Finding Femininity

"It's beautiful," she said, still looking at it, "But..why?"

"Because you needed a new one," Brian smiled. "And because it was my beautiful woman deserves a beautiful wand."

"I don't feel very beautiful," she said very softly, so that it was barely loud enough for him to even hear with him right next to her.

"Khaat," he said. "Did you think less of me all those times I lost to your father and got bruised? Was I less to you then?"

"No," she frowned at him. "Not once."

"So? What makes you think you'd be less to me now? You were hurt. That's all. I see injuries. Nothing more." He kissed her. "Truly--nothing more, nothing less. You are as beautiful as you ever were. We'll walk it out. It'll be alright."

jess looked at them both then at Robert she felt jacks arms around her gently squeese her a little and she chuckled knowing they had been threw something like it aq the retreat jack had helped her over and threw her fears and now they both were stronger for it both pysicaly and it had renewed their love for each other with a fire so much so she thought Roberts spell so she'd have no more children would not hold. she felt jack lean down and kiss he gently and she smiled back .

"Khaat," Brian said. "How about, once the bruises fade, you and I go away for just a couple days just the two of us?"

"What about the kids?" she asked.

"We have all sorts of help that will watch them for a couple days."

"Where would you go?"

"We, Darling. We. And I don't know. Something appeal to you?"

"Um...no. Not really. Do you really think we should?"

"I do," Robert said. "I think its just what you need."

She looked at Brian. "If you think we should, then you pick."

"Okay," he said softly, caressing her cheek. "I'll take care of it. I promise. Come on. Finish that soup. Its almost gone. You have to be hungry."

"Not really."

"Thats my potions, I"m afraid. Deadened her sensation of being hungry, " Robert said. "When the potion wears off, she'll be hungry."

"Come on. Just a few more sips." He coaxed her through the soup and sent the mug back to the kitchen. She jumped, staring out the patio door. He followed her gaze and saw it had started, suddenly to rain heavily. A new spring storm.

"Relax. Its warmer today. Warm enough to rain. Going to make a mess of the snow, I think" he smiled. "You're safe." But Brian saw something Khaat did not. Cara was heading back to the barn, on the run, and she had something in her mouth. Something red.

"Wands," he commanded, drawing his. "Guard her with your life." He apparated out and apparated into the barn. He was there when Cara got there. "What do you have, Girl?" he asked. "Can I see?" She dropped the red item and walked aside of it, off to her cubs. He went over to it and knelt. It was the rest of Luther Burke's red paisley ascot. He'd been on the property--very, very recently. Maybe still.

jess nodded at the idead "I'd look after the girls they can play with the twins " she said smiling but when Brian said wands Jess stepped away from jack who moved to where he looked jess held her want now in her hand and stood in front of Khaat , jack moved with brian out to the barn sniffing " damn this rain " he said " can' smell anything but damp ground" he said his eys scanning as he moved of while Brian was in the barn any foot prints he culdn't find .

jess stood fixed looking around her senses turned up full she felt brian in the barn and jack out side and several men around al searching the area she picked up on steven running around to the barn and cassidy in the kitchen she stood buy the back door watching.

"Damnit!" Brian cursed, socking his hand into a solid oaken barn support post. "Right under my nose! I swear I'm gonna kill that bastard! He's here! He's been here--today! Stalking her! I'm going to rip him apart!" He glared hard at Steven and Jack. "Now you both listen to me," his voice was low and fierce. His rage was just about ready to blow, and he was struggling hard against having the worst temper tantrum of his life. "You both have ONE mission. Just one. Protect my family. You keep them safe. I'm going to stop this one way or another. And the only way I can do that is by going to Paris, track down this bastard and kill him and Tom Gelding."

Meanwhile, in the house, Khaat had nearly come unglued when trouble had started. She knew. Burke was here. He was on the grounds. Looking for a way in. She said nothing. She stared at the floor, pulled her blanket harder around her. Robert was standing right beside her, his wand drawn, his hand on her shoulder to try to calm her. He wanted her to know he wasnt leaving her. He had a lot of dread too, but he was by far more concerned that Brian would do something stupid.

jack looked at steven who both stepped forward " no, sir, your not in a fit state to do anything " said steven jack stepped forward " we love your family as if it was our on but think for amoment your wife need you here and now you leave she will crack up and then where wil she be , in the crazy house do you want that for her. get her back on her feet get your self back on your feet then you can do more damage to him let him suffer when your back up to speed then go after him thats more of a torture " he said jack moved closer to Brian and sighed " if you try i'll have no choice but to stop you , your my boss but my freind too so is khaat the though of coming back to both of you kept jess going." he said his hands i nches from brian 's arms.

Brian knew, deep down, that they were right. And he was afraid to leave her, but he was feeling useless as her protector anyway. He hadn't stopped anything. He was fairly good at picking up the pieces but no good at all at keeping her safe. And if he really stopped to think about it, he knew full well, that he had at least bruised his hand now, and his knee would not hold him. Not yet. He still had at least another two weeks to go before Robert's spells put Brian back full strength, and he was training so that he would be able when the healing was complete.

