"Stop it Alec."
Alec's hand moved over her body underneath the sheets. Alec looked over her body at the clock.
"It's only eight." He said flopping back down.
"We only went to bed a few hours ago." Said Katherine mumbled pulling the sheets around her.
"But I'm awake." Said Alec.
"That's the-" Katherine yawned. "Auror Training for you." She finished. "But were in New York dear, you can find something to do."
"I just want to stay here with you." He said turning over. Katherine smiled and turned over to face him. She poked him in between the shoulder blades.
"Come on pouty." She said. "Turn over. What did we say no-"
"Not to be angry in bed."
"Not to be angry in bed, exactly." Said Katherine. "Turn over." Alec sighed and turned over to face her. Katherine smiled.
"In all these years of marriage." She moved her hand over his fringe to the hair that had come down over his eyes.
"This messy crop refuses to be tamed." She smiled and ran her hands through it. Alec smiled and pulled the duvet around them.
"You never complained before." Said Alec smiling.
"Only when we go to high level functions." Said Katherine, still running her hands through the silky strands. "Then it becomes more of a hindrance than sex appeal." Alec smirked and pulled her in closer.
"I got an owl from James yesterday." Alec hummed in acceptance. "I told him we were coming out here and said we should meet up."
"What did he say?"
"He seemed up for it." Said Katherine, "He said that he had missed us and wanted to see us again."
"How thoughtful of him." Said Alec turning over. "So when are we meeting?"
"Today." Said Katherine. "He's getting Leanne's house elf to apparate him over." Alec snorted.
"Now Alec." Said Katherine. "Less of that, she's nothing like her father, if anything I think she's more like her mother."
"I wonder what Jenny would think of her now."
"She would be happy she found someone like James." Said Katherine. "And maybe you should be grateful that James has someone."
"The apple usually doesn't fall that far from the tree." Said Alec getting up, he stretched and pulled on some boxer shorts.
"One day you'll learn to turn that damn Auror brain of you're off." Said Katherine gathering the sheets to cover herself. "Just give the girl the benefit of the doubt."
"It isn't the way I was taught." Said Alec gathering his clothes and walking towards the shower. He closed the door behind him and turned the shower on. Katherine took a couple of deep breaths and after a quick mental deliberation she pulled the sheets off her and walked towards the bathroom.
She opened the door to be met with a huge wall of steam, she carefully closed the door and tip toed towards the shower cubicle where Alec was letting the scolding hot water hit him in a relaxing way. Katherine opened the cubicle door and slipped inside. She heard Alec laugh and wrap his arm around her.
"If James does decide to bring her back to meet us?" asked Katherine seriously. Alec rested his chin on the top of her head.
"I'm guessing the answer is that I should keep my mouth shut." Said Alec.
"Quite right." Said Katherine. "And you will act happy, even if you don't agree with it." Alec was quiet for a few seconds.
"Fine." He said conceding. "It won't last though."
"What makes you say that?" asked Katherine, "Do you know something I don't?"
"Maybe." Said Alec thinking about that redhead that was in James's room when he went to visit him. "All I can tell you is that it's a hereditary thing." Said Alec. Katherine smiled against his skin.
"I believe you." Said Katherine.
"Good." Said Alec, "So what are we doing today."
The Marauders Proudly Present James and Alec Potter In: The Marauders Year Two
Chapter Seven
The Boulevard
Written By Chambers10
Manhattan: New York
Alec hated America, very surprising since he spent almost all the last year out here. Well he didn't mind LA so much but New York was something else. On the high rise since there were more witches and wizards being discovered over here now than ever before. This meant that that the equivalent of Diagon Alley was now located here. He had never been but Katherine had with Minerva for a shopping trip to see all the fancy boutiques so she was leading the way.
"This is so exciting isn't it?" asked Katherine as they made it to times square.
"Why do they have the entrance to the wizarding world in the most popular tourist attraction?"
"Why is the entrance to platform nine and three quarters in one of the busiest stations in London?" countered Katherine. Alec shrugged.
