Marriage is Murder

"No," Michael replied when Jess. "I doubt that he is going to take time for food. He's got a lot to do. He's feeling that he has not only the organization to run and the estate, but also the security department at the hospital, some of Robert's and Khaat's duties at St Mungos that he can handle for them, and some of the duties in the law enforcement department at the Ministry since there is no head of law enforcement right now.

"Not to mention the fact Eli hasn't shown his bloody face in response to the fact that someone tried to kill the only woman who has been any sort of an appropriate parent to him. He hasn't made any sort of official ministry statement, didn't even show up to see if she was alive. Someone has to deal with the bloody press. So he's doing that too.

"He has to coordinate chasing James, his daughter's been petrified, and his wife is in critical condition and in hiding at home instead of in the hospital where she belongs, and he's just found out that she's pregnant. His father in law has been cursed, and is very little help. And that's just the top of his list."

Michael was finding himself feeling very fatherly towards Brian at the moment, and feeling a bit sorry for the young man who was shouldering a large part of the wizarding world on his shoulders. He felt sorry for the weight Brian now carried and for the fact that in the years to come, no one would even know that he was holding so much together for so many.

"You should have called when he hurt her," a deep voice said from behind Michael. The voice had a thick latin voice. Michael was startled enough that he cut his hand with the large cleaver that he'd been cutting carrots with. He spun around, blood from his hand flying all over the counter. Behind him stood Emilio Escobar.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Michael scowled, leveling the bloody cleaver at Escobar.

"Appetizers?" Escobar asked, looking at the blood dripping off the cleaver. "But no thank you. I ate before I came. I'm not the one you need to worry about. Upstairs, is she? I'll find my own way."

"The hell you will," Michael said, protective.

"Wait," Angus said cautiously.

"Do you think I'm here to eat her or something?" Escobar found Michael's protectiveness amusing. "If I had wanted that, I'd have done that by now. You have a king sized werewolf who is about to go on a serial killing rampage through your country, and if you don't stop him, he's going to go through the rest of the world. You need every able bodied fighter you can get. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going up to see her."

"Let him go," Angus said. He saw his grandfather standing at the foot of the stairs. Escobar turned and looked at Edward.

"Well, if it isn't Van Helsing," Escobar said sarcastically.

"Emilio Escobar. You still live?" Edward said. "You cannot add her to one of your collections."

"I have no desire to," Escobar replied. "Your forces cannot keep her safe. Perhaps I should not have left her."

"Touch her, and I will kill you," Edward said.

"Your threats are as old and empty as you are, Old Man," Escobar laughed. He went up the stairs with an amazingly youthful spring in his step as he went upstairs. Michael was going to go after him.

"I don't think he's going to hurt her," Angus said. "Let him go. He seems to have come to help."

Escobar made his way upstairs, passing by Robert's room. Robert did not miss that Escobar was in the house. Abbey looked up sharply, and saw her old friend the part bat/part man was in her house. She looked at Papa and frowned.

"He come in the house now?" Abbey asked Papa. Robert shrugged. He hadn't let the vampire in te house. It hadn't at all been by his doing.

Escobar entered the room, and Marcus immediately drew on him, not knowing of any vampires that were Khaat's friends.

"Oh, very well done, Senor Bodyguard," Escobar grinned. "But, alas, I am immune." He went over to Khaat, and Marcus quickly put himself between them.

"Its alright, Marcus," Khaat said quietly.

"Querida," Escobar said affectionately, kissing her cheek. "Dios Mio. All done by the creature?"

"Yes," she said. "It was."

"Did you catch him?"

"No," she sighed.

"How are you alive? I do know a fatal bloodloss when I see it," he said.

"Life support spells," she said. "My family is persistant."

"They must be very persistant indeed to support you through such a loss. May I?" he asked, pointing to her dressings. She nodded. He uncovered the wound on her throat. He frowned very deeply. "You should not have lived more than a few moments. And this is very fresh. I heard you were seriously wounded but I had no idea it was so fresh." He uncovered the wound on her shoulder. "And you should not have your arm at all. How is it that you are home and not in your world famous hospital?"

