Many Fanfic

Kate took a deep breath as she rounded the corner to where there were no cameras.  She touched her ear.  “This is Agent Turner, reporting in.  I’m afraid the reports were false.  The only thing here remotely like magic is Wanda Maximoff, but she’s just–”

She cut herself off as she heard footsteps, and began walking in the opposite direction, sticking her hands in the pocket of her lab coat.

Turning another corner, she came to the one other cell that was occupied.

“Hey Mai,” she said softly.

Mai had been in this cell for such a long time that she wasn’t even sure how much time had passed. When she heard footsteps, she turned and looked through the bars, seeing that one girl who had been coming to talk with her recently.

She tried to smile but failed miserably.

She had lost so much and turned into a freak. She sniffled. Naru…he was gone and so was everyone else. Naru had killed himself trying to save her and still she got herself captured.

She could still remember the lifeless look in his dark blue eyes.

“H-Hi Kate….” she managed.

“How are you doing?” Kate asked.  “Can I get you anything?”

Mai had been here since before she’d gotten to the compound two months ago.  And unlike the twins, Mai wasn’t here of her own free will.  The girl had seen death.

Mai shrugged. “The dreams don’t stop and then all I see is them being killed. So…I guess I’m surviving. But barely. I just…can you just kill me? I want to be with them again.”

She started to cry, hugging her legs closer.

Kate shook her head.  “I’m sorry, Mai.  I can’t.” She lowered her voice.  “But I promise I’ll get you out of here.  Maybe sooner than you’d think.”

Her comm had just activated, and someone was speaking to her.

“Very soon, in fact,” she whispered.

Mai sniffled and laid down on the ground, staring off to the wall. “I just…I want to see him again…”

She started to cry again, wishing it had been her instead of him.

“I know,” Kate murmured.  She’d lost loved ones too… in the Battle of Hogwarts, and before.

She touched the bars of Mai’s cell and sighed.

“I’ll be back later, okay?  With some food.”

------------------------------

“Hey Jarvis, can you give me a basic rundown of this building and the defenses?” Tony asked as he flew over the convoy that held the rest of the team.

“Well sir, there are four ports of entry, and all of them are heavily guarded with six armed guards. There is a computerized security system as well, which I have taken the liberty of dismantling for the team already.”

Kate looked up at the ceiling as there was the sound of gunfire.  Shit.  She needed to get Mai out of that cell.

“Can we hold them?” Strucker was asking as she slipped from the room.

“They’re the Avengers,” was the reply.

Kate suppressed a smile.  Excellent.

“Mai,” she said, reaching the girl’s cell.  “It’s time to go.”  She touched the lock, and it snapped open.

Mai looked up. “No…just leave me. I--everything will work out how it should…”

“Alright everyone! Let’s keep it clean!” Steve said through the intercom.

“Clean? How? Spill less blood,” Natasha teased with a smirk as she jumped from the convoy.

Kate pushed the door open.  “Not a chance in hell.  I’m getting you out of this godforsaken place no matter how many rules I have to break.”  She grabbed Mai’s arm, hauling her upward.

There was a shout from upstairs, and another explosion.

“Come on.”

“HEY!  What are you doing?”

“Shit,” Kate muttered, then turned to the soldier now pointing a gun at her.  “Moving the prisoner to a safer–you know what, screw it.”  She pointed her hand at the man and he went flying.

Mai was shaking. She was so scared. Is this going to be how she dies? Will she finally see Naru? And then Gene too? She swallowed as Kate pulled her along as they ran.

Suddenly the door before them burst open and a man with a bow and arrow ran in, stopping before them as he aimed at them. Mai shivered, pressing into Kate.

“Who are you and why are you here?” Hawkeye asked seriously, not lowering his weapon.

“I’m Agent Kate Turner with SHIELD,” Kate said, raising her hands above her head.  “Codename Chaos. This is Mai.  Strucker’s been experimenting on her.  I’ve been waiting to get out of here for months, Hawkeye.”

He frowned.  “SHIELD is gone.  Has been for months.”

That’s what he thought, but Kate’s orders had come from Coulson himself.

“Maybe, but I had my orders.  Infiltrate Strucker’s compound and report back.”  She sighed.  “Do you want to see my badge?  Because I’d really, really like to get out of here.”

Suddenly Mai could feel the spirits. No doubt the evil scientist is trying to use them.

“Kate,” she whispered before collapsing as the spiritual energy reached for her.

Clint sighed and put his bow away before approaching them and lifting Mai over his shoulder.

Kate frowned, then touched her necklace, whispering the word to activate her ward.

Hawkeye glanced over his shoulder at her.  “What the hell was that?”

“Later,” she said.  “We need to get out of here.  Strucker’s into some weird shit–why are you laughing?”

“Don’t let Cap hear you talking like that,” he replied, speeding up.

Kate’s eyes went wide, and she hurried after him.  “Wait.  Cap?  As in the Cap?”

“Someone call my name?” Steve asked as he took down a guy in the hall.

His eyes caught the form of a girl in Clint’s arms–or rather across his shoulder. He grimaced.

“Clint you’ll give the poor girl back aches!” he cried.

“She passed out.  What else was I supposed to do?”

Kate stared at Steve.  It was…wow.  He was even more stunning in real life.  And there was a man sneaking up behind him.

“Sir, behind you!” she said, and reached out to blast the man away.

Steve turned sharply, and hit the man with his shield. “Still! You could have moved her to safety! No one likes being carried like a sack of potatoes!”

“Then you take her!” Clint snapped, gently tossing the girl to the captain.

Steve caught her and rolled his eyes. He glanced down at her. Poor thing. He looked up and ran after Clint. He looked behind him. “Well come on!”

“Yeah!”  Kate ran after them, emerging into the sunlight.  She blinked, then smiled.  Finally. The sun.

“Who’s this?”

Kate looked at the man in the suit.  “Agent Kate Turner, Mr Stark.  It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yup. Hey Thor, you almost done taking care of stragglers?  And Nat, Bruce could probably use a lullaby.”

Natasha nodded and turned, running for the woods. Steve adjusted the girl in his arms. Suddenly there was an explosion behind them. He stumbled, almost dropping her.

“Ah shit!” Tony cursed.

“Watch it!” Steve snapped, turning sharply as the mist seemed to rise.

Kate stepped up to Mai, gently shaking her.  “Mai?  We could probably use you right about now.”

She looked up at Steve.  “Strucker’s been experimenting with psychics, and psychic phenomena.  Mai here can speak to spirits, and I’m pretty sure that mist is full of them.”

Mai moaned as she shifted and opened her eyes. Her head hurt very badly. She looked around, her eyes landing on a handsome man with soft eyes and blond hair. She looked away quickly. She wouldn’t allow herself to even feel attracted.

Not after Naru…

She sat up, looking around and saw the mist with the spiritual bodies twisting inside of it. She frowned.

“They’re…in pain…”

“Can you help them?” Kate asked softly. “You’ve helped others before. I don’t know how to, otherwise I would. But this is your skill.”

And if Mai couldn’t help them, would there be a way to eliminate the threat?

She glanced around. Stark had disappeared into the building.

Mai nodded and stood. She rocked a bit and Steve steadied her. Mai managed a faint blush and stepped away.

“I’ll do what I can,” Mai whispered.

She approached the mist, reaching out to the spirits. She focused on her own energy and began to dispel them nonverbally.

Kate smiled slightly, her hands clenching and unclenching reflexively.  Maybe if Mai found purpose she could find the will to live.

“Should we be doing something?” Steve asked after a moment.  “Say a prayer?”

She shrugged.  “Maybe?  I dunno that it’ll help, but if it makes you feel better…”

Soon the spirits were gone. Mai felt a wave of tiredness and swayed on her feet. As she lost consciousness, Clint managed to catch her.

“Let’s get to the jet,” Steve said as Tony emerged with the staff Kate had seen only once before–in video feeds from the Battle of New York.

They hurried onto the plane, buckling themselves in as Natasha readied for takeoff.  Once they were in the air, Kate knelt next to Mai, checking her vitals.

“Who are these women?” she heard a deep voice ask, and turned to look at Thor.

“I’m Agent Kate Turner.  SHIELD,” she replied, reaching into her bra and removing the tiny badge she’d kept there.  It enlarged itself to regulation size as she held it out.

“Whoa! That tech would come in handy!” Tony butted in. “How’s it work?”

Clint laid Mai down on one of the beds. He sighed. “She probably just needs rest and food.”

“It’s not tech,” Kate said, tucking the badge back beneath her shirt.  “It’s magic.  And no, not the Asgardian tech that you call magic.  It’s actual magic.”

She held out her closed fist and slowly opened it, revealing a ball of light.  “Abracadabra, Mr Stark.”

He stared at it, then inched closer, poking it with one gloved hand, which immediately disabled, clattering to the floor of the plane.  “Hey!”

She shrugged, closing her hand and extinguishing the light.  “Magic and tech don’t usually work well together.  It’s one of the reasons I’m not on the Index, and why no-one really knows about me.  And why Strucker let me in.”

Steve frowned and looked at Mai. “And her? What’s her story?”

“Mai’s psychic.  She’s postcognitive and a medium and has incredible natural instincts.”  Kate sighed.  “She was there before I got to the compound.  Apparently she was forced to watch as Strucker’s men killed everyone she loved.” She stepped over to Mai and brushed hair from her face. “I bet she’ll be glad to have a shower… and a decent bed. I know I would.”

“That’s horrible,” Steve whispered, looking down at her with sympathy in his eyes.  He knew what it was like to lose someone close.

Tony sighed. “Let’s head to headquarters and then plan our next move.”

Kate nodded and took a seat, silently observing the men around her.  She’d need to report back to Coulson eventually, but that could wait.  What she wanted most in this world was a proper bed and decent food.  And a damned shower.  A hot one.

Thor sat next to Steve and slapped him on the back. “I feel that girl is strong. She will persevere!”

Kate bit back a smile.  Mai was strong.  The baron hadn’t managed to break her, after all.

Soon they were landing at the tower.  Kate stood and stretched before following the men off the plane.

“I’ll put you and Mai in adjoining rooms,” Tony said to her.  She nodded, then rolled her eyes as he added, “Try not to break anything.”

Steve approached Mai, and gently shook her to see if she’d wake. When she didn’t he sighed softly and picked her up. He was yet again amazed at how tiny she was. She seemed to fit perfectly in his large arms though.

He carried her inside and glanced around. Tony nodded to the room and Steve carried her inside and laid her down softly.

Kate followed him in.  “I can stay with her till she wakes up,” she said.  “Though if somebody’s got some clothes that might fit us, that would be great.”

She glanced up at the light, which definitely held a camera.  That meant no magic.

Steve nodded. “I’ll talk to Natasha and ask if Pepper might have anything for you girls.”

“Thanks,” Kate said, then glanced up at the camera again as he left.

“No show right now, Mr Stark,” she said politely.  “If you doubt my loyalty, speak to Maria Hill.  She’ll vouch for me.  And as for the magic, well…” She smirked.  “That’s a demonstration that’ll have to happen away from all your fancy electronics.”

Mai groaned several hours later. She opened her eyes and looked around. She sat up and saw Naru at the foot of her bed. Her eyes welled up with tears.

“Naru…”

He smiled sadly as he faded.

Kate stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around her shoulders.  “Hey.  I was starting to think you wouldn’t wake up.  Cap–or I guess I can call him Steve–brought us some clothes.”

Mai wiped at her eyes and nodded. “Okay…I just…I’ll take a shower.”

She slipped past and closed the door. Naru appeared again and looked at Kate.

“Protect her.”

The witch’s eyes went wide as she saw the young man’s spirit.  “You’re–” she whispered, then nodded.  “Of course.”

Naru nodded, his eyes sad. “I’m saddened that I died. I loved her…wanted her. Help her heal and…he’s a good man. I would be happy for her to find happiness with him.”

Then he was gone.

“What, who are you–” But he was gone.  Kate looked up at the camera in the light, then at the pile of clothes.

Of course.  He was talking about Cap.  She sat down on the bed and sighed, fiddling with her cuffs as she waited for Mai.

Mai slipped from the shower looking a little better but she still felt small and insignificant. She tried to smile for Kate but her cheerful smiles died with Naru and the others.

“What happens now?” Mai asked, “I…I have nothing. No one. I don’t even have a job anymore. SPR is gone…”

Kate gave her a gentle smile of her own.  Poor girl.

“I need to speak with one of my supervisors, but it’s possible that SHIELD will hire you, if you’d like it.  You’ve got skills, and we need people like you.”

There was a knock on the door.  “You ladies up?  Banner’s cooking up a storm if you’re hungry.”

“Starving, actually,” Kate said, standing.  “Is he making pancakes?  I could really go for pancakes with proper maple syrup.  And rashers.”

She opened the door to reveal Steve standing there looking slightly nonplussed, and grinned, looking back at Mai.  “What are you hungry for?”

Mai looked away. “I’m fine. I’m not very hungry…just…tired.”

Naru frowned, unseen by all. He whispered in Kate’s ear. “She needs to eat.”

Kate crossed her arms.  “They fed you crap all at the compound.  Come on, you should eat.  I’m sure we can find something you’re hankering for.  Miso?”

Mai shook her head and looked away. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Steve frowned then touched Kate’s shoulder.

“You go ahead. I’ll speak with her,” he said softly.

“Okay.”  With a last glance at Mai, Kate headed down the hall, where she ran into exactly the person she’d been wanting to see.

“Agent Turner,” Maria Hill said with a smile.  “Good to see you in one piece.  Did Strucker do anything to you?”

Kate smirked.  “Like I’d’ve let him get the chance.  But there were a couple of volunteers…”

“The Maximoffs.  Tell me about them.  We can walk and talk, I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Steve moved towards Mai and sat on the bed opposite of hers. He looked her over. She had cinnamon brown hair that reached past her shoulders and big brown eyes. He couldn’t help but feel like they should be bright and full of life but…they were just dead.

“Look…I’m sure you don’t want to listen but..I know it hurts to lose someone you love. I’ve lost two people and only recently got one back only to lose my best friend a second time. They say time helps but speaking from experience…it doesn’t. I’m over ninety years old and it’s still fresh sometimes. But making friends and letting someone in…that’s what helped me. I just…I guess I’m trying to tell you that if you wanna talk I’m here. No judging and you can cry if you want. I won’t think any less of you.”

Mai glanced at him, her eyes guarded.

“But…there is no healing and no getting better unless you take care of yourself. So how about some food? I’d love it if you would sit next to me…that is if you can handle Thor’s awkward conversations,” Steve finished with a grin.

Mai looked away and sniffled. Part of her wants to tell him everything but she can’t. Finally she nodded.

“Great!”

Steve stood and offered her a hand. Mai took it and let him help her stand. Her eyes widened. He was so tall and so…big!

“So he’s fast and she’s weird,” Maria said slowly as they entered the kitchen.

“But not weird like me,” Kate replied.  “She tried to read me a few times, but I was trained to block people like her out.  And then of course she tried to get inside my head, figure out my fears…  That actually worked, unfortunately.  Luckily for me, everything I ever feared would happen already has, so there’s not much I’m afraid of anymore.  It was more like I was reliving bad memories.”

“And what about the girl you rescued?  You said nobody there was magic in your last report and requested an extraction, but this girl–”

“Mai,” Kate supplied.  “She’s psychic, but in an entirely different way than Wanda Maximoff.  She deals with spirits.  And she didn’t volunteer for Strucker’s experiments.  Ooh, pancakes!”  She glanced at Tony, who was looking at something on a tablet.  “I knew somebody was listening.”

Steve guided Mai down to the kitchens in time to hear Tony puffing himself up–again.

“So think I can figure out how to make magic and tech work?”

Mai glanced at Steve as he sighed.

“Tony. Leave well enough alone.”

“Trust me, they’ve been trying since the fall of Voldemort,” Kate said, taking a seat at the island.  “The only thing they’ve managed are basic computers and my comm.”

She glanced at Tony, accepting a plate of pancakes from Bruce.

“Don’t meddle.  You’ll only break things.  Besides, the magic comes in handy sometimes.  I’m almost like a walking EMP.”

“Voldemort?” Bruce asked curiously.

“Evil wizard.  Really really evil.  Kept a giant snake as a pet, and had werewolves and giants and trolls in his army.”

Steve pulled out a chair for Mai as he grimaced. “Trolls? Sound disgusting. I still can’t get over that all of that is real.”

Mai took her seat and tried not to think about the fact Steve was so close to her. No good would come from those feelings. Only death and pain.

“Yeah, that’s why we hide,” Kate replied with a smile.  “Why we’re not on the Index.  People are superstitious enough without knowing vampires are real.”

Hawkeye choked on his beer.

Mai’s lips twitched. They didn’t seem too bad. But then her lips fell again. All she could think was about how Monk would have reacted and how Yasu would have come onto the entire group.

Thor glanced at her. “So miss, could you tell us a bit about what you can do? I’d like to understand these spiritual abilities.”

Kate gave her a gentle smile, then looked down at her pancakes and began cutting them.  There was a soft thunk, and she looked up to see Bruce setting a bottle of maple syrup on the counter.  Her smiled widened.

Mai hesitated. She bit her lip and wondered how to explain.

“Well…I can speak to spirits. They also usually seek me out as well,” Mai said softly. “I can astral project too.”

Thor frowned. “What is this projectioning?”

Mai bit her lip and closed her eyes. Steve reached for her when her body suddenly slumped in the chair. Mai willed herself to be seen, standing on Thor’s other side.

“I can separate my soul from my body.”

Kate stared.  Okay, that’s new.  Good thing Strucker never saw that one…

She swallowed her pancakes, her mouth suddenly dry.

Tony stood immediately, grabbing a handheld device.

“Amazing! Can you still feel your body? What can you do like this? Can you walk through walls?”

Steve glared at Tony. “Enough Tony. She’s a human being not a machine or creature.”

Tony ignored him and stepped closer to Mai. Suddenly he was forced back, and not too gently. A spirit clad in black appeared and grimaced.

“Sorry…didn’t mean to push you so hard!”

“Gene?” Mai whispered, tears in her eyes.

He smiled sadly. “Hey Mai. I’m still here. I never left. I just couldn’t reach you. You should go back, okay? You’re making him worried.”

Momentary pain entered her eyes as she nodded. She faded and opened her eyes as Gene disappeared.

Okay, that was extra-extra new.  The other one was… what the hell?  Did she know twins?  There had been no mention of twins in Strucker’s files…

Kate rounded on Tony.  “Leave her alone,” she said.  “She’s been through too much to have you poke at her like Strucker did.”

Tony threw up his hands. “Relax. I’m not going to run tests or anything! I was just curious.”

Steve glanced at Mai. “Who was that? What did you call him…Gene?”

Mai smiled a sad smile. “My spirit guide. He is the one protecting my dreams and my soul.”

“And who is this he?” Thor asked.

Mais smile disappeared. She looked away, closing up. “A memory…all he’ll ever be now.”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Kate snapped at Tony.  “Don’t you have other things to poke at in your lab?”

Tony, seeming to remember something, walked off.  Kate rolled her eyes and resumed consumption of her pancakes.

“I’ve never seen someone shut Tony down that fast,” Maria observed.  “Except Fury.  And Pepper.”

“Maybe he remembered that I could fry all his electronics if I wanted,” Kate grumbled, her eyes on Mai.

Mai was staring at her food, not eating. Steve hesitated before he took her plate and cut up the pancakes for her before pushing it back.

“Eat, Mai.”

Mai sighed and started to eat. Steve nodded, wry smile on his face.

Kate bit the inside of her cheek to stop from smiling at Steve.  He was definitely good for the girl.

Instead, she turned her brilliant smile to Bruce.  “These are delicious.  Thank you so much.”

He looked down at the counter, embarrassed.  “It’s–it’s nothing,” he said.

Clint looked between Steve and Mai. Then he glanced at Nat with a smirk before motioning to them. Nat smirked back, understanding.

“Hey guys, I bet with the stuff Hydra’s been doing…we could use a real witch and a psychic on the team,” she suggested.

Kate looked up in shock.  “Wh-what?”

Bruce was nodding thoughtfully.  “Yeah… it makes sense.”

“No way,” Kate said.  “You’ve got too many electronics.  I’d never be able to work at full potential.”  You can’t work at full potential anywhere, Katelyn, her subconscious reminded her.  Remember your first training session?  Explosions.  Everything fried. “And besides, I’d just be a liability.”

Nat gave Kate a look and nodded at Mai and Steve. “We can use the help I’m sure.”

Oh. “You–you’re right,” Kate said awkwardly.  “There’s plenty of stuff I can do that doesn’t involve magic, after all.”

She nodded to herself and stuffed more pancakes into her mouth as Maria smirked at her.

“I’ll get with you later to debrief you fully,” she told the witch, then slipped from the room.  She had a couple people she needed to contact.

Nat spoke up. “So Cap, why not show Mai around the compound?”

Steve glanced at her before looking at Mai. “Would you like to?”

Mai hesitated but nodded.

“And Banner, you can give Kate a tour when she’s finished eating.  I bet she’d love to see the labs.”

Kate flushed.  Had they been reading her file?  There was reason she’d been assigned to Strucker… She’d been the one who had figured out how to make her comm work, after all.

Steve stayed close to Mai, showing her everything. He watched as the curiosity moved across her face and couldn’t help but think she’d look pretty if she smiled.

Steve was about to speak when Mai beat him to it.

“His name was Oliver. I called him Naru because he was a bit of a narcissist. I-I fell in love with him when I was fifteen…only to have that horrible man kill him and everyone I loved in front of me…”

Steve glanced at Mai. “I’m sorry you experienced that. But things will get better and I promise I will keep you safe.”

Mai glanced at him and frowned. “Why? Why do you want to keep me safe? I mean…I’m not even sure I should join this team since I’d be more of a burden.”

Steve frowned and huffed a little bit. “Not a burden. Never. I’d personally like it if you would stay with us. Even if it means you stay behind the scenes and work from there. Or not even work. I see a kind soul in you, Mai. I’d like the chance to become a friend if you’d let me.”

“Do you…like science?” Bruce asked as he led Kate through the tower.

Kate shrugged.  “Inasmuch as you can call experimenting with magic ‘science.’  I worked on adapting a few things to cater to my abilities, like my comm, and my wand holster, that sort of stuff.  They pulled me out of the lab to go to Sokovia.”

Bruce nodded.  “The lab’s down here.”

Kate stopped and pulled what looked like two bracelets from her pocket, clamping them around her wrists.  “Magical dampener,” she said.  “I don’t want to accidentally fry anything.”

“Did you develop those too?”  Bruce looked interested.  “No wonder you told Tony off.”

Kate shrugged.  “I’ve been poked and prodded myself, but they stopped after I sort of… destroyed a couple of labs.”

He nodded, understanding the significance.  He’d destroyed his fair share of labs himself.  “So you started tinkering.”

“Yeah.  Had to develop my own lab protocols, too.  The wizard who recruited me was from SHIELD, but he had more of a desk job than anything.  I was their first field witch.”

Tony looked up as Bruce pushed open the door to the labs. “Hey!” he said.  “Don’t let her in here!  What if she breaks something?”

Kate gave him an amused look and put her hands behind her back.  “If it concerns you that much, Stark, I promise I won’t touch anything.”

He made face, but turned back to whatever he was doing.

“Kate, there you are,” said Maria from outside the lab.  “They’re ready to debrief.”

The witch nodded and smiled at Bruce.  “Thanks for the tour.”  Then she stepped out of the lab and followed Maria down the hall.

Mai had been at the facility now for a week. Steve was true to his words and tried over and over to facilitate a friendship with her. He was very patient but she was still holding back. But he was the only one she talked to about those she had lost.

Something in his eyes told her that he understood more than most could.

Naru kept close by, offering any kind of help he could. He felt it would be a good idea to approach that captain. Talk to him about Mai. He made his way to the floor and then the room that the captain was in. He allowed himself to materialize.

“I’m glad you have taken Mai under your care. she needs someone,” he said seriously.

Steve stared at him for a moment.  So this was the boy Mai had fallen in love with.  Well… he’d seen weirder things than ghosts.  He was a weird thing.

“She does.  I’m happy to be that person,” he said.  “I’ve lost my fair share of people. I know what it does to a person.”

Naru turned away. “Be careful with her. I don’t want her to suffer from a broken heart again. It’s bad enough I was the cause of that twice in a row. Being friends is good for now but if the time ever comes…I’d like you to know I trust you and wouldn’t choose a better person to love her.”

Steve nodded.  “Of course.  That’s the last thing I want for her… a broken heart.”  He felt the gnawing in chest that usually happened when he thought of Peggy.  “I’ll keep her safe,” he promised.

Naru nodded. “And my brother and I will be watching from this end. The others also lingered, not wanting to move on until she truly is safe. If you ever have any need for us…just call for us.”

Then he was gone.

“Nice to meet you too,” Steve said, then got up and started pulling on clothes.  Maybe he’d take Mai out for breakfast, or ask Bruce to make something that might remind her of home.  Things friends did.

Meanwhile, Kate was munching on toast and considering something Maria was saying.

“I could definitely use clothes of my own,” Kate said after swallowing.  “And Tony’s throwing a party tonight?  Definitely need something for that.”

Maria nodded. “Maybe we could go out and get stuff…take Mai? I think getting out for a bit would do her some good.”

Mai closed her book, setting it down, the author’s name seen in the light. She tried not to read the name, not wanting a reminder of who exactly had written it. Even though it helped her with her heart a bit. She stood and turned away, the name Oliver E.C. Davis still visible.

“Mai?” Kate asked gently.  “Would you like to go shopping for a bit?”  She glanced at the name on the book and winced inwardly.  It was his.

“I don’t need to go…I have no money and I don’t feel like getting anything. Of course I won’t stop you from buying me a few dresses or something,” Mai said, her voice almost dead.

Steve came up behind Kate and whispered to her. “I’m going to try and take her out for a bit. I’ll pick up some stuff, but only one thing at a time.”

Kate nodded, her eyes sad.  “Of course.  Thank you, Steve.”  She was incredibly grateful for the man at that moment.

Turning to Maria, she forced a smile on her face.  “Why don’t we grab Romanoff?  She’s pretty fashion-savvy.”

Maria nodded. “Sounds good to me. As long as the woman wants to…I’m not gonna coerce her into anything.”

As they left Steve stepped into Mai’s room. He noticed the book and his lips twitched sadly. So she was in one of those moods.

“Mai? Would you come with me to breakfast? The team doesn’t like me leaving alone since I’m still pretty new to this time and all.”

Mai wondered why she had even agreed. Going out for breakfast and then doing whatever after was something she had always done with Monk and Ayako. But she found that she quite liked the Captain’s company.

Mai glanced at him. “What was it like?”

Steve raised an eyebrow.

Mai blushed. “What was it like waking up and learning that so much time had passed?”

Steve frowned, thinking. “Disorienting. I felt…cheated. All of my friends and everyone important to me…”

Peggy…

“They were all gone. Moved on and some had even died. I was alone until I suddenly had the Avengers to lean on. I needed them like they needed me.”

Mai nodded. “I understand being alone…not on your level but…my parents were both dead by the time I turned fourteen. I lived alone with no one there for two years before I met…N-Naru. I worked for him and the team became my f-family. Now…they are all gone. And it’s all my fault.”

Mai felt the tears and looked up when she felt someone take her hand. Steve gave her a kind smile.

“It isn’t your fault. these things happen unfortunately. And it’s our job to carry on and live like any normal human would do.”

As they walked back, Steve glanced at Mai. “If I’m not overstepping…I’d like a chance to help you heal. That is if you’ll have me…”

Mai blushed and sighed. She thought she heard Naru’s voice, whispering something like, Do it, idiot. So she bit her lip and nodded.

“I--I wouldn’t mind a good friend again. And I think you’d make a nice one.”

Steve smiled softly. It was a start.

After speaking briefly with Natasha, the three women left the tower and headed to Fifth Avenue.

“This is a bit expensive for my tastes,” Kate said, frowning up at the Saks sign.

“Don’t worry,” Maria said.  “Stark’s covering it.”

“Well, in that case…”

“How about this one?” Natasha asked, holding up a purple dress.  It had a high back and a modest-enough neckline, like all the others she’d thrust into Kate’s arms.

The witch finally realized something.  “You read my file, didn’t you?” she asked.  “You know about the scars.”  She didn’t exactly blame her.  She was new.

The ex-assassin shrugged.  “I read everybody’s files.  Go try those on.”  She turned to Maria as Kate walked away, whispering conspiratorially, “I’m sure there’s gotta be one that Banner likes.”

Kate stepped out of the dressing room, wearing the purple dress.  “What do you think?” she asked.

Nat gave her a thumbs up.  “Bruce will love that,” she said.

Kate went pink.  “That’s– that’s not what I was aiming for,” she stammered.  She didn’t want–or need--anyone’s attention.  Not after what had happened at Hogwarts so many years ago. Not after the Triskelion.

“Still,” Maria broke in placatingly, “that’s the best-looking one of the lot.  It brings out your eyes.”

The rest of the shopping trip passed quickly.  Kate had already argued against any sort of special suit for missions, and so what was purchased was a lot of athletic gear, as well as almost a full wardrobe, including makeup and several pairs of shoes.  They’d also managed to buy a dress for Mai–something modest and sensible, which would appeal to the young girl’s tastes.

Kate hefted the bag of shoes onto her bed and sighed.  Honestly.  Her and Bruce?  No way.

Steve knocked on Mai’s door and waited patiently for the girl to open it. As she did, she grimaced.

“I don’t want to go…”

“So we won’t,” Steve said. “I don’t like parties either. Why don’t I take you for a quiet dinner and you can tell me about Japan?”

Steve led Mai away from the building, giving her the sign to stay quiet, his eyes alight with mischief. Mai covered her mouth, stopping the small smile that tried to break free. He was the only one who had even brought her close to smiling.

As they passed a hall, Thor was standing there. He looked at them confused then smiled softly and turned, whistling in a very suspicious way. Steve rolled his eyes and pulled Mai outside with him. He grabbed a couple of helmets and faced her.

“You up for a motorcycle?”

At the restaurant, Steve opened the door for Mai and allowed her to enter first. He smiled. “Nothing beats New York pizza. Ever had pizza, Mai?”

She shook her head. “Not really…”

“Good. Come on.”

Kate bit her lip, staring at her reflection in the large mirror of the bathroom and tugging slightly on her dress.  She hated wearing heels, but she hated dresses more.  Her wand was holstered to her thigh, since her arms were bare, and she’d pulled her hair back from her face.

She really should cut it.

But she looked presentable, which was what she wanted.

Kate looked up as there was a knock on the door.  Bruce was behind it, looking nervous.

“Nat sent me.  You uh, you look nice,” he said, shifting from foot to foot, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Thanks,” she replied.  “You too.”  She stepped out into the hallway and gave him a tiny smile as they walked downstairs.  Damn meddling spies, she thought to herself.

Oh Merlin.  There were way too many people here, and Kate didn’t know any of them.  Nat was behind the bar, serving drinks.  Kate immediately went up to her.

“What the hell,” she grumbled.  “I told you there wasn’t anything between me and Banner.”

“You sure?” Nat asked with a smirk, pouring Kate a shot of Tennessee Fire, her drink of choice.  “He keeps looking at you.”

Tony approached and wrapped an arm around Kate’s shoulders. “Hey anyone seen Cap? I have some people who wanna meet him.”

Kate frowned and shook Tony off.  “No, I haven’t.  He’s probably keeping Mai company, wherever it is.  Which is fine.  She needs a friend.”

She downed the whiskey, made a face, and walked off.

Bruce sidled up alongside Kate as she stood next to a wall.  “I was never one for parties myself.”

Kate grunted, her eyes on the other partygoers.  Thor was giving something to a bunch of veterans, and the man known as Rhodey was telling a story about a tank…

“Did Tony try and convince you to do more testing?” Bruce asked after a moment.  “Because if he did, I can talk to him…”

“No,” she said. “It’s not that. Tony’s actually offered to set me up a lab of my own. He just needs the specs. It’s… I’m worried about Mai, I guess. And I’m not overly fond of parties, no. Kind of wish I could skive off, but Hill practically ordered me to stay… and I did get all dressed up. ”

Bruce almost stared at her. It was the most she’d spoken regarding something other than science or a mission since they’d met. He liked it.

“You look nice though,” he said after a moment.  “I mean, you always look nice, but you look good in that dress—I’m going to get another drink,” he said, cheeks tinted pink.

Kate watched him walk away.  Okay, so maybe Romanoff and Hill were onto something.  Didn’t mean she was going to do anything about it.  Yes, she liked Bruce well enough, and, well, he was cute when he was flustered.  She sighed and leaned back against the wall.  Why couldn’t her life ever be simple?

Bruce returned a moment later and handed her a glass.  “Nat said you like Tennessee Fire.”

She gave him a grateful smile.  “I do.  It reminds me of Firewhiskey.  It’s a Wizarding alcohol.  Very potent, and feels like fire going down your throat,” she added at his look of interest.  “I… drank a lot of it after the Battle of Hogwarts.”

She took a sip, fighting back the memories.  The one person who’d ever encouraged her and shown interest in her… dead.  Unbidden, the memory of seeing his body lying in the Great Hall came to her mind, and she took an even larger drink.

Bruce watched several emotions play across Kate’s face before she downed the rest of the whiskey.

“You lost someone, didn’t you?”

She sighed.  “Lots of people lost someone.  Xavier… was my only friend.  The only one who ever really saw me.  I—I loved him, and sometimes I thought he might have loved me too, but… he had only just asked me out the week before the battle.  Said that we might as well try it, and we could still be friends if it didn’t turn out well.  Then we got separated during the battle, and the next thing I knew…” She looked down at her empty glass and grimaced.

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.  “So were you—you fought in the battle?”

“Yeah.  Almost got killed a couple times.  The weird thing was that I found it… kind of exhilarating.  So when I graduated I went and interviewed for an Auror position.”  She grimaced, feeling the whiskey start to take effect, and walked in the direction of a couch.  There was no way she could handle being tipsy and wearing heels at the same time.

“Aurors?” Bruce asked, following her.

She sat down. "They're sort of like the FBI of the wizarding world.  They hired me nearly on the spot, based on my academics alone. The fact I fought in the battle was just icing on the cake for them.  Then the Committee on Experimental Charms got wind of me and they started fighting.”  Her eyes went skyward.  “I mean, it was kind of flattering at first, having grown men fighting over me, but then it got annoying.  I ended up signing with the Aurors, who sometimes contracted me out to the Committee when they asked nicely.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

She shrugged.  “It was all right.  A lot of desk work filing reports.  Shield’s a bit better, I’m out in the field more often.”  Plus she enjoyed being undercover, pretending to be who she wasn’t, sloughing off the pains of her past to assume a new identity.

“How did you come to work for Shield, anyway?”

“They have a wizard on staff as liaison.  He heard about my work, informed his superiors, and they asked him to recruit me.  It didn’t take much convincing, to be honest.  The politics in the Ministry were starting to grate on me.”

“Shield has its own politics, though.”

A snort escaped her.  “Don’t I know it.  Do you know how long I was waiting to meet with the director?  Two hours.  I very nearly up and left, but Hill convinced me to stay.  She’s pretty good at that, funny enough.  I’m still at this stupid party. In a dress and heels.”

Bruce almost told her again how nice she looked, but bit it back and just nodded.

Kate sighed. "Of course, they had to get used to me being around. The first thing I did once they hired me was destroy a couple of labs while training. That's when I developed the dampening bracelets. Then I was able to do some proper work."

"You made your comm work too, didn't you?" He was sure she'd mentioned it.

She nodded, leaning back on the couch. "Among other things."

They sat and talked for a long while, so long that nearly everyone had gone, and the others had joined them on the couches, joking around. Tony was now attempting to lift Thor's hammer using one of his gloves.

Kate rolled her eyes as he got Rhodey to help him, but the hammer didn't budge. Bruce was next, attempting to lift it--and trying to Hulk out and failing.

"Are you going to try?" he asked her as he sat back down beside her.

She let out a snort. "Not a question I need answered."

Romanoff echoed her sentiments, and she smiled slightly at the spy. Then she frowned as there was a clanking noise while Thor informed everyone that they weren't worthy.

Everyone covered their ears as a loud ringing filled the room. Kate looked up as it faded away, her eyes widening as she saw one of Tony's drones, definitely the worse for wear.

"Worthy... No... How could you be worthy? You're all killers," the thing said. "Stark," Kate growled. "JARVIS," Tony said, tapping his phone. "Reboot, we got a buggy suit." "Sorry I was asleep... Or... I was a dream...There was a terrible noise... And I was tangled in... in... strings... I had to kill the other guy... He was a good guy." Hill frowned.  "You killed someone?" "Wouldn't have been my first call," the drone replied.  "But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices." "Who sent you?" Thor demanded. They all stared at the drone as Tony's voice came out of it. "I see a suit of armour around the world." "Ultron!" Bruce breathed. "In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this... chrysalis... But I'm ready. I'm on a mission." Nat narrowed her eyes.  "What mission?" "Peace in our time." Kate cursed as several drones flew into the room, Ultron laughing. Thor grabbed his hammer, and Nat and Hill both had guns out in an instant.

One of the drones sent a rocket towards the couch, and Kate tackled Bruce off it just in time.

Tony had jumped off the stairs onto one of the drones, and another drone was trying to drag Susan Cho out the window.

Kate swore again, her mind racing through her options. She had the power to take them out all at once, but risked harming the others. However, if she did it the safe way then the drones could hurt them anyway. So be it then.

She clambered off of Bruce, climbed onto the coffee table and held her wand hand up before speaking a single word. A blast of raw magic rushed outward, shutting down the drones as soon as it hit them. The lights flickered and died, and the windows shattered as the drones dropped to the floor, Ultron included. Kate fell to her hands and knees on the broken coffee table, dizzy and nauseous.

Bruce was at her side in an instant. "Are you okay?"

Kate nodded. "Remind me never to do that again. There's a reason we have wands."

He helped her to the couch, where she laid down. He stuck a pillow under her head and she grinned at him through a haze of magical exhaustion.

"Yup, definitely not doing that again, ever," she said. "Merlin, that took a lot out of me."

"What the hell did you do?" Tony demanded.

"Remember when I told you I was practically a walking EMP?" Kate threw up her arm and waved her hand loosely in the direction of the drones. "Tahdah. I basically let out a bunch of raw magic. Usually we channel it through our wands, which help to focus and amplify it. Doing what I just did is generally regarded as dangerous and very very stupid, and I'll probably need a day to recover the magical energy I released." She put a hand to her head. "Blimey, that made me dizzy."

Nat came over with a wet bar towel and set it on Kate's forehead. The witch smiled. "Thanks, Nat."

Tony had taken everything in and was now assessing damage. "You broke my stuff," he said. "The lights are out on both adjacent floors."

Kate sat up slightly and leveled a glare at him, pushing up the towel so he could see the anger in her eyes. "I don't think I need to apologize to the bloody great prat who created a raging murderbot," she snapped.  Bruce winced, and she continued on, “If Steve were here he’d be ripping you a new one, not just for building that--that thing but because now you’ve put Mai in danger!  Merlin, if I had any energy left I’d hex you six ways from Sunday!”

“You seem to have plenty of energy to yell at me,” Tony felt obliged to point out.

“I swear to all the gods above if you do not stop talking I will curse your mouth permanently shut and Pepper will have to feed you through a tube.”

“Hello to the imagery,” Clint mumbled.

Kate put a hand to her head and groaned.  “You’d better get to work fixing this, Stark.  I’m going to bed.”

“Banner, go with her,” Hill ordered.  “Make sure she rests.”  She turned and looked at Tony as Bruce helped Kate up and out of the room.  “She’s right.  When Cap gets back you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do.”

Kate sighed as she opened the door to her room, immediately pulling off the heels and tossing them somewhere. She didn't care.  “I’m going to change--bollocks.”

Bruce frowned.  “What is it?”

“My dress zips from the back.  Could you--?”

His cheeks were pink as he stepped forward and shut the door behind him.  “How did you get it up earlier?”

"Magic, of course. Can't exactly do any right now, though."

Carefully, he undid the hook and slid the zipper down, his eyes widening as he saw the scars crisscrossing her back.  “Kate… What are…”

She turned, holding the dress to her chest, a wry smile on her face.  “Nice to know at least one person hasn’t read my file.”

Bruce shook his head.  “I try not to read anyone’s file unless they want me to.  It’s their business, not mine.”

The smile turned into a genuine one, spreading across her face and making her weary eyes light up.  “Thanks, Bruce.  I appreciate that.”

He smiled back and handed her the pyjamas from the bed.  She took them and headed into the bathroom, returning a minute later.  Bruce’s cheeks went pink again.  Those pyjamas were really cute on her, a pale blue dotted with fluffy white clouds.  “Kate, I… you should be angry with me too,” he said after a moment.  “I helped Tony with Ultron.”

She waved her hand as she climbed under the covers.  “Nah.  Tony probably coerced you into doing it, didn’t he?”

“Well--”

He saw her eyes head for the ceiling.  “Shut up and turn off the light.”

Deciding not to argue the point, Bruce flicked the switch and went to curl up on the loveseat in the corner.

After a couple minutes, Kate spoke.  “You know you don’t have to stay with me.  I’m sure your bed is more comfortable than my tiny couch.”

“Hill pretty much ordered me to,” he answered, an echo of her statement earlier in the evening.  “And if Steve were here, he would have too.  And even if they didn’t, I still would, because I want to make sure you’re all right.”

Kate’s face felt warm despite the chills she was feeling as a result of the magic loss.  She curled up, pressing into the wall.  “I… thank you.”

Bruce frowned as he saw her form shudder. He pulled the blanket off of himself and stood, taking the few steps to the bed where he placed it on top of her, smiling as she relaxed slightly.

There was a soft knock on the door, and it opened to admit Natasha with another blanket and Bruce’s pyjamas.

"Thanks," he whispered, taking the items.

She just winked at him, causing his cheeks to turn pink as she left.

Kate was still half-pressed against the wall, but she wasn't shivering. Bruce looked at her in concern. "Are you still cold?"

"Maybe a little," Kate mumbled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. This isn't the first time I've done this, just... never as much as I threw out tonight."

He frowned and tucked the blankets closer around her before going to change. She had turned over, her back against the wall and her knees by her chest when he returned.

She looked up at him and smiled a little nervously. "You know, this bed is big enough for two..."

Maybe it was how badly she was feeling, but she honestly didn't care to fight his apparent feelings for her. And if she was honest with herself, she'd come to like him too.

And she was cold.

His cheeks had darkened again. "I--are you sure?"

She lifted the blankets. "Just get in, Bruce. I'm cold."

He hesitated for a moment before climbing in next to her.

"That's better." She curled into him, pillowing her head on his chest and closing her eyes, warm at last.

Bruce wrapped an arm around her, feeling almost at peace with the world.

Except for the fact he'd had a hand in creating Ultron. But he wouldn't dwell on it now.

"Go to sleep," Kate mumbled, seeming to read his thoughts. "We'll fix it in the morning."

---------------------

Kate groaned as light hit her eyes and turned, burying her face in the nearest pillow. Bruce was gone, she realized through the pounding in her head.

The door opened, revealing Natasha with a plate and a glass of water. "Hill said you'd be wanting this," she said, handing Kate the plate, which had two slices of toast and two aspirin.

"Gods yes," Kate replied, sitting up and taking the pills. "Did Steve and Mai ever get back last night?"

"Oh yeah, and Tony got an earful. After Steve sent Mai to bed, of course. How was Bruce? I noticed you shared the bed." Nat's smirk grew wider when Kate's cheeks colored.

“I was cold," the witch said shortly. "That's the only reason. I needed the body heat."

"You used him as a pillow."

Kate groaned and bit into the toast. "Were you and Hill spying on us all night?"

Nat shrugged. "We got some work in. You two were just so cute in your pyjamas."

Kate groaned again. "Bloody hell. Where is he now?"

"In the lab with Tony. Hill's debriefing Steve."

"And?" The medicine was kicking in, and Kate finished off the toast and stood to get dressed.

"Ultron escaped to the Internet when you destroyed the drones. Now he's everywhere. Reports of labs being cleaned out across the globe."

"Casualties?"

"Only when engaged. Most people reported going through old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see."

Kate pulled on a shirt. "The Maximoffs. Do we know what he's doing yet?"

"No." There was a staticy noise, and then Hill's voice came through.

“I’ve got news.  Come to the lab when you’re ready.”

Kate slid her wand into the holster on her thigh and put the comm in her ear.  “On our way.”

In the lab, Steve was giving Tony and Bruce another talking-to. Mai was standing by the wall, looking nervous. Kate went over to her and squeezed her shoulder.

"Did you have a nice date?" she asked, making Mai blush.

“Yes.  We had… pizza.  It was really nice, until we got back and found the tower destroyed.  Then Steve got angry and sent me to bed.”  She blushed harder.  “I know he stopped in to check on me at least twice.  I had trouble sleeping." She paused, then whispered, "I don't think I'd've minded if he joined me like Bruce did you."

Kate ran a hand over her face. "Does everybody know?"

"Pretty much," Clint said.

Hill turned from the computer. "Now that we're all here... Ultron sent us a message."

"Son of a bitch," Kate said once Hill had brought the image of a dead Strucker onto a big screen. "I mean, I can't say I'm sad to see him go, but... damn."

"This doesn't seem like his MO," Steve said, frowning. "He gave you a speech last night. Now he's trying to say something."

"Everything we had on Strucker has been wiped,” Nat reported from behind another screen.  “Ultron clearly doesn’t want us to know something.”

“Not everything.”  Steve turned and left the room.  They all followed him to one of the storage rooms, where he began going down aisles until he stopped, having found what he was looking for.  “Everybody take a box.  We’re doing this the old-fashioned way.”

Within minutes, they were in a conference room going through boxes of files.

“Hold up.” Tony snatched a file from Bruce.  “I know this guy.  We met a couple times at a weapons convention.”

“Ulysses Klaue.  He looks like an unsavory fellow.  What are these markings?  One of them looks like a brand.”  Steve held up the picture.

Bruce was already looking it up.  “It means ‘thief’ in some African dialect.”

“Which one?”

“Wakandan.”

Steve tossed the file back into the box.  “I know what he’s after.  Suit up, we leave in five.”

Mai grabbed Kate’s arm.  “What’s happening?”

“Ultron said he wanted a better body.  What could be better than the strongest metal in the world?  The stuff Steve’s shield is made of.”

“Vibranium,” Mai whispered.

“Exactly. Come on, let’s get to the quinjet.”

“What?  I can’t--”

“We’re Avengers now, Mai.  Besides, I think Steve will feel better if you’re nearby and not alone at the tower.”

Mai bit her lip, but nodded and followed her.

As they approached the shipyard, Steve gave out orders. “Bruce, Kate, and Mai will stay on the jet in case we need backup.  Everyone else, we’re going to be sneaking in. The Maximoffs will probably be with him so we’ll need to keep an eye out.  Understood?  Good.  Let’s go.”

What followed was a tense half hour, full of the sounds of shouting and gunfire.  Bruce hovered near the comm panel.  “Guys?  Is this a code green?”

Whatever reply there was, it was garbled and full of static.

“Stay here,” Bruce said.  “I’m going to check it out.”

“Bruce, don’t,” Mai said, looking worried, but he was already off the plane.  She turned to Kate.  “You need to go after him.  Something bad is going to happen.”  Something bad might already be happening. Mai just knew that she had a feeling things were going very wrong.

Kate nodded and patted Mai's arm. "Stay here where it's safe." The younger girl nodded and Kate hurried off, frowning as she saw Wanda Maximoff walking away from Bruce, who was turning green. Their eyes met and Wanda raised her hands, but Kate was faster, Stunning the girl. Pietro grabbed his sister and ran.

