"I need a name."  Frankie said to her Right & Left hand men, who were standing in front of her desk.  Both looked weary from a long day of planning - moves and counter moves against the Tyler Durden gang.  It felt as though their conflict with them would never end.  "It's tonight or not at all."

"Matty, then?"  SullivanBlack asked, a touch of hope in his tone.

"It's Allera."  TonyDicaprio stated with a small smirk painted on his face, one that made his brown eyes seem to twinkle in the dim light of twilight which was peeking in through the windows from outside.

Sully looked at Tony, seeming to take in the other man's cockiness with a bit of annoyance.  Then he looked back to his crew leader questioningly.  He seemed to know her answer even before she said a word.  Sullivan wanted Matty to have her chance, desperately, but Frankie knew that this night might in bloodshed.  It wasn't work she wanted Matty doing, if they could help it.  Allera, on the other hand, had a surprising knack for it and she knew she could trust her to handle it if necessary.

"Have someone bring Allera in."  She said to TonyDicaprio.

Sullivan sighed and turned away from her desk.  

"Matty too."  She added.

Sullivan turned back to her.  "Now?"  He asked.

Frankie smiled.  She liked knowing she could make him smile this way,  "I'm a Don.  I can make decisions like that... right?"

"But ... do we really need them both?"

"You're suddenly concerned with that?"  She asked arching an eyebrow.  Sully started to open his mouth, but Frankie cut him off.   "Look, Luca tells me we have two men that need to be looked at tonight - maybe dealt with... there's a good chance at least one can be handled without bloodshed.  So... why leave anything to chance.  Matty will deal with one and Allera the other.  If you and Tony are both right - two women get their button on the same night - sisters after a fashion in this thing of ours." 

Sullivan stood a little taller.  She waved a hand dismissing both Sully and Tony to find the women they'd vouched for.  "You both said I needed someone I could trust... fuck that.  I want two people I can trust.  Now... bring them in."

Frankie leaned back in her chair and waited for both women to be brought to her.  She hoped this would end with two large problems resolved and both of them joining the family officially.

Matty wasn't sure if it was early or late as she clamoured up the stairs to the Tower's head office. When Sully arrived at the clinic, she'd been 7 hours and 23 minutes into an 8-hour delivery. Sully had encouraged her to leave immediately, but even at his gravest insistence, she'd refused to answer the Doña's summons until her first job was done. The child was breech. And it had taken every wiggle, tug, twist, and trick Matty knew to get him to turn. She wasn't abandoning him in the home stretch. Even for La Jefa. ...even if meant she forfeited her one shot at a button. 

Sully was nearly furious when she sent him away... ahead of her to inform Frankie of the situation. "I understand," she'd told him calmly from between the thighs of a young Hispanic mother, her voice echoing cooly over the private intercom line,  "perro, if I have to take a life tonight, I'm going to replace it with the one I'm bringing into this world. The clinic will be no good  if people believe I will leave them on a dime for a 'better' job. So send Quinn with the hearse if you have to, and go tell Frankie I will attend her as soon as this Baby is born. He's already crowning. It won't be long now. Go." Even from her position in the labour and delivery room, Matty could hear the door to the clinic slam as Sully left. 

37 minutes. She made them wait 37 minutes. By far the longest 37 minutes of her life as she balanced her worry for two worlds on a razor's edge. It was hard being a middleman sometimes. But, a little more than half an hour later Matty had mother and child situated and nursing happily in the overnight room - stable enough for her to leave. Handing Gabriel a pillow and blanket, she instructed him to rest outside her door until the woman fell asleep. At which point, if she hadn't returned, he could have her bed for the night. The boy, ever loyal and enthusiastic, bedded down outside the door with a smile. He really was the best thing Frankie had ever done for Las Vegas as far as Matty was concerned. 

With a tired sigh, Matty slid into the long front seat of the hearse with a tired sigh. Still dotted head to toe in amniotic fluids and all manner of birthy-ness. Harvey gave her a sidelong glance, but the dark circles under her eyes told him tonight was not the night. Quinn drove like a bat out of hell, closing the distance between the Clinic and the tower in record time. And Matty was deeply grateful for that as she slid out of the long vehicle in a fashion so stereotypically 'Black' that she was sure Jackie must be laughing out loud somewhere.  Pausing for a brief moment, she took a deep breath and gave Harvey a nervous grin through the window of the hearse. Her nerves increasing exponentially as he winked and pulled away... leaving her alone to ascend the waiting stairs and meet her fate. 

