A Birth day

Jessie listened and let Jack talk first " yes you would , I work for him and am welcomed like a son there, you would be welcomed as a freind" he said Jessie noded to them. " there are several healers in the household, so shes in the best place to get better , but if you want to see her I can take you there." Jessie stepped forward.

"I can stay with Anise here" Jessie said "while Jack takes you." he offered " besides I'd like to know that move you made on that one guy, it was aslick move" he said to Anise. Jack moved towards the mother and held out his hand to her .

"we can aperate right there." he said .

Ruby nodded to him as he said her brother had tended to the worst of his wounds " its good you got her out of there, but I don't supose she hung around?" she asked about her mother but hearing he ahd to let her go she sighed " well we'll get her another day." she moved to pip some cream on the top of the tarts now ready to eat.

"You really think I did okay?" Anise asked Jessie. "One of the guys here was bothering me--always grabbing me and stuff, so Fenrir showed me a few things. Made me practice them til I knew them. I guess it paid off. Oh, and that old guy--he's not a good guy, but he talked to me when I was there because he says being dead is boring, and I'm the only one who seems to be able to hear him, I guess. He doesn't like that blonde woman anymore. He thinks she's crackers."

"I'll take your word," Anise's mother said, putting her hand in Jack's, wanting to see her daughter.

"Ru," Angus said, "so you know, there is a network of tunnels and some holding cells and other dark things deep under your old house. Looks like Suzanne and Reginald put them in a few years ago. That poor girl has been held in an underground cell there for the last two years. I've owned that house for months, and I had no idea, all this time, she was right under my feet. I don't see any good use coming from them. I think we ought to demolish them and the house so it can't be used any more by Suzanne or Tom for any dark purpose. What do you think?"

Jessie looekd at Anise and smiled " well he taught you realy good, and yeah no one should do that to you" he told her" if I had seen him I'd have sent him half way across the forest" he said. Jack heard the mother and nodded Now with her hand in his he ported them to the main house.

"If you follow me , I'll take you to her" he said and opened the back door for them to walk threw " don't worry she's with me, She's Gingers mother." he said and moved to the door that lead down to the medical room. Entering he saw Robert and Ginger. "Hey some one has a visiter" he sia stepping asside so her mother could see her.

Ruby listened to Angus and sighed nodding as he spoke " Im sure Jessie would agree but , yes, demolish and rebuild or sell the land for development." she said finishing the last tart. " that house holds no value to me or Jessie , or even the boys, plus it would give her no link to the area" she moved to stand beside him "I have a new home with some one I love as does Jessie and the boys, and its one I do not nor ever am going to leave" she said softly smiling as she had spoken" if you need a signiture I'll gladly sign anything needed."

Angus nodded, as Victor came back with clothes for him.. "I might not sell the land for a bit, just to discourage Suzanne, but yes. I think we have to demolish it all., including the tunnels so the land can't ever be used for that again. Thanks, Victor. Alright. I'm going to go downstairs to the shower off the workout room in the basement and clean up. I'll see you all in a few minutes."

"Thanks," Anise smiled at Jessie. "I appreciate that. Most of the men here act like I did something to deserve it--except Fenrir. He didn't like their behavior either, so he taught me to fight. I miss Fenrir because didn't look past me. We didn't talk often but when we did he actually listened--most of the time. He didn't make fun when I said I could see and talk to people on the other side. He said some other people can do that too. I haven't met anybody else who can do that, though."

By the time Jack arrived with Ginger's mother, Robert had Ginger washed and gotten her out of her rags and into a standard hospital gown at least temporarily. He had continued to give her small sips of water as she could tolerate it, and Nicky had brought down a steak tartare that Robert hadn't had a chance to feed her yet. He had gotten a basic exam completed, but he had not gotten a chance to set many spells in place yet. He had used a calming spell to ease her nerves, and he had provided her a great deal of reassurance. He had also gotten a regular hospital bed for her and not just the sickbay exam table. He knew she was going to have to be here for awhile, so he was making preparations for her to be staying here for several days.

"For a moment only,' Robert told Ginger's mother, adding another blanket for Ginger because he had seen her shiver, a symptom of her severe malnutrition. "She's very seriously ill from being so poorly treated. She must have rest. Her chances to recover are very good, but it will take much time." The reunion between Ginger and her mother was tearful and very emotional. Clearly, her mother had believed she was dead, but seeing how badly she looked was just as much of a shock to her.

"When can I take my girl home?" she asked Robert.

"That will take quite some time, I'm afraid," Robert asked. "Her condition will need very close care for awhile until she stabilizes. She will need constant care, a meticulous diet, vitamin potions, and rehabilitation. I will be hiring staff to care for her around the clock for awhile, and I realize your pack does not use wolfsbane, but I do need to stop the transformations for the time being, not only because of the strain it places on her, but also to protect my family while she is here in the house with us."

"I...I understand," the woman said.

"My name is Robert," he said, "I will be her healer for this issue..."

