Marriage is Murder

Jess placed the lid back down and watched as Brant handed him the bottle taking out the cork slowly so not to spill it. Jess stepped back and watched Robert closely. Brant moved to stand with Steven who chuckled as he spoke.

" you'll get use to all this. " he said as he saw the look on Brant's face. " Remus was Khaat uncle, when he was a live, he treat her like she was his own daughter, that goes beyond the grave" he explained to him. Brant nodded and looked to Jess " ah Jessica is a seer as is Kate but Jess is a healer too and also married so don't get any ideas on her , Jack there would tear you to shreds." he patted Brant's shoulder. " Cassidy is my wife so shes off limits too i'm afraid" he smiled " you'll find some one, just stop looking."

"Who said i was looking." Brant said and Steven chuckled

"That look, I had it when I first came" he said still smiling at him. "

Robert ignored the talk about women hunting. Brian came in from the other room and saw that Khaat had found her way back, somehow.

"Is there something I need to know?" Brian asked.

"No," Robert said. "Not for now. Just some seer's stuff. She's fine, but If you want, you could make yourself useful. She needs two cups of tea before lunch--as quickly as she can tolerate drinking it."

"I really can handle a tea mug by myself," Khaat said sarcastically. "I do still have one good hand."

"Yes, but you've also had a pretty serious energy drain. You'll find you aren't going to handle doing much of anything until after you drink your tea," her father said. He was accustomed to the sarcasm that sometimes he got from Khaat and Kate after an energy drain. It was just part of how the women in his life reacted to the strain of a sudden, heavy drain on their magic.

"I've got it," Brian said. "Can you handle being a grandfather for awhile longer?"

"My pleasure," Robert smiled. "What am I doing?"

"Delaying lunch for a bit," Brian said.

"I can do that," Robert said, getting a mischevious grin. He went to the playroom and transfigured all the stuffed toys to stuffed kitties and then enchanted them so that within a moment, there were endless stuffed kitties running through the house, meowing and causing general mayhem, climbing the drapes and all sorts of kitten nonsense.

"That's not exactly what I meant," Brain scowled. He heard the delighted squeals from the kids as they began chasing the endless supply of enchanted stuffed kittens. Brian looked at Jack and Steven and Brant. "Do remember that there is priceless Native American art, would you? Don't let things get too weird, right?"

Steven chuckled and nodded taking Brant with him to move the art and put it in a safe place so it wouldn't get damaged. Brant found a stuffed kitten and picked it up seeing Abby he walked over to her. "Here, I believe this is yours" he said and handed it to her then returned to pick up a small figurine and place it up high so it would not be broken. Pausing he looked out side then at Steven. Jess sat not far from Khaat and Brain watching them both she smiled as James toddled in holding a small plush puppy.

" mama can I keep?" he asked holding it tight. Jess picked him up and smiled.

" you have your own" she said " hes on your bed the one with the floppy ears that you like" she said and he chuckled but still held the small puppy.

" so dis mabby's" he said and she nodded " I'll give her" he said and wriggled from her knee and ran of to find Abby.

"There are a lot of toys, Jess," Brian said. "And they've always just shared them. I don't think one enchanted toy is going to make any difference. If he wants it, that's fine." He made sure Khaat got her tea. It took a bit, but by the time she'd had the second cup, she was feeling better, and Michael was putting lunch on the table. Crunchy battered chicken fingers, with French fries, and with a large salad with not just vegetables but also with fruit in the salad. It was very kid friendly, and Angus was certain the kids were going to eat more than the adults.

Angus had made sure the table was set with enchanted china--transfigured to be white with pink kitties around the borders. The table cloth was pink, and the napkins were white with pink kitties. And on the table were short vases filled with pink carnations. It was lovely.

"Would you lot get the kids for lunch?" Michael called. "Unless they're not hungry."

"Our kids? They were born hungry," Brian laughed. He knew that Jack or Steven or someone would help get the kids to the table. He was going to work on seeing if Khaat was indeed able to get up now.

Jess smiled as James stopped and looked to Jess who smiled and nodded." Yay, mine" he said happily as he ran off. Jess looked at Brian " you spoil him" she said and smiled as Steven heard Michael ask for the kids to go to the table. He and Brant rounded up the kids and lead them to the table both guys chuckled seeing the boys screw up their noses at all the pink though James seem to like it.

"Trust James to like pink" Jack said and smiled Steven smiled back.

"Hey think of all the girls he'll get because he's in touch with his feminine side"he said and patted Jacks back gently as then placed Jaylen in her chair.

Brian helped Khaat sit up. Robert came back in as Brian was helping her sit up.

"Okay?" Brian asked her.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I'm fine. It happens."

