Marriage is Murder

Jack heard Brian and walked over to him " hay I carry that gene too and your family to us so we are relaxing and with our family " he said looking at him " and as for leaving her alone you didn't in away we were not that far away, your her husband not her keeper, husband, father and human being first , body guard last, you did nothing any of us would not have done. " he folded his arms across his chest as he waited. Steven raised an eye brow at Jacks words and just shrugged at him when he stopped to wait.

Brian heard a very, very soft noise and turned to see Kate walking out to him with a strong purposeful stride.

"Thanks, Jack. That does help. Uh oh. Here comes Kate. She's seriously pissed off," Brian said. "If I know her, she's left his ears burning."

"Brian James Quinn!" she commanded, walking over to him.

"Yes?" he simply looked at her.

"You are not to take him seriously, do you understand me?" she looked him straight in the eye. "You know very well why he was bent out of shape and it has nothing whatsoeer to do with your or any of your abilities. We could not havve every hoped for better for her than to have someone who loves her so completely as you do. We both know you'd die before you let anyone hurt a hair on her head."

"You're right. I would," Brian said.

"Then stop it. There's nothing you can do out here at a murder scene. Your place is not with the dead. Your place is with your family who is very much alive. Now--get the hell off this beach and go see your wife and kids. Its up to the Italian government to clean up this mess." She glared hard at Jack and Steven. "He's got one minute to get himself together and get out of here, or you'll all end up either in potion jars or with fuzzy yellow feathers. And I am just going to presume you all got that." She turned and walked back to the house.

Jack looked at Kate's face and moved to stand with Steven he heard her words and nodded " yes Ma'am " said Steven not wanting to be a bug though the thought of seeing Jack as a fluffy yellow duck did make him chuckle a little but the look on Jack's face told him he should not. " sorry couldn't help but think of you as a fluffy yellow duck " he said and looked at Brian. " guess that means we should go back inside we don't want to feel the wrath of Kate" he said and chuckled.

"I was hoping I'd get to see you as a duck," Brian said. "I missed it the last time." He gave Jack half a smile and then turned and followed Kate back up the the house. Robert came down from one of the upstairs rooms with Lee with him. Khaat frowned. An american official? Here?

"Did you forget that American wanted him first?" Robert asked Khaat. "They have been extradited back to America because the warrants were issued from there when they escaped."

"I'd prefer to see him face me in court and then we can bugger him off to Azkaban," Khaat said.

"I might not be that kind," Robert said. "I made that mistake with Barker. I won't do it with James." Khaat sighed, knowing that her attempt to show Barker mercy had cost some people their lives. And she knew that most likely her father was right. She reached for Brian, seeing the stress on his face. He went over to her and kissed her forehead. He touched her swollen cheek.

"I'll kill him," Brian said softly.

"You'll have to take a number," Lee said. "There's a long line who want him."

Jack looked at Brian some what stunned " ow ha ha " he said and saw the smile he smiled back and walked with them back up to the house. Once inside he stood with Jess as he saw the official with Robert and Khaat he stood quiet with Steven along side him. Jack growled at Khaat saying she wanted a piece of James. " Khaat shes right and I'm one of those who had a number" he said slowly looking at them both knowing they knew why. His gripe was more on the people James had killed than his own now, he knew he could not change what he was thanks to his brother and mother but he had changed who he was inside he was more human than wear now, thanks to Robert and the others.

"And me, and Kate and Brian, and probably just about everybody in this room. Not to mention how angry Angus is going to be once he knows that James took advantage of the few minutes that Brian was out of the house. We need to know how he knew you were here and how he figured out when Brian apparated out."

"I think I might be able to solve that," Kate said. "I have not been idle." She went into the kitchen and opened up a cabinet and looked into a Christmas soup tureen that had not been used. It was a new one that Khaat and Brian had bought for the house and there had been no reason to use it. She reached inside and drew out a wizarding listening ear that was attached to a long string. "In short, as the muggles say, we've been bugged."

"Give me that thing," Robert scowled.

"No, its mine," Brian said, angrily. "No objections, Lee?"

"Oh, no," Lee said. "The only objection I have is that I don't get the priviledge of offing it. Be my guest." Brian took aim at the ear on the end of the string Kate dangled and he disapparated it with is wand.

"Much better," he said. "Alright you lot, comb through every nook and cranny of this house, inside piece of furniture if you must. We need to see if there are any more of those stupid things. And then, go check your own houses very carefully. We have plenty of security here right now. Jack, send Kieran a message for them to do the same thing at the safehouses, and have him send a detail to all our houses in England and lets make a comprehensive sweep for these damned things straight away."

Jack sighed and nodded " naturally for some one whose done nothing but make enemies" Jack said and looked at Steven who nodded he agreed when Kate spoke they both looked at her and watched as she moved to the kitchen and took down the a Christmas soup tureen and took out what was inside Jack growled and Steven sighed . Jess moved to look at it before Brian dispparated it in to nothing.

" I'll go " Jess said and aperated back to there home. Jack looked at Brian and nodded a Steven aperated back and told Cassidy what had happened, Cassidy aperated to Khaat and Brian's place.

" Khaat you ok?" she asked moving to her" Stevens sweeping our place right now. " she said and moved to sweep the out side of the building finding nothing she moved inside spotting something sticking out from behind a picture she lifted it down and turned it to face Brian " Brian?" she said and pointed to another a wizarding listening ear.

"Yeah," Khaat sighed. "I'm fine. I just get frustrated that we've been outwitted for perhaps weeks by a Zonkos toy. How utterly humiliating!"

"Don 't take it so hard," Kate said "Why do you think Remus and Sirius and James were so successful? People completely overlooked the fact that what there were developing were able to be used as insidious weapons when it looked like an utterly harmless toy. Nevertheless, we do still need to check as many polaces as we own or think we might be going to. Besides that, from the intelligence yoru father is getting, we may need to go back to England fairly soon and taking a stand against Grindlewald."

"You mean a chance to fight?"

"Indeed."

"About time!' she said.

Brian had gone outside to be working on a search outside for signs of listening ears or anything else that was amiss. Cassidy drew his attention to another ear. He drew his wand and fired at it and blew it to bits, feeling relieved at the chance to blow anything apart. "Good catch," he told her. "And that felt really good to blow that to atoms."

Jack returned and looked at Cassidy and the charred remains of the ear. " ok " was all he said and on hearing Robert chuckled " buy the look of that I am not surprised, our place is clean , didn't expect there would be any. " he said and moved to rehang the picture on the wall beside Cassidy and turned to look at Robert. " all informed, Keiran says they found three already, mainly in the main rooms and your room " he said and moved to sit down on the couch facing Khaat and Brian " what are they planning on doing with James now?" he asked.

"I dont know yet," Robert said. "If they extradite him, my guess is that they will try to hold him for a bit until we see if we're going to clear up Grindelwald or not. If that is the case they might let us deal with him ourselves. In which case, it becomes Khaat's problem."

"believe me, I have plans for James Blood," Khaat said, trying not to show her anger. "I have a couple scenarios. It just depends on which one wins out in my head."

"Do you plan on talking to me about that?" Robert asked.

"Not necessarily. Not yet," she said.

"I think your cheekbone is getting to you," he laughed.

"It pisses me off," she admitted. "I'm just adding it to his tab. He will pay up. Sooner or later. I'll make him pay up."

"You're having visions of dusting off your Chief Warlock bench, aren't you?" he laughed.

"I certainly am," she said