Marriage is Murder

"Okay, wait," Robert said. "Your source. That does bother me. If you're going to be a part of this again, you can't have secrets. I've just had issues with one of my lifelong friends turning out to be quite deadly. I don't need anyone else having a connection that I do not know or trust. And how is it that all of a sudden you know more about werewolves than Jack himself? You're not making sense to me at all. And I realize you might have been frustrated, but it wasn't your call to make as to whether or not we were bringing a close to James quickly enough or not. When and how we wrapped James up was still my decision to make. You cannot decide that you're going to take things into your own hands and simply go off grid to make those things happen because you don't like how I"m running it. That just doesn't work in my organization, and you of all people should know that. You need to start connecting some dots for me here. I'm sorry if I'm not sounding like I trust you, but right now, I don't trust very many people around Khaat and my grandkids. You have to give me a reason to trust you again. "

Steven stood listening to him and sighed as he lowered his head " I'm no expert on weres, I only know what my source told me, and this is why she didn't approach you, to her your...." he took a deep breath before he spoke again" too high up the chain of command, I only got to her because I found her after one of James attacks." He said then looked down for a moment before he spoke again." Her names Myrna, Myrna Clayton shes the daughter of Wilton Johnson a land owner near a German town Colongne , yes that's the home of the werewolf , she kinda filled me in on some things but not all, and yes I checked her out with Daniella. " He rubbed his shoulder " but she didn't tell me about how hard they are when they're pumped" he said and sighed.

"So what is it exactly that you're wanting to do?" Robert asked. "You certainly do not seem to want to come back to bodyguard work. If you had, you'd have worked with me from the start and not against me. If you want to be an independent investigator, you surely do not need my endorsement or anyone else's to do that. You certainly don't sound like you want any part of going back to what you did before. And, yes, you did a fine job last night, but in every other respect, you haven't acted like you are the friend Khaat believed you were. Not for some time now. You didn't follow my instructions and in fact you did the exact opposite of everything the organization and this team believes in--about not keeping secrets, staying unified, communicating openly, following the plan as it is decided.

"Am I to take it that what you really want is some approval from me for you to do your own investigating that is away and apart from the organization or this team? Is that what you're saying?"

Steven looked at Robert as he spoke " Robert I couldn't, they were watching me, if I'd have come or sent any sort of word they would have found out and I would be dead, I'm filling you in now." He looked at Jack and Jim in side the room " and I was fired and beaten for it. " He looked at Robert again as he lent over the stone wall of the balcony and sighed. " right now I know one thing, James is dead and they're for now out of the picture." Steven felt the warm air on his face and sighed" I miss my family, I miss cassidy most of all , I was wrong to go it alone, I found that out first week." he turned to look at Robert.

"You don't have to trust me or take me back, but I will tell you all my source's, whether they will talk to you or help, well that's another matter." He accioed a small black leather pocket book and moved to Robert. "Here, it is all the names of my Source's, locations and what they are." He placed it beside Robert and moved back to lean on the wall. " Now, I don't have any secrets, ow apart from one, I had the kids and Cassidys name tattooed on my shoulder the first day I was gone." He said and folded his arms across his chest.

Robert didn't feel sorry for him. The fact that he had even considered going out on an undercover mission, off grid, because Steven hadn't trusted Robert's own judgement had gotten him into the mess he was in. And he didn't feel sorry that the staff had taken him in hand for his unwise behaviors.

"I asked you what you wanted to do," Robert said quietly. "The sources you developed could well have been developed with our help. I appreciate that you are offering me that information now. And I know you miss your family, but you're the one who walked away from them when you got so angry. I'm not the one you need to deal with about that. The only thing I want to know is what you want to do for a career. Are you asking me for your old job back? Because that's not what I"m hearing. I'm hearing that you want me to create a position for you that lets you do your own thing, off grid, undercover, with our support and endorsement. As for getting a tattoo, its none of my business, but if you plan on working undercover, that wasnt' probably the wisest choice. To mark the names of your wife and children permanently on your body where, if you're caught or killed, you put them directly right out on the frontlines of the battle you put yourself in seems to be cruel and rather careless on your part when it comes to their wellbeing and possibly their lives. You might as well send James' pack your name, your address, the names of your wife and kids because that will be exactly what you've done if they catch you. And don' think they wouldn't kill them all just to get even.

"So--one more time. What exactly is it you want to do for a living?"

