Chapter Text
Inside Jean’s mind there was a dark and meandering path. Jean Grey thought it wise to stick to this path, lest she become adrift in the menacing forest surrounding her. It had been sometime since she was here, and things had become increasingly unfamiliar. The bank vault where Xavier helped Jean to store painful memories from her past seemed miles away, and every step she took toward it seemed to exhaust her.
The journey to the vault took ages. Crows circled overhead as she approached, and Jean started every time they cawed. Shadows danced along the trees around her.
The vault was something Professor Xavier had created long ago for Jean – a place where she could store things: memories, emotions, bothersome thoughts. It had long held traumas for Jean, like the death of her best friend or being mind-controlled by Mesmero. Jean hoped that it could hold her current animosity towards her teammate in order to better control her rapidly evolving powers.
When she finally reached the vault, she found Emma Frost standing in front of the door with her arms crossed. Next to her stood Rogue and Cyclops. Emma was wearing her signature smirk as Jean approached.
“About time you’ve come,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
She could feel the rage building inside of her – the rage that Storm had tried to help her quell – it burned and burned. It was like it hadn’t left at all – was just obscured like the sun is on a cloudy day. She could feel the heat in her cheeks, in her clenched fists. It threatened to consume everything around them, but Jean tried her best to hold it back.
“Why are you in my mind?”
“You invited me here,” Emma replied coldly. “You’re the one who can’t stop thinking about me.”
She watched as the Emma in her mind leaned on Scott and smiled. Rogue flanked Cyclops’ right side and imitated the gesture. Jean could feel the heat in her belly bubbling to the surface, lurking and ready to spill over at any moment.
“Get away from him!” she demanded. “And get away from Rogue! You’ve brought nothing but trouble.”
Suddenly, Emma was no longer dressed in jeans and a white crop top. She wore a tight white corset and panties instead, complete with a fur-lined cape and thigh-high white boots. Rogue materialized her own version of this outfit, but in black.
“I’ve brought nothing but trouble? I’m not the one destroying everything with my powers,” Emma rebutted. “Look around you, dear.”
Everything around them was distorted and strange. The door to the vault appeared to be melting into the background, and the trees around them seemed to bend inward. Somehow the sky, which had been dimly lit by twilight, was now drowned out in complete blackness. Even Scott appeared to be twisted – shimmering and fluttering like heat from a flame.
“I’m doing this?”
She could barely hear her own voice above the pounding of her heart. The flame in her abdomen grew hotter, and Jean felt her throat burn.
Flames spread, surrounding the mutants. Jean could feel them licking at her ankles, attempting to overtake her. She could see the fire growing, traveling up Emma’s cape until it burned away. Rogue and Scott were engulfed by the flames as well, and Jean tried to help them – to go to them – but the fire burned too hot and singed her skin as she reached out.
All that the flames left behind became ash – the trees, the path, even her teammates – even Scott. Jean desperately began to dig through the ashes – trying to find him, trying to save him.
Somehow – at some point – the vault door had shifted into the front door of the Institute. Jean watched in horror as the flames covering her body began to make their way towards the building. She witnessed the students evaporate as the fire claimed them, one by one, until even Xavier fell victim to its powerful heat. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched him smile at her before dissipating into ash.
Jean Grey awoke, gasping for air. Various objects that had been hovering in the air all fell down with a loud thud, causing the redhead to flinch. She must have activated her telekinesis in the dream. Things like this had been happening a lot. She supposed another person might get used to it by now.
Looking around in the dark room, Jean noticed that she was alone, a new normal. Thanks to her unrestrained powers, she could no longer share a bed with Scott for fear of hurting him in her sleep. His absence stung. If he were here now, Jean was sure she would feel calmer – grounded. But he wasn’t here, and so Jean tried her best to ease her own nerves.
She tried to imagine the red light she had created with Storm. She tried, she tried, she tried. But each time she summoned the light, it burst into flames just like her dream. Desperate, she called out to Scott through their psychic connection.
Scott!
Jean? What’s wrong?! He sounded worried and ready to fight.
It’s okay, Scott, she reassured him. I just – I just had a bad dream. Could you… come to my room for a while? I need…
What did she need? Strong arms to hold her? Kind words to soothe her? Or to be taken away to another place entirely?
I’ll be there right away.
Jean sighed through her nose and brushed a lock of fiery hair from her sticky forehead. Already, the promise of Scott’s presence had a calming effect. The terror in her chest seemed to diminish, leaving only slight anxiety.
