Disclaimer: I do not own X-men; the only thing I own is Natalie.

Note: I would appreciate any reviews. Thanks!

Chapter 1

Magneto watched the girl struggle like a fly in a spider's web. Two of his cohorts, Mystique and Sabertooth, held her firmly. She glared at him, unable to do anything more than that. He could feel the anger coming off her in waves…she was not one to submit easily. Gesturing to his guards, they released her. She sprang at him, only to be brought short by a chain that wrapped around her and held her still. Still attempting to move forward, she fell over on her side, still squirming. He stood there, staring down at her. He was wearing an elegant purple armor, with a dark red cape over it. A helmet completed his image, covering his head snugly; she was still able to see his elegant face.

At 5'7, 149 pounds, this girl did not frighten him. Her dark brown eyes promised retribution that she would be unable to mete out. Her flaming red hair was tangled around her, disturbed by her recent fight. Her black body suit was unwrinkled and conformed to her shapely body. She was calmer now, simply glaring at him again. Realizing that there was nothing she could do to free herself for the moment, she decided to save her strength for more important battles.

"My dear Natalie, you do realize that I did not bring you here to harm you. If that was what I wanted, I could have done that anywhere. For now, let's just say, I'd rather have you here than roaming about freely, all right?" Magneto's bright blue eyes rested on the now still young woman in front of him. Gauging her reaction, he judged it safe to release her. She stood up hastily, brushing her hair straight with her hands. A bruise was forming on her right cheekbone, a testament to the fight she had put up. She brushed it gingerly and winced at the pain it caused.

In a firm voice, she stated, "I don't care why you brought me here…I'm interested in leaving. Tell me what I have to do to make that happen." She planted her feet firmly and crossed her arms. He laughed, and she scowled. She hated to not be taken seriously.

"You are not leaving here. There is nothing you can do about it. Sabertooth, take her to her cell. Do not hurt her again." He growled, but nodded his assent. Roughly grabbed her arm, he began dragging her down the hallway. She hissed at him, but allowed him to continue towing her towards her intended destination. 'Perhaps I will be able to make my escape from my cell,' she pondered. She wasn't strong enough to really hurt Sabertooth, although it would be quite satisfying to try. Natalie sighed, realizing that, at the moment, the situation seemed quite hopeless. She stared listlessly at the ground, when suddenly she noticed that they were about to proceed onto a bridge of metal planks. She balked at crossing it…she was absolutely terrible with heights. She panicked and twisted out of his grip; he was surprised enough that he allowed her to slip out of his hand and run off the other direction. Roaring in frustration, he took off after her.

She dashed through the hallways, not daring to stop for a breath. She used to be in track, so she wasn't completely slow, but she could sense that she was out of shape. Natalie was slowly running out of steam. Turning a corner, she saw something interesting. Seeing what looked like a door to the outside, she zipped towards it. When she reached it, she tugged on the door, expecting it to open. When it didn't, she looked around and didn't see anything odd. Sighing at her luck, she turned around and ran back towards the intersection in the hallway. Turning left, she ran smack into Magneto.

She automatically kicked out, but he deftly avoided her and used a nearby metal bar to secure her again. She recognized that there was no possibility of her escaping from this man. He was the most intelligent out of the bunch, she noticed. Mystique hadn't said much, so she didn't really get a good gauge of her capabilities, but she had noticed that Sabertooth was the equivalent of a hired brute. He had a lot of brawn and no brains to speak of.

Turning her attention back to Magneto, she looked at him defiantly. "Your defiance will win you nothing. You are going to stay here; nothing you can do will change that. You are merely attempting to avoid the inevitable," he said to her. Magneto lifted her into the air with his powers, and walked along those same corridors she had raced through, and they were back at the bridge. She was okay with hovering above the ground; she wasn't really that far off. It was only a few inches. The thing she really did have a problem with was this bridge. She supposed that it was safer traversing this with him having her hovering in midair than her walking.

Remaining quiet, she allowed him to transport her across the bridge and to her new home. He waved his hand, and the bars parted for him. He moved her into the cell, and the metal bar that kept her imprisoned fell to the floor. Apparently, he didn't think she needed it anymore; she moved towards the open bars in a last attempt to escape, but they closed just as she reached them.

Natalie resigned herself to a long stay. Looking around, she saw that there was one window, of sorts, opposite the bars that led to the bridge. 'It would create a nice cross-breeze,' she thought. Other than that, there was a cot in one corner and a toilet in the other. She wondered how there could be plumbing in a cell like this one, and that thought kept her occupied for all of five minutes. Then, she began pacing the length of her cell. She hated being confined. She supposed that all humans did…well, any sane human, she amended. Natalie wondered if this powerful creature would provide her with any materials for her amusement, or if he would expect her to sit here, every day, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her busy.

