Marriage is Murder

Jim looked at Brian and nodded " I saw them earlier but I warned him to look after her, he assured me he would, Khaat herself seemed comfortable around him, so I felt there was no threat ." he said " Jess is at work and will watch them, I was going to tell you but this is the first time I have seen you this morning. " he said as he walked into the room flattening his hair as he sat down to wait for Brian's words. Jack walked down with Caitlin on his shoulders and James under one arm Cassidy walked the others down for breakfast now washed and dressed and ready to play.

Steven walked down moments later with the others all holding hands and in a neat line as if acting like a train " ok time to sit and refuel" he said chuckling as he lifted each into their chairs each giggling as he did so.

"I need to go," Brian said.

"Hold," Robert said, slowing him down. "There is some reason why she feels comfortable in taking him. Do you have any reason to believe that he has bewitched her again?"

"No," Brian said. "None at all."

"Then, I suggest we trust her. Jess is there, and I will be going shortly. Its not like Khaat is hidden or invisible for much of any of her day. She's out amongst the staff. I don't see why we need to overreact. I think you need to follow your normal routine, and if I need you, I'll call."

"I usually go to work," Brian said.

"Unless I pull you to other duties, and I've given you a list of those lately. I prefer you see to those instead," Robert said. "You know that."

"Oh, fine," Brian said.

"Good," Abbey was pleased. "Then Daddy stay with me."

"Yes," Robert said. "He will. But he has to get his work done before he can play."

"No fun," Abbey pouted.

Jim nodded and dished out his breakfast and theat of the children each eating happily "what about uncle Jack surly he could play with you?" Jim said and chuckled seeing the loook on Jacks face as he then sighed and chuckled .

" sure Abby just until your daddy finishes his work" he asked but seeing the look on James face he knew James would through a tantrum. " no my daddy , daddy play with me" he said throwing his spoon at Abby that Jack caught and placed it down on the table giving him a sturn look as he fold his arms .

Abbey saw the spoon that James threw, and heard his posessiveness of Jack. She got up from the table and ran up to her bedroom, upset. Brian was about to get up, but Robert got up instead.

"Let me," Robert said. "I'm done eating anyway." He didn't even look James's direction. James was not his grandchild, so he wasn't going to get involved in James' behaviors. He suspected that if James had hurled the spoon at Dakota, Dakota would more than likely simply punched James. Abbey, on the other hand, was far more sensitive. He went upstairs to the bedroom and found Abbey sitting on the floor in her closet with a rag doll. He simply sat down on the floor with her.

"I no like him," she said softly, tugging on the yarn hair of the doll. "He not nice."

"Sometimes its hard having so many kids around, isn't it?" Robert asked her. She nodded.

"I no want his daddy. I have my daddy," she said.

"And Papa," Robert reminded her.

"And Papa," she repeated. "Papa, I stay with Daddy today? Please? I no like James. He bad."

"He's not bad," Robert said. "But you're right, that wasn't nice. Alright. You can stay with Daddy. Maybe you can help him with his work today. Now, can I have a hug?" She climbed up on his lap and hugged him.

A few minutes later, Robert brought Abbey downstairs and handed her to Brian. "Meet your new secretary for the day. She wants to be with you. So be it. Perhaps a little father daughter time is just what she needs."

Jack looked at Abby " its ok hes just being a meany today not sure why though" he said and looked at James who sat with his arms crossed . Jack smiled seeing Abby leave with Robert " don't do that again you could have hurt Abby or Dakota" he said " what do you say for your self?" he asked James looked at him.

"Meany, Big meany" he said and turned back away from him , Jack sighed as he sat back down with Cassidy who took his hand and smiled.

" its okay hes just in the twos right now" she said and Steven nodded " he'll grow out of it, be glad its just him the there're good as gold "

Abbey didn't like James's poor attitude. And she didn't like James being rude to his father.

"I no like him, Daddy," Abbey said softly in Brian's shirt.

"Now, now,' Brian soothed. "He's just mad."

"I got a daddy," she said. "I no need more. I no like him anymore."

"You're just mad now," he laughed softly, kissing the top of her head.

"I not mad. I no like him," she said. Brian laughed. Abbey was so rarely mad that she didn't even know what that felt like.

"It'll be okay," he said. "You can stay with me today."

"Abbey," Angus said, "Would you go with me to the barn, please? I could use your help."

"Why?" she scowled.

