A/N: Sorry about the lengthy author's note, but please read this. I do not own any of these characters; all rights belong to Marvel. Now, on to what I want to say. I have received some constructive criticism that the story is a bit out of wack or rushed in better terms, mainly plot-wise, but it also makes some sense, which I agree with! So, I will do a better job keeping a steady pace from now on. By the time this chapter is uploaded, I will have updated and fixed some grammar errors and may have changed a few random details for chapters 1-6. By the way, some people think David is an OC. He's not! He's David Alleyne, better known as Prodigy from the X-Men. He will have a bigger storyline in the future as soon as my two current storylines are over: Jean's secret and the aftermath of Ororo losing her powers.

Summary: A few flashbacks of how Jean dealt with the news of who the father of her daughter is. Ororo struggles to deal with the random visions she sees and learns more about her treatment to restore her powers.

Warning(s):

italics = urgent tone being used, thoughts or telekinetic conversation

Chapter 7

One and a half months ago

"Hello Jean, where's Scott?"

Jean smiles at the blue beast as she walks past him into the medical lab. "He was called into the War Room with the others, so it's just me and baby Rachel this afternoon." Hank offers his large hand to her, which she gladly accepts to help sit on the examination table. This was Jean's final time seeing Hank. Despite the surrounding craziness, she was excited to bring a child into this world.

As Hank walks around the table to the ultrasound machine, Jean lifts her shirt, revealing her bulging stomach. Hank squeezes the little tube over her stomach, and thick, cold jelly touches her skin; however, she is used to the cold gel and isn't fazed by it. Jean turns to her right and watches the screen as Hank gently presses the wand on her belly. There! A once-tiny blueberry is now the size of a honeydew melon. The expected redhead beams with exhilaration. Jean wasn't sure if it was her hormones, but she knew her happiness caused tears in her eyes.

"Little Rachel is now the size of a melon! She's growing very well, my dear." Hank looks over at his old friend and smiles at her. Hank turns serious as he focuses on the screen. "There's good blood flow from the umbilical cord to her blood vessels." He presses a button on the wand and the monitor, making them hear a robust and rhythmic heartbeat. "Excellent heartbeat! She's strong and healthy, Jean!"

Hank grabs a paper towel, gently rubs the gel off Jean's abdomen, and turns the machine off. As Jean pulls her shirt down, Hank holds a clipboard with some papers attached. Jean can only presume it is regular paperwork for her file. "My dear Jeannie, have you experienced any Braxton Hicks yet?"

"No."

"Any alarming discomfort?"

"No."

"Are you having trouble using the bathroom?"

"No, but I think I'm using it too much." She jokes, making Hank chuckle. The blue-furry doctor checks off some more things and then puts the clipboard down. He clears his throat as he stands. "I do have the results of the paternity test. Would you like to see them?"

She gulps as she nods slowly, sitting herself up on the table. Hank reaches behind him and grabs an envelope. He opens it and reads, "As for the paternity of baby Rachel's biological father, Scott Summers is 99.9999999999% positive."

Hank looks up at her from his reading glasses and notices she isn't smiling, but she doesn't look disappointed either. "Jean?"

She smiles faintly and rubs her belly. "That's great news, Hank! Scott will be happy." With the help of Hank, Jean gets down from the examination table. Hank hands her the envelope with the results and hugs her. "Well, the next time we see each other should be when little Rachel graces us with her presence, my dear friend."

Six weeks later,

Jean was struggling to deal with the pain from her contractions. Her dear husband, Scott, was holding on to her left hand while her right hand tightly gripped the sidebar of her hospital bed.

Rouge was being prepped by one nurse on the other side of the room. Rouge required each hand of hers to have on three gloves because of her fear of touching the infant. The other nurse had just finished preparing the epidural, assuring Jean it would kick in within a few seconds. Sweat dripped from Jean's forehead, falling into her eyes as she groaned loudly. She felt Scott whispering comforting words into her ear as he tapped a cold towel on her forehead.

All prepped up, Rouge grabbed a stool and sat between Jean's spread-apart legs. "Alright, Ms. Grey! Big push for me, please!" Scott felt the pain as his wife crushed his hand. Jean loudly groans as she pushes with all her might until she can't anymore. She leans back and pants heavily while crying softly.

"Push!"

After a few more big pushes, Jena felt relief as enormous pressure left her body. Quick, Jean! Do it! Do it! Do it!

Even though she was drained, she focused and controlled everyone's mind, alternating their vision. "Congratulations! It's a girl! Oh wow, she has a head full of black hair." Rouge chuckles, not thinking of it, as she wraps the crying baby in a towel provided by one of the nurses. One of the nurses smiles at Scott and offers him a pair of scissors. The leader of the X-Men takes it and happily cuts the cord. The nurses then take the infant and follow the proper protocol, such as cleaning and measuring her.

