A Birth day

Jessie paused and lent on his legs " phew that took it out of me and yeah" he said hearing sam say he had been told he was stupid he fround " hey, your not Angus is right, don't listen to her , she use to call me a dumb stupid dogboy." he said moving to sit down " we all have our own strengths." he finished sitting down feeling exausted. He could not help but smile as Sam cast confingo himself " way to go Bro" he called to him then laughed as Angus cast an ice spell at Yu's feet.

Yu stood still hearing Angus feeling his feet become ice. Taking his wand he cast Incendio and melted the ice around his feet and looked to Angus " good choice" he said smiling then looked to the boys " that was Incendio" he said " try it " Yu said " um that way" he said pointing to an empty feild " and try not to burn off your eyebrows, I know several who have done that."

"She's evil. Pure evil," Victor said, finally getting angry about what Suzanne had done to them last night. He fired several incendio spells, each one getting angrier and angrier and bigger and bigger until he fired one blast that sset the field alight.

"Whoa," Angus said, going to Victor and wrapping his arms around Victor from behind and holding him in a strong hug. "Breathe." It took Victor a moment to let go of the rage, but when he did, he turned around quickly and buried himself in Angus's chest. He whispered something softly in Angus's chest so that only Angus could hear. "I know," Angus replied. "You had every right to feel that way. It's okay." He held him for a moment and then suggested they both take a brief break and go get a couple sodas. Sam and Victor headed back to the house to get sodas from the fridge.

"They're both full of rage at her," Angus told Ruby, Edward, Jessie and Yulong. "They both have thought about wanting to 'get rid of her.' I can't blame them a bit. They're entitled to feel that way, but they're not used to being that angry. It scared them. I'm glad they feel free enough to be themselves here."

"That will ease up after today," Edward reassured Angus. "Maybe someone needs to take them on a good run to help them burn some of that off." Angus wasn't opposed to that but he felt like he wanted to stay close to the house today because of Caprice

Jessie saw Victors hugh flame and how he broke down sighing " I don't blame him, I have a perminate brand " he said " but your right being angry right now dosn't help, Im saving it for some one who realy deserves it" he said as Yu walked over to him and helpped him stand up " but right now I should rest" he looked at the boys as they passed by " you did realy good today" he praise them then with Yu holding him up they headed back to the cabin. Ruby smiled at the boys as they went in to grab sodas and looked to Angus.

"I do hope they let it go" she said gently rocking Caprice in her sling. " besides suzanne is not worth the trouble worrying about" she said "I have more important things I should be doing and thinking about, like making sure this one gets abottle or dyper change , speacking off" she said and handed her to Angus " your turn" she chuckled as she kissed his cheek .

"They'll learn that in their own time," Angus told Ruby. "It might take them a bit, but they'll get to the point where she just doesn't matter anymore."

Angus took the baby, and went into the house and sent a paper bird over to the main house to Robert asking if there was anyone who was interested in going with the boys on a run to run off some of the frustration of last night. Robert replied quickly saying he would ask Jack or Marcus and if one wasn't going, he was sure the other one would, maybe even both. Robert then sent messages to Jack and also to Marcus and asked them if either of them could take the boys on a run to help them cope with all the rage of last night's drama.

With that in motion, Angus changed Caprice, made a bottle and heated it. He came out onto the porch, and as the boys were finishing their sodas with a brief belching contest, Marcus came out, in his running clothes.

"Hey," he called Sam and Victor, "I'll bet you a pizza you can't go with me on a run and last the full length."

"You're old," Sam frowned, as if he thought Marcus had lost his mind. "Of course we can take you. Are you barking?"

"Look, little boy, I can take you fair and square, unless you're afraid," Marcus baited him.

"Who are you calling a little boy?" Sam scowled.

"You, Shrimp," Marcus replied.

"Oh, now you're on. I want an extra large pizza with everything on it but fish. No fish, no hot peppers."

"I don't like anchovies either. Well, get your shoes on. See? You're slow already," Marcus said. Sam and Victor tossed out their soda cans and Edward transfigured their clothes to running clothes for them. They headed across the yard to Marcus.

Ruby smiled and nodded to his words. Jack was just changing when he got a note sugesting a run. Grinning he changed his clothes into running gear and headed over to teh duplex and heard the banter " hay your all slow " he called out and took off some what fast down the trail they used. Pusing he jogged on the spot " come on pansys" he called laughing " mines peperoni extra cheese." he called back to them.

Ruby chuckled seeing Jack and hearing his shouts to get the boys moving " hoo, are you guys letting him call you that?" she said laughing as she watched them run after Jack. " I know they will be fine, we always bounce back" she said and smiled at him taking Caprice now clean from him " go run" she told him " I know you want to, I'll have the pizza's ready for when you get back" she kissed his cheek and moved to the rocker close by with Caprice.

