A Birth day

Aria gathered the pack and placed them in a single pile on the table. When she heard Simone and Edward say they were ready for bed she smiled " sleep well " she said and chuckled seeing the puzzle Ruby was working on levitate. Ruby gasped but chukled as the puzzle lifted up and floated for amoment then retuned to her so she could add to it " thank you dear, I think I'll leave it till tomorrow too" she said and noticed Marcus return from out side as Finn went to his bed " he has the right idea" she said " your not the only one who hears her pilloe Simone" she said and smiled " mines practicaly shouting at me."

Aria looked at Marcus and stood up " I agree we should turn in for the night." she said walking to the kitchen and checking all apliances were turned off including the kettle and oven. " its been a long day" she said and looked to Marcus " I'll see you up stairs, but if you need me to do anything just ask okay " she said some what nervouse now at what she was actualy suposed to do.

Ruby looked at Marcus as Aria headed upstairs " I think you scared her a little there Marcus" she said and smiled as she placed one more peice in the puzzle.

"No problem," Angus said, levitating the puzzle out of the way again.

"It's fine. I can't think of a thing," Marcus told Aria. "I think we're secure for the night. I'm going to shower before I head to bed. I'll be in, in a little. You go ahead."

When she went upstairs, he listened to Ruby say he'd scared her a little.

"Perhaps," he said. "I think a little anxiety is normal in most new relationships, though. It'll work itself out, I'm sure. Goodnight, Ruby."  He went upstairs.  Out of habit, Angus checked the front door and the deck door, and found it secure.

"I think I'm going to shower tonight too, Ru," Angus told her. "I have a feeling that if the kids cook, I might be needing to make sure they don't either lop off any body parts or set the house on fire. I'll see you upstairs in a bit."  He went up to shower, just so he didn't have to do it in the morning.

Finally winding down and feeling tired, Marcas heard Angus in the shower, and he knew that the house was finally quieting for the night. He tossed his clothes and his towel in the hamper, and he went into the bedroom. He opened the top dresser drawer and made sure he had a full change of clothes in there.

"They're finally settling for the night," Marcus yawned. "In a job like mine, I can't ever afford to be entirely off duty, but things are about as secure as they're going to be--unless something goes off the rails before daylight. It's rather like a tentative peace treaty that isn't entirely sound. It's why I always keep a full change of clothes in my top drawer--in case I have to get up and dress and go before my eyes are entirely open, at least keeps me from being naked or something stupid if i have to go one something without a second to spare. Certainly is easier to get jeans and a polo in there instead of a three piece suit." He got into bed. "Aria--just a word. Stop letting anxiety get the better of you. We barely know each other yet. Some things are bound to be smooth and some are bound to be rough. It's all part of it, but it certainly doesn't mean anything's wrong. Don't start reading into things. Close your eyes, get some sleep, and things will look better in the morning."

Aria had changed and was sitting up in bed when Marcus entered she watched as he showered changed and got ready his clothes for the next day then moved to the bed and climbed in. She lay and listened to him then moved to face him. " I understand, you're a creature of habit Marcus and me coming in kinda knocks that out for you as well I'm a creature of habit too, just a different one for you and me, yeah, I've been places in the world and done things that don't kinda match to you but your right, this.." she motioned to him then her " its new, scary, but Im sorry for letting my feelings take over." she chuckled " I've controlled them for years, I guess it was slight laps on my part and your right, ther will be more up and downs." she said as she closed her eyes and fell asleep next to him.

Ruby looked at Angus and nodded as she stood up and kissed his cheek lightly " okay , I'll see you upstairs." she said and headed up checking on the boys and Caporice as she went finding Finn laid under the crib again and she smiled " best gaurd dog ever" she said as she smile at him. Moving to the bedroom she atched as Angus did his own check and smiled , moving to th bedroom she washed changed and headed to the bed. Puling abck the covers she looked up at the sky light seing the stars threw it she smiled and lay down as she waited for him to join her.

Marcus felt no need tonight to explain to her that he certainly had been in a lot of different countries during his years in espionage and in his years traveling with the Bulgarian minister of magic to protect him. He hadn't understood what she meant by saying that her traveling didn't fit with his lifestyle. As it was, he basically had lived his adult life not being able to have roots at all.

The fact was that he had an apartment he never used. His kids had lived most of their lives with his parents because his job deprived him of being able to have a home of his own. His belongings, pretty much were pared down to whatever he could carry in his bag. Sentimental things that were important to him were safety stored either in his vault at Gringotts or with his parents. Marcus basically considered himself pretty much a nomad because his life deprived him of every damned thiing that resembled anything close to a home or of comfort. He decided to set all these random thoughts aside and try to get some sleep.

Angus came in and got into bed. He turned out the light and looked up at the skies now that the storms seemed like they had largely moved through. There were just a couple stars that he could see now, but there were water droplets son the glass in the ceiling, and it was distorting the light a little.

"I am not disappointed that we didn't have to go around with James tonight," he yawned. "He's such a pain in the butt. I hope James didn't decide to go after Fenrir instead, but, at least Fenrir and his pack won't be blindsided, and I'm sure they got a good meal or two from the meat we took them. I don't think he expects us or wants us to do more." He yawned, feeling tired. It had been a really long day.

"Ru, I'm feeling like we might need to consider either a couple days away, just the two of us, or we need to consider some sort of a major remodeling job on this house. I mean, when we designed it, we didn't have any idea that in less than a year we would have five kids living in it. When we designed it, I sort of envisioned us in having at least a little time for the two of us living quietly on our side, and Edward on his. And now, all total, we have nine people tonight on our side and six on Edward's. If we looked at the numbers, there are actually more people in this house tonight than there are at the big house. I know all these people are important to us, so don't misread what I'm saying, but sometimes it feels like I'm tripping over people here. We either need to remodel and expand somehow, or I need a weekend away. Does that makes sense?"

