A Birth day

Aria chuckle at his words " oh I agree thats way to tall Im not going that tall" she said and smiled to him " I just would like to look right being next to you incase we have to go to a ball or some safisticated dance or dinner" she said " you being the safisticated, distinguished hansome, sexy man you are" she admited making Ruby smile "I know you don't think you are, but I see the woman and the looks they give you and the dirty looks they give me for being with you and well I just want to wipe their smug looks off their faces" she said then calmed herself down.

Ruby smiled as she listened to Angus and nodded " right , sorry forgot" she said softly " I am guessing Caprice is with Edward and Simone?" she asked as she wathed him move to the kitchen " all right , suppers all yours" she added .

"You will look right, no matter what you wear," he smiled at her. "Stop sweating the small stuff. Oh, speaking of formal occasions, I should show you. I bought something, last year, for each of the kids, but I missed giving it to them in time for the Yule Ball. This year, I think I have time to give it to them." He accio'd a shoebox down from the closet in the bedroom, and he opened it. He handed her three boxes, and inside was a pair of cufflinks in gold, with large square black onyx sets and a few little tiny diamond accents on each. There was another set that were round, instead of square, and a third set that were oval cufflinks.

"For the boys. Do you think they'll do?" he asked. "Its the first good pieces of jewelry they will have ever owned."

"I'm sure she's with them," Angus nodded. "They wouldn't trust her to anyone else." He got to work making a gingerbread cake for dessert.

Aria chuckled and nodded " all right" she said then saw him with the boxes as he opened them she smiled "I know they will love them , becuse you gave them it." she said placing her hand on his arm " and Im not sweating over it , I know any woman tries to flirt with you after you tell her no, will taste the cleaning fluid off the floor." she said softly with a chuckle.

Ruby listened to Angus and smiled at what he was making " thats going to taste wonderful" she said watching him make it " you know I could watch you cook all day, not that I'd want you to and your right she's probably having a blast with her grand perents" she chuckled watching the pastry float about him

"Do let me handle my own rejections," Marcus laughed. "If I need you to get territorial, I'll let you know. Trust me, there aren't that many of them." He put the sets of cufflinks back in the box, and got out two other boxes. "I got these for the girls." Inside each box was a solitaire diamond pendant--just one small, glistening diamond in gold on a delicate chain, and a pair of diamond stud earrings, with slightly smaller diamonds.

"The pendants are just a 1/2 carat, and the stud earrings are 1/4 carat each. That makes each set have a total of just one carat," he told her. "I wanted something that would shine but that wouldn't be so pricey that if they lost it, it would be a huge stressor. Nor did I want them to have a set that was so valuable that it would draw anyone to want to rob them. And I think, because they're small, maybe they'll feel alright to wear them for some not-so-formal occasions too. I rather like seeing women with tiny, subtle diamonds with all sorts of looks-dresses to denim and everything in between. I just think its an elegant, clean look."

"Well," Angus told Ruby, "since the season are starting to turn, I thought perhaps I'd do a comfort food meal, and fall reminds me of gingerbread cake wtih warm lemon sauce. You know, I honestly might have to do a little enlarging of this kitchen. I made it for us when I thought we might be just the two of us for awhile, but since we got bigger quickly, we might need a bigger stove that has maybe a double oven and more burners on the cooktop. And definltely more counter space. Plus, I really want to add a work table. Not a steel commercial work table. i want a big, antique wood one, one that might have maybe been in a country house in its time. Make sense?" He heard a sizzling sound and looked to see that the water he had his potatoes in was just starting to foam up over hte top of his pot. He turned the heat back a bit and went to move the pot off the burner but forgot his pot holders. It burned his hands. He jerked his hands back quickly, grabbed the pot holders and moved the pot.

"Wasn't paying attention, clearly," he laughed. "Daydreaming of a bigger kitchen, I guess."

Aria listened to Marcus and chuckled " okay but if they get too hands on Im making sure their hands are off." she said then saw the sets he had for the girls " wow they will love those , there perfect for them , not flashy but elegant" she said smiling as she watched him put them away " but shouldn't they be in a safe or someplace like that until their ball" she saugested to him.

Ruby smiled and heard him talking " oh I love that to, the smell of the ginger bread and mulled wine, the sight of the leaves turning golden colored all around" she said then listened to him talk about the kitchen as he explained about adding another stove and a antique work surface. As she watched she saw him reatch for the pot then pull back , qikcly she moved arund the cunter and took his hands placing them under warm water " I heard this helps, I think we have some burn ointment around and she called to Marcus and Aria" can you find the burn ountment , Angus hand a bit of an acident with the pan" she said watching as Aria stood up and went up the stairs to teh bathroom to find it.

"Well, I know of very few places that have as tight a security system as thiis estate does. I'm not worried about the jewelry while its here. As for you feeling like you need to fight someone off, I really don't need or want you to do that," Marcus told her. "I have never once gone to any social event where I left with anyone other than the one I came with...."

At that point, he was interrupted with Ruby asking for help with some burns Angus had somehow gotten. Marcus got up and went to the kitchen. He looked at Angus's hands, and then got some ice from the freezer and made an ice pack.

"Can you give yourself a moment tend to this?" Marcus asked.

