LONDON CALLING

Marcus had already had it firmly in mind that he needed to get Khaat out of the cave. He made it over to her and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Marcus didn't know if his apparating would work in here, but he decided to try.

A moment later, he found himself standing outside the cave.

"Jack, try apparating in," Marcus said. "If you aim to put yourself about thirty feet straight ahead...that way..." Marcus pointed. "You'll be behind James. You'll get the drop on them.

Angus figured if Marcus could apparate out, he could apparate in. He was drawing his wand to go in when he saw Jack.

"Let's go together," Angus said. "With two of us, we could do some serious damage to James' rear flanks. Or just his rear--whatever you decide to aim at." Angus cast him a mischievous grin.

Jack looked at Marcus with Khaat and heard him " great want to give that mother...a peice of my mind and my boot right up his...." he said and looked to Angus and nodded . Taking angus's good arm he aperated them both to where Marcus had said happy to find that it worked and he showed up behind James.

Ruby kept firing at James and saw when Angus and Jack aperated right behind him " hey Hairy ass, you know Gelding dropped you like hot poop." she said " run away with his woman, minister of magic." she said " I heard it right from the scorce." she goated him trying to get him to go for her and not notice Jack and Angus. She hoped to god Angus was careful about his shoulder.

James didn't speak but motioned for a couple of his men to throw their attentions to Ruby.

"Kill the old man," James said to one of the figures, and he pointed to Edward.

"This old man takes out little boys like you just for target practice," Edward said fearlessly. Two of James' men went straight for Edward, and Angus started to panic, knowing Edward was not yet at full strength. Edward seemed confident, though, and he held his fire until both of the young fighters that were rushing at him got sufficiently close. Then, without another moment's hesitation, Edward took them both out. Both of James' young fighters fell lifeless to the ground without a sound.

"What else have you got?" Edward looked at James coldly. Angus saw one of James' men going for Ruby, and Angus apparated right in front of her and struck down her would-be attacker before he got a chance to lay a hand on her.

"Wanna try again, Idjit?" Angus called to James. Angus saw Michael whisper into Kate's ear, and Kate began firing rapid fire smoke screen spells in front of each of them so that James and his men would have a hell of a time firing at them because they wouldn't be able to find where any of them were. Angus saw Michael apparate somewhere for a mere moment and then apparate right back.

"Protego Maxima!" Kate fired a huge shield to briefly cover them all.

"Cover your ears!" Michael shouted at them. And just a couple of seconds later, a huge explosion rocked the cavern, and the sound of rushing water filled the room. Water cascaded back into the dry stream bed. Brian was elated. Somehow Michael had destroyed the magical barrier that had blocked the stream. And the cave began to quake and shake.

"Time to go!" Brian shouted, sensing the enchantment that made the little crack in the rock into a cave was about to end. If they didn't get out now, they would all be killed as the cave shifted back from a huge room into just a wee crack in the rock. "GO, GO, GO!" Brian shouted at them all.

Ruby smiled seeing James face as she had spoke . But stepped back as of of the large men headed in her direction. she could see pure rage on his face towards her and was about to fire her wand when Angus ported right in front of her. She breathed out her hand resting on his back as he spoke. It was now she saw the barrior and heard Michael shout then Brian over the roar of rushing water for them to get out.

Jess grabbed hold of Jessie and ported them out of the cave, she stood outside waiting for the rest to appear. Ruby clung to Angus as she waited for him to port them out of the now water filling cave.

Angus didn't need to be told twice. He felt Ruby grab hold and he apparated them out. Michael grabbed Kate tightly to apparate them both out, and just as a safety precaution, Edward snatched Brian and apparated out with him. Outside, Marcus sat on the ground, with Khaat on his lap, lying limply against him, and Marcus was taking head count as they apparated out, wanting to be sure everyone was out.

"All present and accounted for," Marcus announced. "We're good." No one saw any signs of James or his confederates, but Brian was not fooled for a moment. He fully believed that they had gotten away too. Brian knelt now down with Marcus.

"She's good, Mate," Marcus said. "Just a stupify, that's all." Brian used wandless magic to fire the countercourse, and then he brought her around. She woke, finding herself outside and sitting on the ground with Brian and Marcus.

"Give yourself a minute," Brian told her. "You're alright. A chocolate bar and a cup of tea will set you all back to rights. Jack, I think we're probably good, but you and I should maybe take a flight over, and make sure the stream is back to rights, shouldn't we? Since we have a lot of brooms, I think that would work fine, don't you?"

"I'll take the hippogriff back if you like," Kate told Angus.

