"Andrew," Jane asked, not at all sure if she wasn't just having a particularly bad nightmare, "you aren't seriously thinking of having Valerie come and fix your computers, are you?" "Why not?" he replied, sounding completely serious. Jane wondered if he was sober. "She sounds more technically competent than our last engineer. Certainly more so than I am. Is she prone to making wild claims she cannot deliver?" "No. In fact she generally delivers much more than you expect. But..." "So why shouldn't I?" "I can't guarantee she won't take advantage of you, maybe even blackmail you." "So what do I have to lose? All the records are lost now. And I can't afford to wait three weeks to get them back. And there is a LOT of money at stake. I wish I knew just how many millions are lost in that system now. So how much could a kid like her want?" Jane almost laughed at that. "A little blackmail is insignificant! If she can actually recover my system, and before my clients find out, it's worth it! And besides, I pride myself on my ability to judge people. And I trust her." "I think you are making a big mistake," Jane said carefully, trying to get Andrew to understand. "That girl can only be trusted to do the most impossible things. I warn you, if I send her down there, I fully expect her to turn you and your company upside down." Andrew replied with a laugh, "I'll risk it. Besides, my life has been a bit boring as of late." "Well, I _can_ guarantee that she will cure that problem." "OhmyGodI'vegottopaaaaaack..." Valerie trailed off as she ran out of the room and up the stairs. Charlie turned back to Jane as she harrumphed. She then turned to Charlie and remarked, "And furthermore, Charlene, Andrew extended the invitation to you, if you would like to go." "Me?" Charlie confirmed. "Since you've never seen New York City, and everyone should see it at least once in their lifetime. Preferably at someone else's expense, and with a native guide. Since Andrew is offering both..." She smiled at something Charlie couldn't see, and was probably happier not knowing. She straightened up when she realized that Charlie was looking at her, and put her stern face back on. "In any case, I am sure you can remember your manners there, and perhaps act as a... calming influence on Valerie." Charlie's snort escaped before he could block it. "I know," Jane said without chastising him, "but it's the best option available, besides having Marie stay with her all the time while she's there. And I'm not entirely sure, that Marie's presence wouldn't simply goad Valerie into something more rash than usual, to demonstrate her independence. At least, if you go, she'll feel a responsibility to look after you." "Me?" "New York in June, New York in June," Tucker kept chanting unconsciously to himself as he rummaged through the clothes in his closet. He had to find something feminine yet inspiring confidence in his professional ability, and practical also. And he had to remember to bring something to change into, if he had to go up in the ceiling, which he was planning on. "JaneJaneJaneJaneJane!" Valerie called, her voice unusually pitched and bouncy, apparently because she was running down the stairs. "Jane!" she exclaimed one last time as she swung around the doorframe and lurched to a stop, wearing nothing but a slip and one earring, then she continued, "I have to go shopping, I don't have anything to WEAR!" Jane thought it rated a smile, but Charlene's infectious howls finally caused Jane to break out in a chuckle herself. The 'final straw', however, was the look on Valerie's face as she complained, "What?" "I didn't think it was that funny," Tucker mumbled to himself. Apparently too loudly, because Kenneth commented with a smile in his voice, "Oh, yes it was." Tucker bit his lip to keep silent. Kenneth had offered to take him shopping, and Jane had given Kenneth her Visa again, for Valerie to use if Kenneth approved. So it was important to keep in his good graces, no matter how much of an asshole he was being. Somewhat similar, in fact, to when his sister would take him shopping before school. *Except in reverse,* he noted, which made HIM chuckle. "Style Shoppe?" Kenneth commented, half to himself. "Trust me!" she called over her shoulder as she almost ran ahead of him. The comment made him instantly suspicious. He hastened to catch up, but she kept going faster herself, and so he entered the shop about thirty seconds behind her. She was already talking to what Kenneth assumed was the proprietress of the shop, speaking in what sounded like a rapid-fire Long Island accent. The woman, who was older than Jane but dressed just as well, looked up, caught Kenneth's eye, and nonverbally pleaded for him to come over and help her. Something almost white caught Tucker's eye, and when he pulled it off the rack, it almost sang to him, "Take meeeee!" "Oh, yeah," he breathed agreement. If he could find the right accessories. "Oh, damnit, please..." "How could you spend four hundred dollars in forty-five minutes?" Valerie glanced at him as she carefully laid bags in the trunk. "Oh, is that how much it was? I wasn't looking." As Kenneth was trying to wrap his brain around THIS concept, she mentioned, as though she had just thought of it, "Oh! And we gotta go one more place." "For what?" "A sleeping bag?" Kenneth commented over Tucker's shoulder. "I mean, it's not like I'm gonna have time to commute, especially in New York traffic. It'd be simpler if I just slept on the floor. Oh, and a mattress pad." He went to go find a mattress pad, because sleeping on the floor was not as easy as it used to be, back before he started gaining weight. *Sheila never mentioned this part, either.* Charlie was trying to pack enough clothes and et ceteras in the luggage Marie had provided - covered with tapestry flowers, which made a sick sort of sense - when there was a tap at the door. "Come in!" he yelled. Teresa tenatively stepped in as he turned around to see who it was. "Oh, what'sup?" "You're really going to New York?" she asked. She sounded depressed by the whole concept. "Do you think I'm packing because I like playing with luggage?" "No!" Kenneth roared, sounding like he was serious. "Absolutely NOT!" *Jerk,* Tucker thought, but he didn't bother wasting time trying to argue. "Well," he asked the owner, "can I put it on layaway for a month?" "No!" Kenneth shouted from behind him, and Tucker made a dismissive gesture with his hand he'd seen Jane use. "I'll be having my own money after this weekend," he explained conspiratorially to the merchant, "and I should be able to pick it up in a week after that, is that okay?" "Sure," said the grizzled owner. He had a grin on his face that could only be achieved by selling something which was expensive but not popular. "Oh, and do you have the mask and the other fittings?" "Sure do, miss, though they'd be extra," the guy replied, almost grinning wider. "Of course," Tucker agreed, trying to be urbane about it. *Oh, Mike's gonna shit himself when he sees this!* Before he could rub his hands in evil glee, part of his brain reminded him, *And YOU'RE gonna shit when you see how much all this costs.