LONDON CALLING

Jack laughed and nodded at Jessies actions " I agree, its a bird Jessie calm down." he said chuckaling as Michael brought the ribs to the table " okay thats me sorted wheres yours?" he joked as Jess brought the corn and butter to the table to sit with the ribs and all the things Kate had made.

Jack watched Robert return from the bedroom and smiled "Have a good nap?" he asked Jess moved around him and touched Roberts shoulder gently releving once more more of the pain she knew he'd been feeling since he'd not had any pain potion.

"Here, some tea." she said placing a cup with a small amount of pain potion in it infront of Robert. " Kate would kill me if I didn't do my job" she said with a caring smile. Moving back to Jack she headed to tell Mia that dinner was ready and also to fetch Abby. Opening the door she smiled and poked her ehad around it " Mia dinner's ready best come quick as Jacks eyeing up the ribs." she told her.

Everyone laughed when Jack tried to claim the ribs.

"I think you'll like these. I got the sauce recipe from an American friend," he said. "Apparently different regions over there use different sauces and techniques for ribs. This is a Texas technique where they smoke the ribs and then braise the sauce into the ribs rather than just adding it onto the ribs when they're finished. They cooked on a low fire for hours so that the meat absorbs the most sauce it can and it stays moist and smoky and loaded with flavor."

"Stop talking and let us eat," Edward told him, helping himself to two sections of ribs, giving him six ribs to start with.

"Thank you, Jess," Robert told her. "I appreciate it."

"Oh my lord, are those barbeque ribs?" Gabe asked, coming into the dining room. "Here in England? I thought I'd lost those forever."

"Help yourself. There should be plenty," Michael said.

"Plenty? You could feed thirty people on that pile of ribs," Mira laughed.

"Or one hungry Jack," Robert said.

"The ribs and the corn, and of course the chips, are both things you can eat with your fingers." Gabe told them. "When your fingers get too messy, you can wipe them off with the washcloths Michael has given us all. Or, if you want to do what most American can't resist, they lick the sauce off their fingers and then wipe their fingers off with the washcloths."

"Heathens," Robert said, teasing.

"So, are you satisfied with how the potions lab is coming along, Robert?" Gabe asked.

"Yes," Robert said. "Another day or two and we'll be ready to start bringing in new ingredients and inventorying all that so we can start looking at restocking the potions."

"So perhaps, then, after dinner," Edward said, "we can discuss the larger issues--the problems in Paris."

"Yes, we must," Robert said, not intending to discuss it while Abbey was able to hear any of it.

Jack laughed at Roberts image of him eating all the ribs and sat down with Jess. Jessie moved around to gather the wash cloths and place them by each place setting. He stopped when Edward said about issues in paris. But then continued till he could sit down and eat with them. Jess sat Abby in her high chair next to Robert and Kate and took some meat off the bone and placed it onto a small bowl for her to eat from along with some corn and butter.

"okay, could we leave business off the table please, the foods getting cold." she said accioing Abbys sippy cup to her then handing it to Abby.

Jack took oly two ribs and an ear of corn spreading the butter over it s he then picked it up and ate it.

Gabe and Mira delighted in getting good ribs with all the appropriate trimmings. Michael made sure there was a pot of fresh coffee to have with dessert.

"Thank you for a delightful meal, Michael," Gabe said. "A real treat, for certain."

"You're very welcome," Michael said. "Jess was kind enough to make some delicious looking brownies. She is quite the accomplished baker, you know. And I had planned on making a bit of a twist on an Italian dessert called an Affogato. I had planned on putting a brownie in a bowl, with a scoop of ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream, and then, like with a proper Affogato, I was going to pour some hot coffee over the ice cream and the brownie. Anyone brave enough to try one with me?"

"Count me in. There's always room for dessert," Kate said, and Gabe and Mira and Edward decided all to join them too. Michael made a special adaptation for Abbey and heated up some raspberry jam and poured it over her brownie and ice cream so she had something more to her toddler tastes.

Robert was just settling into his brownie when a message came through the floo to him. He opened the message and sighed and laid his napkin on the table, laying the message with it by accident.

"If you'll all excuse me. I won't be long," he said quietly. "I apologize." Edward helped himself to the message and read it.

"One moment," Edward said in an unyielding tone. Robert turned and looked at him. "Jack, go with him."

"I cannot afford to have us divided," Robert said.

"And I'm still telling Jack to go with you. If you leave everyone else here, we still can handle anything that's going on," Edward said. "Jack, ignore him. Go with him, and don't let him out of your sight. Is that understood?"

