LONDON CALLING

Ruby smiled at Angus and moved to him holding him close to her she aperated up to the upper floor and into Khaat and Brians's room before stepping back from him and letting him sit in the closet " oh boy" she said looking around as she placed Abby down who just stood before trying to leave. Ruby heard and almost felt the slap from Abby against Angus's cheek she looked at Robert but stayed right in her spot.

Picking up some cleaning things she started to clean a wall hearing Robert talk to Abby she just continued to clean. She did glance at Angus and sighed seeing the slight small red mark on his cheek. " I could ask Kate if she could take alook at that mark?" she said softly to him as she continued to clean.

"Kate's not a healer, Ruby," Angus said. "Besides Robert, our resident healers are Khaat, Brian, Jess, and Edward has some limited healing abilities. So does Andrew, I think. And I might have missed somebody. Besides, she didn't really hurt me. It's fine. Abbey is going to put in at least three minutes cleaning, if it takes me all night to get her to do it. I have to follow through. And I really don't care how spotless or not she gets it. She is only three, after all, but she already knows that when we make a mess, we clean it up. She's learned that from all her time with me in the kitchen. So she needs to do this. She made a mess, and now she needs to help clean it up. That's how she's going to learn."

He devoted himself to cleaning, and three minutes later, he heard Robert take Abbey out of time out, and he heard Robert talking to Abbey for a moment. Then Robert brought Abbey back in, leading her by the hand.

"Now, what do you say to Angus?" Robert asked Abbey.

"I sowwy, Aggie," Abbey said quietly, staring at the floor.

"Thank you, Abs," Angus said. Robert stood Abbey beside Angus and handed her the cloth. "Now, get to work and help wipe off those marks you made." She didn't say a syllable but did try to wipe off some of the marks on the front of the dresser. Angus let her work for about five minutes, but then he took her cloth. "Good job. Thank you," he told her. Robert picked her up.

"Thank you, Angus. Well done," Robert said, pleased with how Angus had stayed consistent with her. He had made his point. "I'm taking her to bed. I think you should take the rest of the night off. We'll get the rest."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Robert said. "Andrew, can you help him into his chair and take him home? And Ruby, please make a nice big plate of Angus's chocolate shortbread cookies and take them over to your place for your guests tonight."

Ruby looked at Angus and nodded " yeah, sorry, I guess it rattled me a little for a moment." she said then saw Robert bring Abby back in she paused in her cleaning and listened relaxing when she apologised to Angus then went to do some cleaning. She smiled hearing Roberts compliment Angus. Placing down her cloth she nodded to Robert " of course" she said placing dwn the sloth she headed down to the kitchen to start baking the chocolate shortbread cookies.

Once they were done she placed them on a nice plate, Once cool she aperated over to the duplex and placed them on the table ready for when Sergio and Ana arrived with their children. Ruby made fresh tea and coffee then she went to change into something clean and fresh after all the cleaning.

Andrew helped Angus into his chair and brought him home, and it wasn't more than just a few minutes before he heard lots of happy voices over at Edward's. It sounded like the kids had arrived. He wasn't surprised that Edward had taken whatever steps were necessary to bring the kids here safely. Angus rolled his chair over and opened the door between both houses, and he was elated to see that not only had Sergio's three children had arrived, but that Ana's parents had brought them.

"Angus!" Sorin called, overjoyed to see him. Sorin was Ana's father. If his salt and pepper hair had not betrayed him, Angus would not have believed Sorin had aged a day. he was as handsome as Mara was beautiful, and they were often considered to be a blessed couple just because of how attractive they both had always been--and still were. Sorin took long strong strides and embraced him in a huge bear hug. Sorin told him in Romanian that Ana had told them about Angus's injury, and Sorin was just glad that Angus had survived at all. There was a time when everyone had presumed that Sorin was going to be Angus's father in law, so even though that hadn't come about, Sorin still considered Angus family.

