Second Glances, Second Chances

"No," Brian smiled, "You did nothing wrong. You didn't cause any trouble." He had seen her as she watched Khaat go upstairs. "I think Khaat is just getting a bit of a headache. Pretty common for seers. She'll be fine." He didn't know how to answer her question about her father. Did he lie? Did he tell the truth?

"Your father had an accident," Robert said gently. "I'm sorry."

"We'll get through it together," Brian said. holding to the promise he made her. He didn't understand the change, but he decided to let it go for now and take it as it came. He didn't intend to explain anything she didn't specifically ask. Perhaps she was better letting things just lie quietly. "Perhaps you need to take a bit of time. There's been a lot of changes in a very short time. It has to be incredibly overwhelming. The bottom line is that we're ready and willing to help you in any way you need us, but we don't want to be pushy. So, all we can do is offer to be here and to take our cues from you for whatever you need, as you decide you need it.

Upstairs, they heard a distinct 'klunk', followed by the sound of a toddler's cry.

"Dakota," Robert and Kate both said simultaneously, rolling their eyes.

"Sounds like she got one of the boys this time," Kate said, "Excuse me." She went upstairs to rescue her grandson from his toy lobbing sibling

Brian looked at Faith. "You really will get used to that," he said.

Faith could feel her eyes filling with tears, and an odd sickening emptiness filled her stomach. Her mine was turning, and she was shaking. But her vitals were pretty normal, her heartbeat wasn't nearly as weak, and she was only a little feverish, and that was going down quickly due to the fact that she was still sweating. Faith looked at Kate when she spoke, and she wiped her eyes on the back of her hand before forcing a smile on her face. "My name is Faith.. sorry.." She said softly, her eyes slightly glazed over, like she wasn't quite all there yet.

Faith could tell she was shaking, and she looked down at herself, startled at the state of her clothing. "Sorry.. I guess.. I should go change..." She lifted her arm to touch the rip in her shirt, but gasped and let her arm fall back to her side. She put her hand on her shoulder and found herself sitting down on the couch. "Why does my shoulder hurt so much? Did I fall off my horse?" She asked looking up at Brian, waiting for answers. She liked Brian.. she liked him a lot, he was kind, and friendly, and spoke words that were truly nice. She had attached to him like a baby chick attached to it's mother, and she looked to him for answers now, her eyes darting for a moment to Robert, who had also been so kind to her, and treated her no different then had she been his own granddaughter.

The sickening pit of emptiness inside of her stomach was growing, and she put her hand on her stomach, feeling something warm, she pulled her hand back and saw pricks of blood on her fingers. She quickly looked down, and sighed. "Great.. that will take forever to heal.." She whispered under her breath, before looking back up at them. "I should go change.. I'm sorry if I caused troubles.." She said nervously.

"You almost had a bit of a fall, but you had your feet in the stirrups right where they were supposed to be, but it is definitely possible to strain a shoulder from all the work to try to stay on and avoid falling. You might find either a bit of ice or some heat will take the soreness out for you. Tends to work for me," he told her. "We can go riding again any time you want. You did really well on Chelsea. She likes you."

He glanced over his shoulder to see Angus had made some tea and was floating it upstairs to Khaat's room. Brian recognized the smell. It was her favorite. It was a mild sweet almond tea that reminded him of Chinese almond cookies. Khaat always found it to be soothing.

"Looks like Angus made some almond tea. You're welcome to some if you'd like it. There's nearly always some sort of tea and coffee made in the kitchen."

"Tea sounds wonderful," Robert said. "I think I'll get some. Anyone else want some?"

"I would, please," Brian said. "Faith?"

Faith rubbed her shoulder, looking slightly confused, but nodded slowly, it made sense.. she had fallen off her horse, and probably got knocked around a bit.. that's why she was so sore.. but why was her voice so hoarse? She didn't know what was going on... but until she did, well.. she just had to take it in stride. She looked up when she saw the almond tea, and smiled before looking at Brian and Robert. "Alright sure, I'll have some tea." She said smiling at them both. "That sounds lovely.. I'm pretty thirsty.." She grinned and then shrugged.

