Marriage is Murder

"Rene's daughter was incredibly strong and stubborn," Robert said. "She was an experienced fighter. A bit older than Brian and Khaat. She was someone I trusted beyond just about anybody else in Paris. Brian was young and determined to prove himself. He ended up, unfortunately, toe to toe with Gelding one of his first nights out. And it nearly killed him. We lost Rene's daughter at one of Paris summer festivals just a month or two after that. If Rene is a bit testy and distant while he's here, thats why. He's never quite been the man he used to be. He tends to stay out of fights now and simply does archetecture and landscaping and tends his garden. I cant say that I blame him. I was somewhat doing the same thing for a long time after Remus died."

"You were doing that before Remus died," Kate said. "You were only doing more of it after that."

"And then somehow I ended up coming out of retirement," Robert said. "Soometimes I wonder why, but I'm in it now, for better or for worse."

Jess listened and sighed deeply " I don't blame him for wanting to stay out of it, I would to if it was my child who was killed " she said and looked at Jack " weren't you involved in an incident in a square where a summer festival was taking place?" she asked Jack nodded but said nothing.

" that I think was my first mission with Brian I believe and yeah several did get killed they were ready for us" he stopped and looked at his plate of food pushing it around as he now lost his appetite.

"It was before that," Brian said. "It was shortly after I graduated from Hogwarts. We try to go to that festival every year because there are so many witches and wizards that attend with their children. Its one of our biggest events of the year. We save more kids that night than any other. It was that festival but long before your time with us."

"I miss going to that," Khaat smiled.

"You are not going anymore," Brian said protectively. "We have kids now to think of. I'm not risking you if I dont have to. We have plenty of fighters now. We aren't struggling like we used to back then."

"That's fine," she said. "For now. Eventually those kids are going to grow up. though."

"Yes, and by then, you and I are going to move to the house in Hawaii and spend our retirement on the beach under a palm tree."

"That sounds perfectly wonderful," she said.

"Go on and dream," Robert said. "I had plans of just quietly operating my farm and fading into obscurity. But someone..." he glared at Khaat, "decided they needed me."

"I did," she said sweetly.

"You had to take on the Ministry and the hospital. You couldn't just work at a shop, could you?"

"You never raised her to clerk in any shop and you know it," Kate laughed out loud. "Besides, we all know you're happier when you're working, Robert. And who else around here is qualified to be Minister?"

"You are very opinionated," Robert scowled at her.

Jess saw Jack relax at Brian's words and the reassurance he'd not been involved with Rene's daughters killing. " he knows now Brian , thank you" Jess said taking jacks hand and smiling to him as she felt him relax more. " Khaat's a fighter, every one here knows that " she said smiling " I don't think she would survive behind a desk any more" Cassidy sat quiet she'd not been with them that long so all this talk was interesting for her to listen too and to get to know the others that little bit better. Steven chuckled at Jess's words.

"from what I have sen she would do just that now" he said " I see you as more of an out door person now some one who loves to be out in the wilderness rather than stuck indoors behind a desk pushing paper." he said smiling as he downed his lemonade.

"She was an outdoors person from the very start," Kate laughed. "The night I had her, Remus was there and he and Robert stayed hovering over the nursery like she was some sort of new project. They took care of her while I was recovering. She seemed to bond with Remus almost from the moment she took her first breath. And Remus spent most of his time outside when the weather was good. He took her outside with him every chance he got. "

"You remember that cradle he bought?" Robert laughed.

"Oh do I!" Kate laughed out loud. "He bought that thing in an antique shop and it was beautiful. He cleaned it up and had a new mattress and new bedding for it. It was pink satin and embroidered. He treated her like a princess. And he used that cradle every tine he took her outside. He would take that darned thing outside, put her in it, and then do whatever it was he needed to do with her no more than an arms reach from him. He was never out of her sight and vice versa. Robert was busy working either in the fields or in that apothecary in the village. He was the chief provider back then."

"You worked in that little gift shop part time," Robert remembered Kate's part time job.

"Yes. And Remus, because there was so little stability for him back then because people were so terrified of his curse, he stayed home with Khaat to babysit. And her personality was so much like his that she just grew up almost tied to him. Thats how it all got started. Thats' how she got her love for being outdoors. Remus fostered that in her. And Brian always loved the outside. He never wanted to be outside unless we forced it on him.

"Yeah, well, we never discouraged it because we didn't like being indoors either unless we had to be," Robert said. "They got it honestly."

"Aren't you all bored with all this ancient history yet?" Khaat laughed.

Jess , Jack and Cassidy all shook their heads , Steven smiled " nope its very interesting" he said smiling Jack knew just how Remus had felt he too at first had staid out side feeling he could not stay inside. Jess patted his hand and smiled jack smiled back holding her hand gently. Cassidy lent slightly on Steven who kissed her cheek.

" Jack knows how Remus felt about being out side " she said Jack nodded looking at Kate and Robert.

" at first I would not go near a house but staid in the woods when Jess and I first met it was beside a wood the one beside Hagrids hut " he said looking at Jess and smiling at her " best day there ever was as far as Im concerned " Jess smiled .

"Werewolves were the outcasts of sociey then," Khaat said. "And there were very precious few that would even bother to brew wolfsbane for someone with the curse. They were just expected to stay away from the rest of humanity. And that was largely why Remus looked so dirt poor all the time. Clothes were ultimately always ruined. There was no point in putting money into them. He had very few and they always looked mroe secondhand that not."

"Thats because usually they were," Robert said. "Unless your mother and I bought him new things. And those he would only wear when it wasnt the full moon. And until you and Brian and Tonks and Teddy came along, he had very little he was interested in spending his money on. That was, when he could find a job. Nobody wanted to hire a werewolf. That was, back then, entirely too dangerous to risk. And it was not societally proper to even consider. One was more likely to hire a homeless drunkard than a werewolf."

Jack sat and listened it sounded all to familiar to him and he nodded " yeah sounds about right Jess was the first to make me think I should chose or lose her I couldn't lose her so I chose to try and control it " he chuckled " big mistake with out wolfsbane, I would have lost everything." he said and looked at Robert and Kate " I'd probably be back in those same woods if not for your potion Robert " he said holding Jess's hand tight. Steven ate his food quietly with Cassidy both listening and smiling at the quiet conversation going on at the table,

"No," Robert said, "You wouldn 't have been in the same woods. You'd have either been hunted down by the mercenaries or by Grayback and told the only future you had was on the wrong side of the law. Or you'd have been dead. One or the other. Greyback didnt turn you for fun. He did it for more recruits. The same reason he turned Remus. Greyback believes there should be no humanbeings. Mere humans, to Greyback, are a sub species. He believes we need to be all werewolves. He believes werewolves are superior because they're stronger. Personally, I think Fenrir Greyback has a screw loose, but thats just my opinion."

"One that many of us share," Michael said.

Jess and Steven both said together " yes we do" and chuckled jack nodded and looked at Robert.

" then I owe you all my life then, I know first hand all about Graybacks perfect world " he said shifting his shoulder as Jess placed her hand on it relieving the stiffness he felt in the muscle. Steven smiled as he pushed his plate to one side and drank his tea cassidy chuckled.

" we've all been on the low down ourselves, me, it was my father , jack had gray back and Robert well hes had so many I lost count but I think we all owe him and Kate our lives." she said and smiled " To Kate and Robert Thanks for enriching our lives in many ways" she said and every one else agreed.