A Birth day

Ruby heard Marcus and smiled " thank you Marcus" she said and nodded when he said he and Aria would head home but be back early the next day " have a good sleep guys" she said seeing them out and locking the door behind them. Now she headed up to their room changed into her PJ's and slipped into bed to wait for Angus.

Aria smiled and walked to the door with Marcus then across the yard to the cottage "good thing you found Kate" she said as they walked towards the front door." I hope she'll be all right." Aria added as she stepped inside and flicked a light on so they could see.

Jess smiled hearing Kate speaking to Robert she gently touched Kate and looked to Robert " all stable" she said softly " and I'll get Jack to retrieve the packages and your purse, I'll be back in a moment." she said as she stood up and walked to the door and up to the living room where she found a freshly washed and changed Jack siting drinking a cup of tea. " could you go to diagon alley and redrive Kates things she said she placed them into an empty crate by flourish and blots" she told him. Jack placed down his cup and smiled walking over he gave her a kiss and nodded.

"won't take long, and I'll watch out for Moira's bunch" he told her before porting away to the alley. Jess smiled and walked back to the sick bay " I sent Jack to get them , don't worry" she said to Kate. " just rest." she looked at Robert " I feel she would rest better in her own bed rather than in sick bay." she said to Robert hoping he would agree with her.

Angus got out of the shower and headed to bed.

"It's been a long day," he told Ruby, getting into bed. "I think this weekend we should put up the Christmas tree and do the stirring up and make it a real Christmas for Elwood and Jada. What do you think?"


"I intended to," Robert told Jess. "This room will just keep her anxious. She'll get no more benefit being down here anyway. She needs her own space." He had no intention of leaving Kate in sickbay all night. "Oh, and depending on how she feels in the morning, i might not go into St. Mungo's tomorrow. i can do ministry paperwork from home, and, very likely, get more done that way than actually going into the office. I'll let you know in the morning. Can you send my briefcase and her clothes upstairs to our room, please? Thanks for your help, Jess."

As Robert picked her up, blanket and all, Kate made one feeble attempt to tell him he didn't need to stay home because of her. He had noticed she had again called him Rob. It happened so very, very rarely that he noticed.

"I hear you," he told her gently, "but sometimes I just feel better being closer to you. I have stacks of holiday time, so they just might need to do without me for a day." He took her upstairs to their room. He helped her into a pair of clean pajamas and tucked her into bed, and in the process, he deliberately cast a relaxation spell without her knowing. He didn't want it to be obvious to her, but he wanted her to be able to settle.

"How about I ask Nicky to send you up something to put in your stomach, even just a bit of broth. I know you haven't had anything," he told her.

"I didn't think I was getting back this time," she told him. "How did I get back?"

"Angus's gran heard you, and she fetched Angus and Marcus and Aria. They tracked you and drove off moira and brought you home. Why was she after you, Kate?"

"I...don't know. I don't remember some of it very clearly. It's really fuzzy."

"That's the blow to the head you took," he told her. He went to the door and spotted Shannon in the hall. "Shannon, is Nicky still in the kitchen?"

"Always, Robert," she laughed. "How can I help you?"

"Could he heat up a cup of broth or soup or something for Kate, by chance? She hasn't had anything for hours."

"Absolutely. I'll bring something soothing in half a tick," she smiled.

"Thank you," he said.

Ruby heard Angus and nodded as he suggested putting up the tree this weekend " I agree be nice to have something positive to look at "she said smiling as she watched him cross the floor and climb in next to her.

Jess looked at Robert and nodded " I'll cover for you, did it before can do it again" she said with a smile. Watching as Robert picked up Kate she picked up his briefcase and Kates clothing in her arms as she watched as Robert started to walk with Kate towards their room. Jess moved to his room and placed down the case and Kates clothing placing it into the laundry basket for washing , she then moved to turn down the bed so Robert could place Kate straight into it. Hearing him talk to Shannon she smiled double checking everything was ready for Kate even down to adding fresh water to a jug next to the bed if she needed a drink and Robert was sleeping.

"Thank you, Jess," he said as Kate slipped into a very light doze. "She won't sleep more than a couple minutes. She's still too rattled. Sounds like moira got the drop on her, and she believed she honestly wasn't going to get home this time. I'll know she's better when she stops calling me Rob. Nobody ever calls me that--except her, and she only does it if its a bit of a slip because she's gotten truly afraid. Kate is the sort of woman that doesn't frighten easily. The first time I ever knew of her to get really afraid was the night she went into labor with Khaat. She was, of course, a first time mom, and she was having complications in the last little bit of her pregnancy. And some of her well meaning friends had filled her full of horror stories, so when she went into labor, she had a huge panic attack, and, without realizing it, she called me Rob until after Khaat was born. When she calmed down, I became Robert again, and she didn't actually realize at all that she had called me anything different. It's only happened a couple times in all the years we've been together. I'll know she's better when I become Robert again."

He looked through her clothes and the only thing he really found was a sales receipt from Flourish and Blotts. She had bought quite a big stack of new storybooks for Abbey and some new books for Robert and for herself.

"Well, it looks like somewhere there a 50 pound sack of books that she bought," he laughed. "I don't know if Jack will find them with her wand and her purse or not. But all of that can be replaced."

Jess listened to Robert and nodded " every one copes in different ways" she said softly to him as she saw Kate slip into a light sleep. Jess gave her one last check and then stepped back from the bed once she covered Kate with blankets. She heard Robert look threw Kates clothing and list what she had bought " I'm sure Jack can cope" she said with a chuckle knowing Jack would bring them back if he found them.

