A Birth day

Aria heard the commotion ahs dove up the stairs seeing the sight in front of her she shook her head and walked around it unphased by it and over to Robert " let me help" she said placing one arm of Angus's around her shoulder so they could get him back in bed . " there's more going on here that you know, he's protected by a higher force I'd suggest you get the hell out" Aria called to the remaining Aurors that still stood "oh, and take your unconscious friends with you" she said as Jessie walked around the corner to greet them.

" Gentlemen I would suggest you do exactly that, this Banshee will and can do harm to anyone harming this family, now do as the lady suggested and scram" he told them watching them pick up the two out cold men and port away almost immediately. " ugh I'll fetch a mop" Jessie said seeing a rather ominous puddle on the floor where one had been stood.

Aria helped get Angus back in bed " now stay put" she said chuckling as she pulled up the covers over him as she saw Robert check him over " any damage?" she asked " other than his head " she teased as she glanced at the back clouds " wow she is one formidable ghost." she said.

Robert began checking Angus immediately.

"You should have let me go..." Angus was trying to say, breathless and a good deal of pain now.

"Not a chance," Robert said, and then he saw the bleeding. He reached for some additional gauze pads and moved Angus dressing. "I was afraid of that," Robert sighed, pressing the gauze pads to the incision.

The skeleton turned and started to float over towards Angus, and Sam and Victor panicked.

"Its gonna get him!" Sam shouted and he and Victor raced to try to catch the ghost, but their hands went straigh through her. She turned and looked at them and rose up and shouted at them.

"Boo!" she said with a cackling laugh, and she rushed at them and ran through them and swept around flew over to Angus, and brushed his face affectionately

"I like what you did with your hair," Angus said to her, wanting something clever to say, and that was the best he could come up with. Now, they heard her laugh. Caprice's musical, enchanting laughter that Edward had so loved. Angus saw Rosaria in the doorway with the others, and she had Caprice in her arms. "Rosaria," Angus called, motioning to her. "Gran. Gran, look." Rosaria came over, not entirely certain and definitely not relaxed. She put Caprice on Angus's good arm. "Look. She's yours. We named her after you. Her name is Caprice." Sam and Victor saw the ghost's hand reach out and caress the baby's face. Angus could see Caprice's own face as she smiled at the baby, utterly delighted, and then she smiled at him. They didn't need words. Angus understood. She kissed his forehead.

"I love you so much," she told him softly, and then she faded.

"Damn," Nigel said softly. "I was afraid of that." He looked at Angus, "You've sprung a leak. You've popped your stitches. We're going to have to stitch this back up again or you'll leak all over Edward's expensive carpets."

Aria raised a hand to Victor and Sam to tell them to stay put and not so anything while she helped sort Angus " I'll make room" she said but paused as she watched the caprice Skellington float over and smile to baby Caprice then she heard the faint voice telling Angus she loved him so much before fading " okay shows over let get that leak stopped , I'll take Caprice" she said and picked her up as she giggled " yeah yeah all fun and games to you little miss" she said and smiled down at her before turning to Nigel and Robert " we did just see Caprice , I mean grand ma Caprice right , I didn't have a bad mushroom or something?" she asked looking at them both as she spotted Jessie with a mop chuckling to himself as he moped.

Jessie finished cleaning and retuned the mop to the closet once washed and empty. He walked up to the bedroom but stayed outside knowing they were patching Angus up inside. Seeing Victor and Sam he walked over to them " first time seeing a spectre?" he asked " don't let it get to you, she was on our side and just out to scare them silly and she did."

"We did all see her that time," Robert said.

"Not our first. We saw Nearly Headless Nick all the time," Sam said.

"And Moaning Myrtle, and Peeves, and..."

"Okay we get it," Kate said.

"That was your great grandmother," Edward told them. "The original Caprice."

"Really? That was really her?" Victor asked. Edward nodded.

"Cool!" Sam said.

"I'll take care of this one's leak if you can get the aurors to bear off," Nigel told Robert.

"Do you mind?" Robert asked.

"Not in the least," Nigel said. Robert went downstairs to use Edward's floo in his office. He came back about twenty minutes later, looking exceptionally frustrated. he looked in and saw Angus was spent, starting to doze as Nigel worked.

"Keep your guard up," Robert told them quietly as Nigel worked. I can't reach the Italian minster of magic. "I've even tried to see if Daniella has any ability to find him."

"I know that slimy little weasel," Simone said. "And I know where his holiday house is. He goes skiing in the Alps in the winter. I know exactly what rock he's hiding under. Maurice and I were invited every January, along with a number of his other friends. I went once with Maurice, but I figured out he really only wanted me there because I could cook. I'll dig him up for you if you like."

"That's my girl. Go get him, Simone," Edward said.

"Well, that's a side of him I've never seen," Robert said. "Didn't know he was a slimy little weasel."

"That's because you have the wrong anatomy to see that side of him," she said bluntly. "Any of you experienced at doing a little winter mountain hiking?"

"Sounds like that might be Michael's thing, unless Jessie is part mountain goat."

Jessie looked at Robert as his name was mentioned and chuckled " more like a clumsy gorilla" he said and chuckled and looked to Aria " your good at climbing" he said but she shook her head " Lucian he's great at it I can send for him" Jessie said and set a note threw the floo , almost two minuets later Lucian appeared at the front door and let himself in .

"you sent for me?" he said " very nice house Edward, don't worry I'm on leave from the ministry remember" he said looking around then he looked at Jessie " you mentioned climbing so I brought equipment for just that" he added as Jessie nodded. " Morning Kate and Simone, good to se you again" he said smiling but that dropped as Jessie took him up to show him Angus and Robert.

