Disclaimer: I don't own them, just playing…

Chapter 3 – Guardian and Disaster

Warren struggled in his mind, panicking and pleaing with the vicious firebird. His body remained frozen, though his mind was in such turmoil.

Pheonix touched his cheek and he was thrown back into his body, though she still controlled his movements. She sighed and ran a finger over his lips.

"You thought to steal me Warren. You tried to hide me from them all. Is that fair? Angel, 'Guardian Angel' answer me."

She clicked her fingers and he found he could talk again.

"Jean, what's going on? I didn't-"

"HUSH MORTAL!"

Darkness grew around the evil entity, "YOU KNOW NOTHING! YOU THINK YOU KNOW OF POWER, I WILL SHOW YOU THE TRUTH!!!!"

Warren's voice was blocked again, and his vocal chords strained in a silent scream, his body violently convulsing in mid-air, where he was now being held.

A rich scent filled the air, one of immense power and loss of control. The body formerly known as Jean Grey continued to attack her old team mate, laughing as she felt his mental pain and willing it to increase, more and more, until he almost broke, then she kept it at a constant level so he was in the most pain possible.

Her evil laughter rang out through the mansion, but no-one was conscious to hear it.

Rogue, meanwhile, was flying high above the grounds, thinking where Chuck might be, and daring not go closer for fear of an attack from Dark Phoenix.

"Ah reckon we should trah and fahnd Storm too, if possible. She maht be in trouble."

Logan twisted beneath her to look at her face. "Rogue, Marie?"

She looked at him, surprised at his use of the name she'd given up a long time ago. "What's wrong sugah?"

"Land us..."

She was puzzled, but took them as close to the mansion as she dared, hoping that he'd caught Xavier's or Ororo's scent.

"Rogue...." Logan's face creased up in frustration then was blank. He raised his finger to his lips and slowly drew his claws out.

Rogue hovered above the ground, getting into a defensive stance. She was ready for anything and everything, except what happened.

She gasped as the punch hit her stomach, winding her. Then reeled as another smashed across her left eye and fell back as several viscous, non-fatal blows were delivered to her torso and face. She couldn't remember when she'd taken such a beating, and as she drifted off into unconsciousness she saw her attacker fall into the same state, hearing a soft laugh and a flash of red hair flashing past her vision.

She groaned. Logan had been under that control all along. Warren... he had been the target. Then it all became a blur as immense pain shot through her system. She blacked out in this pain, it blasting through every nerve in her body.