Marriage is Murder

Jim bit his lip and folded his arms across his chest he wanted James but at the same time he knew why Robert wanted them to stop any mistake and it could cost them not just Khaats life but their own too. He stood with the men and waited jack pacing back and forth in front of him. "Simmer down jack, you'll get your chance soon enough" he said. Jack turned to look at him and took a deep breath in to calm himself knowing he could not and would not lose his temper in front of Jim as he'd already been told what he would do to him if he did.

James saw Michael and smirked he looked like he meant business Jim knew from their past he meant it and watched as Robert spoke with him about Kate and what she had seen. It was then Jess aperated in sneezing her head off.

" Khaat?" she asked as Jack move to hold her up " sorry I felt cold but it was Khaat Robert you got to get to her, her fevers only going to get worse"she wiped her nose with a tissue. " stay safe Jack" she said and he nodded he understood.

"I know where we're going," MIchael said. "We need just a small crew. It isn't big enough for all of us."

"Thats alright. I need the bulk of you here to search the grounds anyway," Robert said.

"I'm going," Brian said.

"Alright, then. Jack, Jim, Brian, and Michael," Robert said. "Hold yourselves together, and get in and get out. No mistakes."

"They'll be fine," Michael said. "They'll have to be. It requires stealth and absolute silence because if they buggar this up, we'll all be arrested."

"Well thats bloody reassuring. I take it it you're going outside my authority then," Robert said.

"We are," Michael said. "And if any of you can't follow my orders on this, then say so right this moment because I'd prefer to not have to hex you one we leave here."

"Lets get it done," Brian said in quiet anger.

Jack and Jim looked at Michael and then each other " we'll be as quiet as church mice " Jim said he looked at Robert knowing just what Michael had in mind " don't worry we'll follow Michael's orders to the letter " he said and jack and several men moved over to them all with their wands drawn but none making a single sound as they did. Jess sighed " ok I'm so behind" she said and jack kissed her cheek gently.

"Go inside and stay with the kids protect them " he said and saw her nod she would then chuckled as she sneezed as she walked up to the house. Jack looked at Jim and the others and Brian " ok lets as Brian said , get this thing on, he's north " Jack said and looked at Brian knowing when the time came he would not hold him back he had every right to be angry at James, and if anything Jack would hold James down for Brian.

"I said 4 of you. Not a platoon," Robert said. "Sorry to disappoint you. Jim, Jack, Brian and Michael. The rest of you need to stay here and protect the many people who are here. We don't know what James will do if Khaat's magic fails."

"He's not north," Michael said. "The wind is shifting. Double check yourself. From what Kate said he's gone south. To London. We have to go to muggle London. Stay right with me you three. I would prefer to not have you setting off the muggle electronic alarms. Let us not do that, shall we? Let's go." When Jack and Brian and Jim had joined with him, he ported them to London to a very dark alley.

"Look across the street," he told them, pointing to a mammoth building across from them. "Whitehall. The heart of the British muggle government. There are more alarms in there this time of night than people. We're not going inside. Not exactly. We're going beneath it. Underground. Way underground. I won't go into history with you now but Khaat's been taken here before. Twice."

"Barker," Brian said, knowing the story much too well.

"Indeed. Barker." Michael said. "I rescued her from here twice before. Its a place James undoubtedly found out from Gelding's men. You'll have to follow me until I bewitch the alarms. Then we need to spread out. Brian, you go after Khaat. The rest of us need to go after the werewolves. Are we clear?"

Jim looked as the rest of the men left them walking around the grounds checking and rechecking the shields . Jack shook his head a little feeling a little stuffed up and nodded. " yes, your right its south , damn it I must be picking up Jess's cold " he said and looked at Michael. Jack looked around as they ended up in an alley he sneezed at the musty smell he had rising from the ground he stood in Jim handed him a hanky and jack thanked him quietly. Both stood waiting for orders on hearing Barkers name Jack gave a soft growl.

" never liked that man " he said softly Jim nodded he agreed with jack " how we going to get in with out the alarms going off?" jack asked but then shook his head remembering Michael was a cat burglar " ok never forget I asked that" he said.

"I'll be happy to forget. Hiss, get going," Michael ordered. "You know what to do." The rope snaked out of his pack and slithered across the street, unhappy with cars speeding over it. It seemed to glare unhappily at Michael from the other side of the street. It slithered up and in through an air vent and in a couple of moments, the tail end of the rope motioned to them.

"He's in. Let's go," Michael said. "No noise." He slipped over to the street and climbed up the wall as easily as a spider and in through the air vent and then flicked his wand to bewitch the alarms. From there he climbed in and landed noiselessly on his feet on the hallway floor.

Jim and Jack followed Michael and entered quietly Jack lighter on his feet than he normally was so not to make any noise as they entered the vent following close behind Michael nether wanting to say a word. Jack sniffed but he could not trust his nose any more and so just followed Michael. "Do you think he would be in the basement?" he whispered to Michael " or the sewer?" he moved beside Jim hoping he would not knock anything Jim watched his own movements so not to set any alarms off but he was skilled at moving quietly in buildings.

