XXXXXXXXX

Rogue went over to Iceman's side who was gasping for air. He turned back into his formal form and she looked him over, worried that Pyro really had hurt his former best friend. But after carefully looking him over, she deduced that Bobby hadn't suffered any serious injuries. Pyro too was on his knees, panting for air. He was exhausted both by the fight and being drained by Rogue.

He stared at the ground for a long moment before finally saying;

"Because you let me."

Both Rogue and Iceman looked over at him, now confused.

"What?" Rogue asked.

"You asked me why I really left," Pyro responded. "Because you let me."

Pyro looked over at them, but stared exclusively at Iceman, who didn't know how to respond.

"Back on the jet?" Rogue clarified.

Iceman had recovered by this point. He shook his head.

"You can't put that on me. You left. You're the one who left."

Pyro laughed a little.

"Right. It was me who left you. Whatever, think what you want Bobby."

"If I asked you to stay-" Iceman began.

"I would have," Pyro snapped as he staggered his way back to his feet. "But you didn't, and it doesn't really matter now."

"So that's why you left with Magneto?"

Pyro lowered his eyes and stared at the ground. Rogue bit her bottom lip as Iceman's expression now held a bit of pain. It was like he knew what Pyro was trying to say. And Rogue knew what he was talking about too, because Bobby had felt the same way.

After a few more moments of lingering silence, Iceman quietly replied;

"All you ever had to do was tell me."

"You never said anything either," Pyro still couldn't meet Bobby's stare.

"I thought you'd kill me," Iceman responded as a smile came to his face.

Pyro smirked slightly.

"I probably would have."

Pyro then looked up to finally Iceman's stare and at that moment, all the previous anger and tension that was between them faded away. If only one of them had the guts to say it back when John was still at the school, things might have turned out different. Still...maybe it wasn't too late.

XXXXXXXXXX

Wolverine, Beast, and Storm stood in front of Sinister in the foyer of the compound with mutant-inhibitor collars on. Harpoon and Scrambler stood on either side of them with spears ready in hand, just in the X-Men tried anything funny.

"Was this the best you could do?" Sinister sarcastically remarked while starting to circle the trio. "Was this really the best the great Charles Xavier could come up with? My Marauders have defeated you so easily, twice now. You will not interfere with my greatest experiment. The future belongs to superior mutants, the ones I will create. None of you are necessary."

Sinister then stopped walked around him and faced Storm.

"Except for you."

"Don't touch her," Wolverine growled.

"Or you'll what?" Sinister snapped his neck in Wolverine's direction. "Growl at me some more?

Sinister laughed before grabbing Storm's chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"You control the weather, huh? I'll have use for your DNA."

BEEP!

The sudden, loud, beeping noise went through the area of the compound as the collars on the three X-Men were suddenly released. Wolverine didn't waste any time as he tore it off and struck Harpoon with his fist. Storm and Beast followed suit as Storm struck Scrambler with lightning while Beast assisted Wolverine.

Sinister spun around in shock to see Gambit standing behind him, the controllers in hand, a look of defiance on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"What I need to do," Gambit answered while dropping the remotes, looking somewhat sorry that was doing this. Despite everything he had done, Sinister, or Nathaniel Essex was his biological father.

"I taught you control," Sinister whispered, not understanding what his son was doing.

"You tried to control me!" The young Cajun snapped back. "

Sinister looked over his shoulder to see Beast dodge a spear and leap into the air, dropkicking Harpoon straight into Wolverine as he stabbed him in the stomach. Harpoon's eyes widened before he fell to the ground. Turning his head back to Gambit, Sinister spoke again in a soft tone;

"You could have had power beyond anyone's imagination. You were destined for greatness, to rule all mutants by my side-"

"And on a chain! I've had enough of this! "Gambit yelled a pack of playing cards shot into his hand from the leather trench coat pocket. "I'm leaving, wherever I end up will be just fine with me!"

"So you'll trust chance?"

"I'll trust myself."

Sinister's face then twisted with rage as he then pointed at Gambit.

"I should have let you die!"

Gambit's expression hardened. He was fully aware of the condition he was in when Sinister found him.

"Yeah, maybe you should have."

"Now to me, you're just another failed experiment."

Gambit prepared to charge up several playing cards to throw in his direction but Sinister locked eyes with him as the diamond on his forehead began to glow.

"Choke yourself."