She wondered what exactly her dream had been about. Nightmares weren’t uncommon for Jean, especially lately, but something about this dream seemed significant. There was a foreboding edge to the images she saw – as if someone was warning her of some terrible future. As if something terrible was waiting for the X-Men, something that was meant to destroy everything and everyone. And something – perhaps jealousy, perhaps something more substantial – told her that Emma Frost had something to do with it.
The door opened. Scott Summers stood in the doorway, wearing the plaid pajama pants she had gifted him for Christmas last year. An expression of concern was fixed firmly on his face as he approached her.
“Are you OK?” he asked, finding a place at the foot of the bed.
Jean sat up and reached for his hand. “I am now.”
The two sat in silence for several minutes, with Scott gently caressing his girlfriend’s hand. She could feel the hammering in her heart finally starting to return to a normal cadence as she leaned into his touch.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Jean thought for a moment. She thought about seeing Emma and Rogue cozying up to Scott, of the Institute and its inhabitants going up in flames. She decided it was better to hold this dream in than to share the burden. At worst, she’d have to share her apparent obsession with Emma Frost. At best, the dream would be written off as a figment of her imagination. Neither scenario appealed to her. And so, she shook her head slowly.
Scott was comfortable in the quiet hum of the bedroom, however, and settled in next to Jean on the bed. He wrapped an arm around the woman, holding her close to his chest.
“It will be OK,” he whispered.
But something deep down inside of Jean didn’t believe him. Something terrible was coming for the X-Men. She could feel it in her bones.
Scott Summers was expecting an empty Danger Room that morning after Logan’s training. Looking forward to it, even. It always proved to be an effective way to burn off stress and worry. After Jean’s telepathic call the night before, he was more than worried. It wasn’t like Jean to let her emotions be so out of control.
And then there was Jean’s attitude toward Emma Frost. His girlfriend made clear her dislike of the fellow mutant since the day she arrived but could never really seem to articulate why. Scott assumed that the forced sharing of Telepathy 101 had a lot to do with it. Jean had been so hurt by the professor’s decision. Still, that couldn’t be the only reason, considering the magnitude of her animosity and what had occurred between them in their last class.
More still, there was Emma’s relationship with Rogue. Jean seemed to think it was inappropriate due to their student/teacher dynamic. She also worried that Rogue was only with Emma because they could touch – that Emma was using Rogue. While Scott could see Jean’s perspective, he also knew that Rogue was eighteen – an adult – and could make her own choices. And the choice to touch someone, after years of not even being able to hug someone with your bare arms? He couldn’t blame Rogue for sleeping with Emma even if she were the ugliest woman alive - which she was most assuredly not.
The thoughts of Emma’s beauty led to thoughts of Rogue’s attractiveness, which inevitably led to thoughts of them together. Dangerous thoughts – unbidden thoughts. Cyclops mentally swatted the images of his teammates aside as he entered the Danger Room.
Only to discover that he was not, in fact, alone.
Emma Frost, the subject of his momentary fantasy, stood surrounded by almost a dozen armed thugs in some beat up alley. Sweat-drenched and red-faced, it was clear she had been training for some time.
Clearing his throat, Cyclops made his presence known to the other mutant. Emma looked up from the fight, startled by the presence of an unexpected visitor, just before a high-powered rifle’s laser lodged itself into Emma’s shoulder.
Cyclops then sent a concussive blast straight into the owner of said rifle before running to his teammate’s aid. “Are you okay?” he asked. Then added, “Computer, end program!” to terminate the remaining goons.
“It’s just a flesh wound,” Emma replied, wincing as she applied pressure to the injury.
“Should we get you to the med bay just in case?”
Emma shook her head vehemently. “If I go there again, I might as well collect frequent flier miles.” She had, after all, spent more time than she’d like to admit in the infirmary lately. “I’ll be fine.”
Scott paused, glancing at Emma with concern, but seemed to accept her refusal. “You were training pretty hard there. Logan’s run not enough for you?”
Just trying not to die at the hands of Hellfire, Emma thought. The gala was only a week away, and she felt completely unprepared. It was one thing to put herself in the line of fire, but to endanger Rogue as well… In truth, Emma had been training every morning and even some evenings ever since receiving the invitation.
“Just eager to prove myself as an X-Man,” she said aloud.
If he had qualms about her explanation, Scott didn’t voice them.
“Were you trying to train, too, or…?”
He nodded. “I suppose we could train together? It might be nice to have a partner.”
