Hello dear readers. It's been a while since I've written and updated anything. A considerable amount of free time over the last several months helps and I bring you a new story. In a lot of ways, I'm writing for an audience of one because it certainly is an odd crossover (with another property having a not so stealthy crossover into it) that probably wouldn't have much audience appeal, but the Muse is the Muse and I hope that you will enjoy it anyway.
This story is set five years, eleven months after the beginning of my story 'Who are My Brothers?' and takes place in that alternate universe to the Victorious/iCarly canon where Jade West and Freddie Benson became a couple and the universe of Dynasty (2017) up to the beginning of the Season 2 Finale, 'Deception, Jealousy and Lies'. For those who have not read that story or any of the other stories set in that fanfiction universe, I've done my best to try to write this where one doesn't have to be familiar with all that back-story with only one major spoiler without compromising any story.
All the World is but a Stage…
By OneHorseShay
Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue. For God's sake, don't sue. Dynasty and the other properties included are owned by their respective owners: ViacomCBS Inc. and Warner Brothers.
Rating: +T for Language, Potential Violence and Mild Adult Situations
Pairings: Fallon Carrington/Liam Ridley (Falliam), Kirby Anders/Michael Culhane, Dusty Hale/Heather Fox
Summary: In one universe, Heather Fox is the star of the international hit Dynasty and in another universe, the show is reality and the two were to never cross… until it inexplicably happened when Heather and Fallon found themselves switched in each other's lives. Now it's a race for them to save Culhane from Blake's frame job and stop Adam's attempted murder on Liam while secrets are exposed that could destroy relationships. (Set during Dynasty Season 2 Season Finale)
Chapter 1
Heather Fox, the universally-known model turned actress and international recognized star from her current role as billionaire heiress Fallon Carrington, gently stirred in the warm, comfortable bed as the morning sun shined through the two corner windows situated to her right and onto her pajama covered body. Her body felt warm, content and at peace. A smile formed on her face as she snuggled up with the warm, muscular body holding her, believing that her husband had surprised her by slipping in with her after she went to bed. She took a few deeper breaths, breathing in his scent, but after a few breaths, she subconsciously realized something was wrong and knotted her brow. The scent was familiar, but it was not her husband's scent. She started blinking as she finished stirring awake and taking a few deeper breaths. After a few moments, she looked up to the face of the muscular man holding her and realized it wasn't her husband, but her costar that plays of her fictional love interest from her television show.
The brunette actress took another second to realize that she was awake and not just imagining him then let out a scream and practically bolted from his grasp, rolling off the left side of the bed and landing in an unceremonious heap onto the floor. She softly groaned with her eyes closed then righted herself with her left hand on the floor. She groaned again from the hurt of her pride then looked over her left shoulder to confirm that he was her costar and not her husband. Once that was confirmed, she twisted her body then frantically scooted backwards on her hands and knees away from the side of the bed. She looked around, trying to get her bearings and after several seconds, she realized that she wasn't in her apartment's bedroom, but in Fallon Carrington's bedroom on her show.
Her costar—or who she assumed was her costar—sat up and looked down at her with a deeply concerned expression on his face as her startled reaction had jolted him awake. He wiped some of the sleep from his eyes with the butt of his right hand then called out, "Fallon? Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"Fallon?" Heather softly whispered, rolling around the fact in her head that he spoke the character's name instead of her name. She looked around and saw that there were no cameras or any set crew, but a thoroughly messy bedroom.
He sat up then slid to the edge of the bed then got up out of bed and reached down to help her up, asking, "Fallon, did you have a nightmare or something?"
"Nightmare?" she confusingly answered and darted her gaze away from seeing his nudity. She had to take a few breaths and try to get her bearings. She went to bed in her room in her Georgia apartment and now she had just woken up with her costar—quite naked costar—in apparently Fallon's bedroom. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths.
The handsome, muscular man knelt down in front of her and rested his hands on her shoulders then in a soft voice, reassured her, "Fallon, you're okay. You're safe at home in the manor. You're okay."
The brunette kept her eyes closed and nodded her head. She opened her eyes and met the man's loving and supportive gaze. She cautiously asked, "Liam? I'm in the manor?"
He put on a charming smile and let out a soft laugh, "Yeah, it's me and you're in the manor—your bedroom."
She nodded along and breathed out, "Okay… okay, you're Liam and I'm in the manor."
"Yes. I'm still Liam and you are in the manor," he softly laughed, clearly a little amused at her cute confusion. He gave her a few more seconds to gain her bearings then stood up and helped her stand up.
Heather kept her gaze to his face, still trying to see if this was some absurd and vulgar practical joke. She didn't see any sort of deception in his eyes, so she cleared her throat then stammered, "I ah… sorry, just shocked a little… I ah…" She had to come up with something fast and just uttered, "…think I was dreaming then suddenly seeing you out of nowhere… yeah, it just startled me. I didn't know where I was for a moment. I'm okay now."
Liam nodded and pulled her into a hug. He smiled and rubbed a hand up and down her clothed back in an attempt to comfort her, "Yes you are. You're okay with me. You're safe."
Heather nodded her head, brushing her forehead against the side of his neck. She attempted to relax and calm her nerves then muttered, "Thank you. Ah… I think I need to use the bathroom. Just settle and freshen myself up, okay?"
"Sure," he replied and released her, giving her a comforting smile with a warm gaze from his eyes.
She forced an awkward smile and nodded her head before turning and heading into the attached bathroom. She walked through the bedroom, seeing how a mess it was with rose petals and some things knocked over. She noticed a set of woman's clothing was strung about. She recognized the clothes as she reached the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and rested her back on it. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths, realizing the particular set of clothes. Her mind went to the idea that she was somehow in her character's bedroom the morning after she had made love to Liam Ridley for the first time.
