**The Pool of Time**

Dani's memorial service was a quiet, dignified graveside affair.  There had been no body, but Xavier had a marble statue placed in the cemetery anyway.  It was a nearly life-sized representation of an angel, and it had been made to look just like Danielle.  When everyone arrived at the monument, the full reality of the loss hit hard.  Logan stood there through the entire service like the stone monument before them, hard and unmoving.  He held his daughter's hand, and took comfort from the tiny fingers that clung to his. 

"She gave her life to protect the students and the team, and she will never be forgotten.  This monument is placed here to remind us of her caring and protective nature, always placing others before herself.  Dani truly was an angel…" Xavier gave a moving eulogy. 

Beast said a few words, and Scott and Jean, but Logan had declined to speak.  When it was over, everyone dispersed, and Logan sent Andi home with Beast.  He remained there in the solitude of the cemetery and stared at the plaque.

"In Loving Memory of

'Supernova'

Danielle Anastasia Mason-Logan

Loving Wife of Logan

And

 Mother of Andromeda Marie Logan

1981-2008

She gave her life to protect her Family,

She will be missed."

So this was the price he had to pay for the years of happiness with Dani.  He had sworn to love her always, and he knew he had been right.  No one would take her place.  He thought of Andi, and how her life would be without her mother.  He could never fill the void Dani left, but he would be the best father possible.  "I swear, Dani," he said softly.  "As long as one of our family lives, from this generation on, I will watch over them."

~2258~

Logan woke to the sight of blonde curls and big blue eyes watching him intently.  He growled softly and closed his eyes again.  A tiny pair of hands grabbed his shoulder and started shaking him.

"Unca Logan, get up," the little three year old said.

"Humph," Logan growled again playfully.  "Dani, let Uncle Logan sleep."

"No, you promised me," she said firmly, giving him another good shake.  "You promised, Unca, you promised."

"Okay, Squirt. I'm up," Logan sighed.  "Go wait in the hall."

"Yippee!" Little Dani shrieked with glee as she jumped up and down.  "I get to go fishing with Unca Logan!" 

Logan dragged himself out of bed and got dressed.  How does he let himself get roped into these things?  He put on his boots and yawned.  He knew exactly how he got into this one.  It was the big blue eyes that did it.  Jesse's little daughter had 'Unca Logan' tightly wound around her little finger.  He was careful not to spoil her, but he found himself indulging her a lot.

He exited his room and saw her standing there waiting.  "Mommy is in the kitchen making you coffee," she announced.

"Okay, let's go Squirt," he said with a smile as he picked her up. 

Dani wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.  Logan smiled and carried her down the stairs.  He walked into the kitchen and saw Nikki pouring coffee into a thermos.

"She woke you up, didn't she?" Nikki asked.

"I was awake," Logan said with a smirk as he put his little passenger down.

"Sorry," Nikki said.

"Forget it," he said as he headed to the pantry where he stashed his fishing gear.  "Did she eat yet?"

"Nope, I packed you guys some fruit and pop tarts, but I'll be happy to make you something," Nikki offered.

"Already got coffee, thanks kid," he said to Nikki as he grabbed the stuff to go.  He looked around for Dani, but she was gone.  "Where's the Squirt?"

"Right here," a very groggy Jesse said as Dani dragged him into the kitchen.

"She got you too?" Nikki asked playfully, and then gave her husband a quick kiss.

"I am apparently going fishing this morning," Jesse said with an annoyed expression, but Logan could see the smile in his eyes. 

"Let's go," Dani said beaming. 

Logan sighed.  He could see the headline now, Bad Ass Wolverine goes fishing with three year old.  If old Scooter were around to see this he'd never hear the end of it.  "Maybe we should call your grandpa so he could enjoy a little fishing with us," Logan suggested humorously.

"Too late," Jett said as he came into the kitchen from the direction of the front door.  He looked a bit groggy, and hadn't shaved.  "I got the call from little miss curly top over there about a half hour ago.  Apparently I promised to go fishing."

