Marriage is Murder

Cassidy returned with a wizard picture of Brian and the girls in a gold frame which she handed to Khaat " there you go a lasting memory " she said smiling a she stepped back Jess smiled at her then looked at Angus.

"ow Andrew likes frosting on his some relation to his father likes it sweet" she said and chuckled as Andrew threw a snowball and it went down his back. " sounds a good idea Angus " she said " can't wait to get Andrew making cookies he use to do it at home too" she smiled and looked at the picture noting how cassidy had captured the playfulness of the girls as they played.

"Oh thank you!" Khaat smiled. "Its wonderful. And I know the perfect place for it." She put it on Brian's nightstand moving her own picture that he'd put there out of the way. She put her own picture in the drawer and left the girls out. She knew Brian would appreciate the new photo, but she was guessing it would only be a matter of time before he got her photo back out again too, but for now, she liked seeing her kids first playday out in the snow.

Angus headed downstairs to make the cocoa.

"Khaat," her father called her from the doorway. She turned and looked at him.

"Yes?"

"Your mother and I might take the weekend to go to Tuscany out of this damned snow for a couple days. Maybe a three day weekend. We'd like to spend the weekend in our new place. Any chance you all would like to go? It would give us time to not have to be on guard? To spend time in our own houses and maybe do some things together while we're there? Hhow about discussing it with the guys and then letting us know?"

"I can make a decision for us," Khaat said. "I would really love somoe sand and a swim in the sea right about now."

"We can get security from the Italian Ministry of Magic if we need it. She's a friend of mine."

"She?"

"Ah yes. Let's just say I knew her when I was younger."

"What does that mean?" Khaat frowned.

"Oh, just say it, you old poop," Kate socked him in the arm, joining him. "Daniella Bellmont was a Beauxbatons first year in our 7th year, and he met her during the Triwizard tournament. She had a major crush on your father."

"She was eleven and I was almost 18 and engaged to you," Robert sighed, looking at the ceiling, annoyed.

"And she would do absolutely anything for you. But seriously , Daniella is a good lady. She has stood with our family and has helped us underground children out of Paris for decades. She is a secret supporter of the organization and has been. She was one of the original founding investors when they started it. She is seriously pissed off that some idiot resurrected Grindlewald, and she'll do whatever she can to ally with us. If we want a weekend away, she'll provide each of us enough security to be safe. And we all live close enough together that it really isn't any problem for them to do that."

Cassidy looked at Jess who smiled she knew exactly what was going threw her mind and could not disagree one but " we're both in a bit of sun would do the kids the world of good " Jess said to Robert " besides means we can check out your gifts too" she said with a smile as Jack brought Andrew who was rather cold back indoors with i'm placing him down Andrew went to the fire and warmed himself.

" cold fun to start but not fun when you get cold" he said rubbing his arms to warm up.

Brian came back in with Abbey and Dakota and Angus brought up a large pot of Kate's recipe cocoa and a stack of mugs and a bowl of marshmallows. He had a plateful of s'more flavored cookie bars.

"Cookie!" Abbey waas delighted.

"You can have one," she gave one to her. "Did you like the snow?"

"Angel!" she said, her eyes bright and shining.

"Did Daddy teach you how to make a snow angel?" she laughed.

"We did," Brian said. "And snowballs, and we made snowmen and she made me make her a snow max and a snow mo."

"You conjured them didn't you?" she laughed, pouring cocoa for everyone.

"Yep," he said. "I am not a snow sculptor."

"Well, how are you at sandcastles?" she asked.

"So so," he said. Then he looked at her. "Wait. Why are we talking about summer?"

"We're not. We're talking about going for a 3 day weekend to Tuscany. Daddy's idea."

"Sounds good to me. Warm weather sounds good after being out in that snow. What do you think, Jack?" Brian asked.

Cassidy looked over at Jack as Jess walked over to him , jack smiled and looked at Brian as he took a cup of hot cocoa. " sounds great " he said as Steven walked up and chuckled.

" Could not help over hear " sounds good I need to check on the villa and the modifications I requested anyway" he said smiling at Cassidy as he held her close " trust me you'll like them " he told her and she nodded. Jess picked up a cup and cooled it a little to give it to Andrew. " cold is good to a point but warmth is better." Steven said and Jack, Jess and and cassidy agreed.

"When is Robert thinking of going?" Brian asked.

"The sooner the better," Khaat said.

"Well, how soon would you lot like to go?" Brian asked.

"You need to talk to Angus. If we went to Tuscany and didn't take him, he would be truly offended."

"I'll talk to him too," Brian promised. "You know we probably won't need to take much except some of the kids' clothing. Should just be light jacket weather there right now I would think. I don't know how much beach time we'll get, but...it would stil be nice to be out of being up to our ears in snow and ice."

"If I know Daddy, he'll be going today, if he can finish up his odds and ends here with Lee for a few days. And if he can arrange security with Daniella."

"She'll be onto that."

"You know her?" Khaat asked.

