Marriage is Murder

Steven looked at Kate and stood up slowly walking around the room first then the house Jack moved in the opposite direction. Glancing out of a window he looked towards the woods his frown evident on his face as he stood deep in his thoughts. Steven passed him and gave him a light poke.

" hey, do your job" he said and Jack sighed nodding his head as he continued walking around the house and back to the living room. But once more he stood looking out the window at the large grass area in front of it his eyes scanning for any sign of trouble something in his gut told him to expect it and it was coming soon. Jess saw jacks face and stood up crossing to him stood next to him.

"what do you feel?" she asked softly as he turned to look down at her his face still dark and frowned as he spoke softly to her.

" somethings coming, I...I think hes coming back" he said and looked at Kate.

"Of course he will," Michael said. "If you were up against a woman with a little green stone that made a beast like that cower, would you not want to get ahold of that stone? Especially when doing so will also strike deep at the minister of magic. You do understand Robert is merely fishing for information, right?"

"Yeah," Kate said. "We know. But I also know that a werewolf isn't going to battle that stone and win."

"I think thats might be part of what they want from the beast. They want him to be their guinea pig to see if it can be defeated."

"Then they will lose," Kate said. "You lot need to not sit on pins and needles. We can't make the beast come faster. Nor can we slow him down. It just is what it is."

Jess looked at Jack who smiled and moved to sit with one arm behind Jess as Steven walked back down and sat with Cassidy who naturally lent against him resting her head on his shoulder as she listened to Kate talking and nodded. " you think it could take down something that big?"she asked sipping her tea as she took a deep breath in as she sat relaxing with Jack. Jim looked out the window and chuckled.

" ow looks like rain " he said and then moved back to the chess board. as he moved the peices to make a move.

"I think we may find out," Kate said. "I don't think we fully know what that stone is capable of. But it was designed and intended to keep her safe from the werewolf curse. I'm sure the enchantments that are built into it are powerful simply because thats what Flamel did. What I'm not sure of is how powerful they are in a stone that size. Its not, after all, its not softball sized."

"I think we need to not get upset about it," Michael said. "We've battled worse and we've done fine. We need to keep our wits about us and work together. It will be alright. Angus received a message from Edward while we were cooking. Edward will be arriving sometime between now and breakfast. He had some things to do first, he said, but he is coming. Look at it this way, either Escobar came out of the trees to talk to Robert or Robert is just aimlessly walking around the grounds with Abbey. The first option is productive at least. The second is, well, I don't know...not Robert's style, I suppose."

Jack , Steven and Jess all nodded " at least that's something " Jess said as she lent against Jack for a moment. Jack held her close against him. Steven looked at Jim as he lent against the fire place.

" Steven join me in this game" he said trying to take his mind of Escobar and Robert out in the woods with Abby Jack kept his ears open for any sigh of any distress from them both. Steven moved to Jim's table and looked down moving his pawn up one place, Jim countered with his pawn moving two places.

Robert wanted to gather some more information from Escobar but it appeared that Escobar had little more to offer than Robert already knew--with one exception. This beast did not seem to turn back to any human form whatsoever. Not during daylight, not during any other configuration of the moon. He stayed fully transformed. Escobar had no idea if the beast had been a man that had been somehow hexed, or if he had elected to stay transformed and had followed Greyback's teachings long enough to lose his humanity in any form that he remembered or what it was. But Escobar saw this creature as little more than a killing machine. And Robert believed Escobar was right.

When Robert finished with Escobar, the vampire took flight back to the trees,and Robert brought Abbey back in. He kissed her and thanked her for her help and put her on the floor.

"Will one of you make sure she gets her bath and her pajamas and into bed, please?" he asked. He was just presuming that someone was taking care of the rest of the kids, or had already. He wanted Abbey in bed before he decided to discuss it any further.

Jess stood up and walked over to Abby " come on I have warm pink fluffy pj's waiting for you " she said taking Abbys hand and walking her up to the bathroom. Jim watched Stevens next move and scratched his chin as Steven took his knight leaving part of the board open with nothing but Stevens pieces. Jack chuckled as he sat watching but seeing Robert turned.

" so whats the word?" he asked shifting in his seat so he was facing him as he waited for Robert to fill them in on what Escobar has said , good or bad.

"I don't know any more than I did before, really," Robert said. "Escobar says the beast never changes from that form. Daylight or night time. Full moon or no moon. There is no recognition of language from him. Only bloodlust and the desire to kill. There isn't any humanity left. Somebody did something with him that went horribly wrong. I see little choice but to kill him. If this were a normal case of gthe curse, I'd be able to work with it. But this is so different. This beast kills and its all it lives for. I will be glad when Edward gets here. Our mission is not merely defensive now. I must make it offensive. We must kill this beast before the bloodlust takes so strong a hold on him that he goes on a rampage, killing anything that lives. I will only take a few with me on this because this is not going to be pleasant or easy either one. And I am debating on sending the rest of you all to take the kids to some happy place for a few days while we eliminate this threat."

"And what if this isn't the only one they have?" Kate asked softly.

"Then we'll pick them off one at a time, I suppose," He shrugged. "I hadn't thought that far, quite honestly,."

Jess on returning from bathing and putting Abby to bed, Jack and Jim looked at each other and frowned at him. " and how do you intend on doing that with out putting Khaat in danger?" Jack asked as he moved to stand with Jess who looked at Kate then Robert .

"Guess we cross that when we get to it he might not come for months " she said and sat back down on the couch. Jack followed.

" but we keep our guards up, nothing is to slip past" he said Jim nodded as did Steven but nether looked up as Steven took a pawn from Jim.

"I intend to do that in whatever way keeps my family alive," Robert said sternly. "I am not asking you to do battle with the beast. I'm asking you to keep everyone else safe. Are you now questioning my abilities too?" He walked away and went to his potions lab.

Michael sighed heavily. "Ease up, Jack," Michael said. "He's most likely about to be ousted as minister by a bunch of assholes. And there isn't anything he can do about it. They've got their minds made up he's the biggest criminal since Voldemort or damned near to it. The last thing he needs is someone in his own house sounding like he's incompetent too. I know it isn't what you meant, but its how he's going to hear it right now.

"The best you lot can do is to stop acting so bloody insecure and to start acting like you're confident in not only your own abilities but his too," Michael added. He looked up and saw Brian had come down from upstairs where he had been watching Khaat. "I presume all is well?"

"She's not going to wake for awhile," Brian said. "She's just tired. She never moved a muscle. Someone yank Robert out of shape?"

"A wee bit," Michael said.

"Lets give him some space and then I'll go talk with him," Brian said.

"Why don't you let me do that, Son?" Edward said as he ported in, putting his bag on the floor. "I'm sure the pressure he feels is immense."

"It is," Michael admitted. Edward went into the cellar and got out a bottle of the finest brandy Brian had and got a couple of glasses.

"Angus, see to my bags," Edward requested. "There is an age line spell on it. If you unpack, do put my things in a cabinet that also has an age line spell on it. We do not need children into any of the things I brought."

"Yes, Sir," Angus said. Edward looked at Jack.

"You would be wise not to mess with my things either," Edward said. "There are many things that would be fatal for you. Just a fair warning." He went down the hall to Robert's potions lab.