LONDON CALLING

"If we were going to make pies," Angus told her, "we'd have to actually leave more in the bucket than we eat, and I've never managed that. I have good intentions when I come out here, but I always get back with an empty bucket. But--if we build a little duplex over at Brian's we could try to take some starts over there and see if we can get them to grow. I don't have the greenest thumb, but Kate's just crazy successful with plants, and Edward likes to tinker with them.

"I'll take Brownie, then," Brian said. "We're already old mates, I think. You know I really need a mating pair of these. I think my barn is sorely lacking because I don't have two of these. And Kate will be completely over the moon when she sees them." Brian didn't have any trouble swinging up into the saddle even though he was considerably shorter than Jack."

"If you want a pair, I can put you in touch with the breeder we got these from," Tyler said. "Just let me know. I'll let you get to it, then. I'm sure these boys will bring you right to the stables when they've made a lap around. If I can be any help, just give a yell, then."

"Thanks," Brian told Tyler. "Are we riding together or going back to opposite directions, Jack? What do you want to do?"

Ruby laughed at Angus's confesshion " yeah, oh well " she said then listened more " oh that would be good, I'd like to learn if I have a green thumb" she said leaning against him on his good side as she looked at the light filtering threw the entwined branches of the bushes. " Edward tinkers with plants?" she asked.

Jack watched Brian climb up and he did the same though to him becuse of his size the horse looked like a reguler horse. " oh we have to get a few of these, hes the perfect size for me." he said laughing. Hearing Brian he spoke again " I'll go the opasite way around and we'll meet in the middle." he said " gets it down faster to reasure every one their safe." he tapped the horses flanks and made it move forward to a slowl canter.

"He's a potionsmaster, like Robert, but Edward has a knack with old ancient potions that he somehow digs up in old books totally written in old runes that only old farts like him can read anymore. Edward likes to grow his own herbs as much as he can. Robert just doesn't have that sort of time. That love of gardening is how he got started with the grapes and the olives. He bought that house with a little land, made a go of it with what little land he had and made some questionable wine and some decent olive oil, and then bought more land, grew more grapes and olives and made better wine and better olive oil, and so on.

"He probably won't tell you this but, down in his cellar he's got some very limited bottles of stuff he has labeled as 'Thimble Wine.'" I asked him what the devil that was. I was fifteen. He told me I wasn't old enough, so I sneaked just a sip, just about only a thimble full, and it was such a high proof, I damned near passed out from that one little drink. It was the first alcohol I'd ever had, to be fair, but he only gives it to men with a strong enough constitution for it. And, for the record, he believes his sons and most all his his grandsons are weenies. They've never had it. He gave me a bottle of my own for Christmas. My dad, my uncle and my brothers would be completely livid if they knew. They can't buy, beg, borrow, or steal any from him. He tells them they haven't earned it yet, and they're clueless. They don't know what the hell he means."

Brian agreed that Jack had the right approach, and he took off on Brownie in the opposite direction from Jack. And Tyler was right. Brownie liked to veer off the path here and there to snag a bunch of grapes from the vines and then he would get back on task. But that usually gave Brian a chance to re-order a protection spell with a different spell, one of his own making, that would scramble the protection spell so it would be a lot harder for Gelding's men to undo.

Ruby laughed at Angus's story of the thimble wine he'd snuck as a teen " sound slike a realy good wine" she said smiling at him " and it sounds to me like Edward has a lot of talents, and I think they passed to you." she said " and the olive oil in cooking is healthy." she chuckled again as he mentioned he owned a bottle that his family had been after for a long time " well that shows he dosn't think your a weennie, but a man, one he respects." she said softly to him.

Jack rode around the perimiter placing spells as he went each was diferent like the layers on a cake, if he found one he knew he'd place ontop of it a different type adding to its strength. Soon he saw Brain up ahead of him and made Black trott over to him " im done on my end, no issues." he said.

"It's have a lot of talents. I'd like to think I inherited some things from him," he said. "Edward does have a lot of talents. I could do worse in life than to have learned a thing or two from him. I never actually considered that perhaps he respected me. I was always so caught up in respecting him and working hard so that I would never disappoint him. I stopped trying to earn my dad's respect when I was really small. He was never worth it. He's a complete waste of space and oxygen. My mom hasn't ever been any better, but Edward? That's always been a completely different story." That was a new thought to him. "So, if Edward is really the only one from my family I would invite to our wedding, and it sounds like your clan isn't much better. Sounds like it's shaping up that if we get married, it's just naturally going to be a small thing. Especially since they think we're already married."

Brian had made it half way around the estate and he had reset the protections with as different a net of spells as he could think of to create. The halfway point was at a creek, and the horse sauntered over to the creek and decided to take a big long drink of water while they waited for Jack. So far, it looked to Brian like the estate had had no further trouble since the kids had been brought home hours before. It was making Brian think that Robert was right and that the plan was indeed about dividing and conquering. And, as Brian sat and thought about it, it was giving him some ideas of his own for an offensive plan to try to make an impact against Gelding's operation

Ruby listened to Angus and nodded her head " well I know from expiriance you didn't learn Everything from Edward " she insinusated with a teasing smirk " but Im very glad he was there for you. " she listened more and sighd " yeah with my family, like yours, I don't get along, there what you call concervative, very concervative, my dad thinks I should be a stay at home wife and mother and do nothing but cook and clean for the husband, they tried to have me marry Gary, the son of one of my dads freinds, they even went as far as organising the wedding, the dres they wanted me to wear was my mothers, I told you about how awful it was but he had a boyfreind already and was planing on leaving, well I left that night with nothing but a dufel bag of Jessies he'd given me, but I found my place and it made me stronger, meeting you and being with you, its like you were why I left, so I could meet you and yeah but Im okay with that, its not the amount of people but having those that realy care around us and sharing the one day that makes both of us happy."