She opened her eyes and shook her head, not immediately believing such a notion. She kept wondering if it was some elaborate practical joke because at face value, it was the reasonable explanation. She certainly remembered falling asleep in her apartment in on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia and her costar Adam certainly wouldn't go so far as being in bed with her nude.
She looked in the mirror, braced her hands on the edge of the counter and took a deep breath. She spied her reflection, seeing she appeared to still be herself. She noticed the silver chain peeking out from under the collar of her baby blue pajama top and reached for it, pulling it out to see that it was the Enochian charm necklace her husband had given her early on into their relationship. She looked down to her left hand and saw that she was still wearing her silver wedding band. She palmed her left hand and rubbed her thumb and forefinger over the silver ring.
She looked back to the mirror then put her hands together in prayer. She began to whisper, "Dustin, Dustin if you can hear me… I think I'm at the Carrington mansion. I just woke up next to Adam, I mean the character Liam. I don't think this is some kind of practical joke. I need you to find me and get me out of here."
She patiently waited, hoping he got her prayer. She waited a minute then another minute and there was no response. The lack of response certainly sent a worrying feeling into the pit of her stomach.
A knock on the door startled her and she turned around to look at the door, followed by hearing Liam calling out, "Fallon, are you okay in there?"
She snorted out a tension filled breath then looked over her shoulder and answered through the door, "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just trying to settle myself. I was just trying to make sense of my dream."
"Okay, take your time. I'll get us some breakfast," he answered with clear worry in his voice.
She nodded along, but realized he couldn't see her. She smiled and called out, "Thanks A—Liam. I appreciate it. I won't be too long."
"Take all the time you need," he answered with a reassuring tone.
Heather listened for his footsteps to fade, realizing she was alone in the bedroom as well. She glanced around, assessing her soundings of the bathroom and thinking on what she should do. She thought for a few seconds, realizing that if this wasn't some practical joke then she was inside of the show and it was apparently real. She had been told the stories of when Freddie and Jade had each been dropped into a different world and the musician had been dropped into a possible future at the time, but it was still hard to fathom even after all these years. Besides, she didn't like thinking about those 'worlds' as her husband was with a different woman in each of them.
She decided that her best bet was to play along, trying to figure out why she was here and wait for Dustin to come and get her. She decided to go through her morning routine, wondering if she was here, where was Fallon?
Fallon Carrington peacefully slept in the king size bed, snuggled up with a pillow and a soft sheet over her nude body. She slowly started stirring; her breathing picked up and started to smell the scent on the pillow. Her brow knotted as just like with Heather due to the scent on the pillow was off. She stirred a bit more and rolled onto her back, the sheet still covering her nude body. She blinked awake and smiled, mewing a bit and stretched her arms above her head. She sat up a moment later, keeping the sheet pulled up over her chest. She glanced around in a content mood with what she had finally shared with Liam, but after a few seconds, she realized she was alone in the bed then after a few more moments, noticed that the walls of the room were a different color than her own and the arrangement of the furniture and decorations were completely different. She blinked a few times, trying to get her bearings as nothing seemed to match up then when she realized she wasn't in her bedroom. She took a sharp breath, feeling her chest contract and a sinking feeling in her stomach with the primal reaction of the unknown.
She pulled the sheet tighter around her body then swept her legs out to have a seat on the left side of the bed. Her bare soles softly touched the soft carpeted floor while she tried to calm her breathing. She resisted calling out, not wanting to alert anyone, as the only explanation was she must have somehow been drugged and kidnapped after her and Liam's night together. Her mind was flooded with the obvious questions of 'How was she here?', 'Where was here?', 'Why was she here?' then the most important question, 'Where was Liam?'
Fallon had to find out, but couldn't go prancing around naked. Fortunately, she noticed a leather jacket with a grey cotton hood and inner lining sitting in a chair close to the bed. It looked a little worn and had some damage over the right shoulder and breast of a vertical slice that split the shoulder down to breast pocket. It had been repaired with a messy stitching to pull it back together. She reached for it and pulled it onto her body to cover herself then walked over to a dresser drawer, hoping to find some clothes. She paused for a moment, feeling a sudden sense of safeness with it on her. She took a breath and wrapped her arms around her body, just feeling the sense of safety. She shook her then finished walking to the set of drawers. She opened a drawer and found some woman's clothes. She pulled out a t-shirt and some gym shorts. She slipped the shorts on, but when she was bending over, she noticed a picture on top of the dresser. She finished pulled the shorts up then grabbed the picture. Her brow knotted in seeing a young handsome man with brunette short messy hair and her, but with raven colored hair and natural skin tone without her usual light spray tan, standing side by side and lovingly holding each other as they looked into the camera. They appeared to be quite happy together.
She blinked several times then muttered in a breathy tone just above a whisper, "What the Hell?"
She shook her head then put the picture back down then momentarily took off the jacket and pulled on the T-shirt, finding it comfortable. She pulled the jacket back on then glanced around again, looking for anything she could use for as a weapon. She walked over to the night table by the head of the bed and opened it, hoping to find maybe a letter opener or something. She was surprised when she found a handgun, a silver colored Colt M1911A1 that was nickel plated with ivory handles. She picked it up and slipped out the magazine to check if it was loaded. She found it full and slipped it back inside. She pulled the slide back to see there was one in the chamber. The rounds looked real to her eyes, which meant her kidnapper must have been the dumbest person on the planet to leave her a loaded gun.
