Feedback needed - this chapter simply went this way - and it would be helpful to know
if it worked. Not that I can do anything to make some of you like Sam, I know. ;-)

I Knew a Man by Sight (by Henry David Thoreau)

Myka found Helena pacing in the living room when she returned from thanking the string quartet as they packed up and left.

"Are you okay?" Myka asked, because Helena definitely seemed preoccupied. That was not the state Myka wanted her in for their last night before returning tomorrow.

"I need…. to send Irene a text," Helena finally said, and walked to the drawer where her phone had been hibernating. She turned it on and message after message appeared, aggravating the woman who just wanted to send one. Finally, the phone calmed down and Helena sent the text. "Are you okay?" Within seconds, because Irene knew that's about how long Helena would last before calling 911, the response came back: "Couldn't be better. Safe flight home. I have missed you both."

Helena read the text and swallowed hard at the last words. She took a deep breath through her nose and it was obvious to Myka that Helena was reacting to something.

"Everything okay?" Myka asked, softly catching Helena's attention.

"Pardon?" Helena asked - her mind somewhere else. "Oh, yes," she softened her tone. "Irene says she misses you."

Myka knew that the connection between these women was deep, even if Helena played against it all the time. Irene understood it all too well. "She's afraid of losing me," the Sage explained to Myka one day. "That happens to people who have experienced deep loss in their lives." Myka listened to the words, convinced that Irene wasn't just speaking about Helena.

It took Helena a minute to regain her thoughts and push the feelings aside. "I had a feeling….," she said of her former One to Myka.

"She's okay though?" Myka asked.

"Yes, fine apparently, and annoying as ever," Helena protested unconvincingly.

"And you still think it was a good idea to assign Sui to her this whole time?" Myka asked, and immediately saw the gleam of mischief in Helena's eyes and wicked smile.

"You know that woman has you all fooled," Helena said defensively, even though there was no need.

"She does?" Myka feigned surprise.

"Yes! You all think she's this very tolerant and stable individual. But let me tell you, I didn't find Irene Frederic this way. Oh no, it took me years of molding," Helena said, the tale becoming more embellished as she spoke.

"You? Molded her?" Myka said incredulously.

"Yes, but it's a story for another time," Helena said because the smell of Myka's hair was distracting her now.

"Come here, you," Myka said, pulling Helena into a warm hug. "I'd like to apologize now…," she said slowly to Helena as she put her hand behind Helena's back and undid the zipper on her dress.

"Apologize? For undressing me?" Helena asked, as she focused on what was going on.

"Oh no, not for that," Myka said, as she gently pushed the dress off Helena's shoulders and kissed the exposed ivory skin.

"For what then?" Helena asked, throwing her head back so Myka could place soft kisses across her neck.

"For bringing you back to New York….," Myka said, pushing the dress down and tracing her fingers along Helena's garter belt. "…..utterly… and totally…..exhausted."

The thought of what would cause that exhaustion was enough to make Helena wrap her arms around Myka's neck. "I'm in your very skilled hands, Mrs. Bering-Wells," Helena said coyly.

"Yes, that you are, Mrs. Bering-Wells," Myka said back, cupping Helena's buttocks, and pulling her in to kiss her with passion.

Irene was sitting at the table when Helena's text came in. She had just walked confidently into the restaurant moments before and found Ted Grayson sitting in a booth by the window. It was a dimly lit room with tables for two in the middle and small booths by the window. It was cozy and intimate and Irene smiled to think how Ted had made a mistake in choosing it.

The first thing she did when she sat down, after shaking his hand, was to slide the curtain on the window over. She knew Ted could have someone taking pictures as evidence that Helena Wells' Director was jumping ship.

"Well, I wasn't sure I'd see the day, Irene," Ted said from across the table. "Boss checking on you already?" he asked when the text came in.

"Dog sitter," Irene lied. She didn't like not telling the truth, but knew she needed to control the conversation.

They ordered drinks and the waiter brought them over. His was scotch on the rocks; hers was a white wine spritzer. Ted talked about the cold weather, asked Irene how things were at work, and about the dog. He was letting her know he had kept tabs on her, but Irene smiled the entire time, never flinching once.