"He came to the hospital. He tried to take my daughter," Khaat said as he recovered the dressings. "I won't let him have my child."

"Surely not Abigail," he said.

"Yes," she said. "It was."

"I will have him," Escobar said, angered. "For what he has done to you and to her. She is unharmed?"

"Physically unharmed. Much too much fear for a three year old."

"If you want to find a night creature, you need another night creature to slip into the dark to find him,' he said. "You need me."

"His brother works for me," she said.

"Yes, but the beast will smell him. Any beast can smell his own kind," Escobar said. "He will not know me. Call off your staff, and let me help."

"Why would you want to?" she sighed. "He is so dangerous."

"He's an animal," Escobar was unafraid. "He deserves no more consideration than a diseased canine. That is, essentially, all he is."

"Agreed," Marcus said.

"Alright," she said. "I'll tell Brian myself...."

"No thank you," Escobar said. "I will work alone. The beast will smell you humans. I do not have that problem. What did he mean by baby? Are you expecting?"

"So it would appear," she said.

"To the blond man?"

"My husband?" she laughed. "I should hope so."

"Its a shame, really," he teased. "Your children should be immortal."

"You're impossible," she laughed.

"Your..little hut...in the trees," Escobar said. "I will stay there, with your permission."

"Fine," she said. "I can get you plasma deliveries from the hospital."

"I prefer to find my own, Querida," he said. "But if I need it, I'll let you know. Now--where was the beast last seen?"

"In the hospital, this morning."

"He is an odd bird. Very well. I will take my leave and go to London." He looked at Marcus. "You allow harm to come to her, and I will kill you."

"You can try," Marcus said, unmoved. Escobar apparated out without another word. "And he thinks James is odd," Marcus sighed.

Angus and Michael set the table for lunch.

"If you two would bring the kids downstairs," Angus said. "We'll feed them lunch and then put them down for their afternoon naps." He had put two trays together to go upstairs. One for Robert and Abbey and the other for Marcus and Khaat. "Should I send a tray to Brian?" Angus asked.

"You know he won't eat," Michael said. "Not right now. You might talk him into dinner tonight but you won't talk him into lunch. I think you should let him work while he has the energy. He's a bit sleep deprived. Let's just try to let him unwind as the day goes on."

"Thank you," Marcus said, glad to get some food. Robert was also glad to get some food. He felt that Abbey would be hungry. He had to work to get her to even try something at all. It had taken a bit of snuggling and game playing to get her to eat.

On the other hand, Khaat had send a paper bird down to Brian to tell him that Escobar was here and that she had temporarily allowed him use of the treehouse.

Brian was outraged. He apparated upstairs and he had torn into her with utter rage. He didn't want Escobar's help, didn't want him in his house, didn't want him in their treehouse, didn't want him anywhere around Khaat.

Khaat was taken by complete surprise. She hadn't seen it coming. She didn't believe Escobar meant her any harm. Brian's temper was not something that Marcus wanted anywhere around her. In fact, Robert heard a bit of the noise from his room. Not a lot, not enough to disturb Abbey, but enough for him to know Khaat was entirely too fragile for this.

He left Abbey eating his portion of berries long enough for him to go to her room. He picked up a throw pillow and threw it at the back of Brian's head, hitting him squarely with it. Brian whirled, prepare to fire with wandless magic.

Robert was poised with the open palm of his hand, ready to return fire if needed. Brian saw Robert and paused. Robert pointed forcefully to the door, silently ordering Brian out.

"Daddy," Khaat said tiredly. "Its okay. He has a right to not like Escobar." Robert did not believe she was well enough for one of Brian's rampages.

Kate seemed to come out of nowhere. She fearlessly backed Brian right against the wall in the hallway. She began to use the angry mother tone that he hadn't heard since he was a boy. She gave him a fiery lecture, gave him some unyielding instructions and ordered him to go out and follow them. He apparated out, knowing better than to argue with her. Kate looked at Robert who didn't move.

"Marcus," Kate said, "go downstairs and ask Jess to come up and check on Khaat when she gets a moment. Robert can't touch her, and that was costly to her. He's concerned for her, and if he's concerned, there's likely a reason for it."

Marcus went downstairs to look for Jess.