The veranda of the mansion was a special place for Rogue. It was the place she had the talk with Henry McCoy, the place where he gave her the very last sample of the cure. Slowly, Rogue took the test tube that held a glowing purple liquid and stared at it.

"I understand what it's like, Rogue. Being unable to touch someone without frightening them. But I came to learn something over time. Something I wished I realized from the start."

Rogue and Hank stared at each other for a few moments.

"You decide the outcome of your life," Hank reassured her. "Just because you are different doesn't mean you need to change or that there is something wrong with you."

Hank then held out an envelope for her. Rogue looked confused as she took it from him.

"In the end, you'll know what the right decision is for yourself."

The problem was, Rogue didn't know what the right decision is. She wanted to be normal again, she really did. But at the same time, for some strange reason, she didn't want to lose her powers either. She felt like maybe it would be like she was letting everyone down, including herself. Rogue was a part of something special. Not just the school, the X-Men. If she took the cure, it would all be over.

"Funny running into you out here."

Rogue smiled when she heard the all too familiar voice as Remy walked out to join her. "You've been avoiding Remy like the plague, Chère."

"Could you stop referring to yourself in the third person? It's very annoying. Like, really annoying."

"Remy's never struck out so bad with a woman before." Rogue rolled her eyes as he ignored her request. Remy only smirked but finally conceded. "If you really want me to leave you alone, I will."

"It's not that...I do like you Remy. It's just..."

"Just what?"

Rogue lowered her eyes.

"When I absorb people, I can see into their memories." Remy raised his eyebrows at this. "I was just sort of confused, and...a little scared of what I had seen when I absorbed you."

"Be more specific."

"You were in a fight. You killed someone?" Rogue could feel the enormous amount of guilt that he felt.

Remy closed his eyes, he knew what she was talking about.

"Back in New Orleans, I was part of a secret society of criminals called The Thieves Guild, led by my father Jean-Luc LeBeau." Remy began to explain. "A few years ago, as part of a peace pact between them and their rivals, The Assassins Guild, a marriage was arranged between myself and a woman named Belladonna Boudreaux, the granddaughter of the head of the Assassins Guild." Rogue continued to listen, intrigued by what Remy was telling her.

"An arranged marriage," Rogue spoke. "That's awful. So what happened next?"

"Belladonna's brother Julien objected to the marriage and challenged me to a duel." Remy continued to explain. "I killed him."

"It sounds like self-defense to me."

"It was, but it didn't matter. I was excommunicated and banished from New Orleans in order to maintain the peace between the two guilds." Remy took a deep breath as he looked up at the sky. "I've never been back."

Rogue reached out and gently took Remy's gloved hand in hers, giving it a light squeeze. He looked over at her

"I understand what it's like having to run away from home." Rogue told him. "And having to do so because you hurt someone." She still had nightmares every now and then about the day her mutation manifested itself, how badly she had hurt David. "But maybe we'll be able to go home again...someday."

"Make peace with our pasts?"

Rogue nodded as they now just continued to watch the sky as the sun was now starting to set.

XXXXXXXXXX

Somewhere outside of San Francisco, Bobby woke up in the hotel room they had rented for the night. He was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and he could hear the sound of the shower running. It was kind of nice, what he and John had been doing since they left the mansion. They could pick up and go anytime they wanted, no one had come looking for them, no one counted on them for anything. They had no real responsibilities, so they never had to think past midnight. Bobby could almost understand why John left in the first place.

They also didn't have to more about money, Pyro had a black duffle bag filled with cash which Bobby didn't even want to know how he had gotten it. And Bobby always called him John, never Pyro.

John never corrected him over it.

Bobby rubbed his eyes as he groaned and muttered under his breath, "Hangover..."

The shower then stopped running. After several minutes, the bathroom door opened and Pyro stood there, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

"Shower is free." He then smirked. "Or I could go back in if you want company."

Bobby gave him a look "So...I guess you're not saying that last night was a one-time thing."

"Actually, if I'm counting right, last night was a three-time thing."

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere, at Worthington Industries, Warren Worthington Senior was sitting in his office with Graydon Creed sitting across from him.

"So," Graydon began. "You can imagine my disappointment when I learned that you won't be selling your company to Trask Enterprises after all."

"I was never seriously considering selling," Worthington responded. "I talked to him about it, I was willing to think it over, but I have decided not to after all. Worthington Industries has been in my family for decades."

"I would have thought you would have liked to get away from this. Considering that nasty business with the mutant cure all those months ago. A lot of bad publicity, so many deaths. Including that of Dr. Kavita Rao."

Worthington narrowed his eyes at the other man.

"Yes, the cure was a giant mistake. But we will get through this, we always have in the past-"

SMASH!

Both men were suddenly launched backwards as something fast and just busted through the window behind them. Graydon's security team quickly ran into the room, weapons raised. Out of the debris stepped a fearsome, angelic being with metallic-blue skin and enormous, razor-sharp wings. They began firing at him but his wings folded over his body as the bullets flew, bouncing off his metal shields. Archangel stepped forward before a volley of metal feathers erupted from his wings, skewering the men. The bodies all hit the ground at the same time with sickening thuds. Blood pooled under the corpses as Graydon and Worthington stepped back in fear. Archangel turned to them with a sneer.