"How are things without the Queen at the helm?" he asked when the waiter brought a small plate of bruschetta and placed it between them. Irene had already informed Ted that she wouldn't be there long enough to have dinner with him.

"You know Helena has everything and everyone in place to take care of things in her absence," Irene said confidently.

"I heard the wedding was a success," he said, pulling his reading glasses off his nose and smiling.

"Yes," Irene answered, smiling back.

"I sent a gift," he said, but didn't elaborate.

"That was very nice of you," Irene complimented him, wondering where in the world Helena would put his gift.

"Irene, can we get down to business here. I am a little surprised that you would pick now to take me up on my offer. Your sons are well embedded in Wells; you stood up for her at her wedding. You obviously have a fondness for her. Why would you choose now?" he asked.

Ted Grayson was a seasoned businessman. He knew how to run meetings, attract clients and get what he wanted – unless Helena wanted the same thing. Then he didn't get it.

"You have piqued my curiosity," Irene said, and that was true. "You already have a qualified director of human resources."

"Jim? I would fire him if you accept my offer," Ted said of the man who had been with him for years.

"What kind of message would that send to your employees?" Irene asked, taking another sip of her drink.

"It would show them that I get what I go after," Ted laughed because he believed it.

'Unless Helena wants it,' the woman thought to herself. "Is it me you really want?" Irene asked, controlling the direction of the conversation without Ted realizing it.

"Look Irene. I know what an integral part of Wells Corp you have become. When your boss lost the chance to go public last year because we exposed that she had a relative, she upped and fired her Board of Directors. Some of them came to me looking for jobs. I learned some very interesting things about your boss. I know she depends on you and the other department heads. I know you single handedly hired most of the top talent at Wells. Well, except for your sons," Ted said, making sure Irene understood he knew certain things.

"And you want me to do that for you?" Irene asked and her tone was sincere.

"I'm looking out for you. Your boss, if you don't mind me saying so, is all over the place. Ever since she and her lawyer decided to hook up, the cracks in the mighty Helena Wells' armor has been showing," he said and Irene clenched her fist under the table.

"And you have seen these ….cracks?" Irene asked, trying to regulate her breathing so she didn't appear as annoyed as she was feeling.

"Irene, I like you. I respect you. I just want you back where you belong. When you retired, I thought it was for good. You told me it was nothing personal and that you wanted to travel to see the world …..and you sons. We threw you a retirement party and gave you the watch, for God's sake," Ted said, getting upset the more he talked about it.

"I sent you the watch back," Irene clarified.

"Not the point. You were done and then you suddenly changed your mind and came back to …her?" Ted said, pushing his drink away out of frustration. Having people leave your company for another wasn't unusual and happened all the time in this business, even with non-compete clauses in their employee contracts. Having Irene Frederic leave you was quiet another. Irene heard hurt in his voice.

"Ted, when I retired from Grayson, I thought it was to hang up my hat for good. I had every intention of taking my life savings and seeing the world," Irene said truthfully.

"And instead you wound up in Times Square?" Ted spat back. Of all the employees who he lost to Wells, this one hurt the most. Irene was one of the few employees he really liked.

"God works in mysterious ways, Ted. I can't explain it," Irene said of the way things worked out.

Irene spoke truthfully. After she retired, she was waiting in the long line to renew her passport. She got a call from a recruiter friend of hers who said he had an interesting prospect. It was a temporary job to hire a full staff for a new company. He told her the salary was insane and she'd be a fool to pass it up. When she saw that the timing worked and that she would be finished weeks before her cruise, she decided to interview. She spoke to the prospective employer… once. The woman was calling from South Dakota and explained she was on her way back east. She wanted the entire staff hired and said she would email all the positions that needed to be filled. Irene thought the woman was eccentric, to say the least. Irene got her passport renewed, and stopped at a travel agent's office on the way home. "Now these are some of the best cruises because when you dock and go ashore, the guides will give you all kinds of detours and those can be the most fun," the woman said.

"What did you say?" Irene asked, the word catching her attention.

"Detours? When you stray off the path and take a detour? Those can be the most fun," the woman explained.

