LONDON CALLING

James decided if he didn't go now, he really might bleed out and not survive. He changed his mind and ported out. Edward heard other porting sounds. He stood still and listened, and he heard absolutely nothing but night sounds.

"Thanks, Guys. We might finally be clear," Edward said. ""If we're smart, though, we'll leave armed patrols around the house til daybreak. Once dawn breaks, we should be significantly safer. Jack, can you work with Lee and station some armed men around the house for what little remains of the night? And then let's get inside and lock the house down. Bring that bag and that whatever-it-is, Guys. I think it could hold for ten minutes once we get in so we can all three hit the showers and wash off all this grime. I'll see you both in the kitchen in about ten minutes."

He went inside and found Kate doing breakfast prep by one little dim light.

"I think you can turn up the lights now," Edward said, turning on the lights. "Let me go shower, and I'll give you a hand."

"Can you cook?"

"Well, I had a lot of years after Caprice died, and Angus was still young enough yet, that one of us needed to cook. I'm not Angus or Michael, but it's generally edible. Give me a few minutes so I don't get dirt in the breakfast." He went upstairs and found Simone sitting in a chair in the bedroom, sound asleep. He picked up a blanket and draped it over her and then he hit the showers.

Angus saw that the danger was apparently over and was about to try to figure out if he was strong enough and able to walk up the stairs to the bedroom when Brian came downstairs, clean and showered.

"Don't even think about it," Brian said. "I'll apparate you upstairs, Mate." Brian apparated Angus upstairs and took him to the bedroom. "What can I help you do?"

"That's enough. I've got it from here," Angus said. "Thanks." Brian smiled and left, and Angus managed to simply wash up a bit and change into fresh clothes. He wasn't sure if those who had gone to Abbey's room had stayed awake or had fallen asleep, but he had heard Edward come up and go into his room. That told him the danger was past. Angus pushed his chair to Abbey's room and looked in.

"We're clear," he said softly to whoever might still be awake in there.

Jessie picked up the bag and followed Edward inside the house with teh bag in his hands. " I'll put this in Brains lab for safty" he said and headed down to the basment. Jack headed to find lee once he had found him he told him what Edward had said "he ran with his tail between his knees" Jack told Lee " but Edward would like men to patrol the outside until dawn." he said " now Im of to shower" he said and headed to teh main house. Entering he smiled seeing Kate and Edward cooking.

Ruby looked up at the door and smiled in relife at Angus as he entered " shush, Abbys sleeping" she said softly and stiffly stood up " come on boys, its safe to sleep in your own room, unless you want to sleep here" she said smiling as she watched them slowly get up and move to their room. Looking down at Angus she lent down and kissed him " I was worried about you" she said hugging him close to her.

"Sorry I worried you," he said quietly. "You'll be happy to know I was no help whatsoever. Edward had Jessie and Jack, and it sounds like they ran him off. If you'd be kind enough to apparate me back downstairs, I smell something cooking already downstairs. I could lend a hand while you shower. I'm hoping this house is a bit quiet this morning. I'm figuring people will come for breakfast and then maybe meet briefly. Then, if Robert holds true to pattern, he'll excuse people from training today and relieve them of everything except the most essential duties...

"Wait," Angus interrupted himself. "What's that behind you? Don't move...Oh. It's Fudge--coming out of Robert's room. Mind picking him up, please? I'm guessing Robert must have snatched him up when he evacuated the house and left him in his shirt pocket. That tells me Robert sat down in his room and dozed off before he got a chance to put Fudge back. I bet Fudge is hungry and thirsty and tired--like the rest of us."

Ruby looked behind her her arms still around Angus until he said it ws Fudge " oh my dear" she said and moved to pick fudge up " I'll get some food and water for him and see if I can help down stairs, at least I can do that with out messing up" she said then smiled before kissing him once more as he spoke of aperating him back down stairs " of course " she said and did just so moving him to the living room window.

She then moved to Fudges stand where she refilled his water and gave him a treat block she had in her pocket. " okay rest up little guy" she said and moved to Edward and Kate " want some help?" she asked loking from one to the other as she lent on the counter slightly.

"Well, I'll be happy to talk to Robert about that and see if I can't help smooth that over with him, but if I'm to help you, you'll have to help me understand what you thought you were going to accomplish with that," he said. "I'm not trying to be critical. I'm honestly not, but you and I probably do need a moment to discuss that, don't you think?"

Fudge seemed delighted to get an early breakfast and to get back to his little tree home. And then he noticed something new. Someone had made him a beautiful little green leather hammock and had hung it in his tree. The edges of the hammock had been beautifully etched with images of vines and leaves. It was lovely, and the hammock was hanging by beautiful little green threads. They'd even given him a pretty little fluffy green cotton pillow and a little blanket. It seemed to excite him that someone would think to do that for him.

