Hope 1

He was taking it all in fun; the thought of taking anything seriously never even entered his mind. He was having way too much fun ever since he'd found out that he could do this. He'd never even thought anyone could do what he'd been doing and to be honest he was convinced he was the only one who could.

Right now he had come up with a plan. He just needed a few items along with a great deal more money, just in case. That and some furniture.

He had found the apartment for him. It was perfect! However, it had cost him almost every penny he had. Still he loved it. Especially the pool! He was standing at one end of what looked a lot like a lap pool. It was long but a little narrow. To his left was an outside wall that was all stone and had been left exposed. The far end of the pool was wall to ceiling windows that looked out onto the city. He could even see the river beyond, just not from where he was standing.

To his right, across from the pool was a lounge area, complete with a wet bar. Except his bar didn't have any alcohol… YET! That was an easy fix. "Glasses, I need glasses, too. And furniture, and more clothes, and…" God, he needed a lot of things.

"Food, kitchen stuff." Even if he didn't cook. This was New York, why did he need to know how to cook? He turned to face his kitchen. It was open to the pool… mostly. It was a little small – okay, it was tiny – but since he didn't cook it would suffice.

The area he was standing in was probably the dining room. He thought maybe he would actually get a table. A little one. One that was perfect just for two people. "Perhaps one of those little bistro tables you see in Paris," Rick said to himself. "Yeah, an authentic table, straight from Paris." He loved the idea.

At the end of the wall from his bar were the two bedrooms and single bathroom that was a Jack and Jill bathroom. He walked into one bedroom, through the bathroom, and into the other bedroom. Each bedroom was basically equal in size so he just need to choose one. "More furniture!" Rick moaned. "And sheets, pillows, comforters." He was dying here. "And towels!" Yeah, definitely dying.

Still first things first. He needed a secret room and he thought he knew just the place. He went back out into the main room and looked at the empty space next to his bar. He could picture what he wanted in his mind; he just needed to build a pair of walls to create the space. It would be a little small, but if he put shelves inside it he could fill them.

It was time to get started. He glanced at his watch. "They're closed and I need material for the walls first." In a second he was gone. In his wake he left what looked like a black hole closing up on itself and then there was nothing.

Rick smiled and found that the only lights that were on were the nightlights. He'd already been here and knew what he wanted. He walked into the tool area and picked up the DeWalt multi-tool carrying case and opened it just to be sure. Pleased with himself he Jumped back to his home. He put the case down, plugged in the charger, and put a battery into the charger.

Jumping back he lifted the necessary number of metal studs and Jumped back home. A few Jumps later and he had everything: drywall, tape, a bucket of mud, a trowel, paint, paint brushes, paint rollers, drop cloths, sandpaper, screws to use for the metal studs, screws for the drywall. He even had this pinkish purple stuff to put over the screws to hide them.

Rick went over to the battery charger, pulled out the battery, and put it into the circular saw. Then he pulled the trigger. He got a little something before it died. Annoyed, he slammed the battery back into the charger. "Right then, it's bedroom furniture next." He knew just where to go and what he wanted.

One Jump later and he was standing next to the bedroom set that he wanted. It was perfect for his room. "This bed features a gracefully curved headboard and footboard that will fill your bedroom with soft elegance. The rounded scoop design of the bedrails, decorative carvings and beautiful veneers. The bedside chest from Aico's Cortina Collection features a gracefully curving intricately carved design combined with a number of equally impressive pieces to create a true home out of your bedroom. Added extras include hidden beverage tray and an inlaid marble top. Durable construction protects the contents while the slide system suspension allows for smooth operation and full access."

There was more but Rick threw away the brochure. Taking the nightstand in both hands, he Jumped. It only took a few minutes and he had the bed, a mattress and box springs, both nightstands, a dresser, and an armoire in the room. Then he went back for the area rug.

"Now for the spare bedroom." He didn't really know if he needed one, just that his place had two bedrooms so he figured he should fill it up. It was all white and a little girly looking. A bed, two nightstands, a dresser, and an armoire. "Vanity Collection Italian Classic 6 Piece Queen Bedroom Set in White." He threw the tag over his shoulder and started Jumping the furniture to his home.

"Bedroom furniture done, now for the dining room." He didn't like what was in that store, but he did like what was in another store, plus all he needed was a sofa for a living room.