"You have no idea how much I want him dead," Brian said, furious. "I've been tangling with them for years. And they won't even let her breathe. She just goes from one attack to the next. No matter where we go. I have to make this stop. But you're right. If I go do this now, I won't likely ocme back alive. I do know that. And I guess its a gamble I'm willing to take--for her. For my girls. I've messed up too many times where protecting her is concerned. But maybe I can still set her free from them. Maybe I can give her that much."

Inside, Khaat's heart was so tied to Brians' that she felt him shift. She had felt his anger. He had a right. She gave him that. But suddenly she felt his resolve in his spirit shift. It unwound her altogether. She bolted up and started on a run, as well as she could run, for the door. Robert caught her tight and strong in his arms and spun her around so he could look at her. He looked in her eyes.

"What did you see, Khaat?" he asked calmly. She was falling apart in his hands, becoming hysterical, crying, fighting against him to get free, but his grasp was strong. "Tell me what you saw," he repeated. All he could understand from her was "Brian." He laid his hand on her forehead and hit her with a huge sleep spell. She collapsed instantly in his arms. He lowered her back to the sofa. "Angus, stay with them," he commanded. "This has to stop." He apparated out and into the barn.

He found Brian there, and one look in Brian's face told him everything he needed to know. Robert was outraged. He took long powerful strides to Brian, grabbed him and hurled him onto the barn floor with a slam. Brian looked up at him blankly.

"You little idiot! She's still a seer! Did you think she wouldn't know? Get your act together! Right now! Your job is not to go hunting, to go looking for Burke and Gelding! That's not what your orders are. What did I tell you? Repeat it for me so I know you got it right!" His eyes bored down hard into Brian's face. "Answer me, you little git!" Brian did not respond. "You know what I told you! Protect my daughter! Not destroy her. Get your act together. Right this instant. You're not going to throw yourself at them! This is not a new contest! I've been chasing them myself for decades. And you are not the first person who thought they'd stop it by sacrificing yourself. I"ve buried a lot of friends--and family--that thought that was the better way. Now, you're going to get yourself up and you're going to go back in that house and you're going to stop what's left of her mind from dissolving. You got that?" Brian sighed. "Do you understand me!" Robert demanded. Brian apparated out. Robert looked to the house and saw Brian's form moving away from the door into the room towards the couch and Khaat.

"Thank you," Robert looked at Jack and Steven. "Now. What are we dealing with?"

steven spoke again to him " yes sir we both know ..." he would have gone on but Robert walked in . Jack moved quickly out of his way seing another side to Robert a side that seem to comand respect Jack backed off his hed lowered slightly instiktivly showing that robert was dominant now. Steven stepped back his arms folsed adn he listened he agreed with all Robert said , if it had been Delilah he would not leave her side, hes be pissed like Brian but he would want to make sure she was safe first .

Jess sat with khaat still trying to calm her down she could tell Brian had done something stupid and she shook her head looking at Angus as she saw Cassidy walk out from the kitchen.

"backs secure " she said noticing Khaat's shaken state and she sigh .

Robert looked around and saw something on the barn floor. He picked up a piece of a red paisely ascot tie. "This," he showed Jack and Steven. "This is the reason he went ballistic. This belongs to Luther Burke. The man who did this to Khaat. He's on the grounds. Or he was. After he hurt her. Look." He pulled the other scrap of the torn tie from his pocket. "Angus picked this up from the alley." He fit the piece into the torn fragment he's just picked up off the barn floor. "He left a piece there and another here later. Now, my own thought is that it was to only try to hurt her further. To get her attention and ours. I don't think we'll find him here, but we need to try." He used his medallion and summoned every available man from Paris. They apparated instantly into the barn.

"Scour the grounds," He ordered. "Your orders are these--secure the property. If Luther Burke is here, you stop him. I don't care if he's alive or if he's dead. It makes no difference. If Gelding is here, stop him too. I do not believe you will find Gelding. And I honestly don't believe you'll find Burke. Jack, Steven--you two get back inside. I want every insect out of that house. If it doesn't belong there, kill it. You make sure my daughter's house is safe. Go. Get Cassidy to help. Jack--is Jess strong enough as a seer to try to let us know if Burke is on the grounds? You can use this if you need it." He meant the red paisely tie. He didn't know if it would help or not. But he had to try to reassure Khaat that she was safe.

steven dove back to the house jeck smiled at Robert " more than enouph sir " he said and dove back to the house too jess " jess Robert wants you to scan the area and see if you can sense..." he paused and looked at Khaat , Jess stood up and moved to him " already on it dear, so far nothing but he new men Robert brought in I can tell you this he will be found in peices by what im picking up" she chuckled as she looked at Jack as he moved quickly up the stairs steven had gone down stairs .

Cassidy now sat with both babim as she had seees on her knee playing with them feeling them become fretful with all the extra activity. she cuddled Dakota and played with a duck with abby.