Wardrobes and wonders will never cease (Khaat)

Jess watched Brain go out into the night she wanted to tell him not to but instead let him go . She found her voice failing her as he left , her chest hurt from forcing her tears deep inside her. She looked at Robert and nodded " I did what I had to, I couldn't let him hurt an innocent " she said wiping away a stray tear from her cheek as she moved to kneel facing him and kate " Im glad she and the babys are going to be ok " she looked at Brian and shook her head " not in that state he can't " she forced the tears back down she knew this was not the time for her brake down she could cry all she wanted later once khaat was healed again her mind now forced to think business no longer was she the wife of jack but a healer and mother of three. Jack would have to fend for himself as for her she tried not to let her hands shake.

"Jessica Dark Heart," Robert said bluntly and firmly, "You're forgetting everything Jeffrey told you. I know Jeffrey Burnstein. He never told you one time to repress your feelings. He didn't tell you to get hysterical either, but he never one time would have ever told you to do what you're trying to do now. Get the tears overwith so they don't cripple you and risk your going back."

"Wait...babies?" Brian looked stunned. "Uh...more than one?"

"Babies," Robert said.

"Twins, I'm almost positive," Kate beamed.

"Four in diapers at the same time?" Kieran said. "You're either brave or a total idiot, Brian."

"I love my wife," Brian said. He patted Jess's arm supportively as he passed her to get to Khaat. "We'll find him, Jess. Don't worry." He sat with Khaat. "You okay?"

"I"m fine," she said. "You know, Daddy. Brian and you and I are the only ones here with enough experience to secure Jack."

"Oh, no," Robert shook his head. "We're not going to do that while he's transformed. We could do it, but the only place strong enough to hold him tonight is Azkaban. And I"m in no mood to portkey a werewolf thousands of miles, thank you. No, he'll have to wait until daylight until he transforms back. And I will not have you chasing a werewolf. Remus would haunt me if I even so much as thought about it. Not while you're pregnant.

"What the hell did that damned necklace of yours do, Khaat?" Kieran asked.

"I'll tell you all about it," Brian said. "Come with me. We're going to lay some more protection charms around the house." He motioned Kieran to follow him, and they left together.

Jess looked at Robert " I just shot at my husband how do you expect me to react " she said but she knew he was right she loked at Brian as he pasted momenterily placing her hand on his on her shoulder " thank you " she said but hearing the word askaban she stood up to face Robert " Askaban .... you'd lock him up there ?" she said looking at Robert she knew the risks when she married him but now it seem all too real her marrage was over and she could take it no more and ran to her room buring her face in the pillow and cried. She didn't want that to happen what would she tell his mother and his children, how would she cope alone with three small children.

Slolwy her tears dried up and she lay looking at the roof of the room she wondered why he had done what he had and why he'd not kept his promise to her to take his potion regularly. Now she lay in thie room alone.

"Daddy," Khaat began.

"Do you seriously think I meant I was sentencing him there!" he snapped at her.

"No," she said softly. "I don't. But apparently Jess didn't know that."

"Where the hell else do I contain a werewolf his size and strength? Remus was one thing! Jack is something else again! I'm not concerned about containing Jack. I am, however, very concerned about finding a place where he can't hurt himself or anyone else for a few days until he gets back on his potion!"

"And you can't use the Shrieking Shack?"

"You saw Jack's werewolf! Its bigger than Remus was! He'd dismantle the place. Besides, that old ramshackle place is not structurally sound now, and is a prime spot for student dares. I couldn't risk that some innocent student would not go there. Look, I'm not the bad guy here! I'm trying to keep people from being killed by Jack's lack of better judgement."

"Maybe you should have let him have me," Khaat sighed, heading for the kitchen.

"What?" Angus echoed, following her.

"You heard me," Khaat said angrily.

"Your necklace would have never allowed that. What exactly did you mean by letting him have you?"

"Then Jess wouldn't have to be feeling all beside herself for firing on Jack to ward him off. She did help, and I"m grateful. But maybe she shouldn't have." Angus poured her a cup of almond tea and handed it to her.

"Do you want one of Rob's potionswhores to raise Abbey?"

"No!"

"Well, then? Rethink that thought. Even if Mis comes and gets her daughter in a couple years, Abbey will still need you. Khaat, ask yourself. When was the last you were that close to a werewolf?" There was a long pause. She didn't answer. "Khaat. Answer the question," Angus said.

"Remus," she said, her own voice full of pain. Sometimes, like moments like this one, she missed Remus more than words could ever say. Remus would know what to say to Jess. All Khaat knew now was how massively guilty she felt by asking Jack and Jess and Steven to work for her at all.

"That's what I thought," he said softly. He took a moment to wrap her close in his arms, to just hold her, one friend to another, "You haven't really lost him, you know. Remus will always still be with you."

"Tonight, its just not enough," she said very softly, laying her head on his chest.

Jess sat up and sighed moving to the litchen she hear all the talk that had hapened and walked in " Khaat it was not your call to make I am glad you all let it to me i'd want no one else to hurt him but me " she turned to face Robert " Im sorry I miss understood you and I now see your point, it would be the best place to contain him " she walked over to Khaat and looked at her " Khaat don't blame your self for this , all this is jcks doing not yours , not mine , not anybodies but his , he should be apoloygsing not you , I hole nobody but him responcible " she said and sighed " now tea and coffee for every one " she said and started the kettle boiling turning to face Robert she gave as small smile " one bridge at a time " she said softly as she looked at him hoping he would fogive ehr out burst earlier and that getting ehr emotions relesed to a point as again he ahd told her to do ws just what she ahd needed to clear her head and think straight again.

