LONDON CALLING

"Of course we will"Jess and Jack said together " I'll stay with Abby while you and Kate go feed the animals in the outbuilding." Jess said looking at Abby " we can read a story or watch a disney movie." she said to Abby.

Jack looked at Kate and nodded " Routine always helps, Im sure Michael will bring him back, in one peice" Jack told her as he took his plate to the kitchen and kissed Jess on her cheek. He stood by the back door after sending a note to teh guards around the grounds to be vigalent and carry their wands at all times.

Jack took the inishative and started to walk over to the outbuilding. He could hear the animals waiting for their food and Kate.

Kate followed Jack to the outbuilding where she housed a number of magical creatures. She had pygmy puffs, bowtruckles, a singing toad, a couple billywigs, a leakproof aquarium with a bundimum, a cage with a clabbert, an affectionate little crup that had run of the outbuilding, a couple injured fairies, a kneazle, and a niffler. She also had several birds of prey that were in the process of being trained for one task or another.

"It's quite the project, this is," Kate told Jack. "Some of them are injured or otherwise traumatized and couldn't survive in the wild right now. The birds are being trained up for other things. There's a card on each cage that says exactly what each one eats and how much. I'll start with giving them clean water and some fresh bedding if you start with the food. It's all there. I really do appreciate your help." She pointed to a door. "That's a walk in store room that has everything we need to care for them, and it should be all labeled, as long as nothing has gotten in and caused any mischief."

Michael apparated to London, to St. Mungos, and he was actually relieved to find it was more difficult to get access to the potions lab and to Robert. Someone had instituted some security for the basement. Michael didn't have any trouble getting in, of course, and when he got there, he found it was a busy place with a team of people that were either cleaning or inventorying, or working on building new shelves or repairing those that could be saved. And in the center of the room, Robert sat with Edward Dononue. They were both sitting on packing crates with a taller one between them that was being put into purpose as a makeshift table. Edward was pouring tea from Robert's biting teapot into two of Kate's handmade mugs, these two being a bright and cheerful reddish orange color.

"Tea's hot," Edward called to Michael. "Pull up a crate."

"Thank you," Michael said as Edward accio'd another mug.

"We're commiserating about wives," Edward told Michael.

"Which is probably why I've never had one," Michael said. "You know she just wants you to start doing what you'd want your patients to do, Robert."

"I know," he said, sipping on his tea, "And there's no time for that at the moment. I'll be happy to do that when I can afford to do it."

Jack followed Kste as they stepped into the outbuilding. He saw all the stalls and cages with all the animals in and the cards beside each. Picking up one he took alook at what food it needed and began to placed the correct food in to each cage and stall. Ratching the bundimum he paused and looked into the terarium taking the card he read what it ate and carfully dropped the food inside itthen moved to the next.

Kaden had seen Robert arrive at St Mungo's while organising the refit of the potions room. He'd glanced over and sent two packing crates sliding over so he could sit then a tray that held a tea pot. " Sit and watch" he said teling a wizard where thin g should go.

It wsn't long before he saw Michael arrive and talk to Robert. As much as he wanted to walk over and find out why he'd appeared he could see by his body language that it was personal so continued to make the room good if not better than new. Taking a courner for himself he cleaned it up and added shelves then accioed in a large mahogany desk and chair, some wall lamps that looked like candles, as he knew safty around potions was paramount.

"Evining Michael, is the tea good?" he asked " I hope you like the imporovments Jessie and i made to the room. All lights are electric but with the traditonal flair, no live flames to worry about." he motioned around them " new metal potions desks and couldrons for mixing. " He hoped they both liked it.

Michael and Edward conferred with Robert about the new problems with Gelding and not only the shapeshifter but the two attacks on Robert that Gelding had made. Looking back on it now, Robert believed there had actually been one before all this, before the little skirmish in Paris where Robert had stuck Gelding to the ceiling. He had been going through little bunch of people in a muggle section of London near the hospital when he had gotten shoved out into traffic. To save himself at the last possible moment, he had apparated out before he'd gotten hit with a stream of muggle automobiles. He had thought little of it at the time, but now it made him wonder. Edward and Michael had no doubt that it had been Gelding's doing. And that made them believe that Gelding was, for some reason, feeling a need to get Robert eliminated quickly. The question was why. That was going to take some investigating to find out.

