Chapter 208: Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Five. Hellfire And Brimstone

The flames licked around both Jean, himself, and Apocalypse as they stood in their deadly dance. Apocalypse had a thick purple hand pressed against her back, his fingers sinking into her flesh, while Venom had his pressed between her breasts, small tendrils of symbskin penetrating her skin 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 homemaker and 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 and 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.

As the medics tried to approach her, the flames 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 mortals 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. and 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, and 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 said, just taking funding away from the sports team, 

Yeah, Peter replied, sports needs 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, and now each day her heart broke as Peter suffered alone. She had thought of pushing more, she saw his only real friend Gwen was making an effort and a newcomer, Felicia, 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 and 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,

Alexi 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 crying 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,

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

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

MJ, sitting in her home, crying as Flash had appeared, dragging 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 as Peter sat with MJ, watching the fireworks explode like brilliant flowers in the sky.

Whispers of love, as Liv crawls into bed and nestles into his arms, 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, listening, 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, and 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.

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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 villian act.

In his chest, the Mind Stone pulses, 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 building 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 and a hole 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 forwards it lands on Jean’s forehead, and 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 on the waking world. As a hand brushes over the closing wound on his chest 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, and fire flicks around her, the 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, and 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.” and Peter can only stare at her, 

“Now, shall we talk?” and 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,” and 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?” and as Peter looks down, he tries to summon his symbskin but frowns as it fails.

“Uh,” and as 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.” and Peter can’t help but laugh.

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

“So Jean?” and Phoenix laughs,

“I am Jean, silly. Don’t you know?” and 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” and as Peter looks at her, he tries his powers once more, stunned to find them blocked.

“Are you doing that?” and 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 right now, fighting a bunch of almost indestructible mutants with no powers is great, thanks, Jean.”

Phoenix laughs, “Aw, poor baby, but I’ll protect you.” and Peter stares at her,

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

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

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 until it is just Jean sat, looking slightly embarrassed and still wearing the red and gold outfit she had materialised.

“So, you’re the real Jean?” and 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?” and 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,” and Jean laughs again, uncaring that she was staring, and biting her lip.

As he stands and Jean’s eyes drift back up to eye 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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