Oh yeah and I forgot to mention sorry all but thanks for all your wonderful review they really mean a lot to me :-)

Disclamer: (cause I haven't done one in awhile) Don't own it and my sister in law hasn't returned my box set yet..

Witch Hunter Robin

Rebuilding from the rubble

Chapter 15

Christmas Break Part 1

A FanFic by Prospero53223

Class was winding down to an end as they reviewed the assignments of the last two months with Christmas break being a glorious two weeks away. Some of the students had all ready gone home for the holidays since they lived on the other side of the globe like Joe, Ian, and Zena; while others like Robin couldn't wait to go back home to Tuscany so she could see Bradley, Dave, Moses and Father Juliano along with everyone else at the monastery. Amon on the other hand couldn't wait to see the look on Robin's face when she saw Doujima and Nagira at the airport.

Stephie on the other hand was on restricted to the base until the Christmas break actually started, a term of condition from her discipline review board. She also lost her parking and car privilege; half months pay for the rest of the time in training, and would have to stand double duties to make up for the ones she missed. Stephie was also told that if she failed one more exam she was out of training which meant she would lose her inheritance and have to live life a one of them, a common person until she learned how to take responsibility for herself and her actions.

" Now when we all come back from our vacation which if you ask me is very much needed," John joked as he talked with the students. "We will be going over the material for our hunt in Somalia where there is still fighting going on among the chaos with the individual clans." The class listened carefully to what their instructor had to say.

" We will be helping out UN forces looking for Malik Uchenna aka Vuai Yahya." John said as the overhead projector showed the picture of the witch they were to help capture.

" His name literally means King, God's plan and savior, god gift." Akin translated Uchenna's name into English for the rest of the class as John nodded his head.

" Yes, we have very little information on Uchenna but it is said that his mother a very religious woman claimed that in a vision given to her by God that she would bear the Messiah." John read form the report sent to him by HQ.

Robin gasped " Blasphemy."

"Well unfortunately he believes its true cause of his powers which he clams were a gift from God." John started to speak again, " Of course he doesn't act like a Messiah more like a mad man and war lord. Not to mention it doesn't help us any that his craft has the people believing his delusion. The people in that region are frightened of him and starving but to keep the people following him he gives them the crumbs off his table; which is why the UN has called us in to help out." John paused for a moment so that he could clear his throat before speaking again. " So I want everyone of you to pack up all personal belongings when you get back to the barracks after class so that you will be able to bring everything back home with you. Only leave your personal items such as your shower gear and uniforms. We leave for Africa the week after final exams have been taken. From their we will go into more detail about Malik and his craft along with what our role will be with helping the UN." With that John dismissed the class minus Amon and Robin who he needed to speak to for a few minutes.

" I just received word from Tuscany you two need to go home tonight." John paused for a moment trying to figure out the best way to tell the both of them why they needed to leave two weeks early. After a few moments he knew there really was no easy way to tell them so John just spit it out. " Robin it's your sister, the doctor says it would be best for you to come home early."

" Oh, God no." Robin said as she clasped her hands over her mouth as her eyes started to fill with tears while Amon placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

" Make sure you pack what you need cause Father Juliano wants you both out of here by tonight." Amon and Robin both nodded their heads as they thanked John. When they were both excused Robin rushed into the barracks and right into her room throwing her clothes, personal items, and Christmas gifts she had brought into her suitcase and garment bag.

Robin waited impatiently for Amon to finish packing she wanted to get to Tuscany not now but right now. " You're not done yet?"

Amon threw the last few items in his bag when he heard the agitation in Robin's voice, which was something new. The look on Robin's face though nearly broke his heart. Amon had never seen Robin so sad and anxious while the tears that gathered in her eyes threatened to flow at the drop of a dime. " Don't worry Bradley's a tough girl she'll make it besides she did tell us she wasn't dying until I married you."

Amon's words of encouragement didn't help out like he thought they would as he saw Robin burst into tears. All Amon could do now was hold her until she calmed down enough to walk. When Robin did they walked silently to his car placing their things in the trunk with Amon for once obeying the speed limit since there was ice and snow on the roads.

All Robin did on the drive back to Tuscany was look out the window while thinking of Bradley. She thought about the day Bradley first came to the monastery, how they constantly got into trouble with Father Juliano when they were small children, and how they had so many things in common with one another. Those memories borough tears to her eyes while Robin started to pray silently.

