LONDON CALLING

"I think that's a very distinct possibility," Michael said. "But direct confrontation will get us nowhere. I'll try to talk to him after lunch."

Angus came in and smelled all the good aromas that were in the kitchen--except one.

"Why does it smell like fish cookies in here?" he asked. Michael laughed out loud.

"Fish in one oven, cookies in the other. No, we didn't make fish cookies," Michael laughed. "Hopefully lunch won't taste like fish cookies either."

"Fish cookies?" Abbey scowled at Angus. "Yuck! Silly Aggie."

"You aren't hungry, are you?" Angus teased her.

"Uh huh!" she said.

"Well, let me see if I can find you any fish cookies," he replied, going to the sideboard.

"Aggie!" she frowned at him. He gave her part of a piece of fish, some potatoes and a small tomato, one that Angus was certain Michael had made with Abbey in mind. Angus cut the fish and the tomato for her, and gave her half a slice of bread and put the plate in front of her.

"Try that, and if you want more, you can certainly have more," he said. He fixed his own plate, as the others came in and fixed their plates as well. Robert was late getting to the table. Edward knew why. Once started with the polyjuice process, one could not just stop instantly. He had had to get to a point where he could leave the cauldron for awhile. Presumably that was why he could finally join the rest for lunch.

It wasn't lost on Angus that Robert was late. Nor was it lost on him that Edward and Michael were exceptionally watchful. Angus had known Robert too long not to know the subtle behaviors. Robert was up to something apparently and he wasn't feeling like he either could or should let anyone know what he was doing. That wasn't unusual for Robert, but Angus didn't understand what all the concern was about. Robert had secrets all the time. It was part of the espionage/spy world he functioned in part of the time.

The one thing that Angus had noticed was that Robert had become sharply more closed since the debriefing. It hadn't set well with him, clearly. And that meant, Angus guessed, that he was working on whatever his plan B would be. He rarely discussed any plan before it was ready to be presented, and clearly, he hadn't gotten to even discuss plan A and what the details were or what his thoughts were about why he had felt that perhaps Ruby might still be able to continue in Paris. The moment he had mentioned it, people had jumped all over Robert and shut it down before Robert could explain actually what the plan was.

Angus knew Robert would never ever put an agent in danger. If he had wanted to allow her to continue in Paris, he had had a reason--a reason that no one had even wanted to hear. And now, for certain, Robert wouldn't go back and revisit it or discuss it. That door was closed. Whatever he was doing, Robert was going to find a different way, and, when he was ready, he would only involve whoever he planned to ask to do the mission. It absolutely would not be open this time for full team discussion. Angus figured if anyone could talk to him and get him to discuss it, it would be Michael. And it looked to Angus like Michael was already on it.

"Perfect fish, Michael," Angus said. "Guess who gets to cook trout from now on?" Michael laughed.

"No, no, Lad. I'm only a home cook. You're the chef. You don't get to pass it off that easily," Michael said. "We're gifted with a lot of good cooks under this roof. Oh, and while. we're passing things off. I handled lunch. Supper duty tonight is all yours, Angus."

"I can do that. Thanks for handling lunch. I appreciate it."

Robert had gone back up to the workroom to work on his potion and on a couple of other projects he had in the works at the same time. Someone knocked on the door. He had expected that. They didn't like it when he began working on things and not talking about it. Well, not everything was open for discussion. He flicked his finger at the door to open it and then went back to work in his mortar and pestle, crushing up some pieces of bicorn horn into a silky fine powder.

"Come," he called, focused on his work.

In the meantime, Michael had a word with Kate, and they discussed the idea of just the three of them--Kate, Michael, and Robert--going out for a quiet dinner alone to see if they could sound him out without aggravating him Clearly everyone was aware Robert had changed direction, and normally that meant that Robert's door would become a revolving door with everyone going up to try to pester him. They didn't want to do that. Kate suggested that Michael go alone, as long as he promised not to keep secrets from her.

