A Birth day

Ruby chuckled at the banter and quickly had the place smelling and looking clean again. Aria lay out the cards for solitaire while she waited for Marcus to return laughing as they spoke about the blow out " Oh I do hope she can son" she said "But it happens " she said as she saw Ruby finish and take the bucket to the kitchen to empty it down the drain and wash it out.

"there all done," she said smiling as she walked back in with some warm chocolate cookies " one for a cookie?" she asked placing it down," I thought we could use a sweet treat after the days we've had," she said taking one and placing it on a plate to send over to Angus and one for Edward.

"Cookies? Of course we want cookies," Sam said.

"Thanks, Ruby," Edward said. "Those smell great, much better, than Caprice's contribution."

"Sorry," Marcus said, coming down alone, without Caprice. "I had to bathe and shampoo her, and by then, she was completely worn out and put out with me. It's really warm and muggy upstairs, so I just left her in her diaper and put her in her crib. She was out like a light within just a minute or two. I left her door ajar so that if she wakes, we'll hear her."

"Go get a cookie, Marcus," Sam said. "They're still warm."

"Well, who am I to say no to a cookie?" Marcus laughed, getting one for himself. "Thanks, Ruby. I'd much rather smell chocolate than other things, I think."

The kids found the charades game and they took it downstairs. That left Marcus, Aria, Tara, Edward and Simone since Evan was determined to take on Angus at chess.

"There are jigsaw puzzles. cards, and all sorts of games," Simone said. "There's a jigsaw puzzle in there that Flourish and Blotts are running a contest on. It's over a thousand pieces, and its supposed to be exceptionally difficulty. However, if someone gets it put together, without using magic, there's a 1000 galleon prize for the first person who does it. There have been several people who have taken their puzzles in, but they were disqualified because the puzzle keeps track of whether magic was used to solve it or not. And to make it more difficult, it doesn't come in a box. It comes in a drawstring bag--with no picture. Anyone think we could solve it and claim the prize?"

Aria looked at Marcus as she turned a six of clubs picking it up she placed it on a seven of hearts " Poker?" she asked "Or solitaire?" she smiled at him. Ruby picked up the bag and smiled.

"I think I'l have a go at the puzzle" she said placing it down on the table " you can help too if you want." she said to simone and Tara seing the kids head down to the basement with several games. Ruby began to take out the peices and place them on the table several fit and she nbegan to focuse on the others " wow there reay is a lot of peices and its about as perplexing as the muggle bean jigsaw." she said with a chuckle.

"I've never heard of any version of solitaire that takes more than one player," Marcus said to Aria, "but if you know one, I'm game. Otherwise, there's also rummy and some other games if you like."

"I'll sit in with the girls and help them with their puzzle," Edward said.

Angus and Evan sat down with the chess game. Evan didn't expect Angus would have his heart in it so he didn't expect Angus to be too competitive. Evan let Angus have the opening move, and when Angus made his first move, Evan looked at the move and looked at Angus.

"What kind of an opening was that?" he asked.

"One to make you ask questions," Angus replied. "Your move."

"You can't win doing shenanigans like that."

"Just make your move," Angus told him.

"Sounds like Evan is in trouble before he starts," Marcus looked at Aria, amused. As they were getting started, Marcus heard a noise outside. He got up from the cards with Aria and stepped outside on the deck for a moment. Then he heard the noise again. Just thunder and lightning in the distance and moving in quickly. Satisfied, he went inside and closed the door.

"Well, that will keep James indoors if the spell didn't," Marcus said. "Sea storm moving in from the coast, it looks like. James is crazy, but even he won't come out in a lightning storm. We might be able to breathe a little easier tonight."

Aria chuckled and nodded " Rummy it is," she said and gathered the cards and dealt them some to Marcus and some to herself. Ruby let Tara and Simone place pieces as she saw Marcus stand and head to the back door. Aria wanted and looked at Ruby as he left the table then returned saying it was a storm moving quickly in land.

"If he has any brains he'll stay indoors, but this is James we're talking about?" She said with a chuckle as she placed a card on the table. Once done she picked up another and chuckled looking up at Marcus as the first sounds of the rain started hitting the window lightly. ruby sat back from placing peices and listened hoping Caprice was in such a deep sleep she would not wake to the sound of the storm.

"I don't think he'll show tonight."

"Probably not," Edward said. "And if it's a heavy storm. the moon might not even be visible tonight, which could mean that there isn't enough moonlight to trigger the werewolf transformation cycle."

"Oh darn," Marcus said, with sarcasm.

"Have you ever fought him yourself, Marcus?" Evan asked.

"Yes. More than once, and the first two times, Khaat and I were in the alley behind Sparks. She used work late so she could go in to Sparks when she finished work at St. Mungos, and that way, she could cash out the register, do the books, double check the supplies, make sure things were paid, all of that. She checked the books by hand almost every night. I didn't want her to keep using the same route to get there or to get home but there are only so many ways to get there or to get home from there. So James caught us two or three times getting to Sparks or leaving Sparks. The first two times I fought him, I was alone in that alley with him. Not my favorite thing to do at midnight."

"The third time, he was smart enough to signal for us," Angus said.

"And that was when I started breaking the heels off her shoes," Marcus said.

"You did what?" Tara asked.

"She loves stiletto shoes," Angus said. "And they really do present a security hazard. So she buys them, and he breaks the heels off them. She uses a repair spell on them, and he breaks them again. It's an ongoing battle of wills."

"I hope she doesn't pay much for them," Tara said.

"She does," Marcus said, umable to stop an amused grin.

