Rogue can't believe Kitty and Jean talked her into a concert. Nearly five years to the anniversary of her meltdown. Of realizing Mystique had been her adopted mother. Her best friend. Maybe, even a love interest. The crushing realization that the psyches and memories would remain in her mind, forever. Back then, she couldn't imagine getting through any of it. Surviving as herself, not a ghost of who she was. Many pieces of other people.

Now, she goes to concerts with Kitty and Jean, sometimes. This Rogue doesn't wear gloves, she wears an inhibitor collar, instead. One designed with the utmost care by Hank. She still covers her body modestly, one Jean always takes care to remark is "quite nice." She parts her hair lazily to the left, and her makeup is still dark.

Kitty is still as slender as ever, but her hair is not in a signature pony. It's shorter than Rogue's, now. Kept in a stylish and easy to maintain bob. It's aerodynamic, she says. She and Lance gave things a try after Apocalypse, but the boy was still finding himself. Kitty had found who she was, an X-Man until the day she died. It was an amicable breakup, and busy lives kept them from wallowing. A certain, strong armed Russian kept her from wallowing.

Five years ago, they would've been happy if the world didn't end. Now, they were going to a mutant headlined concert. It was nights like these, the young people wanted to believe in their mentor's dream. A dream where they lived happily amongst humans. They could all dream for a few hours. Rogue doesn't jump when her sibling teleported into the SUV, finally Kitty's.

He fiddled with his shirt in excitement, in a lot of ways still the easy going kid he was all that time ago. He checked his blue hair in the mirror, having ditched his holograph watch all together. "Vhat song are you hoping they play!" Kurt cried, scrolling rapidly through his phone. Rogue rolled her eyes, her black X-Suit and no jacket her idea of a concert outfit. Remy says her X-Suit is his favorite garment of her's.

"Y'all don't even like The Deftones. They were in that Twilight soundtrack, and now all the normies are flockin' to the concert." She huffed, her knowledge on grunge music far more expansive than her two friends'. She was going to take advantage of the affordable tickets, though. Kitty scoffed from the driver's seat, adjusting her rearview mirror.

"Uh, and to see Dazzler, hello? She's like, one of the first mutant pop stars and, I totally love her. I'm gonna be her for Halloween." Rogue sighed loudly as Kurt laughed.

"Ja, I hear she's quite the looker. I am on the market..."

"Atta boy, Kurt!" Kitty exclaimed, turning the van a little too sharply.

"Watch the road, Kit." Rogue hissed, smoothing her uniform out and tugging uncomfortably on the collar of her suit. "How come Scott and Jean didn' wanna ride with?" She questioned as she looked out the window. She remembered when they would chauffeur them all around, a whole lifetime ago. She wished she cherished those times more. It was always hard with Mystique and Apocalypse breathing down her neck.

Kitty shrugged, her expression becoming a little troubled. Jean hadn't really been herself, lately. But, nobody would talk about it. "I dunno, she said she had a little headache. She's resting before all the fun, tonight. You know how she is..." Rogue and Kurt nodded, they were used to it. And, used to acting like it wasn't alarming. Charles seemed to be in denial, they all heard the arguments Scott and Logan had with him when they thought everyone was sleep.

The growth of her powers couldn't be stopped. Picking up thoughts here and there became knowing everything, all at once. Didn't leave Jean much time to be just Jean.

Nobody seemed to know what to do, but what could be done? Kurt and Rogue shivered at the same time as Kitty pulled up to the venue. "Anyvays," Kurt tried in a light voice. "I hope ve have killer seats! I alvays get duds..." Rogue snorted at that. She was over her power malfunction, her mother's betrayal, her own powers. But, she still didn't like crowds.

"Ah know a few guys in the band, so Ah'll probably be watching from the stage..." Kitty turned all the way around, prompting Kurt to scream.

"HEY, the road!"

"You know guys in the band! You scoundrel, how?!" Rogue only crossed her arms.

"Simple. When you were goin' to the mall, Ah was breakin' into grunge shows." Kitty began to pout when her old roommate smiled, smugly. With her mutation, there wasn't a lot the girl had experienced that Kitty Pryde hadn't.

"You never invited me to those! I invited you to all my parties!" Kurt huffed.

"Pink vasn't allowed, now come on!" He opened his door and gestured behind him. People were flocking to the doors. Chuckling, Rogue and Kitty followed

Jean and Scott were still on top of the mansion's roof, staring out into the garden they were both so familiar with. With her vastly grown and changed powers, she can instant transmission them to the concert anytime she wants. A lot has changed in five years. More than the couple's hair or their uniforms. The couple is not just a couple, they're engaged. And, their room doesn't just shake when she has nightmares. The entire campus does.

She's leagues stronger than she was when she battled the professor for the world. That power, Scott Summers could not comprehend. Now, he doesn't even try. He is engaged to a living goddess, and every day he struggles to be worthy. She's all he's ever wanted, but every night he dreams of sands slipping between his fingers. She is not herself.

