"I suppose you heard all of that?"

"Yes," Esmeralda replied decisively. "What brought this on?"

"I don't know, boss. We didn't get much more warning than what I gave you."

Esmeralda blew out a breath. "All right. Keep your eyes and ears open and call me back once Brianna's gone back to her office. I'm gonna give Indi a call."

"Will do, boss."

"Thanks Opal. Good work."

Amber put a cup of coffee in front of Esmeralda even as Coral hung up the phone, then turned around and dialed Indi. It didn't ring twice before Indi picked up. "Senator Brianna Walker's office. This is Indigo - how may I help you?"

"Indi, it's Es," Esmeralda said without preamble. "What happened?"

They could almost hear Indi's shrug through the phone. "I dunno, Es. Opal called; I put her through to Brianna. Next thing I knew she was out the door and down the hall."

Esmeralda pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "How did she seem?"

"Determined, if I had to put a name to it. She didn't hesitate and she was pretty focused when she walked out of here."

Esmeralda sighed. "All right. Let me know what happens when she gets back, will ya?"

"You betcha, boss. Anything else?"

"No, Indi. Thanks." Esmeralda nodded at Coral who thumbed the phone off and hung it up. Esmeralda leaned back when Amber put a plate of food down in front of her. There was the sound of chairs scraping against the floor and silverware tinkling against plates, but otherwise it was quiet in the kitchen as they allowed Esmeralda to process what she'd just heard.

After a while, she pushed back from her place and leaned back in her chair. Three sets of eyes turned her way and she sighed.

"Now what?" Amber asked before Esmeralda could speak. Saphira reached out a hand and smacked the back of her head. Amber clapped a hand on her head and turned to glare at Saphira. "What'd you do that for??" Saphira just gave her a look.

"All right you two... enough," Esmeralda said without a hint of a smile, though Coral was having problems keeping a straight face. "Now we wait. Who knows... maybe they'll solve this without us now."

"But you don't think so," Saphira stated without question. Esmeralda shook her head.

"No. It's never that easy."

"Okay, so now what?" Amber asked again. "And no smacking," she added with a glare in Saphira's direction. "It's a legitimate question."

"Yes, it is. But for right now... we do nothing. We can't do anything until we know what they're doing."

"Any thoughts about that?" Coral asked.

"I have all kinds of thoughts," Esmeralda replied dryly. "But I'd like to wait and see what we hear from Opal and Indi. I have a feeling this is Charisma's attempt to take control of things before they get completely away from her. I doubt Brianna is gonna let that happen."

"Well, you did say things were going to get more interesting."

"Lucky me," Esmeralda answered drolly, drawing laughs from around the table. She stood up and Saphira followed, picking up their plates and moving them to the sink... only to be pushed out of the way by Coral and Amber.

"We've got this," they proclaimed. "You two go... do something else. We'll let you know when Opal and Indi call back. They you can figure out what to do with it."

"Thanks, guys," Saphira said with a nod. The she held her hand out to Esmeralda who took it without hesitation. Then they went back into the bedroom and closed the door behind them. Coral and Amber watched them go, then shook their heads and got back to work.


Chapter XXIII

Charisma looked up from the legal brief on her desk when Opal knocked on the door. She pulled her reading glasses off and folded the arms together, placing them on the desk and motioning Opal in. Opal stepped into the room just past the threshold and announced Brianna's arrival in the office. Charisma nodded her acceptance and simply said, "Show her in."

Opal crossed back into the outer office and gestured Brianna forward. When Brianna reached the door, Opal announced her. "Senator Brianna Walker."

"Thank you, Opal," Charisma acknowledged with a smile, then she looked at Brianna. "Can she bring you anything...?"

"No thank you."

Charisma nodded and Opal took the dismissal for what it was, closing the door behind her and returning to her desk to resume her conversation with Esmeralda. Meanwhile, inside the office, Charisma motioned Brianna to a seat. Instead, Brianna stood behind one of the guest chairs facing Charisma and braced her hands on the top.

"Why am I here, Charisma?"

Charisma held Brianna's gaze, searching the green eyes she'd once known as well as those she saw in the mirror every morning. Brianna didn't flinch or look away and eventually, Charisma sighed and looked down at her desk for a moment, leaning her arms on it and folding her hands in front of her before bringing her eyes back up to meet Brianna's.

"Brianna, would you please have a seat?"

Brianna held her gaze another full minute, then relented and took the seat she had been hovering behind. "Now will you tell me why you summoned me, Charisma?"

Charisma's eyes widened. "I didn't summon you. I simply asked for a few minutes of your time at your earliest convenience."

Brianna barely contained the urge to roll her eyes. "Semantics, Charisma," then held up her hand before Charisma could protest. "It doesn't matter. What can I do for you?"

Charisma picked up her glasses and leaned back, crossing her legs and bringing the arms of her glasses to her lips. "I thought perhaps we could clear the air... set some ground rules," watching Brianna's brows fly into her hairline and her eyes darken to a stormy gray color. "I mean," she stumbled on hastily, "since we'll be working together and all."

Brianna settled back herself, crossing her legs and leaning her elbow on the chair arm so she could prop her head on her fingertips. "Can I ask why?"

Charisma frowned. "I don't understand - why what?"

