Marriage is Murder

Khaat was immediately furious with Brant. She glared at Marcus.

"Get my jar. That's an order," she said in a commanding tone that Marcus was not used to hearing from her. She glared at Brant. "If you think I'm risking another seer's life, then you owe it to them to protect them. I suggest you take them off this ship at once," her voice was fierce. She stormed out of the quarters.

Marcus knew he needed to follow her. He stopped in front of Edward, who merely handed the jar to Marcus in resignation. Marcus flew after Khaat to be sure she was going to be safe.

"Bad form, Lad," Edward said. "The thing is already messing with her thinking a bit. Now she's only going to be more determined to do this all by herself. Go tell Jess and Kate that she wants them of the ship at once. Do as she asks."

Brant backed away from Khaat and glanced at Edward then back to Khaat as she spoke to him. " I..I meant no disrespect" he said but watched her leave. He looked to Edward and sighed nodding. He felt he had done it again, inserted one foot into mouth.

" yes sir" he said sadly as he went to find Kate and Jess. He found Kate first and sighed. " Khaat has asked that you and Jess leave the ship. " he told her, his head hung low as he spoke to her. " I kinda opened my mouth and put my foot in it, now she wants you and Jess to leave, sorry." He told her.

Marcus followed her and got her to slow down for a moment once they were alone.

"Come here," he said to her gently. He took her into the empty kitchen so they could talk alone and he sealed the door and sound proofed the room to keep them from being interrupted or overheard. "Now talk to me."

"No," she said.

"You know they aren't going to leave," he said.

"He lied. What is he talking about--'I meant no disrespect...' Bullcrap. He accused me of being responsible if any harm came to my own mother and..."

"I know, I know..." he said gently.

"That isn't anything but disrespect. I didn't invite him into the conversation. They just don't want you to...."

"This cruise is over. We dock by dawn," she told him.

"You're not giving up that easily. I know you."

"No, but they're done. I'll go by myself. If Angus won't take me, I'll hire another ship. I'm done."

Kate said nothing. She was hoping Marcus would talk to her. She knew this wasn't just a temper tantrum. She could feel it. Khaat was wounded by Brant's rude remarks. This would not be easy to undo. She knew that if Marcus got nowhere, Kate would have to ask Robert to try to talk to her. Even then, that was no guarantee.

Brant looked at Kate and sighed " I'll go to my room" he said and headed to his room but as he passed Jack and Jess's room she stormed out to face him.

"What did you say?" She said angry at him "Khaat is angry and hurt, I can feel it and I'm guessing so can every seer for a mile." She glared at him and moved past him to find Kate. " I'm not leaving Kate" she said " I am not abandoning my place or my patient again" she said pacing and frowning " Brant need to know when to but out of things that don't concern him" she said angry. Jack walked in and held Jess sight.

" Jess leave it be, I'm sure Marcus had her calmed" he looked at Kate." he does, um doesn't her?" he asked.

"Not even close," Kate said. She got up and walked over to Angus. "Be prepared to dock by morning. If I know her, she's really done. I can try to have Robert talk to her...."

"Won't do any good," Angus said. "If she stays dug in about it, the best thing for me to do is to let you all get off and let Marcus and I take her out to try to get this underwater business resolved."

"That's dangerous."

"And a rage filled wizard is always dangerous," Angus smiled. "I don't know which is worse. The threat underwater we don't know or the threat below deck right now that we do know." Kate laughed slightly.

"Touche. She does have her uncle's temper. That part of her is pure Lupin. I'll go talk to Robert but I don't expect him to work miracles with her. Not when she's this angry. Right now, he understands all too well about anger, and he's liable to be a bit sympathetic to her. I don't know. We'll have to wait and see." She went below deck to wake Robert and ask him to talk to Khaat if it became necessary.

Jess looked at Jack and sighed she knew better than to argue with Kate and together they headed back to their room and packed leaving the bags by the door read for the morning. Jess headed up to the deck and sat down looking out over the ocean.

" Brant put his foot in his mouth again?" she heard a voice. Turning she saw Jim sat with his paper.

" Big time, we might be being sent away because of his disrespect" she said and frowned.Jim listened and sighed.

"Wait and see Jess, let Robert talk to her and see if he can calm her down" he said motioning to the chair close by " sit and relax." he said Jack joined them both.

After Kate got him up, Robert went through the ship looking for Khaat until he found the locked kitchen door. He used his wand and undid Marcus's lock. When Robert opened the door, Marcus had his wand leveled right at his chest.

