Sand and Snow

Angus brought out a tray of mugs filled with hot chocolate. He have the first one to Khaat and then passed the rest of the mugs out to everyone else. Khaat could smell the deep chcolately aroma the minute she picked up the mug.

"Thank you," she said to him.

"My pleasure. It was a great idea. So, did I hear you're still thinking of a yacht trip tomorrow?" he asked.

"We are," Brian smiled. "What's the forecast."

"Fair winds, sunshine, and unseasonably warm. Might be a bit cold for swimming off the side, but you might be able to tan if you like," Angus smiled. "Did you all bring your suits? My brother said that the shop in the village has some new awesome designs. Though, knowing him, he wasn't looking at trunks. I presume he was looking at bikinis. He really likes to look at shapely ladies."

"Well, my suit is too big," Khaat said. "I could go shopping."

"They don't make bikinis that small," Brian said sarcastically. She punched him.

"Not nice," she said.

"But true," he replied.

"Actually, I've seem bigger hankerchiefs," Angus said. "I'm sure she could find something."

"I am not taking her swimsuit shopping," Brian said definitively.

"Then I'll go by myself," Khaat shrugged.

"Over my dead body. We'll resize the one you have."

"Only if you promise me dinner and candlelight," she smiled.

"Fair enough," he agreed.

Cassidy smelt the hot chocolate and sighed she turned way from the window and moved to they tray listening to going on a yacht trip and swimsuits , she stopped and looked at them "erm... I don't have a swimsuit" she said softly looking at them " Never swum ether" she admitted.

Steven walked over and stood next to her looking at Jess and brain and Angus as he picked up a mug of hot chocolate "maybe we should sort that little problem...after the mission" he said looking at her as she looked at him as he smirked. "what do you say?" he asked every one.

Cassidy shook her head "ow no you'd end up drowning me " she said sipping her hot chocolate , nice hot chocolate buy the way " she said trying to change the subject away from her lack of swimming ability's.

"Why don't you take Cassidy into the village to buy a suit?" Khaat asked. "She might enjoy tanning even if she doesn't swim. Its fine. I promise I won't misbehave while you're gone. That shop has really beautiful suits, if it has half the suits that it did this summer."

"The last I checked, they did," Angus said. "If you go, can I send a list of things for tomorrow's trip along with you to give to my brother, Steven? I'm sure they'll be cleaning the ship today. You know where we dock. Perhaps you ought to take Cassidy out on a drive so that she has the lay of the land. She really ought to know where things are."

"That's a good idea. Can you two get along that long?" Brian asked. He reached in his pockets and tossed Steven a set of keys. "That goes to the silver one. I presume its gassed up and ready to go, Angus?"

"It is, Boss."

"Just leave the car in one piece, Steven," Brian grinned.

Cassidy looked at Steven then back at Brian pouting then she heard Khaat " now that i can do " she said and smiled at Khaat then watched Steven as he spoke .

Steven looked at Angus and rolled his eyes for a moment ,his mind working over time thinking if they were not on a mission they were setting them up "ok , if she wants and I'll do that " he said seeing the look on her face he sighed as they said about a drive. "ok, I'll take her, but no guarantees I won't bring her back over my shoulder " he said smirking knowing it probably would not end that way.

Cassidy looked at him her mouth open in disbelief, she folded her arms "in your dreams" she said but saw something in his eyes told her he had said the wrong thing and placed down her cup . "you wouldn't " she said and backed off.

Steven herd her and smirked "wouldn't I ?" she said placing his cup down on the table , slowly he stood up and brushed down his trousers then quickly he dove at her throwing her over his shoulder and laughed as she struggled "got to be quick Cassie " he said walking around with her on his shoulder face down " "Never challenge me , you'll always lose Cassie" he said still laughing.

Cassidy braced her self much good it did he threw her over his shoulder like she was a child "hey put me down , put me down, ow come on Steven" she called her head bobbing as he moved "Brian Khaat make him put me down, please " she said unable to hide her own chuckle .

Khaat didn't move, didn't open her mouth. Brian never moved either. They seemed to be having a good time.

"Do try to let her find the suit she wants and not the one you want to watch her in," Brian told Steven.

Khaat slapped Brian playfully, and he laughed. "Don't cause trouble," she told him.

"Me?" he asked.

"Go make yourself useful. Go pack a few things for our day trip tomorrow, would you?" she sighed.

"Yeah. I can do that," he laughed. "I'm being ordered off." He got up and went upstairs. Khaat went back to the work she was going on her baby books.

"Take your time, you two. And have a good time," Khaat said, as Angus finished scribbling a note and folded it. He shoved it into Steven's shirt pocket.

"My brother. Don't forget," Angus told him. "Otherwise you'll all go hungry tomorrow."

Steven chuckled at Brian's comment "aww, I'll try and remember that" he said as he moved to the car still with her over his shoulder placing her down in the passager seat he saw the look on her face "relax Cassie " he said and smiled as he climbed into the drivers seat , starting the car he sighed and shook his head as he drove down to the village and to the small shop he remember. Pulling in he opened the door "now that wasn't that bad " he said and took her hand "come on " he walked her to the shop spotting a man who looked like Angus and walked over to him "I'm to give you this " he said and handed the note to him before catching up to Cassidy.

Cassidy walked away from him as soon as the car door opened she walked to the shop finding it did have lots of beautiful swimsuits she looked threw them one buy one choosing two a red one and a black one , she stood for a moment looking undecided .

