Mommy & Mattyson Plus Two

[Katalina Harker]

It was a beautiful Summer afternoon in New Zealand. Chace was at work and so Kat decided to get herself and her daughter ready and head out for a little mommy and Mattyson time in the park. Making sure she had everything packed in the diaper bag the young brunette swaddled up her little bundle of joy and set off in the direction of Brightstone Village...more specifically the park.

The sun was beating down, covering the earth in warmth. It was a perfect day! Katalina looked lovingly at her small little miracle, the baby that they were never supposed to be able to have, and she smiled. "Does Matty like her days out with mommy? Does she? Mommy certainly loves her days with the most beautiful baby girl in the world," Kat cooed at her child, nothing but love in her eyes. The former Gryffindor thought about how truly blessed she was. She had had a wonderful career doing something that she'd loved, she married that man that she'd loved since she'd been fifteen years old, and now they had a wonderful little girl whom they both adored greatly. It had been a bit of a surprise at how well Chace had adjusted to becoming a father. For someone who had never been the bravest or most outgoing person he'd grown to be the most amazing father to Mattyson. He protected her and loved her and for that Kat loved him even more.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

“Park!” Noah squealed as mother and son strolled down the streets of Brightstone Village towards the park. Cyndi had managed to sneak away from her job for a few hours and she’d decided to pick Noah up early from the daycare where he spent his days. She missed her baby boy and her bigger boy too, but she’d have to wait until the evening to spend time with him. Cyndi allowed her son to tug her closer to the park, laughing at his excitement. It was a shame that she hadn’t stopped at the house first to pick up the puppy that Cam and Cyndi had bought for Noah’s birthday just the month before.

Breaking from his mother as soon as they passed through the park gates, the little boy hopped like a bunny until he reached the playground. He climbed up a set of steps slowly, his hand on the railing until he reached the slide at the top. “Mommy watch!” Noah yelled as he sat down and slid to the bottom. Cyndi was at the bottom waiting and snatched her boy up, lifting him up and giving him a kiss as she did. “Wow…that was great, Noah” she grinned. The boy’s giggle was music to her ears and the two spent a few moments repeating the process. Slide, lift, kiss. Slide, lift, kiss.

Eventually, the boy’s attention wandered to two little boys who were playing on another slide. Cyndi gave him a little nudge, and he was off to join the others, quickly making ‘friends’ with the boys who had been strangers just moments before. With a smile, the woman glanced around the park at the other people. Parents and nannies sat on the benches, leaned against walls and waited to assist their children. Her eyes fell on a woman who was looking into a baby carriage. Something about the brunette looked very familiar. Just as she was about to head over, Noah ran back up to her. “Mommy, can I play with Alex over there?” He pointed in the direction of the sandbox which was on the other end of the park. “Sure, Noah.” Cyndi watched him run off, marveling at how much he’d grown. With a contented sigh, she began to head to that side of the park.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Katalina beamed from ear to ear as her daughter smiled up at her. She knew it was probably gas or she was making a little surprise in her diaper, but it was still a smile nonetheless. She looked around at the other children and thought that it wouldn't be long and her sweet little bundle of joy would be one of these kids yelling and laughing and scraping their knees, but for now she was just enjoying the time she had with Mattyson.

The brunette heard a little boy talking to his mother and then she heard the reply from the woman. The voice was a familiar one, but one that she'd not heard in quite a while. Looking up her blue eyes landed on her big 'sister', Cyndi. The former Gryffindor's spirits were even better as she made sure her daughter was tucked safely in the carriage and rolled over in the direction that her dear friend and son had gone off to. "Excuse me Professor Weasley, oops, I mean Kingsley," she said as she walked past the woman, brushing up against her a little rougher than necessary as she cracked a big toothy grin.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Following in his wake, Cyndi was contemplating what she should make for dinner. She had already sent a note to Cameron to let him know that she had picked up Noah. The last thing she wanted was to worry her husband should he have shown up to get their son. Her dear husband was dealing with enough at the moment, performing his duties as the Head of the Unspeakables and helping to make sure Kiera and the twins were doing ok. She didn’t want to bring him any more stress, which was part of the reason that she had decided to head home for the day. The professor worried about her husband and how hard he worked. She hoped that a good home-cooked meal and a nice massage would help him relax, if only for an evening. As she finally decided on a meal, the woman felt someone brush up against her. Had the person not called her by name, she would have been much more upset by the intrusion into her space. As it was, she still turned her head sharply, her mouth forming a smile as she came face to face with Kat.

