Dinah awoke and stretched luxuriously. Marc's side of the bed was empty but she could hear the shower running. She was pleasantly sore in all the right places. Her mind wandered off along the new pathways she'd learnt the night before. Feeling someone else's orgasm was, she decided, addictive. Maybe now she partly understood why sex was such a central part of Awakened society.

It was then a wet towel smacked her on the stomach, making her jump.  She reached for it and wadded it up and tossed it back at Marc, laughing.

He walked over and offered her a hand to help her up. "Shower is yours."  He pulled her up into his arms and hesitated a moment.  Then, after apparently coming to some sort of decision said, 'Maybe you should leave a change or two of clothes here."  His voice was painfully carefully neutral. An offer she was free to reject if she so decided, but one he had offered freely.  Neither of them had spoken of how often they'd see one another, or made any sort of expectations or assumptions. So far.

"That would work.  Thank you for thinking of it."  she said, ignoring the sudden lurching of her stomach.

"I need to get to the office. I'll wait and take you back if you like. If you're still hesitant about trying out your super powers."

She stretched up and kissed him.  "No, I think I can find my way back."  She was about to kiss him again when she thought of something else.  "I'm going to have to spend a few days at the hotel.  Mabel wrote me and some things have come up she needs help with.  I need to be there Saturday and Tuesday so I'm planning on just staying through."

"Ah," he said as the emotion on his face faded. She was getting better at reading him. "Any more walls blown out or dare I ask?"

"No...not walls.  It's good news actually, in that some travel group wants to promote the hotel to their clientele...and interstellar, interdimensional ones if I understand the letter correctly."

His eyebrow rose. "Stephen will be delighted to hear that, given his interest in reaching out beyond the usual suspects."  He let her go and began to gather clothes to dress. "From what I understood you're generally pretty full."

"We have been the last year or so.  We, uhm....well one of the reasons I'm planning to stay over is that we generally have a clam bake on the last weekend of the season...on Sunday afternoon and into the night, and I was wondering if you'd like to come.  It's a lot of fun, and god knows what Julian being there will add to the mix."  She hesitated a split second and then said, "and I'd really enjoy it if you came...your company I mean."

He looked up from zipping up and his face for a moment reflected surprise. "Thank you. I'd like that. I'll look forward to it."

She studied him a moment.  "And I have room in my closet if you'd like to bring a change of clothes with you."

His lips twitched. "That would work. Thank you for thinking of it."

Her eyes flashed green sparks.  "I swear," she hissed, "One of these days I'm going to just haul off and belt you."

He stopped buttoning his shirt and looked at her. "What?!"

She lost it.  Forever after she was unable to explain adequately to herself or any one else why it happened, why then, why there, why that one question in that one particular tone did more than just light the fuse...it set off the explosion.  But it did. "Jack-ass," she yelled at him as she slugged him, aiming for and connecting with his jaw, putting everything she had into it.

His neck snapped around from the power of her blow. His hand went up to rub his jaw, as he experimentally tested to see if anything was broken. "Ow."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.  "Why are you giving me a hard time for playing by your rules?"  She looked like she was thinking about hitting him again if he didn't get the answer right.  She looked like she wanted to start tapping her foot or else start stamping it.  She seemed to be totally oblivious to the comic aspect... standing there fuming, furious, her eyes sparkling, her face rosy with anger....and stark naked to boot.

"At further risk to my jaw.... what are you talking about?" He looked honestly baffled.

"We're having an affair, remember?  That's what you offered me, that's what I accepted.  And while I won't pretend to be au currant with all the subtleties of affairs, I was under the impression that at a minimum one didn't make assumptions."  She laid a great deal of emphasis on each syllable of the last three words.  "Nor indulge in expectations."

"And that means you need to wear dirty panties home. Ah, I didn't get that distinction. Thanks for the education."  Despite the words he had the nerve to look amused.

"No, damn it!" she hissed.  "It means I don't take it for granted that you offered.  It means," she said, her voice rising, "that I appreciate both the thought and the caring that prompted the offer...or did I get that wrong?"

