Sand and Snow

Cassidy looked at Angus and smiled " ow that would be great, I have to warn you lpotions was not my best class at school " she said but then sat and watched Brian and Khaat smiling as Khaat returned with several bars , she was about to take one when Brian spoke up. she decided best would be to just to sit and listen. She sig hed and looked at Angus noting the look on his face telling her he was deep in thought and remained quiet Picking up the dark c olate bar she sent the empty dishes to the dish washer and sighed as she heard Kate speack. Cassidy knew the only person who didn't trust Khaat was Khaat herself.

"Kate, I can't speack for Steven nor Angus, but as far as I am concerned Khaat has nothing to worry about , I never once thought she would hold anything back , yes i know she did with the potion adiction, but if she says she has none here then i for one belive her. " she said standing she took the bar of chocolate and headed for the kitchen. "I'll be in the kitchen preparing desert for tomorrow if im needed" she said and looked down at Angus as she passed him. "I'd still be greatful if you could show me " she said her voice softer now as she spoke then moved into the kitchen.


Steven looked at Kate and Cassidy he aproved of her words but having a mouth full of cheese cake he stayed quiet but agreeing with her finishing he smiled and nodded "no worries here kate " was all he said "now if nobodies going to eat that last slice " he said looking as Angus to see if he wanted it then to Kate . He knew inside that he trusted Khaat ,he had before and still did now and god help any man who didn't.

"Khaat was picking up anxiety from me," Brian admitted. "She's just not strong enough to go through anything more physically. I just..."

"Well, stop it," Kate snapped at him. "She's clean. You of all people should know better. You really, really are asking for it. Get yourself together. Robert will get her together. You get ahold of yourself. You understand me? Don't you go treating her like she's never going to kick this. She did, and she'd clean. If you'd lived through what she did, maybe you'd have a clue...."

"I get it, Kate," Brian sighed.

"No, I don't think you do," she continued. "What has she told you about her second time with Barker?"

"Nothing, really."

"Exactly! There's a reason for that! Its just too ugly for her to even look at. She's not just being difficult. She just didn't relapse. Use your head."

"I need to apologize, don't I?"

"Not at the moment. Let her father talk to her. He was there when we found her. He's the reason she's still breathing. Give them a moment. And then you'd better apologize if you know whats good for you."

Angus got up and left, heading into the kitchen. "So, now," he sighed, trying to get rid of the stress of the dining room conversation. "What exactly are you wanting to make, Cassidy?"

Cassidy looked up as she haed heard more of the conversation in the dining room "maybe some bread so I can pound in som common sence " she said but then sighed and shook her head " you were going to show me how to get extract from the plant " she said moving to the fridge to take out the other ingrediants. She paused for a moment then turned to look at him. "god damn it, why won't khaat just talk to Brain get it all in the open " she said her calf spazumed and she sat down hard on a chair "I wish all this te nshion was over" she bent down and started to rub her calf.

"Its not that simple," Angus sighed. He got out a sauce pan and put water in it. "I'll be right back." He went downstairs and cut several sprigs of peppermind and returned. He rinsed them off to be sure the dirt was off and tossed them in the water. "Now. This part, at least, is easy. We boil the herbs in the water so that the water is infused with the flavor and scent of the herb. Sort of like making tea.

"When Robert and Kate found Khaat in Barker's lair, she was so far gone, it took all Robert knew to help her survive. And I've never seen a finer healer anywhere. Khaat could tell Brian what Barker did, but it won't erase the horrors from her mind. And she feels a strong need to protect the people she loves from knowing that. Especially Brian. He takes her safety far more seriously than he does his own. She's partly protectinghim from what she knows will be his own guilt. She doesn't want him crippled by Barker too because he might blame himself for letting Barker get her a second time and damned near killing her

"I need bread for tomorrow anyway. Here." He handed her a recipe from a file box on the counter. It was a recipe for Hawaiian Sweet Bread. "Think you can mix that up and knead it and prepare it for its first rise? Ever made bread by scratch before?"

