She pushed the blankets down under her arms and pushed the hair back from her face, smiling when Adam scooted up the bed to help. Then he cupped her cheek with one small hand. "Br'anna come today?" he asked seriously. Charisma smiled softly at him.
"Yes, and Es and Saphira too."
"Good!" he exclaimed promptly. "When?"
Charisma turned to the clock, nearly groaning when she realized just how early it was. She grabbed Adam and tucked him in next to her. "Not for a little while yet. Maybe we should rest up before they get here."
Adam looked at her dubiously, then closed his eyes and yawned when she started rubbing his belly. It only took a moment, and he was sleeping again. Charisma stared unguardedly at his innocence for a long moment, then closed her eyes and joined him.
From her spot in the corner, Amber just shook her head and grinned.
***********
It really wasn't that much later when Charisma awoke the second time and she lay still wondering what had woken her. She listened carefully, but there was no sound to be heard other than Adam's breathing and the ceiling fan that whirred overhead. She sat up and stretched, then rose from the bed, tucking Adam in carefully before she moved to the bathroom to get ready for her day.
By the time she was done, Adam was awake and by the time he was ready, it was past time for breakfast. They made it downstairs and had a small bit of breakfast before Charisma bundled them up. Then they went outside to burn off some energy before their company for the day arrived.
It was to this scene that Brianna arrived. She had been hesitant to arrive too early, though Charisma had been less that forthcoming about an arrival time. All she'd been able to get out of the woman was 'come early and plan to stay past lunch'.
So she'd leisurely risen and eaten breakfast, checking email and looking over some notes from her friends and former colleagues. Then she decided a nice, decadent soak in the tub would go a long way towards helping her relax, and it had done so well, she'd almost fallen asleep in the water.
Still once that was taken care of, she really didn't have much to do without turning to work for a diversion, and more than anything, she didn't want to work today. So she put in a call to Jas and soon they were on their way to Charisma's for lunch.
Adam spotted her first and he didn't even hesitate. Instead he ran directly towards her, trusting her to make sure she caught him when he lunged for her.
"BR'ANNA!!" he shouted as he leapt into her arms.
"Hey, Little Man!" Brianna replied with a hug, holding him firmly as he latched on with both arms and legs. "How ya doing?" smiling when he laughed.
"GOOD!" Adam shouted and Charisma winced in sympathy with Brianna's, knowing how that hurt. Brianna kissed the top of his head and lowered him to the ground, expecting him to run back towards his mother. Brianna tilted her head at him when he held onto her hand.
"Adam?"
"Br'anna stay," he maintained with a fierce scowl. Brianna chuckled and tousled his hair.
"I'm staying, Adam. But maybe we should go over to your mom. She looks kind of lonely."
Adam didn't release her hand - instead he started pulling Brianna along with him, still screaming at the top of his lungs. ''MAMA!"
Charisma's eyes met Brianna's and they shook their head in reaction before chuckling. Charisma jerked her head towards the house and invited, "Would you like to go inside?"
Brianna bit her lip thoughtfully and looked around. "Not really," she confessed. "It's so nice out... unless Es and Saphira are inside and waiting for us?" she queried.
"Not at all. I told them to take the time they needed this morning. Es is looking tired again and I don't want to be the reason she's run down." Charisma shook her head. "I'm worried about her."
Brianna nodded. "So am I. I wish there was something we could do for them. They're good people - they been good friends."
"I know, but we both know they won't take charity." She met the green eyes studying her so intensely. "Maybe between us we can come up with a way to help that won't step on their pride too much."
"I'd like that," Brianna agreed.
Charisma nodded. "We'll work on it. In the meantime - DUCK!" Charisma yelled with a laugh, but not quickly enough for Brianna to evade the large plastic rubber ball that hit her squarely in the back of the head. She stuck her tongue out at Charisma, then turned to find Adam standing behind her laughing. She grabbed the ball from where it had rolled, and slowly started stalking him with an evil smile. Adam took one look at her face and screeched, running as fast as his legs would carry him to hide behind his mother.
Charisma's eyes widened when she saw Brianna's focus change and she took off running, severely hindered by the child she now carried in her arms. Brianna took that into account as she gently lobbed it in their direction, hitting both mother and son in the face before she took off running in the opposite direction.
Adam howled in laughter. Charisma just looked gobsmacked by the fact that Brianna had actually *deliberately* hit her with the ball. She set Adam down on his feet and whispered in his ear. Then her expression turned feral and she snatched up the ball while Adam went running after Brianna.
It was SO on.
************
There was much screaming and hollering that could be heard all the way to the gate when Turq pulled up in the car. She exchanged glances with both Esmeralda and Saphira, then drove through and up towards the house. When they arrived, they shared looks again, but these were filled with mirth.
In the middle of the lawn were two sprawled bodies with Adam running back and forth between them. He was bouncing the ball off of each of them in turn, laughing and shrieking every time one of them reached for him, then scampering back to the other. When he saw the car, he dropped the ball and ran towards it.
"ADAM!" both Charisma and Brianna screamed, but they were too far away to do anything but watch.
Saphira was out before Turq could stop, yanking him out of its path and into her arms without missing a beat. Turq slammed on the brakes where she was and waited for her heart to slow before she put the car in park and slid out from behind the driver's seat to help Esmeralda out.
"You all right?" she asked, sotto voce. Esmeralda merely nodded. They turned to Saphira who held Adam and she nodded as well. Then they all turned to find Charisma and Brianna running back up the hill, and Saphira placed Adam in Charisma's arms as soon as she reached them.
"Everyone all right?" she asked after hugging Adam tightly for a moment. When she got affirmatives from everyone, she turned to Saphira and Turq. "Thank you... both of you," she said on a shaky breath. "I don't know what I would have done...."
"Don't think about it, Ri," Brianna instructed. "Nothing good can happen going down that road."
"She's right," Esmeralda stated firmly.
Charisma took a deep breath and nodded, then she cleared her throat. "Shall we go inside for a while, then? I thought we'd have fondue for lunch."
"That sounds lovely," Esmeralda assured her with a smile. "I love fondue and it will give us plenty of time to visit with each other."
"And before you ask," Charisma assured them all with a shaky smile. "Adam is getting a PB&J - it's his favorite."
"Mine too," they all agreed and headed inside chuckling.
Chapter XLIV
"Senator Tagherty?" Turq's voice made them all pause and turn back to find her still standing next to the car. Charisma crossed to meet her, extending her free hand to Turq who accepted it with alacrity, squeezing it briefly before releasing it again. "Is there anything else, Senator?"