Jean sat quietly on the edge of the bed. The rooms here were slightly smaller than those at the mansion but comfortable none the less.
"I'm sorry." Rachael wiped her eyes. "I didn't realize how hard this would be."
Jean shook her head, her eyes full of compassion and understanding. "You've had a rough time. I… I must admit. I might have thought twice about coming if I'd known that ... you had to watch me... the other me… die."
Rachael smiled despite her discomfort. "It's nice… that some part of you… is here with me… now."
Jean reached out and squeezed her daughter's hand.
Rachael squeezed back. "Thank you... for coming to see me."
Jean smiled. "I saw the broadcasts that had you in them. When Excalibur first formed but… Honestly … I didn't make the connection that we had the same last name. It wasn't until I found out that you were a time traveler that I got curious and then… Well…" She shrugged. "Once I heard the rumor I just had to know. Scott thinks I'm off with Storm shopping in New York."
Rachael shivered. "What… What's he like? Your… Your Scott."
Jean smiled. "He's not like what you described. He's very disciplined and reserved most times but he's always thinking of the team and the mission before himself."
Rachael dropped her eyes. "He was like that in my world too. At first."
Jean pursed her lips. "I'm not supposed to know this but… Kurt told Xavier about the Scott from your world. It was all in confidence and I had to snoop round a bit to find the professors notes on it but… I don't think he's ever going to let Scott leave the X-Men. Xavier's going to keep an eye on him just in case it's something that might repeat itself."
"But you're not worried?" Rachael asked.
Jean shook her head. "It's a different world. Scott's biggest concern now is his Advanced Physics final at the community college. I even caught him having a wrestling match with Jamie Maddox yesterday. Jamie's shot up about a foot in the last year or so and he thought he could take Scott." Jean giggled. "Which he did… after a fashion…"
Rachael cocked her head curiously.
"Jamie can duplicate himself. Not only did he pin Scott to the mat but his double counted him out like a referee." Jean giggled again.
Rachael smiled hesitantly. "And um… What did he do after that? Scott … I mean."
Jean smiled sympathetically. "He took both of them out for ice cream." She shrugged. "They had a bet."
Rachael relaxed. "I'm afraid to see him." She admitted. "It would be … so strange… not to be afraid…"
Jean sighed a motherly sigh and made eye contact. "Let's not talk about him. Let's talk about you." Jean smiled, happy to be changing the subject. "You're an incredibly strong telekinetic, is that right?"
Rachael nodded. "Sure. I was always strong but then…" She looked distraught. "When you… died…" Rachael made eye contact and shrugged in the way of explanation. "I inherited the phoenix force. It was a super-powerful cosmic force that bonded with you once while you were in space."
Jean nodded. "We had something similar happen here last year. Except I was replaced by an exact replica of myself by the phoenix force. Eventually it turned on everyone and fled the planet but the X-men tracked it down and tried to save it – thinking she was me." She pursed her lips. "She um… gave up her life so that the X-Men could go free and live." Jean swallowed. "They found me in suspended animation about two months later after thinking I was dead."
Rachael looked down at the floor. "So… you're not as strong as I am?" She sounded like a lost child.
"Probably not." Jean surmised. "Although I'm still pretty strong I'm not a cosmic force or anything."
Rachael smiled. "But you flew here, right?"
Jean nodded. "Sure. I love to fly. We should go sometime."
"I'd like that." Rachael smiled and then looked down slightly. "Ummm… So… You're not… Pregnant or anything, are you?"
Jean looked startled. "No, why?"
Rachael shrugged. "In my universe you'd be pregnant… with me. Right now." She swallowed. "So I guess… no 'me' in this universe but myself, right?"
"It would seem so." Jean said reluctantly. "But tell me… Did you know the others in your world? The X-Men, the rest of Excalibur as it is here…"
Rachael shrugged. "Some of them. Mama Rogue used to bounce me on her knee and make me popcicles."
"Rogue, really?" Jean smiled.
"You and she were very close. When things got bad between you and Dad she was always there looking out for us."
"Rogue?" Jean was stunned. "Rogue Rogue?"
Rachael smiled. "Yes. She used to baby-sit me. And the two of you would train together and gossip."
"It's a little hard to believe." Jean said. "We're not very close here."
Rachael nodded. "I know. I've heard." Then she brightened. "I have an idea." She looked out the door and spied Alistaire trying to look like he was ease dropping on Kurt and Emma. "Alistaire!" She whispered catching his attention.
He jumped slightly and then hurried himself in to her room. "What is it?" He said softly.
"Where's Williams?" She asked. "I want to ask him something."
"Tabitha took him on an errand. They won't be back for a while." He cast a glance to her wrist communicator. "I'm sure you could still get her if you tried."
"Thanks." Rachael grabbed her communicator and Alistaire slipped back in to the hall to continue his listening practice.
