Marriage is Murder

Angus brought little Michael back out and redirected him towards a proper breakfast. "I know there is nothing harmful in those kibbles since they're all organic, but i do know their mother doesn't want them eating cat food," Angus said.

"Nor do their grandparents," Robert said. "There are better things."

About 45 minutes later, when Angus was cleaning up the kitchen and Dakota was tagging behind Max behind the sofa and the boys were toddling after her, Michael came downstairs, showered, shaved, and bringing the breakfast dishes.

"I was thrown out," Michael announced, looking better. "She's in her room, showering and dressing. She did eat rather well."

"That's because you only asked her to eat fruit," Angus said. "That almost always works. The only thing that ever works without fail is cheesecake."

"Isnt' that a hangover from her days with Rob?" Michael asked.

"Yes," Brian said. "He did make good cheesecake. It saved her life. By the time Abbey was born, cheesecake and french roast were the only things anybody could get her to eat. I'm surprised Abbey isn't stuck on cheesecake, but she isnt."

"Anyway, she's feeling better," Michael said. "She'll be down shortly. She ordered me to send her up more french roast."

"I'll take it up to her," Brian said, taking her mug off the tray and refilling it and his own. He took the mugs upstairs.

Jess, Jack and Steven sat eating as Cassidy took the empty plates and placed them into the washer. Returning Cassidy give Alex a second bowl of fruit and a piece of toast before sitting down at the table next to Steven. " Angus could you make a cheese cake?" She asked hoping he would so she could try it knowing Khaat loved it she took it to mean it was good she'd had it once before reaching out Cassidy took some fruit and ate it smiling. Jess nodded and ate her own wiping Caitlin's face clean of the juice.

"Certainly," Angus said. "That's not difficult."

"Don't underestimate yourself," Kate said. "There is a knack to getting cheesecake to come out of the oven without the top of the cake cracking, and I have never ever seen yours cracked."

"Practice," he said. "Nothing so glamourous. Just practice. Yours don't crack either, though."

"Oh, but they did. When I first started baking them, they did," Kate said. She glanced up to see Khaat and Brian coming downstairs. Kate noticed Khaat's weight loss more today than before, and she realized it was due to the clothes she had chosen. Khaat had picked a pair of black skinny jeans that she had had to resize to fit. The skinny fit plus the black color didn't help. She had a longsleeved, forest green and black striped shirt with the sleeves rolled up to 3/4. She had black skinny boots with heels, and gold hoops with emeralds. The vertical stripes in her shirt and the black and dark green seemed to emphasize her thinness. The clothes were tailored so that they fit her well, but Kate was sorely tempted to change the color of the clothes.

Brian had a forest green knit shawl for her with him. They'd been through several changes in her closet before they'd found what they did. She had almost not come out of her room because of how self conscious she felt. He had had to pursuade her that no one was going to say a word about her size. As they hit the bottom of the steps, she clutched the shawl, self consciously and wrapped it around herself, even though she wasn't cold, just to try to hide her bone-thin figure. Kate saw, and it made her heart ache, as her mother, to see her feeling so insecure in her own home. It made her more determined to have a private talk with Robert about turning this around quickly for her daughter.

Jess smiled at seeing Khaat and Brian emerge at the stairs she ignored the thinness of her " good to see you up Khaat " she said " Angus was telling us he was going to make some cheese cake " she said and chuckled looking at Angus with a smile. Cassidy nodded and finished giving the kids their breakfast. Jim walked in from the grounds and chuckled.

" Good morning every one and kids, looking good Khaat" he said and looked at Brian " guys did a good job on that fence its like nothing ever happened " he told them opening a newspaper and poring some tea as he sat and read it .

"Thank you," Khaat said, glad hey hadn't made mention of her clothes, or at least not in the way she expected they might.

"Are you still going out?" Brian asked her.

"I want to check on Archangel," She said.

"I'll go with you if you like," he said.

"No thank you," she said. "There are all sorts of security guys on the grounds. I'll be right back. If he's feeling better enough, I'll bring him back to the house."

"Okay," he smiled. She went out to the barn by herself. She was gone more than an hour, though. Brian was getting concerned. Then Kate looked towards the upstairs.

"She's back now, Brian," Kate said. "She apparated straight to her room." Brian frowned and went upstairs by himself. Robert stood up and looked out towards the barn to see if he could see whatever it was that had kept her or that caused her to apparate straight back to her room. Brian hadn't been upstairs more than about 2 minutes when Robert saw him apparate out in front of the barn, taking a straight, powerful stride right to the barn. Robert knew something had been wrong. Brian was furious. And then he noticed that Brian had a wand in one hand, and a pistol in the other.

"Jack, come with me to the barn. Now. The rest of you, lockdown the house," Robert said. Angus apparated up to Khaat's room and found Brian had layered protection spells around her room so that no one but him could get in. Angus could not get in either. No one. Only Brian. He apparated back downstairs in a hurry.

"He's got Khaat sealed off with protection spells even from us," Angus said.

