AN INTERRUPTED DINNER

by Ev and Donna

Connor was sitting in the living room reading when Rayden and Katherine came down the stairs. The two of the them seemed to be holding a wordless conversation between them. Upon seeing Connor, Katherine smiled and ran over to him giving him a big hug.

Rayden grinned at Connor. "You see? I'm not forgetting about the dinner. I'm going home now to get ready for it. Ev will be wondering where I am. I'll see you soon." He disappeared in a shimmer of electricity.

Connor chuckled, pulling her into his arms. "I take it the two of you had fun. His idea or yours?" Katherine poked him in the ribs. "Both of ours, silly. But really, he came over because he could feel I was nervous about being along in the house."

Connor looked at her appraisingly. "I'm glad. Feeling better?" Katherine grinned at him. "Let me show you just how much better I'm feeling." And she did.

Ev glanced at the clock. She knew where Rayden was and had a pretty good idea of what he was up to, but there was quite a bit to do to get ready for the dinner and she was starting to get impatient. She sighed. The new guys had checked in at the office earlier that day and were now getting a tour of the house with Jeremy. There was one who hadn't bothered to check in. She picked up the phone and called the police station.

Mullard answered the phone. " 'ello, SIMS City police, can I help you?"

"Hi, Mullard! This is Ev. I need to speak to John Prudhomme. Is he there?"

Mullard chuckled. "Yes, chere. I think Ross will be glad to have him out of here tonight. Just a moment." Ev grinned as she waited.

Finally, another CLim voice came on the line. "Yes?" "John? This is Ev. I'm the head of CLim affairs. You were supposed to check in with me when you got here, you know"

"Why?"

"John, its just the way things are done here. I want you to come over to my house tonight. There are some people I'd like to introduce you to and I'd like to meet you in person, myself."

She could hear him make a little impatient noise, but he said. "Where? What time?" "Just ask Mullard, he used to live here. In an hour. No later." She chuckled. "Try not to think of it as a chore, but as an opportunity."

"Right." He sighed and hung up the phone. Rayden chose that moment to reappear at home

. "Hi! Miss me?" He took her into his arms and gave her a quick hug. Somehow, everything finally was made ready for dinner, in spite of Ev fuming over John and the babies deciding to be fed and changed.

In the meantime, Connor and Katherine were getting ready while John played with little Kiara. Sarah Jo and Gus were going to watch her and the twins while they ate dinner. When all was ready, they gathered up what was needed for the baby and walked over to the neighboring house, which from the outside, looked just like all the other condo's on the street.

Finally, Ev and Rayden had the new CLims all assembled and calmed. They were all still a bit uneasy with the idea of sharing a face with so many others. Jimi Dini was really looking forward to working on the holodeck, though. Vincent, looking very sexy in his Armani suit would be working with him, mainly because he smoked like a chimney and Jimi didn't mind. Franck didn't have a job lined up yet, but Ev was going to work on that with him. Michele was hoping to work at the travel agency. He used to have one of his own. John Prudhomme was a little bit quiet, but at least he was finally done fussing. The castle fascinated him.

Finally, the doorbell rang. Jeremy went to answer it. Outside was Connor, Katherine and John. John was still holding Kiara, and was amusing the baby by making little ape noises at her. Katherine threw her arms around Jeremy's neck. "Hello, sweetie!" Jeremy blushed a little and then led them into the living room.

There were five CLims there who all were obviously new. They seemed very uneasy. Ev introduced them all to Connor, Katherine, and John Clayton. She couldn't help but giggle. "Now we have three Clims named John. We'll have to stop and figure out who we're talking about."

"We might have to go mostly by our last names" John Clayton suggested. John Prudhomme seemed on the verge of saying something, but Rayden frowned at him and he subsided. He had never met a god before and he wasn't sure how to deal with him. He contented himself with a shrug.

Michele couldn't take his eyes off all the women in the room. He didn't seem to be able to decide who to look at. Then Jathelle and Theron came in from the garden and his gaze settled on Jathelle. Jimi and Franck were talking quietly, but kept an eye on all the ladies. Vincent was watching Katherine, but was quiet. Ev grinned at them all and finally announced, "Ok, you guys are going to go eat at Joe's and you can get to meet some of the people in town there.

Jathelle and Theron are going with you, and Jeremy and John Clayton. Oh! Johnny, Gus and Sarah Jo are upstairs in the nursery with the twins. You can take Kiara up there." Before the new guys were ushered out, she made a point of brushing against John Prudhomme and whispering in his ear, "Come see me after you get out of work tomorrow night."

That made Katherine chuckle slightly, and as Prudhomme walked past her, she said something in the Cajun dialect to him that caused him to raise his eyebrow and shake his head. He turned back and looked at Ev oddly, then chuckled that odd laugh all the CLims had.

