Marriage is Murder

"Brian," Robert told him. "Go check on the barn. Make sure all is sound there and make sure that the animals are cared for to our standards." Brian seemed relieved to find a reason to go out and blow off some steam. Fi looked at Kieran.

"He's alright," Robert said. "Let him go deal with it."

Khaat felt Brian's anger, and she knew he wasn't going to be done with this for awhile. It was better, though, than it had been. She got up and wrapped her robe around herself. Her mother simply watched.

"You're going out with him?" she asked.

"I have to try," Khaat said.

"You are entirely too weak. If you go, don't walk. Apparate."

"I plan to," Khaat said, picking up her wand. She apparated to the barn before Kate could remind her to put on her slippers. Kate just sighed heavily. Khaat took a couple of steps and clutched to one of the barn's support posts.

"Brian," she called softly. He turned, drawing his wand, not recognizing the weak voice. He nearly fired at her.

"Dear God," the color drained from his face. "What the hell are you doing?" He let go of the bucket of feed and let it fall to the barn floor and flew to her. He caught her and lowered her onto a hay bale. "Don't ever think you can call me an idiot again and get away with it. Its not gonna fly."

"I'll help Fi make her list and then plan on going right after breakfast," Kieran said. Kieran didn't want to say it in front of Fi, but he already had a good idea of what he thought she might want to keep and what she might want to sell off. He didn't want to push her, though. She had the right to take some time.

Brian sat beside Khaat on the hay bale and wrapped his arm around her. She leaned against him and they just talked for a long time. By then she was shivering, sitting in the barn in her barefeet. "Someone else can get the barn," he finally said. "You can't be out here any longer." He stood up and picked her up. He apparated her back into the house upstairs into her room and took her robe and put her back into bed. "I'll go get you something hot to drink to warm up with," he said, covering her. He went downstairs.

"I didn't get far with the barn chores," Brian said. "Can I get a bit of help with that?"

"How about I make some cocoa?" Kate asked, going to the kitchen.

"Make more than one mug," Robert said. He was greeted with Kate sending an oven mitt flying towards him. She never made just one mug. Never. It gave them all a small laugh, and it felt good to have even a small smile in the midst of all the trouble.

"He learned that from Michael," Robert said. "Michael is just a bit older, and he's done that ever since I can remember. Its hard not to use the same terms he uses so much." Kate made cocoa and sent out a tray of mugs of cocoa and then set about helping Angus with dinner. Robert flicked his fingers at one of the mugs to send it up to Khaat as he got one for himself.

Angus was making Mulligan stew, and Kate stepped in and made soda bread and a salad. Angus found some dried apples and made a pie with a cinnamon crumble top.

"Dinner will be ready in about an hour,' he announced. He watched Fi curl up on one end of the sofa. The strain was clearly giving her a headache. "Fi, you don't have to put up with a headache, my dear," he said gently.

"My children suffered far worse than a headache, Robert," Fi said.

"They could not possibly have felt any pain, Fi," he reassured her.

"No?" she asked

"No," he said. "None of them. They didn't suffer." He got up and went over and touched her forehead. "Besides, your headache will do nothing for them. And they would not want that for you." He drew it off for her.

"thank you," she said, and she started to doze a moment later.

Angus served up dinner, and Robert decided to let Khaat try to come downstairs. He went up and got her up and wrapped her in a robe and warm slippers and then apparated her downstairs. He didn't see her being able to be up very long, if that long. It really was entirely too soon and he knew it. But he gave her some of his energies in order to be able to be up.

Brian shifted his normal spot to sit beside her. Under the talbe, he just simply took her hand. It was calming for him, and he had enough adrenaliin and energy that he didn't mind giving some to her. She made it through most of the meal before Brian just knew, without her saying, that she couldn't do any more.

"Enough," he said to her. "That's plenty for your first time up." He picked her up and took her back up to bed.

"She did well," Kate said after Brian took her upstairs.

"yes. She did," Robert said. "If it continues to go well, she'll be back to herself in a couple days."

"Dont push her for me, Robert," Fi said softly.

"No. I'm not," Robert said. The truth was that he was giving her a bit of an edge, but it wasn't going to move her recovery forward by more than a day or so anyway.

"Be glad you're not a muggle, then," Robert said as kate and Angus cleared away the dinner dishes. "Except porting would be ridiculously cold tonight."

"Indeed," Michael said, looking out the window. "But I'm going out." He accio'd his coat. He said nothing more but instead he put his coat on and picked up his wand and went out. Robert knew Michael wasn't crazy. picked up his own coat and decided to not waste any time but to go along.

"Stay in the house," he told the others. He knew Jim would more than likely not listen to that if he and Michael were going out into a white out. But he did not want any of the others to follow. It was far too dangerous. He caught up with Michael.

"What's this about?" Robert asked.

"I saw a light. Just for an instant. But i saw one."

"Well, shit," Robert sighed.

"I couldn't have said that better," Michael said.