A Birth day

Jack chuckled and nodded to Sa and Victor " the are always part of the family" he said and stood up letting them feel the warmth from the fresh made fireplace behind him " there now you should be toasty , i'll do the other rooms too" he said.

Jessie listened to Marcus and chuckled " that place it beautiful" he said " I saw it in passing." he said " you and Aria will be so cosy there, I guess this storm dosn't help ether" he said brushing snow off his boots only to have more fall onto it. " come on we should get inside" he said and looekd up at the gray snow filled sky abouve them. " oh the pack it fine by the way Robert sent extra food for them and Jack checked on them before this storm hit making sure they brought their wood inside." he added as he looked back to the duplex.

"Good. I'm sure the girls are wondering. They haven't been away from us, except for their training in Colorado, so I'm sure they're going to be anxious to make sure everyone's alright," Angus said. "You're right, Jessie. Let's go in. Maybe I'll make some Irish coffee for everyone to warm up with."

"Now that sounds like a good idea," Marcus smiled. "Coming, Jessie?"

Angus and Marcus went back to the duplex and stomped the snow off their boots before going inside. They took off their winter gear, and Angus found that there was plenty of fresh coffee already made. He got out some top shelf Irish whiskey and some sugar and some whipped cream and made several large glass mugs full of Irish coffee.

"Here," he said, floating the mugs over to the table. "This will take the chill off for sure. Help yourselves."

"Nice!" Sam and Victor grinned. They hadn't had Irish coffee before but they were anxious to try it.

"Go easy on that," Edward cautioned them. "Don't guzzle it. Sip it, even if you have to warm it up again. You're not used to high powered whiskey."

"Angus," Robert called from the floo. Angus took his mug, went over to the floo and put his mug on the coffee table.

"What's up?"

"I got word from an auror this morning--some friend of Aria's, about a brewing situation that someone is trying to start more crap for you, particularly about Diamond."

"Ah. Yes. I knew about that," Angus said.

"So, I've decided to step in where I'm probably not wanted, on your behalf. Two things--first, i'm trying to buy this auror--whats-his-name--some time. So, I have somewhat gilded the lily. I don't expect them to try something so bold as to toss you back in Azkaban, but I'm not sure I want to give them a chance. So, I've filed paperwork with the Wizengamot to put you in temporary protective custody, with me."

"I'm under arrest?"

"No. Protective custody is not an arrest. Its the avoidance of an arrest. That means that so long as you're here on the estate or with me, they can't touch you. Now, second thing. This auror also suggested the idea of a more formal evaluation of Diamond by someone other than me. So, i mentioned that to the Chief Warlock, and it seems that he is a friend of Nigel's and doesn't know that Nigel is my friend too. Either that or he doesn't care. Anyway, as soon as the weather clears, Nigel will come and do his own independent eval of Diamond...."

Angus heard a soft clunk. He turned to see that there was whipped cream sloshed on the outside of his mug. And Caprice was lying on the floor with whipped cream all over her face. Angus frowned, concerned. He pointed Caprice to Edward, and Edward went over and made a brief check and started to laugh.

"She's fine. She's just sozzled from a few sips of your coffee," Edward laughed.

"Oh, for pity's sake," Angus sighed.

"What?" Robert asked.

"I never gave a thought that Caprice might try some of my Irish coffee, and now she's passed out on the floor with whipped cream all over her face," Angus sighed. "I'm such a bad dad." Robert laughed out loud.

"I'm sorry," Robert said, regaining himself. "No, you're not a bad dad. It happens to the best of us. Jonathan told me that Marcus drank an entire pint by himself before he was a year old. Passed out cold on the floor in the Leaky."

"That explains a lot," Edward teased Marcus.

Jessie chuckled and nodded when Angus sugested they head inside and he would make Irish cofee. " oh sounds perfect" he said as he started to roll some snow into a hugh ball then a second " snow man" he said simply as he pulled a carrott out his pocket and stuck it into its face. Vhuckaling to himself he then followed Marcus and Angus into the duplex making sure to knock off the snow before he stepped in.

Aria heard Robert and chuckled " Lucian his name is Lucian,Lucien Wheeler, or if you want to annoy him call him Lucy, he hates it but finds it as funny as I do" she said as they continued . She reatched up and took a mug of the coffe and took a sip " wow thats so good , feels like a warm blanket but on the inside." she said then looked down at Caprice now out cold on the floor sleeping after a few sips of Angus coffee " awe thats cute" she said and chuckled as Ruby chuckled too.

" I remeber a boy taking dads whiskey and passing out" she said and looked to Jessie who sat quietly in the back of the room.

"I regret nothing" he said with a chuckle " dad didn't care." he added but it made Ruby smile.

"She'll learn proper boundaries on it because she'll learn them from you," Robert told Angus. "Anyway, not to worry. I think things are as under control as they can be. Wheeler--yes, that was the name. Anyway, he's not done investigating, and that's fine. Saves you lot from having to do it. And I've had a conversation with Daniella. If we have any significant findings with Diamond, and I can already tell you we will, Daniella might be looking to extend custody unless Tom cooperates with Daniella and allows welfare agents in to check the entire house and to go in regularly and check on Diamond to make sure they have a qualified nanny and also that Diamond's health and development improves."

