Marriage is Murder

Kate saw Cassidy fall. She suddenly thrust her bags into Brian's hands. He expected her to go help Cassidy but instead, Kate moved deliberately into a small crowd of people and seemed to disappear, heading in the direction of the man who had tripped Cassidy. He knew better. Kate's seers sense had gone off and she was trailing the man who had tripped her.

"I suggest we stay here for the moment and keep our eyes open," Brian told Cassidy. "Kate's on the trail of something, I think. Don't use your wand in these muggles unless you want to reveal our secret to the whole world--no matter what. Look around you. There are high security muggle cameras everywhere. For now, all we can do is wait."

Kate followed the man into a rather darkened cocktail bar in the mall. He just seemed to be gone. Then from behind her a massive hand snapped like lightning out of the shadows and grabbed her around the throat with, clearly, enough strength to break her neck with one bare hand. And he was doing a good job trying to strangle her as it was.

"I'll give you a sporting chance, Old Woman," the deep, dark voice said. "Its not you I want, but if you're fool enough to try me again, I will take you instead of your daughter. I wonder how your husband would like to lose his wife as a starter? Might be a nice touch, dont' you think?" Kate was losing air fast, and she could hear breaking sounds in her neck. She left her wand sheathed and merely reached behind her and cast a wandless, nonverbal sectumsempra. The blood spurted against her back. She felt it. She backed into the ladies room and transfigured her clothing into white slacks with and a floral printed tunic with a high mandarin collar, completely hiding the massive marks around her throat. She transfigured her shoes into little white sandals and used a glamour spell to hide any lingering traces of trouble. Then she returned to Cassidy and Brian.

"We were seen," she told them. "He was here. He's gone now. He apparated out. I suggest we get home."

Cassidy stood watching for Kate seeing her return in different clothes she looked at her with a knowing shiver. her voice failed her a she realized she could have been his target though she knew better that it had been Kate all along and he had used her as a distraction to get to her " you ok?" she asked ignoring her own throbbing head and weak legs. She looked at Brian and nodded all be it slowly in agreement and headed with them back to the car she could feel a niggle in the back of her head along with the incessant throb , sitting in the car she touched it and sighed knowing Kate or Jess could get rid of it once they were back but she could not help yawn as tey drove down the road.

Brian didn't say much. His thoughts were too preoccupied with security concerns. When the car got back into the garage, he sent all the bags into the house and told Kate and Cassidy to go inside. He secured the garage, not saying much of anything. He knew this had gone wrong. All wrong. He made a perimeter check himself and then he proceeded to search every single inch of the grounds himself.

That brought Angus out of the house. "What are you looking for, Mate?" he asked.

"I have no idea, but if I can't secure our safety better than this, I won't keep this job. I'll resign. I'l let someone more capable run Robert's organization, and I'll take Khaat and the kids and we'll just disappear someplace. Screw this," he said angrily.

"What makes you think this is your fault?"

"Because Its my job!" he responded angrily. "I'm the head of this security force. It does fall on me, and I'm clearly not the right man for the job. Go back inside. Let me make one more stab at getting this right, would you?" Angus laid his hand supportively for a moment on Brian's shoulder and then went back inside silently

Cassidy moved to the bedroom and placed everything away her head now less as she moved from one draw to the other placing her things in them lastly was the dress she moved to the kids room and placed Fallon's dress away in a wardrobe for her before heading to the living room she saw Steven concerned at the bruise forming and batted his hand away " I'm fine some jerk knocked me over " she said and watched Angus and Brian have a heated discussion before turning to Steven " ok enough is enough, obviously I'm still not good enough, if I was I'd have at least know that jerk was no good, you and me, down stairs now, I need to know balance and hand to hand" she said taking his hand in her own and pulling him back down to the gym. Jess was about to offer she heal the bruise but then seeing her reaction decided to wait till she was finished.

Brian finished his search and apparated away from the outside. He locked himself in Robert's office and penned his resignation quickly, signed it and sealed it. He heard Cassidy and Steven working out. He left the sealed parchment on Robert's desk and moved upstairs. He flicked his wand into the nursery ordering a pack spell and then went into his bedroom and ordered another pack spell.

Robert knew Brian's anger better than anybody. He could feel it as well as he felt his own pulse. But he also could see clearly that Kate was hurt. He could see actual physical pain in her eyes. He got up and went over to her, putting Abbey on the floor with her siblings and a great pile of toys.

"Where is it?" he asked her softly. He laid his hand on her forehead and then quickly opened the neck on her conjured tunic, revealing deep black bruises and enormous swelling around her throat. "Good God, Kate! You tell me what happened right now." She told him everything as he worked to heal her injury. "He nearly killed you," he said softly.

"You need to check on Brian. He seems to be onto me," Kate said. "I can feel it. I'll be alright for now."

"Sit. I'll have Angus bring you some ice," he told her. He ordered ice packs for her neck and went in search of Brian. He heard the sounds of packing in the kids room and in the bedroom and he found Brian there.

"Where are you going?" he asked Brian.

"I dunno," Brian said quietly, too angry to talk, "Maybe out in the wilderness of Brazil or someplace.

"And what will that do?"

"I have no bloody idea. If that doesn't work, I'll send Khaat and the kids home to the farm to you. I'm done. My resignation is on your desk."

"Oh, it is, is it?" Robert asked. He accio'd the paper up from his office. He opened it, read it, and then set it on fire.

"What'd you do that for!" Brian was outraged.

"Because that's about what I think of it," Robert said. "You're not taking my only daughter and my grandchildren and trying to run off the planet with them. Now--talk."

Steven worked with Cassidy each time he thought she was tiring she would push her self that little more. son he stopped and stood back from her " come on ?" she said and she shook his head .

