Hope ya enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men or anything like that. But hey, I can still think I do.
Xavier's Office
Cable sat at the desk going over the best and safest way to break into Apocalypse's Tower and destroy him. He had thought that breaking everyone into groups to fight off the horsemen and his minions would work while he and a few others went to fight Apocalypse. However, there was one problem that stood in the way: the Phoenix.
He knew he already disrupted the past when he saved Xavier from being killed by Stryfe. Not only that, the X-Men in his time hadn't known what was going on until Apocalypse had come force. Now, they knew partially what they were going against. 'How can we stop the Phoenix?' He thought to himself.
They were most likely going to have to stop the Phoenix before going after Apocalypse. They would need Jean to help them and not to mention the Phoenix was causing almost as much chaos as Apocalypse.
"You know you could just ask for help." He heard a female voice say and looked to his left to see a faded woman standing there. She was shaded white and was see through.
"Aren't you supposed to be helping everyone rebuild?" Cable asked the woman, who smirked.
"I am, but I figured if you kill Apocalypse then there will be nothing to rebuild." She told him with a smile. "Any luck so far?" She asked.
"He has already risen. At the moment, he is not the person I am concerned with." Cable replied, not hearing someone enter the room behind him and listening to the conversation.
"The Phoenix?" She asked and he nodded. "Why don't I just come back and help you. I mean who else knows more about the Phoenix than me?" She asked him.
"It will only drawl more questions of who we are. Scott and the other X-Men are not supposed to know." Cable said to her.
"That you're Scott' son?" Domino asked as she finally spoke up to him, catching the two off balance.
"What are you doing here?" Cable growled and shot to his feet.
"Relax, I already know all this because YOU told me." Domino rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall. "So, who's this? A girlfriend?" She asked. 'If that's even possible for him.' She thought to herself.
The woman laughed to herself and shook her head. "Definitely not." She told Domino and looked over at Cable. "What happened to the 'I am not going to tell anyone' thing?"
"She annoyed me until I told." He grumbled and glanced over at Domino.
"So, who are you?" Domino asked the woman.
"My name is Rachael Summers. I am, well sorta Nathan's sister." Rachael replied in the best way she could.
"How are you sorta his sister? What is you cloned from him or something?" The black-haired girl asked.
"It's complicated. I am Jean Grey's daughter." Rachael replied. "And the Phoenix's."
"That's just screwed up." Domino shook her head and looked over at Cable. "And I thought you were messed up."
Cable turned his head away from the younger girl, already annoyed by her. "So, are you like real or something?" Domino asked as she looked through Rachael.
"I can travel through the Astral Plane and speak with who I need to talk to." Rachael replied.
"Why aren't you here helping? You seem a lot less strict than Mr. Commando here." Domino nodded her head in Cable's direction.
"I do suppose it would be a good idea to go into your time and help. You'll be needing it, believe me." Rachael told the younger girl. Cable was about to object and she stopped him. "And you know I am right, Nathan. I won't stop you on your quest to get rid of Apocalypse. But I know how to stop the Phoenix, without killing Jean."
Danger Room
Rogue flew into the Danger Room and fell onto her bed. She couldn't believe Mystique had just told everyone that she was her mother. It was hard enough trying to accept it. Now everyone was going to not trust her anymore and probably kick her out. 'Why can't all this happen ta someone else?' She cried and wiped away a strand of hair that fell onto her face.
'First Ah lose the one man that means more ta meh than anythin', all because some jackass tricked meh inta it. Not ta mention mah friends goin' through the same thing. Then Ah find out that bitch was the one Ah considered mah momma.' She buried her head into the pillow and refused to look up.
"Rogue?" She heard John's voice call and footsteps approach. She refused to look up. The others were probably already told about her connection with Mystique and were coming to tell her to get out of the mansion.
"Leave meh alone." Rogue whispered. She felt someone sit down next to her on the bed and rest an arm on her shoulder.
"Rogue, we're not mad at you." Bobby assured her, but she refused to look up.
"We're mostly happy you didn't turn out like Mystique. I don't think anyone likes that bitch. Probably the reason why her team left her." John growled.
"Ah didn't want any of ya ta find out." Rogue said and sat up slowly to look at her two friends who were trying to comfort her. "Ah just found out and Ah still don't know how ta deal with it."