"Padmas Plantation Paris Patio Bistro Counter Stool. La Couple Bar Height Bistro Table Top, Square, 40 inch." He loved the set since it came directly from Paris. "GOD, I love New York." You could get anything here.

"Sofa." Rick Jumped to where he'd seen the one he wanted. "This contemporary look will add style and comfort to any living room space. Features 2 adjustable footrests at the ends of the sectional for the ultimate relaxed feel. Also features a pull down back rest that has 1 cup holder and tray."

"It's a little large for the space, but I like it!" He started smiling. Then he snapped his fingers. "Kitchen stuff!" And he was gone again.

It was a small shop and like all the other places, this one didn't have any video cameras. Yes, it had a security system, but it was on the doors and windows. He didn't get in by going through any of those.

He pushed a shopping cart along the aisles. In went a box for silverware, plates, pots and pans. A quick Jump back to unload his cart then back to collect more. Crock pot, toaster, microwave, can opener. He kept it up until his kitchen was full of boxes.

It took time but his kitchen looked great, at least to him. The rest of his apartment was now a mess, though, with empty boxes, plastic bags, and formed Styrofoam all over the place. He looking at the mess and groaned. A number of Jumps later and all of it was in a dumpster somewhere in London.

"Better." Rick stood in his now full apartment with its glistening pool. Then his head dropped to his chest. "I forgot the sheets, comforter and pillows." This was turning out to be work and he hated physical labor.

Three Jumps later and he now had a mess in both bedrooms. A couple more Jumps and the mess was in the same dumpster in London.

He shook his head. "Wow, that was tiring!" He didn't want to think what it would have taken to do all that the normal way. "The hard way!" Then he stood there, his body drooping in weariness. "DAMN IT. CLOTHES, SHOES!" He knew just where to go. "Shampoo, soap, dryer thingies." He moved over to sit on his new bed where all he wanted to do was fall into it and go to sleep.

"FINE!" Rick Jumped and started looking for clothes that were his size. "Pants, shirts, socks, underwear." He started grabbing. "What am I doing? No tighty-whities." He tossed the bag over his shoulder and moved over to the boxers.

He was soon back. "T-shirts, belt, ties… shoes!"

Now he had yet another mess from all the plastic, ties, and tags. One Jump took care of all that and his dumpster in London was starting to get full.

"Soap, shampoo, conditioner, antiperspirant." Another Jump and he was walking around with a bag that he was filling with all kinds of stuff.

Now he had yet another mess from all the empty boxes, plastic seals, tags, and other junk. One more Jump took care of all that.

Rick let his head rest up against the wall. "Food!" This was way more work than he was willing to do. "PHONE!" New York had delivery of just about everything. He began checking his pockets to see if he still had any money. "Thirty two dollars and twelve cents." It was enough to get some Chinese so he picked up the phone and called a place he knew of.

He was soon smiling as he sat at his bistro table out in front of his kitchen with his pool just off to the side. Life was good. Full of hard work, but good.

He started to put another chopstick full of food in his mouth. "Swim trunks!" He briefly let his head fall to his chest. He had an answer for that. "Skinny dipping!" He lifted his head and went back to eating.

"I know you told me not to go swimming after eating, Mother… but!" He began stripping and tossed his clothes and shoes then jumped naked into his pool.

Yeah, his new life was good. Really good!

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Rick stood back and looked at his handiwork. He wasn't a carpenter or even a handyman, but he had to admit that it looked pretty good. He'd even painted the wall a contrasting color that he thought looked amazing for the space. He just had to put up a hook to hang his picture on and he would be done.

The art work he'd chosen had color all over it. Who could possibly not like it? It had something for everyone. Still he had one more thing to do. So he grabbed a bag and put the leftover paint in it along with the paint brush, roller, the remaining tape, leftover mud, then picked up the leftover drywall and Jumped. His dumpster had been emptied so there was lots of space to dump this junk. Then he went back. Now he just needed shelving and he knew exactly where to get that.

It took a little time to put it all together then Jump them into the space and put them into place. Since he was using one of those battery powered lights he didn't need to worry about connecting electricity which was a good thing since he knew nothing about wiring. He was sure he would electrocute himself so battery powered solved his problem.

Rick looked at his watch and noticed it was late in London so the place should be closed. He Jumped out, picked up a large bag, and Jumped.