* The phone rang, waking Mike up from an afternoon nap. "Huh?" "Mike?" It was Kim, so he wasted a few seconds trying to wake up enough to sound coherent. "Yeah, what's, what'sup?" He sat up and rubbed his face. She started to giggle, then finally forced out, "Um, Debbie just showed me some pictures..." It took him a few moments, but then he woke up completely. "WHAT!?" As Julio opened the door, Valerie almost ran over him. "Could you help Kenneth with the other stuff oh SH- f- BUGGER! I've got to paaaack..." she trailed off as she ran up the stairs. Julio turned to Kenneth. Kenneth shrugged, then looped his finger around his ear and grinned. He had to agree with Kenneth's assessment. Tucker decided to take most of his equipment with him - he couldn't be sure of what he would need, and it was a safe bet that if Andrew couldn't find a programmer on short notice, there was no way he could come up with the specialized tools Tucker had. Which is why he had wedged the door shut and was frantically tossing equipment into a large suitcase he'd found on the bed, using just enough of his casual clothing to pad it. *Jeez, and if I get all this, I ought just have enough time to shower and change, and then we can catch an evening flight- what did I do with my shoes?* The tapping of heels announced that Valerie was on her way down the stairs. Jane mentally girded herself for battle, as she was sure that she was moments away from a long, hard argument with the girl about what she was going to wear- And, as she later realized she SHOULD have expected, Valerie surprised them all, again. She was wearing a cream-colored linen suit, with a tulip skirt and a fitted jacket that showed off a trim hourglass figure, as well as heels Jane considered entirely appropriate, and a proper felt hat and gloves as well. As she turned to the dining room, the brilliant blue of the top Valerie was wearing under the suit surprised Jane, but after less than a moment of consideration, she realized that the blue silk updated the outfit to modern standards, adding both sensuality and a streak of boldness to what otherwise would have been a costume from the Forties. "So, when's our flight?" she asked, then looked at the table, which was already set for dinner. "Lasagna?" Tucker confirmed. At Teresa's uncertain nod, he told them, "I'll be right back." White clothes were a magnet for tomato sauce, and it looked almost as if it was straining in the pan towards him already. He trotted into the kitchen, surprising Charlene who was holding a dish in potholders. "Wh- What are you doing?" she asked as Valerie went to the pantry closet. "Duh, getting an apron," he told her, and pulled one of the longer ones out. This one had a bib that went all the way up, as he recalled. He slid it over his head, and it covered all the cloth of the new suit. "Thought so," he remarked smugly. Valerie ate relatively daintily, but with such speed versus such a small portion, that she was finished before the rest of them. "So," she remarked to Jane, "when do we leave again? You never said." "Well," Jane remarked, and wiped her lips, "Andrew agreed with me that your dance lessons are important, so-" "What?" Valerie and Charlene both interrupted. Charlene simply glared at Jane with a wounded look, while Valerie sighed and glanced at her watch. "Are we going tonight?" she asked. "I do need to talk to Andrew about the problem in more detail, and I think he'd appreciate it if we had more time." Jane smiled, and replied, "We'll be, or rather you'll be going directly from dance class to the airport. Marie will be flying with you as a chaperone, though she will be coming back here immediately." Marie sighed, and Jane knew she was not anticipating the trip, short as it was. Marie was also worried about the wisdom of letting the two of them outside Jane's sphere of control, especially Valerie. One thing that Jane was confident of, however, was that, no matter what trouble the little scamp could work herself into, she would always keep her cool and her secret intact. "You look nice," Doug commented as they met before class started. Tucker was surprised that he was that on the ball. "Thank you!" Tucker smiled at him. "We've got to go on a trip tonight, and I didn't feel like changing." "Where you going?" Tucker grinned. "New York. I got a rush computer job to go on, and Charlene's coming along for moral support." "Computer job?" He looked sort of wistful. "Yeah, a friend of Jane's had some problems." He shrugged. Doug looked half skeptical and half desperate for something. Tucker hoped it wouldn't involve him. "But, I mean, and they called YOU?" "Well, yeah! Why not? Just because I'm a GIRL," Tucker emphasized, "doesn't mean I can't work on computers." Tucker knew that wasn't what Doug was thinking, and he was right, as Doug stuttered trying to retract a statement he hadn't actually made. As Brad whirled him around, he confirmed, "New York?" "Yeah..." Charlie shrugged. "Jane said it would be like a good opportunity or something..." "For what?" "I dunno, she just gets these weird ideas sometimes." "Like dancing class?" Charlie looked up, and Brad was grinning. He couldn't help but chuckle himself. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, this isn't really my thing, you know?" Brad shrugged. "Yeah, but, I mean, _I_ think it's kind of cool. Sort of, I guess, dignified." "Dignified?" Charlie thought about it. "Yeah, I can see that..." "Your dad?" "Yeah, he's like this old-timey electrical engineer, I think he went to school back before they had electrons, you know?" Doug chuckled nervously. "So, it was like I got everything out of him through osmosis or something. I was typing before I learned how to talk, really." "Oh, my God..." Mike ran his fingers though his hair. "God, Mike, don't be so paranoid!" Kim suggested. "I mean, Debbie won't let the negatives go anywhere, and these are the only prints." Mike sighed. "How much?" There went all his money... "What do you mean?" "How much? I want to buy them from her." Kim rolled her eyes. "Mike, it's not a blackmail deal. She's keeping the negatives safe, and I just wanted to see what you looked like, all made up." She giggled. "Kind of cute, actually." This made him feel not at all better. "You gonna be back Thursday?" Doug asked. "I mean Tuesday." "Yeah, one way or another." If he didn't have it fixed by then, he'd make a quick dash back here to pick up some stuff, and then he'd be gone again, because he'd have to go into hiding and change his identity. On the other hand, he was confident enough in his abilities that he wasn't worrying too much about it. Tucker made a quick excuse and went to the bathroom before they left for the airport. Charlene and Marie both tagged along, which was kind of annoying but not unexpected. He locked himself in a stall and pulled out the small bottle of Tucker-flesh-colored latex, and a compact. Opening the compact, he carefully balanced it on the toliet paper holder. Then he opened the bottle, leaned close, opened his eyes wide, and very carefully daubed a bit around the outside corner of each eye. And tried not to blink for an excruciatingly long time. Finally, he could tell by the crinkling feeling that it was dry enough, as long as he didn't touch