Marriage is Murder

"When are you not hungry?" Angus laughed. He took the platter of smore supplies to the kitchen and refilled it and returned.

"That isn't how he knows, Jack," Khaat said. "He told me once in a dream that in order to make the stone work it had to be enchanted using werewolf blood to make it work. Some odd thing Flamel did with it. At any rate, Flamel used Remus's blood to enchant the stone. And, in some odd way, it always did seem to alert Remus when I was in trouble, even when I was a kid. I think I understand now why. But...I think he sometimes sees or feels because of that if the stone reacts to someone. I'm not quite sure it works, but as i recall, my necklace really didn't like you all that well at first. My guess is that it was the stone that tipped him off."

Jess sat listening as Jack chuckled at Angus's words then nodded. " yeah it threw me half way across the room if I'm correct" he said " and it could be, he never told me how he knew, so I guess your right " Jess smiled and held him close. Steven sat and yawned slightly cassidy lay her head on his shoulder. all the baby's had been taken inside and placed in their cots even little Andrew now was asleep in Jess's arms. Jack took him and walked him to his bed placing him in he then walked back taking a smore as he did and ate it.

" you know if your food wasn't so good I'd not eat do much " he said smiling at Angus.

"Well, you enjoy," Angus said. "I'm up before you lot, so I"m going to bed. Goodnight." He headed for bed.

"Brian," Khaat said. "His grandmother was buried today, and somehow I don't feel like we were there for him."

"We were," Brian said. "In the way that he wanted us to be. He truly wanted us to be there for him. He wanted things to look nad feel normal, to get his mind off it. I did speak wiht him very briefly today. He wanted us to do exactly what we did. We're fine."

"I am really glad one more night of peace before we go back into the warzone," she said.

"Me too," Brian said. "If you four don't mind, I think we're going to turn in early. Its a lot to take in, knowing I might have to let her walk right out on the fireline to try to drive Grindlewald and his followers out of our country. We could use just one night to ourselves. No offense to any of you."

Jack looked at Jess who nodded " that's ok Brian we know how you feel " he said and Steven nodded as well " yeah we all should turn in for the night , its a big day tomorrow " Jack helped Jess up and looked at them all " night all " he said and together they walked to their room. Steven and Cassidy tidied away the telescopes placing them back in the box and closing it placing it beside the kitchen door.

" can we stay out here a bit longer I like looking at the stars, besides if we're going home tomorrow I'd like to enjoy " Cassidy said and Steven nodded sitting back down buy the fire pit to hold her close as they both looked at the starts and the first shooting star. " make a wish" cassidy said .

" don't have to got everything right here " he said and chuckled.

Khaat slept, but restlessly. Brian didn't sleep. As much as they had developed that all as acceptance that it was okay if Khaat died or if Brian died protecting her, the truth was that it wasn't alright. Not with him. Tonight alone in the dark he was angry. Angry at Robert for not letting them duke it out when this happened months ago, angry at Grindlewald, and angry at whoever had let him out of his little box in the first place. Silently, in the night, he found himself wanting revenge on those Death Eater idiots that had been foolish enough to activate Grindlewald's horcrux. Now the path they were on was unchangeable.

He got up out of bed and was standing at the window when he heard the door push open. He whirled, his wand taking dead aim...at nothing. Then he realized he was aiming too high. Padding barefoot across the hardwood floor was Abbey in her little pink nightgown, coming right to him, completely unphased by the fact that he had a wand in a firing position. He sheathed it quickly and knelt down.

"Why are you awake?" he asked softly.

"Monsters," she whispered.

"Where?" he asked. "Show me." She reached for his hand and he took it. He let her lead him back to the nursery. All seemed quiet here. Nothing but other sleeping babies here. "Where are they?" he asked. She pointed to her bed. He checked the bed, the sheets, under the pillow. "I think you scared them away," he told her. "They're gone. No more monsters." He watched her peek timidly under the bed and he crouched on the floor and looked under the bed with her, lighting the space with his wand. "Nope. Not here either." She crawled up on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What did you see, Abbey?"

"Monster. Monster eat Mama," she said.

