Feminine Fire

Brian smiled at them. "Thanks," he said. "Well done. I think I'm starting to feel better." He shut the matchbox and wrote a note, telling Gelding this was merely a warning. He told Gelding that if anyone even thought about so much as breathing on the Lupins, especially Khaat or on his children, he would not hesitate to kill them all and not leave a one alive to restart his trafficking organization. He signed it B.Q. and wrapped the note around the box. He secured it with a rubber band and used the fish market's own owl to send it to Gelding.

Then he went over and inspected the fish. He found two enormous wild salmon, more than enough to feed them all. They were the two best fish in the market. "It would be a shame to let them go bad. Jack, go find some scallops and some shrimp. Steven, how about finding us the best lobsters they have and maybe some crabs? I think we're due for an American style seafood boil." He got several nice whitefish to add to the seafood boil, some clams and some mussels.

"I'll take the food back, but I need you two to go get some ears of fresh sweet corn to put into the boil, some baby redskin potatoes, and some sweet sausages. That should do it. Get a lot. We're going to feast tonight," Brian ordered. He made sure he wrote up the bill on the account book for the fish market and charged it all to Tom Gelding.

"In the meantime, I have to stop at the florists. I have an apology to make," he said more softly. He knew his distance, although unintentional, had hurt Khaat. He needed to be sure she knew how very much he loved her.

jack laughed and noted a large fresh water lobster the largest he had seen in his life he picked it up and placed it in a bag along with all the other i9ngrediants Brian had asked for to his suprise they kept a store of fresh vegtables in a back rom and he found the veg they needed . Steven looked around finding the things spread out he found some clams and some mussels and shouted to Jack he ahd them he heard jack shout back he'd heard them and had the rest of the things they needed. Steven sighed as he was no good at seafood chickens beef and pork he could do but seafood he didn't know where to start.

Brian handed his fish to Jack to take home and he left them and went to the florists. He bought five dozen peppermint roses--the petals striped red and white. They symbolized unity, bonding, deep love, commitment. They were unusual, but Brian chose them, rather than red roses and white ones. He liked the unusual ones with the stripes that said it all. He had them put in one enormous box and he took them and the fish home.

All was quiet at the manor house when he went inside. Angus was in the kitchen. Brian laid the fish on the counter and looked at Angus.

"Tell me. Is she alright?" Brian asked.

"Yes," Angus said. "She's going to have a whale of a bruise, but Robert checked her completely. She's fine. She's resting. Robert didnt' want her to be alone, so Kieran is staying with her. Robert gave her a potion to relax her nerves so she could rest. I took her some chamomile tea just a little bit ago. She's too afraid of losing the babies to eat."

"Got a big vase?" Brian asked, showing him the flowers.

"Aw. For me?" he laughed. Then he went to a hutch cabinet in the dining room and brought back a large crystal vase. He magically enlarged it to fit the flowers. "I'll put water in it while you go see her."

"Thank you," Brian said. "If Jack and Steven arent' back in about 15 minutes, I want to know at once." He went upstairs to the bedroom. Kieran was sitting in a chair by the bed. Khaat was in a light doze. She was back in her nightgown, and in bed. He hated the coal black bruise that covered most of her left cheek. The man had given her the best right hook he had.

"She's been worried about you, Mate," Kieran whispered.

"I'm alright now." He said.

"Then tell her," Kieran said. "I need more coffee anyway." He got up and left, leaving Brian with her. Brian sat down on the bed and kissed her very slowly and lightly, not wanting to hurt her. She woke. Brian could see the potion weighing heavily in her system.

"I am so sorry," he whispered. "Forgive me. For everything. I should have been there for you."

"No," Khaat replied. "I thought we had it under control. I turned my back. It was stupid. A stupid student error."

"I brought you something," he said. He opened the box and showed her the five dozen roses. She gasped, awestruck.

"Brian! They're beautiful!" She reached for him, pulled him close to her and kissed him. "So. We're alright, then?"

"You and me? We're better than alright. How are my babies?"

"They're fine. Daddy has them sleeping."

"Good. Now--will you eat for me?"

"I'm so tired," she yawned. "Maybe lunch?" Her eyes fluttered shut.

"Okay, Baby," he said softly as she fell back asleep. "Okay."

Jack and stephen took the ingrediants back to the house and in the kitchen " hey Angus where should I put these Brian wants an American style seafood boil " he said and showed Angus the things he heard Brian aperate abck in and watched him walk in and ask for a vcase Jack passed one to Angus for Brian and watched him leave again and smiled " ah love its so good to see it on his face and not stress" he said.

"Seafood boil?" Angus laughed. "I haven't done one of those in a long, long time. Sounds great. , The only way to do it right is to do it with a seafood spice blend they use over there called Old Bay. Its bay leaves, peppers, dry mustard, paprika, celery seed, nutmeg,, cardamom, allspice, ginger, cloves, mace, celery salt, and of course you know I can't leave it alone. I have to add some other things. Anyway, its the main ingredient in the water that you do the boil in. Its all done in one enormous kettle, typically outside on an open fire. Then the boil thrown out and everyone spreads newspapers out on a large picnic table. The cook dumps the boil out on the picnic table and eveyone just sits down with their favorite icy cold drink and digs into the boil with their fingers. And clean up is simply a matter of throwiing out the shells and whatnot by rolling up the newspaper and tossing it away. Its a wonderful summertime tradition, especially along the American coastlines.

