A/N: This is my first X-Men fanfic. I hope you all enjoy. There will be some jumping around with time periods, but it will all make sense! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize.

Prologue

Erik sighed as his newfound friend Charles spoke about- well, Erik wasn't sure. He tuned Charles out some time ago. It probably had something to do with recruiting mutants, or the school he desired to open as a haven for young mutants. However, nothing seemed to keep Erik's thoughts from drifting off.

'You aren't even listening to me?' A soft voice rang out through his mind. Erik turned his head to show his exasperated expression. 'Why even bother asking Charles, if you already know the answer?' Charles smiled, his blue eyes twinkling softly. "Only wanted to see if you'd be honest or not." Erik snorted and turned to look out the car window. The trees passed by as they drove down a side road in Richmond, Virginia. So far, the duo's search for mutants had become slightly promising. Some mutants blatantly turned down then offer they presented- either it was out of fear of their powers or a lack of interest. Even fewer others pounced on the opportunity to make something with themselves and their gifts- to surround themselves with people just like themselves. Erik wondered how many more mutants were out there, hiding from cruel, violent humans. Erik felt the car slow as they reached a local park. As Charles and Erik exited the black Mercedes, they began to observe the serene environment. The trees bent softly with the wind- the wind carrying the laughter of children running around the playground, being princesses and mighty warriors in their own worlds. Erik gazed across the fields, seeing only children and their parents, and became confused.

"Who are we looking for?" Charles looked across the playground and fields as well. His brows became furrowed as he didn't immediately spot his next protégé.

"Her name is Henrietta Catherine Franks. She is petite, long brown hair, hazel eyes…" His voice faded as he searched for her. Erik saw none that fit his colleague's vague description. His gaze halted as he spotted a figure clear across the field, lying on a bench by herself, immersed in a novel. Charles must have spotted her as well as he started making his way over. Several times, they had to stop before they collided with humans half their size, smiling kindly as the children took off giggling.

As they moved closer, Erik could make out her blue, knitted dress and brown boots. He could see her lying on her stomach, her legs bent upwards. Even from several yards away, he could see a bright smile graced her pale face. As she continued reading, the smile fell slightly; her eyebrows came together, confusion in her eyes. She switched from both hands holding the novel to her left hand holding it open as she bit the nail of her right thumb. 'Cute' Erik couldn't help but think. As Charles and Erik came closer, the young girl became aware of other presences near her and her head turned and gazed up at the duo. The irises of her eyes seemed almost too large; however, the affect of that and her long dark eyelashes gave her a doe-eyed appearance. Her long hair cascaded down her back in thick curls and waves, shielding her slightly from the wind. Charles and Erik stopped approaching a couple yards from the bench. Erik could see a dusting of freckles across her tiny nose and cheekbones, hidden slightly from her pink tinged cheeks. He couldn't help himself as his eyes drifted down to her mouth, which had a natural pout. She truly was a lovely girl. Erik looked back at her eyes which were fixed on him. He could see knowledge and wisdom beyond her years gazing at him. Something else- something he could put his finger on- lurked in the background. He felt a tug at his gut- he was missing something. There was something oddly familiar about this girl- almost hauntingly familiar about her. Before Erik could discern what it was, they small girl piped up.

"Hi?" Her perplexed expression was also expressed in her tone of voice. Charles took the reins in addressing the young lady.

"Hello. Are you Henrietta Franks?" Henrietta nodded slowly, Erik watched as her eyes became guarded. She pushed herself up and curled her legs to the side as she propped herself up with her right hand. The open book lay forgotten next to her.

"Who wants to know?" Charles smiled despite her rude and blunt attitude.

"My name is Professor Charles Xavier and this is my colleague Erik Lensherr. We wanted to speak with you about your enrollment to the University of Virginia." Henrietta lost her guarded expression and Erik could hear a faint "Oh." She sat up a little straighter and evaluated them closely, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Do I get a full ride scholarship?" Her tone was playful, yet hopeful, a small smile beginning to show. Erik couldn't help but feel a slight pull at his own mouth as he smirked. She had no idea what she was in for. Charles chuckled delightfully.

