The Ties That Bind

"Certainly," Robert said, glad that Steven had clearly gotten his message. "I think if you do go and come back, Brian will see that he is not the sole caretaker of everyone's happiness. And, yes, he does need to see that. At this point, he is only really in charge of his own happiness and his childrens'. Khaat is responsible for her own choices. And the rest of us are in charge of our own lives. He needs to know that we come here by choice because we love him and Khaat and the children. Thats why we do what we do. Its not out of obligation. Go ahead. Check the stables and take a break. Remember the time difference. They are 7 hours ahead of us. So, its after ten pm here. That makes it after 5 am in England right now."

"You're much too good at calculating that time change," Kate said. "I'll be right back." She got up and went into the kitchen and made a yeast dough for some pecan rolls for breakfast. It would take some time to rise. That would give breakfast a head start. She mixed up the filling which was a lot of brown sugar and pecans. She sealed it in an airtight container and left it on the counter. Then she refilled the cats's kibble and water bowls before returning.

Steven beamed at both kate and Robert as he gave him the all clear to port home " thank you , with the tins being small still she need all the help I can give her , plus I have to admit i miss her " he said smiling knowing his cheeks flushed slightly " I will be back before breakfast I promise " he said and moved down to his room grabbing the port key he looked around the room seeing a rose against the window pain he opened it and plucked it smiling as he closed it again and stepped back porting back to his farm and Delilah who he ahnded the rose to and kissed deeply.

Kate and Robert were up first. Robert had been up multiple times during the night checking on the girls to be sure that Khaat's magic had not gone wonky while she slept. It hadn't. When Kate finally woke, he went down to the gym. He only spent 30 minutes in the gym but worked out hard and fast. It was still dark when he came back upstairs. Kate had showered, dressed, and had moved the kids, without waking them downstairs to their playpen in the living room where they now slept just as peacefully as before. Kate made coffee and took her dough and formed her pecan sticky rolls. She covered them for another rise so they would be enormous when they were put into the oven. That gave Robert time to go shower and dress.

Brian woke next. He smelled the coffee and was a bit surprised to see Kate had made it. "Go workout, Dear," she kissed his cheek. "You want to take coffee with you?"

"Nah. Just save me some," he grinned.

"Khaat still sleeping?"

"Yeah. I had to give her some extra pain potion during the night. I think it still is in her system."

"You could have gotten Robert."

"Nah. She's okay. She just hurts."

"Okay," she smiled. Brian went down to the gym and worked started his workout.

Upstairs, Khaat rolled over to curl around Brian and was startled awake when she realized his side of the bed was empty. When she saw that it was morning, she sighed. She got up to go workout, and her head seared and spun. She decided against working out. Instead she showered and dressed. She was heading downstairs when she met Angus in the hallway. He was flustered with himself for oversleeping.

"Never mind. My mother is here and Jess both. Take the day off. You helped cook yesterday. Just rest your leg. Okay?"

"Alright," he said. He went downstairs with her.

"Coffee?" Kate smiled. "I haven't started breakfast. I just have some rolls ready to bake, thats all. I don't want to intrude into Jess's territory." She brought Khaat and Angus coffee while Robert poured himself a mug of tea.

"How's your head?" Robert asked Khaat.

"Hurts," she confessed.

"You two are behaving today. Got it?"

"Got it," they both agreed.

Steven ported back in to the living room, now humming and smiling " morning , not late am I " he asked smelling the coffee and poring himself a cup " the twins were awake every 4 hours last night I think james has a touch of colic , he holds his wind took be ten minets to bring it up last night " he looked at Robert " thanks Robert I needed that " he said and sat down still smiling at them.


Jes walked out of the kitchen humming herself " morning , hash browns , scrabled eggs , bacon, toast and pancvakes for those who don't want a cooked breakfast " she said smiling at Kate " Kate do you have any ideas for dinner? " she asked " I like to keep one step ahead , ow no pun intened Angus " she said and chuckled as she made the table lay its self and the food foat out on platters " help your self " she said and sat down.

"Oh, and I made pecan sticky buns too," Kate said. "They just need a few minutes in the oven." She put them into the oven quickly.

"Breakfast smells good," Brian said. "I'm starving. Thanks, Jess."

"Thank you," Khaat said. She wasn't sure how hungry she was. She was feeling very dizzy as she went to the table. She wished there was something closer to grab onto to steady herself. The moment she wished it silently in her head, one of the dining room chairs galloped over to her and before she thought, she rested her hand on the back of it.

