A Birth day

Aria expected him to run after her but when he aperated she laughed and walked over to him "Okay, I'll let you have that one" she said and chuckled as they entered the main room of the duplex. " but you have to let me go for a run proper with you next time" she said smelling the smell of fresh baking " now thats a smell I like, other than you fresh out of the shower." she teased Marcus.

Ruby smiled seeing the macarons float out she took a chocolate and a strawberry and when Tara asked about the coffee she smiled " I would love one thank you" she said "But if you need help let me know" she added as she saw Aria take a strawberry and take a bite from it.

" wow these are wonderful," she said finishing it in nearly one bite" Sorry was hungry, Marcus gave me a real workout on the trail," she said and chuckled

"That's what the sandwiches are for," Marcus said to Aria. He picked a slice of the chicken teriyaki and a slice of the Italian one for himself. He handed her a paper plate so she could pick a couple slices of the sandwiches for herself.

"I'll let you know," Tara told Ruby, getting up. She went into the kitchen and found Angus and Simone just finishing the cleaning up.

"If you're looking for coffee," Simone said. "Angus just brewed a fresh pot. It should be ready."

"Bless you, Angus," Tara smiled. "And the macarons are sublime. They're delicious and gorgeous both."

"They're all her doing," Angus managed in his croaky whisper.

"Thank you," Simone said. "I'm glad you like them. And, Angus, thank you for being such a good teacher." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then frowned slightly. "I'm going to get you an aspirin powder. You feel warm to me, like you might be running just a trace of a temp with that congestion."

"It's fine," Angus told her.

"No, now, we shall not take any more chances," she said. She went upstairs.

"Do let her mother you just a little," Tara said gently to Angus. "It makes her feel better. And, by the way, thanks for letting Evan go along last night. He's been wanting to join you for ages."

"It's dangerous, Tara," Angus said seriously.

"Yes. I know. The Donohues have never shied away from danger. I knew that before I got involved with Evan, but far more do I want him to be happy. And this makes him happy--being with you and Edward and the rest."

"Why?" Angus frowned, not sure after last night why anyone would do this.

"Because he believes the greater good is worth fighting for. And if it gives our children and grandchildren a better life than whagt we've had, well, he says its a commitment worth dying for, if need be." Angus didn't respond for a moment and then he nodded slowly. "Angus, I've not evder been a fighter, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but, mabye its okay to take a little time and not make any decisions about anything for a little."

"Yeah. I'm sure you're right," he said, filling some coffee mugs with coffee and setting them on a tray. Tara took the tray and took it out to the deck.

"Angus was one step ahead of us. He had already made the coffee.," Tara said. "There's something about coffee and dessert that they just seem to go together. Rather like tea and dessert, but since I've been hanging out with the Italians, i rather like their tradition of having coffee instead. Help yourselves, Everyone."

Aria chuckled and pulled a tongue at him as she picked up a sandwich and began to eat. Ruby stood up and walked to the kitchen door hearing Tara she accioed the powder as she sat and waited for her to return she saw Aria and Marcus enter and smiled. Now as Tara brought the coffee in she took a cup and handed her the powder " I am guessing he's not want to bother anyone?" she said and shrugged "That's Angus for you, but I got the powders for you if you can get him to take them" she said and smiled to her.

Aria sat down with her plate and a cup of coffee and ate watching those around her. She could see why Marcus loved doing his job they saw him as part of the family and a friend and not some servant. " how do you think he's holding up, those were aspirin powder, might want to let Robert know about it." she said to him as she finished her sandwich and ate another macaron.

"Yeah. I will," Marcus said quietly to Aria. "Not sure what its about, but in the time I've known him, I've never seen Angus take anything that Robert didn't strongarm him into. And I've never seen him take an aspirin powder. Never. I'll go check on him and see what's up." Marcus picked up the aspirin powders and went inside.

"Oh, thank you," Simone said, coming downstairs. "Can't seem to find ours." She took out a powder and handed it to Angus. "Here. Take one. It won't hurt you. It can only help." Angus didn't question it, and as much as he didn't want it, he just took it."

"We do have pain potion in the cabinet over in Angus and Ruby's kitchen," Marcus said.

"Yes, but that won't do much good, will it?" Simone said. "I really think he's running just a trace of a temp. Not much, but I want to head it off for him before it gets a hold on him."

"Probably wise," Marcus said. He motioned to Angus and diverted him back to the other side of the duplex. No one was there right now. It was empty and quiet.

"Too many walls," he told Marcus.

"Maybe you'd do better upstairs. You do have that balcony off your room and that incredible celing. You could have all the privacy you want with the openness of the balcony and the light from the ceiling."

"She's angry with me, isn't she?"

"Who?"

