Goodness, sorry it took so long to update but I still have every intention of finishing this story! i hope you enjoy!

I wake up in a field with the sun beating down on me. The air is cool with a slight breeze that tickles my face. All I feel is peace. I sit up, slightly confused as to where I am. When I do, I see Marie sitting on a tree stump.

She smiles when she notices that I see her. "Beautiful, isn't it?" She says as she looks around her.

"Marie?" I slightly gasp, hardly believing my eyes.

"Hey, sister." She greets happily.

"Marie." I gasp as I wrap her in a strong hug. "My god, I've missed you so much." I cry.

She squeezes me back. "And I've missed you. Especially your hugs."

I smile, fighting back tears. As I look around, I ask, "What is this place? What are we doing here?"

"It's a place to face hard things." She says, a somber look on her face.

"What?" I ask, confused. "What do you mean?"

She brushes her hair back, habit that I remember, something she does when she's about to say something serious. "Anna...you're dying." She says softly.

"I'm dying?" I ask, taking a slight step back.

"Yes. Your body is finally breaking down. It won't be long." She whispers.

I feel a cold chill run down my spine. "Oh." Is all I say with pursed lips as I sit down.

She down next to me and takes my hand. "You've known deep down for a while." She states.

I nod. "Yeah, I guess so. All the signs pointed to it. I haven't been the same since...since the accident. It's gotten worse the past few fights. I almost didn't make it last time." I sigh and look at Marie slightly fearful. "What's going to happen to me? How?"

She smirks. "I can't tell you that, hun. That's spoiling a good book." She chuckles.

I scowl. "Thanks." I say sarcastically. "Why are you here then?"

"I came to assure you that it's going to be okay." She says softly. "You're scared."

I shrug. "Of course, I'm scared. But it's a good thing, right? I mean, I've had more than enough time already. I should be happy." I say more to myself.

"You're afraid of leaving them. The girl, the other children. Logan." She says knowingly. I bit my lip and nod. She's right. She grabs my hand. "You don't have to be afraid, Anna. They're going to be fine."

"I can't leave, Logan, Marie. He's lost too much." I say with tears clogging my throat.

"You won't leave him, Anna. You'll keep your promise." She smiles softly. "You don't have to be afraid."

I squeeze my eyes shut and cry. Marie wrapped her arms around me quietly and held me. Oh, but I was terrified and confused. It was too soon. Logan and I would never be able to live the life we wanted together. I wouldn't be able to help the children like I wanted too. Time had seemed so slow a few weeks ago. Now it seemed like I didn't have enough.

"It's a funny thing, time is."

My head snaps up and I see Charles now in front of me. I looked around and Marie was now gone.

"Charles...is it true? Was she right?" I ask desperately, hoping that it' not true. But why would she be?

He shakes his head somberly. "Yes, she is." He says calmly.

I shake my head. "It can't...it can't be." My voice breaks.

"Anna, she merely said your time was coming to an end." He tries to assure me but I scoff slightly.

"But I can't...I...Logan...the kids. I can't leave right now." I say, my tears streaming now.

Charles comes closer and tilts my chin up. "Who said you were leaving right now, Anna?"

I look at him confused.

"You've already known this information for a while. You had your suspicions when you got shot, the waves at the casino, and the fight you had with the clone."

"Yes, but...she said it wouldn't be long. What does she mean?"

Charles looks out into the open field. "It means time isn't always what you think it is. We try to calculate it in years, days, minutes, seconds...but it is far more advanced than that."

"You always did talk in riddles." I mutter under my breath.

Charles laughs softly. "Sometimes it's the best language."

I roll my eyes. "Charles...I'm afraid. You know I am. What do I do?" I ask like a child.

He looks at me. "You're much braver than you believe, Anna. You've proved that over and over again."

I shake my head. "It's not the same now. There's so much on the line. So many people I have to protect but I can't." My voice cracks. "I've never been so scared and conflicted."

"Perfectly normal to feel such a way. I assure you though. You won't be alone and when the time comes...you'll do the right thing." He pauses, thinking for a moment. "So will Logan."

I look away, taking in this new information. I was starting to accept it but it was still hard. There's so many unanswered questions that I have. What happens to Laura and the children? Was this even worth it? Was Eden truly real?

"Charles, is Eden-" but as I turn to ask this question, Charles is no longer anywhere to be found. And once again, I'm completely alone. Nothing but the cool breeze, the warm sun, and the tickling of the tall grass against my legs.


