Marriage is Murder

Jack looked at Angus " hes right i'm sure Kate will let us know if anything was wrong " he said starting on his second cookie just as Jess walked in.

" I hope that's your one and only" she asked and looked at Angus " London for pizza that like going to japan for a burger , so yuck and wrong" she looked to Michael " shame on you" she said and chuckled " I'll help make the pizza if you want Angus we all will that way we will all get our own" she said softly hoping to change the subject.

"Nothing that irks that kid more than telling him Brits know how to do decent Tuscan food," Edward laughed. "He grew up knowing better. I'm betting he has to adjust the seasoning in Michael's sauce too."

"Not right," Angus was already saying, tasting the sauce. "Not bad, but not right." He poured the sauce into a pot and began heating it and adjusting the seasoning already. Michael laughed. He had hoped he could draw Angus back into the kitchen by deliberately doing something that he knew would irk Angus enough that he couldn't help himself and had to fix.

"Be my guest, Jess," Michael said. "I can open up a can of chocolate pudding or something for dessert."

"What is wrong with you?" Angus scowled. "London pizza and canned pudding? Have you lost your mind? Get out of my kitchen, old man."

"You want something fresh, then?"

"When have I ever served canned pudding? Bake something or get out."

"I'll do my best," Michael said, having to work hard now to keep a straight face.

Jess chuckled now getting what Michael was doing, she held up her hands " wow no way he'd bite my head off" she said smiling as she watched Angus " besides his puddings are divine on there own right" she added Jack chuckled while Brant sat watching some what confused and looked at Michael.

Steven heard the talking and walked in looking at every one then at Angus."Yum pizza" he said then heard Jess and Jack chuckle beside him. " Angus's pizza is always perfectly light and ..ow Angus are you doing cheese stuffed crust?" he asked

"Do you know how to toss a crust, Jess?" Angus asked. "Or any of you?"

"I do," Edward said.

"You don't count," Angus said. "Besides, I can still toss a better crust than you."

"Oh, really?" Edward said, unable to pass up Angus's challenge. He got up and went into the kitchen and took the bench scraper and cut off a piece of dough. He put it on the kitchen scales and found it to be accurate down to the last fraction of an ounce. "Can you do that, Boy?" Angus picked up the bench scraper, hit the dough in rapid fire repeatedly, cutting it in equal pieces. He weighed them and found them to duplicate Edward's measurement.

"Alright, watch and learn," Edward said, cleaning and preparing his hands. He stretched the dough and then tossed it into a perfect shape and put it into a pizza pan. "Anyone else care to try, before Showoff over there tries to beat me?"

"I can beat him," Michael said.

"Can not," Angus said.

"Can so," Michael said, picking up a piece of dough and starting to stretch it and toss it.

Jack Jess and Brant all laughed and shook their heads " ow no, we're having way too much fun watching " Jack said and sat at the table watching the pair of them make Pizza. " hey I don't mind who makes it both will taste as good" t said and grinned at the both . Brant just chuckled.

" ow it will Jack, it will" he said and grabbed two pizza pans placing them on the table close to both Angus and Michael " ill get another when your ready guys" he said and grinned.

Angus tossed a pizza, making it look like childsplay. Edward was actually proud of him but he certainly wasn't going to let him know that.

"Its not bad, but your technique needs a bit of polishing," Edward said.

"Right," Angus said, feeling his grandfather was full of it.

Brian and Robert apparated quietly back to the house--straight to Brian's bedroom, not wanting to stir up a lot of chaos. They had both been injured and had been treated--somewhat--by some student interns, in the emergency room. It wasn't the best treatment but they'd tolerated it, too battle weary to ask for anything better. They were basically supporting each other. Brian laid down on the bed, and Robert was just too tired to go to his own room. He stretched out on the bed beside Brian, and they both fell asleep instantly, exhausted.

Khaat looked up, feeling their energies back in the house. Not wanting to make a stir, she stayed silent, allowing the others to continue having a good time and make their pizzas.

Jess looked at Khaat then stood up " excuse me I think one of the kids is awake" she again looked at Khaat " I'll deal with it " she said softly and headed to the bed room . Seeing Robert and Brian she placed her hand on Brian first finding the healing underway but slow she made it quicken the same for Robert . Not knowing what happened she let them sleep knowing they would be okay to let them sleep. Walking back she smiled and nodded to Khaat " every things all right, their sleeping, I'll check on them again later" hoping she knew what and who she meant.

"Thank you," Khaat said quietly. "We need to let them rest. All I can feel is intense fatigue from them. I'll talk to them later. Oh, that reminds me. Brian wanted me to send out some checks to pay some of the bills. Would you all make sure you make pizzas for the kids, please? If I forget those checks, Brian will have my head." She got up and went to the office and sat down at the desk and began writing out some of checks from their accounts to pay for some of the massive purchases it took to run the estate.

Edward saw Jess come back downstairs. "I presume all their limbs are attached?" he asked Jess. "I'll stay close to them to try to get the details from them when they wake. Brant, check my own potions bag and be sure that I have the basics covered. Those two don't get that tired unless they've been through battle. And that might mean they might have a sore muscle or two. You know the rest of the potions I prefer to carry for those things, please. Jess, you might want to let me take the night watch so that you can take over in the morning. I don't know what Khaat's healing abilities are right now. She hasn't talked much about whether her shoulder impairs her skills or not."

Jess smiled to Khaat " my pleasure" she said then heard Edward and nodded " tired very tired but all limbs accounted for " she said and smiled ad nodded " I think that's best " she said as she looked at Edward. " I'm sure they will come stronger in time but she has enough with healing herself right now to deal with, I for one would not like her to use any of her energy " she said and watched Angus and Edward make Pizza, " so how many you going to make?" she asked " because we'll have a hungry horde down soon and I know mine all like Pizza, Angus's especially" she said and smiled

"There is enough dough here to make a whole pizza for every person here. Not that we'll eat that much," Michael said.

"But you'd be amazed at what our family has learned to do with leftover pizza," Edward laughed. "When you feed that many, nothing ever goes to waste. Just make sure everyone is hungry."

Khaat finished writing checks and whistled for Archangel. He flew at once to her. She sent the checks off to be delivered with him. She listened to the sounds of her mother in the playroom across the hall. The kids were delighted with something she had come up with for them after their naps, and the laughter and contentment was something Khaat never tired of hearing in her children. She never wanted to hear the terrorized screams of her children, as she had once heard from Abbey. Jack had saved Abbey that day, but the echoing sounds of Abbey's terror never ever quite had left Khaat's heart. Khaat had had a lot of opportunities to be afraid, but nothing terrorized her quite like that had. Jack had made the right choice that day. And Khaat hoped that if it ever came to it, that she could be sure that he would always choose to save Abbey instead of her. She wanted to know that he would never ever let Abbey be that terrorized ever again.

Kate walked across the hall and saw Khaat closing the checkbook. "Such heavy thoughts," Kate scowled. "Such dark thoughts. What caused that?"

"I don't know. Residual burnout from Remus, maybe," she said.

"Perhaps," Kate said. "Are you certain you don't remember anything? That's not like Remus at all."

"If I had remembered something, I'd have told you," Khaat said, a bit touchy about the whole thing. "Would you all just make sure the kids get fed and bathed and put to bed, please?"

"Khaat Karina Lupin," Kate stood her ground, "I am your mother. When have I ever let my grandchildren go without? Perhaps you need to get some rest yourself if you doubt it."