Marriage is Murder

Cassidy looked at Marcus and actualy felt her cheeks turn red " ah..um" she said and coughed at the image. But stood listening more to the conversation " I bet that was a sight to be hold." she said and scooped James into her arms. " she is right it is a simple spell" cassidy sighed and chuckled at Marcus's come back at Khaat " he is right there too " she said and shook her head trying to right the image of Marcus in his shorts out of her mind again before her cheeks blushed for a second time that day. James giggled in her arms and she shook her head. " okay we'll be down stairs when your ready " she said and carried James down who as soon as he saw the living room wriggled from her arms and ran off to play.

Once they all left, Khaat looked at Marcus. "My father did come back?"

"Yes," Marcus said. "He did. Abbey's spending some time with him. Khaat, he came back, in part, because its Christmas, and he doesn't want to miss that time with his family. You shouldn't either. They don't care what you wear. They just want you."

"Well, now that you've started the pajama thing, you do have to wear pajamas," she said, still hoping to find a way to get out of her own discomfort. "And I'm not going if you're not."

"Look, I did the sweater you bought me and not my suit. But pajamas? Now you're pushing it," he laughed. "I might give you sweats--not Christmas sweats. Plain gray sweats. Nobody gets pajamas. Not even you, and I even like you."

"I'll go--later when they start doing whatever Christmas stuff tonight. But if I'm in the way, I'm coming back up here," she said.

"Deal," he said.

"Where's Brian today?"

"He's doing some sort of top secret Dad thing," Marcus laughed. "Leave him alone. He seems to be enjoying it, whatever it is."

Cassidy walked down and sat down accioing a drink for herself and a book to read as they all sat waiting. Jack stood by the window while Steven and Jim played chess with Jess watching over his shoulder which he was not pleased about and glared at her she chuckled and headed to the kitchen to make some mince pies to add to some vinilla ice cream she had made eariler. James sat on the floor at Stevens feet watching every one and playng with a toy car that he pushed to Jim who with his foot pushed it back to him smiling. Jim moved his bisho[ only to lose his pawn to Stevens rook he hummed as he studied the board again.

Brian finished locking away an enormous pile of gifts in one of the rooms in the basement, keeping them ready for "Santa" to bring. He pocketed the key and went upstairs.

"Are you finished working?" Edward asked, remembering all too well all the work it took a dad with that many kids to get ready for Christmas. He also remembered how to phrase things to not give anything away for the little ones.

"I think," Brian said. He had done all he could do until the kids went to sleep that night. He was ready to ask if anyone had any specific things they wanted to do on Christmas eve when he heard an odd rolling, rumbling sound coming from down the hallway towards his office...No, wait. It was the playroom.

He looked that direction and saw a rolling wave of paper. Wait...no, it was a sea of paper chains. Brightly colored paper chains that were so many that they were rolling out the door of the playroom and down the hallway towards the living room. The children were squealing and giggling in delight.

"Well, now, I can't say I've seen that before," Brian frowned. "Who turned on the decorating charm and forgot to turn it off? And shall we turn it off or drown in paper chains?"

Cassidy stood up and walked to the hall to be almost bolwed over by paper chains " wow okay enough " she comanded and it stopped she pointed to the wals and it hung itself up. " that was a close one " she admitted as it made the whole room feel christamssy even though she wished it was not as much she liked it. " Good to see you out and about " she said to Brain as the last bit hung its self up. abouve the fire place. " now this place is ready " she said and saw the kids giggling and running around the place happy.

"Thank you," Brian said to Cassidy, watching most of the kids flood into the living room as they followed the paper chains. He wanted to find out how the children--probably one of his children--had managed it. He went down the hallway, and he saw one of his sons, little Michael, huddled under a hall table with Julia. They appeared to be looking at something.

He crouched down and said quietly, "Boo."

The kids jumped and looked at him, and then realizing they were caught, they froze.

"What do you have?" he asked them.

"A thing," little Michael said, shrugging.

"What sort of a thing?" Brian asked.

"I no know," Michael said.

"Where'd you get it?" Brian asked.

"I no do it," Michael said.

"Who did?"

"'Kota did it," he said. "Tooked it from Papa's magic room."

"You aren't supposed to be able to get into Papa's magic room," he frowned. "How'd you get in there?"

"'Kota did," he said. Brian reached out for the gizmo in his hand.

"Give it to me," he told his son. Michael put into Brian's hand what looked to Brian like some sort of an old Victorian gentleman's snuff box. It had a stone in the top that looked like a glowing white opal. What the hell was it?

"Go down to the living room with the rest of the kids," he told them. He went back downstairs and looked at Jack and Steven. "Please check the security on Robert's potions lab. Somehow they got in."

Jack walked over first and heard followed by steven both looked at each other and nodded " right away" they said and both moved to the lab finding the door open they pushed it and walked in to se dakota in the lab " wow there this is not your play room" Jack said and picked her up taking a small bottle off her and pacing it down on the table. Jack carried her back to Biran and stood over her " she was in the lab, stevens renforcing the spells and barriors as we speak" Steven walked over to them and handed Brian a key.

"All relocked and charmbed " he said " not sure how she broke it the first time but every thinkable place that a child or mouse could get in is charmed " he told him and shook his head " its still amzes me how they do that" he gave a soft chuckle as he moved to move some decorations.

Brian looked at the little box in his hand, still not knowing what it was.

"Did you stop the river of paper?" Edward laughed, looking in from the kitchen.

"I think they've stopped it for now," Brian said, fascinated with the tiny box.

"Is that what I think it is?" Edward asked.

"I don't know," Brian said. "I'm not sure what I think it is yet." Edward reached for it, and Brian handed it to him. "Dakota had it, apparently."

"Well, she chose something relatively harmless this time," Edward said, opening the box and looking at a sparkling white powder inside. "Watch." He took just a very grains of the powder and sprinkled it on a gingerbread man. The cookie grew and grew and grew, becoming gigantic.

"So--it grows things?" Brian asked.

"Its a Zonko's thing I haven't seen since I was a boy," Edward said. "It wears off eventually. Be glad she didn't eat it. That can get quite interesting."

"Good thing she didn't use it on an ant It would have been disatrous" she said and looked at the small amount of powder left in it " I do hope he only kept a small amount in it" she looked back at brian and Edward. "May be you should keep hold of it for now " she sugested knowing it could be bad in the wrong hands " what if you know who got hold of it, he could make himself ten times larger." she shuddered at the thought and looked to edward knowing he'd hold on to it if Brian couldn't.

Cassidy walked over and saw the smal box " ow geez " she said " you got all of it right?" she asked seeing his half full she breathed out " okay that needs to be under lock and key" she said and Jess looked at her " just saying is all" she added aooked at the cnd lhains hung around " lovely chains " she said softly

"Voldemort is dead," Edward said, taking the box. "And I'm certain he was most likely well aware of this old Zonko gimmick. Its not that scary. Its more annoying than anything else. Not sure why a man like Robert would even bother keeping such a weird thing lying about."

"He kept it," Michael said, taking the box from Edward, "because we used it to prank him at a Yule ball one year at school. And if I told you what we did with it, he'd kill me. The snuffbox is antique. That's true enough. The powder inside is not."

"Now wait a minute," Edward teased. "You're an antique, Tremaine. That means the powder inside is antique too."

"Spoken by a fossil," Michael scowled.