Reconciliations

Steven looked at Robert and nodded "I understand that its nothing to do with Ronata I just want to reasure him I am not going to take him from you or Kate, but im still here if he wants me , Johns ok ,he was annoyed at first but calmed down when i told him she was not here any more and that i would be spending more time with him and andrew, work permiting " he said with a sigh and looked at Robert "things are going to change , I am going to be there for both boys but i also understand with andrew it will take longer for him and I to even gert a small piece of what we had back " he sat back looking at the door andrew had gone out of.

"Let me go talk to him," Robert said. "We knew this was not going to be easy. I'll be back."

Robert knew where Andrew would be. In the bedroom that Andrew used when he stayed with Robert and Kate. Robert found the door ajar. He knocked on the doorjamb and pushed the door open. "I do understand, Andrew. You know that. And Steven is trying. We did talk about how things might be tough at first, didn't we?"

"Yes," Andrew mumbled.

"Well, then? Here it is. You're a Gryffindor, Boy. That means you don't run from trouble. You man up to it. You're not a runner anyway. We both know that."

"Yes, Sir."

"I want you to start this from scratch, as if you never even knew him. Start over. Take it one day at a time, one moment at a time...."

"But I like it here! I like...."

"Andrew," Robert said gently, sitting on the bed and taking Andrew's arm to make him sit beside him. "You will always have a home here. Always. We just want you to have a home with Steven too. We want for you the same thing you want. There really isn't a problem here. You two just aren't communicating really well about it. Now, go back. Talk to him."

"You come with me."

"I will," Robert said, standing. "Let's go." He led Andrew back to the living room. "Alright. Now. Let's try this again."

Steven nodded and sat waiting for Robert to return hearing him he stood up and faced both Adnrew and Robert taking a deep breath he would have spoke but he looked at Robert to ask if it was all right for him " so...how was school Robert told me you are doing well " he said hoping that starting on a diferant subject would help start things on the right foot again. He glanced nervusly into his cup "erm.. hows frog?" he asked taking a sip from the cup.

Robert nodded from behind Andrew, his hands on the boy's shoulders as they went back in the room. "School is fine," Andrew said softly. "So is Frog. He has a new plastic house. My housemates..they like him."

"His grades are excellent, Steven," Robert said. "Oh, and I forgot, he's gotten an invitation to go spend the summer this year with Charlie Weasley at his dragon reserve in Romania. Every summer they handpick a number of students who have potential to be good with caring for magical creatures and they take them on to train them how to care for dragons. It is a once in a lifetime honor for him." He drew the letter off the fireplace mantel and handed it to Steven to see.

"I'm thinking I might like to go," Andrew said tentatively. His stopping point was the fact that he'd had the best time of his life this past summer with Robert and Kate and he wasn't sure he wanted to give it up. He might want to hang onto that awhile longer. He just didn't know if he wanted to be quite that far from them.

Steven smiled as he seem to relax a little "thats wonderfull " he said and then heard about the trip taking the letter he read it "well it is up to you if you want to go, I'll sign it " he tok out a pen and signed it plcing it on the mantel "I think it would be a good learning opertunity but its your choice " he said and sat back down to face him drinking his coffee he wondered how they were getting on up stairs.

"so whats the plan for tomorrow ?" he asked blowing across the top of his cup again as he found it to still be hot .

Robert watched Andrew take the letter from Charlie Weasley and put it back in the envelope and put it back on Robert's mantle for safekeeping.

"Well, its up to Andrew," Robert said. "Andrew knows he's more than welcome to stay here anytime he likes. Kate and I love having him here, and he's good help in the barn, in her studio and in my lab. Why don't you just take this one step at a time, Andrew? Why don't you perhaps go over next door with Steven and spend some time over there and just see how it goes? Then you can come back for dinner, or tonight, or not at alll if you don't want."

Andrew shot Robert a glance that said Robert was being absurd if he thought Andrew would never come back.

"You know what I meant, Lad," Robert laughed, squeezing Andrew's shoulder. Andrew nodded and looked at Steven.

Steven smiled and chuckled " your free to come and go as you want, I have no boundries on the farm " he looked at Robert and gave a small smile now feeling some what happier that everything was some what all right between them now ."I think Andrew might want to stay here , thats ok with me " he said and looked at him not wanting to push him into anything he didn't feel ready for.

Steven looked at Andrew he saw a young man standing there now not a boy he ahd let go to hogwarts all those months ago and he understood Andrew had grown up into a well liked young man and one any father would be proud of ,he had to get use to that. He smiled thinking this was what he had wanted yet it was mostly down to Robert and Kate who molded him and he was proud.

"you turned ing a fine young man Andrew , I am proud to know you, you have a good head on your shoulders " he said with a smile as he stood up proud "I;ll be there for you in any thing you wish from now on for both you and John"

"Thanks," Andrew said, feeling just a bit awkward. "Um...Robert and Kate say I can have a room of my own here too. Is that okay?"

"Before you answer, Steven," Robert said, "I don't mean this to take away from his home with you. Not at all. But he has taken a liking to the room he spent the summer in, and I told him that if he wanted he could fix it up any way he wanted. That way, when you're working he always feels like he has a place to call home. The work you do keeps you away sometimes for days at a time, and we know that. And you're good at it. Andrew does not want you to have to give that up because of him. He just wants to know he belongs someplace. All Kate and I are saying is that we're more than willing to substitute for you. And he knows that. BUt while you two have the weekend, why don't you do something fun? If you like, I have some box seats at a professional quidditch game that, I guess, the Minister always gets. That's about the last thing I have time for. The game is later this afternoon in London. Why don't you two take them and go? They're the best seats in the house."

steven looked at Andrew when he mentioned the bed room he ahjd no problems with that at least he'd have some whewre to go to that was safe and where he would not be harmed. "He loetsned to Robert and smiled noding as he finished explaining.

"Robert thats fine ,every young man need space " he said loking at Andrew as Robert spoke about the Quiditch tornment " would you like to go Andrew , we could pick up john and all go " he said waiting for his awnser then after we had something to eat i'll bring you back here " he said hoping that he would acept knowing he was coming back to robert and Kate's and not his farm , steven would not push andrew in to anything he didn't want to do.

"Do you have three tickets?" Andrew looked at Robert.

"More than I will ever use, my boy. I guess the minister gets a box of his own for the British professional quidditch team for the whole season. You're welcome to them for as many games as you would like, Steven." He opened a drawer in an end table, drew out a large business sized parchment envelope that appeared to be stuffed full of someting or another. He drew out three tickets and handed them to Steven. "Here. Have a good time. And Andrew, you do what you feel is right tonight. If you're having a good time and you want to stay home in your own house, you won't offend Kate or me either one. Its alright to have a whole family of people who love you. You really don't have to choose. We don't have a time limit on anything. We have all the time in the world. Understand?"

Andrew did. Robert and Kate weren't going anywhere. It was fine. Whatever worked out best was fine with Robert, and it made Andrew feel freer and happier. He didn't have anything against Steven. Really. He had been just angry. He had always wanted it to work, but he didn't know how to get it accomplished. It seemed that Robert and Steven seemed to have ideas about how to do that. Besides that, even though he and John went to the same school, he just didn't see him much. Well, hardly at all. Maybe the quidditch game was a good thing.

"Can we get pizza?" Andrew asked Steven. He was hungry for a really good, handmade deep dish pizza with loads of sauce and toppings. The house elves just didn't make good pizza.