When Emma agreed, Cyclops cued up another simulation. This time, the faces of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and Magneto’s Acolytes appeared within the Danger Room. While they had a tenuous alliance during the Apocalypse affair, the former villains eventually resorted to their old ways in the end. It felt good – almost comfortable – to be battling these old foes again.
Emma wasn’t familiar with their tricks, but seemed to adjust rather quickly. Suited in her diamond shell, Emma protected Cyclops from Pyro’s blast of fire. Scott repaid her by sending Avalanche into the nearest wall before his seismic powers could knock Emma off her feet.
The two made a good team, with Cyclops on offense while Emma focused mostly on defense. Yet Scarlet Witch proved to be a troublesome adversary. Her hex blasts were successful in eliminating Emma, as Wanda had wisely concluded that Emma’s psychic powers were a threat. Cyclops tried to hit her with his optic beam, but Wanda redirected his efforts. The concussive blast hit Emma instead. Since she had been focused on using her telepathy, the attack hit with full force without her secondary mutation activated.
Cyclops rushed to Emma’s position, shielding her from any further attacks. Optic beam after optic beam was rerouted as he attempted to incapacitate the Scarlet Witch. Eventually, he was successful in taking her out by hitting a nearby object and causing it to crash into the woman. As the remaining opponent fell to the floor, the room flickered back to empty steel walls. Scott offered his hand to help Emma up.
She accepted it gratefully, allowing him to pull her to her feet. “Remind me not to piss you off,” she murmured, rubbing gingerly the area where his optic beam met her chest.
“Sorry about that,” Cyclops said.
Emma opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the Danger Room door hissing open once again.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” came the voice of Jean Grey as she stepped through the doorway. She saw Cyclops and smiled, clearly having expected to find him here. Then Jean’s eyes drifted to Emma’s position, whose presence she hadn’t anticipated, and her expression darkened significantly.
There was an awkward pause before Cyclops realized he was still holding onto Emma’s hand. Abruptly, he released it and turned to face his girlfriend. Placing a hand on the back of his neck, Cyclops offered an explanation. “Emma and I were just training,” he said. “She was hurt.”
That seemed to make matters worse. Jean’s face contorted in pure rage as she used her telekinesis to send Emma flying across the room. The blonde mutant groaned when her injured shoulder made contact with the hard ground. Before she could even recover, Jean was already motioning for a second attack. She was clearly not satisfied with the first.
Cyclops quickly intervened, inserting himself between the two women. “Jean,” he said with a calm, clear voice. “You don’t want to do this. Emma is our teammate.”
“It’s not enough for you to sink your claws into Rogue,” the redhead snarled at Emma, pointedly ignoring Cyclops’s attempts at de-escalation. “You have to go after Scott, too.”
“It’s not what it looked like,” he tried again.
Jean regarded him with barely concealed disapproval. “You’re protecting her?”
“You’re currently the only one attacking,” Emma managed to get out through gritted teeth. For all her earlier boasting, Emma’s shoulder throbbed with pain.
“And you!”
Suddenly, Emma found herself experiencing the unpleasant sensation of being manipulated by telekinesis. She struggled in vain as Jean moved her body until it levitated in front of her, holding her there in stasis.
“You have been nothing but trouble! You have put your own students in danger – and more than once. You stole my class! You completely turned Rogue against me, encouraged her to absorb her own teammates, and now I come in here and see you with your hands all over my boyfriend?”
“If that’s what you saw, then I suggest a trip to the optometrist.”
Jean twisted her fingers so that they hung upside down, and with them Emma also became the victim of inverted gravity. She felt the presence of Emma’s mind brush against hers – a clumsy attempt at self-defense – and laughed. “You really think you have the chops to take me on?”
“Jean, please.” Cyclops crossed to her position and placed a hand on her arm. “If you’d just read my mind, you’d see that you’ve got this all wrong. You don’t want to hurt her.”
A small part of Jean tried to remember the red light that Storm had helped her create – to calm down and listen to reason – but it was drowned out by the erratic beating of her heart. It was smothered by the fire inside that crackled and burst. A part of Jean did want to hurt Emma. Bloody that pretty little body of hers. She almost smiled at the image that flickered through her brain of Emma’s perfect face all puffy and purple.
“I could rip you from limb to limb with my mind,” Jean threatened, once again shrugging off her lover and addressing Emma instead. “Give me one reason I shouldn’t.”
