Alex, wake up, please. I couldn't help but stir at the pleading tone. There was a desperate need in it that I couldn't refuse. Don't you dare die on me! there was pain in her voice and I immediately sought out her mind, reaching to comfort her automatically.

I'm right here, sweetling, and I'm not about to go anywhere. I whispered to her, mind to mind. When I felt her sudden shock and withdrawal, I realised what I had done. I abruptly jerked away and tried to seal off the link.

I opened my eyes and fell off the bed I was laying on in the same moment, trying to find an escape from the question I knew would come. I found myself, to my profound astonishment, in a bedroom I didn't recognise. The furniture I that I could see was good quality, a modern style using metal rather than wood. The walls were an ivory white, contrasting just enough with the rest of the stark whiteness of the room. It was a beautiful room.

"Alex, if you do not get back into bed this instance, I'll lock you into the med lab!" I heard Henry snap. I couldn't help but smile at his tone. I saw him appear around the edge of the bed, followed quickly by Emma and Jean. I winced at the expression on Emma's face. It was a mix of shock and something I couldn't readily identify.

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't fully awake." I gave him a week smile as I used the wall to get to my feet. Henry helped me back into the bed.

"Take it easy, that bullet wound isn't fully healed, even with your apparent ability to heal so quickly." Henry said softly. "You should have told us that you got shot in the first round.

"It didn't seem that bad." I mumbled.

"Well, it wouldn't have been, if you'd told us about it." Henry admonished.

"Sorry."

"You take it easy. I'll be looking in on you later. I'll leave you to Jean and Emma's hands." Henry checked my heartbeat before he left. "Try to relax." I heard him say before the door closed.

"How you feeling?" Jean said softly.

"A bit sore." I admitted. I wasn't feeling too bad, just a slight pain in my side. I glanced at Emma and saw that her face was totally devoid of emotion. I sighed. I had really signed myself up for a hopeless cause.

"You did very well considering you don't actively know how to control your powers. You got farther than any new mutant I know, and you would give some of the trained mutants a run for your money." Jean said. "I'm surprised you were able to switch forms at all."

"I don't like shifting." I whispered. "I hate what it means, being driven to the point of insanity, to the point of being demonic." I raised my eyes to meet Jean's. "I don't like becoming what I truly am."

"I know." Jean leaned out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, but I shrunk away. She sighed. "I have to get to my class. If you need anything, I'm just a few minutes away." She got up and headed out the door. "I'll get your homework later." I couldn't help but smile at her teasing tone.

But then, I met Emma's eyes and it slipped from my lips. I turned my eyes away, and tried to hide, curling up to avoid her eyes. I couldn't meet her eyes. She knew now.

"Alex." Her voice was soft and demanding, forcing me to look up when she sat on the edge of the bed. "You're bonded to me aren't you?" I could only nod miserably. "Are you sure?

"I can't mistake it." I shot her a weak smile. "If you look, you'll sense it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Gentle fingers lifted my chin and Emma tucked a strand of my short hair behind my horns.

"I know it wasn't...I hope you realise that I can't feel that way about you." I drew away from her touch.

"I know. That's why it hurts so much. But I understand it. I should've resisted its formation, but I was so tired and alone…" I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry Emma, but it's unbreakable. Only if I die will it go away. I don't know how it will affect you, just that it will." I felt a tear slip from my eye. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright Alex. Even if I can't be what you want and need, I am still here for you." I was drawn into Emma's arms, and I wept bitterly at the cards I was dealt. Emma rubbed my back soothingly, trying to calm me. I let her, feeling as if this would be the last time I could ever truly call my heart whole. "I'll always be here as a friend." My heart shattered.

There was a knock on the door and the girl I saved poked her head in. "Hey, would you like some company?" I smiled and waved her in. Henry had moved me to my room to finish recovering. He still wouldn't let me get out of bed yet.

"Sure. It's boring in here, even with homework. I finished it hours ago." She grabbed my chair and dragged it over to sit next to me. "How you doing?"

"Still a bit shaken about Zack getting into my room the other night." She smiled at me. "Thank you, for saving me. I'm sorry if it got you in trouble."

"Hey no problem. I'm Alex by the way. I don't think I caught your name."

"I'm Margaret, but I prefer Maggie. I can control and breathe water. I'm not very good at controlling my powers yet though."

"Better than me. I have complete control over my dreamwalking, but I can't control my other powers much. It comes out whenever it feels like." I leaned back against the mound of pillows.

"Really? You seemed very much in control of them when you saved me." Maggie said. She was nearly quivering with happiness.

