LONDON CALLING

"So," Sam looked at Angus, "when we come home for Christmas, can we have more of these sorts of buffet thingys where we have lots of different things to taste?"

"Yeah!" Victor said. "Maybe from different places. Like Chinese food or Greek or something."

"If you want," Angus said. "After all, this family is a big group of adventurers. I think we eat just about anything here, so long as its tasty."

"I really don't wanna go back," Sam said. "Can I just drop out?"

"No you cannot," Angus said firmly. "You only have eight months left, and then you're done forever. Look, you have an autumn break in another three weeks. And then Christmas break two months after that, another break two months after that, another break two months after that in April, and then you're done a month after that in May. So that's almost a week every month. We'll get through it, even if we have to just take it one stretch at a time."

"But this is the first we've had a real family! I don't wanna lose that by going back..." Sam protested.

"You aren't going to lose anything," Angus said gently. "We're not going anywhere. We didn't bring you into the Donohue family just for you to have a temporary family until you turned eighteen. You're part of us for good. You aren't going to lose anything."

"Promise?"

"Absolutely," Angus said firmly.

"Not even when you get one of your own?" Victor asked.

"You are our own--both of you. You are our own, our first two. The one on the way is our third. Not the first of our own," Angus said.

"You mean that? Really? Like, not just as something you're supposed to say to make us feel better?" Victor asked.

"Ask anyone you like, but they'll tell you I don't patronize anybody like that. And I honestly think I'd be a crappy dad if I started lying to you, so, yeah. I really mean it. You're our first two, and nothing is going to change that. Neither of you need to compete to belong because you already do belong. Now, since the pizza is mostly gone, I'm going to go get some coffee and a cannoli."

Ruby listened to the boys and smiled as Angus spoke to them. " he's right guys, your our first and we love you  just as much as this one." she placed her hand on her tummy and smiled " besides this one will need older brothers ." she said with a smile " and Angus is right in saying this is a family for life not just till your of age, well you are my brothers too, now I sense two of those cannoli have my name on them." she stood up and followed Angus to get some tea and Two cannolis to eat."

Jack and Jessie looked up at them both, "You realy think after fighting for you they would just let you go when you turn eighteen?" Jack said smiling as he shook his head " na, they wanted youto be part of their family for good" He stood up and placed his hand on each of the boys shoulders " welsome to the family means your stuck with all of us" he sid Jessie laughed and nodded

"he's right guys, with all my troubles they acepted me , no questions or problems , so acept it your Donahues now,for real" he said finishing the last peice of his piece of pizza.

Angus stood and was going to walk to the sideboard, and Nigel cleared this throat loudly. Angus looked at him.

"Did I tell you that you could do that?" Nigel asked.

"No, but..."

"Sit your butt down right now," Nigel said, getting up. Angus sat down unhappily, and Nigel went over to the sideboard and picked out two cannolis for Angus--a chocolate orange and a pistachio. He brought it to him with a mug of coffee, and then went back for a couple cannolis for himself, choosing a mocha cannoli and a dark chocolate cherry.

Everyone gravitated to the dessert table and most people took either two cannolis or a cannoli and an Italian cookie. Angus motioned to Sam who went over to him.

"Sam," Angus said quietly, "if you go into my office, you'll see a wrapped package on the desk. Get it please for me and bring it here?" Sam nodded. Sam went into the office and saw a rather thin looking package on the desk. He brought it, and Angus motioned for Sam to wait. "Edward, I know the next couple days are going to be very busy for you, so I'd really rather that you and Simone open the gift now that Ruby and I and the boys have for your wedding."

"But we're not getting married until the day after tomorrow," Edward said.

"There's a reason why I think you should open it now," Angus said. He motioned to Sam, who took the package over to Edward and Simone. They opened the package, opened the thin box and found Rowan's key ring and a folder with paperwork in it. "I know you said you didn't want to go on a honeymoon, but we put together a trip for you for a few days, closeby, in Michael's Cornwall cottage, courtesy of Rowan and Michael, and then Ruby and I and the boys added in the rest of the trip for you. All you have to do is pack and go. You deserve so much more than this, but we wanted you to be able to have just a few days away. We'll be fine, and if we need you, we'll signal for you. But we really want you two to have a really great time."

"How wonderful!" Simone said, truly surprised. Edward was equally surprised.

"Thank you," Edward smiled. "You're right. We hadn't planned on going, but maybe we just will go after all. Thank you for thinking of it." They looked through the folder and saw all the things that had been included and paid for. "Well, we're definitely going now," Edward laughed. "It's perfect. Thank you so much."

Rowan watched as Angus sent Sam to his office who then returned with a box wrapped, he could not help but stand and move to Michaels's side as they opened the present. He smiled as he watched them look at the key charm and key to the cottage. " Edward every newlywed should have a honeymoon, same goes for you Angus and Ruby when you decide to tie the knot," he added " besides I don't use the cottage that much its a nice use of it with dads permission of course." he smiled as he sipped his coffee glancing at his dad.

Ruby just sat quietly watching as they opened the box and took out the keyring. She smiled as they spoke and continued to eat her dark cherry cannoli along with the chocolate one. " you've done so much for all of us, relaxing on your honeymoonis a small thing we could do." she said smiling at them.

"Well, I think it's going to be a lot of fun. A hot balloon ride, a candlelight supper at Tintagel, and all the rest of it,' Simone said. "I think it's going to be marvelous."

"Have you ever been to Cornwall?" Angus asked her.