Robert smiled. He was glad she was dealing more effectively with it. "You did not do alone, Jess," Robert said. "Let us not forget Khaat's necklace. It was Remus's method of making sure that if she were not born with the curse she would not fall victim to it. Or if she had been born with it that she would never transform. He didn't want her to live the way he did. The stone was made by Nicolas Flamel when Kate was pregnant with Khaat. It was designed to protect her from werewolves. I am not sure I know all its qualities. Flamel always meant to tell me but it just never happened. Anyway, let us not forget that blinding bright green light and that terrible deafening shrieking the stone did to ward the werewolf off. The shrieking was done at a tone that is designed to cause terrible pain to a werewolf's ears. And the light would cause unbearable pain to a werewolf's eyes. Basically, Jess and the stone worked together to ward him off. IT was effective. I don't think Jack was hurt. It was most likely extremely painful but not damaging. We'll find him when he changes back.

"Khaat," Robert said. "Jess is right. Its no one's fault. Enjoy your tea. Jack's going to have to make this journey all by himself. We can all love him and support him, but in the end, he has to do the right thing. Brian will reinforce the spells around the grounds so that Jack has no hope of leaving. Not until we find him. Once he's back in human form again, we can talk to him and make better plans. We just aren't going to be able to have a conversation with him for a few hours. In the meantime. Angus, would you please work on reassembling our dining room table?"

"Oh yeah. The table," Angus said. "Forgot." He poured himself a mug of tea and headed back to the living room.

"Jess, are you able to check on the girls? Make sure that Abbey and Dakota are still safe and asleep in their beds?" Robert asked.

Jess looked at Robert and then at Khaats necklace she saw the green stone and nodded it did do its job and your right he will be more subdued after he changes back " she said she could not help chuckle at angus's forgetting about the table. She moved and quickly made some food for every one setting it down on the reformed table she could not help but look out into the night lost in her thoughts, hoping they would find him and be able to help him back to teh man or some of the man she once loved, the man who fathered three children.

She sighed as she heard a distant cry it tugged at her heart to hear it but she could not go to him but she had to give him time , give herself time. She moved inside and sat down at the table and took some food but she didn't eat just nibbled.

Khaat just watched Jess go rather mindlessly into the kitchen, evidently not hearing what her father had asked Jess to do.

"I'll check, Robert," Kate said. She went upstairs to check on the two babies since Jess had not responded to Robert. She found the babies safe and asleep in their beds. She was pleased. She covered them, and dimmed the lights a little further. She picked up the empty milk bottles and took them back downstairs with her and washed them and refilled them and put them in the refrigerator.

Angus made a small plate of food for Khaat and took it to her, and then made one for himself. It looked like it might be another long night. One thing about it, working for Khaat, things were never boring. He had never worked harder, risked more, lost more sleep, and all the rest of it--than anything else he had ever done.

Robert went to the window and listened to the howls of the werewolf. He sighed. He hated that sound. So did Khaat. It brought painful memories back for both of them. And a new thought entered Khaat's mind. If she were pregnant again, and it was more than one child, the chances that one of them might carry the curse just doubled in her brain. Her blood ran cold in her veins. She began to think a number of unholy thoughts. Ones she had not entertained since she had first become pregnant with Abbey. Ones rooted totally in her own terror.

Jess looked up at them all then at Robert " Im sorry did I miss something, I guess my minds not fully on it yet" she said and winced as a howl came again then it went quiet. She looked at the table and the cup she held infront of her she jumped slightly when she heard a human cry out in the dark night and quickly stood up to face the window. She gave a shiver and sat back down knowing she could not let it get to her. " how are you feeling Khaat?" she asked trying to shut out the sounds from out side focusing on the sound of her own heart beating. Jess loked at Khaat and then Khaat's tummy and genty looked deep not so that she would hurt her something she had not done before but gently she with drew and looked at robert.

Robert's attentions were drawn outside, not only by the cry of the creature, but the human cry that followed. That put him on high alert.

"Men, on your guards. No one leaves," Robert said. "I'll be back." He apparated out. Khaat's fear rose up in her like never before. Kate's eyes immediately turned to her daughter.

"Stop that at once!" she snapped at Khaat. "Your father is not an imbecile! He knows enough not to challenge something he cannot control. He's not werewolf hunting. Stop that right now. Whatever is causing your fear, I suggest you get ahold of it this instant!"

"She'll be fine, Kate," Angus said. "She's got new mother jitters. That's all."

"I'm fine," Khaat said softly. She was not going to unleash her thoughts or fears for anyone. She flicked her fingers at her tea mug and sent it to the kitchen. It came back full again.

The moments went by achingly slowly. And then she heard her father apparate back into the kitchen. She heard the sound of him washing his hands. She knew the process by heart, his own rhythms of it. And then he came back in.

"No one goes out any more tonight," he ordered. "Not for any reason."

"Brian?" Khaat asked.

"He and Kieran are on their way back now," Robert said. "I ordered them back." She looked into Robert's face. There was something he wasn't saying. And he was blocking anyone else from reading his thoughts by simply emptying his mind. There would be no thoughts there to grab hold of.