Marriage is Murder

Khaat assembled a few more pieces into the puzzle. She was wondering if she had always been so slow and stupid. Brian had showed her photos of her, when she was healthier. Not so thin. And she had been at work. In a hospital, in a restaurant, and he said she was the chief judge of the highest wizarding court in England. Surely, then, she could not be as stupid and slow as she felt now. And surely she had not been mute all her life. Had she ever done magic? Brian said she had. He had shown her her wand. Why could she not even assemble a jigsaw puzzle without it taking her time and struggle? Why could she not remember? She had a million questions.

Downstairs, Kate felt Khaat's frustrations rising. The questions were mounting. "Restlessness," Kate sighed. "I hadn't expected it this soon."

"She is far too much like Remus," Michael sighed. He heard a tapping at the window. He flicked his finger and opened the window. Archangel glided in and over to his shoulder. There was an awkard wad of parchment in his talons. The wad of parchment was magically sealed to keep it from opening. A hasty wrapping job at best. "Thank you, Archangel," Michael petted the bird and took the wad of paper. Kate whistled for the bird and it gladly glided to her, always glad to see the woman who had raised him and trained him.

"What is it, Michael?" Kate asked.

"Someone sent me a package in a hurry. Not sure how that bloody bird got it, but it looks like the work of a friend of mine who frequents some of the unsavory parts of muggle London." Michael undid the binding charm and opened the wad of paper. "Oh dear God," Michael gasped softly, looking into the paper.

"Michael?" Kate was almost alarmed by the tone in his voice.

"Kate," Michael said, stunned and confused, "Look." He reached into the crumpled parchment and picked up something and lifted it up. Pinched between his index finger and his thumb was the one of a kind, stunningly massive set of diamonds and emeralds that Khaat had worn for the two years. The enormous engagement ring, the equally as large wedding ring and the custom designed ring guard that tied them together and made them look like one huge, breathtaking ring. There was no duplicate set. Nothing like it. Brian had taken painstaking steps to make sure that his statement of his love to his bride was like none other on the planet.

"Oh God," Kate gasped. She got up immediately and went over to Michael. "Michael, tell me they're real." Michael looked carefully over the rings. Even the inscriptions on the inside of the bands were exact. Down to the engagement rings nearly microscopic imperfection in its inscription.

"Kate, these are completely real. The stones are real. The rings are real. These are hers. No question whatsoever," he said softly. "My friend risked his life to get these to me. Clearly."

"Michael," she said, deeply moved. ""I will pay your friend whatever he asks...."

"He will want nothing Not money anyway," Michael said. "Will it help?"

"Yes. I believe it will. Let's give them to Brian. He should return them to her himself," Kate said. "They came from him originally. They need to go back to her from him. He needs to put them back on her hand where they belong herself."

"Agreed," Michael said. "I'll check them for any dark magic, to be safe and I'll clean them up for her. I want them to be stunning."

"They've always been stunning," Kate smiled. "But thank you." Archangel tugged on her hair as if to remind her that it had been he who had brought them. "Alright, alright. Go see Angus for a treat. You've earned it," she laughed. "Leave my hair, please." The bird flew into the kitchen, screeching, perching on the end of the countertop, demanding a treat for a job well done.

"You again?" Angus laughed at the bird. "Cassidy, he's mooching for a treat. Will you give him one?"

"Spend more time with him," Angus said to Cassidy. "Khaat has a magical fetch toy. You should take him out and play fetch with him sometime."

Robert and Brian had retreated to the privacy of Robert's massive library at the farm. When Robert had released Brian's private torment and had provided him the fatherly guidance and support to help him straighten out his thinking and to find his way through all the fear and all the self condemnation and all the doubt, Robert turned Brian back to his true nature--to courage, to strength, and to his tremendous love for Khaat and his children. He had left him sleep awhile. Brian had ended up sleeping, stretched out on the sofa, his head on Robert's leg. He just hadn't had the ability to resist anyore.

