LONDON CALLING

Jessie thought for amoment and smiled " the peacock one would be perfect." he told him thinking how it matched Kaden perfectly. He took out a small note book and started scetching, badly I might add some designs wondering if he could find a jewler to make it for him. The design was simple a gold band with a single stone in it. It would be his promise to Kaden that he would be there with him always.

Jesie picked up his pack and slung it over his shoulder as he waited for the others to ready them selves as he saw several men walking back pushing a cart or mine cart filled with raw stones. " wow thats a lot" he said motioning to Brian and Michael.

Emil got up from the fire ring and started filching through a bucket of little scrap shards of the peacock colored stones, and he cam across three or four pieces that had some promise of being what Jessie wanted. He took them and handed the little pebbles to him.

"Right now, these don't look anything like what you want, but I think they could work out that way. For it to be a gemstone that looks like it is of the right quality to go into a ring, you have to start with a raw stone, tumble it and polish it and cut it. It takes some work. But I think these little pieces have some promise of working out. One of these should turn out as a transparent stone if it is polished and cut correctly. Try them and see, and if it isn't right, let me know," he told him.

"That's not all for us, I don't think," Sergio laughed. Emil walked over to the cart and took a ten pound cloth bag and looked through the stones in the cart, checking them for quality. He filled the sack with with he thought were the best in the cart.

"Will this meet Lupin's needs?" Emil asked.

"I'm not an alchemist, but I presume it will," Brian said. "Thank you so very much. Thank you for your kindness and your hospitality. You will definitely see us again."

"Good. Maybe next time you will spend a couple days with us to just enjoy some of the good things we have to offer."

"I think we'd probably all like that," Michael said.

"And you," Emil said, looking at Michael, "you look like you play chess or cards."

"Both, actually."

"Are you any good?"

"Are you?"

"Teerrible," Emil lied.

"So am I," Michael replied, also lying.

"Good. So we know where we stand when we face off," Emil replied. Both men laughed.

They departed in friendship, feeling like they had made friends and allies with the miners. Sergio was now very watchful indeed. He had gone from levity and laughter and fun to being very serious and on guard. watching for any sign of the shapeshifters.

"That way," he pointed them towards the southwest to head back to the mountain to start the journey down.

Jessie watched as Emil looked in a bucket of smallish stones and handed him a few, he also told him what he ahd to do and he smiled " thankyou so much, but what do I owe you for them?" he asked as hed made no mention of what he wanted. " these will make my promise to some one special , realy special now." he said smiling as he placed them into a small bag then onto his pocket. He watched as sergio sorted threw the cart and took stones he felt would be perfect for Robert.

Once he was done he walked over to them all listening to Michael and Emil talk about chess and cards he chuckled and shook his head knowing he'd come back with Michael too if he needed a traveling partner that is.

"No charge," Emil said simply. "As I told you, any friend of Angus's is a friend of ours."

After their goodbyes were said, Sergio led them away from the mine, through the short walk in the woods to the mountain's edge. He and Michael and Brian set down their packs, got out their harnesses and ropes and got ready to repel downward.

"Do you want to go first, or shall I?" Sergio asked.

"I'll lead," Michael said. "Jessie, you follow me, and Brian and Sergio will follow." Michael hooked up to Hiss, shouldered his pack, and started repelling downward. "Come along," he called. "The pitons are holding just fine."

"On our way," Brian called as he and Sergio shouldered their packs and put on their climbing gear.

Sergio was already thinking of how quickly they would want to be returning to England. However, he was also aware that Ana had talked to Nicu about making a capture stone. That would surely take the better part of a day to do. He was hoping they would delay their return to Budapest long enough to give Nicu the time to make the stone they needed to capture Zina.

At Ana's, Ana had gone down to the kitchen and had made coffee for her and Angus, packed the lunches for her children, and fixed breakfast for the five of them. It was simple this morning, just eggs and toast. Angus freshened up, dressed and shaved. There was a rather sizeable coal black and purplish bruise up at his hairline where Ana had put the butterfly bandages. Well, that was attractive, wasn't it?

When he got down to the kitchen, Ana handed him coffee. After the kids left for school, he told him she had fruit and vegetables in the garden to pick this morning. That would give him some time to open the floo and talk to Robert about Sergio and Ana. He took his coffee and went into the living room and opened the floo. He got Robert almost straight away.

"I've been wondering about you. How are you feeling?"

"It's almost too early to know," Angus said.

"Did you sleep in?" Robert was aware that Romanian time was two hours ahead of England.

"I must have. Evidently I hit my head last night."

"What? What happened?"

"I cooked supper last night and then went up to soak in the tub and fell and hit my head."

"That isn't like you," Robert frowned. "Did you overdo it by fixing supper?"

"Maybe," he said. "I do feel quite a bit better this morning, though."

"Well, at least that's good. Where's Brian?"

"He and the others went up to the mine yesterday. We expect them back today."

"Without you?"

"They didn't think I was in any shape to go, and unfortunately, they were right. Makes me feel like a huge hinderance to them by being here," he said, as he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to see Ana warming his coffee. He had thought she was still outside.