"Finally something I can explain to you." Said Katherine, "Because it's so busy people won't notice when we slip away."
"I admit it's easier here." Said Alec. "But to get to the station you have to push a trolley cart into a wall. Kinda makes me think that where just waiting for our kind to be caught."
"You know how much the Americans love extravagance." Said Katherine as they crossed the road into the centre of the square.
"Ok, what now." Asked Alec. Katherine looked down at their intertwined hands and then back at Alec.
"Hold on tight." She led him over to a boutique. Alec shook his head.
"Can't we save that till we get to The Boulevard?" Asked Alec. Katherine smiled and shook her head.
"This is the way." Said Katherine, she led him over to a changing room and bundled him into it.
"Been a while since we did this." He said teasingly.
"You should be so lucky." She said pulling down a dressing hook. The back wall then fell down into the floor.
As they passed through they were in a room with an old style haulage lift.
"I never realised it was underground." Said Alec as they walked in.
"Well Diagon Alley was built in a time where magic was socially accepted." Said Katherine. "But, since there isn't enough room over ground to build a wizarding community, they built it underground when they did the underground metro system."
The lift groaned into life and descended down. The light of the open lift was flashing with decent of the lift further down.
The lift then groaned to a halt. The room was just like the one above, a dark open space that was barely lit. Alec opened the gate and he and Katherine made their way towards a door at the other side of the room.
"This is the barrier?" asked Alec. Katherine nodded.
"I thought it would be more secure." Said Alec.
"This is modern dear." said Katherine as she pulled out her wand and tapped the door in a certain place. "It has much better invisible security."
Alec and Katherine passed through the barrier to the Boulevard. The first thing that Alec noticed was that it was certainly sleeker than Diagon Alley; it looked more like a muggle shopping street than an alley under the ground.
Up above was the untouched earth above.
The Boulevard was lit by loads of old style street lamps along the many streets, with trees benches and flowers along the streets.
Alec thought it was like someone had taken a stereotypical American town and placed it underground.
It shouldn't have been surprising; this place only came up in the last twenty years or so while Diagon Alley had been going since the dark ages. It was busier than Alec expected, but most of the people walking around where teenagers. With the American wizarding world so young most of the witches and wizards are youngsters, only a hundred or so older ones left.
"Seems busy." Said Alec looking round. There were dozens of blind spots everywhere which made looking for danger almost impossible. "Trust the Institute to make it bloody difficult to look for danger around here."
"I don't think they designed it with that in mind." Said Katherine.
"Well you know what they said that a terrorist group is apparently going to send a big message." Said Alec. "This seems like the perfect place to do it."
"That was on the word of a street level enforcer." Said Katherine.
"You'd be surprised what they know." Said Alec looking round the street.
"Can you please stop it?" Said Katherine. "Were on holiday, you don't have to look at the Auror side of things all the time."
"Fine." Said Alec. He looked around again, something wasn't quite right. He followed Katherine down the Boulevard. It was mainly filled with youngsters getting their own wizarding supplies. There was a flourish and blotts on his right, along with a potions ingredients store, and then a café.
And then he saw a messy crop of black hair that reminded him of his own.
"There he is." He said pointing to James who was standing outside what looked like a Quidditch shop. He was standing next to Leanne who looked bored out of her mind. James was probably looking at a new broom and going through the specifics of it. Alec used to do the same thing to Katherine, but she always humoured him, listened and hung onto every word. It was one of the little things that made him love her so much, even back then. James should see that as well.
"James. Sweetheart you look so well." Katherine made the first move and went to hug James who returned the gesture.
"And Leanne, oh, you look gorgeous as ever." She said hugging her to. "Sorry we couldn't see you at James's birthday, we were."
"Busy, James told me." Said Leanne. "But it's good to see you all alive and well."
