Several days later, Minerva was sitting at the breakfast table with her family enjoying the morning meal. She was thoroughly shocked as Tom waltzed in angrily, picked her up from her chair and apparated out of the kitchen without a word to anyone. They reappeared in a living room somewhere. He tossed her on the loveseat and paced back and forth. Minerva bit her lip nervously as she watched him. "Tom," she finally said nervously. She hadn't seen him like this since they had been in this timeline.

He stopped and met her gaze. His stormy, blue eyes reflected his anger, his hurt and his worry. "I could have lost you," he finally whispered brokenly as he crumbled down to the floor.

"Oh Tom," Minerva said as she moved to him. She wrapped herself around him and held him tightly. "I'm alright. We both know I couldn't have stood back and watched others die."

"I know," he cried and wrapped his arms around her. "I wouldn't want to survive without you. That last night you gave yourself to me freely, was just a shadow of what this timeline is. You were never mine in that timeline but now that I have experienced your unconditional love, I would never survive without it. I want you, no it's more than that, I need you with me!"

"I need you too Tom," she cried, riddled with guilt of the pain she had unintentionally caused him. "I shall do everything in my power to come home to you always. We know I have a warrior heart and I can't not fight for others. I blame it on my Scottish heritage."

Tom snorted at her words just as she had hoped. He tucked a curl behind her ear and kissed her gently. "Oh how I plan on worshipping you when you graduate Hogwarts," he commented. "My soul screams out for you, for our soul bond to be completed."

Minerva smiled flirtatiously and kissed him harder. "Why do we have to wait that long? I will be able to take care of your needs in a couple of years," she said with a smile.

"Not until you are of age my love," he answered immediately. "You may have the mind of your older self but you have the body of a 10 year old. I cannot, will not, touch you intimately until you turn 17. I also treated you so horrid the first timeline that my very being demands I make it up to you as best as I can. You will have that wedding of your dreams and the wedding night that you shall always remember. Only the best for my Minerva."

Minerva smiled mischievously before asking, "What about my dream home?"

Tom chuckled at his love. "You are already in it," he said. "I saved money from all of the odd jobs I have had, from birthday money and Christmas money. I recently purchased this cottage for us. It needs a lot of work and still needs furnishings but I will have to save more money and work on that later. It should be your dream home by the time you graduate Hogwarts. This cottage is still in Scotland but closer to Hogwarts than Caithness. Do you want a tour?"

Minerva stared wide-eyed at her love. "You bought us a cottage?"

Tom smiled at the look of astonishment on her face and apparated them to the front gate. A gorgeous stone cottage, neglected by time and its previous owners, but she could see the potential in it. "The gardens and flowers are up to you," he said. "You have a much better eye for it than me."

"Can we add a swing and wrap around porch?" she asked excitedly. "I want to cuddle up next to you under a blanket and watch the sunrise."

"Absolutely," he promised. He showed her every nook and cranny of the home and felt his heart swell with pride when she proclaimed it to be perfect for them! He laughed as she commented on what improvements she wanted to start with. "Now let me make you breakfast since I swiped you before you had a chance to eat properly."

"I could eat," she commented with a grin.

Tom laughed at the humor in his girl. In this timeline, she wasn't broken. He would do whatever it took to make sure it didn't happen this time around. He would protect his Minerva as much as possible!

Tom returned Minerva home closer to lunch time. Robert and Isobel were sitting on the porch watching the boys playing in the yard happily. "About time you reappeared," Robert commented dryly.

"Sorry sir," Tom said apologetically. "I tried to talk some sense into this warrior Scot."

Isobel snorted in amusement. "I'm afraid it is a hopeless task son."

Tom sighed and nodded his head in acceptance. "I realized," he muttered. "Don't mean I can't keep trying through."

Robert chuckled at Tom and the look he gave his oldest child. "At least we can take comfort that she can take care of herself."

