So Charisma went along - making time for her family on holidays and birthdays, but otherwise keeping to Washington until it came time for her to start stumping for a seat in the House of Representatives. Then she schmoozed her way across the state, collecting votes and support as she went, and when all was said and done, the Honorable Charisma Tagherty was a junior congresswoman in the House of Representatives.

"So how do you like being a hotshot Congressional Representative, sis? Everything you thought it'd be?"

"Eh," pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's not the Presidency, but it's a start."

Her brothers laughed. "Figures you'd want to start at the top. Does it at least keep you busy?"

"Yes, Hunter. That would be why we have to schedule time together," Charisma replied dryly. The brothers exchanged glances, knowing that wasn't the only reason they had to schedule time with Charisma. They each wanted so badly to say something? anything? to Charisma about Brianna. But Okasa had given them strict orders not to, and none of them were stupid enough to go against Mama.

Time passed and Charisma's responsibilities in Congress took more and more of her time. When it came time for re-election after her third term, Charisma surprised everyone including her family, by declaring her intention to run for the Senate instead. And she won by a landslide.

That was when her life started to change.

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

I'm going to show you something - something I think you need to see instead of me just filling in the blanks to bring you up to speed. If we had the time, I'd prefer to show you everything - from both Charisma's and Brianna's lives from the moment they separated at the airport up to this point. But we don't - I'm on a schedule and I can't make that kind of investment just to satisfy your curiosity for detail.

However, I do need to show you the next bit of excerpts to get you to the same page I'm on. And I need you to understand the importance of what I've told you so far.

When Charisma first arrived in Washington, she was young and single and for the most part, idealistic. Of course that last bit didn't last very long - it couldn't if she wanted to become a real player on the political stage. But she had a good mentor? someone who taught her the ins and outs of life in the political arena that is the Nation's capital. So by the time she became a representative, Charisma Tagherty was quite a force to be reckoned with.

Charisma was smart and she had learned from the best. She kept her nose clean and made a name for herself - sponsoring bills and making impassioned speeches that attracted voters and congressmen alike to her fold.

And all was well for a time, because you just can't argue with success.

As the end of her first tenure as a senator approached, however, people started to talk. You see, Charisma Tagherty was a wildly successful woman that employed only women. Not that this fact in and of itself was a matter for gossip and speculation. As Charisma herself was so fond of pointing out, there was absolutely no reason she shouldn't give other competent, successful women the chance to earn equal pay and establish a reputation for excellence. Because let's face it - when someone of Charisma Tagherty's caliber recommended your work, others tended to sit up and take notice.

No? where the difficulty arose was that Charisma Tagherty was not only a wildly successful woman, but she was a wildly successful *single* woman. A single woman who seemed to have little or no time to dedicate to finding the right man and settling down as her peers had already done.

Oh, don't get me wrong - she dated, if you could call it that. Hooked up with influential men by well-meaning friends and occasionally escorted to events by a friend of one or another of her brothers or by her brothers themselves. Unfortunately, except where her brothers and their friends were concerned, most of the men she was introduced to either simply wanted to bed her or desired her to be a wife and mother first and foremost. The friends knew better - they had been warned ahead of time and knew the score.

And although Charisma's biological clock had started ticking rather loudly as she approached her fortieth birthday, none of the men she dated were willing to accept a second or third place role in her life. As far as she was concerned, none of them were worth giving up her career for.

So the rumors started flying - about her frigidness; her unwillingness to settle; her demand for perfection and her concern for image. Then of course were the rumors about her girls - the women she employed for everything from household chores and landscaping to her personal assistant and office workers.

It infuriated her - she had worked so hard to maintain a sterling reputation in both her private and personal lives and suddenly she was under attack for not adhering to someone else's goals for her life. Finally, she had enough and took off one weekend to talk to her father.

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

"Well, well," Patrick drawled out his brogue, pulling a smile from Charisma's face. "What brings Senator Tagherty to my humble abode?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye - a twinkle that diminished when he noted the sadness lurking in her blue eyes. "What's wrong, Princess?"

She followed him into his study, but where he took a seat in front of the fireplace, Charisma continued walking until she was looking down into the darkened fireplace.

"I think it is time for me to find a husband," she stated bluntly. "There are things being said that could destroy my career."

"Are they true?" watching her head jerk up. He saw her eyes shutter and he wondered at the secrets she was keeping from herself before they pinned him in place.

"I am going to pretend you didn't just ask me that," she replied, keeping her voice low and even. "You know me better than that."

"Well, since you haven't shared with me what any of these rumors are, how am I supposed to know, baby girl? Obviously they are bothering you or you wouldn't be here making pronouncements about needing to get married right this instant."

She slumped just slightly and Patrick patted the seat beside him. "C'mon and tell your old man what's going on, Charisma. I can't help you until I know."

So Charisma told him - of her non-existent dating life; of the strong women she surrounded herself with; of the stories and rumors that were going around because she did not fit the congressional definition of family values. When she was done she blew out a frustrated breath and looked at Patrick desperately.