"Angus, you're one of best fighters I have," Robert told him. "That's why you're on the first string. You shine in missions' work--you always have. You don't travel that far on a mission to be left sitting on the sideline. I understand that. So what happened clearly, was that you got stir crazy by being benched. You overdid yourself, and that was why you fell in the bathroom. What am I going to do with you?" Robert sighed, sounding more like a father than a mission commander. "Do I need to tell you to watch yourself today until Brian gets back and can check to see exactly how you are?"

"Robert," Angus scowled.

"So will you be on your way back when the team gets back, then?"

"Depends on if they get back in time to get to Budapest before ten, but I somewhat doubt it today. Besides, there's an alchemist in town who apparently knows how to make capture stones. Sergio and Ana and I were going to see if he could carve one of the stones to be a duplicate for the staff stone and make it a capture stone."

"Oh, now that was a development I didn't expect," Robert said. "Excellent! I like that idea a lot. How long would that take?"

"Maybe several hours. Maybe a day. Depends on how much work to shape the stone, not so much the time to enchant it."

"That would be worthwhile, if you can be safe while you do it. No sign of the shapeshifters yet?"

"Not yet, but, that's interesting. Evidently the locals have frequent activity from various shapeshifters here, and people do not get at all rattled by the news of these two coming. It's general annoyance overall. They seem to feel that shapeshifters are basically just a form of magical pest."

"Then we need to find out how they deal with them."

"Well, I need to find out how they mount a defense, yes. I'll ask Sergio and Ana. However, this same alchemist makes medallions that signal the presence of a shapeshifter. I think Ana would let me bring one home. Maybe Gabe can use it and make more. One more piece of business, though. Evidently, Gelding has been stealing from this area too. Sergio and Ana have been looking for our organization to ask for our help but had no idea who ran it or how to contact us."

"Then we'll get on it, of course. If he's been in that area, we need to find out the details."

"Of course," Angus said. "Your word carries weight, even here. If you give them your word, they will see hope in it for their families."

"If my word matters, then certainly you should give them my word that we will do all we can to help them."

"One more thing. Sergio and Ana want to join our organization."

"And you can vouch for them? What are their skills?"

"Absolutely. Top notch fighters, both of them. Sergio is a hunter of dark vampires by trade, and Ana is a bit of a mixed bag. I can see her and Michael being an impressive pair. She's good at stealth and has an invisibility cloak. She has a clever little talent of being able to misdirect her spells. She can cast her spells but make them look like they come from somewhere other than from where she's standing. It was how she and I met."

"Now, that sounds like a clever little talent. Well, it isn't as if we don't have all kinds of members from all parts of the globe. If they want to join, then make them an offer. Invite them to go see the Paris location and also maybe invite them here so I can meet them myself. Then leave them with one or two of our medallions when you go, and we'll replace them when you all get back."

"Thanks," Angus said.

"And Angus?"

"Yes?"

"I'm only going to say this once. I expect Brian to check you when he returns from the mine and I expect you to follow whatever medical advice he gives you from here on out until you get home. No mission, however important, is as important as you are. Family comes first, and you're part of my family. Understand?" Robert was far more fatherly than mission commander today.

"Yeah, okay."

"Stay in touch, won't you?"

"Of course," Angus said, closing the floo.

"He treats you like a son?" Ana asked.

"He does," Angus said. "And he's been a far better father figure to me than my own ever was. Weren't you going to work in the garden?"

"I got distracted," she said, not even attempting to hide the fact that she had been curious about his relationship with Robert Lupin.

"Come on. I'll help you harvest your garden," he told her.

Robert went out to the kitchen where the others were having breakfast.

"Things seem to be going well with our missions team, so far as Angus knows. Sergio took the team to the mine yesterday, but Angus was too ill to go. So he stayed behind at Sergio's house. Angus says he's feeling considerably better today. Although, he was a bit of a doofus last night. Overdid it, fell and hit his head. He seems fine otherwise, although, of course, he is still a lousy patient and has no ability to sit still and recover. Aside from that, he's alright. I doubt they'll be able to get down from the mine and into Budapest today, and since there is only one Orient Express departure from Budapest at ten this morning, I expect they won't start home until maybe tomorrow morning. That would put them home about supper time the day after tomorrow."

Jessie smiled at emil " thank you" he said then followed Michael to the edge of the rock face he hooked on and lent slowly back then stepped off but almost walked back dowwn the face as he rapelled backwards he chuckled hearing Brian and Sergio come down after him. Keeping his rope away from him he easily made it to the bottome of the first half. " okay easy bit done Im guessing?" he stepped back undoing the rope nd waiting on the others to join them.

Ruby had been bakibng in the kitchen when she heard Angus's voice threw the floo , she walke into the living room and listened , sighing when he said he'd hit his head when he fell. As Robert retold what had happened she nodded and was relived he was okay. " hes going to need alot of rest when hes home" she said " but Im guessing hes going to need a lot of rest when hes home , but I know he wont and will be in the kitchen." She wiped her hands dry and clean of flour from making bread and buscuits.

