Hello Everyone, just a few things I wanted to mention before I get to the story below. This story takes place in the same timeline as X-Men Apocalypse (the movie). This is a Scott/Jean story. So, for those who don't enjoy that pairing, turn back now. For those who are fans, then welcome and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men. I do not make any money off them. This is purely a hobby.

Prologue

November 20th, 1990

Jean Grey watched in horror as her friend Rachel slowly and agonizingly lost the psychic battle she was facing against two enemy telepaths. Rachel was writhing on the ground clutching her head. Jean saw that her nose was bleeding. It was most likely from the strain of the psychic attack as opposed to any physical blow.

Jean subconsciously made a motion to put her fingers at her temple. She was getting ready to jump in and aid her friend when Rachel, with what little strength she could spare, screamed, **No, Jean!** in her mind.

**Why won't you let me help you?!** Jean asked.

**Just don't! Please don't interfere.** Rachel practically begged. Jean couldn't understand it. Rachel had staved off the attack on her own so far, but not for much longer. But the two of them combined, working in tandem, would easily tilt the match in their favor. Jean was beyond baffled.

"Why aren't you helping her, Jean?!" Scott asked, practically demanded, as he ran up beside her. He quickly took a shot at one of the telepaths Rachel was up against, but they were able to put up a psionic shield just in time.

"She won't let me, Scott!" Jean answered.

The battle was intensifying all around them as they watched Rachel face a quickly losing battle. In the corner of Jean's eye, she saw a huge piece of metal hurtling at her and Scott. She had no time to even put up a shield when they were both whisked away from the spot they were standing.

"Watch out guys!" Peter yelled at them both as he whisked them away to safety.

"Thanks, Peter!" Scott yelled at his teammate as he rushed off to help Storm who was taking on the villain Avalanche all by herself.

Jean and Scott ran back to where Rachel was battling Mastermind and Psylocke. Rachel was on her knees, barely able to hold her head up while her enemies were standing above her. Jean tried helping Rachel in the physical world by throwing debris telekinetically at their enemies. But she knew that wasn't enough. Cyclops followed up with some timely blasts. It was meant to at least give Rachel a breather while her enemies were distracted by his and Jean's combined attacks.

They were so focused on the battle at hand that they didn't see the incoming wave of fire thrown at them from behind by Pyro. Jean was just able to shield them from the worst of it. Cyclops aimed an accurate shot at him from the ground which threw Pyro back twenty feet. That took care of him.

Jean looked back at Rachel, torn between wanting to help, and respecting her friend's wish to go at it alone. But she could see that Rachel was breaking. She had mere moments left. She could die on the astral plane. She was not going to allow that to happen.

**I'm sorry, Rachel.** Jean said as she joined the psychic battle.

**No, stay out!** Rachel pleaded, practically begged. She erected walls around her mind that kept Jean out for merely a few seconds. The effort Rachel was exerting in the battle was too much to keep a telepath as powerful as Jean out.

The physical world around her disappeared the moment Jean was able to break through into Rachel's mind. A flash of blinding light greeted her and what she saw brought her to her knees. She could feel Scott's arms hold her steady in the physical world which at that moment felt so far away. Faster than the speed of thought, Jean understood everything. It was like lost pieces of a puzzle all just fell into place. She saw, in thousands, if not millions of fragmented images and memories what Rachel was desperate to hide from everyone…

Rachel was her daughter.