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

It was a light tapping on the door that brought Charisma out of the doze she'd fallen into. She frowned, taking a moment to get her bearings and then realizing her sanctuary had become her prison. And now, it seemed, her mother felt the need to torture her here as well. She sighed and sat up, running her fingers through her hair and scrubbing a hand over her face in an attempt to force wakefulness into her brain.

Another knock sounded and she growled. "Go away, Mother. I'm not in the mood."

"Charisma?" the voice causing her to sit up straight in a blind panic. "It's Brianna. May I come in?"

Charisma felt a myriad of reactions and emotions roar through her and she gripped the couch with

white-knuckled strength. She sat breathing for a long moment, trying to find some semblance of control. It was only when Brianna spoke again that she understood her time was up.

"Okay, well... maybe you're sleeping or maybe you're just furious and don't want to talk to me. Whatever." She sighed. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I never meant for this to hurt you, but I'm not the only one at fault here. You bear some of the responsibility too and...."

Whatever else Brianna had been about to say was lost when Charisma jerked the door open and glared at her. "Excuse me? *My* responsibility?"

Brianna held her stare measure for measure, and finally Charisma stepped back a pace and gestured towards her sanctum. "Would you like to come in?" she invited. "I'd prefer to handle this privately between us, if you don't mind."

Brianna wondered why, if that was the case, Okasa and Patrick were now ensconced in Charisma's home at her demand. She had no way of knowing that Okasa had instructed Charisma to take care of things with Brianna directly. But she would momentarily.

"My mother insisted that we handle this between us; she swears she's not culpable for anything to do with this situation," Charisma said snidely as she closed the door.

"She's telling the truth," Brianna affirmed.

"How can you know that? You don't even know what she said yet!" Charisma would have been yelling had Adam not been asleep. As it was, her whisper was quite deadly in its ferocity.

"Because she did what I asked her to do, Charisma."

Charisma sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "It always comes back to you leaving me, doesn't it? WHY?" she continued without pausing. "Why did you leave?? Why was I not enough for you anymore, but my family was? What made them so goddamn special, Brianna??" Charisma asked, chest heaving and eyes flashing fire.

Brianna couldn't help but admire how beautiful and passionate Charisma was in that moment, then she closed off that part of herself and turned the question around. "Why didn't you come after me, Charisma? Why didn't you make an effort to find out what was wrong? Why didn't you want to know then why I left? What difference could it possibly make to you now??"

Charisma blew out an impatient breath. "This isn't getting us anywhere."

Brianna raked her hands through her hair. "Charisma, I've told you this, but allow me to reiterate - when you're ready to hear the answer, you'll ask the right question. And I promise I will give you the truth. Charisma, I have never lied to you; I won't lie about this."

Blue eyes held green for a long moment, and finally Charisma nodded. "Keep reminding me - eventually it'll stick."

Brianna snorted. "No it won't. You'll keep asking until you get the result you want."

Charisma laughed. "You know me so well," seeing a flinch pass over Brianna's face. "Bri?"

"Sorry - when I try to smile it pulls on my lip and it's still pretty bruised."

Charisma put her fingertips under Brianna's chin and lifted it so she could get a better look. "Yeah, he did quite a number on you. How do you feel?"

"Thrilled I will not be playing quarterback against him." Brianna said, eyes twinkling. "Pretty sure he would have given me brain damage if he'd been a little bigger." Charisma let her hands slide over Brianna's hair to the back of her head, wincing in tandem when they touched the knot.

"Ow."

"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt unless I put pressure on it."

"Are you hungry?" Charisma asked suddenly.

"Mama O fed me the minute I walked in the door. You KNOW what that's like."

"Oh yeah," Charisma agreed. "Well, would you mind coming to the kitchen with me anyway? I need something to eat and I am still curious about a couple things."

"Are we all right?"

"We're all right. I just would really like to know why my family got you when I didn't and why everyone felt the need to keep it a secret from me. I feel all kinds of an idiot, you know?"

Brianna took Charisma's hand and tugged her towards the door. "C'mon. This calls for ice cream."

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

"Mama?" Patrick asked when she took his hand and led him upstairs towards their room. "I thought we were gonna wait downstairs... maybe watch a little TV." She gave him a look.

"Patrick Tagherty - don't stand there and act the fool with me. I know very well you set the machine to record every show you watch while we're gone, so don't pretend like you're actually missing something." She held up a hand when he started to speak. "They're not yelling and Brianna hasn't left, so I'm gonna take a big leap here and guess they're essentially talking to one another. That being the case, we're gonna give them the space they need to do so. You remember how they used to take over the house when they settled in to talk. We can keep an eye on Adam."

"You're pretty smart for an old woman," Patrick said saucily, his leer belied by the twinkle in his eye. Okasa narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a baleful stare.

"You're treading on thin ice, old man." Patrick chuckled silently.

"I know... ain't it great??" Okasa just smirked and shook her head, then they went in to check on Adam.

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

"So talk to me, Brianna. Tell me why my family got to have you around for the last twenty years."

Brianna sighed. She had to skirt such a thin line with this discussion, but Charisma deserved the answers Brianna was able to give. "When I got back from Barcelona," seeing Charisma acknowledge her words, "I went straight to school. But my first free weekend, I went down to see your folks. I needed to say goodbye to them."

