Marriage is Murder

"Here," Michael tossed Jim a roll of sugarless wizarding candies. "Helps relieve that need but gives you the same satisfaction of having something in your mouth. I don't need them anymore. And because they're wizard made, they taste a lot better than muggle sugarless."

"You've quit your pipe?" Robert asked.

"Hell, no," MIchael laughed. "I just don't enjoy it anymore except in the evening when I'm trying to relax. I'll smoke one pipe and then I'm done."

"What about the cigarettes?"

"That's just occasional. Its not every day," Michael said.

"I'm sure Irena and Tobias can find more of those toys," Robert said. "There is that toy shop next to them."

"Well, I"m sure that's where she got those," Michael said.

"Daddy," Abbey said, "Water? Water?" She pointed out to the canals.

"No, we aren't allowed to swim there," Brian said. She looked disappointed. "There is a pool downstairs if you want to go later with me."

"Go now?" she asked.

"Don't you want to play with your blocks?"

"Water now?" she asked. "Then toys?"

"Go ahead," Khaat told him quietly. "Let her swim. That's the labrador in her. She loves the water. Let her enjoy it."

"You'll be alright if I go?" he asked.

"I don't think I"m going anywhere," she said. Michael noticed she was still looking weak and tired. He took her coffee cup and refilled it for her.

"You ought to rest, my dear," he said.

"Well, I'm not exactly setting things on fire," she said. Brian flicked his fingers at the blocks and they put themselves away. He took her into the bedroom and they changed to swimsuits and flipflops and he picked up towels and brought her out. Her suit was white with pink roses, and matching pink trim and straps. Khaat really liked its sophistication. Irena had chosen well. The little flipflops were white with little pink roses. It reminded Khaat how beautiful her daughter really was.

"Irena has good taste," Khaat said approving.

"You rest. We'll be right back," Brian told her.

"This is Abbey. She'll be in the water awhile," Khaat said, as they left.

Jim smiled and caught the candies popping one in his mouth and slipped the pip away. " Its what I would like to get to eventually " he said and looked at Abby as she spoke of water , he pulled a face at hr pointing to the canal " Ewe, nobody in there right mind would swim in that" he chuckled as Brian said there was a pool " mind if I join you?" he said " not done my laps " he said watching them go and change. He stood up and moved to change too. Jack just staid sat in his seat.

" I'll stay right here , I might be part were but I'm not that keen on water" he said and sat back " I can swim but I chose to only if necessary." He looked at Michael and Khaat.

"That's fine," Brian said, deciding to wait by the door for Jim.

"Mama swim?" Abbey asked, looking at Khaat.

"Mama will swim with us tomorrow," Brian smiled. "This is just for Abbey and Daddy." He kissed her nose.

"Okay," she smiled, satisfied with his explanation.

"Why don't you let me take you down to the hotel spa?" Kate asked Khaat. "A massage might do you good. We could get facials, manicures, a girls morning."

"Sounds like an excellent idea, Kate. Just make sure you keep your eyes open," Robert said. He wanted Khaat to start feeling like it was safe to do a few things again without needing secret service sorts of protection everywhere she went. "I'll give you a bit more energy so you can walk down and walk back, but I think the two of you should go, by yourselves, and have a good time. You don't need us men in the massage rooms with you. Just don't take your medallions off, and you should be fine."

Jim quickly returned in a dark blue pair of swim shorts and a large towel over his shoulders along with a light blue shirt and flip lops " might as well look the part" he said and smiled at Brian and Abby " well let go , this might be just what we all kneed. " He said Jack sighed and stood up the sound of water wasn't to him the best idea but a sauna, he thought would perk him up with all that warmth. He looked at Michael and Brian. " might go myself , I heard they had a sauna and jacuzzi too, those sound very relaxing , if you don't need me for anything Michael?" he asked him, secretly hoping he would not.

Robert didnt' want Jack going, in all honesty. He thought he had been clear about wanting Khaat to learn to trust her own abilities to protect herself. It was defeating the whole purpose if she took bodyguards with her. He would have preferred Jack had just listened to the instructions he had already given. He knew it was a risk for them to go alone, but he did need Khaat to know she had a life of her own now that James was gone.

"If you go," Robert said firmly, "you stay out of eyesight and out of earshot. You give them distance. You understand? She needs some time without bodyguards every place she goes. If she's going to have any breathing space, it will be now while things are quiet."

