Wardrobes and wonders will never cease (Khaat)

Jack drove back quickly but not too quick they would brake any speeding laws . pulling in he let Angus do his thing whuile he unloaded the SUV all the groceries were now in the kitchen and on the table he went back to lock up the SUV and saw Brian " we got magority of the gorceries , hows Angus " he asked carrying the last big box in his arms he saw Jess start to unpack them crossing off each on the list that she had. He stopped and lookd at Brian " I feel like im wooing her all over again " he said to him shifting the box from one arm to the other.


Jess saw the boxes on the tbale as she wlked back in from walking with kate she placed Dakota in her crib and headed to unpack them placing each item in its place and some she had not know or seen before she left on the side for Angus to put away. Out the corner of her eyes she saw Jack stood with Brian and sighed. Placing some jars away she continued till all but the box he held were away she ahd found ony two items had been missed but she didn't mind. Walking over to them she looked at Jack " I'l take that box " she said and held out her hands for it. Soon that to was empty and she sat with a fresh pot of coffee.

"Robert is probably trying to make that arm look like it used to," Brian said. "Angus has seen worse. That man is one of the few I know that can find a barfight in a grocery store. And I don't think I really want to know how he got that started. Did he at least get 'em?"

Khaat came back in with Kate and the girls and saw Jack back but didn't see Angus. She noticed Jess putting the groceries away. "Where's Angus?" she asked.

"He got himself into some sort of brawl," Brian laughed.

"Is he alright?"

"About usual, apparently," Brian said.

"How the devil did he do that in a supermarket? Jack, do you mind telling us what the heck happened?" Khaat asked, taking one baby at a time out of the stroller and putting them on the floor. She watched the cats come over and take charge of the babies straight away. That warmed her heart. She was hoping they took to the new babies just as easily. "Jess? Did he get everything before he got the snot beat out of him?" Khaat asked.

Jack looked at khaat and the babys as she asked about Angus " ow hes fine the other guys are the ones you need to worry about " he said and chuckled " Angus got his one I did nothing , to the two who came for me , they started it , not sure why but they statred to jeer us Angus told me to wait when one grabbed him and I did , two decided to attack but missed , the store manager was very helpful he sent several bag boys over to bag up for us and load up the SUV , he said if we have for got anything we would be welcome to come back or he'd be hapy to deliver , ow and I drove stick all the way back , didn;'t think Angus could with that arm, as for what happened out side he'll have to tell you that part all i know is the man ended up threw a windscreen" he said and let Jess take the box from him. He wanted to lean down and kiss her but he held back, He knew he had to wait till she forgave him for that.

Robert came downstairs and saw them all gathered and discussing the incident. "He's resting. Setting that arm was not painless, no matter what I did, short of knocking him unconscious," Robert said. "It seems he saw the one man there the first time he went to that store. The two of them just didnt' get on well. Angus feels that fight has been coming for awhile now. He said you did very well, Jack. Good job. I'm proud of you."

Khaat felt some sort of disturbance in her stomach. She wasn't sure what it was, but something wasn't right. Robert saw her lay her hand uncharacteristically on her stomach and went over and laid his hand there. He went into the kitchen and came back with a fresh, enormous apple for her and tossed it to her. He had one in his other hand for himself. "You're anxious for nothing," he said to her. "You can be hungry and pregnant at the same time. Trust me, that will fix it. You worry too much. Eat." Then he looked at Jack. "Those apples are doublesize. They're enormous."

"They're sweet too," Khaat said, biting into it, "And juicy. They're some of the best I have ever had."

"Maybe I'll get one," Brian said. "Anyone else want one while they're fresh?"

"I'll try one," Kate said.

"Anyone else?" Brian asked.

Jack breathed out as Robert said Angus was going to be fine now thanks to Roberts care. He nodded when he said he was proud of him " I didn't do anything but let them make the mistakes sir " he said and chuckled as he rembered one red faced from tomato juice " I am not going to do anything that would bring ...it out any more " he told him and looked at jess with a faraway look as he watched her and sighed knowing he needed to do something to get back in her good books again. He looked at Kate then at jess " Kate how do i get jess back?" he asked " I know time it the key but ....but i want to show her I still love her as much if not more as I did when we first met" he said his eyes watching her closly.