Nikki burst into peals of laughter at the three tough guys that just got manipulated by a three year old girl.  "I'll bring you guys something hot for breakfast in about an hour," she said.  "Go catch a big one."

Dani grabbed her snoopy fishing pole and headed for the door.  "Don't worry mommy, we'll have fish for lunch!" she said as she and the men left.

~558~

"I command you, Great Pool of Time, to bring forth a worthy instrument for my wrath," Morgan demanded.

The surface of the pond erupted in a violent swirl of bubbles and there appeared to be a sinister glow beneath the disturbance.  Suddenly a figure struggled to the surface of the water as if brought up from the bottom of the pond.  It was a woman, and she coughed and sputtered before she regained her faculties and swam to shore. 

"Welcome worthy daughter of the pool," Morgan greeted the newcomer.

"Who are you?  What happened?  Where am I?" the woman demanded.

Morgan laughed lightly at the flood of questions.  "Child, I have brought you here to aid me in a war," she said.

"I don't want any part of your war, whoever the hell you are," the woman said heatedly.  "Send me back; I have to take care of my family."

"Your world is lost to you now, you belong here.  I am Queen Morgan Le Fay, ruler of Avalon."

"How special," the woman said to her.  "Where's the camera?"

"Identify yourself," Morgan ordered as her patience fled.

"I'm Danielle, and you have taken me from my home," she said angrily.  "I demand that you undo whatever the hell you did before I show you just who you're dealing with."  Dani's eyes began to glow bright violet as her hands dripped sparks.  This joke had gone far enough.  She would not play along in this charade another moment.

Morgan smiled darkly.  Perfect.  "You will hereafter be called Lady Danielle the Enchantress, and I will teach you my ways," Morgan said as she boldly walked up to Danielle and placed a rich violet cloak around her.  As the cloak covered Dani's shoulders, her soggy pajamas were replaced by a fine lavender gown and a necklace of rich amethysts.  The necklace glowed with an otherworldly splendor, and Dani's entire demeanor changed with the outward transformation.  She shook her head and blinked in confusion.

"Where am I?" she asked quietly.

"You have come to the court of Morgan Le Fay, and you are my apprentice," Morgan said sweetly.

"Oh," Dani said as the confusion left her face.  Yes, of course, it was suddenly so clear.  This was Avalon.  Her name was Lady Danielle the Enchantress.  She was here to help Morgan and to learn magic.  "What are you going to teach me today, Morgan?"

"How to make an army out of mud, Lady Danielle," Morgan said.

"How interesting," Dani said enthusiastically.  "I can't wait."

*****

It was time.  Merlin knew that Morgan's use of the pool meant that she had another plot against Arthur.  He paced back and forth in his tower library.  The solitude of the tower was not comforting and Merlin took a seat at his table.  There was an array of books scattered, but none of them had a potion or incantation to fight the army his vision had revealed.  There was no magic he knew to defeat this new foe that Morgan had brought from the future.  He made a decision.  He would conjure his own champion from the future.  He looked around for his quill and ink and procured a blank piece of parchment.  He must prepare the proper spell.  Wording in spells was of great importance.  He must be sure he got the enchantment right or he would not conjure the proper champion to defeat this enemy.

As he dipped his quill in the inkwell, he was struck with a brief thought.  Perhaps he should speak to Arthur about his plan.  No, he did not really need Arthur's permission to conjure a knight.  He was only the king, and knew little of the ways of magic.  Arthur would trust Merlin's judgment and accept this champion without question. 

Merlin smiled and set his quill to parchment to write his spell.  The hour was late, and Morgan would be planning her attack before they could properly prepare. 

~2258~

Logan chuckled when he saw the size of the fish that little Dani had managed to reel in.  He gave Jesse a knowing smile.  "You wouldn't have had anything to do with that amazing catch there, Watershed, would you?"

"I do not know what you are talking about, Wolverine," Jesse said innocently.

Jett just shook his head as he helped his granddaughter with her fish.  "I still think you could have come up with a better codename than 'Watershed,'" Jett complained.

