Feminine Fire

"Thank you," Khaat said. "It is all one tab tonight, please."

"Mine," Brian said. "I am the host for the evening."

"Yes, Sir. Mr. Quinn, I presume?"

"Indeed," Brian said.

"I shall send in our musician that you specified. And the wine you ordered for before dinner. Shall we serve the appetizers with the wine, then?"

"Please," Brian nodded.

"Then I shall send our sommelier in at once," the man answered and left. Brian set her at his right. He knew her place was at the other end of the table, but he did not want her that far.

"Fiona," Brian said, "if you would sit at my left, please? The rest of you space yourselves so we are well protected, please."

"You are really paranoid, aren't you?" Dean frowned at Brian.

"Am I?" Brian asked, refusing to allow himself to laugh at Dean's ignorance.

Jack looked around the room checking things out from the pictures on the walls to the vases that sat in each corner. then he sat down to keirans right as he looked ar dean " he as every right to be after all the attacks on Khaat and her family " he said frowning at him for his remark at Brian.



Steven saw Jacks anger and looked at him " Jack cool it, he didn't know about the recent attacks and kidnapping of khaat " he said and moved to sit at deans right taking the last space at the table making sure he was opasite Jack so both would keep an eye on the room from differant angles.

"Its alright," Khaat said. "It does not matter. We're just here to have a good meal." Khaat was playing a bit of her cards carefully tonight. She was hoping she would find out whether Dean was to be trusted or not. The sommelier brought a lovely white wine. He offered a taste of it for his approval. Brian tasted it, but he did not approve. He requested the same wine but in a better vintage. When the right wine was there, he approved it and its taste. He ordered a sparkling nonalcoholic white wine for her.

He ordered an antipasto platter for appetizers. For dinner, he ordered their signature, and most expensive dish, veal piccata with a caper butter. He ordered caprese salads for the side salads. For dessert, he decided to spoil Khaat and ordered tiramisu--with a magnum of their best prosecco to go alongside. He kissed Khaat's cheek lightly saying he would let her have a glass of the vintage Italian champagne with her dessert.

"I don't remember when I have had a better piccata," Kieran sat back, pleased. "Brian, when you decide to host a family dinner, you do it right."

"I've never, ever had anything so good," Fiona said. "The veal almost melted like butter on my fork. I shall remember this--always. Thank you, Brian--and Khaat."

"Its my pleasure," Brian smiled. Khaat was deciding fast that she liked Fiona. It was Dean that she still wanted to figure out.

steven ate quietly letting brian and khaat talk as he kept his ye on the staff of the restaraunt he could see jack doing the same thing he was as he ate too. soon he finished his meal and finished his drink he ahd gone for an orange juice sicne he wanted to keep a clear head this night.


Jack ate carefully as he looked around his eyes watching each door and person he fought hard to keep his wear side inside of him the potion helping him as he picked up his glass of juice. He loked up as he heard the dor go again but it was just the dessert chef with the dessert. he sat back while it was placed down and he watched the others Brain and his family seming to be gating along as Khaat spoke to them. He felt the night was going well but he not oce dropped his guard.

Brian paid the bill when the meal was over and when they felt that they had lingered over the champagne after dessert long enough. The bill paid in full, Khaat watched Brian put his credit card back in his wallet. "You still want to go to that garden for an after dinner walk?"

"Yes, I would. I'd like to go walk off a bit of the veal. There isn't a lot of room between the veal and the babies," she laughed.

"Alright, then. Stay close, though, and don't activate that shawl. You'll need the extra warmth in the evening air. But I don't want you apparating out in front of a bunch of muggles."

"Neither do I," she laughed. Brian led them out and across the street, down a block to the other street to a beautiful garden lit only by small little muggle lights. It really was beautiful. She reached for Brian's hand and they walked slowly at a relaxed pace though the garden. Khaat noticed that Fiona had reached for Dean's hand, and Dean had hesitated, but he had taken it. Fiona seemed to be so content that she was almost in a world of her own.

Suddenly a blast fired near Khaat and it blew a chunk out of the tree, bark and splinters flying everywhere. Brian drew his wand in the fraction of a second, looking for where the shot might have come from. Khaat was looking too, but she saw nothing. Three more rapid fire shots sent blasts as close to Khaat as the could get without hitting her. Kieran had flown for her, clutching tight to her and falling to the ground to be a cushion for her, pulling her down on top of him to get her out of the wand fire. "Brian! To the south!" Kieran shouted. Brian leaped over Kieran and Khaat, his wand drawn.

