Arc Ten. Chapter Two Hundred Eighty-Six. Hellfire And Brimstone
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The flames licked around the trio as they stood in their deadly dance.

Apocalypse had a thick purple hand pressed against Jean's back. His fingers sunk into her flesh.

Venom had his pressed between her breasts. Her clothes had long since burned away. Small tendrils of symbskin penetrated her chest as delicately as he could.

“You will not win, pathetic mortal. Once Apocalypse rises and chooses his vessel, there is only inevitability.”

“Yeah yeah, I think Jean here has the last say in that, but I’m still gonna save her, and kill you. Still just a Mutant, still just a man, being old doesn’t make you better.”

Jean, Jean darling, why don’t you like your new dolly? Her mother asked her. She was in a huff. She’d wanted the Lucy Lawyer doll and her mother had bought her Homemaker Mary. It was not the same. Her mother only picked it because it had red her like her but she wanted the smart one, not the stupid one. As the tears in her eyes welled up she felt the anger build.

The world slowed and as the tire of the car blew out. Jean screamed and the car tumbled. Something grabbed her and tugged her out the back windshield, smashing the glass. As she flew out the back window she watched in horror as the car crumpled into a ball. Her parents, still trapped inside, let out a last horrendous scream. Only the thick red, dripping from the crushed car gave any hint that someone had been in there.

The medics tried to approach her but the flames still licked around her body. Shaking his head he pulled out a radio and called it in. Before he could give his position a jet landed and three men exited. A bald man in a wheelchair, a blue-furred and well-dressed creature, and a short buff, lumberjack. Denim plaid shirt, jeans and a cowboy hat.

It’s okay Jean, we’re here to help, and the world went black for them all.

My fault my fault MY FAULT she screamed in her mind.

You see. Pathetic. As if the lives of two humans could amount to the beautiful life of a Mutant. Perfection and power rolled into a single body, but if it is too much, too much pain, then let go. Seek oblivion and I shall grant it to you.

He pushed back. A young boy, struggling in the arms of a stranger, wriggling free and sitting crying next to his uncle. I'm sorry, it’s my fault, my fault. The older man looked at him with such love, such tenderness. No son, it’s not, you be a good boy for your aunt okay? As the tears dripped the old man took his final breath and left him.

It was my fault, we didn’t have to be there, and I live with that every day. But my uncle wouldn’t want me to blame myself. Did I make him go to the match? Yes, but did I put a gun in someone else’s hand? Did I make him shoot my uncle? No, and you didn’t ask for your powers to run amok, they just did, it’s not your fault.

He could hear her weeping, the scared little girl and the monster that now loomed over her.

She saw Peter, he was cute, a bit awkward and he was getting excited over a new textbook the school was getting,

Phff, Flash snorted. Just taking funding away from the sports team.

Yeah, Peter replied. Sports need science too. All your training is because of science. And it began.

Jean tried to make it right. Her powers were spotty and Flash didn’t remember what was said, only that Peter had pissed him off.

My fault MY FAULT

Even as Peter sat alone, Jean wanted to sit and try to make him feel better but Miss Munroe told her not to. Scott had just asked her out and she was glowing, and a plan formed. If she was so happy with a new boyfriend, then she could fix things by doing the same for Peter. With a little nudge MJ, who had admitted she thought Flash was kinda cute, had accepted his advances. With MJ and Flash together, Peter could talk to her and show Flash he wasn’t so bad, it was all perfect.

My fault MY FAULT

Ororo had warned her about using her powers in school, but she didn’t listen. Each day her heart broke as Peter suffered alone. She had thought of pushing more but saw hope. She saw his only real friend Gwen was making an effort. Even the newcomer, Felicia, was slowly working her way into the group. She was about to give them all a little push when she saw him. A monster, wrapped in human skin. As the creature stared at her she shied away, and from that day forward, never went near Peter again.

