'Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warning: None for this chapter.

Chapter 56 – News from Home & Mischief Plotted

With the fissure between them healed, the five friends approached the final month of their holiday with a sense of freedom and camaraderie they'd not felt together for quite some time. Dark forces might well be gathering – might well have touched a classmate – but that was on the outside, out there somewhere beyond the boundaries of a place all felt to be amongst the most secure in the world. Besides, as a result of a casual comment made by Kate, three of the four Marauders now had a project to occupy at least some of their free time. It had begun to take shape late in the night of their first trip to London, after the group had retired to their respective dormitory rooms.

"You know, Padfoot, Kate said something very interesting when we were at Fortescue's place this afternoon," James said, sitting on the edge of his bed and swinging his bare feet back and forth as he grinned at his friend, lying on his stomach on the floor below.

Sirius tossed a magazine he'd been reading to one side and propped his chin on his hand. "Kate often says very interesting things," he grinned up at James. "You'll have to be a bit more specific, mate."

"Mmm. We were talking about how good it was that the Marauders were back to their old selves again and could resume their entertainment of the school."

"The obvious down-side to our reconcilement, Pads," Remus walked into the room from the showers and, grinning at the other two, sat himself down on Sirius' bed to join in the conversation. Deftly avoiding Sirius' inaccurately aimed swat to his leg, he asked, "What are we talking about?"

"Kate thinks that perhaps the student body – and professors – somehow need some magical aid that will tell them where we are at all times so they can avoid our exploits if they so choose," James elaborated.

Sirius snorted. "Fancy anyone wanting to avoid our magically brilliant selves!"

"But there might be some benefit in us knowing where everyone was located, hmm?" James favored his friends with a sly grin and a waggle of his eyebrows.

Sirius sat up suddenly. "We'd never have to worry about Filch and that damned cat of his ever again. There's an appealing thought. But how would we…?"

Remus leaned toward them. "A map; a map of the entire school. The castle, the grounds – everything – right to the borders that surround it!"

James' grin widened. "Brilliant, Moony! We'll take it down to the front gates, and, of course, to the lake; we'll include Hagrid's hut and the edge of the Black Forest."

"Wait a minute!" Sirius interrupted. "The castle, itself is huge. There are corridors and classrooms and underground tunnels that lead off the school grounds. Then, there are the dungeons – some of those hidey-holes are rumored to go straight under the Black Lake and beyond! It'll take ages to map everything out!"

"If we only had the school term to do it in, yes," Remus replied. "But we've got five weeks before the rest of the students return – yes?" At the other boys' nods, he continued. "We'll start with the dungeons – just in case it takes awhile. We already know many of the secret passageways, having made use of them for quite some time now." He paused, returning the grins of his two mates. "The rest we can work on as we can. We should be finished by Christmas if we apply ourselves."

"And just how are we to make this map work?" James wanted to know. He caught Sirius' eye and added, "Do not say 'magic', Pads or I'll come down there and thump you!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Wasn't going to Jamie. In fact, I was going to suggest that we use a more elaborate sort of tracking charm."

James shook his head. "But…"

Sirius turned to Remus, his voice rising slightly in his excitement. "Instead of charming individual students, we'd simply…"

"…charm the school itself," Remus finished, nodding. "I've read about environmental tracking – attributing the tracking principles to a magical footprint or community so that it applies to all within its boundaries. It will certainly solve the problem of graduating students and new arrivals, won't it? I need to do some research, of course…"

"Of course," James and Sirius had chorused, smirking at the young werewolf who had now closed his eyes and was muttering something about Restricted Sections and map keys.

"He's gone," James remarked, inclining his head in Remus' direction.

"Good thing," Sirius noted, following James' glance. "When Remus gets like this, plans somehow start to work!"

As it turned out, Sirius was spot on. Before retiring for the night, Remus had made a few notes on a piece of parchment and, true to form, was up and out of the dorm room the following morning before anyone else had awakened. Upon noting the absence of their friend, Sirius and James exchanged knowing looks and hurriedly dressed for breakfast. Finding Remus absent from the Great Hall as well, the two packed up some rations from the serving dishes, announced to the Headmaster that they were going to find Remus for a 'breakfast picnic' and dashed out as quickly as they'd arrived.

