Spring Flowers

"Well, since she didn't tell us what her ideas were, I think we'll design her flowerbeds ourselves. What do you think? Do you have any ideas? It looks to me like she bought enough flowers to plant the whole yard in flowers," Katherine laughed. "I think we'll have a good time doing this. I always like planting flowers. Its one of my favorite things to do. What do you like to do?"

john smiled "looks it mam, huh me... rem I like fishin', swimin' and watching stuff grow ow and frogs there just the best jumpers around" she said digging a hole and placing the first plant in it "maam do you think ma dad will let me have a frog, you know like a pet?" he asked loking at her as he getly patted the ground down around the flower.

"Oh, I bet he will. Your dad seems to like all kinds of animals. And he told me your new brother has a frog. So I bet he'll let you have one too. I bet you'll end up with all kinds of animals on your farm. " She noticed the tools had finished scraping the wood trim and the wooden doors and the gutters on the house. She took her wand and set the paintbrushes to the task of repainting. Cornflower blue. It seemed to be the right color for the wood trim, the windowboxes, the gutters, the doors. Katherine was pleased. She liked Khaat's tastes in country decorating.

She redirected herself and John to the planting. There certainly was a lot to do. And Katherine made up her mind that she was not going to let her pregnant daughter overdo it. She was going to step in and help.

john smiled "wow, wish i could do that" he said with a smile watching the paint brushes start painting, "really thats great, I wonder what andrews like, not met him yet , dad says he's at hogworts, guess he knows magic" he planted another semingly in a randon pattern but sitting back he saw it was a heart and chuckled "oops, sorry didn't mean it to look like that" he said biting his lip as he looked at Kathrine "I guess I just wanted it that way" he said his cheeks blushed as he sat.

"No, I think Khaat will like it," she smiled. "I think you're doing a fine job. Just keep going. It's going to look fine. What about filling in that heart with the light pink flowers, so it has a dark pink outline and light pink insides? I think that would be beautiful. Do you see what I'm making?" She showed John she was making a bluebird out of clusters of tiny blue flowers right beside the heart he was making. "I think I'll put another bluebird on the other side. What do you think? "

Meanwhile, Robert had done his homework. He knew exactly where to find Razor. It was a seedy all night diner in a magical suburb of Fort Worth Texas. It was in the wee hours of the morning here when he and Khaat arrived. They apparated just outside the diner. "Stay behind me, Khaat," Robert told her quietly. Robert knew the kind of man he was facing, and he didn't want to risk her or Abbey. "He would take great delight in striking a pregnant woman with a cruciatus just for sport. My reports from my informants tell me he's gotten very twisted indeed. He won't be able to hear reason. I fear his mind has just snapped. And I won't risk you." He looked at her. She nodded slightly, understanding. "If I tell you to go, you go," he said seriously. "And leave you behind?" she asked, "No! Never!" Her fear rose up from deep within her. "Khaat," he gripped her by her shoulders, "I am not Remus. I am coming back. I promise. Now, pull yourself up, Girl. This is no time for that sort of panic. You understand me?" She nodded, blinking back a tear. "That's better," he told her, "Wand at the ready. Let's go."

He entered the diner, with her right behind him. Razor sat alone at the counter, drinking coffee. But there was a thug of his that sat at a booth, eating a hot dog and fries. Razor turned and looked at Robert. "Whadda you want?" he growled at Robert.

"You," Robert said, standing strong in the diner. "I have business with you."

"Yeah? So who sent you?" Razor turned his full attention on Robert now.

"Nobody ever sends me," Robert laughed. "I'm here on behalf of a small boy who is now in my full protection. A boy you tortured."

"Who is he to you?"

"My client. That's all you need to know. You've cause a lot of pain to a lot of people. That is not going to happen ever again--is it?" Robert was only giving him one chance. Razor laughed at him, in utter defiance. He drew his wand on Robert and fired.

"Contego!" Robert shouted, wrapping a strong shield around himself and Khaat. The hot dog eating thug got up and started firing as well. Khaat took cover in a booth in the diner and began to return fire at him. The employees from the diner just ran out, abandoning the place completely. "Bad move, Razor," Robert said. "You should have accepted my offer when I gave it. No more chances. "

"Bring it on, old man, " Razor hissed, amused. "I'll send you home in a box."