I woke up with bit of a start. I look around and it's still dark. The children were still sleeping. I sigh, wiping the sleep out of my eyes. Feeling the need for the bathroom, I carefully sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. My head swam and I closed my eyes until the feeling passed.

I stand up and as I do, I felt heavy and drained. A feeling I wasn't completely used too. At least not physically. I sit back down for a moment and try to focus on my breathing. I look over at Logan, who is sleeping soundly but with a slight hitch in his breath.

Before I can walk away, his hand catches me. "Hey…you okay?" He asks sleepily.

I squeeze his hand. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired." I whisper.

"Why are you up?" He asks curiously.

"Weird dream woke me up. Now I have to go to the bathroom." I reply honestly.

"What's stopping you?" He grumbles.

I roll my eyes. "Takes me a minute before I can walk." I say then stand up. The light headed feeling returns and I stand still and try to focus on something.

"Anna...you okay?" Logan asks but his voice sounds far away.

"Yeah," I shake my head. "I'm fine." I quickly leave the room, not wanting to make Logan worry. If he knew, he'd never get the rest he needed. Plus...it's probably nothing anyway.

I make it to the bathroom just in time before I pass out. As a I sit on the toilet, I notice my breathing is shaky and I feel flushed. There's a dull throb where my scars from recent battles are. I pull my shirt up and they're still angry looking. It kind of fascinated me though. I'd never had scars before thanks to my former healing mutation. I trace the furious lines until they settle on the puncture scars which are still deep and fresh. I wince at the painful memories and quickly pull my shirt down. I stand up, ready to wash up but I don't make it further than a few steps before I'm met by the floor, hard. "Oh! Shit." I hiss as I feel pain shoot through my body.

"Not..now." I groan angrily as I pull myself up. I lean heavily against the sink and splash cold water on my face. I glance at my reflection in the mirror and hardly recognize myself. I look the same physically but I can see in my eyes how weary I am. I touch my reflection softly. "Is this how Logan feels every day?" I wondered.

Flashes from tonight's dream resurface and it makes me tremble slightly. I really am dying, aren't I? The thought...it was both terrifying and relieving. But why now? Then I remember the riddles Charles rambled off about time. What was that supposed to mean?

Ah hell, it was just a dream, right? Maybe it was a weird way of my body telling me something I already knew since the beginning of the trip. I had to face it. I was breaking down. I was getting what I wanted after all. Suddenly, that whole argument with Logan the other night seemed to bite me in the ass.

I bite my lip, sigh angrily and look at my reflection again. "You're gonna have to get it together, old lady. We're not done yet." I whisper to woman staring back at me. I push away from the sink, turn on my heel, and as I'm about to leave, I'm stopped in my tracks by Laura.

"Laura...what are you doing up?" I ask.

She looks at me long and hard. "You are sick." She says calmly.

"I'm fine. Just old. Tired." I reply softly.

"Are you dying?" She asks quietly, her eyes shining slightly.

My face softens and I shake my head. "Not tonight." I say determined. I walk towards her and lay my hand on her shoulder. "You have a few hours left before you get up. You need to rest. Come on."

Laura and I walk quietly back to our beds. I pull the covers back and urge her to get in then I tuck her in. She looks at me with troubled eyes but I can do is rest my hand on her forehead, brush the stray hairs from her face, and end with a soft on her temple. "Rest. Tomorrow is a big day." I whisper. She holds my gaze for a while longer then finally rolls over.

I get up and I turn to see Logan sitting up in bed. He looked just as tired and drained as I was.

He looks at me concerned but calm. "You don't look so good." He says bluntly.

I offer a small laugh but my smile falls and I swallow hard. "I don't feel so good." I reply honestly.

Logan stares at me long and hard. There's a lot that we're saying by not saying anything at all. Instead of replying, he pulls back the blanket. "Come here." He says softly.

Each step, I fight back tears. I lay down beside him and I feel his strong arms wrap around me protectively. I instantly squeeze them back, kissing them softly, then sigh and lean against him. He holds me close to him and I release a few tears that I had been holding back. Logan rests his head in the crook of my neck, his breathing tickling my neck. My nerves finally start to calm and my eyes begin to grow heavy. I felt safe and secure and I allowed myself to fall into a dreamless sleep.

