To Hell and Back

"I do," Kate said, unconcerned. "She knows who it is too, if she thinks."

Khaat stood for a moment in the silence watching the white sheer drapes ruffle. In her mind, her thoughts blurred between what she had known from the past and what she had experienced whie she had been missing. It had been so intense that her thoughts had been forced to blurr in order for her to just survive it.

"Khaat," Kate said very softly. "You know who this is. Think. He loves you."

She stood in the silence, staring at the curtain, smelling the cologne. Remus. She looked at her mother, frowning. How? How was he reaching from beyond? Why?

"He loves you," Kate repeated, caressing Khaat's cheek. "He always promised you he'd be there for you if you truly needed him. He's just letting you know he's keeping his promise, Dear."

She stood, overwhelmed. wanting to remember his presence without all the damage that Barker had done to try to scar that memory in her mind. She looked at her mother and then at Jess. What was Remus doing here in her father's bedroom?

"He started appearing like this to your father when you disappeared," her mother said softly. "He probably won't rest until he knows you're alright. Really alright." Khaat sighed heavily. She didn't know how to give Remus that. She wanted to. She just didn't know how.

Khaat watched her father stir and wake. He frowned and looked at her sleepily. "Everything alright?" he asked, barely awake.

"Fine, Dear," Kate said. "Remus is here, that's all. Khaat smelled his...."

"Oh..the cologne," Robert nodded, his eyes shutting again heavily. "He's been here for a few days, Baby. Nothing to worry about. He's just being protective." His voice faded as he drifted back to sleep.

"Let's leave your father sleep, Khaat," Kate said. "He's in good hands. Remus will keep an eye on things." He led her back down to the kitchen.

"Everything okay?" Brian asked.

"Fine," Kate smiled. "Remus is just trying to let Khaat know he loves her."

"Remus?" Brian frowned. He wanted to get a bit of that connection again for himself. If there was a Lupin family reunion happening, he wasn't missing it. He leaped out of his chair and bounded up the stairs to check it out for himself.

"You dont' want to miss the best part, do you, Jack?" Kate laughed., preparing the chocolate orange ganache. When the cookies were cool, she drizzles strings of orange flavored dark chocolate over the cookies with the tines of a fork.

Brian came back downstairs, walking at a normal pace this time. Khaat looked at him. "I just got chewed out by Remus's wizarding portrait," he laughed. "For a great list of things. Can I put him in the closet?"
Khaat frowned deeply at him. Her uncle was not going to be stuffed in a closet.

"Attic? Barn?" he suggested, knowing that the portrait was not going anywhere.

"Did you deserve being chewed out?" Kate asked.

"That is entirely beside the point," Brian laughed.

"Oh, of course it is," Kate laughed sarcastically. She plated a couple dozen of the cookies and sent the plate floating into the others and sent in empty mugs and a fresh pot of coffee floating in for anyone who wanted it.

"Have a cookie, Brian," Kate laughed. "My guess is that Remus's portrait won't be in your closet any time soon."

"Oh well," Brian shrugged. "Can't blame me for trying." He took a cookie for himself and one for Khaat and handed hers to her. Then he refilled her coffee cup and his. Brian enjoyed them because they were still a little warm and the ganache was a little melty. "They're good, Kate. And messy. Just the way I like them. And I'm smelling that Coq Au Vin too. Its smelling really, really good."

"Probably because its almost lunch time," Kate said. "I need to get that Asian Chicken Salad Jack brought back from Sparks onto the table for lunch. Jess or Ronata, can you help get the take out salad and the cheese croissants on the table for lunch, please? Otherwise, these guys are going to do nothing but eat cookies all afternoon."

Khaat knew she should have been helping to put lunch on the table, but her mind was spinning. Remus? He'd tried to come back to her? Her mind was trying to separate what was real during her time with Felix Barker and what had been Remus and what had been her own mind messing the whole business up.

She began to feel like she was getting a headache, and it was getting sharp. Fairly quickly. She felt her mother's hands on either side of her head suddenly and heard her calling her name. She wondered if she had been calling her long. She looked up at her mother, lost.

"You're not crazy, Khaat," Katherine said calmly. "I'm a seer too, remember? Barker's made use of your seer's abilities and got things all muddled for you. Its all mixed up together. We'll sort it out. Brian, can you cut her headache for her? Jess or Jack, are you familiar with that hot tea-like drink they make at the Leaky to recharge the energies of seers? They only make it when someone comes in and asks for it, but it works. She could use that right now, if either of you know how to make it."