Tuscany Trip

"Gone, apparently," Brian said. "I have no idea what Robert did with her, and I'm not gonna ask. He ate and left. He wants to wind this up as quickly as he can in order that we can go home when we want to. He doesn't want us to be here any longer than we have to be.

"He drew off all the side effects of the choloroform that he could from Khaat, but he wants her to rest a bit now. And he's right. She's had so much accumulate lately that a bit a rest would do her good. He doesn't want it to take a toll on her. Magic can only do so much. Sometimes we do just need to rest our bodies and our minds regardless. She's okay at the moment, but I think she's trying very hard not to think about all of it. It's probably a healthy attitude for now.

"I think it should just be us 4 for dinner," he told Ronata. "I'm going to check the cellar and make sure Robert didn't leave anything behind." He drew his wand and went downstairs.

Ronata nodded and opened a cook book to think of what to have for dinner, she gave a sigh really wishing she had Khaats help but she knew better , she knew Khaat needed her rest and she would come up with something.

Steven looked towards teh door as Brian moved down it he moved to sit so he could hear if anything should happen to Khaat, also so he could watch Ronata too, with his arms folded across his chest.

Ronata glance iup and saw him watching her "you know if you contunue to do that I will so not cook you anything tonight" she said with a small smile on her face "that or i'll make you sleep on the floor" she closed the cook book thinking if she gave her mind rest she could think of something.

Brian checked the cellar, and he found that Robert had, as always, covered his tracks. There wasn't one single trace of whatever had happened here. He came back upstairs in time to see Ronata shutting her cookbook in frustration.

"Don't worry about dinner. That's on me. I bought some really fresh ingredients to make dinner, and we should use them tonight. Khaat's ingredients will wait until tomorrow. Cellar is clear. Its safe to go downstairs again. As usual, not a bloody trace of anything. When Robert doesn't want to be discovered, he just won't be.

"I'm going to go back upstairs with Khaat. My dinner won't take long to put together. You two just relax and enjoy your afternoon. I just don't want to go too far. Robert didn't tell me if I should expect that weird woman to come back or not, so I'm going to presume she could."

He went back upstairs and found Khaat stretched out on her bed, wide awake.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" he asked her.

"My headache," she said.

"Still have one?" he frowned.

"No, it came back--right after Daddy left."

"You need to rest. It will wear off. You need to give it a bit."

"Do you see me going anywhere?"

"No," he smiled. "Mind if I stay?"

"It makes your job guarding me easier if you're with me," she smiled.

"True, but that's not the only reason I'm here. I just enjoy being with you."

"I'm glad," she smiled.

Ronata sighed at his words "thats good because I can't think of what to cook " she said with a small chuckle as she moved to teh couch and sat down one boot clad foot resting on a low coffee table her eys looking at the new boots and her hands brushing down her new leather trusers she felt like her self with a bit more atitude.

Steven watched Brian go into Khaats room then turned to look at Ronata her foot now up on the coffee table and her hands brushing her legs, he admired her figure and how she had her hair cut. Slowy he stood up and walked over to sit next to her "so we're not on duty, Brian said relax" he said smirking at her.

Ronata watched as he walked over to her and sat down she sat back turning to face him "ow but Mr Walker we always are on duty , mor so know that woman is back and still after Khaat , I swear...." she didn't finish as Steven kissed her she could not help kiss him back her hand resting on his cheek as she did.

Khaat was a bit distracted this afternoon, and Brian wanted to pull her back to having a good time. There sometimes were challenges in trying to deflect a Lupin off of work and onto fun. So he deliberately magically darkened the room and laid down on the bed beside her and cast a beautiful starlit sky magically onto the ceiling.

She smiled, "How did you know?"

"There are very few things that can pull a Lupin's head out of work except for quiet, special moments where the most wonderful things in life outshine the darkness. Khaat, I want you to always, always have light in the darkness, no matter how dark it might seem all around you. I want to be able to always cast some light into that darkness." He kissed her forehead.

"Brian, you have always, always cast light into that darkness since that first time I met you when we were kids," she said softly.

"I remember. In the fishing village. I was trying to buy a chocolate frog from your father at the apothecary."

"Buying?" she laughed. "You were putting that frog in your pocket and you didn't have a single coin with you. You were pickpocketting that frog."

"Hey, I earned him fair and square."

"My father caught you by the ear, as I recall, and made you sweep the floor to earn that frog. Then he gave us both frogs, and a bottle of orange muggle soda. "

"And you and I went to the shore looking for seashells."

"We did. That started it all. It was all about chocolate frogs," she smiled. "Thanks. The starlight is wonderful. It was just what I needed. You always know."

"I know you," he smiled.

Steven pulled back from his kiss and smiled at Ronatas red cheeks "its not all about work or all about fun there is a balance " he said softly as he brushed her hair from her face "I guess Brian and Khaat found it so should we" he smiled taking her hand in his as he pulled her to lay against him his hand resting on her tummy "any more cravings?" he asked her.

Ronata felt him pull back the burning in her cheeks told her she was blushing , she could do nothing but nod as he spoke then took her hand and puled her willing ly to lay against him she enjoyed the feeling of him against ehr , she had missed it but she had been annoyed at him , now that felt a million miles away from her. "Nope still mango's " she said smiling "sometime I envy her she has a man at her feet yet she dosn't see it, ow I know there freinds an all but the way he looks at her and she looks at him, its the same as when you lok at me and I hope I look at you" she said ligtly kissing him again.

