Say Goodbye to Yesterday
Dragonlots aka Dana Bell
Chapter 3
Senator Barnabas Collins had taken a dislike to Bruce Wayne from the first moment they'd met. He considered the man dishonorable, a blight on a prestigious family whose reputation had been tarnished by his playboy antics. His picture appeared in papers and online in the company of beautiful sexy models, actresses, and prominent daughters at nightclubs, play openings and wild parties.
Given what he thought of the Gotham City millionaire, it had stunned Marari when he'd agreed to attend Bruce's Halloween party. Maybe deciding to run for president had convinced him he needed to 'make nice' with the rich and powerful, whatever their reputations.
She glanced out the limo window as they drove down the long driveway toward Wayne Manor, the huge gothic house looming closer. Orange and purple lights glittered around the windows, with witches, skeletons and bright pumpkins adding to the atmosphere.
"You're sure about this?" she asked again, wanting to make certain her cousin understood what he'd agreed to.
Barnabas sighed. He opted to dress like his seventeen hundreds ancestor, and she wondered if anyone outside the family would see the uncanny resemblance. "If I want to run for president, I will need contributors."
"If you're really sure." She chosen to wear a dress she'd found in the attic at the Old House. The blue fabric shimmered and the fabric soft against her skin. Her hair fell around her face and she'd found some great antique pearls with matching earrings. They complimented her outfit perfectly.
"Not really." A light smile tugged at his thin lips. "It's too late now, as we have arrived."
"Show time," she muttered under her breath as the car came to a stop. The driver opened the door and Barnabas exited first, coming around to take her hand and help her out. Flashes temporarily blinded her as they headed for the main door. No doubt their host wanted plenty of publicity.
Inside, her eyes followed the varied and colorful costumes. A few Batmans represented the city's most well-known hero, a couple of Jokers, a penguin and a cat woman, plus various other costumes ranging from the distant past to the future like the two Jedi Knights who had just passed them.
"Festive," Barnabas commented.
"You really need to get out more." Marari pointed across the huge room. Bruce Wayne, dressed like a scarecrow, held court with Selina Kyle in a slinky black dress with cat ears in her dark hair, standing next to him. "We should probably say hello to our host."
His expression told her he wanted to anything other than that. He straightened, offering his arm. "Shall we?"
Lightly she took his arm, following him across the crowded and somewhat noisy room. Combined exotic smells accosted her nose, much too sweet perfumes, spicy food, and musty body odor.
Their host noticed them, offering them a warm smile. "Thank you for coming, Senator Collins, Ms. Pryor."
"Mr. Wayne," Barnabas returned curtly, his expression wary.
"Always good to see you, Bruce." Marari offered her hand, which Bruce lightly kissed. His gesture earned him a frown from Selina.
"I made certain to tell the waiters you're only to be served sparkling water with a lemon slice," he told her.
"Thank you. That was very thoughtful." She had an allergy to alcohol.
"I take care of my investors."
"I believe in what you're doing."
He glanced at Barnabas who seemed confused. A couple came up behind them and she decided it would be best to move on.
Bruce seemed to understand. "Enjoy my party. I believe Julian Luna is here as well."
"I look forward to talking with him," Barnabas answered.
"I know you two are good friends."
"For a long time now. Good evening, Mr. Wayne."
They moved away. She leaned against him and whispered, "You want him as contributor you really need to be a bit more friendly."
"I don't like him and you know why."
Of course she did. "You don't know him, only the image he portrays. You do something similar, if you want the truth." Most of the gossip columns showed the cousins as an item. Something neither of them had bothered to correct. It kept ambitious gold diggers away from the senator.
"You're right," he conceded. "You're doing business with him?"
"My company has made enough that I decided to make a small investment in the aerodynamics division of Wayne Industries. Not that it's any of your business."
"You're right. There's Julian and Lillie by the fireplace. We should go say hello."
"Marari!" a loud and familiar voice called.
"You go talk to them. I need to head Tony off before he makes a scene."
"I thought that was Pepper's job?" His chestnut brown eyes reflected his amusement.
"Pepper is over there." She pointed to where a light haired woman, gorgeous in a long beige dress with a slit up the side and various objects draped around her waist, stood talking to a small group. "Go." She pushed him toward his friends, before meeting Tony. "Nice to see you."
"And you look lovely as ever." He dropped an arm around her and guided her to a side room. "Imagine my surprise when I discovered you've made an investment in my clean energy program."