"No, we are actually trying to offer you something else- something that could change your life." Henrietta snorted. "That's what all college recruiters are supposed to say." She swung her legs over to the side of the bench as she grabbed her novel, her back to the two men. She bent over and picked up her brown satchel and shoved the book in it before she closed it. Still not facing them, she stood. "Whatever you guys are trying to sell, I'm not interested. I've got enough on my plate as it is." Erik felt a pull in his stomach again as he watched Henrietta start to walk away.

"We understand," Erik spoke up. "We just want to talk." Henrietta paused and looked down. She appeared to take a few deep breathes before looking over her shoulder at them. Her eyes were filled with sadness, as if she had seen too much of the world. "You will never understand," she whispered. The way she stood, the way her hair fell down her back, how the wind whipped several strands across her delicate face, Erik felt something deep in him move. He knew her.

"Have we met?" Henrietta shifted so that she could turn to look at Erik. She evaluated him carefully, before she slowly shook her head. "No, we haven't." She said it with such resolution, Erik almost found himself believing her. Yet, he knew it was a lie.

"Well, Miss Franks, we would still love to talk. You may be surprised at how much we know about your-uh- "plate", so to speak." Charles tried again. Erik could see the twinkle in his eye that caused many women to simper. Henrietta gave Charles a charming smile, where the tiny gap between her front teeth could be seen. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine." She raised her small hand and wiggled her fingers as her "goodbye". She turned and began to walk into the tree line when that little feeling Erik felt hit him full force.

The moon's soft light glowed through the tree tops. Erik sat shivering at the base of the tree, in shock of recent events. He looked up to see a girl with long dark hair and an older portly man arguing in rapid Polish.

"I told you, I FORBADE you from not following the plan! You were only supposed to go to the office and collect information while we set prisoners free!" The man shook his finger in her face. The girl glared at the man, her eyes were wild with anger.

"He was sitting on a lab table! They were experimenting on him! I couldn't just leave him!" She spat back with venom. The man took several deep breathes before visibly calming.

"Camilla," he began gently "your heart is in the right place. But do you realize what you risked by saving him?"

"Yes." She replied firmly. She gazed at Erik. "He's very special," she whispered. "Well, of course he is if Dr. Schmidt is looking at him personally." Camilla looked back at the older man. "No, that's not why he's special." The older man rolled his eyes. "Oh, of course not," they replied sarcastically. " Just get him in the truck with the others. Then we can get out of here." The man stomped off into some nearby brush where other voices were heard. The girl approached Erik. He shrank away from her, not trusting her so easily. She knelt in front of him, giving him a big smile. Erik could see a tiny gap between her front teeth. Her eyes were large, doe-like. They held a soft light, something that resembled hope. Camilla said nothing as she held out her hand. Erik stared at it for a long time. Camilla seemed rooted in her spot, patient as Erik made his decision. Slowly, he placed his dirty hand in hers. They stood together. She turned and slowly led Erik through trees and brush.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere you can be free."

"Why did you help me?" Camilla stopped moving. She looked down at Erik. "Because I wanted to." She stared at him thoughtfully for a moment. "You are very special. I couldn't bear the thought of the Nazis taking something so wonderful from the world." With that, she continued forward, pulling Erik farther into the unknown. After a few minutes, they entered a clearing with several trucks. Heavily armed men moved with a purpose around the glade. Camilla cut her way effortlessly through the moving masses to the bed of one of the trucks. Erik glanced inside to see other prisoners of the camp. Camilla called out to one of the men. He came over with a slight smile on his face. They began to mutter to each other in hushed tones. The man would glance down at Erik every so often. Eventually he nodded and patted Camilla's arm. She turned Erik to face her.

