Wardrobes and wonders will never cease (Khaat)

Jess watched Brain walk in and moved back to the living room and jack she sat down leaning on him again. "thats god coz he would win hands down " she said and smiled at jack who nodded.

" yeap , they love each other more than just phsicaly , I think it runs deeper . muxh deeper its like there joined at the soul " he said and smiled seeing the two of them together " kinda like me and jess here " he said and kissed her smiling.

" ow don't creep jack " she said and looked at keiran " Brians been there for her and stuck with ehr threw the worst times of her life it brings two people closer in ways that can't be broken " she said smiling as she felt Keiran genuinly want to help them " Keiran give it time , you have no powers and she dosn't want to see you gpoing into any situation that could mean she loses you as her blood family" jess said and looked at Brian and Khaat.

Brian brought Dakota into the room and Kieran looked at him tentatively.

"What's up?" Brian asked.

"Do you think...I might...?" He awkwardly tried to ask, gesturing to Dakota. Brian smiled and nodded. Kieran reached for the girl, and Brian handed her to Kieran who began to talk to her and just take it all in that he was holding his brother's child. "She's beautiful, Brian," Kieran said. "They both are. So what made you decide on more so soon?"

"Oh, please don't make me tell you how those things happen," Brian groaned playfully.

"You know what I mean," Kieran frowned.

"Yeah. I do. I just couldn't say no to her," Brian smiled. "I can't say no to her about much of anything."

"Now that part, I did notice," Kieran laughed.

"So you said you know where we can find the American connection to Tom Gelding?"

"Yeah. I do," Kieran said.

"Then we need to talk."

"Fine by me," Kieran said. "But I want to go along."

"We'll see. Maybe."

Jess smiled seeing Kerian with his neice in his arms " suits you kerian " she said smiling at him as jack kissed her for head and moved to get a cup of coffee from the kichen " maybe one day you'll find some one and have your own children " she sat back on the couch now that jack had gone.

Jack headed for the kitc hen and poured out a mug of coffee , taking adrink he sighed and walked back see int jess in the spot he ahd been sat " jump in my grave as quick?" he said chuckaling at her pulling a tounge at him.

"yes if it was warm" she said and pulled a tounge at him but moved to let him sit down.

" if kieran comes with on this mission , won't he need some one with him to make sure he dosn't get in trouble?" jack asked Brian glancing at keiran " no offence but with out powers your an open target " he said.

Kieran heard Jack's remarks and answered him before Brian could. "You'll never find him or even get close without me. You need me."

"You're not going," Khaat said.

"Well, you've forgotten your history, then. Muggles have been taking care of themselves for thousands of years without magic. I can take care of myself. I can't fire a wand, but I can fire a gun."

Robert had been sitting in silence all this time, and he finally spoke. "He goes."

"What?" Khaat frowned.

"On one condition," Robert said.

"I don't make conditions," Kieran said.

"Then you don't go," Robert replied.

"What's the condition?"

"You stay right beside Khaat and if anyone so much as thinks about breathing on my daughter, you remember how to fire your gun." Kieran nodded. It wasn't even apparently a question in his mind. Brian just looked at Robert, frowning, not understanding what he was up to.

"Get the mission details, Brian, and get it set up," Robert ordered. "Then get back to me."

"Ok," Brian said, complying with orders. He motioned Kieran to follow him down the hall to talk.

Steven sat quiet and watched and knew Khaat and brian would formulate some plan and sure eouph it wa Robert who said it . He srtood up and walked over to jack " sorry mate he's right , just look at all the muggle history " he said and gained a kick in the shins from jess then gave her a knowing look when he went to opened her mouth and chuckled softly.

Jack looked at steven then at khaat he was going to argue that keiran should stay behind but Robert spoke and he wondered why he'd taken her side. It was then as if something clicked in his mind and he said one word " ow " he said and looked at Steven as he realized keiran coming would make him feel wanted and a part of the group even more. Paticulary with khaat's coaching as she had been doing the last few days. " he has to train thought , he's still out of shape" Jack said to Brian his arms folded across his chest as he watched what unfolded in front of him.