"Those deaths are your hands, father." Archangel stated.

"What!?" Worthington gasped in shock as he saw the assailants face. He took a step forward as he looked to see that it was his son. "W-Warren?

The Angel of Death snarled at the man. He lunged forward, grabbing the man by the throat and hoisting him off his feet. The businessman grasped his son's hand as he started to choke.

"S-son! Wh-Why?! GURK!"

"Don't act so surprised, Dad. You knew this day would come eventually. You tried to take from me what I loved most…and now I'll take from you…everything. Your company. Your fortune. Your legacy dies here tonight."

"W-Warren! Please!"

"Warren's dead old man. Now only Death remains."

SHLUK!

Worthington felt nothing below the waist as he had just been sliced in half. His eyes fell to behold a pile of blood over the floor. The source, his own severed torso. He had just enough strength to look into his son's eyes before the mutant hurled him across the room, splattering him over the wall. Graydon could only watch, horrified as he scooted backwards, trying to get back to his feet.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

"Death."

"You can't do this. Do you know who the hell I am?! What kind of shitstorm will rain down on every single one of you freaks!?"

The Angel of Death smiled as he pointed a wing towards a gas pipeline.

"Goodbye, Graydon."

An explosion then went off inside of the office. The noise rocked the hotel Bobby and John were staying at, Bobby got up off the bed and threw open the curtain, looking out the window. "Did you hear that?" Bobby asked. It was then he could see in the distance, smoke coming from a floor in one of the skyscrapers and the sound of fire trucks not far behind. "Holy shit." He now saw that one of the top floors of the building a massive fire had broken out. Bobby quickly turned to Pyro. "We have to do something."

"What the hell for?" Pyro demanded, but the other boy didn't get him the chance to argue. He grabbed his wrist and dragged him outside to their car. Bobby began driving towards it as fast as he could. "What exactly is the plan here?"

"You're going to put it out, John."

Pyro glances at him, and then quickly back to the burning building they were getting closer to. "What? Are you crazy? I didn't do it."

"I didn't say you did," Bobby responded, now frustrated that Pyro just doesn't get it. He what know what Bobby is really asking. "Just put it out. A lot of people could die if you don't."

Bobby knew he's been living in a place of denial for a long while now, but he couldn't deny the look in Pyro's eyes, that craving for destruction he's seen a few too many times by now to ignore. Pyro doesn't even seem to hear the people now screaming, or if he did, he just didn't care. Bobby's not sure which would be worse.

"No way." Pyro responded, and his fingers were twitching to urge it on, and Bobby knew it. He then aggressively pulled the car over and turned to the other boy.

"I'm willing to put up with a lot, but if you don't put that fire the hell out, I'm taking off, and I'm not coming back." Bobby snapped.

Pyro blinked at him, still not understanding, still not quite getting it, and Bobby a cold pain hits his stomach as he thinks this is it. This was all for nothing. And then Pyro looked at the skyscraper and raised his hand, and all at once, the fire starts pulling back on itself, until it all disappears.

Bobby let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, because Pyro's eyes were clear again, and he looked like John again, and not like Pyro. People are still screaming, but for different reasons, they're shouting about miracles and acts from God; they all start looking around for what had stopped the fire so suddenly, but Bobby and Pyro just simply continue to drive until Bobby is able to do a U-turn and head back to their hotel room.

"Thank you." Bobby said quietly, because he knew stopping that fire probably cost Pyro more than he would ever understand; back when he'd shouted at him to stop on the porch of his house, Pyro hadn't even heard him.

"Yeah, well," Pyro began. "I think we need to take off tonight. And don't think we're not going to become some kind of dynamic duo, beating up some thief for stealing some old ladies' purse, so don't even think it."

"I wasn't, I swear." Bobby grinned, looking over at Pyro who was actually smiling back.

XXXXXXXXX

Back at Westchester, the whole team had gathered inside of Xavier's office to discuss what to do about Jean. Rogue insisted that Remy join them, Carol Danvers had even come down from Washington. Even Magneto was there, who was getting dirty looks from each one of them, but Xavier insisted to them all that they were going to need his help. The Professor had a look of dread on his face as he was about to give them bad news.

"Erik and I have been looking over Jean's scans and neurologic, and we have come to the conclusion that we don't think there is anything we can do for her."

Scott swallowed the knot in his throat.

"Professor, there's got to be something we can do! She's our friend!" Ororo yelled.

"I understand Ororo. But I'm afraid Jean Grey no longer exists. Now Jean has been overwhelmed and consumed by the force of her newfound power."

"But as long as Jean's alive we can't stop trying." Scott finally found his voice.

Of course, Scott…but we must also be honest with ourselves about the depth of the problem…unless Jean can regain control of her mind and power, I see no way to save her. I fear Jean doesn't have the strength of body or mind to endure such an action. We must use any means necessary to stop Dark Phoenix but at the same time we must protect Jean."