"Of course, I did. Why does that surprise you?"
"You seemed rather annoyed with me at the conference." He'd dressed as Ironman, minus the mask. His choice didn't surprise her.
She smiled, trying not to laugh. "You disrupted the schedule and made more work for me."
"Sorry."
"No, you're not."
"You're right, I'm not." He grinned. "My talk was a huge success."
"One of the high points I suspect."
"I heard about your movie night. Everyone raved about it."
"We're all kids at heart."
"Speaking of kids, what was Dr. Quest's boys doing there?"
"You'd have to ask him."
"I just might. You know he's here."
"Uh, no, actually I didn't." Benton hadn't said anything about it when they'd spoken the previous evening.
"I hear it was a last minute invite." He leaned closer, talking quietly. "From what I'm hearing Quest Enterprises is in trouble. There are several here tonight who have an interest in acquiring it."
"You as well." She knew Tony had bought several smaller struggling companies.
"If he'd stop traveling around the world trying to save it and concentrate on his business-"
"Not unlike someone else I know." Like the entire world, she knew about his superhero antics and the Avengers.
"That's beside the point."
"No, Tony, that is the point."
"Okay," he agreed far too easily. "You've got a good CEO."
"Thanks to Pepper's mentoring and is that a suggestion?"
He shrugged. "Just an idea."
"You're crazy."
"Certifiable." He kissed her cheek. "I'm throwing a New Year's Eve bash. Please say you'll come."
"I'll think about it and let you know."
"I can accept that." Tony turned to leave. "Oh, and save me a dance for later."
"Pepper okay with that?"
"She knows you'd toss me across the room if I got fresh."
His admission amused her. "Your right."
"One suggestion." His tone became serious. "Go find Dr. Quest and let him know his company is in danger."
"Why don't you tell him?"
"He doesn't like me and neither does your cousin."
"Let you in on a partial secret. If Barnabas asks you for a contribution, give it to him."
"So the rumors are true."
"I will neither deny nor confirm."
"You just did."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
How did I get talked into coming? Benton wondered as he escaped through one of the patio doors and took a deep breath of clean night air. Behind him the voices droned on and before him lay the gardens. Orange, white and purple lights adorned the bushes and barren trees. Various statues graced the area and Jack O'Lanterns sat outside every door.
On impulse he left the doorway and ventured out into the maze like bushes. The temperature felt much cooler than in the house and he found a stone bench where he could sit down to think. The only costume he could come up with was to come as a college professor, complete with a pipe in his tweed jacket's pocket.
Benton had no idea why Bruce Wayne had invited him to his Halloween party. Granted, he did some business with the man. Wayne Industries built the best experimental engines. He would know since he'd used many of them in various incarnations of his private jet.
His phone rang, pulling his mind away from his thoughts. Pulling it out, he checked the number and smiled. "Hi Marari."
"Hi yourself. Mutual friend told me you are at Bruce's party."
"Guilty. Race encouraged me to come."
"Smart man. Where are you?"
"At the moment in the garden."
"Really?" He could hear quite a bit of noise in the background. Benton looked up and saw a woman in a very old fashioned dress step outside. "Funny that Bruce invited me as well."
"You must be the woman who just came outside."
"I am. Definitely quieter. Oh, there you are."
His call disconnected and he watched Marari carefully walk across the grass and follow the trail to where he sat. He rose and took her hand. "It's good to see you."
"You too." She sat beside him. "I have no idea how women managed to get around. Thank god those days are long past."
"Why do I suspect you came with your cousin?"
"Because I did. If Barnabas is smart he's working the room for potential contributors."
"So he is going to run." The senator had hinted he would during the conference.
"More than likely." She folded her hands on her lap. "Problem is there won't be a First Lady and I refuse to play the role."
Benton had no idea on how to respond to her. Maybe a change of subject would help. "I guess we get to talk in person rather than on the phone."
She gave him an odd glance. "I hadn't thought of that. Guess we really haven't seen each other since the conference."
"By phone or Skype is an odd way to court someone."
"Oh, we are we courting?" She smiled at him, lightly placing her hand on his arm.
He put his hand on hers, noticing she no longer wore her wedding ring. His still rested on his left hand. "I'm a bit old fashioned."
"I don't mind that."
"I'm not, please don't take this the wrong way, I'm not really in a hurry. I know my invitation to spend the holiday with me and my family might have seemed that way."
