robbie! Yes! I am really enjoying how Charles is handling things. It's kind of out of his spectrum, so it's definitely a learning curve for him. And yeah, poor Scott has a lot to handle with Tony being ... Tony. He doesn't mean any harm, really. He's just ... well. He wants what's out of reach. Which for him has to be kind of rare. Really.

Unsettled

It was almost expected that Logan was distracted with little to do but wonder what was going on downstate. Scott was in class, after all and with K gone, he had nothing to occupy his spare time. Nothing outside of trying to work out to a point that it might show on him anyhow.

Not that Scott was doing much better in classes. He too, was clearly distracted, and as a result, he and Charles didn't make nearly the progress that they would have on any other day. It was bad enough that Charles decided to return the favor that K had done for him. He was going to have a word with the little woman when she returned - simply to let her know the degree of distraction both Scott and Logan were dealing with knowing that she was in close quarters with what he had picked up from Scott as a rather amorous Tony Stark.

But that really wasn't doing a thing for Scott right now. He still tried, of course, though even the journey to the psychic plane to dig around and find more instances of his mind being altered wasn't going as planned. Charles could see the little spots that seemed off, but Scott was distracted enough that exploring them or uncovering what they were hiding would have been almost entirely on Charles.

And target practice wasn't any better.

"I think," Charles said after Scott blew up an entire line of targets at once with one shot, "...that it might be wise to give you a little time to unwind. You've been working awfully hard at this."

Scott let out a breath but had to nod his agreement, rubbing the back of his neck with an obviously apologetic expression on. "Yeah… might be time for a break."

Charles took a moment to give him an encouraging sort of smile. "Scott, it's perfectly fine to be distracted - even to need a day off. You've made tremendous progress, even if you might not think so. It's not easy to learn control, nor is it a simple matter to break telepathic barriers."

"I don't want to stop-"

"No, of course not," Charles promised. "Don't think of it as a break if that's what bothers you, Scott." He smiled lightly. "Even I need the recharge every once in a while. We don't think of our minds as needing the breathing time that our muscles do, but the concept is the same."

Scott nodded at that and gave Charles one more sort of sheepish look before they packed up for the day, though Charles was still looking thoughtful long after Scott left to get some time to himself on the grounds.

He didn't have to try hard to hear Scott's thoughts and concerns about K being gone - and especially about the possibility that K could be spending time with the overly lecherous Tony Stark.

Given the man's reputation, Charles wasn't exactly surprised by the concerns that Scott had… but the memories Scott had of her interactions with Stark, of the obvious flirting and interest Stark showed her… and the fact that she'd at least partially reciprocated …

Charles let out a sigh. It was little wonder the boy was so distracted. It was clear Scott was pleased with the family he had made for himself, and Tony Stark, in Scott's mind, was a threat to that family unity. Whether or not that was the case was not important; it was clear that Scott was too distracted to focus on his work. And more likely than not, Logan's shorter mood was a product of the same concerns, if not quite the same reasoning.

Clearly, this was enough of a problem that Charles simply couldn't get anything done until K returned.

He would have to speak with her about this.

K, meanwhile had decided that the direct approach would get her the least bit of resistance once she got to Stark's hideaway that they'd left not too long ago. She parked the truck in a somewhat hidden spot and made her way up to the front door, where of course, she was let inside, though …

"I'm afraid isn't taking any unexpected visitors today," Jarvis told her.

"That's fine, I'm not here for him anyhow," K promised with a warm smile. "I was looking for Mrs. Pym or Captain Rogers. Agent Coulson would be better still."

He gave her a pleasant smile at that. "I'll see if anyone is available."

K thanked him as warmly as she knew how, but remained looking the part of a proper lady as she waited. No telling who was going to come up - if anyone, but as she looked at the Renoir on the wall in the entryway, someone she wasn't expecting came up behind her. She knew from the scent that he was a friendly - or mostly friendly anyhow, and though she'd heard and scented Agent Quartermain out, she was tactful enough to wait until he engaged before she reacted.

"Didn't think you'd be back so quickly," Quartermain said, and when K turned she smiled up at him.

"There really wasn't too much for me to do while Scott did his thing," K admitted. "Nothing but think - and get a little paranoid."