The Hulk was already long gone by the time Kate turned back to him. "Shit," she muttered.  “Anyone copy? Wanda’s gone and worked some spell on Bruce and he’s heading for the city.  Not sure I can handle the big guy alone.”

“I’m sure you can,” came Tony’s voice.  “You did the other night.”

“It is neither the time nor the place for this, Stark,” Kate snapped.  “I’m going after him.  If you can give me some backup, that’d be stellar.  If not… well, I’ll take take my chances.”

“I’m on my way.  Anybody else copy? Nat, we could really use a lullaby.”

“That’s not gonna happen.  Not for a while.  The whole team is down.  You’ve got no backup here.”  Clint grunted as he helped Nat up.

“I’m calling in Veronica.”

Kate sighed and Apparated into the city.

Tony managed to find him before she did, and they began to fight.  Kate cursed again as she found them in an an office building, just as Tony punched the Hulk after throwing an elevator on him.  She assessed the situation quickly before pulling out her wand and jumping onto the Hulk’s back, pressing the tip into his head.

“Petrificus totalus,” she said, then repeated herself just to make sure she got him down, putting as much power as she could into it.  The Hulk went still, and she sat on his chest, looking into his eyes.  “All right big guy, here’s what’s going to happen.  Wanda Maximoff is messing with your brain, making you see things that aren’t there.  I know it, she’s done it to me.  I relived some of my worst memories thanks to her.  You need to snap out of it.  You’re hurting people.  So, until you do get her out of your system, I’m going to sit here and wait.  I don’t care if you stay green or if you turn back to puny Bruce, but you need to calm the hell down.”

She paused, then added, her head starting to spin, “You may want to do it soon, because that spell took more out of me than I thought and I’m still recovering from the other night.  It’s entirely possible that I might pass out, which means you’ll be stuck like that until it wears off or I wake up.”

She slumped forward, placing her head next to his.  “I trust you, okay?” she whispered.  “And when we get back, we’re sleeping in your room.”

The Hulk grunted, and she glanced over to see his normal eye colour had returned.

“That’s better,” she murmured, kissing his cheek, and then spoke the countercurse before turning her attention to the broken stairway, which she repaired with a tap of her wand.  “Right.  What else needs fixed?”

“Right now, you.  I’ve got the Stark Relief Foundation on the way, and the quinjet’s just outside of town.  You want a lift, or are you going to let the big guy carry you?”

Kate let out a snort.  “I’m capable of moving myself, thanks.”  Just the thought of moving had her dizzy, though.

“Not at your energy levels.  So pick one.”

“I’ve always hated flying, and there’s less of a chance I’ll be sick if he carries me.”  She gasped as the Hulk got to his feet, picking her up in his arms.

“Let’s go then.  Any advice for shaking off witchy mojo?”

“Sleep.  Alcohol.  Tea.  In that order.  Well.  I suppose it depends on the person.”

Soon they were back on the quinjet, most of the team looking the worse for wear.  Mai was hovering near Steve, who was staring into space like the others.

Kate wrapped a blanket around Bruce’s shoulders before sitting down next to him.  He’d changed back shortly after arriving, and was now huddled behind one of the seats.  She leaned on his shoulder, closing her eyes.  If Nat had been with it, she probably would have teased them, but she too was staring, unseeing, at the wall.

Kate knew she must have dozed off because when she woke it was dark and her head was in someone’s lap--Bruce’s--and his hand was tangled in her hair.  He’d wrapped the blanket around them both, too.  Kate found herself smiling fondly.

“Want to switch out?” she heard Tony ask Clint.

“No, I’m good.  Now’s a good time to catch some kip.  We’re still a few hours out.”

“From where?”

“A safehouse.”

Kate closed her eyes, letting the soft hum of the plane lull her back to sleep.

It was light again when they landed in a field in front of a farmhouse.  Clint helped Nat out of the plane and towards the house.

“What is this place?” Steve asked.

“Safehouse,” Tony answered.

“Hopefully,” Clint added, pushing the door open.  “Honey?”

Kate’s eyes went wide as she looked around, and then an obviously pregnant woman walked into the room and toward Clint, who released Nat to kiss her.

“Hey. Company.  Sorry I didn’t call ahead.”

“This is clearly another agent,” Tony said in confusion.

“Guys, this is Laura.” Clint wrapped an arm around her and smiled.

“I… know all your names.  Except…” Laura looked at Kate and Mai.  “You’re the new ones, the ones they picked up in Sokovia.”

“I’m Kate, and this is Mai,” Kate offered, smiling and nodding at the younger girl.

Two children barrelled into the room, which made Tony go, “These are… smaller agents.”

A couple hours later Kate found herself walking up to the bathroom door and knocking.  “How’s the water?”

“Cold,” came Bruce’s voice.  “I think everyone used up all the hot. That’s what I get for showering last, I gu--Kate, what are you doing?”

“Fixing it,” she replied, having come into the bathroom and pushed the shower curtain slightly aside so that she could see the showerhead.  She tapped it with her wand, smiling as she saw steam.  “There, that’s better.  Is it too hot?”

“N-no, it’s perfect,” he said, slightly unnerved.  

Kate continued to surprise him as she set her wand down and asked, “Do you trust me?”

“What?”

“Do you trust me?” she repeated patiently, and he heard something hit the floor.

“Yes?”  He glanced over the top of the curtain and then quickly away as he saw her push her pants down her legs.  He could feel his cheeks burning.

“Good.  I’m coming in.”

He backed up, pressing himself against the shower wall as she pushed the curtain aside and climbed into the shower, immediately turning and sighing as the hot water hit her.

“Kate, I--”

“The less water we use the better.  Clint’s bill is going to skyrocket this month.  Hand me the shampoo.”

Wordlessly, he handed the bottle to her, his eyes on her back.  The scarring there was… extensive.  Lines crossed each other like some sick plaid, extending all the way down to her upper thighs.  He swallowed thickly.  It almost seemed as if she’d been whipped.

“Yeah,” she said, scrubbing her scalp.  “They’re everywhere.  Thanks, Mum.”

“Your mother did this to you?”  Bruce felt ill, the memories of what his father had done to his mother flooding his mind.

“Sometimes my stepfather helped, but he prefered to use his fists.  Tammy, however… to add insult to injury, she used my father’s belt.”

“That’s…”

“Horrific, awful, downright traumatising.  Luckily I’ve pretty much gotten over it.”  Kate paused, then said quietly, “You can touch them, if you want to.”

Bruce saw the way her shoulders had tensed as she’d spoken and knew that even if she’d said he could, she wasn’t actually comfortable with it.  So he just shook his head.  “I’m okay.”

She turned, facing away from the spray and tilting her head back to rinse her hair.  Bruce watched the suds move down her neck, past her collarbone and down to her… He quickly looked back up at her face to find her rolling her eyes.

“They’re just breasts, silly.  They’re not even that impressive.  Not like Nat’s.”  Nat’s were made for seduction, and Kate had found herself staring more than once.  Why was her uniform so revealing?

“Yes, but…” Bruce tried to find a way to explain why he was so flustered.  “They’re yours,” he finished lamely. Not that he would stare at any woman's chest, but Kate was Kate, and the last thing he wanted to do was offend her, which meant definitely not staring at her while she stood under the spray.

Then she chuckled, a throaty sound that immediately went somewhere he didn’t want it to go.  Not now, not here.  It was made worse by her hand rising and touching his cheek, rubbing against the stubble.

She looked into his eyes, her own clear and green as she gave him a crooked smile.  “Do you really think I would have gotten in here with you if I didn’t want you to see me naked?” she asked softly.  “I told the big guy earlier, and I’m telling you now: I trust you.  And I like you.  A lot.”  Pink dusted her cheeks, and Bruce was pretty sure it wasn’t the heat from the shower. It only made her more attractive.

“I like you too.  A lot,” he replied.  “But do you really want me?  I mean… I can’t have… this.” He gestured to the bath toys and the kids’ shampoo bottles around them.  “I can’t have kids.”

This actually got a snort from her, and her hand dropped from his face, her arms crossing her chest as she tilted her head.  “Do you really think I’d want kids after what my mother did to me?  I considered it exactly once, with an ex, and the mere possibility that I would follow in her footsteps brought that line of thinking to a screeching halt.”

He stared at her, speechless for a moment, and then all he could say was, “Oh.”  Because he’d flashed back to his father again, and even though he’d never really hurt Bruce, the cycle still continued.  After all, he had some anger issues too.

A lot of them, actually.

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely, and was rewarded with a shrug.

“Don’t be.  My mother’s a horrible person.  Thanks to her I didn’t have many friends growing up.  Don’t have many friends now, either.  Little hard when you’re a spy.”

“I’m your friend,” he said, immediately hating how earnest it sounded, like he was twelve and trying to join the popular kids at their table in the lunchroom.

Her eyes softened and her arms uncrossed.  “I’d like it if you were more than that.”  She placed a hand on either of his biceps and rose onto her toes, looking him in the eyes, and then hers fluttered shut as she pressed her lips against his.  After a moment she pulled back, hands still on his arms but her feet steady on the floor of the shower, and smiled.  “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Whatever reserve Bruce had failed at the moment, because Kate had kissed him.  Kissed him.  Yes, she’d kissed the big guy on the cheek after she’d pulled him out of a rage, but once again she’d been a little out of it from using a large amount of magic all at once.  This time she was perfectly in her right mind, and still she had kissed him.

“Could have been better,” he breathed, and before she could process his words and get annoyed he’d bent and kissed her again, with a little more force than he’d meant to, but she didn’t seem to mind, since her arms snaked around his neck as she kissed him back, pressing her body against his.  He groaned softly at the feel of her, and took a step forward, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her closer.  His leg went between hers, making her gasp against his mouth as his thigh brushed her, his hand moving to caress one of her breasts and he turned them so that they weren't under the spray anymore, still kissing her fiercely...

There was a loud crash as her back collided with the shower wall and they broke the kiss, afraid that they’d been caught or that Bruce had accidentally done something to the wall.

The shampoo bottles had fallen.  Kate started to giggle, still pressed against the wall with his body, his hand on her chest.  “Whoops,” she whispered.  “We should stop.  Everyone probably heard that.”

Sure enough, there was a rap on the door.  “You okay in there?” came Nat’s voice.

“Just knocked over a couple bottles,” Bruce called back, flicking Kate's nipple with his thumb, enjoying the way her eyes slid closed and her lips parted, releasing the smallest gasp.

“All right.  You haven’t seen Kate anywhere, have you?”

“Why, is she missing?”  He bent his head and kissed her neck, which made her moan softly, arching her back and pressing herself against him.

“It’s nothing, just wanted some girl time.  I’ll find her.  Enjoy your shower.”

“Oh I’ll enjoy it all right,” he murmured, leaning to kiss Kate again.

“Bruce,” she breathed as one of his hands moved to parts unknown, where his leg was still between hers, “we shouldn’t.  Not here.  The walls are too thin… Nat and Stark would never let it go, and if Clint’s kids heard us…”

He sighed and backed away.  “You’re right.”

“Later.  After we take care of Ultron, we’ll go someplace nice.”  She reached up and ran a hand through his hair, and he could tell that she was fighting the same urges he was.

“Promise?”

She kissed his collarbone.  “Promise.  Hand me the soap?”

Kate walked in the front door twenty minutes later, having dried herself off and Apparated into the field, where she took a brisk walk around the edge of the woods before heading back to the house. Steve and Tony were chopping wood, though Steve was much better at it, judging by the size of his pile. They were also arguing.

Nat practically jumped on her the moment she walked in. “Hey, Mai made you tea. It's in the kitchen.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Kate glanced at Mai and smiled, then headed for the kitchen, Nat following.

“Have a nice shower?” the spy asked with a smirk.

Kate went pink. “I don't know what you're talking about. I went for a walk. The countryside reminds me a bit of England.”

“Are Steve and Tony still playing dueling axes?”

“Steve doesn't even need an ax. Pretty sure I saw him get angry and rip a log apart with his bare hands.”  Kate turned and poured herself some tea.

“You smell like his aftershave, by the way.”

Kate turned back to face her, cursing as she spilled hot tea on herself.  “Seriously? Is that how you knew?”

Nat shrugged. “And your clothes on the bathroom floor. You guys were so wrapped up in each other you couldn't hear me open the door?”

“The water was running!”

“Uh huh,” Nat replied, that annoying smirk still on her face.

Kate looked down at her tea, pink in the face. “We didn't even do anything! Just… made out a little.” Why in the name of Merlin’s beard was she blushing like a schoolgirl?

“Probably a good thing. Clint would freak if you did anything with his kids around.”

“Exactly,” Kate muttered. There was a long, slightly awkward pause before she looked up at Nat. “Are you… okay? Wanda’s mind games… they can really mess you up for a bit.”

The spy shrugged again.  “I’ll handle it.  I’ve had people mess with me before; it’s nothing new.”

Kate sighed.  “If you’re sure.  I mean… if you want to talk…”

Nat gave her a tight smile.  “I’m fine.”

Kate bit her lip, but turned and left the room.  Bruce had come downstairs, and she silently offered him the tea.

He took it, taking a sip, and hummed.  “This is good tea.”

“Is it?  I haven’t tasted it yet.”

He gave her a confused look.  “Why’d you give it to me then?”

Her eyes rolled.  “I was sharing, you numpty.”  She sat down beside him, taking the tea back and drinking.  Her eyes shut and she leaned back with a sigh.  “This is amazing, Mai. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Mai said softly.  “It’s… the least I could do.  And you said tea would help, with what happened, so I thought I might try.”

Kate looked at her then, and knew she was thinking about the Davis twins and the friends she had lost, so she moved to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.  “I know it hurts,” she said softly.  “And eventually, the pain eases, but it never fully goes away.  All you can really do is live your life the way they would have wanted you to, and try to fill the holes they’ve left in your heart, but never forget.  Because they’ll always be with you.”

Mai nodded, staring into her lap.  Kate sighed and ruffled her hair.  Some of the others had come in just before she’d spoken, and stood in silence, thinking about what she’d said.  Steve was looking at Mai, and Bruce was looking at Kate, and Clint looked at his wife, who smiled slightly.

“Never known you to wax poetic, Turner.”

Kate shot to her feet.  “Sir!”  Then she stopped and stared.  “Director?  You’re…”

“Not as dead as everyone thought, I know.”  Fury smirked at her, and her hackles rose.  Why the hell was everyone smirking at her today?

“You could have bloody told me!” she snapped, then muttered, under her breath, “Wanker.”

“Could have told a lot of us,” Tony grumbled.

Fury shrugged.  “It was for everyone’s own good.”

Kate grunted and snatched the mug of tea from Bruce, downing it in one go and then stalking out the door.

“She has a lot of anger issues, doesn’t she?” Laura asked after a moment of awkward silence.

“She’s got the same tragic backstory most of us do,” Nat said after a moment.  “It’s one of the reasons she’s so…” She groped for the appropriate word.

“Caustic?” Tony suggested.  “Bitter?  Abrasive?  Those all work very well for her.”

“You can be abrasive too,” Bruce pointed out, feeling the need to defend Kate.

“Hey, you can’t defend her, she’s got you wrapped around her little finger!”

Bruce glared at the other man, then stood and followed Kate out the door, feeling an urgent need to calm down.

“I’m going to make dinner,” Laura said hastily, standing.

“I’ll help,” Mai volunteered, wanting to get away from the testosterone-filled living room.

“You clearly haven’t see Kate when she’s really angry,” Nat said after another long pause filled with awkward looks.

“No, but I’ve seen her smash things.  She and Bruce are perfect.  They’ll destroy stuff all over the world.”

“I think you have a gross misunderstanding of their relationship,” Clint said after a minute.  “You and Kate are both very headstrong, straightforward, and as Bruce and Nat said, abrasive.  Bruce isn’t like that.  He’s a brilliant puppy with anger issues, and we’re all so afraid of him turning green that we tiptoe around him in some dance.  All of us except you and Kate.  You like to poke him with things, make him think, and she’ll order him around, give him structure and purpose and make him rethink the way he’s been doing things.  He’s always been running from what he is, what he’s capable of doing.  I think she can help him turn around and see that he can do much more.”

They all stared at him.

“That's more than you usually talk in a month,” Tony said.

Clint shrugged. “I just feel you're doing them both a disservice.”

Bruce found Kate standing by the woodpile, arms crossed over her chest.

“I enjoy working for SHIELD, but sometimes I really miss England,” she said after a long silence.  “Especially when I see sunsets like this.”  Her gaze was fixed on the horizon, the blazing sunset reflected in her eyes.

He didn’t say anything, just thought about how beautiful she looked in the fading light despite the anger radiating from her.

It was another minute before she spoke again.  “I just--I feel betrayed, you know?  I worked under him for eight years, I was at the Triskelion when Hydra took over, fought against those assholes, and he made damned sure that my file didn’t get leaked to the press, because if people knew magic existed--it’s different than being Enhanced, we have a whole world, and Fury helped protect that, but he didn’t trust me enough to tell me he wasn’t dead?”

Her shoulders slumped, and she kicked at a log.

“Of course, considering what usually happens when I’m on a job, I guess it kind of makes sense.”

“What usually happens?”

Kate glanced at him, a wry smile on her face.  “That’s right.  You haven’t read my file.  You don’t know my codename.”

“You have a codename?”  Bruce tried to think of what hers could be.  Nat was Black Widow, Barton was Hawkeye… Unbidden, he could hear Tony dubbing her “Destructagirl,” which could only end in bad things for Tony.  Did it have something to do with her magic?  Or a magical creature?

“Fury picked it himself after I destroyed those labs.”  She turned to look at him, her eyes almost… laughing.

“I give up.  What is it?”

“Chaos.”

“Chaos,” he repeated, nonplussed.

“Well, sometimes he called me the Chaos, but that was when I managed to do my mission without destroying SHIELD property.  Didn’t happen often.”  She shivered suddenly, and he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her.  Sighing, she leaned back against him, enjoying these few peaceful moments where there was nothing but them and the sunset.  Then the door to the house opened.

“You lovebirds going to come inside and eat, or should I come back later?”

They both blushed and pulled away from each other, and Kate felt her ire at Fury return.

“On my way, Director,” she said in clipped tones, pushing past him through the door.

Fury looked at Bruce, amusement in his one eye.  “You ever notice how her accent gets thicker and she starts using slang when she’s angry?  That’s my favourite part.  The trick is calming her down before she breaks a computer.”

Bruce nodded and followed Fury into the house.

They’d sat down with their plates and were eating when Steve asked the question they all wanted to know the answer to.  “Why are you here?”

“I prefer to talk business over drinks, not dinner,” Fury said, and left it at that.

It wasn’t until an hour later, when Mai and Clint were doing dishes, that he spoke.

“Ultron took you guys out of play to buy him some time.  My contacts all say he’s trying to build something.  The amount of vibranium he ran off with, I don’t think it’s just one thing.”

“What about Ultron himself?” Steve demanded.

“Oh, he’s easy to track.  He’s everywhere.  The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit.  It still doesn’t help us get an angle on any of his plans, though.”  Fury poured himself a drink.

“Is he still going after launch codes?” Tony asked, throwing a dart.

“Yes he is, but he’s not making any headway.”

Tony frowned.  “I cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in high school on a dare.”

“Well, I contacted our friends at the Nexus about that.”

“Nexus?” Mai asked softly, handing Steve a mug of tea.

“It’s the world internet hub in Oslo,” Kate put in, her own mug of tea warming her hands.  It was the first time she’d spoken since earlier.  “Every byte of data flows through there.  Fastest access on Earth.”

“So what did they say?”  Clint had picked up one of the darts and was inspecting it.

“He’s fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed.”

“By whom?” Tony asked, then had to lean out of the way as a dart flew past him. He turned and glared at Clint, who shrugged.

“Parties unknown.”

“Do we have an ally?” Nat asked.

“Ultron’s got an enemy.  That’s not the same thing.  Still I’d pay folding money to know who it is.”

“I might need to visit Oslo.”  Tony came into the room.  “Find our unknown.”

“Well this is good times, boss, but I was kinda hoping when I saw you you’d have more than that.”  Nat leaned back in her chair.

“I do,” Fury said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.  “I have you.”  They all looked at each other as Fury continued.  “Back in the day I had eyes everywhere.  Ears, everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream up.  Here we all are, back on Earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world.  Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction.  All this, laid in a grave.” Fury gestured, and they looked around.  The house, the family--it was why they fought.  “So stand.  Outwit the platinum bastard.”

“Steve doesn’t like that kind of talk,” Nat said, glancing at the soldier.

“You know what, Romanoff?” Steve said back, only a little annoyed, and she smirked at him.

Fury sat down at the table.  “So, what does he want?”

“To become better.” Kate sipped her tea.  “Better than us.  He keeps building bodies.”

“Person bodies,” Tony cut in.  “The human form is inefficient.  Biologically speaking, we’re outmoded.  But he keeps coming back to it.”

Bruce had moved, and was staring at a painting Clint’s daughter had set in front of Nat.

“When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed.”

“They don’t need to be protected,” Bruce said, sudden to all but Kate, who had been watching him. (He’d slid on his glasses, and looked very cute.)  “They need to evolve.”  Everyone looked at him, and he looked up from the painting.  “Ultron’s going to evolve.”

“How?” Fury asked.

“Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?”

Kate’s eyes widened.  Of course.  She had that thing that could print human tissue--the Resurrection Cradle.

“Suit up,” Steve said, and they all hurried to do so.

They reassembled in the front hall.

“It was really nice meeting you,” Kate said to Laura.  “Thank you for opening up your home.”

Laura smiled.  “It’s no trouble.  Good luck.  Keep Bruce on his toes.”

Kate sighed.  “Everybody does know.  Bollocks.”

“I’ll take Nat, Clint, and Kate,” Steve said, putting his shield on.  “Recon only.”

“I’ll hit the Nexus,” Tony said.

“I’ll drop Banner and Mai off at the tower.  You mind if I borrow Ms Hill?” Fury asked, pulling on his coat.

“She’s all yours, apparently. What’re you gonna do?”

“I don’t know.”  Fury smirked.  “Something dramatic, I hope.”

Kate looked at Bruce and gave him a wry smile.  “This is where I leave you, I guess.”

He pushed a few stray hairs from her face.  “Be careful, okay?  Ultron is dangerous.  So are the twins.”

She chuckled.  “You forget that I lived with them for months. Strucker liked to let them test their powers on people. I know how they are.”  She took his face in her hands and rose on her toes to kiss him briefly.  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said softly.  “Go on.  I’ll see you later.”

Kate wasn't entirely sure why Steve had wanted her along on this mission.  If it was strictly recon, then he really only needed Clint and Nat.  She could have gone back to the lab with Bruce, Mai, and Fury.

She wished she had, as Ultron dragged her and Nat out of the plane and over Russia.  Luckily, she managed to pass out for most of the ride, waking up in a familiar space.

Strucker’s lab in Sokovia.

Nat was the one who had shaken her awake, and they both stared at the workshop full of robots.

Ultron stood before them, working on something mechanical.  He looked up as they shifted.  “Ah.  I wasn’t sure you would wake.  I hoped you would.  I wanted to show you.  I don’t have anyone else.”

Kate grunted as she sat up and flexed her wand hand.

“I think a lot about meteors.  The purity in them.  Boom! The end. Start again, the world made clean for the new man to rebuild.”

Nat grabbed Kate’s arm and they both began shuffling backwards.

“I was meant to be new,” Ultron told them, setting down what he was working on and moving toward them.  “I was meant to be beautiful.  The world would have looked to the sky and seen hope, seen mercy.  Instead they’ll look up in horror because of you.  You’ve wounded me.”

He began walking over to them, and they scooted away.

“I give you full marks for that.  But, like the man said, what doesn’t kill me--” A hand reached up and crushed Ultron’s head, ripping him apart, and a new Ultron approached them as they continued to move back. “--just makes me stronger.”

It pulled the door of the cell shut, and they stared at it before it turned and walked away.

They looked at each other, eyes wide, and then Kate cursed.

“We should get out of here. I can get us out,” she whispered, but Nat shook her head.

“We might get some information about what he’s planning.”

“Or I could just shut the whole thing down in one go.”

“And kill yourself?  No way.  Besides, it’s going to take more than that to stop him.  You’d be sacrificing yourself for nothing.”

“It would slow him down.  Like he slowed us down.  It would be worth it.”

“I don’t think Bruce would see it that way.”

Kate glared at her. “Low blow, Romanoff.  Fine.  I won’t trash the place.”

Nat shrugged.  “If it works it works.”

“It’s not like he loves me or anything,” the witch said after a moment, leaning against the wall.

“I don’t know about that.  I think that as soon as you started establishing yourself as capable and intelligent, he was in deep.”

“You’re both those things,” Kate pointed out.  “Why doesn’t he like you then, instead of me?”

“I’m not a scientist.  Or as close to one as you are.  I’m a highly trained assassin. You have four degrees. They’re weird magical degrees, but you have them.”

Kate sighed and sank back against the wall.  “Fine.”

“The others will come.”

“They don’t even know where we are.  I can’t get a message to them.  I know how to use spy stuff, but I’m a little too agitated, even with the bracelets. I’d just fry it.”

Nat just smiled.  “Let me handle it.  I know Clint’ll be looking.  You keep watch.”

Kate nodded, and Nat moved to the equipment in the cell.

Several hours later, Ultron and his other selves had gone, and Kate and Nat were left alone.

It was a few hours after that that they heard voices.  “Kate! Natasha!”

“Bruce?”  Kate reached the bars of the cell first, smiling slightly as he came into view, his hand covering her own.  “Good to see you.”

“I don’t suppose you brought a key?” Nat asked.

“No, but I found one.”

The girls stepped backward as he shot the door with one of the guns.

Kate pushed the door open as Bruce looked them over.

“You all right?” he asked.

“Bit peckish, but I'll survive.”

“Good. I'm here to get you to safety.”

Kate stopped and looked at him, the smile disappearing. “What, like running?”

He sighed. “You saw what happened in Johannesburg. I can't be in a fight with civilians. I'm a monster. And you've done enough. More than enough, both of you.”

Kate gave him a long, steady look before she spoke. “Do you know what I saw in Johannesburg? I saw the big guy under an enchantment. Once he was out, he was perfectly capable of being a decent person. You are not a monster. I know; I've seen monsters. One gave birth to me, proceeded to call me a parasite, treated me like a slave and conspired with another monster to kill my father in cold blood. Monsters destroyed my school, killed the one person who actually cared about me, killed my uncle and countless others. And if you really want to call yourself a monster, you may as well call me one too. I've killed my fair share of people. Part of the job. So cut the crap, Bruce. We don't have time for it.”

He stared at her. “But--”

Her green eyes blazed. “If you want to run, be my guest. I won't stop you. But I know we could use the big guy.”

Bruce wondered if he should tell her about the Vision. She couldn't get any madder, could she?

“Before we go, there's a couple things you should know.”

“Like?” Nat asked.

“The Maximoffs have joined our side. And… Tony and I uploaded Jarvis into the body in the cradle.”

Kate's jaw dropped. “You did what? Did I not specifically say not to do anything I wouldn't do?”

“Tony is very convincing,” Bruce muttered. “And it turned out all right. He's on our side… and he can lift Thor's hammer.”

The witch had opened her mouth to speak again, but it snapped shut. She blinked at him. “He can lift Thor's hammer,” she repeated.

Bruce nodded, and she lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

“Fine. Okay. Let's go.”

Before they could move, the ground began to shake, and suddenly the area just behind Bruce began to rise.

“What the…” Nat whispered, staring.

Kate reached up and kissed Bruce hard on the mouth.  “Are you with us, then?”  When he nodded, she smiled.  “Good.  We’ll meet you up there.  Time for a bit of magic, Nat.”  She grabbed the spy’s arm and turned on the spot, reappearing in the forest several hundred feet above.  Nat looked a little green, and Kate pulled her out of the way as the Hulk came crashing through.  “Sorry.  Figured you didn’t want to ride with the big guy.”

Nat nodded, and they both looked at the Hulk, who was shaking dirt off himself.

“Perfect. Let’s go be heroes.”

What seemed like an hour later, the battle was winding down.  Thor, Tony, the Vision, and the Hulk had taken out Ultron, Fury had shown up with the helicarrier to evacuate the people, and now Kate was walking towards the Hulk, who was ripping some more drones apart, calming down.

“Hey big guy,” she said softly.

He grunted at her, and she stepped closer.

“Battle’s over.  Air’s getting thin.  You ready to go home?  I promised we’d go someplace nice, after all.”

Suddenly there was the sound of gunshots, and the Hulk roared as Kate was thrown off her feet, pain searing through her leg.  Her head hit a rock, and everything went black.

When she came to, she was flying through the air in the Hulk’s arms, landing on the surface of the helicarrier.  He gently set her down, and she looked at him in confusion before he jumped back off.

Kate struggled to her feet and limped belowdeck, meeting up with Fury and Maria, who called a medic over.

“No, no, I got it,” Kate grumbled, flicking her wand at her leg.  The bullet had thankfully gone straight through her thigh, so it was an easy fix.

She glanced out the window to find pieces of the city flying by, and bit her lip.  Bruce…

“He’s on the jet,” Mai said softly, touching her arm.  “He threw Ultron out, and now he’s… flying away.”  Her eyes were far away, as if she was actually looking at the big guy within the plane… or perhaps one of the spirits was telling her all this.

“Thank you,” Kate said, and turned to one of the monitors, typing rapidly.  The Hulk appeared on the screen.

“Hey big guy,” she said softly.  “Battle’s over.  We won.  You can come back… we can take a vacation.  We’ve both earned it.”

He did not reply, and she had a feeling she knew why.

“Look.  I understand, you’re scared.  So am I.  If you want to run and be by yourself for a while, fine.  Go.  Just know that I’m not going to wait forever.  It’s not my style.  Come back when you want, and… be safe.”

The Hulk touched the screen, closing it down, and Kate sighed.

-----

Three weeks had passed since the Battle of Sokovia. They'd moved from Avengers Tower to a new facility in upstate New York, where Kate would be getting her own lab. She'd given the specifications to Tony and it would be ready in about a month.

Kate was in her room unpacking when Friday's voice came through.

“Miss Turner, you have an incoming call.”

“From?”

“A payphone in London.”

Kate frowned and snatched up her mobile. “Turner,” she said, then nearly dropped the phone when she heard the voice on the other end of the line.

“Kate!  I’m so glad I was able to reach you.”

“Bruce?  What--where are you?”

“Somewhere in London.  Can you meet me?”

Why was her heart pounding and her stomach doing somersaults?  It was Bruce.  “Yes, of course.  Trafalgar Square, one hour.”

She hung up, and stared at the phone before sending a quick email.  It didn’t take her long to get to London, only about forty minutes, and as she emerged from an alley adjoining the square she felt her heart begin to pound again.  He was there, standing by the statue, looking a little lost.  She swallowed and walked up to him.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

He turned and his eyes widened slightly before he smiled.  “No longer than I made you wait.  Kate, I--I’m sorry.  After the battle, the big guy and I--we sort of freaked out.”

“I noticed,” she said.  “You could have at least grunted a goodbye, you know.  Where have you been, anyway?  Fury said they spotted the plane in the Banda Sea.  I wouldn’t have minded joining you in Fiji.”

Bruce grimaced slightly.  “I’m sorry,” he repeated.  “When you got shot by Ultron, we realized how much we--how much I cared about you, and… we needed some time to work it out.  It scared us.”

Her eyebrow rose.  “You think I’m not scared?  Bruce, the last time I felt anything close to what I feel for you was with my last ex, and that didn’t end well.”

“What happened?”

“He was at the Triskelion when Hydra took over.  As a Hydra agent.  He tried to kill me.  Three guesses how that turned out.”  Kate crossed her arms and sighed.  “I had to kill him, but not before he spouted some vicious shit.  I wasn’t exactly the best girlfriend for him, since he was only dating me to get information, and I refused to talk about work outside of it.”  She shrugged.  “Whatever.  He was a dick anyway.  So what did you do in Fiji?  Lie on the beach and get a tan?”

“N-not exactly.  The big guy and I did some serious thinking for two weeks.  And then once we decided what we wanted and what we were going to do about it, we headed back.”  Bruce looked into her eyes, and Kate found her heart beginning to pound again.  Why did she feel like a damned schoolgirl?

“What did you decide?”

He lifted his head and looked around the square.  “You know, when you said we’d go someplace nice, London wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

She laughed, eyes sparkling as she uncrossed her arms.  “Me either. I was thinking more along the lines of my cabin in the Scottish highlands.  It’s nice and isolated.”

“Sounds perfect.  But--are you okay with leaving with me?  Don’t you have stuff you need to do for SHIELD?”

“I sent Fury an email telling him I was taking an extended vacation.  I think we both deserve it.  So, you coming?”

He grabbed her hand.  “Point the way.”

“That alley, over there.  I’m going to apparate us.”

“We’re not taking the train?”

She rolled her eyes at him and started pulling him through the crowd.  “Bruce, don’t you think you’ve kept me waiting long enough?”

He looked abashed when she glanced back at him.  “I was a little worried that you’d given up.  You did say you wouldn’t wait forever.”

“And I wouldn’t’ve.  I don’t wait around for men, not anymore.”  They reached the alley, and she pulled him further into it, out of sight of the crowd before saying, a little nervously, “Before we go, I just want to make sure you’re okay with what I’m planning.”

He brushed hair from her face.  “Depends on what you’re planning.”

She gave him a sultry look through her eyelashes.  “You don’t even want to hazard a guess?”

Bruce smirked at her, stepping closer until she was against the alley wall.  “I’d rather hear you say it.”

“Well, in that case,” she purred, levering herself upward so that she could speak into his ear, “the plan was to rip all your clothes off and continue what we started in the shower.”

His eyes had closed, and he shivered slightly, surprised at how much her words had excited him.  He felt her move back, felt her eyes on him, and didn’t even bother to open his own before he kissed her fiercely, pressing her against the wall.

Gasping, she kissed him back.  “I take that as a yes.”

Without further ado, she twisted them, taking a step forward, and they were in the living room of her little cabin.  Everything was covered in dust, as she hadn’t been there in nearly a year, and she immediately turned away and sneezed.

“Bollocks.  Hang on, Bruce.”

He watched as she flicked her wand, Banishing the dust, then she grabbed his hand, tugging on it.

“Bedroom’s this way.  Probably as dusty as the rest of the place.  Ugh, cleaning is harshing my buzz.”

Reaching the bedroom, Kate stood and surveyed the dust-covered surfaces, then gasped as Bruce pulled her back flush against his body.  His hands reached under her shirt, and he hummed thoughtfully as he discovered that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“Bruce, what are you--ah,” she gasped again as he rolled her nipples between his fingers, her head falling back against his shoulders, eyes drifting closed.

“Bringing the buzz back.  Though you’ll still need to take care of the dust, or we’re going to end up doing this on the rug in the living room.”  He kissed her neck, making her moan.

“Okay, okay.”  She lifted her wand and waved it in a wide arc, and soon every surface was sparkling.  Then she tossed her wand onto the bureau and turned to face him, grabbing his shirt collar and tugging.  Buttons flew everywhere as his shirt came open.

“That was my only shirt,” he said as she reached up to kiss him.

“I'll buy you a new one,” she murmured between kisses, pulling back slightly so that he could yank her shirt over her head. Her hands found his belt buckle and within twenty seconds his pants were on the floor.

Her skirt quickly followed, and then he was moving forward until her knees hit the bed and they fell onto it in a tangle of limbs, Bruce kissing his way down her neck, nipping at the skin and eliciting a delighted groan from her.

Later, they laid together, Bruce’s head pillowed on her chest as Kate ran her fingers through his hair, both well-sated.

He tilted his head to look up at her.  “So… what happens now?”

“Well, I figured we’d have more sex, I’d make food, and then we’d watch the telly or something.  I’ve found I’m quite fond of Doctor Who.”

There was a low rumble in his chest, and she realized he was laughing.

“What?”

“Doctor Who?  You don’t get enough crazy in your life already? What with magic, ghosts, and enhanced?  I’d think you’d enjoy something more mundane, like Law and Order, or the British equivalent.  Downton Abbey?”

Kate snorted.  “Downton Abbey and Law and Order are not similar at all, Bruce.  And yes, I rather enjoy those too, but Doctor Who is entertaining in a different way.”

He hummed in agreement.  “If it relaxes you and makes you happy, I can’t exactly complain.”

“Exactly,” she replied.  “Now, about the more sex part…”

He chuckled again.  “Already?”

“You have some time to make up for if you recall, Mr Banner,” she said, then closed her eyes and arched against him as his lips wrapped around one of her nipples.  “Mmm.  You are quite skilled with that, aren’t you?”

Kate nodded and pushed her worries from her mind. It would all turn out all right.

They mingled for over an hour, making connections, smiling and nodding and being the ideal royal couple. Once they’d finished talking with someone from the Auror office, Kate leaned up and whispered into Harrison’s ear that she’d be right back.

She stepped away and slipped down the hall. When she stepped out of the bathroom, it was into a broad chest.

Her eyes widened, an apology on her lips before he wrapped his arms around her and Disapparated before she could even scream.

They arrived in a bedroom. Kate immediately looked for a window, like they’d trained her to do. Mountains. Tall, snow-capped mountains. Somewhere in the Alps, probably.

She turned and glared at her attacker, pulling free. “Where are we? You are committing treason, are you aware of this? I am a ward of the crown, engaged to a prince!”

“Do you think I care? The queen has not held up her end of the contract. Now shut up and be a good girl, or I’ll let Reginald have his way with you. He often talks about how pretty you’ve grown.”

Kate looked up at the man who had kidnapped her. He was big and burly, heavily muscled, with a lecherous look in his eyes.

“Of course, Mother,” she said softly after a moment. “But know this: Harrison will find me, and when they discover what you have done, you will pay with your life.”

Tammy snorted and beckoned to the man. They left the room, locking the door with magic behind them. Kate began to pace.

“Of course, and her majesty I’m sure would–”

Harrison cut off as he suddenly felt as if something was wrong. Kate…he had a strong urge to get to Kate. He turned around, his eyes scanning the hall and then the door she had gone through.

“Excuse me,” he said, his voice cold.

He stepped away from them and walked the way Kate had gone. If she was hurt or something…it would be war. He didn’t give a rats ass about the magical world if they hurt her.

“Highness!” Narcissa said, hurrying over to Harrison as he stepped into the hall. “She’s been taken. I followed her to the bathroom to make sure she was safe, and I failed. Yaxley grabbed her right in front of me.”

Harrison’s eyes flashed in anger. “Know this Lady Malfoy. If she is not found and returned to me safely…I’ll destroy all of you.”

“Is…is that a threat?!” Minister Fudge gasped in shock and anger.

Harrison stared at him, his eyes cold. “No. It’s a promise.”

With that he turned, storming to the floo. He would alert the queen and then the royal forces. He wouldn’t leave Kate to suffer.

Servants practically dove out of the way as Harrison came down the hall. They could feel his rage coming, and they knew that when he was angry, it was best to either fix the problem or get out of his way. It’s why they tried to keep the princess happy, too. When she was upset, he got angry.

The queen looked up as he entered her study, frowning.

“Harrison? What’s wrong? Did something happen at the party? Where’s Valeria?”

Kate was staring out the window at the mountains. She knew Tammy wasn’t stupid enough to have taken her to France. No doubt they were in Switzerland. Now all she needed to do was keep in her mother’s good graces so that Reginald wouldn’t touch her. She knew Harrison would find her. All she had to do was wait.

“She has been taken,” Harrison hissed in anger.  A lightbulb behind him shattered with a quiet pop.  “By a man named Yaxley, who no doubt is associated with her mother.  I want her found unharmed, Grandmother.”

“As do I,” the queen said.  “I will alert our forces.  Does anyone know where they might have taken her?”

“No.  But I will find her.  And if she is hurt, not even God can help them.”

There was an urgent knock on the door.  “Majesty,” said Frances, bowing deeply.  “The Malfoys have informed me that Yaxley owns a chalet in the Swiss Alps.  They are unsure of the exactly location, but are offering their full cooperation.  They have no wish to be at odds with the crown.”

“Get in contact with the Swiss embassy.  I want her found as soon as possible.”

“At once, Majesty.” Frances nodded and backed from the room before hurrying down the hall.

----

It took four days for the royal forces to find the chalet.  Kate had been on her best behaviour to make sure her mother and her pet didn’t touch her.  On the third day, she could have almost sworn that she had heard Lucius Malfoy arguing with her mother, but it might have been a hallucination due to hunger. They’d given her just two hunks of bread over her time there and she’d only had water from the faucet.  There was no shower in her room, and so she felt dirty and disgusting.  She was sure the robes she was wearing would be destroyed.  Really she just wanted a damned bath.

On the fourth day, the front door burst open, hit wizards immediately incarcerating both Tammy and Reginald.  Harrison stepped into the house and went straight for Tammy.

“Where is she?” he snarled.

She laughed.  “My, you’ve grown handsome, haven’t you?  It’s too bad.  You can't possibly want her now.  She’s ruined, no longer pure.  No-one will want--”  She was cut off as Harrison hexed her.

Then he turned and went for the stairs.  “Kate? KATE!”

Kate jumped to her feet.  She’d heard the commotion downstairs but had assumed Tammy and her pet were fighting again.

“HARRISON!” she yelled, beating on the door.  “I’M IN HERE!”

“Step back!”

She gasped and quickly moved away from the door, which was blasted open, and then he stepped into the room.  She practically flew into his arms, inhaling his scent as tears filled her eyes.  He was here.

“Are you all right?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her.  “You mother said…”

“They didn’t touch me.  I’m fine.  Just hungry… and tired...and I want a bath.  I’m sure I smell something awful.” She buried her face in his chest.  “I want to go home.”

“Of course,” he murmured, turning to look at Frances, who nodded.  In an instant, they were back at the palace, in the sitting room.  Kate clung to him as he moved over to a couch, pulling her close.

“Are you hurt, Valeria?” the queen asked.

Kate shook her head, and Harrison spoke up.  “She’s exhausted.  Hungry.  I doubt her mother fed her at all--”

“Two hunks of bread, and water,” Kate interjected in a mumble.

“--And she wants a bath,” Harrison finished.

She nodded, moving to press a button on a side table.  “Send Martha upstairs to prepare a bath for Valeria, and have the kitchens prepare soup and tea for her.  Bring it to her suite.”  Satisfied that her orders would be carried out, the queen turned to Kate and smiled gently.  “I am glad you are safe, my dear.”

Kate nodded.  She was glad she was safe, too.

“Go on upstairs.  The soup will be waiting for you when you’ve finished your bath.”

“I’ll take you,” Kate said, rising from her place next to Will.

She deposited Kate into the waiting arms of Martha after hugging her tightly.  Martha wasted no time in stripping the dirty robes off Kate and bundling her into a dressing gown despite the heat, then sitting her down and pulling the pins from her hair so that she could brush it out.

Martha had been Kate’s maid since she’d arrived at the palace.  She was one of the few people who had ever seen the scars on Kate’s back, the others being Harrison’s maid and two seamstresses, as well as one of the queen’s hit wizards, who had crafted a glamour to hide them when Kate wanted to wear certain clothes.  Kate knew that others knew about the scars, because palace gossip was unavoidable, and from the way some of the other maids treated her… To be frank, she was coddled, mothered, and given almost anything she wanted.

This behaviour by the palace staff could of course also be attributed to Harrison’s temper, which became very short when Kate was upset.  The staff often scrambled to find something that would appease his overprotective nature, which is why they kept a stock of Kate’s favourite foods and teas on hand at all times.

“The prince was positively livid when he realized you were gone,” Martha was saying as she worked through a tangle. “He gave the staff quite a fright, storming around the palace.  I heard he swore to get you back, even if it meant going to war with your world.”

Kate turned to look at her.  “That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?”

Martha chuckled, her hands working swiftly to braid Kate’s hair.  “Not if you’re in love.”

Kate swiveled so fast that it tugged painfully on her scalp.  “What?”

“Hold still, Highness, if you please.”

“What do you mean, ‘if you’re love’?” She could feel her stomach beginning to do somersaults, her blood beginning to thud in her ears.

The braid finished, Martha began wrapping it around Kate’s head.  “I mean his Highness is in love with you. As you are with him.  We staff see more than you think we do.” She pinned the braid up. “Now, into the bath with you.”

Kate nodded, standing, then smiled as she stepped into the bathroom and inhaled.  “Lavender?”

“I thought it might ease your nerves.  Now, I’ll let you relax and soak for a few minutes before I come in to wash your hair.”  She set a flannel and bar of soap on the side of the tub and waited until Kate was safely in the water before leaving, closing the door behind her.

It wasn’t ten minutes later that there was a commotion in the other room.  Kate had nearly dozed off when she heard Martha’s squeak of, “Highness!  You can’t go in there!  The princess is in the bath!”

“So?”

“She’s naked, sir!  It’s highly improper!”

“I’ll be seeing her naked in my bed soon enough.  Move, Martha.”

Kate could hear the annoyance in his voice and rolled her eyes, grabbing a towel and draping it across her front.  Then she pulled the curtain around most of the bath.

“Let him in, Martha.  If you don’t he’s likely to blast the door down.  You may stay and chaperone.”

The door opened, admitting Harrison and a harried-looking Martha.  The former knelt next to her, kissing her forehead, while the latter hovered by the door.

Kate smiled, leaning over the side of the tub and taking his hand.  “Did you need something?  You normally don’t interrupt my bath.”

“I spoke with Grandmother.  We’ve agreed that you’re not safe while you’re still my betrothed, and so we will perform the marriage ritual tomorrow night.  I wanted to do it this evening, but they need time to prepare.  We’ll have a public ceremony next summer.  Is this okay with you?”

She reached up and brushed hair from his eyes.  “It’s more than okay.  I told you I was ready to marry you last month.”

He cupped her face in his hands.  “Turn around, Martha.”

The maid looked at him in confusion.  “Highness?”

“I’m going to kiss my fiancée.  I’d like a moment of privacy, please.”

He waited until Martha had turned her back (and stuck her fingers in her ears), then leaned forward and kissed Kate.  She pressed herself against the side of the tub, her hands tangling in his hair as she tried to get closer.  He dragged his teeth across her lower lip, and her lips fell open with a soft gasp while he cupped the back of her head, his fingers threading themselves into her hair.  Their tongues met and danced around each other, and his other hand found its way to the bare skin of her back.  She let out a low moan, rising slightly to press herself against him, not caring that he was getting soaked.  He didn’t seem to mind either, pulling her flush against his body.  She could feel heat pooling in her belly.  Merlin, did she want him.

At last--too soon, really--he broke away, and she let out a tiny sigh of disappointment, sinking back into the tub.

“You should fix your towel,” he murmured, giving her an appreciative look.  “Not that I mind a little preview, but the temptation to touch you gets worse the more skin I see.”

She flushed, pulling the towel back over her exposed breasts.  “I wouldn’t mind,” she whispered.  “I like it when you touch me.”

He closed his eyes and swallowed.  “Don’t tempt me, love.  I know Martha would mind… and I would like to save some things for the wedding night.”

She pouted, and he leaned forward, catching her lower lip between his before resting his forehead against hers.  “Only twenty-four hours, my Kate.  Then you’re all mine,” he murmured, then kissed her cheek and stood, adjusting his trousers.  Kate let out a tiny giggle.  “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Nodding, she watched him tap Martha on the shoulder as he slipped out the door.

Martha turned and smiled at Kate.  “I’m glad you two are finally tying the knot, though I wonder how you’ll fare once you’re back at school.  You can hardly keep your hands off each other as it is.”

Kate’s cheeks went pink and the older woman chuckled, pulling a stool up to the side of the tub.  “Let’s get you clean.”

Fifteen minutes later, Kate walked into her sitting room, wearing leggings and a large tee… one of Harrison’s.  He smirked at her as she came and sat next to him, pulling her legs beneath her.  He handed her the bowl of soup in its coozy, then poured her a cup of tea.  She inhaled, smiling as the scent of the tea that always calmed her hit her nose.  It was a chai blended with rooibos, spicy yet sweet.