Alec looked around at the people going up the boulevard. He looked across. There was someone there, in a black hoodie watching everything. Alec went to turn fully but by the time he had, they were gone. Everything went back to normal, only the sound of busy conversation being heard and the blurs of passers by being seen now. Alec blinked. Was he imagining things? He shook his head. He'd had a hard year, and a very busy few weeks. Maybe he was just imagining things.
"Mr Potter?" Alec turned to Leanne who was looking up at him. "Are you ok?"
"Fine, Leanne. Just fine." He said hugging her to. He glanced over at Katherine who looked sceptically at him.
"Very nice to see you again. I don't think I want to know what you and James have been getting up to."
"Oh you know us." Said James. "All sorts."
"Oh, Mrs Potter, I saw this lovely dress and I wondered if you could give me your opinion on it?"
"Of course Leanne dear." The two women then walked off, leaving James and Alec outside the Quidditch shop.
"I take it your Quidditch chat isn't that alluring then." Said Alec. James scowled back at him.
"It's not supposed to be." Said James. "It's supposed to be intelligent and meaningful. I mean, look at that." He pointed to the broom he was looking at in the window. Alec had to concede that it looked very nice.
He looked down at the description.
The Nimbus Wronski
In celebration of the legendary seeker, Nimbus has sanctioned the creation of this beautiful addition the Nimbus range which pushes Quidditch broom technology to its very limit. It has new sharper throttle response and improved brakes to help all seekers try and emulate their favourite diversion tactic.
Price on request.
"That sounds expensive." Said Alec.
"But it would be so worth It." said James. "It's limited to a hundred. I bet all the best seekers are going to get one."
"Maybe you should have stayed as one." said Alec. "You might have a need for one."
"I still need one for being a chaser." Said James. "Speed and braking are very important."
"Is that a, 'dad can you get me that broom' plea. Because it sounds like one." said Alec.
"Well…" James thought for a moment. "It would be nice to have one. I mean it is limited edition." He looked up at the shop.
"I was going to buy some more Quidditch shirts." Said James. "But they don't sell MLQ shirts here. Seems like the whole journey was a bloody waste." Alec laughed and looked over at where Leanne and Katherine where.
He saw it again. That same person in a black hood. Alec blinked and then they were gone again. This couldn't be a coincidence.
"Whatcha looking at Dad?" asked James. Alec wasn't listening.
"Dad?"
"Nothing James." Said Alec. "Why don't we go catch up with you mum and Leanne."
It was boring, but then Alec expecting nothing less when escorting two ladies round one for the most upmarket shopping streets in the wizarding world. James though almost looked shocked at the process. Endless looking but no buying, he was restless, looking around aimlessly, but at least he knew what to say and when to say. It took Alec years to master that.
"How do you put up with it?" asked James.
"You learn to put up with it." Said Alec.
"So how do we get out of it?" asked James.
"There is no way out of it." Replied Alec with a wry smile. "When women shop you either have to get out of it before hand or grin and bear it…"
Alec looked around the Boulevard, and then, in the corner of his eye he saw a black hood. His head whipped round and saw it. He blinked. And they were still there, they looked around and planted a rucksack on the floor before walking away. Gone.
"Dad?"
"Shh." Alec scanned the area with his eyes. Could that be what he thought it was, this was it, this was what Murdoch warned him about. Mass muggleborn killings, on the busiest shopping day of the wizarding year. That would definitely send out the message. He looked back at James and then at Leanne and Katherine. He looked back at James.
"Go get Leanne and your mother." Said Alec he started to walk off. "And then get out of here!"
"What? Why?" asked James.
"Just do it!" shouted Alec.
BOOOM.
A huge orange light filled his vision and then threw him back. The sound of buildings falling and the smell of singed flesh in the air. It was like being back at the wars.
Alec regained his consciousness, all he could hear was screaming, screaming over the ringing of his own ears. He propped himself up slowly, a piece of rubble falling off his shoulder onto the floor. He shook his head to try and regain his senses, a bomb, why was there a bomb in the Boulevard, who was it for, why was here. Who planted it? Alec closed his eyes to stop the ringing in his ears.
