The Professor, Forge, Hank, Scott and Pietro stood in the observatory room only a few feet away from Jean, who once again had the odd device on her head. She looked behind her, concern on her face.

"Jean, it is quite alright. We will do not want to overwhelm you. That is why we are conducting the experiment on only a few of the X-Men at a time. We are going to try this on the kids that have the least possibility of going through any unexpected difficulties. Remy, Kitty, Kurt and Ororo. Stay calm, and try to channel the energy you did the first time." The Professor spoke through the intercom. The children in question were playing with some cars in front of Jean while the others were upstairs taking a nap induced by the Professor and they were unlikely to wake up any time soon.

"Alright. Here I go…" Jean braced her covered head between her hands, focusing on the children. She remembered what they looked like as adults and how they acted, but she couldn't help looking at them as kids. After a moment, she stopped, having failed.

"Professor, can I go talk to her?" Scott asked, watching Jean's shoulders slump and Kitty run up to her and ask her to play. Jean refused.

"Go, Scott." The Professor rolled over to where Forge was analyzing some data, Hank and Pietro following.

Scott walked into the lab, motioning for Jean to go into the hallway with him. She took off the device and followed him out, keeping her head down.

"Scott, I… I don't want them to go back to normal. How can I? What if they go back to normal and don't remember what happened? What if Rogue still hates me? And she never gets control of her powers? What if Kitty forgets that Lance tried to kidnap her as a child? What if Wanda forgets that she actually cares about her brother?"

"Jean," Scott replied, pulling her into a hug. "Even if they do forget, these are the moments that will last forever, even if it's just to us." Scott moved her to arms length, still keeping hold of her. "If it ever comes to the point where we have to raise kids, I want it to be our own anyway. This was great practice, but when we do have little feet running around the mansion it wont be from some failed experiment, it will be because two people love each other and want to have hope for the future, for their kids. Jean, when I get the chance to raise a child, I want it to be mine, not someone I view as a friend. Don't you think?"

Jean sighed. Scott was right. She loved the X-Men as children, but the fact was that without them, Xavier would not have his team of mutants to save the world, as well as she would lose some good friends.

"Alright. Let's get in there and get our friends back!"

Jean strolled back into the room, radiating confidence that she knew was still only skin deep. Putting back on the device, Jean focused.

Jean remembered when Kitty was older, how she had just completed her second year of study at Bayville University, studying computer science and engineering. Jean remembered how proud they all were of her when she came home from the dorms for the summer and all she could talk about was how electronics worked and how she used her powers to help the process.

Jean even remembered when, against Jean and Scott's wishes, Kitty taught Amara and Jubilee how to hotwire a car (something she'd learned in college, go figure). Logan's bike and Scott's convertible were missing for days. The two, for once, managed to agree on some serious DR time for the culprits. Kitty also got a reprimanding, at which she just rolled her eyes.

Jean remembered when Remy had first joined the X-Men 6 years ago, and to this day he still maintains that his attraction to Rogue had everything to do with it. Rogue, though, having absorbed him many times since he joined (the scoundrel trying many crazy stunts to get her attention), told the girls at a sleepover one time that he did believe in the cause, probably more than most people in the mansion. She also indulged that he enjoyed Michael Jackson, often times dancing and singing along with his CDs.

Jean also remembered when Gambit saved Rogue a few years back from a Friends of Humanity mob that cornered her in an alley. He still claims he wasn't following her at the time, although Rogue is grateful either way.

Jean remembered when Kurt first asked Wanda out; how he had been so scared, stumbling over his words, and Wanda had no idea what was going on. Finally, Kurt teleported to the garden and picked a tiger lily, quickly teleporting back to the girl and saying "Vanda, here. I'm sorry I wasted your time, you're just so awesome and… I vould really like a date? Not the fruit, the.. the one with dinner and a movie? Or maybe no movie, maybe a play? I don't know if you like plays but…" When Kurt finally paused for a moment, Wanda hugged him and said yes. Jean remembered their fights, as well as their romantic moments.

Jean also remembered when, just a week before the accident, Kurt helped the just-graduated X-Men play a prank on the older generation in which they bought and set loose 10 pigs in the rooms of the older X-Men, labeling them 1 through 11, skipping the number 6. Finally, the elders realized the prank, having given up on finding the 11th pig. Jean also remembered the brutality of Wolverine's DR session and Kurt's punishment, a summer long internship with Kitty's Cooking School. Kurt's job was the official taste tester.

Jean remembered how much of a mother Ororo had been to her and others. She remembered one time when Amara had been heart-broken after a crush turned out to be a mutant hater, and Ororo just held the crying girl, rocking her back and forth. The red-head remembered when Gambit crossed a line with Rogue, saying some inappropriate things, how the weather witch reprimanded him and gave him advice, as well as comforting Rogue every time the girl cried from the desire to touch.

Jean reminisced for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes. She knew that she wanted her friends back.

Focusing on her memories, Jean began to channel through her mind a small portion of the Phoenix's energy, feeling it radiate from her. Jean's hair began to whip her face and smoke filled the room. Scott made to race into the room to see if everyone was all right, but the Professor stopped him.

"Let it happen, Scott," the Professor said, attempting to reach out his mind to sense what was going on. A few seconds later, the Professor began to smile, pulling his hands away from his face. "I believe we have success."

There, lying on the floor, were the 5 X-Men, all in their adult forms, and all, according to the Professor, were in the correct state of mind and retained complete knowledge of the events that had occurred.

XxXxX

Meanwhile, Mystique was furious. She couldn't believe that that the X-Men had beaten her even when numbers were in her favor! Angry, she intended to retaliate. She intended to pull together unknown mutants. Perhaps the Morlocks, or others would join her. She WOULD get her daughter back. Rogue was destined to be in her future and no old bat was going to stop her.

She had a plan. A most evil and excellent plan. They were children, yes, but they were also X-Men. Xavier would manage to manipulate them back to normal by the end of it. This plan would mean that the woman would have finally won.

XxXxX

A/N: So I have to say this was one of the most fun chapters to write. I'm starting to wrap things up (though it may not seem like that), hopefully there will only be a few more chapters (3? 4? but don't quote me on that). Anyway, the little memories Jean had of the X-Men were kind of things I wish would happen or that they would show more of in the show, or with the older versions just stuff I hope would happen if things continued, but I didn't want to write full stories on them or try to fit them into another story.

I love all of you that review, it really makes my day :)