Phoenix's Dawn
August 14, 2003
Darkstorm Anon, DarkstormAnon@hotmail.com
Update 1
(I am completely rewriting the first chapter, how Jean acquires the Phoenix, because of reader feedback. They seem to prefer the style of the second chapter better than the first. Anyway after writing the second chapter, "The Phoenix Awakens" I was much more pleased with that and I was thinking about rewriting it. Just so you know I am writing this just after Dark Horizons and Apocalypse has just been released so we don't really know Apocalypse's game yet.)
Update 2
Apparently the formatting and spacing didn't carry over well last time I posted on fanfiction, so I'm trying this way. I really really really need feedback, desperately. I've finished Chapter 3 (It was supposed to be the last chapter). I'm writing Chapter 4 now, but it takes a long time for me to write. The setting of this story was after Dark Horizons, when Apocalypse first came out, so we didn't know his game so don't get mad at me if you've seen Ascension and these aren't his horsemen or the same plot. Also we hadn't seen Spyke's transformation yet either. Please please please review.
Lorna's School, California:
A girl sits at her desk in school. Her name is Lorna Layne. She has brown hair, but it has a faintly green sheen to it. She looks out the window toward the seashore and sighs. She looks back at the teacher. She lays her head down on the desk. The teacher in the background is talking about igneous rock.
"Lorna, stay awake," her teacher commands.
She looks up. Everything's shape is there, but there are magnetic auras around all the objects, of varying intensities. The lights, computers, and electrical wiring in the walls are particularly bright.
She squeezes her eyes, and opens them back up. Everything is back to normal, this time. The teacher in the background drones on about rocks, how boring.
Artic:
Rock and metal are strewn amongst the ice and snow. Sabertooth comes out from behind some wreckage. He is smelling around and throwing things about. He finally locates a spot, and begins digging. He grins in his oh so charming way, and holds the Crystal of Cytorac in front of his face.
The Future (approximately 10 years):
A crazed mad man is inside a cave surrounded by arrays of computers, with prisoners shackled on one wall. He snorts, "You don't understand, do you? I am the Mimic, your mutant powers are my mutant powers." Cyclops, Havoc, Wolverine, Polaris, and Jean are there. All are aged except Wolverine.
"Oh yeah? This metal ain't mutant, bub," Wolverine jumps toward Mimic.
"Don't insult me." He turns around, his eyes turn red as he belts out one of Cyclops's trademarked blasts, knocking Wolverine against computer panel. He stretches out his hand toward Polaris, knocking her back with Havoc's blast. Havoc stands up and is about ready to attack as he is knocked back by one of his own blasts.
"You don't hurt my brother!" Scott screams. He unleashes a force blast as the Mimic puts up one of Jean's psychic shields. The blast is deflected and knocks down rubble from the wall. He attempts to blast Jean away. She puts up a shield of hers own, the typical one that all have seen quite frequently.
Mimic carries on, "Very well." He belts out with a scream similar to Banshee. Everybody in the room cringes in agony, covering their ears, except Jean. The mimic attempts to barrage her with metal objects. The objects pound harmlessly against her mental shield then fall against the ground.
She steps closer, her feet pounding in the Mimic's ears. "So you can copy mutant powers?" The a flaming being stretches its wings out from her. "Not all of my power is mutant." She reaches out her hands. Flames consume the Mimic.
"You pride yourself on your ability to take of others which does not belong to you. From now on, you will be forced to take their pain, and not their powers." She steps back, the flaming wings fold back into Jean. She looks at the shackles on the wall as they all spontaneously open. The prisoners flee.
Jean runs over to Scott, clenching his stomach. Mimic is in the same pain. Scott pulls some handcuffs from behind his back, and tosses them toward Havoc. "I'm too hurt, you cuff him."
"Gladly."