"And the 'old men' will put all the brooms away when you lot drag back to the main house. Last one back to Brian's main house to turn in your brooms has to do the washing up for a week," Edward told them as he and Michael shot off on their brooms.

"Well, it isn't going to be them, is it?" Brian laughed.

Ruby let go of Angus and looekd up at him " you okay, you didn't hurt yourself." she asked worried. Jack aperated next to Khaat and paced back anf forth " he got away again, how...how does he manage it ?" he said crying out in he was super frustrated " I want his head." But Jess moved to Jack and touched his arm.

"you'll get him but in the right way " she told him softly and made him calm down. Jessie looked at Brain and brushed the dirt from his trousers.

"I'll come with you" he said " we're checking that the water if flowing freely right?" he asked and saw Jack nod he was right.

"I'll walk back with Jess, I need to clear my head." Jack told them. Ruby looked at Jack then Angus as she spoke.

"I'll takem your broom back." she said then chuckled hearing the conciquences of being last. " thats not too bad " she said picking up his broom.

"I'm fine," Angus said. "I rather enjoyed it, actually." He flashed her a boyish smile. No matter how much adventure he had in his life, he always seemed to enjoy the opportunity for one more.

"Thanks," Brian told Jessie. "That stream is key not only to the wolves, but it's part of our irrigation system for the crops. We have to make sure it's running again. It should be fine now, but let's double check and make sure. Too bad we couldn't have sealed James and his cronies in that rock for all time. We ill catch him, you know. His luck can't last forever. Oh, well. Maybe I can content myself with a nice broom flight, and then maybe you and i could go raid Robert's cellar and grab a growler of one of the nice ales he's got squirreled away down there. What do you say?"

Marcus got Khaat to her feet, and Brian went over to her for just one moment. He took her face in his hands and kissed her slowly.

"He never got to lay his hands on you," Brian told her. "Feel alright, Babe?"

"I'm fine, I think," she told him quietly.

"The rest of the stupify will wear off shortly," Brian smiled, caressing her cheek.

"I'll take care of her," Marcus promised.

"I know," Brian smiled. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He kissed her and then mounted his broom. "Come on, Jessie. Let's get this fly over taken care of. The pints are calling our names."

Ruby breathed out and saw his grin " well it did liven up a quiet afternoon." she said smiling at him as she took his hand in her own. She watched Brian with Khaat and smiled " we'll keep an eye on her" she looked to Marcus. " lets get back."

Jessie laughed at brians sugestion and nodded bringing up his broom to his hand " okay lets fly" he hopepd on and flu up into the air waiting for Brian to join him. Jack took Jess's hand and they started to walk back down the mountain.

" Broom or hippogriff?" she asked Angus." becuse Iv'e never tandumed on a broom before." she chuckled

"Kate's taking the hippogriff," Angus said. "Broom it is, but tandem is trickier because the broom doesn't naturally compensate like the hippogriff does. We'll have to do that for ourselves." He motioned to her and then got on the broom. He couldn't resist just a wee bit of mischief and deliberately flew over Michael and Edward and Kate who were waiting at the main house for the brooms. Angus kept right on going and flew the broom clear back to Robert's house, unable to resist. When he landed, he laughed.

"Sorry. You know, someone is going to tell me I'm a cheeky little shit," Angus laughed. "I am, and I'm not sorry--even though Nigel is going to have my head."

"So, did we win?" Robert asked, coming out onto the back porch, looking at Angus and Ruby.

"Did you have any doubts?" Angus asked. "Yes. We won. The stream is unblocked, we believe, and Brian and Jessie are taking a flyover to double check."

"Well, come tell me all about it," Robert said.

"Marcus and Khaat are on their way back. She's going to need tea and a chocolate bar."

"She's alright, though?"

"Fine."

"Alright, well, Marcus can handle that, then. I want to hear your story," Robert said.

Brian pointed the stream out to Jessie from the air, and suggested they just fly the length of it from the air to make sure that all was well. It wouldn't be a long flight, but Brian had no intention of sending the wolves back to their den unless it was safe for them.

Ruby laughed at Angus and sat on a broom of her own." well keep up slow poke" she said and flew up waiting for him. As he joined her she chuckled following him all the way back to Brians home. She laughed as she got off the broom and put it back in its place " oh for sure they will, and thats why I love you" she said back smiling at him.

Jess and Jack walked back to the house with a breif pause along the way. Jess smiled as they finally returned to the house Jack now calmber and had a few leaves in his shirt. Jessie paced over the river and followed it down to the irigation plant." seems good , for now, but we should wait till tomorrow once the silt and dabri has settled" he sugested to him.