A Broken-Family Reunion.

He'd thought... Oh, well that made it just fine, didn't it? Disappointment coiled in her stomach -- frustration, even, in fact. Weirdly, this was familiar to her. Robin had never tried to explicitly mark what they were, and that was actually quite fair considering he hadn't exactly been given a chance. The law had interfered too quickly. But Avery knew better than to think he would've done it. In this case, at least, Teddy wanted to be with her. That was certainly something worth acknowledging, and it did a little to mitigate her disapproval.

She blinked up at him as he asked the wrong question. He hadn't really answered hers either, but that was fine. She'd put him on the spot in an environment he didn't know, where he couldn't feel comfortable yet. And she wanted them to be on the same page. So she swallowed, glancing down as though she was just worked up by the idea of him finally making things official.

"Of course," she told him gently, nodding as she worked on bringing a genuine smile to her face. Because she really was pleased that she understood, now. She was glad to have that security. So she tilted her chin up again as she went on. "Yes, of course it's okay."

As her hand reached for his and she leaned forward to kiss Sophie's temple after seeing how confused her daughter was, a throat was cleared across the room. Keiran stood there, dark liquor dangling from his fingers even as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You two are ridiculous," he said. But he had been watching his best mate quite carefully. So he didn't mean their misunderstanding at all. Rather, the fact that Teddy had done so poorly and that she had just convinced herself to be happy when he knew full well she wasn't. Not completely. So he lifted a judgmental eyebrow before striding past them to answer the knock at the door that they had somehow not noticed.

Avery, cheeks red, watched him go but said nothing. Instead, she shot him a look that demanded silence on the matter and started to lead Teddy and Sophie into the kitchen.

A confused expression passed over his face as he watched a strange, indescribable shadow pass over his face, and felt his stomach freefall and land with a thud somewhere deep within him. Perhaps it wasn't okay, too soon for labels with Sophie just now starting to warm up to him, too complicated with their busy lives - was she just assuaging him for now just to set him straight later? Or had he... done this wrong? Of course he had done this wrong. For two people trusting themselves to be open after years and years of being distant and unapproachable, he should have known this wasn't something to just clarify. It should have been more important. It was more important.

"Avery-" he began, but there was a noise and he turned to see Keiran looking almost disapproving. A blush started in his cheeks but he turned to look at Sophie, asking teasingly, "Are we ridiculous, Soph?" But Keiran was disappearing to get the door and Avery was gesturing for the kitchen and Teddy followed, wondering why he couldn't do anything right anymore.

Kenna stood at the address Kip had given her, rocking on her heels as she clutched the file, feeling stupid for having the follow up. She wanted to dump all the fault on Kip for having given her the task with so little time or preparation but the truth probably lie more in her inexperience - which she supposed wasn't fully her fault, either, considering she wasn't an actual lawyer.

The door opened to reveal Keiran and she immediately plunged in, "I'm sorry, I'm the absolute worst, but we missed a document and I can't owl it because of Law Reasons or whatever, and the sooner I get it signed, the sooner I stop bugging you about this stupid thing."

And all in one breath too.  

**

Keiran ignored the fact that Avery ignored Teddy's attempt to make things normal again by including Sophie in their conversation. He didn't want to be a part of that, so it was good that she hadn't tried to include him in any of it yet. For once, she had something private. Something that was just hers. And he had projects that she couldn't be involved with. It didn't feel like a separation so much as freedom that both of them suddenly had that they hadn't for the past few years.

Speaking of his project. He opened the door and a redhead was standing there, rattling off information that he nearly missed for the simple fact that he was utterly baffled to find her there. She was at his mother's house. How? More importantly, why? Oh, duh. The papers. That -- she'd said that. Right. Keiran realized a few seconds too late that he was staring. "Kenna," he greeted lamely, frowning a little.

At first, he wanted to just sign the things and send her on her way. But then an idea struck him. And he was not taking no for an answer. "Come in," he told her, his tone much more friendly. "We have people over but you'd honestly be doing me a favor if you stuck around for a while. Things are... very uncomfortable. My... well, she's not my sister-- That's not the point. Avery has her family here and it's a nightmare. She also invited Teddy, this bloke she wasn't technically dating until about thirty seconds ago."

From the kitchen, little feet pattered across the floor until Liam was standing next to his father, all of five years old and impatient as hell for his lunch. "Da, come on!" He complained, pouting. But then he saw Kenna. And when Keiran nodded at him, Liam turned around in true Millie fashion, assuming without asking: "Nan! Avery! We need more chairs!" And Keiran could only pass her an apologetic look, hoping she would pity him enough to stay.