"Its a surprise," he said. "But I really could use your help. I'll bring you back to Daddy if you want. We can go when you're done with breakfast."

"I no want no food," she said. "We go now." Angus resisted the urge to laugh. He was already seeing that there was so much of Khaat in her.

"Alright. I'll get your coat and we'll go," Angus said. He left and went to go get his coat and hers.

Jack scowled at James who sat back quietly in his chair knowing to get that look from his father he'd been naughty and so he staid quiet but Jaylen spoke up " James meany to mabby" she said " James naughty boy" she said and outed at her brother. Cassidy sighed and looked at Jaylen.

" I don't know why hes being this way Jaylen, but we still can have fun right?" she said and moved to tickle her making Jaylen giggle as she did so.

" I'll talk to him " Jack said but Steven stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Let Jess when she comes back she'll know exactly whats wrong with him, for now let him pout, if that's the worst he can do let him" he told Jack

Angus took Abbey out to the barn with him. He put her on his shoulders and climbed the ladder into the loft and took her clear to the back, behind the hay and straw bales and showed her a stray mama kitty that had seven newborn kittens in a whole array of colors. They were very, very tiny, and they were all crying because they were hungry.

"Babies!" Abbey tried to dive headfirst off Angus's shoulders. He caught her, laughing, and put her on the floor and took her hand.

"Quietly," he told her softly. "The mama doesn't know you."

"Why they cry?"

"The mama doesn't have enough to feed them all," he said. "They're hungry."

"Milk," she nodded.

"Yes," he said. "For baby kitties. Special kitty milk." He accio'd some kitten formula out of the barn refrigerator and a couple of tiny bottles. He warmed the milk magically and poured some into the tiny bottles. "Sit down, and I'll show you how to feed them. " She sat crosslegged on the floor, and Angus took a kitten and positioned it in her hands with the bottle. It drank eagerly. Abbey was delighted.

"I can do it!" she said, pleased with herself.

"And you're doing a good job," he said, sitting beside her and picking a kitten to feed.

"How many we feed?" she asked.

"All of them," he said.

"We take them inside?" she asked. "They can sleep in my room."

"We'll have to ask your daddy," he said. "And I don't know that Max and Mo would like it."

"I bit them if they no like it."

"You'll bite them?"

"I put my fur on and I bite them," she nodded. He looked at her. So she did know that she could change shapes. She merely thought of it as "putting her fur on." And that wasn't an altogether unhealthy way of looking at it.

Jess returned and looked at Jack and at James sighing she picked him up and walked out of the room placing him down in the play room she sat down with him and began to talk to him. Jack watched her leave with him but said nothing then Jess returned and sat with him " well?" Jack asked and Jess smiled.

" we talked" she said and looked at Brian " seems he does like Abby but doesn't want to look soft in front of Dakota and the others, I told him that acting the way he was is not giving her that impression and nobody would see him as soft " she said " he's playing right now with some cars and a truck."

"Soft?" Brian asked. "As in masculine? If thats the case, then it sounds like his father needs to help him understand that all he has to do is be himself. Nobody around her is deliberately trying to be a tough guy. Where the hell did he get the idea that he had to be anything other than himself?" Brian wondered how a kid that little got the idea he had to be macho in order to be acceptable. He wondered if someone had said something in front of him to make him think that he had to be a certain way.

When Angus and Abbey had fed the kittens, he took her back to the kitchen, took her coat and helped her wash her hands. She was happier now. "You can go play if you want," he said to her.

"No," she said. "I feed kitties later?"

"If you want. I need to bake some cookies right now. What shape should I make today?"

"Kitties," she nodded. "Pink kitties."

"Of course, pink kitties," he laughed. "Its always pink kitties. How about we make all sorts of jungle animals today instead?"

"Pink?"

"Oh, alright, I'll make one of the animals pink. I promise."

"I help you?"

"I have a better idea. I'll make some hot spiced cider and you and your daddy can share some." She nodded. He make a large kettle of hot cider, enough for everyone. He poured several mugs and floated the tray out to the living room. He had managed to find a plain pink mug and he'd put Abbey's cider in the pink mug.

Abbey followed the tray into the living room where it landed gently on the coffee table. She pointed out the pink mug immediately to Brian.

"That one mine," she said, nodding. He picked it up and sniffed it.

"Cider. What a good idea." He handed the mug to her. "So what was in the barn?"

"Shhhhh. It a secret," she said. "I no tell."