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Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2010 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

At about quarter past six Belle appeared at the door of Marion's office. Marion had done some work, but not as much as she might have had the day been a normal one. She gave Belle a weary smile.

"Hello. You're a little early, aren't you? Not that I'm complaining, mind."

"A little. If we're to be ready by half seven we'll have to get a move on. All we need is a delay on the tram and we'll be late."

"True. I think today I'm glad I have an excuse to stop."

Marion closed down her terminal and the two made their way down to the locker room to change.

"How did it go? Have any problems?" Belle asked as they changed, meaning the tests.

"No, neither I nor anyone else failed or had medical complications," Marion replied. "Physically there's not a scratch on me, but I think we've all changed inside somehow."

Belle nodded. "It seems to affect most people that way. I will warn you, rioters can see it a little different when they're on the receiving end, though. Don't assume that everyone learns the same lesson from being zapped. It's not put you off, then?"

"Why should it? It was necessary for me to experience it to do my job, and I think the fact that I went through the test when I didn't have to made a difference to some of the others. It's sort of like an initiation, isn't it?"

Belle nodded. "I never thought of it that way, but you could be right. You'll notice the difference in your own attitude as you go round the Decks. Oh, I keep forgetting, it'll be different for you as you're not a Shepherd."

"Not so much. I'll be taking the same risks as any of you do. Are we ready to go?"

Marion closed her locker and retrieved her card, and the two made their way out of the facility and up to the tram stop. Outside the block where Marion had lived, the building had been fenced off and the builders had already begun stripping out the old equipment. On the grass in front of the building there were piles of cables and bagged electronics awaiting collection. They were a little ahead of the evening rush and managed to get a tram in good time, to be dropped off in Old Town just as a nearby clock struck seven.

"So, what are we going to wear, then?" Marion asked as they walked briskly towards the Enclave.

"Shouldn't be hard to work out," replied Belle. "Although, hmm, let me see. It's not a State function," she pulled a face, "or some other kind of formal do where you have to pull out all the stops, it's not like we're meeting someone at a restaurant either. Although we've met him previously, he's not a friend, so we'd have to adjust our outfits accordingly, be a bit more sober. We're meeting at his home, so that makes a difference, with just his partner rather than other colleagues, so... But their children will be there as well, so we have to take them into account as well, it changes the mood of the occasion." She turned to Marion. "You're right, it is a bit of a minefield."

They went through the turnstiles and continued into the Enclave towards Building Four.

"Tell you what," decided Belle, "You wear that dress and jacket suit we bought you when you first came here. Put some make-up on, but don't overdo it, because of his children. We don't want to appear too formal. Wear heels, but find some that aren't too high. We aren't going out, after all, just across the road. I'll find a suitable evening blouse and team it with a dark skirt, that should do. We want to be seen to be making an effort, he is a minister after all, but we don't need to overdo things."

They reached the apartment and immediately began stripping their clothes off. Marion had a very brief shower while Belle laid her things out, and then started dressing while Belle showered.

"See? We can do it if we try," Belle said twenty-five minutes later as they stood by the front door, jackets ready. "I don't think we could have got away with it if we had to go outside the Enclave, though. Ready, love?"

"I think so. Where exactly are we going?"

"Block Nine," came the reply as Belle led the way to the lifts. "It's one of the back row."

Blocks One to Six were along the edge of the escarpment, overlooking Victory Park. The second row of buildings, Blocks Seven to Twelve, were parallel but faced the lesser slope of the hill and part of Old Town. The two women left their building and walked across the wide avenue which divided the two rows of apartment blocks to reach Block Nine. They entered the building and knocked on the door of the concierge's office.

"Service, citizens, can I help you?"

"Service. Yes, we're invited to the home of Minister Matteson at seven-thirty."

"Ah, yes, two are expected. May I have your cards, please? Good, everything seems to be in order, I'll get someone to take you to their apartment."