"No, actually," she said. "Maurice and I went to Rio De Janeiro for our honeymoon, and then his work took us all over the globe but unfortunately, Cornwall was not one of the places we ever got to."

"Then I think you'll have a great time. I would take a camera and a warm cardigan. It's going to be chilly this time of year."

"Then she might have a reason to cuddle a little closer if she needs to stay warm," Kate teased.

"Oh darn," Edward teased right back. Everyone laughed.

"Oh, Ruby, that reminds me," Simone said. "Stop around at my room after supper, would you? It might be a bit because I think I'll help with breakfast prep tomorrow because it will probably be the last time I will fix breakfast as a single woman, unless I fix breakfast on Saturday morning too."

"I'll help you tomorrow, but I am not going to let you have to get up and fix breakfast on your wedding day. The rest of us will take care of that on Saturday morning," Kate said.

Ruby looked at Simone and nodded " I agree with Kate, that day should be a day to keep special, no work and all play" she said with a smile to her. " I'll be there once were all finished and everything is tidyied away" she said looking at Jack gathering up all the empty pizza boxes and carying them to the recycling bin. " hum, okay no dishes this time, i'll be right up" she said picking up her cup and moving to place it in the sink. 

Jack took the empty boxes and placed them in teh bin. One of the guards walked in and handed him a clipboard with a report on it. Jack read it and nodded signing it off and handing it back to the dinning room. " okay I got to go on patrol, Jessie "he motioned with his head for him to follow and Jesie finished hisfood and quickly moved to Jack as they both went out the door.

Kate started in with breakfast preparations, and Angus, Andrew, and Khaat stepped in to help.

Simone went up to her room and got out the wood box that held her heirloom headpiece. Marcus followed her, and he helped her open the secret compartment that revealed the second headpiece.

When Ruby got to the room, Simone said to Ruby. "I think I showed you my family's headpiece that's been handed down to brides, but Marcus found something that I don't think any of us in the last hundred years knew about this box. There was a secret compartment. And look what we found inside it."

She lifted out a second tiara, done in sparkling mithril silver. It looked like beautiful entwined silver vines and through the vines peaked out diamond stars and a crescent moon made of beautiful purple and blue sapphires.

"I showed this to Gabe, and he believes the tiaras are a pair, meant to be worn by the same woman, the emeralds during the day and the diamonds at night. And we found something else." She motioned to Ruby to step in front of the mirror and then set the tiara on Ruby's head. At that moment, the diamonds and the crescent moon began to shine and shimmer. "Both headpieces glow when they're worn. Gabe believes that they symbolized something at one time, but we may never know now what that meaning is. I know you need something borrowed and something blue. Well, if you need something blue, you're welcome to borrow this tiara if you like. You don't have to. Don't feel like you have to accept it but its here if you'd like to borrow it."

Ruby sat on the bed and watched as Simone brought out her hairloom box. As she opeend it and revealed a secret section to it she marveled at the head peice it revealed when Simone palced it on her head and she saw it glow slightly she smiled " its perfect, thank you, I would love to have it as my borrowed" she said with a smile " oh the moons look beautiful, even in this light." she said slightly turning her had so the jewles caught the light. Moving to Simone she gave her a hug "your the best mom ever" she said and chuckled " well mom-in-law." She took off the tiara and placed it back in the box smiling " now all we have to do is get you two wed and off on your honeymoon." she looked at her " if there is anything I can help you with , Just ask" she said smiling as she looked at the tiara one last time.

"My grandmother and my mother would both be so proud to know that the women in our family are still finding use for these pieces. She used to tell me this story that her grandmother told her about the tiara belonging to a princess.. It was a lovely story, and it was my favorite bedtime story when I was small."

"I have to say that I don't know that I expect my life with Edward to change that much after the wedding from what we have now," Simone said. "I don't know how things are for you and Angus, but I had no idea three or four months ago that my life would change so dramatically so quickly."

"Edward and I knew each other for years, a long time before I knew Maurice, and I always thought Edward was so brilliant and so handsome. I was so disappointed that he never asked me out, and, back then, it would have been rather inappropriate for his family and mine if I had asked him out. But then we ran into each other quite by accident in Flourish and Blotts and decided to go to the Leaky for a pint and to talk. I asked him then why he had never asked me out, and he told me that if he had wanted to ask me out but if he was too afraid back then that if he had done so, we'd have ended up on that very first date getting a room together straight away. Quite honestly, he and I had gone for a lot of years after our spouses died, and we were both so desperately lonely that when he made the remark that we might have ended up in a room, I took him up on it and rented us a room upstairs at the Leaky. We've been inseparable since, and I don't regret one moment of it. I don't know that I could tell my children how we got to be an item, but I don't see them that often anyway. I have been so amazed by how much more he's brought to my life. Before I ran into him, I honestly thought all I had was basically just a lot of lonely years to look forward to, and now I am thrilled to wake up every morning and see he's right there. I have a reason to be excited about life again, so for whatever time we have, I intend to savor each and every moment of it."

Ruby smiled as she sat and listened to Simone " I hear you there, Angus didn't ask me to go out with him it was more like , you sure you know what your getting into and are you serious" she said with a chuckle, " I told him I was and I knew" she told her, " but I think you two are made for each other, your perfect, Angus and I have had our ups and downs, especialy latly" she told her " but we will work through it together." she chukled "being excited about life is great, Angus makes me feel like I belong , like I have a place again and he's brought the boys to a safe place , for that I love him even more." she said her hand resting on her tummy " oh and of course for this one too" she said smiling.