it. So he peeled his lingerie down and squeezed out what he could from his bladder, since airliner bathrooms were not what he considered usable at the best of times, much less when he was wearing all this crud. When Valerie came out of the stall and checked her makeup, Charlie noticed that she looked... older, somehow. Part of it was the same thing that she had done in the Style Shoppe, but that wasn't quite it. It bothered him all the way outside, until Brad said something to him. "Huh?" Brad held up his hand. "It was just a joke..." "Oh, yeah," Charlie replied, a little confused. He was more confused when Brad opened his arms, but he caught what was going on about the same time that Brad caught HIM and hugged him firmly. "Did he give you a goodbye kiss?" Tucker teased as Marie started the car. "What? NO!" Charlene shrieked. Tucker grinned. Now he could sort of understand what the girls were doing to him around Christmas. Charlie didn't think anything of where Marie was driving until she started to slow down. "Um," he commented, because there weren't any signs of lights or traffic or anything he associated with airline travel. "Um, Marie?" "Jane and Andrew made special arrangements," she explained, not sounding pleased, "and we're supposed to meet someone... over there, at that building," she pointed. As they entered the little building, Tucker looked around. There were only two people there, and they stood up when they saw the three women- and one of them was Andrew. "Hello!" Tucker called, and waved, and changed course towards him. Andrew's face turned into a big smile, and he was grinning by the time Tucker reached him. "Valerie," he said, rolling the word off his tongue so it sounded like a speech. "It's good to see you again! How are you?" "Fine, just fine," she smiled back, and took his hand for a shake. "And you remember Charlene, and this is Marie. Marie, this is Andrew-" "Marie!" he called, sounding even happier. "Hello Andrew," she said, but gave him a big long hug. "It's been a long time." "Far too long," he said quietly into her hair. Tucker wondered if maybe he should take Charlene and go elsewhere for a while. On the other hand, this meant he probably wouldn't have to check his baggage. *That's a nice thought,* Tucker smiled. Charlie had heard about woman pilots, and he guessed that it shouldn't have been that surprising, but it was anyway. What really annoyed him, though, was the sort of look she gave him, as if he was trying to impress someone with his clothing or something. She sort of sneered at him as they walked out to the plane. The plane itself was a Cessna Citation, which was really impressive looking, and only got more so the closer he got to it. The pilot opened it up while they waited, and then helped them on board. Charlie was glad he hadn't taken that much luggage. Andrew was one of the last to come on board, and as the copilot closed the door behind them, Charlie noticed that Marie wasn't there. "Hey!" he turned to Andrew, "what about Marie!?" "She'd rather not fly if she doesn't have to, and she thought that I could handle two well-behaved young ladies," Andrew grinned. Charlie almost looked around for the other one. Tucker sat down in one of the seats, and Andrew took one close by. "Would you like to put your luggage somewhere?" he asked. "No, I, uh, have to get something out of it first," Tucker said, glad for the reminder. He opened the suitcase as little as possible, and rummaged around in it until he found the handle of the laptop bag. Andrew seemed to be patiently waiting for Tucker to get through setting up, but he caught a glimpse of Charlene's face - astonished, as so often happened. *Wonder what she's freaking over now?* *Where the HELL did she get a LAPTOP?!* He must've stared too long, because he finally noticed a flicker of motion which led his eyes up to Valerie's face, which made a shut-your- mouth motion. Charlie shook his head to try and clear it. *Oh, my God, she must've bought it when she went out shopping this afternnon. Jane's gonna KILL her!* Tucker remembered to cross his legs correctly as he started setting the laptop up. It really wasn't that hard to remember in this skirt - it didn't have a lot of room for 'misbehaviour'. As Andrew sat down again after stowing his suitcase, Tucker gave him a professional Debbie sort of smile. "So, tell me about your systems." It took perhaps a minute before things had gotten past the point of Charlie's computer knowledge. Then it seemed to devolve into Chinese. They didn't show any signs of stopping, either. Charlie found his eyes starting to wander and droop, and decided that it was time for his book. Tucker noticed that all the talking plus the pressurization was making him thirsty. He must've smacked his lips or something, because Andrew broke off in the middle of explaining their financial setup, and asked, "Can I get you something to drink?" "If you have orange juice, a screwdriver would be lovely," Tucker replied, eyeing the wet bar. Andrew raised an eyebrow, but didn't contradict Tucker, instead asking Charlene what she wanted. As he mixed drinks, Tucker looked at Charlene to see how she was doing. She looked sleepy. "Hey," he said softly, and she looked at him dopily. "Maybe if you ask nice, they'll let you look at the cockpit?" "That would be cool," Charlene agreed, and when Andrew handed her a coke, she thanked him and set it down before gently standing up and making her way to the cockpit. The pilot had warmed up to Charlie once he had asked a few non-stupid questions, which apparently put him out of the useless cargo category. Or something. Maybe she was trying to recruit him. In any case, she talked with him for a long time, and only told Charlie he had to go back when they were setting up for a landing. She even apologized for having to do it, too. When Charlie came back and sat down, he realized that he was incredibly thirsty, and his coke was still drinkable. He remembered to take 'ladylike' swallows, but he still drained the can before he set it down. Tucker watched Charlene try and cope with 355ml of carbonated beverage. She did it rather discreetly, putting her hand to her mouth and gently expelling. It was almost funny. Charlie had never been in a limousine before, and it was pretty cool. *I'll have to remember to rent one of these for a big date,* he noted as their driver attempted to wind his way through traffic. It was still pretty bad - almost as bad as L.A. Andrew was pointing out various things to Charlie, and he was making a serious attempt to be entertaining. And it was working, too. Charlie had to work to keep from really belly-laughing a few times. Valerie was buried in her computer again, after she'd said something about living in New York for a summer. He still wasn't sure if she was serious about spending all her time at the office, but if she did, he was pretty confident that he could have a good time while he was here, especially since Andrew had taken Friday off to show him around the town and do all the tourist stuff. He just hoped he had enough lightweight clothing. As they exited the limo and walked through the doors, Tucker noticed that Andy was holding doors and stuff for