The word stuck with Irene all day. This certainly would be a detour from what she planned. She decided she would do it and went home and opened the email. Irene could never quite explain what the feeling was that pushed her to do this. It simply felt right to her. She had no way of knowing that this temporary job was going to keep her on an extended detour. One that she never regretted.

"In spite of our differences, there are some things I can tolerate about Helena," Ted said, swallowing his drink.

"Really?" Irene said, sipping her drink again.

"Sure. She's bright enough, although she's arrogant. She's really my only worthy opponent when I think about it. At least she's the most interesting. My guess is that she's in this for the short haul, Irene. Then what happens to you? Did you know she worked for the government before this? You know what kind of work they do," Ted said, waving his finger at the waiter for another scotch and drink for Irene.

Ted Grayson believed Irene Frederic posed no threat to him. He was presenting her with an opportunity to return to work for him on a platter. The fact that it would disrupt Wells Corp in the process was icing on the cake.

"Why are you so interested in her?" Irene asked, downing her second drink faster. "Oh, I am thirsty," she laughed and Ted ordered another round. He was keeping up with her, but his drinks were much stronger.

"Last year, when we found out that she had an heir…," Ted said.

"Relative," Irene automatically corrected him. She hoped he didn't hear how defensively that automatic response came out.

"Right, well either way, that Millennial is being set to take over the company someday. I know she left her in charge," Ted shared. "Anyway, that whole thing made me look into your boss' background. She's a decedent of HG Wells, right? So I should be able to easily connect the dots. Except it turns out to be not so easy. The kid was an orphan or something. But I can't find the link that connects them. It's like there's a gap or something. Now you're in personnel, Irene. Tell me why I can't find out anything about your boss?"

"Tell me what you want to know," Irene said, smiling and giving the impression that the drinks were loosening her up. Ted thought he saw a glimmer in Irene's eye.

"Once a Grayson employee…always a Grayson employee," he laughed and clinked the glasses and ordered another round. Irene drank down the rest of her drink and so did he. "Why can't I find her anywhere?"

"Ted, when Ms. Wells worked for the government, she worked for the… IRS," Irene whispered.

"So?" Ted asked.

"Well, as far as I know, she wasn't going after people like you and me who might put down a charitable contribution when we didn't make it. She was dealing with people who did ….worse things," Irene said. "I guess the government doesn't want people getting ahold of too much info on her. I mean, I don't think she made friends."

Ted listened to Irene and noticed her speech seemed slightly slower. He knew she didn't drink much and so he was pleased she picked tonight to indulge.

"You want my opinion?" Irene said and now he was sure she was tipsy.

"Sure," Ted said, downing his whole drink. It would seem he was minutes away from getting what he wanted.

Irene looked around to make sure no one was listening. Then she sat up straight in her seat and leaned over the table a little. "I think you're a smart man about to make a very stupid mistake," Irene said.

"Oh really? Looking out for me? You always did have a soft spot in your heart for me, didn't you, Irene?" Ted said boldly.

"I don't like to see anyone get hurt," Irene said, smiling back.

"Hurt? Your boss can't hurt me," Ted said confidently.

"Helena? No, I mean your inane actions. Asking a former boyfriend to help you get information on Helena? Tsk, tsk," Irene said, clicking her tongue. "When the press finds out that you did this, it will make you look desperate," Irene said, shaking her head in distain.

Ted was a little surprised that Irene knew about this, but figured she was looking out for him. "How do you know about him? Hey, that stupid boyfriend has come up with nothing. He was a dead end as far as I'm concerned."

"So you admit you tried to get him to find out information?" Irene asked, and her elbow missed the table.

"I'm going to have to get you a cab," Ted said, feeling equally inebriated. "Yes, I contacted the jilted lover. I figured he was ripe to help after the press portrayed him as the loser boyfriend. He said he wouldn't do anything illegal. It's not illegal to find out information," Ted assured Irene.

"Depends on what you want to do with it," Irene retorted.

"Your boss is a thorn in my side. I was simply trying to pluck her out a little," Ted said, defending his actions.

"And what do you think Helena will do when she finds out? " Irene said, locking eyes with him.

"How will she find out? No one knows except me, that G-man…and now you," Ted explained. Ted took a piece of the bruschetta and sloppily spilled it on his tie. "Damn, this is a three hundred dollar tie!"