“You look good in my clothes,” he purred, wrapping an arm around her.  She giggled softly, then took a sip of the soup before sighing and setting the bowl down.

“Harrison… there’s something I need to tell you.”

“You should eat first, love.”

She shook her head.  “I have to say this first.  I…” She bit her lip, then turned and looked at him.  “Harrison… I love you.”

He looked at her in silence for long enough that Kate began to wonder if Martha had been wrong, and then he leaned forward and kissed her hard on the mouth, hungrily, pulling her against his body.  She kissed him back with equal fervor, and soon she was on top of him on the sofa, their legs intertwined, his hands beneath her shirt.

He pulled back and gazed at her seriously.  “I love you too, Kate.  So much.  If they had hurt you…”

“They didn’t.  I’m safe.  I just want you to hold me now.”

“Of course.  You should eat, too.”

She nodded and leaned forward to get the soup, nestling herself in his lap as she ate, one of his arms wrapped around her waist and the other reaching up to run fingers through her hair.  Letting out a sigh of contentment, she smiled.

It was twenty minutes of tense silence later that the comm buzzed again.  “We need you in the hangar.  Cap’s in a bad way, and Romanoff could use some help too.”

Kate was immediately on her feet and running for the hangar, Mai on her heels.  She waited as the quinjet landed, Thor and Tony carrying Steve, whose uniform was bloody.

“Into medbay,” Kate ordered, pointing the way while rolling up her sleeves.  “What happened?”

“The Winter Soldier’s what happened,” Tony grunted.  “Shot Nat, then when Cap showed him some mercy he shot him in the leg, and then in the gut.  Then the damn helicarrier crashed into the river.  We were fishing him out, except it looks like someone dragged him to the bank.”

The witch nodded, glancing backwards at Bruce, who was wrapped in a blanket and soaking wet.  Nat looked cold herself, and was holding a bandage to her shoulder.

“Get him on the table.”  She pushed open the door, letting the men pass her to put Steve down, then touched Bruce’s shoulder, casting a warming charm.  She did the same for Nat before grabbing a pair of scissors and beginning to cut Steve’s uniform off.

“Do not cry, small one,” Thor said, hugging Mai.  “The witch will care for the Captain.”

Kate handed the scissors to Bruce.  “Get an IV going.  I’m going to pull this bullet out.  Stark, Thor, I need you to hold him down.  This is going to hurt.”

Mai let out a sob, then stuffed her fist in her mouth.

Kate glanced over her shoulder at her.  “I suppose I could just knock him out.  Might be easier for all of us.”  She passed her wand hand over Steve’s face, and he was out.  “Much better.”

Wiping the blood away from the wound, she made an upward motion, and a readout appeared, glittering golden with flashing red bits.  She scrutinized it, frowning, then placed her hand over the hole and closed her eyes so she could concentrate.  Slowly, she raised her hand, and after several tense moments, the bullet appeared.  Kate grabbed it and set it on a tray that Bruce held out.

“I imagine there’s no rifling on that,” she said, now focusing on mending Steve’s flesh.

“None at all. Soviet round,” Nat confirmed.

“Brilliant.  Do we have any blood in the fridge?  He’s going to need a transfusion, with the amount he’s lost.  Stark, put some pressure on that leg wound.  And will you stop humming?”

“What, can’t concentrate?  Aren’t doctors supposed to be able to focus even in the worst situations?”

Kate glared at him.  “Dammit Stark, I’m a witch, not a doctor!  Shut the hell up!”

There was a snort from the other side of the table.

“Now what?” Kate growled, looking up to see Bruce laughing.  “What the hell is so funny?”

“Star Trek,” he said, and then Tony let out a bark of laughter.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”  Kate rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away from the wound, now healed, before pushing Tony out of the way.  “Scissors.  Romanoff, sit down, you look like you’re going to faint.  Will somebody go and get me some damn blood?”

“On it,” Clint said, and was out of the room in a second.

“Finally!  Someone who can follow orders.  Thanks, Bruce.”  She ripped away the fabric over Steve’s leg, using it to mop up the blood.  “Looks like this one went straight through.  You get that IV in?”

“Yes Kate.”  Bruce reached over the table with some clean gauze and wiped her forehead as she healed the leg.  Her lips moved slightly upward.  They had definitely worked together too long if he was doing this.

“Okay,” she said, the leg done, turning to Nat and peeling the bandage away.  “Romanoff, I told you to sit down.  It’ll be easier for when I—ah, that’s gone straight through too.  How convenient.  Hold still then.  It’s going to feel weird.”

“Got the blood!” Clint said, coming to a halt as he watched Nat’s face finally relax while Kate healed her.  “I grabbed an extra bag for the bloodthirsty witch, in case she gets hungry.”

A loud sigh issued from the witch in question as she rounded on Clint, green eyes glaring.  “Bruce.  Get an IV into Romanoff and start her on some blood.  Cap too.  I’m going to go back to my coffin.”

Now Bruce was glaring at him too as Kate swept from the medbay.  Clint stared back.  After a moment of tense silence, Bruce began hooking the bag of blood up to Steve’s IV.

“Do you always let her boss you around like that?” Clint demanded as Bruce moved on to Nat.  “I mean, damn.  How does the big guy handle it?”

“The big guy likes her,” Bruce replied evenly, slipping the needle into Nat’s arm.  “She could probably pull me out of a rage if she wanted.”

“So beauty tamed the beast,” Thor put in, laughing.  “Of course, she is nowhere near as lovely or smart as my Jane.”

“Mai,” Bruce said shortly, feeling his temper rising.  “Make sure they stay put until the bags are drained.  Then call me.”

Turning on his heel, he left the medbay, following Kate.

She looked up as he knocked on her door.  “What do you want?”

“To talk.”

Sighing, she flicked her hand at the door, allowing it to open.  “Sorry for taking charge and ordering you about,” she mumbled, staring at her bloodied hands.  She hadn’t taken the time to wash them yet.

Bruce took her hands in his own, pulling her to her feet and towards the bathroom.  “Come on.  Let’s get you cleaned up.  I could use a shower too.”

Her eyebrow rose.  “Are you suggesting we shower together?”

“You said it, not me.”  He flashed her a lopsided smile and opened the bathroom door.  “But if you don’t want to, I understand.  I only just kissed you for the first time today, after all.”

Kate stepped up to him.  “You planning to kiss me more, then?”

A slow smile spread across his face.  “You bet,” he murmured, bending to kiss her.  Kate made a noise of approval, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers into his hair.

They backed into the bathroom and into the shower.  Kate groped for the handle, pulling away as the cold water hit them.  “Fuck!”

“You’re the one that pushed me into the shower,” Bruce laughed, pushing wet hair from her face.

“True.”  Kate bent and pulled off her boots, which landed with a wet thud on the other side of the room.  Her socks went next, joined shortly after by Bruce’s.

“Let me,” he said as she went to lift her shirt, his hands covering hers.  She raised her arms, and he peeled her shirt off, tossing it in the direction of their shoes.  He paused, taking her in as the water poured down over them.

She tilted her head in curiosity.  “What is it?”

He shook his own.  “You’re just… amazing,” he said after a moment.

Kate actually blushed, her arms moving to cover her chest.

“No, don’t be embarrassed.  I thought you were amazing after just talking with you for five minutes.  It didn’t take much longer for me to know that I wanted to kiss you.”

She began to unbutton his shirt.  “Exactly how much longer?”

It was his turn to blush. “Roughly a week.”

Pushing his shirt open, she smirked.  “You should have just kissed me.”

“Really?”  He shrugged the shirt off.

“I had a scientist crush on you for the longest time.  Then we started working together, and I learned more about you, and, well… it didn’t take more than a few days in the lab with you before I was seriously working to hide my feelings.  Apparently I did it pretty well.”

“We had a rhythm going in the lab.  I didn’t want to make things awkward,” he explained.

Kate rolled her eyes and undid his belt.  “Please.  I can control myself better than that.”

“You sure you want to do that?” he asked as she unbuttoned his trousers.  “Because I’m not—all right then.”  He kicked them aside, glad Kate wasn’t staring at him, and was instead pushing her own trousers down her legs.

“Trust me, Bruce,” she said after a moment, running a hand through his hair as she looked up at him, “I know what I’m doing.  And I know what I fully intend to do after we’re done getting cleaned up… unless you don’t want it.”

He kissed her again, pressing her against the shower wall, his tongue meeting hers.  She closed her eyes and moaned softly, enjoying the puddly feeling within her.

“Of course I want it.  Would I really be doing this if I didn’t?”  He began kissing along her jawline, down her neck and across her shoulders, which made her arch and moan again, especially when he kissed a spot just above her collarbone.

“Let’s get cleaned up first,” she breathed, “and then we can continue in the bedroom.”

He kissed her again.  “Agreed.”

-----b-----

Kate turned and snuggled into Bruce’s side.  They hadn’t even bothered drying off before moving to the bed, and now her hair was most likely a tangled damp mess, but she didn’t mind.

His arm wrapped around her, and she smiled, leaning up to kiss his jawline.  He bent to kiss her again, rolling so he was on top of her.  She chuckled.

“Ready for another round so soon?”

He hummed thoughtfully, kissing her neck.  “Maybe.  How about you?”

She let out a soft gasp as he nipped at her collarbone.  “Of course.”  It came out in a breath, as his lips had traveled south, and then she arched against him, moaning.

“Beautiful beautiful Kate,” he murmured, his hands running down her sides.

---b---

“We should probably go check on Cap and Nat,” Kate mumbled hazily, though truthfully she didn’t want to leave the bed.  Today had been stressful.

Bruce grunted.  The exhaustion was finally setting in, along with the hunger.  He was always hungry after the big guy came out.  Add in the post-battle activities, and he was starving.

“Probably,” he said at last.  “Why don’t you do that, and I’ll get some food.”

She smiled slightly and pulled herself from his arms, looking fondly at him.  “If you insist.”

He watched her as she dressed, admiring her form.  She took one look at her hair in the mirror, sighed, and twisted it into a bun.  Then she turned and kissed him briefly.

“Get some food,” she said.  “Or rest.  You need both.  I’ll be back soon.”

It had been a trying day, to say the least.  Kate had gone grocery shopping in the morning, and had nearly been knocked over by several people as she’d made her way home, and then she’d had to deal with the lecherous studio owner, who had tried his damnedest to get her to sleep with him, despite the fifteen thousand yen she’d given him as bonus for finishing the job quickly.  In the end, she’d had to threaten legal action to get him away from her—and he’d done this all in front of Gene, who had volunteered to go with her and try to stave him off.

She and Gene had gone for a quick bite to eat afterward, though Kate did not eat much—just being around that man had made her sick to her stomach.  Eventually, they made it back to the building, and Kate went to check the mail.

Reaching the flat, Kate flipped through the mail as Gene unlocked the door.  She kicked off her heels and set them on the shoe rack before setting most of the mail on the coffee table.  There was one envelope that she kept, however.  It had a strange return address… someone named Stacy, from England.  Maybe it was one of Tabitha’s paralegals.

She slid the contents from the envelope and began to read.

Gene had toed off his own shoes and plopped down on the couch.  His legs were aching from all the walking.  There was a soft noise next to him and he glanced up to see Kate still standing, her body rigid and shaking.

“Kate?” he asked, frowning.  “Are you all right?”

Her head snapped towards him. “Y-yes,” she said quickly.  “Excuse me, I need to make a phone call.”  She hurried into her bedroom and shut the door.

“In the fridge,” said a soft voice by Gene’s ear.  He jumped slightly, then turned to see the pale apparition of Kate’s father standing by the couch.

“What’s in the fridge?”

“Something she’ll want after she’s done on the phone,” was the quiet reply as Gene slowly got up.  “It’s in the back, behind the strawberry preserves.”

“You mean that butterbeer stuff?” he asked, moving towards the kitchen.  The ghost nodded.

In the doorway to the kitchen, Gene stopped.  Kate was yelling, or close to.

“I’d like you to explain how he got a letter out of prison!”  She definitely sounded angry.  “It’s got a return address, some Stacy Brown, but how in the hell did he smuggle it out?”  There was a pause.  “Yes it’s from him, it starts out with the damned name he always called me!  And it’s in his bloody handwriting, too!”  Another pause, and then Kate sounded exasperated.  “No it’s not actual blood Tabitha, for goodness sake.”  She let out a sigh.  “Find out how the bastard did it.  I moved to Japan to get away from him, not for him to send me creepy threatening letters!”

That was enough for Gene.  He swiftly grabbed two bottles of the butterbeer and headed back to the couch.

Kate emerged from her bedroom a minute or so later, looking pale.

Gene frowned.  “Are you all right?”

She shook her head as she sat down on the other end of the couch.  “I’m sorry if you heard any of that.  This psycho sent me a letter and it’s… well, it’s thrown me a bit.  A lot like he did himself,” she added quietly to herself.

Gene pushed one of the bottles towards her.  “Will this help?”

Kate looked at him in surprise.  “I—yes.  How did you know?”  She picked up the bottle and flicked off the lid with a tiny bit of wandless magic before taking a sip and sighing.

“I just did.” Gene glanced at her father’s form and gave her a small smile.  “What is that stuff, anyway?  I thought you didn’t drink alcohol.”

She reached for the other bottle and flicked the cap off of it before pushing it back towards Gene.  “I don’t.  The alcohol content is so low as to be negligible.  Try some.”

He took a cautious sip, his eyes widening as the fizzy butterscotch flavour hit him.  “This is delicious!”

Kate nodded.  “I can only get it one place in Scotland.  I brought a whole case with me when I moved here.”

“Why did you come to Japan, anyway?”  Maybe she would tell him.  If she didn’t, it was okay, but he hoped she’d at least share something.

She stilled, her hand gripping the bottle perhaps a little too tightly.  “I suppose I was running away,” she said softly, not meeting his eyes.  “The letter I received today… it was from him.”

“Who?  The jerk you dated?  You said it didn’t end well.”

Once again, she looked surprised at how much he knew—or remembered from previous conversations.  “Yes.  He”—she took a deep, steadying breath, then continued softly—“he tried to kill me.”

Gene looked at her in shock.  Who would want to kill Kate?  She was so kind!

Kate nodded to herself.  “He—he tried to… and I left him, because that was after he’d—he’d hurt me a lot, and I couldn’t take it anymore, and so I left, but then he found me, and—and he shot me.”

Gene reached forward and gently took the bottle from her shaking hand, setting it on the coffee table.  “Is that what the scar on your shoulder is from?”  She blinked at him, and he added hastily, blushing slightly, “I saw it as you walked out of the bathroom the other day after your shower.  I didn’t want to ask in case it upset you.”

She gave him a tiny smile.  “You’ve got scars from the accident yourself, I’m sure,” she murmured.  “And I have more scars from him than just the one in my shoulder.”

Her eyes closed, and she leaned back against the couch.  “It took so much work just to get the nerves working again.  So many specialists and Healers, which I had to sneak into hospital, of course.”

Gene cocked his head in confusion.  “Healers?  You had to sneak them into hospital?”

“Ah.”  She sat up, looking nervous.  “I had… hoped to avoid this conversation for a while.”

“We don’t have to—” he started, but she cut him off.

“No, it would have come up eventually.  I’ve just been trying to put it off, thinking the longer you stayed with me the less uncomfortable you might get about the thought that I’m a witch.” Kate bit her lip, waiting for his reaction.

He stared at her for a moment, then grinned.  “That’s pretty cool.  I’ve always wanted to meet a witch.”

“You’re not freaked out?” she asked nervously.  She’d been avoiding using magic as much as possible so as not to give any indication of their differences, but he was… okay with it?

“Nah,” he said, leaning back into the couch.  “Martin told us about your world before we went on this one case when we were eleven.  Said the ghost might be magical in origin, that we’d need to be careful, and that they’re cleansed differently.”

Kate let out a tiny, relieved sigh, falling backwards into the cushions herself.  “Sometimes I forget that you’re almost as strange as I am.”

“Hey!” he said, but was smiling.  “Just because I see dead people and can talk to them doesn’t mean I’m weird!”

She gave him a rueful smile.  “Sorry.  But I mean… to most people, we’d both be pretty weird.  Even Yasu is pretty weird, and he doesn’t have any preternatural powers at all.  Unless you count that creepy thing he does with his glasses.”

Gene laughed.  “True.  How did you meet them, anyway?”

“Ah.”  This was another topic that had to be broached carefully.  “I met Yasu on the street while hopelessly lost.  I’d purchased this apartment with someone’s help, but once I got to Japan there was kanji everywhere, and I can’t read it.  And Mai… well, she’s part of the reason I came to Japan in the first place.”

Kate reached forward and grabbed her bottle of butterbeer, taking a hasty sip.

“Um,” she began.  “While I was still in England, my radio picked up this song.  It was… really beautiful… and as soon as I heard it… my shoulder felt better.  Nothing’s healed it quite like Mai’s singing.”

Gene frowned, and Kate hurried onward.

“I—please don’t think I’m helping Mai for my own benefit.  I very much want her to be famous worldwide.  And she has this wonderful power—it could help so many people, like it did you, I just have to keep looking at it and—”

She was cut off as Gene kissed her.  Her eyes went wide, then closed.  After a moment, he pulled away, and they looked at each other, both pink in the face.

“Sorry,” he said.  “You’re just really cute when you’re flustered.  I won’t do it again.”

“What if I want you to?” The words slipped out before Kate could stop them, and she turned a deeper shade of red.

Gene didn’t respond, simply leaned forward and kissed her again, this time more deeply.

She hummed in pleasure, allowing him to part her lips.  Her hand moved to his shoulder as they kissed, and his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him, and then his hand was under her shirt, on her back, and Kate yanked herself away.

He looked at her in concern.  “Are you okay?  Did I do something wrong?”

Kate shook her head, biting her lip.  “Not at all!  It’s just—there are more scars than just the one.”

Gene nodded slowly.  “Okay.”

Kate smiled.  “Why don’t we change into our pyjamas and watch some telly?”

“Sounds like a great idea.”

Several minutes later, they were sat on the couch next to each other, an old movie on the television before them.

Kate took a sip of the butterbeer she’d magically chilled back to prime temperature, then glanced at the boy beside her.  “Gene?” she murmured.

“Mm?”

“I thought—I thought you liked Mai.”

“I do,” he said, lifting an arm to wrap around Kate’s shoulders.  “But only as a sister.  I think whatever I felt for her might have been residual from Noll.  I like you much more, Kate.”

He’d turned to look at her as he spoke, and Kate could see the warmth in his eyes.  She gave him a tiny smile and leaned against him.  “I like you too, Gene.  A lot.  I’m just worried that I’m… rebound, you know?  I don’t want to be a rebound again.”  Drinking deeply from the bottle, she silently added, Last time I was someone’s rebound it ended horribly.

His arm tightened around her.  “No.  Not at all.  You’re Kate, and I like you for being Kate.”  Inside, he was frowning.  Had she been the rebound for her last boyfriend?

“’M sorry,” she mumbled, setting the empty bottle down.  “I’m just a worrywart.”

“You don’t need to worry with me.”  He kissed the top of her head.  “You’re safe.”

“Mmm.”  Her eyes slid closed and they lapsed into silence.

Not ten minutes later, Gene glanced over at her to discover that she was sleeping.  Smiling to himself, he shifted slightly to get comfortable before turning off the television and settling down to sleep on the couch.

~*~

Kate was the first to wake the next morning.  She frowned as her pillow moved beneath her, and then she realized exactly what (or rather, who) her pillow was.  She yanked herself away, blushing furiously.

“I’m so sorry!” she stammered as Gene blinked up at her sleepily.

“Hmm?” he asked in confusion.

“I fell asleep on you last night!  You should have gone to bed and left me on the couch, you didn’t need to—to—!”

He started to chuckle, and she stared at him, still pink, as he leaned forward to kiss her briefly.

“Did I mention you’re cute when you’re flustered?”  Her colour deepened.  “I didn’t mind.  You looked like you needed the sleep, especially after the day you had yesterday.”

That was right.  She’d had to deal with the groceries, and then Takahashi, and then there’d been that letter, and then Gene—.  She blushed even more.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be.  I don’t mind.  I’ll be a little sore, and might suggest that we choose a bed if we decide to sleep together again…” He trailed off and winked at her.

Kate went, if possible, even redder.  “Loo,” she mumbled, and practically leapt from the couch.

Gene frowned and pushed himself upwards.  Ooh.  His legs were a bit asleep.  He stumbled slightly, but made it to the hallway, where he waited for Kate to emerge.

She did so a few minutes later, her green eyes widening a bit as she found him waiting for her.

“I’m sorry,” he said.  “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

She shook her head.  “No, it’s not that at all.  I mean—you certainly startled me, but it’s more…” She trailed off, biting her lip.  “After what happened with—with—I’m just… really wary.”

“I would never raise a hand to you,” he said seriously, looking her in the eyes.  “I swear on my own grave.”

Kate opened her mouth to say that he shouldn’t do that and it was an awful thing to say, but after what he’d been through—and there was a headstone with his name on it somewhere in England—she simply said, “You really should call your brother.”

Gene shrugged.  “Eventually.  And eventually I’ll go home, I guess.  But not yet.  There are a couple things in Japan I’d miss a lot if I go home now.”  His lips curled into a smile as he brushed hair from her face.  “Like you.”

The blush was back, just when she’d managed to make it go away!  Kate ducked her head, embarrassed.  “You shouldn’t say things like that,” she mumbled.

“Why not?” he asked, nonplussed.  “I mean them.  You’ll be here for a while making Mai famous, and from what I can see you don’t want to go back to England right now.”

“I did tell Tabitha that if I had to go back to sort this mess out I’d be extremely unhappy.” Kate smiled slightly at him.  “So yes, I am planning on staying here for a while.”

“Then I’ll stay with you.”

His eyes were so warm, and Kate couldn’t help but lift herself onto her toes to kiss his cheek.  He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, and kissed her properly.

They broke apart when a loud grumble sounded.  Gene glanced downwards, then grinned at Kate.  “Guess I’m hungry.”

“I’ll make some breakfast,” she murmured, smiling.  “What would you like?”

“Nothing fancy.  Eggs and toast?  Something that goes with spearmint toothpaste,” he added, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

She flushed slightly.  She had brushed her teeth before coming out of the bathroom.  “I’ll take that into consideration.  How do you want your eggs?  Fried, over easy?”

He nodded.  “And those strawberry preserves I saw in your fridge.”

Her eyebrow rose.  “You want strawberry preserves in your eggs?  Okay…”

“No, for my toast,” he said indignantly, then grinned when he realized she was teasing him.  “All right, my turn for the toilet.  You go make breakfast.”

“Do you want some preserves in your coffee as well?” she asked, eyes twinkling.

“Just the usual cream and sugar,” he replied.  “I really do need the toilet, Kate.”

“Oh!  Right, sorry.”

Twenty minutes later they were in the kitchen, eating eggs and toast.

“So what are the plans for today?” Gene asked, slathering his toast with preserves.

Kate let out a thoughtful hum as she chewed her eggs.  Swallowing, she said, “I think I’ll probably put in the discs Takahashi gave me yesterday to make sure they’re all right, and then start making calls.”  She took a sip of her tea, then added, “I should call Tabitha as well and see if anything’s happened.”

He reached over and covered her hand with his own.  “Why don’t you take a break? You’ve been working hard this last week.  Let’s rent a movie and veg out on the couch.”

“I do have cable,” she pointed out.

“True,” he said.  “So let’s veg out on the couch and watch telly then.  And get takeaway for dinner.”

“We had dinner out last night!”

“You hardly ate any.  How can you appreciate not cooking if you don’t eat what you didn’t cook?”

Kate looked at him blankly for several moments, then started to giggle.  “You’re ridiculous,” she managed to say.

Gene shrugged.  “Maybe, but you need to relax.  You work too hard.”

She shoved a forkful of eggs into her mouth and nodded. It was the only way she could sleep without dreaming—or at least remembering her dreams.  Except last night… She’d dreamt, and dreamt of good things for once.

“Do you ever have nightmares?” she asked after a moment.

“That’s a rapid change of topic.  But yeah, I do.”  He grabbed another piece of toast and started spreading preserves onto it.  “I dream about the accident sometimes, and then I dream about the cases Mai and Noll were on… especially Urado.”

“Urado?”

“Yeah. Um, I think it was a Japanese form of Vlad?”  He shrugged.  “I remember some things from the case, but my consciousness was kind of in and out.  I wasn’t able to contact Mai until the very end, and I was able to comfort Masako, which was good, but if the others hadn’t found her in time I wouldn’t have been able to save her from him.”

Kate stared at him in horror. “That—Gene… That sounds awful.  What exactly happened?”

He frowned, trying to think of how best to describe the case.  How did one accurately portray blood-bathing terror ghosts?  Especially ones that kept skeletons like trophies and had morphed into monsters?  Deciding it was easiest to start with the first part, he asked, “Well… do you know who Elizabeth Bathory was?”

“She was into some really Dark stuff,” she said, nodding.  “I mean, Voldemort was looking for immortality, but he didn’t resort to bathing in people’s blood.”

“She was a witch?” Gene asked.  “Huh.  I guess that… sort of explains some things.  Like the blood baths.  Did they actually work?”

“Yes,” Kate said.  “I mean, until they caught her and sentenced her to house arrest.  It was extremely Dark magic, though.”

He took a sip of coffee, grimacing slightly at the lukewarm temperature.  “Urado was trying the same thing.  Killing young people and bathing in their blood.  Mai… she had to experience that in one of her postcognitive dreams.”

“That’s horrible!”  Kate pushed her plate away, no longer hungry (and a bit nauseated instead).

“Do you have nightmares?  Is that why you asked?” He had a feeling it was, especially after what he’d learned last night.

She nodded, her eyes on the table.  “Almost every night.  About… about him, about the war, about my mother… But last night, sleeping next to you—well, on you,” she amended, flushing slightly, “I had nice dreams.”

Propping his chin on his hand, Gene regarded her thoughtfully.  He’d had some pretty nice dreams himself last night—possibly as a result of sleeping next to her?  If he were his brother, he’d want to investigate further, to see if they were affecting each other’s subconscious.  But he was not Oliver.  Still…

“Maybe we should sleep together again tonight.  It could be that we were both tired, but what if it isn’t?” He smirked slightly and added, “But we should do it in a bed this time around.”

Kate flushed more under his gaze, not meeting his eyes.  “I—I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” He stood and grabbed his plate.  “Are you done?  I’ll clean up.”

She finally looked up at him, frowning.  “You don’t have to.  I can take care of it.”

“Nah. You cooked breakfast, the least I can do is tidy up.  Why don’t you put on one of those CDs?  We could both probably use it, and you can get a little work done today so you won’t feel so guilty.”

“How did you—all right,” she said after a moment of wondering how he’d known what she’d been thinking.  Dazedly, she headed into the living room, where she pulled one of the CDs from her purse and slid it into the player on top of the small bookshelf.  As the soft sounds of piano began to play, Kate began tidying up.

Gene bumped into her as she headed for the kitchen with the butterbeer bottles.  Mai began to sing, and he took the bottles from her and set them on the bookcase.  She looked at him in confusion, then smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her briefly.  His fingers entwined with her own, and then he spun her into a waltz.

“Gene, what are you doing?”

“Dancing with you, obviously.”

“I don’t—” She couldn’t say she didn’t know how to dance.  She’d learned along with all the other fourth years, despite no-one actually asking her to the Yule Ball.  She just… didn’t. “I don’t dance,” she finished lamely.

“You’re dancing with me right now,” he pointed out, spinning slowly with her.  He glanced over to the corner, where her father stood smiling.

“No, I mean…” She trailed off, biting her lip.  “I haven’t danced with someone since my father died,” she whispered.

He froze.  “Oh god.  Kate, I’m so sorry.  I didn’t—” She cut him off.

“It’s okay.  Really.” She gave him a gentle smile.  “Maybe you could help me enjoy it again.”

In the corner, her father was nodding.

“Okay,” Gene replied, smiling back at her.  “Shall we?”

“Let’s move the furniture first.”  She released his hand and went over to her purse, which was sitting by the door, to pull out her wand.  “Want to see a bit of magic?”  Without waiting for an answer, she flicked her wrist, sending all the furniture to the walls. “Now… where were we?”

“I believe here,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and dipping her.  He kissed her, smiling, before bending her back upright.

They were silent until the end of the song, allowing Mai’s voice to wash over them and heal their wounds.  As the next song began, Gene spoke.

“What was your father like, if I can ask?”

“Well,” Kate said as they manoeuvred slowly around the room, “he was incredibly kind.  Maybe too kind.  And sometimes he was really headstrong, which got him into trouble.  Sometimes he really played into that hot-headed Irish stereotype.  But he believed the best of everyone, even when he shouldn’t have… which is probably why he was killed.”

“I’m sorry,” Gene murmured.

“And—and he was a Muggleborn—his parents weren’t wizards—so he liked a lot of Muggle things, like the telly and Muggle music, especially this band called Queen.”  She smiled wistfully.  “He’d play it when my mother wasn’t home and we would both sing along at the top of our lungs.  Do you—do you know Queen?”

“Not personally, but… Is this the real life?  Is this just fantasy?” he intoned, slightly off-key.

“Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality…”

“Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see…”

“I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy…”

“Because I’m easy come, easy go!”

“Little high, little low!”

“Any way the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me… To me…” Gene dipped her again as he sang, grinning at her.  She gave him a radiant smile as he pulled her back upright, and then he just stood there, his hand on her waist and his mouth slightly open as he stared at her.

“Gene?” she asked.  “Are you all right?”

He blinked.  “Yeah!  Yeah, just… you’re so beautiful when you smile.”

Kate flushed.  “Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not!” he protested.  “I’m completely serious!  You are beautiful!”

She pulled away, frowning. “But I’m covered in scars.”

“So?  I am too, after the accident.”

“No,” she said.  “I mean… covered.” She turned away from him and pulled off her pyjama top.  

Gene went bright red.  Kate wasn’t wearing a bra or a camisole or anything! Then he stared.  Her back… there were scars all over it.  Like someone had whipped her or something.  “Who?” he whispered.  “Who could do something like this to you?”  His fingers traced one of the longer ones, and she shuddered.  He pulled his hand back.  “Sorry.  But really, who?”

Kate turned, using her top to cover herself.  Gene shut his eyes, and put his hand over them for good measure.  He didn’t want to accidentally see something, not until she wanted him to.

“My mother.”  Her voice was quiet.  “She always hated me—made it clear she’d never wanted me, and after my father died, well… she took it new levels.  And I could never please her, no matter how hard I tried.”

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

She shook her head, sitting down on the couch.  There was a rustle of fabric as she put her top back on.  “It’s not your fault.  I just—sometimes I wish Tammy’d died in that alley too.  Being an orphan had to be better than what I went through with her and Doug.”

Gene let his hand fall to his side as he opened his eyes to look at her.  “I dunno about that,” he said.  “Noll and I had it pretty rough at the orphanage, and we weren’t magic.”

Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widening in shock. “Oh Merlin—I’d forgot—I’m so sorry, Gene.”

He shrugged.  “It’s all right.  I mean, we got roughed up now and again, but we were only there for a few years, and then Martin and Luella found us.  Lucky break, really.  A lot of people didn’t want the both of us, just me, but I refused to go anywhere without Noll.  I couldn’t abandon my little brother, you know?”  His lips curled into a lopsided smile.

Kate pulled her knees to her chest.  “I was an only child, but I bet I’d have felt the same way if I’d had a sibling.”

“Do you wish you’d had?”

She shook her head.  “After what Tammy put me through?  I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, not even Draco Malfoy.”

Gene looked at her.  “I take it that guy was a real loser.”

“Bullied me all through school.   He was on the wrong side, and he didn’t realize it until the very end.  Now his father’s in prison and he only made it out by offering up enormous sums of cash to those who survived.” She wrapped her arms around her knees.  “Doesn’t really do much since all the Death Eaters have to pay reparations, but I suppose when you’re attractive and filthy rich you get forgiven for things pretty easily.  I’d rather he’d just gone to jail.”

"A word Katelyn, if you please," Tiberius called as she and Abraxas passed by his study several days into their stay.

"Sir?" she asked, stepping into the room.

"I wanted to ask you a few more questions.  Please, sit.  You too Brax."

Kate continued to stand.  ”May I ask a question of my own?”  Tiberius nodded.  ”Do you do this with every girl Abraxas brings home?”

The elder Malfoy smirked.  ”Only the ones he’s particularly fond of.  I have to make sure they’re worthy of continuing the Malfoy line, after all.”

A flush spread over her face, and she sat hastily down as Abraxas hissed, “Father! Don’t be crude.”

"No," Kate mumbled, waving her hand slightly.  "It’s better to know his motives."

Abraxas was blushing, too.  ”I wasn’t even planning on mentioning it for a while,” he whispered.

She glanced at him, understanding dawning upon her, and the flush on her face deepened.  ”You—Brax—”

Tiberius cleared his throat.  ”You said the other day that you had some hidden potential, Katelyn.”

Kate swallowed and nodded.  ”You don’t get eight Oustandings without having talent and skill,” she said.  ”Charms is my best subject, followed by Potions.  I—I’m very good at warding charms, and am skilled in spellcrafting.”  She touched the locket at her throat.  ”I wove wards into the chain, and they’re engraved in the runes.”

"May I see it?"

"No.  I never take it off.  But, if you’d like to toss something at me, you can see how it works."

"Kate!" Abraxas said, horrified, then gasped as something flew by his face before stopping in midair.

She plucked the paperweight from the golden shield in front of her and regarded it with interest.  ”At least you didn’t aim for my head.”  Her eyes met Tiberius’s.  ”You don’t approve of me, do you?”

He shrugged, which made Kate give him a small smile.

"I wouldn’t approve of me either.  Girl out of nowhere, a bastard mother and mudblood father, and yet your son seems oddly taken with her."  She sent the paperweight back to its proper place on his desk with a flick of her hand.

"Wandless magic, too?" Tiberius asked.

"Some.  It’s not my best skill."

"You certainly have hidden talents, Katelyn," he said after a moment.  "It’s a pity about your parents."

"Indeed," she replied, her voice low.  "I wish my blood wasn’t dirty, that my mother hadn’t decided to marry a mudblood.  That’s why I’ve worked so hard.  I want to bring my blood back to glory."

Tiberius raised an eyebrow.  ”The other day you said you were content with mediocrity.”

"I said I was for now.  Someday, I will come into my own and shine brightly, but it’s not the right moment.  I’m simply biding my time."

"Are you a Seer as well, that you know that your time will come?"

Kate smirked.  ”No.  It’s simply self-confidence.”  She stood.  ”I have homework to complete.  If you’ll excuse me?”

"Certainly."

She was almost out the door when Abraxas let out a noise of surprise and a ward shimmered.  Turning, she glared at Tiberius and the letter-opener six inches from her face.

"You may not like me much, sir, but I really don’t think any of my companions or your wife would like it if you were constantly throwing things at me.  Please desist.”

She turned again and walked briskly off, the letter-opener clattering to the floor behind her.

“That was uncalled for,” Abraxas said hotly.  “I can understand questioning her about what she can do, but trying to hurt her?”

“She’s perfectly capable of defending herself, as you just observed,” Tiberius replied evenly.  “She doesn’t need you.”

“She does if Dumbledore’s out to get her!  The Malfoy name will protect her.”

“Why is Dumbledore after her?  Because she can create wards and do wandless magic?  Because she’s hiding her powers?  You’re being paranoid, Brax.”

“Because of what she’s hiding!  Whatever other secrets she’s keeping, he wants them.”

“Do you know what she’s hiding?”

“No,” Abraxas said lamely.  “But I know she’ll tell me when the time is right.  I trust her.”  He looked up at Tiberius.  “I love her, Father.  I think I want to marry her.”

“She doesn’t seem quite so eager about you,” Tiberius observed.

“Don’t you like that about her? She’s not after our money, even though she grew up without much.  She’s independent, cunning, and suspicious of everything—sometimes even me.  She’s just unsure of her feelings right now, but I think—I know she cares for me, and it might go deeper.  She’s cautious, Father.  About everything.”

The elder Malfoy leaned back in his chair, thinking.  “The girl would be a suitable match if it weren’t for her blood status.”

Abraxas closed his eyes and sighed.  This would always be a problem.

“Perhaps if she did a blood adoption… Who has similar colouring to hers?”  At his son’s look of confusion, Tiberius sighed.  “A blood adoption will inevitably change her genetics.  We need someone who has some similar to hers.  Who among your friends has green eyes and brown hair?”

“Just Theo Nott, I think. But his eyes are more hazel.”

Tiberius smirked.  “Herschel owes me a rather large favour… I believe I may cash it in.”

Abraxas stared at his father.  “You’d do that?  For her?”

“For you.  For the Malfoy line.  Not for the girl.”  Tiberius nodded to himself, then looked at his son.  “Run along now, and don’t say anything about this.  I intend for it to be a surprise.”

“Yes Father.  Thank you.”  Abraxas practically raced from the room, hurrying to the library where Kate was.

“Your father’s an arse,” Kate said, not looking up from her book.

“He likes you,” Abraxas replied, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her temple.  “He just told me so.”

Kate raised her eyebrow and turned to face him.  “He has a funny way of showing it.”

“I promise you he does.”  He kissed her.  When he pulled away, she bit her lip, a sign that she was worried.  

“Did you mean what you said back there?” she whispered.  “That you’re thinking of marrying me?”

“Absolutely,” he replied.  “I love you.”

“That doesn’t mean that you—I—” She cut herself off, looking down at her book, then closed her eyes and sighed.  Her hand closed into a fist around her quill, and she set it down, the hand sliding into her lap so that he wouldn’t see it trembling.  Butterflies began to flit around in her belly.  She’d hoped to wait longer, but with everything going on, and with what he’d just said….  She was silent for a long moment before she finally murmured, “I guess it’s time to tell you, then.”

“I told you you didn’t have to,” he said, frowning.  “I trust you.”

Kate opened her eyes and looked at him.  “You can say that all you want, Abraxas, but I cannot in good conscience let you start—start engaging me without you knowing the truth.  I don’t want to hurt you.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to tell me—”

She cut him off.  “It does.  You have to know what you’re getting into.”  One side of her lips curved upwards.  “I suppose it’s better that I tell you here, anyway.  At Hogwarts the walls have ears.”  The smile vanished.  “But where to start?”

“The beginning?” he offered, sitting back.

“There are a couple of those,” she muttered, frowning.  “I suppose I could start with this past July when a new ward I was working on went wrong, and I ended up in the middle of London just before an air raid.  That’s when I met Tom.”

“We’re not allowed to do magic outside of school,” Abraxas said in confusion.  “Not till we’re of age.  You were making wards and—did you Apparate?”

Kate shook her head, a small smile on her lips.  “First lie,” she said softly.  “I’m not sixteen.  Or seventeen.  I’ll actually be twenty in March.”

He blinked at her.  “Twenty?  But you—how—?”

“You’ll understand when I finish.  If you want me to finish.”  He nodded, so she continued, “I was incredibly disoriented to suddenly be in the middle of air raid.  Tom noticed and soon realized that I was different.  So he took me in.”

“Why were you disoriented? The raids come on pretty quick, after all.”

“Because…” Kate wasn’t sure how best to put it, and paused for a moment to think.  “I came from a time when war in England was over,” she said finally.  “Nearly sixty years in the future.”

He stared at her, and she barreled onward.

“I fought in a war that lasted several years—the last battle almost destroyed Hogwarts.  When I told you I sat for my O.W.L.s, I did, but I did so in 1997.”

“But that means you were born in…”

“1981.”

“Where was I?  Where were any of us?”  He was taking this awfully well.

She shook her head.  “I won’t tell you that.  The future’s changed now that I’m here.  There are no guarantees that what happened in my past will happen in your future… in our future.  Rose told me that my presence here is already changing things.”

Abraxas frowned, looking at her.  “So you’re three years older than me and traveled here from the future?”

“Accidentally.  I couldn’t go back even if I wanted to… which I don’t.”

It took a moment for her statement to register with him.  “You want to stay here?” he whispered.  “With me?”

Biting her lip, she nodded.  “No-one else.”

Suddenly, he was kissing her hard on the mouth.  She made a noise of surprise, then kissed him back.

“Oh Kate,” he murmured when he broke away, pushing hair behind her ear in a gesture of affection.  “Ten O.W.L.s, wandless magic, surviving a war, and time travel.  You know things you shouldn’t.  No wonder you have to hide from Dumbledore.”

“Sometimes I wonder if my next spell will send me back,” she whispered, feeling her hands beginning to shake again.  “Or send me somewhere else.  I don’t know what to do about it, but Rose tells me not to worry.  I don’t want to go back, Brax.  I like it here, with Tom and Rose…with you.  And then I wonder if this will be the day Dumbledore finds out and—and grabs me or something, to try and force me to do it again, or to do experiments on me… or even to just try to torture the secrets of the future out of me.”

Abraxas clasped her hands in his own.  “Don’t,” he whispered back.  “Don’t worry, ever again.  I’ll protect you.”  Then he was on the floor, on one knee, an earnest look on his face.

“Brax, don’t,” Kate said, her eyes wide as she realized what was happening.

“I know I said I wasn’t planning on mentioning it, but I’ve been thinking about it for a bit.  I want to marry you Kate, and I’d be so happy if you want to marry me too.”

“You still want to?” she asked.  “Even after knowing all this?”

“Especially after knowing all this.” He reached up and tucked more hair behind her ear.  “You’re an amazing girl, Kate.  I want you by my side for the rest of my life.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she nodded.  “Yes,” she said.  “Yes.”

----------woo---------

“You don’t have to do this,” Abraxas said, a worried frown marring his features.

“Shut up Brax,” Kate snapped as she snatched the cup from the table and pricked her finger, allowing blood to drip into it.  The potion began to steam, and she held her nose and downed it quickly.

It took a moment to affect her, but then it was as if fire was coursing through her veins.  She fell to her knees, doubled over in pain as she let out a soft curse.  Abraxas was beside her, a hand on her shoulder, rubbing her back as she shook slightly.  The pain slowly ebbed away, and Kate lay on the floor for a moment before slowly sitting upright.

“Are you all right?” Abraxas asked, looking her over with concern.

“That hurt less than getting shot five times,” she replied with a small, tight smile.  “Of course, I blacked out from the pain when that happened…”  Her eyes met Abraxas’s.  “What’s changed?  How do I look?”

“Well, uh…” He flushed slightly and shrugged off his cardigan, setting it around her shoulders.

Kate glanced down and groaned.  Her blouse was gapping.  How had getting a man’s DNA made her breasts grow?  “Dammit,” she said.  “Everything’s going to have to be retailored.  What if your mother’s seamstress thinks I’m pregnant?”

“But you’re not!  We haven’t even—I don’t—Kate!”

Her eyes twinkled at the look of consternation on his face.  “What else is different, Brax?  I think I’m a bit taller, and something’s changed with my face… I could feel it.”

“Your cheekbones are more pronounced,” he said after a moment.  “Your freckles have gone, and your hair’s darker.  I think your eyes might be more green, too.”

Kate pulled a lock of hair forward and considered it.  “Hmm.  Better than what it was.  Your mother will be sad that it doesn’t have those golden highlights she talked about.”

Abraxas shrugged.  “I liked you just the way you were.”

She gave him a long, calculating look.  “Really?  You’re not the least bit excited about my chest?”

His cheeks flushed again.  “Kate!”

Her lips curved into a smirk, and she stood, pulling the cardigan closed before turning to Tiberius.  “Do I meet with your approval, sir?”

The elder Malfoy nodded.  “You handled that well, child.”

She shrugged.  “I’ve had worse, sir.  If I may be excused to go change?”  If he didn’t stop calling her a child, she was likely to hex him in his sleep.  Not that she’d ever tell him that.

“Go on.”

Upstairs, Kate sat down in front of the vanity once she’d undressed and took a moment to look at herself.  Abraxas hadn’t lied—her cheekbones were certainly more visible.  Her whole face was more heart-shaped rather than oval now, her hairline a smidge lower.  Her eyelashes were longer for some reason as well.

She was definitely lovelier than she’d been an hour earlier, lovely enough to actually look like she belonged in a Pureblood family, on Abraxas’s arm.  Her hand reached up to touch her hair and she pulled it back, looking at it.  At least it seemed the same.  Small, with a square palm and short fingers.

So when would the good fortune end?  When Dumbledore saw her next he’d see the changes, and no doubt he’d be even more belligerent about getting her alone.

“I have taken nothing that was not freely offered to me,” she whispered to herself.

“You tell ‘em, dearie,” said the mirror.  

Kate sighed and closed her eyes, not wanting to see the new girl in the mirror anymore.

Abraxas would back her up.  He’d had to wheedle his way into courting her, after all, and it was only with hesitation that she’d agreed to marry him.  Not that she didn’t love him—no, it was anything but that.  She was more afraid of how he could be hurt because of her actions.

There was a knock at the door, and she hurried to the closet, grabbing a dressing gown and wrapping it around herself. “C-come in!”

Her boyfriend—no, fiancé—poked his head around the door.  “Hey.  Just wanted to check on you.”

She forced a smile on her face.  “Hey.  I’m okay.  Just… adjusting.”

“Good.”  He smiled back at her and stepped into the room.  “I really did like the way you looked before.  Especially those freckles on your nose.”

Her eyebrow rose as she stepped into the closet.  “Most people don’t care for freckles.”

“I think they’re adorable.”

Kate did not answer as she went through the things in her closet.  Most of them would need to be altered, damn it.  She sighed.

“You’re not all right,” Abraxas realized suddenly.  Kate looked up at him in surprise, then flushed.  He was in her closet!

Abraxas turned and pulled one of her dresses down.  “This one’s loose.  And long.  Wear it until we can get Tabitha over.”

“When will that be?”  She took the dress from him and held it to her chest.

“Mother’s sending her an owl now.  It’ll be all right, Kate.”

“That’s—that’s not the problem,” she said after a moment.

“What is?  Let me help.”  He reached for her, and she backed up.  Frowning, he let his hand drop to his side.  “Kate…”

“Please don’t touch me,” she whispered.  “I need to—I just need to deal with the changes.  I hadn’t realized there’d be so many, that they’d be so noticeable.  Just—give me some time?”

“Of course, love,” Abraxas murmured.  “Will you be down to dinner, or shall I send something up?”

“I--”  She bit her lip.  “I’ll be down.  Don’t want your father to think something’s wrong.”  She forced a tiny smile on her face.

“I’ll see you then,” he said, and blew her a kiss before turning and leaving the room.  Out in the corridor, he ran into his mother.

“Is Kate all right?” the woman asked.  “I just received an owl back from Tabitha; she said she can be here tomorrow morning.”

“She’s all right physically, but I think she’s having trouble with the changes.  I think it’s best we leave her alone for now, though…”  He paused and smiled.  “Hang on.  I think I have something that’ll make her feel a bit better.”  After disappearing into his room, he returned with a wrapped package and handed it to his mother.  “Give her this when you talk to her?”

“Of course, dear.”  Guinevere kissed his cheek and knocked on Kate’s door before easing it open.  “Kate?”

The younger witch popped her head out of her closet.  “Yes?”

Guinevere smiled.  “That dress looks good on you, dear.  I wanted to tell you that Tabitha will be here at ten tomorrow, and Brax wanted me to give you this.”

Kate frowned and stepped into the room, smoothing the dress.  “I told him I didn’t want anything for Christmas.”

“He’s like me.  We do as we please when it comes to those we love, especially if it will make them happy.”