Her rushed steps echoed up the stairwell well ahead of her, announcing her arrival with a machine-gun barrage of panicked footfalls that paused only  juuuuust  before the door. A soft clear of her throat and a gentle tap on the door preceded her meek entrance; face peeking around the frame first before fully entering... plenty of time to react should trigger fingers be itchy. 

They weren't. 

With a shy smile, Matty slid into the room, slinking closer to Frankies desk with a look of 'I'm gonna regret this later' level apology. "Forgive me, Doña... gentlemen... um... nice lady," Matty bowed her head to Frankie, her hands, and Allera in turn, "There was an emergency at the clinic. I'm sure Sullivan told you. I came as quickly as I possibly could." 

With a curtsey Matty took a single step back, putting respectable space between herself and Frankie's desk and lining herself side by side with the other woman. Matty had seen her a few time, but even as she studied her face with a lingering sidelong glance, she couldn't seem to remember her name for anything in the world. 

"How may I be of service?" she asked in a syrupy sweet voice that made both men instantly doubt the Don's decision to have her here; the gazes meeting across the room in silent appraisal as the new blood awaited orders. 

Allera came promptly.  It was what she had come to expect from her associates.  Prompt arrival upon summons.  No one made a Don wait... which was why her mood slowly soured as Sullivan took longer and longer to come back.  Allera had been standing there before her - silent and waiting - surely worried about how Matty's absence might affect her.

When Sullivan came through the door, it might have been comical if not for the lack of Matty.  He knew his own neck had been stuck out for the woman and her absence might be taken by some Dons as his fault... a demonstration of his failure in choosing individuals who were worthy of advancement. 

Sully hurried to explain the situation to her and she nodded slowly, seeming to understand on some level, but saying nothing.  Instead she settled into her chair and motioned for Allera to do the same.  Silently she sat there playing with the fabric of her dress just at her waist line - deep in thought.  Tony was, as always, a mountain unmoved by the situation.  He said nothing and stoically waited for whatever would come next.  Sullivan, on the other hand, occasionally issued reassurances that Matty was sure to just be a few more moments... how much longer could a baby take?  Frankie, sadly, had no real idea.  Like all issues concerning women, she felt woefully ignorant and so - again, remained silent.

She sighed and rose up from her chair after only twenty minutes.  "This can't wait... I'm sorry Sully, we're on the clock.  You know that." 

Her Right Hand Man nodded, seeming to understand and agree with her.  The party would not last all night.  Their potential targets would move on... and what then?  No... it had to be now or never.  Allera, it would seem, had been chosen by fate.  She looked to Allera and began to speak, "Tyler Durden has brought his gang into Las Vegas and they have decided to target Ivory Tower operations.  We have a small window of advance warning to..."

Frankie cut off her words as, with a shy smile, Matty slid into the room.  "Forgive me, Doña... gentlemen... um... nice lady," Matty bowed her head to Frankie, her hands, and Allera in turn, "There was an emergency at the clinic. I'm sure Sullivan told you. I came as quickly as I possibly could."

With a curtsey Matty took a single step back, putting respectable space between herself and Frankie's desk and lining herself side by side with the other woman. Matty had seen her a few time, but even as she studied her face with a lingering sidelong glance, she couldn't seem to remember her name for anything in the world.

"How may I be of service?" she asked in a syrupy sweet voice that made both men instantly doubt the Don's decision to have her here; the gazes meeting across the room in silent appraisal as the new blood awaited orders.

"How are the baby and the Mother?"  Frankie asked Matty.  "Is it normal for births to take a long time?  Was she in much pain?"  Frankie seemed to have more questions than would be appropriate for a time when she was very clearly worried about something else.  And yet, she took time to ask after the health of the babe and it's mother, and to pick up a bit of extra knowledge about birthing... for some reason.