" Benedictus Deus. Benedictum Nomen Sanctum eius. Benedictus Iesus Christus, verus Deus et verus homo. Benedictum Nomen Iesu. Benedictum Cor eius sacratissimum.. Benedictus Sanguis eius pretiosissimus. . Benedictus Iesus in sanctissimo altaris Sacramento. Benedictus Sanctus Spiritus, Paraclitus.Benedicta excelsa Mater Dei, Maria sanctissima.Benedicta sancta eius et immaculata Conceptio. Benedicta eius gloriosa Assumptio. Benedictum nomen Mariae, Virginis et Matris. Benedictus sanctus Ioseph, eius castissimus Sponsus.Benedictus Deus in Angelis suis, et in Sanctis suis. Amen."

" Robin, Robin," Amon gently shook Robin's shoulder while trying to wake her. " Robin we're home." That caught her attention as she stirred awake while fighting every impulse to jump out of the car and rush inside.

" I'll get our bags just go inside and see Bradley." Amon told her as he exited the car.

" You're sure you don't want me to help?" Robin asked just to make sure she wasn't hearing things.

" No its ok go on." Robin nodded her head and got out of the car walking up the stairs while she looked back at Amon who was right behind her. She opened the old heavy monastery doors for Amon as they quietly headed inside where they were greeted by Father Juliano.

" How is she?" Robin asked quietly.

" A little better but you'll need to be in another room the doctor doesn't want her sharing a room until she's well or..." Father Juliano couldn't finish his sentence but Robin knew what he was going to say.

" Can I see her, is she sleeping?" Robin voice almost sounded as if she were pleading instead of asking.

" No go on she's been waiting for you I'll put your things in the room across from your and Bradley's room." Robin nodded her head as she walked up the stairs to the familiar room she and Bradley had shared since they were five years old.

Dave was in there with her; along with Moses who trotted over to Robin the minuet she entered the room. Robin quickly petted the dog right behind the ears as she walked over to her sister's bed putting on a brave face for Bradley.

" How many times do I have to tell you I'm not dying until I see you and Amon married." Bradley's voice was weak as was her smile.

" I know." Robin began to say as she rolled her eyes at Bradley's remark." but you do know you have us all worried including the doctor."

" She knows," Dave answered for Bradley, " And she'll continue to worry us if she doesn't eat anything either."

" I'm not hungry right now Dave." Bradley argued in a sleepily tone.

" I know but you still have to eat look its just broth." The medication that Bradley was now taking suppressed her appetite and when she did eat it was very little if anything at all. Moses rested his head on Bradley's bed looking up at her with his big brown doggy eyes, which looked so sad.

Bradley also petted the dog on the head as she smiled. " Damn doctors don't know what they are talking about I know when my time is and it won't be Christmas."

" Then you'll eat something?" Robin asked this time.

" Robin you've been home two minutes and you're also going to get on me for not eating." Bradley couldn't believe it she was being tagged teamed by worrywarts.

" Yeah sure am." Robin said as Bradley groaned and admitted defeat-letting Robin prop her up on pillows while Dave fed her some chicken broth.

" Hey thought you said you weren't hungry?" Dave asked seeing how the bowl was now empty.

" I wasn't hungry but I was pretty thirsty still am a little that broth was kind of salty." Bradley said with a sly smile.

" I'll get you some water." Robin said as she got up to go to the kitchen.

" How is she?" Amon asked when Robin walked up to the sink with the empty glass in her hand.

" She won't eat, she looks like the hell, and Moses and Dave won't leave her side." Amon nodded he wasn't good with things like this the best he could do was walk over to Robin and hug her while kissing the top of her head for comfort.

" She has this look in her eyes though almost like a sage, she says its not her time yet that she won't die on Christmas and how she's going to stick around to see us married though you haven't even proposed which I don't expect well this year any way," Robin paused as Amon chuckled at her little joke while holding her close.

" Its like this is really more of a scare, like the calm before a storm you know." Robin hopped that her words made sense.

" I know and maybe she's right maybe she will feel better in a few days or by Christmas we won't know its all up to her." Robin nodded as she left Amon's embrace, " I better get this water up to her, will you come with me?"

Amon nodded his head as he followed Robin up the stairs so he too could see Bradley though it was a shock. He wasn't used to Bradley's good days and bad days when she was sick so he didn't expect to see the shell of a girl that was once Bradley lying in bed.

" Hey smart ass how are you doing?" Amon joked with her trying to get Bradley to smile.

Bradley laughed at Amon's question knowing his nick name for her was justified, "Been better but I can't complain, well yes I can. Could you get Moses off of me he's squishing my legs?"

" Moses down." Amon told his dog who decided to curl up on the bed with Bradley to comfort her and not really wanting to get down. Though Moses did listen to Amon's instructions when he saw the look his owner gave him. Moses while giving Amon puppy dog eyes that never worked on him walked to the foot of the bed and sat there protecting Bradley from anyone or anything that came into the room.

