A Birth day

Aria looked at Michael and noded " that's a good thing to be, Thats right, nice to meet you again, and allright see you ther in a few. " she siad then looked to Marcus "we should head back ourselves, the shift is changing and the day shift is more dilagent than the night." she said as she saw Michael port out. Taking Marcus's hand she lead him still with papers still stuffed in her cleavage to the floo room and over to an empty floo, stepping in she ported them back to the house right into the courtyard. Taking out the papers she handed them to Marcus " here " she said then saw Robert and a woman who she knew was Kate with Angus " we'd better get inside, I have a feeling there not here to check on Angus" she said and moved quickly to the house.

Ruby saw Robert and Kate port in then walk in she stood up and looked at their faces " whats wrong?" she said taking hold of Angus hand in her own. it was not long before Aria walked in behind them her clothing changing from her uniform to something light and cooling for the afternoon air.

"We need to talk," Robert said, motioning them all into the living room where Angus was. Angus could tell there was bad news coming.

"What is it?" Angus said. "Just say it."

"We got a message from Evan and Kieran. Anise has been having nightly dreams that you are not going to survive this mission," Robert told Angus. "So, evidently, she and Sam ran away from the training, and Evan and Kieran believe they're on there way here to New Orleans to try to protect you."

"Oh, dear god," Angus paled. "They don't know how to find us out here in the middle of alligator country. Where the hell do they think they're going to go...I'm gonna kill 'em both..." He started to get up, and Marcus rested a hand on Angus's shoulder.

"Wait," Marcus said gently. "Just half a tick. You go dashing off, and then you're no better than they are. Let's work together. This is a big place to try to find two kids in."

"I've notified Lee, and he's going to try to get his people to run a magic trace on them," Robert said. "Just like we would try to do at home. I sent them pictures of the kids so Lee's people can look for them. Angus, you aren't going to go far with that ankle. The best you can do for them is to stay in one place so they have a chance of perhaps finding you. We should have energy signatures for Sam and Victor because of their time in Hogwarts. It might be worth our while to see if your ministry can run a check here to see if they can pick up on Sam. Its a long distance for a trace to go, but its worth a try."

"Kate, as a seer, can you maybe send an image of a place for them to go? Something iconic that they can maybe identify from a picture or something? Maybe we can have someone waiting there for them to show up," Angus suggested.

"I can try," Kate said. "She's upset, though. I don't know how well she'll receive anything from me, but I can try."

"The La Branche house, on the corner of Bourbon and Royal, is probably the most iconic building in New Orleans," Lee said, entering. You could ask anyone in town and they could point you to it."

"Then let me go there. If she can find me, she'll come straight to me," Angus said. He looked at Ru. "What do you think? If she's coming to protect me, I think she'll come right for me if she knows where to find me." He was feeling desperate to find them. These were their kids. He would do whatever it took to bring them back.

Aria moved to Ruby as Marcus went to Angus's side. Aria placed her arm around Ruby's shoulders as Robert spoke about Anise and Sam " I'll send word to my team to keep an eye out for them, their all over the country." she said sitting Ruby down on a chair next to Angus as they spoke. Taking out her muggle phone she sent a text 'two chicks lost, mom and dad need location, if seen send home' she closed her phoen and looked at Robrt " my team will send them here if they are spoted.

Ruby looked at Angus and sighed " you can't go with that ankle, I'll go she will recognise me" she said " or if you insist you want to go, we sit at a table and wait, weight off that ankle." she said feeling a lot of emotions, fear for their safty, anger that they had left the ranch against their wishes and a slight pride at them porting so far, but she tried to push them down for now and focuse on just getting them to safty.

Angus didn't understand how Aria's text would help since Aria's team was in England, and the kids were list in the States, but he wasn't going to look any gift horse in the mouth.

"I think you should wait a wee bit," Kate said gently. "Let me try to see if I can send anything at all to her. You could be running to town for nothing..."

"Yeah, okay," Angus said, reaching for the crutches that Lee's people had sent. He really wanted to just make a trip to the bathroom and then perhaps get a firewhiskey. Just even one shot would work. He reached for the crutches and his foot slipped off the footstool and hit the floor with a bang. The pain shot up his leg like a hot knife. Angus just froze in place, hoping to stop himself from shouting some obscenity because of the fierce pain. Robert came over.

"Let me help. I know that hurt like hell," Robert said, rescuing Angus, putting his foot back up on the footstool. "Take a moment, and then tell me where you were going. I'll help."

