"It was really nice to meet you, Saphira. Perhaps sometime soon we'll have the opportunity to sit down together and talk."

"Thank you, Charisma. We'll look forward to it."

Charisma smiled at them once more, then they watched the professional mask of polite courtesy fall over her features before she turned to face Brianna. Brianna straightened, but didn't move away from the car, wondering what Charisma would do. Turq stood perfectly still beside her door and that gave Charisma the impetus she needed to look at Brianna.

"It was good to see you again, Brianna," her tone one of courteous friendliness, though her expression was one of bland tolerance. "I hope you'll enjoy your term here in Washington. Now if you'll excuse me," motioning to Turq, who immediately opened the door, "I must get home to my son. Goodnight, ladies," she added, then disappeared behind the door.

Turq shut the door solidly, then ran around and crawled into the driver's seat. Another moment and they were headed back down the road, three pairs of eyes following them until they vanished out of sight.

"Well," Brianna commented, her voice full of tears though she didn't allow them to spill from her eyes. "I guess we know which of us is Mohammed now."

"Did you expect any difference?" Saphira asked kindly.

"I actually expected anger," Brianna said plainly. "Not indifference."

"Ah, but doesn't that describe Mohammed perfectly? Wasn't it his indifference that caused the mountain to go to him?" Saphira inquired, despite the look Esmeralda was giving her.

Brianna shrugged wearily. "It doesn't matter tonight. I'm going to go home - I can worry about this tomorrow."

"Let us walk you home, Brianna." Esmeralda held up a hand when Brianna opened her lips to speak. "We don't have to talk about Charisma anymore; we don't have to talk about anything at all tonight if you don't feel like it. But let us take you home. It's too late for you to be out alone."

Brianna smiled, the effort causing the tears to slide soundlessly down her cheeks. She brushed them off impatiently, though she never lost her smile.

"You must have old-fashioned parents," she commented. "You have old-fashioned manners," she added when their foreheads creased with frown lines at her statement. "That's a good thing... trust me."

"You do realize I'll have to share this with Amber," Saphira commented to Esmeralda. "She's been saying for years that I needed to learn some manners." Saphira turned to Brianna. "Amber is my sister. She thinks I'm rude and pushy."

Brianna chuckled. "Don't most siblings think that about one another at some point?"

"Maybe," Saphira agreed with a crooked grin. "But it'll be nice to be able to rub her face in this."

Brianna laughed out loud. Esmeralda just covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head. Saphira looked between the two of them.

"What?" she asked in all innocence. "Whaaaaat?"

"You girls about done out here?" came Joe's voice from the doorway. "I'm ready to lock up and head to the house." Even though the home he shared with Matilda was just behind the diner, they couldn't blame him - not with the hours he worked seven days a week.

"Sorry, Joe," Esmeralda apologized as they stepped back into the diner to retrieve their purses.

"Not a problem, Little Es. I'd just rather be snuggled in bed with the old woman than hanging out here if I have the choice."

Saphira snickered. "Matilda hears you calling her an old woman, the only thing you're gonna be snuggling with is a pillow on the couch for the duration, old man."

Joe glared. "That's why you're not gonna tell her about that," motioning to the three of them. "I like where I sleep."

The women snickered, then solemnly zipped their lips and tossed the imaginary key away. After grabbing their purses from the counter where they'd left them, they nodded goodnight to Joe as he held the door open for them. Then they made their way towards the Metro station, headed for home.

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

"That could've gone better," Saphira commented to Esmeralda as she stepped from the shower.

"It could also have gone much, much worse," Esmeralda replied. Saphira cocked her head in Esmeralda's reaction, dropping the towel she'd been drying her hair with and picking up a comb.

"How so? I thought Charisma's lack of reaction was more cutting than anything else could have been."

"At least she acknowledged Brianna, and Brianna can use that. Nothing is worse than being persona non grata to the one who means the most to you in the whole world. Brianna exists to her and that's more than Brianna has had to hold onto for almost twenty years."

"So Charisma gave her hope today?"

Esmeralda hesitated. "I don't know that I'd go that far. Charisma gave Brianna acknowledgement. What Brianna chooses to do with it will determine what happens next."

