A Birth day

"Ruby, seriously!" Anise scowled at her. "There was a tree to climb and you didn't ask me?"

"Yeah, Tarzan here can't resist a good tree climbing," Angus teased Anise.

"Just because you don't know how..." Anise tossed the trash talk right back at him. Evan laughed out loud.

"Oh, listen to her. Did you teach her how to trash talk?" Evan asked.

"Our Squirt came pre-programmed like that," Marcus laughed.

"Squirt? That's your nickname, Anise? It fits," Evan said.

"It's okay. Makes people think I'm easy. I win more bets that way," she said.

"How do you figure that?" Evan asked.

"They think I'm just some wimpy little girl, and they bet high against me, not realizing I'm gonna clean their clock," she told him. He laughed out loud.

"I like her, Angus," Evan said.

"Me too," Angus said, watching Anise take one of the frisbees and dash back off to the side yard to find the other girls.

"She's clever, that one," Evan said.

"And she fights better than you do," Edward told Evan. "She plays hard and fights harder."

"Edward, you going to Basil's tomorrow?" Angus asked.

"Yes," Edward said.

"Want me to come along?"

"No. I do not," Edward said. "You've pushed hard the last two or three days. You need to rest. Work on your tan or something. Ruby will get the stuff down from the attic, and that will keep the girls busy awhile, so you have no reason why you can't rest."

"Speaking of that," Nigel said to Angus, "you soon need to give this up, Lad. You've been up just about long enough." Angus knew he was right.

"This isn't going to be the only night we do this, is it?" Evan asked.

"I hope not. I've had a great time," Angus said.

"Us too," Evan said.

"I'll take Angus home and Caprice home, and Ruby and Marcus can stay with the girls as long as they like and come home whenever they feel like it," Nigel said.

"Would that be alright with you, Ru?" Angus asked. "You can do the mom thing without me for a bit since the girls are having a good time."

"Or let the girls stay a bit, and I'll walk them back over in another hour or so, if Ruby wants to go," Evan said. "No pressure. Whatever you all want to do."

Ruby laughed at Anise "Sorry, want me to put it back?" she asked moving as if she was going to throw it but saw her run off to find the other girls and laughed placing it back down on the table beside her.

"Angus, it's fine, go rest we'll be fine, but I appreciate you taking Caprice home, she needs sleep too," she said leaning in and kissing him gently.

Hearing what Evan had said and Edwards responce she chuckled " oh you do not know our Anise" she said smiling " hes going to regret callenging her, Wait, he likes impossible challanges, since hes taking on Robert too." she said smiking at Evan and looking to Marcus. Smiling she looked to Angus and nodded "I'll see you when the girls are ready to head back, now go rest" she said gently to him.

"I'll be glad when I get back on grownup hours," Angus laughed. He knew Nigel was right, but he also didn't like being chased off to bed like a little kid either. Still, he let Nigel take him home. Rosaria was upstairs, turning down the beds for the night when she heard Angus come back with Nigel and the baby. She asked Angus if she could help with the baby, and Angus was glad to hand her over to Rosaria's very capable hands. She took Caprice for a bath, a bottle, and a cuddle before bed.

Nigel helped Angus to change, and just as he was finishing, Carlo brought up a hot cup of herbal relaxation tea had long been something Angus had done when he lived here. He had forgotten all about it, but Carlo hadn't forgotten. He and Nigel got Angus's side of the bed ready and made sure Angus was settled with his tea and his book. Nigel added Angus's nighttime potion to the tea, and then left him to relax, with only the dim lamp on his nightstand on. Nigel made sure the bedroom doors were locked, despite Angus' desire to have all the french doors open to catch the warm Tuscan night breeze for a change. Nigel did not believe Marcus would approve, so he locked the french doors before he left.

The girls played for another ninety minutes and then, with Ginger tiring quickly finally, they came back to the dining table, grabbed a second helping of dessert, and talked about things that they thought they'd all like to do together. Edward and Simone thanked Evan and Tara for a lovely evening, and they headed home.

