Marriage is Murder

The hike back was definitely colder than when they had first started out. The snow was starting and the wind was bitter. And to hike back, they had to walk right into the wind. By the time they got back, Angus knew they were all doubly tired and out of breath. It was hard to breathe in wind that fierce. The hike had been slower because it was just too hard to trudge ahead in it. By the time they got to the house, the storm was almost fully upon them.

Angus opened the door of the main house and let Kate go in ahead of him, with the others following. Angus looked up to see Robert get up and come out of the main hall into the foyer to see them all.

"Robert?" Angus frowned. "What brings you?"

"Its Friday night back home. I'm off," he said, going over to Kate and wrapping her close in his arms. He kissed her. "I have a couple days. I wanted to see how you were all doing. It looks like you would all do well with a hot bath and a hot drink. And...looks like you need your magic back. All of you." He flicked his wand at them and unbound the magic for them all. "Your standard rooms are ready for you. Take your gear and go shower, get into warm clothes and we'll have some hot cider for you when you get back. The staff is making it now. Kate, lets get you out of that snowcovered gear." He took her pack for her and took her upstairs.

"I don't need to be told twice," Angus said, heading off to his usual room.

Jack looked at Robert as he entered the house , hearing him speak he lowered his shoulders as he spoke along with every one else " yes sir " they said Steven and cassidy smiling at the thought of a hot shower. He moved quietly past Robert with Jess to their room and showered changing into a clean pair of jeans and a tee shirt he walked back down into the living room. Jim looked up at him and moved to one side on the couch.

"Just sit down " he said and smiled as he saw Jack do just that handing jack a mug of hot cider to him witch Jack drank and sat back watching the fire as it burned.

It was a couple of hours before Robert came back down. He saw the others were refreshed and drinking hot cider. Lee had come back in with the others and was simply warming up by the fire with cider. "Everything alright, Robert?" Lee asked.

"No," he said. "It was not. I might as well tell you. About 12 hours ago, Khaat was sure something was wrong here. She insisted I come. I actually was a bit surprised to see you werent already here when i got here. It seems Khaat was right. Kate thought she was alright after her encounter with the bear yesterday, but she wasn't. He clawed her and he broke two of her ribs. I am more concerned about healing the tissue damage beneath the surfface wound. I've set spells in place to start that healing, but I"m not closing the surface wound for a few hours yet. It seems she didn't bleed out because the cold froze her shirt to her skin and created an odd bandage for her and kept her from feeling much pain. She was just too cold. Fortunately for her. She was having more pain from the broken ribs than anything else. I'm taking her out of the training. She wants to finish, but I'm pulling her. She's going to be fine, but she needs rest now. She's sleeping. I had to sedate her to set the ribs."

"Robert," Lee sighed. "I knew she was hurting. I gave her pain potion this morning. I am so sorry."

"Not your fault. It was a training accident. We've all seen worse. She's going to be fine. If I am very careful, she won't scar. Its just more painful than the wound really is in itself."

"Clawing accidents sometimes are," Lee sighed. "I should have checked her."

"No blaming, Lee," Robert said. "Everyone is alright and thats how a training exercise is supposed to end. Alright. Report to me. What have you learned in your first 24 hours?"

Jack looked at Robert " Following orders and protecting this family is important and imperative " he said looking at Robert , Steven spoke up next " you can't do any of that with out a fully functional team " he said and looked at Jack Jess spoke next " and you can't have that with out trust within its members" she smiled at both jack and Steven, Cassidy looked up at them and smiled " but to have that, you have to give a little or a lot of your self and hide nothing " she looked at Robert hoping they had all said the right thing " but most of all listen to and learn from your commanding officer, who is " she looked at Robert again " you, Brian , lee, Angus and Michael "

"Well, you're right. With one correction. I am the Captain of this ship, and Brian is my first mate. Thats the way it works. Lee is a friend of mine. I have hired him to work with me,...

