CONTINUITY: Set a little while after 'Make It Okay, which was the third in my so-far-untitled (although I rather like Sash's 'oreo cookies' ;)) series about these two.

WARNING: Swearing, m/m stuff which doesn't include explicit sex, lack of happiness and light in many places and Summersness.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Mel, Kael, JB, Cosmic Girl and more for betas, encouragement, plotting and tolerance... and Matchbox 20 for practically writing the last half for me. Thanks, Rob. :)

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But if you throw a stone
something's gonna shatter somewhere
we're all so fragile
we're all so scared

- 'Cry Ophelia', Adam Cohen.
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There is a very good reason why one should never stir coffee with a pen. The plastic and the ink make the coffee taste strange, especially if you lick it off the pen without thinking about what you're doing. Because he had been concentrating on some surprisingly boring implications of volcanic activity, Alex had forgotten that important fact and was in the process of trying to find something to get rid of the hot-plastic taste when the front door opened.

"Anybody home?" Sam sounded tired and disgruntled.

"Just me." Alex took a quick drink of milk and padded back out of the kitchen. Then raised his eyebrows at the graze along his lover's cheek, stark against exhaustion-lightened skin. "What happened to you?"

"On of Cable's compulsive no-powers training sessions. Then the ground." Sliding out of his coat and letting it fall on the floor behind him, Sam took a step forwards and collapsed onto the couch with a groan. "And then, after the ground had finished happening to me, mah teammates happened to each other. So Ah'm hiding where they can't try to drag me into it."

"And I can baby you outrageously?" Alex smiled a little, some of the instant concern lifting. If Sam was still joking, nothing was seriously wrong.

"If ya wouldn't mind." Lying down across the full length of the couch, Sam managed to kick his shoes off and whimpered a little bit more. "Ah hurt..."

"Then don't settle down there, you'll just get stiff and hurt even more." Reaching down, Alex snagged one hand and tugged it gently. "Come on. I'll clean that graze up for you, then you can go lie down on the bed and I'll make a big fuss of you."

"Ah don't wanna get up..." But he did anyway, allowing himself to be towed to the bathroom and be dabbed with disinfectant. It was more pleasant than he might have expected. Medical supplies intended for a small child were chosen on the basis of what wouldn't sting, and the bandaid Alex stuck gently over the worst of the cuts on his hand had Snoopy on it.

Alex resisted the urge to kiss anything better. He doubted it would work on someone over ten. "Anything else?"

"Nope. Just bruises, and every single muscle in mah body hurts."

"Poor baby." Alex stood up and stretched, absently shoving things back into the appropriate cupboards.

"Exactly. Now help me up, mah legs are going stiff..." Sam winced and tried to straighten his knees.

Reaching down to take the pathetically upheld hands, Alex easily pulled the lighter man to his feet. "I can fix that too. Go lie down, I'll find it."

Tottering towards the bedroom, Sam wondered what 'it' was and tried to think of a part of his body that didn't hurt. He eventually decided that the soles of his feet and his ears were fine, and the bed was gloriously comfortable...

It couldn't have taken more than a minute for Alex to follow him, but Sam was already half-asleep. He did open one eye and look doubtfully at the battered plastic bottle, though. "What's that?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

"Animal, vegetable or mineral?"

"Not a clue, Forge gave it to me ages ago. I suspect it's Chinese, but who cares? It works like nothing else." Alex grinned. "Now take that shirt off."

"Easy for you to say." Wincing as the muscles in his arms and shouldes complained, Sam tossed the shirt aside and flopped back down. "As long as Ah get to go to sleep..."

"If you absolutely have to, but it'll ruin the fun." Alex tipped a little of the liquid onto one palm and rubbed his hands together, then picked up one of Sam's arms and began rubbing the whateveritwas into his fingers.

Gentle hands moved up his arm, leaving soothing warmth behind and patiently relaxing tense and strained muscles. Sam sighed. "Whatever it is, Ah love it." The first touch cooled with the distinctive feel of evaporating alcohol, quickly followed by heat that sank slowly through his muscles. It was, he decided, rather like being immersed in warm honey. Rather sexy honey with rather wonderful massage skills.

