Chapter Text
Prologue:
Charles Xavier sat in a darkened room, legs crossed and hands clasped prim and proper over his knee. His gaze followed the back and forth movement of the room's other occupant. Swallowed in the shadows, the occupant remained unseen. In fact, it had never been seen in any of their many meetings, something Charles wasn't particularly pleased with. Its glowing eyes betrayed it, though, so at least the professor could trace where the thing was.
"Are you going to answer my question?" he asked after enough time had passed that it was safe to assume he was being ignored.
"You continue to ask things to which you will not comprehend the answer, Charles Xavier."
"Humor me."
"You have asked the same question every time we have met and every time I have refused to answer. Why do you not pull it from my thoughts?" the creature taunted.
"I've learned where Miss Grey's boundaries lie. I won't risk her."
"You risk her every day you remain in ignorance of what I truly am. You build your shields to hold me, but they are failing, are they not? I can feel it when I push."
Charles could feel it too as the entity pressed against the barriers he'd meticulously constructed around it.
"See, little telepath? I am gaining ground. What will you do when you fail to protect your charge?"
"I'll ask you one last time. What are you?"
The creature laughed, mirth bright in its eyes. "One last time? You will continue to ask until the day I break free, until the day I destroy you for keeping me trapped."
Charles' eyes narrowed, taking on a faintly orange hue. A barely visible barrier rippled between the pair as the other entity took on a determined guise. The standoff continued until an ethereal gasp echoed through the room. Xavier jerked back, his motion mirrored by the creature.
"You will not get what you want from me," the entity sneered. "Not without sacrificing her."
"Then I see no reason for me to keep visiting. Goodbye, Phoenix."
The near invisible walls surrounding Phoenix became opaque in an instant. As Charles pulled back, he could feel the creature beating against them with renewed vigor.
He opened his eyes back in his study. Jean sat across from him, pale and massaging her temple. She looked unmistakably hopeful.
"I'm sorry, my dear," Charles said with a smile he hoped was comforting.
Jean deflated. "It was a long shot, wasn't it? It's not like it's been talkative or anything."
"We'll figure out a way to separate it from you. Until then, we'll keep working on your shielding and continue with your training as planned. Your telekinesis has been progressing in leaps and bounds. Take the day. Rest. We'll try some new techniques in our next meeting."
"Same time two weeks from now?"
"That's right."
The door shut behind Jean. Charles steepled his fingers and turned his gaze out the window. That had been more of a fight than it should have been. Phoenix was strong and only getting stronger. Whenever he tried to get information from it telepathically, it took advantage of the link and attempted to tear down the shields he'd long ago put in place to hold it. This time was far closer than he'd like to admit. They needed to take a step back and regroup. He couldn't risk telepathic connection with the being anymore. He'd talk to Hank again. Hopefully, the scientist would have another idea.
Chapter 1: Two Years Gone
Magneto and the Brotherhood had kept themselves busy in the two years since stopping Onslaught. Mystique walked into the room Magneto had claimed in their latest headquarters.
"Is it done?" the Brotherhood leader asked without looking up.
"We won't be hearing from Mr. Zane again."
"Very good. You're dismissed until the briefing."
His second in command left with a stiff nod and a quick glance at the man beside her leader. Magneto returned his attention to the engineer next to him once the door was shut.
"And this machine will do as I asked?"
"According to my calculations, it should magnify your power at least tenfold."
"Excellent. When can construction begin?"
"As soon as you give it the okay. We have a factory picked out in Nebraska. It's large enough that it should be able to house the machine at the center with plenty of space around it to set up defenses. There's enough rubble surrounding it that it won't be obvious when we bring in more supplies."
"Begin work immediately. Charles has had a monopoly on power-amplifying technology for long enough. It's time for a change."
"Happy Birthday, Jean!"
Jean Grey put a shocked hand to her chest. Recovering, she turned to Scott Summers, who was by her side after taking a two hour hike around the grounds, and smacked him on the shoulder. He smiled sheepishly at her. A grin spread over the redhead's face.
"How did you guys do all this? I mean-"
"You mean how did we manage to surprise a telepath?" Sean cut in.
"That is where having an older, wiser telepath comes in handy," Alex said, putting a hand on Charles' shoulder.
Charles shrugged. "All I had to do was block one thought off in everyone's minds. I got permission and it wasn't invasive in the slightest. Now, I have been dying for some of this delicious cake that Nathan so graciously made, so might we jump to the cake cutting part of the celebration?"
An hour later, everyone was still talking and laughing. The younger students were enjoying their Saturday off with the added bonus of cake, which was now mostly gone. Hank and Charles had commandeered a corner and had been in deep discussion over some recent genetic discovery, it seemed. Scott passed them as he came back to where Jean, Ororo, Alex, Sean, Bobby, and Warren sat, setting a refilled cup of punch in front of the birthday girl.
"I got you more punch," he said needlessly.
Alex laughed and punched his younger brother in the shoulder. "She's got you whipped."
Ororo swallowed her cake and draped an arm around Jean. "Please. They've practically been together since she came to the mansion. "
"Which is plenty of time for whipping," Bobby added.
Alex rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"It's okay to be jealous," Scott teased, putting his arm around Jean's waist. "Just because I managed to get a girl while you haven't had a date in, what is it now, a year doesn't mean I'm whipped. Plus, I'm allowed to dote on my girlfriend. It's not every day a girl turns 23."
"I'll have you know I had a perfectly good date in- well- back-" Alex's eyes moved to the ceiling as he tried to recall his last date.
"Don't forget to carry the one," Sean mock-whispered forcing a glare from the other man.
"Face it, Alex," Warren said, putting a consoling hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Your brother has more game than you."
From their corner, Hank and Charles turned their attention to the revelry at the table as laughter broke through their conversation. Hank looked back to Charles, whose eyes remained on the table with a fond yet disquieted expression.
"You're worried about her."
Charles dragged his eyes back to Hank. "You know me too well."
"The Phoenix. Is it going to free itself?"
"It's fighting the blocks I put in her mind. I fear it might break through."
"But you can put in sturdier blocks, right? You're stronger than it is."
Charles flashed a grimace. "That's what I thought. But I haven't spoken with it in months. Not since it almost broke through. I'd thought without the foothold on the shields it gets when I go into Jean's mind, it would lose ground. Unfortunately, we both may be underestimating the power of the Phoenix."
The two glanced to the table again. Jean was leaning on Scott laughing while Sean did some sort of impression. Honestly, at least three of them were nearly 30. It looked like they would never act their age. Jean pulled away from Scott, still grinning, and surreptitiously massaged her temple. Her attention was fully on Sean. She probably didn't even notice she was doing it.
Charles bit the inside of his lip, a new habit he'd formed without noticing sometime since Alkali Lake, then plastered a smile on his face. "Perhaps we should worry about this another time. Nothing will happen in the immediate future. For now, let's enjoy the party."
The two fell into easy conversation over the latest edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics. Neither could keep from surreptitiously glancing at the revelry around them, wondering how long it could last.