Marriage is Murder

Jack looked at Robert and smelt the meal " wonderful absolutely wonderful" he said smiling " Jess won't be joining us for dinner she's wrapped in a blanket in front of the fire with a mug of cold remedy2 Jack said " shame smells wonderful " he said smiling as Steven and cassidy joined them.

" all animals say there happy now and thank you for the wonderful accommodations" Steven said and wiped sweat from his brow before washing up in the kitchen sink and sitting down next to cassidy who smiled seeing Abby with Brian.

" she really did miss you didn't she " she said seeing how clingy Abby was to Brian " um there are drawings in or rather on the nursery walls for you" she said smiling taking a glass of cold water feeling some what dehydrated.

"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.

Cassidy chuckled seeing the shoes running after the furniture but watched amazed at how easily Michael go them to go back up turning one pair to stone as she watched the scene in front of her. She looked at Robert just as some ice cold water dropped on Jack and he cried out.

" AWWW!!" jack stood up and dove to get a towel " what the... ow no, Jess " he said and looked at Robert " please bind her magic " he had just finished when on his head appeared bright pink hair with a blue bow in it he pulled it off and looked at Robert " please " he said seeing Cassidy and Steven smirking trying hard not to laugh but at Steven ending up with braids in his hair cassidy burst out laughing.

"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.

Jack chuckled " ok,ok anything to stop their magic causing havoc " he said and chuckled at Steven who just smiled and continued to eat as did cassidy.

" I'll get to it after I have eaten right now food is more important " he said and ate. Cassidy shook her head and smirked continuing her self hearing the noise from upstairs she stood up and followed Robert up seeing Michael with the spear she caught it as Robert cast Finite on it and she placed it back where it had come from on the wall. Jack looked over at Steven who reached up and took off the braided wig that had appeared he paused as if expecting something else to appear but breathed out when nothing did.

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.

Jack watched as the furniture marched out of the house he chuckled and looked at Michael " want some help?" he asked taking his cup and standing up and walking over to the door. He wanted to see just how Michael got the furniture to behave so he could do the same with the ottoman back home though it seemed to be behaving lately. Also he thought it would be interesting to watch Steven walked up beside him and leaning against the door frame as he too watched the furniture then back at the kids laughing as they play with there toys.

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."

Jack watched the scene in front of him he almost moved out when the plate flew at Michael but Jack saw him make it return and shut the doors much to the furniture's annoyance. He watched at how Michael skillfully and demanding told them to return and do their jobs then spoke to him and Steven alike " yeah, I can see it takes a firm yet gentle hand " he said watching them file past him back in to the house he made a note to use it on the ottoman the next time he got out of hand. Steven chuckled and watched the china cabinet move back to its spot.

" ow I will also use it that damn ottoman seems to delight in running a mock in the house" he said and chuckled again.

"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.