Saphira smiled and followed her into the bathroom, grateful to go where Esmeralda led. And thrilled that Esmeralda was obviously feeling better. Then she shut the door to give them some privacy and waited for Esmeralda to fill her in.

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

"Well, that explains a lot," Saphira commented slowly as Esmeralda finished drying off. "Sometimes I feel like those two are doing a dance that only they can hear the music to - one of those where they come close to one another but never really connect, ya know?"

"I do indeed," Esmeralda concurred as she started to dress. "At least with the rest of the family here today, it should make for an interesting day. Did Okasa tell the boys Brianna was going to be here?"

Saphira shrugged. "No one's mentioned it to me."

Esmeralda dried her hair as well as she could and neatly hung up her wet towel before extending her hand to Saphira. "C'mon. We should get downstairs before they send up a search party for us. Besides, I want to see for myself what's going on. With Charisma already having her feelings hurt about what Brianna told me this morning...."

Saphira blew out an aggravated breath even as she took Esmeralda's hand in her own. "Honestly," she muttered mostly to herself but loud enough that Esmeralda could clearly make out her words. "How much drama does a situation need before they figure it out?"

Esmeralda just smirked and shook her head, then led the way downstairs.

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

"Do you suppose everything's all right?" Margaret asked some time later as the four women sat around the table with fresh cups of coffee. Patrick and Kent had taken her at her word, and as soon as they'd gotten ready, they'd taken Adam outside to ride his Big Wheel. And since Saphira had gone upstairs and had yet to return with Esmeralda in tow, it was just Margaret, Okasa, Brianna and Charisma. Everything was as done as they could manage at the moment, and they were taking a well-deserved break before the house was overrun with family.

"I think we would've probably heard from Saphira if it wasn't," Okasa replied. "She's likely just waiting for Esmeralda to get ready so they can come downstairs together. I told her to take her time if she needed to? that the boys wouldn't be here for another half hour or so if they stay true to form."

Before Margaret could question further, the back door to the kitchen opened and Adam came rushing in, his rosy cheeks and bright smile bringing answering smiles to the women seated around the table. He ran straight to Okasa and leaned on her lap, grinning up at her mischievously.

"Gramma, Pop Pop says come in now - is damn cold," he repeated proudly, not seeing the glare Okasa and Charisma leveled at Patrick who stood sheepishly in the doorway with Kent behind him trying to muffle his chuckles.

"That's not what I told you to say, Boy," Patrick scolded, though the twinkle in his eyes and the smile on his lips belied anything other than affection in his gruff tone. Adam pushed off of Okasa's lap and ran back to wrap his arms around Patrick's legs. Paddy lifted him up and walked through the kitchen, studiously ignoring the stares he was getting. Kent followed, a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing aloud.

The women watched them go, then turned back to the table. It took less than five seconds and a single exchange of glances before they were cackling softly. Okasa covered her face with her hands to try and retrieve some semblance of control.

"I may have to kill my father," Charisma said dryly, though the smirk on her face told a story all its own. "If Adam does that at school, I'll be visiting the principal's office, you know," giving her mother a droll look.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Okasa quipped, chuckling when Charisma blushed.

"Should we ask what caused such a lovely shade of red, Charisma?" Esmeralda queried from the doorway. Saphira stood just behind her, hands resting lightly on Esmeralda's hips. Okasa stood and crossed to the doorway, taking Esmeralda by the elbow and peering at her carefully, placing a hand on her forehead and letting it linger on Esmeralda's cheek. Then Okasa nodded her head in satisfaction.

"You look like you feel better," she commented with a smile and noting that Saphira seemed more relaxed as a result. "Both of you," garnering her a small smile from Saphira.

"I do, Okasa; thank you," patting the hand still clutching her arm tenderly, and taking the hand from her face and squeezing it gently in her own. "I don't know what was in that remedy you gave me this morning, but it certainly seemed to do the trick. I don't even remember going upstairs."

"That's because we practically carried you partway," Brianna said softly. "And Saphira met us about halfway up and literally did carry you the rest of the way to your room." She smiled. "I'm glad you're feeling better though," offering her a hug that was immediately reciprocated.

"Hear! Hear!!" Charisma agreed, rising from her place and giving Esmeralda a hug of her own. "Maybe this will be a turning point in your recovery."

Margaret rose from her spot. "I don't want to be left out," she said with a smile, getting a brief squeeze. "Coffee?" she asked when the embrace ended.

"I've already had a cup, thank you. But maybe a glass of milk? Thank you, Charisma," she chuckled as she accepted the glass that appeared in her hand before the words were out of her mouth. She turned back to Margaret. "Saphira only allows me coffee sparingly, and rightly so," she added, seeing the disbelief writ large in Margaret's expression at the word 'allow'. "I really shouldn't have coffee at all. But milk - it does a body good, right?"

"Well, it's given you a beautiful complexion at any rate. You could be a model."

Esmeralda's eyes widened and she shook her head vehemently. "Oh no thank you. That kind of work would drive me crazy."

Margaret tilted her head. "Why do you say that? Have you modeled before?"

"No - but modeling strikes me as a lot like politics. You really have to put yourself out there for public consumption, but you're never allowed to be who you really are. Everything depends on other peoples' perception of what you should be."

