Marriage is Murder

"Let's go, then," Brian said. He went downstairs again to find Khaat sitting in a rocking chair with one of the babies on her lap. She had wanted to rock both of them together but she wasn't able to. Her left arm was still paralyzed. In fact, she truly could only let Benjamin rest in her right arm, but if Benjamin needed anything, she couldn't move her left arm to touch him.

Marcus stood next to her, on standby to assist. Marcus knew how frustrated she was and how much she wanted to be a good mother to her newborns. Marcus also knew that Robert would be finally able to check her shoulder properly and that he hadn't surely forgotten. But Robert had some emotional adjustment for himself to do too.

Brian went over and kissed Khaat's cheek. "You are so beautiful," he smiled. "You sure you only want ten?"

"Ask me a few weeks down the line," she said.

"Look," he said, "I want you to go with the kids down to the beach."

"No," she said firmly, instantly, reacting before she had even thought about it. He looked at her, not speaking for a moment. He'd not heard her react so quickly before.

"What's this about?" he asked gently.

"You'll be alright," Marcus told her. "The beach would do you good. Do you or do you not trust me?" She sighed.

"You know I do," she said, sighing.

"Then we're going to the beach," he said calmly, not giving her an alternative.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I have the twins now," she said. "I can't take them to the beach."

"And of course you're the only one who can take are of them for an hour or so," Marcus said, wanting to gently tell her how ridiculous he found her excuse. "I'm sure there is someone who would spell you for an hour to go with your other kids to enjoy the sun."

Brant and Cassidy both looked over as Khaat said she couldn't go to the beach " thats bull" Cassidy said "Theres nothing stopping you Khaat." she said " we have all the kids in hand ", lets just go and spend time with the kids and relax, god knows we all need it you more than us."She said moving to show several buckets and spades along with swim rings. they all accioed towels enough for all the kids and them selves then placed them into a large bag that sat next to Cassidy. "I for one want to catch up on some sun bathing, don't worry I have a high factor sun screen so we all won't burn."

Brant chuckled as he placed the cookies he had been making into a large picnic basket with a bottle of soda and some iced lemon tea. "Will do you some good, I hear the sun has amazing healing quality's" he said smiling as he glanced over to Angus. " you coming too , we could use the extra hands and eyes?" he asked just as Jaylen walked over and peeked into the basket " ow no thats for the beach picnic" he said and her face lit up.

"nic nic?" She asked and he nodded "Yay, we go, nicnic, nicnic." she said running around the room.

"Khaat," Edward said, "I've been living here for many, many years.  Your problem is certainly not new to me.  I sent for something from home when I knew we were coming here."  He accio'd a tiny object from his bag. It was tiny and fit in the palm of his hand.  He resized it. It was a pram, of sorts. But this one had been magically modified to be a colorful tent too. One that he resized large enough to hold both babies.  

"I made a marvelous, simple sunscreen for newborns that we've been using here for years.  There is absolutely no reason why they can't just go along. Brant--be a good lad and get my potions book and whip up a triple batch, would you? With all the kids we've got, we'll need quite a lot. A triple batch should last us a few days."

"Now that's a solution," Brian smiled. "Ingenious. How did you come up with this, Edward?"

"Lots of kids, even more grandkids, and a bezillion great grandkids. We can't stay home all the time. Got to use that magic for something positive."

"Sounds perfect," Brian said, noticing there was a pouch for diapers and baby supplies on the pram. And the pram was bright and colorful and exceptionally practical. "Now there's no reason why we can't go."

"Provided Brant can follow my potions formula," Edward teased.

Brant watched Edward and laughed as he saw what he had brought " I remember that when Sean and Ben were in it" he said and chuckled " they will both be as safe as if in your own arms" he told her hearing Edward again he nodded " sure thing" he said and headed to his lab/bedroom.

Several moments later he returned with two large tubes "Will this be enough uncle?" he asked showing Edward them both to make sure he had followed the potion to the letter.

"Got any more excuses?" Marcus asked her with a wry grin.

"I don't have a suit that fits," she said.

"Liar," he laughed.  "I packed for you, remember? You have your red one piece and your pink one.  And there's one with a tropical print. And you know I can resize your clothes. I resize everything you own.  What else have you got? You'll have to try something else."  He was unmoved.  

"I think we're just wasting time," Brian laughed.  He took her upstairs and helped her change.  

Edward checked Brant's potion vials. "They're fine," Edward said.  He handed a vial to Cassidy. "You don't need to get them greasy with it. You should be able to use just a galleon sized dot in your hand for the three and four year olds.  Less for the smaller ones.  I'll handle the newborns."