"I think I'll take an ice pack too.. but first I'm going to go change my clothes." She grinned and turned, heading upstairs. She didn't pay much attention in the hallway, before she got to her room, changed into something less cut up, and made her way back down the hallway. Before she did though, she stopped and her head turned slowly to look at Khaat's bedroom door. Slowly, she walked to it, and pressed her ear against it, she wasn't sure why she did, but she couldn't help it, she tried to hear what was going on inside the room.

She had killed a man. She had gone to merely serve him notice. She had expected hostility. Even if she had taken aurors with her, she knew now it would surely have ended the same way. The only difference might have been in that, had they gone inside, they might well have avoided killing him in view of muggles and saved the Ministry so much work. And she didn't know if her father would charger her yet for that. He still had the right to do that. And then she would be brought before members of her own wizengamot and tried.

She changed out of the black slik business suit. She didn't want to see it anymore. She hadn't been truly thinking but she picked out a chocolate brown gauze dress. The top was sleeveless with a v neck and was rather form fitting until it reached a full skirt at a drop waist. The chain belt simply was a nonthought. It was what she'd always worn with the dress. Then she picked up a very large oversized shawl and wrapped it around her. It was warm. It brought her comfort.

She was just wrapping in the shawl when Angus brought her a tea tray. He came in, set the tray down on the dresser and poured her a mug of tea. She definitely wasn't connecting. He could see it. It looked to him like the space between her ears was emptier than he had ever seen it. He was devoted to her. He ached for her, and he sighed heavily, feeling that, for right now, he needed to just quietly take care of her. He took the mug over and put it in her hands.

"Khaat? You alright?" he asked. He got no response from her. None at all. She sipped on the tea merely because he'd put it in her hands. "Alright. Wait a second," he said gently. He went into the bathroom and got a potion and poured a dose into her tea, capped the bottle and returned it to the bathroom. "Try that. Drink." He stayed and coached her through the tea. When the tea was gone, he set the mug aside. "That should help. You need to try to get some rest now and let that work. Come on. Stretch out."

He helped her stretch out, but noticed she was bundling tighter into her shawl. He got a blanket and covered her, knowing the potion would let her sleep for awhile. He unlatched the door, and in a moment or two, Max and Mo nosed the door open just wide enough to slip inside and jump up on the bed and curl up against the back of her legs to nap with her. Angus stayed for an extra moment, busying himself with puttiing her clothes that she'd uncharacteristically left on the floor into the hamper, and when she was safely asleep, he decided to pick up the tea and simply apparate back down to the kitchen, the only sound of his leaving being a rather quiet crackle of his wand.

Faith jumped when the door unlatched, and then the two cats slid past her into the room. She took a quick step back, and stared at the door. Something wasn't right with Khaat.. and it was her fault. Faith stared at the door with tears filling up her eyes. She stumbled back a step, and heard a small crack from inside the room. Angus had disapparated. Meaning he wouldn't be leaving through the door he had unlatched.

Faith glanced around her, her surroundings were blurred thanks to the tears in her eyes, and before she knew what she was doing, she had dashed into the room, and shut the door quietly behind her. She didn't know what she would do once she was in there, or what she could possibly do, but she could at least try to help the person who had helped her so much.

"Mrs. Lupin?" Faith said softly into the semi-darkness of the room. "Are you alright?" Faith took a hesitant step forward, and stumbled, her leg screaming in pain. It seemed that the healing spell that had been placed on it after she had twisted it, had worn off, and now it hurt even worse. She sighed and stood up straighter, used to this type of thing. No matter what kind of spell or potion used.. her body rejected it and took it's own damn time in healing.

"Mrs. Lupin.. I'm sorry.. if I caused you any pain.." Faith said, and in that moment, through the dark of the room, she sounded more like Chase then ever before, her voice had tears in it, and even though there were differences in how they looked, with the dark, it was impossible to see them. To Khaat it might look as though Chase had come to visit her from beyond the grave. "I never meant to.."

