"I did consider it," Okasa confessed, seeing a glimmer of hurt flash through the green eyes facing her. "But you're a part of this family too, Little Bri. And I would never forgive myself if I did something to make you feel otherwise. I would never betray your trust on this, Brianna. It's too important to everyone... not just you and Charisma." She paused briefly. "Is it wrong that I want my whole family back together again?"

Brianna sighed and let her shoulders slump in defeat. "It may not be wrong, Mama O, but you need to understand it's impossible."

"It doesn't have to be."

Brianna nodded sadly. "In this case, it does. I cannot... WILL not... be the one to break the stalemate between us, Okasa. I bent over backwards for twenty years to ensure her success and she can't bring herself to offer me more than professional courtesy." She snorted. "Sometimes she can't even offer me that. No, Mama - I will not offer these letters to her... and neither will you. If there's something she wants to know, she can ask - I'm right here. But I'm not going to keep enabling her. I can't."

Okasa nodded and rose. "I understand, Brianna. I really do. I just wish it hadn't turned out like this."

Brianna offered her a wistful smile. "I wish a lot of things hadn't turned out the way they have, Mama, but you can only play the cards you're dealt - even when all you've got is a lot of nothing."

Okasa nodded, but didn't reply otherwise. Instead she moved towards the door. Brianna picked up the box to follow, but Okasa shook her head. "No, Little Bri. That's not for my keeping any longer. It's yours now. You do what you want with it."

"But...."

"You mind now, young lady. I need to get back to Patrick. If we can arrange it before we go back home, will you have lunch with us? Just me and Paddy?"

"Of course, Mama. You let me know when and where."

Okasa smiled. "I know better. I'll call and see when you're available and fit our schedule to it." She turned back to Brianna, removed the box from her grip and placed it on the table before she opened her arms for a hug. Brianna didn't even hesitate, but stepped into the embrace and held on tightly for a long moment. "Don't be mad at me, Brianna, or angry with me either. What I did here was borne out of love and affection for you both."

"I know, Mama O. I love you too. Are you certain you're okay to go back to Paddy this late alone?"

Okasa smiled. "He's coming to get me if he's not waiting outside already. You know the man has the patience of Job."

"Oh, Mama - he could have come upstairs. It's too cold to be sitting in the car tonight."

"And knowing me Paddy, he came into the lobby as soon as he got here and is sitting downstairs with Sergeant Orwin watching whatever sporting event is on at the moment. I promise you, Brianna - Patrick Tagherty can take care of himself."

"Truer words were never spoken," Brianna muttered, gaining her another smile and hug from Okasa.

"However, I see no reason to make him wait longer than necessary, or to keep you up any longer." Okasa cupped Brianna's face carefully in her hands. "You look exhausted, my dear. Don't let this job kill you, Little Bri. It'll take over your life if you let it."

"Two years, Okasa. That's all I said I would do."

Okasa nodded, but said nothing until they reached the door. Then they briefly embraced before Brianna opened the door. "Be careful, Mama O."

"Get some rest, Little Bri. Goodnight."

Brianna watched until the elevator door closed behind Okasa, then she shut her apartment door. She glared balefully at the Rubbermaid box, then deliberately turned her back to it and went back into her bedroom. Everything would wait until tomorrow. Now it was time to sleep.

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

And in Manhattan, Kent sat in the dark looking out at the night sky. He missed the stars here, but the skyline made up for it in so many ways, and he could feel the energy of the City pulsing around and through him as a living entity. He wondered if he could give it all up - if he'd want to. Then he determined that before he made any major decisions, he would watch and wait and observe.

With his mind made up on that score, he rose and closed the curtains in the living room - after all, he still had neighbors even this high up. Tonight he would go to bed and sleep. Tomorrow, he would go back to the theatre and go back to work. The tomorrows after that would have to care for themselves as they came along.

For now, he would remain in the shadows... and watch.


Chapter XXXIX

It was several days later before Charisma and Brianna chanced to run into one another again. Although they hadn't consciously been avoiding one another, it was their first meeting since their Sunday afternoon at Esmeralda's and both were at something of a loss to find words to say to each other. After a long moment of awkward staring, Charisma shook her head and chuckled sadly as her eyes dropped to the floor.

Despite herself, Brianna felt a pang of concern ripple through her and she briefly placed a gentle hand on Charisma's arm, leaving it there until blue eyes lifted to meet green. Then she sucked in a breath at the pain that was reflected back to her and she pulled her hand away as a matter of course. Charisma caught it and held on - not tight enough to cause injury, but firmly. Brianna looked at their joined hands and then back at Charisma's eyes.

"Charisma?"

Charisma held her gaze, then took a deep breath and nodded. "Will you join me for lunch?"

Brianna blinked. Whatever she'd expected to come from Charisma's mouth, those words weren't even in the top one hundred possibilities. "Excuse me?"

"Will you join me for lunch?" Charisma repeated, then shook her head at Brianna's continued dumbfounded expression. "You know what... nevermind." Charisma squeezed the hand she held once, then dropped it and turned away, shaking her head again. This time Brianna did the holding - catching Charisma by the bicep before she could walk away.

"Charisma? Charisma, talk to me. I think I deserve that much."

"Have lunch with me." This time the words actually made sense to Brianna's brain and she nodded her agreement almost without conscious thought.

