AN: Thanks for the patience on y'alls part. I've been really busy and have fallen behind on my writing. Thank you for the wonderful review Guest #2. I enjoy writing, it's my passion!

Location: Bayville, New York

Time: August, 2001

Morning came far too early for the two mutants squirreled away in the cave. One of them, pressed up against the wall of the cave and curled in a tight ball, stirred in annoyance when the rays of the sun hit her face and the sounds of the birds rang in her ears. Adelina groaned as she moved her stiff body, flexing her toes and curling and uncurling her tail. She cracked open her eyes, blinking blearily at the sight of her friend dead asleep against the wall of the cave, the trident gripped gently in her grasp. The winged girl sat up, yawning and groaning in delight as she stretched her sore muscles.

She glanced around in confusion.

Cave? Why were they in a cave? Did Wolverine take them on a mission to test them?

Adelina stood and made to glance out into the world. Her eyes went wide.

No…...that's not right.

The world outside the cave was…...beautiful. It stretched on with a green so bright it was hard for Adelina to describe it, instead of the scorched black and grey that she knew so well. It was almost too much to take in at once. A bird fluttered about, catching her attention. She no doubt had the dumbest look on her face as she watched it.

"I see your up already."

Adelina jumped, her tail whipping dangerously, lashing out in defense. Luckily though, she stayed it quick enough when she recognized it was only Nami. The young queen smirked, leaning tiredly on her trident.

"A beautiful world, isn't it?" Nami's question was emphasized with her trident, her eyes as wondrously captivated by the world that was much more colorful than the world they left behind. "It's just as beautiful, maybe even more so, than what Cyclops remembered."

"How are we gonna move about?" Adelina glanced down at herself, wincing not only at the filth but her appearance. "Cyclops did say that mutants weren't really treated all that well, at least before the treaty."

Nami was silent, her eyes fixed on the horizon as she rubbed her forefinger and thumb together. Adelina smirked as she recognized the gesture that meant she was deep in thought.

"We'll head towards the water," she pointed to the distance, towards where the ocean was, shining blue-green in the sun. "Hopefully, there'll be a sewer tunnel or something, somewhere where we can lay a bit low for a bit and move about a bit more freely."

Adelina smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "Sounds like a plan!"

"You can fly ahead, and locate a comfortable spot for us." Nami said as she quickly stored her trident in her duffel bag. "I'll be right behind you."

"Are…. are you sure?"

Nami raised her eyebrow at her friend's hesitation. "What's the matter? You've done solo misisons before."

"It's…..it's just…." Adelina held her arm and nibbled her bottom lip nervously. "It's just that I've always known what to expect. In our time, I mean."

"And what does that mean?"

"You know, back in our time, if you go outside, you'll always run the risk of black lung, a run in with Phoenix, a rogue mutated mutant that could tear you apart limb from limb…. but I don't know what to expect."

Again, Nami chuckled. "Well, I know for a fact that you'll never have to deal with any of those things. Just keep your wits about you while your up there and don't talk to strangers. Besides, it won't take me too long to get there. I'll try to get some food or something for us while I make my way down there."

Adelina nodded, her eyes going to the outside world once again. She shifted on her three-toed feet, taking a deep calming breath as she took a running start and took to the air. Her wings easily caught an air current and she glided upwards until she was hidden in the clouds. She laughed, giggling happily as she sailed through clouds, enjoying the cold tickles that passed through her. Once she was sure that she was high enough, Adelina flapped her wings harder and as she gained acceleration, she tucked her tail in and spun around in dizzying circles. The clouds that she passed through twisted and curled with her, creating a beautiful array of fluffy white art. She hovered for just a bit, smiling before another idea came to her.

She glanced upward, the plan forming in her mind.

With a couple more flaps of her wings, she rose just a few feet further into the air and when she deemed her height perfect, Adelina tucked in her wings and began to fall.