"You're safe now. This is Hugo. He is a very good friend of mine. He will watch over you and keep you safe." Erik just looked at her. The moon provided barely enough light for him to see the dusting of freckles on her face. "I'm very happy to have met you, Erik." She bent slightly to give a gentle kiss on his forehead. With that, Camilla turned to walk away. Erik stared for a moment before calling out, "What's going to happen to you?" She looked over her shoulder, a breezed making her hair dance across her face. A small smile graced her lips.

"You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine." She wiggled her fingers in "goodbye" and began to walk into the tree line.

"Camilla!" Erik called out. The girl whipped herself around, shock etched across her face. Charles turned to his friend. "What did you call her?"

"What did you call me?"

"That's your name," Erik said with determination. The girl's instantly became guarded again as she shook her head. "No, you must have me confused with someone else." Her voice began to shake. She started to back up as Erik stepped forward.

"It was a dark windy night in Poland, many years ago," Erik began. "You found a boy, in a death camp, locked in a room full of metal objects, lying on an operation table." The girl stopped moving and crossed her arms across her chest, her eyes blazing with annoyance yet guarded from letting anyone see anything else she felt. "You took him, when you weren't supposed. You took him away from the suffering he endured for years." Erik walked closer as he noticed her discomfort. "You took him by the hand and led him through the woods, to trucks. You personally made sure he was in safe hands." Erik had stopped just before the bench, only a couple of yards away from a now disgruntled young girl. Charles gazed at her. He could sense her blocking him out of her mind, yet her walls were beginning to crumble.

"You took that boy away because you couldn't bear the thought of the Nazis taking something so wonderful from the world." Erik said verbatim. Camilla dropped her arms, a look of shock and amazement flashed across her face.

"Oh, my God!" She uttered. Charles suddenly was pulled into her mind, like a moth to the flame.

A large, chubby man looked down at Camilla. "You know what the plan is, now you stick to it, Camilla"

"Yes, sir."

The door to the office was left wide open. Screams and gunshots were heard from outside the building, yet she threw herself in the room. Her eyes instantly fell on file cabinets. She began to tear through them, looking for anything that could give away anything on the Nazi's military. The sound of metal falling to the floor drew her out of her thoughts. She turned to see a wall of glass, and a boy with blue-green eyes staring at her.

Something touched her. With every fiber of her being, she knew he was special. There was something beautiful about him. All thoughts came to a sharp halt as she realized he was lying on an operating table. Camilla felt like she could be sick. What did they do to him?

Camilla glanced down at the frightened boy sitting at the base of the tree. She knelt down and held her hand out to the frightened boy.

Something abruptly blocked Charles from further gazing into her thoughts. He came back to reality and saw Camilla staring at him.

"You read my mind…" Her voice trailed off softly. She looked between Charles and Erik. Her eyes became hard. "Do not seek me out again." Charles and Erik looked at each other in disbelief. "What are you hiding?" Charles asked cautiously as he looked at her. Camilla seemed to be desperate for a moment before she became guarded again. "If you know what's good for you, you'll forget all about me." Erik was suddenly filled with anger. What was she hiding from him?

"Look, we just want to speak with you." Charles tried again, but before he could continue, Camilla quickly opened her bag and began look for something. Charles brought two fingers to his brow, concentrating intently on her.

'3 minutes to get to the truck, I should be able to lose them…'

"Why do you feel the need to run?" Charles inquired suddenly. Camilla's head snapped up as she looked at Charles.

"Shit!" Her hand shot down into her bag and Erik heard the distinct jangle of keys. He watched as Camilla quickly extracted them from her bag. He raised his hand and in an instant the keys shot through the air and were in his hand. Camilla stared at her keys in his raised hand. Her eyes were back on his. What felt like an eternity, they just stared at each other.

Camilla dropped her bag, and took off in a sprint into the trees.