Marriage is Murder

"It certainly is your choice," Khaat said. "Don't worry. Marcus doesn't have to understand everything. You'd all like him if you got to know him a bit. Underneath all that playboy stuff is the heart of a good dad. He's got four kids--three boys and a girl. Two 15 year old twins, a 12 year old daughter, and an 11 year old son. They've been living with his parents since he started to work here. Their mother isn't worth much, according to Marcus.

"I suppose its my fault that you all haven't gotten to know him better. He's been trapped up here with me."

Jess came upstairs. "They're up early anyway," Khaat answered her. "If they get up much earlier, they'll be up in the middle of the night."

She was about to say something else, when Suki sent up the dinner tray for the evening meal--plates of roast chicken and potatoes and vegetables, tall glasses of iced tea, and slices of black forest torte.

"Marcus will be glad to see that. I'm sure he's hungry," Khaat said. "You two should go eat while things are quiet."

Marcus returned from his shower. He saw the food tray there and immediately apologized for not being there when it had arrived.

"It just got here," she said. "Are you always this conscientious?"

"No," he admitted, grinning at her.

"You've been around VIP's too long, then," she said.

"Nah. I didn't like them, for the most part," he said. "This is different. "

"You mean working for normal people?"

"Oh, your lot is hardly a normal one," He laughed. "No, I meant a VIP I actually liked."

"I was telling Cassidy about your kids. Don't you want to see them at Christmas?"

"I have a day off coming around then," he said. "They know I'm usually working on Christmas. We just move our celebration to a different day. They're good with it."

"You're welcome to bring them, you know," she said.

"In a mansion this size? They'd have no idea how to behave themselves."

"Like kids, I'd hope," she said.

"Thank you, but no thank you," he said, laughing. "Perhaps another time. Thank you, Cassidy. I'll take it from here. Go to dinner while they're still serving."

"Not tonight," Edward said. "I just looked at the sky a bit ago, and I checked the forecast again. I don't see that its going to ease up anytime in the near future. If anyone apparates out to that, it needs to e someone..."

"Someone like me," Escobar said. "No offense, but I have at least 550 years of apparating experience on all of you."

"Or more," Michael mumbled, teasing him.

"Watch it, Human," Escobar shot him a dirty look. "If you want the greenhouse checked, I'll go do it."

Dottie brought him gold goblet with his nightly "meal" in it. He took it from the elf, nodding slightly to her before she disappeared again.

"Where are Khaat's children?" he asked, frowning. It wasn't like them to ever have a meal without anyone missing from the table.

"Yes," Escobar said. "I saw the bruises on her neck when she returned." He listened and figured quickly that her husband did not know. And that wasn't what Escobar had judged him to be like. Something was odd.

"You do not need another passage at the moment," Escobar said. "You have me." Robert pointed at himself and pointed to Escobar. He wanted to go with him. He wanted to check on the animals in the bar for the night. "Are you feeling up to apparating through that, Minister?" he asked. Robert nodded. He needed to feel like he could still be of use to his family.

"I trust you won't let him get splinched," Michael told Escobar. Robert shot Michael an impatient glare. Robert had never been splinched in his entire life, and he wasn't about to start now.

"Finish your dinner," Escobar told him. "I will make a check of the house while you eat." He turned and went down the hallway.

He found Brian in his office. Brian was trying to stand up, but the migraine had his balance all off. He started to fall. Escobar caught him, and when he did, he felt the pain resonating off Brian in waves. It made the vampire wince.

"How long have you been tolerating this?" Escobar asked, sitting him back on the sofa.

"I have had it...awhile," Brian said, grateful for Escobar's help. "But I'm not tolerating it worth shit."

"Breathe," Escobar said. He placed his strong hands on either side of Brian's head and drew the pain off. Brian felt things start to go black but then it all came back.

"Thank you," Brian was relieved and drained.

"I did it for your children and your wife," he said. "Regain yourself. James bruised her today."
Brian perked up, frowning. Escobar steadied him. "She is well. She's bruised. That's all. But your family needs you well. Sit. I will have the elves send you food. You need to eat."

He sent a message to the elves and proceeded on his check of the house.

"He needs to eat," Escobar said. "He hasn't had food in awhile. Blood chemistry is sadly off. From where he was the list time I happened to touch him, he's lost almost ten pounds. He's carried this pain for awhile without taking care of himself."

"I wasn't ignoring it," Brian said tiredly. He felt the dull pain of the rebound headache starting. He leaned back and closed his eyes, sighing heavily. Escobar laid his hand back on Brian and drew most of that off as well.

"If I remove it all, you will sleep," Escobar said. "And you need to eat. Eat and then go to bed."

"I need to work."

"In the morning. Khaat has a standard sleeping potion in her room. Take some and go to sleep. As you are, you hinder the work the rest of us need to do tonight. Go to bed, and relieve your wife's overprotective bodyguard so he sleep. He's been up for two nights. Sleep now, and go back to work in the morning. Or would you prefer your family have no gifts for Christmas this year? Tomorrow is Christmas eve, in case you forgot."

"Oh," Brian said, remembering. "I didn't forget. I just..."

"Didn't remember," Escobar finished, a bit sarcastically. He looked at Jess. "If he eats, he'll be able to get upstairs to bed, but he won't be able to work tonight."