He opened his eyes and everything hit him all at once. The screams where loud and blood curdling, there where bodies lying in the street, some dead, some injured, and some maimed. Alec looked to the side and saw people fleeing away from them.
He looked over to where he saw that rucksack and saw that the building it was propped up against wasn't there anymore. Just a smouldering black crater.
Alec got to his feet slowly and looked around and saw people helping each other up, mainly covered in dust and also blood. Alec's ears popped and he heard the screaming of parents around him. Katherine, James.
"KATH! JAMES!"
"Where here, where alright." Katherine shouted back. Alec looked round. Being in the Auror's, he had been specifically trained to spot the anomalies in major incidents. A bomb attack on the most densely populated wizarding area in North America certainly fitted on that list.
The first instinct of innocent people is to gauge their own safety. The second is curiosity. And the third is to voyeur. Guilty people do one thing.
Alec looked round and saw someone, they were watching the scene before them, hiding underneath, a black hood. Once again, guilty people do one thing. The person turned round. They run.
"Kath, Kath, stay here with James and Leanne."
"Why? Where are you going?" she asked frantically. Alec got to his feet.
"A lead." He shrugged his coat and the dust fell to the floor. He then sprinted of towards the figure. HE ran across the rubble and jumped over a piece of building and sprinted towards the alley and skidded at the mouth.
"Stop! Auror!" shouted Alec. The hooded figure turned round to face him. Alec couldn't see who was underneath the hood. They ran off and Alec ran again in pursuit.
He sprinted down the alley and pulled out some razor wing-dings. He threw them down the alley. They missed the hooded figure and stuck into the wall. Alec skidded round the corner and saw a door closing up in front of him.
"No you don't!" Alec increased his speed and jumped through the whole into a crowded shop. A woman screamed at the sight of him flying into a clothes display. Alec scrambled to his feet.
"Detective Potter, NYPD!" he shouted. "I'm looking for a person in a black hoodie!" The muggles just stared at him dumbly. "Anyone!" They didn't say a word Alec quickly scanned the room. No one was wearing a black hoodie.
"Fucking useless." Shouted Alec running to the exit and yanking the door open and running into the street.
"Fuck…" He was in Times Square. There were people everywhere, and with cars beeping as well.
He thought about calling H and for air support as well. Try and get some feet on ground. He went to touch his ear. But nothing happened. Then he remembered that he threw it on his desk when he left. He was on his own now. Damn the department for going up with the times.
What would Teddy do?
"People try to act normal are always hiding something."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because where all weird in our own way." He explained. "But when we are in public, we try to conform to what people think as normal."
"And does that help me try and track someone in a huge crowd?"
Alec looked around frantically looking for any type of anomaly.
"Because, you can always tell when someone is acting, they never conform to social protocols. It could be as simple as someone who walks fast not over taking someone slow because they think it will look suspicious, or someone on the phone but never adds to the conversation, or someone who waits at a taxi rank, but never hails a taxi."
Alec looked at a taxi rank and saw some business men hailing taxis and getting in. But…there was a woman there, she wasn't doing anything, she was…just standing there. She could have crossed the road ages ago… But she wasn't wearing a hoodie, and had a bag, something the bomber had left at the Boulevard. Alec was about to move on when he noticed the bag she was holding, hanging out of it slightly, was a black hoodie. Alec thought about the way the person ran. The hip displacement, the way she ran, argh, why didn't he see it sooner!
Alec looked back at the shop he ran out off.
He then looked back at the woman bag, the same make. Alec smirked to himself. God he was good sometimes.
"Stop! NYPD!"
She was the first to turn. Big, mistake.
"Stop that woman!" he shouted. The crowd all looked over at her while Alec ran towards her. She dropped the bag and ran away to.
Why did they always run, why couldn't they just surrender, they almost always think they can run. Alec pushed people out of the way towards her.
"Hey watch it!"
"Watch where you're going you jerk!"
"Hey I'm walking here!"
