Overflowing with joy at the prospect of actually being born in this timeline, Rachel soars around Muir Island. Suddenly she is thrown back by a blinding light emanating from Meggan's true form. Meg accuses Rachel of not fulfilling her obligation to help Captain Britain, who has been lost in the timestream for a few weeks. Rachel denies Meggan's claim that Brian is trying to come back and she's his only hope, but Moira enters and supports Meggan, noting that her elemental nature would make her receptive to any emotions coming from a loved one like Brian, wherever he is. She figures Meg's altered appearance is being caused by Brian's love reaching across the ages. Kitty, Kurt and Rory rush in, but before anyone can continue, the security bell rings. Kurt answers it, saying he expected the call. He thanks the lady for coming, but before he can 'port down to her, she's teleported up to Excalibur. Amanda Sefton, calling herself Daytripper, appears, causing Phoenix to freak and storm out. Nonplussed, Amanda starts examining Meggan instead.

Elsewhere, Rachel rearranges her clothes into her costume, then hears Brian's call in her head again. She begs him to stop asking her to switch places with him, not wanting to lose her life in the present now that she's finally found her family. She refuses to help, but Brian forces himself into her body, causing her arms to bulk out as his do, including a costume shift. Rachel slams her hands into the wall to drive him out, then is surprised to find her hands hurt. As she wonders if she's been emotionally cut off for that long, Kitty enters and asks for the truth about her situation.

Kitty saw enough to realize that Rachel knew about Brian for weeks and didn't come forward. Rachel explains she was afraid of losing everything, including the reconciliation she made with her "mom" Jean. Kitty tries to console her, but Rachel pushes her away, calling herself selfish. Kitty recognizes Rachel's survivor's guilt and asks her to open her memories to a time before Excalibur, before she came to the present...

Rachel shows Kitty the hounds' pen where Ahab kept her and the other mutant-hunters. Sitting in the filthy rooms, they could all hear the screams of those they had hunted down. She always felt she was buying each day of her life wih someone else's. Kitty reminds her she was drugged and brainwashed at the time. Rachel understands that today, but says her past self doesn't. A scream rings out, and Rachel shows Kitty Ahab's worst torture: whenever he killed another mutant, he'd leave the front door open, daring his hounds to escape. But they couldn't, knowing how they betrayed their own kind. Rachel recalls this particular night because she stopped feeling any emotions, and became focused only on her survival needs. Kitty turns to the light and grabs Rachel, telling her that while Ahab took her past, she can't let him take her future, and she's got to finally (symbolically) leave this room. Together they walk into the light.

Later, Excalibur stands on the cliffs of Muir, and Phoenix is prepared to do what must be done to save Brian. Amanda offers no gurantees, then begins to work, attempting to use Meggan's love as an anchor to pull Brian to the present. unfortunately, Brian is trying to switch places with the timeline's biggest temporal anomaly - Phoenix, and though there may be a way to keep the two of them here, it's not likely. Rachel accepts anyway, and weaves her spell around the women. All around them are images of X-Men, past, future and alternate versions. They have entered the timestream, and it pays off, as Rachel sees Brian. At the same time, Rory sees Ahab, and realizes that it's his own future self! Brian begins to switch with Rachel, and she accepts her fate, but Kurt grabs her arm in protest. Rachel begs Kurt not to interfere, then asks Kitty to say "hello" to her when she's born to Scott and Jean. Then the switch completes, and Rachel is gone.

In her place swirls a mass of energy that finally coalesces into human form. Amanda faints, and Kitty and Meggan stare in confusion at the being the pulled from the timestream. Meggan queries him, and in a strange voice the blond man says he can't really answer to "Brian" after what he's been through, but they should call him "Britanic" instead!

Backup Story: "A Demon went to Church on Tuesday"

Nightcrawler stands in front of a burning building, recalling his days in the circus and the things he's seen with xEcalibur. He hears a child cry "Mommy" while pointing at the fire and teleports into the flames to find her mother. Karen Willis thinks she's dead, and seeing a blue demon reach out to her from the fire isn't helping. She can't hear him over the roar of the fire, and in an instant, Kurt grabs her and teleports as she screams.

Outside, Kurt and Karen appear, and Karen runs to her daughter, even as she yells at the "demon" to get away. Kurt is hurt by her words, though he thought he had come to terms with this kind of prejudice.

Later, in a confessional, Kurt asks a priest to forgive him for being born a mutant. This shocks the priest into silence, which Kurt takes as condemnation. Kurt apologizes and starts to leave, but the priest asks him not to. Father Brennan now asks Kurt's forgiveness for being born human. Nightcrawler asks why he must go through the hell of this world to reach heaven. Father Brennan says he hopes intolerance will end soon, but until then they must stay strong. As Kurt looks at his scarf covered with X's the priest reminds him that they all have crosses to bear.