Marriage is Murder

"Display them. Like this." He started a circle with a slice of tomato, sprinkled very lightly with salt and pepper, a slice of mozzarella sprinkled lightly with salt and pepper, and then a large fresh, crisp basil leaf. "Like that and repeat it all the way round the plate. Then smaller circles until you reach the center of the plate. Go easy on the salt and pepper. Use a very light touch so it doesnt get over powering. Then when its all done, sprinkle just a light drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil and maybe add the very top of a stalk of basil in the cener as a garnish. It really isn't hard. Italian food is built all around very fresh ingredients prepared simply. Thats' the whole secret to it. French food is sometimes very difficult and complicated. This is just the opposite. Simple and delicious."

"Robert!" Kate's voice came from the other suite. She didn't sound entirely happy. He and Brian got up and headed quickly over to the hotel room. Kate came in carrying a little yellow labrador puppy. Robert frowned.

"Miss Abbey," he sighed. "How the devil did you get into Grandma's suitcase?" The puppy barked and began to wag its tail, seeing Robert and bounced in Kate's arms enough to lick his face. The puppy wagged its tail so hard, Kate almost dropped her. Robert took her in his arms, and the puppy began relentlessly licking his face nonstop. Brian sighed. He didn't like his daughter apparating all over the world without anyone's knowledge.

"Brian?" Robert asked. "You're the dad. Its your call."

Brian had to admit he had missed her. He took Abbey from Robert, and Abbey began licking Brian's face jus as excitedly.

"Oh what am I going to do with you? And why are you all animagus?" he asked.

"She knows how to become a labrador--sort of. But she has no idea how to get back," Robert laughed. "I keep hoping she'll just change back but she never does."

"I have nothing here for her," Brian said, worried.

"Why don't you just send an owl to Irena and let her send you some things?" Robert asked. "I think there is a little toy shop next door. I bet if you ask, she'll pickk you up anything you need or want for her."

"Good idea," Brian said, putting the puppy on the floor. It went scampering over to Enzo's bowls and began eating some of his kibbles. "Oh, really?" Brian sighed. "Didn't you get fed at home?"

"I know Khaat misses her," Brian said. "She misses them all. Alright. I'll send to Irena and Tobias. I hope Khaat doesn't worry that she stowed away in Kate's bag. I wonder what posessed her." Abbey saw Kate go back into the other suite and followed her. A moment later, she came back dragging a warm, rose colored knit shawl that belonged to Khaat. The shawl was bigger than Abbey was, and the little puppy had a hard time dragging in the shawl, stumbling over it as she dragged it back.

"Well, there's your answer," Robert laughed. "The shawl had Mama's scent. She missed her mama." About that time, Edward came back with Enzo. Enzo simply cocked his head to the side, curious. Abbey crouched, not knowing the bigger dog and not liking him. She was posessive of the shawl. She spun around in a circle, walking on the shawl and laid down on it, growling at Enzo.

"Oh, she does not want to share," Angus laughed. "That's a first. She usually does share."

Enzo gave Abbey some nonthreatening, play signals and calmly walked over and took an end of the shawl and tugged on it. Abbey immediately got up and grabbed a mouthful of the shawl and began to tug on it from the other end, growling. Enzo seemed to ignore the growling and kept tugging gently on it. Abbey began to get the idea that it could be a game. Her anger need to be posessive of the shawl began to change and she began to enjoy it as a game.

"Problem solved," Robert said.

"They're going to destroy one of her favorite shawls," Kate sighed.

"No they won't, "Robert said. "Nothing we can't fix with a simple reparo. And if it brings Khaat a smile, then it was worth the price of a stowaway and a shawl."

"Where the devil is she going to sleep?" Kate asked.

"With her parents, of course," Brian said. "She can sleep in between us in our bed. Not a problem." Angus returned to his cooking and put the lamb in the oven and finished preparing his potatoes and put them in the oven. He put the caprese in the refrigerator to chill and prepared the filling for the tiramisu. "If you want to impress Jess, you'll learn how to assemble this dessert, Jack," Angus said. "How about one of you finding a chair from the breakfast bar in the other suite and making it into a high chair for her?"

"Nah," Angus said. "Look. I"ve already made espresso. And I've made the custard. Neither of those are hard. Take the espresso and mix in a bit of amaretto in it, simply for the taste, and then soak the cookies in it. Not too long. You don't want them to be mushy. Then you layer them. Like this. Cover the bottom of the dish with them. You do it. Then pour the custard over top and sprinkle with the the shavings of dark chocolate I made. Once you do all that, cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill. No baking required. It looks far harder than it really is, and its a sure way to warm up Khaat's heart. I have some fresh raspberries that we can add some sugar to and let them maserate in order to bring out their sweetness. They'll be great drizzled over the top.

When Abbey tired, Enzo decided enough was enough. He laid his big form down on top of the shawl, and when Abbey saw she couldn't get it out from under him, she curled up tight against Enzo and rested her little puppy head on his big paw. He licked her as she closed her eyes.

"Now where is a camera when you need one?" Angus laughed.

Michael had let Khaat have a good cry, and he had simply held her. He got her to finally talk about how deeply hurt she had been by Steven and how it had truly made her feel that she wasn't anything but a burden to any of them. She had tried repeatedly to get that thought out of her mind, but when she had known she was going to die at the fashion show, a part of her had truly welcomed it in order that the people she loved might be free of being bothered anymore with her and the problems that had followed her. She told Michael honestly that she had willed her spirit to separate from her body, willed herself to die, to end it for them all, and that she had not willingly come back. That Remus had shoved her back across the veil in order to save Robert's life. It had been the only reason she had come back at all. And now Steven was back. She was back. And she didn't know why. She was having a hard time finding a reason to still be here. She felt like a failure for not knowing how to cross quickly enough that her father could not bring her back.

"If I were a seer," Michael sighed, "if I had a way to talk to Remus, maybe I'd have a way to help you get the answers from him. It doesnt sound to me that this was your fault for not dying quick enough. I don't think that is the issue. I don't have the answers you need, but I don't believe for one minute that everyone else is so bloody miserable because you're still breathing. I don't think everyone feels the way Steven said he felt. I have no idea why he even thought it, much less said it. I have no clue. But I do know this. I know how very much you are loved. And I do know that I can't imagine a world without you in it." He kissed her forehead.