Marriage is Murder

The flowers were beautiful. It seemed like there were always fresh cut flowers in the house. Surely not everyone did that. Greenhouse? They had a greenhouse? She tried to look towards the yard to see if she could see it.

"There really is a greenhouse," Brian said. "And a barn, and, some magical animals, and well, all sorts of things. He's right. It might be nice if you could see it."

A greenhouse, a barn...so this was a farm? And wait...magical animals? She picked up the paper and wrote "What animals?"

"Your father's hippogryff, a pair of unicorns, a ridiculous number of pygmy puffs..."

"Oh, and a pair of cornish pixies I found last night," Angus said.

"Pixies?" Robert frowned. "I hope you caged the little buggars well. They're a bloody pain, they are. They're liable to turn the barn completely upside down. Literally. Not to mention that they'll piss off the hippogryff immensely if they aggravate him."

Khaat was totally lost. Unicorns were about the only thing she understood of that. These things were real? They really existed? She wanted to see them.

"Can I see?" she wrote.

"Of course," Robert said. "Its your barn. Why not?"

Jack chuckled at the mention of the pixies and Steven rolled his eyes. " so that's why he was acting so put out he kept mentioning some thing about a pest that should be eradicated, now I know what it was" he said ad chuckled once again as he moved to the fire. " its a bit col out there Robert, its actually snowed while we have been inside might want to wait until morning" he said as he warmed by the fire once more. Jess stood up and walked to the window and pulled back the curtain a little .

" ow my it has the would place it white, come see" she said " looks like we might get a white Christmas if it holds" she said hoping for the kids sake it would do just that.

Her curiosity was more powerful than the fear of snow. She pointed to the window. She wanted to see. Her father got up to get her new wheelchair so she could go to the window.

"That won't be necessary," Brian said, believing she was capable of walking the couple of steps, with help. He stood up and reached down for her. "Hands on my shoulders," he reminded her.

"Are you out of your mind?" Robert frowned. He didn't see any medical possibility of her even standing, much less walking. Brian had his hands on her ribcage and she had her hands on his shoulders.

"Nope," Brian said, "Don't think so. Alright, Khaat. Slowly now. With me. Concentrate." He helped her to her feet and very, very slowly helped her to the window. He was stil completely supportin her entire body weight, but with his very considerable help, she could manage it. Robert was dumbfounded. "Take a look," Brian told her softly. She looked out over the view. It looked like the most beautifully landscaped grounds she'd ever seen. She saw some sort of line of lights in the woods in the distance, a greenhouse, several other log homes, a large barn, and some other buildings. It was a lovely village.

"Its not a village," her mother picked up on her daughter's thoughts. "This is all yours. Yours and Brian. This is just your private estate." She looked at her mother and then at Brian. Brian was rich?

Jess smiled as she saw her stand and walk to the window with Brian's help she looked to Robert " that's a good sign" she said in more of a question than anything else. cassidy moved close to Khaat and wiped the window clean of condensation.

"That cabin is where Steven and I stay , that one is where Jess and Jack stay" she said smiling " Jim goes back to his farm when he need to other wise he stays in the guest room here" Steven slipped his arm around Cassidys waist pulling her closer to him.

"Its bloody impossible," Robert said quietly. He didn't know how the hell she was doing it. He simply stood back to watch as Brian and Cassidy explained the estate to her. Khaat made a gesture to Brian to ask him if all this was really his.

"Not just mine. Ours," he said. "Everything I have is yours. It always has been. We've always shared everything. It was the animals, wasn't it? Got your curiosity up?" She nodded. "You aren't exactly ready for it, and its awfully cold. Could we wait til tomorrow?" She shook her head no. She wanted to go today, but then her knees buckled on her. She clutched tight to Brian, afraid of falling. "I've got you," he said calmly. He had always had her. She had not been in any real danger of falling. "Definitely not today," he said. "Thats' enough. Come rest." He took her back to sit down. By then she was starting to sweat just from that small effort. Robert came over and laid his hand on her forehead. Then he realized. He had been right. It was impossible for her alone. Brian was doing nearly all of it to get her up, to give her hope. To help her belong.

