Uncanny X-Men #174

Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor are on the Starjammer enjoying the view of Earth when Scott's father Christopher Summers and Hepzibah take them to the bridge to meet the rest of the Starjammers and they reveal that Binary has joined the crew. Corsair asks Scott if is still interested in leaving with the Starjammers, but Scott hesitates. Madelyne tells him not to refuse on her account. In the ship's infirmary, Lilandra is helping Charles Xavier with his physical therapy to gain the ability to walk, but she finds that the source of his problem is physical and not mental. She receives a message from the Shi'ar Empire about her sister Deathbird and the inevitability of civil war. She declares that she must soon return home and asks Xavier to return with her, but he feels duty-bound to stay on Earth due to his responsibilities with the X-Men and New Mutants. Then they discuss Scott's relationship with Madelyne Pryor and if she could somehow be connected to Jean Grey as the Phoenix.

At the Clan Yashida Ancestral Stronghold in Agarashima, Japan, Wolverine confronts Mariko Yashida about why she called off their wedding. She reiterates that he is not worthy, but he doesn't accept this response and drops her clan's honor sword in disgust. Mariko directs her half-brother Kenuichio Harada to retrieve the sword and tells Wolverine to leave her sight forever.

Kitty Pryde relaxes in her room at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters before she visits Piotr Rasputin's room while he is struggling with his latest painting. She convinces him to leave his room and close his eyes so she can show him a surprise, she then jumps into his arms and surprises him with a kiss. After he gets over his initial shock, she extends her phase power to him allowing him to walk up through the ceiling carrying her to Ororo's attic loft. As they kiss again, Storm arrives and interrupts them. Kitty is surprised that the loft is no longer filled with flowers, but Storm says that she has changed her home to match her recent change in personality. In Jean Grey's old room at the mansion, Rogue is recovering from injuries suffered at the hands of Viper. Kurt Wagner is with her and explains the history of Jean Grey as the Phoenix including her eventual death. He returns to his room to find a gift from Amanda Sefton of a doll in her image.

Scott proposes to Madelyne and she accepts, afterwards she flies them back to Anchorage, Alaska. On the way, Scott checks on the passengers and a priest hands him a picture of Jean Grey claiming that Scott had dropped it. Scott is flustered, since this picture is not his and wonders how it got there. Later that evening, they arrive at Madelyne's house where Jason Wyngarde is lurking in the shadows. Scott asks her if she is Phoenix and she responds by furiously hitting him, knocking his Ruby-Quartz Sunglasses off. After putting on his spare glasses, Scott goes looking for Madelyne in the house but is attacked by Dark Phoenix.