LONDON CALLING

"Hello, Daphne," Marcus said, turning to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "Did you get a distress call?"

"Bonjour, Mon Amour," she smiled at him, continuing to fight and fire her wand.

"Rowan," Marcus said, never missing a shot, "this is Daphne Renaud. She is the French equivalent of the Minister of Magic, and she just happens to be your father's lover."

"Que?" Daphne looked at Rowan, not knowing Michael had a son.

"I'll explain later. Yeah, it was a surprise to him too, but that's Michael's son," Marcus said. Daphne looked at Rowan and shrugged accepting it.

"Bonjour," she said, focusing back on the fight, as more of her men started to arrive and join in the fight. "Qui commande?" she asked Marcus.

"Brian," he told her, pointing Brian out. She nodded. She knew Brian.

"Brian est aux commandes," she shouted to her men, pointing to Brian. They acknowledged her command, and simply settled in to become, for now, under Brian's lead too.

Rowan kept his focus as he listened to Marcus he glanced at her and smiled "Ravi de Vous rencontrer" he said to her giving a slight bow to her as he returned fire to the men around them " where did Susanne go to?" he asked glancing around for her. Jack ripped men to shreds as he moved threw the thick line of men knocking and throwing them into the trees and across the yard to hit walls and anything else he could find to take them down.



"Hey Daphne good to see you again," he said smiling as one man jumped on his back growling he threw him against the tree house tree with an audible snap to the man's spine.

"Enchante," Daphne said.

"Dunno," Marcus said. "If I see her, I'll let you know. Daphne, if you see a little blonde tart, let us know."

"Ok," she said. She scanned the area, as she took out one of Gelding's fighters. "Oh, look. Coquine at 10 o' clock. Over in the trees."

"Oh. yeah, that's her. Merci," Marcus said, seeing Suzanne, and Marcus noticed there were two of Geldings me with her, one on either side. Marcus hadn't decided yet if they were guards or if they were here keepers. There was a fine line, and Marcus wasn't quite sure yet.

Robert had gotten back from delivering everyone safely to the farmhouse. He sent a blast of green sparks up the chimney of the main house. It was a secret code to the first stringers that the main house was clear. Everyone was out. Then, as a last thought, he remembered the little bowtruckle. He dashed out to the kitchen and snatched him up quickly.

"Sorry, Fudge, but it's not safe in here right now. You're coming with me. Hold on tight to my pocket," he dropped Fudge hastily in his pocket and then he apparated back outside. He was hoping that at some point someone could actually spot Gelding, but Gelding didn't like to be seen. It would be entirely like Gelding to put Suzanne out front like bait and he would remain well back and well hidden. And the longer he stayed behind and Suzanne stayed out front, no wand drawn, no shots fired the more he became convinced she had merely been bait. Angus had been right.

Edward turned just in time to see a young, fully transformed werewolf making a run at full speed straight for Simone, and he was too far away to protect her.

"Jack!" Edward shouted for all his life was worth, pointing to the danger and hoping Jack could get there in the matter of a few short seconds to save her.

Rowan smiled and then went back to firing at the men. Jack heard Marcus call out and dove for the young wear he tackled his side knocking him to the ground where he pinned him slashing and clawing at the torso of the man " not today." he growled slightly out of breath from all the fighting he'd done. It was now he saw the green smoke and looked over at Marcus hopin he'd seen the signal that the house was all clear " think we can take them all on?" Jack called over to him " because I love a good fight, gets my blood pumping" Jack said as he charged into the fray of men and wands firing taking down more as he went.

"Yeah, but leave the french guys in one piece. They're with us," Marcus grinned.

"Let's get 'em," Daphne said, loving a good brawl ever so often herself.

"Fine by me, but hang close, Spunky," Marcus teased her. "Can't afford to lose you."
She flashed a mischievous grin at him.

Robert had apparated over behind the duplex to where Lee and Andrew were.

"Where is he?" Robert asked.

