AN: Happy New Years guys! As you can tell I decided to do a sequel to Of Vices and Virtues, hope you enjoy it!

Fifty years into the future (around 2023), during the war with the Sentinels

The future, a dark, desolate world. A world of war, suffering, and loss. On both sides, mutants and humans the ones who dared to help them. Fighting an enemy we cannot defeat. Are we destined down this path? Destined to destroy ourselves like so many species before us? Or can we evolve fast enough to change our fate?

Is the future truly set?

~~~x~~~

A single man with the mutation of absorbing and redirecting energy stood in the middle of a pathway that led up to a large, round wooden door. This is where the last of the mutants hid, in a monastery in an area of what used to be, China. The lone guard, was named Bishop.

He watched as a large, silver jet descended, landing near the entrance of the hideout as the ramp to the jet slowly dropped and out stepped Storm. Her eyes glazed over as she continued to hide the jet from the prying eyes of Sentinels. Logan followed behind her, instantly grabbing for his lighter from his jacket and brought it up to his lips to light a cigar. Charles Xavier emerged from the jet next, slowly floating down the ramp with Erik Lensherr coming out behind him as well.

The shadows of two mutants going by the name of Warpath and Sunspot suddenly appeared. Warpath, gifted with of the abilities enhanced reflexes, endurance, and senses. While Sunspot could channel solar energy into pure flame. The two mutants gathered around Bishop thinking that the new arrivals were hostile towards them. That was until the familiar voice of Bobby Drake, alias Iceman, called out from behind Bishop.

"Professor!" Bobby greeted, causing everyone to turn their attention towards the young man as he placed a hand on Bishop's shoulder, before walking down to them.

"Bobby!" Storm called out joyfully, as he made his way over, and she was quick to pull him into a hug.

"Hey Storm," He smiled back, hugging her tightly.

"Hey, kid," Logan greeted.

Bobby looked over to Logan and gave him a nod before stepping back.

"Professor," Kitty Pryde began, walking with Colossus, a mutant who turns into organic metal. "You made it," She smiled tiredly at the sight of all them.

Charles smiled at her and nodded and everyone moved into the temple, as it was safer than to remain in clear view.

"Whenever the Sentinels attack, Warpath spots them. And I send Bishop back to warn us of the attack before it happens. Blink scouts the next sight. And then we leave before they ever know we were there," Kitty finished.

"Because, we never were," Warpath added sitting down, close to Blink, a woman with the ability to create portals.

"What do you mean you were never there?" Logan asked, arching his brow at the younger mutants as he crossed his arms across his chest. He was still not clear on how this all worked.

Charles turned to Logan, "She projects Bishop back in time a few days to warn the others of the coming attack," Charles explained.

"She sends Bishop back in time?" Logan questioned, still confused.

"No, just his consciousness. She sends his mind back to his younger self, his younger body," Charles corrected.

"Wow," Logan said simply.

Erik turned to his old friend. The two of them had reunited over their differences when the future was threatened for extinction. The two of them had spent the last eight years trying to find an answer to saving this future.

"This just might work, Charles," Erik spoke up, sharing a knowing look with Charles.

Kitty looked between them, "What might work?" She asked, puzzled by what they meant.

"The Sentinel program was originally conceived by Dr. Bolivar Trask," Charles began. "In the early seventies he was one of the world's leading weapons designer. But covertly he had begun experimenting on mutants. Using their gifts to fuel his own research. There was one mutant who had discovered what he was doing," Charles said gravely.