Angus watched the boys take off at a dash to go after Jack and Marcus.

"Good for them," Edward said. "I need a pint and a pipe. I'll catch you later." He went home. When Ruby took the baby and told Angus he could go run, Angus just shook his head.

"No, you know, I really don't feel like it today," he said. "I'd rather be here right now. Besides, it's really good for them to have a chance to bond with some of the other people here. They need to know that there isn't anyone on this property that wouldn't have their backs. That'll help them heal if they really settle in to the fact that they are safer here than just about any other place they could be, and I want them to feel that secure. After all, think about it. Wasn't that one of the important things that kept you here after the first few days when you started to see how tight knit we all were? I want them to have that security too.

"I'll get some pizza dough made up so it can rise," he told her. "That'll take some time, so I'll get that going. You enjoy some time with her. I might make enough for some dessert pizzas too." Angus knew how many pizzas this bunch could eat, so he knew he would have to make quite a large batch.

Ruby listened to Angus and smiled placing her hand on his cheek once she stood up " and this is why I love you" she said smiling at him "all right, mom and daughter time" she said chuckling as she took Caprice out of the sling and just held her against her. Hearing him mention desert pizza she chuckled " wow perfect end to the day," she said smiling as she held Caprice against her.

Jack ran down the trail and chuckled seeing the boys behind him. He slowed down to their pace " so, since any eyebrows?" he asked chukaling " I heard you casting confingo earlier, nice work, it's not an easy spell to cast the first time" he admitted then pulled slightly ahead.

"Nah. not this time," Sam said. "Although Vic tried to set the whole field on fire."

"That's because I was imagining setting Suzanne on fire," Victor said. "I wanted it to be big enough she couldn't get away."

"You did a fine job, then," Marcus laughed.


"Thanks for coming last night. Really," Sam told them both.

"Look," Marcus told them. "If you ever, ever need anything, you just ask. One of us will have your back. We're all one family here, and if you're in trouble, we absolutely will come."

"Can I learn to do what you guys do?" Sam asked. "What if I wanted to be like you guys? Like a real guy?"

"Wait," Marcus laughed. "I appreciate you thinking we're real guys. What does that mean, though. What does a not-real guy look like?"

"A doofus," Victor said. "Fake, Full of bullshit. Liars, crooks, like her. Real guys make things right, not looking to see how much they can get."

"You already know how to stand up for the right thing," Marcus said. "That's the toughest part. In my book, you two are already 'real guys.'"

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Really."

"So, we can still run with you and stuff?"

"You're with us now, aren't you? Of course. any time you want. run with us, train with us. It's all good. No going on missions, though, unless Robert and your dad give you permission. Got that?" He looked at Jack. "Any other rules you want them to abide by?"

Jack listened to Marcus not saying a single word as Marcus was saying it all. " Marcus is right, your family, our family," he said nodding when Marcus told them they were real men already. He chuckled at Marcus's rules and shook his head then stopped " oh, one more rule, always talk to us and I mean not just Angus ether, we'll listen to you even if it's nonsense." he said then slowly continued to run "now come on keep up there still the assault course you guys have to beat me at" he said looking back over his shoulder " you too Marcus" he gibbed.

Ruby sat rocking Caprice and watched Angus make the pizza bases she loved how the family had come together. Try as hard as she had Suzanne had just suceeded in making them a tighter family.

"She comes again, I'm gonna find a way to take her out," Victor said. "Don't know much else right now, but I do know that."

"No, you're not," Marcus said. "You won't have a chance. One of us will get to her way before you do. You'll have to take a number. When I said we'll have your back. If she ever does come here again, and one of us is already dealing with her, you stand down. You hear me? I'll use Jack as an example. If Jack is going to take someone on, do not ever try to put yourself between Jack and his target. That has bad juju all over it. You will definitely get hurt. He can mess you up bad without intending to if you get in his way. And that goes for the rest of us. I don't care how much you want to get a good lick in. Don't you ever get in the middle of a fight like that. That's exactly why Jack wants you both to communicate with us. If he knows you want to get a good lick in, he'll do his best to let you have one. He and I are not seers. If you want in on something, you really do need to tell us. And you need to do exactly what we tell you, even if we don't have time to explain it. If we give you an instruction, you follow it." Victor sighed, frustrated. He knew he would have to really try to do what he was told, no matter how much he didn't want to.

Angus made the dough and set it to rise, and then he started on making a really great pizza sauce. Simone made her way over to Angus's kitchen.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked.

"I'm making a bunch of pizzas. You want to help prep toppings?" he asked.

"Absolutely," she smiled. "I'm on it. I found a recipe in an old book of Edward's for some sauce. Maybe we can try it sometime."

"Really? Can i see it?"

"Sure," she said. She accio'd the book and showed him the sauce recipe. He decided to try it and changed some of his initial preparation to this pizza sauce recipe.