IV
Mid-June, 2001
Jo had a rare Monday off of work, and had just finished doing some grocery shopping for she and Blair. Jo had found that she actually enjoyed "being domestic" within a serious relationship. She had always been a neat person, but she took pride in doing the cleaning, the shopping, and the upkeep of their Condo. When she had first met Blair, Jo didn't think Blair had even used a vacuum in her life, so spoiled she was. Now, Blair took the same pride in doing her fair share of being domestic. Jo thought that, perhaps, part of that was that they legally couldn't get married, and simply wanted to prove they were just like any other couple who had been together for years.
She was just about finished, when her cell phone came to life as it sat on the table in the kitchen. She thought it might be Blair, who often called when the blonde had to work and Jo was off, but Jo's face lit up in a smile when she saw the name of the incoming caller.
"I'll be damned, Natalie Green!"
"Hey, you remember my full name, congratulations Polniaczek!"
Both women laughed hysterically. "Yeah, I'm sharp as a tack, ain't I? How ya doin', Lois Lane?"
Natalie snorted on the other end. "Lord, Jo, are you always gonna call me that. That got old...well, it got old the first time you used it after I got the job with The Globe."
"I'm just ribbin' ya, Green", she assured her friend. "How you been doin' sister?"
"I just got back from London to cover a NATO meeting there, and I'm a bit fried, but I do love this work, Jo, just as much as you love yours."
"I'm proud of you kid", Jo said honestly. "You always wanted to be a reporter, and damned if you didn't hit the jackpot. I even read your stories once in a while."
Natalie laughed. "Gee, thanks Jo, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. How are you and the estimable Ms. Warner?"
"Livin' the life, Nat. We're both always busy as hell, but I'm more in love with her every day, and I don't see that ever changin'." She paused for a moment. "You know it really sucks that you're only in Boston, be we never get to see ya. I hate adulting sometimes, ya know?"
Natalie laughed. "Oh, I've never loved adulting, but I do love my job, my dear. You know that."
"You were made for what you're doin', kid. Come to think of it", she mused, "all four of us were."
"I never thought of it that way, but you're right. I always had those snoopy instincts."
Jo laughed loudly. "Ah, the Snoop Sisters, the bane of the existence for me and Blair at Eastland. But I gotta tell ya, Green, you missed the boat in figuring out about me and Blondie."
"It took me forever and a day to see what you two had, which shouldn't happen to a reporter, by the way", she said in wonder. "But I've never seen two people who were so completely in tune with each other like you two. It's still amazing to me."
"I've never been able to explain it, Nat", Jo confessed, "especially since we came from such different backgrounds. But there it is. And I ain't about to complain."
"I don't blame you one bit, Jo."
"Enough about me and Blondie for now, have you heard from our celebrity sister lately?"
For the next hour, Jo and Nat simply talked and enjoyed the banter that had made them so close over the years, both of them hoping that, one day in the not-too-distant future, the Four Musketeers would be together again.
_
As if on cue, that Saturday, Blair was at home, doing some work on her own computer, when the phone rang. Unlike at work, Blair didn't have Caller ID on her land line, and she rarely looked at it anyway when she was working.
"Hello, this is Blair."
"Don't you have a secretary to pick up your calls at home, Warner?"
Blair's eyes widened with happiness. "Tootie! How you doing, oh blossoming movie and TV star?"
Dorothy Ramsey snorted a laugh at the other end. "Please, Blair, I'm not there yet, but I'm happy with how things are progressing. I had some free time and thought I might catch you at home. I figured Jo was working, as usual."
Blair chuckled. "You guessed right, Tootie. How have you been?"
The two women, forever linked as virtual sisters from their days at Eastland had a long, happy conversation about their comings and goings.
"Sounds like there's some stress right now, Blair", Tootie offered, after Blair divulged how much time both she and Jo were working. "You gotta find some 'just us' time for the two of you."
"Easier said than done", countered Blair. "As I move up, there's more and more responsibility-probably less hands-on work, but more people reporting to me and such. And Jo is seriously thinking about trying to move up to Detective, which is one of the reasons she's working so much."
"Makes you kinda miss the Eastland and Langley days, doesn't it?"
Blair sighed, the accuracy of that statement hitting home. "It certainly does, Tootie."
Mid-July, 2001
Blair hated Monday's at work. Although she never really stopped working to some degree, even on weekends, Monday's usually meant that everyone on every level would have things to complain about at the beginning of the work week. It didn't bother her as much as it used to, but she could do without it.
She arrived at her office right at 7:30am, and had barely made her first cup of coffee for the day when her phone rang. She did see the name on the phone this time.
"Hello, Daddy", Blair said, taking her first satisfying sip of the hot concoction, "you're awful early in calling today."
