Raul sighed deeply as he returned with Angus and Rick to their haven “Did everyone else report back?” he asked as he dropped heavily onto one of the cushions.

“Yes” Rick replied “Everyone is accounted for, and Fang has brought all of his Garou here for the next few days. We all agreed it wasn’t safe for anyone to stay in the forest at the moment. Fang had to tangle with a few baddies on his way to warn the centaurs, he’s a bit bloody, but he seemed to enjoy himself.” Rick added as he gave the Primogen a half grin.

“Fang…” Raul shook his head as he thought of the young Garou, “How is he holding up under all of this?” Raul looked over to were Rick pointed, he saw Fang, looking a bit bloody and ragged, talking to Kara and Regeane, stroking their heads as he calmed the young Garou sisters.

“He’s grown up very fast over the past few days Raul” Angus said softly as he joined the conversation, “I trust you don’t mind sharing our haven with them. I don’t feel right having them bunk anywhere else.”

“I agree,” Raul nodded, “And Fang is doing an admirable job leading his clan, but he is young, and he’s suffered a great deal over the last week between Gaz’s betrayal and Olia’s death. I just hope he can handle it all, it would be difficult for someone twice his age.”

Rick smiled as he observed the way the Garou had flocked over to Fang, both to tend to his wounds and gain comfort by his very presence “Somehow, I think he’ll do just fine….”

“I can’t Cash, not until I know I’m not pregnant with Sev’s child. I know you said Sirius didn’t care, that he would accept my child as his own, but that’s not the point.” Cat explained as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “What would I say when they ask who the father is. If I …. If Sirius and I, Cash I’ll never know who the father is..”

Cash was about to press the issue when they heard a soft knock on her door as it opened slowly. They froze waiting to see who was entering, but no one was there, Cash stood, a stony look on his face, ready to attack the first thing that moved, only to relax immediate when he saw the tiny figure slowly enter the room. Cash’s eyes narrowed in concern when he noticed the sad expression on the normally cheerful house elf’s face, and his sloppily bandaged hands.

“Dobby? What happened?” Cash asked as Angel quickly covered Sirius’s bare chest with the soft quilt before turning her attentions to the diminutive elf.

“Dobby??!” Cat gasped “What happened to you? Are you alright?” she asked, dropping to her knees as she gently took one of the house elf’s hands in her own and unwound the bandages. She inhaled sharply when she saw the open blisters and large welts on his hand.

Dobby looked up at Cat with his overly large eyes, his ears turned downward and a shamed look on his face. “Dobby is sorry, Dobby failed Harry Potter and his mother” the house elf said weakly “Dobby has punished himself, Dobby has broken his promise.”

Cat smiled weakly as she placed Dobby’s hand between her own “Dobby, please don’t do such things to yourself. I don’t blame you at all for what happened. The Tremere got past many teachers, vampyres and Garou. You can’t protect Harry from everything” she said gently as she healed one hand and then the other.

Dobby stared at Cat, his eyes full of wonder as he looked down at his hands and then back to her. “Dobby is not deserving such kindness” he insisted, his ears perking up slightly as he flexed his long fingers and realized the pain was gone.

Cat smiled and kissed the little house elf on his head. “Dobby has taken care of my son many times before. Not even Dobby can be everywhere at once.” She had to laugh as the elf looked up at her, a sheepish grin on his face and a crimson blush across his cheeks…..

“She’s right Dobby, I don’t think you could have done anything even if you had known” Harry said feebly, a strained smile on his face.

“Harry!” Cat gasped as she ran to his side “Harry, lay down sweetie. I don’t want you to exert yourself, you’ve been through too much as it is.” she insisted as she gently pushed him back onto the pillows. “I want you to rest, and don’t you dare argue with me.” she warned as she tucked him back under the quilt. “Oh Harry….I can’t believe I came so close to losing you.” she sighed softly as she covered his face with kisses “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” she pleaded, hugging him tightly. “And I swear Harry, I will never leave you alone again, not ever.”