Against his will, Gambit's hands moved to his neck and he began to follow the order. He fell to the ground, and his face began to turn red as he continued to throttle himself. Sinister smirked and walked closer to Gambit as he struggled in his own grip.

"They say a man can't strangle himself to death. But you're not a man. You're just as much of a devil as I am-"

BLAST!

Sinister was suddenly hit by an optic blast. Gambit was freed as he gasped for air in-between coughs. Cyclops then fired several more optic blasts at Sinister who stumbled backwards after each hit. Once they stopped coming he looked down at his wounded body before smiling. Cyclops then watched, dumbstruck as Sinister's body regenerated itself.

"Gaining complete control of my body at a cellular level was the first thing I learned," Sinister smiling, as he met the other mutant's eyes.

"I won't be apart of your experiment, Essex," Cyclops stated it as a fact.

"You will not deny me this, Scott."

"I will!" Cyclops yelled in defiance. "And so does Jean! Whatever we do, whatever we become will be up to us, not you!"

Sinister then reached out a hand and Cyclops went flying towards him. Sinister now had him by the throat and he lifted him into the air.

"This process can either be smooth, or will be torture. It's your choice."

He then spun and tossed Cyclops to his teammates to which he collided with, knocking them all to the ground. Storm fired a lightning bolt but Sinister re-directed it back to the ceiling. It hit several metal beams which all fell to the ground with loud bangs. Wolverine screamed in rage as he got up and charged Sinister. He simply motioned his head to the left and Wolverine went flying against a glass door which shattered.

Sinister then got into his mind and ordered the command;

"Choke yourself."

Involuntary, Wolverine began to do just that. He grabbed his throat and dug into it so hard he drew blood. Beast roared as he leaped at Sinister. Jumping into the air, Beast prepared to attack him but Sinister held out his hand, freezing him in mid-strike. He then looked to the end of the room and saw that one of the ends of the metal beams had been split and was now like a long, sharp knife.

Smiling, Sinister thrusts out his hand and Beast was sent flying backwards. Cyclops screamed as he saw Beast impaled through the chest on the beam.

"HANK!"

Beast's eyes rolled over as he went limp and slumped forward, his forehead resting on the split metal beam. Storm let out a scream as Sinister laughed, enjoying the moment.

But, it was only brief as an explosion of telekinetic energy went off in the area of the foyer which knocked Sinister off his feet. Gambit, who was close by him, rolled and quickly got out of dodge. Sinister quickly got up to see Phoenix, her entire body glowing with energy as she had an enraged look on her face.

"YOU!"

Phoenix sent a blast of energy at Sinister in the form of a claw that grabbed him around his front and slammed him up against the wall.

"Do you have an idea what you have done?" She fixed an intense gaze on him, chest heaving. Telekinetic wind then began to rapidly blow around the two of them as Phoenix took the claw away. "You looked to create the ultimate mutant. What you didn't know was that one already existed."

Sinister began to levitate into the air, his skin flapping in the strong wind.

"I am power," Phoenix continued.

Sinister's body tenses up. He managed to say;

"Please...Jean..."

"I AM PHOENIX!"

Now surrounded in a fiery aura, she focuses as the telekinetic winds spin violently around Sinister before his body exploded, completely demoleculerized.

The telekinetic storm then slowly died down as Phoenix's body stopped glowing.

She looked ahead at Cyclops and Storm carefully pulling Beast's body off of the split beam and laid him down on the floor. They were both crying over him and at this point Wolverine had recovered and had walked over to them. Wolverine looked down at Beast, shocked silent. Storm reached out and touched the cheek of Beast's furry face.

"Hank..." Storm cried.

Wolverine then fell next to Storm, embracing her. Tears then finally came to his eyes as he gently rocked Storm back and forth.

Rogue, Iceman, and Pyro then walked into the room and saw what everyone was looking at. Dr. Henry McCoy, one of the Professor's first recruits, someone who had fought so hard for mutant's rights had been killed.

Phoenix slowly fell to her knees, tears fell from her eyes as she knew that she could have prevented this, but it was too late. Phoenix then let out a scream of agony as she dropped down to her knees. The building then shook as a blast of telekinetic energy went off around her. As tears fell from her eyes Phoenix suddenly sensed something else. Back at the mansion, someone was in dire need of help. It was too late to save Hank and she wouldn't let them lose anyone else tonight.

Phoenix's body then began to glow until she was fully immersed in a bright light. Then in a flash, the light disappeared and so had Phoenix.