The Institute, present day:
Xavier and Jean come out of the Cerebro room and head outside. Scott, Kurt, Bobby, Samuel, Beserker, and Tabitha are playing basketball, or rather playing a version of Mutant Ball. Kurt teleports above the net with the ball. He attempts to dunk it in, but Scott shoots it out with his optic blast. Samuel grabs a hold of the ball flying above the court and heads down to the basket as Berserker zaps the ball from his hands. Bobby makes a funnel toward the basket as the basketball circles around inside it. Tabitha throws a few time bombs into it. They spin to the bottom before the ball and blow the bottom out of the funnel as it comes crashing down shattering into thousands of ice crystals. Jean takes the ball out of the funnel as it comes crashing down, and levitates the ball toward her hands. Professor Xavier purports, "Cerebro has found a new mutant, Lorna Dane."
"Aww, why do we have to go? Couldn't we take some time to just chill?" Kurt complains.
"Yeah, shouldn't we be worrying more about Apocalypse?" Scott asks.
Jean laughs, "Said the guy playing basketball?"
"Until we have a lead on Apocalypse we must continue about our regular business, this includes attracting new students," Xavier explains, "Anyway, I believe you will enjoy this excursion, to the sunny beaches of California."
"All right," Berserker lets out.
Scott elbows Kurt, "Ladies, watch out for the fuzzy man."
California's Beeches:
Ray and Samuel are trying to surf, but are having a rather difficult time at it. Cannonball blasts off when he gets frustrated. Kurt builds sandcastles and then stomps on them. Sunspot is sunbathing. Rogue is sitting under an umbrella reading Poe. Multiple Man is playing beach volleyball with himself. Amara is playing in the water with Tabitha as she eyes a boy. Tabitha says to Amara as she is running off, "I'll be back later, don't wait up."
Kurt runs up to Rogue, "Hey sis, you didn't come all the way out here to read.
"Gee, I should have stayed at home. If you don't stop bugging me I'll have to put you down." She ungloves her hand.
"Okay," Kurt backs up, "Have it your way. You just don't know what you're missing."
After the he leaves Tabitha runs up to Rogue, "Hey you see those two hunks, let's go over there and talk to them."
"I don't know."
"Oh come on," Tabitha grabs Rogue by the glove in a Rysti sort of way and the two walk off, strutting toward the boys.
Xavier turns to Logan and Storm, "Logan, Ororo, Scott, you watch the children."
Logan growls, "I don't like sand in my shorts."
Xavier looks at him, "So deal with it." He turns to others beside him, "Jean, Kitty, you'll be coming with me."
Bobby chimes in, "Can I come too, I don't like sand in my shorts either?"
"Yes you may, she is closer to your age.." He turns around, " She lives right down the street if any of you need me."
The group walks down the street as bike riders and skaters speed by. One of them bumps the professor, "Get out of the way Speedy." Bobby, through his bare feet, sends a beam of ice along the sidewalk. The ice clogs up the guy's rollerblades. He stumbles and falls into the sand. Bobby smirks, Jean laughs, and Professor gives him a strong rebuke, "Bobby, you know you shouldn't do that." The professor then chuckles under his breath, not letting the students see it. They approach an apartment complex. He looks upstairs. Xavier looks around. "Jean." Jean levitates him up the stairs. The whole group is up by the door as Lorna approaches.
Lorna is talking with her friend. Her friend comments, "Too bad I have to be in school when its such a wonderful day outside. I wish I hadn't of failed last semester."
Lorna responds, "Hey, I didn't fail, I'm just trying to graduate early."
"Hey, whose the strangers up there?" her friend inquiries.
"I don't know. Wait for me down here," they approach the bottom of the stairs.
Xavier turns around, "Oh, there you are, Lorna. Hello, I am Professor Charles Xavier." Introductions are made.
Bobby Drake gestures, stretching out his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Lorna readily refuses it.
"What are you doing here?" Lorna questions, "And how do you know my name?"
"We are here to discuss your… unique gifts" Xavier explains, "You might want to let Sarah, at the bottom of the stairs go, you might not want anybody you know to overhear us."
"No, I think she will stay with me, Sarah, come up here," Lorna shouts down.
"It's happened again today hasn't it?" Jean drives, "You see things, don't you? Sometimes it just happens, without you knowing it. It's happened all of your life. You know you are not like everyone else. Your mother knows it too. That is why you've died your hair since you were small."
