DISCLAIMER: Okay, all characters (including Thunderbird) are property of Marvel Comics and used without their permission. There are spoilers for March comics in this story. You have been warned. On with the story!

Scott woke up in a small alley. He was wearing the clothes that Sinister gave him. He looked up to see the stars and the moon shining brightly. They were semi-dim due to the artificial lights and the surrounding buildings.

"Freedom," he whispered, as he got out of the alley. He knew that he had until dawn to get to contact the others. If he waited too long, he would have to go around in the dark smelly sewers and he had been in dark places too long. The wind felt so refreshing against his face as he inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes and reached out with his mind and his heart to Jean. There was silence.

"Damn it. Might as well do it the old fashioned way." Scott said as he ran to a nearby telephone booth and nervously looked in his pockets. He had no money. With shaking hands he dialed a collect number. **Please, God, don't let them be out saving the world tonight and please let them accept this call.** he prayed.

Warren Worthington III heard the phone ring as he and Betsy came home from a late date. He picked it up wondering who it could be. "Hello?"

There was a computer sounding voice on the other end. She said, "There is a collect call from..." then a familiar voice stuttered out, "Scott Summers", "do you accept the charges?"

Warren's heart froze in his chest. The voice and the name matched. He knew that the voice either belonged to one of his best friends, one of his greatest enemies, or some sick joker who will be severely injured. "I- I accept." he managed to gasp out.

"Hello?"

"Scott?" Warren asked.

"Warren? Is that you?" The voice on the other end asked.

"Scott?" Warren asked, as his heart began to pound against his chest.

"Yes."

"How?" Warren asked as he gestured to Betsy to come closer to her.

"I can't say over the phone."

Warren's face turned into a very pale blue. "Is it really you?"

"Yes. It's _me_. I'm free."

"Warren?" Betsy asked wishing she could hear his thoughts as Warren's face turned paler. Her telepathy had been sacrificed to hold the Shadow King at bay in her mind. Even without her telepathy, she could still tell that something was disturbing Warren. She shook his shoulder as Warren's body shuddered.

"It's him." Warren muttered as he looked down at the phone as beads of sweat trickled down his face.

"Who?"

"Either Scott or Apocalypse pretending to be Scott." Warren replied as he started to shake.

"Scott!?" Betsy asked.

"It could be Apocalypse," Warren reminded.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end asked getting Warren's attention. "I'm not Apocalypse. Please, it's me, Scott. Your old teammate; the one you use to fought with for Jean's affection? Don't tell me you forgot all about me already!"

Betsy ran off to wake the others as Warren sat down with the phone still in his hand. "Are you sure?" he asked. He slapped himself on the head. "Dumb question," he muttered.

"Yes." the voice replied almost laughing, "Do you think that Apocalypse would try to contact the X-Men by a _pay phone_?"

Warren remembered the time when he was under Apocalypse's control. It was hard for him but he did snap out of it. It was possible for Scott due to his classical stubbornness and pure will power that had kept him under control to break free if he survived. "No... or maybe. You never know." he said suspiciously. Scott was joking almost too freely. But he couldn't keep a faint note of hope that another dead X-Man had 'gotten better'.

"Please, pick me up. I just want to come home. You can have Hank and the others check me," the voice begged.

Betsy returned with Rogue and Gambit, the current leaders of the X-Men. She also brought Logan, Nathan, Hank, Kurt, Kitty, Pitor, Ororo and Cecilia. Warren noticed that Jean wasn't among the group. He knew that _if_ this is Apocalypse, he didn't want Jean to be manipulated into helping Apocalypse again. "Where are you?" he asked, as he saw the group staring at him.

"Ummm ... the corner of Davis Street and Claremont Avenue," Scott replied, "Can you please hurry? You know how dangerous New York is for a 'deadly mutant'."

"Sure. I'll be there," Warren said, not wanting to let him know that anyone else will be tagging along for security.

"Great. Oh, and Warren?"

"Yes?" Warren asked.

"Is Alex really alive? I saw him on the news and I wasn't sure if that was him."

"Yes, that was him. I ... will see you."

"Thanks," the voice said, as there was a long pause and finally the dial tone.

