Author's note: Hello, everybody! It's brigid1318 again, with another X-Men story. I know I said my next story was going to be a "Jilly" fic, but... this story just wouldn't leave me alone until I did something about it. This is another Hank x OC fic, but it's going to be very different from Take A Chance. Hank and Zoey's love was as easy as breathing. Not so much between these two.

Feel free to leave reviews, because even though I don't *need* them, I love feedback. Expect updates on Sundays and Thursdays. Thank you for at least taking a look!

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men. Just my OC's.

Prologue

January 27, 1973

Just a trifling, non-scientific observation: It hurts a lot to jump out of a third story window. Even if you're a feral mutant and a metal-bending madman breaks your fall.

In fact, it's almost as painful as seeing the woman you've been in love with for years for the first time in a decade and having her completely ignore you.

But the horrible, marvelous thing about humanity- mutanity?- is that we can live with an astonishing amount of pain. We don't thrive- nay, we suffer, we trudge, we wonder how on earth we will go on- but somehow we survive.

I learned that living with Charles for the past decade. Watching my dearest (basically only) friend, my mentor, and the man I respect above all others in the world waste away from grief and drug addiction has taught me some very hard lessons I won't soon forget.

So shaking off the bone-jarring impact with the ground outside the Hotel Majestic is relatively easy. The crowd of watching humans screams as I roar and grab Erik Lehnsherr, professional sociopath, by the collar and throw him into the hotel's fountain.

It feels good to bash the back of his head into the fountain's bottom, a guilty pleasure to watch him thrash around underwater as I snarl in his face.

Sending a bevy of missiles at the American and Soviet navies, putting a bullet in Charles' back, leaving him bleeding on that Cuban beach, taking Raven with him and then trying to kill her today... His list of sins are endless, and I can't say I would feel much remorse if he died.

But then, just as Erik's flailing ceases, I feel myself being wrenched up and away from my prey. He sits up and looks on with grim satisfaction as the metal decorations of the fountain twist around my body and bind me in place.

I struggle to get away, but I'm held fast. On display, roaring in useless fury like a trapped animal at the zoo for the gawking humans to ogle. I've never felt so exposed, so hideous.

And that's saying something.

Humiliation clouds my vision as Erik moves away, flinging people out of his way with supreme unconcern as he searches for Raven. I can only hope that I gave her enough of a head start to escape him.

The clicking of photographs being taken and the steady whirl of the cameras witnessing my shame seems thunderous in my ears as the crowd falls silent while I hang there, trapped.

Now I know exactly how an ant under a magnifying glass feels. It's like their frightened, disgusted stares are searing my very skin.

I'm a captured animal, my degradation a source of horrified fascination for them all. A beast in the truest sense. And no matter how hard I strain, I can't break free from my metal bonds.

Movement in the crowd suddenly catches my attention- a solitary, black-cloaked figure running towards me, pushing past the other onlookers. I can tell it's a female from the high-heeled boots she's wearing.

She makes an impressive leap into the fountain and somehow manages to land on me, gripping my thigh with her knees.

"Hi," she says cheerfully, like we're just two strangers meeting in the street. "Hold still for a second, ok?"

"W-what are you doing?" I ask, completely taken aback by her sudden appearance.

She's pretty in a sweet and innocent girl-next-door sort of way- white-blonde hair peeking out from under her hood, a full mouth that's too large for her jawline and smallish chin, and a cute nose and cheekbones that have a light scattering of freckles across them. Her large, hazel eyes are a tawny brown around the pupil that fades to beryl green, encircled by black around the edge of the iris and framed by long, dusky-blonde lashes.

The woman snorts disbelievingly and peers up at the metal holding my wrists in place. "What does it look like I'm doing?" she retorts. "I'm trying to get you out of this. You don't exactly match the decor."

I can only open and close my mouth like a dying fish as she pulls a knife out of her boot and uses it to cut through my bindings like butter. My immediately thought is wow, where can I get one of those? It's very handy.

"Thank you," I murmur hoarsely, fervently once she's done.

Her lips twitch up into a reluctant, amused grin, revealing a set of dainty little fangs on the first incisors and canines of her top and bottom jaw. I note the fact that underneath the hood of her cloak her ears are pointed, like an elf's, and the tips poke out of her hair.

"You're welcome," she replies. "Good luck."

She leans in and gives me a swift kiss on the cheek, leaving my skin burning and my head reeling. She smells very nice, like flowers and sunshine. Based on her scent, I highly suspect she's also a feral mutant.

Like myself.

The woman hops off of me before I can say anything else. She lands on the edge of the fountain with the grace of a bird and takes off running. She clears a police vehicle in one leap-

And disappears into the horrified crowd again.

I untangle my legs from the metal cables and drop down into the fountain with a splash.

Free. I'm free.

That girl, for whatever reason, freed me.

I rise immediately and run away from the scene of my humiliation on all fours, fleeing the horrified stares of the crowd. The way they cower away from me only spurs me to move faster, back to the safety of Charles' private plane.

How ironic is i that a mutant showed more mercy and humanity than all of those humans combined? I can only guess what horrible things the authorities would've done to me had they caught me. The diminutive scientist we just saved from assassination, Dr. Trask, would've had a field day.

But that woman saved my life.

I wonder- will I ever see her again?