A Birth day

"Oh, I don't know that I want you do to anything," he sighed. "I guess I'm venting. Do I feel a bit guilty for what's happened to them? Maybe a bit. They brought this on themselves, entirely, but maybe it would have been a little easier of some of the losses they had were by someone other than me. Maybe not. I don't know. And, now that Dean's here, I'm gonna have to make sure that I return him to the school with all his parts attached and while he's still breathing. To his credit, he hasn't really batted an eye about who we are and what we do, but he hasn't actually seen any of it in action. I have a feeling he's going to be on the front line at some point or another tonight. If you do anything, maybe you could research and find some other little planet you and I could port to that Tom and your mother can't access."

"He's setting us up for a confrontation, in a woods on the south side of Paris, with werewolves, on a full moon," Angus told Ruby. "I've gone with Edward on werewolf gigs before. If they need me, I really should go, much as I honestly don't want to. Understand, I am not volunteering to go on any mission tonight, but I don't know if I'll escape it either."

"I didn't bring my axe," Edward said, "but if you can give me just two minutes, I'll pop home and get it and pop straight back. I guess when I thought about rescuing kids, I thought that a double bladed battle axe is probably not the weapon of choice around wee ones. But then again, I didn't expect to be fighting werewolves at all. Tom's truly being an idjit if he thinks he can use them to his benefit. Some of them, when they're transformed would rather eat them than sell them. Oh, well. We're in it up to our eyeballs now. I'll be back."  Edward ported out to go get his axe.


Edward was gone for two minutes, and he was back, in full black leather from head to toe, and some of it had metal plating for extra protection. The battleaxe almost looked eager for the contest, in bright sparkling metal. He had a belt on that had a couple blades, and a pouch that held some other miscellaneous things. Angus opened the door, thinking he needed to get back to the office, and he saw Edward there, in his full gear.

"There's something I don't see every day," Angus said very softly to Ruby, not wanting much of anyone else to hear him. "I don't think you've seen this particular mission wear. This is what he wears when he calculates that the odds could be thin. This is his heavy duty get up. That doesn't ease me one bit about him going without me."

Ruby listened to Angus and chuckled " we'll be fine as for another world , don't think there is one, besides I like our world , battles and all." she told him. Hearing him say he knew he would battle this night Ruby looked at him placing her hand on his cheek gently " if you must make sure it is as a last resort and there is no other opening, " she told him " and if that happens , we'll all watch your back, well back front and sides , you know that" she could not help but chuckle " we'll all take the flack from Robert for you" she told him gently then glanced to her left and her eyes went wide " wow" she said .

Hearing Angus she shook her head " Jack please bring my father in law home in one piece and Edward please remember some of the ware's out there are friendly" she added chuckling as jack checked himself and nodded.

" don't worry both your men will be looked after " Jack said Lucian walked over and looked at Edward up and down " that's a man who means business" he said " let me guess always sharp and cleaned?" he said pointing to the axe at Edwards hip.

"That is his take-no-prisoners-and-give-no-quarter gear," Angus said to Lucian, leaving the office.

"Always," Edward replied grimly to Lucian. "I don't always get a lot of advance notice that I'm needed, so she's always ready." When Angus got closer to Edward, Edward looked at him. "Don't you look at me like that," Edward said. "Now, you listen to me, Boy. You didn't cause this, and it isn't your sole responsibility to stop it. The Geldings are a couple of nutters, and apparently they always have been. That is not your fault. However, if they are thinking, in any way, that they're going to set full moon crazed werewolves anywhere near kids, they've got another guess coming. Now, I do not want you coming to this. You are two days out of major surgery. Yes, you might get a few swipes in with your good hand, but your strength isn't worth crap. Ruby, you get his ass back into the command station. There's plenty to do there. If you want to be worth something, Angus, go command the mission, like you've done countless times before. It's going to take some damned smart commanding to get everyone home safe tonight. This organization, as good as it is, isn't going to be able to do it without it. If we don't have a solid commander, some of your fighters will die tonight. Go do your job and let me do mine." He kissed Angus's forehead. "Take care of him, Ruby. Let's go, jack."