"Brian," Khaat asked, "Do you remember when Remus died?"

"I do," he sighed. That memory was painful for him. "That was awful. You weren't that critical ever before--or since, until Abbey was born. You do realize that was just 3 months ago. Khaat, would you just slow down and look for one moment at all that's happened to you since then? Its been nonstop since the beginning of May...."

"I'm not able to look at that," Khaat said quietly, curling around him, laying her head on his chest. Sometimes she missed just plain comfort, and he was always willing to provide that. She loved his arm curled around her, holding her protectively against him. "Can we just ignore all that ugliness back there the last 3 months amd move forward?"

"For now," he said. "You know you can't run from it or overwork yourself to hide from it forever. At some point, it really is okay to let go of all that grief."

"Not now," she said. "Just not now. I was remembering Remus and how I thought there would never be starlight again."

"And we've had a lot of those nights since then."

"But I havent' had them with anyone else but you. "

"Nobody?"

"No. Nobody seems interested that starlight matters."

"It does matter. Maybe we'll leave that our secret for now," he smiled.

"Did you learn that spell for me?'

"I did. Actually, Remus taught it to me a couple of months before he died. He and I met one day in London, and he and I met in one of those rooms above the Leaky. We had a couple of beers and he showed that to me. Said it might be important for me to know someday."

"You were to young to drink beer."

"I know."

"He said it might be important? So he...he..."

"He knew, Khaat. He knew what was coming. He knew there was a chance he might not come back alive. And he asked me to look after you. He wasn't sure you'd get along with Robert if anything happened to him. But he trusted that I could take care of you if anything happened that Remus didn't come back. "

"Is that why you do what you do?'

"No. You are. You're why I do it. Khaat, when I heard Remus had been murdered, I ran through Hogwarts trying to find you. I found you nearly dead of an overdose of that potion you stole from Snape's stores. I got you out of Hogwarts--well, me and a couple of my mates. We found your father, and, well, the waiting began. I don't ever want to do that again. I'm taking my promise to Remus seriously. And not because it was to Remus. But rather, because it was about you."

Ronata moved from Steven and walked out onto the patio she looked at the ocean her arms becoming cold till she felt Steven wrap his around her and she lay back on his slightly "I'd like to bring andrew and john here some day " she said she felt his head rest against her cheek and smiled as he spoke to her.

"Don't forget about unknown" he said softly his hand resting on her once more. She placed hers on his.

"how can I not , I have to take the potion every day till it goes and watch what I do " she turned to face him "but don't ever wrap me up again" She rested her hand on his chest feeling how his mucles flexed under it as he moved.

"Never, I think you proved to me your not the type now for me to do that, though Brian needs proof your not going to jeperdise the safty of Khaat" Ronata sighed and nodded she under stood.

"Brian," Khaat asked softly, "what if neither of us ever fall in love with anyone? Could you ever be happy just sharing a house with me?"'

"Khaat, I am not in the least bit interested in romance. You know that. And I know that the last thing you want is romance at this point in your life. I think you still have a lot of Rob to get out of your system."

"I do."

"But I do really, really love having you and the girls living in my house. Its a hell of a lot of space for one man, and somehow having you and the girls seem to warm it up in a way I've never ever had in my life. I don't want to lose that. And, yes, I do even want you to bring those two stupid muggle cats of yours. So long as Katherine has a talk with them about not eating the strings and the feathers on my Native American artwork."

That made Khaat laugh. "I'm sure she can convince them to leave that alone. To only eat the toys, not the art. They're pretty well behaved, though, actually. And they've gotten more used to living with wizards than any muggle cats I've ever seen."

"I want you fully in my house. I want you to make it completely yours. Not just your room. I want you to just move in. Maybe give up the Hogsmeade house or rent it out. I want you to stay."

"Ok. I would really like that. I do love your house, Brian."

"Our house."

"Ours? I've going to have it changed. Its going to be yours and mine. So that, God forbid, if anything ever happens to me, you and the girls will never worry about anything ever, ever again."

"I don't want the house without you. I want you in it with me."

"And I plan to be. I'm just saying...just in case. I don't plan on ever leaving your side. Not ever."

"Good. I don't want you to ever go." She curled tight to him, and she felt his grip on her tighten. She felt tears burning her eyes. She would have given anything if, right now, in this moment, it had been Rob that was holding her and not Brian. A partner, not a friend.

"Let him go," he said to her softly. "You deserve so much more than that. Let him go." He felt her tears on his chest, and he was glad she was finally letting go of the pain she held inside for so very long. It was time. Overdue, in fact.

Ronata smiled at him and sighed "good because if you do I'll cut you off from the bed room mister" she said with a chuckle as he winced at her words.

Steven smiled it was nice to just hold her after the slight argument they'd had , he nodded as she said not to wrapper her up or she'd not let him in their bed " No I don't think I will now I have seen you can take care of your self , but I will say this , you will have to stay working at Sparks when you start to show, you can't risk the beby's life , that I won't alow" he said loking down at her seriose.

Ronata looked at him as she heard him say she would have to stick to sparks . "Is that an order?" she said her eyes looking deep into his as she waited.

Steven nodded "yes , Brian is my boss just as Robert is his , so I am yours and I order you once you show you stay at sparks" he said feeling her drop her arms to her side.

Ronata listened to him he was right he was her boss, her lover and her soon to be husband "this is the only time regarding our children that you can get awy with this you know that?" she said and nodded " Order understood boss" she said now smiling "but for now I am me, Ronata Volkmann"