Sighing, Kate took the package and unwrapped it.  Her expression brightened as she realized what it was: a leatherbound, gilded-edge collector’s edition of The Hobbit, along with a more mundane one for reading.  “Oh, Brax,” she whispered.  Her fiancé had apparently understood her grumbling about the book when he’d first offered to buy it.  And now that he knew her secret, he knew how important these things were to her.  Tears filled her eyes.  “Tell him thank you,” she said after a moment, once she’d gotten past the threat of crying.  “I’ll thank him properly when I come down to dinner.”

“Of course,” Guinevere murmured, touching her sleeve before leaving the room.

Kate set the nicer version on her desk, then curled up on her bed with the book.

-----mmm border that lasts for two days----

Kate cursed as there was a knock on her door.  “Kate?  You almost ready?”

“Yeah.  Come in.”  She was crouching by the bed, feeling underneath until she triumphantly stood, shoes in hand.  “Honestly,” she complained.  “You’d think it would be easier to keep track of these.  I only have four pairs, after all.”

“You’d think,” he agreed.  Kate had had only two, her school shoes and a pair of trainers that had come from the future with her.  Now she had those, a pair of heels, and a sensible pair of oxfords.  If he’d had any say, she’d have dozens of pairs, but she had vehemently protested when they’d gone shopping.

She pulled on the shoes, then turned to him.  “Okay. I’m ready.”

Abraxas stared at her.  She was…

“Your mother stopped by and did my hair and makeup,” Kate mumbled, looking nervous.  “I was kind of a mess before that.”

“Beautiful,” he murmured.  “But not quite ready.”  At her questioning look, he produced two boxes, one long and thin and the other small and square.  He handed her the long, thin one first.  “This one is from Mother.”

Kate opened the box and stared at the contents. “It’s lovely, Brax.”  It was a strand of emeralds and moonstones set in silver.  “I’ll—I’ll need to move my locket.  Will you turn around?”

“Scars?” he asked quietly.  The back of her gown was open, and she had yet to show him all her scars.  It was all right.  In time, she would.  He’d gotten a glimpse when they’d first met, that day on the train, but he had a feeling they were more extensive than that.

She nodded, and he obligingly turned around.  After a moment, she murmured his name, and he turned back around to see her healing her finger, the locket’s chain wrapped around her gloved wrist.  “Would you?”  She handed the box to him, and he looped the strand around her neck, trailing his fingers down her spine, which made her shiver.

“Sorry,” he said as she turned, and produced the other box.  “This one’s from me.”  Kate took it and stared at the contents.  “I suppose it’s not quite just from me, it’s a family heirloom—an engagement ring.  It was my grandmother’s, and it’s warded, so if anyone tries to hurt you, they can’t… and I’ll know immediately.  It’s linked to my own ring.”

Kate looked at him, her eyes shining, and threw her arms around his neck, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him.  “Thank you,” she whispered into his ear before she released him.

“You’re welcome.”  Gently, he tugged her glove off and slid the ring onto the appropriate finger.  He looked back up at her and smiled.  “I have to activate it with a kiss.”

Their lips met again, and both felt a surge of magic run through their bodies.  “Brax.”  Her voice trembled slightly.  “I want to—you need to know—I—I--”

He smiled and brushed a strange of hair from her face.  “If you’re trying to say what I think you’re trying to say, you don’t have to.  As long as you care, it doesn’t matter if you love me or not.”

Her green eyes were earnest as she grabbed his hand.  “But I do!  I do love you, Brax!”  She froze, and a smile graced her features.  “I said it,” she whispered to herself, her eyes lighting up in triumph.  “I said it!  I love you!”

If she’d been about to say anything else, it was muffled as he crashed his lips to her own, lifting her in his arms.  “I love you, Kate,” he said when they separated and he set her back on her feet.  “Now, we should probably get downstairs.”

Kate nodded and pulled her glove back on before sticking her wand into it, then patted her hair.  “Do I look okay?”

“Amazing.”  He kissed her gloved hand, then offered her his arm.  She took it, and they made their way downstairs to the ballroom.

“Kate!” Theo Nott hurried towards them.  “You look great!”

She forced a smile on her face.  It was the first time she’d seen him since she’d spoken with his father before the blood adoption, and she had a feeling he was talking more about the changes than anything.  “Thank you, Theo.”

They began to mingle, stopping every so often to speak with someone.  So many people commented on Kate’s beauty, but nothing else, that she began to get uncomfortable.  After one of the Goyles walked away, Kate looked at Abraxas, frowning.

“You all right?” he asked.

“Everyone keeps talking about how I look, but they don’t seem to care about me.  Is that what high society’s like?  Am I just a trophy wife to them?”

“Does it matter what they think?  You’re wonderful Kate, even if they can’t see it.  Sooner or later they’ll find out.”  He squeezed her hand, looking earnest.

She gave him a gentle smile.  “Thank you, Brax.  I’ll be right back, okay?  I need the loo.”

He nodded, and she left the ballroom, stopping in the corridor adjoining.  She hadn’t really needed to use the toilet—she’d needed a break from the party.  Closing her eyes, she sighed.

Footsteps approached her rapidly, and her eyes snapped open to see Dumbledore making a beeline for her.  No-one else was around.  Shit.

“Who are you?” he demanded as she backed away.  “Where are you from?  What are you hiding?  Why did you change?”

“It’s none of your business,” she snapped, wincing as her back hit the wall.

“I am a professor.  It is my business if you plan to harm the school.”  He was still advancing on her, his blue eyes like ice.

“We’re not at the school.  And besides, I have no intention of doing anything to your damned school.  Get away from me, Professor.  How did you even get in?  You weren’t invited!”

Dumbledore grabbed her shoulders and began to shake her.  “Tell me who you are!”

“Never!” she snarled, just as the wards finally activated.  He was blasted backward, landing ungracefully on his back.  Kate glared at him.  “I have to respect you as a professor, but if you ever touch me again, there will be hell to pay, do you understand?”

“I will find out your secrets!” he declared as she strode past him.  “No matter what it takes!  You know something!”

She turned, if only momentarily, to say, “I know that my fiancé, given the chance, would kill you for what you’ve just done.  And I know that I might just let him.”  Sweeping her skirt around, she headed back for the ballroom.

“Kate!”  Abraxas’s smile vanished as he took in her mussed hair.  “What the hell happened?”

“Dumbledore,” she said shortly.  “He accosted me in the corridor.  Demanded to know everything.”  She sighed.  “I’m glad the wards worked, because otherwise…”

“I don’t want to think about what would have happened,” Abraxas replied, touching her face.  “Did he hurt you at all?”

Kate shook her head.  “I’m just shaken up.  I’d really like to leave, but right now… I don’t want to be on my own.”

He nodded.  “It’s all right.  We’ll go sit in the corner.”

“Okay,” she murmured, suddenly looking very tired as she closed her eyes in resignation.

Abraxas frowned, an idea coming to him.  “Kate.”

“Hmm?”  Her eyes met his, so very green and so very weary.  She looked older than she was, and much older than she was pretending to be.

“Marry me.”

She snorted.  “I already said I would, Brax.”

“No, I mean here.  Right now.”

“Are you crazy?  Your mother would throw a fit.  You know she’s planning a huge wedding, despite my begging her not to.”

He clasped her hands in his own.  “You’ll be fully protected by the Malfoy name,” he said.  “And no-one will be able to keep us apart, and you won’t have to worry about Dumbledore, or anything, ever again.  And we can still have a big wedding, later, but for now it’ll be just us.”

“That’s what you said when you proposed,” she replied, smiling a little.  “Besides, who would marry us?”

“Rosier.  He can do it, he’s an official.  Let’s get him and Mother and Father together.  Then we can leave.”

She bit her lip, eyes worried.  “Are you going to insist on a traditional wedding night?”

Frowning, he squeezed her hands.  “Not unless you want it too.  I’d be happy enough just being able to hold you… and even then I’d be happy just to share a bed.”

Reaching up, she kissed him.  “Okay.  Let’s do it.”

It took a little convincing.  Tiberius acquiesced after Abraxas had explained what happened, after which Guinevere fussed over Kate, but she was a little more reserved.

“Are you all right with this?” she asked Kate.  “It’s so sudden, after all.  And with what Dumbledore’s just tried….”

Kate nodded.  “It’s for the best.  And this way, he won’t be able to do anything while we’re at school.”

“You’re going to have to explain everything eventually,” Tiberius said.  “You can’t keep secrets forever.  Especially not from family.”

“Tomorrow,” Kate murmured, touched that Tiberius now considered her family.  “Tomorrow, after everyone’s gone.  I’ll tell you then.”  Not everything, but they deserved to know where—when she was from.  She smiled at Tiberius.  “Thank you.”

“Promise you’ll let me plan a proper wedding?” Guinevere took her and Abraxas’s hands, giving them a pleading look.

“I promise, Mother.  In the summer.  You always liked June weddings.”

Less than an hour later, Kate and Abraxas were back upstairs.  “I need to grab my nightgown,” Kate said, ducking into her bedroom.

When she returned, shutting the door behind her, Abraxas swept her into his arms.  “I believe it’s traditional to carry one’s wife over the threshold,” he said, stepping into his own room.  He set her down, and she immediately bent to pull off her heels.

“I hate these things,” she muttered before tossing the shoes aside and pulling off her gloves.  They made a louder sound than they should have as they hit the floor, and they both looked down to see Kate’s locket still attached to the right glove.  She let out the tiniest of sighs, her eyes closing as she felt the scars bubble back up to the surface.  “That’s that then.”

“What’s what?” he asked in confusion.  “If you want me to change in the bathroom, I can—Kate!”

She had wrapped her arms around him as he spoke.  “It’ll be okay.”  It was almost more for her reassurance than his.  They both knew what had to be done now, or the marriage would be declared null and void, and they’d have to do the whole thing over again.  How embarrassing that would be.  Turning, she whispered, “Unzip me?”

He could already see the scars on her upper back, crossing each other like they were some sick painting on a canvas of flesh.  Some were white, and others pink.  He let out a ragged breath and pulled the zipper down, revealing even more scars.  It seemed like they went all the way to her hips.  “Who did this to you?” “My mother.  Doug always preferred his fists, but Tammy… she liked her belts.  It’s okay,” she said softly.  “You can touch them.”

His fingers traced one of the longer ones, and she shuddered, which made him pull back immediately.  “Never again.”  His voice was resolute.

She turned again, looking up and giving him a nervous smile.  “Well, as they say, what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”  Then she began loosening his tie.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”  It was the third time someone had asked her the same thing, and she huffed in annoyance, pulling his tie over his head and tossing it somewhere.  She didn’t particularly care where.

“I wouldn’t be undressing you if I wasn’t.  But if you’re having doubts….”

“I’m not,” he said hastily, beginning to unbutton his shirt as her hands unbuttoned his suit jacket.  “I just want you to be comfortable.”

She looked up at him.  “Have you ever even had sex?”

He coughed.  “Er—no, not exactly.”  Her raised eyebrow asked for elaboration, so he did.  “Michelle Greengrass, we sort of fooled around a bit last year, but it never went beyond foreplay.”

Kate let out a breath and pushed open his shirt.  “Then I guess we’re on somewhat even ground.”

He shrugged off his shirt and jacket, then placed his hands on her shoulders.  “Kate.  We’ll go slow, all right?  This should be enjoyable for both of us.  It has to be.”  If they didn’t both climax, then the magic wouldn’t take hold.

She nodded, and he bent to take off his shoes.  There was a rustle of fabric, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Kate’s dress hit the floor.  Straightening, he looked her in the eye.  They were both naked from the waist up now.

Her eyes not leaving his, Kate took his hand and placed it on her breast.  “I love you, Abraxas,” she whispered.

It was all the invitation he needed.  He wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to his chest as he kissed her, relishing the feel of her skin against his.  She kissed him back just as forcefully, her hands tangling in his hair.  One of his hands rose to cup her head and he let out a grunt before beginning to pull the pins from it so that it flowed freely.

At some point, they made it to the bed.

Kate woke up hours later, shivering despite Abraxas’s arm around her waist.  She slipped from his grasp and the bed, whispering, “Lumos.”  A tiny ball of light appeared in her hand, and after a moment she found her nightgown.  Their clothes were scattered all around the room, indicative of what had happened earlier in the evening.  She inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly.  It was done.  Turning, she pulled on the nightgown before stepping into the bathroom.  There weren’t any visible changes to her, she thought to herself as she looked in the mirror after using the toilet.  Well, there was the lovebite on her neck, but that was it.  She began to shake again, and made a hasty retreat to the warmth of the covers and her husband.

Her husband.

At the thought she seemed to only shake harder.

The shaking had woken him.  “Kate?” he asked, voice slurred from sleep.  “Are you all right?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, breathing in his scent.  It was comforting, and her shaking eased off somewhat as his arms wrapped around her again.

“Are you cold?  I can grab another blanket.”

“I don’t know,” she repeated, hating the way her voice broke at the end, the way tears were now stinging her eyes.  His arms tightened around her.

“It’s okay,” he murmured before kissing the top of her head.  “You’re safe now.  I promise.  And we don’t have to do that again until you’re ready.”

“It’s not that.”  She pulled away and looked at him, her cheeks a little pink.  “I—I liked that.  I wouldn’t mind doing it again eventually.”

He smiled, before pulling away further and pushing the covers off himself.  “I’m glad.  Give me a second; I’m going to put on some pants.”

Kate buried her face in the pillows, inhaling the scent of his shampoo and trying to calm down.  She wasn’t even sure why she was so upset.  She was safe, here in what was now her home.

“Dumbledore attacked me,” she said suddenly, or tried to, but it was muffled by the pillows, and therefore sounded like “Mmffmmnn mmnn mm.”

“What?” Brax asked, in the process of finding the other pant leg.

She shook her head, trying to ignore the revelation that Dumbledore was the cause of her anxiety.  Dumbledore could have kidnapped her if the wards hadn’t activated.  He could have killed her.

She found herself unable to breathe, and consequently turned her head, but the problem was still there.

Dumbledore.

Warm arms wrapped around her, and she pressed herself against him as one arm moved to cover them back up.

“It’s okay,” he murmured.  “You’re safe, I promise.”

“He could have killed me,” she whispered, lips moving against his collarbone.  “Dumbledore could have killed me if he wanted to.”

His arms tightened around her.  “You don’t have to go back to school if you don’t want to—you’re of age and I will be too next week—we could stay home and get tutors, take our NEWTs early.”

“No!  I have to go back, I have to protect Rose!”  If she wasn’t there—

“Rose has Tom,” he said soothingly.  “Relax, Kate.  Think about it, okay?  Father said he’d reinforce the wards, so Dumbledore can’t come back.”

She let out a sigh, snuggling further into him.  “Okay.”

“There’s my girl,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

“Nansy,” the witch hissed.  The elf appeared with a pop.  “Take the children to the nursery and stay with them until I get there.”

“Yes Mistress,” Nansy replied with a bow.  “Come children.”  Taking Emily and Scorpius by the hand, the elf vanished.

Draco was by her side within the next few moments.  “We’ve got intruders,” he said curtly.

“I know,” she replied, taking his hand.  “Nansy has the kids in the nursery.”

“Good.”  He squeezed her hand and pulled her in the direction of the front door.  “Muggles.”  His voice was quiet but firm.  “That’s what the auxiliary wards detected, anyway.”

“How the hell did Muggles get through the wards?” Kate demanded.

“Because I let them.”  They both looked up to see Narcissa standing in the open doorway.  She smiled towards the people walking up the drive.  “Welcome to Malfoy Manor.  Thank you very much for coming.”

Kate and Draco joined her on the porch and surveyed their guests.  There were two females, one with light auburn hair, the other with dark brown hair.  The three males all had black hair, two with shorter and one with fringe covering his right eye.

“I’m Narcissa Malfoy, the one who contacted you.  This is my son, Draco, and his wife Kate.  Please, come in and I’ll explain more.”

They went into the drawing room, where Narcissa had tea waiting.  “I’m Oliver Davis,” said one of the younger men.  He turned to the females.  “This is Madoka, and this”---he indicated the young woman with the darker hair---“is Mai.”  Gesturing to the elder and taller of the three men, he added, “This is Koujou Lin, and this is Osamu Yasuhara.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Narcissa said, pouring tea.  There was a loud boom from the back of the house, which made everyone glance towards the door.  Kate and Mai were immediately standing, until a curt word from Oliver pulled Mai back to her seat.

“I’ll go make sure Kit and Ed are all right,” the witch said before hurrying out the door.

“Should we be worried?” Mai asked.

“No.  We have a couple of chemists that live in one of the cottages.  It’s probably one of their experiments.  However, I do believe their children were with them today, so it’s probably good that Kate went to investigate.”  Narcissa smirked.  “I’m glad, actually.  I wanted her out of the way for this.”

Draco looked sharply at his mother.  “Why?”

She sipped her tea.  “Because she doesn’t need to know why I called the British Society for Paranormal Research here.  You’ll agree that it’s best she’s kept out of the loop, especially with the twins.”

His lips moved across the words “British Society for Paranormal Research” and deepened into a frown as Mai excitedly whispered “Oh, twins!”

“We don’t have a ghost problem, Mother.”

“Not one that you are aware of, no.”  She set her teacup down and leveled a look at Oliver.  “It’s my late ex-husband.  I’ve managed to trap him in the south wing of the second floor, but I don’t have the ability to get rid of him.”

“What do you mean you managed to trap him?”  Oliver asked.  Lin had taken out a laptop and was typing as Mai took notes on a pad of paper.

The witch smiled.  “I have a bit of magic myself, enough to do at least that in order to protect Kate.”

“Why exactly is Kate not being informed?” Mai asked curiously.

“Because he is responsible for the death of her father.”  Narcissa observed as the ghost hunters looked at one another.  “He was never convicted, unfortunately, and the death was ruled an accident, but she and I both know that Lucius was paid to make it look so.”

“I see,” said Oliver.  “What exactly is the spirit of your ex-husband doing?”

“He was greatly enjoying throwing books at my head yesterday when I went to check the wards,” she replied.  “As well as cursing my name and the fact that I let Draco marry Kate.”

“You didn’t really have a say in it anyway,” Draco argued.  “We did it without your knowledge while on holiday.”

“I am aware.”  She sipped her tea again.  “I’ve set you up in the west wing of the second floor.  There should be enough rooms for all of you, as well as the base room you requested.”

The door opened to reveal Kate, with Jay and Rosie in a double stroller and Nina by her side.  “Cissa, Kit and Ed are fine.  The explosion was in the spare cottage.  Of course, now they’re investigating like the scientists they are, so I’ve brought Nina and the twins to join our brood.”

“Good to know they’re all right.  Is Winry in her workshop?”  

Kate nodded.  “If you don’t need me, I’ll take this lot upstairs to the nursery.”

Mai jumped up.  “I’ll help you!”

The auburn-haired witch smiled.  “Of course.”

As Mai shut the drawing room door behind her, she asked, “So who are these little guys?”

“These are the twins, Jay and Rosie, and their cousin, Nina.”

The ghost hunter knelt to look them in the eye.  “Hi there!  I’m Mai.”  Rosie waved at her, then turned back to her brother.

“Jay,” Kate said sharply, “stop trying to unbuckle yourself.  You know the rules.  And Rosie, stop trying to help him.”  She pushed the stroller towards the lift, and Mai and Nina followed her.

“I didn’t think a house this old would have a lift.”  Mai pressed the up button and they entered.

“It didn’t until we had one installed during my first pregnancy.”  The witch leant down to pull Jay’s hand away from his buckle.  “Jay, I won’t give you a sweetie if you continue to misbehave.”  Stepping out onto the third floor landing, Kate gestured down the hall towards the north wing.  “The nursery’s this way.”

“So you have a kid?” Mai asked as they approached the nursery.

“Two.  Emily and Scorpius.  Here we are.”  She opened the door, revealing the children, who were tugging on a doll.  “Emily!  Scorpius!” she snapped.  They broke away and looked guiltily at her.  “You have guests.”

Mai let out a little squeal.  “They’re so cute!  They look so much like their daddy!”

Kate smiled.  “They do.  Hopefully the twins will look more like me.”

“Oh that’s right!  Narcissa said you were having twins.  How far along are you?”

As she unbuckled Jay and Rosie, who were struggling to get out of the stroller, Kate replied, “About twenty-two weeks.  I’ll be honest, I can’t wait to have them.  I felt like a beach ball before with Em and Scor, but I’m halfway done and I feel even more ungainly.”

“I wish I had your luck,” Mai sighed.  “Naru doesn’t want kids yet.  I keep telling him I’m not getting any younger, but he won’t budge.”

“Naru?” Kate asked as she sat in the rocking chair.  Her feet and ankles were sore after the walk to the cottages.  The other woman seated herself on the floor with the children.

“Er---Oliver,” Mai corrected herself.  “My boss, and also my husband.”

The witch nodded, then asked curiously, “What do you and Oliver do?”

“We, uh”---Mai scratched her ear---“we’re just doing a bit of housework for Narcissa.”

“Is that so?”  Lifting Scorpius onto her lap (what was left of it), she began rocking.

“Yes.”  The other woman nodded and, deciding to change the subject before Kate could inquire further, asked, “Hey Nina, what have you got there?”  Nina held out a crown and a feather boa, which Mai allowed to be placed on her person.  “Now I’m a pretty princess just like you!”  She grinned up at Kate and asked, “How old are they?”

“Nina’s three, and Em just turned four.  The twins and Scorpius are two.”  At mention of his name, the little boy looked up.  Kate smiled and ruffled his hair.  Questioning Mai could wait till later.  “You look like you could use a nap, sweetie.”

Mai sighed again.  “I wish I could have kids.”

“Are you on the pill?”  Kate’s question made Mai look up at her in shock.  “Well?”

“I---yeah.  Like I said, Na---Oliver doesn’t want kids.  But I do.  Two.  A little boy that looks just like him, named Eugene.  And a little girl, though I don’t know what I’d name her.”

The witch gave Mai a smile that made her slightly nervous.  “What would happen if you, say, ‘forgot’ to take it a couple days in a row?  Or for a whole week?”

“Well, I---” Mai stopped in her tracks and stared at Kate.  “Oh, but he’d be furious!”

“Good furious, or bad furious?”

“I-I don’t know.” /He might completely lose control over himself and break the windows again,/ she thought to herself.  /Then again, the concern for my safety would certainly postpone the anger at my being more vulnerable than usual./  “It’s not---he’d be angry at the fact that I’d be harder to protect,” she said after seeing Kate’s worried expression.  “We get some dangerous jobs and he’s already so concerned about my safety.  He’ll forbid me to come to work with him like he does on the bad ones, and then we’ll argue, and he’ll get frustrated with me.  Rightly so, of course, because I’m stubborn and impulsive, but if I’m pregnant it won’t just be myself I’m risking, but our unborn child.  Kate?  Are you all right?”

Kate, who had gasped and put her hand to her back as Mai was talking, nodded.  “One of the twins just kicked me in the kidney, that’s all.”  She let out another half-gasp and smiled.  “The other one has decided she wants in on the action as well.”  Her mind was working quickly, though, and her curiosity building.  Exactly what did Mai need protecting from?  She seemed capable enough.  And what were they doing for Narcissa that could be dangerous?

Mai scrabbled over to the rocking chair and tentatively held out her hand, which Kate took and placed on her belly.  Her smile widened as the baby kicked again.

“I’m not sure if it’s Audrey or Cassandra doing the kicking up front,” the witch said, deciding to let it go for the time being.  The children gathered around to feel the babies kicking.  

“Are those the names you picked?”

“Draco helped.  He had full say in naming Scorpius, otherwise he’d probably have been named Michael or something less… mythological.”  She smoothed the boy’s hair.  “But I named Emily, so I suppose one of the children should continue the family tradition.  Rightly so it should be the son.”

“Mai.”  Both women looked up to see Oliver and Draco in the doorway.  Kate looked at Mai, who still had a tiara on her head and feather boa around her neck, and giggled slightly.  Mai, looking abashed, stood and peeled the play clothing off before placing them in the dress-up chest.

“We’ll have to play princess some other time, okay?” she told Nina before walking over to her husband and taking his arm.

Kate watched as he gave her briefest of smiles before looking at her own husband, who was walking across the room to her.  From what she could tell, Oliver was a stoic man who probably showed little emotion except when it came to Mai.  “So what are we all so interested in?” Draco asked the children.

“The twins started kicking again,” Kate replied, before yawning.

“You sound like you could use a nap.  Back up, kids.  Mummy Kate’s going to go and have a kip, which I think is something you could all go for as well.”

“I’m /fine/,” Kate insisted as she stood; a second later she was in Draco’s arms.  She waved a hand at Mai, who had started forward to help her.  “Really, I am.  Just a little dizzy and worn out from walking to the cottages and back.”

“If you’re sure,” Mai said uncertainly, but Oliver’s hand on her arm brought her back to the task they had come to the Manor for.

“She’ll be fine. I’ll get her to bed, she’ll have a lie-down, and we’ll see you at dinner.  You’ll probably be able to meet our chemists and mechanic as well.”  Draco gave them a grin and helped Kate get steady on her feet.

“Naru,’ Mai said as they walked down the hall towards the stairs, “aren’t they cute?”

He did not reply.

She frowned and hurried forward to clasp his arm.  “Naru,” she said again, this time in a voice that was halfway pleading.  He stopped, turned, and looked at her.  She was instantly mesmerized by his deep blue eyes.  Despite having known him for nearly ten years, they never ceased to amaze her with their depth of feeling---at least when he opened them up to her.  He brushed hair behind her ear, and she blinked, breaking eye contact.

“We’ll talk tonight,” was all he said before turning and heading downstairs.

/I hate it when he does that!/ she thought, huffing in frustration as she followed him.

Back in the nursery, Draco had Kate at the door.  “Papa?”  He looked down to find Emily beside him, concern on her face.

“Mummy’s fine, Emmy,” he told her.  “Would you like to take a nap with her in our bed this afternoon?”  The little girl nodded.  “All right.  You can follow me, then.”

In their bedroom, he pulled off Kate’s shoes and socks and helped her into the bed, where she grumped and rolled onto her side.  Emily pulled off her own shoes, as well as those of Scorpius, who had followed them, and crawled up beside her mother.  “Come join the party,” Kate drawled at Draco, who was getting ready to leave.  “It’s no fun without Daddy, right kids?”

Emily grinned and nodded.  “Come sleep, Papa!”

He sighed, toed off his shoes, and joined his wife and children.  “As the princess commands, so shall it be,” he intoned in his best Snape impression, which made Emily giggle.

Kate reached across the bed and gave his shoulder a little shove.  “I thought I was the princess.”

“No my dear,” was his reply.  “You are, and have always been, my queen.”  This made Kate go slightly pink, and he leaned over to kiss her, eliciting a sound of disgust from Emily.  “Now, you rest.”

They laid there in silence for several minutes, before Kate murmured sleepily, “Are Mai and the others staying here tonight?”

“Mother’s given them the rooms in the west wing. Why?”

“Weather’s turning.  Might be snow.”

Scorpius let out a soft snore, which made Draco chuckle.  “Is your shoulder aching?”

“Mm.”

“I’ll let them know and get you a pain potion before you wake up, all right?”

She did not reply, and Draco smiled as Emily snuggled further into his side.

When he next looked at the clock, half an hour had passed.  Carefully, so as not to wake them, Draco eased from the bed and slipped on his loafers before slipping out the door.

Oliver looked up from his notebook as the wizard knocked on the doorjamb of their base room.  “I was wondering if you needed anything,” Draco said.  “Tea, blankets?  Kate said the weather’s going to change tonight and there might be snow.”

“I see.  We’re fine right now; your mother provided us with a hotplate so that Mai needn’t go to the kitchen for tea.”  The ghost hunter looked at Draco.  “Does Kate have any idea of what’s going on?  Mai said that she seemed suspicious.”

“If she was she didn’t say anything.”  Both men looked at Mai, who was sleeping on the couch.  “Of course, the kids probably distracted her and she’ll most likely ask when we’re alone tonight.”

“If she is as delicate as you and your mother seem to think, would it not be better to take her somewhere out of harm’s way?”

Draco gave him a rueful smile.  “If only it were that easy.  Mother and I are concerned because she’s had problems with pregnancy before.  When she was pregnant with Emily, she had an encounter with her mother that nearly sent her into preterm labour, but the midwife was able to stop it.  She and her mother… do not get along,” he added upon seeing the confusion on the younger man’s face.  “The midwife has told Kate to take it easy now that she’s passed the halfway point, because the twins will be smaller than other babies as it is.  No need to hasten their delivery by upsetting her.”  He sighed.  “Unfortunately, Kate is stubborn, and even if I try to get her to go ‘on holiday’ with me, she’ll demand to know why, and to be honest I’m concerned about Mother being here by herself.”

Oliver’s reply was cut off by Mai’s sudden awakening with a gasp.  She immediately turned to her husband.  “Naru,” she said urgently, “he’s not happy.”

“I’d imagine not,” Oliver said flatly.  “If he is as cruel as Mrs Malfoy has indicated, then no doubt he will want to get rid of us before we have a chance to dispose of him.”

“It’s not just us,” Mai said.  “It’s Kate.  He’s trying to get to her.  There are---there are cracks in the wards, and they’re getting bigger.  I could see these---they were like tendrils of his spirit slipping through them, amassing on the other side.”

Draco and Oliver shared a look before the wizard stood and hurried out the door.  He stopped at the double doors which closed off the south wing from the west and placed his hand on one.  True enough, the wards were weakening.  His mother had intricately woven several together, but somehow Lucius’s spirit was strong enough to continue hacking at them.

“Naru,” Mai whispered, grabbing his arm, “he’s reaching for Kate.  It’s like he’s letting me see him, just to tease us.”

Without another word, Draco was sprinting up the stairs, muttering wards as he went.  He did not care if the others followed.  Ministry be damned, if he could do anything to protect his wife and children he would.  That included using magic in front of Muggles.  As he ran down the corridor toward the bedroom, there was a shriek.  The door burst open to reveal Kate, sitting up in bed and in tears, holding her children close.

“Kate!” he gasped, clambering onto the bed and pulling her close.  “What’s wrong?  Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” she managed to say, “but I’m worried about the twins.”

“Mama,” Emily whispered, pushing hair from Kate’s face, “are you okay?”

Kate turned a wavering smile on her daughter.  “I’m all right, sweetie.  Mama just had a bad dream, is all.”  She looked at Draco, the frown on her face clearly indicating that she was not all right and that they needed to talk.  “Mai,” she said sweetly, and Draco turned for the first time to see that Mai and Oliver had indeed followed him upstairs.  “I do believe I saw you in my dream.”

“That’s, um, certainly possible,” Mai said nervously, taking a step backward into Oliver’s chest.

“Perhaps you should ask your midwife to come over and make sure the children are all right,” he said.

“Emily and Scorpius are fine,” Kate said distractedly, still looking at Mai.  How had she gotten into her dream?

“You said you were worried about the twins,” Draco reminded her.

“That’s true.”  She looked at her husband.  “Why don’t you take the kids to the nursery and call Izzy?”

“Certainly.  Emmy, Scor, why don’t we go see what the others are doing?”  Lifting his son, he stood up and helped Emily off the bed.  “I bet the twins are up to no good,” he told them conspiratorially.

The witch watched them leave the room, then turned to Oliver and Mai.  “So why were you in my dream?”

There was the sound of rapid footsteps, and Edward burst into the room.  “Kate---”

He was interrupted when a bright light filled the room, revealing Kit when it faded.  “Kate!” she cried, rushing over to the bed.  “Are you okay?  The alarm went off and---.” She stopped and stared at the ghost hunters.  “Who are they?  Where’s Draco?  Why are there strangers in your bedroom?”  With each question, her voice rose higher.

“Er,” Kate said as Oliver stepped forward to examine the area of floor where Kit had appeared.

“Fascinating,” he muttered to himself, tapping the stone as if to see if there was a trap door.  He peered intently at Kit, and then back down at the floor.

“Noll,” Mai said.  When he didn’t answer, she mumbled something that sounded like “idiot scientist.”

“I’ve told you not to call me that,” he said, looking around the room to see if he could tell where the light had come from---or where Kit had come from, for that matter.  She must have come from somewhere; it wasn’t like she had /teleported/ or anything.

“It’s hard not to when that’s exactly what you’re being,” Mai replied hotly.  She turned to Kit and Kate and bowed deeply.  “I apologize for his behaviour.  He can be very rude when he’s examining something.”  /Or all the time,/ she added silently.  This was what she got for falling in love with a genius.  “So, er---sorry, I didn’t catch your name---how did you do that?”  At their blank looks, she gestured to where Oliver was now running his fingers along the grooves in the floor.  “Just---appear, out of thin air.”

“The air in here is decidedly not thin, Mai,” Oliver noted absently.  “Perhaps if we were three thousand meters above sea level, it would be, but we are decidedly not.”

“Jerk,” she hissed.

“I can’t say I blame him for investigating,” Ed told Kit, his voice low.  “I certainly would if I didn’t know you could do that.”

"Only because you'd want to be able to do that," Kit chided. "Alchemy freak."

"Pyro," Ed shot back.  Draco took that moment to return to the room.

"Kit," he said pleasantly, "nice to see you today."

“Hello to you too,” Ed grumbled.

The wizard’s eyebrow rose.  “I believe I said hello to you as you were charging down the hallway a few minutes ago.”

A shrill sound came from Kit’s wrist, making Kate shriek.  “Shit, the chicken!” the alchemist said, and knelt.  Oliver watched closely as she scribbled an array into the floor, activated, and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

“How---” Oliver started, but Mai suddenly laid a hand on his arm.  Her face was turned towards the window.

"Edward," Kate said calmly, looking out the window towards the cottages, "I do believe your wife has set your home on fire."

"Oh you're kid--" Ed grumbled, turning to look. He brought a hand to his head and let out a groan. "She had to be a bloody /Mustang/, didn't she? Just like her idiot brother."

"Not again," Draco muttered.  "At least we've got spare materials from the /last/ time."

"Noll," Mai said in a small voice, "I'm very confused."

"So am I, unfortunately."  Mai was, also unfortunately, far too confused to revel in the fact that for once, Oliver was just as confused as she was.  "Mr Malfoy, perhaps you'd like to explain?"

"That was Kit, my wife," Ed said quickly, running a hand through his loose hair. "We're alchemists. Unfortunately, her particular specialty is... /fire/."

"But at least she doesn't blow things up like her brother," Kate said darkly.  She’d really like to get back onto the topic of her dream.  However, things didn’t seem to be heading in the direction of enlightenment.

"Alchemists," Oliver said slowly.  "Similar to Nicholas Flamel?  That science does not exist in this world."

"Long story," Ed sighed in frustration. He turned to Kate and Draco. "I should really go and make sure she doesn't make things worse. Is Al in the workshop with Winry?"

"I suppose, since he wasn't with you.  Did you ever figure out the explosion?"  Draco asked.

"Oh yeah," Ed chuckled. "It was one of Al's experiments. We're just testing some of the natural materials around here to see what their properties are, since they're different from what we're used to in Amestris."

"Amestris?" Oliver asked before Kate could yell at Ed for leaving experiments lying around.  "I take it that's where you're from."

The golden-haired alchemist nodded and turned to the newcomers. "And these guys? Who are they, Malfoy?"

Draco sighed.  "This is Oliver and Mai Davis.  They're ghost hunters, here at Mother's request."

Kate's eyes snapped to her husband's face.  "Since when do we have a ghost?"

"Since last Tuesday, when Lucius's ghost decided to come and haunt the south wing of the second floor."

The witch went pale.  "You mean my nightmare---"

"Probably wasn't a nightmare," Oliver finished.  Well, there was part of the answer.  Now if only they’d tell her how /Mai/ had gotten into her dream.

Ed spun around to face Kate, sporting a serious expression. "Do you want me to go and send Kit back here? I can save the cottage on my own, if you need her to be here."

"That might be good," she muttered, a hand on her belly.  "Draco, is Izzy on her way?"

"I'm right here, sweetie," the Mediwitch said, hurrying into the room.  "Let's get you checked out and make sure your babies are okay."  She glanced back at Oliver and Mai and frowned. /Muggles/, she mouthed.  Kate nodded. /Do they know?/ The witch shook her head, which led Izzy to rise.  "Edward, why don't you go and get Kit.  And if I could get you two to step out for a moment while I examine my patient, that would be excellent."

The two ghost hunters obligingly left the room, lingering in the hallway as they waited for the Mediwitch to finish.  "Naru," Mai said tentatively, "are they---?"

"I had not thought it possible," he replied, "but it appears that magic does indeed exist in this world."

"Draco and Kate didn't even blink when Kit appeared.  What do you want to bet they're magic too??"

"They've kept it well-hidden, if they are."  He looked down at his wife, who was looking at the door with anticipation.  "Mai.  Calm down.  I doubt they will use magic in front of us."

“Actually,” Mai said after a moment’s thought, “I think Draco did.”  She met his gaze.  “I wasn’t really sure at first, but as we were running upstairs, I’m pretty sure he was putting up wards.”

“How do you know?”

“It was really weird.  I could feel the magic swirling around me and building itself into the shields.”  It was an accurate enough description, she supposed.  What it had felt like was warm eddies of power pushing past her and sort of gathering and pulsating along the walls.

“Interesting,” was all he said before his face became devoid of expression.  He was thinking again.

“Naru,” she grumped when his eyes met hers a minute later, “I’m not an experiment.”  He smirked and turned away as the door opened.  

---------

"Kit!" Ed yelled, storming through the cottage as the array disappeared behind him. He found her in the kitchen, a burnt tray on the counter as she stood by the oven, waving the smoke out of the way. "... Kit, you idiot."

"Shut /up/ Fullmetal," she growled irritably, not taking her gaze away from the oven. "I don't need you to lecture me---"

"I'll do that later." Hearing the seriousness of his tone, Kit looked up with concern, abandoning the oven for a moment. "Kate needs you. Something's after the twins."

"Those newcomers?" Kit asked, standing. She slammed her assisting fan on the counter. Ed held a hand up to stop her from continuing with obviously flamed words.

"A ghost, actually," Ed winced. "Malfoy's father. That's why the strangers are here; they're ghost hunters."

"Oh."

"That doesn't change the fact Kate needs you," Ed said gently, flashing her a smile. He ruffled her already-messy raven hair. "Go up to the manor, I'll stay here and fix the cottage."

"Thank you Ed." She quickly reached up to give him a kiss before pulling the chalk out of her pocket. "See you in a bit, shortstuff."

She disappeared in a flash of blue light, but not before hearing his frustrated cry of "I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT, DAMMIT!"

Kate looked up as she arrived.  "Thank you for coming, Kit.  Is everything all right in the cottage?"

Izzy was peering at the scan floating above Kate, poking one bit that was changing colours with her wand.

"It will be." Kit twisted her mouth up into a wry smile. "He's going to lecture me later though. Probably say I'm just like my brother. Always does when I burn things by accident." She walked over and took a seat next to Kate. "How are the twins?"

"They appear to be all right," Izzy said slowly.  "I can't exactly tell, but they appear to be a little agitated.  That's all though.  Overall, there's nothing wrong."

Kate smiled.  "That's good.  You should probably get rid of the scan and let Oliver and Mai in.  I'm sure they want to know about my dream."

Izzy did as bidden, and when the ghost hunters had re-entered the room she turned to Kate.  "Now, I'd like some sort of explanation as to why I was called here from a very lovely picnic date with my husband.  I know you have nightmares, dear, but one is not exactly a good reason to send for me in a panic."

The other witch looked abashed.  "I'm sorry," she murmured.  "According to Draco, we have a ghost.  It's apparently his father, which is perhaps why he neglected to tell me."  She glared at him.

"It wasn't exactly neglecting," he said, running a hand through his hair.  "Mother didn't tell me until today when Oliver and Mai came."

"Why?" she demanded.

"She managed to trap him, and thought you might react badly.  Unfortunately, it appears he's managed to erode the wards to an extent that he's able to send bits of himself out through the cracks and into the rest of the house."  They looked at Oliver as he spoke.  "You can rest assured that we will have him taken care of as soon as possible.  We just need to collect a bit more data in order to dispose of him properly."

"/Data/?" Kit sounded the word cautiously, the alchemist she was. "What /kind/ of data?"

"Video, temperature.  I am a scientist, not a spiritualist. Mai, however, is very sensitive, and was the one who alerted us to the fact that the wards were losing strength."

"Not fast enough to stop Kate's dream, though," Mai said quietly.

"Let me, my husband or Alphonse know if there's any way we can help," Kit said standing from her place. "If there's any way we can use our alchemy to make things easier, just call."

"It was like he reached inside me," Kate muttered suddenly, staring at her hands. "His hand just--- it went through part of me, and it felt like he was trying to kill them---or me."  She began to shake. "He was calling me filth, unworthy of his son, and then his hands came up around my neck---"

"Okay stop it there," Kit said, turning back to Kate. "That's just /creepy/." The alchemist turned a second time, now focusing on Draco. "Your old man is /disturbed/, Drakey."

"I am well aware of that fact, Kit," the wizard said evenly, grasping Kate's hand.  “And don’t call me Drakey.”

"So you were afraid that his ghost had somehow harmed the twins.  That's all I needed to know," Izzy told Kate.  She also turned to Draco.  "Get this taken care of quick.  Those children are far too small to be delivered safely right now."  With a flourish, she turned and strode from the room.  "Call me if you need me, but preferably not while I'm having a picnic in the middle of Salisbury Plain!"

"See-ya, Izzy!" Kit chimed from her place beside Kate, waving a hand.

"Mai."  She turned to look at her husband.  "We should get back to work."

"Right," she replied, nodding.  Looking at Kate, she said, "Let us know if anything happens or if you need anything."  

“Wait,” the witch said.  “You never said how Mai got into my dream.”

“Ah.”  Mai scratched her cheek nervously.  “Maybe I astral projected a little.  Into your dream.  I’m not really sure myself.”

“Astral projected?” Kit asked.

The ghost hunter tapped her chin in thought.  “My spirit left my body and entered your dream is the best way I can think to explain it,” she said after a moment.

“I see.”  Kate frowned briefly, then shrugged.  She could ask more questions later.  “I’ll see you at dinner, then.”  After Oliver and Mai had left the room, she turned to Draco.  "So why didn't your mother tell /you/?"

"The charity ball.  She said we've been so busy planning and preparing that she didn't want to worry us."

The witch rubbed the heel of her hand against her forehead.  "Sometimes your mother frustrates me so."  Then she let out a small groan and reached for her shoulder.

“Bollocks,” he said.  “I forgot your pain potion.”

“I’ll get it,” Kit volunteered.  “I’m getting an earful when I get back to Ed anyway.”

“You’re always welcome to dinner with us,” Draco told her.  “We’re serving five extra anyway.”

“Sure, why not,” the alchemist replied, going into the bathroom and retrieving the vial of potion.  “The kids are over here already.  Are the twins behaving?”

“Maybe you can check on them on your way out the /door/,” Kate said as Kit simultaneously handed her the vial and fished chalk from her pocket.

“Okay, okay.”  Kit sheepishly returned the chalk to her pocket. “Spoilsport.”

“I’ll see you at dinner then,” the witch said before downing the potion.  She waited till Kit left the room before she turned to her husband.  “I know what you’re going to say, and sleeping is exactly what I /don’t/ want to do.  So we’re going to go downstairs, someone is going to bring me peaches and chocolate, and you will play the piano.  Got it?”

“Hey,” the younger witch replied, her voice slightly scratchy.  “Isn’t it hot?  Even for June.”  She turned for the pantry, intending to get the sugar and spices, but only managed to get the door open before resting her head against the cool stone of the wall.

“Why are you up?”  Adrian glanced at the contents of the pot.  It would need help if it was going to be close to edible.  She turned the burner off.

“Breakfast,” Kate mumbled.  “Work.  Too hot.”  She started to push herself off the wall, but was met by Adrian, who grasped her shoulders and pushed her into a chair.  She didn’t put up much resistance, and sighed when she felt Adrian’s cool arm against her forehead.

Kate was running a fever.  Adrian took in her clammy skin and flushed face and knew that she’d most likely caught something bad.  “You stay right there,” she ordered.  “Don’t move.”  Kate mumbled something and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes.  “Malfoy!” Adrian called, moving to the bottom of the stairs where she could keep an eye on Kate.  “Malfoy, get down here!”  There was no reply.  “Draco!” she yelled.  After a moment, his head appeared around the corner of the landing.

“What?” he asked in apparent irritation.  His face was partially covered by a thin veneer of shaving cream.

“Kate’s sick.”

With a curse, he barreled down the stairs, shirtless and wiping his face as he went.  Kneeling before the younger witch, he felt her forehead and cursed again.  “Kate,” he murmured.  “Kate, how do you feel?”

“Hot,” she murmured in reply, not moving.  Her face was flushed and her breathing was shallow.  “It’s okay, I’ll just open a window.”

In one movement, he lifted her into his arms.  “The hell you will,” he told her.  “You’re going back to bed.”

“What do you mean?  Put me down, I need to make breakfast.”  As she said it, her head drooped against his shoulder in exhaustion.

“What you need,” he said as he climbed the stairs after nodding at Adrian, “is to go back to bed and rest.”  She didn’t resist as he and Adrian tucked her back into bed.  All the fight had gone from her.  “You are sick and have a fever, Lovey.” He began checking her vitals.  Shallow breathing, flushed skin, and high fever, but nothing else out of the ordinary.  Gently lifting her forward, he placed another pillow behind her head.

Kate smiled sleepily at him.  “You really shouldn’t go to work like that,” she whispered, before her eyes closed and her breathing evened out.

Draco gave Adrian a grim look.  “I have a feeling our visitors may have something to do with this.”

The witch brushed hair from Kate’s face, frowning.  “They are the only change Kate’s experienced since the last time she was ill when we first got to Minas Tirith,” she acquiesced.  “If you’re planning on confronting them about it, leave me out.  And put on a shirt first.”  She stood.  “I’m going to see if I can do something about that breakfast she was trying to cook.  She was pretty out of it.”

He nodded and ran a hand through his hair, looking back down at Kate as the door clicked shut.  She was sleeping peacefully, so he went into the bathroom and finished shaving and getting dressed.  /Now to deal with the newcomers,/ he told himself, grabbing his wand.

Kit’s room was bypassed in favour of Edward’s, where he opened the door and shook the former alchemist roughly awake.  “Wh--huh?” Ed asked.

“Kate’s sick,” Draco said.

"So?"

The wizard grabbed Ed’s collar and pointed his wand at his throat.  "She gets sick when she moves.  We haven't moved for over a month.  The only change is /you/.  What the hell did you bring with you?  If she dies, I swear by Merlin's short-and-curlies you'll regret ever being born."

"Like I haven't had one or two of those regrets in my short and miserable life already," Ed muttered, blowing at the wand. "Get that thing out of my face, and I'll go fetch Kit. Olivier probably made her do some sort of first aid training. Whatever it is, she'd be better than me at least."

The wizard stepped back, growling, and crossed his arms over his chest.  "I'll wait here.  Kate's sleeping."

Ed nodded, quickly disappearing to Kit's door. "Kit, you awake?" he whispered, gently knocking. A muffled noise came from behind it. "Kit, come on, Kate's sick!" There was a more alarmed, high-pitched muffle, followed by sounds of a struggle before ending in a loud crash. Ed sighed, and pushed the door open.

In a tangled mess on the floor was Kit. Somewhere. He couldn't tell from the various layers of sleepwear, sheets and duvet that had at some point adorned the bed. "Come on Mustang, cut it out and help Kate."

Draco, hearing the crash, went into the hallway and glanced into Kit's room.  With Kit in an obvious mess, he'd spend his time better by checking on Kate.  Her fever was still high.

Five minutes later Kit walked in, boots and all, with her sleeves rolled up. "Symptoms, Malfoy."

"High fever. She was complaining about a sore throat yesterday, but I thought it was just all the dust from cleaning. I haven't looked at it yet."

"Check her throat then," Kit said slowly, taking a seat on the bed and placing a hand on Kate's forehead.

