Snow Day Lunch

"We've got two cats too. When Dakota was at the crawling stage, she kept following one of our cats behind the sofa. Don't ask me why because I really don't know," he laughed. "But if we'd lose her, she was always behind the sofa with Max.

"Italy feels like home to me now. Its warm and sunny, and the food is always fresh with whatever is in season--and its just a few simple ingredients put together in wonderful ways. The life is much simpler. There are always small local farms and vineyards and shops where what they make and sell is from the heart. Its like one of those places where everybody knows everybody else.

"My brothers run the boats when I'm not there, so I can always count of first quality seafood every day from the fishing boats. I'm thinking, this spring, I might go back to buying a sailboat. There's nothing quite like the feel of raising the sails and letting the wind be your guide. It's...well, amazing. I can't think of any better place for a vacation than Tuscany. You should go. I could connect you so you could go very inexpensively. And, by the way, the beaches are great."

"That's too cute, my daughter did the same with our cats. They are Siamese and they absoutely love her, they sleep with her every night." Bella said smiling softly at the memory of it. "What kind of cats do you have?"

"It sounds lovely, makes me want to leave now. I lived in Paris but I felt that it was too crowded. I really thinking that I'm gonna have to plan a great vaction for Rose and myself." Bella said smiling more, "I love places that people are always looking after each other. Those places you can feel the warmth between everyone."

"That sounds amazing, I think I'm gonna have to see about getting on a boat. Maybe if I see you there you can take me out on one. That would be lovely actually if your willing that is." Bella said as she looked around at the children playing and still seeing her daughter playing. "Tuscany sounds amazing and I know Rose would love the beaches. She loves collecting sea shells and loves being able to make necklaces out of them."

"The cats moved in when Khaat did," he laughed. "Brian's place was a bachelor estate--much too big of one--before she moved in, with Abbey and Dakota--and Max and Mo. Max is a big white cat, and Mo is an even bigger orange tabby. The kids love them. And the cats really do love the kids. They seem to want to parent the kids and raise them like their kittens. When Abbey crawled, we had a devil of a time keeping her out of the kibble bowl."

"My father has a big compound just on the Mediterranean coast. We all live there together. Everyone's got their own apartment around the compound, but its all together, around a large center courtyard. Its got vegetable and herb gardens, a small vineyard, and...well, lots of space for lots of generations. And lots of guest apartments. Friends are always welcome. Maybe in the spring, we might need to take that trip and see the beach and take a trip out on one of the luxury yachts. Rose would love the trip. There are so many little kids her age at the compound, and never a loss for all sorts of 'aunts' and 'uncles' and 'grandpas', with all sorts of fun."

He was glad that she hadn't connected that his last name was Donohue. There weren't that many Donohues in the wizarding world--and he was related to the most famous of them. Edward Donohue. His grandfather. The famous slayer of bloodthirsty, evil werewolves. He'd made his fortune in the employ of governments all across England and the continent, getting rid of "problem" werewolves. Edward was retired now, and Tuscany had provided the peaceful refuge that the elder Donohue sought to provide a paradise for his family for generations to come. And a paradise, it was. Or at least Angus thought so.

"Angus," Marcus called, "Our order is here, and so is hers."

"Since the two of you are here by yourselves, why don't you just join us at our table?" Angus invited Isobella and Rose to have lunch with them.

"Aww I'm glad to hear that the cats get along with the kids like that. My cats tend to hiss at anyone who gets close to Rose that they don't trust." Bella said smiling and thinking he had a nice laugh. "I still have a difficult time keeping Rose out of the bowls." She laughed remembering the last time Rose was able to get into the bowls.

"That must be nice having a place close to the sea. The view must be amazing, especially when the sun sets or rises depending on the location the compound sits." She said as she imagined everything that he decribed to her. "Ah I always wanted a vegatable garden, I though about starting a window box for herbs." Hearing him talk about taking Rose and her on a trip made her grin. "Rose will probably be spoiled by the time we come home. She'll love it being around a lot kids like she is here." She said smiling more, in the back of her mind she was relieved. She was glad that he didn't ask about Rose's father quite yet.

Looking back over her shoulder at the mans words and looked over towards Rose. "That would be lovely if we could join you for lunch. Thank you Angus," Yvette said smiling at him as she waved Rose over towards them. When Rose reached them she looked up at Angus and did something that shocked Yvette. Holding out her hands like she wanted picked up by him.

Marcus asked restaurant staff to move Isobella's and Rose's lunches added to the large table Khaat had with all the kids.

Angus smiled when Rose lifted her arms to be picked up. He picked her up with hesistation.

"I hear you're Rose," he said. She nodded. "How old are you?" She showed him two little fingers. "Two. That's a good age. Are you hungry?" She nodded. "I think you're lunch is ready. Would you like to sit with Julia?" She nodded again. "Okay. Let's go."

He looked back at the other kids. "Come on, Gang. Your lunch is ready. Or maybe you're not hungry. Maybe we should send it all back." That got their attention and they scampered to the table, chattering. Marcus and Khaat and the restaurant staff helped the kids into their seats. Angus put Rose in a high chair next to Julia's.

It was a typically loud table with excited kids. Khaat had ordered chicken fingers, chips, and fruit.
The fruit was what Khaat's kids were going for first. They loved fruit.

Khaat and Marcus and Angus had all ordered spinach salads with grilled chickens, pecans and some fruit.

"Who's your friend, Angus?" Khaat asked.

"Ah, let me do introductions. This is Isobella and her daughter Rose. Isobella, this is Khaat, Marcus, and, well, you've met the rest of the herd. Sort of."