By the time his shoulders, back, other arm and the strained muscle in his left leg had recieved the same treatment, Sam was half dozing in a cozy haze. He could feel Alex stretched out beside him and hear him breathing softly, and for a moment debated opening his eyes. It really seemed like too much effort.

Alex smiled and brushed Sam's uninjured cheek with the backs of his fingers. "You're very cute when you're sleepy." He whispered it on the offchance that Sam actually was asleep, but was rewarded with a faint, lazy smile.

"'m not sleepy."

"Of course not." The hand continued its gentle exploration all of its own accord, and Alex sighed happily.

Sam opened his eyes just enough to see what he was doing and rolled onto his side, pressing himself close and pulling Alex's lips down to his. His eyes were tired but his mouth didn't seem to be, and he could prove it.

There was a lot to be said for knowing someone, knowing their little habits and signals and noises. Sam had been studying Alex's noises for a few months, and despite the unusual number of them, he was getting very good at reading them. And creating them. A favourite half-muffled sigh made him smile, and he tucked his head under Alex's chin as it grew wider. "See? Not sleepy at all."

Alex laughed softly. "Liar."

"Okay, maybe Ah just don't want you to go."

"I don't particularly want to either, but I have to finish that chapter and Scott's going to be home in an hour." Alex didn't make any attempt to move, though.

"Damn." Sam sighed and closed his eyes again. He couldn't seem to think of any way around that other than random irresponsibility, and it was too selfish to expect Alex to stay just so that he could have someone warm to hold while he slept. "Later?"

"Definitely." With another soft kiss Alex forced himself to slide off the bed. "Sleep well."

"Ummhmm."

He didn't even hear the door close.

Scott threw his bag onto the floor of the lounge and marched into the kitchen, glaring darkly. Alex watched him stamp past and shifted his pile of notes off the other half of the couch to make room. "Bad day?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Okay, if you're sure."

There was the sound of a cupboard opening and a slightly muffled voice. "It's just that your universe is totally stupid, that's all. No offence, but what sort of morons are these people? Can you believe that I got yelled at for making a conscientious objection? Some people just can't take criticism. Is there any ham left?"

Scott actually seemed to expect an answer to that one. "Open the fridge and look for yourself. What were you objecting to?"

"Having my intelligence insulted, and the really one-sided protrayal of some stuff. By the way, my teacher wants to talk to you." Scott wandered back out with a lopsided sandwich which made even Alex's stomach try to climb under his liver and hide. "Why's Sam here?"

"X-Force got into a fight and he got a bit knocked around in a training session, so he came over here to sleep it off somewhere quiet. Is he awake?"

"Nope, just wondered." He put his food down on the coffeetable, put his feet up next to it and poked his father in the side. "Pay attention to me."

"Give me the note from your teacher first." Alex held out a hand and looked expectant.

Scott sighed and rumaged through a pocket. "It doesn't say anything very important, I read it already."

"I'm sure you did." Alex read it anyway, and wondered what Scott did consider important. "I think I might have to have this framed, kid. I didn't expect anyone to say that about you until you were in your teens."

Scott shrugged. "I'm precocious. Are you going to go see her?"

"I have to." Alex looked down at the distinctively clear handwriting most teachers of young children cultivate and sighed. "I KNOW Scott never has this problem."

"Are you mad at me?" The casual attitude faded to a more anxious one.

"I don't know yet, you haven't told me whether I should be."

"I didn't mean to get into trouble, it just happened." Scott looked slightly guilty. "Again. But I really was right this time! It's not fair not to tell us the other side of the story, how are we supposed to actually learn anything for ourselves if we don't know what actually happened? If there was one thing that mom and Magneto and you and Jean and even Warren smacked into me over the years it was that there's always another side. And somebody who doesn't tell it usually has something to hide." He sighed angrily. "But when I asked her about it, she gave me this whole rant about slavery and cotton and The American Way and didn't actually answer my question."

Alex smiled. "No, I'm not mad at you. Actually I'm pretty proud."

"That's a relief, because I think she would have suspended me if she could've. I might have been a little bit rude." At the suddenly suspicious glare he hastily qualified the statement. "I didn't swear, I promise! Learned that lesson already."

"Good."