"If I had to hazard a guess," Lee said, "I think he's probably 20 or 30 yards back in the trees. I saw some rustling back there several minutes ago, and I dont think they've changed positions.

"You two wanna come with me?" Robert asked.

"Lead on," Lee said, always glad to go with Robert. They apparated back about fifty yards and they moved as silently as they could through the trees in the dark, From where they were, Robert could clearly see Tom and a few of his goons ahead of them. Robert looked at Lee and Andrew and he motioned Lee to stand on his left and Andrew on his right. The three of them crept up togther, and Robert threw his arm around Tom Gelding's neck, yanked him straight back and shoved the wand right tight against his skill.

"Hello, Tom," Robert hissed in his ear. "Now, boys, if you want your boss here to live, you'll drop your wands and raise your uands. Nice and slow." They obeyed.

"Now walk," Lee told them. Straight out where everybody can see you One false move and you die. March." They walked out of the trees, with Robert holding Tom in front of him.

"Oh, Daphne," Robert called in a sing songy voice. "I've got a present for you. How would you like him---hot or ice cold and very stiff?"

"Well, I'll be damned," Marcus said, seeing that Robert had Gelding by the throat, literally. He figured that would stop most of Gelding's men. The werewolves would need to be finished with, and anyone who didn't surrender, but this might even the odds significantly.

Jack still fought the werewolves He caught sight of the wear wolf Alpha as he was bigger than the others he ran right for him knocking him down as they fought with Jack coming up the victor in the battle. The werewolves stopped and dropped to their knees" too right, Alpha right here" he said and howled as did the werewolves to single he was a top dog now. Jack stood with his arms crossed " kill Gelsings men but leave gelding, anyone who doesn't want to follow my order can join his men in the dirt." he told them but none moved " as I thought now do as I command" Now they turned on Geldings men as Jack watched on but stopped them once Robert had walked out holding Gelding himself. "about damn time you showed up to your own party." he said to Gelding " or were you cowering in a bush poping your self." he growled to him.

Gelding's men started leaving in droves to avoid being attacked by the remaining werewolves. Marcus apparated out away from Daphne and he managed to apparate in behind the men who were with Suzanne, but before he could get to her, they clutched onto her and ported out with her.

"Damn," Marcus sighed, frustrated.

Gelding didn't reply to Jack. Daphne walked over to where Robert was holding Gelding.

"So you're the coward that is afraid to make a living in an honest way?" she asked. "Well, I can't make sure that there's a cold place in hell waiting for you, but I can make sure you have a little piece of hell right here on this planet." She summoned a half a dozen of her men and had them secure him. Robert bound Gelding's magic with the same temporary control spell they used on dangerous patients in St. Mungos."

"Merci," she told Robert. Then she ordered the men to get Gelding back to Paris and gave them specific instructions of a classified placement for him. They took him into custody and ported out with him.

"Thank you, my dear," Robert said.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," she told him. She ordered her men to stay and help with any and all clean up and restoration, and she sent half a dozen of her men to go and bring food and drink back from Paris for everyone, regardless if they were American or British or French.

"Well done, Everyone," Robert said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Rowan and Jessie, can you go over to the farm and let them know that they can come home and help bring them back please? I think they'd like to be in their own beds when the confusion dies down."

Rowan looked to Daphne and gave a low bow as he spoke to her "Gland de Vous Rencontre et j'espère que nous reverrons
... bientôt ma dame" he said (gland to meet you and hope we meet again...soon my lady) he smiled and with Jessie ported to the farm and walked to the back door. Jessie walked in and saw Ruby sitting quietly.


"oh one's on a time out," he said chuckling to Rowan " last time she looked like that she was fifteen," he said watching Ruby pull a tongue at him. " Robert sent us to tell you all it's safe to return," he said.


"Rowan looked at Abby and Angus and nodded to them " Gelding is back in jail Daphne showed up and we got the upper hand before he was taken away, and I think Jack has his pack nowtoo."

"Merci," Daphne said.