The Carrington heiress took the weapon then cautiously walked out of the bedroom and into a hallway. She found she was on the second floor of a home. She looked around and didn't see anyone. She cautiously started walking down the hallway until she reached the stairs. She glanced over the railing and still didn't see anyone. She took a calming breath then vigilantly went down the curved staircase until reached the bottom of the stairs to the living room. It was an expansive living room, not as magnificent as the manor, but it was not a 'peasant' home. She continued to walk through it, keeping the weapon raised in a ready position with a proper two-handed grip. She finally heard in the distance a television, so she cautiously started walking to it. She reached a partially opened door and peaked around the edge of the doorframe to look inside.
Fallon saw inside the room that it was a large home office with a large desk to the left side of the room and a large flatscreen television on the other side, apparently playing the news, and the wall at the other end having several large windows letting in the natural sunlight. She spotted the profile of the young man in the photograph sitting at the desk typing away at a keyboard in front of a large monitor cattycorner on his desk.
He suddenly paused, looked away from the computer monitor then looked in Fallon's direction, but she was quick enough to round the frame of the entrance before he could spot her or so she hoped. She calmed her breathing and readied her grip of the weapon. She turned and pushed open the door, raising the weapon hopefully at the young man to catch him off guard, but he wasn't sitting there anymore. She knotted her brow and saw that the room was empty.
As confusion took hold of her, there was a fluttering sound and suddenly she had an arm around her stomach and then the edge of cold steel pressed against her throat and soft breath on her left ear.
"Okay, who are you and what are you doing in my…" he began, but trailed off as he apparently recognized her. He knotted his brow and muttered, "What the Heaven?"
He pulled the silver, triangular shaped blade away from her throat and took a step back.
Fallon turned around, took a step backwards into the room then raised the gun at him. She shouted with a hateful glare in her eyes and replied, "Who the Hell are you and how did I get here?! Where's Liam?!"
The young man lowered the triangular edged foot long short-sword to his right jean covered thigh, slightly squinted and cocked his head to the right side, taking a good hard look at her. His eyes went wide as he realized her true identity then flippantly remarked, not believing what he was saying, "Holy crap, you're actually Fallon Carrington."
"That's right! Now tell me who you are and how did I get here and if you've hurt Liam, I swear I'll make you pay!" she shouted and reinforced her point by pulling the hammer back on the firearm.
Dusty kept the blade lowered, kept his head slightly cocked to the side and calmly answered, "My name is Dusty Hale. You are in my home in Los Angeles, California… planet Earth of the Sol System, Orion Arm in the Milky Way galaxy. I don't know how you got into my home, why you're wearing my wife's clothes or pointing my gun at me. As for Liam, I have no idea where he is. I assume he's wherever you came from if he's not with you."
Fallon took a deep breath to process the information he just told her. She took several more calming breaths, weighing the likelihood that she could actually be in Los Angeles. If she was drugged all night, she could have easily been taken on the five hour flight plus three hour time difference as it looked early morning outside. She gritted her teeth then growled out, "Not good enough. You tell me how I got here! One minute I'm… I'm in bed with Liam in my bedroom in Georgia, the next I'm waking up in some strange bed here. How did you get me here?"
"I don't know how you got here, but I have a guess and you won't believe it. I'll tell you anyway though. If you are truly Fallon Carrington, you're in another universe where your life is a television show called 'Dynasty'."
The brunette blinked and looked taken off guard by the answer. She finally found her voice a few moments later then muttered, "What?"
Dusty maintained eye contact with her and kept his voice steady as he answered, "As I said, if you are really Fallon Carrington, you're in another universe. You, your family and enemies' lives are a television show that plays on the CW Network on Friday evenings."
She snorted out then replied, "You're nuts. Now, I want the truth, now." She took a step closer to him and aimed the barrel of the gun towards his face.
"Okay…" he started off then in nearly a blink of an eye, he extended his left hand, pressing his pointer and middle fingers to her forehead. She suddenly heard whispers and her eyelids became heavy and the rest of her body relaxed. The next moment, darkness swept over her and the world around her was gone.
Carrington Manor
Outside Atlanta, Georgia
'Dynasty-2017' Universe
After a not so quick shower to allow Heather to gather her thoughts and wits, she went about going through Fallon Carrington's wardrobe through her extensive walk-in closet. She had to take a few calming breaths, just stunned at the wardrobe choices. It was one thing for her seeing the rows of outfits getting ready to film, but it was another to see them in a closet and knowing they were outfit choices for a person who turned out to be real.
She walked down the row of clothing, trying to remember what she had worn in the episode that was filmed nearly six months ago, which was a trick with how many outfits she would wear in just one episode and she had done that over the course of two seasons and the start of a third. After a few seconds she realized her first outfit had been a bikini—one that her husband particularly liked on her. She felt a quick rush of hue to her cheeks, but quickly suppressed it as she wasn't going to be putting that on and meet Liam by the pool. She took a few more steps then remembered the second outfit because it particularly stood out for what happened to it in the episode then went about looking for it.
After another twenty minutes or so of dressing into the white dress she wore that morning before being splashed with Pepto-Bismol and 'dolling' herself up and having to regretfully remove her necklace and wedding band to keep up the illusion that she was Fallon Carrington, she exited the bedroom and headed for the stairs. She took her time to look at the magnificence of the mansion as she was seeing it in a new light than just a rented home and various sets for filming. She reached the bottom floor and headed to the dining room. She paused when she stopped at the entrance, seeing the display of food along the table. It was an impressive lay out, but she certainly had a twinge of disgust on seeing it since it was meant only for a few that couldn't possibly eat it all while there were plenty that struggled for their next meal. She didn't resent those that had honestly made their wealth, especially since she and Dusty (with a little seed money) had worked for their wealth, but this was just wasteful. She just hoped the staff was allowed to enjoy the leftovers and couldn't dwell on it anymore as Liam approached her with a smile.
Liam stopped in front of her and pulled her into a partial hug, kissing her on the right cheek. "Morning again. Feel better?"
