A/N: Yes, there are Author's Notes. Live with it!

Just a note to you guys. Postings will, for the most part, be earlier in the day than you are used to.

The reason? My new job is a lot stricter about internet usage than my last one was. At my last job I could sit about half the day and check reviews and do whatever else I wanted on the internet.

At my new job this is frowned upon and, while not an overly punishable offense, is discouraged. So I can no longer post stories late on Sunday and happily wait until Monday morning to get on the internet at work to check my reviews. I have to either get them Sunday night or Monday night, with a whole lot of waiting inbetween.

So, read fast, review quick.

Oh, and kudo's going out to one of my reviewers. Don't know if she's still with me or not. Lotesse, back in the chapter of The Bonds That Tie that had Katlin in it, commented that perhaps Katlin's part in the story was that I was going to reform her and marry her off to Sirius. Well, I had been playing around with the idea of what to do with Katlin's character before that review came in. I liked the character and wanted to bring her into the story arc as a continuing character, but couldn't think of how. So, where as I didn't use Lotesse's suggestion entirely, I do give her credit for nudging me to be brave enough to push forward with this story idea. Thank you.

And, as always.......,

Enjoy.

Chapter One-Part B: So There I Was, Just Freezing My Astrix Off In The Snow

Orion arrived at the Department the next morning only to be called almost immediately into Bale's office.

"Well?" His superior asked as Orion stood standing before his desk. "What did you get?"

Orion dropped a piece of parchment on Bale's desk without a word.

The Department head looked it over, then looked up at his agent with a deep scowl. "What is this?" He demanded.

"It's her grandmother's favorite cake recipe." Orion replied formally.

Bale's scowl deepened. "I fail to find any humor in this, Black."

"And I don't like having my missions intruded on." Orion shot back.

Bale sat silently behind his desk for a moment staring at the man before him. "You expressed concern that the meeting might be a trap." He replied finally. "I sent back-up. I wasn't aware it would be a problem."

"You're 'back-up' is the reason you didn't get more than a cake recipe." Orion stated. "She was willing to talk....up until the others started tripping my alarms and alerted her to their presence. She thought I had betrayed the meeting and bolted."

"The others reported that they didn't find anyone at the arranged meeting place. Not even you." Bale stated slowly.

"Because I tried to track her while the spell's trail was still fresh."

"And?"

"At the other end of the apparition point she apparently used a portkey with a block on it. I couldn't trace her after that."

"Why didn't you return to the meeting sight and report?"

"Because this morning I'd have been explaining dead Aurors to you, Sir." Orion stated as he punctuated the last word. "I wasn't given any information about any back-up at all. They interrupted a very important and dangerous meeting for no reason at all that I could understand. They caused my contact to flee. They lost us a chance to establish a contact within Voldemort's ranks. And because of their interference, all you're getting out of it is a cake recipe."

Bale sat rigidly behind his desk. Orion knew he stepped too far some times. But he also knew the Department would never support Bale's probably frequent requests to get rid of him. He was simply too good at what he did. But he knew all too well he was going to pay for his outburst.

Payday came sooner than Orion expected. That evening before he left work, he was called into a staff meeting where a new mission was being discussed by Bale and three of his senior Department heads. The mission was in an area of Austria, and involved little more than playing currier. A job Bale knew all too well would grate Orion nerves to the breaking point. The job was tedious, boring, and would take about a week of standing about in the snow waiting for a contact that may or may not ever show up. But Bale had insisted on Orion's giving the contact a week's worth of time to show up.

The next morning Orion grudgingly apparated to the small town he was suppose to meet the contact in and settled into his hotel. All in all it wasn't nearly as bad as he had expected it to be. The town, while small, was really a quaint little village at the base of the mountains. The main industry seemed to be the ski lodge Orion had settled himself into. But still, a week's worth of doing nothing more than waiting was going to be a week's worth of torture for him.

Orion quickly decided that stuck in the snow without a real desire to be there was about as depressing as anything in the world could get. The lodge was filled with happy snow skiers as well as a varied assortment of snowbunnies, the majority of whom spent the day trying to catch the eye of the tall, dark haired man who spent most of his day sitting in one of the high wing-backed chairs by the fire, reading.

On the third day, bored out of his mind, Orion decided that perhaps what the trip needed was some variety. Something to simply break-up the monotony of sitting in the lobby every day while he waited for a the appointed meeting time to roll around each night when he was treated to trudging out to a site in the woods and waiting for several hours in freezing weather for no one to show up.