"You do need to rest now," Robert told her. She nodded, tired.

Jess watched Brian and Khaat she was going to help him walk her back but chose to stay where she was as she saw Robert was on it . Jack placed his hand on her shoulder making her stay put and she looked at him " let him do it " he said to her and smiled touching Jacks hand as she staid sat. "Do you want some special tea? "Jack asked looking at Robert hoping he would understand what he was meaning, it was tea with restorative potion in.

Robert tore off a piece of Khaat's paper and wrote down a very precise formulation of Khaat's potions that he had made for her current health, along with a very meticulous dose of restorative potion. He had calculated it on her much smaller size and fragile systems. "Yes, please. Add that--exactly as its written please. Do try to add it in perhaps some almond tea. That's always been her favorite."

She looked at her father. She had had a favorite tea? Then she saw a magnificent looking stick on the coffee table. It was exceptionally elegant. She reached for it and touched it very lightly.

"Be very careful with that," her father said gently. "That's my wand. It is very powerful." She looked at him. Did she have a wand as well? She almost withdrew her hand. "Pick it up," he said. "Just don't point it at anyone. I'm not entirely sure what your own magic will do." She picked up the wand and looked at it. It seemed to suit his very regal personality. She laid it back down, full of questions. She looked at Brian. Did he have a wand?

"Would you like to see mine?" he asked. He drew it from his pocket and handed it to her. His was more rugged. Handcarved, but it reminded her of a warrior's in some odd way. It didn't have the formality of her father's. But it was beautiful all the same. Just in a different. way. She handed it back to him and then pointed to herself.

"You do have a wand," her father said. "You have two. Would you like to see them?" She nodded. He accio'd them and handed her own wand to her, keeping Remus's wand in his hand. "Here. This one is yours." It was very pretty. Feminine. With an emerald in the end of the handle. She looked at him again. It was honestly hers? She picked up the wand, and the wand glowed with such a powerful light that it frightened her. She dropped it.

"Dont be frightened," Brian said. "Its the wand. Its just reconnecting with you and readjusting to your memory loss. Its very normal. Pick it up. Let it get to know you again." Get to know her? Wasn't it just a stick?

Jack took the note and nodded " of course " as he walked away Steven spoke up " yeah we wouldn't want any one changing into a fluffy yellow duck again" he said and chuckled Jack shook his head as he headed into the kitchen to make the tea. Steven looked at Khaat and smiled seeing the reconnection of her wand " that's a good thing right Robert" he asked not having had that problem with his own. Jess nodded she would like to know it too and watched as Khaat pick up her wand again and hold it .

" we all have one though Jack doesn't use his much being what he is" she said skirting around his were ness as much as she could feeling that would be too much for her to handle.

"It is a good thing," Robert said. "It seems to be suggesting that although her memories are not intact, her magic might well be. The wonky bits might merely be due to the head injury and also not remembering how to control her magic. All in all, it seems to look far better than what I anticipated."

So--they all had wands. And some used them more than others. She saw the other wand in his hand. He had said it was hers too. He saw her looking at it. He handed to her. It was very subdued. Simple. Worn. Older. Showed signs of wear and tear. She looked at her father.

"It was my brother's. Your uncle. Of anything you own, this is perhaps one of the two things you cherish the most," her father smiled. "Take it." She picked it up from his hand and fet the wand grow warm in her hand. There were no lights, but she felt warmth. Safety. There was love in this wand. And then she heard a voice. It was a faint whisper. The voice merely said. "Remember.....remember....." She looked around, looking to hear who had spoken, but no one else seemed to hear it. And no one seemed to be saying anything. She looked at her father, confused, wanting more information. "He loved you very much," her father said gently.

Cassidy looked at Khaat noting the way she looked around and Roberts voice saying Remus loved her very much. "That he does hes come to the veil several times to save you" she said softy but staid sat back in her chair. Jack walked out of the kitchen with a pot of almond tea made to his specifications. Moving to Robert he placed a tray on the table in front of Khaat and moved back " just as you asked " he said sitting with Jess on the couch between Cassidy and Jess. Steven stood behind the couch and lent forward on it smiling as he watched wondering just what would happen now.