Ethan stood at the edge of the crater, his body still radiating residual heat from the encounter. His upper body was bare, his muscular frame exposed, while his pants were singed from the flames. The Omni-Watch hung securely around his neck, seemingly unaffected by the fire that had consumed everything else.
As he glanced down at the unconscious redhead in his arms, her eyes fluttered open.
Jean Grey slowly regained consciousness, blinking in confusion as she took in her surroundings. Her gaze landed on Ethan, her expression quickly shifting from confusion to alarm.
"Who are you?" she demanded as she quickly got away from him.
She began looking around at the unfamiliar wasteland before staring down at herself. Her hands trembled as she touched her arms, feeling her torn clothes and her completely unscathed body.
"Where am I?" she muttered while trying to make sense of everything.
Ethan narrowed his eyes. 'Did she lose her memory?'
"Jean… do you remember anything?" he asked cautiously.
Jean furrowed her brows while struggling as though her mind was a tangled mess of thoughts.
"I… I think… Yes… I'm Jean Grey." She clenched her fists as if reaffirming her own identity. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened.
Her breath hitched. "Wait—!"
She frantically examined herself again, patting her body as if searching for wounds.
"I didn't die…?!" she whispered in disbelief. Her voice grew louder, more frantic. "The explosion in space… I should have… but I…"
She turned toward Ethan and her blue eyes are filled with confusion and panic. "Is this really Earth?"
Ethan studied her reaction before responding carefully. "Yes, it's Earth. But let me ask you something… by the way, what year do you think it is?"
Jean blinked. "What kind of question is that? It's 1992, of course."
Ethan exhaled sharply. Since this world mostly follows movie plot with some comic elements, he had an idea she is from the time of X-Men Dark Phoenix movie.
'Things were making more sense now. The Phoenix Force must have kept her in stasis for years before bringing her back.'
He gave her a neutral nod. "Right… About that. How about we go to Xavier's school?"
Jean looked at him warily before nodding. Then, her gaze trailed over his appearance, finally noticing his lack of clothing.
Her lips parted slightly in surprise. "Uh… What happened to your clothes?"
Ethan deadpanned. "You happened."
Jean tilted her head, confused for a moment before realization dawned on her. She can tell flames burnt the land and his clothes, she recalled before she was engulfed in flames, it must be because of her flames, "Oh…" She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Right. Sorry about that."
Ethan sighed before waving it off. "Forget it. But I need to ask you something. Do you remember what happened to you?"
Jean still looked disoriented, as if she were processing a million thoughts at once. "I… I remember the explosion when I released the phoenix flames outside of space. I remember flames… pain… and then… darkness. But I don't know how I got here."
"That makes sense," Ethan murmured. "By the way, it's actually the year 2000."
Jean's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"
Her whole body tensed as she stared at him in shock, struggling to process the lost time. "That's not possible… It can't be!"
Ethan gave her a knowing look. "You'll believe me once we get to the mansion."
Jean still looked overwhelmed and her breathing is uneven. She was clearly trying to make sense of her situation, but Ethan knew standing around in an open wasteland wasn't safe.
Unfortunately, there was another issue—his clothes were completely ruined.
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath. His wallet, his phone—all gone. He had zero money and no spare clothes, meaning he couldn't just casually walk through public areas.
He sighed while rubbing his temple before turning back to Jean. "Alright, let's head to Professor Xavier. He might have some answers for you."
Jean slowly nodded and is still looking like she was in mild shock. She didn't even know if she can trust him. But she needs someone to help her get out of this place, "Okay… But do you know which way to go?"
Ethan chuckled then pointed upward.
Jean blinked, clearly not understanding. "What—?"
Before she could react, he moved in an instant.
In a flash, he was in front of her, effortlessly lifting her into a princess carry.
Jean's eyes widened in shock. "H-Hey! Put me down!" she struggled slightly in his arms.
Ethan smirked. "Hold on tight… unless you want to fall."
Before she could protest further, he took off.
BOOM!
