Sand and Snow

Cassidy took off her jacket and placed it back on the bed before turning to face him"yea,l sounds like we have a lot to do , we'd better get to it then " she said looking at him as she placed her hand on his chest and smiled " freinds?" she asked as she took a deep breath in waiting for his reply. Inside it was all she wanted some one she could talk to other than khaat some one she could discuss recipys with"you know that mint and dark chocolate chesse cake still tempting" she said looking up at him .

"Yeah," he smiled. "Friends. We're all your friends. All of us. Look, I know its easy to be frustrated with Khaat and Brian both at times. They do try very hard not to be on that 'mightier-than-thou' thing where they're the bosses and we're the employees, but I think Khaat's coming across to you like that right now more than normal because she wanted things to wrok out for her friendship with Ronata and that bombed, and she truly believes that she's lost Jess and Jack as friends. And they were so close to her that it really hurts for her. And if you ask me, she blames herself for Jess's illness. And I"m not sure why because no one but Robert and Jess and Jack really know what happened there. But I think when she gets afraid it isn't going to work with you, she distances. She doesn't want either of you hurt. But I guess what I'm asking is for you to give them both some slack. He's extra protective of her right now because he feels he messed up and let Barker get to her twice. They both have huge battle scars because of Barker. They're trying to heal but it takes time.

"Alright. First things first. Can I ask you please to put the bread in the oven? And put on some fresh coffee and fresh tea? And if you see Steven, would you ask him if he'd please go tend to the barn for me this morning? I'll go get the girls up and bathed."

Cassidy relaxed and nodded "sure , three loaves right?" she said smiling " I think i saw him asleep in the Chair down stairs, I'll wake him and get going with the bread and flowers " she said and smiled as she moved down to the living room and Steven kicking his foot she chuckled as he woke rubbing his eyes

"Angus wants to know if you could go to theand I barn this morning for him he's taking care of the babies and I got bread to cook " she said seeing him nod she moved to the kitchen and to the bowl she tok it down and seperated it into the loaf tins knocking it back one last time befoer sliding them into the oven , she glanced at the clock and took out several v ases filing each one she began to arrange the flowers then flicked on the kettle for the tea and coffee.

"No, five. Five loaves, " he called after her as she moved downstairs. "Not three." He watched her go downstairs and he headed in to take care of the babies.

Meanwhile, Brian had known where to start. He apparated to the cemetary and lit his wand and made his way through the cemetary. He saw her laying up tight against Remus's headstone. She was huddled with her face to the ground, almost down in the snow. She wasn't moving. Not at first. Not even when she heard his awkward walking with his crutches through the snow in the dark. The closer he got, the more he saw she was shivering so hard it was violent. She'd been here for hours. If he was lucky, she wasn't frostbitten.

He leaned the crutches against the headstone and laid his wand on the top of the stone. He knelt beside her, groaning at the strain on his knee. He took hold of her, and she was so bitterly cold, he wasn't sure she was even aware he was there anymore. "Khaat," he said to her soflty. "Khaat, can you hear me?" He waited for a response from her. "Khaat, he's not here. But I am. I"m taking you home." She began to cry, and he felt her surrender to him completely. "Staying here all night won't bring him any closer to you. But I'm not going anywhere. We'll work through it. Come on. Lets go home."

He helped her stand, and she was so stiff and sore and affected by the cold, it took all she had to stand. "Hold on. We're going home." He took hold of his crutches and his wand and apparated them both back home, right into the master bathroom off the bedroom. He didn't quit until he had her soaking in the tub to warm her up.

Cassidy worked at the five loaves she had to make three were in and two sat waiting. Soon the first were done and she tipped them on to the cooling wire as she then slipped they woue last two in and continued with the flowers plcing them around the living rom and other rooms too . she found the other things and began to set every thing up streamers and banner as they would see it and the baloons blown up and pined around the banner some were left on the floor for the girls to play with.


After his wake up call by an noww smiling Cassidy he yawned and headed for the barn and the animals feeding them and cleaning out there stalls he found his ability to talk to animals helpful as he quickly finished and moved back to the house deciding on a patrol first to make sure things were still ok .

Brian accio'd mugs of tea. One for each of them. When they arrived in the bathroom, he set his on the vanity, and he sat next to Khaat on the edge of the tub, feeding her sips of hot tea. He knew someone would have seen the two mugs fill with tea and then float off upstairs and know they were back. But so far, he was determined to keep things very quiet for her until she was unthawed and could think again. He had not found any frostbite, although he wasn't sure how she had escaped that. She had some symptoms of hypothermia, which he had expected, but less by far than what she should have had. He was now grateful he'd bought that extra heavy black suede coat and that she had chosen it last night.

Khaat began to come back into her own thinking as she began to feel herself warm up again. As she had sat in the cold, everything had faded away but her desire to be closer to Remus's love. But now, with warmth, she was beginning to be able to think again. It was coming back.

She began to recognize some things. The first thing she recognized was Brian. He was sitting with her and he had poured warm water down over her hair to warm her. She called to him very softly, her voice sounding awkward in her own ears.

"I"m here," he said softly, kissing her forehead. Her skin was still cold against his warm lips.

"Did...I...did...i go...crazy?" she asked awkwardly, fearfully.

"No," he said. "You were out in the cold, remember?" She thought. Oh yes, the snow.

"There...was snow," she said, trying to think.

"That's right. You were out in the snow way too long. That's all. It'll come back when you warm up. You just got too cold. You were lucky we found you when we did. You're going to be alright."

"But..." she began, frowning.

"What?"

