LONDON CALLING

Jessie heard Kate and nodded " thankyou, yeah, theres my sis too, though she's at collage right now." He said following Kate to the kitchen. As he helped make a plate and sit down he looked over at Robert and laughed at his words. " ha, I get that too." he chuckled.

"Yeah I told them the rules , there hunting on the other side of the mountains, oh they also said they don't care for the taste of hypogriff, too chewy or something, now Im gonna shower and get ready for patrol." Jack said shaking his head "Jessie behave, Brian is our boss but Robert is our boss's boss." he said leaving the room.

Jessie nodded as he ate his breakfast knowing Jack was his supirior in the wolf world. "um..Khaat I take it is your daughter, the one who married, right?" he asked " and Brian is her husband?" his head spun alittle with all the names he had to learn.

It was then Jess appeared by the back door holding a small wooden box with straw inside it " Robert your ingreidiants you asked for" shesaid as she walked over to show him the contents.

"Sounds like you have a very busy but close family. That's about the same with this family. We're all overextended, trying to be too many places at once, but I honestly don't know if we know how to slow things down at all," Robert replied.

He was glad Jack had had a word with the wolves and had gotten them to agree to leave his hippogryff alone. He watched Jack try again to assert himself and then go to shower.

"Jack's alright," he told Jessie. "He worked hard to come to grips with both the man and the beast within. It wasn't easy for him, but then, it really never is. Our family is well acquainted with lycanthropy. My younger brother was a werewolf. He was bitten as a little boy, and back then, werewolves weren't accepted at all, not nearly as well as they are now. His life was pure hell. He spent nearly the whole of it as a complete outcast from society, and I could only shelter him to a very limited degree. The curse made him entirely too dangerous to be around until the wolfbane potion was invented. You could do worse than to learn from Jack whatever he can teach you about making peace with the curse."

Kate was the one who spoke up when Jessie asked about Khaat.

"She is our daughter, and, yes, Brian is her husband. They were childhood friends, and they have our granddaughter. She's three. She's a metamorphagus--from her biological father. Brian is technically her stepfather but she doesn't know that. Brian is the only father she's ever known, and he completely adores Khaat and Abbey. You'll like them, I think. They have always had an open door policy for friends and family. Their farm is a huge place."

"That in itself is a blessing and a curse both," Robert said. "There's a nasty tempered werewolf who has believed he could lay claim to Khaat as his own. Hopefully you'll never meet him. He's actually Jack's brother, but Jack has no love at all for him. If you ever see Jack's brother attempting to come after my family, be aware, he will do whatever he thinks he needs to do to kill not only my daughter but anyone that stands between him and her. Keep your eyes wide open and your wand at the ready if you're on duty at her place. It just might save your life."

Jessie sat listening to both Kate and Robert about who he was working for. He smiled at the mention of his family discribed as  busy but a close family.

"yeah, we are close" he said finishing his food and now drinking his coffee. He took out his hip flask and took a dose of potion. feeling the beast calm and go quiet inside of him.  At the mention of another werewolf that went after Khaat his eyes looked up at Robert.

"That would be James Dark heart?" he asked " I read some of his file. He looked to Kate as he spoke again " just for research perposes, hes a bit obsesive?" he said "Don't worry ma'am, from what I've read he won't get close to her, not on my watch"

He watched as Jess walked over to Robert with the small crate then move down a corridor returning several moments later empty handed. He remebered Kate mentioning that Robert was a potions master and assumbed he had a lab some place within the house.

Now finished Jessie did what he would at home, he gathered his plate and cup and washed them leaving them on the drainer . " okay, Ma'am your grandaughter is a metamorphagus, what does she change into?" he dried his hands and placed the cloth on the drainer to dry. " just so I don't mess up again." he looked at Robert as he spoke " shouldn't we go Sir." He asked now wanting to meet his boss before starting to look for his own apartment.

"Yes, that's him," Robert said. "He calls himself James Blood now, and, frankly, I think he's completely crackers. He's got an obsession with her to the exclusion of all else. The worst werewolf in England right now is Fenrir Greyback. He's the one who bit my brother, and he's also responsible for biting James. But Fenrir is an old buggar now, and James would like little more than to take over Fenrir's pack to give him more muscle to try to capture my daughter. I might not be such a young man anymore, but I will do whatever it takes to protect my family. That's why I put such tight security around them."

"You asked about Abbey," Kate said. "Of course as a metamorph, she can change into whatever she likes, but for right now, the only thing we've really seen her morph into is a Labrador pup. I think it's because a labrador was her biological father's primary choice. So if you see a Labrador go running amuck, do try to corral her, would you? They don't have another other Labradors on the property, so it's almost surely our Abbey."