"True," Tom replied. "However I plan on ensuring she has as much protection as possible. Left wrist Minerva."

Confused, Minerva held her left wrist out towards Tom. She watched as he pulled out a silver bracelet with a multitude of colored stones, each different she noted, and covered in protection runes. He fastened the bracelet around her wrist and she was surpised when it flashed brightly and seemingly melted into her skin. "What kind of bracelet is that," she asked amazed.

"That was the bracelet of Morgan le Fay," Isobel gasped. "I thought it was a myth."

Tom smiled at his future mother-in-law and chuckled at the look of confusion on Minerva's face. She had no clue of the importance of bracelet. "I did as well," he started his tale. "While in Albania, I helped an older wizard escape from a group of succubus. His Veela mate was beyond thankful for my act of kindness. She asked what my greatest wish would be if I could have it. Without hesitation, I said my soulmate's protection. The Veela smiled at me. She explained she could help with that and invited me back to her colony in France."

"Veela don't allow wizards in their colonies" Minerva countered.

"While mostly true, there is an exception," Tom answered. "Soulmates are sacred to Veelas. I risked myself unnecessarily to help her mate so she deemed me worthy and offered to help my mate. She lead me to a cavern and explained if I truly wanted, needed, to protect my mate than I would be allowed to open the stone box from its protections and get a way to help protect my mate."

"A test of worthiness," Isobel breathed as she eyed her future son-in-law.

Tom nodded and continued on. "I walked straight to the stone box with protecting Minerva on mind. I laid my hand on the box and felt a presence enter my mind. Initially I wanted to block it but then I thought of Minerva. I gave the presence full access and was amazed when the box opened up. The bracelet of Morgan le Fay lay nestled inside. The Veela encouraged me to grab the bracelet and put it on your wrist as soon as possible. She also asked that I bring my soulmate to see her once our bond was completed."

"What protections does it offer," Isobel asked.

"The Veela colony were only its guardians," Tom answered. "None of them have ever worn it. They only know a light warrior witch can wear it. The Veela that took me to the colony heard me muttering about my 10 year soulmate that took on Grindelwald's forces armed with her mother's spare wand. She thought Minerva might meet the qualifications for it."

"I never had such a lovely bracelet before," Minerva said with a frown.

Isobel realized Minerva was telling her she hadn't worn the bracelet in her previous timeline. With the boys around, they had agreed to not discuss the previous timeline so it could remain a secret. "Morgan le Fay did wonderous things before she became twisted," Isobel commented. "The bracelet was lost to her because she had changed so. It seems to me that bracelet wasn't meant for the broken. I guess the soul bond helped bring that into your life."

Minerva smiled at her mother before she dragged Tom off to play with her brothers. Isobel had noticed how much time and energy Minerva had given the boys and wondered about it. The girl didn't become upset and aggravated at them like she should have. She wondered if Minerva had lost them in the future. "Love will you answer me a question," she asked curiously. Minerva moved towards her mother and waited patiently. "You are so attached to your brothers. Does something happen to them?"

Minerva closed her eyes as she held her breath and tried to hold her tears at bay. A few deep breaths and she felt ready to answer. "I was alone by 1981." Horror filled Isobel as she watched the emotions play across her daughter's face. "A freak accident and a terrorist attack took all of you. I had already given my child up for adoption at that point to protect her. I would have curled up and died if it wasn't for Albus. He gave me reason, purpose, to move on. I refuse to lose you again."

"Oh my love," Isobel cooed as she pulled Minerva to her. "You can't stop what is meant to be."

"How can you say it was meant to be if the cause has already changed dramatically," Minerva asked logically. "The root of every problem in my past timeline resulted from not establishing the soul bond. The day after I graduate Hogwarts, Tom and I shall marry and complete our bond. I doubt fate would leave me knowledge of some events and not others if I wasn't meant to change them."

"You're probably right," Isobel responded. She pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead and sent her back to play. "What a life you must have lived my little love," she whispered sadly.