Hidden Twilight

Steven walked into the couldren he saw jack behind the bar it was his night on duty as ushuall he ahd been told to meet brian for a mans night out , but he'd learned his lesson this time and was not going to drink so much , he moved to sit in a booth while he waited noding to jack to bring a drink over . he smiled seeing it was nothing but butter beer.

Jack cleaned the glasses and stacked them when he saw steven walk in and smiled "hey" he said seeing an acknologing nod from him, gabbing a large glass he drew some butter beer and walked over " boys night tonight, huh" he said grinning " wish i could join you now but shift dosn't end for bout two hours " he said grinning and headed back to the bar "shout if you need any thing" he said and returned to poring drinks to cutomers leaving steven to wait for brian and robert if he wanted to come.

Robert and Katherine had taken over guarding the safehouse, leaving Brian free to go out with Steven. He had wanted to go along, but knew that he could not leave the safehouse without a wizard. Brian promised not to be gone all night and promised not to be intoxicated when he came back.

Briaan arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and ordered a beer from Jack at the bar. Once it was paid for and he'd been handed the beer, he made his way over to Steven. "Well, this has been a long time in coming, hasn't it?" he asked, sitting down with him.

Steven saw Brian enter and smiled " yeah Jack said hes got about 2 hours on his shifft and wil join us after" he said raising his butter beer " yeah learned the hard way" he said chukaling as he too a drink "so what do you do here just talk i presume" he said "im not one to talk and drink, ow Robert and Kate minding khaat for tonight , there both good people " he drank his butter beer and watched the men in teh bar "humm differant to what im use to but im getting the feeling this will be the norm for along time to come"

"I don't know. Khaat's not one to live her life by someone else's rules for long, and that would certainly include having a bodyguard telling her what to to do. I don't see her having us around to guard every move she makes for very long. That would not be her style. I am glad she's getting her magic back, though. I'm presuming that either means that Emof failed and the spell ran out on its own, or that he succeeded, and we're rid of him, at least until he uses one of his horcruxes and comes back. Either way, its better for Khaat and Sophia not to be missing their magic."

he sat back in the chair " I agree Khaats strong willed and strong minded " he said nodding his head slowy "I hope were rid of him hes caused eouph disruption including sopia's and Khaats lack of magic , if i had been thee i would ahve told him to just leave ehr alone" he said placing the jug of butter beer down on the table so hard Jack looked up with a frown "sorry" he mouther to him adn he nodded he understood .

"It wasn't something she wanted. She told me it happened when she was alone at St. Mungos when she had not recovered enough to fight him. She had not choice but to surrender to him. Emof doesn't listen to words much. A simple 'leave her alone' wouldn't have done anything. He loves power--not matter what he has to do to get it. At least his spell did have enough of a hole in it that it couldn't take her powers forever. I'm glad for that. " Brian took a swig of his beer as the waitress brought them over plate of cheeses and crackers. Brian smiled, knowing the trick that bars used to get their patrons to eat salty food so that they wanted more beer. Still, at least cheese and crackers were better the peanuts or popcorn that was so easily given away in American bars.

Steven nodded " yeah thats somthing to be thank full for that is didn't last , but it could have and thats what peeves me, what if he had said it woudn't last but when it came down to it lied and she staid that wat for the rest of ehr life , I think that would have finished her" he said downing another swig of butter beer. He smiled to teh waitress and she brught over a tray of crackes and cheeses "quante custom this " he said looking at the tray but he didn't atrake any but jsut smield again to her as she left "ow boy i aways do that, its so gonna get me introuble one day ow wait it has " he said chuckaling to himself.

"Well, Khaat said she read the spell and saw that it does have a time limit on it. It's hard to cast a spell and ignore something like that unless the caster just out adn out lies. Khaat knew that was a chance she had to take, but she felt at the time that her only other option was to just let Emof kill her because she was too weak to fight him. I'm not going to let something like that happen to her ever again. I doubt if I let her too far out of my sight even when the bodyguarding assignment is over. If she doesn't know that already, she's not on her game. I plan on doing the job of taking care of her that Rob Dent should have been doing all along. At least for awhile. Until she gets tired of it or until she finds someone new. Whichever comes first."

Steven looked at him "I know your just freinds an all, but did you ever think it was you she was intrested in" he said softly not wanting to start an argument not with jack on guard duty. he looked at Brian and waited he ahd seen how she lookd at him the compliments and such how she smiled when he held Abby and how Abby had taken to him just as if he was her own father. " I know you were just freinds when you were younger but things and times change she needed some one and you came along to take his place" he said hoping he was not putting his foot in it but he was telling him what he had seen "I guess if Im honist with my self its why i have been acting the way i have, because I know I have no chance with her" he said watching a young female walk past to sit in nearby booth .

"I can't see her with anybody at the moment. As angry as she is with Rob, I don't know if he's out of her system yet. I think if he were released today and wanted to move back home and try again, I think she would melt like butter in his hands all over again, despite the crook he really is. And besides, I never thought of myself with her. I know that sounds odd, but I never saw myself with anybody. I live in such a dangerous world, with such a dangerous job, that I don't know of any woman in her right mind who would have me. "