Chapter Twenty Seven: "Phoenix Burning."

Chapter Twenty Seven: "Phoenix Burning."

Rachel started her first day at Bayville High School after the papers were in order. How Xavier worked his magic, she didn't know and to be honest, Rachel was not going to ask too many questions about the situation. The red haired girl mused high school was a new experience for her, given that she spent most of her time previously running for her life. She home schooled herself, but that was the extent of her education.

The red haired girl walked beside Harry to the first period class they were going to. She got to know Harry a bit over the past week or so, and to be honest, she found Harry to be an enigma. Not that was a bad thing mind you, but it was an element that Rachel found herself curiously endeared with. The red head telepath started to help Harry piece together his fragmented psyche, which she found curious. He had the memories of someone from the other world, although who that person was, Rachel had no idea.

She was sure Harry would open more to her when time progressed. Still there was few things that were more intimate than allowing someone to delve into your mind and fix your memories. Rachel tried to keep a low profile, another thing that she was new to. The world she came for had a "shoot first and ask questions to the dead corpse" policy. This particular policy caused some level of confusion and frustration for her but that was how the world was.

The name "Rachel Nathan" was the alias she went for, using the name Nathan as an homage to her younger half brother, who was somehow still older than her. The entire Summers family tree gave her a headache sometimes but that was the set of cards life dealt Rachel. She knew that Rachel Grey rang too many alarm bells from the wrong sort of people.

"Don't worry about classes, they're not too bad," Harry whispered to Rachel in an undertone but Rachel just looked back at him with a smirk developing over her features.

"So says the person who's fought trolls, dragons, soul sucking monsters, and whatever else that's been thrown his way."

Harry gave a sheepish smile, she saw those memories but it had to be done. Rachel promised Harry that she would not tell a soul anything she saw. There were damaged barriers in Harry's mind that Rachel tried her hardest to repair. The red haired mutant saw some people with minds in disarray, and whilst Harry's was not that bad, Harry's mind sure was different.

"What's this about fighting dragons?" Amara asked when she joined Harry and Rachel outside of class, lingering as high school students were to do, to test the tardy bell to its fullest extent.

"Never mind, Amara, just a dream that I had one time," Harry answered with a smile that Amara returned. "Are you settling in alright?"

"I thought the cultural differences would be a shock, but I'm adjusting alright," Amara answered in an honest voice, a part of her pleased that Harry took such an interest in her well being. Well he took interest in the well being of all the new recruits, but Amara liked to think that he took a special interest in her. At least that's what she liked to hang onto as she found herself lost in his dazzling green eyes and messy black hair. She shook her head remembering that as royalty she should conduct herself with a bit more dignity. "Dealing with royalty has prepared me for anything."

Harry was glad that she settled in nicely to her new life at Bayville High School, it was a shock enough to find out that you had mutant gifts or any kind of gifts for that matter. The even bigger shock came when a person entered an entirely new civilization that was far different from their home. Harry had no idea of the inner workings of Nova-Roma, but from what Amara told him, it sounded quite interesting.

Amara pondered the enigma that was Harry Potter. He had two girlfriends without any problems and she observed he was a strong leader that inspired respect rather than commanding it. Those two traits stood out to her. The two girlfriends thing was not a problem to someone who came from a culture where royals had multiple spouses and Amara suspected that Harry came from a far different culture than was considered to be standard in the Western World.

"Hi, Harry," a dark haired girl with a dark complexion said when she walked out to greet him outside of class.

"Hey, Amanda, how are you doing today?" Harry asked to one of his classmates.

"Fine," Amanda replied with a smile towards Harry before she took a moment to look at him before she spit out the question she had. "So, I was wondering, you go to that private school where Kurt Wagner does, right?"

"Yeah," Harry answered as he considered the other girl carefully, with Rachel having a knowing look in her eyes that she tried to hide.

"So...does he ever mention me?" Amanda asked to Harry, a question that took Harry completely off guard. "Not that I'm really interested or anything...but you know we only share one period together, but..."

"Amanda, if you want to see if Kurt's interested, just talk to him, alright," Harry replied to her before the situation can get awkward. "He's a rather approachable guy and he won't make fun of you if you stumble over his words."

"Right, you'd know him, the real him, I mean you live with him," Amanda responded before she looked back at Harry. "Um, thanks, I guess."

"No problem," Harry answered before he turned to Amara and Rachel who both looked at him curiously. "I think that we should get to class."

"Of course, Professor," Amara answered to Harry with a smile before she turned around.

