Marriage is Murder

"Wizard diving is far, far easier," Michael said lazily to them, taking in the sun.

"But muggle style is fun," Angus laughed.

"Says who?" Michael looked at him frowning. "What's wrong with the occasional gillyweed or the periodic bubblehead charm?"

"We can teach you if you want to learn," Brian ignored Michael and Angus.

"First of all, gillyweed is slimy and disgusting," Angus said. "And the bubblehead makes it hard to get into small spaces."

"Are you saying you have a big head?" Michael asked.

"I do hope you know how to swim without a charm," Angus said.

"No fistfighting," Khaat said. "The truth is that either way is fun. And as for the gold, I don't know. I'll talk to Daddy an see how much its worth and then."

"Each coin is worth approx $400 muggle pounds," Michael yawned, "and it looks like you have 50 of them, so that makes it 20,000 pounds. Not bad for an hour's work. Hang onto them, and you can double that as the price for them goes up due to their rarity."

"How do you know that so fast?" Angus frowned. Michael looked at him scowling.

"Its my job to know things like that," Michael said.

Jack whistled as Michael told them of how much the gold coins were worth Cassidy placed her coin back down in the pile " that's a lot of money and I would like to learn because I like Angus feel its better " she said and smiled when Brian said they could be taught Jack smiled too. Jim sat up and walked over.

"Brian, I know how to scuba dive so I'll help if you want." he said and smiled at Cassidy but then turned to look at Angus and Michael as he shook his head in disbelief " its not how you do it is that we all have fun " he said and sat back down

"True," Angus said, but he looked back at Michael. "Is there anything you don't know the price tag of?"

"yes. Depends on how high that price tag goes," Michael said.

"The higher the price, the more likely it will be that he knows it," Khaat said, coming back up from her quarters, chaned out of the diving gear. "Its cheap stuff he doesn't care about." Michael just laughed at her.

"I'll take you up on that offer, Jim," Brian said.

"And with that, I will go get the snacks," Angus said. He went below deck and brought up a freshly made fruit punch and a tray of crab rangoon. Khaat loved the crispy little wontons stuffed with deviled crab. She took one and found it was still nice and hot, and the fruit punch was nice and cold and sweet.

"Perfect, Angus, as always," she said, watching Michael levitate a glass of punch and a crab rangoon over to himself. "I'd have passed you some," she told him.

"Oh, don't trouble yourself. I've got it," he smiled, plucking it out of the air. "Lovely," he agreed, biting into the crab.

Jack chuckled and Jim nodded to Brian as Angus brought the snacks out Jack and Jim took one each and smiled as they found them delicious and took another. cassidy changed her clothes to a swim suit and lay down on the lounger to sunbathe she was not interested in the snacks just in warming herself under the hot sun. Jim placed a cold drink down next to cassidy. " you need to drink something when your under the sun." he said and moved back to his own seat. Cassidy looked at it and took a small sip placing it back down to return to sun bathing but she did smile seeing Khaat come up from the lower cabins.

Robert finally emerged from his quarters, coming up to enjoy some of the sun. Brian looked at him and was tempted to tease him by asking if he'd enjoyed his romantic afternoon with Kate. As Robert passed Brian, he headslapped him, going past him, picking up a glass of fruit punch and sitting between Michael and Khaat.

"What was that for?" Brian frowned.

"I know you entirely too well," Robert said. "I mean, really? Next to the nursery and playroom for my grandchildren? I do realize I sometimes am not very bright, but I am truly not that stupid or crazy." He took a sip of his drink and then noticed the coins on the deck. "Well, now isn't that interesting?" he said, curious.

"Your daughter," Michael said. "She has a good eye."

"No," Khaat said, "she had her flashlight at the right angle. That's all."

"Would be great in Monte Carlo," Michael said.

"I don't know if anyone is into going to a casino, though," Robert said.

"What's not to like?" Michael said. "A chance for the ladies to dress in their best evening gowns, a chance for a lovely dinner out, with some five star liquor, and a litle harmless fun at the tables. You don't have to spend a mint. Go and watch. I have some people who owe me favors and some cover charges wouldn't begin to make up for what they owe me. There is also a fabulous film festival about to open there in a couple of days."

"And you want us to be seen, in the wizarding world, as attending a muggle film festival?" Robert scowled.

"Ah, well, there are ways to do that too," he laughed. "Unless no one is interested."

"Is there popcorn?" Khaat asked. Michael laughed out loud.

"I can arrange that," he said.

Jim chuckled at the head slap Brian got for thinking what he did he watched Robert and Brian and looked back as Jess emerged from below. " hello Jess " he said and smiled Jack moved to Jess and kissed her letting her sit next to him. Jess smiled at Khaat.