"I'll help you," Marcus said.  He and Edward used the sunscreen potion on the newborns and helped get them settled into the beach tent pram. Edward closed up the tent to activate a magical temperature control spell to keep them comfortable.

"The wheels don't move well in the sand," Edward said. "A levitate spell works far better to move them. Go change, Marcus.  I wont let them crawl off, I promise."

Slowly, they all managed to change and get ready to go to the beach, even Robert and Kate.  Brian had helped Khaat change and had resized her suit for her and had tied a sarong around her waist for her.  By the time they returned, everyone was ready to go.

"You couldn't pack just one suit, could you, Belby?" Brian laughed.

"Oh, I'd have just given her one, and that would have been it," Marcus replied with a grin. "Shall we go?"

Brant was glad that the screens were good. Cassidy nodded at his instructions for applying the sun screen both managed to changed all the kids into their costumes boys in swim trunk and girls into nice individual suits. Jack changed his own clothes into swim trunks though cassidy screwed up her nose at the large flowers that covered them.

She on the other hand wore a dark blue two piece with a black sarong. Steven had swim shorts but a light Grey. Brant on the other hand wore blue shorts and a light cotton shirt as he didn't want to burn.

"Well you look wonderful Khaat" Cassidy said " were all ready and excited to be down on the beach" Cassidy said smiling at the banter between Brian and Marcus "Hey a girl needs more than one suit, what if a wardrobe emergency comes up." she said and looked at Khaat

"Yes, well, when you give her too many choices she just balks at the whole thing," Marcus laughed. "She can be a very stubborn woman. I'd have only given her one."

"He did," Khaat said. "And thank you, Cassidy."

"That is just about what I did, actually," Brian said. Marcus pointed his finger at the suit and adjusted the sizing on her suit to an impeccable fit.

"Oh, better," she said. "Thank you."

"I think we should go, if we're going," Marcus said. They gathered up the kids and they all went down to the beach.

Khaat found herself feeling very edgy and uneasy. Marcus's eyes had already been scanning everywhere.

"You really are alright," he said to her. "You're out in the open but any attacker would be too. How about leaving the security to me, would you?" He accio'd a few towels and set a charm to spread them on the sand. "Sit. Unwind, would you?" She sat as her kids scampered towards the water. A wave of fear rose up, as she saw a whole flock of tiny little Lupins heading fearlessly out into the tide.

"Brian," she gasped, frightened for her five little ones that were racing headlong into the water.

"Oi," Michael called, "don't make me come after you lot. You know the rules. Come back until you have a grownup with you."

Jack and Steven looked up as they saw the small Lupins rushing forward. Then each looked at Michael and how they all stopped and walked back to them. "Wow, whats your secret?" Jack asked chuckling as he placed his towel down.

"Don't worry kids we'll be ready soon" Steven told them placing down his own large towel as Cassidy sat down on it with James, Catlin and jaylen who picked up the sand and giggled. Cassidy shook her head as Jack stood in his flower shorts looking up and down the beach.

" calm down Jack, Michaels right they would be a fool to do anything in broad daylight" she told him Steven sat down next to Cassidy and nodded.

" shes right, just relax" he said then laid down with his arms behind his back sunbathing.

"He doesn't yell that often," Edward said. "He surprised them."

"Well, truth be told," Angus said, "No one yells at them, really. They're not used to it. They just haven't been raised that way."

"There's time," Brian said dryly, heading towards his little clutch of kids. "Wait til they're teenagers. That'll be a whole different story."

"Not if I have my way," Robert said, following him and Michael to the shore. "Back up on the sand, Kids. You know better. You don't run off from the grownups--not ever."

"But, Papa!" Abbey looked at him, frustrated. "I wanna swim!" Brian decided Robert had Abbey in hand, so he and Michael started shooing kids back up to the toys on the sand.

"And you're the only one who can swim of the bunch," Robert said. "But you need to stay with us. You know what happens when you go in the water." She sighed. Abbey almost always uncontrollably shifted to her Labrador animagus when she was swimming, and then she always got stuck in her animagus form and needed Robert to change her back. She was too young to have any control.

"I wanna swim," she frowned at him.

"I heard you the first time," he told her quietly. "You can swim, but you swim with me." He already knew he was going to have to keep an eye on a Labrador puppy when she went into the water.

Steven opened an eye and looked over at them and chuckled Cassidy just shook her head. " I'm sure shes a pretty lab puppy" she said softly as Jack took some small hands in his. " come on Steven the ids want to swim" she said and he sat up.

" if its okay with you we'll take the kids down to the waters edge to paddle" she said and lead three as did Jack and Steven, Brant followed with a few attached to him too but all he did was chuckle and walk slowly down to the waters edge.