A Birth day

"Feeling much better, thanks," Angus said. "Sometimes, a hot shower and clean clothes can really be a helpful thing. Jerk chicken? Finally! He's been with us now for weeks, and we're just now getting some legitimate jerk chicken. Jerk chicken sauce is made with scotch bonnet peppers, and they're almost the same amount of heat as a habanero pepper. I've had jerk chicken, and its one of my favorites, but to have Nicky fix it? I'm sure it will be mind blowing. Sounds like we don't have to cook tonight. That'll be nice for a change."

"I'm making two batches," Nicky told Angus. "One with scotch bonnets and one without. I know we have a lot of children here, and I know not all adults can eat hot peppers either. So I'm making two kinds."

"Good plan," Angus said, as Nicky set a glass down in front of him.

"Try the Ting, and see what you think," Nicky told him. Angus took a sip and smiled.

"Now, that is the real deal. Excellent. You might like this, Ru. Ting is basically a crisp, clean tasting grapefruit soda," Angus told her. "Nicky, did you guys ever find Fudge yesterday?"

"We did," Nicky laughed. "He had somehow gotten shut up in the bread bin. He was fine, but he was mighty angry. That little bowtruckle can have a mighty big temper."

"Yes, he certainly can," Angus agreed. "I thought we were keeping the c-o-o-k-i-e-s in the bread bin."

"So they're safe from little hands? Yes. We are, but somehow he was in there with the shortbread that I had dipped in chocolate. I don't know why, because he made it quite clear he does not eat shortbread."

"Where is he now? His tree is empty."

"With Kate, I believe. In her pocket. Sam wanted to smuggle him back to Hogwarts with him today, and apparently, Fudge told Simone he didn't want to go because he believed Sam would starve him to death," Nicky laughed.

"Not intentionally," Angus laughed.

"Absolutely," Nicky said, pouring her a glass and giving it to her. "I'm going outside to the grill to grill supper. The rice is in the rice cooker. It will be fine while I'm gone." He took out a platter full of pineapple spears, and chicken and both jerk sauces.

Edward returned finally with Michael from the northwest sector now that the protection spells seemed to be holding and Suzanne appeared to have given up for the moment.

"Well, so I see you made it back safe and sound," Edward said to Angus.

"I did. That girl. Anise--she's a seer," Angus said. "She was seeing Reginald and talking to him while we were there. Reginald told her the way out apparently because he apparently told her of a secret door that led us to the way out. For no more education than she's had, I think she's very gifted."

"If she has medium abilities, she should meet Khaat, then," Edward said. "That's much more Khaat's area than Kate's or mine. Maybe we could mention it to Khaat. I saw just a wee bit of interaction between Anise and her parents. They really don't seem to understand her at all, and so they leave her by herself most of the time. Sad, really. She seems like a likeable girl."

"Well, from what I've seen of her, she's got moxy. She's got a lot of potential as a fighter, and she has some real seer's gifts. I know Fenrir likes to keep his pack together, but she's a good girl."

"Did you find her sister?"

"We did, the sister is alive, but she's been starved and abused," Angus said. "She's been kept in a cell underneath that damned house. She's nearly skeletal. Robert has her downstairs in sickbay. She's gonna be there awhile. She's got a long road to go to recover."

"Suzanne just never stops, does she?"

"No. She doesn't. I'm going back to that house. I'm going to tear that underground space apart stone by stone and I'm tearing down the house brick by brick. And then I'm going to find a way to find a way to bind that land from anyone who has dark arts tendencies from every being able to enter that land again. There has to be some sort of white lighter's version of a curse or something that will stop her from ever being able to go there again. Suzanne will never, ever use that space again, I swear it."

"I'll ask Robert if I can go over to his big library at the farm and I'll see if I can find some sort of a spell or a potion that will let you do just that," Edward volunteered. "The only other place that I know of that has more books than Robert is the Hogwarts library. If I can't find anything, maybe we can request help from Hogwarts to research for such a spell. It's worth a try. She has to be stopped. I agree. What am I smelling?"

"Nicky's grilling Jamaican Jerk Chicken outside on the charcoal grill," Angus replied.

"Sounds great. I'm starving. Where are the boys?"

"Jess has been nice enough to agree to drop them back at school," Angus replied. "That means Ruby and I have the evening child free. Well, we'll have half a kid. Ralph isn't big enough yet to qualify as a whole kid."

