Snowflakes and Shopping Bags

"I'll look at that tomorrow," Brian said. "I'm not thinking about the organization today. Or about new members." He went to the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee.

Angus sighed heavily. "This bugs him," Angus said to Steven and Jack and Jess. "He knows something he isn't talking about. He's very stressed. He doesn't get like this very often. Let's back burner the new girl for the moment. I'll go talk to him." He got up and went into the kitchen. He talked to Brian for a long moment. Brian had not gotten coffee. He had poured a double shot of firewhiskey into a coffee cup. Angus spoke to him for a long moment and watched as Brian went outside, carrying his coffee cup.

Angus went back into the living room. "He'll be okay. He's just upset with himself. He blames himself for this. I think I"m just going to let him get some fresh air."

Steven could not help partly blame himself if he adh not been so wrapepd up in Ronatas leaving he might ahve stopped her going as such prevented Khaats injury he saw Jess leaning on Jack and he knew she though the same as he.

he drank his coffee and had to agree tomorrow was the time for new members now was for healing wounds and rest . he caught Angus's arm " he will be alright ...won't he I know he takes everything personaly but still this is Khaat and that burke needs to be finished once and for all" he said anger flashing in his eyes as he spoke to him.

"He'll be fine when he sees she's fine. Robert's report wasn't good. That's what's really on Brian's mind. Robert says this is all adding up with her. It's taking a toll finally. He told Brian she's steadily been losing weight since Burke caught her. He told Brian she just can't afford to lose anymore. He is concerned that she just isn't quite as strong and resilient as she was. Brian believes he should have seen it himself. The truth is that Robert sees it because he's looking for it. Brian hasn't been looking for it, first of all. And second of all, there is very little he could do anyway. But you're right. We do need to stop Burke, Barker, Gelding, the whole lot of them--before they end up killing Khaat one piece at a time. Oh, and by the way, that's not coffee he's drinking. I'm keeping an eye on him, but right now, he just doesn't want to feel much of anything."

Steven nodded and loked at Brian "I gathered it wasn't , I'd be the same in his position " he said watching Brian threw the window "he shouldn't drink too much " he said knowing all to wekl how that would go having been on the reciving end. "so how we going to do this ?" he asked "how we going to stop them from getting to her again and for good this time " his face straight and now showing the hard times he'd had in his life .

Sighing he sat back down with his coffee in his hand compeltly feeling drained from all that has hapened , if he felt thias way how would Brian feel . He noticed jess standing and walk over to him she huged him tight and he chuckled "thats jess I needed that " he sid and finished off his coffee."

"Well, part of the problem in protecting a woman like Khaat seems to be that we can never truly completely isolate her. Her position within the wizarding community demands that she be available and accessible. And that demands she be vulnerable. I don't know if we can ever truly insulate her like we'd like. Besides that, her family trained her to be a fighter and to know what all the entails.

"I think a couple of things need to happen. First, we need to make sure she gets a good meal. And I know where we were going, and I know she wanted Italian. I think I'll send Brian to go there and get some takeout for dinner tonight. He can pamper her with her favorite, and it will reduce some of his tension to see her get a good meal. It will make him feel useful again too...." As he was speaking an enormous mountain of packages and boxes appeared outside the patio doors.

Angus frowned. "Well, they missed the front door by several hundred feet. And I guess we now have our plans for the evening. We can keep Brian busy by putting up all the thousands of pounds worth of Christmas decorations Khaat bought this morning. And there's enough there to keep us busy all evening long."

steven stood up on hearing the nse his wand draw as he saw the pile of pakages . Sighing he slipped it away and moved to the door "yeah looks to be quite a lot Angus" he said and stepped out feeling the chill of the ari against his shirt clad skin " its got cold , might even snow again" he said loking at the gray sky above him as he grabbed the first pakage loking it over he moved them one by one inside but not before inspecting them for any tampering that might result in anymore harm coming to Khaat or Brian.

