William rushed into the hotel and looked around the lobby. The elevator door opened and Lucy stepped out looking around the lobby. They met halfway with a hug that was just on the tasteful side of being publicly acceptable. William said, "I've missed you."
"I missed you," Lucy said burying her face into his chest and enjoying his scent. It felt good to feel his arms around her.
"I'm so glad that you could make it here," William said running a hand across her back. It felt so right to have her pressed against him.
"How could I miss the chance to see Tennessee?" Lucy asked with a grin. She had passed up visiting Boston despite William's repeated requests for her to join him there. It had been hard, but she felt that she had to give Barbara a night with William. The poor woman had been at the end of her patience.
"I don't know," William answered with a laugh. He kept taking Lucy to wonderful places like Oklahoma and Tennessee.
"You take me to all the best places," Lucy said teasing him.
"I do my best," William said. It was like she had read his mind.
The pair moved to the elevator walking together like one. As he pressed the up button, William asked, "Are you going to talk math to me?"
"Of course," Lucy answered with a laugh.
Barbara watched the young couple enter the elevator with a sad little smile. She didn't want to think about what they would be doing in a few minutes. She sighed.
Ed watched Barbara. Shaking his head, he said, "You wish that he would pay a little more attention to you."
Barbara looked over at Ed and knew that lying wouldn't be successful. She went with the truth and replied, "Yes."
"He loves her a lot," Ed said. He remembered how William had dreamed most of his life of meeting Lucy. He knew that they were soul mates. No one would ever be able to get between them.
Swallowing heavily, Barbara knew the truth would come out one day. She looked down at the floor and said, "I'm satisfied with the occasional night with him. I'd give a million dollars to spend a night with her."
"Ah, I understand," Ed said. He had years of experience of staff falling in love with the members of the family. Not all of it was directed at individuals of the opposite gender. He asked, "How about the rest of the staff?"
"We don't talk about it. Most of their interactions are with William. I'm pretty sure that Sandra feels the same way," Barbara answered. She had seen Sandra watching Lucy when she thought no one would notice.
He looked over at Barbara feeling sad for her. He said, "I fear that Kelly may have failed to warn Lucy of that possibility."
"She's just so... I don't know how to describe her. She's such a wholesome girl next door type, but she's so much more," Barbara said. There were times when Lucy looked at her with such an innocent expression that she wanted to hug her and protect her from the rest of the world. Other times, Lucy could look at William with such wanton lust that all Barbara wanted to do was ravish her. She just wished that Lucy would look at her with that kind of desire.
"She's brilliant," Ed said knowing that William valued Lucy's mind far beyond her physical beauty.
Barbara said, "I know. She's scary brilliant. That's part of her charm."
"She values your mind as much as William does. You find that kind of appreciation sexually exciting," Ed said looking over at Barbara. He noticed a slight blush form.
"Yes," Barbara said with a sigh. At the moment, all she wanted was to be alone. She looked at the door and said, "I'm going to go for a walk."
"Would you like some company?" Ed asked worried about her.
"No."
Ed watched her walk off knowing that she was telling the truth about wanting to be alone. Ed knew that if Lucy was here, then so were the bodyguards. He made a call to the room. When Colt answered the phone, Ed said, "Barbara is going for a walk. I'd appreciate it if someone watched over her."
"Yes, sir," Colt said. As soon as he hung up, he told Natalie, "Put on your new wig. Follow Barbara and keep her out of trouble."
Ed went over to the bar and ordered a coke. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. After dialing a number, he waited for his wife to answer. He was going to dump this little problem in her lap. He watched a red head run out the door thinking that she looked a lot like Natalie.
William, Lucy, Ed, Barbara, Colt, and Natalie were gathered around a large table at a local restaurant for dinner. The walls were hung with cheesy tourist souvenirs from Mexico that only the most inebriated tourist would even consider buying. It was a fairly decent Mexican Food place, but everyone in the party had gotten used to the Mexican food in Arizona. Baskets of chips with small bowls of Salsa were distributed around the table. The chips weren't as salty as they were used to eating. The Salsa was a bit mild and bland, but it was fresh.
Natalie, Barbara, and Colt were not getting into the spirit of a night out at a restaurant. Natalie was busy keeping Barbara's attention from the rest of the party by talking about other matters. Colt was watching the rest of the room they were in for any threats of danger.
Unaware of the tension at the other end of the table, Lucy grabbed a chip and dunked it into a bowl of salsa. Before popping it into her mouth, she said, "I think I could study those equations for the rest of my life and continue to discover new facets to them."
"I know what you mean. The real world is very complex. We are basically developing a theory of physics for economics," William said.
