Marriage is Murder

"Don't feel badly about the venison," Robert said. "Its a hunting game for Archangel too. Not just the hippogryff. They're both flying carnivores. It was a nice try, but Archangel is trained to respond to it too, the same way that the hippogryff is."

Khaat hear footsteps, and she hid behind the hippogryff that had raised its head in an alerted state. She hadn't made it up. He'd heard it too. She heard the voice. It sounded familiar and then she saw the face. The hippogryff didn't move, and she wasn't sure why. Then she saw there was someone with her. Her mother. He had brought warm clothes for her. It was relief to be without the cold.

"We're going to take you home," her mother said gently. "I'm sorry you got dragged on that ride with him. He's not been flying in awhile. Did you like the ride, though?" Khaat didn't know if she was supposed to like it or not but her mother had seen the look in her face. "It is a lot of fun, isn't it?" she laughed. Khaat nodded. "Steven will take you home. And I'll ride this boy home back to his stall. Unless you'd rather ride him home, Steven? Either way works for me."

Steven looked at Kate and shook his head " I'll let you this time" he said and moved to scoop up Khaat in his arms then with a smile he ported back to the main house and walked in " here she is safe and sound " he said as he sat her down on the couch gently beside Brian. Jack and Jess breathed out with relief cassidy chuckled.

" ow I envy you riding a hypogriff, what was it like , bet it was wonderful" she said and smiled at her " the wind in your hair and the cheeks turning pink" she said and sat back .

"Thank you, Steven," Brian said, relieved.

Khaat nodded as Brian took her coat and boots for her. He picked up a blanket and wrapped it around her. Michael brought in a mug of cider and handed it to her.

"There is a lot more cider in the kitchen, if you all want some," Michael said. He wasn't going to presume they wanted any. The coffee and the tea was always on, so he knew they knew where to find the cider too if they wanted some. "Tell me, my dear," Michael said. "How did you get out to the barn in the first place?" She felt rather sheepish, but she gestured to the wand laying on the coffee table. Michael frowned.

"You mean, your wand? The one you took upstairs with you?" Her father asked. She nodded. "Did you mean to go out?" She shook her head no. "It was a misfire then?" She shrugged. She didn't know." She picked up the pen and wrote a note.

"The man in the bedroom told me to," she wrote.

"What man in the bedroom?" Brian said, frowning. He immediately apparated upstairs but found nothing. Nothing at all upstairs. He came back downstairs. "There's nobody up there. What did he look like?" She picked up her uncle's wand and handed it to him.

"He looked like a stick?" Brian frowned.

"No," Robert said, catching on. "He looked like my brother."

"Remus?"

"He's hanging above your bloody fireplace," Robert was miffed. "I think I need to have a word with him. If you'll excuse me for a moment." He got up and went upstairs. She looked at Brian. Had she done something wrong?

"You're not in trouble," Brian smiled. "He just knows you weren't dressed or ready to go out by yourself, much less flying. He's gone to have a word with that portrait. And yes, here the portraits do talk. I didn't have a chance to tell you about that."

Jess chuckled as Jack sneezed loudly " ow boy here comes a were with a cold" she said and smiled sitting him down as she accioed some hot cider . Steven shook his head as Cassidy gave him a cup which he was grateful for an he to sat down near the fire he chuckled as Jack sneezed again " you'd think it would be the likes of I who get the colds not you Jack" he said handing him a box of tissues as he sneezed once more.

" hay I always was sensitive to the cold you know" he said as Jess wrapped another blanket around him for warmth.

Werewolf? There was one of those awful monsters in her house? They hadn't told her that. She felt herself becoming angry, feeling deceived. She wasn't sure who they were protecting--her or the werewolf, but either way, she was angry. She set down the mug of cider. Michael knew her entirely too well. Even when she was trying to hide it, he could tell when she was angry. And she was trying her best to hide this. She didn't feel comfortable enough to be herself around them.

"Brian," Michael said very gently. "She's still shivering. I'd suggest you take her up to that hot bath and get her warmed up. Brian went to pick her up, and she pulled away from him ever so slightly. He ignored it.

