LONDON CALLING

Jack turned at the sound of apperating but smilled seeing Angus with a basket. Once it was set down he moved and un packed everything so Robert and Michael could take what they wanted but he smiled at the smell as it drifted into the air. He also listened as Robert and Michael spoke with Angus. His heart dropped as he spoke of Pheobe Sharp.

"could explain the bitter smell we smelt. He said to Michael " it has a bitter smell when burnt or over heated." he added then sighed " ho boy, this is not going to go well." he said to himself " I agree we should eat then check up on Khaat and the others." he took some steak salad and one of the forks he found at the bottom of the basket and began to eat while listening further to the conversation. He glanced at Michael and looked worried at him, more for Angus.

"Sit for a minute," Robert told Angus. "Tell me everything you know about Phoebe Sharp."

"She's two years younger than me, and she went to Ilvermorny because her father got a professorship there to teach flying and to coach their quidditch team. Her mother made custom pieces of enchanted jewelry, nothing more than a little charms, though. She's shown me some of her mother's work, and it's nice. Kate makes prettier things, but there's something about them that is appealing--a certain rustic charm to them."

"And what's the significance of the tattoo?" Robert asked.

"She draws and paints, and she sells some pieces, primarily things she's done with charcoal. She says that shadows have always provided her not only defense but a way to make a living. And so she put the rune on her back because it means so much to her. Why is this tattoo such a concern? We have other members who have a lot more tattoos than that..."

"It isn't the tattoo," Robert said. "I got an alarm from the headquarters building this morning, and when Michael and Jack and I went to respond to it. we found that there had been an attempt to break in. The self destruct charm had activated and there had been an explosion. And--we found a body in the back garden. A body that had that very tattoo between the shoulder blades on its back..." Angus's eyes grew wide, but he didn't say a syllable. Robert had attempted to say a bit more but he could tell Angus wasn't hearing him.

Michael got up and got out a bottle of firewhiskey and poured a double and set it in front of Angus, not saying a word.

"Angus, would you recognize this particular version of the tattoo? Was there something singular about hers?" Robert asked.

"Um...yes. Maybe. I don't know..." Angus tried to reply, clearly shaken. "There was a bit of a tail..."

"On the dot, above the slash," Robert said, "curves down and to the left a bit, a little like a comma..."

"She said the ink bled when she had it done, a bit of an error by the tattoo artist...." Angus said very quietly. "Where is she? i want to see her..."

"No," Robert said. "No you don't. Not like that. Can't let you do that. Give me an address. I need to go collect some of her hair for to try to rule out that it's her...."

"Her....her brush is with me. I have her hairbrush..." he said.

"Do you mind if I have someone send it over here?" Robert asked gently. Angus just shook his head. Robert looked at Michael and Jack and nodded. Michael motioned to Jack and moved into the hallway to try to keep Angus and Robert from being disturbed.

"We can either send a note through the floo or one of us can go," Michael said to Jack, "but I think perhaps asking Edward to come too would be a welcome thing for Angus right about now. Thoughts?"

Jack placed down his plate and moved with Michael into the hall way at hearing Angus talk. He moved quietly with Michael and then stood leaning on the wall his arms follded across his chest. " agreed, I feel he'd need suport if it turns out to be her..him." he looked at Michael. " I'll go and fetch him right now." He stood up and pushed his hands into his pockets.

Jack ported to Khaat's and looked around for Andrew. Once he'd found him he spoke to him " um.. sir I need you to come with me." he said hoping to pull him away from the others so he could explain better.

Once they were out of earshot he turned to face him. " we found a body at the Paris base and well..it could be some one Angus knew, a pheobe Sharp, but.." he paused not sure if he could or should tell him about the problem they were having.

"Phoebe? Oh, that's not good," Edward frowned. "Come with me. Let me show you something." He took Jack down the hallway of Khaat's house to Angus's room, and he let himself in. He opened the drawer of Angus bureau and got out an empty ring box. He opened the box to show Jack the missing ring from the box. "He proposed to her last week, and he gave her a fairly impressive diamond. He hadn't had the chance to tell you all, given all of Geldings shenanigan's. But they were engaged. He intended to marry her."

He picked up a photo in an oval frame and handed it to Jack of a pretty woman with dark hair and gray eyes.

"That's Phoebe," Edward said. "I hadn't met her face to face, but Angus sent me a picture of her. Are you sure its her?"

Jack looked at Edward and sighed as he listened then followed him "No, we're not, the body we found is burn beyond recognition but it has the same tattoos as she does..did, but also, it,s a man not a woman, so Robert sugested tests." He looked at the photo and shook his head " oh boy, the fallout could be big on this one." He said to Edward " its why we need you incase it is her/him, look i'll admit I'm not one for breakdowns and Im guessing nether are Robert of Michael so.. its kinda why im fetching you, to be there for Angus if it is, becuse it will be two fold if it is, first that she was a he second that she might have been a inside man/woman." Jack moved nervously from foot to foot.