He took a cautious step forward and when she didn't slug him again he wrapped his arms around her. "Idiot," he said softly resting his sore jaw on the top of her head.

She wriggled, not sure whether she should take umbrage at the word or just focus on the tone.  "Jack-ass!" she hissed.

She felt his laughter rather than heard it. He reached down and put a hand under her jaw making her look up . He kissed her. When they came up for air he said, "You're irresistible when you're mad." He began backing her up to the bed.

She knew he was laughing at her and that made it worse.   She said sweetly, "You like your women red hot, do you?" and on the word she zapped him above the bed and let him drop.

"It's war," he threatened, as his clothes disappeared.

"Promise?" she taunted him, already naked.  "Just let me know when I'm hot enough for you."

He zapped her into his arms and was up and on top of her in an instant. His interest was, uhm, obvious. He held her down with the weight of his body and held her arms above her head. "Zap out if you like. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise...?" She prompted, her eyebrow quirked at him.

"Otherwise, I'm going to turn you over my knee." he finished and did just that, his hand hovering in the air above her bare bottom. "Now stop being difficult.  Rules are made to be broken, and I like doing it."  She squirmed and the flat of his hand hit her solidly on her nicely rounded cheeks.

She threw caution to the wind and asked, "Did you enjoy that?  Wanna do it again?" her voice like churned honey.

"I did. But I'd far rather do this."  He bent down and kissed first one buttock then the other.  He let her go and she jumped up to her feet. He lay down prone on the bed. Hands behind his head and just watched her.

She met his gaze freely, her look speculative.  "You really are one of the hottest men I've ever known.  Want me to prove it?"

"Hmmmm," he studied her a moment. "is this demonstration going to be painful?"

"Only if you want it to be," she said, joining him on the bed.

"No, I've never found pain sexually attractive," he replied, using his fingers to tease one of her nipples.

"Me either," she said.  "I just wanna know one thing.  It this talent you have for making me mad somehow linked to your exceptional ability to make me hot?"

"I certainly hope so," he replied applying himself a bit further down on her anatomy.

"Then," she said, losing the fight to stay coherent, "don't stop making me mad because, except for the uhm...hitting part...the irresistible thingy is mutual."

Marc stopped by the office to check with Reno on a few things then went in search of Stephen, who, Reno had informed him, was staying pretty close to the Infirmary.  Tommy was growing stronger, but both Doni and Stephen were keeping tabs on his healing.

The new building was still in the throes of change. Marc had to dodge busy staff and Cal's alterations to reach the area where they were seeing to the wounded, Tommy amongst them. Stephen was standing in the hallway, deep in thought when Marc approached.

"Have a minute?" Marc asked.

"Sure, what's on your mind? I was just going to head over and get some coffee, if you'd like to join me."  Stephen said.

Marc, after a busy night with Dinah, was more than pleased at that prospect.  They spoke of Tommy and the other people injured while they walked to the main House. Once they both had large mugs of coffee they walked over to Stephen's office.

"I'm... the accusations Martin made, Stephen. Obviously he believed them.  I can think of a number of scenarios as to how he could be convinced I was behind the plots against you and the teams. But none of them are complete. Nor can I identify who might be behind them, Perhaps when we begin dealing with reconstituting the Council something will occur to me. Or you."  Marc's voice died away.

He was, Stephen decided, not nearly as focused on what he was saying as he usually was.

Stephen met his gaze calmly.  "Before we head further down this road, for the record, I think he believed what he was saying was the truth.  I am equally certain it isn't.  In other words, if it needs saying, I don't think you had anything to do with any of it.  The worst thing I think is that you might have had suspicions you chose not to share."

"Suspicions are easy to come by. I had some with regard to you that have since proven to be incorrect. But I thank you for the vote of confidence. Nonetheless, it is important that we discover the person responsible and show for certain that it wasn't me. Others have less understanding of my actions than do you."

"I agree.  I will do what I can to keep the lid on.  I spoke with Melly briefly this morning.  She had some interesting comments to make, from that unique perspective she gets when she's solving puzzles.  She is convinced there's more than one agenda here, still.  I found her argument cogent.  It is close to impossible to posit a scenario that explains everything within a single framework.  She also is very intrigued by the timing and style of the new attacks on the teams."

