Marriage is Murder

"Thank you," Khaat said softly. Her mother put a tea mug in front of her and a platter of Jims scones.

"Those look good," Kate said. "You did a fine job with them, Jim. And thank you all for the quick job freshening up the place."

"Why here?" Khaat asked very softly.

"Would you rather go home?" Kate asked her.

"No," she said very quickly.

"Well, and you still need your father's help. So, it seems to me that its easier for you both if you were just down the road from your children and across the hall from your father," Kate said. "Eat something." She pointed to the scones.

Khaat picked up a scone and broke off small bites as she sipped the tea. She was tired already of looking like a phantom.

"You could take that veil off," her mother said.

"Oh, great choice," Khaat sighed. "A phantom or a mummy. Got an invisibility cloak someplace?"

"Sorry," Kate shrugged. "We're fresh out. You'll have to deal with being with us."

Jim smiled as Kate complimented his scones " ah thats Margarets doing she taught me how to cook" he said and smiled as Khaat took one even eating small pieces to him was good. Jack looked at Kate as he spoke.

"we'll leave when your settled and after a final check men are stationed around but you won't see them " he said and smiled at Khaat " your among friends Khaat " he told her " its fine with us " he took a cup of coffee and stood with Jim taking a cone as well and eating it.

"I know," Khaat said, "I appreciate it. This isn't because of any of you. Really. I just cant frighten my children. They're used to me being away on business. They're not used to thinking that I'm dead and I'm a ghost. Abbey has seen just enough in her young lifetime that this confuses her. I dont' need her to think I'm dead or to be frightened by me. And I don't want to be a burden to anyone."

"Burden?" Kate scowled. "You're our child. You would never be a burden to your father or me. Not ever."

"I was thinking of alternatives, you know," Khaat said softly. "Just for a couple days."

"I don't care," Kate said, not paying atention to her daughter's other options. "Your father and I want you home where you belong. You have rooms here. You will always have rooms here. Use them. Eat and then go unpack. You need to keep your hands busy a bit. Or try. Your brain goes to odd places when you're left to your own devices. Go talk to Remus's portrait. He's missed you."

"I have a copy at home," Khaat said.

"And we have the original and you've ignored it. Go appease it so it stops shouting for your father, Dear. Eat first and then go do that. Oh, Jim. When you get a chance. Archangel is much better. He's in the barn. He's doing some sort flights again. He would enjoy visiting Khaat. Are any of you brave enough to go get him and let him into the house? He still has some muscle spasms and he can be a bit nippy, but he's trying to not do that," Kate said.

Jack listened and sighed shaking his head Jim chuckled and nodded to Kate " I'll get Steven on it he has a way with that bird " he told her placing fresh scones on a cooling wire before heading back to the main ranch to find steven who was sat at the chess table looking at agame he and jess were in the middle of " Kate would like archangel " he said and chuckled " ow tough move" he said as Steven nodded and stood up aperating to the farm and the barn.

"Wanna go see Khaat? " He asked, the bird gawked at him and snapped twice before settling down. " ok ok we're going" he told him and let him sit on his shoulder as he walked up to the house and inside " looks whos here Kate" he said placing arch on his perch " hows Khaat?" steven asked

"Thank you," Kate said, going over to pet the beautiful eagle. He screeched at her as she petted him. She ran her fingers over one of his thigh muscles and felt that it was spasming rather badly. "Still hurts, huh?" She got a treat out of her pocket that held a bit of a pain reduction powder in it and fed it to him. He didnt' notice the taste of the potion and ate the treat eagerly. "Good boy," she said. "Khaat's fine, Steven," Kate said. "She's just being very protective of her children. I know she's thought of going off by herself until the bandages come off but thats just not an option. She'll be alright once we get her settled. My stratgety is just to keep her busy until she gets tired. And, lets face it, a new surgical patient gets tired quickly and easily."

Steven nodded as he listened to Kate " I know how that is remember" he said and tapped his head as he smiled. " Good thing, the children are all happy and playing with I left. " he told her " it does seem to be Abby whose picked up on it a lot more than Dakota or the others." he picked up a scone "Good scones" he said and saw Jack smiling " Jim?" he asked and Jack nodded he just shrugged his shoulders and ate more of it. He looked at arch and sighed " he wants to fly but his wings still hurt " he told her " poor arch he's so not an indoor bird " he said pouring a cup of coffee.

"As long as he's with Khaat, he doesn't care if he's outside or inside," Kate said. "I think I'll take him to Khaat." Kate put him on her shoulder and took him in to Khaat. When Khaat saw Archangel, it was a deep relief for her. She hadn't seen him since he'd been almost killed defending her, and he looked almost normal again. And he knew her immediately, veil or not. He left Kate's shoulder and glided to Khaat, landing on her shoulder and nuzzling the veil to nuzzle the side of her head. Khaat reached up and petted him.

"I missed you too," Khaat said softly to him. He was determined to just keep nuzzling her and demanding her attention. Khaat broke off a piece of her scone and fed it to him. He liked it well enough to screech in her ear about wanting more.

Jack followed and smiled as he saw Arch with Khaat he folded his arms across his chest and turned back to the living room wo wait for Kate to return. grabbing a scone he headed out to patrol the area of the farm and to check the pygmy puffs and make sure they were still all in the pens. Steven stood in the kitchen and cleaned it up after Jim's cooking then he moved to sit down in the living room his hands held a small cup of coffee as he thought about the were boy and why he would have such a small vial on him.

Khaat finished her scone and her tea and got up, the eagle still on her shoulder and she retreated to her suite of rooms. The same suite of rooms that Remus had had. Khaat knew that the rooms that had survived the fire had had to be throughly cleaned. She didn't smell her uncle here anymore. It was necessary. But it was just one more reminder of distance from him. She picked up a shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders. She found a bottle of her uncle's old turkish cologne and opened it just to get the smell back in the room.

"Ew," the portrait wrinkled its nose. "That is so old, it's rank. Throw it out."

"No," she said softly. The eagle flew over to the chair closes to the window and pecked at it, wishing she would open it to get rid of the foul smell.

"Oh for God's sake. Get a fresh bottle if you need that smell again. Its not like its expensive, Khaat," the Remus in the portrait said.

"It doesn't smell like you anymore," she said softly

"Well, I hope to hell I never smelled like this!" he said sharply. "Keep that bottle open and I'll have to go sit in that picnic portrait your mother has in the living room."

Jack walked around and smelt the strong smell from one of the rooms he walked in and tried to find the room soon as he did he sneezed loudly " sorry that smell is... potent" he said and looked at the portrait on the wall " yours I'm guessing " he said and moved to open the window slightly, only a little . " Khaat its not good to dwell on the past I know what harm it can do" he told her and moved to the door again " we're here if you just want to talk." he said and headed to the living room.