A Birth day

"Thanks," Angus said to Ruby, glad for the first aid and glad to have her help him back up on his feet. "She's actually exceptionally beautiful in that form," he told Ruby. "And right now, she's really pissed off."

Suzanne aimed her wand at Anise, and Anise raced off towards her, ready to take Suzanne out completely, growling and snarling and barking on the way. Fenrir had trained her well how to look like she had every intention of killing, and, frankly, at that moment, that was exactly what Anise had planned. She wasn't thinking like a human. The animal in her knew that this woman was going to kill her, so in order to survive, Anise needed to take her out first. Angus saw Greco aiming at Anise to take Anise out.

"No!" Angus shouted, trying to take Greco out with a sectumsempra since it was his fastest spell. At the same instant, Robert fired his wand, and with him, Edward fired and so did Marcus.

No one would ever know for certain who actually dealt the killing blow to Luca Greco, but he gave one last shriek of agony and then fell dead to the ground, and at that moment, one of Suzanne's men clutched tight to Suzanne and apparated out with her. They were all gone in a flash. Anise's leap went for naught, and instead of coming down on Suzanne, she came down on empty ground.

Angus's energies were entirely spent, and he crumpled. Marcus caught him and held him up.

"It's done, Mate. They're gone for now," Marcus told him.

Ruby looked at Angus " its what Im here for" she said then looked again at Anise " sams a lucky man" she said smiling she raised her wand as Greco raised his wand to fire Ruby raised hers and moved her body inbetwen him and Angus but she didn't fire as she saw several spells headed his way and smiled " see you in hell" she called out just as they struck, turning quickly she saw Suzzane with one of her men port out " drated woman again" she cursed but hearing Marcus and seeing Angus crumple she moved to his side.

Jack and Jessie fired the same time as the others happy to not know whose spell had killed Greco. Now with every one gone or dead Jack walked over to the bosy " I'll dispose of this one" he said and kicked the lifless body of Greco. " what do you want to do with her?" he asked looking at Cora.

"I'll take her home," Edward said quietly. "She can lie with her father and her mother in the family plot. I hope to God this stops this nonsense with my family.

"Anise," Angus called to the silvery blonde werewolf, and she howled back.

"I think she hears you perfectly well, but she's not going to come back anywhere close until she changes back when the moon disappears near dawn," Edward said.

"If she stays in the woods here on the estate, she'll be safe enough for one night," Robert called to Angus.

"I can stay out here with her," Angus said.

"No, you won't," Robert said walking over to them. "We have awake crew on the grounds for a reason. You've done enough. Well done, Everyone We had no casualties amongst us, and we got two of the ones who wanted one of our own dead. We didn't get Suzanne, but that's alright. The most immediate threat to Angus is over. Well done, each and every one of you. Ruby, some admirable work tonight. Just remember if you plan to be a shield, do throw up a shield spell next time too, won't you? Otherwise, good job. Nice to have you back out with us."

"Come on. You need to go inside before you fall flat on your face," Marcus told Angus quietly. "Can you help me take him in, Ruby? Let's let the others know the coast is clear and they can come out. Edward, shall I send Evan out?"

"Please. He can help me take Cora home," Edward said. "Then we'll be back."

"I'll be in to make sure he's alright in a moment," Robert told them. "Just get him off his feet for now, won't you?"

Jack listend Robert talk about Anise and stepped forward just as Jessie did " we can stay with her2 he said " not like we haven't done it ourselves" he said and looekd to Jessie who stood next to him looking sheeish " right?" he asked him.

"um yeah, just no going on a rampage" he said taking out his flask and taking his dose of potion. Jack chuckled and lay his arm across Jessies shoulder.

"no no rampages tonight" he said as he lead Jessie away. Ruby breathed out now it was over and looked to Marcus and nodded " of course and whle you get Angus settled i'll get Evan and the others ." she said as together they started back to the duplex.

"Thank you, Guys," Angus said, glad that Jack and Jessie were going to keep an eye on Anise.

Marcus helped Ruby get Angus inside and back in his chair. Marcus didn't tell Ruby that by the time they got to his chair, Marcus was carrying almost all Angus's weight. Angus was just completely spent. They lowered him back into his chair.

