LONDON CALLING

"Well, as I said, it's not my position to meddle in that," Angus said. "That's between them."

"I'm glad the boys and Abbey got some enjoyment from the pumpkins," Edward said. "Every kid should get a chance to do that. Well, if you all will excuse me, I'm going to excuse myself and get back to my bride. I'll tell Simone that you'd be glad to have her help in the morning."

"Thanks," Angus said.

"Goodnight, All," Edward said. He took his leave and went home.

"That really needs to be my cue to go too," Andrew said. "Especially if I need to be back here by 4:30 in the morning."

"Make it five," Angus said. "They can get adjusted to starting breakfast a wee bit later."

"Bless you," Andrew laughed. "Okay, since we're getting up in the middle of the night. I'm going home. Goodnight." He left them.

"Come on, Finn," Angus said, "I know you need to have one more chance to go out before bed." he managed to get p to go over and let Finn out but then he had to sit down while waiting on Finn to return. He took a seat on the front porch to wait for the dog. When Finn came back, Angus came back in with Finn and locked the door. He looked at the stairs, knowing he didn't have the energy to go up them by himself, so he settled back into his chair, yawning. "I wonder when I should give apparating a try again," he said, missing his abilities to do a lot of things.

Ruby looked at Angus and nodded " you did say that" she said smiling as she continued smiling when Edward said he was going head back to Simone " all right, good night" she said. When Andrew also spoke of heading out to bed she smiled and nodded " night Andrew " she said and placed down her kniting. She saw Angus yawn and then mention trying aperating and she shook her head " maybe try when Roberts around please ..just incase" she said " I realy don't want a fiance thats spliced" she admited moving to stand next to him " would you be okay if I Aperated us up stairs for now, I enjoy being close to you." she said smiling a cheeky grin at him as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Setting him down on the bed she moved to pull back the covers so he could lay down while she changed into her night clothes and brush her teeth and hair ready for sleeping.

"Thanks," he told her. "I appreciate the help tonight. It was a long day for me with all the traveling. You're probably right about the apparating. I've seen splinch injuries, although I've never had one. They look like they have to be excruciating."

He stretched out on the bed and pulled up the covers as Finn jumped up on the bed and plopped himself down towards the outside corner of the bed, curled up to Angus' feet. Angus set an alarm for 4:45 am, since Andrew was coming at 5 am, not trusting now that he would wake on his own like he used to. He was out of practice with that. He didn't really feel like reading, so he turned off his light and looked up at the skylight, at the rain pattering on the glass.

"Suppose we'll ever get tired of looking at that?" he asked, yawning.

Ruby looked at Angus and smiled at him " yeah, they not good from what I heard." she waited for him in the bed and then smiled as she moved to rest against him looking up at the skylight and the light rain pattering against it then rolling down to the gutter. " well I for one will never get bored of it." she said resting her head against his chest. Taking his hand she placed it on her tummy and let him feel the slight movment she could feel "you feel that?" she asked, " that's our daugher" she spoke softly as she left his hand on her tummy and slowly fell asleep against him.

Next morning Ruby got up and dressed, kissing Angus she headed over to the kitchen of the main house, after she'd put the coffee pot and tea on freshly made for Angus then sent up a cup to sit beside his side of the bed. Starting breakfast she hummed happily to her self smiling as she cooked Mushroom hash with poached eggs along with Overnight oats that she'd prepared the night before.

"Robert says splinching accidents are some of the most common things he has to repair, but better him than me," Angus said. "I can deal with gore if I need to, but I wouldn't want to work in it all the time. It wouldn't be my choice of occupation." When she put his hand, he felt the baby's movement, and he smiled, contented. That, at least, was as it should be.

"Feels like Ralph's a nightowl," he said, yawning. He settled back listening to the rain, feeling sleepy. She fell asleep, and he soon dozed off after.

He woke when his alarm went off, and he saw she had left coffee for him. It was still dark out, and it wouldn't be light for several hours yet. He sipped on his coffee, trying to get his eyes open.

Downstairs, Andrew arrived right on time at five am. he came in and saw Ruby was up and was cooking breakfast.

"Morning, Ruby. I'll go get him up and dressed, and we'll be down in a few minutes. Whatever you're cooking smells good. I think Simone might be over at the main house already. All the lights are on in the kitchen, so I bet she's already over there and baking something." Andrew went upstairs, helped Angus dress and change into just jeans and a sweatshirt. He pushed the sleeves up part way on the sweatshirt, and Andrew helped Angus shave and then helped him downstairs. He warmed up Angus's coffee and brought it over to him.

"We might all be indoors today," Andrew told Angus and Ruby. "The forecast in the Daily Prophet this morning calls for heavy thunderstorms starting in midmorning and going most of the day, and it's supposed to be quite chilly."

"Sounds like I need to make some sort of soup or stew for lunch," Angus replied.

Ruby smiled as she saw Andrew walk-in " thank you" she said smiling as she continued to make breakfast. Once done she was about to call the boys but then remembered they were at school and sighed placing the food on the table. Poring herself some tea she sat and waited for Angus and Andrew to join her. "Food ready" she said seeing him with Andrew come downstairs. She paused and took a deep breath " seems she's active today" Ruby said feeling the fluttering inside her again.