The more her powers grow, the more he worries it displaces her. Jean. The professor had told him of how sometimes, psychics became so powerful they developed a second personality. But this was something else, entirely. It was like she saw two worlds at once. He just wanted to be on the same page again. She used to read his mind without reading it.

"Jean," He tries, holding on to her from behind. "Something's troubling you, I can tell." His brown, leather jacket flapped in the wind. What did he know better than Jean Grey? She only shrank from his touch, so uncomfortable all the time, for whatever reason. Like there was a galaxy swirling inside of her, novels being written in her mind. It was all too complicated to make a person as rational as Scott understand. She smiled through fire engine hair, at her shoulders now.

He knew it was a grimace. "Scott, I..." Memories of a false life pervaded her. Balls and gowns, banquets. Love. Things that almost made sense. "I don't know. I'm sorry, it can't be easy when I'm so moody all the time." She slipped some hair behind her ear. His grip tightened around her, wearing a bright blue button up that looks pale pink to him.

"It's always easy to be with you. I'm not annoyed," He pulled apart from her, his brow furrowed. "I'm worried. Whatever it is," He tilted her face up to look at him. "Let me share it. We share it all, remember?" He still remembers being so relieved to find her again in En Sabah Nur's pyramids. She is his heart. His whole heart, and when she's not well, he's not well. "I'll be here. No matter what." Behind his glasses, she knew his stare hardened.

"I know." Jean replies with a tired smile. "I never have to worry about that, Scott. I... I love you. No matter wha-" Scott took the opportunity to tilt down and kiss the red head, they never kissed enough. In the world they lived in, nothing was promised.

"You ready?" She nodded, focusing on the venue with all their friends. This would make her feel like herself, again. A wonderful night out with the love of her life and all of her friends. She smiled, making him gasp when she reaches for his glasses.

"Almost." He shut his eyes out of reflex. "I want to see, Scott. You know I can hold it." Slowly, he opened his eyes to reveal shining, blue eyes. "There, they are." She placed a hand on the side of his chiseled face. "Now, I'm ready."

"And, long may she reign." Jean stood, but she wasn't Jean. Or, was she? She was lost in a timeless era, in a flowing ballgown surrounded by men in powdered wigs. Colonial men, men from history. But, it was her time. "My Black Queen." He had flowing, brown hair in a ribbon and ruffles in his petticoat. His dress signified dignity and class. Money. Wealth. She stood in a massive garden as their wedding party watched.

'A wedding...' Jean thought, a veil hiding her face. Yes, she was getting married. Married, to Jason. Jason Wyngarde. How did she forget? She was Lady Jean Grey being married off to another noble dynasty. It was a beautiful ceremony, even if the priests eyes glow amethyst. Sinister, somehow.

"Wilt thou, Jason, have this woman to be thy wedded wife? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor her? Keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and keep only her unto thee? So long as ye both may live?" He leered at her, his raven hair in a braid.

The brunette with the thick mustache smiled at Jean. Like she was everything she ever wanted. 'Who else looks at me, this way...' She couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something. "Yes, I do." Jason answered, holding her stare.

"And you, Lady Jean..." Suddenly, her cheeks flushed red.

"Oh... Oh, yes." She answered with a sigh, their hands joining. "I do."

"Then, I pronounce ye man and wife! And you, the Black Queen!" Jean looked around as thunderous applause erupted.

The ruined, desecrated churchyard exploded with cheers. But, Jean hears none of it. It is her wedding, her wedding with Jason. Scott no longer exists in this reality. In this world, his grandfather's grandfather is not born. A white hot burning starts deep inside Jean. It becomes too much for her to contain. She feels herself overcome with an emotional tidal wave that's the size of the cosmos. Flowing through her.

But, as abruptly as the transportation to another time started, it ends. And, Jean is in the arms of the strange man. Jason.

An icy, platinum blonde watches. And, smiles.

Kitty waved a hand through short hair, peering at herself in mirrors they passed by. She smiled and waved when boys passing by stop to look at them as she fixed her lip gloss. "Hope I don't look too punk tonight," She fussed, tugging on her outfit. Rogue only scoffed, her eyes scanning the dark, cramped room.

"Kitty, a black cropped tee and cheetah print bell-bottoms ain't punk. Don't worry." Kurt only rolled his eyes, looking for merch tables and a place to get a soda.

"Here, ve go..."

"It is, too! I looked it up before I came!" Kitty complained, her cheeks tinged red. Rogue was chuckling and Kurt tried to wedge himself between them. "One of the models was wearing this outfit i-"

"Guys!"

"That's not punk, Kitty. Ya look like a Bratz doll." People were starting to gather as the two girls started arguing.

