A Birth day

"Well, with a little luck, James won't be back--ever. So, it looks like Jess is getting the wound itself healing really well. It's looking good," Andrew said. He took a gentle look at it. "I think, unless Jess differs, you could start some really gentle rehab on it, like some beginning things. I think we could do some alternating heat and ice and some easy movement. I think you could be ready for that if you don't overdo it. I won't start anything without Jess's approval, so I'll send Jess a message and see what she says about whether she thinks you should start some rehab on it.  I think, though, it could help decrease the pain and increase your movement in it. I don't think you want to leave it immobilized very long if there are no fractures in it because that will only make it entirely too hard to get back to doing the things you're used to doing."  He scribbled a note and sent it over to the main house, knowing that it was certainly possible that she wouldn't get it for a few more hours if she was working.

"This one over here," Andrew told Jess, gesturing towards Angus, "blew the hell out of his again. I mean, this is the second major surgery he's had in the last year or two. A six hour surgical repair? That's pretty drastic, even by wizardry standards."

"It was not my understand that he was going to do that when I agreed to it," Angus said.

"That's true, so far as it goes," Marcus said, "but you should know that Robert is only going to do things right or not at all. So if it's buggared, he's going to fix it properly."

"True. I wasn't thinking of that at the time yesterday."

"Actually, truth be told, what Robert said in Lee's office was 'Angus, your shoulder is screwed, and if you don't let me fix it, you're going to bleed out right here.'" Marcus recalled.

"So I did not interpret any part of that to mean that we were going to spend the rest of the day repairing it," Angus said.

"Sounds like you should be forgiven for that," Andrew laughed as the babies started yanking on a toy again and screeching at each other with babbling sounds that sounded to Angus like it had to be some version of baby cussing. Then they started swatting each other and hurling any toy at each other that they could reach.

"Hm. Bar room brawl in the diaper twins again," Marcus sighed.

"Let 'em have at it. Eventually, they'll hurl all the toys out of there and then they'll quit," Angus said. Marcus went over to the pen and scooped up Diamond. 

"What are you doing, you little demon?" Marcus sighed. "Here. Hold your sister." He plopped Diamond on Jessie's lap, and Marcus flicked his fingers to levitate all the toys out of the pen and up into the air near the ceiling. 

"They really hate it when you do that," Angus laughed, as both babies screamed as if there were a serial killer in the house.

Jessie heard Andrew and breathed out " that's great, quicker this heals the quicker I can get back to work" he said as he let Andrew redress the wound and he sat with his arm out of the sling for a while. It was now he head the babies screeching and fight he could not help at Marcus calling it a bar room brawl in diaper twins. "that's a good one" he said chuckling but stopped when Marcus placed Dimond on his knee " oh hey sis." he said and chuckled as she pulled a face at him " hey be nice to your older brother I'm the one who will spoil you when your older" he said and she giggled.

Glancing over he chuckled again as Dimond watched his gaze and pouted at the toys being out of her reach. " that's what happens when you fight, things become further out of your reach." he said then heard Andre talk about Angus shoulder " wow not good, glad Robert was able to repair the damage as extensive as it was mate" he said as he lightly bounced Dimond on his knee making her giggle as he did.

"Well, to hear Nigel tell it, he all but called Robert overly finicky for taking that long to do the repair. he said any other surgeon would have been in and out in no time," Angus said.

"I'm surprised you remember that," Marcus laughed.

"Yes, and I honestly think that sometimes Robert's perfectionistic traits sometimes make Nigel nuts," Angus said.

"Oh, I know so. I've heard them 'discussing' it on more than one occasion," Marcus said.

"You mean having a row about it," Angus said.

"Yup," Marcus laughed.

"Who usually wins?"

"It's almost always a stalemate," Marcus replied, as they heard Caprice really amping up the screaming and tantruming because she wasn't getting toys or attention either one. Angus got up and levitated her out of the playpen. "Wait. Where you going with her?"

"Up to her room. Don't want to see her, don't want to hear her when she does that spoiled child thing," Angus said. "And she needs to see I'll do it myself."

"Okay, but you can't do it by yourself. Let me help." Marcus helped him take her upstairs and deposit her in her crib. Then Angus left the room and closed the door, and Marcus apparated him back downstairs. 

"When she quits, she can come back," Angus said.

"If she ever quits, I'll go get her," Marcus laughed.

