the morning sun had been high in the sky. Much to Lita's disappointment, she never showed and after a long, silent pause, Logan talked her into leaving. It had taken a bit of persuading; Lita had looked much like a worried mother, but after twenty extra minutes, the two had left for Xavier's school.
Arriving sometime after nine in the morning, Logan stepped into the school and was greeted by a handful of students. As he walked (with Lita by his side) to the common room, Jubilee was the first to shout "Morning," cheerfully to him. Jubilee and Logan had bonded in the time after Jean's death and they considered each other to be very good friends.
"Hey kid," he said to her quickly.
"Morning, Mr. Logan," Kitty added. Logan waved in her direction in response.
"Anyone know where the Professor is?" Logan asked
"Pull an all nighter?" Colossus asked, eyeing Lita. She shot the boy an annoyed look and Logan simply ignored him.
"He's in the lower levels," Kurt answered Logan's question. "Think he went to Cerebro."
"I'd check his office first, though" Jubilee added.
"Thanks." With that, Logan and Lita made their way down to Xavier.
~~~~~
Scott was sitting in a plane en route to Canada, lost in thought. He had left the X-Jet back at the school, too angry to fly and not willing to take anything that belonged to Charles Xavier. As he sat in the cramped seat, next a snoozing elderly man, he angrily thought of the Professor.
How could that bastard just turn his back on Jean like that? It was almost as if he'd just forgotten all that she had done for him, all that she had been willing to do for him. She'd been like a daughter to him. And he had just turned his back on her. Still fuming, Scott wondered how Xavier, who loved Jean almost as much as he, could so easily forget about her. He was giving up on her. It was almost like betrayal, as if Xavier had stabbed him in the back. Damn, how it bothered him. It infuriated Scott to think about it.
But there was still that tiny nagging voice in the back of his head that made him doubt. It mocked him, told him he was a fool. There wasn't any way she could have survived, the voice of reason informed him. It was smarter to just give up before he ended up hurting more. More than once, while he was in the airport, Scott had almost turned around and gone back home.
But his heart stopped him. Try as reason might, it couldn't stop the love he had for Jean from taking over. Nor could it squelch the need to prove Xavier wrong. And after nearly an hour of silent debate, Scott decided that he would search for her. If he found her body, he would have the proof that she was dead as well as a grim sense of closure. If he couldn't... then he would have to decide what to do from there.
Scott sighed loudly, turning to look out the small window and stare at the clouds. For a moment, he remembered the firebird from his dream and Jean's cries of help. Determination suddenly took hold of him. He vowed he'd find her, one way or another.
~~~~~
John and Merci sat together in a large, elegant room, both looking around curiously. It had taken them some time to arrive at this place and it took even more time for them to wait for Emma who had left the two alone because she needed to take care of an important call.
Looking left and right, John couldn't help but feel envious of the woman. It was obvious by the various personal effects around them that Emma lived in the large, spotless apartment. It was a beautiful place, the kind of place that John had always dreamed of living in. She must have been rich, he deduced from the many paintings that hung on walls and expensive looking furniture. This caused John to sneer. He never had gotten on well with the rich. Turning a lazy eye to his right, he caught sight of Merci, who was sitting in a large armchair. She seemed to be staring into a portrait on a wall in curiosity. The two of them had barely spoken a word together on their way to Emma's- not even the smallest sarcastic exhange. It seemed to John that Merci was either angry or extremely cautious around Emma. His eyes made a trail down her body. Being the badass he was, John said nothing to break the silence. He was slightly surprised when in a low voice and without her turning to him, she spoke.
"So why'd you choose to save me from the cops?" Merci made sure to keep her eyes on the face in the picture. She waited for a long moment, after a while wondering whether he would respond at all.
"I owed you." John answered simply. "I don't anymore."
"Ah."
And the silence stretched once again. Merci sighed heavily. Why she had followed him, she had no idea. She should have left him after the cops, she told herself. But something about the woman named Emma made her unsure of leaving him. She wasn't to be trusted, Merci believed.
"Why're you still following me?"
"Got nothing better to do," Merci responded carelessly.
"Ah."
And as Emma made her way into the room, Merci's belief that the woman was not trustworthy was reinforced. As she made her way, she threw Merci a dark, angry look. But just as quickly, the look was gone and her placid gaze was on John.
~~~~~
*Damn him,* Emma thought as she listened to the message for the third time, *He said he'd be able to take care of it! Now he needs my help. Damnit!* For a moment, she lost her perfect countenance and a dark looked passed over her face. Rage filled her every pore and her normally calm blue eyes were storming. Angrily picking up her phone, she dialed his number and, when voice mail picked up, she spoke through gritted teeth.
