A Birth day

"No offense, but if I actually do get a chance for two or three days without security, you two can find your weekend destination," Angus said. "A private weekend for two does not automatically mean a party of four. As good as it all sounds, though, I really think we should scratch the holiday for now, Robert," Angus said. "I have entirely too many irons in the fire here for the moment. Maybe we can do it closer to January when we have snow up to the roof. I wouldn't mind getting out of snow for a little."

He heard a bit of an explosion outside, and he got up and went to the patio doors and he saw one of the Fae stump houses was going up in a fireball. He opened the doors and hurried outside to the stump, seeing the Fae all rushing to try to put out the fire before all the other stumps caught fire.

"Let me help," Angus called to the Fae. He fired a wandless Aguamenti, enough to count as a hard rain but not enough to harm the Fae themselves. Marcus was right behind Angus and he used a similar spell, as a lighter rain to wet down the other stumps and Mino's tree palace.

Aria chuckled and nodded " fair enough" she said smiling to Angus and Marcus Ruby smiled too and nodded as he spoke about putting a hold on it till there was snow on the roofs.

" sounds perfect" Ruby said but then hearing the explosion she stood up and followed Angus and Marcus outside to the Fae garden " what happened?" she asked softly as she watched Marcus and Angus put out the fire " oh looks like those homes are ruined" she added kneeling down close to them once they were out.

Jack had heard the explosions had ran over to the duplex " okay, who's playing with fire?" he asked and glanced down at the Fae homes. " well that's not good" he said as Jess walked over behind him.

" I heard the noise" she said kneeling down to help an injured Fae heal.

When the fire was out, Angus waited until Minos had a moment to talk with him. Minos spoke with him a moment, explaining what happened.

"Their alchemist was working on something new, and it seems it was a great deal more volatile than he expected it to be. Minos says they haven't found him yet. The alchemist is missing." Angus got down on his knees on the garden path to help them look.

"Watch all the broken glass, Mate," Marcus told him. Robert came out to join them and he joined the search. Angus kept searching, and then he saw a shoe, but it was clear over by the center fountain. He looked and found the wounded alchemist, but the little fairy wasn't moving, and his wings were shredded. He was covered in blood. Angus didn't believe there was any chance he was still alive.

"Oh, god," Angus said softly, feeling enormous heartbreak for the tiny scientist. "Robert--please?"

"Where is he?" Robert asked.

"In this thick clump of asters," Angus said. "I can't tell if he's alive. He has no glow left at all." He glanced up towards Minos who was suddenly there, holding back the others. Marcus got out his handkerchief and he transfigured it into a tiny litter to put the fairy on temporarily. He handed it to Robert, and Robert looked at the fairy and touched his teeny forehead.

"He's alive," Robert said, "but he's critical. Angus, can you trim back some of these asters out of my way?"

"Sure," Angus said, deciding instead to pick them by hand, as quickly and as close to the ground as he could., while Robert worked on trying to levitate the fairy and put him on the litter. Minos fluttered over to Robert and offered to help.

"Can one of you hurry over to the farm, down to the storage room and get one of the hospital beds and shrink it and bring it back, please?" Robert asked. "Waste no time. I might very well send someone next door to the sickbay to get some medical equipment for me, but I don't know what I need quite yet."

Jack looked at Angus as he explained then went looking for the alchemist. Finding him Jack saw Robert walk over, hearing him ask for a hospital bed shrunk Jack ported to the barn and returned quickly setting down the small hospital bed next to the injured Fae " here you go" he said.

Jess ported to the sick bay and shrank what she could returning with supplies, she placed a bag next to Robert and resized it. " I put in a bit of everything and potions too." she said knowing he wasn't sure what he would need. Ruby watched from where she sat hoping Robert could help the alchemist.

"Thank you. Might I use your kitchen table for a bit?" he asked Angus and Ruby.

"Absolutely," Angus said. Robert put the fairy in the little bed, and he carried it to the house. The Fae hurried to snatch up the medical equipment that Jess had brought to fly it into the house, and more brought some of their own herbal potions, bandages and equipment, all rallying to help somehow. Some of the Fae men were working to try to clean up the garden.

"Ru," Angus said quietly as the Fae were all in high gear to try to do something useful, "we need to cook supper for them tonight. They've all been traumatized by this. I think we should go all vegetarian for them. If you check my book, back in the vegetarian section, there's a mushroom bourguinon. It isn't as hard as it sounds. You could put it over pasta. They love pasta, and they adore mushrooms. That would be pure comfort food to them. Add a salad, and a comforting dessert--something warm, maybe a warm bread pudding or something, and they'll appreciate it to no end."