Jean screamed as a deafening sonic boom cracked through the air as Ethan propelled them forward at blinding speed. The wind roared around them as he accelerated, leaving a shockwave in his wake.
Jean instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging tightly.
"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU COULD FLY!" she yelled as her voice is barely audible over the rushing wind.
Ethan chuckled before glancing at her, "You never asked. By the way it's better to relax and enjoy the view."
Jean's heart pounded in her chest. The city lights below blurred as they soared through the sky at insane speeds. She glanced at him with wide eyes. "Are you a mutant?"
Ethan shook his head. "Nope. I'm human."
Jean's grip on him tightened. "Bullshit! Humans can't fly like this!"
He shrugged. "Believe what you want."
Truthfully, Professor Xavier and Storm had already talked to him about the reason for him being experimented on, they assumed because he had adaptation powers while being human, he was subjected to human experiment. Ethan never confirmed nor denied it—it made for a good cover story.
Now, he was more interested in something else... His speed.
The Phoenix encounter… had changed something inside him.
He could feel it. His body was moving faster, more fluidly. His senses were sharper. His powers had evolved further.
He needed to test his powers in the Danger Room once he got back.
Jean, meanwhile, tried to ignore the fact that she was high above the city and instead focused on what Ethan told her.
If what Ethan said was true—if this was the year 2000—then she had lost eight years. What had happened in that time?
She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against Ethan's shoulder. She didn't know if she could handle the answers.
Ethan wanted to test his flying speed and began to increase his speed more. "Hold on tight."
BOOMMMM....
Another sonic boom erupted in the air as he increased speed, the world beneath them turning into a blur followed by screams of Jean.
.....
Meanwhile…
At the crater site, several black SUVs and armored vans arrived, surrounding the impact zone. Armed agents quickly secured the perimeter, scanning the area with advanced equipment.
A man in a sharp black suit stepped out of one of the vehicles. Agent Phil Coulson.
He adjusted his earpiece before turning to his team. "Secure the area. Check for residual energy readings."
One of the agents nodded. "Sir, there are traces of extreme heat and unidentified radiation, but there's no sign of any lifeforms."
Coulson frowned. "So whatever landed here… is already gone?"
He pulled out his phone, dialing a number.
A familiar voice answered. "Talk to me, Coulson."
Coulson straightened. "Director Fury, we have an empty crash site. Something—or someone—landed here, but they're gone. We're gathering as much evidence as we can."
A moment of silence. Then Fury spoke.
"I want a full report on my desk. Whatever came down from the sky… find out what it was. I don't like unknown variables."
Coulson's gaze swept across the crater, his instincts telling him that something big had happened here.
"Understood, Director."
He ended the call and turned to his agents.
"Set up a perimeter. I want every trace of energy analyzed. If something—or someone—came down here, I want to know where they went."
As S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives began their investigation, the truth was already soaring far away… heading straight for the X-Mansion.
...
After flying for sometime, Ethan descended slowly, landing at the entrance of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, murmurs began to spread among the students gathered outside.
Students and teachers stared at him, some whispering among themselves. A few recognized him, but their gazes weren't exactly friendly.
"Isn't that Ethan? What's he doing carrying Jean Grey like that?"
"Wait… Jean? But isn't she on her honeymoon with Scott?"
"Did he just steal a married woman?!"
"Why the hell is he shirtless? Is he showing off or something?"
Some students looked at Ethan with admiration, others with confusion, while a few whispered conspiratorially, assuming he must have done something wild to be returning with a barely clothed woman in his arms.
Several of the female students frowned in concern, noticing Ethan's burnt clothes and bare torso.
"Did he get into a fight?" one of them asked.
"Maybe that's why Jean is with him…? Did he save her?"
Despite their curiosity, no one dared to approach him.
Ethan sighed, already guessing the kind of rumors that would spread. "This is why I hate drama."
Ethan then gently set Jean down. But she however did react to the crowd.
Her blue eyes narrowed slightly as she used her telepathy to scan the thoughts of those around her.
At first, she had her own doubts about Ethan—especially when he had told her it was the year 2000. A part of her even suspected he was lying, that maybe he wasn't human, that he had some kind of hidden agenda… That he had saved her for his own reasons.
