Marriage is Murder

"Do not choose the baskets with lids," Kate cautioned.

"Oh, yeah," Khaat said. "Those get an attitude. Remember our Monster Book of Monsters textbooks from Care of Magical Creatures and how snappy they were? Baskets with lids seem to get the same way. If they have lids, they bite."

"They get aggressive. Remember that basket that chased you and Brian that year?"

"That big one with the wooden lid. Damned thing snapped and growled and chased Brian up a tree," she said. "It bit hard. Left big bruises where it bit."

"Stole all the eggs for the egg hunt and wouldn't give them back," Kate sighed.

"Is that where they went?" Khaat frowned. "I always wondered why we didn't have an egg hunt that year. Where did it put the eggs?"

"Haven't the foggiest," Kate shrugged. "We never did find them. It ate a bowl of floo powder, promptly burped and, then, poof! All the eggs were gone."

Jack and Jess stood and listened Jack thought for a moment and nodded " okay six have lids I'll make sure not to use those." he said his arms slipping around Jess as he stood behind her. Both of them chuckled hearing about the egg hunt and the nasty basket that took them all and made them disappear.

"I'll double check them before we enchant them " Jess said smiling back at Jack. " so you never found them?" Jess asked " not a trace?" she wondered how all those eggs could just up and disappear. But then she shrugged her shoulders " well some one some where had a good easter." she said and heard Jack chuckle.

"Not a single trace," Kate said. "It was oddly funny. The basket never did apologize. We made it up to them by taking them to Honeydukes and letting them each fill up a whole basket with as much as they could get in it, of whatever they wanted."

"That was a great Easter," Khaat smiled fondly, remembering how she and Brian had raced through the shop, hurling big fistfuls of candy into their baskets and how they'd helped each other cram as much candy in the baskets until they had to help each other just to pick the baskets up, one at a time, to put them onto the store counter.

"I think my favorite Easter was the one that was so nice and warm. We were able to put a large table outside, use a beautiful pastel linen tablecloth, put out my pink crystal dishes and serve dinner under the blooming trees, with lots of fresh flowers on the table. It was gorgeous," Kate said.

"Was that the one where Remus brought his Victrola out onto the lawn and played classical music while we ate?"

"It was," she said. "We all dressed up in spring oufits, and you and Remus danced that night under the stars."

"And you and Brian danced."

"Brian and I tried to dance," she laughed. "He wasn't as patient."

"You weren't very patient when we went fishing that afternoon."

"With all the guys--including Brian--in three piece linen suits and you were in taffeta and satin. No, I wasn't happy about you fiddling about with worms and minnows and fish," Kate said.

"Are we making a mistake?" Khaat asked, sighing.

"About what?" her mother sighed.

"Having so many children. Maybe Abbey's right. Maybe we should have only had one or two so we could have been completely devoted to them."

"Now, you listen," Kate said, sitting beside her. "You and Brian are completely devoted to those children. And you'd be the same if you had one child or 100. All the kids here are very exceptionally well adjusted. And because they come from a very large household, they're going to sail right through Hogwarts. They aren't going to have the adjustment problem that other kids have. They all know they're loved. They know they have a massive family. And there isn't anything on the planet that they could want for. If there is one place in this world that can deal with endless hordes of kids, its this household. You do realize that getting a case of cold feet right before delivery is a perfectly normal reaction, right?"

"Might be nice to have a really pretty Easter like that," Khaat said. "Pretty dishes, lots of flowers...."

"I think you should let Jess and I get with Angus and take care of that," Kate said. "But if there is some shopping you'd like us to do for that, do let us know, would you?

Jess listened and smiled " I missed quite a lot while I was away" she said softly to Jack who just held her close and nodded but kissed her cheek as he spoke softly.

"Jess, your here now, never forget that." he told her softly " Khaat Jim and I can fetch anything you need " he said and smiled to Kate " I think I saw him in the kitchen making a list of fresh goods to bring in from the green house" he said looking over at the window hoping the weather would hold and be nice eventually so they could let the plants have proper sun and air around them and let the kids out to play in the gardens.

Khaat began to smell something from the kitchen. Some sort of food cooking. It smelled like something baking. Something comforting.

"Do you know how much we are not like a normal family?" she sighed. "We have at least 4 different families in the same house. We have an estate bigger than some small villages. Enough kids to run our own private school,....Somehow this isn't what I envisioned it would be like raising kids."

"What did you expect?" Kate laughed.

"Um...having to clean my own house, do my own laundry....cook my own dinner for my family...." she started down the list of what traditional life seemed to be.

