Chapter 2
Pine Valley
Jax, Skye and Jet arrived at the hospital, and were directed to the waiting room at ICU. When Skye saw Hayley, she gave her a big hug. Jax asked Mateo for an update on Lorenzo's condition. "He's in stable condition. We were fortunate that Doctor Hayward was there or it could have been worse. He should be back in business in no time." Mateo saw Jet listening in, and put his hand on his shoulder. "He's going to be just fine. You can go see him, if you like, as soon as Colby comes out." Jet nodded silently. He sat down to wait. After awhile, Colby came out of Lorenzo's room. Jet jumped up and walked over to her. "How is he?" Surprised to see her nephew from Port Charles, she tossed her hair. "It's good to see you too, Jet. You are so right, it has been a long time." Jet frowned in bewilderment, then realized her meaning. "I apologize for not formally greeting you, Colby. But now is not the time for games." She lifted her chin. "Lorenzo is doing fine. He could probably use some cheering up. Are you capable of that?" He glared at her, and went into the room.
Lorenzo saw Jet, and gave a weak smile. "I'm glad you came, cousin. But I'm not quite ready for my next assignment yet." Jet smiled in spite of himself. "DVX must know you'll be a terrific agent. Why else would they want to eliminate you right off the bat?" Lorenzo attempted a laugh, but it hurt too much. "Are you going to try and capture who did this?" Jet sat down. "I would love to, but the WSB won't allow it. They say I could not be objective. They'll assign someone else to the case." Lorenzo nodded thoughtfully. "But they do think it is DVX?" Jet shrugged. "Anna seems convinced of it. But I have my doubts. It could have been a DVX agent, but perhaps not acting on DVX orders. Its just not their style to execute WSB agents unless its during an operation. I've long suspected that there's a double agent in the Bureau who is becoming increasingly sloppy. The assassin could be that same double agent, and he or she is afraid of being found out." Lorenzo looked surprised. "Found out by me?" Jet nodded. "What was your most recent assignment?" Lorenzo opened his mouth to reply, and then narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said you were't assigned to this case?" Jet smiled sheepishly. "Okay, okay. No more interrogations. I will let you rest. Please take care of yourself." Lorenzo nodded and closed his eyes.
Jet left the room, and was confronted by Colby again. "I didn't know you and Lorenzo were close." He shrugged. "We are." He was a man of few words. "So do you still teach at that martial arts school?" He nodded. "Yes." She tried not to look annoyed. "Do you have any plans for it?" He frowned. "Plans?" Colby felt a headache coming on. "Yes, plans. For instance, do you think you will buy it from the owner? Or perhaps open your own school, turn it into a franchise, whatever?" He laughed. "Why would I do that? I enjoy teaching, so I will continue to teach." She was amazed. "Don't you have any ambition? Any desire to make something of yourself?" Jet folded his arms. "I have made something of myself. I teach martial arts to those who want to learn." She shook her head. "But you could do so much more! Are you even aware of who your parents are? Two very successful business people with gobs of money, power, and fame. Don't you want to take advantage of the choices your upbringing has offered you? You could do anything you wanted. Anything!" Jet cocked his head and smiled. "You do not even realize that you are arguing my position. Let's imagine for a moment that Jax and Skye did not adopt me. Imagine that a poor fish merchant in China adopted me instead. It is highly likely that my only career option would have been to become a fish merchant like my father. I would have been miserable, of course."
Colby nodded. "Of course! Because you wouldn't have had a choice." He smiled again. "Exactly. But I did not grow up without choices. I grew up in a rich family where I can have anything I want, supposedly." She frowned. "Supposedly?" Jet spread his hands. "Supposedly. Without money, there are no expectations because there are no choices. But with money comes choices, and also expectations. Everyone expects me to become just like my parents, a successful business man with gobs of money, power and fame. But if I did what everyone expects, I would be just as miserable as if I had become a fish merchant. What I want to do is teach martial arts. That is what I am doing. Period." He walked away, leaving Colby behind to fume in silence. She wondered why she harped on him about his career choice. She didn't care what he did. It wasn't like she followed in her father's footsteps. She was doing what she wanted – she was a ballerina. Maybe it was because when she looked in his eyes, she saw someone who was very dynamic. Someone who could set her…um…the world on fire. It just seemed to annoy her that he wasn't living up to what she saw in him.