Harry was going to strangle Bobby Drake for getting that Professor thing started, but that was beside the point. It was time for them to focus and head on into class. They entered the classroom where they saw their science teacher. A kindly, but burly, man named Henry McCoy, who was soft spoken, yet athletic at the same time. He sat down and took roll to make sure everyone is present and accounted for.

"Perfect attendance with no tardys, well done," McCoy said when he looked at the class who nodded. "Today is going to be a special day, as I'm going to teach you the one lesson that I'm sure many of you will retain. Although, I do hope that none of you use this information to cause havoc in my classroom."

McCoy stopped for a moment to build up dramatic tension before he spoke softly but at the same time he captivated the attention of his students.

"I'm going to teach you the scientific process of how to make a stink bomb."

"I'm telling you right now, there's no way they could pin this back to me. I've had an alibi and everything. And you got to admit, the look on that guy's face was priceless."

Tabby laughed when she retold the story of her morning misadventure when sat sat at the table with lunch with Kitty, Rogue, Amara, Bobby, Kurt, Rachel, and Harry. She just told a story about how she managed to sneak one of her explosive cherry bombs underneath the seat of one Duncan Matthews.

"Be careful, using your powers in such a matter could get you caught," Harry answered when his eyes gazed off to the side, almost as if he was afraid that someone would pop up. Tabby turned to Harry with a smile.

"Oh lighten up, I wasn't going to get caught," Tabby responded when she looked at Harry with a smile.

"Stealth is everything," Harry commented lightly. "It's..."

"The difference between living and dying, and getting a drop on a deadly enemy," Bobby interrupted when he recited what Harry told him in the Danger Room training sessions, along with the rest of the New Mutants.

Harry grinned, he was glad that his words sunk in with the new recruits, but then again, he would hope that they would. Otherwise, he would be wasting his breath if he spoke them all. The young wizard mutant leaned back in the chair to eat the sandwich he prepared. After the horror stories he heard about school lunches, he always prepared his own lunch. Plus, Harry got to the point where he did not trust anyone to prepare his own food but him.

Moody would approve.

"At least you're making an impression on them," Kitty answered with a smile when she leaned forward to grab Harry's hand underneath the table. Rogue did likewise and Rachel peered at them from the other side of the table, glad she was able to shut down the incoming thought process. Otherwise, their thoughts might give her a headache with all of the incoming emotions.

"I'm glad to make the good kind of impression, the best kind of impression," Harry answered with a smile crossing over his face, which Rogue and Kitty returned.

"Oh, I believe that you're really able to make the best kind of impression, Harry," Rogue remarked to him with a knowing smile and wink.

Amara had to agree when Bobby and Kurt exchanged an apprehensive expression at the antics of Harry. She noted that Harry got his share of strange looks given his relationship with both of his girlfriends. That fact was curiosity in some aspects, jealously in the most cases, but when three people or more had a consenting relationship, there should be no need to complain about it.

People should take that as a chance to step up their game, instead of worrying about what Harry did.

"Big assembly today," Kurt piped in to change the subject abruptly and the X-Men team members nodded towards him. "Jean's getting her big award."

"I think she mentioned it once or twice," Rogue remarked before she added as an afterthought. "Once or twice a day maybe."

"Hey, Jean's proud of that and she has a right to be, she's had a good season," Kitty offered with a smile over her face.

Rachel enjoyed the opportunity to see her mother when she was younger, in a more innocent time, but the red haired girl wondered how long that would last. Tragedy followed the life of Jean Grey, almost to the where it was a sadistic curse. Not to mention Scott did not help matters. Rachel felt relief that Scott did not seem to be all that bad when he was a teenager, at least when compared to what he was as an adult.

She knew the strain that happened between Harry and Scott, about the leadership, and how Harry defaulted to being a leader without really going out of his way to take up the mantle. A Scott Summers who made a series of bad decisions based on people being afraid to speak up against him because Xavier groomed him flickered through Rachel's mind's eye.

A true leader needed to understand that there were times where they were going to be wrong, but over the next twenty years something happened to Scott. Perhaps it was the fact that he went uncontested by most of the X-Men, with a couple of exceptions, but regardless Scott twisted a little bit into the type of leader that thought they should have authority.

The bell rang to warn them that lunch would be over in five minutes and the group walked off, the assembly would be after lunch in the gym. Harry walked across first with the rest of the group tailing behind him, when a girl dressed in a black shirt and ripped jeans showed up to face him.

