Marriage is Murder

"I'll take her," Robert said. He picked her up and took her to their room and laid her on the bed with a blanket. He took her shoes. "Sleep, Kate. That was a heavy drain on your energies."

"Protect Khaat," she yawned.

"Thats what her husband is for now, Dear," he smiled, "But I'll do my best."

Brian noticed Khaat didn't move until Brian deliberately came and offered her his arm, old school style. When he did, she took it gladly. He complimented her on how lovely she was and just slid into being an old school gentleman for her tonight. He took the keys for the red car and assisted her in. He said nothing, but he noticed her looking around, almost as if she'd never seen it before. He looked at her as he put the key in the ignition.

"Alright," he said. "What's your name? Are you Khaat? Or are you Eileen?"

"I'm whoever you want me to be, my love," she said softly, kissing him. "Does it really matter? I'm your wife."

"Are you?" he asked, turning the key and heading for the restaurant.

Jess moved to the kitchen making some tea for every one and some biscuits to try and ease the tension she walked threw to the bed room and to Robert handing him a cup of fresh herbal tea " here it is fresh made " she said handing him the cup and moving away back to Jack who had just placed Andrew in bed to sleep . He took Jess's hand and held her close " I hope Steven and cassidy focus on the job in hand and not each other thought that's not a bad thing " he said and Jess chuckled and moved to the living room and sat together.

Cassidy watched the car in front as Steven followed down the road to the restaurant, the man at the desk smiled and showed them to a table close but not too close to Brian and Khaat. Steven as he had taken her hand smiled seeing she had moved his ring to her wedding finger this to him meant she was ready.

Brian noticed Steven and Cassidy slip in and take a table. This wasn't Khaat. Any other time she would have noticed them easily. Tonight, she didn't even see them there. Not at all. Her gaze was transfixed on him and him alone. That wouldn't have bothered him--except that when he looked deep into her face, it wasn't his Khaat that he saw. He didn't know who it was but it wasn't the woman he'd grown up with, it wasn't the woman he'd coached through the birth of four children with. It wasn't the woman he slept with, and it wasn't the woman he loved.

He let dinner go relatively smoothly and he didn't say much except making small talk. But--then he finally said to her, "Where's Khaat?"

"Who?" she asked. Then after a pause she said, "Oh. Her. She's gone. We don't need her anymore."

"What? Yes. We do," Brian insisted. "I don't know you. I'm married to her...."

"I am not leaving," she insisted firmly but with a silken smoothness behind her voice. "My life was robbed from me and so was my necklace and so were you. You'll remember. If I give you enough time, you'll remember who you really are."

"I am not your husband. I'm hers," he said with an iron firmness. "I will fight for her."

"Is that a threat?" she laughed.

"Take it as you want. But I will do whatever it takes to get her back," Brian said.

Steven saw Brian looking at him and nodded that he was ready for any move he made Cassidy did the same raising her glass in a toast to them as if in salute to them both then continued to look as if she was eating " somethings not right " she said to Steven who agreed but reminded her that they had to stay back if he wanted them all he had to do was call out and they would be there quick as a shot. Cassidy sighed and sat back in hr chair feeling some what useless till Steven took her hand in his own.

" I see you moved the ring" he said smiling at her and saw her nodding to him.

Brian shot a glance at Steven simply because Brian was feeling increasingly alone and increasingly angry. He already didn't like this woman who was in posession of Khaat's body.

"You let me talk to her, or I'll kill you both," he said very softly to her in an angry whisper.

"Sweetheart," she laughed. "I'm already dead. You can't kill me again. Maybe I'll just take one of those sweet young things at our house. What about one of her daughters? I can wait. I have all the time in the world."

"You are not going to touch any of the women in my house. And that includes my daughters," he ordered her.

"Its very simple," she said. "I want my Brian back. As soon as you remember, it will all be like it was before."

"No, it will never be like it was before. I am not your Brian. He drowned that night. His lungs filled with water and he died. He's not me."

"But, Darling, you are. look up his picture in the Department of Magic records. You are him. There is no mistake." She was going to continue to speak when the dancing music started. She took his hand and practically dragged him to his feet. "I've waited almost a hundred years to dance again. Dance with me. Now," she ordered. She led him out to the dance floor and wrapped her arms around him. "You can dance, can't you? It would be a shame to use this steak knife to send us both across the veil tonight." He glanced down at her other hand. She indeed had her steak knife in her hand.