"Here," Irene said, taking the cloth napkin and dipping it in her drink. "This will take it out."

"You want me to put wine….," Ted scoffed and then stopped. He looked straight over at Irene. Even with his head a little foggy, he realized it.

There was no wine in Irene's drinks. It was – as they all had been – just seltzer.

He grabbed the glass and tasted it. His wide-eyed expression said how genuinely surprised he was. Ted looked over at the woman who had fabricated any effects he thought he noticed.

"You double crossed me?" Ted asked in disbelief.

"I have done no such thing! You happened to pick a restaurant where I know the waiter and the waiter knows I take my wine spritzers very weak. Now Ted, I came to try and talk some sense into you. Deal with Helena Wells above board and don't lose what credibility you have," Irene said, clear as a bell.

"You never were going to accept my offer to come back, were you?" Ted asked, feeling stupid.

"No," Irene said truthfully. "I came to give you some good advice."

"She's beatable, you know," Ted said, as Irene started to get up.

"Perhaps," the HR Director said, as she stood up. "If you treat her as your competition, maybe. But treat Helena Wells as your enemy, and you will lose everything. I can personally guarantee that."

And with that, Irene thanked him and left the restaurant, smiling at the waiter as she left. She hailed a cab and went home. Irene knew that all she could do was to let Ted know they were aware of his connection with Sam Martino. Ted trusted very few people in this world. Of the few he did, one of them just left him with some things to think about.

He may have taken that ace off the table for now, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to safeguard it – and put it up his sleeve.

"Are you absolutely sure about this? This is the way you want to deal with this? I mean, he probably carries a gun!" Claudia practically shrieked. The more she thought about it – the worse this plan seemed to her.

"We'll be back on the Acela train by nine o'clock. We'll go straight to the Penthouse and get ready for their return tomorrow," Eileen said as they made their way through the traffic in Washington DC.

"Fine, fine, okay," the techie relented. "He's walking towards a Starbucks," she said as she clicked on her tablet screen and tracked the man in question.

Minutes later, as Sam waited for his Venti cup of black coffee, a young woman approached him.

"Mr. Martino?" she said and he turned to see her. She looked familiar and friendly, but he still hesitated. "I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Eileen Sullivan."

"Do I know you?" Sam asked cautiously.

"I work with Myka Bering," Eileen said and her tone was pleasant.

"Is she okay?" Sam asked worried this woman was a messenger.

"She couldn't be better, Mr. Martino," Eileen said and asked him if they could talk for a few minutes.

Sam took his coffee and followed Eileen to a small table in the back, where Claudia could see her from the other side of the coffee house. "Why didn't we bring Pete? Why didn't we bring Pete," she kept murmuring as she looked at her laptop, trying not to draw attention to herself.

"Did Myka send you?" was Sam's first question and hope.

"No, Mr. Martino. She doesn't even know I'm here. I work for Helena Wells," Eileen said and could see Sam's expression harden.

"I have nothing to say to you…," Sam said and started to get up.

"I know you love her. Myka, I mean," Eileen said and he stopped leaving. "I know you feel bad about what's happened."

Sam stared hard at the woman who uttered those truths to him. Sam didn't think anyone knew how bad he felt about it. "How would you know?" he asked ready to leave.

"I've been there," Eileen said, her tone reassuring him that she knew what it was like to have your heart broken.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked, and sat back down.

"Mr. Martino, I know you wouldn't want to do anything to hurt Ms. Bering," Eileen said, not yet using her married name.

"Of course not!" Sam said indignantly. He really was delusional and Eileen knew she had to be careful.

"We know Ted Grayson approached you," Eileen said and Sam recoiled in anger.

"So this is what it's about? Where are your boss' goons? Going to threaten me?" Sam asked, puffing out his chest and looking around.

"No, just me," Eileen said, shrugging her shoulders. "I thought maybe if I came here, I could save you a lot of trouble."

"You?" Sam asked in disbelief. "How?"

"We know Mr. Grayson asked you to get information on Helena Wells. Whether or not you find out anything, it would never help him as much as it is going to hurt you," Eileen explained.