"I work in Brian's capacity for those special assignments that Robert pays me for. And what he doesn't pay me for I do because Robert is probably one of the most loyal friends I have. There isn't anything I wouln't do for him. But I am never in charge unless he pays me, or unless you're on American soil," Lee said.

"Michael and I are certainly not in charge, nor do we want to be," Angus laughed.

"Now, Kate is a different story," Robert laughed. "She just takes charge of most of us. I'd like you all to do a good workout later today in the gym and then this evening I'd like you to all do some duelling practice. I'll get the report from Lee, and if it meets my expectations, I'll call this training off early. You've already learned the most important things I've wanted you to know. Now, lets do a practical evaluation of your skills. I am presuming that you are in good fighting form. I expect no trouble here. But I want to make sure. Are you all good with that?

Jack smile and nodded as did the rest " yes sir , fighting fit and ready to follow orders " he said Steven nodded and stood next to him. Jess chuckled and nodded " us women too " she said cassidy grinned as both felt things we're looking up " do you want me to check on Kate or would you rather leave her to rest ?" Jess asked Robert now feeling with her powers back she could do something to ease her pain a little. Cassidy collected all the mugs and took them threw to the kitchen. Before returning and heading down to the gym with the others to practice dueling, which she had never done before.

"You're welcome to check on her. Just try not to wake her if you don't have to," Robert said. "I'd have loved to have been there to see her take that bear out with a rock." It made him laugh.

"It was typical Kate," Lee laughed. "That's for sure. It was pretty funny. By the time I got there, she already had him and was bashing his head in with that big rock. And he was already dead. I think she was pissed off."

"She was," Robert laughed. "Only Kate could get annoyed by a bear instead of scared shitless."

Kieran came in and saw them all back safe and sound. "They're serving a soup and sandwich and salad buffet in the dining room," Kieran said. "And I know there are at least a dozen desserts. I don't know if you all are ready for lunch yet, but its ready."

"A lunch I don't have to cook?" Angus grinned. "Sure. It beats survival cooking."

"Your survival cooking was wonderful," Lee said. "We ate well. But an endless lunch buffet sounds great. And I definitely want to eat before I hit the gym."

Jack smelt th4e food and made his way to the dinning room but he stopped and looked at Robert " permission to eat before training?" he asked Steven looked also but his stomach growled rather loudly making jack and cassidy smirk a little at the sound of it . Jess smiled as she moved up the stairs to Robert and Kate's room , she carefully pushed open the door and walked quietly over to the bed, she saw her sleeping and placed her hand over hr not touching , Jess felt the broken rib and open wound and drew some of the pain to make her comfortable. smiling she moved out of the room and headed down to the dinning room.

"Of course," Robert said. "You've done without long enough. I presume the buffet will look good to you." He and Lee looked out the large dining room windows. The winterstorm was fully upon them. "I'm glad you didn't wait to bring them back" Robert said.

"Well, I could have given them back their powers and let them apparate back," Lee said. "We'd have gotten out if we'd had to. But I'm glad you didn't have to port through that. that would have been miserable. Now tell me. How did you keep Khaat and Brian from coming?"

"Somebody has to work," Robert shrugged. "I'm leaving them in charge, and Michael is going to pamper them with some sort of gourmet thing over the weekend."

"How's the weather over there?"

"Not like this," Robert laughed. "Much nicer. Not as cold."

"You going to join us at the buffet?"

"Yeah, I think I will," Robert smiled. He followed Lee over to the back of the buffet line and stood in line with him. "I didn't think I was hungry until i started smelling it."

Jack and Steven smiled making a beeline to the buffet table with a plate soon they sat eating . Cassidy joined then with her own and smiled eating and taking a drink of water as she ate. Jess came in and stood behind Robert and Angus smiling as she took some food for her self she moved to sit with Jack " I'm glad Khaat's feeling better that she can work " she said as she ate and drank her own food and soda. Steven looked at cassidy who was now warmed up nicely and smiling as she ate her food.

" So dueling,um.. what do we have to do?" she asked having not dueled before in her life.