Reggie, as she now thought of herself because she didn�t know anything else, sat on the bed in a large metal room. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and she had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She sat there watching the large blue furred man as he worked a few feet away. Next to him stood a smaller man with wild black hair and soft blue eyes. He had been the one who had brought her in here and had not left since. He just stood there, watching her with a scowl on his face. She didn�t know who he was, but the fact that he kept watching her made her nervous.

In order to take her mind off of that she began looking around the room. The bed she sat on was only one of several, each one set up with the head near the wall and the feet pointed toward the center of the room. There were medical supplies and tools scattered about the room in several different locations that she was sure only made sense to the large blue man. The walls were made of a shiny metal, and the floor had a kind of tile look to it. It looked like a hospital, but none of the hospitals she had seen on TV looked anything like this.

~Where am I?~

~You don�t remember?~

Reggie looked up, her eyes darting across the room trying to figure out where the voice had come from. The blue man was still busy, and she was sure that if it had been the other man he would have done it earlier.

~W...Who are you?~ she asked, hoping that he could still hear her, ~How can you hear me?~

Just then the door to the room swished open and an older man in a wheelchair entered. He was looking right at her, his blue eyes soft and understanding.

~My name is Charles Xavier.~ the voice said again, ~I am able to hear people�s thoughts. It is a...gift that I have. Tell me, you don�t remember this place?~

~No,~ she shook her head, dropping it as if in shame, ~I don�t remember anything before Josh. I�ve tried, but nothing comes.~

Xavier moved his wheelchair closer to her, stopping next to the bed on which she sat. He saw the tears as they started and felt the emotional pain that she was in. He reached out as if to touch her, then thought better of it and dropped his hand back to the arm of his wheelchair. From what he could gather just from the feelings she was emitting it would not be a good idea.

Instead, he concentrated on her mind and her fear. He rarely used his power in this manner due to the catastrophe that almost ensued when he had first used them, but in this case it seemed warranted. He focused on a feeling of safety and friendship. He surrounded her with it, permeating and breaking through the fear and pain that was wrapped around her like a blanket. He only wanted her to feel at ease, to be comfortable enough around him that she would tell him what he needed to know.

~I didn�t even know my name until the man in the woods talked to me.~ she looked up at him, a few tears slowly making their way down her soft cheeks, ~Do you know me?~

He could hear the hopeful tone of her mental voice and knew that she was hungry for any information about herself.

~Yes,~ a soft smile creased Xavier�s features, ~I know you, as does everyone else in this place. You are a friend to all of us.~

~All of you?~ she asked, looking over at the man who was still watching her.

Xavier looked over at the other man and gave a soft smile. He would have to explain everything to him and the others later, but for now he had to figure out what was wrong with her.

~His name is Logan,~ he said looking back at her, ~We�ve all spent the last month looking for you, but him most of all.~

She looked up at the man again, her brow knitting together as she thought about that. She wondered for the slightest moment if he was her husband, then shoved the thought aside as it conjured up visions of Josh and how he had treated her. If that is what he was then things would only get worse from here. She didn�t think she could ever do the things that Josh had made her do again, not even for someone that she cared about.

Xavier scowled as he caught a glimpse of the thoughts and memories that went through her mind. This was most disturbing. He could tell that what he would find inside her head would not be easy for anyone to deal with, but it was far worse for her. She had lived through it. He wanted to tell her the truth about her relationship with Logan but he wasn�t exactly sure what the truth was. In fact, he didn�t think that Logan or Regina even knew the nature of their relationship. He knew that they cared for each other, but that was about it. Aside from that there was no real definition of their feelings or what role those feelings played for each of them.

~Tell me about the man in the woods,~ he wanted to get her mind onto something else, ~What did he look like? How did you come to be in the woods?~

~I ran away from Josh,~ she looked at him. There was no joy in her eyes at that statement, just the simple thought that it was the truth. ~The only place I could run was into the woods, so that�s where I went. Josh came after me. He would have caught me if it wasn�t for the man in the woods. He killed Josh, just ripped into his throat and chest. It was like he didn�t even care about the blood that he spilled. He didn�t even bother to wipe it from his hands when he touched my cheek.~ She reached up and ran her fingers across her left cheek as she remembered his touch. ~He led me through the woods to this place and told me to go to the door and knock. He said you would help me. He never told me his name, but he acted like he knew me. He called me Reggie. Is that my name?~

Xavier looked at her. He now understood the blood that was present on her face and hands when she had arrived at the back door. At first they had thought it was hers but they had not been able to find any wounds that were big enough to generate that much blood.