Cyndi shook her head and grinned as she held her arms open to give her friend a hug. She was surprised that she hadn’t recognized the voice, but she’d been pretty lost in thought so it wasn’t too hard to believe. It had been far, far too long since they had seen each other last. The evidence of that was sitting right in front of Katalina, in a carriage, swathed in a blanket. The last time Cyndi had seen Kat, it had been a bit more difficult to hug her. Today, it was easy and she gave her friend a good squeeze. “10 points from Gryffindor, Mrs. Harker” she chuckled as she released her friend and peered into the baby carriage. “She is even cuter in person” Cyndi cooed. Standing up a little straighter, Cyndi couldn't keep a grin off of her face if she tried. Kat looked great and so did the baby. "Motherhood suits you, Kat. You look amazing. How have you been? " she nodded.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat embraced her dear friend tightly. Throw in Kiera and the twins and And... Kat didn't let herself even finish that thought. It was too hard to bare for her and the mention of it would only make it hard for Cyndi as well. "Eh, ten points? I think we both know that I'm capable of far worse damage than ten measly points," the former Gryffindor said laughing at her comment. At Cyndi's next comment she beamed. Kat of course had sent pictures of Matty to her friends, but none of them had yet seen her in person. "Thank you. She's not the least bit spoiled you know. Merlin help me if she's anything like me. I wonder if what they say about Karma is true? If so, then I'm so screwed," she said half-seriously. Motherhood looks good on me she thought with a serene smile. "I'm thoroughly enjoying motherhood. And we're finally sleeping through the night. Aren't we? Yes we are," she cooed at her daughter, who cackled in response, "And Chace Harker is doing surprisingly well with the whole daddy thing." She looked over at Noah and shook her head. "I can't believe how big he is. Are we really getting that old," the brunette asked her friend with a chuckle. "How have you been? How's Cameron? And Kiera? I haven't heard from her in several months," she asked, feeling very guilty for not having done a better job keeping in touch.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

"Right you are, Kat" she said with a loud laugh. The woman smiled as she listened to her former roommate speak about her daughter. She shook her head, a giggle escaping her. "Merlin help you? Merlin help poor Chace", she teased her friend. Cyndi had spent many years around Kat and she knew that she could be difficult at times. They all could be, but somehow they had all managed to get along extremely well with each other. The Gryffindor couldn't help but glancing over at Mattyson. She was just so beautiful, and it was easy to pick out which features she had from her mother and which ones she had from her father.

As Kat looked to Noah, Cyndi did too. The boy was busy with his new mates, working with them to fill up a pail with sand. Mrs. Kingsley knew that she would have a sand monster on her hands in a few moments. She smiled and shook her head, "Ugh...don't remind me. I'm almost thirty!" The professor didn't mind her age most of the time. In fact, she hardly thought about it until her birthday was nearing. "Cameron and I are doing well. He's busy at work, as usual" Cyndi said with a good-natured eye roll. She had grown used to her husband's late nights, but that didn't mean she liked it. With a sigh, she continued. "Kiera...she's managing" Cyndi frowned, thinking of the note she'd sent to Kiera the night before. She hoped there would be a reply waiting for her when she got home. She'd been trying to make herself more available to Kiera, knowing how difficult things had to be for her at the moment. Pregnant, managing the twins and dealing with her husband's disappearance was too much for one person to handle alone. "She'd love to hear from you. Do you know how to use a telephone?" she asked, pronouncing the muggle word slowly. Cameron and the Kingsleys had taught her how to use one so she could keep in touch with Kiera easily.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Merlin help poor Chace? Really," she said in mock shocked tone before her lips curled into her sneaky 'Kat' look, "Darn right poor Chace. He'll be lucky if he doesn't have a heart attack before the age of fifty." She clapped a hand over her mouth as she cackled thinking about it. Kat watched as Cyndi gazed at her daughter and smiled. Looking at Mattyson you could tell that the blue eyes she'd gotten from Kat and the sandy blonde hair she'd gotten from Chace. If only she gets my love of flying then we'll be okay she thought with a smirk.

