"Is something wrong, Charisma?" she asked bluntly, wondering if Charisma even recognized the issue she was having. Charisma bit her lip, but shook her head. She wasn't going to admit to something as petty as jealousy? especially when she was responsible for creating it.

"No, Mama," she replied softly. "I'm fine. Just trying to get the place settings ready so we can set the table shortly." She met her mama's eyes squarely and Okasa wondered when Charisma had become such a proficient liar. Okasa decided not to call her on it immediately. There would be time enough for that later. Besides, it was almost time for the rest of her guests to arrive and Okasa was morbidly curious to see Charisma's reaction to that arrival.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Okasa nodded at Brianna when she met her eyes. Brianna took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders, then headed out of the kitchen to answer the front door. The rest followed as a matter of course - anxious to greet the newcomers, but also a little nosy. They had all sensed Charisma's withdrawal from them like a tangible thing, and while they didn't realized their own actions were the cause, they expected Okasa would take care of that quickly... not wanting disharmony present at the dinner table.

"C'mon, Charisma," Okasa chided when Charisma made no move to go into the living room. The girls had already dragged Esmeralda and Saphira out, and Margaret had gone along out of curiosity. Whoever it was, they were new to her and if they were as pleasant and charming as Esmeralda and Saphira, Margaret certainly didn't want to miss out on making their acquaintance.

Charisma tried to protest, knowing everyone she expected had already arrived, but Okasa was having none of it. So she huffed and crossed her arms, stalking out of the kitchen to lean on the doorway to watch the proceedings with more interest than she would ever allow herself to admit to. A feeling in the pit of her belly told her who the new arrival was, but all that knowledge did was sour her stomach. She could only hope she was wrong. This holiday was turning out to be a disaster.


Chapter LIX

"Kay!" Brianna exclaimed happily as she opened the door and her arms to accept the embrace she knew was coming. Kay scooped her up and held her close for a long moment, brushing a kiss over her lips before setting her back on her feet. Then she moved onto greet the girls and Okasa while Lee repeated her actions with Brianna. The kids, hearing the commotion, scrambled from the playroom to welcome the newcomers to their midst. Before Brianna could even begin to perform introductions, the Tagherty kids had dragged Kay's children to the playroom, leaving the adults standing around the foyer.

"Well," Brianna said with a nervous smile, "I guess I'll introduce the kids later. Kay... Lee - you know Okasa and the sisters," waiting for them to them all to grin and nod. "These are my friends Charisma, Esmeralda, Saphira and Margaret. Ladies, these are my friends Kay and Lee."

Surprisingly, Kay and Margaret exchanged brief air kisses as did Lee and Margaret. "Margaret and I work together," Kay offered in explanation, "though I didn't know we'd see her here." She gave Margaret a questioning look.

"The Taghertys and I are in-laws," she offered breezily.

"Really? I never realized...."

"Probably because I never said," Margaret replied dryly. "Charisma is my daughter-in-law."

"Ah yes... the formidable Senator Tagherty," Kay said with a genuine smile. "You don't know how long I've waited to meet you."

"Oh really?" Charisma responded, though her smile was purely a political one. "Why is that?" taking Kay's proffered hand and squeezing briefly before releasing her hold. She was purely in political mode now and Brianna cocked her head and frowned, wondering what Kay could possibly have done in three minutes to bring that personality to the forefront of Charisma's mind.

"I admire your work for and legislation about victims. I think it's done a lot to raise awareness where there wasn't much before. And that's so important."

Charisma's eyebrows went into her hairline. Whatever she'd expected from this woman that she viewed as a rival for reasons she refused to voice to herself, it hadn't been genuine interest or sincerity about her work. "Thank you," she said genuinely. She turned to Kay's husband who was waiting patiently and Kay extended a hand to Esmeralda, then Saphira.

"So which of you is Esmeralda and which is Saphira?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm Esmeralda; this is my mate, Saphira," Esmeralda said with quiet confidence. Kay's eyes narrowed slightly.

"That's important to you, isn't it?" she asked without a hint of maliciousness in her tone. She saw the ire flame in Saphira's, Charisma's and Brianna's eyes and hastened to clarify herself. "I mean referring to yourselves as mates," she added, seeing the understanding in Esmeralda's eyes and relaxing just slightly. "You're more than partners... more than simply wives. You belong to one another."

Esmeralda smiled and nodded and Saphira visibly relaxed. "You understand."

"I do indeed," Kay stated firmly, but didn't offer any further edification. Before the silence could become awkward, Okasa spoke up.

"I hate to break up the conversation, especially as I would really like to understand why that whole 'mate' thing is so important. However, we have work to do in the kitchen and Lee...."

"Yes Mama - I know where to go." He brushed a kiss over Kay's cheek, then excused himself to the playroom with the rest of the men. The women naturally headed back into the kitchen for coffee and conversation as they finalized the preparations for dinner.

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

They separated into small groups as a matter of course as soon as they entered the kitchen. There were still a number of things that needed to be completed before they could sit down to the table, and they each took a task to make them go faster. Only Charisma returned to the edges - close enough to listen, but far enough away that she wouldn't be required to participate in any other way unless she chose to do so.

Theresa, Hunter's wife, turned to Esmeralda with a question. "Esmeralda, will you explain why you feel it is so important to be seen as Saphira's mate instead of her wife or her partner? I don't understand the difference."

