Marriage is Murder

Brian motioned to Khaat to come look at some of the coral reefs. They were oustanding. Khaat wished she had brought a camera. She motioned for Brian to surface. When they came up for air, she told him she wanted a camera.

"We'll have to get a waterproof one," he said. "I'll buy one today. I know where I can get one. Not to worry. It just gives us an excuse to do it again. come back down with me. I think I saw something interesting." He dove back down and motioned for her. He motioned to Jack and Jess, hoping they might want to explore too. She followed. He took her by the hand and led he quite a distance away from shore. He had found a shipwreck. It looked like an old fashioned victorian sailing ship. He motioned to her to follow. Her eyes grew wide, utterly fascinated. He motioned for her to stay right with him so that nothing happened. He didn't want mistakes or injuries and there was no saying how structurally stable this ship really was.

Brian motioned Khaat to follow him and they explored the ship together. He refused to let her get more than a few inches from him feeling very protective in a ship that was perhaps not structurally sound. Khaat was about to leave when she got the sharp feeling of fear and sadness of a woman. She didn't understand. She froze, motionless for a moment and then saw the woman being forced into a dinghy while her husband was made to stay behind and face going down with the ship. she grieved for, what Khaat believed, was the rest of her life for him. She saw the woman grabbing repeatedly at her neck for a necklace that was no longer there. She felt like the woman had lost the necklace somewhere on the ship and that this room had been hers while she was onboard. Khaat accio'd the necklace and watched the chain begin to rise up from between two old floorboards. She went down to retrieve it but it got caught on a rough edge of the board. That frustrated her. Brian dove down to help her and used a spell to release the necklace from its prison. it rose up into Khaat's hand. It was covered with so much dirt and undersea growth that she couldnt tell what shape the necklace was or what the metal was. Brian motioned for her to give it to him and he put it in a small pocket in his swimtrunks.

Brian nodded that things were fine. He felt too that whatever Khaat had seen it was getting to her. He insisted she surface and headed for shore. Once they got up on the beach, Khaat sat down on the sand too. Brian sat down with her. "What did you see? Did she drown?" he asked her. "The owner of that necklace?"

"No. She lieved. But her husband was made to stay behind. she never got over missing him. And what bothered her most was losing that necklace," Khaat said. "It was all she had left of their love and then it was gone."

"Not really," Brian said. "Memories are always more powerful than things. And far more important. We'll clean it up and then if you can stand keeping it, fine. If not, we'll check with your parents on how to appropriately put the necklace to rest." Khaat nodded. "But did you at least have a good time?"

"Yeah," she grinned. "It was great. I really do want to go again."

"We can," he said. "Any time you want."

"I will," Khaat said. "I only feel her grief that seems to be so boundless.

"Yeah, well you don't want that to be transferred to you," Brian said. "Fthe necklace still holds any of it, then some of that could transfer to you, and we really don't want that. As a seer you'd pick up on that the more you handle it. Perhaps you shouldn't touch it any more until your father sees it."

"Okay," Khaat said. "Keep it." She let him have it, but she really didn't want to give it to him. Truthfully, she wanted it herself, and she didn't know why.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just...don't do anything with it? Okay?" she asked.

"I'll talk to you first," he smiled.

Kate felt something unleasy, and she watched Brian talking to Khaat. She didn't feel any easier as Brian approached Robert. "What's wrong with you all?" Robert asked when Brian came over.

"I don't know," Brian said. "Khaat found a necklace on a shipwreck down there. She...saw..a woman who owned it. A woman who survived the wreck, but she lost her husband. Khaat says she sensed a great deal of grief."

"Hand it to me," Robert said. Brian handed the necklace that was so encrusted with underwater growth, he couldn't tell much. He got up and took it to his potions lab. Kate watched him leave, and noticed Khaat watching him take it inside. Khate said to Brian quietly. "Watch her. I don't trust her right now."

"What? Khaat? What don't you trust?" Brian frowned.

"Just keep your eyes open. Maybe I'm wrong," Kate said softly.

Robert worked in his potions lab for nearly an hour, using potions to cleanse all the effects of time and the sea off it. He polished it until it shined. It was a beautiful shimmering gold heart with delicate lace filigree around a singular heart shaped stone--a pure, clear, flawless ruby. It was lovely. He brought it back outside, hearing Jack and Jess inside with the kids. Kate had helped Angus bring Khaat and Brian's kids back inside and had them enjoying cold drinks before a nap.

Khaat turned and saw her father come back outside and got up. She went over to him, holding out her hand for it. He held it up for her to look at.

"That's it," she said softly. "Its what I saw."

"Well, I guess its yours now," he said. "Be careful. I don't know if there is energy attached to it anymore or not. Let your mother see it before you do very much with it."

"What's to do with it?" she frowned, putting it on, wearing it with the green heart shaped stone that Remus had given her. Now she had them both. "I'm just going to wear it. Its pretty, thats all."

"Okay," he smiled, kissing her. "For now. But do show it to your mother."

"Yeah, yeah. I will. Thank you, Daddy," she said. "Its nice to have it back."

"Back?" he asked.

"Back?" she questioned.

"Yeah. You said its nice to have it back."

"Well," she paused. "I did find it after all."

"You sure you're okay?" he frowned.

"I never felt better. Now stop worrying." she said. He laughed and headed back up the beach, listening to her start to hum very softly as she looked for shells in the sand. The tune reminded him of some old waltz from an old music box or something. He wondered what would make her think of that tune in such a modern muggle community as this. He shook his head and went back in the house.