"Last five weeks," Sam grinned. "And then we're done! I can't wait. I hope it flies by. Jess, you guys keep an eye on Dad, will you? There's something going on with him that he's not talking about. I can tell. It's like he's carrying an extra weight that he isn't sharing with anybody. I think it's about Suzanne. She can do that to people just by being around them. She's just all kinds of nasty. You guys can't let her get to him because she uses people in the worst ways. He just needs to let that other guy have her. It's a cinch nobody else is gonna want her."

"Come on, Dude. We gotta go. Thanks, Jess," Victor said. "See ya, Jess." They went to their rooms.

"I knew you'd like it," Angus said. "Someday, we'll have to go to Jamaica. Late October through November are the best times to go. It's off season and the weather is good. You'd like it. Robert sent me once on a mission there. The mission lasted three days, but he let me stay another four days to enjoy the beaches and the food and the music and all the rest of it."

"I have something that I'd like to show you two and see what you think of it," Edward said, pouring himself some Ting and then sitting with them. "I have a graduation gift for each of the boys. I thin they will have earned it." He got out two small boxes. Angus opened the boxes. He saw two matching gold rings. They were set with large emeralds and on both shoulders of each ring was the Donohue family crest. It was a serious gift, an official recognition that each of the boys were now not just Donohue boys, they would be now recognized adult Donohue men. Angus looked at the rings for a moment, knowing that it meant in the family for a man to receive a family ring.

"The family has recognized them as members of the family already," Angus told Ruby. "This is a different honor. This recognizes them officially as adult Donohue men, and in equal standing to every other naturally born Donohue man. Men in our family receive them when they turn of age. Thank you, Edward, for this."

"It's time. They've earned it," Edward said.

"What do you think, Ru?" Angus asked her.

"Maybe we could go this November for a long weekend," Angus suggested.

"I think they will be honored, Edward," Angus said. "Thank you."

Shannon came downstairs and looked out the window and saw Nicky was grilling the chicken. Coming into the kitchen after her was Molly, following her mother, and with Molly was Abbey. When she saw Angus, her face brightened instantly.

"Aggie!" she flew to Angus, reaching for him. Angus scooped her up and put her on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a huge hug. "I miss you so much!"

"I'm sorry, Abs," Angus said. "I've been working."

"Yeah. I know. I see'd nasty lady. And old fat guy. He smoke a lot..." she said. Angus knew exactly what she was seeing. She was describing Suzanne and Reginald with his big fat cigars. "When do you see the lady, Abs?"

"In the dark. She talk and talk and talk to somebody, but she no know I hear her too. And the old guy. He no like her. He call her bad words. He say to find purple ball. He say it help."

"A purple ball? I don't understand."

"Outside. It grow outside," she nodded.

"It's a plant?" Edward asked. Abbey nodded emphatically. "I bet it's a shrivelfig," he said, looking at Angus and Ruby. "Is she allergic to anything, Ruby?"

"Purple ball!" Abbey repeated nodding.

"She said she saw an old fat guy that smokes. I think she saw Reginald," Angus told her. "Reginald appeared to Anise down in the tunnels today and showed her a secret door in the tunnel walls that led us upstairs inside the master bedroom closet. She says she has seen Reginald several times in the time she was held there briefly. Reginald appeared to me once since he died too, if you recall, and I don't normally see ghosts. And Anise and Abbey have said the same thing--Reginald is very angry with Suzanne. Why, I don't know, but it sound like Reginald is passing on that thought about the shrivelfig as something we can use to defend ourselves against her if she's allergic to them."

"Oh, yes, if she's allergic, we can use that indeed," Edward said with a mischievous look on his face. "You wait til I tell Robert she's allergic to it. You have no idea what a man with a diabolical mind can do with that little bit of information. Robert will be all over that little piece."

"You're right, I'm sure,' Robert said. "I do need to shower. I'll take a look at those files in a bit. I'll go shower if you find someone to escort Mrs. Russell back to her pack. I have a list of visitation times that I've given to her for seeing Ginger, and I've left that also in my documentation. Once I shower off the dungeon dust, I'll read the files. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Russell.'

"And I can bring her father to see her? And, sometimes, Anise?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Robert said. "You'll see that the visitation times are only for a few minutes at first. I will lengthen those times as she recovers."

"I understand. I don't know how to thank you," she said.

"It's my pleasure," he said. "Jess will find someone to take you back to your camp. When you learn the way, you are surely welcome to come back and forth on your own."

"Thank you," she said.

"Thanks, Jess. I'm going to go shower," Robert said, going upstairs.