Marriage is Murder

"He can try to eat me out of cookies, but he has to find them all first," Angus said. "And that's just not possible...Not even for him."

Robert and Kate and Angus took the kids upstairs after dinner and put them to bed. Kate gave each child a gingerbread cookie while Robert read from the new storybook. These were some of the moments Robert and Kate savored--spening time with their grandkids. The things of life that mattered didn't revolve around things--they revolved around people. Relationships.

After dinner, Brian asked Michael for some hot spiced cider, which Michael gladly served to them. Brian took Khaat for a quiet discussion about where they could go for just a couple of days. He preferred, with her fragile bodily systems, to get her out of the cold. He talked to her about warmer climates. She still wanted to find someplace where she felt like she fit in. He maintained that she always fit with him. She wanted to find where that place was. For him, his mind went to the one place that had always been special for them, no matter what. He decided to take her for just a couple of days to Venice.

Cassidy and Steven laughed at the look on Jacks face as Angus told him he could not possibly eat all the cookies as he'd have to find them " ah but he'd have a good go at finding them all" he said and cassidy nodded as Jack shook his.

"Nope I'm on a strict no cookies diet and if Jess found out I would be so for it " he said and chuckled as he sat back and took the cider that was being handed out. He looked to the stairs where Jess had gone and sighed feeling she had over worked her self of late and now was feeling it. Jack smiled and stood up " if you would not mind I will check on Jess" he said " its not like hr to just leave at lunch like she did" he said and moved to the bed room.

Entering he found her asleep on the bed still clothed the curtains drawn and the lights on low. quietly he moved over to her and cradled her in his arms as she smiled up at him half asleep. " sleep Im here" he said and saw her slip back to sleep.

Khaat was not able to stay anymore here at the house. She was causing too much stress an fatigue on all of them. She managed, while Brian was double checking on the kids, to make it to her closet and had begun just tossing odd bits into a bag, none of which matched or even went together in the same climate.

Brian found her and sat her in a chair in her closet. "How about you let me pack for you?" he asked gently. "You aren't up to it, and those bits won't work in Venice. I'll do it. Can we wait until morning so we dont' splinch ourselves in porting?" She stared at the floor, not feeling she could last one more night while she was feeling like she was causing this sort of strain for the others. "No?" he asked softly. She didn't respond. "Alright. Give me a few minutes to pack for us and we'll go. Your father won't like us leaving in this bad weather." He knew their chances of getting through without splinching in a storm like this were very poor indeed, but he was not prepared to make her stay someplace where she wasn't comfortable. Instead he went to pack a bag for both of them.

Cassidy and Steven looked at Robert and Kate " you don't think she will leave yet do you?" cassidy asked hoping not as the storm was raging still out side " she seemed upset over something" Steven nodded.

" I guess were not holding our feelings back as much as we could " Steven said softly as he held Cassidy close. Steven accioed a cup of cider and together they both drank it. Cassidy just staid in Stevens arms the wind howling out side but it was warm and cozy inside. Jim looked at Kate and Robert as he placed down his book beside him.

" they better not its worse " he said " I can hear the shutters on the barn rattling" he stood up and walked to the window and looked out.

Brian finished packing and tucked his wand and hers in his coat pocket. He put the bag on the bed and got her agree to wait for him while he went to talk to Robert.

"You've all been about as well hidden as window glass," Robert told them. "Amnesia or not, she's not blind. Its made her feel responsible that you lot aren't dealing with what her amnesia is doing to you. I won't even begin to tell you how many times Brian has brought her back from behind that dumpster. Its the only place outside of here that she knows. Not to mention the time Jack brought her back. I don't know if Brian will get her to agree to remain behind any longer or not."

"Not," Brian said, coming downstairs.

"No," Kate protested. Robert raised his hand to calm her.

"Do you believe you can port safely?" Robert asked him quietly.

"No," Brian said. "Its not bloody likely. I'll shield her the best I can."

"Where will you target for?"

"Edward's," Brian said. "If splinching is going to be involved, we need to be near someone who can patch up whichever one of us gets splinched. Edward generally handles big blood splatters relatively well."

"Shall I try to ease her till morning and buy you time?" Robert asked.

"For what end? There's no end of this storm in sight for days. Do you plan on rendering her unconscious like Sleeping Beauty til it passes? No, I'll take my chances with her," Brian said.

"You'll send me word to let me know you're safe?" Robert said.

"You'll know," Brian promised. Robert and Brian embraced warmly, knowing how very dangerous this was and that if this went badly, Brian would most likely be torn to pieces in the porting. Robert gave him some very careful porting instructions to try to minimize the damage--instructions Brian had heard since his 7th year in Hogwarts, but he knew Robert wanted them in one piece. "I'll do my best," Brian promised. "And I'll send you word. The rest of you--take care of my kids. We'll see you in a couple of days."

Cassidy and Steven looked at Robert and sighed nodding " yeah I guess were not that good at it " he said then saw Brian walk down cassidy stood up some what wanting them not to go but stay but she also knew it would help Khaat not to be around them at least for a few days and she spoke softly. " we will Brian just come back safe. " she said remembering the last time she went away with Michael " but what do we tell Abby about your leaving she'll think it was her fault , right now I feel that way myself for not hiding my feelings better" she said looking from Steven to Brian and back.