"Contego!" he shouted, surrounding them with a powerful shield. "Drive them off!" he ordered Jack and Steven. Dean looked utterly stunned. "Angus! Protect my sister!" Angus positioned himself in front of FIona, his wand drawn.

Jack and steven both drew wands at the same time standing in front of them all jack scanning when Brian shouted he aimed and fired hearing a sceream he knew he'd hit some one but he stayed at Stevens flank and saw him fire also. but his hit a tree that fell ontop of who ever he had hit. yet more strikes flew out of the sky almost hitting him but he moved just at the last minet. He saw Steven duck as one hit a tree next to him.


Steven turned and fired at a branch satified as he heard a umph as it landed on some one he for s second thought it was over but then more came " brian i'd sugest getting the hell out of here and quickly" he said noticing all the muggles had left the area. He saw jack firing and added his strike to it taking out another man.

"Give us the girl!" a commanding voice came from the shadows. "You owe us, Quinn! Give us the girl, and we might let you live."

"You'll have to kill me first. If you can get past me, you can have her," Brian shouted with a fierceness that even Khaat had never heard before.

"What is she to you, Quinn? You just just buy another one where you got that one!" Evil laughter came from the bushes.

"Avada Kedavra!" Brian fired in pure rage. Khaat heard a man fall dead to the ground. More laughter came from the bushes.

"Can you kill us all, Quinn? And so you can keep living a lie? You are a fool, then! All we want is the tainted woman you live with and her filthy offspring, is that so much to ask?"

"Kieran," Brian said softly. "No matter what, don't let them lay a hand on her."

"Like she was mine, Bro," Kieran promised. "What are you going to do?"

"Kill them. Kill them all," Brian said softly. "I'm going to send Gelding a message he won't soon forget."

Steven and Jack both moved to Brains side " You can't do that alone , count us in " steven said and looked around he could not help growl at geldings words jack tapped his shoulder. " Hey thats my job" he said and chuckled an fired at aman who was trying to sneek up on them from behind " ah ah ah, no you don't " he said and looked around for more seing two he motioned to steven who nodded and took them out just as quickly spining to take out yet another. " brian tehre all around us " he said firing twice more.

Wand fire erupted from everywhere. One sectumsempra hit Fiona in her shoulder, and she screamed more in fear than from pain. Dean spun around and fired a blast that virtually exploded the man who had fired upon his wife.

"And now there is one less," Dean said angrily. He fired the same spell the second time and blew to bits the man who had stood beside the one who had fired on his wife. "Make that two."

"Come on, Gelding!" Brian shouted. "Unless you're such a little girl that you sent your houseboys to do a man's job!" The firing stopped, and a man walked out from the shadows, robed entirely in black.

"You won't deal with Gelding tonight, Brian Quinn, but if you want to duel, you duel me," he told Brian.

"Who are you?" Brian asked.

"Ethan...Burke," he emphasized the last name.

"Ah," Brian recognized the name. So did Khaat. She moved to leap up to defend Brian, and Kieran held her back.

"No," she said to Kieran, "I wont' let him face the brother of Luther Burke!"

"Shhh," Kieran gathered her close. "Brian is not dead yet."

"I will kill you like I did your brother and like my father killed your father. Its just our destinies."

"Is it now?" Ethan Burke laughed. He fired upon Brian, and Brian instantly returned fire, his own contego shield holding. Ethan's spell held, but Brian's spell caused an instant and nearly fatal wound immediately in Ethan Burke. He fell in a limp heap, in a bloody mess, nearly dead before he hit the ground. Burke's men panicked. Most left, apparating out the moment they saw Ethan Burke fall.

"Go home!" Brian shouted. "Its over! You lost!" Two of Burke's men went over and laid their hands on Burke apparating out with him. Brian continued to watch their light as they apparated out.

"Wait," Brian told his own men. "Keep your eyes open until we know they're gone."

jack and steven nodded " already on it brian" steven said and scanned the area walking in a cercle around them all his eyes picking up any fugures but they all headed away from them none came close except one who looked at Steven. steven saw a familiartiy in his eyes but brushed it off as in a blink he was gone a black cloak waving. Yet he could not stop thinking about the boy he loked no older than mid teens yet why had he attacked them what would posess a boy to go as far as to want to kill.



Jack looked around seeing men fleeing he saw the boy too but thought nothing of it glacing around the area " seems all clear now brian" he said his wand still held tight as he looked down at fiona. "we should get back" he said.