She felt Scott kiss her hand before letting it go. He walked over to the nurses. She could faintly hear him ask for a paternity test. Rouge blocks her vision; she can only imagine one nurse swapping his mouth for his saliva.

"You feel alright, Ms. Grey?" Rouge asks her. The telepath nods and looks up at her. "What does she look like, Rouge?"

Rouge smiles sweetly and says, "She's a cutie." Rouge looks behind her at Scott and leans to her teacher's ear. "I'm only telling you because I'm sure you're anxious. She looks just like Logan."

It worked! It worked!

Jean smiles.

Thirty minutes later, Scott had gone off somewhere in the hospital, talking to Charles about what happened at the UN. A nurse walks into Jean's hospital room, holding Rachel in her arms. "Ms. Grey? I have the results requested by your husband." The woman passes her the envelope.

"Would you mind telling me the results? I'll give this to my husband to open."

The nurse slightly raises an eyebrow but obliges: "It says that your husband, Scott, is the biological father of Rachel, ma'am."

Jean gulps and nods, letting a "thank you" slip from her lips. She watches as the nurse leaves the room. Her eyes glanced at the corner chair where her hospital bag sat. Using her powers, she telepathically moves it, resting the bag on her side, and opens it up to retrieve a similar tan envelope. Jean opens it and views the forged DNA results she made using the template of Hank's results.

She smirked and telepathically threw the envelope the nurse had given her into the trash, burying it with random pieces of trash. Her mind pushed her hospital bag back into the chair, zipping it back up. Just in time to hear the doorknob turn, she instantly used her powers to control whoever entered the room. Scott came back inside.

"Are those the results?"

Present

Ororo woke up with a headache. The rhythmic pounding against her skull made her groan as her eyes adjusted to the light in her room. Every time she blinked, she saw baby Rachel looking like Scott, with the infant's hair as brown as his, eyes just like his, and facial structure like his.

That had to be my mind playing tricks on me.

A sudden light knock on her door startled her. She gets up and approaches the door, putting on her silk robe before opening it. Her eyes instantly met Logan's, who stood there with a smirk.

"Looking good, 'Ro."

"Good morning to you, too, Logan." She blushes as if he hasn't seen her like this before. The red flushing of her cheeks fades as she remembers the visions she keeps having. She quickly gets the image out of her head for a moment.

His hands slid into his sweatpants' front pockets. "I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a run with me before my class starts." She looks back at the lock on her wall, which reads 10 a.m. Logan's class would begin right after lunch. Ororo knew that despite being powerless, she would still need to keep in shape and sharpen her skills.

"I'll meet you on the track in ten minutes, my love."

Logan smirked and gently caressed her chin before pulling her closer to him with ease and leaning in to kiss her. Ororo was surprised at him. She felt her shoulders relax as she closed her eyes and returned the soft kiss. He pulled away from their kiss and walked off down the hall.

Rachel's not his.

Rachel is not his daughter.

Rachel is Scott's.

Rachel is the spitting image of her mother and Scott together.

Oh my gosh, Rachel isn't Logan's!

The weight of this information made her gag, and she quickly closed her bedroom door. Leaning against the door, she attempted to take slow and deep breaths in and out slowly. Her stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels and flips. Ororo went into her bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. With her stomach still in knots, she freshened up and dressed quickly in some workout leggings, a sports bra, and a cropped zip-up hoodie.

After that, she walked downstairs straight to the kitchen, hearing laughter. She naturally enters with a bright aura despite her stomach feeling queasy. Her eyes widen as she sees Jean giggling with baby Rachel, whom Scott holds. Rouge, Gambit, and Morph were eating breakfast along the kitchen island.

"Morning 'Ro!" Jean smiles.

Ororo felt her hands clammy but smiled and returned the greeting, "Good morning, everyone!"

"Tu looks belle, Ms. Munroe."

"Merci, Gambit!" She smiles at the Cajun student and gracefully walks over to him and Rouge, gently squeezing their shoulders. To them, it was just a nice acknowledgment, but to Ororo, it was comforting to keep whatever she had for dinner still in her stomach.

Rachel's soft noises and giggles made Ororo slightly sad. She looks up at the infant and sees the black hair and blue eyes. Ororo tries to keep her face still. That's not what I saw.

Yes, it is!

Her sudden, booming voice startled her, making her jump. Rouge looks at her worryingly. "Are you alright, Ms. Munroe? You didn't touch my skin, did you?!"

"No, no. I am fine, Marie. I just felt a little shiver."

Her eyes travel to Jean, holding Rachel and kissing her daughter's chubby cheek. Ororo could've sworn she saw a slight smirk on the telepath. The weather witch was not impressed by her friend's antics. Lying was one thing, but mind-fucking everyone and their vision was another. Her patience for Jean ran out quickly, but she believed she should take the high road. "Jean! Logan and I are going to take David to IHOP. I was wondering if we could take Rachel with us."

