A Birth day

All four girls ran out to have some fun in the water, and Simone sat down with Ruby.

"Well, it went rather badly at first. They actually threw a punch or two at Angus, and when Evan and Marcus and Edward defended Angus, it erupted into a huge brawl on the lawn. Cretans, all of them," she said. "Long story short, a little bit later, Evan told them all off, and they just turned and walked out on Angus. Edward said they've been doing that to Angus his entire life. I can't imagine the hurt he feels when they do this to him time after time. Nigel and Marcus took Angus up to his room so he can lie down for awhile. Edward is apparently going to meet with the funeral home along with Basil's wife. Apparently, Basil's estate doesn't have enough money to pay for the funeral, so Edward will be expected to pick up the costs. They're on their way to pick up Basil, but the meeting with the directors about the arrangements won't happen for a couple hours at least, so I have a little time."

Caprice picked up the bracelet box and chucked it across the towel and the box came open. In the box was a keychain, shaped like a bubble.

"Oh, I have one of those!" Simone said. "I don't know how I ever did without mine. I have a pair of jeans, a shirt, a pair of boots and a jacket in mine. What's in yours? Clive makes those. The little bubbles come apart, and he tucks a shrunken full outfit inside." She handed Ruby the note that said:

"A Donohue woman needs to always have a little black dress--for every occasion. Clive & Diana" Inside the bubble was a sophisticated tiny little black dress, a pair of heels, all the right jewelry, and classy little jacket to wear over top if it was chilly.

Ruby listened to Simone and sighed "Well he doesn't need them, everyone who loves and cares for him is right at his side" she said then saw Caprice throw the box she had been given revealing a keychain, shaped like a bubble. Picking it up she looked at Simone " He actually just gave it to me today " she said seeing the outfit inside and reading the note " its a back dress, a pair of heels and accessories." she said looking at her as she let Caprice play with the now empty box. Taking it she cliped it to her port key and wondered just what it was for, she already knew there would be a funeral for Basil but why had Clive given her this.

Handing it to Simone she smiled " see for yourself, I think hes might be hinting we'll be going to a funeral or a fancy evening out." she said and chuckled brushing sand from Caprices hand as she was about to put it in her mouth. Ruby chuckled seeing the girls all playing together " with what those two went threw Im glad there now happy, Anise killed a werewolf that was about to attack her and Edward, it was hard for her and Ginger..lets just say Im glad our old home is gone, Angus found her in a secret section below the basment, shes ome along way from how he found her" Ruby said finding it nice to have some one to talk openly to and who would understand that she was glad to have both girls.

"Clive has known the Donohue family for decades," Simone laughed. "He and Caprice were good friends, and he knows first hand that things with this family are never ever predictable. He knows Donohues are always being summoned without warning into some dressy occasion, and so are the Lupins. I think its a perfect little gift so that, no matter where you are, you can have that a that go-anywhere little black dress in case you have to change in a hurry. And, I've found that depending on how well I shrink my things, I can get a couple outfits in that thing."

"She's in the right family. If there's anyone that understands how she feels, that'll be in this family. And to see her able to laugh again already tells me she's going to be alright. I think Phoebe did a great job with the girls. It couldn't have been easy for her when her husband was so set that he wanted them to be animals. I have a lot of respect for Phoebe because she had enough love for them to let them go.

Just then Simone heard Evie yelling, "No fair!" She looked up and started to laugh.

"Evie and Faith have figured out humans will never beat a werewolf in a game of Marco Polo. A werewolf can always hear where you are," Simone laughed. "I think the girls may have made their first friends. It's good to see."

Ruby chuckled and nodded taking back the bubble and smiling " yeah your right" she said placing it into her coat pocket for safe keeping. Hearing the yell she looked up and laughed at the four girls "yes I agree, okay let go and rescue or join them" she said smiling a she picked up Caprice and placed her sun hat on Caprice as she walked in the warm sand over to the girls.

"you do know werewolves have exceptional hearing right?" Ruby said feeling the water lap against her feet. Bending down she let Caprice feel it against her tiny toes and loved how she giggled as each wave washed over her feet tickling them. It was now Ruby saw the most beautiful shell in the sand and bent down to pick it up " Simone look at this" she said showing her holding it to shimmer in the sunlight.

"We just found that out," Faith laughed.

"I'm getting thirsty," Ginger said.

"Oh, that's a keeper," Simone smiled at the shell Ruby found. "Ginger, go check the cooler. I'm sure that Rosaria very likely put a lot of cans of soda and lemonade in there. She overpacks everything. I'm sure there is enough soda and food to feed a small army."

"Ooooh. Food," Evie said. That made Anise and Ginger giggle, and the four girls raced for the cooler and the picnic basket. They decided to just drink the first thing they picked out of the cooler--but Evie accidently picked up a baby bottle that Rosaria had included in the cooler.

"Is that one yours?" Anise asked Evie.

"I don't care, I am not drinking that," Evie said.

"We'll let her draw again," Ginger said. They picked drinks and then found sandwiches and crisps, some cookies and some fresh fruit in the picnic basket.

