Marriage is Murder

Brian was too tired to refuse anyone. He simply drank the potion because Brant put it in front of him.

"Tell me she's alright," Brian said, still out of breath. "I just need to know she's okay." He glanced up at the doorway and saw Robert standing in the doorway, out of Jess's way. Robert merely nodded once. It was all Brian needed to know. Khaat was okay. It was all he cared about. He slipped into an exhausted sleep.

Robert glanced up at Jess, believing she would certainly either provide the necessary follow up herself or find someone to do it. He looked at Jack and Edward. He wanted a report now that the emergency appeared to be over.

Jess looked at Robert and spoke " I'll be checking on him in an hour hes just exausted and needs rest." she said moving away from Brian to Robert " he had...nail marks in his neck like he ahd been held around his neck but there huge" she sighed and looked at Edward and Jack. Jack walked over to him then spoke.

" it wasn't James..." he glanced at Edward then back to Robert " it was fenrir who chased him down" he said downing his drink. " we got him out by distraction Edward distracted him and escobar managed to get him out." Steven nodded as Jack spoke.

Robert had some deep emotional pain of his own when it came to Fenrir Grayback. He didn't want to lose another family member to him. He snapped his fingers to get Michael's attention. Michael came at once, and Robert motioned to him. Michael merely followed. Robert went over to Brian and pointed at Brian's neck.

"You want to see for yourself?" Michael asked, knowing how much pain Grayback had caused the Lupins over the years. Robert nodded. Michael turned Brian's head very gently to avoid waking him, and Robert merely looked, not touching. They were indeed claw marks. Not bite marks. "You can relax now." Robert signed to Michael.

"He wants to know if you're sure that there were no wounds anywhere else. No chance of any teeth marks," Michael said, knowing that, given a chance, Fenrir Grayback would have loved nothing more than to spread the curse to yet another Lupin. "Robert, if Jess says there were no bites, then there are no bites," Michael said.

Robert signed angrily, in irritation. Michael sighed and looked at Jess.

"You need to understand, Jess, that its all different when it comes to Fenrir Grayback. Robert needs to be certain," Michael said.

jess watched Robert with Michael and how he checked Brian she stood up and looked at him as she spoke softly " I know thats why I checked every part and I do mean every part of him, he has no bites that I saw, " she told him knowing from experience with Jack where he could have bit Brian. She had checked the usual spots and some..unusual ones to be double certain she went back over him twice. "Apart from his obvious wounds there is nothing there." Brant looked over and nodded.

"I watched her" he said looking at both of them.

Robert nodded, satisfied for the moment. He turned sharply on his heel and went straight to Khaat.

"Excuse me," Michael said, feeling Robert needed some handling at the moment, lest the curse make him react more than he wanted to. Robert reached out, impulsively, to want to grab her, and Marcus rose, stepping in front of her, putting out a restraining arm and blocking him from touching her.

Robert's fierce angry stare met Marcus's eyes. Marcus didn't move.

"You did tell me to protect her from everyone, Sir. 'Everyone' includes you," Marcus said quietly but firmly. Robert didn't move for a moment, then he lowered his arm.

"What's your question?" Michael asked Robert quietly. Robert signed to his daughter. "He wants to know what Fenrir Grayback wanted with you. And if anyone knew where you two were going."

"Grayback?" she was horrified. "No! No one! I swear! If he hurt Brian, I swear..."

"Steady," Michael said. "He's not hurt. Brian always did like running. It paid off for him. Seems like he just plain outran him."

"Nobody just plain outruns a werewolf," she said, furious.

"They do when they've got backup," Escobar said quietly. "Is that not what you asked us to do? Protect you and your family? That's what we did. He's fine. What does some moldy old dog want you?"

"I don't know, but I sure want him," she said, outraged. Marcus rolled his eyes. He was going to have to work twice as hard to keep her from going to hunt that most deadly werewolf of all time.

Jess watched as Robert left the room and headed to Khaat Jack watched as he walked in he stood up and took a step forward but saw Marcus get in his way and he stayed where he was listening to Michael as he translated Roberts wishes about knowing who if any one knew where they were going. Steven sat and watched as he saw the scene in front of him and just smiled knowing Escobar's words ran true it was what they were there for.

" its what were all here for to protect you and our family" Jack said " be it my brother or Fenrir" he said as Jess walked in leaving Brant to watch over Brian in the bed room.

"Did you think.." she was furious with her father, "did you honestly think I'd lure Brian into that? What the hell do you think I am? If I really wanted to chase Fenrir, I sure as hell wouldn't have taken anyone with me...."

Robert started to sign at her in a furious blur of handsignals, and she couldn't translate a word of it.

"Whoa," Michael said gently, laying his hand cautiously on Robert's shoulder. "I can't translate that fast, but I think even she got the gist of it. Come on. Come with me. Have you opened that office downstairs that you used three or four years ago when we were here last?" Robert shook his head. "Come on, then. I happen to remember you had some collector's Macallan down there. Let's go crack open a bottle, shall we?" He wasn't going to let Robert give him a negative answer. He steered him downstairs, casting a fierce glance to Marcus. Marcus understood. He was not to let Khaat race off on some impulse now because of Fenrir.

"I will kill him," Khaat said, her rage resurrected towards Fenrir for his crimes against Remus.

"Oh, can we please just give that a day?" Marcus moaned tiredly, hoping to dissuade her. "I'll go hunting monsters with you tomorrow if you're really stubborn about it. But can we just put it off a day? I really am a bit speedier when I'm not sleep deprived."

jess watched and stepped forward as Roberts hand gestures increased to the pint nobody could under stand what was being signed. She moved to Jack who just sighed and held her against him. He then watched as Michael took him out of the room and Khaat became angry. Jess moved over to her.

" Hes right all this stress is not good for the babies, besides whats a few hours even days going to make" she said her hand resting on Khaats tummy where she could feel the babies inside.

"He's the one who's responsible for this! All of this!" she said to Marcus. "He destroyed my family. He created James. He bent James's mind all sideways and now people are dying because of him. How many times has he come after my children, after my family, after me? I'm hiding from shadows because of what James did to me and because of what he's planning to do..."

"No,"Marcus said. "That's James. That's not Fenrir. James is responsible for his own insanity. Don't lose your head. Fenrir has a list of crimes of his own that's long enough as it is. Lets not blur them together. Jess is right. Now is not the time to get Fenrir. Not while you're putting the babies at risk."

She opened her mouth to respond to him with sarcasm and realized how truly ridiculous those words were going to be. She closed her mouth instead. She got up and went outside instead.

"Keep an eye on her, Marcus," Edward said. "Old wounds like that run deep. They can make a person do crazy things."

"No," Marcus said. "It won't. She's not just anybody. Remus trained her better than that. But yes, I'll keep an eye on her." He went outside after her, hoping to get her to just cool off.

Jess moved back to let her stand and moved back to Jack holding him close " I hope she doesn't do something silly" she said but jack shook his head.

"Marcus won't let that happen" he said seeing Marcus walk after her " now pie" he said and she chuckled and headed to the kitchen to make a peach pie for him and every one else to have with fresh whipped cream feeling a bit of sweetness would do no harm for them all. Jack looked at Steven who stood at the main doors watching and keeping a close eye on Marcus and Khaat. " theres a spare room in the basement if you want to take that as your room Escobar," he said " its dry and dark so sunlight won't bother you, ow and a stocked fridge too."