"Not typically like that, it doesn't," her father said.

"I'm not missing lunch," she said, determined not to miss Abbey's party.

"Understood," Robert said. "But we do need to talk. Remus would never do that without a damned good reason. You need to fill me in."

"I'm not going to be any help. I don't remember," she said. "It was entirely too much too fast. Can we put this off for Abbey's sake?"

"Yes. We can," he said. "Don't trust her on her feet right away, Brian. Not til we know she's regained enough of herself that she's not going to fall flat on her face."

"I didn't plan on it," Brian said. Robert and Kate made their way to the table, and Brian helped Khaat there. She felt like she was going to regain herself fairly quickly, all things considered.

Jess sat with Caitlin as Jack and Steven say with the boys ,Cassidy walked over to Abby and placed a crown on her head. "For the birthday girl " she said and smiled as she sat back in her chair as she pored out some juice for the kids and Jack. Brant moved to the Kitchen and watched,

"Need a hand?" he asked placing his potions bag on a hook on a door he saw out of the kids reach safe and sound. He looked at Angus and picked up a tray not sure what he could do with it other than place it on the table.

Abbey loved the little crown on her head. It made her feel like a princess from her storybooks that she and Papa read. Angus and Michael served the chicken and chips and salad. It was a delicious lunch that the kids loved. Khaat's girls loved the chicken, and the boys loved the chips. The girls ate seconds on the crunchy battered fried chicken pieces, and the boys ate a mountain of chips.

Brian found the happy chaos at the table to be comforting. He hadn't thought he had missed it. As much as he enjoyed the peace and quiet alone with Khaat, he truly loved being a dad. He loved the noise and the chatter and the laughter. It was what he had wanted in his own life as a kid, and as much as Robert and Kate and Remus and Khaat had given him, this was still more. And he was going to be certain none of his kids lacked any of the things he had so wanted--the important things--a sense of being loved, a sense of family and of belonging.

Khaat was enjoying helping Abbey with what little she needed at lunch. Abbey was probably the best of her kids at feeding herself. Dakota wasn't much behind her. The triplets needed considerably more help, and Brian was trying to help Julia on one side and little Michael on the other. Robert was busy helping Dakota, and Kate was trying to help little Robert.

"What are you so happy about?" Khaat glanced up at Brian.

"Me? Its my daughter's birthday," he laughed. "Whats not to be happy about?"

"We get cookies?" Abbey piped up.

"Cookies?" Angus laughed. "After all that chicken? You want cookies?" She nodded.

To Brant every one was happy around the table he too was smiling feeling things were as they should be. Jess patted his hand " Relax Brant, you'll get use to all this" she said and gave him a drink of juice. " Angus knows all to well this is normal for us" James tapped Jess's hand and she gave him a chip to chew on. Jack gave Jaylen some chicken which she took and ate while Cassidy fed Fallon small bits. Brant could now feel the family vibe that was in this home. He chuckled as Abby spoke of Cookies. But it was Jess who spoke.

" well if there is best keep them away from Jack, he loves them" she said and he chuckled softly.

"Jack likes any food that isn't nailed down," Michael teased.

"Well, I might have some old cookies in the kitchen," Angus said, intending to surprise Abbey.

"Some of the stale ones you made before we left 2 weeks ago, I presume," Robert said, pretending to be a bit annoyed.

"Well, within a few days of that, I think," Angus said.

"Yuck," Dakota scowled. "Bad."

"You don't want any?" Angus asked.

"No," she said, crossing her arms, defiant.

"Well, I'll see if I can't find you a carrot or something, then," he said, still pretending to be serious.

"I'll help you clear the table," Michael said. The two of them cleared the table quickly and cast a spell for the kitchen to clean itself. In the kitchen out of eyesight, Michael drew his wand and enchanted the cake so that it twirled and played music and so that it had tiny, sparkling lights. Angus floated the cake through the air. With Michael's help, Angus thought it was the best cake he'd ever done.

It was a lovely three dimensional pink carousel with white and purple flowers and light pink and lavender trim. The carousel spun, displaying white kitties instead of horses. The kitties were made of beautifully decorated sugar cookies and they went up and down, just like a real carousel, as the lights twinkled and the carousel music played.

Abbey's eyes grew wide with excitement and delight, and the other kids were just as delighted. Khaat had never seen a cake that lovely in her entire life. Brian never imagined being so pleased by a pink cake with kitties, but he was truly proud to be able to have the means to provide such wonderful things for his family.

"Spectacular, Angus," Kate said, "Don't cut it until we get some pictures. That's just too lovely not to have lots of pictures of."

"No cut!" Abbey said, "I keep it! Mine!"