"Luck. Pure luck. I am just lucky my instincts include my powers." I looked at her. "Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"Erm… I should be… but I'm not very good at working with wood… so I just skip it whenever I can. I don't know why I decided to take it." Maggie shook her head.

"I know what you mean. I hate any shop classes, though that's cause I dislike the teacher, and if it weren't for the boredom, I would skip too."

"You gonna graduate this year?"

"That's my goal. I want out of here."

"Really? Why? I love it here it's so safe and understanding." Maggie stated, wrinkling her brow in confusion.

"Cause outside here, people won't call me demon. I'm not sure what I want to do, but I figured a night job would help me avoid most questions." I smiled. "Maybe I'll be an accountant or something."

"But accounting is so dull!" She snorted. I heard a distant bell ring. "Crap I have to go, I have English with Mrs Summers. Talk to you another time." I smiled and waved at her as she headed for her class.

Maybe it wasn't as bad as my last school.

Emma looked out the window, taking in the sunshine. Lunchtime was a welcome relief for once. The quints were much more trying than usual. She sighed and tried to turn the thoughts away from their prying questions.

She saw Alex under a tree, laughing at something Maggie said. Her face was much softer, happier now, than it had been for the first while. Maggie had introduced Alex to her friends, and she had quickly become part of the group, small though it was. The six of them were constantly found under that tree, laughing at each others jokes.

And not for the first time, Emma felt a slight twinge of envy. Her team mates would never learn to accept her enough to do that. Never look past the exterior to see the heart that beat within.

Sometimes, late at night, she would reach for Alex through the bond, just to see if she was alright. And no matter how many times she went, she was always welcomed within Alex's mind, surrounded by total acceptance. No matter how many times she went, she was always welcomed back.

As a friend, Alex never offered more. She respected Emma enough to keep the boundaries set before her. She never brought up the pain that Emma had felt in her dreams once.

She felt a mental touch and lowered her shields.

Emma, I was having problems with the chapter we discussed in class, I'm not really understanding it. Could you help me out? Alex's voice seemed to coincide with her thoughts eerily.

Shall I meet you in library after dinner? Emma replied. She felt Alex's acceptance.

Thanks Emma. She whispered. And she was gone once again.

"I am so tired…" I whispered to myself. Maggie overheard.

"You look tired. You've been sleeping properly right?" She glared at me and I held up my hands.

"I promise I have. I am kept under surveillance anyway, remember? No, I've been getting good sleep, I just… am so tired." I rubbed my eyes.

"You should tell Mr McCoy at your appointment. Don't you have one later today?" Maggie smiled.

"Yes. He is determined to make me squirm, I swear! He makes more appointments for me than anyone else." I grinned at her. "I'll see you later. Have fun in shop!"

"Like that's ever fun!" Maggie retorted before slipping off to head to the workshop. I headed for my appointment with Mr McCoy. He seemed to be keeping a closer tabs on me than usual, and part of me was wondering why.

He met me in the elevator, like he always did.

"How was your sleep? He asked. I grinned at him.

"Disrupted, I was having too much… fun to sleep." He gave me a stare and I had to laugh at him. "Sorry, you been asking that everyday this week. It's fine. A bit heavier than usual, but still fine."

"How you feeling?" he asked. He was staring at me intently, and I became wary.

"Exhausted, but fine. No urge to burst into flames lately." It had been two weeks since the danger room incident.

"I have the results of the tests I did yesterday, but I want to take another sample and quickly compare it to yesterday's sample, for comparison reasons." He sat me down and took out another needle.

"Okay…" I felt the pinch and soon he withdrew with a vial of my blood.

He was in his office for about ten minutes when he came out of it with the gravest look on his face. I immediately grew alarmed.

"Why do you look like you're about to tell me I'm gonna die?"

"You're twenty one." He said simply. I stared at him.

"What the hell you on? I'm seventeen. Soon to be eighteen, but still seventeen." I retorted. He sighed and sat down.

"Ordinarily I would agree with you, because this sort of thing is supposed to be impossible. But it's true. I ran tests all night to be sure. You're aging has sped up." His face lost its grave look, only to be replaced with a sad one.

"How?" I said slowly. He took out his DNA charts and I had to let out an exasperated sigh.

"The combination of your dreamwalking and your demon energy has a unique effect. Your second telepathic bond is changing you." I had been forced to tell him of its existence, much to mine and his profound embarrassment. He didn't know who it was just that it was an older person. I wondered if he knew that I was gay.

"From what I can gather from the information on dreamwalkers, your subconscious is trying to change you to try to make you a better match for your chosen." He gave me a serious look. "You're probably aging to the point of your bond."

"You can't be serious." I muttered under my breath.