A young man conducted them to the lift and up to C Deck. Having directed them to apartment C5 he then beat a hasty retreat, no doubt back to whatever he had been interrupted from by their appearance. Belle thumbed the door announcer, and the door was shortly opened by the Minister himself.

"Ah! My two guests have arrived," he said with a smile. "Service to you both. Be welcome in my home."

"Service, Minister," said Belle, stepping into the apartment.

"Service, Minister," Marion repeated as he shut the door behind them.

"Now, this is a social visit, so I suggest we drop the titles," he said, "Please call me Marcus. And you are?"

"Belle Marchand," she said, holding out her hand. Marcus gave it a firm shake and then turned to Marion.

"Marion Hillier," she said, and received a handshake of her own. Marcus looked sharply at Marion.

"Are you really the same person I met at that hearing? It's almost unbelievable." He shook his head in wonder. "Well, Belle and Marion, welcome. Ah, here is my partner Annelise, and my two daughters Josephine and Margarethe, or as they more commonly like to be called, Josie and Gretta."

A woman of about the same age as Belle and Marion had come into the hall from the living room, shepherding two young girls in front of her. The oldest was about nine, the younger may have been seven. All had long hair that was almost but not quite blonde, in contrast to Marcus's much darker hair. The two girls were dressed in party frocks, and their mother wore a haute couture blouse and skirt. The two visitors shook Annelise's hand, and then Marion stooped and shook the hands of both the girls.

"Service, citizens," she said to them gravely. The two looked at her suspiciously, and then the older one smiled.

"Shall we all go into the living room?" Marcus suggested. "We have some minutes before they will start serving dinner." When they had all found seats he continued, "This would normally be just a family gathering. My two daughters were born two years and four days apart, so we decided to give them a joint meal each year to celebrate their birthdays. Oh, they each have a proper party with their own friends, but this is a little different. However, nobody objected when your request came yesterday, and I thought it would be a good way for us to meet socially."

Belle had a disapproving look on her face. Marcus noticed and hurriedly waved his hands.

"No, no! Please, citizen, I intend nothing other than plain friendship between us. When we met at that court hearing I didn't know who you were, in fact I'm not even sure whether I knew what your name was. I remembered your face, though, and I recognised you when you called yesterday. Up to that point I hadn't realised that you lived in the Enclave, or who you were. I just wanted to meet you under more relaxed circumstances than the last time."

Belle softened slightly. "You do understand, Minister, that I have had a lot of difficulty over the years from people trying to use me to gain advantage? That's one reason why I work in a facility."

"If I hadn't realised it before, I do now, and I offer apology if you had considered my motives impure." He turned to Marion. "Your face and name, citizen, I don't think that I will ever forget. If I may say so, you look even better than you did that day. Now, can I offer you both a drink before we start? What would you like?" He stood and made his way over to a sideboard loaded with bottles.

"Will we be having wine with our meal, ah, Marcus?" Belle asked. "If so, I believe I'll wait, thank you."

Marion said, "May I have some fruit juice, please? I've had a taxing day today, and I want to keep my head clear."

When Marcus raised an eyebrow, Belle explained, "She had the Stun and Pacifier tests today."

Marcus winced. "I thought that you didn't look quite comfortable when you came in," he said to Marion. "I thought that it was just because of the circumstances tonight. I assume that you passed the tests?"

"Yes, thank you. It was uncomfortable as you say, but we all got through them," Marion replied.

Marcus said, "I want you to relax this evening, then. I feel sure that you haven't had this kind of social experience before, have you?"

"No, never." Marion was still unsure of the social niceties of the situation, which was entirely unlike anything she had done before.

"Marcus told me a little about your case," Annelise said. "After dinner, would you mind telling me a little about it? It sounds awful."

Marion turned to Marcus, who nodded. "Annelise works in the Secretariat, and has almost the same clearance as myself. We met in Housing, and I went on to Finance and then Justice, while she moved to Transport before ending up in Defence. She's only part-time now, because of the girls, but she still keeps her hand in. We do discuss each other's problems from time to time, and she was quite useful when your own case came to light. There are certain aspects of the situation which as a man I didn't understand too well. So I got my local expert on the subject to assist."

