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

When they came downstairs again, Charisma was happy to note that it was almost a decent hour of the morning and she felt a lot better having stood under a hot shower for a few minutes. Adam held her hand as the slowly made their way back to the kitchen, then waited for her to pick up the album. Without hesitation, she grabbed the book and moved down the hallway to her study.

Adam looked around carefully - he wasn't allowed in this room unless his mama was with him. He had his own corner for the very rare times he had to be here, but there were too many things in Charisma's home office that could get him and Charisma into trouble if Adam messed with them. So it was easier just to keep him out of this room most of the time.

But today was a little special, and Charisma felt better about sharing her pictures with Adam in the privacy of her study, even if they were the only ones home.

She took a seat on the small couch in the room and Adam scrambled up beside her. She placed the book on her lap, letting him stroke the soft leather cover. He looked up at her and smiled. "Soft," he proclaimed, stroking it again.

"Very soft," she agreed. "Would you like to see the pictures?"

"Yes," he said determinedly. She smiled and slowly opened the book. She had no idea they were no longer alone in the house.

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

When Kent had finished at the theatre the previous evening, he realized he had missed another call from Charisma. It troubled him though he was confident nothing was wrong with Adam - Charisma would have had no compunction about disrupting his show if something had been wrong with their son. Still, the fact that she had called him a second time in a week was enough to get his hackles up. The fact that he couldn't divine a legitimate reason for the contact made him more uneasy than he cared to admit.

Kent Rockwell had long ago figured out that he was a convenient prop for Charisma Tagherty. Not that he believed she didn't care about him - she did... he was fully convinced of that fact. But she didn't love him... she never had. He'd known that when they'd discussed marriage, but he was willing to overlook that one glaring flaw in what was otherwise a pretty perfect picture. After all, Charisma was beautiful, smart, powerful, wealthy in her own right and his mother adored her. Coupled with their compatibility and her desire for a child and his for an heir, it seemed like a perfect arrangement to agree to marriage when she'd proposed it.

Now, however, he wondered more and more frequently if they had both given up too much with far too little return. He wouldn't change anything if it meant losing Adam in the process - for despite their rocky start, father and son adored one another and Kent doted on his son at every given opportunity.

So with every nerve ending screaming in discord, he arranged for his understudy to be available over the next couple days and he headed home to see if he could figure out what the hell was going on.

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

Kent arrived home and given the earliness of the hour, crept into the dark kitchen with the intent of fixing himself a cup of coffee. Then he noticed the plates and a light dusting of flour in the sink and surmised that Charisma at least was already up for the day. He smiled grimly and bypassed the coffeemaker, only to be brought up short by the photo album that still sat on the countertop.

His curiosity got the better of him and he opened it? only to find himself staring into the face of his wife twenty years prior. He studied the photograph carefully, noting she looked happy. He realized as he gazed at it that he'd never seen that expression on her face since he'd known her.

Kent flipped through the pages slowly, recognizing this was a part of his wife he wasn't privy to, and never had been. He studied the woman who was Charisma's companion, thinking she looked familiar but unable to place her immediately.

He continued to look until he heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Without missing a beat, he closed the album and situated it on the counter just like he'd found it before disappearing into the mudroom. He waited until he heard Charisma and Adam moving away from him, then he made a move to follow them down the hall.

Kent carefully avoided the floorboards that squeaked as he approached Charisma's study, somewhat surprised that she had taken their son into her private room. As indulgent of a parent as she was, she was highly protective of the one private space she had. So Kent was intrigued that she brought Adam into her sanctuary with an album he'd never seen until today.

He stood out of sight, but close enough that he would be able hear Charisma's voice as she spoke to Adam. Then he waited.

Kent heard Adam speak. "Soft," the boy stated and Kent wondered what exactly Adam was describing. Then he heard Charisma's agreement.

"Very soft. Would you like to see the pictures?"

"Yes," came Adam's determined answer. The next sound Kent heard was the gentle creak of leather and the rustle of plastic pages when Charisma opened the book. He didn't need to be close to hear what happened next.