Steven saw the two suits and stood thinking he liked the black one but she would choose the red witch he also liked but it was not his decision and he waited "ok whats the choice ?" he asked smiling as he saw her take the red one . He looked at some shirts as she went to pay.

Walking to the counter looking at the suit she didn't see a man standing there and bumped him "sorry " she said and the man turned striking her sending her sprawling to the floor her head hit the floor and her lip now bled.

Steven saw in a reflection what had happened and spun around walking over he helped Cassidy to her feet then faced the man "she said she was sorry " he said but the man laughed and went to strike him but he grasped his hand bending it " I don't like men who hit women , especially ones who I happen to like " he said,

Cassidy moved to the counter ignoring the throbbing in her head leaving Steven to deal with the man as she paid for her red swimsuit and moving to the car she could not help stumble a little .

Steven threw the man to the floor and followed Cassie seeing her stumble he moved and picked her up in his arms seeing the look on her face 2ok you really should duck or roll when you fall " he said taking the bag from her .

"Ill be fine " she said "once my head stops throbbing " she found her self resting her head on his chest as she was carried and placed in the car , she felt it start as he drove back to the villa , her jaw now hurt where she had been struck. Reaching it Steven lifted her again and carried her threw to the living room.

"Brian , Khaat jess any one !!" he shouted as he placed her in a chair .

OOC: they were all in the living room working on the baby books, remember?

Khaat saw Steven carrying Cassie back in and shouting. The babies, who had dozed off in the playpen, woke, startled, both screaming and crying.

"We're all right here," Khaat said, calm. "Why the devil are you yelling?" She got up and went over to the chair Steven had put Cassidy in, and Brian joined her.

"I can get this, Khaat," Brian told her quietly.

"I'm very capable, Brian," she told him. "Jess, would you and Jack please calm the babies? They got scared. If you'd soothe them while I work here, please?"

She laid her hands on Cassidy's head and checked her carefully. She drew off the pain and the imbalance and set healing spells in motion. She didn't speak while she worked, but she worked for a few moments, drawing off the symptoms and reviving her.

"Cassidy," Khaat said calmly. "I dont' see any concussion. I think whatever happened just stunned you. You might bruise a bit on your jaw, but I've minimized it. It should be gone in a day or two. How do you feel now? Angus, get her a bit of that potion in the blue glass bottle in the kitchen. The tall bottle. Thta will help finish taking away any remaining symptoms for at least the next 12 hours."

Angus disappeared into the kitchen and brought back a dose of potion in a glass and handed it to Khaat. Khaat handed it to Cassidy. "Drink this. Fortunately, this potion doesn't taste any worse than just a bit of weak gin. It could be worse. Angus, once we're done here, I want you to take her to her room so she can rest. That way Steven can give his report to Brian."

"Of course," Angus said.

Steven looked at Khaat "sorry, she took a knock to her head, some big dumb ox hit her , she hit pretty hard " he said pacing his adrenalin still pumping threw him as he moved back and forth. He looked at Angus "your brother got the note" he said and looked where Cassidy sat.

Cassidy felt the Dizziness leave her and breathed out feeling better retching up she touched her lip and winced but as Khaat worked it disappeared though the embarrassment didn't, she took the cup and drank pulling a face at the taste. "Sorry,I don't like gin" she looked at Seven "hay, cool it would you, your making me dizzy " she smiled at Khaat "thank you , shame you couldn't heal prides just as well "when she mentioned about the bruise she groaned "great sunbathing with a bruised cheek, very elegant" she moved with Angus to her room and lay down her jaw now just slightly throbbing.

Steven sat down and all at them " I didn't see him in the shop, she was choosing her suit"

"You weren't on duty," Brian said. "You weren't responsible for protecting her. Relax. Just stop and relax about it. She's fine. If she werent, Khaat would know. She's the most qualfied and skilled healer here. You sure you want to get this serious this soon, Dude?"

Khaat didn't get involved in the discussion. She wasn't interfering in anybody's love life. Not at all. She did appreciate that Cassidy wasn't letting Steven rush things. Steven had a tendency to do that at times, and she didn't want to see him make that mistake again. The last she knew, Ronata might well be with Jeffrey and Sarah for a long time. Ronata had just never been able to deal with the world Khaat lived in, and she had more or less cracked under the pressure of it from the first night she had arrived in London and had found the Leaky not to her liking. And she had never been able to get a grip on it. Khaat didn't want to get that close to Cassidy until she knew if Cassidy was going to stand up to the pressure. She was leaving it to Brian and her father to sort out. Khaat didn't want to be responsible for ruining another life.

Brian saw that Jess had not responded to the children so he went over and picked up Dakota and Abbey and passed Abbey to Khaat. They held the babies and worked to stop their fright and to calm them.

Jess looked at khaat and the children "sorry khaat" she said walking over "I ..I don't know what happened it was like I blanked for a moment " she said "not me at all to ignore the cries of children, you know that"she picked up Dakota and and soothed her. She hummed softly to her soothing her.

Steven looked at Brian as he spoke he looked some what surprised at his words "what!!?" he asked not sure he heard right "Me and Cassie , No... she ..I.. we're" he sighed as he sat down on a chair and thought more. Looking up at Brian he spoke again "its her decision not mine " he said looking up at Brian " we have a mission if she feels the same then let see how it goes " he sat back in the chair .