"Oh, lordy, Tom's going to hate that," Marcus said.

"And Suzanne will flip her blonde wig," Angus said.

"She wears a wig?" Marcus asked.

"Uh huh. You didn't know?"

"No. How did you know?"

"Um..." Angus frowned, trying to remember. "Anyway. it's all gray underneath that with big bald spots."

"He's entirely correct," Robert laughed. "We had her in St. Mungo's, remember? Anyway, tell Ruby not to be concerned about genetics with that. It seems Suzanne was taking some dark arts beautifying potion to make her look young again, and the potion wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Serves her right for buying snake oil crap."

"Why wouldn't she buy expensive potions?"

"Oh, she did. These were some of the most expensive on the market, but they were toxic as hell. She's lucky she lived. At any rate, the gray hair and the bald spots are her own fault. I don't know if I can reverse it but she hasn't asked either. So she and Tom deserve what they get, I guess. Oh, and if you see Jack, tell him he needs to stop down in the armory for another pair of mission boots. His runt pup chewed a hole in both is his good new winter mission boots and then peed in one of them."

"I'll tell him. He might need a second Irish coffee before he comes back," Angus laughed.

"Tell him to enjoy one for me," Robert said, and he closed the floo.

"Well so much for your new boots, Jack. Maybe Santa will bring you a new pair in a couple days," Marcus laughed. "So, Angus, this means you don't leave the estate for any reason unless Robert is with you. And if you're wise, you won't go anywhere without one of us so that if there's a question we can at least pretend to be a bodyguard."

"So maybe I need to pray the blizzard lasts til about May," Angus teased.

"No," Edward said. "I'm ready for it to end any time now. What's for lunch? I'm hungry."

"Maybe I'll make some chicken salad and make a big tossed salad and then put a scoop of the chicken salad in the center of everyone's tossed salad and put some cheesy garlic toast with it," Simone said. "What do you think?"

"Anything that doesn't eat me first," Edward said.

Ruby listened to Robert and chuckled " oh Im not worried Robert and I belive she lost her hair due to a certain gentelman and fireballs?" she said with a chuckle " thats why she wears a wig." she continued to sip her coffee.

Jack could not help but cover his fce and groan when Robert mentioned the pup chewing and peeing in his boots " well at least they were mine and nobody elses but I realy should train that guy" he added and chuckled at Marcus words " maybe so, and I'll enjoy it for you" he said and chuckled some what red faced. Jack looked up at Angus as Marcus told him not to leave the estate without some one with him " I call on that" he said as Jessie opened his mouth and closed it again " best leave it to the bigger guy Jessie" he added.

It was now the floo opened again and a voice echoed from it " hey any one there, its Lucian, sorry for the low tone Im currently in an old subway system following the woman" he said " just wanted to let you know the investigation is progressing, she's definatly up to something, Has Robert been in contact?" he asked " I did send a report to him."

"Hi, Lucien," Angus said. "We just finished with Robert. Your timing is perfect. I'm not surprised she's up to something. She's always up to something. In case you didn't know, her first husband was Reginald Tyler, and Tyler was a paid assassin for my father, benjamin Donohue, who worked for Tom Gelding. Suzanne married Tom less than a month after Reginald's death, so there wasn't a lot of grieving on her part. Her habits, since then, have included multiple counts of attempted murder--some that we can prove and some we can't. And she's hired all sorts of dark arts criminals for any sort of birdbrained criminal antics that her little brain can dream up. And, we know for a fact that Suzanne and Tom have hired James Blood to work for them to try to eliminate me for adopting her sons, and in the contract, it states that when the job is complete, Tom will deliver Khaat Lupin direction to James as payment for services rendered. And that's just a few of the threads in the Gelding's web. How's that for twisted business? Oh, and with your subway system? We know for a fact that she tried to use an old section of subway to run an illegal potions lab, but we shut that down and demolished that section of tunnel. She was trying to discredit Robert in order to ruin him politically and financially by tainting some St. Mungo's potions and redistributing them so that Robert would take the blame for toxic potions. And that doesn't begin to get into the crimes that the Gelding family have done for the last 40 or 50 years. let me know when you've heard enough."

"Maybe you need to tell Lucien to stop out when he can get through," Edward said. "And tell him to bring a thicker note pad if he's going to take notes. This might take a day or four."

"Clearly you don't even know the tip of the iceberg on this one," Marcus told Lucien. "Aria's gotten quite a bit of it, but there's decades of backstory that I know she doesn't have, even as long as she's been here."

Lucien listened to them talking and ran his hand over his face " okay, so batshit crazy." he said and sighed " explains her actions, oh and Aria please the next person I have to tail , please make it one whoe into fluffy pigmy puffs, not batshit crazy" he said with a slight chuckle in his voice. he looked to Angus " don't wory I read the file, you do know its about an inch thick and very very boring to read, one good thing put me to sleep." this made Aria chukle as she sipped her coffee. " that better be irish coffee coz your going to owe me one, a coffee I mean."