Lucian looked to Edward then to Jack who nodded his head making Lucian step back and move to sand away from him to watch as Edward told Angus he was to stay in the H.Q Ruby walked over to Angus and stood with him her hand taking his "you'll have your time for fighting , let them deal with this" she said " Edwards right your needed here " she said as a young girl walked over and gave her another note about movements of Tom and Suzzanne.

Jack looked at Edward and motioned they should go " come on lets deal with this then we can get back and deal with the rest." he said heading to the main door " we got kids to rescue" he said loudly as he opened the door and walked out , out side he lent against the wall waiting for Edward. Now with Edward with him he ported them to the meeting area finding Fenrir and several of his pack waiting. Jack walked over and greeted Fenrir like he was a member of his pack.

Angus thanked the young girl who had brough the note. He read it and sighed. 

"I do have work to do," he told Ruby. "This looks like a new location. This operation tongiht is like a pair of mating octopuses--all tangled up."

"That, my boy, is a misconception," Nigel said, heading in from the kitchen with a mug of coffee. "They don't mate that way, and, in point of fact, the male has to leave the scene very quickly afterward, because if he doesn't the female will eat him. "

"What?" Angus frowned. Nigel nodded. "Ew," Angus wrinkled his nose, disgusted. "Your coffee smells good. I think I'll go get some," Angus told him.

"Take it. I'll go get another," Nigel said, handing him the mug.

"Thank you." Angus went back into the office. Marcus and Robert had been mapping out the new locations and, using Angus's patterns, they'd been making the logical connections. Angus looked over the map and, to him, it looked like Tom was trying to guilt him for every crime Tom and Suzanne had done. Angus sighed, debating on what he should do.

"Angus," he heard a voice. He looked around, not seeing anyone new. 

"Over there,' Robert said to Angus, not looking up but pointing towards the painting of the founders. It was Dumbledore's image that had spoken to him.

"A word from the wise if I may," Dumbledore said. "Never try to get too far into the mind of a madman. It's tempting, I know, because it makes you think you can get a step ahead of him, but rarely does it accomplish that, and, more often than not, all it does for those who still are sane, is it creates confusion, doubt and insecurity, and that leads to missteps. Stay your course. Stand your ground with strategy, not with thinking that you yourself could go toe to toe tonight. Besides, the simple truth is that you look like hell. You're tired, as it is, from what you've been doing. This is not the night for you to skirmish. Sit, and do what you can from here. if you go out to fight, you make your men risk themselves to stand and protect you and rescue you. That's not their job tonight."

Angus nodded, and sat down to drink his coffee and to let Robert and Marcus work. Until then, he had to wait until Edward and the others came back. 

Edward greeting Fenrir as their established custom was, and Fenrir went closer to Jack and Edward.

"There is a gathering of werewolves here," Fenrir said very quietly, "but they're not full grown. In human form, I'd wager they were adolescents. And there aren't very many. At best, we've counted eight or nine. They're overly hungry, though. By the looks of them, they've been kept and not fed so they'll be particularly vicious when they get a whiff of you lot. They're thin and not well cared for. And, I'm willing to bet that at least some of them are new werewolves, and that they were turned especially for tonight's little drama. If you can avoid killing them, I might be able to make some sense to them when they change back, but they're too hungry for anyone to make sense of they as they are. Do you want us to assist, or do you want to handle it yourselves?"

Ruby had heard every one and stood with Angus as she heard Nigel talk about octopuses, " wow that's something I won't do" she said and chuckled. Ruby heard the voice call to Angus and watched as the Dumbledore painting spoke and Angus sat to drink his coffee. She knelt in front of Angus " like I said chose your fight" she said softly to him " be the captain and give the orders, if Tom makes a mistake you be the one to see it" she said her hands resting on his knee as she looked at him.

Jack saw Edward greet Fenrir and herd Fenrir's words " we could try putting them to sleep" he said " if they are hungry , lets feed them" he offered but then shook his head " hum, but if toms stopping that , it won't work, guess knocking them out would, then you can rehabilitate them" he looked at Fenrir " Edward ideas?" he asked looking at him " I mean other than taking their heads." he added looking over at him as he tried to think of away they could save both the kids and the juvenile werewolves that were being forced to work for Tom.