"Oh, stop twinkling, for the love of Merlin!" McGonagall huffed at Dumbledore when he simply smiled broadly at the boys and watched them out of the hall rather than agree with her observation that their behavior could use some work.

"They've been far too quiet and sadly at odds with one another for far too long. Allow them to revel in the resolution of their issues, Minerva. Let them enjoy being young and unencumbered," he'd said, turning his attention back to his own plate and pointedly ignoring the brief sputtering from his Deputy Headmistress.

"Good morning, ladies," the Headmaster looked up a few moments later to greet Kate and Lily as they took their seats at the table. "I trust things are well."

"Things are certainly back to normal," Lily acknowledged, pouring herself a cup of coffee and rolling her eyes.

Kate smiled. "We've just run into James and Sirius in the corridor."

"Been run into by James and Sirius is a more accurate statement," Lily briskly stirred cream and sugar into her cup.

Kate winked at the Headmaster. "They were on a search for Remus; something about picnicking and research, if you can imagine."

"I'd rather not, I think," he replied, smiling. "When it involves the three of them, I find that my imagination can quite run away with itself. We'll all hear about their efforts soon enough, I'd wager."

But he and the two young witches who'd agreed with him were mistaken. The truth of the boys' latest project – at least in specifics - was to remain their secret.

XXXXXXXX

Peter's response to their owl arrived during that first "breakfast/research session" in Remus' favorite spot in the library. The tone of the missive was, by turn, regretful (that he was missing such an unheard of opportunity), resentful (that so much had happened of which he was no part and, as he indicated in no uncertain terms, that no one had thought to contact him until they were well settled back at school), shocked (that the yawning gap that had divided them all last term had been bridged and, from the sounds of things, truly healed) and, finally - resigned (that his mother would not allow him to leave Wales and return to school earlier than planned).

"Bit of a whiner, isn't he?" Sirius asked of no one in particular as James read the response aloud.

"You know Peter; he doesn't have a lot of friends other than the three of us. It's got to be hard for him to know that we're all here while he's stuck visiting family over the summer holiday," Remus reasoned. "I remember how dejected he sounded on the train back to London. I'm sure he's just feeling left out."

"I'll write back to him telling him that he's going to be busy when he comes back," James said, pulling a blank piece of parchment from Remus' pile.

"Doing what?" Sirius asked as he fed the waiting owl bits of scrambled egg.

"'Doing what?'" James repeated disdainfully. "Helping us with the map, you big git. Four heads are better than three and all that."

Sirius snorted his disbelief. "Peter? Well, maybe. He could always scurry around the castle looking for hidden passageways we haven't found yet."

"Take it easy on Peter, Sirius," Remus said, looking up from the thick, ancient book of spells he was scouring. "Last term, when we weren't … well, when you were off by yourself, it was Peter who reminded us one morning that the three of us had been fairly intolerant of you. He was very much aware of the fact that our intolerance was the reason you'd moved out of the dormitory and had taken to spending much of your time alone."

Sirius blushed upon hearing of Peter's actions and had the good grace to at least take back a bit of what he'd said. "Alright, Moony; I'll agree it was good of him to be fair about my situation last term. Better?"

Remus nodded and looked back down at his book.

"But, you have to admit that we spend a fair amount of time helping Peter with assignments. I don't see him as being capable of taking on a big role in creating this map," Sirius continued, although his tone held none of his previous disdain.

"Perhaps not," James acknowledged, "but we need to give him something that will make him feel like he is. We'll work it out when he gets here. Meanwhile, I've told him that we're working on a project that we need him to help with, so he'd better see if he can't change his mother's mind and get back here at least a little earlier than planned. That should make him feel better." He rolled the parchment tightly and tied it to the owl's leg. Taking one final bit of egg from Sirius, the owl nipped his finger affectionately then flew out of the open window to carry their message to Peter.

"There! I knew I'd seen this spell somewhere before!" Remus leapt to his feet, finger moving rapidly along the ancient parchment before him.

James and Sirius looked at each other and smiled. They recognized the tone.

"What have you got there, Moony?" Sirius asked, coming around the table to peer over the other boy's shoulder.