Jack ported to diagon alley and began walking towards flourish and blots it wasn't long before he caught movement to huis left. Walking over he pulled back some news papers and saw a purse and wand along with a sack of books in a flourish and blots bag. " found you, thanks Caprice" he said and smiled as the bag rustled again. Grabbing the bags and wand he tucked it into the purse and ported back to the main house placing the bags on the couch before heading to find Robert and Kate. Heading to the sick bay he caught the sound of talking upstairs and followed the sound to see Jess and Robert talking. " just to let you know I went back to the Ally and found her things, all are down stairs but I think she bought out flourish and blots." he said with a chuckle holding up Kates wand for Robert to see. .

"Bless you, Jack. She'll be very relieved to see you recovered it all," Robert said. Shannon arrived with a tray that had a mug of cheese soup on it, along with some garlic toast soldiers, a couple mugs of Robert's almond tea, and some homemade gingerbread cookies.

"Thank you, Shannon," Robert said, taking the tray. "And thank Nicky for me too, would you?"

"She's going to be alright?" Shannon asked.

"Oh, yes. She'll be fine. I am quite sure she won't be following my recommendations by morning, but I expect it."

"Do let us know if we can do anything to help."

"I will. Thanks," he said. "Jess and Jack, you've done wonders. I think I can take it from here, and i think its well past everyone's bedtime. I won't keep you further. I'll see you at breakfast. Goodnight."

He took the tray into the bedroom and closed the door.

Angus got up at his usual time, and he dressed and went downstairs, smelling coffee and bacon. He was surprised to see Jada cooking breakfast and Ginger was making some sort of pastry thing.

"Well, good morning, Ladies," he said, pouring himself coffee. "I didn't know you cooked, Jada." She looked at him and nodded. He saw she had a large skilletful of bacon, and in the other large skillet, she had a huge batch of scrambled eggs cooking.

"She wants to do something with potatoes but she isn't sure what," Ginger said. "She has some potatoes washed and cut into thin slices but that's as far as she got.'

"Why don't you let me handle those potatoes," Angus said. "Let's turn the into a tart of potatoes, caramelized onions and goat cheese?" Jada looked at him with a smile and nodded. To her, that sounded delicious.

Jess and Jack smiled to Robert but it was Jess who spoke " anytime Robert you know that and we'll be not far should you need us" she said and took Jacks hand leading him to their room and to bed.

Ruby woke slowly and found Angus was already up. dressing she headed down and saw Jada and Ginger cooking " smells good girls" she said smiling as she pored herself a cup. Hearing Angus she smiled to him " morning dear and that sounds perfect" she said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"They've already done the hard part for me. They have the potatoes scrubbed and sliced. The rest is basically assembly," Angus said. He took some onions, sliced them very thinly, and then cooked them til they were caramelized. Then he fanned out the potato slices in a tart pan, layered on the onions and the goat cheese and some herbs and spices and repeated the layers until he was satisfied and then put the tart in the oven.

By then, Ginger was finished with her pastry. She had done her best to make a cinnamon crumble coffee cake. Angus put it in the oven for her. The boys were up by then, and, at Angus's request, they fed Finn and took him over to the sheep pen to start his day with the sheep. Then the boys came back for coffee and breakfast. By then Anise was awake. Angus poured some coffee and took it up to Elwood, who was just waking up.

"Breakfast should be ready in about fifteen minutes," Angus told everyone. "I did a very slight enchantment to speed up the cooking time. Anise, can you and Ginger show Jada how to set up the sideboard so that she knows where to find things?"

"Sure," Ginger said.

Ruby heard Angus and smiled " well done" she said smiling " guess I'm out a job" she said with a chuckle as she watched Angus put the dish together. Seeing the boys return and grab some coffee she chuckled and smiled as the girls set up the side board leaving her to sit and drink her coffee while she watched the fae flutter back to their homes out side the window.

Jack and Jess woke , dressed and headed down to the living room ready for the day. " morning guys" Jack said as he pored some coffee and sat to drink it " any one know how Kate is this morning?" he asked hoping she would be better than last night.

"Yes," Michael said, fixing his plate with a serving of Zoe's eggs benedict and a generous spoonful of her sweet potato breakfast hash. "I just came from there. I took them each up a breakfast plate and a mug of coffee. Robert helped her with a shower, and he's let her have a pair of sweats today but he has made it clear he does not wanting her to try to go up and down stairs by herself. Her balance is way off today. He says she has a horrendous headache, and he says he got an ice pack for her a couple hours ago to try to reduce the pain and pressure. He's given her a part of a dose of pain potion too. He wants her to have rest and quiet today, but he isn't even attempting to keep her in her room. She's a little clingy today, but I get the impression that she honestly was sure she was going to die last night. He's taken the day off completely today for her, and I think that's wise. I took her things that you recovered last night up to her, and Robert gave the back to her this morning when she woke up. She's very grateful. And I've been given a mysterious mission." He showed Jack a box that was tied shut with string on all four sides. "I am supposed to deliver this box to Angus. I have no idea what's in it. I'm just supposed to give it to him." He looked towards the kitchen. "Zoe, the sweet potato hash is my new favorite food. Please keep making it til it runs out my ears."

"I am so glad you like it," she smiled. "I'll make it just for you."

"Bless you, my dear," he smiled.

Angus took the potato tart and Ginger's cinnamon crumble cake from the oven. He cut them both into wedges and put them on the sideboard with Jada's bacon and eggs, just as marcus and Andrew arrived for the day. Andrew headed straight up to get Elwood ready for breakfast.