Marriage is Murder

Khaat was glad that things seemed to be happy at the safehouse for right now. She didn't want her children to have to grow up in a safehouse. She thought about the price on her head and on her father's, set by Grindlewald. As famous as Remus was, he'd never made the list of wanted criminals. When she had been across the veil, all Remus had said was how proud he was of her. They'd had time. She'd caught him up on so much, including that. And he had merely laughed. He was proud of his older brother and of her. He had told her, "Sweetheart, it only means you're making enough of a difference that Grindlewald has to be worried about you." She remembered his words. Somehow no matter whether he was alive or not, Remus had always managed to look out for her.

"Where are you?" her father's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Huh?" she asked, looking at him.

"Where were you? You were a million miles away."

"With Remus," she said softly. He merely smiled.

"Good memories, I hope?"

"New ones," she said.

"Some time, I'd like to hear them. I miss him too," Robert said.

"that would be nice," Khaat replied. "I'd like that."

"Why don't you and your dad go hae that talk outside next to the pool while I do the dad thing with the kids?" Brian asked her.

"Do you mind?" she asked as Abbey brought Brian a toy teacup.

"Mind? Of course not. Besides, apparently I'm going to have tea with my daughter. And you know how important a decent cup of tea is," Brian said, taking the teacup from Abbey. Robert laughed.

"I'll refresh your seer's tea," Robert told Khaat," and then we'll go outside for a bit." She nodded. Robert refilled Khaat's mug and refilled his own mug with Earl Grey. Then he sent the mugs outside to the table near the pool and helped Khaat outside so she could simply spend time with her father telling him about her time with Remus.

"I'm glad they're getting that time," Brian said. "For awhile, I wasn't so sure she was going to have anymore time with him or with any of the rest of us."

"Try the dressmaker Khaat used," Kate said. "Or ask Brian to ask Fiona to see what she can do with the design. Either one. It doesn't look all that difficult, and I would think that either one of them would be able to do that for you. Especially if you can get the overlay already embroidered. And sometimes it is possible to get a bolt of fabric that is already embroidered." She glanced outside and saw that Robert was sitting with his chair up against Khaat's and that he had his arm around her letting her lay her head on his shoulder.

"There was a time, when Remus was alive, that moments like that would not have happened for those two," she said. "It seems that Remus actually brought them together, without intending to. And now, without intending to, he keeps them together. Its nice to see. Brian, I thought for sure you'd want to be in on that discussion about Remus."

"No," Brian said. "She already told me last night. She was a bit restless, even as tired as she was, so we talked a bit. Its fine." He had gotten juice from the fridge and had poured it into the toy tea set and gotten some tiny cookies to put with the tea set. Dakota came over to join the tea party and he motiond to Andrew in case he wanted to join them.

"You know better than to try to see the gown before the wedding," Kate laughed. "That is none of your business. Brian will guide you with your tux, but you cannot be part of most of the rest of this. You know better."

"Brian will?" Brian asked.

"Yes. You will," Kate said. "You will take your instructions from Kate or me and then you will make sure he gets the right thing. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he saluted her.

"Better. Much better," she nodded. "Are you going to have Angus do your cake, Cassidy?"

"That's simple," Angus said. "Not a problem. You'll have to decide what flavors you want the tiers. Most brides make each tier a different flavor now. And you'll have to decide what time of day you want the wedding so that you can start thinking about what you want for the menu for the meal. I presume you would like me to do that as well?"

"Don't forget something to wear for traveling after the ceremony," Kate said.

"You too," Brian told Steven. "Or Khaat will just surprise you with something. Trust me, you'd rather buy it yourself."

"Are you saying my daughter has bad taste?" Kate frowned.

"No. I'm saying my wife sees me as being a lot more handsome and classy than I really am," Brian laughed.

"She happens to think you are exceptionally handsome and very, very sexy," Kate said.

"Sexy?" he frowned at Kate, finding it hard to believe his mother in law--the woman who raied him--was bluntly saying he was sexy.

"You heard me. She believes you are the sexies man on the face of the planet, my boy," Kate said, brushing his hair.

"Well, that makes me feel so much better," he said sarcasically. "For a moment there I thought you were going to say something with a little pressure to it." Angus laughed out loud at Brian's sarcasm.

"Come on, Mate," Angus said. "She hasn't even noticed another man since that trip to Venice you two took."