She steps back, her friend grabs her, "Hey, lets leave these freaks alone, you wanna get out of here?"
"No, I think I'll hear them out." Lorna stutters, "Why don't you head on home?"
"Okay then," she eyes Lorna and the strangers, "so I won't meet you at the beach today?"
"Whatever."
"Well I was hoping to meet with your mother, but it appears she is not in right now. Bobby, why don't you two go down to get something to eat? Jean will meet you shortly."
After the two get out of sight. "Jean, bring me down, I didn't want to scare her."
Ice Cream Shop Next to the Rest of the Team:
Bobby and Lorna are eating ice cream. Jean arrives, orders something, then sits down."
"So you are saying I'm a mutant?" Lorna asks talking to Bobby.
"Afraid so, none of asked to be mutants, we were all born this way," Jean interrupts.
Lorna covers her eyes with her hands, it is not clear if she is crying or she is seeing auras again.
Bobby tries to perk her up, "Hey, it does come with some advantages." He reaches over, grabs her melting ice cream cone, and reshapes and hardens it. He hands it back and she laughs.
A bright white light appears outside the ice cream shop, Lorna sees it as an oscillating purple, orange, and blue light. She falls backward. The nearby X-men notice it and come running from the beach. They know it means trouble. The object solidifies into Apocalypse's ship.
Lorna runs out of intuition.
A mist rolls out of the ship as it opens. Juggernaut pounds out, tentacles appear from behind him.
Wolverine growls, "You?"
"It is nice to see you old friend" a Russian voice hisses. From behind Juggernaut steps the specter of Omega Red.
"So some nut job decided to thaw you out, bub?"
"Not just any nut job, the big guy himself," Red points behind him.
Apocalypse simply stands in the vessel, behind him Mesmero. Mesmero commands, "Bring me the girl."
"All in good time, slick, where's Charlie?" Juggernaut grunts.
"He's not here at the moment," Nightcrawler comments, "but if you care to leave a message, he'll get back to it as soon as we kick your butt."
He teleports on top of Juggernaut and takes a clip off his helmet. Sunspot attempts to blow him back, but the Juggernaut advances. Mamga joins with him but it does little to stop the unstoppable. Cannonball pounds Juggernaut as Iceman puts an ice sheet under him. Juggernaut looses his footing falling, creating a crater in the ground, cracking the ice in a spider-web pattern.
Jean is focusing, "I… I can't contact the Professor, there must be some sort of interference."
"I know exactly where it is coming from." Scott attempts to blast Apocalypse's ship. Apocalypse simply puts up a shield that remains with him through the whole battle. Cyclops's blast careens toward some of the people. Scott blows the footing out from underneath a person right as his previous optic beam passes over the civilian's head, blasting a palm tree.
Omega Red flails his tentacles amongst the fleeing crowd. He runs one across a wall, bricks tumble amongst the terrified horde. Jean keeps some from falling, but not them all. The bricks trap a man. Shadowcat jumps in and pulls him out. The man is stunned, looks at Kitty, calls her a freak, then runs. Jean takes the bricks that she caught and hurls them at Apocalypse's ship: the bricks bounce off the shield and fall harmlessly to the ground.
Multiple Man splits up and starts throwing rocks, bricks, and whatever he can find at Omega Red. Omega Red simply knocks all of them down with a single stroke. He recombines unconscious.
Wolverine yells, "Stay out of his reach kids, I can take it." Wolverine lunges toward Omega Red. Omega Red easily whacks him out of the way onto the roof of a nearby building. Wolverine slashes off the neon sign. It crashes down on Omega Red.
Kitty runs up to Juggernaut. He attempts to hit her. His hand goes right through her and knocks a big blue mailbox far into the ocean. She jumps up, grabs a hold of his helmet and simply pulls it through Juggernot as it falls into the ground and sinks. She lets go as it is half buried in concrete. "This is getting too easy."