"Excuse me, but could you help me?" the red haired girl asked in a broken English with a slight German accent on her words.

"Yes, what do you need?" Harry asked when he looked at the girl, when the curtain of red hair swung down her face.

"My name is Sinthea Shimdt, and I'm a new student here, and I've found my first few classes to be difficult to get to," the girl stated in broken English when she looked at Harry firmly. "I was wondering if you could show me the way to, how do you say, your gymnasium, where they are having an assembly?"

"It's right down that corridor, to the right, here let me show you," Harry answered, his helpful nature getting the better of him.

Plus Harry also found himself a bit suspect at this young woman and her intentions, it just seemed rather odd to him that some random woman asked him for help. Something about that made Harry go on high alert.

"I thought Harry was going to wait for us," Kurt answered when Rogue stared forward with her eyes widened.

"Apparently, he's helping the new girl," Rogue responded when she looked the retreating form of her with a frown. "Her name's Shimdt, I had her second period, she's a bit stuck up if you asked me."

"Not a bad number, I'd definitely hit it," Bobby remarked when he looked at her.

"Forget it, she's the type that's bad news, trust me I've seen them," Tabby chimed in when she watched her.

"Bad news is putting it mildly," Rachel muttered to herself, she heard the name Shmidt before, but she couldn't place it. All she knew was it was something bad.

Kitty agreed that there was bad news when she could have sworn she saw the members of the Brotherhood approach Sinthea Shmidt, but she gave them a glare before they fell back in line.

"I think she's with the Brotherhood," Kitty remarked, having picked a few observation skills with Harry, even if she did not have Harry's abilities to read body language.

"That's bad news," Kurt chimed in when he took a moment but the group got lost in the crowd that all filed to the gym.

"The whole lot of you are imbeciles," Sinthea hissed to the Brotherhood when she glared at them behind the bleachers of the gym. "This is why you haven't defeated the X-Men, because you wouldn't known subtle if it slapped you in the face. And don't even get me started on how sloppy your last pitiful attempt was."

"What were you doing with Potter?" Lance asked with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I'm trying to gain the confidence of their leader so I can gain information, something that you wouldn't know about," Sinthea responded when she glared at the Brotherhood, but to Lance's credit he stood his ground, even if the other three members of the Brotherhood trembled.

Pietro found his voice soon enough to stare back at the young German girl, shaking his head before he cleared his thoughts.

"Um, hate to break this to you, babe, but Old Boy Scout Summers is the X-Geek's leader."

Sinthea ignored Pietro calling her by that term but a smile crossed over her face. She resembled at cat who had cornered her prey. The Brotherhood trembled in apprehension of what she could do to them and given the brutal beatings she gave them in training, she could do a lot. It made them almost long for the comfort and joy that Mystique offered them.

"I know who a leader is and I know who a stooge is," Sinthea replied to them after a long pause when she glared at the Brotherhood through a pair of narrowed eyes and she flipped her red hair away from her face. "Potter is their leader and if I am to gain his confidence, I can't have you lot bumbling around."

"Um, hate to say this, but Potter's got some body reading thing that allows him to kick our butts every time," Todd remarked when his eyes shifted but Sinthea threw her hands into the air without another word. "Was it something I said?"

"Maybe it's your breath?" Fred asked with a chuckle as Sinthea walked away cursing in German underneath her breath.

"I don't know what she said, but I'm sure it was hot," Pietro responded when she watched the German girl leave.

"Dude, I'm pretty sure that she said that you were a tool, or that she needed a tool, or maybe she wanted to fix you like the dog you are," Todd stated, these words caused the Brotherhood to look at him strangely. "What, I take German as my foreign language elective...I'm getting a D...hey that's passing."

"Of course, good for you," Lance responded when he mockingly patted Todd on the head.

Jean walked up to the podium in the gym, to ignore the headache that she had all day long. Her temples throbbed but she shook it off. It was nothing, likely just nerves of giving such a big speech among a group of people. That was perfectly natural, at least that's what Jean thought when she cleared her throat and turned to face the assembled student council.

She heard their thoughts, hundreds of them, thoughts that beat into her head like a sadistic drum. Jean tried to shake off the thoughts but there were many of them, they rattled the inside of her head, beating down upon it like a drum. There was a tap, tap, tap, that drummed over Jean's head but once again the red head shrugged it off, rubbing her temples and sighing. She adopted a happy and cheerful smile before Jean Grey proceeded to give her speech.