"Of course I was only guessing a lot of it," Annelise added. "I hope you'll be able to tell me whether I was right or not."

"Your drink, Marion," Marcus said, handing her a glass.

"Thank you," she replied. "Tell me about your two beautiful daughters, then."

Marion had found a subject that broke the ice, and they were all very much more relaxed when a white-jacketed man appeared in the doorway to announce that dinner was ready. The six made their way along to a separate dining room where a full spread had been laid out. Waiters seated them all and began serving out the first dish. Marcus sat at one end of the table, with Marion on his right and Josie on his left. Next to Marion sat Gretta, and next to Josie sat Belle, with Annelise at the other end of the table.

"Now, in this house we have a rule," Annelise said as they put their napkins on their laps. "Talking shop is forbidden during meals. I'm sure we can find sufficient other things to talk about."

"Yes," added Marcus. "We can go into my office to discuss your problem while Annelise is putting the girls to bed." She gave him a black look. "Okay! I was just laying out the evening for our visitors."

As they began eating, Belle said, "You normally have staff, Marcus?"

"Oh no! Annelise cooks most evenings, at least when I'm not dragging her away to official functions. She would probably have cooked this evening if it hadn't been for you two. I decided to shamelessly make use of the Enclave's Catering Service." He used his fork to indicate the buildings around them. "There are of course people living in here who have to entertain ambassadors, plenipotentiaries and occasionally heads of state, so there's always someone available to knock up a three, five or ten-course meal when it's needed. Do you use the service at all yourself, Belle?"

"No, I never have," she replied. "There's not a lot of point when you're living on your own. I can cook for myself, or if that's not convenient for some reason I'll eat at the facility." She frowned. "I think my father used them, but that was a long time ago."

Marcus nodded. "Yes, well, I'm only a small cog in a big machine, and I rarely get the opportunity, but it was there and I decided that the occasion warranted it. So, eat up, and enjoy your meal." He picked up his knife and fork to attack his starters, and then paused. "Hey! I just realised, I'm having dinner with five beautiful women. Aren't I lucky tonight." The adult women smiled at him, and Gretta giggled.

Marion found that she was intrigued by this atmosphere of homely domesticity. After all, not so long ago she would have been awaiting the start of her own family, had it not been for her partner's death. Now, it was impossible to say what the future might bring. Just soaking in the easy manner and lively chatter around the table made her aware of what might be possible if they could get the residency problem untangled. Marcus obviously doted on his daughters and she wondered if Marlon would have done the same.

"Daddy says you work in a place where they keep the baddest women," Gretta said as they waited for their plates to be cleared ready for the main course.

Marion turned to Marcus who just shrugged and nodded. Obviously the girls assumed that 'talking shop' didn't mean them, if they even understood what the phrase meant.

"That's true," she replied. "Both Belle and I work in the same place, but we do different jobs there."

Gretta's eyes were wide. "Are there any really bad people there? Have you seen them? What are they like?"

"I haven't been to all parts of the building," Marion replied carefully, "so I don't think I've seen all the really bad ones. Some of the bad women wear brown dresses, some wear green, but most wear pink dresses."

"Ooh. Like my pink dress?" Gretta's dress was pink, but there could be no comparison with the uniform a detainee wore.

"Oh, nothing like as pretty as yours, I can guarantee it. It's so we can tell who are the bad people and who aren't."

"Oh. You have to be very naughty to go to a place like that, don't you? Do you know what they did?"

"A few of them, yes. I don't think it's the sort of thing we want to be talking about while we're eating dinner, though."

"You mean, it'll be gross?" put in Josie, her curiosity thoroughly raised.

