Lone Star.

Disclaimer: Well I-er-that is.... I don't exactly...er....own **grabs a suitcase and heads for Mexico.**

A/N: No review ack! **Dies**

Chapter Four, A Trip Down Memory Lane.

Polaris walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her head, holding up her wet hair. She felt clean, refreshed, but most important of all awake. She sighed contentedly and shut the bathroom door. Upon turning around she came face to face with most peoples worst nightmares: an angry Wolverine.

He was standing not a foot from her, a towel thrown casually over one shoulder and clutching a bar of soap like a grenade. He was so close to her and she could see there was a small vein on his right temple that looked like it was about to explode. She leaned a little bit closer to him and tapped his forehead reprovingly.

"If you keep your oh-so-sunny-disposition any longer, I'm afraid you're going to wind up with an aneurysm. So calm down you'll live longer." She said in a happy go lucky voice. She unwound the towel on her head and let her wet hair fall down her back. She began to pat it dry and walked off humming a little tune to herself as she did.

Logan looked after her as she walked down the hallway, and as he did, he found himself-to his own amazement-calm down. He just didn't understand what was with this woman, not half an hour ago she was yelling at him over coffee and now she was grinning like an idiot and telling HIM to calm down.

He just didn't' understand women, he though, that was it, he just didn't understand them. But, if he was going to understand one of them, he thought watching Polaris's hips sway to the rhythm of the song she was humming; he'd like to understand her. He walked in to the bathroom to take his morning shower.

**A Week Later**

"Ok Polaris, has the anesthetic taken affect yet?" Hank asked his back to her.

Polaris was, once again back in the medical wing, she sighed at the hopelessness of her ever getting out. She was here now to remove the stitches from her arm. They had healed up nicely, but there would still be four scars on her arm, but as she thought, they'd make for a talking point. "Erm, pardon, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention." She said to Hank's back.

He turned around and in his hand he held what looked shockingly like a pair of scissors and tweezers. "I said, 'has the anesthetic taken affect yet?'"

Looking down at her arm she pinched the area around the cuts. "Well, my arm feels like a sausage. So that's a yes." He laughed and walked over to her and began the painstakingly slow process of removing the stitches. Half an hour later all two dozen of the stitches where out and Polaris was no worse for the ware.

She flexed her arm experimentally and satisfied that the cuts would not burst open she let it drop numbly to her side. "My arm is still numb." She complained.

"Yes, it'll probably stay that way for most of the day." She groaned at his words, it felt awful, the numbness, she wanted to bang her arm against the sharp corner of the metal table next to her, just for the feeling of it, if nothing else.

"Believe me I know the feeling." He said sympathetically. "Watch where you're walking, your arms going to be like a noodle for the rest of the day, and you don't want to open the cuts again because it bounced off a wall."

She looked scornfully at her arm. "No I don't." She clarified, and then looked at him, the scornfully looked melted from her face and was replaced by a mask of gratitude. "Well, thanks for everything." She gave him a quick hug and walked out the door, the metal squeaking from the few rough spots left from where she fixed it.

Hank smiled to himself and went about his work. He then pondered the relationship she had with Logan. It was obvious to everyone with eyes that he felt something for her, especially to him. It was the way he looked when he brought her in, the concern that was written on his face. And the way he gently laid her down on the bed in the medical wing, making sure to watch for the wounds on her arm. The kids had already picked up on it, he was sure of that. The funny thing was neither Logan nor Polaris for all he could see had yet to pick up on it. But the fact of the matter was, there was something there. Logan, he could not help but thinking, is very lucky. And he could not help but feel a little sorry for himself, knowing that it was a one in a million chance he would ever find someone to love him the way he was now, but it was still a chance.

**Later that day.**

Polaris was walking down the hallway looking straight ahead of her, spaced out though she was, she still registered the fact that Logan was waling up the hallway opposite of her, she didn't think much of it other than the fact that he was reading a news paper. He on the other hand, didn't register her at all, that is, until the where parallel to each other and her arm hit him.

"Hey," He growled, "watch it."

She wheeled around to face him. "Watch what?" She demanded.

"Your arm, it hit me, so watch where you're going."

