A Birth day

"I think it's for the best," Angus said. "I appreciate everyone's help, but it would take a huge amount of work off of everyone. Alright. I'll get a care package together, and maybe Anise and Ginger will help me deliver them in the morning."

"Yes, that would be great, Yu," Angus said. "Thanks. And it really doesn't matter to me whether we do that here or over there. Whatever works best for everyone."

"Let me help you with your shower, and while you're reading, I'll put together a box with baby stuff to send to the pack," Marcus said.

"Sounds fine," Angus said. Once Angus had had his shower, he did fully understand that he needed to be out of everyone else's way, so he retreated a bit to his room to read, while Marcus went downstairs and put together a box of baby supplies. He knew that it took a can of formula a day to feed both babies, and minimally sixteen bottles. He found eighteen that he could send, Angus would have to buy more for Caprice, though. He packed a full case of formula--twelve cans. That would keep the pack for twelve days. If they needed to give them more, they would do that. And he packed several jugs of bottled water, along with some of the baby clothes that the newborns needed, pacifiers, and other badly needed baby essentials that the pack had seemed to be without. He knew Angus didn't care. It ended up being four large boxes of supplies.

"What do you think, Jessie?" Marcus asked. "I think I have it all together. Come take a look. Can you think of anything else I should have packed? If that's done, I might go pack for the boys for Tuscany and, once Angus is asleep, I'll get his things together and my own. Tomorrow, I'll harp on the girls until they get packed. I might send a note to Clive to just send an allocation of clothes for the boys and for the girls on to Edward's so that we don't need to pack for them every time we go. Oh, and I need to remember to go check and see if the outdoor crew will take care of Finn for the two or three days we'll all be gone."

"Good. So the cake and the dog will be well tended," Marcus said. "Since I'm going up to the boys' room, I'll take Caprice and put her to bed. That will leave you with two instead of three." He flashed a smile of amusement at Jessie, then picked up Caprice and took her upstairs to change her into a sleep sack and then tuck her into her crib for the night, careful to lie her on her back and remove all the stuffed toys and blankets.

He went to the boys room and packed for Sam and Victor and then, finding Angus had slipped off to sleep while reading his book, Marcus packed for Angus, for Ruby and for himself, and he sent a note to Clive asking for an allocation of clothes for the kids to be sent on to Edward's straight away.

It didn't take him long and he soon had a bag for the boys, one for himself, and one for Angus and Ruby. He came back downstairs as the lightning and thunder and wind began to sound a lot more intense. The rain was falling now in sheets. He went down and checked on the girls and found they had turned in for the night. He came back upstairs and sat down with Jessie.

"I think everyone's done for the night but you and me," Marcus laughed. "Looks like the storm is amping up. If there's a good thing in it, I doubt Tom Gelding or James will be wanting to come and challenge us in weather like this."

Marcus stayed up another hour so he could just relax after a long, busy day, and then he excused himself from them, and left the night shift to them so he could go get a little sleep himself.

Angus woke at 5 am. It was a bit later than he used to get up when he had fixed breakfast daily for everyone. He wanted to try to cook today, though, so He didn't bother changing from wearing just his pajama bottoms, and he stopped to see Caprice still sleeping, so he chose not to disturb her. Then he went downstairs, put a fresh pot of coffee and a fresh pot of tea on.

"'Morning, Guys," he said, as he made the tea and coffee. "I want to see if I can manage to cook one handed, so give me a bit, and I'll either have it, or I'll have the kitchen on fire."

He remembered his promise to the girls to make cinnamon roll pancakes, so he started with making the cinnamon filling that would, in this case, be swirled into each pancake. He made the filling and put it in a squeeze bottle and then make the pancake batter, followed by making the white icing that was so trademark to cinnamon rolls, and made a muscovado sugar syrup for the pancakes instead of maple syrup. He put a sheet pan of bacon in the oven to bake to a crisp, and made a huge skillet of scrambled eggs.

Just as he was trying to dish the eggs up into a bowl, Edward came over.

"Let me give you a hand with that," Edward said, dishing the eggs into the serving bowl. "You cooked?"

