Marriage is Murder

"Use the burn ointment I left in Khaat's room," Robert told Jess. "Its not serious, but it will sting for a bit without the ointment." Khaat sat silently, sipping on the tea. The security had held. It had done what it was designed to do. In that respect, it was a success. She was restless and she didn't know why. She didn' say a word.

Angus decided this was not the best night for a cooking contest so he silently went to the kitchen and then began making dinner without a word. He figured that the best thing to do is for them to just create a sense of consistency and comfort.

"Let it go, you lot," Robert told them all. "You're seasonsed fighters. We can't stop the threats from happening. All we can do is to deal with it and then move forward. We're all alright. Let's go forward. Let's check on the kids and then make sure the house and the grounds are secure. If we need to deal with Greyback, we'll soon know. but lets not try to give him reason to invade."

"How's the farm, Daddy?" Khaat asked softly.

"Fine, honey," he said. "I have men from Paris there cleaning up. We still don't know the cause of the fire, but they're working on it and on keeping it safe and the animals are all here now."

Jess nodded and looked at Jack who moved and held her close to him she held him back " hes right let it go Jack" he smiled at her and nodded leaning down to kiss her deeply before braking it to smile at her again.

"That's all I needed " he said feeling relaxed if a bit sore as he held her close to him " right I need to go to the gym " he said and Jess looked at him.

" not before I treat that burn " she said and lead him to their room with a brief stop at Khaats room for the ointment. After two hours they walked back down Jack now changed into a clean tee shirt and jeans. " still want the gym?" she asked him.

" ha-ha, nope not any more " he said smiling " ow Angus, any food left I'm starved " he said and chuckled as Jess's cheeks turned red. Leaving him she moved to the playroom seeing them all, playing happily unaware of what had just happened out side. Jack moved to the kitchen his burn stung a little but the ointment had soothed it more than it had been.He looked at Robert knowing he'd kept his promise. " you know it was Brian who killed the boy not me , I couldn't do it, because I promised you I would not take another life as a wear" he said to him.

"There are leftovers in the fridge," Angus said. "I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

"Understood," Robert said. "Goodnight." Angus disappeared. Khaat felt herself getting increasingly restless and she didn't know why. Her father heard Jack's words and said. "I understand, Jack, but I do expect you to kill in self defense if you must. To protect yourself or whoever you're guarding. You are significantly handicapped as an auror if you cannot. Come to terms with it so you can function fully."

"I think..I think I'll go check on Brian," Khaat said. She went upstairs. She found Brian awake and reading a magazine about professional quidditch. "Good magazine?" she asked.

"Not really," he tossed it to the floor. "What's eating you?"

"Eating me?" she echoed.

"I know you. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Just restless, I guess. Angus went to bed early tonight."

"No he didnt," Brian smiled, reaching for her hand. She went over to the bed.

"What?"

"I sent him alone on a mission. He's fine."

"Mission? Alone? Angus?"

"He's the best man for the job, and he does get tired of just cooking, Sweetheart. If he needs help, he'll signal. Now...how about seeing if your mom will make her cocoa. Please?"

She went back downstairs and began to make the cocoa herself without a word, still feeling unsettled.

Jack took a deep breath " that I can do, but he brought out the wear and I didn't want to kill him like that, I have to control it more " he said and looked at Robert before moving to the kitchen to grab some food before heading down to the gym to work out. Jess came down and shook her head as she knew where Jack was and shook her head grabbing some food she ate and moved to the play room and saw most of the kids ready for bed picking up the twins she moved to the bed room and placed them in their cots once they were changed and and in there pj's she soon had them all sleeping peacefully and she sat with Andrew reading a story so he would sleep.

Khaat couldn't sleep that night. She laid awake, tossing and turning, unable to close her eyes. At one point in the middle of the night, Brian finally got irked with her, after much patience.

"Would you please just go to sleep?" he groaned. "And stop kicking my cast, please. That hurts." He looked at the clock. "Its 2 o clock in the morning. Go to sleep."

"He hasn't come home."

"How do you know?" he sighed.

"I"m a seer! He's not here. Would you like me to apparate you down to his room?"

"Who are you married to? Him or me?"

"You're jealous? I can't believe you!"

"And I don't believe you!" Brian rolled over and went back to sleep. Khaat slapped him in the back of the head just as he was going to sleep and he flicked his fingers to flick a hex at her, but he missed. He went to sleep again.

She shut her eyes and was finally just about asleep when she felt crushing pains in her left shoulder and in her chest, and for a moment she wondered if that was what it was like to have a heart attack. She broke out in a hard sweat and her lungs would not take in air. She sat up sharply and saw an image in the mirror. It was Edward's reflection.

"Where is your father, Child?" Edward asked.

"Where is Angus?" she managed, her hand over her chest.

"With me. I need your father's help. Now.Tell him to come straight away. Waste no time." The image in the mirror vanished. She felt complete panic. She didnt know if she could stand. She just apparated to her parents' room and collapsed on the floor, clutching frantically at the blankets to try to catch herself, but pulling the covers off her parents in the process.

"Dear God!" her father's voice raised in alarm. He sprang out of bed.

"Angus. Go now. Edward..." she tried to speak in pieces. He laid his hand on her forehead. She heard him casting a powerful spell over her. It took several seconds, but the pain began to ease. "Go," she said. "Go fast. He's in trouble. He said waste no time."

