A Birth day

Ruby listened to every one and how the evening flew by she saw Angus walk out side to check the fae and smiled as he returned saying the party was over " i'm glad they had a good time" she said then saw Angus yawn and smiled " its been a late night" she said clearing away the rest of the plates and things and setting them to clean. Hearing him say he was heading up she nodded "night, I'll be up soon" she said to him and soon she followed him up grabbing some clean PJ's and changing then slipping into bed. She lat down and closed her eyes.

Aria watched as Marcus did his usual checks as she did here's in the upper floors , not finding anything out of the ordinary she moved to their room and pulled back the bed covers and then went showered changing to her PJ's and waited for him while marking her wordsearch book as she found another word in it as she waited for Marcus..

Marcus finished his check, showered, and headed for bed.  

"Well, I'm glad the Fae has their gold back. That is very likely going to help us be safer too," Marcus yawned. "I think tomorrow I'll start to talk to Robert about how he wants security for this house to go since we technically could be into the house now. I don't want to do that until Robert has a plan for keeping  Angus safe. There are a number of options that I can think of, and I'm pretty sure he'll think of the same ones I do, but the final choice needs to be his, of course. Still, I might move pretty much everything I'm not using right now over there to get that much accomplished. I presume you must have a flat full of furniture and things too that you haven't moved yet. After all, I'm sure you must have more than the few clothes you actually brought here, right?"

Angus read a little and then gave up, closed the book and turned out the light. believing Ruby was already asleep.

Aria watched Marcus enter the room then head to shower on returning she listened to him talk and nodded " I agree , I'd not feel right leaving unless I know security was just as tight as if we were right here" she said the listened to Marcus and chuckled " you'd be surprised at how little I own" she said " I have some pictures but nothing furniture wise" she told him " when you move around from mission to mission you keep things low key" she said and looked at him " you know what that's like." she said as watched him move around the room.

Ruby felt Angus place down his book and lay down with her she moved closer to him and rested her arm across him before letting her self fall asleep.

"Well, I did that initially," Marcus said, "when I couldn't afford furniture, but after a point, I got tired of coming home and sitting on the floor. Then I got a few bare bones things. Still, it was far better than living with Evelyn, and I was making sure I was sending almost all of my income to my dad for taking care of my kids. After all, they went literally overnight from being empty nesters to being caretakers for two three year olds and twin babies. I didn't want them or my kids to want for anything. So they got my checks, and I got an empty, cheap flat--until I went to Bulgaria. And my housing there was the Minister of Magic's mansion. My room, at first, was up on the third floor with the servants until I became indispensible--or so I was told. And then it was moved down to the same floor as the family's rooms. 

"I do have a very large storage unit," he remembered," with all the furniture and things from when Evelyn and I were married. Hard telling what's actually in there. Haven't been in that for years. One of these days I need to sell all that junk and get rid of it. But i should go through it. I'm sure the kids' baby books and such are in there. I can't just go and sell the lot without going through it." He yawned, getting sleepy. "Oh well. I'll get to it--eventually. Goodnight."

Angus was up early--after about three hours of sleep. He had gone downstairs and had poured some maple syrup on a saucepan and had reduced it until it turned to maple sugar. While the syrup was reducing, he had made a batch of pancake batter and had set it aside and made coffee and tea. He got out some bacon, put it on a sheet pan, and when the syrup had turned to sugar, he had added just a bit of fresh cracked pepper to the maple sugar and had spread it on the bacon before putting the bacon in the oven to cook. He got out a large skilled and put a batch of scrambled eggs in it to cook, and then, when the bacon was done, he crumbled the bacon and started making a mammoth stack of pancakes and added the crumbled candied bacon to the pancakes.

While the pancakes were cooking, he let Finn out and fed him, brought in the papers, and poured himself a mug of coffee and started to work on a fresh fruit salad.

Aria sat on the bed and listened to him talk about his life before he had met Robert, " guess I'm in the early stage" she said smiling at him . When he mentioned the storage locker she nodded " we can go some time and go threw it , I'm sure there are things you would like for the cottage" she said then saw him yawn and smiled as she watched him lay down next to him and heard him talk, with a soft chuckle she heard him wish her good night and she moved to kiss his cheek gently " good night" she said as she fell asleep next to him.

Aria woke early and slipped from the bed smelling bacon cooking as she dressed and headed down the stairs " morning Angus " she said " that smells good" she said watching Finn eat then head back out again. " that the candied Bacon?" she asked watching him make the fresh fruit salad for breakfast.

"Morning," Angus said to Ruby. "Yes. It is. I crumbled it, and I'm putting it into the pancakes. People who have maple trees and make maple syrup have what they call maple sugar. They make candy out of it, and all sorts of things. I took some maple syrup and reduced it back down to make maple sugar. And when you spread a layer of it on bacon and roast it in the oven, the maple sugar caramelizes--gets darker and richer and creates a layer of crispy candy on the surface of the bacon that tastes a lot like a think crispy layer of treacle on it. Or at least I think it tastes like a crispy treacle, and I think the pancakes with the candied bacon are going to be delicious.  Coffee's on if you want some." He stirred the scrambled eggs briefly and went back to work on the fruit salad. 