Ruby played with the girls for a while then as they went to sit so did she, seeing Edwrad and simone heading abck she looekd to Ginger and Anise " I think we should head back now, every ones tired , so am I" she said softly as she stood up and held out her hand for them to take so they could walk back with Edward and simone to the main house. Seeing the girls to their room she smiled at them as she spoke " don't stay up too late and sleep well." she said moving to check on Caprice who she found sleeping in the crib changed into a light cotton sleep suit. She moved to the room they were staying in and saw Angus already in bed with his tea. Changing her clothes for a light night dress she slipped in beside him.

"I have to say with everything thats happend today, its been a nice day, and I know the girls enjoyed themselves." she said softly to him knowing he probably felt it had not been so becuse of what had happened with Basils wife. But to her it had been a good bonding day with the girls and she'd met Patrick who was nothing like his father. " by the way Patrick seems a nice guy." she said turning to look at him in the dim light.

"I'm glad it was a good day for you and the girls," Angus yawned. "The girls needed friends ,and I think Evie and Faith were good for them. I 'm glad we had a good evening with Evan, and I honestly never expected an apology from Patrick. Nobody's ever apologized. That was a first. It sounded like he might be a nice guy, but I'm gonna have to get to know him before I can judge that." He didn't bring up the obvious statement that he had never expected to lose his uncle and his aunt today either. That didn't need to be brought up again.

"Just be ready that there very well may be more blowback tomorrow from other family members who weren't there and didn't see how it all happened. If it does, I'd prefer to just go home and not keep putting Edward in the middle. He shouldn't have to keep defending me. I've never understood what they have against me, but it was weird hearing Evan ask the question. Maybe someday we'll get an answer. I always just presumed Benjamin and Eileen had turned them against me by telling them a bunch of lies, and maybe they did. Maybe everybody still believes whatever they said. I mean, even when I was small,  like Abbey's size, they treated me this way, so I can't believe I ever did anything so terrible that made my entire family hate me. It has to be something that was all made up. Maybe I'm just never gonna know, and if I don't, that's gonna be alright because I have a huge family now and a life that I wouldn't trade for anything."

He yawned and laid his book aside and turned out the light.

"We'd better get some sleep. It's gonna be a busy day tomorrow. Goodnight, Ru," he said sleepily.

He woke to the smell of a warm, fragrant, Tuscan breeze, and when he opened his eyes, Rosaria had set fresh mugs of hot coffee on his nightstand and Ruby's. She had opened the drapes for the sun to stream in, and had opened the fresh doors. Angus could smell the jasmine, the wild passion flower, the sweet pea blossoms and the climbing roses. Edward had found a way to entwine them years ago in order to shower Caprice every morning with the fragrance of flowers, and they now climbed up the house and wound their way around the wrought iron balconies, making mornings a wonderful perfumed breeze to wake up to.

Angus had completely forgotten to tell Ruby that it was tradition in this house for Rosaria to bring hot, fresh coffee upstairs for the adults to enjoy their first cup undisturbed as a lovely quiet way to start the day. Angus hadn't had this sort of old, wonderful Edwardian style of waking up in ages.  He was so used to doing things for himself now that this seemed like luxury. And, by the way most people lived, Angus knew he had been brought up in luxury, at least when he and Edward were home and not out in some hinterland hunting werewolves and living out of backpacks. How he had come out of living in this Tuscan mansion without being a spoiled brat, he had no idea.

"Buongiorno," Rosaria said quietly.

"Buongiorno, Rosaria," Angus said. "Grazie." She proceeded to tell him that she found Caprice wide awake, alert, and especially cranky because she was overly hungry. Rosaria had gotten Caprice, washed her up, dressed her and had taken her downstairs and fed her. She told Angus that, with Nigel's full approval, she had given Caprice a little very finely milled oatmeal cereal and her bottle, and Caprice seemed delighted with it and was now in much better spirits.

She went on to say that Edward and Simone were outside in Edward's large outdoor living area, and Caprice was with them, being oohh'd and ahh'd over by extended family that had come to see Edward today about Gloria's death. They had come to talk about Gloria, but Caprice had stolen the show.

She told him he girls were up, dressed, and in the dining room, eating breakfast. She had prepared them each a breakfast galette, and, because Nigel was carefully managing Ginger's foods, she had also served them some fresh fruit, a chocolate pastry, and cappuccino. The girls wanted coffee, and Nigel had wanted them to have milk. So the cappuccinos were a compromise that Rosaria had struck between them.

