Marriage is Murder

Brian let the conversation go on without him, but he had noticed Robert's light burning at all hours. Robert was drinking French roast now more than tea. And he was looking fatigued. He'd seen Marcus silently flicking a spell at Robert when he changed to tailor Robert's clothes to fit him again, to take them in again. That meant Robert was working. Not sleeping. He wasn't resting while Gideon Pierce was making a mockery of their world.

Brian didn't respond, but he also believed in Robert. He knew that Robert was not going to let innocents be hunted and killed. He wasn't going to allow senseless killing. Imprisonment for a very short time, perhaps. If it bought him time for a more finalized end to Gideon Pierce. But to kill for nothing? That wasn't going to happen.

If Pierce wanted to force Robert's hand, he just might have managed it. If, however, he thought it would gain him much of an advantage, Brian believed Gideon Pierce had seriously miscalculated how to deal with the witches and wizards of England, and certainly had misjudged Robert Lupin.

"How's your training coming?" Brian asked them all. He hadn't actually been monitoring whether they were doing their daily assigned workouts and trainings. He was hoping they were in condition--in case it would be soon needed.

Brant and the others looked up as Brian spoke each stood up to face him. "Were ready when you are Brian" Jack said Steven nodded next to him as he pulled another pumpkin out of the ground and placed it in the cart.

"yes we all do our training in the gym early morning and last thing at night" he said lifting a leaf to find another pumpkin under it. Brant watched them and nodded.

" Jack's got me using the weights and Stevens got me meditating and practicing some moves he thinks I could use, hand to hand I think he said it was." He said pulling a tomato gently from its vine as he loaded another basket.

"Good," Brian said, taking them at their word. "Pierce can't get away with much more you know. Robert won't stand for it. Worse yet for Pierce, England won't stand for it. This could well be where Pierce has overplayed his hand. Perhaps. I, for one, plan on going to that press conference. If there is something I can do, I'm going to do it."

"Don't you think you should wait for orders, Brian?" Edward asked.

"No," Brian said. "This isn't an organization mission. And I am an auror."

"And that makes Robert still your superior," Edward said gently. He studied Robert's second-in-command. "But he's not going to tell you this time, is he?"

"No," Brian said. "I don't believe he will. He thinks this fight is his."

"I'll talk to him," Edward said. "He might well need everyone in England as a confederate for this one."

Brant stopped picking and walked over as did Jack and Steven "You can count us to be there too, if it affects us then we want to be there to help."They said all standing and looking at Brian and Edward. " he's our boss and friend we fight for freedom and the right to be who we are and what we are."

Jack stood quiet knowing he'd have to cover up as he was not the most normal of men having a slightly larger size and very little head hair, but he had just the cloak. "Yeah, he can't be allowed to get away with this." He said.

" I have to admit to being curious to what Roberts up to" Brant said his arms folded across his chest.

"Go find out," Edward said to Brian. "Gently. He's sleep deprived, and he's looking really driven. I heard him tell Suki to stop bringing him tea and start brining French Roast instead."

"I heard that too," Brian said. "And he's getting thinner again. England might think he's holed up someplace doing nothing, but clearly, they don't know him if that's what they think. Its all he's thinking about now."

"Well, if you talk to him, you'll get a sense of what he thinks he wants you all to do, even if its what he isn't saying."

"Let's hold that until after dinner," Brian said. "For now, lets finish the fields. Looks like rain coming. It looks like it'll be here by dinner time. We can talk to him inside after it rains."

They kept picking until, towards evening, the first sprinkles hit the ground.

"Get the crops in," Brian called. "We're done here today!"

They started moving crops into the barn so they could hurry into the house.

Jack, Brant and Steven continued with the fields until the call went out from Brian to get the crops into the barn. Jack pushed a cart full of pumpkins and other veg while the others brought what they could. Steven ported a large pile in. Soon they were done and Jack looked up feeling the rain now come down heavier.

"Best get inside " Steven said as he walked over to the house and went in, Jack and Brant followed both becoming soaked as they made there way to the kitchen door. Brant shivered as he entered.

"I'm going to grab a hot shower" He said and moved up to his room. Taking out a clean pair of slacks and a warm jumper he headed to shower. Now warm he walked down stairs and saw the others, even Jack had changed into dry clothes. Jess and Cassidy were hard at it in the kitchen cooking dinner. "Smells good" he said picking up an apple and biting into it. It was now he moved back up to Roberts room and knocked gently he was curios as to Roberts plan and action towards these new laws of Gideon's.

Robert had poured another cup of coffee, and was massaging away a tension headache when someone knocked on his door. As the patriarch for a good many people, he was used to interruptions, even at home.

"Come," he called, sighing heavily. He laid his reading glasses aside, and took a sip of the coffee. It was about time, he figured, to talk to Michael at the very least. This was, Robert knew, his fight. He was, ultimately, the only one who had the legal power to stop Gideon. Not that others couldn't physically render Pierce incapable. But to truly get him out, once and for all, Robert needed to make that happen. Now.

Brant heard him say he could enter and he pushed open the door he saw the drained tired look on Roberts face and he sighed as he walked across the carpeted floor to the desk he sat at. "Sorry, every one was worried about you, also, we're concerned about these new laws of...Gideon's." He spat out the name like it was bad soup that left bad taste in his mouth.

He saw the pained look on Roberts Face and reached into his pouch. Taking out a small bottle he moved closer and dropped two drops into his coffee. " it will relive the head ache temporarily, but...you need rest." He said knowing Robert being Robert would only do that once Gideon was done with.

"You needn't be concerned with Mr. Pierce," Robert said tiredly. "I have plans for him. He will soon be out of office, if I have my way. And I will repeal the laws he's putting forward. Or at least that's the idea."

He saw Brant add the potion to his coffee. He knew it was harmless.

"I thought about going and getting some of that," Robert said. "But I just hadn't gotten to it. I've been...well, preoccupied. Thank you. I'm fine. I'm catching a few catnaps here and there. I just can't be away from this for long."

He stifled a yawn and took a sip of the coffee. "I should probably brief everyone, though. I'll do that in a few minutes. Perhaps it would take down some of the anxiety in this house."

Brant looked at Robert and nodded " I keep several on me for emergency's" he told him then nodded at his next set of words " yes I think were all on tender hooks, though I haven't seen or heard from Brian, In guessing he doesn't like the laws ether and is anxious to know what your plan is." He slipped the small bottle into his pouch again as he heard Robert say he would brief them in a moment.

He nodded and turned to leave " I'll inform them of that when I go down." he said, he turned back to face Robert as he spoke again. " But what ever your plan is were all behind you 100%, what ever it is." he told him then moved to the door.

Walking down the stairs he saw Jack and Steven " he'll be down in a moment to brief us on what he wants us to do." He said and glanced at Edward and Angus, " I gave him some reinvigoration potion to alleviate his migraine" he told them hoping they would know just how bad he had become.