Marriage is Murder

Steven chuckled and nodded " ow be prepared " he said and sat down . Jess listened to Kate and nodded her head before she spoke.

" Kates right and no nothing , it might just be this storm though its an electrical one " she said Cassidy looked up from her baking.
"
yeah its playing havoc with my abilitys its like lnterferance in my mind" she told them but continued to finish the scones " warm scones any one there apricot?" she asked " I know there not any where as good as Angus but there edable" she placed a plate down on the table. " I have ginger bread cookies in cooking ou know take there mind of the stshouldn't be too long I thought the kids could decorate them them selves, you know take their minds off the storm." Cassidy looked to Kate hoping she would aprove.

"I don't know what I'm feeling," Khaat sighed, frustrated. "I'm just feeling like we're missing something.  Like its right in front of our faces and we're not seeing it."

Michael came in to the kitchen.  "I smell tea and baking. Smells good," he said.  Then he looked at Khaat. "Oh, and by the way, that 'right in front of your face' business? That doesn't take a seer. That's your gut. Totally different. If you think you're missing something, you probably are. But if you're thinking the answer is to go chasing them to ask them, you'd best think twice. I don't think they'll exactly volunteer it."

"Then I'll just go over it and over it until I find it," she said tiredly.

"You could do that, but in my experience,..." he poured himself a cup of tea.  "that's always pointless." He filled more mugs, put them on a tray and sent them up to Angus's room.  "The harder I try to make that come clear in my head, the farther away that wisdom runs. We can run over it and see if we can come up with it."

He shrugged, picked up a scone and ate it slowly. "Very good, Jess.  I think the kids are in bed for the night, but at the rate this rain is coming down, we could well see rain in the morning. It will keep them busy and away from any chance of waking Angus, if he's conscious by then.

"Anyway, its not going to be a quiet night in this house.  So we can very easily spend the time making small talk or we can spend it being useful.  Perhaps we should take the slate from your father's potions lab, Khaat, and enlarge it and map it out.  Sometimes its helpful to see it in front of you. More minds can sometimes help things become clearer."

She sighed heavily. Michael picked up instantly on her frustration.

"You know?" she said. "Remus taught me to accept differences. But these...things? There is nothing human anymore about them. And you have no idea how much I want to stop them from ever, ever stop them from hurting anyone I love ever again. I want them gone.."

"Me too," Michael said, setting down his mug and wrapping her close to him. He kissed the top of her head. "I get it. And I'm betting that's why you wanted to go to London tonight. Lets at least not go hunting in the pouring down rain, huh?" She nodded.

Jess smiled and nodded " thank you Michael " she said and chuckled to Cassidy " got to give me the recipy one day" she asked Jess just chuckled and smiled.

"one day . one day" she said taking the plate to the table and placing it down where Jack took one he looked up at Khaat and nodded.

"I know how you feel and Im kinda one of them "he said " I hate them just as much" he added eating a scone as he turned the page of a news paper he'd found.

"Give it up," Robert told them, coming downstairs. "Oh, snacks. Good. I'm hungry." He picked up a cookie and refilled his tea. "First, there's no point in everyone being up all night to hold the hand of an unconscious man. We need to do what we always do and take shifts. There are children who will be awake before daylight, and someone needs to be alert and ready for them, so someone needs to get some sleep."

He looked at Khaat and then Belby. "You two were almost flatter than parchment yesterday. You're on medical leave. Neither of you are staying up, so don't plan on it.

"Kitchen duties need to be decided for tomorrow, so unless you want me to order take out, please decide at least on who's going to do something about breakfast," he said.

"Next," he said, biting into the cookie. "...nice job, Jess, incidently...nobody's rushing off to who-knows-where, presumably London, with no clues. We aren't going to know anything until Angus wakes up. For all we know, this mess might well have happened in Tuscany or anywhere else on the globe. We're being baited. Played. Let us not rush ahead ill prepared. If we go hunting, we do it planned, as a group. Not so we can be picked off one at a time. Any questions?" Khaat glared at him, and he saw her. "Don't give me that look," he said. "You're acting just like Remus."

