"So girlfriends, you got big plans for Winter Break?" Aadi asked cheerfully.
The tumultuous fall term was finally over and, if things were not all sunshine and roses between all the roommates, the last few weeks of it had at least been better than the ones before.
"The usual," Genie mused, "horrible holiday fund raisers with my dad's creepy political cronies. You?"
"Huge New Year's Eve plans," Aadi grinned "It's going to be Epic! So..."
"It's fine, guys," Miranda said. "I'm going back to Glimmerbrook, to spend the holidays with my moms... and Mariah's going back to Tartosa to spend them with hers. Don't give me that look, Aadi. It's good... really, it is. It's been too long since she's been home..."
-------------------
Home.
In the course of her life, Mariah had lived in Tartosan villas and island shacks. She'd slept on the streets, spent a short but memorable time in a juvenile detention center, and bunked in a foster care group home. For a while, she'd decided that home was something other people had.
She didn't really remember the moment when she'd started thinking of the Villa Romanza with Londyn and Danielle as home. Still, if home was where the heart is, then she must have two, and one of them was Villa Romanza.
"Welcome home," Londyn said as they kissed cheeks. "It's good to see you."
"It's good to see you too... mom," Mariah smiled, feeling relaxed for the first time in months. "You too, mama," she added to Danielle.
"I'm so glad you're home," Danielle said.
"I'm really sorry about this summer," Mariah started. "I was just..."
"We know," Danielle put in. "You were upset. It's been hard for all of us. We'll talk about it more... later. For now, you should just get yourself settled in. You've had a long trip and you must be tired."
Mariah took a deep breath, "OK... OK, I can do that."
"I have a meeting with my publisher later," Danielle continued, "but we'll talk. We'll figure this out."
"Thank you, mama," Mariah sighed.
-------------------
"... It's the nature of Liberty's work, honey," Danielle was saying.
True to her word, after Danielle's meeting with her publisher, the family had sat down to talk. At the heart of the discussion lay Mariah's lingering questions about her adoption. Liberty Lee-Rossi was one of Danielle's oldest and dearest friends. She was also, to Mariah's mind, a spy-master... a senior intelligence operative and local director for the shadowy Agency.
When issues had arisen around Londyn and Danielle's adoption of a troubled Sulani teen, Liberty had used her influence to smooth thing over. Ever since she'd learned from Uncle Nick that the Agency was responsible for her father's death, Mariah had wondered why. Had she just been helping out her friends, or had she had another motive in bringing Big Tony Basso's daughter back to Tartosa?
"There are things she just can't talk about with us," Danielle continued. "but I know she would only do what she thought was right."
"And I'm just supposed to accept that?" Mariah asked insistently. "She only did what she thought was right, but she can't tell us why... or even what she really did?"
"I know it's hard for you, honey," Londyn agreed. "It's hard for me too. After you told us, I was angry. The idea that Liberty might have put you and Danielle - all of us - in danger for some Agency scheme... I couldn't bear it. Danielle insisted that we talk to her..."
"Yeah, well know I want to talk to her," Mariah said firmly.
"Good," Londyn said, "because that's what we all want too."
"I want to... wait, what?" Mariah blinked.
"You should talk to her," Londyn nodded. "You should ask her your questions... but honey, please listen to her answers."
"... and understand," Danielle put in, "that she can't tell us everything... but she's promised to tell you what she can."
"We'll have them over to dinner while you're here," Londyn said firmly. "So, you can talk. She's already agreed."
"OK," Mariah took a deep breath. "OK... that's good. Thank you."
-------------------
"... I understand that, Liberty," Mariah insisted, "but that's not the point. Every knows the Agency has been involved in shady secret stuff."
"If everyone knows it, we must not be doing a very good job at keeping it a secret," Liberty smiled.
"Yeah, maybe you're not as great as you think." Mariah struggled to keep hold of her anger. She'd promised Danielle that she'd talk to Liberty, listen to what she had to say and, above all, keep her cool. She was trying to be cool. She was trying to be discrete. She was trying, really hard, not to scream and demand Liberty tell her everything the older woman know about her father's death... and about her.
"Mariah, I know you have questions," Liberty said reasonably, "Let's take a little walk, just you and I." 
"Now, I know Danielle will have told you that there are some questions I can't answer... but there are some I can," Liberty said as they walked around the pool. "Why don't you tell me what you want to know and I'll tell you what I can?"
"Sure," Mariah replied, "Let's start with - did you kill my father? I know the Agency killed him, but I want to know if you did it!"
"Oh, honey," Liberty sighed.
"Or, how about - why did you bring me back here?" Mariah continued, her anger boiling over. "Was this all just some Agency scheme... keep me close, maybe use me against the Altos somehow... against my own family!"
"I helped Londyn and Danielle adopt you," Liberty said calmly, "because I believed they could help you. Did I know, when I did, that you were Antonio Basso's daughter? Yes, I did. I knew you father..."
"Did you kill him?!" Mariah demanded.
"I... I can't answer that," Liberty winced.
"Dio santo! You did!" Mariah cried. "You killed him!"
"No," Liberty said firmly, "I didn't kill him... but I do share the responsibility for it. I carry that and everything that happened to you because of it. That's why I arranged for Londyn and Danielle to adopt you. To make some amends for what I did... and what I failed to do."
"Why? Tell me why!" Mariah demanded. "Tell me what happened!"
"I can't," Liberty said coldly. "No matter how much I might want to, I can't. Those files are classified."
Furious, not trusting herself to speak or even be near Liberty anymore, Mariah turned and stalked away.
Later, in the darkest part of the night...
"So, there are files," Mariah mused to herself.
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