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Too Late by fortheloveoftoast
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Too Late

fortheloveoftoast

A/N: There are so many things that I wish I could change about this fic, looking back but I guess all I can say is that I enjoyed writing it and that is about all that matters to me right now. Just to let you know, Hermione doesn't technically do anything. I mean, she obviously knows that Harry and Bridget are married and she isn't going to come between that. Hate Harry, please. Thanks. Now, please enjoy.

Oh, and if you have any questions do ask in your review and I will be very happy to answer it in my next author's note at the beginning of the next chapter. I might even reply to the review itself but since I am extremely lazy… Hey, does anyone want me to post my new fic? I just might.

Chapter 12

It was Saturday morning and Bridget woke up and found herself clutching her mother's hand, hunched over with her head resting on the bed. She straightened up and carefully let go of Caitlyn's hand. Her mother looked much the same as she had yesterday and for some reason it hurt Bridget more to not see any change good or bad because that would mean that at least something was happening.

She stretched out and looked around the room. Anabella was sprawled on the ground by Caitlyn's bed and her father was curled up in a little ball on a chair in the corner. The machines that surrounded Caitlyn's bed were buzzing softly. Bridget had been with her mother all day on Friday and already she couldn't wait for her husband and daughter to come and get her mind off of everything.

Fortunately she didn't have to wait long. Soon enough Anabella and Remus woke and not too long after that she heard footsteps coming fast down the hall, outside to the room and suddenly the door flew open and Kate threw herself into her mother's arms.

"MOM! Keep them away from me! They are trying to catch me!"

Looking over Kate's shoulder Bridget could see the receptionist she had met earlier the other day, and others coming down the hall.

"They wouldn't let us come in but I told them to get out of my way and I ran up here. I couldn't wait to see you so I had to come up right now. But they chased me, I mean rules are meant to be broken or else life would be really, really boring." She pouted and then dropped to the ground, turning to greet Harry and Hermione who had just walked into the room. "Finally," she said, giving them a sunny grin. "You were taking forever!" And with the same abruptness as before she turned on her heel and walked over to Caitlyn's bed.

"So Hermione I guess you decided to come."

"Yes I felt that would love to meet your mother. Even though I haven't heard much of her, if she raised such a wonderful woman as you I have faith that she is perfectly amazing herself."

"Well I am glad that you care enough to come and visit her, I am sure that she will be most delighted to meet you. I am sure I have told her about you once or twice, I had heard a lot from Harry and my mother and I share almost everything with each other."

While the ladies were talking Harry went over to the corner where Anabella was puttering around, checking machines and preparing medicines and such; Remus was asking her question after question while she struggled to answer them as truthfully as possible without getting him worried.

"Hey you guys. How is everything?"

They both turned to him, he took in their pale and weary faces and the dark shadows under their eyes. "Hi Harry," Remus said with a small yawn. Anabella nodded where she was and braced herself against the wall to stop herself from falling; turning too quickly had made her a bit dizzy.

"You guys okay?" he asked uncomfortably. It was probably the stupidest question to ask them but he had to find something to say. He never like silence; not only was it uncomfortable for the people in the conversation but anyone around could feel the tension as well.

"We are as fine as we could possibly be," Anabella replied flatly. It was probably the biggest understatement in the whole world but there really didn't seem to be many other options that they could choose from to answer that particular question.

Harry nodded. "Well keep it up. Caitlyn needs you guys here. I know I will try to help as much possible. Bridget is going to do her best and Hermione says she wants to be able to help too."

Remus' haggard face softened. "I am glad all of you are so eager to help us and Cait. But there is only so much that you can do."

Anabella stepped forward and wrapped Harry into a hug. "Oh honey all we need of you is to keep Kate safe and Bridgey from the edge of insanity. Now come on, it looks as if Caitlyn is going to wake in a minute. I am sure she would love to see her son-in-law and granddaughter." She walked over towards the bed. "Oh look, we have another visitor. Hermione is it…?"

Her voice traveled back to Harry and Remus and they shrugged. One minute Anabella was exhausted and miserable and the next she was taking charge. Kate and her were a lot like each other in that way, with the ability to change their whole demeanor in a matter of seconds.

Sure enough Caitlyn's eyes fluttered open after a few moments and a slow smile spread across her face as she acknowledged her new visitors. She reached her frail hand up and rested it on Kate's. "Oh look at you sweetheart. It feels like yesterday that you were a tiny infant in your mother's arms, now you are barely a child anymore. Child you have better things to do than sit here in a hospital, watching over me. I have something to tell you but I will do it quickly so that you can explore this fair city of Paris."

Kate nodded eagerly. Even though she knew what she was going to be told she still acted the enthusiastic part with wonderful precision.

Caitlyn tried to lean forward but then she fell back on her pillows, instead pulling Kate closer to her. she shook her head slowly and smiled a small, sad smile. "Oh honey, you already know don't you?

Kate nodded sheepishly.

"It's okay I won't tell you mother about it. It will just be a secret between you and me…" she looked around Kate's head and caught Harry and Hermione's look. "…and you father and Hermione's of course. Now you go with you parents and explore."

She waved Remus and Anabella out as well, telling them to go and get something to eat. After all they did deserve the break. As Hermione made to follow she put up her hand.

"No please stay. It would be my pleasure to be able to talk to you."

