We made our way to Westchester where we met with the professor and I explained what was going on and what had happened in the previous timeline and he concluded the details with scanning through my thoughts and prior memories. He then did the same with Raven, it almost look as if they were communicating.
"Aren't you scared of me?" She asked after a short moment.
"Weren't you scared of my voice in your head?" He asked smiling. She smiled back and proceeded into the doorway as I followed along.
At this time Storm was still a student there along with Pyro who was previously on Magneto's side, against the humans. He was still practicing his fire bending techniques while holding a lighter up close to him. He couldn't be any older than twelve or thirteen around this time.
"Hey, welcome." Greeted Storm with her white hair pulled into a ponytail at a much younger age than I had previously met her.
"Hey, Storm." I greeted back.
"Oh you already know my name, cool." She giggled.
"Bet you don't know mine!" Shouted Pyro in a pre pubescent voice from the couch.
"Pyro, isn't it?" I responded.
He looked dumbfounded. "Well, actually it's Flamethrower...but now that I think of it I like the sound of that much better!" He turned around looking back down at his lighter. "Pyro." He confirmed to himself.
Storm proceeded to show Raven and I around. Raven quickly caught the attention of a lot of the younger students and began making friends. I noticed there was no longer any Danger Room being that the sentinels did not exist in this timeline, rather everyone trained and practiced their abilities outside on the school grounds now.
Storm led me up to the room upstairs where I would be staying. It was the same room Alix and I were staying in. Then I realized how weird it was. I was the same age I had been the whole time and right now he is out there somewhere as a small child. There wasn't much I can do at this age to befriend him and take him here so I was forced to leave him at home with his mother where I know he did not want to be.
I asked Professor Xavier to go there and reach out to him and his mother but foreseeing what the conclusion would be from my memories of what he shared during the previous timeline he decided it was best if we were to leave them be for the the time being with no psychic blocks either. The only thing I could do from here is wait until he is registered for highschool and meet him there just as we did originally.
A few days later the school was visited by Magneto who was now back to being his original mutant self. He would occasionally come by and see how Professor Xavier was running the school with his doubt in mind about mutants cohabiting with humans peacefully. He already appeared to have his eyes set on Pyro seeming to spend the most time observing him, that is until he came across Raven.
"Well, hello," He said with subtle excitement. "and who are you if I may ask?" He asked curiously.
"My name is Raven." She responded innocently.
"Raven." He tisked. "That doesn't sound right for you. That sounds like a human name." He walked slowly around her in a circle. "You are quite an anomaly, one might say mysterious, yet also unique." He said looking into her bright yellow eyes. "You need a name more suitable for your entire being."
"Like what?" She asked.
"Something like," he paused while further examining her. "Mystique."
"Mystique?" She asked.
"Even better when you say it." He walked back around her. "So what can you do my dear? What is your gift?"
She turned around to face him looking into his eyes as she transformed herself into an identical replica of him.
"Fascinating!" He exclaimed after a short moment of processing. "Truly remarkable, and the new name fits every part of you." He said pridefully.
Mystique smiled accepting her new alias with enthusiasm.
"Hello Eric, I was wondering where you went off to." Stated the Professor.
"Oh just meeting a new friend." He said as he looked at Mystique and she giggled. Professor Xavier raised an eyebrow with suspicion as to what he was up to.
"Hey, Magneto!" Exclaimed Pyro as he ran up enthusiastically. "Look what I can do now!" He held up the lighter inches from his face and opened the palm of his hand shaping the fire to form a small ball of flames that lightly grew in size over a matter of seconds and he went to toss it across the room.
"Not indoors, Flamethrower." Warned the Professor.
"Actually," replied Pyro as the fire dissipated into the air. "It's Pyro." He said smirking with confidence.
"Pyro." Repeated Magneto. "Now that's a good one, I like it."
"Yeah it's just something I thought up earlier." Pyro said crossing his arms and standing up straight with confident pride. He seemed to enjoy Magneto's approval.
"Keep up the good work Pyro. Now the next step is to figure out a way to keep those lighters attached to your wrists so that your flames are avaliable to you in an instant, anywhere." Magneto said egging him on.
"I'm not so sure if that's a good idea Eric." Replied the Professor.
"Nonsense. He needs and deserves full use and mobility of his gift, especially if any danger were to ever come his way."
"Yeah!" Pyro shouted excitedly. "For danger!"