There was nothing more thrilling than a controlled fall. The wind whipping through her hair and ears overpowered her rapidly beating heart. The speed pulled tears out of her eyes even though she was smiling widely, a laugh barely contained. Finally, as the clouds broke and she saw the city below her, a laugh, boarder-lining on the maniacal ripped through her.

The ground got closer and closer, a mansion that sat on a cliff over looking the sea appeared. She turned her body, angling it so that her body would be placed over the green. Right before he would've hit the tree-line, she opened her wings. The wind caught her and yanked her upward, creating a back breeze that caused the trees to bend.

"YAAAAHOOOOOO!" she shouted. Below her, people she didn't see before either hit the deck or glanced up in shock as she flew over the mansion and out of sight. The green gave way to sandy beaches. Adelina marveled at the beauty of the landscape below her with wide eyes, fascinated by the intense color of it all. She slowed her speed, trying to take it all in as she did so as well as lowering her altitude. She held out her hand to scoop the shockingly cold water, laughing in shock as grey slick creatures crested the water. She gave on a quick pet before flying off to fulfill her task.

Adelina landed on the beach, reveling in the way the sand felt on her feet. Her gaze scanned the area around her but found nothing that would serve a suitable temporary home for them.

"Find a cave…sewer line…. anything." Adelina muttered as she looked. She sighed after thirty minutes of fruitless searching. "Nothing."

She sat in the surf, letting the coolness of the waves banish the burns on her soles. Adelina leaned closer, examining her reflection in the rippling water. After staring for a few more minutes, her eyes went to the crucifix around her neck. Despite the years, Nightcrawler had kept it in good condition.

Always shining the silver whenever he had free time, always keeping his faith despite the losing everyone and everything that he had known.

She smiled sadly as she stroked the little metal cross with her thumb.

Why you couldn't have come with us, Nightcrawler, I'll never know. She thought sadly.

Her ears perked up at the sound of chattering, which didn't belong to her friend and queen. Her heart stopped as she searched for somewhere to hide, forgetting about the wings that fluttered nervously. Adelina glanced left and right in a flurry of panicked feelings, dashing behind a large rock that was submerged. She held her breath and strained to hear the words being spoken over the crashing waves.

"Are you, like, totally sure?"

Adelina could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She bit her lip to the scream down.

"I'm fifty percent sure." The other voice assured. "I swore I saw…. whatever it was come down this way."

"Do you think It's another mutant?"

They were so close now. If they turned the corner, they, whoever they were, would see her. There was silence, but Adelina stayed stiller than a statute. She didn't hear the sand shift that would indicate they had walked away. Years of training had taught her to keep her ragged breathing quiet as her ears strained.

She was desperate.

Nami, she reached out in a panic. Nami there are others on the beach right now. Hiding. But not sure how long.

She knew that reaching out telepathically was a receipt for disaster. Adelina had heard countless tales from the beginning of the conflict with the Phoenix and how she would hone in on those with telepathic connections and any one that used the connections.

Nami replied almost as soon as she sent the warning: On my way, as fast as I can. Stay hidden.

The connection was severed as quickly as it was created. Adelina slammed herself back into the moment, sighing softly when she heard the two strangers walk off. Hesitantly, she poked her head around the corner, eyes searching everywhere for the owners of the voice. When it was clear that they were no longer around, she moved carefully out of the shadow of the boulder, her heart still beating heavily. Her wings twitched in agitation, her tail lashing this way and that.

Come on Adelina, she chided herself. You're a friend of the Queen of Atlantis. You've trained with her as many years as you've known her. You can handle anything.

That little pep talk gave her a feeling of courage that was enough to supplement the fear. She backed up, her tail swishing low enough to erase the tracks from existence. As she moved further down the beach, she wandered close enough to the surf to allow the water to wash away all traces of her presence. The water was a vibrant blue and green, a jewel that worked well with the early afternoon sky, itself a sapphire blue dotted with fluffy pearl clouds. Adelina relished the view with eyes that would've suited a young child better.