Khaat didn't speak. She'd gotten used to it. She didn't like it, but she wasnt' even allowed to go from one room of her house to another without a guard. She didn't want this sort of life for her kids. She was quiet. Her mind was spinning. There had to be a better life than that.

"Come on," Kate told her. "It'll be fun." Robert touched her forehead and added some more of his own energies to her.

"Go," he told her quietly. "It will be good for you." She got up silently with her mother and went to join the others that were gathering at the door.

Jack looked Robert and listened as he spoke he understood what he was asking and nodded " yes sir, I wasn't going to hang around her, I just heard they had a good sauna that's all. " he said softly and looked at Khaat " I didn't mean it to sound like I was going to interrupt your special time, um if you want me to stay that's ok too, I could take Enzo for a walk instead?" he looked at the dog and rubbed his head gently. Ether would be ok for him. Jack sat back in his chair and drank his soda.

"You can go," Robert said, "So long as you remember what I told you."

"We don't have a preference, Jack," Kate said, "But we do presume that you don't want to see us naked, that's all." She smiled. "Lets go." She motioned to them, opened the door and headed downstairs to the spa while Brian took Abbey to the courtyard to the pool.

The massage was wonderfully luxurious, but Kate was surprised that while they were laying together in the massage room, she glanced over and saw huge bruises on Khaat's back and shoulders. And in the midst of the bruises were long, angry claw marks. She said nothing to her. She wanted Khaat to not feel like she had risked their world again. The massage therapist asked Khaat if she was okay. Kate lied and said they were exotic animal handlers and that they'd had a near miss with a cougar. That utterly fascinated the massage therapist who eagerly began asking Kate more questions, which made Kate have to continue the lie, to continue just winging it and telling more and more of a fish story the longer it went. Khaat knew what her mother was doing. She was buying time until her father could check the bruises and the claw marks himself.

Jack smiled and nodded transfiguring is clothes into swim wear and looked at Kate and blushed a little. "ow I'd probably be beaten by Brian if that happened, don't worry I'll be as invisible as a glass house." he said and headed down to the sauna and jacuzzi. Soon Jim came back drying himself with his towel and feeling so much better for having done his laps.

" ok 9 laps that's my limit" he said and sat down looking at Michael and the empty room " enjoyed your quiet time?" he asked. accioing the bag of candies he popped one in his mouth to stop the feeling of wanting his pipe he would not smoke.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Michael said, looking up from his rare book. "Have you figured out the trick to that candy yet? Honeydukes makes them. They're called Wishing Drops. Whatever flavor you wish it to taste like, it will. And you can change the flavor as many times as you want. For example, if you wish it should taste like habanero peppers, it will. If you want it to taste like dirty socks, it will. Most of the time, until you get used to it, the mere suggestion someone else makes about a flavor, its enough to make the eater curious about what that would taste like, and then the candy changes flavor on them. Honeydukes does try to control a bit who they sell these to so that it isn't used by students to prank each other with. Oh, by the way, Robert and Edward went into the city. They'll be right back. And Angus went to the Donohue estate. He got an owl shortly after Robert and Edward left. Apparently, the Donohue women have something they wanted to give us. So Angus went to pick it up. So, its been me and the dog."

Brian came back within a few minutes of Jim coming back with a partly transfigured labrador puppy wearing a white and pink bathing suit. He was a bit frustrated.

"What the hell did you do?" Michael frowned.

"Labradors love water. I haven't taken her swimming in much too long, I guess. I do have to do that much more often. You have no idea what a struggle it is to get a screwed up animagus away from a muggle pool. I did try to change her back, but I didnt' have any luck. She hasnt figured out that not everybody on the planet can do what she does."

"And how do you teach that to a two year old?" Michael laughed.

"I don't think there is a way," Brian said. "Robert's going to have to fix it when he gets back. She'll have to live with it until then."

Jim chuckled as Michael told him about the candies " good I now know where to get more " he said " right now its ear wax" he said pulling a face at the taste of the sweet. He nodded listening to him say Robert and Michael had gone to the city. he chuckled seeing a lab puppy in a bathing suit being held by Brian as he walked in. " I'm guessing with difficulty " he said and stood up and went to his room to shower and change back into normal clothes. walking back out he placed a tray of hot coffee and tea down on a coffee table in front of them.