"It's not important now," Angus said.

"Oh," Robert said, understanding.

"I'll get it," Marcus said, knowing Angus was far more used to accepting help from him. He got the crutches and helped him up and out of the room.

"Do you think he should go looking for them?" Kate asked Robert.

"I don't think he's trying to do that," Edward said. "I think he's taking just one minute for himself, in case he doesn't have a choice but to go look for them. I know what he's like when he's chomping at the bit to go do something, and this isn't it. He's hurting, and he doesn't want to go, but I think he feels he's the best chance of luring them to us."

"Its going to take them awhile to get here anyway. They don't have a portkey, and for them to get here, since Sam can only do short distances, they have to have a map. They've probably had to apparate in short hops. If I were them, I'd apparate across Colorado, into Texas, maybe a bit into Oklahoma, and down here into Louisiana, finally into New Orleans. It's going to take them time because he isn't going to have boundless energies. He's going to have to stop and rest a bit every so often," Lee said. "My people know who they're looking for. If Kate can send her an image of the La Branche house, my people can catch them there and bring them here. I think, for now, you might as well wait. if we see they slip through our fingers, then we'll bring you both out.

"My concern," Lee said, "is that its starting to get dark. Marie will be gearing up for another performance, and we dont know how she's reaching Anise. Hopefully, Anise is just picking up on your dreams. But, we do not know of Marie is perhaps using Anise as bait to get you out into the open so she can get to you. Let's not go into this unprepared in the least."

"He's got a valid point," Michael said to Ruby.

Anise watched and winced as Angus leg hit the floor " I have men around the world not just in England" she said softly to Angus then she moved to gather sevral glasses and a decanter of fire whisky and pored several shots for every one " okay here this should chase the cold away and help us focus on the task at hand, and for Angus numb the pain abit more" she said handing him a shot glass then every one else. " Ruby you too" she said and stood infront of her until she ahd downed the shot and smiled. Moving to Marcus she handed him a glass.

"Roberts right focus on the things we can control and thats her atacks in Angus dreams , if shes projecting to Anise a false image , we'll deal with it once there found." Aria downed her own shot and set her glass on the tray with Rubys. Runby heard Michael and nodded to him.

" your right we need to stop this woman once and for all" she said " we know where she prefoms her shows so why can't we go there and confront her?" she asked looking at every one.

As deputy minister, Robert was not comforted one little bit that Aria had men around the world. he was the spymaster for their ministry of magic. How was this happening without his approval and involvement? Who the hell had authorized her to have so much unchecked power? Britain? Having men around the world? That was clearly a real overreach of power and completely inappropriate, not unless it involved the Unspeakable team since they were the ones who had the espionage assignments. He said nothing about it. This was not the time or place for it. The only thing that mattered now was Marie Laveau and keeping his team safe.

Marcus returned Angus to the living room and helped him get settled in his chair again. He handed him the glass of firewhiskey.

"Thanks," Angus said quietly. Kate went into the kitchen so she could sit by herself and focus on trying to send a message to Anise. He listened to Ruby ask why they just couldnt go to the voodoo camp they were at this morning and capture Marie.

"I'm the bait, remember? And the bait has been sidelined tonight," Angus told Ruby quietly. "And we don't know for sure she'll show up there tonight." He looked at Robert. "Screw Marie. The kids come first, if we never catch Marie."

"I agree," Robert nodded. "Tonight, Marie will have to just blow smoke up someone else's skirt. We're finding those two kids first. Give Kate a little to try to send a message to Anise. It doesn't happen instantly. She isn't a telephone, you know."

"Yo! Angus!" A voice shouted from the floo. Angus knew, 100% , it was Evan. He jumped to his feet, and Marcus caught him to keep him from falling flat on his face. He helped Angu s to the fireplace because he had it in his head he could just hop on one foot to the fireplace. Marcus was trying hard not to laugh.

"Ev! Where are you!" Angus asked.

"You won't believe me but Kieran and I have Victor and Ginger, and we're here. We're in Louisiana. We're hoping to find Anise and Sam, but, well, there are a bloody lot of people here, Mate! We got a hotel suite off the main drag, but...where the hell are you? "We're at some restaurant called Commanders Palace. How do we find you, though."

"Stay right where you are," Robert said to Evan. "We'll come to you. Just hold tight."

"We're holding," Evan said. The floo went black.

"I'll take you. Let's go," Lee said to Robert. "We'll be right back with the party crashers." He and Robert apparated out.