"Thank you all for this support, but I couldn't do anything that I did alone," Jean said in a boisterous tone of voice, to block out the thumping and all of the thoughts. On top of the ringing in her ears, Jean saw half of the student body picture her naked when she was on the stage and it was not just the males either. "I needed...my team...well they helped me a lot."

This statement had a double meaning, as Jean referred to her team on the soccer field and also her team in the X-Men, even if that was a mystery. The X-Men in question clapped the loudest at all and they all cheered.

'Maybe if we clap long, they'll delay final period and we'll go home early.'

'Man she's hot, I'd like to go up there and bend her over.'

'I wonder if this dress makes my butt look big.'

'Did I leave the iron on?'

Jean drew breath as she focused all of her control to her thoughts and the thoughts she heard echoed lightly, lighter yet.

"You cannot hope to contain me for much longer, Jean Grey."

Jean nearly smashed knee first into the podium but there was silence, dead silence after that unexpected statement in her head.

"Thank you, really thank you, your support means everything to me, and it just goes to show you that if you work hard, your dreams will come true," Jean answered before she stepped off the podium.

With that motion, Jean nearly lost her balance and fell on the gym floor, dizziness overwhelming her. The faculty members, including Mr. McCoy, stepped in but Jean just waved it off. Suddenly the thoughts of everyone in the school bombarded Jean and made her dizzy. This was worse than when that Vertigo woman bombarded her with those powers.

"Um, thanks, I need the restroom," Jean answered when she rushed off, feeling ill.

"You cannot deny what is in your head, Jean Grey!"

'Just who are you?' Jean thought to herself.

"I am you, what you choose not to be!' the voice that sounded much like Jean echoed in the back of her head. Jean rushed forward into the restroom and splashed cold water onto her face.

"I didn't expect you to remember me, you pretended that I wasn't there, but you tend to forget those closest to you. I protected you when you were seven and Xavier found about about us, and he sealed me away. But now you cannot deny the truth!"

Jean remembered the Shadow King and feared that this was another episode like that. She needed to get the Xavier Institute before this force took over her body.

"You cannot deny what is in your heart, Jean, you cannot deny me!" the force bellowed out loud. "You cannot deny the Phoenix!" 

Harry and Rachel were the first ones out of the assembly ahead of the rest of the team, with Kitty, Kurt, and Rogue behind, and Scott bringing up the rear.

"What happened there?" Scott asked them but it was Rachel who responded.

"She's losing control of it," Rachel stated when she bit her lip in a fretful manner.

"What is it?" Kitty asked who sensed the look of dismay in Rachel's eyes and a flash of something.

"The Phoenix," Rachel managed, she never expected everything to unravel this soon. "We got to hurry, Xavier won't be able to help her, it wants to destroy him and everyone else. Only Harry and I will be able to save her now."

"I can help," Scott said trying to step up.

"The Phoenix won't recognize you as anything but a threat," Rachel told Scott, her voice softening towards him for the first time. "You're Xavier's chosen leader and thus the Phoenix will destroy you first, if you get in it's way."

"What is the Phoenix?" Rogue wondered piping up for the first time as she clutched her hands.

"A force as old as the universe itself, and Jean is the latest person to be gifted from it's powers," Rachel explained when she kept calm. Jean already blew past them and she did not realize the danger that she put Xavier in by going back to the Mansion. "It has great cosmic power, it's a force of nature, and most who have been gifted with it have died."

"And this thing is in Jean!" Scott exclaimed when he stepped up.

"No, that thing is Jean, fueled with her repressed emotions and without inhibitions," Rachel said when she breathed heavily, sweat came down her face, she did not expect her cover blown in such a way this soon into her trip.

Perhaps she could wipe their minds when this is over but that was not something she wanted to get into the habit of doing.

Jean screamed out loud in pain when she blew into the Xavier Institute where Xavier, Ororo, and Logan greeted her. The red haired woman tugged at her hair in frantic fury when she staggered forward and the walls and windows rattled.

"Jean, calm yourself child, we cannot help you if you let this get away with you," Ororo offered in a pacifying voice but Jean's eyes turned, fixed on Xavier's burning with fury.

'Jean, you need to concentrate, defeat this force within you,' Xavier thought to Jean but he felt a burning heat rise up from Jean's mind.