"Hold your fire," Robert ordered calmly. He looked at her, closing the door and securing the lock again. "Can we talk?"

"You wont' talk me about of anything," she said fiercely.

"Well, there are at least two separate issues here. First, Brant misspoke obviously. And neither your mother or I would blame you if there were any accident of any kind. That just sometimes happens."

"I know, I know,' she said, trying to brush him off.

"Part of it might be that you blame yourself for Brian's accident, and you blame yourself that we're here at all. You blame yourself for the whole underwater business that discovered the trap in the first place, and you blame yourself that we're still here. And now you feel like you're being accused of putting even more lives at risk."

"We're docking in the morning," she said. "I want you all off this ship."

"Well, that's lovely," he smiled slightly. "And I'd like to be 21 again, but I don't always get what I want either."

"Stay on board then. See what I care. I don't have to stay with any of you. You all go, or I do."

"And there it is," he smiled.

"What?"

"That Gryffindor streak. The Lupin blood. That taking care of business and refusing to risk anyone else. Tossing yourself under the proverbial bus, as it were. I know that streak because I have the same one, or did you forget? Khaat, it doesn't mean we're always right. You can't possibly do this by yourself. It isn't physically possible...."

"Well, its just one more thing...."

"Now, wait...don't get side tracked. Don't bring James into your thinking. Lets not go there. Look, I'll stay up all night if that's what it takes, but this bloody ugly kitchen is not the place to do it. Come on. Let's just go talk." He opened the pantry and got out two bottles of firewhiskey. "Come on."

He took her down to her cabin, and she and Robert and Marcus went inside and shut the door.

Jim, Jack and Jess heard Robert Jess wanted to go down to them but Jack held her and shook his head. " but.." she was cut of short.

"No Jess, let Robert deal with it." Jack said and Jim looked at him surprised. " what?" he asked and Jim chuckled.

" when did you become so...wise?" he asked Jack scowled at him.

"when I realized it was the only way to save my marriage and keep Jess and every one on this ship safe." he said and pulled Jess to her feet. Jim just nodded.

"Just sleep light, I intend to as tonight things might hit the proverbial fan." He said and Jack nodded as both of them headed down to their room. Jim stayed up top waiting to see if Robert could change Khaats mind.

They talked all night--Robert and Marcus and Khaat. Kate joined them instead of going to bed. Brian wanted to join in, but he was just physically not up to it. He had to give in and go to bed, feeling like he was letting her down by not being with his wife when she needed him.

By morning, Robert had removed the cast on her broken arm early. He had taped it tightly instead. He was prepared to allow her to dive. He wanted her to resolve this.

Brian saw Marcus suited up to dive and helping Khaat suit up. "I'm going with you," Brian said.

"You can't possibly," she said. "You're not ready. Give it at least one more day. Your heart and lungs can't possibly be ready for that. If you're stronger tomorrow, then maybe."

"This thing has a hold on you, though. I need to be with you."

"You need to just be here when I come back up."

"Yeah, well, how do I know you'll come back up?"

"She's with me," Marcus said. "I won't let anything happen to her. Besides, we're not going alone. Angus and Michael and Edward are going with us."

"Edward is going diving," Brian said slowly, trying to wrap his brain around that.

"He's in better shape than you think. Yes. He's determined on going--at least once, and we're going early so we can get back. Hopefully before breakfast."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Brian sighed. "So--we're not docking."

"Not this morning, anyway. That's only postponed. Its not entirely off the table. Besides, we have to dock at some point. We were only scheduled for an overnight. The ship isn't provisioned for us to be here indefinitely. We need to get this wrapped up."

"Be careful, then," Brian said. "Don't let this thing get too far into her head."

"Relax," Marcus said. "This is what you hired me for."

Marcus and Khaat went up and met Michael and Angus and Edward on deck. Edward and Angus each had a net bag of equipment they were taking with them. They didn't speak. They just quietly slipped over the side into the waters.

Jess and Jack were first up they kept the bags in their room as they heard talking Jess was relived that they could stay a bit longer on the ship. She took Jacks arm in her hand in relief and looked at him as they spoke of diving off the ship again. She wanted to say it was a bad idea but she kept quiet knowing once Khaat set her mind to it she could not be turned.

Jim walked up and watched the three figures disappear under the water beside the boat he looked to Robert and Kate and sighed. " I hope you know what your doing" he said softly and moved to sit down " but she dose need to get it out of her system I guess" he pored himself a drink and sipped it quietly.