Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 13:58:53 EST
From: Angel36745@aol.com
Subject: Silver X 3

Disclaimer: All rights to the marvel characters that are used in this story
are that of Marvel Comics. I own all rights to my own characters and would
like to ask that they not be used without my permission

Symbols: *** mean a character change or what character the story is
starting out with.

Warning: This story is dark and filled with a lot of dark dealings. There
may be sex so if you're to young then you shouldn't be reading this. If you
have a problem with Male/Male relationships then you shouldn't read this.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

****Alex*****

"So what's coming up that you need to get presents for Peter?" Mary looked
at me for a second and it looked like she had a strange amount of sadness
come over her.

"Alex, it's almost Christmas, why don't you come by and eat dinner with me
and Peter. You know I can cook some really good old fashioned food that
you'll love, just like your mother use to fix." Her hand flew to her mouth
the second she finished her sentence. She placed her hand on my cheek
lightly and wiped away a tear that I hadn't even know had fallen.

"I'm so sorry Alex, it just slipped, but please come to dinner, it could do
you some good." I shook my head, I guess it was the reason I never
celebrated any holiday, it only brought back painful memories.

"No thanks Mary, crime doesn't stop on Christmas and I need to be on the
streets that night, but thanks for asking." She nodded slowly knowing it
would always be my answer. It had been the same thing I had said the year
before to get out of eating dinner in a place filled with light and
happiness.

"Then you'll have to come by Christmas morning so you can get some of the
stuff I got you this year." I smiled and agreed knowing that if I turned
her down this time she would only have a fit and get me to agree to it
anyway. So we shopped and got Peter a really nice tool set and a few other
things that she thought he might need. We didn't talk all that much while
we were shopping, I think she was afraid she would slip up again. I didn't
really blame her, after all not many people killed their own parents with
just skin contact. There was Rouge but her touch didn't always have to kill
so she hadn't really killed anyone with her touch, at least as far as I
knew. Yet I had killed many, but they had it coming to them for the crimes
they had committed. Only now I didn't need to kill with the control that I
had over my powers. The armor that covered my body was still very sharp
only now I controlled what it covered on my body. The objects that I could
send flying from my body could now be sharp or a blunt object that wouldn't
kill. I thought that I had come along way since I had left the X men. Now I
had a job, some friends that weren't mutants or super heroes, just everyday
normal people. On top of that they accepted me for who I was and what I
could do. It was very important to me to have these things in my life,
without them I would lose my mind. After all I couldn't return to the X men
where I had closer friends and people that really understood me. Peter and
Mary were great but there weren't the X men, in some ways that was good.

It had been a week and Peter had tried to talk me into coming to Christmas
dinner five times so far. I was starting to dodge him, it wasn't all that
easy it was like he had some kind of built in radar. Still I was a faster
than Spiderman so getting away from Peter was getting easier and easier. I
was a little surprised to bump into Bobby in the hallway he looked a little
panicked.

"Oh sorry about that man, hey maybe you can help me I'm looking for my
friend." I looked up at him and laughed lightly shaking my head, he looked
a little shocked.

"Oh my God you cut your hair off, and you're wearing a suit, I can't
believe it." I shook my head and pulled my braid out showing him that my
hair had only gotten longer. I had gotten it trimmed up a few days ago
after realizing that it had badly needed it. It was still close to touching
the ground which I was impressed with myself.

"Nope just trying to keep it hidden so I have some kind of a secret
identity, and of course the sun glasses." I put my braid back away as Peter
walked toward me giving Bobby an odd look.

"Is this guy giving you any trouble Alex, we could have him removed if he
is?" I looked at Peter and shook my head while draping my arm over Bobby's
shoulder.

"He's a real good friend of mine that I haven't seen in a really long time,
so he's cool." Peter nodded and walked on as I turned back to face Bobby
pulling my arm back.

"So how's everything been with the X men, still causing trouble I'm sure."
Bobby laughed and nodded, then he looked down.

"Peter died a while back, Kitty's quit and off in some college
somewhere. Rouge's powers are out of hand and all in all the whole damn
team has gone nuts. Scott almost died, and I left a few days ago to take a
trip when I get a message from Jono about you. So here I am I hope you
don't mind me just dropping in, and requesting to stay at your home." I
didn't mind at all so I shook my head wrapping my arm around his shoulder
leading him out of the building.