"I know who you are," she said. "My name is Phoebe. Phoebe Russell. My husband's name is Elias. He's a werewolf. I am not. We live with the pack because he is relentlessly hunted when we try to live like normal people, and wolfsbane is too hard to come by on the streets."

"What do you mean on the streets?" Robert frowned. "St. Mungo's gives wolfsbane for free to any werewolf who needs it."

"We were charged last year for it at St. Mungo's, at nearly a hundred galleon a bottle, and with Elias and Anise both needing it, well, we couldn't afford it. So we went to live like animals with the pack." Robert frowned even deeper. That was over five hundred pounds a bottle. And with Elias and both girls needing it, that was over 1500 pounds at a time."

"That's just bloody outrageous. Do you know who told you it cost money?" Robert asked.

"No, i don't remember," she shook her head.

"Well, if you want it, you come to me directly or to the shift manager, Jess Dark Heart, and we'll make sure you get it, no charge."

"Answer me," she said. "These werewolves that are here. Are they your servants?"

"No," Robert said. 'You're welcome to speak with anyone here. Yes, they work for me, like a lot of folks do, and they're paid for it. Far more important to me, though, is that in every way that matters, they're family to me. There is not one privilege here they do not have, not one door that isn't open to them."

"Why would you do this? I don't see other non-werewolves doing such things."

"Why should I hold a grudge against them? My brother was a werewolf, and I know how he suffered from people that were afraid of him. I would do his memory no honor or justice if I treated any werewolf differently just because they're a werewolf. I do it for him."

"Is that for Ginger?" she pointed to the steak tartare.

"It is. I haven't had a chance to feed it to her yet."

"May I?"

"Certainly. Slowly, though. Tiny bites. Be patient," Robert said. He looked at Ginger. "Eat what you want of it. Don't push. You can have more food whenever you want it."

Ruby nodded " good idea" she said watching as Victor gave him some cean clothes "okay I'll make some hot tea for when your done" she said smiling at him " and Angus, its god to have you home" he said kissing his cheek gently with a smile.

Jessie heard Anise and shook his head " then their idiots , your a strong girl, and Fenrir did right to teach you how to defent yourself." he told her as he loked over at her. " it took me a long time to as I am now, I came from the states, I was turned by my own mother becuse she hated us children, I have one sister and twin brothers, who Angus adopted, hes married to my sister too." he said smiling " and they have their own daughter, recent too." he sighed and looked back at her " you are unique don't let any one tell you any diferent, your not odd or a freak, your a beautiful individual" he told her.

Jess watched and helped Robert change Ginger and now stood at the potions cabinet fixing some potions when Jack walked in with Gingers mother. She listened as Phoebe said they had to pay for wolfsbane potion. Jess turned to look at Robert and shook her head " I will look into it immediatly, but for now here." she said moving to hold out two bottles of wolfsbane potion " for your husband, free of charge, and I can assure you all your wolfsbane from now will be free, as it should be" she told her smiling as she placed them into a small bag and placed them next to her. Jess went back to making more potions but once done she looked to Robert " I'm heading to St Mungos , some one is profeting and we need to know who" she told him then apperated out leaving Jack and Robert with Phoebe and Ginger.

"Jess," Robert cautioned her, "you know you're going to have to talk to werewolves to find out who's been charging them. You're not going to find any records on the books of any wolfsbane charges. You know, you might sometime have Jessie go in to St. Mungo's and ask for wolfsbane and see if he ends up connecting with whoever is charging them."

"Thank you,' Phoebe told Jess. "I don't mean to intrude but I'm sure that there are some members of the pack that would volunteer to go do that as well. Some of our pack do keep some wolfsbane on hand for when it is absolutely necessary to prevent a transformation. My family isn't the only one who has been charged, so I know that our pack members would like to not have to come up with that much money either. It just makes sense to help you in your efforts to help us."

"That might be worth a thought," Robert said. "Thank you, Phoebe. We will definitely keep that in mind."

Robert simply watched as Phoebe fed Ginger some of the steak tartare. Robert could see that Ginger was desperately hungry, but her stomach wasn't going to let her eat much. Robert cast a couple of spells to try to adjust her stomach a little so she could eat a bit more. He was pleased with how much she did actually eat once his spells took hold. But by then she was exhausted, and she slipped into a deep sleep. It alarmed Phoebe at first, but Robert soon eased Phoebe's nerves. He set up several scheduled visits per day with Phoebe so that she knew she was welcome to come see her daughter but so that it would also allow Ginger to rest.

He heard someone next door in shower room off the gym, and as Phoebe was leaving, he saw Angus coming out in clean clothes.

"Let's see the rest of those wounds. Ginger's asleep," Robert motioned to Angus. Angus followed Robert, who put up a privacy screen between Angus and Ginger so he could see to Angus without disturbing Ginger. Robert could see straight away that some of the wounds and bruises he carried weren't from brawling.

"We need to discuss this," Robert told him quietly as he continued to treat him..

"No. We don't," Angus said. "I escaped, and when they tried to retake me, I fought to get out. That's when you lot came, and that's all we need to discuss."

"They didn't treat you well either," Robert said.