" Nice hall Khaat" she said and listened to the others banter " ow a movie sounds good , open air or inside?" she asked hoping open air particularly in the heat of where they were. Now Cassidy moved from her seat down into her cabin, Jess saw her go but said nothing as she took some snack and smiled finding them still delicious. She made a note to talk to her later.

"Oh, inside," Michael laughed. "You wont want to wear your evening gown and diamonds to an outdoor theater. This is one of the most luxurious events in the entire muggle world."

"And if we didn't bring evening gowns?" Khaat asked.

"You did. I bought some for you," Michael said. "If you want outdoor events, we can find some of those too."

"Like racing?" Angus laughed.

"You are not experienced enough to be a muggle race car driver," Michael said.

"I don't have to be. I'm a wizard," Angus grinned.

Khaat had seen Cassidy go downstairs. When one of their staff was so far off their game, it made Khaat uncomfortable. She didn't want to be around her. She had had enough experience in how dangerous it got when someone was off their game that it was frightening for her. Jim and Jess seemed to be rather close to her in this situation. She looked at them, feeling rattled.

"Handle that, would you?" she said, getting up and putting her glass on the table. She left abruptly. robert sighed. He hadn't thought Cassidy would be quite so moody if she got away. Perhaps taking her away from her standard duties had been a mistake. And he had not foreseen that it would spark such anger in Khaat--anger than arose from fear--fear that they could not protect her if they could not focus. And that fear had only been magnified by the assault she had just suffered in the last couple of days back in Venice.

Jim saw Cassidy leave and looked at Khaat when she asked them to handle it he saw Jess about to stand up and he shook his head " leave her to me Jess" he said and stood up heading inside and down to cassidys room. Jess chuckled and looked at Khaat.

" don't worry about it Khaat I'm sure Jim will get her to open up" she said sipping her drink slowly, " so when are we diving?" she asked and chuckled. Down below Jim knocked on cassidys door lightly.

" Cassidy you ok?" he asked and opened it he found her laid on the bed curled up. moving to the bed he sat down next to her as she sighed. " let me guess Steven?" he saw her nod her head a little and he sighed." Don't let him get to you like this, its not just bringing you down its affecting Khaat too. She rolled over away from him. He touched her shoulder " hay don't be mad at me " he said " I'm not the one whose with Jeffery, use that anger and focus on helping Khaat and Brian.

" I can't " she said softly " Every where I look hes been and I remember, I suck at men." she said and sniffed wiping a tear from her cheek. Jim moved to pull her gently to face him.

" no you don't , its not you its them they made the wrong choices not you" he told her seeing the tears about to flow he pulled her to hug her and he smiled feeling her let go and cry on his shoulder finally. Jess looked at Khaat hoping she felt the release of tension that had come from below and she smiled.

" Seems Jim finaly fixed it" she said and finished her drink.

ooc: Khaat went to her quarters in the last post. she's not there for jess to talk to right now.

"Well, since I just got out of my wetsuit," Brian said, "I'd prefer not to have to go right back down. We could go in the morning if you like. The sun is getting a bit low for doing much yet today, unless we go right before dinner. But we will go."

When Jess mentioned she thought Jim had dealt with Cassidy, Robert simply looked at her. "I do hope you're right, Jess. I do not want to believe that I made a mistake in bringing the kids or her away from home where she did appear to be focusing. If she is not able to focus, then perhaps she needs to go to Switzerland to see if she can resolve her issues with Steven." Robert said no more about Steven. He had sent a letter to Jeffrey earlier that morning, suggesting that perhaps Steven needed to return to his Texas muggle roots and go back and serve some time back on the Rangers before deciding if he wanted to return to the magical world. Robert found it unlikely that Jeffrey had had a chance to reply yet.

Instead, Robert shifted the conversation. "I think Monte Carlo is a fine idea, Michael. If--and its a big if--if you can be certain that we can blend with the muggles and not be breaking wizarding law."

"Would I break the law, Robert?" Michael grinned.

"No, not you," Robert simply laughed. "Perish the thought."

Jim chuckled as cassidy told him about a time she had followed a man as his wife thought he was cheating on her but it turned out the guy was just looking for a gift for her. Jim laughed and so did Cassidy as they walked out on deck into the sun. " Hay, every one." Cassidy said and smiled sitting down in the lounger smiling as Jim sat next to her. Jim looked at Robert and Jess and nodded that everything was fine now. Jim sat back transfiguring his clothes into a light pair of shorts and a cotton shirt.

" ah now this is the life " he said as he pulled down a straw hat over his eyes " wake me when we are ready to dive. " he said as Cassidy flicked a small ice cube at him he jumped up as it slid down his shorts " ow cold , cold" he said.