"Enough said," she said, determined. "You say that like its a bad thing, and there are worse things."

Jess chuckled and nodded as Jack stood up " I'll go sleep Im on second watch with Steven." he said and headed up to his room Steven followed not long after leaving Cassidy and Jess down stairs.

"Shes right there are worse who we have battled" she said softly as she sat down picking up the paper Jack had left on the seat. Cassidy nodded she agreed and sipped her tea. " why worry they will come to you if there going to do anything and they will find us ready and waiting for them" she said .

"Daddy," Khaat said, largely ignoring his long list of instructions, "Please just order a chef's tasting rom Sparks for breakfast in the morning and put it on my tab."

"Oh. Good idea," he said. "But if we're getting that much, we'll need to send at least two in the morning to go get all that food. Do I have at least 2 volunteers?"

"Marcus and I will go ourselves," Khaat said.

"No offense," her father said, "But Abbey could carry more than you right now..." He motioned to her arm in the sling. "And I am not a great fan of having you running about Diagon Alley in the dark, at 5 in the morning. I think two of the guys should take the risk. That's what I pay them for."

Steven looked at Casidy who pouted hoping she would do breakfast " Jack and I'll go " he said and patted Cassidy on the back " don't worry Im sure Lizzy will teach you more when she has time" he said Cassidy hit his shoulder hard."

"Hey Im not that bad" she said and chuckled " but yeah i'd like to know more" she said and Steven kissed her cheek.

" you will in time, Robert Jack and I are quite happy to go tomorrow morni  ng to fetch the food Jack never asleep at that time." he said Jack nodded.

"hes right" he said  and Jess  oothchuckled as she heard Jack say he was wiling to food.

"ow just you know he ahd to  volenteer its food" she said and Jack looked sheepishly at them.

"Good. Its settled. Cassidy, there are a lot of fine cooks here that you can shadow. Michael, Angus, Kate, Khaat, and when you can get him to do it, Brian cooks very well. He just doesn't do it much.

"Alright, then, I'm going to my room while Angus is resting. Someone wake me straight away when he wakes, if he wakes during the night, but I honestly don't expect that," Robert says. "I rather like sleeping during a storm. Its relaxing. Goodnight, All. Khaat, don't keep Belby up all night. The man doesn't know how to go to bed before you do."

Marcus looked up, not expecting his name to be dropped.

"I don't need much sleep, Sir," Marcus said.

"What did I tell you to call me?" Robert asked.

"Robert, Sir."

"Then do it," Robert said.

"Yes, Sir," Marcus replied. Robert rolled his eyes at Marcus, and Michael laughed out loud.

"I'm going to bed," Robert shook his head, trying not to laugh at Marcus. He headed upstairs.

"We do need to lighten you up," Michael said to Belby, still laughing.

"Let him alone, Michael," Khaat said. "He's just being respectful."

Steven smirked at Marcus but did nothing more " yeah I use to say ma'am a lot when I arrived " he said and Jack nodded as  he chuckled softly."

"yeah if Im right we told him over and over again but he persisted, ou just have to stop your self " he said " its a habit that can be broken in time" Jack smiled at him " but for now try and rember tall us by our given names" he said. Cassidy looked at Robert before he left and smiled hoping one would let her shadow them to learn.

" I'll do that Robert" she said and chukled softly at Marcus constant sir when Robert told him to stop. " heave him alone, at least he's trying." she said.

"It really is just habit," Khaat told them. "Where he comes from, he would never have been allowed to call his clients by their first name even in a case of dire emergency."

"That's true," Marcus admitted. "They believe in extreme formality. Its not that I like it. Its just what I'm used to." As he was speaking the storm caused a power failure in the house and on the grounds. Everything went pitch black as the thunder and lightning crackled outside and the rain came down in sheets.

Upstairs, Khaat heard, distinctly, the sound of the children crying in fear, frightened by the storm. She could not see to go to them. Nor could she light her wand to see to go to them.