"You two aren't going to resolve anything until you talk," Kate said. She looked at Jess purposefully. "I rarely make requests of you, Jess. But I am going to ask that you just go for a walk with Jack and just talk. No arguing or hitting. Just talk. You both have to do a bit of giving here. Compromise just a little. You both have a huge stubborn streak. End it. End the stubbornness and go talk. You two can't work together even as coworkers like this. Go."

Khaat noticed her father did not countermand Kate's instructions. That was because it was more than obvious that Kate was right. Then her mother whirled on Khaat.

"And you. You're next," Kate ordered.

"Me?" she asked. She had felt safe from her mother's authority here and was taken offguard to find she was not.

"Get your thinking together. I don't care if you and Brian need to talk for a week. Get it straight about these babies. The fact is that the potion leaves you no choice. Rob's potion doesnt' give you an out. You have to follow it to term. Get that through your head. You're going to have to make the best of it. Decide now how you want this to go. It can be a joyous time for all of us or a huge pain in the ass. I don't want to see you two back here either until its settled. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Brian said, reaching for Khaat's hand. Khaat glared at Brian. He had always been far too obedient to her parents as far as she was concerned. Whatever they told him to do, he had always done. Khaat, on the other hand, had had a bit of her uncle's spirit of rebellion. She looked up at her father who was now noticing that all too familiar rebellious glint in her eyes that he had seen in Remus's for decades. He roared with laughter.

"Are you sure she's my child, Kate?" Robert asked. Kate socked him in the arm for even suggesting otherwise.

Jack looked at Jess and nodded at Kates sugestion that they should talk. He watched as Jess stood up walking to the back door. " excuse me every one " he said softly as he walked over to the same door watching jess walk in front of him down to the garden area. He folowed her closly till she stopped to face him her arms folded in front of her. Jack stood looking at her waiting for her to speak.

Jess walked out of the kitchen and down to the garden she wasn't happy at being told to talk with him but she knew with kate she was right. Stopping some way from the main house she turned to face him. she watched his face but saw nothing but the man she had grown to love. " Jack, what you did was stupid beyond belife , what the hell were you thinking , ow that's right you wern't " she said angrily at him " you attacked Khaat and she's pregnant , that alone was....was totaly stupid."

Jack stood in front of her letting her have her say he knew she was right but he moved to grab her arms to hold her infront of him " Jess, I know , and I regret doing it, today i could have lost it on those men who attacked angus and me, but I didn't, I held back , I can be me with out it, i realize that now, I swear jess I will never alow that... thing to come out nor will i ever use its strength or anything it has , this is me jess the man not the beast" he said looking down at her.

Jess tried to get out of his grip finding it softer than it had been as he spoke she stopped and listened to him and looked into his eyes " prove it " she said simply " prove to me with out a dough that that thing isn't ever coming back" she said looking at his face and sighed " you can't " she turned her head.


Jack heard her and felt her relax a little in his arms " no I can't nobody can all I can do with Roberts help is keep it locked inside me " he moved her head to face him " I will never do anything to hurt you, our children or Khaats or any one ever again, jess I love you too much to lose you , it hurt that night thinking i had hurt you or even killed you , i did some deep thinking and i know now I can't live with out you, please fogive me" he said looking down at her .

Jess looked up at him as he spoke to her she saw something in his eyes, she felt inside him that it was only him no anger, no beast talking just jack talking , she could not help feeling her tears roll down her face . " Jack, stop talking" she said moving to him she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight. she moved and caressed his cheek " take your potion from now on " she said softly then she kissed him feeling his arms wrap around her and hold her close as she ahd hoped he would do for the past day and a half.

