Marriage is Murder

"You are really, really late for that," Michael said. "You lot decide to dress up too? Trying your Christmas clothes? Perhaps you ought to take the kids out today to theChristmas festival at the London zoo. It supposedly looks very Victorian. Very Dickens-like. And at the restaurant at the zoo, they do a holiday feast based on Dicken's Christmas Carol. Its a fundraiser for the zoo. As long as you're all dressed up, you ought to go. Angus is being hammered right now in the kitchen by a dozen kids who were very glad to see him." Michael added place settings for the children. "And yes, the Donohues spoiled the daylights out of them. They've got their Christmas outfits on a few days early too."

Kate came downstairs and saw everyone dressed up. She felt a bit out of place in her jeans with a simple red v necked cashmere pullover.

"Good morning," Kate said. "What's the occasion? Oh, Michael, Robert said he'll be a bit late. He went to stop in at the ministry to clear up the rest of the paperwork about last night. He'll be home in just a few minutes, I think. Please set a place for him at the table. He needs to eat today."

"Will do, Kate. Was he any better?"

"Yes, I think so. He was all business. It gives him something to concentrate on. He's going to be fine."

Robert hadn't simply gone to the ministry. He'd also gone to Venice. He'd stopped in to see Brian while Khaat was still asleep. Robert had felt a need to tell Brian in person. Brian took it very well, and was completely supportive of the decision they'd made. Brian told hiim that their first night in Venice was remarkably good. For Robert, it was the brightest spot he'd had in the last few days.

When he got home, he was feeliing much better. Kate noticed the difference immediately.

"Did they give you a raise?" she asked him, bringing him a cup of tea.

"Kate, when have I ever been motivated by money?" Robert asked. At that moment, the kids burst out of the kitchen with their cookies in cellophane bags that were tied up with bright holiday ribbons. They seemed to go everywhere all at once, all shouting and laughing and glad to be home.

"Certainly," Robert said, as Angus and Michael set the breakfast plates on the table. Abbey went over to Robert and reached up to him. He picked her up and put her on his lap. She hugged him and curled into him. "Aren't you hungry?" he asked her softly.

"Papa?" she asked.

"Yes, Angel," he said softly.

"You sad?" she asked.

"No," he laughed softly. "Not anymore. Not when I have you here to cheer me up."

"Then I stay with you all day," she nodded.

"I would like that very, very much," he said softly. "Don't you want to go to the zoo today with the other kids if they go?" She shook her head.

"I stay with you, Papa," she said. Michael moved her plate to sit beside Robert's plate.

"You'd better eat your breakfast before Uncle Jack eats it," he told her.

Robert talked Abbey into eating. It soon became a game with Robert feeding Abbey and Abbey insisting on feeding her papa the finger foods on his plate. It was a new game that they both seemed to enjoy.

After breakfast, Kate lured the kids to the playroom with the promise of Christmas coloring pages. Michael and Angus cleared the table of the breakfast dishes, and Robert refilled his tea mug.

In Tuscany, Brian had gotten Khaat up to a bit of chilly but sunny weather. He helped her dress and was going to call the consierge for room service but then he changed his mind. He took her instead to a bistro a very short walk just across the bridge from the hotel. She felt embarressed by the wheelchair, so he decided to take an enormous chance and leave it in the hotel suite. He had to support her entirely, but he managed to help her walk to the elevator, out of the hotel and across the bridge to the bistro. She was exhausted and sweating but he was elated. He helped her sit in the open air cafe and ordered breakfast for both of them.

"You," he kissed her, "are amazing. If your father could have seen this, he would have been so proud of you. You're so far ahead of schedule. I think, maybe, if we could find you a cane that you might do a bit better between that and my help. Its worth a try. I'll send to Tobias for one after we eat. You feel okay?" She nodded. She was fine. Just tired. She saw the people walking up and down both sides of the canal, carrying Christmas packages. She remembered. She hadn't any gifts to give. She didn't know if they expected it. She looked at him. "What is it?" he asked.

"Do I have money?" she asked.

"I told you. We have more than we can ever spend. Yes. You can afford whatever you want. What is it?"

"Do I need to buy Christmas gifts?" she signed.

"I've taken care of all of that--unless there's something you want."

"Then there's nothing for you."

"For me? You're sweet, but I have everything I want. I have you. I have our kids. I dont need anything else," he smiled.

"Its an appropriate thought, I think," Robert said. "You do realize that this situation is a bit different since there are two living parents involved. Steven needs to file for her rights to be severed on the grounds of abandonment. Otherwise, the mother still has rights to them and your petition cannot be considered. Then, when you file, Steven has to sign that he agrees to it. It has to be cleanly done.

"The reason the law works this way is because in other similar cases years ago, the father would die and the stepmother would be actively caring for the kids when the biological mother would come back with her rights not completely severed. Steven also has to be willing to give you just as much right to make legal choices for the children as he has. I don't see either of those issues being a problem in your particular situation, but it has been huge for some other couples.

"Since you do need his consent and involvement, perhaps the fact that you want to be that involved in his life is a treasure in itself. I know we believed that when Brian adopted Abbey. And its clearly what Khaat has always believed. Perhaps what you need is a very creative, loving way to give Steven the forms. We can complete them all but his signature and mine and then if he agrees, I'll sign them and we can get them filed. I don't think it will take long to legalize, but we want the process to be cleanly done so that you and Steven dont have some ugly custody mess down the road. Does that make sense?"

"Alright," Robert said. "I'll take care of filing this the next time I go into the office. I don't expect trouble with it. But it will take a little time. Cassidy, the only thing that keeps you from buying a gift for him, if you want one, is the fact that you haven't apparated to London to do it. Its not like it takes a long time for a wizard to apparate to a shop, make a purchase and apparate back. But that choice is yours."

In Venice, Brian left Khaat in the bistro long enough to go to Tobias's to get her a cane. It was beautiful and had a large crystal sculpture of a cat as the handle of the cane itself. The body of it was handcarved wood. It was beautiful and very feminine and elegant. He was pleased to see that it stabilized her a bit and made it a little easier for her to walk.

He could see she was determined to go shopping for something for him, so he handed her one of his credit cards and took her, in one of the boats, several streets away to the better shops. The boat ride let her rest. That was his primary motive for taking her so far from the hotel. He let her browse a couple of shops until she basically signed for him to get lost. He promised her he wasnt' going far. He promised he was only going to give her just a couple of minutes but that he was only going around the corner.

She made her purchase. But when he didn't come back, she didn't worry--not at first. And then it got longer, and he still didnt' come. Her first thought was that he had simply run out on her and didnt' want her anymore. But a part of her heart argued--didnt' believe he would do that. She managed to walk around to the other half of the store and found a blood splatter on the floor between the racks of women's sweaters. And there was no sight of Brian anywhere. She suddenly realized how alone she was. She was on the other side of Venice, didn't remember if she ever could speak Italian, couldn't get home, and actually could not speak at all.

She pointed out the blood splatter to a clerk and showed him her wedding rings. The clerk soon got the idea that she believed the blood belonged to her husband who had disappeared. He phoned the local police.

It took a couple hours for them to determine who was missing and to determine what hotel she was staying at and to return her there. They returned her there alone and posted a police guard outside her door. She had no idea who to contact or what to do next. She picked up his large oversized bathrobe and wrapped herself up in it over her clothes because it smelled like him. She curled up in a chair, her knees tight to her chest, feeling stupid and clueless and very frightened and alone.