daylight [open]

[Kelly Evans]

Kelly threw the newspaper to one side in disgust, shaking her head. Utter trash, as always. The gossip column had the most interesting content; probably the closest to the truth, as well. Sighing a little, the witch pushed her square framed reading glasses on to the top of her head, and rubbed her eyes. The sun was shining in just the right place for her body to be washed in bright light, but she shivered a little, anyway. Somebody just walked over my grave.

Every now and then, a brown and white dog would lope up to Kelly's side and drop a ball, wagging its tail ferociously as it waited for her to throw it once more. Kelly watched her beagle puppy run after the tennis ball with a small smile on her face, wondering why it wasn't so easy to distract herself, as it was to distract the dog. Truth be told, she was more than a little lonely, and that was hard to shake.

The Buckett's had jetted off to Australia for a few weeks, to get away from everything Britain had to offer at the moment - magical and Muggle sides of it - though as far as she could tell, they'd left the warm weather for her. Kat's letters were full of moans about the winter, though Kelly imagined Australian winter wasn't nearly as bad as the English equivalent. Still, warm weather barely made up for her best friends.

Kelly picked up the tennis ball Kensington dropped at her feet and hurled it across the park once more, then curled her legs under her body, sitting on a picnic blanket on the green grass. She pushed her glasses onto her face and picked up the paper with another sigh, and flipped through the pages she'd already read, thinking the gossip column might just be more interesting if she read it again.

[Straw Buckett]

Straw was a child. A big restless scruffy haired child. Kat didn’t have just triplets, she had four children, 3 boys and 1 girl, who with her father’s encouragement, was just as bad as the rest of them. Anyone with Straw’s encouragement was just as bad as the man himself. Not only was he easily bored but his lust for adventure and entertainment was only reinforced and doubled by the birth of this three children. More so then none it was the kids telling him they’d had enough before Straw was ready to go home. Kat couldn’t complain, the kids slept better than any three year olds on the planet. Having taken them to visit their grandmother and watching her slowly go mad, Straw suggested it was time to go home and give his mother a rest. Besides, there was so only much of Hyacinth Buckett that any person could really handle.

Having been home for barely an hour, Straw was itching to get outside and play. There was one condition however, despite their efforts in toilet training the triplets, outings were not their strongest points. On more than a few occasions, Spaiden had exposed himself several times and Joshua, believing it was a funny thing to do, decided to copy the monkey’s at the zoo and fling his poo every now and then. Straw was naturally not impressed, desperately he was still trying to convince Kat he had not taught his son this and blamed their most recent trip to Taronga Zoo. By the look of Kat’s eyebrows Straw was convinced she was yet to believe him.

After nappies had been refreshed and children were changed and bags were packed, bottled filled and food stacked. Straw gathered his family and finally walked out the door. The park was always a good place to aim for, the playground and grass was enough to keep the whole family entertained. Plus he’d just bought a new soccer ball which he was hoping to use. He wasn’t surprised to spot an old friend relaxing in the park. Diving into his pockets, Straw pulled a special souvenir he’d kept especially for Kelly Evans. Unable to contain his childish giggles he called out, “Hey Evan’s, head’s up!” and threw the dried up piece of kangaroo poo directly in the path of his dear friend.

[Kelly Evans]

With instincts born from a lifetime of no siblings, Kelly failed to block the missile heading in the direction of her face, but the dog sitting at her feet managed to jump up just in time and catch it in his mouth, instead. Kingston chewed happily on the dried...whatever it was, and Kelly screwed up her nose once she realised what it was. She looked up at Straw and her three little godchildren (she'd long since claimed them all as hers), a mixture of exasperation and intense happiness on her face. Kelly stood up from her spot on the grass to wrap her arms around the children, planting kisses on each face.

She left Straw to last, and hugged him the longest, standing on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. "I thought you weren't coming back for another week," she scolded, though couldn't keep the relief out of her voice. She'd never admit just how much she'd missed her friends, crazy and childish as they were! Kelly let go of Straw and sat back down on the picnic blanket, gesturing for Straw to sit beside her. Kelly drew Scarlett into her arms as she sat down, tickling her ribs and covering her small face with kisses again.

