Marriage is Murder

"This one is different," Khaat said to Jess, seeing her trying to figure out what had the outdoor staff so concerned.

"Would you stop?" Michael frowned. "You do not need to be involved in this. There are plenty of people alread outside working on this. If you lot want to help, then one of you go down to the wine cellar and get me two or three bottles of burgundy wine. I need at least one for my cooking and with the size of our group, we generally go through two bottles at dinner just to give everyone one glass."

"Do you want me to go?" Khaat asked.

"No, I do not," Michael said. "You can barely hold yourself on your feet as it is today. If you go, I'll have to rescue you and the wine. All I want you to do is to rest up. And behave yourself."

"Am I smeling cinnamon?" she asked.

"Yes. I am making a pumpkin spice creme brulee for dessert tonight," he said. "I brought fresh cinnamon sticks and ground some fresh cinnamon."

"Michael, i dont' know anyone who does that but you," she said.

"It is worth it," he said.

Jess looked at Michael and breathed out trying to push the feelings she had from Jack out of her mind " sorry some times I just can't help it " she said and smiled at him. Jack searched his area and found only one small hole he patched it and returned to searching again but found nothing it was the same for Steven who just walked to meet Jack so they could make double sure everything was patched and working properly.

" I wonder how Brian and Robert are doing " he said and Jack shrugged. "well we'll know soon enough " Steven said and saw them off in the distance.

"I do realize it happens with seers," Michael said.

"He was telling me he doesnt want me try to go out and battle this monster," Khaat said.

"I certainly was," he said. "Its not something you need to do. Your father and your husband pay good money and lots of it to keep you safe. Lets not just set all that cash on fire by your deciding to take this on yourself."

Brian was irked. he didn't want anything on the grounds coming anywhere close to his family. This had just happened too many times. Robert didn't need to be standing next to him to see Brian was angry. Robert finally apparated over to him.

"Don't let your anger get the better of you, Son," Robert said.

"I want him off my land. If he's on my land, I'll kill him."

"You don't know he came here to start trouble. You have no evidence of that."

"The hell I don't," Brian said. "He ripped my fence out on the whole northern border. He broke the fence posts in half. That's not someone who lost their way. If I find him, I'll kill him. I'm not going to mouse around with him like we did with James. This bastard is going to die."

"If he doesn't kill you first," Robert said.

"Then I'll die trying," Brian said coldly.

Jack and Steven looked at Brian and sighed " and leave Khaat with out a husband or father to those children we need to find out his weaknesses first then use them against him" Jack said and Steven nodded he agreed and glanced at Robert hoping they had said the right thing.

"Planing some times makes the difference" Steven said and looked down at the broken posts again his mind wondering why with all this destruction this monster hadn't attacked them yet or was it waiting for some order to be sent or signal. He kicked some soil and saw a small gold medallion , kneeling down he picked it up and looked at Robert “ Robert take a look at this.”

Robert took the medallion in his hands and examined it. "I haven't seen one of these for years," he said.

"What is it?" Brian asked. Robert handed it to him. Brian examined it.

"I didn't think any of those even existed anymore," he frowned.

"They don't," Robert said. "What you're seeing there is a very clever reproduction. That medallion is a duplicate of the one we used for the first couple of years we ran the organization. They were too easily recognized, though, so we collected them all, smelted them down and reused the gold for other things. I have no idea how this werewolf got even a picture of it to make a forgery with, but that's exactly what it is. A fake."

"Why would he need it?"

"Well, I don't know," Robert said. "It isn't magical. It is simply a clevery transfigured muggle coin. Nothing more. That is a mystery in itself. Perhaps when we find this werewolf we can ask him."

"Before or after he pummels us?" Brian scowled.

"You are allowed to hit back, you know."

"Oh, believe me, I plan on it."

Jack and Steven both nodded and looked at the fake medallion in Roberts hands and looked confused at Robert then at each other Jack looked at Brian and chuckled. “We both want a piece of him.” Jack said looking around the grounds.“ But why make a fake medallion, there's no magic in it so won't be able to get him past the barriers, doesn't make any sense.” Steven stood thinking quietly as he looked at the house then at Robert his mind hoping Jess would know and keep Khaat safe. Jess stood up and moved to the double doors she flicked the lock then moved to the windows locking those too she knew Jack would know what to do when the returned.

Jack looked at Robert “Jess has made the house secure Robert.“ He told them as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I have no idea," Robert said. "Thats why I said it was a mystery."

"Maybe he''s just trying to make a statement about how much power he wants us to think he has so we get rattled enough to panic and make stupid mistakes," Brian said.

"Well, thats one way to play it. Its not all that bright, if that's his thoughts, but if it is his plan, then he'll find we don't rattle that easily," Robert said. "Did I understand you that Edward is here?"

"He is," Angus said. "He's already working on it. I think he went to talk to the outdoor security teams."

"Excellent. Are you all finished with your searches, looking for him or for markers? And are the protection spells and fences and unplottable spells all in place again? If, so, let's get back to the house and add additional spells there. Someone should go over to my farm and update the security teams there so they're braced for it. I think we need to avoid taking this coin into the house."

"Why don't we take that thing and dump it out in the middle of the Atlantic or something?" Angus asked. "If there is some sort of an enchantment on it to lead him here, it will surely head him in the wrong direction if we dump it elsewhere. And I dont' see that we need it for anything, do we?"

Jack listened and nodded " I'll take it and put it on the north pole " he said some what annoyed at the wear for all the disruption it was causing . Steven looked the way Jack had come.

"Jack, I'll go back that way and you go the opposite. " Steven said Jack nodded " we'll double check for markers and anything out of place Robert and meet back at the main house" he said as he looked around moving to the west. Jack waited to see if Robert wanted him to take the medallion to the north pole to lose it there.

"I don't care where you take it so long as it is about as far from the wizarding world as you can get it. Take it to Antartica for all I care. Just get it out of England and to somewhere where there is no connection whatsoever to us," Robert said. "When you're all done with your taks, regroup at the house."

"Steven," Brian said. "When you finish your patrol, head over to Robert's farm and brief the teams there. Take Jim with you. There are a couple of young, smartalek security members that Jim has been trying to teach a lesson about responsibility to. It might be good for them to see his smiling face again so that they take us seriously. Then we'll see you all back at the house. In the meantime, I'm going to check on my family." He headed back to the house.

"If you all believe you have it under control, I'm going to go find Edward," Robert said, handing the coin to Jack.

"I guess that leaves me going back to my kitchen," Angus shrugged.

Jack took the medallion and left not saying another word to them as he took it some place he knew far away and deserted. Steven nodded and continued his patrol of the grounds. Heading back to the house for Jim who he found ready and waiting with his jacket on waiting " I know lets go " he said ready to give a piece of his mind to the youngsters.

Jack walked down an over grown pathway to an old mayan temple on an island walking inside he aperated into a deep dark dungeon. walking over to a stone alter he placed the medallion on to it and left a note under it saying " sucker". With a chuckle he headed back up and aperated back to the main house walking over to Robert " that's taken care of" he said his arms folded over his chest.