"I'm not following," Saphira confessed as she crawled into bed next to Esmeralda.

"Brianna has several options open to her - she can aggressively pursue Charisma, goading her into what in all likelihood will be an angry response; she can try to re-establish their friendship, hoping to break through Charisma's barriers by essentially killing her with kindness; or she can leave it to Charisma to take the initiative in deciding their next course of action."

"You don't think she'd leave the initiative to Charisma at this point, do you?" Saphira asked, plumping her pillows and settling down as she reached over and snapped off her bedside light. Esmeralda finished rubbing in the lotion she'd applied and slid further down the bed, tucking the covers up under her arms and turning to face Saphira.

"Not really... not at this point. She gave Charisma twenty years to take the initiative to come and find her... to find out why she left without a word. Unless she's given up the idea of them being together, I'd say she's gonna push Charisma until Charisma pushes back."

"You think she will... push back, I mean?"

Esmeralda laughed and Saphira smiled, even though she didn't as yet know what the joke was. "Sweetie, she's a passionate woman - do you really think she won't?"

"Can she afford to? I mean... wouldn't this destroy her career?"

"Phira, you did," Esmeralda responded softly. "You risked everything when you came back to me, knowing the consequences... knowing you could lose everything you cared about."

Saphira covered Esmeralda's cheek with her hand. "Not everything, Es. When I knew you would stand beside me regardless, it was easy to risk the rest. Does Charisma have that assurance? Is she willing to give up everything she has worked for her whole life for the chance to be happy with Brianna?" She paused, but Esmeralda remained silent, seeing the thoughtful look on Saphira's face by the moonlight that streamed through the open blinds in the room. Her patience was quickly rewarded.

"Given what you've already told me, Charisma gave up her chance for happiness with Brianna once by letting her go without finding out why she left, correct?" waiting for Esmeralda to nod. "Why is there any reason to think she wouldn't do that a second time? After all, she doesn't know what she's missing."

"Maybe she does," Esmeralda started, before trailing off because of Saphira's shaking head. "Saphira, she's missed having her best friend in her life for twenty years."

"But this, Es," pulling Esmeralda into her body and embracing her completely. She smiled wistfully when Esmeralda naturally melted into her. "She doesn't know what it's like to have had this and then to have lost it. And she's gonna have to be willing to risk everything she has and everything she's known her whole life to take a chance on having this. Do you really think she will?"

"I don't think Brianna's going to give her a choice."

"At least you made progress tonight. They both seem to be interested in talking to you now. Sounds like the next few weeks could be interesting."

"Oh, they're liable to be something all right. I hope the girls are ready for what's coming down the line because I have a feeling there could be fireworks before it's all over."

"Yipee Ki Yay!"


Chapter XIX

"Oh my...." Amber flopped onto the bed face first, cutting off her exclamation and drawing a sympathetic chuckle from Saphira. Amber turned her head just enough to glare at Saphira with glowing eyes. Saphira held up a hand in surrender, but she didn't stop laughing. Amber just growled.

"What's wrong, Amber?" Esmeralda asked in concern. It was now Wednesday morning following the somewhat anti-climactic meeting between Brianna and Charisma at the diner five nights previous. As of yet, neither of them had spoken to Esmeralda about it - doing their best to avoid her as though they weren't sure what to say now that the impasse had seemingly been breached. But Esmeralda had certainly heard about it to varying degrees from every single angel on the project. Amber was just the latest.

"They're going to kill me - or each other - before this is all over."

Saphira frowned and crossed over to sit on the bed beside Amber. "What happened?"

"What hasn't?" Amber countered, flipping to lie on her back. "Push me, pull you - two steps forward, three steps back.... Honestly it's like watching a bad soap - and don't look at me like that, Saphira," she commanded as she turned to face her. Amber glared at the twinkle in the blue eyes facing her and her lips twitched grudgingly. "Not a word," she instructed. Saphira just smirked, but obediently kept silent. Amber looked back at Esmeralda.

"I think it's time for a team meeting. I can't be the only one getting blasted by this stuff."