Marriage is Murder

Robert left the job with Steven and apparated back to the house. Kate met him at the door. "You okay?" she asked

"Yes," he told her. He handed her the cigarette butts. "See if you find anything on these."

"Okay," she agreed.

"Where are Brian and Fi?"

"Fi is sleeping, and Brian is with Khaat. They seemed to need a few minutes alone."

"They certainly did. This was gruesome. Alright. Let me wash up a bit and I'll join you for lunch." He went upstairs and found Kieran with Fi.

"Kieran," Robert said softlly. "Lunch. Then we'll go."

"I'm ready whenever you are," Kieran said, heading downstairs. Robert washed up and came back downstairs.

"Shall I go along?" Michael asked, sitting down at the table.

"I'd prefer you stay here," Robert said. "I'd like you and Jim to keep a tight eye on things here while I'm gone."

"Consider it done," Michael said.

Jess lay the table and listened watching as Jim placed down the book he'd been reading and walked over to stand by Michael " consider it done Ozzie " he said and watched Jess and cassidy place the food on the table for dinner. Jim moved to the window and looked out at the bleak cold landscape it had even started to snow " Ozzie better hurry its snowing " he said moving to light the fire in the fire place. Jess looked up and shook her head.

"harder to find the people in the snow " she said and saw Jim nod as he sat at the table and pore some tea for himself. Cassidy moved to sit she looked around.

" is Steven coming back or staying, just so I know whether to put a plate aside for him " she asked holding a plate in her hand.

"I have what I need in that regard for now," Robert said, eating. "We're making service arrangements next. I can't do anything more until Kate does her thing."

"Which I'm going to do right now," Kate said, going upstairs. Robert and Kieran finished quickly. Robert thanked Cassidy for the lunch. Then Kieran and Robert got their coats on and went into the local wizarding village. It was shortly after that, that Brian came downstairs, showered, shaved, and in clean clothes. He was quiet but more together. He simply acciod two trays to fill themselves with lunch items without saying a word.

"Need a hand?" Michael asked.

"One's for Khaat and ones for Fi," he said. "They have to eat. I can't remember when Khaat ate last. She's starting to get dehydrated. That means we have to feed her and give her plenty of liquids or she's going to get thin very quickly. I'll have to coax Fi through food. And I don't know if Khaat can manage on her own yet or not." The trays fixed themselves and Brian flicked his fingers at them to send them upstairs. He followed them.

Jess watched and stood up " I'll go help Fiona" she said and walked up following the trays entering the room where Fiona was she sat down " I brought you some food " she said softly as she smiled as she let the tray settle next to her " you have to eat to keep up your strength." Jess didn't know what it was like top lose some one she felt she was the only one not to know, Jack had lost his family , Steven his wife and cassidy her father , Khaat, Robert, Kate and Brian had lost Remus. She picked up some food on a fork and offered it to her happy that she ate a little from her before taking the fork her self.

Brian was glad Jess had gone to take care of Fi. Fi seemed to be making a friend in Jess, and he thought it was good for her to be with another woman. He had to coax Khaat a bit because she just truly had no appetite. He'd been through it before with her. She'd been too weak for too long. But she did try, and he felt like she was doing it for his benefit. He was actually very pleased with what she did eat. It wasn't going to look, to those who perhaps didn't know her, like she had eaten much, but he knew she had done amazingly well. He set the tray aside when her eyes started to flutter shut.

"Don't go far, will you?" she managed, barely awake.

"No. I won't," he told her. He flicked his fingers at the tray to send it downstairs and as he did, he saw Kate heading back downstairs. He knew shed been at her pensieve. He went in and waved his wand around it the way he'd seen her do hundreds of times. In a fraction of a second, he was ripped back into the darkness of last night. The men who had stalked the house. He'd seen them in the Paris carnivals where the worst of the trafficking kidnappings happened. He saw them burst into the house. he saw the murders for himself. It brought forth rage in him like he'd never known. He picked up his coat and apparated out.

One hour later, he walked back in the door, a huge bleeding wound that went up his neck and across his cheek, almost up into his temple. But the deed was done. They were dead. And he was pleased.