Storm blasts Apocalypse's ship with a gust; it doesn't move. She then summons lighting. Apocalypse redirects the lightning back at her, throwing her from the sky.
"No!!!" Juggernaut yells, he pulls up the chunk of concrete containing his helmet. He tries to break off the concrete, but it is bonded to tightly with his helmet. He gets mad and throws it at the crowd circling around the scene watching. Storm brings a gust of wind to deflect it upwards, but it is going too fast. Nightcrawler teleports on top of the helmet, then teleports the whole thing far into the air. It keeps its velocity, skyrocketing away as Nightcrawler rejoins the team.
Omega Red emerges from the rubble. "I would love to finish this off comrade, but I have business to attend to, he looks back at Mesemero nodding in approval."
"I ain't gonna let you walk away you coward," Wolverine snaps as he chops a palm tree, that falls in Omega Red's direction. Red deflects it.
"Your metal, how much voltage can you take?" Berserker zaps him, but it appears uneffective.
Storm gets the idea, "She flies into the air, a cloud forms around her. Lighting focuses itself on her as she hits Omega Red with a full blast of nature's fury."
"You do not get it you foolish Americans? Lighting does nothing to me, my armor grounds me," Red haughtily laughs.
A frustrated Mesmero takes control of some of the crowd as they follow him away.
Juggernaut stands back up and pounds his foot, sending all the ice on the ground flying upwards. Scott blasts most of the ice away.
Boom Boom and Rogue are down the street, hanging on the arms of two boys. They see the commotion and start running. Boom Boom wriggles her way through the crowd surrounding the scene. Rouge yells at her that she can't enter the crowd; Rogue is clothed only in her swimsuit, gloves and sandals.
Boom Boom shouts, "Mutants coming through" and tosses a handful of her firecrackers on the ground. As they explode the crowd jumps away. Rogue and Boom Boom run to the aide of the team.
Boom Boom launches a double load of her timebombs under Juggernaut's feet. It hardly phases him. She runs up, and throws some down his armor. She is brushed away by Juggernaut's heavy hand. The firecrackers thud in the suit, apparently doing no harm.
Nightcrawler looks at his sister, "Ready to go princess?"
"Don't call me that."
Nightcrawler grabs Rouges gloved hand, she has already shucked the other one, as they bamf over Juggernaut. She lands on top of him.
"Déjà vu all over again," she says.
Juggernaut falls over, but quickly gets back up. Juggernaut throws a clumsy punch at Rouge. Rogue ducks and spins around, kicking his feet out from underneath him.
Wolverine commands, "Iceman, chill out this punk, you too storm, put this guy on ice." Both of them focus their powers on Omega Red.
Lorna is standing next to a brick wall apparently staring at it, but in reality she is watching the scene through her magnetic perception. Mesmero walks up behind her, the crowd behind him and puts his hand on her shoulder."
"If I cannot move, so be it." Omega Red reaches over and grabs Jean by the neck, who was intent on hurling objects at Apocalypse's vessel. Both of them start levitating, but Red's stranglehold on Jean puts her out. Omega Red starts to ice over.
"No," Wolverine orders, "if he cant let go of Jean, she will die."
"Let go you ogre," Scott yells. He blasts Omega Red, knocking the ice off, but enabling him to move.
Omega Red grabs his side in pain. He menaces toward Cyclops, "For that I will not only suck the life out of her, but I will snap her neck as well."
Cyclops blasts him back again, through several walls. Omega Red drops Jean's lifeless body as he flies backward. Cyclops runs to Jean's body, cradling the limp body in his arms.
Mesmero and Lorna return to the vessel. Mesmero commands, "We have what we have come for, return."
Juggernaut grimaces, "Fine, since Charlie ain't here I don't got no reason to be either." Rogue then hits his forehead with a karate move, with the ball of her fist, knocking him backward.
Cyclops sees Omega Red returning. Cyclops blasts him again, but he runs behind the remains of a wall and jumps on board the ship. As the ship closes up both Rogue and Wolverine are charge it. Apocalypse psychically knocks both of them back.
