Marriage is Murder

"Of course its not right," Robert said, already transfigured into mission wear. "Jack senses the same thing that Khaat and Kate do. James is coming back for another strike. Look at your calendar, Jess. Tonight is the first night of the full moon. James' power will be at its full height tonight. He wants to move while he can. If I were him, I would not show my entire hand, no matter what happens, but if I knew I could summon up my full power if push came to shove, hell, yes, I'd do it. You'd all better be anchoring up to protect the kids because this won't be just a bit of verbal conversation tonight."

"This one is my call," Khaat said, coming out of the bedroom, dressed in black from head to toe.

"Not until I'm dead and gone, its not," Robert said. "I dont know when the bait has ever been in charge of the fishing. You just be the bait and I'll take care of the rest." Khaat shifted her eyes over to Brian, who was trying not to show a grin he was hiding. Robert was never going to give up control of anything this important, no matter how badly Khaat wanted it.

Khaat ignored her father and walked outside. Brian followed her closely. "What is it you know?" Brian asked her.

"I know he's here," she said softly. She looked but as much as she could sense his presence, she could see nothing. "James," she called boldly, "Stop being such a coward. Come out and face me if you have any bullocks at all."

"Careful," Brian said softly in her ears. "Don't overprovoke him. He's got a great big ego. He'll kick if you do too much."

"That's what I need him to do," she said. She glanced back at Jack. Jack was more than ready for a confrontation. "Don't jump in until we need it, Jack," she said. She looked back out in the distance. She took a great risk and walked out towards the darkness, knowing she was deliberately walking right into his hands. But it was the plan. Suddenly he gripped her around the throat, his claws sinking into her flesh enough to draw blood.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldnt finish this here and now," he said from behind her.

"Go ahead," she replied boldly, jamming her wand hard into his ribcage, "but I won't die quietly, and I won't die alone. I'll be taking you with me. You arent' half the man my uncle was, and I am not the least bit afraid of you. Now, you listen to me, you spineless jellyfish. You leave me and my family alone, or I will kill you all. Every one of you." James just laughed.

"Mighty big talk from such a little woman," James growled. Robert did his best to hide a smile. James was clearly making a fatal mistake. He was seriously underestimating Khaat because she was, in comparision to him, quite tiny. He was hoping no one would tip James off to what a serious mistake he was making.

"Jack," Robert reprimanded sharply, hoping to bring him back to a more human state of mind than werewolf. Jack ha learned to respond to Robert automatically because of the hours and hours of hard training. Robert was also counting on Jack responding to his relationship with the entire Lupin family and Jack's tremendous devotion to Khaat. He was counting on jack knowing Robert knew best.

Khaat looked at Jack. Jack was barely resisting transfiguring. He was looking far more werewolf right now than human. Her mind began to envision herself being right in the center of two werewolves battling it out and with her being torn to shreds, quite literally. She could feel mor ehair raising up on Jame's arms as she clutched to them to try to get him to not rip her throat out. From behind her she could hear the howls of three female werewolves transfiguring. She hadn't counted on that when she planned. The three werewolves came out from behind James, fully transfigured and stood between Jack and James, facing Jack, protecting James. Khaat was on her own now and she knew it. And until she could turn around, the stone would be of no help to her whatsoever, even though it was glowing bright green and starting to become quite shrill.

"Turn that damned thing off!" James commanded her sharply.

"I can't," she said.

"Then I will," he said, losing his temper. He took his claws out of the flesh of her neck and spun her around. When he did, the stone immediately fired at him powerfully, knocking him a huge massive blast. At the last instant, Khaat clutched hard to a big handfull of hair that was literallly ripped out of James's skull when the stone blasted him backwards.

Khaat heard the werewolves going after Jack. She spun around, and the stone screamed and blasted at Jack's mother, blowing her hard into the stone wall of the garage at least 30 feet away. Khaat watched his mother fly backwards through the air and hit the stone with a bone crunching bang. The werewolf slid down the wall and didn't move. Khaat didn't know if she had killed her or not.

"Come on!" Khaat shouted at Jack's oldest sister. "You think I'm such a puny human pushover, come and get me!"

"You're nothing but a filthy little slut!" the older woman snarled at Khaat spinning around, ready to pounce on her. The instant the words left the werewolf's mouth, Khaat felt herself being shoved out of the way. In her mind, she saw Remus step in front of her. She felt her hand---or was it her hand?--reaching an open palm to her boot and Remus's wand snapped into it.

"Oh, I am, am I?" the words that left her mouth didn't seem like hers. There was pure amusement behind the words now. She began to realize Remus had just stepped in to back up Jack, and Remus was completely unafraid.

"I've got this," Remus sald boldly. "I won't let her hurt her, believe me. Watch out for James. They're only stunned. That won't hold him long. Don't take him on alone. Let me know if he wakes." Khaat felt her stance change into Remus's signature fighting stance, and Robert walked up and stood firmly beside them in a stance that mirrored it.

"Nice to have you back," Robert said.

"You know its temporary," Remus replied. "Together?"

"No. This one is mine," Robert said. "For my daughter."

"Do it, then," Remus replied. Remus was very slightly distracted by knowing Cassidy wasn't seeing Khaat and Robert standing side by side. She was seeing the two brothers reunited in a duel, standing together for their family. Remus watched Robert fire a powerful blast into Jack's sister, sending her clear deep enough into the deepest part of the pool that it blasted a hole in the concrete and sank her deep into the dirt below, water drenching everyone outside as the water from the pool blasted out of it.

"Oh, very nice," Remus grinned at Robert. "James will be back any minute. That bastard is mine."