Marriage is Murder

"We'll be lucky to be in it again by Christmas," Robert said. "It's a big job." He noticed Brant was still hurting. He knew he could have gotten up and fixed it, but he didn't move. He wanted Brant to learn to let Jess do her job the first time instead of being difficult with her.

"Go back to Jess," Robert told him. "Apologize, and then, if you're ready to follow what she tells you, ask her again to see to that. You'll not being doing anything while we're rebuilding but sitting someplace away from the estate on medical leave until you've taken care of yourself. You're not helping anyone by resisting everything anyone does to try to help you."

Brant sat and sipped the drink as he listened to Robert talk he was about to respond when Jess spoke up. " hes right, I know how to heal you with out the use of a healing potion, now back to your room." she said and pointed down the hall way. " You can take the drink with you Brant." She said looking at Angus " thank you that will help a lot."

Brant stood up from his chair " yes sir" he said feeling a little like a child scolded by their father, but he knew he was right. He was little use to them as he was so he headed to his room with Jess and Jack following , Jack joining them half way down the corridor.

"now lay down, I'm going to make you sleep so you won't feel the pain. " she looked at Jack " you will need to stay with him." she placed her hand on his forehead and Brant could feel himself drift away into sleep. Once he was out like a light she set about repairing his bones.

Once she was done she covered Brant with his sheet and blanket. " Now your job Jack, make sure he stays in bed." She picked up Brant's cup and smiled as she headed past Jack she kissed his cheek gently. " I'll see you later dear" she said softly and Jack smiled back.

Khaat watched quietly while her father addressed Brant and as Jess came to fetch him again. When Brant left, Khaat looked at her father.

"He looks about like Brian used to when he got busted for sassing," she said.

"Its about the same thing," Robert laughed.  "He needed to know that he can't blow off his personal wellness. And, just as importantly, I had to support Jess. Brant can't bypass her and blow her off.  She's well trained.  She knows what she's doing."

"That's because you trained her," she smiled.

"Not the point," he said, knowing she was right but dismissing it. "I've trained a lot of healers.  The point is that Jess is taking care of his health, and for me not to back her and not support her decisions would have diminished my confidence in her--at least in Brant's opinion. He needs to treat her with respect and trust her judgement."

Jess left Jack to watch over Brant while she headed back to report to Robert. seeing the door still open she knocked and moved to stand in the door way. " he will be stiff but capable to work when he finally wakes , Ii had to put him into a deep sleep while I made the bones heal." She told him placing the now empty cup on the tray it had come from.

She looked to Khaat and smiled " Some of the children are napping others are coloring." she said " but the twins are getting restless for their mother, if you want I can have them brought here?" she asked knowing Cassidy and a house elf could easily bring them for her to hold.

"Relax," Robert said to Khaat. "Enjoy your rum. Its their naptime anyway, and they're not at home. I'll go read to them. Its what they're used to. It won't take a moment." He got up and headed out into the hallway and found Marcus standing outside the door, on duty as ever.

"You can relax here, Belby. She's safe here. The headquarters has never been breeched," Robert said.

"With all due respect, Sir," Marcus said, unmoving. "Neither had your house, but its unliveable all the same. So if its all the same to you, I'll stay on the job."

Robert looked at him and gave him a slight smile. This was about Marcus's dedication to the job, about how seriously he took his duties. And, the man who had always been so distant from all of his clients had finally found a client that he considered a friend.

"You broke your own bloody rules, didn't you?" Robert asked, amused.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Marcus lied, denying it.

"Keep telling yourself that, Mate," Robert laughed, heading upstairs.

Jess walked down the corridor and heard Robert with Marcus and chuckled as she walked back to where the kids now sleeping, Cassidy sat rocking one in her arms. Cassidy smiled as she walked over to her. " little stinker wouldn't sleep any other way." she said and Jess nodded taking him from her.

" Khaat will be around later Robert persuaded her to take a break and Brant's napping as well, I fixed his shoulder and arm " she watched as Cassidy stood up and streatched out her arms.

"Good, hope he wasn't too much of a baby?" she said and Jess chuckled placing the small boy into his crib.

"na I know how to handle those" she said and they both chuckled softly so not to wake the children around them. " I hope the house will be ready soon this place is for training not kids."

Robert went up and read a couple of stories to those kids who were awake, soothing them to sleep fairly easily. They'd gotten into the pattern of laying down for story time and soon drifting off to the familiar, soothing tones of Robert reading to them.

Khaat had returned to Brian's quarters, taking her rum with her. She had peeked in and asked Brian if she could help, and he simply had looked up at her, smiled, and had told her that he had it under control. He was concerned that she had been in the house for so long. He wanted to sure, later, that she wasn't affected by smoke inhalation. He suggested she go freshen up and then relax a bit.

She did manage to find the shower, but since the headquarters residents were almost always male, she had to wait for Marcus to clear the shower before she could freshen up. And she had to put up with Marcus standing guard in the large, spacious bathroom for her to be sure that no one got in for a few minutes.

Once she was clean, though, she did feel a bit better. The rum was starting to relax her and warm her up, and the shower had cleaned off the soot and grime.

As Marcus was handing her clean clothes, he frowned. "You didn't buy any pajamas," he said.

"Didn't want any," she said. "I'd rather have one of Brian's shirts."

"That won't be very long," he said, thinking of how short the shirt would be. "Shall I lengthen one for you? Or should I leave you one of mine?" Marcus was taller, by a few inches. "If Brian won't get jealous."

"Only if it smells like your aftershave," she teased.

"I'll put some on it," he laughed. "Or I'll have to be focusing on guarding your backend more than usual."

Cassidy walked down the corridors stretching out her stiff muscles from sitting too long. She passed the communal showers and chuckled hearing the banter. " your looking better Khaat" she said smiling as she walked over "I'm Glad to see you too Marcus." She said as she passed them both heading into the shower. " I wouldn't let Brian hear you, though, but I have to say hes not a jealous man."

Turning on the shower she too washed away the grime and dirt of the day. Cassidy hummed as she showered so every one would know she was there. Once clean she dressed in a clean blouse and jeans on her feet were slipper socks that had rubber grips on them.

"I'm cleaner, at least," Khaat said. "Actually, if there was any discomfort with propriety, it was on my part. Not Brian's."

"Why would he have?" Marcus laughed. "He worked as a professional bodyguard, did he not?"

"He did. Before he worked full time for my father," Khaat said.

"Then you might be surprised what he had to see or do in the name of duty," Marcus said.

"He teases me with that regularly," Khaat said.

"Its also why he already knows and accepts, easier than you do, that there are times I've seen more of you than people expect," he said. "As I recall, he's been the one trying to teach you to be comfortable with it. As for me? I'm just trying to keep your arse from hanging out tonight from under one of Brian's dress shirts that are long enough--unless you need to bend or sit in them. In this houseful of somewhat rogueish males, a couple more inches of fabric might serve you well."

Cassidy chuckled and nodded " agreed , I've seen the men here" she said grinning at them both " Roguish isn't the word I'd use around those men" she said seeing Steven round the corner. " ow and heres the roguish one of the lot." she said as Steven looked at them all.

"we're not roguish, were.. rough and ready." He said nodding his acknowledgment to Marcus and Khaat as he then moved to Cassidy and lightly kissing her cheek. " every where is locked down, as expected for here." He told them both." though Jim insists on staying in the cafe opposite, I think he just likes the coffee." He chuckled.