He bent and gently pried her mouth open.  Her tonsils were red and swollen, and her tongue was... white.  Frowning, he let her mouth close and palpated her neck.  The glands were swollen.  He mentally kicked himself.  "Are you seeing this, Kit?" he asked.  He looked at Kate's face again, and his frown deepened.  "Her face is flushed, too.  More than it was earlier."

Kit frowned, and gently reached forward to feel behind Kate's ear. Fine and rough, just like she thought. "Scarlet fever. I'm sure of it."

"That's not one I'm familiar with."  He pushed himself up off the bed and began pacing.  "How is it treated?"

"Have you got any antibiotics?" Kit asked, looking back to the pale-haired wizard. Draco snapped his fingers and nodded vigorously, disappearing to the other side of the room muttering something like 'idiot doctor.' Ed peered in through the door.

"Anti-what?"

"Antibiotics," she repeated, looking with a bland glance at the boy. "Different time period. Back home it's top secret; you aren't privy to that information, shrimp."

Draco kicked himself mentally again.  How on earth was he going to objectively treat Kate when he couldn't even think clearly?  He went for his bag and pulled out his kit, opening it and removing a vial and a spoon.  "Can you wake her up?"

"I'll try," Kit said, turning back to Kate. Gently she patted the witch's cheek. "Kate, we've got something for you. You need to take it to get better, ok?"

Ed watched from the doorway, crossing his arms and leaning his weight on a metal limb. "Hang on, what do you mean top secret, Kit?" She spun around with an icy glare.

"For ONE day can't you just pay attention to what's happening around you?" she snapped, inhaling to continue when a hand wrapped around her wrist. Kate.

"Why must you insist on squabbling when I am ill?" Kate rasped, then began coughing.  Draco was immediately at her side, rubbing her back.  "Ugh," she moaned, leaning backward when the fit was over.  "My throat feels like it's on fire."

"Take this," he said, pouring the blue liquid into the spoon.  She eyed it warily, but opened her mouth and let him give it to her nonetheless, making a face as the taste hit her.  "One more."  This time she pinched her nose as she took it.

"That stuff is vile.  My throat hurts."

"It should help you recover," Kit sighed, getting to her feet. Guiltily, she shuffled back and forth. "Probably my fault. I had to help the medical department last time I was at Briggs. Scarlet fever got away on us."

Kate blinked at her.  "Scarlet fever," she repeated, then rubbed her throat. Draco nudged her elbow and handed her a vial of pale green potion.  Recognising the painkiller, she gratefully accepted the dose.

Kit nodded. "Yeah, I was asked to do some work on a medical alchemic solution. The scientists dubbed it 'antibiotics.’" she turned to Ed to continue, but paused at his paling face. "Edward?"

"Scarlet fever…" he whispered hoarsely.  "You… That's… that's a pretty sick joke, Kit."

"What joke?" Kit tilted her head to the side, full of confusion. "Ed, I'm not joking. What's your problem?"

"That's what went through Resembool fifteen years ago," he said darkly, golden eyes meeting sapphire blue. "Tell me, do you know what else happened fifteen years ago?"

“Trisha…" Kit whispered slowly, recognition dawning. Of course, it made sense. The date on the tombstone, from when she went with Winry to put out flowers. "It was scarlet fever that killed her, wasn't it? It killed your mother." Ed gave a slight grunt before leaving the room and near-stomping down the stairs.

The witch turned back to Kit and just looked at her for several moments, before asking, "Am I going to die?"  Draco flinched at how frank and emotionless her voice was.

"Not if I can help it," he said fervently.

"Relax, Kate," Kit sighed, shaking her head. "We didn't lose any soldiers in the outbreak. Draco had medicine on hand, and if it makes you feel any better I can make the antibiotics we used in the north. Ed's mum just wasn't that lucky."

"I'm not worried," Kate replied calmly.  "Everyone dies eventually.  I should have died almost two years ago."  Her right hand moved to rub her left shoulder.  "Just wanted to know if I needed to prepare myself."

"I wish you wouldn't talk like that," Draco said, taking her free hand in both of his.  The witch shrugged.

Kit's eyes narrowed at the witch, and she lifted her hand, as if to jokingly slap the back of Kate's head, but Draco’s hand grasped her forearm before she could.  "You're dating a doctor, Kate," she said, giving Draco a questioning look.  He shook his head.

Despite Draco’s action, Kate froze, fingers digging into the flesh of her shoulder.  Almost imperceptibly, the tremors began.  Draco released Kit and grasped Kate’s free hand again, squeezing it reassuringly.  “Leave,” Kate mumbled.  “Go away, Kit.”

"Wha-- Huh--" Kit backed away. "What did I do?"

"You tell her," Kate muttered through gritted teeth, trying to force back the shaking.  "Potion, Draco. Please."  She managed to down the needed amount of anxiety potion, then Draco helped her lie back down and tucked her in.

He turned to Kit and beckoned for her to follow him out the door into the hallway, glancing back once to see the witch curled into a ball beneath the blankets.

"I don't mean to pry," Kit bit her tongue, watching as Draco looked from Kate to the alchemist. "But what is in that serum?"

"A draft for anxiety.  She was about to have a panic attack."

"No—the antibiotics. What's in it?" Kit repeated.

"They're actually made from a Muggle antibiotic.  Penicillin."  He paused and let out a sigh.  "I should probably apologise to Edward... I woke him rather roughly this morning."  Then he frowned.  “Actually… how much have you been walking around the city?”

“Not much.  Kate took my jacket.  She wanted to wash it.”

“That must be how she got it.  You said they were working on medicine?”  The alchemist nodded, and his frown deepened.  “I’d better quarantine the house,” he muttered.

“Yay, stuck in another house,” Kit deadpanned.  “I’ll let you tell Edward.”  She turned and went downstairs.

Telling the former alchemist would be the opposite of fun, Draco decided.  He should probably start by getting a lockdown in place just in case Edward decided to run.  What was the incantation for that again?  Turning, he went to check his medical bag for his notebook (and to check on Kate).  She was sleeping peacefully, and the spell was in the book.  If anyone felt it take besides him, it would be Adrian.

The elder witch was downstairs, eating her breakfast.  “So,” she said in between bites of toast, “what’s the diagnosis?  And why is there a ward on the house?”

“Kate has scarlet fever.  Probably from bacteria on Kit’s coat.”  Draco ran a hand through his hair.  “I’ve given her painkillers and an antibiotic.  She’s sleeping right now.”

“And the ward?”

“I need to quarantine the house to make sure it doesn’t spread to the city.  I don’t need a pandemic on my hands.”  He winced as Edward suddenly yelled, “Oi!  The door won’t open!”

“There’s your biggest obstacle,” Adrian chuckled.  

A bang issued from the front door, making Draco groan and turn towards the sound.  “Bollocks.”

Edward was there, hands on the doorknob, feet braced on the wall, tugging for all his worth.  “Why—won’t—it—open!”

"Please don't destroy the door," Draco said mildly.  "Kate would be upset."

"Why aren't you with her then?" Ed huffed, still pulling on the doorknob.  "Maybe there's a screwdriver around here somewhere...." he mumbled to himself.

Kit looked up from her book, watching the alchemist warily. "Just listen to the man, Fullmetal." Her gaze narrowed disapprovingly at the hopeful look he shot her. "No. Don't even think about it."

"I would Stun you before I let you set the house on fire," Draco drawled, drawing his wand.

"Elric's practically harmless," Kit said with a shrug, turning back to her book. "He doesn't have any powers anymore. The most he'll do is graffiti the door."

"Good."  Draco looked at Edward.  "The house is under quarantine.  Can I trust you to stay here and prevent an epidemic, or am I going to have to expend all my energy looking after you instead of the real patient?"  He tapped his wand with his forefinger, making it emit green sparks.  "I have no qualms about cursing or hexing you, to be honest."

"Why I oughta--" Ed bristled, face going red when Kit looked up from her book again.

"Fullmetal, you have a /stack/ of books that have yet to be read and I highly doubt that you have made any notes of the ones that you /have/," she said, voice taking on a commanding tone. Ed presumed it had been something that rubbed off from General Armstrong. Kit jerked her head towards the stairs. "Get books. Write notes. /Now/."  As the somewhat disgruntled alchemist slowly trudged up the stairs, Kit added with a smirk, "The sooner you work out how to get your alchemy back, the sooner you can bust out of here."

Neither Kit nor Draco had seen the blonde move faster up those stairs.

"Thank you," the wizard said.  "Now I just have to deal with the vampire."

"Can't you just open all the windows and keep him in the basement?" Kit suggested curiously, still adjusting to the existence of vampires.

He paused halfway to the stairs.  "I could put up quarantine wards in all the windows... they're object-linked, so I don't need to constantly maintain them myself."

“Don’t worry about Spike,” Adrian said, sweeping past them.  “I’ll deal with him.”

“Thank you.”  He looked at the windows and frowned.  How many did they need open?  He’d better do them all, just in case.  Kit watched as he etched a symbol into the frame of each of the front windows, a soft blue film of light going over the glass.  “Can you see all right?” he asked.  When she nodded, he moved on to the back of the house, where he put up another one over the courtyard.  Each floor of the house went after that, until all the windows had been quarantined.  Now they could be opened at will, and everyone could get fresh air.  With a sigh of relief, he released the “lockdown" ward on the house and headed back to Kate’s room.

The witch was still sound asleep, her heartbeat and breathing normal.  Kneeling, he picked up the ring he’d left on the floor and slipped it back onto his finger before moving through the quarantine ward he’d set up around Kate.  It sealed itself behind him.  She stirred slightly, but did not wake as he moved hair from her face and kissed her forehead.  Book in hand, he settled in the chair near the bed to recover some strength---the “lockdown” spell took a lot of magic to maintain---and observe his patient and beloved.

------

"What the bloody hell was that?" Spike demanded as Kate leaned against the wall.

"Lumos," Adrian said.

“What the hell does ‘lumos’—” Spike began to say, but stopped as a ball of light grew from the tip of Adrian’s wand and floated to the ceiling, illuminating the “shelter.”  “Oh,” he muttered.

"Sorry."  Kate's reply was almost inaudible.  Draco, seeing how she was sagging against the wall, pulled out his own wand and transfigured a seat for her, which she sat down on with a thump.  "I held on as long as I could."  Her face was ashen.

"Kate," Adrian growled, “why didn't you tell us?"

"There was"--she put a hand to the wall and one to her head, as if to steady herself--"an outcrop ahead.  I thought if I could make it that far, then we could rest for a bit.  I'm all right," she said, waving Draco's proffered water away.  "Really."  She stood, wavered slightly, and was back on the earthen seat with a soft moan.

"You most certainly are not."  Adrian slid her pack off and sat down.  "You're going to have a nap."

"But--"

"Rest.  Now.  You wouldn't teach me the spell, so you're going to have to rest when I say you are.  Now have some water and lie down."

"It was a complicated spell," Kate protested weakly as Draco transfigured a blanket into a Japanese-style futon.  "There wasn't time."

"Sure," Adrian replied in a tone that clearly indicated she didn't believe the younger witch.  She shoved her canteen under Kate's nose.  "Have some water."

[1:05:42 AM] Sarah: maybe draco has a tent [1:05:45 AM] Sarah: Sarah laughsnorts [1:05:53 AM] Sarah: much fancier than Perkins's though [1:06:03 AM] Sarah: persian rugs [1:06:08 AM] Rach: lol [1:06:09 AM] Sarah: several rooms [1:06:16 AM] Sarah: feather pillows [1:06:18 AM] Rach: king size beds [1:06:38 AM] Rach: functioning kitchen

"There are only two bedrooms," Draco explained regretfully.  "So we'll have to share beds."

"Right, I'll share with Kate then," Adrian said briskly.  She certainly wasn’t going to let the wizard /cuddle/ Kate while she was sleeping.

"Oh hell no," Spike replied.  "I am not sharing a bed with that ponce."

"Then sleep on the floor, bloodsucker," Kate mumbled.

"How many times--" Spike began, but Adrian cut him off with a hand on his wrist.  She looked at Kate, who was leaning tiredly against one of the tent posts.

"She's kept you from frying, be nice," she whispered.

"I heard that."

"Here, let's get you to bed," Draco said kindly, taking Kate's arm.  She attempted to swat him away, but failed, sagging further against the pole in the process.  He glanced at Adrian and picked Kate up, taking her into the room with the green carpet.  Adrian followed them to see Draco unlacing the younger witch's boots, ignoring her feeble protests.

"I'm not an invalid," Kate insisted.

"No, but you're exhausted.  So rest."

"I'll take care of dinner," Adrian said, seeing the protest on Kate's lips.

Kate allowed herself to collapse onto the pillows.

"Malfoy, your pillow is leaking," Adrian observed as feathers puffed into the air.

"Of course he'd have fucking /feather/ pillows," Kate muttered sleepily.  The bed was insanely comfortable, though. Stupid rich bastard.

----------------------

Kate stepped over and poked Draco, who mumbled something and burrowed further under the sheets.  “Malfoy,” she said.  “Malfoy.  Oi, /Draco/.”

“Go ‘way,” he mumbled.  

“I will not,” she replied.  “It’s your turn to find meat for dinner, and with what I heard from the villagers this morning the rabbits are becoming scarce.”  He groaned and rolled over, which made the witch frown.  “Malfoy?” she asked after a moment.  “Are you feeling all right?”  His reply was unintelligible.  Pulling the covers away from his face, which scrunched up in displeasure--a surprisingly adorable expression, given he was a grown man--she laid her arm against his forehead, then drew back with a soft hiss.  “Adrian, he’s got a fever,” she said as she made her way to the kitchen.  “He won’t be able to hunt today.”

“Wimp,” Adrian muttered from the other room.  Kate took a moment to frown at her.

“He’s burning up.  Let him be.  We can go without meat for a day or two.”

“I can’t,” Spike muttered from his darkened corner.

“Sucks to be you then,” the younger witch returned snidely.  She wet a flannel and hurried back into Draco’s room, where she laid it on his head.

“Kate,” he mumbled through a fog.  “Kate.”

“Yes Malfoy, I’m here.”  He was dimly aware of the bed shifting as she sat down next to him.  “Do you need something?”

Rolling over slightly, he buried his face in her skirt.  It smelled of rosemary and fresh earth, and the sweet smell of chamomile tea.  “You smell nice.”

“I can hardly imagine that, I haven’t had a proper bath in days,” she replied matter-of-factly, pushing him onto his back.  “Rest.  You’re ill.”

“I am?”  He was confused.  Was that why everything was so… so… foggy was the best word to describe it, he supposed. Blurred.  Slow.  “Well,” he said, and stopped.

Out of his line of sight, Kate raised her eyebrow.  “Well what?”

“Mother always sang to me when I was ill,” he finished lamely.  The witch next to him let out a sigh.  “You don’t have to, I suppose.  It just came to mind.”

“Go back to sleep,” she said softly.  He heard fabric rustling.  She wasn’t leaving, was she?  Blindly, he reached out for her and caught a fistful of her skirt.  Letting out an amused chuckle, she murmured, “I’m right here.  Just mending another of Spike’s shirts.”

“Oh.”  His hand moved up the bed, to where he hoped her hand was.  Then he sneezed.  “Urgh,” he moaned as Kate handed him a handkerchief. When he’d finished with it, she Banished it and muttered a sanitizing spell to clean the air.  “I feel like I should be insulted,” he said after a short pause.  “Are my sneezes not good enough for you?”

“Draco, I may be taking care of you, but I do not care to be subjected to whatever you’ve managed to catch.”  He gave her a bleary-eyed look, and Kate, understanding exactly what it meant (she’d used his first name again--something she rarely did unless she felt particularly benevolent towards him), went slightly pink.  

Sick as he was, it took him a second to realize he'd achieved another small victory in his campaign to win her over; lifting his head a little, he gave her the best grin he could manage. She immediately responded by shoving him back down. Did that count as a defeat?  “Don’t make me use a sleeping spell on you,” she threatened as she repositioned the flannel.  “They’re not very pleasant.”

“I’m aware.”  She shifted slightly, and he knew she wanted to ask him exactly how he’d come to this awareness, but he lifted his hand and waved it around a bit.  “I’ll tell you some other time.”  There was another shift, the sound of something being placed beside his head.  Grasping his hand to stop him from investigating, she began to hum.  “Mmm,” he said, the scent of chamomile and lavender overpowering him.  “You tricky witch.”

“I never said I wouldn’t resort to other means,” she replied, humour in her tone.  They sat in silence for a moment, his hand still held by hers, until her voice hummed another melody.  “Sammy was low, watching the show over and over again.  Knew it was time to make up his mind to leave his dead life behind….”

In the last moments before he slipped into sleep, Draco was vaguely aware of her fingers brushing hair away from his face.

-------------- later on, I think he asks what happened, and she tells him he told her she smelled nice [10:36:31 PM] Sarah: he buries his nose in her hair and says, "Hmm. You do." [10:36:50 PM] Rach: also; I'm surprised at how well Spread your Wings fits in there [10:38:25 PM] Sarah: "And I told you I haven't had a proper bath in days," she replied. "And neither have you, if I recall."

"We could remedy that," he said, a sly grin spreading across his face.  "Conserve water, even.  Ow, don't hit me! I was joking! I'm ill!”

------------------

“I hope Mother’s handling the bills all right,” Draco murmured, mostly to himself.

Kate paused where she was bent over to pick up a log and looked at him.  “Bills?”

He blinked, brought back to the present, and nodded.  “Yeah.”

“I didn’t think Malfoys /had/ bills,” she replied, adding the wood to the pile in his arms.  “Being rich and all, I mean.”

“Of course we have bills.  How do you think we keep the Manor warm in the winter, or the shower running?”

“Hadn’t put much thought into it.”  She shrugged.  “Wouldn’t put it past you to have house elf hamster wheels.”

He let out a snort, then let the wood fall to the ground as he dropped to his knees, helpless with laughter.  She glared at him.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded.  It was a perfectly viable option.  She’d seen lots of cartoons and things on the telly with hamsters in wheels generating power---even if the end result /was/ the hamster getting thrown off the wheel because it was exhausted, the method worked.  “Draco!”  She stamped her foot, which only made him laugh harder.

“Hamster… wheels!” he chortled.  “Oh, I’ll definitely suggest that to Mother.”

“Don’t you dare!” she screeched, indignant.  “Those poor elves have been through enough living in your squalid manor!”

That cut his laugh short.  His eyes narrowed.  “If you keep screeching like that, someone’s going to think there’s a dying warg.”

Her lips thinned, and Kate resisted the urge to kick him.  “I hate you,” she hissed.

“Liar.”  He continued to frown at her.  “I greatly dislike your continued insults towards my family’s ancestral home, especially since you’ve been inside and seen that it is the exact opposite of squalid.”

Chagrined, she looked away.  “I apologize.”

Standing, he began to gather the wood again.  “Those weren’t the bills I was talking about, though.”

“They weren’t?”

“No.  Every month we have to calculate what the family owes in reparation for the war.  Each month it’s different, and I’m the one who usually takes care of it.”

She chose to say nothing, instead placing the last piece of wood into the pile in his arms.

“Facing the consequences of our actions every month is possibly the best punishment the Ministry could have given the Death Eaters,” he said softly.  “Well, the ones that are capable of feeling guilt, anyway.  No way to run from it, and having to tabulate what is owed to each victim and their family ourselves is… well.  Harsh reality, I suppose.”

“What do you mean there’s no way to run from it?” Kate asked.

He looked at her.  “The Ministry knows exactly how much is in the family’s vault at Gringott’s.  I could try to trick them, try to pay less than we owe, but Merlin forbid we get audited, because then it’s Azkaban.  Prison is fine for my father, but Mother… she’s delicate.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” she muttered under her breath, continuing to walk back towards the house.  So that’s how the Ministry was getting revenge.  It did make sense, though.  “Have people tried to get out of it?”

“One of the Parkinsons, yeah.  He’s in Azkaban now.”  He scowled down at the wood in his arms.  “I hate myself for buying into Voldemort’s tripe.  For listening to my father.  But I was young, stupid, and I looked up to him.  I didn’t realize how power-hungry he’d become.  Thank Merlin Mother finally saw sense in the end, when she cared more about my life than her own.  Thank Merlin she saved Potter’s life.”

Kate’s eyes snapped to his face.  “What?”

He gave her a wan smile.  “At the Battle of Hogwarts, after he’d sacrificed himself in the woods, she pretended he was dead.  One time I asked her what she’d have done if he’d told her I was dead.  She smacked me and told me never to think such things again, that I should be grateful Voldemort’s gone.”

“And are you?”

“Well, I’m not living in constant fear of breathing wrong and getting killed, am I?” he asked her wryly.

“Are you?” she repeated, this time with a smirk.

He scoffed.  “Like you’re capable of killing me.”

“Maybe not,” she murmured.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured her.  “I’m not capable of killing me either.”  She rolled her eyes, and he smiled.  “I’m not capable of killing anyone.  I’m a coward, to the very end.”

“Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,” Draco commented as Kate walked into the kitchen the following morning.  He rose and pulled a mug from one of the cupboards.  “Tea?”

“Impossible to get up on the wrong side of the floor,” she grumbled, flopping into a chair.  “Make it strong.”

“Why were you on the floor?”  He set the mug down in front of her, then sat back down and pushed the sugar bowl across the table.

Kate dropped a sugar cube into her tea.  “Had to make sure Adrian didn’t drown on her own sick, didn’t I?”  Her chair scraped against the floor as she stood to get herself some food.

“Hey, I can get it,” he protested, standing as well.  The look that she shot him through her tangled hair had him back in his seat in seconds.

“Those books,” she said tersely,  plopping bread in the toaster.  “You said you brought them with you?”

He nodded, realised she couldn’t see him, and said, “Yeah.  I put them in my room.”

“I’d like to look at them after breakfast.”  After a pause she added, “And after I get dressed.”

“Sure,” he agreed easily, watching her spread jam on her toast.  “Do you want them in the study or the front room?”

“Front room’s fine.”

“There was some bloke who came in earlier.  Pale like Spike, but dark hair.  Ignored me and just went downstairs to the cellar.”  Kate’s frown deepened.  “Should I have stopped him?”

“No.  ‘S just Angel.”

Draco wasn’t sure how he felt about the dour expression on the witch’s face as she ate her breakfast.  “Do you not like him?” he asked after a lengthy silence broken only by the sound of her chewing.

She swallowed her toast.  “I don’t like any vampires.”

Given her clipped tone, Draco knew he probably shouldn’t press her, but curiosity got the better of him.  “Is it on principle, or…?”

“Had a bad experience.  Shut up and read your paper.”  She grabbed her tea from the kitchen table and stomped upstairs.

She returned fifteen minutes later in a jumper and jeans, her hair now tidily pulled back at the nape of her neck.  Draco was already in the front room, perusing one of the books he’d brought.  There was a map spread out on the coffee table beneath the others, and a fire burning in the hearth.

“Did you light the fire?”

“Yeah.”  He leaned over, picked up a book, and handed it to her.  “I suggest starting with this one.”

Glasses perched on her nose, she sat down and opened the book.  “Oh,” she breathed.  “Oh.”  He’d given her a diary, an old one.  The dates were strange, though.  “Ten-eighty-eight of the... does that say the Third Age?”

“Yeah.”  A tiny tickle ran up her spine when he bent close. He smelled of expensive cologne, of course, but under that were spices, the smell of milk tea, the green scent of evenly-chopped potions ingredients, and buried under all of it, something darker, muskier -- maybe even Draco himself. She shifted her shoulders uncomfortably. Merlin help me, I'm thinking about the way he smells.

“’Amon Lanc is under attack.  Tholinnas has stayed behind to defend the hill, but instructed me to flee with Eruwaedhiel and the other women and children.’”  She looked up at Draco.  “Those are strange names.”

“When I asked Mother she said they were probably Elvish.”

“Elvish?”

“Yeah.  Not like---I don’t think house elves have their own language, maybe they do, but it’s not this.”

“Hmm.”  There was silence for several minutes as she continued to read.  “The next few entries are about camping and avoiding things called Orcs.  Then there’s this one.  ‘It has fallen.  Our hand has been forced, and we must flee north.  Tholinnas is dead.  My heart grieves, but I must live on for Eruwaedhiel.  She is still so young.  We head for the Forest River, where Thranduil believes we will be safe from the dark forces that have overtaken Amon Lanc.  The ones who survive say a powerful evil aided the Orcs in their victory.’”  Pointing to the word, she added, “I’m guessing these Orcs are some sort of soldiers, rather than wild animals.”

“Most likely.”  There was a crash from upstairs.  “Adrian must be awake.”

“Bollocks,” Kate muttered, her forehead wrinkling.  “I don’t want to talk to her right now.”

Draco wondered if he should ask why, then realised she was probably still upset about yesterday.  “You never said why you were so mad at her.”

“It’s nothing.”

He found himself leaning forward.  “It has to be something if you’re still bothered.”

Kate attempted to make her tone light. “She said no-one would miss me if we couldn’t get back.”  She marked her place in the journal and set it on the coffee table.

“That’s silly.  Wouldn’t your parents miss you?”  He regretted asking it when he saw the flash of pain in her eyes before she looked away.

“My parents are dead.”

“Shit.  I’m sorry.”  He ran a hand through his hair.

“You didn’t know.”  She stood and glanced towards the doorway.  “I’m ready to go when you are, as soon as I get my cloak.”

He followed her into the hall, where they removed their cloaks from the hooks on the wall and pulled them on.  “Do you have a list?”

“In my head.”  She locked the door behind her and led him to the alley beside the small house.

“How do you remember it all?” he asked, but wasn’t sure if she’d heard him as they Disapparated.

“Despite several bumps in the head, I’ve got a decent memory,” she replied brusquely when they arrived at Diagon Alley, brushing imaginary dust from her jumper.

“How’d you get bumped in the head?  I never saw you play Quidditch.”

“You never saw me do much of anything except quietly take your abuse.”  It came out in a low growl.  Pushing the dark thoughts aside, she asked, “Have you got money on you or do we have to go by Gringotts first?”

“Gringotts.”  She started off without him, setting a brisk pace along the Alley, but it didn’t take long for Draco to catch up.

“I’ll wait outside while you fetch your sackful of Galleons,” she told him as they neared the white building. Her shoulders were tense, Draco observed.  “There’s no need for me in there.”

“If you’re sure,” he replied doubtfully.

“I am.  Now hurry up, I want to get back to those books.”

Draco paused, wondering if he should point out that she’d been all-too-willing to abandon them when they’d heard Adrian moving around upstairs, but decided not to risk it.  “Back in a bit,” he said, and hurried up the steps.

--------------

When he returned, he found Kate glaring at a woman who had her cornered against the wall beside the steps.  “You all right?” he asked.

She wrenched her wrist from the woman’s grasp and frowned at him as she cradled her arm to her chest.  “Fine.”

“Why young master Malfoy, fancy seeing you here,” the woman said, focusing on him.  Kate returned her gaze to the woman, whose eyes were dark, almost sinister, and made Draco very uncomfortable.  Her mouth drew into a smirk.  “Though I certainly hadn’t expected you to be associating with such trash.”

“I would hardly call Miss Turner trash,” he replied, eyebrows drawn together.  Her gaze was unsettlingly familiar.  “And I’d say you hardly know her if you think she is.”

“Malfoy,” Kate muttered, “give me the money and let’s go.”

The woman’s smirk widened.  “Giving away your services to all and sundry now are you, Katelyn?”

“Never,” the younger witch snapped.  “I’m not like you.”  Her green eyes were guarded, body tensed.

“She should be the one paying you,” the woman continued, turning to Draco.  “How much did she charge you to fuck her?”

"I beg your pardon," Draco said snootily.  "I'm not sure what you are insinuating about Kate, but I am a Malfoy."

"Exactly," the woman said, snickering.  "Look just like your dear Daddy."

Draco's eyes narrowed and his hand crept towards his wand.  "Let me be clear.  Kate is not a prostitute, and you are clearly unwanted here."

"Oh, she is," the woman assured him.  Her eyes narrowed, and a cruel smirk twisted her lips.  “She’ll take you for every penny you’ve got.”  As she turned to Kate, her smile widened.  “Come home, Katelyn, back where you belong.”  She reached out for the younger woman, who let out a hiss and drew closer to Draco.

“Not in a million years.”  Pushing past them both, she stalked away.

Draco started to turn, and the woman spoke.  “No need to run after her.”  The woman raked her eyes down his body.  “You’re better off without her.”

"I very much doubt it," he snapped.  Where did that come from? he wondered, baffled at his own protective impulse, and turned his back on the woman.  He ignored the quick twinge in his shoulderblades as he half expected her to hex him, and simultaneously wished he had Snape's sense of flair.  When no hex was forthcoming, he moved regally off, then went in search of Kate.

Kate was standing in the small alley between Flourish and Blott’s and Madam Malkin’s.  Hearing his footsteps, she hastily wiped her eyes.

“Who the hell was that?” he demanded.

“No-one,” she said quietly, staring at her hands.  All her previous anger had gone, and she just looked small and... Kate-like.

“It had to be someone.  If anyone else had done that, said that---hell, if I’d called you a whore, you wouldn’t have thought twice about hexing my bollocks off.”

“You’re different.”

“Exactly how am I different?”

“You’re an arse, that’s how.”  Despite herself, the corner of her mouth hitched upward.  “Just forget about it.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s not worth it.”  It came out as a sigh.  She brushed hair away from her face and drew her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

He looked back in the direction of Gringotts.  "What she said was...."  He paused for a moment, trying to put into words why his wand hand was still twitching with anger.  "Shall I duel her for your honour?"

Kate went absolutely white, shoved her way past him, and ran down the alley into the crowd.

For several seconds, Draco just stared after her.  Merlin's left testicle, I'll never understand women.  He heaved a sigh and started to turn away, then realized he was still holding the bag of galleons he'd withdrawn for supplies.  "Bloody witches," he muttered, and went in search of her for the second time in two minutes.  "Don't know why anyone puts up with the species."

"Tell 'em, laddie," a wrinkled old half-goblin cackled from a doorway.  Draco ignored him.

Kate had gone towards the Leaky Cauldron, where she was attempting to regain her composure.  He’d offered to duel for her.  What in the name of sanity had he been thinking?

Giving herself a little shake, she headed back out to the Alley, where she found Draco waiting.  “Sorry,” he said, smiling.  “Didn’t realise you had a problem with chivalry.”

She swallowed.  “My father died because of chivalry.”

Draco blinked at her, then held out the bag of coins.  "You forgot this."

Her cheeks burned as she took it from him.  "Thanks," she muttered.  "Going to follow me around and make sure I'm not stealing it?"

The bemused look on his face turned to affront.  "I might occasionally be a pillock, Miss Turner, but I'm not in the habit of insulting young women who've done nothing to deserve it.  Yet."

"You aren't in the habit yet, or who don't yet deserve it?" she asked sarcastically, then shook herself.  "You might as well come.  Someone has to carry the damned things."

"Both, I think," he muttered, falling in next to her as she started walking.  "If anyone'll get me into the habit, it's you."  Before she could do more than narrow her eyes, he said more clearly, "So what do you mean, about your father?  Lost a duel?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped.

"I'll put it on the list.  Anything else I shouldn't mention?" he shot back.  "Am I still allowed to discuss the weather, for example?"

She rolled her eyes.  "Pillock."

They stepped into the apothecary, where Kate began gathering ingredients and vials of potions in a large basket.  When she had finished, she paid for them and left the shop. Draco followed her down the Alley before being distracted by a voice that called his name. It was Blaise.

“Hey mate, what’s up?” the dark-skinned wizard asked.

“Shopping,” Draco replied tersely.  He didn’t dare pause for fear of losing Kate in the crowd.  Blaise, apparently wanting to chat, fell into step beside him.

“You hate shopping, though.”  Blaise glanced at his best friend, whose face was impassive.  His eyes followed Draco’s line of sight to Kate.  “Who’s that tasty little morsel?  You thinking about ditching Astoria?”

“No.  She’s a girl from school that I’m helping out.”

Blaise smirked.  “Helping out, eh?”

Draco stopped and scowled at the other wizard in irritation.  “Yes. Now, if you're finished I'd like to get back to my shopping."

"She got a name?"

"Kate. Kate Turner." Seeing the blank look on the other wizard's face, he added, "We used to hex her in the corridors.”

"That waifish little thing?" Blaise snorted. "What happened to your pride, mate?"

"Unlike some people," Draco said, voice stiff, "I'm not so proud that I'm not willing to admit my mistakes and try to correct them like a real man should."  He began walking again in the direction Kate had gone.

Blaise clapped his hand to his chest. "Ouch, Draco. That stung." Nonetheless, he followed Draco back out into the crowd.

"I think she's Mother’s new pet project." Draco's eyes scanned the faces in the Alley. Where had Kate gone?

"You're still such a Mummy's boy," Blaise informed him with a grin.

The blond wizard shrugged. "She and I were always close, and now she's all I've got left." He still couldn't see Kate. Maybe she'd gone into one of the shops.

Blaise knew better than to point out that Lucius was still alive, just locked up in Azkaban. The last time he had done so, shortly after everything had gotten settled back down, Draco had very nearly hexed him into oblivion. “Well, you have fun with your philanthropy," he said pleasantly. "I'll make sure not to mention this to Astoria."

"You'd better not," Draco said, clearly distracted. "I'll deal with her myself." Then, almost to himself, he muttered, "I hope Kate's all right."

"You seem pretty concerned for someone who's just a pet project." Blaise stuck his hands in his pockets and tried not to smile.

Draco let out a low growl. "Some woman was harassing her when I got out of Gringotts earlier. It made her really upset, and I don't want it to happen again."

"I see. I'll leave you to it. Send me an owl and let me know how it goes with Astoria." Mouth widening into a grin, he turned around and walked back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

As he scanned the shoppers In the Alley, Draco allowed his mind to wander to his girlfriend.  Astoria was everything society wanted her to be---tall and slender, with long, luxurious chocolate-coloured hair and an excellent fashion sense.  She could throw a dinner party for a hundred without getting a hair out of place (give or take the assistance of a small party of house elves), flawlessly cast all the latest showy decor spells, and make small talk with almost anyone—when she felt like it. Yet none of that could make up for the fact that she was vain, selfish, and extremely manipulative. Sometimes Draco felt she'd missed her calling by not going into politics herself, but on the other hand he wouldn't wish her worst tricks on anyone, even Potter.

/Why am I dating her?/

/Right. Society again./ Draco was coming to think that society needed to mind itself more and his sex life less—increasingly so with every hint some society witch dropped about marriage. Astoria herself was rather less subtle than that. Perhaps he should break it off before he woke one day to find himself married to that … witch.

He shook himself from his thoughts and focused on the matter at hand: Kate. Where in the blazes had she gone?

He ducked into the apothecary on the off chance that she'd gone back to get something she'd forgotten. No such luck. She wouldn't have gone into Madam Malkin's, would she? No. Kate wasn't the type of person to spend supply money on something like clothes. Frowning, Draco peered through the shop’s window anyway. No sign of the witch. Perhaps she'd gone into one of the other shops down the Alley?

Someone brushed by him and Draco realized he was standing in the middle of the Alley, staring into space. He adjusted his cloak and strode down the cobbled street. If he looked like he was there for a purpose, people usually would avoid him.

"Teddy!" someone cried. "There you are!" There was a flash of bright red hair, and he cringed. A Weasley. Just what he needed. Unfortunately, she was standing right by the entrance to Flourish and Blotts, his intended destination.  Even more unfortunately, Kate was standing next to her and Granger.

As he approached, he could hear Kate saying, "--- it's easy for someone his size to get lost on a busy day like today."

"You mean like you?" he drawled, ignoring the frowns the other women were directing at him.

Kate went pink. "You---" she began, then recovered herself. There was no need to lose her cool in front of Hermione and Ginny. "It's not my fault you couldn't keep up," she replied as evenly as she could. "You'd think it'd be easy, since you're so much taller than me. Clearly you must be… lacking." The way she drawled the last word earn a muffled snort from Ginny. Draco's expression hardened.

"Are you quite finished?" His tone was clipped. Ginny and Hermione glanced at each other, grabbed Teddy's hands, and disappeared into the crowd. "I have other things to do today, you know," he continued.

"What, counting your money?" the witch asked quietly.

"No. A society function." It wasn't exactly the truth. Seeing Weasley and Granger had reminded him that he still had some paperwork to do.

"Don't let me keep you." It came out as a sneer, and Kate moved towards the entrance to the bookstore.

"Where do you think you're going?" His hand grasped the handle of her bag, causing her eyes to widen and her hand to plunge into her sleeve, fingers wrapping around her wand.

Her voice wavered slightly. "I was going to look for a book I need. Is there a problem?" She glanced up at him, held his confused gaze for a moment, then looked back down at her feet.

"No," he said slowly after a moment. Releasing her bag, he stepped back. "Go ahead."

"Thank you." Hand coming out of her sleeve, she hefted the bag into a more comfortable position on her shoulder. "You don't have to stay with me, you know."

“I do know, thank you.” Opening the door to the shop, he allowed her to enter first. She stared at him for a moment, seemingly in disbelief, before preceding him into the shop.

“Ah, Mr Malfoy,” the shop keeper said as he moved from behind the counter. “What can I help you with today?”

“Nothing for me, Horatio,” Draco replied smoothly. “We’re here for Miss Turner.”

They turned to Kate, who had gone a faint shade of pink. “Vampires,” she said quickly.  “A book on vampires and how their magic works.”

“Right this way, Miss.” Horatio gestured towards the stacks in the back, and Kate followed him into the rows of shelves.

While she was occupied with that, Draco perused the magazine rack.  There was a new issue of Potions Today. He set a copy on the counter, intending to purchase it for Severus, who would hopefully be pleased. Picking up a copy of Quidditch Weekly, he noted that the player they’d chosen for the cover was one of the more attractive members of the Pride of Portree, who were doing remarkably well this year. It was looking like they might win the Cup.  There was also a feature on the new Firebolt 5.  He made a mental note to stop by Quality Quidditch Supplies at some point in the future to have a look at it. From what he saw from skimming the article, the broom was exceptionally fast and had an advanced braking system. He replaced the magazine and looked around. Kate was apparently still searching for her book. Why did she want one on vampires? Of course, probably for Spike and---she’d called the other one Angel, right? He’d just decided to go looking for her when Kate appeared from the stacks, book in hand.

“Find what you’re looking for?” he asked. She gave him a curt nod. “What were you talking to Granger and Weasley about, anyway?”

“They’re married now, you know,” she said as she paid for the book. “So it’s Weasley and Potter.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He held the door open as they walked back out into the Alley. “What were you talking about?”

“Teddy got lost. I found him and brought him to Ginny, who started to scold him. I stood up for him, and that’s when you showed up and started insulting me.”

“Didn’t Weasley teach that kid not to go with strangers?”

Kate bristled. “Fuck you,” she hissed.

“At least you know better,” he continued, wondering why he enjoyed riling her up so much. “You refused to go with that woman earlier.”

The witch opened her mouth, closed it, reached into her sleeve, and Disapparated.

-----

Kate slammed the door open, dropped the bags on the floor, and was about to stomp upstairs when Adrian came out of the kitchen, mug of coffee in hand.  "Is everything okay?"

"Went shopping.  Malfoy.  Holly," Kate said curtly as Draco shut the door.

"Oh."  The elder witch shot him a glare.  The younger stalked past her and up to her room.  "What did you do?"

"Picked a fight in front of Flourish and Blotts'."  He ran a hand through his hair.  "It was a bad idea.  Granger and Weaslette were there, and I couldn't help myself."

Adrian groaned.  "You complete idiot.  Was she talking to them?"  He nodded, which made her grip on the mug tighten.  "/Pendejo/," she growled, and had to pause to find the right words in English. "She's never gotten the courage to speak to them before.  They're her heroes."

Ah.  That was why she was so upset.  "Fuck," he said.  "I'll go apologize."

"No. Wait for her to cool off." Adrian sipped at her coffee, grimaced slightly, and then drank more deeply. "She probably won't talk to you right now anyway."

Draco accepted that with a twitch of one shoulder. Women did have their pride. "Who's Holly?"

Adrian looked back up at him, startled.  "Holly is---" she began, but faltered.

"There was a woman harassing Kate when I came out of Gringotts.  Was that her?"

"Dark hair, cold black eyes?"

"Yes." At least, he hoped they were talking about the same woman.  "She kept implying that Kate was a whore, and told her to come home, where she belonged."

"She must be missing the free maid service," she murmured, taking another drink.

Draco stared at her, confused.  "What?"

"Nothing," Adrian said brusquely, pushing past him into the living room.  "Do everyone a favour and don't ask Kate about her, all right?  It's a very touchy subject."  She sat down on the couch and pulled the Daily Prophet towards her.  The books he and Kate had been looking at were stacked neatly on one end of the coffee table---not how they’d left them.

"Did you have a look at those?" he asked.  When she looked up at him, he gestured to the books.

"I'm leaving that up to Kate."  There was a dismissive tone in her voice.  Draco stood awkwardly in the hallway, wondering what he should do with the bags.  "Kate'll take care of those eventually," the witch told him.  "If you're going to keep standing there, paint yourself white so you can blend in with the wall."

He took that as a sign to leave, and let himself out the door.

----------

Two hours later, after Kate had had a bath and cooled down a bit, she appeared in the sitting room with a mug of tea.  “Sorry,” she mumbled to Adrian, who was squinting at the Prophet crossword.

“Malfoy explained.  Nothing to be sorry about.”  She scribbled something in the margin, then frowned.  “Are you going to put your groceries away?”

“Oh.  Right.”  The younger witch set her tea down and began rummaging through the bags, organizing their contents before she carried them into the kitchen.  Several minutes later, she reappeared with a book, which she set beside her on the armchair.  Glancing around, she spotted the stack of books on the coffee table and picked up the one she had been reading earlier.

At least ten minutes passed filled with only the sounds of quill on paper, pages turning, and tea being sipped.

"About yesterday," Adrian said at last, sounding sheepish. "You know I didn't mean it, right?"

Kate did not raise her head. "Sure," she said flatly.

"Kate---" the elder witch began, but was cut off when Kate tossed her a book. "/Vampires and Magic/?"

"I thought it might help with your bloodsucker problem."

Adrian frowned. "You know I don't like it when you call him that."

"I don't care, and you know exactly why."

"Just because he did that to you doesn't mean you have to hold a grudge against all the vampires in the world."

"True," Kate acknowledged. "But I do anyway. Or at least I do when it comes to a certain bleach head." She turned back to the diary. "You might try reading this; may lead to a change of heart."

"I do appreciate this," Adrian said after a moment, holding up the book. "And I really am sorry."

Draco found Kate still in bed around noon the next day.  “What’s for lunch?” he asked, leaning against the doorjamb with his hands in his pockets.  She was dressed, or at least the top half of her was.  She looked at him over her reading glasses.

“Leftovers,” she said, and scowled when he made a face.  “If you want something fresh, go home,” she snapped.  “We’re not rich, and we eat leftovers.  If you’ve got a problem with it, leave now and get the hell out of my hair.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he said, throwing his hands up in surrender.  “You gonna come downstairs at all today?”

She pushed her glasses up her nose.  “I’d love to.  However, as my leg can barely hold my weight long enough to get to the loo, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”  

“Er.”  He stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking distinctly uncomfortable.  Whether it was from mention of the loo (Merlin forbid) or embarrassment about her leg, Kate did not know.  “What’s wrong with it?”

“You probably don’t remember,” she began, then paused before thoughtfully adding, “Then again, perhaps you do.  You did seem to have a particular affinity for bullying me my fifth year.”

He had the decency to blush, but shook his head.

“I came back from Christmas holidays with a broken leg,” she explained.  “Shattered femur.”

He winced.  “I’m sorry.  If it, uh, makes it... any less worse, I did a lot of it because my father told me to.”

Her gaze dropped back down to the book in her lap.  “I see.  Did he tell you to cut off my braids too, or was that your own twisted idea?” she asked scathingly.

“I---he told me to,” he said lamely.

She looked up at him, over the top of her spectacles, and did so for so long that Draco began to fidget.  She looked unnervingly like Professor McGonagall when she did that, especially with that disapproving look.  When she finally spoke, she asked, “Perhaps this is going to sound cliché, but would you jump off a bridge if your father told you to do it?”

“No,” he replied, scoffing.

“I see.”  She returned to her book.  “Obeying your father’s orders is fine as long as you’re hurting someone else.”  Her voice was soft, but dismissive.

“No, I---I---,” he stammered, trying to regain his footing.  “It was the war!” he finally exclaimed in frustration.  “It was madness, and bullying you---and all the other students---it was one of the only ways I could keep my family in good standing with /him/.  I lived in fear every day that I would mess up and Mother would be killed.”

“That makes you a coward,” she snapped.  “A coward, and no better than the ones who sold out their Jewish friends to the Nazis during the Holocaust.”

“The Holo-what?” he asked.

“The Holocaust,” she snarled.  “Clearly you’re not up to speed on your Muggle history.”

“Well, no,” he said, not thinking.  “It’s about Muggles, who cares?”

Her lips thinned.

“Why don’t you ask the families of the ten million people murdered because they were different?” she whispered, her voice soft and dangerous.  “Because one man was charismatic and prejudiced enough to persuade an entire country to follow him?  To persuade an entire country to murder their fellow countrymen, or to hand them over to the men that would murder them?”

He frowned at her.  “What?”

“You heard me.  Ten million people murdered, because of fear and hatred.  Sound familiar?”

“Well---I---.”  He grimaced, not knowing what to say to make her less angry.  He sighed.  “I’m sorry, okay?  I was raised not to care about Muggles.”

“Contrary to popular belief, Muggles are people too,” she snapped.

“I /know/,” he growled back.  “I know, and regret my actions during the war.”

“Whatever,” she grumbled, looking down at her book.  “Sod off.  You’re making my leg ache just being here.”

He opened his mouth.  Closed it.  Opened it again and said, “There was something else I wanted to talk about.”

“What now?”

“Do you have nightmares?”

Her eyes snapped to his, a dull flush suffusing into her cheeks.  His expression bore only curiosity.  “So what if I do?”

“It’s hard to get my beauty sleep when you’re crying in the room next door,” he sneered.

She grabbed her wand, reached back, and tapped the wall.  “There,” she snapped.  “Now no-one can hear me scream.”

“Good,” he said, and turned to leave, but stopped when he heard her whisper, “You never liked it when I screamed.”

He turned to face her.  The witch’s head was down, and she was staring, unseeing, at the pages of her book.  “You never screamed," he said in confusion.  "You always stood there and let me hex you, then ran away."  He paused, frowning.  "You never stood up to me.  It was like you never stood up to anyone.”

“Of course I never screamed, not after you hit me so hard my jaw broke,” she mumbled.  “I learned not to make a sound.  To take the punishment quietly, because I /deserved/ it.”

She made no sense.  “What are you on about, Kate?” he asked.

Her eyes met his.  “Didn’t I tell you to leave?”

He shrugged a little, still frowning as he tried to figure out what was going on in her head.  “Not in so many words, no.”

“Well, leave.  I’ve got work to do.”

He didn't; he stayed where he was, looking at her like she was a puzzle he wanted to solve.  “Are you wearing pants?”

“What kind of question is that?” she asked, snapping her book shut.

“I’m going to take you downstairs, but if you haven’t got any trousers on I’ll fetch a blanket.”

She opened her mouth to argue with him, to say that she didn’t need his help, but his expression was resolved and she really did want to go downstairs and sit by the fire, so she shut her mouth and instead went crimson.  “Yes, I’ve got pants on,” she said at last.

“Good,” he replied, and slid his right arm under her knees.  She shrieked as he lifted her, and wrapped her arms around his neck.  The witch was so /light/.  She couldn’t have weighed more than six, maybe seven stone.  “Blimey, you weigh almost nothing.”  Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.  He smirked.  “Of course, you’ve always been kind of a runt, so....”  She smacked him on the back of his head, and he grimaced.  “That wasn’t very nice.”