"You know you really have changed, you've gotten a little taller and your
upper body is solid now, well more than the last time I checked." He joked
around like he was nervous or something, it wasn't something I was use to.

"Yeah I've been fighting crime and hitting the gym when I get the
chance. So I get my work out, and I work here and that's a work out in
itself." Bobby laughed and seemed to relax a little, it was then I that I
removed my arm hoping it would help him relax more. It hadn't crossed my
mind that I could be making him nervous.

"I was wondering if you had given any thought about coming back to the X
men, I know you gave your word but couldn't you break it just once?" He
looked really hopeful as we walked out of the building, and I felt a little
bad.

"Sorry Bobby I can't, I wish I could but my word is my bond and I'm not
going to start breaking it now." He shook his head and gave up on the
subject for the time being but I knew it would come up again. After all he
was apart of the X men, one of the greatest teams I had ever seen in action
and I knew that they never gave up. Which meant that Bobby would never give
up on the idea that I could go back. It wasn't that I didn't want to, I
just couldn't even with knowing what I now know about Sinister and what he
had done. The saddest part was that I was a lot like him, I killed who I
thought would get in my way. Well, not anymore but I use to and I had
killed so many people just so I could get a shot at Magneto. A person who I
hadn't even really tried to go after in so long I was starting to forget
what he looked like. It didn't really make sense, I guess I was just afraid
of him for what he had done the first time.

"So you have to take the subway to get to your house, it must be pretty
cool then." I nodded slowly and looked around waiting for the area to clear
out a little.

"Yeah, but I live down here in the subways, it's a lot safer than living
above ground." He looked at me like he felt sorry for me, he would just
have to wait until he saw my home. It wasn't all that bad since I had been
working on it for a good amount of time now, it looked nice to me. It
wasn't something like he was use to living after all he had been with the
professor for a very long time. So when the time was right I picked Bobby
up and started running knowing that I had to miss the next train. Twenty
minutes later I was standing at the entrance of my home which looked like a
tunnel. I walked in careful not to set off any of my own traps Bobby looked
a little worried.

"I set up a bunch of traps so I have to be careful, it's also the reason I
haven't set you down yet." He nodded and I continued on my way keeping an
eye out for any rats that might set one of the lasers off that I had set
up. It had taken a lot of talking to get spider man to talk Tony into
helping out. Once I was through the mine field of traps I set Bobby down
and pulled a steel plate up revealing my home.

"It's a lot nicer than I thought, you've really put some major effort into
this place." I nodded since I was really proud of this place and everything
that it had taken to get it this far.

"Well, I don't have any running water I take most of my baths or showers at
Mary and Peter's house. If I can't take one there then I'll hit the gym and
grab one there, it all works out in the end." Bobby was nodding slowly and
looking around my little home under the city.

"Who would have thought that a place like this could look so nice and
homely, I like it." Bobby jumped onto the bed and looked at me smiling, I
just shook my head.

"Well, it's good to see that someone likes it, spider man keeps telling me
I need to get a normal house or something. Only it's a lot cheeper here,
I've got an electric stove and a fridge. Everything I've got here runs on
electricity, and I've tapped into the cities power so it's all free. Which
gives me one of hell of a savings account, so far I've saved up close to
fifty-thousand dollars. I'm thinking that maybe in a few more years I'll
have enough to launch a full scale attack on Magneto." Bobby looked at me
sharply, his eyes held both fear and sorrow.

"Do you think you could give that up and leave it to someone else?" I was a
little confused but he should have known that I could never stop going
after him.

"Alex, if you go after him he'll kill you, he's almost killed Logan, and we
both know he's tougher than you and a lot of other people put
together. Then add the fact you're pretty much metal and use that to attack
and you don't stand a chance against him." He was making a lot of strong
points but it wasn't going to change anything.

"No, I can't Bobby, I can't just stop fighting, I can't just give in, so no
I can't let someone else do it. He killed my brother, and I'm going to get
revenge for what he's done, even if it cost me my life." Bobby nodded
slowly then looked away from me toward something I couldn't see.

