Marriage is Murder

"When you visited, yes," Edward said to his nephew. "Your father and grandfather didn't have the same appreciation I did for time in the garden, fresh fruits and vegetables that you've grown with your own hands, fish that you caught yourself that morning...meh....they just didn't get what the spice of life is really made of."

"And Khaat and I fully agree with you," Brian said. "So does Michael and Angus. Angus largely sticks to a very mediterranean diet, and we have nothing to complain about."

"No, because its nothing but simple ingredients done really well."

"But he makes it look exquisite," Brian said.

"And that is the artist in him. His grandmother, rest her soul, loved Tuscany at least as much as I did, and that boy grew up watching those foods prepared every day. "

"We're very blessed to have him," Brian said.

"And you have become his immediate family," Edward said. "And, then, by extension, it binds us all. You surely understand the family of the heart, and so do I."

"Well, the family of the heart is all I've really known my whole life," Brian said. "It feels normal to me."

"That makes you a very wealthy man, indeed," Edward smiled slightly. He looked over at the sleeping Khaat on the sofa. "Check her. Her shoulder is seeping already. This will be stubborn indeed." Brian looked over to see that her bandages were soaked with blood already. He had expected a certain amount of that, but this looked like a lot this soon. Brian uncovered the dressings carefully and frowned. The wounds that Robert and he had addressed looked like they were opening and not closing.

"They're bewitched," Brian said softly.

"I'll get Robert," Edward said. "We need to stop this now. It probably is that genetic nonsense with the beast somehow. I knew they had done some additional tinkering with him." He went upstairs and found Robert just sitting with his sleeping wife.

"How is she?" Edward asked softly.

"Stable," Robert said. "Sedated. She isn't going to wake for hours."

"Can you spare yourself for a moment?"

"I think. Whats going on?"

"Khaat's wounds--they're bewitched. They're opening in response to your closing spells."

Robert frowned. "That is not good at all. That is a serious problem. I'll be straight down."

"Would you like me to stay and keep an eye on Kate?"

"Depends on whether you can deal with Archangel," Robert smiled, watching the bird who was still faithfully staring at Kate.

"I think he and I should get along well. I like birds of prey," Edward smiled. "I will have to bring him some really good fish."

"He'd love you for life," Robert laughed.

"We'll be fine," Edward said. Robert went downstairs to look at Khaat's shoulder. He began to check the wound and realized Khaat was showing signs of shock again. She was losing even more blood and her system wasn't dealing well with it. It was becoming a problem.

"Get the shock under control," Robert told Brian quietly. "Get her stabilized. I may need to do some surgery on this to get to the bottom of this. Jim, can you find Michael and the two of you clear off that dining room table, disinfect it, and spread it with clean sheets. I need a stable surface with good light. Something here just isn't right. And I know you lost any adversion to blood a long time ago. I may need the two of you to help Brian and I do this. If we dont' find out what holds this spell in place, she may soon bleed to death. "

"How can I help?" Edward asked.

"Potions. I need potions from my lab. Do you know which ones I need?"

"Between us, Brant and I can manage it," Edward said, seeing Khaat start to get restless in her sleep.

"And I need lots of surgical equipment. Its in the locked cabinet in the potions lab. Bring it all. Everything I've got," Robert said, his hand already moving to her forehead. He sent her into unconsciousness so that he could operate on her shoulder. He felt her systems relax in response to his commands.

Brant smiled as he listened to them talk " yes and all of that now sees me day to day I took what you taught me and practically live off the land now. " he said smiling " though some home comforts don't go a miss every now and again" he said and glanced over at Khaat seeing her shoulder and hearing Edwards words he sighed and nodded . Steven moved to the table and accioed some clean sheets he made the table sterile and laid the sheets down.

"Ready Brian" he said and stepped back letting Brian move with Khaat. Brant moved to Edward and looked at him.

" what are we going to try a natural poultice or a mix of different herbs to counter the effects?" he asked knowing which herbs could and might work.

"I'm not entirely certain yet," Robert said. "I need to see deeper into the wound itself to see if I can determine how they bewitched it. I'll let you know as soon as I know. Are you up to this, Brian?"

"Why would I not be?" Brian asked unemotionally. He picked Khaat up and put her on the table. He took carefully uncovered the wounds and draped clean towels around in order to try to keep the site clean for Robert. Edward brought Robert's surgical equipment and levitated a tray at Robert's side and opened the equipment on it while Robert cleaned his hands.

"Let's see what this is," Robert said. He explored very carefully and slowly. Brian used sterile gauze to help draw the heavy bleeding away so Robert could see. It was slow going. No one spoke while the painstaking exploration was going on.

"Robert," Brian frowned, suddenly looking closer. "There."

"Yeah. I see it," Robert said quietly as Brian handed him a long thin pair of forceps. Robert slowly used them to reach in and to pluck out something out of the wound.

"What the hell is that?" Brian frowned.

"Let me rinse it off, and then you'll certainly recognize it," Robert said. He dipped the object into some saline and rinsed it off. He held it up for them to see. It was a tip of a broken off werewolf claw. Long, slender, razor sharp, with a jagged broken edge.

"Do you think that's it?" Brian asked. Robert help it up to the stone, and the stone started to scream and glow and seemed to be aiming in on it like it was going to fire.

"Does that answer that question?" Robert asked, taking it out of the way of the stone. "My queztion is whether it is the only one or if there is more."

