A Birth day

"Don't worry about him and his sleep," Robert said, unconcerned. "He's used to going with very little sleep, and he's never going to rest while he thinks a kid is in danger. He's always been that way, and now that he's truly responsible for these kids, that's only got him more dug in and committed to it. It's an admirable trait, but I do have to periodically sit on him and set some limits on him. I don't think I need to check on Anise quite yet. Her injuries just need time and some rest now. If she's sleeping, that's the best thing for her.

"Thanks, Aria," Sam said. "I appreciate it. I didn't realize how hungry I was until now. It's probably best to keep him away from sharp things until he learns some things are hazardous, like flinging oneself out of trees. Actually, it'll be kind of nice to get back to work in a couple days. I didn't realize I'd missed it until I got so bloody bored. That, and I can only do so many days in a row with two babies screaming all the time. One is bad enough, but two? Yeah. I need to get back outside."

Ruby listened to Robert and relaxed again " okay" she said smiling as Robert spoke again of Anise and her sleeping . Ruby nodded " best thing is sleep to heal an injured body" she said and looked at Robert " but I am grateful for you and Jess both for looking after them, gods I do hope Caprice doesn't inherit that trait from him" she said with a chuckle.

Aria heard Sam and chuckled " yeah , I bet you are , well we're all back now so Ruby and I will take over the babies, but getting back to work , don't rush things still take it easy , remember those ribs are now weaker than they were" she said to him " but I know how you feel about being outside , all that fresh air and open space" she smiled " its why Marcus is thinking of an out door living room for us all , be nice siting out under the sun ."

"There are far worse traits for her to inherit," Robert laughed. "Besides, she's surely end up a Gryffindor if that would be the case, and she'd be in plenty of good company."

"An outdoor living room? Cool," Sam said. "I've seen some pictures of them in some of the muggle magazines. Some of them can be very posh looking. Although, realistically speaking, I don't see something super posh as something that would really fit in here.

"Sam, are you saying that we're not refined?" Robert teased.

"No," Sam said quickly. "Well, sorta...well,..." he stopped now, not sure exactly how to phrase it. That made Robert laugh.

"So, an outdoor living space? That's the idea? Not a bad thought. Have Angus get a sketch to me, and we'll talk about it," Robert said. "I'd better get back. Abbey's cast comes off this morning, and if I don't get to it pretty soon, she's gonna make her gran bananas. She's figured out that she can stick a ruler down inside her cast to scratch the itch. And, yes, she's tried it about six times. And she's broken off two plastic rulers inside the cast already. So, the sooner the cast comes off, the better. I'll see you lot later."

Ruby listened to Robert and laughed " oh so true" she said " but I do like the idea or Caprice being a Gryffindor" she still smiled as he spoke to Sam about the out door living area .

"I'll tell him when he gets up , will give him something to focus on" Aria said and smiled " I think it would be great for every one and no its won't be over the top but something that matches in with the cabin look, rustic I think." she said as she then nodded to Robert " oh my goodness I think she got that idea from me, I motioned to Jess about sticking rulers down my cast when I was younger." Aria admitted with a smirk.

"No, no. That was her father's doing, I'm afraid," Robert said. "She overheard Brian saying to Kate that at least she hadn't started sticking rulers down her cast to scratch with. And from that moment on, it was game on. See you later." He left to go back to the main house.

Angus slept just a little over two hours and then he was up again. He came downstairs and saw it was now half past eleven. Victor would be home for lunch in about thirty minutes. As he came downstairs, he began to smell something cooking, a familiar smell that he hadn't smelled in decades.

"I know what that is," he said. "I'll be right back." He went over to Edward's side, and he saw Edward standing at the stove, stirring a large stock pot. "I haven't seen you cook in the last decade."

"Not this, you haven't. You're right," Edward said. "Authentic pasta fagioli. It's hearty, its vegetarian, so the Fae are welcome to it too. And there's enough to feed a rather sizeable platoon. We still have a large package of cold cuts and cheese slices from France, if you or the women feel like perhaps using them to make a stack of sandwiches."

"I think I can manage sandwiches, but they might enjoy getting creative with them. I'll mention it," Angus said. He went back to his own side to talk to Ruby and Aria. "Edward's actually cooking. He's making a huge big pot full of pasta fagioli soup. It's sort of an Italian vegetable soup with beans and pasta and some other vegetables. He makes a great pasta fagioli. He says he still has that big package of cold cuts and cheese from France, and he suggested we use it for some sort of sandwiches with the soup. What do you both think? I thought perhaps you'd like to do that and get a little creative somehow."

