LONDON CALLING

"You really have to get a grip on that," Angus told her quietly. "Don't promise me you're not going to have any more outbursts like that until you have figured out why you do it. Until you figure it out, those things probably will still happen, but what I will accept is that you're going to try to stop it, and that's a great start. If you could just learn, before you say anything, to take a breath and just calm yourself. Think. Unless the place is on fire, you probably don't have to panic about anything."

"You said Jess once suggested to you some meditation and relaxation classes. I know St. Mungos does that on an ongoing basis, and I know there are yoga classes and tai chi. Yoga would be good and tai chi would be fabulous for you. I saw a flyer on that someplace around here, but they were making spa packages that included a two half days a week. One half day was yoga, relaxation, and aromatherapy, and the other half day include tai chi, meditation, reiki, and chair massage. Those would all be very healthy and might help you to start to dial some of that intensity down. Jess might be able to hook you up if you ask her."

"Now, if you think you want to do some training, I think you should talk with Jessie and Jack for starters," Angus said. "I'd be prepared for Jessie to want to try to encourage you that, if Jeffrey and Sarah do come on that holiday they've been meaning to do, Jessie might suggest you at least talk to Jeffrey and see if you like him. That's your choice, but Jessie and Jack both seem like it completely turned their lives around for the better. I'll support you either way. You know that."

Ruby listened to him and smiled at his sugestions " she did and yes , they sound perfect" she said hearing him say he'd support her gave her a warm feeling inside her , moving she wrapped her arms around him and sighed " thank you" she said before pulling back from him " oh I know he will and he'll make sure Im pushed hard" she said with a chuckle " but for now I'll talk to Jack" she said but a knock on the door stopped her. Jack opened the door and stepped in.

"Sorry to interupt , I couldn't help over hearing you both , Ruby I agree with Angus and I'll take you on to train you in anger control" he said smiling at her "9am tomorrow you and me out in the yard, wear gym gear." he told her and then looked at Angus "don't worry she's safe with me, I won't let anything happen to her, besides Jessie would go easy on her and she would have infulance with him being siblings this way she ahs no control." 

"Ruby looked at Angus then to Jack " I'll be there" she said and saw Jack nod as he waited for Angus to say something.

"That's fine," Angus said. "She knows I'll support whatever she chooses. Now, if we're done with this, I need some freaking fresh coffee, and then I have to get busy on a wedding cake. You do realize that Edward and Simone's wedding is coming up this Saturday. That's in two days. I've got to get cracking on this cake. And, yes, I'm taking the boys and excusing them from schoolwork. I could use their help."

He pushed his chair out from the office and found the boys finishing their breakfast. They looked at him, and he pointed to his office, as a silent question to them. Were they interested in helping him? They both nodded enthusiastically, broad smiles crossing their faces. They were honestly delighted to spend time with him.

Kate and Simone and Edward cleaned up the kitchen, and then the three of them went outside to work in the gardens. Angus recruited the boys and he made a beautiful two tier cake. Each tier was four layers, and the bottom tier was a dark chocolate espresso French silk cake, and the upper tier was an Italian triple lemon cream. He baked all eight layers in the kitchen's large commercial ovens, and Andrew and the boys helped him get the cakes carefully into the oven and out without a hitch, moving them into Angus' office onto the work tables to cool. He had had some extra batter and he made the batter up into some cupcakes of both kinds.

While the cakes were baking, Angus made the filling for both of the cakes, a chocolate mocha ganache for the bottom layer and a lemon curd for the lemon cake. Then he colored and rolled out the fondant for each cake, and got out the airbrush and the colors to airbrush the color onto the fondant and to start the real artistry behind it.

The boys were fascinated watching it all coming together, with cardboard between the cakes and dowel rods cut precisely and slipped into the cakes to keep them from sinking. It was real mechanics that was going to keep it looking perfect. And then, as they saw him painting the cake to look like log with peeling bar and moss, they were astounded. And they began hitting him up about making cakes for their birthdays, Christmas, and of course whenever he and Ruby got married. And they wanted to be a part of it all.

Jack looked at Angus and then to Ruby " forget 9 am, you me outside now, im going to start this now" he said moving to the back door to wait for her. Ruby nodded and changed her clothes to gym wear and followed Jack outside where he began teaching her how to slow her breathing then focus on something else. Rowan watched the two of them as did Jessie who moved to stand by the back door moving to walk over he lifted her arms and held them in the correct position as she moved ,

"better, much better" Jessie said as he watched Jack and Ruby " okay breath in and slowly let it out as you move" Jessie said now seming to take over the session with them both " Jeffery taught me these moves, it helps calm your mind and relax all those muscles." He looked at Jack and chukled " and you can use alot of relaxing" Jessie said making Jack stick his tounge out that made Jessie laugh.

Angus's attentions were entirely on the boys and on the cake. He had to get the cake just right. It had to be perfect.