"I was just a bit annoyed. I was actually almost interested that time."

"If you still want to hear the other side of it, ask Sam when he wakes up."

"Hey, yeah. Then I can go back to school and make even more tro-um, discussion." He smiled innocently.

Alex grinned. "Sam's family has soldiers from both sides, he'll probably tell you more than you really want to know."

"Even better."

It was probably a good thing that Scott was fascinated by history, because Sam was more than happy to share his knowledge. The conversation went right through dinner and out the other side, long after Alex had lost interest. Neither the state he'd been born in nor the one he'd grown up in really felt that strongly about the Civil War, and that ambivalence had taken root.

Sam was delighted to be asked and Scott loved that Sam explained it as clearly as possible without talking down to him, and Alex more than happy to simply watch them grow more animated while he felt deliciously possessive. Right up until he looked at the time, and had to chase Scott to bed.

"Sorry about that." Sam grinned and didn't really look that appologetic. "He really likes that kind of thing, doesn't he?"

"Oh yes. Being telepathic and having so many people who couldn't decide whether they were heroes or villains around he didn't really have much of a choice, but there's nothing he likes more than seeing why people do things. Probably a good thing he seems to be naturally moral or he might make an incredibly good villain one day."

"Good?"

"You know what I mean. Well usually you do. You haven't realised that me standing here like this means 'come to bed for fuck's sake, I've been working all day'."

Sam grinned and stood up. "Sorry. Don't know where mah brain was."

"You were thinking with your brain? That would explain the problem." Alex slid his arms around Sam's waist and did his best to rectify the situation. Sam's body was delightfully familiar now, fitting so perfectly up against his own. He knew all the places that were ticklish, that were especially sensitive, that made Sam suddenly forget what he was doing and clutch with none of his usual smoothness. And Alex loved that. He loved knowing, loved being able to turn knowing into moans and smiles and heat.

"I just thought of something that I don't like about having Scott here," Alex muttered against the side of Sam's neck with a sigh.

"What?"

"No more sex on the floor in the middle of the lounge."

Sam laughed. "Ah don't think Ah could manage that today anyway. Maybe sometime when he's at school..."

"Something to look forward to, then." Keeping his grip on Sam's hips, Alex walked backwards towards the bedroom. Sam was more than happy to be towed. "But right now I don't really care where we are."

Sam grinned. "Don't be impatient."

"Do you know how long it's been?"

"Five days."

"Exactly. Five very LONG days. Then you came over and went to sleep."

Sam kicked the door shut behind them and slid his hands under Alex's shirt while he looked innocent. "But 'Lex, you told me to..."

"I was-oooh that's nice-being selfless."

"Ah thought Ah was the one being selfless, letting you go away and pay attention to that book." His voice was a little muffled by the t-shirt that was being lifted over his head, but Alex could still hear the teasing smile in it.

Sliding his hands down Sam's now-bare sides, Alex muttered between kisses along that graceful collarbone. "If I had stayed you sure as hell wouldn't have gotten any sleep."

"Ah'm starting to see that." Sam gasped as teeth grazed a particularly sensitive spot. "Not sleepy now..."

No, sleep certainly wasn't what he wanted. Moaning softly he staggered back a step as his balance and knees failed him, but his hands faithfully remained tangled in hair and shirt and pulled Alex after him. Back to the door, he pulled his lover as close as physically possible and kissed him. An impatient, encouraging, firey sort of kiss. The kind of kiss that asked very politely if one could please be screwed stupid now.

Five days was a lot longer than it used to be.

Other kisses down his chest and stomach gave their own answer, but his jeans were being pulled over his hips slower than he would have thought humanly possible and he wriggled unhappily. "Please?"

Faster now, and a kiss of a different sort. Sam hit the back of his head on the door and didn't care a bit, gasping for breath. It wasn't just Alex's hands that were always warm, the temperature of his entire body was a small but significant amount above normal. It had some implications Sam's teenage crush hadn't thought of in its wildest dreams.

Reality was much, much better. He could never have imagined that caressing heat, or the perfect complement of the way that Alex liked giving head and he loved getting it. "God..." He had to grab blindly at the doorframe to hold himself up as release hit hard, and for a second multicoloured spots danced behind his eyelids.

