Marriage is Murder

Jack looked at Robert and nodded " yes sir" he said softly and walked to the potions lab and stepped inside he saw the mouse dragging leaves and things to a man stood over a pestle and mortar but said nothing. " hum... ow your the wear i'm to leave alone. " he said and walked over to him looking up at him then around him " good you worked off your anger" he spoted the small bottle in Jacks pocket " wolfsbane? " he asked.

" yes it is and yes I am but trust me if you get in my way or fail to protect Khaat..." he stopped as he watched the mouse " what is it doing?" he asked and saw Brent glance back smiling.

" she is called tricks and she helps with my potions" he said and picked the small mouse up . Jack chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke.

" wow a wizard with a mouse that's a first" he said " okay, I usually end up in the gym so stay out if I'm in there " he warned him and he was just waved off as Brent went back to his potion but soon returned to him.

" lean down" he said Jack did so and Brent rubbed something on the back of his neck " there, its a soothing balm won't interact with the wolfbane but will sooth your anger , seen it work on wolves so no different to wears" he added and handed Jack some in a small jar" try it and see."

Brian walked over to the window with Khaat. "Stop worrying," he said softly to her.

"He's out there," she said quietly.

"Yes. He is."

"Then let me go out and lets get this on," she said.

"No," he said. "We will wait. We need the Donohues. We need every hand we can get. We'll wait."

"If he wants me, then...." she began.

"Not an option," he said firmly. "No one is going to just toss you out to him like a crust of bread. No. If we fight, we fight. You wait. You get something to eat. Michael!"

Michael appeared in the doorway. "Yes?"

"Can you feed her something?" he asked. "Something she'll actually eat?"

"Certainly," Michael said. He went over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder "Come on. Let's go find something."

Brent finished his potion and placed it in a small vial that he placed right on the highest shelf picking up tricks he slipped her into his breast pocket but left his jacket off as he walked tossing a small ball of pink light back and forth in his hands as he began to think walking back down to the living room " sorry was just passing through." he said rolling the ball back and forth in his fingers then closing it to extinguish it . " Angus said I think forth or fifth room I have been bunked in, thought I appreciated it I prefer a tent and outside space if that's all right, I know the wears out there and understand if you want me to stay inside, but it gets a little cramped for my taste." he said softly letting tiny sparks dance over his fingertips as if he could not hold himself still for more than a second at a time.

"You sleep wherever you like," Brian said, not trusting in the judgement of any wizard who believed living in a tent in the snow with a genetically altered, blood crazed beast on the same ground. Brian was not sure he could believe the man knew what he was doing. "The room is yours to use, but if you prefer outside, so be it."

Michael took Khaat into the kitchen and made her a delightful crepe with chocolate filling and raspberries. "Here," he put a plate in front of her. "If you're going to fight, you can't do it on an empty stomach." She managed to eat part of it. Enough to satisfy him. He left it alone when he saw she was finished.

When Khaat returned to the living room, Escobar got her attention. He wanted to talk to her. She went up to her room and opened the window, letting him in. He came in and transformed.

"The beast is different somehow," Escobar said. "I dont know that I can put my finger on it, but he is different. They seem to have continued to tinker with his genetics. He almost acts wounded. Like he is in pain."

"How is that possible?" she asked.

"I'm wondering if they wanted to make him more dangerous," he said. "You know a wounded animal is always more dangerous than a well one. This ups the ante significantly. He's even more dangerous than he was the last time. And he has such a strong taste for blood that it makes me look totally benign."

"God," she sighed, sitting. "What do I do?"

"Your family will not surrender you. You will fight with them, or they will fight for you--and without you, they will surely die. They need the stone. What choice do you have?" he asked her softly.

"None whatsoever," she said softly.

Brent looked at Brian then out to Khaat and back " hum might make more sense to stay inside " he said softly and looked back to Brian " think I'll talk to my uncle first" he said and walked out of the living room to find Edward. Finding him he sighed " okay this is worse than I thought right " he said " I have dealt with wears before as you know uncle but this is bigger so much bigger you can cut the tension with a knife around here. Cassidy heard him and walked over.

