Meet the Boyfriend

Brian had given Mis time to rest after her surgery. He had checked her right after they moved her to her room, and she was doing exceptionally well then. He had been hired on because of a serious lack of healers at St. Mungos. Robert knew Brian's skills and had hired him on part time. He had just taken to asserting himself where he was needed.

But he looked about as far from a wizarding healer as it got. He was still in his clothes from last night's mission, and they needed washed. There were some dried bloodstains on them. He needed a shave now, and he wanted some damned strong coffee. Khaat style. That was enough to almost wake the dead. Americans called it "Truck Stop Coffee." He had grown to like it a lot because it so strongly reminded him of Khaat, just like the scent of her hair did. It was indelible. He was planning on going home soon. But Robert's right hand man was still on a mission. He needed to check on Khaat's daughter. And then he needed to see Khaat before he was going anywhere. The next thing he wanted was to see his girls--the babies he loved like they were his own.

He went to Mis's room and decided that she needed to see that she had survived. He opened the drapes just a little bit to let in some of the morning sunshine. She needed some hope. She deserved that. And she would want to hear the report that Robert had given him about Khaat. He knew that.

Miseria was already awake when Brian entered the room. But holding her eyes closed, she was still so sure that this was another surgeon, who will check if she was alive or no. Actually, she was already getting used to such stuff. Pain, situations where she almost dies, and so on. When the curtains opened a bit, she could feel how the sunshine was warming up her cold cheeks. Sun! The thing what she missed the most!

She was paler than usual. That was probably because of the bloodloss, though, those who didn't know her, wouldn't even notice the change. She turned her face away when the sun was starting to get annoying on her. She wanted to sleep. Just get some full rest. But it seemed that it was impossible right now. She wasn't used to sleep when someone was in her room, watching her, and making sure that she was breathing. Yes, she was.
Finally, she opened her eyes, and looked around. It was the first time when she actually saw the room where she was laying. Sighing quietly, she turned herself a little bit so that she could see the visitor. Brian. This was the first time when she saw him without any company. Khaat told her about him. He was a great man, brave, and helping. “Hi.“ she said, finding no other words that would break the silence between them.

"Welcome back," Brian smiled, "So--how are you feeling? Michael was proud of you last night. He said he doesn't see many 15 year olds with your skills. He thought you did very well. You'll be fine, but you'll have to put up with a few days off school, I'm afraid." He didn't figure that would disappoint her very much to have a break from studying. He couldn't remember more than a couple of students at Hogwarts ever being disappointed with an excused absence.

"Robert has taken very good care of Khaat. Physically, she's going to be fine in a day or two. It appears that the only emotional damage she has to deal with for right now is that she has temporarily lost her voice. That's not necessarily an abnormal thing for someon who's been through what she was. It might impair her magic a bit if she cant say the spells. I don't know yet. She hasn't had any interest in spell casting yet. But if I know your mother at all, if she wants to cast a spell, she'll find some bloody way to do it. Robert believes that when she deals with whatever her reason was for forcing herself not to speak in such extreme conditions, then her voice will come back. But when that happens is up to her. If that's the only thing she has to deal with, then that's fine by me. We'll deal with it.

"In the meantime, if there is anything you need--anything at all, just say the word. You'll have it." He didn't know what she knew or didn't know about his relationship with Khaat, but it was about time they laid their cards on the table here.

She gave him a grin. “i'm sixteen,“ she said, trying to push herself up so that she could sit. Finally, when she actually managed to push herself into a sitting position, she looked back at the man, raising her eyebrows slightly. Robert was helping them after all. That was... surprising. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all? Or perhaps he still loved Khaat that much that he couldn't see her dying?
“I think she might be in shock. And with that, what do you think how mucht ime will it take for her to finally start talking again?“ she asked quietly. Now she was worried. All that she remembered was that she got shot by multipile bullets, and she couldn't even feel the pain before she passed out. Now that she heard in what conditions Khaat was, her wounds were only like some sort of pinches. Nothing else. And she could speak right now.
Brian's words didn't make her feel much better, however, she could use some answers. “Why was Khaat kidnapped?“ she asked.