Marc nodded. "I agree with her analysis. Problem is, we need more data."  Marc paused then and Stephen stayed silent waiting for whatever it was Marc was struggling to say.

Eventually Marc met Stephen's eyes.  "What you and Doni did.  Have you two ever had that complete a connection before while you worked together?"

"No, we haven't."

Marc looked away and Stephen could see wheels turning behind Marc's eyes. Finally, "What you and she did. I design methods to combine oper.. awakened minds. To more fully work as one. As I did for the ops teams when I first arrived."

"Yes, I remember," Stephen replied.

"What you and she did... It is on a different order. Watching it, studying the connections ...Did you sense at the time that it was different? On a different order? Or did it just seem, oh, natural, and unsurprising."

Stephen thought about what he was asking for a while.  "I knew it was different, that there was a depth and quality of...completeness that I'd never....it was both surprising and not, it has...had a feeling of something that had been waiting for the right circumstances to occur.  What is more surprising is that after...there is no withdrawal...it is there but dormant, something waiting for another moment."  He hesitated and then said, "There is no place now in  my mind where she is not, nor I in hers.  If the bond between us was one dimensional before it's four dimensional now."

Marc nodded, obviously considering it. "In a metaconcert, a fully orchestrated one, it demands such connections, the willingness to cede one's individuality to the whole, and a dropping of the normal shields.  Even so, once it is over, the individuals do not remain part of the whole, as you and Doni are. I'll have to consider the implications of it."

Stephen nodded, still waiting for what Marc seemed reluctant to say.

"Also," Marc commented after a long moment of silence, "I suggest we set up a media centre. We seem to be plagued with the press. If we are, we ought to make use of them. I've a... colleague. She is quite well known on Home and her getting an assignment here would seem quite natural, given the news worthiness of recent events. But I trust her. Completely. She'll keep safe what we need to protect. Better we take steps before we find ourselves forced to accept something we won't have any control of."

"Would you be able to refrain from calling me a coward to my face if I let it in your hands?"  Stephen asked, straight faced.

Marc nodded, distractedly.  Ah, bad news.

"There is something else I must tell you," Marc finally said. Then, meeting Stephen's gaze quite levelly. "I've learned that the files on Dinah are, to put it mildly, misleading."

"Oh?  How?"

"What happened to that bargain we made not to play each other?" Marc asked, obviously exasperated.

Stephen sighed.  "They aren't my secrets, Marc.  So why don't you either tell me what you want to tell me and we go from there, or ask the question and I'll tell you whether I can answer it or not.  I can only assume that Dinah herself said something to you, but I'm still bound by commitments I made when she was a child."

"Shortly after the bombing, I was distracted. Trying to understand what you and Doni were doing, worrying for Tommy, wondering what it meant that even after we'd taken care of Margaret and Maya we were still under attack. So I... well, I suddenly wondered where Dinah was, and I reached for her. I found her. And I, uhm, I fixed her. I did not intend to intrude in her mind, but it seemed so ... natural. In a moment it was done."

Stephen frowned.  "You fixed her?  What the hell do you mean, you fixed her?"

"She's operant now Stephen. She's aware, emergent and gifted."

Stephen took a minute to absorb what he said.  "I'm guessing she didn't take it well.  Did she tell you why?"

"No, she did not take it well. She's told me some of it but it did not fit with what I'd read in her files and has me more confused than enlightened. Something about her father. Someone blocked her abilities Stephen.  Why, I've no idea.."

"Hold on a minute," Stephen said, heading over to a locked file cabinet.  He pulled a bulging folder out and handed it to Marc. "Angus McNeill, the name ring a bell?"

Marc took the file. "Yes. Some time ago. The Council voted to permanently remove his abilities as I recall."

"Angus McNeill is a man with borderline personality disorder with paranoid features, who by this time may have disintegrated into full blown psychopathy.  He was bent on breeding a master child who combined all of the major gifts...it was his destiny he said.  He impregnated several women, here and on Home.  None of the children met his specifications.  With the first few he simply fixed it so they couldn't pass on their defective genes, as he called them.  With some he also blocked all their abilities, since, as he said, they weren't worth using in such an incomplete state.  Towards the end, he was killing them.  That's when the council finally stepped in and took action.