Remus spared him a glance before returning to the book. "Well, Padfoot, it seems that we can, in fact, keep the map from being seen by anyone other than ourselves. As it says here, a magical word or phrase can be keyed into the map once it's been drawn and spelled. Then, only those who know the magical command can access the map. In reverse, there would be a separate magical phrase to 'hide' the contents or to make it appear to be simply a blank piece of parchment once again."

"Sort of like, 'Open Sesame', eh, Remus?" Sirius grinned.

"You've got the idea, but I think we can do better than that," Remus smiled. "Try to think from the perspective of protecting the map if it should be picked up by someone who isn't one of us. It should be a phrase that wouldn't automatically spring to mind; something a little more obscure, wouldn't you say?"

James waggled his eyebrows at his two friends. "Something … creative."

"Something momentous and grand that also captures the essence of the Marauders," Sirius intoned, hand over heart.

"And the essence of the map's purpose," Remus added. "It bears thinking about." He glanced over at James. "You have the parchment, correct?" At the other wizard's nod, the werewolf looked over at Sirius. "I think we're ready to begin drawing the map, which means, Sirius, that as you have the best penmanship and drawing skills of all of us, this part of the task will fall to you."

Sirius nodded and took the large and intricately folded map from James. "I'll start straight away."

Remus shook his head. "The map will need to be wiped – made to appear to be blank parchment – as you complete each section. That means that before you can start…"

"…we need to come up with the magical keys – yes?" James interjected.

Remus nodded. "I've also found the spell that will key the map to the school and the grounds." He tapped the ornate hard cover of the book. "This has proved very useful, indeed!"

Sirius handed the map back to Remus. "You've got your book bag with you, Moony; put this in it for me, would you? We'll work on the key phrases today and then I'll take it back."

The boys packed up their belongings and Remus returned the heavy reference book to its shelf in the Restricted Section. They walked through the library silently, each turning over potential phrase keys in their minds. So lost in thought were they that none of them noticed Kate and Lily passing and narrowly avoided a collision.

Lily exclaimed, "I swear, you three are dangerous when simply walking down the hall!"

Kate chuckled. "The only students I know who can look like they're up to no good even when they're coming out of the library! Hey…" Kate called out. "Where are you going?"

Sirius had grabbed Remus' arm and tugged him back into the library, James hot on their heels.

"What are you doing, Padfoot?" Remus' voice held equal measures of curiosity and annoyance.

"Take out the parchment and your wand, Moony," the dark haired wizard replied with a smile. "I believe I've got the first magical key for you. Try this one: 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He paused, waggling his eyebrows for effect.

Remus and James both burst into laughter and Remus withdrew his wand from his pocket. "Brilliant, Pads! James?"

The other wizard was grinning broadly. "I think that what I love best about it is that Lily Evans – unbeknownst to her – will always have an inadvertent part in all Marauder mischief!"

After another burst of laughter, Remus spread the map out on the table and touched the tip of his wand to the center. He uttered a rather complex series of charms, finishing with, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!" There was a shimmer of magic over the map, and the three watched as it slowly dropped until it covered the entire parchment, glowed brightly for a moment then vanished.

"I do believe that I might have the one to clear it," James smiled. He stepped forward and whispered to Remus, who laughed aloud once more and again fixed his wand to the middle of the parchment. After another round of quiet charm casting, Remus caught the eye of his friends and, grinning widely announced, "Mischief managed!" Again the magical footprint appeared and sealed itself to the map, disappearing after just a moment.

"Let's test it," Sirius said. "Remus, have you got your quill and ink with you?"

Moments later, Sirius was seated at the table, Remus' quill loaded with the dark brown ink he favored. After a minute or two of thought, Sirius began writing in large, sweeping script, the other two chuckling as they watched over his shoulder. "There!" Sirius finished the final letter with a flourish. "Shall we?"

Remus placed the tip of his wand on the parchment and said, clearly, "Mischief managed." Immediately, Sirius' neat handwriting began to disappear from view.

"Brilliant!" James' hushed voice still conveyed his triumph at their success. "Now, the other one."

Sirius extended his wand and placed it as Remus' had done moments before. With a smile at his two friends, he intoned, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!" The words began to appear,

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers,

Are proud to present:

The Marauders Map"

"Gentlemen, we have done it!" James breathed, slapping the other two on their backs. "Moony, you are brilliant!"