"You're a very smart woman, Es," Margaret said into the stunned silence. "May I ask where you studied?"

"She's a student of human nature," Charisma and Brianna replied together - staring at one another fleetingly before turning their attention to Esmeralda who simply laughed and diffused the tension suddenly apparent in the room.

"Are you really?" Margaret inquired, watching Esmeralda nod. "Oh please. I'd like to hear about this. I consider myself to be as well, but I think you probably have a much different view of humanity than I do."

"I'd like to hear this as well," Okasa said, moving from the doorway and taking Esmeralda by the elbow to lead her back towards the table. "C'mon? we have a few minutes before everyone arrives."

Charisma and Brianna watched as Esmeralda was compelled to sit between the two older women, then they looked at Saphira who hadn't moved from her spot in the doorway. She seemed content to watch with adoring eyes as Esmeralda absorbed the love and attention currently being lavished on her.

"How are you doing, Saphira?" Brianna asked quietly.

"I'm all right," she said after a moment's hesitation. "It takes a load off my mind to see such a difference in Es. I think this break was something she really needed, and being here...."

"I'm glad you were able to come... especially if it makes a difference for her," Charisma confessed, then looked up when Okasa called her name. "Yes, Mama?"

"Are you three gonna hover in the doorway like co-conspirators of some sort, or would you like to join the rest of us at the table?" her eyebrow arching with a hint of rebuke as she turned her glance pointedly at each of them.

"Coming, Mama," Charisma and Brianna said in tandem. Saphira just shook her head and chuckled as she moved to claim a seat at the table. It was shaping up to be a memorable holiday.

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

They boys and their families arrived almost as a group. They had discovered several years prior - that is, when Charisma added Kent and subsequently Margaret to their number, that doing so compelled them to only make a single greeting instead of multiple ones. And though they liked Kent well enough of his own accord, especially after taking the opportunity to know him better, the fact of the matter was that they did resent him slightly. After all? he wasn't Brianna and never would be. And while they were actually angry at Charisma for letting Brianna get away, she was still their sister. So it was easier to direct their ire towards Kent... however unfair.

So generally a day or two before the holiday celebration that involved Charisma and Kent, the three of them would meet for lunch and decide what time they would show up at Mama's. Not that Okasa knew any of this - she just figured they had done it so long, they had it down to a science. In fairness, they did the same thing when Brianna visited, but then it was to maximize their time with her and Okasa had missed the difference in arrival times, mostly because they saw Brianna a lot less often than they did Charisma. And since she hadn't told them of the change in status between Brianna and Charisma, just as Okasa had expected, there was a knock at the door and Paddy was inviting the rest of the family into the house.

As one body, the women arose from their place at the table. Charisma rushed out first, anxious to see her brothers despite the awkwardness she still sometimes felt from them towards Kent even after several years of marriage and a child together.

Hunter stepped up first and lifted her off the ground before turning and offering his hand to Kent. Rocky followed suit as did Forrest while the children claimed Adam and headed off to the playroom that Okasa and Patrick had set up specifically for them.

Then of course the wives exchanged hugs as well before Maria turned to Charisma and asked, "Is Mama in the kitchen?"

Charisma nodded, but before anyone could move, Brianna emerged and everything and everyone stopped. There was dead silence... dead stillness before the boys looked at one another and whooped, then moved as a single entity in her direction. Brianna just grinned goofily at them and let them wrap her up in a single hug. Charisma stepped back and watched in confusion and not a little hurt as her family welcomed Brianna with an enthusiasm she hadn't seen since she'd first brought her home twenty plus years before. Kent simply watched Charisma.

Before Charisma could say or do anything that might make things awkward for everyone, Okasa slipped from the kitchen with an arm around Saphira and the other around Esmeralda. She had asked them to let Brianna precede them out of the kitchen, having a good idea of what might happen. Esmeralda and Saphira both agreed, instinctively understanding that Okasa wanted them to diffuse any kind of situation that might erupt.

So they stepped from the kitchen together and all eyes turned to them, though no one went still or silent, this time. Instead, the manners Okasa had worked so hard to instill in her children came to the fore and her three sons immediately moved towards them to meet and welcome the newcomers into the family circle, promising Brianna a talk with the boys later.

Esmeralda was her naturally gracious self, drawing everyone to her with her smiles and soft-spoken words. They were a little more in awe of Saphira, sensing in her a more kindred spirit despite her current occupation. Still, it was with much enthusiasm that they were brought into the family holiday. Then the men went to look after the children and the women headed for the kitchen where Margaret had returned after brief greetings in the living room. That to her was the hardest part of the holidays, and she was glad to have it be mostly over for this one.

The girls were a little noisier than usual - Brianna's unexpected return to the fold coupled with the introduction of Esmeralda and Saphira made for an exciting day. So they were quite chatty as they picked up the work where it had been left off.

Charisma deliberately stayed to the outer edges of the fray, content for the moment to be an observer... knowing it was unfair, but feeling a bit ostracized by her own family in favor of the newer members she herself had added to it.

Okasa noticed her odd behavior and crossed the room to stand beside her as she carefully wiped the plates that would soon be gracing the dining room table.