"Thank goodness for Daphne," Angus said, relieved. "And we got Gelding? That's great. Two more questions. Did we get Suzanne, and was anyone else injured?" the boys hadn't said a syllable because they knew better.

"So, are you guys gonna help us get back, then?" Sam asked them, knowing that transporting eight people wasn't necessarily such an easy task.

"Suppose Michael's okay?" Victor asked Sam quietly. They hadn't seen or heard anything from Nigel since Robert had brought Michael and Nigel over.

"Aggie," Abbey said rather quietly to Angus.

"Yes, Poppet, we're going home soon," he replied.

"I hungee," she told him.

"I'm sure we're all hungry. It's been a long night, and its been a very long time since lunch. I'll make sure you get something to eat as soon as we get home," he told her.

Lee ordered his men to start to clean up the mess at Brian's, and Edward went over to Simone. He needed a shower badly, and his axe needed cleaning. Simone flicked a spell at him to clean up the worst of it and she wrapped her arms around him.

"You alright?" he asked her.

"I'm always alright when I'm with you," she said, stretching up to kiss him.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he replied

"I'm fine," she told him. "I am not a shrinking violet. Suppose Angus and Ruby and the boys are alright?"

"I think so," Edward said. "If something had happened to Angus, I would have felt at shift in his energies."

Daphne asked her men to try to set up some sort of buffet set up, and Khaat joined Daphne and told them where to find a couple of long tables to use to set up the food on a buffet line on the patio. Some of Brian's outdoor crew apparated picnic tables from storage and scattered them around on the patio or near it so people would have additional seating, as the men that Daphne had sent to Paris began arriving with bags and bags and bags of all sorts of food from wherever they could find someplace still open in Paris. There was an assortment. Some dinners were sandwiches, some were salads, some were soups and croissants, some were seafood or lamb or beef or pastas. The variety seemed to be endless, and the dessert options were just as endless. There would be enough for all, but everyone was likely to have something different. Other men brought cases of sodas and beers, and they set the sodas in big washtubs with ice and then set the bottles of beer on one of the tables. When it was all set up, Daphne used a sonorus to call everyone to eat as soon as they felt they could take a break.

Robert sighed heavily now, fatigued. He had wounded to take care of, though, unless Nigel had managed it all. He was hoping that Jessie and Rowan could bring them all back. If they did, that would give Robert just half a moment for a cigarette. He walked over to a bench near the pond, out of the chaos, sat down by himself, lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly, trying to unwind. Lee came over and sat with him, and they looked out over the yard that had very quickly become a battlefield. There would be clean up going on for hours. And Robert was seeing some of the fighters were injured.

"Give it a bit," Lee told him. "I've got six medics in the team I summoned, and I think Daphne has two or three. They can probably handle it unless it gets severe."

"Well, and I know Khaat and Brian and Jess can take care of a lot of trauma on the fly, and so can Edward if he's pressed into it. So that gives us ten or so, even without me and without Nigel."

"How's Michael?"

"Dunno. Left Nigel with him over at the farm," Robert said. "I trust Nigel has it under control. And I know Ruby needs a plaster or two too."

Rowan rolled his shoulder feeling a slight sting but said nothing to bother anyone. He knew he could take care of it himself. It was now a young female healer who walked over " okay off with it." she told him and he looked at her " the shirt, take it off" she stood with her arms folded.

"huh, I don't know you that well," he said trying to deflect from her task, seeing her roll her shoulders she flicked her hand and his shirt disappeared " Hey, that was expensive," he said as she smirked and looked at the gash and burn on his shoulder.

"needs tending," she said and cleaned it and set it to heal " before she handed him a tee " this will suit you more," she said and smirked as she moved away " by the way I put my number in your pocket" she called back and Rowan could not help but smirk as Jack laughed.

"Does that happen to you too?" Rowan asked Michael as he slipped on the tee shirt his shoulder exposed but his chest covered. " funny thing though I never even got her name."