Disclaimer: Me own X-men not.

A/N: Thanks to people who reviewed!

Laurel Ducky: Actually, Gene IS a girl's name; it's just a different spelling. I think it's cooler than "Jean" anyway, but what can you do with crazy X-men owner people? aka Marvel

Wen: JOTT forever! Much better than Logan/Jean. Those annoy me.

Reborn

Part III

Mystique, in her natural form, stood, arms crossed, smirking at Jean. She took hold of Stryker's wheelchair, and pushed him out of the room, returning to lean against the wall, a mocking smile on her face.

"Thank you, my dear," Magneto said. Jean clapped her hand to her mouth in horror at what she had said. "Oh, no," she whispered.

"Oh, yes, my dear. Oh, yes."

Jean licked dry lips. "What are you going to do with me now?" she asked. Oh, I don't want to die. I've already been through it once, and Scott would—well, never mind.

"Don't worry, my dear Phoenix. We are all going to make a trip up to the lake. I need a hostage in case my old friend Xavier discovers what I am up to, and you will do splendidly, my dear—until we've found the metal, of course."

Oh, God. He's going to murder me. He didn't think anything of killing Rogue—he'll murder me, too, without hesitation.

Jean bit hard down on her lip to stop herself from screaming.

"In the meantime, as we travel to the lake, Mystique can keep you company."

Mystique smiled, a cruel smile. Jean swallowed hard. Magneto turned and left, his black cloak swirling around him. Mystique's form wavered and changed, metamorphosing into a form which Jean found very familiar. She closed her eyes. "You're not Scott," she said.

"Oh, I know you know that," Mystique replied. "I just thought it would make you happy to see him."

Jean took deep, steadying breaths to stop herself from crying. I won't give them the satisfaction. She opened her eyes. Mystique, still in the same form, was approaching, a mocking smile curling her lips. Jean willed herself not to move until the shapeshifter came close enough. Mystique reached out and curled a piece of Jean's hair around her finger. "Jeannie, with the light brown hair," she said. "You've heard the song, Phoenix?"

Jean gritted her teeth and suddenly leaned her body forward, trying to strike out at Mystique, but the shapeshifter jumped back with incredible speed, ripping out the chunk of Jean's hair that had been around her finger. Jean yelped in pain.

Mystique melted back into her own form. "I wonder how he's feeling now," she mused. Jean didn't have to ask who 'he' was. Oh, Scott.

"This is strange. I cannot pinpoint Mystique either."

"WHAT?" Scott yelled in outrage.

"Calm down, please, Scott. I'm sure there's an explanation."

"I want her! That damned shapeshifter has been playing a game—a game!—with Jean's memory!"

Xavier massaged his temples. "Scott, CALM DOWN! I'm sure Logan agrees with me that there's no reason to get so upset—yet. Don't you, Logan? Logan?"

No one answered. Xavier turned around in his wheelchair. Only Scott was standing behind him now. "Scott—where's Logan?"

"How should I know!"

Xavier suppressed a groan. Now what?

Under the basketball court, Logan started to get into a blue car—Scott's. He stopped suddenly. I'm sure that the garage wasn't this small before. And where is the X-jet?

Logan jumped out. There was no doubt. There was an extra partition along the back wall of the garage. It was made of adamantium. I know we didn't have an adamantium back wall before. And nobody could have created one that quickly, except for…

"Magneto," he spoke the word aloud. He remembered the last time Magneto had wanted to do something—he'd kidnapped Rogue, nearly killed her. Would he think any more about kidnapping Jean if she had something he wanted—and killing her once he'd got it? Logan jumped back in the blue car and roared out of the garage. Scott was just running out of the school, followed by Professor Xavier. Logan flung the door open. "Get in!" he yelled. "I know where Jean is!"

"She's alive?" Scott asked incredulously.

"She damn well is—but for how long, I don't know!"

Scott helped the Professor into the car, got in himself and slammed the door shut.

"Why aren't we taking the X-jet?" he asked.

"For one very simple reason: someone else already did!"

Logan could see the ideas clicking into Xavier's brain. "Of course. Magneto," the Professor said.

"Magneto! What's Magneto got to do with Jean!" Scott demanded.

"He has kidnapped her, Scott. And somehow he is shielding her from Cerebro. It is fortunate that Mystique seems to be in the same place, and that you suggested I look for Mystique, or we might never have found Jean. As it is, I believe we are going to Alkali Lake, Logan?"

"Yes. I only hope we're not too late."

"Too late!" Scott yelped.

