Marriage is Murder

Brian moved over to the bed and woke Khaat very gently. She sat bolt upright and wrapped herself tightly around him. She was gripping him so tightly that his collarbone felt like she was breaking it all over again for him. He was not about to let her see that, though.

"What was it?" he asked her.

"They're coming back," she told him. "This new man...Gelding's replacement...he is so evil....Brian, we're not going to be able to stop him. Not this time. They're coming."

"Stop. Look at me," he said to her softly. He made her eyes meet his. "Listen to me. I dont' care if its freaking Voldemort come back. He cannot have you, he can't have your parents, he can't have our kids."

"They've...prepared a grave...It's ready," she started.

"Stop. Stop it. We'll tell your father. He'll know what he wants to do. But there is no way I'm going to let anyone hurt you. I swear...."

"But I can't lose you either! If it has to be me, then...."

"Stop and listen. We will be alright. Trust me. Look at me. Do you trust me?" She nodded slowly. He sighed heavily and wrapped her as tightly as he could in his arms. "I'm sorry that was so frightening, but that was just a bad dream. I am ready. If they think they're going to come, then let them come. Let's end this. Its about time they found out just how fierce we can be." He looked at her. "Headache?" he asked. She nodded. "No wonder. Your seers powers are getting a whale of a workout." He laid his hand on her forehead and drew it off for her. "Come on. Let's go get some more seers tea."

"Not yet," she said softly into his chest.

"Okay," he said, just holding her.

Steven walked up with Jack more relaxed now " ok so its dark suit for the men and I'll leave Cassidy to sort the women and girls , waist coats are gold to tye in with her theme ok" jack pulled a nose at this but he nodded " hay its her day come on " he said and lightly tapped Jack's chest as they entered the kitchen " hey your awake " he said and kissed Cassidy gently as he sat with her now holding her hand.

" she was just telling me about her dress sounds wonderful " Jess said smiling at him " um you all vented out ?2 she asked and saw him nod along with Jack. " that's good" she said smiling.

Kate perked up quickly.

"Robert," she said very firmly. "Go check on your daughter. Go now. Something's wrong. Brian felt it. Go now." Robert didn't need a second urging.

"On your toes until I get back," he ordered everyone. He noticed Kate's wand was already drawn. Robert went down the hallway and into the bedroom without invitation. He went over to the other side of Khaat and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Tell me," Robert said quietly. Khaat shook her head, afraid to speak. Brian repeated what he knew. Robert tried to ask Khaat a few more questions, but Khaat was too afraid of what she had seen to speak.

"Don't you leave her for one moment. Get your wand, Brian. I want you armed," Robert ordered. He watched Brian draw his wand and went back into the living room.

"Kate," Robert said. He went over to her and spoke very softly to her for a moment. Kate went to their room.
Robert looked at the rest of them. "Khaat had a nightmare. She feels very certain that Gelding's replacement is far worse than Gelding ever was. And she firmly believes they're planning on coming back. Soon. Gear up. Be prepared. Train up. Jack and Steven, increase your patrols. Angus, join them if you need to. Make sure we're covered. If we need to call in more backup from Paris we'll do it. Kate went to go back to check and see if she can get any information herself."

Cassidy looked at Steven " stay safe" she said and accioed her wand to her as she moved with Jess to the babies room standing guard over them. Steven and jack moved to the patio doors " you go left I'll go right " Steven said moving around the perimeter of the house . He found nothing out of place yet he knew better than to disprove Khaat's visions majority of the time they were right but why had Jess not felt it it was then he remember she had the ability to lock out her seeing powers and he realized this was most likely what she had done. " Jack anything" he asked as he walked over to him.

" nothing but that means nothing yet " jack said sniffing the air only catching the scent of the ocean as the tide came rolling in on the beach.

Brian pursuaded Khaat to come out of her room. She went quickly to check the kids. She looked at Brian sharply. "If it comes to it, you forget about me. You protect our kids. You promise me," she said to him in a commanding tone.

"I am not going to forget about you, so don't ask me. Khaat, this is not the first we've faced trouble. I am not going to make you a promise I can't keep," he said immovably. "I won't grow old with my kids. I do plan on growing old with you. they're not after our kids. They're after you."

"I don't know who they're after!" she said.

"I do," her mother said from the doorway. "Did you think you could hide it from me? They're after you. They have a plan. And they believe its operational. It won't be long. They're gathering even now. We need to get all the kids into the basement." She went out into the living room. She looked at the others. "Gelding's people are assembling now. I suggest we get all the children into the basement."

"Good plan," Robert agreed. "Jess, Cassidy, and Kate, take the kids downstairs. Mute them if you need to. I will replace the closet wall so that you will be impossible for them to find you so long as the kids don't make any noise. Go now. There is plenty of food and weapons down there. Jack, Steven, Brian, Angus, and Khaat and I will all work on holding them off. If we need to we will call for help from Paris. You all have your medallions. Don't be afraid to use them. Wands at the ready. Move the children and be prepared."

Cassidy looked at Steven quickly walking over she gave him a kiss then ran to Fallon and the twins moving all three down to the basement Jess held Andrew in her arms accioing some toys she made one room into a play come nursery with the cots lines against one wall " Kate how long do you think we'd have to stay down here ?" asked Cassidy as she placed down Fallon and the twins in a crib " can't stay forever" she said. Jess looked at Kate and nodded.