"Ru. The last she said to me was before the raid," he told Marcus.

"No, I dont' think so. I think she's just giving you space."

"They see me as fragile."

"No, that's not it. They can't imagine themselves being in your shoes last night. They don't know how they'd cope with it, so they aren't sure what you need today."

"I don't know either."

"Fair enough," Marcus said. "You do look a bit tired, though. You've been on your feet since we got back. Why don't you just sit for a little. I already know you don't want a plate. I have the perfect lunch for you." He went to the kitchen, poured him a glass of firewhiskey and brought it to him.

"Thank you," Angus said, sitting in his chair. Marcus opened the deck doors so he could feel the fresh air and not feel so trapped indoors.

"Let me know if you need something."

"I'll just give a shout, shall I?" Angus asked, in his whispery voice.

"Oh. Point taken," Marcus said.

"Never mind. I'll be fine," Angus said.

Aria nodded to him and watched as he left to take Angus up to his room. " so whats up?" she asked Ruby who looked up at her as she held Caprice in her arms .

"nothing, just giving him space to heal" she said as Caprice beltched and Aria laughed.

"Oops, good set of lungs" she said then stood up with Marcus's cup she walked to the otehr side of the duplex and up to where she heard soft talking, knocking on the door she pushed it open.

" I brought your coffee, thought you might be her for a while" she said smiling as she placed it down on a small table close to him. " Take you time Marcus, and rubys fine shes just giving you space thats all." she said softly to Angus and headed back to Edwards side of the duplex.

"hows he doing?" Ruby asked and Aria shrugged her shoulders as she sat down.

" you know him better than I but he seems better if just a little." she said " But im guessing Marcus will look after him and get him back to his old self but I would say you should go and talk to him ruby" she looked at her. Ruby smiled and nodded as she looked to the others hoping they would understand.

"Thanks," Marcus told Aria. He looked at Angus. "Would you like me to stay awhile?"

"No thanks. You don't need to. I'll be alright," he replied.

"I'll check back in a bit," Marcus said. He went back out to the deck, as Tara awas getting up to clean up the lunch table. "I'll give you a hand." He helped her clear the table, put the leftovers away and put the dishes in the sink. Angus was able to see the deck and the table from where he was sitting in the living room, and he heard Aria tell Ruy she should go see him. And Ruby didn't move. It added up immediately for him. She didn't want to deal with him in this state. And why should she? Angus had been through more close shaves than he had the right to expect any woman to put up with. He drank his firewhiskey in one gulp. He got up and was headed to the front door, when Evan just happened to get up from the table and go inside.

Without hesitation, Evan went over to him and gave him a hug.

"What's wrong?" Evan asked. Angus just looked at him. "Come on. I'm your brother. You can tell me anything."

"I never asked her for any fucking space," Angus said, trying to repress his anger. "This isn't about me. This is about what she will and won't put up with."

"So where're you going?" Evan asked him.

"Don't know. Riding, maybe," Angus said. "Until I can at least pretend to be myself again around her."

"Like, a horse?" Evan asked.

"Maybe. Whatever wants to go, if any of them do. Horse, Unicorn. Hippogriff," Angus shrugged.

"Unicorn? Never ridden a unicorn or a hippogriff. Can I come with?" Evan asked. Angus motioned to him, and the two of them headed to the barn. "Do I need a saddle with the hippgriff?"

"Only if you want to stay on," Angus told him. That made Evan laugh.

Aria tok Caprice from Ruby and motioned for her to go to Angus " hes outside" she said and Ruby stood up heading out she aw Evan and him heading to the barn and she follwoed him " hey can I join you?" she asked moving to a hipogriff and sadeling it. Walking it out of the barn she hopped up on its back "Mind if I join you, so where you off to?" she asked smiling at Angus " and don't wory Aria is looking after Caprice and the guests." she added as she pulled thr hipogriff closer to him.

Aria chuckled and looked at Edward as she held Caprice " okay so have they always needed a push?" she asked him " oh and um..who wnts the baby?" she said now realizing she didn't know the first thing about babies and how to care for them. Ruby watched as Evan mounted a second hippogriff. " just relax you'll be okay" she said to him.

"Always," Evan smiled at Ruby. When she asked where they were going, Angus just shrugged.

"No place in particular. Just riding," he told her.

"Do you remember how to introduce yourself?" Angus asked.

"What?" Evan frowned. Angus walked him through introducing himself to the hippogriff. Evan knew how to ride a horse, so he was able to get onto the hippogriff with relative ease. Angus swung up ino the saddle without a problem after Evan was on his hippogriff.

"I know how to ride a horse, but a flying mount is a new for me," Evan told her.