"How can we? Ah mean if Jean and Phoenix are one in the same then if we kill one than the other goes." Rogue spoke

"Rogue, you're making it sound like Jean has a personality disorder that's not how it is. Jean is Phoenix, that's who she is…it's her mutation and we can't stop it."

"We have to stop her then." Scott said.

"How can we stop somethin' that can melt us in a nanosecond?" Logan asked gruffly.

"I don't know. Phoenix is dangerous, there's no saying what she can do. But whatever it is, it's a lot and we must prevent it."

"There's got to be a way we can get through to her." Scott spoke.

"I doubt that we can. As I said, Jean is no longer. Phoenix is all the remains."

"That's bullshit, Professor! If there still wasn't a part of Jean left, then why didn't she kill Emma and I when she had the chance?"

"Because Scott, Jean's powers are being fueled from her emotions and right now all she cares about are the sensations running through her! The more she uses her power the more she 'burns up' or eliminates her emotions. It's safe to say that right now she feels nothing. The only hope we and the world has is if we can stop her. We must try."

"What you're suggesting is that we kill her! I can't do it!"

"Scott there is no other way!" Magneto finally yelled.

"You! You keep your goddamn mouth shut!"

"She's one of us." Kitty finally spoke up. "She's a part of this place, this team."

"At one time yes, she was. At one time maybe she would've let us help her, but she made a choice." Xavier answered.

"No she didn't!" Scott yelled. "We can still save her!"

"Scott she doesn't want to be saved!"

"You don't know that!"

"In Jean's state of mind there is no way she's going to listen to reasonable logic!"

"What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that if Jean, if any of us can have any hope of survival Jean will need to draw strength from you…through your unique psychic connection…that's the only thing I can think of that may save us."

"I don't think I can. I mean Jean is…well we've seen her…she could easily block me out…or wipe away our connection all together…she-she has the power."

"Scott…if you really want to save her…it's the only way. I can't tell you if it'll work…but if it doesn't…you'll have to do whatever you have to, to stop her."

"I won't kill her!"

"You may have no other choice."

'Don't push me, Professor.'

Xavier's eyes widened as he realized that Jean had just communicated with him via telepathy. She had likely heard every word that had just been said.

'Jean...please.' Xavier began.

'Jean Grey is dead. She died at Alkali Lake. I am something else entirely. I am the next stage in evolution.' Phoenix responded.

'The power that you have, it's too much for you-"

"Spare me. I've heard it all before."

"You are going too far."

"I will tell you when it has gone too far." Phoenix snapped.

Meanwhile, Carol's eyebrows furrowed as she watched the Professor continue to try to reason with his former student.

"Charles?" She questioned. "Are you okay?"

'If you want to see power, I will show it to you.'

'Jean-"

'Don't try and interfere. Remember, what I give, I can also take away.'

The telepathic link between the two then cut off. Suddenly, Xavier felt his legs go numb. They gave out on him, and Xavier crumbled to the floor.

"Charles!" Magneto yelled as he quickly rushed to his old friend's side before any of the others could. He helped the other man sit in the chair behind the desk as Xavier continued moving his hands over his legs which he could no longer feel. Jean had just taken away his ability to walk, the gift she had given him not too long ago. Xavier suddenly remembered something and quickly looked back at Scott.

"Scott, close your eyes!" He shouted.

"Why?"

Before the Professor could answer, Scott's eyes lit up without him doing so willingly. An optic beam shot through them and came right at Rogue and Remy, who just managed to tackle Rogue out of the way a millisecond before the blast hit them and it blew a hole right through the wall.

XXXXXXXXX

Phoenix stood on the hill overlooking the road that Annie had been killed on. This was where she would start. This is where she would begin to remake the world into the utopia she saw fit. Focusing all her power, she began firing up every nuclear weapon in the world.

"Always the same." She said to herself out loud. "And now, all this. No more stones. No more spears. No more slings. No more swords. "No more weapons!" Her voice grew louder. "No more systems! No more! No more superpowers."

Meanwhile, inside the Situation Room at the White House, an alarm was going off. President McKenna frantically approached one of his Generals. "What the hell is going on?" He then looked at the giant screen on the wall that showed every state in the country and saw what was happening. "Who's turning the keys?"

"Our men are." Officer Williams reported.

"Who green lit the order?"

More nuclear weapons fired into the sky.

"We've lost all contact with our tridents and Polaris subs." The General then informed.

"The air force is reporting the same thing."

"So much faith in their tools, in their machines." Phoenix continued.

Back in the Situation Room, the men continued to panic.

"Russia, China, England, Israel, India. All of them have nukes."

"What's the target? Where are they going?" President McKenna asked.

"Up. Straight up."

Phoenix continued to rant as she yelled up into the sky.

"You can fire your arrows from the Tower of Babel, but you can never strike god!"

Now, at that moment, every nuclear weapon on the planet flew from the Earth and they were now floating around in space.

XXXXXXXXX

Author's note; some of the dialog between Bobby and John is from fanfiction writer Nixa Jane's story, 'Drive.'