"That is a hazard," Quartermain agreed with his usual pleasant expression. "So what is it you're paranoid about? Anything I can help with?"

"I guess that depends on how close you and Phil operate," K replied honestly.

"Well … I try to be fair about things, but I don't know that we have quite the same methods of handling people with ah … unconfirmed backgrounds."

"I can wait if he'll be back soon," K assured him. "And I really was hoping to check in with Captain Rogers or Mrs. Pym."

"I think that Jan might be around," Quartermain said, smirking still. "Would you like to wait in the dining room for her?"

"That sounds fine to me," K agreed, quickly falling into step with him as he led the way. He pulled out a chair for her and then gave her a little smile before he left. K was entirely sure that this was a test to see if she was going to try and sneak off right away or not, so of course she sat sedately and waited for someone to return to her.

"Hey there, stranger," Tony called out after a short while. "What happened to Wolverine and his shadow?"

"Nothing, as far as I know," K replied, sure to put on a little smirk for him. "I thought you weren't around."

"That's … okay, so that's the standard response from Jarvis to ah …"

"Any pretty girls that have stayed the night here previously?"

Tony let out a breathy laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well … yeah. Actually."

"I'm oh, so shocked, Mr. Stark," K said, doing a fair job of looking as if it was scandalous.

"Uh huh. So what brings you back? Looking for something more exciting that the father-son duo?"

"I'd love to see what it is you think is more exciting than those two, but I don't have more than the afternoon before I have to go back."

"What's the rush?" Tony smiled a little wider. "I'm sure they're busy … doing … whatever it is that the guy upstate thinks he can manage."

"Well," K said slowly, drawing the word out. "I could use a few minutes with a decent computer …"

Tony tipped his chin up and appraised her carefully. "If - and only if you work some magic for me too."

"On the computer," K clarified.

"I can handle the computer just fine, thanks," Tony argued. "I want you to check out someone that I'm … a little concerned over."

"You want me to spy for you?"

"Just a little bit." Tony paused before he started to smile a little wider as he waited for her answer. "Help me smoke 'em out."

"I told them I'd be back tonight," K said.

"Yeah, well … you can be a little bit later than you were expecting. Come on. I'll give you free rein in my systems. I won't even look over your shoulder."

She bit her lip as she thought it over. "That … is admittedly an attractive offer. Especially if you don't trace my searching."

Tony faltered for a moment. "Well …"

"I'm asking upfront and open," K pointed out. "I could have easily just slipped in and done what I wanted without asking."

"I don't think you would though," Tony countered. "Better to keep it friendly." He smiled, confident and openly so.

"When did you want to smoke this spy out?" K asked, still not really moving as she watched him.

"Well you're here now … we could start up as soon as you're done with your searches."

She turned her head, looking out the window for a moment as she thought it over just a little longer. It wasn't too unreasonable a trade. And there really wasn't a thing she could do for the boys in Westchester …

"Alright, but I need to make a phone call," K said, making a point to ignore the grin he was wearing as she headed for the phone. She looked up at the clock to see what time it was, wondering if anyone was even near a phone when she called, but naturally - it was right in the middle of one of Scott's lessons, and she was sure that Logan wasn't going to be anywhere near a phone anyhow. "Screw it," she said, after she'd let it ring for a long moment. "Let's just get it over with."

Tony offered her his arm, and with a sigh, she hung up the phone and took his arm as he led her over to his computers. "I'll see you … what? You need a couple hours?"

"At most," she agreed, letting out a sigh once he stepped out of the way and left her with the system to dig. K took off her overshirt and slid into the seat, pulling her feet up to sit crosslegged as she worked. At least getting in was going to be easy enough. She'd honestly expected some kind of hassle … just not … whatever this was.

She blew a wisp of hair out of her face and got down to work, digging into the Home for Foundlings first of all - and every physician attached to it. Xavier's familial connections could wait. This … this was more important.