“Calling me a runt isn’t nice either,” she growled.  “I may be short, but I could kick your ass if I wanted to.”

Then he laughed, stepping down to the first floor.  “I doubt that, but you sure have one hell of a punch.”

“Malfoy, lunch is ready,” Adrian said, coming from the kitchen.  She stopped and stared when she saw Draco in the entryway, Kate in his arms.  “What the fuck is going on here?”

The younger witch blushed again, though she had no reason to.  “He brought me downstairs,” she said.  “’Cause I can hardly walk.”

“That was kind of him,” Adrian replied, her eyes narrowed.  “What does he want from you in return?”

Kate raised her eyebrow at the wizard, who frowned.  “What?” he asked.  “I can’t do something out of the goodness of my heart?”

Her eyebrow rose higher.  “You have goodness in your heart?”

“I could drop you, you know,” he said flatly.

“Yes,” she replied tartly, “but then Adrian would kick your ass.  I doubt that you’d like that very much.”

In reality he’d done it because he’d made her... he’d made her think of /something/, something that must have been traumatising, and he felt guilty.  “I wouldn’t,” he agreed, and took her into the drawing room, where he set her on the end of the sofa closest to the fire.

“I’m not a runt,” she told him again, and shivered, though her expression was stubborn.

Draco rolled his eyes and wrapped a blanket around her.  “Sit there; I’ll bring you a bowl of something warm.”

“Seriously,” she said, frowning at him, “why are you being so nice?”

He looked away.  “I feel guilty about school, okay?  I mean, if it makes up for /anything/ I did, if it gets me an /ounce/ of forgiveness....”  He trailed off and headed for the kitchen, the witch’s eyes following him as he left the room.

Draco wanted... forgiveness?  That didn’t sound like him at all.  From what Kate remembered, Draco took and took with no thoughts of other people’s feelings.

The snow had stopped falling, but the bitter wind was blowing the loose powder into drifts against the porches across the street.  Pale grey clouds skittered across the sky.

“Kate.”

She jumped, then whimpered as pain shot through her leg and hip.  /Deep breath, Kate,/ she told herself.  /Breathe through the pain./  That would have been fine, except the deep breath triggered a fit of coughing and intense pain.  That damn lung again.

Draco stood there, stupidly, until Adrian shoved him out of the way and held something to Kate’s mouth.  “Dammit,” the elder witch snapped, “you’re supposed to be taking it easy, Kate!”

“I /am/,” Kate wheezed, holding up a hand.  “The only time I’ve actually stood up today is to go to the loo, and even then you were half-carrying me.”

Adrian sighed, sat back, and rubbed Kate’s leg.  “Does that hurt?”

“Of course it does, you sodding bint,” Kate snapped.  “That’s where---.”  She cut herself off and pressed her lips together, choosing instead to glare at Draco, who was staring at them with an expression of bewilderment from his place on the floor.  “What the fuck are you looking at, Malfoy?”

“Er....”  His eyes were fixed on Kate’s leg.  “Are you two lesbians?”

Kate yelped as Adrian’s grip on her leg tightened.  “Dammit Adrian, watch it!”

“Yeah, sorry.”  The elder witch stood.  “Something you wanna tell me, Kate?  ‘Cause I’m sure as hell not a lez.”

The witches’ eyes met, and Kate smirked.  “Actually,” she said, and Draco’s head swivelled to her.  “Punch him.”

“Gladly,” Adrian replied, and heaved Draco up by the collar.  “I’ve been wanting to since last night.”

“Hold on,” Draco said desperately, but it was too late, and a second later he was back on the floor, on his arse, this time with what felt like a broken nose.

“Little wanker’s in trouble again, I see,” Spike drawled from the dim entryway.

“I am not,” Draco said, with as much dignity as he could muster while sitting on the floor with a broken nose, “a wanker.”

“Did you need something, Spike?” Adrian asked as Kate pointed her wand at Draco’s face and said, “/Episkey/.”

“Heard yelling.  Thought I’d see if you needed something.”      The vampire shrugged.

“Think we’re good.  Thanks, though.”  

Spike slunk off, and Adrian turned back to Draco, who was carefully examining his mended nose with his fingers.

“Can we keep the face-punches to once a day?” he asked, gingerly pulling on the tip of his nose.  “Not sure how much more I can take.”

“What, scared of the big bad Yank?” Kate teased scathingly.

Draco blinked.  “You’re American?”

“Oh, absolutely,” she replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.  “My parents brought me to England to go to school and when Voldemort came back decided to keep me at Hogwarts where I could be killed any Hogsmeade weekend.”  She rolled her eyes.  “No, you prat, I’m as British as you.”

His head swivelled to Adrian.  “You sound British, though.”

She shrugged.  “I’ve known Kate for over two years, and I’ve been here in London with her since”---she looked at Kate---“August?”  The younger witch nodded.  “So I picked up the accent.  Get me back in the States and I’ll sound as American as you please.”

“Weren’t you getting me lunch?” Kate asked after an awkward pause.

“Yeah,” he replied, standing and going over to the side table.  He brought back a bowl of hot stew, which he carefully placed in her lap.

They ate in silence for a while, until Kate let out a shriek of rage and threw something across the room.  “Bloody buggering rubbish piece of shite!”

Adrian hurried over to the younger witch and, spying the soup spilled on the witch’s sweater, turned towards the hall and yelled, “Spike!”

The vampire appeared in the doorway half a minute later, looking harried.  “What’s wrong?” he demanded.

“I need you to get Kate a clean sweater out of her closet,” she replied.  “And don’t go rummaging through her things, William!” she added as he clomped up the stairs, then turned to Draco.  “Get Kate a new spoon, would you?”

He was barely out of the room before Kate started complaining.  “I’m so fucking useless.”

“I’m sorry,” Adrian told her softly, “but you know we’ve tried all we could.  I’ll call your physical therapist, okay?”

“Why don’t you just stick a tube down my throat while you’re at it?” Kate snarled.  “Since I’m clearly incapable of feeding myself.”

Spike thumped down the stairs and Draco, having grabbed the spoon and waffled about in the kitchen, decided it was safe to return to the sitting room.  What he saw stopped him dead.

Pale, creamy skin, a flash of blue fabric, and Draco realized that if Kate caught him gawking at her chest she’d take progeny out of the equation.  He ducked hurriedly back into the hall, spoon clutched tightly in his hand.

“I wish I’d never gone to the States,” Kate said quietly, her voice muffled by the jumper she was pulling on.

“But then we’d never have met,” Adrian replied, patient as ever.

Kate’s voice was bitter.  “Better for you.  I know what you must be going through, stuck here, having to take care of me like I’m some tottery old woman.  Like some invalid.”  She huffed and flopped back onto the pillows Adrian was rearranging behind her.  “I’m better off dead, anyway.”

“Katelyn Marie Turner,” the elder witch said sternly, “stop that talk right now.”  Her voice went soft.  “I know you’re lashing out at me because you’re bitter.  Because you’re hurting.  Because you’re angry at yourself.  It’s okay.  I understand.”

Kate began to cry.  Draco hung back, embarrassed, and looked at Spike, who was also lurking in the hall.  The vampire shrugged.

“Not much I can do, mate,” he muttered, and made his way back downstairs.

Draco stuck his head into the sitting room.  Adrian, seeing him, inclined her head towards the coffee table.  He set the spoon down and backed out of the room as Adrian mouthed “Thank you.”

There wasn’t much for him to do now, except perhaps explore their study.  He had errands to run as well, but the snow had started falling again, this time in large, wet flakes.  His nose wrinkled.  Study it was then.

--------------------

Later that night, he tossed and turned in bed.  Kate, lying in bed on the other side of the wall, sighed and rolled over.  Adrian---and the pain medication---had made her take a nap, and now she couldn’t sleep.  Draco wasn’t helping.  The walls were thin, and she could hear his whimpers.

“Please,” he begged.  “Please, please, no, I’ll do better, I’ll fix it, /please/.”

“Argh,” she said at last, throwing back the covers.  After wrapping her dressing gown around her, she limped into the room next door... right as he began to scream.  “Malfoy!” she snapped, shaking his shoulder.  “Wake up!”

He bolted awake, took one look at her, and began to cry.

“Oh, bollocks,” she grumbled, and wrapped her arms around him.  He sobbed into her chest, apologizing.  “It’s all right,” she cooed, and silently prayed he would stop soon.  This was more awkward than anything she could think of.  At last, he began to sniffle, and she patted his head.  “I’ll be right back.”

Draco watched the retreating figure through blurry eyes and suddenly realized that the shape did not match his mother’s.  He gave Kate a mortified look when she returned with a bottle in her hand.  “Dreamless Sleep potion,” she said, handing it to him.

“Kate, I am so sorry.  I didn’t mean to wake you.”  /Not to mention cry like a small child into your chest,/ he added silently.

She was already at the door when she turned and shook her head.  "I was already awake."  With a sort of crooked half-smile, she said, "Everyone has nightmares, Draco."

The door was already shut behind her before he realized she'd actually called him by name.

------------------

Waking later than usual the next morning, Draco wandered downstairs to discover Kate standing on one leg, palms pressed together in front of her.  She wobbled, flailed for a moment, and fell over.

“Dammit!” she snapped at the woman in front of her.  “I /told/ you the leg was bad yesterday, and you still made me do the damn tree pose when you bloody well /know/ I have trouble with it!”

“Fine, let’s try a warrior pose,” the woman said patiently as Draco tried to hold back a snigger.

“Show’s twenty quid if you’re going to stand there like a prat,” Kate growled at him.  “My foot up your arse is always free, though.”

“Kate,” the elder woman admonished.  “Taking your frustration out on him won’t help you heal faster.”

“No, but it sure makes me feel better,” she drawled.

“I’ll go get some breakfast,” he said hastily.  Maybe she wouldn’t hit him today if he behaved himself.

“Good, and stay gone,” she muttered as he hurried down the hallway.

An hour later, Adrian was handing the therapist an extra ten-pound note as she showed her out.

"She's been extra grumpy ever since he moved in," Adrian informed her quietly, glancing at Draco.  "Yesterday was one of those days where she couldn't even get to the toilet by herself, and you know how she hates being helpless around men."

The therapist nodded sympathetically, tucking the note into her bosom.  "I'm sure I would be too, if I'd been through what she has, poor dear."  She looked at Draco, who was standing near the sitting room door pretending not to eavesdrop as he watched Kate shuffle about, putting furniture back where it belonged, then turned back to Adrian, her expression stern.  "Leg exercises for the next three days as needed, and make sure she keeps doing the arm rehab.  I can tell she's been slacking off and you can't let her get away with that, not with how far she's come."  She sighed and smiled.  "I'm still amazed at how well she's managed to heal, when I picture those x-rays of hers.  Anyone else with an injury like that would have ended up with a useless limb, but Kate's exceeded all my expectations."

Adrian gave her a tight smile.  "I think she exceeded everyone's when she survived," she said softly.

"Well, yes, of course."  She glanced at Draco and smiled as he hurriedly looked down at the book in his hand.  "Your houseguest is looking mighty curious, so I think I'll take my leave."

"Have a good evening, Ms Cartwright," the witch said, showing her out.  When the door had closed, she marched up to Draco, grabbed his ear, and dragged him down the hallway.  "Sneaky little Slytherin, aren't we?" she hissed.

"Er, yes," Draco replied, looking sideways at her.  "Would you mind letting go of my ear?"

She smirked.  "I think what I have to say will be much more effective if I don't," she replied with a small tug.  The wizard hissed in pain.  "I'm sure you have plenty of questions," she began.  He started to nod, but stopped when she went on, "I'm not going to answer any of them.  Kate and I discussed it last night---you're too clever to believe the story we told everyone else, and you're smart enough to know we mean it when we say that if you start asking too many questions, you're getting hexed."  She grinned, and Draco swallowed when he saw the fire in her eyes.  "I would so love to curse those perfectly groomed eyebrows off your face, Draco," she purred.

"Okay, okay," he said hastily.  "I'll go with the cover story.  Just let go of my ear, will you?"  He swallowed again.  "And stop looking at me like I'm a tasty piece of meat.  Are all Americans like this?"

"Just the ones from rural Florida," she replied flippantly, finally releasing his ear.  He started to raise his hand to rub it, but forced it down to his side.

"Right, never go to Florida," he told himself, then focused back on Adrian.  "What's this cover story, then?"

"Car accident."  Adrian leaned back against the wall.  "Got impaled by some metal, it severed most of the nerves leading to her left arm.  I managed to sneak a Mediwizard in to patch her up a bit, and then when she was released we visited specialists.  She's gained a lot of the function back, but not all of it."

Draco crossed his arms.  “Exactly how much of that is truth?”

“Enough,” Adrian growled, pointing her wand at him.  “One more word about it and I’ll turn you into a frog.”

His eyebrow rose.  “How unoriginal,” he commented.  “Bloody typical American.”

“Would you rather be a centipede?” she snarled.

He imagined the look on her face as her foot came down to crush him and shuddered.  “No thanks.”

“Then watch your mouth, smartass,” she told him as Kate wandered into the hall.

"Thought it was my turn to hex him today," the younger witch commented tiredly. Adrian gave her a look that was only partly guilty and tucked her wand back up her sleeve. The younger witch shrugged, then winced. "Bloody drill sergeant, that Jenny. Possible I might hurt more now than I did yesterday." She swept a lock of hair out of her face. "I'm going to run a bath, try to relax."

"I'll start the bath," Draco volunteered, edging his way past Adrian and hurrying up the stairs.

Kate raised her eyebrow at Adrian, who shrugged. "Ain't nothing a good ear-box won't fix," the elder witch said. "Caught him eavesdropping on my conversation with Jenny and decided to---to---dammit, what's the phrase." She stamped her foot in frustration. "Bite off the head?"

Kate covered her mouth, trying to hide her smile. "Nip it in the bud?" she offered.

"Yes," Adrian replied triumphantly. "So I boxed his ear and fed him the car crash story."

"Kate!  Kate!  The bloody---oh buggering---" Another crash followed it.  "I think it's cursed."

"No, it's not, it's just Muggle," she yelled back.  "And I guess it's going to fall on me to go save that great prat from the bath tap.  Me with my leg and all, you'd think---"

"Shall I fetch some cheese to go with that whine?" Adrian asked brightly.

"Shut up," Kate muttered, and limped for the stairs.

Kate got up the stairs to find Draco half-sitting in the tub desperately trying to stop the water spurting out of one of the taps, which had mysteriously vanished.  "Oh, bollocks," she muttered, feeling angry.  "You'd think by now you'd know better than to try magic on Muggle devices."  With a wave of her wand, she summoned the missing tap and magicked it back in place; another cleaned up the water on the floor.  "What kind of prat volunteers for something he can't do?"

"I didn't know it was different!" Draco protested.  "Erm... how is it different?"

"They're stainless steel and plastic," she snapped.  "If you use the standard incantation, they twist off.  Lucky for you I know the counterspell, or you'd be downstairs calling a plumber right now."

"So... erm....?"

"You /turn/ them, Malfoy," she said with exaggerated patience.  "Which I will gladly demonstrate, if you get out of my tub."

"Oh.  Er.  Yes."  He climbed out with all the dignity he could manage---which isn't much, when one is soaked through and forced to climb out of a bathtub one has been sprawled in.  "Oh.  You /twist/... that's remarkable.  How... remarkable."

"Muggles have been known to invent a thing or two," she said, her lips pursed.  "Now get your bloody arse out of my loo.  I want my bath."

He got.

Adrian, when told this story by a Kate only slightly mollified by her hot bath, raised an eyebrow.  "Wonder how he's been bathing, if he hasn't been using the bath."

"I do /not/ need to be thinking about that," Kate said firmly.  She paused, then shook herself.  "Magic, probably."

“Let’s change the subject, shall we?” Adrian offered, glancing at the clock on the mantle.  “What would you like for lunch?”

“Mm.”  Kate looked out the window.  “Why don’t you ask Malfoy.”

“He’s having lunch with his /mother/,” the elder witch sneered.  “So give me an idea, or you’re getting potato salad.”

“Oh Merlin, anything but that.”  Adrian’s potato salad was /horrid/.  Kate didn’t like the dish to begin with, but Adrian added that extra something that usually ended with Kate feeling a disturbing urge to be sick.  Adrian had mentioned something about using a specific sauce, and that perhaps it was what made the salad so repulsive to the younger witch.  “Make some toad in the hole, then.”

Adrian stared at her blankly.  “Where am I supposed to get toads this time of year?”

“Knockturn Alley, you dimwit Yank,” Kate snapped, suddenly angry that Adrian still couldn’t remember traditional British dishes.  She turned away from the window and flopped into a chair.  “Go down to the chip shop and get fish and chips then.”

Adrian bit her tongue for several seconds, then coolly said "Fine," and walked out of the kitchen.

"Oh, bollocks," Kate whispered, leaning against the wall.  /Now she's mad at me.  Wonderful./

"Kate?  Kate, you down here?"

Kate would not hex Malfoy's testicles off and feed them to him.  Not yet.  "In here."

"Oh.  Hello.  Where's Adrian?"

"Out," Kate responded tersely.

"Oh."  He looked around.  "Ah---I'm going out for the afternoon."

"I'm not your nanny," Kate snapped.  "You don't have to account to me for every coming and going."

"Well, no, but---"  He shook his head.  "I /was/ going to ask if you wanted take-away for dinner, but I suppose---"

"You're going somewhere that does /take-away/?"

He shrugged.  "For a Malfoy, yes."

"Merlin's underpants, it's a wonder your ego can /fit/ in a restaurant."

"I'll take that as a no on the take-away," he snapped, and stalked away.

Kate closed her eyes and beat her head against the wall softly, unsure whether she was more angry at him and Adrian---or at herself.

When Adrian returned twenty minutes later, Kate was nowhere to be seen.  “Kate, I’m back!” she said loudly, shutting the door with her foot and warding it with a wave of her wand behind her back.

There was no answer.

“Kate?” she called again, this time a little louder.

Nothing.

“Fuck.”  Had Malfoy run off with her?  Quickly checking the ground floor and determining that Kate wasn’t there, Adrian raced up the stairs only to find the door to the study open.  Kate sat at the desk, scribbling away on a pad of paper.  “Kate!” she snapped, making the witch let out a shriek as she bolted upright.

“Merlin!  Adrian, don’t sneak up on me like that!”  She pressed a hand to her heart.

“Well if you stopped making it so damn easy for me, maybe I wouldn’t.”  She held up the bag of food.  “Lunch.”

Kate stood and pulled off her glasses.  “Great.  Malfoy’s gone, in case you wondered.”

“I didn’t.”  Adrian honestly couldn’t have cared less about what the Malfoy heir was up to at the moment.  “You find something?” she asked, inclining her head towards the book and paper Kate had grabbed as they headed down to the kitchen.

“Yeah.”  As she pulled out plates and flatware, Adrian filled two glasses with water.  “The book I’ve been reading, the one about government secrets?  Turns out the American government has an arch thing too.”

“Okay....”  Where was Kate going with this?  Adrian wasn’t sure she would like it.

“They don’t call it an arch, though.”  The younger witch opened up the small plastic tub of tomato sauce and spooned some onto her fish.  “It’s... they call it a Stargate.”

“A Stargate.  Sounds like something out of the X Files.”  Adrian frowned and drenched her chips in catsup before sticking one in her mouth.

“Adrian, you’re a witch.”  Kate plucked her spectacles from the neckline of her jumper and pushed them onto her face with one hand, and used her other hand to open the book and turn it towards Adrian.

The only sound for a few minutes was the rustling of chip papers.

"So, let me get this straight," Adrian said slowly, leaning back from the book spread on the table.  "This thing is a portal.  To other worlds."

"Pretty much," Kate agreed, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"But ours is... missing something that would let us---choose where to go."

"Stands to reason, doesn't it?  If they were originally some sort of dimensional gateways---"

"But we don't know what worlds they link to, or when, or which world ours is set for.  If any."

"It's probably set for /somewhere/," Kate said with more confidence than she felt.

"And your plan is to hop through, and then /hope/ whoever's on the other side has some idea how to work them."

"Look, our world has got /at least/ two," Kate told her.  "Just because our idiotic governments have decided to classify all the documents that would let us figure out how they work---"

"This is insane, Kate," Adrian exploded, shoving back from the table.  "You're going to jump through, without any idea where it goes or whether you'll /survive/ the trip?  Seriously?  After nobody has /ever/ come back?  Some damn smart people have been shoved through that thing---"

"Maybe it's better over there.  Maybe they /have/ come back, just not through our gate, and they're all happily living in Russia somewhere."

"I'm not buying it, Kate."  The other witch rose, slapping her hand on the table as she did.  "This is---this is suicidal!  This is /worse/ than suicidal!  What if we come out---underwater?  Or under a rock slide?  Or even just a sunny meadow, have you thought of that one?  Poof, no more blondie!"

"So?" Kate muttered.

It was the wrong thing to say.  Adrian slammed both hands on the table.  "Just because no one would miss you---"

She cut herself off, but it was too late.  Kate had already gone white.  "Say it," she hissed.  "Nobody would miss me, so it's fine if /I/ go.  But you---you have things to live for.  So you're going to back out, you and Spike and probably Malfoy whose precious mummy would miss him.  Let the broken useless girl go alone, nobody needs her."

"Kate, I didn't mean---I just---we need to think this through better."  Adrian ran her hands through her hair.  "Look, I think it's brilliant, what we've figured out so far.  Another year or two---then maybe---"

"If you don't want to go, just say so," Kate snapped, and shoved painfully to her feet.  "That's fine.  That's great.  I don't want anybody along who'd just be baggage."  She stalked out of the room.

-----

Draco found Kate in the kitchen when he returned after sundown.  “Don’t you dare get my nice clean floor dirty,” she growled, not even looking up from where she was scrubbing the linoleum by the oven.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, silently adding that no matter how hard she scrubbed the cheap tile would never rival the gleaming stone of the Manor.

“What do you want, Malfoy?” She sat back on her heels and wiped her forehead with the back of her arm.

He reached into the room and set the bag he was carrying on the table.  “I thought you were all sore.  You were earlier, at least.  What’d you do, take an extra-strength painkiller potion?”

“Turns out anger is an excellent painkiller.”  She dunked her rag in the bucket beside her and began scrubbing again.  

The smell of bleach reached Draco, and he wrinkled his nose.  “That stuff’s not good for your skin, isn’t it?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head,” she sneered.  “Adrian sure isn’t.  Besides, I’ve got a big bottle of dittany in the medicine cabinet.”

“Right.”  He leaned against the doorjamb, trying to look natural.  The witch’s attitude was completely off-putting, even more so than it had been the past couple of days.  She’d only glanced at him once since he’d arrived, and there’d been this look---/something/---in her eyes that would have made his hair stand on end, if he’d let it.  He decided to change the subject.  “I brought back take-away even though you said you didn’t want it,” he informed her.  “It’s Indian, hope that’s all right.  From an excellent place in Cardiff.”

“You went all the way to Wales for take-away?”  Her eyebrow rose as she stopped scrubbing for a moment.

He shrugged.  “Stone’s throw from the Manor, pretty much.”

The rag dropped into the bucket.  She stood and went over to the sink to scrub her hands, mumbling to herself.  “I’ll have to take another shower now, or the bleach smell’ll never come out.  Damn her.”  Finally satisfied with the state of her hands, she stepped towards the table---and slipped on the wet floor.

Strong hands caught her by the arms, pushing her upright.  “You all right?” he asked.

She blinked at him, thrown off by how---how /nice/ he smelled.  Swallowing, she pulled herself free and muttered, “Fine, thanks.  Just slipped.”  Now that the anger was wearing off, the pain was beginning to seep back into her limbs.  She sat down heavily and rested her head in her hands.  Whatever it was he’d brought for dinner---Indian, hadn’t he said---smelled absolutely fantastic.  She pulled the bag towards her.

“Shouldn’t we wait for---?”

“She’s out, and I’m starving,” Kate said shortly, opening the take-away container and inhaling deeply.

Draco decided not to fight her and sat down.  “Why are you so mad at Adrian anyway?”

“I figured out how to get through,” she said around a mouthful of masala.  Swallowing, she elaborated.  “The archway in the Department of Mysteries.  There’s another in the United States, but they call it a Stargate.”

“What part did Adrian have a problem with?”

“The part where the one here is missing key parts.  She’s having second thoughts.”  Kate shoved a piece of chicken in her mouth.  He didn’t need to know what else the elder witch had said.  “’S all right.  I’ll go by myself, just as soon as I figure out how to get into the Department of Mysteries.”  Soon.  Soon she'd be in a place where no-one cared who she was---or wasn't---or had been.

“You can’t go alone,” he objected.  “What if the war’s still going on?”

"War?" she asked curiously, her fork halfway to her mouth.

"Yeah."  He leaned back and ran a hand through his hair.  "It's an old family story---secret, really---about how the first generation came to this world.  They were escaping a war, about a thousand years ago, and they---they came through the arch."

Kate's fork clattered to the floor.  Blushing, she bent to retrieve it and collect herself.  "Through the arch?" she repeated.  "You're sure?"

"That's what the books say, at least.  I brought them with me---but we can look at them tomorrow after a good night's rest," he added quickly as she made to stand up.

"How am I supposed to sleep when the answers are all there?" Despite this, she sat back down and forced herself to eat.

"They had to seal it behind them.  That's why no-one's ever come back through, but there may be something in the books about how to open it back up."

“You really think so?”  Draco had never seen her eyes look so... alive, was that the word?  They were bright, almost feverish.  She lifted her glass and took a long drink.

“Yeah,” he told her, glad that he could make her at least a little pleased.

“Thank you,” she said around a mouthful of rice, then swallowed and repeated herself, blushing.  “Sorry.”

He held back a chuckle.  “I’m glad you like it.”

Her fingers tightened around the fork.  “Not just for the food.”  Cheeks tinged pink, she met his eyes.  “For giving me hope.”

Draco wasn’t sure how to respond to that, or how to react to the expression in her eyes.  Even though she’d just gotten done telling him he’d given her hope, they were sad.  It was the kind of sadness he often saw in Severus Snape’s eyes when he thought no-one was looking.

“I should---er---go take that shower I was grumbling about,” she mumbled, pushing her chair back and rising.

“You do look tired.”  She did, but at the same time, she didn’t.  What she looked was weary.  “I’ll take care of this and lock up.  You have your bath and go to bed.”  He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.  “Probably still pretty sore, too.”

“No.”  Unfortunately, the slight limp as she walked toward the door told otherwise, and she could just feel him smirking at her back.  “Night.”

“Good night,” he replied.

----------------------------

Draco woke in the middle of the night, and was perfectly content to roll over and go back to sleep, but someone had other ideas.

“Malfoy,” Kate hissed, shaking his shoulder.  “Wake up.” He groaned and shielded his eyes from the light emanating from the tip of her wand.  “What?”

“There’s someone in the house.”  There was a slight tremor in her voice.

He frowned and sat up.  “I don’t hear anything.”

“You weren’t awake to hear the front door open.”

“And you were?”

She glared at him as best she could in the dim light.  “Will you come look or not?”

“Why?” he grumbled.  “It’s probably just Adrian.”

“It’s too early for her to be home from work.”  Kate’s eyes glanced fearfully at the door.  Swallowing, she said, “Please.  I can’t---I can’t---not alone.”

It was then that Draco noticed how tightly her hand was clenched around her wand, the knuckles white.  Her other hand clutched at the tie of her dressing gown.  “Okay,” he said quickly, reaching for his own robe.  “I’m coming.”

Together they crept down the hall to the stairs, where they stopped when they heard voices.

“Adrian, sit down.  You’re going to make yourself sick.”

Kate let out an audible sigh of relief and hurried downstairs, only to find Adrian attempting to dance with Spike.  “What the bloody hell is going on?  You know it’s half-three in the morning, right?”

“Kate, thank God,” Spike said.  “She had too much to drink.”

The witch put her hands on her hips.  “Exactly how much did she have?”

“Three tequilas---” Spike began, but was interrupted when Adrian cheered, “Floor!”

“I see.”

Adrian draped herself on Spike’s shoulder and began whispering to him urgently in Spanish.  “Okay love,” he replied, though from the look on his face he hadn’t quite understood what she’d just said.  It was probably drunken nonsense.

Kate felt her irritation growing.  Adrian was completely smashed, and Spike had gotten her that way, and thanks to that damn nightmare she’d been awake to hear the door and freaked out, and had shown weakness to Malfoy.

“Kate, I’m really, /really/ sorry about what I said.”  Adrian reached over to put a hand on Kate’s shoulder, but the younger witch shied away.  “I just---I felt so bad, and Spike offered to take me out so I thought maybe leaving you alone would be good and well you /do/ get kinda scary when you’re mad and I thought if I left you alone to calm down everything would be okay and I just feel really really bad about it, okay?”

“So you went out and got pissed?  Merlin, you’re just like /him/.”  The words came out in a snarl.  Adrian looked briefly taken aback, but was really too drunk to completely comprehend.

“Him?” Draco asked, clearly confused.

“Nothing.”  Kate closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath.

“She needs to go sleep it off.”  Spike sidled towards the cellar door.

“You’re the one who got her drunk,” Kate hissed at Spike.  “Why don’t /you/ put her to bed like a good little bloodsucker?”

“Believe me, I’d love to,” he drawled, “but I don’t think she’d take kindly to me undressing her, and I’d prefer to respect a woman when she’s vulnerable, unlike some blokes I’ve heard her mention.”

The witch let out a stream of curses.  “Fine,” she said at last, pinching the bridge of her nose.  “Fine.  Take her upstairs.  I’ll be up in a minute.”

Draco reached for her.  “Kate, can I---”

------------------NOVEMBER 1997-------------------

She hadn’t done anything to provoke it.

She was just walking along the corridor, minding her own business, when the weight of her braids suddenly vanished.  Instinctively, her free hand rose to investigate, and she gasped as she discovered that her dark brown hair had been shorn off just above her shoulders.

There was snickering behind her, and she whirled to find Draco Malfoy and his cohorts standing at the opposite end of the hall.

“Look at her!” Draco was chortling.  “She’s completely shocked!”

“You finally gonna fight back, little Gryffindor shrimp?” Pansy Parkinson drawled.  “Serves you right, you and your little ‘Resistance.’  Let this be a warning.”

She opened her mouth to protest, to tell them she wasn’t part of the Resistance, then thought better of it.  These days, Gryffindors were inherently to blame for the chaos at school.  Bending, she gathered the two fallen plaits, stuffed them into her bag, and hurried away.

They’d get away with it, like they usually did.  She’d lie, and the Slytherins would laugh among themselves every time they saw her.  It did not matter.

She’d learned long ago that fighting back caused more trouble and pain than it was worth.  With Snape and the Carrows ruling the school, that philosophy rang truer than ever.

---------------------LATE FEBRUARY, 2003----------------------

She looked up as there was a knock on the door.  “Come on in,” she called, stretching.

Her best friend entered and set a mug of tea on her desk before asking, “You wanna tell me what Draco Malfoy was doing here?”

“Oh.  Um.”  She tucked a loose strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear.

The elder witch sighed.  “Kate….”

“His mum.  She asked to meet me.  She brought him along, Adrian.  It’s not like I wanted him there,” Kate said with a sigh.

Adrian flipped her own black hair over her shoulder, her eyebrow rising.  “And how exactly did she find out about us?”

“Dumbledore, according to her.  Did you know her ears are pointed?”

“Then how did Dumbledore find out?  And are you sure?  About her ears, I mean.”

“No idea.  Maybe Hermione told him.  I’m sure.  She showed me herself.”  The blonde witch rubbed her temples.  “Turns out she’s descended from the Elves of Middle-Earth.  Offered to give us some maps and other materials.”  Her lip curled.  “She’s sending them over with Malfoy tomorrow.”

Frowning, Adrian replied, “Well that’s just brilliant.  I suppose if it’s any consolation, I’m getting closer to figuring out a way to get through.”

“Great.”

“Also, I’ve got some friends coming to join the project.”  Adrian fidgeted with her hair.  “They should be here soon.”

“How soon is ‘soon?’” Kate asked, pushing her glasses up her nose.

The doorbell rang.  “Uh… now?”

“But it’s night,” the younger witch said, her tone puzzled.

“Yeah,” Adrian responded slowly as they headed downstairs.  “They’re sort of….”  She trailed off.

“Vampires,” Kate said, her voice deadpan.  She’d reached the door first, and was regarding the newcomers with interest.

“Sorry,” the dark-haired man muttered.  “Didn’t mean to be so early.”  He glanced up at the sky, from which nearly all the colour had drained, save for the lights of the city.

“It’s fine,” Adrian replied, holding the door open.  “Come on in.”

“Shall I make tea?” Kate asked.  “I’m afraid we’re fresh out of blood.”  The smirk on her face vanished when Adrian gave her a sharp look.  “Oh, very well,” she muttered, and vanished down the hall.

“Sorry about her,” Adrian apologized.  “Have a seat; make yourselves comfortable.”  They did so, and sat in awkward silence until Kate returned with the tea.

“Care to make introductions?”  The witch leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed.  Not that she really needed them; if what Adrian had told her about them was correct, the blond was an asshole and the brunette was broody.

“What’s got your knickers in a twist?” the blonde man asked, slumping further into the couch.

Adrian hastily cut off Kate’s reply.  “This is Spike,” she said, indicating the blond man, then gestured to the brunette with the large forehead.  “This is Angel.  I met them in L.A.  Spike, Angel, this is Kate Turner.”  They nodded at the witch, who inclined her head slightly.

“If that’s all you need, I’ll be in my room,” she said, and left.

-----

Later, Adrian came into Kate’s bedroom to find the witch curled up on the bed, facing the wall.  “You okay?” she asked quietly.  “You turned really nasty all of the sudden earlier.”

“Mm,” Kate replied, not turning to face her friend.

Noticing how the witch was hugging herself, Adrian said, “You’re depressed.”

“Mm.”

“Did you take your medicine?”  There was a bottle on the desk, but it was empty.

“Out.”

“We’ll go out tomorrow and buy some more,” Adrian promised, then frowned when Kate shook her head.  “No?  Why not?”

“Not till Saturday.”

Adrian sighed.  Kate had set up her bank account in order to discipline herself, so she could only take out a specific amount each month.  It was good in theory, but horrible when it came to situations like this.  “Dammit,” she muttered.  “You went shopping day before yesterday.  Why didn’t you get some then?”

“Ran out of money,” the younger witch replied shortly.  “Food’s more important.”

“Dammit,” Adrian said again.  “I don’t want to ask Spike or Angel for money….  Looks like I have no choice.”

“Don’t ask them,” Kate mumbled.  “I can deal; don’t worry about it.”

“You’re my best friend; I’m supposed to worry,” Adrian replied.  When Kate did not answer, she sighed.  “All right.  I’ll leave you alone.  Just… don’t do anything stupid.”  Standing and giving her friend another look over, she left.

-----------------

The doorbell rang the next day, and Kate, her mood much improved, hurried to answer it.  However, her face fell as so as she saw who it was.

“Oh,” she said quietly, “it’s you.”  She pulled the door open, using it as a shield between his body and hers.  “You can, um, have a seat on the couch if you’d like.”  Once he had, she shut the door and ran into the kitchen.

It may have been five years later, and she may have looked different, but he was still Draco Malfoy, and he still scared her.

The first time they’d met again, two days ago, he hadn’t recognized her.  His mother had introduced her as “Kate,” and there were plenty of those at Hogwarts.

“He’s here,” she told Adrian, who frowned and set down the Prophet.

“Bit early, isn’t he?”  She sighed and fussed with her clothes a bit before heading down the hall to the sitting room.  “Hello, Mr. Malfoy.”  She shook his hand, then sat down in one of the armchairs.

Kate hovered nervously in the doorway.  “Should I… tea.  Yes, tea,” she muttered to herself, turning back towards the kitchen.  There, she busied herself making a pot of earl grey in order to distract her mind from the fact that Draco Malfoy was sitting there on her couch.

He and Adrian were, of course, arguing when she returned.  Her hands shook as she placed the tea set before them, then hastily retreated.  He’d never been pleasant to be around, but much less so when he was grumpy.

“Please come back,” Adrian said politely, though her eyes glared daggers at the blonde man.  “You’re part of this, so I think it only fair to ask your opinion.  And you’re the one who had the most trouble with him, sweetie.”

His grey eyes met hers, and Kate dropped her gaze to the floor while simultaneously clenching her hands into fists.  Be brave! she told herself firmly.  He’s only a man; you’re smarter than he is.  Look him in the eye and assert your dominance!

I can’t, whimpered the part of her that was still the scared little girl.  I just can’t.

Her fingernails were digging into her palms.  “Well?” she asked, half-wondering why it was taking him so long to hex her.  “What are you waiting for?”

“For you to sit down,” Adrian replied dryly.  “That would be polite, rather than running away.”  She sighed as Kate’s eyes met hers.  “I know that’s what you were about to do, Kate.  Please, sit.  At least listen.”

With jerky motions, the younger witch forced herself into the chair opposite Adrian’s.  Draco was regarding her with something akin to curiosity.

“Do I know you?” he asked.  “Apart from meeting you the other day, I mean.”

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.  “Oh certainly,” she sneered.  “Hexed me about once a week in school, you did.  Ran away laughing with your mates while I was left oozing or dancing or what-have-you all over the corridor floor.”

Taken aback, he blinked, then slowly said, “I’m sorry, there were so many people I hexed over the years that I’ve forgotten specific names.  Which one were you, again?”  His voice was regretful, but there was an underlying malice to it, an underlying sneer like he really wasn’t sorry at all.

She shot back up.  “Doesn’t matter anymore now, does it?” she snapped, heading for the door.  “War’s over and you were on the losing side.”  She wanted to punch him, to mar that pretty face of his, and that was why she was walking away.  If she lost control and hit him, there was no telling what he’d do in retaliation.

Draco sighed.  “I admit it, okay?  I made some really bad choices.  Really bad ones.  I caved under pressure, and I regret it.  I wish I hadn’t, but it’s the past now, and all I can do is move forward with my life.”

She waved her hand dismissively.  “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“Hey,” he said, causing her to stop in the doorway, “where are you going?”

Looking over her shoulder, she gave him a sick sort of smirk.  “To hit something that isn’t your face,” she replied sweetly.

“Look,” he said testily, “if I let you hit me, will you stay and listen?”

“Are you serious?” she asked incredulously, turning around.

“Yes,” he replied, and nodded for emphasis.  “If it’ll get you to listen.  And if what you say is true, I probably deserve a smack or two.”  He leaned forward.  “Go on, take your best shot.”

“Okay,” she said, still looking doubtful.  She took several wary steps toward him, afraid he would stop her.  “Just remember, you asked for it, and in more ways than one.”

He nodded, and she moved to stand in front of him, drawing her arm back.  His eyes closed as he braced himself for what he thought would be a mild slap.

The blow was harder than he expected.  His head hit the back of the couch and ricocheted.

“Bloody hell, woman!” he cried, cradling his jaw.  “Why’d you hit me so hard?”

“Because you said I could,” she replied matter-of-factly as she plopped down in the chair opposite Adrian, who was attempting to hide her snickers behind a hand.

“Tell me who you are then?” he requested, still rubbing his jaw.  “Merlin, it’s gonna bruise.”

“You probably don’t even remember me,” she replied, voice tinged with bitterness.  “Who’d remember the little Gryffindor who never fought back?”

They sat in silence for several moments.

“Braids,” he said slowly, brow furrowing at he stared at her face.  “You had braids, didn’t you?  Long, dark brown ones.”

“Do you really remember, or are you just making wild guesses?” she growled, nails digging into the arms of her chair.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  “Katelyn Turner.”  Her eyes rose to meet his.  “I’m sorry for the way I treated you at Hogwarts.  I deserve every punch you throw at me.”

Slumping down in the chair, she sneered, “Bravo, Malfoy.  What do you want?”

“Mother wants to go along.  To help you.”

Kate’s eyebrow rose.  “And?”

“And I don’t want her to go.”  He regarded her with a serious expression.

She shrugged.  “Your mum’s an adult; she can make her own decisions.”

“You don’t understand,” he said, then frowned and rubbed his jaw again.  “Ow, damn.  Anyway.  She’s getting on in years.  Middle-Earth is a big place, and it’s---well, she’d never admit it, but her knees aren’t what they used to be.”

“Kneeling on frozen ground in front of a mass-murderer will do that to knees,” the witch said, her lip curling.

“We all make mistakes,” he snapped.  “I’m sure you’ve made some too.  Can’t we forget about that and focus on the matter at hand?”

Crossing her arms, she said, “Very well.  What are you proposing?”

“I’d like to come with you, instead of Mother.”

“No.”

“I told you she wouldn’t agree,” Adrian sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

He leaned back, regarding Kate contemplatively.  “May I ask why not?”

Now that she knew he wasn’t going to blow up at her---at least, not yet---she let her nasty side loose.  “You certainly may.  The real question is whether I’ll give you an answer.”

“Kate,” Adrian said, a note of warning in her voice.

“I hate him,” the other witch snapped, looking at her friend.  “I don’t care how many times he lets me hit him; I still hate his fucking guts.”

"Actually, my guts don't fuck. It's another organ that does that job,” Draco drawled.

Kate’s jaw worked, and she tried very hard not to blush.  In the end, she threw a pillow at his head.  “Fuck you,” she snarled, her cheeks crimson.

He crossed his legs.  “I’d like that very much, if you’re up to it.”  His eyebrows waggled.

“Adrian,” she said lowly, her fists clenched, “do what you want with him.  I don’t care.”  She stood, and was almost to the door when there was a jingle of coins.

“Mother mentioned you’d need money for supplies.  I’m willing to supply it, if you let me accompany you.”  He sighed.  “I’m sorry, Kate, was it?  I didn’t mean what I said, about the sex.  It’s sort of reflex after all these years.”

“Whatever,” she muttered, turning and leaning on the doorjamb, arms crossed.

“I’m not saying you’re not pretty,” he added quickly.  “You’ve turned out quite well, since what I remember from Hogwarts.”

Her eyes closed, and she heaved a deep sigh.  “Adrian’s in charge.  I’ll defer to her.”  She gazed at the elder witch, who nodded in understanding.  Then she looked back at Draco.  “Are you hungry?  I’m going to make lunch.”

“Sure,” he replied, shrugging, “if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” she replied, and left the room.

When she reached the relative safety of the kitchen, she collapsed onto one of the chairs and laid her head on the table.  She’d faced down Draco Malfoy.  Hell, she’d hit him.  Sent him reeling backwards.  If she hadn’t been so close to crying she might have laughed.  Close to crying, or possibly having a panic attack.  After all, Draco Malfoy was in her sitting room.  She took several deep breaths to calm herself, then stood and began making lunch.

Half an hour later, Adrian and Draco sat down at the kitchen table and Kate served them their meal.  “I trust you came to some sort of arrangement?” she asked, cutting into her fish.

“Yes,” Adrian replied.  “He’s going to live here for a bit, as a sort of trial type thing.  If something happens, we can throw him out, no questions asked.  If all goes well, he comes with us to look for Sirius.  That okay with you?”

Kate stalled, shoving another bite of fish into her mouth.  “Ummmm,” she replied.  He was staring at her.  Self-consciously, she looked down at her plate.  “I....”  She swallowed.  Why did her mouth feel so dry?  After taking a drink, she finally answered.  “Okay,” she said.  “Okay, for the trial period.”

“Excellent,” he replied.  “Thank you.”

“I still hate you,” she replied, stabbing at her salad, “but everyone deserves a second chance.”  Her smile was wry.  “Please don’t make me regret it.”

“I won’t,” he promised, looking confident.  “I’ve changed since school.”

“So have I, but it doesn’t mean for the better,” she answered, pushing her plate away.  “Excuse me, I’m not hungry anymore.”

“No,” Adrian replied sternly.  “Finish your lunch.  You barely gave yourself any in the first place, you can at least eat that much.”

Kate went pink.  “Fine,” she muttered, and shoved salad into her mouth.  Draco was looking between her and Adrian, curiosity in his eyes, but he chose not to pry.

Instead, he asked, “So, is there a room I can stay in?”

“Yeah,” Kate replied.  “I’ll show you.”  She turned to Adrian, her expression grim.  “Better light the fires.  It’s going to snow.”  She winced as she stood, her right hand going to grip her left shoulder.  “Come on, Malfoy.”

He was frowning, his eyes on her shoulder.  “Are you all right?”

She gritted her teeth.  “I will be once you get out of my hair.”  She wouldn’t show weakness in front of him.  She wouldn’t give him anything he could take advantage of.

Upstairs, she showed him to a small bedroom, then pointed out the bathroom.  “I’ll need to get some things from home,” he told her.

“Go ahead, I’ll be here all day,” she replied, rubbing her shoulder.  His gaze found the movement.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, Malfoy,” she ground out, and headed back downstairs, where she flopped into the chair closest to the fire.

“So is it just the shoulder today, or is the shoulder just the worst?” Adrian asked, passing her a vial of painkiller potion.

Kate downed it in one swallow, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.  “Right now, just the shoulder.  We’ll see if it gets worse.”

“Have you got medicine if it does?”  Adrian regarded her with a serious, worried expression.

The younger witch rubbed her eye with the heel of her palm.  “A couple doses, I think.  Listen, day after tomorrow, if I’m okay, I’m gonna pop out for a bit, okay?”

“Sure,” Adrian replied, shrugging.

They sat there in awkward silence, Kate hugging herself.

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

Kate glared at her friend, then looked away.  “I really wish you’d quit asking me that.  You and Malfoy.”  She tucked hair behind her ear.

Adrian blinked.  “Malfoy was concerned?  That doesn’t sound like the Malfoy you told me about.”

“I know,” Kate replied, her brow furrowing.  “He seems really sincere, but my instincts are telling me not to trust him.”  She sighed and opened her book.  “I guess tomorrow we’ll really get to work.”

Later, Draco re-entered the house, bags in hand.  He looked over at them from the front hall, smiled, and then went upstairs.

He returned downstairs around dinnertime.  “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, hands in his pockets.

Kate wiped her hands on her apron, then put them on her hips.  “You know anything about cooking, Malfoy?”

“Er,” he said.

“That’s what I thought.  Well, get over here and start learning.”  She smirked.  “Unless, of course, you don’t like to get your hands dirty?”

He frowned at her and began rolling up his sleeves.  “Got an apron?”

Her smirk widened into a grin, and she opened a drawer, pulled out something, and tossed it to him.  “Hope you like pink.”

Holding it up, he discovered she’d given him a frilly pink apron.  He raised an eyebrow at her.  “Got anything more... manly?”

She pointed her spoon at him, one hand still on her hip.  “It’s either that or possibly getting food on your oh-so-expensive sweater.  Your choice.”

Sighing, he replied, “You’re just loving taking the mickey out of me, aren’t you?”  He pulled the apron on.  “Silly pink monstrosity.”

“Oh, I wish I had a camera,” she said in return, lowering the spoon.  “I can just see the front page of the Prophet.  ‘Most Eligible Bachelor Caught In Frilly Apron.’  That would be something.”  She leaned against the counter, observing him with a smile.  “I do admit I’m enjoying this.  Half of it is revenge, but the other half is seeing how far I can take it before you snap.”

He ignored what she’d just said, instead choosing to look at her with a sort of wonder on his face.  “I’ve never seen you smile before,” he breathed.

Her head tilted.  “Is that so?”

“You never smiled at Hogwarts.”  He ran a hand through his hair.  “At least, not that I ever saw.”  His cheeks coloured slightly.  “You’re, ah, much prettier when you smile.”

She could feel her own cheeks burning, so she did the first thing that came to her---she threw the spoon at him.