While Angus and the boys were on the cake, Robert had a detail of men going over the farm to make sure there was no sign of any markers at the farm, and he had been there all morning, laying down layer after layer of protection spells. Gabe had found that Edward had been right. The bag that James had had was full of little trinkets that were enchanted to be markers. Once Robert knew that for certain, he had put together another team made up of some of the Paris men and some of Lee's men, and some of Daphne's. They were going through the estate as best they could, inch by inch, looking for hidden or buried markers. They were digging them up and rooting them out and chucking them in buckets for Gabe to destroy. Robert was getting angry that there were more than he had thought there were, and some looked like they had been there on Brian's estate for quite some time. Robert was surprised to find out that Gabe had kept James' fur from when Jack had shaved James, and he was working on using it to try to create a particular spell that would specifically not allow James to penetrate anywhere on the estate property or on Robert's farm.

And, Robert had also brought in an additional team to finish up the restoration and cleaning of the duplex so that the Donohues could move back home. He was hoping that might ease some of the tension for Angus and Ruby. He was also working on a plain clothes security team to outfit the Michael and Rowan's Cornwall cottage for a trip for Edward and Simone, but he wanted them to be very well protected so that they would be safe at all times, but that they would not notice the fact that the place would be well guarded.

Jack watched Jessie and how he moved and worked " hey haven't you got a patrol or search for markers to do," he said and Jessie nodded "well?" Jessie moved from them and headed to the woods where he shifted and began hunting for markers. Jack kept Ruby moving until she couldn't do much more as her muscles ached " okay go wash remember the breathing exercises"he said and Ruby nodded not having the breath to say anything. Walking past Angus she looked at him and the boys.

"Enjoying yourselves?" she asked watching them decorate the cake for Simone and Edwards's wedding "it's looking wonderful," she said " I need to shower, but after would you mind if I joined you?" she asked looking at Angus. She wanted to spend time with the boys and Angus without any fighting or events happening.

"Of course," Angus said. "We're gonna be here. At the pace this airbrush is going, you might wanna come check back when they get back from their honeymoon because I'll probably still be here."

"That's just because you're taking perfectionism to a whole new level," Sam teased Angus. "You do realize that, at this rate, this cake is going to spoil before you get done painting it. You know that, right?" Angus looked over at Sam and, just because he could, he picked up a chocolate cupcake and shoved it into Sam's mouth. Sam and Victor started to laugh, and so Angus picked up another one and shoved it into Victor's mouth. Both boys laughed hysterically, their mouths full of cake, their cheeks puffed out with cake like chipmunks. Neither of them could remember their own dad horseplaying with them, but this was great.

"That'll keep them for about thirty seconds," Angus told Ruby, "but I have more cupcakes if I need 'em."

Ruby smiled then laughed as Angus put cupcakes in Sam and Victors mouths " I think it looks magical and have you thought there doing it to get free cup cakes?" she told him as she lent down and kissed his cheek " I'll make it a quick shower" she said and headed to the bedroom returning several minuets later dressed in slacks and a button down shirt of Angus's. Moving to a stool she sat next to Angus " so what do you need me to do?" she asked watching every one else making flowers and small twigs to add to the cake.

Jack went for a run and met up with the wolves he thanked them for their help and stayed with them for a while playing with the pups until he ahd to leave and continue his patrol. Jessie walked around the grounds with several men and Gabe finding the last few markers and bagging them until none were left. He paused and shivered as he stepped on a mound " Gabe I think theres a strong one here." he said moving to lean on a tree. " sent a bad shiver threw me." he explained.

"That's okay, I get free silence," Angus teased.

"Here," Sam told Ruby when she got back and asked what she could do. He handed her a mold for making delicate fondant fern leaves and some green fondant. He showed her how to press the fondant into the mold and he showed her how to get it out of the mold without ripping the little leaves. "We need bunches of those green thingys."

"Leaves, Idjit," Victor teased. Angus had put a base coat of fondant on both tiers and had worked on molding realistic looking tree bark on the cake and now he was airbrushing it in all sorts of shades of brown and tan and green to make it look like a realistic looking log with moss on it. Then, he planned on mounting the flowers, mushrooms, butterflies and bees on the "log."

"You guys wanna see something secret? You absolutely can't tell a soul," he asked them quietly. "Look at this." He set his work aside and he got a beautiful wooden box off a shelf. The box was beautifully decorated with brass hinges and a brass latch. He rolled back to the work table and put the box on it. "Kate has been working on this around the clock since they picked out their wedding outfits. Look at this." He opened the box and got out the cake topper. It was a beautiful handmade sculpture Kate had done of Edward and Simone, in the very wedding outfits they had chosen, done in miniature with them standing in each other's arms in a loving embrace, under a reproduction of the grapevine arch they would have at the wedding, with cascades of the same sorts of flowers that were going to be on the arch and in Simone's bouquet.

"What do you think?" he asked them.

Ruby sat down and chuckled at Sam and Victor as she started to make the leaves. She watched as Sam and Victor made some as Angus made logs then moved to show them the cake topper Simone had made and she smiled. "it's perfect for the top, she's really talented " she said admiring the figures facing each other. "I wonder what we'd have on ours?" she said softly " I know I'd leave that to you to do, or find, its fine either way but that is a keeper topper."

She went back to making the fern leaves until she had run out of green fondant. " okay, Im out of fondant." she said sitting back slightly on the stool as she watched the boys and Angus making things still. Seeing more green fondant she took some and continued making more untill she had a huge pile infront of her " is that enough?"