A rustle as Alex stood up, then those lips were against his own again and he could taste himself. Tugging away the rest of the clothes between them, they stumbled towards the bed and half-fell onto it. That made Sam groan in a much less pleasant way. "Ow... see, you made me forget Ah had bruises on that shoulder."

"Sorry."

"Hey, you can do that any time you like." He grinned and went in for another kiss, but the brief reminder of his less-than-perfect condition had made Alex far more cautious. With a growl of impatience Sam slid on top of him, got a good grip, then went down the other side so that he rolled on the undamaged shoulder and ended up pressed cozily between Alex and the bed. "Ah won't break, you know."

Alex smiled shakily. "Good, because I think I'm done being gentlemanly." That wasn't precisely true, but it was his need that was setting the pace and five days was still far too long. Sweat-slicked bodies pressed together, sliding easily into a familiar rhythm. It seemed that those bodies knew each other even better than the conscious minds did and they moved together effortlessly, reaching satisfaction at the same time and collapsing still entwined.

Alex watched Sam go in the morning with resigned regret. If only time would all run at the same pace, then he could manage, but it ambled along between visits then got up and ran like a startled rabbit whenever Sam was in the vicinity. He was pondering asking Cable to give it a firm talking to, except that Cable would just smirk and pat him on the head and tell him it was all in his mind. Nephews could be very pretentious.

"Dad?"

"Yes, Scott?" He answered to all sorts of things from his son. 'Alex' usually, 'dad' when Scott was feeling upset or sick or sulky, and occasionally 'mom' when Scott was being absentminded.

"I don't feel good."

Alex automatically stuck a hand out to feel Scott's forehead. "You don't have a fever." The implied 'are you just trying to get out of school' was utterly ignored.

"Not that kind of not good. Like there's a, a THING, out here." He waved his hands in front of him vaguely. "It's nasty, and I don't like it. I wish it'd go away." He shifted uncomfortably, eyes slightly unfocussed. "If I could just see what it IS..."

Alex frowned. Scott's foresight had gotten clearer as he grew older, and the periods of restless activity and uncertainty from unexplained feelings had grown less frequent. He'd rather hoped they'd gone altogether, but apparently there was at least one more. "Do you feel good enough to go to school?"

Scott shook his head and wandered wordlessly towards the kitchen. Alex followed, wondering how on earth he was going to get four hours of classes and a child with malfunctioning precognition to work together.

A jar of olives was lifted out of the fridge, had a face made at it, and was put back. Scott moved on, looking at things apparently at random before sitting on the table in his pyjamas, eating dry pasta out of the box.

"Would you like me to cook that for you?"

"I like it raw."

"But it isn't breakfast, kiddo."

"There isn't anything else to eat," Scott replied testily, ignoring the fact that for once the place was actually rather well-stocked.

Alex took a deep breath. It was going to be one of the hard ones. "Would you like to go out for breakfast, then?"

"No. I'd have to get dressed." Then he dropped off the table and came over to cuddle against Alex, putting the box down. "Will you make me pancakes?"

Pancakes were one of Scott's favourite comfort foods, and the only one he was allowed to eat for breakfast. "Sure." The process of making them would distract him for a while as well, which would probably make things easier.

They were almost done when Alex finally worked out how to handle the rest of the day. "I have to go in for at least a little while today because I need to hand in some things, but I can skip the rest if you like."

"You sure?"

"I know most of it already anyway." He looked down at Scott's slightly worried, withdrawn expression. "Would you like to come with me?"

Relieved, Scott nodded. "Yeah."

Scott thought nine was too old to be clingy when his powers acted up on him. Alex knew that it hardly mattered, since he'd still be clinging when Scott was fifty. Considering that he'd be in his seventies then it might be a touch embarrassing, but he could live with that. Old people could get away with all sorts of things.

"Will Matt be there?"

"Ooh. I was supposed to have lunch with her, thanks for reminding me. I should call her..."

"You can still go, you just have to take me." Scott smiled.

"Yeah, you just like Matt because she spoils you rotten."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. From your point of view." Alex looked up from his last pancake and waved a knife authoritatively. "Eat that, don't play with it."

"Yes, mom."

