ONCE INSIDE THEIR home, Eleanor let Jean sit down on the couch to prepare some hot beverages for them. She let her eyes focus on the redhead and the first thing she noticed was her visible apprehension.

Eleanor remembered the times she spent with her, helping her understand her abilities and maintain control. She would even look inside her mind and explore her memories whenever permitted to do so. The brunette frowned a little as she recalled noticing the mental scaffolding structures and barriers around some memories, preventing her from looking into them. Eleanor didn't bother breaking through the barricades as she found no purpose in doing so at that time. She respected the girl's boundaries.

She also remembered asking Charles about it and he just told her to not bother herself with it. Thinking that it might've been some kind of traumatizing event that Jean didn't want to recall, Eleanor let the concern go.

"Are you hurt?" Erik asked, gesturing his hand to her. Eleanor knew what he really meant. She was also aware of the blood stain on her shirt and was curious to know who it belonged to.

"No."

"You'll have to forgive them. They're not accustomed to uninvited guests." Erik then started, sitting down at the couch across from her. As always, he wasn't displaying any emotion. "Please, why don't you start at the beginning?"

Jean was quiet, only looking down at the floor. Eleanor could see her eyes exuded extreme guilt, but from what? Why was she feeling guilty? What had she done wrong? Did someone hurt her? Did she kill someone? Eleanor shook her head at the last part. Jean wasn't a murderer. She was far from one.

"Whose blood is that?"

"What?"

"On your shirt. Whose blood is it?" sternly probed Erik as he leant forward. "Look, I'm not Charles or Eleanor. I can't read your mind."

Eleanor sighed, serving the beverages to them. "I can't read your mind either, Jean. You're blocking me and I have no intention to invade it without your permission. You have to tell us everything so we can help you. You can trust us."

"You hurt people." stated Jean, directing it to Erik.

Her husband clenched his jaw, not liking her statement. "It's been a very long while."

"But, you once did."

"Yes! What did you come here to ask me and my wife?"

"How did you stop?"

At this, Erik stood up with a hardened expression. "I've lived with vengeance my whole life. Ever since I was a child, I... lost everyone I ever loved, so I hurt people." He explained. Eleanor stared at her cup as she looked down, sadly. Erik had been through so much. He lost a lot of people he cared and loved. Truthfully, all he wanted was to live in peace, but from time to time, life would find a way to disrupt it.

"Yes, killed people. Killed whatever I thought would make the pain go away. It didn't, no matter how many souls I sent under so I stopped. That... and my family helped me move on from that life. If it weren't for them, I would still be around killing people." he bluntly finished, exhaling.

Eleanor noticed the tears that started to form in Jean's eyes and she observed the girl, attentively. "I don't know how to stop." she whispered, her tone afraid. "I don't know what's happening to me. When I lose control..." Her lips trembled. "things happen, bad things... to people I love."

"Why? What happened, Jean? Come on, you can talk to us or me." consoled Eleanor, reaching out to hold her hand. The female shied away, nervous. "There's no need for you to be afraid. We're here for you. We will help you... whatever it is."

"I can't control it, Eleanor."

"What can't you control?"

Jean was again silent.

The woman sighed, gently setting down her cup of tea. She was extremely reticent and that meant they had to coax her first out of her shell before bombarding her with questions. A thought then occurred in her mind. "Remember when you first arrived at the school?"

Jean's head perked up and she slightly nodded. "You were the first to greet me."

"And what did I say?"

"That you saw potential and greatness in me." She answered in a heartbeat. "That I will do wondrous things in life. That you have looked into me and saw good."

"That's still what I see in you, Jean."

"I'm broken." she confessed, softly. "I need to be fixed, then I'll be okay." She wrung her hands together. "It's funny 'cause I asked Ana to fix me, but of course, she can't."

Eleanor smiled, almost motherly. "I once remember Ana talking about things that can't be fixed and I'll tell you what I told her before: there's beauty in brokenness." She said. "Jean, it is through that brokenness that we find courage and strength. You're not facing this alone."

"It's not just that, Eleanor. I... I feel this... things that I shouldn't."