"I wish I weren't. You are literally having years stolen from you. It's not too noticeable now, but in a few days, you'll start looking older as well. It's just a matter of time."

"So I'll be an adult in virtually everything by the end of the week?" I snarled. I shook my head. "No that is just not possible. There has to be another explanation!" I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to.

But even as I didn't want to believe it, I could feel that it was true. The exhaustion would be explained if I was physically changing and the dreams… I hate to admit it, but I never had those types of dreams and the level that I had them at was a bit embarrassing.

"I can check again, but I'm positive on this one Alex." He rested a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry." I shook my head.

"Hey, I'm an adult now. I have to deal with it like an adult right?" he didn't speak as we headed up the elevator. Really, there wasn't anything he could say. I think it would have been easier on both of us if he just said I was gonna die. At least then, it would be over and I wouldn't be living in torment.

At dinner, I barely struggled through it, eating what I could force down, but I only managed a few bites, everything tasting like washed cardboard. Maggie noticed my silence and tried to draw me into the conversation, but I simply shut down. I just wanted this to be over with.

I just wished I had thought to check that I wasn't early to my meeting with Emma.

I simply touched her mentally, giving her warning that I was coming. I blushed at what I felt. A brief glimpse into her mind had let me know she was far too busy to be disturbed. I hastily withdrew and changed the direction I was walking to head for the gates.

I hadn't really believed the whispers I had heard around the school. I didn't want to. I hated it when gossip was right.

I hated it more that it had been Scott. What was worse was the feeling that Emma preferred to be a distant second with him rather than even consider me.

I laughed bitterly at that.

The gates were locked up for the night, but that didn't stop me. They flew off their hinges, landing with a loud clatter a few feet away. Both pieces had been seriously dented. I turned onto the road and walked away, not turning back. It was just too much.

My mom once said that everything had its price. She was right. The price of existing was having everything taken from me.

She wanted me to be strong. I wondered as I walked out of sight of the school just how strong she thought I would need to be.

But for once, I would not let her down.

Still no sign of Alex. The gates were the only sign that she had left. They had been rather quickly fixed, as parents day had been coming. Now it was parents' day and some of the parents were on campus, being shown around by their children. Some were mutants themselves, but not many.

It was a rather brilliant day, the sun shining brightly lending to the happy atmosphere everyone seemed to have. Families were reunited for at least the time being. Emma saw many happy faces amongst the crowd. She couldn't help but respond to the overwhelming surge of emotions and smile herself.

She spotted a woman off to the side, her back turned to Emma. She seemed to be alone and was simply watching everyone around her. Emma reached out telepathically and but couldn't seem to find her in the mess of people here. She shrugged it off.

As she approached, she couldn't help but notice that the woman's backside was rather attractive. She was slender, with broad shoulders for a woman and slightly taller than Emma herself. Her blonde hair was a few inches long, styled to spike upward.

"Can I help you find anyone?" Emma said when she reached the woman's side. Grey eyes turned to meet her own and foot long horns rose from the woman's forehead. "Oh my god." Emma said under her breath.

Staring back at her was the demoness from Alex's dream.

She was so much more beautiful in reality than in the dreams, and much more attractive to Emma. She had to force herself to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Hello Emma." She stared into Emma's eyes. "I'm back."

"Alex?"

"It's me. Henry told me this would happen." Alex sighed and turned away. "I'm taking a guess and saying I'm about twenty eight now." She shot Emma an unreadable look. "Almost your age." There was bitterness in Alex's voice.

"How?"

"My powers apparently, a unique effect of having demon energies mingle with dreamwalking. I got to age rapidly." Alex's eyes were guarded, more so than Emma had ever seen. "I always seem to have the short end of the stick." She muttered before turning away. "Stay away from me Emma. I can't handle people right now. I'm only here cause I promised Maggie I'd meet her folks."

And Alex was gone. And Emma realised what was missing. That automatic trust was gone, the happiness she always felt radiate off Alex when she was near, and it was gone, replaced with a void that Emma hadn't really felt before.

"Maggie, sorry I'm late." Emma heard Alex say.

"And you are?" Emma winced. Maggie obviously didn't see Alex under her new appearance.

"I'm Alex, a fellow student here." Alex extended her hand to Maggie's father.

"Aren't you rather old to be a student here?" He said.

"My powers came in rather late and developed some unusual side effects, such as my appearance. I am only two years older than your daughter." Alex was using a pleasant, diplomatic tone.

"We've got to go Alex. We are meeting up with Karen's family in the cafeteria." Maggie dragged her parent's away, heading in that direction. But Emma could see that Alex knew it was just a reason to leave, leaving her alone once more.

"Fine." Alex said, just loud enough for Emma to hear. She headed to the student dorm, disappearing into the busy building.