Robert had let him sleep. Brian was emotionally exhausted. Robert accio'd a couple of potions and had mixed them while he sat on the sofa with Brian. One potion was to simplhy soothe his rattled son. The other was one to refresh his energy and renew himself a bit. When Brian woke, Robert got him to take it. Robert's next step was a bit of coaching to help him be able to go back feeling like the leader that Robert knew he was.

Upstairs, Khaat had worked steadily with Jack at the puzzle, until her head began to hurt too badly. She had tired, and she found herself laying on the bed beside the puzzle, feet on the pillows, her head at the foot of the bed next to the puzzle. She had finally fallen asleep out of her own weakness, but the puzzle had been almost complete when she'd fallen asleep.

Robert and Brian came back as smells of dinner that night filled the house. Chicken breasts cooked in an apricot sauce with a beautiful risotto on the side, a selection of fresh sauteed vegetables, a salad, and the peppermint ice cream and the sugar cookies they'd made.

One look at Brian told Kate that he was immensely better He was much more like himself again. He was tired, but better. She brought him a mug of French roast quietly. "Thank you, Kate," he said. "How's Khaat?"

"Fine, so far as I know," Kate smiled.

"Brian," Michael called quietly. "I got a package while you were gone that belongs to you." Brian turned and went to Michael. Michael put the rings in his hand. Brian looked at them wide eyed and studied them for a second. Then he looke at Michael

"Thank you," Brian said.

"A puzzle, huh? Well, it gave her something to concentrate on. Good. And she's sleeping now. Good. That's very good. Brian, I'd like you to help Khaat try just a small serving of solid food tonight. Dont push, but do let her try. Try stopping any nausea the very second it hits, if you can. I can only hold her on liquids for so long."

"Okay," Brian said, a bit nervous about her making such a huge leap from liquids to foods. If she were muggle, this step would be weeks down the road.

"Give her just a straight dose of potion before she eats," Robert said. "Lets try. Slow and gentle is the trick, I think."

"I'll place the order for her tray and then go up," Brian said.

"Go on up. I'll take care of orderin the tray myself," Robert said. Brian put her rings in his pocket. He went upstairs and saw Jack with her.

"Thank you for staying with her. I think I've got it now," Brian said to Jack. "No trouble?"

"You're working harder than he is at that," Robert called. "Just throw the toy. The idea is for him to go after it and bring it back to you. Throw it up in the air and it will fly. Toss it in the water, and it will swim. Toss it underhanded on the ground and it will scoot across the ground like a ground animal. It mocks prey. Its a hunting game. You don't want him to think you're the prey, do you? Stand still."

"I'm fine," Brian said to Jack. "Thank you." When Jack left, Brian went over and gently woke her up. She was so deeply relieved to see him that she threw her arms around him and clung to him. He hugged her. "I'm sorry," he said. "It wasn't you. It was me. I felt that you needed someone better." She looked at him confused. Didn't he love her? He saw the look in her eyes. "Do I love you?" he said softly. "You have no idea whatsoever how very very much I love you. There has never, not once, been anyone else. And there won't be." He kissed her softly. "My life is here. With you. With our kids. No matter what."

She now found herself doubting herself, withdrawing. She wasn't pretty. Not anymore. She was mute. And she had no past whatsoever. Not that she knew of. He caught her cheek with his hand and drew her to look at him.

"Together," he told her. "Trust me. We can do this together. I promise. Do you really think you can regain yourself alone?" She shook her head. "Then, you're not out anything to let me help you, are you?" she finally agreed. He decided to wait on giving her the rings until after dinner. For the right moment.

Angus finished fixing dinner and served it. He called them all to dinner and prepared a tray for Khaat and Brian and delivered it upstairs himself. Brian didn't have any trouble getting her to take her potion.

When Angus came upstairs to colected the tray after dinner and to bring them dessert, he found Brian had taken the chance to get her up and make her comfortable on the sofa in the bedroom. She had wanted the photo album again, and she was looking at it, studying it, trying desperately to remember something. Anything. Brian told Angus that he would send the dessert tray downstairs himself and that neither of them would be needing anything more for the night. Angus understood. Brian wanted some private time with her.