Gustavas moved quickly, pivoting his weight against hers, he easily moved them both towards the stone. He grinned maniacally as his hands wrapped around the hilt of her sword, only to fall backwards as the stone exploded. He looked up to see MacLeod’s eyes boring into him, and the face of the other woman floating above hers, murmuring softly as other rocks and trees burst into flames and exploded around them. “Let go of me you stupid bitch” he shrieked in a panic filled voice.

“Never” MacLeod and the Morrigan said in unison, their voices mingling into an unearthly fusion of sounds. “One blood sacrifice has been made, and now another is called for.” the woman said as MacLeod held out her free hand, summoning her sword as she fixed him with a cold, malevolent stare. …..

“NO! You can’t do this!” Gustavas screamed “You don’t have the power.” His eyes filled with terror as she swung the sword at his head. He had to make a decision and make it quickly. He brought up his captive arm to block the swing, and fell backwards onto the hard ground. With angry words, he swore he would see her and her entire clan slaughtered as he ran off into the forest, clutching the stump of his mangled arm….

“Cash! Cash!” Sirius yelled “What is it? Does she need help?” he asked when he saw the Gangrel’s eyes grow wide and his breathing stop.

“Stay with Harry. Just both of you, stay in the bed” Cash replied softly as he watched the spirit of the Morrigan posses his niece. “She’s doing just fine, besides, she’s locked us in. I’ve called the others, but I’m not sure what they can do.”

“Cash, please. I can’t lose her now. Not after all of this, now that she knows the truth.” Sirius pleaded. “There has to be something we can do to help her.”

Cash nodded “There is Sirius.” he said as he turned to face the wizard “Have faith in her. And when she gets back here, and everyone is taken care of…..tell her the WHOLE truth. All she knows right now is you’re not married. I want her to hear the reason from you and not slimy.” They became quiet as they heard a familiar roar filling the room…..

“Angel” Cash yelled as he jumped to her side and caught her in his arms. He felt her shuddering as she collapsed against him. She was wet and dirty, covered in blood and very, very cold. “You need to rest Angel” he insisted as he carried her to the bed where Sirius was still holding onto Harry.

“No, I can’t” Cat replied, “We need Brutus, we need the hunter, now!” she said as she rose to her feet, pushing Cash away from her. “I want Brutus here NOW!, Summon Frank or Duncan or Paddy, I don’t care who..” she insisted “Tell them to bring Prince Julian, Prince Daithi. I want that monster found and destroyed” she ranted “I want the blood hunt called on him.”

Cash took a step back, in all the years she had live, he had never seen her so upset or so angry. “I will Angel, but I was only able to get a little of his blood the night Olia died. I’m not sure if its enough to pass around for a blood hunt.”

Her eyes narrowed at Cash as she walked passed and tossed an object at him “Then give them this. It should more than suffice.”

She watched as Cash’s face drained of colour as he looked at what she had thrown to him. His eyes searched hers for a moment, before he grabbed a scarf off of her dresser and wrapped Gustavas’s severed hand in it, and sped out of the door.

Cat turned to see Sirius staring at her with equal amounts of fear, awe and concern as he clutched Harry against his chest. “It’s alright now Sirius, he won’t be back tonight, and Harry won’t be here tomorrow.” turning Harry’s face to hers, Cat smiled gently and asked “Are you ready to go home Harry? Because personally, I can’t take much more of this.” She said softly as she fought to stay conscious, all she wanted to do right now is get Harry safely home and collapse in her own bed.

“Home?!” Harry repeated excitedly “We’re actually going home? To family? To Fernglennis?” his eyes shining brightly as a wide smile danced across his face.

“Yes Harry, as soon as your ready, we are leaving.” Cat said as she slumped onto the bed, wishing they were already home and safe with her whole clan. “All I have to do is wash the blood and filth off of me and we’re …..”

“I don’t want you to go.” Sirius said softly as his eyes fixed on Cat, he reached out and took Harry’s hand in his and Cat‘s in the other. “I want us to stay together, it’s the only way to make sure Harry’s safe.”…….

Fallon smiled as she watched Elora and Padriac talking together, leaning against Dimitri she asked “I think she likes him. Do you think he likes her?”

Looking up Dimitri rolled his eyes “I think he is very fond of all women, Fallon. It seems to be a trait among the MacLeods.”

“I heard that” Frank teased as he walked towards Dimitri and Fallon. He smiled as he gave Dimitri a playful punch in his arm.

