Marriage is Murder

Kate had been standing in the doorway to the patio when she saw James find the frog. Kate went over and asked the frog to come out. He only responded with a rather indignant belching sound.

"Rude," she scowled. "It seems he does not want to play. He does not understnad humans and even less about children. He thinks we are the inferior species, and he thinks we should be studied. He has no intention of coming out.

"Shall I put him in a jar and let him be studied awhile?" Robert laughed.

"No. He's just being rude," Kate laughed. She looked up just in time to see Brian start to run after a golden labrador puppy with Abbey's clothes laying on the ground. "Uh oh. Abbey's inner puppy got the best of her in the sunshine and the spring weather. Now Brian has to chase a puppy instead of his daughter."

"Its good for him," Robert said, unalarmed and going into refill his tea mug. "He likes to run. Let him find out how far a puppy can go."

Jess chuckled and moved to James who pouted " pood fog" he said as she walked him away from it handing him a toy frog. " this ones much better behaved " she said and chuckled seeing Brian taking off down the garden after a lab puppy she shook her head as she spotted jaylen holding a flower in her hand.

" pitty pitty" she said holding out not to her but to Robert " pitty pitty" she said again then looked at it again. Jack sat with Fallon on his knee watching every one Steven now stood with a cup of coffee watching smirking alittle as he saw Brian running around.

" di you think he'll catch her?" he asked Robert one hand deep in his pocket as he spoke.

"Not a problem," Robert said in response to Jack. "A puppy that size will run perhaps 20 minutes tops. Then she'll get tired. Brian runs longer than that. And his legs are longer. He'll outstride her eventually." He took the flower from Jaylen. "Thank you," he smiled. He showed her he his other hand with nothing in it, closed it into a fist and then tossed up into the air a handful of magical fluttering colorful butterflies. Julia began to clap, delighted and giggling.

"That trick never gets old," Kate laughed.

"Papa!" Julia urged him to do it again. "Papa!"

"More?" he asked her. She nodded. He handed Kate the flower and showed them both his hands were empty. Then he lifted both hands and opened them to what seemed like a million beatifl butterflies. She was amazed and watched them flutter up high into the sky before they disapparated.

Jess smiled as Jaylen giggled at the butterfly as he flew away then clapped as he did it again " an old one but a good one " Jess said and smiled as she too saw the dozens of butterflies flying into the sky. Jack chuckled at Roberts words and nodded.

" yea he will , I guess its just one of those things " he said and chuckled watching Brian chasing Abby still around the grounds Jack saw James growing tired and lay down he walked over and picked him up holding him in his arms as he slept. " guess the fresh air got to him."

When Abbey stopped running and flopped down in the grass, panting, Brian merely walked over to her and picked her up by the scruff of her neck. He tucked her under his arm and walked back to the house, Abbey's tail happily slapping against his back. Kate could see him talking to her and she knew exactly what he was saying. He dumped the puppy rather unceremoniously inside the screened in fencing on the patio and stepped back over it hiself as the puppy stretched out on the warm stone to sun herself.

"You don't think you'll get away with it, do you?" Kate asked him.

"Yep. I do," he said, going into the house to get a cold soda. Kate laughed. She watched Khaat bring back the unicorn and slide off, carrying Dakota. She reunited the unicorn with the female and the foal and returned to the patio. She put Dakota on the ground with the toys and then went after Brian.

"You are not going to put my daughter on a leash!" she got firm and just a wee bit loud with him.

"Then you teach our daughter not to dash off," he shrugged, popping the top on the bottle of soda and going outside.

Jess raised an eye brow at Brian's thoughts of a leash and she looked at Robert " you going to let him do that?" she asked Robert as she rolled the ball to James and Andrew again but she could see both boys yawning as well " well I think its nap time for some children" she said and picked up James and Andrew as Cassidy nodded it was ok for her to put him down for a nap while she played with Fallon and Catlin. Jess moved inside and placed them in the travel pen so she could watch them sleep having missed being close to her and the other children she grabbed a soda from the kitchen and sat down in the living room.

"He wont' do it," Robert laughed. "I'm not woried. Its just very highly unusual to have an animagus transforming by the time they're 2. He's a little frustrated that she doesn't even understnad she has the ability to be a dog much less how to teach her not to play puppy games with her daddy. She has human feelings when shes a human, and she has a desire for puppy games when she is a puppy and she doesn't have a clue why. We will teach her but its going to be a bit hard to teach her. But, the good side is that the older she gets the better she will control it. We just need to help her daddy survive her puppyhood."

Brian came back outside, laughing.

"Why do you do that to her?" Robert laughed.

"Do what?" Brian asked innocently.

"Rattle her chain?"

"Because I can. I can rattle it so easily," Brian laughed. Robert burst out laughing.

"That's mean," Robert said, continuing to laugh. "You're going to end up on the sofa one of these nights."

"You think?"

"Bring home the collar and the leash and see for yourself."

"It'll be a nice one," Brian giggled. Robert laughed uncontrollably.

Jess chuckled and then laughed at Brian " ow if she goes all goth she might like that" she said " lets hope she doesn't go that way" Jess drank her soda glad of the coolness it gave her she had not realized how thirsty she had become in a short span of time. Cassidy brought the others in and settled them down as well for a nap finding they fell asleep easily. Cassidy sat down next to Jess accioing a soda also and drank.

" boy that's good , I forgot how exhausting kids can be" she said and smiled " I'm glad she'll grow into more control of it I'd hate to see Brian running after a full grown Labrador" she said downing the rest of her soda.

Khaat let the others enjoy their sodas and their time outside. She got a pad of paper and a pen and got a cup of french roast and sat outside in the sun, making lists. Now that they were home--really home--she had plans. And she wasn't pregnant tis spring so she had ideas of things she wanted to do this year. Things she hadn't been allowed to do the last two years. Things she hadn't done in years. She hadn't done much of anything to make the house have any sort of a womans touch. Brian's art was everywhere and it was beautiful. She loved it. But the only thing she had done was to decorate 2 rooms--one for the girls, and one for the triplets. But even so Julia could not sleep with the boys forever. Decisions had to be made.

And Easter was coming. And birthdays, and Spring. And she wanted to enjoy it this year. And--she hadn't said it to Brian, but she wanted some new clothes. And the kids were growing like little weeds. They needed spring clothes. And she was seriously considering a swingset and a playyard outside. Brian's bachelor mansion needed to now accomodate a growing family. For her daughter, her granddaughter--and for their triplets. It was still sometimes hard to wrap her mind around the fact that despite Robs potion that had been given to her, the children were really Brian's. His and hers together. It was more than they had ever dreamed. And Brian had stepped foreward with her into parenting and had never once looked back. Not once.

"What are you planning?" her father asked her, seeing her making a list.

"Gardens, actually. And maybe some orchards."

"Oh" he smiled, keenly interested. Farming always had been his first love. "You know I'll be glad to help with that."

"That would be nice," she said.

Jess smiled " they sound good Khaat " she said placing her can down and walking over to her and glanced at the notes " orchids sound exotic and would need a green house " she said " may be a nice octagonal one some where on the grounds , Robert could utilizes it too for his magic plants " she suggested " I'm sure jack and Steven would love to help build it for you " she chuckled as she saw Jack look surprised at Jess and shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

" sure we'll help with every thing you need " he said hoping to show he was wiling to do anything she wanted.