Marriage is Murder

Jess smiled seeing Abby with Robert she smiled and nodded she would " of course , come on Abby before the others get it all" she said and held out her hand to take. " It smells wonderful" she said leading them to the kitchen and placing them in high chairs as she gave them one by one a slice of pizzia and sat down herself. "Are you sure there is enough." she asked Michael.

Jack got the equipment and installed the first peice in its place she saw Khaat and Marcus sat still out side as he widdened the window into french doors and opened them wide to let in the air. Looking at Marcus he stood looking abck into the room " so okay so far?" he asked " the rest is on its..." he ducked as a second large box appeared close by him.

"I have six extra large pizzas," Michael said. "And the gigantic salad. And there's always the endless desserts Lizzie sent if that isn't enough."

"Cookies?" Abbey asked, eating a slice of pizza.

"Yes," Michael smiled. "There are cookies. Lizzie sent some, and I made some. You'll have to pick which one you want."

"All of them!" she looked at Michael as if that had been a dumb question.

"You know the rule," Michael said. "Mama says one cookie because we make them bigger."

"Mama no care," Abbey shrugged. "Mama sad."

"Now how do you know that?" Michael frowned.

"She my mama," Abbey frowned, as if Michael had asked another dumb question. "I know she sad."

"So why do you think she's sad?" Michael asked.

"I no know," Abbey shrugged. "We gots berries?"

"No," Michael said. "I'm sorry. I'll buy berries tomorrow." Abbey scowled at him.

"No berries?" she frowned.

"I'll buy some tomorrow. I promise," Michael said.

"You buy lots," she said, making sure her order was in for a lot of berries.

"The gym looks fine," Robert told Jack. "Keep going. Putting it in the shed is a good idea. Alright, I'm going to go get Kate and I'll be back. Does anyone need anything?"

"Michael wanted the dogs," Marcus said.

"Oh yes," Robert laughed. "The dogs. I shall bring them. Don't tell him but I think he's about to have another litter of baby footstools."

"He's going to kill you for that someday if you don't tell him how to spay and neuter a footstool," Khaat said quietly.

"But this is so much more fun," Robert laughed, kissing her cheek. "I'll be back in a few moments." He apparated out.

Jack lookd at Michael and sighed " thats enough food to feed an army." she said and chuckled at hearing abby demand tey get berries, "Abby I will personaly make sure he gets them" she said smiling as he glanced at Michael. Jack nodded and breathed out. he relaxed a little as Robert told him to keep going with the gym he unpacked a second but the smell of cookies became too powerful and he stopped.

" sorry I got to get a cookie " he said and grinned as he walked to the kitchen to get one before they disapeared with the kids. He left Khaat and Marcus out in the coartyard.

"You're setting a crappy example for the kids, Jack," Michael said. "I thought we were trying to teach them that you eat hour meal before you eat cookies. Do try to at least not do that in front of the kids in the future, would you?"

Michael noticed little Robert picking up his slice of pizza and getting ready to throw it, in favor of trying to crawl across the table to get a cookie. Michael looked at the boy.

"No, no," Michael said. "We do not throw food, do we? If you throw that, there will be no cookies." Abbey didn't like the thought of no cookies. She snatched the pizza from her brother and laid it down on the table, missing the plate.

"You no do that!" she demanded of her brother, unhappy. She looked at Michael. "I get his cookie!"

"If he throws his pizza, then, fine. You can have his cookie," Michael said. Abbey thought a moment and then put the slice of pizza back in front of her brother, hoping he'd throw it after all. Michael laughed out loud. He'd been outsmarted by a three year old.

Marcus looked at Khaat. "You want to go get a piece of pizza with your kids?" he asked.

"I'll go sit with them," she said softly.

"Fair enough," Marcus said. He extended his hand to her and helped her up. He took her to the dining room and helped her find not only a chair but a slice of pizza, even though he knew full well she had had no real intention of eating. He looked at the kids who had tomato sauce from ear to ear and greasy hands and fingers. He thought the kids looked like they were going to need to be rinsed off with the garden hose before taking them upstairs to their baths.

"Bath time might be a real chore tonight," he said, trying not to laugh.

"We no need baths," Dakota piped up at him.

