Sand and Snow

jess chuckled and turned to fce her " great grand children Khaat ?" she said " enjoy your children as babies and enjoy life for what it can give you " she said softly as she laid back down " jack and I do , every night " she said and blushed " we talk about our children and the twins " she paused and sat up to face her " Khaat i wnt to tell you something" he looked down at her hands " the twins airn't jacks,I don't know what hapened but i found out that i was pregnant as soon as i came back it go me thinking and i was terrified knowing thy belong to the guy who ..." she shivered in the warm air " any way there fine but andrew is his only son, Im worried he will feel that there not worth his attenshion " she said glancing at the villa " i don't sense it and he didn't say anything about it" she lay down on th sand again " maybe i'm worrying over nothing " she said and looked at the blue sky above them as s cloud drifted over them.

"I don't see Jack ever turning away from the twins, regardless of who the biological father is. The fact is, they're yours. He loves you, and he hasn't ever been anything but a wonderful father. I don't think you ever need to worry about him ignoring the kids. Not ever. There's no more chance of that than there is of Brian ignoring the girls. You were pregnant when you two got married as I recalled. He also is very smart. Smart enough to know the timeline does not work out for the twins to be his. And he accepted it anyway. Leave it alone, Jess.

"Brian and I have been talking about more children, actually. But Daddy has said absolutely not--not now, anyway. He' says I would run a very high risk of miscarrying and perhaps endangering my own life in the process until I have enough time to correct my own health problems. Daddy's right, I guess, that Abbey isn't even a year old yet. We do have time."

Jess nodded and smiled glad she had talked to Khaat " yea he does love them and me and andrew , I think he knew with being half me thats what he loves about them " she sighed digging her toes into the warm sand " Khaat you have plenty of time to have more kids i was just unfortunat or fortunat tht i have 3 beautiful kids in my life and a husband who loves me just as much no matter what i nd up doing" she looked at hr and chuckled " brian's like that with you hes totaly under your thumb Khaat " she said chukaling softly.

"Its very mutual," Khaat admitted. "I'm not saying that I don't still love Rob--because I do. But Rob isn't the least bit interested in being here for me or Abbey either one except on his terms. Brian, well, he understands parts of me that I dont' understand about myself. And you're right. We do have time. You know, a year ago, Brian wasn't even thinking about anything other than working in the Paris office. He lived and breathed work. That's all he wanted. And he has a totally different life now. And I've never seen him happier. Not ever. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that Brian and I would end up together. It never once entered my mind. The night he came back, I was homeless and in intensive care with a newborn that I wasn't capable of taking care of. He rescued me. And we had our minds made up that was all it was. I'm not sure when it took a life of its own."

jess chuckled at her " ow a few of us knew you two would end up together , you were both too mkuch alike not to " she said smiling to her as she took in the sun's rys " hay wanna go swimming ?" she asked sitting up " yu did say you wanted to get some ocean on yout feet , well come on" she stood up and slipped off the serong to show her now slim and well toned figure under it her tummy compltly flat again shwing know signs that she hd bore three childern.

"Sure," Khaat said. She got up and hesitated a second before leaving her sarong on the beach. She went and joined Jess in the water. The water was a bit brisk and cold, but she enjoyed it. It felt good to stretch her muscles and to work them a bit in the water. And the sun felt good on her skin. Brian had been right about their getting away for the day. This was what the villa was for. To get away, to be with family and friends, to indulge in the fullness of life that someplace like only Tuscany offered. Khaat and Brian had learned to love Tuscany, and every time they came here, they loved it more.

Jess lay back in the water and sighed " wonder ful she said softly but splashing caught ehr attenshon and she saw jack bounding towards her " ow boy hers trouble " she said and laughed as he threw water over her then grabbed her around her waist and pulled her with him into the water ss she laughed . She smiled and loked at him lovingly her hand caressing his cheek as she lightly kissed him in the water. All her worries gone she knew and could sence he loved her with all his heart and she smiled and nodded to Khaat .

Khaat continued to work on her swimming, allowing Jack and Jess to play in the water and on the beach. It wasn't long before someone grabbed her around the waist It was just at that moment that she realized she didn't have the strength to fight back. She tried to make a struggle, but it wasn't going to work. She knew that. She was too tired.

"Whoa! Hold it! Its just me!" A familiar voice spoke. She looked to see it was Angus. It made her pause. "You really are not holding yourself in the water so well anymore. You're getting too tired. Brian sent me out here to come and get you. Make sure you didnt' drown."

"I'm a good swimmer," she defended herself.

"Yes. You are. But you're recovering. You're not as strong as you normally are. Now--let me help you to the beach before I have to carry you."

"I am a little tired."

"Really? A little?" he frowned. He put his arm around her waist securely and walked her back towards the beach. He helped her sit down on her towel, and he sat beside her on the sand. "Better?" he asked.

"Much," she sighed, realizing he was right.

steven walked down to the beach and sat watching them all he missed Delilah but focused on his work looking around the area at the other people in it . he felt the sea air on his face and chuckled but it flashed a mamorie of ronata again and he sighed shaking his head , no , he would not go there ever she was his past delilah was his future he thought of when he ahd Delilah had ben on the beach and what they had got up to on that same beach befoer she knew she was pregnant and after when his mother visits he promised himself she and he would walk that beach again to their spot and he would hold her among other things. He watched now jack and jess laughing on the beach and angus with Khaat looking like an older brother than an emploee.

After a couple hours on the beach, Angus told Khaat she needed to go indoors, said she was starting to burn a bit. Khaat then remembered she hadn't taken any sunscreen with her. She obeyed and followed Angus back up to the villa, letting Jack and Jess and Steven enjoy their time at the beach. Khaat found Brian sitting on the sofa, clearly bored and falling asleep over some newly published literature on new defense against the dark arts techniques. She figured it was something her father had insisted he read. She went over to him and took the magazine and deliberately dropped it down behind the sofa where he couldn't easily reach it without magic.

"Hey, I was reading that," he frowned.

"No, it was boring you. You weren't reading it. Besides, you did not come to Tuscany to read work materials," she kissed him deeply and passionately.

"Don't start something we can't finish," he whispered.

"I do not hear you," she deliberately ignored him, curling up with him. "And besides, your knee is not a requirement."

"You are utterly impossible," he said. "And very tempting."