Esmeralda looked around carefully finding only curiosity and a desire to understand... until she met Saphira's eyes. The love and adoration she found there made her smile and the rest of the world faded away for a long moment. Rocky's wife Danielle cleared her throat and shook her head, grinning at them both when they broke their stare to fix their eyes in her direction.

"I think that might explain a lot."

"What?" Esmeralda asked with a frown. Cindy, Forrest's wife wrapped an arm around Esmeralda's shoulders.

"Don't mind her," she offered with a smile. "Now tell us about the mate thing. Who knows - it may make our marriages stronger too."

Esmeralda met Saphira's eyes again and at her slight nod, she nodded her agreement to the rest of the group. Everyone brought their work with them and stepped closer to hear her words. Kay took the distraction that provided her with and moved up next to Brianna.

"You all right?" she asked, her eyes briefly darting in Charisma's direction before coming back to rest on Brianna's face. She didn't miss the twinge of anger that flitted over Charisma's expression before her political mask fell into place, concealing every thought and feeling.

"I'm fine, Kay," she said with a smile. "I love you for your concern though."

"I never stopped, you know."

"I know, and part of me will always love you as well." Brianna paused and sighed deeply. "Charisma actually invited me to be here."

"Okay, so why is she acting like you've got the plague?" Kay hesitated. "Or is it me? Does she know about me, Bri? Does she know about us?"

Brianna shrugged and shook her head. "Not as far as I know - at least I didn't tell her. Maybe Okasa...." Both women glanced at the family matriarch and shook their heads. "I don't think she would do that."

"Me either... not given the outcome she'd like to see between the two of you," Kay added, smirking when she noticed Brianna's raised eyebrows. "What? We talk," she confessed. "We've kept in touch since you and I broke up and I confided in her the reason why."

"You didn't." flatly.

"Sure I did."

"Kay... how could you? That could have...."

"Sweetie, I knew it wouldn't change anything. Okasa talked to me very frankly about things after you and I were no longer together. She never did anything to undermine us when we were a couple, but she made it clear to me what she hoped for once we split up."

"Oh, umm...."

"Take a deep breath, Bri," Kay said, putting a gentle arm around Brianna's waist when the color faded. "C'mon... sit down," easing her into a chair. Without warning, a glass appeared over her shoulder and Kay accepted it with a murmured thanks before offering it to Brianna. Brianna's hands shook slightly when she took it, so Kay held it steady and Brianna drank slowly for a moment. When she pushed the glass away, Kay set it on the counter and leaned down into Brianna's personal space. "You all right now?" running a hand lightly along her jaw before it was captured in Brianna's hand.

"Maybe if you'd give her a little space to breathe," Charisma snapped curtly. Kay rose to her full height - several inches more than Charisma's - her dark eyes meeting incensed blue ones and her lips tilting up in a smirk that made Charisma grit her teeth for a moment before she dropped her mask into place once more.

"I'm not the enemy, Senator Tagherty - yours or Brianna's," Kay informed Charisma softly. "I realize my friendship with Brianna isn't as old as the one between the two of you, but we have been friends for a very long time. I promise you I'm not trying to usurp your place in her heart," wincing when Brianna's nails dug into the hand she still held. "Or life," she added with a glare in Brianna's direction. "I just wanted to ensure she was all right when the color drained from her face."

Charisma nodded brusquely and turned back to move towards the corner she had been ensconced in before she saw Brianna drop shakily into the chair. Brianna dropped Kay's hand, and Kay stepped back so Brianna could clasp Charisma's hand instead. Charisma hesitated, then firmly closed her hand around Brianna's and waited.

"Thank you, Charisma."

Charisma gave Brianna a brief smile and nodded, then with a squeeze to her hand, she moved back to the stack of dishes which she picked up and walked into the dining room with. Kay patted Brianna's shoulder.

"I'll be right back," causing Brianna to open her mouth, then close and nod her agreement. Whatever was going on with Charisma, it apparently had something to do with Kay. Better that they get it taken care of before everyone was called to the table - no one wanted that kind of awkwardness today.

Saphira watched the tableau taking place to the obliviousness of everyone around her, though she suspected Esmeralda was far more aware of what was happening than her current conversation allowed her to show. Saphira saw everything, and when Kay made it a point to follow Charisma into the dining room, she moved over to Brianna.

"Everything all right?"

Brianna shook her head. "I don't think so, but I don't know how things went wrong or what to do to make them right."

"And you think that's a good idea?" inclining her head towards the dining room that remained silent.

"Not really," Brianna snorted. "But I think they need to work things out between them before I talk to Charisma. She took an instant dislike to Kay for some reason - I saw it and Kay, well... she can read people very well." She smirked at Saphira's raised brow. "It's her job."

"Lemme guess - shrink?"

Brianna's eyes widened. "How did you...? Nevermind - you're probably as much a student of human nature as Es is, aren't you?" chuckling when Saphira gave her a bashful shrug. "Obviously I did something to set her off as well, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what I did."

Saphira bit her lip, then blurted out softly, "Does she know about you and Kay?"

"I don't think so. I certainly didn't tell her."

"And none of the rest of the family would?"

Brianna shook her head. "No. Until a couple weeks ago, Charisma didn't even know I was still in contact with her family."