Thanks to those who reviewed! And I'm sorry for this chapter. I'm so sorry that it's so late and I'm so sorry it's so bad. I kept re-writing it to try and fix it, but I couldn't! And I have to keep it in there because it's important to the plot.

Botswana : I read about the names in a book called, "The Hunter's Moon," by O.R. Melling.

Disclaimer: Own nothing.

A Job Offer:

Samantha Lyon rewound the tape she was watching and laughed. The laughter rang with the malicious glee those in the business world had been taught to fear. In fact her secretary in the other room had began to automatically cringe just then at hearing it. The bugger deserved it, Sam thought as she rewound her tape of yesterday's shoe in face fiasco. Playing it through again, she paused on the face of a woman with red hair as the said woman hid behind a police officer that was shielding her from Webcor's rather excited attempts at taking the red heads life.

Samantha had heard of Mac Thomas and that wasn't a very remarkable thing. Everyone who was anyone knew of Mac, specifically her influential connections with the O'Connelly clan of New York.

But that wasn't what interested Sam. It was the pure audacity in which Mac had destroyed Webcor's career. Not only had she hit him in the face with her shoe on live television, exposing him for the vile creature he was, but she had made sure that Webcor would never work in politics. By the means of a mere phone call and one television interview given from her jail cell she had gained the sympathy of an entire city. All done within 24 hours of her firing. That interested Sam. Reminded her of herself. Ruthless and manipulative. She would be perfect for her son's campaign. Quickly she hit a button on her desk and in a bark demanded the number of Michaela "Mac" Thomas.

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Mac smiled at her father as she came down the familiar stairs of her grandparent's house for breakfast. Elizabeth at 70 years old and Watson at 75 had happily offered the growing O'Connelly-Thomas family the mansion when the house on Clover Avenue became too small. Elizabeth and Watson still lived there and were happy for the company in the big house as well as the help in up keeping it.

When Charlie heard the familiar clomp of feet on the stairs he looked up.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Good..... until 5 this morning when my phone rang."

"Really? Who was it?"

"Gwen."

"Really? What was so important that it couldn't wait until later?"

"Her favorite teacup broke." Charlie looked up from his newspaper and then looked at his daughter confused as she sort of collapsed into a seat.

"What?" Mac leaned over and took her father's hand.

"I'm not married Dad."

"Yes, I know. But back to the phone call," said Charlie.

"Dad I'm 28 and not married," continued Mac as though her father had said nothing.

"Yes," answered Charlie leaning back in his seat and looking at his first born thoughtfully.

"Honey are you afraid you're not going to find someone?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"No."

"So Gwen phoned you up at 5 am to talk about a broken tea cup, which symbolically is representing her unhappiness that you're not married?" Admittingly it wouldn't be the first thing that someone would assume, but Charlie had not been married to Sparrow for 17 years for not.

"Yes, or she's gone completely off her rocker."

"I think it's rather one in the same."

"Yah," agreed Mac, "and you married the younger version of her."

Charlie suddenly looked mildly disturbed, yet thoughtful.

At that moment, Ginny in her nightgown and wiping sleep from her eyes walked into the kitchen. Ignoring her father and sister, she walked with determination to the cabinet that stored the glasses and cups and strategically pulled out certain drawers. Testing a few to make sure they wouldn't wobble too bad, she began to climb them like stairs. Charlie quickly sprang from his seat and lifted his six year old from the draw that stored the silverware and placed her on his hip.

"What are you doing Ginny?" She ignored her father and grabbed a shot glass from the shelf. Then turning to him she requested, "down please." Charlie put her down.

She headed over to the fridge and took out the orange juice as well as the milk. Balancing them precariously in her arms she all but dropped it on the table beside Mac. She glared at them, took out the shot glass from her pocket, set it down precisely in the middle of a place mat and filled the glass half way with orange juice then the other half with milk. Grimacing and holding her nose she quickly downed the concoction while Mac and Charlie merely watched. Ginny did this three more times. Then putting the shot glass in the sink she shut all the drawers and walked out of the room.

