A Birth day

Jeffrey laughed a little when she explained how she had come to the conclusion Angus had been up at night.

"Face it, you had to work at that to come up with the idea that Angus had been up all night, and, yes, he very well could have been," Jeffrey said. "However, it doesn't sound like its a chronic issue for him. I could be wrong, but in my experience, men like Angus that become such strong fighters who are committed to justice and who are rather fearless of things that a normal man would be shaking in his boots about, those kinds of guys develop that sort of bravery because they've been through some rough road themselves in their past. Sometimes those old ugly memories get triggered, and it can take them a moment to reground themselves. I don't see Angus as the sort of guy that normally lets his past beat up on him but I do think when it comes up for him, I think he's the kind of guy that just gets a little emotionally distant until he works through it. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. I think that maybe is just his way. We all cope in different ways.

"And, yes, it's perfectly normal for any of us to have a sleepless night periodically. As for whether the boy ever has another attack, well, that could happen to any werewolf. If it's going to happen, best that he be in a family where there is a bigger werewolf to help guide him through it. Those situations can work out really well. The biggest mistake I see a werewolf parent make with a werewolf child is that they buggar up the wolfsbane. The adult werewolf is highly aware that wolfsbane tastes horrendous, and they want to make sure the child takes it. So they put the wolfsbane in juice or something to try to disguise the taste. And that's where they make their biggest mistake. Wolfsbane can never be added to something else, like a sugary drink, to try to disguise the taste like that because it renders the wolfsbane completely useless. And then the parents are surprised when their child turns at the full moon. Well, its because they tinkered with the wolfsbane. It has to be consumed in it's pure form. Now, it seems to be alright to drink something else a few minutes later, once the potion has had time to take effect in the body, but it can't be consumed with something else. Hopefully, Robert will educate them on that. As far as for dealing with the boy if he changes, I'm sure, if he's a small child, Jessie or Jack or some of the other adults won't have issue with getting him under control. It's far easier to deal with a little kid than it is someone, say, Jack's size.

"Ruby, from what you've said, you haven't always worried like this. When did you start to worry about so many things? What happened to cause you to react to even good news like this with the possible negative aspects of it? Did you do this before you met Angus?"

"Why don't you wait to bring Cris over when Marcus and I get back?" Angus said to Yulong. "We'll have the new outdoor toys for him, and we can stop and bring some lunch for all of us while we're out. I bet he'd do fine with either fish and chips or maybe a sausage roll and chips. As long as we're going, is there anything in particular you guys need or that Chris needs? We'd be happy to pick it up for you while we're going."

"Understandable," Jeffrey said, 'and a certain amount of anxiety about missions work is completely normal too, but not when it completely incapacitates you like this does, and not when it threatens to destroy your relationship with Angus like this does. However, isn't that exactly why Robert trains his team so relentlessly, so that they can work together seamlessly, like a fine oiled machine? Robert absolutely knows how close a call someone might have, and that's why he rarely sends someone out alone. I've seen how he operates. he sends people out in pairs, and, when a pair develops an even finer tuned relationship, he tends to send that pair together frequently because their teamwork just works. It clicks. And it's also why he is so particular who he hires and who he considers to be his first stringers. From what I've seen, Angus has always paired well with one of two different partners--either Brian or Marcus, and I think his partnership with Marcus works particularly well. And it was that same partnership that enabled Marcus to be right there with Angus when he needed it most. Fighters have a cardinal rule--you should always be able to rely on your partner. I think those two have that worked out.

"Maybe you need a mission partner of your own, and from what I've seen, you and Jess get along very well. Maybe she'd be a good fit for you as a missions partner. Having that chemistry would do quite a lot to forming a good relationship in the field. Maybe if you had a partner of your own, you'd feel more secure in whatever person happens to be partnering with Angus, and Robert tells me she's a solid fighter. It might boost your own confidence in missions work and help you past a little of the anxiety. It might be worth thinking about. If you get a missions partner that you just click with, then you might be able to have a little bit more confidence in the tightness that Angus has with whoever he's partnering with. And no, life partners, like husbands and wives, don't always make the best missions partners. Ask Jack and Jess. They rarely partner together, and they seem better for it."

"Oh, yes. The frog. One frog looks like another to me, so if there is a way for anyone to find one particular frog and track him down, that would certainly be Michael," Angus said. He glanced at Marcus who was making a note on a small pad of paper that he kept in his pocket.

"What's that?" Angus asked.

"Just a reminder. Frog tank," Marcus said.

"Oh. Good idea," Angus replied. It was then that Edward came over.

"It was quiet over here. I wondered if anyone was up," Edward said.

"Kids all started working this morning, so the house is blessedly silent," Angus laughed. Edward laughed too.

"I know that feeling," Edward said.

"Marcus and I want to go out to get some of the old toys that Marcus's boys aren't using anymore. Could you babysit for a little?"

"Certainly, so long as I can take her with us," Edward said. "Simone and I are on a mission to get some candy from Honeydukes for a party in the pediatric ward at St. Mungos. Simone has joined a volunteer organization there, and she said she'd furnish the candy for this children's party."

"Be careful. If my parents see her, you might not get her back for several hours," Marcus laughed.

