“Oo. Hot air balloons.” Kerry rested her head against Dar's shoulder. “I saw those on TV taking off at dawn once, is that what you mean?”
“Yup.”
Kerry closed her eyes and imagined it, the silence of the pre-dawn and the soft hiss of the wind. “Awesome.” She sighed and got up, replacing the room service menu on the desk in the room and retrieving her own set of pajamas. It was after dark, the flight had landed just after sunset and they had a full day planned for tomorrow with meetings at the White House in the morning, and the Pentagon after lunch.
Then a late night flight home, at their own schedule, with a weekend to look forward to. Kerry slipped into her shirt and put away her traveling clothes. “You think they're going to mind me being at those meetings, Dar? I could just hang out here if you do.”
“Don't care.” Dar had her head resting against her hand, as she studied the pictures. “They tell you to leave I'll be right behind you.”
Kerry regarded her partner with a smile. “At least we don't have a Louisiana lawyer with us this time.” She closed the top on the suitcase then she went over to the window, looking out at the familiar landmarks. They'd decided to stay in the center of town this time, and if she were on the roof of the hotel she could hit a few of them with a rock.
It felt strange, to look out at that landscape, and yet feel so disconnected from it. She no longer even felt her father's shadow there, and she was debating whether or not to call her mother, who she knew was here in town in her Senate offices.
After all, she'd just seen her. Right?
“So what if they throw us out?” Kerry mused. “We could go to a museum.”
“We could go have lunch with your mother.” Dar counter suggested. “Or go swimming in the Potomac.”
Kerry chuckled. “I forgot you're not fond of museums.” She said. “Oh hey.. how about the Air and Space Museum?” She turned to find a much more interested pair of blue eyes watching her. “Ah, better?”
“Air and Space? Absolutely.” Dar put the magazine down. “Though, I have to admit the first time I wandered into a museum of modern art and saw something of my mother's it was hoot.” She leaned her head on her hand. “It was some stupid new client meet and greet, and I remember the jackass regional salesman turning to me and saying something snarky like. 'I'm sure theres no relationship to you, right?”
Kerry chuckled. “Did you say there was?”
“Sure.” Dar grinned. “Stopped all conversation within hearing. Pretty funny actually. Remind me to tell mom about that when they get back.”
“Okay.” Kerry squirmed around and put her head down on Dar's thigh, regarding the swirled plaster ceiling. “So what do you think they're going to ask you?” She asked. “Hey, maybe they want to make you the U S's chief nerd.”
“Uggggh.”
“Nerdmeister in chief. I like that. It's got a nice ring.”
“Last thing I want is to be a federal employee.” Dar draped her arm over Kerry's body. “Though that would get around the non compete injunction.”
A knock sounded on the door at the same time as Dar's phone rang and Kerry unwound herself to get up and walk over, opening the door and gesturing the room service waiter in. She followed him over to the desk and waited, signing the room charge and giving him a brief, polite smile.
He left without commenting.
“Nice guy.” Kerry remarked to the closed door, before she returned her attention to the tray. She sorted out the silverware, half listening to Dar's end of the conversation. “Problems, hon?”
Dar rolled her eyes. “Trying to bring the new datacenter live. Having routing problems.” She mouthed. “Give me some ice cream.”
“I was going to suggest we eat that first anyway.” Kerry brought the bowls over. “It'll melt otherwise, and it looks a lot better than the burgers anyway.”
Dar set her bowl on the sofa arm and maneuvered a spoonful of the chocolate into her mouth, as she listened to the phone. “Well.” She managed to swallow in time. “You know what? I'm not going to drag my damn laptop out, Mark. Get in there and figure it out.”
She got another few spoons down before she had to talk again. “Then we need to hire, in addition to a CIO, a damned senior network engineer.” She listened. “Fine, I'll talk to Mari in the morning. In the meantime get in there or get someone in there and waste some brain cells on it”
“CIO, and VP ops, and senior network engineer, and network architect, and writer of adorable gopher programming.” Kerry was ticking off on her fingers. “Y'know what, hon? It's going to be freaking expensive to replace us.”
Dar gave her a look. Then she looked back at her phone in surprise. “He hung up on me.” She said. “I wasn't even that rude, was I?”
Kerry ran her mind over the words. “No, you really weren't.” She said. “I think Mark's really pissed off we're leaving.”
Dar put the phone down and recaptured her bowl. “Is that any reason to hang up on me? I didn't call him, he called me for help.”
“Mm.” Kerry pressed her shoulder against her partner's.
“I don't want them to call me for help, Kerry. I want the to start thinking for themselves.” Dar went on. “If I have to piss people off to get them to do that, then fine.”
“Mm.”
Dar rested her head against Kerry's, and sighed.
Kerry offered her some butter pecan, and they munched in silence for a few minutes. Then Kerry wiped her lips with her napkin and picked up her own cell phone. “I'll call him.” She said. “Let him vent at me for a while. Maybe an idea will bounce out of that and he'll have a brain wave.”
“I love you.”
Kerry smiled, as she hit one of her speed dials. “Back at ya, and hold that thought, because I think this ice cream's about enough dinner for me so we can head off to that big bed after this.”
“Mm.” Dar wrapped her arms around her partner and nuzzled the side of her neck. “Sounds good to me.”
“Hey Mark, it's Kerry.” Kerry wrapped one hand around Dar's arm. “Yeah, I know, but you know, it's gonna happen. What can I do to help?” She felt Dar's breath warming her ear. “No, honest, I can't. She's not feeling well.”
Dar's brow lifted.
“Yeah, that time of the month. So can I get the vendor on the phone for you? No? Oh, okay, you did? Good. Call me if you need me.” Kerry folded the phone shut and held a hand out. “C'mon. He's fine.”
“Mm.”
“They'll get through it.”
“Mm.”
Kerry twitched her jacket straight as she followed Dar through the gate towards the security entrance of the blocky office structure ahead of them. She remembered their last visit, and she was hoping this time it would be both shorter and more pleasant.
Dar was presenting her identification to the guard, and she motioned Kerry forward as the man studied them with a frown. “Are we dangerous again?” Kerry handed over her company credentials. “Dar, don't you have an invitation?”
“No.” Dar waited, rocking back and forth a little as the guard went to go make a phone call. “I have, I think, an email from that guy's admin telling me what time to be here. Not worth booting the laptop.”
“Okay.” The guard came back. “Ms Roberts, I've got you on the list, but not this lady.” He indicated Kerry.
“Please call whoever made the list and have her added. I”m not coming in without her.” Dar responded in a mild tone. “I was asked to come here, not the other way around.”