Author's Note: For those who are wondering about the romance pairings, I've decided to stick with the Bobby/Rogue and Peter/Kitty. As for the OC character, (Alana), you can expect her to have some romance going on with both Warren and Logan, but it's still undecided whom she will end up with. That would depend on readers' reviews and how the story flows from my head. Hehe. So we'll see.

Thanks a lot to those who reviewed the last chapter! I hope more people will read from now on…

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CHAPTER ONE – Late Admission

"Hey Peter! Wait up!"

Peter Rasputin paused in his tracks and turned his head to see Bobby Drake walking towards him, hand-in-hand with his girlfriend Marie. He smiled at the sight of the excited looks on their faces.

"About time," he said, as the pair caught up with him and they started down the hall together. "For a while there I thought you were actually planning on being late for our first staff meeting."

"Are you kidding?" Bobby said with a grin. "After the years we've waited to graduate and see this day? We can't act like a bunch of irresponsible rule-breakers anymore. We're teachers now." He paused and shook his head, still grinning widely. "Whoa…until now just saying it gives even ME the shivers!"

Marie punched his arm playfully. "Well, don't get yourself TOO excited," she told him. "It's not like Storm had much of a choice in giving us an early promotion. There was just no way they could go on another new school year with a four-man teaching staff."

Peter nodded. "True," he said. "But still, I'd like to think that they saw at least some potential in us that made us fit for the job." He paused and checked his watch. "Whoa, we'd better step it up a little. I don't want to be one of the last ones to get there."

When they arrived at the faculty lounge, the three were surprised to find only Kitty Pryde and Warren Worthington waiting for them. The three head teachers were no where in the room.

"Wait, did we get the time wrong?" Marie asked, eyes widening with alarm. "Don't tell me we've missed the meeting completely!"

Warren smiled and shook his head. "Nah," he reassured her. "Storm said she's just gonna be a bit late. She and Hank have an admissions meeting with one of the new students."

"Another latecomer, huh?" Bobby remarked, as he and Marie settled down into the couch opposite Warren and Kitty. "So what's the story? What's this one like?"

"Well, something tells me she's not one of your ordinary recruits, that's for sure," Warren replied.

"When did anyone 'ordinary' ever come into this school?" Peter joked, walking over to where Kitty sat, totally absorbed in the book she was reading. He reached over and tapped on the hardbound biology textbook in the girl's hands. "Hey, you've have your nose buried in that monster all day. Don't you think you deserve a break?"

Kitty moaned as she lowered the textbook and looked up at him. "I'm just nervous for my first bio class tomorrow," she said, slipping off her reading glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I don't think I'm ready for it yet."

Peter smiled and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Of course you are," he assured her. "You were always at the top of all our science classes, remember? That's why Storm chose you to teach the basic courses. I'm sure you'll do great."

Kitty smiled back. "Thanks Pete." She squeezed his hand, oblivious to the knowing looks exchanged between Bobby and Marie.

"Anyway…" Marie went on, turning her attention back to Warren. "What exactly made you say this new kid's out of the ordinary?"

Warren grinned. "Well, to start of, our kids don't drive sports cars," he said. "At least not like the Porsche I saw parked out front."

Bobby whistled. "Well, that must just mean Mommy and Daddy have a lot of money to spread around," he pointed out. "So we'll have another rich kid in the flock. That's company for you, Warren."

"Yeah, except I left everything behind when I came in," Warren retorted.

Just then the door to the lounge opened, and in came a tall, grissly man clad in a brown leather jacket.

"Hmm…excited for a staff meeting?" Logan said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at them with a smirk. "Aren't you the perfect teaching greenhorns. Well, sorry to disappoint you all, but Storm's still busy with the new girl. Meeting's been postponed to tonight after dinner. Right now, we just need a volunteer to go and show her to her room, give her the grand tour and everything."

"Aren't you going to tell us who she is first?" Marie asked.

Logan shrugged. "She's supposed to be famous, but I've never heard of her before," he grunted. "Alana Stratford?"

The girls' reactions were instantaneous.

"Alana Stratford!" Kitty shrieked. "You're kidding!"

"Oh my god," Marie squealed. "I don't believe it!"

Logan scratched his chin. "Funny. That was the reaction I expected to get from these boys, not you two."

Peter looked confused. "Why?"

"Yeah, who's Alana Stratford?" Bobby demanded.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Come on! She's only like one of the hottest fashion models today. Flip through any random magazine, and you're bound to see her face somewhere in it!"

"Yeah, so? You actually expected us to know that?" Bobby scoffed. "Since when did we ever lay a hand on one of your girlie magazines?"

Kitty stuck her tongue out at him. "Boy, you are going to be so eating those words once you see her," she told him. "She's totally gorgeous. I spent most of my pubescent years just wishing I could be her."

Marie nodded in agreement. "I still can't believe she's a mutant though…" she mused. "I mean…she always looks so put together. And she's always in the spotlight! How come the press never picked up the secret and spread it all over the tabloids?"