Heather attempted to remain relaxed with Liam's sign of affection and contact, but he apparently felt the tension in her body.
The novelist snorted out an easygoing laugh as he pulled away from her, "Apparently not."
The actress snorted out a laugh and put on a smile, "Sorry, I guess… I guess it shook me up more than I thought, but I'll be fine."
Liam motioned for a seat at the long table and offered, "You want to talk about it? It must have been something to shake up the great Fallon Carrington."
Heather returned with a nervous smile as she took the seat, "I'm… I'm not sure. It was just… it just sounds crazy and I don't want to spoil our breakfast. Can you take a rain check on it? Please?"
The writer gave her that charming, easy going smile as he took the seat to her right. He sweetly answered, "Oh course, a rain check. I'll be here to listen when you're ready." He took his seat beside her then went about getting any number of breakfast items from the various trays and started eating while Heather hesitated, wondering what to grab. She decided to grab a freshly prepared omelet, a piece of cantaloupe and a few fruits such as grapes and strawberries.
After a few minutes of silently eating, Liam turned that same charming smile to her and started, "So… last night…"
Heather forced a smile, quickly trying to figure out how to properly respond as they had not filmed a scene of them waking up together and having the morning after conversation. She frankly had no idea what to really say to him about something she hadn't experienced or make sure she didn't accidentally sabotage a key moment in his and Fallon's relationship. She huffed out a soft laugh then replied, "So… yeah… last night was…"
Liam cocked an eyebrow, his charming smile never leaving his face and leaned down to whisper to her in a conspiratorial manner, "Don't tell me I left you speechless?"
The actress softly laughed again then gave a slight shake of her head. "No, it's just…" She just took a wild stab at it and hoped she had a correct assessment about Fallon. "…last night was very, very special to me and I do feel so safe in your arms… it's just my morning was a little jarring in not realizing where I was for a few seconds. I… I can't explain it to you right now and just hope I'm not spoiling it for being so… on edge… tense. It's not you. I promise."
Liam leaned over and wrapped his left arm around his shoulders. He directed a comforting smile to her and replied, "No, our morning is not spoiled and you don't have to apologize for anything. It was special for me too, really. I'm… I'm glad we did wait for the perfect time."
Heather smiled to that sentiment, recalling her first time with her husband and that she couldn't have asked for a better circumstance of when and how it happened between them. She knew, just knew it had to be the same for Fallon. She just had to do her best until they could switch back not to mess anything up with them. "I am too. That was certainly a surprise—a welcomed—surprise last night."
Liam's smile grew bigger then he leaned his face forward and placed a soft kiss on Heather's lips.
Heather hesitated for a moment then cautiously returned it, just quickly getting into the mindset that it was a stage kiss. She had done plenty of them over the last five or so years for when she played Gigi in Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll for two seasons to minor parts between her landing the role of Fallon then all the stage kissing she had done on the show with a number of costars.
After a few moments, Liam pulled away and gave her a curious look.
The actress returned it with a soft smile.
Liam studied her face for several moments then cautiously commented, "That nightmare really put you on edge."
Heather forced a smile as she answered with a soft huff of her breath, "Yeah, it did… I'm sorry."
The novelist shook his head and reassured her again with a smile, "I told you. There is nothing to apologize for. Everything is okay."
The brunette nodded her head then replied in an easygoing voice, "Thank you. Let's just enjoy breakfast and get this day started so I can shake this off. When I'm ready, I'll talk about it, okay?"
Liam maintained his charming smile as he replied, "Okay. I'll hold you to it." He dropped his arm from around her shoulders then began on his breakfast.
Heather quickly dug into her breakfast, needing a good meal and an excuse to not to have to talk. She thought on what her next move was, what she could do to avoid messing up Fallon's life and not being discovered until Dusty could come and get her.
Over the next few minutes of quite eating, a plan came to Heather's mind of what she should do, but it had its risks. She was living Fallon's life for the moment and knew was going to happen over the next two days. She could just try to follow what happened over those two days from what she remembered of the episode or she could make a difference. She took a breath after making her decision then looked to Liam and politely spoke, "I forgot my phone. I'll be right back, okay?"
Liam answered with a playful smirk, "You know you don't have to worry about business every second of the day."
"No, I don't, but you never know when there is an emergency," the brunette replied as she stood up. She gave him another smile then headed to the stairs. She didn't realize that Liam was following her with a curious gaze. She politely nodded to some passing staff on her way up to the stairs then reached the bedroom to find a few staff members cleaning it up. She felt momentarily embarrassed with what they had to be thinking then remembered it was Fallon and Liam they were thinking about and not her and Dusty.
She politely called out, "Excuse me, has anyone seen my phone?"
One of the younger staff members smiled to her and grabbed Fallon's discarded purse. "Is it still in your purse?"
Heather nodded with a returning smile and took the purse. She reached inside and pulled it out. She looked to the staff member and spoke, "Silly me. Thank you very much."
"You're welcome Miss Carrington," the young fellow brunette answered then went about helping the others clean up the room.
After a moment, Heather looked at the phone and tried to think of what Fallon's code was to get into the phone. She had no idea what it could be as it never came up on the show. She took a breath then attempted Steven's birthday, assuming it would be the closest person to hers birthday as it was a running theme in the Carrington family. The phone opened a moment later, bringing a smile to her face. She waited several moments then got into her acting mindset of being Fallon. She softly exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, Anders?"
The staff stopped what they were doing and looked to her with curious looks on their respective faces.
Heather looked to them and explained, "Anders. He had a heart attack… I got to go." She turned and headed out of the bedroom then stopped and looked to the staff. "I don't want to impose, but could someone check on Bo? He made this mess after getting into the chocolates last night. Could someone call his vet to have him checked out while I check on Anders?"