"We still have the second rock face to repel down, and then the short walk back to Sergio's, but at least we have half the journey done," Michael said. "I'm looking forward to a hot shower, a second cup of coffee and a cigarette--maybe not in that order."

"While you all do that, I'll take the rocks into Nicu and ask him about the capture stone," Sergio said. "If I know Ana, she'll have a list of things for me to pick up in town anyway. I might as well take the stones while I'm going. Living where we do means almost a daily trip to town for something."

"Well,does anyone need a break, or shall we get to the second bit and get this done with?" Michael asked.

"I think we should get it done," Brian said.

"Jessie?" Michael asked.

"Well, he will need another couple of days of somewhat lesser activity, I'm guessing," Robert replied to Ruby. "I doubt he'll need complete rest, but I'll know more when I can check him myself. Once I see how he is, then we'll be able to determine how active he should or shouldn't be. He knows that he'll be at the end of that sort of horseplay he's doing right now when he gets back here to me. He won't be able to get by me to continue it when he gets home."

Jessie nodded in agreement to Brians words. " I agree sooner were down the better." he said and waited for them to hook back up for the second half " and I agree a shower and hot coffee sounds good." he hooked up and once more began the desent down teh rock face to the ground below.

Ruby nodded her agreement to Robert " yeah but do you realy think he will sit and rest , light work should be alright for him, and some kitchen work." she asked knowing Angus would do that even if Robert disagreed with him. "I have the house all set up Angus can change anything if its not right for him, plants are in the herb garden and growing nicely." she added " and I made fresh bread rolls for tomorrow with breakfast buscuits with Angus's recipies." she told him

"Let's get to it, then," Michael said. He began his own descent down the mountain, and Brian and Sergio followed. Michael had enjoyed the climbing but he realized he was probably the only one who had. Still, there was some relief in knowing that they had gotten through the trip to the mine without having to get into a duel with anybody. They'd gotten the rocks and had made friends and some valuable connections. And, they had learned a great deal about the shapeshifters and the sorceress. All in all, it had been highly successful.

They made rather quick work of the short walk back to Sergio's house, and Sergio found Ana and Angus in the garden, nearly finished with picking the fresh fruit and vegetables that were ready. Ana and Angus had made a shopping list based on what he had decided he wanted to try to make for supper. Ana gave Sergio a hug and a kiss, glad they were back safely. She had made apples in pajamas and told Sergio to take a plate of them to Nicu when he went to town. She also told him to offer some to his fellow travelers when he went back inside.

Michael and Brian had taken their packs to their rooms and had headed straight for the shower. Then Michael came back down, bringing the sack of stones downstairs with him. They'd been in his pack. He set the stones down on the floor in the living room and had gone into the kitchen and poured himself some coffee. Sergio came in and saw Michael was finished in the shower. He found the shopping list and also the large platter of apples in pajamas. He got out a plate and put some on it to take to Nicu.

"Apples in Pajamas," Sergio said, gesturing to the plate. "Help yourselves. I'm sure Ana will make some lunch soon, and, as I expected, she is sending me to town to shop. I'm going to take some apples with me. I won't be long. Sit and enjoy having the lion's share of your mission behind you. I'll be back." He headed out the door. Brian came downstairs and poured himself some coffee as Michael picked up one of the apples in pajamas slices and tasted it.

"Oh, these little buggars are addictive as shit," Michael said. "Sergio might not get any if he doesn't run straight home."

"I try not to fence anyone in more than necessary," Robert said, "but if he needs to be sat on for his own good, it's not beyond me to do it."

Jessie followed every one back to sergios home. stepping in he was glad they wer back on firm ground " have to say Micheal thugh that was one hell of a climb , it was so worth it" he said placing his pack down by his feet as he took an apple in blanket. " delish" he said to the taste of the soft but crunchy apple.

He sat and took out the small stones and looekd at each one seeing the colours shimmer in the light he found one with exceptional coloring and shine and decided that would be the one he used and placed it in his breast pocket the others he placed back in teh bag and put back in his back pack. Moving to the kitchen he grabbed a cup of coffe and sat down looking at Angus " so , how the.." he pointed to his head to indicate he'd seen the bruise on his head.

"It's all Ana's fault," Angus teased.

"It is not," Ana retorted. "You could have just told me you went to culinary school instead of trying to prove it."

"And you would have never believed me," Angus said.

"He overdid himself yesterday and passed out on my bathroom floor and hit his head on my tub."

"Was it the tub?" Angus asked.

"You left a big smudge of blood on the corner of the tub."

"A blow like that should have killed you, you git," Brian said. "Robert will have your balls in a sling when he finds out."

"He knows. I talked to him earlier," Angus said.

"And did you tell him the truth?"

"What I knew of it," Angus said. "My balls still live." Michael shook his head, laughing.

"Wait. Let me see," Ana said, teasing, deliberately egging them all on. Michael and Brian burst into hysterical laughter. Angus just shook his head.

"Some things never change," Angus said. "She grew up as the youngest of eight--the only girl with seven older brothers. Offer her an opportunity like that, and she can't resist herself."