"Like you couldn't say goodbye to me?" Charisma asked, her ire returning. Brianna covered her hand.

"I said goodbye, Charisma, even if I never uttered the actual words. You knew when I walked away from you in that airport it was goodbye." Charisma dropped her head until her eyes were focused on their hands and she nodded her admission of the truth. "Right," Brianna offered in acceptance.

"So, when I told Okasa I was saying goodbye, she told me NO. She refused to accept a goodbye from me - insisted I was part of the family and informed me in no uncertain terms that family didn't just get to leave. So I stayed with the understanding that it would be done around your schedule."

"But why keep it secret?" looking at Brianna again.

"Because you let me go, Charisma. You let me walk away without once trying to understand why I left. I took that as my cue that you were done with me. I didn't see a need to anger you."

Charisma held Brianna's eyes, studying them as she hadn't done since college. And she discovered that the woman before her was much like the girl she had known. She finally nodded. "Fair enough," she conceded. "Now what?"

Brianna shrugged. "I figure that's up to you. You invited me to join you again, but I won't hold you to it."

"Do you want to come?"

Brianna just gave Charisma a droll look and Charisma chuckled, knowing what was coming. "Charisma, I have spent the last nearly twenty years going to your mother's house on oddball weekends to celebrate the holidays with your family. I'm pretty sure my wanting is not going to be a problem here. Not sure how your family will react to going back to one celebration per holiday, but we can cross that bridge if we come to it."

"They'll live," Charisma declared. "However, if it's left up to me, they'll only get to celebrate once like the rest of the world does. Have you talked to Mama?"

Brianna shook her head. "Figured I needed to talk to you first. But Es said she and Saphira would love to join us if Okasa wouldn't think they're imposing."

"I'll talk to Mama in the morning, but you *know* what she's going to say."

"Bring 'em along, Little Bri. The more, the merrier."

Charisma covered her mouth to keep from shouting her laughter. "Wow - you've got her down pat."

Brianna rolled her eyes. "As many times as I've heard her say something similar...? Well, check with her in the morning to be sure, will you? Esmeralda and Saphira have been such a blessing in my life since I got here and I'd really rather they weren't embarrassed. Not that I think anyone would say a word if they just showed up with me," Brianna continued before Charisma could protest. "But as sensitive as Es is, I think she'd notice if they were sprung on your family without warning.

Charisma nodded. "Probably. I'll talk to her in the morning and let you know at work."

"Speaking of... I need to get home." They rose and took their dishes to the sink and Charisma waved Brianna off when she started to wash them. "I'll take care of them before I go to bed. You, on the other hand, still have to get there, so.... Do you have a way?"

"Jas is waiting outside," seeing Charisma nod her approval. She headed towards the front door with Charisma right beside her. "Thank you for seeing me, Charisma."

"Thank you for caring enough to stop by, Bri. We'll get there."

"Maybe one day. Goodnight."

"Night." Charisma watched her to the car and waited for the taillights to disappear down the hill. Then she locked up and washed up the dishes before heading up to bed. Everything else could wait until morning.


Chapter L

The next few days passed much the same way. Everyone was incredibly busy trying to get their work wrapped up before week's end. Even if they had to come back for a short assembly between holidays, they preferred to have things done and ready for the next full session once the holidays were officially over.

So everyone was pushing - putting in extra hours in an effort to get done and leave Washington for a while. Ruby and Saphira noticed a difference in their clientele and Esmeralda didn't have time to do more than nod at her friends. But no one was happier to see the weekend than Charisma and Brianna.

Despite their best efforts, they had barely had time for hello. Even lunches were impossible as both of them ended up working through them with other people. So when Esmeralda finally made it into Brianna's office on Friday night, she wasn't particularly surprised to find them together. They weren't doing anything - seriously... they were curled into opposite corners of the couch, shoes off and legs tucked up under them each holding a tumbler of something Esmeralda strongly suspected was a very old whiskey.

Even her entrance into the office didn't merit more than a peek from beneath long lashes before the eyes closed once more. Loath to disturb them, Esmeralda simply parked her cart and quietly pulled her supplies from it. Then she started in on her work.

It took Brianna a few minutes to realize that what she'd seen when she'd struggled to open her eye was in fact, Esmeralda. She rubbed her eyes and pushed her hair back before she sat up and nudged Charisma with her foot. Charisma jumped and glared at Brianna, then looked in the direction Brianna had jerked her head. Her eyes widened and she sat up and wiped her face.

"Es?"

Esmeralda turned back from her garbage collection and smiled. "Good evening, Senator Tagherty... Senator Walker," giggling at the twin glowers her greeting garnered her.

"Smart mouth." Charisma muttered loud enough for Esmeralda to hear it. She turned to Brianna. "My mother is going to love her." She looked back at Esmeralda. "You are coming with Brianna next week, right?"

Esmeralda's eyes went wide. "Ummm...."

"I haven't seen her long enough to let her know that Okasa insisted to the point of threatening," Brianna admitted.

"Neither have I," Charisma sighed, then patted the sofa. "Come sit a minute, Es."

"Ri, she might be as anxious as we were to get done so she can get out of here. Remember, she's on holiday too," Brianna reminded Charisma when Esmeralda hesitated.