Marriage is Murder

Robert picked up the bottle and then hesitated. He couldn't take the bottle to him because he couldn't risk touching Brian. He sighed, frustrated. He, again, was helpless to help his family.

"I'll go with you," Edward said. Robert shook his head. He couldn't touch Edward either.

"I know my limits," Edward said to reassure him he wasn't going to try to touch him. "It'll be okay. I'll go with you. If he's really suffering he might need someone to try to draw off his pain. And so far, no one has done that for him. He needs someone to try to help him."

Robert sighed and went downstairs. He didn't have a good feeling about doing this, but he wasn't feeling like anyone else in the house was stepping up. And that equally frustrated him. Edward followed quietly, feeling Robert's frustration sharply.

Robert went into the office and found Kate still there with Brian.

"I already gave him the potion," Kate said.

"This is different," Edward said. Robert put the bottle on the desk so that Edward could pick it up. Edward poured Brian a dose. "Just drink it quickly," Edward said. "Don't sniff it. Just drink it."

"I don't need to sniff it," Brian mumbled. He drank it, his stomach churning. in moments he simply slipped into a sleep. Edward laid his hand on Brian's forehead.

"The pain appears to be less," Edward said. "Not gone, but less. He's exhausted. And he's loaded with his old potion--and it clearly wasn't working. He needs to sleep now." Robert nodded. "I'm not a healer, but I'll keep an eye on him for you." Robert nodded, grateful.

Robert nodded and simply opened his hand to accept the key.

"Someone needs to tell Khaat so she knows," Edward suggested.

"I'll fill her in," Kate said. "She knows he gets them. She won't be surprised that he's had a flare up, I don't think. I just don't want him left alone when he's hurting."

"He won't be," Edward said. "Does he know about the shopping trip?"

"All he knows is that they left. He doesn't know anything else from that point on," Kate said. Robert made a cutting motion. He didn't want Brian exposed to more news about James right now. They'd tell him that later.

Kate agreed and went upstairs. She told Khaat about Brian and then she went back downstairs to check on the kids.

Khaat wasn't surprised, but if her father couldn't help him, she knew he needed a healer to help him deal with this.

"Marcus," she said. "I want to go downstairs."

"With all due respect," he said. "No. You have used all your energies shopping for him. Where is Jess? She's a healer. Why can't she deal with this for awhile. He's sleeping anyway, isn't he? Where is she?"

"No,..." Khaat began.

"Khaat," he said calmly, "do you trust me?"

"What?" she asked.

"Do you trust me?" he repeated.

"Yes," she said, sighing.

"My job is to take care of you. There is a whole houseful of others that can take care of him. It'll be alright. Suki apparently knows some healing things too, and so does Edward. If we need more help, it isn't like you cant bring in another healer to help. Okay?"

"Alright?" Marcus asked Khaat. "You're not the one to tend him anyway. Not until he knows about James. Brian isn't stupid. He will definitely catch the new bruises. You won't help him until he knows about that."

"Its a bruise. He'll be okay."

"Oh, sure he will," Marcus said. "I need to ask. Did this solve the issue with your nightmares?"

"No," she said quietly. "Not even close."

"Is that still something we need to worry about?"

"No," she said. "Not as long as we're here at the house."

"Okay," he said. "Then let it go. We're all here because we cant get the heck out. The snow is going to keep us inside. Why don't we get a couple of those Christmas storybooks and let the kids come up and read to them? After all, its Christmastime. They need to have some time with their mother. What do you think, Jess? Maybe a story before their afternoon naps?"

"Oh, no, no," Marcus laughed. "I'm a good page turner. I'm not a story teller." He levitated the book in front of Khaat and motioned the book to open. The kids climbed up on the bed and piled around her. They seemed to feel at home piling up on the bed. Abbey slid under the covers with Khaat and snuggled up to her.

"No fair! Me too!" Dakota whined. She scrambled in with Abbey and pretty soon, they were all under the covers with her. Once they were settled, she read the story to them, with Marcus magically turning the pages.

Downstairs, Marcus could smell dinner cooking. By the smell of it, Marcus was guessing it was roast chicken and potatoes and vegetables. The kids were settling in, and Marcus watched their eyes get heavy. They slowly fell asleep, one by one, until they were all asleep.

"I don't know if Jess or Cassidy will like that the kids are asleep before dinner," she said. "I'm fine that mine are, though."

"It might not be so easy getting them to bed," he said.

"You can leave mine here tonight," she said. "They're fine. The rest are fine here too, if their parents are okay with it."

"That's fine, but you do need to get something to eat. You haven't eaten today. Just that cup of tea at Harrods."

"I'll see if Michael can't make up that smoothie for you that has all the extra vitamins in it--if you'll drink that. But that means you get back on your regular diet tomorrow."

"Wait. Are you planning on being here all night?"

"That's the job, Khaat," he said

"You haven't even taken time to shower after that business. The clothes Cassidy brought you this morning are still here."

"Well, maybe someone will stay long enough for me to shower, but, yes, I'll be here tonight. They can relieve me in the morning, perhaps."

Marcus truly didn't understand Cassidy.  He watched her uproot one child after the other and take them out from under the warm covers in Khaat's bed where they'd fallen asleep and take them to their own beds, leaving only Khaat's kids in Khaat's big bed.

He hadn't understood. The kids had all been warm and secure, under Khaat's own blankets, in one of the largest and nicest beds in the whole house.  It wasn't like they'd been sleeping on the floor.

"It wasn't about her wanting her kids close," Marcus said. "They fell asleep while she was reading, and she didn't see any point in waking her kids up to take them from one bed to another."

"Its okay, Marcus," Khaat said. She didn't understand it either, but she had given up understanding Cassidy a long time ago. It wasn't the first time she had done something Khaat had thought was odd.  "Go shower. You're allowed ten minutes." She pointed to the bathroom.  He hesitated, not sure he wanted to use the master bathroom. He finally picked up his clothes and headed for the bathroom.

She saw Cassidy pick up the book. "Me too, but that's not their favorite story this year.  Abbey has a book about a magical doll who spends Christmas eve in the woods looking for the Christmas tree.  The kids seem to keep dragging that book around and asking someone to read it to them--over and over," Khaat said.