"He's going to be out of shape," Robert said, watching Brian and Kieran leave. "The rest of us are not, though. We have had others who were excellent either with a wand or a gun and probably couldn't run half a block. I don't know if he'll even need to fire that gun. I want him to have it, though. I do need his connection to get to this guy. And--I think he's earned it."

Kate was catching on too to Robert's plan. "You think he'll hold up?"

"He will," Robert said confidently. "He'll do it for her." He looked at Khaat.

"Me?" she asked.

"Yeah," Robert said. "He'll come through, but he'll do it for you."

"You all don't seriously believe that, do you?" Khaat frowned, looking around at her mother, and at Jess and Jack and Steven.

Steven chuckled and nodded " ow I think so hes sweet on you Khaat why else would he come to your rescue when we were running he could have kept going , but he didn't, he helped you" he said and grinned .

Jack looked at Khaat then at jess " Im saying nothing " he said and chuckled too as he looked at Jess now stood beside him.

Jess stod up to stand with jack and sighed " you'd better not, she's trying to help him regain some of that lost confidence" she said and poked Jack " just as they did for you not so long ago mister" she said seing him move quickly away from her.

" I know jess , I worked that out myself " he said " just don't poke me you know im tikalish " he looked at Robert Kate and steven " yeah a tikalish wear , who'd have thought" he said and chuckled as jess poked him again in his side " hey no fare" he grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him " now you can't " he said looking down at her and smiling as she held him back.

" got you where I wanted you jack " she said and smiled " Keiran will do fine , he has the confidence and some where in there the skill too" she said and looked at Khaat as she spoke hoping she was reading his feelings right.

"That's exactly what I'm counting on," Robert said. "He didn't get into debt for all those millions with all those high rollers without having some level of skill. I'm counting on using what he does have to get us in the door."

"If you do that, he may never be safe in the muggle world again," Khaat said softly.

"You worry too much," Robert said, stroking her cheek. "Remember, this place is going to be nonstop ridiculously busy with organization members. And the protection spells will hold. He isn't going to have to worry about muggles finding him. He'll be safer than he's ever been."

"And what if he doesn't even own a gun!" she retorted angrily. As soon as the words left her lips she realized how ridiculous the question had been. Her father merely looked at her. Guns were not a problem. Never had been. "How do you know he can shoot?" she asked. Robert rolled his eyes at her and sighed.

"And when do I let anyone go into a mission unprepared?" he asked quietly, reminding her that he knew his job.

"I dont' like it," she said.

"I know. That's partly why it'll work," Robert grinned at her. She sighed, irked.

Steven listened as she said what if he didn't own a gun or if he could not shot one " well I own one and right now and here i have a muggle permit, he could shoot of some cans in the paddock once the horses are stabled , you know get in some target practice that way we'd know how good a shot he is, or if hes as good as me " he said and jess poked him too " ok " he said and chuckled .

Jess listened to steven and nodded " that might work what do you think, maybe make it a game, steven could chalange Keiran to a shoot off and that way hes learning and we can observe and se if he needs pointers" she said facing them both " could be fun too " she grinned at them " jack here might join in too".

Jack looked down at ehr and shook his head " I'd blow my foot off with a muggle gun , Im better with a wand , but i'd give it a go if you realy think it could work" he looked at Robert waiting for his awnser.

"I'd rather you kept your foot," Robert said to Jack. "I do magic, not miracles. Try not to aim the barrel at anything you want to keep and you should do alright."

"I'll tell you who you should practice against," Khaat said.

"Jen," Robert said, knowing her thoughts. "Good thought, except that she's not here. She is one hell of a good shot with a gun. We've seen her fight. I don't know what your shooting is like, Steven, because we've never needed muggle weapons. Not really. But, I would think we could find some bottles or cans for you to shoot at, if you want to practice up. My bet is that Kieran could manage to actually hit something with a bullet if he had to. I'm not counting on him being a marksman. I am, though, counting on you all being able to make that obstacle course and to manage the business end of a wand with skill and proficiency."

"That's not a problem," Khaat said.

"It better never be a problem for you," he said. He held her at high expectations. He knew her training. And he expected her to be able to perform.

"Do I need to do the obstacle course too?"

"No. Not for a few months, anyway," he told her.