Llanview
Starr sat on her bed, deep in thought. She watched the tarantula crawl up her arm. "So what do you think Fuzzy Feet? Who should I pick to be a mole at The Sentinel?" She sighed. "I know, I know. Who am I kidding? Of course I'm the best person for the job." The spider crawled onto her chest and down her belly. "I don't think it would be a problem. Mic Corinthos would never suspect who I am. Everyone still thinks that Daddy runs the newspaper. Its his way of shielding me from the harrassment of angry constituents. And there are very few photos of Jack and I in circulation – Daddy is very concerned about privacy. If I infiltrate The Sentinel, I seriously doubt anyone would have the remotest clue who I am." Fuzzy Feet had reached her knee by this point. "Besides, it would allow me to spend more time with Jack. I know, I know. Why would I care about spending time with my bratty little brother? Well, I'll tell you why. He may be annoying, but he is family. And I do love him. Don't go spreading that around, though." She picked up Fuzzy Feet and put him back in his habitat. "Sorry to leave you, bud. I have a wedding to attend."
It wasn't really a wedding. Asa Buchanan was renewing his vows with his wife, Renee. It was a grand affair, planned to perfection by CC Collins. The guests had a marvelous time, and in between bouts of bickering, the happy couple seemed to enjoy it too. Matt and Jack stood over by the refreshment stand, surveying the crowd. "Hey, did you see the babe who organized the event?" Jack shook his head. "She would take your breath away. I could write a song about her." Jack grinned. "She'd probably love that. Chicks dig that sort of thing." A deep voice behind them responded. "True, but if you write too many songs for too many chicks, they no longer seem to appreciate the sentiment." Jack and Matt turned around to see River Carpenter standing there. Jack clapped him on the back. "Coz! Great to see you! Mom will be thrilled that you came." River rolled his eyes. "Isn't she occupied enough with clucking over you and Starr? Must she play mother hen to me, also?" Jack shrugged. "Hey, she cares. Would you rather that no one gave a damn about you?" River looked at the ceiling. "A man can dream, can't he?"
Matt rapped his hand against Jack's shoulder. "Speaking of dreaming, here she comes." CC Collins walked over to the refreshment table, perusing the offerings to see if anything needed replenishing. She saw the three men watching her, and smiled. River was struck by how dazzling it was. A ray of sunshine that his life had not seen in a very long time. He glanced at Matt and Jack, who didn't move a muscle. Adopting a devil-may-care attitude, he strolled over to CC. "My two young friends would like very much to meet you, but they are too caught up in the first strains of puppy love. I decided to take pity on them and make the introductions." CC raised one eyebrow. Matt heard River's words and glared daggers at him. Seeing Matt's ire, Jack squelched his desire to laugh. He grabbed Matt's arm and drug him over to River and CC. River continued, "My name is River Carpenter. This is Matt Rappaport and Jack Manning." CC smiled again. "I'm Christina Collins. But you can call me CC."
River nodded. "CC, it's a pleasure. You may be interested to know that Matt and Jack are starting up a band. What are you calling it? In Your Dreams, or something like that?" Matt gritted through his teeth. "Its called Dream Weaver." He smiled at CC. "I'm the lead singer, and Jack will be playing the drums. We're still searching for a keyboard player and guitarist." CC tilted her head. "I know a very talented pianist, but he lives in Pine Valley." Matt raised his eyebrows. "Does he play rock music?" CC nodded. "He's very versatile. He ultimately wants to become a jazz pianist, but he's willing to get started any way that he can." Matt was excited now. "Can you give me his phone number? I'd love to meet him." She smiled and pulled out her daytimer. She found Pete Cortlandt's number, and wrote it down for Matt. He flashed her a smile. "This is so cool! Thanks!" Annoyed that Matt was getting all the attention, River reclaimed the conversation. "So, CC, how is it that you know Asa and Renee?" She focused her beautiful eyes back on him. "I don't really know them. Renee hired me to organize their vow renewal. I'm an event planner." River looked thoughtful. "I've been to a number of events here in town and I don't recall seeing you before. Are you new to the business?" She shook her head. "I've been doing this a couple of years. I travel around to various towns. I am new to Llanview. This is my first event here, and I hope to have more."
River hid his disappointment that she wasn't a local. "Where do you live when you aren't travelling?" "Port Charles, New York." Jack's face lit up. "Hey, I go to school there!" CC smiled at him. "Really? PCU?" Jack nodded. "I'm an undergraduate right now, premed. I want to be a doctor." CC nodded. "PCU has a great medical school that works closely with General Hospital. I wish you well." Matt horned in. "I'll be heading up to Port Charles with Jack. When we get the band together, we want to audition for L&B Records." CC nodded again. "Good choice. They've backed some great musicians, and are very fair with their contracts. Again, I wish you well." She smiled at the three men. "Well, I have to make my rounds. Its been nice meeting you all." She started to turn away, and River put his hand on her shoulder. "Um…CC. Do you have a business card you could give me? In case I ever want to plan an event, or know of someone who needs your services." She flashed her dazzling smile again, and pulled out her day timer. She extracted a card and handed it to him. As he took it, their fingers brushed. He couldn't be sure, but he thought maybe her cheeks turned a slightly darker shade of pink. He was having trouble breathing. He smiled slowly. "Thank you very much, CC." She nodded and walked briskly away.