"Now you listen," he said to her. "No monster is going to eat Mama." He didn't know how to explain a bad dream to a child almost two, so he stuck to the point. "Mama is fine. Mama is asleep in our room." She looked at him skeptically. "I'm sure. Shall we go see?" She nodded. he got up and carried her to the bedroom. He showed her Khaat sleeping safely in bed. He went to take her back to her own bed, but she didn't want to go. "Alright. You want to stay with Mama and me tonight?" he whispered, "In the big bed?" She nodded. "If you do, you have to go to sleep." She nodded. He tucked her in between himself and Khaat and kissed her. Abbey cuddled tight to him and soon went back to sleep.

Jack Jess, Steven and Cassidy slept till early morning Jack was first up he went to the pool then they gym to work out his stiff muscles Steven joined him in the gym and together they spared not waking the others . Jess woke and headed to the kitchen smiling as she saw Angus already at work " I'll lay the table " she said and began to place plates and bowls down on the table she could feel Steven and Jack sparing below in the gym. " there going to be hungry " she said and chuckled Cassidy emerged dressed and ready to go her bag sat beside the door along with Jess's and Jacks.

" morning I am so not looking forward to going back home guess I enjoyed the exotic locations " she said but smiled as she started the coffee brewing.

Khaat woke to find Abbey curled tight to her. Abbey was awake and fingering Khaat's hair. She heard the shower running.

"Where'd you come from?" Khaat asked.

"Daddy," Abbey nodded.

"Ah. Daddy let you sleep here?" Khaat asked, and Abbey nodded.

"No monsters."

"Oh. I see. You two were up hunting monsters, huh? Did you find any?"

"No," Brian said, now wrapped in a towel. "We did not. Abbey chased them away. I forgot my clothes." He picked up his stack of clothes on the dresser and went back to the bathroom. There was a light tap on the bedroom door.
Khaat invited the in. It was her father.

"Ah, so there she is," Robert smiled, relieved. "I've been looking for you." He brushed Abbey's nose. She giggled.

"Monsters, Papa," she said firmly.

"Monsters? Where?" he asked. She jumped out of the bed and dashed for the door. She stopped and looked back and saw Papa wasn't moving. She scowled at him.

"You're going monster hunting, Papa," Khaat laughed.

"So I see," Robert said, following her out of the room. "Hurry up. Breakfast is almost ready." He left and shut the door. Khaat got up and got her clothes and headed for the bathroom to shower.

Jess sighed and nodded to Cassidy but continued to lay the table soon it was all done and she sat with a cup of coffee in her had waiting. Jack and Steven walked up both sweaty and thoroughly worked out both looked at each other and chuckled. " ok back after a shower " Jack said and moved to the room to shower Steven did the same washing and changing into a fresh pair of clothes he shrank the old work out clothes and placed them in a pocket of the suit case and walked back to the breakfast table on the way he spotted Robert and Abby heading for the nursery. " ow monster hunting not done that for along time" he said smiling at them both.

"Papa get monsters," Abbey nodded.

"We'll get 'em if theyre there, Abbey," Robert said. "Didn't Daddy get them last night?" She just shrugged. She didnt know where they went. "Do you think they were hiding?"

"Monsters eat Mama," she told him. Robert stopped in his tracks and knelt in front of her.

"Abbey," he said. "Look." He drew his wand and cast an image of a bunny in white smoke in the air.

"Bunny!" she clapped.

"Take it," he told her. She reached her hand through the smoke and found she couldn't catch it. It faded slowly away in the morning light.

"Bunny gone," she told him.

"Yes. The bunny's gone. So are the monsters. Just like the bunny. I am not going to let anybody hurt Mama. And neither will Jack either. He helps keep Mama safe from all the monsters, don't you, Jack?"

Jack looked at Abby and nodded " always Abby " he said smiling down to her " both Jess cassidy and Steven will not let any monsters hurt your mom or dad" he said smiling at her just as Andrew ran out jumping to grab his neck.

"Daddy" he said and chuckled as Jack lifted him up into his arms smiling.

"Well here's my monster " he said and Andrew chuckled holding his neck tight as he was lifted up.

" Daddy good monster hunter mabby" he said having heard Abby talking to Robert and Jack. Andrew chuckled and looked down at her.