"Not today," Robert said.

"Bombarda!" Razor fired at the booth Khaat was shielding herself with It exploded and sent Khaat backwards into a wall. She blacked out. Robert stepped in front of her to shield her. He struck Razor with a killing curse while he was distracted at watching Khaat fall to the floor. Razor fell to the floor instantly, dead, never knowing what hit him. The thug he was with apparated out. Robert left Khaat long enough to follow the thugs energy signal and see where he went. Clearly a hideout out in the middle of no place in the countryside. Robert knew there were several people inside. All of them as evil as Razor had been. He used a spell to explode the hide out, killing everyone inside, in a huge ball of flame.

Khaat woke up in a pile of burning wood and plastic that had once been a booth with a table. She was stunned. Her thinking was a bit fuzzy. Her head hurt. She was covered in cuts and bruises. And her knee hurt. She brushed the ash and cinders off of her and was going to try to stand when her father returned to her.

"Wait," he said, coming over to her. He threw off the debris that used to be the table, casting it away from her, He knelt beside her. "You okay?" he asked.

"I think so," she said, frowning. "My head hurts." She tried to get up, but her knee would not hold her.

"Hm," Robert said, bolstering her quickly. "Maybe not so fine after all. Come. We're done here."

He apparated them out, and the next she knew, she was at St. Mungo's in their emergency room. He led her into an empty room and lifted her easily onto the exam table. "You killed them all, didn't you?" she asked.

"Certainly I did," he replied, casting her cloak aside and his own. He began checking her head at once, looking into her eyes, and checking for a head injury. "Well," he said after a moment, "I don't see a concussion. You were lucky. You might have a headache, but that's about all." He laid his hand on her abdomen. "Thank God. That is one tough little kid. She is perfectly fine. I don't know how she has survived all this, but she is just fine," he said, relieved. Then he turned his attention to her knee. There was a large bleeding cut there that he laid his hand on and healed, but he said, "It's sprained, Khaat. I can set a healing spell in place, but you're going to limp for a couple days until it finishes mending you. You'll have to take it easy."

"That's okay. I can do that, "she replied.

"Well, while we're here, just let me check the rest of you."

She sighed heavily, surrendering to him. She let him check her completely, and was pleased when he said she was gaining weight a bit finally and was looking better. Healthier. He was actually pleased with her, even though she wasn't where she needed to be yet. It was good steady improvement. He healed the few cuts on her face and made her look more presentable. He fixed her torn pants with a quick reparo spell. "Alright. Let's take you home."

Robert apparated Khaat directly to her bedroom. He helped her change into comfortable clothing that would fit over the supportive wrap he'd put around her knee. She chose some khaki cargo pants, a red v necked spring maternity top, and slipper socks. "I know you know you need to elevate that knee and rest it," he said.

"Can I do it downstairs?" she asked.

"Of course. But no gardening for you." He transfigured his clothes into jeans and a plaid shirt and work shoes. "You rest, we'll garden. "

He sniffed the air. "Your mother's homemade pizza cooking. We're back in time for lunch. Well done, then. I'm hungry. Come I'll take you downstairs." He apparated her downstairs and put her on the sofa, elevating her knee on a pillow and put pillows behind her back. "I'm going to go see where the pizza is. Don't run off."

"I won't," she laughed.

John now finished the bed sat back and smiled "looks good maam" he said smiling turning he realised he had no more flowers left "I'm all out " he said standing and brushing the dirt from his hands "looks might pretty" he stood looking down is face beamed with pride "ya think dad will like it too ?" he asked then heard his stomach rumble "sorry missed breackfast, just didn't feel like eating I guess" he chuckled "maam you said something about home made pizza?" he asked but as he did he saw Robert threw a window "their back!" he said and moved inside looking from Khaat to Robert "is it over?" he asked

"Yes, John," Khaat smiled, "They're gone. For good. None of them will trouble either you or your dad ever again. Your pizzas smell just about done, Mom."

"They'll take themselves out when they're done," Katherine smiled at her. "What did you do? Bang up your knee?"

"Just a bit. Its fine. Daddy took care of it. It'll be fine in a day or two."

"In the meantime, I thought I'd help you and John with the flowers if you could use another hand," Robert smiled at Katherine.

"What do you think, John? Should we start him in the back yard and let us finish the front?" Katherine asked.