"I wasn't alright before. Its why I left..somehow..." she said, not fully remembering what had been so painful.

"Give it time," he soothed. "It'll be okay. You need to warm up first. Here. More tea. It'll help warm you up."

Cassidy busied her self around down stairs noting he two cups of tea that disapeared from the pot she had made and realizing brian and Khaat were back in the house she just continued on with the preperations and then her cheese cake , she sprinkled the dark chocolate over it and placed it in the fridge smiling at her creation nd hoping every one would like it she ahd gone with Angus sugeston of spearmint in it . she placed a sprig mint in the center and placed it in the fridge .

Steven walked abck in after his round and loked around. "wow you have been busy" he said and moved to the kitchen and a cup of coffee to wake himself up .

Angus had heard the water running in the master bathroom across the hall from the nursery. He had glanced out in the hallway and had seen two mugs float past and into the bedroom. Once he had the babies dressed, he put them in the playpen in the nursery and walked across the hall quietly. The door wasn't entirely shut. He knocked lightly, got no answer and went in. He heard voices in the bathroom, and the door was ajar. He knocked very lightly.

"Come in," Brian said. Khaat was up to her shoulders in bubbles, so he saw no harm. Angus went in and found Brian sitting with her feeding her tea.

"You two alright?" He asked.

"Fine," Brian said.

"Was she..."

"You were right," Brian said. He had known without asking where the two of them believed she had gone. "She was like ice. She had to have been there for hours."

"Then you're doing the right thing. Any frostbite?"

"No, thank God."

"How's the knee?"

"Miserable."

"We're fixing it tomorrow. Just hang in for Kate's sake. I'll bring you some pain potion. You two want breakfast?"

"Yes. Please."

"Coming right up. Give me at least ten minutes. I'll send it up so you can take care of your knee and so that she can warm up."

"Thanks. I'll try to be more sociable after breakfast. I promise."

"Don't worry about that. We have it under control," Angus said. "I'll send up more tea, too." He went back downstairs and poured more chamomile tea into a carafe and sent it upstairs. Then he said to Steven and Cassidy. "They're back. Khaat's fine. She's just been overly exposed to the snow. Brian has her in a nice warm bubble bath. I'm sure he's going to get her into a warm nightgown and into bed until she finishes thawing out. But they've decided not to go out for breakfast. We'll be sending up trays for them. And Brian is going to need ice, pillows and pain potion for his knee. And..." he looked at the clock. "Michael will be here within the hour. I wouldn't be surprised if he joined us for breakfast. By the way, the house looks great, Cassidy. Oh, damn. I didn't bring the girls down for breakfast. They're not going to be happy with me. They're bathed and dressed, but I left them in the playpen in the nursery. Can I get you to go get them, Steven, please? If they wait much longer, they're really going to be angry with me."

Cassidy nodded at Angus over the house "thanks " she said and too out the rest of the loaves plcing them on the cooling wire "thats the last of the five " she said softly and smiled as she noticed he didn't have the g irls "I'll send a pot of tea "she said filling a fresh pot and sending it up behind steven as he headed for the girls.

Steven headed up watching the pot of tea follow him then move to rest beside Khaats bed , he moved into the nursary and headed ovr to the cot Abbey put her arms up to him Dakota just sat throwing her tedy at the side , quickly he gathered the two of them and headed down to the living room "hey look who I found , both are hungry" he said grinning.

"Good," Angus said. "I have breakfast for them." When the girls were in their high chairs, he put for them a bit of scrambled eggs in a bowl for them, along with pieces of banana, little pieces of breakfast potatoes, and bottles with their milk. He had bottles of juice in the fridge if they still wanted those later. He tried to always be at least one bottle ahead. Abbey made him smile. She rarely ever threw her food. She was always happy, and she loved food. She prefered to use her fingers to eat, though, and she was eager to eat today. She seemed extra hungry.

Dakota was far more interested in banging on the high chair's tray and screaming just to delight in hearing the sound of her own voice. Angus laughed. "I did not teach her to do that," Angus said. He shook his head, sighing. Dakota's screaming didn't even seem to phase Abbey. That made Angus laugh. "This child is just permanently happy. And her sister is a live wire. When we've gotten them fed, I have Hawaiian Sweet Bread French Toast for us with coconut syrup, and some eggs. But it is so much easier to feed these two first."

Upstairs, Brian had decided the water was getting cold. He let the water out of the tub and found Khaat could at least minimally dry herself off. He brought her a warm nightgown and slipper socks. He apologized in advance for the use of magic rather than a more personal touch, and he levitated her to bed. He followed, covered her and made sure she had pillows to sit up and lean against. He summoned the tea mugs and managed a shower for himself and clean clothes and a shave. He came back into the bedroom and found the new carafe of tea. He warmed up both their mugs and made his way over to his side of the bed, shoved a stack of pillows against the headboard to lean against and sat on the bed, stretching out his legs. He could not suppress a small cry of pain. His knee was badly swollen. It was so swollen it was pulling at the seams of his jeans.

She looked at him and then saw the swelling in his knee. She took both her hands and wrapped them around his knee. She drew off the pain, and when it did, it was such a change his head spun. He leaned his head back against the pillows. "Thank you," he whispered. She left her hands in place and drew off some of the swelling. They both knew it was only temporary, but it would at least make him more comfortable for the moment.

"Your father is the finest healer I know," he said to her softly, trying to catch his breath from the pain. "But even he does not have the gifts in his hands that you have in yours. Thank you, Khaat."

"You wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for me," she said. He caressed her cheek.

"Baby," he said. "We'll talk about it later. Not now. Let it go for right now, okay?"