Marriage is Murder

When they were done with the massages, Kate and Khaat redressed. Kate took Khaat to the hotel cafe, and Kate ordered espressos for them and a plate with an assortment of Italian cookies. They sat in the quiet of the relatively empty coffee shop. Khaat hadn't spoken. She was just feeling quiet. Kate just let it be for now. She could see Khaat really was trying to relax and not be so on guard all the time, and she was trying--almost too hard--to avoid feeling like a burden to everyone.

Robert and Edward walked back into the hotel, with packages. They were talking and laughing. They noticed Khaat and Kate sitting in the coffee shop and were glad that Kate had gotten her out of the room without a herd of bodyguards and that she was relaxed enough that she hadn't even noticed her father or Edward coming back It was good for her.

They went back upstairs and imediately saw Abbey stuck halfway between animagus and human. Robert sighed. "I wondered how long it would take before that would happen the first time," he said. "Now we know. What excited her?"

"The pool," Brian sighed. "I guess I really do need to take her swimming more often so that it doesn't get her so wound up."

"If you were wise, you'd make sure she got some daily swimming time," Robert said. He flicked his wand at Abbey and changed her back. Abbey ran to her papa and flung her arms around him, wet swimsuit and all.

"I love you too," Robert laughed.

"Candy?" she asked.

"Now what makes you think I brought you candy?" he laughed. She pointed to her own nose. He laughed. It wasn't going to be possible to fool her animagus senses. Her labrador nose could pick up a lot of things that a 'normal' child could not. He reached in his pocket and handed her a pink sugar covered marshmallow bunny. She was delighted and went over to Brian to sit down and eat it.

Jack returned humming to himself as he felt relaxed passing the cafe he smiled seeing Khaat and Kate enjoying a quiet drink together but he returned to the room. He walked in to see Abby with a sweet bunny still in her swimsuit , he went and changed and returned feeling much better for his sauna and Jacuzzi soak. " wow they do have the best sauna and jacuzzi here" he said and chuckled as he pored some coffee for himself " any one else want some, i saw Kate and Khaat in the cafe down stairs as I was coming up" he said and looked at Michael " no I left them be they looked like they were having a quite drink."

"And thats what I wanted," Robert said. "I think I'll make some tea. I think I've had enough coffee, thank you. I want Khaat to stop feelling like we have to watch every single move she makes. It was rather necessary before. And someday it might be necessary again. But she really needs to have some sort of confidence that she can take care of herself She needs to stop feeling like she's a burden to us. And, yes, she still has Steven in her head. I don't know when that's going to go away for her. He has no idea how badly he hurt her. I can't let him near her right now. He can't take the words back or the behaviors. It is what it is. She has to see that none of are here because they have to be, but rather that we're here because we choose to be."

"I want to take her out. Just the two of us," Brian said. "She needs to rebuild her trust in me. I guess I'll have some coffee, please."

"She's always trusted you," Edward told him. " No thank you, Jack. The only issue she's ever had with you, Brian, is that she knows how much you love her and she wants to protect you from the horros that she has come to accpet its just a natural part of her life."

"Like I didn't grow up with it? God! Its not news to me," Brian said. Abbey patted his arm.

"Daddy mad?" she asked. Brian sighed. He didnt show Abbey his temper very much, and she clearly didnt like it.

"No, Sweetheart," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Mama sad," she said, not aware of what she'd even said, biting of a bunny ear. "No like smelly doggies."

"How do you know that?" Robert asked. She shrugged. She didn't know. "What else do you know?"

"Unca Re Re say she not go there now. He send her away. Papa?" She looked at Robert. "Why I no go see Unca Re Re?"

"Ah well, he lives a long long way away. Where do you see him?" he asked. She pointed to her head.

"Up here. He live up here," she said. He nodded.

"Yes. Yes he does."

"Then he not far. Him here," she nodded.

"Sort of," Robert said. "What flavor is your bunny?" He hoped to change subjects with her.

"Berries!" she beamed. Robert smiled. He knew she loved berries of all sorts.

Jack pored some tea for Robert and a coffee for Brian handing cups to each of them as he then sat down himself to listen as they talked he could not disagree with them he knew how Brian and the others felt about Steven and his actions and sighed. " maybe we shouldn't talk about him, remember the last time, she picked up on it " he said and looked at Abby as she spoke of Remus he looked at Robert " seer powers at her age?" he asked then sipping his own coffee as he looked at Jim who shrugged.