It wasn't long though before K was completely wrapped up in what she was finding - or more importantly- what she wasn't. She frowned at the name on her notebook. She knew she'd gotten it right … she wrote it down as soon as the guys had said it …

But there wasn't anyone with that name on any of the records she could find. There was no Dr. Pearson or even a Mr. Pearson anywhere … not on any staff listings, nor as an educator …

She growled to herself as she tried different spellings, surprising even herself with some of the creative spelling options, but … nothing. She sat back for a moment and frowned at the screen before she tried the other name Scott had said, but that was another … multiple spelling - no-luck on 'Essex'.

"Find what you needed?" Tony asked as he finally came back.

"No," she admitted before she closed out the screen and turned his way. "You're ready to do … whatever this is, hmm?"

"All I know is that someone's out to get me."

"Long list."

"I mean someone's got a shorter timetable."

"So … what would you normally do on any given night?" K asked.

"Honestly? Lately - nothing. If there's not a gala or something I have to go to, I'm here."

She held her hand out for the folder under his arm - everything that SHIELD had accumulated on the threat he was facing, and as she read it over, she started to nod slowly. "I don't suppose Jan has a black bodysuit I could use, does she?"

He raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't shoot her down. "May-be? If you're looking for dress up options-"

"I am not. I just want something easier to blend into the shadows."

"Too bad," he muttered. "Okay. Well … what do I get to do?"

"If history's any indicator, drink until you're comfortable. I'll handle the rest." She got to her feet and headed off in the direction of Jan's room, and to Tony's surprise, once he followed a short while later, the only indication she'd been there at all was her clothes folded and stacked on a chair.

"Oh great," Tony said under his breath to himself. "She's being sneaky." He looked around the room, spinning on the spot before he half-heartedly threw his hands up and then did as she'd told him to - simply trying to go about his usual business. Not that it was particularly easy when he knew that he had just let an assassin loose in his house.

But after a few hours, nothing seemed too far amiss, and Tony did finally do exactly as K had suggested, and poured himself a drink.

The duo that let themselves into the Avengers mansion had long been able to get past Tony's security systems, so there wasn't any indication at first as the two black-clad figures split - one of them at a distance while the other snuck closer to where Tony was relaxing.

She was glad to see that he was drinking, really, because that made her job easier. She was nearly silent as she approached, knife in hand - though if the direct approach didn't work, she'd told her partner to watch the door and be prepared to simply shoot him if he got past her.

As she got closer to Tony, there was a movement in the shadows much closer to him. Not much, but the glint of light off of silver caught the would-be assassin's attention a fraction of a second after a tell-tale snikt echoed the room.

She paused at the sound, recognition in her expression before she actually saw K - and realized that she was not at all who she had expected. She shifted immediately from her more open expression and body language to an attack, and the knife meant for Tony instead flew toward K.

K raised her arm, slicing the blade neatly into four pieces before she darted toward the woman. The growl she let loose was just enough to tip Tony off that whatever it was that was going on- it was happening.

Tony got to his feet, but before he had even fully turned, the second player made his presence known with an arrow that broke the glass in Tony's hand. "Let's just call this a draw, shall we?" asked the archer with an arrow pointed at Tony's head now. "Try again later?"

"Not a chance," K growled out before she retracted her claws and threw a heavy punch at the woman - plowing through the block that was thrown up.

"Well, I tried," the archer sighed, shifting focus to shoot at K - though that only seemed to frustrate his partner.

"Keep your focus," she snapped toward her partner. "Kill Stark."

"Kill him, she's as good as dead," K growled out, emphasizing her point by keeping up with the woman every step of the way.

The archer looked between the two women fighting and Tony before he lowered his bow and put his arrow back in his quiver, ignoring the string of curses from his partner. "Yeah, sorry, Stark's not as important to me as you are so cool off," he shot back.

"You're not killing him," K told the woman. "Not tonight - not at all."

"What's your stake?" the woman replied with her eyes narrowed.

"Not your business," she shot back. "And I can't be bought. So don't try it."

The woman glared at K for a long time before her partner spoke up. "So… now what?" he asked.

"Shoot her," the assassin said simply.

"Yeah, shoot me - I'll yank the arrow and put it through her eye," K said, smirking at her.

The archer was already shaking his head. "No can do," he said. "So how 'bout we go our separate ways, huh?"

"That's not usually how this kind of thing goes, big guy," K said, though she hadn't taken her eyes off of the woman at all.

"Well, we don't usually run into a woman with claws, so we can all try new things, yeah?"