"I'd guess either Hyacinth got sick of the five of you, or the five of you got sick of Hyacinth?" she asked, a wry grin on her face as she thought back to the first time she'd met Straw's mother. It wasn't a particularly pleasant meeting, if she recalled correctly, and Kelly couldn't imagine spending a whole month with the woman. "How's Kat, where is she?"

[Kat Samuels]

"Tired" came a voice and a yawn from behind Kelly. The blonde witch had apparated to her children just in time to hear the end of her best friends question. "And here now, finally" she added with a not-quite-serious glare at her husband. "I would have been here sooner too if someone had remembered to bring Scarlett's hat. He's more excited to kick his ball around with his sons than anything, it's not like we haven't travelled over 17000km's today or anything". Rolling her eyes Kat plopped herself down on the picnic rug beside Kelly, giving her friend a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning back on her hands and stretching her legs out before her. She was exhausted.

"Honestly if anything I think you're lucky you couldn't get the time off work Kel, I feel like I need a damn vacation again - I need a holiday to get over my holiday. One more minute with the charming Hyacinth and these poor children may have been without a grandmother. I swear it is her goal in life to make me fat. Chocolate cake is good, I like chocolate cake, but three times a day? No one likes cake that much. Well, no one except Straw". Looking across at her husband Kat sighed and reached into the giant tote she had brought along with her, pulling out a tupperware container with, you guessed it, chocolate cake in it. "She sent us home with three cakes, and her recipe, I think all I will be doing is baking from now on. But enough of my rambling, did you want a piece? It actually is quite good".

At the sight of the cake Spaiden had come running - well, his interpretation of running anyway, he still hadn't quite managed to get very far along without tripping. He and Josh had been playing trucks on the grass nearby. He was very cute, she had to admit, but a cheeky bugger just like his father. He climbed into her lap and looked up into her eyes expectantly, the kind of look that said I love you, and I love cake, and I'll love you even more if you give me cake, but not as much as I'll love the cake. It was something she had hoped he would grow out of, but one look at his father told her otherwise. Kissing his forehead and smiling down at him Kat stepped into the mother role "Come on now Spaidy, go and play with your brother for a while and when it's time for cake I'll call you over." With a dejected look on his face, Spaiden turned to his father, trying to get a second opinion. All three of her children were good at that. Smiling across at Kelly, Kat shook her head slightly, internally sighing at her child's antics. "How have you been though Kel? I hope you had some time to relax while we were gone. Your tan is looking promising anyway, I take it the weathers been nice?" There was a pang of jealousy in her voice but only a little. Australia had been a nice break, if only it hadn't been so damn wet and cold!

[/blockquote]

[Kelly Evans]

Kelly turned and smiled as Kat joined them at the park, returned her friend's kiss on the cheek and shimmied over to make more room. Scarlett squirmed in her lap, pointing with one chubby hand at her brothers, so Kelly let her go, watching as she tripped across the lawn to join the game. Kingston, well trained with the three mini Bucketts, played gently with them, though at one stage looked contrite as Josh fell over, cackling to himself.

Turning to Kat, she shook her head with a smile at the offer of cake and raised her eyebrows. "If the only thing Hyacinth was trying to turn you into was fat, I'd say you got out of it okay," she said, sarcastic. "If I remember correctly the last time Mrs. Buckett and I parted ways it was with a very specific threat of turning me into something else, if I kept up my harlot ways." Kelly laughed and shook her head. "I need a vacation just listening to that story."

Spaiden's big puppy dog eyes melted Kelly every time, and she knew that if she'd had the container of chocolate, everybody would get it. She resolutely turned away from the adorable and shrugged her shoulders, a little nonchalantly. "I've been just fine," she said, pushing her reading glasses onto the top of her head again. "The hospital made me take some time off but it seems it was the only institution to do so; the Ministry basically exploded right after you guys left, trying to clean up the mess."

