Amber glared at her. "You have *no* idea." She sighed and looked at her plate. "You have no idea how lucky you are to be following Brianna instead of Charisma. I mean... she seems kind of mellow about the whole thing, right? Maybe making a few plans and doing some reminiscing, but for the most part she's calm at the moment, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Coral nodded. "I expect that to change sooner or later, but for now she seems pretty much in control of things."

"And she's not overly concerned with how this affects her career, is she? I mean... Brianna has a job to go back to if she decides this political thing isn't working out for her or she gets voted out at the end of this term - politics has never been a long-term goal for her."

"Right," Coral agreed again.

"This is all Charisma has. Aside from her son, politics is her life. It's all she's ever known... all she's ever wanted to do with her life. And Brianna Walker is poised to take all of that away."

Coral tilted her head in question. "Why would she?"

Amber shook her head, curls bouncing all over in an effort to make her point. "I'm not saying she would... or that she even wants to. I'm trying to make you see things from Charisma's point of view. To her, Brianna Walker is a threat - to her and everything she knows... everything she cares about. And yet for all that, I don't think she wants to destroy Brianna."

"What do you think she wants?" asked Saphira. Esmeralda nodded, telling Amber she wondered the same thing.

Amber blew out a breath. "I think what she really wants is for this all to have never been. Barring that...."

"Wait... all of what? Brianna and her ever becoming friends? Brianna leaving her twenty years ago? Brianna showing up in her life now? What??"

"Yes," Amber stated emphatically. Amber got up to pace, mindless of the food that sat cooling on her plate. After a few moments, Esmeralda grabbed her by the hand. Amber met her eyes and blew out a breath before she resumed her place at the table.

"Give me your impressions, Amber. I need to know what you think."

"Well, I think you should expect her to talk to you soon." Amber paused. "She's gonna have to before she blows a gasket."

"What do you mean? I thought she already had... blown a gasket, I mean."

"Oh she has, according to Opal, but it's been contained to her staff. Fortunately for her, her staff is heavenly and has learned to deal with the devil in a number of different ways. But if something doesn't change soon, she's gonna do something in public and that could destroy her. So I think she'll come looking to talk to Es to prevent that. After all - you owe her a story and can relate to hers."

"I'm safe."

"Exactly. And since she's spent the last several nights pacing and ranting and not sleeping...."

Esmeralda bit her lip thoughtfully. "Maybe I should force the issue," watching three sets of eyebrows jump to their foreheads. "Nono... not like that. When I get to work tonight, I'll send Opal and the girls home. Charisma will talk to me if there's no way for her to hide behind work."

"She'll have a come apart," Amber cautioned.

"Probably. But she's not stupid. And if it gets things moving again...."

Amber cocked her head. "I'll be there," she stated firmly.

"Amber...."

"Es, Saphira can't be there and I'd prefer you not be left alone if she's gonna go postal on you."

"Amber, you can't."

"Es, she won't be able to see me."

"But I will. And I can't share with her if I know you're there."

Amber was silent for a long moment. They all knew how Esmeralda worked, so she should have expected the objection. But with all she had been through recently....

"I don't like it," she finally said, "but I respect your reasoning. I will be there," holding up her hand when Esmeralda's lips parted in protest. "But I'll wait outside - beyond my ability to hear normal conversation. So if you need me, you'll only need to holler and I'll be there."

"That sounds fair," Saphira offered cautiously.

"I can accept that," Esmeralda agreed. "Thanks, Amber. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Exactly."

"All right then... you need to finish eating and get to bed. I'll give you a call before I head to Charisma's office. She's usually my last stop, and there's no reason for you to have to be there for hours on end just waiting."

"Okay - just make sure you call me."

"I will. Thanks for breakfast, Coral. Thank you both for your reports. I don't feel quite so out of the loop now."

"Hopefully it will help things move forward soon."

"Here's hoping."


Chapter XX

"Opal? I need...." Charisma stutter-stopped and glanced around her dark and silent outer office. A frown marred her features and she moved to Opal's desk, intent on calling her wayward staff back to work, if only to fire them for disappearing in the first place. She froze when she noticed Esmeralda casually sitting behind Opal's desk.

"Es?" she muttered, struck dumb by the sight of the young woman she had spent the last several days avoiding. Charisma cleared her throat. "Is there... is there something I can do for you?"

Esmeralda smiled, her teeth white in the darkness. Then she stood and held out a hand, gratified when Charisma took it without hesitation. "No, Charisma. But I think there is probably something I can do for you," tugging gently on the hand she held. Charisma dug her heels in and refused to move.

"Where is my staff?"

"I sent them home," watching dark brows crawl up Charisma's forehead before they slammed down in the formation of a scowl.

"Excuse me?" her whisper fierce in its softness.

"I sent them home," Esmeralda repeated dutifully, then held up her free hand to keep Charisma from speaking further. "I wanted to speak to you privately, and you've used them to avoid me all week. Don't," she continued forcefully when Charisma opened her mouth to deny the accusation. "I am not stupid, Charisma. I know avoidance tactics when they are used against me."

"I would never accuse you of being stupid, Esmeralda. I just never realized you were quite so conniving... so sneaky." Her expression was one of confusion, though her voice was more accusatory. Esmeralda cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Charisma, be honest - if I hadn't sent them home, would you even be talking to me right now?" Charisma's blue eyes met Esmeralda's green ones briefly before finding the carpet pattern fascinating. Esmeralda squeezed the hand she still held. "Charisma?"

