Epilogue
Scott Summers stands alone on the dew-sprinkled lawn staring out at the brilliant purples, pinks, and golds of a perfect spring sunrise, all tinted in shades of crystal red by his glasses. All around him the sounds of living things stirring to greet the dawn pulse and swell in a strange, oddly harmonious rhythm. But the twittering birds and buzzing insects mean nothing to him. His eyes are fixed on their conductor, Jean Grey.
An involuntary thrill of fear causes his jaw to set as he watches her dance, leaving a trail of fire across the sky. He feels so tiny before this awesome display of raw power, so insignificant. Yet despite his intimidation, he forces himself to remain. He has retreated from her too many times in the past. This time, he is determined to stand his ground.
As he stares up into the slowly brightening sky, the blazing raptor that is the Phoenix pauses in the air, its wings of orange flame outstretched and crackling with unbridled energy. It is a terrifying sight. But Scott's ruby-quartz shielded gaze cuts through the blinding outline of the fearsome bird. His focus is on the smaller, darker form hovering at its heart.
Jean Grey is a living shadow in a roaring furnace, her long, red hair whipping around her face like the slender, stinging tentacles of an anemone. Her wide eyes burn fiercely in her pale face, crackling and flashing with bright, white-gold light. Scott can't help but take a step back, his sudden movement catching the avatar's attention.
All at once, their eyes meet. As they do, a look of shocked trepidation twists her face--a familiar look of uncertainly mingled with guilt. Scott recognizes the vulnerability in her expression with a jolt of surprise, watching in alarm as the wild fire fades from her eyes to be replaced by warm green. A moment later, the flames around her flicker out, the melody she inspired wavering and breaking into the unstructured sounds of morning.
Jean hangs suspended in the air for one brief moment, then instantly begins to fall. Horrified, Scott runs to catch her, crashing to his knees with the impact as he folds her slender body into the safety of his arms.
"Don't you do that to me!" he finds himself screaming, burying his face in her shoulder as hot tears stream down his face. "Don't you scare me like that! My God, Jean, if I hadn't caught you…"
"Scott!" she gasps, disoriented and frightened. "What are you doing up so early? I wouldn't have gone out tonight if I'd known--"
"If you'd known what?" Scott demands, his eyes glowing a dangerous red behind his glasses. "What! That I'd be worried about you? That I'd be angry that you ran off without telling me where you were going or what you were doing?"
Jean just stares up at him, speechless and wide-eyed.
"Do you ever think of how I might feel, waking up in the middle of the night to find you gone? Do you ever stop to wonder how frightened I'd be for you? I love you, Jean! I don't deserve this!"
"I--I'm sorry," Jean stammers, wondering if she is really awake. "I was afraid you wouldn't understand--"
"You didn't exactly give me a chance to, did you," Scott cries. "You just walked out without saying a word. As if I meant nothing to you!"
"No!" Jean exclaims, stunned as a powerful wave of emotions sweeps over her mind--emotions Scott has kept carefully hidden from her since her return. "It was because you mean everything to me! I was trying to protect you from…from what I've become."
To her surprise, Scott's fierce expression cracks, crumbling into shame and deep sadness as he reaches out with a gentle finger to trace the side of her face. Jean leans into his touch, her tears swelling behind her long eyelashes as she squeezes her eyes closed and pulls her fiancé into a tight embrace.
"Oh, Jean," Scott sobs, rocking her slightly as he leans his cheek against her vibrant hair. "I'm so sorry. I've been such an ass about everything. I just…I've been so afraid… I didn't know what to do."
"Afraid?" Jean repeats, her uncertainty returning. "Afraid of Phoenix?"
"No," Scott says quickly, straightening his back to look her in the eye. "Not exactly."
"Then what, Scott?"
"I was afraid you…that you don't need me anymore. Jean, I don't want to lose you again!"
Jean gasps in sudden comprehension as his powerful emotions flood her mind. All at once, she can see the past few months through his eyes, and the bleakness and fear is crushing. The sheer depth of his loyalty and love for her is humbling, and Jean finds herself ashamed. Ashamed she didn't trust him; ashamed she has treated his love so lightly for so long. She sends these feelings to him in a wave, reawakening the mental link which has lain stubbornly dormant for months. Soon, fear and confusion are replaced with understanding as the love they have always shared rises to the top of the churning stream of shared emotion. Lost to a sudden rush of happiness, the two of them stare into each other's eyes, melting slowly into a long, passionate kiss.
The sun has just started to peek over the horizon by the time they finally part. Jean can feel its energy throbbing through her, filling her with a need to dance. But with Scott beside her, wrapped in her arms, she knows she must suppress it. Turning her back to the sun, she looks past her love's glasses and into his eyes--
Only to see a flash of disapproval. Suddenly, she realizes the mental link is still open. He is feeling what she feels, and it is making him angry.
"Scott," she starts, but he will have none of it.
"If this is going to work," he tells her with a slight frown, "that kind of attitude is going to have to stop. Do you want to finish your dance?"
"Not if you don't want me to."
"That is not what I asked," Scott says sharply, his frown deepening. "Do you want to finish your dance?"
"Yes."
Scott nods, his frown dissolving into an approving smile. "Then go do it."
Jean blinks in surprise. "But I thought--"
"You thought wrong," Scott interrupts. "Phoenix is a part of you, Jean. I understand that. If the part of you that is her needs to go out every morning and greet the dawn, I don't have a problem with that. What gets me mad is you thinking you have to suppress a part of yourself in order to be with me. Quit it. And I mean now."
Jean smiles at that; the broad, playful smile that caught and held Scott's heart so many years ago. And in that moment, he knows. All the doubt and fear and worry that has lingered his heart is washed away with the force of that stunning revelation. Kurt was right. Phoenix Force or not, the woman smiling up at him is still his Jean. And for the first time since her return, he accepts her love without any reservation.
"Go on," he says, releasing her from his arms and helping her to her feet. "Say hi to the sun for me."
Jean chuckles quietly, then looks up at him, her green eyes glittering with an appraising curiosity.
"Hey, Scott," she says, stepping forward to close the distance between them once more. "How would you feel about joining me this morning?"
Now it's Scott's turn to blink in surprise. "What, me? Fly?"
"Sure," Jean smiles, taking him by the hand. "You're not scared, are you?"
Scott looks like he's about to protest, but then his shoulders relax and he meets her eyes with the truth. "Maybe a little," he admits.
She grins, raising her eyebrows as she ignites her flames around them both. "You should be," she tells him. "But don't worry. The danger is half the fun."
The responsible leader in Scott stiffens at the concept of linking danger with fun, but somewhere deeper, Jean's words spark an eager light in the heart of the far more reckless youth he'd once been. Taking his own advice, he lowers his guard and lets his love lead him into the sky.
The flickering flames of the Phoenix Force surround and permeate them as Jean guides him over the rustling treetops in graceful swoops and thrilling dives. The orange flames blend with Jean's long, red hair and fill her eyes with fire. It is a truly awe-inspiring sight, and Scott Summers feels it to his very bones.
That is his love, blazing like a star in the early morning sky. It is the vibrant melody she inspires that is pounding through him, opening his heart to the wonder of the dawn. He spreads his arms to the thrumming beat, feeling his pride swell in his chest, sparking a joy that is almost frighteningly intense. But the reason for his joy is not simply the dance. It is that Jean is sharing it with him, that she wants him here beside her, holding her hand. The depth of her love is humbling, but it is a love he now knows they will always share.
The End
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