The staff was momentarily shocked with the news of what befell the head of the housekeeping, but the senior staff member spoke up, "Yes ma'am. I'll see to it."
"Thank you, I appreciate it very, very much. I'm going to go check on Anders and I'll let you know something as soon as I can, okay?"
She nodded her head as she replied, "Thank you."
Heather waved back at them then headed out of the room.
The younger staff member idly commented, "She seems awfully nice this morning. Really nice."
The older staff member replied, "Yes she does. I guess all she needed was a good man."
The younger woman softly giggled then she and another staff member continued cleaning while the senior housekeeper went to go find Bo.
A few moments after leaving the bedroom, Heather had made it down the stairs and reached the dining room, seeing Liam still casually eating his breakfast. She took a calming breath then spoke, "We have to go. Anders had a heart attack last night. He's in the hospital."
Liam's brow rose and jaw slacked. He stood up as he regained his composure and hastily asked with deep concern, "What caused it? Is he okay?"
"I don't know. We have to go right now," Heather reiterated as she was feeling a genuine concern for Anders as it may have just been a temporary plot twist on the show, but here it was a real human life with those that loved him.
The writer nodded his head and quickly got up from his seat. He took a breath then calmly asked, "Okay, do you know what hospital they took him to?"
Heather had to think for a moment, trying to remember the name of the fictional then replied, "Yes, I do."
Liam offered as he approached her, "I'll drive."
The actress nodded her head then answered in a relieved tone and smile, "Thanks."
Heather took a moment to grab Fallon's purse and Liam to grab his jacket then the pair headed out of the home to the garage to pick any number of vehicles to take.
Hale-Fox Residence
Los Angeles, CA
'Schneider-Jedi-11' Universe
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
"Uuuggghhh," Fallon moaned as she started to rouse from her sound and surprisingly restful sleep. She blinked several times to try to get her bearings. She looked around and saw she was in the living room and seated in front of the large television. She instinctively stood up, but as soon as she was on her feet, her right arm was stopped. She looked down and realized she was handcuffed to the chair. There was a bit of slack with a chain that was several inches long, but she was effectively connected to the chair. She grabbed her wrist with her other hand and tried to pull her hand through the loop, hissing, but it was on too tight.
"So you're awake?" the young man called out from behind her.
Fallon turned to face Dusty and deeply frowned at him. She hissed out at him, "You uncuff me right now."
Dusty gave her a cool stare and replied in even a cooler tone, "No. While you were asleep, I found out my wife is missing. So, until I figure out what is going on, you're going to sit right there." He picked up the remote control and turned on the television then pulled up Netflix. "And for entertainment, you can watch your life from the last few days."
He pulled up the second to last episode of season two of 'Dynasty' on the screen and it started playing. "You might find this enlightening and realize I'm telling the truth."
He put the remote on an end table then turned and walked back to the kitchen. "I'll get you something to eat in a bit," he called out over his shoulder.
She was about to shout something at him, but the television spoke, "Last time on Dynasty…" She turned her gaze to the television and the screen started displaying a recap of the previous episodes, showing her, Liam and members of her friends and family. She looked on stunned at the television and whispered, "What the Hell?"
The show progressed in starting with her father being release from jail and talking to his lawyer. She remained silent as it progressed to them leaving the station to be confronted by the media then to the manor where she was reviewing various authors to sign and talking to Kirby. She idly retook her seat as Liam appeared on the screen and they started conversing. She remained silent, dumbfounded in being able to watch what had happened yesterday.
An hour or so later in the kitchen, Dusty's father Dean Hale and Uncle Castiel (on his mother's side) had arrived to be caught up on what happened.
Dean Hale, a ruggedly handsome and muscular man in his mid-fifties, but appeared to be in his mid-forties if that, was seated in one of the dining room table chairs. He looked up at his son, who had started pacing back and forth in the room, and knotted his brow and thumbed over to their temporary captive in the living room, "So she's the girl Heather plays on TV? That narcissistic spoiled rich girl?"
Dusty stopped his pacing to turn to face his father and nodded with a clearly annoyed and tired expression. "I see her that way—I mean, she's telling the truth when she told me her name and she's 'off' than other people. I went through the checklist to make sure she wasn't just some shapeshifter or some other monster just in case there was some powerful mojo trying to shield her before you got here. She came out clean."
Castiel, in his practically trademark overcoat and black business suit, spoke up with a grave voice, his eyes showing the weight of his age, "She could be just another double as Mrs. Benson and Callie Ross. She could have convinced herself she was the character. It's a little trickier in seeing if one is telling the truth when he or she believes it."
Dusty nodded his head to one side and replied, "She could be and whoever was strong enough to get through the wards to drop her in here would probably have the power to rewrite her mind."
Mister Hale pointed out in a flippant tone and a smirk, "And who could do that? You have this place as warded as the Bunker."
Dusty replied with a terse tone, "It's a very short list, but I'm not concerned with that right now. I'll deal with whoever did this later." He snorted out a breath to calm himself then continued in a calmer voice, "We just have to get Heather back. Burf went over to her apartment to check when I couldn't get an answer, but she wasn't there. He went over to the set to check with the cast and crew, but she didn't go in early to film and now he's covering for her the best way he can. I've already done a location spell. She's nowhere on Earth or within a thousand light years, so… she must have swapped with Fallon over there." He motioned his head over to the handcuff heiress.
The elder Hale took a deep breath then hesitatingly asked, "Could it have been Anna? She's done this before with your friend Freddie."
"Mom and I have had our problems, but she would not have pulled something like that. She's not just going to snatch Heather up."
Castiel cautiously asked, "Are you sure?"
