A Birth day

"It does," Angus agreed with Ruby. "It's a lovely place Guys. This is the thing about family gardens like this. It might start in one little corner with one little idea, but in time, it can grow and become something truly wonderful. Your mother would approve."

"Well, she doesn't really understand how he sees it at all," Edward said to Jessie and Yulong. "When she stopped fighting, she didn't seem to be able to tolerate, emotionally, when trouble came. So he felt like he had to keep everything from her in order for her to cope. It was never something he wanted. He had wanted an equal partnership from the start, but she's had a habit of wanting the baby all to herself, and wanting to make all the damned choices about the baby, and wanting him to earn all the money and fight all the battles. Hell, even when she was working and he was her immediate supervisor, he never knew from one day to the next whether she intended to work or not. I'm afraid if I were her supervisor, I'd have fired her, flat out. I like her. I really do, but I don't like, at all, how she treats him. Nor do I like the fact that she doesn't have any bloody idea how to have an open, honest, equal partnership. Have you noticed that he has stepped way back from being involved with Caprice? I think that's his attempt to stop feeling angry with Ruby about how dominating and controlling she is with the baby. He would love to step in and be more involved with Caprice, but that whole 'its my baby and it'll be done my way' makes his blood absolutely boil. And I can't blame him a bit."

"The biggest part of it is that there's a lot of it he can't do one handed," Marcus said. "But, yeah, the anger is definitely there."

Ruby agreed with Angus about the garden as she stood looking at it with the girls. Jessie listened to Edward and nodded he agreed " yeah I agree she need to sort her self out and let Angus do things with Caprice hes capable" Jessie said " and hes not alone were all here to help." Yu placed his hand on Jessie and Jessie took a long deep breath in to calm himself " if shes not figting she should step back a little and let Angus work with Anise nd Ginger and have an active role with Caprice." he said " I do understand the frustration and shes my sister." he said glancing out of the window where they all stood. " but how do we get that across to her, I know shes working her head out with Jeffery but after that?" he asked unsure in himself how to help Ruby.

"He absolutely knows that he's got help and support here, and that means the world to him. As for getting the concept across to Ruby, I suppose Jeffrey will have to do that. I don't know what we'll be doing afterward. I guess we'll have to take our cues from Jeffrey," Edward sighed. "I will tell you this, as surely as I know my own name. He is eventually going to go one way or the other, and neither of which are going to be good. He will either get sick of it completely and end it with her, and I know he does not want to do that. Or, the other possibility is that if she continues on this track, he'll stay with her for Caprice's sake, but he'll be largely just doing whatever the hell she tells him to do, or ignoring her completely. Either way, he won't be communicating with her on anything. And seeing him trapped like that is something I don't ever want to see. That would be like watching a slow death, and I don't know that I wouldn't try to rescue him from her at that point.

"Frankly, I think she needs to stop feeling like every time something doesn't go her way that someone or something is against her and she has to fight for control. She thinks in a very black and white manner. Either someone is her very best friend and ally, or they're her enemy, in a manner of speaking, and she has to argue, fight, debate, and defend herself. And that attitude can swing and change at the drop of a bloody hat. Makes me nuts. There's no listening, no compromise, no anything but needing to win at that point. If she wants to keep him, though, she has to stop driving him away. That's the bottom line."

Jessie listened to Edward and nodded he was relived some one thought as he did about Ruby and her thought toward Angus. " I guess we leave it to Jeffery to straghten her out." he said and chuckled " he did a pretty good job with me." he said looking to Yu " helped I found some one who dosn't coddle me like a pampered prince" he said and Yu laughed as he glanced in at the twins.

Jesie made a cup of tea for them all and sat back down with Yu. Ruby stood out side looking at the flowers and feeling how peacful it was as she remembered her time before Angus and the kids. She looked to him and then back to the statue "I'm going in as Im getting cold but you can stay out with the girls a bit longer." she said

"I'm going to make some tea," Edward said. He went to the kitchen, and he made a pot of a Chinese tea he had gotten at a little Chinese herb shop in one of his travels. It was a blend of jasmine, oolong and green tea. It was a blend that Edward thought was rather nice, so he brewed a pot of it. It was a tea Edward could drink without milk or sugar.

"I brewed some Chinese tea if anyone wants any. I do have some Chinese tea cups over on the sideboard in my kitchen, or, of course, we can use regular mugs," he said. He poured some into a regular mug for himself. "Anyone else want some?"

When Ruby went in, the girls followed and went into the house. Angus decided to take advantage of the quiet, and he apparated up near the camp and decided to walk the rest of the way to avoid surprising them. He knew if he did them the courtesy of walking part of the way, they would either hear him or smell him before he arrived. He needed to talk to Dennis and Fenrir about the funeral.

"I

Yu heard Edward say Chinese tea and stood up " I would love a cup," he said walking over to the kitchen "I believe they do a wonderful Green tea" he said taking out some proper tea cups and placing them on a tray warming the teapot he waited for the kettle to boil as he went threw the motions of a tea ceremony to make it poring a cup he turned it then offered it to Edward before making one for himself.

Ruby entered and smiled "Something smells wonderful" she said walking over to the teapot, " I came in as I was feeling chilled," she said pouring a cup of tea for herself "Oh this is wonderful, Jasmine, oolong, and green tea." she said as she then took a sip before moving to sit down to look out to the deck and yard.

The girls excused themselves to have a little time to themselves, and they went downstairs to their rooms.