Jack trotted over as Black dipped his head to take a drink. " you okay , you look lost in thought?" he asked watching Brain's face and chukaling softly as the horse threw its head up whinning as it did. " kay we'll get you back soon" Jack told him.

Angus laughed at her comment that he didn't learn everything from Edward.

"Well, yes. That's very true," Angus said. "Edward only ever said one thing about that, telling us that it wasn't okay to do it and not be accountable or responsible for any of the consequences of our decisions. The rest of it, we basically were on our own to figure out unless we asked. Frankly, though, your parents are gits too. Haven't met them and I already don't like them. I'll probably piss them off the first time I meet them. It might very well give you and Jessie a good reason to not look back, if I need up being the final straw there. Are you sure you want me to meet them? It isn't as though I'm the clean cut executive type. I look more like the biker type that your family will never approve of."

"I was lost in thought," Brian said. "You know, if Robert is right and this is about chipping away at our organization, then perhaps a bit of tit for tat is in order. What if we mount an offensive and deliberately chip away at his organization one piece at a time. After all, we have Gelding, we have his sorceress, we have his Gringotts assets, we took his lodge property and now his village, I think we need to keep taking and taking--assets, operatives, the works until he quits striking out directly at us. If we heat it up enough that he gets uncomfortable, maybe he'll leave us alone. What do you think?"

Ruby chuckled and nodded " yep, and thats what I love about you, that your not one for my perents approval, I don't want the clean cut executive type, which makes you perfect for me." she said holding him closer to her. " I want some one who matches me, well not in magic skill but like nature and helping animals, going on walks with out falling down holes, then just pausing both pysicaly and metaphoricaly to recharge." she sighed and smelled the damp earthy smell around them. "This is what I like, the ministry was all right it let me have freedom to be myself but, here with you, no hiding no scrects just us." she moved to sit over his legs and smiled " its not just the responcibility of the man to be accountable for the consiquences, the woman is too." she said " if or when we had our happy little accident I would never get rid of him or her and she or he would be loved." she looked at Angus and lent forward to kiss him deeply.

Jack thought on Brains words then spoke " I thought thats what we were doing by taking down his enterprises and homes?" he said " two have been closed and Roberts sezed all his assets, moneterily speacking, but I do wish he'd got hold of his actual assets." Jack said with a chuckle as he steered Black towards the road again. "we'll fish out the bugger soon enough." he added " and when we do he'll regret messing with the lupins, our family."

"Well," he replied, "the ministry depends on structure to run, and it's basically a huge political machine. It's hard for some folks who might be a bit more free spirited to fit into that sort of bureaucracy. It can provide a reasonable living, but it's not altogether a happy place to work. I'm glad I'm not there anymore either. I did okay there, but it wasn't where I wanted to work for the rest of my life."

He headed back towards the picnic spot, remembering the bottle of water. He picked up his empty wine glass and poured some of the cold water into it. "Water?" he asked her. "I was just thirsty, that's all. I'm a bit rudderless today, I admit it. I need to get anchored into doing something this afternoon, and I'm a bit limited if they're going to keep tying up one of my hands. I do know I really don't want Edward going back to Italy right now. I don't think he's thinking about it, but maybe I need to work on a design for the duplex we talked about. I can't just do nothing. If I have too much time on my hands, my thoughts are going to keep going back to dark places, and I really would like to avoid that."

Brian listened to Jack's assessment. "Well, yes and no," Brian said. "Michael's move into Gringotts was not a coordinated thing. It was impulsive on his part, but I'm glad he did it. The lodge was a necessary thing because of the rescue we ended up doing there, just like last night was necessary. We've ended up making a hole in his enterprises by sheer coincidence. The assignments have come up, and we've used them to our advantage. I'm talking about some very well planned out offensives that are well coordinated and as well timed as we can make them so that it takes him months, if not years, to recover. I think we could perhaps increase or intelligence gathering, find out all there is for us to find, and then coordinate a massive strike against him and as many of his confederates as we can possibly find. Maybe one of the largest scale operations we've ever done."

Ruby smiled and took his hand as they walked back to the picnic spot " I know, but we could go and talk to Edward about the duplex with an attached herb garden." she said smiling knowing he was like her could not sit still for more than a few minets before wanting to do something."Then we could look at sutible places and designs, unless you have one picked out, that would be fine too." she said she saw him pore out some water and shook her head " Im fine, you drink it." she smiled at him.

Jack listened to Brain and chuckled liking how he was now thinking" oh I like that idea, knock him down while hes still on his knees and keep him there." he said smiling now " lets do it, but would Robert want to know?" he asked " or even aprove of it?" he wondered if Robert would sanction such an operation but if it kept the family safe he guessed he would.