A Birth day

"Yeah, they do. He's at home in the kitchen, and I think she is too," Marcus replied. As he was speaking, the babies started to fuss. "Sit still, Aria. I'll get 'em," Marcus sighed, and he got up and picked up Diamond since she was the closest screamer, and he took her upstairs, changed her, and put her to bed. Then he came back downstairs, picked up Caprice, and took her up, changed her, and put her to bed.

Then Marcus came downstairs, let Finn out for the night, and made his last checks to close up the house, letting Finn back inside when he came back from checking Edward's side and the basement.

"Kids all asleep?" Angus asked him, putting the the chopped vegetables for the haystacks in the fridge for morning.

"They are now," Marcus said. "Do you need me to say with you tonight?"

"No, i don't think so. Let's just trust that Robert knows what he's doing." Angus said. "I'm presuming it will be fine. I'm sure that we'll be heading upstairs soon ourselves, so feel free to turn in for the night."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I'm sure. It's fine. Goodnight," Angus said.

"Okay. Goodnight," Marcus said, heading upstairs to go shower and head to bed, knowing morning was going to come all too soon.

Aria smiled hearing him and the heard the babies she nodded as he told ehr to sit still , she could not hep smile as he carried Dimond up then returned for Caprice. Now she stood up and headed to their room showered and changed into her PJ's.

Ruby f9inished her prep work and placed them in bowls for the morning she smiled seeing Marcus carry the babies up to put them down to sleep followed by Aria who looked half asleep herself . Seeing Marcus return she smiled and nodded " night Marcus, aria already went up" she said as she finished wiping down the surface and placing her chopping bard in the washer to clean while they slept. Now done she looked at Angus " I do hope that potion of Roberts dopes stop her , even just for tonight" she said looking at him and knowing she would wake quickly tonight should anything happen.

Angus headed for bed when he had all the prep for breakfast done. He wasn't actually worried about sleeping, and he hadn't been, even when he'd woken with the bruises and welts. He had just taken it as any other encounter with an enemy. He actually really did not like that he needed a bodyguard or that Ruby tried to keep an eye on him at night. He wanted Marcus to be free to go back to guarding Khaat. He wanted Ruby just to go to sleep. The fact that Marcus was really supposed to be in every room he was in, every moment of the day was frustrating. It bothered him that if he so much as moved in bed, much less if he got up during the night, it always woke Ruby. It all actually really bothered him, making him feel trapped. Between Ruby knowing every breath he took at night, Minos hiding in his pocket now without warning, and Marcus not being able to even be more than a few steps away at all times, he felt like he never had one single moment of his day where someone wasn't watching his every move. There wasn't anyone else at the estate who had such tight supervision, but, so long as Priscilla and Suzanne were in his life, that apparently was how things were just destined to be.

He showered and changed, and when he got back to the bedroom, he defied Marcus's security measures and he opened a window just a couple of inches, just to get some of the crisp, cool night air into the room. As he inhaled a breath of it, it helped him relax a bit. He got into bed and turned off the lights.

"Thanks for the help with the breakfast prep, Ru. I appreciate it. You're a good sous chef, and I'm sure it'll be another busy day for some reason or another tomorrow. 'Night, Ru."

Ruby sat on the bed as she watched Angus open a window to let some night air in. " well your a good chef and I enjoy working with you in the kitchen" she said not even mentioning the window as she knew he had to be feeling the pressure of being watched all the time. Ruby was not going to add to it and so just smiled to him " come to bed when your ready" she said slipping under the covers " I promise not to wake if you move tonight" she said and chuckled as she then closed her eyes to sleep.

Aria watched as Marcus readied himself to sleep she smiled as she watched him. "I do hope she leaves him alone tonight." she said " if that potion does work maybe we can catch her and stop all this voodoo nonsense she keeps throwing Angus way, I'm surprised at how strong he's being " she said sitting down on the bed with her knees against her chest as she waited for him to join her.

"I'm glad you like it. The only other person I've had here who regularly ever spent time with me in the kitchen, quite honestly, is Abbey. She honestly didn't believe I knew how to cook without her. She saw it as her little job to come running at lunch time and supper time to help me cook. She's start to call for me three rooms away, calling 'Aggie!" and she'd run as fast as her little legs could carry her so she could get to me so I could cook. I should spend more time with her when she gets her cast off. I don't want her to forget what she's learned.

"Oh, speaking of Abbey," he said, settling in and pulling up the covers, "I've been meaning to say something. I know that you've gotten closer to Aria, and I'm glad you have. It's been good for both of you, but, maybe I'm wrong, but I think we should maybe try somehow to slow Aria down on getting super attached to Diamond. The law really does try to give a parent every single opportunity to get their kids back, and it isn't like Tom doesn't have the money to step up and hire another nanny. If he does that, if he hires a reputable nanny service, let's be honest, we might have to return Diamond. And if that happens, Aria would be really hurt. I mean, you know how this goes. Look at the battle we had to fight for custody of Sam and Victor. It certainly isn't set in stone about what's going to happen to Diamond long term, but neither do I want to see Aria really hurt. I'm not sure how to protect her a little, but it does concern me just a wee bit."

