Kate frowned, watching Jess leave just before they winning move in the game. She didn't understand. She didn't know if they all had just bored Jess that badly, or if somehow they hadn't made clear the king was in danger and not taken. The game had not been over. She just looked at Michael and Robert.
"I expect you two to finish the game," she frowned at them.
When morning came, Khaat woke slowly, heavily, just as it was getting light. She was aching. Her head hurt. She remembered of having horrible dreams during the night. She shifted in bed and rolled closer to Brian--except that his face was fuzzy. She jumped, waking up more fully now, and saw she was not in her own room. She looked to see who she was with. She was laying in bed curled next to Michael, who was awake and reading a book. She let out a small shriek.
"Well, good morning to you too," he laughed as she scrambled to clutch at the covers to cover herself, feeling totally humiliated. "Why are you hiding? Your evening gowns cover less. And did you seriously think I would take advantage of my goddaughter when she was having a vision and was not herself? I'm a cad, but not that kind of a cad. Think of it as merely sleep walking."
"Brian's going to think..." she began.
"He knows. As you can see, I left the door open. He found you shortly after you came in and made yourself at home."
"How long have a been here?"
"About 3 hours."
"Well, at least my father doesn't know."
"Of course he does. You've never been sleepwalking in your life. Who do you think diagnosed that you were caught up in a vision last night? You just went from sleeping, to dreaming, to having a vision and back to sleep again and never woke up. Your mother's done it a time or two."
"Great!" she sighed. "So everyone knows but me."
"No, you know now too. I'd say its pretty much everyone."
"Oh good, That makes me feel so much better," she said sarcastically.
"You take your time getting up, my dear. I promised your mother I'd help her cook breakfast in bed for your father this morning. He managed to squeak out the chess game last night."
"DIdn't you play on his team? Shouldn't she be serving you?"
"No, no. I won't ever ask that of your mother. Besides, he asked for a flat iron steak with some of Angus's rub I got the rub from Angus, and I promised her I would do the cooking. I know what he's looking for." He kissed her cheek. "Stop worrying. You'd better be working on trying to remember whatever you saw last night in that dream or vision or whatever it was. It must have been significant in order to cause that." He got up, went into the bathroom, and soon she heard the sound of the shower running. She got up and found Brian had left her robe on the foot of the bed. She put it on her left arm and wrapped it around the right where her arm still hung in a sling and hurried back to her own room that she shared with Brian. He had been to bed and up again. Then she listened. There were sounds in the bathroom. She went to the door and found he was dressed and was just finishing shaving.
"There you are!" his face was beaming. "Good morning. Feeling better?"
"Brian, I am so, so sorry...." she began. He merely laughed. He turned around to face her, just a strip or two of shaving cream still on his face. He opened his arms to her. She went to him and he held her.
"Khaat," he said softly. "How long have I known you were a seer?"
"As long as I have. You were there when those powers showed themselves for the first time."
"So, why would I judge you now?"
"How are you able to look past so much?"
"I don't always," he said. "But when it comes to you...somehow nothing else matters but you and me." He kissed her softly. "Oh. Sorry." He took the towel on his shoulder and wiped away some of the shaving cream he'd left there. "Why don't you let me finish shaving and I'll be right out. I just might sneak you a little French Roast this morning."
"That would be nice. And then I have to find a way to shower," she said.
"You'll need my help with that cast on your arm. Just wait. Enjoy a sip or two of coffee and we'll do it."
An hour later, she was showered, dressed and her hair simply brushed and left loose and full. Brian was up and dressed and he had packed for them for Tuscany. Michael had cooked breakfast in bed for Robert, and Robert and Kate were up and showered and dressed and packed. Michael had gone home, packed, and returned with his things as well. Everyone was converging downstairs. Kate and Robert decided to merely go for a walk around the grounds while everyone else was sitting down to the large hearty breakfast that Angus had prepared for them all. The babies were already in their high chairs trying to feed themselves bites of scrambled egg and little pieces of cereal--when Dakota wasn't tossing her sippy cup on the floor. Well, at least breakfast looked normal.
by 