Alec strained his neck to try and keep her in view. But it was very difficult with these muggle in his way. She was constantly looking back him, her brown hair flicking back as she did, having the same problem as him, but with Alec being taller and bigger he was able to make ground better.
She tried to hurry but couldn't, looking more and more agitated over her shoulder. Alec then reached out and then pulled her into an alley.
"You're done."
"Unlikely handsome." She pushed her arm up and gas rushed out and hit him in the face. Alec fell to his knees and coughed. He squinted through the smoke and saw her running. Alec got back to his feet and sprinted through the smoke just in time to see her run round the corner of a street. Alec followed suit and skidded round the corner so he was now on a busy shopping street.
He spotted her go off into a side alley. Alec made his way silently through the crowd he looked down the alley and could see her trying to apparate, but not having any success. Great, the institute had shut down the network.
"Having trouble?" he asked as he walked down the alley towards her. She turned back in surprise. She was pretty with brown hair that was pulled back into a pony tail.
"My guess is that they've shut the apparition network, so you either surrender now and make this easy, or, we do this the hard way."
"Hard." She said. "Though I somehow doubt you'll be rough enough for my liking." She went to throw something to the floor but Alec threw a wingding, it hit her wrist, making it fall to the ground.
"I'm getting sick of the smoke bombs." He said. "Quiet or hard?" she nodded.
"Hard." She swung her arm and threw something into the air. They exploded like little fireworks that made Alec place his coat up to defend himself from the sparks and then saw her run off again. Alec ran back through the sparks and saw her kick down a door leading into a building.
Alec raced in and could see her ascending up the stairs. He ran up but just couldn't keep up with her. Alec got to the top of the building and saw her jump across to the rooftop across. Alec got his wand into his hand.
"ROPARO!" the lasso shot out and snared the woman round the ankle. Alec pulled it back and she fell on the floor. Alec ran over but she was trying to get up. Alec threw more razor wingdings so they stopped her. He landed and rolled and out of his coat pulled out a bolas and threw it low across the floor.
The woman flipped backwards, letting to bolas fly beneath her and landed on her haunches. She looked at Alec and almost decided there and then she couldn't beat him head on in a fight. She was slowly backing to the edge.
"You have nowhere to run." Said Alec. "Surrender."
"Catch me first."
"What?" She fell backwards, her arms outstretched.
"NO!" Alec ran to the edge and saw her on top of a train now going off into the distance. Alec shook his head and then took a couple of steps back, he then ran over the edge. He just needed to get to the edge of the last carriage.
Alec slammed into back of the carriage. He grunted and then pulled himself up onto the top of the train.
The train was flying through the city centre with the buildings now very close together. Alec made his way across the carriages to the front of the train. But she'd got down of the roof and into one on the carriages. Great.
Alec jumped back down onto one of the connections and then opened the door into the carriage.
She sat down on the train and rearranged her hair. That was close, way too close for her liking. Opposite her a small girl with her mother who was looking at her with a strange and curious look on her face. She tried to ignore it as the station came into view. She would come off here and then take the underground out of city towards Queens. The train pulled into the station.
"Mummy, I don't like getting the train." The mother gathered her child and looked at the woman. "There are loads of strange people."
"Shh, honey." The mother said, trying not to draw attention to themselves.
"But I'm scared of him." The little girl reiterated. Wait, him. The woman turned to the door and saw the large imposing figure of Alec in the door way.
"Found you, you little bitch." He said, "Everyone, get to your nearest exit." The woman laughed.
"Wow, such a clever hound." She said. "I think this is a new record." She pulled out her wand. "But there's no reason we can't smile and be happy for such a rare occasion." She flicked her wand and a red spark came out.
"Expelliamus!" The wand flew out of the woman's hand. As it hit the floor the wand exploded, filling the carriage with thick white smoke. The woman had darted towards the exit, Alec jumped towards her, his coat fanning the smoke on his decent to give the passengers more time to escape. Alec burst through the door, whatever was in the gas was making his muscles cramp with every movement. When he burst through he saw her scrambling up towards the top of the next carriage, Alec climbed up the ladder and saw her at the top of the carriage.