“Hey!” he cried as it hit him in the chest before falling to the floor.

Letting her nasty, defensive side take over, she drawled, “Oh, sorry.  That was a reflex.”

He glared at her.  “You’re mocking me.”

“Yup,” she replied, not looking at him as she retrieved a new spoon from the drawer and stirred the pot on the stove.  “Good thing you were wearing that apron, eh?”

“I don’t like people mocking me,” he growled, advancing on her.  In a flash, she had another drawer open and a knife pointed at his chest.

“I learned my lesson the first time,” she told him, her eyes looking solemnly into his.  “My wand may be across the room, but I know how to defend myself if need be.”

“What?” he asked, confused.  He’d only been going to stand beside her, to see what she was making.  And perhaps, he conceded to himself, to intimidate her a little with the difference in their heights.  He was, after all, nearly a foot taller than her.

Her eyes closed briefly, and she lowered the knife, sighing.  “Sorry.  It’s just... when a guy comes at you looking like he wants to hurt you, there’s this fight or flight reflex, and I’m sick and tired of the flight part.”  She considered the knife, then handed it, point down, to him.  “How’d you like to learn how to peel potatoes?”

“I---er---sure?”  He’d hoped to start with something simple, like stirring the pot, but this was her domain.  If he wanted to pass through the probationary period, he’d have to stay on her good side. Even if it hurt his pride, he’d do what she told him.

“Sit at the table then,” she ordered.  He sat, and watched as she bent to retrieve the bag of spuds from the pantry.  “Professor Snape may dislike me saying so, but cooking is a lot like potion-making.  Different things cause different reactions.  If I add chilli powder, the food gets spicy, rosemary or thyme, it’s more savoury.”  She plucked several apples from a basket and set them on the table next to the potatoes.

“I may be new at cooking, but I’m pretty sure apples don’t mix with potatoes very well,” he said slowly.

She turned from the cupboard, two bowls in her hands.  “I’m making pie,” she said bluntly, placing the bowls on the table.  “The potatoes are for the stew on the stove.  You add them last so they don’t fall apart so much.”

“Oh,” he replied, feeling stupid.

“Now,” she said, standing beside him, “we need about six potatoes.  As you can see, I’ve already selected them.  What you need to do is peel them and cut them into smaller pieces.”  She sat down and demonstrated the process.  “It’s fairly simple,” she explained.  “Just cut the skins off.  Doesn’t need to be fancy and all in one piece, just needs to be off.”  She cut it into pieces, then put them in the bowl.  “There you go.”

He picked one up and studied it while she went to the icebox.  Was there a spell to make the potatoes peel themselves?  He pulled out his wand and twirled it, pondering the idea.  Then he pointed the wand at one of the potatoes and said, “Scourgify.” There was little change.  The potato, if anything, was clean.  “Bugger you,” he muttered, glaring at the spud.

BANG!  Draco jumped, nearly falling out of his chair.  Kate lifted the ball of dough and threw it onto the table again, slightly less violently.  She began kneading as Draco recovered from his shock.  “You might try doing it like I showed you,” she said crisply.  “May not be able to use magic in Middle-Earth.  I suggest you learn how to do things the Muggle way if you want to stick around.”

He sighed in a long-suffering sort of way, and picked up the knife.  “Stupid menial labour.”

“Malfoy,” she snapped, placing the crust into the pan, “if you don’t want to work then get the hell out of my kitchen.  You’re slowing me down.”

Chancing a look up at her, he wished he hadn’t.  She was glaring at the dough with such ferocity that it might have caught fire.  Without another word, he began peeling.

They sat there in awkward silence for several minutes, until Draco spoke again.  “Look, Turner---“  He grimaced.  “Um, can I call you Katelyn?  Or is that too personal?”

“You may call me whatever you like,” she replied in a tone as crisp as the apple she was peeling, “as long as you acknowledge that my reaction to some things may not be favourable to your face.”

Damn, she was hard to get to.  “Well then, what should I call you?”

“For now?”  She glanced up at him, then looked back down at her apple.  “Kate will suffice.  Aren’t there potatoes that need peeling?”

He knew he shouldn’t say it.  Adrian had warned him not to, but Kate had toed the line earlier and he was going to meet her challenge.  So Draco smoothly asked, “What if I call you Katy?”

Her reaction, the tightening of her grip on the knife, the slight hitch in her breathing, and the brief flash of pain in her eyes was answer enough.  “If you wish,” she replied quietly, “though that one may result in the loss of a testicle.”

Draco swallowed audibly.  Adrian had not been kidding.  There were bad, bad memories associated with that name.

His gaze sharpened again as the woman in front of him wavered on her feet.  Though she had just threatened him, her eyes were now unfocused and staring blankly at a space just to the left of his head.  The knife fell from her hand onto the table; Draco rescued it before it could tip off the edge and hurt someone.  Kate didn't even notice, which alarmed him more.

"Katy," she whispered; her hands came up to worry at the end of her braid.  "Katy, katykaty.  Always Katy.  Never Kate, Katelyn, Kitty, not even when he was angry.  Always Katy.  Why?  Why?"

Draco was just about to go and fetch Adrian when the door burst open.  “Hey Poppet, what’s for eating around here?”  The man frowned at the wizard.  “Who’s this new guy?”  Then he yelped as something whizzed through the air and planted itself in the wall next to his head.  “Hey!  What’s that for?”

"If you're waiting around hoping I'll feed you, you're going to wait a damn long time," she snapped.  "Now, if Mr. Slytherin Arse here wants to open a vein for you---"

"Slytherin?" Spike said, at the same time as Draco echoed, "Arse?"

"Congratulations.  Between the two of you, you have a working pair of ears."  She jerked her chin at the knife embedded in the wall.  "Either peel potatoes or get the fuck out of my kitchen."

"What if I want to eat the new bloke?" Spike asked in a drawl, ambling towards Draco.

"Not my problem," she said with a shrug.  Draco pulled his wand out of his sleeve nervously.  "Just not in my kitchen.  It's not very sanitary."

"I am not for eating," Draco announced to one and sundry, but focused on the vampire eyeing his jugular.

"That's not what she said, love," the man purred, and then laughed as Draco went red.  "Oh, relax, I'm off the human stuff for now.  At least, humans I might have to talk to."

"Then why are you in the kitchen?" Kate demanded.  "I'm not going to feed you, Draco doesn't look particularly willing to feed you, and I don't have any kittens in the fridge."

Draco gave her a horrified look.

Spike yanked the knife out of the wall, flipped it around his fingers several times like a baton, and then picked up a potato and started to peel.  "I love watching you when you're angry.  It's so exciting."

"Pervert."

"Oh, duckie, wouldn't you love to know."

"No, not particularly."  She rolled her eyes.  "Draco, meet Spike.  Spike, Draco.  If you decide to eat, kill, or fuck each other, clean up after yourselves.  Got it?"

How vulgar, to assume he'd get fluids on anything.  "Thanks for the warning, but I can handle myself."

Spike was pouting.  "But it's no fun if you don't get to make a mess."

Draco was pretty sure he was teasing, but it reminded him just enough of Aunt Bella that he made an instant resolution to always keep a hand on his wand around the other man.

Kate sighed and flopped back down into her chair, the fiery anger gone.  “Do whatever you want,” she mumbled.  “I can’t control you.”

“What, giving up so soon?” Spike asked, frowning and tossing the chunks of potato into the bowl.  “That’s no fun at all, duckie.”

Normally Kate would have objected to the addition of those bits of potato to the bowl.  After all, who knew where Spike’s hands had been?  However, she just slumped over further in her chair.  “No matter what I do, it’s not enough,” she whispered brokenly.  “Not good enough.  Not hot enough.  Not clean enough.  Not thin enough.  Never enough.”  A tear made its way down her cheek as she stared past the half-peeled apple in her hand.

“Merlin’s wrinkly ball sack, what the hell did you two do to her?” Adrian screeched from the door, making both men whirl in her direction.  She glared at each of them in turn.  “If either of you touched her, I swear to the Goddess above that I will rip out your testicles one by one and shove them down your throat.”

“Is that a promise?” Spike drawled.

Adrian went red, but continued to glare at him.  “Absolutely,” she snapped, stalking over to Kate.  She knelt and placed her hand on the witch’s knee.  “Kate, sweetie?  Come on, snap out of it.”  When she did not respond, Adrian pulled out her wand and pointed it at Draco.  “What. Did. You. Do?” she growled.

“Adrian.”  Kate looked up.  “Leave him be,” she murmured.  “It’s not Malfoy.  It’s him.”

Draco and Spike looked at each other.  Him? Draco mouthed, but Spike shrugged, just as clueless as the wizard was.

The black-haired witch sighed.  “More than just your shoulder hurts, doesn’t it?”  

Kate nodded.  “It’s not his fault,” she repeated.  “He didn’t know.”

Draco frowned.  It was entirely---no, partly---his fault.  He’d provoked her, hadn’t he?  But Adrian’s anger was so potent that he held his tongue, choosing instead to frown and ask, “Will she be okay?”

“I’m fine now,” Kate muttered, rising.  “I’m fine.  I’ll be fine.  Just let me finish cooking dinner.”

“I dunno,” Adrian replied slowly as Kate dumped the potatoes into the stewpot.  “Maybe you should go to bed.”

The younger witch whirled around, tears in her eyes as she snapped, “Dammit Adrian!  I may be in pain but let me be useful while I still can!”  She let her hands drop, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on her.  “I just---I just want to contribute.”  There was a wounded look in her eyes as she stared at her best friend.  “I’m pretty sure I’ll be useless most of tomorrow, so let me do my part now, while I still can.”  She limped over to the table and sat back down.

There was a tense, awkward silence for several moments, and then Draco went over to the pantry.  “Where do you keep the spices?” he asked.

His question was met with puzzled stares.

“What?”  He frowned at them.  “You need spices to make pie, right?  And sugar?”

Kate pointed to a cupboard, which he opened to find a spice rack.  He stared blankly at the bottles and jars until she said, “Cinnamon and nutmeg.  Bottom rack.”

With his help, the pie was in the oven fifteen minutes later, and everyone settled down to stew.

They ate in silence, until Draco said, “This is really good.”

“Thank you,” Kate said quietly.  She hadn’t eaten much.  Perhaps it was partially because she was having trouble gripping her spoon.  She’d tried using her left hand, but it had been even worse.  Adrian had patiently picked up the spoon and cleaned it off each time she’d dropped it.

At last, she set down her spoon and looked out the window.  “It’s snowing,” Adrian said, following her gaze.

“I’m going to bed,” the younger witch murmured, standing with a little difficulty.  “Adrian, could you make sure the pie gets taken care of?”

“Of course.”  Adrian frowned at her.  “Do you need any help?”

Kate waved her off.  “I’m fine.  Just tired.”  Her voice cracked, and she hastily wiped her eyes.

“Liar,” Adrian replied, but didn’t press the issue when Kate gave her a tear-filled look.  She watched, concerned, as Kate limped off towards the stairs.

“Er,” Draco said once Kate’s bedroom door had shut upstairs.  “What’s wrong with her?”

The black-haired witch’s eyes narrowed.  “Absolutely nothing,” she growled.  “Eat your dinner and be thankful Kate had the kindness to protect you.  Next time, I won’t let it go so easily.”

"A word Katelyn, if you please," Tiberius called as she and Abraxas passed by his study several days into their stay.

"Sir?" she asked, stepping into the room.

"I wanted to ask you a few more questions.  Please, sit.  You too, Brax."

Kate continued to stand.  ”May I ask a question of my own?”  Tiberius nodded.

 ”Do you do this with every girl Abraxas brings home?”

The elder Malfoy smirked.  ”Only the ones he’s particularly fond of.  I have to make sure they’re worthy of continuing the Malfoy line, after all.”

A flush spread over her face, and she sat hastily down as Abraxas hissed,

“Father! Don’t be crude.”

"No," Kate mumbled, waving her hand slightly.  "It’s better to know his motives."

Abraxas was blushing, too.  ”I wasn’t even planning on mentioning it for a while,” he whispered.

She glanced at him, understanding dawning upon her, and the flush on her face deepened.  ”You—Brax—”

Tiberius cleared his throat.  ”You said the other day that you had some hidden potential, Katelyn.”

Kate swallowed and nodded.  ”You don’t get eight Oustandings without having talent and skill,” she said.  ”Charms is my best subject, followed by Potions.  I—I’m very good at warding charms, and am skilled in spellcrafting.”  She touched the locket at her throat.  ”I wove wards into the chain, and they’re engraved in the runes.”

"May I see it?"

"No.  I never take it off.  But, if you’d like to toss something at me, you can see how it works."

"Kate!" Abraxas said, horrified, then gasped as something flew by his face before stopping in midair.

She plucked the paperweight from the golden shield in front of her and regarded it with interest.  ”At least you didn’t aim for my head.”  Her eyes met Tiberius’s.  ”You don’t approve of me, do you?”

He shrugged, which made Kate give him a small smile.

"I wouldn’t approve of me either.  Girl out of nowhere, a bastard mother and mudblood father, and yet your son seems oddly taken with her."  She sent the paperweight back to its proper place on his desk with a flick of her hand.

"Wandless magic, too?" Tiberius asked.

"Some.  It’s not my best skill."

"You certainly have hidden talents, Katelyn," he said after a moment.  "It’s a pity about your parents."

"Indeed," she replied, her voice low.  "I wish my blood wasn’t dirty, that my mother hadn’t decided to marry a mudblood.  That’s why I’ve worked so hard.  I want to bring my blood back to glory."

Tiberius raised an eyebrow.  ”The other day you said you were content with mediocrity.”

"I said I was for now.  Someday, I will come into my own and shine brightly, but it’s not the right moment.  I’m simply biding my time."

"Are you a Seer as well, that you know that your time will come?" Kate smirked.  ”No.  It’s simply self-confidence.”  She stood.  ”I have homework to complete.  If you’ll excuse me?”

"Certainly."

She was almost out the door when Abraxas let out a noise of surprise and a ward shimmered.  Turning, she glared at Tiberius and the letter-opener six inches from her face.

"You may not like me much, sir, but I really don’t think any of my companions or your wife would like it if you were constantly throwing things at me.  Please desist.”

She turned again and walked briskly off, the letter-opener clattering to the floor behind her.

“That was uncalled for,” Abraxas said hotly.  “I can understand questioning her about what she can do, but trying to hurt her?”

“She’s perfectly capable of defending herself, as you just observed,” Tiberius replied evenly.  “She doesn’t need you.”

“She does if Dumbledore’s out to get her!  The Malfoy name will protect her.”

“Why is Dumbledore after her?  Because she can create wards and do wandless magic?  Because she’s hiding her powers?  You’re being paranoid, Brax.”

“Because of what she’s hiding!  Whatever other secrets she’s keeping, he wants them.”

“Do you know what she’s hiding?”

“No,” Abraxas said lamely.  “But I know she’ll tell me when the time is right.  I trust her.”  He looked up at Tiberius.  “I love her, Father.  I think I want to marry her.”

“She doesn’t seem quite so eager about you,” Tiberius observed.

“Don’t you like that about her? She’s not after our money, even though she grew up without much.  She’s independent, cunning, and suspicious of everything—sometimes even me.  She’s just unsure of her feelings right now, but I think—I know she cares for me, and it might go deeper.  She’s cautious, Father.  About everything.”

The elder Malfoy leaned back in his chair, thinking.  “The girl would be a suitable match if it weren’t for her blood status.”

Abraxas closed his eyes and sighed.  This would always be a problem.

“Perhaps if she did a blood adoption… Who has similar colouring to hers?”  At his son’s look of confusion, Tiberius sighed.  “A blood adoption will inevitably change her genetics.  We need someone who has some similar to hers.  Who among your friends has green eyes and brown hair?”

“Just Theo Nott, I think. But his eyes are more hazel.”

Tiberius smirked.  “Herschel owes me a rather large favour… I believe I may cash it in.”

Abraxas stared at his father.  “You’d do that?  For her?”

“For you.  For the Malfoy line.  Not for the girl.”  Tiberius nodded to himself, then looked at his son.  “Run along now, and don’t say anything about this.  I intend for it to be a surprise.”

“Yes Father.  Thank you.”  Abraxas practically raced from the room, hurrying to the library where Kate was.

“Your father’s an arse,” Kate said, not looking up from her book.

“He likes you,” Abraxas replied, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her temple.  “He just told me so.”

Kate raised her eyebrow and turned to face him.  “He has a funny way of showing it.”

“I promise you he does.”  He kissed her.  When he pulled away, she bit her lip, a sign that she was worried.  

“Did you mean what you said back there?” she whispered.  “That you’re thinking of marrying me?”

“Absolutely,” he replied.  “I love you.”

“That doesn’t mean that you—I—” She cut herself off, looking down at her book, then closed her eyes and sighed.  Her hand closed into a fist around her quill, and she set it down, the hand sliding into her lap so that he wouldn’t see it trembling.  Butterflies began to flit around in her belly.  She’d hoped to wait longer, but with everything going on, and with what he’d just said….  She was silent for a long moment before she finally murmured, “I guess it’s time to tell you, then.”

“I told you you didn’t have to,” he said, frowning.  “I trust you.”

Kate opened her eyes and looked at him.  “You can say that all you want, Abraxas, but I cannot in good conscience let you start—start engaging me without you knowing the truth.  I don’t want to hurt you.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to tell me—”

She cut him off.  “It does.  You have to know what you’re getting into.”  One side of her lips curved upwards.  “I suppose it’s better that I tell you here, anyway.  At Hogwarts the walls have ears.”  The smile vanished.  “But where to start?”

“The beginning?” he offered, sitting back.

“There are a couple of those,” she muttered, frowning.  “I suppose I could start with this past July when a new ward I was working on went wrong, and I ended up in the middle of London just before an air raid.  That’s when I met Tom.”

“We’re not allowed to do magic outside of school,” Abraxas said in confusion.  “Not till we’re of age.  You were making wards and—did you Apparate?”

Kate shook her head, a small smile on her lips.  “First lie,” she said softly.  “I’m not sixteen.  Or seventeen.  I’ll actually be twenty in March.”

He blinked at her.  “Twenty?  But you—how—?”

“You’ll understand when I finish.  If you want me to finish.”  He nodded, so she continued, “I was incredibly disoriented to suddenly be in the middle of air raid.  Tom noticed and soon realized that I was different.  So he took me in.”

“Why were you disoriented? The raids come on pretty quick, after all.”

“Because…” Kate wasn’t sure how best to put it, and paused for a moment to think.  “I came from a time when war in England was over,” she said finally.  “Nearly sixty years in the future.”

He stared at her, and she barreled onward.

“I fought in a war that lasted several years—the last battle almost destroyed Hogwarts.  When I told you I sat for my O.W.L.s, I did, but I did so in 1997.”

“But that means you were born in…”

“1981.”

“Where was I?  Where were any of us?”  He was taking this awfully well.

She shook her head.  “I won’t tell you that.  The future’s changed now that I’m here.  There are no guarantees that what happened in my past will happen in your future… in our future.  Rose told me that my presence here is already changing things.”

Abraxas frowned, looking at her.  “So you’re two, three years older than me and traveled here from the future?”

“Accidentally.  I couldn’t go back even if I wanted to… which I don’t.”

It took a moment for her statement to register with him.  “You want to stay here?” he whispered.  “With me?”

Biting her lip, she nodded.  “No-one else.”

Suddenly, he was kissing her hard on the mouth.  She made a noise of surprise, then kissed him back.

“Oh Kate,” he murmured when he broke away, pushing hair behind her ear in a gesture of affection.  “Nine O.W.L.s, wandless magic, surviving a war, and time travel.  You know things you shouldn’t.  No wonder you have to hide from Dumbledore.”

“Sometimes I wonder if my next spell will send me back,” she whispered, feeling her hands beginning to shake again.  “Or send me somewhere else.  I don’t know what to do about it, but Rose tells me not to worry.  I don’t want to go back, Brax.  I like it here, with Tom and Rose…with you.  And then I wonder if this will be the day Dumbledore finds out and—and grabs me or something, to try and force me to do it again, or to do experiments on me… or even to just try to torture the secrets of the future out of me.”

Abraxas clasped her hands in his own.  “Don’t,” he whispered back.  “Don’t worry, ever again.  I’ll protect you.”  Then he was on the floor, on one knee, an earnest look on his face.

“Brax, don’t,” Kate said, her eyes wide as she realized what was happening.

“I know I said I wasn’t planning on mentioning it, but I’ve been thinking about it for a bit.  I want to marry you Kate, and I’d be so happy if you want to marry me too.”

“You still want to?” she asked.  “Even after knowing all this?”

“Especially after knowing all this.” He reached up and tucked more hair behind her ear.  “You’re an amazing girl, Kate.  I want you by my side for the rest of my life.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and she nodded.  “Yes,” she said.  “Yes.”

----------woo---------

“You don’t have to do this,” Abraxas said, a worried frown marring his features.

“Shut up Brax,” Kate snapped as she snatched the cup from the table and pricked her finger, allowing blood to drip into it.  The potion began to steam, and she held her nose and downed it quickly.

It took a moment to affect her, but then it was as if fire was coursing through her veins.  She fell to her knees, doubled over in pain as she let out a soft curse.  Abraxas was beside her, a hand on her shoulder, rubbing her back as she shook slightly.  The pain slowly ebbed away, and Kate lay on the floor for a moment before slowly sitting upright.

“Are you all right?” Abraxas asked, looking her over with concern.

“That hurt less than getting shot five times,” she replied with a small, tight smile.  “Of course, I blacked out from the pain when that happened…”  Her eyes met Abraxas’s.  “What’s changed?  How do I look?”

“Well, uh…” He flushed slightly and shrugged off his cardigan, setting it around her shoulders.

Kate glanced down and groaned.  Her blouse was gapping.  How had getting a man’s DNA made her breasts grow?  “Dammit,” she said.  “Everything’s going to have to be retailored.  What if your mother’s seamstress thinks I’m pregnant?”

“But you’re not!  We haven’t even—I don’t—Kate!”

She let out a tiny giggle at the look of consternation on his face.  “What else is different, Brax?  I think I’m a bit taller, and something’s changed with my face… I could feel it.”

“Your cheekbones are more pronounced,” he said after a moment.  “Your freckles have gone, and your hair’s darker.  I think your eyes might be more green, too.”

Kate pulled a lock of hair forward and considered it.  “Hmm.  Better than what it was.  Your mother will be sad that it doesn’t have those golden highlights she talked about.”

Abraxas shrugged.  “I liked you just the way you were.”

She gave him a long, calculating look.  “Really?  You’re not the least bit excited about my chest?”

His cheeks flushed again.  “Kate!”

Her lips curved into a smirk, and she stood, pulling the cardigan closed before turning to Tiberius.  “Do I meet with your approval, sir?”

The elder Malfoy nodded.  “You handled that well, child.”

She shrugged.  “I’ve had worse, sir.  If I may be excused to go change?”  If he didn’t stop calling her a child, she was likely to hex him in his sleep.  Not that she’d ever tell him that.

“Go on.”

Upstairs, Kate sat down in front of the vanity and took a moment to look at herself.  Abraxas hadn’t lied—her cheekbones were certainly more visible.  Her whole face was more heart-shaped rather than oval now, her hairline a smidge lower.  Her eyelashes were longer for some reason as well.

She was definitely lovelier than she’d been an hour earlier, lovely enough to actually look like she belonged in a Pureblood family, on Abraxas’s arm.  Her hand reached up to touch her hair and she pulled it back, looking at it.  At least it seemed the same.  Small, with a square palm and short fingers.

So when would the good fortune end?  When Dumbledore saw her next he’d see the changes, and no doubt he’d be even more belligerent about getting her alone.

“I have taken nothing that was not freely offered to me,” she whispered to herself.

Rose stepped down the stairs quietly the next day to see Kate already in the common room. She smiled softly.

"Hello Kate," Rose said softly.

Kate looked up, jumping to her feet when she saw Rose. “Good morning! Are you all right? Did he hurt you at all? Who was it? Did you see them?”

Rose raised an eyebrow. “Tom would never hurt me. And I know who did it and I assure you he won’t be sleeping well. I also intend to curse him so his heirs gain nothing and lose everything.”

She took a seat next to Kate, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Aren’t you going to ask me how it was?"

"Good," Kate said vehemently, then flushed slightly at Rose’s question.  "I’m not sure I want to know," she admitted.  "I mean… it’s Tom.  And… well, you know what Gavin did to me, right?  He tried to rape me, and I left him, and then he tried to kill me."

She shifted uncomfortably, thinking of days past.  Of what she’d done to Gavin after discovering there was no way the Muggles would punish him sufficiently.  Of how hard she’d had to work just to get her life back on track.

"However, I confess I am the tiniest bit curious."  It was more in relation to whether the act could be enjoyable than to Tom’s prowess in the bedroom, but still.

Rose smirked, looking every bit the Slytherin she was. “I will admit I was satisfied.”

And she wouldn’t say anything else. It was unbecoming of a lady to speak of such matters. She looked at Kate.

"And despite my own actions to punish the one who did this to me, I know Tom will get involved. He is somewhat possessive of me, thinking that’s what he is feeling. He won’t realize he loves me for quite some time," Rose said, her eyes turning sad, "and it’s usually when he is holding my dead body. I want to avoid my death…if I live his life isn’t as dark as it has been in your universe."

Kate laid her hand atop Rose’s.  ”I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen.  I don’t want you to die for my own selfish reasons.”

She glanced up at the door to the boys’ dorm.

"I haven’t seen Tom or any of the boys yet… want to get some breakfast?"

Rose chuckled. “Sure…Tom left earlier. I’m thinking some fruit and a light breakfast would be best. Even if my magic is joined to Tom’s it still is temperamental.”

She stood, pulling up Kate gently. “Let’s hope Albus keeps his distance and doesn’t try to corner us. He knows it was me who was involved in the bond. He was the one to tell Biliuis Weasley about that spell…”

"So it was Bilius Weasley, was it?" Kate murmured softly, storing that information away for later.  She’d get her revenge soon.

She wrapped her hand around her wand and smiled at Rose.  ”If he does… well.  Powerful wizard or not, I can hold my own.  I didn’t graduate at the top of my class after a war for nothing.”

Rose nodded. “I understand…may I make a suggestion? You should give Malfoy a chance and allow him to court you. It will provide you with protection against Dumbledore and anything he may try to get to you as well.”

Kate flushed again.  ”I thought I was already letting him do that,” she mumbled.  ”I mean, I’ve yet to let him kiss me, but we’ve gone to Hogsmeade…”  

She glanced away, her blush increasing.  To think, that she was becoming fond of the man who, in her childhood, was the father of the man who had killed her own.

"I confess I’m not averse to the idea… I’m just wary of his intentions."

"His intentions are pure," Rose said, "Purer than Tom’s intentions with me. I assure you. And…if you do end up with Abraxas, then you need not worry about the monster he spawns."

Kate nodded.  ”All right then.  I’ll let him kiss me if he asks, but I’m not kissing him first.”

There was no sense in being forward, especially when she herself wasn’t sure what her feelings were.

"Only allow it if you are comfortable with it. Just as I would have denied the magic and feelings pushing me to have coitus with Tom if I felt it wasn’t necessary to do it then."

"I don’t mind the thought of him kissing me," Kate admitted as they sat down at the Slytherin table. "I actually… Well, I see we’ve found the boys."

They were gathered further down the table, Abraxas and Tom’s heads bent over something.

"I see you seem to be up and about already," A voice sneered behind them.

Rose didn’t even bother turning. “I have no idea what you are speaking of, Weasley.”

Tom looked up from the papers he had been going over and glanced in Rose’s direction, feeling her irritation.

Kate slipped her hand into her pocket, wrapping it around her wand.  The boy wouldn’t get a second chance to mess with her friend.

"I’m trying to eat," she growled.  "Your presence is unwanted here.  Sod off."

"When did you start associating with such uncultured swine?" Weasley asked Rose, ignoring her.

"I wouldn’t need to if you would stop speaking with me. Don’t you agree Kate?" Rose asked her, patting her shoulder.

Tom had stood and was making his way over with Abraxas behind him. He gripped his left hand into a fist. That man had attacked what was his.

"I do," Kate said, smiling as she saw the boys.  "Tom, Abraxas, good morning."

She gave Tom a look of warning, hoping he wouldn’t do anything in the Great Hall.  It would only rouse Dumbledore’s suspicions.

Tom nodded to Kate and stepped up behind Rose, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Kate. Roselyn, dear? Are you ready to head to potions?”

Rose smiled and nodded, standing. She slipped her hand into his. “Of course, love. I’m sure Abraxas and Kate will join us once they are finished here. Have you read the new article on the moon phases and it’s effects on lunar plants?”

Tom’s lips twitched. “I can’t say I have, dear.”

She walked away with Tom as Abraxas took the seat next to Kate, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Get lost, Weasel.”

Weasley sneered at them before stalking away, clearly frustrated that he hadn’t been able to get a rise out of any of them.

Kate was acutely aware of Abraxas’s arm around her waist as he leaned over and took a piece of toast.  ”Good morning,” she said again.

"Are you all right?" he murmured, setting the toast in front of her.  "He didn’t hurt you, did he?"

She shook her head.  ”Just stopped by to antagonize.”

"Good."  His grey eyes were fixed on her face, the look in them almost…nervous.  "This may seem a bit forward, but may I kiss you, Kate?"

Here?  In front of everyone in the Great Hall?  Well… it would certainly show Dumbledore…

"Very well," she replied, then let out the tiniest gasp as his arm tightened around her waist and he bent, sealing his mouth over hers and kissing her gently.

Rose smiled softly, causing Tom to look at her with a raised eyebrow. She giggled, “Abraxas finally kissed Kate.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “I was wondering what was taking him so long…”

He trailed off as they stopped. Standing in their way were Rose’s cousins and they were doing their best job at sneering at them.

Rose stiffened. “Kay. Kelsey.”

"Rose," Kelsey said it neutrally while Kay sneered it. Rose knew this couldn’t end well as she felt Tom pull her closer subconsciously.

Abraxas pulled away and looked at her.  ”So?” he asked.

A smile played at the corners of Kate’s mouth.  ”I’ve had worse.”

His eyebrow rose.  ”Is that permission to kiss you again?  I assure you there is plenty where that came from.”

"I believe you," she replied, picking up the piece of toast.  "But I need to eat something before I muck up another potion in class."

"Why do you do that, anyway?  All of your essays are always perfect, and you’re only ever messing up your potions in ways that won’t make them explode or hurt people.  I bet you make perfect potions at home."

"You’re too smart, Brax," she murmured.  "Too observant.  In time.  I’ll tell you in time."  She pushed back her stool and stood.  "We should go."

Kay spoke. “Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with you in his office. So do our parents. They floo’d in this morning.”

Rose narrowed her eyes. “I’m afraid I’ll need to decline. I have class soon.”

"We aren’t asking. It was an order," Kelsey said apologetically, "From our parents."

"Well I am no longer under their control since I am a married woman. Isn’t that right, Tom?"

Tom smirked. “Indeed my love. Come…we are late already I’m sure.”

Abraxas kept his arm around her waist as they headed back down to the dungeons, stopping when they encountered Tom, Rose, and two girls Kate was unfamiliar with.

"Why are you standing in the hallway?" Kate asked, sensing the tension in the air as soon as they arrived.  "We’re running late, Rose!"

She grabbed the girl’s arm and began pulling her down the corridor towards the Potions classroom.

Rose relaxed and flashed a smile at Kate. “Thank you…they were trying to get me to go to Dumbledore’s office.”

Tom glared at the two girls before catching up to Rose and Kate, falling into step beside Abraxas.

Kate made a face. “Sneaky bitches. Pardon my French.” She pushed open the door to the potions classroom as she whispered, “Abraxas kissed me…”

Rose flashed a pretty smile. “Did he?”

She felt an arm wrap around her waist and she knew it was Tom. Abraxas had moved to Kate and took her hand.

"Hurry and take your positions, you four!  Today we’ll be brewing Amortentia.  Who can tell me what that is?" Slughorn said, beaming at them.

Abraxas, still holding Kate’s hand, raised his own.  She glared at him.

"Miss Turner?"

"It’s… a love potion, right?" she mumbled, looking at the cauldron in front of her as she yanked her hand back down.  She was trying not to stand out, and that meant not answering questions in class, or getting every potion perfect.  That was Tom and Rose’s job.  Hers was to be average

Tom took the seat next to Rose, as he had been doing for the past few weeks. He noticed how Slughorn seemed to be very pleased with where he had been sitting. He smirked internally as he took Rose’s hand on top of the table, causing the potions teacher to smile widely.

"Now! I want you all to read about it in your books for the next ten minutes, and then one partner can stand and retrieve all the ingredients."

Abraxas made sure that he was the one getting the ingredients, smirking at Kate as he did so.  She glared at him.  Damn.  She’d have to mess it up some other way.

Except he didn’t let her.  ”This is our potion, Kate,” he murmured.  ”Let’s not botch it up today, shall we?”

She made a face at him, but bent to her work.  What resulted was a perfect batch of Amortentia.  Potions was her next-best class after Charms, after all.

"What does it smell like to you?" Abraxas asked.  "It smells like… rich leather, fine parchment, and …" He inhaled.  “I think it may be your shampoo.”

Kate bit her lip.  Should she tell him that it smelled like his aftershave, or cologne, or whatever he was wearing?

Tom leaned towards Rose. “I’m not surprised that the smell of this potion reminds me of you, love.”

Rose turned to him with a small brow raise. “And I suppose you want to know what it smells like to me?”

Tom smiled. “Naturally.”

Rose rolled her eyes. She lowered her voice and whispered in his ear.

"Old books…rain….and something that is undeniably you."

"I can smell… tea, sweet lemon cakes, old books and parchment and…" Kate trailed off.  "Are you wearing cologne?"

Abraxas smirked. “Not really.  A smidge, perhaps.”

Shit.  She looked down at the potion and began to bottle it up.  This was not how she’d wanted this to go.

"A fine job, Miss Turner," said Slughorn as she handed him her vial.  "You should do this sort of work all the time.  I know you’re capable of it."

Kate looked at the floor, blushing slightly, then turned back to clean up their potion—which Abraxas had already done.  She snatched up her bag and stalked out the door.

Tom’s lips twitched. “She’s stubborn isn’t she?”

Rose nodded. “She knows things she shouldn’t…much like I do. She is scared of the future she lived becoming her reality again. She only needs time.”

He nodded, cleaning up their space. “I’ll meet you out. Sluggie looks like he wants to speak with me.”

Rose smiled softly. “Yes dear.”

Then she was gone, going after Kate.

Kate glanced behind her as she heard footsteps, and slowed her own steps so that Rose could catch up.

"Why did it smell like him?" she demanded softly.  "It smelled like his cologne!  It didn’t—I swear it didn’t smell like that before!  And I told him so!”

It was the last thing she’d wanted—to let him have any advantage over her—to let him know about her feelings, whatever they may be.

"Mine smells like Tom. Look at your situation Kate. You have a chance to one day hold the possible title of Lady Malfoy. This means that you can help that line rise to glory without the bloodshed. Bewteen us, I think I have the short end of the stick," Rose said, "Do you want me to tell you about the future I am trying to prevent? Every detail? I will. I do trust you."

"I—I—"  Kate bit her lip.  Would it make her feel better about trusting Abraxas?  "Yes, I suppose."

Rose nodded. She took Kate’s hand gently and pulls her into an abandoned room. She begins casting wards to prevent eavesdropping. Or interruptions.

"In any future I see, I do marry Tom. There were different ways it could have happened but it still happened either way. The future I am trying to prevent hasn’t quite set it’s course which is why I am not panicking or worrying over it.

"If this future comes to pass, here is what I have to expect. I will leave with Tom after graduation and travel with him. I will watch as he dives deeper and deeper into dark magic with my words not even reaching him. He will not listen to guidance. When we return, we will settle and he will begin to collect supporters, listening to their poisonous words about muggles, muggleborns, and the light propaganda.

"Again, nothing I say will counter that. He will start to dabble in magics I have already specifically told him not to and hide it from me. The first time he splits his soul…or rather the second, it will land me in a magical coma because splitting the soul effectively splits my magic. I will wake to learn he has been gaining followers and that they have started to push darker legislation. 

"We have a couple months of bliss. He goes to Dumbledore to request a job teaching and gets denied the post. He leaves his second horcrux there. He is angry when he returns and hits me for the first time, but not the last. Shortly after that I will learn I am with child. He will not care. It will be after I have the child, a boy, that our manor will be attacked because he has been orchestrating attacks on light wizarding families.

"Alex, our son will be killed and so will I. Losing a soul mate is a horrible experience. And at that point, after splitting his soul, his soul was counting on mine for sanity. When I am gone he will lose it and discard the name Riddle for Voldemort. And that is how you create a Dark Lord."

Kate stared at her, horror in her eyes.  She felt sick.  ”Is that why I never heard of you?  Is that the future I came from?  It’s awful!”

She reached forward and grasped Rose’s hand.  ”We have to stop it.  No matter what.  I promise I’ll help you.”

Rose took a shaky breath. “Do you want to hear the worst part? Alex lived. Albus Dumbledore dumps him in an orphanage he grows up the way Tom did with such a deep seeded hate in his heart. When He arrives at Hogwarts and learns of the boy who lived, he blames him and hates him. And he…is the one who kills him only for Voldemort to kill him because he had become too powerful. A father will kill his son and I cannot let that happen. Tom is supposed to make his first horcrux in another month. I have been making sure he isn’t learning of them, but I know he will discover that. I hope to avoid that entire mess.”

That only made Kate feel sicker.  ”What can I do?” she asked, fighting a wave of nausea.  ”What can I do to help you?”

"Help me distract him. One possibility I have seen is if you date Abraxas, Tom will be more willing to go to Hogsmeade and spend time away from those books," Rose said, "Please Kate. I want the future I want to happen. The one where we travel and grow closer, eventually he becomes minister of magic and we have three children. And in those visions…he’s such a good father, Kate. And content. HE changes the world as he wants to do without bloodshed. He just needs to be distracted.”

"Yes.  Of course, Rose.  Anything."  Memories of her own father swam before her mind, and Kate had to blink back tears.  "I’ll do anything to stop that awful future."

She bit her lip.  ”What do I tell Abraxas, though?  He’s started asking questions…”

Rose shrugged. “Tell him you were thinking. That you didn’t want to take that step unless you were sure that you cared for him. Tell him you didn’t want to chance ever hurting him because you have grown fond of him. All will fit in time. For now, we should get to Transfiguration. Dumbledore doesn’t like Slytherins to be late and I know he will try to separate me from Tom, as he usually does.”

Rose then dispelled the wards and lead Kate into the hall. They managed to get to class before it started, and Rose slid into the seat next to Tom, ignoring her cousin Kayla’s glare behind her.

"I apologize if I upset you," Abraxas murmured to Kate once she’d slid into the seat beside him.

"We’ll talk later," she replied softly, pulling out parchment as she felt Dumbledore’s eyes on her.

After class, Kate stood and made sure Rose and Tom got out of the classroom before she herself left the room, followed by Abraxas, who wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You upset me for a moment, yes," Kate said after a moment, knowing Abraxas would ask.  "I… I confess I’m hesitant to tell you that I’m fond of you.  I’ve been hurt, and am afraid of being hurt again.  I told myself I wouldn’t let anyone take advantage of me ever again…"

"I have no intention of ever hurting you," he murmured, brushing hair back from her face and frowning as she flinched ever so slightly.

"Come on," she mumbled, forcing a smile on her face.  "We have lunch.

----bigger timeskip---

It had been another month since Tom and Rose had bonded. In that time, Tom had begun to talk with his knights about his plans for the future…the things he wanted. Several of those things happened to be ideas and suggestions from Rose. 

Having a seer as a wife had it’s perks. She could tell him what would work the best for their world.

He had also begun his search for immortality, much to Rose’s annoyance.

"Tom. Please stop looking…the path that that will send you on is a dark, cold, and painful one," Rose insisted, "Let me do some digging…I’m sure I can find a way to lengthen our lives."

Tom glanced at her. “Lengthen but not make death obsolete. I don’t ever want to die, Rose.”

She sighed. “I know…but I doubt you want to lose your insanity and magic either.”

Abraxas and Kate were keeping themselves warm by the fire.  They’d been on another Hogsmeade visit, and tomorrow would be the last one before the holidays.  Kate had told him a little more about herself, but kept most of it close to her chest.

"Will you come home with me for Christmas?" Abraxas asked her, his nose buried in her hair.

"I don’t think your relatives would like me very much," she murmured, feeling her heart pounding.  If she went home with him, surely she’d be exposed by nosy relatives.  "I’m not pureblood, after all."

"Sod them," he replied.  "You’re the one I like, and it’s not as if I haven’t brought a girl home for Christmas before."

Was that…jealousy suddenly filling her chest?  Kate shook her head.  ”It depends on Tom and Rose.  Maybe if you invite them as well…”

She didn’t want to hurt him, Kate realized as he rose to find the two lovers.  She’d truly grown fond of him… had she fallen in love?  Drat, drat, double and triple drat.  What would happen if… when Abraxas learned of the secrets she was hiding?

Tom traced his hands down the side of Rose’s body as she read her book. She glanced at him, raising an eyebrow and he smirked at her.

"What?" he asked smoothly, "Can’t concentrate?"

"Tom. If you don’t stop I will lose my place," Rose warned.

He chuckled. “If I don’t stop you’ll do more than lose your place.”

There was a light knock on the door and Tom sat up and straightened his tie.

"Enter," he called.

Abraxas approached, bowing a bit at each of them. “Tom…I was coming to extend an invitation for you and Rose to join me and my family for Christmas. Kate would also be joining us.”

Rose smiled, and looked to Tom. As her husband, it was his ultimate decision.

He nodded. “We’ll be there.”

----tiny timeskip---

Kate swallowed nervously as Abraxas helped her off the train.  This was such a huge risk.  If his family found out… if anyone found out about where she came from…  Maybe she should have told him before things got out of hand.

She looked over at Rose, who was smiling serenely at Tom, and swallowed again.

"Don’t be nervous," Abraxas said, smiling at her.  "It’s only my parents."

"Yeah," she said.  "No-one’s ever taken me to meet their parents before… and I’m not sure I’m dressed to impress."

"You’ll do fine," he assured her, squeezing her hand.  He looked at Tom and Rose and fished his Portkey from his pocket.  "Are you both ready?"

Tom nodded. “Of course, Abraxas.”

He slid his hand into Rose’s and gripped the portkey with her. Abraxas gripped it as well, and then glanced at Kate with a small smile.

"Ready, love?" he asked.

Kate nodded, and Abraxas activated the portkey, zooming them off to the stone entrance hall of Malfoy Manor.

"Mother, Father, I’m home!" he called a moment after they had landed, enough time for Kate and Rose to smooth their skirts and for Tom to run a hand through his hair and straighten his tie.

Two people immediately came out of the room opposite.  A tall man with blond hair like his son’s, and woman with dark brown hair.  The woman came over and kissed Abraxas on both cheeks.  ”It’s good to see you, darling.  Is this your girlfriend?” she asked, looking at Kate.

"Yes.  Kate, this is my mother, Guinevere.  And my father, Tiberius."

She dropped a small curtsey.  ”It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.”

"You as well, my dear," Guinevere said, taking her hand and kissing both of her cheeks, making Kate blush.  "Abraxas speaks so highly of you." She moved on to their companions.  "You must be Thomas and Roselyn."

Kate shot Abraxas a tiny glare.  Exactly what had he been saying about her to his parents?

Tom stepped forward and bowed, taking her hand. He placed a kiss on the back of it.

"My lady, you are well informed. It is a pleasure to meet you. For formality’s sake, this is my wife Roselyn Riddle nee Selwyn."

Rose curtsied deeply. Tiberius raised a brow. “Selwyn? I haven’t heard that last name in some time. Welcome.”

His eyes found Tom. “But I haven’t heard the name Riddle.”

Tom sighed. “With all due respect sir, you wouldn’t have. My mother shamed the Slytherin family name when she took a muggle as a husband who consequently abandoned her when she became pregnant with me.”

"You have interesting friends, Brax," Tiberius said slowly, his eyes sweeping over to Kate.  "I believe he mentioned in a letter that your last name was Turner?  That’s also a name I haven’t heard.  Certainly not one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight."

Kate bit back the reply that the Sacred Twenty-Eight was all balderdash, and instead bowed her head.  ”My father was a Muggleborn, sir.”

"And your mother?"

"Born out of wedlock between a Prince and a Crouch.  Neither family acknowledges her existence."

"What’s her name?  Perhaps I know her."  Kate bit her lip, glancing at Abraxas, then Rose and Tom.  This is what she’d been afraid of.

Guinevere swept in, Kate’s savior.  ”Tiberius!  Stop giving the poor girl an examination.  Can’t you see she’s tired from the journey?”  She wrapped an arm around Kate’s shoulders.  ”I’ll show you to your room, and you can have a rest and freshen up before dinner.”

"Perhaps I could accompany as well?" Rose suggested with a small smile.

Tom ran a hand through her hair in affection as his wife followed Kate and Abraxas’ mother.

"Thank you," Kate said gratefully as Guinevere practically dragged her up the stairs.

"Not at all," the woman said.  "You’ll stay here.  There’s a bathroom attached.  Abraxas is just two doors down, and the bell-pull by the bed will summon a house elf to take care of anything you might need."  Her eyes twinkled.  "I’m going to see about finding something for you to wear to dinner.  Am I right in assuming you don’t have many nice clothes?"

Kate flushed crimson, which was answer enough.

"You go and lie down, or have a bath, whichever you’d like, dear.  I’ll be back." She bustled off, shutting the door behind her.

Kate sat down heavily on the bed and stared at her hands.  ”This is what I was afraid of if I came here,” she whispered.  ”That they’d ask questions.  That they’d start digging.”  She bit her lip, then looked up at Rose.  ”Should I tell Abraxas?  I don’t want to hurt him.  His father already doesn’t approve, I could see it in his eyes.”

Downstairs, Tiberius beckoned for his son and Tom to follow him into the parlor.  ”Firewhiskey?  I can have some wine or butterbeer brought up if you’d like.”

Abraxas shook his head, and did not sit until his father had seated himself.

"Tom, tell me, what are you studying?"

"Tell them your mother was Cordelia Crouch. She was disowned and her mother was a Prince. Make them think you aren’t too happy with your father being a muggleborn," Rose said, "I will aid you in your back story."

Tom raised an eyebrow. “In school or extra curricularly?”

Kate nodded.  ”One day I’ll have to tell Abraxas, won’t I?” she asked softly.  ”He’s too smart, and there’s so much to hide…”

Tiberius smiled.  ”I assume you’re taking all of the same classes that Brax is taking, so I suppose extracurriculars. Though I’m sure you can tell me my son’s ranking in the class scores as well.”

Abraxas frowned. “Father…”

Tom smirked. “Your son is third overall. As for extra curriculars…I’ve been doing research into immortality. Fascinating subject…as much as alchemy. I am hoping to gain some training in the future.”

Rose nodded. “It will be alright, Kate. I promise.”

She took a seat, a light blush on her cheeks. “Can I tell you something?”

"Third?  You really must work harder, Brax.  Who is it above you?  You’re not slacking to please your girlfriend, are you?"

"Tom, and then Rose," Abraxas said softly, his frown deepening.  The way Tiberius was saying your girlfriend did not bode well.  He knew Kate could easily be up there in marks with them if she didn’t sabotage herself.  And she wouldn’t tell him why she did so.

"Immortality is indeed a fascinating subject, as is alchemy.  Feel free to browse our library, Tom, though you may need Brax’s help to get some of the books from the shelf."

Kate turned to look at Rose.  ”You can tell me anything.  What is it?”

"I…" Rose hesitated, "I’ll be having a baby over the summer. A boy. I haven’t said anything to Tom yet. I’m  not far enough along."