If Emma were a smarter, more self-preserving person, she would have joined Cyclops in his efforts to soothe the angry redhead. Yet, pride had always been her undoing. “You might break a nail,” she retorted instead.
Jean let her telekinesis drop for a split second, and Emma’s body followed until it stopped mere inches from the floor. A threat, then. Emma would have been OK, having shifted into her secondary mutation when it was clear her telepathy wasn’t going to be effective, but that didn’t mean a drop on the head wouldn’t have hurt.
Jean, stop this.
She could hear Cyclop’s voice, but couldn’t see his lips move to form the words. He was speaking to her from within their psychic rapport – a special bond that only they shared. Feeling him in her mind was like an anchor that began to pull Jean back to reality.
I love you, and I would never do anything to hurt you. Let her go, and we can talk this through.
She believed him, but she didn’t trust Emma. This woman was dangerous – devious. Surely, she had some ulterior motive here, some long-game she was playing at. Despite Scott’s request, Jean maintained her telekinetic hold on the blonde woman.
You don’t have to trust her, Cyclops assured her in her mind. You just have to trust me.
As his words reached her, Jean began to see Emma in a different light. Slowly, the rage disintegrated, and all Jean could see now was how tired Emma Frost seemed to appear – how vulnerable. She didn’t look like a woman with aims to steal her man or to ruin the Institute. She looked… small.
That’s my girl, Scott encouraged.
Jean exhaled, maybe for the first time since stepping into the Danger Room. All the tension in her body leaked out. She used her powers to gently rotate Emma and help her settle back to the ground.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Jean could hear the words in her own voice, but wasn’t aware of her speaking them.
Emma dusted off her shirt with practiced nonchalance. “Don’t worry about it,” she responded coolly. “It was a misunderstanding.”
Surprised, Jean could only stare as Emma politely excused herself and exited the Danger Room. She had expected more harsh words – perhaps even a physical or psychic confrontation. Emma’s reaction left her feeling even more guilty for her chaotic behavior.
When it was just the two of them, Cyclops turned to Jean with concern. “What was that about?”
“I – I saw the two of you together and I -”
“Jumped to conclusions?”
That was fair, thought Jean. After all, Scott didn’t know about her dream. He also didn’t know about Emma’s past – about the things Jean had researched, such as her time as White Queen in the Hellfire Club. Nor was he aware of the fact that she’d murdered a hospital orderly. Of course, Xavier conceptualized her actions as “accidental,” but Jean wasn’t as eager to extend compassion as her mentor was.
“This isn’t like you.”
He was right. She hadn’t been acting like herself since the day Emma arrived at the mansion. It wasn’t just her flirtation with Scott, or her fascination with Rogue. Something was off about Emma. Something was lurking beneath her smiles and clever quips. Something apparently only Jean could sense. Scott wouldn’t understand, even if she tried to explain it.
“I’ll talk to the professor,” Jean said softly. “We’re supposed to meet this afternoon, anyway.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
She shook her head and stared at her shoes, keen to avoid Cyclops’s gaze.
“I know you didn’t mean to,” Cyclops expressed, “but you really need to get a handle on things before you really hurt someone.”
Jean knew she should feel remorse for her actions. But the darkest part of Jean reveled in the knowledge that she had the power to really hurt someone. That she could bend someone’s will to hers – make them suffer. The voice was like static in the back of her head, but the malice of it made Jean shiver. The darkness she could sense in Emma… Jean didn’t want to admit that she had it, too.
Rogue stood in front of Emma’s floor-length mirror and turned this way and that as she examined her new outfit – the three-piece suit Emma had volunteered for her. It was green, with a tan vest and a blue tie meant to compliment Emma’s jumpsuit. Underneath the jacket was a simple white oxford shirt, complete with matching white gloves. She hadn’t been sure how she would feel in menswear when it had been suggested, but seeing it now… Rogue couldn’t help but feel confident. While it was a far cry from her usual get-up, Rogue had to admit it suited her in a way she hadn’t expected.
“Can I look now?” asked Jumbo Carnation, who had been dramatically squeezing his eyes shut on the loveseat while Rogue changed into the garment.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
The large man’s eyes snapped open. His initial glimpse seemed to hold approval, judging from his countenance. Standing with an exaggerated stretch, he crossed over to Rogue to get a better look.
“It fits perfectly,” Jumbo said after many critical glances from every possible angle. He tugged on the coattail of the blazer, smoothing out a wrinkle that had formed as Rogue moved about. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’m about to go to prom. A really gay prom.”
