Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Marvel just borrowing it for my own and hopefully the amusement of other fans.
Notes: This fic diverges from X-men 616 canon after Wolverine stabbed Magneto on Genosha. It has some similarities to events from my Balance Verse but also incorporates many of the events that happened over the years in the 616 comics in altered form.
This chapter contains: Mentions of Mutant X spoilers, references to the divorce of Scott and Jean.
After the Awakening
Chapter 1 Alex Summers
He was falling through the darkness, he had no idea how long he’d been falling all he knew was that Scotty was safe and that he’d saved Maddie from the Goblin Force. He was still at peace with his decision and what seemed to be the cost but the endless dark corridor was draining. He was startled when his fall through the darkness stopped and he began to move forward or at least he thought it was forward. “He’s mine he stays.” A voice that sounded exactly like his own said angrily and he felt grasping hands seize his shoulders.
He found it impossible to resist, or even speak as the hands pulled him back down into the darkness. He was relaxing back into the fall when he saw it a brilliant speck of light that grew into a huge flaming bird in front of him. He thought it was Maddie at first when he saw her until he realized that it couldn’t be her she’d never worn that green and gold outfit. “Let him go,” Jean said standing there wreathed in flames. “Alex, belongs back in his own world let him go.”
“No,” the voice said shoving him aside. “He stole my life and destroyed my body he stays in the dark with me.” He saw him then as the light from Jean revealed him. He knew looking at him that it was the other Alex the one who’s body he’d inhabited on that other world. “Go away Jean he stays.”
“Alex is coming with me, one way or the other.” Jean said and then the light got too bright to even see and then Jean was standing there alone. “Take my hand Alex it is time for you to wake up and come home.” She held out her hand and feeling began to return to his body. He hadn’t even noticed it was numb with cold but as the warmth of her life spread he managed to stand and reaching out took her hand.
He opened his eyes to see a stark white hospital room with Jean leaning over him smiling. “Welcome home Alex, it has been far too long.” He tried to sit up but his body still felt heavy. “Don’t try to move too much you’ve been in a coma for nearly four years and while the healers of Genosha have worked miracles it will take your mind a while to catch up with your body.”
He’d been in that other world about two years so if it had been four then he’d been falling for another two. He managed to move his head to look around the room amazed that he could move at all if he’d been in a coma that long. “How did I get here?” He managed to croak out. He knew he should thank her or ask about the others but he had to know.
“You were found six weeks ago at a long term care facility,” Jean said a familiar expression of concern on her face. “Lorna, had you brought to Genosha and while I prepared to dig your mind out of that dark void the doctors and healing mutants here worked on restoring your physical condition after four years of being comatose.” Jean looked as if she felt a bit guilty then. “None of us knew you’d survived the faulty time machine explosion if we had we’d have found you sooner.”
“You said I was on Genosha?” When he’d got sent to the other world by that time machine explosion Genosha had been under Magneto’s control. He wondered how he’d gotten here. “Why aren’t we at the mansion?” He saw Jean look away and he got the impression there were things she didn’t want to tell him. It made him nervous and he wondered if he was on the wrong world again.
“A lot has changed in the last four years,” Jean said as she turned back toward him. “A few months after you were gone, Magneto nearly started World War Three so Wolverine was forced to kill him.” He was shocked to hear Magneto was dead. “His will revealed he was leaving the throne of Genosha to Charles Xavier and his three surviving children, Wanda, Pietro and Lorna.” She smiled weakly. “We still don’t know how he found out Lorna was actually his daughter but Hank’s tests confirmed it.”
He could tell she expected him to be shocked but in that other world Magneto and Lorna had spoke of each other as parent and child so it wasn’t that shocking. “So the X-men are based out of Genosha now?”
“Some of us,” Jean said and he once again got the impression that she was trying to avoid mentioning something. “You should rest there will be time to learn everything you’ve missed later.” He couldn’t help but be suspicious and she must have sensed it. “It is just a complicated situation Alex and you really should hear things from the people involved but if you really want to know I’ll tell you.”
“Tell me,” He said quickly. He didn’t want to be lost on his own world if this really was it like he’d been on the other one. He watched as she moved her hands almost nervously as she gathered her thoughts. He wasn’t sure why he even noticed but she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring anymore. “Where’s Scott, he’s dead isn’t he?”