" He's been like this ever since you guys left for Rome." Dave told Amon who knew by now not to touch Moses when he sat at the foot of Bradley's bed.

" Yeah and he's been climbing up her every night when I'm asleep." Bradley added in.

" He gets that way sometimes especially when someone's sick you just have to nudge him a little so he'll get off the bed." Bradley nodded her head and placed her hand down so Moses would come to her, " Its ok at night when I'm asleep and don't really care about the pressure difference on my legs but for some reason I feel a lot better when he's around."

The three of them all sat in Bradley's room for a bit talking with her until she could no longer fight sleep. Moses stayed behind as usual to keep watch over Bradley as she went to sleep while Dave pulled Robin up to the attic where the three siblings would play when they were children.

" Dave why did you bring me up here?" Robin asked

" Well you know how we have the trunks with our names on them and everything with items saved from our childhood and all." Dave said as Robin nodded her head.

" Yes so what are you getting at?" Robin really had no clue to what Dave wanted but humored him.

" I found in each trunk some Christmas ornaments from when we were little and Father Juliano has stored some of they fairy lights up her and I was thinking for Bradley and all." Dave started to say when Robin cut him off.

" Have Christmas up here," Robin said as tears filled her eyes " I think she would like that."

Dave nodded his head as tears also began to fill his eyes. " Yeah me too."

Both siblings hugged one another as they watched the snow falling outside which inspired Robin to make those silly paper snowflakes she used to when she was a child. Dave had gotten the same idea as they both agreed to start decorating the attic tomorrow with Amon's help of course.

Meanwhile, in Japan Robin's biggest surprise was packing a suitcase getting ready to leave for the airport in just a few more days.

" Yurika?" Nagira called as he opened the door to her apartment which he now had a key too.

" I'm in my room." Doujima yelled as Nagira walked down the small hallway and into her room. He watched as Yurika packed her entire wardrobe and noticed she really wasn't paying any attention to him. When she finally did finish packing Doujima zipped up her bags before looking up and smiled.

" You got the tickets right?" Nagira nodded and pulled them out of his inside pocket before sitting down on the bed. He looked upset though as if he just lost a case but he didn't have court that day so Yurika didn't really understand what was going on.

" Syunji, what's wrong?" Yurika asked concern now filling her eyes.

" I just got an e-mail from Amon, Robin is probably not going to be in the happiest of moods when we get to Italy." Nagira said as he started blankly at the wall.

" Huh why not? Did Amon slip up and accidentally tell Robin about us coming, and is she mad at him for not telling her earlier?" Doujima tried to joke and get Nagira to laugh but he wouldn't as he continued to stair at the wall.

" It's her sister she's taken a turn for the worse and they don't know how much longer she has or if she'll even make it to Christmas." Doujima gasped and rested her head on Nagira's arm, " We'll have to do something to cheer her up a bit."

" Us being there just might do it but I don't know, Robin can never seem to get a break." Doujima nodded her head and got up going into the kitchen, " I'm going to make some tea do you want any?"

Nagira nodded his head slightly then remembered what he wanted to ask Yurika before he got Amon's e-mail." Yurika, love, did you get..."

" Yes I got the ring from the jewelers back today its on my dresser." Doujima yelled from the kitchen.

" Thanks love." Nagira said as he went over to the dresser and picked up the small velvet ring box opening it up and smiling a bit. He remembered helping his old man pick the ring out for Yukiko, Amon's mother a woman of Japanese and British decent. His thoughts flew back to that day as he stood in the store with his father.

" Papa?" Nagira asked his father.

" Yes Syunji what is it now?" His father had asked him while looking at the diamond rings the jeweler had to offer.

" Why are you buying that ring for Ms. Yukiko when nana doesn't like her, and why doesn't nana like Yukiko she's nice she brought me ice cream the last time we saw her." Nagira remembered his father laughing at his questions before he answered him. "Your grandmother is a very old fashioned woman who believes marriages should be arranged like mine and your mother's was. That and she doesn't feel that a woman who is only part Japanese is good enough for her favorite grandson."

" But papa I'm her only grandson." Nagira said proudly to his father.

" That you are, hey look at that one." Nagira's father said as he pointed to a ring.

" I like it, its pretty and looks old." Nagira told his father while sipping on the juice he had brought him.

" Well then that's the one we'll get for Yukiko." The antique ring that his father brought twenty-seven years ago was a simple silver engagement ring that looked liked it was made in the 1930's. It had three small diamonds on it. Nagira could even recall that this engagement ring had come with matching wedding bands that he was also able to get from his dad. The ring in Nagira's humble opinion was perfect for someone like Robin; someone simple and elegant just like Amon's mother was.