Jess let Fiona eat as much as she felt she could once done she let her lay down and rest again, taking the tray downstairs she sent it to the kitchen just as the door open and Brian stepped in running she grasped him placing her hands so he would not lose any more blood " MICHAEL!!" she yelled moving him inside to the couch Cassidy brought damp cloths to wipe away the blood from Brian's wound as she sat with Jess, but she moved quickly to let Robert in to tend to the nasty wound. Jack stepped forward he smelt the same smell , nasty cigarettes on him.

" you got them didn't you" he asked and looked at Brian as he waited for his answer, part of him knew the answer, he had. Jack moved forward and picked him up carrying him up the stairs to Khaat and placing him on the bed " he went after them Khaat " he said to Her " Jess has stopped the bleeding but she can't heal him totally, Roberts out with kieran." he told her.

Khaat woke to the sound of Jess yelling for Michael. She heard many running feet downstairs. Michael apparated upstairs and grabbed Robert's bag and apparated in to Khaat's room and laid it on the bed just in time before Jack brought Brian in.

Khaat immediately knew what Brian had done. She sighed heavily. "Dont panic," Khaat told them. "Its just an ordinary sectumsempra." She accio'd her wand and cast the countercurse to the Sectumsempra. It took a moment, but the wound closed in direct proportion to the amount of force she had cast the spell with. She was working on finishing cleaning him up when he woke. She socked him hard in the shoulder.

"Idiot," she scowled. "Did you at least get 'em?"

"Yeah. I did," he said. "Sorry I scared you all."

"What the hell is going on in here?" Robert asked from the doorway.

"Nothing, Daddy," Khaat said. "Just your run of the mill dueling wound."

"You're a bloody idiot," Robert scowled at Brian. "You could have at least left one of them for rest of us."

"They were mine!" Brian said ruthlessly.

"So I see. Who were they?"

"Gelding's men."

"Then I shall have a word with Mr. Gelding. I put him back in power, and I can take him out," Robert said, whirling around and leaving to go back downstairs. "Jim, Michael--you two in the mood for a trip to Paris? It does seem tha I need to have a meeting to set some ground rules with Mr. Gelding. I would presume we can deal with that little twerp ourselves."

Jack stepped back from Brian and breathed out when he started to heal " I knew you'd be able to do it |" he said and chuckled as Jess stepped back as well both turned on hearing Robert return. Jim walked up and stood behind Robert watching what was going on before heading back down and picking up his jacket he knew Robert would want to do something about it.

" sure, I'm with you on this " he said slipping on his jacket and gloves as he waited for Michael to join them in the living room so they could leave he didn't question what Robert was going to do but knew he had to be ready for a fight , should it happen.

Michael put on a long tan wool coat and picked up his wand. He looked more like a business man than a threatening wizard. He put on a pair o f leather cloves to warm his hands and a red knit scarf and a tan fedora with dark glasses. Robert picked up his black wool coat and his own black fedora and black gloves. So far, he hadn't been able to take them off for more than about ten minutes at a time today.

"Shall we?" he asked, griping their shoulders to port them to Paris. He landed just at the gate of Gelding's estate. Sentries rushed at Robert and Jim and Michael, and Robert simply flicked his wand at them, sending them all backwards into a snowbank.

"Not today, boys," he said. "We're on business." He blasted through Gelding's shield. "He has a terrible shield," Robert sighed. "Watch your back. I've got the front," he ordered Jim and Michael. When they reached the front door, Robert blew it off its hinges and walked in as if he owned it.

Gelding was in his own great hall with a scantily clad woman on his lap. The woman leaped to her feet and dashed out of the room in fear.

"Lupin," Gelding sighed. "To what do I owe this intrusion?"

"The murders of my family," Robert said. "Did you think I wouldn't come?"

"Your what? When?" he looked at Robert blank faced. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jim walked behind Robert but level with Michael he flicked several men away who were running at them. once inside he stood at the doorway his back to Robert to he could see if any one tried to sneak up on them. He glanced over at Michael making sure he knew where he was positioned so not to hit him if they had to fight he heard Roberts words and shook his head he knew those were the wrong words at this time. Jim saw two men sneaking up and blasted them into the wall behind them " stay down if you know whats good for you" he said.