"Good idea" he said. "Send more of the hot cider up in a few minutes, please?"

"Of course," Michael said. Brian picked her up and carried her upstairs to the bedroom where her father was having a shouting match with the portrait over whether Remus should have even given her the first bit of instruction about the wand, and Remus was bellowing right back, asserting his rights as the one who parented her until well after she had been in Hogwarts. Brian was surprised. Remus had never attempted to supercede Robert's rights as father. Theyd' gotten along. Now Remus was saying he had been Khaat's father in every way that mattered until he passed. He was saying it was every bit his right. That fired up Robert's hot temper, and the two brother continued to bicker.

"Shut it," Brian shouted over both of them. "Or take the bloody portrait to your own room to continue it." He took Khaat into the bathroom and helped her into a tub of warm water to warm up with. He looked back to the bedroom to see that Robert and the painting were both gone. Satisfied, Brian returned to Khaat.

Kate had sensed Robert was angry, then had become very angry, and then it all stopped rather suddenly. Robert came up from the basement, and was calm and composed. He headed for the kitchen and poured himself a cup of tea.

Jess looked at Kate " um did I do or say something wrong?" she asked seeing all the commotion that had happened after she had told Jack off for having his cold. Jack could feel another sneeze coming on and accioed the cold potion taking some he found it working like a charm and he sat back slowly breathing easily. Looking at Michael he sighed

" its because I'm a were right " he said to him " look if its going to cause trouble I'll stay in the cabin" he offered to them all.

"You forgot she didn't know," Robert said, coming in. "What she knows about werewolves since her head injury is that they're evil, out of control, murdurous beasts. Jack's cold is of no consequence to her. Look, I know this isn't easy for anyone. But here's where we're at. She understands basics. You have to think of her as having muggle knowledge right now. She doesn't remember the magical world. Be gentle with magical concepts. That all is going to be new information to her until she regains her memories.

"You don't need to leave, Jack," Michael said. "I'll talk to her. She'll be alright with it."

"No, by all means, let her father do that," Robert said, trying not to show, with his voice, the sarcasm he was feeling.

"Robert," Kate said gently. "Its a portrait. Its not Remus. He wouldn't have said that to you. Not ever."

"Yes he would have. It was coming sooner or later," Robert said. "And the damned portrait was right."

"He's not here now! You are! Are you going to quit because of a portrait with a smartmouth?"

"Who said anything about quitting?" Robert frowned. "I intend to drink my tea. Perhaps read my newspaper."

"Are you going to finish about Khaat?"

"We'll talk to her. She'll be alright. You've not been around amnesia cases like I have. Nor have you been around people who have nearly starved to death. They get very cranky and edgy, and they're entitled. Add the two together,and, frankly, I'm surprised she hasn't shown us much temper before this. I typically have to keep them on some level of a constant sedative for awhile and then de-escalate it to a calming potion. She's on none of it. She hasn't needed it. I'm not sure you even remember, Steven, but you had more than one episode of foul moods for months afterwards. You were not a pleasant person to live with. What I'm saying is simple. Cut her some slack. How would you like to be on a whole different planet amongst strangers where nothing remotely makes sense? I don't think any of us would like it much. Well, we're stranger to her, and the magical world is like a whole different planet. We'll work it out. For now, let Brian deal with all that anger of hers."

Steven nodded he understood " ow yeah I remember it was like I wasn't me for a while and I couldn't control it " he said and they all nodded the agreed " well go slow and no more slip ups " he looked at Robert and chuckled " well not while shes in the room" he said Jack sat down taking Jess's hand in his own as he smiled.

" thank you Robert " he said and smiled a little as he sat back drinking the cider once more " I am glad we have potions for colds or else I'd be flat on my back again " he said Jess looked down at him and chuckled as did Cassidy.

The night passed uneventfully. Except that Khaat didn't sleep. Neither did Brian. Nor did Robert. All for their separate reasons.