Harry rolled his eyes as he smiled brightly, “Muuum,” he whined “I’m fine, really, and I wasn’t alone, at least not for very long. Cash and Sirius heard me, they….they almost died trying to save me.” Harry stammered as he hung his head, only to look up quickly when he felt Cash’s hand tussling his hair. “Cash!” Harry gasped as he smiled happily. “And Sirius, where is he, is he alright?”

Cash grinned and pointed to the bed, laughing as Harry gasped, apparently he had had no idea his godfather was in the same bed with him. “SIRIUS!” Harry said as he flung his arms around the wizard, squeezing him for all he was worth. “Sirius are you alright? Sirius?” Harry turned a worried eye to his mum, hoping she would be able to tell him that his godfather would be fine, that he hadn’t lost the only father he had ever known.

“Shhhh, Harry” Cat whispered as she gently pulled his arms from Sirius “let him sleep. He was badly hurt, he needs to rest.”

“No” a deep, gentle voice spoke, “He needs to know his godson is well, and his mother has come back to take care of him.”

“Sirius?” Cat and Harry said in unison, smiling as he opened his eyes and smiled at them weakly.

“Harry.” Sirius whispered raising his hand to touch his godson’s face, only to be shocked when Harry wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly. “It’s alright Harry, everything’s alright now.” he assured Harry as he returned the hug, burying his face in his godson’s hair. Sirius paused for a moment, reveling in the warmth and love of his godson’s affection, only to look up and see Cat, who was smiling tenderly at them both.

Sirius smiled widely as he looked at Cat, he could feel his eyes growing moist as he saw the undisguised love and affection in her gaze. “Cat” Sirius whispered hoarsely as he held out one hand to her, hoping she would take it. He felt his heart nearly break apart with love and relief as she not only took his hand, but wrapped her arms around he and Harry, kissing them both as she made them swear to never risk their lives again.

“Not even awake two minutes and she’s yelling at me already” Sirius joked to Harry, “I guess it’s a good thing I never listen to anyone, huh?” he teased as he looked into Cat’s emotion filled eyes, wishing he could hold onto her forever.

Cash leaned against the bedpost and grinned from ear to ear, this is what he was waiting to see, actually, this is what he had nearly died to see. His descendants, his clan, together and happy, loving and supporting each other. Now if only he could get Angel to forget about Snape, something that, at the moment, didn’t look like it was going to be a big problem. “So, I see my partner in crime has joined the living.” Cash remarked, chuckling at the surprised look on Sirius’s face. “What? Did you think I wouldn’t be here?”

Sirius shook his head “Forgive me for doubting you Cash.” he teased as he pulled Harry and Cat closer to him. “And as for you two,” Sirius continued “thank heaven you’re both safe. I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to either of you.” he admitted as he rested his head against Cat’s soft form, waiting for her to do or say something, anything…..

Cat fought off the urge to press herself against Sirius and smother him with kisses, she had actually forgotten how wonderful it was to have him next to her. She loved the feel of him, the scent of him, the playfulness and affection that was as much a part of him as his eternally blue eyes. But, she reminded herself, she had felt the same way in school, and look how horribly that had ended.

She caught Harry looking at her from the corner of her eye, he had the largest smile she had ever seen on his face, if nothing else, ‘he’ approved of Sirius Black. “Don’t you start Harrison James Potter” Cat teased.

“Harrison?” Harry asked, twisting his face into a confused grimace “My name is Harrison?”

Sirius laughed deeply, his eyes twinkling with happy memories as he clapped Harry on the back. “Don’t listen to her Harry, she did that to your father all the time. It drove him crazy, by the end of the year, she had him so completely confused, ‘he’ didn’t know what his name was.” Sirius looked up at Cat, only to see the mischief in her smile.

“Come on now, who names a person ‘Harry’? You know as well as I do that it’s short for Harrison.” she said, her face completely serious.