She saw Charisma bite her lip before sighing loudly and shaking her head. "Probably not."

"Can I ask why?"

Charisma snorted and pulled her hand out of Esmeralda's clasp. "Are you serious?"

Esmeralda just tilted her head and waited. Charisma growled and it was only centuries of familiarity with the sound that allowed Esmeralda to keep her composure.

"Of course you're serious. Why would I think otherwise?" Charisma grumbled. She took several steps away from Esmeralda, raking her hands through what to that moment had been a neat coiffure. Then she clenched her hands in her hair and whipped around furiously, mildly surprised when Esmeralda didn't flinch, even in the face of Charisma's glare. "How did you do it?"

"Excuse me?" a look of confusion marring Esmeralda's expression. "I don't understand."

Charisma studied Esmeralda for a long moment. "You really don't, do you?" she asked at last. "You have no idea...." She whirled until her back was to Esmeralda and remained that way for a long moment. When she turned around once more, she did so slowly and deliberately, the politician's mask firmly in place. "How did you convince my staff to simply leave here without a word to me? Surely they know...."

"Know what, Senator?" Esmeralda asked quietly, intentionally using Charisma's title to remind her... of so many things. "I know that you've been terrorizing them since you and Brianna met at the diner Friday night. No," she hastened to reassure Charisma when her eyes widened theatrically. "They haven't said anything; they didn't need to. I'm a student of human nature, remember? In my job, I see a lot and I hear a lot more. As for how I got them to leave, I asked them to give me a chance to talk to you."

Charisma's brows went into her hairline. "And that worked?"

Esmeralda shrugged. "Given your state of mind in the office this week? Is it really that difficult to believe?"

Charisma pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, hoping to alleviate the headache she could feel beginning behind her eyes. She blew out a breath. "No, I guess not," she replied without opening her eyes.

Esmeralda walked back over to stand beside Charisma, reaching up and removing Charisma's hand from in front of her face. It took another minute, but soon Charisma blinked her eyes and met Esmeralda's. "C'mon," Esmeralda invited, drawing Charisma towards her office. "I'm tired and you look like you could use a chance to take your shoes off."

Charisma snickered, as Esmeralda's pronouncement was nothing like what she'd expected it to be. However, she couldn't deny the truth of her words either. "How'd you guess?"

Esmeralda made a show of looking at her sneaker-clad feet before staring at the four-inch heels Charisma wore. "Dumb luck," she deadpanned, causing Charisma to snort before she reluctantly chuckled. Then she allowed Esmeralda to lead her back into her office.

"And the fact that you're a good half a foot shorter than your partner means you're the one stuck in heels when you go out." She stepped out of her heels with a sigh of relief and simultaneously, they collapsed on the couch.

"Actually, Saphira is more than my partner, Charisma - she's my mate. And when we go out, our heights don't change."

Charisma blinked her eyes, opening them wide. "Really?"

"Um hmm," Esmeralda confirmed, though she didn't elaborate, seeing another question lurking in Charisma's eyes. She waited and in another minute, Charisma cleared her throat.

"Can I ask you something, Es?" Esmeralda nodded. "What did you mean you when said Saphira was more than your partner? I mean... I thought that partner was the proper way to refer to her in regards to your relationship."

Esmeralda held Charisma's gaze, searching for any hint of disparagement or bigotry; what she found was an honest desire to understand why Esmeralda had felt the need to correct her wording... especially since she *knew* she had gotten it right. It was her business to be politically correct, after all.

"I suppose," Esmeralda started hesitantly, "that in your politically correct world, partner is the description that is utilized most often. And in some ways, I suppose it's probably an accurate description of what Saphira and I share together. After all, we are a couple in a relationship that has sex," she stated bluntly. "But more than that, we are connected - we are joined... here," she declared, placing a hand over her heart. "In our hearts and in our souls. Even without the recognition of the government or of a church, what we have is beyond price."

"You mean that," stated without inflection.

"I do," Esmeralda assured Charisma without hesitation. "I nearly lost it once, Charisma, and it almost killed me. I would have done anything to keep it."

"Why? How can you be so sure it's worth it... that *she's* worth it?"

"Because I know what it feels like to live without her."

Silence reigned while Charisma contemplated Esmeralda's words. Esmeralda could see her struggling and she placed a hand on Charisma's knee as it was the closest body part to her given the way Charisma had curled into the couch. Charisma looked up.

"What do you want to know, Charisma?"

The Senator swallowed and dropped her eyes back to the small hand that rested lightly on her knee, covering it with her own and smiling when Esmeralda shifted her hand so she could clasp Charisma's. Finally, Charisma took a deep breath. "Would you have done it anyway...." She paused and drew another deep breath. "If you had something to lose, would you have done it anyway?"

Esmeralda gently squeezed the hand she held, waiting patiently for Charisma's eyes to meet hers. "I had everything to lose, Charisma. Everything. But without Saphira, it didn't matter. None of it mattered. Without her...." Esmeralda shook her head and glanced away, remembering all too clearly the desolation and devastation she'd felt when she thought Saphira was gone from her forever.