Jack stopped he was stunned when she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him he nodded at her reaquest " everyday " he said softly he held her close to him as she kissed him it added to the calmness he felt inside him he knew he would never lose this feeling returning her kiss as he held her . " we should get back" he said looking down at her. Taking her by her hand they walked back to the main house where jess made jack and her self a coffee now smiling as she sat with him,

Khaat allowed Brian to take her hand and he took her upstairs to their room and closed the door. She just looked at him.

"What else is there to say that we haven't said?" she asked.

"Its not a matter of what we haven't already said. Its a matter of whatever its going to take to stop the fear."

"8 more months, then? Can we just flash forward?" she asked.

"I wish," he laughed. He looked at her seriously then. "But here's what it comes down to. You told me that neither you nor Rob planned this. And I believe you. But its where we are now. Khaat, you went through this before with Abbey, and you got through it. Is it me? Are you more secure with Rob walking you through it?"

"He didn't! You know that!"

"Then if you could do it alone, how much better can you do it with me? With all the help you have this time, all the support, all the help, the huge staff? What did you have last time that you don't have this time?"

"Twins?" she asked after a long moment.

"Then how do we help?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said, feeling empty, wanting not to cry.

"Is that why you didn't tell me about having to have your father help you this morning?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"I'm not accusing you. Just don't lock me out," he said, moving forward and wrapping her close.

"I..don't know how to lock you out. I couldn't if I tried."

"Then just stop trying to do it all by yourself. Alright? They're my kids too."

"But..." she began. He showed her the wedding ring on her finger and on his own.

"I know its not legal, but in every way that matters, those kids are mine. We're in this together--every minute of it, no matter what."

"You don't know what you might be asking for," she said softly.

"Oh, yes I do. I very much know. And I"m not leaving. Understand me?" he asked. She nodded. He kissed her slowly. Deeply. It made her melt. She curled into him. "Together?" he asked. She nodded. "We've come too far to go back," he told her. "We go forward. Together." She nodded. He took her hand. "So lets go downstairs. Get your mind wrapped around it now. We're going to be parents--again." He led her back downstairs.

Jack looked up at Brian and khaat as they came down from upstairs he saw a look on ther faces that they too had been talking and he smiled nodding at them and looked at jess smiling " I guess todays a day for talking " he said to them and smiled as he took jess's hand , she looked at him and shook her head.

Jess looked up as brian and khaat walked down she smiled at them feeling they ahd talked about the babies and Khaat had finally realized that brian was there for her threw everything she went threw as her husband. Jess stood up and walked over to her " Khaat I had twins and as long as you rest and eat well theres no reason you shoudn't have a healthy pregnacy mine went sour at the end because i didn't listen to Robert , thats one thing I don't want you to do , listen to him and do as he sujests for you and your babys" she said taking Khaats hand in her own " you'll do fine khaat " she said and smiled.

Jack walked over to Jess and held her close to him as he stood behind her he felt her lean against him again and sighed smiling at them both " ok so whats for lunch?" he asked and got a dig from jess and chuckled.

"I'll take care of it," Kate said. "Its time you all let Mom into the kitchen." She went into the kitchen and commanded things to be put together. She decided to put together some large chef salads. She made a balsamic vinaigrette. She prepped vegetables and fruits into the salad, grilled some fresh shrimp and put it into the salad.
She decided to use a fresh loaf of multigrain bread and made a compound butter to go with it. She sliced it, toasted it, and used the compound butter on the slices of toasted bread.

For dessert, she had the magic spells put together a raspberry sorbet to refresh them after lunch. She poured freshly made iced tea that she had sliced fresh juicy peaches into. It was Robert's almond tea, and the peaches were the perfect touch. She set spells in place to set the table and then sent the salads out when they were assembled, containers of her fresh dressing, and baskets with the hot toast with the melted herb butter on it. Pitchers of the peach tea filled stemmed glasses at the table.

"I think we're ready," Kate called. The whole process hadn't taken more than about 20 minutes, and the salads were healthy, huge and gorgeous. "I hope you're all hungry."