"Put that back!" he hissed. "Are you insane?"

"Most likely," she laughed, unconcerned. He took the chance of gripping the knife by the blade and disapparated it without the muggles seeing, but cutting the folds of the insides of his fingers in the process. He said nothing. "That was just stupid," she jeered at him.

"When do I get her back? he demanded, going through the motions of holding Khaat's body with the other woman in it.

"I dont know. Maybe a few years...maybe never,...it all depends on you, Darling. Kiss me," she demanded, cozying up to him.

"No," he said flatly. "I might dance, but that's about all you'll get."

Steven watched he saw the struggle and stood up seeing it stop he moved to Cassidy " dance " he said Cassidy looked at him.

" I don't know how " she said but he pulled her to her feet and held her around her waist as he moved her to the dance floor Cassidy smiled as she passed both Khaat and Brian deliberately bumping them both " ow I am sorry " she said noting the redness between his finger but she said nothing and looked at the woman her eyes now filled with hate as she whispered softly " I know you " she said then moved to Steven still looking at her hoping to get the woman to meat on the ethereal plain one she could access when out of body.

"You live at our house," the woman said to Cassidy. "My Brian has treated me to a lovely night of dining and dancing to celebrate our reunion." She carressed Brian's cheek. "Its been a long time." Brian bristled at her touch. It wasn't Khaat who was touching him even though it was her body. It wasn't his Khaat. He didn't want this woman touching him at all. His mind was wandering to what was going to happen that night when they went to bed. He wasn't sleeping with her. Not for one moment.

He looked at Steven, feeling safe enough to let Steven know how irked he was. The more he was with her, the angrier he became. He finally felt the wetness in his fingers and looked to see blood starting to drip on the floor. "Its time to stop dancing," he told her. "I'm making a mess." She snatched a napkin off a vacant table.

"Wrap your fingers," she ordered. "I'm dancing." He glared at her, feeling more angry by the minute.

Cassidy looked at her then at Steven then back " yes I do and I know what your trying to do your Brian crossed over years ago this Brian is not yours" she said watching them more as their Brian wrapped his hand " you cut him?" she said and looked at her " our Khaat will not like that one bit if she was here you'd be so sent to the other side" Cassidy looked at Brian and Steven. Steven looked at the possessed Khaat and then at Brian he moved from Cassidy and offered his hand to Khaat.

" may I have the opportunity to dance with such a beautiful woman?" he asked her hoping to give Brian a moment alone to recover a little thought he knew she might not take him up and disregard the offer.

"Oh, no, my dear," Eileen smiled. "He cut himself. He was foolish enough to try to disarm me of my knife by grasping the blade." She looked at Steven when he offered to dance with her. She looked at Brian. "You really should take a lesson or two from him, Darling. You've forgotten how to be polite in all the years weve been apart." She looked at Steven. "I would love to dance. Do you know how to waltz? I do believe I can still recognize the strains of a waltz beginning. Waltzes are my favorite. They're so romantic." She took Steven's arm eagerly. Brian was relieved to get the woman off his hands for a moment.

"I owe you and Steven big time," he mumbled at Cassidy, glad Eileen was gone. "I swear, Cassidy, I don't want to have to hurt Khaat to get rid of that menace, but I know Khaat. I know what she'd choose. And, I am NOT sleeping with that dead woman either! Not a chance in hell."

cassidy ignored her remark as Steven bowed and lead her to the dance floor " I do know how to waltz " he said and began to move with her even thought he'd forgot some of it he soon found he moved as if it had only been yesterday that Janet insisted he learn now he was glad. Cassidy smiled " its what were here for, now let me see that hand " she said and dipped her napkin in a glass of fresh water cleaning it as she smiled at Steven. " you won't have to if I know Robert he's working on a solution right as we speak" she said " besides I finally got my dinner with Steven. " she said and grinned at Brian " we have decided 15th of February for out wedding date" she said smiling "I had thought earlier but thinking about it again with this I think that would be a better date " she said and looked at Steven hearing the music fading " ok she's coming back I'll go back to the house and see if Roberts got any ideas " she said and stood up.