Charlene but not him. He wondered about whether to worry about it or not, and finally decided that he didn't have time. This problem was looking more and more like a bitch, and it might well take him the entire damn weekend to fix it. In any case, Andrew was carrying his suitcase for him, which said the opposite of whatever the not-opening-doors said. Tucker sighed - human relations were not his field. Speaking of human relations, and ways to communicate- "Oh, and are there any restrictions on long-distance calls? On your PBX, I mean?" she asked Andrew as he signed them in on the security log. "No, I don't think so... why?" He shrugged. "I may have to call some other people, order some hardware." And his dad didn't have an 800 number, at least not one to the house. "The PBX is working, right?" "As far as I know, it was. Now," he said, turning to her. "Are you sure you want to stay here the entire time? It'll be pretty lonely here at night-" "No, no, that's great," Tucker assured him. A clue floated to consciousness. *Could he be worried about leaving a girl alone here at night?* Sure he could. *Now, what do I do about it?* "I'm sure security can keep the riff-raff out," he said, throwing a smile at the security guard. The guy, a younger type, smiled back hesitantly. *Dork.* "You'll be careful," Andrew cautioned, confirming Tucker's suspicions. "Of course!" He laughed. "I'm gonna be too busy to get into trouble." He really didn't appreciate Charlene's snigger. Charlie was amazed as they went up to the office and Andrew opened the large, dark wood doors to the offices. It was an entire suite, and extremely plush. In fact, the whole building was plush. Charlie had seen enough of the high life with Jane to recognize it now, and he was at the upper levels of it now. "What..." "What was that?" Andrew asked, and Charlie realized he'd spoken out loud. He cleared his throat delicately, then asked, "What do you do here?" Andrew smiled at him as he opened another door. "High end, high-yield investments for people like Jane." It was apparently his office, because he turned on the lights and the computer and generally acted like he owned it. Andrew and Valerie started talking rapidly in Technical, so Charlie looked around the office, eventually being drawn to the window. The lights outside made it look almost as bright as daylight. It was beautiful in a way - different from L.A., because everything was vertical. Or maybe it was just that he'd never been in one of the office buildings at night there. Either way, it was neat, watching the cars and the people driving and walking around, doing their business even though it was pretty late. *The city that never sleeps,* he remembered from somewhere. Tucker finally managed to convince Andrew that he could handle things and that he was safe where he was. He also managed to convince Andrew to open all the doors in the office suite, which meant that Tucker wouldn't have to waste time picking locks or climbing through the ceiling. Finally, there was nothing left that Andrew could think of, so he handed Tucker the keys to everything and took Charlene and they went downstairs. Tucker set up his laptop, found the bathroom and checked his makeup and hair, and did other makework things for half an hour, until he was sure that Andrew wouldn't be coming back. Then, he took off the hat and gloves, hung up the jacket of the suit, traded the skirt for a pair of black fatigue pants, and got down to business. "Would you like something to eat?" Andrew asked Charlie as he helped him back into the limo. "Um," Charlie started, intending to say no, but his stomach twitched, and he reconsidered. "Well, I mean, I don't want to put you to any trouble-" "Oh, no, no trouble," Andrew assured him, and he moved forward and tapped on the window leading to the front seat. When it opened, he gave some unintelligible instructions to the driver before he sat back in his seat. "We're stopping at home to pick up Robin, my wife, and we'll see if she has any ideas. I was thinking about a nice deli I know." "New York style?" Charlie joked, and was rewarded with a laugh. "I take it you like the idea?" Charlie shrugged, but he was smiling. "I've never been to one." "I'm with Marie on this one, Jane," Kenneth stated. "I don't know if Western civilization can stand her being let loose on the financial center of North America." "I thought you were of the opinion that she was almost harmless?" Jane teased. "That's before I found out how evil her little mind really is," Kenneth said. "Care to explain that change of heart?" As Kenneth explained exactly what Valerie had insinuated through his circle of admirers at the girls' choir, Jane almost choked. The phone rang and rang, and Tucker hoped his dad was going to be in a sociable enough mood to answer the phone. Finally, he picked it up and said, "Hello?" "Dad?" "Eugene? What's wrong?" *Of course, that's the first thing he thinks of.* "Nothing, Dad." Before he could say anything else, Tucker said, "This is a business call on an unsecured line." Tucker's father made some noises for a few seconds, then finally asked, "Okay, what's going on?" Tucker relaxed. "Okay, Dad, I'm on a consulting contract for a few days, up in New York, and-" "Weren't you supposed to be at camp?" Tucker sighed. "The owner is friends with this guy, and they arranged things. Apparently this guy's network engineer quit and took the system out with time bombs when he left, and I was the only one they could get to do the work on short notice. It's all cool with everyone - you can call if you don't believe me." Although he didn't think Jane would appreciate a call at this time of night. His dad sighed into the phone. "Alright, Eugene, what do you need?" "I need three server boxes with BIG hard drives, tape drives, set up with Linux and TCP/IP drivers, and fast Ethernet cards. And two personal boxes, same thing except they want Windows NT on them. One CD recorder, and sysgen packs for all of them. I have the PO numbers, and I need them shipped FedEx ASAP." "Budget?" "Unlimited." There was silence. "Look, Dad, the guy knows I know my stuff, and he said that if I needed something, to go ahead and order it. And there's no reason to give them crap." "True enough... HOW did you convince a New Yorker to give you an unlimited budget?" Tucker chuckled into the phone. "My native charm?" "You didn't lie to him, did you?" "No. But I did say I'd get it done by Monday, and it looks like I'm gonna spend a lot of time recovering files. The engineer was a fuckup-" "Eugene-" "Sorry, Dad, but he was, he had a week to mess things up, and the best he could do was delete everything. And it looks like the files are still there; he didn't even overwrite them." Dad snorted. "Yeah, I mean, see? But it's gonna take me a while to get everything recovered. And this guy wasn't doing his job in the first place, which is why I need the new hardware. You know, they NEVER did a backup?" Dad sighed. "Morons. Okay, tell me the PO numbers and the shipping address...." Tucker pushed a bra strap back up. "And did you want a RAID array for the servers?" "I was thinking about it, but I wasn't sure if you had the drives in stock to set one up." Robin