Jess moved away frm steven as she saw the pakages arrive "good they're here" she said and smiled "she got some wonderfull things when we were shoping , I agree Angus lety suprise her and gert them up for her and brian, hes not spoiling christmas for them " she said and tok the fuirst pakage from Steven placing it down on the table as steven walked in with the rest following stakiong in the middle of the floor in front of him.

Khaat didn't sleep all that long, but she did sleep heavily. She was awakened by her back hurting. She got up, found her robe, and ditched the sling her father had put on the robe, a pair of slippers, and went downstairs.

She was amazed to see that her Christmas decorations had arrived. Jess seemed to have taken charge and seemed to know exactly where and how Khaat had envisioned everything. Jess had put Jack, Angus, and Steven to work. It almost made her laugh. Just then, Brian came inside. She could see that he hadn't even taken a jacket and he'd been out there for some time. She was worried. She went over to him. He was like ice.

"You're supposed to be resting," he told her softly, stroking her cheek.

"And you're like ice," she said, full of concern. "Brian. I did hear what Daddy said. I'm not surprised. Its my own fault. Entirely. I'll try harder. Just...just don't give up on me, okay?"

"Give up? Is that what you thought? God! No! I won't ever give up on you. I swear. It just scared me, that's all. I promise. It just scared me."

"Then come in and get warm," she kissed him slowly. "With me."

"Any time," he smiled. "You come and sit down, and I'll make some of your mother's cocoa recipe."

"With the cream?"

"Is there any other?" He laughed. "Go sit." She went into the living room.

"Thank you," she told them all, "It's perfect. I don't know how you knew where I wanted it all to go, but its just how I saw it. You're all wonderful."

steven hung the last garland and stepped back falling backwards into an empty box cursing as he strugled to get back up "aww come on some body give me a hand " he said just then he saw Jack loom over him "maybe we should return to sender on this one jess " he said and jess laughed "nope hes a keeper, just like you Jack "she said and offered her hand to pull him back to his feet " ops hold on thres a pine cone stuck to your....well i'll get it out " she said and pulled it free to a slight wimper of Steven as she pulled it. "that hurt" he said rubbing his butt .

"well next time watch where your sitting" she said and placed it on the tree chuckaling as she does.

Brian fixed a large batch of the hot cocoa that Kate had made over and over again, over so many years. It brought back memories to him, just like it would for Khaat, he knew. He poured it into a great stoneware pitcher that Kate had given to them. He got out a stack of mugs. This was winter. This was comfort in the midst of the cold. Cocoa so thick and chocolatey that it was nearly a sauce. He added a bowl of marshmallows and sent it into the living room for them all.

He poured a mug for Khaat and dropped a couple of marshmallows into it and then gave it to her. ""See if its as good as your mother's," he smiled. "Anybody else? It's Kate's recipe. Not mine. Nobody makes cocoa like she does."

"Sure," Angus smiled, flicking his wand to light a fire in the fireplace. Brian poured a mug for himself and for Angus. "Anyone else?"

Jess walked over "I won't say no , jack?" she asked seeing him walk over "ok but no marshmallows for me "he said and smiled taking a mug amd moving with jess over to the fire to warm up his arm around her again.

Steven rubbed his butt where he ahd been stuck and walked over "sure " he took a cup and placed two marshmalows on top he sighed as he looked at Jess and jack but smiled walking over to the window "HEY" he called "its snowing" he said and moved the curtain to show them and he smiled loking back at every one in the room and feeling like he was indeed part of a family now one he would grown to never want to leave but protect just as he was doinf at that moment .

Jess moved to the window and smiled "nice " she said her hand resting on Stevens back "will you stop thinking about her and forget her allready shes gone steven " she said and looked at him seeing him smile at her.

"jess some times you amaze me " he said giving her a hug this time "but your wrong this time i was not thinking of her I was thinking how lucky I was to have such good freinds "