"All right," she decided. "But you have to talk to me."

Now it was Charisma's turn to blink. She hadn't expected Brianna to capitulate at all - and to have her agreement so easily and so quickly.... She shook her head again and then nodded. "Okay. I need to let my office know. Would you like to walk with me or should we meet in the dining room?"

"We can walk together. I should let my girls know as well," motioning Charisma down the hall. They walked together silently, oblivious to the hustle and bustle of the comings and goings around them. Brianna stopped at her office, surprised when Charisma followed her in.

"Ladies," Brianna announced without preamble, "Senator Tagherty and I are going to lunch. If you need me, just page me, but it better be an emergency." She turned to Indi. "What time is my next appointment?"

"Three o'clock, Senator - committee meeting."

"Very well. We should be back long before then." She looked at Charisma. "Shall we?"

Without a word, Charisma nodded and they left the way they'd come. The staff silently watched them go, but when the door was shut and a full minute had passed, they looked around at one another in amazement.

"Did we just...?"

"Was that...?"

"Did they actually...?"

Indi held up her hands and the mutterings stopped immediately. She met each pair of eyes and offered the tiniest smile of her own. "Yes, we did; yes, that was and yes, they did. I think I should probably call Es and give her a heads up. The rest of you," waving her arms dramatically, "get back to work."

Chuckles followed her pronouncement, but everyone settled back down. Indi picked up the phone and dialed Charisma's office, figuring Opal would need to be in on the call if Esmeralda was going to get the full story. And she was pretty sure Esmeralda was going to want to whole story.

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

Esmeralda pinched the bridge of her nose and looked at Saphira who simply returned the stare with a shrug. They both turned back to the speakerphone where Opal and Indi were patiently waiting for ... something. Esmeralda sighed.

"Thanks guys. Continue to keep an eye out and let me know if things become vastly different after this lunch meeting. I don't expect them to, but you never know... especially with these two."

"Will do, Es."

"Okay, Es."

"Good job to both of you. Thanks for the heads up. My job should be interesting tonight." With that, they signed off and Saphira took the handset back to the cradle and resumed her seat by Esmeralda.

"Does this mean things are finally going the way they're supposed to?"

"Well, it means things are finally moving of their own accord - that is to say, Brianna and Charisma are behind the movement."

"So we may be done with this assignment soon."

"Could be," Esmeralda agreed. "Although it's not like we have anywhere else to go, Phira. This is our home now."

"Maybe not... I mean, maybe if I apologize...." she started, watching startled green eyes widen at her words. Saphira had sworn she wouldn't apologize for doing what she thought was right, no matter the cost. And the cost had been everything they'd held dear. And though Esmeralda certainly missed what they'd had in Paradise, she had never begrudged giving it all up to stay with Saphira. And now Saphira was willing to do the one thing she'd refused the Father?

"Saphira? Sweetheart? Why? Why would you do that? Have you changed your mind?"

"No - not at all. I still believe it was the right thing to do... despite everything. But Es... if I apologize, we can go home and He will make you better. You won't have to suffer anymore. You shouldn't have to continue to suffer because of me."

"I thought you believed I was going to get better."

"I did... I *do*. But...."

"No, Phira," Esmeralda insisted, shaking her head emphatically. "I will get better - you said so yourself. And if it takes a little longer, that's fine. I don't want you to dishonor the sacrifices we've made. They have to count for something. Besides," holding up a hand when Saphira would have broken in, "He would know if you were only saying it from your lips and not your heart."

"I can be sorry for having done it without believing I was wrong for doing so," Saphira protested weakly, knowing He would never accept that as a viable apology. But it was killing her to watch Esmeralda suffer everyday for something Saphira was being punished for. Then Esmeralda was changing the subject and Saphira put the thoughts out of her mind for the time being.

"At any rate, work should be interesting tonight. Wonder if either of them will share about their luncheon together. Neither of them has been very talkative this week so far."

"Why's that?" Saphira asked, this being the first time Esmeralda had brought it up.

"There's probably a lot of thinking going on. If I was a betting person, I'd say they're both trying to figure out what to do now - especially since their original plans have gone up in smoke."

"Shouldn't it be obvious?"

Esmeralda smiled wryly and shook her head. "Twenty years of habit is hard to break. And it's scary to step out of a groove that deep."

"I guess," Saphira replied hesitantly. "I just don't get this situation at all, but then I usually don't deal with this stuff either. Have you heard from Mal?"

"Not yet. I sent Jade out this morning to see what she can find out, so I expect we'll have a report from that side before the end of the day. Now c'mon... it's time to get ready for work."

Saphira groaned, but rolled from her seat and stood up, stretching. Esmeralda winced when she heard all the bones popping into place, then smiled when Saphira sighed deeply.

"Better?" she asked.

"Much," Saphira confirmed. "I should be able to walk without stooping now."

"I'm sure Matilda will appreciate that."

Saphira snorted. "I'm sure the customers will. Less food tends to end up in their laps." She held out her hands and pulled Esmeralda to her feet. "C'mon. You want me to have Ruby tell Jade to meet us at the diner tonight?"

Esmeralda shook her head. "No. We can't talk in front of Matilda and Joe. But ask her to make sure she's awake and downstairs when we get home."