A/N: I don't own anything X-Men except my original character Leah Braun. Throughout the story there will be bits and pieces of some German, which I used google translate for (sorry if its butchered).

Land Mann=Country man

Leiblinge= Darlings

Waise=Orphan

Schiff=Ship

The rain beat down on me harshly as I tried to shield myself with a soaked through newspaper on the streets of Germany. I walked through the beaten up ghetto trying to get back from my lunch break, I knew Gustaf was going to be mad at me if I was late. Strolling in, I shook off my rain soaked jacket and hung it up on the coat rack by the door and surveyed the bar. Same old drunks in here every day. The nearby factories had been up and running for the last ten years, but life in Germany was still hard as we picked up the pieces from the war.

I thought the drama had already come and gone, that the traumatic events in my already troubled life had passed. I mused to myself that I'd live the rest of my life in the shabby little loft I occupied for the past two years on the outskirts of Dresden, Germany. My home that I had returned to years after the Holocaust. It was on one cool, autumn day two men walked into my life, as they strode through the creaky door, that would prove me wrong.

I was standing behind the wooden bar drying out pint glasses, casually keeping an eye on the few drunkards brooding in the vicinity when the two approached me. The shorter one on the right had a lovely head of dark hair with a refined look about him, and I wasn't speaking about his style of dress; I could tell he was someone of high caliber and intelligence. In contrast, the man next to him stood about half a foot taller, with shorter medium brown hair and a more casual look about him.

"You're looking for me, aren't you?" I said knowingly, brushing a stray strand of my dark brown hair away from my face, not keeping contact particularly with the tall one. My instinct told me to stay away from him for some reason.

"Yes, that's correct, my name is Charles Xavier and this is my colleague Erik Lensherr. May we speak with you, madame?" He answered me with a surprisingly delightful English accent. He waited like a gentleman to be invited a seat which I allowed, since I had to anyway as I couldn't turn away a customer or Gustof would have my hide.

"So, what are you-" I looked up after leaning down to put away a glass under the bar and fully looked into Erik's eyes and gasped.

I saw so much in his eyes when we made contact, it was almost unbearable, but I couldn't find the strength to tear them away. Erik had experienced the Holocaust first hand, and because of my own mutant abilities, I could see into his memories of it. I saw it as a curse because it occurred randomly sometimes when I wasn't focusing and tended to only be memories that carried tremendous pain with them. It wasn't always like that, but the bad times were more than enough to give me a bad taste for prying into the hippocampus of the brain.

Instinctively, I grabbed his hand to steady myself to not collapse from the mental pain I was experiencing, because I was involuntarily re-living his tearful memories during the war. I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to myself, I was always very careful to not let people think I was some freak.

"You're a fellow Land Mann , welcome back." I managed to say breathy, opting to not directly say what was on my mind.

"How did you-?" Erik quizzically asked me, looking at Charles for the answer instead.

He had a different kind of accent, it sounded like a blend of English and German. From this, Charles took his cue to take hold of the conversation so we didn't get lost in our own endless thoughts.

"As you can see Erik, Ms. Braun has a very special ability. She can see people's most important memories, and can possibly do quite more. Can we talk in a more private setting? For obvious reasons, of course." His eyes scanned the room; even though the room was full of drunkards, this conversation was best held somewhere else.

"Yes, of course, Mr. Xavier, just give me one moment!" I walked through the back door to Gustaf's office and told him I was taking off early since the place was pretty much dead anyways. He grumbled in reply as I grabbed my bag and headed out the door to meet the duo again.

Germany had become a different place since the steps to recovery had been made after the war, but I never felt it was the same. Sometimes I wondered why I bothered coming back...perhaps for nostalgia, but I found there was always an ache to truly feel at home. I had wandered aimlessly trying to find my place in the world, but since I had never met anyone else like myself, I felt right about jumping into the cab with the fascinating mutants. I just knew deep down I could trust these men naturally, and if they had less than sincere intentions, I would know.

There was something reassuring about Charles, as if he was imparting feelings of serenity my way. Erik put off a more reserved attitude towards me as if he was not very trusting, causing me conflicting feelings because I immediately wanted to get to know him because of his past.

"Please, I am here to help and offer you a new way of life if you'll hear us out, Leah. One that will fill the void you have felt all these years ." Charles' voice resounded in my head, startling me as we walked out the front door.

"Did you just say something in my head?" I nervously laughed, hoping I wasn't going insane, looking around me to see if anyone else heard what I said.

"Yes, that's quite right. I'm what's called a telepath and can read minds. Erik can move magnetic objects, the power of magnetism. The reason why we sought you out is we're assembling a very special team this world has never seen before: one of our own kind." He opened the back door of his automobile and gestured inside.