Brant nodded and stood watching as did Steven and Jim both stepped back as they saw the claw " wow" Brant said watching the stone aim at the claw fragment. " that's not good is it Edward" he said some what stunned that even a piece of a wear could make the stone glow as it did. Steven took the piece and looked at Robert " I'll take it or them it out of here and so far away the stone won't find it." he said wrapping it in some cloth and porting pout . Jim looked at Khaat on the table.

"Have you found any more?" he asked hoping to direct every one back to Khaat on the table still , he also hoped none remained in the wound and they could heal it or set it healing.

"No, its not good," Edward said, "but it explains a lot. I wish he wouldn't have taken that out. I could have used that thing for study about his genetics...."

"Don't sweat it," Robert said. "There's plenty here. More claws and a wad full of hair. No wonder she has so many broken bones. It was his attacking her that broke his claws."

"Clearly. He went through her shoulder and struck not only the bones but the rock behind her with so much force that it broke those big claws. I want whatever you find now, or at least samples."

"Take it all if you want it," Robert said, working steadily. "Brant, we need a cleansing potion to rid the wound of cursed contaminants. I will try to undo the bewitching myself, but we do need to clean the wound itself because it is so deep and because if we don't, we may be doing this over and over."

Brant nodded and put his hands into his pockets fumbling he took out a good sized bottle that he re-sized as it left his pocket. "I think he meant well, Here , I carry it for emergencies" he said and chuckled " hey never know when you get hexed by a witch or banshee" he said handing it over to Edward . " we can make more" he said. Jim watched and sighed .

" need me to do anything?" he asked " or should I just put the kettle on and make tea?" he asked knowing every one would need refreshments once Khaat was stable again. " I can go make sure her bed is ready for when your done patching her up" he said.

"Thank you," Robert said. Edward took the bottle and, at Robert's direction, he poured a few drops into the wound. The wound bubbled and oiled angrily, defiantly. Edward frowned. "It merely means the enchantment is strong," Robert said, not overly moved. "Yes, Jim. We will definitely take her upstairs. I want this wound to stay very still until we know the bleeding has stopped. Do, please, get her room ready."

He kept working and found four more claws. The beast had lost all five of the claws on whatever hand he'd used. And there was a great deal of hair that was tangled with the claw fragments. He put it in the bowl beside him. Edward studied the claws and the hair.

"This hair even has the follicles attached. That fight was violent enough, that hair was ripped out by the root," Edward said. The skin attached to the fur was going to be very hepful indeed. Robert knew that.

Brian drew his wand and began to cast the spell to undo the dark spell that contaminated the wound. Edward also joined in while Robert worked. The dark magic attempted to escape by trying to crawl up Robert's hand and up his arm.

"Oh no, you don't," Robert said firmly. Brian and Edward shifted the focus of their wands to the dark energy that was turning Robert's skin completely black. It began to go back to Khaat where it had come from and then dissappeared slowly. "Don't stop until its completely gone," Robert said. "This is a very advanced spell. You must be sure it is gone."

Brant stood and watched as the two men forced the black spell back into Khaat then slowly made it disappear " I have never seen that before " he said softly as Jim headed up to Khaats room. Brant watched with Edward and looked at the hair fragments and claws. " might be able to figure out what they did to this creature and work on how to undo it " he said to Edward " the roots should hold its DNA or what ever it has " he said covering it with a sterile white cloth he had prepared with a barrier spell to stop any evil spells escaping attached to the claws and bits. "Can't be too safe right Uncle?" he said and stepped back. Jim changed the sheets and left the bed pulled back to leave it ready for Khaat to be laid into it he placed fresh flowers in the vase close to her bed and fresh water in the jug now he stood and looked around.

" well not much else I can do here " he said to the portrait of Remus.

"Its a damned foul thing, Brant," Robert said quietly. "Thats one spell that just pisses me off. Irks the hell out of me. It preys on a healer than can heal by contact or is in the process of making contact with the contamination itself. And then it just crawls to the healer because the healer has the stronger energy source and then contaminate the healer enough. Its very parasitic."

"You must be careful not to handle the samples with your bare hands," Edward told Brant. "It might not affect you like it does Robert because you aren't going to have the healing energies that the spell is so hungry for. Nevertheless, you must be careful with it."

Upstairs the portrait kept watch as Jim prepared the room.

"Not so," the portrait replied. "Get her wand and disinfect it. Disinfect the stone but do not touch it. Burn all the clothing she had on today. It must be destroyed completely to ash, along with all the dressings that have come in contacts with that contaminated blood. He will have to replace any equipment that has been used and has been touched with that blood. Any of the ground that she has bled on, if there is any, set it on fire. The same with any linens or any clothing any of you own that carries her bloodstains. Leave nothing to chance. Until the wound is closed and there is no more bleeding. Do you understand? Robert will know this--when he remembers. Miss nothing."

Jim listened and nodded he placed her things in a bowl and gathered anything else he found cleansing her wand he placed it by her bed then headed down to the living room placing the bowl down he used tongs to gather the old bandages " Remus said they have to be burnt , even the ground she bled on but I think that's buried in the cave" he said as he picked up more bandages and set the fire in the hearth to a raring blaze . throwing them in he listened to Edward with Brant who spoke.

" yes I understand and part of me is glad I didn't take that from my mother" he said as he stood holding the bowl of pieces in his hand.