Feminine Fire

"Call if you need me," Brian said.

"Somebody's going to have to toast my marshmallows," she laughed, knowing she wasn't going to reach the firepit.

"My pleasure," he kissed her slowly. She knew what he was trying to say, without saying it. He was saying he was standing by her no matter what.

"Come back for dessert?"

"Down here or upstairs?" he teased.

"Stop it," she slapped him playfully. It wasn't like him to be so blatant in front of others. He just laughed and went inside as Kate came out, wondering why Khaat looked a but perplexed and Brian looked amused. She sat down.

"Should I ask?" Kate asked.

"No," Khaat said quickly, embarrassed.

Jess watched them happy at their banter it was to her good to see them like that. " he seems happy tonight so should you " she said softly " good food wonderful starry night and , dare I say it a wonderful man at your side" she shifted so she was closer to the pit and stuck some marshmallows on her poker to lightly brown as she watched her " though but forgive me for saying this but something has been bothering you, I think both Kate and I have seen it " she said as she slipped off the marshmallows and made her first smore. Biting into it she smiled and sighed " wonderful, I never get use to the taste. " she said and chuckled as she felt the stickiness of the marshmallow on the roof of her mouth.

"I think its just nervousness the closer this gets. I haven't told Brian, but I keep having some vague nightmares. Nothing specific. But a lot of Dark Arts things."

"I've been having them, too, Khaat," Kate reassured her. "And I share them with your father so that if anything I see is helpful to him, he has it. I thought it was because he had me searching Dumbledore's pensieve for every single memory Dumbledore put in there. Its taken weeks."

"I...didn't know."

"No, I know."

"What's Daddy working on?"

"He refuses to say. I see him talking to Michael a lot these days. Sometimes Thaor. But no one else."

"Then its big," Khaat sighed.

"I think so, yes," Kate said. "But you know as well as I do that there isn't a better strategist in our world than your father. Do you think you're picking up on his tension?"

"Maybe. And I worry about what will happen to Dakota when the day comes that Mis comes for her and rips her away from everything she's ever known when Mis doesn't even come to see her. Not even on her breaks."

"Khaat, stop. Abbey and Dakota are loved. They are two of the most well adjusted one year olds I know. Don't borrow trouble that you don't know will ever come. Don't stress yourself or those babies anymore than you need to."

"And why the hell can't Rob ever be a man? Ever?"

"Khaat," Kate said. "Listen. You love Brian and Brian loves you. Having Rob here would only complicate it. He has never wanted to be a part of Abbey. His relationship about you was little more than sex--at least on his part. Let it go. You have so much more now, and you know it." Kate assembled a smore for Khaat and handed it to her. "Here. Enjoy." Then Kate assembled one for herself. "You're going to be miserable if your father puts you on bedrest. You'll drive yourself crazy. If he does that, you need to make yourself comfortable in the living room. You need contact with people. Not being off by yourself. Do yourself a favor and get the chessboard out and challenge your father. He needs the diversion just as much as you do. And since Remus died, I can just about count on the fact that any time he's stressed, you are too, automatically. You two are connected in ways very few people will ever understand. You need something to keep your mind and your hands busy."

"Maybe," Khaat agreed.

Jess listened and sighed " Kate's right Khaat , stop stressing were all here when the time comes for you " she said and turned to face her " I'm with Kate do things to take your mind off the waiting paint I know Kate loves to" she smiled and sat back on the chair and looked up at the sky above her "I remember when I was on bed rest I watched the stars Robert sat with me out the front of the farm house" she said with a smile to Khaat " just do the things you were to busy to do, stop for a while khaat" she sighed and smiled turning back to look at her.

"Maybe you're right," Khaat said. "Brian tells me I'm worrying about things I can't to anything about."

"You're a good mother," Kate said. "You devote every waking moment of those girls' lives, when you're not working, to them and them alone. And they love it. They're happy, they're well behaved, they're outgoing...Khaat, what more do you want?"

"I guess I want it all," Khaat laughed, slurping up a string of melted marshmallow.

"So do we all, my dear," Kate laughed. "So do we all. I think that just makes you human."

"Hey!" Brian frowned, coming out. "You're sneaking s'mores without us? Not fair!" He turned back to the men in the house. "Come and get 'em before they eat them all!" Khaat heard a lot of grumbling from the men. It made her laugh.

"We were not sneaking anything, Brian James Quinn," Kate said firmly. "You're just slow doing the dishes. Clearly you're all out of practice at it."

Jess smiled at Khaat " yep Kate's right , as much as we wish we could have it all we have to accept what we already have as perfect " she said smiling as Jack walked out and over to her sitting next to her he pulled her to lean against him " and hes a perfect example " she lightly tapped his leg and chuckled to her self.

Jack looked at Kate Khaat and Jess blankly " ok what am I a perfect example of? " he asked looking at them his mind now working over time on seeing the smile on Jess's face this made him chuckled " ok what ever it is I wholeheartedly accept it , I'm not perfect" he said and kissed Jess, his arms a round her as she fed him some of her smores bit by bit both smiling.

"Well, one of us has to be not perfect," Brian laughed, teasing Jack.

"And who said you were perfect?" Robert frowned, coming out to the porch with a bag of thin gourmet dark chocolate squares that had peanut butter sealed in the middle.

"OH! What a good idea!" Kate beamed, pleased with his thoughts, "They'll be great in s'mores!" Robert and Kate quickly make more s'mores and tucked the dark chocolates with the peanut butter in them inside and then passed the s'mores around.

Brian and Khaat bit into theirs, looked at each other and then laughed. "Those are absolutely sinful," Brian laughed. "How many of those can we make?"

"Til the chocolate is gone," Robert said.

"No, then I'll send you to Honeydukes for more," Kate said. "That's fairly simple. We can eat them until they run out our ears."

Jack pouted only until Jess kissed him and tickled him lightly to make him laugh and he relaxed " ow not had those before " Jess said and sat forward she smiled when Kate said they could eat as much as they wanted or till it came out there ears. that made her laugh " ow really, then jack would never stop hes a chocoholic " she said jokingly.

Jack nodded as he took one of the ready made smores and ate " yummy " he said and smiled taking a second bite " you have to let Jess in on how to make these there delicious " he said and finished his first. Jess was struggling with her first as she didn't have such a sweet tooth. She was happy to see Khaat relaxing a little it was just what she needed plus a little more.

"I told Khaat she needed to beat you at chess, Robert," Kate said.

"What?" Robert frowned.

"You know she can take you. Hands down," Kate said.

"I know no such thing. I know she will try. And I know you're baiting me into a chess game. I'm not sure why, but you're setting this up," he said.

"I wouldn't do that to you," Kate said. "You're much too wise for that. But Khaat clearly is the better chess player. She defeated you last time."

"It was a draw," he said.

"That's not how I remembered it," Brian said. Robert make a flick of his fingers, summoning the chessboard. Kate just smiled. Khaat looked at her mother, knowing as well as her father did that Kate had baited him into the thing.

"That's okay, Daddy," Khaat said. "I'll make a quick job of it."

"Oh, you will, will you?" He laughed. "So you think. Game on, Girl!" He motioned the board to fix itself in mid-air. "Positions!" he commanded the pieces and they hurried into place.

Jess watched as the chess board appeared she moved from jack interested in watching the game between Khaat and Robert she knew it would be a good one since they were evenly matched in all things and she was going to not miss one move of the game. " ow this should be good Kate " she said and moved to a chair where she had a good view of the board and watched and waited for the first move. She had hoped Robert would teach her since she had only played one game against him and she found that interesting.