“Or Harold” Sirius added, sticking his tongue out at her, hoping to get her to break first.

“Harold, mother of us all, I hope not Harold.” she deadpanned, feigning a look of utter horror and disgust as she stared Sirius in his eyes, knowing he could never beat her at this little game.

Sirius opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again as if rethinking his comment, he paused shaking his finger at her “Now Kitty, don’t make me prove how wrong you are in front of your own son.” he said, trying not to smile as she narrowed her eyes at him.

“Go on then Siri, show me just how wrong I am” she replied, her unblinking eyes fixed on his, daring him to do anything in front of Harry.

Sirius returned her gaze, trying to concentrate on her challenge and ignore the fullness of her lips, the dazzling green of her eyes, the rise and fall of her bosom as she breathed softly. He could feel the smile spreading across his face, he had already lost and she knew it. “Beaten again” he sighed “Mo gra, I’ll never beat you at this game.” he grinned as she finally burst into laughter. Sirius turned to see Harry’s quizzical face.

“Its just a game we always used to play, she calls it bluff” Sirius explained, ignoring Cash’s laughter and comments. “She and Lily took great delight in beating James and I at this game at every opportunity. Just as a warning Harry, [u]never[/u] play cards against this woman. You’ll never win.”

Cat nodded her head in agreement with Sirius, “Now Harry, what you need to do is ask him how he knows never to play against me in cards.” she winked as Sirius began to blush. She knew immediately what he was thinking of, it was the night he and James tried to beat she and Lily at cards. The boys had thought they were so clever, but she and Lily knew what they were up to. They let James and Sirius win the first few hands, then, when they had mentioned strip poker, she and Lily had decided play time was over.

They had whispered together for a few moments, and had quickly come up with a plan. They allowed James to win the first hand and Sirius the next, in fact, they had allowed it to get done to their bras, but that’s when they decided to turn the tables. After all, will all her brothers, and Lily’s love of games, they both knew very well how to manipulate the cards to their advantage. By the time they were done, James and Sirius had lost everything, including their dignity. She had wanted to make them take off their undershorts as well, but Lily had stopped her, too embarrassed to go any further.

Sirius and James couldn’t look them in the eyes for days, and Lily took an insane joy in making playing cards appear all over James’ room and school supplies. Poor Remus and Peter had no idea what was happening, but they knew it must be pretty bad if Sirius blushed.

Harry smiled happily as he watched Sirius and Cat talking and laughing with each other, he had waited to see them together like this for so long. He just knew everything would be alright now, it had to be. They were all together, there were no tears, no accusations, no Snape. Harry only wished that Cat would take the hand that Sirius kept inching closer to her……

Frank and Padriac grinned as Elora’s children danced and sang for them, even the littlest tried to help by sitting on the floor of the caravan and beating the worn wooden floor with one of her toys. “So, a little drummer are you?” Paddy asked as he scooped up the baby in his arms, grinning as the toddler squealed happily.

“Enough with you and the baby” Frank teased, rolling his eyes. “Isn’t one of your own enough, at least have the decency to insist the next one marry you first.”

Paddy gave Frank a warning look, “Don’t even go there cousin, it’s a very sore subject. I still can’t believe she would abandon our child like that.” he said softly, bitterness and pain adding and edge to his lilting voice.

Elora placed her hand on his arm “I’m sorry, but what of your child? Should you be here?” she asked gently.

Paddy smiled brightly as all traces of hurt seemed to be erased from his face “Don’t worry, dearest of ladies, she is safe and sound at home in Fernglennis. My sister Siobhan has taken her in, and is raising her as her own. As much as I love my daughter, I cannot raise her on my own.” he explained “but she knows I am only ever a summons away from her.”

“Speaking of Fernglennis” Frank said loudly, trying to turn the conversation to happier things “We need to be on our way, tomorrow afternoon at the latest, I want to see Kitty’s son, and this ‘husband’ of hers that I’ve been hearing so much about.”