"Of course. And she flirts rather shamelessly with your father when she sees him. It seems to be a game she needs to continue and he ignores."

"I need to have a sense of being home again," she told Brian. "I really want to go home--really home for awhile."

"I know," he said gently. "But its just not worth the chance of arrest or death of you or your father so you can enjoy a little time in England. Its just not time yet. Tuscany is the closest we'll go for now. Shall we try to go today then, All?"

Jack looked at Jess and nodded Jess left them and moved to their room packing some summer clothes for her self Jack and the kids, Cassidy did the same on Stevens request placing her bag beside the door and moving to find Steven and to find out when they would be going she hoped the sooner the better as even she was beginning to grow weary of the cold herself. She smiled seeing Jess had done the same thing she was wanting to see the house again and the improvements Steven had done to it. She walked in and over to Steven kissing his cheek.

" all packed?" he asked and she nodded sitting down with him.

Brian told Angus about going to Tuscany, and it only took Angus about five minutes to turn over the reigns of the kitchen to the soux chef, and pack for himself and for the babies. Brian packed for Khaat and himself in a hurry. Angus shouldered the bag for himself and the one for the babies, picked up both boys and ported ahead to the house.

That made Brian laugh. "I take it he'd anxious to go," he said. "Wear coats to port. The porting will be cold until we get there." He put the girls in snowsuits again and put Julia in a baby backpack that he slung on his back. Khaat put her long coat on and picked up Abbey while Brian picked up Dakota.

"Remember that with the time frame, its going to be about 3 in the afternoon there. They are several hours ahead of us. If you lot want to join us for dinner, fine or if you want to enjoy a dinner in your new homes, we completely understand. You're both down the road from us. I'm sure we'll see you in a bit. Be safe porting!" He took Khaat's hand and ported them out.

Cassidy took Steven's hand as she held Fallon with James on her chest while Steven had Jaylen on his. John stood with them taking Cassidys hand they ported to the villa and settled the babies in the new nursery where they slipped into sleep while John looked around only to moments later to change his clothes and dove into the pool Steven chuckled glad he'd found something he liked. Steven looked at Cassidy " we can go up tomorrow " he said and cassidy sighed " I guess they think we all need time together as a family" he said and Cassidy could not deny it.

Jess and Jack a long with the twins and Andrew to the villa jack opened the doors and Jess smiled " its beautiful Jack " she said and he nodded picking her and the twins up in his arms and carrying her inside. Jess shook her head finding the nursery and settling the twins in Andrew ran around till he found the play room then he was happy to play" we'll go up to see Khaat tomorrow , I know I don't like being this far from her ether but its at there insistence " he said seeing the look on Jess's face.

Kate and Robert had gone to their estate and Michael had followed with Andrew. Andrew found the riding stables and had taken a tall, charcoal grey stallion and had gone riding in order to check out the grounds. Michael had gone outside with a bottle of limoncello and a glass and a pipe and found a very pleasant sitting area in the vineyard, under the grapevines and sat down at a table and poured a glass of limoncello, put his sunglasses on and lit his pipe.

Kate went to the local market to buy her own food for the weekend, and Robert went out to join Michael with a glass to join him with the limoncello. Robert had brought a new mershon pip that he hadn't smoked and Michael handed him his leather tobacco pouch to share his brandied tobacco.

"You rarely ever smoke a pipe anymore, Ozzy," Michael said pouring Robert a glass of limoncello.

"I rarely have time. And I normally end up buying crap tobacco."

"You can afford better. Why buy crap?"

"I don't take the time to select what I like," he said. "This, however, is quite nice. Thank you for sharing. Do you think Khaat will be alright, Mikey?"

"Yes. I do. Brian and Angus are there with her, and she needed a sense of home again. I think you'll find she perks up. She loves Tuscany."

"Brian mentioned he is considering buying the penthouse suite in the hotel that they stay in, in Venice. The hotel is looking for investors. He's thinking of doing it for her birthday in April. He is concerned it would lose some of the magic they feel if he owns it."

"I don't know...I think Khaat so loves him and the sentimental value of it that I think she might enjoy it."


Brian, meanwhile, had set the babies to play in the playroom upstairs. With Brian's permission, Angus had his brothers buy groceries for them, and his mother came to take over nanny duties for the day until bedtime for the kids to let Khaat enjoy some time here. The girls were delighted and spent the fist of their time their exploring inside and out with their new Nanna Eileen.

Khaat and Brian went down to the beach and went swimming. It was a bit nippy but the sun compensated for it. And it gave them time to tan again. Angus brought them two tall icy wine coolers. Khaat sat silently on the sand after she'd had a bit in the water and when he joined her, he asked her what was wrong. She told him, quietly, dry eyed, how desperately she wanted James dead. He sighed and just talked to her. He knew exactly how she felt. He wanted their lives to go back to normal too. She wanted to make an active plan to kill James. Brian wasn't sure this was the right time, but he was willing to listen. She was concerned about the cave, and he reassured her that Lee had it heavily guarded until they closed it up--after their weekend.