Marriage is Murder

Brian came back downstairs carrying Julia and leading Dakota by the hand. They had their coats on.

"Are we ready?" Michael asked.

"I think so," Brian said. "Do you want Squirmy or Squirmier?"

"Oh, I'll just Squirmier," he said, seeing how excited Dakota was. He picked her up, and both men drew their wands. "Shall you or shall I?"

"Be my guest," Brian said. He looked at the others. "Hold down the fort. We're going out with the ladies."

"We'll try not to buggar it up too badly," Angus said. "Have fun." He watched them apparated out.

Robert looked at Jack and nodded, glad the fence was replaced. He hadn't known it needed done, but if it did, he was glad it was done before winter set in.
Your daddy would never forget you. Never."

"No?" she looked at Papa. Robert shook his head. She cuddled into Papa. "I stay with you?" she asked, looking for an invitation. He nodded, with a smile. She was satisfied and cuddled back into him.

"You are going to spoil that child rotten," Edward told him, coming in with an old rare book. Robert nodded. That was his full intention.

"I am making chicken pieces. I'm going to put it over a salad for the grownups. And I have some sweet potato fries for the kids. They like them, and they're a bit healthier, if fries can be considered healthy. You could plate up the salads for the adults, set the table, get some drinks, and then add that platter of brownies. They should like them because they're swirled with homemade caramel and pieces of chocolate."

Marcus was still on duty upstairs. He was reading--not deeply, but reading nonetheless. It was quiet in the room, and the only sound was either him or Khaat running pages, his book and her magazine. He frequently interrupted his book to double check on her. Now he looked at her and saw something wasn't right. She seemed to be losing color in her face, and starting to sweat.

He looked at his watch and then sighed. "You're impossible," he sighed. "Will you ever be done with this?"

"Huh?" she asked, looking up.

"You're 30 minutes past your pain potion, and your pain is already out of control. Seriously, you could have said something."

"I didn't notice," she said, only partly telling him the truth. She had noticed but was trying to force herself to learn to cope. He got up and poured the potion for her.

"Bloody liar," he sighed, handing it to her. "You do realize if you don't stay ahead of it, no healer on the planet will be able to cut it for you, no matter how good they are, right?"

"Don't lecture, Marcus," she glared.

"You really are a cheeky woman when you don't feel well. Drink it," he said frankly. She scowled at him but obeyed him anyway.

"Either way," Angus said. "Most of the kids don't even notice the peel. I include it most of the time, and it is healthy. But you do as you like." He finished cooking the chicken and began assembling the chicken salads for the adults and plates for the kids. "I don't know if we have anyone available to bring kids to dinner or not, but we're ready to eat as soon as we put the plates on the table, I think, aren't we? Oh, I suppose we need to send lunch up for Khaat and Marcus, don't we?"

Edward came into the kitchen, and Angus looked at him.

"How do we feed the house elves?" he asked.

"They will fix their own, if you let them," Edward said. "They'd probably prefer to do the majority of the cooking duties here. They're used to it."

"There's plenty here for them too."

"Allow me," Edward said. He whistled, and the house elves apparated in. "There is plenty of food. You may fix plates from what is here in the kitchen."
The elves were more than satisfied and were pleased with the generosity they'd found in this home. They didn't expect to be served, and eating what wasn't served at table was fine for them. They felt privileged to be eating the same thing.

"That's what makes them so loyal. They don't judge their employers. They merely serve," Edward said.

"Some make choices," Suki said. "As we chose you."

"Indeed," Edward said. "I stand somewhat corrected. You are employees. Not forced."

"Master gave us clothes straight off. We chose to stay," she said.

"Indeed, and we're glad to have you."

Suki saw Angus finish fixing the tray. "Does that go to the Lady?"

"Yes," Angus said.

"I could take it?" she asked.

"If you like," Angus said. Suki levitated the tray more smoothly than anything Angus had seen and seemed to hold it over her head with no effort at all. He watched her walk upstairs with it. He remembered being amazed by the magic he saw the house elves do in the Hogwarts castle, what little he saw of them. Now he was amazed again.

"Are we supposed to get your offspring?" Dottie asked, seeing the children's plates on the table, but no children.

Suki nodded to Jack, heading up with the tray.

Marcus had made sure Khaat was more comfortable and had used some charms to make some crushed ice out of some water from the bathroom and had made some ice packs for her shoulder. That had helped. He knew the pain potion wasn't entirely holding today, and the ice did help a bit.

He saw the house elf enter with lunch. "Thank you, Suki," Marcus said.

"How are you all learning our names so fast? Humans normally think we all look alike," she said.

"I noticed your eyes," Marcus said, taking the tray and setting it on the bedtable between his chair and Khaat's place in bed. "You have some much blue and green in your eyes they look teal sometimes. Dottie's eyes are violet."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Suki asked Khaat.

"Sometimes," Khaat admitted.

"I know some healing spells. Not all, but some. You would like it to not hurt for awhile?"

"If you can, yes, please," Marcus said. Suki nodded and touched her shoulder lightly and drew off most of the pain. Khaat was visibly relieved.

"Eat now," Suki said. "Your unborn needs food."

"I'll do my best to get her to eat, Suki," Marcus said.

Robert brought Abbey down to the table, and Kate followed. He put Abbey at the table, and he noticed right away that she was peering into his salad bowl. He looked at her and motioned to his bowl.

"No berries, Papa," she sighed, disappointed.