The wait weighs down on the shoulder line she tried oh so hard to keep up straight. Even after sitting down, as instructed by the leader, she can't relax; her fingers carress the cover of her pocket book for comfort, and she focuses on steadying her breath as minutes pass them by. She takes solace in the fact that they wanted this other woman to join them - if they were to throw her out on the streets, surely they wouldn't be so keen to do it in pairs, right?

Still, each second feels like eternity. She can hear her own heartbeat loud against her ears, and it takes all of her being not to speak - she knows she would only make things worse. Sullivan does the job of filling the silence every now and then, and she makes sure to shoot him reassuring smiles as he does so. She had witnessed quite a few labors back in the day, though none had been of an actual human child. If bearing children was as difficult and messy to women as it was to cows, though, she really couldn't fault Matty for taking so long.

After a while, Frankie decides to stand up once more, and Allera swallows dryly as she follows suit. Bright blue eyes hold the stare of the donna with rehearsed ease. To her relief, it doesn't last long, because as soon as Frankie had started explaining the situation, the missing associate arrived in a hurry. Now, there were a lot of things the South American girl had expected to hear next, many of them involving yelling and scolding from the Hands' part, but instead... All that is asked is how the mother fares. She can't help a small laugh. At that moment, the almighty Francesca Messina-DiCaprio looked more like a curious child than a fierce leader to be feared. And it's far too endearing to be interrupted.

Unconsciously, she shifts around and takes a step back, letting Matty have most of the spotlight for now. There is a sting of jealousy in her heart as she is not the one being spoken to anymore, though she does her best not to let it show. She glances at Tony, as resolute as ever, and at Sullivan, whose emotions she can't quite discern yet. And then she focuses on her shiny black shoes, and the patterns of the rug beneath them.

Matty purposefully took a small step back... almost passing it off for a bow as she inclined her head lowly to Frankie. Allera was here first. And she deserved to be afforded equal if not greater measure for that. With a tense smile Matty nodded, refusing to meet Sully's gaze as she placated Frankie's curiosities.  "Both are quite well, Señora. Thank you for asking. The baby was wrong-ways down. So this delivery was a bit more complicated than most. But the length of time is not uncommon... even in normal births. Things like this vary greatly, depending upon the mother and child... and a number of other factors. Different bodies, of course, have different needs. Some move quickly, some don't." Matty twirled one of her unruly curls nervously, "This particular woman chose natural birth. So, comparatively, her pain was rather intense... especially given the child's position. But there are many ways to make it less so: medication, positioning, and other birthing techniques." 

A curious twinkle glinted in Matty's green eyes as she regarded her Doña; all too happy to satiate the woman's curiosity with as much knowledge as she could afford. There was, however, business to be done. And the night was already wearing on. "I would be happy to speak with you more on it later. Perhaps over the lunch you suggested? But for now, I believe you had something else  you needed from me. Yes?" 

"Of course!"  She says remembering what she was doing.  "Ladies, it seems Tyler Durden and his gang have come to town and his people are making moves on the Tower's operations in various areas.  I have a couple sensitive things that need addressed and I can't leave it to any one other than my most trusted people: you two."

She smiles.  "Tony and Sullivan believe that no one else in the Tower has the skills you both possess and so I've called you in to help me address the issues at hand.  Assuming you're both up to the challenge?"

She looked at Allera and then Matty.  Hearing no objections, "Good."  She said takes up Uffa's leash and begins walking towards the door seeming to expect them to follow.

"It started less than ten hours ago when our patrols noticed several of Durden's people in a variety of places.  We think he's making a quiet, but aggressive move on our holdings... but there could be more to it than that.  For him to get a toe hold on our operation he'd need friends... I'm deeply concerned about the nature of our alliances with several key people."

"That being said," She went down the stairs but didn't stop at the bottom.  Instead she opened a door that, until this point, neither Matty nor Allera had not seen anyone outside of the Don and her hands enter.  This, so far as anyone in the crew knew, was off limits to anyone save for made men and women.  "I'm sending you both out to meet friends of our family."  She closes the door behind him, flicking on a light as she does so, saving them both from drowning in darkness.

"You'll be debriefed on several tasks that need doing tonight.  You'll pick one.  Other members of the crew will be asked to handle the others."  She walks down the long flight of cement stairs under the hum of industrial lighting.  At the bottom of the stairs she stops at a lone white steel door.  She pulls out a key, hanging on a chain around her neck.  She unlocks the door and motions Allera and Matty to enter.  "Everything changes from here.  One way or another... nothing will be the same ever again after tonight."

