The Professor sat staring out the window, the icy blue of his eyes contrasting with the clouded turquoise of the summer sky. He gazed intently into the distance, breathing quietly as he concentrated. Suddenly distracted, a faint smile crossed his lips as he heard the door close softly behind him. His voice took on a Shakespearean luster when he spoke the lines from the Tempest.

"I am ready now. Approach, my Ariel, come."

"Grave sir, hail! I come to answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly, to swim, to dive into the fire, to ride on the curl'd clouds, to thy strong bidding task Ariel and all –her- quality."

The Professor's smile grew as he turned to the woman standing there. "Ariel. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"My pleasure, as always, Professor." She closed the distance between them and leaned over to kiss his cheek. He looked at her with feigned dismay.

"And how long do you suppose it will take for you to get over that?"

She blinked at him, all innocence. "Get over what?"

"You know as well as I. Perhaps I should begin calling you 'Doctor'. You do have the qualifications."

The smile in her eyes was warm. "You know I think of it as a sign of respect, Prof-" she stopped herself with a grin and went on. "Charles." She shook her head and sat down near him. "It's more than a degree when I say it to you." The green of her eyes seemed to deepen as she looked at him, and he nodded.

So, my friend. What brings me here?

A strange case. I'm concerned. Let me show you.

Both their eyes closed as Xavier led her through his thoughts. The new mutant's arrival at the School, his interaction with the girl Rogue, his rebellious but loyal joining of the team. The battles he fought, the risks he took. The bits of past that he knew but could not yet take ownership of.

Logan?

Yes.

Interesting name… Wolverine.

Don't mistake me, Ariel. He's not the most stable man I've ever met. Yet there's much to him. She hugged him as they stood together in his mind's eye.

I'll do my best, Charles. Clearly he's won your trust. That tells me a great deal.

Their eyes opened. "When can I meet him?" The Professor looked off toward the door.

"If I'm not mistaken –"

"And we know you rarely are –"

"He should be here in-" The door burst open. A man stood framed by a rectangle of light, faint sounds of retreating laughter spilling from down the hall.

"Damn it, you've got to do something about that kid."

"I've got to do something? Actually, Logan, I believe you were the one who wanted to teach the driving skills class."

"It's not the class! It's that he thinks it's funny if he freezes my last cigar soggy, when he knows I'm trying…" Logan's voice trailed off as he registered the stranger sitting at the Professor's side. "Oh. I didn't mean to–"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd stop by. This is Ariel Waters, PhD. Ariel, this is Logan, the Wolverine of our elite team."

Logan did a double take at the phrasing before extending his hand to the woman, who stood and took it with a firm grasp. He admired the deep green of her eyes, the loose corkscrew curls of sun-kissed auburn hair that escaped from her barrette, and was letting his gaze drift appreciatively down from there when the Professor spoke again. "Doctor Waters is a telepath." Logan stopped his eye's descent and shot Xavier a glance.

"Well. Thanks for the warning." A long standing rebellious streak made him look anyway. When his focus had drifted back up to her face, he saw a small smile quirk her lips. "You going to be teaching here, Doc?"

"I prefer Ariel, please. Charles is just giving me a hard time."

Logan frowned. "You really a professor or no?"

"Oh, I have the degrees for the title, fear not." She smiled at him again, and he felt a curious warmth inside. "No harm will come to your charges, Mr. Logan."

"Ha. My charges. His charges. And it's just 'Logan'… Ariel."

She nodded. "Actually, Logan, the Professor called me in to talk to you. Sometimes I'm able to help with memory problems."

"Right. He calls you in to help with the problem children."

She laughed quietly, a warm embrace of a sound. "Well, to tell you the truth, I do normally work with younger students. But I think I'm up for the challenge if you are." The laughter went back into hiding behind her smile, and Logan found himself giving her a lopsided grin. Shaking his head, he turned back toward the door, trying to get a handle on the conflicting stream of feelings that were running through him.

"I don't know, Professor. You know I ... well…"

Professor Xavier nodded his head. "I've told her some of your history, as we've discovered it, Logan, but I believe it's up to you if you choose to share the rest." Logan looked back at the Professor and their eyes locked. He nodded, slowly, and Xavier continued. "Ariel. Because of his background, Logan has what you might call 'trust issues'."

Ariel's expression became more serious and she stepped to Logan's side. "Listen. I understand." He looked into her eyes and pulled back. Seeing his reaction, she took a step back herself and folded her hands. "Some ground rules. One. I never come in without permission. Even if we've been working together for hours, I'm not going to walk in without an invitation. Two. If you don't feel you can trust me, I'll know. I'm a bit of an empath. If we try to work together and it just isn't happening, no guilt, no worries, just thank you for your time and a handshake. Got it?"

Logan stared at her for a few seconds, the silence filling the office. He lifted his hand and scratched at his beard with his thumb, then turned to Xavier. "You really think this will help?"

Ariel's eyebrows lifted behind him. She could feel the trust that Logan had for the Professor without even trying. It was so different from anything else he projected to the world that it surprised her. Perhaps Charles was right, and there was more to this man than met the eye.

Not that her eyes were complaining. Ariel mentally shook herself, straightened up and took a deep breath. The oldest students she worked with could still think of her, at a youthful 32, as a 'big sister'. This would be a different kind of project altogether. She strongly doubted that she had a chance of being the 'big sister' to Wolverine, especially since Charles had hinted at his age. She blinked rapidly as she realized her eyes were traveling down the back of his muscular form in almost the same way he had looked her over, and her feelings were quietly echoing his. She heard Xavier clear his throat, and looked up at him with a faint blush.

Do be careful, Ariel.

I'm a professional, Charles.

He paused, a gentle hint of a smile. You know I trust you.

She looked into his eyes and felt her calm returning, along with her sense of humor. I hope I can trust me, too. You'll keep an eye on us?

If there seems to be a need.

Logan looked back and forth between them, and his fists tightened. "What's going on?"

"Sorry, Logan. Dr. Waters and I have known each other for so long that we drop into wordless communication without even trying. I do apologize for our rudeness."

Waters was emphatically nodding agreement. "So do I. That was a terrible breach of etiquette."

"Look, I just want to know if it was about me."

The woman looked resigned but somewhat amused at herself. "No, it was about me." She took a deep breath and plunged on. "The Professor noticed me looking at you. He was worried that I might not be able to be objectively helpful." Xavier's head turned and he looked down at the floor with a sigh.

Ariel… this might not be the best time for your famed honesty.

I can't begin with a lie, if I ever want him to trust me.

Logan blinked, his eyes widening in surprise as he listened to what she had said aloud.

"…looking at me?"

"Yes. You're a very attractive man. Your body is well kept, and you have a raw sensuality that is heightened by your animalistic mutant traits."

He stared, his jaw hanging, then snorted and shook his head. "You know, I was complimented for a minute there, but now I sound like some kind of science experiment."

"Oh, it was most definitely a compliment. But I apologize if you feel it was out of line."

Ariel kept direct eye contact with him as he stared at her. She could see his nostrils flare slightly, and mentally patted herself on the back. Her instincts were correct. At this distance, the Wolverine could smell a lie, whether he consciously realized it or not.

"Well…" he paused, stretching his neck. "No harm, no foul." His expression slowly faded back to a reluctant calm. "And… thanks."

"Thank you, Logan."

He nodded as they shook hands again. This time he didn't let go. "So when do we start?"

She smiled warmly, squeezing his hand. "I think we just did."