"That, my dear, is a long story," Brian sighed. "She didn't tell you deliberately. She believed if she told you, you would leave school to try to protect her and it was far too dangerous. Here's the real story. But you do not ever dare to tell anyone else without my permission. Understand?" He looed at her seriously. He sat down. This was going to take awhile.

"Back before you were born, your grandfather and his friends stumbled onto a ring of evil wizards who were making massive amounts of money by kidnapping wizard children, selling them to very wealthy muggles, and then training them only how to do those spells that made the muggles richer or more powerful. Those children were growing up in virtual slavery. Robert and his friends vowed to put their lives on the line to get back every kidnapped child they knew of. They've been doing it for years. When I finished my auror's training, Robert hired me to head his worldwide organization that works to get wizard kids home where they belong.

"Our chief enemy is a very clever man named Tom Gelding. Gelding is my age and inherited the business from his father, Selby, who was just evil and vindictive and not just a little bit crazy. Robert ended up having to kill Selby Gelding in a duel in self defense, and now Tom is out to hurt Robert--well, all the Lupins--and me for all the trouble we've caused him in his life. So, he's had paid assassins out hunting your mother all summer. That's why we spent the summer in Tuscany. Robert changed my chief assignment to be her personal bodyguard until this was over. Nothing is more important to your grandfather than his family.

"So, periodically, I shut Gelding down by stealing all his illgotten millions. I bankrupted him again, hoping that it would cancel the assassin's contract if Gelding couldn't pay it. But it seems he hired the son of another man your grandfather killed in self defense doing work for the Order years ago. So, both of these evil sons had an axe to grind with your grandfather, and they decided to do it by kidnapping Khaat. Believe me, we want nothing more than to kill both these men. And we plan on doing just that.

"That's the nutshell version of it all. In the meantime, Abbey and Dakota are safe, in hiding with Katherine Lupin in a safehouse that has never, ever been breeched. How's that for a lot of information in just a very short time?"

He was taking this story thing way too serious, but Khaat was right when she told Brian that if Miseria will know about the crazy stalker, she would start skippin school, and try to protect her family. But she nodded. She is able to keep promises, and if he didn't want someone else to know, she won't tell anyone.

The next storyline was kind of familiar to her. Khaat told her once that Brian was saving young wizards from the kidnappers who forced them to do the dirty work. It was really loyal and daring of him since she did know that those who kidnapped those kids were strong.
“And yet, you still were hiding everything from me. From the beginning. I could've helped you, or atleast i would die trying.“ She turned her eyes away from Brian, looking with disappointed expression at the white wall. All the adults were the same. They thought that if they say it is safe this way, it will always be like this. And it was more painful right now when she knew that she couldn't actually do anything to help them escape. No. Instead, she was living like a little kid, knowing nothing at all. She was already mother, for gods sake, she had some rights now, too!

When he mentioned her daughter, Miseria sighed in a relief. Yes, atleast both of the kids were safe and sound. Then she looked back at him. “Who else got hurt last night?“ she asked. She looked at his clothes what were decorated with some blooddrops. She wouldn't even be surprised if some of those red dots was her own blood.

"Jack took a minor flesh wound in his shoulder. Got a piece of glass in it. Took me about 60 seconds to take the glass out and seal it up. He's fine. Some of this is yours from last night. I do really need to go home and change before I see your mother. She doesn't need me looking like this.

"Mis, I know you really would have given your all. And I"m not trying to make light of that. I know its really tough being a kid and being this close to being grown up. I do remember what that was like. Being 16 was the toughest years Khaat and I either one ever had. Khaat told me about the prophesy about your destiny, and I really want to be part of training you for that. Training aurors and getting them in peak fighting shape, and teaching them how to be aurors and fighters--its what I do. Its what I'm best at. Why do you think your mother was in such amazing shape before she was taken? I've been toning every inch of her. She works hard, too. Mis, the reason we didn't involve you was because we were very selective of who we chose. I needed the very, very best skills I could get or whoever I chose was only signing their own death certificate. They damned near killed your grandfather, and he's the finest auror I've ever known in my life. These men have killed some of the finest wizards in the world. This just wasn't your fight. However, Khaat may well need you now. She might need you to help her communicate, to help her find that reason for life again, to help her get back to being who she was.