Steven looked at Robert and kicked himself again he'd done something stupid. "Damn it , I hadn't considered that " he said his mind screaming for him to go back to Robert and work with him again. He took out the letter and read it once again. " I guess I'm not as ready as I thought" he said under his breath then he spoke louder. " I am asking for my job back." He looked at Robert " This time no disappearing, not with out consulting you , Michael or Edward first. " He stood to face him his back straight as he did. He moved to sit down close by " I know Khaat won't trust me nor will the rest of you until I prove I am to be trusted , hell, put me on dog duty , I don't care, be something " he said as he lent forward his arm resting on his knees as he spoke his fingers rolling the ring he still wore that reminded him he was not alone and he'd been a fool.

"No, if I take you back, you wont report to Michael or Edward. You will report to me or to Brian, just as it has always been. However--before I agree to it, since it is Khaat's life we're talking about, I cannot or will not agree to putting you in charge of her life, no matter how well you did last night, unless I know that at least Brian is good with it for now. I don't know that Khaat is strong enough to make that choice at the moment. Brian, however, is. You're going to have to give me a few minutes. And then there is the small matter of getting the other team members to trust you again. You of all people should know that when you work with a partner, you have to learn to trust that partner with your life. Its a sacred trust. And you broke that with every member of Khaat's bodyguard team as well as with my organization. You will have to be willing to deal with that and earn it back. Let me go talk to Brian." He got up and went into the living room. He took Brian into the other suite, up to the bedroom that Robert shared with Kate.

He and Brian talked for quite awhile. After quite a lengthy discussion, Robert and Brian came back together and went out to the balcony.

"Look," Brian sighed. "We all make mistakes. I know that, but this is a series of them that just got bigger and bigger from the first one on out. IF--and its a huge if--If i let you come back to guard my family, you're going to have to earn it. If I let you anywhere near my wife and kids, its on my terms. And that has to be okay. If you dont like it--and that's your right--you dont ever use it as a weapon to hurt any of them again. If you're going to hurt someone, you come right for me. You dont go for them again in any way--not physically or emotionally or any other way. If you want to go rogue and go out on your own because you don't like the way I do business, you be man enough to be straight up with me. No more of this nonsense--ever. Because the next time, I absolutely won't take you back under any circumstance. The biggest wound in this for me is that Khaat trusted you. She thought you two were friends. Friends that were good enough that she trusted you with her own life and her babies. She has a perfect right to not trust you now. And she's too seriously injured for me to even begin to bring you up to her. If you do come back, you don't dare work any shift that you come into direct contact with her. Not until she's strong enough for me to discuss you with her and let her adjust. Are you willing to do that? And are you able to follow someone else's instructions again?"

Steven listened to Robert and nodded he understood " yes sir I understand." he said and watched Robert go to talk to Brian. As he sat he looked out over the balcony at Venice his mind feeling this was the right move now he needed stability , hearing Brian's voice he turned to face him and standing to attention he didn't say a word but listened and in his mind agreed with each word Brian said. Once Brian stopped he looked at them. " I understand and will follow yours and Roberts orders to the letter." he said his arms back behind him as he looked at both of them. "Here you should both look at this." He said handing Brian a letter. " she says they have gathered back near her home, but she also says there is now a bounty on mine and on her head, she can take care of herself now she knows her home like the back of her hand. " He said as he placed the letter in Brian's hands and stepped back.

"If you come back to work, this does not become your issue," Brian said, reading the letter and passing it onto Robert. "I realize its you they want. But, your attentions are going to be on your work. I will get Edward to deal with this. If there is anyone who can get this cleared up, its Edward. Go get that bloody tattoo remove before it gets Cassidy and the kids cut into little tiny pieces." He had been deliberately graphic to get him to understand the seriousness of the repercussions of leaving that much information out in the open.

"And then if you want that big bonus Daniella is going to offer to anyone who is willing to put her aurors through physical training, then go do it. That buys me a bit of time with Khaat. Its going to take you awhile to get them into shape. They're wand wavers, not athletes. You'll have to start them from the beginning. You might well end up developing into something where you can set them up on a schedule and go once or twice a week to train them on an ongoing basis. That's up to you. I just simply don't have the time or desire to take on a project like that."

Steven looked at Brian and nodded at his words he was a little disappointed he could not keep the tattoo but he understood the reason behind it. " understood" he said and listened more, he heard Brian say about training Danella's Aurors and get them into shape. He nodded his head " I take it will be the usual routine " he asked " twice a day for two hours in all aspects of the training?" he just wanted to clarify what he had to do. Jack saw Steven, Brian and Robert out on the balcony and looked at Jim.

"Do you think they will let him back? " he asked Jim who shrugged his shoulders.

" that's down to Brian and Robert to decide not us " he said calmly and drank his tea.