A/N: Couple things you should know.  1) I hated the ending to Holy War, so it's totally different here.  2) Before I said that LSTF took place after Rogue got her powers back.  Changed that, so it took place before she lost them.  Doesn't affect anything in the first story continuity-wise.  3) I may make some minor changes along the way, but remember, this IS an AU.

            Leslie blinked.  She blinked again.  Nothing changed.

            "Um…Stace?  Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm relatively sure this isn't Chicago…"

            Stacy rolled her eyes.  "What's the harm in enjoying the country along the way?"

            "I'm pretty sure that Oak Ridge, TN doesn't count as the country.  In fact, I have to say that I don't think this counts as ANYTHING…"

            "Think of it as a pilgrimage.  The birth place of the atomic bomb has to have something to do with mutation.  Right?"

            Leslie rubbed her eyes behind her sunglasses.  "Stacy, you didn't even know the atomic bomb was made here until we found the sign.  You didn't even know where we were!"

            Stacy waved one hand at her while flipping off some gawking humans with the other.  Despite Leslie's suggestions, she hadn't bothered to cover herself up much more than usual.  Her one concession was a pair of jeans.  "Alright, I may have got us on the wrong bus, in my hurry to leave."

            "Stacy!  What the hell are we going to do in Oak-freaking-Ridge?!"

            She shrugged.  "How should I know?  I'm getting a sandwich."  Stacy wandered off to hunt for a Subway. 

            Groaning, Leslie buried her face in her hands.  "Why me?" she demanded.  "Don't I ever get a break?!"

            "Can Ah help ya, ma'am?"

            She looked up, startled, to see a blonde man standing there, hands jammed in his pockets like a little boy.  "Do you have a sledgehammer I can beat myself over the head with?"

            He looked startled, then grinned.  "Nope.  Sorry."

            "Damn.  In that case, afraid not, unless you want to hear me complain about my insane roomie."

            He smiled again, blue eyes sparkling.  "Ah think Ah can do tha'.  Sam Guthrie," he said, extending a hand.

            Leslie was suddenly grateful that her sunglasses hid her eyes, so he couldn't see them widen.  Made sense, though.  He'd felt vaguely familiar, and she'd wondered why.  Now she knew it was because she'd felt the residue of his presence at the mansion.  "Anna Jacobs," she said, taking his hand in her own briefly before dropping it.  "Tell me you know a place where I can get a cup of coffee.

            He shook his head.  "Sorry, but Ah'm jes' passin' through mahself.  Ah saw a nice Chinese place, though, if ya'd like tha'."

            She shrugged.  "Why not?  Lead on, Sam Guthrie!"

            Sam laughed again, extending his elbow.  Slipping her arm through it, Leslie walked with him, chatting about insignificant things such as the weather.

            Once they were seated, Leslie decided to satisfy her curiosity.  "So, Sam, what are you doing in beautiful Oak Ridge?"

            He nodded, placing his napkin neatly in his lap. "Ah'm meetin' some…friends, an' Ah jes stopped here for a rest.  You?"

            She rolled her eyes.  "My roommate and I are moving to Chicago.  Being the genius that she is, though, she got us on the wrong bus.  It's not funny," she said sternly when she noticed he was about to start laughing again.

            Sam sobered slightly.  "Ah'm sorry, jes' that mah own life gets so crazy, things like that seem so…normal."

            She narrowed her eyes, deciding to have a little fun with him.  "What do you do that you're life is so crazy?" Leslie asked innocently, taking a sip of her drink.

            Sam froze, and was thinking over what to say when a gunshot was heard.  Leslie whirled to see a group of masked men enter the restaurant, one holding a gun to a waiter's head.  "For the preservation of humanity, we need you to donate your valuables!" he yelled, turning so she could clearly see the F.O.H. on his jacket.

            She looked briefly at the ceiling.  Don't I EVER get a break?!?!