"Okay..." she nodded. "Help us understand more about what you're going through. What happened? What can we do for you, Jean?"

This time, she refused to continue speaking and this must've exhausted Erik.

"Whose blood is that?" suddenly demanded her husband. "Isn't that why you came here? What do you think we can do for you, Jean?"

"I don't know!"

Marching towards her, he began pushing her to her limits. Eleanor placed her hand above his shoulder in an attempt to pull him out of whatever he was doing. "Yes, you do. Whose blood is that?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Did you hurt someone?"

"Please, I..."

"Erik, stop it." Eleanor warned him, noticing how Jean was growing uncomfortable and edgy. But, of course, Erik wasn't going to stop.

"Answer the question, Jean."

"Stop, Erik, you're making me angry."

"Good!" He loudly expressed. "I want you to be angry. Show me what happens, Jean."

"Stop provoking her, Erik!"

"You're not going to get answers from her if you baby her, El." Erik argued with Eleanor, narrowing his eyes at the girl.

"She's confused, okay? She's scared. There's no need for you to push her. Let Jean talk to us about it!"

"What happens when you're angry, Jean? Show me. Show us what..."

"I just don't wanna hurt you both!" cried Jean, shaking her head.

"Go on, show it!"

"Stop!" yelled Jean, her voice echoing across the living room. She abruptly stood up as if she was going to attack him and Erik instantly tugged the back of Eleanor's shirt, pulling her close to him. He glared at Jean, ready to act in defense if necessary. Thankfully, they were cut off by another resident of the island, Selene.

"We've got military. Inbound."

"Stay here." Erik emphasized, leaving the house. He slammed the door shut, obviously frustrated with Jean.

"It's going to be okay, alright? I promise." The brunette offered, brushing her hair back again before following Erik outside. Two U.S. choppers landed in the middle of the open area and soldiers positioned themselves around, armed and ready to engage.

Eleanor furrowed her eyebrows, confused with their arrival. "We have a legal right to be here. This land was given to us by the U.S. government." asserted Erik, standing up to the leader of the military team.

She crossed her arms, raising her eyebrow at the several soldiers in front of her. Reading their minds, thoughts about Jean attacking a squad of police officers came rushing in. They were all ordered to apprehend her and use force if necessary. Eleanor frowned at this, disbelief coursing through her. Jean would never attack anyone. Perhaps, she did it in defense, but why?

"We have no intention of taking it back. We're not here for you." the captain replied. "We're looking for one of the X-Men. Jean Grey."

"I haven't seen her in a long time." Erik shrugged, nonchalant.

"Then, you won't mind if we look around."

At this, Erik raised his head higher as if challenging him. "Would you mind if I came to your home unannounced and uninvited?"

"Look, I know who you are -- "

Eleanor scoffed, finally choosing the time to barge into their conversation. "If you know who he is, then you know better to back off."

The soldier's eyes darted over to her and he gave a curt nod, acknowledging her presence. "Mrs. Lehnsherr."

"Captain Hall."

The brunette crossed her arms, smiling. She had already met him once in the Congress when the mutant rights were finally approved. She and Valerie were introduced to him during the signing. He was quite civil despite his uneasiness with mutants. "There's no need for you to exert hostility here in our territory." She voiced out. "Mind apprising us of the situation? Why are you looking for Jean Grey?"

"We don't wanna fight, ma'am."

"You're not answering my question, captain... and of course, you don't." she retorted, smiling coldly. "Why would you?"

"All you have to do is just step aside and let us check."

Erik reaffirmed his power as the leader of the island, displaying it fully. "We have the same rights as you and your family."

At this, the soldier took a step forward to assert his dominance. "We're here for a girl who gave up those rights when she attacked a squad of police officers." He informed. "They have families, too. Guess you didn't hear about that."

"We don't get the news out here, Captain."

"Erik, it's okay." Eleanor frowned, squinting her eyes. "They can check." She was confident she could just telepathically cloak Jean in order to deceive them.

