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“It’s not fair Papa it’s your day off and you always spend the afternoon with me.” Angry words were followed by the stomp of a small bare foot against marble flooring.

Jamie Fraser resisted the urge to sigh as he straightened his burgundy tie and watched Molly out of the corner of his left eye. His daughter wasn’t normally prone to fits but then again he didn’t normally suddenly cancel their Saturday afternoon reading and snack time. Not that his unexpected change of scheduling was an excuse for such behaviour. Just because there was a reason for her to be angry did not mean Molly needed to act out like this.“ Molly.” One word in firm tone and slight shift of Jamie’s head in his daughter’s direction was enough for the copper haired girl to settle down, though she still looked decidedly sulky.

Jamie should have felt guiltier than he did but he just couldn’t bring himself to regret this decision. There was too much at stake here, too much potential for him to do great things. Molly would understand eventually and he would do his best to make up the lost time with her. That and he imagined that if this trip was a success it’s outcome would please her in time as well. An afternoon indulging his own desires could benefit the entire family.

Content with the look of his suit and general appearance for the moment the auburn haired man turned his head fully to the left and offered Molly a small smile. “We should only be gone a few hours and you may stay up a half hour later tonight” he conceded. He really shouldn’t be pandering to her but Molly was special and thus Jamie found it hard to be as stern with her as he was with others. He often balanced out punishments with rewards and chiding with praise whether or not it was fully called for.

Daughter mollified for the moment Jamie along with his wife were soon in Catherine's car and off towards the residence of one Maximilian Y. He and his ‘ Royalty' project that has been all the rage lately had finally caught Jamie’s interest. It wasn’t so much the concept of having some special genetics being as his own that interested Jamie though as much as the chance to teach it. The concept of being one of the first to own a prince and test the limits of it’s mind, thrilled Jamie. He was a teacher and he loved his job more than most shoved into the profession did. Here was an opportunity to test his skills against the learning capacity of a very unique type of student.

As his long fingered hands slid along the faux leather covering of the steering wheel Jamie thought about the message he’d sent the other man only a few days before. It had been carefully worded showing both his enthusiasm and his maturity as a potential owner. He had outlined his vision for a possible prince, a plan to make the most of whatever mental capabilities it had and to pass that knowledge back to it’s creator. An invitation to further discuss things had been issued and now Jamie was on his way to that meeting.

Of course it was still just an invitation Jamie noted, there was no certainly of a transaction yet and he wanted to tread carefully to avoid ruining his chances. On the other hand he was aware a deal could be struck by the end of the meeting and thus had come prepared to pay. He did not posses the resources to offer outstanding gifts or things of great practical value, instead he had been left only with the option of true currency, gold.

In this case said gold was in the form of a 24 karat Rosary that had once belonged to some incredibly distant relative of Catherine’s. It had been a wedding gift from an otherwise insignificant aunt and Jamie still felt a bit bad about using it now. Certainly they’d been considering using it in the coming years to upgrade the manor but perhaps he should have waited and seen if his grandfather wouldn’t have funneled him something secretly.


~

“If I wasn’t willing I wouldn’t have given it to you.” Catherine piped up from the passenger seat as her hazel eyes glanced over at Jamie. She had always been able to read her husband and she knew what the darkening of his normally light blue eyes and the small twitch in his cheek meant. “ You do remember last year don’t you?” She had refused to help him give additional funds to his brother’s deep sea mining project. Not because she disliked Colin but because there was a lot of risk in whether or not they would find the mineral vein they were seeking and even if they did the possible return profit, was simply not worth the investment.

Maximilian Y and Adelle X's princes on the other hand, well that was another thing. Catherine saw a lot of potential in acquiring one, there was in different ways something to gain for the whole family. Her absolute dream house may need to wait a bit longer but the tawny haired woman could trade the perfect home to entertain in for a better talking point when socializing then decore. Besides, she would hopefully be starting work as a nurse in the fall and while the meager government salary wasn’t much it’d give her a comfortable cushion and better access , if she was careful, to the things that’d help increase the family liquidity.