"Yes I did," said Charlie laughing.

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Later that afternoon Mac was out walking with Atticus. The evening was cool and the breeze strong. It was nice. Neither felt the need to really speak and as such didn't. It stayed like this until the silence was broken by a limousine screeching to a halt and a very panicked looking young woman jumping out of it demanding to know which one of them was Michaela Thomas. Mac didn't answer right away. Instead she went to the limousine and opened the door, peeked inside and then slammed the door shut.

"You poor girl," said Mac, with no false sympathy for the panicked woman.

"Thanks," the lady answered.

"What does the wildcat want?"

"I don't honestly know, but I think it has something to do with the tape of you hitting Webcor with the shoe."

"Really, that's interesting," Mac spoke quickly as she looked at the limousine. Then abruptly turning she looked at her brother. "Alright, Atticus could you take this brave young woman back home and I'll meet you there in about half and hour?"

"Sure." Without a second glance Mac opened the door of the limo and sat down across from the woman, whose nickname of the wildcat had been well earned.

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Mac's POV

I stared at the well-dressed woman in front of me and couldn't for the life of me understand why she was here. It was completely out of character for the businesswoman. People came to Samantha Lyon; Samantha Lyon did not come to them.

"Good evening," I said cautiously.

"Good evening, Miss. Thomas, or would you prefer I call you that ridiculous nickname of Mac?"

"Either is fine."

"Mac then, I have no doubt you are wondering why I am here. Particularly with our family histories." The O'Connelly and Lyon families were known to be bitter enemies. "But I have come to offer you a job." Well I most certainly wasn't expecting that. "Okay. No thanks."

"I think you're smart and I need your help on something." Yes and I was the tooth fairy.

"Look, Mrs. Lyon, I don't think that is a good idea," I began, completely intending to take her down a peg or two. Clearly this was some attempt on her part to screw with the O'Connelly's.

"Why ever not?" she interrupted me. Strangely from her body language, I felt she was being entirely serious. "Ah, you are concerned this is a tactic of mine to destroy the O'Connelly family, something I have been trying to do since I owned my first newspaper." I didn't answer. My silence was enough to make the answer perfectly clear.

"Well to that, I'd have to say you're not an O'Connelly. You are only the stepdaughter of Sparrow O'Connelly."

"True, but I am still deeply tied to the O'Connelly clan."

"Maybe to you, but not to me. And quite frankly it's my opinion that counts." I merely raised an eyebrow at her to that statement. She ignored me. "My foolish son has decided to run for the mayor of New York now that you're former boss has dropped out. I want you to run the campaign." I tried to hide my disbelief at this statement, but I don't think I did a very good job.

"Why?" I asked.

"You're little stunt with Webcor impressed me. Very manipulative and without mercy, something my son is not, but desperately needs to be to win this." I'll admit I was interested. But the reality was, I really couldn't, it would be suicidal for my career. Gwen would disown me and thus so would the rest of the O'Connelly's as well and there would go all my connections. However, while I was thinking this, a nasty little voice in the back of my head began to mutter about Gwen being the same woman who phoned me at 5 in the morning and suddenly upsetting Gwen mattered a little less. But that still didn't mean I felt the same way about the rest of the O'Connelly's. And still like sheep they would follow Gwen's lead and disown me as well. As I was thinking this over, Mrs. Lyon merely sat patiently.

"My dear," she said breaking my silent debate in my head, "think of the opportunity this could provide you and not to mention the very generous salary I would be willing to pay."

"How much?" I couldn't help myself.

"Triple what you made with Webcor." My eyes lit up. You know, perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Perhaps I could bring the two families together..... and then suddenly a picture of Sparrow sprang into my head. I felt immediate guilt.

"Look, Mrs. Lyon I can't."

"Well I'll let you think about it and I would highly suggest you talk it over with Sparrow. You may be surprised how she'll react. Now where is my assistant?"

"At home."

"Stupid girl."

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Next chapter should be out soon. Start expecting more frequent updates because I'm out of school now.