Warren sighed in relief. "Well?" Gambit asked as Warren released the phone breathing in huge breaths.

"He's at the corner of Davis Avenue and Claremont." Warren replied.

Cable's eye glowed as he held his psimatar in his techno-organic hand. "Let's go," he said, with an unusual amount of eagerness in his voice.

"Anxious to see yer dad again or are you anxious to kill Apocalypse once and for all?" Logan asked.

"Both," Nathan replied. Everyone felt the same way.

"Okay, we'll need to take as many people as possible." Remy said seriously, "Did anyone tell Jeannie?"

Nobody had.

"Good," Remy said, "If it is Apocalypse, we don't want her to lose it. Where is she?"

"She's off visiting her parents," Ororo replied, "We better contact Havok. His unique body makes him invulnerable to Scott's or Apocalypse's optic blasts."

Alex had arrived about a couple of months ago. He was in an alternate universe until the X-Men arrived there to deal with a danger to their universe. Havok left that universe reluctantly and had reformed X-Factor. He is still considered legally dead by the Government so he was free to do what he need to do.

"Okay," Remy said as he tries to maintain a leader-like position. "Go ahead and contact Emma at the Academy. We'll need all the telepaths we can get."

It was quiet on the Blackbird as the group of X-Men anxiously waits either a tearful reunion or a deadly battle. "So," Cable asked, "do you think that Slymm could be alive?"

"Slymm? Oh right. Cyclops's nickname in Askani." Thunderbird said. Thunderbird was the newest member of the X-Men. He didn't know anything much about the 'deceased' Cyclops except that he was beloved by many people and mourned.

"Sort of," Cable said as he stared out of the window. He wanted Jean to come if it was Scott. She missed him dearly. But if it were Apocalypse fooling with their hearts, it would be best if Jean were not to know.

"Is it right to not let Jean know?" Bobby asked, "I mean, she didn't like it when we had to break what's left of the link several months ago."

They broke the remains of the link when Professor X thought that Apocalypse might corrupt Jean into being Dark Phoenix. They felt that the Apocalypse must've kept the remains of the link when he killed Scott. At least, they hoped that he was dead.

"We had no choice," Hank said. "We didn't want to lose two good friends."

"It could be him," Bobby argued as he glared at Hank's device. Hank had been working on a containment unit for deadly Omega class mutants for a long time. It was soon to be used for the first time.

Hank sighed and nodded. "I know. I would love to just toss things in the wind but we still must consider that this might not be our former fearless leader."

"For once, I hope you brought that thing for nothing."

"As do I."

Scott sat patiently on the bench as he tried to make himself as little of a target for a mugger as possible. He looked toward the east to see if any of the sun's rays were coming up yet. Fortunately, it was still too dark and he was safe for now. He put on the glasses to hide his 'mutant looking' eyes from any one passing by.

A fog slowly swept it's way around him yet it avoided the main road. As if it had a will of it's own. "Ororo," Scott said as he looked around. The fog obscured his vision and he was blind. Wind started to whip around him as Scott clutched his glasses to keep them on. The very cold chilled him as he tries to stay warm.

He could see the fog clear to reveal Emma, Cable, and Nate Grey. He immediately noticed that Jean was nowhere nearby. "Where's Jean?" he asked. He felt an odd drain on him as he looked behind him to see Alex blasting him. However, it felt as if Alex was draining him instead of blasting him. Scott had heard about Alex being able to draw out energy to power his blasts from other energy-wielding people like the Hulk. But he had never actually saw such a feat done until now.

"She's not here. Don't worry, she just doesn't know," Alex explained as Scott felt three telepaths scanning his mind with vigor. He screamed in pain as they ripped through his mind searching and scanning for any sign of Apocalypse or any other tinkering. He had dealt with Psi attacks in his career as an X-Man, but never had he been forcefully scanned by three very powerful telepaths before.

Darkness overcame him as he fell to the ground.

He had a splitting headache as he slowly opened his eyes. Standing over him was Cable, Hank, Cecilia, and Moria. He turned his head to Cable and whispered, "Have you ever heard of overkill? That was one of the worst scans I ever had."

"I ... apologize," Nathan said. "I was afraid that you were Apocalypse."