"A mutant, with the ability to transform herself into anyone," Erik hinted.

"Mystique," Colossus named.

Charles nodded his head, sighing, "I knew her as Raven. We met when were children, grew up together. She was like a sister to me," Charles reminisced, the thoughts of those times and her were one of the things that haunted his memory. "I tried to help her, but only succeeded in driving her away. She hunted Trask across the world and at the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 after the Vietnam War. She found Trask," he paused for a moment, before revealing what happened. "And killed him," Charles recounted. "It was the first time she killed," Charles added softly.

"It wasn't her last," Logan reminded bitterly.

"But killing Trask did not have the outcome she expected," Charles continued grimly. "It only persuaded the government of the need for his program. They captured her that day, tortured her, experimented on her. In her DNA they discovered the secrets to her powers of transformation. It gave them the key they needed to create weapons that could adapt to any mutant power. And in less than fifty years the machines that destroyed so many of our kind were created," Charles said, each word heavier by the second. "And it all started on that day in 1973. The day she first killed. They day she truly became Mystique," Charles finished.

"You wanna go back there," Kitty astonished that the Professor would even think about it.

"If I can get to her. Stop the assassination, keep her out of their hands. Then we can stop the Sentinels from ever being born," Charles said, determination written all over his face.

Erik nodded at the plan, "And end this war before it ever begins," Erik finished.

Everyone around the room exchanged glances, most thinking about whether this plan was a good or bad one.

"Uh...I-I can send someone back a couple weeks, maybe even a month... But you're talking about going back decades," Kitty pointed out. "You have the most powerful brain in the world, Professor. But the mind can only stretch so far before it snaps. It would rip you apart," She informed sadly.

"What if someone's mind has a way of snapping back?" Logan asked, making everyone turn their attention to him. "What if someone can heal as fast as their ripped apart?" Logan asked again.

"It's a risk," Bishop intervened.

"Yeah, I'm getting that," Logan replied simply.

A serious expression formed on Bishop's face, "Not just for you. You do this, you change history," Bishop pointed out, staring at Logan.

Bishop understood the full implications of what could happen if they go through with this plan, Logan doesn't.

"Well, that's kind of the point," Logan retorted dryly.

"Some of us could be killed. Some of us may never be born," Bishop explained, shaking his head. "We have no idea how things may change," he pointed out.

"We could keep going. Keep fighting," Blink suggested.

"Until what?" Storm questioned. "You've got a decision to make. You can send Bishop back over and over again to warn you, until one day, he doesn't make it and you all die," Storm paused, letting her words sink in. "Or you can give up this life. So that they and everyone else who died in this war can have a future," she added.

"You're asking us to sacrifice our lives for a future we might not even be a part of," Sunspot spoke up.

"Yes," Erik answered bluntly.

"A second chance. A better chance for everyone," Charles told them.

Bishop glanced to his teammates before looking back to the professor, "My people need to vote," Bishop declared, crossing his arms.

Charles looked at each mutant in the room, all of their answers rang loud and clear in their minds. Despite the verbal objection, everyone knew that this was the right thing to do, even if it meant sacrificing what they had now.

"They just did. They're in," Charles stated.

