Alistaire appeared early the next morning.

The door was unlocked and he let himself in to the lighthouse.

He was worried about what he'd read in the morning newspapers. Poor Mister… Kurt. He decided. This is so wrong!

"Hello?" He called out but no one answered, so he knocked lightly on Kurt's door.

"Hunh? Yeah." Kurt sat up in bed and immediately wished he had woken up before he had spoken up.

Alistaire opened the door eyeing the papers. "Bad news sir, they're reprinted the photo along with two others and are calling you a …" He stopped dead in his tracks when he spied the three of them in bed together.

"A what?" Kitty said sitting up slowly.

"Playboy." Alistaire spit the word and Kitty and Kurt laughed.

X23 woke up quickly but stayed quiet and didn't move much from her spot.

"The heat went out Alistaire." Kurt laughed. "We've been trying not to die."

Alistaire suddenly looked bashful and perhaps slightly shamed. "Sorry Sir. I shouldn't have thought..." He sighed then smiled.

Kurt smiled too. "Deny the playboy thing to the press. But be sure and encourage it if you ever meet my friends from the U.S."

Alistaire couldn't believe Kurt had said that. It was one of the most normal things anyone had ever said to Alistaire. It was the kind of thing he would have said himself to really good friend… If he'd had one.

"Sure thing." Alistaire decided. "And I'm afraid that there's more." He held the papers up. "It's calling you a millionaire and claiming that you're staying at one of the most impressive suites in London and let us pay the rent." He added.

Kurt shook his head and laughed. "Millionaire? I'm still vaiting for my first paycheck!"

"Oh, yes, they've been lost by the way – probably quite 'accidentally' but really on purpose." Alistaire added. "They're claiming they need a month to straiten out the glitch."

"WHAT?" Kurt shook his head. "A MONTH?"

Alistaire smiled. "Mine's lost too Sir. Save some of that yelling for my behalf as well, when you find out whose responsible."

"Right, sorry." Kurt sighed. "Really, sorry."

Alistaire smiled. "You're the best boss I've ever had." He said blankly. "Think nothing of it."

Kurt blinked twice. "Honestly?"

"Yes." Alistaire added.

"Wow."

"Oh." Alistaire looked suddenly concerned. "There was this one article here sir… It claimed you went drinking with Prince Henry." He held up the article hesitantly. "Is there anything to this one?" He sounded apprehensive.

Kurt shook his head. "No, the prince hasn't been by my drafty, exploding, rusty lighthouse lately." He smiled. "Why?"

Alistaire looked thrilled beyond words. "No reason Sir!" He grinned broadly. "None at all!"

"Oooookay." Kurt shook his head at Alistaire's obvious lie.

Kitty passed by the doorway and Alistaire called her.

"Kitty!"

She swallowed and turned around. "Damn." She swore softly. If he asks me out, so help me… She still had not regained her composure entirely since the shower incident. At least, not in private. When she faced him she pretended it didn't bother her, and some times that worked and it didn't. But when it crossed her mind again, when alone, all she could do was groan and drop her head in to her hands.

Kitty Pride, The Naked American She thought slowly.

Then she turned around and smiled when she saw him. "Hi Alistaire." She did actually like seeing him. It wasn't lying. She was just uncomfortable too.

"I was wondering if you could assist me in my duties this afternoon. I think that someone with your talents might prove quite an innovative solution to one of my problems."

"What talents?" She asked suspiciously, her mind retreating to the naked 'incident'.

Apparently his mind went there as well as he suddenly found himself staring at her breasts and babbling. "Ahh, no not your, um... Gifts" He motioned towards her breasts with his hands. "I… I meant… I … I… I … I need a mutant." He smiled, finally making eye contact again.

She smiled slowly and widely. He's cute when he stammers. She decided. "Okay." She said softly, realizing that it had flustered him as much as it had her. "When."

He looked at his watch. "We can leave in a quarter hour." He smiled.

"Fine." She smiled. "I'll go get ready."

Kurt smiled broadly, knowing full well he was missing something. "Now, I want you two kids to have fun. But have her home by curfew young man." He began to tease Alistaire.

Alistaire blushed and looked only slightly offended. "This is not a date. I just need help getting a part of my job done." He added.

Kurt felt amused and intrigued. "What part?" He pressed.

"Just some clerical duties that should have been taken care of before you arrived." He added. "And I'm sad to admit that it's taken me this long to get around to it." He sighed.