"Good evening, Kaden," Michael said. "The tea is very good. Thank you. Let me introduce you to Edward Donohue. He's Angus's grandfather, and we've asked him to join us to help with making some of the replacement potions. Edward is a bit of a jack of all trades. We're fortunate that he's able to join us for awhile."

"Hello," Edward said to Kaden. "Nice to meet you. Thank you for the tea."

"You're all doing a great job with the lab," Robert said. "And the upgrades are going to be very helpful. Khaat has evidently ordered new stools for the worktables. She said she was ordering some with backs and cushions so that they're more comfortable for long hours of work. I did fine with the old ones, but I appreciate the thought. Have you found very many of my books and journals?"

Kaden smiled to Edward and shook his hand as he smiled " yes there on that wall " he pointed behind him " and yeah she gave me quite the list, but as you can see were getting everything done. " some of the old stools are salvagable but most were broken, cushions will help those with back issues and those who work long hours too." he added glancing at Robert " The desk is for the potions master so he can write down his ingrediants or make notes in his jurnals." he said smiling to Robert " its a gift from Jessie, he had it in storage so donated it to the referbishment."

Jack moved around the outhouse and smiled at the pigmi puffs. " there cute " he said and placed a small plate with small peices of food on it knowing they only ate scraps of food." I think only the injured fairies left now" he said not knowing how to handel them or if they would let him close to them.

"The desk is a good thought," Robert said. "I don't know why I never added one here. I have one at home, but I haven't had one here til now. I'll be sure to thank them. Kaden, there is something you should know about Edward, something I doubt Jessie knows since he's an American. Edward is a wizard you will find listed in most wizarding history books because he is well known as a werewolf slayer. H is not here to do any slaying of any kind, unless we're battling Gelding. Jack is aware that Edward is a slayer, but Edward doesn't have any desire to harm Jack or Jessie. But, in case Jessie finds out what Edward is famous for, I figured it really would be helpful for you to know, in case Jessie feels a need to freak out or something."

"A new werewolf meeting a famous slayer? I can't see any reason at all why he would freak," Michael said sarcastically.

"The fairy is a lovely little thing," Kate said. "Robert always leaves the fairies to me because to handle a fairy is delicate work. Robert could do it, but he doesn't like having to have the patience to do it. One has to be incredibly patient and kind with an injured fairy. Fairies need to be appreciated in order for one to be accepted by them. They don't speak, so you have to communicate by the tone of your voice and by gestures. They need to be loved for their beauty. Their beauty is all important to them. They are vegetarians. They eat leaves, just about any sort of leaf. But they really appreciate it if they see you have taken the time to prepare their little meals in a lovely way."

She went to the supply closet and got out a tiny set of pottery dishes she had made and prepared what was, essentially, a salad of minutely chopped leaves and greens. She plated in with near miscroscopic precision in a little salad bowl, and made a tiny herb tea from medicinal herbs and greens.

"This will hold her very nicely," she told Jack. She put the meal on a little tray with a tiny pitcher of moonwater and a tiny glass. "Watch now. And if she gets curious about you, do your best to try to show her that you believe she's beautiful. Their beauty is the only thing that matters to them, annoying as Robert believes that is."

Kaden heard Robert explain what Edward was and took a step back. At listening further he relaxed and nodded " don't worry I'll keep him calm" he said then chuckled at Michael's choice of words. "Agreed it could go wrong if not handled delecatly, I'll talk to him at out tea session tomorrow" he said then glanced at the desk and chair again.

Jack stood and watched Kate as she spoke of the fariies and how to handle them by appealing to their vanity. He watched her fix their food like a miniture tea party even down to the herb tea to drink. " wow I do not think I could do that, my hands are too big." he said and chuckled " but they are facinating and beautifully unique " he added as they moved to the next enclosure. " okay so whose next?" he asked hoping to be something a bit bigger so he could get a handel on it. But the only things left now were the birds, he wondered if any were phoenix's as he could see several that had different colours.

