Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men.

Chapter 12: The Cosmic Force

Johnny stormed into his room, slammed the door closed, and flopped onto his bed. His eyebrows were pulled close together and his teeth were bared in a snarl. "I can't BELIEVE you're doing this to me," he said, as though he were talking to someone in the same room with him. His mother could still hear with her mind, off in the kitchen.

Young man, no is no. Next time you diobey me you're going to be a lot worse than grounded.

He groaned and kicked at the wall. "I can't be grounded right now mom. I just can't. Jonah just got back and--"

I don't care, Johnathan.

"Well, I care, and I wanted to go to the Danger Room with Jonah and Ben. Why don't they have rules?"

She didn't answer, and Johnny was pretty sure he knew why. She had been furious when she found him training in the Danger Room at one in the morning, after he had asked her and she had said absolutely not in a way only a mother could. She probably didn't want to keep fighting and lose her cool completely. He shrugged off his jacket and sighed. So much for a guy's night out.

Johnny had really missed Jonah for some reason. It wasn't the constant fighting he caused, or the silly way he dressed either. It was... he searched for a word. It wasn't the fact that Jasmine seemed a lot calmer nowadays, either. No, it was Jonah himself, and Johnny was confused. The smart-talking gun-slinging cowboy wannabe was actually someone to be missed. Whodathunkit.

He laughed at his new favorite word-- whiodathunkit-- and realized it had been Jonah who had said the stupid word in the first place.

He grabbed for his phone and dialed the extension to Ben's room. He needed his voice of reason, and he needed him now.

"Hi Ben," he said happily as Ben finally picked up on the seventh ring.

"Johnny? Listen, erm, can we not talk right now? I um... Yeah. Can we just--?"

"Ben, I need to talk to you about Jonah. He's getting on my nerves." Johnny completely ignored Ben's soft protests, and Ben sighed.

"Yeah, he's pissing me off too."

"He is?" Johnny sat up straight and listened intently. "What'd he do to you?"

"He's... God, how do I say this right..." Ben was silent for a few moments, and Johnny hung on to every breath. "Jonah's just full of himself right now."

"Yeah, like--"

"Like he's got the girl, he's got the cool motorcycle, he's finally gotten a chance to go home, and he just thinks he's king of the world," Ben continued angrily.

"Wait," Johnny said slowly, a spark of intuition flashing in his jade green eyes. "Is this... Is this about Jasmine?"

Ben was silent, and he couldn't think of something to say before Johnny laughed loudly.

"Oh crap! It IS! It totally IS!" Johnny cackled at him and flopped onto his back again. "I am so telling her. Right now. What's her extension?"

"Don't," Ben pleaded. "God, don't. Please."

"I was just screwing with you man," Johnny calmed down enough to stop laughing. "No, your secret is safe with me."

"I wish I could believe that," Ben grumbled before hanging up.

Johnny hung up too, elated with this new bit of gossip. He could dangle this fresh piece over Ben's head for days.

He jumped as he heard a crash in the kitchen, a loud one, like several dishes breaking at once. Getting to his feet, he slowly approached his bedroom door. "Mom...?"

He knew something was wrong. Mom didn't just drop dishes, not a chance, and even when she did drop them, Jean the Marvel Girl could most definately catch them with her telekineses.

"Mom?" he called again when she didn't answer. "Mom, are you okay?"

His fingers slowly inched for the doorknob. He pulled back as there was the sound of a thump. The noise sickened his stomach and chilled him to the bone. That was the sound of a body falling. His heart raced as he yanked the door open and rushed into the kitchen. "Mom!"

She was on the floor in the midst of broken china, her favorite china plates, shattered. He rushed to her side and got to his knees, pulling her head into his lap. "Mom? Mommy? Oh man, mom, are you okay?!"

"Johnny?" she murmured, her eyes fluttering open. Her eyes were the same shape and shade of green as her son's. "Oh baby, I'm alright. Help me up."

"Mom," Johnny said, holding her to him, not letting her move. "You fainted. I'm taking you to Dr. McCoy right now."

"I'm fine," she said insistantly, trying to push his arm away. He held fast, his smaller mother having no hope of breaking free. "Johnny, let me up."

"No way." He picked her up easily, cradleing her, and started for the door.

"Johnny, put me down," she commanded, struggling. "Johnathan Summers, you put me down this instant!"

Her eyes flashed orange for a moment, like flames, and that startled Johnny just long enough for his mother to break his hold. "Mom?"

"I'm not going to the infirmary. I am perfectly fine. I am going to the kitchen to clean up."

He glanced at her arm to see that she was bleeding from a deep cut in her left hand. "Mom, that looks serious."

"It's--" she paused, shaking her head. Her hands moved to her ears, and the dishes on the counter shuddered. "I'm--"

"Mom?" Johnny stepped forward nervously, holding out a hand. "Mom, are you--?"

"Get AWAY from me!" She shoved a hand in his direction as if to push him, and a last minute telekinetic block was all that saved Johnny from slamming into the opposite wall. He was pushed back a few inches, and he flinched at the force of it. "Just GET AWAY!"

"Mom, stop it!" Johnny shouted back. "What's wrong with you?!"

Her eyes were red flames, her hair flying up in a fiery halo, framing her perfect features. "Your mommy isn't in right now," a harsh voice escaped her lips. "And now you're going to die."

"Not today he isn't!"

Ben ran into the room and Johnny was suddenly scooped up from behind by someone huge. His surprised eyes flickered to him and realized it was Nico, with Alexis perched on his shoulder.

"Hi cousin J," she said, waving with a silly grin. "Ben said you were in trouble."

"Is that your mom?" Nico asked, looking at her with obvious doubt.

"Just get Johnny out of here, Nico," Ben commanded.

"No," Johnny shouted. "No, I'm Nico's team leader, and Nico, I say you put me down!"

"No can do," he said softly into Johnny's ear. "Ben's alpha leader. I have to do what he says."

"Alex, a little help?" Johnny glanced at her as she flew forward to join Ben.

"If that's really aunt Jean, you don't want to be here when Ben gets to her head," Alexis said. "Just get out of here."

"I am NOT leaving her!" Johnny pushed away from Nico and flew from his arms, rocketing into Ben and knocking both of them over. Ben cried out in pain as a piece of china lodged into his palm.

"You moron!" Ben yelled, shoving Johnny off of him and pulling out the piece of china. Johnny looked around the room, but Jean had gone.

"Where--" Johnny looked around, then heard the telepathic broadcast.

My students, my dear students. Carry on without me. The Pheonix has escaped. My will is in the third drawer of my desk. Fare thee well--

And it was cut off, with the sound of the professor's scream above their heads.

Ben cried out in agony, feeling his connection to his beloved professor fade.

And then Johnny knew.

Johnny knew that the professor was dead.

He knew he was dead, and his own mother had done the killing.

NEXT: Ben and Eevee