"So what do I do?"

Patrick chewed his lip carefully, knowing any advice he gave could turn the tide in a number of directions.

"The real question is - what do you want to do? Are you ready to commit to someone and settle down for the rest of your life? Do you want a husband and family?"

"I'd like a baby," she answered without hesitation. "I always saw a child in my future and if I wait much later?."

"Lots of women your age and even older are giving birth now, Charisma. There shouldn't be any urgency influencing your decision on that account. However, you do need a husband first. Despite what your constituents do or do not do as far as matrimony and wedlock is concerned, they expect you to be a moral example. And frankly, your mother would kill you if you didn't marry before you had a child."

Charisma laughed, knowing Patrick spoke the truth.

"So the question remains - what do you want to do?"

Charisma sighed then gazed at Patrick unflinching. "I need to find a husband - someone who will like me for who I am and not for who they want me to be for them. Someone who will be willing to take a backseat to my career."

"And love?"

"Not a real priority at the moment, Daddy, though I would like to like them too. Maybe someone who can make me laugh."

Patrick bit his lip. This was shaping up to be a disaster.

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

It wasn't really a disaster. Kent Rockwell met all of Charisma's qualifications and then some. He was handsome, well-mannered, wealthy enough to dabble in the theatre without having to dedicate himself to it to earn a living and good enough to do the occasional gig that interested him. He made her laugh and he understood from the outset that he would never be as important in her life as her career was and he was content with that. He liked her - found her fascinating... knowledgeable about a great many things and passionate about the things she cared about.

They discussed it quite calmly and decided that it would be in their mutual best interests to wed. She would give him a wife his mother would accept and appreciate and he in turn would not only quell the rumors surrounding her, but also add stability to her life and reputation.

So it was agreed upon, and Charisma brought Kent home to meet the family.

And oh? wasn't that an interesting day in the life of the Tagherty family.


Chapter VIII

Charisma had gotten in touch with her parents to let them know she was bringing someone home with her and was more than a little surprised when not only were her brothers and their families not present, but her folks had not gone to any trouble to have anything prepared. A frown crossed Charisma's face when Okasa opened the door and sedately welcomed them into her home.

"Mama, where's the family?" Charisma asked as she embraced her mother briefly before pulling back to look Okasa in the eye. "I've brought someone I wanted everyone to meet," motioning to the man who stood discretely behind her.

"Your father is in the den," Okasa said with a wave of her hand in that general direction. "I thought?." trailing off without finishing her sentence. "It doesn't matter," she continued without blinking at the man who was waiting for acknowledgment. She graciously extended her hand to him, inviting him into her home. He shook it gently and accepted her invitation, following her inside and waiting for Charisma to introduce him.

"Mama, I'd like you to meet Kent Rockwell? my fiancй."

Okasa smiled at the handsome man, though it never quite reached her eyes. "How do you do, Mr. Rockwell? This is an unexpected surprise."

"Though not an unwelcome one, I hope," he replied. "And please call me Kent."

"Well then, Kent? please come in," leading them both towards the den where Patrick was currently ensconced. "I'm Okasa and Charisma's father is Patrick, though the girls all call us Papa Paddy and Mama O if you think you'd be comfortable with that. Patrick?" calling out as they reached the door. She opened it without waiting for his response and ushered the two younger people inside in front of her.

Patrick looked up from his desk, then bade someone goodbye before hanging up the phone. He rose to greet them, taking Charisma in his arms and rocking her for a long moment before releasing her and looking her over with a jaundiced eye. With a faint nod, he turned his attention to the man who had accompanied her.

Kent stepped forward on his own this time, extending a hand and waiting for Patrick to take his measure. "My name is Kent Rockwell, sir."

"He is my fiancй, Daddy," Charisma cut in before Kent could say anything more.

Surprise flashed through Patrick's eyes, though it was gone so quickly Charisma wondered if she had imagined it. Without hesitating, he accepted Kent's hand, shaking it firmly and smiling slightly at the firm strength he found there.

"Can I offer you as drink, son?" giving Okasa the slightest nod. She took Charisma's elbow to lead her from the room. Charisma didn't refuse but arched an eyebrow in question.

"We'll just go get some dinner started," Okasa stated as she eased them from the room. Charisma followed without comment, smiling as they walked the familiar hallways to the large kitchen? until one particular picture caught her peripheral vision. She quickly turned away from the photograph and hurriedly crossed the threshold of the kitchen behind Okasa, running from the memories it and the crystal frame that surrounded it brought back. Okasa cocked her head and glanced at her briefly before opening the refrigerator door.

"Everything all right, baby girl?"

"Hmm? Oh? yes - fine, Mama."

"You sure? You came in here like the hounds of hell were on your heels and there's a frown putting deep creases in your forehead. Shouldn't you be happy?"

"I *am* happy, Mama. But where is everyone?"

"I don't know, Charisma. Did you let them know they needed to be here?"