Marriage is Murder

"I'm okay," Khaat said to Jess. Robert went back over to the bed, but still made no effort to touch her.

"He wants to talk to you," Brian said to her quietly.

"This sounds serious," Khaat said.

"Well, not in the way you mean," Brian said. "You've not been used to being so distant from him lately. It hasn't made sense to you. Well, it didn't make sense to us either until now."

"What do you mean, 'until now'?" she asked.

"He really is protecting you," Brian said. "The curse was transferred to him from his attacker who is cursed. It was an unintentional energy transfer. Your father believes anyone who does energy work could be vulnerable to getting it from him, and he isn't going to do that." He paused a second and then added. "And he especially isn't going to take any chance of transferring it to someone who doesn't even know she's pregnant."

It seemed to go over Khaat's head for a moment. She had to replay his words in her ears. She looked at him and frowned.

"What?"

"It's true," he said. "I know it isn't what we planned, but you're two months pregnant. And he's protecting you and our child."

She looked up at her father. He merely looked at her and shrugged. She looked in his eyes and saw he was telling the truth.

"All of this...this avoiding...all the things you threw at me....all the wonky magic...it was all to keep from touching me?" she looked at him.

"With all due respect," Edward said quietly. "You only know what you see he deals with from your own point of view. What he truly deals with on the inside is not anything he wants anyone else to deal with. Unless we find the countercurse, he can and h will take this curse he has to the grave with him before he lets anyone he loves be exposed to it."

"That is utter madness!" she was angry now, staring right into her father's face. "I will not be separated from you for the rest of my life. I refuse...."

Robert merely held up his hand to stop her. He looked directly at her. It was his nonverbal to her to tell her that as much as she might not like it, the choice was his and not hers.

"So what was that yesterday? You were perfectly prepared to let me die to avoid touching me?" she was irked now. Robert glared at her, furious, and waved her away, turning away from her and starting to pace a bit, irritated. He looked up at Brian and then pointed at Khaat, glaring at him.

"Let's not let this get out of hand," Brian said, not wanting her or Robert either one to stress. "Khaat, he was here. He was in surgery with us. You were not without him, and since you lived, obviously the plan worked. And as for you, Robert, if it had been the choice between risking transferring the curse to her or her certain death, there isn't one of us who seriously believes you'd have chosen to let her die. So--point made on both sides. Now, both of you, do move on. If the issues is the baby, then let's talk about the baby. Rehashing yesterday won't help."

He looked up at Jack. "Jack, Lee Shepherd has saved our lives more times that any of us can count. Do please stop treating him like I'm letting James babysit her. If Lee is guilty of anything, its of spoiling her rotten."

"Lee said he was taking Abbey to find the trolley lady," Edward said. "I'm sure its fine."

"He's going to be looking a long time," Brian laughed. "We don't have a trolley lady, and he knows it."

Robert drew his portkey out of his pocket. He felt like it was time for him to go. Khaat was alright for the moment. He looked at her. He didn't want this to end on a foul note.

"I know," She said to him. "Go, if you need to. It's okay. Its..just been a lot." He nodded. He ported out. After he left, Khaat said, "I...wish he had told me."

"He didn't have a way to," Edward said. "I don't think he knew until the day he was attacked. The spell has kept him from telling us much of anything."

"How do we find a countercurse, Edward?" Brian asked.

"Not sure," Edward said. "He clearly doesn't know either."

"We'll be fine," Brian said. "Jack, you've been here since we got here yesterday morning. Go ahead and go. Cassidy's here, Marcus and Kate and I are here. We'll try to make sure things are fine."

Lee brought Abbey back, and at her request, he had added lots of pockets to her clothes. And in each pocket were two or three pumpkin pasties.

Brian laughed out loud. "What did you do?" he laughed.

"I gots lots now!" Abbey beamed.

"What do you need that many for?"

"Because they mine," she shrugged simply.

"I'm not going to be able to let you babysit again, am I?" Brian looked at Lee, laughing.

"Oh, what's the harm?" Lee laughed.

"You are spoiling her completely," Kate laughed. "Are you going to share, Abbey?" Abbey took one and took a big bite of it, shaking her head no.

"Thank you," Khaat said, smiling, always loving anything the kids drew or made. "And thanks for hanging them up for me. Abbey? You didn't make a picture for me?"

Abbey scampered back over to the bed and drew a pumpkin pasty out of her pocket and handed it to Khaat.

"I share," she offered one to her.

"You keep it," she said, smiling. "You came to see me, and that's enough."

Abbey was listening to her mother, but she turned, without notice and ran out of the room and down the hall. Lee and Marcus followed quickly, not accustomed to Abbey running off from her mother so suddenly. It even perked up Brian's attention and Kate's.

Abbey seemed to know where she was going. She ran down the hall and around a corner where she came face to face with James. She shrieked, frightened.

Lee and Marcus heard the frightened scream of the three year old, their wands already drawn. They spun around the corner at the same time, just as James laughed, delighted at the chance to get the Lupin child so easily.

"NOT on my watch!" Marcus fired repeatedly, quickly, at James, making James retreat a step or two. Lee clutched tight to Abbey's hand and jerked her away from James's reach. He picked her up.

"Go!" Marcus told Lee. Lee had no intention of letting Marcus fight a monster like James alone. He balanced Abbey on one hip so he could fire his wand with his other hand. Lee's first thought was that they needed to get Khaat out of St. Mungo's, no matter what he condition.

"Edward!" Lee shouted, unable to care that they were in the ICU unit.

"Shit," Brian sighed, as he and Kate drew their wands, "Go, Edward." Edward had already drawn and headed quickly down the hallway towards Lee's call.