A Birth day

"Well, maybe I need to try to see if your dad will communicate with me one more time," Angus said.

"Not tonight," Robert said. "You're drained as it is. You're only a day or so out of major surgery, and you honestly just don't have the strength for it tonight. Let's talk about that perhaps tomorrow or so, after you've had some sleep."

"I think," Marcus said. "we should wait for a bit to see what Jack and Edward find with the werewolves. That might give us some information and maybe some leverage."

"Agreed," Robert said. "Angus, you rest up for a bit. Drink your coffee. Ruby, if you can find him some sort of a high protein snack, that might help him a little. Some cheese or some nuts, maybe a few savory biscuits or something. That might raise his blood sugar a bit and help him to feel better. Marcus and I will keep working."

With a plan agreed upon Fenrir circled around to the other side of the werewolves, where his pack was already waiting. They knew how to be stealthy, far more stealthy than this young kids had any idea about. Edward launched the attack on them by firing a Petrificus Totalus at the largest of the werewolves, and the werewolf fell like a stone to the ground. One down, eight to go. 

Fenrir led his own pack, and he dove at a couple of the werewolf youths and knocked them to the ground, knocking htem out. That meant that two more were disabled. Dennis was behind Fenrir, and he fired an incarcerous spell at the youths, tying them up. That was a total of three disabled, and that meant there were six to go.

Ruby listened and nodded to Marcus words " I agree and I think there's a ham salad sandwich left " she said and quickly went to fetch it , returning she placed it down in front of Angus " if my dad wants to let you know, he will try his damnest to tell you" she said softly to Angus.

Jack saw Fenrir move around to the opposite side they were on than he made his move. Jack with wand in hand cast Petrificus Totalus as well as knocking several out soon all were tied up or out cold but not seriously injured. " that's.." he said and sighed as about to say they had them all, but instead he reached into a bush and pulled out a very frightened and shaking boy from it. " now, we have them all." he said placing the boy on his feet but not letting go of him just yet.

" so Fenrir you still taking this bunch?" Jack asked as he looked at the tied up boys on the ground moving to them he looked down at them " that there boys is a real Werewolf who if you behave will teach you how to be real werewolf's or you can go home." he said " and I don't mean Toms ether."

"I said I'd take them temporarily, and I will," Fenrir told Jack, "but, Donohue, I expect your grandson to hold up his end of the deal and find out if they have a place they should be going back to. Then I'll know how many I can expect to keep."

"He'll handle it," Edward told him. Fenrir motioned his pack to take the kids, and they gathered them up and immediately ported out with them. Edward was glad that Fenrir had made no ceremony about it and had made the transition quick and seamless. Once the kids and Fenrir's pack was all gone, Edward made a look around the site to see if there was anything else to be found. 

And then, at the bottom of a tree, Edward found a little brass disk. It looked exactly like the same sort of magical location marker that they had found multiple times on the estate. Edward looked for some sort of maker's mark and found none. 

"Jack, look here," Edward said. "This was premeditated. Look--it's another one of those location markers that they've used before to be able to apparate right in to the estate. They marked this location as a particular point for tonight. I'm guessing that they wanted this spot because it's one of the few forest locations this close to Paris that would offer the promise of a little privacy for tonight's operation. I would love to take it back for Robert to pass on to Gabe to look at, but I dont' think we dare. I think we would be best served to destroy it. Unless you have a better thought?"

Jack chuckled and nodded to Fenrir as he then stood and watched the pack take the boys " he will" Jack said as he saw them leave the clearing. It was now he heard Edward and walked over " yeah I remember those" he said now amused with finding it right where they had had to battle boys. shaking his head he sighed heavily " nope , I think we'll go with yours " he said as he aimed his wand and sent a ball of fire at it blowing it to nothing but tiny bits on the ground.

Ruby placed the sandwich down beside Angus and took his cup to refill. She saw Jess passing her to enter as she headed to the kitchen.

Jess walked in and looked at Angus " it was a group of boy werewolves , Fenrir has them but needs Robert to check them for family" she said handing over a list of names to him then looked at Angus " they found another disk like had been on the grounds, Jack destroyed it" she walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder gently drawing away some pain she felt he still had. " there" she smiled at him.

"Well, I think we can safely head back to HQ. I'm hoping the kitchen is still open. I want a snack," Edward said.

"I'm sure you're right, Ruby, but your thought about the cabin is a good one too. Robert, I'll check the names on the list myself since Owens isn't going to be up to it," Angus said. He was starting to smell homemade caramel being made, and he was also smelling popcorn being made. That told him Simone was in the kitchen.  "Simone's cooking," Angus said eating part of his sandwich and finding he did feel better for having eaten it. "She's making a big batch of toffee popcorn."  

