"Engines to full!" He called out as morning appeared over the horizon.

"To full Sir?" Came the perplexed reply.

"Are you questioning my orders?" He growled.

"No Sir. Engines to full now Sir." The other man replied.

"Seal the doors! And strait on to port!" He shook his head. "Damn Logan."

"Logan Sir?"

"Nothing!" He snapped.

"Very good sir. Strait on to port!"

"Doors sealed!" Announced another seaman after whirling the steel wheel and sealing the door in place.

Damn Logan with his bribery and his 'No questions asked' policies… He cursed softly under his breath. I will not let myself sleep again until I get that damn girl off my ship!

And the great boat churned the waters as its whistle roared out loudly through the otherwise quiet and peaceful ocean.

Alistaire awoke with a start. Memories flooded back and he lay back with a sigh. Oh, yeah… My big break.

A lighter clicked and he spun his head to see a young blonde woman sitting at his kitchen table and taking her first drag off of a hand rolled cigarette.

"Hello Alistaire." She nodded slightly.

"Umm…" He grabbed a pillow and placed it over his lap.

"Get dressed." She told him with a hint of a grin. "We need to talk."

He snatched his pants from the bedside floor. "And you are?"

"Rasputin." She smiled. "That's all you need know."

He eyed her wearily as he zipped up and grabbed repeatedly at a shirt in the closet before having to look away from the girl to the shirt just to get a grip on it.

He pulled it on. "And you want?" He prodded.

She smiled slowly. "I want to help you."

"Listen, if this is about last night…"

"Oh, it is, that and more…" She smiled. "You're being manipulated. Both you and Mister Wagner."

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to tell me that, I was there." He shook his head as though she were stupid.

She rose to her feet in anger, knocking the chair she was sitting on back in to the wall. "Now you listen to me." She threw the table roughly to one side, overturning it and making a serious mess out of his apartment.

"Hey!" He complained as he pointed at the table.

She grabbed him by the face and he realized with a start that her one arm was made of a silver and reflective metal. It was a harsh and unyielding grip. She pinned him, by his face, to the wall behind him.

"You are going to do me a favor Mister Stuart." She smiled wickedly. "Because you like me, because I'm in the right, because I am entitled to it by birthright! Do you understand?" She had worked herself in to a rage.

"SRREE!" He announced through her hand. "WHHTTVER!"

She dropped him and he slid down to sit on the floor gasping for breath.

"Good." She replied. "Now, you're going to work now." She told him. "And you're going to do your best for Kurt Wagner, are you not?"

"Of course." He replied, rising slowly to his feet.

"And, of course you'll report even the slightest trace of … corruption or… inappropriate behavior, will you not?"

"I would. If I found any." He eyed her cautiously.

"Good. Be sure that you do. And be sure to keep your eyes open for any. I will not have him manipulated." She smiled and reached for the doorknob to leave.

"Is that it?" He asked, shocked.

She glanced back and feigned a sweet smile. "For now!" She said cheerfully, and then she was gone.

"Note to self." He said out loud. "Mutant-proof apartment as soon as possible." Then he threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, looked about his tiny ruined flat for a moment, and then slowly began cleaning up the remains of his kitchen.

Illyana slipped down the stairs and in to the doorway, then quickly around in to the alley that ran along the side of Alistaire's building. I have you now Emma. We both know that you need a man in this position to regain your standing with the club. But I have worked too long and too hard to position things to my liking just to let you have the fruits of my labors.

She gritted her teeth in anger and shook her head. If Wagner sides with you he is a dead man! A chill ran through her. And then the path will be clear once more for my candidate to fill that position! As it should have been from the beginning! And then Emma, I will be The White Queen and you will be nothing but a laughable memory!

Kitty poked her head out of her room.

Nothing happened.

She carefully looked side to side.

Nothing seemed out of place, and still, nothing happened.

She relaxed slightly, but not entirely, and slipped out towards the kitchen.

She was delighted to find that the lighthouse was still stocked with canned goods, many of which were still unexpired.

After some poking around she had amassed a few things that she thought might make a decent and easily prepared breakfast.

Just as she set them down on the counter Kurt wandered in with a stretch and a yawn.

"You're not cooking, are you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I think I should do something!" She looked exasperated. "I had a lot of time to think about all the work you did last night and now I feel bad."

Kurt flashed a dashing grin. "Nonsense Kitty, I vas glad to do it. " But the breakfast down! "Really. Just like I love to cook. And you know I never got to at the mansion." Step away from the stove – SLOWLY. "So, please, I would love to make you breakfast!" He tried to snatch the can out of her hands.

But she phased it. "Nothing doing Kurt. I'm going to earn my keep!" She insisted as she turned back to read the instructions on the can.

She grabbed a pot that Kurt had scrubbed out the night before and put it on the stove, then turned on the burner.

She opened several drawers before she found a can opener.

She sniffled from the damp air.

After opening the can she up-ended it in to the pan… Which wasn't hot yet…

She wrinkled her brow and looked under the pan. The burner had refused to light.

"Oh, duh!" She chastised herself and turned to burner off, then back on. This time it sparked and the flame shot around the burner to form a circle under the pan.

Which in turn ignited the gas that had slowly been filling the room.

Kitty jumped back and screamed. The pan and its contents fell on to the floor.

The flames leapt up and flooded the kitchen in a wave, ripping through the dark, inner room and out in to the hall in a great rush.

It slipped over Kurt and singed his hair and fur.

And as the fire blew itself out, they were left standing there blinking, staring at each other and coated - like everything else - in a fine, black soot.

Kurt blinked several times. "I think I just figured out where the soot comes from." He swallowed, patting out a tuft of smoldering fur on his shoulder.

Kitty, in turn, let her head fall to one side and shot him the most sincere look of apology he had ever seen.

He laughed. "Awww… Kitty…." He smiled. "Just clean this up and we'll go out and get something to eat."

She looked around, but when she looked back, he was gone.

Kurt slipped sown towards the bathroom. Dat vas a close one! He exhaled as he stepped in to the shower, drew the moldy curtain and turned it on. I could have been killed! He shook off the grime and soot under the lukewarm stream of water. We're going to have to work this out. He told himself. I cant live this way. But how do I tell her that I can't stand her cooking?

He shivered off the thought.

And I guess I'll have to get Alistaire to call someone about that gas problem too… He added as an afterthought.

-

Authors Note to Zephyr: No problem. Always glad to help - And thanks for the kind words.