Ev giggled and as soon as he was out the door she had to ask, "What did you say to him?"

Rayden just laughed softly at Ev, then he exchanged a look with Connor. "She's in heat."

"Oh, I just told him you were a very special lady," Katherine said with a grin.

"But it was the way she said it that made a big difference," Connor said with a smug look on his face.

"I'm sure it was!" Ev giggled. "What do you think of the new guys? I think Michele is going to stay here for a bit, but I don't know about the rest of them. Looks like our new detective might be a handful."

Rayden rolled his eyes and grinned at her. "You love the challenge." Connor and Katherine laughed along with him as they all went into the large dinning room together. When Katherine spotted a lovely fruit tray in the middle of the table, she licked her lips. "Looks yummy!"

Rayden grinned. "I had a feeling you might like this. Almost as much as....... Well, maybe not that much." His eyes danced with mischief.

Ev picked up on his thought. "Tonight, in the jacuzzi, don't be late!" She whispered. "Ready for the main course? I had a craving for Shepard's Pie tonight. Is that ok?"

"Sounds great!" both Connor and Katherine said in unison, making them all laugh. Then the four of them sat down to eat, chatting away and teasing each other without mercy as only people who are truly comfortable with each other can do. Ev was pestering Rayden, trying to think of an ice cream flavor he couldn't do and playing footsie with him under the table.

"I know. I bet Connor would like haggis ice cream. Wouldn't you?" She giggled at the expression on Connor's face. Before Connor could think of a suitable retort, Sarah Jo rushed into the room, slipping her nurse's tunic on over her shirt as she came. "Gotta run, just got paged. They need me down at the clinic for something. Rayden, sweet cakes, would you be mindin' givin' me a boost down the road a bit?"

"Of course! Is someone hurt?" He hadn't sensed anything. It bothered him that things happened here that he didn't know about sometimes. He just didn't have a close enough connection with everyone in town. "Never mind. You're in a hurry." He sent her by his special "short cut" to the clinic.

"I wonder what happened." Ev was worried. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Connor glanced over at Katherine, who was sitting frozen in place, all color drained from her face. "Kat, are you ok?" he asked quietly, resting his hand on hers, which was still holding a forkful of food.

Rayden reached out to Kat with his mind with the gentlest of touches. He saw what was bothering her. "They'll probably want you to help her, won't they? Should I get the cabin ready?" He asked quietly. "Yes please," she said in a somber voice. Then she returned back to eating. Rayden sat quietly and let his eyes focus on something off in the distance.

Ev exchanged looks with Connor and sighed. She absentmindedly reached for a strawberry from the platter in the middle of the table and snuggled against Rayden, waiting to learn what was going on. Connor looked intently at Katherine, trying to figure out what was going on in her head. Then he figured it out. "It has something to do with that dream you had Sunday night, doesn't it?"

Katherine nodded her head sadly. "I knew there was a problem. I tried to tell Giles, but he must not have believed me."

"What is it?" Ev couldn't imagine what had Katherine so upset. Rayden was still "elsewhere" and not likely to be answering questions for a few minutes anyway. "If its something that happened on Sunday, why haven't we heard about it?"

Connor glanced up at Ev, concern in his eyes. "It's Lady, Ev. Kat had a feeling something terrible had happened to her that night. But apparently Lady had convinced Giles nothing was wrong."

"I hope she's going to be all right." Ev sighed. Finally Rayden's eyes focused again and he was back. He sighed and drew Ev to him for a reassuring hug. "The cabin is ready. She's very upset. I wish there was more I could do to help, but she won't want any man near her for a while." He looked into Kat's eyes. "She needs you."

Katherine sighed, lost in thought, a single tear running down her face. But then before there eyes, she seemed to change. Drawing upon her inner strength, she straightened up and her eyes shone brightly. "And I will help her," she said, the calm quiet authority of generations of royal blood apparent in her manner.

Rayden reached across the table and took her hand to give it a squeeze. "Just let me know if there is anything else at all that I can do to help."

"Whatever I can do, just let me know. Maybe Jathelle could help, too." Ev suggested.

"And I too, milady," Connor said quietly, recognizing the mode Katherine was in now. He was concerned, but at the same time proud of her, that despite or even because of all the horrible things that she had gone through during her life, she was able to help others going through a similar hell. Katherine glanced up at Rayden, "Can I have some of that ice cream now? I would really like some to cool my throat right now. It will be a little while before they call me."

"Certainly. Any flavor but haggis." He smiled gently. They all ate the ice cream, the conversation greatly subdued. The three of them supported Katherine with their love for what they knew would not be an easy time for her coming up.