Robert checked his watch. "Yes, we probably should go." He drew what looked like a pair of battered up old keys and handed them to Tyler. "Your portkeys to their property and to this farm. They're both unplottable so I can try to shield them. You won't get to either one without these keys. I'm ready to go when you are."

Jamie scruntched his face at the sound of Jame's new name. He listened to Robert talk about him and Khaat and how he would do anything to protect her. " and you think he's back on the prowl, after your daughter again, sir?" He asked leaning slightly forward onto the counter as he listened closly. " because it would explain having a second werewolf around."

He looked over at Kate and chuckled as she told him about little Abby "ah, yes ma'am, well i'm not much for pup rangling, I'm more use to longhorns and cyotes."  He moved to Robert and took the portkeys. Moving them in his hand he could feel the tingle against his fingures that he felt with magical objects and nodded "welp, I'd best not lose them then, sir." He clipped them to his belt loop on his trousers and gave then a slight tug to make sure they were secure before picking up a leather jacket off the back of the chair and slipping it on.

"oh, thankyou again for the clothes Ma'am, I'll return them once I have more of my own and thank you for breakfast, it was just as if my own momma had made it." he said politly to Kate before moving to stand with Robert port key in hand. " I'm ready sir."

"You're very welcome. Now, Robert, do try to stop his training by dinnertime. There is no need to break him in all in one day," Kate said.

"We'll do our best," Robert said, amused. "Let's go." Robert ported them to Khaat's ranch, purposely landing them in front of the house the end of the winding driveway, The sprawling log mansion rose against the England sky, and while Robert felt that the house would have been better suited to Colorado or Texas, he did understand why Brian had loved it so and how Khaat had come to love it just as much.

"Brian has a fascination for art from the American southwest and from Native American tribes. He does have a house in Colorado, but he rarely goes there since he married Khaat. We use it now more for a training facility," Robert told Tyler. "I helped him put a charm on this place to help hide it. To a muggle, this land is nothing more than completely inhospitable moors. You will want to be very careful until you know your way around, particularly at night. There are some very dangerous cliffs and drop offs on the far back corner. I'd take a partner with you or, at the very least, Khaat's eagle. My daughter couldn't develop a relationship with a very sensible owl, could she? No, she falls tail over teakettle for an eagle chick, and my wife raised him and trained him for her. His name is Archangel, and he can be bloody useful here. Let's go in and meet the family, and I'm sure either Brian or Angus will give you the tour of the house before we go out on the grounds." He opened the door for both of them and went in.

"Hope you've got the kettle on!" Robert called. He heard the pitter patter of little feet racing towards him. Abbey came around the corner and Robert swooped her up in the air. She giggled in delight.

"Papa!" she hugged his neck, and Robert kissed her cheek.

"Are you behaving?" he asked. She shook her head, and he laughed out loud. "No?"

"Aggie's making biscuits! And I helped!"

"I bet you did," Robert laughed, imagining what sort of help the tot would be in the kitchen, but he did have to admit he did smell the luscious aroma of shortbread biscuits in the oven. She looked at Tyler quizzically for a moment before speaking.

"Goggie, Papa!"

"Yes, Pet," he said. "He's a doggie--like Uncle Jack and Uncle Remus. He's going to work here. This is Jessie. Jessie, this is Abbey."

"Not like the other goggie?"

"No, not at all. He's going to help keep you safe and keep that doggie out of here. Fair enough?" She nodded. "Good. Come along, Tyler. There are at least two too many biscuits in that kitchen. I think we should take care of them, don't you think?"

Jessie chuckled hearing the patter of tiny feet, he was glad she was in human form. He looked at Robert and smiled "Abby." he clarafied. He looked at her when she spoke and shook his head and leaned closer to her as he spoke."Nope, not like that mean one, i'm a good one." he said softly then stood up as Robert sugested they move to the kitchen.

Jessie smiled at Abby " and let me guess, there both for you." he said gently touching her tummy as they walked. The scent of biscuits met his nose making him drool a little as they got closer. " Sir , if you don't mind me asking do all the women in your family good cooks?" he asked " becuse I might have to step up my regamin to work off the several pounds I might gain just from the good food."

He knew he wouldn't as he always worked out in the evenings, and kept an eye on his weight. He also knew werewolves burn more callories than humans do so he was fine. As he walked he marveled at the decor and smiled.

"My mamma would adore this place, she loves the old west style, you know, open fire to cook over, hand made blankets on the bed, rustic wooden furniture, she'd go ape sh..um mental if we scratched it." he

Abbey nodded and giggled when Jessie asked if the cookies were for her. When Robert put her down, she raced back to the kitchen.

