Marriage is Murder

Robert nodded, glad for Jess's report. Brian got up and went over to Khaat. He kissed her softly.

"Good morning," he smiled. "You look world's better already. How do you feel?" He laid his hand on her, checking for himself.

"Hurts. Really hurts," she admitted.

"Yeah, well, they're some of the worst injuries I've seen," he said. "Your father is here. He isn't going to touch you, so don't try. He's had to use polyjuice, but this is one for our memory books. Too bad we don't have a camera."

"Who'd he use?" she frowned.

"Your mother," he grinned. That made her laugh. She stopped short because of the pain.

"Don't make me laugh. It hurts," she said.

"Well, actually," Edward said. "That's why we're here. Your father and I spent the night on a new potion, and we're hoping it helps."

"New potion?" Brian frowned.

"Here, Jess," Edward got a bottle out of his bag and handed it to Jess. It was a shimmering, bright red potion, and it had three glowing swirls running through it. One thread was a glowing royal blue. One was bright pink, and the third was a bright pure white thread, like a thread of white light.

"Okay," Brian frowned. "That's weird, even by wizard standards."

"Indeed it is," Edward said. "Pour a single, standard sized dose please and give it to her. In the future, please mix it with the standard single sized dose of the gold potion Robert set out for you yesterday. It will be more effective when it bonds to the other potion, but it will still have some effect by itself."

Edward was presuming that no one had told Khaat yet that she was pregnant. He was referring to the gold potion for pregnant women.

"Wait," Brian said, "What does it do?"

"The pain from these injuries isn't going to be easily resolved by a whole lot," Edward said. "The injuries are deep and they cover a large area, and you have more than one to deal with. This will add to the gold potion and will help deal with the pain. It also has some special vitamins and nutrients to help speed healing and to help replace what her diet probably isn't letting her do right now."

Brian took the cup from Jess instead. He looked at Robert who merely nodded. Brian took it to Khaat and handed it to Khaat.

"What does it do?" she asked.

"Let's find out," he replied. She didn't question any further. She just took it. It didn't particularly taste bad. Didn't really taste like much of anything. In a few moments, it made her just a bit more heavy and sleepy but she felt her pain reducing.

"Better?" Edward asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Excellent," Edward said. He looked at Robert. "Shall we put it together, then?" Robert nodded. Robert got into the bag he brought and got out several bottles in different sizes. He and Edward took the gold potions, the new potion, and some firewhiskey and carefully mixed them together. Robert swirled the mixture together, watching it blend. The color of the mixture changed to a shimmering pumpkin color with bright glowing threads in an assortment of colors running through it. Robert and Edward bottled the new mixture in some new bottles and labeled them appropriately with dosage instructions.

"You should be able to use this instead of all the other great long list of things he gave you yesterday. Less nuisance about it, and it will hold her pain better," Edward said.

Brian had simply frowned when Jack had been bothered about Lee having Abbey. It wasn't that Brian didn't want her home, but it wasn't even daylight yet. Brian hadn't expected for Lee to bring her home yet or to hear from him at all yet.

"What's he saying about Abbey?" Khaat asked.

"Lee has her," Brian said honestly--well, pretty much honestly. "He's had her overnight. Took her out for a bit of fun, and he thought he saw James. So he took her home to his flat to hide her. I think they were having a really good time, too."

"Lee?" she double checked. He nodded. "She's fine, then."

"I think so," Brian nodded.

It was still quiet at Lee's flat. Abbey was still sleeping. He had known that the child was accustomed to getting up by 6, so he had been braced for it. But it was near six, and she was still sleeping soundly.

It had taken her a long time to get to sleep the night before. She had fallen in love with the pink flannel nightgown that Lee had given her and the fuzzy pink slippers.

Lee had had no trouble getting her into a tub of bubbles. He'd had more trouble in getting her out. She had gone all animagus on him, and he found the wet puppy happily splashing water all over his bathroom. It had made him laugh.

He didn't have trouble changing her back, of course, and once she was dressed for bed, he had fixed the dinner she had requested. Fish, fried potatoes, and a salad with not only vegetables but plenty of fresh fruit.

They had read storybooks through the evening, and he had given her a cookie with pink sugars. She hadn't wanted to settle. He had gotten her a little bowl of berries, and they'd settled into his big recliner, with her new pink blanket, and he had simply talked with her, pointing out the pretty lights of London after dark.

She'd fallen asleep, laying on his chest, and he had simply stayed there with her. He had fallen asleep himself, and she was still there curled tight to him, when he woke. He had thoroughly enjoyed the time he'd spent with her. She was a wonderful child, and he was fascinated by how bright she was.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the quiet and in not needing to rush this morning. He had slipped back into a light doze again, when her little hand softly patted his cheek.

"Unca Lee," she called. "Unca Lee. Wakie, Wakie." He woke, laughing.

"Is that how you wake your daddy at home?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Papa. I wakes up Papa."

"I bet he likes that," Lee laughed, trying to imagine how Robert took his sleep being intruded upon.

"He look like you," she grinned. Robert laughed too when she woke him up at home.

"I bet you're hungry," Lee said. She nodded. "Eggs?"

"Noooo," she said, as if he had offered her something foul. "Berries!"

"More berries?" Lee frowned. "Don't you get tired of berries?"

"Noooo," she said. "I likes berries."

"So I see," he said. "You know I have to take you home today."

"No...Papa work here. I go see Papa."

"Well, he does work in this city," Lee said. "Have you ever gone to see Papa at work?"

"Lots," Abbey nodded. "He gots candy in his room."

