Marriage is Murder

The breakfast that was set up were trays of gourmet Italian pastries and a barista to make either lattes, cappuccinos or to make fresh espressos. There was also a selection of beautiful gelatos--something that was sometimes served for breakfast. Angus had also had set out some of the best fresh fruit that he could find, not that fruit was a typical breakfast addition, but fruit had long been an ever present ingredient at breakfast for them.

Brian took a plate and got several pastries for him and Khaat to share. Then he brought two espressos over for them. Kate and Robert picked up selections of pastries and some gelato and put some fruit on top of their bowls of gelato.

Michael and Marcus both chose very old school Italian with fresh baked sweet bread and coffee.

"What a beautiful morning," Robert said, enjoying the sunrise and the sounds of the sea. "We are going to retire here, right, Kate?"

"No, we are not," she said firmly. "Holidays, yes. It is breathtaking, I agree. But retire here? Certainly not. I have grandchildren to spoil."

"Then we might need to take a lot of holidays," Robert said.

"You're only saying that because we finally let you out of your room," she teased him about all the months he himself had been forced away from almost everyone.

Brant looked at the sun rise and smiled thinking that he hoped the natural beauty would relax Amelia and her kids so they could get to know each other before the wedding happened."it is beautiful I hope Amelia thinks so too" he said as he then ate his food sipping a cappuccino as he watched the sun rise.

"Hey we're here for Khaat not your love life" Jack said and Brant nodded.

"Yes but we're also here to relax too" he said continuing to write in his letter once done he sealed it and sent it to her sitting back as he listened to the sound of the water against the boats side. Steven and Cassidy chuckled.

" whats wrong with a love" Cassidy said " Its about time he found some one, even if it was through the ministry."

"No one is saying there is anything wrong with love," Robert said. "Brant will get over that one track thinking and start putting some perspective on it again. Brant, you do need to start doing something for fun. Didn't you bring any water toys, Angus?"

"Toys? You want toys? Of course I have toys. There's some jet skis, Kayaks, all sorts of swim toys, fishing equipment--just about any sort of toys you want."

"Scuba gear?" Brian asked.

"Of course there's scuba gear. You and Khaat used to dive all the time. Why would I not bring it?"

"I can't dive anymore," she sighed.

"Of course you could," Brian said. "With help, you could." He smiled at her. "Stick with me, and we can do anything."

"Romantic but incredibly impractical," she shook her head, smiling slightly.

Brant chuckled and nodded at Roberts words "Your right mind on the job, but were coming here in the holidays" he said smiling " so I can meet and get to know her daughters and her son in law" he said he heard jet skis and shook his head. "Jet ski?" he said "Well I could give them ago." He said a boyish grin on Jacks face as well.

Cassidy chuckled " I'm just going to sun bathe, Khaat Kate you joining me?" she asked smiling at them both knowing it would relax them both. Steven looked at Brian and Khaat.

" I think Khaat and Brian are going scuba diving together" he said and saw her smile .

"We're going to try it," Brian said confidently.

"And you're a fool," Khaat said skeptically. "And I'm a fool for going along with this."

"You need to see you're not as limited as you think," he said to her.

"Right," she said, not believing him.

"Just remember your magic, my dear," Robert told her. She was annoyed.

"Oh, come on," Brian said.

Khaat found herself soon suited up in scuba gear while Brian got into his own dive gear. Angus fitted her with an air tank and double checked it himself. He saw how uneasy she was about going.

"Where's Marcus?" she asked.

"I sent him to go unpack your room," Angus said. "I figured we could do this. You want him?"

"Uh..no. Its okay."

"Look," he said quietly. "You don't really have to do this. Or I'll go with you if you like.I don't think he realizes you're this scared."

"No," she said. "He wants to do this."

"Here, then." he said, fastening a dive belt around her waist. He equipped her with a large knife and slid her wand into the knife sheath beside the knife. "You're both experienced divers, but if anything goes sideways, fire your wand. We'll see it. Better?"

She said nothing. She didn't scare easily but she didn't like this. She found Brian on the deck. He eyed her knife and her wand.

"You going shark hunting or something?" he frowned.

"You want me to go or not?" she scowled.

"Okay, okay," he laughed. "Let's go."

Reluctantly, she slipped over the side with him, not sure he realized that she was completely dependent on him.

Cassidy sat on deck and watched Khaat walk out on deck she smiled seeing them both together as a couple again. It was now she just lay back and enjoyed the sunshine. Jack stood buy the back slip waiting for Brant by a jet ski. He soon appeared in a flowery tee shirt and shorts Jack shook his head.