Boom Boom throws a time bomb into the ship as it disappears, "One for good measure."
Cylcops sits on the ground, not willing to let go of Jean.
Kitty contacts Charles telepathically. "Help Professor!"
Charles responds, "Kitty, I'll be right there, I was at the museum."
A crowd starts gathering around the exhausted bunch. "Monsters…Mutants" they scream as well as other things. "Look what you have done." "They're the same freaks from New York." "You think you are all big and bad with your powers? Well eat brick." They begin pelting the team with garbage.
Boom Boom cries, "Get away." She throws firecrackers underneath them. The crowed, scared, runs.
The X-Jet comes overhead. The crew boards, Cyclops carrying Jean's body on board.
The Future:
Scott and Jean walk out of a restaurant holding hands. Scott says, "I'm so glad we could get some time together."
"I'm brought you here to tell you, I finally understand what I must do. I need to leave." Jean explains.
"What?" Scott queries confused.
"The dreams I've been having, I now realize how I got the Phoenix, next to you it has been the best thing in my life, of course it has also caused me the most pain of my life."
"No, I can't let you go through that again, not with what it did."
"I must go Scott," she steps away from him, crying. Scott attempts to console her, but flames leap from her and Scott is forced back.
Jean rockets toward the sky. Scott yells in emotional pain.
A Gothic Style Church (the Future):
Scott knocks on the door of a rectory. Kurt opens the door.
"Hey Kurt, I didn't know where else to go, I need a place to crash" Scott slurs. "She left me, she just left me."
Kurt takes Scott under his arm, and supports him as they walk inside, "Scott, I was given something a long time ago to give to you." Kurt lays Scott down on the couch. Kurt teleports to his room. Kurt rustles around his bookshelf looking for something, he pulls a white envelope out of a bigger yellow one. He teleports back into the common room only to find Scott passed out. He lays the envelope on his chest. "Scott" is written in a delicate script.
Jean's Funeral:
A priest drones on, "Now this is not a memorial of Jean's death, but rather a celebration of her life."
The whole X-men cast is assembled, even the New Recruits returned for Jean's funeral. The Brotherhood is there, minus Wanda. Pietro is sitting back in his chair, looking at his watch, unsure of what to do. Even Todd is in a collared shirt, although ruffled it is the thought that counts. Fred is dressed in his best clothing, with a bouquet of flowers. Fred is sobbing uncontrollably. Todd reaches up and pats him on the back, "There, there, we here for you, man."
Duncan and some of his friends are all sitting together.
Jean's sister is giving the eulogy, but nobody is listening. Amara is crying and Tabitha sits next to her, attempting to comfort her, but Tabitha herself is crying.
Rogue is sitting, looking at the ground. She is not crying, but obviously in pain. Rogue quickly stands up and walks away. Kitty was beside her, sobbing. Lance sits down next to Kitty, hesitant of what to do. Kitty reaches over and starts crying on his shoulder. Lance is taken aback. Toad looks over and sticks out his tongue.
Scott sits behind the family, arms folded, stoic. He reaches under his glasses and wipes something away, a tear. Wolverine is noticeably absent.
Elsewhere:
Wolverine is at a bar playing pool.
Funeral Grounds (After the Funeral):
Ororo and Hank are standing behind Charles Xavier. Eric Lechner approaches Charles Xavier, "I know this must be tough for you."
"Actually it is, she was my prize pupil, the student I was most attached to."
"You seem remarkably composed."
"I have to be, with my… burden," Xavier is uncharacteristically disturbed.
"You talk as if…" Lechner is interrupted by John Grey.
"Charles, I don't care how long I've known you. I hold you personally responsibe," John Grey asserts, angry.
"I take all blame and…"
"You deliberately put my daughter in an extremely dangerous situation, much less, without my consent. You know I would have disapproved so you avoided me," Mr. Grey begins yelling.
"I know I should have…."
"I hope to never see you again," Mr. Grey storms off.
Professor Xavier looks at Ororo, "I lost two dear people that day."
"It was good to see you when we are not in a life threatening situation, Eric, like this is any better. Ororo, Hank, let us return." It begins to drizzle.
