Where do I begin?

Rob was sat in the office on the desk with Eli and Fauve. Fauve was busy drawing on the walls and although Eli seemed a little unsettled about that, Rob didn’t care. Eli had his guitar on his lap and the two of them were collaborating, trying to come up with some new stuff to back Jen and also for Eli to do in Sparks during the evening. Rob was noting down some things and Fauve was spouting rhymes like no tomorrow. Eli began playing a light tune and Rob got up. He moved to the drawers near the door and took a few sheets of paper out to give to Fauve who seemed to have a lot of artistic talent like her father.

“Rob? How about something Muggle? I mean, the pureblood wizards won’t know the song necessarily and Muggles are probably the better songwriters.” Eli suggested. Rob nodded and Eli’s idly plucking of the strings turned into a melody. Fauve stopped drawing and ran over to Rob who was sat down in one of the chairs. She jumped up onto Rob’s lap and grinned up at him. He smiled back and she jumped off of his lap again. She ran through the door that connected to the pantry and pulled Lizzie inside. “Alright, how about this?”



Eli pulled the song to the stop and Fauve began to complain loudly. Evidently he had sung it before and that hadn’t been the whole song. Eli ruffled her hair and Lizzie disappeared through the door to the pantry with Fauve on her heels, obviously in the mood for some food. Eli nodded towards the pantry and Rob waved him away. Rob stood up and closed the door. He walked behind the desk and sat down in the leather chair. He picked up Eli’s guitar and gently began to pluck the strings. He quickly learned he was hopeless and put the guitar back down with a sigh.

Khaat pulled up her nerve and knocked once and went in. "Rob? Can I talk with you for a minute?" she went in and closed the door. "I know interrupting you in a work day isn't the best timing, but, I really think we have to work a couple of things out once and for all. "

"Um...So you know, Daddy removed the block between you and Abbey today. It was causing me to become numb to her altogether. So he had to get rid of it. I'm sorry. I had hoped we would have a normal life for awhile. None of this has been normal, though, I guess. But, the end result is that you should be just as much in touch with Abbey as ever now. I thought I was protecting you, I guess. Rob, it has never ever been my intention to mistreat you. Not ever. If I have, I am sorry. And just for the record, I never once looked at you with just what you present at the surface. Not one time. Despite what Jen thinks. " She stopped hersefl. "I'm not making sense, am I?"

Rob looked up at the sound of Khaat’s voice and his face broke out into a smile. He got up out of the chair and crossed the room. He stood a little way away from her and listened to what she had to say. He already knew about Abbey, he knew he was sort of... in touch with her again. Rob rubbed Khaat’s arms and shook his head. “Nope, no sense what so ever. Are you alright?”

"Um...let me start at the beginning. Two days ago, the farm came under attack. I felt Daddy calling for me. He was hurt by some intruders. I've been there the last two days defending the farm. Then yesterday, we found out that Daddy's houseguest, Steven, his son was supposed to be dead, but all this time he's been held hostage by muggles working for some wizards in America who are selling potions as illegal drugs to muggles. Well, long story short, we rescued the boy, and then I went back on a killing spree. I found out something new about myself. When it involves someone torturing a child, I actually can kill and enjoy it. I've never known that about myself before. I surprised myself.

"Well, Jen came to the farm to help, and I"m glad she came, but she really let me have it about how I'm mistreating you and how...oh never mind. The hell with what Jen thinks. I need to know from you. Do you think I've mistreated you? Look at me. Really look at me and tell me that all I've ever seen in you is some drunken pub lout. Is that really what you think I see when I look at you? Do you really not know that's never what I've ever, ever seen? Do you not know how much more I see?"

Rob sighed and walked over to the desk. He leaned against it and looked at Khaat with sad eyes. America of all places? He wasn’t going to comment on the Wizard-Muggle drug trade because he knew better than that. He’d speak to Jen later and find out what dealers she’d killed and what ones were left on the list. Knowing her though, it couldn’t be many. Rob ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “Khaat, I don’t know what you see.” He said honestly. “I don’t know anything do I because it’s all you? It’s your mind not mine.” He looked at her again and shook his head once more. “I don’t enter minds as much as Jen does. Unlike her I have morals which is what makes the two of use dangerous together. We have parts of us we want people to see and some we don’t. Jen is just more upfront about the darker side of her. I don’t know what you see. If it is the drunken pub lout then clearly I’m better at this then I get credit for.”