Logan walked over to one of the armchairs and settled lazily on it. "From what I heard, she managed to hide away her powers for years. She just blew her cover recently when she lost her temper, trashed a studio, and threw the photographer clear through a six-inch wooden backdrop. The guy sued, and she was ordered by the judge to come here and get some control over her powers."

"Wait," Kitty said slowly. "When you say 'threw the photographer', you mean…"

"She's a telekinetic." Logan said curtly.

"Oh…"

A tense silence hung in the air for a few seconds before Logan cut through it again.

"So, any volunteers? You just gotta show her to her room, help her find her away around…" He looked back and forth between Marie and Kitty. "What's the matter? I thought you'd jump at this chance to spend some time with your precious idol."

Kitty looked down at her lap uncomfortably. "I dunno," she mumbled. "After that story you just told us…"

"We just don't know if it's in our place to handle someone like her," Marie put in quickly. "I mean, she IS older than us and all, and it sounds like she's still sensitive about her being forced to come here…"

"I'll do it."

All heads turned towards Warren, who had remained silent throughout the conversation until that moment. Faced with their questioning looks, Warren just shrugged.

"It's not a big deal," he said quietly. "Like you said, I just have to give her a quick tour right? I've got the time."

Logan nodded. "Fine," he said, rising from his chair. "She'll be coming inside in a while. Right now she's just out in the grounds…saying hello to an old friend."

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The young woman that stood in front of the memorial of the late Charles Xavier was clearly an outsider to the school. Dressed in a black leather coat and stiletto-heeled boots, her high-fashion appearances alone caused her to stand out from the rest of the estate's residents. Sunglasses concealed her eyes, which at that moment also hid the tears that were welling uncontrollably in them. She raised a hand to discreetly wipe the tears away before they could fall, then she took a deep breath to calm herself.

It was strange that she could still cry over the memory of a man she hadn't seen in almost ten years. She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment as she recalled that last meeting. It occurred in a situation not at all different from this one…

"Alana?"

For some reason, she managed to recognize him from his voice alone. Not bothering to turn around and face him, she kept her eyes rigidly set on the newly lain headstone before her. She had tried to avoid this man throughout the entire ceremony, but she should have known that he wouldn't let the day pass without having a word with her.

Though she refused speak or even look at him, he didn't leave her side. She could sense his eyes on her back, as he sat there quietly, just waiting that the patient that was so characteristic of him. Finally, she decided to just say something, if only to get him to finally leave her alone.

"It's good you were able to get some time off your busy schedule to come and see him," she said, the coldness sharp in her voice. "He would have appreciated it. He always did."

"Of course. I came to pay my last respects to Kevin, but also to see how you are doing."

Her eyes narrowed, and she clenched her fists to curb her temper. "I'm doing fine," she muttered.

She sensed him move his wheelchair a bit closer to her. "I'm still your godfather, Alana. I always told your father that I would help take care of you, and I will not break that promise."

"I said I'm fine," she repeated, emphasizing the last word heavily. "I've got just one more year left before I can finally move out of the house anyway. From then on I can take care of myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she snapped, finally turning around to face him. Their eyes met almost instantly. His gaze was calm and reassuring as always, but the pain had hardened her heart too much to be touched by his kindness.

Charles sighed and leaned his chin on his clasped hands. "I shall be frank with you Alana," he said slowly. "I came because I wanted to extend an invitation to you. I thought perhaps you'd be interested in coming to live with me…at my school."

Alana raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I would want to?"

A sad smile came to Charles' face. "I remember well that you did before," he said quietly.

"That was before," Alana shot back. "A lot has changed since then. More than you'll ever know or realize."

She turned her back on him again to face her father's grave. "Besides, you're forgetting something, remember?" she said, her tone dripping with disdain. "I'm not qualified to go to your school."

"That was never for certain, Alana. Things change, as you said yourself."

She let out a scornful laugh. "Well, sorry to disappoint you Uncle Chuck, but you were wrong, and you still are. I'm NOT a mutant."

There was another long silence. For a moment, Alana thought that maybe he was finally going to leave her be. Then suddenly, she felt an odd sensation, as though she had gone light-headed, and her temples were starting to throb. She whirled around, eyes widening with panic and anger.

"Stop looking at me like that!" she yelled. "I know what you're trying to do; you're trying to stoop around in here!" She touched the side of her head. "Don't you dare try to invade my mind! You don't have the right!"

Charles returned her heated glare evenly. "Then please, just tell me the truth. What is it that you're hiding from me?"

"When are you ever going to just give up?" she cried, the tears now slipping down her cheeks uncontrollably. "You've already ruined everything with your stupid mutant-hunting obsession! Why can't you just leave me out of it?" Her chest started to heave as she sobbed, releasing years of pent-up anger. "If you had just stopped pointing your finger at me years ago, then maybe Mom and Dad would still be together! It's your fault that Daddy was taken away from me, and it's your fault that he died alone!"