Cassidy moved or rather limped to where he stood smelling the scent of mint in the ae said smiling "smells nice " she said sliding away with the recipy as she listened to him talk finsing she liked the sound of his voice "can't say I have "she said taking down some of the ingrediants and a large bowl, white sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, she moved to the frigde and took out the milk, eggs and margarine , then moved to a cuboard beside him to find dry potato flakes, dry yeast,finally she stood to face him "vanilla and lemon extract? " she asked "more to the point what is it , is it like the mint one" she asked

"You don't really need the extracts in the bread," Angus said. "However, the vanilla would be fairly essential in the cheesecake. And no, it doesn't work the same. What we're making will become a bit of a simple syrup with mint flavoring. We're going to add an equal amount of sugar now, and boil it down and reduce it. LIke this." He added sugar to the water, stirred it til it dissolved and set it to simmer. "Now we wait. At least where that is concerned. So, back to the bread, you'll find the dough is very light and delicate if you follow the recipe. If you want a heartier bread, simply add more flour and kneed it longer so it develops the gluten. I've made it both ways. Khaat prefers it heavy and dense and likes it best as french toast in the mornings. If we make french toast, I'll make her favorite coconut syrup for over it. Oh, and some grilled pineapple salad. A tropical breakfast is a wonderful way to start the morning."

Cassidy smiled and mixed the ingrediants washing her hands she began kneeding it , humming softly as she did and finding it very theraputic as she did it "yeah, sounds delishiose "she said as she wiped her forhead leaving behind some flour as she continued to kneed and hum softly enjoying what she was doing with her hands soon it was smooth "ok this all right ?" she asked showing it in the bowl to him .

He checked the dough. "Its fine. Very nice. Now, cover your bowl with a clean towel and leave it someplace warm to rise. Muggles leave it on top of their gas ovens, and I even knew a muggle woman who left her bowls of dough on top of her electric clothes dryer. Said it was just the perfect temperature to make the bread rise. And the bread, for some odd reason, came out perfect every time. She might have been right."

Robert finally came back downstairs. He wasn't in the best mood. He said little. He poured a couple of cups of tea.

"How's Khaat?" Angus asked quietly.

"She's agreed not to go anywhere at least for tonight," Robert said.

"I was afraid of that. So she honestly was thinking of running, huh?"

"I can't say as I blame her, really. You realize, of course, that it won't solve a thing. But I can't blame her for the thought. Might have had it myself if I had been her."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Angus asked.

"No, not for now. Unless you want to just keep Khaat company. I'm going to take Junior downstairs and spar with him until he just doesn't have any of that hostility left. He's not going to have a choice. He's going to have to deal with me."

"Robert," Angus said, "Don't damage him too badly."

"That, my boy, depends entirely upon him. He knows how this works. He'll make his own choice. I'm taking my bag downstairs with me just in case, though."

"Charming," Angus sighed.

Cassidy watched Robert walk back down and into the kitchen as she placed a cloth over the bowl she then placed it on a shelf over the cooker "that should do it " she said softly and turned to hear Roberts rermark abo Khaat company and sparing with brian " well at least he can patch him back up " she said and sighed "I guess the gym is off limits for a while " she said and flicked on the kettle " maybe i should take a tray up to Khaat , or do you think is best to just leave her for a while " she sat down her head in her head now in her hands "I wish they would sort this out, all this dramas is distracting from the real threat, Barker" she said "he could strike at any moment and all were ding is fighting between our selves" her voice was soft as she looked at him.

"Actually, the gym is not necessarily off limits," Angus said. "In Paris, when Robert duels anybody, it tends to be an event that the men dont' miss. And 99% of the time, its Brian. Brian is usually the only one who will brave him. And Brian doesn't usually hold back. These things usually are pretty dramatic and almost always bloody. Personally, it helps me learn a lot more about why Robert can be so damned intimidating and why Brian is the warrior he is. Whether you're interested in watching is up to you. I might go. Maybe. That is if Khaat doesn't need me. I believe Kate and Steven have probably seen enough of Robert and Brian sparring to last them a lifetime." Angus heard the faint sound of quiet conversation in the living room.

"Ah, well," he said. "Khaat's down here with Kate. So, either one is okay. You can either watch the sparring or join Khaat and Kate and help with the girls. I'm sure we'll have to be getting them ready for bed soon. They've got full tummies, they'll be sleepy soon."