Dinner: Interrupted

"You've been his best friend and his right hand and his protector for longer than I can remember," Brian sighed, feeling for Michael. He paused. "Tell me you don't feel like you missed it tonight."


"I did, damnit!" Michael was frustrated. "Poison in his pint, and I let them hand it right to him, right out in the open...."


"Michael," Marcus spoke up. "That's the easiest one to miss.  Who would expect poison in a pint, done right out in plain sight, done by someone who is supposed to be an ally? And, for that matter, not all poisons are easy to detect. If anyone should have detected poison in the pint, it should have been Robert.  He's a potions expert. He's also in charge of all the espionage in England. And he missed it too. When he comes into his own again, he'll be kicking himself.  What do we know of this Swan woman?"


"Nothing. Not more than she's an Order member," Michael said. "We need to get her dossier. I'll go in to the Ministry and get it. But I doubt we'll find her at her house baking cookies and making tea for us. Heaven only knows where she's gone now. Tracking her won't be easy."

Cassidy looked at Marcus then back to Brian and Michael "Well, couldn't you put the word out with the association's men, surely they could track her." she said softly so not to wake the child she held as she ate the apple pie and ice cream. It was now that Steven walked in, his was jacket tight against his neck to protect it from the chill of the night air.

"She has a point, sorry, Just got back from patrol, I heard what you said and shit, shes got a damn nerve." He said his voice showing his anger as he then lent down and kissed Cassidy lightly before walking over to the counter and taking a cup of coffee. Returning to the table he sat next to Cassidy. As he sat he pinched some of her food and chuckled softly at the look on her face.

Upstairs, Kate sighed. Jess was right. Khaat got her love of adventure and her fearlessness equally from Robert, Remus, and from Kate herself. There wasn't much Kate was afraid of. She didn't like the thought of losing Khaat, but Khaat had been through enough scrapes that she was always braced to lose her.  Losing Robert so unexpectedly was more than Kate was able to bear.

"You'd think that, after all the years we've been married, we'd have it settled that if something happened, we'd be good with it," Kate said quietly.  "Funny, but the longer we're married, the closer we get, and the less I want any thought of spending even one day without him. Sounds overly dramatic, doesn't it? I didn't think I'd ever be the sort of woman that would demand her husband quit something he liked doing, but I can't do this anymore. I want him to resign."  She got up.

"I...um...need some tea," she said softly.  "If you'll give me just a moment, I'll go get it and then I'll be ready to stay. I'll bring you a cup, Jess."  It wasn't about the tea, though. It was about needing a moment to gather herself together. That, and she really wanted to know who had done this and why. She wanted to know what Michael knew.  She headed downstairs.

In the kitchen, Michael listened to them discussing ideas of how to proceed.  He wasn't against help in tracking Swan. Not in the least--not if he was there when they found her.

"Makes sense," he said.  "But when we get her, she's mine."

"Michael," Marcus said cautiously.  He understood how Michael felt. He'd himself had lost friends, clients, loved ones, from all sorts of violent things. It had become part of Marcus's job and part of his life. And he knew how strong the need for justice--or revenge--could be.  Michael didn't want to just catch Swan.  Marcus could hear it in his voice. Michael fully intended to kill Audriana Swan.

"Let's catch her first," Marcus said, feeling that trying to talk Michael out of wanting her dead would be futile, at least tonight. "You can count me in. I'll help you track her."  He felt that if he helped track her, he might be able to stop Michael from killing her. "Then, if you want her to feel pain and fear, we'll make sure it happens. We'll make sure she regrets it in every way."  He knew his words sounded barbaric, but on the other hand, if Swan were dead, she wouldn't have the opportunity to feel pain and fear.

Brian looked at Marcus and caught on.  He didn't disapprove with Marcus's trying to be supportive of Michael but not allow him to simply go track the woman and kill her.

Jess simply listened to Kate talk she knew her feelings all to well, she had Jack and every time he went out on a mission she was not on she would not sleep but stay up until he returned, when Kate said she was going for tea and would bring some back for Jess. " take your time Kate." she told her and smiled as she turned back to watch Robert on the bed beside where she now sat.