"This doesn't mean you have to accept Mystique as your mother." John told her and bent down next to the bed. "Look at Wanda and Pietro. They thought Magneto was the father they had been looking for. Then, the jackass showed his true colors when we went against him on that one mission. He didn't care if he hurt his own children." He stated.
"Yeah, but it feels like all this time Ah've been lied ta. Ah trusted her when Ah was little. She never acted evil or anythin'. Mah Aunt Irene would always talk nice about her." Rogue's voice trembled. Bobby hugged her.
"Don't worry, well be here for you." John told her and gave her a small smile. "And when Gambit gets back, he'll be there for you also."
"What if we don't get any of them back?" Rogue whispered and released Bobby. "What if we have ta kill them ta stop this Apocalypse guy?" She asked.
"It won't come down to that." Bobby vowed. "We'll find a way to beat him and not lose anyone. I mean, we've gone through so much there is no way we can lose, right?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Well find out." John muttered and crossed his hand over his chest after he stood up. He looked over to see Piotr walking towards the group.
"Have any of you seen Kitty?" The older mutant asked them. A sudden smack noise coming from the hallway caught there attention. Kitty walked in with an angry look on her face and left Pete Wisdom in the hall rubbing his cheek with a sly grin on his face.
"I swear, MEN ARE SCUM!" Kitty growled. Piotr rushed over to her side. "Except for you, you are a good one."
"Did he do something to you?" He asked with concern in his voice.
"He learned his lesson." Kitty assured her boyfriend. She looked over at her friends. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"Found out that Mystique is Rogue's mom." Bobby replied and got a nasty glare from Rogue.
"Why don't ya just announce it ta the world?" Rogue growled at him.
"Mystique's your mom? Oh man. Like I'm so sorry." Kitty rushed over to her friend and pushed Bobby off the bed to hug Rogue. "Are you, like, alright?" She asked.
"Yeah. Ah just wish things were back ta how they were. Before Ah knew that SHE was mah momma. Ah liked it better when everyone was happy. When Logan, Wanda, Lorna, Jean, and Remy were still here." She sighed.
"Well, think back to the happy times we had around here. There are tons!" Kitty told her. There was a loud racket coming from the other side of the Danger Room. The group looked over to find Jubilee hugging Jono and yelling at Gayle.
"Why don't you just leave? No one likes you. And Jono is staying with me and is NOT going home with you so you can abuse him." Jubilee growled.
Gayle glared at the young girl and glanced up at Jono. "Yer owe me for what yer did ter me. I lost months of me life because of yer!" She shouted.
And yer losin' even more by stayin' here. I ain't goin' back ter England with yer. I'm stayin' with Jubilee and the X-Men. Jono told her, finally standing up to the woman he had been afraid of.
Gayle's eyes went wide, realizing he no longer felt guilty. "Fine, I'm packin' up ternight. But this is not the last time yer'll see me." She growled and went to pack her things.
Jubilee hugged Jono again and heard Kitty call them over. "Hey, guys!" She shouted to her friends. They walked over to them.
"What's up?" Jubilee asked, while still keeping her arm around Jono.
"We were thinking of all the good times around here." Kitty replied. "I still love the mission in Antarctica. That was great." She laughed as Piotr paled.
"That was not fun. Maybe for you." He said.
"Hm, I like last Christmas. That was great" Jubilee mentioned. The others nodded in response.
Christmas Eve at the X-Mansion -Past
Jean was placing some last minute decorations around the house that she and the girls had bought. This was her favorite time of the year around the mansion. It was decorated beautifully and had a huge Christmas tree.
Most of the students went home for the holidays to be with their families, leaving only a few left in the mansion. Kitty was originally supposed to leave, but her flight got canceled due to snow.
"Jean." Scott said from behind the red head. Jean turned around to see Scott standing in the doorway of the living room with his hands to his side. He looked nervous.
"What's wrong?" She asked him and went to his side. "You don't look alright." She commented and felt his forward. He smiled at her and rested his hand on top of hers.
"Actually, I am great. It's just." He hesitated. "I was wondering if I could give you my gift early." He asked her.
Jean smiled and was about to say 'I have to wait till Christmas,' but by the way he looked, she decided to receive it early. "Sure." She asked. He smiled and had her sit down on a leather chair. He stood before her with her hands in his.
"Ever since I first came to the mansion and saw you, I instantly fell in love with you. You are the most beautiful, intelligent, and honest woman that I've ever come across with." His hands began to shake in hers. She didn't understand why he was so nervous.
