Marriage is Murder

Steven watched out the window seeing Khaat and Michael walking back to the house " looks like he found her and is walking her home" he said breathing out a breath of relief as he sat drinking his coffee Jim entered and sat buy the fire.

" did I miss anything " he asked as he looked at the faces of the others in the room " heard there was a vampire on the grounds , interesting as to why hes here, vampires don't normally stray from their home ground " he said accioing a cup of tea.

Khaat merely walked away from them all, saw Abbey on her papa's lap as he sat with her, saying something that made the tot giggle. Kate brought Abbey a little child sized mug of cocoa to warm her up.

"She just lied to my face," Michael told Jim quietly. "I don't know what she's hiding or why, but she lied. She's never done that. No matter what else happened in her life, she has never, ever lied to me. Not once. I don't get it. You and I need to stay closer. The rest of them will fight to the death for her, and they have experience in werewolves, but not with vampires. This will take experience. I suggest we let the others do what they do best, but we need to put ourselves between them and her until we figure out what the hell is going on."

Jim looked up at Michael as he spoke and frowned " that's not good, but she must have had a good reason" he said and stood up and walked over to him " hum does take something" he said and looked at Khaat and Abby " she must trust him to lie to you" he said " I'll make one guess, Escobar? " he said softly and shook his head. " there not good to deal with" he said and glanced at Jack and Steven as Michael spoke about them he could do little but nod that he agreed with him.

Jack sat with Jess who was feeling Khaat's tension and knew she had lied to Michael.

Brian had seen anger in Khaat's face. He had seen it flare up when he'd been in the bathroom with Angus. He had thought it was overwith but now he wasn't so sure. He didn't know if it was the same subject or a new one. He knew he needed to talk to her, but he also knew that when she was angry, her hand signals were nothing but scrambled gibberish. She always signed too fast and buggered them up. And when he would try to slow her down, she only got angrier.

She went up to her room, slamming the door and willing it to never open again. She saw a bright blue light zip around all four edges of the door. She tried to open it. It was magically sealed. It hadn't been what she intended, but if it served the purpose, she'd decided to leave it alone. She opened her nightstand drawer and found her wand. She hadn't used it much at all that she could remember, but maybe it was time to figure it out.

"Yes," Michael replied to Jim. "But she can't possibly trust him. Not like that. She doesn't bloody even remember that buggar. And his spell on her was broken months ago. So, no. I don't believe she chose Escobar over me. There's got to be something else on her mind....Oh, bullshit. I'm not putting up with it. If you'll excuse me." He turned and bounded up the stairs, unhappy with her.

Steven looked at them both and sighed " so why is he back now , doesn't make any sense and she holds the key as to why." he said folding his arms across his chest as he moved to stand beside Jim who chuckled as he looked at Steven.

" and she will tell some one when shes ready" he told Steven and looked to Michael as he left to go upstairs to Khaat. He looked back at Jack and Steven as he chuckled " don't expect much to be done when she doesn't want to do something she won't " he said and moved to the kitchen as he chuckled knowing she was as stubborn as Robert and Kate put together.

Michael went upstairs like a man on a mission. Robert decided he'd best follow because he had never seen Michael so angry with her. Not ever. Michael got to her door and saw the seal on the door.

"Open the door," he ordered her. She had tried, but it had not opened. She honestly didn't know what to do to undo a magical seal. "No?" Michael asked. Robert had moved to stop Michael but before he could, Michael raised his wand and fired and blew the door apart. The blast blew her backwards, where she hit the bed and rolled backwards over it to the floor on the opposite side before she quit moving.

"Prat," Robert scowled at Michael, going inside. "Did you ever consider the seal was accidental? She didn't bloody know how to open it!" He went inside, went around the bed, and found she was cowering in the corner. He knelt and reached his hand out to her. She backed away from him. "Sorry. That was an accident. No one is going to hurt you. Come on out," he said softly. She didn't move. He had to coach her out, but he finally got her up.

"Now," he looked at Michael. "Do I need to chaparone this?"

