LONDON CALLING

"Well, good," Robert said. "Sounds like he's back to normal. Another three or four days, we'll go back out, put him out all over again just for half a tick, long enough for me to remove the sutures. Then, he'll be back to his ornery old self. I'll try to have a nice whole fish for him as a treat if he's a good lad about it."

"Did you ever figure out what that nasty smoking slug was about?" Michael asked.

"Actually, yes. It was an ordinary garden slug that someone had cast quite a foul dark spell on. The spell seemed to be designed to turn the thing parasitic and to infect the host so they would do dark behaviors and think quite foul thoughts. We should be very very grateful it was the hippogriff it got and not us. If it had gotten one of us, it would have very likely made us quite murderous indeed. And, before you ask, no, it couldn't have been our escaped sorceress because she hadn't yet escaped by then. So, obviously, it was someone else. Don't know who yet, but I will do my best to find out."

"We, Darling--unless we're not a team anymore. WE will find out who was at work to turn us against each other," Kate said to Robert.

"We are still a team," Robert said. "You're quite right. Apologies, all. Didn't mean to slight you."

"Nobody thinks you're slighting them," Michael said. "The team will do what it does. It's just how we all operate. I'm all yours to assist you until you send me out to the sticks in a couple days."

"And if there is one cursed slug, there is likely to be more," Kate said. "No dark arts worker would go the trouble of just cursing one slug and setting it loose. Too much of a chance for the slug to not do any damage at all. If there's one, there has to be more slogging about in the yard here. I say we see if we can find them."

"That'll be like a needle in a haystack," Brian frowned.

"Not at all," Michael said. He got up, accio'd one of Robert's jar, went outside and opened the jar, and accio'd all the slugs. He put the lid on the jar and came back inside. "There you go. Every blooming slug around. Now, its your job to figure out which ones are out of their little one-celled brains, and which ones aren't. Not my department. You wanted slugs, I got you slugs. Now, what's for dessert?"

Ruby and Jess watched as Michael walked out side with an empty jar then walked back in with a full jar " wow, remind me to get Michael around when the herb garden has a slug problem" Ruby said chukaling as she saw the jar. " but please don't put that thing on the table." she said as she ate her salad.

Jess looked at the Jar and chuckled at the sight of all the slugs " hum thers less than I expected" she said looking threw the glass. Jack chuckled as he just continued to eat his food. Glancing at Abby Jess ate her food too. " good food Kate and Ruby." she said.

"thanks and for desert, Im not sure, did you make something Kate?" Ruby asked not sure if Kate had made something or if Angus had anticipated and made soemthing.

"Why would I put the slugs on the table?" Michael looked at her, the thought not even entering his head."

"Did you forget?" Kate asked Ruby. "Abbey remembers. Don't you, Abbey?" Abbey nodded, giggling. "Ice cream, but with a bit of a twist. What flavors do you all want, or shall I just give you your favorites?"

"Surprise me," Robert said.

"That works," Michael said, "Mix them up. Surprise us." She took the scoops of ice cream, put two scoops in each chocolate chip cookie bowl, and then floated the toppings over to the table. She passed around the cookie bowls until someone claimed each bowl, and she decided she would just take what was left.

"Chocolate chip cookie bowls. Now that is ingenious," Angus said.

"Abbey thought of it," Kate said. "Wasn't me. It was Abbey. I think she got it from you and all that time she's spent with you making biscuits in the kitchen. She's learned from you, and she likes being in the kitchen. And now she has ideas of her own."

"Well done, Abbey," Brian said, pleased with her. "They're delicious. Good job. We'll have to remember these, because I know I would certainly like to have these again."

Ruby chuckled " na I didn't was going to have it as a suprise" she said smiling as she headed with Kate to the freezer and dished up the ice cream in individual cookie dough bowls. She sat down and at " yeah, its great, means very little washing up after" she chuckled seeing Jack dig in to the ice cream, he had a bit of every one where as Jess had mint choc chip, she on the other hand had the mint and a bit of strawberry. with some fresh strawberrys on the side.

" yum this is delish, you should make these again" Jack said as he tucked into the cookie bowl leaving nothing behind. " alright im on patrol, see you all later." he said placing his plate and cutlry in the washer. Jess finished soon after and took the jar down to the lab.

"I'll check them out, ones that are clean I'll release some place nicer than our garden." Jess said " the others robert, thats down to you" Jess placed the jar in the new cabinets and locked the door before she left the room.

"Thanks, Jess," Robert said, always glad for Jess's help. Kate and Khaat cleared the table and the dining room, put the leftovers away, and set a washing up spell to do the dishes. Michael filled mugs with coffee or tea for those that wanted it.

Robert finished his coffee and then set his cup aside.

"I'll be back," Robert said. "Its a nice night outside, so I think I'm going out for a run."

"I'll take over for you if you want to go, Marcus," Brian said. "I know you missed your run this morning."

"I think I will. Thanks," Marcus smiled, thanking Brian. He transfigured his suit to running clothes, seeing Robert had already transfigured his own clothes.

