A Birth day

Ruby listened to Marcus and swiftly sent the gargoyle into a wall shattering it but no sooner she had down that they all fell into little more than dust and she looked at Robert and Marcus. Hearing a noise she saw the passage way open and she quickly made her say to it and up stepping out into a room " Angus , you okay" she asked walking over to him then noticing the man on the bed " oh sorry" she moved to stand with Angus and whispered " who is he?" she asked as the others.

Aria followed last waiting to se if she could catch that ugly creature and give it a piece of her mind. Joseph was glad the gargoyles had stopped spawning in and he could grab a second wind. seeing the passage way open they had followed Robert up the stairs to a room that looked like a bed room. Joseph looked around and frowned. But he saw a book bound in red leather and he walked over to it finding it to be a journal of sorts. Walking over to Robert he held out the book " her journal " he said and handed it over to him.

"Your great grandfather Elwood," Angus said, fishing his wallet out of his pocket. "Elwood, this is your great granddaughter, Ruby." Angus opened his wallet and found a couple pictures. He had one of Sam and Victor and Jessie and Ruby together, and he had one of Caprice. He floated the pictures to Elwood. 

"Your great grandchildren. And your great, great granddaughter Caprice," Angus said.

"You're my granddaughter Ruby?" Elwood asked. "I thought she killed every one of you. She swore she got you all. Thank God she didn't win."

Robert took the journal from Joseph, shrank it, and put it in his pocket. Then he hurried to Angus, and he laid his hand on Angus' forehead. He pulled the blade out of Angus's shoulder and opened Angus's coat and shirt. 

"Damn," Robert said softly. "Poisoned blade." Robert got out a patchkit from his pocket that was bigger than the ones the first stringers carried. He got out some shrunken supplies and temporarily put a thick dressing on the wound. "That'll hold til I can see to it properly. If it bleeds through, let me know. I want it to seep for a bit anyway for the moment. Let me see to him."

"Come on. Let me help you off the floor, Mate," Marcus said. "Joseph, give me a hand. Let's get him up and get him to a chair."

"You can do nothing for me," Elwood told Robert. "I'm a dead man anyway." 

"I'll check that for myself," Robert said. He went over and sat on the bed and began to check Elwood.
"Well, you're not going to die tonight. That I can promise you."

Ruby looked at the man on the bed and smiled to him " I guess she didn't" she said then looked at Angus and saw the knife glanced at Robert as he came over. Joseph nodded and moved behind Angus helping him to stand while Robert removed the knife and patched him Jack picked up a chair but it fell to pieces now he picked up a second and carried it over so Joseph could sit him down. Now with Angus sat and Robert looking over the man on the bed Joseph stood back with Jack and Radagast.

Ruby smiled to the man as Angus showed him their photos " Her names Caprice" she said " we named hr after Angus grandmother." she said as she gently sat on the bed next to the man. " its nice to finally meet a family member whose not after Angus, great grandfather Elwood" she said it sounded some what weird but she was glad Robert said he would not die that night.

Robert went back over to Angus, leaving Ruby to visit with Elwood for a moment.

"We'll need to get him to St. Mungos as soon as possible," Robert told Angus. 

"Is he really terminal?"

"Well, his illness was terminal at one time," Robert told him."We've got treatments for it now, but right now, the only thing keeping him alive is the magical energies Pearl has undoubtedly been stealing to give him. Without those energies, he would surely die. Angus, I don't know if I can do much at all to help him but to keep him comfortable for what time he has left. i can try, but what she's done to him is some of the most unconscionable cruelty I've ever seen."

"He has a family, Robert," Angus said.

"You are not taking him home. Not tonight anyway. You have issues of your own. Give me a couple days with him at St. Mungos. He needs some top notch medical management, and he needs time to decide what he wants. If he chooses to not have much treatment, then he will have a few days perhaps, but that will be about all. When Pearl's treatment runs out, he will die."

"Understood. But they deserve a chance to get to know him. He needs to have a little time with them. I don't think he's a dark arts practitioner."

