Marriage is Murder

"I'm glad you like it," Suki said, putting Khaat's and Marcus's plates on the table.

Khaat and Marcus came downstairs just shortly after Jack came in. Khaat had chosen a pair of white silk pants and a coral colored silk blouse.

"Now that looks like someone ready to enjoy some warm, Tuscan weather," Brian said.

"I am," she said. Marcus refilled her coffee before he sat down beside her.

"I've asked Angus and Michael to do some of our cooking while we're gone," Brian said. "Not all of it. They need to enjoy our time away too."

"I do know how to find my own leisure time," Michael said. "I'm not worried."

"I planned on us leaving right after breakfast," Brian said. "I presume that's alright with everyone else?"

"Fine," Robert said.

Every one looked at Brian and nodded " yep thats fine with us too" they said all together, "we're already packed" Steven said as he lifted James down from his chair as he had finished his food and was wanting to get down and play with his toys in the living room.

Cassidy started to clear the kids plates away into the kitchen along with some of the adults as Steven went to keep an eye on the kids who had found the toy box. Jack finished his food and sat holding his cup of coffee as he listened to them talking.

Khaat and Marcus were the lasts to the table, so they were the last to finish. Khaat felt her father's eyes on her this morning. She looked at him and frowned.

"What?" she asked.

"I didn't say anything," he said.

"You haven't said anything for months," she replied dryly. "I know its coming."

"I didn't avoid speaking for months just because I chose to," he said. "Can't we just go to Italy and take this up in some sunshine? Maybe with some iced tea, preferably overlooking the beach?"

"We go now?" Abbey asked.

"Yes, I think we should," Robert said.

"I go with you, Papa," she said.

"That's fine," Robert said.

"Me too!" Dakota said. Abbey scowled.

"No," she said sharply. "He MY Papa. You no come."

"Abigail," Robert frowned. "I'm her Papa too. What's the matter with you?" Abbey said nothing, but she scowled at Dakota. "She can come with us too."

"I no go," Abbey said, still angry.

"Abs," Angus said. "If you don't go, you wont get berries. There aren't any berries here." It was clear that Abbey was angry about losing her doll.

"You might want to rethink your choice," Robert said to Brian, deliberately not spelling out that perhaps repairing and returning the doll to Abbey was a better choice if it meant that much to her. Brian sighed. "You may well have made your point already," Robert added gently.

Brant looked up at the mention of the doll and he chuckled standing he moved to the lab where sitting on the lab table sat the doll now fixed and as good as new. Brant walked over and shrunk it down slipping it into his pocket then walking back out he headed over to Brain and slipped the doll into his pocket. "That item is where its meant to be" he said glancing at Abby and Dakota. He moved to pick up a cup and take it to the kitchen.

Cassidy checked her bag and those of the kids to make sure they had everything finding they did she moved to sit with Jaylen who was slowly eating her breakfast. She was all round a slow eater but she got it eaten in the end. Jack dropped a large bag down with the others and looked to Brant.

" its not all mine, its the kids too" he said but Brant chuckled knowing Jack had never packed for himself before.

"Did you leave anything upstairs?" Angus asked Jack. "You could store just about everything up there in that bag."

"He can overpack if he chooses," Kate said. "It'll give him something to do in sorting it all out when he unpacks. And it never goes back in the same way you put it in the first time. Good luck with that, Jack."

"I think we should go," Robert said. "Are we ready?"

"I think," Kate said. She took Dakota and Julia with her, and Robert took Abbey. Angus took Khaat's two older boys. Brian took Daniel, and Edward took Benjamin. They ported out.

"And that leaves me to take you," Marcus said to Khaat, shouldering the bags. "Shall we?"

"Fine," she agreed. Marcus ported them out to Tuscany, following everyone else.

Each person took their own child and ported to the villa Cassidy arrived first with James then Steven with Jaylen and there youngest child. Jack turned up with little Robert and the large bag. Jim ported in with Catlin and last was Brant with his bag over his shoulder he chuckled as he walked to the big double doors.

"Now that is a view to paint " he said and looked at Kate and back out the window to the beach and ocean beyond it. He walked over to the hall and walked down it finding the furthest room away from the house and placed his bag in it he knew he could return home but decided just in case he was needed he would stay close.