"I did. It took me a bit longer, but I did cook" Angus replied. Edward helped him put the dishes on the table. Simone arrived and poured coffee and set the table, and she called the girls.

"Come tuck in, Jessie and Yu," Simone called them. "Cinnamon roll pancakes, bacon and eggs. It looks wonderful."

"They look like they really picked up since we've had then," Edward said. "I don't think they're in nearly the same fragile state as they were when we go them just a few days ago. I'm betting Fenrir will be surprised and pleased. He seemed to think it was a certainty that these two weren't going to survive, but that clearly isn't the case now."

"Thanks, Jess," Angus said, glad to hear that the mother was doing better.

"We're taking them back?" Ginger asked.

"It is where they belong, after all," Angus said. "And before you worry about them being fed, I'm going to put together a box of supplies for them..."

"Already done," Marcus said. "I put together quite a lot of supplies. Four boxes of them in fact. It ought to hold the pack for some time, maybe up to two weeks."

"Good. Well done. Thank you," Angus said.

"Jess, you need to try one of those cinnamon roll pancakes. They taste just like Angus's cinnamon rolls," Ginger told her.

"But they're far less time consuming," Angus said. "No waiting on yeast dough to rise.

"They really are quite good," Edward said, spearing another one to put on his plate.

"How many is that for you?" Simone frowned at him.

"Three, but who's counting?" Edward laughed.

"Ruby's going to be sorry she missed them," Anise laughed.

"He can fix more," Ginger said.

"No, we're going to insist he make more," Edward said.

"Oh, Girls, I have everything packed for Angus, the boys, Ruby and myself," Marcus said. "After breakfast, would you please get yourselves packed. We'll be leaving early in the morning for Tuscany."

"Sure," Anise said. "Angus, are we bringing Dad with us when we go or is he coming with someone else?"

"Well, I don't know that he necessarily needs to be there as early as we're going. I rather planned that we would go tomorrow and the funeral would be the day after that. Surely there will be someone who will just come for the day on the day of the funeral and then head straight back. Your dad might want to go with them rather than to have to rely overnight on humans. We should ask him, though, what he would like to do. We could accommodate him either way, I'm sure. Now don't forget today is going to be a busy day. Sam and Victor are moving home today."

"We haven't forgotten," Anise fairly beamed. "We have the banner done."

"Where are you going to hang it?" Angus asked.

"Across the top of the front door," Anise replied.

"Then we can help you tack it up."

"I can manage," Anise said.

"How?" he frowned.

"I'm going to just climb up the trellis to the upstairs window frames and shinny across" she said. Angus burst into laughter.

"My little squirrel," he said. "You do know magic is easier than climbing up the front of the house, right?"

"But not as much fun," she said.

"He'd better be bringing the boys home here tonight since we have that steak supper planned for them and the cake we're making," Angus said. "We aren't planning on going to Tuscany til morning. Come for a slice of cake later if you like, Jess."

"Hey, did you eat all the breakfast without us?" Evan asked, coming in with Sergio and Ana, and Evan was limp really badly, barely able to walk. "Sorry. We went out to run."

"What did you do?" Angus frowned. He pulled out a chair for Evan. "Sit." Sergio and Ana helped Evan to a chair.

"He tripped," Sergio said.

"On what?" Angus frowned.

"There was a fresh hole in the running track, and since it was dark, Evan didn't see it. Clearly, it was storm damage from last night, but the pavement is cracked, and with a deep hole, and those little lights along the pavement are out in that spot too," Sergio said.

"That's just really odd," Angus frowned. "You lot enjoy your breakfast. I'll ask Robert to come see to that ankle. I'll be right back. I want to see this for myself."

"Its right around that hairpin curve that goes east through the woods and then turns back and heads west again."

"That's always a dark spot anyway because the trees are thick there," Angus said, as Marcus got up.

"Come on, Finn. Let's go for a walk," Marcus called, going with Angus.

"You lot won't let Caprice and her two playmates starve while I'm gone, will you?" Angus teased.

"I believe we'll manage," Edward said. "Be off with you, then. Leaves more pancakes for us."