Marriage is Murder

Brant nodded and waved him off " I got it riiiiight here" he said and patted his pocket. Guenivere laughed and held on to the other man closing her eyes so not to see anything. Soon  she felt the pull and stop of porting and opened her eyes. " Okay , off with your shirt" she told Brant as she noticed the two other men close the blinds and curtains she paid them no heed.

"But I hardly know you?" he mumbled as he handed the one she took to be Jack a small box that grew large. " Brain  gift" he said as he struggled to take off his shirt. Jack rolled his eyes and left. Steven watched Guenivere closely she washed and tended to Brant.

" Hey, hey watch the hands, little help?" she called out he turned to see Brant with his arms around her waist his head resting on her stomach he laughed softly.

" sorry he dosn't get much attenshion" Steven said " names Steven" he told her " This..love sick pup is Brant as you know" he told her. Guenivere chuckled as she nodded as she tried to prise his fingers from around her waist.

" limpit is more like it" she said " pleased to meet you, Guenivere" she said simply following his lead. Jess had heard ans seen Khaat return and dove quickly for a potions bag close at hand she followed them into her room.

"I hope it was worth it Khaat , what ever it was you went for" she said and opening the bag. she took out restorative potion and the special one Robert had made for Khaat but waited for him to enter the room.

Marcus laid her on the bed, and he felt Khaat's hold on him not giving.

"I don't think she's hurt," Marcus told Jess. "But James scared her rather badly. Give me the potion." He figured she might take it for him without even thinking about it.

"You can let go now," he said gently to Khaat. He paused, but she held fast. He got the message. This had scared her. The idea of James getting a hold of her, getting rid of her--or her baby. She wasn't letting go of Marcus for now. He sat down on the bed with her.

The fact was that James was a monster. And a damned big one. Far bigger than she was. She had a right to be scared. He wrapped her close, not even bothering to loosen her cloak.

"I think, later, it will seem more like it was worth it than it does right now," Marcus told Jess quietly. "I don't know how he finds her, but he does."

"Its his bloodlust for her," Edward said from the doorway. "He must have it bad if he can hone in on her like that. Call me back when she's able to talk to me. Maybe there's something that she knows that will help."

"I was there, you know," Marcus said.

"Yes, but you're not a seer. You aren't an energy worker. She'll see things you don't. As I said. Call me."

Jess loked at how Khaat was clinging to Marcus and sighed nodding to Edwards words. " I guess its up to you" she told him and frowned hearing a noise from brants room " what in gods name is going on in there?" she said rasing an eye brown at what she heard.

" hey, hey let go...no, no awe come on steven give me ahand here?" Guinivere said looking over at a near doubled over steven as he laughed and laughed.

" sorry, its too much fun." he said and sat down as Guinivere was pulled once more into the arms of Brant.

" shesh never had a healing spell have this reaction before and so strong too" she said prying his arms once again from around her. Jess opened the door and smiled.

" I have it becise there body hasn't adjusted because he hasn't had it done beforeshe said and walked over to Brant " , placing her hands on his head she made him sleep but he pulled Guinivere ontop of him.

" wow" she said " um..." she looked at the woman who reatched down and pulled his arms open for her to stand up. " ow thanks names Guinivere Hester " she said and Jess raised an eye brow.

" I have heard that name before" she said and looked at Steven who was wiping his face dry. " any relation to General Tulius Hester Fisher?" she asked and saw the look and sigh that told her she was.

" He was my Grand father." she said and moved to chesk the now sleeping Brants chest cleaning off some blood making it oviouse that she didn't want to talk about it to any one.

"He'll heal with minamal scaring, nice job" she said " Im Jessica, that big lug in the door way," she pointed to where Guinivere now saw the big man called Jack stood. " Is Jack my husband" she said still smiling, " Im not sure if we can trust you yet, so you'll need to stay ,he'll sleep for hours yet so your safe, we'll have some food and clean clothes sent uphis bathroom is threw there. " she added pointing to a door to their left.

As a long time professional bodyguard who was used to dealing with high profile clients, Marcus was not at all comfortable with the woman's coming to the estate. They had done no backgrounds check and knew absolutely nothing about her. He wasn't sure why Jack and Steven simply hadn't brought Brant back themselves. Marcus was suspicious. He thought that perhaps they were allowing her to come simply because Brant appeared to be taking a liking to her.

His job wasn't to worry about strangers in their midst--unless they came near Khaat. And he wasn't about to let that happen. He accio'd a bottle of brandy from the bathroom where it was stored for things such as this. He poured her one shot of it and fed it to her slowly, reassuring her.

He didn't like the new damage to her neck that James had done. The tissues on the left side of her neck were so damaged and disfigured from the attack that nearly killed her that it didn't take anything to cause more damage, and James had snatched her by her neck in yet another desperate attempt to get the stone. And she had been terrified that something would happen to her baby.

He could see her neck was swelling and bruising. He scribbled a note to the house elves, sending for an ice pack for her neck. With everyone concerned about Brant, he knew he was on his own to tend to her.

After the brandy, she soon started to doze. He loosened the winter scarf and the cloak from around her neck and removed her boots and covered her with a blanket, deciding to let her rest.

Cassidy had seen the house elf and th note she carried and dove to the fridge grabbing a chunke of ice and wrapping it in a towel then moved up the stairs to Khaat room pausing only for a second at Brants to shake her head. " here Marcus" she said and handed him the ice. " I saw your note thought it would be quicker if I brought it." she added and winced seing the bruising on Khaats neck but inward she was relived she had no more wounds that she could see.