"Then I guess when I leave here, and go back to my normal life I'll never
see you again." I was a little confused, and I wasn't about to let this
rest, I had to know why.

"Why wouldn't you come and see me again, that doesn't make sense Bobby?" He
looked at me, and for the first time I noticed his age in his eyes and
found something I had never seen before.

"Because I love you, and I can't think of a world without you running
around in it. If you can't give this up then I know that I'll lose you, and
I can't stand that thought. Yet I know that you can't stop yourself from
destroying yourself. I know that I don't have the strength to stop you, or
anyone else for that matter, so I know you're going to die. With this
knowledge I can't continue to think of you the way I've been thinking of
you. If I let myself fall any further then I'll never recover when I'm told
that you've died." My heart was beating so hard my breathing wasn't all
that easy anymore.

"I never knew you felt that way, I always thought that for you to care that
way I would have to be dreaming." Bobby's face change slightly as he looked
at me, it was almost like I had given him hope.

"If I could promise you that I would always be with you, and I would tell
you every day that I loved you, would you give up on this?" I wanted to lie
and tell him that I would stop and that I would never go after Magneto, but
I couldn't.

"As much as I want to, no I can't, I love you Bobby, but I can't let this
go." He looked away slowly, tears fell from his eyes as he stood and moved
toward me. I looked into his eyes which were slightly rimmed with tears, he
looked so heart broken. When his lips met mine I closed my eyes and let
myself give into this feeling in my chest. He pulled back slowly his
forehead meeting mine, I didn't know what to say.

"I had to do that just once so I would know, so I would have the memory." I
closed my eyes as he pulled away leaving me in a world of hurt and
confusion.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow when you leave for work, I think I'll go to
sleep, where should I sleep?" I pointed to the bed but he shook his head,
then I shook mine and took one of the covers laying it on the ground.

"I'll sleep on the floor, after all you're the guest, sweet dreams Bobby,
I'm sorry that it had to be this way." He sat on the bed and looked at me
before nodding and hitting the light switch.

******Peter

The next few days went by without a problem, only there was a problem with
me and Alex. He was depressed and it was ripping my heart in two to see him
so sad and alone, but I couldn't do anything. Well, I could but then it
would mean breaking a promise that I had made to myself years ago. That
promise being that I would never hurt Mary on purpose, then again I could
find away around it. It wasn't like I hadn't thought about Alex, just
looking at him gave me a hard on. I guess you would have to see him to
understand, he was almost flawless, that and he moved with grace that not
many could. He was my equal in a lot of ways, and in others he was above
me, he was everything I had once dreamed of. Before I had met Mary I had
pretty much sworn off women, and decided to give the other half a try. It
had started working out, but I could never find a guy that could deal with
my lifestyle. While Alex had the same kind of life and he was gay, and open
about it if anyone asked him that was. Still there was the problem of Mary
and all that she meant to me, I couldn't deny that for a moment, still my
body ached for Alex. I had seen him naked more than enough to have his body
fill my dreams with thoughts of passion and lust.

That night I found myself sitting in Alex's home dressed normally ready to
reveal my secret. Well, not all of my secrets, just that I was spider man,
other things would have to come later. When Alex walked in he almost naked
peeling off his clothes, he didn't even notice me at first. Then he paused,
slowly he looked my way with this really strange look on his face. After
looking back at his door, and then back to me a few times he started
scratching his head.

"Ok, not that I'm not happy that you're here, but how did you get in here
without getting hurt?" I pulled out my mask and showed it to him, at first
he had over reacted thinking something had happened.

"Alex, I'm Spiderman, I should have told you a long time ago but I was
worried at first and I'm sorry that I kept this from you." He looked more
hurt than anything else, then he turned away slowly.

"I guess I should have known you always did have a light scent of the other
on you, so it makes sense. To be honest I had started thinking that you and
your alter ego had something going on." He laughed a little and then hugged
me, I guess it hadn't taken him long to forgive me.

