Marriage is Murder

Jack smiled and looked at Brian " sure , you see your papa and I'll get juice for you when you come for breakfast" he said and looked to Brian " orange juice?" he asked then stepped back to let Escobar past while he went down to the kitchen " can I have a juice, coffee and tea tray for Abby and Brian sent to Roberts room. I have a feeling Abby will be talking to ber papa for a long time" he said smiling " bad dreams last night, both her and her mother from what Im told." Jess sighed as she drank her own cup of coffee.

" she is too bright for a child of her age " she said softly " Robert had better be on his guard " Jess looked at Jack as he moved to sit with her at the table.

Suki and Dottie hurried to make the tea trays--one for Khaat's room and one for Robert's room. They put juice on the tray for Robert.

"That's my cue, then," Marcus said, warming up his tea mug. "Shall I take Khaat's tray up when I go, Suki?"

"I'll take it," Suki said proudly. "I will serve her."

"As you wish," Marcus said, nodding, allowing her to do as she saw fit. He simply went back upstairs, and on the way back, he nearly ended up getting smacked with the trays as they zipped past him. He managed to dodge them. One zipped past him into Khaat's room and one zipped into Robert's room.

Marcus had been afraid that the tray was going to crash into something in Khaat's room. He flew, on the run, to her room, to see the tray land gracefully on the dresser. He sighed, frustrated.

"Trouble?" Khaat asked.

"Suki," Marcus grumbled.

In the meantime, Abbey scrambled out of Brian's arms, went to Robert's room, and pounded on the door with her little fist.

"Papa! Open the door!" she demanded. She pounded again, harder. A moment later and Robert opened the door and looked down at her, not sure why she was up so soon. "I come see you. There dead people in the house." Robert frowned deeply, looking up and down the hallways, looking for dead people and not seeing any.

Jack chuckled as the trays zipped past Angus and up the stairs he chuckled more so seeing Angus dive after them. Jack was going to follow but Jess stopped him " he'll be fine" she told him and he sat back down at the table beside her. It was now Brant walked down yawning his hair all mussed up as he moved to pour himself a coffee and sat down in the living room.

" ah morning coffee, nice" he said as he took that first sip and sat back in the chair as he breathed softly feeling that coffee slide down and wake him up read for the day. " hey Jack you going on a runthis morning, mind if I join you" he asked seeing Jack look at Jess and shrug.

"okay if you feel you can keep up" he said with a smirk as he watched Brant yawn again.

" hey I'll keep up old man "he said and Jess winced.

" Wrong words Brant, thats a challange to him" she said and chuckled as she saw Jack stand " go easy on him Jack" she said.

Angus yawned and woke and came downstairs in a pair of gray sweats and a gray sweatshirt and running shoes. He had had a few hours of sleep, and he had gotten up automatically and was, sleepily, heading to go get his barn jacket and go feed the animals when he stopped short, seeing the elves in the kitchen.

Dottie saw his sleepy form in the kitchen. She ran to fill a mug with tea for him and carried it to him, chattering happily about how Jobey and Zodey had been out to the barn and had done the chores there and were setting spells in place to shovel the snow on the walks on the estate and how happy she and Suki were to be able to cook for them.

Dakota came downstairs and found the grownups there.

"Unca Aggie!" she ran to him, hugging his leg. He picked her up.

"Good morning," he said to her. "Why are you up so early?"

"Abbey waked me up."

"She did? Why?"

"She say we got frogs and dead people in the house. I no like them. They taked Abbeys socks. They eated them."

"Wait," he frowned. "What? We've got what?" He looked completely puzzled. He looked at Jess and Jack and Brant. "Frogs? Dead people? That eat socks? What the heck....?"

Jack chuckled and moved to Angus " okay frogs Im afraid are the elves " he said "and dead people are remus and Escobar, I think" Jess chuckled and nodded.