"True", he replied frankly, "but I've actually been at work since around 6am."
That made Blair's eyes open wide. "6am. Jeez, Daddy, I thought the CEO's didn't have to beat the sun up most days."
That made David Warner genuinely laugh. "We don't, but, well, we're having a meeting of all V, S, and C Level management at 9am sharp in the large lecture hall. It'll also be on conference call with a lot of other locations."
Blair understood at once. "This is that big project you were talking about some time ago, isn't it?"
"It is, Blair", David answered, "and it's something that could vastly expand the reach of our corporation and truly make us a world-wide player."
Blair contemplated that. "I know better to ask what it is, but I'll find out in about ninety minutes, I presume."
David chuckled. "Hey, you're the one who said no favors from the CEO remember?"
"Me and my big mouth", Blair deadpanned, making her father laugh even louder.
David Warner rose from his seat in the lecture hall, an earpiece and microphone plugged in. He didn't waste any time.
"I'm going to bring this meeting to order. I want to thank all of you for being here, and to all those listening in on the conference call. I won't beat around the bush.
"Over the last year, Warner Corporation has been conducting internal audits and going over our entire organization with a fine-tooth comb. Overall, I couldn't be prouder of how well we have done, and how bright the future looks for us. But like every company we do have our own shortfalls. Today's meeting will address one of those shortfalls, and our plan to end that deficiency.
"One of the biggest challenge for any corporation this size is in transportation: getting our products to our customers, be they external customers or internal customers. Our domestic U.S transportation system is as good as anyone's, but we've needed to find a way to cut costs on international transportation. Which brings me to the point of this meeting.
"Over the last six months, The Warner Corporation has been in very quiet negotiations to merge with Trans-Pacific Shipping Corporation, based in Los Angeles, and to make it a fully integrated part of The Warner Company. TPS is the premier shipping company serving the entire Pacific Rim. We have determined that folding them into our company will give us new opportunities and synergies that will vastly expand our reach into Asia, which right now, is the most important economic location in the world."
The room erupted in excited, animated conversation between those sitting in the audience, Blair being one of them. This was a huge move, she knew, and while it would cost Warner a pretty penny to pull off, it's economic impact could make that look like chump change.
At the end of the meeting, David found Blair and told her that a smaller meeting would take place at 1pm in his office.
Blair came home late that night, the meetings regarding the blockbuster news about Warner and TPS having taken up the whole day. David Warner had Blair and a few others in the room with her, as well as tying a conference call in with the Vice-President of Asia and the Pacific, who was based in Los Angeles.
While a time frame for formal negotiations hadn't been set yet, representatives-mostly lawyers, had been quietly working in the background for many months, laying the groundwork for those negotiations. Both companies wanted to tackle the legal issue first, then work on the actual merger. Blair knew that, at some time in the not-too-distant future, she would be heading out to Los Angeles to be a major part of the team that would hopefully finalize the deal by the end of 2001.
Jo had actually just arrived home a few minutes before Blair, and hadn't even had time to prep a meal for the two of them when Blair walked in.
"Damn, Princess", Jo said, smiling at the shorter woman, "I barely beat ya home! I only walked in about ten minutes ago. Why so late tonight?"
"First things first, Officer Polniaczek", Blair said, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and given her a deep, luscious kiss. "Mmmm", she purred, "that's nicer than talking shop."
Jo laughed at the remark. "Yeah, well, you won't get an argument from me 'bout that." To prove the point she locked lips with Blair again. "I had to verify my hypothesis, Blondie."
Blair playfully smacked Jo on her arm. "I think it's been verified, honey. To answer your question, can you first get us each a Pepsi out of the fridge, then I'll tell you all about my exciting day."
Jo ordered a pizza, and while they waited for it, Blair told her lover about the bombshell news at work.
"Jeez", Jo exclaimed when Blair finished her synopsis, "that's a ginormous deal, Princess. And I'm proud of the fact that you'll be part of the team going out to L.A to cross the t's and dot the i's."
"Part of my evolution with the company, although I can tell you that I'll positively hate not being with you. Yeah, the lawyers are working on the finer details-have been for months-but there's always something that'll become a snafu near the end."
Jo put down her Pepsi and moved from her chair next to Blair on the couch. "Yeah, that ain't gonna be fun, Blondie, but hey, it's part of what you do. It's important, and you know I'm with ya a thousand percent on that." She leaned in and kissed the love of her life.
"Knowing I'll have you to come home to-and that more than likely I'll have at least a few days off so we can...uh, get reacquainted then, will get me through it."
"After this pizza arrives and we wolf it down, I think you're gonna be hungry for some dessert, Princess", Jo said with raised eyebrows.
"Oh, after a full day of meetings, baby, yes, we'll have an extra helping of dessert later", she promised.