She sighed; she couldn't keep going on like this…it was so silly. Perhaps she would work on a story…she liked doing that in her free time; when she was in high school, that had been something she enjoyed doing in class to pass the time. She really only did that in Science classes, as she wasn't particularly fond of them. Now, that skill that she had cultivated would have to keep her occupied for the next few weeks…or years. Or decades…she had no idea how long Magneto was planning on keeping her here.

She didn't even have any idea why he was doing this. It didn't make any sense. She was just a typical 24-year-old. She was working on her Masters Degree in Library Science and was currently single. Her grades were excellent, but nothing out of the ordinary. She was a typical nerd, always with her head in a book, and that was the reason that she was single. Guys would have one date with her, and politely say goodnight; they wouldn't call back. She had been told she was pretty; it was true…guys simply couldn't handle such intelligent talk. Lately, she had been turning down any date offers, since this whole dating thing wasn't that important anyway. She was more interested in her studies.

Why didn't she ask him when she had the chance? He probably wouldn't have answered her, though. He appeared to be one of those who assumed that he was superior to everyone simply because of his powers. She had met some like that in college, who thought simply because their parents had money, that they were God's gift to women. This was the mutants' equivalent, she thought.

Natalie was aware of her small ability of precognition, but it didn't surface very often. She could make it appear at will, but she usually couldn't find something that important to know about. She didn't want to use her powers to become rich, although it would be nice. Natalie figured that would be cheating, and that wouldn't be right. She didn't think that her small powers were what he wanted her for, but she decided not to ask. If he didn't know about her powers, she wasn't about to enlighten him. With cohorts like Mystique and Sabertooth, he couldn't possibly be on the "good" side. It would be in bad conscience to help someone like that. Putting it out of her mind for the moment, she focused on what her perfect house would be, as a reason to pass the time.

She passed the next few hours constructing her perfect house in her head. Natalie was steadily working on the second floor when she heard footsteps coming towards her.
Standing up quickly, she observed Mystique, the blue-skinned woman walking across the bridge, holding a tray. Natalie wondered what she was capable of; she was quite sure that Magneto would not keep her around unless she had some special capabilities. Mystique came closer, and she slid the tray through the space between the floor and the bars. Then she turned around and left the same way she came.

Natalie looked at the contents of the tray; they seemed fairly innocuous, and her stomach was rumbling, so she chose to eat. There was corn, a ham sandwich, and a glass of water. It wasn't the most exciting lunch she had ever encountered, but she wasn't going to gripe; at least they had remembered to feed her. When she was done, she set the tray aside and went back to working on her house.

The days passed on like this for a couple of weeks, until one day, Natalie decided to get Mystique to bring Magneto back. She was getting real tired of spending all her time cooped up in a cell. Surely there was some way that she could convince him to allow her out from time to time. At first, Mystique wouldn't even answer her, but after a few days, she finally gave in. "I'll tell him," was all she said. Natalie waited impatiently for dinner, when she would most likely receive her answer. The time seemed to stretch forever. Her dinner was later than usual that day; she could tell by the position of the sun that it was about an hour later than usual. Finally, she saw someone approaching her cell. Surprised, she realized that it wasn't Mystique; it was Magneto! She hastily stood up and awaited his progress. After what seemed like an eternity, he arrived at the bars to her cell. He wasn't carrying a tray though, and she was puzzled. Maybe he was angry with her for making such a request, so he decided to punish her by not feeding her. Realizing that thought was pretty silly, she discarded it and instead decided to wait until he spoke.

"Mystique tells me you wish to be allowed to go outside. After your little displays a few weeks ago, tell me, why don't you, why you feel I should allow you such a privilege." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her, waiting for an answer.

She looked back at him, her answer ready. "I think you should if you want me to stay so docile. Have I stirred up anything lately? Have I been anything but well behaved? Don't prisoners get rewarded for good behavior? Look, if you want, I'll give you my word that I won't escape for the time being. I can't promise that I'll never escape, but for now, that won't be a problem." After arguing her case, she waited for his response. He was deep in thought for a moment, and then he nodded. Gesturing, the bars to her cell opened, permitting Natalie to exit. She eagerly dashed out, then remembered the bridge that she had to cross. Natalie stood frozen at the entrance, afraid to move. She had a scare a few years ago, in a plane. It came close to crashing, and she had never been the same about heights again.