“Mmm” The noise was typical Jamie, Catherine thought with a small smile, both an agreement and yet a refusal to commit to a real admission at the same time. Sometimes her husband’s pride was irritating, particularly when he refused to take bribes to bump students grades just a bit so they fell into more desirable job ranges, at the moment though she found it cute.

The rest of the short drive was done in silence , the car filled with a tense but more nervous than uneasy atmosphere. Both Jamie and Catherine were slightly relived once they arrived at Rheinfels. With reassuring nods to each other they exited the car and strode towards the door, Jamie’s longer legs lead him to it and the buzzer first.

If Jamie had heard the furniture nearby being summoned he clearly hadn’t known what the sounds were and showed no special interests in it. Instead the man was focused on trying to calculate how firm a grip Maximilian had just used with him and if it might have meant something. There was a whole science centered that sort of thing and minute signals the body gave off that allowed people to judge the true atmosphere of a meeting and who was being dominant or submissive even if they didn’t know it. Jamie imagined the military trained soldiers in it but he himself remembered only what he’d read from an article once and that was not enough to tell him in one handshake held any particular significance.

With a slight polite nodded of his well groomed head Jamie stepped forward and into the building. “Of course Mr.Y, it’s a pleasure to be here.” The blond’s secretive and obviously false last name did not feel right on his tongue but they were not yet at a point where first names were acceptable.

Catherine followed on the heels of her husband but flashed a more open smile at Maximilian while she gave him nod and a friendly " Good afternoon." The dusty rose coloured dress she wore was crafted to be simple yet flattering while making her appear demure and innocent. Catherine was not a wallflower by nature but right now she was content to play the role of supporter instead of being the more assertive one. Besides, it always interested her to see how men reacted to the what appeared to be merely a docile woman. How much respect she was afforded now had little to do with the possible transaction taking place today but it would give her a better feel for their host and Catherine had been nosy about him for a while now.

The pair turned right into the reception room and quickly seated themselves next to each other on a couch. They were decidedly not an intimidating looking couple though they presented a united front. It was Jamie's plans and intelligence combined with Catherine's wealth at work here.

Catherine gave a soft chuckle and drummed a well manicured hand on her left knee before answering. “I would not be surprised if Jamie somehow failed to include my name in message at all Max.” Jamie might have a generally good memory but when he got excited small things slipped his mind. She didn’t doubt he’d been so focused on making sure the letter was perfect that he’d forgotten that just referring to her as his wife didn’t tell anyone not investigating them anything. “ My name is Catherine and please don’t shorten it.” Maximilian might be comfortable with the common short form nickname of his own given name but she’d never liked the sound of Cathy. It wasn’t horrid and Catherine had had a great great grandmother named that but it simply didn’t feel right to her.

Unnerved a little by the way Max had closed the distance between them before he’d asked his second question Catherine continued to speak. “While your Royalty project may be safe from the wrong sort of prying eyes for now it’s somewhat hard to keep people from talking when they want badly to brag about the lavish party they were invited to and what sort of unique things were being promised then denied to them.” Catherine referred of course to the man’s Christmas party where he had apparently pulled quite a stunt on his guests.

“As to motivation,” The hazel eyed woman grinned “That’s for Jamie to explain.” Which wasn’t to say that Catherine didn’t want a prince; but that the idea had not originally been hers and she had no true unique purpose for one. She would take advantage of, without abusing, the having of a prince but there was no special ambition there.

Jamie had half listened quietly while Catherine spoke, the auburn haired man in the midst of composing his own thoughts. When he heard his though Jamie cleared his throat and focused his eyes on Max. “ My motivation is simple, your princes are a unique chance to test the mental limits of something as close to humans as possible without being us.” Barring certain primates of course but science had long since determined the limit of their learning. A lack of being able to communicate vocally also hindered true teaching in Jamie’s opinion. “ I want to teach one, to see just how much information it can absorb and fully understand,” as opposed to simply mimicking which far too many animals had been known for. “I am certain you could find uses for knowing the full potential of the princes in that manner,” Jamie concluded, he didn’t want to start rambling. His words might have been curbed but there was still an excited air about him and a flash of anticipation in his eyes.

