Marriage is Murder

Steven sighed and looked at Khaat as she stood up and left rather quickly. Jack sat back in his chair and looked as Brian left soon after leaving Steven and Robert in the conference room. Steven looked at Robert and sat back in his chair " what was that all about ?" he asked then looked at Jack and sighed. " You know its not all about names but about people who care you could be Joe blogs and have a family who don't give a jot about you or some one who has a large family of friends who care about you , some times jack your such a stubborn ass" he said and looked to Robert.

" what would you know your name is solid, you have your past to look back on, now I don't have that to give my kids when they ask where said we come from , who was our grand mother " he said and stood up. Steven stood to face him.

" who do you think that is sat there," He said and motioned to Robert. " Hes all the grandfather they need, Kate , grandmother, and I see myself as your brother and uncle to your kids, so yes you do have history, a history with the lupins, now grow up and drop it, there not worth the thoughts or the time f they don't see what a noble name they have given up" he sat back down hoping he'd not over stepped his mark he was beginning to hate Jacks thought that a name was everything.

"This meeting is over," Robert said, unusually iron firm and irked. "If I find that either of you have taken the information shared at this table among the staff, you're fired, no questions asked. I hope that's clear. This information does not leave this room. Not even to Cassidy and Jess unless they can keep their mouths shut. The decision to share it with the general staff is mine.

"Jack, you go finish sulking and let me know when you've pulled your head out of your arse enough to work. Until then, you're on leave. As long as they can get to you over something so little as a name change, I cannot afford to have you on active duty. When you get your emotions under some sort of control, then I'll reconsider, but as long as they're running you rather than you controlling them, then you're at James's mercy and the mercy of anyone else who can rattle your chain. And right now, that can be lifethreatening for a lot of people. Your leave starts now."

"Steven, divide the morning workouts into two sections, not three. I'll lead one, you lead the other. Angus will fill in for Jack's patrols while he's off doing whatever it is he needs to do. Jack, I need to hear from Jess within the hour as to whether she needs a similar leave so that she can be with you or whether she will be working. If I dont' hear from her within 60 minutes, I will presume you need her with you. Steven, if Cassidy is up to some extra duties, let me know--in the next hour." He stood and looked at them both. "You'll have to excuse me. I have a job to do, and I need to get to it." He left the room, not bothering to muscle up the effort to hide his anger at Jack, and slamming the conference room door behind him.

Steven looked at Jack but said nothing and turned to leave the room with out saying anything. Jack had listened to Robert and Steven he sat in his chair for several hours more before leaving the conference room. He grabbed his jacket and said nothing to Jess as he moved out to the grounds his jacket pulled around his body as he walked to clear his head sitting on a snow covered tree he could not help punch it and brake it in two so now he sat in the snow on the ground then a big clump fell to right on top of him and he could not help but laugh out loud and fall back into it chuckling.

" your right Robert, it and they are not worth the hassle" he said to himself " so they don't want the name I do and that's all that matters, the line starts with me for the black hearts and I'm damn sure it will be a strong one" he stood up and brushed the snow off him " I'd better put things to rights with every one" he finally headed back to find him. "Robert, I am going no where, this is where I belong this is my home and these people are my family I am part of this organization, I am Jack black heart first last and every part belonging to this family " he sighed and hung his head " and I was a jack ass to think any other way, they want over me I'm over them, I will apologize to Khaat and Brian. "

"Apology accepted," Robert said, looking up from his work on a map of the grounds. "But your apology to Khaat and Brian will need to wait. They are not here. And, no, I don't know where they went or when they'll be back. I just know that, for now, I'm taking care of my grandchildren. I know Khaat and Brian are together so I trust they'll be alright.

"But...you didn't meet my deadline, so you might need to straighten things out with Jess. I told you that if I didn't hear from her within the hour, I was placing you both on leave. When I didn't hear from either of you, I put you both on leave. She has been notified, and, I presume, most likely not all that happy about now. I would suggest you work that out next. When you and Jess are ready to go back to work, you let me know. Until then, my decision to leave on on a leave of absence stands." Robert knew Jess took her job very seriously, and his best guess was that when she was given written notice about her leave, she was probably not all that ecstatic with Jack. Robert had no intention of putting them back to work until any disagreements they had now as a couple were resolved. "By the way, you missed lunch and dinner both. My guess is that you will have more to apologize to your wife for than getting her put on a leave of absence."

Jack sighed and nodded he understood Roberts decision. " yes sir , um...Sir I might not fear James and his gang any more but boy I do fear Jess's anger " he said and turned to leave to find Jess who was pacing in their bedroom none too pleased at receiving the letter. " what the hell are you playing at Jack were on leave?" she said looking at him " of all the stupid, idiotic self centered things you have ever done this is at the top of that list" she said. " Did you ever consider mine and our children's future , shesh Jack grow up. " she faced jack who stood listening to her.

"Do you know, your cute when your angry." he said simply and saw Jess roll her eyes at him as he stepped closer to her.

" Flattery will get you no where , we missed lunch and dinner both and I'm hungry" she moved to look out the window and felt Jack walk to hold her close. Her hand held his arm as he did " Jack please don't do this again" she asked. Jack saw hr moved to the window and sighed, he moved to hold her close to him.

" I won't ...ever" he said feeling a new sensation inside him, one of a strength that came from knowing he had family and a name that was all his and his wife's and his children's and those were who he wanted to have it " I'm sorry about lunch and dinner I had to think" he spoke softly to her and she turned to face him.

"You'll have to tell Robert there's no way in hell I going on leave and your going to apologize to every one " she said and folded her arms over her chest. " then and only then will we both get something to eat , together and if I hear of feel you thinking this way again I will smack you so hard you'll wake up a woman" she said jack nodded kissing her he left to find Robert .