Magneto seemed to sense her panic. "What's wrong?" he asked impatiently.

"Umm, I'm happy just hanging out here…we don't have to cross the bridge or anything." He nodded in understanding.

"You're afraid of heights," he stated. Natalie nodded sheepishly.

"I know it's silly; there's probably nothing wrong with the bridge; I just can't quite bring myself to cross it. I'm sorry." She waited for the disdain to spread across his features, but none appeared. His face was a mask, and she was incapable of reading anything from him.

"As a temporary fix, I propose that I bring you across the same way I did the last time we made this little journey. You didn't appear to have any problems with it then," he suggested. Natalie arched an eyebrow when he said temporary, but she let it go for the moment. She grabbed on to his suggestion like a lifeline.

Emily "Uh, sure. That sounds like a good idea." He took out a small metal ball from some unseen pocket and manipulated it with his abilities so that it became a round metal platform. Natalie looked dubiously at that. How could that be any better than the bridge? He saw her disbelief and smiled shortly. He stepped elegantly onto the platform and held out his hand. She nervously took it and stepped close to him. He wasn't wearing his metal armor this time, only his black undershirt and pants.

"I don't bite," he commented, and pulled her closer, so she was resting against his chest. She struggled briefly, but he didn't appear to wish to let her go, so she subsided. Soon enough, they reached the end of the bridge. She felt relieved, or at least that's what she told herself. Having Magneto that close to her did a little something interesting with her brain; she decided that she'd analyze those feelings later. The platform stopped moving, and she leapt off it, glad to be done with the bridge, for now. She didn't see it, but he smiled slightly. Magneto quickly composed his face and stepped off the platform. He led her through a few corridors and to an elevator. That elevator took them high up into his fortress; he was taking her to his outside observatory, where he had dinner all set up for her. When the elevator doors opened, her eyes widened in surprise.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed, afraid to disturb the beauty she found there. For a moment, she forgot she was up high, she was so distracted by the view. Then, reality came crashing down. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that she was safe. This was the top of a building, not a plane flying in the air.

Forcing herself to focus, she paid attention to the table Magneto had set up in the middle of the roof. There were two wine glasses set up, and a bottle of wine sat chilling in a pail, alongside what appeared to be a bottle of apple juice. Did he know about her aversion to alcohol? Her eyes widened a moment at that thought. Her eyes took in the rest of the table. A nice white tablecloth sat on the table, and each end of the table had a plate with a metal cover on it. The two chairs that were up there were nicely ornate, having an almost antique feeling to them. The chairs pulled back as they approached, and when she went to sit down, it pulled itself forward so it was underneath her when she sat down. The only thing this table was missing, she thought, was candlelight. This appeared dangerously close to a romantic dinner; that was not at all what she wanted. Magneto was the enemy. He was not to be trusted, and romance did require some degree of trust. This was not going to work. If that's even what this was, she mused. The covers removed themselves, and Natalie laughed. This was not at all what she expected from her captor; instead of some really elegantly made up food, her plate contained macaroni and cheese and broccoli, two of her favorite foods. She giggled; she just couldn't help it.

"I wouldn't have guessed you had it in you," she said, between giggling fits. Magneto looked on in amusement.

"I am full of surprises," he commented. Lifting up his own cover, she saw that he had the same thing as her.

"You're a mac and cheese person?" she asked, astonished. She would never have believed it of someone so averse to most things human, as well as humans themselves.

"Did I not say I'm full of surprises?" he questioned, picking up his fork so he could begin eating. Natalie shrugged, doing the same.

"I suppose I just did not expect it from you, is all." She began eating; she really enjoyed the meal. It was better than she had had in a while. Closing her eyes, she savored the cheesy taste. Realizing that she was very hungry indeed, she quickly polished off her plate. She and Magneto did not say a word until they were both finished.

Natalie stood up, suddenly needing to get some distance between them. She had read about the Stockholm Syndrome, in which the captive fell in love or began to sympathize with the kidnapper. She had rolled her eyes in disgust at such weak willed people, but now she could see how that might happen; she hadn't even been in his presence that often. It was really a perplexing conundrum. She didn't understand it at all. How could this happen…? Here she was, eating at a table with her kidnapper. He evoked these strange feelings inside of her; she didn't really understand what was going on. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

Magneto watched her with a frown on his face. He was well aware of her mostly strong willed nature. She may not go along with this, he thought to himself. She would need more coaxing. With time, he figured, she'd come around. She was important to him; he could wait. Patience was needed with this one. Standing up, he reached for a jar that he had sitting on the table. Walking up behind her, he tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and whirled around, expecting an attack of some kind. He simply waited, not speaking, and she arched an eyebrow in response.

