Marriage is Murder

MIchael and Edward took Khaat upstairs and returned her to bed. Edward lifted the sleep spell and stepped out of her eyesight before she woke. Michael sat beside the bed, determined to stay for a bit.

Angus stepped in to make fresh tea and coffee and to set out lunch. He had made all the preparations for an Asian steak salad. He had presliced some thin slices of steak and he cooked them expertly and quickly while he mixed the homemade dressing on the salad and served it in large salad bowls, topping the salads with the steak slices and some crunchy toppings. He floated them to the table with bottles of soda and loaves of crusty bread. He took some fresh apple slices, made a pie filling and tossed it into a refrigerated pie crust and folded the edges into a rustic tart and tossed it in the oven, making a honey caramel glaze for the top when it came out of the oven.

"It isn't fancy, but it is food," Angus announced. "Come and eat."

Upstairs, Khaat woke slowly, groggily. She looked, expectin to see Brian there, but finding someone else. She had to stop and think. Who did they say he was? He was some sort of family. And then she remembered. He was the one who had been with her at the hotel.

"Good morning," he smiled. "Its going to be a lovely day." He opened the curtains to let in the morning sun. "Would you like a couple of extra pillows before I go get your tea?" She nodded. He put a couple of pillows behind her back to sit her up just a bit. "Is there anything you need right now?" he asked. She shook her head no. "Then, if you'll be alright, I'll go get your tea." She nodded and he went downstairs to get it for her.

Robert and Brian gathered their most trusted staff, took the into their confidence and got their help. The four of them worked together to return things to normal at the hospital. When the worst of it was over, Robert's secretary suggested Robert go home and get some much needed sleep. Robert and Brian returned just as Angus had the lunch table ready.

"Oh good. I'm starving," Robert said. "Steak salad? Looks wonderful. Let's eat." He and Brian tossed off their coats and headed to the table. Robert saw Michael coming downstairs. "Is she alright?" Robert asked.

"Not a scratch and blissfully unaware," Michael said. "I'm going to get her tea for her."

"Wait," Brian said. "I'll add her potion. Same dose, Robert?"

"Until I see her for myself, yes," Robert said. Brian prepared the tea mug and handed it to Michael, who took it back upstairs.

Jess, jack , Jim and Steven moved to the kitchen and smelt the food Jess smiled " smells wonderful Angus " she said moving to sit with Jack her shoulder now throbbed a little as she sat down poring some tea and taking a sip. Jack did the same he'd washed his hands and changed his shirt as had the others.

" how do you work so fast Angus and make a wonderful meal" Steven said " you got to give me your secret " he chuckled as he also pored some tea and took some salad and began to eat realizing just how hungry he was.

"Prep work," Angus laughed. "I keep ahead of my prep work so that I always have something to put a meal together in a hurry. The dressing is an Asian dressing that has a bit of Hoisin sauce in it. Should give it a cross between an Asian flavor and a bit of barbeque."

"Its quite nice," Robert said. "I like the touch of sesame oil you added."

"You noticed that, huh?" Angus laughed.

"Robert does have a rather discriminating palate," Michael said. "Your flavors in your dressing are well balanced. Well done for a spur of the moment lunch. Robert--not to intrude into your care of your daughter, but I do have a rather rare cookbook that I did not think I had the need for, other than its monetary value. However, it does seem to have a section that may interest us. It has a chapter noting the cook's involvment in the treatment of victims of Nuremgard and their near starvation conditions. He's got a very interesting recipe for a very smooth drinkable rice cereal to help soothe the stomach and encourage nutrition, as well as a rather complex fruit drink that would give her some variety and add some much needed vitamin content."

"I heard there was something that was done for those people, but I hadn't been able to find the book" Robert said. "Of course you'd end up with it. Why was I surprised? Might I see it?"

"Certainly," Michael said, drawing out a book from his pocket that he'd shrunken to less than a third of an inch tall. He floated it to Robert who picked the tiny book out of the air.

"Surely it didn't come to you this size," Robert scowled.

"No, but I suggest halfsize or you might clear everyone's lunch off the table," Michael said.

"Very well," Robert said. He laid the book on the floor instead and resized it just to letter size and then picked it up. He opened the book to where Michael had placed the red satin bookmark and began to read the recipes.

"Reading? At the table?" Kate frowned.

"For a moment," Robert said. "Its not intended to be rudeness." Brian was about to take another bite of his salad when he heard a soft sound from upstairs. He immediately got up. Since there were no children upstairs, he decided to check. He excused himself and went upstairs.