Tom nodded. “Thank you sir. I’ll remember your hospitality.”

Kate’s eyes went wide.  ”A baby?!  That’s wonderful!  But—we still have a whole year and a half of school left.  What will you do?”

"Brax’s friends are welcome anytime, provided they are of quality," Tiberius replied, sipping his Firewhiskey.

"Why don’t I give you a tour?" Abraxas asked, standing.  "So you don’t get lost while you’re here."

Rose sighed. “I’ll be sitting for my NEWTs early. I do not plan on returning next year. So I’ll need you to stay close to Tom…providing everything plays out safely.”

Tom followed Abraxas. He spoke with his voice low, a wandless silencing ward surrounding them.

"Your father is a prick, Abraxas. We need to do something to make him see Kate as a worthy conquest for you. A permanent one."

Kate nodded, clasping one of Rose’s hands in her own.  ”Of course.  I’ll do everything I can.”  She bit her lip.  A baby…

"I know," Abraxas sighed, leading Tom down the hall.  "If I’d known he’d react to her like that… I should have known he would, given her blood status.  You’re the Heir of Slytherin, so you’re fine, but she… she won’t tell me much of anything." And yet I love her just the same, he added silently, knowing Tom disapproved of such things as love, seeing them as weakness.

"Here’s the library," he muttered, opening a door.  "I just wish I knew how to make him like her."

"Perhaps if he overhears her talking about bringing her blood back to glory? And also about how she is ashamed of the dirty blood in her veins? Besides…I’m quite sure she is Rose’s closest friend. That should could for something as well."

Abraxas nodded.  ”She may not like it, but I’m sure she’ll do it to please him.”

Kate looked up as Guinevere bustled into the room, a house elf with a stack of clothes behind her.

"Here we are dear," she said.  "There’s plenty to choose from, and I think they’ll all suit your colouring.  All they might need is a bit of a sizing charm or two.  Vinsy will hang them in your wardrobe, and you can pick which one you’d like to wear.  Tomorrow we can go to Diagon and get you some nice robes for our Yule party.  Dinner’s at seven.  Just pull the bell and Vinsy will show you where to go, if Brax doesn’t find you first."

She paused at the door and smiled.  ”He’s very fond of you, you know.”

"I know," Kate whispered.  "Thank you."

An hour later she and Rose were descending the staircase.  Kate had changed into a dress of deep olive green taffeta that shifted to gold as she moved, with a sweetheart neckline and long, fitted sleeves made of another material.  Rose had changed into one of her own dresses, and outshone Kate as she usually did, but the way Abraxas was looking at her made it seem like it didn’t matter.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, taking her hand as she stepped into the entrance hall.

"It’s your mother’s dress," she whispered back, flushing slightly.

"I didn’t say the dress was beautiful, though it does look better on you than her," he murmured. "You are, Kate."

Her blush deepened, and she was grateful when Guinevere moved over to them.

"You look lovely, dear," she said.  "The gold in the taffeta brings out the golden highlights in your hair."

Tiberius coughed.  ”I believe dinner is ready.”

Tom pulled out a seat for Rose who smiled sweetly at him as she took her seat. He then took his own seat next to her and across from Abraxas. Rose looked up into Kate’s eyes and gave her a soft smile.

"So Rose," Guinevere started, "How long have you and Mr. Riddle been married? You are Brax’s age, aren’t you?"

Rose nodded. “Yes ma’am. We married not too long ago. Nearly a month. Tom and I are considering doing some traveling once we finish our studies at Hogwarts.”

Tom nodded. “Indeed. There is some ancient Egyptian magic I am interested in studying…I’ve also heard rumors of  some interesting charms and spells I’d like to look into.”

Rose reached for her glass and lifted it to her lips. As she did, she looked into the cup to see that the water was red as blood. She felt ice on her skin, and froze. Must she have a vision here? In front of their hosts?

She allowed it to overcome her, knowing that she couldn’t fight it for long. Hopefully it is only a glimpse and nothing horrific. She saw herself with Tom. They were walking through the castle and he was…dare she say it…flirting with her. He seemed much more boyish than he normally does. Something lightened his steps. 

As they rounded a corner, a sickly yellow spell flew towards them. Rose couldn’t see who sent it, meaning they were disillusioned. She felt the spell in the air before it collided with her. She screamed as she collapsed, Tom drawing his wand before focusing on her and not the one who had sent the curse. Then Rose could almost feel the pain in her body. She didn’t know what spell had hit her but…the pain was in her stomach. 

Rose dropped her glass when she realized what the person had done.

Kate stopped mid-sentence as Rose dropped her glass, water spilling from it onto the tablecloth. With a soft word, it was gone, and she was looking at her best friend.

"Rose?" She asked in concern. "What’s wrong?" Was it something with the baby? Had she seen something?

Tom had witnessed Rose’s visions before and stood, pulling her up with him, his hands gentle.

"She’s fine," he said stiffly before leading her upstairs.

Rose leaned against Tom, shaking. He didn’t whisper calming words or run his hands down her arms. He wouldn’t do that where they could be seen. Finally, they reached their room and he lead her to the bed before sitting her down.

He knelt in front of her, taking her hands. “Rose, what did you see?”

Rose looked up, a tear falling. “I…I’m going to lose it…there is no way to prevent this. I’ve looked.”

Tom frowned. “Lose what?”

Rose looked down and whispered, “Our baby.”

They ate in awkward silence for a few minutes before Guinevere rose, saying something about house elves and making sure Tom and Rose were fed.  Tiberius nodded at her, and she left the room.

"You received an owl earlier, Katelyn," Tiberius said, sliding it down the table to her.  "From one of the Hogwarts owls, I believe."

Kate opened the envelope and scanned the contents.  ”Dumbledore wants to meet with me.  Privately.  He could have just asked to do so at school… not that I would have said yes.  I expect he’s put out that I’m not at the castle for him to accost and question.”

"What’s the old man meddling in this time?"

She shook her head, sliding the letter back into the envelope.  ”Nothing. I probably did fail that Transfiguration test like I thought I would.”

"Not likely," Abraxas said after a minute, frowning at the look on his father’s face.  "He’s probably suspicious."

"Suspicious?" Tiberius asked.  "Of what?"  The girl seemed harmless enough.  Perhaps if he could get Abraxas to quit mooning over her, he could send her packing back to school.  But now his wife seemed taken with her as well. She’d given the girl one of her dresses…and no doubt more were hanging in the girl’s room.

"Kate’s really smart, and powerful too.  But she pretends not to be."  There was a clatter as Kate dropped her fork.

"Brax!" she snapped, her eyes wide.

The elder Malfoy pointed his spoon at her.  ”Is this true?”

She dropped her head.  ”Yes sir.”

"Exactly how smart are you?"

Kate bit her lip.  Should she lie?  It wouldn’t help her chances at impressing Tiberius, but it may not help her relationship with anyone else either… Rose was not here to consult. She was upstairs with Tom.

A warm hand wrapped around the one trembling in her lap.  She looked up at Abraxas, who was smiling.  ”It’s okay,” he murmured.  ”I trust you.  You don’t have to answer if you don’t want.”

"I sat for nine O.W.L.s and received Os in all but one," she said finally, looking at Tiberius.  "That one I received an E in."

"After being taught by tutors?  You’ll have to pass on their names.  Brax only managed five Os."

"I’m partially self-taught, sir."

Tiberius gave her an appraising look.  This young witch had more to her than met the eye.  ”You have excellent O.W.L. scores, but fall behind in school, Brax is saying.  Is this on purpose?”

"Yes," Abraxas put in before Kate could answer.  She shot him a glare, yanking her hand from his.  "It’s true!  You sabotage yourself!"

Kate closed her eyes and drew in a calming breath, wondering how to play this.

"Do you enjoy being mediocre, Katelyn?" Tiberius asked, almost in an effort to bait her, but he’d just given her the angle she needed.

"Not entirely, but it suits my needs at present."  She reached for her teacup and took a sip of tea, still mercifully hot, before leveling her gaze at Tiberius.  "I don’t care to stand out at the moment—too many questions are asked.  Besides, it’s much more useful to play the mediocre witch around my enemies.  Keeps them guessing, and it will certainly surprise them when I show off my true potential."  A smirk found its way onto her lips.

"Cunning," he said.  "What exactly is your true potential?”

"You can’t expect me to divulge all my secrets in one evening, can you?” she replied with a smile.

"I suppose not." Tiberius stood.  "I’ll be in my study."

As soon as he had left, Kate let out a sigh of relief, setting down her tea and turning to Abraxas. “That was awful.  Is he going to do that the whole break?”

He was staring at her.  ”You never told me you got nine O.W.L.s,” he said softly.

"You never asked."

"That was a smooth lie you just told him.  He likes you more than he did, I think."

"I didn’t lie," she whispered.  "I don’t want to stand out.  Not right now.  It’s too dangerous—I don’t want Dumbledore asking questions. It’s bad enough you and your father are—I was trying to hide it, but you’re too damned smart—"  She looked away, blinking back tears.

"It’s all right," he said, reaching out and cupping her cheek.  "Don’t cry, love.  I won’t ask what you’re hiding.  I trust you."

Closing her eyes, she nodded, allowing him to brush hair from her face.  ”Thanks, Brax.  I promise, someday I’ll tell you.  But until then I can’t have people snooping…even if we do want to gain your father’s approval.”

"Of course."  He leaned forward and kissed her gently.  "Don’t worry.  I’ll protect you.  From him, and from everyone else."

Tom stared at Rose with wide eyes. A baby? He wasn’t even sure he wanted to be a father. His wasn’t exactly a good model to go by. But shouldn’t this mean he would do better? Or worse? He knew one thing. He wouldn’t leave Rose alone with this. He would protect her with his life if he needed to.

A baby could be useful.

Rose sighed. “I wanted to wait to tell you until I was sure. But…I’l going to lose it either way. It must not be time. I shouldn’t feel so bad but I do. I was…honestly I was looking forward to having one with you. He would have been beautiful.”

Tom frowned, deciding to play the loving husband before anything. “You shouldn’t speak as if he is already gone then. It may not happen.”

Rose shook her head. “It will. No matter what I or you do to prevent this, I still lose it. We will have a little boy one day though…just need patience I suppose.”

"It might be me you need protecting from," Kate murmured, her eyes sad.  "I’m… I never told you what I did to the Muggle who tried to kill me.  It wasn’t pretty."

Abraxas shook his head.  ”You don’t have to.”

"No," she insisted.  "I do.  I wasn’t kind to him, Brax.  You have to know that I’m not kind to those who hurt me.  When I found out the Muggles weren’t going to do what I wanted, I took matters into my own hands, and I—I arranged for him to encounter a werewolf."

"You turned him into a werewolf?"  He stared at her, his eyes glancing to the barely-visible scar on her shoulder.

"No," she whispered.  "The werewolf killed him…which is what I wanted.  I wanted him gone.  To never worry about him again."

"You won’t have to worry about anyone hurting you," Abraxas said, his expression fierce.  "I love you, Kate."

Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head.  ”Don’t say that.  Please.”

"Why not?  It’s true."

Kate felt her throat closing up.  ”Because I can’t say the same.  I’m so fond of you, and scared enough of hurting you that it pains me physically, but I don’t know that I love you—I might, but I lie to you enough already.  I don’t want to lie about my feelings for you, Abraxas, and I’m just—scared.  I’m scared,” she whispered.

"Don’t be," he murmured, kissing her forehead.  "What you feel is enough for now.  I’m patient.  I can wait."

Tom ran a hand through his hair, making Rose smile. She liked seeing him so human. It was a nice view, compared to the future she had seen.

"Well…we will take it one day at a time I suppose. Did you see who did it?" Tom asked.

Rose shook her head. “I did not. Who knows…anything could change and then I won’t lose it. For now though…I am pregnant.”

Tom smiled softly, a smile only she was privy to. “Very well. Take it easy and…no drinking or anything.”

Rose chuckled. “You aren’t going to hover, are you?”

Tom scoffed. “Of course not. You are capable of taking care. I trust you Rose.”

"And that means the world to me, Tom," Rose whispered, kissing him softly.

Kate stood, biting her lip.  ”I should check on Rose,” she murmured.

"She’s fine," Abraxas said, standing also.  "She’s with Tom."

"But—"

"I promise they’re fine.  I’m sure Rose will come to you when she wants to tell you what she saw."  He pushed hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear, and kissed her gently. "Why don’t I give you a tour?  I’ll show you our library."

Kate nodded. “Okay, Brax.”

---the next morning---

Rose fastened her cloak around her robes, ready to go to Diagon Alley. Her and Tom will be going to officially link their families and accounts today. It will be a long morning at Gringotts.

"Ready, love?" Tom asked, dressed in dark green robes.

Rose nodded. “Will Brax and Kate be joining us?”

He nodded. “Yes, but they will go their own way while we are in Gringotts.”

"I don’t want your mother buying things for me," Kate whispered urgently to Abraxas as they descended the stairs.

"Tell her so," he responded, then smirked as he added, "then watch her do it anyway.  She likes you, Kate.  Just let her do as she pleases."

Once they were in the Alley, Rose and Tom slipped off, as did Abraxas, and Guinevere pulled Kate along to the robe shop.

"Lady Malfoy, welcome!" said the seamstress.  "Who is your guest?"

"Abraxas brought his girlfriend home for Yule, Tabitha!  But she hasn’t got any dress robes for our party."

"We’ll fix that right now then!  Come closer dear, so I can look at you. Yes, up on the stool."

Kate had gone pink went referred to as Abraxas’s girlfriend  and stayed that way the entire time she was on the stool.  Then she was ushered to the back, to a curtained-off area where the seamstress began having her try on things.

Finally, it seemed they had found something.  Robes of a deep forest green, with a neckline that dipped into a V, and long, fitted sleeves.

"I’ll do the embroidery and get these delivered to you tomorrow," the seamstress promised, a wide grin on her face.  "I love finding girls the perfect outfit for a ball.  You look wonderful.  Don’t you think so, master Malfoy?"

Kate looked up to see Abraxas standing there, a look of wonder on his face, and flushed again.

"Absolutely," he said, nodding.

"Let’s get you out of it then so we can work on those other robes."  The seamstress flicked the curtain shut, and Kate did not see Abraxas for at least another hour.

Then they were back in the Alley, heading to the bookstore.

Tom lead Rose into the bank, a hand on her lower back to guide her. Rose stood tall and proud, her nose elevated just enough to scream pureblooded. When they approached the tellers, she allowed Tom to take control.

"Master Goblin. My wife and I would like to fill out the necessary paperwork and take care of combining our finances," he said seriously.

The goblin sneered but nodded. Then he called forth another goblin to bring them to the back. Rose slipped her hand inside Tom’s to present a unified front as they walked deeper into the bank.

Tom looked around, his eyes lingering on different paintings and artifacts. Soon they reached the door that would combine their futures.

"Do you need any books, Kate?" Guinevere asked kindly.  "Brax wrote that you read quite a lot."

"More for class than anything," Kate said defensively, though she knew there was nothing wrong with reading voraciously.

"What do you like to read for fun?"

Kate flushed slightly and turned to examine the rack of periodicals.

"She likes this Muggle poet, Pennysum I think," Abraxas supplied, eager to please his mother and Kate.

"Tennyson," the younger witch mumbled as she stepped away.  "His name’s Tennyson."  If Abraxas was going to do this, then she’d just stay out of it as much as possible.  She didn’t need any books.  The Hogwarts library had plenty.

"Right," said Abraxas, "and she was reading this book about people with hairy feet and elves and dwarves last month.  She said she liked it, too, but wouldn’t let me buy it."

"Whyever not?" Guinevere asked in confusion.

Abraxas shrugged.  ”Something about how expensive it was, though it wasn’t at all.  She stormed off mumbling about antiques.  I should show her our early editions of Shakespeare.  She likes him, too.  Of course, she reads more textbooks than fiction.  And sometimes I catch her muttering to herself about how something is completely wrong, and she starts scribbling madly in this tiny notebook she carries around with her.”  His face lit up.  ”She probably needs a new one, Mother.”

Katelyn Turner stared at the necklace she was trying to ward and uttered a soft curse.  Nothing was going her way today, it seemed.  She’d broken her favourite (and only) teapot, meaning she had to run out and buy more tea with the meager funds she had, then the damned bill collectors had called, and now this stupid ward wasn’t working the way it was supposed to.

Her entire life hadn’t gone the way she wanted it to, of course.  She was still recovering from a nasty encounter with a psychopathic Muggle and the deficient Muggle judicial system.  At least most of her limbs were working the way they were supposed to.

"Okay," she muttered to herself.  "Let’s try this one more time."

She spoke the incantation, and then something went horribly wrong.  There was a flash of blue light, and the familiar feeling of a Portkey.  Suddenly she was on her back, looking up at blue sky.

Oh, this was a problem.

Standing, Kate pocketed her wand and walked to the edge of the alley.  People bustled by in clothes that were decidedly not of the England she knew.

Even more of a problem.  How the hell had she gotten that ward so wrong?

Taking a deep breath, Kate thrust herself onto the sidewalk, only to nearly-collide with someone.

Tom hated the summers he was forced to spend away from the wizarding world, the world he was meant to be in. Even at the age of seventeen and an upcoming seventh year didn’t deter Professor Dumbledore in his decision that he, Tom Riddle, would be safer in London.

During World War II. There had already been a few air strikes this summer and it only made him hate the muggle world even more. To think he, a powerful wizard, may die because of something as simple and uncivilized as a muggle bomb.

As he was passing by an alley, he collided with a body that had stepped out. He reached out, steadying the girl and almost let out a string of insults, filthy muggle being one of them, until he saw she was in robes.

His lips curled into a smirk. “Well…long way from the Leaky Cauldron, my dear.”

Thank Merlin, a wizard!  Maybe she’d just accidentally Portkey’d herself somewhere where they were filming some stupid Muggle movie or something.

"I imagine I am," she said.  "What street is this?"

A siren began sounding somewhere, sending the Muggles diving indoors

Tom sneered as he looked around and then grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her against his body. Thank Merlin he was seventeen already! He held her tightly and spun on the spot, aparating them away from the area and to his orphanage room.

It was near the basement where they could take cover.

He didn’t think twice about the fact he was saving this witch he didn’t know. He figured he could at least get a favor out of her down the road. He pulled her towards the doors at the end of the stairs and shoved her inside, not too gently.

He followed her inside, slamming the door. He warded it, not caring that the muggles in the orphanage wouldn’t be able to get in and that they wouldn’t be able to see the door to begin with.

"What the—" Kate began as the boy pulled her against him, then winced as she was Apparated away and into a small room.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?!" she demanded as he shoved her into a room with concrete walls.  If he planned on assaulting her… well, she’d had plenty of that, and she knew how to fight back.

Kate went for the door and tried to pull it open.  When it didn’t budge, she whirled to face him.  ”Let me out right now!  If you think you can just lock me up like this because you bumped into me on the street, then you’ve got some serious problems!”

There was a boom, making the room shake.  Kate went still.  ”What… what was that?” she whispered.

Tom glared at her. “Bombs. Honestly…even the wizarding world knows about world war II. Where are you living, under a cauldron?”

He looked up as another boom happened, frowning when the ceiling cracked. He pressed a hand against the wall, concentrating on his magic. He willed it to reinforce their box.

Kate stared at him in horror.  World War… Oh Merlin.  She’d fucking time traveled! 

"Shit," she muttered.  "Shitshitshitshitshit.  That warding spell went really, really wrong.”

Tom raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He did file away her mutters into his mind for further inspection.

"We will be safe here," he said, "My magic is powerful enough to keep this place standing."

"I’m such an idiot," Kate mumbled to herself, crouching by the wall. "Manage to survive a Muggle with a gun only to throw myself among Muggles with freaking bombs.”

Another bomb went off nearby, and she shrieked, clutching her knees to her chest.

"I hate everything," she whispered, staring at the opposite wall

Tom watched her in amusement. She didn’t seem to hold much love for muggles either…or she at least had bad experiences. She may be a good person to pull into his group of associates, especially after noting her surprise at the fact World War II was going on.

"Where are you from Ms….?"

"Turner," she said once she registered his question.  "Kate Turner.  I’m from London."

There was another boom, making her cringe as she muttered, “But not this London…”

He narrowed his eyes becoming even more curious. He tried not to let it show. That could be seen as weakness…feelings that could be controlled and he wasn’t about to make himself vulnerable.

"You can call me Tom. Am I to assume you…traveled further than has ever been recorded currently? You mentioned something about a spell or ward?"

Kate gave him a sort of lopsided half-smile.  ”You could say that.  I mean… I’m assuming we’re in the early forties?”

She let out a sigh as the planes seemed to fly away.  

"I was trying to ward a necklace… one of my own designs.  I should have realized when it didn’t work properly the first time that something wasn’t right… and the second, and third…"

Tom looked at her in amusement. “There are calculations that can be misread or misunderstood. Would you care to satisfy my curiosity? Where are you from? What time? It’s obvious you are a time traveler.”

"Unintentionally," Kate felt the need to point out.  "I very much would not like to be in the midst of the London Blitz, thanks.”

She stood and brushed concrete dust from her robes.  ”I’m from London… but the London of 2000.”  Glancing at the door, she added, “Is it safe to go outside?”

Tom stood and stepped up to the door.

"It should be safe to go out…so the year 2000? Is it very advanced? Or is the Wizarding world still old fashioned?"

Kate frowned, thinking.  ”Well… it’s still fairly old-fashioned, but a lot of Muggle influences are creeping in now that Voldemort’s gone.  Many people wear Muggle clothes… I do too, actually, but today was laundry day, so old school robes it is.”

Tom looked thoughtful, although his eyes narrowed at the name Voldemort. “I can understand why muggle clothes would be better…robes can be constricting and cause issues while dueling.”

"Yes, they can."  Kate looked at the door.  "Are we leaving?"  The sooner she could get out and figure out what had gone wrong, the sooner she could figure out how to get home.

Tom nodded. “It should be safe now. Would you like to go to Diagon Alley?”

He pushed the door open, making a face as some of the rubble that was in the way.

"Yes please," Kate said, delicately stepping over and around the rubble.  "I need to find…"  She let out a sigh.  "I guess I need to find a job so that I get a place to live until I figure out how to get back."

Tom glanced at her. “Maybe we could work together. I want to get away from where I am staying…obviously. I am seventeen so I am a legal wizard. I just have one more year in Hogwarts. If you’d like, we could get a flat together in Diagon Alley. I’d stay out of your way so you wouldn’t need to worry.”

Kate looked at him, considering his offer. He seemed kind enough. Of course, the last boy she’d trusted had tried to kill her, so her judgment was a little biased.

"I think that would be acceptable… I’m afraid I don’t have any money, though."

He shrugged. “I have some. Once you get a job somewhere we can worry about you contributing. For now, I am offering myself to help you.”

He stepped past her and lead her outside of the orphanage. He turned to her.

"I suggest walking to the leaky cauldron. I could apparate us, but I’ve only done it a handful of times. No need splinching you."

"How generous," Kate said, following behind him.  His word choice bothered her. Offering myself…

"And your only ulterior motive is to get out of that place, whatever it was?"  She stuck her hands in the pockets of her robes, feeling to see if there was anything of use there besides her wand.

"Seems a bit risky, if you ask me.  Which you didn’t, but all the same."

He shrugged. “The cauldron isn’t too far from here. I suppose a trip to the bank should be first, yes?”

They began to walk together, Tom maintaining a brisk pace. He tried not to sneer if a muggle bumped into his. Inferior pests.

"Yes," Kate replied, having to almost jog in order to keep up with him. Why did she have to be so damned short?

Inside her pocket, something hit her hand. She grabbed it, holding it tightly, and pulled it out when they reached the safety of the Cauldron.

It was the necklace she’d been trying to ward. And caught up in the chain, a small piece of parchment with golden ink on it. ‘Prince.’

Soon they reached the cauldron and Tom opened the door for her, playing the gentleman. They made their way to a teller.

"Master Goblin," Tom said, playing as a respectful pureblood, "I need to make a withdrawal from my vault. And my friend…"

He glanced at Kate.

"May need some services as well."

The goblin nodded. “Key?”

Tom handed his over and the goblin nodded. Then he turned to Kate.

Kate looked at the piece of paper. She’d been given it when she’d gotten the letter stating that Snape had left her all of his possessions, and had simply stuck it in her pocket.

She handed it to the teller. “Does this mean anything? I received it upon inheriting someone’s belongings.”

The goblin nodded. “It is the key to the Prince vault.” He said something, and the paper glowed golden, changing shape until it was a key.

"Would you like to visit that vault?"

"Please," Kate replied. She wouldn’t be able to take much, but it would be enough that she wouldn’t be quite so beholden to Tom.

Tom was surprised but didn’t show it. The goblin took both keys and handed them to another goblin who looked at them.

"Follow me, Mr. Riddle and guest."

Tom stepped forward to follow the goblin.

Kate froze.  Riddle?  Tom Riddle?  That was… he was…!

What the hell had she just gotten herself into?

Forcing a smile onto her face, she followed them down to the vaults.  The Prince vault had plenty of money, so she took a hundred Galleons, stuffing them into a bag, which she slipped into her pocket.  It would be enough for now.

She turned back to Tom and the goblin, forcing the smile back onto her face.  The sooner she could get herself out of this mess, the better!

"Stand back," the goblin said.

Tom stood near Kate as the goblin opened the vault. He slipped inside and grabbed some galleons and then the Slytherin betrothal ring. He was going into Sixth year and would be seventeen soon. Maybe he would make a decision…plenty of promising witches including the one behind him.

Kate glanced at Tom as they made their way out of the bank.  He didn’t seem quite so evil.  Maybe she could influence him a bit while she was here.

"So," she said.  "Where to first?"

He glanced at her. “Robes shop I suppose…I need new school robes. I grew a few inches. Will you attend Hogwarts while you are here?”

Kate frowned, considering.  She’d graduated last year, but it would be interesting to see how things were taught in these days.  And it would be a good chance to have a good influence on Tom.

"I think I will.  Guess that means I’ll need to owl the headmaster.

Tom nodded. “I can owl him for you. I’ll put in a good word for you. Dippet likes me.”

He opened the door to the robes shop as a witch was stepping out. She giggled.

"Hello Tom," she said, covering her mouth.

Tom hid his distaste and smiled. “Walburga…lovely as ever I see.”

"Thank you," Kate said.  She’d need to buy textbooks and supplies then, as well… which meant a job, and soon.  That, or continually sneaking money out of the Prince vault, and someone would notice sooner or later.

She glanced at the witch stepping out of the robes shop and forced another smile on her face.  Walburga… Why did that name sound familiar?

"Indeed," the witch said, batting her eyes.

Tom resisted the urge to hit her with a curse. Then he stiffened when her eyes found Kate.

"And who is this?"

Tom looked at her. “A friend of mine. She is transferring from tutors. It has gotten dangerous and she will be attending with us now.”

"Hello," Kate said, bobbing her head politely. She glanced at Tom.  "I’m going to go on in.  I imagine I need more than you do."

She brushed past Walburga, feeling a wave of what felt like dark magic as she went.  Walburga was from one of the darker families, then

Tom felt irritation that she had left him with a harpy like Walburga. He almost shivered in disgust as she moved closer to him with a flirtatious smile.

"You know Tom…my father has been asking me about the boys I go to school with…" she teased.

"Miss Black, I assure you that I am not on that list. If you will excuse me," he murmured and slipped past her into the shop. 

He cast a look of distaste at Kate. “I usually try to avoid her…”

"I would too," Kate replied, raising an eyebrow.  "She feels like dark magic.  Something I’m not terribly keen on.  Of course," she continued, looking for the shopkeeper, "she also looks like a simpering idiot, something else I’m not keen on."

At last the shopkeeper appeared, and Kate began getting fitted for school and casual robes.  At least things were slightly cheaper now, thanks to a lack of inflation.

Tom’s lips curled slightly. “She is…she is also a tad obsessive with any young man who appears to have a promising future. I try my best to avoid her if I can.”

He stepped onto a stool, allowing the madam to measure him for new robes as well. He glanced at Kate.

"What classes were available for you to take? From where you came from?" Tom asked, honestly curious.

Tom had a promising future all right…up until the night Harry Potter defeated him.

"Uh, let’s see," Kate said, thinking. "We have History of Magic, Transfiguration, Charms…" She went through and listed every single one, including the ones she hadn’t taken.

"So, any different ones now?"

Tom raised an eyebrow. “No physical defense? Or spell crafting? Why would they take those away…there is also a physical fitness class as well to help improve dueling and such.”

Kate’s eyes widened slightly. “Spell-crafting?” she asked, trying to hide her excitement. “I want to take that. It could help me figure out what was wrong with my spell!”

Tom almost smirked. So she wanted to learn about making her own spells. Maybe he could use this. 

"That sounds plausible. Come…we should get books and then head to the Leaky. We can rent a couple of rooms until the first," Tom said.

"Of course.  Let’s go."  Kate paid for her robes and clothes, then followed Tom out of the shop and into the street.

She was pleased to see Flourish and Blott’s was still around, and they bought what books they could before stopping in the post office so that Tom could send a letter to Professor Dippett.

----here’s a timeskip----

Tom looked at the train in annoyance. It wasn’t the idea of being on there to go to school, it was the loud and annoying people that would be on it. He sighed and shook his head, turning to Kate.

"I have a select group I sit with. You of course are welcome to sit with us."

"All right," Kate said hesitantly.  No doubt there was a Malfoy among them… and some Blacks as well.  If she wanted to be a part of this circle, though, she’d have to try to fit in.

She followed Tom through the train to a large compartment that already had several people in it.  Yes, there was the pale hair of the Malfoy family… And multiple dark heads as well.

Abraxas looked up. “Riddle…who is your guest? Is she new?”

Tom glanced at Kate. “This is Kate. She is a transfer student and she is with me.”

His tone left no room for arguments. Abraxas chuckled and stood. He offered his hand to Kate. “A pleasure to meet one such as yourself.”

Kate forced a smile on her face as she took Abraxas’s hand, then let out a tiny gasp as he bent and kissed the back of hers.  Cheeks flushing slightly, she murmured, “It’s lovely to meet you.  Would you care to introduce me to your companions?”

"Certainly," Abraxas said smoothly.  "This is Orion Black.  There’s also Edward Rosier, Dorian Mulciber, Theodore Nott, Antonin Dolohov…"

"You don’t keep any ladies around, Tom?" Kate asked after greeting each one.  "I’m honoured."

"You aren’t as annoying as the others," he said neutrally.

The boys in the compartment laughed, and began to voice their agreements, even throwing words around. Suddenly, their words stopped as there was a knock at the door.

Abraxas looked at Tom for permission who nodded. He opened the door to reveal a pretty girl with blonde hair and ice blue eyes. Her eyes immediately found Tom.

"Mr. Riddle?" she asked.

Tom raised an eyebrow. He had many classes he shared with her but she had never truly taken the time to speak with him. As always, her voice was light and feminine but held some sort of…mysticness to it that he couldn’t ever describe.

"Yes, Ms. Selwyn?" he returned.

"May I request your counsel for a moment?"

Kate looked at the girl. She was beautiful… Almost ethereal.

She looked at Tom and shrugged slightly. If he wanted to speak to the girl, then she’d be all right. These boys did not know who she was, and she could hold her own against them

He glanced at Kate before nodding. He stood and followed Roselyn out of the compartment. Normally he wouldn’t have bothered but there seemed to be a certain desperation in her eyes. And he figured he could play that to his favor. The Selwyn family was pretty well off and had connections…or they used to. Now, if he remembered correctly, Roselyn was the last and the heiress.

They entered an empty compartment and as he stepped insdie, Rose closed the door. She then set up some wards. Tom raised an eyebrow at how powerful they were. As if anyone would want to listen in.

"What is it, Ms. Selwyn?" he asked impatiently.

"I am in a dilemma and I would like your assistance…in any way," she answered.

~~~

Abraxas looked at Kate. “So…my dear, tell me. What is your name? I don’t think we have had the pleasure of hearing it.”

He smiled politely at her. Black and Dolohov looked at her in curiosity.

Kate gave Abraxas a tight smile. Did he call every girl “my dear”? Whatever the answer to that question was, he would not be doing it much longer, she was sure.

"Katelyn Turner," she replied. "I usually go by Kate."

There were the looks of confusion and veiled disgust at her lack of a Pureblood name. She continued to smile tightly at them.

"My father was a Muggleborn, if you were wondering," she said demurely. "I know Tom prefers to keep the company of Purebloods… I am grateful he has taken me under his wing."

'Please believe the bullshit I am spouting,' she begged silently.

Tom felt like laughing. How could this be…how could…lady magic must favor him after all. A seer…a real seer standing in front of him offering everything she has, including her loyalty, if he agrees to assist her in getting out of this marriage contract.

He vaguely thinks of the ring…the goblins told him about it, that one it is slid onto the finger of a witch, if she is worthy of carrying on the Slytherin line, it will draw her blood and bond to her. She would become Lady Slytherin as soon as the relationship was consumated.

And…no one would be able to claim her.

"Well…Ms. Selwyn. I am inclined to believe you…but…I would like some proof.”

Rose nodded. “This past summer you killed your father, grandparents, and framed your maternal grandfather for the murder. This year, you will open the Chamber of Secrets to discover the basilisk and a young Ravenclaw in fifth year will die.”

~~~

Abraxas was a little disgusted, but knew Tom didn’t just associate with anybody. “Oh…well…I am assuming that you realize how…infective the muggle ideals are. They are destroying our world and the views that have been here for hundreds of years.”

The smile fell from Kate’s face.  ”I have no love for Muggles,” she hissed, dropping her bag and yanking up the cuff of her right sleeve.  There was a scar on her wrist.

"I had a… romantic dalliance with one last year,” she said as she loosened her tie and pulled it over her head, then began unbuttoning her blouse.  ”It was a bad idea.”

"Miss Turner, what are you doing?" Nott asked, taken aback by her sudden ferocity and clothing removal.

"Showing you what a Muggle with a gun is capable of," she replied, pulling off the blouse.  She was left in a bra and camisole, allowing the boys clear view of the scars on the front and back of her left shoulder.  "And there are more," she growled.  "Nutter shot me six times."

"Did the Muggle have anything to do with the scars on your back?" asked Dolohov.

Kate immediately shrugged her blouse back on to cover them.  ”No,” she said, the fire leaving her eyes.  ”Those are from my stepfather.  I apologize, gentlemen.  I got carried away.”  Turning, she began to rebutton her blouse.

Abraxas was looking at her in thought. “Don’t let Tom see them. He has a certain…weakness for muggles who hurt a witch or wizard.”

Nott snorted. “Don’t you mean ferocity?”

Orion cut in, finally speaking. “It’s expected though…how those muggles treat him. He doesn’t talk about it but I share a dorm with him. I’ve seen his own scars that he hides.”

"If Riddle finds us talking about him he will be livid!" Dolohov cut in, his voice hissing.

Tom looked at Rose in shock. How did she…she must have either been spying on him or really knew. He hadn’t even mentioned his plans of finding the chamber. He stood and stepped up to her, pulling her up gently, as a gentleman would.

"Tell me…Roselyn, where would I find the chamber of secrets?” he purred against her ear.

Rose closed her eyes, trying to ignore the way he made her heart beat faster. “Could I show you? I would like to see it for myself in the flesh and not in visions.”

His lips curled into a terrifying smile. “Of course, my dear.”

He let her go, stepping away. “I will owl the goblins for a marriage contract. I have a betrothal ring but you must sign the contract first. That is what they told me. I will be your choice in husband and I will keep Albus Dumbledore away from you. All I need in return is your body, loyalty, and support; both financial and otherwise.”

Rose bowed her head in a sign of submission. “Then it is all yours…including my heart if you would want it.”

He smirked at her. “Now why would I want that?”

Kate finished buttoning her blouse and tucked it into her skirt, then took her tie from Abraxas.

"Tom knows a Muggle hurt me," she said.  "But he doesn’t know about the scars."  She sat and smirked at the boys.

"He needn’t worry about it, though.  I took good care of him."  Her green eyes glittered dangerously.

"That’s promising to hear," said Abraxas.

Kate looked out the window.  ”Tell me, gentlemen,” she said smoothly, “how goes the war? I’m afraid I’m a bit out of the times, having been locked up with tutors.”

At that moment the door opened and Tom slipped inside. Rose had left him earlier to go to a compartment alone, wanting to avoid the Weasley clan and her own family. She promised to meet him at the carriages.

"Roselyn Selwyn is to be looked after. No one is to get near her outside of my permission and no one is to so much as flirt with her,” he ordered.

"Not even me, Tom?" Kate asked silkily, turning her green eyes to him.  "I’m sure she could use a friend… and I would not mind a female companion myself."

Perhaps, for once, Kate could have a genuine friend.  However, considering the fact that the girl—Roselyn—had been wearing Slytherin robes, Kate was not sure how well that would go.  She was much more likely to be sorted into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.

Tom glanced at Kate, raising an eyebrow. “You can converse with her if you’d like. Knowing her…she may be waiting for you when we get off the train. Do me a favor and keep any Weasleys away from her.”

Abraxas gave Tom a curious look. “If you don’t mind me asking…why all of this for Roselyn Selwyn?”

Tom looked at him and thought for a moment, trying to decide if he should say it before it even happens. Then he made his choice.

"This isn’t to leave our group and not where people can hear. Roselyn and I will be married sometime over the next summer, if not over Christmas break."

Kate nodded.  ”Very well, Tom.”  Hopefully the Weasleys now looked the same as the Weasleys she was familiar with.  And they were involved somehow with Roselyn Selwyn…

Kate was working on a spell upstairs in the spare bedroom when there was a knock on the door one October morning.  Adrian, who was in the kitchen having some coffee, hurried down the hall and peered through the peephole, then opened the door wide to reveal an older woman with blonde hair peppered with grey.

“I’m looking for Katelyn Turner,” said the woman softly.  “I’m Luella Davis.”

Recognition dawned in Adrian’s eyes.  “Please come in.  Kate’s upstairs; I’ll get her for you.  Would you like some tea?”

“No thank you,” Luella said, looking around the entryway as she stepped inside.  “I only wanted to speak with Kate for a moment.”

“Of course.  Have a seat, and I’ll be right back.”  Adrian gestured to the sitting room just inside the door, then headed upstairs, where she knocked on the open study door.  “Kate, there’s someone here to see you.”

Kate looked up from her desk.  “I wasn’t expecting anyone,” she said, but stood and followed Adrian back downstairs.  Reaching the sitting room, she was enveloped in an embrace that smelled of gardenia.

“Kate!  Oh, thank goodness it’s really you!  We were so worried!”

“L-Luella?” Kate gasped.

Luella pushed Kate away and looked at her with a critical eye.  “You’re so thin!  You haven’t been eating enough!”

“Ah,” Kate said, looking nervous.  “Yeah.”  She gave Luella a tiny smile.  “I’ll go make some tea.  This is Adrian Viviano, by the way.  I met her in the States.”  She gestured to Adrian, then hurriedly escaped from the room down the hall into the kitchen, where she took a deep breath.  How had Luella found her?  She hadn’t contacted them in over a year!

The phone rang, and she snatched it up.  “Hello?  Speaking.”  Her expression hardened as she filled the kettle with water from the tap.  “Excuse me?  I sent that payment almost two weeks ago!”

In the sitting room, Luella smiled at Adrian, who smiled tightly back as they heard Kate yelling in the kitchen.  Something about payment reached Luella’s ears, and she immediately pulled out her checkbook.

“Don’t,” Adrian said softly.  “She’ll only rip it up.”

“Surely there’s some way I can help,” Luella insisted.  “What is she even paying for, anyway?”

Adrian smiled.  “You’re just like she described you.”  Sifting through a pile of papers on the coffee table, she retrieved one and handed it over to Luella, who scanned it quickly before gaping at the amount listed.  “Medical care is really expensive in the States, and she was in the hospital for nearly a month.  She’s determined to pay it off herself, but honestly?  If you want to help, you could pay it in secret.”

“I certainly will!” Luella said, quickly tucking the paper away as Kate continued to yell.  There was a moment of silence, and then they heard footsteps and the soft rattle of china.

“Sorry about that.” Kate set the tea tray down on the coffee table with a flick of her wand.  “Idiots can’t keep track of their own things.”  She poured tea expertly into three cups, just as she’d been taught while living at the Davis mansion.  She then handed one to Luella, who took note that Kate avoided using her left arm, passing the tea instead with her right across her body.  “How are you, Luella?”

“I’m fine.  Everyone else is also fine.  Noll and Mai send their love.”  Luella dropped a cube of sugar into her tea and stirred.

“Are they still in Japan?”

“No.  They’re back at the mansion with the twins and their new little boy named Takumi.”  Luella smiled at her mental image of the little boy running around the gardens.

Kate smiled back, feeling conflicted.  Perhaps it was her fault that Mai and Oliver had gone back to Japan after Gene’s funeral.  “Sticking with the Japanese names, hmm?”

“His full name is Takumi Eugene.”

Kate’s face fell.  “That’s—that’s nice,” she managed to say.  “He’d like that.”

“I’m sorry dear,” Luella said, reaching across the table to cover Kate’s hand with her own.  “I thought you should know.”

“Does he look like him?”  The words were soft, and Luella had to strain to hear them.

“Practically the spitting image.”  Fishing a photo from her purse, Luella handed it to Kate.  It was of Oliver and Mai, with the brown-haired twins between them, and a struggling toddler in Oliver’s arms.

Kate’s eyes filled with tears as she stared at the photo.  He really did look like Gene.  She clapped a hand over her mouth and stood.  “Excuse me,” she mumbled, fleeing the room.

The picture sat on the sofa.  Adrian picked it up, curious to see for herself.  He looked like his father—and by extension his deceased uncle—despite the baby fat.  She smiled, but that was quickly lost when she heard retching from down the hall. Standing, she hurried towards the bathroom, but Kate had flushed the toilet and was rinsing out her mouth when she got there.

“So much for my breakfast,” Kate muttered, spitting into the sink.  She glanced up at Adrian, who looked at her in worry.  “I’ll be fine,” she said.  “It’s just… Thinking about him after all these years, seeing that picture…”  She wiped hastily at her eyes.  “I’ll be fine,” she repeated, this time as if to reassure herself, then made her way back to the sitting room.  “Sorry.  My breakfast disagreed with me.  Violently.”

Luella looked at her, concern evident on her face.  “Does that happen often?”  Perhaps that was why Kate was so thin.

Kate shrugged.  “Sometimes the nerves in my arm decide to rebel, and the rest of my body follows.”

She was ensconced in another gardenia embrace.  “You poor dear!  What on Earth happened to you?”

Letting out a short, bitter laugh, Kate asked, “What hasn’t happened to me?”

Luella released her and sat back down.  “When you left, Martin and I were concerned.  But you seemed to be happier there, so we let you be.  Then you stopped writing, and we were so worried!  Did you get any of the letters we sent you?”

“Yes.”  Kate looked at her hands, her eyes shifting to Adrian, who shrugged.  This was Kate’s story to tell, and she’d only help if she felt the need to.  “He cut me off from everyone, even Adrian.”

“He?  Do you mean the boy you were dating?”

“Jason, yes.”  Her mouth moved into a grimace.  “I should have realized, should have seen the signs.  I’d grown up with them, after all.  But I guess after the years of safety with you and Martin and—and Gene, I was gullible.  Gullible and stupid.”  She closed her eyes and sighed.  “He looked different from Gene.  I thought it could work.  I moved in with him—my biggest mistake.”

“I don’t think I quite understand,” Luella said slowly.  “Did he—was he hurting you?”

Kate nodded.  “And I let him.”  Her right hand rose to rub her left shoulder.  “I don’t know why.  Maybe I thought I could change him.  That illusion was shattered when he—”  She cut herself off, shuddering.  “I got away, finally. But he found me and tried to kill me.  Pretty much did, since I died at least once on the way to the hospital.”

Luella was staring at her in horror.  “Kate… oh, Kate.”

She leaned back against the couch cushions, closing her eyes.  “Adrian.”

Adrian nodded, knowing what Kate was asking.  “She was in a coma for two weeks.  Her shoulder was really messed up; I had to sneak a couple Healers, including a specialist, into the hospital to get it fixed as best it could.  The nerves were badly damaged, and her arm’s still not fully functional.  They had to remove part of her liver, and her lung—”

“My lung is fine,” Kate grumbled, cutting her off.  “Just scarred.  It functions perfectly normally, unlike my arm.”

“Tell me the boy got caught,” Luella pleaded.  This explained that incredible hospital bill, at least.  If this Jason boy was still on the loose, she and Martin would certainly have something to do about it.

Kate gave Adrian a sharp look, and Luella got the feeling that she was hiding something.

“They caught him before he’d left the apartment thanks to Kate’s quick thinking,” Adrian said.  “He’s doing twenty-seven years in a state prison.”

“Good!  He deserves it.”

Kate hadn’t seen that look on Luella’s face in years, and she felt sick.  “I’m sorry,” she said again.  “It was my fault.”  The phone rang again, and she groaned.  “If it’s those idiots at the collection agency again—”

“Let us help,” Luella said as Adrian went to answer the phone.  “If you’re having trouble paying, we can help.”  She had to at least try.

“I got myself into this mess, and I’ll get myself out.  Don’t worry about me.”  She tried to smile at Luella, but it didn’t quite work.

“I will always worry about you,” Luella said softly.  “You’re my daughter, or as good as.”

Kate’s eyes filled with tears, and she looked away and down at her lap.  “But I left.”

“All children leave home eventually.  It was inevitable, my dear.”

Kate let out a choked sob, and Luella moved to the couch and wrapped her arms around her.  She let herself cry.

“I’m only sorry we couldn’t protect you,” Luella murmured, rubbing Kate’s back.  “It’ll be all right.  We’ll take care of you.  You can come back to the mansion and live with us, Adrian too.”

“No,” Kate hiccupped, “I need to take care of myself.  I’m an adult!  I should have—I should have known he was bad, and I didn’t—Gene must be so disappointed in me.”  She cried harder.

“I don’t think so.”  Luella continued to rub soothing circles on her back.  “He’d be happy you’ve lived through it and come this far.”

Adrian stood out of sight in the hallway, smiling.  Kate definitely needed this.

“Will you at least come and visit?  Have dinner once in a while?”  Pulling her handkerchief from her purse, Luella began dabbing at Kate’s face.

“I—I guess, if Mai and Oliver don’t mind.”  If she had been the reason for their move back to Japan, it was possible they didn’t want to see her.

“Of course not, sweetie!  Why, when I told Mai we’d found you at last, she was ecstatic.”

“How did you find me?”  Kate looked at Luella with curious green eyes.

“I have my ways.”  Luella grinned at her.  She wouldn’t divulge that Adrian had owled her as soon as they’d reached the country and gotten settled.  “Now, what do you say to dinner tomorrow night?  Adrian will come too, of course.”

“We’d love to,” spoke up Adrian, making her presence known.  “When would you like us over?”

“Five sounds good,” Luella replied.  “That’ll give you some time with Noll, Mai, and the children.”  She stood.  “I’ll leave you for now, Kate dear, and see you tomorrow.  Please don’t be a stranger.”

All Kate could do was nod mutely.  How had this happened?  She’d been happily working on a spell, and now she would be seeing Gene’s family again.  Her family, she supposed, if she was truthful with herself.  The Davises and Adrian were the only family she wanted.

“Luella?” she said suddenly.  The woman looked at her.  “Don’t tell them about—about what happened.  With Jason.  Please?”

“Certainly.  But I’m sure they’ll ask.”

“I’ll come up with something.”  Kate gave Luella her first genuine smile of the day.  “I just don’t want them to know.  Not yet, at least.”  She stood and hugged the elder woman, though her left arm more or less hung by her side.

Luella hugged her back, then released her and headed for the door.  “Until tomorrow then.”