Ruby heard Angus as he entered the room and nodded with a smile " I'm sure Fenrir can and will take James down a peg or two and in regards to being over crowded, yeah I agree maybe some time with just you me and Caprice, or if you want for caprice to stay with Edward and Simone Im good with that too." she said " as for remodelling, yes, extra rooms would not go a miss, or even add a whole apartment maybe for the kids, separate but still an addition maybe?" she suggested folding closed her book she had been readying about hippogriffs and husbandry care. " but on your original sugestion f a trip just the two of us , yes" she said simply to him knowing he needed it just as much if not more than she did.

Ruby pulled back to blanket for him to climb in next to her" but don't worry about it riht now, for now sleep , think and talk about it tomorrow " she said softly to him as she lent over and kisse his cheek.

"Well, I'm sure that if they wanted to rent a couple of the new apartments, Robert would let them. I jusst know they really aren't all that mature quite yet to be on their own," Angus replied. "And, at some point, Marcus and Aria need to be elsewhere too. Marcus being here is just a temporary thing after all. And I don't know if they've even begun to discuss a longer term living arrangement. I figure at some point, he'll return to guarding Khaat, so I presume he'll be over at the main house again soon. I presume Aria has her own place--I mean, she had to live somewhere before she met Marcus, right? I sort of expect Aria to want to move in with him in the main house but what do I know?

"Right now, tonight, what sounds good is a very, very private adult weekend, just the two of us, maybe on one of Edward's smaller vessels, maybe a houseboat or a cabin cruiser--out in the middle of nowhere, with no other humanoids around for miles and miles," he said, his eyes getting heavy. "That might be too tempting though. I might not want to come back. Night, Ru."

Ruby listened to Angus hearing him become sleeper by the words and chuckled " I would love that, but lets sleep on it " she said softly to him as she felt him become sleepy next to her. Laying her arm across his chest she smiled and relaxe feeling his chest rise and fall " you will come back, this is your home and your family." she said softly to him as she too cosed her eyes and fell asleep to the light drumb of the rain on the sky light above them.

Aria woke and dressed with a quick kiss on Marcus cheek she headed down to the kitchen to start breakfast before any one got up she smiled seeing Ruby down stairs too. " Morning" she said as Ruby took out some bacon and placed it in a pan to cook.

Ruby had dressed and quickly headed down leaving Angus to sleep as she wanted to suprise him with a pre cooked breakfast with all the trimmings . " Morning Aria sleep well?" she asked and saw her nod her head.

Angus had forgotten to take his sleeping potion, and he had awakened over and over from nightmares about being in that damned casket--until he had finally seen, through the skylight that the night was starting to fade. When he had gone to sleep that time, finally, he had slipped into a deep, exhausted sleep.

The kids came to the kitchen, expecting to have to cook breakfast, as Angus had told them to do, but they saw the women already at work.

"We must be off the hook for this morning," Sam grinned. "Yes!" They rooted in the fridge, fixed their lunches, some jam sandwiches for breakfast and then grabbed cups of coffee in some travel mugs. "You will tell Angus you two got here before us, right? Nice. See ya!" The four of them dashed out the door to escape before they got roped into breakfast, deciding to slip off outside away from the house to eat their jam sandwiches and drink their coffee before work.

Marcus was up, and he was dressed in a pair of cutoffs and a tee shirt and some sneakers, and he came downstairs, ready to go for a morning run, seeing the kids dashing out the door. It made him laugh.

"Shifty little buggars," he said, amused. "If they think that's going to keep them out of the kitchen forever, then they don't know Angus very well. I think we let them think they won this morning, and then let Angus take care of it whenever the spirit moves him to do it. In the meantime, I'm going for a run, just a half track run, so I won't be more than about fifteen or twenty minutes." He headed out the door.

Ruby looked up as the kids walked up to the kitchen " oh darn I forgot you were supsed to make breakfast this morning" she said making Aria chuckle. " you get this duty tomorrow" she said and saw Marcus walk down " off for your run?"she asked as Aria stood up and held up a cup of fresh made coffee.

" Coffee?" she asked placing he cup down in front of him a she took her own. " I need to run myself this morning, join me when your ready " she added as she spoke to Marcus." if I take one day off it throws out my routine" she transphigured hr clothing and drank her coffee, once done she stood up and headed to the back door and unlcoked it to head out to run th trail Marcus had taken her on sevral days before.

Angus woke up and dressed and shaved, and he came downstairs, with Finn getting up and coming downstairs with him. He just naturally walked over to the door and let Finn out and then put kibbles in his bowl for him.

"Morning," he said to Ruby. "I thought I smelled bacon. Smelled good." He poured himself a mug of coffee. "How did we rate with a quiet kitchen this morning? The smell of bacon and coffee, and no noise? Just about perfect. I think I'm going to order the fruit and nut trees today and stake out the places where I want the trees to go. That way if we go for a couple days, the landscapers can figure out where they go without us having to be here. I'm going to order a hazelnut tree, walnut tree, a chestnut tree, and an almond tree. Then I'm also going to order fruit trees--an apple, a cherry, a pear, a plum, a peach, a fig, a nectarine, an apricot, cranberry, and a mulberry. I might add some berry bushes--like blackberry, cranberry, raspberry, currants, blueberry, loganberry, lingonberry, and maybe elderberry. What do you think? I think I only want one of each one. We grow most of these in large quantities out in the orchard area, but I really want, like, one of each close up to the house so we dont' have to go so bloody far for fruit and nuts. Did I miss anything you'd want?