My fault MY FAULT

Yeah, those kinda are, but well.

Aleksei coughed as Venom stabbed a blade through his chest, ripping his insides from his body.

The agent’s mind flickered and snuffed out as Venom snapped his neck.

Venom's anger flared as Flash attacked him. The bully cried out in pain at what he had done to his companion, but it didn’t matter, all that mattered was revenge.

Life sucks Jean, and we screw it up all the time.

Gwen arguing with Felicia, over a ruined dress, and a missing tub of ice cream.

Liv crying and violently slapping Peter. She berated him for saving her and not letting her die like the others.

MJ, sitting in her home, crying as Flash had appeared. Even seeing him dragged horrible and crippling anxiety with him.

Peter, watching Bullseye lift the rifle, silently apologising to everyone. He had screwed up and it was over.

But not every day, some days are bad, but most are good.

Gwen and Felicia sat on the roof, nestled together in a blanket. Peter sat with MJ, and they watched the fireworks explode like brilliant flowers in the sky.

Whispers of love, as Liv crawls into bed and nestles into his arms. It is the first night she’s slept without a nightmare, and her apology brings them closer than before.

Natasha, staring as she tells Peter her life. He listens, caring but not judging, and as she stares silently, he just shrugs and says one word. So? and knowing actions speak louder than words, shows her how much he cares about her.

Love. Love flowing and connecting. Giving birth to new feelings and the stupid joy and unrequited happiness it brings.

In the dark, a crying child is comforted.

Feelings? You seek to end me with FEELINGS! And the booming voice laughs,

I am the alpha and the omega. I am life and death of all things, and no creature, no human, and no Mutant will stand before the Apocalypse and live.

No, you're an asshole who found a whole lot of power and became a delusional freak. Hell-bent on never feeling alone or weak ever again, but you are, you're nothing but a parasite. So screw you and your cliched villain act.

In his chest, the Mind Stone pulsed, Venom connecting and grabbing the entirety of its power. Slamming it down onto the thick black flame with Jean’s mind.

You seek to end me with that Stone? You ignorant creature. The Stone obeys whoever controls it, and through my new vessel, I can wield its power.

Venom feels a tug, small at first but then slowly builds into a burning pain as the Stone is taken from him. As Apocalypse grabs it with his mind he is uncaring as he rips it free from within Venom's chest.

In the waking world, Venom coughs and blood pours from his mouth. He shudders as a hole is drilled out from his chest, ribs and lungs, torn open to extract the Stone from within him.

And now, nothing can stop me.

As the Stone floats forward it lands on Jean’s forehead. As her eyes snap open she stops and stares, her eyes flickering with a burning fire.

Apocalypse laughs, but as his hand merges further into her back, he stops.

No, no, this can’t be, no I refuse.

You seek to harm my chosen one. You seek to consume the power I possess.

A light flares from Jean, and Peter, finding his armour gone, finds himself back in the waking world. A hand brushes over the closing wound on his chest, feeling a cooling liquid flowing through him. He watches as Apocalypse slumps on the floor, holding the broken and bloody stump of his hand.

As he looks up in shock as Jean floats, the Mind Stone sitting on her forehead. Fire flicks around her, covering her in a beautiful corona of light. Her uniform, torn to shreds, reforms as a bright red and gold outfit, with a bright golden eagle on her chest.

“It’s not an eagle dummy, it’s a Phoenix,” she chides Peter, too stunned to say anything, “and a Phoenix burns!” Phoenix floated down and landed in front of Apocalypse.

“No. I am the end of things. I shall return a.” His voice cuts off as his body catches fire and in the intense heat, he screams and shakes. From where he is sat, Peter can feel the flames. As he moves back, Apocalypse begins to collapse. His flesh cooking and falling away as his bones turn bright red under his muscles. As the flames refuse to snuff out there is nothing left, even the dust burns into less than ash.

