Marriage is Murder

"Alright, then," Brian said. He took a portkey out of his pocket and shouldered the bag and then took her hand. "We'll see you in a couple of days." He ported them out.

"That boy sometimes tries to jockey entirely far too much. He need right now to just take care of her. We've managed the rest of it without them before and we can do it again," Kate said. She looked at Abbey who had a big pouty lip on her face at seeing her mama and daddy leave. Kate kissed her. "Now, now. Don't cry. I bet there are cookies in the kitchen if we go look."

"I have something," Angus said. He brought in a box of animal cookies. One for her and he had more for the other kids. "They each have a box, whenever they want them."

"Thank you," Kate smiled. it had been a long time since she'd seen a box of animal cookies. "Lets have some of these, Abbey."

Jess smiled as Andrew came running at the mention of cookies " cookie , cookie" he said and stopped in front of Angus " pweese" he asked and smiled making Jess chuckle as she picked him up smiling as Angus gave him a box and smiled as he then wanted down to run and sit with Abby to eat his cookies.

" thank you Angus he's gonna love those " she said smiling as she watching Andrew as he ate and giggled as he made weird animal noises before he ate.

Brian took her to Venice. There was just something magical there for them. He sut them away in the same hotel suite that the hotel had gotten used to them requesting. They simply hibernated there. It took Brian awhile to get her to finally get tired enough that she could not fight her own emotions. He had to simply wear her out When he did, she fell apart. It was actually what he had brought her here for. He had to unlock the terror she tried to keep buried so deeply. Then came the worst of the ugliness, like a horrible storm. And then it died out when she got beyond exhaustion. She slept.

They were gone almost four days this time, but when they headed home, she had her voice back. She was serious, but she could speak. She knew the battle they had to fight for themselves yet to get Grindlewald out of office, but for the moment, the werewolves were buried once more in her mind. She could move forward.

They apparated back just after dinner that night. The house was quiet. Almost too quiet. Khaat felt a bit of uneasiness.

"Relax," Brian said after checking the clock. "It takes a lot of manpower to put 11 kids to bed. They're upstairs. Give them a minute or two."

Jess was busy putting the kids down for a sleep when she smiled feeling Brian and Khaat return finishing changing Andrew into his pj's witch he insisted on taking the top back off and giggling several times till Jess scolded him and he realized he'd pushed her too far . With a yawn he lay down as Jess kissed his head and covered him over with a blanket. smiling she moved to the door and left heading down to the living room. " welcome back " she said smiling as she saw them both. Jack and steven walked up from the gym.

" you did not..I swear I did most" said Jack who smiled seeing them both back " welcome back I hope your both rested " he said and grinned as Jess poked his side. Steven chuckled as he moved to take a cup of coffee.

" what Jack is saying is that its been quiet and he hopes you both are well rested and recovered" he said blowing across the top of his cup.

"We are," Brian said, "but next time we go, I promised her we were going for pleasure and not for business. We get a little limited in having fun when we have to be so business minded. "

"I'd like to say goodnight to the kids," Khaat said, excusing herself and taking their bag and going upstairs.

"Okay," Brian smiled. "Kiss them for me, Babe." He watched her go upstairs. "She might not look like it but she is better. She's starting to have dreams about Grindelwald leaving office soon. But she says they're confusing, so it sort of makes her a bit serious. She doesn't know if war is coming or not. But she firmly believes there is a large power shift coming very soon. So I think she's going from being upset about old stuff from the past to feeling a need to gear up for possible war. We did, however, talk about a long weekend in Tuscany perhaps over Easter. We're just not sure where England will be politically by then. It was a thought, though, if the timing is alright by then to still do it."

Jess listened and smiled " so that's what I felt " she said and smiled at Brian " that sounds a wonderful Idea Brian" she said walking over and handing him a cup of hot coffee " here sit and relax your home and shes fine again" Jess moved to sit down taking a wizarding newspaper she opened it and began to read it as Jim walked in.