"You're the force that needs to be destroyed Xavier!" the Phoenix bellowed with a force that sent Xavier and his wheelchair flying back. Jean backed off, apologetic expression on her face but the Phoenix was firmly in control. "You fear me, for I am something that you cannot control, so you put blocks on her mind, well these blocks whittled away over time and I broke out when the time was right. You try and temper a goddess and dumb her down for a mortal mutant girl."

Jean rushed into her bedroom and bolted the door shut behind her. The Phoenix kicked up a storm and she flung herself on the bed.

'Leave me alone, make it stop, please for the love of God, make it stop,' Jean thought in a panic, freaking out when she hyperventilated and caused cars to levitate above the ground, with every single window in the neighborhood shattering.

The Phoenix kicked up a physic storm around Jean's room, flinging furniture like a tornado and creating a cyclone around her. Jean buried her face in a pillow and hoped that this would be some bad dream that she would be about to wake up from. She grabbed two hands full of her hair.

"What I don't not get the most is why you hold a torch for that thing that is beneath you,' the Phoenix commented over the link to her.

'What thing?' Jean thought practically whimpering in her mind.

"Scott Summers,' Phoenix thought back to Jean.

'Scott and I are just friends, nothing more, but I'm not sure about that, he's barely talked to me after the incident with the Asteroid,' Jean fired back to Phoenix when her eyes screwed shut.

"We know Duncan is a mere diversion but let's face it, Scott isn't much better,' the Phoenix fired back at Jean. "He's merely a little man, Xavier's puppet dangling on the strings. I would think that a Honor Student, someone who is bright and strong, would have more ambition than to go for the follower, the lacker."

Jean placed her hands on her temple and gave an anguished scream but Phoenix was not done lecturing her.

"He is far better for you, he is a far more worthy mate, he has power," Phoenix responded in Jean's head as it continued to thump in her.

'Who are you talking about?' Jean managed through the hazed fog that was her mental arena.

"You know who I'm talking about, and do not deny that you haven't thought about it either," the Phoenix thought back to Jean. "Scott is an extension of Xavier's will, while he is his own leader, and has been touched by the Phoenix in his own way much like you."

Jean looked like she was having a seizure as she tried to mentally argue that Scott had his own ambitions and wondered why the Phoenix had such thoughts on Professor Xavier. She seemed bitter that Xavier locked her away, but surely Xavier had his reasons.

"Xavier had his reason, but everyone does before they commit acts of violence against someone," Phoenix thought back to Jean savagely. "But you're diverting from the subject, the most powerful woman should be on the arm of the most powerful man, not some stooge. It is the law of universal nature."

Jean trembled but she wondered about what the Phoenix was saying. Before she could think too much about this, a distraction manifested itself.

The doors broke open when Rachel, Harry, and Scott entered the room, Harry blocking the broken pieces of wood and other debris that spun around the room with a well placed shield charm. Jean recognized Scott and that moment of recognition allowed Rachel and Harry to slip past her defenses.

Jean shook her head when she stood on the Astral Plan, face to face with a second red haired girl that was identical to her. Her hair whipped back in flame, she looked much older, and a flare of power swam in her eyes that Jean felt humbled by.

"I'm surprised you're able to look me in the eye, Jean," Phoenix responded to Jean but Jean's eyes blinked.

"You are me," Jean breathed when she stared back at the Phoenix, feeling a tightening in her stomach region.

"Yes, I am the manifestation of all of your hidden thoughts, desires, all of them forbidden, all of the things you wish to do but are too soft to pull the trigger on," Phoenix responded when Rachel and Harry stood before them. The Phoenix's eyes stared upon him.

"Jean's...she's not ready for this, it's tearing her apart," Rachel pleaded to the Phoenix when she looked back from Jean to the Phoenix and back to Harry.

"I could never hurt her," Phoenix remarked in a crisp voice but Harry stood forward. The Phoenix gazed in Harry's eyes when he stared back at her and the two of them exchanged a long, hard expression.

"You are hurting her, you need to let her go, let her return," Harry said to the Phoenix before he added. "When Jean is ready to embrace this side of her, when the time is right, she will...but now's not the time."

The Phoenix closed her eyes before a flash of fire appeared in the Astral Plane.

"Very well," Phoenix stated before she paused. "But there will come a day where I must take control, regardless of whether or not Jean Grey wants or desires."

A flash of fire continued to circle around them before Rachel and Harry blinked, they returned back to the room where they stood in and Jean collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily, sweat rolling down her face. She saw that this was not some kind of weird dream, her room was trashed.

For some reason, Jean felt she had better control over her powers and Scott moved over to greet her, but Jean slid away from him, turning her back on him.