was very nice, though she reminded Charlie of the Rodeo Drive matrons. They both chattered away at Charlie, and it was hard to keep track of what they were saying, sometimes. But they seemed happy to have him around, and they were promising all sorts of trips and excursions and tourist type things. Apparently Jane had told them to lay it on thick for Charlie's benefit. The food was good, though spicy in a way he hadn't anticipated. He wasn't Jewish, but he thought he could handle kosher cuisine in the future anyway. Tucker looked at the assembly of furniture, and finally decided that if he didn't move too fast, it would hold together under his weight. So he climbed on the desk and eased on to the chair on top of that, and was finally close enough to lift a ceiling tile and look for the wiring. Naturally, when he found it, it sucked. "And they were PAYING this guy?" he asked himself. "Even the Russians aren't using thickwire any more." Charlie had changed into a long nightgown and taken his makeup off, and now he was sliding into the guest bed, all by himself. As he turned the light out, he realized that he actually missed Valerie's body pressed against his. "Weird," he commented in the dark. Luckily, Andrew had taken his instructions literally, and so there were four twelve-packs of Dew in the break room, with one in the refrigerator. "Oh, good," Tucker said, and opened and drained one. He let out a long, harmonic belch, then got a second and went back to work. Charlie had slept late, and he was just to the point of staring at the walls, wondering how he should dress for breakfast, when there was a tap at the door. He got up to answer it, and it was Robin. "Oh, good, you're awake," she smiled, and Charlie smiled back. She was wearing a long nightgown also, though hers was plaid flannel instead of his cotton-and-lace. "If you'd like to put on a robe and join us for breakfast, we'd be delighted." "Um, sure," Charlie smiled reflexively, and went to go look in his bags for a robe. Luckily, Marie had told him to pack one. Tucker had finished restoring one PC to full operation - the receptionist's, on his dad's suggestion, and it was coming along on the others when someone started making key noises on the front door. Tucker poked his head out just in time to see a well-dressed woman swing the door open and come in. She stopped when she saw Tucker. "Good morning," Tucker said, and smiled, but it went downhill from there. Charlie was enjoying the cinnamon rolls and exquisite imported coffee when Andrew started beeping. He mumbled something and pulled a cellular phone out of the pocket of his robe. "Hello?" Robin smiled wearily at Charlie, who smiled back, wondering what she was trying to tell him. "Wait, wait, calm down," Andrew told the phone, and Charlie knew it was someone calling about Valerie. Finally, Miranda hung up the phone, and looked back at Tucker. He held up his hands, saying, "I tried to tell you." She shook her head, then attempted a smile at him. "Sorry, he just didn't say anything about it before he left yesterday." Which was a lie, but Tucker knew better than to point it out to her. "And I didn't expect anyone here when I got in in the first place," which might actually have been true. Not that it mattered; Tucker knew laying down the law when he heard it, even through a cellphone, and he imagined that Miranda was going to have a hard time sitting today after the reaming she'd gotten. "Well, anyway," Tucker tried changing the subject, "I got your computer and printer up and running, and the rest should be working again on Monday." His stomach roiled, and before he could stop himself he asked, "And do you know a place that has breakfast?" *What DO you wear to the Statue of Liberty?* Charlie wondered. Another part of his mind told him, *Something practical, duh.* So he looked around, and managed to assemble a silk top, one of the miniskirts he and Valerie had gotten, and a pair of flats, into something that looked relatively upscale, mature, and most importantly wasn't going to restrict his movements that much. Shorts or slacks would have been best, but he hadn't thought to bring any. When he got dressed, he looked in the mirror, and thought he looked acceptable. Maybe even good. He fluffed his curls out, and tried a couple of different poses, and he continued to look good from all angles. Tucker wasn't quite sure what the pastries were, but Miranda was eating them, so they had to be edible. "Well, I mean, if you want to, I could-" "Yeah, I mean, could you?" "Andrew's not gonna yell if you have a different OS?" Miranda shook her head. "Naw, as long as it gets done, he doesn't care-" The phone rang, and she answered it. Tucker thought about having to reinstall another OS on her computer, and sighed. It could be done, and easily... *Come to think of it, it'd make things easier. Hmm.* Charlie stood on the observation deck and let the wind ruffle his hair. The tang of salt water smelled delicious, and it hadn't gotten terribly hot yet, so he felt rather like he was in paradise. "Having fun yet?" Andrew called to him over the noise of the water and engines, and he nodded, eyes half-closed from pleasure. Miranda took the sheets Valerie handed her, and her eyes almost bugged out. "You want all THIS?" Valerie shrugged. "It should have been done this way in the first place, and if you guys want something that'll take you through another couple of years, then this is what you need." She sounded completely confident, and Andrew HAD given her carte blanche to order equipment... Finally, she shrugged. It wasn't her money. "So, where can I get all this?" Naturally, Valerie knew that too, and even had a map printed out. Charlie stared up at the statue, which he now knew had been a gift from France to America, and sighed. *Never thought I'd be HERE, looking at it,* he realized. And it was stunning. Robin watched the delight in the young woman's face as she stood there in the sunlight, gazing up in rapture at Lady Liberty, and took her husband's hand in hers. Her own children had never made her feel like this, but with Charlene around, she felt the world as something new and exciting and, well, FUN again. Her delight with so many of the things that Robin had come to take for granted was like a breath of fresh air in her life. And Andrew's too, apparently, judging by the way he had actually taken a working day off - the first time in years that she could remember - simply to accompany them around town. And they hadn't had an argument yet. Andrew squeezed her hand, and when she glanced at him, he was smiling at her in a way he hadn't done in years. She smiled back, and it was only moments before he kissed her. Or she kissed him. "And if I fall-" Miranda sighed. "I call the paramedics and don't let anyone touch you." "Right." And with that, Valerie stepped off the ladder, held up only by some aluminum clips and nylon straps she had produced from somewhere. Despite Miranda's expectations, it worked. "Cool," remarked Valerie casually, who began making her way across the ceiling towards some cables. It was like she did this every day. The other observers, basically everyone else who worked in the offices but had nothing to do until the repairs were completed, began to applaud. Pauline almost said something vile out loud when the phone rang, but managed to keep it in. Trish was only able to lipread when you didn't want her to understand what you were saying. Instead, she dropped the glass she was washing into the sink and wiped her hands on the dishtowel before she got the phone. "Hello?" "Ahhh," said a deep male voice she did NOT recognize. "Is Pauline there?" "Um, me, I mean," *Oh God I sound so STUPID!