X-23 awakes, half-dressed in a beautiful if messy room, the balcony door wide open. Moments later, Warren returns from his morning flight and wishes her a good morning. Getting dressed, Laura asks where they are. One of his family estate getaways. She keeps forgetting how rich he is. She doesn’t remember ending up here. Warren reminds her about last night.
Flashback:
How they drove to a club. Laura danced with abandon and Warren admired her. When a girl stroked his wings, Laura scared her off. Then a guy was annoyed by his wings and he and a few friends started a fight with Warren. Laura kicked their asses. When she popped out her claws, Warren held her back and flew out with her.
Present:
That was fun, she recalls. That was just the first part, he teases. She reminds him he’ll have to buy Scott Summers a new motorbike. Laura begins a sentence, then suddenly deflects this may be the nicest room she’s ever been. Warren calls her out, she was going to say something else. Laura refuses to tell him. He likes it when she smiles. She tells him not to be weird. She should do it more often, he continues. Does he know about her past? she asks. He knows she is quite tortured about it. She thanks him. She needed this. So did he, Warren replies. He doesn’t even know which year this is.
Laura asks why he likes her. Jean is prettier. That’s not true, he points out. He is prettier, she continues. That is true, he agrees. She’s been through some stuff. She had to do things that she’ll never—
He tells her to stop trying to talk him out of enjoying her company. Can’t they just enjoy not being torn apart by a mutant-hating mob or mutant-hating mutants or just idiots who—
Laura looks down darkly. Why does he like her? He smiles. Laura smiles slightly. He grins. Laura wonders what the other X-Men are doing. He doesn’t care, he replies happily.
Meanwhile outside the New Xavier School:
She doesn’t care, Jean Grey declares, arms crossed defiantly. She cares, Emma Frost retorts. She really does not, Jean insists and stresses she is not doing this. Emma calls her a liar because Jean agreed to have Emma train her. Jean corrects her; she was told Emma would train her. She didn’t agree to anything. Emma reminds her she is one of the few people on Earth who can teach her how to use her growing psychic powerset. She knows everything Jean doesn’t. Hit her! Jean refuses.
On a hill above, Iceman, Beast and Mindee are sharing an impromptu picnic and watch the show thanks to Mindee’s telepathy.
Hit her, Emma repeats. Jean grins smugly. She knows how this works. She tries to hit Emma and then Emma beats the hell out of her to prove how she doesn’t know to fight as well as Emma. She’ll beat her up and laugh. Plus, she’ll turn to diamond, so she doesn’t get hurt. Jean will get hurt. Emma tells Jean she wants to hit her and she’s giving her permission. She doesn’t actually, Jean tells her with a grimace. Emma has issues with her. Jean doesn’t even think about her. She has no issues with her, Emma smirks, calling her “darling.” Oh my God, you do! Jean bursts out. Her older self. She doesn’t have to be a telepath to read this loud and clear. Emma’s one true love is Scott Summers and his one true love was older Jean. Emma stops smiling,
Uh-oh, Bobby gasps and Mindee telepathically calls her sister to join them.
Emma has issues with her, Jean continues. Giant, unresolved issues. But adult Jean is long gone and young Jean is standing here. All fresh-faced and young and her worst nightmare. Can she go back inside now?
Emma smiles and suddenly Jean sees an image of how her older self caught Scott and Emma telepathically cheating on her. What was that? Jean asks confused.
Fight back! Emma repeats. Was that real? Jean bursts out. Emma bombards her with more images of Emma and Scott in intimate situations. Jean shouts at her to stop. She’s a kid! That’s inappropriate! Fight back, Emma repeats. Stop it! Jean shouts.
Goldballs, Benjamin Deeds and the other Cuckoos have joined the picnic. Here we go? Celeste grins.
Fight back, Emma goads Jean. It’s the fact Emma’s trying to make her mad that’s making her mad, Jean fumes. Uh-huh, Emma replies and shows her another memory of Scott telling Emma he chose her. Pissed off, Jean uses her new power and blasts Emma.
He thinks he speaks on behalf of all of them when he says ‘wow’, Bobby remarks. Despite the distance Emma glares at him. He thought her powers were broken, he mumbles. That was her, Celeste replies smugly.
Looking like her adult self, Jean walks toward Emma. Here’s the thing: everyone’s trying to make her crazy mad to see what will happen with her new powers, and she gets that, but she’s stuck in a time she doesn’t belong in, where she finds her legacy is nothing but total %&#. She sits down astride Emma. Her best friend just left for outer space with his dad, leaving Jean here with her.
The illusion dissipates. She doesn’t need any of them to make her crazy. She’s already there! And she’s fine! Hit me! Emma repeats.
Hank suggests they get Professor Kitty.
Kitty is in her quarters, chatting with Peter Quill aka Star-Lord via holographic communication. Laughing she calls him a liar. He tells her he’s glad this interstellar holographic communication thing works. She asks where he is. On his ship outside the Kree territories. Has she told him how much she hates outer space? Because of that thing where she was phased inside a giant space bullet and couldn’t find her way home? he asks. She may have mentioned it about 500 times. Like he wouldn’t mention it if it happened to him! He’s not making fun, Peter promises.
Everyone here is making fun because of that weird whatever it is she has with him. What’s weird about it? he asks. Everyone thinks she is dating a hologram. She kind of is, Peter points out. What is wrong with her that this is making her completely happy? He makes her completely happy? Peter repeats. Kitty is truck silent. He is very charming, he points out. Kitty muses that talking with someone half a galaxy away is not the most intimate setting. Peter has no problem having intimacy issues be one of the things they bond over.
She is asking when he is coming back to Earth when Bobby and Hank comes running into her room, exclaiming Jean and Emma are going to murder each other. Peter tells her if Jean goes full Phoenix let the last words she hears from him be Toldya!
Bobby mumbles he can’t believe she broke up with older him to date a hologram. Kitty orders him to shut up. Outside, she asks Illyana what is going on. Magik shushes her.
Some distance away, Jean and Emma are sitting on the ground, staring at each other in silence. Illyana explains it’s a psychic battle. They are locked in combat. They can’t get in, the Cuckoos add. The others wonder whether to run or pull them apart.
The silence continues until suddenly the two begin to giggle then laugh. That is so true, Jean announces. Emma helps her up. Jean continues she never thought about it that way. That is so funny! Well, she’s young, Emma replies.
The others wonder what happened. Taken aback, the Cuckoos explain Jean and Emma have bonded. They are friends now. Jean and Emma walk off arm in arm and Illyana announces this is the scariest thing she’s ever heard. And she grew up in hell. Literally.
Suddenly, the Cuckoos warn them of company and soon a Blackbird of the Jean Grey School lands. She thought the other X-Men didn’t know where they were, Jean announces. Emma calls that wishful thinking.
Adult Beast, Iceman and Storm exit and announce some of them are needed in Westchester. When Kitty asks what’s going on, Jean interrupts it’s the reading of the will of Charles Xavier.
The other X-Men agree and reveal Scott Summers needs to be there for the reading as well…