Kelly's eyes grew a little dark, thinking of the events of the past year and a half, but she pushed the thoughts firmly away. No need to revisit that just now. "Jacques went straight back to work once he was released from the hospital, so I've pretty much just been sitting in this park for three weeks. Luckily the weather's been glorious, because if I'd been stuck in my apartment I would have gone crazy."

[Straw Buckett]

Hugging his friend tightly Straw scowled at the dog, “Dam Fido, can’t let me have any fun can you?!” Straw had been waiting for this moment all week since first finding the dried specimen on the ground. “Yeah, just got back,” he said sighed giving his friend a little kiss on the cheek. Straw promptly sat where Kelly indicated and began to unpack two trucks and a couple of ponies for the kids. Josh hadn’t made up his mind whether he enjoyed playing ponies or trucks. Usually the two genres would merge and kept everyone happy. “Well there’s only so much of my mother one can take.” He said rolling his eyes slightly. Straw didn’t mind too much, he’d missed his mother and she was sick from worry over the many disappearances, especially Ivy’s situation.

Straw shied away at her next question, in his rushed efforts to get outside again, he’d forgotten Scarletts’ hat. He bit his lower lip and smiled coyly back as his wife apparated into the scene, “Have I told you that I love you?,” she grinned and then proceeded to lean over and kiss her cheek. This always got her, well it was wearing thin but no less if batting his luscious eye lashes or grinning cheekily or kisses or pouts didn’t work, all Straw had to do was hold up a child and together the two would pout at Kat and soon her frown would soften and he was free to run away. At the mention of chocolate cake the gang came waddling over. Before Josh could join Spaiden in his mother’s lap, Straw scooped him up and proceeded to cover him in kisses and hugs. “Oh no you don’t, come here. How about some…raspberry cake instead!” and then pulled the boy's t-shirt up and blew on his stomach, tickling him as he went. The child’s squeals of joy rang out as Scarlett toddled over to join in the fun. When cake was refused Straw too felt sad and even more so when the three looked to him for confirmation that mummy’s words were final and he wasn’t actually going to sneak them a slice when she wasn’t looking. “What you’re mother said,” he sighed, “Go on, call you when it’s ready” he smiled loving yet hating their begging eyes.

“Exploded?” Straw questioned. “I hope it wasn’t too bad on you?” He didn’t like the sound of things exploding while he was gone. It took some convincing from Neville to make him take the break in the first place. With the recent memory gain from Ivy and birth of her new daughter combined with a couple loose ties to the missing persons and memory loss case, Straw was reluctant to go on holiday. It was Kat’s final words that had hit Straw most, their children were number one priority and he’d barely had time to see them, having sent them to his mothers in the last few months was not the most pleasant choice but safest option. They needed family time now. On the mention of Jacques Straw perked up, “Have you two had time to... reconnect?”

[Kelly Evans]

Kelly grinned. "This is why I have my trusty guardian, for you and your terrible scatological humour," she quipped, poking her tongue out at Straw. She wrapped her arms around her knees once again as the two settled down on either side of her, and flipped her dark hair over one shoulder. Kelly shook her head at Straw's question regarding the Ministry, trying to keep an eye on the children who had given up their begging for cake once Daddy confirmed mean Mumma's reprimand.

"I guess 'exploded' is too harsh an adjective," she began, rubbing a hand across her eyes in an absentminded kind of way. There was a strange pain in her stomach and she tried to ignore it, though looking at the cake beside Kat was making her feel worse. "People just didn't know what to do, where to go. I guess this is what it was like before, all those years ago. We didn't know who was on the right side, who was really faking it." Kelly paused for a moment, thinking of the people she lost in her hospital, of the people she could have lost, but didn't. "St. Mungo's made me take time off because of Jacques and you, and Ivy, so I missed out on most of the clean up. It's just been busy," she finished quietly.

A telltale blush crept into Kelly's cheeks and she rolled her eyes. "Yesss", she said, drawing out the sound. "Sometimes he draws into himself and doesn't want to talk about it, but you really can't blame him for that." Kelly didn't want to go into too much detail about it; Jacques' experiences were his own, and in Kelly's eyes not up for discussion. "But we're good," she added, a small smile on her face. "I'm not going to run down the aisle any time soon, but we're good."