"If Magneto finds what he is after, there will be no point in his keeping Jean any longer. The only reason she may be still alive is because Magneto will want a hostage in case we get to Alkali Lake before he has found the metal he is looking for—the one that brought Jean back to life."

Scott glanced at the speedometer. "We'll be too late. The X-jet is five times as fast my car. Hurry!"

"They will need not only to get there, but to extract the metal. I believe they may find that it is harder to extract than they think."

Scott's face was etched with lines of worry. "Oh, I hope so," he said heartfeltedly.

"Until we get there and see for ourselves, there is nothing more we can do than hope," Xavier said soberly.

The metal box split into strips, which bound Jean before she could move, arms at her sides, legs together, and a helmet of the metal over her head. Even before seeing where she was, she started to yell for help. Another strip of metal tightened around her throat, and she broke off, beginning to choke.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but I can't have you alerting anyone to our presence, can I?" Magneto's smooth voice asked. Jean was ready to scream in frustration. She was powerless, unable to move, unable to speak, and completely at the mercy of her captors. She was staring up into the sky. By turning her head, she could catch a glimpse of water, glinting in the sun. Alkali Lake. Right back where I started. It was where I died once, and I'm going to die here again. Oh, God, I'm frightened. I don't want to die.

Magneto was staring at the water, trying to decide what to do next. His power did not work on this particular metal, which in itself was of interest, and without using his power, how could he get to the metal beneath the lake? Magneto smiled. He enjoyed a challenge. He could drain the lake, of course, but if there were a quicker option, it would be more sensible to consider it first. Xavier and his pitiful band of 'X-men' would be on to him, if he weren't fast. True, he held the Phoenix—but he was still vulnerable until he found the metal.

"Oh, great, a roadblock," moaned Scott.

"We're almost there. We can walk the rest of the way. †It's only five minutes," Logan replied.

"I will remain here. I should be able to draw Magneto away from the group," Xavier said. "You two go on."

Scott jumped out of the car and started to run. Logan remained only long enough to pull a gun out of the glove compartment and tuck it into his belt, then he, too, was off.

Magneto started. He heard Xavier's voice in his head, saying, You don't have your helmet on, Eric. Why so careless? Magneto snarled and whispered inside his head, Where are you, Charles?

I know where you are, and what you are attempting to do, Xavier replied.

I think we need to have a discussion, old friend, Magneto thought.

I believe you are right. You are unlikely to find the metal before Logan and Scott arrive. Perhaps we can come to terms.

Perhaps. I do hold the Phoenix.

Magneto began to walk in the direction of Xavier's thought, not feeling the subtle mind-force Xavier was using to persuade him to come.

Jason Stryker was truly aware for the first time in years. He could barely think, yet he knew what was happening. He was consumed with a burning desire for revenge upon his father. But where was his father? He knew. His father was a mutant, too. He changed shape. Right now he was standing, facing the woman, the Phoenix, they had brought up here, in her shape, trussed and bound in metal just as she was. It was an attempt to confuse the rescuers who were expected to arrive if Magneto did not figure out how to get at the metal in time.

Stryker was confused. Which of the woman bound in metal was his father? He didn't know. But he knew how to kill by illusion. He would do that. If he were wrong, he could always try again.

Logan, closely followed by Scott, raced up the tortuous mountain pathway. He tripped, giving an exclamation of annoyance as he tore the skin on his hand open. It closed up again a moment later as he ran on. By this time, Scott had caught up and was ahead of him. They crested a small rise and caught sight of figures ahead through the trees, and the glinting of sunlight on water. He and Scott burst silently through the trees.

Logan saw the sun lancing down the trees, illuminating a clearing by the lake. Facing him, Jean was tied up and blindfolded. In front of her, a familiar figure stood with his back to Logan. Magneto, Logan thought. He doesn't know I'm here. I'll never have a better chance. Logan drew his gun and took aim.

Scott stumbled, panting, into the clearing. He stared, bewildered, at a pair of identical Jean Greys standing, facing each other. Oh, great. Now which one is Mystique, and which one is my Jean?

He just had time to realize that the Jean with her back to him had to be the real one because she was not wearing Jean's silver necklace, but the other one was, and Scott had the original in his pocket, when Logan burst into the clearing. Logan's eyes narrowed, and he pulled a gun out from his belt.

