Marriage is Murder

"Depends on why she went to see him in the first place," Michael said.

"Seers' tea would be very good," Robert said. "And since none of the rest of us are seers, I suggest we let them deal with it themselves for now. They're an experienced bunch. They don't need us meddling. I have found that to be extraordinarily bad to do that."

Remus saw Cassidy watching. He had seen her from the moment she entered. He had been just observing quietly. "One foot in and one foot out? Is that how you want it?" he asked her.

"What?" Khaat turned, seeing no one.

"Cassidy. She's not far enough across for you to see her," Remus said. "But she's there. As is your mother." Khaat said nothing but it was starting to feel like she'd brought the whole blooming family over. "Did you or did you cast it wrong?" He looked at her straight in her eyes.

"What is it you want me to say!" she was impatient with him. He looked at her, seeing the truth.

"Sometimes my brother does not deserve you," he kissed her forehead. "You know there are only two remedies for this. You know that. He can fix it, you know. In a simple touch."

"I wont do that!" she said.

"No," he smiled understandingly. "You won't. So you've already chosen the second."

"Of course I did."

"And you came here to distance from your choice for the moment." Remus looked up at the rest of them. "And you all are on the outside looking in, aren't you? Let me put this to you in short. She's buggered up her spell to relieve her father's pain, and he's not feeling it. But the result is that she does feel it. Everything he's not experiencing? Its because she is. And the only way for her to rid herself of it is for her to either give it back, which she won't do. Or to wait it out. Which is her choice. So, she's come here because its entirely too overwhelming to handle."

"That is not something we can rellieve for her, is it?" Edward asked.

"No," Remus said. "Its solely between her and her father. Or she's on her own. She's merely redirecting her mind here so she doesn't feel the symptoms for the moment."

Cassidy looked at Remus and smiled as she spoke softly “Always Remus, that is my gift. “ she said smiling as she saw him. Jess heard Remus and sighed shaking her head but she too staid watching gently as he listened to Remus talk about Khaat. “ Does that mean she is to stay here for now?” Cassidy asked Remus once he had explained. Jack looked at Robert and nodded at his words.

“Yes, I think your right, tea can wait, at least until what ever it is is over with. “ He said holding Jess close to him her hand now holding his tight. Jim walked out with a pot of seers tea placing one next to Kate he placed one next to Jess sending a further one up to Khaat's bedside table for when she was ready for it casting a perpetual reheat spel on it so it would stay warm for her.

"She can't stay as long as she'd like to," Remus said. "Her energies won't last that long. She'll have to go back before this wears off unless Robert takes it back."

"I won't give it to him, and you know I have to. He can't just take it!" she was angry and defiant now with Remus.

"That temper never changes, does it?" he asked. "Thats' the Gryffindor in you. You were born with that. Thats why you ended up with me most of the time."

"They're Gryffindors too," she reminded him.

"Ah, yes," he smiled. "They are, my sweet, but unlike us, they stop to think, if even for a moment, before giving themselves up for someone else. You and I, we've got that adventure gene. In short, the reason we don't think before we jump in for someone else, is because we don't give a damn. We see ourselves as entirely expendible in light of someone else." He looked at the others. "She's right, you know. Even if you were to dash away to tell Robert right now, there's precious little he could do. Not if she won't give it up. The best she can do is to weather it out. The best that Robert can do is to tend that wound with all due effort and speed. The sooner it rights itself, the sooner this will end. The best you lot can do is to try to not kill either of them for the arguing they are destined to do once Robert finds out what she's done. And, of course, be patient while she deals with this. No doubt she came here because she took this on deliberately and wanted to deal with her choice alone and not expose anyone else to it. But, as good friends do, you of course knew she wasn't herself immediately and sent to sort it out."

"You're telling me you don't want me here," she said to him softly.

"Its not your time," he smiled.

"It wasn't yours either!" she was angry.

"Again with that arguement? Must we? I should have thought that was done years ago. It apparently was my time whether I chose it to be or not. Else I would not be here. Look. Do yourself a favor and go back. Save your energies to fight the physical battle the pain poses. I'll try to come in your dreams, if you find you can sleep." He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a warm embrace and kissed her forehead. "I love you very much. You know that. But it really is not healthy for you to stay much longer. Not this time. You should go."