" Um... I talked to Jess, you were right she's not happy about being on leave and...well, we'd like to be put back on active duty , please " he asked

Robert had known this was coming. He had known that when he had put them on leave. It had been a wakeup call, but now he hesitated.

"Jack," Robert said, seriously, "how the devil do I know that you're not going to simply just let one of our most powerful enemies under your skin again at the drop of a hat? You put us all in grave danger when you do that. I know you've stopped being offended by James's choice to change his name but for pete's sakes, I'd have surely thought that it would have meant far more to you that he penetrated our safehouse repeatedly and tried to kill us. I fail to understand how a simple name change seems, in your mind, to trump the fact that James is a coldblooded, ruthless killer. I fail to see how you'd even want to share the same last name that he has. I'll put you back on duty, but on my terms. Jess can go back to work tomorrow if she chooses. You? You can start your job on January 2nd. That gives you less than a week to get your priorities straight. Right now, I confess, I do not understand your thoughts at all. I have tried. Nevermind the fact that you abandoned your wife and children today so you could wander around outside in the snow. You were given specific instructions to notify Jess that she had her own choice to make about whether or not she wanted to be on leave. You didn't even think enough of her to respect her right to make her own choice. You were completely self absorbed. And that does worry me. When nothing else matters but your own feelings? How dependable will you be for your own wife and children, let alone on your job and for the rest of the people who feel like they're your family.

"I want you to figure this out for yourself and then find a way to explain it to me that makes some sort of sense. And then explain to me why I should still trust you to be able to do your job at an instants notice when you do something like this. So, no. I won't put you back on duty until Monday January second. But Jess can return to duty tomorrow if she likes. Understood?"

Jack stood listening to him he understood his thoughts and sighed hanging his head as Robert said more to him. he could understand where he was coming from. " I'll inform Jess of your decision, sir " he said and stood upright.

" Permission to speak freely and with out recourse sir" he said facing him . He wanted to let how he felt spill out, here and now to Robert, to let him understand how hurt he was, yes he was angry at James for attacking his family, but he was hurt at his turning his back on the Heart name and for making it into something people feared rather than respected. If any one should have changed their name it should have been him to do it, but he didn't he chose to keep it and fight for that and his family with his life, and he still would.

"Permission granted," Robert said simply. Robert had a feeling that Jack still had a lesson to learn about life and what was really important.

Brian had found Khaat packing. She had been nearly finished when he arrived. She wasn't going to listen to him at first. He gripped her by the shoulders and packed his own bag. He had made her sit. Made her promise to wait. And then he talked to her softly, making her realize that they didn't marry to ge together just when it was good, but also when it was bad. He promised her that if she wanted to leave for awhile, he would go with her. She had only said softly that she wasn't staying. So he had sent a message bird to Robert and had shouldered their bags and had taken her by the hand, taking the portkey of her choice into his hand and they had ported out.

And now, he sat with her. With the time change, the night had come and gone. It was morning here. She had been awake until it exhausted her. And then she could't stay awake anymore. She had fallen asleep on the bed. He found a blanket and covered her, letting her sleep. He opened the doors to the balcony and let the fresh morning air come in, the sounds of the water and the sounds of the day beginning around them. Inside the room was nothing but silence. He stepped out on the balcony and lit a cigarette. When she wasn't so tired, she'd be able to deal with how hurt she felt, how betrayed she felt. Last night hadn't been the time.

Brian understood, to a limited extent, what had driven Jack. He didn't agree with it, but he understood. Brian had understood even as a child that a name didn't mean squat. The only thing that mattered was the love. Brian did not understand how Jack could beleive that a name was more important that the very people who loved him. And Khaat was running. If his name was that important, then she felt she needed to leave to stop James and Gelding both from trying to kill eeryone she loved. More than that, Brian fully expected she would, at some point, offer herself to either James or Gelding in order to try to stop the madness. It wouldn't work, he knew. They would just aim again--this time at Kate or the kids. He was hoping that once she was rested, he could make her see reason.

Jack looked at Robert when he gave permission for him to speak but he thought about what he was going to say and shook his head "no, its not important any more, I'm letting the ware side of be dictate how I act again, A name..a name is just letters " he looked at Robert " it does not change who I am inside and I know that but it seems James knows how to push my buttons even from a far , first attacking my family physically now this " he took a deep breath in and sighed " its supposed to be a relaxing holiday yet no matter what we do hes always popping up threatening something against us...why can't he just....leave us alone " he said looking at Robert his eyes flickered to yellow and back " I won't lie its been getting harder to control my wear side I still take the potion you gave me " he took the small bottle out of his pocket to show him.

"Well, thats not hard to figure out," Robert said. "He's using you. And he's using your mother to do it. If you're going to be angry at anyone, you need to be angry at her. She arranged to turn you to a werewolf when you were younger because she loves Fenrir. And, she kept it from you all these years. She lied to you and got you to trust her enough to even babysit your own kids. You're lucky she didn't turn them too, but I see no evidence of that. If she's skillful enough to lie to you your whole life, don't you think she's been giving information about you to James for years? Enough to get under your skin? Think, Jack. They've used you to try to infiltrate us to undermine us. They were counting on you eventually getting tired of us or thinking we tricked you enough that you might attack us from inside our own ranks. You need to truly deal with your anger, or that could still happen. If you let it take over, that werewolf in you could either kill everyone in this safehouse or cause one of us to need to kill the werewolf." And Jack wasn't stupid. There was no way to kill the werewolf without killing the man. "Why do you think I won't let you back to work yet? You're not ready. Go work off that rage before it kills either us or you."