"Not more than a moment," Angus said.

"Well, sit for just a second. If you need us to do something, just tell us," Marcus said.

"Make sure my potatoes don't boil over. I need to get them off the heat in the next two or three minutes and drain them, and then I...well, there's just a lot to do yet."

"Give us just a moment, and we'll let you get back to it. It doesn't look bad but we know it hurts."

"Happens in every kitchen. It's just a hazard of working with heat. It'll be fine," Angus said.

Aria chuckled and nodded "All right I'll leave that to you."Aria said smiling but pausing as she heard Ruby call out then she headed up to the bathroom to find the ointment. Ruby watched as Marcus tended to Angus she made up the ice bag and handed it to him she watched as he placed it in Angus's hands " I can do that, simple enough " she said smiling as she checked the potatoes and kept them on a low heat to cook.

Aria walked back down from the upstairs with a burn salve in her hands " Found it " she said and handed it to Marcus while she held the lid off it. Aria chuckled as she heard Angus "I'm sure many famous chefs have burns from their creations" she said watching as Ruby turned off the heat and drained the potatoes leaving them covered in a culender to dry out if he wanted to mash them.

"Thanks," Angus told Aria. When Aria brought the burn ointment, Marcus ptu some on Angus's hands and wrapped with some gauze just temporarily so the ointment didn't get into his cooking. Angus accio'd some disposable gloves from the pantry and Marcus hlped him put them on over the gauze.

"Give it maybe an hour or so," Marcus said. "This is one of Robert's concoctions, and it works pretty fast."

"Thanks, Guys," Angus said. "It feels a lot better. Now, I really do have to get back to it." He got up and made mashed potatoes out of the boiled potatoes, adding penty of salt, pepper, cream, and butter to them. Then he set them on a low heat just to stay warm.

From there, he took the chicken from the pot, took it off the bone, shredded it and put it back in the pot with the flavorful stock he'd just made. He lowered the dough sheets from overhead and he cut them into a huge pile of thick, homemade noodles and put the noodles into the stock to boil them with the chickien, the onion, celery, and carrots. While the noodles were boiling, he made the lemon sauce for the gingerbread and took the cake out of the oven, just as the sound of apparating sounded in Edward's side.

"You're just in time for supper," Angus called to them.

"Sounds good. We're starving," Edward called back. He and Simone came over, and they had Caprice with them. She was sound asleep on Edward's shoulder. "She's had a very busy day, and yes, she had her supper. it was a bit earlier than ours, but she should be good now, I would think. She was up extra early, so she wanted supper earlier."

"Can we bring anything for supper? Wine, perhaps?" Simone asked.

"A nice white would be great," Angus said.

"I'll go get one," she said, heading to their side to get a bottle of wine.

Angus plated up some large pasta bowls, puting potatoes on the bottom of the bowls and ladeling the homemade chicken and noodles generously over top and then he set the bowls on the table, one for each person, some wine glasses, and a pitcher of iced tea and some glasses with ice.Lastly, he put on a pot of coffee and one of tea for dessert. Simone brought over a lovely pinot grigio, and Marcus opened it and poured a glass for everyone.

"Chicken and noodles, now that's a perfect comfort dish for a chilly evening," Marcus said.

"Well, come and tuck in," Angus said. "There's a bowl for everyone."

Ruby let Marcus sort Angus's hands and then sat back down but hearing Edward and Simone enter with a sleeping Caprice she stood up and walked over to them gently brushing her hand over Caprice's hair to brush it out of her face " I'll put her down in her cot" she said softly she gently lifted her from Edward then headed upstairs to change her into her PJ's and lay her to sleep.

Aria smiled seeing Ruby with Caprice glad to see them together. It was now she thought to Marcus' kids " Wonder how Poppy and he others are doing?" she asked softly to him with a smile. Smelling the food made her tummy rumble " Smells delicious" she said and stood up to fetch herself and Marcus a plate. Returning she held it out for him"I got your plate too" she said sitting down to eat smiling at how comforting and filling the food was and how the wine matched perfectly though she only took one sip no more as she didn't want to be tippsy on her first night back.

"Well,since they're due to go to Hogwarts tomorrow, I can tell you, it is chaos incorporated in Hogsmeade tonight. They don't actually take the train since they're already in Hogsmeade, but they have to meet the carriages with the thestrals at the train station in order to get their luggage and their familiars and such all transported safely to the school.

"Have you ever actually seen a thestral?" Edward asked Marcus, knowing that only someone who had seen and actually had an emotional understanding of death could see a thestral.

"Yes," Marcus said. "So far as I know my kids haven't, though. They don't doubt that thestrals are real because they know I can see them. Can you?"

"Yes, so can Anise, Ginger, Simone and Angus," Edward said. "Angus, can the boys see them?"

"No," Angus said. "The girls keep telling them they're real, and the boys roll their eyes at them. I'm not disappointed that Sam and Victor can't see them yet."

"I know most people are frightened by the sight of a thestral," Edward said, "but for some reason, they don't actually frighten me. I rather think they have an elegance all their own, and they fascinate me. Robert would like to have a pair but he's rather uncertain the things would be cared for because he isn't sure enough of the staff could see them to look after them properly."