" so Angus you staying close too or heading home?" he asked as he picked up a nice ripe peach and bit into it. It always felt to him that the fruit in Tuscany tasted sweeter to him that those in england.

"I don't know yet," Angus said, putting down Robbie and Michael. "Brian hasn't told me. Khaat and Brian hasn't had this house open in months. It will need to be opened up again, cleaned, beds changed, groceries bought--I have no idea where you found that peach. There aren't going to be any groceries here until I go get some, and I did promise to take Abs along when I go. Not to mention that this villa isn't nearly as big as the estate we just left. I'm going to have to do a little quick fix on the bedrooms to create more space if everyone is staying here. This crew is a lot bigger than it was when we were here last."

"Don't stress it," Robert told Angus. "I'll help you with the spells for space and furniture. Kate is good with cleaning spells. Brian, you're going to have to look at adding onto the villa, I think, Son."

"Looks that way, doesn't it?" Brian said. He looked over to Khaat and Marcus to be sure she had handled the trip alright. She appeared fine to him.

"You worry too much," Khaat said, catching his glance. "He ports more smoothly than you do, and I thought you were good at it." Marcus cast her an amused smile. Brian walked over to Marcus and promptly handed Daniel to him.

"Here, take this," Brian said. Marcus had to respond with lightning fast reflexes to take Daniel as Brian dropped him into Marcus's arms. "I've got work to do," Brian said, bounding up the stairs to start opening up the house. Marcus frowned slightly, disapproving.

"Driven, isn't he?" Marcus asked dryly.

"Very," Robert replied. "I'm afraid I'm responsible for that."

"I'll get the bassinets out so you can have someplace to put them," Angus said. "Then I'll go help Brian."

Brant returned and watched Brian he looked to Jack and motioned he should go and see if Brian needed any help. "Hey Brian want a hand?" he asked walking up behind him as he then lent on a door frame.

Brant down stairs walked over and took Daniel from Marcus with a smirk. Accioing a crib he placed him in it and looked at Marcus. "Don't worry, hes always grouchy before he has his first coffee" he told him then paused "or I think thats the case" he said and moved to the kitchen to clean it. Cassidy walked back in with arms filled with sheets and blankets.

" okay these are filthy" she said " I set a cleaning spell on all the bed rooms , yours especially Khaat"she said smiling as she set things washing. " clean sheets to the beds" she ordered and several clean sheets appeared and headed to each room. " Ow Stevens added several extra rooms including a sauna for those stiff muscles, the heat will do you good. " she said.

"That's just Brian on duty," Michael said. "Serve with him in the organization. You'll see for yourself. He has the ability to be quite a taskmaster."

"Moreso for himself," Robert said. "He won't ask anyone to do anything that he won't do himself first."

"Wonder where he got that," Kate muttered, heading to the kitchen to make coffee and tea.

"Haven't the foggiest," Robert said. She rolled her eyes.

Edward had merely watched this and finally brought Benjamin over and placed him in the crib with Daniel. He watched the babies for a moment.

"Well, if they stay true to who they are now," Edward said, watching how active Daniel was and how quiet and peaceful Benjamin was, "Daniel may well be very outgoing and Benjamin may turn out to be more introspective."

"You think?" she asked, sitting on the sofa.

"Possibly," he said. "Most of the Donohues have held fairly true to form from the outset, and I can't imagine a Lupin not being truly a Lupin."

"Sounds like you all have it under control," Robert said to Cassidy.

Brant looked at Michael and nodded " ah guess I have still much to learn about him" he said and watched as Edward placed Daniel in the crib beside his brother. He could see how they were opposites one quiet the other always looking around. Brant chuckled and nodded. " so what went wrong with me then?" he asked in a joking way.

Cassidy looked up and chuckled her self. "you must have been an anomaly" she said and he laughed as he started to make fruit cookies.

"Maybe so Cassidy, Maybe so, but I choose to return to my home and I choose to stay now and change who and what I was." he said and smiled at her then to Edward. " I use to be that scared little boy but now I choose to change and see the world with new eyes and I like what I see." He said " and no one will take that away from our family."