Bella looked at her daughter interact with Angus without hesitation and it made her heart swell. "I'm sorry, she usually doesn't do that. She must like you to want you to pick her up and carry her." She said looking at her daughter thinking that Rose definitely knew who was good. She saw her daughter reach into her bear to pull out a necklace she made a few days ago. It had Rose spelled out on beads with hearts and stars surrounding it. Rose held it out to Angus with a big smile on her face. Bella knew that she would have to make sure that Rose had play dates with Julia because of this interaction.

Bella watched all the kids scamper to the table for food and smiled. Walking over to where Angus was and waited for the introductions. "It's nice to meet you, you can just call me Bella," She said smiling softly at them. She held out her hands for Rose who ended up wrapping her arms around Angus shaking her head. "I'm sorry, she doesn't usually have a lot of people she does this to. I'm usually the only one she does this with," Bella said slightly embarrassed about her daughter being a clingy monkey. She also in the back of her mind felt horrible because this was the first man who ever had contact with her daughter in a long time.

"She doesn't?" Angus asked, a bit surprised that the child who seemed so comfortable with him didn't do that very easily. He watched her pull a necklace out of the bear and offer it to him. "Thank you," he said with a big smile for her. He looked at Bella. "She's a wonderful child. You've done a terrific job with her."

"Watch this," he said to Rose. He took a paper napkin and flicked his wand at it and made one of the magical paper birds that St. Mungos and the Ministry used to send interoffice memos.

He flicked his wand at it again to change the color of the napkin from white to rose. "See? Rose colored. Just like your name." He looked at the bird and simply gave it an instruction. "Go to Rose," he told the bird. The little paper bird fluttered over to Rose and landed smoothly on the child's shoulder.

"It'll last until she wrinkles it or crumples it," he smiled at Bella. "They actually make rather nice pets, for whatever time they last."

"Nice to meet you, Bella," Khaat said. "Angus has that effect on kids. He's just naturally very good with them. They take to him quickly. All the kids in our house are really attached to him."

"I like kids," he laughed. "That house didn't become a home until we had lots of kids in it."

"Aggie," Julia piped up.

"Yes, Sweetie," he looked at the normally quiet child.

"Rose no gots no berries. She gots to have berries," Julia said. Angus laughed. He laughed.

"I'll fix it," he promised Julia. "Our kids love berries. They'd rather have berries than cookies. Julia doesn't think its right that Rose doesn't have berries too like our kids. With your permission, I'll give Rose some berries too."

"No she tends to shy away from most adults," Bella said looking at her daughter who looked content with Angus. "I sometimes feel like I'm failing her because she doesn't have her father in her life. So I have to play both parts," As soon as the words were out she wanted to kick herself. She knew that she would have told him later so she didn't think much of it now.

Rose watched the napkin with childish fanicenation and wonder. She clapped her hands together as she watched it turn into a bird. She giggled when it changed to a rose color and watched as it landed on her shoulder. "P-p-pritty." She said trying to pronouce it out. "Pritty B-b-birdy. Ank oo." She said trying to say thank you to him.

Bella looked at her daughter and smiled big but turned her attention to Khaat. "Well I'm glad because maybe it will get my Rose out of her shell." Bella said smiling and felt happy that her daughter was talking.

"Well my daughter seems smitten with you, I'm sure she's gonna end up attached to you as well. Since she already is clinging to you like a little monkey." Bella said looking at her daughter with affection.

Rose's attention went down to Julia who was talking to Angus. "Ulia," She said giggling as she peered down at her new friend. "ggie, me it ith ulia pwease." Bella felt floored at her daughter saying she wanted to sit with Julia.

"I think you've bewitched my daughter Angus, I can barely get her to say three words." Bella said laughing softly. "Oh shoot I knew I was missing something. That will be fine for her to have berries, she loves them. She likes cookies but rarely eats them she preferres eating cantulope or watermelon."

Angus made sure Julia got to sit next to Rose. It seemed the girls were getting very attached quickly.

"I don't mind a bit," he told Bella, always enjoying being with kids.

Khaat understood how Bella felt. So did Marcus. It was Khaat who spoke first.

"I do know how you feel--a bit. My first husband couldn't deal with being a dad. The night Abbey was born, he left me and never came back. Brian took Abbey and me to live with him when we left the hospital. I've sometimes wondered what I did wrong to drive my first husband away," she said. "But Brian is a great dad."

"I know how you feel too," Marcus said. "I don't get along with my wife. We've been separated for years. She's not exactly the mothering type. My kids haven't had their mother in their life since they were little. And my job keeps me away from my kids a lot. So, I've had to settle for quality time as opposed to quantity. From lots of experience, I can tell you that Rose is far better with one loving parent who really does her best and loves her a lot, than to have a household of any sort of conflict. And my kids would all tell you the same thing. They tell me they wouldn't go back to what they had for anything."

Bella saw that Rose was happy and content so she sat down in her seat. She listened to Khaat speak and couldn't understand why someone would do that. "Well my husband wanted to be a father and he loved Rose the first time he saw her. Rose was a month old when he died while he was working in Paris. I moved back here to England because I couldn't stay there with no family around me. Rose and I have been on our own since then," Bella said knowing that she needed to get it out to someone. "I tried going on a date once but that didn't go to well." She laughed softly at that.

"Well I'm glad your children are happy with everything and I'm sorry about their mother. I know that Rose is better with someone who loves her and does everything for her but sometimes she asks about her dad. I don't know what to say sometimes about the questions she asks me. I don't know how to explain to her that," Bella took a quick glance at Rose and saw that she was talking with Julia. "That her father is dead, I have no clue to what to say to her." Bella felt like she was failing her daughter because she didn't know what else she could do. "I gave her a picture of her daddy and when we're walking she asks me, if someone who looks like her dad, if it's him."