Disclaimer: all marvel characters belong to marvel, not me. i only own Alarick, Steven, and the story line. Dale belongs to Robbospades and is used with their permission.
(a few hours later)
I had been driving for a couple hours, and by now i had taken a detour, instead of driving to the airport, i was belining for the closest hospital. I was halfway to one when i heard a soft "stop" from Dale.
Immediately i pulled the car over onto the side of the road, and stepped into the back of the van, where i had lade Dale on a pile of pillows and blankets.
"Blue eyes, your awake, you're gonna be ok, i'm taking you to a hospital" i said, as i knelt down next to Dale, who had opened his eyes.
"No" Dale said, as he gently shook his head " i won't make it, fruit mix, i can...feel the hemorrhage. Putting Magneto to sleep, it messed me up, i...i won't make it." as he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"No, don't say that, you'll be fine, will make it in time." i said "you'll be fine" i repeated
"I thought we didn't lie to each other, Alarick" he wheezed, and then he coughed, blood flecking over his lips. "Besides, i thought you were a realist"
"Your right" i said, my voice deathly quiet, and filled with sorrow. "If you don't think you can make it, then you can't. How much longer do you have?"
"Couple minutes, maybe a couple hours, what do i look like, a doctor?" he joked, before going into a coughing fit. "I want to say something, before i go." he told me, as he beckoned me closer. "You are my family, Alarick, my only family, and i know i'm yours. We may not be related by blood, but you've been the greatest older brother anyone could ask for" his sentence was interrupted by a heavy coughing and wheezing fit. "I...want you...to take my bat" he whispered "you don't have to use it,...just keep it….To remember me."
I nodded, tears flowing freely down my face "i could never forget you, little brother." i said.
"I know" he whispered back "don't leave me"
"I won't" i sobbed, and then i began to sing, softly. I was singing "count on me like 1 2 3" a song that Dale and i both loved, and that i sang to him whenever he was sad, we were like that until he died, me singing quietly, Dale tapping to the rhythm slowly. One second i was singing, the next second, i heard a loud sigh, and then Dale just stopped breathing. I cried for hours after that.
(about five hours later)
I buried Dale at the base of a pine tree that was growing near the road, i didn't have a tombstone, so i carved words into the tree itself with my claws. The message read: "here lies Dale, a good friend, an amazing brother, and the greatest baseball bat duelist in the world, and if he was able, he'd jump out of the ground and start singing 'don't threaten me with a good time' "
The message had been something Dale had once joked about wanting on his tombstone, i had laughed then, but now i just cried, as i used the shovel we carried in the van to smooth the last of the dirt over his grave. And when i had finished, i walked, mechanically, to the van, and i drove away, going in the opposite direction of the airport.
I specifically chose this direction, because it was the direction that would eventually take me to Gettysburg, a place Dale had always wanted to visit, but a place we never got a chance to go to. But i would go in his place, now that he couldn't.
(pov change, professor Xavier)
"Professor! professor! are you ok?" came the worried voice of Hank Mccoy, who is better known to the world as the Beast .
"I am fine, Hank, but i could use some help up" i said, as i had just fallen out of my wheelchair.
"Of course, sorry professor" he said, as he carefully lifted me into my chair.
"It's quite alright my friend" i replied, to my student/assistant.
"What caused you to fall?" he asked, his natural curiosity creeping into his voice.
I had been sitting in my chair inside of cerebra, the giant computer I used to find mutants and bring them to my school. The machine works by boosting my psychic powers so i can read the abilities and emotions of people the world over. I had been doing just that when i had sensed it, a terrifying amount of grief, and rage. This alone would make me concerned, for i myself felt this way when i lost my legs, but the rage and sadness was coming from a mutant. A mutant of the age of 19, who's mutation radiated power. But it was the emotions that had knocked me over, because they spiked when i wasn't prepared, physically knocking me from my chair.
I would not tell Mccoy all of this, however, for it would only worry him.
"It is mostly nothing, Hank. i was just caught off guard by some emotions. Good news though, my friend." i said "i have found a young mutant who is quiet troubled. Will you please go get logan and tell him that i need him to accompany me somewhere?"
"I would professor, but Logan isn't here right now, he hasn't been for a couple months." Hank answered "he went on leave, remember? He said he needed to spend some time with Laura."