"We have some amazing cooks in our family. That's part of the reason there is a full gym here and a workout room at my farm, and besides, farm work, as I'm sure you know, is not a sedentary job. It definitely can burn off the pounds in a hurry. We've all learned to be early risers so we can work out early in the morning.

"But, Khaat owns a restaurant in London in Diagon Alley, and they do have a chief of staff for the estate here. You're about to meet him. Angus Donohue runs the estate, he's a former auror, and he is also a certified chef. He has never turned out a bad meal. He keeps the estate running like a fine oiled machine, and there are hundreds of acres to manage.

"I think Khaat learned to cook from her mother, but that's not all she got from her. The women in Kate's family are all seers. I think Abbey has some of that talent. I think that's how she picked up on her 'other side' straight off." He motioned Tyler to follow him, and he walked him through the foyer, past the large sweeping stairway, past the dining room, and into the kitchen where Angus was taking another sheet of shortbread out of the oven. He had minced some fresh strawberries and stirred them into the cookie dough. Some of the ones that were cooling already had threads of white icing drizzled in strands across the top of the cookies. Abbey reached up and took a cookie and took a big bite of it.

"'Morning Angus," Robert said. "We've come to make off with your biscuits."

"Abbey's already beat you to it," Angus laughed as Abbey ate her biscuit. He saw Jessie with Robert. "And you must be Jessie Tyler. We've been expecting you. Angus Donohue--jack of all trades and master of none."

"Not true," Robert said. "Angus has some skills in werewolf hunting, present company excepted. He won't be hunting you or Jack."

"Runs in the family," Angus shrugged. "Help yourselves. Tea and coffee are both fresh."

"His grandfather is Edward Donohue," Robert said, picking up a couple cookies and handing one to Tyler.

Jessie followed him into the kitchen listening to his words. when he saw the other man in the room. Taking his hand Jessie shook it but at Roberts words about hunting werewolves he stepped back a little shocked. But Roberts next words relaxed him again, only a little.

"you.. hunted werewolves?" he asked Robert "But you have one on staff, does he know?" Jessie asked feeling a little shook up as he took out his hip flask from his pocket into his shaky hands and held it for a moment. "Thanks..for the cookies and the non hunting myself." he said taking the cookies and a cup of coffee to wash away the fowl taste of the potion.

"Sorry, I'm.. still trying to get this under control." Jessie said now taking slow deep breaths. " don't worry Im not gonna lose it around Abby, Its just I have certain triggers and well..you kinda hit a very big one." he chuckled as he sipped his coffee.

"I have hunted them," Angus replied, shrugging, "but never without fair reason, and I have never hunted one who's one my side."

"You're safe," Robert reassured Tyler. He saw no hint of recognition of who Edward Donohue was or of his fame as the legendary werewolf slayer, and at this point, that appeared to be a good thing.

"It took Jack awhile to be comfortable in his own skin too after becoming a werewolf," Angus said. "Give yourself a bit of time."

"Abbey has seen werewolves. The only one who has ever really created fear for her has been James, and, as far as I'm concerned, I think she has good right to be afraid where is is concerned," Robert said.

"Why are we talking about James first thing in the morning?" Khaat asked, coming into the kitchen, wearing slim jeans and a pretty white button down blouse with an English floral print. She had her hair tied back with thin, pink silk scarf, and Robert thought she looked like a breath of fresh air. He had always believed she had not gotten one ounce of her beauty from him but rather, every bit of it from her mother. Kate had been the only woman that Robert had ever believed was truly breathtakingly beautiful in her youth. And so far as he was concerned, that beauty had never faded. He was certainly glad his daughter hadn't taken after him.

. "Oh, you must be the new guy. Hello." She extended her hand to shake hands with Jessie. "I'm Khaat. I see you've met our cookie thief." She looked at Abbey. "No more until Angus gives it to you." Abbey stuck out her bottom lip in a pout for a moment until Angus reached down and deliberately tickled her, making her giggle. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Tyler. Brian will be here in a moment."

"Where is he?" Robert frowned.

"He went to Paris at about midnight, and he just got back. He's freshening up with a quick shower, and then he said he'll be straight down."

"Trouble?" Robert asked.

"No more than usual," Khaat said, going to pour herself a mug of coffee. "Is Mum coming to see Archangel this morning?"

"She sent a few things for him. I'll check on him first, but you know she'll be over as soon as she can," Robert said.

"Will you be needing one of our cabins, Mr. Tyler?" Khaat asked.

"I hadn't even mentioned to him yet that you have them," Robert said. "They have some small cabins here if you want your own place. They're a comfortable distance to the house so you'd have some privacy but also close enough that you could be here in a hurry if you needed to be."