Marriage is Murder

Michael looked at Edward. "How much beer have you got?"

"How much do you need?" Edward frowned.

"A round or three," Michael said.

"He's not been drinking beer," Edward frowned.

"I know," Michael grinned. "Can we have it please?"

"Indeed," Edward said. "I'll send for it." Robert took strong strides over to Brain and shouted sharply and quickly for Brian to shap to attention. Brian was drunk enough that he had forgotten he was sitting on the wall around the compound. He snapped up, as if to jump to his feet, and fell off the wall onto the sand below. "Idiot," Robert sighed softly, looking over to see the figure sprawled on the sand. He watched to see if Brian was hurt or not. Brian appeared to be more put out by the cigarette burn he'd gotten on his neck when he'd landed in the sand. Robert watched him stagger to his feet and turn around to look and see why it had been so far down.

Steven and Jack watched and stood stunned as Brian fell off both ran over and chuckled as they saw him laid out on the sand. " did I ever act like that?" Jack asked and Steven chuckled again,

" only when you've had half a bottle of fire whiskey" Steven said and Jack shook his head

" oow, ouch" he said and chuckled " um Robert want us to get him?" Jack asked as he sat down on the wall looking down at Brian below him.

"You'd probably better," Robert sighed. "He'll splinch himself if he tries to apparate back up here, and he'll fall on his ass if he tries to climb it."

Michael had a plan of his own. He intended to get enough beer and pump a couple of rounds of it into Brian. He knew firewhiskey didn't mix with beer. He fully intended on Brian getting drunk enough to pass out early. He wasn't going to try to reason with a drunk. He'd wait and get a far more honest and faster response from Brian in his hungover state in the morning.

One of Angus's brothers brought out a large steel washtub full of bottles of beer on ice and set it down on the ground in the compound courtyard near some outdoor chairs. Michael picked up a bottle of beer, popped the top on it and sat down to wait.

Jack chuckled and aperated down to Brian. Walking over he sighed " ok mate let go " he said carefully he moved over to Brian and took his arm holding him as he aperated back up to the courtyard with him and walked him over to the chairs. " ok here's a seat for you to sit in" he said sitting him down and seeing Steven sit facing Brian. Jack sat down looking at the beer then at Robert. " your planning on getting him drunk as a skunk aren't you?" he asked chuckling " Can't say we both didn't see that coming, but oow he'll have one hell of a hang over with this lot."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Michael said with a perfectly straight face. Of course he intended to get him drunk. He picked up a bottle of beer and popped the top and handed it to Brian. Robert picked up a beer for himself and sat down on the other side of Brian.

"You want to talk about it?" Robert asked. Brian didn't reply. He took a large slug out of the beer bottle and lit a cigarette. Michael kept a careful watch on Brian's hands to be sure he didn't set himself on fire instead.

"Why is a man having a beer an international incident?" Brian mumbled.

"Try that ale again, Son," Michael said. "Did you pick up on those winter spices in this? I like the microbrewers, don't you? They make the best seasonal ales."

"What winter spice?" Brian frowned at the bottle.

"Its there," Michael lied. "Try again. Nice orange afternotes there."

"Definitely," Edward said, joining them with a bottle as well. "Why do you think I bought it?" Brian took another large swig to test it.

Jack and Steven picked up a bottle each too and chuckled as they opened it as Robert began talking they just agreed " ow yeah nice and warming" Jack lied as he downed a mouth full "Humm lovely" he said and looked at Steven who had took a sip of his and chuckled softly.

" yeah its there, go on try again." he said looking to Michael and Robert then back at Brian as he slowly shook his head. Jack finished his first bottle and picked up a second knowing he could handle the alcohol.Popping the top he smiled at Robert feeling this had a long way to go.

"Don't worry take much more than this." he said smiling

"Why didn't you just kill the bastards?" Michael asked him.

"Shut up," Brian muttered, mumbling.

"You mean you wouldnt have enjoyed using an avada kedavra or three?" Edward asked.

"Shut it," Brian said, drinking some more.

"So that's it, then. You're no better than Dent was?" Robert asked. "Leaving her with not one child but five?"

"She has all you lot. And I'm leaving her everything," he said. "She's not alone."

"Your children are!" Robert fired off angrily. "She doesn't bloody remember them! You walk away and they have nothing!"

"They have nothing now!" he shouted back.

"You sorry, self-pitying sadsack," Robert said bitterly. "I train you for over 20 years and this is it? This is all you've got?"

"Yep," Brian replied, unwilling to fight. "This is it."

Jack sat listening the more he listened the harder he gripped his bottle until it smashes spraying beer all over the ground, he looked at Robert then at Brian. His anger was growing with every word Brian said. " then why didn't you just let her die?" he said looking right at him " why go to all the trouble of having us fight for her and find her, your not a loser and you still in that heart of yours love her, " he looked at Robert " sorry but if he says one more thing I'm decking him, no body talks about Khaat that way drunk or not , she's not something to drop when the going gets tough , if I was like that I would not have Jess and the kids and I would be dead buy your hand. " he growled as Steven touched his shoulder.

"Hey calm down " he said and sighed as he made Jack sit back in the chair.

"Steady," Michael looked at Jack. He was not wanting a fight. Brian wasn't going to make sense while he was drinking.

"You think you can win all your life by punching the shit out of everything?" Brian asked Jack, not looking at him, but instead, looking into the beer bottle, still looking for the winter spice he wasnt' finding. "Somebody someday is going to beat the daylights out of you if you go about believing you're so damned unbeatable, Jack. But its not going to be me. If you're lucky, whoever it is that beats you into a pulp will be kind enough to leave Jess and your kids alive."

Robert motioned to Jack to stay seated. He was keeping an eye on Brian. The beer was starting to kick in a bit. Brian finished the first bottle and picked up a second.

"There are no damned spices in here," he snarled. "Bunch of liars." He took a big drink out of the second beer. Robert kept a straight face, but he glanced at Michael. Both men knew that the firewhiskey was just starting to mix with the beer. They didn't expect Brian to be arguing much longer.

Jack growled but Steven shook his head Jack watched and heard Robert and noticed how Brian was acting. " If he could, he' be a better man that you. " he said in response but stayed put as he picked up another bottle and downed it nodding to Robert he understood and would not act on Brian's words. Steven looked at Robert and Michael.

" ow seems that horse has a kick now. " he said and smiled as he took a second drink from his first bottle. He sat and watched Brian " won't be long until its knocked over" he said and chuckled softly he looked to Jack.