Marriage is Murder

Brian saw Jack react and continue to be upset. Brian sighed and went over to Jack.

"I told you before, and I'm only going to tell you once more. She's three. She isn't afraid of you. I told you that, and I know Robert told you that. This was James. Not you. Can you let that go? Or not? I need you to answer me now. Right now," Brian said quietly.

"Brian," Lee said gently, trying to ease him a bit.

"No. I want an answer," he said. Lee could feel Brian's stress of nearly losing his wife and nearly losing Abbey to James twice, all in less than 24 hours was pulling him apart. Lee wanted Brian to not rush into any decisions today that weren't essential.

Brian spun back on Lee and looked at him. "What do you expect me to do? Robert can't. And James is picking off my household, in one form or another, one by one! How do you expect me to respond?"

"And I can't have him distracted," Brian said. If Jack thought it wounded his heart to hear Abbey's terror filled screams, then he had no clue what it was like for Brian and Khaat and what it did to them. Brian didn't feel like making it a challenge.

He turned to go upstairs. Lee stopped him. "Don't do anything right now," Lee advised him. "Take your time. Just think first."

"I am thinking," Brian said. He went upstairs with a stride that was much too determined for Lee's liking. Lee followed. Brian went up to Robert's room. Robert was rocking Abbey and just holding her. Her sobbing was slowing.

"I might well be moving her," Brian said quietly. Robert gave him an angry scowl and frowned. He shook his head, adamantly disagreeing with him. "Rob..." Brian began. Robert pointed to Abby and then to himself. The message was clear. He wanted Abbey to stay with him. He didn't want her out of her own home. He wanted her in safe familiar surroundings. Robert pointed at Brian to sit. He motioned Lee to come in and quit standing in the doorway.

Brian sat and looked at Robert. He watched Robert point to him, then to himself and then to the floor. He understood. Robert wanted Brian to stay here, with him. He showed Brian his ring--his Minister of Magic insignia ring and the coin around his neck that set him apart as the leader of his organization. He pointed to himself. Brian didn't respond, not quite getting the message.

"He's saying he's still the leader here, curse or not curse," Lee said. "You're not in this by yourself. You need the supports you have here. So do your children, and so does Khaat." He looked at Robert. "Jack is a tad rattled by James. He's not coping well," Lee told him.

Robert gave Lee a dry look. Lee understood. "Do you really want me to translate that?" Lee looked at Brian, trying not to laugh. "Do yourself a favor and go see your wife, and leave Abbey right where she is."

"I can't," Brian said. "This isn't good for my wife or my kids. I have to consider them first."

"Wait a minute," Lee frowned. "Who's house is this? Why are you running? The house has never been breeched. Let James come if he comes. Stand your ground and fight. Stop running to try to hide them from James and the press and anyone who might be upset. Just stop. Brian, you weren't raised to run. You were taught to fight." He looked at him and made sure Brian was looking at him straight in the eye. "So, let's fight."

Brian was hearing that Robert didn't want to uproot Abbey again. He got up and went across the hall to the bedroom and found Marcus clearing away the dishes. Compared to what she'd been through, Brian thought she had eaten really well. Khaat saw the concerned look on Brian's face.

"Where's Abbey?" she asked, worried and unable to get up when she heard her daughter's screams.

"With your father," He said. "She woke from the sleep spell before I wanted her to. He's got her. Khaat, I don't know if I can do this. Not here. Maybe we need to go to a safehouse. I can't keep letting James get to you, to her, to..."

"Stop," she said to him softly, reaching for his hand. He took it. "This isn't your fault. Its just what comes with being in this family. Like it or not, its what our kids will grow up in. I want you to think twice before we decide if we want this new baby or not."

He scowled at her. "Whether or not we planned it, that baby is here now. We're not turning back. Its ours--yours and mine. And we don't ever give up on our kids. Not ever. I don't care if we have a dozen of our own, just as long as they're safe."

"And that won't ever happen if we run with them every time they get scared. This was the first she had to deal with it. She'll learn," she said softly.

"She's three! She's too little to have to learn to deal with werewolves!"

"There's never a good age for that," she said gently. "But she's got all of us. If we go, where would we go?" He looked at her. She was still critical. It was impossible to move her, and he knew it.

He got up, walked out into the hallway, and ported out. Khaat sighed heavily.

"He's feeling an extreme amount of pressure," Marcus said. "He's doing the best he can to bear up. I'm sure he'll be back in a bit." Jess asked if they were alight. "We're fine, Jess. Thanks for asking."

Khaat wasn't so sure she really was alright. Her father was out of commission. Thaor had tried to kill him, and no one knew where he was. James was out of control. He had almost killed her. He had terrorized her daughter twice in less than 24 hours. And now she was adjusting to trying to recover and to the idea of her being a mom--again.

"Do you want me to go after him?" Marcus asked.

"No," she said. "Let him go. If he wanted to be here, he would be."

"He's just trying to deal," Marcus said.

"I know," she said.

And elsewhere, out in the distance, Michael sat on a large rock, just watching. He had heard Brian leave, and he had had an idea of where Brian would go. He had apparated in, a distance away, and was sitting alone, smoking a cigarette, and simply watching Brian walking alone. When things seemed to get to their very worst for Brian, this was the place he would come. Brian's place of last resort. Michael was merely going to watch and not interfere unless there was some need to.

"We'll be fine, Jess," Marcus said. "Thank you."

Robert saw Jess and listened to her report. He nodded. He was aware Brian had gone, and he knew Brian too well not to know where he'd gone and what he was doing. He was almost glad at the moment that he didn't have his voice because he wasn't pressured into offering either an opinion or a solution either one. All he needed to be doing at the moment was taking care of Abbey, and he was doing it.

Michael, on the other hand, had waited awhile, giving Brian some time. Then he walked with him. The two of them had smoked a couple of cigarettes and Michael had come up with a reasonable plan to help Brian deal with everything he'd felt had landed on his shoulders and no one else's. Michael got out a flask of firewhiskey from his jacket pocket and the two of them enjoyed a drink in the quiet. Brian wasn't looking forward to going back home, but Michael finally got him to agree to go back.

They apparated in, and Michael headed to the kitchen to help Angus prepare the noon meal. Brian merely went quietly to his office to work on business--his own work, Khaat's work, and Robert's. He had it all that needed to be done, and there was no one else at the moment to do it.

"He wasn't getting drunk," Michael said, barely looking up from his work where he was chopping vegetables. "Yes, he was with me. We both had a swallow of firewhiskey from my flask, but we were hardly getting drunk. He's in his office, doing the jobs of about three people. You seem to be thinking he's not managing well, Jess."

Angus didn't say a word about Brian. He was busy cutting chicken into manageable pieces for lunch.

"Michael is making a vegetable casserole to go with the chicken," Angus said. "If you like, one of you could do something with some of the fruit we have. Some sort of fresh fruit side dish to go with the chicken and vegetables we're having at lunch. We're just doing something simple for lunch because I'm making pot roast for dinner tonight."