Marriage is Murder

"Sure," Edward said, "Tea is fine."

"I'll get some later," Brian said. "I'm going to go check on Robert and Khaat and Marcus."

Upstairs, Khaat had retreated back to her room, an she decided to rest on the bed. Marcus saw that the whole discussion about James had rattled her, adding to her stress. She shivered. Nerves, Marcus thought.

"I'll get you a blanket," he said to her quietly. "I'll be right back." She nodded. He went into her closet. No sooner than he left than the door of her closet slammed shut and sealed. She jumped, frightened.

"Nice digs," a deep, sinister voice said. "My pack's going to like living here." She looked towards Brian's closet and saw James striding casually out of his closet. Her blood felt like it was freezing in her veins. In the house? How had he gotten into the house.

On the stairs, Brian heard her scream. He'd heard her scream once or twice before, but it had never been like this. Never had he heard this much terror. His feet went into motion before he could think. He flew up the stairs.

In the spare room, Robert heard the horrible scream. It seemed to make every spark of his soul rise up in alarm. He got to his feet, picked up his wand, and race down the hallway to her room.

"Khaat!" Marcus pounded on the closet door. James voice rose in triumphant laughter. Brian and Robert burst into the room at the same time.

"Too late," James laughed. He clutched at the front of her sweater and dragged her suddenly off the bed, and she struggled to get to her feet. He saw Robert arrive and was delighted. "Well, well. Just in time, Daddy. First her, and then you. This is going to be easier than I thought."

Robert glanced at Brian, and a silent understanding passed between them. Robert deliberately fired at James to help draw James's attention. At the same time, Brian fired at her closet door to break the seal James had put there.

Marcus flew out of the closet, wand drawn. His face paled when he saw the mighty beast here, in her room, with her draw up off the floor in his grasp. Brian gave a strong look to Marcus, and Marcus understood the orders. No matter what, Marcus was to get Khaat out. Somehow. He was to leave James to Jack and the others. Marcus's job was, as always, her. No matter what else happened.

Outside, Escobar heard the scream, with his finely tuned hearing. He apparated back into the house. Edward apparated upstairs at the same time Escobar did. Escobar could smell James, and it made his blood boil.

"Breeched!" Escobar looked at Edward.

"Kill him," Edward said, wanting Escobar to kill first and ask questions later.

"It will be my pleasure," Escobar seethed.

James lifted Khaat up off the floor with one hand, moving her out of the way, and then, at will, transformed to his full height and strength, making an almost total transfiguration to his complete animal form. He grinned at Jack, showing his long, hideous animal teeth, perfectly happy in his werewolf form.

"We're not done yet, Pee Wee," James was so far into his transformation, he could barely form human words anymore. "I just don't have time to play with you anymore tonight." He picked Jack up with his free hand, with no struggle whatsoever and threw him threw the bedroom window as easily as skipping a stone on a lake. The only thing Brian could do was to blast out the window glass so that Jack wasn't killed by the glass. He didn't have time to stop him from being thrown.

Khaat was fully braced for James to kill her next, and she didn't want to die at his hands. She looked at her father, a silent plea for him to fire at her and keep her from being torn apart by James. The only thing she saw was the stoned look in her father's face. He had no intention to yield.

Edward came into the room and James did tense up a bit, seeing the slayer in the room. There were few things that frightened James, but Edward was one of them.

"Let her go," Edward said, his wand trained on James's heart.

"No," James said coldly. Escobar didn't wait to give James a second chance. He drew up all his strength and powers and flew at James with all he had. No one was going to hurt her. Certainly not a filthy werewolf.

When Escobar hit James, it threw him foreward, forcing him to throw Khaat forward. Escobar saw her leave his eyesight, heading straight towards being tossed through her glass topped coffee table. He had to hope that one of her other guards could stop her from being killed by being thrown through the plate glass topped coffee table.

Khaat didn't want to even consider that Escobar might not survive his fight with James. She was terrified James might win, that he might kill Escobar. And, she was fond of Escobar, just as if he were as much a part of her family as anyone else--even if he didn't have the ability to handle having a family.

Escobar had no desire to battle James in this room. He didn't want the beast anywhere near her. He had one goal--just one-to get James out of the house. He kept a tight hold of James and apparated the pair of them out of the house and off to a distant part of the grounds.

"Seal the house!" Brian bellowed "No one in or out. Make it impregnable to everyone but Escobar. Search every inch. Kill anyone who doesn't belong. Now! Go, go, go!

"Someone find out of Jack is alright and get him back inside before we seal him out," Brian continued to order.

"Check on the kids, make sure Cassidy is alright. Lets get them into a central location. We might need to evacuate until we know how we were breeched. Let's move. We might only have whatever time Escobar can give us. Go, go, go!"

"Thank you," Brian said to Jim, grateful that Jim had kept her from being killed. Marcus went to Khaat and wrapped her close to him, more grateful then he knew how to express that she was alright. Brian looked at Robert. "We've got to get out of here."

Robert nodded. He accio'd a large keyring and took a key off the ring and tossed it to Brian. It was a ring of portkeys for a safehouse. Brian began taking keys off the ring and handed some copies of the key to Jim.

"Get keys to half of the bunch. I'll get the other half. Don't wait to pack. Make sure the kids and the pets go with us. Go wherever the key takes you. We'll get whatever we need when we get there. No one outside of our immediate staff need to know where we've gone."

Brian tossed a key to Marcus. "Go," he ordered firmly. "Go now. We'll be right behind you."

"Good but don't wait. Go now," Brian said. Kate and Michael and Robert took the cats, Archangel, and Michael's dogs. Marcus took the portkey and ported out with Khaat.

Brian went through the house quickly to make sure that everyone was out. He offered to the house elves for them to go along, but they were firm that they were going to stay to defend and care for the estate.

When the portkey took them to its destination, Marcus looked around and saw they were in a beautiful tropical compound of some sort. He could smell plumeria flowers and sea air. He saw palm trees, a beautiful sparkling white sandy beach leading to peaceful waters, and the house itself was impeccably decorated in lovely tropical woods and white linens.

"Khaat," he said softly. "We're here. Wherever that is. Look at me." He drew her face up to see his. She was too badly frightened to be clearly hearing him. She laid her hand quickly on her stomach. He laid his hand there. He hadn't felt anything quite like that before, not with his own four children. "You alright?" he asked her gently. She wasn't sure. She began to cry.

"Come sit down," he said. "I'm sure its fine. You've had more than your share of stress today. Don't panic. Try to just breathe and relax a minute." He led her to the sofa in the living room and sat her there.