Hermione smiled. "I would love that," she said and meant it. Talking to someone like Caitlyn was a privilege. Any normal seer held a great amount of wisdom, but being as powerful as she was any conversation that someone had with her should be treasured.

She took the seat that Bridget had recently vacated and scooted closer to the bed. Caitlyn reached out and took Hermione's hand into her own.

"So…"

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As Hermione emerged from her conversation with Caitlyn she found Bridget waiting outside by the door. When Hermione looked at her with a questioning look she just shrugged.

"I had a feeling you would be done around now and I wanted to talk to her. Everyone else is in the cafeteria if you would like to join them."

Hermione managed a shaky smile and walked off. Her conversation with Caitlyn had been - for loss of better word - odd. She had no idea what she had been expecting but that was the thing, she had been expecting something - something that hadn't happened. The conversation had been completely normal.

Caitlyn had asked questions about her life before Hogwarts, her life during the years of Hogwarts, and the eight years that she had been away among other things. The woman had often trailed off while staring at Hermione, almost studying her you might say. Needless to say Hermione did find that part rather unnerving to say the least.

Hermione herself had questioned the seer mercilessly about her life and every aspect of growing up as a seer and handling her powers. It had even got to the point where Hermione had been listing some of her questions when Caitlyn had stopped her with a light chuckle.

"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition? I would have thought that you would already know about most of this stuff." She had looked honestly amused.

It was Hermione's turn to look sheepish. "I'm sorry. It is true that I read about a lot of this but I think that it is better to get the knowledge from someone who experiences it personally."

Caitlyn had understood that and continued on with politely answering each of the questions that Hermione fired at her. even now that the conversation was over she still couldn't shake the feeling that Caitlyn had been watching her really carefully so as to judge something.

Shaking her head Hermione walked into the cafeteria and seeked out the others. Taking a seat next to Anabella she took one of Harry's french fries and popped it into her mouth decided not to think about it any longer.

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Bridget walked into her mother's room and sat down in the chair. "So what did you two talk about?"

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and for a second Bridget could see some of her mother's old self showing through the illness. "What do you want from me honey? We didn't talk about anything much. I just asked her questions and she asked me questions herself. I don't know what else you want me to tell you about our conversation." Bridget could see right through her mother's feigned innocence. After all when you live with someone for your whole life you tend to get to know them very well.

"Mom," she said in warning.

"Okay, okay." She put her hands up in mock surrender and sat up in her bed, wincing a bit. "I like her."

Bridget glowered at Caitlyn. "Mother," she started with a tone of annoyance. "Is that all you observed? There must be some more about her that interests you."

"Bridget but that is the point. I like her."

Bridget's shoulders drooped and she hunched forward. When she spoke her voice was but a whisper. "That is the problem for me. I like her too. I want to hate her but I just can't. She isn't annoyingly perfect and she isn't a huge mess. I don't want to have to give him up but how do you stop the inevitable?"

Her mother had the elegance to look thoughtful and really think about the question instead of passing it off as rhetorical. But it did seem to interest her greatly. "That is a good question, it does make you think. Unfortunately the answer is what is expected, you can't."

Bridget bit her lip. Though she had always knew the truth she guessed that she had somehow hoped that her mother would answer to the contrary.

"You can't meddle with fate. The future is never set but fate is a very stubborn woman. I know that for a fact. It will be hard to even attempt to go against her will; she tends to hold long grudges." She chuckled softly to herself as if she had told a joke. Bridget wondered briefly if her mother was not in fact becoming somewhat mad.

Caitlyn stopped seeing the expression on her daughters face. "I am sorry. You don't want to be sitting here watching me reminisce. I am figuring you want some advice." She peered at her daughter with her still keen brown eyes. For the moment her sickness seemed to be forgotten by the both of them. "The question here is if you want the wisdom of a seer or that of your mother." It was less of a question than is was a statement. It was clear that she already knew what her daughter wanted from her; she just wanted to hear it for herself.

Bridget gave her mother a watery smile and her lips trembled slightly. "Maybe for the first time in my life you can be a mother." She knew that it was a bit harsh but Caitlyn didn't take it personally. It was true that she hadn't really focused too much on her motherly skills; it had never seemed that important.

She nodded and cocked her head to the side, thinking about how to start. "When I met your father I knew he was the one. For me there was no doubt about it, I was so sure. But love isn't always that easy honey; it is too complicated to even try to explain in words. There are no words to explain such a powerful force that can turn even the strongest person into a puddle. And then sometimes you never know until you are too late or you never realize it at all. When you do find it life changes and things happen and one day you can be happy and in love and the next it is gone; you don't realize what you have or might have had until you lose it. I don't know what hurts more: having true love and losing it or never having it at all."

At this time she was staring past her daughter with a glazed look in her eyes. Bridget had no idea at that time whether her mother was talking about Bridget's situation or her own.

Suddenly her eyes regained focus and she stared into her daughter's. "You love Harry, I know that. He loves you, never forget that but life and love can be complicated. But then he is one of the people who lost love without even realizing it was there. It is a rare thing to be able to get a second chance at something like that. I really don't know what you are going to choose to do; you can let him go or keep him with you. It is up to your own discretion, it's your future not mine. But I think that I know what I would do…" she hesitated slightly her voice changing to a whisper with a slight tone of desperation. "…what I might have to do."

Bridget was choking on silent sobs, tears streaming steadily down her face.

Caitlyn could hardly breathe as she went on. "Sometimes even love isn't enough."


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