"Indeed," said their mother. "You're both a little young to be listening to that sort of thing just yet. I don't want you to have bad dreams listening to things that even grown-ups find unpleasant. Perhaps when you're older we'll ask Marion or Belle to tell you some stories of what happens inside, but we should leave it for now." She changed the subject. "Belle dear, do you go out from here into the park at all?"

"Yes, I do," she replied, "after all I can see it out of my windows, I've known it all my life. Why?"

"The only real experience we've all had of the park is the New Town side, which is noisy and crowded. Obviously, since Marcus's promotion, we can't just wander about as we used to. I wondered what this side was like, whether it was possible to go in from this side and have a peaceful walk, or something like that."

"Oh, yes, of course! How long have you been here?"

"Just over eleven months isn't it, Marcus?"

"About that."

Annelise continued, "Marcus has been busy, and we don't really know much about what happens up here on this side of the park. I did take the girls in once through the Old Town gate, but that's all."

"I see. You really should go when you can, the girls will love it. If you use the small gate between blocks Three and Four you can get directly into a quiet part of the park, that's the way I usually go," Belle explained. "It's much quieter up here, although if there's a festival or the weather's good you'll find people most places. I think the mob from New Town can't be bothered to climb the hill, and the Old Town citizens like to keep it that way. Don't worry about security, either. Because of the Enclave, State Security keeps a close watch on what goes on at this side of the park, and if you take the girls in they'll keep an eye on you all. Did you notice the Italian Cafe at the side of Old Town gate? When I was their age I used to get delicious ice-creams there all the time."

"Ice-creams?" The girls chorused.

"You've done it now," Marcus said with a grin. "They'll be wanting ice-creams every time you go near the park now."

The main course arrived. The two girls ate smaller portions of the same food as the grown-ups, with each parent keeping an eye open for bones and other potential pitfalls. Marion decided that she couldn't remember when she had eaten a better meal. Belle had eaten comparable meals but realised that standards weren't being sacrificed just because this was a family dinner. The wine served with the main course she recognised as a particularly choice vintage, and said so.

"You shouldn't have dug this out just for us, Marcus."

"I take my responsibilities as host seriously," he replied. "If it had been just us and the girls I might have chosen differently, but you both deserve to be entertained properly."

"Quite right, too," added Annelise.

The girls had jellies for dessert while the adults had various fruit concoctions. After the dishes had been cleared away, waiters brought in two tiny cakes covered in pink icing, with nine candles on one and seven on the other. The adults sang 'Happy Birthday' twice, the candles were blown out and the cakes cut and shared out around the table. When everyone had had enough to eat, they all returned to the living room, leaving the hired help to clear up the dining table. Marcus served out coffee to the grown-ups while the girls brought their soft drinks with them from the dining room.

"What shall we do now?" asked Josie.

"You shouldn't do too much that involves jumping around," cautioned their mother. "You've only just eaten, I don't want to have to have this carpet cleaned again."

"You've both had your birthdays already?" asked Marion. They both nodded. "Then why don't you show us what presents you've had."

Annelise shouted "Slowly!" after them as they jumped to their feet and scampered from the room. Both returned with armfuls of gifts and spread them for their visitors to see. Both Marion and Belle spent a while admiring the presents with the excited girls before their mother reluctantly decided that they'd been up long enough and it was time for bed. With several tearful "goodnights" the two were ushered off by their mother while Marcus followed behind with the two visitors as far as his office. As soon as they had all made themselves comfortable he began.

"Your brief call yesterday puzzled me," he said, "so I did some research earlier today to try and find out what the problem was. It is a curious situation, isn't it? Let me see if I understand what you think is going on. You, Marion, want to become a resident here in Belle's apartment, correct? And you can't, because of the residency requirement, which Belle doesn't fulfil by the normal rules."

"That's correct, Marcus," confirmed Marion. "I'm living there temporarily now as a guest because of a problem with the accommodation block near the facility that I was assigned to."