"What Dinah remembers is that her father left her and her mother when she was born because she wasn't good enough and that her mother, who had suffered from depression for years, finally killed herself over it.  That's what her grandmother wanted her to know and think.

"The truth is that Dinah's mother sat and waited for him to come back and when he finally found them, her father killed her mother after trying to get Dinah to do it form him.  From what I could piece together about the last attempt he actually manipulated Dinah and her gifts, to force her mother to kill herself. When that didn't work he killed her himself, blocked Dinah's gifts and destroyed her ovaries, then left her there with the body.  I found her two days later, cowering under the kitchen table.  She was in a bad way, shut down completely and healing from...from the attacks on her mind.  She was lucky to be alive."

Marc opened his mouth to say something then closed it again. Stephen nearly asked him if he was all right.  Finally, all Marc replied was, "I see."

"I took her back to her grandmother.  She asked for my promise that I wouldn't tell Dinah what really happened.  I think she meant to at some point but died before she could.  Dinah's grandfather refused to accept custody unless her abilities remained blocked.  Her grandmother felt that given what had happened, and the hate Dinah felt for her father that it would be better to just let it alone.  I doctored the file in the council offices to make sure it never came out."

"And you just let her go through life thinking herself inadequate and inferior."

"No.  Jesus, Marc!  What do you take me for?  Up until a few years ago she though the Awakened were the scum of the earth.  She worked for me because she thought it was a way to get back at them.  Twelve years ago, when Mac came into her life she was nothing like she is now.  She was angry and bitter and defensive.  There was no way..." Stephen stopped and reined in his temper.  "Until recently telling her anything would have only made it worse.  If Mac hadn't...She hid from everything, she hid everything she was because it was safe for her, safe emotionally.  She could make herself invisible, unnoticeable. If you saw her you'd have said she was plain as rocks.  Somehow Mac made her understand it was okay to stop doing that.  I'd hoped, these last few months, that it might finally be time to try to talk to her about some of it."

Marc closed his eyes and sighed. "Secrets never help, Stephen. All they do is complicate things.  Says the man who has more secrets than most. Christ."

"How is she now?  And, do we, or I rather, tell her all of it?"

"She is confused. Overwhelmed. Doing her best to pretend she's fine. And yes. She deserves to know."

"Laz told me she's got to spend a few days back at the beach, something about the hotel.  Will she be all right?  He's sending Paul and Chance with her."

"Putain de merde!  Why am I supposed to know. You've known her all these years. You tell me."

"Who are you mad at?  Me for holding a candle to the devil or yourself?  I'm asking for your assessment of her condition based on your greater knowledge of her state right now.  Based on my knowledge and experience of her, she is grasping an excuse to go home, where she feels safe, where she can...god forgive me for the psychobabble...process what's happened to her and where she can talk to Jolene without making it obvious she's doing those things."

"Well, then give her the time to process it all, by all means. God knows she's got reason."

"I will, of course."  Stephen, suddenly tired to death,  rubbed his eyes and tried to think.  "I don't know what to say to you."

Marc stood up and walked to the window then, his back to Stephen. "My reproductive organs and every associated structure inside me were destroyed once Stephen. I'm too close to this."

"Maybe.  Or maybe you can relate to her in way I can't."

"Christ I've made a damn mess of things. Stephen, I can't... How much do you know about Tabitha and her bloody prophecy?"

"Only what I heard Melly say that day." Stephen said carefully.  "I thought about asking you, but decided if you wanted to tell me you would."

"Tabitha is under the mistaken notion that I am a part of it. The problem is that .. I told you I have an agenda. It's a long term agenda. A very long term agenda. Since I came down to the Refuge I've forgotten my responsibilities and the sacrifices I have to make to repair what I've done in the past. I can't... I don't believe in prophecies. I do believe in atonement. I have to believe in it. It's the only thing I have left."

