Marriage is Murder

Michael asked Angus to take over his cooking in the kitchen and he went upstairs with Khaat to be with her. Michael could tell Khaat was exceptionally anxious. He put her back in bed and settled her.

"Why are we still here?" she asked. "Lets get out of here."

"Honey, he's made you into his own marker to find you. Because of his contact with you, he can find you no matter where you are for the next couple of days. We're just rying to keep him from the house....."

"He already knows where the house is! It doesn't matter!" she was upset.

"Honey," he soothed her, sitting on the bed with her. "We've eliminated every marker we can find. We're adding to the protection grid. The house is inpentrable. But we're not taking chances. This is just a storm. Calm. Calm yourself. How about I have Angus brew you a calming tea instead of this coffee?"

"I don't want to rely on potions and spells!" she said.

"Its temporary," he reassured her. "You know that. You work with victims all the time. And this is exactly what you would do if you were the healer and you know that. Think just a minute." He wrote a note to Angus, turned it to a paper bird and sent it downstairs. "You're only 24 hours into healing. How long do you have patients in your situation?"

She paused. Silent. Then she spoke. "I haven't had anyone like me," she said. He knew what she meant. She had had some serious victims, but none as serious as she was.

"Then you need to start trusting your father's judgement," he said gently.

Robert found Brian and the two of them joined in helping to secure the house and the grounds. The wind was beginning to kick up, and they knew that it was going to hit within the hour."

Jack and Jim watched as Brian walked over after they had secured another shutter that had blown open. " Going to be a bad one from what Lee said " Jack told him " hows Khaat ?" he asked as he held the shutter closed while Steven locked it closed.

" We're almost done here, I put provisions down in the cellar in case its needed " Steven said as he walked over to them " we should get inside and out of the weather , I don't think He'll attack tonight" he said.

"She's thinking a bit more clearly today," Brian said. "That is both a blessing and a curse. Its good except that its adding up to her that we're not home, and she's starting to understand why. Shes starting to be afraid of the kids seeing her as she is. And she's starting, I think, to think that its hopeless and pointless from running from him."

"That's natural under the circumstances," Robert said, from where he was working nearby. He was picking up fireplace logs and tossing them down the coal shute into the cellar for use in heating and cooking during the storm. He enjoyed doing it by hand because it gave his muscles a work out.

"Yeah, but if she gets too out of control with it, she'll run," Brian said

"She'll try," Robert agreed. "But she won't get far. Not today anyway. Today she's lucky to get out of bed without help. And she doesn't have her wand. I do. I did that deliberately. I wouldn't worry a whole lot today about that."

Michael was upstairs with Khaat, and he had stepped outside the bedroom door when he heard Khaat scream. Edward apparated immediately outside the door.

"Smell that?" Edward said, his wand drawn. "We've been breeched. He's in the bedroom with her." Brian heard the scream as did Robert.

"Oh hell!" Brian panicked, apparating back to the bedroom. Robert followed immediately. Brian found himself face to face with the gigantic fully transformed werewolf. Edward burst into the room.

"A two for one sale! How nice!" The werewolf said in his animalistic voice. "I get you both!"

"Not today you don't!" Brian flung himself at the werewolf. Edward's blood ran cold when he saw Brian leap right at him. No one in their right mind just threw themselves at a werewolf if they expected to live. Khaat's voice rose in a scream of pure horror and of her breaking heart. She expected to be watching Brian die right in this moment.

Jack smelt the wear and dove up the stairs two at a time seeing Brian attacking the wear he dove for him knocking Brian to one side and the wear out the window both he and the wear landing on the soft grass below claws slashing the air and skin. " leave or die" Jack said to him . Steven looked out the window while Jess tended to Khaat and Cassidy to Brian. Jack faced the man and ran at him hitting him in the gut he pinned him down to the ground his hand gripping the mans throat one leg knelt on top of him. " Robert your order " he shouted over the wind and rain that now lashed down, his eyes never leaving the man's face.

"Not today, Old Man," the young werewolf said, knocking Jack off him and apparating out before Robert could issue any order.

"Damn!" Robert cursed, hoping this would be over today.

