A/N: From this point on I'm going to be taking major liberties with this, so any Die-hard 'Xmen' fans may not want read it. I know that the Phoenix is the guardian of an alien race, but I needed it for the story… sorry!

May

"You can't go anywhere in the building without this," the tall, dark security guard handed her a pass, "You've been cleared for most areas except the West Wing. You can only enter it if the President requests your attendance."

"Thanks," Therese muttered looking down at her laminated card, the only thing distinguishing her from a tourist.

"Look," the guard said, "the thing is, security in here has really tightened up since the attack on the President two years ago and with you being a… a…"

Therese grimaced, "A mutant?"

"Yeah; well with that the agents are pretty antsy, know what I mean?" the guard looked up, "Here's your escort, good luck."

Therese looked round at the small agent walking towards her. She stuck out her hand, "Hi, I'm Therese."
The agent looked at her, "Follow me."

Therese dropped her hand and followed the young woman through corridor after corridor. The offices were a buzz of activity; phones ringing, people shouting across cubicles, others pushing past her obviously on some important mission. "I guess this is where all the action happens then?" Therese tried to make conversation.

The agent remained silent.

"Look," Therese attempted, "Maybe we didn't get off on the right foot, but-"

The agent stopped suddenly and wheeled to face her. "Here's the deal," she hissed, "I don't like you or… your kind, and above all else I don't trust you. I'm assigned to the first daughter and you being here questions my ability to do my job, but the President requested it so I put up with it. But I'm watching you; you put one toe out of line and I'll have no problem snapping your little neck. Got it?"

Therese gritted her teeth and nodded, "Got it."

"Good." The agent fixed a bright smile on her face, "In here."

Therese entered the room on her left, where a group of girls stood. They turned and looked at her and a petite blonde said something to rest. The rest turned and walked past Therese. One of them pushed into her and Therese's mind connected with her, 'Fucking Mutant'.

The blonde walked towards her and held out her hand, "Jenna Cassidy, first daughter." She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Therese Flynn." Therese replied.

"Flynn? One of my girlfriends is called Flynn; Emma. Any relation?" Jenna asked.

"Actually, it's very unlikely; I was adopted." Therese explained.

"Oh," Jenna led her to a seat and looked up at the agent, "Melinda, you can leave now."

"I'd rather not, ma'am." Melinda replied, looking hard at Therese.

"Melinda," Jenna said, a little more firmly than before, "You can leave now."

"Fine," she replied, "but I'll be right outside if you need me."

"I won't," Jenna smiled brightly and waited until she'd left before turning to Therese, "I'm sorry about her... and my friends. They just don't like what they don't understand."

"Don't worry about it," Therese replied, relieved that Jenna wasn't as hostile to her, "I've dealt with it before."

"Well, you shouldn't have to," Jenna replied, "to tell you the truth; I'm more comfortable with you being here for this Ball." 'I'm more comfortable among my own kind.'

Therese looked at her in shock, "You mean you…?"

Jenna nodded. She leant forward and whispered, "But only my parents, my doctor, Professor Xavier, and now you, know. You can't tell anyone."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know, but it could hurt Daddy's career."

"Who… I mean what are your abilities?"

"It's hard to explain… sort of, heat sensing, if you know what I mean. I can control my brain in a way that I can see people or things as patches of heat. I can use it to, well almost, see through walls."

Therese sat back and breathed deeply, "Okay, well that brings a whole new level to this bodyguard thing."

"Miss Flynn, good evening." First Lady Joan Carling greeted Therese as she entered the East Wing that evening.

"Good Evening ma'am," Therese replied, "You're looking lovely as usual."

"Please, call me Joan." Joan turned back to the mirror and fixed the back of her earring, "And you don't look to bad yourself."

"Yes ma'am."

"Kiss ass…" Jenna murmured as she walked past.

"Hello to you too Jenna." Therese smiled.

"Well…?" Jenna turned and stretched her arms out, "Will I do?"

Therese looked at her corseted off-the-shoulder deep blue ball gown, carefully co-ordinated with a black shawl and black jewellery, "You look perfect; very… um…"

"President's daughter-like?" Jenna laughed.

"That'll do!" Therese smiled, "You ready?"

"Almost, we just have to wait for Secret Service; who aren't particularly secret."

"I thought this Ball was going to have really tight security."

"It is, but you know fathers; more protective than personal bodyguards."

"Well, actually no; I haven't spoke to my parents since they… found out what I am… and of course I've never known my birth parents."