“Don’t worry” Dimitri spoke up, “You two will get along fine, he likes to joke every bit as much as you do. And I can vouch for his skills in battle as well.”

“And can you vouch for his love of my sister?” Frank asked, all traces of mirth gone from his face. “Can you tell me beyond all doubt that he loves her for her heart and not her powers? For the who she is and not what she is?”

Dimitri hesitated for only a moment “Frank MacLeod, I must admit I have no inkling of what you’re referring to. But I can tell you this, as he and I traveled through the woods on our way to the Roma, I knew when he was thinking of his wife and son. I could see the look on his face and the light in his eyes. He is besotted. And I don’t imagine Cash would call him kine if Sirius was after no more than your sister’s power.”

Seeing the worried look on Elora’s face, Paddy decided to diffuse the situation “A husband, I can’t even say that with a straight face.” Paddy sighed, hoping desperately that his cousin had finally found true love. “Do you think its true? Do you think she’s chosen a husband? If she did, I’ll wager you right now there will be a baby by next Solstice.” he added, trying to egg Frank on. “And to think Cash approves of him, I can’t even imagine what he must be like. He’s probably part warrior, part animal….”

Frank grimaced “It doesn’t matter what he is. If Maharet doesn’t approve, he’ll more than likely be dead, with Cash very close behind him. You know how the crones get when a man dares to interfere with the prophecies.”……

Harry stared in alarm as Sirius’s laughter turned into a fit of coughing, his godfather was holding his ribs painfully as he tried to catch his breath in between the deep jagged coughs. Before Harry knew what was happening, Cat had moved to Sirius’s side, bending him forward as she gently tapped on his back. He heard her voice soothing and calming Sirius whose coughing seemed to be finally subsiding.

“That’s enough fun and games Sirius, I want you to lay back down now” Cat said gently but firmly, I need to check those ribs, I think you may have re-injured yourself.” she told him as she forced him to the pillows, only to gasped when she saw the blood on his hand. Not wanting to alarm Harry, she signaled Cash to distract Harry as she quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from Sirius’s hand and lips. “Oh Sirius, what did he do to you?” she asked softly as her lips pressed lightly against his ear.

Cat sighed as she felt Sirius lean into her, his body still wracked by the after effects of his coughing spell. She pressed his head against her as she combed her fingers through his hair, hoping the worst of it was now over. She felt his body gradually relaxing as his breathing grew steadier, Cat looked up to see Cash doing everything in his power to prevent Harry from seeing the state of Sirius’s health. “Cash” Cat said softly “don’t lie to him.” she felt a lump catch in her throat when Cash finally gave up and allowed Harry to see what was happening. “Its alright Harry, I just need to get a few things to help him.” Cat assured her son. “I’ll be right back, and Cash will stay here with you.”

Harry nodded numbly as he went to Sirius’s side, he waited as the minutes seem to tick by during Cat’s absence. “Rub his back Harry, it will help” Cash told him. Harry noticed that even Cash was pacing impatiently, eyes darting about the room. “Where is she, it can’t take this long to mix a potion. What is she doing, growing the ingredients herself?”

“No” Cat’s voice drifted through the room as she apparate to Sirius’s side, “But Severus needs to learn to alphabetize those things” she remarked as she sat on the bed next to Sirius. Helping him sit up, she handed him a warm goblet of potion. “I need you to drink this all,” she insisted as Sirius groaned at the thought “Oh stop whining you cry-baby, I even added spices and wine.”…..

Sirius laughed weakly, “That’s right, I had almost forgotten how you kept mixing up cooking and potion making. You drove Morano crazy with stuff like that.”

Cat scowled, “Please, don’t remind me of her, uhg, what a horrible person. Thank heavens she’s no long potion master…” she was interrupted by Sirius.

“Well I think the swamp did her in Cat.” he teased, “Either that or the bedroom slippers that came to life and started nibbling on her toes.”