Wide eyes, taking in all that there was to see, but not able to comprehend everything. Her heart thudded with excitement at everything that she saw…the fish that leapt out of the water before dashing back underneath the waters, the way their scales shone in a rainbow as the sunlight hit it, the way the seagulls plunged downward to snatch up any fish that were unlucky enough to have been surfacing at that time…everywhere she looked, life teemed, not wanting to be held down by anything. This world was something she wanted to know, get to see the intimacy and colors of life and discover things that were gone by the time her parents were married.

Adelina, with much difficulty, turned her focus from the world around her back to her assigned task. There wasn't anything that she could see that would be the best hiding place for her and Nami, but the entire beaches would be suitable for a home base until they managed a disguise for her. With her technical prowess, Adelina had in mind to figure out how to make something similar to an image inducer, much like the one Nightcrawler had said he had worn during his high school years. If the clock piece was beyond repair like she suspects, then she could perhaps use that to make her an inducer. Then, hopefully, she wouldn't be confined to the caves.

The sand shifting ever so slightly behind her had her drawn out of her thoughts. She tensed, slightly, until a hand reached up and touched her shoulder. With expert reflexes, Adelina grabbed ahold of the hand, and hauled whoever it was over her shoulder. Nami's surprised face was seen before it was submerged. It didn't bother Adelina that instinct had her keeping her foot on her friend's chest, as Nami could breathe underwater. After a minute or two, and sufficient evidence that it wasn't some shape-shifter pretending to be Nami, Adelina let her up.

"Good job, Ade." Nami said as she broke the surface. The dark-haired girl moved her arms, bending the water out of her clothes and hair. She let the water drop, returning it to the ocean. "Have you found any where for us to hunker down for a while?"

"Not yet unfortunately." She said as the two continued to walk. They walked silently; their destination unknown but the winged girl was content for now. "I was thinking…. maybe I should look at the time piece? To see if I can repair it so that we may go home after our mission is been succeeded."

"I'm afraid that we won't be going home."

Adelina stopped in her tracks. "What?"

Nami turned towards her friend. "It's a time paradox that we're trying to create. By stopping Phoenix from rising, or at least stalling her, we reroute the future. One where neither of us probably won't exist."

Adelina turned her eyes downward sadly. "Oh. I hadn't thought of that."

"I'm sorry, Ade. I know you wanted to see Nightcrawler again." Nami backtracked, placing a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "I wanted to see Cyclops again. And Wolverine. They were my closest allies. I swear by all the Gods of the Sea that I will find Phoenix and destroy her."

Adelina knew that her friend meant her promise and nodded. "I think…..I think there are some caves up ahead. We'll get some rest and then I can start constructing an inducer so that I can move about."

Nami nodded, her eye suddenly lighting up. "You can make an inducer out of a broken time piece?"

"Oh indeed!" Adelina perked up, dispelling some of the darker thoughts that plagued her mind. "Dr. McCoy taught me how to! I've become quite good at it."

"Good. The sooner we can move about a bit more freely, the easier our task will be."

They found a cave suitable for them to live in temporarily around sunset. Nami sat down before rummaging around in her bag, while Adelina stood guard at the mouth of the cave. Her eyes moved around, going to each break in the water for a moment before returning to scanning the area.

"Here."

Adelina turned around, cocking her head at the sight of the strange thing in her friend's hand. "What on earth is that?"

"I was told it was a 'hotdog'." Nami tossed it to her, before pulling out another one. "They're pretty good, if my memory of Cyclops is correct."

Adelina examined the strange thing in her hand before shrugging, unwrapping and taking a bite. It was okay, in terms of taste and quality, but it quickly soothed her hunger.

"What world we find ourselves in." she muttered between bites.

Somewhere behind her, Nami said, "Indeed."

"Do you think we can stop Phoenix in time?"

"For the sake of this world," Nami groaned as she stood, to stand by her at the entrance, watching the sun set, "I sure hope so."