"thats a hoho bird I thought they were native to Japan?" he asked wondering how it made its way to them. " oh and thats a Diricawl um dodo to muggles." he said kneeling to look at it but not touch knowing hos flighty they were but this one seemed to quiet.

"I have no doubt that Jessie will be alright," Robert said, "but I do appreciate that you'll talk to him, Kaden. Edward is a staunch ally and a firm friend. I'm sure he'll stay at Brian's with Angus.

"It is a hoho," Kate said. "He was sold as a pet to a foolish wizard on holiay, who brought him here to England. Of, curse hohos are not birds you can simply shove in a cage and feed them crackers like a parrot. They're intelligent and sensitive. They will stay if they're respected and treated well. The idiot he belonged to was so angry at him he had threatened to roast the poor creature on a spit, so one of Robert's mates swiped him and brought him to me. The hoho has had to learn to trust all over again. The sot who owned him named him Fudge, of all things. What a horrible name for such a handsome fellow, but his name is Akio for his intelligence. He eats the phoenix food for he really is a sort of phoenix. They're omnivores, you know, just like us. They eat both meat and vegetation.

"Diricawls are omnivores too, so they can eat the phoenix food mix just like the hoho bird. You can pet the diricawl. He's a silly little boy who loves all sorts of gentle attention. If you give him a bit of a gentle scratch, like you'd scratch a cat between the ears, he'll be your mate for life," she laughed. "Michael named him Flutternutter. Apparently it's an American sandwich that is peanut butter and marshmallow cream on bread. Its popular with children, as I understand it. Anyway, that's what he named our little Diricawl lad there.

"If the hoho is in the mood, we might be able to stroke his feathers today. We'll let them eat, and I'll show you the nest of owl eggs. They're due to hatch any time now."

Kaden nodded to Michael " I have heard of the Donahues myself." he said " I think my father knew one of them, distant cusin or something, good men." He said and chuckled " Oh Jessie will behave."

Jack smiled at the hoho" awe poor thing, I like Akio better than fudge." Jack said placing some of the phoenix food mix in its bowl. now looking at the dodo he knelt down not too close to it placing its food in its bowl. He watched it hop over and look at him but then hop closer to him. Slolwy he reatched out his hand and brushed its head gently as if petting a cat. then he felt the feathers and ran his hand slowly down its back. " I think he likes me" Jack said looking up at Kate.

Standing up he looked down at the Diricawl and smiled. "See you later Flutternutter." he said and moved with Kate to the incubation room where the eggs that were to hatch sat waiting in warm heated areas.

"These owls with be Blakiston's fish owls. Regal looking birds, they are, and one of the largest owl breeds. You can't go by muggle owl books when you're dealing with wizards. We have all sorts of owls here. All breeds and sizes get pressed into shape in one way or another. These chicks will be adorable at first. Little white puffballs with dark gray beaks. Bloody smart and ridiculously fast. And wonderful hunters. They do have a cheeky personality, though. I've never met one that isn't a sarcastic little buggar. Maybe I should train one to go with you boys on night rounds. They'd be fabulously helpful, especially at night."

"I have a large family," Edward told Kaden. "Most of us are fighters or aurors or warriors of some sort. I started out thinking I was going to be a potions man, like our man Robert here, but then I got pressed into service tracking a werewolf that was spreading a disease amongst werewolves, humans and wolves. I was hoping to find him and treat him. By the time I got there, he and four of his pack mates were completly mad with the sickness and untreatable. I did try, but it quickly became them or me. I survived, and the legend took off on its own accord. I had no intention of it becoming my life's work, but sometimes we stumble into things that we did not foresee."

"At any rate," Michael told Kaden, "he's good with potions and he's a good field medic. If you need someone who can find a way to heal sickness and injury in the middle of nowhere, Edward's your man."

"I've tried to get Edward to join our survival courses," Robert said. "Jessie will probably be doing our spring course. Maybe you should come, Kaden, if roughing it is your speed at all."