"I won't pretend to know what it is you feel the need to atone for.  But Marc...I don't think..."  Stephen hesitated, picking his words, "it's always seemed to me that it's not up to us to pick how we atone.  I think life shows us as we live our way into it, how to repair what we've broken."

"So I should throw away millennia’s worth of work and just…change course?"

"No.  But consider that perhaps, the real atonement, the reparation if you will, has been happening outside of that, in ways that may not be obvious.  The atonement may not be the agenda you're pursuing, per se, but the changes that happen in you as you pursue that agenda and how that impacts what happens next."

"You've been hanging out with priests far too long, Stephen."  Marc's lips, thankfully, were set in an ironic smile.

"No, I've dealing with Doni and her guilt for over four centuries.  She tried to save her children and ended up killing them instead."

"Yes, I guess you can relate. I am so tired...Tired of...Never mind. Not your problem. I do believe Dinah will be all right. I think she's actually beginning to appreciate a few aspects of being fully operant.  Let's just give her some space to get used to the idea."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"  Stephen asked.

"Keep reminding me I'm not God. That'll do for now."

------------------------

Cassidy, a fresh croissant and a banana in one hand, and a large coffee (black) in the other strode into his office still yawning. It had been a helluva night, what with the bombing, and the added worries that had raised amongst all of them. He'd spent hours with Trevor trying to figure out how to make the teams safer, spent hours going over rotas as Trevor called them, working on how they would divide resources between here and Ocala, and a million other details.

Jordon looked like he was about to fall over from fatigue.  He was already at his desk, arranging and prioritizing all that paperwork for Cassidy.

"Good morning," Jordon said. "You should eat better. I'll bring you a decent breakfast later."

"I'm too tired to eat, but thanks.  So, anything really hot on the top of your list for me?" Cassidy asked as he headed to his desk.

Jordon, a stack of presumably hot stuff in his hand, and his own coffee which looked suspiciously like a latte, in the other followed him into the inner sanctum.

Once Cassidy was seated Jordon dropped the stack on Cassidy's desk and took his usual seat, pulling out a pen and pad after he'd put his coffee down.

Cassidy found himself immediately confronted by a professional photograph of a stunning woman who looked awfully familiar, but he couldn't quite place why that was.

Jordon answered his unspoken questions. "Irisa Diamond. You recognize her from Home news channels."

Cassidy frowned. "Oh yeah. The PR flack who's always spouting off on the talk circuit. As I recall her last job was to make the Council look like icons of virtue and sanity. A thankless job if ever there was one. Especially after yesterday."

"That may be, but she's coming here to run a PR office for the Refuge," Jordon informed his boss with a smirk. "Stunning, isn't she."

"Probably all make-up," Cassidy muttered as he studied the picture. She was standing, dressed in a slightly feminized version of a pin-striped power suit, her hands crossed over her chest, with a slight smirk on her face. The face was stunning too. Not conventionally beautiful or pretty, but strong lined, with high cheekbones, wide hazel eyes and long straight black hair that fell to her... a long way down.

"Well, you're about to find out. She's got an appointment with you at," Jordon consulted his watch, "0830."

Cassidy almost choked on his croissant. That was in 10 minutes.  Why, he asked himself as Jordon walked out grinning, did this meeting worry him when he was regularly dealing with Stephen and Marc, not to mention Trevor and Tabitha.  He sighed.  Maybe he needed to rethink his 'passionate commitments.'

There was a slight knock on the open door in front of Jordon at precisely 0830.  He looked up and then jumped up. "Ah, Ms Diamond. Mr. Cassidy is expecting you."  She looked just like her picture although today her suit had a skirt. A rather short skirt.

"Thanks," she said, giving Jordon a friendly smile. "I don't suppose", she said, eying his latte, "you could manage to find me one of those? I'm straight off the boat, so to speak, and have no idea where anything is around here."

"Delighted to. Anything else I can do?" Jordon asked.

She frowned. "Who is Tabitha?"

Jordon grinned. "You'll find out," he replied as he lead her into Cassidy's office.

"Ms Diamond, Mr. Cassidy."

