Marriage is Murder

Jack , cassidy and Steven all settled with a child on their knee waiting they all thought of different stories that he could tell them. cassidy thought of little red riding hood , jack thought three little pigs while Steven thought of Rapunzel and glanced at Cassidy who played with the doll making Fallon giggle on her knee, he smiled. Turning he heard Kate and Brian talking and smiled he truly was a good father and husband no other would stand side by side to their wife as Brian does to Khaat. Steven took Cassidys hand in his own and felt connected to them till a crow pecked at the window. " ok that's my cue to check on the animals " he said and stood up placing Andrew down in the small group.

By the time robert finished the story, he looked at Abbey and saw she had curled into his chest and was sleeping peacefully, her little fingers clutching a bit fistful of his suitjacket. Little Michael had fallen asleep on the floor with a piece of dried apple in his hand. Some of the others wre either sleeping already or getting there.

"I think its time for bed for some very sleepy kids," he smiled.

"I'll help," Angus said. He picked up Dakota while Robert picked up Abbey. Kate picked up Julia and Brian picked up the boys. They took them upstairs and changed them for bed and soon had them tucked in. Max and Mo came in and curled up on the floor, settling in to be watchcats for the night.

Once the kids were in bed, Brian went downstairs and fixed a fresh glass of lemonade with ice for Khaat and took it up to her. She was half awake. He just sat quietly on the edge of the bed and sponged off her face and neck and then helped her with the lemonade.

"This is not anything I recognize," she told him.

"I know," Brian said. "Your father doesn't recognize it either. Maybe it will just run its course and wear off."

"Could well be," she said.

"Drink. You haven't eaten very much today. Keep up on the fluids," he coaxed. She nodded, honestly giving it a good try.

Downstairs, Michael looked at Robert. "You need me here, don't you? Flat out. As long as her magic is a bit nuts, you need me."

"I know you need to get home," Robert said.

"You're going to be pulled thin trying to be all places at once. If you need me to stay, i will. But I need to bring the dogs. They're getting too lonely."

"Bring them, then," Robert said. "Has anyone heard from Jim? He's been gone for awhile now without any word."

Cassidy moved with Fallon once the story ended moving carefully up to the nursery placing her down as Steven walked in with two more she took James from him and placed him in his cot along with Alex. Jack walked in with Andrew and Jaylen both sleeping though Jaylen grizzled slightly in her sleep. Placing them all down in their cots and covered them over with blankets. Down stairs the sound of aperating came and jack walked down to see Jim stood holding what looked like a bundle of blankets.

" Sorry it took me such along time the solicitor didn't want to let us go till every t and I was correct" he said and sighed moving to Robert he sighed " I'm afraid till Margaret can get a nursery built I'm afraid she has to stay with me " he moved the blanket to show Robert. " this is Teresa Anabelle Sharp the daughter to senator Sharp who was killed two days ago in a car crash " he showed then a small sleeping dark haired baby.

Teresa Anabelle Sharp

"Then she's a muggle child, I take it," Robert said. A senator's child meant she was American, and wizards were not normally officials in the muggle part of government. that suggested to Robert that the child was most likely a child of muggle parents. And those things would have been filed with Lee who would have sent them to Khaat's office, and in her absence, to Robert's office. He just took it for granted that he had not had time to get to review the paperwork yet.

"Robert, if you'll be alright for awhile, I'll go get the dogs," Michael said quietly.

"Go ahead. If I know Brian, he will not leave Khaat for awhile. That might control the accidental magic for a bit. I think I can manage it." Michael nodded and apparated out.

Angus went upstairs to take up a pot of Robert's medicinal tea for Khaat and a pot of French Roast for Brian. He found Brian sitting in a silent room. Khaat had dozed off again, and Brian set the glass aside. But he smelled the coffee and turned to see Angus there. Angus poured him a mug of coffee and handed it to him.

"Thanks," Brian said.

"How can I help, Mate?" Angus asked.

"You already are. We'll be alright," Brian said. Angus got out a pillow and a blanket out of the closet and put them on the sofa.

"Dont stay awake all night, Mate."

"No. Once she settles, I'll sleep."

"She looks pretty settled as it is."

"She's doing her best not to be an intrusion on any of us but yeah. She's tired."

Jim looked at Robert and nodded " That she is, shes had all her baby shots, I checked, I knew her father and mother well, we were good friends" he said covering her back up in the blanket. He heard Robert mention Khaat " she not well ?" he asked " how long was I gone for?" he joked as Steven walked up and looked at Teresa smiling.

" we got some Fallon's old baby grows she can use for now " Steven said " and yeah a while , Khaats down with a fever her magic all wonky" Jim looked at him and nodded.

"Explains it " Jim said simply as he moved with Teresa to the nursery he smiled at Kate as he walked in " seems I'm a father again Kate " he said softly so not to wake the others " we'll soon see if I have for got anything in the years I have been out of it " he said chuckling softly.

"Oh, come on," Kate said. "Its like riding a bike. You never quite forget. Haven't you been around these 11 babies enough to remember which end the food goes into?"