Nigel had wanted Angus to have a chance to sleep in, so Rosaria had delayed bringing coffee upstairs a little bit. She said Marcus had long been up, had gone for a run, and had showered, eaten, and was outside with Edward and Simone. She suggested they wear shorts because it was going to be very summery there today. She said she would bring their breakfast when he rang for it, and then she left them alone to drink their coffee.

Ruby had heard Angus as he had spoken to her when he spoke of blowback she just smiled "We'll deal with that when it comes" she said and lay herself gently snuggled against him she smiled when he said he would not trade the life he had now for anything, hearing him say they shouldget some sleep Ruby nodded " yeah, night dear" she said softly as he tuned out the light and she too fell asleep next to him.

Waking she smelt the most wonderful aroma and it wasn't the coffee that sat next to her on the nightstand, though that to her was nectar in the mornings, it sem to drift from out side of the now open window . " what is that wonderful smell, it's divine" she said seeing Angus awake now and Rosaria talking to him softly.

"Buongiorno Rosaria come stai stamattina?" she asked smiling at her as she heard her talk of the girls " Oh that is good," she said and slipped from the bed "If its all right I'm going to take a shower and dress." she said smiling " I'll see you down stairs Angus, Rosaria the coffee was perfect thank you so much" she said and looked to Angus before heading to the bathroom to shower , dress in a light floral sundress with simple sandels as she walked down to the living room to see every one down stairs " Morning" she said smiling as she walked over to Caprice and gently kissed her head " hope she wasn't too much of a fuss" she left her sat drinking from her bottle.

"Bene, Grazie," Rosaria replied. She left. Ruby showered and dressed and went downstairs, so Angus just interpreted that she apparently did not want Rosaria to bring her any breakfast up here, as Rosaria was accustomed to doing.

"Morning, Ruby," Edward said. "No, she's been fine. If you didn't get a breakfast tray, you should go to the kitchen. Rosaria made some breakfast gallates and some fruit salad. I'm sure there are more there, and the galletes are still hot and not to be missed. Just go and ask her, and she'll be happy to help you."

"Oh, and Ruby, Evan was over here. They're planning on taking their girls on their Vespas to go out around the area and then to perhaps go to the farm markets and maybe have a picnic. They'd like Anise and Ginger to go. You should know that here one can get a license to drive a Vespa at only 14, so the girls have their license, and they all have their own Vespas. Evan said that Anise and Ginger are welcome to ride with Evan and Tara on their Vespas with them, if that's alright with you. Those are very common here because so many of the streets here are so narrow. The Vespas get through them far easier than a car."

Marcus took Angus's breakfast tray upstairs for Rosaria to save her a trip. He helped Angus get cleaned up and dressed and got him his dose of daytime pain medication. Angus chose white linen trousers and a thin, light blue cotton button down shirt that he left the first three buttons unbuttoned, and wore flip flops. Angus had no desire at all to go downstairs and have to face his relatives. Ruby was certainly going to have to deal with them, but they didn't have a bone to pick with her.

Angus purposely chose to wear his gold Donohue coat of arms signet ring. It was identical in every way to Edward's, and he was the only one to have one that matched Edward's. He wanted it to be crystal clear to his relatives that he was Edward's chosen heir and not a bloody family reject. He had the gold doubloon around his neck and a heavy gold chain bracelet on his wrist. He was deliberately sending a clear message. His place was secure, and he was not going to take their flack today or any other. Marcus added a pair of aviator sunglasses with dark lenses and hung them on Angus's open shirt and tucked Angus's wand in his pocket. He looked now like the appropriate heir. He walked downstairs, with Marcus beside him and walked outside to where everyone else was.

Immediately, the warm outdoor living space seemed to get icy cold. The difference was palpable. His family looked at him as if to try to telegraph the message that the 'murderer' was not welcome here. Angus looked at them in silent defiance and deliberately took his seat beside Ruby but also on Edward's right, deliberately showing them he was Edward's right hand man. That one silent gesture pissed them off.

