I sat there, trying to make sense of the multiversal kaleidoscope swirling around me. Honestly, the Nexus of All Realities kind of looked like a tech conference gone wrong—neon lights flashing and colors warping as if the universe had been hacked by a hyperactive coder on too much caffeine.
I let out a long sigh. "Well, that's that," I muttered, not really expecting anyone to hear me. "Universe saved, first love left behind, and no medals for best cosmic reset. It's like I'm in some sort of interdimensional soap opera."
Just as I was about to call it a day and grab a coffee if that even existed here, a low hum vibrated through the air. That familiar, weighty presence I had come to know all too well. The Living Tribunal appeared before me, its three faces gleaming like a divine, golden bouncer.
I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes. Every time I ran into this guy, it felt like an inconvenient parent showing up right when you thought you'd gotten away with something.
"You've done it, David," it said, its voice like a cosmic sermon. "The virus is gone. The timeline has been reset. The multiverse is safe."
I gave a lazy shrug. "Yeah, yeah. All in a day's work. But I'm not exactly swimming in gratitude here. Just another Tuesday, really."
The Tribunal's three faces blinked in unison, and I could've sworn I saw a flicker of exasperation in them. "You... regret this decision? Despite the greater good?"
I couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Regret? Nah, just feeling a little... abandoned, you know? Saved the universe, fixed the timeline, but left the woman I just fell in love with living in a reality where she won't even remember I exist. No big deal."
There was a long pause. The Tribunal stared at me, probably trying to figure out how to explain human emotions without sounding like a robot on a bad day.
"You... are troubled?" it asked. "Love has complicated your path, David Stone. You wield immense power, true immortality within your grasp, and yet, you still suffer as mortals do, trapped by your own heart."
I blinked. "That's really deep, buddy. You've been hanging out with existential philosophers? You know, they're not great company. Always making you think too hard about stuff."
The Tribunal didn't react, of course. Its cosmic zen face just stared at me. "The Phoenix Force within Jean Grey preserves your bond, David. It has not been erased completely. She remembers, even if her mind does not. Your connection... is not completely lost."
I raised an eyebrow. "Wait. You're saying she is looking for me? After everything? You're not just throwing me a bone here?"
The Tribunal's central face tilted slightly, like it was giving me the most cosmic shrug possible. "Indeed. The Phoenix, though it may not have restored her memory fully , has preserved the bond between you. She seeks you."
I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. "So, there's still hope? Nice. Guess I'm not the tragic hero after all. This is gonna make for some seriously good conversation at the next cosmic council meeting."
The Tribunal shimmered, its three faces shifting like a cosmic GPS trying to reroute. "Love cannot be easily erased, David. Your journey is far from over. If you wish to reunite with her, you must act."
" Can't you just yeet me back there now? I wouldn't mind some heartfelt steamy makeup sex right now."
The dude just looked at me , unimpressed. " I am only responsible for the universal judgment. Playing matchmaker isn't listed in that job description. You have to find her yourself."
I stared at it, my arms folding. "Great, so I saved the universe, erased my existence from Jean's memory, and now I'm supposed to go on some interdimensional treasure hunt to find her again. Sounds like the plot of a crappy superhero movie, if you ask me."
The Tribunal's golden faces flickered for a moment, probably deciding whether it should give me some cosmic speech about destiny or just let me get on with it.
"Remember," it said, "Even the most cosmic of forces can be swayed by love. The multiverse is vast, but the path is not closed to you."
I gave a half-hearted salute. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the pep talk, LT. You sure know how to make a guy feel like he's got it all figured out."
It vanished with a final flicker of light, and I stood there for a beat, processing everything. "So, I've got a cosmic road trip ahead of me, huh?" I muttered to no one in particular, already starting to feel the weight of the journey ahead.
"Can't even get a quiet moment of peace without being dragged into some big cosmic love story. What's next, a sequel to my own life?"
I let out a long sigh. "Time to get back to the mess I've left behind."
I climbed back into my multiversal car, the engine humming to life beneath me. As I shot off into the swirling void, I couldn't help but smile. "Alright, Jean. I'm coming for you soon."
And maybe, just maybe, I wasn't the hero I thought I was. But that didn't matter anymore. I had a multiverse to navigate and a woman to find—and I'd be damned if I didn't get a happy ending this time.
"Hey," I muttered to myself with a grin, "this is totally going to make an epic story for the kids later. If I don't screw it up, that is."
And with that, I vanished into the void, ready to get back to earth.
I sighed, running a hand through my white hair, trying to shake off the weight pressing on my chest. The multiverse might be safe, but I was alone in it.
