Sand and Snow

Khaat didn't say a word on the way back. Brian reached over and kept a tight hold of her hand. Khaat truly had no desire whatsoever to hurt her friends. And no matter what she did, it seemed like she was making it worse.

She found herself keeping an iron grip on Brian's hand. She felt hopeless and helpless. She could feel Jess's deep pain, and Khaat knew she was the cause. She felt like she was only getting deeper in a trap with everyone she loved. They really would all be better without her. But there wre just too many doggone seers in her family and friends. There was no place for her to run or hide while she still breathed. No way to spare them.

Brian spent the short drive back making plans to protect her, always thinking of how to make things safer and better. He hadn't noticed her silence and even if he had, he was busy taking care of safety first.

"Brian," Khaat said very softly as they arrived back at the Giovanni vineyard. "Please. Send the girls home to my parents for the rest of our time here. Get them out of this to someplace safe. Far away from me."

Brian looked at her for a moment and looked at the others. She could see he didn't want his girls away from him. "What do you all think?" Brian asked them.

Jess looked at Khaat then at Brian walking over to Khaat she spoke "NO !!, Khaat I have never gone against you, as a friend , fellow mother and guard, but this has to stop , Self pity is whats driving you into an early grave not us , grow up and snap out of it , the girls stay till you grow up and act who you really are a fighter , a mother and a protector of your family, your only hurting your self, we're not , we care for you, all of us,you told me once that if something is broken, fix it and dam what any one says, I'm telling you now , fix your self, we're here , we're the glue, use us " she said and walked away to stand on her own.

Jack stood dumb struck he'd not heard her talk that way before and he had nothing to say, along with Steven and Cassidy. Cassidy looked at her, Steven, Jack, and Brian.

" Khaat I haven't known you that long but...but i feel shes right , with out you I'd not have met Steven or have a family, what ever it is your going threw I'm sure together we can help" she walked over to Khaat and took her hand " please " she said softly looking into her eye.

"You know what I meant," she told Brian. "I'll see you at home. Thank you for a wonderful day." She kissed his cheek softly and portkeyed back to the villa alone and went to her room and shut the door.

Brian looked at his team, with Khaat now gone home ahead of them and said. "I think you all misunderstood her. She just doesn't want her babies harmed. She just wants them out of harms way while we're here in Tuscany until we find out what started this nonsense that just happened. She would never, never ever want someone else to raise her children. Those girls are her life. They're what get her up in the morning and is what she lives for. And you know something else, it was her children that kept her alive when she was with Barker. I'll bet none of you knew that, did you?

"Eli was there with her, remember? Well, she's Eli's guardian. She fought to stay alive for those girls, for Mis, for Eli and for all the other children she's the guardian for. And she left her bed in intensive care in St. Mungos to go protect Eli, to put herself right in harms way to protect him.

"Sometimes we all need a come uppance. I'll give you that. And maybe part of her needs it in order to help motivate her to start to turn her physical health around. And she did need to hear that she wasn't alone. I do know that, for some reason, she felt very alone. She would not have run if she hadn't felt alone. And she needed to hear you're all still here. Alright. Now, with that said, I'll keep the girls here for now--unless there is another attack. And then I'll have to rethink it and perhaps send them to Robert and Kate for the rest of our holiday so Khaat can address her own needs for awhile."

Jess walked over to Brain and looked at him hoping he could see in her eyes what she had said had been hard for her " I know what its like Brian , I went threw it my self " she said her voice not angry any more " six months , for six months I was held and tortured , she's lucky she was rescued, i had to escape " Jack moved to hold her she turned and held him back.

"I 'l take her to the villa " jack said and aperated away leaving Steven and Cassidy stood facing Brian.

"We'll drive the van back , Brian " Steven said and walked over Cassidy at his side "she'll be fine" he placed his hand on Brian's shoulder reassuringly "if not put her over you knee" Cassidy slapped him on his arm for his remark.

" You don't say that " she said and walked to the van " ok, drama over, you coming or am I driving this heap alone?" she said he shot her a look witch she returned with her tongue poking out as she watched steven turn one last time to brian

"just get Khaat to open up more, you'll be fine or failing that a grand gesture " he chuckled as he looked at Cassidy " maybe propose as I did" he grinned then walked to the van "you know stick?" he said to cassidy .

"of course " she said and put it in gear" see you at the villa , I'll try not to brake anything but with these roads , hop you got the insurance" she shouted and drove away towards the villa.

Brian apparated back and found Khaat had shut herself in her room. He merely flicked his finger at it to open the door and went in.

"I do not feel like talking," she told him almost coldly.

