Marriage is Murder

Steven chuckled at Robert and nodded " well sir we can give it a good try then when the weathers warmed up " he said finishing his tea and handing Cassidy the mug to replace on the flask as he sat on his horse looking ahead at the path then the sky " we'd better gt a move on looks like more snow's on the way" he said softly and looked at Robert as Jess pulled her coat around her.

" he could be right it's just got colder. " She said holding the flask against her for warmth, Cassidy gave a shiver as she sat facing Kate and pulled her coat around her also.

" yeah it feels it or is that just me" she said shivering and moving closer to Jess as she sat in the sleigh.

Brian looked out around him and idn't like what he saw behind them. "Robert," he called sharply, "Look." he pointed to the odd looking dark clouds on the horizon.

"Everyone apparate back to the house! Now!" Robert ordered. "Brian, take the horses. I'll take the sleigh. Let's get them to the barn. That's moving in fast. We're working against time, and its going to take us all the skills we've got to get them in before it hits. Jack, you go to the house and take all the women with you. Steven, you apparate to the barracks. Tell them to make ready for a fierce winter storm." He looked at the driver. "You! Go to the main complex building and make sure no one is there. Get them across the trail to the barracks. Ladies and Gentlemen, we're about to be snowed in."

Steven did as he was told helping out to make every one warm and comfortable in the barracks before he aperated back to the main house the snow starting to fall and whip around the out side of the building. Cassidy and Jess aperated back to the main house as quick as they could , Jess dove to let Angus to prepare for being snowed in for how long even she could not say. Cassidy headed for the nursery and smiled seeing them all already in bed she poked the fire making the room nice and warm for them. Moving back to the living room she did the same with the one in that room and sat down waiting for Steven and Robert to return.

Once everyone had apparated out of the sleigh, Robert apparated in and took his place as the driver. He began to run them hard and fast for the barn. Brian took the stallions they'd ridden separately and took the reins of them and began to run them. Hard and fast as the wind began to kick up. It was absolutely frigid. Ice began to form on Robert's and Brian's clothes and on the horses' tack and on their eyelashes and on them. This was when Robert and Brian could shine. They knew how to work together in a rhythm without speaking, and right now there was no time for words. They both knew what the other was doing and could anticipate the other with perfect precision.

Brian reached the barn first and fired his wand at the barn doors. "Alohamora!" he shouted. The doors swung open long before he got there with his horses. Robert was pleased that Brian had made such a successful shot for such a distance. Brian was still running his horses when he ran them into the barn. He leaped off of them, driving them to the back of the barn to make room for the sleigh. It was only seconds later that Robert drove the sleigh and the pair of horses into the barn. He jumped out of the sleigh and summoned the barn doors to close with his wand.

They began to work quickly now to take unhitch the horses and to unsaddle the ones they'd ridden, to warm them up, dry them off, and make sure they were all warm and safe with everything they needed before they tended to themselves.

Upstairs, Khaat felt Brian's and her father's sudden alertness. She saw them racing across the grounds and the others apparating both out to parts unknown. Then she saw her father and Brian racing to secure the horses. She was about to draw her wand to become battle ready when she saw the darkened sky. Snow. Lots and lots of snow. A severe storm was minutes away. That was what they were outrunning. Or trying to. She put her wand back down. There was nothing she could do to help them. She saw them reach the barn safely and slam shut the doors. Well, they were safe now. They could apparate back to the main house and avoid being out in the storm.

Steven finished at the barracks and aperated back to the main house finding himself in the main room that was now warm he stood in front of it warming his fingers in the heat. Jess walked down and saw him and smiled but looked around " where's Jack ?" she asked just as he aperated in his jacket covered in ice and snow she quickly took off his jacket and wrapped a blanket around him.

" s..s..some of the h..h..horses at the b..b..barracks would not g..g..go in" he said sitting in front of the fire " m..m..me and two o..o..others got c..c..caught out in it" he said pulling the blanket around him as Steven walked to the main doors and looked out hoping Robert and Brian would be alright.

Robert and Brian increased the heat in the barn in order to make sure that the horsees would be warm enough. Brian finally told Robert to go back inside, that he was going to make sure the horses had extra food and water to stay comfortable. Robert agreed and went to make sure that the entire organization was following the procedures they had to stay safe in severe weather.