Marcus gave a grimace. "Yes, I know." He looked at Marion. "Everywhere you go you seem to cause more work for my department. Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing, necessarily, but you're beginning to get a reputation. Okay. So you can't move in. Now I assume that you and Belle wish to be together, so why doesn't she move out, and the pair of you find another place to live somewhere nearby?"

"Because I've been told not to," explained Belle. "Certain elements have suggested that if I were to move out, I'd be insulting the memory of my father. So I'm stuck in there like a bird in a cage. I can't move out, and Marion can't move in."

"This is a ridiculous state of affairs," Marcus said. "Why on earth would they not permit Marion to join you? I can't see what harm that would do. I can't see any obvious reasons for being so awkward, either. Not that I'm an expert on such matters, of course. It's not in my terms of reference."

"I can think of a few reasons off the top of my head," said Marion. "There are probably more if I bothered to spend time on it."

"You can?" asked a puzzled Belle.

Marcus nodded for Marion to proceed.

"First, it's possible that there are people in the military who are disgruntled that Belle didn't stay in the army and rise to become a figurehead like her father did. She's told me herself that she was good at what she did there, and that some didn't want her to leave. Perhaps they just want to thwart whatever she tries to do instead.

"Next, suppose there was someone who has the idea of making a Committed Partnership between himself and Belle? That way, he might think that he could use her to gain power and influence. Then along I come and stand in his way, so he blocks the residency to keep me out.

"Or, someone's got their eye on the apartment. Suppose that by making life difficult for Belle she gets fed up and at some point just moves out regardless of what anyone might think? Choice spot becomes available in the Enclave.

"Or, it could just be someone bureaucratic, who decides that he doesn't like loose ends and tries to get rid of Belle by whatever means. We've all met people like that, haven't we?"

"Gosh, you have been thinking about it," Belle said.

"On the bureaucracy thing, that shouldn't apply, as there are others in here under similar conditions," Marcus said. "Let me explain how this all works."

"There are?" asked Belle.

"Yes, I discovered that there are nine properties in the Enclave currently occupied by descendants of Founders. If I may? Right. You both understand that since the founding of the State there has been a conscious effort to try and keep any laws and regulations that are made as straightforward as possible."

Belle spluttered disbelief.

"I said straightforward, not simple. However, it was found that the number of sub-clauses on any new regulation just kept increasing to cover odd exceptions to the rule, so it was decided to handle matters in a different way, that is by using a Certificate of Exception. So, regulations cover the bulk of most cases, and if any odd circumstances turn up a Certificate is issued detailing the way in which that regulation is modified. The beauty of this is, that Certificates can be issued to citizens, organisations, buildings, vehicles and anything else that is necessary. So, for example, Marion here has at least two Certificates to her name. You probably have some as well, Belle."

"Me?" Marion said. "What do I need exemptions for?"

"One, you're a legal male in a female facility, which is normally forbidden. Two, you're currently doing a job which doesn't officially exist. You'll probably be responsible for at least two more if the application for that trusty of yours goes through." He gave Marion a stern look, and she blushed. "Belle's the daughter of a Founder, so probably has some protections on that account. But what I wanted to get across is that the whole Enclave has Certificates covering it's use.

"Normally, as you know, a citizen may be accommodated in any suitable property which is available and convenient for their purposes. The Certificate for the Enclave restricts that to current government ministers, the five High Justiciars - who were the people who exonerated you that day, Marion - the top appointments of the armed forces plus a few other officials for whom residence is deemed a necessity. There is a very short list of military and administrative grades who qualify, and it is the job that qualifies, not the job holder. This is for security reasons, of course. Since there are other descendants of Founders living here, and some of them have families, I'm assuming that they each have their own Certificate for the purpose, and Belle must have the same. I don't understand what the problem is for Belle. I'm beginning to wonder if Marion's conspiracy theories are right."

"So that's how it works," said Belle, "I didn't know the details."