~~~x~~~

The mutants split themselves into two groups. Storm, Bishop, Warpath, Sunspot, Blink, and Colossus went outside acting as guard. They were the last the defense once the Sentinels came. Meanwhile, inside, Logan boarded up the doors as Erik, Charles, Kitty, and Bobby stood in the room preparing to send Logan back in time. Logan walked into the room and approached the stone slab, looking quite nervous but determined.

"So I wake up in my younger body, God's knows where," Logan murmured looking at the stone table where he has to lay down. "Then what?" he asked

"You'll need to go to my house, and find me," Charles answered. "Convince me of...all of this," he urged.

Logan cast a sideways glance at Charles, "Wouldn't you be able to just read my mind?" Logan questioned, furrowing his brow.

Charles shook his head, thinking back to that dark time, "I didn't have my powers in 1973 Logan, you're going to have to do for me what I once did for you. Lead me. Guide me. I was a very different man then. You'll have to be patient with me," Charles explained.

He scoffed, "Patience isn't my strongest suit," Logan commented, looking down at the table again.

"You'll need me as well," Erik spoke up from the corner, walking over to them.

"What?" Logan questioned, looking over to him with his teeth grit, Charles was one thing but him?

"After Mystique left Charles, she came with me and I sent her down a dangerous path, a darker path. It's going to take the two of us, side by side at a time where we couldn't be further apart." He sighed, looking over to Charles. "Charles, you know we're going to need her as well," Erik stated, with a knowing look.

Charles was silent, moving his eyes down to his lap as he felt his body begin to turn cold.

"Professor?" Logan asked looking up at the man, who visibly seemed to be in pain. "Who is he talking about?"

"The only woman who could keep the both of us in line," Erik replied, a fond smile reaching his lips as his mind flashed back to a smiling image of her. The beautiful woman he never saw again after that fateful day on the beach.

"Claudia," Charles finally revealed, just above a whisper. "A woman I once loved," He added, his eyes were filled with sadness. "She is no longer with us, Logan," Charles turned to Erik. "Leave her out of this," he stated, shaking his head.

Logan had never seen Charles to look so broken and vulnerable.

"I drove her away Erik, I doubt that she would want to come back,"

"This is your one chance to possibly make it right Charles," Erik pointed out. "Or Claudia will remain dead," he ended grimly, a frown lining his forehead. Erik looked back to Logan."If you find Claudia you will need to convince her as well," Erik informed. "Though I highly doubt she'd be agreeable to work with us,"

"Great," Logan drawled, staring at Erik with distaste. "So where do I find you? Or this Claudia woman?"

"Well, it's complicated..." Erik replied vaguely, and Logan arched his eyebrow and nodded, not fully understanding his behavior.

Logan started to walk over to the table, but Charles stopped him. Erik stared at Charles, confused as to what he's doing.

"One last thing," Charles began, looking down. "I was lost back then, Logan," He informed, bringing his gaze to Logan. Logan nodded and listened. "Erik's right, I'm going to need Claudia by my side...she kept me grounded," Charles stated softly. "If she hadn't left, she wouldn't have died. Claudia, she was one of the first mutants to be killed by these Sentinels,"

"Convince her, Logan. Convince her, and make everything right again,"

~~~x~~~

Logan sighed as he climbed onto the stone table before laying down. Kitty walked over to him and placed her hands on either side of his head.

"Basically your body will go to sleep while your mind travels back in time. As long as your back there past and present won't continue to coexist. But once you wake up whatever you done will take hold and become history, and for the rest us it will be the only history we know it'll be like the last 50 years never happened. This world, this war, the only person who will remember it, is you," Kitty explained, with a small smile appearing on her face. "Alright Logan I need you to clear your head and stay as calm as possible," Kitty instructed, about to begin the process.

"What? What do you mean?" Logan asked, suddenly a little worried.

"If your mind gets rocky it will be harder for me to hold you. You could slip between past and future," Kitty answered.

"What if I need to get a little rocky?" Logan asked.

"Think peaceful thoughts," Kitty suggested.

"Peaceful thoughts..." He mumbled before turning his head back to Kitty. "You have any good news?" Logan asked again.

"Well, you really don't age so you'll look the same," Kitty said.

"You won't have much time in the past," Bobby spoke up. "Sentinels will find us. They always do," he finished grimly.

"And this time we won't have anywhere to run. We'll have no escape. This is our last chance, " Kitty added quietly.

"Are you sure this will work?" Erik asked his friend

Charles nodded, "I have faith in him," Charles replied instantly.

"It's not him I'm worried about, it's us," Erik admitted. "We were young. We didn't know any better," he continued.

"We will now," Charles said confidently.

"See you all soon," Logan breathed out, as he shifted himself.

"This might sting a little," Kitty warned, putting her hands on each side of his temples.

And with that bright blue-white orbs emitted from Kitty's hands and entered Wolverine's temples, transporting Logan's mind to his younger self, sending him back in time. Logan began screaming in pain and claws immediately shot out.

The sounds of loud Logan's screaming filled the room until he fell into unconsciousness.

AN: And so we begin our journey into the past!