Mara, Sorin's wife, wasn't far behind. She hugged him and kissed him and greeted him like the mother she still felt she should have been to him. When Angus had been serious about Ana, Mara had been a dark haired beauty that men admired everywhere she went. Ana still had a lot of her mother's stunning good looks. The years had been gracious to Mara, and in her sixties, she still was a gorgeous woman.

"Ru, come let me introduce you," Angus said. "Mara, this is Ruby, my fiancee. Ruby, this is Mara, Ana's mother."

"Pleased to meet you," Mara said, reaching out her hand to Ruby. "Ana has told us all about you and Angus."

"And I am Sorin," Sorin introduced himself, also reaching out to shake hands. "Ana's father. We are so glad to finally meet the woman Angus intends to settle down with."

Sergio and Ana's three children stepped up, none of them shy.

"I am Nicu," the oldest boy said. "This is Emil, and she's Irina. You are Angus's...what's the word...wife?"

"Close enough," Angus laughed. "Your English is very good, Nicu."

"We have been practicing," Nicu replied.

Ruby smiled hearing the bustle from next door she followed Angus and Andrew when they went to Edwards. Standing next to Angus she reatched out and shook Mara's hand and smiled as she said "nice to meet you" to everyone Seeing the older children made her relax and smile, She blushed a little when Nicu called her Angus's wife but just smiled when Angus corrected him and complimented him.

"Why don't you come threw to our half, I made cookies and fresh tea and coffee if you want any, " I'm sure Andrew can show the children the spare room where you can rest," she said smiling her hand resting lightly on Angus's shoulder as she spoke.

They all moved over to Angus and Ruby's side, and the kids helped themselves to the cookies. Andrew was already making the kids some of Angus' extra rich hot cocoa.

"We will have a hot drink for all of you in a moment,' Angus told the children.

"Coffee would be very nice," Sorin said. Simone stepped in to help Ruby with the hosting duties by pouring coffee and tea for those who wanted it.

"We thought perhaps that Sergio and Ana might feel right at home here so they can be closer to the children," Edward said, "And we have invited Sorin and Mara to sleep over in the guest room on our side..." As he was speaking the children seemed to get very excited. Angus looked at saw they had found Finn.

"It is a....a...a..." Emil could not remember the word in English.

"Dog," Angus told him.

"Yes. Dog. It is a dog. It is a girl?" Emil asked.

"Boy," Angus replied. "His name is Finn." He looked at Ruby. "Finn is going to et plenty of attention, that's for sure."

"Edward was kind enough to give us the tour of your home. He thought the boys would be comfortable in your sons' room, if that's alright, but we think that Irina would prefer to be with her brothers. She would be very comfortable on the little sofa under the boys' beds, if that is acceptable to you," Sergio said.

"Absolutely," Angus said. "Whatever they want is fine with us."

"She actually asked to sleep on the floor in your beautiful baby nursery under that very clever tree you have in there," Ana laughed. "She likes your magical forest idea very much."

"If you want to sleep on the floor in there, that's fine with me," Angus said to Irina, "but it is whatever your parents say."

"Baby nursery?" Mara asked. Ana told them in Romanian that Angus and Ruby were expecting a baby girl around the first of April. Mara and Sorin were delighted to hear the news.

"And Ana told us you adopted two sons?"

"Ruby's younger brothers," Edward said. "They're seventeen. It is a very complicated situation. I'll explain it later. They are in school at Hogwarts, of course. You might get to meet them tomorrow."

"We look forward to it. Angus, your life has so completely changed since we saw you last," Sorin said, "but you seem happy. And that is what matters."

"I am," Angus replied. He looked at the kids who were eating cookies, as Andrew set mugs of cocoa in front of them.

Ruby was happy that Simone helped her with making the tea and coffee's. Placing them on the trays she waited for the hot chocolates. She took the tray to where everyone was sitting she smiled seeing Emil pet Finn. Hearing that Ana and sergios daughter wanted to slep in the nursary Ruby smiled and nodded as she heard Angus mention about the nursary.