"You know," Simone told Ruby, "If those girls continue to get along, it might just strengthen Angus's relationship with Evan, and from what I've seen, that would be good for both those brothers. I don't know Evan well, but from what I've seen, Evan thinks the world of Angus. Evan is good with the stables and the horses, but I think he really does wish he was made of the same sort of stuff that Angus is. I think he'd like to be the swashbuckling fighter that he knows Angus has become. I think he admires Angus's strength."

Ruby chuckled and nodded to Simone "I think I'll keep it as a moment if this trip" she said then heard Evie mention food and she picked up Caprice to sit her on her hip as they walked back to where the cooler sat and she laughed as Evie pulled out a baby bottle " I think that one is for Caprice" she said chuckling as she took it from Evie " oh definitely" she said letting the girls take food and drink from the cooler " and you don't know how much a werewolf eats, from what my brother tells me" she sat Caprice down next to her and gave her the bottle happy that Caprice could now try and hold it.

Ruby took a soda and a sandwich for herself and ate watching the waves hit the shore and hearing the sound of the water gently carrying it. " something tells me this day could not get any better" she said chukaling "Well it could but he's probably and I hope tucked in bed" she listened to Simone again and nodded " I think so too, I like Evan and he's good in his way and a good uncle to the girls" she added " hes the only one in Angus's family other than yourself and Edward that I trust around Caprice." she said finishing her soda and placing the empty can back in the cooler.

"That's just the guys," Anise told Ruby when Ruby mentioned how much Jessie said a werewolf ate. "They're just pigs." That made Ginger and Evie and Faith laugh so hard that soda came out Evie's nose, and then all four of them just laughed uncontrollably.

"Hey, you guys wanna go play Twister?" Evie asked Ginger and Anise.

"What's Twister?" Anise asked. Evie and Faith looked at each other with just a little glint of mischief. "We'll show you. No problem."

"Okay," Ginger said. All four of them bounced up. "Thanks, Ruby. It was great."

"Yeah, thanks," the other three girls said as they dashed off together.

"Twister," Simone laughed. "Dear God. We used to play that with our friends after we'd had entirely too much wine. It was hysterical. I'm afraid to see what would happen if us old farts played twister now, though. Lord, we'd probably break a hip or something. Suppose we should go check on Angus and Edward and make sure they're surviving without us?" She glanced at Caprice and saw her eyes were getting heavy, and she gave a big sleepy yawn.

"I think someone needs a nap but she's afraid she'll miss something," Simone said. "There are clean sheets on the old crib in the nursery upstairs if you want to put her there for a nap."

Ruby laughed with the girls " I guess so" she said smiling as Evie spoke to Ginger and Anise about twister " oh I've not played that game in years, I have to agree I don't think Im as flexable as I once was." she said and chuckled heaing them thank her " this was all Angus's sugestion and maybe a bit of Edwards doing too." she said smiling " but thank you" she listened to Simone and looked down at Caprice " shes like her dad , always opservant" she said smiling " but I have to agree it is getting late and we should get back up to the house." she picked up Caprice who she chuckled at as she would nod her head as if falling asleep then bring it back up and look around.

"Thank you Simone, I agree shes been awake all day and that a bit too much for her just yet, should we leave the girls or bring them with us?" she asked not sure if Ginger and Anise want to come up to the house " Im sure faith and evie know their way back would they bring Anise and Ginger too" she stood up and picked up her jacket slinging it over her arm as she held Caprice reeady to walk back to the house. " It would be nice to check on Angus after what you told me happened, and to thank Evan too." she looked to Anise and Ginger as she called to them " were heading up to the house you can stay if you want , Evie and Faith can bring you back later if you want." she called knowing they would make the right call .

(sorry. angus just had some bonding to do with edward, i think.  lol)

Angus had awakened, finding himself dreaming of his grandmother for some odd reason. It was the first he'd dreamed of her since her death all those years ago. He was, for the moment alone in his room, which surprised him because he figured he would forever have his keepers with him. Marcus and Nigel had apparently felt they could walk away from him for awhile here. He opened the nightstand drawer and found a small framed picture of his grandmother. It had been something that always had been on his nightstand as he was growing up, until she had died. Then, he had put it away in the nightstand because the young boy he had been then had grieved so hard for her. He had been so brave while she was sick and so brave when she took her last breaths. Edward had been half of his world then, and Caprice had been the other half. With her gone, though, the boy had fallen utterly apart until Edward became Angus's entire world and pulled him together again. He found the picture again today, after it had been in the drawer for decades. He put it back today where it belonged on the nightstand.

"Sorry," he said softly, looking at the photo, as if she could hear his apology. He stood up and apparated out. The picture at the moment just wasn't enough.

He didn't go far, though. He had only apparated out to the family's small square of land that held some of the graves of Donohues who had gone on before.  There were graves here for his parents, Benjamin and Eileen, even though the graves were empty. There were graves for Edward's parents and Caprice's. There was a double headstone--one side for Caprice, and one side for Edward with a birthdate and no end date. And there was room still for a good many more Donohues here. He sat down on the ground near his grandmother, just wanting a moment with her today because she had been one of his strongest cheerleaders when it came to standing up for the right thing, even when those choices were so bloody hard to make.

