Marriage is Murder

Brian looked at the boys he held in his arms. They were sucking quietly on his shirt and falling asleep in his chest. Khaat smiled. She knew what that was like, to feel so safe with him that she had fallen asleep many times in that same chest. She never wanted to sleep anywhere else again in her life.

"What?" he looked at her, catching her mid thought.

"I was just thinking what a great dad you are," she said. Angus brought out a large play pen and took the boys and laid them in the playpen and covered them with blankets. Robert laid Julia there who was fast asleep.

Khaat looked at the three on the floor. They had made a mess of juice and cookie crumbs and were starting to get very sleepy. "Looks like it might be naptime for those three as well," Khaat said as she watched Abbey start to get tearful, fighting sleep. Brian picked up Abbey and Angus picked up an equally sleepy Dakota, seeing Andrew rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Its nice that they're all getting on the same schedule," Angus laughed.

Khaat said nothing. She would be forever haunted that she had thought these triplets were Robs and now they just didnt' know. The fact was that they might never ever truthfully know. Magic somehow left a larger margin of error in a few freaky cases than muggles had. And she wasn't ready to have more. Not with five.

And even then, it wasn't really five. Miseria would be graduating this year and that meant that Khaat and Brian's time with Dakota was precious and limited. She didn't see Miseria as just simply forgetting that Dakota existed. She figured that Mis would graduate, get a job, and come to claim her daughter to raise herself. And she had every right to want that. Khaat had always said that Mis could take her and raise her when the time came, but the truth was that Khaat was the only mother Dakota had ever known. She called Khaat Mama and she called Brian Dada. Khaat just could no longer see her life without Dakota in it. She had always loved children, and even before she had her own children, she had guardianship of more children than most people would ever consider doing. Not because she made money on it. Quite the contrary. She supported them financially. It cost her money. She never made anything on it. Never. The few times she did get paid, she funneled the money directly into the care of the child and then some.

Brian had always said she was a good mother. Eli had loved her because she was so good as a mom with him and with his own daughter, Fauve. Eli still preferred her as to his own father, Viktor. But all of that didn't change the fact that when she knew that she had not given Brian, the love of her life now, a biological child of his own, it hurt. She loved the triplets, but that hadn't been supposed to happen. After Abbey, she and Brian had chosen. Decided. They would have one. Together. Theirs. And now they had five? How the hell had things gone so screwy?

She merely got up quietly and looked at her father. "II need a walk while the kids are quiet," she said softly.

"Want some company?" he asked, sensing her mind racing.

"No thanks. I just want some sun and fresh air."

"You need a bodyguard," he said. "At least at a distance."

"No I don't," she said almost angrily, leaving the house.

"Brian," Robert prompted, but he needn't have. Brian was already on his feet.

"I'm on it," Brian said. "I already get it. I'll talk to her. Can you lot get something going to get her mind on? Maybe menu planning for the wedding or something about flowers, or something? She needs to get her mind on something else. I'll be back with her in a few minutes."

"She's fine," Robert said. "Its just something she has to work out in her own mind. Its far more an issue for her than it is for Brian. If he just keeps talking to her, she'll eventually work it out. There are still some ways she feels like she's let him down. And he just truly doesn't see it. She's okay. He'll reassure her again and settle her nervous bride issues and it'll be fine."

"She wasn't this nervous when she married Rob," Kate laughed.

"No, but once burned, twice shy," Robert said. "Besides, she really, really wants to make him happy. And they're suited well for each other. Have they set a date yet?"

"No," Kate said. "She has the heebies, I think."

Robert groaned. "Maybe I shall have to talk to her."

"You leave that alone, Robert Lupin. Leave it to her groom. He'll handle it. Go play cards."

"Maybe I shall," he shrugged, giving in to Kate.

Kate sat down with Robert at the table, and so did Angus. "We're in," Kate said. "And I'm going to beat you all."

"Not this time," Angus said. "I'm beating you this time."

"Angus Donohue, when have you ever beat me at cards?" Kate frowned.

"No, but I have," Robert said, "And so has Brian. You are defeatable, Katherine Lupin."

"Not today. I can feel it."

"You can feel it," he rolled his eyes. "Oh boy. So modest, aren't you? I'll see your 2 and raise by one."

"I'll see those three and raise by two," Kate said.

"Mighty confident, arent' we?" Robert laughed.

"I'm in," Angus said, tossing five in.

Robert was about to reply when he suddenly became very alert. "Stay in the house," he suddenly ordered them. "All of you. Kate, wrap more protection spells around the house. On guard, all of you. If I dont' return, Kate, you take everyone to the second safehouse." He stood up and apparated outside. Kate stood up, her wand already drawn. She looked outside to see Brian ha been wounded and was lying in a limp heap on the beach. Khaat was crouched on the sand and was facing the business end of Ethan Burke's wand.

"Do not follow him," Kate ordered. "He's hoping to keep the safehouse safe. Nobody goes out until Robert orders it. Get the kids. We might have to port out at a moment's notice. Angus, bring the portkeys for the second safehouse." Angus accio'd a carboard box and passed out a number of skeleton keys that had, instead of hearts on them like this one did, these had spades.

"Keep these close," Angus told them quietly. "This goes to a backup safehouse. We dont' want to use it unless we have to."