Just as I steeled myself for the next steps, the anomaly appeared in my vision . Floating just beyond Earth's orbit, a sleek spacecraft with a name emblazoned across its hull. Emma Frost. Bold, unmistakable—like a whisper of fate in the vastness of space.
My heart skipped a beat. What the hell was Emma doing out here, so far from earth? Was she in danger? Had something gone wrong? Was the ancient one really not joking about her hopping on a space shuttle to find me?
I slammed my foot down on the accelerator, zooming toward the shuttle, its shiny metal glistening in the endless stretch of darkness. As I drew closer, I could see the faintest ripples of energy tracing its sleek frame, a subtle distortion in the surface that made me uneasy.
I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't care. I was too deep in this madness to turn back now.
The shuttle's passenger became visible as I approached, revealing the familiar face of the one person I thought I had should stay away. Emma. But she was different. She looked more haggard, dark circles under her eyes. Her platinum blonde hair shimmered with an unnatural aura, her eyes clouded with confusion and something else I couldn't quite place.
I slowed my vehicle, hovering just a few feet from the shuttle, locking eyes with her through the transparent glass. For a moment, it felt like the entire universe held its breath.
Without thinking, I opened the door of my car and jumped out, my boots hitting the metal surface of the shuttle. I closed the distance quickly, my movements fluid. "Emma!" I shouted, the words almost unfamiliar as they escaped my lips. "What are you doing out here?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she floated to the shuttle's entrance, her gaze distant, like she was seeing me but also not seeing me at all. "David," she whispered, her voice hoarse as if she had been calling my name for years. Her eyes flickered, looking at my face with a sense of confusion and longing.
"Emma, what the hell happened?" I asked, my voice betraying the concern I was trying to mask. "Why are you doing this? Actually, what is this?"
She blinked, taking a long, measured look at me. Her eyes seemed to search for something in mine.
For a long moment, nothing else seemed to matter. It was just her and me, and whatever strange thing had brought us back together.
"You... are not a dream." Her voice broke, and I could hear the trembling in it. "You're real, right here. But... how?"
Her silence stretched out before she stepped forward, her hand slowly rising to brush my cheek. Her fingertips trembled, as if she wasn't sure I was really here. "I thought I lost you. But... you never really left me, did you?" she murmured, her voice fragile, like something barely held together by threads of memory and emotion.
" I remember... I remember everything we were. But it feels like a dream. Something out of reach. So, I came to find you, to prove that I haven't forgotten you."
I really was not sure how to respond. I remembered the warning of Ancient one, that I should not break down the wall of memories. That it would destroy her mind.
After my encounter with Jean, something has changed in me. I don't want to run away from someone's heartfelt feelings, but I didn't want her to love me because of some false memories. I really wished I didn't have a conscience or a brain , things would be much simpler.
My heart clenched in my chest, the weight of everything I had done to get here crashing down on me. Then I decided, screw it, I'll move on and do what feels right.
"No, Emma. It's not a dream. Whatever happened—whatever it was, it's real. We are real. And I'm sorry I had to leave, but I'm not going anywhere this time."
I thought to myself, 'Let this be the last lie I tell her. I won't just run away from the problem, not when I have the power to fix it. If this is the only way, I'll return her sincere feelings, and accept that she's a part of life now.'
She gazed at me, her eyes softer now, and nodded slowly. For the first time since all of this started, it felt like something inside of me was finally settling. It wasn't just the universe that had changed. She had changed, too.
"I've waited for you," Emma said softly, her voice steady, but there was a deep sadness in it that I couldn't ignore. "I don't know how to explain it, but I've known you were out there.
In my head. And every part of me kept calling for you. I had to find you, David. Even when I thought... thought I was losing my mind. Everyone thought so I posted the missing person's bounty"
I pulled her closer, my arms wrapping around her, the feeling of her against me grounding me in a way nothing else could. "You're not losing your mind, Emma. You never have been."
I then joked, "Maybe next time, don't turn me into a national prize and get me chased all over New York."
She let out a quiet laugh, the tension in her body easing just a little. "Then what are we going to do now? "
I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I looked up at the endless stretch of space surrounding us. The vastness of it all, the infinite possibilities.
"We will do whatever we want.," I said, pulling back just enough to meet her eyes. " We'll find out what we are meant to be, together."
Emma's nodded with a smile . We didn't need to say anything more. There was no more doubt. No more fear.
I leaned down, brushing my lips against hers in a kiss that felt like everything—like all the lost time, all the hurt, all the hopes of the future colliding in that one, perfect moment. I felt her heart beating fast . She then wrapped he arm around me, pulling me deeper.
This was the beginning. And no matter where the road would take us, I knew one thing for certain. I would have someone right beside me through all that to keep me grounded.