I Die Often Hank

(SPOILERS!) Full Book Summary

Crimson wakes up in Xavier's and meets everyone there; Charles, Erik, Hank, Scott, Alex, Kurt, Raven, and Peter. The group start training and bonding and doing some unauthorized partying. Romantic and sexual tensions continue to rise between Hank and Crimson.

The team goes on a mission to rescue one of their own. Crimson gets separated from the team and ends up on her own. She finds the mutant they are rescuing and discovers that it is her brother Logan Howlett. The two fight their way out of the facility and escape back to Xavier's. Events from the mission had formed a solid wedge between Crimson and Hank; though neither of their faults. Erik helps to fix the situation and eventually the two are back together as "friends".

Erik finally builds up the courage to propose to Charles and he says yes! Erik challenges Crimson to admit her feelings for Hank, and she starts to. However, just before she can get the words out the school is attacked and Crimson is taken Midas, a mutant who runs an illegal fighting circuit for mutants; one that Crimson had just escaped from. Crimson fights many mutants before one night she faces "The Beast", which she soon learns is Hank. The two manage to escape the facility and are almost safe and sound in the jet. But of course, things don't go to plan and an arrow is fired directly into Crimson's heart resulting in her death. Just before losing consciousness Crimson again tries and fails to admit her feelings for Hank.

Crimson rises from the dead and finally gets the chance to admit her feelings for Hank. The two exchange "I love you's" and finally start to date. The team bonds more and more and Logan fits back in seamlessly. However, the good times don't last very long. Crimson is captured by Stryker who strips her of her powers and tortures her. In the process, Crimson loses her left hand. Eventually, the team comes to her rescue and she is able to begin her recovery in the safety of the school. Charles and Erik finally have their wedding and surprising nothing goes wrong. Hank manages to find a way to restore Crimson's powers.

The team receives an anonymous invitation to be guests of honor at a royal ball in England. Crimson, Alex, and Erik are taken away from the party where they are threatened by a mysterious man who already has Jean and Charles captive. The man reveals himself to be a very powerful telepath. The trio is forced to kill two young Princes and Princess Diana. They are then on the run and still stuck with the mysterious man. They later return to the palace and find out the man is Prince Andrew. The trio is forced to kill Prince Philip and the Queen. Alex attempts to attack the now King Andrew but gets himself killed in the process. Fueled by rage Crimson's powers surge and her hand regrows while she attempts to fend off many royal guards. Erik and Crimson are captured and imprisoned in the United States in a custom-made cell in the Pentagon.

After a year of imprisonment Crimson and Erik have made a permanent bond. Finally, the rest of the team finds their location, Peter, Charles, and Logan manage to safely rescue the two. Just before reuniting Hank's memories of Crimson are wiped away by King Andrew. Crimson and Hank slowly start to fall back in love with each other. Out of nowhere, Hank states that he can't keep pretending to care about Crimson and tells her to go. Crimson does as he says and runs away to a remote house in the middle of nowhere, where she finds Erik waiting for her. Crimson and Erik are confronted by the police and are forced to kill them. The two agree they need to move onto another place. Charles manages to restore Hank's memory and that causes Hank to tell Charles that they need to find Crimson and Erik. However, before they can Erik is struck by an arrow to the heart and dies.

Hank and Charles use Cerebro to find Crimson and Erik and discover that Erik is dead. Charles races to where the other pair is. Meanwhile, Crimson's powers once again surge, and she manages to bring Erik back to life. However, the action causing her to become incredibly weak and pass out. Charles and Logan arrive and take Erik and Crimson back to the school. Hank reveals to everyone that King Andrew threatened to kill Crimson if he didn't break things off with her. Crimson and Hank are finally properly reunited.

Charles and Hank reveal that the school will be a functioning school starting that year. Crimson informs Scott that she was able to bring Erik back to life, which raises questions about Alex. Crimson decides to test her powers by healing Charles and giving him the ability to walk again. Charles and Crimson surprise Erik at his birthday, by showing off Charles' newfound ability to walk and dance. Crimson and Hank go off to recruit Warren for the school and somehow he agrees to join. Logan goes off to help his daughter, and returns much later covered in blood and no longer healing.

King Andrew and his personal army attack the school. The team gets all of the students safely into the bomb shelter and starts to fight. King Andrew manages to kill Charles. Several live news cameras pointed at Crimson as she held a knife to King Andrew's throat. Erik used his powers to make Crimson slit his throat. Crimson quickly heals Charles and then screams at Erik and attacks him. The whole world turns against mutants and especially Crimson for murdering the entire royal family.

Anti-mutant rioters gather at the gate to the school and chant insults and threats. Parents of the students at Xavier's start trying to pull their kids out of the school. Hank convinces Charles to take the students out on a safe field trip for the day. Hank and Crimson spend the day together alone at the school. Hank finally proposes to Crimson and she says yes. Erik gives Crimson a genuine full apology for his actions and she ends up forgiving him. Crimson and Erik steal Charles' credit card and have a night out on the town together.

The leader of the anti-mutant rioters, Victor Kirk, sets the school on fire while it's still occupied. Peter is able to get almost everyone out of the fire safe and unharmed. However, Logan ends up trapped in Cerebro and Crimson rushes in to try and save him. Erik rushes to save Crimson because she can't heal forever. Logan dies and Erik carries Crimson out of the fire. Erik and Crimson collapse just outside of the mansion and temporarily die. All the students are sent home. The team attempts to trick Victor Kirk, but he's one step ahead and captures Crimson. He messes with her memories and sends her off to kill the X-Men. She attempts to kill them, but Charles is able to fix her memories before anyone gets killed.

Crimson slips up and admits that she sees Warren as like a son. Warren admits that he sees her as a mother figure. Warren then properly asks Crimson and Hank to be his parents and they agree.

Hank creates a serum that is used as a threat to get Victor Kirk to stand down and hand over the machine he used to alter memories. Charles then uses the machine to alter the memories of everyone in the world in order to erase bad impressions of mutants, and get the X-Men off the FBI's most-wanted list.

All the adults go out to celebrate Hank's Bachelor party and Crimson's Bachelorette party. Warren stays behind to watch over the school. Hank bumps into Sean and attempts to convince him to join the school. Warren comes face to face with Alex Summers. When everyone returns home Alex explains that Crimson's initial power surge brought him back to life and he's been imprisoned this whole time.

Crimson and Hank finally get married. They go on their honeymoon and everything goes well, for once. All the X-Men travel in pairs to go recruit more mutants for the school. Everyone returns home and prepares for the next school year.