Dusty turned his head in the direction of his uncle and narrowed his gaze on before he replied, "What could Heather possibly learn by switching places with Fallon? She would have asked Heather and would have talked to me about it. Besides, trying to take down the wards to drop Fallon off here, even she would have set them off enough to alert me."
Castiel pointed out with a cocked eyebrow, "Maybe it's not Heather that needs to learn anything?"
Fallon over in the next room slightly turned her head, trying to listen on the conversation while the television played.
Dusty picked up his pacing around the kitchen and wondered out loud, "So it could have been someone from her universe? Freddie and Jade were put in alternate ones from ours, so… there's no reason the reverse isn't true? But the show never touched on anything 'supernatural' because it's a normal soap, but…"
The overcoat wearing gentleman pointed out, "But it doesn't mean there isn't something there. To everyday person, it would look like there's nothing 'supernatural' in our world other than internet and late night radio crackpots."
Mister Hale spoke up almost flippantly, "But it was Heather that just happened to be the one snatched up? Why not just dump this chick in your laps and leave her alone if she needed to learn something?"
Dusty shook his head and pointed out, "We could debate in circles for hours as to why, time we're wasting. We just have to figure how to cross into her universe." He motioned between himself and Castiel. "We have the mojo to do it, but where to go? I know there's a spell for universe hopping." He looked to his father as he finished, "Balthazar did it to you and Uncle Sam years ago. Could that be a way?"
Fallon had spared an ear to listen in on their conversation what sounded like pure nonsense about how she could be a double for his wife as apparently other people were and about wards then spells. She thought she had fallen in the hands of a group of nuts, but if things weren't crazy enough, it was what she had been watching on the television.
She had learned some interesting and frankly disturbing things so far: seeing her authors and the public turn on her for supporting her father, Jeff poisoned by Adam, Cristal not willing to publicly defend her father even though he was innocent then finding out Culhane and Kirby started dating. She did get some satisfaction in apparently watching herself slap him after his crude comment about his previous night with Kirby.
However the next scene certainly grabbed her attention of her back in her office at the Atlantix with Liam stopping by for lunch. Her eyes went wide at was playing on screen, causing her to shout out, "Hey! What the Hell is this?"
The trio looked in her direction, each directing a curious gaze towards her. Dusty walked into the living room, stopping next to her seat and passing a glance back and forth from the television to her.
She looked up at him in outrage and questioned, "There's some letter saying Liam has a son and he just admits it?"
Dusty nodded along and answered her with a hint of sympathy, "Yeah he did. He put his child up for adoption. He knew he wasn't ready to be a father— or his family did at least—then just you know… killing him. What's the problem? Other than him being a coward?"
The brunette shook her head then harshly replied, "This can't be real. How in the Hell did you get that? I don't know how you did it, but this… is all crazy and he wouldn't just do that."
The Southern young man cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Wouldn't he?"
Fallon knotted her brow for a moment, giving him a moment to continue, "My wife and I disagree on this point, but she thinks that at least in this case, he did what he thought was best for his child. He tried to do the right thing. He's the only person in your life that consistently tries to do the right thing other than Steven. I on the other hand think once again he was his mother's little… 'pet', a spineless little coward that just went along with her because he was too ball-less to stand up to her."
The Carrington heiress took a deep breath, meeting him with a challenging gaze from his insult to Liam. "No, not that… he would tell me," she retorted, shaking her head and looking defiantly up at him.
Dusty knotted his brow and countered with a soft laugh, "When and how? With all the mess you two have been through, how does he bring that up into a conversation?"
His brow rose and started speaking in an upbeat and almost flippant tone, "'Oh Fallon, while we've finally reunited after you picked that loser Culhane over me and I got tired of screwing that blonde's brains out to try to get over you, let me take a second to tell you that I knocked a girl up in high school and I put my child up for adoption because I was too spineless to stand up to my mommy in wanting to raise my child.'"
Fallon's eyes went a little wide, not expecting such a vicious insult towards Liam. She was about to counter, but he rolled his eyes as he finished, his voice filled with sarcasm, "Yeah, you can insert that in any random conversation." He quickly followed up with a smirk, "Oh, and besides, get off your high horse and just wait and see what you admit to him."
Fallon frowned and gave him a partial glare at how flippant he was towards her. However, his last statement caught her attention. She knotted her brow and demanded, "What do you mean by that?"
He braced his right hand on the top of the backrest, leaned over to bring his face about foot away from her face and whispered, "Your friend when you were a teenager you tried to save after you two hit daddy's liquor cabinet, but instead she took a nose dive off the staircase? Afterwards, she went 'missing'? You didn't get around to telling him about that or anybody. Only Anders knows that… when he dumped her body in your lake."
Fallon's eyes went wide and she felt like her heart dropped in her chest.
Dusty straightened up and motioned to the television. "Just keep watching… watch until the end of the episode," he finished with a regretful look on his face. "You'll certainly be on the edge of your seat… and royally pissed off."
Fallon just stared at him for a few moments then turned to continue watching the television, feeling her stomach become a bit queasy.
Dusty looked to his father and uncle and continued, "Come on, let's figure out how to get Heather back."
Northend Memorial Hospital
Atlanta, Georgia
'Dynasty-17' Universe
Joseph Anders partially sat up in his hospital bed, trying to convince his daughter that he was fine and needed to get back to work, "Well, then I owe Mister Carrington twelve hours, don't I? He needs me and I need things to get back to normal."
Heather heard Sam and Kirby start calling for a nurse while she and Liam approached the room, but she stated in a firm voice as she entered the room, "You stay right in that bed and get better."
The quartet turned their attention to the pair, surprised by the pair's appearance.
Liam tightened his smile when seeing Culhane and the former driver did the same at his appearance.
