A Birth day

Jack laughed then nodded "Then let's do that" he said as he joined Kate, looking where she had he nodded " I can do that" he said as they finished the spell " there done" he said" You added that charm right?" he asked smiling as he flew down to the barn and dismounted his hippogriff, brushing him he fed him and placed him back into the barn. " I'll go and talk to the wolf" he said to Kate as he walked in the direction of the are the wolf was but stopped at the barn for some meat first. Entering the clearing he saw the wolf, a female stood mournfully howling as she stood, Jack walked slowly over to stand facing her he looked at her then sat down as did the wolf, taking out the meat he smiled at her "Your little ones safe, he can't come back but he's alive" he said offering some meat. The wolf walked forward and sniffed his hand gingerly it took the flesh and sat down to eat it.

Ruby heard Tara and smiled "That would be perfect," she said "Might give me an idea on how to make one for Caprice and the girls and boys, even if they are older," she said now happy to be able to do something that would be able to be shown to their future grandchildren.

"Well, no, but I can do that. It won't take long. You go ahead," she told him. She cast the spell and made one more lap around on her hippogriff. There was something satisfying for her in being able to take it upon herself to give everyone just a little bit of a relief from James' crap. She was about to take the hippogriff back to the barn, when she saw a number of brooms heading straight for the estate. she was quick to fly down to a lower level so that she and the hippogriff were inside the protection grid. She hit her alarm to page Robert, and a moment later, he flew up on his broom to join her, just as the broom riders arrived at the estate and tried to fly in. most of them got two or three feet down below the grid, and then her spell rejected them and chucked them out, blasting them away, high into the night sky.

"What'd you do?" Robert asked her.

"Made a spell of my own to reject anyone who didnt already live here. We deserve one damned full moon without James coming to cause any more drama," she told him. "Our New Orleans team is still recovering, and they don't have it in them to do any more sparring tonight."

"I'm not criticizing you. I rather like the results, honestly," he told her. "Besides, after that amputation surgery, I'm inclined to want a quiet evening myself. Well done, my love. Good thinking. i'm hungry. I'm hoping that Nicky is doing something worthwhile for supper."

"They've never disappointed," she said, "but if they do, we could go to the farm for a few days for a little holiday for just the two of us."

"Now that," he smiled, "sounds like a winning idea, but, how about we take a true long weekend--three days away where no one can find us."

"That's even better."

"Where would you like to go?"

"Someplace very private where we don't have to see another living soul for three solid days. Otherwise, surprise me."

"Fair enough," he smiled.

"How far do you suppose they were thrown?" she asked, not seeing anyone approaching now.

"However far it was, it wasn't bloody far enough," he said. She flew down to the barn to return her hippogriff, and he flew down with her. She turned her hippogriff over to the barn crew to groom him and return him to the barn. Then they both went to the house together.

Outside, Angus and Evan saw the flyers approach and then just disappear. Then the skies grew empty and silent.

"Looks like they took care of it, whoever was on it," Angus said, turning and heading back for the house. "I think we're safe to go in now, and I'll have to come up with something to fix for supper. The kids should be home by now, and I'm sure everyone's hungry." Evan turned and went with him.

Jack saw his medallion flash he turned and ran back out as fast as he could but paused then looked puzzled then laughed as he saw the men fly back out and away from the grounds "Nice spell Kate" he said and headed back inside to sit with Jess and the cub. Ruby walked to the door and saw the brooms but heard Angfus talking and smiling she shook her head and smiled at the scene.

"Don't worry about that, I can get it unless you want to cook something specific?" she asked "I ws thinking something light like a salad since we had a heavy dinner." she said as she walked back into the living room to wait for the kids to join them.

"That's fine," Angus said. "I honestly didn't have a single idea."

The kids all came home from work, hot and sweaty because of the summer heat and the outdoor work.

"You're late tonight," Angus said. "Where have you been?"

"One of the grounds crew found a section of fence had been knocked down or something, and he asked us to help him repair it. It was way out, past the fields where all the crops are grown. It took us longer than we expected."

"Be careful not to go out to that sector without one of us, Guys," Angus said. "There are some rumors that there's a bad werewoilf out on the loose, and when he's rampaging, he tends to try to show up here sooner or later."

"James?" Anise asked. "We've encountered him before."

"Yes," Angus said. "He's not for any of the four of you to mess with. If he comes around here, you four get your bums back here and in the house. You leave him to us."

"But we're trained now," Sam protested.

"Half trained," Angus corrected. "You lot buggared off before you finished your training. So, no. You're not trained yet."

"But we helped you in New Orleans...." Anise said.

"If we need your help, we'll call for you. Otherwise, you should do as he says," Evan told them. All six of the kids, including Evan's two groaned in disappointment.

"Showers. Go," Angus told them. His four headed off to clean up, and Evan's two headed out onto the deck.

Ruby looked at Angus when he spoke to the kids and smiled agreeing with his words Aria moved to stand with Ruby and help start supper of Cheesy ham & broccoli pasta along with Grilled courgette, bean & cheese quesadilla for those who wanted it along with Aria's Iced Fruit Punch fruit juice ice cube mixed with ginger ale and seltzer water. Aria carried the jug to the table while Ruby plated up the food and sent it over to the table "All right food ready, and Angus.." she walked over and kissed him " I agree with what you said a hundred per cent." she said with a smile.