"Well, one can never have too many grandparents," Edward said, going to the closet to get the baby bag. He doublechecked it and then scooped up the baby from the swing. "Come on, Shortstuff. Let's go see Granddad Jonathan and get some candy."

"You use the term Granddad with him in regards to this one, and she's going to come back with her entire weight in candy," Marcus laughed, "and with a new granddad and a new gran. Granddad Jonathan and Gran Claire."

"I dont mind if they don't mind," Angus laughed. "So long as they don't spoil her."

"Spoil her? Boy, don't you know that's a grandparent's number one job?" Edward said, leaving with the baby.

Angus and Marcus made their first stop to a wizarding bookstore on a back street in Bucharest, and they found a great lot of books for helping to teach children English as a second language. They also had several different sets of flash cards and a word board as well, and a few books to help English speaking adults to learn Romanian.

Then they headed back to Hogsmeade. They went to Honeydukes and they found Claire minding the shop, and Marcus could see his father in the back room, all caught up with talking and playing with Caprice. He elbowed Angus and pointed it out to him. They both laughed.

"See? What'd I tell you?" Marcus laughed.

"You're right."

"Hello, Boys," Claire said. "Come for candy or for the toys?"

"The toys, actually," Angus said. "And maybe a little candy while were at it. We can take Caprice with us if you like..."

"I don't think you'll get her from Jonathan right now. He's entirely caught up with her," Claire laughed. "Don't you worry. She's in safe hands. You help yourself to those toys, and I'll make up a little goody bag for the new lad at the estate. Every little bloke likes candy. Don't worry. I won't send him a lot. Just a little bit. You take care of business, and we'll bring her back around sometime before bedtime."

"Befo..." Angus began, frowning. Marcus touched Angus's elbow slightly.

"Thanks, Mum," Marcus said. "She's onto pureeds already, so you know."

"Oh, we've already figured that out," Claire said. "Stuck her little fist right into the jam pot, she did. So you know, she likes elderberry jelly."

"Good to know," Angus laughed.

"You boys go on with you, now, and I'll get that bag ready for the boy," Claire waved them away. They walked away from the counter.

"Do you have any idea where Edward is?" Angus asked Marcus.

"If I was a betting man, I'd say he was at St. Mungo's, and you're childless for the afternoon," Marcus laughed. "i think we should get a pint before we go home. That's what I think."

Marcus and Angus shrank the toys they were taking and chucked them into a bag. Marcus got the candy that Claire was sending with them, and the two of them went to the Leaky for a pint, and they ordered fish and chips to go. When the fish and chips was ready, the two of them apparated back home.

Marcus suggested they get some sodas and a blanket and just have a picnic outside on the ground. That was fine with Angus. Angus dumped the toys out onto the grass and resized them, but when he saw Cris had a bike already, he shrank the bike they'd just brought and tucked it into his shirt pocket to return to Marcus's parents.

Marcus brought the blanket and the sodas and a bottle of malt vinegar for anyone who wanted it with their fish and chips. Angus set out lunch and then Marcus called Jessie and Yulong and Cris for lunch.

"Oh. Letter for you," Marcus said, handing the letter to Angus. Angus opened it and read it and then tucked it in his pocket so he could give some thought to it before he sent a response. He didn't have an immediate answer for her anyway. Marcus was going to sit down on the ground with Angus when he saw a red tin that was with the toys. He picked it up and looked inside.

"Ah. This was evidently for us to put with our lunch." He set the open tin down on the blanket. It was full of Claire's homemade oatmeal raisin biscuits for dessert.

"I somehow missed that tin," Angus said.

"It's okay. We'd have found it sooner or later. That fish smells great. Either that or I'm hungry," Marcus said.

"He's actually old enough to start learning to ride a bike, if you ask me," Marcus said. "That's about when my boys transitioned from trikes to bikes. We could resize the trike a little and it might hold him for a little til he learns to balance on a proper bike."

"I think he'll do alright on the potion," Angus said. "I explained it to him and why it was important, and I'm sure Robert probably explained it even better when he gave him the potion last night. He doesn't like the idea of being a monster. That's what his parents said he was--a monster. I explained it to him, and he seemed to understand it. I told him the medicine didn't taste good but it kept the monster away, so he isn't likely to give you problems. And besides, so long as he takes it every night for the seven days before the full moon hits, he'll be alright. He's bright. He can learn to look it up on a calendar and them mark it for himself, but you'll have to help him remember. Cris," Angus called him. The boy ran up to Angus.

"Ți-e foame? Vino să mănânci prânzul," Angus said to Cris. The boy nodded, and Angus pointed to the picnic.

"Ce este?" Cris asked Angus.

"Peste si cartofi," Angus replied. "Iti place pestele?" Cris nodded. Angus motioned for him to sit down and eat, and he helped him pick a flavor of a can of soda and opened it for him. Cris tucked into the fish hungrily.

"I told him to come eat, and he asked me what the food was, so I told him it was fish and potatoes. He said he likes fish, so he's all about it now."

Cris looked at Jessie, knowing Jessie didn't know Romanian.

"Peste," Cris pointed to the fish, and the soda. "Bea. Masa."

"He's teaching you that peste means fish, bea means drink, and masa means meal," he told Jessie.

When the woman came up to the picnic area, Angus was understandably nervous, feeling extremely protective of Cris. He got to his feet.

"I'm Angus," he said.