As Alec got to the top of the carriage she jumped. Alec grunted and jumped after her. She was not going to get away from him.
Alec tackled her mid-air and they smashed into water storage tank on a building. The woman rolled next Alec and as he rose he saw her pull a gun. Alec sent a razor disc over towards her and it knocked it out of her hand. He felt a searing pain in his shoulder to see a knife sticking out.
The same pain was then felt in his thorax and saw another knife sticking out. He looked up to see her with another knife coming towards him. She swung for him, Alec dodged the blow, he grabbed her wrist and thrusted it upwards to the sky, with a swift turn of his wrist he broke her arm.
Instead of screaming in pain, she started laughing. Alec hated it. HE hit her again. He just needed to stop, the, laughing! It ran out over the city, the pure elation from something that Alec couldn't find funny. She had killed innocents and no doubt would have killed more. Alec grabbed hold of her and slammed her into the water but.
"You're done!"
"You think you tee-hee so smart!" Alec punched her again, just to stop the laughing! "You have no idea!"
"Anyone else would kill you."
"That's the problem with your kind." She said, "No, guts!" She placed a finger on him and felt an electric bolt course through him. The pain was unbearable, the electricity spreading to every extremity, doing his cramping muscles no favours at all. With a burst of strength Alec pushed arms out, breaking the contact. Alec was on one knee, smoke rising from his body.
"You really aren't prepared." She said, Alec looked up, this woman, who ever she was, pulled out another knife. "And as usual, the Institute's blindness will be its downfall." She jumped towards him, knife raised high above her head.
As her hand came down, Alec grabbed it and flipped her over the top of the building. He then go to his feet and looked over the side. She hit the metal balconies on the way down, before finally hitting a dumpster at the bottom, but she was still laughing, why was she still laughing.
"Woo, what a fun ride." She said.
"Time for another." Said Alec, he knocked her out. He stood up and pulled her over his shoulder and apparated away.
James looked around at the destruction before him. A lot of people like him looking around blankly at what was around them, he looked down at his shoulder and saw Leanne there leaning on it.
"You ok sweetheart?" James looked up and saw his mum come over.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good." Said James.
"And Leanne?" James looked down at her sleeping on his shoulder.
"She's fine." Said James. He looked up at his mum who looked more tired than he had ever seen her. She had been tending to the wounded in the explosion, Auror training, though no one from The Institute had turned up to see what was going on.
"Where's dad?"
"He's tracking someone down who's involved." Said Katherine sitting down next to James. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect this to happen." Said Katherine. "Here I was looking for a nice getaway from all this."
"The quiet life." Said James. Katherine smiled.
"Yes, the quiet life."
"But you've got that now you're retired." Said James.
"This is not the quiet life." Said Katherine laughing while hugging him.
"Is everyone ok?" Katherine looked up and saw two men in suits coming over towards them. They had short military style haircuts with stern looks on their faces while their eyes where protected by black sunglasses.
"And you are?" asked Katherine getting to her feet.
"Agents Lynch and Lynch." One of them said.
"Any relation to Agent Lynch, Normandy, 1944." Said Katherine.
"There a lot of the Lynch's in America Ma'am." Said the other one.
"Really, because you remind me of him."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah," said Katherine, "He was an arsehole to." The smirk instantly disappeared from his face as he confronted Katherine. "Where have you been, there are people who were dying here."
"We couldn't risk our people through fear of a secondary device." One of them said. "Though we heard that an Auror Agent was on the trail of a suspect."
"Yes, my husband. Alec Potter." Said Katherine.
"Might I ask what he's doing here?" asked Lynch.
"Where on holiday." Said Katherine. "And since you people care only about saving your own skin he's out there doing your job for you!"
"Done." Katherine turned round to see Alec carrying a woman over his shoulder. "Done their job for them." Alec threw the person over his shoulder to the ground.