"I'm happy that you could trust me with this Peter, now maybe I can help
you a little more." Then he stood and continued to undress like it was no
big deal, to me it was becoming one. His body was a master piece, perfect
in every single way, and I wanted him more than ever before. The way he
moved was like an art of war, and I feared him for that, and knew I could
never defeat him. I had known that the first time I had seen him and his
brother, they could have ripped me to shreds. Now I wished that I could
have helped him, saved him from all that pain that would fall on him. Since
he had lost his brother he had started an insane quest to kill his brothers
murder. That was the one thing I had feared the most losing him to a mad
man, for no reason. I understood his pain, so I understood his quest, but I
didn't want to lose him. Even if I could only have him as a friend, it
would be better than losing him forever.

"Is something wrong Peter, you look so sad, did something happen,
anything?" I looked at him as he slipped into some shorts his hair falling
over his shoulder.

"No, I'm just worried about you, that's all, I don't want to see you get
yourself killed." He signed pretty deeply as he looked at me for a while,
almost like he was studying me for a final test.

"If anyone should know that I'm never going to give up on killing Magneto
it should be you Peter. You are one of my closest friends, and you know
that I can't stop until he's dead." That wasn't good enough for me, not
anymore, not ever really, but now I had to say something.

"Listen to yourself man, you have to know he stands a really good chance of
killing you, and you mean so much to so many people. Can't you see that
Alex, if you were to die, apart of me would die with you, as I'm sure it
would be the same for others. In one simple movement you command the hearts
of so many but that's not good enough for you. You have to kill a man that
could kill you with a simple thought, why not let someone else do it?" I
had started crying and I couldn't control the tears or how my voice was
shaking. When he moved to hold me I didn't have the strength to push him
away since I wanted him that close all the time. I listened to his heart
beat, and cried harder knowing he was going to do something to make it stop
someday. My arms were wrapped so tightly around him that I don't even think
he could get me to let go. He just ran his fingers through my hair so
gently, that I felt my heart slowly calming down.

"I'm sorry Peter, I didn't know that it would hurt you this much, I hope
that you can forgive me." Then there was nothing as something hit the back
of my head, when I woke up Alex was gone. Everything that he could carry
was gone with him, all that was left a letter informing that he quit his
job. I spent the whole night searching for him, but he had far to much time
to escape, maybe it was for the best. That night I returned home to find
Mary sitting up and waiting, she had been crying from what I could see.

"He came by to tell me that he was leaving, and to tell me that he would
always hold our friendship in his heart. Peter, he's going after that mad
man, and he's going to get himself killed you have to stop him." By this
time she was crying again, and I held her like Alex had held me.

"I already tried, he knocked me out so I couldn't stop him, I'm sorry but
he's gone." We stayed like that for a very long time, not knowing how to
react to losing such a great friend. My only thought was to get in contact
with anyone that could stop Alex, maybe save him from himself. Still I knew
that the only way to stop Alex was to stop Magneto, so now I knew what I
had to do, I had to kill the monster, before the monster killed Alex.

***Sam

For years all I had thought about was seeing Alex again, and now I had my
chance since he was in town. I had seen him one night while I was trying to
stop some mad man from blowing up a building. Then he came running out of
nowhere knocking the man down, then stripping him of his bomb. After that
he took off to get rid of the bomb, I had followed him leaving the others
to take care of the loon. When I had found him he had hugged me and asked
how I had been, I hadn't been able to form words all that well. So I asked
him if we could meet up when we didn't have to run around saving people, so
now I was heading to the cafe where we would meet. I was dressed in the
best clothing that I had, and I had also gotten Tab to give me a hand with
my hair and everything else. She had thought that I was going to meet some
girl, not that she cared, after all she had someone else now. While I on
the other hand was hoping that I could get Alex to join the team, and maybe
me for a little action. It wasn't like I was in love with him, but I did
care about him, and now that Bobby wasn't around I had a better chance at
getting him.

"So are you looking at someone, or are you lost in some daze?" I turned
around to find a much more grown up version of Alex, he was more than
breath taking.

"I was in a daze thinking about you, how have you been, it's been a while?"
He shrugged his shoulders lightly before smiling as his bane's fell in
front of his eyes, my heart skipped a beat.

