"you would live a hundred years if i could show you how, i won't desert you now."

~

1983

Hank found Alex in the kitchen, sitting at the counter with a beer in his hand.

"Hey, Alex," he said. The blonde looked up.

"Hey, Hank." There was a pause. "It's been ten years since she died."

"You read the letters?" asked Hank, heart panging with guilt.

"Yeah." Another pause.

"I miss her," Hank whispered, putting his weight on the counter. Alex smiled slightly.

"We all do," he said softly. Hank noticed a chain with a single ring around it laying on the table.

"Is that..."

"My engagement ring, yeah," Alex said, picking it up. "Not from her though. I bought another one for myself because tradition and all. I thought we might get married with the rings or something." He gazed at it. "She would've wanted me to keep it."

"Sorry for bringing up all these old memories again," Hank said, looking down.

"It's ok," Alex sighed. "I sorta hoped she would be here when I came back. And with those letters, I guess she sorta was." He smiled slightly again and finished his drink. Alex stood up and walked towards the kitchen door. "Don't feel bad for giving me those letters, Hank."

"I-I don't," stuttered Hank.

"I know you do," Alex replied. "Don't be. They're really special." He sighed. "I miss her a lot still." Then he walked.

Once back in his own room, Alex pushed the box of letters to the side and laid down onto the bed. It was his original room, where he had slept before he met Neva. His heart ached with a pain that had taken him ten years to remove.

"I miss you," he whispered into the air. "I miss you so much," tears welled up in his eyes, "Neva Summers."

~

Alex walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He was about to enter when a familiar voice made him stop in his tracks.

"Hey Alex!" Neva grinned. "I thought maybe we could have pancakes today, so here I am." She laughed and nodded to the awaiting materials consisting of pancake mix, a frying pan, and a wooden utensil. Neva wrapped the apron around her and tilted her head. "You ok, Summers?"

"N-Neva," he said, finding the courage to keep walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah, that's my name," she raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"You're...you're here," he said.

"Yeah," she laughed. "Where else would I be?" Alex grinned and went to hug her. She hugged him back. He sighed.

"I'm back!" he said, smiling. She punched his shoulder gently.

"Yeah," said Neva. "Finally back at the mansion. Took you long enough." He laughed again.

"I kinda hoped I'd see you though," he said softly. Neva took his hands in her gloved ones.

"Well, I'm here right now," she said in the same tone. He looked at her.

"But you'll be gone tomorrow morning. D-don't leave please," he pleaded her. Neva took a breath.

"Alex, I can't say yes to that. I'm sorry." Alex noticed the ring on her finger, above the glove. He smiled despite the sadness.

"I miss you a lot," he said.

"I miss you a lot too," she replied. "But you have to learn to let go."

"W-what if I can't?" Alex asked, desperately.

"Well...I don't know." There was a pause.

"Do you think we could've been happier?" he said, breaking the silence.

"Hm?"

"If we hadn't dated. Would we have been happier?" he repeated.

"You mean if you didn't propose and all?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe," Neva said, taking another deep breath. "I don't know. We can't really tell." Another pause.

"I really miss you, Neva," said Alex, tears starting to cloud his vision.

"I know Alex. But maybe I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" she smiled. "Be brave. I know you can." She leaned in to kiss him, and he closed his eyes. Then she washed away like sand, just like she always did in his dreams.

Alex kneeled down on the floor and cried.

~

Alex couldn't shake the feeling of Neva during the day. All the adults could tell something was wrong with the normally cheery blonde. Not that he was dull, but there was something a bit off.

"Alex, are you ok?" Raven asked, as they walked down the hallway to Cerebro. Charles had decided to check it after they had visited Moira and after she had mentioned some all-powerful mutant. He was trying to also locate Erik Lensherr, a name Alex had not thought about in years. It just reminded him more of Neva.

"Fine," he said. She nodded and continued next to Hank. They reached the inside of Cerebro.

"What is this?" Moira asked in wonder.

"Cerebro," Raven said, also looking around. "The new model."

