A Birth day

"I don't think it was me," Robert said. "I suppose I might have helped to establish a truce between the pack and the people here at the estate, but I wasn't given an honor like that."

"It was me," Edward said. "Ironic that the werewolf slayer would be recognized, isn't it? But I made it clear to Fenrir that I would not ever indiscriminately slay one of the pack, and that I never killed without a damned good reason. And Fenrir's pack is the only pack that ever recognized me that way."

Simone saw Yulong setting out the supper dishes, but they had just finished lunch. She cast warming spells on the casseroles so they would stay hot for several hours, and she cast a cooling spell on the salad, and set the fresh strawberry pies that were supposed to be dessert for supper on the counter because they did not need refrigeration."

Anise picked up the boxes that held the knives they had bought earlier and took them to Angus.

"I don't know if we did alright, but I want you to look at these. Ginger and I decided to pool our money and go together on the gifts for Sam and Victor. Jessie said it would be alright. We thought...if they were going to be fighters, that maybe some equipment was a good thought. How did we do?

"Well, I think equipment is a marvelous idea," Angus told her, impressed. That interested Robert, so he and Ginger went over to Angus to see what the girls had bought. Angus opened the two swiss army knives first.

"Whoa. Those are exceptional," Angus said. "Those are better than what I carry." He showed them to Robert.

"We haven't ever issued anything that nice as standard mission use but maybe we should start," Robert laughed. "Those are awesome. Great choice, Ladies! What else did you get?"

"Let's see," Angus said. He opened the switchblades and clicked the switches on them. "Oh, nice! Double action blades. Check these out." He showed them to Robert.

"And again, they picked blades that are better than our standard mission issue," Robert said. "One of you has a fine eye for knives."

"That would be Anise," Ginger said.

"I should have guessed," Robert cast her a smiled. "What do you guys think?" He passed the blades on to Jack to see them next.

Jack took a knife as Yu took the other both men were impressed as Jack turned it he smiled " well balanced , will last the boys along time" he said handing it back to Angus Yu held it then flipped it to hold the handle again .

" yes , the blade will serve them well" he said and also handed it back. " the multi purpose knife is a good idea, especialy if your cought out in the wilds." he added taking his own worn black handled one out " my father gave me his when he passed." he said showing a symbol engraved into the handel before pacing it back in his hip holder and clipping it closed then laying his shirt over the top. " I use it when cooking or carving." Jessie nodded.

"they got dagger holsters with the knives too, so the boys could keep them attached to them and be hands free" Jessie added taking out a black leather holder and a light brown holder to show them. " oh and we um got some sweets too, and a bag of fudge for you Angus" he said.

Jack looked to Edward when he said he ahd recived the recognishion " ah thats right , sorry" he said to Edward and chuckled " it is unushual but very well earned." he smiled to him.

"You chose great gifts," Angus said. "Awesome job. And I'm sure you picked good chocolate." He checked the chocolate and looked at them. "I couldn't have done better myself. This will make a great mousse. Thank you. And there's enough fudge here for everyone to have a piece. Simone, would you be so kind as to take it and cut it into pieces please?"

"Of course," she smiled, taking the fudge and the chocolate.

"Can we take them food tonight?" Anise asked, her mind still on her pack. "They're going to crave raw meat tonight. With the wounds they have and the amount of blood I smelled, they're going to be feeling hurt, weak and tired, and that will make them all feel exposed and vulnerable. They're going to crave meat and they're going to be drawn to want to feed."

"And it's a full moon,' Robert said. "Jack, you and Jessie, take them up more than enough raw meat to completely stuff them. Let's feed them exceptionally well soonish. Before dark."

"I want to go. I want to be a part of that," Anise said.

"Me too," Ginger said.

"Make doubly sure you all have your potions tonight, and if any of the pack even remotely looks out of control. you sound an alarm so the ground crew can go indoors, and you lot get back here on the double. Nobody stays out if we have any of them turn tonight. They reassured me, the last time they were here, that they would take wolfsbane while they were on the estate, but we didn't think to renew that agreement today," Robert said.

"If you have some, we should take some with us, just in case," Ginger said.

"I have a big bottle, but not individual bottles," Robert said.

"Give us the big bottle and maybe disposable potion cups. We'll try to get them to take it," Anise suggested.

"Jack? Jessie? You're the authorities here," Robert said. "Thoughts?"

Jack looked to Jessie as Anise and Ginger said they wanted to go to the pack Jack looked to Robert and nodded " Jessie and I will get on that right away, and as long as they follow us they can come, we'll keep an eye on them Angus" Jack said smiling to the girls. "and don't worry I've taken my potion" Jessie stood next to Jack and nodded.

"me too, it would be nice to see the pack settled" he said " and don't worry Uncle Jesie will bring them home safe." he said and heard Yu chuckle behind him as did Jack. " what? I am their uncle" Jack placed his hand on Jessies shoulder .

