Marriage is Murder

Jack chuckled and moved to grab his jacket and then moved to take the note inside its envelope " you got to tell us your secret one day Brian" he said but Jim chuckled from where he sat in front of the chess board .

" ow If it was me I'd keep it to myself " he looked over at Jack " some times you have to keep secrets to keep the peace" he said and chuckled again as he took Cassidy's pawn of the board with his bishop

Brian went upstairs to check on Khaat. She was sound asleep. He checked on her and checked her neck and her pain. She was comfortable because of the potion but Brian found swelling there from overdoing things. Brian had not been happy that she had needed to prove herself anyway. This had not helped her healing. He planned on encouraging her to skip the seafood feast in favor of going to bed. He doubted she would do it.

He pulled the curtains partway shut to keep the afternoon sun from blinding her if she woke, and happened to see the cutting silhouette of a black bat fly across the horizon to go into the woods. He sighed. That meant they needed to keep an eye on the kids. He went downstairs.

"Do me a favor," he told them. "Lay age lines across the doors and windows, please. I don't want the kids slipping out without our knowledge. And check the protection spells on each door and window and chimney while you're at it, please."

Jack aperated back to the hospital and looked for Robert. Jess and Jim looked up from their game Jim frowned and sighed knowing what was on Brian's mind " let me guess in one word , Escobar?" he asked and stood up , Jess take the nursery and Cassidy check the windows in all the other rooms I'll take down here and the gym" he stood up as did the others all moving around the house casting and strengthening the lines in the house. Jess moved back to where Kate was .

" I wish he would leave her alone but part of me is glad hes okay after that wear attack " she said looking out the window at the garden out side.

"Yes," Brian said quietly. "I'm not concerned about him. I'm concerned about what he is concerned about. If he's back, then there is reason. I'm guessing the beast is coming back. I do not want all our kids wandering outside completely oblivious that there even is anything unsafe out there. If anybody goes outside, it will be the adults. Oh, someone needs to lay spells to keep the cats inside. I don't want them out either. This creature has no humanity left. No controls. Clearly. Archangel can fly too high for it to reach."

"And will you tell her?" Kate asked Brian softly. "The beast nearly killed her."

"And Escobar was willing to throw away his immortality to save her," Brian said. "Hell, yes, I'll tell her."

"This has to be hard for you with him here," Kate said.

"No," Brian said in a strong tone. "She still chooses to come home to me. She doesnt' choose to go with him. Even under his spell, she still chose me, and, so far as I know, that's almost unheard of. I'm not jealous of something that isn't a threat."

"Good lad. Keep it that way," she said.

Robert had finished dealing with the passing away of an elderly wizard. His family had been with him when the man had passed, and he had been reliant on Robert's comfort measures for the last hour or so before he passed right up until his final breath. Once he was gone, Robert provided assurances for the family until they were able to leave. He went to the nurses desk, sat there silently and filled out the death certificate.

Jack walked down the corridor and saw Robert he could smell death around the rooms but he blocked it out and walked up to him " here Angus told me to give you this to stop you having fish and chips , not that I wouldn't mind it but Jess has me on a healthy kick" he said moving to sit close by. Jess looked at Brian and shook her head then at Kate " we both thought ahead and added that , Max and mo mean a lot to us and we don't want them eaten by anything" she said Cassidy nodded and sat down in a chair with Steven.

Jack sat quietly waiting he knew not to push Robert into anything but to wait , knowing as wel what ever it was had hurt him deeply.

"You do realize its Kate that has the wild hair about pub grub, right?" Robert said, taking the envelope. He opened it. It was a picture that clearly Abbey had drawn. He somehow understood her little scribbles. "Now that is just dirty pool," Robert laughed. "And that was not Angus's idea. I know better." He showed Jack the picture. A little blond scribble next to a tall silver scribble that appeared to be wearing blue. And two little stick arms that seemed to be the two figures holding hands. Robert understood. It was Abbey with her papa. "You do realize someone either had her do that drawing or picked that one out deliberately, right?"

"Robert," Hannah came up to the nurses' station. "Can I do anything more for you before I go?"

"You're a gem, Hannah," Robert smiled. "Deliver this death certificate for me, please, and then go. It seems I have been hoodwinked out of fish and chips again." She peered over his shoulder and saw the little drawing.

"What is that?" she asked.

"That is my granddaughter and me," he said.

"She does see you as very, very tall," Hannah laughed.

"Well, from a 3 year old's view, I must be," he smiled. "I guess I'm going home to my grandkids."

"Good choice," Hannah smiled, taking the patient chart from him. "Good night, Sir."

"Good night, Hannah," Robert said. "Alright, Jack. Let's go home."

Jack chuckled as he saw the picture " ah yes " he said and smiled " nothing like the image of a child to get you home" he said and watched Hanna as she walked over to him he stood up and walked over to Robert " yes sir " he said moving closer as he readied himself for the aperating to take them back to the house. Once there he moved to Jess who smiled and he looked at Kate " very good Kate brought him right home " he said smiling as he sat next to Jess who accioed him some hot tea which he drank slowly enjoying the quiet that seem to fill the air , part of him thought too quiet and that some thing was about to happen , like the calm before the storm he thought.

Robert immediately noticed everyone's mood had changed. He frowned, taking off his coat, and laying it aside.

"My morgue is a happier place than this house is right now," he said. "What the devil is going on here?"

"There is a certain bat back in the yard," Michael said, coming in to be sure the table set itself properly.

"Oh. Him, huh? Back already, is he? Well, I presume the beast has escaped and has either returned to its masters or is acting on its own. FOr now, as long as we keep our protection spells in place over the house, we'll be alright. This house has never been breeched. The yard, yes, but not the house. I say we leave the bat alone and enjoy our dinner. Has Khaat figured it out yet?"

"I doubt she's awake yet," Michael said.

"Let her sleep, then. Let's make sure someone is always within hearing distance of her, shall we?"

"Brian has that under control," MIchael said. "At least for the moment. He just went back upstairs to check on her."

"Good."

"How about picking out a lovely bottle of wine to go with seafood?" Michael asked Robert.

"Fair enough," Robert said. He headed for the wine cellar.

Jack looked at Jess who nodded she was aware of Ecobars return. Jack just rolled his eyes and sighed standing he looked at the doors and windows " sit down we already took care of the age lines and feline lines and such " Jim said softly as he took Cassidy's queen ending the game they had started that morning. Jack smiled and sat back down watching as Robert left for the cellar thinking he would talk to Robert he moved down with him.

" so you think he would make a move?" he asked looking at all the bottles on the racks in the cellar in front of him he rolled one around in front of him noting how the sediment shifted as he did and so left it alone .

"Escobar or the beast?" Robert asked, his focus on the shelves. He browsed casually through the cellar. "Escobar, no. Not against any of us. He doesn't hurt her because, I believe, in his own odd way, he believes he loves her. And because of that, he doesn't hurt us. The beast? I don't know. Clearly thats why Escobar is here. It seems to me we have some very good weapons already, though.

"We are all very skilled at fighting werewolves. We are not inexperienced. We do have Edward we can call for assistance. We have unplottables and protection nets, and that does slow things down. And we have a house full of seers. Not to mention Khaat's stone. We are probably better protected against a werewolf beter than any other sort of magical creature in our world." He stopped, looked more closely aat the shelves and then drew out a bottle of white wine. He inspected the label, brushing the dust off the old, well aged bottles. "This should do very nicely, I think." He picked up two bottles and handed them to Jim. He paused at another shelf and picked up two other bottles--champagne--to go with dessert. "I think we're done here for now. Let's go eat. I'm starving."