Sand and Snow

Khaat heard the very clear sound of her friends breaking into the back of the house. It was drawing fire and attention to the back, just where they wanted it to be. Brian fired a Bombarda at the front door and insisted on entering before her, firing his wand at the guards in the front hall. They were all scattering and were obviously caught totally off guard.

"Quinn! You!" One of them shouted at Brian.

"I know,' Brian laughed. "Miss me?" He fired at them to ward them off while Khaat entered in behind him. She fired at everything within radius that she could destroy, blast to smithereens, blow up, or otherwise obliterate.

"Lupin!! Its Lupin!" One of the men shouted. He cast a sonorous that Khaat was in the house. Khaat immediately fired her wand and killed him. Brian looked at her, floored. Men flew from every direction and the next thing she knew, she and Brian were fighting for their lives. Actually, they were trying to kill her, and Brian was protecting her.

She heard the sound of a blast upstairs. Her father. He was finally here. Well, he had missed the grand announcement that she was in the freaking house. Perhaps that was best. He needed to concentrate on his work.

"Behind you!" Brian shouted at her. She spun to see herself face to face with Luther Burke. He had his wand drawn and he was ready to kill her. His eyes were glazed over, and she knew he had every intent on killing her, out and out. She fired a killing spell which he deflected easily. He tried to kill her, and she tried to fire, but Brian fired a Contego to protect them both. His shield held. He shoved her roughly behind him. "You get the idiots," he told her. "Burke is mine."

She fired repeatedly, rapid fire, knocking out or killing Gelding's men, but more just seemed to be coming from everywhere. Brian, in the meantime, was involved in a bitter duel for Khaat's life with Luther Burke. Khaat knew she'd been hit with some sort of spell, but she wasn't sure what it was. She just kept firing at them. She heard footsteps running down the stairs and she turned, instinctively and fired.

"Whoa! Watch where you're pointing that thing!" she heard someone shout to her. She looked to see her father racing down the stairs with Michael right beside him. They were helping to draw fire now. She was relieved.

"Sorry," she said.

"That's Burke!" Robert shouted. "Gelding's gone. He got away. Get him!"

Khaat fired a shot at Luther Burke, and the Burke's blood splattered everywhere. Khaat watched all the color drain from Burke's face. He stood, stunned, staring at her, his life seeming to empty out of his eyes right before her. He was dying. And he would bleed out in seconds if nothing changed.

"You..shot me," he said to her softly, stunned and confused.

"Yes, and I'm going to kill you," she hissed at him, not feeling one ounce of remorse.

"I'm leaving," he said, with a tone that told her that he might well not live the next few seconds. He apparated out right before her eyes.

"No!" she said, desperately wanting to kill him. She dove for him, but it was too late. He was gone. She felt two arms wrap around her from behind, restraining her.

"Khaat," her father's voice said firmly. "Stop. Its over. They got away. They're gone. Jack, Steven--both of you. Go through the house. Destroy everything in sight. Once that is done, set the place on fire or blow it up. Don't let it stand. Got that. I have to get her out of here or she'll bleed to death. We're going, Khaat. Brian, you wind this up." Robert apparated out with Khaat wrapped tight to him, her back forced tight against his chest. He had one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders.

"Lets make this place into dust," Brian looked at Jack and Steven. He glanced around at all the bodies on the floor. "This shouldn't take long."

Brian raced towards the door and a huge beam fell on him, knocking him out and knocking him to the floor. He was trapped. His wand skittered across the floor away from him. He could hear the building groaning and straining as it began to structurally give way. He didn't want them coming back in for him. His mind began to flash to Khaat and what it would be like for her and the girls without him. He felt dazed. Something hurt, but he wasn't sure where it was or what it was. He hoped they weren't silly enough to try to come back and get him out. He couldn't get free by himself, and he wasn't sure the building would hold long enough for them to actually come back. As far as he was concerned, it was all over for him.

Robert had taken Khaat to his own quarters in the headquarters and he had quickly worked on healing her sectumsempra. She would be fine. It was going to take her some extra rest because she was so fragile to begin with. He set a light sleep spell in place in order for her to rest. It was late anyway. The clock was just chiming 2. Two in the morning. Not bad for a nights work--if everyone had survived. He looked at her, as she started to fall asleep in his bed. She was starting to look worn, haggard, exhausted.

Once she was asleep, he stepped out in the hallway and left Owens within earshot of her. He went to check on the rest of the operatives. He started upstairs in the large ballroom that they used to "process" children that had been rescued. They were being cared for. Bathed. Fed. Wounds bandaged, hearts mended, fears alieved. It was a scene he had seen play out countless times, and it was the sole reason he did what he did.

He left there, passing Michael who was puffing on his pipe and carrying a glass of firewhiskey. "How's Khaat?" Michael asked.

"She's going to be fine. Have you seen the others?"

"Just passed them. Your young lad has taken a heavy hit. You might be needed there. Your granddaughters might like their father to survive tonight."

"Indeed," Robert frowned. He made his way to the sickbay and found people frantically working on Brian. "Move," he commanded with every ounce of authority he could muster. They parted in front of him like the Red Sea. He laid his hand on Brian's forehead and began to assess. "You are not going to die on my watch, Boy," he said to Brian. He drew his wand and began to cast spells to reverse the damage and stabilize him. He watched the blood began to disappear and go back into Brian's body where it came from. He heard bones snap and crack and pop as they began to set themselves. The bleeding wounds began to close. Robert ordered healers to clean him up, and bring Robert supplies to dress his wounds. He ordered a sling and a rib brace. Then he turned to the others who were waiting on word.

"He's going to be just fine," Robert said. "The bleeding has stopped. He has some broken ribs and a broken collarbone. He's going to be very, very sore for awhile. And he's going to have a lot of bruises. But give him a few hours and he'll be up and ordering you all around again. Now, how is everyone else? Cassidy, I presume the healers have at least started to see to you?"

"Don't worry about it," Robert said. "Brian has enough experience that I trust him with countless lives, not the least of which is my daughter. And he didn't escape scotfree either. He's going to match you with a sling of his own. Oh, and by the way, Khaat is fine. She's in my quarters, asleep. That was a hell of a sectumsempra she took. You got her back here just in the nick of time. She'd have died if you had waited any longer. I healed the sectumsempra and put a mild sleep spell on her.

"Alright. Steven, you know where my quarters is. You'll find Owens guarding Khaat in my quarters. There are two guest rooms and Brian's room that are available for use for you all to get some sleep in. Owens can show you the guest rooms and you can flip some sort of a coin as to who borrows Brian's room. Angus is already back and is busy upstairs with the kids.

"Breakfast is at 8. You lot go get some sleep, and I'll see you at breakfast. I need to go find Kate and check on her and Abbey and Dakota. Well done, All. Cassidy, you can go with the others to a guest room if you like. YOu don't have to remain here in sickbay unless you want to."