“No, Scott isn’t dead,” she said in shock and then seemed to sense where his focus had shifted and glanced at her hand. “We’ve been divorced about two and a half years now.” As soon as she said that he was convinced he was in another parallel world this couldn’t be his reality. “I can sense what your thinking and your wrong this is the world your from Alex.” Jean said tiredly. “This is why I wanted to give you time to find your footing, Scott and I being over is only one of the major changes in the last few years.”
He still couldn’t believe it not with how in love the two of them where. “How did it happen how did you go from the happiest couple I’d ever known to this?” He had no idea what their relationship was now but it couldn’t be good if they were divorced.
“It is a long and ugly story but the high points are that Apocalypse tried to take over the world and Scott sacrificed himself to stop it.” She looked pained by the memory. “He ended up getting possessed by Apocalypse and was assumed dead by everyone.” She looked away. “Nathan and I found and freed him but it changed him and destroyed our psychic rapport.” She seemed even more lost in thought after that. “Things only got worse for us in the wake of Xavier having to take over Genosha,” he could tell this was painful for her as she went on. “The worse part was there isn’t any one moment I can point to that ended things but after a few months I had to walk away for both our sakes.”
He was reluctantly starting to believe her. He’d never have thought Scott and Jean wouldn’t work out but seeing how much pain she was clearly in made it clear how much she’d loved him. “You can tell me the rest later.” He said not wanting to hear anymore. “Is Scott here on Genosha?”
“No, I’ll have to get in touch with him as soon as possible he doesn’t even know we found you yet.” Jean said and then quickly continued before he could ask, “Scott’s team is underground helping mutants in situations that require less than legal means he’s been a wanted criminal in the United States ever since the fight over the Super Human Registration Act.”
He was confused again but before he could ask Lorna burst into the room. “Alex, your really awake.” She said and ran toward him. He saw Jean step away and he saw how relieved she looked at the interruption. “I’ve missed you so much.” Lorna said as she grabbed and hugged him she turned quickly to Jean and said, “Thank you for bringing him back.”
“I was glad too,” Jean said quickly. “I’ll leave you two alone to catch up, Alex, I’ll finish filling you in about things later.” She was gone then leaving him along with Lorna. He noticed that just like Jean, Lorna looked pretty much the same just longer hair.
“I missed you too,” He said honestly and saw her confusion. “I wasn’t just in a coma for four years two of them were spent in the body of another me on another world.” He could see her shock and a bit of disbelief on her face. “I’m glad to be home.” He still wasn’t completely convinced but seeing Lorna made it seem more real.
She still looked a bit concerned but she obviously decided not to discuss it with him as she quickly changed the subject. “I can’t wait to show you what we’ve built here Alex,” she was smiling. “We’ve made Genosha into a model of Xavier’s dream to show the rest of the world the full potential of human mutant cooperation.”
He had to resist the impulse to distrust Xavier the other world’s Xavier had tainted his view of the man. “I look forward to seeing it.” He said honestly just looking forward to getting out of this bed and looking around. “Jean, said something about healers fixing my body but I still can’t really move?”
“She and Xavier said that might happen,” Lorna said clearly not worried. “Something about how you were gone from your body so long you’ll have to relearn how to really move at first.” She was smiling. “But thanks to the wonders of Genoshan medicine you should be up and back to normal in a few weeks instead of after months and months of rehabilitation.”
He wasn’t sure he liked the pride in her voice when she was speaking about Genosha. “You really love it here on Genosha don’t you?” He asked careful to keep his suspicion out of his voice, he needed to see for himself before he made up his mind.
“Yes, I just wish my father could see what Charles built it would have shown him how wrong he was.” She was glowing as she said it. He watched as she suddenly frowned and then got up. “I’m sorry Alex but Charles says I’m needed elsewhere I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He watched her go wondering if Xavier had really called her or if she’d just suddenly wanted to leave.
He was startled from the suspicious direction of his thoughts by the entrance of a blue woman with green antlers. “I am here to begin your physical therapy,” the woman said in a soothing voice as she approached. “My name is Mary.”
To be continued....
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