The butterflies in her stomach were proof of that. It didn't help her nerves any to know she faced an uphill battle getting him to release all his information on Essex to her. He thought he needed to protect her. She was determined that their protection never became necessary. She could and would handle herself.

She could hear footsteps approaching the door. The Cajun, Gambit, stood in the doorway grinning at her.

"Ah, p'tite, we've been expectin' you." He let his eyes roam over her figure.

She liked the warmth of approval she saw in the red/black depths. She knew she was looking her best. I better be looking my best. Two hours spent grooming couldn't have been for nothing. He took a step back from the entryway and beckoned her inside. Kyler looked at the amount of space he offered for her passage. She looked up into face and noticed mischief sparkling in his eyes.

You'll get burned playing with that one Ky. She gave his body the same examination he had subjected hers too. But what a way to go!

With her mindset to give as good as she got, Kyler stepped into the mansion making sure her shoulder brushed across his chest as she passed. She couldn't help giving him a wicked smile when he took her arm and guided her to the others. Round one to me.

"Kyler, there you are." Charles approached her in his chair taking her hand when Gambit released her. "I don't believe you had the opportunity to meet our resident scientist." She followed the motion of his arm and spied a tall, a tall blue, A tall blue what? Kyler hadn't come across any tall blue furry things in her research about these people. I must really be lagging if I missed this one. She dragged her eyes away from the tall blue whatever it was as Charles continued the introduction. "Dr. Henry McCoy, otherwise known as Hank."

Hank crossed the room to envelop her hand in the downy softness of his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you Dr. McCoy." She was proud her voice didn't waver. She had to crane her neck quite a bit to look up into his face but the compassion and intelligence that shined in his eyes reassured her somewhat.

"The pleasure is all Miss Renden but please call me Hank."

"Only if you will call me Kyler." She couldn't believe she was exchanging niceties with someone who looked like a BigFoot relative. This is going to take some getting use to.

She was still a little flustered when Gambit placed her hand on his arm and escorted her into the dining room. Looks and manners what more could a girl ask for? If he does windows I might just take him home. She heard Jean coughing behind and turned to give her an inquiring look. Jean's face was contorted with the effort required to keep her laughter in check.

Dinner was eventful. The food was exquisite. The conversation never faltered remaining at a light banter throughout the meal. Even Logan stopped growling long enough a crack a smile over a silly story she related. Kyler couldn't remember having a more pleasant evening. Which didn't say much for her social life. Especially given the fact that several members of the dinner party appeared anxious.

She was too observant not to recognize the signals they were giving off. Jean had trouble looking her in the eye. Rogue kept glaring at her while Bobby was giving frosty looks in Gambit's direction. Joseph was fidgeting. Logan, well, so far, he always appeared grouchy so his frowning wasn't a look she hadn't seen before. Charles expression amazed her. She thought he was unflappable and for him to be apprehensive was disquieting.

"Charles I know you investigated me. If that is what's making disturbing you, let me assure you there's no need. I would have done the same thing in your position. It's understandable."

Charles raised one elegant eyebrow in question. Kyler only shrugged as she responded to his silent question. "You tripped one of the alarms I have set when you went digging. It pays to know who's checking you out."

"I am sorry if we offended you." His words sounded sincere.

"It takes a lot more than that to offend me." She gave him a cheeky smile. "I admit I'm puzzled. Everything I've seen here suggests you have state of the art equipment, more advanced than any I have ever seen, why weren't you able to get through undetected?"

Hank answered her question with chagrin. "We didn't detect any alarms."

"I was hoping that was the case but I didn't want to delude myself." Her voice held a note of pride.

"Kyler, perhaps you would consider establishing a similar system for us."

Charles' request astonished her. "Are you telling me that you don't have one in place all ready?"

"No, we have several, but apparently they aren't sufficient or we would have known about the dossier."

"I will see what I can do for you. To be honest, I would love to see what you got."

Charles was relieved. She might just stay in the guise of helping them. They wouldn't have to rely on Gambit's seductive techniques. Not that he doubted Gambit's ability. He just preferred not to employ such a distasteful method even if it was to ensure her safety.

"It might take several days. The very least I can offer you is room and board while you are helping us."

Kyler looked around the room at the faces looking at her expectantly. "I'll try not to make a pest of myself."

Charles maneuvered his hover chair away from the table signaling the end of dinner. "Good, it is settled then."

To be continued