"Why this? Why now? It's not like we've really had occasion to interact with one another so far, so why start worrying about it now?"

Charisma sighed. "Because at some point in the near future, we *will* have to interact with each other, and I'd like us to be on the same page when it happens to save us both from being embarrassed or worse."

"And I'd like for us to be friends again, but I doubt there's any likelihood of that happening in my lifetime, despite...." trailing off when she saw the anger cloud Charisma's blue eyes.

"Despite what, Brianna? And I suggest you tread lightly, Senator Walker."

Brianna shook her head. "No," she stated. "I'm not treading at all. I'm not getting into this with you here."

Charisma stood and laid her hands on the desk, leaning forward until she almost reached the other side. "You expect me to simply forget the fact that you walked out on me twenty years ago... with no explanation?"

Brianna rose and mirrored Charisma's position until they were nose to nose, practically breathing the same air. "I expect you to remember that you never once tried to find out why I did." She drew in a deep breath and was suddenly assaulted by the scent of Charisma that surrounded her. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and straightened, backing away from the desk and walking towards the door. "You never once considered that I did it for you, did you, Ri?" Brianna smiled sadly at the flummoxed expression on Charisma's face. She waved her hand to stop Charisma's speech before she could open her mouth. "It doesn't matter, Senator," she went on formally. "I will be the consummate professional on any occasion we are forced to work together. If anyone asks, we were college roommates that lost touch, only to be brought back together again by the winds of chance or Fate or God... whatever. Pick one - I don't care."

"Are you serious?"

"As a freaking heart attack," Brianna replied flatly. She reached the door and put her hand on the knob, then turned back to Charisma once more. "I've missed you, Charisma... more than you could possibly understand, but I'm not going to be pushed into anything. However, if you ever decide you want to talk about things, well... you know where to find me."

A frown creased Charisma's face. "That's why I called you down here - so we could talk."

Brianna shook her head. "No - you called me down here so you could ensure that I wouldn't screw up your political career by embarrassing you in some way. I can assure you that I won't and have no intention of doing so. But I don't want or need your lectures on behavior and deportment."

"That's not what...."

"That's *exactly* what you were going to do. You were planning to give me ground rules, remember? That's tantamount to a lecture." Brianna sighed. "Look, I haven't done anything in twenty years to mess you up. I'm certainly not going to start now."

Without another word, Brianna opened the door and crossed back into the outer office before shutting the door soundlessly behind her once more. Charisma simply watched her go, unable to think of a way to make her stay without causing some sort of scene. And since that had been the entire point of meeting with Brianna in the first place, she decided that discretion was definitely the better part of valor in this case.

Opal observed the shakiness of Brianna's limbs as she paused outside the closed door, but did nothing to bring attention to it. Instead she returned the courtesy when Brianna nodded her goodbye, wondering how long it would be before Charisma came storming out of her office.

Meanwhile, Indi followed Brianna into her inner sanctum, hoping she could find out *something* to report to Esmeralda. What she got was a request for a tea tray and some notes on the bill Brianna was currently studying.

When she'd retrieved the things Brianna had asked for, Indi made as if to leave Brianna's office, intent on calling Opal to see if they could conference call with Esmeralda. A question from Brianna immediately waylaid that idea.

"Indi, do you know the custodian Esmeralda?" Brilliant blue eyes widened, but otherwise she gave no indication of what she thought of the query. She blinked once and nodded, wondering where this had come from and better yet - where it was going.

"Um, yeah... sure. Senator Whitman was very fond of her. He always stayed a few minutes to talk to her when he could, so I've known her for a while now, I guess. Why?"

Brianna shrugged. "I think she's far more than she seems."

Indi smiled. "Aren't we all, Senator? I mean, none of us really reveals all of who we are to anyone."

"That's true," Brianna nodded in agreement. "But with her I feel like... I don't know exactly - I feel like I'm missing something important."

Indi tilted her head in question. "Do you like her, Senator? Do you trust her?"

Brianna chuckled. "That's the funny thing - I really do. My gut tells me she's good people... she and Saphira both. And I learned a long time ago to trust my gut."

"But...?"

"But she seems too good to be true. Too real... too genuine."

"If you trust her... trust your gut... shouldn't that be enough?"

"I don't know - should it? What are your impressions?"

Indi took a deep breath. She was treading a very thin line. "Senator, I can only tell you what I know from what I've learned in this office," waiting for Brianna to nod before continuing. "Right... in the time I've know Esmeralda, she's proven to be loyal, insightful and able to keep a secret tighter than Fort Knox. Her genuine concern for people could have made her a part of the clergy or the medical field, but she seems happy in what she does as a custodian." Indi scratched the side of her jaw. "Come to think of it, she's a really good custodian."

"And your personal opinion? C'mon, Indi," Brianna coaxed when Indigo hesitated. "I know you've got to have one."

"I am glad that she is willing to call me friend," Indigo confessed. "I'd like to be like her when I grow up."

Brianna's eyebrows went into her hairline. "May I ask why? Indigo, you're the epitome of a successful woman - beautiful, brilliant... a college honor grad with a successful career."

"And you don't think Es is because she didn't go to college or because she's a janitor?"

"I didn't say that," Brianna replied defensively. "In fact, it was Es that pointed out to me that most people don't consider her to be successful for those very reasons."