Aria sat and listened to them talking and chuckled as Marcus explained how he'd met James in an alley. Then how it had been the first time he'd snapped the heels off Khaats shoes " good thing I only wear flats or court shoes" she said showing her flats she had on " no heels or him to snap, I only wear heels for super important occashions" she added then heard Tara ask if she paid a lot for her heels and chuckled " wow , she realy loves her heels?" Aria said making Ruby chuckle.

"yes she does." Ruby said " has a closet full of them to match her outfits, its not a bad thing to do but having a few pairs of flats might help" she added finding another peice that fit " woohoo, got another." she said smiling while Aria looked to Marcus.

" im guesing you did that becuse she needed to run in them, every time?" she asked

"That was my reasoning at first, yes," Marcus said.

"But she fixed him," Angus said. "The woman can actually run in seven inch spike heels."

"You're kidding," Simone frowned. "I'd break my leg just trying to walk in a pair like that, leet alone running."

"She can run. That's her logic to me when she tells me I don't need to break them," Marcus said. "My logic for breaking them is that she only need to trip and fall and break her leg once, and we're both on his supper menu. And so the contest continues."

"I happened to see her in Diagon Alley a weke or two ago, and she actually had a pair of kitten heels on. She had that other bloke with her--whatever his name is," Edward said.

"Kitten heels?" Marcus frowned. "She didn't even own a pair of those the last I knew. And, believe me, I knew every pair of shoes she had. Wonder if David bought them for her."

"I doubt it," Simone said. "A woman won't wear shoes she doesn't like except if there is a real sentimental attachment to the person who bought the offensive shoes for her."

"Like Brian perhaps?" Edward asked.

"Possibly, but she wouldn't do it for David. She'd just transfigure the kitten heels to a pair of stilettos if he'd given them to her,," Simone said.

"Which is why I believe a woman needs to buy her own shoes," Evan said. "Your point is well taken, though, Marcus. Tara doesn't even own a pair of those."

"Stilettos? Of course I do. I have two pair. A black pair, and a red pair. See how much you notice," Tara said. "Ha! Got a piece. What are you doing, Edward?"

"One moment," Edward said, focused. He worked for a moment longer and picked up a small piece--four pieces fitted together, and he fit them into what was a part of the border.

"Look at smarty pants there, steaming right along with four pieces," Tara said.

"You guys going to get that done before Christmas?"

"Check," Angus said.

"Check? Where?" Evan frowned. "We've only made about five moves."

"You should pay more attention," Angus said.

"How'd you do that?" Evan frowned, seeing Angus was one move away from winning the match already.

"

Aria looked at Simone and nodded " I agree with Simone she said, then listened to his reasoning "Well some women have great balance and can run in them, I am one of the few that would fall flat on their ass in a puddle of mud if I wore heels that big" she said chuckling " no balance what so ever, I know weird for a bird animagus not to have any balance." she chuckled then heard Simone and smiled. Ruby looked over at Evan and Angus and chuckled seeing he was winning.

"strategy games are his thing Im afraid Evan" she said chuckling at how quickly Angus won " try again you might win the next one, or not" she said and chuckled softly. Ruby found two more peices before she accoied a glass of juice and a jug with a tray of glasses " help you selves if you want a drink, its non alcaholic but you can add to it" she said with a chuckle to them as she sipped her drink.

Angus won the first game, and he did give Evan an easier match the second time, determined to not make it so easy that Evan would know that Angus wasn't giving it his best. He did use the opportunity to give Evan some pointers to up his game, and in the end, he managed to let Evan squeak out a tight win. Evan was pleased.

"Alright, so wheree did you learn to play like that?" Evan asked.

"Edward taught me when I was really young. It was a game we could play without disturbing Gran when she was so sick."

"I did not teach you that sort of tough game, though," Edward said.

"Well, I have had a lot of long winter evenings indoors over the years, and Robert and I have played hours and hours. I have to tell you, though, I still look damned pitiful when it comes to his game," Angus said.

"Lad, everyone looks pitiful playing against Robert, except, I think, for Kate and for Michael," Edward said.

"Kate plays?" Evan asked.

"God, yes, she plays, and when she puts her mind to it, she can beat Robert fairly mercilessly," Edward laughed.

"Of the two of them, Robert would be the first to tell you that Kate is smarter than he is," Angus said. "And he is not bothered by that in the least."

"Well, she is a fierce fighter, that's for sure. I certainly saw her in action in New Orleans," Evan said. "Michael and I were having a couple beers just before that fight, and he and I were talking about training. He told me that if he had to pick one partner to do a survival weekend with, it would unquestionably be her."

"As well it should be," Angus said. "She knows her plants, she can cook and hunt and fish and fight, she can speak to birds of prey, and she has a good understanding of constellations and she's pretty good at weather signs. She's creative enough to be able to construct a shelter in the wild. I think, of all of us, she's certainly the one to pick."

"You'd never picture it looking at her, though. She looks like everyone's idea of a mild mannered grandma."

"Deceptive, isn't it?" Marcus laughed, as Aria defeated him in the hand of rummy they were playing. So has there been any talk of when your training will resume in Colorado, Evan?"

"Well, yes. Kieran is anxious to get us finished, so he'd like us to come back in another day or so," Evan said. "The kids really don't want to go back so soon, but they do want to finish it up, and I can't blame them. Kieran wanted us back tomorrow, but we're not going to be ready that soon. I have all the clothes in my duffle that need laundered and my supplies restocked, and I'm sure the kids do too."

"I'll get at your laundry tomorrow," Tara told him. "You should have said something."

"The kids didn't say anything either," Angus said. "We'll get them on that tomorrow too. It's only one more week. You lot should just get it done and get it overwith."

"Maybe," Evan said, not feeling any urgency to go back.