"He's not," Robert said. "I can tell you that much. He was a whitelighter. How he got mixed up with her, I may not ever know."

"Robert, we need to get the hell out of here," Michael said, hearing the castle groaning structurally. "Time to go, Boys and Girls."

"Elwood, is there anything here you want to save? This castle is going to fall," Angus said.

"Not one damned thing," Elwood said. "Save yourselves. Let me go with her."

"Not tonight. Your family wants time to get to know you," Robert said, picking up a blanket from the foot of the bed. "This will have to do. Jack, help me wrap him in the blanket and get him out of here to St. Mungos' please."

"My family," Elwood repeated, still trying to grasp that he had family. 

"Marcus, get him home. I'll check on him there as soon as I can. I'll try to reach Jess and see if she can't see to Elwood at St. Mungos immediately," Robert ordered. "The rest of you, get going. Get home. We'll see you there."

Ruby looked to Robert and then Angus " could we go to St Mungo's?" she asked him " he is our family, and you need to be tended to" she added as Aria walke dover to her and placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"you won't be able to do anything , let Robert deal with him and Angus, we can visit tomorrow" she told her and Ruby nodded as she gently placed her hand on Elwood's. Ruby then stood up and moved to Angus taking his hand for a moment before she moved to Jack. she looked to Joseph and Radagast as they ported to the duplex.

Ruby went to shower and smiled to Sam and Victor as she walked she paused " we found our great grandfather Elwood, he is for the moment alive." she said " there taking him to St mungo's for treatment" she informed them before she headed up to shower and change out of her mission wear that was dirty and dusty. Aria dove up and quickly showered returning she put the kettle on and made a fresh pot of coffee and tea for every one when they retuned and retrieved what was left of the chocolate bars from the fridge if they were hungry

"Go along with him if you like, Ru," Angus told Ruby, not wanting to keep her from perhaps the only whitelighter member of her family, other than her siblings, that still lived.

Robert scooped up the blade and pocketed it.

"Kate, go with Michael," Robert said. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I have to go to the farm to make an antidote."

"The vial," Angus pointed to the small vial on the nightstand.

"There's still a drop of two left in it, if it will help you," Elwood said.

"It will indeed. Thank you," Robert told Elwood. 

"It isn't as good as the authentic formula but it will do the deed," Elwood said. "If you delete the squill bulb and use some powdered eggshell from the Common Welsh Green, it will be far more effective."

Robert looked at him and cracked a bit of an amused smile.

"You are a potions maker," Robert said.

"I was," Elwood said. "Unfortunately, we could not get the dragon egg shell anymore, so we made do with ground squill bulb."

"That is very interesting indeed. Thank you," Robert said. "Time to go, though. Jack, take him to St. Mungos. I'm heading to the farm for a short bit."

"Time for us to go," Marcus told Angus. He took hold of Angus, and he ported them both home. Marcus took Angus's hat, coat and weapons belt from him and helped him to his chair. He took Angus's ruined shirt from him and chucked it into the waste bin. 

"I like that shirt," Angus said.

"Not to worry. I had Clive send you a dozen more. They're on the top shelf of your closet. I'll get one down and cast a spell on it to press it properly and then I'll hang it up in your closet so it'll be at the ready next time."

"We still need to find the rest of my family. I can't sit here til morning. I need to see if Elwood knows where Evan and Tara and the rest are. They weren't in the castle or we'd have found them. I'm hoping to hell Elwood knows where she would have taken them," Angus said. This affair isn't over."

Ruby smiled and gently kissed Angus as she moved to Elwood with Jack who now wrapped in a blanket Jack picked him up " shesh hes like , light as a feather" Jack commented then with Ruby he nodded to Robert porting both himself Elwood and Ruby to St Mungo's right where Jess was waiting with a gurney ready for Elwood .

"welcome to St Mungo's" Jess said with a warm smile as she touched his hand gently " okay ward four, room two, " she looked at him " only the best for our oldest guest" she said smiling as he was gently wheeled to the room and placed on a soft bed then hooked to a heart monitor before Jess did a cursory check of his system and frowned " hum, this is fixable but Robert will have to take a look first" she told him. Ruby stayed with Elwood moving to the side of the bed and sitting down next to him.

