Author's Note - Hi Everyone, With my other story Homecoming winding down, I started this new one. It takes place right after Lulu finds out about Brenda and walks out on Dante. I didn't like how the fallout from that was dropped in favor of Lulu supporting Dante about Michael so I'm rewriting it the way I would have wanted to see it with a fun, adventurous twist. Despite the lack of Dante in this first chapter, this is a Lante story. Please read and review!

Chapter 1 – Recruited

Lulu Spencer had been played for a fool once again. She trusted a man with her heart and he stomped on it. He told her lie after lie after lie all the while her instincts were screaming not to trust him. She didn't want to be the crazy and insecure girlfriend so she ignored that inner voice telling her something was wrong. Instead she wound up as the clueless girlfriend who ignored what was going on right under nose. She loved him and wanted to believe he was telling her the truth. Well those days were over and she would no longer be blind and stupid to the real Dante Falconeri.

Lulu was sitting on the docks staring out over the dark water and could see Spoon Island lit up in the distance. Her bag sat next to her on the bench as a reminder of the terrible night she had. She just packed up her drawer of belongings and left Dante for good. She was furious at him and mad at herself for being so stupid to trust him. He had the nerve to defend himself claiming it wasn't his secret to tell and that it had nothing to do with them as a couple. Once again he proved to her that she didn't know him at all.

"Lesley Lu Spencer"

She turned around to see where the voice was coming from. A tall man in a very expensive suit was standing next to her bench. "Do I know you?" Lulu asked, trying to remember which pocket of her purse her mace was in.

"No, but I know you and I know your father. I also know what he has been up to." The man said, his face still expressionless.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Lulu said, trying to appear nonchalant as she slid her hand over to her bag.

"He has been dealing stolen jewels."

"So what if he has? Who cares?" Lulu said feeling around in her purse trying to find her mace.

"I care and so does the organization I work for. I think once you hear what I have to say, you will care too."

"I'm listening." Lulu said. She wanted to know how much trouble her father was in this time.

"Your father is involved at a low-level in an extremely large and prosperous jewel thief ring. He is the go between for the thieves and the buyers. We want to take down the ring and you are going to help us do it."

"Who is we and why exactly would I help you?" Lulu asked crossly.

"We are an international crime fighting organization that you have never heard of. We fly under the radar so to speak. We have been watching you. You are smart, you have good survival instincts and you know how to run a con thanks to your father. Plus you are young and attractive. Nobody will suspect you are working against them. If you are successful in helping us take them down, we will leave your father out of it."

"Isn't that technically blackmail? What exactly would I have to do?" Despite herself, Lulu was intrigued.

"I prefer not to call it blackmail. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. We would give you some training and then send you out into the field to try and get in the middle of the jewel ring. You should be able to get started through information obtained from your father and work your way up. We need the name of the head of the operation. If you can get that for us and give us their location then your father will be free of any responsibility for his part. If you are good at the job then we would discuss keeping you on for other missions. Like I said, we have been following you and know what you are capable of."

"Let me get this straight. You are essentially blackmailing me into helping you take down this jewel ring so my father doesn't get into trouble and if I do a good job you will keep me on as some kind of spy?" Lulu asked incredulously. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, this is not a joke." The man insisted. "You have a chance here to help your father out of trouble and to change your own life."

"How do I know that your organization is legit?"

"We are affiliated with the CIA. If you agree to do this, someone from there will contact you and schedule a meeting. Your travel documentation so that you can come and go from certain countries without detection will come from them."

Lulu thought about all of this. She needed a big change in her life and this could be it. It sounded dangerous and exciting, which was a big step up from fetching Kate's lattes.

"I'll do it." Lulu said firmly.

"Excellent. I had a feeling you would say yes. You will need to quit your job. We will also pay for you to get your own apartment. Having a roommate means someone is noticing your comings and goings. We don't want that. I doubt your family will notice if you are in and out for weeks at a time because they are also. That was another reason why we picked you. Do we need to be concerned about the ex-boyfriend? We know all about him as well and his past indiscretions."

"Nope. We are finished for good." Lulu said. This was all moving so fast. One minute she was sad over her break-up and now she had a new job and was going to get a new apartment. She was about to start a whole new life. It felt surreal.