Angus was certain he was not the best looking in a hospital bed in Edward's bedroom with a huge shoulder wound and someone stitching it up.

"She's hunting for slimy little weasels up in the Alps," Angus said sleepily to Lucian.

"I want him to rescind the arrest warrant on Angus immediately," Robert told Lucian, "and cancel the order to take Diamond into custody. There are three adult age blood relatives to her right here. She's going nowhere. Neither is Angus. He's less than 12 hours out of a serious 4 hour surgery under barbaric muggle conditions to stop him from bleeding to death. If I have to put him under my protective custody, then consider it done. He's at risk of recurrent hemorrhaging so he's not going anywhere.

"Here's the really frustrating part," Edward said. "Ruby left last night for a few days away for medical care, and no one should have known anything about it, but for them to appear this morning before breakfast with a warrant? Either I have an intruder on my estate, or I have mole that works for Gelding in my employees, but I daresay if they think they're coming back and actually getting their hands on Angus, Angus' grandmother will send them off with a banshee sized flea in their ear."

"Angus's grandmother's ghost is protecting him from harm right now, and she's a damned formidable force," Kate said.

Lucian listened to Robert taking and nodded He glanced down as Angus spoke and chuckled " rest my friend ,I know the weasel you speak of, very sexist towards women in his life or not" he said with a frown across his face. he looked to Robert as he spoke of what had happened " okay so you need me to go jack rustle the guy out of his hidey hole" Lucian said then turned to face Edward and rubbed his stubbled chin in thought " I'll have some of my men take up strategic positions , this place might be being watched" he said " I'll have them come here and introduce them selves first so you don't go shotting them " he added with a chuckle. " okay climbing gears down stairs waiting " whom am I going with?" he asked as both Jessie and Aria stepped back.

"not us " Jessie said and looked over at Simone Lucian looked over to her and smiled as he gave a playful bow.

"be my honour to escort you to the weasel, think of me as your personal Jack rustle my lady " he said and smiled to Simone. Aria chuckled and shook her head at his antics.

"still the charmer, but aren't you married?" she asked and Lucian nodded.

"yep, but respect is not a charm, its the right thing" he said and winked at her making her groan and Jessie chuckle.

"Thank you," Angus said to Lucian.

"This is my wife, Simone Donohue," Edward said. "Her first husband was Maurice Salazar, ambassador for the Ministry."

"Nice to meet you, Lucian," Simone smiled. "I know exactly where his ski chalet is in the alps. I spent a couple weeks there one January when my husband was still alive. There shouldn't be climbing involved but it might take either snowshoeing or cross country skiing to get there."

"Or his bloody big bird," Robert said. "He could fly right to it."

"Bird?" Simone asked.

"He's a sweet thing," Kate smiled, remembering the big bird. "Gentle personality, and very loyal. I liked him."

"Only because you speak to birds of prey," Robert said. Edward asked Carlo to go get Simone's winter hiking bag and then he went into their walk in closet and came out with Simone's one piece snowmobiling suit in a pretty dusty rose color and handed it to her.

"I think your gloves and things are shoved in the sleeve," he told her. "Be careful, won't you?

"I'd be able to be more careful if I had my boots too," she teased.

"Oh. Boots. Right. Sorry." He went back in the closet and came back with a pair of deep rose colored waterproof winter hiking boots. "Carlo will meet you downstairs with her backpack. It's equipped with all kinds of winter gear."

"I have what I need, I think," she told Lucian. "I'm ready if you are."

Lucian laughed and nodded " yes, Rock can fly us up , if you so wish but where's the fun in that, Kate if you could please give him an idea of where he should head to. " he said chuckling. He watched as some one went to fetch winter snow clothing for Simone and nodded " I have mine in the bag I brought we can get ready when we get there or land just short change then continue on, I'm at your disposal my lady" he said hearing Aria groan again behind him

Heading down he opened his bag and pulled out a set of skis and a snow suit but placed them back in his bag slinging it over his shoulder " its charmed" he said smiling as he walked outside and whistled " Rock!" he shouted and the large bird appeared over the trees and landed not far from them shaking his head " I know , but this is important," Lucian looked to Kate " he was talking to Archangel, and is a bit put out he didn't get to finish his conversation." Lucian knew Rock would just continue it once they were done.

Kate went outside and was delighted to see Rock again, and she went over, treating him respectfully. But he remembered her and seemed happy to see her too. Kate explained that some men wanted to put one of her dear friends wrongfully in a cage, and they wanted him to change his mind and leave Kate's friend alone. Rock seemed to understand. Kate got directions from Simone and told them to Rock in ways that Rock would understand. The bird screeched at Kate in a language that Kate understood to mean consent, and then the bird brushed his head up against the side of her head, a treasured gesture of affection, and Kate petted him lovingly.

"He's still wonderful," Kate told Lucian. "He's ready. I told him that if you tell him to find Kate, he will know to come to where I'm at. That will let you quickly tell him where to come to bring Simone back. I hope that helps."

Upstairs, Nigel finished re-stitching Angus, and he re-dressed the wound. "Now, I'm going to ice this with a magic wrap so that it reduces some of the swelling and pressure on the incision. And I think we might dare risk some pain potion now. I'll double check with Robert but I don't want to have to use more muggle pain meds if we don't need to. However, we do need the muggle meds to be clear of your system before we introduce wizard meds again. They don't mix, and I know you really would prefer not to be sick."

"I can't afford it," Angus said.

"Give me a moment, and we'll know for sure," Nigel said. Angus nodded, not complaining.