Kent flipped through the pages slowly, recognizing this was a part of his wife he wasn't privy to, and never had been. He studied the woman who was Charisma's companion, thinking she looked familiar but unable to place her immediately.

He continued to look until he heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Without missing a beat, he closed the album and situated it on the counter just like he'd found it before disappearing into the mudroom. He waited until he heard Charisma and Adam moving away from him, then he made a move to follow them down the hall.

Kent carefully avoided the floorboards that squeaked as he approached Charisma's study, somewhat surprised that she had taken their son into her private room. As indulgent of a parent as she was, she was highly protective of the one private space she had. So Kent was intrigued that she brought Adam into her sanctuary with an album he'd never seen until today.

He stood out of sight, but close enough that he would be able hear Charisma's voice as she spoke to Adam. Then he waited.

Kent heard Adam speak. "Soft," the boy stated and Kent wondered what exactly Adam was describing. Then he heard Charisma's agreement.

"Very soft. Would you like to see the pictures?"

"Yes," came Adam's determined answer. The next sound Kent heard was the gentle creak of leather and the rustle of plastic pages when Charisma opened the book. He didn't need to be close to hear what happened next.

"BR'ANNA!" he yelled enthusiastically, grinning up at his mother as he pointed to the picture. Charisma put a gentle finger over Adam's lips.

"Remember your inside voice, please son," she admonished, biting her tongue when his smile fell.

"Mama," he proclaimed in a softer tone. "Br'anna. Br'anna good."

Charisma's smile was both pained and reflective. "Brianna's very good," she agreed. "She was Mama's best friend... a lifetime ago." Charisma shook her head and turned back to Adam. "Would you like to see the pictures with Mama and Brianna?"

Adam nodded vigorously and Charisma put her arm around him and snuggled him up next to her. Then picture by picture they started going through the album together.

Kent couldn't hear the words they exchanged now, but he really didn't need to. At least he finally knew why the woman in the pictures looked so familiar to him. Of course, that only gave him more questions to be answered - mainly, what had been between them and what had happened to keep them separated for twenty years. It occurred to him that Brianna's reemergence in Charisma's orbit might also go a long way towards explaining Charisma's recent behavior.

The sound of Charisma closing the album and sliding it carefully onto the table brought him out of his brown study and back to his immediate surroundings. Then he realized he could hear Adam and Charisma talking again and he returned his attention to their conversation.

"Mama?" Adam asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"I like Br'anna. Br'anna good."

There was silence for an eternal moment after that, then Charisma sighed. "Would you like to go see Brianna?" smiling when his whole countenance lit up. "She's visiting with Esmeralda and Saphira today and Esmeralda invited us over." She paused, grinning at his energetic nodding, though the smile never did quite reach her eyes. "Would you like to go visit?"

"YES!!" and she couldn't even chastise him for his loud enthusiasm. She had known, after all, what his answer would be before she'd even voiced the question. Charisma smiled and rose from her seat, watching Adam slide from the couch so quickly he ending up sitting on the floor. He stared at her, his expression a mixture of befuddlement and amusement. Charisma laughed and Adam joined her. Kent decided to take the opportunity to disappear.

Charisma put in a call to Turq, then the two of them walked back upstairs to find suitable clothing for their outing. It wasn't long before Charisma had herself and Adam bundled well in preparation for their venture into the cold outdoors. Then they went outside to wait, knowing Turq wouldn't be very much longer. Besides, Charisma wanted to give Adam the chance to expend a little of his somewhat frantic energy before they arrived at Esmeralda's and Saphira's.

So they were running around the front lawn when Turq pulled up. She exited the vehicle and stood waiting for them to trek over to her, keeping her smile to herself when Adam leaped into Charisma's arms and almost knocked her to the ground. She maintained her neutral faзade - though she couldn't keep her eyes from twinkling - when Charisma drew nearer breathing heavily. Turq opened the door and Charisma put Adam on the ground so he could crawl in himself. She bent over at the waist for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Then she straightened and looked Turq in the eye.

"Not one word, Turq."

"No ma'am," Turq agreed without even the faintest hint of a smile gracing her lips. "I wouldn't dream of it." Charisma held her stance for another moment before allowing her own smile to split her face.

"I am getting too old for this," she muttered in an aside to Turq. "Dammit," she mumbled as she stuck her hand into her pocket and came up empty. "Can you watch Adam for a minute? I forgot to grab the address we need."

"Yes ma'am," Turq said with a nod. Charisma raced back up the stairs and into the house.

Kent had been watching her play with Adam from the living room window, and he ducked into the coat closet when Charisma ran up the stairs. Then he cursed - hoping beyond hope she wouldn't look in there. He had no desire to explain why he was hiding out in the coat closet of his own home... especially since he was supposed to be in the City.

Fortunately, Charisma bypassed the closet and went straight into her study, shuffling through the things on her desk for a moment before triumphantly proclaiming 'Aha!'. Kent heard her return footsteps and he waited for her to reset the alarm and close the door before he took a semi-deep breath. Then he strained to listen, hearing the limousine engine start and after another moment or two, head down the long driveway. Still it was another full minute before he ventured to stick his head out the door.