He tried to get up off his knees but he couldn't do it. His energies had run completely out.

"Let me help," Marcus said, knowing that with Angus's injuries to his arm, his shoulder and his ribs, helping him up was tricky business. "You probably shouldn't do floors and the ground for a little, you know," Marcus told him, helping him up very carefully. "Come on. Back inside with you. You're going to have to let me do the work because all that crawling around in the garden took all you had."

Ruby paused as Angus spoke softly to her and she nodded " I'll get right on it" she said as she headed to the kitchen to start the mushroom bourguignon, she began to make it cutting up the shallots and mushrooms just as the recipe called for it along with the other ingredients.

Aria saw Robert take the injured Fae inside to the table. moving with Ruby she found the fae sized plates and bowls placing them on the fae sized tables they still had she set out a small jug with juice in it for them too while Ruby continued to make the Mushroom bourguignon and some bread pudding. Now Aria gathered things for the salad and began making it before she shrunk it down to Fae size and placed it on the table too.

Victor came home, bringing Sam with him. Marcus was helping Angus back to bed, and Angus was realizing he was drained.

"Sit, and I'll get the tweezers," Marcus said, sitting Angus on the bed.

"What for?" Angus asked.

"The knees on your trousers are blown out from crawling around in wood splinters, metal shrapnel and broken glass. And you decided to bring some of those souvenirs inside--in your knees. Did just exactly what I told you not to do. Idjit."

"Do what you can, Marcus, and I'll tend to it and close up those little places as soon as I can," Robert said, working intently on the little fairy. "Jess, I could use your help if you're free. I realize he's tiny, but I only have two hands, and he has multiple wounds."

Victor and Sam walked over to the foot of Angus's bed, and Victor handed Marcus a small steel basin with some tweezers and other small implements in.

"Thank you," Marcus said.

"Um...Dad? Can I come home?" Sam asked.

"You've always been welcome, so long as you follow the same expectations you've always had," Angus said, starting to realize he was more tired than he thought. Sam nodded. "Can I stay for supper?"

"If you want," Angus said.

"Ok." Sam went to the door, opened it, stepped out for a moment, and came back in with his bag that he had had at Jack's. He took it upstairs very quietly.

Jess heard Robert and smiled " I am free" she said walking over to assist him, she stabilized the Fae and gave him some of her energies , just a tiny amount since he was so small. Ruby looked up and smiled to Sam as she saw him enter and talk to Angus. Hearing Angus say he could stay for supper she smiled as she watched Sam take his things back to his room.

Jess looked at Sam and smiled nodding as he passed her and up to his room. She refocused back to the fae and felt his energies flow to the injuries he had and she started them healing as Robert worked on him. " minor injuries are healing." she informed him.

"Thanks, Jess. Minos gave me a bunch of hand signals and he left. Not sure what he went to do because sometimes I don't speak Minos," Robert said. They started to repeat the signs, and Angus called them over.

"Come tell me," Angus said. They fluttered over and began signing to him. "Oh! Minos says there are things that have helped injured fae for thousands of years, and he's gone to make a few of them that he thinks really will help. They say to not worry about trying to restore the wings because they're too damaged. When they're this damaged, the wings will fall off and regenerate.."

"Thank you," Robert said. "That is very helpful indeed. Jess has his vital signs stabilizing, and she's healed a lot of the minor wounds. The biggest wounds are chest wounds," Robert said. "And that tells me he was at his workbench when things went awry. The blast came right at him. We have to be very careful how we go about this because of his tiny size. If our magic is too strong, we will damage him."

Marcus began digging wood and metal and glass out of Angus's knee, and Angus accidently fell asleep.

"How often is he honestly resting like that, Marcus?" Robert asked quietly.

"This is the first today," Marcus replied. Robert instantly stopped what he was doing and glared at Marcus.

"I'm gonna kill him," Robert said angrily. "Seems he and I need to talk."

Ruby finished her cooking and set everything to just simmer for a while as she headed out to the living room. As Jess heard Robert she nodded she understood then chuckled when Robert said he was going to talk to Angus.

"oh we all know those talks" she said to Ruby who nodded back to Jess as she moved back to the kitchen to check the food. finding it done she placed some into a taurine and shrunk it down to Fae size.

"okay Angus," she paused seeing he was now sleeping and looked to Marcus "can you let the Fae know the foods ready for them." she asked setting down the fae sized taurine on the fae sized table along with some bread she had shrunk to go with it. " the desert will be ready soon, and yes I kept some for us too" she said smiling a she motioned to a human sized taurine on the side board with a plater of bread.