"And your campaign? Despite Maxwell's claims, I don't have any direct ties to the Mob, but I am still going to be a liability."

"I don't see that," Charisma retorted. "But we should discuss it. If it's going to make you uncomfortable, I won't run."

"Charisma - this has been your dream since you were five. I can't be the reason you give it up. I don't want you to resent me five or ten or twenty years from now when you discover...." Fingertips on her lips made her stop speaking and Charisma leaned their foreheads together and blinked a tear into her lashes. She hadn't understood until this very moment how very fragile her friend... her lover... really was - especially about anything concerning *her*. She slid her free hand from soft lips and laced it into Brianna 's blonde hair.

"I want you to listen to me, Brianna - I want you to understand and believe everything I am going to tell you," waiting for Brianna to nod. "Good. Brianna... dreams change. And although my entire life has been geared towards becoming the first woman President, it's not my only focus anymore - it hasn't been for a while. Now, while I would be absolutely thrilled if at some point we decide to pursue a Presidential campaign with you at my side, it's not the be-all and end-all for me anymore."

"How can you know that?"

Charisma chuckled. "Because I've had years to realize what that single-mindedness cost me, and I'm not willing to settle for contentment anymore." She tilted her head enough to capture Brianna's lips, and this kiss wasn't chaste. It was hot and passionate and Charisma used her lips and tongue to convey every bit of feeling she possessed. Brianna responded as though she'd been granted her greatest wish - fervently and aggressively. Charisma smiled at the reverence Brianna managed to radiate within her desire and eased back until they could look into one another's eyes again. "Got it?"

Brianna smiled shyly. "You might have to remind me from time to time."

"It'll be my pleasure. Now let's go inside before Mama comes looking for us. It's not that I'm discomfited about making out, but being caught in the car by my mother would just be embarrassing."

Brianna laughed and they exited the car. "Is it wrong to feel happy... considering Es, I mean?" squeezing Charisma's hand when it captured hers.

"I don't think so. Es would understand, and she'd be the first to congratulate us. I just wish she'd lived to see it."

"I'd like to think she still can."


Chapter CX

"Senator Tagherty? This is Amber. You left a note for me to contact you...?"

"Yes, Amber. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Hang on while I put you on speakerphone." A beat. "How are you?"

Amber scrubbed a hand over her face and sighed. "Surprisingly, I'm okay. I'm angry at Es for dying, but at the same time, I know she's happy again, and it's hard to blame her for wanting that... even if it meant she had to die to find it again."

"So you think she's happy?"

Amber smiled, and although they couldn't see her expression through the phone line, they could definitely hear the truth in her voice. "Oh Senator... I *know* she is. She and Saphira have been together since their inception practically, and I know the first thing Es did was hunt Saphira up." She chuckled, and the sound caused Charisma to smile even without knowing the reason for it. "I kinda wish I'd been there at the beginning of that reunion. I'm betting Es gave Saphira an earful."

Now Charisma and Brianna laughed, having both been on the receiving end of getting an earful from Esmeralda. Kay and Okasa were a little more perplexed, but let it slide in the interest of moving things along. "I'll just bet she did. Saphira's ears are probably still ringing," causing Amber to snort. Charisma cleared her throat. "Amber, have you made any arrangements?"

Amber looked at Ruby who had remained silent during the whole exchange. Ruby shrugged and Amber sighed. "Not yet, Senator. I'm still waiting to hear back from the medical examiner saying they're releasing her body." She cleared her throat awkwardly - even though she knew the truth of both Esmeralda's and Saphira's deaths now, the terror she'd felt in those first few moments after Esmeralda's passing was still fresh in her mind. "I know she wanted to be cremated."

"Are you planning to have a service?" Brianna asked quietly.

"Um... no? I haven't really given it much thought. We just got back into town late last night."

"We?"

"Ruby's here with me."

Brianna nodded, even though Amber couldn't see the motion. "Well, if you don't feel comfortable planning something, would you allow us to? I know she was your family, but there are a lot of people on the Hill that called her friend and they'd probably like the chance to say goodbye."

"Will this be like Saphira's service was?"

"Similar," Charisma offered, "except that we won't hold the wake afterward unless you want to accept condolences from folks. We did it for Es because we wanted her to know how much support she had here."

"Would you excuse us for just a moment?" Amber queried and Charisma gave her affirmation. The line went silent for a few minutes except for some rustling background noises, and Charisma and Brianna stayed quiet while Amber and Ruby had a bit of private dialogue. When they were done, the rustling disappeared and was replaced with Amber's voice.

"We'd be happy to have your help planning a service like Saphira's - if you could get the word to those who you think need to know, we'll let you know as soon as we can make the arrangements. We'd rather not do the wake thing - although it's great to know that Es was appreciated by the people she worked for and with, it really doesn't make much difference to us in the long run," Amber stated bluntly. Okasa opened her mouth to retort, but a shake of Charisma's head made her jaw snap shut before she could comment on what she perceived to be Amber's rudeness. "I don't mean to sound harsh," Amber continued as though she sensed Okasa's objection, "but we're on a very tight schedule. The Father expects us to wrap things up quickly and return home."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of your Father," Brianna commented candidly. "Why exactly isn't He here? I mean... He's partially responsible for what happened to Saphira and Es since He's the one who disowned them and all."