When he got up to the bedroom, he found Khaat on the floor not far from the bed. She was trying to pull herself up, He simply went over to her.

"Can I help?" he asked, crouching beside her. She looked just confused. "Whats the matter? Frustrated because your legs wont hold you?" he asked. She nodded. "Pain in the ass, isn't it?" he smiled slightly. She nodded. "Would you like to be downstairs with everyone else?" he asked. She shook her head no, frightened by being center stage in a room full of strangers. He smiled. "I have an idea. Give me a few minutes and I'l be back. Okay?" She nodded. "Until then, let's get you up off the floor. Its cold on the floor." He picked her up and returned her to bed and covered her. He couldn't resist kissing her forehead. "You have no idea how glad I am that you're alright," he said softly. "I'll be back."

He went back down to the table and sat down.

"Everything ok?" Michael asked.

"She's restless already," Brian laughed.

"She's curious," Robert said. "All she remembers seeing is the hotel room and that bedroom."

"I know. I have a plan for that," Brian smiled. "You lot able to decorate this house for Christmas? I know its a big shift from this morning,but it might do us all good, including her."

"What are you planning?" Robert frowned.

"She's still the lady of this house. She deserves a chance to see it, don't you think?" Brian asked.

"As long as you don't overwhelm her, yes," Robert said. "And those recipes are certainly worth a try, Michael. With her potions added to them, she might well tolerate them. I will check her after lunch and see if her potions need to be recalculated. I expect those will need almost daily adjustments."

Jess and Jack smiled " of course we can" they said Steven smiled and nodded to Brian as he ate Jim chuckled and nodded.

"Business as normal" he said softly as he too ate the meal loving every bite. Jess sat making mental notes on what they had to do.

" Jack and Jim could get the tree I can't do too much but I can help with the decoration" she said smiling Jack nodded as did Steven. Jim looked up and chuckled again.

" I'll gt any other decorations you'll need " he said and they all started talking about how to decorate the living room.

Brian finally had something to be excited about again. He wasn't interested any more in lunch. "Could she have spiced cider, Robert?"

"I see no reason why not," Robert said. "The apple juice wouldn't upset her stomach. Not if we're careful, and it might well feels comforting to her. Angus?" Angus turned to Michael.

"Your cider is what she remembered from her childhood. Do you mind?" he asked.

"It would be my pleasure," Michael said. "If you make sugar cookies."

"If you make cookies, do make the very soft ones. Or a batch of them," Robert said. "She might be able to play with one, a nibble at a time. If it wasn't iced."

"A dusting of sanding sugar, perhaps? Or powdered sugar?" Angus asked.

"If its light, yes," Robert said. "We can try it. But very, very carefully." Brian didn't wait on any more. He got up and went upstairs to the bedroom. He went into Khaat's closet and found a pair of her slipper socks and a warm fluffy pink robe. He made sure she had the slippers and the robe so she wouldn't chill.

"I think that's the happiest I've seen him in weeks," Kate smiled after Brian had dashed off upstairs.

"Indeed," Robert laughed.

Brian simply picked her up and carried her. He took her on a tour of the house. He started with the bathroom that adjoined to their master suite and their large walk in closets. When he took her into hers, she stopped him, unable to take in all that he said was hers. She clutched his shirt. She looked up into his face, and he looked at her. He flicked a finger at a small pad of paper and a pen and accio'd it to her. She wrote a note.

"Did I marry you for money?" she asked. He smiled. It was a good question.

"No," he said. "You didnt' need to. We both had plenty of money of our own. It might sound cliche, but we truly did marry for love. Nothing more."

"Did we still love each other?"

"Very much," he said gently. "That isn't going to change."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn' ask."

"Yes," he corrected. "Yes you should. Its fine."

Jess finished her food and so did Jack he headed up to the storage room and brought all the decorations down and in no time Jess was making them float up into place the garlands strung across the front of the fireplace and the tree sitting in a corner as the lights strung themselves around it . Jess even hummed as she placed candles of gold and red on the fir place and a gold start over the fire . long streamers that the kids had made strung from one corner to the other holding lanterns that gave the room a warm glow and a spiced apple fragrance. Steven held some baubles and then started to hang them one by one.

Brian took Khaat through the house showing her the upstairs first. Angus and Michael cleared away the lunch dishes, and Michael began to make spiced cider while Angus made the soft sugar cookies. Robert began to do paperwork to take care of the necessary follow up from the deaths of the werewolves. There was always paperwork for him to do on those things.