Jess took the ice pack and gently placed it on Khaats neck and held it, taking Marcus's hand she placed it on the pack " hols it for a minet or two then move it any longer her skin could burn" she told him not that she ahd to as she knew he was capable of doing it with out instruction. Cassidy looed to Marcus and shook her head.

"I'll bring some clean clothes for you" she told him and left to go to his room. Steven left Guinivere and locked the door breathing out as he went to find edward to sort out this mess.

"Thank you," Marcus said quietly, not wanting to wake her. "I appreciate the clothes, Cassidy, but I don't know if I feel like I can leave her. She's been having nightmares, and I don't want her to wake and find she's alone, even if its for a few minutes."

He glanced out the window, just feeling a need to check. "He wants the stone," he said. "Even if she could take it off, its not something we want to fall into his hands. Not sure how he'd use it, but he must have some idea if he wants it that badly.

"And now he knows she's pregnant, and that seems to just drive him to want to target her more," he sighed. "I don't want her to have to live in a box until we stop him, but we can't let her continue to be victimized by him over and over."

Cassidy sighed and nodded as she looked at the frightened Khaat clinging to Marcus. " we won't let him have her or that necklace" she said and turned to leave " be right back"  she moved to marcus's room and returned with suit and a shirt with matcing shoes. she placed everything down on a chair closer to him" I hope these are okay" she said and pored some water for Khaat and lit the fire "This should help get rid of the cold" she said smiling. "Make sure she rests, please."  

Cassidy left the room to let Khaat warm up and relax again along with Marcus. Jess while Cassidy was there had gone down to the kitchen and made up some of Angus's rejuvination soup and now pored it into two cups along with several warm bread rolls that she sent up to Khaat and Marcus. Jack wandered in from the garden and shook off some snow from his shoulders.

"Shesh, its coming down hard now." he said and Jess loked at the green house where Kate was and she looked back to Jack. " okay I'll go and fetch her" he said and slipped on a coat. "  you owe me some cookies for this" he said and she smiled.

" okay Jack" she said and took down the ingrediants  and began to bake again.

"Those are exactly what I wanted. Thank you," Marcus said. "I probably will simply stay with her while she sleeps. I don't want her to wake up and find she's alone."

Angus and Michael got back, loaded with more bags and packages than they could carry--and those were all shrunken. They both knew that, full sized, it was going to take awhile to put them away.

"We will help!" Dottie and Suki hurried to them. "We will put them away. Go get warm. The little one...the female child....she was asking for her grandmother's cocoa? Does the grandmother make the cocoa?"

"Kate makes marvelous cocoa," Angus said. "I try to duplicate her recipe, but there's just something different when she makes it. Its just not the same."

"They say there is a special magic that comes from a grandparent," Suki nodded. "Perhaps she will make some for the female child?"

"If we ask. Which child?"

"The little blond. The one who was playing with her grandmother's jewelry a moment ago."

"Her jewelry? Where was her grandfather?"

"Oh, he gave her the jewelry box to play with. The child is sitting at his feet on the floor in front of the fire. She was trying to tell her grandfather a story, I believe."

"Well, I'm sure Kate is going to love that," Angus frowned.

Kate was busy painting. Her hand was moving quickly across the canvas. It was a snowscape of the property, the woods, and the scene showed the start of the December snow, as it started to cover the grass, the snow making a stark contrast as it fell across her blue gray sky. She was acutely aware of the snow, and it had given her inspiration. She was trying to capture the view.

Marcus saw Cassidy's tray come up and he set it on the dresser. He hadn't thought he was hungry, but when he smelled the soup, he realized he was very hungry. While Khaat dozed, he decided to eat his soup, freeing him to help her when she woke. He didn't believe she'd sleep more than a few minutes, but he wanted to let her sleep for that time.

Jack walked up to Kate slowly and smiled " thats a wonderful painting Kate" he said " but its gonna get heavier and I realy think you should be back in the house." he said glancing out where it was now almost a white out. He hoped it wouldn't get too bad but he knew it would " Kate Khaat needs you, she was attacked by James while out shopping shes not hurt but badly shaken up again" he told her hoping it would make her leave and go inside the main house.

Cassidy smelt the sweet aroma of cookies and smiled " humm cookies " she said and walked into the kitchen. "Those for Jack?" she enquired watching Jess make another batch.

" yes and no, some are his the rest are for the others and you " she told her cutting out more of the cookies in diferent shapes. " christmas ginger bread cookies are the best thing at this time of year."

Kate looked up. When he mentioned James, she sighed. She was so tired of him ripping up her family that she really did want him dead. She took a moment to really take in a good memory of the snow and her inspiration for her painting. She drew the memory thread out and put it into a test tube, corked it, and tinted the glass a light blue and magically marked it with a little snowflake. She put it on a test tube rack in one of the cabinets. Then she commanded the paints, the palate and the brushes to clean themselves.

"Very well," she said. "I've been sensing some distress since before you all left. I presumed it was her, but it has deepened. Either she's been almost out of her mind with distress since before you all left, or there's someone else who is having some sort of troubles. I can feel it. I'll check on it when I get back. Let's go back, then."

In the kitchen, while Angus was helping the house elves, Michael was busy making a new type of cocoa for them to try. Well, it wasn't new, but it was certainly new for this house. He had a large soup pot out, and had added milk and cocoa and sugar and had a number of spices out on the counter that he was preparing and mixing with all the gentle meticulousness of one of Robert's trickier potions.