Emma slammed down the phone. There was still no answer at Illyana's place and The Club had rules against using your powers 'on' each other. And Emma was already tempted in that regard. It was best not to give herself the opportunity.

She picked up the phone and dialed nervously. "Yes, " She began with the illusion of composure. "Reginald please." The phone rang again. "Reginald, dear. This is Emma…"

She bit her nail in confusion. Is this really the right thing to do?

"I'll take it." She said at last. "If that special order I asked you about is still available, I'll take it."

She took her hand from her mouth in astonishment. "Really, less expensive?"

She paused. "What kind of accident?"

She looked exasperated at the length of the story. "So he was careless." She concluded. "Fine, I'll take it and the discount." She shook her head.

"I'm going to be releasing him shortly in London." She smiled. "Yes, I'm serious. If I were you – I'd be some place else by then."

She could hear the man twittering nervously on the other end of the phone.

"Make the delivery to my warehouse down town. That should mask the noise. And it should still only take 12 hours, correct? Eight? Oh, right. Motivated seller. Yes, see you in eight then." She hung up the phone.

She swallowed slightly. It's not enough. She took several long, slow, deep breaths. How can I make this Illyana's problem?

Kurt sat quietly in front of the computer. Amanda had written him an e-mail in response to his last letter.

She was proud of him.

She missed him and loved him.

She still wanted to meet when she was eighteen like they had planned.

She wanted to see him whenever they got the chance.

But she was seeing someone else now.

And she was sorry.

Kurt didn't complain. He didn't beat himself up over it. He didn't even let on.

He just began to type.

"Amanda, " He waited for a long time before he continued.

"My feelings for you…" He smiled. "I don't think they'll ever change."

He relaxed slightly. "I pray they never will."

And smiled sadly. "But we have very different lives now." As perhaps we were always meant to…

"So, of course, I understand." He swallowed and felt the salt stinging his eyes. "We still have a date for your eighteenth, so far as I'm concerned."

He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them they were sheeted with tears that wanted to roll down his face.

"God Bless you Amanda."

One tear escaped and traced its way down towards the corner of his mouth.

"All my love, "

He smiled at the joy they'd shared.

"-Kurt."

Sebastian Shaw sat quietly in his chair, working at his desk. It was the trivial and mundane part of running an empire – the paperwork.

Surely, it's no fluke… The documents come up missing and our New Mutant Advisor is made a national hero…

He exhaled and paused in his tasks.

What are you up to Illyana? Is Wagner already on your payroll? Am I fooling myself to think that Emma can pull this off on her own? Are the rumors true? Is she slipping?

He considered.

Illyana… Are you the future? If so…

His phone rang.

"Illyana." He said, almost not surprised. "How good of you to call."

"Morning papers?" He lied. "No, I hadn't seen them. I've been busy with contract negotiations all morning."

He smiled as she explained the situation to him.

"Indeed." He said, sounding displeased. "Emma should not have allowed this to happen. You're quite right."

Something nagged at him. Oh, Illyana…

"Yes, I'm certain that some form of discipline should be applied. I shall consult the others."

He hung up the phone.

Okay Illyana… I'll do it your way. But you had better be holding the cards. If Wagner is your man now than I can live with that, provided we're allies. But so help me… If you're screwing up Hellfire Club business for no other reason that to make Emma sweat or discredit her…

No… He thought. No one would be that foolhardy. We have rules ... and punishments for such things.

He relaxed slightly. She had better be prepared.

Kitty slipped in to the kitchen quietly. She grabbed one of the smaller and already prepared shark steaks off the plate in the fridge and on to a new one. What do dragons drink? She wondered.

Then she spied the table. Ugh! Forge! She thought. Gross!

She grabbed a few other things to experiment with and slipped back towards her room.

She didn't want to disturb anyone so she hadn't used the door. She phased through the wall.

And it happened again.

The old man in the room turned with a start. "AHH!"

He and the dragon jumped.

"Oh, it's you!" The old man laughed.

And as she slipped out of the wall, he disappeared.

It was the same room she had left on her way to the kitchen, and the same one she had seen – but it appeared so different when the old man was there.

Maybe it's got something to do with phasing through the lighthouse. She paused. Maybe it's lead poisoning from the paint or something… But she dismissed that idea quickly.

The little purple dragon wrung it's hands and looked at her, sniffing the steak in the air.

"Creak?" He batted his eyelashes again.

She looked at him in shock. You were there… She realized. With the old man, and when the room reverted to normal… you were standing in a different place… How?

Then she noticed his expression and her heart melted. "Awwwww….."

Forge was sleeping on the kitchen table. Not that he didn't have a room now, he did. He just lost track of time, lay down to fix the light over the table, and didn't get back up again.

He snored slightly.

X23 circled him, giving him a wide berth.

His one arm lay down off the table at an uncomfortable angle.

He snored loudly and she looked around the room in exasperation. He's ASLEEP! She realized. How could anyone sleep through noise like that?

"With Martians…" He smiled in his sleep as he spoke. "Two please. Shaken, not stirred."

She looked at him in both amazement and confusion, as though he'd lost his mind, and she helped herself to a glass of cold water from the fridge.

"It's too cold for metal feathers, you'll…" His foot twitched twice as though he thought he were running and then absently slapped himself in the face.

She paused, quiet and fascinated by the display.

"Ha!" He smiled. "Two microns!"

Then he furrowed his brow and rolled off the table.

She choked on a laugh and quickly stepped out of the room before he saw her.

"Awww, man…" She heard him rise and smack his lips.

She held her laughter and slipped quietly up the hall and in to her room before she thought of him again.

He's smart. She thought. Head must be full... It leaks when he sleeps.

She shook her head, smiling, at the thought of him falling off the table.

He needs… She paused and smiled a fond and secretive little grin. Looking after.