A/N: A note about something I said last time, folks. Someone asked me, outside of reviews, if Bo doesn't really hate anyone, or understand the concept of 'hate', how can he get pissed off?(Smart little reader, catching something like that.)

Well, PAR does have an answer. Whereas he might not 'hate' someone, Bo can still get angry. And he can be upset. And that's something you just don't ever want to do. I mean, just imagine all that power in the hands of a three year old.....having a temper tantrum.

Oh, and we get the return of everyone's favorite 'bad person' in this chapter, folks.

So, as always,

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: *Looks over latest bank statement* Either there is some drastic error here, or I'm am most definitely NOT JK Rowling, I am NOT making any money off of these stories, and I did NOT sell the rights for said stories to Warner Brothers for a truck load of money.

Dang! Looks like the latter.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Heart Of My Soul

Orion ducked as a streak of light flew over him, just barely missing it's intended target.

He had definitely had better days.

Early in the week the Department had gotten information on a Deatheater raid. For Orion it was the best part of his week so far. It gave him something to do. Something he knew how to do without having to even think about it. And thinking was the last thing he wanted to do at that moment.

But when they arrived at the site they had been told was where the Deatheaters would be, the Deatheaters appeared to have been more than ready for them and the agents that had been sent found themselves walking into something of an ambush.

'Oh well.' Orion told himself forlornly. 'It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last.'

Orion quickly returned fire, taking down the Deatheater who had fired the spell before moving on. He rapidly scanned the scene before him. But for having walked into an ambush, the Department was still holding their own very well.

Orion looked about him, trying to assess where he was most needed when something caught his eye from within a small group of black robes. A small, white light winked at him from within the robes of one of the Deatheaters. It sparkled and flashed as the person changed position. But each time it caught the slightest hint of light, it shown like a beacon to him.

Orion stared at the group for a few seconds. He swore that no matter what, he would know that tiny spark of light anywhere. It sat just high enough within the robes of the person it belonged to to be hanging about their neck. Much like a pendent would.

A small, diamond pendent.

Orion watched as a group of Aurors closed in on the small group. He knew well enough from the form of the attack, it would be the last one for the Deatheaters. The Aurors had split into two groups, attacking the black robed figures from both the front and the back. Several fell immediately as spells and curses alike struck them.

Orion launched himself at the group, driving headlong into them as he looked about desperately for the small, spark of light that would guide him. From the corner of his eye a small glint of hope attracted his attention. Turning to it, he grabbed the hand of the person underneath the robes and pulled them down.

With the same single-minded determination that he had barreled into the circle with, Orion wrapped his arms about the black robes and directed them back out and away from the fighting. Once he was far enough away that no one would take any notice of them, he pulled them both to an abrupt stop in a small grove of trees and stepped in front of the person, pulling back the black hood as he prayed as hard as he ever had in his life for one thing.

A mass of dark auburn hair answered his prayer and a wave of relief flooded through him as he grabbed Katlin in his arms and buried his face in that heaven of auburn silk. Over her shoulder he saw the Aurors move in for the final attack, only a few of the Deatheaters remaining on their feet to oppose them. But his relief quickly turned to annoyance as he pulled Katlin back, fixing a hard stare on her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked firmly, the relief in his voice still hedging out the annoyance. "I thought your main use to Voldemort was as a spy and an interrogator?"

"I am!" Katlin defended quickly. "But I fight when I'm told to. Merlin's Beard, Orion! We met during a fight. What did you think I was doing there? Stopping people and asking them questions?"

"You shouldn't even be here. It's far too dangerous."

Katlin started back to where the others were still fighting. "Orion, I can take care of myself."

Orion hurried after her, stopping her just before she left the cover of the trees. "Katlin, you are pregnant! You shouldn't be in the middle of a battle when your pregnant!"

"Will you stop worrying!?"

"As soon as I see you apparate out of here, yes."

"And I will...., as soon as I'm told to."

"Fine. I'm telling you to. Go."

Katlin pulled herself about, facing him with a hard, cold stare. "And you are not who I take orders from." She stated defiantly.

Just then a panting voice broke into their exchange. "Are you two done here, or were you thinking of just standing here arguing for the rest of the battle?"

