Chapter 5: The Dark Phoenix Rises

                                    

                                          
The rain fell as the sombre group stood around the mound of dirt that housed Raven's body. Charles wished his wife was there to comfort him. It was almost debilitating, losing Raven. He wished he had his wife with him, to drink her sorrows down with him following the solemn gathering to celebrate Raven's life and mourn her death. But he knew that his wife was happy. She had her father Erik and all the peace she could ever wish for, especially after what happened to her. He was just grateful that nothing had happened to his wife... yet. 
Hank stood in the rain, letting it soak him. He was upset and furious with Jean, as well as Charles. He had the shot to taser Jean and render her unconscious, why didn't Charles let him? If he had, his Raven would still be alive. She would still be breathing. She would still be smiling. Not lying stone cold in a grave, with the rain falling around them. There would be no need for a funeral. He wanted revenge for what happened to his Raven. And he would get it. 
Scott was devastated. Not just for Raven, whom he barely knew, but also for his girlfriend Jean. She was unreachable now. He feared he might lose her. He had tried to gain her back, but it was no use. Not now. Raven was dead because of Jean. Scott was trying not to lose hope, but it was fast becoming hopeless to hope.
Ororo was certain that Jean was lost. The X-Men were falling apart. She knew that Scott was still hoping that they could bring Jean back. But their thoughts were broken by the words of Charles, who tried to bring closure to Raven's death by his words, but nothing could bring closure to the death of one of their beloved X-Men. 
'We are all at war. At war with ourselves. Raven had been waging that war for most of her life. I hope now, she's found peace. Raven died doing what she did best. Helping a friend. A friend in need. She is not gone. She lives on through me. Through us. And through the spirit of the X-Men.'
Later...
'Do you know, this is where I first met Raven. She was just this little girl. And she broke in, looking for food. I said she could stay and that she'd never have to be hungry again. And then I think I promised her a better life,' said Charles, swirling whiskey in his glass. He was sad. He wanted to save Jean, but for now, his foster sister Raven was gone. And because of Jean. He couldn't reconcile that fact. It was too much. That was why he was down here in the kitchen, drinking his pain away. But it was doing nothing.
'And then you took it away from her.' Hank sat down, not taking a drink, just looking at Charles. 
'I beg your pardon?'
'You heard me,' Hank snapped. 
'Hank,' Charles replied reproachfully. 
'This is your fault, Charles. It's your fault she's dead.'
'Come on, that's not fair.'
'Fair?' Hank shouted. 'Oh now, talk about fair. You messed with the mind of an eight-year old girl. You pushed out all that pain and anger. Where do you think it's going to go?'
'I did that to help her,' Charles reasoned. 'What I do, I do to help her. Adelaide would agree with me.' He reached for the bottle, but Hank shoved it violently off the table, sending it to the floor and shattering it into a million pieces. 
'Oh, please, come on, please. You still can't see what you did wrong?'
'This is...' he began to say, but was cut off by Hank. 
'No! You need to face this, Charles. You need to face it. Come on, admit it to me right now! Come on, admit it! Charles, just admit you were wrong, please.' Charles still sat there, silent. 'You still can't.'
'I really hope you feel better, Hank. I hope that raving on me five minutes after I put my foster sister in the grave is making you feel a damn...'
'This isn't about me. You know what, I know what I did wrong, okay Charles?! She was gonna leave. Raven was gonna leave, and I talked her out of it. She saw what the rest of us didn't.'