She sat down heavily. Her voice got quieter. "I really thought you knew. I thought you knew how much I loved you. I thought you knew that I never, ever, ever saw you as a pub lout. Those were Jen's words, not mine. She thinks that's how I see you. She's full of shit. Plain out. You are, and always have been, the most magnificent man I have ever, ever known. I can't go anywhere or do anything that you're not always the very first thought on my mind. Every day you are away from me is just plain torture.

"I don't want to be one of those miserable wizard women who spend their whole lives wasting away to nothing waiting for the men they love to pay just a trifle of attention to them. I want to spend my life with you. That's the only thing I want. I don't want to have to keep secrets from you because of some fear I or anybody else has that it might be too much for you to handle. I am doing the very best I know how to stop all the madness that just comes from being a Lupin. I want you to know everything. I want us to never have to have secrets again. I want you to be with me to parent Abbey with me.

"Can we..is it possible...that we could just take a couple days off? Just us? Find a hotel someplace or somewhere where we can just be alone and just be us? Call it our honeymoon or something. Arent' you tired of this distance? Please--let Lizzie handle the place for just two days, or just hang a sign on the door. Please--come with me. I know we're stronger together than we ever are apart. I know that I love you so very, very much. And I know how much you love me. " She kissed him slowly, deeply, passionately enough to take his breath away. She hadn't gotten to kiss him in a long, long time, and she still felt so much for him. Still wanted him so much.

Rob kissed Khaat back with equal fervour and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled away and hugged her close to him. “We can go anywhere you want, okay?” he murmured. “We need a break for definite. It’s been far too long since we’ve had a bit of ‘us’ time.” He ran a hand through Khaat’s hair and kissed her softly. He heard Eli start to play music again and smiled at Khaat. “How about I get you a slice of cheesecake? Liz and I made it this morning. Got in a right mess but it was good fun.”

"You wanna know something?" she said softly, kissing his chest, "Abbey has an insufferable sweet tooth. I am more into sweets than food right now. I'm going to be 300 pounds by delivery date. I hope you're good with that. And, yes, that cheesecake sounds really, really good. Share it with me? From now on, I'm all yours--forever. Whatever you want. Maybe, just maybe, I can talk you into turning over the dinner rush to Lizzie." She kissed him softly and then sent a little line of feathery passionate kisses down the side of his neck starting at that secret spot he had behind his ear down to his shoulder. "I can think of a couple of really romantic 5 Star hideaways for two, right on the beach, that we could hide away in where nobody would ever find us. Not ever," she whispered in his ear. "Maybe we could just get lost there and make everything else just go away until we find Us again. That's what I want, Rob. I want us. Whatever it takes--I want us." She looked up at him and kissed him again, deeper and more passionately if that was even possible. The only thing in her life that ever made sense was him. She didn't think she could love him more, but here she was, falling just hopelessly further in love with him. And part of her was strongly thinking about sealing the office door shut.

“Hey, that’s come from me. Another trait she’s inherited. I’m pretty good at this gene pool thing aren’t I?” Rob laughed. He picked her up and set her on the desk. “I do plan on keeping on every article to clothing on today so can we wait till later?” he smiled. “We can go on holiday alright? But we have to come back otherwise Jen would eventually track us down and drag us back.” He kissed her softly and curled a lock of hair behind her ear. He smiled at her and ruffled her hair. “Right, anything else or can I go back and annoy Fauve?” he asked with a smirk.

"Well, yeah, I knew it was your fault. I didn't have any cravings for sweets before Abbey. God, I hope this ends at delivery." She kissed him slowly and softly," Are you sure about the clothes thing? You really can be such a killjoy. Oh, by the way. Just one more thing. I am all yours for at least 3 weeks. "

She produced the paper out of her pocket and handed it to him. "It's a medical leave slip. Apparently, Daddy appointed himself my doctor and issued a medical leave slip based on my weight, and slipped the damned thing under my nose in a stack of papers he wanted me to sign. And I had enough of a stinking migraine that I just trusted him and signed it, giving him permission to kick me out of my own hospital for 3 weeks and puttiing him in complete charge. I really, truly should have known better. The first rule of a good director--never sign anything you don't read. Anyway, he pulled rank on me. If I am incapacitated, he is in charge. And if he decides he's my doctor and I let him do it, he can put me on leave and take over. And I can't go back til he clears me. Now how wrong is that? I know I"m going to laugh about this at some point, but if there is a good side, I am completely at your mercy for at least 3 weeks." She kissed him again, never wanting him away from her ever again. "Suppose we can find something to do in all that time? Holiday, yes. We're coming back because we want to, and for no other reason. And by the way, I do recall, you promised me cheesecake, not Fauve. So, come on. Pay up. Cheesecake, please."