* "I mean, this is she, I mean I'm her..." She contemplated throwing the phone in the sink and running away from home and her parents and her sister forever- "Oh, hi," said the voice. "This is Kenneth, I'm staying with Jane and Valerie-" "Oh! Right!" *Oh, God, why did I answer the phone?! Now he knows I'm stupid and he's gonna say he got the wrong number or something and-* "How're you doing?" he interrupted her thoughts. "Hnnh?" Charlie worked to clear his throat, which was definitely a sin, but this food was even better than Marie's- Robin laughed before repeating, "We were planning on attending a play tonight, would you like to come with us?" "That would be great!" Charlie enthused before he really thought about it. But then again, every moment he spent talking was a moment he was spending away from caloric Nirvana. Tucker realized that if he stared at the screen for more than a few seconds, the letters would start to dance and mate with each other. "Right," he told himself, "shower and change and then a nap." And oh, it sounded good... Charlie held up the dress he'd selected. The light blue made a good contrast with his hair and eyes, he decided. And it looked sophisticated enough to wear on Broadway. He nodded in satisfaction to himself. "While I got no life, I got no hope," Tucker sang lustily to himself as he showered in the health club down in the basement. Everyone had apparently cleared out to go party or whatever on Friday night, so he was alone. "I'm falllllllllling in love. Help me through the fight! Help me win tonight, I'm callllling...." He thought he heard footsteps on the tile floor, so he poked his head out from behind the shower curtain. It was some old guy dressed in a security guard uniform, and bulging at the seams. Tucker was about to make some excuse, until he realized that he had every right to be here. Then he remembered that he was in a womens' locker room, and he was about to make some excuse for THAT, when he remembered that he had a legitimate right to be in here as well - to wit, all he had with him was women's clothing. So he decided to have a fit. When Andrew made it down the stairs and looked at the two of them, he stopped. And smiled. And said, "Well, you two ladies look absolutely STUNNING." Charlie felt vindicated - he'd worked for over an hour on looking this way, and it was SO nice to be appreciated for it instead of inspected. Robin chuckled, and Charlie giggled with her, until she said, "And the cab's here." "Well, then, I suppose we're on our way," he said, and took one of them in each arm and swept them out the door. "No you CAN'T come with us!" Pauline shrieked at Trish. Even deaf people knew what it meant when someone had their mouth open that wide. she signed back at her older sister, just to see if she could get her to explode. "BeCAUSE!" Pauline screamed. she remembered to sign this time. Trish was sort of impressed she'd remembered how to sign that insult; Trish herself had only used it twice. Tucker whistled to himself as he took the elevator back to the office. At this point, he could just about dance around naked, singing selections from Mary Poppins, and the guard wouldn't even dare blink at him. It was amazing what he could do when he was thinking of Debbie. "God, I miss her," he sighed. The other guy in the elevator gave him a weird look and a double take, and Tucker glared at him until he looked away. Kenneth knocked at the front door, and was rewarded with the sounds of two teenagers scuffling, then some incoherent female screaming. He sighed, easily guessing what was going on behind the door. *No wonder Trish and Valerie get along so well. They're both troublemakers.* The play was wonderful so far, and wonderfully funny, but he'd taken the cue from Robin and gone to the bathroom to check his makeup before the end of the intermission. And to empty his bladder - the way he was laughing, it was best to be careful, and he didn't want to miss anything if he had to go later. As he was walking towards the door, it opened in front of him. He backpedaled a few steps, and then stopped. So did the guy in the dark suit that was coming in. Charlie looked at him, and he looked at Charlie. Then they both craned their necks so they could look at the sign on the door. Charlie was pretty sure the icon announced Women. Maybe. The guy backed up a few steps, and Charlie followed. He still wasn't sure... They both looked at the other door, and that one's sign definitely looked like it meant Men. As they were looking at it, some older guy came out of it, and gave them a strange look as he walked away. "I, think I've got the wrong room," the guy said in an English accent. "I... think, you do," Charlie agreed, still hesitant. He'd followed Robin in, and he hadn't been paying attention, and the icons weren't that clear- "Terribly sorry," the guy said. "No problem." Kenneth was glad he'd packed a lot of clothing to match Jane's students, and that he hadn't done his laundry in a while, because if he'd come over in the shirt and jeans he'd planned on, then Pauline might have simply died of embarrassment at being overdressed. As it was, they made a decent match tonight. A lot of the other teenagers were watching and no doubt starting and embellishing rumors, but if what Valerie said was true, then this would only benefit Pauline. Besides, she was interesting, even if she was a nervous basket case about going on this date. At least, she knew where the interesting music store was in the area. There was always one, filled with punkers and grunge cases, and they tended to know a lot of new and good music. It had impressed him that Pauline knew what he was talking about, when he described the concept to her, and it impressed him further that she knew exactly where it was, and knew at least one of the clerks by name, even if she did probably go to school with him. Tucker found that after his shower, and his fit, that he was well up for at least another couple of hours of typing. And the recovery process was coming along quite well. Now all he had to do was wait until tomorrow when the new servers arrived. And make sure that everything was properly backed up onto tape. Charlie was enjoying a coke with Andrew and Robin - unlike the movie theaters he was used to, it Just Wasn't Done to take drinks inside - when he heard a polite cough from behind him. He turned around, and it was the guy from the bathroom. "Oh, hi," Charlie said, wondering what he wanted. "I wanted to apologize," he said, answering Charlie's unspoken question. "I was lost in my own thoughts, and I wasn't paying attention at all." "Oh, no, please," Charlie said, and smiled at the guy to show him there were no hard feelings. The guy smiled