But those thoughts were slowly dissolving now.
Because as soon as she entered Xavier's Mansion, she could feel it.
Everything was different. The students… The atmosphere… The timeline.
And then, the biggest shock of all.
Jean's mind suddenly froze as she sensed a very familiar presence.
Another Jean Grey.
Her breath hitched as she quickly searched deeper, scanning the memories of the people around her.
She saw visions of her older self—a woman who had lived out the last eight years that she had missed.
Married.
To Scott Summers.
On a honeymoon.
Jean's lips parted in shock.
"What…?" she whispered to herself.
Scott was married to… me?
Her chest tightened slightly. She and Scott had only gone on a few dates before everything had spiraled out of control in 1992.
And now, she was here. In the future. And Scott was already married to someone else.
To… her.
It was too much to process all at once.
She barely noticed when Professor Xavier arrived with his wheelchair gliding forward.
The moment she saw him, her emotions flared again.
He looked… older. Much older than the last time she had seen him.
Xavier gave her a gentle smile, his expression calm and understanding. "Welcome back, Jean."
Jean swallowed hard.
"Professor…?" she murmured, her voice small.
"Yes, my dear. It's been a long time."
Jean felt her throat tighten. The calm and collected Professor she had known… he was still here, but time had aged him.
She looked away for a moment before clutching her arms.
"This is too much…" she whispered under her breath.
Xavier then turned his gaze to Ethan. "You went out to look for a place to live after leaving here but brought an unexpected guest, Ethan."
Ethan signed, "Trust me, it wasn't in the plan, Professor."
He nodded, "I imagine you have many questions, Ethan and... Jean. But for now, let's freshen up first."
Just as they were about to head inside—
The sound of an approaching car cut through the air.
Ethan turned his head, and Jean stiffened.
A sleek black car pulled up near the entrance.
The doors opened and two people got out.
Scott Summers and beside him… Jean Grey. The other Jean.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze when two Jeans locked eyes.
One—the young Jean, fresh from 1992, barely grasping the reality of time travel.
The other—the Jean who had lived through the past eight years, grown, changed… and married.
The tension in the air was so thick, even the students stopped whispering.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Well… this is awkward."
Scott's jaw tightened. His eyes flickered between the two Jeans, his mind struggling to comprehend what he was seeing, he thought the other Jean... The real Jean died... How come she's here?
"What… the hell?" Scott finally said.
Jean's fingers twitched. "You… married me?"
Scott opened his mouth—but no words came out.
Professor Xavier let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples. "I believe this will require a long discussion. Let's meet in my office after you all change into something more comfortable."
He turned to Ethan, "Anna, Anissa, and Kitty went out for shopping, so they are not here."
Ethan nodded, then glanced at Angelica, who stood nearby, watching everything with confusion. "Angelica, can you get some spare clothes for Jean?" Ethan asked.
Angelica blinked before snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh! Of course. Come with me... Jean."
Jean hesitated but followed Angelica to the girls' dorm. Ethan, on the other hand, headed to his own room to change.
As he changed into fresh clothes, his eyes fell on the Omni-Watch around his neck. He then casually checked the dail and his eyes widened.
The energy bar… was at 30%.
"What the hell?!"
It had taken him five months of constant energy feeding to get the battery up by 10%.
And yet—One single encounter with the Phoenix Force had increased it by 30%.
"That's broken as hell."
Ethan narrowed his eyes. Did the Phoenix do something to it?
He needs to check it out and his new increased powers, but first he needs to attend the meeting and get some answers as Professor seems to know something he doesn't.
Soon he made his way to Xavier's office. By the time Ethan arrived at the Professor's office, everyone was already there.
Scott. The older Jean.
Logan is standing off to the side with arms crossed.
Storm is also watching everything closely.
Hank is adjusting his glasses while deep in thought.
And, after a few moments, the young Jean entered the room as well.
Professor Xavier folded his hands together. "Alright… Let's begin."
Silence filled the room as all eyes turned toward Jean.
.....
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