"Well, I'm still hunting Magneto, and I'm leaving in a few hours to
continue my trip, that's pretty much it." All I could do was look at him in
amazement, he made it sound like it was just something he did after waking
up. The more I looked at him and listened to him talk I realized that him
and Logan had a lot in common. Both of them wanted Magneto's head on a
stick, only it looked like only Logan stood a chance against him.

"Have you thought about getting someone to help you take him out, or maybe
collecting a team?" He shook his head then smiled as we walked into the
cafe and took a seat, after pulling my seat out for me.

"I wouldn't want to put anyone in any danger for something that was my
problem, and I might die. At least everyone seems to think I'm going to
die, but there's a good chance that I will, so I don't want to risk anyone
but myself." All I could do was look at him for a little while, every
thought was about how I could stop him, or help him so he wouldn't die.

"Well, I don't want you to do this alone, I have a team and we might be
able to help you take him out." He just looked at me for a little while
before giving me this really sad smile.

"You know I wish I could take you up on that offer Sam, but I can't, this
is something I have to do alone. At least then I know that if I die, then
it's only me that dies, not someone else trying to save me, or help. I lost
my brother to him, and I refuse to lose any of my friends to him." I
couldn't really look at him at that moment so I buried my head in the menu
just trying to ignore his foolishness.

"Then how do you think your friends are going to feel if they find out you
died when they could have tried to help. You sit here and think that you're
helping us, when you're not Alex, you made a choice to do this. Why not let
other people choose weather or not they want to help you, it's my choice,
and it's my fault if I die trying to help." All I could do was look at him
for a while, he seemed to be thinking it over.

"Sam, you know that if you go, and take your team with you, that all of you
could die. I know that I'm going to die when I face him, all I can hope for
is that I take him with me to my grave. All I have to do is get close
enough to hug him, or punch him, then he'll die, his minions will most
likely kill me after that. Or he'll use the last of his strength to kill
me, I can accept that. You on the other hand, you have a future, a destiny
that's greater than mine could ever be. This is my future, this is all I
have Sam, his death is my gift to the world, in the same sense my death is
a gift as well. Before Xavier, I wasn't what you would call a hero, I
killed people that I thought needed to die. I was their judge and jury, I
didn't have that right, so in a sense I'm a monster like Magneto. It's how
I know I can kill him, it takes a monster to kill a monster, you're not a
monster Sam. You're a hero, and in our would hero's don't always win in the
end, but one beast can kill another." I couldn't list to him anymore as I
stood and walked a little bit away from him, he was insane. When I turned
back around he was gone, there was a short note on the table.

*Tell Spider Man, that I'll take his secret to my grave, and to thank him
for his friendship.* I shook my head and looked around, I guess he was just
taking care of a few lose ends. Only I wasn't going to give in this easily,
I headed back to our new base and gathered everyone.

"In a few days we're going on a mission, it's one that could end up getting
anyone that goes killed. So you have the chance to back out at anytime
before we leave, or I leave if no one else wants to go. It's simple really,
I'm going to kill Magneto, the reasons are personal, so don't ask. Just
know that if we win, we not only take down a monster but we save thousands
of lives." It was insane, but it was the only thing I could think of doing
that might save Alex from himself.

****Bobby

I wasn't going to just let this happen, I wasn't going to simply walk away
and let fate take another person from me.  It had taken me a little to long
to decide to act and do something, but when Spider Man had called us I knew
I had to do something. The others were a bit confused and didn't know what
to do while the professor said he had to think about it. That wasn't
something I needed to do anymore, and a few of the others agreed with
me. Logan was already getting ready to head out and go team up with someone
that was willing to risk it all to take the mad man down. At least that's
how he had put it, Gambit was going with him along with Rouge, Storm was
going to wait until Xavier gave his blessing. Now I was joining their
ranks, this was becoming an all out effort to save Alex, I wanted Jean and
Scott to come, but they were off doing their own little thing to save the
world.