"Thirty? Goodness...should you start thinking about retirement," she joked as she nudged her dear friend. "Though honestly I don't think we look much older than we did when we were still in school. And really some days I don't act any older either," she said laughing lightly. The brunette listened as Cyndi said that she and Cameron were doing well, but he was always busy with work. She couldn't imagine being married to someone who had to work as much as Cameron Kingsley did and she was glad that her own husband got to be at home quite often with her and the baby. Kat's ears perked when she said that Kiera was 'managing'. What did that mean? Nodding slightly she replied, "Yes ma'am. Perks of having a mother who's muggle born. That's how we keep in touch with our non-magical family." Thinking for a moment she asked hesitantly, "What's wrong with Kiera?" Kat was almost afraid to ask. It seemed that ever since Kiera had gotten married to James Potter that nothing, but some form of bad luck had followed her friend and after having lost Andy she really always carried the fear that she'd lose either Kiera or Cyndi as well.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi could only shake her head at her friend. This was the Kat she knew and loved, and it was great to stand and laugh with her for a few moments. It was true. Neither woman looked like her age, but now that they were walking around with babies, it was easier for people to guess that they were older than they appeared. With a snort, Cyndi replied, “Some days?” Her eyebrow rose at her friend, a smirk across her lips. With a nod, Cyndi was glad that Kat knew how to use telephones. If she had been forced to explain, it likely would have taken a while. It was pretty funny too because Cyndi’s mother was a muggle, but she hadn’t ever really shown her children how to use a phone. She’d mostly just held the phone out to them so they could speak to their grandmother and grandfather every once in a while. It was no education at all.

After hearing Kat’s question, Cyndi sighed. She had been afraid that Kiera hadn’t told her, and now she would have to because she’d gone and mentioned it. Glancing around the park, Cyndi spotted an empty bench that was close enough that she could keep an eye on Noah but far enough that they wouldn’t be overheard easily. “We should sit. This’ll take a while” Cyndi muttered, gesturing to the bench. Noah looked up to see where his momma was off to, but as soon as she waved to him, he returned to his game. Taking a seat, Cyndi spoke. “You know Kiera’s pregnant again, right? She’s actually due in a couple of months” Cyndi said, the ghost of a smile crossing her face. What should have been such a happy time for her sister-in-law was anything but. The baby was thriving though, so that was great and Cyndi couldn’t wait to meet her new niece or nephew. She hoped that the arrival of the new baby would help Kiera. “The baby is doing well and so are the twins, but…Kiera isn’t doing so well.” Cyndi turned to her friend, her voice going down to a whisper. “The news hasn’t gotten a hold of the information yet, but James is missing. We’ve been looking for him since the holidays but…nothing. Not a single damn thing. ” Cyndi’s brown eyes misted over as she recalled the night that Kiera had come to her and Cam’s home distraught. It had been heartbreaking. Covering all of this up was no easy task, especially for Kiera. The woman sighed, her attention drifting back to Kat’s baby. She desperately hoped that James would turn up in time for his baby’s birth. She knew how great that would be for Kiera. “You haven’t heard from him, have you?” she asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes at the thought that either Kat or Chace might have seen him recently. This could be the sort of break that everyone was looking for.