Marriage is Murder

Once the kids were all safely in bed, Khaat and Robert broke out the chess board. Kate decided not to watch the contest tonight and she got out a wizarding jigsaw puzzle. The wizarding puzzle was tricky. This one was designed so that if someone tried to put a piece in the wrong place, the pile of unassembled pieces leaped up in the air, jumbled themselves up and landed in a completely new pile so that the puzzle solver couldn't get a really good look at them before they scrambled themselves again. Only the correctly placed pieces stayed in place. Kate learned that the less one handled the unassembled pieces, the better. She sat with a cup of tea, concentrating on the 2,000 piece puzzle, assembling the border but studying the other pieces before she moved any.

Jess and cassidy came back down and as cassidy sat watching the chess game , Jess watched the jigsaw " wow tricky " she said watching it flip and muddle up " does it do that every time?" she asked Jack sat reading the book Jim had given him back at the cottage he was about half way threw it now and he was finding out things about himself he never knew some he didn't like and knew he had to control others he was happy to know so he would never do any of what the man who wrote the book had been threw and done.

"It does," Kate laughed. "Robert bought it for me years ago when I broke my ankle after falling off the hippogryff. It was a long way down. He bought it for me to keep me from going bored. It took me quite a long time to assemble it. I've never found another one quite like it. Oh, and you can change the picture on it with a simple incantation."

"Doesn't help that the bloody thing is a wizard photo that keeps moving even when its in pieces," Robert laughed.

"The damned thing is nearly impossible. Robert had it stored in the library so we didnt' lose it."

"I put it there when Michael threatened to set it on fire."

"The library or the puzzle?" Brian asked.

"The puzzle," Kate laughed, putting three pieces into place safely. "Anyone brave enough to join me?"

"Oh, well, hell," Brian sighed. "I will. Whats' the worst thing that can happen?"

"It can make you stark raving mad," Robert said, moving his piece.

"Check," Khaat told him quietly.

"What?" he frowned. "No. Already?" He looked at the board. He would have to get his mind on the game if he weren't going to lose it before it got started good.

Cassidy chuckled , Jess chuckled and looked at the puzzle it sure did keep moving and when she picked up a piece and it changed so it would not fit she placed it back down and watched them flip over " wow sorry Kate this is hard " she said " and I can see why Michael wanted to burn it " she said chuckling as she moved to the couch to sit with Jack as he read the book. Cassidy looked at the board and set it up again " wanna show me those moves Khaat I'd like to learn " she said and returned the pieces to there places.

"Come on, Kate," Brian said, "Let's whip this thing."

"Now thats the talk I wanna hear," she grinned. "Come on, then." She motioned to him and he sat down with her and they put the border pieces in first then they studied each piece carefully before they even attempted to lay one. They only picked it up if they felt sure that they knew where it went.

"Ready to try again, Daddy?" Khaat asked as Cassidy sat beside her.

"Of course. You won't beat me twice," he laughed. She started with a very traditional opening move. The game proceeded for awhile relatively routinely. Until she made a very untraditional move.

"You sure you want to do that?" he asked her.

"No but lets do it anyway," she laughed.

Cassidy sat and looked at Robert " go on I saw you play Kate but not Khaat " She said and smiled as he moved to sit with Khaat , Jess watched as Brian and Kate started to put the puzzle as it came together she smiled " ah now I see it " she said and chuckled picking up a piece and placing it down in its right place. Jack looked up from the book and chuckled seeing every one so focused on their games. Steven looked out the window at the barn below he knew the foal was ok but he could not help want to be close to her, just to get her to understand he was not going to harm her, but he also knew to let her settle and he could tend her the next morning.

"You know you really are going the long way round to get to where you want to go," Robert told Khaat.

"You think?" she asked.

"I know you are," he said, making a move that effectively blocked her strategy. "You're good, but you're not that good." Kate heard his remark, got up, studied the board for a moment and moved one of Khaat's pieces to block Robert. That made him laugh out loud. "No fair helping her," Robert said.

"You might not think she's that good, but you can't say that to me," Kate simply shrugged, returning to her puzzle. Khaat studied her mother's move and the new direction it headed the game. Her father switched his strategy and Khaat could tell it was going to be immensely harder for both of them to play this game. This was going to take a lot of study.

"Not that piece, Brian!" Kate spoke, but she spoke too late, The unplayed pieces flew up into the air and spun around and landed in a new heap. They all groaned.

Cassidy watched the spices flip " ow boy " she said hoping she could help a little but now she was not sure now with them flipping. Jack placed down his book and walked over to Steven " hay mate don't worry about the foal she'll be fine till morning, I'm going for a swim any one want to join me ?" he asked and saw Steven nod and move to follow " Jess, Cassidy?" he asked but both girls shook their heads more interested in the games they were watching . Jack chuckled and headed down changing his clothes into a pair of swim trunks and diving in to the warm water. Steven did the same moving back and forth in the water as he did his laps.

Robert won the second chess game by only by one move. The puzzle was going to take a lot longer. Kate finally yawned about midnight and stretched and said, "The last time we did this it took several days. I think I need to get some sleep. And Khaat, you really do need some rest. You'd better head to bed soon.

"Go ahead, Khaat," Brian said. "I'll help with the night shift security check and then I'll be up."

"Alright. If you're sure."

He nodded, and Kate and Khaat said their goodnights and went upstairs. Robert busied himself with putting the chess board away.and telling the puzzle to behave itself. during the night.

Cassidy stood up and went to grab a night cap before bed she liked hot chocolate before she slept. Jack and Steven finished there swim and headed up to the man living room just in time to hear Robert say they should all head to bed and that he would help with the night shift security check then be up himself. Jack chuckled and headed up with Jess " night all" he said as Jess headed to the nursery to check on the kids, finding them all sleeping she headed to the bedroom. Cassidy smiled s she sat drinking her hot chocolate.

" we'll be up later " Steven said as he sat with cassidy who yelped at his wet hair and instantly dried it into a rather fetching frizz , Steven chuckled and brushed it down flat again.