Marriage is Murder

"Yes," Kate said. "If he wouldn't be, Khaat would have her father's head on a plate. She loves that bird. After Brian moved to Paris, Khaat just sort of hid herself away on the farm in Remus's rooms. She didn't get a job, didn't even come out of Remus's rooms unless we asked her for help on the farm or unless Robert insisted on her presence at the table at mealtime. She put herself in exile for a lot of years. Robert and I used to catch her spending a lot of time just lost in his portrait, just staring at it by the hour.

"If there is one thing I regret, its that I did not insist that Brian come home and perhaps take her to Paris. But I didn't. Anyway in that timespan, I ended up with a mother eagle and some eaglets. We didn't think Archangel was going to make it, so I had to hand rear him when his mother gave up on him. Robert insisted Khaat be a part of that several times a week. And over time, she and Archangel grew attached to each other, so I trained him to be not just a pet for her, but a true companion, and to do her owling duties, and to protect her. He is fiercely loyal to her And if anything happened to him, I think she'd turn her father into a teacup with no hesitation whatsoever."

"Just make it a nice teacup if that ever happens, Dear," Robert yawned, heading back upstairs to bed. Kate just laughed.

"When Robert is tired, a storm doesn't bother him. He doesn't stress about what he can't control. He only stresses about the things he feels he can control and when he wonders if he's doing enough about those things," Kate said, "Goodnight--again." She followed him upstairs.

"How are we going to tell Khaat about you in the morning, Buddy?" Angus asked the bird, stroking his head. The bird headbumped Angus to get some more pettiing out of him. Then when the eagle settled, Angus sat down on the sofa.

"I've always liked storms," Angus said, yawning. "They relax me." It didn't take him more than about 30 seconds to fall into a sound sleep before he even got a chance to stretch out on the sofa.

Around 4 am, Archangel let out a shrill screech and began trying to flap his enormous powerful wings, even though one was immobilized by Robert. Angus jumped hard, with a jolt, and then groaned in pain because he'd slept for hours, unmoving, his neck in what was now a very painful kink. When he tried to straighten it, his neck was unyielding, cramped up hard.

"What was that for?" Angus scowled at the bird. The bird returned Angus's irritation was an equal amount of irritation and a rather demanding squawk. Angus looked at the clock. "You are a damninable creature of habit, aren't you? You'd have thought that since we saved your hide last night, you'd have been a few minutes off on demanding breakfast! Bloody bird!" He got up and trudged, painfully, to the kitchen and brought back a bowl of pieces of cooked fish and clipped it to the perch. The bird began inhaling them as if he hadn't eaten for months.

"Remind me to shoot 'im, would you?" Angus said to Jim, wanting ten more minutes before he had had to be rousted up. Instead, he headed to the kitchen and put on fresh tea and coffee and then headed upstairs for a very quick shower and shave before starting breakfast. He had at least 2 hours before breakfast was due on the table.

Angus came back downstairs, his neck not feeling a bit better. By that time, Brian was coming downstairs, showered and shaved and dressed for the day. He'd already helped Khaat freshen up. He went into the kitchen to find coffee and saw Angus trying to get a start on the day but clearly having trouble.

"What's the trouble?" Brian asked.

"Slept with my neck in one position all night and now it won't move," Angus sighed, pouring himself a cup of french roast, his back to Brian. Brian simply walked up behind Angus and laid one hand on each side of Angus's head and gave it a sharp snap to the right. It made a loud popping and cracking sound, loud enough to be heard in the next room.

"Damn!" Angus cursed. "Warn a guy, would you?"

"If I had, it wouldn't have worked," Brian said. "Better?"

Angus tried to move. "I'll let you know when it quits hurting from you trying to turn it around backwards. You really do hang out far too much with Robert, you know that?"

'I'll take that as a compliment," Brian laughed.

"Join the club," Brian sighed saying to Jack. "Everyone's getting it, it seems. Angus, I am taking Khaat's tray up to her. I need to minimize more exposure not only to her but from her to others. Don't look for Abbey to be very active today. She's just not feeling well. He fever seems to be up just a wee bit today, and she's cranky."

"Don't worry about that, Brian," Kate said. "Robert is going to see to that." She went over to Archangel and checked him carefully. "He's doing very well."

"What happened to him?" Brian frowned.

"The storm threw him through the kitchen window," Kate said. "He broke his wing. Robert and I saw to it during the night. He seems to be dealing with it well."

"He certainly is. He demanded breakfast and ate every little bite," Angus laughed.

"Excellent!" Kate smiled.