Oh, before I forget," he asked, changing subjects, "can you and Aria take some time today and check with Simone about what she wants done before Evan and his family get here? They won't get here til probably 4 or 5 this afternoon. But I know Simone's routine. She will clean all the rooms and change the sheets, do the laundry, dust, vacuum, clean the bathrooms, and I know for certain she'll scrub the kitchen counters and make sure she's baked at least one large batch of cookies. She spent far too many years as an ambassador's wife to not want things perfect. Having things in good shape for Evan, even though Evan won't expect it, would mean a lot to her."

Ruby looked at Angus and nodded " oh thank goodness , caffeine" she said and chuckled poring a cup and listening to him talk " I can and I'll help her, with her hand being as it is I'm guessing she could use a second pair" she said smiling as she sipped her coffee. Ruby saw Aria walk down and smile at them both.

" hum smells good down here" she said poring the coffee for herself as she blew over it and sipped it. " did I hear you ask Ruby to chek in with Simone about what she was doing for Even and Tara?" she asked and saw Ruby nod.

"I said I'll help her with cleaning a room and making the beds ready for them" she said and Aria nodded.

"I'll watch the babies while you do that , or Angus and Marcus can?" she chuckled as she took another sip of her coffee.

"I was telling Ruby that I already know what she is going to want done," Angus said. "She always changes all the sheets on all the beds--all four bedrooms. She cleans the bathrooms, does the laundry, vacuums, dusts, and I know she always makes at least a double batch of some sort of cookies. She's not going to be able to do any of that. Oh, and would you check her pantry and fridge and get me a list of what groceries they're going to need so I can order groceries and get them here in good time today. I was telling Ruby that, as the wife of an ambassador, it will make her crazy for things to not be perfect by the time Evan and Tara and the girls arrive."

He set out the bowl of fruit salad and tended the eggs, kept frying pancakes and adding to huge stack of them that he'd been building now, and then he warmed up some maple syrup in a saucepan. When the eggs were cooked, he put them in a large serving bowl and put a warming spell on them and set them on the sideboard, along with the fruit salad. Then he put the warm maple syrup in a pitcher and put it on the sideboard, some fresh butter, and then, finally, his big stack of fluffy pancakes with candied bacon.

"I think it's ready. Tuck in, you two," Angus said, as Marcus came downstairs. "You're just in time for breakfast. Grab a plate and help yourself."

"It smells fantastic," Marcus said, putting three pancakes on his plate, adding butter and syrup and then a serving spoonful of scrambled eggs. Angus fixed his own plate and sat down at the table.

Aria listened to Angus and nodded " well if she needs help I could help a bit?"she said as he placed out the breakfast food she saw Marcus walk down and smiled to him. " it does doesn't it " she said as she took two pancakes and sprinkle the candied Bacon then pored some syrup over it then headed to the table to eat.

Ruby headed up and brought down the girls dressed and ready for their breakfast. Placing the babies in their high chairs she gave them a bowl of fruit salad to eat. " If I need help I'll call you over " she said " but I think it should be okay." she chuckled as she picked up some pancakes and pored syrup over them minus the candied bacon.

"I think Ruby might need the help with that long list of tasks, but that's her call," Angus smiled. "I'm going to get groceries ordered and set some cleaning spells in place here. And the dog stinks. He smells like...well, dog. Used dog. He actually needs groomed. I don't know if Kate or Jack know anybody that actually know how to bathe and properly groom a dog. For all I know, maybe one of the crew know how to do it, but if not, I'm going to have to try to hire someone somewhere, and I'd prefer they not be muggle if I can help it."

"Used dog?" Marcus laughed. "I know what you meant, but used dog just makes him sound taken advantage of." 

"Not unless he's got a better love life than I think he does," Angus said.

"So is there anything else on your schedule than I don't know of?" Marcus asked Angus.

"I'll have to go to the main house today in Tuscany. There are things that will have to be done that Edward won't know shit about.," Angus said.

"Okay. Whenever you want, I'll go with you."

"I probably will talk to Carlo to see if he wants to go with us. He could be a help to us," Angus said. The girls came upstairs ready to go to school, and at the same time, the boys came down ready for work.

"What's in the pancakes?" Sam asked.

"What do you think?" Angus asked. "Give it a try."  The kids piled pancakes and eggs and fruit on their plates and tucked into them. 

"Oh my god, these are insanely good," Victor said, his eyes lighting up. "Bacon...and candy?"

"Candied bacon," Angus said.

"Really? You can make candied bacon?" Sam asked.

"Well, you're eating it, aren't you?" Angus asked.

"I want pancakes like this for the rest of my life," Sam said, enjoying every little crumb. "Can we take some for lunch?"

"Certainly," Angus said. "There are plenty."

"Jack's going to be jealous. Between the bacon and the candy, he's going to want some."

"So pack some for him too. He'd appreciate it, I'm sure." He looked at Ruby and Aria. "You two will be alright if Marcus and I make a trip to Tuscany for an hour or two?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" Marcus asked. "They both know the business end of a wand. Jack is only a few footsteps away, and Edeward is right next door. Oh, and Sam, would one of you ask Jack if he knows a good dog groomer. I do agree with you dad that the dog needs bathed and groomed. Bathing is one thing but grooming does take some specialized training to do it properly."