Amber pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger while Ruby rubbed her back in an effort to alleviate the stress she could feel building. "It's not quite that simple," Amber replied with a sigh. "And Es and Saphira would be the first to understand why He was unable to be here."

"Explain it to me," Brianna demanded. "I'd like to understand."

"I can't," Amber said simply. "We don't have that kind of time."

"Make the time!"

"Brianna," said Charisma softly.

"Senator," Amber responded at the same time, her tone a plea. Brianna sighed.

"I'm sorry, Amber. I know it's none of my business, really, but you know...?"

"It's all right, Senator. I do understand how you feel. I wish there was a simple way for me to explain it so that you'd know what I know. But it's just not possible."

"You'll call us as soon as you hear something?" Charisma asked when the silence threatened to drag on too long.

"Of course, Senator. If you could call the funeral home...."

"Absolutely," Charisma assured Amber. "We'll be in touch."

"Thank you, Senator," Amber said and hung up without another word. She turned back to Ruby and blew out a breath, making her bangs flutter in the aftermath. "Well, I think the hard part is done. They will feel better being able to be a part of saying goodbye, and we have time to take care of the rest of the stuff that needs to be done."

"We can't just dispose of stuff like we normally do, I suppose."

"You know better. Unlike the rest of us, Es and Phira were human beings... not stand-ins like everyone else and not non-corporeal like Coral and I were. They existed as themselves on this plane - so we need to pack up their things and pay the remaining bills and whatever else needs taken care of so we can go home."

"All right," Ruby agreed. "Where do you want to start?"

"Let's start at the top and work down. We can clean as we go." Ruby nodded and they walked up the stairs and fell to work with a will.

************

Charisma called the funeral parlor and spoke to Mr. Prescott while Brianna took the responsibility for speaking to Matilda. Matilda was upset of course... especially as it seemed there would be no one to cook for, and cooking was her panacea for everything. Still, she knew she needed to respect the wishes of the family, and was glad she had been notified of Esmeralda's passing... regardless of the sadness it brought to her heart.

Once those two calls were completed, Brianna contacted Indi and Charisma called Opal and both Senators gave instructions for their assistants to inform the other Senators on their floor of what was going on. Then they leaned back with a sigh of relief and waited for Kay and Okasa to finish the phone calls to their respective families. Into this stepped Adam, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he crawled in Charisma's lap.

"Good morning, Son," she greeted with a brush of her lips over his forehead. He hugged her neck and held on tightly. Charisma looked down in concern. "Adam?"

"Why did Es go 'way, Mama?" he asked, tilting his head back to look into her eyes. She glanced at Brianna in shock. Brianna shook her head. No one had told him of Esmeralda's death.

"How do you know Es is gone, Adam?" Brianna asked.

"Angel," he replied succinctly, snuggling back into Charisma's neck. "She said Es went to Phira and Phira went away. Why did Es go?"

"Because she needed Saphira, Son. But remember... you told us Es was happy again. That's a good thing, right?"

"Miss Es," he grumbled.

"Oh Sweetie... we'll all miss Es. We just have to remember she's in a much happier place with Saphira now. And you know something else?" feeling him shake his head against her. "I'll bet Es and Phira both will be keeping an eye on you - you know... like Guardian Angels."

Adam's eyes widened and he craned his head back again so he could look Charisma in the eye. "Really?"

Charisma and Brianna both nodded seriously. "Really. It just seems like an Es kind of thing to do."

"'Kay," he agreed. "I hungry, Mama."

Ah, the resilience of children, Charisma thought, chuckling when she met Brianna's eyes. "Well... let's get you fed. I have it on good authority that your daddy will be here in a little while."

"We go see 'saurs?"

"Maybe," Charisma hedged. "We can ask Daddy when he gets here, okay?"

"'Kay!" he agreed enthusiastically, then pointed towards the kitchen. "Bre'fast?"

"Sounds like a plan, Little Man."

************

"Thanks for coming early, Kent," Charisma said as she invited him into her home. He crossed the threshold and nodded, clapping his hands together in an effort to keep from touching her. On the one hand, she was his almost-ex and it would just be awkward... at least for a little while. On the other, she was the mother of his son and had just lost someone she counted as a dear friend.

"Of course, Charisma," turning as she closed the door behind him. "Thank you for calling me." She led him into her study where they could talk privately for a moment. Brianna was with Adam in the kitchen and Okasa and Kay had left to meet their families at the train station. "What's up?" he asked with only a hint of surprise in his voice at being admitted into her private sanctuary.

Charisma sighed and motioned him to take a seat on one couch while she sat across from him on the other. "I wanted to let you know what was going on with Adam, so you don't get blindsided by things if he brings them up." He looked concerned, but just nodded for her to continue. So she told him of Adam's recent 'Angel' experiences, and when he looked at her skeptically, she sighed. "I wouldn't have believed it either, Kent... but he's the reason we went to check on Es last night. Somehow - whether it was divine interference or whatever, he *knew* Es was dead."

Kent held up his hands in surrender. "All right, Charisma... all right. I believe you. Do you think he's okay?"

"He seems to be." She cleared her throat. "You should also know that he and Brianna seem to be bonding... more than before, I mean," seeing him smirk. "He went right to her when he got up last night to tell us about Es. And she called him 'Son'."