"Well, we've done the first part of it," Remus blushed furiously at James' words. "Now, for the small task of documenting every nook and cranny, every secret passageway of the castle and grounds. That will be the 'brilliant' part of it all"

Sirius folded the map and handed it back to Remus. "For safekeeping," he said. "I'm guessing that the girls will not know about this," looking around at the other two, he took in their nodding heads before continuing, "There will be a lot of late-night prowling required to get this completed. Jamie, your cloak is going to get a lot of use."

James nodded. "We tell no one about this; it belongs to us four."

Remus packed up his book bag, securing the leather buckles tightly. As he swung the strap over his shoulder, he looked at his two friends. "Let's drop this off in the dorm and go meet the girls. They wanted to spend the day by the lake and we've already missed part of the morning."

XXXXXXXX

Curious about the boys' secretive behavior, Lily and Kate tried every tactic they knew – short of Legilimens and Veritaserum to discover what they were up to. After a solid week of gaining absolutely no ground, they both gave up the campaign, resolving to employ stealth to secure the knowledge they lacked.

For their part, the three young wizards devised a method by which they could individually explore and make notes of various areas of the castle. This helped keep down the curiosity levels of the two Gryffindor witches, while giving each of the boys an opportunity to spend time with their respective "significant others." An owl from Peter, received at the end of the week, helped as well. His mother had agreed to allow him to return early – only one week early – but, as Peter said in his message, at least it was something.

One afternoon, not long after the three wizards had begun sleuthing their way around the castle, Kate happened upon Sirius as she came out of the library. The young wizard's back was to her and, as she grew closer, she could hear him muttering to himself.

"First sign of madness, that," Kate teased, smiling as she saw Sirius jump at the sound of her voice. He turned, folding what appeared to be a large piece of parchment, twin spots of color dotting his cheeks as he did so.

"Standing alone in corridors?" He managed, tucking the parchment into a back pocket of his jeans.

"Partially. I was actually referring to talking to yourself," Kate linked her arm with his, glancing over their shoulders to where the parchment peeked out from his back pocket.

"Katie-girl, if you want to ogle my arse, I'd be happy to walk in front of you to make the job easier." Sirius was once again in full command of himself, now that the map was cleared and hidden from view, as well.

"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind, thanks. What is on that parchment that you're determined not to let me see?"

"It's blank," Sirius replied. "I just found it."

"In the corridor…" Kate's voice was skeptical.

Stick as close to the truth as you can, Black. "Library, actually. Lucky find, that. Now that I've been disowned and all, it'll come in handy when term starts again, I expect." There, that wasn't too bad.

"So, you're relegated to searching for bits of abandoned parchment now, eh? What's next? Plucking feathers from owls to use for quills?"

"Not a bad idea. They sleep during the day, don't they?"

Kate slapped his arm lightly and Sirius chuckled. They walked along toward the staircase in silence for a moment before Kate tugged on his arm to make him stop.

"Sirius, really; I've never thought of it before, but – I don't really know how to ask -," Kate stumbled over her words a bit before taking a breath and continuing, "If your family has disowned you, how are you going to pay for things? How will you continue at Hogwarts?"

Sirius smiled and kissed her cheek. "My parents have pre-paid for our education – mine and Regulus'; they did it when we each received our letters. So, there's no danger of me being chucked out of Hogwarts because I can't afford the tuition! I have a bit of money given to me over the years for birthdays and the like. It's in a vault at Gringott's – in my own name, thanks very much. It's not a fortune, by any account, but it will see me through the rest of my time here."

"And afterward? When we're finished school? Where will you go then?" Kate's teeth began to worry her bottom lip as she thought about Sirius without a home to return to.

"I'll figure something out, Katie; no need to look so nervous. I can always stay with James and his family for a bit until I get sorted out, but I'll bet that I won't have to. It'll work out; I promise. Now, stop biting that lovely lower lip. I quite like it whole and undamaged." Sirius smiled again and leaned toward Kate, kissing the side of her mouth, then moving to capture her lips with his when she finally did as he asked. "There; now I've kissed it better. No more torturing it with worries about me, yes?"

Kate nodded, giving him a brief kiss in return. As they began walking again, she spoke. "Have you thought about what you'd like to do after you finish school?"

