LONDON CALLING

Jessie stopped using his bo and took out his wand as did Jack who was also fighting to hold Abby. Both looked at Gabe and nodded " on three" Jack called to Jessie, Once Mia and Gabe started so did Jessie and Jack "Repello Inimicum" they both said seeing the net enclose the farm stopping the creature from getting any closer.

"yeah, but she got a sharp set of teeth on her, ouch, Abby calm down" He said looking at Gabe then to Abby. "You think that will hold?" he asked as Jessie walked over and inspected where the creature had been but now gone.

Jessie now seeing nothing there moved into the kitchen and put on the kettle for them all to have tea or coffee. " Its strange it should show its self now, while Robert and Kate are out. I think it best we leave them to enjoy there night now its handled but one of us should be on guard tonight." he sujested " what do you think Gabe?" he asked his arms folded across his chest.

"It should hold," Gabe said, "unless there is a bigger problem than I'm seeing. I agree. There's no point in calling Robert and Kate back right now. I presume we've chased it off for the moment. I expect it will be back, so if we have, then the protection spells should hold for tonight. I'm more curious about what the devil it is and what it wants. I do have the same sort of negative feeling about it that apparently Abbey has, though. I think she's clearly right that it means us no good. It doesn't particularly concern me that they struck while Robert isn't here because that, in itself, might not mean much except whatever it is doesn't have some sort of inside information on his schedule. I doubt Robert will be out all night, not with Abbey here, so, yes, I think we should remain on alert until he tells us otherwise."

Gabe went over to the area where the black shadow had been, unsure if he would find any sort of traces of anything but he found nothing at all. It was as if the creature had never been there.

"Nothing. Not a bloody thing," he sighed. "Well, perhaps the best we can do is to get this pup back in the house. Is she advanced enough to transfigure herself back on her own, or does she need help to undo it? I guess what I'm asking is do we put her to bed in her own bed or does she have a dog bed someplace until her grandpa gets back?"

Jack looked at Abby them to Gabe " you know, I don't actually know." he said and chuckled " I think she will turn back in time, always has." he looked down at the pup and walked with her inside.

Jessie pored out several cups of tea and moved to sit on the couch seeing the movie had finished. Jack walked Abby to her toom where Jess took over and placed her on her bed. Jack stood by the door watching out for anything un-ushual in the dark night. His hearing listening to the rustle of the wind against the leaves on the trees.

Jessie sat trying to think what that thing could have been as even he hadn't seen anything like it. his foot tapped on the carpet as he tried to figure this one out.

Abbey paced for a bit on the bed, and then, hearing no more noises other than the wind, she settled down, and laid down, chewing gently on a corner of the bed pillow until she tired and started to doze lightly.

Robert took Kate on a walk down the Champ Elysees, and they ended up near the Arc of Triomphe. It was beautiful at night with all the lights. He surprised her with a new pair of diamond earrings. They were just simple post earrings but they were nicely sized, and she loved them at once. Robert had gotten in the habit of keeping a couple of nice gifts stashed away in the farmhouse safe for a special occasion, and this seemed like the right time, the right night, to give her something special. She was thrilled with them, and she had given him a long, tender kiss, and she brought up the idea of a weekend away for the two of them, something they did far too seldom. Robert always had too many irons in the proverbial fire, and it was hard to get away from the farm because there were always so many things that needed tending. He found himself making a promise to make the time to go with her. They made one last stop, at a shop, and they got a large assortment of freshly baked macarons. Kate loved the almond flavor of the macarons, and these had additional flavors and were in such bright, festive spring colors.

It was nearly midnight when they ported back to the farmhouse, and the moment Abbey heard the sound of someone arriving, the startled pup started to bark. That got Robert and Kate's attention immediately.

"Why do I think we left our granddaughter and came back to a granddog?" Robert frowned.

"Because I've never known of Abbey to bark in her natural form," Kate frowned as the pup dashed from her room into the kitchen.

"Granddog," Robert said, looking at Kate.

"Yep," she looked at him. "We're home! Did one of you lot put Abbey in the tub while we were gone?" Kate called to the others.


Kate thought of the first thing that occured to her. Abbey's labrador form loved water, and it wasn't unusual for her to go all labrador when someone went to give her a bath. Perhaps they had need to put her in the tub while they'd been gone.

Jack walked in from the kitchen and breathed out a sigh of relife " no, no bath today, but something attacked or tried to attack Abby, she turned into her pup form and went after it." he showed Kate the bite mark on his arm "Just some bruising, no skin broken, dought she could." He said Jessie on the other hand paced back and forth.

"it was black, mist like and very intent on getting to Abby." he said " I've looked in some of the books in your library but..nothing, theres nothing in there about this thing." he said as Jack placed his hand on Jessies shoulder.

"go rest, its late." he said " worry about it tomorrow." he told him and Jessie nodded then left for his room. " He won't sleep hes been muling it over since he saw it." Jack told them both.