"You will go to training in London in two weeks. You will be there a month. Less if you pick things up quickly. The CIA operative will contact you tomorrow. They will have the information about your new apartment." The man abruptly turned around and left.

"Okay then." Lulu said as she turned around to walk home. She was so confused about what had just happened. One minute she was moping over her break-up, the next she was agreeing to be some kind of spy in order to keep her father out of trouble. She wasn't going to quit her job until she heard from the CIA operative. This whole thing could be a scam. It certainly sounded far-fetched and crazy. Something in her gut was telling her it wasn't a scam though. If she learned anything from the break-up with Dante it was that she should listen to her gut more. Her phone rang and she looked down at the screen. Dante. He kept calling and she kept ignoring. Tomorrow she was going to have to change her number.

The next day, Lulu was working at Crimson when she received a text from an unknown number to meet at a coffee shop just outside of town. She wrote back that she would be there and made sure she knew where her mace was in her purse. She made excuses to Maxie about having a doctor's appointment. Maxie looked at her suspiciously but didn't ask any questions. Lulu knew she assumed that she was going home to cry over Dante and that's what Lulu would continue to let her believe. She arrived at the coffee shop, unsure she was in the right place. It looked closed and rundown. When she tried the front door, it opened and she went inside. She saw the place was empty except for a man sitting a table looking at her expectantly.

"Hello Lulu! I'm Richard and I have some information for you. Come have a seat." The man said.

Lulu sat down and waited. The man poured her a cup of coffee and then put in two sugars and a splash of cream. "How did you know how I like my coffee?"

"Lulu, we are the CIA. We know a lot about you." The man said as he pushed the coffee towards her.

"Let's get down to business and then I can answer any questions. First, here are my credentials from the U.S. Government." He said, pushing a wallet with a badge and ID card inside towards her.

Lulu inspected the ID he gave her. It looked authentic but she really had no way of knowing if it was or not.

"Next, here is your new passport. All of this information is correct but it has a chip in here that makes it so your name and photo don't go into the system when it is scanned at Passport Control in any airport in the world. You will also receive some alias passports during your training that will have the same chip. There will be no record of you entering or leaving these countries except with the agency. Here is the key to your new apartment. The address is 1130 Harborside Drive, apartment 2170. The building we selected is secure and someone will get your mail and maintain the apartment if you are gone for long stretches of time. You leave for training in two weeks. In that time you need to quit your job and move to your new apartment. Try to do it with giving the least information possible. It goes without saying that you are not to tell anyone about your new job. Here is your new phone. You can give the new number out to your friends and family. There are two lines on the phone itself - one for your personal calls and one to give out when you are working in the field. Do you have any questions?"

"Just one, why me?" Lulu asked.

"The agency you are going to work for is not the CIA but they have been watching you for awhile due to your father's criminal activity. They believe you have the skills necessary to do this job. They are never wrong about that. You may not believe it now but you'll see when you start your training."

Lulu nodded. She still couldn't believe this was happening but she was willing to take a leap and see where it took her. She really had nothing to lose at this point.

"Okay, that's it for us then. Welcome to the agency Lulu. Your plane ticket to London will be sent to your new apartment. It is furnished so you just need to bring your personal items." Richard got up and left out a side entrance. Lulu assumed she was to leave back the way she came. She took the information and phone he gave her and headed back to her car.

She drove back to Port Charles trying to digest all of this new information. She decided to go take a look at her new apartment. When she arrived at the building she drove into the garage and parked in the space assigned to her. It was a high rise and the building was quite upscale. She took the elevator up to the 21st floor and went down a long hallway to apartment 2170. She unlocked the door and couldn't believe her eyes. The apartment was huge. It had a giant living area with floor to ceiling windows that gave a breathtaking view of the city lights. The furniture was modern with clean lines. She went into the master bedroom and was pleasantly surprised to find a huge walk-in closet and a master bathroom with a giant tub. The bedroom had the same floor to ceiling windows as the living room. She discovered an extra bedroom plus an office as she continued down the hallway. The kitchen was all brand new appliances and granite counter tops. She doubted they would get used for anything more than heating up take-out but it was still pretty to look at. She couldn't believe she got to live here alone and rent-free. She decided the easiest approach with Maxie was to move out while she was still at work and tell her after the fact. She would then go see Kate after hours and resign her job. For the first time in a long time, Lulu could feel a fire within her. She was excited and nervous about her new life.