"Logan, what the hell—!" Scott started to say, but the gun was aimed at Jean's back. Logan's finger tightened on the trigger. Scott didn't have any time to do anything, except throw himself forward into the path of the bullet…

Jean couldn't see anything. Magneto had left. But why? She didn't have any idea. Maybe Professor X has arrived, Jean thought hopefully. There was a crunching noise in the bushes behind Jean. She tried to turn around, but the metal strips held her in place. "Damn!" Jean murmured as someone raced into the clearing. Who? Logan? Scott? Not the Professor, of course. For a brief moment, nothing happened. Jean strained her ears. There was another crunching noise. She heard Scott's muffled voice yelling, "Logan, what the hell—!", and somewhere a gun discharged.

In the X-jet, Professor Xavier sat calmly in the shadows, waiting for Magneto's arrival. Eric arrived, a dark shadow in the doorway of the jet. And for once, Eric has forgotten his helmet. Magneto stepped forward, his eyes a blue blank. I know how I can outwit Charles. I will tie my feet up, and he will think I am incapacitated, was the thought Xavier subtly insinuated into Magneto's brain.

Logan stared in horror as the gun discharged, and Scott dove forward. The scene altered subtly. Suddenly, there were two Jean Greys standing, facing each other. No Magneto. And a man in a wheelchair calmly watching the whole altercation. Logan froze for a moment, then rushed forward. He delivered one punch on Jason Stryker's chin. The man slumped forward.

Logan unsheathed his claws. He paused for a moment, staring, his head whipping back and forth. The perfume. The Jean facing me is wearing too much perfume. In one quick motion, he slashed his claws forward, slashing down and through the metal binding the real Jean as though it were butter. She tumbled forward, and he caught her.

"Scott?" her worried voice demanded.

"It's Logan."

"Where's Scott?" Jean asked, even as she pulled the blindfold down from her face. Logan gestured mutely. "Oh, God! Scott!" Jean was on her knees beside the fallen man. "What happened?"

"Uh…I shot him. I thought you were Magneto."

"Oh, God. Scott, can you hear me? Scott!"

Scott pulled in a hoarse, dragging breath. "Jean?" he gasped.

"Scott…where did it hit you? Oh, God. Oh, God," Jean moaned as she stared at the patch of red in the middle of Scott's stomach.

"Jean…sorry…Logan was…going to…"

"He thought I was Magneto," Jean's face worked in horror and agony. "Oh, Scott."

"How…bad is…it?"

Jean swallowed, and put up her hand to brush away a tear. "Scott…it's pretty bad."

Scott's hand moved up to grasp hers. "Hey…no tears…Phoenix…huh? I'll be…okay…"

Jean's breathing was getting more forced and her eyes were swimming with tears. "Of course you will. You don't think I'd let you get…hurt, do you?"

"No…'course…not…" Scott's voice trailed off and his hand fell back, limp.

"Scott! Oh, please God, no!" The tears overflowed and Jean put her head into her hands and began to sob, the moisture leaking through to drip onto Scott's motionless form. Jean reached forward shaking hands to remove Scott's visor. His eyes were closed. Jean put her hand to his throat, to feel the pulse. She felt a weak flutter, growing steadily fainter. "Oh…no…please, Scott…" the tears were flowing faster than ever.

Scott took a deep breath, and Jean's hand flew to his pulse again. Stronger. Stronger? "Scott?" she stared down in amazement at the gaping hole in Scott's stomach. It was closing up. Jean's breathing grew faster and she shook Scott by the shoulder. The visor dropped from her hands to land with a thud on the dirt. Scott's eyes flickered, and he reached for the visor. Jean handed it to him. "Scott?"

"Jean?"

"Are you all right? What happened?"

"I…don't…know…" Scott sat up with a groan. Jean flung her arms around him. Scott tilted her face up and kissed her. Scott turned suddenly to direct a piercing glare at Logan, "Hey. What are you staring at?"

Logan blinked, stuck his hands in his pockets, turned away and started whistling. Scott turned back to Jean.

"Kind of a late honeymoon, isn't it, Jean?" Logan asked. Jean grinned. "I don't know. We've only been married for four months."

"Yeah, but…" Logan stared at her middle. Jean laid a hand on the growing bulge in her midsection. "I guess it's a little late. But better late than never, right, Scott?" she asked her husband as he walked up. For answer, Scott drew her to him, and kissed her.

"We need to give Phoenix and her tears a rest, don't we?" he smiled down at her. Logan sighed, but nodded. "Congratulations, Jean, Scott. I'll be seeing you—soon, I hope."

Jean smiled at him. "Thanks."

The End

Final A/N: This is the beginning of a story arc which I'm not posting as a novel because the stories focus on different characters. This is the only three-parter, though, all the others are one-shots. The next story in the series is "Shades of Gray" and the main character is Kitty Pryde.