"Mrs. Lehnsherr." The couple snapped their heads towards the direction of their firstborn son's voice, Nathaniel. He was in full uniform and he had a hardened expression on his face. It had only been a month since she and Erik last saw him. He visited them to celebrate his promotion to First Lieutenant. "I highly advise that you do not use your mutation. I would know firsthand if you do." He then glanced at his superior. "I sense her presence here, captain. Grey's somewhere nearby."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Xavier."

Eleanor's ears kind of tingled that her son didn't call her mom or mother, but then her son was on duty. It was only right to act formally so as to be fair. She then furrowed her eyebrows once she had registered that her son was around. Why was he brought in with the soldiers? "No, we will not step aside until you tell us the full story. No sane person would just attack anyone without a valid reason. So, tell us, what did she do exactly?"

"You don't know, do you, mother?" Nathaniel then stared at her with a mournful look.

"What do you mean -- no..." Eleanor suddenly paused as she read her son's mind. Raven's demise was the first thought she heard and her breath instantly hitched in her throat.

Jean killed Raven.

Her hand flew to her mouth in disbelief and she took a step back. She slowly shook her head. "No, there must be some explanation. It must've been an accident."

Nathaniel shook his head, forlorn. "No, mom. Jean killed her in a fit of rage."

"Who did Jean kill, Nathan?" Erik demanded.

"Raven..."

"No!" Eleanor shook her head, defiantly. She was rejecting the idea that the girl she raised was a murderer because she believed she indeed wasn't. "It must've been an accident! She must've been confused or maybe she just lost control! I know Jean. She isn't what you perceive her to be. She came earlier here looking for help."

"Yes, to hide. To escape imprisonment. To evade justice."

Nathaniel's accusing tone fumed Eleanor and she scowled. "Watch your tone, Nathaniel." She warned. "You act as if she's dangerous. You knew her since you were a kid!"

"I don't know if she's the same Jean as I once knew."

"How could you just change your perception of her all of a sudden?"

"Eleanor..." Erik mentioned, his tone seething and instantly, she was deluged with his grief about Raven's death. A friend of his died at the hands of the young girl and the fuel to avenge her death was building up. "If Jean didn't kill Raven, then why was she so afraid of telling us about the blood on her shirt? Why wouldn't she tell us what really happened?" He accentuated, fire brewing in his steel eyes. "Because... she intentionally killed Raven."

"Erik, it's too early to assume anything. I'm certain it was an accident -- "

They then noticed one of the helicopter's blades operate, spinning around quite a bit too fast. "Stop that." suddenly urged the captain. "I said stop that right now, you two!"

"It's not us."

"It's me." proclaimed Jean who now revealed herself to everyone. Her hands were raised and the sides of her face was streaked with white and orange lines like there was some fire ready to burst out of her. Her eyes were glowing gold and her hair billowed gracefully behind her. She was the one who was manipulating the helicopter.

"Jean?" Eleanor warily called. "Jean!"

The young woman then totaled one of the choppers, causing a loose propeller to almost hit Eleanor and Erik if they did not separate from each other. Alarmed by this, her husband immediately took hold of the other helicopter and they both fought for control over it. Eleanor, still quite confused and shocked by what Jean had done, pulled herself together and used her own telekinesis to battle the girl's intense pull.

"Jean! Stop this now!" Eleanor tried to call for her to no avail. A growl escaped her lips and her eyes began to glow red. Fiery mists of energy began to circle her whole body as she struggled stealing the helicopter from Jean's control. "Please!"

"Get in the chopper and go!" Erik yelled to the soldiers. "We can't hold it!"

"Fall back! Fall back!" ordered the leader. "Let's go, move, move! Let's go!"

"Go! Leave this place!"

It was then that Eleanor caught sight of her son's hand emitting a blue light and she knew what was going to happen next. Nathaniel slammed his fist to the ground, creating a fissure that crept up to where Jean was. Swiping both of his hands to the sides, he split open the crack beneath her feet, leading Jean to fall inside and lose her focus. This resulted in Eleanor and Erik finally gaining the control they needed and together, they sent the chopper away from their island.

"You shouldn't have done that."