"Kate," Robert said, getting dressed quickly. "Get up. Khaat's feeling some symptoms from someone else. Get the potion. Then make seers tea. Make it strong. Get Jess or Brian to draw off the pain, If that doesn't work, then sedate her until I return. I'll be back." He grabbed his medical bag and a golden chain from an old pocketwatch. The portkey to Edward's in Tuscany. He ported out. Kate flew to her daughter on the floor.

Jess woke quickly feeling panic in the air she dove to Roberts room and saw Khaat on the floor she moved and placed her hand on Khaat drawing off the pain. " what happened ?" she asked as Jack walked up behind her and lifted Khaat back to her room placing her next to Brian. Jess drew off some pain from Brian also as Jack then stood guard at the door wondering just what was going on. Steven walked in with Cassidy several moments later he was still dressed and covered in snow.

" just checked the barn the snows heavy tonight " he said and looked at them " wheres Robert?" he asked and looked at Kate " something happen I should know about?"

Brian woke, groaning, presuming it was Khaat just being a pain in the butt again. "Must you really..." he started and then cut himself off. He saw she was in true medical distress and saw the room filled with people. Kate came in behind them with a bottle of potion and she poured her a dose.

"Calm down and drink," she said to Khaat gently. "Its not your pain. Release it. You cannot keep it. Release it." She made Khaat drink the potion. "Now release it. You know how. Remember how I taught you. Push it down into the ground from your head, down your body and out of the soles of your feet. Draw in the healing white light through the top of your head and let if flow down through the soles of your feet. You've been doing this since you were a child. You know how to do this." She coached Khaat through it until Khaat collapsed from exhaustion onto Brian's chest.

"What the hell happened?" Brian demanded.

"I dont' know for sure. She just apparated into our room and fell on the floor and dragged off our covers when she fell. She's picking up on someone else's pain. She said Angus was with Edward and that Edward was summoning Robert and saying to waste no time. Robert has portkeyed to Tuscany."

"Oh damn," Brian said very softly. "She was right." He fingered Khaat's hair. "I should have listened." He checked her carefully. He didn't detect any injury, but something just didn't feel right. He had never felt it before, but he knew it wasn't right. He frowned.

"What are you feeling?" Kate asked.

"I have no idea," Brian frowned. "It...feels dark. Over her chest...over her shoulder...like a black cloud. I've never felt anything like it."

"That sounds very much like something Robert has described to me before." She pushed away the pink silk chemise away from the skin over Khaat's heart and there was a deep black bruise, the exact shape and size of a coal black cobra winding around her heart and starting to move up towards her throat. Kate flicked her wand at the cobra and saw a bright white wall that made it imposible for the cobra to pass. "Then I'm right. Someone has been cursed and Edward has asked for Robert to come and try to break a curse. She's picking up on that energy, and that white mark is Robert's. He's blocked it from harming her any further." She looked at Brian. "This is Angus, isn't it?"

"Most likely, yes," Brian said heavily.

Jess moved and held Jack the thought of Angus being hurt made her shiver Jack held her tight against him Steven stepped forward and listened. " Do you think he will need our help?" he asked looking at Kate as he asked he felt some what useless to help her. Jack looked at Jess as he held her.

" I'm sure Robert is handling it if he needs us he will send for us " he said and looked at Kate " right Kate ?" he asked and waited he saw th4e snake like bruise and frowned .

Brian saw the cobra raise up into a striking position. He'd never seen a bruise move before. He frowned. The snake seemed to be looking at someone who was not in the room. The snake actually hissed fiercely and attempted to strike but it wasnt striking at any of them.

"That would be Robert, I presume," Kate said. "I presume he's going toe to toe with the curse that conjured that thing, and its pissing off that snake. Don't get within striking distance until we know if that one has any power or if it is merely a mirror image."

"Kate, is Robert's large red book in your room?" Brian asked. Kate's face seemed to light up, as if she should have thought of that before herself. She went to her room and came back with a book that was about two feet tall, and at least 16 inches wide and 5 or inches thick. She laid the ancient, heavy book on Brians lap and Brian began to thumb through the pages. He began to read a spell.

"I dont know if this will help Angus, but it might help Khaat," Brian said. "There is a potion here, but it requries us to all participate in the making of it together. But, you need to understand--it requires you all to give something of yourself. A lock of hair, a fingernail, a few drops of blood,...something like that. And it means we stand together as a solid line of white lighter energy between Khaat and this hex. I believe we might drive it from her but I do not know what it would do to Angus or to Robert if we do."

There was a bit of a pause, and Kate said, "I'll give you whatever I have. Its what Angus and Robert would both want. And I believe it will require a donation from every person in the house--including just a few hairs from all the children. If we don't include them they are uncovered and unprotected from it."

"Go get hair from all 5 of our kids, Kate," Brian said. "And we'll need a cauldron and the 'white water' from Robert's potions table. That and the silver stirring stick."

"Do you want the silver cauldron?" she asked.

"Yes. And everything has to be meticulously clean," Brian said.

Jess looked at Jack who nodded she left for the potions lab and returned with a silver cauldron and stirring stick also with a small piece of hair from there children and Stevens in a bag to keep it clean. " ok is this all you need Brian , we're behind you " she said and looked at Jack " ok you'll have to give blood you have no hair " she said and Jack sighed and nodded.

" Brian tell us what yo0u want us to do and we'll do it " Steven said as Jack nodded his agreement. Jess placed down the cauldron and stirring stick next to the bed and Brian.