Scott had adopted Matina as something between older sister and younger aunt, and the two of them got on wonderfully. Usually the two of them in a public place that served food would have been a recipe for a minor disaster at least, but Scott remained vague and restless. He couldn't decide what to eat, got annoyed when it took too long to arrive, and his conversation was starting to slip in and out of different subjects for no apparent reason.

Matt looked surprised at first, then concerned. When Scott slid off her lap, somewhere he'd never been before and now resisted leaving, and disappeared into the bathroom for a minute she leaned across the table worriedly. "'Lex? What's wrong with Scott?"

"Mutant thing." He spoke quietly. It still wasn't something about your child that you really wanted to advertise. "He's... he just has bad days with it from time to time. Trust me, it's been worse. When he was little he was nearly diagnosed as autistic once. Now he justs gets grumpy and confused, although he hasn't done it like this in ages..."

Matina nodded. "This is one of those things I'd probably rather not know about, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Just be nice to him, it's not his fault and it's not much fun for him."

"Of course I'll be nice to him. I love that little monkey, Alex. I'm starting to regret not taking you up on dinner all that time ago." She grinned at him, and he laughed.

"I'd known you just loved me for my kid." He tried to look hurt and failed miserably.

"Better than loving you for your money." Matt patted him on the hand then sipped her coffee and looked innocent.

"Because I don't have any."

"Right." She paused and swirled her coffee for a moment, then looked up at him with a smile. "I still want kids like him some day."

"Thanks." What better compliment was there?

Scott came back then and climbed back into Matina's lap before speaking smugly. "I know that you were talking about me, you know."

"Because we're boring adults and obviously don't have anything better to talk about." Alex ignored the fact that that was exactly what they had been doing.

Scott smirked. "You could ask Matina about the guy she met Tuesday."

Alex pounced. He'd taken enough teasing in recent months for being 'mooky' (whatever that was), it was time for payback. "OOOOooh. Mattie, there something you weren't telling me?"

Scott nodded. "Her mind keeps wandering."

Matina actually blushed. Brilliantly. "Thanks, Scott. I'm going to remember that when you turn into a teenager."

"Matt?"

"Yes?"

"Tell me everything. Now."

"Good God... okay, here goes. I was sitting in the library on Tuesday morning, not studying because like that'd ever happen, but-" she was interrupted by Scott.

He suddenly sat up straight with a strangled cry, staring at nothing. "I know what it is! Dad, I have to stop Sam from-" he jumped up, then fell almost immediately and burst into tears, ignoring his frantic father and other concerned diners clustering around him. "It's too late, I missed it! And I can't find Nathan!"

Alex picked him up easily, pressing Scott protectively against his shoulder as he glared daggers at the crowd. "Shhh, it's okay..."

"No it's not!" Scott wailed. "I can't find Cable, and I can't find Sam! He's really badly hurt, I know he is 'cause I can SEE it..."

Alex's heart stopped beating and the placating nothings stuck frozen in his throat. Something had happened to Sam? Sam was invulnerable, immortal... he'd been badly hurt before and would be again. Somewhere, Alex had known that it wouldn't always just be a few cuts and bruises. He just hadn't realised how incapable he was of dealing with it. "Scott, is he going to be okay? What's happening?"

"I don't KNOW! I can't see that far!" Scott sobbed harder. "It hurts..."

"Christ." He wasn't only 'seeing' Sam, he was feeling the pain. He wasn't supposed to do that, it was dangerous! "Matt, I have to get out of here. Credit card." He tossed the slip of plastic and turned to go. He had to get away from the crowd...

"Alex, what's going on?" She sighed in frustration and called after him. "Call me then, okay?!"

It took long seconds to find a quiet corner and Scott was stil crying, alternately struggling and clinging desperately. Alex got a firmer grip and closed his eyes, attempting something he hadn't had to do in a long time. A deep breath, concentrate as hard as he could, then send the thought out with all the energy he could muster... MADELYNE!

The response was instant and startled. #Alex? What's wrong, you nearly deafened me.#

I don't know! But something happened to X-Force, Scott can't find Cable or Sam and he's connected to Sam somehow. He's hysterical, and I don't know what's going on!