Jenna grimaced and Therese distinctly heard a sharp intake of breath, "Sorry, I forgot."

Therese laughed, "I'm kidding! I let all that go a long time ago. Besides I have more than enough father figures at the academy."

"Ma'am?" Melinda interrupted their laughter, "We're ready now."

They were notified of his arrival by the flashing of the media's cameras outside. A hush descended upon the room as they waited for the entrance of their Commander-in-Chief. Bobby slipped his hand into Rogue's gloved one and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Rogue gave him a quick smile and went back to scanning the room for 'uninvited guests'. She giggled at the sight of Logan, looking quite a bit uncomfortable in his 'penguin suit' as he had aptly named it. She looked to the other side of the room where Scott stood, looking, she noticed, quite cute in his tux. She looked at Bobby in his own and moved as close as she could trust herself to be.

"The Eagle has landed, I repeat, the Eagle has landed; god I feel like an idiot."

Bobby and Rogue looked at each other and stifled laughs at Logan's voice in their earpieces.

"But you sound so like a Secret Service agent…" Scott taunted.

"Stuff Secret Service, they can-"

"Boys, do behave." Auroro silenced them. "This is no time for your testosterone-fuelled arguments."

"We don't argue, we have heated discussions…" Scott told her.

"Since when have you known Logan to discuss anything?" Xavier cut in.

"Hey!"

Bobby and Rogue gave each other knowing glances and smiled.

"There's our girl." Auroro cut in.

Rogue looked to the door. Sure enough there stood Therese, beside the First Daughter. The daughter leant over to her and said something, making Therese laugh. Rogue felt a pang of jealousy. 'Don't be stupid,' she told herself, 'she's your best friend."

"Wow…" Logan voiced the thoughts of everyone, "She looks… amazing…"

"And you can't even see my earpiece…" Therese said, looking directly at him.

Logan coughed loudly.

"Whoops…" Scott smirked.

"Any sign of any uninvited guests?" Xavier asked.

"Nope."

"Then do some circulating; act natural, but keep an eye out."

"Check-in."

"Clear at my position." Logan was the first to reply.

"Clear here." Scott soon followed.

"Clear in the female bathroom Professor." Auroro supplied.

"Same in the men's." Bobby told him.

"I'm clear…" Therese checked in.

"We have no sight…" Rogue paused, "uh-oh."

"Uh-oh, what do you mean uh-oh?" Logan asked.

"We could have a problem. Oh yeah, a definite problem."

"What?"

"Look at the door."

"Senator Kelly." Therese whipped around to wards the door at the sound of his, or rather her name.

"No one move."

"But Professor…"

"It's unlikely, but this could purely be a social basis. Mystique needs to make everyone think that Kelly is still around. Keep an eye on her."

"I'm on it." Logan told them.

"Are you sure Logan?" Auroro asked.

"Oh yeah… she and I go way back." he slipped towards her. "Evening Senator," he said loudly.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" Mystique glared at him.

"Yes Senator," Logan smirked, "We met a while back… on Liberty Island."

"Of course," Mystique smirked back, "You were the man advocating for the Mutant Registration Act."

Logan growled quietly, "You must be mistaken Senator, I am firmly against that Act."

"Oh no, I do believe I have the right… person."

Logan stepped beside her and looked around. "The small talk is a well and good," he murmured from the side of his mouth, "but I'm watching you. One wrong step and I'll be all over you." He turned his head to look at her.

She looked back and for a brief second her eyes flashed gold. She smiled, "You promise?"

"What are you doing here Mystique?" he asked quietly, as the President began his speech.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"You know why I'm here."

"And you know why I'm here."

"It'll never work."

"And why is that?"

"Because we won't let it." he applauded with the rest of the audience, though he did not know what for.

Mystique shook her head, "Poor, poor Wolverine. You forget… we have an 'advantage' over you."

"No, you forget… we have more than one over you."

"What? The child?" Mystique smirked, "She's hardly capable of much. Tell me Wolverine… could she have the courage to do what was needed?"

"She's a strong girl."

"Could she sacrifice what she needed to? Could she give up the boy?" She smiled at a passing Senator, "Could she… kill?" She looked up at Logan, who remained facing forwards watching the President, "I didn't think so. Face it Wolverine, these people don't care about us; if it was up to them we'd all be locked away. We need to act, and neither you, nor she, nor Xavier can protect them"

"That's where you're wrong… and I'll prove it sooner or later." he walked away.