"And I am not your enemy," he said softly. "People are just concerned, Khaat. I can hear you're angry, and you're allowed."

"Damned straight I'm allowed," she said.

"You want to tell me why you're angry?"

"No."

"Can I just stay with you, then?"

"Depends on if you're going to grill me or not."

"No. I won't. I promise."

"Then you can stay," she said. He sat with her on the bed and put his arm around her. She finally slid right into his shoulder, and curled into his neck.

"You know I'll listen whenever you're ready," he said.

"Yep. I know. Thank you," she said.

Jess found her self back in her room at the villa she was so angry she just sat her mind flowing back to her own abduction her heart raced at the memories that seem to come from no where flowing like her own river or terror threw her as she sat looking out the window , she realized she had not coped with her own but pushed it to the back of her mind locked in a box of her own doing now the lock as broken. He felt things changing inside her a cold space forming. She stood looking at the mirror her eyes flicking back and forth her heart beating fast.

"Not again, NOT AGAIN!!" she shouted raising her hand she cast a Confringo at the mirror sending it into tiny pieces then she shot more around the room destroying it, she turned to the door running out of it and straight to Khaat and Brian's room quickly she cast Colloportus on the door sealing them inside. She looked around the room her eyes now slowly turning black as night, as she did her mind as it seemed to drift away the locks broken and the darkness once his now free.

Brian instantly felt the spell being cast against them, and he drew his wand and shouted "Finite!" he relieved the spell. "Khaat, now! Portkey to your father. Now! Go! We've been breeched!"

"My babies!" she shrieked.

"They're mine too! I'll get them! Go, go, go!" he shouted. She obeyed and apparated out. He raced out into the hallway to see Angus apparating out with a baby in each arms. Brian was relieved. He headed through the hallway, silently. Whoever had cast the dark spell was about to die. They'd invaded his home, threatened him and his family. He was going to kill first and ask question later. He didn't care who it was. They were going to die. RIght now.

Jess continued to cast her spell her mind slowly slipping realizing Khaat was not there she trashed the room.

" Her soul black as pitch, her heart dark as night, it is too late, she will no longer fight, then and only then the curse begins a new!! " She shouted, her voice dark not light her eyes now black she transfigured her clothes to dark trousers and a darker top, her hair now black as the night. she cried out a howl that chilled the soul of any one who heard it.

Jack ran with Brian to khaat's room his senses on over drive as he ran, at the sound of the howl he stopped his heart feeling like it was ripped from his chest.

"No, it can't be , it can't be, Brian that's Jess " now he felt the change inside him " god no , there must be something wrong " he said disbelieving she could do such a thing , turning to Brian he said words he hoped he would not "SEND FOR ROBERT!!" he shouted " IF YOU DON'T ... SHE'LL KILL US OR HERSELF " he stood at the door his hand resting on it.

Khaat did not go home. Her terror had gotten the best of her. She had begun to run. She had just portkeyed without a real destination in mind. She had utterly panicked. To her amazement, she found herself on the streets of Hogsmeade nearly out of her mind with terror.

"Khaat!" someone called her. She nearly started to try to run on her crippled ankles, but someone gripped her hard and called to her again. "Khaat! Its me! Snap out of it. Its me!" It took her a moment and she realized that she was face to face with Michael Tremaine. "Khaat, what happened?"

"We're... being attacked....My babies...Brian...Michael, what if they're dead?" she stammered. He took her arm and apparated away with her without another word.


"That is not Jess," Brian said in a fierce voice. "It might be Jess's body, but that is not Jess." He spun the medallion around his neck, and his men from Paris began to apparate in, in a fraction of a second, their wands drawn.

Jack looked at Brain then at the figure who to him was Jess , he took a step forward but she fired a Confringo at him sending him flying back his wear side immediately showing it head and he changed .

"Jess don't " he said moving to her but she shot another calling out again as she did.

" Her soul black as pitch, her heart dark as night, it is too late, she will no longer fight, then and only then the curse begins a new!! " she laughed deep and loud as she did .

Steven ran with cassidy to the door both shocked to see Jess this way and acting so evil "whats happened to Jess?" he asked Cassidy holding her wand out ready to fire.


Jess looked down on the scene she wanted to tell then she was there an it was not her, slowly she moved down slipping back into her body pain shot threw her .

"Jack, split in two, one shall watch , one shall do, each share aware" she managed to say before feeling her self thrown out again she wished she was back in her own body. She knew what was to come Brian she knew would not stand for what was happening and she sighed " be gentle Brian" she said to her self.

Jack tried to control his anger now fueled with his grief to what she was doing for a second he froze as her voice came threw he looked at Brian.