After they enter, Frankie & Uffa follow.  She shuts the door behind them with a resounding bang.  All that can be heard after that is the scraping metallic sound of a deadbolt being slid into place & then... silence.

Frankie sent out invitations to anyone and everyone she could think of, in order to celebrate Allera & Matty earning their buttons at long last!  She hoped that everyone would come out and wish the ladies the very best in this thing of ours!
 

 Pops he cork of the champagne and opens the wine, pouring in a few glasses.. congratulations !

Rat dances in celebration.  "Con-RAT-ulations"

Raconteur saunters to the fore and raises a glass in the air as he begins to speak.

Congratulation to you both Allera and Matty! You've both been a big presence in this place and very obviously help make it the best it can be. Thank you for all you do and the example you set for those of us yet to make our mark. Salute!

He tilts up his glass and drinks deeply, only lowering it to pull a deep breath of air and give a bow to the two newly minted button women. He holds out a red rose to each with a sly grin.

My best wishes to you both and I offer my services if either of you should ever need a hand. I also have some lovely spirits if you'd like something for the road.

congrats on the promotion 

Sullivan walked up to the two ladies of the hour. "Congratulations Allera." He offered the young woman a smile and his hand. "I expect great things out of you. I know Tony basically trained you, but I've always had my eyes on you. I've seen how you handle yourself with others, and I've seen the way you take care of this family. We are truly blessed to have you with us."

He placed both hands on Allera's face and kissed her cheeks and then her lips quickly, not in a romantic way. "Welcome to our little family."

He smiled again and then turned to Matty.

"And to you. Il mia amore. It brings me the greatest joy to invite you into our family. You are now part of The Ivory Tower, The Messina Family..." He grinned. "I am beyond proud for this day. I know you will do great things with us. And between you and me? I'm fairly certain Jacqueline is smiling as she's looking down on us as well. She is more than excited for you. I can see her, jumping and clapping her hands like she used to." It was obvious that the memory of Jackie brought him great joy, and even more so that he could share it among family, especially Matty.

He grabbed her face as well and kissed both of her cheeks, then her lips; this time however, there was obvious steam as he bent Matty backward, swooping her low before bringing her back upright and into a big hug.

He leaned back, keeping his hands on her shoulders as he spoke. "Now go, mingle with your new brothers, sisters, and cousins. Become the family we expect and know you to be." He kissed Matty again, and then sent her on her way as he returned to his desk to watch over the get together.

"A toast to both Matty and Allera - you have exceeded my expectations at every turn and it's an honor to have you both in our family.  To Matty & Allera!"  She raised her glass of wine in toast.

Krieger was overwhelmed with the amount of celebrations taking place all at once. He had visited so many parties and now he had reached to promotion celebration his best friend Allera. He made his way through the crowd to her and handed her a dozen roses, a hand-written card and a box of chocolates. He smiled and gave her a hug.

"You've done it friend! You're in the big leagues now! I'm so proud, I hope you enjoy these celebrations and gifts!"

All she can do is smile.

It's uneasy at first, her hand still shaking as a constant reminder of the trigger she had pulled that night; it then turns a bit sad for there is a hole in her chest that nothing seems to fill; at last, though, once she finally makes her way back to the Tower to prove she had finished the job, she's welcomed with warmth and a celebration in her name, and there is nothing but joy on her face from that moment onwards.

From Sullivan's kiss to Krieger's hug and through the pops of champagne and the silly dances breaking out all around, the love directed at herself and Matty brings tears to her eyes once more. Her hard work is finally being appreciated - and it's such a foreign feeling that she cannot contain it within. So she cries, and drinks and laughs; she thanks the Right Hand for his kind words and gestures, jokingly yells at Krieger for not being by her side at the time she was made, pours drinks over MJ and Rat_Smiley while trying to get them refills, and kneels before Frankie-Messina to pledge her soul in servitude before pulling Matty by the hand to dance the night away.

She parties for the Tower, but mostly for herself. Because she feels like she has finally earned the right to let loose.