Phoenix’s Fire

Summary: Alternate timeline ‘verse. Scott sees a shooting star while he watches and thinks of Jean
Warning(s): Spoilers for X-Men: Rise of the Dark Phoenix; AU
Pairing: Scott Summers/Jean Grey
Author’s Note: The AU also refers to the fact that Charles, in this story, has stayed at the school; and obviously, Jean’s fate differs in this fic. Those changes are deliberate. Just putting that out there

###

There was a storm coming.

Scott stood by his window, staring out at the heavy rain that was lashing down outside. It was dark outside. The moonlight caused the water to shimmer where it landed against the windowpanes. It was a beautiful sight, but all it did was fill him with sadness. After all, this was the sort of thing he would have shared with Jean before she’d disappeared.

It was late. He really needed to be in bed. He knew the Professor would tell him to get some sleep in preparation for the tests he had in the morning.

But he couldn’t bring himself to lie down. To move away from the window. To close his eyes, even for a second. Because he worried that, if he did any of those things, he’d miss it when she came back.

And she had to return. He refused to believe she was lost to him forever. She’d come back. He clung to that hope, to that certainty. And he always made sure he stood where she could see him when she came back. When she returned home.

One of the stars was shooting across the night sky and Scott smiled sadly. He was too old, really, to believe in making wishes on a shooting star. But his lips parted anyway, mouthing the words inside his mind. Please bring her home safe to me.

The star jerked suddenly to the side.

Scott leaned forward, almost bumping his nose against the glass. He frowned, adjusting his visor and taking a step back.

The star’s light grew more intense, filling the whole sky until it looked like it was on fire. It still didn’t look like anything other than a star, but it was the first sign he’d seen of anything happening outside of the school.

It was probably nothing. And he was fairly certain it had nothing to do with Jean. But there was still that tiny sliver of hope. And he gave into it. He walked out of his dorm room and he headed along the corridor, to the staircase.

No one was around as he headed to the door of the school. No one attempted to stop him as he pushed open the doors and stepped out into the cold air.

She was standing on the grounds, her red hair soaking wet and plastered to her face.

He stared at her, stood there, staring back at him. Just like she’d never gone away in the first place. And then he ran to her, almost as fast as if he himself had the power of speed.

She came to meet him. They reached each other in the middle of the grounds and he wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped hers around his. And their lips met in a kiss that was hard, almost bruisingly so.

Within seconds, Scott was just as wet as Jean was, but the discomfort was mild, compared to the feeling of holding her in his arms once more. He pulled back, slowly, looking into her eyes. Cupping her face in his hands. “Are you here to stay? Or just to visit?”

“I don’t think I want to go back there.” Her eyes moved towards the school and then back at him. She moved her hands to cover his where they rested on her face. “I’m too deadly still. I didn’t….” She hesitated. “I wanted to come back and see you.”

“We don’t have to go inside. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” He drew her into another hug; kissed her cheek. “You won’t leave me again. Will you? I’ll go with you wherever you go. Even if I can’t transform into a star,” he added.

She smiled at him and touched his cheek. “Don’t you think you should stay here? Take care of the younger kids?”

“That’s not fair. You’re using my sense of responsibility against me.” He took a step back from her; ran a hand through his soaking wet hair. His visor protected his eyes from the rain, but it was still almost too intense to see. “If you don’t want to come inside, maybe we can find somewhere else to shelter?” he suggested. He kept his other hand on her face, not wanting to let go. Just in case she disappeared.

“I shouldn’t stay,” she whispered.

“You can’t leave.” He wrapped his arms around her once more, hugging her so that she couldn’t fade from his arms like a dream that fled with the morning light. “I love you.” He kissed her cheeks, her forehead, her lips. “You can’t leave me.”

“You don’t know what I am,” she whispered. “You don’t know what I’ve done.”

“I know that I missed you,” he replied. “I know that I want you back. I want to be with you, even if you can’t be here. I’ll go with you wherever you need to go,” he promised.

“I’m a killer.” She closed her eyes as moisture filled them. He couldn’t tell if the water that ran down her cheeks came from her tears or from the rain. “I don’t want to be, but I am. I don’t know how much control I have over this. What’s inside me. It’s better, I think. But I can’t…I don’t want to put you at risk.”

“But you came back,” he said. “You’re here now. Don’t leave again?” he whispered.

“Is the Professor here?” She glanced over his shoulder, towards the school.

“Yeah, but he’s not awake. No one is,” he replied. “We can go inside. Get dried off. Talk. Before you make any decisions about what to do.” He stroked her cheek. “If you still want to leave in the morning, I won’t stop you. Just….” He paused. “Come inside with me. And we can talk about what’ll happen in the morning.”

“He’ll know that I’m here.” She looked at him. “The Professor. He won’t let me leave until I talk to him.”

Scott stepped closer to her. “Just come inside with me. I’m not asking for anything more than this one night.” He stepped back, letting his hands fall away from her, and then held his arm out to her, palm upwards. “I can’t make you. All I can do is ask.”

She stared at his hand and then at his face. She stood like that for several moments, poised as if to flee. She looked back over her shoulder. Looked up at the night sky as the rainwater ran down her face.

He couldn’t force her to come back with him. He couldn’t force her to stay. All he could do was stand there, holding his hand out, waiting…hoping.

She turned back to him. Turned back to him finally. And she put her hand into his. Gripped on tight and nodded. “I’ll go with you. At least for tonight.”

The End