" I know we could stay a few weeks down here but not for ever"she said also concerned about the men above ground she hoped nothing would happen but Kate was so adamant as with Robert she feared a battle would ensue.

"Robert will call in as many men as he needs to to protect us. He would dearly have loved to send her downstairs with us to shield her, but he knows she won't go. She won't leave Brian. Not with his shoulder so badly broken. He knew better than to even try," Kate said. "Here's what he isn't saying. Khaat and I both saw the replacement leader for Gelding's operation. He is utterly ruthless. He has recruited actually more men than we have, even if we summon every man we have. He has resources--more than Gelding ever had, and he's not afraid to use them. Khaat and I both saw that they have prepared a grave. She saw what she thought was a grave. What I saw was a crypt. They plan on using it. They're planning it for Khaat. She knows. She wants Brian to promise to shield the kids beyond everything else, and he won't do it. Robert wants Brian to stay with her no matter what. He's gearing up for all out war.

"What this man doesn't know is that Robert also has the ability to summon agents from America's Department of Magic to back us up if we have to. Robert is not afraid to go to war for his family. And I think he just may well do it tonight. We have to be ready to keep the kids safe. That's what Robert is depending on us to do. If we get outnumbered he will send us more help." She heard a slight banging sound. "That's Robert. He's just transfigured the door to a solid wall--the back of the original closet. So we're down here now for the duration. Unless we have to abandon the basement. Cassidy, go look in the closet. You'll find baby slings and backpacks and strollers. Go make sure that if we had to we could move the kids at a moment's notice. Count up kids and make sure the three of us can move them all in a matter of a couple seconds if we had to. Jess, you and I will stand guard while she prepares the kids to move if we have to."

Both Jess and Cassidy stood dumb founded at Kate's words but they both said nothing , Cassidy's heart pounded at the thought of losing Steven before they were even married her stomach turned but she did as she was asked checking all was in place and walked back to Kate " its all there " she said and sat down in a chair still thinking about what Kate had said finding it difficult that she was down in the basement and not up fighting along side Steven but she knew he had his reasons why he had not stopped her going, he wanted her safe just as Khaat and Brian wanted their children safe.

"Cassidy," Kate smiled. "Your thoughts are too transparent to me. My apologies. I know how Khaat hates it when I see more than she wants me to. But you're perhaps misunderstanding a bit. Robert trusts Steven and Jack with the most important thing in his entire existance--his family. He respects them as finely trained and well prepared aurors who also are very capable of old fashioned muggle hand-to-hand barroom brawling if it comes to it. He wants strong women to protect the children. He trusts the three of us to protect his grandchildren, Jess's kids and yours. Think about it. That's eleven kids between us to guard. If we need to move them quickly, I presume we will use the three strollers for triplets and two baby backpacks, and one supply backpack. Accio!" She flicked her wand at Robert's office door and a paper envelope came to her. She opened it up and handed Cassidy and Jess a gold heart shaped charm.

"Put this on your chains with your medallions. These are portkeys. They will take you to colorado to Brian's estate just by your gripping it in your hand. If anything happens to me, you do whatever you need to do. You don't wait for me. Take the kids and portkey out immediately. Robert will know where you've gone. Kieran has been training up and he has been well schooled on how to hide you and the kids. Go there immediately...." She heard an apparating sound and looked around, ready to fire her wand, but saw nothing. Then she saw it and laughed. Mo and Max and Archangel had all been apparated downstairs with them. "Robert's work," Kate said. "I guess that makes us porting out 14 plus all three of us. That makes 17. I trust you can toss the cats in with the kids in the strollers if you need to. Archangel is very good at porting. He will ride on either of your shoulders. Like this. Archangel! Come!" At her command, the regal bird flew over to Kate's shoulder and perched himself there firmly. "Max! Mo! Travel!" she commanded. The cats jumped into the nearest stroller and awaited further orders. Kate looked at Jess and Cassidy. "See? Very simple really. Oh, and Archangel is a relentless fighter. He will assist us if we are breeched.

"But back to my subject. Cassidy, Robert wants you to not be torn if it would come to it, to choosing between Steven and Fallon. He eliminated that for you by putting you with where he knew you would be most useful. He needs you here. He knows your dedication to children. And he's counting on that. Robert will not let anyone fall if he can prevent it. I know this is frightening, but when it comes to matters like this, Robert hanles it like a chess game. His mind is always very strategic. Trust him. We'll all be alright."

Cassidy looked at her and listened "yes and I'm sorry, I guess its because this is really my first big battle as a mother, ow and Fallon comes first, always, but my heart would be broken if anything was to happen to Steven, my training tells me to be strong but my mother instincts tells me to protect the ones I love. " she sat down and gave a confused sighed. Jess sighed and walked over to her knowing exactly how she felt.

"Cassidy, you have to now fight that instinct, you are a mother and as so are the stronger one, I want nothing more than to be with Jack also, but I know our love will remain strong even if we're apart. " she said Cassidy looked at them both and smiled.

"Your right both of you, Steven would not want me sitting here like this worrying over him his first thoughts are our children. " She stood up and watched Kate and taking the charm she placed it on her necklace, she chuckled as Max and Mo got in the stroller on command and archangel settled on Kate's shoulder "those are some well trained animals" Cassidy said