Wardrobes and wonders will never cease (Khaat)

Jack sat listening to Robert he sat quiet listening and thinking soon he looked at Robert and sighed " what can I do ?" he asked his voice subdued " I don't want Jessica to lose a husband because of my stuborness, I guess all I can do it try and force the wear side deeper inside of me" he said and looked up at him " is there anyway you can stregthen the potion or something " he asked a slight sense of panic in his voice as he looekd at him, his own eyes holding the fear he now felt from deep inside him. He looked at his hands and sighed " Robert?" he looked up at him " can you help me?" he asked feeling like he was something he did not want to be ever.

Jess smiled and nodded s she thought about jack how would he be when she got back she moved to Kates side " kate do you think Robert can help jack with his problem " she said softly " hes not been himself " she said she smiled at Khaat " ow yes there are such things " she said and chuckled as she walked to the entrance her clothes in a bag that now hung in her hands.

"I can concentrate the potion," Robert shrugged, "but the real difference lies with you and your intent. If you decide that the answers to all your issues in life is to be more werewolf than human, you're choosing to try to override the potion to become werewolf at will. What you're using the potion right now to do is to control the parts of the werewolf that are uncontrollable for you. You want to be able to use just the parts you like. And you won't find me endorsing that. Our family has a lot more years dealing with this curse than you have, no disrespect intended, but I have never found any good in lycanthropy--period. Part of the change has to come with you. You have to stop thinking that being a werewolf is such a good thing. It isn't. It wasn't ever intended to make you a superhero. And it always puts you at risk of killing someone you love. Even Fenrir does not have that much control. Ever. Not ever. I'll strengthen the potion, but the lion's share of the work has to be done with your attitude towards being a werewolf. And that's the bottom line of it."

"Well," Kate didn't want to be a pessimist. "I think I know Robert well enough to know how much he hates the werewolf curse. It robbed him of his family and has threatened it forever. There is still always the fear that Khaat's children will need to be afraid. If I know Robert, he's not so concerned about the potions part of the bit as he is about whether Jack is willing to change his attitude about being a werewolf. Until he does that, Jack is on a damaging downhill spiral. The curse has a way of twisting its victim's thinking, and Robert is concerned that might be happening. He wants Jack to get his head straight."

Jack listened and understood what Robert was saying he risked losing all that was close to him if he kept going the way he was, jessica his twins and andrew. He nodded " I understand sir " he said waiting for the more concentrated potion now he actualy did hope it would work for him. The more he thought about it the more he knew he had to change for his own sake and his familys. Standing he felt the anger rising at his own stupidity. it was then he realized what he ws doing and paused taking a deep breath he looked out the window " I will not give in I will stay calm" he pictured his family and he smiled.

Jess looked at Kate and sighed " I know kate I am worried too ...hes just not acting like the man I married " she said and walked slowler as she strted to think about Jack " I hope he does kate for his family" she looked down at her feet as she walked next to her and Khaat.

"It'll take some time to brew," Robert said. "Its not just that easy. It can't be just 'whipped up.' You'll have to put some self control into it for a few days, I'm afraid, and if you can't, I suppose, we could secure you for safe keeping if it becomes a concern. But I dont' want to have to do that either."

"Well, lets wait and see how he and Jack work it out, shall we?" Kate smiled. She opened the door of the next shop and ushered them all inside. "Khaat--shoes--to your right, about halfway back. Go. No heels. Flats. You buy heels, and I'll change them to flats." Khaat sighed and walked back to the shoe department. "I want to look for some jeans here. It seems I never have enough of those, for some reason." Kate pointed the way to the casual clothes. "I think I want to go that way. And what do you think you might be interested in looking for, Jess? They have some beautiful spring prints in the window. I think you'll find some really gorgeous dresses or tops here. Oh, and I did see a nice pair of beige lace shoes that I thought of when you found the lavender outfit. You ought to check them out."

Jack looked at Robert and nodded " I understand and I am trying Robert , trust me I am" he took a deep breath in controling what he felt inside " I know it will be hard but I am willing to change " he looked at him " I have hurt jess enouph and god she dosn't need any more hurt, she doesn't need me adding to her problems. " he said his voice calm even though he spoke harsh words " sir, you said a few days do you want me to stay here ?" he asked knowing around the babies even though he would never harm them.

Jess sighed and nodded she chuckled at kate and Khaat " don't worry khaat I had the same problem when i had our twins " she said smiling now she ahd a sense that things hand some how changed for the better what she didn't know but she felt lighter and smiled at kates sujestions of the shose " ow they sound perfect" she said and moved to the place she had sujested trying them on she smiled at how comfortable they actually were and she bought a pair.

"No," Robert said, "I don't think that will help. I think you'd be better off being someplace where its going to make you think before you act. I actually think you'll be better off if you're home around your own family. It will make you rethink before you try to use those powers selectively. You'll see the faces of your wife and your children, and if you're any sort of man at all, you'll think twice. I'd much rather see you taking care of your family for a few days. The last you need is to be any more removed from the things you really love than necessary. If I had been having this conversation with Remus, we would have been zeroing in on him staying where he felt more challenged to not transform in any manner whatsoever. And that would have been family."