XXXXXXXXX

Xavier could only watch helplessly as Kitty continued to fade away. Slowly her torso went away, leaving only a pair of shoulders, a head, and neck.

"No, no, no," Xavier pleaded.

"Professor, tell the others I love them. Tell my parents I love them."

Xavier didn't know how to respond. Kitty then smiled.

"And I love you, Professor."

He smiled back as he had to hold back tears.

"I love you too, Katherine. You are one of my best students."

"These last few years have been the best ever. Thank you."

Upon saying that, her face was now starting to fade. Xavier looked on as a tear fell from his eye. But then, he felt a strong presence in the room. Xavier looked over to see Jean standing in the entrance. Her hands glowed with energy as she concentrated.

Slowly, Kitty's faded body began to return until she was whole again. Her body then unphased and her physical form was back.

Kitty looked over herself, smiling brightly as an overwhelming sense of relief washed over her and the Professor both. Kitty then ran over to Jean.

"Ms. Grey. You came."

"Looked like just in the nick of time," Jean sighed.

"A couple of minutes ago wouldn't have been so bad either," she joked.

Jean smiled as Kitty came forward and gave her a tight hug. Kitty then let her go and ran out of the infirmary as Xavier took a deep breath, thankful that his student had been saved.

But as he looked back at Jean, he noticed the sullen look on her face.

"What is it? What happened?"

Jean lowered her head and closed her eyes.

"We lost Hank."

XXXXXXXXXX

The following morning at Mount Sinai Hospital, Warren was laying in a hospital bed when he finally started to come to. He looked around the room, slowly, groggy as he realized that he wasn't alone. Siryn, Jamie, Sam, and Tabitha were also there. Once he saw that his eyes were open, Sam walked over to Warren's bedside.

"Hey buddy," Sam greeted. "You're awake."

"What happened?" Warren asked.

Tabitha swallowed a knot in her throat as she looked to Jamie who answered;

"You got hurt on your last assignment."

"I think I'm okay. My back hurts a little, but..."

Siryn tried her best not to cry. She didn't want to have to break the bad news to him but she had to.

"Warren, your wings were badly damaged. The surgeon had to amputate them. You're…you're not going to be able to fly anymore."

Warren stared up at her for a moment before slowly closing his eyes as he remembered his wings getting impaled by two spears. He then opened his eyes back again and stared up at the ceiling.

"It was that bad?" He questioned. "I can't fly anymore?"

Siryn took his hand and squeezed it.

"I'm sorry."

All four of them looked sad for him but Warren seemed to have no reaction, no feeling at all. He was numb. He gently took his hand away as he sat up in the bed and swung his legs over the side.

"Warren, you should probably stay in bed," Tabitha said.

"I'm fine," He growled as he got to his feet. He looked from side to side, flexed his shoulders and instantly knew his wings were gone. "I'm not staying here. And I'm leaving that damn school too."

"What are you talking about? You know you don't have to leave-"

"I don't have a mutation anymore, so what's the point?"

"Warren, please. I know you're upset but-"

Siyan tried to touch him but Warren grabbed her wrist and pushed her against the wall.

"Hey!" Sam yelled as he pulled Warren away from her. "I know you're mad, but don't do that."

Warren glared at him as he pushed Sam away.

"All of you get out. Get out!"

The four of them glanced at each other before turning around to leave the room. Once the door closed Warren sat back down on the bed and buried his face in his hands.

XXXXXXXXX

Several days later, a large body of people gathered at Gramercy Park Memorial Chapel to honor Dr. Henry McCoy. The casket that held his body sat in front of the room. No one at the funeral was spared sobs or tears. Everyone that had gathered was crying for some reason or another. Some were crying over a lost family member, a lost friend, a lost teammate, a lost co-worker.

The memorial service went by in a haze as the X-Men all sat together. Kurt Wagner was there too as was Hank's chief of staff, Carol Danvers.

Charles Xavier was now currently sitting in front of them all as he took a deep breath, ready to give his speech. While his throat ached he was determined to get through this.

"We are here today to say goodbye, to mark the passing of Dr. Henry McCoy from this world," he began. "Henry was the first mutant that Erik Lehnserrh and myself found when we decided to open up a school for the gifted. He was a remarkable young man, smart and strong. Hank chose to use his abilities for the betterment of the world. He risked his life numerous times to help people, to protect them from all sorts of dangers. Soon, he became a teacher himself and did his best to mentor young, up and coming mutants."