"Yeah," Hank nodded. "I based the colour off of...uh nevermind, it doesn't matter." He flipped some switches. Alex stifled his laugh and crossed his arms. Charles put on the helmet, and suddenly, the giant device turned on. Different voices and silhouettes of people appeared.

"What are those?" said Moira.

"Those are all the humans of the world," Charles explained. In an instant, most of the silhouettes disappeared but some of them stayed. Alex smiled. "And these are all the mutants. I'm connected to all of their minds."

"The CIA would kill for this," Moira said breathlessly. Alex and Raven exchanged glances.

"I know they would," Charles laughed. "Now, Erik where are you?" He closed his eyes in concentration, and the machine whirled past different mutants.

"It's that girl, isn't it?" Raven asked quietly. Alex turned to her.

"What?"

"The thing that's bugging you," she said. "That girl I met once in DC. Asian, gloves, another mutant."

"O-oh," Alex said. "Uh yeah."

"Hank told me that she was your fiance," Raven continued. Alex nodded. Charles seemed to have found Erik and was conversing with the other man telepathically.

"Yeah. She was," said Alex.

"Must've been a pretty good girl to get Alex Summers," she said with a slight smile. Alex shrugged. Hank's frantic talking interrupted them both.

"Charles?!" he said, panicked. Alex and Raven exchanged glances again. "Charles! Get out of there!"

"I've never felt power like this before," Charles mumbled, pupils slowly expanding. Alex widened his eyes in shock.

"Charles! Get out! Charles!" Hank shouted, trying to smash dials.

"What's happening?!" asked Raven.

"I-I think someone's taken over Cerebro," Hank said with more panic. "They've taken control of it!"

"To do what?!" Raven said.

"To connect," Hank replied, eyes wide. All of a sudden, multiple people in Cerebro switched buttons and flipped switches. Alex realised that they were all government officials, probably setting off bombs and missiles. He took in a sharp breath.

"Charles!" Hank yelled.

"Hank!" Raven said, frantically. "Hank, do something!"

"It won't shut down!" said Hank, trying to turn Cerebro off.

"Alex," Charles said suddenly.

"What?" said Alex, caught off guard.

"Destroy it!" the Brit shouted, seemingly in pain. "Destroy it all!" He turned to the blonde with a set face. "Wreck havoc." Alex took a deep breath and nodded in understanding.

The blonde pushed Hank out of the way, clenched his hands together, and conjured red energy around his body. He pushed it out and into the walls of Cerebro, immediately destroying all of Hank's work. Alex felt a tear drip down his cheek as he remembered how destructive his mutation was. Once the whole room was in flames and dropping metal, he wiped it away and pulled the energy back. Charles was unconscious, and Hank wheeled him out quickly. Alex ran after Raven and Moira.

The five were in the hallway, about to go upstairs, when a purple bubble appeared at the end of the metal corridor. It dissolved to reveal a blue man in strange armour, a lady in a purple costume, a girl with lightning white hair, and none other than Erik Lensherr. He glared at them coldly.

"Erik," Raven said, still wide eyed. Alex glared back at him. The blue man smirked, and Erik reached out his hand. Suddenly, Charles' metal wheelchair was pulled towards them, the unconscious telepath still in it. "Charles!"

"Alex," Hank said, trying to calm the blonde down. Alex was furious. Red energy began to gather around his fists.

"Hey!" he shouted. The purple bubble was pulled over them again. Alex started running towards the mutants. "Hey asshole!" He felt his mutation strengthen.

"All will be revealed, my child," the mysterious blue mutant said. The bubble closed, and Alex sent out a shot of energy.

"Stop!" Alex yelled.

"No!" Hank screamed. It was too late.

The beam hit the silver doors, and Alex realised what was behind them. There was a sudden explosion, and he felt waves of heat over his body. He yelled out in pain and tried to duck.

Then it went black.

~

"Alex?"

"Neva...you're...here?"

"Yeah. That means that-"

"I'm dead."

"B-but it isn't your time yet..."

"What?"