Chavez smiled a soft, rueful smile and shook her head a little. ”He lost his job last month, remember?”

”Of course. He… still hasn’t found another one?” Elisa asked delicately.

She shook her head. ”He and Kerrigan are planning on starting up their own firm now. It’s… a busy time.”

Elisa’s eyes widened a little. ”Kerrigan Phillips?” She asked. ”Damn, she’s…”

”Younger than me? Charming? Unattached? Stunning in a business suit? Believe me, I’m well aware of that, thank you.” She provided.

Elisa quirked a little of a smile. ”If it helps anything, the one time I met her, I think she was actually checking me out a little. And not in an ’I covet your clothes’ way.”

The Captain’s face registered a little surprise at that. ”You don’t think…? I mean, Josh never said…”

”It doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Plenty of straight women do that sometimes. And she could be bi, or bi-curious or whatever.”

Maria smiled a little at that. ”Still, it is a cheerful thought that it might be true… Thank you Elisa.”

Elisa smiled a little. ”No problem. Really though, if you want to talk…?” She offered.

”No, I’m sure it’s fine. It’s just driving me a little crazy every once and a while when I let myself think about it too much, that’s all.” She told her.

”Talk to him about it then.” Elisa said softly.

Chavez regarded her. ”You think I should?” She asked.

Elisa looked down at her hands then back up. ”I always thought, if a little truth was going to end my relationship, it would have ended sooner or later anyway, so might as well bite the bullet now. You gotta talk, gotta be there, gotta have trust. Always the best answer for any relationship problem, in my opinion.” She told her a little distantly.

”Is that how you did it?” She asked softly.

”Secret to my success.” Elisa told her with a little of a forced smile. When Margot had been alive, the two of them had socialized with the captain and her family on many occasions and Maria had often commented to her how perfect their relationship had seemed. And, really, it had been. Oh, there’d been an argument here or there, and life, their jobs, their families, had thrown things their way just like anyone else, but they’d always been there for one another. That’s what made it perfect, or at least as perfect as you’d have any right to expect. Margot had told her once on their second anniversary, that she’d felt like, in some ways, the honeymoon had never ended. That had meant so much to Elisa, it still did in fact.