LAST CHAPTER!

THIS IS IT PEOPLE!

DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em, damnit.

WARNING: slash. If you don't like it… what the hell, just read this chapter; you've got this far ffs!

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The mood on the battleground was tense… as soon as the X-men had learnt what the Brotherhood were up to, they had all showed up, and the two teams faced off across a street in Bayville. Any non-mutants had long since wisely cleared off.

As some unknown signal, the brotherhood attacked without warning, Lance went straight after Scott.

As the two fought, Scott could clearly see the pain in Lance's eyes as he gave it everything he had. They ended up away from the action with everyone else, facing each other, stood silently, a deep chasm opened just behind Scott thanks to Lance's abilities.

"I'm sorry…" Lance whispered…

~ Lips brush in a brief stolen kiss, chaste, soft, hidden from prying eyes. ~

"I know…" Scott whispers back, the dreadful truth finally hitting him, they could never work, could never be happy, they both understood that now. Both completely understood Lance's words when this all started, all love is doomed from the start.

~ Sad eyes meet and something passes between them, there's the faintest of nods and a tremor rocks the ground. ~

They agree this without words, their understanding showing clear, Lance raises his hands and sends a wave of his power, knocking Scott off his feet, and Scott falls backwards…

~ A body plunges backward into the abyss, lost forever, who knows how long to fall? ~

Lance lowers his head for a moment, before his face hardens, angry at the pain, angry at the situation, angry at the world.

~ The figure turns away, face hard, cold, emotionless, but in the eyes… in the eyes the deepest sadness shows itself, the sadness of lost love. ~

He starts to walk, make his way slowly back towards where his other team members are fighting, but something makes him stop, something makes him turn to face the chasm he just pushed his lover into.

~ Falling in love is hard enough, infinite pain to join infinite joy. ~

He steps forward, moves towards the gaping hole in the ground, his pace increasing with every step.

~ Loving enemies is the worst mistake you could ever make. ~

He slows again, stood on the edge, staring down, and leans forward…

~ Lance found out the hard way. ~

They were found again, both of them, broken bodies at the bottom of the canyon Lance had created, lay together. Someone emotionlessly cleared the bodies away, buried them beside each other, carefully inscribed "unknown" on the headstones, just another two in a row of headstones, some of them named, some of them unknown, all of them mutants.

And all of them victims of the feud between Xavier and Magneto.

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Well… that was certainly a chilling ending… but boy I'm proud of that.

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