When I wake up, the sun is high in the sky and light fills our room. As my eyes adjust and my mind becomes clearer, I realize that something isn't right. The room feels empty and my eyes dart to the sets of empty bunk beds. A pain and longing fill me as I sigh sadly. I didn't get to say goodbye.I had hoped that I would wake up when they left. But I guess, all that I had to say had already been said anyway. I should be relieved but a deeper part of me is sad and regrets not going with them. Oh well, I shake my head. This is the way it's supposed to be. We came and did what we needed to do. Now we can move on.

I sit up slowly and thankfully, my head doesn't spin and I feel better than I did earlier this morning. But I don't rush it either. I stretch out and wipe my eyes then search for a bottle of water. on the night stand, I find two medicine bottles with green liquid in them. I pick up the note beside them. "Not all at once.", it reads. Logan hates this stuff but it would help buy us a little time at least.

I feel Logan stir beside me but I keep my focus on the note in my hands. "What's that?" I hear him ask.

"A parting gift." I reply handing him the note and medicine.

He takes them from me, a confused look on his face. He reads the note then looks at the empty beds then back at me. "They're gone?"

I nod. "Yeah." I reply sadly.

"Did they say anything before they left?" Logan asks, looking somewhat sad.

"No. I just woke up a few minutes ago. I didn't hear them at all." I sigh. "Looks like we did our job."

"Yeah..." He trails off, his face reflecting my thoughts. "How you feeling?"

I shrug. "My head feels a bit clearer. I haven't tried to get up yet though."

"What happened last night?" He asks.

"I woke up from a dream and when I got up, I could barely breathe. Very lightheaded. I'd never felt anything like it before." I look down at my hands. "I passed out in the bathroom. Went to get up and just...fell."

"Why didn't you say somethin'?" He scolds lightly.

"I didn't want to worry you. You're worse than I am. You needed the rest." I try to reason.

Logan sighs. "Yeah, well, looks like we're in the same boat now." He says.

"Great." I reply bitterly. I look at him. "It's not supposed to be this way."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not supposed to be sick. I'm supposed to take care of you. Not passing out on the bathroom floor." I vent angrily.

Logan remains calm. "Since when have things ever played out like they were supposed too?"

I scoff and laugh bitterly. "Hardly ever, I suppose." I look him in the eye. "But I have a promise I'm supposed to keep."

His eyes are somber as he grabs my hand, running his thumb over my ring. "Me too."

I bite my lip and hold hand tightly. "You're awfully calm about this."

He shrugs. "No use panicking about it. About time that damn clock slow down." He says casually and I roll my eyes but say nothing else. He wasn't exactly wrong. He then swings his legs over the side of the bed. His eyes roam back to the empty beds.

"I wonder how far they are." I wonder out loud.

Something seems trouble Logan. "I'm going to find out." He stands up. "See if I can anything from up there."He points to the scope on the tower.

I nod then follow him outside. We look around at the now empty campsite. It was so quiet and eerie. Little traces of where the children had been. Cups, apple cores, small hair brushes, miscellaneous things like that were left behind. As Logan keeps walking, I stop at a rock where someone sat. A small toy unicorn was left behind and I wondered if it was intentionally left behind or if the small horse would be missed.

I stick the toy in my pocket and join Logan where he's standing on the edge of the cliff. I see him looking at the old truck we came in. "We gonna get down the same way we got up?" I tease slightly.

He gives me a look. "You first, princess." He replies sarcastically then walks off, making me giggle shortly.

As I take in the view, I hear something fly above us. We both look up and see several drones fly quickly past us. "Oh no." I whisper as I follow their direction, straining to see if I can see them. But I can't see past the hill. Logan runs quickly to the top of the look out and looks through large binoculars.

"Logan, what is that?"

A deep feeling of dread fills me though as something tells me this isn't right. "Anna!" Logan screams and I run quickly to his side. He turns the binoculars over to me and points to the road. My stomach drops as I see several army vehicles going up the mountain.

"They found them." I whisper, my voice shaking.

Logan gives me a worried look then takes off back to the cabin with me following shortly behind him. He snatches up a back pack and throws the medicine and other first aid supplies inside then tosses it to me. "You with me?" He asks, his voice shaking slightly.

That question takes me back. It was what he always asked me before going on a dangerous mission back in the day. Swallowing my fear and dread, I stand tall and swing the back pack over my shoulder. "Til' the end." I answer strongly, meaning every word.

He nods in a soldier like way and his eyes say a million words. I swing the door open and we take off into what would be our last final battle.


We are so close to the end and I'm dreading it :'( But thank you so much to those still reading after all this time! Leave your thoughts!