"Well done, Mate. You held up a lot longer than anyone thought you could," Marcus said. He saw Angus was entirely over heated. "I'll be right back, Ruby, so you can get Evan and the rest.." He went to the kitchen, got Angus a tall glass of ice water and then got a cold wet washcloth and brought them both back. "Here. Get something cold to drink. That'll help." He sponged Angus's face with the cold cloth to help him to cool off. Angus leaned back, feeling tired beyond words.

"Ginger, you okay?" Angus called.

"I'm fine now," Ginger said. "I just wasn't ready. And it hurt."

"Yeah. It does," Angus nodded. Robert and Nigel came in, both of them with their shoulder bags. "Would one of you tend her leg, please?" Angus asked.

"I'll get it," Nigel told Robert, "if you want to check him for any damages."

"Did you hurt yourself when you fell?" Robert asked Angus.

"No. I don't think so," Angus replied, stifling a yawn from sheer exhaustion.

"Alright. I'll check your shoulder, and then I'll check your leg where you were hit," Robert said, seeing Angus yawn. "Sleep if you can. If I need you, I'll let you know."

Ruby headed down to the basement and found Evan, Tara and Simone " its okay you can come up" she told them "Yes its safe" she added as she headed back up. Seeing Robert there she moved to Angus accioing to a bowl of cold water she charmed it to stay cold and dipped the cloth into it then placed it on his head gently letting the coolness press against his skin glancing over at Simone and the others Remerging from the basement, Simone with Caprice in her arms.

Leaving Angus she moved to where Ginger sat and smiled at her " I did what I could, it's been cleaned the best I could" she said as she placed her hand on Ginger's shoulder.

"Good job," Nigel looked up at Ruby and smiled. "It's a good deal cleaner than I usually see. It's a burn mark. She'll heal just fine, but I'm sure it hurts like the devil. They always do." He used a healing potion on it and then he wrapped it. "Now, Ruby, let's get her one of Angus's magic wraps for tonight. That'll keep it cold so she can sleep, By morning, she won't need it.

"Where's Anise?" Ginger asked.

"She's out running the grounds til she can turn back," Robert told her. "Jessie and Jack are with her. Don't worry. They'll keep her safe."

"She's never been out in her full form without me before," Ginger said, trying not to worry. "Should I go out with her?"

"No, that's not necessary," Robert said. "She's alright." He glanced up at Angus and saw that Angus had slipped off into an exhausted sleep. Robert looked at his shoulder and put a clean dressing on it, sighing with relief. It had held. It looked fine. Then Robert looked at the wound on the front of Angus's leg, down near his ankle.

"What was she trying to prove when she fired at his leg?" Robert asked Marcus.

"She was aiming for his chest," Marcus laughed.

"Good god. The woman's a menace with a wand. Wonder what she got in school?"

"Angus said the boys told Professor Wilson that Suzanne got straight D's and T's in most of her classes."

"What? Dreadful and Troll? How did she ever graduate with the lowest marks the school gives?"

"I've got no earthly idea," Marcus said.

"Well, no wonder she hires thugs. She couldn't hit a barn if she was standing right in front of it," Robert scowled.

Ruby smiled and looked to Ginger " she's in good hands " she told her then glanced over at Angus listening to Robert and Marcus " would explain why she pushed us to do well, reliving her school days " she said then sighed " I didn't intenshonaly not tell him about Greco, I completly forgot, but I can say I have nothing else and thats the truth." she said to Robert reasuring him she knew nobody else that could hurt them. Standing she accioed a magic wrap and handed it to Nigel to use on Gingers leg. She moved to the kitchen and started the coffee maker " I think we all could use a coffee , irish coffee" she said picking up a bottle of fire whiskey and placing a shot in each mug.

