Brianna tilted her head, sucking the ice cream from her spoon as she pondered her answer. "Not exactly. I knelt down to speak to him... you know, at his level. He came close enough to look me in the eyes, staring at me for a very long time before he wrapped his arms around my neck." She looked back at Charisma. "Are you saying that isn't normal for him?"

"Not at all. He's not friendly to strangers and it generally takes him a long time to warm up to people. It was three days after he was born before he let his father near him without screaming bloody murder." A beat. "Maybe he's another sucker for green eyes," Charisma muttered under her breath, remembering Adam's similar response to Esmeralda.

"Excuse me?" Brianna said, her green eyes widening, not quite sure she'd heard Charisma correctly. It was the nicest thing Charisma had said to her since they'd said goodbye in Barcelona.

Charisma, on the other hand, seemed to realize she'd stepped beyond some self-imposed line and withdrew immediately. "I'm sorry," she said as she scrambled to stand up and reached for Adam's hand. "That was untoward of me. If you'll excuse us...." she continued awkwardly. "Thank you for the ice cream."

"Charisma...?"

"Mama? NO!" Adam screamed loudly enough to draw the attention of the whole dining room as he pulled away from Charisma and curled up tighter into Brianna. Before Charisma could react, Brianna moved Adam to her lap, wiping away the ice cream on his face.

"It's okay, little man. I'm sure your mama will let you take your ice cream with you and you can come see me again sometime, all right?"

Adam studied Brianna's face carefully, then gently patted her face. "Br'anna good," giving her a smile that Brianna returned wholeheartedly. Adam laughed.

"Good boy. You go with your mama now." He wrapped his arms around Brianna's neck and gave her a sloppy kiss before turning back to Charisma and extending his arms.

"Mama... up!" he commanded with a grin. Charisma hefted him into her arms.

"I'm sorry, Brianna. I can't do this... not even for Adam. Especially for Adam," she added, then she and Adam made their way out of the dining room. Brianna watched them go as tears formed in her eyes, though she refused to let them fall. When Charisma's back disappeared through the door, Brianna returned her attention to her ice cream, determined to finish it quickly and continue on with her schedule. She still had one more meeting to attend before she could call it quits for the day.

"I wouldn't take it personally," one of the other Senators in the room instructed her as he crossed to stand beside her table. "Senator Tagherty is known for her aloofness, so the fact that she spent any time at all with you while she had her son with her is nothing short of amazing." He glanced at the empty chair, then looked at her questioningly. Brianna studied him a moment longer and nodded her head. He took the seat across from her and extended his hand. "Senator Scott Patterson. You're the new Senator... Brianna Walker, right?"

Brianna nodded, shaking his hand briefly before turning back to her ice cream. Patterson nodded his head and sat back to allow the server to pour him a cup of coffee. He prepared it as Brianna continued eating her ice cream. She took her time, wondering what this Senator wanted with her and she figured that patience on her part would garner her more satisfactory results. He was the first to break the silence.

"So how are you settling in, Senator Walker? Think you could get to like it here?"

"I find Washington an interesting place," Brianna replied calmly. Patterson's brows went into his hairline when she didn't continue.

"That's it? That's all you've got to say? Do you realize how many people would love to be where you are?"

"Senator Patterson, I don't want to be rude, but do you have a point?"

He shook his head. "Not really," he confessed. "Just trying to get to know you a little bit, Senator Walker. After all, you don't want to get a reputation like your fellow Senator, do you?"

"I don't know, Senator. I haven't heard anything about the reputation Senator Tagherty has here. I know that for a politician she is considered well-liked and respected at home."

"She's well-liked and respected here... at least in the political arena. On a personal level, not so much."

"And does the personal level matter?" Brianna asked with a confused frown. "I thought we were here to do a job. That makes this professional."

"You're new - you'll learn. There are certain rules and protocols around here that can't be ignored if you want to get ahead. Senator Tagherty has big ambitions, and while she doesn't have any real enemies, she doesn't have any real friends either. Her entire state may be behind her, but she'll never get any further with her political pursuits if she doesn't have any friends behind her here."

"What do you mean?"