Sitting she listened to the sounds around her she saw Finn sit once again beside Angus and smiled " oh, I forget your food" she accioed some and filled his bowl with the right amount then sent it over to him " eat up Finn, then I will let you out before it storms" she told him.

"Enjoy your coffee," Andrew told Angus, "I'll get your plate." He got a plate for Angus and, seeing there was plenty, he got a plate for himself too.

"Thanks," Angus told him as Andrew put a plate in front of him. "Well, be glad she's active. You'd worry if she weren't." Andrew sat down and tucked into his plate.

"I like the hash," Andrew told Ruby. "It's really different. It makes a good breakfast entree with the egg."

"Ru, I do need to know whether you intend to keep working in the main house kitchen or whether you're going to stop working," Angus told her. "Robert is wanting to straighten out my job duties, and he's looking to hire 2 full time chefs and possibly 2 part timers, unless there are people here who want one of those positions. He's also looking for a full time housekeeper for the main house and maybe one part time housekeeper. Obviously, since you're already on staff, you'd get your pick before he hires somebody from outside. He's going to want people on a regular schedule, so, for example, I imagine the full time chef positions will run Monday through Friday at set times, with the part timers on the weekends--or something to that gist. We're hoping that if people have definite days and shift times, maybe they'll show up more regularly to work. So, do you want to work at all, and if so, what sort of job do you want, and what sort of hours do you want?"

Ruby listened to Angus and chuckled " yeah, I definitely would worry" she said then heard him ask if she was going to continue working or stop " I guess I'll work until I'm too big to work and have no choice but to stop, though if she on the small side I probably could manage to keep working until she's born" Ruby said " unless you had different thoughts?" she asked wanting to hear his thoughts on her working or not.

It was now she saw the rain start to hit the windows she listened to the sound it made as it relaxed her. It was then a streak of lightning flashed making her jump " sorry it caught me by suprise" she said blushing at her embarasment at being caught out by the storm.

Yu walked out of his cabin and slipped on his shoes and rain coat, he was use to the rain seeing how where he was from the had rainny seasons with torenshial downpores but what suprised him and worried him was the fork lightning. Walking over to Angus's cabin he knocked on the door.

"Well, I wasn't necessarily speaking of maternity leave," Angus replied. "I was speaking of just general terms. I think we all know that you aren't going to know how far into March or April you're going to be able to work. A lot can change between now and then. I realize your main concern is pregnancy. I get it, but, unfortunately, I have to look beyond that.

"Here's the problem," he continued. "People are accustomed here to being served three meals a day, but I haven't been able to work the hours I used to, and, in fact, Robert intends to take me out of the kitchen a good portion of the time because we have four properties, all worth quite a lot of money, that need to be managed, and if we add the property for the orphans, that will be five. Robert wants someone experienced that he can trust to manage all five, and he believes that, since I've been doing that job, I should continue it. However, in order to do that, he needs to take me largely out of the kitchen.

"The problem we have is that nobody has a regular schedule for kitchen duties, and without it, sometimes there is nobody showing up to cook the meals. That leaves somebody scrambling to either cook something for 24 people on the fly or a lot of ordering out. That has to stop. Meals here can be managed by one but its easier with two. So, we need to know, in general, who wants to work in the kitchen, and if they want to work full time or part time. Do they want to work the breakfast and lunch shift, which would probably be around 5 am or so til maybe 1 pm. Or do they want to work the supper shift, which might be, for example 2 in the afternoon or so until, maybe, nine or so. Those are just rough ideas.

"We know that Robert and Khaat and Marcus generally work the 9-5 shift. Jack and Jessie generally work the nights. Jess works days too, usually. We have to get the kitchen figured out. If we don't, I'll be forced back into trying to work all the same duties and hours I did before, and that's what Robert does not want, for a lot of reasons.

"So whoever we put there has to have a regular shift so that they know when they're supposed to work. if we still end up with the same problem, that nobody shows and if it pushes me back into working 20 hour days again, then I presume Robert will have to make some other sort of a change. So, if you want to work, that's fine. But I need to know if you want to work the early or the later shift, and if you want to work full time or part time--just generally speaking. Set pregnancy aside for one moment and lets talk about general terms."

Ruby looked at him as she ate as he spoke to her. When she finished she placed down her cutlery and sat back to look at him" hum, yes I will keep working that isn't going to change, but I see your point, for now, I don't mind cooking the three meals but I agree scheduling should be arranged, I'd do one week early, then one week late, alternated if you wish, if that's aminable" she said sipping her tea as she waited for his response. "i'll do lunch and supper today since Simone has Breakast sorted, but I'll check and if she needs a hand I'll help." she said " and if your up to it you can do breakfast and supepr tomorrow while I do dinner." she hoped this would help as she looked at Andrew then back to Angus. " besides I have some ideas for dinner today and our daughter likes home cooked foods."