"Yes, yes" i responded, shaking my head, as i thought of Logan and his "daughter" bonding. "would you get Storm for me then?"
"Of course professor" Beast said as he left to inform his teammate that i needed her assistance.
( pov switch, alarick)
3 days and 10 hours later
I had finally arrived at gettysburg, it had taken some planning and time, but i was finally here. To avoid suspicion i had used a skin colored latex to hide my claws, since i had yet found a way to clip them down, i also purchased brown contacts and white teeth caps. The biggest challenge had been my hair, which grew at an amazing rate, it was also incredibly tough. To cut my hair, i purchased a large pair of garden shears, by the end of the job i had one pair of broken shears, and a small amount of lost hair, that grew back the next day, i abandoned the hair idea.
With my more or less effective disguise, i now walked through the former battlefield, looking at all the different historical monuments. The entire time i could only imagine my best friends reactions at the different things.
"You never got here my friend, i'm so sorry, i couldn't save you. You would have loved it here." i whispered, as i gently touched the handle of the baseball bat that once belonged to the greatest man i had ever met.
"I'm sure he was" came a voice from behind me.
Immediately i whirled around, my guns in my hands and pointed at the source of the noise, which proved to be an old, bald man in a wheelchair. Because i'm not stupid i quickly put my guns back into their holsters.
"Sorry, sir, i thought you said something" i said, casually, as if i pointed my guns at random strangers for no reason everyday, somedays i feel like that's all i do.
"I did" the man said, as he extended a hand. "Ororo will you leave us a moment?"
And as he spoke i saw a tall African American woman with stark white hair who was standing next to him.
"Of course professor." she said, and then she turned and began to walk towards one of the many monuments on the battlefield.
"Let's go for a walk, and i'll explain some things" the man in the chair said, as his wheelchair began to move forward and he beckoned me to follow him.
It may have been against my natural instincts, but i decided to listen to him, because i doubted it could do any harm.
"My name is professor Xavier, Alarick" he said. If he expected a reaction from knowing my name, he had another thing coming.
"Xavier…" i said, almost to myself "Magneto said that name, your a telepath" i said, as it dawned on me how he knew my name.
"Yes, i see you've already met Magneto, its all you seem to be able to think about right now, shame what happened to your friend, he seemed like a very nice young man." he said.
Before i could yell about his reading my mind without permission he stopped me, with a raised hand.
"I am sorry for reading your mind, but right now its like your screaming your thoughts your so upset" he explained.
"Ok" i said, grudgingly stowing my anger. "Why are you here? because i doubt you came for the history."
At this the professor chuckled "Me? I am here to speak to you, Alarick. You are a mutant, just like me, and just like me, you have gone through a trauma, and your powers are radiating almost uncontrollably. I sensed your presence all the way from my home in Oregon, and i came to give you something." as he said this, he handed me an envelope which i opened. The letter inside read:
"Alarick Holter is hereby accepted to the Xavier institute for gifted youngsters. Where he shall receive training in an environment that helps support and grow "gifted" young people."
There was more, but it was just a bunch of stuff about the campus and stuff like that.
"So, let me get this straight" i said, slightly annoyed "you want me to join your school for training mutants?" and when he nodded i continued "i'm nineteen, i'm outta school now"
He responded "yes, but we have a "college" program, of sorts, you must understand, this is not a normal school, it's to help you learn about your powers. And unlike Magneto's brotherhood, we train to protect humans from other mutants, and keep the peace anyway we can. We also strive to create a place where you can be yourself, where you don't have to wear those contacts and silly teeth caps, or hide your claws."
I whistled softly "sounds tempting, but its not my style" and i turned to leave.
But then the professor put a hand on my shoulder and whispered softly "if you join us, you can help us make sure what happened to Dale never happens again, i have read your mind Alarick. I know you don't see yourself as a hero, and your not one. But i know that you want to do everything in your power to stop deaths like Dales, come with me, at least see what i'm offering. If you don't like it after six months, then leave, i won't stop you. But come now, so you can at least accurately make a decision"
"You play dirty, Xavier, bringing up Dale. but your right" i sighed "i'll try it. But no promises."
Authors note: i hope you enjoyed this chapter, or at the very least don't hate me for what happened in it. please leave comments so i can improve this story, as always,
Moonfly7, signing off