The Road:
Scott is driving, images of them together run through his head: Power Surge, Cruise Control, Day of Recovery. The have fought, they have loved, even if they were not aware of it, now she is gone. He is taking it hard, like only one in love would. He pulls over at lookout point, and watches the sunset amongst the rain clouds. It begins to drizzle on him again. He makes no attempt to get out of the rain.
The Institute, the Danger Room:
Cyclops is in the Danger Room. Two massive blades come toward him from opposite sides, he ducks and slides under them, as they begin to tear apart each other.
From outside Logan sees the danger light on, he gets curious so he proceeds to the control room.
A row of flaming jets emerge from the floor, spraying death at a 45 degree angle. Cyclops back flips over the flames them, then aims and takes the entire row out with a single blast.
Logan smiles.
The bottom of the room is filled with fog. All of a sudden darts come flying from all around. Scott blasts some of them out, but he is hit by several in his back. One hits him in the leg. He starts limping. Massive balls and chains begin to swing from the ceiling. Scott runs down the center, dodging a few. All of a sudden a chain link fence pops up in front of him, he runs into it and it electrocutes him. He jumps back. A ball knocks him to the side. He rams against a wall, and falls down as the ball swings back over him, missing his nose by a hair. Flying blades head towards Cyclops, he knocks two out with his optic blasts but he is forced to dodge the third one. A ball hits him again. He blasts it down, breaking the chain, but he is still flying through the air. Another ball hits him.
Logan hits a red button in the control room, a voice announces, "Logan's Run Course 4 Canceled."
Logan runs down to Cyclops. Cyclops is lying on the ground grabbing his stomach. Logan pulls a handful of darts out oh Cyclops's back. "What do you think you were doing? You could have been killed."
"Sometimes, that doesn't seem so bad," Cyclops spits out blood.
Kitty runs in interrupting them, "Hey Professor Logan, there is that guy outside from shield, wants to talk to you about Omega Red."
"Next time, Scott, at least make sure I'm with you here, wouldn't want you to have all the fun." As Wolverine leaves he walks by a massive swinging ball, slicing a chunk out of it.
"Wow, what happened to you?" Kitty asks. Scott just stands up in pain and walks off.
Later that day, in the main room:
Xavier comes through the door. Kitty and Kurt are at a table doing something. A bruised but otherwise ok Scott is looking out the window.
"Kurt, Kitty, please leave us." Xavier requests. The two oblige, but whisper to each other.
Scott remains stoic, not even turning around until Xavier address him directly, "Scott, I know what you are going through."
"You, how could you. At one point or another, I have lost everyone I care for. My parents, at one time my brother. I haven't felt this way about anybody else, and now she is gone."
"Everyone goes through this one point or another."
"Yeah, well I'm sick of it, if anyone should have died it should have been me. She didn't do anything to anyone, and now, because of that, she's six feet deep."
"It a part of life, at some time or another…"
"No," Scott yells, "You don't know what I'm going through, you never will. To you she was just another one of your projects, like me, like all of us. I don't know if I want to put up with this. I'm leaving."
"You didn't know how I felt about her, how I feel about all of you." An angered Xavier turns around. Kitty and Kurt are peeking through the door. "Get out of here."
Scott gets up, "Maybe I will too." He storms through the door, "I'm getting my stuff and blowing this popsicle stand." As he opens the door he hits Kitty and Kurt, Kitty just phases threw but Kurt is pushed back. Scott seems indifferent.
The Cemetery:
A sharp flame descends into a recent grave, covered in flowers.
The Pathway to Death:
Jean is surrounded by black abyss, she steadily approaches a bright light in the distance.
"Jean," she hears an echoing voice.
She turns around: she looks everywhere. The perspective is spinning around her.
"Who are you?"
The older Jean materializes, surrounded in flames. "You must return."
"Why, I want to go," Jean points toward the light, "its… peaceful."
"The world needs you," scenes of apocalypse flash around her. "He needs you," scenes of Scott, undoubtedly more moving appear, especially the one long one of him holding her body in his arms.
