Marriage is Murder

"Cassidy is the least of his issues right now," Robert said. "She wont probably act until she knows more either. I know you all feel for her, but we can't do anything for her except to not treat her differently and to let her move forward with independence and dignity. Feeling sorry for her is the last thing she needs, and I expect you lot not to coddle her. She isnt' going to want that. I expect you to treat her like a capable employee. If she isn't able to do her job, she needs to be the one to say so. We move forward."

Brian understood what Robert was doing. If they stayed stagnated in thinking of how bad things were, everyone would sink into some level of self pity and then the team would fall apart. It was the last they could afford. He needed everyone to return to being professionally minded and back on their jobs.

"Would you and Kate take Abbey with you tonight?" Brian asked Robert.

"Certainly," Robert said. "Good idea. Can you deal with 'things'?"

"Yes," Brian said firmly.

"And Angus, can you finish dinner for this evening to give Michael a chance to rest his hand?"

"No problem," Angus said.

"Then we need to get back to business," Robert said.

Jim and Jack nodded they understood Roberts words and Jim made his next move, but he saw Jack stand. " Mind if I help " Jack asked Angus "Four hands are better than two in a kitchen?" He said and looked at Jim. " If you don't mind putting our game on hold?" he asked and saw Jim smile and shack his head.

"Not at all Jack " he said and accioed a hot cup of coffee from the kitchen " go ahead " he watched Jack move to the kitchen. " Seems you might have a comi chef in Jack there Angus" he chuckled as he moved from the table with the chess board to a comfortable seat.

"Yes, please," Angus said. "I would think we would be ready to eat shortly. The lamb and the sides should be nearly done. I'll grill the asparagus. I am presuming you do not intend to wake Khaat right now, correct?"

"Correct," Robert said. "That might be extraordinarily bad right now. And if Michael fell asleep, I might not set a place for him either. He knows what time we eat. If he doesn't show up, I'd let him be. He surely knows how to fend for himself.

"So," Angus said to Jack, "We need to set the table, set out beverages, set out the platters of caprese salad that you made, and once I finish with the asparagus, I'll start to plate up the entree plates."

Brian barely paid attention that Abbey was now coloring on the expensive designer wallpaper in the hotel suite.

"You really should not teach her to do that, Brian," Kate laughed.

"She's two. It will pass. Its a small thing and it makes her happy, and magical crayons come off," he shrugged.

"thats not the point. Is that a behavior you want her to learn?" Kate asked.

"Today? I'm good with it," Brian said.

Jim chuckled as he watched Abby with the crayons, Jack moved to the kitchen and listened to Angus nodding he set about setting the table and the beverages he also set out the platters of caprese salad just as Angus had said needed " ok that's done Angus , should I make a pitcher of juice to go with it?" he asked watching Angus finish with the asparagus and start the entree plates. Jim sat and watched Abby as he took a damp cloth and wiped down Enzo's coat making it white again. Picking up the lead he stood up.

"Come on Enzo walk time " he said and smiled as he took Enzo out for his walk.

Abbey didn't say anything when Jim wiped off Enzo but when he left with him, Abbey began scribbling angrily all over the walls in big sweeping motions.

"Hey," Brian frowned, going to her. He went to hug her from behind and she 'threw' him off and kept scribbling. He'd never seen her resist being held, ever. "Abs, whats the matter?" he asked.

"He no like my pretties," she said angrily, scribbling with a glittery red crayon, "He make them go away." Brian frowned.

"What's that you're drawing?" he frowned, seeing she was intense on making a large vertical thick red line.

"Mama's boo boo," Abbey said.

"What?" he asked. She put her hand on the back of her own head.

"Boo boo. Here" Abbey said.

"How do you know that?"

"I see you bring Mama home," she scowled at Brian like he thought she was stupid. "Doggie get Mama?"

"No," he said, "No, no. No doggie. I promise. No doggies. You're safe. Mama's safe. And if you want to color Enzo again, you can. Any color you want."

