"Honey, are you bothering Esmeralda?"

"Oh no, Mommy. I just wanted to see her wings."

Every eye turned to Esmeralda who was trying not to squirm under the attention. Cindy just squeaked and covered her eyes with her hand. "Sweetie, why do you think Esmeralda has wings?"

"Because you said Aunt Theresa said she was an angel. And all angels have wings."

"Oh. My. God." Cindy groaned. "Honey, Aunt Theresa didn't mean literally. Angels live in Heaven... not here on Earth, so Esmeralda can't be a *real* angel. What your Aunt Theresa meant was that Esmeralda is *like* an angel... because of what she does."

Francesca looked back at Esmeralda thoughtfully. "You watch over people?" remembering her catechism lesson on the subject.

Esmeralda chuckled. "No, I clean up after them... I make everything neat and tidy."

"OH!" Francesca exclaimed, turning her head to meet Theresa's eyes. "You're silly, Aunt Theresa! That doesn't make her an angel - that makes her Mary Poppins!!!"

The entire table burst into laughter and Francesca looked mightily pleased with herself at the response she garnered. Then everyone turned back to the many smaller conversations they'd been having and Francesca's attention was taken by Lee Williams to give Esmeralda a moment to catch her breath.

She smiled her thanks and took a swallow of water, then looked over at Paddy who was chuckling softly. "That one's a pistol," he commented with a grin, getting a smile from Esmeralda and a vigorous nod from Charisma. He turned to Charisma and smirked. "Don't even try it," he instructed. "She's a lot like another little girl I remember growing up around this house."

Charisma's eyes widened. "I can't imagine what you mean, Daddy," but she couldn't hide the twinkle in her eyes either.

"I'll bet you can't," he said with a grin. Then he turned to Esmeralda to learn a little more about the newest addition to his family.

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

"So tell us a little about yourself, Saphira," Hunter invited as he passed the mashed potatoes to her. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a waitress," she offered without hesitation, scooping out a spoonful of potatoes and passing the bowl on to Okasa. Hunter frowned.

"Are you sure?" Eyes as blue as his own met his with a frown and a pointed stare, and he wondered if he and Saphira could possibly be related in some way. He didn't encounter many with eyes the same intense blue that he saw in the mirror every morning. Okasa gave him an incredulous snort, and caused him to turn her sight and his attention to Mama.

"Hunter - just because you're a detective doesn't mean you know better than Saphira what she does when she goes into work every day. If she says she's a waitress, you can be pretty sure she's a waitress." He opened his mouth to speak, and she held up a hand. "I get that people lie to you in your line of work, but Saphira has no reason to lie here. Besides, if she was going to lie, do you think she'd pick something like waitressing?? Most people who like to make an impression would choose something a little cushier... like an office manager or a broker or a model."

Hunter had the sense to look abashed, and turned back to Saphira. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean for that to sound the way it came out."

"Then what did you mean, exactly? I assure you I really am a waitress. Charisma, Brianna and Esmeralda can all vouch for me."

"I have really mucked this up," Hunter muttered, though not softly enough that Saphira couldn't hear him. She smirked and he gave her a wry smile and shook his head. "Let me restart this - a waitress, huh? Where do you work?"

"Angel's Diner. It's how we met Brianna, in fact. She stumbled in the doors just as we were closing one night. She was completely lost, so Es and I help her get to where she needed to be."

"Don't let her modesty fool you, Hunter. She and Es saved my life."

Hunter grinned broadly at Brianna's words and looked back at Saphira. "You fed her didn't you?"

Saphira cocked an eyebrow. "How'd you know?"

He nodded towards Okasa. "Mama did the same thing. Brianna's been part of the family ever since."

Saphira chuckled and Brianna stuck out her tongue, though she couldn't hide the sparkle in her eyes at the good-natured teasing. She had missed this since her last visit - which at the moment felt like it was a lifetime ago. And maybe it had been, she considered silently. There was a different atmosphere present than she had seen here in a long time, and the only difference was Charisma and her family. So maybe it had been a lifetime ago since the family had been complete.

Then Brianna felt a nudge on her ankle, and looked around to find Kay staring at her meaningfully. "Would you like to share?" she asked quietly, not allowing her voice to spill over into the other conversations going on around them.

"I was just thinking how full the table seems this year."

Kay frowned. "You mean like crowded?"

Brianna smiled and shook her head. "No. I mean like complete."

Kay didn't respond verbally. She just returned Brianna's smile and winked, then resumed eating her meal. Charisma couldn't hear what was being said between them, but she recognized the looks as intimacy, and it made her frown. She continued to eat, but while she paid enough attention to give cursory answers to those around her, her mind and her attention were split to keep track of Brianna's and Kay's interactions as well.

And on the other end of the table, Kent watched Charisma.

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

"So can I ask a question?" Saphira queried, turning the tables on Hunter. He shrugged and nodded.

"Sure - given the fubar this conversation could have easily become, I think I own you that much. Shoot - what's up?"

"Well, I was just wondering why you were so convinced I couldn't be a waitress."

"Your vibe is wrong."

"I beg your pardon??"

"Your vibe is wrong." He sighed. "Despite Mama's inference to the contrary, I'm a good detective. And I'm good at what I do because I have a gut instinct that I rely on - it rarely fails me."