Sirius thought for a moment. "I have. I think I'd like to go into the Auror program; catch Dark wizards and so forth. It's part of the MLE and Jamie's dad is head of that department. It'll be the complete opposite of everything the Black family stands for, which suits me just fine and, if things are really heading in the direction they seem to be, the Ministry will need all the Dark wizard catchers they can get!"

"Dangerous work," Kate commented.

"I s'pose," Sirius agreed. "Especially if the Dark wizards I catch turn out to be my relatives!" He punctuated his words with a wide grin when Kate looked up at him. She shook her head.

"What about you, Katie? Figured out what kind of grand career you'll be after once we leave these hallowed halls?"

"I have, as well. Lily and I were just discussing it last night."

"Teachers, no doubt," Sirius guessed as they approached the Portrait that guarded the entrance to Gryffindor tower. "The two of you can generally be found with your noses in books. Makes sense to me."

"Pygmy Puffs," Kate said and watched the Portrait swing inward. Stepping into the common room, Kate waited for Sirius to follow her.

"Not a teacher," she said.

"No? So to what great positions to you and Miss Evans aspire?" Sirius smiled as he started to walk past her.

"Aurors."

Sirius turned and walked back to where Kate stood. "Aurors."

"Aurors."

"Dangerous work," Sirius said, eyes narrowed.

"I s'pose," Kate said, folding her arms across her chest, mirroring his position and tossing his previous words back at him. "But, don't worry; we'll let you arrest any of your relatives we come across. Unless there is a fair number of them and then Lily and I will certainly rally 'round to help." She reached out and patted his cheek, but Sirius caught her hand and held it tightly.

"Don't joke about them, Kate," he said, his blue eyes searching her face. "They are dangerous people and I don't want you anywhere near them! You don't realize …"

Kate placed her free hand against his cheek, alarmed at how quickly their banter had caused his mood to spiral into something close to panic. "Sirius, it's alright; we're just talking. Nothing is going to happen for a very long time. I'm sorry I upset you by teasing; I haven't forgotten for one moment what they're capable of. I know how dangerous they are. I saw what was done to you this summer, didn't I?"

Sirius nodded and pulled Kate into a hug, which she returned, rubbing his back. "Ok?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I just had this image of you going up against dear old Walburga and it wasn't pretty," Sirius said, leaning back to see Kate's face.

"Mmm. Well, I'm not saying that I'm going to do anything, but don't think for a moment I wouldn't love to give her a taste of her own medicine after what she did to you," Kate said quietly. She was relieved to see Sirius smile.

"Such a Gryffindor," he said. "You'll make a great Auror, much as I hate to think about you actually putting yourself in danger."

"I think you'll be pretty good at it yourself," Kate said, leaning up and kissing him. "But it's nothing either of us has to face in the near future, is it?"

"I hope not," Sirius said, pressing his lips to hers to silence the question he saw on her face. I'm not going to think about what happened when we saw Mr. Potter in London, he thought to himself, resolutely pushing that memory to the back of his mind.

"Hey, you two – we've been looking all over the place for you," James' voice boomed from the direction of the dormitory stairs. "Oh, for the love of Merlin – get a room, would you?"

Sirius pulled back from the kiss and winked at Kate. "Not a bad idea, that," he whispered. "Would you like to join me in the Room of Requirement tonight, Miss Morgan?"

Kate saw the fire burning in his eyes and knew he could see the same emotion in hers. "Absolutely," she whispered.

With a final, brief kiss, Sirius released Kate and turned to face his friend. "And why have you been searching for us, Mr. Potter?"

"Kate has had an owl," Lily put in, coming around from behind James, rolled parchment in hand. She walked over to where Kate stood and handed her the message.

Kate smirked at her friend. "And just what were you doing in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, Lily?"

While the flush in her cheeks betrayed her words, Lily waved her hand dismissively. "Studying," she said, returning to stand beside James.

Kate laughed with the others as she opened the scroll. Her eyes scanned the parchment once, then widened as she did so again. "I don't believe it!"

Sirius turned to her, his concern obvious. "Kate?"

Kate looked up at her three friends, her expression incredulous. "My mother has just gotten married!"

James looked around at his friends before speaking. "But, that's a good thing, right? I mean – you know the bloke, right?"