"Of course they didn't. Suzanne's a nutter that wants me dead. I didn't expect less if she actually someday had me in her clutches," Angus said. "And that's enough. This discussion is closed."

"You don't get to decide that. I do," Robert told him firmly. "I'll let it go today, but we are going to discuss it before I release you to go out on another mission. Got that?"

"I'm fine," Angus said, not allowing himself to raise his voice because of Ginger. "And not a word of this to anyone else but you and me. I have that right."

"For now, yes. You do," Robert said. "Your family will eventually either find out or figure it out, though. They're not stupid."

"Then, I'll deal with that when it happens," he said

"Thanks," Anise said to Jessie. "Sounds like this place treats werewolves better than most. I could live in a place like this where people were treated well. Sometimes people forget that werewolves aren't animals all the time. I know Fenrir thinks we should be animals as often as possible, but I'd like not to be. I'd like to have a real home, and some dresses and jewelry and not have to live out in the wilderness all the time. Maybe when I'm legal age, I can make my own choices."

Jess listened to Robert and nodded " good idea I'll talk to him when he gets back" she said and smiled to Pheobe "its good to know" she said and returned to making potions , she heard the shower running in the gym but said nothing. Once don with her potions she headed back upstairs and found Ruby pipping the cream on the tarts, " Those look yummy" she said and Ruby smiled back.

"there for supper if any one wants any." she said finishing them and putting them into the fridge. She looekd at the stairs and then to Jess " I know some of those cuts came from fighting but some came from ..other things, I recognise some of the marks" she said to Jess who sighed and placed her hand on her shoulder .

"let him talk about it to you when hes ready , for now just be there for him okay" she told her making Ruby nodded.

Jessie nodded as she had spoken " yeah, not many places are like this and Robert has several compounds that train and teach you, hes taken in alot of children whose perents didn't want them or couldn't take them back, ones in colorado." he told her then listened to her talk," I can tell you this you'd be welcome among us for who you are, not what you are, when your ready im sure robert would train you." he told her

Nicky came into the kitchen with the fixings to make Jamaican Jerk Chicken. He had decided on two batches--one with the heat and one without. And with it, he was making plantain chips, fresh mango salsa, coconut rice, and grilled pineapple spears.

"Your tarts are the perfect dessert with supper, Ruby," Nicky said. "I am making a dish from my homeland in Jamaica. Jamaican Jerk Chicken, and I am making some of our best drinks. I am making a large pitcher of fruit punch and one of Ting. In my family, no jerk chicken dinner is complete without a large pitcher of Ting.. The tarts will be a perfect ending. They look beautiful. Well done."

Marcus had come into the kitchen to get himself a beer, and he heard Ruby's remarks.

"Would you like me to talk with him maybe after supper, Ruby?" Marcus asked her. "There are a good many things that Angus and I sometimes have in common, and this might well be one more. Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone that you're not related to. Maybe he and I could go fishing down at the pond for a bit. I know the boys have to be taken back to the school this afternoon. And I presume either you or Angus or Edward would like to do that, but if Angus doesn't go, I could talk to him if you like."

Ruby heard Niky and smiled " thank you and that sounds perfect for dinner. She heard Marcus and thought about it " If you want to , you know what hes like if he dosn't eant to talk about it , he won't" she said washing her hands as she palced the last tart into the fridge. " but I do think he needs some thinking time , so fishing would be good for him thank you" she said " and drat I forgot the boys are due back at school this afternoon." she said moving to sit on teh couch " some one will have to take them back" she said as Jess walked up and listened.

"I'll do it, I have to go to st Mungos any way so I'll stop by Hogwarts and drop the boys off first" she offered , Ruby smiled and nodded.

"Thankyou, now wheresimone run off to with Caprice" she said with a chuckle knowing she was probably showing her the artist room.

"I saw Simone and Kate taking the baby out to Kate's art studio building, I believe," Nicky said. "Kate's got some sort of project she's been working on, and they just took the baby along. Shannon volunteered to look after her along with our baby, but Simone and Kate said something about 'uninterrupted Grandma time'--whatever that means. They were not going to give up that wee one if someone had put a gun to their heads. I doubt you'll get her back until supper is ready. In my experience as a dad, Grandmas and Granddads do not surrender babies for any reason known to modern man."

"I'll talk to him," Marcus said.

It was nearly 30 minutes later when Robert finished with Angus. Angus dressed and went upstairs. He saw Jess there.

"Oh, Jess, I am supposed to tell you that Robert wants around the clock medical care for Ginger. He believes Jeffrey will take the night shift tonight, but when he goes back to Switzerland, we'll have to have a replacement. And I know Andrew will take a shift with her. So, if we need to bring in someone from St. Mungo's, we'll have to get them a portkey or we'll have to pick them up and take them home. All of those arrangements will need to be made. He wants to know if you have someone in mind that can be put on a shift rotation? He knows you and he are both too busy to be doing regular shifts for Ginger, so he figures you might need a couple additional healers or nurses to be put on for a few weeks for her," Angus told Jess.