The telepath cut her eyes off but didn't get a chance to speak as Scott's voice cut her off. "That sounds nice." Ororo noticed Jean roll her eyes. "It's not Logan's day, so no."

Ororo held back a chuckle. She knew it wasn't Logan's day to have Rachel, but she also believed that Jean wanted Rachel within her bounds to control everyone.

The two women stared at each other for a moment. Jean cleared her throat and spoke, "Ororo, a moment, please?" She smiled to break their company and led Ororo away from the kitchen. They walked into the massive library down the hall.

Jean faces Ororo as they stop in the extensive library, standing between rows of bookshelves. She opens her mouth to speak when Ororo cuts her off. "Please do yourself a favor and get out of my head. I do not take kindly to people tricking my mind without my consent, my dear Jean."

The redhead crosses her arms over her chest and scoffs, "I don't know what you're talking about, 'Ro." Her face was stone cold with a raised eyebrow as she challenged the weather witch.

Not one to back away from a challenge, Ororo leans close to Jean's face. "Tricking everyone's mind doesn't ring a bell? How about the fact that you're hiding the fact that Logan is not Rachel's father?"

The stone-cold face cracks, earning Ororo a glare. "Ororo, are you sure you're feeling okay? Anyone here would tell you that Rachel is practically Logan's twin." Oh, how Ororo wanted to smack the smirk off of Jean's face.

"You're playing a dangerous game here, Jean. You're hurting them. Scott, Logan, and Rachel. That child isn't a pawn for you to get back something that wasn't yours in the first place."

Jean stares as Ororo continues, "You know how attached Logan is to that little girl. How do you think he will feel when he finds out?"

"He won't." The redhead spits it out like fire. Her cheeks flushed as she lightly pushed up against Ororo. If Ororo still had her powers, you could be certain a light rumble of thunder would be heard in the distance. Ororo stares into Jean's eyes. "You can't stop him from finding out the truth."

Ororo walks off, leaving Jean foaming at the mouth in rage. The goddess enters the hallway and goes to the backyard track field. There, she saw Logan leaning against a tree, talking to Jubilee. She lightly jogs over to them with a smile. "Hello there, Jubilee." The teen wearing an all-yellow tracksuit greets her with a smile. "Ms. Munroe, what's up? Here to torture me with Wolvie?"

Ororo raises an eyebrow as Logan chuckles deeply. "Instead of detention, Jubilee here owes me a week-long extra hour of track." Hearing his explanation made Ororo slightly nod. Jubilee continues after getting a nudge from Logan, "I took his bike without his permission." The white-haired goddess sighed. Jubilee was one of the wilder students, so she was not surprised by her crime.

"Is today the first day?"

The Asian teen nods. Logan pats her on the back. "Go ahead and start running laps, kid." Jubilee loudly groans and walks over to the track, dreading this punishment; however, spending the week in boring detention with Professor Xavier or Hank was worse in comparison. Logan pulled out the timer and set it for an hour as Jubilee took her spot in a lane. "Ready, set, go!" Jubilee begins to jog lightly.

"Running for an hour, Logan? How many miles is that?" Ororo asked, watching the girl jog at a consistent pace. He shrugs. "She could probably do up to 5 or 7 miles." His white fangs appear as he sneaks his arm around her waist. "Leggings, hmm?" Ororo jumps slightly, feeling the sudden pinch on her bottom. She playfully smacks his chest and says, "Logan Howlett! Jubilee is right there." She whispers.

He smirked and said that the teen was barely paying them any attention. He licks his lips, almost putting Ororo in a trance, and compliments her. "I can't help it. You look good in them." He leans into her ear, pushing a loose strand behind it, and whispers, "Let me rip them off, darling." His deep voice sent chills down her spine—heavens, she wanted to let him do what he pleased right here under the tree.

Ororo's cheeks turn red as she gently pulls away from him. "We should start running too, my love. I do have my first session with Forge in two hours." Logan gulped down his thirst for her bodily nectar, understanding that she would like some time to get mentally ready for her healing session. As Jubilee passed them for her first lap, they walked into their lanes and started to jog lightly alongside each other.

Her run with Logan was great, but it didn't clear her mind. She was still thinking of Logan and everyone else being lied to about Rachel's biological father. Ororo anxiously picked at her fingers. She wanted to scream out what Jean was doing but felt she would need hard-core evidence to convince everyone.

As the hot water poured over her in the shower, enveloping her in steam, Ororo found herself lost in thoughts of the painful memory of losing her powers and revealing to Logan the truth about not being Rachel's father. Tears mingled with the water streaming down her face, and in that vulnerable moment, she realized she was free to let her emotions out. She hugged herself tightly, allowing herself to cry without holding back, feeling the soothing release as she rocked slowly.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Ororo?!"