Jack looked at Michal and nodded " your right " he said and placed the cookie back down and taking some pizza " anyway Jess would have my hide if I did that" he said and looked over at her .

" yes I would have Jack" she said smiling as she gave Catlin her slice as she ate it happily after she had pulled a tounge at little Robert for wanting to throw his food. Jack ate his pizza and smiled as he finished it.

"Nice pizza michael." Jack said sounding suprised as he finally picked up a cookie smiling. " you got to give me the name of the suplier we realy could...."

"No,no way Jack. " Jess said knowing where this was going " there is no way were having Pizza at home " she said "unless we make it from scratch." she added

"The other way to look at it," Michael said, "is to consider that if you expose them to a bit of junk food over the years, they will hopefully learn to have a discerning palate by the time they get to Hogwarts and out of your control. If you don't teach them the difference, then they'll be fed up enough with your restrictions that they'll go on a junk food orgy the first time they get a chance to make their own choices. Unless, of course, they get to experience both enough to know that better quality is just plain better."

"They'll learn," Khaat said quietly. "They'll get plenty of both."

"The way you insist on no junk food? When are they supposed to learn that?" Michael laughed.

"We really do have a few years before they board the train," Khaat said. "They seem to know cookies fairly well as it is. The rest can't be far away."

Jack nodded as did Jess " yeah I do the junk food and Jess does the healthy, home cooked option" he said and chuckled Jess rolled her eyes and nodded.

" I try and give them a veried diet so as you rightly said they have a wide pallet " she said as she gave James some more Pizza along with catlin. "Well they like this pizza." she said smiling " and its healthy too, so best of both worlds." Jess looked over at Khaat glad to see her eating even if it was just a little at first.

Soon she saw Catlin yawn and she smiled lifting her out of the high chair and onto her knee cradeling her as she fell asleep. " I for one am glad of these years " she said brushing Catlins hair from off her face.

When dinner was overwith, Khaat felt like they were going to be a bit shorthanded to give baths to all those kids, and she knew she was no help. Not unless she took her sling off and used her shoulder anyway.

She took Abbey and Dakota up to her own suite with every intention of doing just that. She drew a bubble bath in her tub for the girls, but Marcus cleared his throat loudly.

"Your arm isn't going to move," he told her. "How exactly are you going to do this?"

"I don't have the slightest clue," she said. "We're too short staffed to manage this many little ones."

"Your father and mother are coming. I suggest you wait a little bit and let them help," he said.

"I need to try," she said. "There are far too many for Jess and Jack to do, and I know neither you nor Michael are going to be good at bathing little ones."

"No," he said agreeing with her. "Its not Michael's thing, and I can't do it and take care of you. Again, perhaps your best bet is to simply be a bit patient."

"Oh, maybe I need to send everyone home to Brian," she sighed heavily, feeling defeated.

"Can we shelve the talk of giving up at least until after the kids are in bed?" he said, hoping to put that off awhile.

Jack and Jess managed to bathe most of the children and change them into their pjs they had a production line going Jess bathed while Jack dryed and dressed and placed them into their beds soon most were done there was just Dakota and Ab by that Jess was leaving for kate and Robert to tend to as she felt it would be best. Jack moved down to the shed again while Jess sat in the nursary reading softly to those in bed and watching as they slowly drifted off to sleep. Once done she moved to Khaats room. "Want me to help?" she asked softly "Jacks gone back to the shed to finish the gym." she told them and looked at Dakota and Abby with a smile.

"I wish you would," Marcus told Jess. "She's about ready to try to do this whether she's up to it or not. I'd like her not to have to have that damned shoulder repaired again. In the meantime, I'm figuring out that keeping their mother out of trouble is indeed a full time job." He looked at her and then smiled. "And one I'm still enjoying."

"You really are a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" Khaat looked at him.

"Call it what you like. At least it isn't boring," Marcus laughed.

"Not yet, anyway," Khaat said. "Tomorrow you get to follow me to work."

"I thought you were on medical leave," Marcus frowned.

"Jess can tell you that I don't often listen to that," Khaat said. "And my father fails to understand that I need to move on with my life."

"I fail to understand nothing," Robert said firmly from the doorway. "You fail to understand that I can and will suspend you until you're fit for duty."