"I'm asking you to let me do what I'm best at, and that's protecting your mother. I do want you to help. But in a different way than you expected to be doing. She needs to know that you're alright. And she needs to know that life is going to go on, and in a good way for her and for all her girls. I want you to either come and recover at our house or come visit. Often. Your choice." Then he realized he'd said ' our house'. He thought she knew that Khaat lived with him now, but he wasn't sure. But he was mighty sure that she didn't know Khaat and he shared the same master bedroom now, nor that he carried an enormous engagement ring in his pocket that was just burning to get its rightful place on Khaat's finger.

That still didn't explain much why didn't they take her with them. They knew that she has fought the death eaters, though, with no big succes. However, she never gave up, and she could go with the battle as far as she could, even if it measn her own, and her foe's death. She knew that those thoughts were heroic, but that was how she felt. She had to sacrifice herself if she wanted to live peacefully, and since he knew about the prophesy, why wouldn't they let her join them? She believed that once she will start fighting like an adult, she will get stronger, and better with every time, though, she never learns from her mistakes.

“How did they even magage to harm Robert?“ she asked, looking up from his bloody clothes, and stared then at his face. How? Did they outnumber him that much or maybe it was a surprise attack? When he mentioned Khaat again, Miseria took a deep breathe. She couldn't fit herself into The Necessary Person's list. But Brian sounded like Khaat had lost everything. The reason to live, smile, love, eat.

Suddenly, Miseria raised her eyebrows, and impression reflected through her eyes. It also seemed that Brian didn't want to tell her this fact Like this. She coughed quietly, feeling now kind of awkward. Maybe she wasn't necessary after all. She could take Dakota, cut the school, and leave.
“Okay... uhm... so how long have you been Together?“ she asked another question. Now she felt really stupid. They didn't even inform her about that! And it wasn't even related to this psycho maniac who kidnapped, and tortured Khaat, now was it?

"They ambushed Robert. He was home in his own study. He has protective charms all around the farm. That morning, just before daybreak, they infiltrated through the charms and took him totally by surprise. Kate found him in a pool of his own blood in his potions lab just barely alive. He'd done his best to fight them all off, but it looks like he was surprised and outnumbered.

"Khaat and I have always been together in one form or another it seems," he smiled gently. "My parents were killed when I was 8, and Robert and Kate took me in. They never adopted me because I refused. I was an angry young man when Robert got ahold of me. But Khaat and I grew up together. Then after Hogwarts, I went to work for Robert and moved out of England.

"I didn't get back into her life until the night Abbey was born, when Robert needed an entra hand to get Abbey here safely. I helped deliver her. That was the night Rob Dent walked out on Khata for good. And Khaat was so hurt and so lost that I couldnt' stand it. I took her and Abbey in. By then I'd made more than enough to take care of them for the rest of their lives. And I promised her I'd do just that.

"We didn't get serious until late this summer. Neither of us expected it. It just sort of happened when we spent a 4 day weekend in Venice. But now, I can't see me anywhere else but living with her and taking care of her, Abbey and Dakota. I hope you know I love Dakota just as if she were my own. She'll never want for anything either as long as she lives. I've already seen to that. " Brian smiled and added, "We've even hired profesional decorators to create a wonderful dream bedroom for a couple of wizarding princesses in the Tuscany house too." He meant it. He had told the decorators money was no object.

Like she thought. He was outnumbered, and probably it was a surprise attack. Really good one, she had to confess. He was a strong wizard, and it would be really hard to take him down, and almost kill him. Yet, he was old, and it wasn't much of a surprise if he actually lost one battle. But he was safe now and so was Khaat. They could rest now.

When Brian started with his historical lecture of his and Khaat's past, Miseria wasn't surprised. Once again, her mother had informed her with some of the details. Like the fact that she and Brian were really close friends, and they lived together when they were young, but she never knew that his parents were murdered. So they had something in common.
When Khaat was bringing Abby to this world, she remembered guests over there. Even the minister of magic himself showed up.

“Well, you two seemed to fall in love really fast,“ she grinned at him. “But... you aren't engaged yet, have you?“ This was the little thing what she would know by now. Khaat wouldn't hide such thing as wedding nor would she keep the engagement in a secret. It meant that he hadn't proposed yet. “I just hope that Dakota is happy now. For her, at the moment, nothing else matters.“