Rubbing his arm Dimitri grinned “Yet I notice you aren’t denying it.”

“This is true” Frank agreed, his smile widening as he watched his cousin and Elora talking “we are great admirers of the female species. Although I’d have to guess this goes beyond admiration. And the fact that she’s fond of children doesn’t hurt either. It almost killed Paddy when that woman abandoned their daughter.” he added shaking his head. “Siobhan is taking care of her, raising her as her own, but still….he wants to be there for her, to be a father. He can’t do that without having a wife to be her mother.”

Fallon’s eyes grew wide “Do you think that’s why he’s paying so much attention to her? Because he needs a wife and mother for his daughter?” her voice was full of worry at the thought of her dear friend being misled.

Frank laughed and shook his head, “Knowing Paddy, it goes much deeper than that. He’s a fun fellow, but he’s very careful where his heart is concerned, that’s why it hurt him so much when she left.” He grabbed the reins of the horsed who were resting and signaled Dimitri to do the same. “Lets get you moving, I wish we could stay with you until you reach Hogwarts, but we have other engagements, and I don’t think you’ll have much trouble from here on out.”

“Sure of that are you” Erich grinned as he brought his caravan along side Fallon’s “I don’t suppose you would like to share your reason’s with us, now would you?”

“Nope,” Frank smiled as Erich rolled his eyes dramatically. “Oh stop it. You’re as bad as this one” he said, signaling to Fallon “Lets just say I have the distinct feeling no one would be dumb enough to attack you, not here, not now. Oh and by the way, my clan is expecting you there in three days time, if you don‘t show up, they WILL come looking for you. Surly lot that they are ”….

Harry and Albus sat in Sirius’s room as they listened to the heated discussion going on in Albus’s office. Shaking his head Albus said softly “I fear your mother’s temper may get the best of her Harry. She loves you dearly, as does Sirius, but she is terrified by what ‘could’ have happened to you.” he explained as Harry nodded his head slowly, shocked by the tone in Cat’s voice.

“I’ve never heard her so upset” Harry agreed, “Do you think this will hurt Sirius’s chances of marrying her?” “Marrying?” Albus repeated, a faint smile on his face. “Is the marriage your idea or his, may I ask?” Harry looked suddenly bashful, “Mine, and Sirius, and Cash’s…. and Remus’s” he replied, his voice becoming fainter with each name. “I see” Albus said simply “I have often wondered what would happen if Kitty and Sirius were forced to confront each other, and their past. I feel in my heart they would make amends and be stronger for it.

Harry looked up, searching Albus’s eyes “Do you think they would stay together? Do you think we could be a family, a real family?”…

Cat shook her head “Absolutely not, he will not stay here another day!” she said adamantly as Sirius and Remus tried to calm her down.

“Now Kitty, please” Remus sighed as he gently pushed her back down into the chair, “if you’re going to insist on behaving like this I’m going to get Cash and Raul to keep you in line.”

“As if” Cat said tersely, “he’s my son, and he is coming home with me now. There is no argument, no discussion.”

“No discussion?” Sirius repeated incredulously “He’s my godson, I have a say in what happens to him Cat. He is just as much my responsibility as yours. I can take care of him here…”

“Like you did over the past twenty four hours?” Cat shot back, immediately regretting her choice of word when she saw the pained look in Sirius’s eyes. “Sirius I am not trying to be mean or to hurt you, but Harry is obviously not safe here. And you can’t always protect him.” she added softly, hoping he would forgive her angry words. She stepped closer to Sirius and placed her hand on his arm. She looked deeply into his eyes as her own overflowed with emotions “You barely survived yourself.” she whispered.

As if on cue, Albus appeared from behind the tapestry, he saw Sirius looked terribly wounded by her comment, even though they all knew it was the truth, Hogwarts simply was not safe anymore. At the rate things were going, none of them could assure Harry’s safety any longer, and she was right, Fernglennis was the best place for him. But he could tell Sirius had the sinking feeling that if he let them go, he would never see Cat or Harry ever again. Turning a pleading eye towards the headmaster, Sirius begged silently for assistance.

“Kitty, Sirius, Remus, a moment please.” Albus said softly as three pair of eyes turned to him immediately. “I wish to discussed this with Harry, if you will please excuse Harry and I for a few moments, I will make my decision and inform you both shortly.” ……

As soon as the office door closed, Harry stepped out from behind the tapestry. “Well Harry, you see your choices, they both love you very much, but the decision is entirely yours” Dumbledore said gently, “Chose wisely.”

