Diamonds Are A Fuzzy Dude's Best Friend

Chapter 16: Recovery

By

The Uncanny R-Man

Disclaimer- All familiar characters belong to Marvel.

Quote of the day- 'The leprechaun tells me to start fires.'

Xavier's-

Sinister and Madelyne Pryor had been defeated, but not without casualties on the side of the X-Men. Many of the team had been injured. Fortunately, Hank and Moira MacTaggart were on hand to help those that had fallen in battle.

Fortunately enough, Ororo, Rogue and Kurt came away with minor cuts and bruises. However, Logan, Kitty, Piotr and Emma were not so fortunate. Logan had the adamantium ripped from his body, Kitty and Piotr had been impaled on a giant spike and Emma had her diamond form shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.

Xavier and the others were at a loss to do. Fortunately enough, Logan's healing factor had started to heal his wounds. The ordeal had taken a lot out of the feral Canadian and he would have to be kept in the med bay for quite some time before he returned to his usual healthy self.

Hank looked over the pile of diamond shards that had up until recently been known as Emma Frost.

'This will take quite some time, Charles…' Hank sighed apologetically. 'Puzzles are hard enough, but assembling a thousand diamond shards like this? It is nigh-on impossible.'

'Nothing is impossible, Henry.' Moira replied. 'There must be a way tae put Emma together again.'

'Then there is the quandary of making sure that the pieces stay together.' Hank stroked his furry chin in thought. 'I doubt Emma would appreciate being stuck together with super glue.'

'Then let me help…' Jean said as she walked in to the room unannounced.

'Jean, you should be resting…' Xavier said as he began to wheel towards the redhead.

'I can't rest when my friends are hurt.' Jean responded evenly. 'I have to do something…'

Xavier was about to ask what Jean had in mind, but his questions were answered as she began to levitate the diamond shards with her telekinesis.

'Goddess!' Ororo gasped. 'She is using her telekinesis to reassemble Emma!'

'Are ye sure that Jean can take the strain?' Moira asked concernedly. 'She just escaped from Sinister herself.'

'I have learnt to never underestimate my students' powers, Moira.' Xavier replied. 'Many of them are more powerful then they themselves could possibly know.'

The assembled X-Men watched in amazement as slowly, but surely Jean began to assemble Emma's diamond form.

'How is this even possible?' Hank thought out loud. 'Jean has never shown such power levels!'

'I think… Sinister did something to me…' Jean grunted in response. 'Amped up my powers or something. I feel… magnificent!'

And with that, Emma's diamond form was fully assembled. Now they just needed to wake her up…

Jean placed her hands on Emma's chest and used her telekinesis as a makeshift electrolysis machine.

Emma bolted upright with a gasp.

'What in the…?'

'Welcome back to the world of the living, Emma.' Jean smiled. 'How are you feeling?'

Emma looked down at her naked diamond body and let out a yelp as she covered herself up.

'Perhaps we should let you have some privacy, Emma…' Xavier said as he motioned for Hank to leave the room. 'You undoubtedly have many questions…'

'I'd say…' Emma sniffed as Ororo handed her a robe. 'How the heck did I get put together again?'

'That was me.' Jean replied. 'I reassembled you with my telekinesis.'

'Well, that's not an experience that I'd like to repeat…' Emma sighed as she wrapped her robe around herself ad went to get off the bed.

'I would not try to move too much, Emma.' Ororo warned the blonde telepath. 'Your diamond form needs time to readjust.'

'I guess that means that I can't turn back to normal either.' Emma asked.

'I'm afraid so.' Jean nodded. 'Well, unless you want to end up as a mess on the floor.'

Emma did as she was told and got back on to the bed.

'God, I feel like such a jerk!' Emma sighed. 'Here you are, having just brought me back from the brink of death, and what have I done to you? I've been a total bitch to you and Scott! It would have been easier for you to just leave me like this.'

'The X-Men do not kill, Emma.' Jean smiled gently as she put a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. 'Besides, I guess this makes us even.'

'How so?' Emma blinked. 'What have I done to deserve this?'

'Well, nothing as of yet.' Jean shrugged. 'But I guess we could work something out. Say, how are you at babysitting?'

Emma frowned slightly at the request.

'You're not thinking…?'

'Just think of it as redemption.' Jean chuckled as she patted Emma's shoulder.

'You're enjoying this, aren't you?' Emma frowned. 'Now that you're all-powerful and everything.'

'Maybe…' Jean remarked coyly. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to see to Kitty and Piotr…'

Several weeks later-

Things had clamed down after the fight with Sinister and the X-Men went about their usual business.

Kurt and Emma were presently snuggled on the couch together.

'You cannot seriously say zhat you have no bad feelings for Jean now, liebe.' Kurt teased. 'I thought you hated the ground she valked on!'

'Well, let's just say that my brush with death has made me re-think my views on Little-Miss Perfect Priss.' Emma retorted. 'Now she has a baby to look after, as well as an anally-retentive boyfriend with abandonment issues.'

'And how are zhey?' Kurt asked concernedly. 'I haven't seen zhem for days now.'

'I guess they're trying to mend things in the bedroom.' Emma suggested. 'Scott feels that he betrayed Jean, so he took a leave of absence to try and sort everything out.'

'And I guess zhat a baby vould only make zhings more complicated.' Kurt nodded. 'I'm just happy zhat everyzhing is back to normal. Ze Professor is back in charge, Moira has joined up to help Hank viz medical emergencies, and everybody is all healed up after ze fight viz Madelyne.'

'But what about Logan?' Emma asked. 'He lost his adamantium. Surely that must have been a blow for him.'

'Logan is tough.' Kurt replied. 'I'm sure zhat he'll find a vay to get over zhis. He's getting closer to Ororo as vell.'

'A near-death experience would do that to you, babe.' Emma nodded as she snuggled close to her fuzzy boyfriend. 'Now, come here and give me a kiss…'

Kurt smiled in response and leant in close.

'Your vish is my command, liebe…'

Outside-

Even though the other X-Men had more or less healed from their ordeals at the hands of Madelyne, that wasn't the case for Logan. The adamantium bones had been a way of life for so long that he can become accustomed to them and having it forcible removed was like losing a limb.

Logan was presently working out in the garden, practicing some moves against dummies. Whereas such a session would be therapeutic, it only served to aggravate Logan's mood.

Logan kept on punching the dummies with escalating force. The more times he hit the dummies, the angrier he became.

Logan lashed out with a feral yell and punched the dummy with all of his might. A surge of pain shot through his body, eliciting another yell of pain. The dummy was been eviscerated as if by a pair of claws.

'Goddess! What is it, Logan?' Ororo asked concernedly as she flew out of the mansion at the sound of the pained howl. 'Are you okay?'

Ororo gasped at the sight before her. Logan's hands were covered in blood and had bone claws poking out from underneath.

'Ro, help me…' Logan whispered before falling forward into Ororo's arms.

Ororo called Xavier with an urgent telepathic plea.

'Charles, we have a situation!'

TBC…

Next: Claws and Goddesses

Logan tries to adjust to his new bone claws. Will Ororo be able to help him get over it? Tune in next time to find out…