"It did not." She cried indigently.

"Yeah, it did, what's the matter can't you feel or something?" He raised an eyebrow and tucked the paper he was carrying under his arm.

She looked at him levelly. "As a matter of fact, I can't. I got my stitches out today and the anesthetic is still in effect. So if my arm really did hit you I'm sorry, you happy?"

"You got em' out today? Yeah, that's right it's been a week hasn't it." Then without warning he grabbed he arm and inspected it, looking at the four scars that lined her arm. He traced the lines with one of his fingers. "Your lucky not me people come out of a fight with Sabertooth alive."

"Yeah well, Victor and I have never really gotten on." She said jerking her arm from his grasp.

He looked puzzled for a second. "That's something I've been meaning to ask you, how do you know his name is Victor?"

She cast her eye to the ground and glared at it like she would bore holes into it. Logan could see her fists tighten until the knuckles where white. Then she collected her self and put on a mask of calmness. "We go back." Was all she said.

"Really, from the way you say it, its almost like you've fought him before this." He crossed his arm, in his best macho pose.

She looked up at Logan, her face was calm but her eyes where full of sorrow that stretched back for years. Logan almost lost his composure as he looked into her eyes, he could almost read them, as if they where a book, and life was that simple.

At that moment all he wanted to do was hold her, and tell her, he'd never let anything happen to her again, and what ever had happened he'd fix it. But that was foolish there was nothing he could do, he cast out that feeling like a doctor would a leg infected with gangrene sawing it off with merciless indifference.

Then she spoke and it almost shattered his resolve. The voice that spoke was that of a child, and not the boisterous woman that he had watched the last week. Her voice was cracked and etched with the sorrow of her eyes, "I don't like to think on it." She said and began to walk away.

As she did, Logan reached out and caught her wrist, "Does it," He began in his gruff voice. "Have something to do with your nightmares?"

"And do yours?" She shot back at him. "What does it matter to you, what I dream? I've never asked you about your nightmares, and don't think I haven't heard you muttering and crying out in your sleep."

"But I don't fall out of my bed at night." He answered evenly.

She spun around on her heel and would have left had it not been for the voice that echoed through Logan, and Polaris's minds. It was Xavier 'Hank, Logan, Polaris, come to my office for a meeting as soon as you can.'

After that was said, both Logan and Polaris forgot their argument, and Hank down in his lab turned off the Bunsen burner and removed the test tub he was working on. They made their way to Xavier office, and each in turn took a seat.

"Now," Xavier said wheeling his chair around. "I'm sure your wondering why I called you here." His statement was met with nodes all around. "Very good. It concerns you Miss. Polaris."

She looked up at the sound of her name. "Me? What do I have to do with it?" She demanded.

"I was just getting to that. Before you can begin teaching here, I need to search your mind, just as a precaution I assure you. I also need to look for any memory concerning Magneto and Sabertooth, to see why he attacked you. But before I begin I need your permission."

She stiffened slightly, "Fine, but when you look into my past, are you going to look in detail? And is anyone else," She cast a meaningful eye onto Logan. "Going to know what you find?" She looked at him questioningly wondering what his response would be.

"Not unless it presents a danger directly to anyone here." He clarified.

"Fair enough. Well then, you have my permission."

"Good, good." He wheeled his chair closer to Polaris. "Alright, I need you to clear your mind, try not to focus on anything thing, have you done that, good, alright let's begin." He placed his hands on her temples. And searched through her memory, nothing wrong, aside from the occasional small thing and human was prone to do, cheating at cards, small fights at school when she was younger nothing too grave. Then he looked at for memories concerning Sabertooth and Magneto, he found two memories that stuck out more than the rest. Her mind was like a jumble of papers in a filing cabinet that had been tipped over by a hurricane, so he focused on the two that stuck out. When he did he was hit with such a force that he unknowingly projected the memories to Hank and Logan.

**Memory 1** (A/N: You must remember that this is told through a child's eyes, it may be in 3rd person but your seeing through the little girl's eyes. And this happens in the span of a second time wise.)