[Kat Samuels]

It was far too hard for her to stay mad at her husband for long, even if she wasn't completely mad at him to begin with - just one look at him with their children and she'd let him burn the city to the ground. She'd probably try and cover his tracks afterwards too. Damn fool in love.

With the sun shining on her face and legs, Kat concentrated on the warmth on her skin letting the conversation mull around her, not ignoring her friend, but not listening either. This is what she had mostly done these past few weeks whenever anyone brought up the ministry. Part of it was spite, part was just her coping mechanism. Kat had been pushed aside throughout everything, shipped away - she knew it was for her safety, but she wasn't helpless, she was a Gryffindor dammit! So many people she loved had been hurt and she hadn't been able to do anything about it, so that time became a blank haze to her. She ignored it, she didn't contribute to it now, just as she couldn't then.

As the conversation slowly steered away however, Kat's focus came back, her eyes adjusting and letting the scene of her children chasing clumsily after eachother as they fought over the ball Straw had insisted on bringing. A smile crept onto her face and she shifted her focus back to Kelly, hoping her friend would just put her distance down to tiredness. "I'm glad you're good Kel, you and Jacques, he's good for you, and you bring out the best in him. But I'm also glad you're not headed for the aisle just yet, especially at a run - you know you can't run in heels!"

[Straw Buckett]

Reaching over, Straw placed a loving hand on Kat’s she he and Kelly spoke of repercussions from the past few dark months. “Well that’s good they gave you some time off. I know I benefitted greatly from it,” then squeezed Kat’s hand gently. Their trip to Australia had been for the best, despite cold wet weather the Buckett’s were able to relax and reconnect again. Straw had deeply missed the beach and bushland. He missed just sitting still and simply reading with his wife while his mother insisted on taking the kids away so the two could reconnect. Kat was a strong woman, a reason why he loved her so much which made it even harder to ask her to stay home and move the children to Australia. Having witnessed so many Auror families suffering under the new evil rathe of an unknown super power, Straw feared his family was only moments away from being targeted as well.

Straw couldn’t help bit spit as he laughed at the idea of Kelly running down the aisle. “Now that would be a sight,” He wanted to see her happy and settled but for some reason he really never pictured Kelly making the step and getting married yet... especially with Jacques. He wasn’t sure if he approved of the guy really. Yes they had been dating for a while now but Straw hadn’t spent a lot of time with him to give an honest opinion. Kelly was like a sister to him and Straw was always going to be over protective when it came to any man wanting to date/marry/hold hands with his friends.

“Hey are you ok?” Straw asked spotting Kelly looking a little flushed or was she blushing? “You’re looking a little pale” Maybe it was the light but something seemed different. “Did you change your hair? I can’t keep up with you females anymore, but you look… weird.” of course this was Straw’s way of saying she looked nice but he wasn’t the best with his words, especially when it came to girly thingys.

[Kelly Evans]

Kelly smiled a little at Kat, wondering as she always did if she ever had the chance, would Kat ever do everything again differently. She laughed, and shook her head. "You may not be able to run in heels, but I can sprint," she quipped. "In the opposite direction, that is!" Kelly pulled her hair, dark blonde again, for the summer months, away from her face and twisted it into a bun at the nape of her neck.

Looking over at Straw, Kelly rolled her eyes affectionately at his big brother mechanism, the one that always kicked into gear when he thought she needed looking after. It wasn't unpleasant; she expected it now, maybe even liked it a little bit. There was a security in knowing that there were people in your life who cared about your wellbeing. The witch looked across the park and giggled at the mini Buckett's, who were currently climbing on her very patient dog and riding him around like a horse.

Kelly picked up the newspaper once again and began to wave it in front of her face, then raised her eyebrows at Straw's question. "Yeah, just hot, I think," she replied, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. "Is anybody else really hot?" Despite the shade and the cool breeze, Kelly felt like she was sunburnt all over. "Have either of you heard from Hermione lately?"