Heather walked to stand beside the right side of the bed. She took his right hand and gave it a squeeze. She looked to Kirby and asked, "I take it he's alright for the moment with wanting to leave?"
Anders was surprised at the level of concern by who he believed was Fallon, but remained silent as his daughter Kirby nodded and answered, "Yes, but he's being stubborn."
"Yes he is, but we can be just as stubborn," she softly laughed then looked to Anders. She looked him in the eyes as she stated, "You stay here until they say you can leave and if Blake has a problem with it, he'll just have a problem with it."
The loyal butler attempted to counter, "Your father will nee—"
"No, Bla—he needs to be here for you, not the other way around. You try to take care of everyone else but yourself. You need to take care of yourself now because next time…" she answered, but then trailed off with a concerned and regretful tone. She picked up with a deeply concerned tone, "…it might be the last time and instead of visiting you in the hospital, we'd be planning your funeral."
The thought of planning a funeral sent a shiver through Kirby's body and the expression on her face simply confirmed it.
Anders turned a patient smile to Fallon and replied, "I appreciate the concern Miss Carrington, but I feel better. I need to get back to the manor."
Heather sighed then replied in a tired voice, "Fine…"
She let go of his hand then turned and walked to the door then shut it behind her so they could have some privacy. She turned a stern look to him, one he had seen many times, but there was just something different in her eyes. She calmly asked, "Answer me this question: Who is more important to you, Blake or Kirby?"
Anders replied in a clipped tone, carrying with it that he felt offended with her simply asking the question, "What kind of question is that?"
"One that obviously needs answering," Heather replied, holding her ground with a stern gaze.
The loyal butler knotted his brow, almost confused with Fallon's reaction. After a few more moments, he answered, "Kirby of course."
She walked to join the others and continued, "Then why are you disregarding her wishes for your health to go rushing home to let Blake know what happened and pick up your job?"
Anders opened his mouth then quickly closed it, cutting himself off.
"I thought so," she answered with a soft smirk. She looked to Kirby and asked, "Just keep him here as long as the doctors thinks he needs to be here and make sure Blake gets the bill." She added with a somewhat flippant tone, "It's the least he could do."
"Right," Kirby nodded along, but a little curious to Fallon's generosity.
The brunette with tipped highlights turned her attention to Culhane and asked, "Can I speak with you two for a second though? It's very important."
Michael tighten his smile, thinking that Fallon had found out they were back together and she was about to butt her nose into their relationship despite the fact she shouldn't know about it. He politely replied with a smile, "Look Fallon, I do need to get back to the office—"
Heather sighed with a roll of her eyes. She met his eyes and picked up, "Fine, I'll tell you right here: Blake and Cristal are trying to set you up with the FBI. Cristal didn't go to the FBI to turn on Blake, but to spin a story to frame you."
The former chauffeur knotted his brow and asked without thinking, "What?"
The model turned actress quickly continued, taking advantage of his hesitation, "They made sure to plant the rest of the money in your apartment, not just the money Cristal gave you. Blake also got Adam to plant a fake email in the company server to try to make it look as if you tried to blackmail Blake into bribing the senator. He intends for you to go down to cover for his crimes. He's going to make sure your apartment is raided and the money is found on you."
There was a stunned pause after her quick rattle off of the plan against him. Culhane opened his mouth, but paused, unsure how to answer.
Heather nodded her head. She remembered what Fallon was going to tell him tomorrow, adding it, "Yes. What better way to prove his innocence then to hand over another suspect?"
He shook his head, finally able to find his voice and pointed out, "But Cristal, she came to me for help because he was going to try to blame her father and everybody thinks Blake is an abuser. She knows how bad he is."
"They're a good act… that's why after you're in prison, they're getting married. In fact, they're getting married tomorrow afternoon by the lake while you're being led away in handcuffs. It was a set up from the start after you figured out the embezzling."
Anders sat up more in bed and spoke up, "Blake wouldn't do that."
Heather let out a soft laugh then pointed at Culhane as she retorted, "Blake murdered his father and readily stood by and covered up knowing that thousands will be getting cancer from the spill of his power plant. He was willing to send Cristal—the first one—to prison to cover up his involvement, his own wife, how unbelievable is it that he'd set him up? Especially when he found out that he's working with Jeff to take him down? He needs a fall guy and Culhane is the perfect patsy."
The former driver's eyes went wide. He palmed his forehead and started walking around, realizing that as he thought about it, it made perfect sense. He turned to look to her and asked, "How do you know that?"
The brunette weakly smiled, slightly tilted her head to the side and replied, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Culhane took a step forward towards her and asked again with a firmer voice and a hint of a glare from his eyes, "No Fallon, how do you know all that? Did he let you in on his plan? Were you a part of it and suddenly having cold feet? Maybe trying to set him up for something?"
Heather slightly frowned, her eyes narrowed a little bit then spoke in a cool voice, "Step back."
There was a sharp tenor in her voice, a slight Northeastern accent that he never heard before, and it gave him pause. He thought he had seen every emotion from Fallon since he had known her, but this was something different. There was a coolness about the tone that Fallon never carried, either it was cockiness or her hot temper boiling just under the surface ready to be let out. He knotted his brow and instinctively took a step back even before Liam slightly slid between them.
The others could feel the tension spike in the room that Culhane nearly crossed a line Fallon apparently wasn't going to tolerate. She stared at him a few more moments, her jaw a bit set, to make sure he remained standing a step back from her.
After several seconds of Culhane wearing a confused, yet concerned expression, Heather continued with a softened voice, "No, he's playing me just as he's playing everyone else. He has me take over his shares in the company as cover and once you're the one in prison, he thinks he'll get control back and he walks away free while my company goes down the drain in the meantime for looking like I'm supporting a domestic abuser. I'd be force to come back to him to be part of his 'Dynasty' he's creating with the team. It is one of his obsessions: one big happy family under his thumb."
