A Birth day

"Can you two keep an eye for five minutes while I shower?" Marcus asked. "I'll start the security check after I shower."

"And if you would help me back upstairs when you go, I'd appreciate it," Elwood said.

"Absolutely," Marcus said. He took Elwood upstairs and helped him to bed, took a shower, and started the security check by checking all the rooms upstairs. He came back down, and he saw Angus had slipped back off to sleep again, finally soothed by the potions. Marcus finished the security check, giving Aria a chance to unwind.

"Is your attorney coming in the morning, Ruby?" Marcus asked. "If so, we'll need to be up early enough to have the usual morning confusion out of the way before he comes."

Ruby smiled to Marcus and nodded " of course" she said sitting close to Angus as he slept. Hearing Elwood ask if Marcus could take him back upstairs she smiled to him" night Elwood" she said as Aria waved night to him. Ruby sat and watched over Angus until Marcus returned. She stood up and moved to the couch.

"yes he is" she said " and yeah we should be alright though" she added with a smile. Aria stood up and walked to Ruby .

"go get an early night, Marcus and I have it " she said Ruby looked to Marcus and spoke softly " call me if anything happens" she said and stood up yawning as she moved to Angus she gently kissed him " night love" she said softly then moved to the stairs and up to their room.

Aria sat down next to Marcus " hes done really well today" she said softly so not to disturb Angus. " I'll check the upstairs while you do down " she said sipping her coffee.

"He has," Marcus nodded. "He's not trying to make sense of anything yet because he just hasn't been awake long enough to do it, but I expect that to come soon now. As for security checks, I already checked this side completely. I checked the upstairs over here when I took Elwood up and then showered. But I haven't been to Edward's side yet. I know that isn't how we normally work, but since you're sleeping over there anyway tonight, do you mind checking Edward's side--both downstairs and upstairs when you head over to bed, please?"

He took the rest of the dirty glasses and dishes out to the sink. Then he filled a water carafe with water and brought it in and put it on the med cart.

"I expect he's going to sleep til morning. If he isn't interrupted by nightmares, he usually sleeps through," Marcus said. "I'm sure the kids are going to be up early. The girls need to be going back to Evan's, and Victor is definitely going to be needed to work. Looked like the tree limb that came through here wasn't the only storm damage. The crew is going to be scrambling when daylight gets here. That means, though, that someone's going to be back to making breakfast at 5 am. If Angus is up early, I'm going to try to help him wash up and get into clean clothes before everyone else gets up. If I wait til everyone else is up, he won't have one single ounce of privacy. I might go downstairs before I go to sleep and find the dressing screen we used up here before to give him some privacy. I am quite sure that he will feel worlds better if we get the catacombs completely washed off him, and he's just got entirely too many broken bones to try to get him into a shower. Robert would have a conniption." Yawning, Marcus picked up one of Angus's unused blankets, sat down on the sofa and propped up his feet on a footstool, and draped the blanket over himself. "This is it--my post for the night."

Aria listened to Marcus and smiled as he said Angus had done really well in his eating. " all right and I will" she said watching as Marcus brought some water for Angus placing it by his bed. Aria cast a cooling spell on it to keep the water cool and chilled but not frozen for Angus.
She saw Marcus take the last of the cups to the kitchen then return picking up a pillow and blanket from a pile close to Angus.

Hearing him say that was him she chuckled and walked over to him gently kissing him " sleep well, I'l do the check and hit the hay now2 she said turning off most of the lights but leaving a soft glow from a lamp close to Angus before she headed to the guest room on Edwards side doing her checks as she headed up finding it still locked up tight. After a shower she changed into her PJ's and climbed into bed to fall asleep.

Angus woke early, really early, well before daylight because he was hearing the birds start to sing. The clock said it was 4:17 am. Everything hurt. Whatever pain spells or pain potions he had had were not in his system anymore. And as he tried to figure out what had happened, it still didn't make sense. He remembered a few bits and pieces that either Robert or Marcus had tried to tell him but his memories were dramatically different. They did not align with what Robert and Marcus had said at all. Angus could not begin to resolve the fact that he remembered killing a dozen people, and he was being told he hadn't killed anyone. And yet, here he was. He was still at home.

Angus got up, managed his slippers without waking Marcus, and got his cigarettes and a muggle lighter. He couldn't find his wand, and if he had been killing people, maybe he wasn't safe with it anyway. He opened the deck door and went outside silently onto the deck, Finn tagging along outside with him. It was cold outside. Damned cold. He shivered. He tried to light a cigarette, and he found it to be really tough going trying to hold either the cigarette or the lighter with his broken arm. He was going to have to try to light it without inhaling until it was lit. What a pain in the arse. He finally resolved to use his right hand for both and to chalk up the left hand as being totally useless. The stupid dog started to bark at a couple of squirrels that were racing each other up and down one of the trees, and that annoyed Angus. So much for a few quiet minutes to start his morning.