She was in a super market with her mother, a tall beautiful woman with curly blond hair, she had a kind face, but the area of her eyes and forehead where lined with wrinkles from a mother's worry.

"Mommy," the child looked up at her mother, she was so small she had to stand on the bar of the cart to get a good look at her. "Can I have some fruit snacks?"

"Not today dear." The mother said looking at the price tag. "When Mommy gets her paycheck we'll come back."

"Yay!" The child threw her tiny fist in the air in triumph from a soon-to- be victory.

Just then a booming voice came over the intercom. "Attention Food Lion shoppers, the store closes in five minutes, please proceed to the check out counter with your purchases immediately. Thank you." With a crack of the speakers the voice switched back to the oldies but goodies station it had been on before the voice started talking.

"Laney?" The mother asked looking down at her child.

"Yes, mommy?"

"Could you run real quick to the frozen food section and grab some bologna from the lunch meat section."

"Sure thing!" The child said and dashed off, looking over her shoulder she could see her mother grabbing the box of fruit snacks and putting them in the cart. The girl smiled a little wider and ran a little faster.

She reached the frozen food section and looked all around, she couldn't find the lunchmeat. She walked the section once and turned around, she saw at the far end a man in a long brown trench coat; it was all torn up and patched in places.

The girl remembered something her mother had told her, 'If you ever need help, don't be afraid to ask.' The little girl summed up all her courage and walked purposefully towards him, her mommy had asked her to do something, so she was going to do it.

When she reached him, he was looking at a carton of eggs. "'Scuse me mister." She asked timidly. He didn't listen to her. She repeated herself; he still didn't listen to her. She reached up her little hand and tugged meekly on his coat. "'Scuse me mister." She said a little louder than before.

The man looked down at her his face was covered in hair. Everyone watching the memory knew him in an instant for Sabertooth, he was considerably younger, but they knew him in an instant, unfortunately the little girl didn't know that, she didn't know the danger she was in. The man smiled and his fangs where visible. "Why hello there." He said, eyeing her like a hungry man does a window in a bakery. "What can I help you with?"

She looked up at him timidly and dug her foot into the linoleum floor, "My mommy asked me to get some bologna and I can't find the lunch meat section, can you help me?"

"Sure I can, they moved the lunch meat section to the back, you want me to show you where it is?"

She nodded and buried her face in her hands, embarrassed that she couldn't find it herself.

"Say," The man said looking down at her small form, "Your name wouldn't be Elaine would it?"

"Yes it is but mommy calls me Laney. How do you know my name, do you know my Mommy or Uncle Archimedes?" She looked up at him trustingly; she was so young, so innocent, so totally oblivious t the danger she was in.

"No, I'm a friend of your fathers." He grinned broader his fangs more visible than ever. "Come this way and I'll show you where the lunch meat is."

"Kay!" She chirped and held out her hand, the man took it, and walked her through a door marked DO NOT ENTER on it, but the girl couldn't read, for all she knew it said, LUNCH MEAT.

As they entered the hallway, the girl realized something was wrong, the hallway had doors, and lot's of them, looking back on it she realized that they were probably offices, but she didn't know that yet. The doors where all metal, and at the end of the hallway was a glass door with and EXIT sign glaring down, above it. Out side the door, the girl could see a van parked under a streetlight, she then knew what danger she was in. She twisted and struggled and screamed but the man's grip was firm on her arm. She tasted for the first time, the metallic taste of fear in the back of her mouth.

Looking around frantically like a mouse that has been cornered by a cat, the little girls eyes darted around the narrow hallway. She had an idea. She braced her feet on either side of the hallway, pushing down as much weight as she could on them, but still the man pulled her forward, closer to the door, closer to the van, closer to the pain she knew would come if she went out the door with this man. Her tiny feet slide forward another inch, and then another.

"NO!" the little girl yelled her small childish voice full of defiance. The man looked down at her surprised. He was sneering at her mocking her, the little girl's fear gave her strength, and it unleashed a power that was not supposed to be. Two of the metal doors one on ether side of the man, came crashing down on him, pinning him to the ground and wrapping themselves around him in a death grip.