"Its rare, but not unheard of. " he said and looked also at Robert "Right?" he asked

"Kate's family has had episodes of early accidental magic going back for generations," Robert said. "With Khaat, it was a pain in the butt. She seemed to not be able to accept no for an answer. If I told her no cookies before dinner, she just simply concentrated on a cookie and the damned thing would float right to her. And Remus was no help. Any time she got her way with her magic, he just let her have whatever it was she summoned up. Including the brownie off my dessert plate one evening. She wanted it, she summoned it, and he gave it to her."

"Abbey doesn't seem to have that," Brian said.

"That's because she is much more gentle tempered," Robert said. "And she deson't see all the time either. It just happens sometimes. So far, she doesn't realize she's seeing. She has no clue. For Kate's aunt, she had some seeing powers up until she was about 4, and then they faded away completely until she was almost 10. So, who knows how it will play out?"

"I just want her to be happy," Brian said. "I don't care if she grows up a squib. I just want her happy."

"She is just about the happiest little girl I know," Edward said. "I don't think that is a concern in the least."

Jack chuckled and nodded " yeah she looks pretty darn happy right now with the bunny " he said and smiled at Abby watching her. " shes a sweet kid as are all your kids Brian" he said and drank another sip of his coffee Jim agreed they both had not come across more happier kids that those of Khaat and Brian. Both me st at the chess set and Jim absentmindedly moved a piece Jack moved his and so they both began a chess game both enjoying it as it went Jack almost had Jim but then Jim made a move and took his queen and he sat back.

Kate brought Khaat back awhile later. Abbey ran over to Khaat, and even though Abbey was all sticky from her bunny, Khaat picked her up. Kate did not leave Khaat, not sure Khaat was strong enough right now to actually carry Abbey. Abbey was showing her mother her bunny and accidently got the sticky pink marshmallow bunny stuck in Khaat's hair.

"Uh oh,' Brian looked as Abbey tried to yank repeatedly on the bunny to free it. She was getting upset that her candy bunny was getting wrapped in hair. Khaat tried not to grimace when Abbey yanked repeatedly on her hair. Abbey began to squeal angrily. That wasn't typical for Abbey. Abbey never lost her temper, but, after all, this was about her candy bunny. That made it all different.

"A little help?" Khaat asked the rest of them.

Jim stood up and moved to Abby and Khaat he slowly untangled the bunny from Khaat's hair dampening it a little with some clean water to remove it and handed it to abbey. "Sorry Khaat, Abby, maybe you should eat it with daddy, I'm sure he'll love that." he said and smiled " then when your finished you can sit with mommy as long as you want." he suggested moving with her over to Brian and placing her in his arms before looking back at Khaat and Kate hoping he'd done the right thing , he knew he could not cut her hair and so had thought this would be better.

'Thank you," Khaat said, very glad he hadn't had to cut her hair.

"Come sit with me," Brian laughed, wrapping his arm around Abbey. Khaat went into her bedroom and into the bathroom and sponged out the rest of her stickiness in her hair. By then, Angus came back, finally with bottles of freshly pressed olive oil from the family olive orchards, and fresh baked goods for breakfast in the morning, along with a large package of tissue thin prosciutto and some fresh fruits, cheeses, and vegetables.

"I didn't know you were going grocery shopping," Michael said.

"I didn't. This came out of the family gardens and orchards for the most part. And we always keep entire prosciutto hams downstairs in the cellar," Angus replied.

"Well, you came back in time to help geting lunch prepared. I'm going to make fresh fettucini with garlic and olive oil. Something just light and fresh and clean. And Abbey likes noodles anyway. And then we do have the lamb slow roasting for dinner tonight."

"I have fresh pasta already made from yesterday. We can use that," Angus said.

"Well and we have a lot of fresh berries we need to use up. I'll make a light cream sauce to put over the berries," Michael said.

"Well, then," Angus said to them all. "Lunch should be ready in about ten minutes or less."

Jack on seeing his chess game fail stood up and moved to Michael " can I watch how its made?" he asked Jim chuckled and reset the game board for the next game he looked at Brian and Abby.

"Shes definitely happy with that chocolate rabbit " He said and chuckled as she showed Brian her covered hand. Jim sipped his coffee and watched them together. He moved out onto the balcony and popped another sweet in his mouth to stem his craving for his pipe he wanted to stop feeling he was at that time that he should.