Rating: PG-13 (for some language and some adult themes in later chapters)

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, except when they are. The settings and locations are not mine, except when they are. The plots, conflicts, and resolutions 'are' mine, except when they're not.

Reviews/Feedback: 'Constructive' criticism is always welcome. Any suggestions you may have on how to make my story better will be greatly appreciated.

Chapter 1:

The woman who got out of the car and began walking up the path to the mansion's front door looked for all the world like a female Clark Kent. Her dark hair was cut in a short bob, and she stared out at her surroundings through a pair of glasses. Her professional attire consisted of a tailored skirt and blazer in navy blue, with a coordinating blouse and stylish but sensible shoes. A briefcase completed the look.

The woman had arrived at Charles Xavier's school for the gifted promptly at the prearranged time. Being punctual was very important to her. It helped make a good first impression. The men and women that she did business with were arguably some of the most powerful people in the world, and their respect had to be earned. However, they were much more likely to give you a chance to prove yourself if you not only knew what you were doing, but also projected a certain attitude. You needed to be respectful, but without seeming intimidated. You also needed to appear confident, but not so much that you came off as arrogant.

Just then, a series of bright, flashing…somethings, resembling fireworks, streaked across the sky. The woman paused for a moment to observe the spectacle, and then continued walking. Very little surprised her anymore. In her line of work, things that were in any way out of the ordinary were commonplace. You either got used to it, or you found another line of work.

After reaching the front door, the woman knocked as she'd been instructed. The door was answered by a light-skinned black woman with snowy white hair.

"I have an appointment with Professor Xavier," the woman outside said, producing one of her business cards.

The white-haired woman glanced briefly at the name on the card and said, "The Professor has been expecting you."

She then led the other woman to the Professor's office. Professor Charles Xavier himself proved to be an excellent host, providing tea and coffee for his guest. The woman took a seat across from the Professor's desk after pouring herself a cup. They exchanged a few pleasantries before getting down to business.

"I asked to meet with you because you were highly recommended," the Professor said. "My usual legal consultant, Matt Murdock, told me that you are very accepting of people with…special abilities."

The woman took a sip from her coffee cup.

"I've met some…unique people through my work," she said. "Most of them are just trying to make a living like everyone else."

The Professor acknowledged her statements with a nod before continuing. "I've also been told that you can be trusted to be discreet. For the safety of the students, I would prefer if the connection between this school and the X-Men did not become public knowledge."

"I understand," the woman said. "Unfortunately, the more we put your faces out there, the greater the chance that someone will recognize you out of uniform. Not to discourage a potential client, but are you sure you want to do this?"

The fact that this woman was willing to put the best interests of other people ahead of her own livelihood convinced the Professor on the spot that he'd found the best person for the job.

"Unfortunately, current circumstances have made it necessary to raise additional funding for the school," the Professor stated. "Licensing and merchandising seems to be a reasonable way of accomplishing this. I was also hoping that the exposure might better the situation of mutants in general, by portraying them in a positive light."

"In that case," the woman said, opening her briefcase and taking out a sheaf of papers, "here's a copy of my standard contract. I try to personalize the terms for each client's unique situation, but this will give you the basics."

The Professor took the papers from her and began studying the contents when a confrontation was heard coming from the hallway on the other side of the office door. Two people, both male from the sound of it, seemed to be in the midst of a heated argument. The Professor was fairly certain he knew who the voices belonged to, even without resorting to his telepathic powers. His suspicions were confirmed when the office door opened and a furious looking Scott Summers stormed into the room, closely followed by an equally infuriated Logan.

"Why the hell do you have to drag Chuck into this?" Logan growled as Scott entered the office. "You've got a problem with me, you talk to me."

Scott ignored Logan's words and faced the Professor.

"Did you know he was keeping beer in the garage?" Scott questioned, pointing a finger at Logan.

"It wasn't anywhere the kids were gonna find it," Logan argued.

"If I could find it, anyone could," Scott countered.

"So you went and poured it all down the sink," Logan stated before asking Scott, "Do I mess with your stuff?"

"YES," Scott replied, "my motorcycle, my car…"

The Professor cleared his throat, which silenced both men. He then turned back to the woman seated across from him. The woman in question was trying very hard to maintain a neutral expression, and was actually succeeding for the most part. However, her lips were slightly quirked in amusement. Superheroes or not, men would be men.

"I apologize for the interruption," the Professor said before making the formal introductions. "This is Scott Summers. And this is Logan." The Professor then addressed the two men. "This is Erin Maguire. She's agreed to represent us in our licensing and merchandising endeavors."

Judging by his expression, Scott looked to be somewhat embarrassed by the scene their visitor had just witnessed, and he was. Scott felt that, in Ms. Maguire's eyes, such arguing would be viewed as petty squabbling, which would reflect badly on the team as a whole. Logan, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less about making a good impression. At that moment, his eyes were focused on the woman, sizing her up. In the earlier days of her career, Ms. Maguire would have felt the urge to squirm under such intense scrutiny. Now, however, she met Logan's stare with a level gaze of her own.

It was Logan who broke eye contact first, looking away dismissively. There'd been a time when Ms. Maguire would've felt indignant to be written off so casually. But by this stage of her life, she'd already gained enough confidence to mentally shrug it off. After all, it wasn't the first time someone had blown her off, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to leave, Ms. Maguire set down her coffee cup and stood up.

"I'll give you some time to look over the contract," she told the Professor. "Call me if you have any questions."

The Professor extended his hand, which Ms. Maguire shook.

"It was very nice meeting you," she said politely before turning to go.

Scott also offered a handshake, and Ms. Maguire accepted. Logan, for his part, was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, seemingly ignoring the woman. So Ms. Maguire merely nodded in his direction on her way out. After she'd left, Logan turned towards the closed door.

"So that's the woman Murdock was telling us about," Logan said before looking over at the Professor. "You think she's up for the job?"

"She was quite professional during our interview," the Professor replied. "And according to Matt Murdock, she's had a number of higher profile clients over the years."

"Can we trust her?" Logan asked.

The Professor smiled slightly. "I took the liberty of scanning her mind as a precaution. I learned that she takes client confidentiality very seriously, and I found no indication that she planned to reveal our secrets to anyone."

Apparently, the matter was already settled in the Professor's mind. Logan, on the other hand, didn't like the idea of putting so much trust in a stranger, despite the fact that the Professor and Matt Murdock both had a good opinion of her. Logan didn't actually know Matt Murdock that well, so he didn't know whether he could trust the other man's opinion anyway. Logan trusted the Professor's opinion more. However, the Professor tended to see the best in everybody, so his judgment was not always sound. The fact that he'd encouraged Logan, who was well known for his short fuse, hair-trigger temper, to stay at the school was probably proof enough of that.

Logan made up his mind that he'd keep an eye on the woman, just to make sure the Professor's decision didn't come back to bite them.