Cassidy and Steven both sat listening to Brian and Michael talking. " count us both in on that one."Steven said " in fact you can count us all in, she goes after one she has gone after us all. " He spoke with a serious face to them both.

Khaat had been sleeping, and sleeping soundly. In her dreams, though, she suddenly saw Remus.  He was reaching out his hand, and in her dream, she reached out her hand, but the hand didn't look like hers. It was a man's hand. An older hand with a gold wedding band. She looked closer to be certain, but already she knew. It was her father's hand.  Fear rose up in Khaat, fear that for some reason her father was suddenly crossing over the veil. 


Terror struck her and in the last instant before she woke, Remus seemed to be drifting away from her. She woke with a sudden hard jolt, not daring to breathe, her heart seemed to be frozen in her chest and not daring to beat. 


Kate reached the kitchen, hoping to get information from Michael, when she felt a cold, hard terror rise up in her chest. It was so sudden and so severe, she gripped at her own chest, leaning on the doorway.  


Michael flew to her, his hand under her shoulder. 


"Kate," he was alarmed. His first thought was that she was having a heart attack.


Kate shook her head. It wasn't her.  "Khaat...," she said.  Marcus understood instantly.  Damned seers stuff came without warning.  He drew his wand and apparated upstairs instantly, without a word.

Brian understood too.  "Marcus is on it, Kate," Brian said.  "Steven, quickly.  Go check on Jess. Make sure it didn't affect her like it did Kate.  Make sure she's alright."

Steven stood up and dove up the stairs on entering the room he saw Jess holding Roberts hand her eyes fixed on him but she raised her hand and turned to Steven " hes sleeping , now what did you want?" she asked .


Steven was relived and moved to place his hand on her shoulder. " Khaat and Kate, we thought he'd crossed the vail." he said but Jess shook her head at him. 


"Hes sleeping, I just checked his vitals." She picked up the knitting needles with the blanket on it. She continued to knit her eyes moving to Robert as she watched his chest rise and fall as he slept. She hoped Kate would return with her tea as she could use the sugar boost.

Before Khaat was truly even awake, Marcus was there. He could see the sleep still in her face.  He turned on a brighter light and sat down on the bed.  


"Look at me," he said to her.  He waited until he saw her really connecting with him.  "Your father is alive. He's here. He's been hurt, but he's going to be fine."

"He was wounded?" she asked. "How? How bad is it?"

"He was poisoned."

"Oh, God," she said, knowing that if she dreamt about Remus it had been close. She shoved him off the bed, flew out of bed and, not awake enough to remember her robe, she raced to her father's room, wearing just her long, floral silk chemise.  Marcus sighed and picked up the white silk robe and followed her. 

She wasn't ignoring Jess. She honestly didn't see her.  She touched her father's forehead with her good hand, checking. 

Marcus reached the doorway and looked at Jess, shaking his head. 

"Do all seers do silly things before they get their eyes open?" he sighed.

Khaat could feel how weak he was. She wasn't sure how she managed it, but all of a sudden she seemed to tap accidently into her father's memories of what it had looked like and felt like through his eyes to feel like he was dying. She felt his pain, felt the systems in his body shutting down abruptly, saw his mind fogging over, felt his surprise and his confusion.

Marcus didn't know what was happening to her, but he didn't like it.  Whatever it was didn't seem to be having a positive effect on her.  He went over to her and removed her hand from her father.

"Stop it," he said sharply.  She sat, stunned, for a moment. She looked at him, more awake now. "Alright?" he asked her. 

"Yes," she said softly, not willing to discuss what she'd seen or felt. He helped her with her robe.  She finally saw Jess there.  "Sorry," she told her.  "I guess I was in one of those overwhelming things.  You've got this, right?"  She already knew the answer, but she just wanted to hear the words.