When Alex didn't appear after a few minutes, Emma slipped past the people at the door and headed for Alex's room. The door was partially open. She found Alex draped across her chair, a cool expression on her face.

"Amazing what rapid growth effects isn't it? In the space of a few moments, I lost all my friends here." Alex didn't really have anything in her voice to indicate she was bitter about it.

"What about the others you hung out with? Not all of them will care that you look like an adult." Emma responded, taking a seat on the bed. Alex just gave her a condescending look.

"Two are homophobic and are always uncomfortable around me, one could care less, and the last distinctly dislikes me. The only reason they accepted me was because of Maggie. Now that she is uncomfortable around me, I will no longer be welcome." She developed a small smile, full of bitterness. "I'm right back at square two, the outcast phase."

"You're not alone." Emma reached forward to give a reassuring pat to Alex, only to have Alex withdraw from her touch.

"Don't." The first hint of pain was in that small word. She looked up at Emma, red swirling around her grey irises. "Everything is different now. I am alone."

"You don't trust me anymore." Emma said. There was something in her voice that caused Alex to automatically respond.

"I don't trust myself." Alex sighed. "Since I am obviously gonna be made a guinea pig later or tomorrow, I need to get some rest." A clear dismissal. As Emma headed out, she wondered what had happened for Alex to become so distant.

"Emma…" I moaned. I felt her lips curl into a smile.

"I love you." Those words were the ones I had wished to hear for so long, so very long. I felt tears of joy slip from my eyes as I brought her lips forward to meet mine, trying to express what I felt with the gentlest touch.

"I love you so much Emma." I whispered. Her shields lowered and I could feel every ounce of love she felt for me, and I smiled once again and brought our lips forward to meet each other.

I tore myself from the dream, sitting bolt upright. I was breathing heavily and I wiped the sweat from my brow. It was that dream again.

I wished with all my heart I could just stay there and not come back out, but I couldn't lie to myself that much. I wouldn't be able to believe that it was my world, not when I knew Emma was involved with… I couldn't suppress the shudder.

My breaths gradually deepened and I slowly cooled down. I went to my window and opened it. Luckily for me, there was a cool breeze that flowed past me, making me feel cleansed as it swept past me. I lowered my tired head into my hands, just letting the fresh air calm me.

I felt tears slip from my eyes again, silently falling onto the window sill. I just allowed them to fall, not noticing that they stained to wood, and not caring that the mist flared up to cocoon me in comforting warmth.

Only a few more months. I thought softly to myself. Just a few more months. I had to hope that my strength would last that long.

"Emma…" Alex moaned. Emma smiled into her lips.

"I love you." Emma whispered to her, though she didn't know what brought her to say them. Emma saw tears slip from Alex's eyes and the joyful expression on her face. She gently pulled Emma forward into a loving kiss.

"I love you so much Emma." She whispered. Emma lowered her shields and tried to make her feel the love she felt for her. She smiled, and it lit her face, Emma couldn't help but lean forward to kiss her again.

Emma felt herself waken suddenly. She quickly checked the room for anything that could have woken her. Her room was quiet and a quick probe proved that there was no one passing in the hall.

She leaned back, trying to sort out the mess her thoughts were in. She hadn't had a dream like that in years. Not one that was more about love than sex. It was different. It was far more enjoyable than she thought it would be. She smiled in recollection.

She frowned at something. If there wasn't anything that woke her up in the physical manner, it meant only one thing, something had woken her up mentally.

She went to her window and opened it, looking around. She was about to send out a mental probe when she saw a soft red mist in the window of a student's dorm.

It hadn't been her dream at all. She had been drawn into Alex's dream. She recalled what Alex had said, about wanting her dreams to be a reality, and because she would never be able to believe them, being unable to sleep. She hesitated for a moment, but a moment's decision was made when she remembered the love in the dream. She wasn't about to let Alex kill herself slowly.

She reached out to touch Alex's mind, gently embracing her. For a moment, Alex relaxed, and her pain eased, but only for a moment. Seconds later, Emma was mentally shoved away, and she felt Alex's pain increase.

Please, don't do that to me. Alex's voice was desperate. Please… just don't. Emma hated the pain that she heard in that voice, pain she had put there. I just had a dream, that's all. She could hear tears. Please… don't let me hope again. and Alex, gently, but firmly, shoved her away.

Emma stared at the red mist, which seemed to pulse, as though it was wracked with sobs as well. Though she couldn't sense Alex anymore, she just knew, instinctively, that she was in pain. Just as she knew she wouldn't be able to help. Her presence would just cause Alex more pain.

Emma bowed her head and a few stray tears landed on her hand.