Edward took the cup of tea and simply sat to enjoy it.

Angus went and had a conversation with Dennis, and Dennis agreed to come to Tuscany for the funeral. He said Fenrir had no issue with Dennis going to do whatever he thought was necessary to put closure on the situation with Phoebe. Angus respectfully talked to Fenrir and invited him and the pack to Tuscany if they wanted to come. Fenrir wanted to consider it. He knew that his pack were still very injured. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk them yet. The other thing that Fenrir was concerned about was that Fenrir was very aware that Edward was wealthy, and he was concerned that by taking his pack, who lived in tents, to a plush estate, he would make the pack discontent with their lifestyle. Angus absolutely understood. Fenrir countered Angus's offer with a suggestion. A meal. A community meal at the camp that the women of his pack would prepare in a few days. Angus and the girls would be invited, along with anyone else that Angus would choose to invite. Angus suggested it be a true pot luck where the humans would bring some things too. Fenrir nodded. It was a good plan. Angus agreed.

He returned to the house, feeling like he had struck something significant with Fenrir. Edward saw Angus walking across the yard and then he sat down on the bank of the pond. Edward walked out to him.

"Where'd you go?" Edward asked.

"To talk to Dennis and Fenrir," Angus replied.

"And?"

"Ginger was right. Its uncomfortable for them. However, I was invited to a community meal, fixed by the pack's women."

"What?" Edward frowned. "Do you know how unprecedented that is?"

"I wondered."

"I don't know of any other case where that has happened. Jesse and Jack will surely see that as extraordinary. They will be the first to tell you this is huge."

"Well, we ended up compromising on a pot luck, with the camp contributing the preparation of the meat--which I will pay for and contribute, as my role as the girls' guardian--and we will provide some side dishes, beverages and desserts. We will come together with them, and we will celebrate Phoebe's life. They want to do some ritual they have designed called a Howling Circle."

"Well, I can just about guess what that is, but this is incredible. Well done, Lad. Proud of you. Coming inside?"

"Yeah. I had to stop for a bit. I'm tired. Damned tired."

"You've done too much. Venice, Paris, the tour of the tea garden, negotiating with Fenrir. Did you get any pain potion today at all?"

"Um...I don't know," he frowned, unsure.

"I'm betting not, then. Come on. Let me help you inside," Edward said.

"Its too far. Let me sit a moment."

"Come on, we'll apparate," Edward said, hauling him to his feet. Edward apparated him inside and helped him to his chair. "Marcus, do you have his pain potion?

"There's the dose Ruby poured him last night sitting right there where she put it last night," Marcus pointed. Edward handed it to Angus.

"Take it. You'll feel better," Edward told him. Angus obeyed, and Edward took the potions cup to put it in the sink to be washed. "Rest a moment now. You've taken of just about everything that needs done today. If there's anything else, we'll take care of it."

Ruby saw Angus enter and she had seen the girls head down for some time to them selves she had left them alone feeling they needed the time. She watched as Angus took the potion she had made and was relived that now he was relaxing. She let Caprice play on the mat with her toys while she read a book about potions and their uses.

Jessie looked at Angus and smiled " good to see your finally relaxing Angus" he said as he lent forward and removed one of the boys hands from the others sleep suit. " I wonder how long their mothers going to remain in intensive care" he asked as Jess walked threw the door to see Angus tking his potion.

"thats good to see, thought I'd see how the babies are doing." she said and walked over to the babies " their mothers stable but still in the icu, it could take weeks or months before shes well enough to have these two back." Jess said and stood up " but it looks like you too are looking after them well enough." she said and lookd to Ruby " thought you were with Jefery?" she said and Ruby looked up.

"I was Jeffery broke his leg so I got to stay an extra day." she said Jess shrugged and looked at Angus " I'll let Robert knowyou have finally had that pain potion." she walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder " hum, healing nicely too" now with her check donw she ecused herself and walked back to the main house.

"Thank you for checking on the mother for us, Jess," Angus said. "Oh, would you be so kind as to tell Nicky or Zoe that we need to make some space in the walk in fridge? I'm going to order some sides of beef for the pack. Well, more than that. Strange as it seems. we've been invited to a potluck up at the camp for Phoebe. I'm buying the meat, in my position as the girls' guardian, and the pack women will prepare it. The rest of us will bring side dishes and beverages. They've got some ritual they've designed called a howling circle that they will do as a send-off of sorts for Phoebe. Edward says he's never known of humans to be invited to a communal meal with a pack of werewolves, so he says we should definitely feel honored. At any rate, we need to make room for a huge delivery of meat."

"This isn't resting," Edward told Angus.

"It sounds like some exceptional news, though," Simone said.

"It is," Edward agreed.

Jess listened to Angus befoe she left and nodded " of course I'll let them know, and sounds like it should be enlightening" she said smiling as she ehaded to the main house to let Nicky or Zoe know about the extra food that would appear. Jessie looked up as Angus said about a howling cercle

"wow realy thats rare" he said " its how the pack send off the spirit of the dead, its honering them and welcoming them to the pack lands." Jessie said " I read books about were history pluse when we were at the camp one of the elders tld me about it." he said Yu just looked suprised at him.

"Im suprised" Yu said and smirked at Jessie.

"what I read." he said making Yu ruffle his hair in fun. Ruby chuckled as she sat close to them she sipped her warm tea but still loved the flavours that seem to intensify from it.