"Ruby, you still don't understand what Angus was angry about," Marcus said. "It had nothing to do with Greco--forget him. He doesn't give a damn about Greco. That wasn't the issue at all. I'm not sure why you really don't understand what I keep telling you, but I'll try only one more time. If you still don't get it, then I really am done trying. Angus honestly believed you at the beginning of your relationship when you said you didn't know your parents were criminals. Today you told him you knew all along. That means you must have lied to him way back at the start when you said you didn't know and you let him find out what they were all by himself. What that means to him now is that he knows you deceived and betrayed him right from the start. To him, that's hugely important.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

"Got a couple more of those?" Evan asked, coming in with Tara and seeing the Irish coffees. "Simone went with Edward to take Cora home. They're not staying--they're coming straight back. He talked with Patrick by floo, and Patrick will take care of it. She was his sister, after all. Our girls went up to shower over at Edward's. I know the danger is over for my family and me, and we could go home, but I really would like to stay a couple more days, if that's alright. I saw a side of Angus I hadn't seen tonight. I thought I knew him and how he could fight, but, damn. I had no clue. I haven't ever seen anyone fight like that."

"Is that a good thing or not?" Marcus asked.

"His speed. I've never seen anyone use sheer speed as a weapon like that. Or wielding their wand like a sword, like a swashbuckler. That was unbelievable."

"Ah, yes, well, those are a couple of his best skills," Robert replied, finishing bandaging Angus's leg. He put a magic wrap on Angus shoulder and one on his leg, draped a blanket over Angus and left him to sleep. Robert went over and picked up a mug of the Irish coffee Ruby had made. "This is very nice, Ruby. You make a good Irish coffee."

"Yes, she does," Evan said.

"Your brother," Robert said to Evan, "is a member of an elite team of very carefully selected of men and women that I call my 'first string.' They're the men and women that I depend on, that I call on first when I need some fire power--crack fighters, every single one of them. For example, Jack brings some speed and great size and strength to the team. So does Jessie. Michael brings more skills than I can count. Jack's wife brings healing skills right out into the field if I need them. And the list goes on."

"And what exactly would you need this team for, anyway? You have aurors, don't you?" Evan asked, referring to Robert's job at the ministry.

"There are places where being an auror is not helpful," Robert said. Sometimes a private team gets in and out a lot more effectively."

"I see," Evan said, seeing that Robert definitely was a man of secrets. This team had a purpose--a purpose Evan didn't know or understand, but Robert had trained fighters that were skilled, armed and ready. "This team you have, this is what Anise wants so badly to be a part of, isn't it?"

"Yes," Robert said. "And, for her age, she has some terrific skills. She's already fought with them on a few occasions, and they've told me they think she has great promise of being one of our newest members."

"I might need to join," Evan said.

"Why? Why would you want to?" Robert asked him.

"I don't know if the violence that my family has seen in the last week or two is going to stop with Cora, but Edward is obviously getting older. If the violence doesn't stop with tonight's events, then when Edward is gone, Angus will be left to fight it alone."

"No. That's where you're wrong," Robert said. "Angus is far from alone. Every person you saw tonight considers him family. And he has Anise, and both of his sons, Sam and Victor, that have every intention of following in his footsteps. Angus might not be with a big family who loves him when he's in Tuscany, but he does when he's here. That's what keeps him here. Here, unlike Tuscany, he is loved and accepted and has purpose."

"Yes. I do see that, but I mean to help that whole business in Tuscany change.  I know I am the lynchpin for change at home. He's going to inherit that whole thing there, and unless I help him change it, when the day come from him to step into that, he's not going to want one moment of it, and I wouldn't blame him a bit. Hell, Edward doesn't want it now. He preserves it for Angus and Angus's children and grandchildren. But the fact remains that he is a Donohue, and he has a right to be accepted and loved by the people that he is blood related to. Maybe I can make it happen for him."

uby listened to Marcus again and nodded " But I didn't know about my perents involvement" she said " he was just an uncle, until I over heard him talking, so I didn't lie to Angus I would never do that, I told him the truth , I didn't know about my perents involvement in the busness and how evil they were until it was discovered by Robert and Angus." she explained to Marcus as she handed him his coffee then moved to get her own.

She heard Robert compliment her irish coffee and smiled to him " thank you" she said sipping her own as she sat and listened to them talking. She looked over at Caprice who was now sat in her chair giggling at Simone and Ginger talking in her own baby language.