Marriage is Murder

"Just a word, Jack," Robert said. "Brant is apparently working on his own. Let him go. We've got to work on the fields first."

Khaat left her breakfast largely untouched. She got up to go upstairs and change to go work in the fields. Marcus abandoned his breakfast to go help her change.

Brian came out of his office to the breakfast table and saw Khaat going upstairs. He saw her untouched plate.

"Do I need to go upstairs?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Kate said. "She just doesn't feel dressed to go work in the fields."

"Work where?" he frowned.

"In the fields. We can use all the help we can get," Robert said. Brian was instantly angry.

"Have you lost your minds?" he narrowed his eyes. "She can't move her left arm or hand at all. She has to have help just to shower and dress...."

"And she still wants to try," Robert said gently. "She needs to know she still has value and use."

"Then heal her and let her have that value and use!" Brian exploded.

"You know I can't do that just yet. Gideon..."

"Screw Gideon! This is your own daughter! Your own child. You're willing to put her through hell? And for what? For Gideon Pierce?"

"No," Robert said, still quiet. "For England. You know that. If you don't want her to go, then you go tell her that yourself. In the meantime, stop putting a damper on everyone's breakfast. If you're not going upstairs, then I expect you to be pleasant and join your children at the table."

Khaat found a pair of her skinny jeans, a pair of old western style cowboy boots that were merely work boots now, a plain white v necked t shirt, and a red plaid flannel shirt to layer over it. She had a denim jacket to wear over that in the colder October wind.

Marcus helped her change. Then he changed to jeans, with a gray longsleeved Henley, and a denim jacket, with work boots.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked her, working on braiding her hair into one long braid down her back to get it out of her way.

"Yes" she said softly.

"You should take a hat," he told her. "And sunglasses."

"There's some hats in my closet," she said. "Just pick something."

"Okay," he said. "How's the arm?" She didn't reply. "Khaat?" he asked.

"It never stops" she said very softly. "Could you take a double sized flask of pain potion and a double sized of firewhiskey?"

"Yeah," he sighed, concerned. "But lets ask someone to draw some of it off for you before you go out, okay? Is it tolerable right now?"

"Not really," she confessed."

"Then working is going to make it worse. Lets see if someone cant ease some of it for you before we go out."

Jack sighed and chuckled " what again" he said softly then nodded to Robert " okay" he said and looked back at Jess who watched Khaat leave the room. She also saw Marcus leave and handed the toast strips to Cassidy as Jack walked over taking her seat. She walked up the stairs and heard Khaat and Marcus talking to each other. Once it was quiet she knocked.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but I can help, even if its just a little." she said staying in the doorway her hands gasped in front of her. Slowly she walked in and over to Khaat. Pausing for a moment she then lightly touched her hand feeling the pain she drew off as much as she could until she could feel it was manageable. Taking a deep breath she let the last of it flow through her and out of her body. " does that feel better?" she asked looking to Khaat then Marcus.

"Yes," Khaat said, glad to have any relief at all. "Thank you."

Marcus was relieved to see the visible relief it brought for her. He went into her bathroom and filled his two large flasks. One with pain potion and one with whiskey. He didn't hide that he took usually a small flask of potion and a small flask of whiskey. But these flasks were at least double the size of what he typically took. He didn't intend to let her take nearly all of it, but if it made her feel more secure to have it closeby, then he would take it.

"I'm not going to let you put in a full day out there," he said to Khaat. "You can do some, but we're not going to let it get out of control."

"It'll be fine," she said. "Jess's spell will last a long time. I'll be alright. Thanks, Jess. Let's go, Marcus."

Marcus cast a quick, silent look at Jess to silently tell her he didn't expect Khaat to be able to last very long at this but he was going to go along with it temporarily.

Jess smiled at Khaat then looked at Marcus and the size of the flasks. " remember, I'm within shouting distance if you need me and not too much of that Marcus." she told him pointing to the pain potion as they left the room. Jess moved back down stairs to the table she sat next to Jack and helped feed the kids.

Steven watched as Khaat and Marcus walked down from upstairs smiling at Jess as he saw the relief on Khaats face. "Nice work Jess" he said and picked up a warm coat. " okay lets get those fields harvested." He said rolling his eyes once more as Jack stood up and gave Jess a kiss on the lips. Jim walked in from outside and chuckled as he pored some Coffee.

" all quiet on the home front" He said and chuckled seeing Jack and Jess " wow there kids present" he said and sat down with the mug.

Khaat found, in the tomato field, that there were still a great many tomatoes that were there and worth harvesting. Tomatoes needed to be hand picked, and she could do that. Marcus went with her.