"You shouldn't sneak up on someone like that," she said crossly, attempting to cover up her alarm that she hadn't been more aware.

"And you, my dear, should be paying more attention. I was making enough noise that you should have heard, had you been mentally present," he retorted. She blushed at this. She really should be paying more attention to his presence than her personal thoughts. There was plenty of time for that in her cell, later. "Now, hold still. I am going to put something on that bruise of yours. Sabertooth hit you pretty hard, since it's still there." Natalie instinctively stepped back, afraid of letting him get close. Realizing that she was being a bit silly, she stepped forward again to allow him to take care of it. He tilted her chin up so that the light could better illuminate her cheek. "You're lucky he didn't break any bones; he is a strong creature," he commented lightly as he worked on smoothing some salve into the bruise. She winced slightly as he touched it. It didn't hurt so badly now, but there was a little pain left. The salve felt cool to her cheek, and then she felt nothing. Magneto still held her chin in his hand, and he gazed into those dark, glittering eyes. They held a hint of curiosity, and a hint of alarm. She was still having issues deciding what to do about him. He could tell she was interested, but she was still divided.

Natalie struggled in his grip, uncomfortable with the contact, so he let her go. She was really out of her depth; she could sense that he wanted something, but she was unsure of how she wanted to handle it. The appropriate way, of course, was to tell him to stay the hell away, but she had to admit, she was mildly interested. She realized that she still didn't know why she was here.

"Magneto, why am I here?" she asked boldly. She planted herself in front of him and crossed her arms across her chest. He laughed at the idea of her challenging him in any way. He outweighed her, was taller than her, and was stronger than her. There was no way she could force the information out of him. He did want to tell her; it was just that he couldn't come up with a good reason. Was he supposed to tell her that he was considering her as a possible mate? If he did that, she was sure to resist. Magneto was quite sure that Natalie did not have a full idea of what was going on. He rather wanted to keep it that way for the moment.

At last, he answered. "You are here because I wish it to be," he said simply. Let her make of that what she would. She looked a little disappointed; perhaps that was not the answer she was looking for.

"That's not really an answer," she replied.

"It is to me," he said. "You will get no other explanation, so you will have to be happy with the one I have just provided for you." She glared at him for a moment, and then she turned away. "This is so silly though. It's not even like you spend any time with me." She stopped after saying that, realizing that she sounded like a girlfriend rather than a prisoner. Kidnappers were not supposed to spend time with their prisoners. That was not how it worked. She blushed, but he couldn't see it, as her back was turned to him.

"I am sorry for that," he said calmly, as if this were a perfectly rational conversation between a couple. "I have been tied up with some business and have been unable to be here as much as I would have liked." He had been busy working on creating his machine to turn all the humans into mutants. The process was going well; he had tested it yesterday on Senator Robert Kelly. It had worked; he would have liked to spend more time analyzing the results, but Senator Kelly had escaped. He still had Sabertooth locked up over that one. He sometimes wished he had brighter people to assist him, but all of those were on Charles' side. It was really quite frustrating.

"Well, don't worry about it. I'm fine on my own." She had to put an end to this conversation, she thought desperately. This was not the most appropriate conversation to have with her captor. She had to remember what he was. He was not her friend…she was his prisoner.

He nodded. "I'm sure you are." He could sense her growing alarm and decided to move this conversation onto new ground. He decided that it was time for her to move into real quarters. He had a feeling that she wouldn't leave him now. She was feeling a growing attachment to him, and although she wouldn't admit to it, she liked his company. She was trying to deny it…he could see the struggle she was going through. "Come with me. I have something to show you." Without looking to see if she would follow, he started walking in the direction of the elevator. Natalie hesitated for a second, and then she raced after him. Magneto held the elevator doors open for her, and they slid smoothly shut after she stepped in. They were both silent on the way down. When the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and Magneto stepped out. He continued on down a corridor, and she followed grudgingly. Following was not in her nature, but in this case, she did recognize the superior power of his, so she allowed it, for now. Natalie wasn't stupid. She was well aware of her capabilities, and now wasn't the time to fight. The corridor ended in a closed door, and Magneto stopped in front of it.

"These are to be your new quarters," he said, gesturing to the door. Natalie arched an eyebrow in curiosity. She wondered what had prompted this particular change in venue.

"Interesting. And what, may I ask, made you change my living quarters?" She was a bit suspicious, and she had every right to feel that way.