Aria looked at Marcus as Ruby gave Angus a kiss and told her she agreed with his words to the kids. " we should be on our guard too with that big dumb hairy werewolf about" she said to him " if he got that close to tear down a fence he might be already on the grounds." she said poring him a glass of the juice and handing it to him.

"Thanks," Angus told her. "He's killed far more qualified fighters than they are. I don't want them just throwing themselves at him like that.

"You're right. We should be on guard," Marcus said. "James could be on the grounds, but..."

"I don't know," Angus said. "Kate and Jack laid down an extra perimiter spell earlier. Evan and I saw them lay it. Could have been some variation on an age line. It wasn't another protection grid because it wasn't being laid like that. I'm thinking Kate may have designed something that Jack added his energies to--maybe a dark arts line or something to prhoibit dark arts workers from entering. I don't know for sure, but if that was what they did, then any spell like an age line would surely have tossed his hairy heinie off the grounds."

"Point taken," Marcus said, "but I still think staying indoors, especially tonight during the full moon, is the wisest approach."

"Agreed," Edward said, as he and Simone arrived. "I thought about taking Simone out for supper, but we postponed it because of the full moon."

"Well, get a plate, then," Angus said. The kids came back upstairs, and Tara told Evie and Faith they needed to come inside tonight. She didn't want them outside after dark, and Evan agreed. There would be other nights. Marcus could tell the kids were bored--really bored.

"I think we should borrow some board games from Robert's muggle games for these six," Marcus said.

"We don't need to," Edward said. "I have a closet full of them upstairs in my potions lab. Don't ask me how I got them, and I won't need to lie."

"Robert says the ministry isn't so concerned about muggle board games any more. They're more concerned about our things getting out to the muggles," Angus said.

"Well, then, problem solved.

"Are we smart enough for muggle games?" Faith asked.

"There's a couple you might like, especially the one that works like charades. One person does charades and everyone else has to guess what they're trying to say. You lot should be good at that," Edward said. "I thought perhaps the rest of us might either break up into smaller numbers and play chess or checkers or cards."

"Now that, I can do," Evan said. He looked at Angus. "Do you play chess?"

"Somewhat," Angus said.

"Good. Then you're on," Evan said.

"I didn't challenge you."

"You're still on," Evan laughed.

Ruby smiled at Angus then nodded " I agree we can relax for tonight at least" she said. Aria looked at Marcus when board games were mentioned.

"So, what board games do you lie?" she asked smirking at him as she stood with her arms folded across her chest. Hearing chess mentioned she chuckled "Hum thats a good choice, stratagy and thinking ahead, so what are you in for?" she asked as she waited for the games to be brought down " Edward would you like me to fetch the games from your lab?" she asked turning to look at him.

"I like chess and backgammon, but I far prefer poker," Marcus told Aria.

"Help yourself," Edward said to her when she asked about getting the games.

"I'll go with you," Victor said.

"You're welcome to, but you might not need to," Edward told Victor. "I shrank my entire collection of games and cards and puzzles and put them in a large basket in the closet. There were quite a lot of them. So, if she doesn't resize the lot of them, all she'll need to do is to bring the basket."

"Girls, come help me clear the table and clean the kitchen," Tara told Evie and Faith. Ginger and Anise automatically got up to help. Marcus suddenly got an aroma of something that wasn't quite so lovely, so he went over and picked up Caprice who was quite a mess, and without saying anything, he simply took her upstairs for a bath. Angus looked in the playyard to see that the floor and the rug inside it were quite a mess too. He sighed, and he headed to the kitchen for a bucket, some soap, some water, and a scrub brush and a sponge to clean the play yard, the rug, and the floor. This was the part of having babies that Angus did not think was so lovely. He didn't say a syllable, but it didn't make him happy that somehow someone so small could make such a huge, foul mess.

Aria nodded to Edward and headed up to his lab to gather the basket. Ruby watched as Marcus scrunched his nose "Oh dear lord" she said and watched as Marcus took Caprice up to the bathroom to wash and change her, she grabbed a bucket and filled it with warm soapy water and grabbed a sponge to begin cleaning it " it's okay Angus I have it, you just rest" she said smiling she placed the blanket in the basket for a wash then wiped down the floor and sides of the playpen.

Aria returned with the basket and looked at the scene "Good lord, how can some one so small cause such devastation?" she asked setting down the basket on the floor beside a table. She took out a small pack of cards and then resized them placing them down on the table as she resisted some chess pieces and a board for those who wanted to play chess.

"Thanks," Angus told her, appreciating the extra effort Ruby was placing on keeping things taken care of. "I think it must have started with a blowout."

"Did Abbey do that?" Edward asked him.

"No, not really," Angus said. "She had a couple blowouts, but not many, and I caught them early. This one, though, she does fine for awhile, and then she completely goes off the rails. If she keeps this up, by the time she's thirteen, I'll have figured out a way to keep a clean up spell constantly in place." Edward laughed.

"By the time she's thirteen, she should be able to clean up her own messes, I should hope," Edward teased.

"Suppose she can learn that by the time she's three?" Angus asked.

"Three and a half," Edward teased him right back.

"Regular chess or wizard's chess, Angus,?" Evan asked, pawing through the basket that Aria had brought down.

"Whichever you like," Angus said.

"Doesn't matter to me. I'll beat you either way," Evan said.

"You think you can?" Anguus asked.

"Uh huh," Evan nodded, getting out a wizards' chess set.