I had no family left here, a thought that made me sad but nonetheless had never hindered me from going on with the fragment that was my life. I figured I had nothing to lose by following them further, even if there was a part of me that thought the turn of events was insane. Charles tapped on the rolled up window to signal the driver while I settled into the car, admiring the fancy upholstery I had never seen before. The little time I did get to spend with my own family, was not spent expensively in our home, that was for sure.

"Let's cut to the point, gentleman... why do you need me specifically of all the possible mutants in this world?" I crossed my arms, with a look on my face that said, 'I mean business'.

"I like her promptness, we're going to get along I can already tell." Erik said with a small smile creeping on his lips as he almost shyly looked over my way, then returned to his reserved facade. That definitely caught my attention, he was a sight to take in. It wasn't quite classic movie star looks by society's standards, but he couldn't be categorized by the average look you saw in everyday people either.

"I'm glad to hear that, but I doubt that will be so if I don't get a little more information about what's going on, Lieblinge ." I crossed my legs, pressing to hear what they had to say.

"There is a very credible threat, one that is trying to start World War III. I kid you not." He knew I was having skeptical thoughts about the boisterous statement. I could hear the seriousness in his voice, so I dispelled any thoughts of doubt right away.

"I'm just a Waise from Dresden, what can I do?" My voice was filled with an incredulous tone but little did I know how important I would later become.

"Your abilities are more powerful and potent than you think, Leah. When I found you, I had a strong reading emanating, you very well may have a lot of the power left unharnessed." Charles said as his eyes roamed casually out the window, until the car rolled to a halt at a hotel that was closer to downtown.

Erik stepped out first, lending me his cold hand so I could get out. I felt uncomfortable at taking it in my own again after sharing such a personal experience with him, so I averted my gaze. I decided to put it out of mind quickly so he wouldn't feel more alienated than I may already have made him feel at first. We strolled through a grandiose-looking lobby, filled with busy aristocrats and the few rich that still remained, probably to be the first ones to capitalize on the stagnant economy. The scars of a war torn country were still evident after seventeen years, the politicians just tried to mask it to make themselves look better.

We came to be at the fifth floor of the hotel and arrived at the door of a modest but well kept suite. I wondered how much money they had, because even if it wasn't expensive by American standards, it still was looked at as a luxury here.

"We really only just rented it for the day, hoping that when we left we'd have one more to join us on the jet tonight." Charles then started to go on about a maniacal man by the name of Sebastian Shaw.

I wondered why he was so keen on starting a war between America and Russia, coupled with Cuba that would set off a nuclear fallout if allowed to happen. It sounded like complete madness, and I could barely wrap my head around it.

He perused the whiskey cabinet with his back turned to us while I set my eyes on the many books the suite had to offer along its shelves. Whether Xavier was willing to or not, I was ready to take a break from talking about all this morose ending of the world, start of a new order sort of stuff. He fixed us all drinks at a slow pace, allowing myself a break to pick through the books absentmindedly.

"I never really got the appeal of Huckleberry Finn. The southern dialect rather frustrated me, I could never understand why people spoke like that." Erik surprised me when he turned up close next to me with a copy of the classic Mark Twain book.

"While I've only been around the indigenous northern folk of New York, I can still respect the difference in dialect and particular accent. I suppose Americans might think our accents are funny too." I dared to look up to him, being that I had a shorter frame of about five foot three in American terms.

"You've lived in America? Ah, that would explain your natural German accent almost completely being gone, but I can still detect a little bit of it here and there." Erik mused putting the book back on its shelf.

"Yes, after the war, I was placed on a Schiff to New York where I lived in orphanages for a few years. I'd rather not talk about that though." Those were the most difficult years I had to endure and I hated re-living them.

Being an orphaned German child in America so recently after the war was an unpleasant experience. We were unwanted because there was still so much hatred by the American's, but on top of that, all of my bad memories were felt ten fold.

Charles must have picked up on my thoughts, because when he came to us with our drinks, he placed a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. I took a seat by the window, observing the fall day turn closer to nightfall and looked up in eagerness at the two gentleman.

"So, when can we leave? I think I'd like a change in pace with this mundane lifestyle." I leaned forward a bit as the two sat attentively on the couch across from me.

"I always figured there were others like me, but in the times we've grown up in, I kept it to myself for my safety. I don't want to live like this any more, so if you can offer me something better, I'm in. Any way I can help!"

"That's what I like to hear, Leah! We have a jet waiting for us at the airport when you're ready. Do you have any more questions?" He asked like he didn't already know the answer to it, which made me smirk.

"Yes, well this is a little awkward, but may I borrow some money? I'm leaving everything here, and I don't mean to impose but living is hard these days for people like me. If I'm going to be involved in this, I need to know there is some security in it, apart from the obvious dangers it poses which I accept risk in." Most of my life had been dominated by outside forces, and I had hated the feeling of being out of control. I was always wondering how I would make it, to not struggle to thrive. The past seven years I had attempted the best I could to make things different, to move on.