And so starting out the next morning, he set out for the town to do some site-seeing. He spent a good part of the day wandering through shops. But by afternoon had decided that there truly was nothing on Earth that was going to salvage his free time and Bale would get his revenge by boring him to death. And so wrapped back in his feeling of monotony, Orion headed back for the ski lodge.

Walking towards the street that would take him to the lodge lift, Orion looked up from the pavement and abruptly stopped in his tracks. Standing before him, staring wistfully into the window of a small shop, was the woman who had been occupying so much of his mental free time over the past few weeks and had treated him to one of the most erotic dreams of his life the night before.

At first Orion found he couldn't do anything but stare at her. She wasn't dressed in her robes as she stood in front of the store window. Instead she wore muggle clothing that, as it wrapped itself about her body, looked even more pleasing than he had pictured her a couple of hundred times a day. Two long, slender legs, covered in black stockings, disappeared up under a black skirt that was short enough to challenge any concept that the wearer was even remotely warm. Along with it she wore a bright green blouse that was partially covered by a heavy, black wool jacket.

Watching her for a few more moments, Orion finally managed to get his feet to move forward until he was standing next to her in front of the same window. The display was for the jewelry store inside.

"Bit cold to be dressed like that." Orion said finally, trying to think of an appropriate place to start a conversation with someone your suppose to be killing, not chatting up on the street.

"One would have thought you'd frozen completely yourself for as long as you were standing there staring at me." Katlin replied.

Orion wasn't the least bit surprised by the fact that the woman had been aware of his presence all the while he had been watching her. "Well, one doesn't often see Deatheaters in this area."

"Anymore than one sees Unspeakables."

The same uncomfortable silence fell between them again.

"So" Orion said finally, still staring in the window and having not once looked at the woman standing next to him, although his body was keenly aware of her presence, "what is it that's of such interest that you came all this way just to stand on the street and stare at it through a window?"

Katlin pulled a wool mittened hand out of her jacket pocket and pointed forlornly at a small, diamond pendant in the display.

Orion looked the piece over, then glanced at the price set in front of it. For such a small thing, he wondered, how in the name of heaven, did they come up with such a large price tag?

"It's very pretty." He said eventually, as that he could think of absolutely nothing else to say.

Katlin had gone back to staring wistfully at it. "Yes it is." She replied quietly. "And far out of my price-range."

"So, what does bring a Deatheater to Austria?" He asked.

Katlin shrugged. "Call it a vacation if you must."

"I wasn't aware Deatheaters took vacations."

"I said 'if you must'." She repeated. "And what brings you here?"

Orion turned to her for the first time, giving her a slight smile. "Call it a vacation...if you must." He replied.

Katlin sighed quietly. "Well, enjoy your 'vacation', Orion." She said and, after taking one last long look at the pendent, turned and headed off down the street.

Orion watched her for a minute, then suddenly found his feet following after her at a pace fast enough to catch up to her.

"Look," he said after they walked along for a few moments in silence, "since your here on vacation as well, why don't we at least have a pleasant day of it?"

Katlin turned sharply to him. "What?" She asked in surprise.

"Well, you're not currently here as a Deatheater. I'm not currently here as an Auror. So, what would you say to dinner?"

Katlin abruptly stopped, staring at Orion as he stood next to her with his arm out. She frowned at him at first, but then it slowly melted into a smile as she slipped her arm through his.

"All right." She agreed. "What could it hurt, I suppose."

Orion happily returned the smile as they started off down the street again. But suddenly he found himself not in nearly so much of a hurry to get back to the lodge.

As the time past by as they browsed shop windows, he couldn't remember ever enjoying being with someone more. Katlin was as intelligent as she was beautiful, and had a sharp wit that played well against his own somewhat dry sense of humor. She was also perfectly charming out of her Deatheater role, and every bit as sexy as he imagined her to be. As hard as he tried, he simply couldn't reconcile with himself what this woman was doing with Voldemort and his Deatheaters.

But whenever he asked her anything about her role with the Deatheaters, he quickly learned there were going to be rules to play by. And any questions of that nature were most definitely out of bounds. And so he quickly gave up and accepted that she wasn't going to allow him anywhere near her private life. So instead they stuck to less invasive topics of conversation. Orion was delight to soon find Katlin was absolutely nuts about Quidditch. He doubted a man in his Department could have stumped her with a single question. She was practically a walking book of facts and figures about the teams and the players. And since Orion was equally enthralled with the sport, it lent itself to being a fairly neutral ground for them to build on. As they past the small jewelry shop again, Orion noted that it was likely the third time they had gone past it, having made three complete circuits of the market area in the center of the town.

