Marriage is Murder

"You really are underestimating Robert, then," Kate smiled. "If you think that you're going to have time to miss anybody or anything, then you never have been to one of these sorts of bootcamps. The only thing I ever had time to miss was seeing the backs of my eyelids."

"So you didnt sleep much either, huh?" Angus laughed, coming in to oversee the setting of the table.

"No," she laughed. "Not at all."

"Most of us needed a day or two to sleep at the end of the bootcamp," Angus said. "But I am actually looking forward to it. Nothing against the kitchen, but I miss staying in shape."

"You mean to tell me you've missed some of the morning workouts?" Kate grinned, knowing he had missed several.

"Shhh. Don't tell. Its hard to make fresh yeast breads and cinnamon rolls and get a workout in if I don't start at midnight," he said.

"Then I won't tell that I've seen you make the dough the night before on occasion," Kate said. "You're in for some sore muscles, then. Lad."

"Well, this isn't Brian's training, so we'll be alright."

"Oh, now you're just being silly. This isn't Brian's training. This is Robert's. Lee might be the instructor, but he is using Robert's manual. Have any of you done any survival training?"

Jess looked at Kate and chuckled " good I don't want to be missing them one bit " she said then heard Angus and chuckled again."no, Roberts is going to be much harder , am I right Kate " she said and smiled feeling some what better that she would not miss them as she thought she would. Jack sighed as he held her.

" great mans I'll be black and blue all over" he said and Jess moved to look at him.

" well you shouldn't have had all though cookies " she said patting his tummy as she spoke. Jack made a playful shocked face but laughed " Kate I'm looking forward to this now , just to see who flakes it and who makes it" she said laughing again as eh saw Jack shake his head at her.

When the end of the day came, Brian went to find Khaat. Kate had come at naptime and had collected a whiny Abbey to take her home. Brian was grateful because other than a sofa in his office, he had nowhere to put her for a nap. He went upstairs to her office and Hannah told him she's gone to the Ministry. He apparated over there and found her in her father's office. She was relieving him of a migraine.

"You both look like you've had enough," Brian said.

"Well, it didn't get to be a mess overnight. It isn't going to fix itself overnight," Robert said.

"Then perhaps we need to just go home. Maybe we need to spend the evening with our family before they leave in the morning."

"Agreed. Khaat? You ready to go home?" Robert asked.

"I am. They know how to reach us," she said. Her father closed the files on his desk and secured them.

"Then let's go home," he said. They joined arms and appparated home. Their first day as free people again was coming to a close.

Jess readied every one for Roberts return this would be the finishing touch before bed that night. Jack sat in the living room with a magazine waiting for them so he could show them to the dinning room where every thing was waiting for Robert's return. Jess and cassidy put some final touches as Steven checked on the horses and unicorn bringing n them in for the night and bedding them down. Returning he showered and changed into clean clothes before heading down to find Cassidy who he found placing some flowers on a table humming to her self as she did. " shouldn't be long now right Angus , Kate?" she asked grinning at them both.

They arrived back in the living room, and they sent their coats back upstairs to their closets. Dinner smelled good to them all, but what always brightened Brian's heart was seeing Abbey and Dakota come running to them. Brian picked up Dakota and Robert swept Abbey up in his arms in a warm hug.

"I think they missed us," Brian smiled.

"It sure looks like it," Khaat said.

"Did you miss us?" Robert asked Abbey. She nodded and then in her baby babble she told Robert she was hungry. "Oh. So thats why you missed us. We were holding up dinner." She nodded. They laughed. "It looks like you kept everything in one piece while we were gone," he said to Jack.

Jess hid behind the doors as Jack stood infront of them he smiled and nodded " yeap if a bit more so " he said and jess opened the doors wide.

" SUPRISE !!" she and thre others said smiling to show Robert the now decorated room " its our wy of saying well done and con gratulations on getting back in the ministry " she siaod an moved to hand him the wrapped gift while she took Abby for a moment smiling " Angus made a beautiful cake and dinner cassidy and the kids made the banner hense the hand prints all over it " she siad smiling as Jack joined her to hold her hand in his own. Steven walked over with cassidy.

" just to show weare over the moon your back as minister, Khaat as head of St Mongos and Brian cheif of security " he said handing them all glasses of wine abby and the kids all got sippy cups with appel juice that looked like wine but was alcahol free. He raised the glass he held " to the new minister of magic" he said and smiled.

"Thank you," Robert smiled. "Its been much too long in coming. It meant a lot of sacrifices for all of us for months. You do know its a victory for all of us. All the months of living all over the globe, away from our homeland, relying on every friend we had to stay alive. And, yes, I did nullify our arrest warrants first thing. The second thing I did was to give Khaat her job back. We have a lot of rebuilding to do, but we can manage. We're a tough bunch, and its good that we can find we can weather just about anything." He raised his glass. "To friendship and family," he said.

"Here here," Brian agreed.

"Papa! Food!" Abbey demanded.

"Alright, alright," he laughed. "I think we have a bunch of extra hungry little people."

Jess nodded and grined rasing her glass along with the others as Robert gave a toast. " yes I agree" she said and the theres cheered there aproval when Robert said he'd nullify their arrest warrants Jess herself breathed out as she stood with Jack she smield hearing Abby say she was hungry and moved to one side " ow yes fod come on Angus has done us proud tonight " she said and moved to the table sitting Abby in her high chair beside Robert " Minister" she said smiling at him as she too sat with her kids and began feeding them all chattering away cassidy spoke of how each child had placed their hand on the banner on their own and how it could be kept as sa suvonir when it was all over.

"And we certainly will keep it," Kate smiled.

The dinner was amazingly good. Angus said he could not take credit for it entirely because Michael had helped him. The dinner was shortribs braised in a deep rich burgundy wine sauce until they had fallen off the bone. And they had put it over fresh homemade pasta, with a massive beautiful salad, Khaat's favorite fruit salad with the champagne dressing, and the lovely cake that Angus had made.

For Khaat and Brian, it felt like it was deep relief. Brian had not expected when he had built the house that it would ever be filled with this many people on such a daily basis, and that there would be such an overflow of family that he had to enlarge the table and build more houses on the grounds. But here they were. He had spent most of his life feeling like an outcast from his own family, but he never took it for granted that he had more family than he ever dreamed he would have. This house had not been built for him to ramble in alone. It was why he lived out of one little room in Paris for so long. Now the house he'd built was full in ways he had never dreamed.

"What are you thinking about?" Khaat looked at him during dinner.

"I was just thinking you would not have all fit in my quarters in Paris," he laughed.

"What?" she laughed.

"Never mind," he laughed.

Jess smiled as she fed Andrew some meat in the sauce she had placed in a small bowl for him he smiled eating like his father but with a spoon. Jess chuckled as she saw Andrew and Jacks faces both had sauce on their chins and she shook her head " like father like son " she said as Steven looked up and chuckled at the state both were in from the sauce.

" hay its good food " Jack said taking some more as Andrew lifted his plate to Angus smiling hoping for some more his lips and chin still covered in the sauce. Jess listened to the banter around the table and smiled feeling quite at home among them all, she heard Brian and Kate and chuckled.

" ah Paris , those quarters are for you and Khaat alone" she said smiling to them " your privet love nest" she added as Jack grinned at her " hay don't you get any ideas my boy" she said chuckling.