She saw everything in a red haze as she struggled to support herself, her little body's energy spent. She struggled out of the door, and when she opened it the light silhouetted a figure, it was her Uncle Archimedes, she fell into his arms, she was safe.

**Memory 2**

It was several years later and the small child was not so small any more, still a child but taller and gangly. No one spoke of the incident in the super market, the Black family handled matters their own way, and the man who had threatened her was well taken care of, or so they thought.

The Black family was special, almost all it's members had their own power. But Uncle Archimedes was the most powerful, he saw that the little girl had potential and knew there were others who saw it to, so from birth he shielded her, protected her from outsiders, but occasional his protection would slip, now was one of those times.

The girl was outside, playing on hopscotch at the end of her driveway. Uncle Archimedes and her mother were inside talking 'grown up' talk, so they sent the girl outside. With her Uncle so close, everyone thought she would be safe on her own, but the people watching her, the ones who would do her harm knew they were distracted, and took advantage of it.

A van rolled around the corner and stopped in front of the driveway, the little girl looked up and stopped mid skipped, from an onlooker's point of view it would seem the girl's heart stopped, as well as her movement. She recognized the van. She recognized the driver, but she didn't recognize the person looking at her from inside the van. Nor did she recognize the voice as it spoke.

"Come here child." Said the sickly sweet voice.

"No, mommy told me not to talk to strangers, and you better watch out Uncle Archimedes is inside and he'll fix you!" She turned to run but, the small necklace she was wearing didn't move with her, it went straight like a bored cutting her off. It began to move back, so that she had to move with it.

"Your mother is very wise." The voice said, and with a jerk of his finger the necklace began to drag her forward.

"MOMMY! UNCLE ARCHEMEDIES!" The little girl cried out as she struggled against the necklace.

Two figures came hurtling out of the front door, the first one was recognizable as the girl mother the second one's face was cast in shadow.

"LANEY!" The mother shrieked, she raised her fight hand and it caught fire.

The man whose face was in shadow stepped forward "Let the child go Eric." The man's voice said calmly.

"I'm afraid we can't do that, the child presents a danger to us, you know that."

"Not now she doesn't."

"But she will. So I will take her now, before the threat can manifest itself, with proper teaching I'm sure she'll learn who's the winning side is."

"I will stop you." The man raised the wooden cane he was holding.

The man in the van looked down at the girl struggling to get away. "Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson little one." The girl stopped struggling for a moment and looked at him, her face was red and puffy from the tears running down her face. "Never think you can win." The necklace the girl was wearing snapped off and went straight like an arrow, it zoomed past the little girl and she heard a sickening squelch as it hit flesh.

The little girl fell to the ground at the sudden like of obstacle. Se turned around to see what the necklace had hit. When she did she screamed, her mother was lying on her back, the necklace sticking out of her body and the small heart charm glittering red in the sunlight.

"MOMMY!" The little girl screamed and ran towards her mother; the tires screech echoed her own as the van drove off. Her Uncle jumped in front of her and caught her mid run and shushed her cries. "MOMMY!" She yelled again, and sank down into the blissful blackness of sleep, where one didn't have to think.

**Back to consciousness**

The professor gasped as he exited her mind and Polaris sagged forward. Looking around he saw that Hank and Logan had fallen to the floor, and he realized with growing horror, that they had seen her memories. The emotion had been too high; he couldn't take it so he unwittingly passed it to the two others.

Polaris too looked around her eyes wide with horror, "Why," she began in a quavering voice, "Why did you make me remember that, like I had to live that nightmare all over again."

Hank and Logan began to get up, each looking at her, meaningfully, and then she realized what had happen, "You saw," she began, "didn't you?" She asked.

The two nodded, not even Logan could speak, what must it have been like to watch your mother die at that age, what must it have been like to know you where being hunted.

"Polaris, I am so sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen." Xavier said.

"I know you didn't." She said with a sigh, "It was partially my fault. I was so upset, I wanted the world to know, and I wanted everyone to share my pain, it wasn't fair." She was fighting back sobs. "Why should I have had to go through with that? Why me?" She put her face in her hands, "It just wasn't fair."

Xavier patted her back, "I know, we all do."

A/N: ARGH! That was a hard one! R&R!