Uncanny X-Men (Marvel Omega)

Final Seeds

NOTE: This was written by Ryan Krupienski but has been presented here as it's part of the crossover.

***

The Xavier Institute; Jean Grey's Office

She sits at her desk, alone in her office, waiting. She hasn't been waiting long, but she's already starting to lose her patience. She's eager to do this, to finally have this talk. This... confrontation?

Today, Cassandra Nova Xavier returns.

The headmistress is on her way, albeit running a little late. Maybe she's doing so on purpose? Maybe she knows this talk is potentially going to get ugly? It's not intended to be. Jean Grey sighs, and with her telekinesis, snatches up a handful of paperclips from a small tray on top of the desk. She melds them together into a ball of metal, then reshapes that into a small maquette of a familiar creature. Her namesake, the Phoenix.

As Jean sets her spontaneous piece of art down on her desk, the doors to her office open, and in walks the petite form of a bald, older woman. Jean didn't sense her coming, and that's one thing that's always unsettled her about Cassandra – the fact that she's practically blind to the mind's eye. Cassandra once explained it as a side-effect of her telepathic abilities, but was she telling the truth? Ever since the incident in Washington, Jean's grown a bit weary of the reliability of what Cassandra's told her.

"Jean, I'm back," Cassandra says, offering a warm smile. Jean can't help but rise from her seat and meet Cassandra half-way from the door to give her a hug. "It's good to see you. It's good to be home."

"Welcome back," is all Jean says, and she walks back to sit down behind her desk. Cassandra follows suit and takes a seat across from Jean.

"I trust everything's been running smoothly while I've been away?" Cassandra asks, and Jean nods.

"Everything's fine. We currently have a good portion of the team away on an important mission, but other than that, things are pretty calm around here," Jean tells her. "It's too bad you missed Hank and Cecilia's wedding."

"Oh, yes, I know," Cassandra sighs, "I really regret that I couldn't be here. I was hoping to get back before they left for their honeymoon, but I suppose I'll see them when they return."

"Well, you have an excuse," Jean says. "You've been busy... Barbara Walters, Connie Chung, Oprah, Regis and Kelly, Sharon Osborne... you've been all over the place."

Cassandra smiles. "Yes, I have," she says. "All for a good cause, though. I can't complain, and I think this kind of positive, up-front publicity of our school and our campaign will go a long ways in helping us."

Jean takes a deep breath and leans back in her seat. "Telling lies is going to help us? I'm not so sure..."

"White lies, Jean," Cassandra says. "Bending the truth ever so slightly... for the good of a peaceful future."

"Telling someone they look nice when they don't is a white lie, Cassandra," Jean retorts. "Telling the whole world that you're someone else... stealing their identity... that doesn't constitute a 'white lie' to me."

Cassandra gives Jean a curious look. "I... I thought we talked this over? I thought you understood why I did what I did?"

"When we talked, Cassandra, I was also in the process of mourning one of my oldest and dearest friends," Jean says. "I wasn't exactly in my right mind, and then you just took off..."

"So you've been doing a lot of thinking in my absence," Cassandra says matter-of-factly.

"A lot," Jean tells her, and the redhead stands from her seat. "I'm not so sure I can trust you anymore, to be honest."