Ruby chuckled as Angus told her about how Abby had been his helper when she was younger and would go to him even from three rooms away. She then heard him talk of Aria and Dimond and nodded " I saw it too, but I think she ahs as well its why she's distancing her self a bit more , you know the runs to get out the house and separate herself from Dimond." she added " she'll be okay, I'll make sure she will be if that happens." Ruby said smiling at Angus as she watched him. " Jack was good today he hardly turned around but yet saw everything that was going on." she said and chuckled " he did have a full late and finished it too." she chuckled

"Jack always does a good job," Angus told her, yawning. "He's protective by nature, so he can do those sorts of assignments easily. I think its one of the reasons Robert sends him on protection details--because he just knows when to step in and when not to. As for Aria, I'll leave her to you. That sounds fine to me." He closed his eyes and slipped into a tired sleep.

He woke in good time in the morning, and he got up and dressed. He went to the nursery, and he called softly to Finn, who followed him downstairs. When he let Finn outside, he saw the lights were on in the kitchen on Edward's side. Simone was up, and Angus smelled her strawberry streusel muffins baking.

He made fresh coffee and tea, and then started to work on the haystacks by starting to fry up flat, thin hashbrown rounds, one for each person at the table. The hashbrown rounds were the actual "haystacks." Each haystack would be topped with shredded cheddar, a sunny side up fried egg, and that would be topped with crumbled crispy bacon, the fresh salsa, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkling of scallions. The haystacks would be similar to Ruby's idea of burritos but it would be crispy and crunchy and packed with tex mex flavor. And they'd go well with Simone's porridge and muffins, or at least Angus thought so.

Marcus came downstairs, up and dressed, still yawning. He headed for the coffee pot, and he heard Finn pawing to get back in. Marcus let Finn back in and fed him and then headed back to the coffee pot to try to get a cup for himself.

"Smells good--whatever it is," Marcus yawned again.

"That's your fried alfalfa," Angus teased.

"Git," Marcus scowled playfully.

Ruby chuckled and nodded she agreed " yeah and she'll be okay" she said a she felt him fall asleep next to her, She soon fella sleep too this time not waking until she felt him leave the bed , but she chose to stay put for a bit longer.

Aria woke and smelled cooking from below quickly washing she dressed and headed down to the living room to hear Marcus call Angus a Git " whose a git?" she asked " and why?" she chuckled a she moved to pore a cup of coffee to drink a she looked at both men.

Ruby woke about half an hour after Angus hand left she dressed in jeans and a light tee with slip on shoes as she went down stairs " morning guys" she said poring some juice for herself "Those smell wonderful , those the haystacks you were talking about?" she asked glancing over as he cooked.

"He asked what I was fixing, and I told him it was his alfalfa," Angus laughed.

"You're still a git," Marcus teased.

When Ruby came down, Angus was plating up the haystacks, and Edward and Simone were arriving. Edward had a big tureen of porridge, and Simone had a basket of hot, fresh strawberry streusel muffins.

"The porridge has muscovado sugar and fresh strawberries," Simone said, putting it on the sideboard with the muffins.

"It sounds great," Angus said, setting a plate for everyone on the table, each covered with a cloche. "I made a Tex Mex thing called a haystack. I made Marcus's with fresh alfalfa just for him.

"Asshat," Marcus called from the table.

"I've evolved. I was a git 30 minutes ago," Angus said. "Now I'm an asshat."

"Good. There's another talent you apparently have," Edward teased.

"Sometimes I don't understand you two boys," Simone said to Angus and Marcus.

"Well, you said it yourself. Boys," Edward laughed.

"Come get some hot fresh porridge and a muffin with your alfalfa then, Everyone," Simone said.

Marcus went and ladeled up a bowl of porridge for himself and took a muffin and sat down with one of the plates on the table. Angus followed him and did the same, but he returned to the kitchen and poured himself a mug of coffee too.

Aria heard Angus and Marcus and laughed out loud at the playfulness around this morning. Ruby chuckled as she heard them both teasing each other. at the name calling both Aria and Ruby laughed then chuckled seeing Edward and Simone enter. Hearing Simone Ruby chuckled as did Aria " welcome to our world Simone" she said and chuckled again as they gathered heir food and sat at the table to eat.

Now sat down Aria spoke to Angus " so how'd you sleep last night?" she asked as she ate. Ruby looked at Aria and then to Angus knowing she had not felt him move or if he had she had been so out of it and in a dead sleep she had not felt him.