" well hello half pint " he said smiling " I take it all's well now?" He asked as he to sat down " just been checking on the progress of the farm almost completed need Kate to tell them what colors and what wall paper she wants for each room now" he said smiling.

"Well, yes," Brian said, shrugging. "We normally find that we can slip away for a couple days, even when things are tough and find we can regain the ground that felt like it was slipping away. We..didn't quite manage to find that little bit of pleasure than we normally do."

"What do you mean, Mate?" Angus asked, coming in. He had a large platter of homemade garlic and onion flavored Hawaiian Sweetbread Crackers. "I know how much you love Italy, and she loves it even more than you do.

"She does," Brian admitted. "I really think I brought her home a day or two too soon. It was tough,, but she seemed to be able to ditch enough of that old stuf to get her voice back."

"But.." Angus studied him for a moment. "You didn't stay long enough to have one moment of fun, did you?"

"No. We didn't," Brian admitted.

"Idiot," Angus shook his head. "You don't go that far to stay in your suite, Mate. That's just stupid. If I were you, I'd make plans to take her away for Valentine's Day just for fun. No husband messes up a trip to the most romantic place in the world without having to make it up. And if I were you, throwing in a dimaond or two couldnt hurt."

"You think?" Brian asked.

"You really are stupid, aren't you?" Angus laughed, picking up a cracker and eating it. "Tell me if the garlic and onion works in these."

Jack finished his swim and headed up to the living room as he drew close he smelt garlic and onion the two things he loved as well as cookies. drying his head he moved in hearing Angus and Brian talking about Valentines day. " hay I'm taking Jess to a spar for the day, then a lovely meal after" he said picking up a cracker and eating it. He smiled " not bad Angus " he said and picked up another as he walked to his room to shower and wash. Jess stepped out of the nursery she'd been looking after Andrew as he'd been cutting an new tooth and it was a back one. Jess moved to Khaats bed room and smiled.

" good to be back?" she asked standing in the doorway watching her.

"Well," Brian said, "I hope you two have a good time. Angus was educating me on the fine art of messing up a potentially romatic trip to Italy and then making it up. You talking from personal experience, Angus?"

"It does not take me having a wife to figure out that when you screw up that big, you fix it," Angus laughed. "He admits he didn't even take Khaat out of the hotel room. How stupid is that? He should have stayed another day or so and had at least a little bit of romance in it. Dumb, Mate. Really dumb."

"This just isn't a good time for us to be taking a week for romance," Brian shrugged.

"When is it ever a good time in the Lupin family to take a week off for much of anything? You dont wait for perfect timing. You just do it."

Brian rolled his eyes and looked at Jack. "I presume I should consider myself sufficiently lectured now."


Khaat saw Jess in the doorway. "I suppose," She answered Jess. "I missed the kids. Brian and I have barely been away from then since Abbey was born, and she's going to be two in a couple months. I guess maybe after you'e been married awhile that things just sort of fall into a quiet comfortable place and maybe that excitement and passion of being newlyweds dies off a bit. Either that or business trips just bore me. One or the other and I"m not sure which. Venice has always been magical, but it just...wasn't. Not this time."

Jess smiled and moved to sit with Khaat " it doesn't even after as long as Jack and I have been married we still have that spark your just feeling a bit low after all that's happened, you need to recharge your batteries take the kids with you and just enjoy being a family even here just relax take a swim or a sauna I think Jim had Robert build one next to the pool " she said smiling as he took her hand. " I promise that Brian will do some thing really romantic for valentines night for you, may be a renewing of your vows some times that helps" she smiled at her. Jack smiled and stopped by the door.

" ow he will have both Angus and I have just had words with him about not taking you out while you were in Venice, the most romantic place in the world" he said and smiled as he walked over to Jess lightly kissing her he smiled " ow and you Mrs Dark heart will have to wait till valentines to find out what I have planed " Jess raised an eye brow.

" ow so you do have something planned " he said and chuckled at the shocked look on his face.