Chapter Two

Jean opened her eyes. The sun was streaming in through the window, and a note tapped to the door told Jean that Scott was out with Hank, looking at some new hardware for the Cerebro system. But meanwhile, a noise had waked Jean. She threw her covers aside and flung the apartment door open, running downstairs. She heard Ororo scream. "Storm?" Jean shouted. She jumped over the banister, landing on the rug not-so-gracefully, and slid to a stop. Jean saw a flash of claws, and dirty hair. "Sabretooth!" Jean gasped.

Sabretooth tossed Ororo aside as though she were a doll and slowly turned to Jean. He grinned, his fangs gleaming. Jean backed up before lifting her arms in front of her as he walked slowly toward her. She tried to throw him back with a telekinetic punch, or tell his mind to stop, but nothing was working. He grabbed Jean by the throat, slamming her against the wall. "Get . . . off . . ." Jean choked. She kicked the wall.

"What's going on?" Bobby literally slid into the hall in Jeans line of vision.

"Help!" She called hoarsely.

"Holey – Hold on, Jean!" Bobby shouted for his friend as his form turned to sheer ice. He charged at Sabretooth, but the older man knocked Bobby aside with one hand. Bobby slammed into a table. Sabretooth looked back at Jean.

"I've been waiting a long time to watch you die," he growled with an awful smile.

His face suddenly twisted as something hard twisted his neck with a sickening crack. He collapsed on the floor. "And I've been waiting a long time to watch you die – over and over and over," a clear, brisk, British voice said. Jean shook her head to clear her head, putting her hand on the banister to steady herself. She looked at her help – she was tall, and Jean took an intake of breath. She was pure diamond. As Jean watched, the woman phased into a beautiful young woman. Her blonde locks fell over her shoulders, and her ice blue eyes sparkled with cold. Jean took in this woman's outfit, which was barley an outfit at all – a sparkly white top that stopped short of her belly button and a silver, tight mini skirt and boots that came to her thighs.

"Logan, darling!" she called. "Are you going to stand outside gossiping on that cellular device of yours like a teenage girl, or are you going to get your ass in here?"

"I'd tell you not to get your panties in a bunch, but there's no point when you don't wear none." Jean looked up at that familiar voice, and Logan's face as he appeared in the door way.

"Logan!" Jean stood up straight and ran for him. He opened his arms and she ducked into them. "Oh, Logan! Where have you been? I've missed you so much!"

He laughed and stroked her hair. "I missed you too, Jeannie." He held her out and examined her. "Are you hurt?" He asked with concern.

"I'm fine," She said. Jean heard a groan, and she spun around. "Bobby!" She helped the younger boy up, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Did a pretty crappy job saving you," he muttered.

Jean laughed and kissed his cheek. "What, are you kidding? He got a lucky shot at the Iceman!" Bobby smiled and rolled his eyes before helping Ororo to her feet.

"Ah, Logan, dear," said the tall blonde behind them. "If Mister Creed were to start to get up, should I . . .?"

"Just break his neck again, darling, and we'll deal with him later," Logan said without looking away from Jean.

Jean turned back to Logan. "I haven't seen you in, what, a year? What brings you back here?"

"I missed you and I hate him," Logan said, nodding at Sabretooths once again unmoving body.

"How did you know he was . . .?" Jean asked.

Logan nodded to the blonde woman. "Jeannie, this is Emma Frost. Sabretooth almost managed in kidnapping her last week."

"Why?" Jean gasped.

Emma shook her head, folding her arms. "Hell if I know, dearest. That's one mutant whose mind I can't read."

"Y-you're a telepath?" Jean asked in surprise. "I thought you're mutation was . . ."

"What, my diamond form?" Emma asked. She waved her hand dismissively. "A secondary mutation. Unfortunately, I cannot use my telepathic abilities while I'm in that form."

"That's amazing," Jean exclaimed.

Emma Frost smiled a bit. "I think I may come to like you a bit, Jean Grey-Summers."

"Where's the Professor?" asked Logan, crossing his arm.

"He's out of town for the week visiting an old friend," Jean said with a frown. "He'll be back in a few days. . ." She looked at the clock on the wall. "Bobby, what time did Scott and Warren head out?"

"I dunno, an hour ago? Hour and a half?" He shrugged as he leaned against the wall. Ororo sat on the stairs, watching curiously. "They should be back soon." There was a yelp, and Jean and Logan turned just in time to see Sabretooth getting back up, flinging Emma Frost to the side as though she were nothing. Just before Emma's head hit the hard marble floor, she phased into diamond. She caught herself, looking up with a look of utter disgust on her face.

"I. Have. HAD. IT. With. You," She said between clenched teeth. She stood, aiming a roundhouse at Sabretooth, who dodged and struck back, but Emma shook him off easily as she merciless pounded on him.

"Can she take all of that?" Jean asked Logan as they watched.

Logan nodded. "When the White Queen is in her diamond form, she feels no sympathy, empathy, and has nothing but a cold, cold heart. She's tireless in this form, too. She'll tear him to pieces."

Sabretooth retreated, busting through a window and looking back at Jean. "I'll be back to finish this," he snarled before running away.

"Let me follow!" Emma said pleadingly as she returned to her normal self.

Logan shook his head. "Leave 'em. He'll be back, and we'll be ready."

Jean knew better. This would keep happening, over and over, until Victor Creed got someone killed.

Or worse.