Scott, Jean, and Ororo all nodded as they remembered his science class back when they were students. Xavier then continued;

"He gave us strength in time of trouble, wisdom in time of uncertainty, and sharing in time of happiness. He was always by our side."

Kitty began to silently cry as Pitor took her hand. Bobby's eyes lowered as he thought about just a few days ago Hank trying to help him when he froze his entire body. Rogue was thinking back to when Hank gave her the last sample of the mutant cure.

"Finally, Hank decided to retire from teaching and left for Washington to campaign for mutant's rights. He tried to engender a social conscience," Xavier said, looking throughout the crowd of people. "There were wrongs that needed attention, mutants who needed help. He felt a responsibility to those of who's mutation effected their appearance, to be their voice in order to let them know they weren't alone and that they didn't need to live in shame. And now those of us who loved him and take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for the entire world."

His bottom lip then trembled as decided to finish.

"Goodbye, Hank. We love you, and we will never forget you."

Everyone slowly got to their feet. The X-Men approached Hank's casket that had an 'X' imprinted on the top of it. With Logan, Bobby, Rogue, and Kitty on once side and Jean, Scott, Ororo, and Pitor on the other, they picked it up and carried it outside to the waiting hearse.

As the Professor watched them go on, he was approached by Carol.

"Professor Xavier, my name is Carol Danvers," she extended her hand which Xavier shook. "I was Henry's chief of staff. He's told me so much about you and your school. I just wanted to let you know that President McKenna is appointing me as the new Secretary of Mutant Affairs. I'll try my best to live up to Henry's name."

Xavier smiled.

"If Henry trusted you, then so do I. Thank you, Carol."

Carol returned the smile as the Professor turned his wheelchair to join the others outside.

Once they had gotten back to the institute, the Professor was sitting in his office waiting for Jean to come after he requested her presence. He looked up as the door opened and Jean walked in, closing the door behind her.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" She asked.

"Yes, Jean. Please sit down." She did as she was told and took a seat across from the Professor. "Jean, I need to speak with you about your rather...advanced abilities."

"What about it?"

"Now that this is all over, we'll be going back to what we were doing in the beginning," Xavier explained. "I will try my best to teach you how to manage your powers so that you have better control over them."

"Professor, my control is fine," Jean assured. "I've never felt so focused."

"It's not that Jean. I've never seen a mutant with so much power before. And you know my feelings about the misuse of power."

Jean's brows furrowed.

"You think I'm going to misuse it?"

"No, I'm just...concerned. That's all."

"You don't have to be worried. Professor, I've been really thinking over the last few days. Imagine all the things I could do now. And not just heal physical injuries, but cancer, AIDS, Ebola, Malaria. No more illnesses, no more horrible deaths, no more suffering, no more tragedies. I can repair failing hearts and kidneys, liver and lungs. Blind eyes, deaf ears-"

Finally, Xavier held up a hand to cut her off.

"Jean, you are getting way too ahead of yourself. You're a doctor, so I understand your desire to help as many people as you can. But let's just take things one step at a time. The more power you have the more good you can do. And the more bad you can do as well, if you're not careful," he warned.

Jean sighed but nodded.

"Okay. One step at a time."

She then got up and headed for the door. But as she grabbed the door handle she stopped and looked back at Xavier.

"Professor, you've done so much for me, for everyone at this school. I want to do something for you."

Xavier smiled.

"Jean, you don't owe me anything."

"I know, but I want to. If you trust me."

"You know I trust you, Jean."

"Alright. Just…don't move."

Jean then focused her power in on the Professor. Slowly, he began to levitate out of his wheelchair. His body began to glow as Jean moved her hand around, like that of a skilled surgeon. After a few more moments, the glowing disappeared and Jean sat Xavier back down in the chair.

Xavier's brows furrowed as he touched his legs. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked up at Jean as she smiled brightly down at him.

"Now stand up and walk."

The Professor placed his hands on the arm rests of the wheelchair and placed his feet on the floor. He then pushed himself up and stood on his feet. He looked down as he began to take small steps forward, the first steps he's taken in nearly thirty years. He kept walking until he reached the full length mirror that stood in the corner of the room and looked at himself. Xavier then turned his head to look at Jean. He and Jean's eyes were glassy, filled with unshed tears. At that moment they were both thinking the same thing.

They had always wanted to change the world for the better. That was their goal, that's what they were fighting for. Maybe this was their chance.

The End.