"I think I'll pass," Michael said, deciding he wanted nothing more than a good cigarette and maybe a glass of port.

"Maybe I should go and give it a try," Angus said.

"Absolutely not," Robert said firmly. "Angus, your shoulder and your ribs aren't mended. I do not want you to risk them and tax them before you have to. No running. If you want to do anything, walk. Stretch your legs. But we must be conservative. Why don't you and Ruby take a walk down tot he fishing pond and back? It would be a nice night for it." Angus looked over at Ruby. He didn't want her to feel like she had to go with him. He knew she had had a long day and she probably was tired. Still, it wasn't a far walk to the pond and back. He was going to leave it up to her.

Ruby looked up at Angus then to Robert " I'd love to walk down to the pond" she said " but only if you want to" she said to Angus as she stood up and moved out onto the porch waiting for him to join her or not. She saw Michael who was smoking not far from her. Looking up she saw the milkyway the colours changed again now a purple where she had seen red before. She took a deep breath in and sighed glancing at the faint light from the duplex not far away from them.

Jack walked the perimiter with little problems, he saw the wolves and smiled as the young one who use to be the pup walked over to him and followed his path as if mimiking his patrol. " keeping me company huh." he said and the young one lolled out his tounge in responce " okay don't fall behind." Jack told him.

"Sure," he smiled. He walked out to the porch and took her hand. He saw her looking up at the sky, and he looked up seeing the milky way. "Suppose, when we're in our 80's, we'll still be looking up that the same sky? Or will we be home babysitting our great grandkids?"

He picked up a few choice pebbles and skipped them across the farm pond. He was about to say something to Ruby when Archangel landed on his shoulder with something in his beak. He glanced over to see what it was and a little fish flapped hopelessly in Archangel's beak, splashing him with pond water.

"Come to sit with me during your dinner, did you?" Angus said, trying not to laugh. "Either eat it or be off with you." Archangel tossed the little fish in the air and opened his beak to swallow it down whole. "Good lad."

"You know, Ru, if you want to go, I'm sure I could make a case for you to go. The climbing could still be an obstacle. I won't lie. It isn't the sort of are that I would like you to cut your teeth on, though. If you want to learn, Michael's the one to teach you. Even in his 60's he climbs better than any young guy I've ever seen. It really is completely his element. There's a climbing wall in the exercise facility down at St. Mungos. Robert put it in there a few years ago, and people enjoy it. He's even had to add some easier shorter walls for beginners and kids. You should have him take you and see if you like it. And if you like it, there are a lot of places with great climbing and great camping--if you like roughing it. Ever been camping?"

Ruby felt him take her hand and together they walked down to the pond. She smiled as she saw Archangel land on his shoulder" reguler disny princess hey" she said chukaling a she watched Archangel eat the fish. " I want to go but I don't want you to feel Im smothering you or holding you back from being yourself." she said chuckled and nodded " yes I have, in a tent underthe starts cooking over and open fire, I love that, it makes me feel alive." she told him " making food with what you have, I know we'll have food but the idea of foraging for food its exciting, and i've never been to Romania."

Looking down at her hands she spoke again " I've been wanting to talk to you about kids and when you'd think about maybe trying." she asked her voice growing softer towards the end. she didn't want to make him feel like she was trapping him by talking about it but she also knew she wasn't getting any younger, nether of them were. " I know you have the charm as do I, I asked Robert to cast it on me too, so its okay if you say not yet."

"It really isn't up to me," Angus said. "I only worry about the climbing since you've never tried it. Some of the faces that we have to go up are dangerous climbs and not for beginners. And I think the only reason Robert didn't want you going. He knows the risk of you getting hurt or worse on those surfaces could be quite high.

"Ru, it isn't my idea to go at all," he sighed. "You know I don't want to go to freaking Romania. I don't blood like Romania--never have. I'd much rather be here with you. Especially if you want to be trying to get pregnant. Makes it a whole lot harder to try to get pregnant if you're here and I'm there. And if you want to get pregnant, climbing some of the things we'll be dealing with is not going to help that happen.

"Robert may not let you come, despite anything I would say. But if you want to try, I'll ask. If you want to look to start having a family, quite honestly, I would be more than a little nervous to have you possibly pregnant and risking your life to decide that's when you want to start to climbing. I...I don't want it to change us, to change who you and i are, but...I might be tempted to get a bit protective if we're going to start a family. I don't want to box you in or cramp your style or...God, I'm waffling again. I hope you know what I'm saying because I bloody don't know..." he said, almost laughing a little at his own awkwardness.

Ruby listened to him and smiled as she heard him waffle a little "Yeah you have said it before and maybe a little bit of waffeling, but I understand and yes, I'd like for us to start our own family, so I'll stay here, we can go camping in a safer place when you get back but please." she moved closer to him her arms wrapping around his waist as she held him close to her.

"Stay safe and come home in one peice, with that darn crystal so you don't have to ever go back there." she said as she held up her necklace she smiled to him." I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me becuse I love it and you, I think Im doing the waffeling now, if you still want to when you come home we can talk to Robert about removing the charm or we could to that now, im okay with ether."