Marriage is Murder

Jess and Cassidy both smiled at each other knowing just how they would decorate the place."Okay, we'll start in the morning" Jess said as Cassidy grinend from ear to ear.

" ow boy what has Brian unleashed" Steven said but Cassidy slapped his arm " hey wahtw as that for?" he asked

"Thats for not having failth that Jess and I will decorate the place all chirismassy" she said Jess nodded.

"You'll be suprised" Jess said as they moved to talk togther about how they would hang things. Jack chuckled and finished his food and cleared his plate.

"well guess I'll do my lst patrol and head up myself" he said and gave Jess a kiss as he headed out to the grounds. Steven moved to cassidy and took her hand in his and stood her up.

"Come on bed," he told her " if you two stay down here you'd be up all night " he said and Cassidy shrugged but smiled as she folowed him up the stairs. " good night Jess" Steven said and smiled.

Jess sighed and shook her head she saw one of the elves and spoke softly to her " Angus would like to know if you and the other elves could prepare breakfast tomorrow." she asked

"Yes, Ma'am," the elf answered Jess. "It will be ready on time."

"You may all go to bed when your chores for today are done," Edward told the elf.

"We are almost finished, Sir," she replied.

"Well done," Edward said. "Then I'll be heading to bed myself. Don't lock Jack out if you finish checking the locks, Michael."

"I'll do my best," Michael said. Edward headed up to bed, and Michael turned down the lights one by one, with his wand, as the house began to quiet down for the night.

Upstairs, Brian relieved Marcus for the night. Marcus made a check of things upstairs, and Escobar apparated out of the house to begin trying to see if they really had anything to worry about, after Khaat's bad dream or not.

Jack returned after an hour and walked over to Jess who had fallen asleep on the couch. He picked her up in his arms ad carried her up the stairs he looked at one of the elves and smiled " the doors are locked but feel free to check them if you want" he said and continued up the stairs to their room where he set her down and went to shower before he too went to bed. Brant walked out of the lab and into the kitchen he opened the fridge and took out a soda. He was set to pull and all nighter. He walked back to the living room book in hand as hs sat half sipping his soda as he tried to read a potion list.

The house grew quiet, and during the night, Escobar heard very little for most of it. Near 2 am, he was walking the hallway upstairs when he was met with a very tiny girl with blond hair and deep sapphire blue eyes. She was wearing a lavender flannel nightgown with a print of fairy mice. She was padding silently down the hallway in her bare feet, and she was carrying a stuffed white mouse dressed in a pink fairy dress, a bit like the mice on her nightgown.

Escobar frowned. When she saw him in the hallway, she stopped. They merely looked at each other for a moment. Escobar could see this was one of Khaat's children. She had her mother's fine features and her father's deep blue eyes. She looked a bit frightened of Escobar.

"Why aren't you asleep, little one?" he asked gently. She didn't reply to him. She seemed to be looking like she didn't want to go back to the nursery but wasn't going to trust someone she didn't know either.

Jack woke to the sound of voices and sat up yawning he slipped on a dressing gown and headed to the door. Opening it he saw Escobar and Juilia. Smiling to her he picked her up " now what are you doing out of bed little miss?" he asked and looked at Escobar " don't take offence she's tired I think she ahd a bad dream too" he told him and carried her back to the nursary once he was sure she was settled he moved to find Escobar again.

"Hey, you another night owl?" he asked walking to stand close to him as he watched him. Brant yawned and moved put of the lab rubbing the back of his neck as he now had a crick from falling asleep at the potions desk.

" aw I got to stop sleeping at my desk" he groaned as he moved past Jack to the kitchen.

Escobar watched Jack with the tiny tot. Julia. He made a mental note to remember. He didn't remember seeing her, but then again, he didn't generally pay much attention to children. Especially not little ones. He knew Abbey because Abbey had been far more independent and adventurous than the other children. Julia was as shy as Abbey had been independent.

When Jack came back into the hall from taking Julia back to the nursery, he answered Jack's question, "I am a vampire, after all," he said. "Daylight is harder for me than night time. She seems a shy child. Not sure which of her parents she gets that from. I don't see that in either Khaat or Brian either one."

Brant came out into the hallway, and while Escobar was listening to him, his fine hearing picked up very soft sounds in the nursery where Jack had just been. He frowned and walked noiselessly down to the nursery door and looked in. He saw Julia was down on the floor, peering under her bed. He motioned to Jack and pointed.

"What do you suppose 'we're' looking for?" he asked.

Jack looked at Escobar and chuckeld " yeah guess you are" he said he saw the look on his face and frowned " hum " he said and followed him " I don't know " he told him softly " do you think we should interupt?" he asked " of just sit and watch?" he wasn't quite sure what his next move was. " julia has always been the quiet one, as far as I have know her" he said watching a bit more. " you think we should take a look?" he asked as brant walked pasted.

" only way you'll know is to do " he said to him " ow I got to grab ahot shower and get rid of this crick in my neck" he said and headed down to his bed room where Jack caought the sounds of the shower in the room start. Jack chuckled and pushed open the door slowly. Jack walked over to her and knelt down.

"Julia what do you see under there?" he asked gentlytrying to make a small game of it.

Julia was used to Jack, so it didn't bother her that he came into the room. She just didn't know Escobar, so she was cautious of him. When Jack knelt down on the floor, she looked briefly at him and continued to try to peer under the bed. Then he asked her what she was looking for.

"Frogs," she told him. "Papa bringed lady frogs. I saw her take my sock."

"Why would a frog take your sock?" Escobar frowned.

"She say it dirty," Julia said.

Jack chuckled and looked at escobar as he shook his head " house elves she saw the house elves, I think we should introduce them all so they know what and who they are in the morning" he said to him then looked at Julia. " Juila, I promise she will bring it back all nice and clean if you go to sleep, she is some one special your dad brought in to help, there good guys, so don't worry, okay?" he said and lifted her back into her bed and tucked her in. He could not help but smile at how she called them frogs.

Escobar smiled as he made the connection between the 'frogs' and the house elves. He walked over to the bed.

"Julia," he said, "My name is Emilio. I'm sorry I scared you. I am a friend of your mama's. I came to visit."

"You work too?" she asked. Escobar made the connection. The standard job of a Lupin, or most everyone in this house, was to fight. To protect. He smiled slightly. Khaat's children were proving to be very bright and observant. Perhaps a trait from their grandfather? He wondered.

"Yes," he said. "I do."

"You make bad things dead?" she asked.

"Well, yes," he said. "If I have to. Your Uncle Jack is right. Its okay to go to sleep."

"No," she said. "It not."

"Why not?" She reached under her pillow and drew out a single green sock.

"The frog gots one sock and I gots one sock," she said. "It not okay. It not right."