"Stop it," Edward told them quietly but fiercely. "This house is Angus's home, and it will always be his home. It's about time you finally accepted that."

Ruby heard Edward and smiled " thank you Edwrad" she said and walked to grab some food returning she sat down to eat as she heard Edward tall again about the girls on vespas and she chuckled " well we'll have to sk Angus about that, I don't have an issue but its not just my desishion" she said softly as she finished her food. Hearing the room go silant she turned to see Angus had entered the room.

Looking up at him her cheeks flushed a light pink immediately, at how hansome and dominating he looked stood in his white linen trousers, light blue cotton shirt and aviators , she also saw a gold ring on his finger that held the Donohugh crestent on it and she smiled understanding what he was doing.

When he sat down between her and Edward she leant over and kissed his cheek " forgot to ask, did you sleep okay last night?" she asked " also i have to say you look very busness like this morning. " letting him know she understood he was trying to get a point across to his relatives he was not going to be messed with and she was proud to sit by his side this morning.

"Like a baby," Angus said, giving her a smile. "It's good to be home." His answer was honest to her, but it was also pointed to his relatives that were desperate to try to get him to get out of Edward's life once and for all. "Thank you," he said. "I'm on holiday today, so there's no reason for me to dress in work clothes, is there?" He knew he was putting it on a little thick, but he also knew she understood him.

"I've let this go on so long that your hatred of him is all that Angus knows," Edward said to them. "And he's not ever done one damned thing to any of you. Not one time. I was awake last night. I've given this much thought, and I've come to a decision." He looked at Angus. "Forgive me, Lad, for not having a chance to tell you earlier this morning." He looked back at the family. "So, here's my decision. Mine and mine alone. I've supported you your entire lives. You've never had to worry if your own hairbrained schemes and overspending failed, but that ends today. Right this instant. From now on, I will not ever, ever speak to you about giving you one more cent. If you want money from my accounts, from here on out, you have to go through Angus for that. If Angus believes it's a worthy cause, he'll bring it to me. That will accomplish two things, I hope. First, if you're wise, you'll get to know Angus because I'm going to tell him he'd better know what sort of person you are before he loans you even one farthing, and if he doesn't like your purpose or doesn't like you then, I don't think he's going to recommend you to me for squat. I am sick and tired of only seeing any of you when you want money. I have a gorgeous wife that I am madly in love with, and I have a terrific life right now in England, and I intend to go back to it for at least half of the year. I'm not going to listen ever again to your daily, endless badgering about money. And, second, it will force you to deal with Angus in a respectful way finally or learn to actually grow up...."

They began to shout at Edward, suggesting that Edward had lost his mind and needed to be put away. Angus sat motionless and then he started to laugh. He found the whole scene hysterically funny. They looked at Angus like he had gone crazy.

"You lot are pitiful," Angus said. "Ask Edward how much money I've borrowed from him since I became legal age. Just ask him."

"Not one cent, not one time," Edward said. "I'm sorry to say that the truth can't be said for even one of you. So, perhaps its time I tell you, all that you see, all that I have, will be his when I pass on. None of you gets a damned thing more than you already have..."

"What are you talking about? We don't own anything!" one of them shouted angrily.

"And that's sad for you. You should have managed all of that money I gave you much better than you did. I'm not going to discuss this anymore. Metting adjourned. Now, go figure out how to bury Basil and Gloria. That's not my circus and not my monkeys. That's up to you all to deal with," Edward said.

Ruby smiled and shook her ehd " no, no reason what so ever" she said and looked at Edward as he started to talk to his relatives. She also saw that Caprice was with simone and Marcus and she was happy about that. Hearing there mean words about Angus she took his hand in hers more for her own comfort than his but to assure him she was there and was going no where.

When Edwrad told thm they had to go threw Angus she lent over closer to him "Well, that will be fun" she said and chuckled as she turned slightly so her body was slightly facing Angus. Hearing them say they had nothing she could not help scoff at there words " Maybe you should have treated them with respect and not something you scrapped off the bottom of your shoe." she said then heard Edward tell them to go sort out the funerals . Taking a moment she pored Agus a cup of coffee and held it up to him " coffee, sweet, theres been enough bitterness already this morning" she directed her words to his relatives as she handed him his cup.