Orion and Katlin quickly turned to see Charly standing behind them, panting hard as he tried to catch his breath.

"We're done." Orion stated in a decisive voice. "Katlin. Go home."

Katlin met his hard stare without flinching. "I will n..."

But she never got to finish her statement. A streak of white light suddenly shot through the trees, hitting her directly in the side. With a short cry, Katlin's body slammed sideways into a tree, then crumpled in a heap to the ground.

"Katlin!!?" Orion was at her side instantly. "Katlin!? Love? Are you all right?"

Charly quickly looked over his shoulder. "Is she all right?"

"I don't know." He tried a quick Enervation spell, but nothing happened. Orion started to carefully lift her head, but slowly pulled his hand back as his fingers met with something wet. Even in the dim light of the setting sun he could see the blood now staining his fingers.

"Uh oh."

"Get her out of here." Charly said abruptly, causing Orion to turn to him.

"What?"

"Head injuries aren't good, Orion. And she's not responding to an Enervation spell. That's worse. Apparate her to St. Andrews. I'll cover for you."

Orion gave his partner a small smile. "You're well on your way to Godfather status, Charly. You know that?"

A hard stare met Orion's. "Just get her out of here."

An hour later Orion was still sitting in the waiting room at St. Andrews. The only thing that kept him calm was that he was waiting there alone. The Emergency staff had taken Katlin back to the ward rooms for an examination as soon as they arrived. Since then he hadn't heard a word that wasn't his own, telling himself again and again that she and the baby would be all right.

"Mr. Black?"

Orion started out of his thoughts. But his anxious stare turned to one of outright annoyance as he found himself staring up at the last person he cared to see.

Aaron Richards.

As far back as Orion had been an Auror, Arron Richards had been a thorn in his side. To Richards, there were no 'bad werewolves', just ones in need of rescuing from the ministry and a bit of 're-education'. Towards such, Richards ran a sort of 'underground railroad' for those werewolves the ministry was looking for, quickly and quietly relocating them if word ever got out the ministry was after any particular one. Orion would have considered it a personal gift if the ministry ever came up with anything on Richards himself. But so far they hadn't, and the man continued to be Orion's personal thorn.

"Go away, Richards." Orion stated as he rested his forehead against his folded hands again. "I'm not in the mood right now."

"Good." The doctor stated, taking the seat next to him. "Neither am I."

Orion turned another annoyed stare to the man. "Do you mind?" He stated irritably. "I'm here with someone."

"Katlin Griss. I'm well aware of that." Richards answered, opening the chart he was holding. "I'm her doctor."

Orion was on his feet in seconds. "What!?"

"Sit down, Mr. Black." Richards said in the same, conversational tone he had been using as he continued to peruse the chart in his hands. "Displays are uncalled for. I happen to be the ER doctor on call tonight, so naturally, I am the one attending to Ms. Griss."

"Really? Just making sure she's ready when the ministry gets here?"

"The ministry?" Richards looked up at the man still on his feet next to him. "Why ever would I bring them into this?"

"You're treating one of the dark lord's top agents and you're not calling in the ministry? I find that hard to believe."

Richards turned his attention back to the chart in his hands. "Whatever you care to believe, Mr. Black, currently I am treating my 'patient'. What she does in her spare time is no concern of mine."

Orion's stare turned to one of genuinely surprise.

"Now do sit down, Mr. Black."

Orion slowly took his seat again, still carefully eyeing the man next to him.

"Ms. Griss has a nasty concussion." Richards began, paging through the chart. "She has a sprained wrist, a considerable amount of bruising....., all in all," he added, closing the chart, "she has earned herself a very comfortable night in one of our lovely rooms. Visiting hours are from ten to nine. Now, in addition to that...."

"What about the baby?" Orion spoke up quickly.

Richards abruptly stopped, giving him a puzzled stare. "Baby?"

"Katlin is three months pregnant. That was one of the reasons I brought her here. Things like this the woman usually shrugs off while she's beating the daylights out of whoever's responsible. But I wanted to make sure the baby was all right."

Richards was already flipping through the chart again, stopping on one of the pages for a few seconds before snapping it shut again. "Mr. Black, if that woman is pregnant, so am I."