She lets out a few tears. "Okay, what must I do."
"Take my hands."
Flames consume them both. The younger Jean yells in pain.
The Cemetery:
An explosion blows Jean's grave away. Flames burst into the sky. Both Jeans are soaring through space. The rings of Saturn quiver in their wake. They pass up quasars, they fly through nebulas, they enter a black hole dead on. The come streaming out the other side as the hole collapses in on itself blowing the craters and mass out in a trail behind the two. They are both yelling in pain. They pass through the sun, the plasma trails them toward the Earth.
Jean's House:
A white cat sitting on Jean's bed scampers off. The two land in their childhood room by blasting a hole through the roof. Younger Jean grabs her head. "I can hear it… Get it out." Elder Jean is on the floor, her breath is taken out of her. "Scott, it hurts!!!" she yells.
Elder Jean gets up, "My bond is weak, but maybe it still listens." "Sleep" she commands. Jean stops yelling and passes out. She falls to the floor Levitating inches off the ground.
The older Jean moves her to the bead.
The Mansion, outside:
Scott runs.
Professor Xavier is talking to Logan.
"Well speak of the devil, heard you were going it solo" Logan exclaims as Scott runs up.
He is out of breath, "Jean, she's alive."
"Now Scott, you have to face reality sometimes," Charles explains.
Scott begs, "No, no, just check Cerebro, please."
"Better humor the kid, Chuck," Logan interposes.
Cerebro Room:
Xavier focus in the scene appears in front of him:
The elder Jean levitates young Jean onto the bed. The elder Jean stands over young Jean, a single tear falls down. Just as it is about to reach younger Jean a flame flies out of her hand and consumes the tear. The younger Jean stays levitating above the bed. Elder Jean flies out the hole in the roof.
Xavier steps back from Cerebro. He ponders a second. He looks at Scott and Logan. "They are alive, but I don't know how. We'll leave first thing in the morning."
Logan is taken aback, "How can it be?"
Xavier rolls out. Scott looks at Logan, "They?"
Jean's House:
Jean's parents drive up and see the hole in the roof. Jean's mom gasps, "Oh my."
They approach her room. Jean is in a "Power Surge" position. John Grey walks in. A flame shoots out of Jean and throws him back out against the door onto a couch in another room.
The following day:
Hank chauffeurs Xavier and Scott up to Jean's house. A blue tarp is flapping over the roof.
"Scott, you will want to go in, I doubt John will welcome me at the moment."
Scott knocks on the door. John Grey opens the door. The white cat runs out and rubs up against Scott. "Is Jean here."
"You know she died, now go away." Mr. Grey ruffly commands. As he is closing the door Elaine Grey, Jeans mother walks up behind Mr. Grey and grabs his arm. "Let him in." John Grey obliges.
The older Jean down the road, in the bushes, sees Scott, she feels the ring on her finger, and then she runs off and cries.
Professor Xavier senses something. He gets out of the car, Hank requests to follow, but Xavier refuses the invitation. Professor rolls to the next door neighbor's back yard, over toward a tree house. "Jean?"
The older Jean, crying, "Not right now Charles. I didn't want to do it, but I had no choice." She levitates down and Xavier sees her face, and older face.
"What has happened?"
She runs off, Xavier tries to follow. Jean locks up his wheel chair.
Jean's house, Upstairs:
We cant get near. Sarah, her sister, sits near the room. She throws a notebook on the ground into her room. Zap! The notebook burns as it flies out the door. Elaine stomps it out. She smiles, "My Chemistry."
Elaine explains, "We're afraid, we don't know who to go to, the hospital can't help us, and John won't let us…"
John coughs in a be quiet sort of way.
Scott approaches, Elaine tries to stop him. Flames consume Scott. He pushes his way toward Jean. The closer he gets toward Jean the harder he is pushed away. He reaches her hand. At that point he is blown off his feet. He still manages to clasp her hand.
Scott yells, "Jean, I love you."
Jean falls to her bed. She looks up, "Scott, hold me."