The followed moving down the corridors and passageways behind Brian and Michael both with their wands at the ready in case anything or any one might appear and attack them from around a corner.

"Think lower," Michael said. "Much lower. Catacombs. The place is positively wretched. This way." He led the way down to the ground floor, down to the basement, through all the muggles' sub basement levels, lower than the sewer....down to the ancient catacombs. And then down one more. Few muggles knew there was even a lower level than the ancient catacombs. But Michael knew. Michael knew about them decades ago, when he'd used them for escape purposes. He paused here, motioning them to all stop and be very silent. The tunnel split off in a fork here, one to the left and one to the right.

He hoped they could take direction well. He motioned them to be completely silent. Sound would carry here for certain. The smell was horrendous, but then again, it had always been. Dark, moldy, foul. But he knew the place much too well. More than he was willing to admit to them. But the fact that it was about Khaat changed everything. And he was letting them into just one of the dark places of the darker side of his life. But they were taking their lives in their hands to follow him. He pointed to Jim and Jack and motioned them to go down the right tunnel. He was pointing them directly to the werewolves. He was hoping they were up for a bit of heated fighting because unless James had fled and left Khaat here to die, they were about to get it.

He pointed to Brian. Khaat would be down the left tunnel. Thats where the two holding cells were. Brian pointed back at Michael to go with Jim and Jack. Brian believed he could get her out quicker and easier if he went alone and the rest distracted the werewolves down the right tunnel. Michael nodded slowly, understanding and turned to go with Jack and Jim, motioning them foreword.

Brian drew his wand and moved very slowly, silently down the corridor by himself. He was having a hard time imagining when Robert and Michael had found her here with Eli, both just barely alive. And then he had to reel his own anger back in quickly.

Down in her cell, Khaat began to wake, shivering hard now. She tried to find someplace to crawl to get a bit warmer, and found straw on the floor. Old straw. But it was more welcome than the bare floor. She huddled into it, desperate and instantly started to fall back into a feverish doze. But no sooner than she started to sleep again than her mind flashed back to being here. Right here. Trapped and cold and hurt, on the floor, huddled in the straw, this straw...and being held here and tortured by Felix Barker. She jerked bolt upright, terrorized, a small cry of fear leaving her lips.

And Brian had heard it. It echoed in the left tunnel, and it was a sound he knew well. It was the same sound that woke him at home, in his own room, in his own bed, night after night after night. He had learned to live with being awakened by her night terrors, whether it was this tiny little startled cry or downright terrified screaming from the depths of her soul. She was here. He began to move quicker, and before he realized it, he was running, for all he was worth, down the hallway until he clanged hard against iron bars.

"Bombarda!" he had no patience for silence now. So much for being sneaky. He hoped the others had found James by now because if they had not, it would surely be awkward at the least for them. He blasted the doors open and flew through them to the holding cells. It seemed like it took him forever, but he did realize it was truly only seconds when he saw her small form on the floor. He blew open the door of the cell and flew to her. She started to fight him or to try. He gathered her close.

"Shh," he said, holding her close, burying her face in his chest. "Its me. Its me, honey. I'm here. We're going home."

"You camefor me? Here?" she managed to ask softly, shivering hard and clutching to him so tightly he knew he was going to bruise where her fists clutched tight to him. He wanted to wrap her in his coat but he knew she wasn't going to let go. So he opted for getting her out first.

"Of course I did," he said lovingly, kissing her hot cheek. "I'll always come." He picked her up. "We have to get out of here."

Jack groaned thinking of the catacombs he'd not had a good experience in them after having destroyed a potions lab down in them. Jim just followed his wand at the ready as he moved quietly with Michael down into the semi-dark catacombs. "I'd expect James to use these rancid and damp and not liked just like him" he said softly and chuckled " sorry jack" he said but Jack just shrugged as they came to a split in the tunnels. Moving down the right tunnel as Michael had motioned they soon heard voices and paused both looked at each other. But on hearing the explosion from some place other than where they were they quickly moved into the room firing their wands as they moved Jack killed two and Jim froze three more men and an old woman thought disappointingly James was not in the room.

" damn it no James I hope they found Khaat " Jack said as they secured the men and woman.

"Not necessarily important," Michael said, managing to capture two of his own. He secture them and bound them magically. "Go check the side rooms, somebody. Make sure there isn't someone hiding someplace. One thing about it, Brian was definitely not in the mood to be subtle about it. If we do nothing more than buy him time, thats all we need to do. He's on his own and he knows it. We'll meet up with him later." he wasn't going to give out too much information about the fact that he knew Brian would simply find Khaat and get her out. Brian wasn't going to wait for them. He would take her and get her home. That was his responsibility. Abd Michael wasnt about to let it slip n front of the werewolves where exactly they were going, although he highly doubted it was a secret.

"Kill anyone you find hiding," Michael ordered, watching the faces of the arrested werewolves to see if any of them flinched or betrayed that there might be anyone left here. "Give no quarter."