Khaat saw Jess finding a great pair of shoes. For herself, she hated flats, but she wasn't being given a choice. Her mother abandoned finding jeans when she saw Khaat looking wistfully at a pair of bright fushia heels. Kate steered her away from the bright pink shoes and steered her to several breathtaking pairs of flats. She began talking Khaat into buying several pair of flats that would give her a wardrobe of shoes for every occasion. She even let her buy numerous pairs of kitten heels so that it was some sort of a compromise. She knew she wouldn't get Khaat to totally give up heels without being miserable. So, low kitten heels gave her at least something.

Jack stood up to face Robert " But this is my life sir , here the organisation and my family is all I know " he strugled to contain his anger he knew he could not lose it but he had to keep control he started to pace back and forth as he thought about what Robert had asked him to do. It was to leave all he cared about behind and just do nothing but stay at home. he felt the heat of his anger boiling inside him he tried to control it as his eyes shifted with each thought Robert had placed in his mind with his words " what about steven do you think he could handel the whole place alone he spoke walking to the french doors and looking out over the grounds. He could not help it as he thumped the frame hard " dam it I can't " he said softly.


Jess walked back to Khaat and smiled at her choice of shoes " ow those are great " she said smiling " wish I had the ankles to wear them " she chuckled and looked at the pair of them as she spotted a pair of fabric sandels that tied around the ankle in a light blue " ow those as so cute " she said and picked them up smiling she tried them on but it was then she felt a sudden rush of a head ache and she lent on a cabonet holding her head.

"Let it go," Kate told her, "Robert is there. He's dealt with worse. If Robert needs us, we'll know."

Kate was keeping her senses in tune while she encouraged both young women to keep shopping for awhile longer. Khaat found some more cute things, but increasingly, her own senses were heightened because she was feeling increasingly fearful for her daughters.

"I...can't stay," Khaat finally told her mother softly. "I have to go back."

"I know," Kate sighed. "Jack doesnt' have near the control he thought he did. Your father has it under control, but I can understand why you want to go back. Jess, let's go back."

She walked the two younger women back into the alley, after they rang up their last purchases, and apparated them back to the living room.

The moment they apparated into the room, Khaat saw that night had fallen back in Colorado and before her eyes, Jack transformed into a werewolf right in the middle of the living room. Khaat froze. She had seen Remus transform before, but it had been years. The creature raged at her and began to destroy the room. The last she knew was seeing the dining room table being hurled at her, and seeing the stone in her necklace sending out a blinding green light and a shrill, deafening noise worse than any siren she'd ever heard. Then it all went black.

Jess aperated with kate and khaat right into the middle of it she drew her wand husband or not she was not going to hold back. "JACK STOP THIS!!!!" she shouted at him but dodged the shattered peices of the table as they flew past her. Taking aim she fired her wand but all it did was enrage the wear jack more as it lundged for Khaat only to cry out and move back holding its head . Jess fired again and this time it hit its target crying out as it was thrown back over the balconey railings and to the ground below. Jess ran over just intime to see him running to the forest beyond. Jess stood with tears running down her face and her head hung low " Im sorry jack , I had to" she said softly and turned back to Khaat and walked in as if on remote control she could not belive she'd had to fire on her own husband , the man she'd loved for years. Placing her wand back in its holster she moved to kate " can...can I help?" she asked even her voice sounded as if she would brake down at a moments notice.

"Brian! Go!" Robert shouted. Brian flew to the balcony to keep an eye on where Jack might go, but he knew first hand that following Jack would be stupid right now. Robert flew to Khaat and wrapped his hand around the heart shaped emerald green stone pendant around Khaat's neck. The stone was still shining out a blinding green light and screaming out its shrill ear piercing sound. "Enough," Robert commanded the stone. The stone subsided both the light and the sound.

"Thank you, Jess," Robert said. "Don't forget--the stone is designed to ward off werewolves too. I would not like to see you hurt. But you did a good job there. I know it was tough. Let's see if she's alright." Robert checked Khaat. He was overly cautious. "I think she was incredibly lucky. I just see a couple of bruised ribs. I think she was just winded. I don't see a hit to her head. I think she'll wake up on her own in a moment. And yes, the baby is fine."

"He's run off into the woods," Brian said. "He won't be able to leave the grounds. The shield works both ways. It keeps people out, but it also keeps people in unless they have the ability to penetrate such charms."

"We can't do anything more to help Jack until he transforms back," Robert said. "This is what I was afraid of. I dont' think he was taking his potion as faithfully as he should have been. I think he thought he had it all under control. And for a man with a wife and small children, that could have been fatal for all of you. You were lucky it happened here, Jess. The last thing you needed was for him to have changed sometime when he was home alone with the kids. That is just too terrible to think about."

Khaat began to moan softly, as she began coming back around. Robert picked her up and laid her on the sofa. "You're alright," he told her. "Just lay still and rest a moment."