Chapter 18: Into the Inferno

Rogue's teleport had taken her directly in front of Jean. Rogue instantly felt her skin burn as the flames around Jean where intense. Thanks to her barrowing Logan's powers though, she was not going to die. At least not easily. She had to try and talk to Jean and get her to not destroy the world.

"Jean. Ah know ya are still in there. And Ah know how ya feel." Rogue looks for any sign that the real Jean was still there.

"Don't waste your breath Rogue. This world dies so it can be reborn without all the fighting and suffering." Jean's voice was different and seemed full of venom.

"Ah know you do not mean that. Ya are a kind and gentle person Jean. This is not you." Rogue pauses as Jean raises a hand. Even Jean's eyes and face where contorted with rage.

"I am not the weakling Jean Grey. I am the Phoenix. And you puny mortals cannot stop me." Jean sends a wave of fire at Rogue, but she dodges it.

"Jean, Ah know you are still in there. You can fight this. You are one of the strongest people Ah know." Rogue continues on as she continues to feel her skin burning and regenerating.

Jean's expression softens as she speaks, her voice back to normal, "Rogue, please stop me. You must do it now before the Phoenix takes back control. Kill me so I can be with Scott."

Rogue nods to her friend as she takes a hold of Jean's hand, "Good bye Jean."

Rogue let her full powers go and could instantly see the life leaving Jean. Jean did not start to look like a skeleton like Carol did though, instead she just lost the life in her eyes. The flames around them began to subside and Rogue could feel the immense power of the phoenix flow through her. She fought hard to keep it at bay as she lands on the ground with jean in her arms. She knows she cannot keep control for long though as she carries Jeans body to the rest of the group.

She lies Jean down carefully and steps back as everyone looks on at both Jean's body and Rogue. Remy starts to run over to Rogue, but she holds up a hand and stops him. She shakes her head no at him. She can feel the Phoenix fighting her control and it is at the edge of losing control. She did not want to hurt anyone else now. She has taken two lives now, and she felt like she did not deserve to live, yet alone love.

"Ah'm sorry Remy, Ah truly am. But If Ah don't destroy the phoenix, this is just going to keep repeating and another loved one will die. It stops with me. Ah'm sorry that Ah'm breaking your heart by leaving, but Ah must. Ah love you Remy LeBeau. Always and forever." Rogue begins to cry as she watches Remy. He stands there with tears in his eyes as well. He then walks over to her and kisses her. It was the most passionate kiss she she had ever had in her life.

"Je vous aime ma femme." (I love you my wife) He pulls her hand up to kiss it then. "Always and forever. Good Bye cheri."

He then steps back, and Rogue can read his mind about how much he loves her and how he understands that this is what she must do. She looks out across the rest of her friends, well more like her family. She smiles knowing that they all will be safe.

"Take care of each other, all of you. You are my family. Ah love you all." She looks up to the sky as the sun shines down on her. The sunlight had never felt so southing before. She then senses Scotts mind, he was alive. She looks at her family one last time.

"Scott is alive over that way. Tell him Ah'm sorry. Good bye." And with that the firebird surrounds her as she takes flight into the air. Mentally she stays connected to Remy. They share the memories of all the good times they had and of their love. Rogue reaches outer space and keeps flying towards the sun. She knows it is the only way to make sure the phoenix never hurts anyone again.

The sun was so beautiful the closer she got to it. She could feel its heat as she drove into it. She had to reach the core. Somehow she knows that was the only way. She could feel her body starting to burn away as she reached there, but there was no pain. She was at peace with everything that had happened. Her last thoughts were of the man she loved more than life it's self. And the last thing Remy hears from her mind, Ah love ya Remy. Ah never thought Ah would find the happiness that Ah found with ya. Ya have to be strong and continue on without me. Ah'll always be with ya my love.

Remy cannot longer feel or hear Rogues thoughts, and he knows she is gone now. Remy drops to his knees as tears run down his face. Kitty, who avoided the fighting due to being pregnant, comes over and hugs Remy. She was Rogue's closest friend and was crying as well.

"I'm so sorry Remy." She sobs out as Logan pat Remy in the back as he passes.

"Sorry Kid." Even Logan had tears in his.

Remy got back to his feet as he looked up at the sun. it was time to be strong. He smiles slightly as he swears the sun is brighter now. He walks back to the blackbird and boards it with the others.

Six months had passed. Remy had effectively taken leadership of the X-Men while Scott was still out. He missed Rogue every day. He woke up every morning wishing she was next to him. He would walk out onto his balcony every morning and blow a kiss to the sun and say "Good morning cheri."

Their where new recruits coming in all the time of which most of the female ones would make advances on him, which he turned down. On the nights that there were no missions, he found himself at a little blues bar that had opened up in town. He tried to hide how much he missed Rogue hidden away from everyone else.

Two days after the events in the Savage Lands, there had been a funeral for both Jean Gray and Rogue. Everyone at the institute had attended, and even some of the non mutant students from Bayville attended. The professors works stuck with every that day.

"They both put their lives on the line for not just mutants, but for all of humanity. Let them be the example for us all to follow." That is the line the stuck the most.

Remy was thinking about that as he went to visit the small monument that was made for Rogue. It was where the gazebo had been. Both Rogue and Jean had small monuments built there, and Remy visited Rogue's every day. He left a single red rose for her.

As he approached the monument, something moved slightly in front of it. Remy then noticed that it was a person lying there. He approached it and rolled the person over so he could see who it was and froze. A thousand things ran through his head at once. There was no way that this could be happening.

There is only one thing that he can think of to say, "Cheri?"

This is the end of this story arch. I would like to thank everyone who has read this and review it. The story will continue in the next story however. Keep your eyes open for the next one.

UPDATE: The sequel is up now called Avatar of the Phoenix