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"Descent of the Phoenix" By: Wicked-Wytch

Disclaimer: I don't own it... don't sue. I also do not own the quote on the thunderbird. I found it on a website while researching the Phoenix and it is quoted in Erdoes 1972: 251.

R/R and Enjoy! (Please review!)

Note- It's hot as hell, boys and girls... (just wanted to let you know). ALso, on an unrelated note, it's time for some *flashbacks*! BTW- I'm shaking up things. The history of the Phoenix in my story isn't that of the one in the comic. So be warned (Forewarned, forearmed, they say). ^_^

****2HF-Sama (U kno who U r): Let me have my glory, damn U!!!!! :P *does the "I have more reviews" dance* :P hehehehe

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Xavier looked up as Logan and Lita entered his office. He smiled at the two and welcomed them into seats. The three waited in silence and Xavier took this time to look over the thoughts of the two mutants before him.

Logan looked as he always did, as if he had just stepped out of a brawl. Xavier's lips curled softly at the edges. Wolverine would never change, he knew, and this gave him a sense of comfort. Scott was gone and Jean's disappearance had changed him. But Logan was still the same. Xavier sighed softly before turning his attention to the woman beside him.

She was a pretty woman with dark brown hair and eyes of the same color. Her Hispanic blood gave her the slightest curves around her kind eyes and a well-built body. Her skin was a caramel color. Xavier knew immediately what their problem was- they wanted to find someone. But he held his tongue and waited for the two to speak.

"This is Lita," Logan said finally. "She needs your help."

"Oh?" Xavier turned to Lita, a gentle smile on his face. With a smile on his face and a soft light filtering through the room, Charles looked much like a kind, concerned parent.

Logan looked at Lita, prompting her to speak.

"Hi. My name is Lita Vega." She paused to think of the right way to ask for help; after all, she didn't really know anyone in the place besides Logan. Blurting out with a question just seemed rude to her. But then, she was worried about Merci and she didn't want to dawdle. "My... I have a friend, her name is Merci. She disappeared last night and I need to know if she's all right and where she is. I hear that you're a very strong telepath and that you could help me find her."

"I see," Xavier responded lightly. "I'll get to that right away. After that, I would like it if the two of us could speak together."

"Sure," Lita said with a smile.

"Alright then," Xavier was already rolling out of the room. "Oh..." He stopped inches from the door, "Logan, would you tell Rogue and Bobby that the two of them will have to see me later on. I need to discuss with them the importance of curfew." There was a wicked grin on his face and Logan simply nodded in response. "I'll be back in a few moments."

~~~~~

Emma was already speeding away in a car to her own private jet, which would take her all the way to Jason's cabin. There was still a dull, pounding anger floating in her system, but had finally gotten it under control. As the car quickly sped down the streets and across avenues, she couldn't help but let her thoughts settle back to her first meeting with Jason.

...(Flashback time!- a few months ago)...

There had been a soft knock on her door that had made her turn her head toward it. Dressed in a long, white dress that showed off all of her assets, she counted to three and then cried, "Come in." The visitor was unexpected, but this didn't bother Emma much. She was used to people coming into her office for one reason or another.

A handsome man walked in and almost immediately, Emma knew that he was using powers and fabricating this image.

"I'm-"

"Jason Wyngarde, I know already," Emma interrupted in a flat voice, "Get rid of the facade, Jason and show me your true face."

He gave her an icy glare and closed his eyes. Emma blinked and she saw a different man. Instead of a rugged, handsome face, he seemed ugly and shriveled with a large scar on his face. Beady, dark eyes stared at her, but Emma didn't let this unnerve her.

"Please," she said formally, a smile curving her lips, "sit down. I believe you have something to share with me."

"I want to join the Hellfire Club." He said finally, after a few moments of silence.

"And?"

He returned this with a blank stare. With a sigh, Emma began to speak, "You expect to just be welcomed with open arms?" She scanned his face and his mind. "You had a bad childhood and you expect us to let you in just so that you can show them all just who Jason Wyngarde is? Unless you have something you can give, you aren't welcome here."

Jason smiled cruelly, "Oh, I have something for you- The Phoenix." He paused for a more dramatic effect. "The most powerful psychic being that's ever been seen. A creature that can be used to your advantage." He smiled wickedly, "You need a Black Queen to complete the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club. And you need someone powerful enough to hold the spot. I can bring her to you."

Skeptical, as always, Emma threw him a challenging look. She read his mind, but everything seemed fuzzy around the edges. "Do you have the Phoenix?"

"No, but I can find her. And manipulate her."

"How do you know about her? And how can I be sure that you're telling the truth?"

"You're a telepath, Emma, you can read my mind to see if I'm being honest." He opened his mind to her, and Emma, seizing the opportunity, looked far into his brain.

After what seemed like a short eternity, she released him from her hold and looked at him, satisfied.

"Do what you must. Bring her back and you'll be a full member."

~~~~~

(Still in the Flashback- but we're now with Jason in Canada)

Jason remembered, with a shudder, the way Emma had read his thoughts. It had been a disturbing feeling, as if he were completely defenseless. And she had seen it all.

She had seen his rough childhood, an ugly, scarred boy who had had only a handful of friends and a line of bullies always following him around. She had seen his time in college, when he had been a silent loser who, after one of his classes became fixated on Indian myth- one in particular.