Culhane took the time to process what she had spoken, weighing the likelihood of the truthfulness of her words.
Kirby crossed her arms and challenged, "You still didn't answer his question: How do you know all this?"
"You wouldn't believe me. You think it's a wild, absurd lie… or you would think I'm crazy and put me in straightjacket," she replied then looked to Culhane. "And he already calls Fal—me a liar every time he doesn't like the truth, so I'm not interested in being called one again."
Culhene sighed and rolled his eyes away then shook his head.
Heather followed up with resignation in her voice, "You can believe me or don't. Either way, it would be safer if you didn't have the money stashed at your place, but I don't know if you can go back there and get rid of it. The FBI might already be staked out at your apartment."
Culhane took a breath and just thought on her words. He could feel the weight of her words and what he understood of Blake, it was exactly the sort of plan that he would put into motion even if he doubted her word at times.
Sam and Kirby were having the same internal debate, the strawberry redhead feeling the dread that Michael could go to prison.
Heather passed her glance over the others and continued, "If you do believe me, I think I have a plan to stop Blake or at least sabotage his plans."
Culhane held his gaze on her for a few more moments, studying her and feeling there was just something 'off' about her. He nodded along and questioned, "Let's just say everything you've said is true, what's your plan?"
Heather looked to Anders one more time, trusting that his loyalty will play out as it did in the episode, then back to the redhead then to Culhane. "There's supposed to be a press conference today about denying the charges against Blake and I'm supposed to defend him as the dutiful daughter, but instead, we reveal his plan to the world that he and Cristal are in on it together and that they're trying to set you up. It might just throw a big enough wrench in them having a fake case against you and leaving the cloud over his head. He'll never get control back of the team. The FBI's case may still fall through with him, but he'll finally be done. He won't have control of anything because I'll simply give you the stock."
Culhane slightly squinted and thought on her words. It was daring and a little unexpected from Fallon. After a few moments later, he remarked, "It could work, but what's the catch? You would actually give me the stock? There has to be a catch."
Heather softly smirked and cocked an eyebrow. She softly laughed as she answered, "Of course there is. The problem is we're just throwing that out and we have no proof of it. We don't know exactly what she told the FBI and there is already the email Adam's planted in the server making it look like you were setting up Blake. Even if you destroy the money, you're going to have a cloud hanging over you and they could always postpone the wedding to keep up the pretense."
Anders spoke up with a concerned tenor in his voice, "Fallon, you're talking about taking everything from your father."
"I'm talking about Blake finally answering for his crimes and stop Culhane from going to prison. Do want Culhane to go to prison? You want your daughter's boyfriend to go to prison to cover up his crimes? A man you respect outside of that?"
The butler opened his mouth then closed it, feeling a bit embarrassed. He nodded his head
"I see what you mean…"
Heather looked to Culhane and questioned with a slightly raised eyebrow, "So, we go with the plan or we wait for the FBI to arrest you?"
Culhane sighed and passed some glances to the others then looked to Kirby. "What do you think?"
"I don't want you to go to prison if that's what you're asking," she answered with a soft laugh that didn't have any humor in it.
Sam and Liam were glorified spectators for the moment as Kirby and Culhane thought over the proposal.
After a few more seconds of thinking it over, Culhane answered, "I could still be screwed. They could still arrest me if what you're saying is true."
The actress nodded her head as she replied, "You could, but if you have a better plan, I'm all for hearing it."
The new couple exchanged looks again then spared one to Anders before Culhane finally answered, "Okay, we go with that plan."
Heather nodded and let out a breath of relief, "Good. First thing we do is we get that money out of your apartment, but they're probably already watching your place already, just waiting to arrest you. They could just rush in and catch you in the act of getting rid of it."
The mood in the room quickly soured with the first stumbling block to the plan.
Anders spoke up, "I'll go."
The gathering turned to him with various levels of surprise.
He cocked an eyebrow and replied with a calm voice, "What? I'm the logical one if there is a risk of being caught. I can always talk my way out of it. I can say I did it under Mister Carrington's direction, but had a change of heart."
Kirby shook her head and immediately countered, "No, you are not doing that. I'm not going to risk you going to prison."
Heather quickly followed up, "Kirby is right and not just the risk of being arrested, but you just suffered a heart attack. The stress of an arrest could give you another one."
The room seemed to be deadlocked again until Liam spoke up, "I'll go and get it."
The group looked to him, sharing curious and surprised gazes.
Liam put on a charming, disarming smile as he answered, "What? I'm not connected to anything. I could go in and get the money out or worst comes to worst, destroy it?"
Heather reluctantly thought about it then answered, "That's up to you, if Culhane is willing. It's a risk."
Liam shrugged a shoulder and gave a boyish grin. "Sounds like a risk for anyone that goes. I just think I have the best shot. Besides, it's not like it's the first time that I've helped."
Culhane looked reluctant then replied in a tone that matched his expression, "Okay. I hope you know what you're doing Fallon."
"As I said, if you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it. I don't want you to go to prison," Heather earnestly answered, meeting his eyes.
The former chauffeur took a deep breath then slowly let it out, wearing a concerned expression to show he still had some doubts, yet genuinely believed her even with all the lies he believed she had told him in the past.
Just to remind people of some casting:
Cody Christian as Dustin 'Dusty' Hale
Elizabeth 'Liz' Gillies as Heather Fox
Elizabeth 'Liz' Gillies as Fallon Carrington
Jensen Ackles as Dean Hale
Misha Collins as Castiel
Okay, I hope you enjoyed this opening chapter and that it's hooked you to continue. Hopefully the next chapter will be next Friday. Take care, OneHorseShay