Jess stood up and move out of Khaats way just in time she turned to look at Marcus and nodded she understood Marcus or a moment while he moved and stepped back letting him move to Khaat . She smiled seeing Khaat now awake and chuckled " yes disorientating isn't it" she said softly.


Hearing her say she was sorry she shook her head  " don't be its fine, I have done it myself before, hes sleeping and as you know is recovering all be it slowly. " Marcus, would you mind getting some Coffee for Khaat please, I think she might need it " She said smiling " I'm staying at his bed side until he is better" She told her sitting back down " I have all the bottles that were sent over and the instructions that were in the box" she held them out for khaat to look at.

"Of course," Marcus said.  He laid his hand on Khaat's shoulder.  "You can manage to stay with your father long enough for me to get some coffee?"  He didn't want her dashing off for at least the next 60 seconds or so. 


"I'll be here," she told him.  He nodded and went downstairs to get a tea and coffee tray.  She picked up the bottles and checked each one.  Then she picked up the bottle with the sample of the poisoned ale. She opened it and sniffed it.  She frowned. All she could smell was ale.  She paused and sniffed it again. 


"There. There it is. Way in the background. Its so faint. He could have easily just missed it if he wasn't looking for it." She paused, thinking. Ale. Late night. The only time she ever knew of her father to drink a pint that late at night was if he'd been working and had stopped at the Leaky.  And if it had been at the pub, it could have been anybody.


"I've smelled this before," she told Jess. "Not often, but...I think when I've smelled it, it wasn't in the background like this. It was a lot stronger. She wasn't any sort of expert in potions or poisons, but there was something that rang familiar in this.  She tried to think.  


Flashes of emergency room cases began to rise up in her thinking.  And in each one, every time she'd smelled that odor, it was in the breath of the poisoning victims she'd seen--victims that died quickly, before they could be treated.  As she remembered, it had a slight sweet smell that this didn't have, but she didn't recall getting any samples of the poison either. She couldn't remember seeing one case where the victim had managed to get help in time.


"Jess, I don't know where Brant is, but if we can't find him, we need to find Edward. Can you find one of them? If I'm remembering this right, even this little sample is lethal enough to kill.  I want them to take this sample and seal it away in the potions lab where no one but a potions maker can get to it. And we need to make extra certain we have all sorts of age line spells and protections around the lab. I don't want even the slightest chance one of the kids could get anywhere near it."

She found herself checking her father's breath. There it was again.  The sweeter odor that she'd smelled before. It wasn't nearly as strong as the victims she'd seen pass, but it was there.


There were a lot of facts missing for her. How he'd gotten poisoned, how he'd survived, how he'd ended up with potions made by a Death Eater, none of it made sense for her.  As calm as everyone was, though, she figured they had answers she didn't.  


"He shouldn't be alive," she said quietly.  "I haven't seen one case of anyone surviving this. Its starting to look like I'm in Lorcan D'Eath's debt."  She shivered, pulling her robe tighter. She knew it wasn't cold in the room. It wasn't that type of shiver. It was the draw on her energies. She didn't know why her magic had misfired, but it had shown her more than she cared to see.  


She picked up a blanket off the back of the bedroom chair her father usually sat in, and she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. She sat down in the chair, picking up the scent of her father's cologne.  She preferred that to the poison that she smelled on his breath.  


"Let me know when you need a break," she told Jess, not feeling able to leave him.

Jess sat and watched Khaat when she picked up the bottle with the poisoned Ale in it she nodded " took me a while to find it but its there." she told her then listened again and nodded " possibly on the wards" she said but it sounded more like a question as she checked on Robert who she found was still sleeping soundly.

She heard Khaat mention Brant and sighed shaking her head " probably off on one of his adventures no dough he will be back, hes single so no ties " she told her " but it is good to see him off and not moping as he was several months ago, I'll send out word for Edward to come as quick as he can"

She sat and wrote a note then folded it into a bird and sent it out the open window." there, and I'm fine, its not like I'm not use to long shifts, now go have your coffee" she turned back to Khaat and smiled.