Brian finished feeding the horses and looked out the far barn window and saw a mother cat trying to bring back a litter of kittens through the storm. BUt nobody was going to see them from the house because, from he house, the cats were going to look like they were behind the barn--out of view. He apparated outsdie and the mother dropped the kitten in her mouth and took off running into the woods. The storm was fully upon Brian now. He picked up the newborn kitten out of the snow and shoved it into his jacket pocket and drew his wand. He began apparating a few feet at a time, following the cat. He found where she had tried to hide her litter in a hollow log. She wanted to run from him in fear, and he fired his wand at her, paralyzing her with a Petrificus Totalus. He rescued the kittens, taking the one from his pocket and wrapping them all, including the mother, into his coat. It wasn't easy. There were seven tiny kittens. And he had to position them in his jacket so that the mother was on the bottom and the kittens were on top. He wrapped them up well, picked his bundled up jacket from the ground, drew his wand, and apparated back into the house, his plain cotton shirt and jeans now his only protection from the cold.

Steven chuckled at Jack " you'll warm up soon enough" he said and looked back out he saw Brian moving towards the woods he frowned as he watched waiting for him to come back out which he did several moments later but with out his jacket on " whats he up to, hes going to freeze " Steven said and grabbed a jacket aperating outside to a few feet in front of him as he moved slowly towards him " BRAIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING ?" he asked but then he saw the cat and kittens he nodded " HOLD ON TIGHT!!" he said moving to hold him and aperate back into the main house he could already feel Brian was cold against him but the little meows from in his jacket let Steven know the kittens were alive.

"You'd have done the same thing," Brian said to him, unable to stop the involuntary shivering from exposure to the bitter cold. He was more than grateful to be in the warm. "She's feral, Steven. When the Petrificus Totalus wears off, we will need to tell her that she and her babies are safe. I don't know what else to do with her. I suppose I could have put her in the barn... but I wasn't thinking of that right then. I don't know how she'd react to the horses or if they'd step on a kitten."

Robert came in and saw his second in command in bare shirt sleeves, covered in snow and ice, blue with the cold. "'Can't leave you for two bloody minutes, can I? Jess, tell Angus to make Brian a hot toddy to warm him up, please. I'm going to make sure he gets upstairs to soak in a hot tub to warm up. If Jack isn't as warm as he should be, then send him upstairs for a hot shower or a bath as well to ward off the chill. He might enjoy a hot toddy as well. Might prevent them from both getting colds. Send Brian's drink up to their room and I'll make sure he gets it. Steven, you or Kate take care of those cats." He took Brian upstairs to make sure he was able, with all the violent shivering to get into a hot tub to soak off the chill.

Steven looked at Brian and chuckled " yes I would have and don't worry I'll speak to her and let her know if she stays till the snow goes she can go back out if she wants" he said looking at Jack he chuckled " Jess you take him up stairs, I'll get Angus to send up two hot toddy's one for jack and one for Brian. Jess nodded and stood Jack up who also shivered a little then sneezed as he moved to the hallway with Jess. Steven moved to the kitchen to find Angus and ask him to make the hot toddy's. Jess moved Jack up to there shower room stripping him down she ran the hot water and pushed him under till he stopped shivering and just stood loving the warm water.

When Angus got the drinks ready he floated them upstairs to their rooms. Robert caught Brian's drink and inspected it and passed it onto Brian who was just soaking in the specially designed deep tub. Khaat hadn't said much, and neither had Robert. It was just Brian's way to give every living thing a sporting chance. And Khaat and Robert would have done the same thing as well and have never thought twice. The recipe was simple, tea, honey, lemon, and the very best aged brandy. It was a drink Brian liked in the cold weather, whether he had a cold or not. He felt like he would never stop shivering, but when he got a few dips of the hot tea and brandy combination, it started to warm him on the inside too.

When he got out, Robert had selected for Brian some warm fleece sweats an some warm socks and sneakers. Brian was glad to have warm clothes and a warm drink. "Keep yourself warm. I'll make a potion to ward off a cold for you and Jack. Next time I'll send Steven. He can tell those stupid horses to get their happy asses in the barn or stay outside and freeze--their choice."

He went across the hall and sent a paper bird to Angus asking about lunch, and then set to work making his potion. He just couldn't keep a supply of all of them with him, so he had to rely on making them when he needed them.