"No, I think your work is the equivalent of introducing Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity into physics. Too bad that you'll never get credit for it," Lucy said. There was no way that they could publish his work. Her analysis of the past few weeks had pointed out exactly how they could destabilize the world. It was far more difficult to stabilize the world in a state where the economy could continue to grow and personal liberties could remain.
"I have my service and that is reward enough," William said dismissively. He didn't care about fame. He didn't need to receive public recognition for his work. Leaving behind a better world was all that he needed to feel good about his life's work.
"So how is the campaign to save followership going?" Lucy asked while reaching for another chip. She loved Mexican food, but had been spoiled after eating at Maria's Cantina back in Arizona. That was the best Mexican food she had ever tasted.
"It is going well. We've convinced seven of our proposed candidates to pursue higher office. We've found three candidates for the Senate and four candidates for the House. We'll have a much more moderate congress at this point. With another six people for the House of Representatives, the political balance in Washington will change for the better," William said reaching for his iced tea. He tossed the straw to the center of the table where everyone else had thrown their straws. Iced tea was supposed to be sipped, not sucked through a straw.
"That's good," Lucy said. She had helped William put together the list of potential candidates.
"A lot of very powerful men are getting ready to fight this," William said. Listening to the news he had seen signs that some politically active radicals were reacting to his efforts.
Lucy grinned at the idea of them trying to fight William. She knew that they stood a better chance of trying to hold back the tide. She said, "They are going to be surprised."
"Yes, they are," William said with a wink.
Frowning, Ed wondered what they knew that he didn't. He asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Do you remember when we talked about candidates who ran on a single hot button issue?" William asked.
"Yes," Ed answered. He clearly remembered that conversation, but didn't recall anything that would have led to such an easy confidence on William's part.
"The candidates that we've identified have the same stance as their opponent on that single issue," William said with a grin. He took a sip of his iced tea and then added, "They just haven't been as vocal or rabid about it."
"So you're forcing the other issues to the forefront," Ed said breaking out in laughter. He could imagine what would happen when the campaigns kicked into high gear. There could be nothing worse than finding your opponent agreeing on everything you said on the one issue that was supposed to win the campaign.
"That's right," William replied.
"That's mean," Ed said laughing.
Lucy winked at Ed and said, "That's politics."
It was late and Lucy couldn't sleep. Call it woman's intuition or attribute it to heartburn, Lucy had a feeling that something was wrong. She looked over at William and decided not to wake him. Slipping out of bed, she didn't bother to dress. With one last glance at William, she slipped out the door and entered the common area of the suite.
William shifted in bed and watched her leave the darkened bedroom. The light of the common room illuminated a distant wall when she opened the door. He thought about following her to find out what the matter was that prevented her from sleeping, but decided to give her a little space.
It took Lucy a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the common room. She noticed Barbara sitting on a chair staring out the window. Coming up behind the beautiful woman, Lucy asked, "Can't sleep?"
"No," Barbara answered with a long sigh. She wished that Lucy would leave her alone, but didn't give voice to that desire.
"What's the matter?" Lucy asked concerned for the other woman.
"I don't want to talk about it," Barbara said. She looked out the window, but could see Lucy's reflection in the glass.
Lucy wondered if traveling with William was overly taxing Barbara. She sat down on a chair facing Barbara and said, "I really appreciate the way you've been watching over William. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Barbara turned to look at Lucy. The young woman, sitting casually on the chair, was completely nude. The expression on her face was one of concern. Her face, framed by long brown hair, drew attention to her worried eyes. Such compassion and care tore at Barbara's heart. Tears came unbidden and she covered her eyes.
"What's the matter?" Lucy asked wanting to help.
"I really can't talk about it," Barbara said.
Lucy rose to sit beside Barbara and hold her. Despite her good intentions, it was exactly the wrong move. Barbara stood and fled to her room leaving a very puzzled Lucy behind. The slam of the door echoed through the quiet suite. Lucy stared at the door wondering what she had done.
Having heard the noise, William stepped out of the bedroom and looked around the room. Going over to Lucy, he asked, "I heard a door slam. Is everything okay?"
"Barbara is very upset," Lucy answered. She asked, "Did you say or do anything to upset her?"
"I don't think so. Maybe she's upset about me asking her to sleep with me in Boston," William answered with a frown. That didn't seem right to him. She had seemed pretty happy the next day.
"That's not it," Lucy said staring at Barbara's bedroom door with concern.
"Should I go apologize to her?" William asked looking over at the door. His ability to see the future was flawed. He was blind to his family, his wife, and himself. The feelings of love that he held for the staff made him blind to their futures as well. With very few exceptions, he couldn't see his future or the future of those he loved unless it affected others.
"What would you apologize for?" Lucy asked looking over at him.
William shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know. If anyone has upset her, it must be me."
"I'll talk to her in the morning," Lucy said.
Stepping out from the shadows, Natalie said, "It won't do any good."
"Why?" William asked looking over at Natalie. He had forgotten that she was even there.
Natalie looked at William and Lucy unable to believe how blind both of them were with regard to their effect on others. She had watched the entire situation develop and knew what the problem was. She answered, "I'm sorry, but it is not my place to answer that question. Barbara has a personal problem and she doesn't see any way to resolve it."
"Is there anything that we can do?" Lucy asked.
Natalie examined Lucy knowing the answer to the question. Finally she said, "There is something that you can do, but you won't do it. It is not within your nature."
"I don't understand," Lucy said feeling lost and confused. She looked over at William for guidance and then realized what she was doing. William was the last one to go to for advice about the women around him. She felt a little embarrassed.
"I know and that is the real tragedy," Natalie said with a tired sigh. She hoped that she would not have to step between Barbara and Lucy sometime in the future.
William looked at Natalie and then at Lucy. He asked, "Should we talk to Sandra? She's really good at dealing with things like this."
Natalie laughed at the suggestion knowing that William had no clue as to what things Barbara needed handling. In a way, his suggestion was perfect. Barbara and Sandra would scratch each other's itch. She said, "Yes. Have her fly here tomorrow morning."
"Thank you," Lucy said.
William and Ed walked up to the front door of the rather substantial house of a style that was often referred to as a McMansion. Reaching into his pocket, William pulled out a quarter. He tapped the quarter against the glass pane of the window on the door earning a puzzled look from his father. Ed asked, "Why not ring the doorbell?"
"It doesn't work," William answered gesturing to the device. It had been pulled out and a wire was hanging loose. It looked like someone had taken a hammer to it.
"So why not knock?"
"The higher pitch carries a little better," William answered.
Wearing a bathrobe, Mayor Erl opened the door and found that he was facing two black robed Druids. He wondered what was going on in his city that would prompt two Druids to show up at his house. Without much of a visible reaction, he stepped back into the house and said, "Come in. I assume that you're here to talk to me."
William smiled at the assumption and said, "Actually, we're here to talk to your wife."
"My wife?"
Nodding his head, William answered, "Yes, we're here to talk to your wife."
"May I ask what this is about?" Mayor Erl asked rather puzzled as to why two Druids would show up on his doorstep to talk to his wife.
"You may ask, but I'll leave it up to her to answer your questions," William answered.
Ed was still staring at the doorbell. Curious, he asked, "How did you break your doorbell?"
"My grandson bet his friend that he could hit the doorknob with his baseball. He hit the doorbell instead. We were lucky that he didn't put it through the glass pane on the door," Mayor Erl answered with a look of disgust on his face. There were times when he worried about the upcoming generation. Shaking his head, he said, "His father grounded him."
"Ah," Ed replied. He didn't think the kid was too far off with his pitch.
"Follow me and I'll take you to the backyard where May is sitting by the pool. We weren't exactly expecting company so you'll have to forgive our informality," Mayor Erl said gesturing to them to follow him.
Earning a sideways glance from the mayor, William said, "I had counted on it."
When they reached the backyard, they found May Erl seated in a lounge chair wearing a one piece bathing suit. She was a rather plain looking woman in her late fifties. There were lots of bulges in her bathing suite that suggested she could stand to lose thirty to forty pounds. At her age, it wouldn't have helped much. A good dye job would have taken at least five years off her appearance though.
May looked at William and Ed wondering if they were there to see her or her husband. She recognized Ed, but not William although she had a very good idea as to his identity. She said, "It is nice to see you again Dr. Biggers."
Ed looked at her and realized that he had met her at a Fusion Foundation meeting. She was the representative for the state. Smiling, he said, "It is nice to see you again, Mrs. Erl."
She asked, "Are you here to see me or Ron?"
Ed smiled at her and answered, "We're here to see you."
"What can I do for you?" she asked hoping that nothing bad had happened at the Fusion Foundation.
Ed gestured over at William and said, "William would like to talk to you. It is a private matter."
May shrugged her shoulders and said, "Okay. Would you like to talk in the study?"
"Here is fine," William answered looking over at the pool. It was a kidney shaped pool with a diving board at the deep end. The water really looked inviting. He looked over at the mayor and said, "If your husband wouldn't mind leaving us alone for a few minutes."
"Ron. Would you mind getting our guests something to drink?" May asked looking over at her husband.
Getting the hint, he asked, "What would you like?"
"Iced teas would be perfect," William answered. His father nodded his agreement. William added, "We'll be done in four minutes."