" Forgive me for speaking out of turn but hes right its all too tense around here, were trying not to be but that bloody wear out there is making it hard on all of us" she said folding her arms " and you walked right into the middle of it."

"Because this isn't like anything you've ever dealt with before," Edward said calmly to Brant. "You have seen normal werewolves, but this is nothing like it. This is utterly deadly. Whatever you're used to doing and dealing with, forget it. This is nothing like it. Don't underestimate the fighters here. And don't underestimate the friends that Robert Lupin can send for as backup." He saw Cassidy come up. "You all are frightened, and you have the right to be frightened. But unless you all settle a bit, you will be too scattered to act as one solid, experienced unit. Robert has commanded you through a lot. You need to trust him tonight if you all want to live."

Cassidy looked at Edward and Brent and sighed nodding " I know I have tried knitting and reading that usually helps, but as you said were all scared, more of losing Khaat to that thing than anything else, Jess seems to be the most level headed of us all, she looks as if nothing will scare her. " she listened further and chuckled " ow and we know how big they can be" she said " we..saw that last year " she looked at Michael and Brent " okay time to get the kids for their food" she said and smiled moving off and up to the nursery for the kids. Jack took a deep breath and sat down but he glanced out the window at some movement though he dismissed it as he could tel it was Escobar waiting for Khaat.

Escobar reassured Khaat that he would do his best to protect her. She knew that. He made her promise she would stay behind him if it came to it. She agreed. He saw the hesitancy in her face. He stroked her cheek.

"Querida," he said softly. "I have not been a good man for centuries. Do not consider me before you consider the true goodness you have. Its too late for me to be any different than I am." She didn't respond, refusing to be in any other state of mind than in battle mode. "Do not go out until your father commands, and follow his every word," Escobar said. He left and went back outside. She drew up her courage and went downstairs quietly.

She saw Cassidy helping the kids to get some food. Feeding the kids was important. Her mother joined Cassidy in helping the kids to eat.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked Khaat.

"Yes," she replied unemotionally. She glared at her father. "Lets do this."

"No," he said. "Not until we have to."

Jack looked over and saw Khaat as did Brent both looked at each other then then to Robert hearing him tell Khaat they would not fight til they had to. both were relived Jack moved to Cassidy and helped feed the children as James refused to eat from the spoon. He gave him a small spoon and let him feed himself as he had when they had been out. Jack stood up and looked at Robert " we'll follow your every command Robert, with out question. " he said Cassidy nodded she agreed . Jess walked in from cleaning up the nursery and smiled at Brent.

" welcome to the mad house Brent" she said and walked to sit with Jack leaving him stood open mouth.

"okay your a seer " he said and she nodded " whose , married to a wear, that's unshual" he added " no offence " Jess chuckled and shook her head as she looked at Edward.

" so which side of the family is he from ?" she asked " certainly not yours he doesn't have the finesse you have Edward" she told him.

(question--is his name brant or brent? you have him registered as brant but you spell his name brent. i'm confused.)

"I'm not going to put us all at risk unless and until we have no other option," Robert said.

Khaat was becoming more and more uncomfortable, and she wasn't sure why. She almost could not contain herself from going out. And then she heard Escobar's voice, raised loudly, sharply, calling her name. She looked out the living room window and saw Abbey in the yard, heading for the barn, and the beast racing towards her. Abbey turned in Escobar's direction and saw the beast and screamed, terrified. Escobar was racing for her. Khaat panicked.

"Abbey!" she said, flinging open the door. She apparated outside and put herself directly between Abbey and the beast, facing the beast, her wand drawn.

"Oh God," Brian panicked. "Go, go, go!" he ordered. Robert, Angus, Edward, and Michael flew, as Kate flew for the kids at the table and drew an age line so none of them could leave there on their own, and began to take a head count to make sure there weren't any more missing. Escobar scooped up Abbey in his arms, hiding her under his cloak to shield her face, to protect her from seeing any more horror.