Back at the House

[Remus Lupin]

"Hey, Chloe," Remus said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Um, me and Kris were just wondering if we could borrow some parchment and a quill. Well, not really borrow, cause we wouldn't be able to give it back... Er, the parchment, that is. We could give you the quill back. So, uh, could we? And is there still any breakfast left?"

[Chloe Owen]

Chloe gave Remus a smile. "You know you don't have to ask. You can just grab it whenever you need it." She walked over to a small table in the living room and opened the drawer, then pulled out a piece of parchment and quill. "Now you know where it is. Of course there's some breakfast left. Want me to fix your plate real quick?"

[Remus Lupin]

Remus smiled at Chole. "Thanks," he said. He took the parchment and quill, then turned to Kris, only to realize that she wasn't there. "Kris?" he xalled. "Where'd you go?"

[Kris Lupin]

Kris slowly walked into the room. "Sorry, I was thinking about what to write." She smiled slightly.

[Chloe Owen]

Chloe smiled at Kris and Remus. "Both of your plates will be sat on the table and ready in a few minutes," she said and disappeared into the kitchen where everyone else was. Chloe fixed both of their plates and sat them down on the table. She left the kitchen and headed outside to the garden, to check to see if anything was ready to pick.

[Remus Lupin]

"Thanks, Chloe," Remus said, smiling at her. He turned to Kris. "I was afraid you'd tried to run off to Dad's. I'm glad you didn't." He handed her the parchment and quill. "These are for you. We could go work on the letter in the living room. Although, if you don't mind, I'm kind of hungry. You should eat, too. The day after a full moon, you really need to eat to keep up your strength or you could pass out."

[Kris Lupin]

Kris smiled and shook her head. "No, I wouldn't want you to worry." Though she had thought about it. "We can wait until after we eat to work on the letter."

[Remus Lupin]

Remus smiled. "OK, cool," he said. He reached over and squeezed her hand. "It's going to be OK, you'll see. Whatever Dad says... I know it seems important right now, but it's really not. What matters is that we're together now and we're with people who care about us."

[Kris Lupin]

Kris sighed. "You know, you make me feel like the little sister." She told him quietly.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus gasped. "Well... I don't mean to," he said. "It's just that... as far as being a werewolf, you kind of are younger than me. I was 5 when I was bitten. You remember. I've been a werewolf much longer than you... longer even than half of the members of the pack. I know more about it than you do, and I want to help you learn how to deal with... what we are. And I had all that time with Dad, too, so I know... or thought I knew him better, too. Maybe I was wrong... but the thing is... I hate to see you torturing yourself over what Dad did. It wasn't your fault. Even if he did ditch you because you didn't protect me, that's Dad's problem, not yours. He was wrong. But there's nothing wrong with you."

[Kris Lupin]

Kris shrugged then mumbled something about going outside then left the room. When she went through the kitchen she got her plate and fork then went outside. She needed to think things over so she hoped she wasn't bothered.

[Remus Lupin]

Remus watched her go, a worried frown creasing his face. He didn't quite know why he was suddenly acting like he was the older brother. But she seemed lost somehow, like she needed support or guidance. And he just wanted to help her. But was he making it worse? He sighed as he went and fixed his plate, then sat down at the table with Karl and a girl he didn't recognize. He began to eat quietly, trying to think about what to do.

[Karl]

Karl looked at Remus. He seemed to be upset about something. Normally, Karl wasn't one to talk about personal things, but he felt like he should try. "Hey, Remus," he said in his gruff voice. "Everything OK? You look a little down."

[Remus Lupin]

Remus glanced up at Karl and shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing... it's just Kris. She said I make her feel like the younger sister, and not the older sister. She keeps insisting on finding out the real reason Dad sent her away. I keep telling her that she shouldn't keep worriying about it and doubting herself.. but she's not listening to me."

[Karl]

"She may be older in human years, but in wolf years, you're older," Karl said. "But sometimes, new pups can be really moody and emotional. They feel everything stronger, you know? I think maybe that's what's happening with Kris. You should try to let her know that you're there for her, but try not to be pushy. She'll figure things out."

[Remus Lupin]

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Remus said. "Thanks, Karl." He finished his breakfast and put his dish in the sink. He glanced again at the unfamiliar girl sitting across from Karl, but didn't say anything. He was feeling really tired and wanted to lie down.

[Kris Lupin]

Kris walked inside and put her dishes in the sink, then she got the parchment and quill Remus had before then went back outside. She sat on the ground and with a glance at the door she started writing;

Dad, I need to talk to you, it might not be important to anyone else but it is to me. I need to talk to someone about how I feel in my mind, you're the only one I know who wont make me feel stupid about it.

Kris

She rolled up the parchment then walked back in. "Remus, could you sent this to Dad for me?"

[Remus Lupin]

Remus raised his head from the table, where he had dozed off. Karl and Skye and the girl were gone. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked at Kris, then at the parchment in her hands. Slowly he nodded. "Yeah, of course," he said. "I think Chloe keeps a few owls out in the little porch area around the side of the house." He stood up and stretched his back, which was bent strangely from sleeping slumped over the table. He made sure not to say anything about why she needed to do this so much; he didn't want her to think he was judging her. The truth was, there were still a lot of questions he had for his father, too, but he was still too angry to lsten. He took her hand and walked through the house and over to a door in the back of the laundry area. He glanced over his shoulder at Kris. "Are you still mad at me?" he asked.

[Kris Lupin]

Kris looked at the floor and shook her head. She hadn't really been mad at him, she just felt that everyone was against her.

[Remus Lupin]

"OK," Remus said. He didn't say anything for a few minutes as he headed toward the open porch where the owls were kept. He found one perched on a potted plant and picked it up, then attached the letter to its leg. "Here, do you want to release the owl?" he asked her, holding the bird out to her.