"So," Orion stated as they stopped in front of the display window again. "Have you managed to work up enough of an appetite yet for dinner?"

"Hmmmm?" Katlin replied absently. She was once again staring forlornly into the window at the small pendent.

Orion followed her stare as a sudden idea struck him.

"Suppose I buy it for you?" He asked, rocking back and forth on his heels as he continued to stare in the display window.

Katlin gave a sharp turn for the second time. "What?"

But Orion had already disappeared into the tiny jewelry shop.

Katlin stood outside, watching as the store clerk came over and removed the small pendent from the display. A few seconds later Orion stepped back outside and walked over to her, presenting her with a small, black box.

Katlin took it slowly from him with a guarded stare.

"Why?" She asked finally, all the suspicion from before coming back into her violet eyes.

"Well," Orion replied, "consider it an apology. I'm sorry for pulling your hair...when we first met."

He was rewarded with a pleasant, appreciative smile. "Well, then," She answered, "I'm apologize for kicking you...in the field."

Orion watched with a pleased smile as Katlin slipped off her mittens and took the necklace out of the box and put it on with a smile of pure pleasure. She stroked her hand over it carefully, feeling every detail in it. Slowly her eyes turned back to Orion, staring up at him from beneath her long lashes.

"You realize," she stated flatly, "that all you're going to get for this is sex?"

Orion paused for a moment, trying not to let his surprise show.

"I was just looking for dinner." He replied with a slight frown. "But if it comes to that, apparently we don't have to dicker over the price now."

"I'm no whore." Katlin snapped at the insult. "I just don't want there to be any misunderstandings."

"Well, there's already been one." Orion replied, gesturing to the pendent that hung about her perfectly shaped neck. "That was nothing more than a present."

"To a woman you just met?"

"We've met before."

"And where exactly was that fitting in, might I ask? Or are you just some nutter who likes to first bed the people you're going to kill?"

"First of all, I'm not the one who suggested that. And what exactly did you think I was going to do? Have dinner with you, have sex with you, and then kill you?"

"Were you?"

Orion was truly shocked. "No."

"Then why are you so interested in taking a Deatheater to dinner?"

"I'm not." Orion stated, pausing as he took a deep breath. "All I am looking for is to take a very beautiful woman out to dinner because otherwise I'm going to spend just one more evening bored to death."

Katlin paused, but then met his eyes with a hard stare. "You have to understand," she said quietly, "I'm suspicious by nature. That's how you stay alive." She paused as her expression softened just the slightest bit. "I thought you would have understood that."

"And some times you get tired of being suspicious of everyone." Orion replied. "All I'm asking for is dinner. Nothing past that....unless....you know....I can get you drunk and take advantage of you." He added with a sly smile.

"Oh, I don't think you'll have to get me drunk." She replied with a smile.

Orion returned the smile nervously. She was being unbelievably forward and he was getting right tired of being a gentleman about it. Especially when his body, as well as his mind, were fighting him every inch of the way.

"Let's start with dinner." He suggested, again holding his arm out to her.

Katlin paused, and then nodded as she slipped her arm through his again, her other hand coming up to her throat as it stroked her present again.

Orion found himself laying in bed the next morning, staring at the small pendent as it lay against smooth white skin, framed by long, thick strands of dark auburn hair. Slowly he rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling above him.

Could things possibly get any more complicated in his life at the moment? For weeks all he had thought about was the auburn haired woman he had met under the worst possible circumstances. Now he found himself in bed with her after a night of what had to rank as the best sex of his life. And his brain didn't seem to be able to want to think any further than the next time.

Dinner had been absolutely wonderful. As long as they never wandered into forbidden territory with the conversation, he found Katlin to be a wonderful conversationalist. Half-way through dinner he had stopped worrying about who she was or what she may have done in the past and simply gave himself over to enjoying her company. It was only for a few days, and he deserved a little recreation. Especially while he was stuck in the snow waiting for his contact.

Katlin shifted under the covers, pulling them up closer to her chin. Smiling slightly, Orion leaned over and lightly placed his lips to her's. He could feel the smile forming under his lips.

She muttered something under his lips as she finally opened to his kiss.

Orion shifted his position until he was laying over her again, holding her in a passionate embrace as he kissed her again. After several long, pleasurable minutes, he pulled back.

"Good morning?" He asked as he smiled down at her.

Two brilliant violet eyes stared up at him past a smile. "It's showing some definite promise." She replied.

"Hungry?"

"I seem to have worked up something of an appetite."