He hadn't been there all that long when he saw a shadow falling over him, a shadow of someone standing behind him. He glanced back to see Marcus was there, far enough away to give him privacy, but close enough that if anyone thought they were going to thump on him again, Marcus would surely have them.

"How'd you find me?" Angus asked, looking back towards his grandmother's headstone.

"Because I told him where you'd be," Edward's voice came from the other side of him. Angus turned to see Edward walking up to him and sitting with him. "I've always said I needed to put a bench out here. The ground keeps getting farther down than it used to be. Sitting almost behind him, Edward wrapped both arms around Angus' shoulders, albeit it very gently around the injured one. "What brought her to your mind today?" he asked him.

"I was dreaming about her," Angus said. "First time that's happened since she left us."

"I still dream about her all the time," Edward said. "Was it a good dream?"

"It was more frustrating than anything. I saw her smiling and laughing, and I couldn't reach her because Basil kept standing between us. You know, there's more space in this plot than I remembered."

"Well, that dream was codswallop, then. She, above all people, would never let anything keep you from her. You haven't been out here for a long time," Edward smiled, as Angus leaned back against Edward, grateful that even after all this time, he would still come for him.

"Could you do something for me?" Angus asked.

"If I can. What is it?'

"Don't put Basil next to her, would you? She deserves better than that."

"He's not going to be next to her. That I can promise you. I promised her two things. I promised that I would protect her to my last breath, and that didn't stop just because she went across the veil. I will protect her to my last breath. Period. Now that you've brought it up, though, it occurs to me that she never did like Basil, and she could never put her finger on exactly why. She was never rude to him, mind you, but she really disliked him. Maybe she knew something about him that I didn't. I'll tell you one thing for certain, she'd have been all chuffed up about how well you took care of him today, though."

"Proud of me killing family members?" Angus frowned.

"No, you nitwit. Proud because of all the lives you saved," Edward laughed gently. "And she'd have had Gloria down on the ground and with a few teeth missing for even thinking she could touch you."

"I didn't know she could fight."

"Fight? Hell, Boy, she didn't just fight, she brawled with the best of them and usually won. You know Clive from the outfitting shop in Venice?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he knew her from school. They were in the same house. In a way, he introduced us. He and I went into a pub one night, and she was working there as a server to earn a few bob. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, but she didn't even seem to notice I was there until a brawl broke out in the pub. She took care of two of them, and I took care of the third. She bought me a pint for helping her out."

"You said you made two promises. You promised to protect her. So what was the other promise?"

"When she knew I'd be raising you alone, she said to me, 'Promise me that boy will never have to wonder where you are.'"

"And you kept your word. I always knew where you were. Suppose I'll ever stop needing you?"

"God, I hope not. It's the joy of my life. We all need to have a sense of purpose, and I certainly don't want my only purpose in this family to be the family piggy bank. When I'm with you and Ruby and Simone, I have purpose and life again. I don't want that to ever change. So, I think, we should just sit here and enjoy a moment with your grandmother and then let's go back to the house. The girls are probably going to be back from the beach soon. They shouldn't have to wonder where we are either."

"Fair enough. Let's go, then," Angus said.  They walked back together, with Edward's arm around Angus's good shoulder, and Marcus following behind.  As they neared the house, they saw Evan approaching.  

"Your girls and mine have made quite the little four musketeer squad," Evan smiled. "They're getting on like they've been mates their whole lives. I know you've got to be completely knackered, but Tara and I would like you and your family, and Edward and Simone, of course. to have supper at our place tonight. Your family and my family. Nothing fancy. Just some steaks and veggies on the grill out by our pool. Your healer told me you should still rightfully be in St. Mungo's, so come in your pajamas if you like. I don't care. There's an outdoor living room and some chaises, so you can just relax and rest, and we'll do the cooking. You won't need to do a thing. We'd like to not be so damn distant from you. What do you say?"

Angus was so tired he could hardly move but there was still two or three hours til supper time. It was the first time ever that he'd been invited to dinner at any other Donohue house other than Edwards. Someone was actually extending an olive branch.

"I'll talk to Ruby, but I don't think she'd object. Thank you," Angus said.

Ruby followed Simone into the house and chuckled seeing the girls talking amonst them selves " now there I belive are two rooms upstairs one for each of you , don't worry there is a joining door so your not seperated" she said smiling to Anise and Ginger " now go wash and change while I figure out where Angus and Edward had disapeared to after I have put Caprice down for her nap" she said as they all went up stairs she found the nursary right next to the bed room they ahd shared the first time he ahd brought her to Edwards home and she smiled rembering the good times they had. Placing Caprice in her onsie so she could sleep and a clean diper she lay her in the crib smiling as she saw her fall asleepa soon as her little head hit the small pillow.

Gently closing the door she spoted a room with the door open, stepping in she saw a picture laid on the bed. Picing it up she could see the resemblance between Angus and th woman and she smiled " hi Caprice" she said softly and placed it upright next to the bed. Now showerd and changed herself she headed down to the main terrace to find a cosy couch to sit on and watch the sun set.