"we know, it just makes you sound old" he said patting Jessies shoulder " any way I'll go organise the meat an extra large portion to take with us" Jack said and headed out and over to some grounds men then he followed them to a refidgerated storage shed and chose several large sides of beef to take up to the pack along with cut steaks.

Jessie looked at the girls and smiled best he could " when do you want to go" he looked at Angus " maybe now so they can get back in time for supper?" he sugested.

"I don't think it makes you old, Jessie," Angus said. "It makes me glad you're there for them. Thank you."

"Yes, please?" Anise asked.

"Do you want me to go with you?' Angus asked the girls. They looked at each other.

"No, thanks, but no," Ginger said. "You've done so much for us today. I'd honestly rather see you resting and taking care of yourself while we're gone. Fenrir is there, and so is Dad, and Jessie and Jack will be there. It'll be fine. Just be here when we get back."

"Now, just where would I go?" Angus laughed. "Don't forget to go get the wolfsbane bottle from Robert's workroom upstairs in the main house before you go. You'll need Jack or Jess to open it." Angus wasn't going to tell them there was an age line on the room, but surely Jack and Jess would remember. The girls got ready to go, and then as they were heading out, Anise turned back and ran over to Angus, and she folded into him for a hug. He gave her the hug she wanted and he kissed her cheek. "It'll be alright. We'll get through it together. You have my word." She nodded, and he looked at her and brushed away a couple tears from her face.

"I can't cry in front of my dad," she said to him quietly.

"It'll be alright just this once," he smiled. She nodded and then ran back to the door to rejoin Jack and Jessie and Ginger. Once they were gone, Angus got up and checked the pink tea mugs. They were almost empty. They had gotten nearly all of the calming potion. That explained why they were better.

"I gave them some calming potion in the tea," Angus admitted to the rest of them.

"I noticed," Robert said, ever the healer. "Good call. You can give them some dreamless sleep potion tonight at bedtime too. I did leave you a small bottle back when you first were having nightmares from Suzanne. They really will be very tired by bedtime. A solid night's rest would do them good."

"Understood," Angus replied.

"Alright, I'm going to get my bag and go see Fenrir, if he'll accept my pestering him," Robert said. "Let us know if you need anything at all."

"Thank you," Angus said. Robert left them."

"Angus,' Evan said, after they left. "I've had a thought. I assume you'll invite anyone from the estate that wants to come, for the girls' sake."

"Of course," Angus said.

"Well, I think you should extend that to not only Dennis but to the entire pack as well. They're family to the girls too."

"The pack?" Angus asked. He wasn't against it. He just hadn't thought of it.

"Definitely," Edward agreed.

Jessie smiled at Angus and nodded " no need its what family do" he said as Jack stood up and walked to the door.

"I'll get the potion" he said and headed across to the main house. Entering he went to the lab and found the large jar of wolfsbane and picked it up shrinking it slightly he slipped it into his pocket before walking back out to the yard where Jessie and Ginger stood waiting for Anise. As they stood there one of the grounds men brought two large sacks with the meat and placed them next to Jack who with one hand picked them up and slung them over his shoulder. taking Anises hand while Jessie took Gingers they aperated to the camp. Jessie let go of Gingers hand as Jack took out the jar of wolfsbane enlarging it and handing it to Anise as he walked over to Fenrir " we brought food , extra food for the pack" he said " Robert said you might need it with everything thats happened." he said as Jack placed down the two large sacks of meat. " theres enough there to feed the pack twice over for tonight, I'll arrange more to be brought tomorrow."

Yu had stod quietly in the duplex he gathered the cups and plates and washed them replacing them back in the cupboards. His cake sat on the counter cooling. He took the chocolate and placed it in the fridge for the moment then made a fresh pot of tea for every one.

"It is appreciated," Fenrir said. "They are hungry tonight, especially the cubs, and the men have not had the strength to hunt today. We have a second problem, and we're hoping the Donohue boy would see fit to help us."

"What do you need?" Anise asked him.

"One of our young females, I think you know her--Elizabeth--had twin cubs very recently. They are still newborns by human standards and they are very, very small. Well, she is one of the pack members that is in St. Mungo's. Our nursing females do not have enough milk to feed these new cubs. I recall that the Donohue boy has a new cub of his own. Would he be willing to take these two tiny cubs and share his female's milk with them?"

Anise and Ginger understood that Fenrir didn't know and didn't need to know that the milk they had was actually powder formula. They did, however, know Angus.

"I will take them," Ginger said, knowing she would be recognized in the pack as an adult female, and one that had always provided good care to cubs. "Angus would want us to say that the cubs could stay with us as long as you have need."

"Since he is your guardian, do you need to ask him?"

"Not about this," Anise said. "We know what he would say if he were here. Jack and Jessie can vouch for what we're saying. We have milk and bottles and diapers. We can take these cubs for now."