Jack watched as Robert got the message and placed down his wash cloth. He glanced at Jess who gave a single nod at micheals words. Jack stood up and moved to Roberts side on hearing the urgancy in Michaels voice " agreed, united we stand , divided we fall and we won't , Jessies here as is Jess and Im sure Kaden will drop in if Jessie calls him." he said " we have more than enough bodies here to cover."

Jess nodded from the table " Michael if you would dish the deserts while Jack goes with Robert that would be wonderful" she said standing to bring over a tray with bowls and the brownies on." " yes Jack we'll save you some for when you get back." she said with a smile

Jessie had heard Jack and nodded " I know he'd be happy to help." Jesie said wiping his mouth and fingers with the wash cloth.

Michael looked at Edward, uncertain what was in the message, and Edward just hung onto the message for the moment. Clueless about what was going on, Michael had to defer to Edward's judgment. He got up and scooped the ice cream into the bowls, added the whipped cream and the coffee and passed the bowls.

"It looks incredible," Kate said, trying to reduce Michael's anxiety about not knowing what Robert was going to do. "Why didn't I think about adding a brownie to an Affogato?"

"Because Michael is a chocoholic?" Edward asked

"Guilty as charged," Michael laughed.

Meanwhile, Robert went into the living room before he looked at Jack. You'll either need your medallion or you'll need to grab on. We're going to Paris, I'm afraid. Someone has tried to infiltrate the headquarters building."

Jack chuckled and took out his medalion " I have never took it off since you gave me it all those years ago." he told him " come on Paris awaits." Jack moved to Robert and aperated them both to Paris. " Hey guys, long time no see" he said as they appeared and he moved away from Robert.

Jess chuckled at Michaels admitance of being a chocoholic. "But it does look and taste" she took a spoon and placed it in her mouth "yum, very nice" Jess said looking at Abby across from her. Jessie chuckled and nodded as well.

"I've not had anything like this before its good." He said cleaning his plate. Jess helpped clean the table as Jessie had to go patrol the grounds but he stayed close to the house, outhouse and barn leaving the outer areas to the other men that were stationed around the perimiter.

Robert was glad Jack had never stopped wearing his medallion. He was also glad he could always count on Jack and Jess. They had become an important part of his team. And so here they both were in Paris. Robert could smell smoke and burning wood.

"What happened?" He asked Owens.

"Someone launched a fireball through the kitchen window," Owens said. "Fortunately, no one was in there at the time."

"Thank God," Robert sighed. "Owens, how many children are here right now?"

"An even dozen," Owens told him. Robert went straight through to the kitchen and saw significant damage in the kitchen. The headquarters was not going to be useable, even with the best spells and construction, for at least three or four days. The kitchen would need to be reconstructed and then the whole place would need to be cleaned and aired out from smoke damage, all the food replaced and restocked, and every spell redone to conceal the place and make sure that Gelding could not get in.

"Jack," Robert said, feeling a need to take action quickly. "See if there is a seer amongst any of the staff here and check every inch of this house and the front and back garden and make sure there are none of those evil little pendant markers. We've been breeched somehow. We're not safe here, and certainly none of the children here are safe. We're going to have to evacuate and move all the children. Khaat and Brian's place is bigger. We'll have to put them into the cabins and round up more of our agents to act as caretakers, one or two adults to every cabin. I would think we could put perhaps four to each cabin. Jess is so exceptional with children, I bet if I asked her, she might coordinate things there and make sure the children have replacement clothing and anything else they need, do you think?"

Jack coughed smelling the smoke He saw Owens and heard his explination following Robert to the kitchen. Looking to Robert he nodded and moved around the base finding a young woman he asked her to follow him when he saw her tense he asked her what ws wrong and she told him she felt something was wrong. Digging around he found a pendant, hid behind a chest of draws and broke it throwing the peices into a fire to end the spell on it.

Walking down he saw the looks of the children around them and he smiled "Your all gonna be fine, we'll get some palce safe where these nasty people can't hurt you" he told them then accioed several bags of sweets and handed them around even making a few dance a small ruitine that made a few laugh.

Robert's mind was racing, and he made his own check of the command office and then was going to head down to the headquarter basement when he looked at one of the children and noticed something was wrong. Something was all wrong about her. He saw her staring at Jack, and Robert deliberately stepped between the little girl and Jack and happened to touch Jack's sleeve, when he felt the familiar pull of porting. He was suddenly being ported without his own doing. Someone else was porting him, and, he very much feared Jack was going to end up coming with him because if Robert let go now, Jack would end up splinched. Wherever Robert was going, Jack was going to end up tagging along whether he wanted to or not.