back, but he still looked embarrassed. "I'm Charlene," he said, and held his hand out to the guy. He actually responded by bowing over it, taking Charlie's hand, and kissing it, just like in Jane's manners textbooks. As he straightened up, he replied, "Roger Smith-Brighton, at your service, miss." It was so movie-like it made Charlie giggle a little. For an instant, he wondered if the guy was someone Jane had planted, but dismissed the idea almost as fast; Kenneth for example wouldn't have tried to go into the wrong bathroom by way of making an introduction. "Roger, these are Andrew and Robin Callaway, they are acting as my hosts while I'm in New York. Roger Smith-Brighton," Charlie parroted to the couple as he turned, skirt flaring and brushing against Roger's leg as he advanced to shake hands. He did the same thing to Robin's hand as he'd done to Charlie's, and she had a similar reaction. Tucker finally had the offending tape drive loose, and he carefully took it out of the computer case and walked silently out of the office, to the stairs, down all seven flights, through the out door, through the lobby, and out the main door. Whereupon he shrieked, "GodDAMNED pieceofIomega-" jumped up in the air, and slammed the offending piece of machinery to the pavement. "-SHIT!" It exploded into lots of pieces. "May God himself curse your moronic designers to endless hells of marketing!" He kicked the biggest piece out into the street, where it was promptly run over by a truck. He felt much better after that, and limped back into the building with a smile on his face. The guard knew it was the radiation, driving the pretty girl insane, the radiation from them computer monitors. He resolved to smash his granddaughter's before she went crazy, too. Charlie walked out of the theater, glad of Andrew's arm supporting him. He'd laughed so hard and so long, he was almost limp. And his belly was complaining. He was glad he'd had a light supper, but it was time for something more substantial. As if his thought had summoned him, Roger appeared in front of them again. "Forgive the intrusion," he started, "but are you Andrew Callaway of Callaway Investments?" "Well, yes..." Andrew admitted. Roger snapped his heels together and bowed slightly. "Sir, I owe you a great favor, believe it or not. You made some investments under my mother's name, and because they turned out well, I was able to afford to come to New York this summer. Please, sir, if you would, allow me to return the favor by taking you all to dinner?" Charlie's eyes widened. "Dad?" "It's in the FedEx system, Eugene, I have the tracking numbers-" "That's not why I'm calling, Dad. Can I rent some disk space?" "How long and how much?" "A gig and a half for a couple of days, until Monday." "And you're going to get it to me how?" "Um," Tucker grimaced. This was going to be the hard part. "They've got a T1 link in the building I have access to, and-" "Oh, no, that'd be half an hour! Each way!" "But Dad, you said you just installed a third one on the ISP!" "Eugene, that is for PAYING-" "I WILL be paying! Or this guy will be paying, whatever. Just stick it on the invoice or something." His dad was silent. "I have a PO number," Tucker waved under his nose. Dad took the bait. "What is it," he sighed, and Tucker tapped on the laptop to generate one. Charlie had never understood the difference between Japanese and Chinese food, but Roger was able to explain it in a way that made sense. Of course, the spread in front of them helped a lot. When Roger had asked if he'd ever tried sushi, he'd managed to control a giggle fit long enough to say, "Of course I have! I'm not a redneck," before he lost it. Robin watched the two younger people interacting, and sighed happily. Andrew had managed to keep most of the talk away from business, and even Robin had to admit that he'd have had every right to; he'd been provoked. But instead, they'd talked about the play, and about New York, and Oxford, and other things. And watching Charlene and Roger interact was like watching something out of her own past. Her own children had not been half as graceful or charming when they were growing up. "Do you remember," Andrew murmured in her ear, and she shivered at the warmth of his breath, "when we went to that little Chinese place in San Francisco? Back in, oh, sixty-two or thereabouts?" She remembered it quite well, in fact, which is why she began laughing so hard she almost fell out of her seat. Andrew's arm over her shoulder held her safe, though, and he began to explain it to the children. It was even funnier hearing him tell it. "Pieceagoddamnedhunka..." Tucker almost had the wire in his grasp. "Oh please, oh please..." He scrabbled for half an inch more, and caught it between two fingertips. "Oh, damnit, please...." With trembling care, he moved the wire almost by levitation, up high enough that he could gently move his other hand into position, his toes straining against the ceiling supports as they held him in place. Almost. He could feel himself starting to slide, and made a carefully calculated snatch with his free hand, and grabbed enough of the cable to hold on to as his feet finally slipped and he swung away from the wall. He grabbed the cable with the other hand when there was enough room, and therefore wasn't paying enough attention to where his feet were going. Which is why they kicked loose two ceiling tiles, which dropped to the desk below and exploded, no doubt covering everything with asbestos fibers. But at least he had the damned cable! He looked down at the socket where it had been attached to the wall, and saw that he'd pulled the entire assembly inside the wall when the cable came loose. "Aw, shit." "Sir, ladies, it has been a most enjoyable evening. I do hope you will forgive my intrustion, but I wanted to share my good fortune with the people responsible for it." The amazing thing to Charlie was that Roger had talked like that the entire evening. *Must be something in the water over there,* he grinned to himself. He'd shaken hands with Andrew, and kissed Robin's hand, but she laughed at him, and said, "Well, how about an American style hug?" and without waiting for an answer, caught him up and hugged him, kissing him on one cheek. Charlie had laughed at the expression on his face - it was so funny! - but when Robin let go, he did the same thing to Roger, kissing him on the other cheek. When he let go, finally, Charlie said sincerely, "Roger, you made an already good evening simply spectacular. Thank you so much for coming with us, and taking us to dinner!" *He must be contagious.