Khaat had just slipped into a light sleep, soothed by the rather loud purring of the two cats on the bed, when she heard Faith calling to her. She woke easily, despite Angus's potion.

"Its nothing," Khaat said gently. "It's an occupational hazard. I come from a long line of seers, and it just...sort of happens sometimes. My mother gets them too sometimes. Brian and my father have gotten used to it." She looked but didn't see much moer than the outline of Faith in the room. "You never knew Sybill Trelawny, did you? She was just bloody brilliant. She was one of the most accurate seers I ever knew. Albus Dumbledore relied on her because of her accuracy. She did more prophesy than I do, but when she got them, she was spot on. And she got these damninable things too--worse than I do. Relied of Snape, as I recall, to create pain potions for her. The longer you're here, the more you'll figure out that living with a seer can be quirky business.

"The best advice I can give you is to do what you're doing. When in doubt, ask. But it really is alright," she said.

Faith stood awkwardly in the room, nodding carefully to what Khaat said. "Alright.. I just feel like this is my fault.." She said softly. "I don't know why.. I just feel like it is.. I hope you'll forgive me!" Faith turned around, wrenched open the door and flew out into the hallway, shutting it lightly behind her, she took one last look at the door, and ran off, heading downstairs, where she knew tea was waiting for her.

But when Faith hit the bottom step of the stairs, she froze, and stood there, her eyes wide, her heart racing. It was her fault.. because before Khaat had left, she had been going to file paperwork against her father. Faith was now Khaat's child.. which meant.. maybe that's why her father had died.. maybe he had had a heart attack or something! Faith stood there, frozen at the bottom of the stairs, and suddenly the pain hit her in the leg and she crumpled, sitting down on the stair, her hand went to her leg and she whimpered softly. "Ouch.. I thought he had healed this..." She sighed and ran her fingers over the damaged muscle, her face going red, and her body temperature rising slightly. "Mr. Lupin!" She called out, rocking back and forth slightly.

Kate was coming downstairs behind Faith and she remembered what Blackburn had told her. She saw Brian coming in from the kitchen.

"Don't you think its time you called me Brian?" he asked Faith. "Come sit." He laid his hand on her forehead and drew off the fever again for her.

"You know," Kate said. "Stress does funny things to people. You might be surprised how much truth there is in the power of positive thinking. You certainly have a good many reasons to be stressed, but perhaps you might do well to try to redirect your thoughts into positive things. Its what keeps Khaat's father and I going in tough times. We try very hard not to think about things we either find sad or painful or cannot control. If we don't work on that, it can make life incredibly difficult.

"Well, and we're a very active family, too," Brian said. "You cannot let your mind wander into speculating. In this house, that can make you just this side of nuts. I know you liked those pygmy puffs. Perhaps you should consider adopting one for yourself. If you do, Kate can tell the cats not to eat him."

"I already told them not to eat them," Kate said.

"But they were in the barn then," Brian laughed.

"True. I should tell them again," she laughed. "If you want one, just help yourself. Robert's been after me to sell them anyway."

Faith flushed red when Brian told her to call him by his first name. "Sorry.." She said, her face still slightly red, but he had drawn off most of the fever, so she felt much better. He spoke about keeping her thoughts positive, and she nodded slowly. "yeah.. I guess.." She sighed heavily and stretched her leg out, wincing slightly before she felt her forehead. She was sweating again.. at this rate she'd need a shower, she had been sweating so much that day.

"A.. A pygmy puff.. of my very own?" She asked, looking at Kate, and then at Brian in surprise. Her own pet.. and her father couldn't take it away! The moment that thought entered her head however, she gasped softly, and bent over, a sudden horrible strike of pain flying through her body. It wasn't until she thought of the way he had smiled at her when she had done something well, that the pain slowly subsided, and she was left shaking, and sweating, her fever back in full force. "Sorry.." she said softly, wiping her forehead.

"I don't know what that was about.. but it hurt.." She said, putting her hand on her stomach, before sighing and looking at Kate. "Can I go pick one out now?" She asked, completely recovered from the pain, except for the high color in her cheeks, and she still had a relatively strong fever, though it obviously wasn't affecting her too badly.