"Jean." Scott finally said and released his right hand from hers and bent down on one knee. Jean's green eyes grew wide. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small brown box. His hand trembled as he opened it and revealed the most beautiful ring she had ever laid eyes on. "Will you marry me?" He asked.
Jean's eyes were filled with tears of happiness. "Y-yes!" She shouted and hugged him. Scott's nervous behavior soon disappeared and was replaced by excitement. She had accepted! He held her close to him, almost dropping the ring when she hugged him.
When they finally broke apart, he took the ring out of the box and shakingly placed it on her finger. "I love you, Scott." Jean told him and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer.
'And I love you.' He sent over their telepathic link and kissed her back.
Upper Level-Girls Dorm
"Ah-Ah-Choo!" Wanda sneezed into her kleenex. She wiped her noise. The young black-haired girl hated this. She was sick, which meant no going out with her friends or John. The only thing she was happy about was she didn't have any early Danger Room sessions. She heard a knock at the door and looked to see John standing there in his PJ's
"What do you want?" Wanda growled and quickly covered her mouth with her sweat shirt as she coughed.
"I can't go for the Danger Room session, so I decided to stay with you." John replied. He sounded groggy and looked pale.
"I told you not to kiss me when I am sick. Now you are." She rolled her eyes at him.
"It was worth it." He replied with a weak smile. He made his way over to her and laid down next to her in bed. He wrapped an arm around her and brought her close. She rested her head against his chest.
"This sucks. I wanted to go skiing with the others." Wanda grumbled. "Rogue called me from on their way home, apparently Gumbo can't ski to save his life. She said Kitty got it on tape."
"We can go once we're better. It'll be only you and me." He winked down at her.
"Well, I don't think we'll get much skiing done then." She smirked at him and kissed him. John pulled the blanket over the both of them.
Rec. Room
Bobby and Lorna returned with the rest of their friends from the ski trip. He had twisting his ankle during the trip and ended up in doors. To his surprise and delight, Lorna decided to stay with him. The whole time was wonderful. They talked about each others pasts and got to know each other even better.
He learned she was adopted by a family that tried to hide the fact she was a mutant by dying her hair brown. He told her about his family in Boston and how they no longer wanted to talk to him because he was a mutant. "Your little brother sounds like a prick." He smiled as he remembered her saying this.
He picked up his glass of eggnog and sipped it as he waited for Lorna to meet him. It tasted different from the last time he had eggnog, but ignored it. "Hey." He heard Lorna's voice say and turned to see the smiling green haired girl. "Been waiting long?" She asked.
"Nope, not at all." Bobby replied and placed the glass down. Lorna walked over to him and kissed him on the lips. She gave him a weird look and backed away.
"What did you drink or eat?" She asked.
"Only eggnog." Bobby replied to her and looked down at the glass he had.
"I think that might be Logan's special brand of eggnog." Lorna commented. She broke into a smile as she saw him throw it in the trash.
"Don't tell him. He gets ticked off when people sneak into his alcohol." Bobby whispered as Logan walked into the room, followed by Jubilee and Jono.
"Come on, Wolvie. Do it!" Jubilee whined. Logan grunted and sat down in front of the TV. The game was on and he didn't want to be bugged.
"Not now kid, and not ever." Logan told her and flipped the television on.
"Please!" Jubilee pouted and sat down next to him. "It'll be my Christmas and Birthday gift." She bribed him.
"No!" Logan grumbled.
Come on, Jubes. I think he doesn't want ter. Jono told his girlfriend. Some men have too much pride to do this. He said. Logan shot him a glare and finally decided to do as they requested.
"Fine, bring it to me." He growled. 'Why do I always get suckered inta these things.' He thought to himself as Jubilee grabbed the bag she left out in the hall. She opened it and pulled out a long red Santa jacket and reached to Logan's knee's.
"How long do I gotta keep this on for?" Logan asked them.
"Only five minutes." Jubilee replied and handed him the Santa hat.
"I ain't wearin' the hat." Logan told her and sat down.
"Aw, but Wolvie, it's part of the deal." Jubilee told him. "Besides, it's not like it's going to mess up your hair."
"Fine." Logan took the Santa hat and placed it on his head. "Happy?" He asked.
"Very." Jubilee smiled. Jono hestiated. He knew Logan could probably kill him, but Jubilee had told him she would get Logan to put it on and he would take the picture.