Jessie chuckled when Angus called Robert a perfectionist " that's a good thing in this case" he said and kept bouncing Dimond he heard Caprice start and saw Angus levitate hr up into the air to take her up to her room, but Marcus plucked her from the air and took her away " please don't be a screamer, stay quiet and you stay here " he said to Dimond who had sat and watched Marcus take Caprice up to her room.

Jessie kept bouncing Dimond then stopped as she stayed quietly sat now on his knee watching them. " do they always make that much noise when screaming?" he asked his good arm around Dimond. It was now Ruby and Aria walked in from the run Ruby saw one babies was missing and so was Marcus so had a feeling what had happened..

"another fight?" she asked as she walked over to Angus " do you know what it was over this time?" she asked then glanced up seeing the toys up by the ceiling " okay don't have to ask again" she chuckled

Angus was glancing around, and now he saw that one of the babies had launched a stuffed turtle clear out through the deck doors onto the deck. There were some blocks under the desk, a rattle under the kitchen table, and then he saw more freaking cake in the playpen.

"Oh for the love of Merlin. Would you believe there's still more cake in the playpen from last night?" Angus asked. "I think we really need to take that whole playpen outside and hose it down with the garden hose. I think the odds are probably pretty good that we'll find cake underneath the playpen and under the desk..."

"Nope. Finn found the cake under the desk. He was hoovering up what cake he could find during the night," Marcus said.

"It helps to have a living vacuum," Angus said. He listened and heard no more shouting upstairs, and the shouting had now given way to tears. "I'm the one who took her there, and she has to see me as the one who goes and gets her so she doesn't think I'm just randomly mean."

"Why didn't I see that coming?" Marcus frowned. "You wouldnt want to make an exception this once and let one of us go get her?"

"If I do that, I teach her nothing," Angus said. 

"Oh, fine. Come on," Marcus sighed. He apparated Angus upstairs, and Angus went in and picked up Caprice from her crib. She seemed to just be sad now, and with one hand, Angus was barely able to hold onto her, let alone comfort her. Marcus took them back downstairs, and he handed Caprice to Ruby so he could return Angus to his chair. 


"Did you notice it didn't take them nearly as long to calm down this time as it did the last time?" Marcus asked. "Maybe they're learning."

"That would be nice," Angus laughed. 'I figured it would be a win if they learned it before we had to take them to Kings Cross Station the first time."

"Oh, now they're smarter than that," Andrew laughed. "How many times have you done that time out thing?"

"Oh, two or three maybe," Angus said.

"So, if they're starting to get it, as little as they are, I say they're pretty smart," Andrew replied. "How was your run, Ladies?"

Ruby saw Marcus take Angus up to fetch Caprice then return she quickly took Caprice from Marcus while he sat Angus down in his chair. Jessie picked up Dimond and handed her to Aria .

"I'll clean out the play pen , least I can do" he said picking it up and carrying it one handed out to where the spigot was with the hose, turning on the water he used it to clean away the cake and any other ground in cake and food from the play pen , once done he dried it and returned it to the duplex and placed it back where he had taken it from but not before cleaning up under neath it. " there you go, de caked and de junked" he said with a chuckle as he placed it back beside the couch.

Aria and Ruby placed both babies into the pen and stepped back " oh it was a short one but we did about half a lap of the running track" Ruby said " it looked like it was going to rain heavily." she added as Andrew asked how their run was.

"Thank you, Jessie," Angus said. "I appreciate that. It was great cake, but I don't think they need to tuck away little globs for later. I'm sure we have some leftovers that are probably in better shape than the stuff you found in there."

"Rain?" Marcus said. "Well, let's hope it isn't raining in Scotland today because the girls would be very disappointed if that spring dance was rained out in Hogsmeade tonight. Oh, look at the time. I'll be back." He stood, drew his portkey and ported out to Evan's.

"Beware. The chaos is about to begin," Angus told Jessie. "The girls are going to be spending the next two of three hours primping and getting ready. Hell hath no fury like a teen girl whose having a bad hair day on the night of a formal dance. I hope Marcus realizes how hysterical those two can get if they think their outfit isn't going to work out. And I hope to heck that Dean Whats-His-Name actually shows up to come and get her tonight or I might have to mash him."

"Wait. You're the dad. You're not supposed to approve of your daughters' dates."

"Well, I probably won't, but neither do I want him to ghost her. If he ghosts her, I'll have to hurt him," Angus said.

"Who is this Dean guy?" Andrew asked.

"Dean Whitlow, I think. Seeker for Gryffindor this year," Angus said

"Oh, he's been all over the papers because the Falmouth Falcons wanted to sign him this year, and Hogwarts said absolutely not," Andrew said. "They'll have to wait til he graduates properly."

