Marriage is Murder

"She will be well if there is no more asinine behaviors around her," Escobar said, not liking whatever had happened between her and Brian that had caused the sudden downturn. "And, yes, if her father polishes that potion a bit, it will help insure the safety of her and the child both."

"Although, he believes a divorce would benefit me more," Khaat said, looking at Escobar. Marcus merely laughed at her sarcasm.

"I did not say that. Its your choice if you married an ass," Escobar said. "He merely needs to choose more wisely when to be a gentleman and when to have a meltdown. And in front of you is not the time to have a meltdown."

"But it makes him no less a gentleman," she said.

"It does when you're in this sort of shape," he replied, handing the note to Cassidy. "And the food supply will be fine. Thank you."

"Watch if you like. As someone who has been undead for a long time, I detect living energies a lot more fluently because I don't have similar energies to cloud my work. A light touch serves me better. I was raised in another time," Escobar said quietly to Cassidy. "When being a gentleman wasn't such a foul thing. Now, to be a man, it seems one must be a heathen. A barbarian. And i have seen a great many women who believe they must lower themselves to try to be as crude as the men in order to be heard. I detest it. It is probably the worst thing I find in being alive in this century."

"So what brings you back here now?" Marcus said.

"I told you. She does. We have a certain...arrangement. I returned out of respect for that."

"All humans have their moments," Escobar told her.

"Gave that up, did you?" Khaat looked at him, slightly amused at him. He looked at her.

"As a matter of fact, I have," he said.

"This from the man who held me against my will," she said.

"Ancient history, but, as you recall, you were treated like a queen. You were never ill used," he told her.

"A gilded cage," she reminded him. "is nonetheless a cage."

"And I let you go," he said.

"Is that how you remember it?" she laughed. "I remember all these 'barbarians' rescuing me. You did learn your lesson but not until later. At the hands of another vampire, as I recall."

"How is it that your sarcasm cannot fail you even in your condition?" he frowned. "Is it not time for you to rest?"

Marcus could hardly keep a grin off his face, watching her verbally spar with venerable vampire and win. Marcus easily saw that the otherwise cold, heartless undead creature did indeed have a soft spot for her.

"Well done," he laughed.

"Don't you help," Escobar said to Marcus. Marcus laughed. Escobar glanced at Cassidy. "You do some sort of energy work yourself, I see. Do you do any healing?"

"Heathen barbarians," Escobar said. "I believe that was what I said. As I was telling your wife, I was raised in a different time. When men were raised to be gentlemen. It was a time of good wine, fine food, sophisticated music and dancing, and wonderful theater. Manners. Treasuring their women like the most precious thing they own."

"You've become so poetic in your old age," Khaat teased.

"I'll have you know I am perpetually a young man," he said.

"You're over 600," she corrected.

"A pittance in terms of living forever," he said.

"He was groomed in how to be charming and learned and sophisticated," Khaat said. "He was brought up in an aristocratic household where being a gentlemen when that was an art. Not to mention that vampires do have a magical seduction spell that adds to that."

"I use that very seldom," he said.

"Liar," she teased.

"If your wives had wanted you both to be latin lovers, they'd have chosen them," Escobar said. He looked at Khaat. "You, I still hold some hope out for."

"He'll be back," Khaat said. "You wait and see."

"No accounting for taste," he said. Robert came back in with a smaller bottle, with Abbey following after him. Robert added his smaller bottle to Khaat's existing potion bottle, while Abbey eyed Escobar.

"Why you inna house?" she asked him.

"Because your grandmother invited me in," he said to her. "You've gotten so big. I'm surprised you remember me."

"You bat," she said.

"Yes," he said. "I am."

"Papa?" Abbey asked. "Where Daddy?" Robert shrugged. He didn't know.

"Grandma sent him on a trip," Khaat said. "He'll be back. "You feeling better?"

"I no like doggies," she said.

"You don't have to like that particular doggie," Khaat said. "In fact, that's probably a very good thing that you don't."