He seemed taken aback to see her, which was absolutely understandable all things considered, but it also seemed as though he hadn't processed her presence, let alone anything she had said. He said her name, and she smiled. "Yes. It's me. And like I said-" She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm the absolute worst, but we missed a document and I can't owl it because-"

Bu he had caught up and was asking her to come in. She nodded curtly, fine to come in until he continued. He had company. Her mouth tipped open and she began to stutter out syllables that weren't sure they wanted to form excuses or apologies, already feeling like she was taking up much more time and space in his life than her lowly self deserved. And the more he explained the convoluted nature of this particular company, the more out of place she felt she would be. She already had a tendency to make things weird, and things seemed weird enough without her help.

But a little almost-Keiran had appeared behind them and locked his big eyes on her. She raised a hand and managed out a little "Hi" before the munchkin had spun around and all but arranged her addition to the 'party'. Her eyes travelled towards Keiran and her excuses caught in her throat. His expression was honest, almost a slight plea for relief, and she found there wasn't an excuse in the world she could give. So she smiled instead, smiling brightly so he knew she wanted to be there, even if she was panicking. "Sure! Beats sitting around listening to Rory and Remy talk about how smart they are."

Keiran looked down at her hands, considering the paperwork. He didn't need his family to know that he was being investigated, just as he would feel down the line when the kids were involved. They couldn't know. "I will sign those papers," he assured her firmly, stepping back so she could come in. "But they can't see them. Things are already crazy. I don't need them worrying about me."

And so once she was inside, he shut the door and let a hand settle at her back as he led her into the kitchen and the mayhem and everything else that he couldn't yet expect. The kids had their own littler, shorter table and the adults were at a normal one. Avery, trying and failing to make positive, warm eye contact with Teddy only to look over at her sister. Bridget and Else still talking like they were perfectly used to each other already. That part was good. Then Avery looked over and her eyebrows raised almost comically.

"Keiran?"

He lifted a hand to ward off their fretting, shaking his head. "Don't worry. This is Kenna, she came by looking for me and I invited her to join us. She works far too hard, and I've been meaning to introduce her to you, Avery. So may as well, right?"

Much to the headmaster's surprise, she wasn't angry. She looked relieved, too. So much so that she pulled out the extra chair Liam had shoved under the table and gestured towards it. Kenna would have a spot between him and the more ridiculous of the young blondes, and Keiran just hoped they wouldn't read too much into it. So his hand fell away as he crossed to sit down, passing Kenna a grateful half-smile as he went.

Hiding the reason she had arrived made sense - it wasn't exactly comfortable casual conversation. "Oh yeah we're drinking buddies who fought Death Eaters and also I'm auditing his involvement in the Ilvermorny mess that cause him all that personal and professional stress." So she readily agreed, following him in and only realizing as she stepped into the warmth of the grand home that she now had to come up with another excuse for dropping in on him rather than sending an owl, like a normal person.

She stepped into the room everyone had gathered in and immediately felt an anxious squeeze around her heart. There was his three children and another little one, two kind elder women, Teddy Lupin (a kind of friend of Jack and Kip's if she recalled), and two bombshell blondes dressed to impress. She regretted her outfit choice immediately, regretted ever buying that stupid poodle sweater ("But Kat, that poodle is wearing the same glasses I have to wear!") and deciding to not only wear it publicly, but to wear it to see Keiran. She had never thought anything of it before but now-

It was her cross to bear, she supposed, never quite fitting in. Even with her Kip and Rory and Yuri and Remy, she sometimes worried she was the Other, the Spare, the one that could not be there and nothing would change. That was almost certainly going to be the case there.

But she smiled her warm oh-so-Kenna smile and waved as she crossed to sit. "Hi. I'm Kenna. I really did insist on leaving you in peace but Keiran's persuasive."

"Well, we've already got quite the party going on, so the more the merrier," Bridget told Kenna, passing her son a subtle but curious look. And Avery made sure to nod her agreement, shifting her leg so it wasn't in the way of Kenna taking her seat. As soon as she did, Bridget was seeing about everybody getting food, as the children had already been served. It would seem like a good idea until they finished and wanted to run about again, but for the time being everyone seemed settled.

Okay, so Avery was starting to feel exceptionally guilty for behaving as she was. It wasn't fair for her to say one thing and behave differently. Not after he'd made it clear that he'd thought of them as a proper pair for quite some time. So as Keiran and his friend sat down, she turned towards Teddy and hesitated a moment before reaching up to his shoulder and pretending to pick a loose thread off of his cardigan. It was for show, obviously, but it gave her an excuse to then card her fingers through his hair and take a moment to give him a smile that was warm but a little apologetic.

"Avery?"

She turned, her hand settling on his shoulder as she looked to Bridget. Her mother figure didn't look surprised by the behavior, but then again, she'd known all along. Avery avoided looking at her real mother, uninterested in a discussion about it. But Bridget just wanted her to hold up her plate so a slice of quiche could be transferred over. Realizing that, she let go of Teddy so he could move about unfettered.