"I bet he does," Lee laughed, figuring Robert was just the sort of man to utterly spoil his grandkids. "In his desk?"

She nodded. "He say it mine."

"And I'm sure it is."

"You no drink coffee?"

"I do. Why?"

"Daddy always drink coffee. Why you no gots some?"

"I didn't want to wake you." She bounced out of the chair.

"I'm up. Get up," she ordered him. He could barely contain his laughter.

"Yes, Ma'am," he saluted her. She saluted him right back, using the wrong hand, and simply putting the palm of her hand on her forehead. Lee couldn't keep from laughing. "Its too bad I can't just keep you."

"I come back. I gots stuff here now," Abbey nodded. "I can come back, right?"

"Of course you can," He said. He headed for the kitchen, hearing the patter of her little feet right behind him.

"Brian," Khaat asked, think a bit further, "did James hurt her?"

"No," he said. "Absolutely not. If I know Lee, he's kept her simply because he's having a good time."

"Okay," she said. Marcus came back with pitchers fo tea and coffee.

"Its about time," Brian said. "I think Khaat would like some, and then we can all get what we want."

"Coming right up," Marcus said, pouring th coffee and handing it to Brian.

"Give it here," she told Brian, more than ready for some coffee.

"I think I'll help you with it for a bit, if you don't mind," Brian said.

Lee actually made hot oatmeal for Abbey and stirred in berries and honey into her cereal for her. She had liked it and had had seconds.

He helped her dress in the clothes his agents had picked out for her. He wasn't sure he would have picked that outfit, but Abbey's eyes lit up when she saw it. Bright pink jeans printed with little carnation pink mini hearts. A coordinating carnation pink, pullover style hoodie with a bright pink heart applique, and pink glitter high top sneakers. They'd even found a pair of barrettes for her hair that were pink glittery bows.

He dressed her, brushed her hair, and had to put the barrettes in her hair several times before it suited her. He offered to let her take her new teddy with her, but she shook her head.

"If it stays here with you," she said, "You no be alone. And I gets to come back."

He smiled. "I'd like that. Shall I take you home?"

"No," she frowned. "I wants to go see Papa."

"Honey, I'm sure he's at your house."

"We go see? Pleeze?" she pleased. He decided it would be quick, easy trip in, seeing Robert wasn't there and breezing out again before she could see any of the drama on the 4th floor in the ICU.

Meanwhile, Robert was sharply becoming aware that his polyjuice potion was going to wear off. He checked his pocket and didn't find the little bottle in his pocket. He quickly began rooting in his bag and didn't find it there either.

"Lose something?" Edward asked. Robert nodded, starting to become very anxious.

"Alright," Edward said, not wanting Robert's curse to make him out of control. "What do you need? Can I help?" Robert pointed to one of the empty potions bottles in his bag and gestured to his pocket. "A potion?..In your pocket?..."

"The polyjuice!" Kate said, wide eyed. "I can give you more hair. Robert, is there more in the lab downstairs?" He nodded. "Jess, go and get some. Hurry! His is going to wear off."

"We might want to get you a change of clothes--just in case," Edward said gently. "Do you have any upstairs?" Robert left heading quickly upstairs to his office to get a change of clothes from his closet.

The minute he reached his office, the polyjuice wore off. He had only enough time to take his long trench coat out of his closet and put it on before he returned to his own form, Kate's clothes ripping and no longer wearable.

At that moment, the door burst open and he was suddenly faced with Abbey, with Lee behind her. Before he could stop her, she had run to him and had flung herself full at him, leaping onto his lap, flinging her arms around him.

"Papa!!" she was delighted to see him. Every bone in his body wanted to push her away to protect her. The last thing he wanted to do was to pass his despicable curse to her. But there she was, hugging him, kissing his cheek, and chattering to him. He didn't want to break her heart.

Lee came in quickly and shut the door. "Robert," he said softly. "Do I need to take her from you?" Robert was going to risk hurting her feelings and was going to pull her away, when he realized that he had not felt any energy shift. He had not felt any part of what he carried leaving him and transferring to her.

He had been acutely aware of when the foul energy and madness of the curse had been transferred to him that night. He had felt it, sharply, like a deeply rooted toxin. But--this. This had not, for whatever reson, transferred to Abbey. And then it made sense. Abbey was too young. Her magic had not awakened enough for it to transfer to her.

Before he realized it, he had wrapped his arms tightly around her and hugged her. His tears were instant, falling onto her blond hair. He hadn't been stripped of all of his family. He could touch her--for now, anyway. He could hold Abbey.

After a long moment, Lee said to Robert, "She was right, you know. She insisted we come today. Wouldn't take no for an answer, and I didn't know why. She's a very bright child."

"You miss me, Papa?" Abbey asked him. Robert glanced up at Lee and looked at Abbey and nodded.

"I sent him up to get some clothes, just in case," Edward told Jess before Jess went upstairs after them.

"Unca Lee buy-ed it for me," Abbey said, telling Jess and Robert both.

"Well, that only shows that things aren't as dark and dismal as he thought they were," Lee said, remarking about Robert being able to hold Abbey. "She's a wonderful child," Lee said. "We honesty just had a great time."

"Oh...Papa! Papa!" Abbey bounced up and down on his lap. "Unca Lee says I can come back. I gots stuffs there at his house now."

Robert merely smiled and nodded at her. It was fine with him that she had been with Lee.

"He's going to need polyjuice to get out of here," Lee said. "But that means that he's going to need new clothes. Does Kate happen to have any more here?"