Ahh payment, it didn't surprise Jamie overmuch that the subject had soon been changed to that. It irritated him a tad to imply that the knowledge alone wasn't worth a great deal but the auburn haired man understood to a degree. Everything was expensive these days and a scientific process that could create life like this, probbaly more expensive that Maximilian let on. Never mind that the other man did have a partner who probably took her share of profits made during these deals. Of course Jamie had come prepared to pay.

"Your concerns are understandable" Jamie agreed with a small nod as he reached into the inside pocket on the left side of his suit jacket. From it he produced the golden rosary. It's purity made it impractical to wear often due to the gold's softness and thus susceptibility to damage. Still it was more valuable than a similar piece of lower karot quality and being religious it was not something that could be simply seized during any sort of surprise inspection.

Jamie let the beaded chain dangle from his fingers, the crucifix that hung upon it swayed just a little, perhaps in invitation. "Is this a more acceptable compensation?"

Catherine was suddenly rather jealous of their host. He had that model? Certainly her own car was satisfactory and befitting of her wealth but it wasn't quite that caliber of vehicle. It seemed like all manner of things were used to buy princes, the gossip she'd heard had never stated just what payments were offered only that the cost was extravagant. Briefly the woman wondered of Max was naturally rather intelligent or had been incredibly studious in his youth and this was that hard work paying off? Was this the result of luck or perseverance?

Both Catherine's mind and her hazel eyes were soon focused though on the orangeish red pin in Max's outstretched hand. It was skillfully designed quite enchanting to look at, Catherine almost wished it was her and not Jamie who was meant to own it. Perhaps if the pin was not broken by whatever the growth process for these princes were she could steal it later. Or maybe she could wear it while Jamie was at work.

On the topic of work she wondered if it was Max or Adelle who had designed the pin. It was sexist to assume that just becuase she was female Adelle was the creator and yet.. Catherine somehow couldn't quite see Max as a jewelery maker. Perhaps she would ask at another time, for now though not interrupting was best.

Jamie reached for the pin with one and handed over the rosary with the other. " Just what is proper care for them?" he inquired. The teacher was greatly curious about that, he didn't want to risk making any avoidable mistakes with such a precious thing. On another note Jamie was also pleased that his prince was an anomaly and wondered what it's natural colouring was, though that needn't be asked now as he could always look the information up in some archive later. Once the pin was securely in his hand Jamie struggled a little to divide his attention between it and it's creator.

Catherine was disappointed with the news that she could not wear the pin, at least not while the prince's sensitive egg was inside it. Still, she wasn't about to risk another's life and mental well being for her own desires, she could be selfish at times but there were limits. "I'm certain Jamie can handle this less intense period of being maternal," she commented with a wry grin, her hazel eyes gleamed with amusement as she spoke. There would no doubt be teasing when they were alone about how he was cheating his own pregnancy of sorts, getting away with no cravings or kicking of his bladder in the middle of the night. On the other hand the woman mused that it also seemed there'd be more connection of child to parent this was and less of a parent to child bond for Jamie to enjoy so she pitied him a little about that. Not that the prince was meant to be a child but still...

Jamie thumbed through the booklet quickly then nodded and tucked it into his jacket pocket for safekeeping. He'd read it as soon as they got home, or perhaps in the car on the way home if he wanted to let Catherine drive. Then again he tended to get motion sick from reading in vehicles and he hadn't brought his pills for that. Either way it would be read as soon as possible so that the man was fully prepared for what lay ahead. As it was Jamie moved to hastily affix the brightly coloured pin above his heart so that whatever bonding it was that took place due to listening to his heartbeat could start.

He wondered briefly is Molly was going to be jealous of the pin given that it would impede her ability to give him the crushing hugs she favored , when trying to prove her little girl strength. Ahh well that was a bridge he would cross if he came to it, for now it was best to look forward and not worry too much. "Is there anything else we need to do right now?" He asked their host politely, uncertain about what proper procedure was after this point.