As for Keiran, he found himself sat between Kenna and Claire, which was something he'd never even begun to imagine. But this was his doing, in part, so he set about introducing them, though he only stuck to the simple bits. "Kenna, Claire works at the Ministry. And," he turned to the blonde, "Kenna runs a rather popular pub." Because, he obviously couldn't point out the parts that made him uncomfortable could he? Kenna never needed to know about that one evening that almost led somewhere. And Claire absolutely didn't need to understand the way he had become weirdly charmed by this bartender/lawyer woman with a funny taste in comfort drinks.

Of course, it wasn't long before Kelly's attempt at being in charge (given she was the eldest, obviously) became too much for the other children. Darcie wandered over and pouted until Keiran set her in his lap, while Sophie scurried off with Liam to find something worth starting a game with. Kelly, annoyed, trailed behind them even as she whined about them not listening. Even as Keiran turned his head to watch them go, he was shifting his youngest towards the redhead and introducing them properly.

"All right, love. You want to tell Kenna your name?" He asked, leaning to the side a little so he could look down at her. As he'd expected, she wasn't feeling brave enough to do it. Keiran just hugged her a bit tighter and nodded, passing Kenna a bemused smile. "Okay." He pressed a kiss to her hair before reaching for his fork again. "Later, perhaps."

Well, now it was a party.

If Claire cared anything for domestic bliss or love, she might have been a bit resentful to be stuck between Ms High Hopes and Mr Family Friendly Cardigan, and Mr Brooding Professor and Miss Just a Friend. She supposed that put in her in the league of Bridget and her mother, which should have made her feel old and alone if she hadn't been feeling that way since about eleven years of age. Besides, she supposed there was a certain dignity to it all. Certainly better than the blushing uncertainty of her sister.

And there was that inescapable rudeness she seemed to possess. She couldn't blame people for the reputation they gave her, she supposed.

Teddy smiled at Avery, none the wiser.

Kenna regretted everything, of course because, despite her impulsiveness and her relatively low status in life, she possessed enough worldly knowledge to know this situation was awkward and that she was easily the least impressive person in attendance. Professors and Ministry folk and a bartender all walk into a- well, she'd have the upperhand there, she supposed. But in any other situation, she was the one without money, class, power-

But she never really felt that way around Keiran. Even when they had met at a pureblood ball, he had been so quick to reject the ease of a life she couldn't help but almost-resent that she had always appreciated how much she should feel belittled by him - but she had never actually felt so. Because he always seemed to treat her like someone worthy of the company of a Headmaster, of a Chief Warlock. He had never treated her like a barwench.

But that was exactly how his fancy friends saw her, wasn't it? The Claire woman, a goddess in her own right even though her smile didn't shine through her eyes, smiled politely. "That sounds like fun."

Because Claire wasn't sure what else was to be said.

And as much as she might consider his friends' opinions important, none of it mattered nearly as much as the little sunbeam now occupying her friend's lap. She grinned, much more at ease in the company of children, and leaned in to whisper to the girl. "I get shy with strangers too."

Keiran wanted to frown at Claire's response, but knew better than to make his distaste clear when they were seated at a circular table and anyone could see it. Instead, he left the rest of them to their discussion of how lovely or whatever Bridget's quiche was, and focused on his daughter and their newest guest. "She's three," he told her with some amusement, "and usually quiet unless she wants something. You know she followed me to class once? Drove the poor students mad, I think, with her constant Whys about everything I said."

A chuckle left him as he offered her a roll that was seriously too big for her little hands. But she clutched on regardless, taking a bite. "She may be a Transfiguration fan, yet. We'll see. I'm betting on Ravenclaw when she gets there." He shrugged a little. "The older two..." Keiran shook his head, though his smile gave him away: "Unfortunately, they'll likely end up in Gryffindor. Spells trouble for me and Teddy."

He turned, purposefully raising his voice to get the other professor's attention. "I don't know if any of them will want to be healers, though. Sophie might. Don't you think?"

Avery shrugged. "I don't know. She does seem interested, but I think that's for a different reason," she admitted, her cheeks coloring a little. "On the other hand, her Aunt has a 'pretty cool' job, as I'm told."

Kenna was all eyes for the little girl. She didn't consider herself particularly adept with babies, much preferring children that could be thrown about, but she certainly loved the idea of them, struggling to hide her desire to squish the chubby faces of any nearby babies. "Asking why already? You're ahead of the Greek philosophers." Or something, she didn't know. She felt a bit like the odd man out surrounded by all these successful, grown adults with growing families. She couldn't get through a conversation with her brother without a fight. And she served beer for a living.

She let her gaze rise to the only person she was certain was her ally in the entire situation and offered him a smirk. "I think you could do worse than a Gryffindor." The implication hit her like a hammer, and she blinked, stuttered out, "Gryffindors. Couple of Gryffindors."

Claire was shrugging off Avery's line of questioning, while Teddy passed the elder Bishop a fond look. "I don't know what's so exciting about paperwork. She's a pretty efficient executive assistant, though, so it may be that." She reached out to take a drink, reminding herself that her original purpose for moving to England had pretty much dissipated by that time. And yet she somehow still felt that small flare of guilt every time they edged along the topic.