Khaat was entirely too confused and troubled. She felt like a burden to all of them She wanted to leave. Desperately. She used her wand once and returned to the dumpster, but no sooner than she left did Brian follow her and bring her back. They were gone and back in less than a minute. He gave her no time to defy him. He laid her wand aside, on the fireplace mantel in the living room. Then he merely tucked her back into bed and sat up with her. He leaned up against the headboard of the bed and held her. He explained the dangers of trying to apparate out without knowing how and the dangers of splinching. He discouraged her from trying it. She wanted to know what her father had done with the portrait of her uncle, and Brian promised he would find out and get it back. He finally got her thinking redirected to learning the sign language. Once she understood the basics of it, the rest of it went rather easy for her.

Robert on the other hand simply could not sleep. The words of the portrait, in his brother's voice, haunted him. Immensely. There was a part of him that believed the painting. That he had never been a proper father to Khaat. It was something that he and Kate and Remus had discussed hundreds of times. But never had Remus ever claimed to be her true father. Never had he ever breathed that he was a better father than Robert had ever been. But it now stared him in the face, and he didn't like what he was seeing.

Kate sent a note to the kitchen and said she and Robert were going to go out for breakfast. It was her hope that getting him out of the house, getting him to merely have a change of scenery would help him get his perspective back.

Angus sent up the regular coffee tray to Khaat and Brian at the regularly scheduled time. Khaat and Brian had had a cup of coffee together from the tray. She wanted to try to dress today. He didn't like it, but he gave in and helped her. He let her take as much time as she wanted looking over the enormous closet she had and choose whatever she wanted to wear. She chose a pair of drawstring workout pants in a gray color and a white t shirt and a pink hoodie, with a simple pair of gray slipper socks. He brushed her hair for her and just let it hang loose for her. She was exhausted from the effort of dressing. She was so tired she was sweating. He let her rest while he showered and shaved and dressed.

She was frustrated with herself. She was tearing apart the people who said they were her family. While Brian was buttoning his shirt, she signed to him in the mirror.

"Let me go. Please," she signed.

"No," he replied simply and quietly. "We've been all through that. This isn't your fault. Stop it. Learn to communicate with us and ask your questions. This is your world, your home. There is nothing else to go to. We're going to breakfast now. Its a new day, and we're getting on with it." He picked her up and carried her downstairs. He decided today to put her in her chair and take the chair to the table. The first she had eaten with them since she'd been gone.

"Good morning," Angus said very quietly to them both and determined to keep things calm for her, putting fresh coffee in front of her as the children began rushing into the dining room, all making a great deal of commotion.

"What's the weather for today, Angus?" Brian asked, over the noise of the children as they clammored up into their seats.

"Shitty," Michael said, coming downstairs. Abbey and Dakota began parroting Michael's word, repeating it just to try it. Brian rolled his eyes. Great. Two year olds who could cuss. "Looks like a big snowstorm coming in from the northeast. By the looks of the sky, I'd say we've got about 3 hours before it becomes truly lousy outside. So the outside work needs to be done straight off. We might want to plan on being snnowbound. Newspaper says its moving in from the west coast of France and that some parts of France won't be unburied for days."

"I hope Robert and Kate hear about it," Angus said. "They went out for breakfast before daylight."

"Good," Michael said. "They'll hear or they'll figure it out. Either way, those two can take care of themselves." Michael watched as Khaat's sons began hurling fried potatoes at each other across the table and Dakota immediately decided to get in on the fun, leaviing Abbey bored with it and Julia just plain lost by it all. Brian just laughed softly. Some things never changed. He hated to think of the day when his children got too old to throw food at the table. Khaat watched wide eyed. These little heathens were her children?

Jack chuckled and ducked as some potatoes flew past him." wow flying potato " he said and chuckled as Jess caught a piece and placed it on the side of her plate. " well some one should teach him foods for eating not throwing" Jack said as he caught another piece that flew close to his ear with out even batting an eye as he flicked it back to land on the young boys plate. Steven and Jim both chuckled.

" well that's kids for ya " Steven said " been through it many a time with John" he said and sighed rubbing the part of his head that still held the scars under his hair from where he was attacked.