#I'll be right there, don't move...#

There was a faint pulling feeling as if something was sliding though him, then Madelyne appeared in a quick flash of green. "Scott?"

Scott twitched. "Mom?" The word was a gasp between sobs.

"Sorry baby, I'm the other one, from this universe. Here, let me help you..." She rested one hand against his cheek and looked into his eyes. "You have to shut the pain out, okay? You don't have to cut the link totally, but you have to stop the pain."

"I don't know how..."

Alex felt his stomach clench, and he held Scott even tighter. He sounded so terrified and lost...

"I'll show you."

It only took her a moment, but the difference was apparent immediately. Scott gasped and then relaxed, breathing heavily. "I couldn't breathe..."

That wasn't what Alex wanted to hear. "Scotty? Do you know what's going on?"

He nodded. "I think... I've got Cable." The partial relief was enough to stop him crying, but he still clutched Alex's shirt tightly and hurried on. "He's a bit funny, but if we go to this hospital in... um, L.A., we'll find them."

"Which hospital, Scott?"

"I can follow the connection, don't worry." Madelyne stepped closer, wrapping an arm around Alex's shoulders. "Nathan's awake now, and I can always find him."

The air around them blurred and there was a brief feeling of disembodied speed, then they slid out into the generic whiteness of an emergency room. Nobody seemed to notice, but Alex didn't notice them not noticing. He did notice Cable stitting in front of him, holding what was probably an icepack to a bleeding lump on his forehead.

It wasn't that Alex didn't care about Cable's wellbeing, he really did. But although injured, Cable was upright and conscious and so therefore relegated to a secondary concern. "Where's Sam?!"

Slightly unfocussed blue-grey eyes looked up in surprise, then frowned as he thought about the question. Alex bounced from foot to foot. Concussed people could be so inconsiderate. "Isheokay? Whathappened?!"

"Sam's... room. Down there." Cable waved his hand vaguely toward a hallway. "Don't know what's happening yet, doctors are still in there." He looked up at Alex, who'd apparently forgotten about the rather hefty preadolescent he was carrying and was quivering in agitation. "Still breathing, just a bit knocked around," he said helpfully.

Alex managed to restrain himself from hitting Cable. The man's accent kept slurring and he was losing track of his sentences, which indicated a mildly serious head injury. Madelyne would be very angry if he shook her son and demanded answers when he was in that condition. "Fine, I'll wait." He sat down in another uncomfortable beige plastic seat, still cradling Scott. "You okay, kiddo?"

Scott snuffled, blotchiness from crying standing out starkly on his face under the harsh lighting. "I can still feel him... he hurts."

"But he's still very strongly there. And pissed off." Cable shook his head, then winced and replaced the icepack. "Projecting all over the place..."

Scott curled deeper against Alex's chest. "This is what I was feeling this morning, but I couldn't see it properly... if I h-had I could have said, and it wouldn't have happened..."

"Shhh, it's not your fault..." Alex rocked Scott gently. "You didn't know."

"But I SHOULD have! It was right there!" Scott was working himself up to a very nice bout of hysterics as the strain of the morning, the shared pain and the worry all added up to a need to scream.

Alex slammed down a burning desire to scream back until Scott shut the hell up. It was easy to decide to be a better parent than yours were, resolve that you'd always be calm and reasonable and treat your children with respect. You didn't even think about how short your temper might be when you were trapped in a room that smelled of disinfectant and blood and waiting for someone to come and tell you if the guy you were in love with was going to be okay... Alex pulled himself up short. Had he just thought the L word?

Of all the times for a revelation... But once that genie was out, there was no getting it back into the bottle. He was just going to have to deal with that too, and the fact that he might never get a chance to say it out loud. "Scott, please..."

"I couldn't see it, it was changing too much..." Scott stopped screaming and just cried instead. And cried and cried and cried, while Alex held him and stared at the floor. He couldn't cry, couldn't fall apart. Scott needed him. When his son suddenly hiccuped and wriggled desperately for a moment and Cable looked up the hallway with a sudden expression of worry, Alex still had to sit there and stay calm... and wonder if the hands on the clock were ever going to move again.

Sam, I love you... but I hate you for doing this to him.

And Scott cried.