“No one touches my mate.” Peter can only stare at her, “Now, shall we talk?” Phoenix moves over, and running her hand down his naked chest, leans forwards and kisses him. Peter sits there stunned, too afraid to resist, at least for now.

“That’s not talking Jean,” he gently says as she regains his senses. It's difficult to talk as he feels her through the thin material. She giggles as she feels his own reaction. It’s difficult not to as he is naked and very happy to see her.

As she laughs she sits on the floor next to him and runs a hand over his. Phoenix raises an eyebrow, “you don’t like it?”

As Peter looks down, he tries to summon his symbskin but frowns as it fails. “Uh.”

Phoenix looks surprised she shrugs. “It’s been a while, my powers are maybe a bit off. It has been several years since I manifested, at least I’m not naked.”

Peter can’t help but laugh. Living in a warehouse with seven others, Peter wasn’t uncomfortable with Jean staring. It was more the issue of leaving and dealing with the Rogues that had him concerned.

“So Jean?” He asks tentatively. The fight with Apocalypse seems too short to be completely over.

Phoenix laughs. “I am Jean, silly. Don’t you know?”

Peter shakes his head.

“I, uh, I am Jean, the real Jean. The professor sealed my powers, my emotions, as they are unstable. Phoenix is me, Peter, the real me.”

As Peter looks at her, he tries his powers once more, stunned to find them blocked. “Are you doing that?”

She smiles. “I might have needed to take a bit of power to break whatever that stupid bald man did, but they’ll come back. So stop panicking.”

Peter lets out a slow breath. “Yeah. 'cause fighting a bunch of almost indestructible mutants with no powers is great. Thanks, Jean.”

Phoenix laughs, “Aw, poor baby, but I’ll protect you.”

Peter stares at her,

“Yeah, great, naked and powerless, one mistake and I’m toast.”

Phoenix tuts. “Your powers will come back, it's not like I stole them.” The Mind Stone floats back over the Peter who grabs it, “there, happy?”

He nods but furrows his brow as he holds it in his hand. The familiar connection is gone, and as he looks over at Jean she shrugs. “Eventually.”

As she sits she takes a breath and her powers weaken and the flames fade. Jean sat, looking slightly embarrassed, wearing the skin-tight outfit she had materialised. She would not admit it, but knowing she finally got to him, finally got a reaction had been worth the pain. Now she is just wishing the uniform wasn't so tight. It was crawling into uncomfortable places and really tight across her chest.

“So, you’re the real Jean?” Until his powers come back, moving is a bad idea. An ambush of anyone remaining will kill him. Venom can deal with Weapon X clones, Peter can't. Right now, he hopes Logan and Jean or Phoenix will be enough to take out the three Rogues. He can't hear explosions or screaming, so he hopes the other team has been successful.

She frowns and wraps her arms around her legs, drawing them up to her chest. “The other is still me, just repressed, just unhappy. When Charles sealed my powers away he lobotomised me. This is me Peter, not her. She won’t be back unless Charles sticks me back in the bottle, and thankfully, that can’t happen. Only you are powerful enough to do that, and I would prefer it if you didn’t.”

“The Stone?” Peter understands. Phoenix is stronger than Charles now she is an adult. Child Jean had no chance, adult Jean is a lot more powerful.

She nods. “It can seal my powers, and the part of me that is connected to them but I am the same person, and you don’t have to be afraid.”

“Yeah, only afraid of what happens when we get home,” Peter jokes.

Jean laughs again, uncaring that she was staring, and biting her lip.

He stands and Jean’s eyes drift down to crotch level. He shakes his head and searches around the various lockers until he finds a black bodysuit. It was similar in design to those the trio wore and slipped into it, sighing as it was for one of the Logan clones. Tying the arms around his waist he shrugged, it would have to do.

Anything to stave off the now, less shy and very hungry stares he was getting from her. Even without the Mind Stone or telepathy, there was no way anyone would mistake what was on her mind.

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