Once her husband had left the pool area, May turned to William and Ed. In a very serious voice, she asked, "Is there something the matter at the Fusion Foundation?"
William smiled at her immediate concern for the Fusion Foundation. That kind of loyalty was rare in the modern world. Ed answered, "No. We came here to ask you to run for the Senate."
"The Senate?" May asked doing a double take at Ed.
"Yes, the Senate," William answered.
Grinning over at William, May said, "You've got three minutes to convince me that I should do something that stupid."
"You are the best person to represent the real interests of your state. You are conservative without being radical. You believe that everyone who fails deserves a helping hand up, but that people who make it a habit of failing must face the full consequences of their choices. You have spent the past twenty years of your life helping people. It is time for you to help the people of your state a little earlier in the process," William answered.
"What about that bozo who is in office now?" May asked. She had dealt with the Senator on many occasions in her role as the head of the Fusion Foundation in Tennessee. She didn't have that good of an opinion of him.
"You'll beat him in the election. He's only got one issue on which he can run and win. You've got them all," William answered. He rather liked how May referred to the current holder of the office. It was a rather apt description.
"How do you know that?" May asked.
William looked over at the pool for a few seconds before turning back to the discussion. He said, "I've studied it very carefully. You are the only person who can beat him in the upcoming election."
May hadn't watched William when he answered her question. She had been watching Ed to see if he flinched. Ed had smiled at her knowing exactly what she was doing. Nodding her head, she said, "You managed to convince me that you believe that."
"But I haven't convinced you to run," William said with a smile.
"That's right," May said with a wry grin. It was going to take some pretty fancy talking to convince her that she should do something that dumb. She thought it would take thirty years of talking to get her to agree to run for the Senate and by that time she'd be too old to survive the campaign.
"Here's one thing to keep in mind before you decide. My friend Oscar Meyers gave his life for world peace. We need people with integrity in office to assure that his sacrifice wasn't in vain. You have integrity. Bozo doesn't," William said.
She knew exactly what William meant about needing people to support peace. When Oscar had destroyed the religious justification of Jihad by the sword, the majority of terrorist organizations had collapsed. The fanaticism that allowed them to commit outrageous acts against other humans had been undermined. At the moment there was an uneasy peace in the world.
The current Senator from her district was making noises about going to war in order to prosecute individuals who had been terrorists. She often wondered if he owned stock in a weapons company. May was pretty sure that if the current Senator had his way that the entire world would be at war within five years. Continuing the hostility would only legitimize the terrorists' activities.
"You don't know what they are going to do with my past," May said alluding to the reason she initially got involved with the Fusion Foundation.
"Yes, I do. They aren't going to do a thing with it," William answered.
May snorted and said, "They're going to drag up my criminal record. They're going to try to destroy me."
Nodding his head, William asked, "What if that is your first campaign ad? What if you present your checkered past to the public in all its gory detail? What if you talk about how desperate times sometimes lead good people to desperate measures? What if you use it as a foundation by which you understand people?"
"It might work," she said although she wasn't really ready to make her full past that public.
"There are an awful lot of poor people in this state who have done things of which they aren't proud. They'll understand you. They'll know exactly what you are saying when you talk about working hard to turn your life around. You'll get their admiration when you talk about how hard it is to walk the path of redemption. They'll root for you when you say that the path is available to everyone."
Leaning forward to emphasize his point, Ed said, "The truth can be a very powerful weapon. Sometimes the first person to use the weapon is the one who wins the fight."
William nodded his agreement and said, "You'll have to hit them hard with the truth before they even know it is coming."
"So you're saying that an unmarried mother who turned to prostitution to feed her kids can run for, and win, a seat in the Senate," May said with a raised eyebrow.
"You bet. That's the American way," William replied with a nod of his head and a wry smile.
"You know what? I believe you," May said with a laugh. She knew that he had a very valid point. There wasn't too much they could do to her if she started with full disclosure. Nasty comments would make her opponents look small.
William said, "Good. So will you do it?"
She looked over at the house and said, "I don't know. I'll have to talk to Ron."
Gesturing over at the swimming pool, William asked, "Do you mind if my dad and I take a swim while you're talking to him?"
"No, go ahead," May said looking over at the pool. The water was a little cold, but the sun was warm.
"Thanks," William said. He walked over to the edge of the pool. In one smooth move he removed his robe and dropped it on the ground.
As he dived into the water, May laughed and said, "He's not shy."
Ed laughed at the comment. Rising from his chair, he said, "No, he's not. Neither am I."
May watched Ed strip and dive into the pool. She sat there wondering what was going to be harder to explain to her husband  that she was going to run for the Senate or why there were two naked men swimming in their pool. It was a tough contest.
Lazlo Zalezac