It had started as a simple hobby. Jason had read about the traditions of the Plains Indians and one day read about the Thunderbird:

"These Thunderbirds are part of the Great Spirit. Theirs is about the greatest power in the whole universe. It is the power of the hot and the cold clashing above the clouds. It is blue lightning from the sun. It is like atomic power. The thunder power protects and destroys. It is good and bad; the great winged power. We draw the lightning as a forked zigzag, because lightning branches out into a good and bad part... In our Indian belief, the clown [A/N: the clown is another Native American figure that is closely linked to the Thunderbird- for this story, the clown is the person the Phoenix uses to live in the human world- i.e., the body the Phoenix possesses.] has a power which comes from the thunder beings, not from the animals or the Earth. He has more power than the atom bomb, he could blow off the dome of the Capitol. Being a clown gives you honor, but also shame. It brings you power, but you have to pay for it." [A/N: I didn't write that- see disclaimer]

The passage had piqued his interest so much that he became preoccupied with it. After months of research, he had begun to link it to legends of other cultures. The Thunderbird transformed into the Firebird. He continued his studies until he had enough evidence to believe that the Thunderbird, commonly called a Phoenix in many cultures, wasn't just a legendary being. Some legends told him that the Phoenix had already taken bodies centuries before. And other tales told him that the Phoenix was about to return to the living world.

Emma had continued to pry into his mind, seeing how he had started to watch the man named Charles Xavier and his students. Jason had believed that if the Phoenix were to reappear, it would do so in a mutant. He had been correct.

Jason blinked and returned to the present with a start. He looked at Jean as she drank a cup of tea, a fake smile on his face. She seemed to be thinking, and Jason, noticing this, didn't want her to be so introspective. It was dangerous to let her do so, especially when she had had a dream of her past. In one quick, desperate moment, he leaned forward and kissed her. Pulling back just as quickly, he grinned shyly and mumbled, "I'm sorry... couldn't help it."

Jean smiled, half surprised and half flattered. "It's ok." She looked down at the cup in her hands and stared at the tinged drink. A tiny voice in the back of her head told her that something about this was wrong, but she quickly pushed it aside. Jason had, after all, been so good to her. It would be wrong to treat him suspiciously.

~~~~~

The Phoenix watched the form of Jason Wyngarde quite interested. It could sense that not all was right in this place and that something about him (possibly a large part of him) was a lie. He was a trickster, a devious being, and the Phoenix recognized this immediately.

In the silence that was Jean Grey's mind, the Phoenix waited patiently. It knew that something was coming- something big. And that would give it the chance it needed to break free.

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This, I feel is one of my less interesting chapters, but I promise that the next few will make up for it. We're reaching a half-way point, folks (Within the next few chapters). And this next chapter will be a nail biter (hehe... I know that sounds corny, but I've always wanted to be an announcer). Coming soon- more Phoenix, Jason and Emma meet once again, Scott gets closer to Jean, and more!

Reviewers: You people light up my life and make my day brighter... please continue to review... I think I will shrivel and die without them. *Does the "I've got 80 some reviews' dance* BTW- If I reach 100 reviews... I believe a surprise is in order (Kegger... anyone?). Not sure what, but I'll do something special 4 u guys and girls.

Lyrit Liltrick - Ok I'll respond in order to each comment. (Thanks alot btw). 1- Thanks for saying my accent thingy wasn't cheezy. I usually like to skip the whole thing b/c I think I make it sound stupid. Plus I know not a lick of French or Russian (and only a teeny bit of spanish). Merci and Lita are my own characters (hehe... I realized after I posted ch. 10 that I sorta lied in the intro by saying that all the mutants were real X-men- I was referring only to the teens... sry). I feel the same way about my Bobby/Rogue scenes. I think Bobby's sorta dull (well...actually, I think he's about as interesting as a table leg).. at least when he's with Rogue. Tovarisch- I found it on a random X-men site. It said that Colossus used it alot. I looked the word up online and found that it means comrade... or at least that's what the compu said (If it's a curse, I apologize. ^_^) Anyway, if you're looking for a translator, search google.com or ask.com and do a search for a good online translator. Thanks much for the review!!

Ali- I thought it was common knowledge to all my readers that I am clinically insane. In fact, *lowers voice* I've recently escaped from a place. ^_~. *hiding the straight jacket that is hanging close by and covering up the "I'm a wacko" nametag on my shirt*. As for the impending doom by a hero- I AM THE HERO! ^_^ (And I'm such a B-flick watcher). We'll see about Scott/Jean- lemme give you a lil hint, tho: They're going to be going through a bit of crap throughout the fic. Will they end up together... that's the question. Thanks for the review!!!

mysticmaiden - Thank you. It's so nice to get kind reviews. ^_^ But I ask... how do you know that Scott and Jean will meet up, hmm? *Devious smile* Thanks again.

Imogen262 - Yes, X2 is worth a lil prison time... especially when you think of all the good looking guys in it (*sigh* Logan and John). Plus the fact about Jean dying at the end *smile* If only she could stay that way. Thanks so much. hehe Emma is an evil bitch ^_^.

Spheksophobia- Thanks alot.

RogueCajun- Thanks. I'm glad that ppl actually bought the accent. Hehehe... well... Emma isn't all evil... she does eventually become an X-men in the comic, but for now she's just evil. BTW- have you been reading my mind? How did you know that Emma would beat Scott to Jean? *getting oh so very paranoid*

Eadha Ohn- Not the lawn gnomes... for the love of God, anything but them! I'll write more, I swear. Just don't hurt the gnomes. Please... leave the gnomes alone... *Sob*

drama-nerd016- It's no prob. Thanks for the reviews. I must say that you have blasphemed (when you said you don't like John). But you're a good reviewer, so I won't flay you just yet ^_^. I'm curious- why does Scott worry you? (BTW- he might just have another half naked scene). I'm not so sure about Remy showing up again (sorry!) if I can fit him, I will, though. Thanks again.

Well, that's all for this chapter, ~Wicked