"Yes, of course, Leah. I understand the things you've had to deal with and you don't have to worry about that. As long as you are in my care I can guarantee a home." With that, I smiled, for I felt that even though I had lost my natural family years ago, I might be able to make a new one, even amidst dangerous times.

X-x-X-x-X

Charles had gone out on an errand to meet up with fellow professors he knew because apparently he was an expert on gene mutation (go figure). He had just finished his thesis on it, which was an amazing academic feat, so he had some loose ends to tie up before he went on his sabbatical. This left only myself and Erik in the hotel suite to be alone with each other and our thoughts.

"You're a quiet one, are you not?" I asked him as I came out of the guest room, in a new set of clothes that had been conveniently placed in the wardrobe closet.

I figured if it was being offered, I'd love for once to get out of my worn out clothing and into something of better taste. Especially if I was going to be around Erik and Charles who weren't exactly modestly dressed. I wore a silk pencil skirt with a matching floral blouse and miraculously found my own shoe size, seven, (even though the American size usually isn't carried in Europe) that Erik immediately noticed. He strolled to the veranda door and opened it, gesturing me to follow him as he strolled out.

"Not exactly pretty, is it?" I implied how at least half the city was still rebuilding from the harsh bombings you could clearly see the results of.

"I wouldn't know if it ever was, my family resided in western Germany but you already knew that."

"Before I moved back two years ago, the last time I had seen this place was when it was in far worse condition. It's sad really." I turned from the ravaged landscape and pressed on with the conversation, ignoring it.

"So how did you come to meet Xavier, may I ask?" I crossed my arms, curious to hear more about how this all came to be.

"As much as it is to my chagrin, he saved me from drowning when I tried to stop Shaw. He was trying to escape in his submarine off the coast of Florida. I had been following his tracks through old acquaintances of his, while Xavier had just formed an alliance with MacTaggert in the CIA. It wasn't my wish for Xavier to get in the way. I almost had him." He didn't sound happy about the villain getting away.

"Fair enough, Mr. Lensherr. I don't question your power, I can sense it. It's not precise like how Charles knows, more like a gut feeling."

"Can you do more than that?" His eyes bonded to mine while inquiring into my abilities. Now, this I had to think about, because beyond my basic powers I hadn't attempted anything further.

"I suppose time can only tell as we all grow, moving on ultimately."

He averted his gaze when I caught him looking for too long and retorted, "I'm not exactly a people person, I've had my own difficulties adjusting to living a human life when I know I was meant for more. You were meant for more too, Leah." His gaze re-focused and caught my own with more intensity than I ever had seen with someone.

He was absolute in his statement, it made me want to take his word for it but I still had my own insecurities. Then again, I wasn't very sure about a lot of things in this world.

"How do you know that, Erik? How are we supposed to know what we're really meant for?"

"We have the evolved mutant gene, we were made to be the top of the food chain. We just have to take what we want, after all anything is possible for us." He made a motion with his hand towards a picture frame and brought it to his hands. It was a wonder to see, I really had never seen anything like it before! I smiled gleefully back at his little feat.

"That's nothing, I can do much more. Charles believes you can too."

"Like what, levitate?" I snorted at my own quip (my humor isn't all that up to par).

"I bet that you have hidden abilities, and I'd be more than willing to help you discover your true potential. I've never met another mutant that has been through similar things I have..." Erik gently put down the frame and turned his back to her.

"I guess we'll never know if I don't push it then, won't we?" There was a twinkle in my eye and smidgen of flirtation in my voice I discovered, surprisingly which I wasn't used to having.

For the next hour we sat on the veranda and played several rounds of chess. We were almost evenly matched, going back and forth to see who could best the other for some form of dominance. Charles arrived when the score was four to six and seeing that I had already rummaged through the wardrobe, confirmed that I was pretty much ready to go on this trek to New York.

"Ah, I see you've already made yourself welcome with the new wardrobe. I hope they fit you well. I didn't pick them so don't shoot the messenger if it's not your style!" He lightly chuckled to himself, I guess that was British humor.

"Everything in order ? " Erik curtly asked Charles, turning around to face the both of us. All three of us looked ready to finally leave Germany.

Two hours later, we stood in front of the most expensive machinery I will probably ever see in my life, no joke. This thing was top of the line kind of stuff; it was more than twice the size of my loft and looked very sophisticated. I was actually feeling giddy walking up the ramp, barely being able to contain my marvel. After preparation was complete, the jet lifted off and we were on our way out of Germany and through the rest of Europe onto a journey I would never expect.