"Tabitha. Please respond." Rachael said in to the little box.
"Yo." She replied. "What's up?"
"Is Williams there? I want to ask him something." Rachael smiled at Jean.
A brief rustling came over the radio and then Tabitha said, "Go ahead!" but sounded distant.
"Hey Williams… Tell me something… Why doesn't Rogue like Jean?"
"That prissy little ingrate?" Williams' words stung Jean slightly as she realized it was actually Rogue speaking through him. "Why should I like her?"
Rachael pressed on. "For real… Is it all over Scott?"
Williams 'tisked' loudly. "All right, you want to know? Scott's great. I absorbed him one time… On this field trip… And …" There was a long silence. "He saved me." Williams said at last. "He took over my body while he lay there passed out and he said… Don't mess with the Rogue! And he saved me from Mystique."
Jean felt guilty listening but she couldn't turn away. "So?" She said softly in to the radio. Williams must not have been able to tell the difference between Jean and Rachael's voice because he continued.
"Well…" He/she sighed. "No one's ever done that… Got in my skin... And saved it. Not in all the people ah've touched over the years. He was the only one… He was special, you know?"
"And Jean took him away from you?" Rachael guessed.
"Don't be silly." Rogue/Williams answered. "Jean just…" Williams rubbed his forehead as he tried to fight answering but Rogue was very close to the surface now and he couldn't stop her. "She's a spoiled little rich girl." He said softly. "She's always been taken care of and so… When Scott does it… She just…"
Jean looked stunned and sat slowly down on to the bed.
"She just doesn't appreciate him like Ah would. She takes him for granted and doesn't realize how good she has it." Williams said. "Why you askin' anyway?"
"I just…" Rachael eyed her mother. "I wondered if it was the same in my world." She said quickly, at a loss for a more honest explanation. "Rachael out." She turned off the radio.
Jean met Rachael's eyes.
"Is Rogue right about you?" Rachael asked softly. "Do you take him for granted?"
Jean felt her head bobbing up and down reluctantly. "From her side of things, yes. I probably do. And she's right. I have always been taken care of. Even as a child when my powers prematurely manifested, my parents still found Professor Xavier. And I was back on my feet inside a year when I might have been comatose for the rest of my life." She nodded. "I think… I owe Rogue an apology or two." She admitted with her head hung low. "I never saw it from her point of view before."
"In my world she rallied to your defense because she knew if she had her way she would have been with him… And had to go through what you went through."
"So…" Jean hesitated. "She became my friend."
Rachael nodded.
"Wow." Jean shivered. "This is all a little close to home." She hugged herself.
Rachael smiled. "I know. I cant get over the fact that you're here... alive... young… spending time with me…"
Jean smiled. "I know it's … odd. We're practically the same age and... You're my daughter… But... I would like to… stay in touch. I mean... we're family, right?"
Rachael smiled. "I'd like that."
And Jean smiled too.
Then, with a mental flick of her mind Jean struck and Rachael's eyes rolled up in to her head and she collapsed back on to the bed.
Jean's eyes flashed as she turned and looked down the hall, closing the door slowly.
She walked back over to Rachael's sleeping form and pressed her fingers to the young girl's face. Easy… easy… Like Xavier would… Jean told herself.
A slight tremor rose through the walls of the lighthouse and everywhere people looked to see what it was, but no answer was to be found for any of our heroes because they couldn't see through the walls in to Rachael's room.
Rachael's body began to emit a gold glowing cloud that swirled and congealed on her skin as Jean drove the phoenix force from the young girl.
It swirled and danced over the girl, rising from her feet to her head and then… It began to slowly creep down Jean's hands and arms.
Easy... Easy… Jean cautioned herself as the great flow began.
Jean felt like a soda-straw – hollow yet filled with a forceful 'flowing' sensation.
The last of the golden energy hung from Jean's arms like feathers as it worked its way inside her body and vanished completely.
Rachael lay unconscious on the bed and Jean stood tall, stretching in front of Rachael's mirror.
Jean didn't know why she had stolen the phoenix force. Or what she would do with it.
She didn't know why she had come to England. Not really. But as she strained to remember… It seemed to have something to do with a phone call she had received earlier that evening.
She couldn't remember who it was or what they had said but shortly there after she knew there were three things she had to do.
First, she had to meet Rachael.
Next, she had to steal the phoenix force.
And lastly she had to kill Kurt and the rest of his precious little team before seeking out her master… Mildred Watts.
Slowly, a deep and evil laugh rose from the pit of her stomach and it was all she could do to stifle the noise before the others heard her.
"Oh, yes…" She said, feeling the great energy flowing through her. "This is going to be easy." And she smiled a cold, hard, emotionless smirk before turning her attention to the unsuspecting people in the very next room.