Marriage is Murder

Robert dove deeply and soon saw where the wand fire had come from. It was Marcus's wand, he was sure. A moment later, as he got closer, he saw the evil blue green light. He didn't wait. He fired his own wand, a much more powerful signal than Marcus's. He hoped his team knew to not wait any longer. He needed them and he needed them now.

He reached Marcus and saw the trap, saw Marcus restraining a hysterical Khaat, and then saw Brian in the trap. Robert's blood ran cold. Brian looked like he was gone. He began to search frantically for some way to open the trap but he couldn't see anything. Not from where he was and not as dark as it was. He had to get trap and all to the surface. He fired his wand at the trap, but his wand fire merely was absorbed. This was indeed a foul thing. This would need to be physically lifted to the surface if they were to get Brian out--if it could be lifted at all. But it had to be done fast. Very fast.

Jack saw Roberts signal and he stood up on the ski. Taking a Hugh jump he dove into the water and swum down to where he saw the cage. He signaled to Robert that he was going to lift it to the surface and swum close to it he saw Brian looking lifeless but pulled his mind back grasping the base he pushed with his legs.

Soon he felt it give and he pushed harder then it gave and he hauled it up to the surface and over to the boat Brant rode over and grasped one side helping him move it closer. " its not heavy " he shouted to Steven who together they lifted it on deck.

Robert swam back up to the surface quickly, having to leave Khaat to Marcus. Brian's life depended on it.

On deck, Michael and Kate and Angus had come running at the wand fire. Angus summoned the crew to help. When Jack and Steven got the trap on deck, the crew immediately wanted to dive in to help get Brian out.

"No!" Michael said. "Keep your hands out of the light until I can look at it. Help Robert back on board."

Angus and his brother reached over and pulled Robert out. At the same moment, Marcus reached the surface with Khaat. She was gasping for air and hysterical. Marcus wasn't sure how much of her broken arm she felt now at all.

"Help me!" Marcus said, needing a hand to get her up on deck. Robert flew to the trap and began looking.

"Michael, come on," Robert said, pressured, hoping Michael was working to find how to open it. "Hurry up."

"Working on it," Michael said, deeply focused. He looked at the bottom of the trap and saw brightly glowing runes. "Here. Here it is. Its a rune lock."

"Who uses a bloody rune lock anymore?" Robert muttered, frustrated. "Can you read them?"

"No," Michael said. "I don't know this one." Robert joined Michael. He knew the runes. He glanced for a split second at Brian and then at Khaat.

"Jack, I need a hand here. I need a second healer. Go get Jeffrey--right now," he ordered. He drew his wand and cast the ancient spell written on the bottom of the trap.

Jack climbed out and stood watching he heard Roberts words and moved to Roberts side while Steven aperated away to find Jeffery. Once he had he quickly explained and headed back. He was surprised to see Jess appear as if out of no where she moved to Robert.

"Jeffery sent me to help hes on his way." She told him as she looked at Brian in the cage."Tell me what you need Robert." She said her voice cold and clinical as she slipped off her jacket reveling her arms and that she still wore her wedding ring  along with light rune markings that ran up her arms to her wrist.

Jess moved to Brians head once he was free and placed her hands on his temples she felt this heart and lungs forcing the water out of them so she could breath and make his heart beat even if she was doing it. " I have his vitals, there steady" she told Robert her eyes closed as she focused her energys.

Robert helped them get Brian's limp form out of the trap. He didn't have it in him not to try. He had to try something. He knelt on the deck beside him.

Khaat broke away from Marcus's grasp and flew to Brian. She crumpled beside him and tried to lay her hand on him, unable to not try to help. She was frantic. Robert ached for her, but he had to focus. And when she touched Brian, her energy was so drained that Robert knew that her attempting to help was only going to hurt herself.

Jess arrived, not what Robert had expected, but Robert wasn't going to refuse any help he could get.

"Thank you, Jess," he said quietly. "Keep him stable as long as you can. I wasn't sure he was still with us." He looked at Khaat, and he wasn't sure she was able to hear him at the moment.

"Marcus," Robert said, still quiet. "You've got to make her let go. You have to let me work." If Brian were to have a chance, she had to let go.

Michael came up to Khaat. He and Marcus gently moved her away from Brian. They simply sat on the deck with her, Michael on one side of her and Marcus on the other. Michael wrapped her close and held her. Marcus worked at getting some of the dive gear off.

Jeffrey ported in and saw the grim looking deck scene. He took quick strong strides and knelt alongside Robert. It only took him a moment to assess Brian.

"Robert," he said gently. "He's only here by magic. Let him go. He's been down too long--he's gone. You know that...."

"No," Robert said, fiercely stubborn. "I don't. They've got eight kids. That's what I know. And I know she won't survive without him. I don't know he's gone until I try. And you've not seen me work either. If Jess says she's got him, she's got him. Now, are you going to help me or not?"

