Marriage is Murder

Steven listened and sighed nodding " Some women do only want money, " he looked to Brian " remember Ronata Brian?" he said to him and sighed " my first wife, she just couldn't handle this lifeand so just disapeared, my second up and ran off with another man leaving James and Jaylen with me thank goodness." he said " I had decided not to look for any one else then Cassidy came and we have been together every since, I think its because we both had a strong disposition" he said and Cassidy stood up.

" that and who else could put up with this" she said and chuckled Jess looked at them both then spoke to Marcus.

" Jack is my one and only husband" she said simply and sat down " we met before graduation from Hogwarts, fell in love and well married after graduation, but soon after I had Andrew I disappeared it was thanks to Khaat that Jack found me, but were still together I love him for who he is not money or anything like that and thats how I feel it should be , besides I wear the trousers hes just the muscle" she said just as Jack walked in.

" huh?" he said and this made Jess smiled " so whats the group session about?" he asked taking Jess's hand in his own.

"You've miscounted a tad, I think," Brian said. "Wasn't Ronata Wife Number 2, after Janet?"

"As long as we end up happy, it scarcely matters if we end up single or married a dozen times," Marcus said. "You didn't miss anything. How is it that we give you all the night off and you still end up here with us? Don't you have any private adult hobbies?"

Brian couldn't resist laughing. "I noticed you didn't direct that question to me," Brian said.

"You have apparently already been participating in adult activities," Marcus said dryly. "The evidence is laying asleep on the floor all around us."

"You are not a subtle man, are you?" Brian said, amused.

Steven looked at Brian and thought for a moment then smiled " yes Janet" he said softly " yeah, she was my first, she..." Cassidy went to hold him close and looked to Brian. Cassidy took Steven outside and sat with him. Jess sighed and looked to Marcus.

"She was killed and he was put a coma, his son was taken buy the child traffickers, it was thanks to Brian and Robert that they found him and brought them together" she said softly as she took Jacks hand " and no but were doing it right now , being with other adults and bonding" she said smiling as Jack smiled at her.

"He wasn't talking about those kinds of adult activities," Brian said. "He was asking why you lot aren't taking advantage of the time for more honeymoon like pursuits."

"You really have been a father much too long already," Marcus frowned. "You use such childproof language. Its called sex. Do you know how to even say the word, Quinn? Are you sure all those kids are yours?"

"Well, they're sure as hell not yours, Belby," Brian teased right back.

"I guess that I just need to dedicate myself to more practice, then, don't I?"

"Behave, Marcus," Khaat mumbled sleepily from her place on the mattress. She had managed to kick off the blanket. She shivered, and Marcus reached over and pulled the blanket back over her.

"Go back to sleep," he said to her. "I'm right here." Like Brian, he had gotten used to the fact that some nights she woke frequently during the night from nightmares of past horrors. He had gotten used to just reassuring her and soothing her back to sleep.

Jack and Jess smiled at them both and chuckled " hey we know we choose not to, my last pregnancy was twins and none too good ether, I prefer not to besides when and where we do, is up to us" she said and Jack chuckled.

" yeah like last night " he said and Jess gasped at his words." Twice" he said wincing as she swiped at him and his shoulder.

"Hey, that's our business Jack." she said and looked at Khaat as she spoke smiling as Marcus covered her. She had seen the bond between them growing but knew it was because he was a loyal employee nothing more. Cassidy sat with Steven and held his hand gently in her own as he had told her of Janet the only woman other than her he had felt a place in his heart.

Soon they walked back in and heard Jack Steven chuckled and smiled. " wow Jack t.m.i" he said and now Cassidy chuckled.

Marcus quickly made a mental note to not include Jess in the teasing if she was going to have to take it so seriously and defend herself when no defending was really needed.

He saw Khaat was still shivering slightly. He got up, without a word, went back to the main house and got a second blanket, a lighter one this time, and brought it back, laying it beside the mattress in case she wanted it.

He had noticed that his broken ribs and his other battered places were starting to hurt, from his fall down the stairs the day before. He had left his pain potion behind in England, not normally needing it, but crawling about on the floor had not been pain free for him. And one of the more annoying pains was a very painful leg cramp in his right calf. He wanted to walk it out and stretch it.

"With your permission," he asked Brian quietly. "I'm getting stiff down there on the floor. Might I stretch my leg a moment?"

"By all means," Brian said. "There's enough of us here. Getting a cramp? Take whatever time you need to stretch it out."

"Thank you," Marcus said. "Yes. One of those annoying charliehorses."

Jess looked at Brian and Marcus and shook her head she saw Marcus and sighed " you can ask Brant for some potion he seems prepared for anything these days" she told him hoping Brant would leave his room that he'd made into a temporary potions lab. Brant walked out and looked at Marcus and rolled his eyes diving back in he picked up his bag and rummaged in it returning as if nothing had happened.

"Hey Marcus " he said walking over to where he walked " here " he said and handed him a small bottle. " just in case, I always keep spares" he said and chuckled " I heard what you were talking about " he said and sighed deeply. "This woman I have been matched with has kids and they want us to have kids too" he looked at him. " I know, I know I have no choice the law says I have to an all I.. How did you do it?" he asked softly his cheeks blushed a little.

"Thanks," Marcus said. Its just not a good night for me to be crawing about the floor. Aggravates the sore muscles."

When Brant changed the subject, Marcus simply listened. He had no trouble giving him a straight answer.

"If she's the right woman at the right time, then it all sort of comes together. If its pressured for her or for you, it doesn't work so well. And doing it at the wrong time or just for sport is just never an answer.

"If she's got kids already, then she surely knows how this goes. You might do well to let that be a bonding experience between the two of you. If there is enough love there, then, believe me, that does sort of take over for itself.

"If worse comes to worse, there is a very new black market potion--an extremely rare one. One that even a potions maker like you most likely haven't heard of."

Brant stood and listened to him he brushed off the thanks and listened to his words relaxing as he said to just basically go with the flow and see where it goes. "I guessed it was time for your potion and Thanks Marcus" he said and smiled " I'll do just that," he said then chuckled "Ow I don't go black market ,heard some people don't get what they ask for doing that" he said breathing out and relaxing.

"Ow and don't worry about Jess, she does take things a bit to literal sometimes but shes okay, or so I've found, I have to go inside I making some of Roberts regeneration potion." he said his hands slipping into his pocket as he walked with him for a moment then he headed back inside.

"It depends on who you buy it from, Brant," Marcus said. "Not everyone in the black market is evil. Or at least that's not been my experience. You might do well, if you're going to work in potions long term, to keep a bit of an open mind about that. You might find the connections useful.

"But I'd better get inside. If these adults don't go get some sleep soon, Khaat's going to have these kids under her wing all day tomorrow too. And that means I'm going to need to be prepared to run faster. She doesn't run so very well these days," he gave Brant a quick smile and turned and went back inside.

He made quick work of picking up the food leftovers from the kids and the adults and straightened up the room.

"I didn't hire you to clean, Marcus," Brian said.

"No," he said. "But if there's a problem, I will be far more agile if I'm not tripping over bowls of fruit salad, Sir."

"True," Brian yawned. He saw his boys shuffling in their sleep. They'd tossed away their stuffed animals in their sleep, and seemed to be looking for them. Marcus found one--a stuffed puppy, and he returned it to the bed of one of Brian's boys.

"I seem to be missing a blue turtle," Marcus sighed, looking around for the missing stuffed toy.