Knock! Knock! Knock!  The door opened, revealing a light-haired teenager.  "Alex?  Dude!  Long time no see."

"Hi Bobby," he answered, grinning lopsidedly.  "Can you let us in?  I need to talk with the Professor."

"Sure, no problem," he said, opening the door more widely and stepping aside.  Robert "Iceman" Drake looked Angelica up and down.  "Hey, who are your buds?"

"Bobby, this is Hank McCoy and Angelica Jones," he said by way of introduction.  "If you say anything about Hank's fur …"

"What fur?" said Bobby, innocently.  "All I see is a man wearing a spay-painted carpet."  Alex couldn't help but laugh.  "Come on in, guys, I'll take you to Xavier's office."  Bobby closed the door behind them, and they followed him inside.    "What have you been doing?"

They rounded a corner, revealing a short hallway.  "College.  Running from MRA.  You?"

"High school, meeting people, connecting, hooking up."  Bobby grinned, and Alex matched the smile.  "Everyone calls her Rogue.  If you don't mind, I'm gonna go find her.  You remember the way, right?" he asked.

"See you around," answered Alex.  Bobby walked off, and Alex took them to the door to Xavier's office.  After knocking a couple of times, he peaked inside to find the room empty.  "That's Robert Drake.  Taking us the wrong way and running off before anyone notices …  Come on, let's try a few more places."  Because it was daytime, Alex did not think it likely that Xavier would be hiding away in his bedroom.  He decided to lead them to a high-speed elevator, which took them to the sub-basement.

This new hall was metallic and unpainted, and had circular doors that were emblazoned with giant X's.  Alex was sure to check every room as they went down the hall, until they found one that was inhabited: the medical center.  Inside, there was one unconscious man on a bed, and a woman helping a bald man into a wheelchair.  As Alex approached, the visiting trio was finally noticed.

When he was secure in his wheelchair, the bald man held out his hand.  "Alex, this is a pleasant surprise.  Welcome back."  They shook hands.

"Thanks, Professor."  He noticed that Xavier was wearing a hospital gown.  "This doesn't look like a routine checkup; how are you feeling?"

"Quite well.  We had an incident with Magneto and the Brotherhood, but all turned out well."

Jean then recovered from the shock Alex Summers's unexpected reappearance.  "It's good to see you again."

In her eyes, Alex could see the emotion behind her words. "Thanks, Jean."  He took a step back, and motioned his companions forward.  "I'd like the two of you to meet Doctor Henry McCoy and Angelica Jones.  Hank, Angelica, this is Professor Charles Xavier and Jean Grey."

"Hi," said Angelica, with a tiny voice and small wave.

Hank spoke with more eloquence and confidence.  "I am honored to meet both of your acquaintances.  I have read all of your publications on mutations, and am glad to finally meet you."

Before long, Alex found himself tuning out.  The people he had brought to the school were talking to the Professor and Jean, but he did not have the patience to listen.  Introductions, life stories, explanations … all things he had heard countless times before.  The high-speed elevator brought them back to ground level.  Alex excused himself and left the four to go about on their own.  He sat down on the patio out back, watching some students play basketball.

"You did a great thing," said a voice from behind.  "You're a hero now; you've saved two lives."  There was silence for a minute, interrupted by cheering over at the basketball court.  "How does it feel?"

He was thoughtful for a moment, not responding for some time.  "Like it's something I've been missing out on for the past two years … it reminds me of everything I don't have: parents, family, close friends, and a meaningful job.  Up until recently, the only thing I cared about was trying to get my powers under control … still haven't done that.  I feel like there's so much to learn before I can really be happy with myself."

"Even when you were trying to be selfish, you still helped people who were complete strangers.  We're not as different as you think."

"Scott, you want to make the world a better place.  All I want to do is get a job, and raise two point five kids."

Alex's brother laughed, and sat down beside him.  "You've got a lot of potential.  I don't want to see it go to waste."  Scott looked at the ground, as if considering if he should continue.  "Why are you thinking about leaving?"

The younger Summers brother grinned and turned to face Scott.  "Who said anything about leaving?  The Xavier Institute can award me a bachelor's degree, and it's free.  Besides, you're my only family."

"Not for too much longer," said Scott, a pleased look on his face.  "Jean and I are engaged."  Alex slapped his brother on the back in congratulations.  "We haven't set a date yet, but you'll be the first to know when the wedding is."

"That's great news!  Hey, I'm thinking of going to Albany to relax for awhile.  Care to join me?"

"How can I say no?"