ICBC Standard Bank

He smiled and looked around. He was in a side street and saw no one. He'd actually been inside this bank earlier so he knew where the bank vault was located. One Jump later and he was standing outside the vault wearing one of those ski masks that only had openings for his eyes and his mouth. Now came the risk. He had practiced this a few times but still it was a risk.

He'd learned that he needed to have seen where he wanted to Jump to. Even just a photograph of what it looked like would work. It was just that he had never been on the other side of this vault door.

He Jumped then he was dancing and spinning in place while sporting a broad smile. It was just as he'd suspected. They placed all of the cash in the vault after closing. He opened his bag and started picking up the piles of money and dumping them into his bag.

Another Jump and he was stacking the money on his shelf inside his secret room in his apartment. He had even been generous and had left them a little something.

GLS Bank

Rick liked this bank even better. The street was lined with cars and gave him an easy place to hide. Just like the other bank he had been here before, too. One more Jump and he was standing just in front of the vault.

Since he was feeling bolder now that he had done it once, he didn't wait and Jumped into the vault. Yes, it was dark in there but he had a torch to take care of that. "WHAT THE HELL!" Where was all the damn money!? All he saw was these little carts that looked to be locked. "DAMN IT ALL!" This was not what he had expected.

"FINE, have it your way." Rick had an idea on how to handle this. He wrapped his arms around one of the carts and Jumped.

It was late in the day, it was tall and all he had to do was drop it over the side. It was a little heavier than he thought but he got it over the parapet and watched it fall into an alley.

He Jumped and found it easily. While the damn thing was bent, it refused to open. One Jump later and over the side it went, and went, and went, and went.

"ABOUT DAMN TIME!" Still he only took what was on top and left the rest. He wasn't greedy.

He began placing his money on his shelves. He had British pounds and now he had Deutsche marks. In a few hours he would add dollars from a bank in LA followed by French francs along with Canadian dollars. He still had to come up with a plan on how to get Japanese yen as well as some Hong Kong dollars, Argentine pesos and Brazilian reals. He wanted to be ready for anything.

Rick snapped his fingers since he had thought of it but hadn't done anything about it. He Jumped out, picked up the first backpack of good size that he could find, and Jumped back. "DAMN IT, RICK!" He was getting stupid. Jump out and Jump back and he had a second one.

One backpack was filled with Canadian dollars and French francs while the second was partially filled with British pounds and he left room for dollars that would come later.

Now he just needed either gold bars or gold coins and silver bars. Getting those would require a little more research and time. For the moment he was happy.

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He decided to take his happiness out to a bar that he'd heard was popular. He paid the cover charge happily and paid no attention to just how much he had handed the bouncer. It didn't really matter any longer anyway.

Rick looked around. The place was filled with men though there were a number of women as well. As he watched only women were getting in through the door now. The music was loud and people were everywhere doing any number of things. Drinking, talking, dancing or any combination thereof.

He headed for the bar. It took a couple of minutes. "Ritz sidecar… With cognac. Not that cheap stuff." In a short time a martini glass showed up with an orange-colored drink in it. He passed over two 500 dollar bills and sipped his drink. Satisfied he started walking around the place and looking everyone over. He was liking some of what he saw.

Unfortunately all of the beauties were with other men. None of them seemed to be alone. It was just his luck. If he could just find one or group that was alone… It wasn't that he was looking to get lucky though the thought had crossed his mind. He just wanted to have some fun.

Then he saw someone just as he was about to give up and go find another bar. She was pretty with shoulder length brown hair. Maybe she was a little older than he would like, but she was alone. She looked like she wanted to be alone, too. She had a drink but she wasn't drinking it.

Rick walked right to her and she started smiling. "Mind if I join you? Perhaps your drink's not to your liking. I can offer you something much better."

"What did you have in mind?" She was picky about what she drank. None of the men in this place seemed to know much. He motioned to one of the women that were walking around serving drinks. "Ritz sidecar… with 1830 Cognac." He got a, "Yes sir," from her before she hurried away.

"I think you'll like it." He smiled at her and sat down next to her.

"I'm sure I will." She was still smiling. She had her reason for why she was smiling and Rick had his reason.

"I'm Rick." He offered his hand. She took it, allowed him to lift it to his mouth and place a soft kiss on it.

"I'm Jo," she answered, a coy smile flitting across her face.

"Jo, interesting name. Is it short for something?" Rick was curious about a lot of things now.

She only smiled back at him.