Dinner: Interrupted

"That transparent, am I?" he realized he was busted and didn't try to deny it.  "All the way back home, huh?  Well, I really didn't count on brawling here either. I figured on using my wand, but it just didn't happen that way. I suppose there is something to be said for someone my age that can still brawl if he has to."


He wrote a couple of memos and snapped his fingers to turn them into paper birds and send them on their way.  


"Alright. I presume we should go before Jack eats the furniture," he said.  "It seems he's hungry again already."


He stood up, feeling temporarily able to at least stay on his feet now.  "I think I can at least manage for you lot to not need to carry me home. But I think I'll skip dinner. I think I might opt out and go read in my room."

Jack looked hurt but at a smile from Jess just smiled back " Good choice, I think Kates waiting for you in your room" Jess told him " and yes all the way back to the house, it shows strength, ether that or a lack of wisdom thats suposed to come with age." She said and saw Jack try and hide a smirk.

Steven watched the notes fly into the air and opened the door for them so they could continue out into the hallway. " Yes lets you have some fine peices here and I wouldn't want knaw marks on them" he said and saw the look on Jacks face.

"Hey I don't knaw the furniture, besides the old stuff is too dry and just leaves splinters" he joked with him.

"Oh, you were so much more diplomatic than Kate will be.  Lack of wisdom, huh? Watch. She'll just call me an old fool," he laughed.


"Jack, you forget that the best things in life are finer with age. Firewhiskey, art, furniture...And twenty years from now you'll be saying wives just get better with age too. Its a time honored survival skill.


"Alright, let's go home, shall we?" he said.  He drew his portkey for the house out of his pocket and ported home. He ordered some tea to be sent upstairs and headed up to his room.

Brian met him in the hallway. "You look like hell," Brian said. 


"Thank you," Robert said. "It could have been worse."


"Shall I get you something?"


"No. Thank you," Robert said. "Some of this just takes a bit of time."


"As you like. Just let me know when you're done pretending it doesn't make you miserable," he shrugged, going downstairs.  Robert just shook his head and went on to his room.

Jess chuckled as she nodded as she heard Jack laugh out loud at Roberts words. " Kate's taught me well then, as for jack no acounting for taste" she said as they ported back to the main house. " Im sure she'll be waiting in your room."

Jack moved to Jess and wrapped his arm around her waist. " I must have had good taste some time , I married you after all." This made Jess smile and then look to Robert. " sorry he gets mushy when he dosn't eat." she said leading him down to the kitchen.

Steven watched Brian and Robert talking when they stopped he spoke " Brian do you know a man by the name of Li?" he asked "He spoke of paris and lee, had a medalion too." He told him

"Li?" Brian asked, thinking. He was fiddling with a key ring from his pocket, looking for a key and wasn't having much luck finding it.  "Uh...oh.  Yeah. Did most of his work on assignment in parts of Asia, as I recall. It was hard to recruit there initially, so he did some different things. I'm just not versed in Asian culture. Not my thing.  Its not Robert's either.  So we needed someone who would fit in. We certainly didn't. Why?"

Khaat and Marcus finally ported in, her day at the  hospital done. She had missed much of the escape because she had been in a delicate surgery with a critical patient and hadn't been able to ditch out. She had gotten reports that her father had been there and that all was well.

"What are you looking for?" she looked at Brian and frowned.


"A key," he said.


"Really?" she frowned. "On a key ring. How novel! Which key?"


"The one with the ruby set," he said.


"Oh," she said, "I have one. Use mine." She dug in her purse and tossed him a key ring.


"Thanks," Brian said. He looked back at Steven. "Why the curiosity about him?"

Steven listened to Brian and nodded " he was at the hospital today, stopped Robert walking onto a charm that had been set." He explained. "But what would a guy from china be doing all the way here?" He asked frowning.

"you have a suspishius mind Steven." Jack said " he said he was on his way to paris and lee Im sure we'll find out soon enough." he moved to the door to his and Jess's room and headed in to shower and change.

Steven looked at Brian and the key Khaat had given him. "Going some place?" he asked folding his arms as if to say 'not with out a guard your not'.

"You're just as suspicious as he is," Brian scowled at Steven.  "I'm going down the hallway. That's all. As far as anyone meeting Lee in Paris, we've been working with Lee for a long time. Lee has a medallion so he can either assist in Paris or recruit from there if he needs to.  So, I can't say that's necessarily unusual in itself.  But--if Li showed up at the hospital today, then its more than likely that Lee is either looking out for Robert or doing some digging of his own to try to get more information on Audriana Swan to keep her from going after Robert again.  You know Robert has always refused a bodyguard. If you lot want to be doing something helpful, then perhaps you need to help get the table set for dinner and get the kids downstairs.  Frankly, I'm hungry."


"Daddy's alright?" Khaat asked.


"Appeared to be.  Overtired, but he's gone to rest, so I'm sure he's fine," Brian said.  "I'll be back."  He turned and went down the hall.

Jjack chuckled and nodded his head " agreed " he said as he walked back out of his room. " smells like angus had dinner cooking, besides my stomach is growling." Steven rolled his eyes again.

"Jack your always hungry" Steven said and they both laughed " yeah, we'll know soon enough, hes in his room a bit worn out but hes okay." Jack nodded as Jess walked up the stairs.

"okay down stairs, now, both of you the kids wwant to see you." She told them and watched Brian wlk down the hall. " I made apple pie and fresh ice cream with berries for Abby." she told Khaat.

When the next day came, Robert was feeling more like himself.  Fortunately, it found him on a Saturday, and he intended to make full use of the day off.  The day started off with the usual breakfast chaos, and although his appetite was off still a bit, he sipped on tea and picked a bit at a cinnamon roll while the kids created their usual weekend rukus.


"They sound like they need to go out and blow off some steam," Brian said.


"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Khaat asked.


"I thought we said we weren't going to try to lock them in a box," he said. 


"But..." she started.


"Look, they need to be able to go out in their own yard. Its what we have all this security for."


"Maybe we need to enlarge the playrooms again."


He rolled his eyes at her. "I'll have the grounds checked first, Worry wart. You think you two can check the grounds and the security spells?" He asked Jack and Steven.

Jack looked at Steven as he tried to get little robert to sit down " Im in agreement." Steven said and both nodded to Brian." sure" Jack said grabbing a peice of toast as he stood up and headed to the back door grabbing his jacket as he went.

"Okay take care of the kids" Steven said to Cassidy who smile and kissed him quickly befoer he too left the house. Outside Steven frowned as he looekd around the area. "You take south, I'll take north." he told him and they split up heading around the parimiters as they went.

Jess smiled handing Abby some berries in a plain yogert for her breakfast.