Orion returned an equally puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"That Ms. Griss is not pregnant. I, for one, would be surprised if, in fact, she ever became pregnant."

Orion's expression shifted quickly from puzzled to disbelief. "But....but she's pregnant."

Richards slowly shook his head. "No. Ms. Griss has sustained a lot of injuries over the years, Mr. Black. The combination of too many hits to too many of the wrong places has caused permanent, internal damage to her. She can't become pregnant."

"But....but she had all of the symptoms."

Richards opened the chart again. "My exam revealed the presence of a fairly large tumor in her lower abdominal cavity. It's likely the reason for all the symptoms she's been experiencing. Due to it's placement and size, the tumor could very well produce symptoms that could mimic a pregnancy. The problem is that while it currently appears to be benign, that could change rather abruptly. I would suggest that it be removed while we have her here."

Orion sat for several minutes, simply staring at the wall opposite him. "You...you haven't told her yet?" He asked finally as Richards stood silently next to him.

"About the tumor? No. Not yet."

"No." Orion corrected in the same flat tone. "About....about the baby."

"No. I haven't."

Orion continued to stare blankly at the wall. "Don't." He said in barely a whisper. "Please.......don't."

Richards slowly took the seat next to Orion. "As her doctor, Mr. Black, it's not something I can keep from her. She will have to be told."

"Please......," Orion began slowly, finally turning to look up at the man next to him, "please...., Aaron, you have no idea what this will do to her. Isn't there something....anything you can do? She can get over not being pregnant. But....but if you tell her she can never have a child.....I swear, it will kill her. Isn't there something...anything you can do....just to give her hope?"

Aaron stared back at his long time adversary. Surprised if by nothing else than by the pure pain in the man's expression. "I haven't done a complete exam yet." He said finally. "Just enough to ascertain her general condition. That was how we found the tumor to begin with. We'll keep her here overnight, but you bring her by my office at the end of the week and we'll run a few more tests before the surgery."

Orion sighed quietly as he rested his face in one hand. "Thank you."

"Orion."

Orion looked back up at the man.

"She will need to be told about her 'pregnancy'. Either by you or by me, I don't care which. But she needs to be told."

Orion continued to stare up at Richards with an unreadable expression on his face. "I'll tell her." He said in a low, controlled voice. "She'll know by the time we come to see you."

Katlin had taken the news about the pregnancy far better than Orion had expected her to, though he expected she had buried a great deal of her feelings over it deep within herself. The surgery went without a single complication and afterwards Richards had come and explained how things went to Katlin, telling her that while it wasn't impossible for her to become pregnant, it might be difficult. Orion never asked if the prognosis was true, but simply accepted it as Katlin did without question.

Katlin spent just a little over a week at home recuperating before going back to the lair, insisting she was fine despite Orion's protests to the contrary.

It was several weeks later that Orion came home full of plans on how to cheer Katlin up. She constantly professed she was fine, but Orion was watching her slowly slip further away from him day by day, both mentally and emotionally. Though she still lived in his house, and still slept in his bed, she couldn't have been further from him then if she were living back at the lair. He had talked with several doctors about her condition, following every bit of advice he was given. From trying to give her the space he felt she needed to being there for her as well if she needed him to. All in all it was a complicated juggling act and more than anything, an eggshell walk for him.

But finally he had decided that what she needed most was a night out. Katlin had blatantly refused to leave the house for weeks. Mostly staying in or going for walks around the grounds. But more than anything, avoiding him as much as possible. She needed a night out.

When he apparated into the foyer, the first thing that greeted him was absolute silence. Then, as he stood listening, a small sound drifted down one of the corridors to him.

The sound of someone crying.

Orion quickly followed the sound as it led him down one corridor then another, until he suddenly realized where the sound was coming from.

The nursery.

When he reached the doorway, he carefully peered around the corner.

Inside Katlin sat in the large rocking chair, one of the many stuffed animals held in her lap as she hugged it tightly her, slowly rocking back and forth as she cried.

Very cautiously Orion stepped into the room and gradually made his way over to where she sat.

"Katlin?" He whispered softly as he crouched next to her. "It just wasn't the right time for us, Love." He tried to reassure her. He didn't need to asked what was wrong.