"Tony, you have any thoughts?" K asked.

"We've got a containment area Pym set up," Tony offered.

K started to slowly shake her head before she simply darted toward the glaring assassin in what could only be equated to a low-blow tackle. That of course, turned into a wrestling match. The fight was fierce and both women were clearly playing dirty and for keeps - though it seemed pretty even until K let out a snarl when the woman stabbed her in the side.

Swearing in Swedish, K hauled off and cracked the assassin in the head twice, in quick succession, then yanked her arms behind her shoulders before the woman could recover. "I should take your head off," K hissed out as the woman tried to get out of the hold.

"Woah, hey, don't do that," the woman's partner called out. He had both hands up, palms facing K. "Don't kill the girl, huh? We give up, okay? See?"

"Your partner stabbed me," K said, the growl clear in her voice. "It's only fair if I return the favor."

"She does that," the man said. He put his bow on the ground and raised his hands again. "See? C'mon. Work with me here."

Tony cleared his throat and looked toward K. "Okay, as nice as it is to have the problem detained? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that she's the one we want to interrogate on who sent her. Partner isn't too bright…"

"Oh, did you need me to interrogate her?" K said sweetly. "That wasn't the deal but I'm sure we can make another arrangement, …"

"I just meant we should take them in and not, you know, murder them?" Tony said. "Not that the protective look isn't one of my favorites on you…"

"I'm glad I found the bodysuit before you could make a different suggestion," she replied. "Get your backup. If either of them moves, I'll put a claw through her."

Tony nodded before he went to call in the rest of the Avengers - or at least a couple and some good restraints. And when Steve and Thor showed up, the woman was still hissing invectives, though her partner was being perfectly still and cooperative so long as he kept his gaze on the woman.

It didn't take much time for the two Avengers to get them into custody, and as soon as they were out of the room and being taken to Tony's isolation … K finally let out a long breath. "I need a shower now." She was frowning at the blood on her hands.

"I can help with that," Tony said without missing a beat.

"Yeah?" she replied, not missing the chance to pick. "What would you do?"

"Start at the shoulders and work my way down," he said with a grin as he took a few steps closer.

"Yeah, that won't work," she said, shaking her head slowly. "I have blood in my hair. Guess I'll have to do it myself."

"Oh, well, I suppose I could work my way up, but that isn't usually my style…"

She couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "You're something else, you know that?"

"Of course I do," he said, grinning even wider.

"As entertaining as either of those options are - you need to go see what the story is with those intruders. I'll find a shower and make use of it - and if you're lucky, I'll catch you before I head back. Hours and hours late."

"You aren't curious?" Tony asked. "Come on, I'll put you up for the night…"

"Oh absolutely," K said, nodding seriously. "Terribly curious, but I'm involved."

"And that means you're not allowed to follow up on would-be assassins?" Tony asked, one eyebrow arched up.

"Do I need to follow up on would-be assassins? I thought we were still in the flirting and borderline dirty talk."

Tony paused for just a moment, trying to decide what to address first. "Well, no, you don't need to - we can probably just ask the guy and tell him we'll let you in the cage with the girl and he'll tell us everything."

"You're not even exaggerating," she laughed. "Worst spy ever."

"I should be insulted - I usually rate top-notch bad guys," Tony chuckled.

"She was actually pretty damn good," K pointed out. "I don't know where she found him, but … better screening on her part would have been bad for you. Maybe."

"We'll chalk it up to my insanely good luck, then," Tony said.

"That has to be it," she agreed. "I may have to come back at some point. No promises, of course. I really didn't get anywhere today."

"That's too bad," Tony said. "Maybe next time, I can help."

"I wouldn't say no," K said. "To help."

Tony raised both eyebrows and then grinned at her outright. He stepped forward and put his hand on her back as he leaned toward her. "Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?"

K turned toward him and gave him a little smile. "I'm pretty happy with my dance partner now, Tony. Wish I could help you more." She popped up on her toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Can't blame a guy for trying. See you next time, then."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," she sang out before she headed for the door. She turned the corner and rushed for Jan's room, if nothing else, to snatch her clothes on the way to an empty suite, where she very quickly washed up then rushed out.