"BR'ANNA!" he yelled enthusiastically, grinning up at his mother as he pointed to the picture. Charisma put a gentle finger over Adam's lips.

"Remember your inside voice, please son," she admonished, biting her tongue when his smile fell.

"Mama," he proclaimed in a softer tone. "Br'anna. Br'anna good."

Charisma's smile was both pained and reflective. "Brianna's very good," she agreed. "She was Mama's best friend... a lifetime ago." Charisma shook her head and turned back to Adam. "Would you like to see the pictures with Mama and Brianna?"

Adam nodded vigorously and Charisma put her arm around him and snuggled him up next to her. Then picture by picture they started going through the album together.

Kent couldn't hear the words they exchanged now, but he really didn't need to. At least he finally knew why the woman in the pictures looked so familiar to him. Of course, that only gave him more questions to be answered - mainly, what had been between them and what had happened to keep them separated for twenty years. It occurred to him that Brianna's reemergence in Charisma's orbit might also go a long way towards explaining Charisma's recent behavior.

The sound of Charisma closing the album and sliding it carefully onto the table brought him out of his brown study and back to his immediate surroundings. Then he realized he could hear Adam and Charisma talking again and he returned his attention to their conversation.

"Mama?" Adam asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"I like Br'anna. Br'anna good."

There was silence for an eternal moment after that, then Charisma sighed. "Would you like to go see Brianna?" smiling when his whole countenance lit up. "She's visiting with Esmeralda and Saphira today and Esmeralda invited us over." She paused, grinning at his energetic nodding, though the smile never did quite reach her eyes. "Would you like to go visit?"

"YES!!" and she couldn't even chastise him for his loud enthusiasm. She had known, after all, what his answer would be before she'd even voiced the question. Charisma smiled and rose from her seat, watching Adam slide from the couch so quickly he ending up sitting on the floor. He stared at her, his expression a mixture of befuddlement and amusement. Charisma laughed and Adam joined her. Kent decided to take the opportunity to disappear.

Charisma put in a call to Turq, then the two of them walked back upstairs to find suitable clothing for their outing. It wasn't long before Charisma had herself and Adam bundled well in preparation for their venture into the cold outdoors. Then they went outside to wait, knowing Turq wouldn't be very much longer. Besides, Charisma wanted to give Adam the chance to expend a little of his somewhat frantic energy before they arrived at Esmeralda's and Saphira's.

So they were running around the front lawn when Turq pulled up. She exited the vehicle and stood waiting for them to trek over to her, keeping her smile to herself when Adam leaped into Charisma's arms and almost knocked her to the ground. She maintained her neutral faзade - though she couldn't keep her eyes from twinkling - when Charisma drew nearer breathing heavily. Turq opened the door and Charisma put Adam on the ground so he could crawl in himself. She bent over at the waist for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Then she straightened and looked Turq in the eye.

"Not one word, Turq."

"No ma'am," Turq agreed without even the faintest hint of a smile gracing her lips. "I wouldn't dream of it." Charisma held her stance for another moment before allowing her own smile to split her face.

"I am getting too old for this," she muttered in an aside to Turq. "Dammit," she mumbled as she stuck her hand into her pocket and came up empty. "Can you watch Adam for a minute? I forgot to grab the address we need."

"Yes ma'am," Turq said with a nod. Charisma raced back up the stairs and into the house.

Kent had been watching her play with Adam from the living room window, and he ducked into the coat closet when Charisma ran up the stairs. Then he cursed - hoping beyond hope she wouldn't look in there. He had no desire to explain why he was hiding out in the coat closet of his own home... especially since he was supposed to be in the City.

Fortunately, Charisma bypassed the closet and went straight into her study, shuffling through the things on her desk for a moment before triumphantly proclaiming 'Aha!'. Kent heard her return footsteps and he waited for her to reset the alarm and close the door before he took a semi-deep breath. Then he strained to listen, hearing the limousine engine start and after another moment or two, head down the long driveway. Still it was another full minute before he ventured to stick his head out the door.