Therese looked over at Logan, who stood beside the Professor watching those dancing. She looked at Jenna, who seemed happy enough dancing with her father. She walked slowly over to Logan and stood beside him. She leant over, keeping her eyes on Marie and Bobby, "Well are you gonna' ask a girl to dance or what?"

She looked up at him and he growled slightly. He sighed, stepped onto the dance floor, turned and held out his hand, "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled, "I would love to."

He led her into the group, "I warn you; I'm a bad dancer."

"It's okay; I'll lead."

"You do look lovely tonight," he said after a moment, "I keep forgetting that you and Rogue aren't children anymore."

"Pretty soon, you'll have to stop being our 'dad'."

"If I was your girls' father, I would be extremely proud of you tonight," he leant down to her, "And father doesn't give up his duties as soon as his daughter becomes an adult, so why should I give up mine. I… I kinda like it. But if you tell anyone that I'm gonna have to kill ya."

Therese laughed, "You know, you're not that bad a dancer."

"Thank you… I think," he smiled. He looked over her head and something caught his eye, "But I think there's someone here that you'd be better dancing with." He spun her under his arm and she saw what he was looking at, "Go."

Therese smiled as Logan walked off the floor and she walked slowly towards him.

"You look unbelievable." John looked at her, in her full length, blood red, halter-neck gown. He held out his hand and she took it.

"Why are you here?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Does it matter?" he looked down into her eyes, "Just for now; can we just be content with this?"

She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. He rested his chin on her crown and led her. She let her eyes slid shut as she moved in his arms, letting her defences fall. His left hand slid slowly to the base of her spine and pulled her closer. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

He looked down and soon realised that he was losing himself in the deep pools of her blue eyes. He leant down slightly.

He was so close she could smell his aftershave, making her feel weak… or perhaps it was the closeness of his lips to hers. She parted her lips in preparation… and then felt it; a sudden sharp pain, deep in her gut. She pulled back and clutched her stomach.

"Therese?" John watched her, panic in his eyes as she doubled over. He looked round for help, catching Logan's eye. 'Help her,' his eyes begged. Logan began to move towards them.

He turned back to her in time to see her look up at him, a white-hot flame burning in her eyes. "Move." she said.

"What?"

"Move!" she channelled her telekinetic power into her hands and propelled him backwards. He hit the marbled floor hard but the crashing noise was too loud to be just from him. He looked up to where a chandelier had smashed just where he had been standing. A light cause him to look up, where a figure surrounded in deep red flame was floating ten foot from the ground, looking down on Therese. It was only then he noticed Therese, surrounded in a bright light, stretching her hand towards the figure. He stumbled to his feet and joined Logan, looking up.

"It can't be," Logan murmured, "She's dead… it can't be."

"What?" John looked at him.

"She looks like…" words failed him.

John looked closer and realised that he was, in fact, looking at a levitating Jean.

"You do not belong here." a voice came from deep inside Therese, "Leave."

"I have come for the child. You can not stand in my way." Jean replied, in a voice not her own.

"I will not let you take her."

"Professor, who is she talking about?" Rogue murmured to Xavier.

"I do not know." Xavier replied.

"You have no choice." Jean told Therese.

The X-men watched in a mixture of shock and horror as Therese's body slowly lifted into the air, raising to the same level as Jean's. "I am her protector. You will not have her."

"You are nothing."

"YOU WILL NOT HAVE HER!" lightning flew from Therese's hand, hitting Jean on the shoulder.

A battle ensued between the two, sparks lightning flying here and there, hitting windows and tables and bringing down chandeliers. Finally Therese placed a force field-like shield over the crowd, "Leave here. You shall not take anyone while a I live."

Jean looked at her, clutching her bleeding arm, "Than I shall return, with renewed strength." She took a look around the room at Therese and left through the ceiling; the way she came in.

Logan raised slowly from his crouched position and looked around himself. "Is everyone okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Auroro checked in.

"Scott and I are unscathed." Professor Xavier told them.

"I'm good," Bobby replied, "So is Rogue."

"But Therese isn't." Rogue said, her voice slightly panicked.

They turned to see Therese's body lying motionless on the floor. "Dammit!" Logan murmured picking up speed.

"Auroro, Bobby and Rogue, get to Secret Service," Xavier ordered, "Make sure the President and his family are not harmed."

"Yes, Professor," came Auroro's reply.