"Once one starts a polyjuice potion, one can't just leave it because its lunch time," Robert said. "Especially with a batch this size. The ingredients are too expensive just to waste them. I appreciate your concern--and everyone else's, I might add--but it really is unnecessary. I also appreciate your offer, and I'll keep it in mind. Just so you know, I frequently make large batches of potions. And since the potions stores at St Mungos were damaged,, I've been taking potions from my workshop at the farm to use there. And that means my supplies here and at the farm are both becoming depleted. So, I'm replacing them. So, for everyone that is going to try to interrupt my work this afternoon, do please tell them that its just business as usual. No, I don't have a Plan B for the team yet, and when I get one, I'll tell you all. For now, I think you should keep up with your training for. when I do get another mission. This team has always acted as a family, and if the team isn't on board, the team doesn't go It is just that simple. That puts me back at the drawing board. Making potions helps me think. Does that answer your questions and everyone else's?"

"Thank you, Ruby," Edward said. He watched Ruby setting about icing the cookies with Abbey. Angus had been in the walk-in pantry, deciding on what to fix for supper when he heard Ruby relay her conversation with Robert. There had been some truth in what he had said, as far as it went. But Angus didn't believe for one moment that was the whole of it. There was a deeper layer.

He decided on a large casserole of a five cheese macaroni and cheese casserole, a large bowl of very healthy and tasty turkey meatballs that were in a Greek tomato basil sauce, some shaved and sauteed brussel sprouts with slivered almonds, and then, Michael's strawberry shortcake trifle for dessert. He could put most of it in the oven ahead of time and leave it to cook. The only thing he had to honestly cook closer to supper time was the sauteed brussels. He could shave them thin in advance and have them all ready to sautee. The actual cooking would only take a moment. And, that left him time to set a washing up spell in advance so that there would be very few dishes to clean up after.

Michael went upstairs in late afternoon and saw Robert had several projects in the works at once. That wasn't unusual. Michael sat down at one end of the workbench and looked at Robert. Robert looked up at him.

"I call bullshyte," Michael said. "You got past Ruby with it because you told her a whole list of partial truths. I know you better than anyone else, except maybe Kate, and I call it a load of manure. What are you up to? I think you're planning on going to Paris by yourself to try to ferret out the mole. And here's how this will go. You'll slip out without letting anyone know you're going, and then your ass will end up in a sling, and it will be me coming to rescue you. It's gone that way before. Can we not do that this time, please? This is me you're talking to. You know I'm with you. Anytime, anywhere, no matter what, I'm with you. Take me with you from the outset. Whatever you're on about this time, I'm in. You know that."

"I do know," Robert said, not unmoved by his loyalty.

"They pissed you off massively, didn't they?"

"That's immaterial," Robert responded.

"The hell it is. You didn't even get a chance to explain what you were thinking. Here's what I think. You wanted to send Ruby in to try to ferret out the mole by doing some investigating, and you were going to send a team member in with her as a partner--using polyjuice--to pose as a new recruit. You were hoping that the two of them could ferret out the mole. But, they got their knickers in a bunch about it before you could lay it out, and so now, Satan himself could be right on our doorstep, and you wouldn't open that mission back up again."

"That mission is dead. Done. Finis. Got it?" Robert looked at him.

"And that proves my point. They weren't with you, so they're out of this project. You're going to find the mole without them, and at this point, I don't think anything they could say or do that would convince you to let them back in. So, fine. We'll play this particular hand your way. But take along who was in your corner. There were some that didn't shut you down. It isn't right or fair to shut them out as well."

"Michael, you know how long it takes to brew polyjuice. Even if what you say is true, this polyjuice isn't going to be ready today."

"So, let's go out--the three of us. Just you and Kate and me. Let's have a founders' meeting. Let's look at it, cards all on the table."

"I'm not an imbecile, Michael."

"No. You've got one of the most brilliant minds I've ever seen. But you do have a couple achilles heels, and when someone finds one of your few sore spots, this is safer for you. You recoil and you shut down and take things into your own hands. Come on. The three of us. Supper. What do you say?"

"I'm not dressing up for anyone. And I'm not doing some crowded muggle place with shitty food."

"Fine. Just as you are then. And no muggle places. I give you my word. Deal?"

"Oh, fine," he sighed, frustrated.

"90 minutes?"

"Fine."