Jack walked down from the bed room and heard cassidy. " it was not our fault we did all we could if she feels she wants or need time away then fine that's what she needs were here to look after the children now, focus on whats to be done not what we did or didn't do in the past , come on guys pull your selves together" he said and stood as he folded his arms across his chest. " if you need me call " he simply said to Brian " and stay safe both of you"

Brian nodded quietly and went back upstairs. He wrapped her in a very thick heavy suede coat and did likewise himself. He shouldered the bag and wrapped her close, pullling the hood over her head and making her bury her face tightly in his chest. He ported them out.

Brian felt his shoulder tearing in the porting. He saw the splatter of blood but he didn't utter a sound. The next he knew, he was falling flat on the wet grass in the darkness of the Tuscan night. It was cold. It was just above freezing. It was raining here--a severe thunderstorm. When he fell into the grass, he had taken her with him, and they laid in the wet, in the rain. He was out of breath due to the pain. She was horrified at seeing him covered in blood. She was panic stricken. Completely. He could not keep ahold of her, and she tried to scramble to her feet, too weak to run, stumbling and falling not far from him.

"Calm yourself," he said steadily. "It happens. I'm alright..." She was trying again to run, when two large hands took hold of her.

"Steady, Khaat," the voice said in a warm nurturing tone. "I won't let him bleed to death. Calm yourself." She turned and saw Edward. She did remember him from the last time Brian tried to take her away. Edward had been the anchor of safety. She wrapped herself tight to Edward, and he held her, motioning his grandsons to help Brian. "He'll be alright. Its just a bit of a splinch. Come, my dear. How about a glass of warm spiced wine by the fire while I see to his shoulder?" Edward's grandsons took Brian inside, and Edward took Khaat into his great hall to see to her.

Jack looked at the others as he watched Brian leave " now get back to work and sort your selves out its draining Jess all this pussy footing around" he told them " sorry Robert she's tired and has a head ache I guess it the tension that's going on ether that or the double shifts at the hospital are getting to her" he said to Robert " were not asking for anything but a little time for her to relax " he asked then looked at the others before taking some potion that would help her head and moving back up to Jess who was still as he had left her.

Jess looked up at him and smiled seeing the potion in his hands " you know its ok" she said but Jack shook his head as he sat with her and pulled her close to him.

" no its not Jess not that your like this." he said brushing her hair from her face as he held her close.

"All I need is sleep and quiet " she sat up and looked at Jack " tell Robert Brian spliced his shoulder but Edwards on it " she said as she took some of the potion placing the bottle down next to the bed as she lay her head on it watching Jack leave once more. Jack walked down to the living room and sighed.

" message from Jess Brian spliced himself but hes with Edward" he told him.

"I figured," Robert said quietly. "There was no way to protect him from that. Look, Jack, I can understand your need to feel protective over Jess. I get it. But Steven's tension and Jess's were two of the primary reasons Khaat couldn't stay. You can lower your guard and start being human again. Whatever threat you all feel like Khaat is posing to you is gone. Shes gone. And she is not coming back until the tension in this house is gone. If that means the next holiday you all celebrate as a family is Easter. Now if you'll excuse me, I intend to peacefully go work off my frustrations about probably not getting to spend Christmas with my only child." He went downstairs for his second Tai Chi workout of the day.

Kate sighed. She understood them all. She knew why they were all tense and upset. She understood Khaat's need to escape the guilt she felt, feeling responsible because the people around her couldn't deal with her being around them. And she felt, as a mother and a grandmother, her own grief and frustration at knowing Khaat had felt driven out of her own home just before Christmas. She accio'd a Christmas romance book and decided she woulld do her utmost to try to be the glue that perhaps could hold them together. If she didn't, she feared Robert's anger would merely tear them all apart.

Jack watched as Robert left and sighed " that's not the reason at all " he said softly and sat down in a chair looking at Kate. " we all want to celebrate Christmas as a family all together including Khaat but its difficult when we don't even know how to act around her we try our best but yet...she still feels were tense around her and don't want her..it's difficult" he said and sat back in the chair. Cassidy looked and nodded.

"We have done our best and its still not good enough, we tried to continue as i nothing was wrong but..." cassidy sighed and moved to Steven.

"If its how you want this to go, of course we'll stay to look after the kids its our duty" we won't up and leave" Steven said " I know what Khaats going threw the disorientation and confusion of familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings, I guess were trying too hard to stay as we were but we can't, things have changed " he said softly Just then a tree branch smashed through the large window showering glass over every one and Jack stood up throwing coats to every one as cassidy dove up to check the other windows.

" its come down in the wind Steven and I will deal with it " he said ,as Steven repairoed the window Jack lifted the branch and carried it away from the house placing it down where it could do no harm returning a little out of breath because of the strong winds.

" might need to trim those trees back a bit more once this blows over I saw clear skies to the west so I am guessing three maybe four hours and it will be over" Jack said shacking the snow from his coat and boots.