"Let that be for now. He's protected her. The action is going to be in the barn, I believe," Robert said. He apparated out to the barn. The moment he got there, he heard gunshots firing. He went into the barn and saw Brian flinging himself at a giant of a man. He was well built with dark curly hair. Brian was like a man posessed. The other man was merely laughing at Brian, even though Brian had already wounded him with the pistol. They were brawling, and it looked, if size mattered, Brian was going to come out on the losing end unless his blind rage saw him through. And in the far corner, Robert saw a bloodied mass of flesh and feathers. The bird was clearly still alive, though, because Robert could hear the soft cry of the battered bird's pain. What the hell was going on here?

Jack nodded and drew his wand Steven came running and headed out to the barn his own wand drawn. Jack tensed seeing the huge man that Brian was fighting. " I'll get arch you help Brian" Steven said making his way behind the fighting men he was thrown once against a wooden stall and he knew a nail had pierced his shoulder but he pulled off it and kept going seeing a horse blanket he wrapped arch in it and aperated out back to the main house. Jack looked at Robert as his nails grew long then with a sudden leap he jumped onto the back of the man his nails acting like an ice pick gripping the mans skin as he clawed at him.

"GET OFF HIM!!" Jack yelled at the top of his voice his claws only gripping the man but with his power he pushed the huge man back to fall into a stall. Jack quickly looked at Robert as he tried to hold him off Brian but he knew he would be in the same state if he let go.

Kate saw Steven apparate in with Archangel wrapped in a blanket. "Give him to me," she said, taking the bird from him. She started to talk to Archangel to soothe him and she opened the blanket gently. "Oh, God, he's so bad. Jess, come help me. I know you don't usually do birds, but if I guide you, we can try to stabilize him til Robert gets back. I'm not going to lose him. He's like one of the family."

Robert saw Steven had rescued Archangel, and he saw Jack going after the larger man who seemed merely amuse at all of this--by Brian and by Jack both, and seemed to be having very little trouble holding his own against both of them, seeming to be only momentarily redirected by one or the other.

"Why are you here?" Robert bellowed, demanding.

"Well, Minister," the sarcasm directed at Robert was thick and foul. "If you respect pack law's, I don't have to leave here without my bride." The reference was not lost on Robert.

"You have no legal claim," Robert said.

"Are you saying you are going to defy pack law?"

"Yes" Robert said. "Your so-called pack law is not respected by England's wizarding world laws. It's your own common law..."

"He's not going to live long enough to make any claim," Brian said, raging angry. Brian's rage was actually Robert's prime concern. The larger man punched Brian in the jaw hard enough to break Brian's jaw, but Brian just kept coming after the intruder.

"Get off my land--now," Robert said, knowing the intruder didn't know if the land was his or Brian's. "Or I will kill you."

"then I'll take both your boys with me," The man shrugged, not caring, calling Robert's bluff

"Then so be it," Robert bluffed back, not truly intending to harm either Brian or Jack either one. "They know the job and they are fully prepared to die. So make your choice."

Jack roared loudly at the mans words his claws scratching at the mans skin he knew his strength could not last but at least it would give Brian a chance to escape. He looked at Robert "Take your shot if you have to. "He told him his body pressed tight against the man as he held him down only to be thrown off his temple caught the wood of a stable door but he got back up to his feet pulling Brian out of the way as he slashed at the mans face gouging a large gaping cut across the mans face crossing his eye " that will leave a lasting mark " he said and chuckled.

It looked to Robert like Jack and Brian had him under control. Robert sat down on a wooden barrel, his wand trained on the intruder.

"Well, that makes him a bit less of a pretty boy," Robert said. "You know, that bullet wound is sitting pretty low. I'm betting my boys will hold up for another 20 minutes of brawling without an issue. And if that happens, you'll bleed out and be very unconscious. At which point, her husband will rip you apart. And what he doesnt do, his friend will gladly finish for him.

"I want the mother of my children!" he demanded. Brian slammed the butt of the pistol hard against the man's jaw just for his words alone. Blood and broken teeth flew. The intruder fell limp.

"Brian," Robert said gently. "Don't kill him." He got up and went over to the enormous man. "He's unconscious. Jack, bind him and get him out of here. I'll send Jim out to help you get him far enough away that he's not going to be back for awhile. Brian, go send Jim out and then go see to your wife. No one's taking her anywhere. I'll be there in a moment." Brian hesitated. "Go," Robert ordered. "You're needed there. Not here. We've got this." Brian seemed to need to kick their prisoner hard enough to break ribs. "Enough," Robert said. "Don't make me stop you myself. Go." Brian apparated out in a fury of rage.

"Thank you," Robert said to Jack. "Make sure you search him for not only any markers, but take anything with blood on it. And anything of Khaat's or Archangels. Leave him naked if you must but don't let him tie anything back here. Feel free to use an obliviate if you need to, to wipe his memory of the last day or so out of his mind."

Jess quickly stood up and moved to Kate placing her hands on the bird nodding " hes very weak Kate" she said and trickled her energy into him feeling strange hollow bones and making them heal best she could .Jack shook his head to rid it of the throbbing he felt and nodded to Robert.

"Of course" he stripped the man down to his undergarments and burnt the straw and anything he found with the mans and his owns blood on it, after he'd bound the man with mountaineering rope he found hung at the back of the barn, knowing it was strong enough to hold him. Jim stood up seeing Brian reappear back at the house and didn't need a word he aperated to the barn.

"Ow my he is a big one, guess you learned not to mess with the Lupin's and their family. " he said moving to Jack and took hold of the mans arm Jack took the other and together they aperated away.