All the disclaimers and warnings from my last stories are in effect.
As the sunburst faded and the blindness left his eyes, Scott saw Liz fall to the earth. As she did, the Phoenix Force began to flicker, dissipate and completely disappear before she landed on the soft grass. A warm wind gently blew, as if the earth itself heaved a sigh as this threat to its existence expired.
Scott stood and walked, warily, to where Liz lay.
With each step, he half expected the monster to rise again and blast him into atoms.
Nothing happened though, and within moments, he found himself standing over her comatose body.
"NO!" he gasped, for it was not Liz lying there on the ground, but Jean.
"You were only here in spirit! How can this be?"
As if to answer him, Jean's eyes flashed open, an unearthly fire raging within, and she smiled as cruelly as a lion facing its unarmed prey.
"YES MY LOVE, IT IS ME!"
The earth started to shake and heave, the heavens were torn, lightning began to spit from the sky to the earth with immeasurable bolts, the furies of nature cascaded, and all began to coalesce on Jean's body.
With a flash, it was over and, faster than light, she was on her feet holding Scott aloft by his throat.
"YOU THOUGHT I WOULD GO SO QUICKLY AND QUIETLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT?"
'Jean ..." Scott choked, "I ... I don't understand."
Jean merely shook her head and laughed with a voice that would chill the Saints, "YOU STUPID MAN! DID YOU REALLY BELIEVE ALL THE LIES I FED YOU? YOU, RYAN, AND THAT PITIFUL LIZ PLAYED RIGHT INTO MY PLANS! DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU FOOLISH MORTALS COULD HOPE TO OUTWIT THE PLANS OF THE OMNISCIENT CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE?"
"No ... Jean ... you said ..."
"EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED YOU TO HEAR AND BELIEVE. RYAN AND LIZ SACRIFICED THEMSELVES TO FINALLY ALLOW MY GLORY TO EMERGE, UNTETHERED TO MORTAL LIFE! AND YOU ALLOWED ME TO FINISH MY QUEST! WE HAVE WAITED MILLENIA FOR THIS TO TAKE PLACE, AND YOU ALL PLAYED THE PERFECT ROLE! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE COSMOS, PHOENIX IS COMPLETE AND HAS FREE REIGN TO DO AS WE WISH! OBSERVE!"
She stopped suddenly, and turned her head before smiling, cruelly, and leering at Scott.
"CAN YOU HEAR IT, MY 'LOVE'? DO YOU? THE ORCHESTRA CALLS FOR ME!"
"What are you talking about?"
"THE SYMPHONY IS WARMING UP FOR ME. I MUST BE THERE TO COMPLETE THE CONCERTO!"
With that, Jean released Scott, and as he fell choking to the ground, he saw the most fearful site he had ever witnessed. Jean, finally in full controll of the Phoenix, assumed all it's holy and unholy might to become her true state, and as she did, the sounds of the orchestra finally hit Scott's ears.
In hindsight, all Scott could remember of this was that it was the most beautiful, yet terrifying music he had ever heard.
The Goddess assembled light, darkness, good, evil and all that was inbetween into a figure that was beyond words, and as she did so, the music began to tremble and raise to its apex.
Scott trembled and collapsed at Her glory.
"YES, YES! THE POWER OF THIS PLANET AND GALAXY SHALL BE MY LIFEBLOOD AND STREGTH! LET MY WILL BE DONE AND CONSUME IT ALL!"
As Jean streaked through the atmosphere, her battle cry literally shaking the earth, her power grew exponentially as she absorbed the life of the planet. She ascended until she was well beyond the atmosphere and was gazing down at the planet. Despite her being miles above, her visage did not fade or shrink, if anything, it grew more glorious and replaced the sun as the source of light for the entire planet.
All around Scott, the world began to die. Trees, grass, and other plants wilted and crumbled to dust. The nearby pond dried up and the ground beneath it cracked into dust. Buildings imploded, but worst was the effect on the living. Scott's eyes were glued to the innocent humans and mutants around him trying, in vain, to escape from the calamity. One moment, a person existed, the next, ashes crumbled to the ground as their soul was sucked into the eternal void of the Phoenix.