Cassidy stood, raking her from head to toe in a comprehensive glance as he held out his hand to her.  She looked better than her picture.  "Hello, Ms Diamond.  It's a pleasure to meet you."  He shook her hand while he gave her a second look, slower, but equally comprehensive that ended with her eyes and then stayed there. "Please, sit down, won't you?"

Cassidy's look fazed her not at all. She sat, and turned a thankful smile on Jordon as he delivered her a latte.  Jordon, at a glance from Cassidy stepped back out into his own office.

"I know it's short notice," she began. "But given the recent events on Home and here, Mr. Rogatien thought I should get to work as soon as possible. I can help you manage the press, give out information to satisfy their needs and yours at the same time, and hopefully take that worry off your shoulders.  What I need from you is a good clear and concise rundown on the current state of things here, so I can, uhm, artfully reword things and release only the information you wish."

"Well, Ms Diamond, we should be able to manage that.  The current state of things is tense.  Fortunately there were no fatalities yesterday and the wounded are recovering well.  At the moment we are busy integrating the new staff and implementing the security measures we've decided up...measures, I would stress, that we are confident will ensure the safety of the Listeners and the New Ones while we try to find those responsible."

"I'll release a statement to that effect as soon as possible. By the way, I've only just arrived. I'd appreciate it if someone could arrange a tour of all the facilities for me, and perhaps find me an office? Marc, er, Mr. Rogatien mentioned speaking to Tabitha regarding a place to put my luggage until she can arrange a room for me? I gathered from him that rooms are wanting what with the new staffing needs. I'm not particularly fussy, so I'll take what I can get when I can get it."

"I'll have Jordon find you an office while I introduce you to Tabitha.  Uhm, I would prefer it if you'd clear anything you release with this office or , in a pinch if I'm not available, with Marc or Stephen.  We'd also like to keep the press away from the Refuge to the greatest extent possible."  Cassidy gave her his most charming, and unassuming smile.

"Of course I'll clear any formal statements through the proper channels, although I confess I'm not very clear how those channels work. Hopefully you can explain them better than Marc did. His comment was something like, 'We wing it.'"  She laughed softly. "As to keeping the press out from under foot, I'll arrange to utilize a room at the Council Building the moment it is inhabitable. They did rather reduce it to rubble. I'll set up a press office and briefing room there. The Press will soon tire of trudging down here if I accommodate their preference for the least possible disruption to their day."

He grinned at her, without losing the charm.  "Marc's right.  We pretty much wing it.  But day-to-day I'm your man.  While I'm thinking of it, will you be needing an assistant...a minion, as they're calling themselves?"

She laughed at that. "Well, I don't really need much. Someone to pass me messages mostly and update my schedule. Oh, I'm used to sitting in on any briefings if at all possible. I realize there are things you might not want me to know, which then gives me deniability with the press, but the more you can share with me, the more likely I can satisfy press inquiries and the less frequently they'll be clamoring to talk to you, Stephen or Marc.  Also, if I can watch as you send out an ops team, that would be helpful."

"I think most, if not all of that is doable.  We try to avoid formal meetings around here, briefings tend to be ad hoc, though I think Marc and Stephen have been discussing a regular meeting for senior staff since so much is going on these days.  I'm sure that you would expected to attend.  I'll also arrange to get you introduced around and speak to Cal who controls the Ops Center about you watching.  Cal can also introduce you to some of the teams and brief you how things are run from there.  How does that sound?"

She gave him a stunning smile. "That sounds perfect. I don't want to keep you, as you must be busy, so if you'd prefer to ask someone else to introduce me to Tabitha..."  She let that drift off.

She had an amazing smile.  The wattage of his increased automatically.  "No, I don't mind.  I could use a fresh cup of coffee."  He stood and said, "Whenever your ready Ms Diamond.  Is your luggage here?"

"Yes, in the hallway," she said as she stood. "Do call me Irisa. I expect we'll be working quite closely at least for awhile, until I understand the ins and outs and flow of things here. Then hopefully I'll be a bit less of a burden."

"Well, Irisa, I don't think you'll be a burden at all.  I think you'll be a great asset to the team.  And, please, call me Cassidy....everyone does."  He paused to give Jordon a few instructions and the picked up her bags and led her down the hallway to the dining room where Tabitha had breakfast firmly under control.