Patterson shrugged. "Having friends makes the professional side a little easier."

"I see," Brianna replied as she stood, prompting Patterson to stand as well. "I'll keep that in mind," she said as she headed out the door.

"It was nice to meet you," Patterson offered.

"I'm sure it was," Brianna responded with a smirk, then disappeared without another word. Patterson watched her go and shook his head, then took his coffee and turned to go back to his own office.

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

"So, how were things tonight?" Saphira asked when Esmeralda was seated at the counter with a plate of food in front of her and a cold glass of milk. Esmeralda immediately shifted half the food onto another plate and pushed it over in front of Saphira. Saphira picked up her fork and started eating.

"Quiet," Esmeralda confessed in a whisper. "Brianna was long gone of course, though Indi was still there. She gave me a quick overview of the day."

"Es?" Saphira prompted when Esmeralda grew pensively silent. Esmeralda gave a look around the nearly empty diner, then shook her head. "Later?" Saphira asked, getting the barest nod in response.

"Apparently, Charisma had some sort of human resources issue today," Esmeralda went on in a more normal tone. "Her son was at work with her."

"Oh, that must have been interesting," Matilda said as she came out of the kitchen. She looked back at Joe who gave her a grin as he shook his head. "We had a few experiences like that back in the day."

"Well, according to a few of the staff of several of the senators that were still working, it made for a noteworthy day anyway."

Matilda chuckled. "I'll bet it did." She looked a little closer at Esmeralda and frowned. "Are you all right, Es? You look a little tired to me," putting her hand on Esmeralda's forehead.

"I am tired," Esmeralda agreed, patting Matilda's hand. "Our roommates woke us up very early this morning."

Matilda scowled. "Do they not understand you're recovering from a serious illness?" She turned to Saphira and glared. "You need to do something about this." Saphira's eyes widened and she looked at Esmeralda. Es smiled at her and turned her attention back to Matilda.

"It's all right, Matilda... honestly. They are aware of my situation and usually they are very considerate about being quiet in the mornings - just like Saphira and I are late at night when we get home. But there was an accident this morning; it kinda threw everything into chaos."

Matilda's eyes widened and she looked between them. "Is everyone all right?"

"Everyone will be," Saphira replied, nudging Esmeralda into resuming her meal. "Apparently, they didn't see one another and well... you know the saying about the irresistible force meeting the immoveable object?" watching Matilda's jaw drop open even as she nodded her head. "That's about what happened this morning. I think one of them probably ended up with a pretty nice shiner."

Esmeralda nodded. "She's lucky she didn't end up with a concussion and a broken jaw."

"Wow," Matilda murmured. "No wonder it woke you up."

"Pretty much. I mean we went back to bed, but it's just not the same once you've been jerked out of a sound sleep, ya know?"

Joe laughed as he came out of the kitchen. "Sounds like the first few years of parenthood, actually," he said as he wiped his hands on a towel. "You girls about done?" looking at Saphira's empty plate and Esmeralda's partially filled one. "You want to take that with you, Essie?"

Esmeralda closed her eyes and nodded. "Would you mind, Joe? I'm just too tired to eat tonight."

Joe and Matilda exchanged worried glances and he shook his head as he took the plate. "Not a problem, Es... you know that. Just give me two shakes of a lamb's tail and Saphira can take you home and tuck you into bed," slipping into the kitchen and returning almost immediately with a take out box. Matilda put the rest of Esmeralda's dinner on one side of the partition and added a thick slice of chocolate cake to the other before closing the lid.

"You know the rule - finish your dinner before you eat dessert," Matilda admonished with a finger wag, though the concern in her eyes belied the teasing in her voice. Esmeralda smiled.

"I will," she promised, crossing her hand over her heart.

"All righty, then," Matilda said as she handed the box to Saphira. "You two get on home then. And I hope your friends are okay."

"Thanks, Matilda," Saphira said as she helped Esmeralda on with her coat before slipping into her own. "See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, girls. Be safe." The two waved and moved off into the darkness without looking back. Matilda watched them out of sight before locking the door. Then she turned... only to find Joe standing directly behind her, a worried look on his face.