"Not always, but sometimes," Edward replied to Aria. "They're still young enough as a couple that they don't always know how to work through life's little speed bumps. At this rate, I figure they'll have most of it worked out by their 50th anniversary."

Marcus watched Aria with Caprice and saw she was clueless.

"Hand her here," Marcus said, taking her. "I've got five," he told Aria. He accio'd one of the feeding bottles and he acciod some berries. He put some strawberries in the bottle and put the top on, knowing the holes in the top of the bottle would filter out the seeds. He handed the bottle to Caprice who took it quickly and appeared happy to be getting something sweet.

Ruby saw him shrug his shoulders and chuckled " ok thats fine with me" she said "Don't forget you owe me a relaxing vacation on one of your ships" she said and looked back at him with a teasing smile as she made her hippogriff move forward as it streched out its wings and gave a shake before taking off into the sky she made it pause as she looked down at both of them.

Aria looked at Edward and laughed "Well guess we all have a long road ahead of us then" she said as Marcus took Caprice from her " you did mention them, when things aren't so hecktic and if its okay with you I'd like to met them, just to say Hi nothing more okay, Im not stepping on any ones toes" she said watching as Caprice tucked into the Strawberries in her bottle and smiled " your good with her" she said sitting down as she saw a Hippogriff take to the air with Ruby on it.

He nodded, knowing she wouldn't hear him if he did speak. He looked at Evan, and he saw how Evan watched Ruby with envy as she took off. Angus motioned to Evan to take off. Evan wasn't sure he knew how, but he nudged the hippogriff gently in the flanks like it was a horse, and it lifted off easily. Evan was elated.

"Yes!" Evan gave a shout of pure joy. Angus took off last, and ever the teacher, he poised himself to stay close to Evan in case he got into trouble on his first time on a hippogriff. Angus tried to keep his eyes on both Evan and Ruby to make sure they didn't make any missteps. He wasn't sure he could actually even help Ruby anyway if she had trouble since he was so far away from her, but that didn't stop him from keeping a bit of a watch anyway.

"We do indeed," Edward laughed at Aria's remarks. "I hope that Simone and I are still around to see it and to harrass every one of my great, great, great grandchildren by then.

"Edward, is Caprice your first great grandchild?" Marcus asked.

"No, actually. That would be Evie, and Faith was the second. Now, as for who the eldest are, that would be Sam and Victor, while Caprice is the youngest," Edward replied.

When Aria asked about meeting Marcus's children, he nodded.

"Certainly," he told her. "My lot have been hoping I'd get Evelyn out of our lives and find someone. Actually, their words to me were that I needed someone to hook up with. I really do not need their kind of matchmaking, but their hearts are in the right places. As far as meeting them goes, I've been promising them they could come here for a little. Actually, those of us who live on this estate have been planning a family week when we can all bring our kids and let the kids all hang out together and have some summer fun before school begins again and they're all shuffled off to Hogwarts again. If I'm counting correctly, there's Jack and Jess's 3, Angus's five, my five, Jessie and Yu's boy, Abbey, Molly--the 4 year old daughter of the chefs, and Evan's 2 daughters. That should take us to eighteen kids, and about 20 adults.

"So far," Marcus continued, "they're looking at cookouts, an overnight under the stars, some contests for adults and kids, and some sports--maybe volleyball or, well, who knows. Just for some fun. Everyone's been looking forward to it all summer. The best place to camp, though, is over at Robert's farm..." As he spoke Caprice started to get fussy, and she gave her bottle an extra hard squeeze and squirted berries all over her hands and face and clothes. "Little monster," Marcus frowned at her. "Okay, that will be quite enough of that." Ignoring all the noise and the fussing, Marcus took the bottle from her and set it on the kitchen counter. Then he set her on the counter, got some paper towels and cleaned off the berries. Then he used a cleaning spell to clean the berry stains off her clothes. "So, we're good for another ten minutes--maybe," he said to her. He walked the floor with her for just a couple minutes, and in short order, she fell asleep on his shoulder.

"You do have a magic touch with her," Edward laughed. "We've sometimes done that for thirty or forty minutes before she drops off."

"She does have a stubborn streak, though I'm not sure which parent she gets that from."

"Well, I think that might be just a wee bit more on the Tyler side than the Donohue side--maybe," Edward said, "given some of Suzanne's relentlessness."

"You might have a point," Marcus said, putting the baby down on the rug so she could sleep undisturbed.

"I'll watch her for a bit if you two have things to do. You should take advantage of it while Angus is out," Edward said.

"Perhaps you're right," Marcus said. He drew out a portkey and reached for Aria's hand. "Come with me. I have something I'm sure you're going to like seeing." He looked at Edward. "We won't be long, and we'll be straight back."

"We'll manage," Edward smiled.