"Off with the shirt, get some sun on those milk bottles " he told him as he walked over and ripped it off him. " no flower power" he told him Brant just shook his head and climbed on a ski taking off from the back of the boat laughing as he did. " ow hell no" Jack said and took off after him.

Steven and Cassidy both laughed and watched from the deck together Cassidy enjoying the quiet time together.

It didn't take Brian more than a moment to realize that without him, she was going to sink because, with only one arm, she couldn't swim. It was a detail he'd overlooked. Still, he'd gotten her this far, and he believed if he pasted himself to her, it would all go well. Just a bit of diving for fun. Maybe it would ease some of her insecurities about feeling so useless and impaired.

With their dive lights, he took her down to see some of the rock formations and ruins. There were schools of all sorts of fish everywhere and all sorts of underwater life. It was always fascinating.

But something brushed up against her almost right away. She turned away from Brian, alarmed, trying to see what had gotten so close. She'd only looked away for a few seconds.

But she felt a sharp jerk on her arm. She turned back to see Brian being yanked away from her somehow. In the turbulence, she couldn't see clearly. Eerie blue green lights shot up through the dark waters, and she found herself clinging to Brian by his severed air hose. She panicked. She pulled herself closer to him and found that he was caught, but what the heck was it?

He was without air. He had the tank but the air was escaping wildly. He was caught behind bars of blue green light. A trap. Some sort of a trap. He fired wandless magic but the spell didn't fire. Nothing happened. He tried to escape but the bars sent him a shock, and knocked him down to the rocky floor beneath him.

She drew her wand and fired, but it merely absorbed her spell and had no effect. They both began looking towards the top and bottom of the trap but it was no use. And he was running out of air fast. She tried to pass her mask through the bars but it didn't fit.

He gripped her fingers tightly to get her to look at him. It had struck him. This was a magical trap and they were out of time. He looked at her, wanting to say a lifetime of things in a moment without words. She wasn't willing to stop fighting, unwilling to let him go. But he was clearly in trouble, out of air, unable to breathe.

Up on the deck, Marcus had finished unpacking for Khaat and Brian and came back up. He looked for her but didn't find her. Surely they hadn't actually been foolish enough to go diving, were they? The more he looked for her, the more dread came over him.

"Where is she?" he demanded, dreading that he'd let anyone talk him out of being away from her for a moment.

Cassidy looked up from sunning herself hearing Marcus ask where Khaat and Brian was "There out there, diving" she said and pointed to not far from the boat but she frowned. " But they should have come back by now." she said "hum..maybe there having too much fun" she added still looking from Marcus to the water.

Brant rode the jet skis close to the boat but far enough so not to rock it to much. Jack sprayed Brant who returned the favor laughing "Haha, whose the drip now" he said and drove off leaving Jack chuckling and wiping water from his face.

Down below, Brian knew she's never let him go. Not ever. He knew she would die trying to save him, and they'd both die. It was something he couldn't let happen. He saw no choice. He took tight hold of her hand and twisted it--hard--with all he had left, knowing he was going to have to break her arm to get her to let him go.

"Oh, no," Marcus said, a cold wave of rare fear racing through him. "Where'd they go over?"

"Over there," one of the deck hands said. "They have their wands." Marcus ran over to the side and looked over. A short distance away, up under the edge of the hull he saw a flood of air bubbles. One of the tanks was bad, clearly. He stood up on the edge of the ship and, black silk suit and all, dove in.

He drew his wand as he dove towards the air bubbles and lit the wand. The lower he got, he began to see their lights and some wild, eerie blue green light. Khaat was struggling, fighting with something. They were in trouble.

He reached her and saw, in a moment, that Brian was caught in a trap. He was drowning. Fading. Already nearly gone. Marcus didn't believe for one moment that he had more than a few seconds left. She was still trying to cling to him. He saw Brian twist her arm with such force that he knew Brian had deliberately broken it. She had had to let go. She began to sink.

Marcus clutched tight to her. He looked for a way out but there wasn't an easy fix to this, and Khaat was coming apart. Marcus fired his wand, seeing Brian sink inside the trap. Marcus believed, with all he had, that Brian was gone.

Robert was about to get himself a cup of tea on the deck when he saw the wand fire.

"A wand!" he shouted, pointing. He ran to the side of the ship and dove into the water without hesitation.

Jack and Brant heard the cry and saw the bright light from a wand being fired come from under the water. Jack gunned the ski and headed over to the spot. Brant went with him searching the waters surface for any sign. Jack looked up at Robert worried as he circled.

Cassidy sat up and wrapped her sarong around her as she too now stood watching. She hoped it had meant nothing but the sight of Marcus diving over the side in his suit made her mind up it was not and something was going on. Steven grabbed a towel and waited for them to surface.