Ben, Amelia, Mariam, and Jean appeared near a villa in New Jersey and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, the door opened, and a young girl's voice came from within, asking, "Who is it?" She peered at them curiously.
The 7-year-old girl curiously examined Ben, Amelia, and Mariam before running inside the house.
After a moment, the young girl disappeared inside the house and returned with a family photo in hand.
The picture featured Ben, Amelia, Rose, Emma, Elizabeth, and Ethan; each person's name was carefully written beneath their image.
The sight of the picture brought a smile to Ben's face as he realized that the child had recognized them from the family portrait and was eager to confirm their identities; it seemed that she was prepared for their arrival.
The 7-year-old girl quickly realized who they were. Before Ben could say anything, she jumped into his arms and began crying. She didn't know why, but she felt the need to pour out all her tears.
"Calm down, calm down, my dear. I know I've wronged you. Look, I've returned for you, and I'm here just in time for your birthday," Ben attempted to soothe her by stroking her hair and wiping away her tears.
Despite Ben's attempts to calm her, the child continued to pour tears onto Ben's shirt.
"Maria, my child, stop crying; you're such a brave girl. Only sissy girls cry," Ben said, continuing to soothe her. Slowly, she began to calm down.
Maria's tears gradually subsided, and she began to focus on Ben's face as he wiped away the glistening tears from her eyes.
"Dad, why did you come to me so late? I waited for you every day. Mom told me you'd come back in between five to six years, but she never mentioned when. I felt so lonely without you," Maria said, her voice cracking as she struggled to hold back tears. "I know Mom, Second Mom, and my brother were there for me, but I still missed you."
As Ben tried to calm Maria, Emma and Elizabeth came to the door. Ben stepped inside with Maria in his arms.
Amelia, Mariam and Jean, settled themselves in the living room. Elizabeth and Emma poured all the events of the past six years. Jean was quietly listening to their conversations.
Ethan was the only one who felt awkward; he observed his four moms becoming busy with each other. He moved toward Jean. He knew her from the moment he saw her. She would soon be his fifth mom. Therefore, he wanted to know more about her.
"Hello, how are you? What is your name?" Ethan asked Jean, wants talk to the new mom.
"I'm fine, my name is Jean Grey. What about you?" Jean replied and continued the conversation by asking about Ethan.
"I am also fine, I am Ethan Tennyson," Ethan said. "So, how did you meet my dad? What did you find so special about him? You look quite young."
"Well, I have the power of the Dark Phoenix inside me, which makes me unstable. The Dark Phoenix is far from this planet. And it creates danger for the people surrounding me. And I don't know what is going to happen. But my friends and family noticed your dad, easily able to control the power of the Dark Phoenix, which makes him so special. So, in order to control the power, I need your father. As for my age, I am 18 years old."
"What?" Ethan was shocked to learn that Jean Grey was five years younger than him. "You know, you're ten years younger than me."
Jean asked, "So, what's the problem with that?" She didn't know what the problem was with the age difference, after all they did not have a relationship.
"It's quite difficult to call a younger person 'mom'." Ethan said, as he didn't know how to continue the conversation.
Jean was now confused. "Who says I'm going to marry your dad?"
Ethan becomes more confused by her reaction. "You didn't know you were going to become my father's wife," he thought and then said it in a reasonable tone. "So you had a one-night stand with my father."
Jean was now even more confused. "Becoming a wife with your father? I didn't know such a thing existed. I just came with your father to help control my Dark Phoenix powers because they are dangerous for anyone around me." She had never even considered marrying Ben. "What one-night stand? I didn't have any encounters like that with your father."
Ethan was genuinely confused because he was used to every woman who came into his father's life eventually becoming his mother. It was the first time he had heard that Jean Grey wasn't even aware of this. "So, you're still fresh," he thought, making his way to Emma. "Mom, Jean hasn't been to the bridal chamber yet. Is she going to be my fifth mom or not?"
Upon hearing this, Emma was equally shocked. She assumed that Ben and Jean were already in a relationship. She turned towards Amelia and Mariam to seek answers, while Elizabeth watched them all for their response.
Amelia began to say, "Well, Ben had promised to return before Maria's birthday, and since Maria is his daughter, his first priority was to console her."
Mariam continued, "As for Jean, it was already decided when she joined us that she would become Ben's wife. We just hadn't informed her yet."
Jean was already shocked by this revelation, as no one had asked for her opinion. She inquired, "If I'm going to become Ben's wife, why hasn't anyone asked me if I want it or not?"
Amelia clarified the situation for Jean, saying, "Jean, maybe Ben didn't say anything to you clearly, but when he asked if you still wanted to come with us and you agreed, it was already decided that you would be in a relationship with Ben and, well, perhaps give him a cute little gift of Tennyson."
Jean was struck by this realization. She now understood why they had asked if she was okay with being without Scott.
She had initially thought it was about controlling her Dark Phoenix power, but now she realized she was going to get a break up from Scott. And she was going to marry Ben and give birth to a child for him.
Jean's embarrassment was visible as her cheeks flushed with red, matching her fiery hair and her X-Men uniform. The realization of becoming Ben's wife and starting a family with him had certainly caught her off guard.
Jean first was confused, how she is going to another person's wife other than the Scott, then she focused on Ben and Maria. After seeing him, she realized he was handsome, and so good for being a boyfriend and even husband.
She found she can accept him as his husband and will be happy with giving a cute child to him. She has also developed an admiration for him, after witnessing his heroic action against the Vuk.
She started to blush as she realized her upcoming role as Ben's wife and potentially having a child with him. Speaking in a meek voice, she said, "I didn't know about it, but since I'm not going to jail and I'm going to become his wife, I suppose I need to do whatever is necessary."
Elizabeth teased her, "You don't need to do anything extra. Just wait for Ben in the bridal chamber and cooperate with him. Give him a healthy child."
Emma suggested, "Why don't we prepare her for Ben's bridal chamber tonight?" Amelia and Mariam agreed with her.
Jean then smiled at Ethan as she approached him. "Well, I guess I'm becoming your fifth mom now," she said. "It's a bit of an unusual situation, isn't it?"
Ethan nodded. "Yeah, it is. But I've gotten used to unusual things in my family." He laughed and began sharing stories about his unique family and his own experiences. He also explained how his father comes from a different Universe, and how he can travel into time.
"And, when I was born, I gained so many extraordinary powers, which I inherited from dad." Ethan explained about it himself, "And it shows how much stronger my dad was."
"And you know, my sister also gained amazing powers, and when you give birth to my third sister or brother, it will also become strong and gain many powers." He explained that whoever married and gave birth to his dad's child, the child was born incredible.
Then Amelia, Mariam, and Emma took Jean into the room where they prepared her bridal dress, while Ethan went to find out what was happening in the conversation between his father and Maria. He wanted to know what they were discussing.
Maria had already calmed down; her tears were replaced by a sense of curiosity and excitement. She observed all the gadgets that her father had brought as gifts for her.
Initially, she had been a bit upset, seeing other children enjoying their time with their fathers, but Ben's promises to play with her, travel together, and the many of gifts had a soothing effect on her. She was now wearing a happy and inquisitive expression as she examined the gifts.
Ethan couldn't help but observe how Maria's mood had transformed from tears to joy. Despite being happy for his sister, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. While he had been scolded for crying over injustice, his sister was now receiving gifts and promises to travel the world and play to her heart's content. He continued to eavesdrop on their conversation.