Cassidy smiled as she listened to Remus “ he's right Khaat you don't belong here” she said softly “ come back where you belong” she added she could feel her own energy failing slightly. Jess broke concentration and fell back against Jack exhausted Jack gave her the tea witch she drank slowly feeling it slowly restore her energy as Jack held her close to him.

Cassidy stood waiting for Khaat to go she looked at Remus and sighed. “When will Khaat learn to not keep things to herself and to let us help.” she said with a sigh hoping now she would trust them to do what they can for her as friends just not bodyguards. Jess glanced at Robert and sighed.

“She's done some spell and its made her feel your pain” she told him “ but she won't stop it , she is stubborn” Jess told him

"Oh, hell," Robert sighed, disgusted now. Michael looked at him.

"What's she done?" he asked.

"I told her never to use that spell. Its actually a spell gone wrong but there are times when it is an asset. I never taught her how to do that one. She discovered it herself on her own when she buggered one up. She was dealing with a patient who had taken a potion gone sideways that was somewhat toxic. In trying to rid him of the pain from the spell, she did her own spell wrong and ended up drawing off his pain and not being able to get rid of it. She's learned how to do it on purpose. Its not a helpful asset for much of any occasion, but she seems to think it was necessary."

"What do you plan to do?" Michael asked.

"Make her give it back to me, of course. I can't just take it. Its her spell. But I am still her father," Robert said, getting up. "Thank you, Jess. So thats why she went to see Remus. Trying to distance herself from the pain by herself. I should have seen it myself."

"He's coming, you know," Remus smiled. "You did know it would end this way, right? With an arguement?"

"No, not really," she said.

"Then the pain really did muddle your thinking. Now--go back!" He gave her a rather hard shove and sent her back, breaking her connection with him entirely.

Jess looked over at Kate worried that Khaat might do something silly because she told him “ I had no choice Kate, I had to tell him or she will die.“She said finishing her tea a she looked at them both. Jack held her close to him.

“You did the right thing Jess, I'm sure they both understand including Khaat “ Jack said reassuring her what ever happened he would be there for her. Jim refilled the tea and smiled.

“ last cup and relax” he told her “ let Robert deal with it now” he sat down close by watching the stairs having not seen any one come down from the bed room. The had a feeling that the longer it took the worse things would be. Cassidy heard Remus talking to Khaat and hoped she would listen to him.

“ Please listen to him Khaat he knows “ she said softly “ you listened to him when he lived do so now he's here too, leave and return to us, please “ she sighed deeply feeling herself being slowly pulled back to the other side of the veil “ Remus ,I must go I feel myself being drawn back, its good to see you again my friend.” she said and smiled warmly to him.

Khaat was shoved back across the veil when Remus had shoved her. And she was just coming back into her own when her father walked in like he owned the place and her. She woke and looked at him.

"Give it back," he said fiercely, in a rare commanding tone.

"No." Her own voice was equally as fierce and unyielding. It was as if some sort of Herculean storm had come. He walked over and, tossing his arm sling aside, he took hold of her arm.

"Stay away from us until we have this settled. No interruptions," he ordered with absolute iron firmness at them. He apparated out with her. Kate looked out the window. Robert and Khaat apparated back in, in the yard, a long distance from the house. She could see that there was a fierce, hideous arguement going on.

"Do not, under any circumstances, disobey him this time," Kate told them all. "They have to realize on their own that neither of them is completely right or completely wrong." Kate expected the argument to go on for quite a long time. But it didnt'. From what she was observing, it looked particularly brutal. Khaat didn't take long to be done with it. She made a flourish with her wand and apparated out completely. For a moment, Robert stood, shouting angrily at empty sky after she left. Brian was unnerved by her leaving, but he knew she had not given Robert what he wanted. She had just left. Brian took a deep breath to ease his fears and decided to focus on his family for now. He knew her mind. She was only going to go hide so that when his wound healed, her pain would ease, and the country would still have their Minister, fully functional. It was a very Gryffindor thing to do. To sacrifice the one for the greater good. He didn't blame her. Not at all. Even if Robert was pissed off.

