The Blood Phoenix 4: An X-Men: Dark Phoenix Fanfiction

Chapter 8: Like Old Times

Long story short, I fell into a coma. Erik did his duty and took me to hospital, giving me reprieve from both my powers and the trauma that I had suffered over the past few days. Apparently I'd lost a lot of blood and that was the reason for the coma. I could feel them, every time they visited me. Especially Charles. I heard him talk to me and felt his presence, but I couldn't see him. One day, Charles stopped visiting me. I didn't know why (I was in a coma, duh) but my now very fragile mind was holding onto the hope that I would hear him again beside my bed. Erik continued to see me as often as he could, but he was mostly on Genosha.

In France (several weeks later)...

'Is that all, monsieur?' asked the French waitress.

'Oui, merci,' Charles replied, thanking the waitress in French. He missed his girl beside him. Laughing, breathing, alive and well. He twisted the silver wedding band around his ring finger, reminiscing the wedding, when she had held his hand and slipped it on. He missed his Adelaide, just as he missed Raven. He wished she would wake up soon. But all was for the best now. Hank had taken over as head professor of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, now named the Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters. He had promised to see Adelaide as much as he could. As he was about to take a sip of the coffee, he paused. A man walked up behind him and sat across from him. It was Erik. He set a small case beside him.

'How's your time treating you?' he asked, his Polish accent thick.

'What are you doing here, Erik?'

'Came to see an old friend. Fancy a game?'

'Not today, thank you.'

'How's Adelaide?'

'You tell me. I haven't seen her in a while.'

'She's still unconscious. I can tell she wants to wake up. The last time I saw her in the hospital, she just squeezed my hand as I was about to leave. I was with Hank at the time, he saw the whole thing.' Charles wasn't surprised. But now that Erik had delivered that piece of news, Charles sipped his coffee, almost waiting for Erik to go away. But Erik stayed.

'A long time ago, you saved my life. And you offered me a home. I'd like to do the same for you. Just one game,' Erik begged. 'For old times' sake.' Charles put the coffee down as Erik held his fists up with pieces closed in them. Charles picked his right hand. In it was a white chess piece. Erik retrieved the chess case. 'I'll go easy on you.'

'No you won't,' Charles replied, a smile growing on his face. As they began to play, in the skies above, a fiery phoenix flashed above them, flying across the stars.