"How is that?" he asked annoyed that he couldn't seem to get up and leave yet.

"If Ms. Bering finds out that you helped someone whose sole purpose it was to hurt Helena, she'll never forgive you. And is that the memory you want Myka to have of you? Do you want to lose what friendship you have with Ms. Bering?" Eileen asked. She was really going out on a limb here because she really didn't think there was much left between the two. But she knew Myka and how kind she was. In spite of his desperate antics, Myka still never said anything bad about him.

"I made a damn fool of myself back in New York," Sam said, embarrassed. This was a total stranger that he was opening up to and he tried to make himself stop.

"We all do things we're not proud of, Mr. Martino. It's hard to let go. But if you really care for Myka, you'll do that," Eileen said. Sam stared at the scrubbed faced, light blue eyed woman. "It's time to let her go."

Eileen had no prepared speech; no idea what she would say to the man before she saw him. She knew his actions were one of a distressed person. Pete was afraid Sam would stalk Myka, unable to relinquish the hope that someday she would come back. Eileen thought long and hard about it. She decided that if Myka Bering ever cared for Sam, then there must have been something redeeming about him. Eileen thought maybe she could reach that part of Sam.

"I always wanted what was best for her," Sam said to Eileen.

"Then accept that she has found it, Mr. Martino," the young woman said and stood up. "I wish you all the best, Mr. Martino. Thank you for talking with me."

Eileen walked away, knowing that Sam was hurting beyond words and would be for some time. She smiled at Claudia, who got up and joined her outside.

"You were fraking amazing in there! You …. You just ….talked to him," Claudia said, amazed that no threats were made.

"Let's hope it got through to him," Eileen said as they got back in the cab.

Inside, Sam Martino felt immobilized by the pain the conversation brought up. He grabbed his phone and texted his friend in the IRS.

"Never mind," he typed and sent it.

Just then a text came in for Sam. "Never mind," it read from Ted Grayson.

Claudia nudged Eileen in the cab to look at her laptop. Both messages were displayed. "Good," Eileen said, but was curious. "I wonder why Mr. Grayson sent the same message?"

"I don't know, but it's done," Claudia said, closing her computer. "Let's go home." She moved in closer to Eileen and interlocked their arms. "Now let's just hope Helena doesn't kill us for doing this," the techie said and meant it.

"Oh," Eileen said, never having thought that Helena might not like what they did.

Back in Queens, Irene was returning home. Bandit greeted her happily at the door. She walked into the kitchen and to the delicious smell of homemade stew. It reminded her of the aromas the house contained when it was filled with her family.

"Mr. Generis?" she asked when he greeted her.

"I found a recipe in your drawer. I hope you don't mind that I used it," he said, taking her coat.

"Not at all, but you shouldn't have gone to all the trouble," Irene said, her mouth already watering.

"No trouble at all. Now, all the directors have responded that each has prepared their departmental updates and will be ready for the meeting tomorrow when Ms. Wells arrives," Sui informed his host.

"I was rather looking forward to calling her by her married name," Irene lamented.

"Ms. Wells believes it would be too confusing at work and they have both agreed to keep their maiden names for business purposes," Sui explained.

"Thank you," Irene said, as he held the chair out for her to sit down to the delicious meal.

"I have greatly enjoyed our time together, Mrs. Frederic. I have had the most wonderful opportunity to learn a great many things," Sui said, joining her at the table.

"What have you learned?" Irene asked, amazed at how much she had enjoyed his company.

"I have learned that there is a lot about you I don't understand," Sui said, having done a great deal of observation and calculations over the past few days.

Irene laughed at his statement, but out of modesty, not arrogance. "There's not that much to me, Mr. Generis," she explained.

"I believe I have found a way to learn more though," he said, passing her the homemade garlic bread.

"You have?" Irene said, biting into the buttery bread and closing her eyes when the savory flavor hit her tongue.

"You will see tomorrow," the android said, and smiled pleasantly at the woman.

"Tomorrow is a big day, Mr. Generis. The happy couple returns," Irene said.

Sui's voice analyzer immediately informed him that this was the happiest he had heard Irene in a long time.

He had no program that would tell him all hell was going to break loose.