Marriage is Murder

Brant loked at Marcus and chuckled " you don't know me that well then do you," he said and sat down close to Robert as he accioed some pop corn and watched happily as the film continued. Jess walked past and looekd at Marcus.

" hes dotty over them anything to do with the past he will watch and weaterns are kinda the past if embelished by movie producers. " she chuckled .

" ow thats so wrong, they carried there gund in the front not on their hips" Brant said as he poped another load of pop corn into his mouth. Jess chuckled and shok her head .

" see , Im glad hes come out of himself his profile said he was quite shy, hum .. not any more I fear."

"Shy would not have been a word I've have used," Marcus said.  "At any rate, enjoy the movie. It looks like all is well. I need to get back upstairs. Goodnight."

He went back upstairs. "All is well," Marcus told Khaat.  He smelled fresh tea brewing. "Someone brewed almond tea?"

"I did," Michael said. "Should be done now."

"I'll get it," Marcus said, knowing it was a family favorite here. "I'll take it to the living room, shall I?"

"I'll get it," Michael said. "The living room is fine. Why don't you all go there, and I'll bring it."  He went into the kitchen, poured the tea into a proper pot and brought it and a tray of mugs into the living room and handed out mugs of tea.  In the meantime, Marcus had picked Khaat up and returned her to the daybed.

"You're getting tired," Marcus said to her quietly. "You should turn in early."

"I might," she said.  "So, the kids are okay?"

"Yes," he said. "They're sound asleep, and your father is glued to a stack of old western movies."

"Westerns? I might go join him," Michael said.

"Sounds like fun. I'll go with you," Edward said. "Excuse us." Michael and Edward headed for the basement to go join Robert.

Jess chuckled " well I wasn't going to use the term recluse in any way but, yes he was a recluse" she told Marcus before he left to head back to the living room she headed to her room to lay down. Jack watched as Marcus returned just after Michael had made almond tea the smell filled the room and he loved it. It reminded him of christmas more than pine trees and mulled wine.

Cassidy sat with steven and smiled as Marcus said all the kids were fine and sleeping. Steven looked at Cassidy at the mention of weasterns " go ahead " she said and he smiled kissed her and left folowing behind Michael and Edward. Casidy chuckled " you'd think they had never seen a weastern before" she said and sat back sipping her soda.

"What else do you suppose a wizard dreams of?" Brian asked her. "When you have magic enough to do things muggles dream of, what do you dream of?"

"Action, drama, and what life would be like with no magic at all," Angus laughed.

"Exactly," Brian said.

"Little boys," Kate sighed, motioning another log to the fire. "The lot of them."

"Yep," Brian said. "I might just wander down to see which one they're watching. I won't stay but a moment." He went downstairs.

"And I won't see him again until morning," Khaat said. "There's no way a man who owns a ranch in the Colorado mountains will miss a western movie. Just not going to happen." She looked at Marcus. "You sure you don't want to go?"

"Positive," he laughed. "Kate, let me tend that fire. It needs more than one log, I think." He got up and tended the fire properly so that it began to burn again enough to warm the room properly.

Khaat noticed, a short time later, that she was hungry. She felt her stomach growl.

"Is that you?" Marcus looked at her, frowning.

"I guess so," she said.

"Can I get you something?" he asked.

"We don't have what I want," she sighed.

"I can't imagine this house not being able to get you what you want," he laughed. "What can you possibly want that we can't get you?"

"Egg rolls," she sighed. He laughed out loud, amused. The food craving was the part of pregnancy he was well used to having to deal with.

Cassidy chuckled and nodded " yep thats an obviouse one " she said and smiled " thats why Steven went being from texas, he was itching to go watch it" she said and smiled at Khaat. She listened to her and smiled " I thought I saw some in the back of the fridge I can go look" she said standing up and moving to the kitchen and the fridge she hunted right at the back and smiled "YEP THREE LEFT!!" she called out. Taking them to the frier she lowered them into the hot oil and left them there untill they were crisp and hot. draining them on kitchen roll she then placed them on a plate and walked out smiling " here we go" she placed it down next to Khaat.

" amazing what you you notice" she said " ow that fires lovley Marcus" she complimented him as she felt the warmth filling the room around her.

"Thank you," Khaat said. "Angus must have made some extra the last he made us Chinese food. I know he does try to make some things ahead and freeze them just for such purposes."

