Scott could feel the morning sun on his face. It had felt refreshing for the first few minutes after the nurse opened the curtains, but now the sun's rays felt increasingly uncomfortable. Scott didn't move, however, or ask that the curtains be closed. He wasn't even fully conscious of the fact that he was sweating under the blankets piled on top of him or that he was even back in bed. Instead, Scott's mind was contemplating what could possibly explain why his power hadn't worked. The incident during his therapy wasn't the first time in his life that he'd opened his eyes and nothing happened, but he could count the number of times on one hand, and usually the reason for it became apparent fairly soon.

Scott couldn't remember the last time he had felt so helpless and confused. The only thing he was sure about was the fact that he couldn't trust anybody or anything. Scott hadn't opened his eyes again since they were forced open. A couple of nurses had eventually come and wheeled him back to his room.

Out of spite, Scott refused to speak to anyone, and ignored the nurse's pleadings for him to eat breakfast. After she carried away his tray, however, he immediately regretted his childish behavior. How was he going to regain his strength if he didn't eat? Needless to say, he was not in the best of moods. When he heard footsteps enter his room, he had to fight the urge to toss his bed pan at the intruder.

"Scott?" came Julia's voice. "Are you awake?"

The urge didn't completely go away. This woman who called herself Julia had been by his bed almost every minute since he'd found himself in this hospital. Most of the time, he just pretended to be asleep. She would pet on his hand and his face and run her fingers through his hair and try to make herself useful for the nurses. The woman was almost sickeningly loyal.

Like Jean would have been, Scott thought to himself.

He shook the thought out of his head, and with the sharp physical motion, he knew playing unconscious wasn't going to work this time. "Good morning, Julia," he said and turned his face in her direction.

When she spoke again, Scott could hear the smile in her voice. "It's so good to hear your voice," she said. He heard her setting some things down on the table near his bed, and then felt the now-familiar warmth of her hand on his. He again fought the urge to pull his hand away. Self-control, he thought. That's what's going to get me out of here.

"The doctor said you had an… interesting session of physical therapy today," Julia said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Scott replied.

There was a pause, and then Julia's hand patted Scott's. "I brought a surprise for you today," she said, admirably keeping her voice upbeat.

Scott remained silent, but inwardly he couldn't imagine what she could have brought. He braced himself for a weapon or a syringe heading for his arm. He was ready to grab her hand or anything that came near him.

"Rachel? Come on in, darling. It's okay. Come say hi to daddy," Julia said, obviously facing away from Scott.

"Daddy?" Scott said aloud, and immediately kicked himself for it. He heard the patter of little feet run over to Julia's side. Julia grunted, and Scott felt the weight of a small form sitting on the bed next to him. "Rachel?" Scott mouthed though his voice was caught in his throat..

"Daddy?" a little girl's voice said. She sounded no more than four or five, though Scott was never good at guessing little kids' ages. "Is he awake?" she asked, her voice turned towards her 'mother.'

"Go on." Julia urged Rachel softly. "Give daddy a hug."

Two tiny arms wrapped firmly around Scott's bony neck and shoulders and squeezed with all their might. Scott lifted his left arm and placed his hand on the child's back, and smiled despite himself. He barely even noticed Julia's fingers squeeze his right hand. He was suddenly tossed back to memories of young Nathan. How cruel and yet miraculous that he had received the opportunity to raise his time-tossed son, but at the price of forever being considered more a guardian than a parent. Never did Nathan embrace Scott as this young girl did now. Never did Scott have the joy of being called "Daddy."

The rush of emotions was almost more than Scott could handle in his fragile state. He lived his memories and felt the sand in the rags he'd called clothes, smelled his sweat mixing with the dry and pungent air as the trio traveled through a world so alien and unforgiving.

He re-lived the misery of leaving Nathan a second time, a pain that nearly overshadowed the agony he had felt on the day he had first sent his critically ill son to the future. He'd been convinced that it was his child's only hope for survival. Since that day, Scott had daily struggled with the ethicality of that decision.

The young girl Scott held in his arms represented the decision he'd rejected. The life he never had, and couldn't have as long as he was an X-Man. Jean had learned in the most difficult and heartless way that Scott could never be as loyal to anything or anyone as he was to Xavier's dream and the responsibility he believed that title carried.

A tear streaked down Scott's cheek. The tickling on his face stirred him from his musings. The child must have sensed Scott's sudden discomfort, as she loosed her arms from his neck and scurried behind her mother.

He took a moment to compose himself. "Where has she been staying?" Scott asked. It seemed an appropriate question.

"My mother's," Julia replied. "Well, and she's stayed with John and Lydia some, too."

Scott nodded, but it must have been apparent he didn't recognize the names, for Julia continued, her voice soft, "My brother and his wife."

Scott turned his head away from the pair. He didn't know this woman or this child. This was all an act. A trick. But the woman's pain seemed so real, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed and pained.

"Honey, why don't you go out to the hall and find Grammy," Julia said. Tiny footsteps, walking slowly, headed towards the door. "Shut the door behind you, please." The door creaked and the latch fell into place. The constant hum of the hospital corridor lessened. The room was almost completely silent.

"You don't remember her," Julia said. Her voice was soft again, and filled with loss and sadness, so much so that Scott felt a stab of guilt through his heart. "I thought you'd been acting strangely, and now I know why. You don't remember me, either."

She started crying. The sounds were muffled as if her hands were covering her face. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't do this to you. I just don't know what to do. I feel so lost. You were the one who made sense of everything. I just thought, when you woke up, that everything was going to be like it was."

There was a short pause. "When were you going to tell me?" Julia asked. The tone of her voice had changed. There was suddenly anger underneath her tears. "How long were you just going to pretend to know who I am, Scott? Forever?"

Scott winced as Julia's voice reached a sharp, angry pitch. He had no answer for her. This isn't real, he told himself. She's just an actress, hired to confuse me.

"Look at me!" Julia yelled. She grabbed Scott's shoulders and started shaking him. "Why won't you look at me," she said, her voice a whisper. He felt her tears falling on his face. She stopped shaking him suddenly. "I- I'm sorry," she said, but her crying only strengthened. Her footsteps rushed to the door. The door opened. Scott couldn't tell if she'd left or not. His head was still ringing from the shaking he'd taken. He waited, his head lifted slightly off of his pillow. "I'll be back tomorrow," she said, and the door shut behind her.

Scott lowered his head back into the pillow. "No," he said. "I'm sorry."