She sat and listened as they all spoke excitedly then smiled as she heard Angus ay he was happy she could not help but smile at him keeping eye contact with him for a moment to show his words ment a lot to her. Ruby sipped her tea and ate one of the cookies while Fin chewed on a dog buscuit she had accioed and given him.

"Ana tells us you have learned to cook a few things in the kitchen now," Mara said to Angus. Edward laughed heartily.

"Let him surprise you with breakfast. Maybe he'll make cinnamon rolls while you're here," Edward said.

"Cinnamon rolls? You learned to make pastries?" Mara asked.

"Just a couple recipes," Angus said. He knew Ana knew he ha gone to culinary school, but if she hadn't told Mara and Sorin, he could surprise them. "I'll see what I can do."

They talked about the carnival, and Mara said she had brought costumes for all of them. They would need a little refreshing and perhaps some alterations, but she believed they would fit for wearing to the carnival. The kids were excited about it, and they had heard there was a candy store in the town where the carnival would be.

"We can take you there if your mom and dad say its alright," Angus said. Sergio laughed.

"There is not one hope under heaven that we could keep them out of a candy store," he laughed. "They will end up there, despite anything we might say. If they do not behave, though, I get to eat all their candy."

"No!" the kids simultaneously objected.

"How are you going to do that if you are joining in the pumpkin pasty contest?" Angus asked.

"A pie eating contest? Sergio will win that," Sorin laughed. "He might look not so very big, but he has a very, very big appetite."

"He will have some serious competition," Angus said. "We have a big eater here too. They have a wager on it."

"I would join that wager," Sorin said. "Who is he competing against?

"Look out the window and you can see him," Edward said, pointing to the kitchen window. "If you see an enormous bald man outside, that's Sergios competition." Sorin and Mara looked out the window.

"My money is on Sergio," Sorin said.

"Well, then, I'll put my money on Baldy out there," Mara said, deliberately wagering against Sorin, just for the fun of it.

"Put your money where your mouth is, Woman," Sorin said. She produced five gold coins from her pocket and put them on the coffee table.

"Done," Mara said. Sorin reached in his pocket and matched her wager, putting hers beside his.

Ruby listened to them talk and mention cooking and baking and his cinimon rolls she chuckled "and how" she said smiling at them all " his rolls are the best" she said " thought I might be biased" she chuckled again letting them talk more then she chuckled when the betting started. She glanced to see Jack outside with Rowan walking back from patrolling the grounds. " oh I don't know he does eat quite a lot" she said sipping her tea as Sorin and mara both placed their bets on who would win.

Ruby gathered the cups and placed them on the tray then picking them up she carried them over to the kitchen. Placing each in the washer she set it going.

"May I send our children off for showers?" Ana asked.

"Of course," Angus said. He looked at the kids and told them in Romanian where to find the towels in the bathroom. They nodded, and the three of them took off together upstairs to look in the bathroom cabinets for the towels. They were triumphant when they found the towels. Irina took the first shower, followed by Nicu and then Evan. Andrew went upstairs and made up a bed for Irina on the loveseat below Sam's lofted bed. Sergio went upstairs to unpack in the guestroom, and Ana went up to make sure the kids were getting to bed without incident.


Sorin and Mara thanked Angus and Ruby for their hospitality, and Angus promised to have breakfast ready for them in the morning. They went, with Edward and Simone back to Edward's side of the duplex, and Angus deliberately left the door open between both houses.

"Ru, would you please send a note over to the main house and ask if they can find someone that could cover breakfast for us in the morning so I can cook for our guests? Surely someone could cover for that," Angus asked Ruby.

"I'll get the ingredients out for the cinnamon roll dough so we can get that mixed up so it can go though the rises overnight," Andrew said. "Would you like me to stay over here tonight so I can punch the dough down during the night and set it for its second rise? I can help start the other breakfast dishes too if you want."

"You wouldn't mind? I'm sure an extra hand would be great since we'll be cooking for twelve in the morning," Angus said

"I'd be happy to. Once we get the dough made up and set out for its first rise, I'll go get a go bag," Andrew said. I'm sure Finn and I can be very comfortable on the sofa for one night."