"Sure," Kate said to Ruby when she came into the kitchen. "I think we should make breakfast pure comfort food this morning. I was thinking of a fry up and maybe then some sort of decadent coffee cake or a batch of some sort of scones. Angus has a recipe in his book for a dark chocolate scone with dark chocolate chunks and a dark chocolate ganache drizzle. That ought to take care of the biggest sweet tooth, don't you think? Anyway, Edward is peeling potatoes, and I found some absolutely gorgeous portabellos in the fridge. I thought I would make a sausage stuffing for them and then grill them, just to be a little different.

Ruby looked at Angus and nodded " agreed" she said softly to him " and well I wasn't wanting to accomplish anything I think but let her know just how mad we were at her, it was a stupid move I know" she told him " and I do regret doing it, its why I have chosen to step down as a fighter and focus on being a mum, the best I can.." she sighed and moved to Kate but not befre glancing back at Angus with a smile.

" okay so what do you need me to do?" she said slipping on an apron and making sure her hands were clean. Moving to the fridge she took them out and washed them before placing them on the counter " sliced or diced?" she asked taking a knife and laying it on teh counter blade against teh baord for safty. " oh who made the hammok its perfect for him." she said " and it looks beautiful"

"Now, wait a second," Angus said, "stepping down because you made a mistake? That's not the right answer. That would literally be doing two wrongs to make one right. The key isn't on quitting. The key is in honing your skills. Ru, you're the one who is angry with her. I'm not angry, and I really don't think the boys are either. Frankly, I think they're relieved to be rid of her. Besides, I honestly don't think she cares that you might be angry with her. Remember she actively chose the opposite side without asking any of you what you thought about it. Besides that, don't ever show your cards to your enemy one second sooner than you have to," he smiled at her. "We might have to hone your poker and chess skills."

"You can do whatever you like with them, really," Kate said. "That's what I like about mushrooms. They're like a blank canvas. We can slice them and sautee them with a little onion and garlic, maybe in a little peanut oil for additional flavor, or you could take out the stems, scrape out the gills and stuff them. I've got some ground sausage and some breadcrumbs, and I've got a bunch of onions already chopped. We could add some fresh sage and rosemary and make a sausage stuffing to put in the caps and then grill them. I dont care. You're a good cook. Get creative and do whatever you like. Whatever brings you joy and comfort for breakfast." She listened to Ruby talk about the hammock. "Oh, I did that. I thought he deserved a bed of his own. Do you think he likes it? I just put it in there last night while the boys were outside kicking James out."

Ruby listened and nodded " yeah I guess so, but how?" she told him with a smile then listened to Kate,  " I think to take out the stems, scrape out the gills and stuff them sounds delish," she said starting to twist out the stems and take out the middle once done she lay them on a baking tray, " hum we could stuff them with the sausage filling we were going to make, using the stems to add flavour" she suggested.

Jack walked down with a towel drying his head before placing it in the wash basket to be washed " hum those look interesting." he said looking at the mushrooms.

" Stuffed portabello mushrooms." she told him and he chuckled "kate, Edward and I are doing breakfast," she told him as she drizzled some olive oil over them to help with cooking.

Edward made the fried potatoes and heated up some beans, and Kate made the eggs and bacon and some tomatoes. Simone came downstairs just in time and pitched in and made two flavors of scones. She made the triple chocolate scones Kate had mentioned and then she made some pumpkin scones with some tiny pieces of caramel tucked into the dough so that every so often when one bit into the scone, they got a little piece of warm, gooey caramel, and she drizzled the pumpkin scones with a salted caramel glaze. Edward took time to make sure there was plenty of coffee and tea brewing, and by then the kitchen was smelling sensational.

Angus saw Robert come downstairs, and he diverted Robert down the hall into Brian's office where Robert closed the door and they had a talk about last night. Angus knew how to make sense to Robert, especially when he had allowed Robert to calm down. Robert was willing to give Ruby another chance--if she was willing to learn to discipline herself a little bit and not be so bloody impulsive. Robert's point to Angus was that Ruby often was reckless and impulsive, and she just couldn't do that anymore if she was to be a fighter. Angus suggested that Robert temporarily allow Jessie and Jack work with her by going over a couple times a week to the farm and work on some of the simulations on the enchanted training courses so that they could work with her on how to stop responding by emotion and impulse but to be a quality fighter.

Robert got up, went into the kitchen and called to Jack.

"Jack, could I see you for just a moment, please?" he asked, motioning to Jack to follow him into Brian's office where Angus still was.

Jack had stood watching all the food being made when he heard Robert call him over . Standing he moved over to him and followed him into the office "you yelled?" he said smiling but seeing Angus there he looked at Robert and saw it was serious " Okay, what am I to do and whom am I training this time?" he asked his arms folded over his chest as he sat and waited for him to explain.

Ruby saw Robert call Jack and sighed filling teh musrooms with the sausage filling and plcing them in the oven to cook as she waited for the others to finish cooking. It was now she made several Easy breakfast burritos and placed them on a patter for those who wanted some.