"And what does your gut tell you about me?" Saphira asked, smiling when Hunter's brows flew into his hairline. "Just because I serve food all day long doesn't mean I'm stupid, Hunter. I have a mind, and sometimes I even know how to use it," she said with a chuckle, showing him that he hadn't really offended her.

"That's not what I meant at all," realizing he was getting in deeper and deeper, but unsure how to talk his way out of the crater he currently found himself burying himself in. He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed deeply. "Your reaction just further cemented my gut feeling."

"How so?" she asked, cocking her head in a listening manner. He noticed their whole end of the table had focused their attention on the conversation and silently cursed himself for starting the discussion in the first place.

"You have an... aura for lack of a better word. Your whole presence is one of power and...." He let his voice peter out, at a loss on how to explain himself. "I want you to look around the table - aside from Charisma and Brianna and Esmeralda of course, do you know what any of them do for a living?"

"I know that Patrick and Okasa are both retired and that Kay reads people, which in my book makes her some sort of psych doctor."

Hunter nodded thoughtfully. "Close enough," he murmured. "All right, for everyone else here, having only spoken with them briefly, can you simply look at them, put that with what little you learned about them in talking to them and tell what they do?"

Saphira looked at him like he was crazy, then shrugged. "I can try." She wiped her mouth with her napkin and set it beside her plate, then turned her head to gaze down the long table, letting her eyes rest on every adult sitting around it for a long moment. She turned her attention back to Hunter. "Can I get them involved just a little?"

"How so?"

"I'd like each of them to stand and to smile."

Hunter blinked, not having expected that request. He nodded his head and stood up, tapping his glass to get the attention of everyone at the table. Rocky looked up from his meal and glared at his brother.

"Hunter, we don't do toasts until dessert and I'm not done with dinner, man."

Hunter chuckled. "You can keep eating, Rock. I only need your attention for a minute. I've asked Saphira if she can figure out what each of you do based solely on your appearance and the small bit of conversation she's had with you. She's asked if you would each...." He held up his hand and turned towards Saphira, listening to her request and nodding his compliance. "Saphira has asked if each of you would stand up for a moment - one at a time - and smile."

Forrest snorted. "What did you say to her, brother?"

Hunter held up his hand. "Do this, and I'll explain when she's done." The family looked at each other, and heads nodded their agreement. Then by tacit agreement, Cindy - who was to Hunter's right - stood first, and looked at Saphira and smiled. After a moment, she seated herself and Kay stood, and so it went on around the table until it was Kent's turn.

When he sat down, the room was silent, waiting for Saphira to tell what she'd discovered about them. She gazed at Esmeralda for a long minute, getting the slightest nod of approval before she blew out a breath and stood up.

"Well obviously I'm acquainted with Charisma and Brianna, which leaves them out. And since Esmeralda is my mate, I'm pretty sure that lets her out as well," smiling at the grins she got for that. "I already knew that Patrick and Okasa were retired... if I was going to guess, I'd say Patrick was some sort of blue collar man and Okasa was an office manager of some type."

"Patrick built roads for forty years and I work at the hospital," Okasa commented with amazement clearly heard in her voice. "That's amazing. How did you...?"

"Mama," Hunter cut in. "Let her finish first, please?"

Okasa wrinkled her nose at him, but motioned for Saphira to continue.

"Okay, um... I'm pretty sure Kay is some sort of psych doc and that Margaret has some sort of interest in fashion or modeling. I would guess she's probably pretty high up the corporate ladder in one of those industries. Lee and Danielle are both teachers, while Cindy is another sort of professional - nurse or realtor or something that keeps her busy and on her feet a lot."

Saphira looked around the table again, smiling when her eyes landed on Esmeralda and seeing the pride that sparkled in her eyes. She lifted her glass to her lips and took a sip of water and then another before setting it down and turning her attention back to the table and the people staring at her in amazement.

"I think Theresa is probably a stay-at-home mom. Rocky is a fireman; Forrest is a police officer and Kent is a restaurateur." She turned her head and met Hunter's eyes. "How'd I do?"

"Before I answer that," Hunter said, holding up a hand to keep anyone from replying, "I have to ask - have you always been a waitress?"

Saphira met his eyes. "In this lifetime, yes," she said honestly.

"You're completely miscast. I just want you to know that." She arched an eyebrow at him and smirked. Hunter laughed and shook his head. "Take a seat, and I'll tell you how you did. Then you can tell us how you did it." Applause broke out around the table and Saphira curtsied neatly, then dropped into her chair with a laugh.

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

"You know," Charisma commented to Brianna after dinner was done, "if Saphira and Esmeralda ever decided to use their powers for evil, we'd be sunk."

Brianna nodded and wrapped her arms across her chest a little tighter. She'd come out to the garden area of the yard as soon as dessert was over, hoping a few minutes of peace would settle the weird sensations she could feel in the pit of her belly. She wanted to blame it on the food, but she knew in the depths of her soul that those strange nigglings could only be contributed to Charisma. She took a deep breath and turned to face Charisma. "Yes, we would," she agreed. "But imagine the book and movie deals they could get out of it," she added with a smirk.

Charisma nodded thoughtfully. "I'd have to go see it at least."

"Oh, so would I. I'd want to see whoever was playing me on the big screen." She paused thoughtfully. "Maybe we could play ourselves."

"Maybe you could ghostwrite the book with them."

"Still trying to get me to go back to writing, Charisma?" Brianna asked with a hint of a smile on her lips though it never reached her eyes. She turned and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She hadn't intended to be out here this long.