"Like what, Pop, Aquaman?" Jesse asked with a hint of annoyance.

"I like the name," Logan said, defending Jesse's choice in names.

"You would…what the hell is that?"  Jett exclaimed. "Jesse, quit playing around, you'll scare the fish."

The water in the lake was glowing faintly and seemed to be boiling.  The three men rose to their feet and Logan stepped closer to Dani.

"I'm not doing that," Jesse said seriously.  The water was rising up in a column, and Jesse couldn't make it stop.

"Oh, damn!" Logan said.  He grabbed Dani and handed her to Jett. "Get the Squirt outta here, me and Aquaman will get to the bottom of this," Logan ordered.

Jett grabbed his granddaughter and disappeared in a flash of speed.  He wasn't afraid to face the threat, but Dani's safety was more important than arguing with the Old Man.

The water was towering some fifty feet in the air now, and Jesse's forehead started sweating as he tried to gain control over it.  "It's like there's nothing there, I can't even feel the water…" Jesse said in astonishment.

"Oh, shit!" Logan said.  If Jesse couldn't control it, something must be very wrong here.  Jesse had an enormous amount of control over his power.  He started looking around for another mutant.  Maybe this was an attack by another elemental mutant.  He scanned the far shore, which distracted him from the water just long enough to be caught off guard.  The fifty foot column of water bent down to where they were like the trunk of a palm tree in a hurricane.  It sucked the pair up, and then gradually returned to the lake.  By the time Jett returned, the lake was as smooth as glass, and Jesse and Logan were gone.

~558~

Merlin Stood before his mirror and watched the men on the shore.  They did not appear to be knights.  However, they were at rest, fishing for pleasure.  Which one was the champion he required?  Merlin decided to bring them both here, no mistakes that way.  He commanded that the men come forth from their own time.  The mirror went blank and swirled with color.  Merlin stepped back and waited.  The two men poured forth from his mirror like molasses from a jar, but they were surprisingly dry.  They both got to their feet quickly, but the older one took charge.

*Snikt!* "Who are you, and where are we?" Logan demanded as he held up his claws warningly.

Merlin's eyebrows shot up at the sight of his claws, but he remained unaffected by the threat.  "I am Merlin, Master Magician and advisor to King Arthur Pendragon," he said.  "I was unsure of your abilities at first, but now I see that you will be the champion that Arthur needs."

"Oh, no, this is not happening," Jesse said.  "We did not just get sucked through the lake to wind up in Camelot."

Logan's expression remained dark and threatening, but an eyebrow cocked with curiosity.  He had liked Arthurian Legend and read several books on the subject.  "Prove it," Logan said.

"You are standing here, are you not?" Merlin said smugly.

Logan sheathed his claws and stalked over to the window.  They were in the tower of an impressive medieval castle.  The courtyard was a bustle of activity.  There were servants performing their daily tasks, and several sword fights, obviously training.  Then he saw three fully armored knights ride into the courtyard.  He listened carefully for what they were going to say. "We have important news for the King," one of the knights announced as he dismounted.

"All right, Merlin," Logan said gruffly.  "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but you got one minute to convince me not to kill you."

Merlin smiled.  "You have a task to complete here.  When you have finished your task, you can return to your home.  The spell will not release you until the task is done."

Jesse cringed.  Logan was going to go ballistic.

"What do we have to do?" Logan asked.

"Kill Morgan's sorceress," he said.

"Fine," Logan said. "Where is she?"

"Logan, you might want more information…" Jesse protested.  In every legend he'd ever read Merlin was a very sneaky figure.  There was a lot more to this story than he was telling.

"It doesn't matter, Jesse, we have to get home, and one little sorceress is all that stands in our way."

"Excellent," Merlin said with a broad smile.  "Let us get you properly attired before you meet the King."

"Excuse me?" Jesse said.  Meet Arthur? 

Logan wasn't phased by the though of meeting a legendary king.  He had only one concern.  "I ain't wearing any sissy ass tights," Logan said firmly.