"That's him," Angus said.

"How'd he find out about Anise if they go to different schools?" 

"No idea," Angus said. "I am not privy to that information, apparently. I would like to know, though."

A moment later, Marcus ported in with the girls, and the girls raced downstairs to start preparing for the dance.

"Let the mayhem begin," Angus laughed.

"I have enough Orange Julius's left for one more round," Andrew said. "I put them in the freezer so they're good and cold. Jessie, you didn't get one last time. Here. Try this." He poured fresh drinks for everyone. "They're partly healthy, but I added some supplements to promote some healing in Angus's surgical wound."

"Could these be made in other flavors too?" Marcus asked.

"That wouldn't be hard," Angus said. "Are the kids eating supper with us tonight?"

"Let me tell you about teen girls on the night of a dance," Marcus said. "They aren't going to eat anything because they'll be too afraid that if they eat, they won't fit in their dresses."

"No. Seriously? That's silly," Angus said.

"That's a teenager," Marcus laughed.

"Ruby!" Anise shouted from downstairs, in a panic. "I don't have any shoes!"

"Shoes? She's got a million pairs of shoes," Angus said.

"But probably not THE shoes she wanted," Marcus said. "Ruby, if she has any dress shoes at all, I'll change them into something that works with the dress."

Jessie chuckled and shook his head " its okay they are my sisters after all" he said and saw Marcus port out before returning just as quick with Ginger and Anise who disappeared " well hi and bye" he said and chuckled hearing Angus explain " oh right that tonight " he said as a note came from the main house from Jess approving Jessie having some light exercises to do.

Ruby heard Anise and chuckled " find a pair and Angus says he'll change them to what ever you need" she called back down to her. About now Jess walked over wearing a long black evening dress with a low heeled shoe hidden under the dress.

" came to give Jessie a last check" she said and placed hr hand on his shoulder " I got your message Andrew , yes light exercise would do him some good , and that shoulder" she said and looked at them all with a smirk " Jack and I after the dance are going to Paris to a restaurant he knows, Robert gave us the night off." she added smiling as she knew none of them had seen her other than casual or scrubs. She looked over to Marcus " what do you think your the best at accessorizing" she asked turning on the spot.

"I think it's lovely," Marcus said. "I know just the piece it needs. Angus, can I borrow a piece from some of your gran's jewelry that you have?"

"Of course. I don't have a lot of pieces but you can borrow anything I have," Angus said. "Edward has most of that."

"I know, but you have just what I'm looking for." Marcus went upstairs and he brought back a pendant that was a large, single pear shaped diamond hanging from a platinum chain. It was simple but it was powerful, all on its own. And he had a pair of earrings--a pair of smaller pear shaped diamond , dangling from small diamond studs. Simple, elegant, powerful, just like the pendant. "Try these," Marcus told her. "I don't think you need to overdo it. I think the right piece is better than hanging jewels on you like a Christmas tree. See what you think." he did a few simple adjustments to her dress to make sure it had a perfect fit and he did some very slight adjustments to her hair as well. 

"What do you think?" he asked her finally

Jess smiled then looked at Angus and Marcus " you don't have.." she stared to say but Marcus was off. Returning with a necklace and earrings " those are beautiful, Caprice's mother had good taste" she said gently holding the necklace in her hand. Slipping them on while Marcus moved her hair she then looked at her self in the reflection of the window " Jack isn't going to recognise me, thank you Marcus"

Ruby smiled at Jess " just relax for tonight" she said Jess nodded.

"we're just there to make sure the girls are safe so not to stand out but blend in and watch them have fun" she said then heard the name of the boy who Anise was going with " hope he turns up or he'd end up with Pokka dot skin" she said looking to Angus " and don't worry Jack or I will be close by all threw the dance and we'll get them home by midnight" she said with a chuckle. Ruby and Aria did too but Ruby headed to the kitchen to start cooking their food so they could sat before they left.

"okay I should get back Jack was in the shower when I left and I do home that horse manure small is gone now" she said with a chuckle " I will return these in the morning as I know by the time its all over you'll be sleeping, or I hope you will" she said and looked to Ruby and Aria " Let the girls know I'll come back when they are ready" she chuckled knowing that could be some time.

After some time Jess returned with Jack in a light blue suit with a white shirt, his shoes were polished and he had cufflinks on in gold he opened the door for Jess who walked in smiling " okay the girls ready?" he asked standing with Jess holding her hand and smiling.