"It's a good way for us to get to know each other." She leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek. "Besides, I'd probably be spending the holidays either alone or at Mac's."
"You're talking about MacGyver."
"He sat at your table."
"What does he do exactly?"
"He's good at getting his team out of trouble. Beyond that I'm not allowed to say."
"I unfortunately understand that." Many of his exploits were classified.
A waltz started playing the music drifting out into the lawns adding a magical quality. "Would you like to dance?" Benton rose, extending his hand.
"Love to." She took it and rose.
Placing his arm around her waist, he asked, "You do know how to waltz."
"Of course."
He stepped into the beat, enjoying the feel of a woman in his arms and how easily they moved together. For the length of the song they were the only two people in the world and for the first time since Rachelle's death, he felt alive.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Light snow began to fall as Marari turned off the coastal highway onto the tree lined road leading to the Quest Compound. Over the previous three weeks since the party at Wayne Manor, she and Benton had discussed how long she'd stay. They'd agreed she'd arrive a few days before Thanksgiving and leave just before New Year's Day.
Mattie hadn't been happy about allowing her to take the time off and neither had General O'Neill. Colonel Sheppard hadn't been surprised and very supportive.
"You deserve time off," he'd said when they'd talked in his Atlantis office. "Daniel thinks he has a handle on the language we discovered."
"That's the one he thinks is a possible dialect of ancient Egyptian."
"Yeah, that one." John had sat back with a grin on his lean face. "I'm planning on pretty much shutting down for the next few weeks and allowing anyone who wants to go visit family do so. Rodney already has plane tickets to go see his sister."
"Hope he enjoys the visit."
"For many of us being off world and not knowing if we would ever get back to Earth, taught us the value of keeping family close." He'd chuckled. "Rodney even adopted a new cat."
"Good for him."
Speaking of cats, she glanced in the back seat where hers yowled once again about the indignity of being trapped in the carrier and forced to ride in the car monster.
"Not much further," she promised, taking a corner and getting her first look at the huge house. "Oh this is much worse than Collinwood."
The house spread out in a couple of wings. Looked like there had to be at least two stories and off to the side she could see the lighthouse where Benton's lab was located along with Quest World, some sort of VR program still in its early stages of development.
Pulling the car up in front of the main door, Marari took a deep breath, asking herself why she'd even agreed to a five to six week stay. She liked the man. She knew that. Just not exactly sure how much and not even sure if she wanted to know.
Quite stalling. She pushed the door open, grabbing her purse and the cat carrier. Snow began to gently fall and she hurried to the door, pushed the button and held her breath.
The wooden door opened to reveal Race Bannon, his shock of white hair making him a hard person to misidentify. "Hello, Ms. Pryor."
"Hi, Race," she greeted. "I believe I'm expected."
"Come on it. If you'll give me your car keys, I'll park it in the garage and bring in your luggage."
"I'll need the cat supplies first."
His eyebrows rose. "You know Bandit doesn't like cats."
"So Benton told me." They'd discussed the fact at great length, but she'd refused to leave her fur baby at home with the cat sitter only showing up once a day.
"Hi," a red haired girl darted past Race. "We have your room ready. I can show you."
"This is my daughter Jessie," Race explained.
"Nice to meet you, Jessie. I'm Marari Pryor."
"Better go get her car inside, Dad, before the snow buries it."
"Guess I'd better."Marari handed him her car keys. "I'll bring your luggage up in a few minutes." He grabbed his coat and closed the door behind him.
Jessie led her up down the hall and up carpeted stairs to the second floor. "My dad has own apartments on the east side of the house. Our housekeeper, is spending time with her family during the holidays, has her own rooms next to the kitchen."
Jessie opened a door and stood back. "This is your room. Hope you like it."
"Thank you, Jessie."
The girl smiled nervously before dashing off. Luckily, Benton had warned her about the girl ahead of time so her presence hadn't come as a surprise.
Her cat, Primrose, yowled again, clawing at the wire opening. "Okay, I'll let you out." Once released the feline slowly exited the carrier reluctance in every step. The window with a seat caught Prim's attention and she settled in there, washing herself with glares in Marari's direction.
"Your life is so miserable." She shook her head and found a spot in the empty walk in closet to leave the carrier.
The room itself seemed a good size. It contained a queen sized bed with a bright blue and green spread along with two night stands. She had a small sitting area complete with a desk and a computer hook up plus her own bathroom.