"Toffee popcorn? God, I haven't had that since I was a boy, but I sure do love it. She'd better be making an enormous batch because if she isn't nobody else is going to get any but me. I'll pass the list of names on to you tomorrow, Angus," Robert said. "Thanks, Jess. Well, that's an interesting turn. He's never taken kids and had them turned to use them."

"No, he hasn't," Angus said. Not that we know of, except it very well may be that the use of the werewolves was a halfbaked plan to find some way to appease James since Tom hasn't been able to deliver Khaat to him. Maybe they thought that offering him a dozen or so kids would cool his jets a bit, and maybe that would be the reason for using the location marker in a public park."

"Well, if that was the plan, it was a stupid one because nothing interests James but Khaat, and he's never going to get her," Marcus said.

"But Angus makes sense," Robert said. 

"Robert," one of the women came in. "Got this from Kate. I don't know if it's important or not." She handed him a note and left again. Robert read it, and he looked at Angus. 

"Kate says she saw a vision of Caprice, and she was looking at something in a cookbook. She thinks it's important and honestly has nothing to do with cooking whatsoever."

"I have my gran's cookbook," Angus said frowning. "Is that what she's talking about?"

"Probably. It's worth a try."

"You want me to go home and get it and bring it back?" Marcus asked. 

"I think we should go where the clues lead. Do you mind?" Robert asked.

"As long as you don't let Angus go gallivanting all over Paris while I'm gone," Marcus teased.

"Ruby and I will keep an eye on him," Robert teased. Marcus took his portkey and ported home and was back with Caprice's cookbook in just a few minutes. He handed the book to Angus.

"May I?" Robert asked. Angus handed the book to Robert, and Robert started examining the notebook and the pages.

Ruby listened to Angus and smiled smelling the scent in the air " smells divine" she said smiling. It was now she saw the woman behind Robert who spoke to them and looked at Angus handing the note to Robert. Ruby nodded as she looked to Robert then to Angus . " agreed" she said as they stood up and letting go of Angus she ported with Marcus back to the quiet duplex " wow never had this place so quiet" she said and chuckled as she watched Marcus find the book that was mentioned " oh I use that one for some recipes" she said as they opened it as they ported back so Marcus could give it to Robert who started to inspect it.

Jack looked at Edward and nodded " agreed , it smells like rain" he added  " besides Angus might be able to tell us Toms next hit" he added as he and Yu ported back to the HQ " wow this places smells great" Jack said following his nose to the kitchen leaving Yu chuckling and shaking his head as he followed and pored a mug of coffee for himself.

When they got back to HQ, Edward smelled the distinct aroma of caramel and popcorn. 

"I know that smell. Simone's making toffee popcorn. I'm starving so I'm going to go snag some," Edward said, making a beeline for the kitchen. 

Robert started to look at the pages and then he noticed a recipe that Angus had written a note in the upper corner.

"'Doesn't work'?" Robert read Angus's little note.

"Oh. I've tried most of the recipes in there," Angus said," but that recipe just doesn't work at all. I don't remember her ever making it, and I've tried everything I can think of to try to make it. It's just horrendous."

"That might well be a clue in itself," Robert said. He got into his desk and got small spray bottle and sprayed a potion on the page and then held the page over the bulb in his desk lamp. "Come look, Angus." Angus got up and went over and watched as the letters began to actually lift up off the page and shuffle themselves around in the air and then start to settle in an entirely different order. "Angus, did she know the cookbook would go to you someday?"

"Yes. She actually gave it to me when she got too sick to cook anymore, and that was well before she died," Angus said. "I figured she'd give it to Rosaria but she was determined it was to go to me."

"I think that's important," Robert said, watching the letters settle back down on the paper. Let me read it now.  "It's a diary entry of sorts. It's dated back 26 years ago. Let me read." He sat down and read the page.  "You would have been just a small boy when this happened."

"Yes. I'd have been just six."

"Well, apparently, your uncle went out to some sort of a party with your dad, and your dad met a woman there named Suzanna Sawyer."

"Ruby's mother."

"Yes. And apparently, that started a very active affair between Benjamin and Suzanne. Your mother already knew, as she was writing this, that she was ill and was not going to be able to put a stop to this, but she saw a very strong premonition. She saw Suzanne giving birth to a couple of Benjamin's children. Two, she was sure. And she believed that Benjamin was going to be way over his head. She wanted to be sure that Edward never left one speck of the Donohue assets to Benjamin because her premonitions saw Suzanne was going to believe that, because of these two children, she was entitled to the entire Donohue fortune."