"Well," Edward said thoughtfully, "I really don't like any thoughts of having to harm them because in human form, we're looking at kids anywhere from 10 to 12 years old, roughly. So, as I see it, our task becomes to contain and to rescue 8 or 9 kids who have some medical problems, or at least that's how Robert would surely see it. And i tend to agree with him. They aren't that much older than Cris is right now. Since we don't happen to be carrying a side of beef, I vote for some sort of disabling or containment. We might be able to use incarcerous spells to tie them up. We could use a Petrificus to paralyze them for the moment. A stupify spell would stun one. Any of them are worth a try. Fenrir, if we can contain them, are you prepared to take them in as soon as tonight?"

"Yes," Fenrir replied.

"Well, then, that's my vote," Edward said. "It's very possible that these kids are more of Tom's victims that he took and had changed relatively recently, probably by James. James and Moira wouldn't turn over some of their own to Tom, but, I would wager Tom promised James these kids after tonight's raid. And we do not need James' pack, regardless of whether James has, in fact survived or not, to have more members for him to pervert."

"Agreed," Fenrir nodded.

"One last consideration, though. We must not overlook the possibility that if Tom took them, they may very well have family that is quite desperate to have them home and is willing to have them back, regardless of their werewolf status."

"If that is the case, then we would allow them to return to their human family, with one provision."

"What's that?"

"That they be provided with full education about their werewolf forms and their right to have connection to a pack as well," Fenrir said.

"Agreed," Edward nodded.

Jack listened to Fenrir and Edward and did not say anything , he knew all they were saying was exactly what he would have wanted too " so we go with tie up and immobilise" he said looking to Yu who nodded and drew his wand ready for the order to begin. Jack moved to stand with Fenrir and Edward " we should get moving before they decide to move someplace else" he said .

Ruby headed to the kitchens and made a large pot of coffee poring two cups she walked back to the captains room and placed one next to Angus " coffee, thought you could use a cup" she said glancing at the map as she saw he did pondering just why Tom was doing all this fighting and taking children they rescued from families only to sue against them. " he has to stop sooner or later" she said looking at the markers on the map already in front of her.

"Thanks. I definitely need this," Angus said, grateful for the coffee. "I still believe this is all about revenge."

"It is," Robert said, "and it's also a deliberate lure to try to draw you out in particular, which is exactly why you do not dare fall for it. He is feeling particularly desperate right now."

"So, is there not any sort of an out that we could give him? Something that will get him to back down?" Angus asked.

"Well, two things about that," Robert said. "First--I don't negotiate with criminals the likes of him and Priscilla and Suzanne. And second, the law in England and France does tie my hands quite a lot. I have no ability to negotiate on Daniella's behalf. However, that being said, I do see your point. If we reduce the desperation, then he might dial all this down."

"Precisely. We know that if Tom had to pick between Elliot and Suzanne, he would pick Elliot," Angus said.

"Well, maybe and maybe not," Robert said. "There is something we need to investigate further, and I've put Brian and Irene on it. I honestly don't think there is any legendary level love affair between Tom and Suzanne, but he stands with her through thick and thin. And we have to find out why. There is some reason that he's stuck by her. So if it isn't love, what is it?"


"I've thought about that<" Angus said. "Before she married Tom, Suzanne was famous for her 'entertaining', like my mother was. So, she undoubtedly heard a lot of pillow talk, so she might have a wealth of information that is useful to him."

"Information--and connections," Robert agreed.

"Yes. My second thought is what if she or Reginald had something squirreled away that gives her some assets that we don't know anything about? Something that would make them considerably richer by pooling their funds together?"

"Your brain has all kinds of little twisty bits in it, doesn't it?" Robert frowned. "You do have some odd thoughts. However, both of those theories are worth looking at. Ruby, we're talking about your parents. Any thoughts on your part?"

Ruby listened to Robert and Angus " I was going to say that" she said and chuckled " but your right , that's the only thing she has or had, information and connections , but her connections are gone since you both took down her whole world, but information could be .." she pause and paced the floor thinking back to her time at the house " that house is gone, right, but the cabin isn't , the one the boys were sent to, maybe , and this could be along shot , maybe she's hid something there as leverage and is blackmailing him with it?" she theorised and looked at both of them.

"unless it has to do with the boys, she was always even when they were babies calling them her little bundle of joy, not because she loved them or anything but I think there's something else another meaning behind it." she gave a shrug and sighed " I could be reading too much into it, she did leave the tending to me after all"