"Tabitha, this is Irisa Diamond, she's going to be working with us here and will need accommodations.  Think we can help her out there?"  Cassidy asked the last with all the charm he had.

Tabitha harrumphed.  "She can go in Tommy's old rooms, seeing as how it's you asking.  He'll be moving as soon as he's out of the Infirmary.  Just leave her luggage with me and I'll take care of getting his stuff moved and the rooms ready."

"Please, Miss Tabitha, no rush on my part. I've a full day ahead of me, so won't be needing the rooms until much later."

"That'll be fine.  Just come find me when you're ready and I'll have a set of keys for you.  And welcome to the Refuge."

"Why thank you," she said smiling at her. Then she looked around and noted the newly installed coffee bar. She'd finished her latte in Cassidy's office.  "Ah, the caffeine."

He filled a cup for himself of plain black and waited while she got another latte.  "I'll take you over to Cal and introduce you.  By that time Jordon will have sorted out an office for you."  He hesitated and then took the plunge, "Perhaps after you get settled I could give you the grand tour and then we could get a bite to eat together?"

"If you're sure I'm not keeping you from something," she asked.

"I'm quite sure."  He smiled.  "It'll give incentive to get through the stack on my desk knowing that I've company for dinner."  He stopped outside a door and keyed in a code.  "This is the ops center.  When your through with Cal just head back and Jordon will take you to your office.  Then when you're done this afternoon, come find me and we'll go from there."

"Thanks Cassidy. I appreciate you not being.. resentful. Some people think what I do is, oh, worthless. I like to think of it as managing the environment. At least a little bit."

Cal heard her voice and walked over.  "Who's this then?" he asked.

"Cal, this is Irisa Diamond.  She's taken on the thankless job of keeping the press out of our hair.  Irisa, this is Cal Cahill, he runs the ops center.  Cal, she wants to watch a team going out and I told her you'd take of it while also giving her the run down on how things are run from here and answer any questions she might have.  When you guys get done just send her back to my office.

"Irisa, I leave you in good hands."  He winked at her.  "Until later then."

"Thanks so much, Cassidy,' she said warmly.  She watched him until he was out the door.  Then to Cal, "He's quite nice."

--------------------

It was past five when Irisa stuck her head into Cassidy's office and announced, "I've been liberated from new hounds for the rest of the day.  How's things with you?"

"Your timing's perfect.  Just let me have a word with Jordon and I'll be free as well.

Cassidy didn't linger with Jordon and then they were strolling out of the House and over towards a jeep parked to the side.  "I thought I'd give you the outdoors first, while it's still light.  The property's extensive."  He held the door for her and then got in, saying "Hold on to your hair."  He drove off towards the monastery first and pointed out the sights, the duck pond, the cemetery, the entrance to the church and then made a loop that took them past the brewery while he explained about how the sisters made beer and wine and some fruit liqueurs, using the residents as taste testers.

Then he drove her out to the ruins and then the compound, before bringing her back and parking the car.  They were laughing as they left the jeep and headed inside again.

"It's lovely here, Cassidy." She suddenly sobered. "And yet violence finds its way here, too. It seems that even though so many of us see ourselves as superior, we aren't, not one whit. We're still motivated by the same baser instincts."

"Yep," he agreed.  "It's one reason I'm really glad Marc recommended me for this job.  I at least have the sense sometimes that baser instincts don't always win."

They walked into the dining room as she said, "Yes. I can see how it must help to know you're doing something worthwhile. I'm glad I have this chance to be a small part of it."

He handed her a tray and took one for himself, while she gathered silverware and napkins.  As the headed down the line he said, "The food is amazingly good for institutional cooking.  I don't know how Tabitha does it. "  He selected a salad and moved on to the entrees. "Stephen seems to have a knack for attracting exceptional talent, even in the kitchens," he quipped, "though I think in this case Tabitha chose him first."

"You'll have to tell me that story," she chortled, taking a salad herself. "She seems to elicit a good deal of terror around here. Even Marc seems a bit wary of her." She helped herself to an entree.  She passed on the dessert.