"You really want to clean and cook for yourself and, soon, 8 kids of your own?" Kate laughed. "Be glad Brian has enough money that you don't have to. And that you have that platoon of friends that work for you to make sure that everyone is taken care of well.

"You do know you're overthinking everything, right? And that this is part of that 9 months, bored-stiff stuff that happens because you are just about at your wits end. You need to get something to eat. Then we need to get the kids ready for bed. And you need something to do before you make yourself buggy."

"Wonder what he's making," she said.

"I can tell you that," Kate said. "He's made enormous pans full of his vegetable lasagna. The type that comes with the white parmesan cheese sauce instead of a red sauce. He's made that and loaves of crusty bread. The kids always want seconds when he makes this stuff."

Jess looked at Khaat and smiled " we all feel the same and will help you the kids are our family too Khaat, I never had such a big family until we met" she looked back at Jack who was smelling the scent that wafted from the kitchen " okay come on food smells divine as always" she said and Jack chuckled as they headed down to the kitchen.

Jim looked up at Jack and Jess and chuckled " smelt the food, jack's got a good nose" he said as Brant looked over. Steven walked back in carrying large basket of fresh fruit and veg in his arms Jack took it and smiled.

"The veg came out great " He said " fruits not bad ether, be good for nutrients for Khaat." he added

Marcus came upstairs looking for her.

"Are you done trying to read crystal balls or whatever it is you were doing?" he asked her.

"You don't believe much in divination, do you?" she asked.

"No, its not that. Its just not my strong suit," he smiled. "But I don't need a crystal ball to tell me that you haven't eaten all day and you need some food. Come with me. You need to show up at the dinner table tonight with your children and set a good example of eating your veggies."

"My children like veggies already," she said to him.

"You are a wonderful mother," he said. "That's not the issue. But they need to see you doing the right thing whether you feel like it or not."

"Why don't you just say it? You're concerned."

"I am," he admitted. "For twins, you should be carrying far larger than you are. And that means that you must be significantly underweight for what they and you need. Why doesn't this worry you?"

"Because my other kids have been just fine."

"You did this in both of your other pregnancies?"

"Yes, and it was fine."

"Yes, well, its dinner time, and you're needed at the table. Quit giving me static and come eat." He reached under her good shoulder and helped her to her feet. He helped her downstairs, making her take the stairs slowly so she didn't miss any. She couldn't see her feet anymore, so he was insisting that he be there to help her downstairs to the dining room.

The kids were at the table, and Abbey was standing up on her chair, reaching into the bowl of berries for one particular strawberry that was enormous.

Jack watched Abby and picked out the strawberry for her. "Sit down before you fall" he said and gave it to her only once she had sat back down. He smiled seeing Khaat enter " see even Khaat is eating with us tonight" he said and smiled at her "Good to see you." Jess looked over and smiled at her.

"Yes, every one was wondering if you would join us or eat up stairs in the quiet."She asked " we'd have sent up a tray" she said as she pulled out a chair for her so she could sit next to Abby at the table.

Abbey scowled at Jack.

"That not Cat. That Mama," she told him firmly. "She MY mama."

"What are you doing?" Khaat asked her, trying not to laugh.

"I want berries," she told her mother. Then she pointed at Jack. "He mean to me."

"No, Dear," Khaat said, brushing her hair. "He didn't want you to fall."

"He no ask," Abbey said.

"Its okay," Khaat said. "He'll ask next time, I'm sure."

"Abs," Angus said, hoping to change the subject as he brought in a bowl of freshly made honey butter for the bread and put it on the table. "Would you like to have a berry patch of your own outside this year?"

"What?" she asked.

"He wants to know if you want to grow your own berries," Khaat said.

"My own berry trees?"

"Plants," Khaat said. "They're not on trees. They're on plants."

"How many do I get?"

"How many do you want?" Angus asked.

"This many!!" she stretched out both arms to show she wanted endless berry plants.

"Where would we put so many?" he frowned.

"We no need grass. We need berries," she nodded.

Jack looked at Abby and chuckled " ow I'm sorry Abby, I will next time" he said and ate his own he watched as Angus brought some honey butter he was curious himself as to what it was. Jess took some bread and spread some on it and ate it.

"This is delicious" she said smiling to him a she ate more then spread some for Abby " here will you try this too Abby, please?" she asked gently as she placed it in front of her. Cassidy fed the others as did Steven and Jim soon every one was eating happily. Brant walked out and sat on the end he was deep in thought about a book he'd found.

" Khaat do you recognize this book I found it behind a book case it seems to have fallen there, it has the symbol of a were on the cover I thought it might be Remus's" he held it up to show her.