"Bloody enforcers can't do anything right." Said Alec. "I'll come by your precinct later to question her." Said Alec turning back.
"I'm afraid that's classified." Said Lynch. Alec smirked.
"Nothing is with you people." Said Alec. "I'll see you soon." He turned back fully with Katherine towards James and Leanne.
"You ok Son?" he asked. James nodded and looked down at Leanne.
"She's ok to." James replied. Alec nodded.
"Well come on, we need to get out of here." Said Alec.
Alec opened the door with James taking Leanne inside and Katherine behind him. Alec closed the door, bolted it and placed a wordless locking charm on the door.
"We should be alright." Said Alec taking his coat off. He winced and looked down at his shirt. It was covered in two huge red stains.
"Alec, you're bleeding." Said Katherine walking over and placing a hand on his torso.
"It's fine." He lied, if he let it bleed any longer he would bleed out.
"Come on, where going to stich you up." Said Katherine. "James, is Leanne ok?"
"She's in shock." Said James now appearing from the second bedroom. "She's sleeping now."
"Go and floo her house and have her house elf pick her up." Said Katherine, "I need to tend to your father, powders in my purse."
"Ok." James walked into the main room while Katherine helped Alec into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. She instantly took his shirt off and inspected the piercings that where small but very deep."
"Knife wounds." She mused. "Deep as well." She added while turning back to the first aid bag.
"I didn't see them coming." Said Alec. "She got me quick and cleanly."
"Highly trained then." Said Katherine as she applied TCP to some cotton pads.
"Some sort of stealth training." Said Alec, "But I can't Hsssssss!" He hissed as the pad hit the first wound.
"Sorry." Said Katherine. "Just one more then I can stich it."
"But I can't be sure." Alec finished. "She moved very well. She was able to cut the lasso before it went taught. That has to be practiced." Said Alec, "Learned."
"A mercenary perhaps?" asked Katherine. Alec shook his head.
"No, this was personal." Said Alec. "Something in the planning."
"What was the bomb made out of?"
"Judging by the density, I would say Fulminated Mercury." Said Alec. He grimaced as Katherine applied the first stich.
"Do we know what the damage is yet?" asked Alec.
"No, I'm retired." Said Katherine. "I don't know a thing."
"Shame." Said Alec.
"You're not going to follow this up." Said Katherine sternly. "Leave the Institute to handle it."
"You know as well as I do that there idiots." Said Alec. He looked down at the stitching and then leaned back."
"I don't care, you're suspended." Said Katherine. "Would Stanford really approve of you going to do this?"
"I think he might actually approve of it." Said Alec. Katherine looked up uneasily at him.
"Maybe you should consider the whole retirement thing." Said Katherine.
"So we could do this." Asked Alec chuckling. "Yeah, retirement sounds great." Katherine shook her head.
"Maybe not so much like this." She said. She finished the stitching and looked up at him. He was already going she thought. He gripped his fist and looked down at the finished article.
"All done." She said smiling. "Just make sure you don't do anything strenuous ok otherwise they will break." Alec nodded.
"I'm just going to make sure James is ok." Said Katherine walking out of the room. She walked to the bedroom where James was sitting down on the bed while Leanne was lying down on it.
"I spoke to her dad." Said James. "He said he'd come pick her up. How's dad?"
"Bruised but alright." Said Katherine, "Though something tells me he's going to be going to The Institute." James nodded solemnly. Katherine ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead.
"I'm going to the Institute." Said Alec loudly from the hallway. Katherine sighed, she knew this would happen. "I need to see this through." Katherine got up and walked towards him.
"Why though?" asked Katherine, "Couldn't they deal with it?" Alec raised an eyebrow.
"You saw what they did earlier, do you really want to leave them to deal with it?" Said Alec. Katherine sighed and looked away.
"You can look after James and Leanne." Said Alec, "Besides, her dads coming to pick her up." Katherine nodded.
"Ok, go, but call me if you need anything." Alec nodded and looked around the corridor of the room and apparated away.