" no cassidy no more not like this your pushing your self " he said and sat down as she walked over to him to face him. tugging at his arm.

" yes lets keep going I almost got it " she said looking at him as she tugged him " if you won't then I'll do it alone " she said and moved back practicing the moves he had shown her. Steven moved to face her and stopped her.

"What the hell is up with you I understand training but this is pushing it " he said and looked into her eyes as he held her.

" Steven, I should have known, its my job to know when some one is out to attack us and I didn't, god damn it Steven he walked right up to me and helped me off the floor, for god sake what kind of protector am I if I can't even protect my own family. " She broke his hold and continued her work out more determined. Steven sighed and moved back from her.

"Fine but you must have sensed something about him or you wouldn't have told Kate or Brian " he said softly to her leaning against the mirror. Cassidy stopped and looked at Steven.

" He bumped me and knocked me down he was too polite and helped me up " she said stopping as she felt the tug on her calf.

Angus tended to Kate, helping her onto the sofa and packing her badly injured neck in ice all the way around . He gave her a heavy dose of pain potion and promised to keep the kids away so she could rest. Kate didnt want the kids away from her. Abbey climbed up on her and curled up with her, and It made Kate smile. Abbey just seemed to know when someone wasnt themselves, and Kate was enjoying it. She could hear the faint tones of Brian apparently venting at Robert. Good. He needed it. Brian didn't get that angry anymore, and even when he did, it was almost always at himself. The first time she had seen it was after his parents were killed. Brian had blamed himself because they had been on the way to a carnival Brian had begged his parents to go see. They never reached the carnival. Brian blamed himself. As a young boy, he believed that if he hadn't pestered them about going they wouldn't have been in that muggle car at that place at that time. His anger had been unreachable--until Robert had won his trust. And then Brian had finally unleashed it all at Robert. Since that time, he never released that sort of rage except to Robert. Kate knew Brian was afraid of his own anger when it got this far. And she was sure that the only person who was going to make sense to him right now was Robert. Clearly, Brian blamed himself for this too. For not stopping Gelding years ago, and for not keeping them all safe all the time, and for letting this new threat get to them as much as he had. Kate knew it wasnt' anyone's fault but the villains themselves. But right now, Brian knew he had the responsibility of being the commander of Roberts organization and the head of security for the Lupin family. He was clearly feeling the weight of it. And he didn't feel competent. That needed Roberts touch. She closed her eyes, deciding to let Robert handle it, as he had so many times before over the years.

Steven had heard enough moving he picked Cassidy up and threw her over his shoulder " your right enough is enough Cassidy, I didn't want to do this but I feel I have to " he said with a cussing Cassidy he walked up the stairs into the living room he could feel her hitting his back and shouting, he reached up and gave her bottom a hard smack making her wince. " hay, watch the language kids are around " he said and continued past Kate " Kate " he said and walked past a stunned Jack and Jess who moved to the door as he went out side and down to the pool . " Right Cassidy Rose Stevens this is your own fault and you'd better calm down a each time you don't I will just throw you back in" it was now Cassidy realized what he was going to do.

"No, no, you wouldn't dare " she said but he did throwing her fully clothed into the pool . she surfaced cursing him " damn you Steven walker when I get out of here." he just stood and grinned at her.

" you calmed down yet ?" he asked seeing her swim around to some steps she was heading for " well if your not I'll just do it again till you do, you can't know every thing Cassidy next time you'll be more aware,how do you you know Brian's not doing the same thing in there, for pity's sake his wife's not even here and he got to protect five kids you have only 3, how do you think he feels " he saw her relax in the water and sighed " ok get out and dry off but my promise still stands" he said and moved from the steps. Once she was out he threw her a towel " some times Cassidy your so infuriating and childish" those words stabbed at her hard and she sat down.

It was the better part of an hour before Robert came out of the bedroom shutting the door. He walked past the nursery, waved his arm at the packed boxes and bags and said, "Unpack." The kids's things immediately began to reverse the process. He found Kate now sitting up and sipping at a glass of firewhiskey.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Brian is Brian," Robert laughed. "He's fine. How the devil did I raise him to be so overly responsible?"

"You didn't," Kate said. "He got that way blaming himself for his parents' death long before you got to him. Be glad he trusts you. He doesnt' let anybody see him like that--not even Khaat. Only you. You sure he's okay?"

"Yes. He's unpacking all his things and hers--by hand. He's working off what he didn't vent. He will be worlds better when she returns. He feels completely empty without her, and he's insecure about all this rather instant fatherhood to such a big family, on top of all his responsibilities. He has promised her he would never leave her. But that sure doesn't mean he's not tempted to take them and run from everything else. I told him I wanted him to give it to me for awhile and concentrate on learning how to be a husban and a dad. I think he was glad to be off the hook for a bit. I rather got the feeling its been a damned long time since he had more than just a few hours of sleep a night. He's acting like he does when he gets sleep deprived."

"She'll be back soon," Kate said. "She misses him. I can feel it. Patience. She'll be home today."

Steven turned and walked in leaving Cassidy sat out side by the pool " Good to hear that Robert. " he said and went to their room to shower and change. Once done he walked back out sitting at the table with his cup of coffee and the news paper. Cassidy puled the towel around her she was still annoyed at Steven now more than with herself. Standing she saw him head for the kitchen and she moved into the living room past Robert, Kate, Jack and Jess she didn't look at them but instead kept her head down and moved to the bedroom. Steven sighed as he felt her pass by with out a word he looked at Robert and Kate. " You don't think I went too far with her this time?" he asked knowing he was sleeping on the couch for that night.