"We'll find them," Marcus said. "You were poisoned, though, so let's let Robert do what he needs to do first, and then if he says we can go find him, we will. If not, I'm sure Robert will help us come up with a plan. After all, isn't it Robert who says we leave no one behind?"

"I should have looked for outbuildings. Maybe there were some. I didn't even look. What if they're out in the elements and they're cold and hungry and..."

"Angus," Marcus said. "Take a breath. We are not giving up on Evan. We'll find them." He got an ice pack from the fridge and put it on Angus's shoulder to try to slow any circulation of any lingering toxins in his system. "I'll put the kettle on and then check and see if the boys and Anise are here."

It didn't take Marcus more than about two minutes, and he returned. "They're all in Sam and Victor's room. Anise is in Sam's bed, and Sam is asleep in the chair. Victor is in his own bed. Looks like Anise didn't want to be alone, so they all went upstairs to be together. I'm sure they were exhausted.

"Well, it is stupidly late after all," Angus sighed. "At least they're home."

"They are," Marcus said. "I'll go put on the tea."

"I should go get the babies," Angus said.

"Well, lets hope they're asleep next door. They're in safe hands. Let them sleep. We can get them in the morning." Edward came over.

"You alright?" Edward asked Angus.

"Fine," Angus said. "Thanks to Elwood."

"What about the kids? Are they here?"

"Safe and sound, upstairs in Sam's room," Marcus said. 

"Angus. I know you. You're going to want to nip right back out to go find Evan," Edward said. "Let Robert make sure the poison from that blade is neutralized before you go back out. We'll find them, even if you can't go back out. The rest of us certainly can go. Do either of you need anything?"

'Not a thing," Angus said.

"Then, I think I'm going to get just a little sleep before we go back out," Edward said.

"By all means," Angus said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Edward said, heading back to his own side. Marcus brewed a couple mugs of almond tea and they sat for a long time in the quiet just drinking their tea.

Radagast and Joseph watched the others head out leaving them in the castle , heading back down they double checked the dudgeon basement finding a side corridor , lighting his wand Joseph heard voices talking to each other while Radagast walked in front watching for traps , finding none he came to two more cells and smiled " Even I am guessing?" he said and Joseph unlocked the cell door while Radagast moved down to check the second cell he smiled " and Even's family" he added as with Even Joseph unlocked that door and made sure every one was okay other than a few cuts and scrapes.

Joseph took out his kit and tended to the scraped and cuts " we'll take you to the duplex, it kinda the only port key I have" he said and got them to all hold hands as he ported them to the living room " look who I found , okay we found" he said setting Even into a chair and accioing some water for the others. " few scrapes and cuts nothing serious, but I'll message jess to check them over" he said writing a note.

They flew to Angus and Marcus, and for a moment, there was nothing but a lot of hugs. Marcus went next door and called to Edward that Evan  and the others were found. Edward and Simone hurried downstairs and over to Angus's side of the duplex. Angus walked over to Radagast and Joseph. 

"Thank you," Angus told Radagast and Joseph. "Thanks for not leaving them behind. No hurry for Jess, though," he told Joseph. "Save your note. Elwood might need her far more tonight. Robert will be coming here anyway as soon as he finishes at the farm. His main potions lab is there. I think he needed some oddball ingredients, and I'm sure those would be kept there."

"I think everyone's alright," Evan told Joseph. "Right now, I think all we need is a shower, maybe a sandwich and some sleep. We're going to raid Angus's fridge and his shower, maybe his closets."

"I'll get you all set with clothes," Marcus said. 

Tara headed to the fridge to make some hasty sandwiches.

"You're entitled to a bit of a lie-in tomorrow, Joseph, if you want it," Angus said. "Maybe even the day off if you like. I'll send a note to Jack to tell him I gave it to you. Job well done. And, Radagast, I can't give you the day off, but perhaps the next time I make etoufee, you might like to join us."