Day of the Dead

• Writer - Chris Claremont
• Penciler - Salvador Larroca
• Lettering - Tom Orzechowski
• Colorist - Liquid!
• Ass't Editor - Lynne Yoshii
• Editor - Andrew Lis
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Summary

  Cho reports on the alien invasion, the X-Men's victory, and the Avengers and Fantastic Four's clean-up efforts. The X-Men rush their wounded to an army MASH; some of the doctors worry about catching mutant cooties; Rogue says her healing factor will kick in soon; she, Remy, Ororo, and Davis are all critical. Heather, still a golden bird, is angry she can't help her brother.

  Iron Man shows Rogue she's still bleeding; she realizes her powers aren't working, and the doctors are shocked to realize she's been stabbed through the heart.

  Ororo goes code blue, and Rogue sees her spirit leave her body; soon she's on the astral plane herself, surprised the afterlife isn't more crowded. Jean shows up, greets her, and warns she's near death. She sends Rogue to retrieve Remy, while she goes after Ororo.

  Kurt teleports Jean, Hank, and Logan to the MASH; a doctor calls for the MPs till Cap vouches for them. Hank attaches nano-probe manipulators to his now awkward hands and goes to work on Remy. Davis can't accept his sister's new look and calls her a monster. Jean and Logan discuss her and realize she's royal Shi'ar, and nearly in a berserker rage. Logan offers to gut her, but instead Jean compliments her feathers, and that calms things.

  Kurt talks to Davis, showing him that monstrous mutants are people, too. Davis is scared he's going to change form, but Kurt says such things are random.

  Jean floats into Ororo's beautiful part of the astral plane; she explains she's not choosing to die, but just to take advantage of a rare opportunity to visit her parents, dead many years. They are happy to see their girl grown, and they thank Jean for being her friend.

  Rogue rides a hog into Remy's soul, past a mansion and through a gate into a cemetery. Remy's been waiting for her, hoping to die together, but she wants them both to live. In the physical world, Logan touches Rogue, trying to stop her from killing herself in saving Remy, but her power won't absorb his healing factor. Remy kisses Rogue and says it's his time; Rogue refuses to accept Destiny's prophecies as definite and pulls him back from the light; he says he's in a state of grace, rare for him; she's selfish and wants a happy ending for herself.

  Kurt tells Heather her brother left a note for her; he doesn't want her to follow him. Ororo is awake, happy she could see her parents. Rogue holds Remy's hand, skin on skin. Logan warns her Remy may never forgive her when he wakes, but she's just glad he's alive.

  Note: Ororo's father's name was David, while Jean's is John.