A mother covered her children with her coat and whispered to them, "Shh, shh, it will be ok, I'll protect ..."
Her words never finished as she and her beloved crumbled to dust.
"NOOO!" yelled Scott, and for the first time in his life, he cried. Bitter and burning tears streamed down his face as he saw the destruction being caused by the woman he loved.
Jean paid no heed, just raised her hands and called upon the strength of the galaxy into her as she finished with the earth. Lost and drunk, the symphony hit its stride and rallied to her.
"IT IS DONE! I AM THE MASTER AND GOD OF THE WORLDS!"
She gazed down with hateful eyes over her domain and smiled. As she relished her glory, she was drawn to the suffering of one man, on his knees, and trembling before her.
Forgetting herself, she swooped down to face her last servant.
She laughed at the pitiful state of the man with the red glases, melting in front of her.
Her laugh was stopped in her throat as he whispered his dying words.
"Jean ... I love you."
"NO!"
The man with the red glasses smiled and said, "I always have, and always will, my beloved. Can you forgive me, as I have forgiven you?"
The smile was still etched in his face as it turned to ash.
Jean shuddered at those words.
Seemingly curious, she descended to the wasted ground and walked over to what was left of the man in the red glasses.
"Forgive ... ME?" she asked, bewildered and cautious.
She noticed a ruby red tear sparkling on the face of this pillar of ash. Hesitantly, she touched it.
The moment she did, memories and horrors of time past invaded her head.
"No, be careful, Annie!" ** "We're Mutants, Jean, and I have built a school to help us. My name is Charles Xavier." ** "My name is Scott, but you can call my Cyclops, everyone else does." ** "Jean, I'll create a fog for us to breech the base, can you confuse them long enough for us to get inside?" ** "I won't let you sacrifice yourself to keep us alive! You'll never survive the solar flare!" ** <you have suffered enough, i will help now> ** "JEAN! You're alive!" ** "They only want to control you, Jean, I wish to free you! You shall be my Black Queen." ** "You dressed in your old costume, as Marvel Girl." ** "JEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!" ** "SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTT!" ** "TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMM!!!!!" ** I AM FIRE AND LIFE INCARNATE! NOW AND FOREVER, I AM PHOENIX!
The lifetime of memories and sorrow surrounded and dropped Jean to her knees.
"Oh, oh, my God! What have I done!?" she screamed in agony as what she had committed washed across her.
"Oh, Scott," she murmured as she reached a tenative finger toward what was left of him. As her finger brushed his face, he crumbled into the pile of ash she had transformed him into.
"No, Scott, NO! Oh God, what have I done, what have I DONE?!"
"I forgive you, my love ..." suddenly rang in her ears.
"Scott?" she asked silently, "is that you?"
"I forgive you," his words echoed through her brain.
"Oh God, oh my God!" she began to cry, and as she did, tears began to flow down her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry, Scott. Thank you, thank you!"
As she wept, a single tear found its way down to her chin and hovered for a moment before finally gaining weight and falling to the earth.
The moment it hit the ground, the earth returned to its natural color, the grass regrew, and the people and places who were destroyed began to reform from the ashes.
Jean looked up and saw Scott come to life again.
"Jean!"
"Scott!"
Scott embraced her and they kissed passionately.
When the broke apart, they both gazed around as the world began to return to normal.
"I love you so much, Jean."
"And I love you Scott, but it is time."
"What do you mean?" he asked bewildered.
Jean smiled, "Our time here is done. We must finish what we have started, and you have set us free."
"NO!: cried Scott, "I finally have you back! I won't lose you again!"
Jean smiled as she began to shimmer in his arms, "You haven't lost anything. We'll always be with you, and you will learn in time."
"Jean?"
<be patient, all is well now>
"I love you!"
<and she you. goodbye; remember, the tears of the phoenix will accomplish much>
With the cry of the Phoenix, Jean disappeared.
The world was safe again, and Scott felt emptier than ever before.
He turned and began to trudge home when the voice returned to him.
<you have been valiant, you will be rewarded. by the time you reach the mansion, all will be better, just wait>
That's it for part 26. I PROMISE the next one will be the last! Seriously! FOR REALS this time! lol! ;-) Feedback, as always, at ender2155@gmail.com