"Get some rest, Boys," Robert told them. "It's been a long day, and sometimes the best you can do is to look at it with a clear head in the morning. I see you've put another layer of protection spells on, so good job with that. I'm guessing that's strong enough to hold whatever it was off til daylight. Exceptional work, both of you. Well done, indeed. A black mist, huh? Well, I don't know of much of anything that comes in that form as its primary form. My best guess is that this form is deliberate to disguise its true form."

"That would mean it's either a spell or a potion at work to disguise them," Kate frowned.

"Or--they're a shapeshifter, something akin to a powerful metamorph"

"And that might explain how Abbey recognized their energies. Perhaps," Robert suggested.

"So who do we know that shapeshifts that is one of our enemies?" Kate asked.

"Well, it just so happens that Michael told us that Tom Gelding has recently employed that very thing--a dark natured woman that happens to be a shapeshifter. We don't know what her true form looks like, but that entirely fits with Michael's information. Perhaps what we saw was actually her, in one of her many forms."

"But why here?" Kate asked, picking up Abbey and looked at the pup. "It's past your bedtime, Young Lady. As soon as we get you back to rights, it's bedtime for you."

"Why not? However, the lovely grid they set up while we were out is a thing of beauty indeed. It will take more than a shapeshifter to get past that. I think we're safe for tonight." He looked at the puppy. "I ought to fix her, shouldn't i?" he said with an amused smile. He cast a wandless magic spell and changed her back to human form, and she curled up into Kate's chest, yawning tiredly. "I'll take her," Robert told Kate. "She's getting to be a big girl, and I know she's heavier when she's tired." He took her from Kate and took her to bed.

"Thank you, Jack and Jessie," Kate said. "You were brilliant. Both of you. Sleep well, and we'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

Jack nodded his head " we had help with Gabe, it was his sugestion for the spell, we just helped a little." he said as Jess brought in a tray of hot tea. Setting it down she looked at Jacks arm and healed it " go rest." she told him just as Kate and Robert had told him too.

" I'll do just that, thank you dear" he said and kissed her gently before bidding them all good night. Jess looked at Robert and sighed " what do we do if it is this woman, find her or the person who hired her and make them stop?" she asked sitting and poring three cups one for each of them. Taking up her own she blew softly over it and took a sip.

"Well, if Gelding is who hired her, we know where he is." Kate said. "Our bigger issue is her, if this is her doing. It's just going to be bloody hard to catch a shapeshifter if we don't know what she looks like. There are potions, of course, and spells to stop them from being able to shift, but you have to know they're there and in what form they are in order to try to use it. If you can stop them from shifting, then you have a chance of containing them. One of the best things I've seen used is actually a rope that's enchanted with the anti-shifting potion or spell. If you can bind the shifter with it, it will contain them and keep them from shifting, both. But that means that, first, Robert has to make the ruddy potion. If anybody knows the spell, it would be Michael because he does have that annoying boggart in his basement. He has to contain it somehow."

She thought a long moment, and took a sip of tea.

"Didn't your mum have some dealings with some shapeshifting old man, my dear?" Robert asked Kate.

"Oh, yes, but that was years ago. Who knows if he's still even alive."

"What was his name?" Robert asked.

"I don't remember, but I have her diaries. I'll look it up. Maybe he's still around, and maybe he can give us some helpful information."

"Changing subjects, can you make some scones in the morning, Dear?" Robert asked.

"You're too late, I'm afraid. Abbey asked me to make some pancakes for breakfast. I'll make some savory scones for lunch," Kate said. "How about that?"

"Fair enough. And maybe we can get Jack to grill up some of those nice slices of ham in the fridge to go with those pancakes," Robert said. "What do you think, Jess? Could he be persuaded?"

Jes listened and sipped her tea. "Of course Robert I'll get him on that once hes awake, the other problem you have is whose going to catch this shapeshifter, they have to be very fast on their feet, becuse the shifter would shift into another form once they knew what was happening." she said " oh scones would be wonderful, cheese or plain savory scones, and would you like some help?" she asked as Jack walked back in.

"and what am I being volenteered for?" he asked looking down at Jess who smiled up at him.

"just to cook up some ham for breakfast when you wake." she told him Jack nodded and chuckled looking at Kate.

"Sounds delishious, Robert could you give Jessie something to help him sleep, I hear him pacing in his room and I know its going to keep Abby awake, that and myself too." he took some tea and sat next to Jess.

"Leave that to me, Jack," Kate said. "This works wonders, when one isn't a pain in the arse about it like Robert is." She got up and poured a part of a cup of tea, added a bit of a potion from the cabinet beside the kitchen sink, and then added a little milk and honey. "There's nothing harmful in it. I've given wee doses to Khaat when she was small and I've given some to Abbey from time to time. Obviously, this is adjusted for his size. See if you can get him to drink it all in the span of about two minutes, because if he only gets part, its liable to make him sleepy but might not really help him sleep."

"It should do the trick," Robert said. "It really is a good little sleep tonic."

"Jess, I think perhaps we could do some scones with some herbs and then maybe some others with Asiago cheese. What do you think? If we put them with some sort of a kettle of soup, I think it would make a fine lunch. It's supposed to be rather cold and damp tomorrow so a kettle of homemade soup with some sandwiches made with those savory scones might be a comforting lunch."