"Damnit, *Jason*," she began darkly, "You said you were the 'Mastermind' and that you wouldn't need help until you brought her here! I'm busy Goddamnit! I have my own things that need taking care of! Because of you I will have to cut a meeting short. And," she spat, "you are going to have to wait. So I *hope* you can handle the situation for a few damn hours!"
She hung up the phone quickly and resisted the urge to throw her phone against the wall. "Useless," she muttered. Taking a deep breath, she flattened her white dress and walked to the room where John and Merci sat.
Emma quickly saw Merci sitting on her armchair. It annoyed her to see the girl, who reminded Emma much of a gutter rat, to be there. There had been plenty of times on their walk to the apartment that she had considered telling the dark haired girl to leave, but then she decided against it. After all, she didn't know John's relationship with this girl and she didn't want to anger John just yet.
"Hello John," Emma beamed at him, ignoring Merci. "I must apologetically admit that we won't be able to speak for as long as I would have wished." She sneered, "I have a flight to catch." Realizing that she had a scowl on her face, she brightened a little. "But I would like to open an invitation to you. I have been watching you for some time and must say that you impress me. Because of this, I would like to inform you that you are welcome to join my group of associates, The Hellions, whenever you wish."
John gave her an annoyed look, "That's why you took me here? To ask me to join your side?"
"I know that you've had a recent..." she looked up at him, "change of heart concerning where you belong. But I must ask you: do you really wish to be Magneto's pawn for the rest of your life? All he'll do to you is bring you into his war and use you to his liking. You'll end up dead with him."
"And you won't do the same?" John asked.
"No..." Emma smiled, "You come here by choice, John. I could use my powers on you and force you here, but I believe that there's a better way to work." She paused. "I am honest to my associates. They're more like partners. I don't leave them in the dark and they do as they please. And they get paid." John's eyes flashed at this, but he quickly resumed his bored look.
John grimaced, "Sounds a hell of a lot like Magneto to me." He rose from his chair.
"You're bored, John. You deserve better."
"Yeah... whatever lady."
"Well, the option is always there if you change your mind." The look on Emma's face was strained, as if she was fighting the urge to scream, but she kept control of herself.
"Yeah," John mumbled, already heading toward the door. Merci was close behind. John let the door slam behind him and started to walk toward the elevator. "Let's get the hell out of here," he muttered in a voice that was barely audible.
~~~~~
Professor Xavier sat in his office, hands folded neatly on his lap. He had just emerged from Cerebro and knew that Logan and a stranger were on their way to meet him. But he couldn't be too bothered by this. His thoughts were too focused on what he had found in Cerebro.
It seemed that there was still the faintest traces of Jean's energy where the accident took place. This hadn't shocked Xavier too much. It had been there since Jean had saved them. Xavier had rationalized this to be some left over traces of Jean's energy. He figured this a strange phenomenon, but with the amount of power Jean had been using, he supposed that something would have remained.
What had really left Xavier speechless was the unmistakable red blur he had seen not too far from where he had found the first blur. This, though, wasn't nearly as faint. Xavier had found the brain patterns of a psychic woman who seemed too familiar for comfort. Something about it had been slightly different, but the difference had been *so* small.
Of course, the Professor hadn't believed it possible. But then again, Cerebro didn't lie. If that was true, then the last few weeks had been nothing but a horrific nightmare. And what he had found was nothing less than a miracle.
Jean Grey was alive and well, still in Canada.
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(I believe that that would be what most authors call a climatic point) hehe...anyway...Where will John and Merci go? Will Emma make it to Jean and Jason before Scott? In fact, will Scott even find Jean? Will our Wolvie get more time in the lime light? and *MOST IMPORTANTLY* What is Xavier going to do with this new revelation?? Next Chapter, soon!
Reviewers:
Imogen262- *gasp of shock* How dare you try and buy a bootleg??? I'm appauled and surprised. I mean- that's so very illegal!!! You evil person U!... hehe jk. Thanks.
RogueCajun- I hope you liked Remy here. *crossing fingers that the accent wasn't cheezy* I freaking hate putting in accents. It always comes out looking stupid.
Dark Angel- Thanks. I couldn't just go and make Pyro all nice and kind so suddenly, that's why he had that wait. Plus... that's just his way of things
Ali-MUAHAHAHAHAHAH *Evilness emerges* Maybe I would.... maybe I wouldn't.... ]:D. I guess it's sweet that there are some scott/jean fans... personally can't stand them... tho i suppose the story *might* turn that way. hehe... I apologize for Scott's absence. I was going to put him in, but it just didn't sound right. So he's here. Not everyone can be in every chapter... but i try. And I post as much and as often as I can. Thanks for the review.
chattypandagurl- Thanks! ^_^
Eadha Ohn- hehe... shucks... thanks for the compliment. hehe. we'll be seeing much more of the phoenix soon enough... patience, they say, is a virtue ^_~
That's all for now, Folks! ~Wicked
