The Ties That Bind

"You both realize this might mean we need to 'reduce a few of the muggles' out of Brian's life," Robert said. "And, it also might mean that we need to move Kieran and have him lose any trace of his past life. Once we go back to the wizarding world, we will be almost impossible to trace. And they won't be able to find the estate either. Its hard enough for a wizard to break that enchantment, but a muggle? They won't be doing it without the help of a wizard--if they can find one.

"You realize the other way of doing this is to go visit the crooks who let Kieran rack up these loans and deal with them directly. But if we do that, we can't rely on magic. We have to rely on either street fighting or muggle weapons. I am quite sure you both remember those skills," Robert looked at them. "Either of you have a preference? Do we pay some of this? Or do we just settle it with our fists and shut them down?"

both Jack and steven thought for a moment " ether is ok with us " they both said and chuckled " stevens got his ranger skills he can use i got some street figting skills , thats if i haven't gone rusty with them " he said and chuckled rubbing the back of his neck " ether way there going to have to be sorted , can't go back with this mess kerans made " Steven nodded as he finished his coffee finding the now empty cup float to the kitchen from his hand .

"Jess is taking this kitchen duty seriose " he said watching his cup and teo other float into the kitchen passed Jack how nodded.

"Well, I"m glad she's enjoying herself," Robert said. "Not everything here needs to be so bloody serious. However, the stables are. I'll work on a plan, and you two go see, please, if you can put the horses situation to rights. Poor Brian is just about out of his mind with worry about them. If we have to put any of them down, you tell me. I'll do it. I'm hoping we won't have to do that, but I'd like to try to give them all a chance if we can. I'm just sorry that in all the confusion we didn't see it yesterday. We might have handled it yesterday.

"In the meantime, I'll work out a plan and see if I can find out who we need to meet and where to find them. You know, if we do any street fighting and I dont' let Brian in, he'll never forgive me. I never saw a lad who liked brawling like he does," Robert grinned. "Lets just not bang him up too badly, eh? I'd like all of us in one piece for awhile. Alright. Go see what you can do in the stables and then report back to me."

Jack chuckled as he hears her singing from the kitchen " I think last night helped too " he said his face blushing slightly at the knowing look from Steven . he could not help but chuckle and sit back in his chair smiling at him.

" wow, some one got laid " he said in a sing song way and grinned at him " bout time you two relaxed, he said and chukled as he looked at Robert and nodded " don't worry sir Horses have been my life they will be taken care of " he said and stood up chukaling as he heard jess singing still and Cassidy join her in a coruse oviosly over her porting problem though he did wonder if he chould help her out with practicing aperating her self around it would help her over her problem.

Robert ignored the boyish teasing between the two men, and allowed them to go about their work as he devoted himself back to his own work. Once he thought he had things organized in a way to help him, he took a much smaller folder of better organized notes of his own up to Kieran's room. As Kieran could cope, Robert had every intention of interrogating Kieran, and hopefully leaving him alive at the end of it.

Brian was up again, showered, shaved, dressed and looking much more like himself by about 2 in the afternoon. He went to Kieran's room and found the door open. Robert was sitting in the room, writing on a pad of paper that was sitting on his lap. Brian could feel the shield across the door. Magic folk could come and go as they pleased, but Kieran would find it particularly maddening that he could see the door was open and not penetrate the opening.

Kieran was awake. He looked at Brian, confused. "Why?" he asked Brian.

"I don't plan on losing my property," Brian shrugged.

"So why bother with me at all?" Kieran asked.

"Because the booze makes you more disgusting than usual," Brian said coldly.

"You know, we aren't that much different, you and I," Kieran said.

"We couldn't be more different," Brian said.

"I saw how you fought for her yesterday."

"So? What of it? She's my wife and the mother of my children."

"You'd have killed me without a second thought. You are more like me than you know."

"I'd have killed you because you have no worth, Kieran," Brian replied. "Without me, you have nothing."

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Afford all this."

"Its called a job, you nit," he scowled. "I work my ass off."