* "It was entirely my pleasure," he said simply, or as simply as Charlie thought he could manage. He bowed over Charlie's hand, kissed it, and waved at them. "Good night all!" Tucker realized that sitting down was making him dizzy. And the caffeine overdose was making him nauseous as well as giving him heart palpitations. "Oh, definitely time for a nap or something," he decided, and staggered into Andrew's office. He unpacked his sleeping bag and pad in a few moments, set up the laptop to start screaming in four hours, and within a few moments more was asleep. As Robin was getting ready for bed, she looked in at Andrew, who was still chuckling at something. "What?" she asked. "I'll never look at Peking Duck the same way," he answered, chuckling. "Oh, you!" she mock-complained, and threw her slip at him. He caught it with a look of surprise. As well he might; she didn't usually do such things. "We had such fun tonight," she said wistfully as she came to sit down on the bed, next to him. "It has been a while," he admitted, nodding. "For several things," she added. He raised his eyebrows at her, and she smiled at him. And nodded. And leaned over, and put her arms around his neck. Tucker wished that the woman screaming in the classroom next door would shut up, it was making it hard to concentrate- The blinding flash of light looked so much to him like a nuclear blast that he screamed and covered his head before he realized that some fuckhead had turned the overhead lights on in the office. And almost made him wet the sleeping bag. "What THE FUCK-" he shrieked as he thrashed his way upright, and saw the old security guy closing the door just before he turned the lights out and Tucker was in the dark again. A few minutes later, it was funny. A few minutes after that, with some more Dew percolating through his system, he was ready for a bite to eat and to get back to work, in that order. Luckily, Miranda had left him dinner, which he hadn't remembered to eat last night, and she'd left it in the refrigerator in the break room. He just wanted to check the net first, and make sure all the data had gotten to his dad's. Charlie woke up clutching a pillow, which didn't feel at all like Valerie, which is why he had woken up. He sighed a bit. *I didn't think I'd miss her,"* he admitted, *but I do. She would have been fun to have with us last night. I hope she's okay.* He slipped on his robe and went downstairs, but there were no signs of life at all in the townhouse. He thought about it for a few minutes, then decided that if HE had a houseguest, and of course a house to have a guest over in the first place, HE would appreciate it if said houseguest made him breakfast. So Charlie started doing just that. They even had a waffle iron. Tucker had called the FedEx office for the last time, because they had said his shipment was in the truck and should be there within half an hour. He decided that some fresh food and some fresh air, relatively speaking, would do him some good, so he put on some makeup, got his leftover dinner from the refrigerator, and went downstairs. When the elevator door opened in the lobby, he was surprised to hear Yes coming faintly from the guard station. He looked over, and there was someone much younger than the last one, bent over a filing cabinet. Tucker really liked Union, and especially the fourth track, so he padded over and cranked it up, right before they started singing. "Lift Me Up" was such a booster kind of song, it was too awesome to keep quiet. As the guard sat up in shock, Tucker grinned at him, sang, "Look around! Got no place to stay," as he planted his rear on the desk, and swung his legs over and him off the other side. The sound of a masculine tenor replying, in key and in tempo, "God I hate this town! Depending on the daaaayy," almost made him slip and fall. He stared back in astonishment, and the guard was singing to him, hand outstretched. Then he took two steps and jumped, folding his legs, and landed, sliding, on the countertop, just long enough to snap his legs in front of him for a perfect landing. "You look me up. You look me down," he sang at Tucker, and he felt a grin break out across his face. "Allllll-" Tucker tuned up to him, almost grinning underneath the singing face he had on. "-right! Okay!" they both sang. "While I got no life, I got no hope. I'm falllllling in love," the two of them went up different scales to take that line, and it sounded GOOD. "Help me through the fight! Help me win tonight I'm calllllllllllling..." "Callin'," the guard added, and theatrically took Tucker's hand in his. "What to do I find it haaaaaaard to know," they sang at each other, full volume and looking each other in the eyes. His were crinkled with a smile he couldn't put on his mouth, and Tucker knew his looked the same way. "The road I walk is NOT THE ONE I CHOSE, OOoohhh!" Tucker almost screamed. The musical wave crashed like thunder across the lobby, and the guy picked Tucker up by the waist and hoisted him in the air. "Lift me up and turn me over," Tucker managed to sing. The guy beneath him wasn't having any problems! "Lead me on into the dawn! Take me to the highest mountain, tie me up, love in a storm... Tucker took a breath as the guy let him down but spun him. "Have you decided on my fortune? Facing the future in your eyes With your imperial behaviour We fight amidst the battle cries!" Tucker hit the high note on that one, and it STILL sounded good. Better than good. "Open doors they may be closed to me," they sang to each other. "The fires still burning in my heart....." The music shifted back to instruments, and applause shocked Tucker into awareness of the other people in the lobby. He was considering making a mad dash for the stairwell when the guy caught his hand again and began to sing to him. "While I got no life I got no hope." Tucker gave up. It was his wyrd. "I'm faaaaalllllllinnnnnng in love," the two of them harmonized with each other, holding hands. "Help me through the fight! Help me win tonight, I'm caaaaaaaaaaaaalling." "Callin'," Tucker took, then they both sang, "What to do I find it haaaaaaard to know," and the guy picked Tucker up again. "I want to turn my life-" The guy, already holding Tucker in the air, managed to literally throw him higher, spinning him at the same time, AND catch him. Tucker's "AaaAAaround," sounded very strange but in harmony with the music, which only reinforced Tucker's idea that it was an Epic Happening. "Lift me up and turn me ooooooooover, Lead me on into the dawn. Take me to the highest mountain! Tie me up, love in a stoooooo-" This one line went on for about eight measures, and the guy dropped out under Tucker after half of it. Tucker squeezed and fought and managed to hold the note until Trevor let go on the album. Tucker gasped a couple of times, unable to keep from grinning in triumph. The two of them sang along with the last bits, and then the music faded out, replaced by a whole BUNCH of people clapping. The guy was still grabbing Tucker's hand, and he took a bow, forcing Tucker down, but Tucker managed to turn it into a very elaborate and deep dancer's curtsey. The guy came up, grinned at Tucker, and dashed across the lobby, jumping and sliding over the counter and turning the stereo down before the next song started. Tucker followed him, the enormity of what he'd just done beginning to sink in. "Oh, God," he moaned without realizing it. "What's your name?" the guy asked, still a bit breathless. "Uh." He swallowed. "Valerie. And you?" "Greg." He laughed. "Well, do you always brighten up someone's day like that?" "Oh, Jesus," Tucker moaned. "I can't BELIEVE I just did that! I must be whacked out or something-" "Well, you were great," Greg assured him. It didn't help. Copyright 1997-1999 Ellen Hayes, all rights reserved