"Bullshit. You miss me and you were afraid that I did come back. You didn't want to think that you nearly killed your 'old man'."

"Did you just say 'bullshit'?" Hank asked as he looked at the monitor. Everyone else blinked and looked at Scott wide-eyed.

"Yes," Scott said. "What's wrong with that? That is an appropriate term and there are no minors or little old ladies in here."

"Nothing, lad." Moria said, "I wasn't expecting you to talk like that."

"Where's everyone else?" Scott asked as he tried to get up.

"Outside," Cecilia replied. "Warren left to get Jean."

"Do I pass?" Scott asked wearily. "I know that you don't trust me due to what happed when I ... was gone. And Logan probably smelled something 'sinister' on my clothes."

"You passed," Hank replied. "We tested you for any possible booby traps, any subconscious messages that could turn you into a blood thirsty killer, oh and any genetic manipulations. Nothing deadly."

Scott sighed in relief as Hank helped him up. "That's good."

"However, I am concerned with the DNA tinkering that our mad scientist had bestowed upon you," Hank said.

"You mean about de DNA Sinny laced in Moi?" Scott asked in a fairly good Cajun accent watching the confused looks on Cecilia, Hank, Moria and especially Cable's faces. "It's a joke. I know about the DNA." He said as he smirked.

"Okay." Hank said, "You must stay here for a while. By the way, I notice a great deal of unusual alterations to the skin. I read your 'diary' with Nathan's help. Forgive me. But is it true?"

"Yes. Can you help me?"

"Nae," Moria said, "It's an odd case of Xeroderma pigmentosa. I never saw anything like it before. We might be able to create some special equipment to help you deal with the sun without special wardrobe."

Scott looked around to see for the first time that the lab's windows were closed off. The med. lab windows were always designed to be able to close off tightly for a light sensitive experiment or subjects who are very photosensitive.

"How do you feel?" Cecilia asked as Scott took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Fine. I'm just happy to be home." Scott said as he put his glasses back on. He looked up when he felt a strange presence with his soul. "She's here." He said as he slicked his hair back and tried to straighten himself out.

Jean scowled at Gambit as she waited outside of the med. lab doors. He looked back and give his best, 'Sorry, Chere, we were just looking out for you.' pose.

She didn't forgive them for keeping the phone call from Scott a secret. She had a right to see him first. Now, she was a step away from seeing him after so much pain and agony. She didn't want to reach out telepathically yet. She wanted to see him first with her own eyes. Feelings and thoughts flashed in her mind along with questions of uncertainty and doubt. How much did Scott change? Did he remember anything that occurred in the battle? What if he hated her for saving Apocalypse to save him? How did he come back? Does he still love her?

She wrung her hands with uncertainty. Why is she so scared? Is this how Scott felt when he saw her after Phoenix's death? She still got it easier since she didn't marry anyone who could be Scott's clone.

"I have been waiting for this moment for a long time," Jean admitted to herself, "I knew that he was still alive and I was right. I'm going in."

She bravely walked through the med. lab doors and saw him. She knew about the others in the room but all she saw was him. He wore a set of dirty clothes that looked damp from the rain. His hair was shoulder-length and looked unkempt. He seemed pale and thin. It was the most welcoming sight she had ever seen. "Jean," he whispered, with a faint but warm smile on his face.

"Scott," she said as she came closer hoping that it wasn't a dream or an illusion. The room became silent as she slowly walked toward the bed. The monitors and the surrounding thoughts seemed to stand still as she finally stopped just in front of him.

They stared at each other with almost questioning looks. Each looking over the other to see how much the other had changed over the long time. Finally, he lifted his hand to feel her long red hair. She responded by reaching out to feel his face. Wordlessly, they embraced each other with tears and love as they kissed and held each other, almost afraid to let go again. Neither of them remembered the others in the room.

"Let's leave these two alone," Hank said as he silently wiped away some tears that started to flow through his furry face. "They have a lot of catching up to do."

The others nodded and one by one they left. Cable was the last one to exit. He looked over his shoulder and fought the tears of happiness that threatened to overwhelm him. He still had a tough man image to uphold. He closed his eyes and walked out.