"We just got a call from Sam, Alex was there, Sam and his team are heading
out in the morning. Look's like old Maggie is being attacked from all
fronts, guess we should head out now. That way we can get their first and
scan the area, maybe take Mags out before anyone else is endangered." I
nodded to Logan and went to get my suit and a few other things that I
needed, one of those things was a gun. In the past I had seen Magneto stop
bullets, but I don't think he would see this one coming if I got close
enough. Once I was ready I got on the black bird and said a small prayer, I
prayed the Alex wasn't already there. He was fast, maybe faster than we
thought, after all he had moved across the country in one day on foot. That
might mean he could run on water, if so then he could already be just
moments away from killing himself.

"Bobby turn on the TV hurry, the professor just said something happened in
Genosha." My world froze as I moved toward the TV, nothing could have hit
my harder than what I saw when I turned it on.

"A reported sixteen million dead, maybe more, more on this story as it
unfolds." I stopped hearing anything as I sat their in horror, this just
couldn't be real. In an instant I was up and moving trying to find the
professor, he could search Alex out. He could tell me that Alex wasn't
there when Genosha was attacked, he could ease the pain. I just knew that
he would tell me everything was ok, that Alex wasn't dead, that I hadn't
been to late. Only when I entered his office his face was grim, he just
shook his head slowly and closed his eyes. The phone started ringing, and I
knew that it was just going to get worse from his moment on. Later that
week all the X men gathered with others, spider man, Sam and his team,
people I didn't even really know. They gathered to morn the people of
Genosha, and to morn a friend that had gone their to face his
destiny. Xavier had spent hours searching for Alex, for even the smallest
glimmer of hope, he found none. Tears fell from every person gathered,
mostly for the great loss, but I knew that some of those tears fell for
Alex alone. Sam had walked up to the masked man, he handed him a note as
tears fell from his eyes. I soon joined him as the masked shook his head as
he read the note.

"He talked about you a lot, and about Peter, could you tell him that Alex
thought very highly of him. Alex really cared about you and Peter, and his
wife, he considered them great friends." All he did was nod, I could see
that his was gaining some streaks as his tears soaked through.

"Are you sure he was there, that he's not just off somewhere, still looking
for Magneto?" I understood his question, and I hoped that was what had
happened, I even hoped that Magneto had survived. At least then maybe Alex
could have followed him while he made his get away, at least then there was
hope.

"The professor searched for him for a few hours, he didn't find anything."
He nodded slowly, then turned and left without another word, I could see
Logan off in the distance. He was leaning up against a tree, his hat pulled
down slightly hiding his eyes from the world. I walked toward him willing
to risk a limb or two if it could help him, something told me he needed
someone.

"You know it's my fault, I brought him here, thought it could help him,
maybe save him some trouble. If I would have just kept my mouth shut that
night, or maybe joined up with him and went after Magneto he would still be
here. We might have been able to take him out then, but now, now he's dead
just like anyone else that enters my life." I reached out to touch him, he
moved before I could his hat falling to the ground. He faced me, tears
rained down, something I had thought I would never see on his face. After
that he kept moving into the woods, away from me and anyone else that would
try to help him.

"I'm sorry Bobby, I should have done more to help him when he was here,
maybe made him forget what Magneto did to him. At least until he could deal
with it better, you have to try and move on, he would have wanted that." I
turned to face the man that was no longer bound to a wheel chair, though if
he kept talking he may need one again.

"You're right, you should have done more, you could have done more, but you
didn't, but that's life right? How would you know what he wanted, all you
knew was what you thought he would become, some monster. All he wanted was
to avenge his brother, not much to ask really, and you didn't allow because
old Magneto was your friend. I guess it's ok for you to have murders as
friends right, I mean after all you've done your fair share of killing." I
walked away before I said anything else, before I turned this into
something it shouldn't be. People were here to morn, not hear me rant about
what could have been, what should have been.

"Bobby, you have no right to talk to him that way, you're acting out of
pain, and anger. You need to calm down, we all lost him, we all lost a
great deal of things with what happened in Genosha." I looked at Jean,
always so controlled, though I couldn't find a reason to be upset with
her. She had liked Alex, loved him because she understood his pain, she had
understood him at least what she could understand.

"It's not fair, none of it, he shouldn't have been there, he should have
been here with us, he should be here now." My body broke at that moment as
I fell to the ground pounding my fist against the earth.

The End..............Maybe