"When?" Came the choked replied. "When will it be, Orion?"

Orion moved in front of her, still crouched down before her. "I don't know." He told her gently, staring up into her tear stained face. "I'm just saying it wasn't now."

Katlin instantly broke into tears again as she leaned forward, hugging the small stuff toy again for all she was worth. "Orion, I am so sorry." She moaned piteously. "I am so very, very sorry."

Orion quickly sat her back up. "Love? For what?" He asked earnestly.

"You wanted this child so badly." She cried. "I shouldn't have been there. I shouldn't have been in that battle. I should have told Voldemort I couldn't fight. But I didn't." She wailed. "And because of that our child is dead."

Orion stared at her in disbelief. "Katlin!" He stated a bit more firmly as he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Katlin, listen to me! There was no baby. You didn't lose our child. If....if this hadn't happened, Love, I could have lost you. We didn't know about the tumor. It could have killed you. This is nothing you need to apologize for. Or feel regret over." Orion gave her a comforting smile. "And....and it's not like we can't try again, Love." He assured her. "And next time, we can try to get pregnant by plan, instead of by accident. I mean, planning for the child is half the fun, right? We would have missed all that this time."

Katlin abruptly stopped crying as she gave him a wide-eyed stare. "You.........you would want to try again?" She asked quietly. "With me?"

Orion stared back at her in surprise. "Of course with you." He answered with a small smile. "Who else? We're going to fill this house up with our children."

"But you....you're not suppose to have children, Orion. Your father...."

Orion quickly cut her off. "I am not my father, Katlin. And I did not make those rules. And I don't happen to think they're right. I haven't for a long time. Bo has never shown himself to be the danger my father thinks of him as. If anything, he has protected me, saved both of our lives, and shown himself to me to be nothing more than what he presents. And aside from all of that, Bo is likely going to outlive three generations of this family, thereby remaining host to The Power. So I really see no reason why we should do everything possible to remain childless. Especially when one considers just how long I intend to have you in my life." He added with a small smile.

Katlin suddenly fell forward from the chair and into his arms. "Oh, thank you." She cried. "Thank you for saying that."

Orion quickly pulled her back in confusion. "Katlin, why would you ever think anything different?"

Katlin sniffed over her tears. "I thought that.......that you would hate me now. That you would never want to go through this again. I saw how disappointed you were feeling. How hurt you were when you found out."

"Me?" Orion asked in surprise, taking her hands in his. "Love, what about you? You were so devastated. You looked so lost, and I didn't know what to do for you. I tried everything I could think of to make this easier on you."

"But.....but you've been so distant." Katlin said softly, turning to the floor. "I thought you just couldn't even stand to be around me anymore."

"But I thought that was what you wanted, Love. Some space. Some time."

A soft, pained looked answered him. "I had never felt so far from you in my life. It was killing me inside. I took to taking walks around the gardens just to be away from you. Away from that feeling I got every time I came near you. That you didn't want me near you anymore."

Orion gave a soft laugh. "And all I was doing was trying to do what all those doctors told me too. Everyone one of them telling me something different. When the one person I should have asked was you." Orion enveloped her in a hug. "I never want you away from me, Love. It was just that you were hurting so badly. I didn't know how to help you, and I wanted to so badly. I felt like I was failing you when you needed me the most. All I wanted to do was to take you in my arms and hold you and tell you how much I loved you."

Katlin relaxed into his hold, laying her head against his shoulder. "I do need you, Orion." She replied. "And I need so much to hear you say that everything is going to be all right."

Orion squeezed her a bit tighter to him as he stroked her hair. "It will be all right, Katlin. You'll see. But until then," he added, looking about the room, "why don't we put all of this away? Until we're ready."

Katlin tightened her grip about his neck, but finally nodded. "Until we're ready." She whispered back.

Q&A

Enemies

Silverfox: There's nothing wrong with complicated questions, Dear. And the unusual ones just keep me on my toes.

Well, you pretty much have the right feeling for Treaks. I have yet to give one reason anyone should feel sorry for this man.