He stepped back into the foyer and shut the closet door softly, leaning his head on it and taking a deep breath. He had a lot to consider, and the first thing he wanted to do was get another look at that photo album. Then he could sit down and maybe figure out what it all meant.

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

Charisma handed the folded paper to Turq as she slid into the car and Turq closed the door behind her. Then she unfolded the slip, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head when she recognized the address. She climbed behind the driver's seat and turned to Charisma who had not raised the privacy screen.

"Is this correct, Senator? This part of town isn't really...."

"It's correct, Turq. It's Esmeralda's address. She invited Adam and me over to visit today. You can drop us off and then come back and pick us up later. I'm not going to ask you to wait there for us."

Turq nodded, wishing she had a way to let Esmeralda know what was coming down the pipeline, but unless Charisma chose to utilize the safety screen, there wasn't going to be an opportunity before they arrived at the house. So she drove through the relatively non-existent Sunday traffic, clenching the steering wheel until they arrived.

"Don't get out," Charisma instructed as she reached for the door handle. "Wait until I'm sure we're welcome - then you can have the day until I call you, all right?"

"Yes ma'am," Turq replied and waited for Charisma to wave her off as she and Adam entered the house. Turq had a feeling there were going to be some stories to tell tonight.


Chapter XXXIV

Esmeralda took a deep breath and opened the door to find the woman standing in front of her rapidly rubbing her hands together to stimulate some warmth. Esmeralda cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. "Mal, is there a good reason you're standing on the front porch in Washington without your gloves instead of in the City with Kent?" She paused and frowned. "And why did you knock anyway?"

Mal stuck her hands under her armpits and jerked her head towards the door. "Can I come in? I didn't realize it was going to be so cold here or I'd have made sure my gloves were in my coat pockets before we left the City." Esmeralda opened the door wider and gestured Mal into the house. "As for why I knocked, I wasn't sure what was going on today. I thought I saw a limousine leaving the neighborhood and I didn't want to chance barging in on something. At least knocking means I can be a friend who stopped by to check on you."

Esmeralda nodded. "Good thinking, Mal. But it still doesn't explain why you're here instead of the City with Kent. Do you have the information we need?" reaching out to help Mal remove her coat.

"I dunno," Mal shrugged. "I'll tell you what I know and you can make that decision."

"Okay," Esmeralda agreed. "Go into the bedroom and wait for me. I need to let Saphira know you're here and then I'll join you and you can tell me what's going on."

Mal nodded and slipped into the hall. Esmeralda hung up Mal's coat in the closet, then stuck her head into the kitchen. She watched unnoticed for a moment. She didn't know what the joke was, but it was heartwarming to see old friends and new bonding so well. After a moment, she shifted just slightly, knowing that any movement on her part would garner Saphira's attention.

"Es?" she invited, holding out a hand. "Who was at the door?"

"It was Mal," watching two sets of brows hike into hairlines. She arched her own brow. "She came to see how I was doing, but she forgot her gloves and can hardly move her fingers. So I'm gonna go help her warm her hands slowly and then I'll bring her in."

"Go," Saphira commanded. "Ruby and I can entertain Brianna for a few more minutes."

"She's right," Ruby agreed. "We have lots more diner stories to share." Esmeralda saw Brianna nodding her agreement and smiled.

"All right. We'll be out in a few minutes," she said with a slight wave as she disappeared around the corner of the kitchen. It was quiet long enough for them to hear a door down the hall close softly, then they returned to their conversation.

Esmeralda looked around the bedroom and realized that Mal had already moved into the bathroom and was running cold water over her hands. She nodded approvingly. "Good girl. I told them I was going to help you get your hands warmed up. Now talk to me - what's going on?"

Mal sighed. "Do you know what's been going on between Kent and Charisma... with the phone calls and everything?" waiting for Esmeralda to nod. "When he realized she'd called him again - and in the middle of a show, no less - he made arrangements to leave the City for a couple days to come back to Washington and find out exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, by the time he decided to do this, it was very, very late last night. And I didn't want to leave him unwatched until I was sure he got home safely."

"I can understand that, Mal. So you're here now because...?"

"When he arrived home, I found Jade keeping watch over Charisma and Adam. She agreed to keep an eye on Kent so I could come over and give you the lowdown on what was going on." Mal winced when Esmeralda made the water lukewarm, sucking in a breath and then relaxing again under Esmeralda's tender ministrations. "You could have been a nurse, Es."

"No thank you," Esmeralda declined firmly with a shudder. "I don't like the sight of blood."

Mal bit her lip, knowing she had wandered into a hornet's nest with her comment. "Sorry, Es," she whispered.

Esmeralda leaned forward and brushed a kiss over Mal's forehead. "No harm, no foul, my friend," offering her forgiveness in the touch. "Now what can you tell me about what else is going on up there? Does he have a lover or significant other? Or are his interests purely business related?"

"From everything I've seen and been able to find out, his interests are legitimate. He has his theatre gigs and he has that restaurant/bar combo that he's invested in. He goes into the theatre around four-thirty or five every afternoon, and he's there until the show is over. Then he goes over to the restaurant for an hour or two - has a meal, talks to his partner...."

"Tell me about the partner."

Mal studied the running water thoughtfully, almost smiling this time when Esmeralda turned up the temperature on the water. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to forget my gloves," she mumbled. "I know better."