He led her over to a table somewhat off from where most people were sitting. "Here all right?"

"It's fine, thanks."  As they settled and moved their dishes around and off the trays she said, "Your resume seems to make you an ideal candidate to work here."

He gave her a bland look.  "I won't ask how you got a hold of a copy.  But yes, it would seem to be true.  I'm enjoying it in spite of the situation.  I like the pace and the autonomy Stephen and Marc have allowed me, while also making it clear they will back me up when needed."  He took a bite and changed the subject.  "You wanted to know about Tabitha and Stephen?"

She nodded.

"Stephen Awoke back before there was anything like the Listeners while he was still a child and apparently Tabitha and Eli, her bond mate and the guy who takes care of the grounds here, became his foster parents. Neither she nor Eli signed the covenants and went into exile, as it were.  But about twelve years ago, for reasons no one will reveal, he brought them here and made the Council accept their presence.  I'm told that the condition was that they not be involved with the teams or any of the Listener activities nor use their gifts....er...professionally."

"Their gifts," she prompted, curious.

"Eli is a channeler and taught Stephen. Tabitha is a healer.  The only one better is Doni and interestingly enough Stephen is the most powerful channeler I've ever seen or heard of...some of the things he's done are astounding....as was what Doni did yesterday to save Tommy."

"He has a fan." she teased.

Cassidy nodded.

"I went to work for the Council a bit before all that happened, so I remember some of it from their view of things. By the time Stephen was at war with the Council I was ready to leave. I didn't like the way things were going. But once you work for the Council it is difficult to break away. Then, when the whole thing with Richard and Liliana blew up, Marc began to take notice. He asked me to stay on. I did so, holding my nose the entire time. I'm glad now I that I did."

He held her eyes, a smile in his and said, "So am I."  He waited a minute and then said, "So tell me more about you?  You've seen my resume but I haven't see yours...though I suspect it's somewhere on my desk."

She laughed. "Bottom of the pile I suspect. Not much to tell really. I was educated in a time when not many women were so fortunate. Classics, believe it or not. Then, when I found teaching was not to my taste, I found a job with a very wealthy man who was a philanthropist. He needed privacy, and had everyone and his brother begging him for money for their pet cause. So I did for him what I hope to do for the Refuge. Kept the rabble at bay and helped filter in the ones I thought were legitimate and that he'd find helpful or useful or worthwhile.

"So, when I Awakened, well, here I am."

He toasted her with his water glass, "To my good fortune."  He took a swallow and let the silence lengthen, watching her eat.  Her movements were graceful and understated, with an elegance to them that spoke to breeding and an ease in any company.  He found himself watching the shifting shadows of her face and wondering...he pulled himself up short and dragooned his thoughts into order.  "So I suppose you're all settled in now?"

"Well, other than for knowing where I'm sleeping. I do hope Tabitha left the keys with someone. I never did get a chance to break free to catch her earlier."

"I ahhh, forgot.  I had Jordon pick them up to save you the trouble.  I hope you don't mind.  I meant to give them to you as soon as I saw you, but then I got distracted."

She tilted her head and studied him for a moment. "I'm surprised you forgot. You don't strike me as the type of man who forgets much. Will you show me where my room is?"

He face was all innocence and self deprecation.  "You're very distracting," he said lightly, handing her the keys.  And you room is this way if you'll follow me?"

She laughed at him and slipped her arm through his, surprising him. "Isn't this more comfortable than, 'follow me'"-she'd lowered her voice and gotten his tone just right. "I don't bite. Mostly."

"No?  What if I asked you to?"

She looked at him from under her brows. "I hardly know you well enough. There's always the fear of rabies, you know."

He burst out laughing.  "I be sure to look out for my shot record for you."  He stopped in front of a door and said, "Your new home, ma'am," using the southern drawl he'd trained himself out of years ago, but could still pull out when he wanted to.

"Thank you kind sir," she replied giving him a bow. "See you tomorrow?"

"Count on it," he replied.

She closed the door and found herself leaning against the back of it. She was smiling. She stood there for a while then sighed. Too bad she didn't sleep with her bosses.