"And it doesn't hurt that your father in law..or is he your father? I can't quite figure it out--at any rate, he's filthy rich,"

Robert reached over and picked up an empty bug jar and showed it to Kieran. "Won't it be interesting to see what sort of insect you're about to morph into if you keep this nonsense up?"

Cassidy went about her chorse as if she was at the ranch back in england she helped Jess finish preperatios for dinner when jes asked her to go and change the sheets on the bed . Picking up the clean ones she walked threw each room , then she ahd to so steven's witch ment she had to pass the room Kerian was in , passing the door she looked in seeing him awake her eyes shot daggers at him as she watched holding the clean sheets tight in her arms. she stood wondering how some one who had everything like he did could just throw it away . she on the other hand tresured everything she ahd and that was not a lot.

Jack and steven came back from the stables talking amongst themselves , jack gave jess a kiss and smiled seeing how she had not worried once with out him there and he'd been away all morning. " hey, smells good " he saids as he washed up.

"Should do, its casidys sujestion. " she said as she finished the preperation of the vegtables that would go with the hot pot that now cooked slowly in the oven. Steven moved to the sink with Jack and roled his eyes.

"Get a room" he siad and saw both smiling at him " wheres is Cassie?" he asked noting she wasn't in the room with them at that moment in time.

"I sent her to change the sheets , i anticipate you men would prefer clean sheets tonight " she sand and then frowned " but you right shes taking her time " jess looked at the kitchen door.

"Jess give it up, shes probably just wanting to do a good job " he said and kissed her again feeling her chuckle under him.

"The bottom line is, Kieran," Brian told him, "that I'm done. I'm done with you--for good. I will give you enough to pay for a middle class apartment, give you a start. You'll have enough for groceries and necessities for a couple of months, but in that time, you'd better figure out what you're good at and do it."

"I already know what I'm good at, Kid," Kieran laughed haughtily.

"Get a grip, Idiot!" Brian grabbed him by his t shirt and shook him--with one hand. Kieran looked at the immense strength Brian had and before Brian could speak Kieran laughed again.

"Little Brother has pecs! My, my, my! Did you do that for the tart?" he laughed.

"You are going to be tossed out! On your ass!" Brian said. "Get with reality here! This is the end of the gravy train. You aren't nearly as good with the tables and the ponies and the cards as you think you are. Thats why I'm having to keep you from being killed. And I can't imagine that the ladies were ever interested in you for more than MY money, anyway. You gave up your magical heritage. Muggles work, Kieran. They work hard. And that's all you are now. You're a squib. You're going to have to work, because after I get you set up, you're on your own. I'm not bailing you out again. And if you so much as even think about touching my wife or one of the women on my staff and you won't even get my help to get started. I'll drop you off out on a street someplace of my choosing and you'll have to see how well you do with that crowd. I guarantee you, I'll be burying you inside of about 24 hours, a week tops."

"You're not going to get rid of me. We're blood. And you need me. Who's going to take care of this little toy here of yours?"

"I have it covered."

"You really think you'd throw me out?"

"Oh, I, really, already have. I have an apartment in the works for you. As soon as you're detoxed, you're out of here. Forever. And trust me, you won't be able to find your way back. Not here anyway. Enjoy it, because your time here is very, very limited."

"Brian," Robert called gently, rising from his seat. He walked out the door of the bedroom. Brian followed into the hallway. "Let it go now, Lad. You've told him. All you're doing now is giving him the power and control when you become so angry with him. Don't let him bait you like that. You're better than that. Now--where's Khaat?"

"Still sleeping. I'm concerned about her, Robert. She had such a severe migraine she was sick."

"Could just be stress and fatigue. Would you like me to check on her?"

"Would you?"

"Certainly."

"Hey!" Kieran shouted.

"Stop shouting," Robert said, stepping back to the doorway, irked, "What do you want?"

"How does a person get coffee if they can't go out of their room?" he shouted even louder.

Robert knew Kieran didn't stand a ghost of a chance in holding down a cup of coffee yet. He conjured a cup of coffee and floated it over to him. "By all means," Robert said calmly. "Be my guest."

