Disclaimer: Rachel Summers, Boak, and Apocalypse are Marvel's, everyone else is mine.

Author's Note: Last one until "It's Always Darkest..." all right? It's a short one, but it adds on to a loose thread created by both Scott Lobdell and Warren Ellis, so I figure you'll stick around for part three. Have fun reading, ya hear? And please, send me comments!

In the morning Rachel appeared in my room and woke me up. Or at least she TRIED to.

:LeavemealonepleaseIjustwannasleepIdon'twannagotoschooltodayMom...: I muttered telepathically and batted her hand away from my shoulder.

"Dawn, it's me," Rachel said in Old Englishe. "We're going to send you home now."

THAT woke me up. I bolted upright in bed and almost threw my back out, since I was sleeping on my stomach. "Aw yoo sewious?!" I exclaimed, forgetting about my healing jaw. "Owth, I wisth I hadn' doone thath," I whispered.

"Don't worry, the gadget Shy'ar put on your jaw will have it healed by tomorrow at the least," she assured me. "And yes, I am serious. Sister Cura devised a serum to cure your friend, and you've served your purpose. You're free to leave as soon as you want to."

:But... how did she know what was wrong with him?: I inquired, barely daring to believe that I was really going back to my time.

"She didn't. The serum will enhance the potency of his antibodies, and even without his healing factor he should be restored to full health within a matter of days."

I was happy, to say the least. :Can I go now?: I inquired, eager to go home. I was sick of this ravaged land and all the death within it; I wanted to go home. It may not have been perfect, but it was starting to look pretty good right about now.

"Certiantly," Rachel smiled. "I'll alert the others, and we'll send you on your way. Oh, I almost forgot. Here." She handed me a vial of some golden liquid, which was in a thin container with a lid to secure it. "The serum," she said. "Take care of it."

:I will,: I replied, taking it and placing it in a small pouch on my belt next to the gun I had taken from the prelate.

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked me.

:Such as..?:

She removed the golden Phoenix pendent she wore and handed it to me. "Give this to my mother, Jean Grey-Summers," she said. "Tell her it's... something to remember me by."

I toyed with it for a second, then looked at her. :Sure,: I sent with a smile. :Where can I find her?:

"She's with the X-Men in Westchester County, New York, at the original Xavier school."

:The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning,: I said. :I'll make sure to stop by sometime.:

Rachel smiled and switched back to the modern language to call the other chrono variant psions in.

"We'll get you as close to the Academy as possible," Rachel said as they linked hands around me. "After that you're--"

An explosion rocked Askani Hold and my telepathy immediately homed in on the source.

"It's Apocalypse!" one of the Sisterhood cried. "The Dark Lord himself has come!"

:Good!: I sent, suddenly angry. :I owe that bastard for what he did to me, and for what his lackeys did to Corinth!:

Rachel seemed about to say something when another explosion sounded. Hordes of Clan members swarmed through the hallways, and I could sense their powers levels were primed. I could also feel Apocalypse's foul presence in my mind, struggling for a way in.

:Come to me, my Horseman,: he sent into my mind. :Come to your lord and all shall be forgiven. You shall be my greatest Horseman, Death, whose power shall be equaled by none. We shall find a cure for your illness so you may serve me always.:

:Yeah. Right.: I slammed him with a telepathic attack that sent even him reeling, rage fueling my powers. :Find someone else to do your dirty work, pondscum, I'm not interested in anything but your head on a pike!:

With a roar of outrage I could hear from the depths of our sanctuary Apocalypse ripped through the entry hatch with the exoskeleton he wore. I got off the bed to confront him, but Rachel caught me by the arms, holding me back.

:Rachel, let me GO!: I sent savagely. :I want to pay this butcher back for what he did to me!:

"No. You're no match for Apocalypse, and it's MY job to get you home safely. I promised Banshee I'd look after you, and by the Light I'm not going to have you making a liar out of me." She looked me squarely in the eye and said, "Go home, Dawn. Save your friend. Don't get any more involved in a war that isn't yours any more then you already have."

I heard the sounds of a battle outside the doorway and let out a quivering sigh. :All right,: I whispered. :Just... promise me you'll make him pay for what he did to Cori.:

"Don't worry, he'll pay," Rachel promised me. "And Dawn? Remember this axiom. What is... is."

:I don't understand.:

"You will. But get ready; we're going to try to send you back before Apocalypse gets here. It may not be as accurate compared to what we could do if we had more time, but we WILL get you back at the exact time, if not place."

There were screams from the hallway and one of the Clan spoke up. "Askani, we must hurry! The Eternal One is coming!"

Quickly the Clan members clutched each other's hands and concentrated. Without Corinth to boost their powers it was considerably more difficult, and with the added distraction of Apocalypse there was no small amount of pressure.

At first I thought it wouldn't work, but then I felt the familiar tugging on my mind as Rachel's powers tried to send my mind first. With the help of the other Clan members my body was sent as well, and I witnessed the familiar wave of light and images as I was sent back through time to what would hopefully be my own era. I thought I would be lost, not having Rachel with me, and this time they wouldn't pull me back. I suddenly felt a jarring sensation as something seemed to catch me in mid fall through time as I was ricochetted from the beginning to the end of time, and I arrived in the midst of a dark realm with thousands of beings so twisted, so hideous, that I could describe them only as demons. The foul stench of unwashed bodies mixed with sulfur made me reel, and I was caught unaware as the demons turned to face me.

They stared at me for a moment, as if unsure of what they saw. Then, a many armed horror reached out to me and shredded my robe, and would surely have ripped into my stomach if not for the uniform I had been given. It was tough, like armor, but flexible enough to allow me mobility. I was, to put it simply, feeling a great quantity of confusion/terror, and my instincts kicked in. I extended my wings, which I had hoped I wouldn't have to resort to because of the immense pain it caused me. However, the mix of panic and adrenaline is an amazing thing, and despite my relative unfamiliarity with these particular appendages I managed to rise above the horde. Unfortunately, I was unaware that some demons could fly, as well, because I was assaulted by winged horrors with very, VERY long talons.

I drew my plasma gun and vainly attempted to defeat them, but to no avail. The demons seemed immune to it, and only the armor saved me from being dismembered. On top of that, my wings were tiring already and I was beginning to sink towards the rabble that coated the ground below. I was barely out of reach of the land born demons and on the verge of passing out when a gleaming flash of silver slashed through the air and into the demons, making them squeal in pain and terror.

"Begone, creatures!" a male voice commanded. The demons scattered, some of them tucking their tails between their gnarled legs and whimpering. I fell to the ground, exhausted, and turned around to look at the man who had saved me.

It was another demon, larger then the others with six arms and a deep purplish shade. He looked down at me from a height of what seemed to be about eight feet with two glowing yellow eyes, and he held the flaming silver sword that had slashed through the demons.

:Crap,: I whispered mentally, fully aware that the next few seconds could also be my last.

To be continued in "It's Always Darkest..."