Ruby chuckled and nodded to Robert " all right see you " she said and then sat down to read while the babies played in the play pen they had set up in the living room , Aria had then gone and fetched them happy to have them again. Now they smelt something delishious from the other side of the duplex and looked at each other. It was now they heard Angus and chuckled as he went over then returned to let them know what it was that was giving off the fantastic smell. " okay we could toasts some cheese and ham sandwiches and lay them out so others can help them selves " Aria suggested Ruby looked at Angus and shrugged,

"what do you think?" she asked having a feeling it would be okay the string of the cheese and the crunch of the toasted bread with the soup. Aria moved to Edwards and over to the large pot , gently lifting the lid she took a long breath in " can't wait" she said softly but placed it back down as she saw Edward watching her " just having a peek" she said chuckling " came for the cold cuts and cheese were making toasted sandwiches to go with your delicious fagioli soup.

"Last week, Evan sent me a big box of different pasta shapes from a pasta maker not far from our village," Edward told her, "and there were some nice big boxes of ditalini pasta in the shipment. That reminded me of the pasta fagioli I used to make for Caprice and Angus when Angus was a boy. Of course, it's a soup that's best in summer or at harvest when the vegetables are at their best, but a little extra nutrition in this house wouldn't hurt, especially with all the people on the injured list here. By all means, take the cold cuts and the cheese. We should use them up while they're fresh."

As he was speaking, Simone came inside, and she had a large freezer container with her.

"What have you got?" Edward asked.

"Oh, Mickey sent it over," she said. "Of course, everyone over there knows about Angus's fall from the tree and the whole business with Anise, so he's made a big container of ice cream, and it sounds decadent. It's an almond amaretto ice cream, and it has a big thick ripple of homemade salted caramel running all through it."

"Oh, God, I'm gonna weigh 50 stone," Edward teased.

"Dear, I love you as you are, but if you can't control yourself around the ice cream, I'm going to hex your running shoes to just keep you out there on the track running," she teased. He laughed.

Aria listened to Edward and smiled taking a deep breath in " it smells divine" she said as she turned to see Simone walk in with a a large freezer container and explain what was inside . Her mouth dropped and she moved to take the container from Simone " oh almond amaretto ice cream is the best so smooth but delectably flavoured too, I had it once " she said and sighed as she opened the box she helped put it in there freezer as she heard Simone and Edward she could not help but laugh" I think that would be me too" she said placing the last container into the freezer " there all away." she said and she gathered the cold cuts and Cheese.

Ruby stuck her head around the door as she had been waiting for Aria hearing laughter she spoke " everything okay , ready to make those sandwiches?" she said looking from Edward to Aria and back. Aria held up the cold cuts and cheese and Ruby smiled " great , come one every ones hungry , that smell is making my tummy rumble" she admitted.

Marcus came downstairs, as rested as he was going to be for now. He smelled the soup too, and it was making him hungry. Angus was sitting and sketching an idea for an outdoor living space. He chose heavy cedar timbers and river rock for the supports and the frame. He made sure it was covered with a sturdy shingled roof. At one end he put an outdoor kitchen that would hold up under any kind of weather. It had stone countertops, commercial grade drawers and cabinet space, a commercial grade grill, and an outdoor fridge that would fit conveniently under the counter space. He made sure there was enough counter space to put a sideboard on the countertops. He added a long communal table for comfortable, family style dining.

At the other end, he added a huge river rock fireplace with comfortable seating. And then, in between the dining and living area, he added a couple of game tables for playing scrabble or cards or other things. He added a large patio outside it and added in a huge firepit area with seating for bonfires, marshmallow roasting, and, of course, star gazing.

That made him change his design of the pergola. He changed the shingled roof to have a glass ceiling in the center for more star gazing. He added ceiling fans throughout to stir the air in hot weather. It would be large, and it would be beautiful, but it would also be a space for everyone to be able to gather together and bond like he felt family should be able to do.

"What are you sketching?" Marcus came over.

"Hold on. One minute. I'm almost done," Angus said. He finished and handed it to Marcus.

"This is a rough sketch?" Marcus frowned. "It looks pretty darned finished to me. This is perfect. I can't think of one thing I'd add. I love the use of all the logs and stone and glass. I think it'll be stunning. Wait til everyone else sees it."

Aria and Ruby worked on making the toasted sandwiches for the soup and once they were almost done Ruby glanced over at Angus working on the out door seating area. As Marcus walked over top look at the sketch she wiped her hands and walked behind him " that's a mazing and look comfortable too" she said smiling. " A nice place to recover " she said smiling at him.

Aria ai now done with the sandwiches walked over to look at it too " wow , your a good artist." she said looking at the sketch he had done. " oh very nice " she said as she looked at it in Marcus's hand as he held it " wonder how long to put it down?" she asked " though we could get the same workers who laid the pad for the cottage to do the floor for this" she added.