~Actually your name is Regina. Regina Creed.~

~Regina.~ she tried the name out, a soft smile crossing her lips, ~It�s a pretty name. I like it.~

He smiled up at her as he tried to understand why Sabretooth would bring her here. He was sure that was who it was. Her description sounded just like him, even down to his disregard for human life. What puzzled him though was why he had brought her to them unharmed instead of killing her like he had threatened so many times to do.

It was well known among everyone at the mansion that Sabretooth despised Regina�s choice of friends and had threatened many times that he would kill her the first chance he got. That then begged the question why. Why hadn�t he taken this chance and killed her? He wondered if it was possible that Regina�s view of Sabretooth had actually been true. She had always thought that Sabretooth was simply a part of him and that Victor Creed still existed beneath that beast.

~Do you know the man who helped me in the woods?~ her question interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to look at her.

~I believe I do,~ he replied, ~But just to make sure I want you to think about him. Get a picture of him in your mind and keep it there for a moment.~

She gave him a skeptical look, but did as he asked. He reached into her mind and pulled that picture out of her memory. It was a simple thing, and he was sure she never even felt his presence in her mind except for when he spoke. That was strange to him. She had always been able to sense his presence before.

~Do you know him?~

Xavier looked up at her, a slight frown coming to his face. ~Yes. I know him.~

~What�s his name? He knew my name. It�s only right that I know his.~

~He calls himself Sabretooth.~ If it had not been for the nature of the man they were discussing he would have smiled, but he had learned long ago that Sabretooth was not a pleasant thought.

~He calls himself that?~ she asked, her eyes locking with Xavier�s for the first time, ~Why? Did he loose his memory too and just give himself a name?~

A soft chuckle escaped Xavier as he looked up at her. For the person that she was, it sounded so strange to hear her say something like that. It was like he was talking to a child. Despite what she had been put through. She seemed so innocent.

~No, he did not loose his memory. In fact he has a very good memory.~ he wasn�t sure how to explain to her about the codenames so he decided to just stay away from that subject for now. ~His name is Victor Creed.~

Her eyes lit up as she looked at him, and he could feel the hope that suddenly jumped to life inside her. Regina had always been very smart and it seemed that her loss of memory had not dimmed her intelligence in the least.

~That�s the same as my last name.~ her mental voice was filled with the excitement that Xavier had seen reflected in her eyes. Then, just as suddenly it was replaced by confusion. ~Um, what does that mean?~

A mental laugh filled Regina�s head as she sat there waiting for the man�s reply. It caused her to smile just a bit, bringing light to the dim pools of emerald green that were her eyes. She had never made anyone laugh before, it was a good feeling.

~It means that you are related in some way,~ he said with a sigh as the smile faded from his face, ~In this instance, it means that the man you met in the woods is your brother.~

~I have a brother?~ the excitement had returned to her voice, once again making her seem innocent, ~He must care for me, right? I mean if he didn�t he wouldn�t have come to find me.~

Xavier frowned, not exactly sure what to tell her. He wasn�t sure that she would believe him if he told her the truth about her brother. He knew that she needed to know the truth, but he also knew that right now she had no real way of telling if someone was telling her the truth or a lie. Against his better judgment he would have to treat her like a child, one that didn�t know the difference between reality and make believe. He would have to be honest with her in order to regain her trust, but he would also have to pick and choose what truths he told her. He was sure there were some that she couldn�t handle or understand. The question was how he would distinguish the difference without lying to her.

He took a deep breath, then looked up to meet her eyes once again.

~That is rather complicated,~ he said softly, ~Many things are. I will do my best to explain what I can, but some things I just cannot explain to you. Do you understand?~

She blinked, pulling back a bit. She wasn�t sure what to think of him now. Josh had never even bothered to talk to her, mostly because she couldn�t, or wouldn�t talk back. He had always rambled on, not caring what she thought or even if she was listening. This man actually wanted to tell her what he could, but he said that some things he could not explain. She thought that strange. She thought everything was explainable.

She looked at him with a puzzled look, then shook her head.

~Alright,~ she conceded.

She wasn�t sure why, but she trusted this man. It felt almost like he was family to her. That gave her a sense of comfort, one that she had never known before. It was a nice feeling.

