Marriage is Murder

"I know, Jack," Angus said. "I didn't plan for her." He and Michael set the table. Kate and Robert and Brian got the kids and put them at the table in their places. Michael put a plate together for Khaat with a large tall, frosted glass of the fresh lemonade with lots of ice. He floated the tray upstairs but was nearly runover by some of the furniture making a dash down the hallway, only to be quickly chased by the nearly unlimited pairs of her stilettos.

"Oh no you don't," Michael scowled at them. "Get back! Go back and behave yourselves or I'll sell you to a muggle second hand store! Get!" A pair of her spike heeled shoes kicked him in the shin and he immediately hexed the pair, turning them to stone. The other shoes stopped in their tracks as if they were staring in shock. "Did I stutter?" He demanded. "Get back in the closet where you belong. And that goes for the rest of you! Back to your proper place ...or else."

They marched back, reluctantly. He followed them into the bedroom to see Khaat looking frustrated.

"What the devil did you do?" he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Sneezed," she said. "That's all. I swear." He put the tray down across her lap and handed her the box of kleenex as he confiscated both her wands.

"And why would I do that?" Robert frowned. "Because you got your head wet? Or because you finally got some hair? Its unlikely if she has cold like symptoms that it is actually her magic that has gone a bit whacky. It is more likely that it is her seer's connection to Khaat that is causing her to tie into Khaat's magical shortout. If I merely block Khaat's magic from connecting to Jess, then it should correct it. So far, we have not seen anyone with symptoms of a cold have their magic affected. In every case we've seen where magical abilities have been affected, the illness is more advanced than hers...."

"Back!" he heard Michael shouting from upstairs. He laughed and got up and went upstairs and found one of Brian's Native American spears dueling with him in the hallway. And Michael had picked up Khaat's walking stick and was swashbucklling with it.

"Stop playing with the art, Michael," Robert said. "Finite!" The spear fell to the floor. Michael moved forward with the walking stick and whacked the spear to see if it would move. He seemed pleased when nothing happened. "What did you expect it to do?" Robert laughed. He went in and laid his hand on Khaat's forehead. "Your fever has gone up a bit more. You're affecting Jess's abilities through her seer's powers. I'm going to put a block between the two of you."

"Why not just bind my magic?"

"It might come in useful yet if there is a breech of security," he said.

"So I can do what? Sic a painting on 'em?" she sighed.

"Maybe not anything that dangerous," he said, laughing. "I do know some rather nasty paintings out there. Anyway enjoy your dinner. We'll be back a little later. Come on, Michael. Leave Brian's toys alone."

"I was puttiing them back before the kids get them," Michael said, following Robert back downstairs.

Once dinner was overwith, the house seemed to come into a momentary calm. Brian was used to Khaat's magic going a bit haywire, and he was used to just taking it in stride. He gathered the kids after dinner and conjured spells to animate some of their toys. The kids were delighted and they abandoned the adults for the fascination with the magical toys.

"What exactly are you trying to do, Brian?" Kate laughed, watching the delight in the faces of the kids.

"I don't know what you're talking about,' he shrugged. She looked at him knowingly. "Look, what's the point in being a wizard if I can't use it to make my kids smile? I'd rather have no magic at all than to never be able to use it to make my kids happy for even a moment." Robert smiled. He was pleased with the father Brian was becoming.

Michael refilled his teacup and then looked up to see all the furniture making a march out of the house, all in a line, all with an arrogant attitude. He frowned.

"Well now," Robert said, sipping on his tea. "That's not something you see every day."

"You do if its my house," Michael said.

"Then take care of it," Robert said.

"I hate it when the furniture fights," Michael sighed, getting up to follow the furniture outside.

Michael went outside just in time to see the china cabinet starting to thrown Khaat's good china at the antique sideboard.

"Oi!" he bellowed. "You break her china, and you'll be kindling!" He treated them like he meant business. The china cabinet hurled a plate at him instead and he used his wand to put the plate back into the cabinet and then stuck the doors shut. The cabinet seemed enraged that it could not open its doors and began to try to shake the fragile plates enough that it could shatter them from the inside. He walked over and kicked the cabinet. "Enough! One more try, and you're mine!"

The sideboard started to giggle, and the china cabinet rushed at it. Michael flicked his wand and made them pocketsized. He picked them up and put them in his pocket. "Now," he said. "Who's next? Don't think I won't hex you all. You wanna try me? Go ahead." The rest of the furniture took a step backwards away from him.

"that's better. Now--get back inside, shut up, and do your jobs. Before I get ticked," he ordered. They started a humiliated shuffle back into the house. Michael kept watch but spoke to Jack and Steven. "You cant show them that anything they do is a surprise. Nor can you be afraid of them. You have to let them know who's boss."

"You shouldn't generally need to do it with the ottomans. Whats it doing? Is it just extra frisky? It might need more exercise. Is it misbehaving? The ottomans are sensitive. Not like this lot. This lot is thickskulled. And your ottoman is a puppy. These are just spoiled adults. There's a huge difference," MIchael said, motioning them back inside.

"You do seem to have handled it," Robert laughed.

"I'm used to it," MIchael said. "Where did Abbey go?"

"Abbey's...wait." Brian frowned. "She was there a moment ago."

"I don't want her chasing the furniture. They're in a sour mood," Michael said. Brian and Robert got up and so did Kate. They began hunting quickly for Abbey. Robert knew Abbey was fascinated with magical objects but the last they needed was her accidently tangling with an angry piece of furniture.