And that woke Marcus. What was that damned dog barking at, anyway? He glanced over at Angus's bed and saw it empty and he bolted up off the sofa. He started looking around, fearing the worst, and then smelled a cigarette through the broken window. He turned and saw Angus walking around outside wearing only his pajama trousers. Marcus picked up Angus's heavy flannel lined robe and took it outside to him.

"Here," Marcus said quietly. "It's too damned cold for you to be out here mostly naked." He helped him put the robe on. "How are you up out of bed, anyway?"

"Should I not be?"

"You shouldn't be capable of it yet," Marcus told him.

"Oh. I needed a cigarette."

Aria woke hearing faint voices from the other side of the duplex, slipping from bed she dressed and walked over to Angus side of the duplex " morning , I'll get the coffee on the go" she said knowing Marcus would want to stay with Angus outside.

Now in the kitchen she made fresh pots of coffee and tea sending one of each outside to Marcus and Angus as she started making breakfast. Aria used the veg that was left over from last nights supper and made a Baked Vegetable Frittata along with some Savoury Cheese Muffins and finally a Chicken and Spinach Strata (Bread Bake). As each was cooking she set the side board ready for the others when they woke.

"Thanks," Marcus said. "It's cigarette time, that's all." He brushed the leaves and sticks from the storm off the table on the deck, and when Aria sent out coffee and tea, Marcus put the mugs there. "Coffee's here, Mate."

"Thank you," Angus said, feeling he really did need to sit. He wasn't able to stand nearly as long as he thought he would be able to."

"Come on. You need to admit you really aren't ready yet for walking around out here in the cold and the dark," Marcus told him. He had to help him back inside because Angus was losing strength quickly. He helped him back to his bed and didn't bother with taking off the robe or slippers. Then he went out and got the mugs and brought them back inside and put Angus's coffee close to him. "What are you thinking so hard about?" Marcus asked him.

"I'm not sure why Robert--if that really is Robert--is lying to me."

"What about?"

"I know what I remember. I killed a dozen people. And he was one of them. Who is he really, and why am I still here?"

"Did you kill me?"

"No. Not yet."

"Okay, so do you trust that I am still me?"

"I don't have a reason not to."

"Fair enough. So let me see if I can explain it. Settle in because this is going to take a bit," Marcus said, sitting down with him to try to explain it all to him.

Aria moved about the kitchen prepping breakfast for every one while she could hear Marcus explaining to Angus what had happened. Soon she grabbed a mug of coffee and moved to sit down. " breakfast is ready all we need is every one else" she said smiling as she walked over and sat on the couch.

Ruby woke and slipped from the bed she showered and brushed her hair then headed down to the living room stopping in to check the babies and finding them still sleeping peacefully. She took this time to grab a coffee and drink it in the quiet . " Morning Marcus, Angus and Aria" she said as she came down the stairs smiling at seeing Angus awake if looking tired and smelling a little bit of cigarette smoke.

"The kids will be here soon," Marcus told her. "They've all got a busy day." When Ruby came downstairs and told everyone good morning, Angus and Marcus told her good morning, and Marcus went right back to trying to lay out the facts.

"You do know that doesn't make any damned sense," Angus sighed.

"Yeah, if I were you, I wouldn't believe me either," Marcus smiled. "Sounds nuts, doesn't it? Well, she's certainly a nut job alright. Lucian is going to be sending us a copy of the auror report, so maybe that will help."

"Why?" Angus asked.

"Well, because you deserve to be able to see the truth in black and white, for starters, but also so your attorney gets a copy."

"Wait. What? How is he involved in this? I didn't kill him."

"No, you didn't. He didn't even come up until this was overwith. That would be Ruby's and Edward's doing. They're seeking justice in this, and I think they're entirely wise to do it."

"So, they did that without me?"

"Mate, let's face facts for a moment. You were victimized. You haven't had a chance to wrap your head around it. They have every right to not let this die and to pursue justice."

"Oh," Angus said, falling silent.

"So--what does that mean?"

"What does what mean?" Angus asked. "They're adults. They can do what they want, I suppose. I would have hoped she'd have figured out who Edward is first, though."

"Oh. You killed him, did you?"

"Well, yeah. Of course."

"Angus, Edward is still Edward. She's fine. If I thought he wasn't Edward, I'd have protected her. You have to know I would. But he really is still Edward," Marcus said. Angus got out another cigarette and fumbled around a moment, trying to figure out how to light it. "Here. Let me--before you set yourself on fire," Marcus grinned, not wanting to laugh. He lit the cigarette for Angus and handed it to him.

Aria looked up as Marcus continued to talk to Angus about what had happened. She looked at Marcus as Angus said Edward was not Edward since he killed him. Aria sighed and looked to Marcus hoping he would get it soon that they were not dead. "Think he still thinks that Jess and I are that witch?" she asked as she sipped her coffee. It was now a knock came at the door and Jack stood with a rather smart dressed man.

Ruby walked over to the door " its okay its the lawyer" she said and smiled "Thanks for bringing him Jack " she said as she opened the door and stepped to one side so he could enter as Jack staid out side then went off to work. Ruby showed him to Edwards side knowing Edwards would be up and awake now " Edward the lawyers here" she said as she opened the door to their side.