Jim returned several minuets later and saw Abby's angry face " um whats wrong Abby?" he asked letting Enzo off the lead as he sat down. Jack moved from the kitchen out and chuckled.

"She feels you don't like her drawings " he said and Jim looked hurt.

"Aw Abby I'm sorry, I love your drawings, but others out side wouldn't particularly on Enzo." he looked as Enzo walked over to her and lay down. " Well, you can pretty him up all over again, more fun that way" he said smiling at her as he hoped he had apprized her but he knew that would be difficult with a two year old.

"I don't think that's the only thing she's got on her wee mind," Brian said. "Look here." He showed them the big thick angry red line that she had been working on coloring deeply. "She says that the wound she saw when we brought Khaat back. I didn't think she'd seen that, Bu either way, she's right. There it is. Someone hit her in the back of the head, and she had a big bleeding split that went almost down the entire back of her head. Thats' where most of the blood was coming from when we found her. Now little miss Abbey here believes it was James that got her mama. I'm trying to tell her it wasn't James and that she's safe from him for now."

"He bad," Abbey said, still coloring.

"He's not ever coming back, honey," Brian said. She scowled at him.

"He always come back," she said, not believing him.

"Hey, would I lie to you?" he asked.

She shrugged. She knew Brian told her the truth, but James had seemed to always come back. She doubted he was gone for good.

"He's gone," Brian said. "Forever. There are more doggies in the world but not all of them are bad. You don't need to be afraid of him anymore."

Jim nodded and looked at the drawings as Jack walked over to Abby he fought with the words as to how to tell a two year old that he'd killed James with his bear hands. Jack knelt beside Abby " Abby, James is dead I.. I took care of him myself. " he looked at her "He is not coming back, if anything Remus will be looking for him across the Vail now. " He stood back up and looked at Brian and Jim with a sigh. It was as he felt difficult to say to a two year old what he had done to his own brother.

" hes right Abby and mommy is going to be fine, shes with us and your daddy and papa, he's making sure she heals so she can play with you and give you lots of hugs." he said softly.

She listened to Jack and looked at Brian, wanting clarification. She frowned at her father. "He with Unca Re Re?" Brian nodded. Abbey went back to her furious scribbling on the wall. "Unca Re Re kill him. Unca Re Re no like him. He make him mad."

"He made us all mad," Brian said softly.

"Why he want Mama?"

"That's a little complicated," Brian sighed.

"No, it not. You tell me."

"He was mad at Mama and at Papa," Brian said. "He was a bad man and he was mad at us because we did good things and he didn't like it."

"He hurt Mama's head?" she asked.

"No. But he isn't going to hurt people anymore."

"He go to Unca Re Re too?"

"No, but thats okay because he's not magic like us. He can't come here. "

"Dead is better," she nodded, continuing to scribble. Brian looked at Robert.

"Let her be angry, Son," Robert said. "She's entitted."

"Abbey," Angus called to distract her. "We're going to eat dinner. You want milk in the pink glass or do you want soda in the blue glass?" She looked at Angus like he'd lost his mind if he thought there was a choice.

"PInk!" she said, as if that was a no-brainer decision.

"Okay. You hungry?" he asked. She nodded. "Then have Daddy help you wash your hands and we'll eat."

"I no dirty," she looked at Brian.

"Let's just do it because it makes him happy, okay?" Brian laughed, whispering to her. She nodded and he accio'd the crayons back to the box and took her to the bathroom to wash her hands.

"She is just entirely too smart for 2," Kate laughed.

Jim smiled and nodded " Takes after her parents " he said and chuckled " that's a good thing" he said and moved to the table where Jack was stood already waiting. Jim joined him and sat down poring some juice for himself and Jack who had sat down. " smells good Angus " Jim said softly as he smiled at Brian and Abby. He looked at Jack and chuckled "did you wash your hands?" he asked and Jack looked at him some what puzzled.

" of course don't think if Abby has to wash her hands, that I as an adult won't do it too" he said and looked like he was pouting but he eventually smiled at Jim.