Marriage is Murder

Jess smiled smelling the pizza from below. " smells like the pizza's are ready" she said as her tummy rumbled. " sorry guess I'm just as hungry as the kids" she said standing up and moving to the door " best to go down now as Jack won't leave much" she said and chuckled softly. Jack and Steven walked the kids from the down the corridor.

"Hey, No I won't. " he said passing by the door. He saw Abby head to Khaat but didn't stop her only smiled at both of them. Jess took Catiline's hand and walked her down the stairs to the table.

Abbey came to Khaat, and Khaat saw a small smudge of pink fingerpaint up in Abbey's long blond hair. It made Khaat smile.

"What were you painting?" Khaat asked.

"Kitties," Abbey nodded.

"Of course they were kitties," Khaat said.

"I get my picture for you!" Abbey said willingly.

"Let's let it dry first while we eat. Angus made pizza tonight."

"Yum," Abbey smiled.

"Go see if someone will help you up into a chair," Khaat said.

"No. Me do it," she said, going over to climb up into her seat.  Khaat was hoping that one of the others was watching to be sure Abbey didn't fall while trying to climb up in her chair. Abbey was learning to be independent, and while Khaat liked seeing that in her daughter, she was also a bit fearful that Abbey would end up with some bumps and bruises from that independence.

In fact, Brian had been no help. When they had discussed it, he promised her Abbey would have a few bumps and bruises in her lifetime, and told her he felt confident she would survive her childhood all the same.  Brian gently had tried to tell her she didn't have to be overprotective.  And tonight, all she could do was sit down and hope one of the others would help her do what her shoulder would not let her do.

Brant moved close to Abby giving her a small nudge to help her climb into the chair he smiled to Khaat seeing the concern on her face for Abby. "Don't worry, she got in." he said giving Abby a piece of pizza along with a drink. Jess  handed out to the others and sat down next to Jack.

Jim walked back in puffing on his pipe and sighed  he looked to Angus and Edward and he put his pipe out as soon as he saw the kids. He knew not to say anything front of the kids and so just stayed by the door.

"It won't help you to start to fit in again with your teammates if you don't even try," Edward said to Jim, taking Robert's usual seat at the table so he could help Khaat with her little ones at dinner.  He understood Jim felt uncomfortable, and understood his reasoning but he also believed that if Jim purposely distanced himself that it would only make the problem worse. 

It appeared to Edward that Jack and Steven knew all too well that the best way to get back into the team was to just do it.  Just get back on board and get involved.  Distancing tore a team apart.

Khaat had been tempted to say something to Jim but Edward seemed to either read her thoughts or hold the same ones she did, and when he had spoken up, he had virtually said almost word for word what she had been thinking.

Brant rolled his eyes and stood up he walked over to Jim " come on old man sit " he said Jim looked surprised at them as he moved with them to the table.

" I'm not that old" he looked at Angus " you got any steak, not to eat , for my jaw" he said rubbing where he had been punched. 

" I'm sure Jess could heal that." He stopped seeing him shake his head at his words.

"No Brant, I deserved what I got." he said " let it stay to remind me how lucky I am being here with all of you." he said looking around.at them all especially Angus." Im sorry for what I said Angus."

"Apology accepted," Angus said. Khaat got up and briefly left the table and went to her father's potions lab and returned with a jar of ointment. She put it on the table in front of Jim.

"We can't change the bruise anyway.  That should be enough of a reminder badge for a moment.  You don't need to keep the swelling and the pain.  If you don't stop it, your jaw will be swollen shut by morning. And if that happens, we'll have to heal it anyway.  So you're saving yourself nothing by continuing to deal with that unless you enjoy carrying more suffering than you need to.  It seems to me you already got the point, did you not?'  She took her place back again at the table with her kids.

Jim watched Khaat leave some what surprised as she returned with the jar. He looked up at her as she placed it in front of him and spoke again. Jim nodded " yes, yes I did." He said and took some ointment and spread it over his swollen jaw. He breathed out as it started to ease off. "Thank you." he said and looked at her" in all my years I have never had an out burst like that, I truly don't know what came over, but I still should not have said what I said " he added Brant looked at him.

"If you keep talking you'll do it again" he said and smiled Jim smiled then winced deciding best to chuckle softly instead. Jack chuckled too.

" Next time it will be me that knocks your block off" Jack said and Jim nodded.

" noted " he said poring a cup of tea.

Khaat enjoyed dinner with her kids, and noticed Abbey starting to yawn.  It had been a very long, full day for her. 

"You getting tired?" Khaat asked her. Abbey shook her head no, rubbing her eyes.  "You sure?" she asked.  Abbey nodded.

"I'm thinking you need to get your bath soon and go to bed," Khaat said.

"I no go," she said determined.

"Why not?" Khaat asked.

"Papa no read tonight.  I no go," she said.

"I can read," Khaat said.

"I want Papa," she said.  Edward got up and picked up the tiny birthday girl.

"You have not ever heard a proper bedtime story until you've heard one of mine," Edward said. 

"You make magic too?"

"Of course I can," Edward said. 

"You got cookies? Papa gots cookies," she said.  Edward looked at Angus.  Angus nodded, trying to hide the amusement on his face.

"Of course I have cookies," Edward said. "You get your bath, and I'll get the cookies. Deal?" She scowled at him briefly, sizing him up and then nodded.  Edward looked at the rest of them.  "Who's helping with baths tonight?"

Jim and Steven stood up" its our turn tonight " Jack said as he picked up a half sleeping James Jim took the others out of their chairs as  Cassidy smiled at him.

" I'll take them tonight" she said and he smiled back sitting back down in his chair.

"Thank you Cassidy."he said as he sipped his tea. Brant looked at Abbey and smiled.

"He's right Abbey, his stories are magical." he said " he use to tell is stories before bed too" he grinned at him them both feeling now Edward was passing it on to the next generation.

Angus put together cookies and some cups of juice that had just a small drink to go with the cookies and took them up to the nursery. 

Edward enjoyed a chance, not to read, but to actually do some true storytelling, using his magic to make the story come alive for the kids.  It soothed them, and he watched them drop off, one by one, to sleep. 

Khaat was tiring. Her father was sound asleep on Brian's side of her bed, and Brian was asleep on her side of the bed.  She sat down in one of the chairs close to the fireplace and snapped her fingers to start the fire in the fireplace, as a gentle rain started outside.  She accio'd a tan chenille thrown and curled up under it.  Angus brought her a cup of almond tea.

"I can make up a bed for you in one of the guest rooms for tonight," Angus said.

"No thanks," Khaat said. "I'm fine. I'm not sleepy.  You go on. I know you get up earlier than anyone else here."  He went to the kitchen and finished cleaning it up, but when he came back to double check with her about whether or not she wanted a bed made up, he found she had drifted off to sleep, her tea untouched.  He decided that perhaps it was better to let her sleep.  He figured someone would be up to guard the house during the night, so perhaps she'd be alright.