"Oh yeah? Well, you look like a Monster High doll!" The brunette screeched back, pointing a finger. Rogue only tucked her hair behind her ear. People in the gathering crowd began to 'ooh' and 'aah.' She flexed a pale arm, much stronger than it looked. Guys were pointing at cheering as each girl tried to get over Kurt to the other

"Oh, we ain't gonna kiss. Ah'm about to wipe the floor with her." The white banged girl hissed, locking eyes with her old roommate.

"Try it." She responded, but Kurt's pointing dead ahead.

"Guys. Look... They don't mean..." Both girls huffed before following Kurt's finger. Kitty dropped her water bottle, spilling it all over the floor. Even Scott was frozen in shock as Jean locked lipped with some older, strange man. "I... Don't understand? Vhat's happening?" Kitty covered her mouth. Had Jean been losing it all faster than they thought?

Rogue moves first, reaching for a pair of gloves and turning her inhibitor necklace off. "Somethin' stinks, you guys. This ain't right. They're both in my head, Jean wouldn't do this. Not... Willingly." She reported, her voice shaking. Before her teammates could do anything, she reached for her communicator. "Wolverine?"

"Stripe?" Is the extremely fast response.

"Ah think somethin'-"

"Be there in five." Ever since her big meltdown, Logan waited by his communicator to aid the team when they tried to do normal things. Rogue was a big girl with some very big powers, she didn't call him in for anything less than what required him. Rogue held her leader's stare for a moment, but it's clear even he doesn't know what to do. He's confused, scared, and livid all at once, she reads his expressions. She looked at her brother, then Kitty before the crowd starts pushing them up.

"Opener is about to start!" Someone cried. Moving quickly, Kurt turned Rogue's inhibitor necklace on before they got crowded. She shot him a look that rivaled Logan's glare. She still wasn't a fan of her personal space being invaded.

"Let's go, move it!"

"Oh no, I remember last time." He looked at his friends, worriedly. "Let them handle it, for now. I don't think they vant us to intrude..." Rogue turned around, but Kitty hooked a slender arm in her's. The lights dimmed around them and people began cheering, moving around a dazed Scott and Jean. He didn't look mad so much as determined to figure out what was going on. Jean looked confused.

'Was that a vision? Were... Were our ancestors once in love?' Jean wondered. Charles had been plagued with visions, future sights from Apocalypse. Stranger things had happened to them since the Egyptian's defeat. 'What's happening to me?'

"Scott, I..." How did she explain away a kiss? With an audience. Her distance, yes. Maybe even lingering fears of marriage. But, not this. Embarrassment bloomed like rage in her gut. How could she do that to Scott? To herself? 'C'mon, Jean. At least act like you aren't a basket-case.' "I'm sorry, I just..." Tears welled in her eyes. He wasn't mad because it didn't even seem like a Jean thing to do.

'It's like she was someone else... Are we under attack?' He looked around as the stage lit with obnoxious lights. Rogue's concert fiasco was always on his mind. 'Mutant who controls lightwaves. Dazzler. Right.' He groaned inwardly. With his eyesight, this opener was a nightmare. Dazzler had a wavy blonde mane, a blue mask on her face and all the silver lamé on that side of town. Even Scott spares a thought to how beautiful she was. But, he just wasn't feeling the concert.

Jean wasn't either, she moved around him and cut through the crowd to the patio. She needed fresh air, something. Frowning, Scott followed. Kitty and Kurt started cheering, but Rogue noticed it all. Hooking an arm in both of their's, she tugged. "C'mon... Somethin's not right." Kurt pressed his mouth shut, but Kitty bellowed.

"We're mutants, Rogue. X-Men. I walk through walls, you fly, and Jean reads minds. Nothing is ever right..." She phased her arm free and stomped behind her old roommate, growling the whole way. She remembers when she used to have to force Rogue to do the right thing. "These tickets were like, my whole paycheck, Rogue..." The slightly older girl is tuning her friend and siblings out, more concerned with the energy rolling off of Jean. It's making her skin crawl.

Her psyches are susceptible to it, and they didn't like it. Something big was happening, something none of them understood. And, she'd already learned what happened when they didn't understand things. Jean was cradling her head, barely containing her freak out. It felt like someone had been slowly loosening the shields that the professor placed to dam her powers, even today. And, her head had a finite amount of space ."Jean, are you alright?" Scott pressed as she hissed in pain. "Talk to me. Don't shut me out, please!"

Rogue slipped one of her gloves off. "Rogue?" Kitty questioned, raising an eyebrow. When the brunette noticed how many people seemed to be watching them, she gave up on salvaging the night. Ever since Rogue and Carol Danvers fought (a fight that left the former comatose, for good), she's forbidden to use her natural mutation. Hank had urged her not to unless she was left no other choices.

"That box blonde bimbo has been casin' us, she followed us outside." She tried to act as if she weren't talking about her, they had no idea if she had powers. Kurt nodded reluctantly.

"That fräulein has, she's too hard not to notice. She's as bright as Dazzler." Kitty's brow furrowed, they were right. It seemed like this concert was ruined, alright. But, as she looked at Jean, she realized that was the least of her problems.