"Oh dear God," Angus paled. "Is that even possible? Is it possible that Reginald is not the father of Sam and Victor and that their bio dad actually was my father?"

"You need to find out," Robert said, "because this might tie it all together. If Suzanne believes that your dad is the father of Sam and Victor, she might well believe that very cent that your family owns is hers. And that, on top of the pillow talk she has heard, and the connections she has, might well make her very valuable to Tom indeed."

Angus sat down in his chair, not saying a word. So were his sons actually perhaps his brothers? The idea was staggering.

Ruby looked at Robert as he studied the pages of the recipe book when she watched him spray the page she stood up and watched the letters change position as he spoke to Angus. standing behind him she watched as she thought the colour drained from his face and he sat down. "If he did that that would make them.." she paused and looked at Angus " there still family no matter who their father was." she said then took his hand in her own " they came home, if they are Donohue's but there still our kids." Turning to look at Robert she spoke again "is there any way of telling if they are related to Angus?" she asked " some sort of potion test that could tell us once and for all." She looked at Angus.

Jack walked into the kitchen and smelt the sweet smell, walking over he smiled " mumm, any for me/" he asked and chuckled as a bowl was handed to him. taking some he began to eat and relaxed as he walked and munched to the captains room. pausing he heard what was said inside and then opened the door. " I think Jess does, St Mungo's does this test for paternity?" he said " could work for the boys, though does it matter now they are adults who their father is?" He popped another cornel of popcorn in his mouth " you raised them taught them life lesson and how to be upstanding young men that they are" he said now leaning on the door frame.

"Well, certainly," Robert said. "DNA paternity tests have been in existence since the 1960's. Ours don't use muggle technology, of course, but all we would need is some hair from Angus and some hair from the boys. It does take awhile to concoct the potion that actually shows whether there is any correlation but it's possible to do. The test Jack is talking about takes a bit longer than the newer version I'm working on. It should take about half the time to get the results, and its more accurate. However, I have to have some time to blend the potion that it depends on, and, just like polyjuice needs a month to brew, this potion is going to take some time to brew too, though hopefully not that long."

"I know what you both are saying," Angus said. "I realize they're already legally Donohues. I get it, and you both have valid points. It might take me half tick, though, to adjust to the fact that Suzanne might have had a thing with my father, and that my sons might actually be my brothers. And that's just one more layer of entitlement that Suzanne is going to say I robbed her from."

"And it also explains why Tom might be hanging onto her. It's no secret that if Suzanne thought she could grab the entire Donohue ball of wax, that would be definitely more money than Tom has," Robert said.

"Well, Benjamin was never heir to anything other than what he himself earned," Angus said. "Neither Edward's will nor Caprice's ever gave him so much as a farthing, and Edward's not about to change it now."

"Still, if she had thought she could contest it, on the boys' behalf, of course, as biological Donohues, then she certainly would believe she was coming into until millions."

"Another crackpot fantasy of hers," Angus sighed, irked, "but all the more reason why Tom would be interested in her. He certainly isn't interested in her for her great IQ or her magical prowess. But, maybe he believed she had a good plan to bilk Edward and me, and then Tom, believing she was a ditz, believed he would let her bilk us good and proper and then he'd do away with her and inherit it all for himself."

"Now that is motive for staying with a woman you can't stand, isn't it?" Robert nodded. "It would explain a lot."

"And I guess I need to tell Edward," Angus said.

"Well, you can show him this page from the cookbook, but so far, all we have is your gran's message about a premonition she had and our own conjectures. That's really all we have," Robert said.

Jack looked at Robert " St Mungo's has some in stock I can fetch some if you want would save you brewing it" he added as he still ate the pop corn in his bowl Ruby looked at Angus " well, yeah, that might need some processing " she said as Angus explained about what was shocking him about the situation and she sat next to him. Jack looked at every one and sighed walking back out the room and over to the kitchen " hey Vic , Sam need ya a minuet" he said crossing the room pausing for a moment he retched up and plucked a hair from both boys " thank you" he said " I'll let Angus explain" he simply said and walked back to Robert placing the strands in his hands " Victor on the left Sam on the right" he said then walked over to Angus taking a strand from Angus he gave that to Robert " Angus" he said " now anything else other than the potion you need?" he asked stuffing some popcorn in his mouth as he waited. " not going to help him if his mind is all worried about who is or is not his brother" Jack said and looked to Ruby " sooner its done the sooner we can fight Tom." he added.

Ruby just smirked having a feeling Jak was a no nonsense kinda guy. Jess stood at the door and looked at Robert wondering if she should go to the stores and retrieve the potion.