Robert came back inside when he got his temper in check. Michael was refilling Robert's glass. "Shall we go after her?" Michael asked.

"Hell, no," Robert said, taking the glass Michael offered him. "She's on her own. Sod all of this. If she wants to carry what isn't hers, then so be it. Angus, serve dinner please."

"Yes, Captain," he said obediently, heading for the kitchen quietly and professionally and served dinner.

"We are going to eat dinner and carry on as usual," Robert ordered. "Is that abundantly clear?"

Cassidy fell back into Steven who held her up having come back inside he watched as Robert and Khaat disappeared then reappeared out side taking Cassidy down to the main living room he head Kate and nodded Cassidy just glad to sit down. Jess and Jack both sighed and nodded just sitting watching and waiting. Cassidy looked at Kate and then at Robert as he returned and told them to carry on as normal and not go after her. Jim looked up at him hearing the tone he used and looked back down at the book not even bating an eye lid.

Jess shook her head and sighed as she stood up moving to the kitchen “ want a hand Angus?” she offered hoping to do something while Khaat was away healing the wound. Jack sat back and sighed deeply as he watched every one.

“So we sit, wait and carry on, right “ he said softly “ hey Steven, hows that green house coming?” he asked seeing him with a some what exhausted Cassidy in his arms. Steven chuckled and smiled at Jack and shrugged.

“ Edwards dealing with it but you should see him work, wow can he design” He said letting Cassidy sit down as he pored her some water to drink.

Angus took Jess up on her help and they had a very quiet dinner. Robert had been absolute. No one was going after her. Edward continued on his design for the greenhouse. Robert went back to work. Brian became persistent in treating Robert's wound, but the infection made the wound rather slow to heal, even by wizarding standards. And in the meantime, no one had heard or seen a single thing from Khaat. Brian had checked with Ministry tracers. She had used no magic. There had been an initial draw of funds from their Gringotts account and then...nothing. She had successfully just disappeared.

Robert's wound healed almost a week after his fight with Khaat, and there was still no sign of her. Brian was still not overly worried. By all Brian knew, if she had been accepting all of her father's symptoms, she was most likely very tired and weakened. He figured she was resting, wherever she was.

And then he got a spark of memory. Something that registered with him from long ago. He apparated into London to the small muggle exclusive luxury hotel he and Khaat had stayed at once before. He packed one of their messenger bags and apparated into muggle London. It didn't take him long to find that she was in a small studio suite there--alone.

He went up to the room and knocked. When she didn't answer, he apparated in. He found the room was uncustomarily untidy. Cluttered. She had been sick, he could see. She was thinner and pale and unkempt, and he knew she woud feel immensely better with food and a shower and a few potions. It was time he stepped in. She was flopped on the sofa, covered with a blanket she'd dragged from the unmade bed. And she was in a deep, exhausted sleep. He decided to leave her sleep.

In the meantime, he brewed coffee and a strong restorative tea. He found she'd bought a couple of changes of clothes and a couple of nightgowns and a few necessities. Her food supply was a box of muggle butter crackers and a jug of juice. Nothing more. And that was largely untouched. He unpacked the food he'd brought, tidied the room, knowing she had been simply too sick and tired and weak to do so, and waited. He sent an owl home to the house stating he'd found her and all was well. He said he would be staying perhaps til morning until he could bring her home. He told them not to worry. Then he poured himself coffee and simply stood at the window, looking out over the city and waited for her to wake.

Jess moved to help Angus with dinner not talking for the first time all was quiet. Even the last several days were too quiet with every one focusing on their jobs and not Khaat. Steven helped Edward with the green house and Jack and Jim patrolled the area. When Jess felt Brian knew where Khaat was she moved to him “ I'm coming and don't say no”she said and grabbed her jacket aperating with him to the exclusive luxury hotel. Walking close behind him she noted he ported into a room and knocked softly. “ Brian could you open up for a moment.” She asked but then stood guard assuming he was busy inside and stood her arms folded in front of her as men passed her by.

Cassidy watched as Brian and Jess left she moved to Angus “ looks like I'm helping with the dinner today the others ave just left” she said moving to help him. Jim walked back in and washed his hands.