"It is a lot in your home under the circumstances," Fenrir said.

"And the humans have a very large family wrapped around us," Ginger said. "If we need help, they will help. No questions asked. How small are they?

"They each weigh now just over four pounds. They were less at birth, but they have grown. We have tried to brace the mother that cubs this size do not survive"

"They cannot remain out in the night air like this. It is very dangerous for them. Let us take them for a bit to give them every chance to survive. They can survive with the right care," Ginger insisted. Fenrir whistled, and a woman brought out a basket with two tiny tiny babies swaddled in old, worn blankets. The blankets were impeccably clean, but they were old and rather threadbare. Ginger looked up at Jack, hoping Jack would also help support them temporarily taking these wee ones.

"I think," Simone said, "we should wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate it or freeze it so it stays fresh. How soon are you going to want to ice it, Angus?"

"Well, the sculpting will be done separately and then just placed on the cake, so the cake itself doesn't need to be involved with that. That's going to take time. I'll probably have to start on that tomorrow because that could take two or three days to do. Every little piece, every detail, has to be colored to the exact right color and has to be sculpted by hand. And there countless pieces to make. Once they're made, then they have to be all assembled, like building blocks. Then they go on the cake in manageable pieces in a way that tries to distribute the weight of the decorations so that they don't cause the cake to become uneven and tilt and fall."

"Sounds like delicate work," she said.

"It is. Its a good thing I have a few days before the boys actually come home because I'm going to need it," he said.

Jesie and Jack both listened to Fenrir and nodded Jesie walked over to Anise and Ginger. "Anise is right, Angus will understand , they will be cared for" he said and smiled to Anise as the baskets were brought out. Jack walked over and picked both up and looked inside he smiled seeing twin boys.

"they do her proud" he said softly and looked to Fenrir " if they can not be at Angus I will look after them as if my own until their mother returns" he told him showing respect for the pack and the little ones he held.

Yu listened to Simone and Angus and nodded " all right" he said and began to wrap the cake to freeze it " it is good to have time to reflect befoe they arrive" he said placing the now wrapped cake in the freezer" also if I need to make more layers I have the time." he said smiling as he looked over at Angus. " you have any ideas yet?" he asked " I have been thinking , what about a hogwarts cake?" he sugested.

"You read my mind, Yu," Angus said. He got out his sketchbook that showed a three layer cake with the lake on the bottom, and on the lakes were fondant boats, with little figures of Sam and Victor each in a boat, wearing their robes and their graduation hats. The second layer would have the forbidden forest on it, and on the top layer was a sculpture of Hogwarts, all done in cake and icing. It was very detailed. And on the top layer was a Hufflepuff student holding a banner that said. "Congratulations, Sam," and she was standing beside a Gryffindor with a banner that said, "Congratulations, Victor."

"That's my plan. What do you think?" Angus said, floating the sketchbook over to Yulong.

"I will have the news relayed to their mother. As you can imagine, she is quite beside herself because they are her first cubs. I am told she is in Intensive Care so I don't know how soon my pack can visit her, but she will be most grateful, I am certain."

"Fenrir,' Anise said, not afraid to present him a tad of a challenge, "The pack needs to show some respect to their hosts. There is a full moon tonight. They don't need to like wolfsbane, but they do need to take it here during the full moon." Fenrir looked at her with raised eyebrows, not expecting her cheek. And then, after a moment, he laughed.

"You have not lost one spark of your fight, have you, little one?" he looked at her, amused. "You still are the only female that could get away with speaking to me like that, and I don't know why I let you do it."

"Because I speak truth to you, truth that come from the love I have for the pack and for you," she told him.

"Hm, well, I cannot relate to this love business you insist on throwing my direction, but tonight your words are wise but not for the same reason that I have. Respecting the humans is your reason. My reason for recommending it tonight is that too many are too wounded to withstand the transformation. Tonight they need to feed and sleep." He looked at Jack. "Can you assure me that my pack will be safe enough from James tonight that we can all sleep? Does he have a huge chance of getting in here? I aware of your protection spells, but I also know he has come here without invitation before."

Yu walked over and lookd at the sketch " its dooabe" he said smiling " it will need at least four cut layers." he finished and looekd to Angus " they will love it" he added then started thinking about how to cut the cake into the shapes to form the cake its self.

Jack stood and heard Fenrir talk to Anise he smield when Fenrir said his pack would take the wolfsbane looking at Fenrir Jack spoke " I promise on my life he will not come tonight, our men will re-enforce the barrior spells and patrol around the grounds to double the protection." he told Fenrir " I will personaly make sure its done, you have my word your pack can rest and heal." he heard one of the twins start to fuss and looked at Anise " we should get these two back and fed." he said as Jessie walked over and took one of the twins from Jack.

" I'll help" he said and looked down t the sleeping twin before looking to Fenrir " do they have names?" he asked not wanting to call them the wrong names.