Jeffrey sighed, feeling that it was all going to be in vain, but he decided to merely appease his old friend. He set in to do what he could to help.

Jess held Brian's head and looked at Khaat as much as she wanted to go and sooth her pain she had a job to do. " Jeffery, there is some electrical activity in his heart that I'm not controlling this means hes not fully gone, what ever it is he is doing it is working, be it slowly." She said still with her hands in Brian's head feeling the pin prick signs of life slowly increasing.

She saw the look Jack gave her but said nothing or the moment she knew she would have to explain sooner or later why she disappeared. But right now she was thinking of Brian and keeping him alive. She sat and watched Jeffery and Robert waiting f her next order but she could feel something changing within Brian.

"You don't let go until I tell you," Robert told her, "Unless you get too tired, and if you do, you say something first. One of us will take over for you." Jeffrey sighed heavily.

"If its a waste of my time, then its my time to waste," Robert said to Jeffrey.

"Its not that," Jeffrey said. "You know what happens to the brain without oxygen. You don't know what you're bringing him back for!"

"And I am not a muggle!" Robert snapped. "Nor is he. I am not going to give up on him."

"And if he's not what he was?"

"Then I'll cross that bridge if I need to. Not one fraction of a second before," Robert said. He glanced up at Marcus to see he had Khaat with him. "Marcus, is she alright?"

"No," Marcus said quietly. "She's hurt."

"How bad?"

"It'll hold," Marcus said. "Brant, it would help if you'd go get a dose of pain potion for her--the good stuff. The standard potion isn't going to hold. Please."

"The dive suit is going to get too warm for her," Angus said quietly to Marcus.

"Yeah," Marcus said. "I know. I'll transfigure it for her in a moment."

Jess looked at them both and sighed " of course, Robert" she said softly and focused on maintaining Brian's breathing and heart along with checking his lungs for secondary drowning. " his lungs still have some fluid in them bot there mostly clear" she informed Robert. She heard Jeffery and glanced at Robert she knew he was the best of the best nothing and nobody could top him.

Brant stood for a moment some what shocked at what he saw in front of him. On hearing Marcus talk to him he snapped back and nodded. Reaching into his bag he took out a bottle then accioed a small bottle of water and a spoon. " here one spoon and then the water its to wash away the taste, its stronger than the usual and will take the pain away with out making her too dozy." he said poring a dose of potion onto the spoon and handing it to Marcus.

"I think she'd welcome dozy right now," Marcus said quietly. "This is all ugly." He took the spoon. "Here. It will cut the pain." When she tried, in her own hysteria, to protest, he simply gave it to her. She had no choice but to take it. She began to choke a bit on the potion. "Here. Take a drink. It will help. I know that is rather foul tasting." He gave her a drink of water, a small sip at a time. She began to sob, and Michael continued to soothe her softly.

"What's the damage, Marcus?" Michael asked, not seeing any blood.

"Her good arm is broken," Marcus said. "She's not going to be able to use either of them now. Not for awhile."

"God," Michael said, sighing. "How's she going to deal with that?"

"Not a problem," Marcus said. "Its not the first I've seen this. Teenaged son of a past client of mine broke both arms in a skiing accident. I know how to do this. I've been taking care of her for a year now. I can handle this too-- but we'll have to work together a bit. It's not impossible."

"Do we need to move them to St. Mungos?" Angus asked.

"My hospital is far closer," Jeffrey said.

"No," Robert said, "Not necessary. There's very little there that I need right now. Jess and I are very well acquainted with doing things in all sorts of settings. And my staff knows how to go quickly for anything I might need. But if we get to the point of needing to move him, I'll let you know." He looked at Jess. "Several of his systems went into failure. Its going to take a bit of time for the regeneration spells to take hold. You and I will have to spell each other to keep the life support going for at least a few hours."

"I do remember how to do a life support spell, you know," Jeffrey said. "I'll take a turn too and that will keep us all from being drained."

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Robert?"

"Yes," Robert said. "We won't know what his mind will be like until he wakes, but I have the spells in place for the cardiac system."

"And I'm working on neurological functioning," Jeffrey said. "Small sluggish responses from him, but I'm surprised I'm getting any response."

"We'll take what we can get. Jess, when I can spare you,do please check to see what you can do for however Khaat's hurt. I might not get to her for awhile," Robert said.

Brant nodded " yes though it would help I think she should be awake" he said and then stepped back for Michael slipping the potion bottle into his bag again. Cassidy moved closer and transfigured the wet suit into a light sun dress then added a sling for her arm.

"That should make her comfortable for now" She said " sit her down on the sun lounger" she said leading her to sit. " we all can help Marcus, what ever you need let us know.." She said. Jess listened more to them and nodded she understood.

"Of course" she said simply" I'll bolster your work with extra top ups and checks" she told him " his lung are now clear of water, for now." She looked at Jeffery but breathed deeply when she felt a large strong hand on her shoulder. Jess drew some energy from the person that she now felt was Jack stood behind her.