Keeper of the Stars

"Dad! You're home!"

"Hey!" Sirius cried cheerfully. He tousled his son's dark hair. "You been good today?"

"Uh-huh." Young Kalb gave his father a grin. "Gemma and Maia were good too."

"That's good." Sirius followed his son into the house.

A little girl with ruddy curls came running out and threw up her arms for a hug. "Daddy!"

"Hey, princess!" Sirius scooped her up and tossed her into the air, then caught her. The girl squealed. "Is Maia in the kitchen, Gemma?"

Gemma nodded. "She and Mama are making dinner."

Sirius put Gemma down, then entered the kitchen. He patted Maia's head as he passed her, then kissed his wife on the cheek. "Hello, dear."

Tay turned around and smiled at him, then kissed him back. "Welcome home, honey. Kids, go wash up," she added to the trio. "It's almost dinnertime."

Kalb--who reminded Sirius a little painfully of Regulus, which was why the boy had wound up with his name--shooed Gemma out of the kitchen and towards the bathroom, then took fair-haired Maia by the hand and led her down the hall to wash up. Sirius smiled a little wistfully at them. They'd like England, he thought as he often did in the evenings. Then he revised his thoughts. They will like England.

"Tay?" Sirius ventured, reaching out of instinct for the plates. "I...how would you like to go to England?"

Tay turned quickly, a pot of Alfredo sauce in her hand. "When?" she asked guardedly.

"As soon as I can get tickets. Probably within the next week."

A light came into Tay's light brown eyes. "You got time off? You haven't had a vacation in years!"

Sirius sighed. "Plenty of time off. In fact, I got fired."

"Fired?" Tay set down her pot in horror. "Oh, no, Sirius...what happened now?"

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "Oh...the boss made some snide comment about 'pure-blood supremacy' that got my blood boiling. I hate those pureblood snobs who think they're better than anyone with less than perfect blood."

"Sirius," Tay said warningly. "Need I remind you that my whole family were those 'snobs' you mentioned?"

"So was my family," Sirius said tiredly. "I'm not saying anything about your family, I'm just saying I hate having to listen to that. My best friend is--was--a half-blood."

"Was?" Tay queried. "Are you not friends anymore?"

"I don't know," Sirius confessed. "Tay, I haven't been in England for eleven, twelve years. I don't know if he's even still alive anymore."

"Oh, yeah." Tay put the pot on the table and reached for the pasta.

Sirius collapsed in his chair and resumed his story. "Moreover, another one of my best friends married a Muggle-born witch...and I knew a very capable one, my godson's best friend...there wasn't a spell she couldn't perform. Anyway, so I stuck up for them...my boss didn't like that. Said to take it back if I valued my job. I told him I valued the truth more than my job, so he gave me the boot."

Tay sighed. "Well...can we afford a trip with you out of a job?"

Sirius hesitated, stuck his head in the hallway to make sure the kids weren't coming, then dropped his voice. "I wasn't exactly planning on making this a trip."

Tay dropped the breadbasket in shock. "You...you want to...to move?" she stammered. "You're not serious."

"That's what it says on my birth certificate, providing dear Mum never burnt it," Sirius said with a grin. "Joking aside, Tay, the kids would love England. And it isn't like we have any ties here anymore."

"True..." Tay said slowly.

Sirius could see he was weakening. Casually, he added, "And besides, we're living in company housing. Since I no longer work for the company, they'll be taking back the house soon."

Tay swallowed, then smiled. "Guess I should tell the kids to get packing then."