Edward was weaving additional protections spells around the room. Brian was temporarily out cold, the werewolf having hit him hard enough in the head to knock Brian out. Michael was more concerned for Khaat. He went to where Jess was sitting with her. Khaat clawed at Michael's arm.

"You've got to let me go," she was desperate, frantic, terrorstricken, and talking rapidly, looking wideeyed at him. "I can't let him do this. You have to let me go before he kills you all. Its okay, I'll go. I'll..."

Robert saw Khaat was on the verge of utter hysterics. "Jess, hurry and see to Brian. Make sure he wasn't bitten. Check him carefully," Robert ordered. "Check on Jack when you're done there." Robert wrapped Khaat close in his chest, muffling her hysterics in his shirt. As he comforted her, he slowly cast an additional sedative spell to stop all this for her for awhile. It didn't take more than a moment or two before she fell silent and fell under his sleep spell. He laid her back down and covered her, checking her. She was, physically, unharmed.

Jess nodded and moved to Brian she checked his head taking down the swelling from the lump that was forming " hes got concussion and deep cuts, he's lucky it wasn't worse. " she told Michael as she left two men pick him up and lay him on the bed. Once he was done Jess quickly moved downstairs to Jack who she found out cold a cut on the back of his head bleeding on to the grass and several large deep cuts to his chest. She stopped the bleeding and aperated him to their room where she tended him healing the cuts but letting him sleep off the lack of energy he had . Walking back to Michael she sighed " hes going to be fine, deep lacerations to his chest and a skull fracture to the back of his head other than that he's fine, exhausted but fine." she told them she saw Khaat sleeping and breathed out in relief.

"Then we came out better than we should have," Robert said. "Nicely done. I presume you set healing spells in place? If you have, then the treatment for both Brian and Jack will be the same. Pain relief for their massive headaches. Wound care for the clawings, and rest."

"I'll stay for awhile,' Michael said.

"So will I," Edward said. "If he comes anywhere, he'll come here. Or try to. With a little luck, we bought ourselves some time. Robert, you do need to be concerned that she doesn't just try to throw herself at him to get him to stop. I saw her face. She was sure Brian was going to die, and she'd have done anything to stop that from happening."

"I still don't want to bind her powers. I leave her defenseless if I do," Robert said.

"Then we have to make sure she just doesnt do that," Michael said simply.

"Easier said than done," Robert said.

"Thats okay. I like challenges," Michael said.

Jess nodded at Robert " yes, on both and he wasn't bit, not that I found. " she said as Steven set to repairing the broken window soon it was as if nothing happened to it and he walked over to Robert his wand slipped back in its holder at his side. He heard Jess talk of Jack and looked at Brian breathing out his own held breath. Cassidy walked up pausing at Jess's and Jacks room before heading to Khaat's.

" hes long gone " she told them " possibly he was being opportunistic" she said glancing at the now unbroken window " lees men are doubling the guard and hes screening the men again to make sure."

"Then there may be very little more that we can do for now," Robert said, just as the power went out throughout the house. Robert looked around. "How did that happen?" he asked.

"They're on muggle utiities here," Edward said. "No doubt some nonsensical American governmental policy or something equally as stupid.

"Idiots," Michael sighed. He and Robert and Edward flicked their wands at the same time providing some magical light in the lamps for now. From on the bed, Brian groaned very softly.

"Speaking of idiots," Edward said. Edward wasn't happy with Brian and what he had seen the young man do. "Your second is not very well schooled on fighting werewolves or giants either one, Robert. I might have to take the boy back to school for a bit."

"You can brief me later," Robert said. "I did not teach him to be stupid, that's for sure." Brian only woke for a split second and drifted off to sleep. Robert knew that was Brian's concussion. He hadn't expected him to wake that soon anyway.

Jess moved to Brian and checked him topping up the pain spell and his energy she saw him sleep again and nodded to Robert that he was ok. She heard a loud groan from Jack in the other room and looked back at Robert a she rolled her eyes as he staggered into the room.

"Okay, who was the driver that hit me and what was he driving a semi?" he asked sitting down in a chair. Jess walked over to him and shook her head.

" and you think Brian's stubborn. " she said easing the pain in Jacks head a little.