Aria looked over and smiled " oh yep it it Angus made it and its super good" she said and heard him chuckle.

"How much you put in that?" Lucian asked hearing Aria " never mind she's talking to some one a guy he dosn't look happy with her, okay Ihave to go she's on the move again, and boy she needs better taste in wigs hers looks like a rats nested in it." he added making Ruby chuckle at his discription.

"blame Angus for the wigs" she said " hes deft with fireballs" this made Lucian tifle a laugh as he semed to duck for a moment.

" okay signing off." he said and switched off the floo. Ruby looked to Angus and shook her head " what is that woman upto?" she wondered.

"An inch thick file doesn't begin to cover it. That only covers what the ministry knows," Marcus said. "He thinks he's got it all, but I can promise him he doesn't have a clue."

"That's alright," Angus said, his mind racing. "That gives him enough for a start. We have to let him be our eyes and ears for right now while we can't get out."

"You think you know what Suzanne is up to?" Simone asked.

"I'm positive I know what she's up to," Angus said. "The end game, at least. Her game plan hasn't changed in the year that I've known her."

"Do tell, then," she said.

"She's still going to be hellbent on getting her boys back, getting Diamond, and making sure she sees Angus very dead," Marcus said.

"The boys are adults. She has no case there," Simone frowned, angry.

"True, but, those boys are Donohues now, and I think that is more than what Suzanne's little brain can stand. I think she has every intention of getting her hands on my sons--sorry, our sons--and doing whatever dark magic she needs in order to wipe any memory of their lives here and then changing their names to Gelding. That, and Marcus is right. At this point, she doesn't have any plans to try to harm Ruby and Jessie. She will however, stay focused on wanting to kill me--whatever it takes. And I think if she can get her hands on Caprice, she'll have her too. "

"Over my dead body will she ever touch those boys or Caprice or you," Edward said angrily.

"Not gonna happen," Sam said, as angry as Edward was. "I'll kill that bitch first."

"Not if I get her first," Victor seethed. Angus looked at Sam and Victor. He knew the boys meant it.

"If I have to take her out, I'll do it myself. I dont' want you in a position where you feel like you have to take action against your own mother," Angus said.

"Why not? What's she ever done for me!" Sam was angry. Angus knew exactly how he felt.

"I get it, Sam. I do," Angus began.

"No. No you don't," Sam retorted. "You lived in a mansion in Tuscany with Edward..."

"Oh, that's right. I keep forgetting. I was a just a little rich boy, wasn't I?" Angus said quietly. He turned, grabbed his coat and headed outside to cool off.

"Next time you mouth off, Sam, you need to get your head out of your ass first," Marcus told Sam, picking up his coat and following Angus.

Aria and Ruby sat and listend to the boys talk when Sam mouthed off Ruby stood up and glared at him " you think you had it worse he had it twice as bad" she said nodding as Marcus followed Angus out the door. " Marcus right, sam watch your mouth or I'll let Angus show you just how good of a wizard he is." She picked up all the empty cups and took them to the kitchen placing them into the washer and set it going.

Aria shook her head as she listened to Sam and Angus knowing Marcus will calm Angus down but both boys need to slow their roll on what they say. " might want to stay out of his way for a day or two" she said looking at the pair of them more so Sam. Ruby looked at them and nodded her agreement.

Sam scowled at Ruby, angry with her.

"You always take his side!" Sam mouthed back at her. "Sometimes he's just wrong. He's got no clue..."

"Sam," Edward said, deliberately walking over to Sam and standing right in front of him so that all 6'5" towered over Sam, "if you're wise, you won't make me repeat myself. You need to shut it. Don't you ever think he had it so damned much easier than you did. Angus never gave a damn about the material things he had or didn't have. When he was a boy, he'd have traded every single thing away for a dad and a mom like you had that, for the most part, just ignored you. You've got no clue, and you've got no right to think you do. His story isn't mine to tell, but when you find your one brain cell and start to use it, you'll realize you owe him a mammoth apology." And then he realized his last sentence was far more nasty than he had intended.

"Sorry, Ruby. I think I'll go up to my lab and blow something up," he said, turning on his heel and leaving.

"Maybe I should go too," Simone said. "We'll see you later. Call if you need us." She turned and left to follow Edward.

Outside, Angus was just walking, letting the bitterly cold wind bite at him.

"Well, this is one way to cool off," Marcus told him.

"I figured Sam was better off if I went outside than if I decided to deal with him."

"I'm sure you're right," Marcus said. "Should I turn him into a goldfish for you?"

"Nah," Angus laughed. "It was just a moment of immaturity on his part. Most of the time, he's a decent lad. I admit, though, that I was sorely tempted to take all his teeth out and shove them up his...oh never mind."

"That might have been painful," Marcus laughed.