"Oh, here we go," Brian sighed.

"What?" Khaat asked. Robert just started to laugh.

"Game on, Folks," he said, still laughing. "Best we all be on alert for a few hours."

"Oh, this sounds like fun," Angus laughed. Khaat felt embaressed and wished she had never thought about the chair. The second it crossed her mind, the chair reared up like a stallion and ran away from her. She had been leaning on it, and before she knew it, she was laying on the floor because her support had galloped away and was running up the stairs.

"What the hell!..." Kieran's voice sounded from upstairs.

"Come on," Robert said to Khaat gently, reaching his hand down to her. "Let me help. Think about something else." She took his hand and thought about perhaps how more coffee might help clear her head. The next thing she knew endless cups of coffee started floating in from the kitchen.

"No! That's not what I meant!" she said, frustrated.

"Yeah, but its what you got," Robert said. "Alright, you lot, Catch 'em!"

Steven stopped himself from laughing as a chair galloped over and stoped Khaat from falling but no soorer she ahd stoped it ran away and lots of cups of coffee foated out teh kitchen door with jess calling after it .

" hey get back here " she said and ran out looking at Khaat " ok who is it this time?" she asked folding ehr arms and glancing at Khaat and chuckled as she saw her on the floor " ok furniture alert , defcon 1 " she said and moved back into the kitchen " dsteven grab those cups for me whil i make sure nothing else moves " she said pasing him.

Steven chuckled and nodded to jes " sure " he said and grabbed two as they pased by a third zipped pased his ear and he ducked " close , how long does this last ushually ?" he asked looking at Robert.

"Last time she hit her head it was 24 hours a day, for days," Robert said dryly. "Expulso!" he flicked his wand at a coffee cup and it exploded splattering coffee everywhere.

"That is of no help," Khaat frowned, irked at the coffee now on the carpet. She had an image of her father on his hands and knees cleaning up the coffee by hand. And a clone of her father appeared instantly, on his hands and knees cleaning the carpet. Kate roared in laughter.

"Now that isn't nice," Robert frowned. "Finite!"He flicked the wand at the clone.

"You could have let him finish," Kate shrugged. "I rather liked it myself." He blew up another coffee cup the zipped past his head, and Khaat's gaze narrowed at him.

"Maybe I'll just make everything coffee brown," she snapped at her father. The moment it left her lips everything and everyone changed color to dark espresso brown.

"You do have odd little thoughts, don't you?" Robert frowned.

Steven looekd at ewvery one stunned then at his own hands and laughed but then looked at Khaat " hey Khaat would you mind I think Delilah would like me as I was " he said and held up his hands " not that I don't like the color and all but reguler old me is who she married " he said chuckaling s a scream came from teh kitchen and jess walked back out.

" ow ...come on ,cups I can handel but this " she held out her hands to show her the coffee coloerd skin under her sheelve that did not go with her brunette hair. " Robert change me back please " she asked as Jack walked in smiling.

" hey whos playing games ?" he asked sitting at the table as he ate his breackfast " no point in letting it go to waste , and this will wear off ...right, it will ...won't it?" he asked taking a bite of a piece of bacon that he held.

"Finite!" Robert cast a powerful finite spell and gave it some extra power so it changed everything and everyone back to their original form. "Better?"

"Thank you," Angus said. "Khaat, stop thinking. Go eat your breakfast."

"Stop thinking?" she frowned. "How the deuce do I do that?"

"Try...um..." Brian struggled to give her suggestions. She began to wish this wasn't happening. She wished she was off trying lovely designer stilettos in Beverly Hills. The instant it crossed her mind, she automatically apparated out.

"NO!" Robert flew to try to catch her, but he narrowly missed grabbing her. "Buggar! She could be anywhere. Or nowhere at all. Kate? Jess? Help? Brian, does she have her wand?

"In those shorts and that tank top? I seriously doubt it," Brian replied.

Steven stood up imidiatly and looked at them " where would she go ?" he asked but it waws jess who awnsered from the kitchen .

" shopping maybe, it seemed to be one of her relasation things " she said as Styeven loked up at them and tipped his head .

" you think that its posible?" he asked " but that bleaves where london, paris , milan Beverly hills " he said and sat down " ok I'll take london , jack you take paris , guess you have Bevely hills brian " he sood up " if thats ok with you Robert " he asked looking sheepish for giving ou orders like he had now meaning to over step his mark .