Khaat had been awakened by Kieran's bellowing. Her head seared and pounded, feeling like a knife was cutting through her skull.. She groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. She got up, put on her handpainted white silk robe and started to head for the door. She caught a glimpse in the mirror of how bad she looked took her wand and flicked it, casting a quick glamour spell, more to fix her messy hair than anything else, but the spell also did seem to put her makeup back on. She went down the hallway where she saw Brian and her father in with Kieran. She went in, surprised to see him awak.

"Well, well, I know you," Kieran said in a slithering tone. "You give amazing sponge baths." Kieran took what was about the third sip for him of the coffee and suddenly became sick without warning. Khaat automatically, ever a healer, moved to help him. The split second he was done being sick, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her hard down on the bed with him, wrapping an iron strong arm around her throat. "Now you listen to me," He hissed at Robert and Brian. "If you want little Khaaty here to live, you're going to give me exactly what I want, or I"m going to break her pretty neck. Are we very, very clear, Gentlemen?"

Robert and Brian stood, motionless.

Cassidy watched in horror when she saw Khaat with keirans hand around her throat , closing ehr eys she aperated into the bed room her wand out at the ready ans eh quickly s red light shot across and hit him in his side throwihouted "Stupefy " the ball of red light shot across and knocked him off her . Cassidy walked over as steven jack and jes ran in , she knelt down and grasped Keirans f ace " next time i won't hesitate in killing you " she said throwing him back to the floor asshe walked over to Khaat. " you ok?" she asked hiding the f act her hands shook a little as she looked at Khaat's throat jess joined her taking away any bruising that might show on her skin.

"I'm fine," Khaat said, a little rattled. "Thank you."

"Well done," Robert said. Brian went over to Khaat and pulled her to her feet. He brushed her hair from her face. They hesitated a second, not wanting to give in to the momentary panic they had felt. He wrapped her slow but tightly into his arms.

"You take too many chances, Babe," he said to her. "You sure you're alright?"

"Fine," she said. He kissed her slowly.

"How's your head?" he asked.

"No different."

"Robert, please take care of Khaat's migraine. It isn't any better. Jack, how about you stay with me? I think its time we showed Kieran his new life, don't you?"

"Brian," Robert said. "You throw him out now, he'll be killed within the hour."

"Yeah. I know," Brian said, unmoving.

"We need him alive awhile longer, Son," Robert said. "Not for him. For you and Khaat." Brian walked over to Kieran and grabbed him around the throat and pulled the stunned man up to a sitting position. Robert flew, unsure of what Brian was going to do.

"Brian..." Robert began.

"Finite!" Brian jabbed his wand into Kieran and removed Cassidy's stunning spell. Kieran began to laugh at how angry Brian was.

"What's the matter, Bro? You forgot how to share?"

"She's my wife! I told you what I'd do if you even thought about touching her. I swear I'll kill you, you bastard," Brian hissed.

"Go ahead. That's what you really want, isn't it?" Kieran taunted.

"I wouldn't push him," Robert folded his arms. "Your brother has killed better men than you."

"Little Pissypants? No way!" Brian bristled at Kieran dragging up one of the childhood names he had forgotten and had loathed.

"Let him go, Brian," Khaat said gently. "He's not going to get away with anything. He's a muggle. Let him go. We have far better plans for him."

"See? She wants me," Kieran laughed. Brian gripped Kieran's arm hard.

"You remember how you said you were going to break her neck with this arm? Try it now," Brian said, his voice as smooth as silk. He yanked the arm hard backwards, dislocating Kieran's shoulder, elbow and wrist with three sickening crunches. Kieran screamed out in pain and fell forwards, passing out.

"Come on, Khaat," He took her hand and led her out of the room, leaving Kieran to the others.

Cassidy stood up seeing the anger in Brians eyes but still remaind unmoved when she heard the cruntches feeling he deserved it her fingers gripping her wand tighter as she watched him fall out cold to the ground. Her eyes looked at Robert as jess and gBrian lead Khaat out of the room " I'll stay with Jess and put this peice of trash in his bed " she said " or would you rather he stay on the floor" she asked her hands still grasped in fists as she spoke looking down on keirans unconshiose body.