Orion rolled back over and picked up the phone. While he ordered breakfast for them, Katlin disappeared into the bathroom, only to come out a few minutes later wearing a thick bathrobe.

She walked back over to the bed and stood in front of Orion as he sat on the edge of it. A small smile crept over his face as he reached up and tugged on the sash of her robe.

"So tell me," he asked, "what is a pretty little Deatheater like you doing this far from home?"

Katlin frowned slightly as she took a step back.

"Look," she stated, "just to keep things straight and uncomplicated, I thought we had agreed to some ground rules?"

"Ground rules?"

"I won't asked you about your business and you don't ask me about mine." She said.

"I'm just here on vacation." Orion replied with an innocent smile.

"I couldn't care if you were here to assassinate the king."

"Single minded little soul, aren't you? So tell me, do you often end up sleeping with Aurors you just met?"

"One of the best ways I've found to get information."

Orion raised an eyebrow at her, earning himself a playful slap on the shoulder and a smile.

"I told you." She replied to his question. "It's just sex. Nothing more. All right? I won't even asked you any questions if it makes you feel better."

"Darn." Orion stated with a mischievous smile. "And I was so hoping you were planning on trying to torture something out of me."

"Well," she drawled out slowly as she leaned down to him, "I'm sure we could work something out."

"I'm really stubborn." Orion warned her. "Could take you the rest of the day just to get my name out of me."

Katlin frowned with a disappointed look. "I already know your name."

"I thought we could try for second names." Orion suggested.

"Ohhhh," She cooed happily, "that sounds like it could be fun."

Katlin giggled slightly as Orion pulled her back down on the bed, sure they could finish business before breakfast arrived.

Q&A

Arania: I am glad I contributed to making you happy, Arania, and by the time this story is half way done, I defy anyone to call this man gay.

You can think of a hundred things wrong with Orion's situation right now? Why not just go the easy route. Try to think of one thing RIGHT with it!

Oh, dear. Required reading is no fun.

So glad your working on being positive, Dear.

Nagini: What's up with 'The Weasel Must Die', Dear?

Now, I don't think I'm being mean. I gave you a three chapter preview. Something I swore I would never do. And you got most of the start of the story. You have an idea what it's about, and where it's going. Come on. Be nice to PAR. She's sick.

Sorry. Not first. Arania beat you to that.

I am so glad I am making people happy here.

Well, I'm afraid you're gonna have to hurt me. PAR is not getting better right off hand. And it appears the situation has deteriorated slightly as that the medicine they tried me on appears to not be working. Oh, well.

Russian is very cool, Dear. So is Japanese.

I will try to get better, Dear. Thank you.

Pyro: Ah! Another happy camper.

Family Relations is likely the second most intricate story I have ever tried to weave. The first is the one you are currently reading.

I don't try to be mean, Dear. But Family Relations was so far behind schedule, I felt the only way to make it up to you guys was to give you some previews. But after the last chapter, I would have been giving too much away if I went any further. And there was stuff coming up that would not have made any sense if you read it before this story.

Thank you, Dear. I am trying to feel better.

Sailor Sol: Well, Dear, you sort of covered all your basis with Enemies. It will pretty much go in either one of those two directions. The question is 'how far'? (You'll see what I mean later.)

Harry is definitely confused. Here he expected to be leaving the adoption agency that day happily adopted by his godparents. And instead he's being taken away from them for no given reason by a man he's only heard about.

Thank you. The new job is going very well. As for the getting better thing...., I'm trying.

Bexpotter: So glad you are enjoying the story, Dear. But the next chapter of Family Relations won't come up until this story is done. And I'm afraid that might be a while. Enemies is a bit long.

Yes, Of Western Stars is very good. I haven't been able to read that one in a while due to my somewhat busy schedule. I'll have to get back to it.

Silverfox: Oh, yes. PAR definitely likes her new job.

The majority of the tests are not bad. But there are a few I am not looking forward to.

About your comment on Charlie, Dear? You said it, not me. Just remember that.

I think Voldemort's cookie price involve something about signing a service contract of some sort.

I agree with you. I always thought summaries were to get people to read your story. Reviews to me are just sort of an extra bonus from kind, considerate, decent, moral, upstanding, thoughtful, understanding, selfless, caring, compassionate, concerned, loving, perceptive, appreciative, supportive readers.

Indeed, if nobody reads, you get darned few reviews.

Semmel: It seemed like years to PAR to, Dear.

I really am starting to feel like the proverbial Blue Bird of Happiness here. I'm making an awful lot of people happy. So glad that I saved your day from being completely awful, Dear.