"I need a moment alone," Jean remarked when she looked up at Scott. "I've got some things that I need to think about."

Scott grimaced but he understood and he also wondered what happened in Jean's mind when Rachel and Harry went slack. A barrier popped up to block Scott's progress to helping Jean but she looked okay. At least she looked okay from the physical sense, mentally and emotionally was another kettle of fish entirely.

Jean sat on the bed, she could feel the Phoenix within her, and feel the power that it offered. It relinquished full control of her body back to Jean for now, but what if it came back? That was a question Jean mulled over in her mind and the answers did not please her at all.

"So, I need to get away to clear my head for a little bit, after what happened."

"Jean, there's no need to..."

"Yes, there is a need, Scott!" Jean snapped before she looked away and hid the expression of despair in her eyes. "I could have hurt any one of you with my powers after what happened today, and do you think that I want to live with that?"

"This isn't about what happened on Asteroid M, is it?" Scott asked, when he decided to bring up that elephant in the room that dogged them for the last month or so.

This was the absolute wrong thing to say to Jean for when no sooner did those words leave Scott's mouth Jean rounded upon him, her eyes flaring in fury. The temperamental redhead teenager could not believe that Scott could make this about his shortcomings. She closed her eyes, mentally counting to thirty, before she peered at Scott.

"No Scott, contrary to popular belief, everything that happens on this team doesn't revolve around you," Jean answered before Scott could really say anything more. She stepped when she held an overnight bag in her hand. "Get your act together, and I'll get mine together."

"Something happened with you and Harry in your mind," Scott responded but then he stopped when he realized how accusatory that seemed, especially with the way he framed that. "I mean...I didn't mean to imply..."

Jean's green eyes snapped on Scott's face when she tried to figure out how to best answer that question in a manner that did not make her seem like a raving lunatic. The red haired young woman pressed her fingers to the side of her temple long and hard, her gaze focused on Scott. Scott stood to face Jean before she answered his inquiry.

"Harry...well Harry convinced the Phoenix to let go of me, for it was hurting me. That's not what she wanted."

Jean decided that it would be best not to tell Scott what the Phoenix wanted or rather who she wanted. Until the moment Jean could sort out her own mind and thoughts, it was best if she stayed away from the X-Men. It would just lead to fewer broken hearts and damaged spirits, plus it would mess up the entire team dynamic. Jean did not want to be responsible for that.

Although in the back of her mind, she feared some kind of break within the team, with Scott and Harry eventually. Jean was bright, she saw Harry doing what he could to amass money and resources even if he did hide it from Xavier and Scott to the best of his knowlege. The time would come when Harry decided that the Institute taught him all he needed to know and he would elect to leave. Jean saw it coming and wondered how many people would follow Scott, especially given Harry seemed to be forging connections through the new recruits when she taught them.

Then a nagging voice in Jean's head made her wonder who she would follow. Jean could not answer that question one way or another without any kind of clear conviction.

"I'm leaving Scott, I'll be in touch, and ...it's not forever," Jean answered before she spun around and walked from the Mansion.

The moment she left, she saw Harry and Rachel standing outside to face her.

"You don't have to do this," Rachel offered when she looked at Jean. The two exchanged an intense expression. "I can help you, control the Phoenix, it doesn't have to overwhelm you."

"How do you know so much about everything, anyway?" Jean asked when her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Rachel offered a wry smile before her gaze matched Jean's. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

The truth was that because of how damaged Jean's psyche was, the truth would be the last thing that she needed to hear at this point.

"Jean, are you sure that you want to do this?" Harry asked and in response when she looked back at Harry.

"I don't know, but I don't have much of a choice," Jean responded when she mulled over every single angle of this problem in her mind. She offered Harry a tense smile. "I could come back tomorrow and realize that it's a big mistake to leave."

Harry nodded but knew that this was Jean's choice to make and Jean's alone. Jean stood in the breeze outside as the sun went down. Her hair framed her face and she looked at Harry for a brief moment, almost like she considered something. They were practically face to face at this moment in time. Whether it was to say something or do something, Harry never knew, for Jean disappeared in a flash of fire.

"She'll be back," Rachel responded to Harry when she gripped his arm to gain his attention.

Jean Grey was the heart and the soul of the X-Men and with her gone, there was no telling what would happen next. Rachel braced herself when she realized that her future knowledge might not do her any good as this was not recorded in the archives. Everything changed and Rachel braced herself for the moment where she could disappear into nothingness.