A light knock interrupted her explorations and she opened it up to discover Race and both Jonny and Hadji standing there, each carrying cat supplies and her luggage. She motioned them inside. "Just put everything over there." She shut the door behind them making certain Primrose didn't escape.
Jonny noticed the cat, who just blinked at him before returning to the important business of washing. "Bandit doesn't like cats."
"Well, I wasn't about to leave Primrose at home."
Hadji tilted his head to one side. He dressed like he lived in India, complete with a turban adorned with a red ruby. "You named her after a character in a book?"
"I did." The light tan cat had reminded her of the younger sister of the main character in a popular young adult series.
"Come on, boys." Race opened the door. "We should let unpack and get settled"
"Dinner is at seven," Jonny told her as the two boys and the bodyguard left.
"Nice to know," she said. "Well, Prim, let's get your box and food set up so you're comfortable and then I'll unpack." Benton hadn't said much about what they might be doing so she'd packed everything from casual to formal.
She hoped he'd agree to accompany her to Tony's New Year's Eve bash.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Hey, Dad," Jonny bounced into his father's office. "Ms. Pryor has arrived."
Benton smiled at his son. Jonny seemed to be slowly adjusting to his mother's death. He still had times when he'd go to his room and refuse to come out. Mourning, as their therapist had explained, takes time and each person reacted to loss differently.
"She sure brought a lot of stuff." Jonny settled in a chair, Bandit at his feet. The boy reached down to pet his dog. "She brought a cat."
"I know about the cat," Benton reassured Jonny. "Marari is staying with us for several weeks."
"Why do women need so much stuff?"
"Because they're women." He had no desire to get into this conversation with his son right now. Jonny wouldn't turn thirteen for a few more months and Benton wasn't even sure he was ready for 'the' talk even then.
"Do you think she's pretty?" Evidently Jonny intended to ask several questions.
"Truthfully," he closed the book he'd been studying, and put it on his oak desk. "Marari has a type of beauty that reflects from the inside out."
Jonny frowned. "I don't understand."
He chuckled. "You will when you're older."
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
"Then I can't wait until older so I do."
"Don't be in big of a hurry to grow up, Jonny." He sighed. "Being grown up doesn't really mean what children think it does."
Jonny shook his head. "It's confusing when you say stuff like that." He jumped out of the chair and raced over the window. "Look at the snow."
"I've been watching." Luckily, they'd bought extra groceries and had a full pantry. They might be snowed in for a few days.
The little boy in Jonny showed on his face, bright with excitement. "We can have a snow ball fight and build forts."
He wished he still had the innocence of childhood and could enjoy the simple things in life. As it was, his lawyers had informed him his floundering company, Quest Enterprises had received several buyout offers. Benton had no intention of selling nor any solutions in mind either.
"You've got that look on your face," Jonny said. "What's wrong, Dad?"
"Nothing you need to worry about." He got up. "How about we go into the kitchen and start dinner?"
His son made a face which turned to surprise. "Hi, Ms. Pryor."
"Please call me Marari, Jonny."
Benton smiled. "I didn't hear you come in."
"Door was open. Hope I'm not intruding."
"Not at all. Are you settled in?"
"Partially, as long as Prim has what she needs and my clothes are hung up, I'll call it good for now."
"What would you like for dinner?" Other than the Thanksgiving Day menu, he had no idea what to make.
"I tend to not really plan meals."
"You're spontaneous." That made him a bit nervous. He liked order in his life.
"Nothing wrong with that. I was thinking maybe Jonny, Hadji and Jessie would like to help cook."
"Other than camping, I really don't know how," Jonny admitted.
"You don't?" Marari smiled. "Well, that just won't do. I think everyone should know how."
"We normally have a housekeeper who cooks for us," Benton explained.
"Or Race does," Jonny added.
"Hmmm. A man who can cook. I'm impressed." He felt a flash of jealousy at her words, then reminded himself she'd completely ignored Race's attempt to flirt with her during the conference. "What do you say, Jonny? We make dinner?"
"I don't know."
"Afraid of a challenge?"
He straightened and met her eyes. Benton was proud of his son.
"I'm always fond of breakfast for dinner," she continued.
"Yeah!" His son dashed out the door calling for Hadji and Jessie.
"I not overstepping am I?" Marari asked him.
"No." Benton shook his head. "I think we've all forgotten what it's like to have a woman in the house."
"Housekeeper doesn't count?"