[Deleted]

“Well, well, well, look what the Australian outback dragged in,” Not her best line ever, in fact she didn’t even think it was clever, quite cheesy actually. Reaching down Ivy took the tiny hand of the little girl she cradled tightly and raised it to wave at the group, “Hello Uncle Straw, Aunty Kat and Aunty Kelly. Dahlia Poppy Pattinson, this is your family!” With a gaps, Ivy turn to see her three little niece and nephews waddling over to her. “Nooo, this can’t be Spaiden, Josh and Scarlett?” she cooed in a baby voice, “You’re so big and strong,” to which Joshua flexed his arms to show off. Ivy bent down and gently squeezed his arm, “Oo strong just like his daddy. Oh and look at you Scarlett, just a pretty as your mother.” Which made the toddle nod and spin on the spot then shyly spun over to her mother’s lap, “And this can’t be Spaiden?” to which made the little boy laugh and verbally corrected his Aunty . “yes I am!” “Well, you’re so tall now, I thought you were my brother!” which just made him giggle and shake his head. ‘So freakin cute’

“Well… this is your new cousin Dahlia, she only little so you have to be gentle. Do you want to say hello?” And each child patiently waited as Ivy let them ‘pat’ Dahila on the arm and head, “Can you feel how soft her skin is?” she prompted them, shooting the adult a little smile. After the triplet had taken turns saying hello they slowly lost interest and ran back to their toys.

“Oh they’re so big!” Grinned Ivy as she took a spot on the pic-nic blanket with the group, “Dam they’re cute” and put Dahila on the ground in the middle of the group. "How’s everyone going? How was mum? Can I assume she’s the reason you’re back so early?”

[Kat Samuels]

"Let me tell you, after that rainy wet winter in Australia, I don't know if I could ever be too hot again" said the Gryffindor with a smile. She rolled her eyes at her husbands comments about Kelly looking weird, he always did have a way with words. She remembers what he said the first time they were intimate together as clear as it was yesterday - 'oh, err, wow, kat... you look... you look...wow you're better than a barbie'. Such a charmer. While she smirked at the memory though Kat took a second to glance over Kelly's appearance. She didn't look too good she had to admit, hot and flustered but pale all at the same time. "But really Kell, he's right, did you have something bad to eat, or...? You're not looking too hot"

Her concern was disrupted by a familiar voice however as Kat turned and squinted into the sunlight seeing the outline of Ivy. Now that was someone she hadn't expected to see for a while. Grinning as she watched her sister-in-law play about with her children, Kat was continually surprised by how quickly the mothering instinct has taken over the other-Buckett. Not that she had ever been an unexpected mother or anything it had just been with everything that had happened over the last year Kat had worried how quickly she would adapt and if she would be able to cope. Ivy looked like she was coping just fine though, in fact, she was glowing.

Cooing a little - she couldn't help herself - at little Dahlia between them, Kat sighed and gave her friend a kiss on the cheek. "Oh Ives, she's just stunning, really takes after her mother. Of course she could see Eric in her face as well but there was just no denying that Dahlia was her mothers daughter, and speaking of mothers... "You know your mother better than I do Ivy, why else do you think we'd be back so early? It was a matter of life or death, I was about to lose my sanity and my figure, and it's only just getting back to normal after these three horrors." Scarlett was by her side now and Kat pulled her into her lap covering her head with kisses. The little girl had lost interest in the trucks and pony's now, even in Kensington, there was a baby here now - a real doll, that was much more interesting. Kat just didn't understand her daughters fascination with babies and dolls, Kat had been more interested in playing tricks and wrestling with boys when she had been her age. It must be auntie Kelly's influence. "How are you though Ivy? I hadn't expected to see you for a while, we were going to call in in a few days, your mum sent some cake over for you..."

Goddamn cake.

[Kelly Evans]

Kelly shook herself, trying to get rid of the heat in her cheeks and the fluttering in her stomach, and grinned at Kat. "If anything, I've got food poisoning because you two and Jacques left me to the mercy of St. Mungo's cafeteria food!" Kelly laughed, though she felt certain that she was lying. "You know I can't cook to save my life, and clearly I'm about to prove it."