~I need you to do something for me now Regina,~ his gentle voice once again interrupted her thoughts, ~I need you to lie down for me, flat on your back. Can you do that for me?~

~Why?~

He could feel that she was nervous and afraid. He didn�t blame her. If the glimpses he had gotten of what was inside her head were any indication chances were that she had every right to be frightened.

~In order for us to help you I need to know what has happened to you. I may be able to figure out how you lost your memory and in that way find a plausible course of action in retrieving it.~

She looked at him, her eyes clouding over with fear. She wasn�t sure what to think or what to do. A few moments before he had asked her to think of the man in the woods so that he could see that person. Would he make her think about what had happened? It wasn�t something she wanted to do, not something she wanted to remember. How could she think about all that again?

Without knowing it she began to rub her hands together in a nervous twitch. She felt her body start to shake and her skin get cold. She seemed to have no control over it, her body was doing it�s own thing without her consent or control. She tried to stop it but found that she could not.

Across the room Logan stepped forward from where he had been leaning against the wall. He had stood there and watched as the Professor had apparently carried on a conversation with Regina. He hadn�t hear a word of it, but then Regina hadn�t talked at all since she had regained consciousness. He had stood there and watched, the smells of her emotions reaching his sensitive nose each time she felt a new one. The thing that made him sick was the fact that most of those smells were fear and shame. What the hell had happened to her? This was not the woman he had come to know. It wasn�t the woman who�s life he had saved nearly 30 years ago. What had changed? How had it changed?

He stepped closer to the bed, his hands clenched into fists at his side as he watched her body begin to shake. The professor reached out and laid his hands on Regina�s arm, trying to calm her but she only flinched away, curling up inside herself once again. Logan wanted so badly to help her, to take away whatever pain she was enduring but somehow he knew he couldn�t.

�Regina please,� the professor spoke aloud for the first time, �I won�t hurt you, I promise.�

Regina shook her head, pushing herself closer to the wall as she tried to get away from the Professor. The table was set far enough away from the wall that if she went too far she would fall off and possible hurt herself. Worried about that and her constant rate of retreat from the Professor, Logan stepped around to the top of the bed arriving just in time to catch her as she toppled off the end of the bed.

His heart almost stopped when she turned to look at him. The look of fear was still in her eyes, but she didn�t seem to struggle away from him. She just stared at him for the longest moment.

�Ya ok?� he finally asked, breaking the silence.

She nodded, surprised by the gentleness of a man who seemed to be so scary and powerful. Josh had never held her like this, never been gentle with her. He had always taken what he wanted and not cared about her. This man seemed to care. She remembered that the Professor had said that they were friends. She wondered if he was as confused by this as she was.

Logan scowled up at the Professor, then stepped over and gently laid Regina back down on the table. He didn�t step away this time though. Instead he stayed there, his hands resting on the edge of the table.

�Regina,� Xavier said softly, drawing her attention back to him, �You remember that the man said that we would help you.�

Regina nodded, her head turning down to stare at the blanket that had been covering her. Logan had wrapped her in it just after bringing her here. She felt very uncomfortable in the black shorts and tube top that she had been wearing in the tube. So far they had not had the time to change them, so she had been sure to pull the blanket close around herself to prevent any of the men from getting the wrong idea. Even now, she reached for the blanket, pulling it tightly around herself.

�I cannot help you unless you allow me to see how this happened to you.� Xavier explained, �I need to see if I can find out how you lost your memory.�

Logan�s head snapped up to look at Xavier. She had lost her memory? How much of it? Could they get it back? How had she lost it?

~Those are the answers I am trying to find, Logan,~ came a soft reply in his head.

Logan simply nodded, then looked down at Regina.

�Let him help ya darlin�,� he said softly, �Maybe he can find the problem an fix it.�

She looked up at Logan, then back over to Xavier.

~Will I have to think about what happened?~

Xavier shook his head. ~Not this time. All I need you to do is lie down and clear your mind. It�s simple, and it won�t hurt. I promise.~

Regina thought about it for a moment, then finally nodded her consent. Trying hard to keep the blanket around her she laid down on the table, attempting to make herself relax. It was hard, especially with all these men around.

Logan left her side briefly, returning with another blanket that he laid on top of her. She looked up and gave him a weak smile, then closed her eyes and focused on clearing her mind. She didn�t see Logan leave the Med Lab, nor did she see Dr. Hank McCoy come over to monitor both her and Xavier as the Professor began his probe to find out what had gone wrong inside her head.

~ ~ ~ ~

TO BE CONTINUED...