nextgenerationmarvel | A visit from Mom

There was a brief spatial disturbance in the hallway outside the Medbay. Flames danced through the air with the sound of raptor wings, then a flash, and Jean Grey-Summers stepped through. It was less dramatic than a landing on the front lawn, and less likely to set off alarms at S.H.I.E.L.D, Avengers Mansion, and/or every other agency or entity than had an interest in monitoring near-Earth space.

People, whether of Earth, the Kree, the Shi'Ar, Skrulls, even such beings as the Brood and the Technarchy, they all got nervous when the Phoenix made an unannounced visit to their neighborhood.

Also, Jean was in a hurry. Her firstborn was injured. Nevermind that she hadn't technically given birth to Rachel in this timeline, and that her chronologically younger brother was physically older, and that said firstborn had decimated an entire platoon of advanced Sentinels and rebuilt the mansion after being injured...

She stepped through the doorway, the molecules of her costume rearranging themselves into a soft green sweater and a crisp pair of linen trousers, and sat down next to the bed. She gently smoothed her daughter's hair.

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Bobbi didn't know she was there or she wouldn't have entered. She was worried about Rachel, after all she and her husband both took her in.

She carried her favorite stuffed penguin with her, intending on leaving it to guard Rachel as she slept. She paused at the door a moment though seeing the back of the redhead that sat next to her.

"Sorry, I'll come back later if you want. Pretty sure she'll wake up." Maybe more hopeful, she didn't want to see Doug sad. She stepped up to the bed leaving the toy at the foot of the bed. "Pretty sure she's the one that will lecture me on my actions anyway." There was a little fear coming from her as she turned to go check on Dolemeck.

"She'll be okay." Jean kept smoothing and arranging Rachel's hair on the pillow. "She's just very drained right now. That fight took a lot out of her, and she lost a lot of blood. But Rachel is strong."

Jean turned her head slightly. "You're... Bobbi, right?" Jean had spent so little time on Earth lately she wasn't sure who all the students were anymore. But, she realized she should know this one. "Why would she be angry at you?"

"She's a lot stronger than I am..." She bit her lip a moment and nodded at the question.

"Yes ma'am." She fretted a little. "I ended up drawing gunfire, lured some of them outside. It was pretty reckless," She looked up. "So I'm kind of expecting a big lecture about it and since Professor Doug, nor Professor Drake have given me it, it's probably falling on her."

She shifted her wings a little as she stood there. "Pretty sure I gave some of them really bad frostbite too though. I really hope that they were able to be thawed out safely, I don't want to be the reason someone is shattered." It was clear in her thoughts that she probably had nightmares about it.

"Some of them. You mean, some of the people attacking the school? The Purifiers?"

She nodded. "I just thought that if I could buy time for other students to get to safety it would be okay. Maybe it would counter why..." She let it drop knowing that she wasn't just a creation.

"It worked, and they were able to heal my wing." She toed the ground a little. "Guess a little more of both Mr Worthington and Professor Drake rubbed off on me than the people who created me wanted."

"What would those Purifiers have done to you? Or to the new students... the ones without powers to defend themselves? Something a lot worse than being frozen."

Jean turned a little further.

"Sometimes, potentially deadly force is what it takes to stop someone who's determined to cause harm to lots of other people. Those Purifiers put themselves into that situation. It's good that you feel regret, Bobbi. You should never stop feeling, but remember, it was all on them, not you."

Then her lips quirked. "More of Warren and Bobby than they expected, hm?"

She nodded. "I know feeling bad about is good, I just don't want to kill them okay."

She gave a nod when Jean asked her question. She flicked out her wings to show them off. "And I'd freeze something, but don't want to wake her because I drop the room temperature. With... that still fresh in my mind, I don't want to risk it." She smiled a little. "And no way am I taking some permutation of Mr. Worthington's codename as mine. I'm no angel." The grin turned impish though really she didn't have any bad intent for the most part.

"Neither is Warren."

Jean smiled, then she turned back towards Rachel.

That had the young girl bark a laugh. "Seriously doubting anyone that wears an X is one. Not that I'm complaining! After all I do want to follow in their footsteps." She stepped closer to the bed again. "Maybe Topher, but don't tell him I said that okay? Please?"

Despite Rachel's insistence that she would be fine and could pass out in the headmaster's quarters, Drs. McCoy and Reyes had kept Rachel in the Medbay. She lapsed in and out of consciousness a few times.

When she rose out of the depths of power-induced fatigue this time, she was vaguely aware of a maternal presence close by.

"Mm." That was about as articulate as she got trying to open her eyes.

"Shh. You don't have to talk."

That was quite a power flare. I bet every telepath on the planet felt it.

They were... Faded images slipped through her mind. From so long ago she didn't dwell on how she ended up among the X-Men at the very beginning. Though the ruined future was far enough behind her, she could never forget the horror of what a Nimrod represented.

I may have overdone it. A little. Except not.

Your sister is currently propped up on a couch with a bag of frozen peas on her head. Her roommate is feeding her some kind of Japanese herbal tea. I wouldn't be surprised if Nathan paid you a visit soon, too. Jean's mental tone was concerned, and slightly bemused, before she turned more serious.

Nimrods. That's escalating things, even for the Purifiers.

Oops. I'll add sending cookies or something to Sara to the list. I hadn't counted on feedback from the sibling rapports. Though she had protected Doug from getting mentally fried from their connection. She hadn't considered Emma and Monet not having access to those rapports.

Which meant a cranky, gun-toting visitor in the near future. Rachel almost sighed. She loved her baby brother, but he tended to scare some of the students silly.

Their first move was to try to kill me. It kept escalating from there.

Uranium chip? Or maybe Plutonium Cream Macaroons. Mental chuckle. Your brother isn't so bad, he's just... Nathan. He cares, he just has a unique way of showing it.

Jean's eyes flashed. I know they did. It worries me that they did their homework, attacking you first, and it worries me that they have access to Nimrod technology.

I was thinking shortbread, but maybe she'd like a chip off the old Uranium. She shifted a little on the bed. She had to do a little movement or she'd fall back asleep. And they were both powerful enough to speak through dreams, but who wanted to talk to an eight-foot tall purple walrus?

The X-Men should be looking into it. Provided those human Sentinels that showed up didn't do a big number on them... Her brow creased as she became aware she wasn't too sure how the school and X-Men were functioning. She knew they could go on without her, but not knowing when she was usually aware made her stomach twist a little.

Shh. The school is fine. You patched everything up until one can't even tell there was an attack. And the students are fine, just a little shaken up. Well, some are a lot shaken up. The rest of the staff and the X-Men are handling things. I'm going to stay a few days, until you're feeling better. I wouldn't mind seeing Nathan when he gets here, too.

Jean pulled the covers up over Rachel's shoulders.

Now, get some rest.

A visit from Mom

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