Kate went to their bedroom and found some decorations for the nursery and the playroom. Sugarplum decorations for the girls' nursery, Snowflakes and blue decorations for the boys' nursery, and gingerbread decorations for the playroom. The kids were old enough to start to enjoy Christmas and she wanted them to enjoy it to the fullest. She set about decorating the rooms herself. The Christmas decorating was a good idea. It made everyone refocus off all the fear and death and onto something of hope.

Brian took Khaat down to the basement and showed her the gym and the pool and the rec room. He took her finally to the main floor and showed her around, saving the living room and kitchen and dining rooms for last.

By the time they reached there, she was tiring. She had laid her head on his chest. She was still awake and still trying to take it all in. It was stunning. It was making her think. She was married to an excessively wealthy man, and he seemed to love her. She wanted desperately to remember.

When she saw everyone busy with Christmas lights, she wasn't sure how she felt. She felt like she was intruding here where he had been with some other woman. Like she didn't belong. He saw her looking at all of the splendor of the house itself along with the added splendor of Christmas and then felt her looking at him.

"I have never, never been here with anyone else but you," he told her softly. "That woman you think you see is nothing more than your own influences. I swear. How about just sitting with me a bit?" He took her to a big soft oversized chair and sat there, merely letting her sit on his lap as she laid against him just watching everyone and resting. She seemed to relax a bit, and he was going to let her just enjoy it. As they sat quietly, Michael brought in a tray of mugs with hot cider. He put the tray on the coffee table and put two mugs over near Brian--one for Brian and one for Khaat. "Thank you, Michael," Brian said softly, contented to just wrap his arms around her and hold her. He hadnt been sure that he would ever be able to do this again, and he wasn't going to lose this moment.

Jess paused in decorating smiling at Khaat as Brian brought her in to the room Jack smiled too placing the last light on the tree before walking over he took two cups from the tray he handed one to Jess and sat down " its good to see you up " he told Khaat "we're nearly done in here I think Kate's decorating the kids rooms " he said Jim had already headed up to help Kate with the decorations.

"Want some help?" Steven asked as he picked up a cookie decoration and pinned it to the wall. " The kids will love this" he said making a string of decorations float and stay against the roof. " I think the apple ciders ready Kate " he said.

"I can smell that cider all the way up here. Thanks for the help. I think the kids will understand at least the basics of Christmas this year. I'd like them to enjoy it. And its something Khaat would have done if she were feeling better. Oh, that reminds me. I need to go into Diagon Alley for some fresh flowers. Brian has not missed one day of surrounding Khaat with fresh flowers--not when they were both home--since the day he brought her and Abbey home when Abbey was born. I think I'd like him to not break that tradition. We perhaps should get some Christmas plants. Poinsettias, Amaryllis, Christmas cactus, that sort of thing. Do you think you'd have a hard time shifting out of being big strong warriors into fetching some flowers for Khaat's room and some Christmas plants to put throughout the house? It might take more than a couple of you. Do you mind?"

Downstairs, Brian said, "Thank you. The tree and the lights all look great." She shivered and he immediately flicked his fingers at the fireplace to start the fire. She looked at it and at him, amazed. She wanted to go look for elecrical wires to explain it, but if he were telling her the truth, there wouldn't be any. "Do I smell cookies?" Brian asked.

"You do," Michael said. "Angus is making some of those soft sugar cookies with just sanding sugar on them. Give him a minute and we can all have one."

"It smells great." He looked at Khaat. "How's your stomach? Can you try a sip of cider? You do need the fluids. Michael's cider has always been one of your favorites." He picked up the mug and slowly fed her a tiny sip. She thought there was something very distantly familiar in it but nothing specific. She could understand why it had been one of her favorites. It was the first thing she wanted more of. "Slowly," he said softly. "Let's not overwhelm you. You can have all you want. I promise. Slowly, though." He fed her another tiny sip. "You tell me if it upsets your stomach, okay?" he asked. She nodded. So far, it was alright.

Steven smiled and nodded " Kate of course we'll go " he said and chuckled " I'm ok with it though Jack might be a wear out of water " he said and chuckled " I'll go right now " he said and aperated out to the alley. Jess smiled seeing Khaat drink some Cider at the mention of cookies Jack looked up at Angus but Jess chuckled.

"Jack, behave yourself " she said and he looked like a scolded little boy with a pout making both Jim and Jess chuckle at the look on his face.

" but there sooo good , especially Angus's" he said moving close to Jess who sighed and shook her head but Jack chuckled to. " not even just one?" he asked.

" ok only if Angus says its ok" she told him and smiled as she looked at Khaat " he loves cookies, he just does" she said smiling as she watched him go to the kitchen and return with a cookie and a look of a cat that had got the cream.