The look that came to her godfather's face managed to strike her with guilt, but she was too caught up in her own feelings to care about his. Her chin trembled uncontrollably, but she forced out the last thing she had left to say to him.

"I don't need you anymore, Uncle Chuck. Just…just leave me alone."

"Alana?"

Ororo Munroe had come up behind her, pulling her out of her flashback. She turned to face the school's headmistress and saw a new face standing next to her.

"This is Warren Worthington," Ororo introduced the young man. "He's a member of our faculty, and if you're ready, he's going to show you to your room now."

"Oh," Alana said, forcing a stiff smile on her face. "Nice to meet you," she told Warren, shaking his hand briefly.

"Dr. McCoy and I will get right to work on your medical tests and records," Ororo went on, as the three of them began to walk back to the mansion. "In the meantime, Warren here will help you get settled and show you around the house. Classes are over now, but we'll see you again later at dinner time, all right?"

"Sure," Alana said. "That sounds okay."

Ororo smiled. "Great," she said. "I'll leave you in Warren's capable hands then. Welcome to the Institute, Alana."

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"Here we are," Warren said, stopping at a door at the end of the long stretch of hallway. He opened the door and stepped aside to allow her first entry.

Alana slipped off her sunglasses as she walked into her new living quarters. It was an average-sized room and was sparsely decorated, but better furnished than she had imagined. There was a double bed, dresser, closet, study table, an arm chair, and even a large mahogany bookshelf. All her luggage was already there waiting for her.

"We're given the freedom to decorate our rooms any way we want," Warren explained, still standing at the doorway. "As long as we remember this is a school with young kids, so none of the objectionable stuff, if you know what I mean."

Alana nodded. "Yeah, I think I got you. This will do fine, thanks."

She walked over to the bed and sat down on it. Fishing into her purse, she pulled out a box of cigarettes and a lighter.

"Uh, smoking isn't allowed inside the mansion," Warren said quickly, before she could light a stick. "If you really need to, you're gonna have to do it outside. Storm's very strict on that house rule."

Alana's eyebrows rose. "Storm?"

"I mean Ororo," Warren corrected himself. "A lot of us call her by that name. You can too, if you like."

"Right…"Alana said slowly. She sighed and rolled her eyes before putting her cigarettes away.

If took some effort for Warren to keep the smile fixed on his face. "If you want, I can show you the way to the nearest veranda, you can smoke there too…"

Alana shook her head, cutting him off. "That's okay," she said, leaning over to pull off her boots. "I'm just kind of tired, so I'll just stay put for now. Been a long day, you know?"

"Okay, then…" Warren said, feeling a little uncomfortable as she started to stretch out on her bed. He held the doorknob and started to back out of the room. "Well, if you need anything else, just…"

"Hang on," Alana said, sitting back up. "Don't leave just yet. Let's talk."

"What about?" Warren asked warily.

"Well...I was just curious," Alana said. "What's your story? You seem like a nice, normal-enough looking guy. What brought you in to this place?"

"I brought myself in," Warren answered. "Because this is where I belong."

Alana smirked. "Really…the son of Warren Worthington, maker of the miraculous mutant cure. Living here? That's just too ironic." She swung her legs back over to the side of the bed. "What's the matter? Your Dad's medication didn't work on you either?"

Warren frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I risked getting my ass busted by the press just so I could take some of your father's so-called miracle cure," Alana said bitterly, looking down at her feet. "But obviously, it had no effect on me. Instead it made me stupid enough to let my guard down, so NOW I got busted."

She shook her head and glanced back up at Warren. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

"I wouldn't know," Warren answered stiffly. "I never took the cure."

"No way!" Alana exclaimed. "You never even tried it? Why not?"

"I try to stay out of my father's affairs," Warren said wryly. "He and I don't really see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. Besides, I never had an interest in his so-called cure. We're not sick. We're mutants."

"Huh," Alana muttered.

Warren crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't agree with that?"

Alana started back at him evenly. "Let's just put it this way…once your father's lab comes up with a stronger and better cure, I'll be one of the first in line to take the shot."

With that, she lay back in her bed. "Anyway, thanks for your help, Warren. I'll be fine from here. If you don't mind, I'm just gonna need some time alone to settle and rest up."

"Sure," Warren said. "I'll just come back for you in time for dinner. That's at seven."

"Fine…"she answered, having already turned her back on him before he could finish his sentence. She waited for a few seconds until she heard him close the door and walk back down the hall. When she was certain he was gone, she took out her cigarettes again and lit a stick. She exhaled deeply, blowing out a cloud of smoke. She walked over to the window and peered outside through the curtains.

The basketball court was clearly visible from there, and for a minute Alana stood watching as a group of kids played their game. Most of them were in their late teens, but a few couldn't have been older than eleven or twelve. These kids reminded her of a little girl she knew from long ago…but that girl was gone now, and so was the man who had once said she might someday come to live in that very house with him.

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To be continued…