Brian saw they seemed to have a triple abundance of pumpkins. It was going to take much time to do because there were so many, and pumpkins didn't take rough handling. He looked at the thousands of pumpkins in front of him, and sighed heavily, knowing that there were more fields just like this one, that were loaded to capacity. Overwhelmed, he drew out a large knife to cut the stalks with--one pumpkin at a time. Might as well get started, he thought.

Jack followed them out leaving the others to tend to the children. He saw Brian with the pumpkins and chuckled " looks like we can have a pumpkin carving contest and not worry about using too many this year" he said swiping at a thick stalk before picking it up and placing it down on the cart. He moved down the row and cut several as Steven walked with him picking them up. Brant was in the tomatoes he glanced at Khaat and Marcus.

"This is very therapeutic don't you think" He said now smiling as he took down gently from the vine a ripe red tomato and placed it in his basket before taking another until his basket was full he walked to a cart and placed it in it and picked up an empty basket. in it sat about four already filled baskets. " I do think the elves have it down though thats there fifth cart." He could not help but chuckle " hey cousin, never thought I'd see you out here." he said to Angus " I now see the appeal of grow your own"

"Looks like we're going to be able to do just about anything we want with them," Brian said. "We've got thousands and thousands of them. Not sure why we have three time more than I planned for. I think when we get these all processed, its going to help feed us for months."

"The tomatoes will keep producing until we have the first freeze," Khaat said, "and they need to be handpicked because they don't tolerate being overhandled. Its a gentle thing. I need things I can pick with one hand. I think tomatoes might be something I can do."

"Well, and with all the Tuscan cooking Angus does, we use a boatload of tomatoes," Marcus said. Angus heard Brant talk to him. Angus picked up a bushel basket of tomatoes he'd picked and carried it over to the cart.

"Fresh picked, organic, always tastes better," Angus said. "And its what you're all used to. If I changed it, you'd all know it straight off."

"I don't know," Khaat said. "I think, as long as you cooked it, they'd never know the difference."

"Not true," Angus insisted. "Its about top quality ingredients put together simply. You take away the quality of those ingredients and it doesn't matter who makes it. It won't be the same."

"Okay," Khaat aid, not agreeing.

"You don't believe me," he laughed.

"Doesn't matter, does it?"

"Alright. I'll prove it."

"How?" she asked.

"Leave that to me. But I'll prove it to you. You wait and see," Angus said.

Brant laughed " ow I think Jack would know" he said and saw Jack shrug his shoulders as he carried two big baskets of pumpkins to the cart " don't deny it you could tell" He said and Jack looked at Angus and grinned.

"So you need that cousin of yours alive, coz hes really becoming a pain in my back..." Jack said stopping as he saw Khaat not far from them.

" You wouldn't...? " Brant said as Jack looked over at him.

"Ow I would." He said grinning as he looked at the full rain barrel by the back door. Steven smacked Jacks arm making him look at him.

"Stop teasing him, we need to finish the harvest. "Jack nodded and chuckled shaking his head as he continued picking pumpkins.

"He's going to test us to see whether we know the difference between some lame frozen pizza or his homemade Tuscan version. We aren't gourmets," Marcus looked at Angus. "We aren't stupid, though, either. If you want to up the wager, I'll bet you an evening of take out for the whole bunch that even the kids will know the difference."

"The kids?" Angus frowned. "They're mostly four year olds and under. You seriously don't think they'll know, do you?"

"I do," Marcus said. "I think all the grownups will know, and I think more than 50% of the kids will prefer your home cooking to any processed food you could serve."

"You're willing to wager a whole meal for all of the people who live in our house? On that?" Angus laughed.

"Yeah. I am. What's the matter? Can't handle it? Weren't you the one saying that homemade always tastes better? So put your money where your mouth is."

"And if they don't notice? Or if they prefer muggle processed foods?"

"What do you think?" Marcus looked at the rest of them. "Should I agree to fill up the freezer with frozen pizzas if we can't tell the difference?"

Every one laughed but Jack spoke first " awe no way fresh all the way." Jack said placing another basket into the cart. "had frozen, its disgusting compared to Angus's cooking" Jack said Steven nodded as did Brant.

" I know the girls would notice the different and kids are very particular over food, we all know that each of us has had experience with fussy eaters." Steven said and looked at Jack who looked blankly at them both and spoke one word.

" what?" he asked as he cut and placed another pumpkin in a basket. Brant stayed with the tomatoes picking them one by one and humming to himself softly as he did.