"Its the other end from the messy end," Michael said, arrivng back, with Otto and Faline, who proceeded to dash through the house, barking happily.

"Not neceesarily," Robert said. "But if you turn it upside down it will let you know.And you were gone for a few days. A word would to keep us updated would have been nice so we didn't wonder." He poured a brandy for himself and one for Michael. He handed Michael one of the brandies and then sat down and opened his newspaper. "Michael, dont let the dogs eat the cats."

"I told them they had to behave or Hiss was going to tie them outside for a month."

"Poor Hiss," Robert laughed.

"Excellent brandy, Robert," Michael said, getting his book out of his bag. He settled in, in the other chair near Robert.

"Brian has excellent taste," Robert said.

"He got it from you," Michaell said.

Jim smiled " of course I do remember that and nappy changes, its just been a while for both of us " he said smiling down at Teresa" Margret's got some wizard builder doing the work should be done in a day or two she said but she can't Guarantee it " he brushed some of the blanket from the small baby and sighed that long lost father look sitting happily back on his face again along with a rather sappy smile. Jack chuckled and shook his head. Jim looked at Robert " real I sent an owl, damn thing must have got lost " as soon as he finished he heard a thump against glass " ow now you show up" he said seeing a rather disheveled owl with his letter in its mouth.

"Figures," Robert said dryly. He understood obligation, but he also knew that men their age brackets did not look forward to fatherhood again. Grandparents, yes. Fatherhood, no. They knew their age. They knew their own mortality. Fatherhood was for younger men. Men Brian's age--in their 20s and 30s. At least when it came to babies. Robert liked being a grandfather, but he felt truly sorry for Jim being saddled with raising an infant. It was something men in their 60s dreaded. They naturally knew this was the latter stages of their lives, and they knew that there was good chance they would never live to see those infants come to maturity. So, no. Babies at this age were just not welcome as anything other than grandchildren. It caused too much anxiety about the child's stability for the long term. Generally, Robert never permitted those sorts of guardianships unless there was a younger man or woman listed as an alternative--just in case. But apparently some American dimwit had done this. Robert was staying out of this.

Robert said nothing and did nothing to be unkind or unpleasant to Jim or this child. He sippped on his brandy as Michael offered him his pouch of exclusive, brandy flavored and scented Italian pipe tobacco. "Oh what a good idea," Robert said. "Thank you, Michael."He accio'd a small bowled reed pipe and put a pinch in the bowl and lit it. Some of the muggle pipes had huge bowls and that much tobacco became offensive. Robert's and Michael's pipes were small. Just enough for them to enjoy the taste for themselves without affecting anyone else.

Angus brought in a plate of his beautiful handpainted Easter cookies and put them on the coffee table.

"Oh well done, Lad," Michael said, approving of his beautiful, delicate work. "You ought to submit photos of those to one of those uppity wizarding magazines."

"Not a chance," Angus laughed. "These are for family. Not for fame and fortune. They're for us to eat. That's all."

Jim walked back down once he knew Teresa was sleeping soundly and sat down looking at Robert and Michael quietly he knew he was not ready to be a father again but she had nobody else in her life. Jim watched them " ok ok just say it Robert I'm too old right" he said folding his arms across his chest " what could I do she'd have gone into a foster family and Margaret would not have that " he said and sat back breathing out " they think she might have an auntie some place, but there not sure , till they find out I'm her guardian " he said " me I should be looking forward to quite times and retirement not diaper changes and midnight feeds " he accioed a cup of tea and a good book blowing across it he sipped it quite once again all he had to say was now said.

"I was only thinking I was glad it wasn't me," Robert said simply. "I'm much happier being a grandfather. I've done my tour of fatherhood duty. I dont' need that at my age. I'm happy to be spoiling my grandkids. Don't read into it, Jim. Its not my place to judge you. I didn't think any of us needed approval from any of the others anyway, did we?"

"You two are too damned serious," MIchael sighed. "You're boring me. I'm going to bed. Besides, I'm cooking in the morning. So I'll take my dogs and go to bed. Goodnight." He finished his brandy with one large gulp and stood up and whistled for the dogs and went upstairs. Robert laughed.

"Some things never change," Robert said.

Upstairs, Khaat woke from a rather sound sleep as Brian was working on paperwork for the additions to the property, with paperwork spread all over the sofa, the floor and the coffee table. She sat up with a hard jolt. Before he could react, she had bolted out of bed and was about to use wandless magic to apparate out, when he jumped up and clutched her hand tightly.

"Don't," he said. "Your magic is off. You'll splinch yourself into a million pieces. Where are you going?" She looked at him, rather blankly. "Khaat. You were dreaming. Where were you going?"

"Out," she said. He could see the fear in her eyes. "I have to go out." He brushed his hand across her forehead.

"Sweetheart, its your fever. Come back to bed. You're safe. I promise. Come on."

"No, we can't. We can't," she said. He ignored her and tucked her back into bed. She protested awhile until he soothed her to sleep with a sleep spell. He was frustrated with this illness already. When he was sure she was securely under the sleep spell, he returned to his paperwork, keeping one eye on her.