"Yes thats exactly it" she said and handed Jack his cup of coffee that he'd left at the table when he got up to talk to Angus. " Suki took Abbys sock to wash nothing more but we got it back last night even though they will still need washing though" she added. She made a note to get them later and wash them.

"I was hoping we didn't have any sock eating frogs. Michael's sock eating dogs are quite enough," he replied. He looked at Dakota. "You, Missy, need to get dressed before breakfast."

"I do it myself!" she said firmly. She scrambled out of his arms and dashed back upstairs.

"This should be interesting," Angus said. "Have any of you been teaching her to do any of those things? Or are we going to be surprised?"

"Son," Edward laughed, coming in for a mug of tea, "even if they have been trying to teach her those things, you should still be prepared to be surprised. You look like you were heading for a run. Were you?"

"Um...yeah. Well, I was," he said, unsure if he should go now or not.

"I think we can deal with a three year old," Edward said. "Go for your run. I'm betting you weren't the only one heading out." He looked at Jess. "Do you think its wise to let Dakota try to dress herself? Does she know how to do that?"

Jess listened and watched her leave and then chuckled " nope I haven't " she said " and I don't think any one has " she finished her drink and headed up to help Dakota. Jack looked at Angus and shook his head.

" if you want we could run i was going to drag you cousin's sorry flabby butt out for a run too" he said and Brant looked over at him.

" I don't have a flabby butt" you go and enjoy thehe said " strenuios riggers of panting and sweating I'll just read my potions books and work on some Im not sure on" he said and waved Jack off as he heard him chuckle.

" come on angus" he said and headed out the door for his run.

"Look," Angus said, "If you and Jack have some sort of a date, I don't need to be a third wheel in it."

"Date?" Michael said. "Brant doesn't date, remember? Go for your run. Let Flabby Butt stick to his books if he wants. Suki, can I help with breakfast somehow?"

"Oh no!" She said. "We are happy to serve. Do you all run in the mornings?"

"No," Edward laughed. "We probably should, but we don't."

Angus glanced at the clock and followed Jack out the door. "We've got an hour to go, get back, and shower before breakfast," he said to Jack. He did a bit of stretching to loosen up his muscles and then started in at an easy stride. "You know, I wanted the elves, and now it seems weird to not be in the kitchen in the morning," he said to Jack. "Feels like I'm slacking. No livestock to feed, no bread to bake, I'm all out of my routine."

Jack stretched out and watched Angus do the same " plently of time" he said he could not help chuckle " hey enjoy it " he told him " its like having an extenshion of you besides its time you had a rest all that work will burn you out" he said and began slowly running down a path " come on" he said and ran alittle further ahead.

Jess insude was helping Dakota with her dress by holding it so she could push her head threw " thats it now your arms" she said and smiled as Dakota did it and soon stood dressed and smiling " well done Im sure your daddy will be pleased with you" she said and took her hand " okay breakfast time" she said as James too her other and smiled at Dakota.

Angus joined him for a run. It was nice having someone to run with for a change.

"I'm used to having to do this in the dark by myself," Angus said. "Its nice having someone to run with. You know, we do need to ask Brian to come. He hasn't been going much lately. Not since Khaat was attacked. He used to go twice a day. He used to tell me one of their favorite times of day was when they could run together. Now neither of them is sure they'll ever be able to do that again. He really misses her, and he doesn't go nearly as much anymore. He seems to only run now if he's so angry he doesn't know what to do with himself. We should try to ask him to run with us at times so he doesn't have to go alone."

Upstairs, Robert had managed to soothe Abbey and get her refocused on the day and not about frogs or dead people or socks. He took her to her room and found clothes for her and helped her dress. She took his hand and tried to pull him downstairs to breakfast. She was feeling very hungry.

The elves put breakfast on the table, creating a wonderful spread. It reminded Michael of the breakfasts in the great hall during his Hogwarts days.

"It is...acceptable?" Suki asked him.

"Very," he smiled. "Very nice. Well done."