How You Remind Me

I lost the disclaimer saying I don't own Nickelback's lyrics or the X-men Evolution franchise in a gutter on a rainy day...

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Alan Breck had finished all his training, and was now reporting to Coronado, California, for his next school. It seemed that no matter how far away from Bayville he went, he would always see something that would remind him...

Never made it as a wise man.

I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealin'

Tired of livin' like a blind man

I'm sick of sight without a sense of feeling

This is how you remind me

This is how you remind me of what I really am.

Alan was paying for gas for his car, a blue 1999 Camaro. He saw the attendant, a young woman that reminded him. The girl smiled at him, the way one smiles casually at a stranger that notices one walking by on the street. Everything from the chesnut brown hair, clear blue eyes, slender build. Minus the smoking cigarette she held in one hand, she could easily be Kitty Pryde, though her nametag read Selene.

"Rainy weather we've been having." she commented.

"Kitty, it's been pretty wet here, but I only just arrived." Alan replied.

"Hey Scotty, you must've been breathin' fumes or something, who's Kitty. Can't you read my nametag." the girl said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you just reminded me of someone." Alan replied.

"Someone special, Braveheart." the girl said.

"You could say that," Alan said, taking his receipt and sticking it in the pocket of his jeans. Driving from Illinois all the way to California had baked his noodle a tad.

It's not like you to say sorry, I was waiting on a different story.

This time I'm mistaken, for handing you a heart worth breaking.

I've been wrong, I've been down, been to the bottom of every bottle

These five words in my head scream "are we having fun yet?"

Alan Breck ran along the gravel running path on the base, trailing alongside a running platoon from the SEALs training on the same base. He almost collided with another jogger, a young woman, a civilian working at the base gymnasium.

Again, Alan blinked his eyes, he had to be dreaming. He mumbled an apology as he ran off. That girl's eyes were just like Kitty, only the face that framed them was obviously a couple years or so older and her hair was too short. "I've got to be going insane, it's like I'm seeing her everywhere I go, or something that reminds me of her."

It's not like you didn't know that

I said I love you and I swear I still do

And it must have been so bad

Cause livin' with me must have damn near killed you

This is how you remind me of what I really am

This is how you remind me of what I really am

Alan sat alone in a local restaurant, off base, he could see several young sailors laughing and celebrating something or other. He could see they were celebrating the wedding of one of their own. He couldn't take the celebration of love anymore as he picked up his gray trenchcoat and went for a walk. A long walk.

It was then he heard shouts coming from a nearby alley, "Hey we Aryans don't like Jews in our society!"

He could see two young men, with completely shaven heads with swastika armbands push a young woman to the ground. Even if this girl didn't strikingly resemble Kitty, he had reason enough to intervene.

"Hey you bloody hooligans, leave the young lady alone!" Alan shouted, barging into the alley.

"Hey, fuck you man! We don't like her type!"

"Well I don't like your type!" Alan replied, his eyes glowing green, the menacing and haunted look on his face appearing even more so.

"What the fuck!!!!"

"What are you, you freak!!!?"

"You have till the count of three..." Alan replied.

The two skinheads ran off as Alan went toward their victim. "Are you okay, miss?" he asked, helping the young woman to her feet. It was then their eyes met.

"Alan?" Kitty Pryde asked.

"Kitty?" Alan asked, confused, he didn't know whether to be angry or happy, "What are you doing here?"

"Cerebro found a new mutant here." Kitty said, "I got separated from the others and these weirdos attacked me."

Alan draped his gray trenchcoat over Kitty's rainsoaked figure, he walked her to his car. "I'll take you over to my apartment, and we can contact Xavier from there."

She smiled warmly, "Thank you Alan."

It's not like you to say sorry, I was waiting on a different story.

This time I'm mistaken, for handing you a heart worth breaking.

I've been wrong, I've been down, been to the bottom of every bottle

These five words in my head scream "are we having fun yet?"

Never made it as a wise man

Couldn't cut it as a poor man stealin'

Alan unlocked the door to his apartment and showed Kitty in. "This is where I live now."

"So, how do you like the Navy so far?" Kitty asked.

"I like it just fine." Alan said, hiding his true feelings yet again, here she was, here he could pour his heart out to her, but he chose to stay silent again, "There's dry clothes in my drawers, sorry I don't stock up on women's clothing."

Kitty laughed, despite herself, there he was again, so guarded, so enigmatic, yet so vunerable. She looked around the small apartment, seeing pictures of Alan and his Navy buddies in some framed photos, but also several of the mansion. As she went into the bathroom, showered, and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that were a little baggy on her, despite Alan's slender frame. She felt sleepy, the combination of the warm water, the tiring ordeal, and the rain were all having that effect. Sensing she was tired, Alan opened the door to the bedroom, "I'll take the couch. I'll talk to Xavier shortly, tell him you're sleeping over here."

"Listen, Alan, that was really sweet of you, what you did." Kitty said.

"I would have done it for anyone else." Alan said.

"No, I mean it, Alan, that was..." Kitty said, at a loss for words.

"You're welcome." Alan replied, smiling slightly, sheepishly with a hint of sadness.

As Kitty closed the door and went to sleep, Alan heard the last lyrics of that Nickelback song, How You Remind Me, in his head yet again.

This is how you remind me

This is how you remind me of what I really am

It's not like you to say sorry, I was waiting on a different story.

This time I'm mistaken, for handing you a heart worth breaking.

I've been wrong, I've been down, been to the bottom of every bottle

These five words in my head scream "are we having fun yet?"

As they did, Alan called Xavier at the number Kitty provided, telling him she was safe, describing her attack and how he had scared off her attackers. He didn't realize a pair of gold, lamplike eyes were watching him.

"Mr. Breck, why did you show up at an inopportune time?" Mystique asked, standing on the fire escape outside Alan's living room window, "It looks like Mr. Alvers' punishment will have to be delayed..."