He hoped in all his rambling Edward would get what he was trying to say. " if its not then, I'll be first to congratulate the guy." he added rubbing the back of his neck not quite sure what he could say or do right now but to just stay out of the way.

"And if it is her, then she was clearly using magic to create a huge deception to get into our inner circles. So, if it is her, then it's probably a good thing she's dead because I'd have just had to kill her for all the hurt she's caused my grandson," Edward said coldly, now trying hold back his rage.

Edward was sure Angus was going to be in for a lot of hurt, if all of this was true. If it was true, Angus had been sleeping with and had been intimate with a shapeshifter, and had proposed to one, all for Tom Gelding's gain. Now Edward had even more reason to want to see Tom Gelding dead.

He picked up a woman's hairbrush and an envelope that was stuffed with photos of Angus and Phoebe. He took a moment and looked in Angus's wastebasket. He found a bit of a broken fingernail that was clearly not Angus's, not unless he wore nail polish. He tucked that into the envelope with the photos.

"I don't know if there's anything more here that could help Robert or not, but I do know she has quite a lot of things here. I know she stayed here with him from time to time. I can always come back if I need to," Edward sighed. "Alright. Let's go."

Jack relaxed and nodded at Edwards words watching as he gathered things that they could use to test if it ws her. "Your not the only one " Jack said " Angus is like a brother to me and I would have fed her entrails to the wolves." He growled glancing at the photos he could not help but be some what sorry for Angus if all that they had hypothasized was true.

Jack moved to stand next to Edward and placed his hand on Edwards shoulder porting them back to the basment where Robert, Angus and Michael all were. " we gathered as much as we could find." Jack said letting Edward go so he could hand over the envalope to him. Jack looked at Angus and sighed he wanted to tell him he was sorry and he would be at his side if he needed it.

Angus was nursing his scotch when Jack arrived back with Edward. He hadn't said much of anything, and Robert had simply allowed the quiet. Edward handed over the hairbrush and the envelope.

"If you need anything else, just say the word," Edward said.

"Thank you," Robert said.

"'You alright, Boy?" Edward asked Angus.

"Just find the truth," Angus said. "I need to know how big of a pillock I've been."

"Stop that," Edward said. "Let's find the truth first. If we find you've been a pillock I'll let you know. Until then, it sounds to me like Tom Gelding is going to be on my personal Most Wanted list." Now Angus looked up, looking at Edward in the face. Edward looked back at him seriously.

"If you're going to get him, I want in on it. He's mine," Angus said.

"You might have to take a number there, my boy, but you certainly can join the hunt," Edward said.

"I've still got top dibs on him," Robert said. "And I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants Thomas Gelding. But we will protect our own, and then we'll get him. First things first. Let me finish the testing, and then maybe we'll know."

"I can't just sit here..." Angus began.

"Jack," Robert looked at him, deliberately trying to bait Angus. "Did you beat Angus at your last run? See that piece of green paper that's posted on the fridge? That's an obstacle course I made here at the farm--if you two are smart enough to find all the landmarks and can run it. Landmarks on the course are magically marked to glow when you approach them. If you manage to run it together and work out the landmarks, Jessie and Owens and the rest of the lads at the estate will have barn chores for week. They'll be mucking out the stalls here and there instead of you two. Think you're men enough for the task?"

Jack looked at Robert knowing what he was doing and shook his head " nope, still need to." he said looking at Angus " Hey, I bet you can't beat me, and do you realy want Jessie and the others to have bragging rights that they won the course?" he said " I know I wouldn't, so what ya say wanna runn it?" he asked " not much to do here till its all done, so what do you say, or I could just run it alone and have all the bragging rights to myself." he teased hoping he'd agree and come with him leaving Robert, edward and Michael to do their thing.

Jack transphigured his clothing to his running gear and began to warm up. " come on slow poke, bet you a steak dinner I get the first landmark." he said looking over his shoulder as he slowly walked to the back door and waitied ." come on?" he called out.

Angus was sure he could run any course Robert set in front of him. He had no doubt about that. He had never failed one of Robert's courses yet, so he had no reason to think that would start now. The idea of running a course though was so far away from anything he was thinking that, at first, he just sat and frowned at the idea of running here and now.

"You aren't going to let that overgrown furball over there beat you, are you?" Edward said. "After all, he does have some lycanthropy advantages over you..."

"That hasn't stopped me from beating him before," Angus shrugged. The rivalry between the men in Robert's innermost circle was nothing more than a bit of friendly trash talk, and everyone knew it. No one took it too seriously, but still, they did enjoy a friendly wager now and then just to make the constant training interesting.

"So perhaps today is when you just hand the victory to him so you can lag behind here at the kitchen table, then," Edward said.

"You're not fooling me. You just want me to go run," Angus said.

"Yes. The furball threw down the gauntlet, and I think you ought to show him you're up to it. I'll make it even more interesting. Loser has to have a different look for a week. If Jack loses, he has to give up being bald for a week and has to have a headful of hair. If you lose, you have to go bald for a week."

"Alright, alright," Angus said, getting up and transfiguring his clothes to workout clothes. "I don't look good bald, but he's gonna look worse with hair."