Her head snapped up to the door. She quickly wipes her eyes.

"Darling, are you alright?"

It was Logan. Ororo attempts to pull herself together and tries to respond in a steady voice, "I am fine, Logan! Just taking a relaxing shower." She lies. She hears him moving around, then fiddles with the locked door knob. "I smell the lies, 'Ro. Don't make me have to barge in there."

Crap, she thought. She forgot that his nose could pick out any scent. She opens the glass shower door, steps into her pink slides, and wraps a towel around her frame before opening the door slightly. She peeks through the cracked door to see Logan anxiously staring back at her.

"You're crying, 'Ro."

"I am just reminiscing about my powers, my dear."

Logan cuts his eyes at her, not saying anything. He steps closer, and Ororo feels herself walking backward into the bathroom as he steps through the door. He lifts her up and sits her on the marble sink counter, standing between her legs. His calloused hands rub against her smooth, long legs.

He kisses her tear stains, licking at them a few times, making Ororo giggle. He catches her chin to stare into her bloodshot eyes before leaning in to kiss her passionately.

She kisses him back and snakes her arms around his neck. A slight moan escaped her lips as he groaned. Their tongues danced slowly with each other. He breaks their kiss, a long string of saliva still connecting them. "Will you let me make you feel better, darling?" His breathy voice filled her ears. At this point, nothing else mattered to Ororo; she craved Logan as much as he craved her. "Yes, please." She gasps, feeling a sudden, brutal intrusion enter her.

"Come in, Ororo."

Ororo walks into Hank's office, where Hank, Charles, and Forge stand. A bunch of files lie around the three. Hank gestures for her to take a seat. She obliges, sitting in the leather seat. Charles smiles, wheeling his chair closer to her to kiss her cheek. "We are pleased you changed your mind about not doing treatment, my dear child."

She politely smiles, still unhappy with her ex-fiance, Forge, being here. "It's not like I had much of a choice now, did I, Charles?"

Charles was not disturbed by her snarky comment. It was true. He did force her into it, but he did not regret it. "I apologize for my hasty approach, but I believed you were making an ill error by not accepting our help." Deep down, Ororo knew that Charles loved her deeply, treating her like he had been his biological daughter since they met. He was just a father concerned for his child. If the shoes were on the opposite foot and David had ignored help, she might have reacted the same way.

Her eyes landed on a new device she hadn't seen before, and she figured this was part of her treatment. It looked like a regular chair. Ororo raised an eyebrow. "What is this device, Forge?"

Forge, a brilliant inventor and technopath, is always eager to explain his latest invention to anyone who will listen. "This, my dear Ororo, is the X-Gene Reintegrator. It is designed to reverse the effects of any technology or mutation suppressor that has stripped your powers." Forge stops while Hank continues their presentation.

The blue-ferry doctor tells Ororo, "We are all aware that the X-gene is accountable for bestowing mutant abilities and power upon us. When your abilities were nullified, the gene was either damaged or deactivated. To address this issue, Forge and I developed a device utilizing nanotechnology and energy manipulation to target and mend the X-gene at a molecular scale specifically."

Forge once again takes the floor to elaborate on the procedure. "First, it scans your DNA to locate the dormant or damaged X-gene sequences. Then, using nanobots, it meticulously repairs or reactivates those sequences. The energy field emitted by the device stabilizes the gene and jumpstarts its expression, effectively restoring your powers to their full potential."

Ororo, resting her chin on her fingers, was utterly absorbed in their presentation. She couldn't help but feel grateful to have people in her life who genuinely cared and wanted to assist her.

Forge's voice interrupts her thoughts: "The procedure is non-invasive, and it should be effective for most cases of power loss—whether it's due to a mutant power dampener, an inhibitor collar, or even the more exotic devices we've encountered over the years. However, there are always exceptions with any technology. I'll need to closely monitor the process to ensure it's working as intended and that your body isn't rejecting the treatment."

The inventor explains the procedure step-by-step. "Using the device is pretty straightforward. First, you'll need to sit or lie in this chair—it's comfortable and equipped with sensors to scan your entire body and identify the state of your X-gene. Once the scan is complete, the handheld unit emits a focused energy pulse that interacts directly with your X-gene. It takes 10 to 15 minutes, and the energy field triggers the nanobots to repair or reactivate your X-gene. It's non-invasive, and once it's done and works well, you should start feeling your powers returning. I'll monitor your vitals and power levels throughout to ensure everything goes smoothly."

After the inventors finish presenting their device, Charles looks at Ororo. "What do you think?" The lengthy explanation sounded good to Ororo. She gives them a nod. "When do we start?"

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm curious to see your reviews!