Marriage is Murder

Abbey didn't understand why Andrew didn't like fruit. She picked out a sweet strawberry and threw it at him, It landed in the crease of his shirt where Jack was rebuttoning Andrew's shirt. When Abbey saw it didn't hit the ground, it made her smile.

"Food," she told Andrew. She picked out another strawberry out of her mother's breakfast and made a display of eating it to show Andrew to eat his.

"I think she's planning on teaching him to eat the foods she likes," Brian laughed.

"That means he will eventually like fruit and veggies better than cookies and candies," Khaat said.

"That is very true," Angus said. "I've seen that child, when given a choice, choose a bowl of berries rather than a cookie. And she's done it on more than one occasion."

Jack chuckled at the strawberry landing in Andrew shirt and watched as he took it out and looked at it curiously. Slowly he stuck his tongue out to touch it as he watched Abby eat one then slowly he stuck it in his mouth and bit down, some of the juice ran down his chin, but after a few seconds he smiled. " not yucky....yummy" he said and looked in the bowl for more strawberry's to eat but instead he found a blueberry and popped it in his mouth. Once he was done eating stuck his tongue out which was now blue from the juice, Jess could not help but chuckle at him as she wiped the now purple juice from his chin.

Angus got a bowl of the fruit salad for each of the three older kids--Dakota, Abbey, and Andrew. He transfigured an end table into a child sized table and three chairs. He put the bowls of fruit out for them on the small table. While he was doing that, Abbey was drinking the last part of the mug of seers tea that Khaat had had. She appeared to take a real liking to it.

"Here," he called them. "Come over here and sit down and enjoy your treat, Kids." Dakota glared at Angus. She preferred the cookies.

"No," Angus told her. "Fruit. Go eat it." She sighed and went over to the table and sat down. Once she started eating the fruit, she wasn't bothered by not having cookies.

"I'd like to go outside," Khaat said.

"Wait until this afternoon, maybe towards tea time," her father said. "If you keep up on drinking enough seers tea, you'll feel strong enough to go. Khaat, you do have to realize that between you using your energy to fight Eileen and her using your energy to be able to stay in your body, its seriously drained your strength. It took us all to get you back. If you want to go out, fine, but either do it later, or let us carry you outside. One or the other. We're going to have to keep pots and pots of seers tea brewing all day--and I want all our women to drink it."

Andrew slipped from Jack and moved to the table sitting he pulled the bowl to him picking out fruit and eating it if he liked it he would find another if he didn't he would placed them beside the bowl. Jess drank her tea and poured out another cup doing the same for Cassidy who smiled and thanked her " it will do you good in the long run if you rest Khaat " she said softly " I see Abby likes the tea too, that's good " she smiled watching the three children at the table eating she shook her head at the small pile of fruit some half bit the rest just discarded Jack just shrugged.

"Hay he must get that from you " he said and chuckled Jess glared at him but chuckled softly after a moment.

"Nope that's all yours" she said kissing his cheek.

Abbey scowled at him tossing some of the fruit aside. She went to a plastic jar in the kitchen where Angus kept dried fruit for the kids and she found she was too short to reach it. Frustrated she chattered at it, reaching for it, and to Khaat's total amazement, the plastic jar moved into Abbey's hand. Khaat watched it move. Abbey didn't seem to know she had done something she wasn't supposed to be old enough to do. Khaat watched, wide eyed. Abbey merely took the jar back, opened the lid and took a piece of the very sweet dried pineapple and ate it and then took a second piece and handed it to Andrew. She used her own baby language to tell him it was candy. It seemed like Andrew could often understand her when adults could not.

"Did you see that?" Khaat asked softly.

"I certainly did," Robert said. "Accidental baby magic. You did it when you were a child. Most kids do a certain amount of it, but for her age, that was extraordinarily controlled. It makes me wonder if she's done it before and not realized what she's doing."

Andrew watched Abby then took the piece she offered placing it straight in his mouth then looked at her smiling as he babbled he'd like some more. Jess sat back and smiled " well I never, he's never eaten that before and trust me I have tried " she looked at Khaat and chuckled " I think our mister is taken with Abby " she said chuckling as she watched him take a second piece and smile as he ate it. Jess sighed feeling Andrew was growing up so quickly it was then she heard a cry from the bed room " the twins are awake " she said and jack stood up.

" I'll get them " he said kissing her he left to fetch and change the twins.

Abbey saw him eat the dried pineapple and then motioned to one of the pieces of fresh pineapple that he had set aside. She pointed to it and used the same word, showing Andrew that the dried pineapple and the fresh was basically the same thing. She gave him some other pieces of dried fruit--an apricot, a raisin, a piece of apple, some guava, a dried cranberry. She told him they were all candy. Then she drew out other pieces of dried fruit from the jar and ate them eagerly.

"She really is working on him, thats for sure," Angus laughed.

"Did you teach her to eat all that fruit?" Khaat asked him.

"No," he said honestly. "She got that from her mother. She likes fruit. I merely let her taste pretty much anything she wanted. She and Dakota hang out in the kitchen with me a lot, and I let them sample anything they see me cooking. They eat raw vegetables, the whole bit. They...just like it. She'll even eat pieces of raw corn and raw potato if I let her."

"Eww," Khaat scrunched up her nose.

"Good for her. It could be worse," Robert said. "You might have to force her into eating those things."

Jess watched Andrew take the fresh pineapple and place it in his mouth a moment ago he'd taken it out and placed it on the table now he ate it and looked at Abby as she babbled about the others he tried each one pulling a face at the raisin but he ate it. Jess sat sipping her tea and watching in amazement pleased he was eating the fruit Jack sat down handing Catlin over to Jess while he had James on his knee he accioed a bottle and gave it to him he drank hungrily while Catlin fussed a little Jess sighed then felt in her mouth " well seems Caitlin has got a tooth coming threw " she said smiling.

Khaat heard the triplets start to fuss in the bedroom. It made her jump, wanting to get up and go to her. "Sit," Brian told her. "We'll get it." He and Angus and Robert went back and brought out the triplets. Robert motioned a large playpen to come out as well. They changed the kids and fed them and then put them in the playpen with some toys. Khaat sat and watched in amazement. She had been with them every day and yet it seemed like just yesterday that they had been born. Now they were able to play. It felt like they were just growing entirely too fast.

"What's on your mind?" Brian asked her, rejoining her, as the babies started enjoying the toys.

"It feels like they'll be on that damned train to Hogwarts next week," she sighed.

"God, I hope not. I'm not sending any kids there right now," Brian said.

"You've got a couple days before they have to go," Robert joked, laughing. "Enjoy it. So--how many more are the two of you going to have?"

"What?" Brian looked at him blankly. "More?"

"You are having more, arent you?"

"How many grandkids do you want?" Brian frowned.

"Endless," he said, pleased. Brian just shook his head, unbelieving.

Jess chuckled at Roberts remark to Brian and Khaat about more children she didn't regret her decision not to have any more she looked at Cassidy and smiled knowing one day she might have a child with Steven but she also knew it would be several years down the line. She gave Catlin a piece of apple and let her chew on it till it got mushy Catlin smiling happy at this new taste . Jack chuckled as James just lay back and drank from his bottle.

Cassidy watched Jess and rolled her eyes knowing she was thinking about children she looked at Steven and sighed he moved and wrapped his arm around her shoulder " all in due time " he whispered and she relaxed knowing it meant he was in no rush for any more children yet she looked up at him and saw a smile on his face returning it with her body against his chest silently telling him she was happy to wait.