"No," Michael said. "Go." Robert nodded, stroked her cheek to reassure her and left them to talk. He caught Brian dashing up the stairs. He stopped him.

"It was just a door. The rest of it is alright," Robert said. "Leave them be for now. I won't be far. I promise. GO find someone to see if you have a new door someplace."

Steven and Jack watched then took a step forward as they heard an explosion both looked at each other but seeing Robert head up the stairs after Michael . Both stood looking and wondering just what was going on upstairs but both knowing Robert could handle it and if he needed them he could shout for them but they staid stood up waiting for the shout surprised when he came back down stopping Brian on the stairs and spoke to him.

" she's ok?" Jack asked Jess moved forward on her seat waiting for his reply knowing what she felt from Khaat was confusion and fright.

"I think they're having a misunderstanding," Brian said, trying to reel in his anger. "Can one of you check and see if they have another bedroom door in the workshop? If not, I'm going to have to go into the village and buy one. Oh, and can someone clean up the kindling now in my bedroom doorway please? Do stay within explosion distance if I have to go into town please. At least until this is overwith. I'm not sure what he's so irked about, but I'm about to go a round with him if he doesn't quit."

"Khaat's frightened," Kate said softly.

"As I would be if someone blew up my door," Brian said dryly.

"That's not like Michael--at all," Kate said, frowning.

"I presume that's why Robert promised to lurk nearby."

"Robert does not lurk," Kate said. "Ever."

"I think he thought it was better than the alternatives," Brian said, walking away, doing his best to hide his anger with Michael.

Michael meanwhile waited for Robert to leave and then went over to Khaat. "In all your life, you have never, not one time, ever attempted to lie to me--until today. What the hell is wrong with you?" She was frightened by his tone. He'd blown up her door. She tried to skirt around him, to run out, but he caught her. "Just tell me," he said deliberately, quieter. She refused to try to answer him. He looked at her. "Look," he said. "The only time you simply don't answer is if you feel cornered, like you have no choice. But you've never been in a position where you couldn't read me in, even if I couldn't come with you. Why can't you tell me?"

"I can't," she said. "Let me go." She yanked away from him, and went back outside, wanting to be alone. From his upstairs window, her father saw her go out and accio'd her winter cloak out to her, a few paces in front of her in the snow. She looked up and saw him there and picked up the cloak and put it on. Robert looked over to see Michael in the hallway.

"I can't believe you thought that would work," Robert said. "You know better."

Jack nodded and thought for a moment " yes we have several I'll fetch one " he moved to get his jacket while Steven headed up the stairs. Steven stopped at the door way and smiled " Don't mind me" he said and gathered all the pieces of the old door into a pile which he sent to the compost heap beside the green house. Soon he saw Jack floating a door up and together they fitted it before returning back down to the main room.

"All done goods as new " Steven said as he moved to sit with Cassidy.

"Thank you," Kate said, grateful they'd taken care of it. She was going to let Brian work off his frustrations. She knew Brian was feeling protective of Khaat, and Kate was just going to allow it for now.

Khaat walked outside for a couple of hours and saw nothing but some wildlife. Some cougars and some wolves and some birds. Nothing special. She was trying to look. She wasn't sure what she would have done if she would have encountered anything because not only had she not brought her wand, but she didn't know how to use it if she had. A couple of times she was aware of the bat within her eyesight, but most of the time she was alone. She regretted not bringing her wand. She might have tried to figure out how to use it here.

She wandered through the woods over a hill, found herself out of sight of the house and finally sat down in the snow. She soon heard footsteps. It was the bat. Well, the man.

"What are you doing in the snow?" he frowned. She gestured she could not speak.

"I am multilingual. Including signing. Why are you out here?"

"I can't use my wand anymore."

"Why not?" he frowned.

"I don't remember how. And I didn't bring it."

"You dont need it. You are gifted in wandless magic. If you want to practice, you are already perfectly equipped," he said. She frowned.

"Its been a long, long time since I've given magic lessons, but if you want, I'll help you," he said.

"Were we friends?" she signed.

"No," he said. "Not originally. I'd like to think thats changed a bit now, Querida."