"No reason you should. I think I'll take this up with the committee that deals with Certificates." Both women gave him a look. "No, it's all right in this case, no bureaucrats involved. The committee is a quorum of government ministers who meet for a half-day each week to discuss any exceptions to regulations which may have arisen. The rule is, any one who votes no to a proposal kills it. Anyone may vote for a Certificate, anyone may abstain. The votes are noted on the Certificate itself in case there are problems. I proposed the Certificates on Marion, if it's of interest. We should be able to get this straightened out, I think."

They stayed in the office and talked to Marcus about various subjects. He was keen to find out how Marion was getting on, and was encouraged by what she told him. They discussed the accommodation block business, Marion realising that here was one person she could tell what Khiskov had passed on. Eventually Annelise opened the door of the office.

"They've gone to bed. Would you like to look in and say goodnight?"

The two women poked their head round the door of the darkened room that the girls shared and wished them goodnight before returning to the living room with their hosts. They sat and talked for some time before it became obvious that the visitors were beginning to tire. It was time to leave.

"I've enjoyed having you over," Marcus said. "I just wish I'd thought of this a while ago. With your permission, we must arrange something again. The girls certainly like both of you."

"I would like that, Marcus," Belle replied. "As you're aware, we work long hours, but I'm sure something can be arranged. I think, if you don't mind, we should be getting home now. We both have to work tomorrow."

"Of course. Well, again, we've enjoyed having you here, and I'll be in contact about your problem as soon as I can. That'll be about a week or so."

The two women bade goodbye to their hosts and walked slowly back to their own block through the fresh evening air. This revived them somewhat after the wine and the top-class food, and they felt more awake as they let themselves into Belle's apartment.

"It's not quite as late as I thought. Do you want a nightcap?" Belle suggested.

"No, thanks, I've had quite enough to drink to be going on with. What did you think of Marcus?"

"He's a bit of a dish, isn't he? I think that if he hadn't had a partner and two children I might have been interested. If you hadn't been around of course. Why? What did you think?"

"I don't know. He affected me in a way I probably wouldn't even have recognised before. He was just so... obviously male. Without being a knuckle-dragging caveman, if you get what I mean. He was handsome and charming and attentive and smiling and good-natured and... Belle, what's happening to me?"

"Probably very little," she replied. "Come and sit down a minute." She sat beside Marion on the settee and they put their arms around one another. "I think you're just shifting your viewpoint," she said. "You're beginning to see them as we see them. It doesn't mean you're any different than you were before."

"If you say so. But if you think that Marcus would have been a good catch, why have you ended up with me? I'm now about the exact opposite to Marcus."

"Because I saw what you were like when you first came to the facility, silly. I liked what I saw and that was enough. What happened afterwards to you just made you more desirable. As I just said, you're basically the same inside. It's just that the outside looks a little... prettier. Doesn't make you a different person."

"And I was thinking about families," Marion continued. "That was one happy family. I never got to have mine before, and I wondered whether I'd be a good... father, I was going to say."

"Do you think we'll be able to manage one?" asked Belle. "A family, I mean. I'm assuming that you do want to continue with this crazy partnership."

"Oh, yes. Oh, heavens, yes."

They just sat, enjoying a hug before retiring for the night. Marion shifted her legs to make herself more comfortable and, startled, realised just why she had been uncomfortable. She became conscious that her body had been functioning that evening in a way that she had been completely familiar with for most of her adult life, so familiar that she had not noticed what was going on. Once she did, however, her pulse rate leapt and sensations from long ago flooded through her.

"Belle, dearest," she said in a wobbly voice. "I think I may have a surprise for you. Perhaps the Stun Wand's triggered something off."

"Hmm?" Belle, warm and half asleep, raised her head. "What?"

Marion grabbed Belle's free hand and guided it down to the base of her stomach where her legs began, and placed it where Belle could feel a warm, firm cylinder through the fabric of the dress. Belle immediately came fully alert and looked at her partner, her eyes bright.

"So, you've got a loaded gun," she said softly. "Do you think you can fire it?"

"I have no idea," Marion replied. "I guess we'll have to go and find out."