The witch almost sighed in relief as Ivy joined them, taking all the attention off her and her apparently sickly appearance. "Hi, Ivy!" she said warmly, and reached out for baby Dahlia. "Hi, baby!" she added, wondering what exactly it was about babies that made grown men and women talk in voices about three octaves higher than normal. "She's gorgeous, Ivy," Kelly went on, laughing as the baby grabbed hold of her finger in a grip stronger than she would have imagined.

Kelly couldn't help it; she picked Dahlia up off the blanket and rocked her in her arms, pulling faces and poking her tongue out to make her gurgle. Babies still very much scared her silly, but this one didn't seem so bad. Kelly laughed as Kat rolled her eyes again at Hyacinth's cake, and she winked at Ivy. "You'd think Kat had been starved as a child, so when people actually tried to feed her it's like the end of the world." Still awfully glad for the new arrival and interruption to her interrogation, Kelly looked carefully at Ivy.

"How are you doing, now anyway?" she asked, parroting Kat's question but with a definite edge to it. It hadn't been that long since Ivy was in the hospital herself, not giving birth but as an after effect of a series of dark curses. "I haven't seen you at St. Mungo's for a while; I didn't realise they'd cleared you yet."

[Deleted]

Ivy couldn't help but poke her tongue out as she laughed, "Oh mother dearest, I don't think I'm ready for her just yet. I miss her and yet glad to be living so far away. I'm actually thankful you two went down to see her. She needed a good does of 'grandchildren,'" Ivy laughed. Hyacinth had been owling Ivy non stop since the birth of Dahlia. Whether it was giving her advice on healthy remedies for growing babies or mind strengthening exercise for Ivy (her mother was never the most shuttle person on the entire planet) or simply coming right out with 'Are you and Erik finding time to be intimate?' Ivy already was having enough of Hyacinth as it was, she didn't know what she'd do with face to face contact.

She couldn't help but beamed as she watched Kelly scoop up her little one. "I'm great," she smiled "I hate to sound like an infomercial on children but there's just no love unlike it!" Perhaps she was now only talking to Kelly because Kat knew all about the feeling, "It's something you think you can prepare yourself for but when they come its.." Ivy lost for words paused. reached out and trucked a stray hair over her ear. "It's like nothing in this world. I've never felt such love for a single person then I do for Dahlia" and it was true. She loved Erik, well she was falling back in love with Erik but other then him Ivy had always looked out for herself. "Oh you have to have one Kelly, doesn't she Kat? Wouldn't she be great as a mother?" Ivy was simply blinded to all around her and filled with an attitude of having a baby was a love that could cure cancer.

“Yeah I haven’t been back there for a while” turning to answer Kelly’s question. “I still...feel not myself but it’s hard to describe. I wasn’t myself and yet that person felt like myself at the same time if that makes sense? I can still remember bits of what I did and who I used to be, it comes in flashes..” and paused to frown down at the rug. “It’s hard to explain, I feel like I’ve been asleep and woken up still tired. And you’re filled with dreams from the night before and you can’t seem to differentiate between what was dreaming and what was real because your life before you fell asleep was all a big dream as well.” Ivy was still in counselling, another reason Kelly never saw her often. Ivy hated the hospital and found any excuse to avoid the place. “I still think Erik struggle to understand.. I hate what I did to him and the rest of you. I’m so sorry, I hope I never… ” and she pauses because the thought of finding out she had not only attacked her husband and brother but the two ladies in front of her as well.. it was too much for her to handle. Feeling herself slipping she quickly changed the convocation.

"Did you say cake?" Ivy's eyes bulged as wide as Straws. If there was thing her mother was an expert on it was baked goods. A weakness that both twins shared and would forever indulge upon till they were frail and grey. Ivy’s eyes searched for the container, she was consumed by the sudden need for cake and she was quickly drawn to feeling like a child again. “May I have some?” and at this comment if Straw had ears like a dog, Ivy was sure his just pricked up and his tail would be wagging.