Kurt smirked at him. "Don't beat yourself up over it." He laid his hand on Alistaire's shoulder. "We're all playing catch-up here. I'm sure it'll all work out fine."

"Thank you Sir. I'm sure as well."

Kitty slipped back past the door as they were cleaning up their 'work-mess'.

"Ready?' she asked.

Alistaire nodded. "I borrowed a motorcycle from a friend for the day. I thought the fresh air would be better than the cooper any day." He smiled.

"Sounds like fun." She bounced a little in place.

Kurt made kissing noises as he surveyed his papers.

Alistaire rolled his eyes and Kitty looked indignant. "Let's GO Alistaire." She took his arm in hers and marched them both out of the room.

Kurt chuckled to himself and then looked after them. That was fun.

And speaking of fun… He continued. Guess who'll be coming to dinner?

He tossed the packet of papers down and stared at it. It was almost everything he needed to get Tabitha out of the Scottish jail.

This place has got to be better than that, right? And then he debated as he looked around. What I need is…

And a light went on inside his head. His jaw dropped. Why didn't I think of that before?

Could I just…

And he teleported upstairs to grab his jacket, then down to lock the door. "I'll be right back." He told X23. "I just had an idea."

From there he teleported across the small inlet of water to the road, then up the road to the nearest payphone.

"Hello, operator…" He fished around in his empty pocket before adding, half-embarrassed. "I need to make a collect call. Person to person."

He paused as she asked whom he was calling.

"Rogue." He answered. "And I have the number." He smiled.

The phone rang three times.

"Hello?" Jubilee picked up the phone.

"Overseas operator calling for … Rogue?" She said.

"RO-OGUE! IT'S ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS BEING WE-EIRD!" She called out and laughed.

"Tsk." Rogue replied snatching the phone away. "What friends?"

"Hello?" Rogue asked.

"International operator. Will you accept the charges from – say your name sir."

"Kurt!" He said quickly.

"Sure." Rogue sounded like she was smiling. "Hey, what's up?"

"Rogue, I need the biggest favor… or three." He said charmingly.

Rogue smiled wide. "And so you called me?" She bit her lower lip a bit. "Sure. What can I do?"

Jubilee bounced around her curiously. "Who is it?" She asked.

Rogue just waved her away.

"Sure, I remember him… I could find out. Sure." She paused for a long moment. "Just… steal it?" She asked.

"Borrow it." Kurt replied. "Just borrow it and bring it back later. I need this done quietly. And normal channels take too long."

"Sure." She shrugged. "But you have to put me up if I get in any trouble."

"Anytime Sis." He said softly. "You know that."

Rogue smiled on the other end.

"Rogue?" He ventured.

"Yeah. I'll do it. We'll talk again soon." She paused. "Bhye-Bhye."

"Bye." He smiled as he hung up.

Leave me to my own devices, will they? He chuckled inwardly. This will show them.

When he teleported back, X23 was jumping rock to rock around the base of the lighthouse excitedly.

"Look at these." She pointed in to the water.

Kurt leaned over and looked down. "Are those sharks?" He asked.

"I don't know." She replied. "Fish are fish." She smiled down in to the water. "Are you hungry?" She asked him.

"What?" He was shaken. "No, well, I…" But that was as much as he got out before she dove in to the water, her claws extended.

Ach! Should have seen that coming! He shook his head as he teleported out to one of the rocks above her.

A red cloud hid both her and the animal for a long moment. But soon enough she made her way to the surface with the body under one arm.

"Grab my hand." He called to her. "I'll 'port us out."

She reached up and then hesitated for a moment. He noticed. But he didn't force her. He let her bob in the water for a moment before she extended her hand again. Then he took it and ported all three of them up to the door of the lighthouse.

Kurt shook his head in disbelief. "It's bigger than you are!" He told her.

"I can get it…" She said, wrestling with it some – and losing a bit of ground in the battle.

"Hold on and I'll get one end." He told her. We'll carry it together."

She looked at him in disbelief. But sure enough he opened the door and they carried up the stairs and tossed it in to the bathtub.

She was slightly baffled at the idea of co-operating towards a common goal. She had always seen herself as doing what she was told, or what she wanted – but this was new.

"I can … make steaks." She said. "Logan showed me how."

Kurt shivered. He didn't want to think about Logan teaching her how to make steaks. And he didn't want to actually see her do it either.

"Go ahead." He told her. I'll go make room in the freezer."

And her claws burst out with a 'snikt' as he stepped out of the room.