(ooc--okay, so i've apparently given robert's overnight secretary two names b/c i'm senile or something. she was daisy early on and then she became liz. *facepalm* i'll need to pick one. lol)
Robert felt the palpable stress that Eli was feeling. It was thick enough to cut with a knife. This was difficult for Eli for a number of reasons, he knew, and so far, it wasn't getting better. It was only getting more complicated. He glanced at Cooper who appeared to be more and more relieved at the talk of bringing in others, and Cooper was the only one who appeared relieved at anything in this.
"Do not think this gets you out of going back to Istanbul," Robert said firmly. "You still have to show us where you put the stones. You have to go back." Rick rolled his eyes, sighing. Then Robert looked at Potter.
'They want my head on a pike!" he protested lamely.
"So do I," Robert said abruptly. "And Roper's too, as long as we're at it."
"Something you should know, Potter," Robert said, turning his attention to James. "There's a new development overnight. For better or for worse, we've hired on Augustus Rookwood for the Department of Mysteries, and I want his permissions strongly restricted. I don't trust him. I think he's specifically after something--probably related to your research, as near as we can guess. So, because of that, I'm moving you to a safer office--one he won't have access to. I want you to take the Quartermaster's office and his post. The lad that's working there is a brilliant alchemist, and I really need him to be able to focus on weapons and protections development. Part of your task will be to keep Rookwood the hell out of the armory and the alchemy lab. Of course there's a raise in pay with it, and you'll be able to keep whatever projects you want to keep. I'll help you with some extra protection layers around it. If Rookwood gets in there, you have every right, because of national security, to fry him. I'm good with it."
He had to get the others coming. He sat back down and wrote owls to Michael and Millie. He didn't know Ariel. He decided his secretary could sent the usual request and wrote her a quick note to send for Grayback. He took the notes to her to send out and saw Kate was there waiting with a basket in hand. He went over and hugged her and gave her a kiss. She was like a breath of fresh air for his sleep deprived soul. She was dressed in crisp white pants and a soft lemon yellow cardigan. He caught the scent of her perfume when he kissed her. Her perfume smelled like a summer breeze--light florals and summer grasses, summer fruits, and a hint of the freshness that came after an early morning rain. It was blissfully peaceful and fresh--everything that, right now, his work and his mindset was not. It was a reminder for him that there indeed were good things in the world that were still left. That reminder was the largest thing, for him, that he had counted on her to bring, even though he'd not said so. It was just part of who Kate was. He breathed it in as if he believed he could capture a bit of it and internalize it.
"When are you going to sleep, Robert?" she asked softly, caressing his cheek, clearly concerned.
"Soon, I hope," he said. "I've missed you."
"I miss you too," she said. "But, first things first." She opened the basket and removed a tiny garment bag that she'd obviously shrunken to fit into the basket and then resized it. "Fresh clothes. I figured you had pretty much gone through what you have here."
"Yes. I have. This is the last clean suit I had here," he said.
"Not anymore. I brought you three more. I'll take your laundry when I go."
"Is there enough food to serve a few people here?"
"Of course," she frowned. "When would I not know that if you were working at this hour, you'd most likely be surrounded in confederates. There's breakfast for 12 hungry people or more not-so-hungry people. Where would you like me to set this up?"
"I'll clear the credenza," he said. "Come in." He opened the door. "Breakfast is here," he announced to them. "For those of you who haven't met her, this is my wife, Kate. Kate, this is Mara Jordan, James Potter, Rick Cooper, and of course, Eli."
"Good morning, Everyone." Kate smiled. Robert flicked his wand at the credenza, and it cleaned up the mess he'd made on it overnight. Kate opened the basket and put out dishes for them to serve themselves. She'd brought a traditional full English, but then she'd included a couple of extras. Khaat's favorite fruit salad with a mimosa dressing--the dressing with champagne and orange juice amongst its other things, and a platter of scones--an assortment of flavors--plain, chocolate chip, blackberry, lemon, and maple brown sugar. She had, of course, clotted cream, and an assortment of her homemade jams. She set out plates and bowls and silverware and napkins. To Robert, it looked like it had Kate's signature all over it--the grace that she embodied and the homemade country farm existence she so loved.
"Do you think that will hold you?" she looked at Robert.
"Yes, indeed it will. Well done," he smiled. "Looks wonderful. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now, I'm going to get out of here and let you to it." She left her basket for him, opened his closet and picked up his laundry bag. "Nice meeting you all." She stepped out into the outer office just as Michael arrived.
"Kate?" Michael frowned. He kissed her on the cheek.
"Brought them breakfast," she said. "They've been at it for awhile. You're just in time."
"An all nighter? That can't be good," Michael sighed. "I'd better go in."
"I'd say," she said, leaving for home.
Michael knocked but then went ahead and went in without invitation. He looked at those who were already there. He wasn't surprised to see Robert and Eli, but Potter? Cooper? Jordan?
"'Morning, All," he greeted them.
"Thank you for coming, Michael," Robert said. "Come fix your plates, Everyone. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. This will all look brighter once we've had a chance to take a moment to breathe and eat."
Michael wasn't shy. He went over and began to fill a plate. "So, if I'm here, I'm either extracting someone or stealing something. Which is it?"
"Stealing," Robert said. "And you're taking Cooper with you. Possibly Millie. Possibly more."
"What?" Michael turned and looked at him and at Eli, frowning. Burglaries didn't usually need a team. He usually worked alone on burglaries. "What's the glitch?"
"I was made," Cooper said. "In Istanbul." Michael looked at him, immediately annoyed.
"That's on the top ten places of where not to be made. You know that, right?" Michael scowled. "So, we have to go and steal something while everything with a pulse is trying to kill us. Sounds like buckets of fun. What are we stealing?"
"River rocks," Cooper replied.
"I'm risking life and limb for a box of rocks?"
"Its a bag."
"Oh, and that makes it so much better. Look, I'll go to the creek behind my house and get you a barrel of river rocks if you're hard up."
"No, it has to be these rocks," Robert said, unable to resist being slightly amused at Michael's always present sarcasm.
"Oh? Why? Did they belong to some long dead King or something?"
"No," Robert said. "Flamel." Michael became immediately serious. If they were Flamel's, Michael was in. It was the first new lead they'd had on anything of Flamel's in decades. Now it was personal for Robert, and that meant Michael was in, no matter what the odds.
"That,' Robert continued, "and we have a cold case that is suddenly cold no more. We need to find a missing person--quickly. We'll need to figure out how to proceed to get her back. And then, sometime this morning, Eli and I are planning on investigating an illegal potions lab."
"So--the missing person presumably owns the lab and stole the rocks and stashed them in Istanbul?" Michael struggled to make the connection.
"Um. No, Not even close," Robert said. "Three unrelated cases."
'Oh, well, that explains everything, doesn't it?" he said.
"How did things go all to hell overnight since I left here last night?" Michael frowned. "Leave you lot for a few hours and its all gone to pot."