Mr. Logan Jono said, getting Logan's attention. He older man turned around and looked at Jono just as the younger man pulled the camera out and took a picture. Say cheese!
As soon as the flash went off, Logan jumped off of the couch and chased after Jono and Jubilee. There was no way he was going to let anyone see a picture of him in a Santa's suit.
They ran down the hallway and pasted Rogue and Remy. "Dere's somethin' y' don' see everyday, non?" The Cajun smirked down at Rogue.
"Jubilee's been sayin' she wanted ta get a picture of Logan in a Santa suit or Easter Bunny. Guess she finally got it." Rogue chuckled to herself.
"Poor Wolverine." Remy shook his head. He glanced down at Rogue. "Perhaps y'd like to make y'r own special memories." He grinned at her.
"Ya know Ah can't touch ya without knockin' ya out." Rogue frowned at him.
"Oui, but it's worth it." He told her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Besides, look what we're standin' under." Remy eyes looked up and then down at Rogue. She gazed up to see mistletoe hanging above them.
"Ya planned this, didn't ya?" Rogue asked, a smile forming on her lips. 'He tried so hard.' She thought to herself. Over the past week, she had started her lessons with Xavier on controlling her powers. She wanted more than anything to kiss him and be like all the other normal couples in the mansion, but they couldn't.
"Mebbe Remy did." He told her. "Close y'r eyes." Remy said to her. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow curiously.
"What are ya doin'?" Rogue asked.
"It be a surprise, chere." Remy replied. Rogue hesitated for a moment, she didn't know if she should. "Y' trust moi?" He asked.
"Always." She replied and closed her eyes. He smiled and pulled out of his pocket a scarf and covered it over his mouth. He leaned down and kissed her with. She eyes snapped open and looked at him as she returned the kiss. She could feel the fabric between them and knew she couldn't absorb him.
After several moments, he finally pulled away and looked down at her. "Soon won' be needin' dis. Y'll have full control of y'r powers." Remy grinned.
"Ah hope ya are right." She whispered and leaned her head against his chest. "Ah'm supposed ta meet Lorna and Bobby in the Rec. Room. Wanna go?" Rogue asked him.
"If y'r dere, den of course." He took her by the arm and they walked down the hall to meet with their friends.
Present
Rogue sat on her bed, surrounded by her friends thinking. She had trusted Remy back then, but for some reason didn't trust him when he said that Joseph was faking. 'Ah swear if Ah ever lay eyes on that boy again, he's going ta pay for makin' meh doubt Remy.' She thought to herself.
"That was a great Christmas." Jubilee sighed and leaned against Jono. "Hehe, I still got the picture of Wolvie in the Santa outfit. He thought I destroyed them all." She laughed to herself.
"You got to show me that sometime." Bobby told her.
"We know you guys are worried." Kitty began to say to John, Bobby, and Rogue. "And we knows you've heard a million times, 'we'll get them back' but we really will." She assured them.
"And we'll have Wolvie back and we'll be the big happy family we were before." Jubilee stated with a smile.
"That reminds me, Mr. Summers said to start moving our stuff into the mansion. It has been rebuilt and we do not have to stay in the Lower Level anymore." Piotr told the group.
"Finally, I'm so sick of this place." John said and stretched his arms out in front of him. He looked up at the ceiling as he twisted his arms behind his back and noticed a flame at the top of the Danger Room. "Guys, has that always been there?" He asked.
Everyone looked up and noticed the flame was lowering and getting bigger. "What is that?" Rogue got up from the bed and backed away with the rest of the group.
Suddenly, the flame turned into the shape of a large bird and a woman appeared in the middle of it. "Oh shit. It's the Phoenix!" John yelled.
End of Chapter 13
Note: For Rachael, I had thought she was Jean and Scott's daughter. Then I read that she is somehow the Phoenix and Jean's daughter. I'm still trying to figure out that is even possible, but it is I guess. If someone knows it, please explain it to me.
Special thanks: Loneraven, Princess Myra, Chica De Los Ojos Café, gatermage, moonfirefairy, CW, firestorm13, and AngelofMercy86. Thank you guys so much for reviewing the last chapter (little Romy, Jonda, Lice, and Jott plushies all around :)
Next Chapter: The mansion is attacked next chapter. Or course, it has been rebuilt so it must be attacked now (like how it is in the comics, blow it up, rebuilt, few weeks later, its blown up again) Also, Sinnie explains about Poccy's history. And two people die next chapter.