And unexpectedly, Jean swiped her hand to the right, sending several powerful surges of telekinetic waves towards Nathaniel's direction, but he was quick to register her attack, immediately splitting the waves into two. He directed them to his sides and everyone who surrounded them was thrown away like rag dolls. Reacting to this, Eleanor curled her fingers to catch them all in mid-air, settling them down before turning her attention to Erik who sent large metal pieces towards Jean's direction, but she only hurled it back to him.

Her husband easily shielded himself with a magnetic forcefield to avoid them, but Jean was still able to telekinetically slam him to the ground, knocking him unconscious. Eleanor then hovered in the air, letting two spheres of psionic energy build above her palms. "Jean, what is happening with you? This is not who you are! Stop -- "

But, the young redhead only responded by lifting herself up in the air and attacking her with a blast of blazing fire. Eleanor raised her arm and a vermilion colored barrier covered her, shielding her from it. She gritted her teeth, feeling the searing fire threatening to overwhelm her. Screaming, Eleanor thrusted her hand up, directing the blast to the sky. She then launched two energy spheres towards her, hoping to be able to stop her.

Jean easily diverted Eleanor's attack to the other mutants around, injuring several of them. This distracted the brunette and she was blasted to the ground. "Mom!" Nathaniel shouted her name who had just helped the group of residents escape behind him.

"I'm okay! Help everyone evacuate the area and go check on your father!" Eleanor groaned. Jean's new power felt utterly familiar to her. She had felt it before. The pure rage, the intensity of it. She had seen it herself. The phoenix-shaped fiery blaze that had the colors of purple, red, orange, and yellow swirled around Jean uncontrollably. It was the same as the one she had dreamed about for the last three months. Panting, Eleanor then realized that her vision-like dreams were warning her of the incoming threat and they were now a little late in realizing that it was.

The brunette stood up and stared at Jean who was levitating in the air, head cocked to the side as if daring them to come for her. "Eleanor, let us help!" shouted Selene behind her.

"No! Go assist Nathan instead!" Eleanor was then about to step forward when she noticed a figure landing in the open area and it took her a moment to realize that it was her own daughter, Anastasia.

"Mom, are you okay?" Anastasia immediately asked as soon as she reached her.

"Yes, yes! And you?" Eleanor answered, relief covering her features that she saw Anastasia was more than well. However, she caught sight of how her daughter's eyes glowed gold and she knew then that her own daughter had a fragment of Jean's new power within her. Yet, it felt more calm and controlled compared to Jean.

"I'm more than fine." curtly replied her daughter, lifting herself up in the air. "Jean, you need to stop this instant!"

"You think you can stop me?" Jean incited, her voice booming. "Think again."

And with that, the two women clashed like flaming swords.

Wild clouds of purple, blue, orange, and yellow hue swirled around them as they tried to overwhelm the other. A frizzling fire in the form of a firebird suddenly bursted out of them and Eleanor's mouth hung open in shock and astonishment. It looked majestic, glorious... volatile. Soon, Jean subdued Anastasia and she crashed to one of the houses beside Eleanor.

"Ana!" the mother shouted, growing anxious and frantic about her daughter's state. Anastasia effortlessly rose from her crash site. "Mom, no!" She stated, looking up at Jean. "I will handle her! You need to get everyone off this island!"

"But, you -- "

"Everyone on this island will die if they don't get out of here, mom! This thing inside... me and Jean will destroy everything. I need you to listen to me. Go!" Anastasia shouted before engaging in another fight with Jean herself.

"Shit!" Eleanor cursed as she ran towards the forest, getting to the island citizens. Many of them were injured and bleeding. Her eyes roamed to search for her son and husband. "Erik! Nathan!" She called, frantic.

"Mom! We're here!" Her son answered as he gently laid down one of the wounded mutants. Running over to where he was, Eleanor gasped at the sight of the bleeding wound on his forehead. "Oh, my god! We need to get that wound closed, Nathan!" She uttered, worried for him. "Where's your father?"

"He went back for you and Ana."

At this, Eleanor's eyes widened. "Fucking shit!" She breathed, her heart hammering now against her chest. Erik wasn't just going to go back for her and Ana. He wanted to kill Jean to avenge Raven. She needed