She picked up one of the egg rolls and took a bite, as Marcus broke off a piece of one of the others and ate it. She looked at him and then laughed.

"What?" he looked at her. "I judge a chef by the quality of his Chinese food. Not bad. Suppose his Hot and Sour soup is as good?"

"Ohh. Hot and sour soup," she mused thoughtfully.

"Oh no you don't," Kate said to her. "The last thing you need at this time of night is Szechuan soup before bed. I'm sure he'll make kettles of it tomorrow if you still want it. And I'll thank you to stop teasing her into food cravings, Marcus."

"Okay," he said, still in the mood to tease her a bit. He got up, without saying a word, got himself a slice of cheesecake and brought it back. Kate knew exactly what he was doing, and so did Khaat. He was teasing her just with the sight of a piece of cheesecake. He put a bite of cheesecake with his fork and she took his fork and took his bite of cheesecake. He laughed.

"Turn about fair play," She said.

"Indeed," he said. "Alright. I'll buy take out Chinese--if you play me in a game of chess and you win."

"Oh, no," she said. "I will buy the Chinese if you beat my father in a game of chess."

"Should I be afraid? Its just a game of chess. I should think I could handle that. You're on," he said. Kate groaned, knowing Marcus did not know what he had asked for.

Casidy fought not to laugh at the banter between Marcus, Khaat and Kate. " ow shes right indigetion with spicy foods is a killer trust me my craving was chicken in hot sauce and well I had to fight to stop myself " she said and chyukled biting her lip at Marcus and the cheesecake she looekd at Kate when Khaat spoke of challanging Robert to a game of chess..

" Um...does he know how good Robert is?" she said meaning that so far Robert was un beaten in chess. " Marcus, hes unbeaten among all of us" she said "and you realy want to challange him?" she shifted in her chair and lent forward " I think other than Michael none of us that I know of have beaten him. "

"Really?" Marcus asked, intrigued by a challenge. "Sounds like fun."

"And if you actually beat him," Kate said, "you can challenge me. If you're man enough."

"What? If I'm what?" he laughed, unbelieving. "And you're woman enough to challenge me?"

"Get your chess board, Little Boy," she said in a confident tone.

"You're on," he said, eager for a challenge. He went upstairs to get the chess board.

"He doesn't know I'm the one who has beaten your father, does he?" Kate asked Khaat.

"He didn't know Daddy was good at it until now, let alone you," Khaat said with a slight grin.

"Well, well," Kate sat back, with a satisfied snicker, "I haven't had any 'fresh meat' in awhile. Let's see what he's made of. Don't say anything, you lot, will you? Let's just let him learn."

"This might be more fun than those old gunslinger movies in the basement," Khaat laughed.

Cassidy listened to Marcus and was about to say she was the one who beat Robert but she stayed quiet. She watched as he lef the room and laughed " ow poor marcus " she said then looked to Kate " don't go soft on him" she said and chuckled " he challanged you and yes, this should be so much fun" she said and moved closer to her to watch " mind if I wantch the white wash?" she asked taking her soda over with her to watch. Jack sat and shook his head as he listened to them all.

" poor boy in deed its a easy kill Kate" he said and chuckled himself as he opened a newpaper that lay close by him having no intrest in westerns himself he'd rather sit and watch the game of chess that was about to be forthcoming and the humiliation that would come when Marcus lost to Kate.

"Now, Cassidy, when have you ever known of me to show mercy when I play chess? I show no quarter, remember?" Kate asked.

Marcus brought down the antique chess board he'd bought during the summer while they'd been staying at Eli's house in London. He was still very fond of the board. He motioned the chess table to slide in front of Kate and set the board on it. Kate looked at the box and frowned deeply.

She examined the box and slowly opened it. She gasped, looking at the beautiful chess board and pieces inside.

"Marcus, do you know what you have?" she asked.

"Its a rather nice chess set," he said casually.

"Has Michael seen this?"

"Um...I don't think so. Should he have?" he asked. "Looks like it might have a little gold on it."

"Not just a little," she said. "Marcus, either this is a very clever forgery, or this is a very rare Faberge chess set. It could well be worth thousands of galleons."

"Really?" he asked. He normally knew the value of something, or close to it when he saw it. If Kate was right, he'd missed this altogether and thought it to be just a rather handsome chess set.

"You need to have Michael appraise this for you," she said.

"After I beat you," he grinned, setting up the pieces. She scowled.

"After you try to beat me, you mean," she said.