Kate shook her head. "No. She just started seeing him; a friend of hers introduced them. They're all together in Geneva at the moment; helping him organize for a move to London. That's why I was able to go to Brighton with … I just can't believe she up and married him!"

"Do you mind?" Sirius reached for the parchment. Kate gave it to him and stood by while he read the contents aloud.

'Darling,

I have wonderful news to share with you and cannot wait until I come home to do so. Thomas and I were married last evening in an intimate ceremony with Melanie and Geoffrey as our witnesses! Oh, Kate, Thomas is wonderful; I know that you will grow to love him once you have the chance to spend time with him. We are going to travel for a bit, as you are in school and won't be home again until the Christmas holiday. But don't worry, darling; we will be home in time to dress it all up for you before you arrive!

Oh, Kate, I know that you may be feeling that this has happened far too quickly and that I've acted impulsively. I can only remind you of your own words to me when we spoke of Sirius and your feelings for him, "Sometimes it doesn't matter how long you've known someone; when it's right, you just know it."

Here, Sirius paused briefly and looked over at Kate, his eyebrows raised and a small smile on his face.

"Go on, Pads," James interjected, shaking his head at his friend.

"Not much more here," Sirius replied. "She loves Kate and will owl again soon." He rolled the parchment carefully and handed it back to her.

"I should send a reply," Kate said, turning toward the stairs to the girls' dormitory. "She'll just worry if she doesn't hear from me; no point in that. I'll just get some parchment and a quill and be right back."

"I'll go with you," Sirius said quickly, looking over at James and Lily. "We'll catch up with the two of you – and Moony – at dinner later."

XXXXXXXX

As they walked to the Owlry, Sirius was respectful of Kate's silence, understanding that her natural introvert was processing the news she had just received. The young woman was clearly lost in thought as she made her way along the path to the ancient stone building.

Once they arrived, Kate dropped down on the stone steps that led to the birds' nesting area, and began to write her response. Several false starts and vanishing spells later, she had composed what she felt was a satisfactory congratulatory response. "This will have to do," Kate murmured as she rose and climbed the remaining steps.

"Got one," Sirius said, coming toward her with a tawny school owl on his arm. "Oi, you," he said to the bird. "Watch the claws!"

The owl hooted back at him before fixing Kate with its golden gaze and, after scrutinizing her for a moment or two, finally stuck out its leg and allowed her to fasten the note to it. "Go on, then," she said and seconds later, she and Sirius were watching the owl soar into the sky. "Well, that's over and done with," Kate said when the owl was nothing more than a dark speck in the distance. She turned to find Sirius watching her curiously.

"What?"

"C'mon; let's get out of here. I can't stand the smell," Sirius said, his nose wrinkling.

Once they were on their way back to the castle, Sirius spoke. "So, your Mum's married again."

"I think that's been established," Kate said wryly. She squeezed his fingers when he reached over to catch her hand. "I just can't quite believe it."

"Don't you like him?"

Kate shrugged. "I don't know him. She hasn't known him very long!"

"Well, her friend introduced them, right? Do you like her friend?"

Kate thought about Melanie Hanscombe and the many kindnesses she had shown to her mother. The woman seemed to genuinely care about Felicity and had been her friend for many years. Did she like her?

"I do. She's a kind woman; very sweet. She's always loved my mother like a sister," Kate replied. "And, this man is her brother, so how bad could it be?"

Sirius smiled. "Right, then. So, what's this bloke's name?"

"Thomas O'Hanlon."

Sirius' smile faded a bit as the name registered. He was sure he'd heard it before; something unpleasant flitted through his brain, but too quickly for him to grasp it – to examine it.

"What is it?" Kate was watching his face intently and he struggled to restore his former expression.

"O'Hara?"

"O'Hanlon," Kate clarified. "Do you know him?"

"O'Hanlon?" Sirius said, not quite meeting her eyes. "I thought it sounded familiar for a moment, but I guess not." I might not be able to place him now, but I'll do some digging. "So, that's sorted. Let's hurry back. I'm starving and the sooner we finish dinner, the quicker I can get to my date." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "Race you!" And he was off.

Kate laughed and hurried after him, the shock of her mother's message pushed to the back of her mind as she remembered what the evening held in store.