"This is getting completely out of hand," Angus sighed. "Marcus, my glass is entirely too empty."

"I think I can fix that," Marcus smiled.

Aria caught Robert's look at her and gave him a look of I'll explain later. Turning to Marcus she handed him the decanter of fire whisky " So we're looking for the kids, good choice" she said and moved outside to get some air feeling it stuffy inside. Walking down to the water's edge she watched it ripple as a gator swam past " She took out her phone and looked at the blank screen and sighed. Returning to the house she looked to Angus and Ruby before moving to glance in at Kate in the kitchen as she then brewed some seers tea ready for Kate should she need it.

Moving to the table she took out her papers and laced them down along with a large map of the area marking down the school and sightings she looked at it it did not make any bloody sense to her and she paused as her phone buzzed opning it she closed it immediately. " I hate sitting around" she said softly to her self. " I'm going to go scope out the area for signs they could be close,e" she said looking at Marcus and Robert "If that's okay." she added

Robert merely looked back at Aria to give her a clear but silent message to tell her he wasn't open to discussing it until he was in the mood to do it, and that might not be until this assignment was overwith. He was actually glad when Lee took him to go get Evan and Victor and Ginger. When Aria said she was going to check on some of the places she believed were worth checking, Lee just nodded. It was fine for her to check them out. Marcus was a bit confused that she had gone and not asked him to come, but he let her go. They had no commitments, so if she wanted to go alone, who was he to question it?

They landed just a few doors away from the restaurant with the iconic blue siding and white trim. They walked the distance and saw Evan standing on the corner, and he had Victor and Ginger with him.

"So, I hope you three have a good excuse for ditching training," Robert said.

"Its about family," Victor said. "Where is everybody?"

"Right now? At Angus and Ruby's. We'll take you there. Come with us," Lee said. "Do you know where Anise and Sam are planning to come when the get here?"

"No. Anise was only focused on finding Angus," Victor said.

"And she needed Sam to get here."

"Yes," Victor nodded.

"Okay. We'll find them. Let's get out of here before we're spotted," Robert said, motioning to them.
They went back to the alley where they had come from and they apparated back to the bayou. Angus heard the voices when they apparated back. He was going to get up, but then the door opened and Evan came in with Victor and Ginger. Victor and Ginger went to say hello to Ruby, and Evan hurried to give Angus a hug and to catch up a little with him.

"You alright? What'd you do?" Evan asked seeing the ankle.

"I tripped on a big piece of air," Angus teased.

"That sounds like you," Evan laughed.

Aria saw Roberts look and gave a silent nod before she walked outside and walked around a corner.Pausing she focused her thoughts and suddenly there sat a dove on the ground. Taking off she flew around the buildings seeing Robert, Evan, Victor and Ginger in the restaurant heading back to the house. Turning away she caught a flash of something to the south and a few over to it seeing the woman sitting by a bowl and not Anise or Sam she took off again back to the house. Dropping to the ground she changed back and stood in her human form. " at least the others are safe" she said watching as they all returned to the house.

Walking in she looked to Marcus " nothing and they wern't followed." she said glancing at Robert, Victor, Ginger and Evan " thought I saw her to the south but it wasn't them." she added moving back to the table to double check.

"That's good," Marcus said, watching Angus and Evan from a distance while the brothers caught up on the events of this whole affair. "Try not to take things so personally, Aria," Marcus told her quietly. "Some of Robert's ministry duties are very specific, and he considers it an extremely dangerous risk if someone undermines it. I think he thinks that you having operatives on an international level undermines a lot of things that are already within his control. I realize you've largely been operating on your own, running things your own way, and you do seem to like to operate by always having the edge over people--but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that making sure you're communicating effectively with the big boss is probably a wiser choice. But I trust you to find the right way to deal with this. Sometimes, maybe--just maybe you don't need an edge."

Kate came back in from the kitchen.

"Any good?" Robert asked her.

"Yes. I think so. Sam is drained. He's exhausted. They're at an aquarium. I could see it behind her. It's blue. The outside is painted a strange royal blue."

"I know exactly where they are, then," Lee said. "They haven't made it to New Orleans yet. They're in Shrevesport. That's at the northwest corner of the state. We're in the southeast."

"I'll go with you. We can go get them," Angus said.

"No, you stay here," Robert said. "We can use the fact that you didnt come to be able to bring them here to you. Ruby, you want to go along and help Lee convince them to come here and join the rest of us here? Sounds like Sam is knackered and needs some sleep, and Anise is probably not far behind him."