He started to say something and thought better of it.
"Not to worry. Cousin David does that too."
"Guess I'm used to having money." He tried to make it sound like an apology.
"Happens." She took his hand. "I hate to mix personal and company business, but Tony told me Quest Enterprises is in trouble."
He sighed and motioned her to sit down, before he reclaimed his chair. "I got the notice from my lawyers a few days ago."
"I talked to Candice, she's my CEO. She had our accountant go over your books and sees a ray of hope. She suggested," Marari giggled, "just like Tony indirectly did, that Quest Enterprises and LilMorCol Industries merge, at least on paper."
"Doesn't that set your company up for takeover?"
"No, puts both of us in a more protected position because neither Tony Stark nor Bruce Wayne will make a play because of the investment I've made in both their companies. That and I think they're both just a little afraid of Julian Luna and my cousin Barnabas."
"Interesting proposal." It might solve a hostile takeover and save Quest Enterprises.
"Candice is pretty sure she can turn things around. I hired her because she can think outside the box. I just sit on the board and let her make the hard decisions." She reached over and placed her hand over his. "Think it over. If you like the idea let me know and I'll have the family attorneys prepare the paperwork and present it to yours."
"Why would Tony Stark give you a heads up?" That part bothered him.
"Competition between him and Bruce Wayne. That's why I made friends with both of them."
"With Bruce Wayne?" He couldn't see how that was possible.
"Bruce isn't what he seems. Barnabas and I stayed at his home for a few days last year. While we were there a really bad thunder storm went over in the middle of night. Scared me half to death. I helped myself to some tea and Bruce found me in the kitchen. I admitted why I was there and he took me into the drawing room, started a fire and we spent half the night playing checkers."
"He didn't make a pass at you?" Given the playboy's reputation, he would have expected Bruce to have made another suggestion.
"I'm not really his type and Barnabas is very protective."
"Guess I'd better watch my manners around you."
"You better believe it. He wasn't very happy I planned to stay with you for the holidays. He's got some very old fashioned ideas."
"As do I."
"I know. That's why I trust you."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Where do we start?" Jonny asked when Marari joined the children in the kitchen.
She glanced around the large room, thinking she really preferred her cozy kitchen at home. "First of all, let's decide what we're having for dinner." She motioned the trio over to the island. The counter top had been covered with a gray marble. The cupboards were all white with silver handles.
"You suggested breakfast," Jonny reminded her.
"So I did. Let's check the cupboards, freezer and pantry for ingredients before deciding on what we want to make."
The three scattered to check the various places she suggested. In the end, they found several different things and they decided they wanted to make omelets for dinner.
"Perfect choice," she agreed. "Okay, who wants to ask Race and Dr. Quest what they want in theirs."
"Why not just ask us directly?" Benton entered the room. "How we can help?"
"You should never ask that. I will always put you to work."
"Should I be afraid?"
"Oh, very much so." She turned to her chefs in training. "All right, Jonny, you're on egg duty. Jessie and Hadji you get to slice veggies. Benton, grate the cheese and if you're going to stand there watching Race," she'd seen him observing the process from the door. "You can warm up the pan."
"Yes, ma'am." He moved to the stove and went to work.
She knew she should object to the ma'am, but chose not to. If she wanted to fit into this complicated household she would have to adjust to the various personalities in it. Just like she had working as part of the team in Atlantis and the SGC.
Laughter echoed in the room and a few messes got made. She immediately had whomever made it, clean it up. "That's part of cooking. Cleaning up after yourself."
"I don't know if I like cooking," Jonny grumped.
"It's a good way to learn a new skill. One that will serve you well for the rest of your life," she told the boy.
"She's right," his father agreed. "We learn by doing and making mistakes."
"One of the great lessons of life," Race added from his post at the stove.
"You never make mistakes, Race." Jonny stared adorningly at the older man.
"Yes, I do." A shadow passed over Race's tanned face. "With a very high price."
"You aren't to blame, Race." Benton probably meant to reassure the other man.
"Let's drop it for now, Doc." Race expertly removed the omelet from the pan. "First one is up."
"That one is mine," Jessie took the omelet and sat at the island.
Minutes later everyone was eating and Marari smiled to herself. A successful first meal with the Quest family. Maybe things would go smoother than she thought. Or maybe not. They did have a tendency to find trouble or perhaps it found them. One could never tell
For this night, she'd relax and enjoy being part of a family. She hadn't had that for a long time.