Eva Phoenix Potter: Well, thankfully, the updates are not much of a strain right now because I have the majority of this story done. But thank you for your concern.

Future wife? Now if I answered that, where's the point in finishing the story. And you might just be surprised where this story goes.

The situation is definitely not to anyone's liking right now.

Hitting Orion will only get his attention, Dear. And trust me, you don't want to do that.

UnrepentatenReader: Repent! Repent! Repent!

Sorry. I'm just in that kind of a mood today.

Well, Dear, thank you. PAR likes her job very much, the tests aren't too bad, but as for getting better.....well....., that one's still up for grabs.

Let me tell you something! You want a challenge? Take a character like this and make him LIKABLE!!!!!! THAT, people, takes work.

But I am glad you like him. Orion does have his good points. His problem is he can't seem to ever get out of 'work mode'. And he is going to face some very hard times ahead because of that. But on the plus side, he's very dedicated to his job.

O.K., your next comment I really liked. I never looked at the story that way, but yeah, it spends a lot of time in that Pheromone cloud, Dear. And that is basically what you have going on here right now. It's when the cloud starts to clear and you see things in the light of day that you start to have trouble.

Actually, Orion and Katlin spend a remarkable amount of time talking.

The 'kneeing' comment is one of my favorites also. But Charly and Orion to me are just an endless source of sarcastic dialogue with each other. Think of it as trying to carry on a conversation with yourself. That's how well these two know each other. As I mentioned before about them, they make James and Sirius look like a casual acquaintance.

No need to blush, Dear. They are extremely attractive. It's part of what helps them in their work. Someone commented that Katlin uses her sex and her looks to her advantage. Well, quite frankly, so do Charly and Orion. You use what works for you.

Yes, yes, I know about the 'Males in Fanfiction' rule. Page 653, paragraph 9.

Good for you, Dear. No, Orion does not hate his brother. And he is not doing this for a lark. And Orion's reason for not talking to Sirius before taking Harry wasn't without reason either. 'Forewarned is forearmed', after all. And he didn't want Sirius to have time to think about things. More or less, it was an ambush.

You've got several chapters to go before you find out the real reason. And trust me, it's worth the wait.

Unfortunately, Harry is going to be far to busy to behave in a horrible way. He is, after all, going to be living with the top ranked Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries. Can you 'not a party'?

But he still manages to get into trouble. Not hard to do when your uncle makes the Headmistress at a girl's school look like a party-animal.

I love that quote!

You mean it's not spelled 'plz'? But I guess you really do need to buy a vowel for that word.

Skahducky: Am I going to explain why Sirius and Orion don't get along in Family Life's sequel? Oh, yes, Dear. In several varied and drawn out ways. And quite early in the story. The main one isn't going to win him any fans, either.

I'm glad you like the story, Dear. And I am trying to get better. Thank you.

I update as quickly as I can. Usually I try for at least once a week.

purple water: Orion is a man, Dear, in the presence of a very attractive woman. He's not exactly thinking with the big head.

Hypothesis'! Oh goody!

Man, these are hard to answer based on how complicated this story is.

First off, as you now know, no, they were not Deatheaters.

Next, it couldn't have been part of Katlin's devious plan, as that they were not her people.

Does she have a devious plan? That remains to be seem.

The real reason for the meeting? As stated. She wanted to know why he didn't kill her when he had the chance and why, in the end, he saved her life. All part of a plan? Maybe.

On Katlin's characterization? Yes, Katlin is the consummate Deatheater. She is loyal, dependable, and utterly ruthless. She cares about little else than the cause she is fighting for. Using her sex? You bet. Is Orion thinking slightly lower than his brain? Yup.

Oh, this definitely comes down to who can get what out of this. Believe me, everyone's checking their score card on that one.

No, the code name has little to do with anything. It's just an Unspeakable thing.

Katlin had never heard his code name before. At least not associated with him directly.

Why she didn't kill him? That darned pheromone cloud was disrupting her view.

Well, I hope she remains a convincing Deatheater here. That's quite a compliment coming from one of my tougher critics.

Actually, writing in real time is quite difficult. And not my favorite thing to do. But thank you for the compliment.

You're welcome for the new story/chapter, Dear.

nessie: I wondered if anyone else latched on to early in the chapter who the woman was. But congratulations on that, Dear.

I know you all are tired of hearing it, but Orion had a GOOD reason to do what he did. Not just being mean.

Orion does have children, Dear. Five of them. Just not yet.

As always, sorry if I missed anyone. All reviews are as of 04062003.