Is Charly better off without him? That remains to be seen. Currently Treaks is a good source of information, and Charly knows it. Far too good of a source to casually blow off just because he happens to be the enemy. And keep in mind that these two are not working together by choice. They have a common goal in mind. One that, although never stated outright, has been alluded to.

I don't know that I can explain Bo any better than I have. Although I do know I could do a three hour symposium on him just trying to explain exactly who and what he is. Keep in mind The Power has no existence except through its host and that its host uses it. With Orion's father, it had no existence at all, since Talon refused to use it. With the boggart, it is now trapped in the body of a simple-minded creature who doesn't conceptionalize it the way its other hosts did and in part, doesn't even acknowledge it. Nor does it seem to have the same negative effect on its current host as it did on the others.

Also, (just to confuse you if you aren't already), The Power is not a physical part of Orion entirely. It response to him and he can call it when he needs to, and to a certain extent he controls it. But the current host to The Power is Bo, not Orion.

Yes, yes, yes. I know what I said in the story. Orion's father trapped The Power in the boggart and left it in the cellar until Orion found it. And through the spells Bo taught Orion, he was able to allow The Power to come into him as a physical force.

But Orion was never the host. The Power has only touched him, it never possessed him.

Totally confused? Try being the person who created this little enigma.

And just wait until you meet Hershal. Another one of my better characters.

So sorry about the boggart search, Dear. Better luck next time?

Sailor Sol: The fact that Voldemort changed Katlin's name was pure logistics. Any relatives or so would come looking for a Katlin Hekren, not Griss. And on so many levels, Voldemort was not about to let go of Katlin once he had her.

Oh yes, the Q&A section can just be chocked full of little goodies. And you most definitely will learn things in there that the other readers may not find out for several chapters, if at all. Sometimes, like with Silverfox, I get asked something that requests I explain (or at least try to) something a bit deeper than I go into it in the story, such as Bo. What you read in the story is really all you get on Bo here. He'll be a much more expanded character in Family Relations, but still a bit of an enigma. But lets face it, its hard to work with a character who, for the most part, doesn't talk. Especially if your strong point in stories is dialogue.

But yes, Q&A can be a treasure trove of background information.

Sweets: Yup. Mom is coming along. She insisted on doing dinner tonight. Which is why I had time to put out an extra chapter this week.

The trailer is very nice, but I would still love to see it in a larger size. The one on the Warner Brothers website is little more than a selection of stills set to the commentary of the actual trailer. but the Moviefone one is pretty good. Just small and a bit hard to see.

Awwww, I had no idea you were alone for Thanksgiving. That's terrible at the holidays. But I thought your Dad brought you to the convention?

Yes, poor Charly has his work cut out for him. And things keep seeming to go from bad to worse for him. Plus, he's trying to get Orion to follow a thought pattern that his partner has no interest in. Namely that dating a Deatheater is not going to show up real good on ones resume.

But the one thing that amazes me is that no one has given poor Charly any credit for the fact he has steadfastly stood by his friend through all of this. He didn't report any of Orion's 'activities' to Bale. He didn't tell him to naff-off when he found out he was dating a Deatheater. And he has never presented Orion with an 'It's her or me' ultimatum. True, Charly is not a happy camper about the situation. And he is doing his darnedest to manipulate it to his own end goals. But as this chapter showed, he has still stood by his friend and been there when he was needed.

I suppose I'll see the trailer in all its glory when I go to see The Return of the King, which is the only other movie I am planning on this year.

Family Life

AJ-Wolf-AJ: Family Life is indeed being sequeled, Dear. No need to beg. The story has been in the works for months (ask any of my other readers), under the title of Family Relations. Unfortunately, due to content, several other stories have to come out first or certain parts of Family Relations won't make any sense at all. Those stories, in order, are:

Enemies

Runaway

Gentle Persuasion

The Price Of My Soul (Possibly postponed)

Family Relations

Family Ties

Also, you'll note there is a third story there. Family Ties is the sequel to Family Relations and is the final chapter of the Family story arc. It is due out, like all my stories, when PAR gets a little more time on her hands. (Probably 2005). But Family Relations will be out 2004.

All reviews are as of 11302003.

And remember;

Doesn't expecting the unexpected make the unexpected the expected?