Marriage is Murder

"I gots more of thems," she said, thinking of her brothers and sisters. "We no need her. I want Mama send her back. We just gets a new one."

"What if Mama wants to keep her?" Angus asked, trying not to smile. With his large family, he did understand what it was like to wish he could send one of his siblings back wherever they'd come from.

Abbey scowled deeply. "I no like her! She mean! She hit people!"

"Then we just need to help her learn not to hit," Angus said.

"I show her. I hit her back."

"No, no. That's not nice."

"Then I run away." She grabbed the entire plate of cookies off the counter.

"Taking those with you, are you?" he asked. She nodded.

"Just don't go out of the yard. Too bad, though. I was making berry cake and fresh berry ice cream for dinner tonight."

Abbey paused and looked up at Angus, rethinking it. Berry cake? Berry ice cream? She didn't know what to say. She kicked gently at the kitchen counter, thinking and looking at the floor. Angus looked at Jack with a slight smile. It sounded to Angus like they were getting someplace with Abbey. He did agree with Robert, though. Dakota had to learn to not be so aggressive.

Jack listened to Abby and sighed when she persisted in saying she didn't like Dakota. He looked at Angus as he started to talk to her smiling when he spoke of berry ice cream and berry cake " ow yes both are wonderful" he said " I'll talk to Dakota , we are after all alike me and her" he said his smiled faded a little but not much knowing she was another child that'd had her life changed and it would affect her life if he didn't make her understand she could not be angry all the thing but had to control it, and he would make her understand not to be so agresive.

"You take her," Abbey's face brightened. If she couldn't get Mama to send her back, she'd just give Dakota away. Angus had tried to be serious, but this amused him. The child was thinking, anyway. He laughed out loud, knowing that he shouldn't have.

"Staying for the cake, are you, then?" Angus asked.

"Maybe," she mumbled. "And ice cream?"

"Yeah," Angus said. "You can have ice cream."

"She gets any?" she narrowed her eyes at Angus.

"I don't know. She's not mine. You just gave her away, remember?"

"I no wants her to get any."

"Then you might want to take her back."

"No," she said firmly.

"Oh, well," he said, pretending to be helpless. "Guess that's up to Uncle Jack, then."

Jack looked at Angus when Abby said he could have Dakota and he chuckled " I think your mummy will have something to say about that " He said when Angus spoke of the food again he chuckled softly. "well shes not done anything to me. " he said and pulled a face as if deep in thought about not giving Dakota cake and ice cream. "Something tell me she won't for hitting you first, which is wrong in its self and she will be punished" he told her.

Jess walked in and looked to Angus then Dakota and Jack. She looked back at Robert as she spoke " so will Dakota be punished for hitting Abby?" she asked.

Robert looked at Khaat. She was the mother, after all, and she had been there when Dakota had done the hitting.

"I need to," she sighed. It had been long enough, though, that she wasn't sure Dakota would even remember anymore. "Abbey," Khaat called her, "come with me. We need to work this out with Dakota." Abbey didn't want to go. Khaat had to call her a second time, but then Abbey did go with her.

Khaat went back to the playroom where Dakota was playing with the blocks and knocking down a large pile of them. Khaat spent some time with the girls, and she talked with Dakota about not hitting. She had both girls apologize. The nannies offered to get the kids all playing together again by taking them out into the yard for a short while before dinner.

Khaat went back downstairs. Her father gave her a slight smile. "Relax. This is just daily life with kids. You've only got about 20 years of this to go before they start bringing you grandkids."

She scowled at him.

"Werent' you the one who said you wanted at least two more?" he laughed.

"Not tonight I don't," she sighed.

"Oh, come on. Its not that bad. Come play me a game of chess while we wait on the boys to fix dinner. If they know what part of the grill to put the food on. Otherwise, I'll order us all a batch of fish and chips."

"The hell you will," Kate said, not having that sort of greasy food to feed the family.

Jack smiled at Abby and nodded " better go mums calling " he said and picked up a second cookie as he watched her leave. He followed behind and sat down on the couch next to Jess. He had just sat down when Khaat returned he listened to Robert talking and chuckled knowing he had Jess had that as well.

He looked at Jess and saw her smiling up at him then chuckled as Both Brian and Khaat had a challenge going " my moneys on Khaat, sorry Brian you haven't seen her play, she's mean" he said and chuckled as Jess slapped his arm.

" shes not mean ..just competitive" she said and smiled looking at Khaat " nothing wrong with that."

Angus and Michael took the food outside to the grill. Angus could tell the kids were getting edgy. The quicker they fed them and put them to bed, the better everyone would be. It wouldn't take long to cook it all. Grilling went fast, usually.

"If you were wise, your money would be on my father," Khaat said.

"Indeed," Robert said, motioning the pieces into their places. "She's not focused. One just shouldn't try to play seriously if they aren't focused. It never works well."

"Oh, then do let me show you how that's done," Kate said, determined to put her husband in his place.

"You can try," Robert shrugged. Kate motioned Khaat away from the chessboard and acciod' her crocheting at the same time. Robert laughed out loud. "You think you're going to work on that and play me at the same time?"

"I certainly do," she said. "And I'll still beat you."

"Oh, then do see if you can bring it," he said. "You have the opening move."

Khaat went out to the grill where Michael and Angus were cooking. Marcus approved. The fresh air would do her good. He stepped outside with her.

Cassidy sat and watched them both set up the chess game she had been sat quiet weaving the blanket for the bed. She found it most therapeutic and relaxing. Last thing we kneed is a hungry horde of kids" she said and chuckled as Steven shook his head and sat next to her watching her weave with interest.

Cassidy watched out the window as tried Brant to start the grill and failed. Jack got it going for a second then it blew out again. Cassidy watched the match secretly hoping Kate would win the game. She could not help but look to Khaat hoping things would settle with James to give ehr some time to relax and recover. Next thing she felt was Steven taking her hand and she smiled at him as she lent over and rested her head on his shoulder.

Jim chuckled hearing the banter between Kate and Robert. He turned his page of his paper and read on it was at least a week out of date but he had this thing where any news was better than no news. He folded the paper and glanced out the window at Brant, Jim and Angus out side at the grill.

"I think Jess you should rescue your husband before he blows himself up by the grill" he told her softly. His eyes fell on the crochet Khaat had and he smiled " lovely colors Khaat, whats it going to be?" he asked gently.

Steven had been stood by the window watching Jack teach Brant how to light the grill and finding it was not as easy as he first thought. Steven chuckled and moved back to Cassidy taking her hand in his own.

"Thats looking good." He told her as he gently pulled her to rest against him and holding her this was something he loved to do with her knowing she had not felt some one just hold her for no reason. He laced his fingers with hers and watched the chess game relaxing with her and the rest of them but he had to admit he too was hungry.