The professor gave Magneto a concerned look as he wheeled himself down the hall.
...
As the years had passed and everyone continued their training and education it was getting closer to the time where Alix would be enrolling into highschool. I felt I should be there for the whole time with him rather than just the final year and I could make those years so happy for him. This time I knew of his feelings for me as well as what would be occurring at the night of prom. The professor was still keeping an eye on him through Cerebro.
"Scott," the Professor started as he wheeled up to me. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"Sure, what is it?" I asked.
"It's about Alix, I just think... It would be best if we let history during that time repeat itself."
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"The events through highschool, they should take place exactly the same. Enough of the past has been changed and so far with no visible catastrophes, but changing too much could cause unforeseen circumstances. I want you both to be safe and well to return back here, and we saw in the past that that's what was the case." He explained.
"So..." I started as I processed his words. "You want me to, allow him to be bullied? And humiliated at prom? And kill everyone?"
"Precisely." The Professor responded. "It was fate that led those instances along with the closer bonding of you two." He wheeled himself to the window as he stared outside. "The universe has a mysterious way of working things out. Without the bullying he may not even have his abilities activated or awkwowledged. Without the history of the Black Prom, he would never have been released from the grasp his mother held on him, not allowing him to leave and not giving you two that moment of bonding that led him here in the first place. His mother had already tried to kill him, now if he did not have extended use of his power from the night of prom who says he could even protect himself if that moment were to repeat itself at another point in time?" He sighed lightly and wheeled back around to face me. "That is way everything must take place exactly the way that it did."
I stood with disappointment and a sense of failure to protect Alix. I sat in the chair beside me and continued to process the information I was told.
"What about you?" I asked.
"What about me?"
"He killed you."
"Like I said the universe has it's way of working things out. If death by Alix White is my ultimate true fate it can not be stopped any way, no matter how differently we do things." He stared back out the window. "But I have a feeling things will work out for the best this time around."
...
"Alix White?" Called the teacher.
"Here." He responded quietly.
"Scott McCall?"
"Here." I responded.
"Cameron Burtwell?" The teachers voice drowned out as she called the remaining names of the class and stated the next assignment. I could feel Alix staring at me. I looked over my shoulder and saw him face back down at his desk scribbling on a piece of paper. I decided to wait until gym class and reenact our original meeting.
The bell rang and we went off to 2nd period which was gym.
I tied a towel around my waist and hid my deodorant on the bottom of my gym bag.
"Hey do you have any deodorant I can borrow?" I asked Alix as I walked up to him. "I got here late and forgot mine."
"Umm, sure." I could barely even hear him respond. He sounded so nervous.
"Thanks, so what's your name by the way? I've seen you in first period but I never heard your name." I lied.
"A-Alix." He said while trying not to look in my direction. It was so weird to repeat this moment in time especially being the only one to know of our memories together, but it was also kind of cool in a way.
"Nice, I'm Scott." I held my hand out to be friendly but he didn't even seem to know what to do.
After the volleyball game we returned to the locker rooms.
"That was real funny what you did back there you little freak. I'll getcha back." Richey threatened to Alix.
"It was an accident I didn't mean to-" He started to say nervously.
"It doesn't matter, you still did it, I'll make sure I get you back. I'll make sure next time everyone's laughing at you." He said as he walked off. My body immediately tensed up. That pissed me off so much I wanted to kick his ass right there maybe even show him the three metal reasons why he should really fear me.
I went off into the shower and after a minute or two I heard
"Oh my god you guys Alix has a boner!" Laughed one of the guys hysterically.
Oh God I thought to myself. This was it. I was about to sit here and watch Alix be humiliated all over again. Not only that but I was about to watch them record it and there isn't shit I can do about it. I have to let his powers manifest. He had to have this experience.
"Fag-got, fag-got!" They chanted over and over again. I felt so bad. I just wanted to bring him anywhere else and tell him that it's all ok.
He was on the floor crying begging them to stop. This was the worst feeling I ever felt, well emotionally at least. I had to close my eyes because it was too painful to watch. I couldn't wait until it was over and we were back together that night at the post-game where I could be alone with him. Let him experience that I'm not bothered at all by his feelings for me, and that I actually have them for him too. Maybe the feelings we felt were a little different from each other's but they were still feelings, and ones of care and love that I feel for him. I just wanted to hold him and make him feel safe.