"If I had done this earlier, you would have fled." She started to argue, but he raised a hand. "You know it as well as I do…" She nodded shortly, agreeing with him. "Now, I feel you are adjusted enough to stay somewhere other than that homey little location that you were previously staying." Magneto opened the door, and Natalie gasped. Inside, it was gorgeous. The amount of money that went into that…It must have been a lot. Her family hadn't been that wealthy, as her mother had been single-handedly raising her and her brother by herself.

She stepped inside and looked around, admiring the décor. The walls were stone, but old tapestries and such hung there. There was a large round bed in the center of the room, with blue sheets and her favorite brown and tan blanket over top the blue comforter. Natalie turned around and looked at him curiously. "How did you know?" she questioned. He smirked.

"I have my ways," was all he said. She decided it was more important that she had her blanket. She had her weakness, and that blanket was it. Natalie raced over to the bed and picked it up, holding it up to her face. It still had that comforting smell that she loved so much.

Magneto's smirk changed to a satisfied smile. He was glad she was happy; he went to her house specifically to find that one object that she had a particular attachment to. He figured it would make the transition easier. He had the idea that she would be easier to deal with if she was at least a little happy. Magneto suddenly realized that he wanted her to be happy. All those little things, like obliging her request to leave her cell, the dinner, and more importantly, the blanket, were all signs that he was trying to impress her. He couldn't for the life of him think why.

She was just a girl…beautiful, he admitted to himself, but he had seen his share of beautiful women. Why, Mystique was beautiful. They had enjoyed a brief fling but had ultimately decided to keep it as friends. Mystique did not quite challenge him as Natalie did. Natalie considered herself his equal, and she had no qualms about telling him no. Mystique had put herself in the role of his subordinate, and after she had done so, they hadn't been able to enjoy a proper relationship. It just hadn't felt right.

Come to think of it, it really hadn't felt right since Magda. He could almost hear her telling him to go for it. She was an important chapter of his life, even though she had eventually chose to leave him. Magneto had come to realize that he had been frightening to her, and while he did not forgive her leaving him, he understood why she did it. He was no longer angry at her, and he felt that he had come to some important realization. Charles would have had something psychological to say about that, he was sure.

A noise distracted him from his musings. Turning back to the bed, he saw that Natalie had gone as white as a crisp book page. She slowly crumpled to the floor. Alarmed, Magneto ran to her side. If anything happened to her…He didn't even realize what he was thinking. "Natalie, what's wrong? Can you hear me?" He gently shook her. She moaned, and he sighed with relief. At least she was still alive.

"I'm fine," she whispered. He looked quite unconvinced.

"Nice try, Natalie. What really happened?" He looked like he wasn't going to leave until he had received an answer, so she told him.

"I saw that Senator Kelly guy. The one who has been such a jerk towards mutants. He died; it was horrible." She covered her face with her hands, as if she couldn't bear to face it. She could still see the image of Senator Kelly turning into water. She vowed never to drink another glass of water. The idea of something that terrible happening to anyone made her shudder.

She continued, "a guy in a wheelchair was reading Kelly's mind. I know why he died. It's part of that experiment you've been doing. That's why you haven't been here. That business that you've been tied up with," she spat. Her face wasn't quite so white now; it was tinged with red. The fury of her gaze frightened him a little. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, and she wasn't able to tell, but he was alarmed. Mentally, he knew that she wasn't able to harm him, but psychologically, it was a different story.

"Natalie," he started to say, but she cut him off.

"Don't even try to explain yourself. There's nothing to say. I'd like to be taken back to my cell now, if you please." Her eyes were no longer friendly. Now, they held hostility in them. He sighed. They had been making progress. Magneto nodded mutely in agreement with her request. Perhaps now would not be the best time to move her here. He gestured for her to precede him, and she did so, clutching her favorite blanket in her arms. At least she had found favor with that, he thought sardonically. She glared at him as she walked by, and he felt that glare sear his armor. If looks could kill…

She continued to walk in stony silence until they reached the bridge. The platform was still there, but she didn't take it. She couldn't. How could she accept help from a murderer? It just didn't sit right with her. She looked at the long expanse of bridge and sighed. If only she wasn't so bad about heights. A metal bar wrapped itself around her and hovered over the bridge. She struggled for a moment, and then she stopped, not wanting to fall. Natalie made a smooth journey across the bridge and into her cell. The bar released her gently, and she stood on her two feet. She glared at the bars on her cell as they straightened into place. Magneto strode away, and she was left alone with her thoughts.