“I want to go home with Cat. I want to meet my family, and she looks so tired, I know she can’t stay here.“ Harry replied immediately, “But why can’t Sirius come with us, he is my godfather, and he is responsible for me, so why can’t he be responsible for me there?” Harry asked quietly, seeing the strange look twinkling in Dumbledore’s eyes, he added softly “Or is there some reason he wouldn’t be allowed to come with us?”…..

Remus shook his head at Cash as they walked out of the office, they had hoped Sirius and Cat would see eye to eye on this, but they were both too concerned over Harry’s well being to want to take any chances. “I still don’t see why she won’t let Sirius come with her and Harry” Remus whispered.

“I’ve tried talking to her about it on the walk over here Remus” Cash sighed “but I think she’s afraid of what will happen if they spend the holidays together. She’s still hung up about hurting slimy, and I know she’s concerned that if she does, and they do, she’ll never really know who the father is.”

“Do you really think she’ll become pregnant so soon?” Remus gasped softly, only to feel Cash’s arm around his shoulder as the vampyre pulled him off to the side to discuss an alternate plan of action, leaving Sirius and Cat on their own. …..

“Why don’t you trust me to take care of him Cat?” Sirius asked softly as he ran his hand along the spines of the ancient books lining the walls of Albus’s waiting room. “Do you really think I’m that careless? Or is it something else?” he avoided her eyes as he waited for her reply.

Pausing to take a deep breath and word her answer carefully, Cat explained “Sirius, it has nothing to do with trust. If this were the MoM alone that was after him, I would have no qualms about leaving him stay here, but its not. It’s the MoM, Voldemort, Tremere and heaven only knows what else.” she said as she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to force away the chill that she felt every time she remembered seeing Harry’s bruise and beaten body being cradled by a half-dead Sirius. “You both nearly died, even Cash wasn’t able to protect you. How can you insist he stay here?”

Before he could answer, the rest of Clan Gangrel as well as Mohrg arrived. “Hey Angel” Hamish grinned as he kissed her on her cheek “Just stopping to wish you and Harry a safe journey, and to tell you Frank contacted us. The Roma will be here by weeks end, we’ll have everything ready for them when they arrive.” Hamish noticed Sirius and quickly greeted him as well “So, our amazing wizard has once again managed to cheat death. And all without the help of the infamous Cash it would seem.”

Cat turned on Sirius “Once again managed to cheat death? Something you’d like to tell me about?” she asked as she folded her arms over her chest and stared pointedly at Sirius.

Sirius bowed his head sheepishly “Actually, there is a lot I need to tell you Cat, but ‘now’ isn’t exactly the best time. I’d prefer a little more privacy.” he explained as he finally looked her in the eyes. “That’s one of the reasons I don’t want you and Harry to leave. I need to talk to you, I want us to stay together just like a real family should.”

“A real family?” Cat repeated, wondering if he meant what she thought he did. She tried to still her heart, but she could already feel her cheeks turning pink as she thought of the three of them as a family. It ‘was’ what Harry had asked for when she discussed who he would like as a father. And she certainly wouldn’t raise too much objection to it. But then again, Severus would be terribly hurt if she simply left with Sirius, and there was that matter of Esmeralda and the Spring Ball. “I don’t know Sirius….” she replied, shaking her head slowly. …..

“Ahh, wonderful, you are all here.” Albus said pleasantly as he called them all back into the office “Sirius, Kitty, sit here please, in front of me.” Albus settled himself in his chair as he watched his two former students react to one another. “How often have I need to see the two of you in this office?” he asked knowingly, a smile playing on his lips. “As I recall, both you Sirius, and you Catri, were capable of nearly anything when you worked together. And with that in mind, I and Harry have come to an understanding. Cash, please wait until I am finished.” Albus warned when he saw the vampyre stand up as if to argue.

“As I said,” Albus continued “Harry and I have discussed his options, and we both agree the only fair and safe choice, is for him to go to Fernglennis with Kitty” he paused as he saw the pained look on Sirius’s face “However, he and I both feel that it is unfair to deprive him and his godfather of their relationship. Therefore, I must insist, that if he is to go to Fernglennis, that Sirius go with him,” Albus turned and looked at Kitty “for Harry’s sake, of course.” he paused for effect and to evaluate the response from the two adults. “I pray that you both will accept this arrangement.” Albus rested his fingertips against each other, creating the illusion of praying as he waited for Cat or Sirius to respond.