"As for Brian, Robert seems to have unleashed most of whatever it was he was dealing with. Robert will be back. He left to go back to London for a short bit, but he will be back. Brian went up to see Khaat. Khaat, incidently, is alright. Most of the left side of her face is going to be coal black, but the babies are fine. And other than the bruising, so is she."

"Brian is with her for now," Kieran said, coming in to refill his coffee cup. "I don't know how you guys do it. Going on a few hours of sleep. Still, I don't know why, but I couldn't be anywhere else but with Khaat right now." He refilled his mug and headed back upstairs.

"You know, I dont' think Kieran ever envisioned himself getting soft enough to really care about anyone else. But it looks like Khaat got to him. I think Khaat has a friend in Kieran. He hasn't left her since Robert got her settled. So tell me, what did Brian do to the sot that belted her?"

Jack chuckled at keiran " you get use to it eventually " he said and chuckled at him refiling his coffee and heading back out to do what he needed he sat listening to Angus " sounds yummy " he said and chuckled at the using your fingers to eat thought thet sound of the broil sounded so good his tummy rumbles. " oops sorry " he said and watched steven walk in. Steven chuckled "those fowers looked nice brian has for Khaat and the broil sounds tasty" he said and loked at Jack and chuckled at the sound of his tummy.

"I hear that," Angus laughed. "I'm working on lunch right now. Burgers and fries. I don't know why, but it sounded good to me. And yes, I"m fixing plenty. Give me about 15 minutes. I"m hoping that will get Khaat to eat. Oh, and I have an icy cold mixed fruit salad with her favorite champagne dressing. Robert won't object to that little bit of champagne in that."

As he spoke an owl landed on the kitchen windowsill. Angus went over and picked up the envelope from the bird and gave it a bit of a treat before it flew off again. He saw it was addressed to Brian, but he recognized the handwriting all too well. He opened it, drew the letter out and read it.

"Its from Gelding. He apologizes for the ineptness of his men. And he promises that next time, he will be happy to kill Robert and Brian both. Or accept Khaat and the children in fair trade. Either way, he demands restitution for what he calls the murders of the founding fathers of his organization." Angus looked up. "Its the same offer Gelding's always made. And it will get him the same 'no' he always gets from Robert. I doubt either Robert or Brian expect less. I'm not your boss, but I wouldn't put it past Gelding to want to bring the battle here. That's just my experience. I'm sure Brian already is up for it. But perhaps we need to tell Dean and Fiona and Kieran? What do you think?"

jack looked at Angus and nodded " don't worry we are on alert " he said to him and motioned to steven too " we both gathered he'd not give up that easily after seeing what we did to his men its something we've been threw before " he said and smelt the burgers " ok I have to go before my tummy rubbles again" he said " as your food smells delishiose " he said chukaling.

Kieran found Brian unable to leave Khaat. He was still sitting on the bed, holding her hand. Kieran laid his hand on Brian's shoulder. "So--what was all that about this morning--with Robert?"

"I never wanted to bring this on all of you--Khaat, Fi, you, my children, our friends...look at the cost of it all...."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kieran frowned, sitting back in the chair by the bed. "Is that what that was about? You didn't do this. You work for Robert, right? Isn't it HIS cause you fight for? Didn't you and your friends agree to take it up along with you because you all believe in it? And, didn't we tell Fi and Dean before they agreed to come here? Every one of us went into this with our eyes wide open. What is it you wanted? Did you want Khaat to leave you?"

"God, no!" Brian said.

"Well, then? It seems to me that you only have so much control of how much peace you have in your life. You can be angry about it, but it seems to me that feeling guilty isn't going to do you any good at all. And it also seems to me that your energies need to go into your wife and your sister right now. Thats why we're here, isn't it?"

"Maybe we shouldn't be. Maybe we should go home."

"Will you stop? No one's hurt--other that one bruise. Have you looked at Fi's shoulder?"

"No."

"Well, you wouldnt' see anything. The wound is gone already. Do yourself a favor," Kieran said, smelling lunch cooking. "Get your wife awake in a few minutes so she can eat. Then you need to go for a long run. It would do you good. See if one of those guards want to go along. I doubt I can't run the distance they can."

"Maybe so. I''d better wake her up, I guess. Thanks, Kieran." Kieran laid her robe on the end of the bed.

"Robert said she could be up if she felt up to it," Kieran said.

In about ten minutes, Brian had her awake, up at his protective pacing, and he had helped her with her robe. He took her downstairs slowly and carefully, just as he saw Angus setting out bowls of fruit salad and platters of burgers and fries.

"I hope you're all hungry," Angus said. "Because there's a lot more burgers and fries in the kitchen. Kieran, would you tell Dean and Fiona that lunch is ready?"

"I"m on my way. Don't anybody lay a hand on my burger," Kieran laughed.

Jack chuckled as did steven but they could understan he was trying to deuse the tenshion that hung in the air in the room at that time . Jack moved and pourte a fresh juice and took a chip from the pile " nice and crunch Angus just how I like them , I don't like them when there all soft and limp , yuck" he said and took another then sipped his juice as he waited for the others. steven shook his head as he took a burger and added relish and cheese to it with some fries " nice job Angus " he said and smiled as he tok a bite and ate " god I didn't know how hungry I was till now " he said and finished his first one " ok im ready for seconds " he said grinning at them all.