FIONA PUSHED A PIECE of hair back from her face, flipping the page over. The symbols all seemed to make sense but the outcome never worked. They could not make this easy could they? She made an annoyed grunt in the back of her throat throwing the pencil across the room, it rebounding off the French windows and dropping outside. The door opened and Abe walked in with the pencil,
"Work not going well?"
She smiled, "I'll get it. I didn't know you were back."
"Just got in,"
He nodded, "I need to talk to Edmund."
The smile slid off her face, "Again."
She slid the paper she had been working on into her folder and set it carefully back on her desk.
"He's an important man," Abe held the pen out to her.
"I figured that much."
She took the pen from him and set it in the holder,
"He's been locked in his study for a week now."
Abe nodded leaning against the desk, picking up the glass paperweight and examining it closely. Fiona grabbed it and set back on her carefully staked papers the wind now threatened to displace.
"I don't need any of these going out the window, Abe, anyway, though my husband doesn't see it fit to tell me what he's up to in there, I've gathered that he's 'an important man.' I would have at least hoped that my brother would help fill me in."
"Well as I'm your step-brother, I think I'd have a step-obligation to tell you, thus confidentiality trumps no blood tie."
"Bureaucratic Bastard," She rolled her eyes, "Only you would phrase refusing to tell me in a hierarchy. I just find it odd that you're more loyal to my husband than to your own sister…"
"Step-Sister."
"My husband finds you much more fit to share his confidences with than his own wife."
"I have a security clearance."
"Well maybe you two should have gotten married," Fiona, quipped snidely.
"He loves you, you know that."
"Or so I'm told."
"Hey, behind every man is a great woman."
"I don't plan on staying behind anyone."
She retook her seat and pulled her folder towards her sharply.
"Ah yes. The Hodge Conjecture," Abe leaned over her looking at the confusing symbols and numbers, "Anywhere near solving it?"
"I'll get it," She did not look up.
"Of course," He smiled, "I'm surprised you can even look at that without your head exploding."
She sent him a withering look. He held up his hands,
"Just saying, have fun with your algebraic geometry or geometric algebra or whatever."
"How could algebra be geometric?" Fiona shook her head.
"I don't know? Isn't that what you're trying to figure out?"
"Hodge's Conjecture is a projective complex manifold, where every 'Hodge Class'…"
"Lost me at the beginning of that sentence Fiona, should I assume Edmund's in his study?"
"Unless he's climbed out his window, I don't know where else he'd be," Fiona said tersely.
Abe nodded and headed down the hall, climbing the stairs two at a time.
"I'm working," The sharp response cut off his knock.
"When aren't you?"
The door opened,
"I thought you were your sister."
"Luckily I don't get that a lot," He shook his head, "But as much as it pains me to say, you really need to spend some 'quality time' with Fiona. She's seriously wigged out."
"She's always wigged out."
"Well more wigged out than general."
"I'm sure that has more to do with work than our 'quality time'," Edmund rolled his eyes,
"She's pissed she hasn't solved it yet."
"She's more upset that she hasn't seen you in a week."
"She sees me every night."
"She's feeling neglected."
"Are you only here to tell me I need to fuck your sister, Abe?" Edmund asked.
"I brought the files you needed," He handed them over, "And I would rather pretend that you and my sister are celibate, but I have to look after her…she is my sister."
"Really, I had no idea. Is that why you were at my wedding?"
He took the folder and pushed whatever he had been working on off to the side.
"You mean why I was there other than you asked me to be your best man?"
Edmund did not bother to respond taking out the papers.
"You know you'll have to return those, can't lose them in that mess of yours."
"There is method to the madness," He didn't look up, "Just because I'm not an anal retentive like your sister…"
"Any reason you're looking into the Katatic occupation?"
"I'm thinking of getting involved."
"In what," Abe frowned.
"The occupation."
"Check the dates, Ed. That conflict ended half a century ago."
"There have been a couple attempted insurgencies there recently."
"I thought they had those taken care of."
"I'm sure I could help."
"Peace-Making isn't exactly your specially, Edmund."
Abe shook his head, "So what? You're going to hold a press conference or something?"
"A little more than that…"
"They won't back you supplying them with arms, Ed."
"I was thinking about going there."
"What? You?"
"Yes, I denounce the first person. So I was planning on going there."
"You aren't much of a third world type a guy…Fiona would freak…"
"I've been away on business before."
"This isn't exactly business."
"I'm 32 Abe; I could retire if I wanted. Instead I want to do some good in the world."
"Fine then, retire, start…I don't know Edmund Luther's Fund for Peace or whatever the hell you want a fund for. Have a kid. Get my mother off my back about grandchildren. She's starting to give up on you two."
"We've been married for six years and been working the entire time. We don't have the time to have children."
"Get a nanny."
"Then why have a child?"
"Why not talk to your wife about it?"
"Why not butt out of my marriage?"
"Because you piss her off enough and she leaves you, I'd be right in the middle of that."
"We aren't getting a divorce, Abe."
"You don't know that if you haven't talked to her in a week."
"Thanks for the files, Abe," Edmund said.
Abe groaned, but stood knowing he had been dismissed,
"Fine, I'll see you at dinner Friday."