She thought about the first dance she’d ever attended. How it ended with Cody out cold and his psyche swimming around in her head. She thought about all the dances she’d missed since then. First, because of her powers. Then because the Bayville High student body didn’t want to share a gymnasium with dirty mutants. She thought about her dance with Emma at the club before being attacked by Selene. Rogue doubted she’d get to share a dance with Emma at the Hellfire Gala, considering it was a trap. Certain doom and all that.
“I think that’s what we’re going for?”
Rogue blinked, meeting Jumbo’s gaze in the mirror. “It’s Emma’s vision.”
“And where exactly is the star of the hour? I suppose she can always be counted on to arrive fashionably late.”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Rogue replied. “She’s been disappearin’ a lot these days.”
As if on cue, Emma materialized. She stumbled into the suite, looking a right mess. Her normally pristine platinum hair was a disaster, her clothes dirty, and she appeared to have some kind of burn on her right shoulder. Rogue lurched forward to tend to her, but was stopped by Jumbo grabbing her wrist.
“Don’t you dare get that suit dirty,” he chided. “I’ll take care of your girlfriend.”
Emma shook her head and held up a palm to keep him at arm’s length. “I don’t need any help. I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t argue and instead returned to his place on the sofa, regarding the two women with interest.
“What happened?” asked Rogue.
“A mediocre Danger Room program and a very angry Jean Grey,” came Emma’s reply. She strode to her dresser and poured herself a generous drink.
Rogue approached her lover, but ultimately kept her distance thanks to Jumbo’s disapproving tut. “Jean attacked you again?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Emma drained the glass effortlessly. “You were right – about her being protective of things. Even protective of you.”
“Me?”
“In her own way, she clearly cares about you. Bully that she is.”
“I can take care of myself,” Rogue protested. “I have half a mind to go talk to her right now, to give her a piece of my mind. She can’t keep pickin’ on you like this! You haven’t done anythin’ wrong.”
“I’m hardly a victim,” Emma returned. “Besides, I believe Scott is giving Miss Grey a stern talking to as we speak.”
“Anyway,” she continued, “I believe you have something for me, Jumbo darling?”
The fashion designer pulled a white jumpsuit from the rack and handed it to Emma, who showed no embarrassment about stripping down to her underwear. She pulled the clothing up her body, ready to speak no more about the exchange that just occurred.
But Rogue wasn’t having that. She inserted herself between Emma and Jumbo and demanded that Emma tell her what exactly happened. She couldn’t believe that Jean had lost it on Emma – again! What was wrong with her teammate? Why did she hate Emma so much?
“You needn’t worry about Jean,” Emma said. “Soon, we’ll be taking on a greater threat.”
“I’ve never met a mutant more powerful than Jean or the Professor,” Rogue scoffed.
“Yes, you have,” Emma corrected. “You’ve met Selene Gallio.”
That night, after alterations were made and Jumbo left, Rogue and Emma had lost themselves in each other’s touch. Both of them knew that they would be heading into enemy territory soon, and felt compelled to make their time together count. Emma’s warning about Selene Gallio being a more dangerous mutant than even the Professor only increased Rogue’s anxiety about their chances of leaving unscathed. From Emma’s memories, she knew that Hellfire could be ruthless. Emma had encouraged her to be ready for anything.
“Rogue?”
She turned to her lover, who was currently wrapped up in the sheets and pressing her warm body against Rogue’s. “What’s up?”
The solemnity of Emma’s expression startled her.
“I will do everything in my power to protect you.”
“And I’ll protect you, too,” Rogue said, shifting uncomfortably. “Don’t be getting all sappy on me as if we’re gonna die.”
A silence hung in the air. It was obvious to both women that they could die – or worse – at the hands of Hellfire. Neither of them wanted to admit it out loud, though.
“Rogue, I want you to promise me that you’ll do everything you can to survive, no matter what happens.”
Confusion cut deep furrows between Rogue’s brows as Emma reached two fingers to her temple. Whenever she did that, she was focusing her powers. But that meant –
Emma’s blue eyes flashed as her mind met Rogue’s. No matter what happens, you will do anything you have to do to survive. Even if that means using your powers. Even if that means hurting people. Even if that means leaving me behind.
You will protect yourself at all costs.
And you will not remember this conversation.
Rogue blinked, and Emma’s psychic influence was gone.
“Good night, Rogue,” Emma said before switching off the bedside lamp.
“’Night.”