Pine Valley
Jax, Skye and Jet arrived at the hospital, and were directed to the waiting room at ICU. When Skye saw Hayley, she gave her a big hug. Jax asked Mateo for an update on Lorenzo's condition. "He's in stable condition. We were fortunate that Doctor Hayward was there or it could have been worse. He should be back in business in no time." Mateo saw Jet listening in, and put his hand on his shoulder. "He's going to be just fine. You can go see him, if you like, as soon as Colby comes out." Jet nodded silently. He sat down to wait. After awhile, Colby came out of Lorenzo's room. Jet jumped up and walked over to her. "How is he?" Surprised to see her nephew from Port Charles, she tossed her hair. "It's good to see you too, Jet. You are so right, it has been a long time." Jet frowned in bewilderment, then realized her meaning. "I apologize for not formally greeting you, Colby. But now is not the time for games." She lifted her chin. "Lorenzo is doing fine. He could probably use some cheering up. Are you capable of that?" He glared at her, and went into the room.
Lorenzo saw Jet, and gave a weak smile. "I'm glad you came, cousin. But I'm not quite ready for my next assignment yet." Jet smiled in spite of himself. "DVX must know you'll be a terrific agent. Why else would they want to eliminate you right off the bat?" Lorenzo attempted a laugh, but it hurt too much. "Are you going to try and capture who did this?" Jet sat down. "I would love to, but the WSB won't allow it. They say I could not be objective. They'll assign someone else to the case." Lorenzo nodded thoughtfully. "But they do think it is DVX?" Jet shrugged. "Anna seems convinced of it. But I have my doubts. It could have been a DVX agent, but perhaps not acting on DVX orders. Its just not their style to execute WSB agents unless its during an operation. I've long suspected that there's a double agent in the Bureau who is becoming increasingly sloppy. The assassin could be that same double agent, and he or she is afraid of being found out." Lorenzo looked surprised. "Found out by me?" Jet nodded. "What was your most recent assignment?" Lorenzo opened his mouth to reply, and then narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said you were't assigned to this case?" Jet smiled sheepishly. "Okay, okay. No more interrogations. I will let you rest. Please take care of yourself." Lorenzo nodded and closed his eyes.
Jet left the room, and was confronted by Colby again. "I didn't know you and Lorenzo were close." He shrugged. "We are." He was a man of few words. "So do you still teach at that martial arts school?" He nodded. "Yes." She tried not to look annoyed. "Do you have any plans for it?" He frowned. "Plans?" Colby felt a headache coming on. "Yes, plans. For instance, do you think you will buy it from the owner? Or perhaps open your own school, turn it into a franchise, whatever?" He laughed. "Why would I do that? I enjoy teaching, so I will continue to teach." She was amazed. "Don't you have any ambition? Any desire to make something of yourself?" Jet folded his arms. "I have made something of myself. I teach martial arts to those who want to learn." She shook her head. "But you could do so much more! Are you even aware of who your parents are? Two very successful business people with gobs of money, power, and fame. Don't you want to take advantage of the choices your upbringing has offered you? You could do anything you wanted. Anything!" Jet cocked his head and smiled. "You do not even realize that you are arguing my position. Let's imagine for a moment that Jax and Skye did not adopt me. Imagine that a poor fish merchant in China adopted me instead. It is highly likely that my only career option would have been to become a fish merchant like my father. I would have been miserable, of course."
Colby nodded. "Of course! Because you wouldn't have had a choice." He smiled again. "Exactly. But I did not grow up without choices. I grew up in a rich family where I can have anything I want, supposedly." She frowned. "Supposedly?" Jet spread his hands. "Supposedly. Without money, there are no expectations because there are no choices. But with money comes choices, and also expectations. Everyone expects me to become just like my parents, a successful business man with gobs of money, power and fame. But if I did what everyone expects, I would be just as miserable as if I had become a fish merchant. What I want to do is teach martial arts. That is what I am doing. Period." He walked away, leaving Colby behind to fume in silence. She wondered why she harped on him about his career choice. She didn't care what he did. It wasn't like she followed in her father's footsteps. She was doing what she wanted – she was a ballerina. Maybe it was because when she looked in his eyes, she saw someone who was very dynamic. Someone who could set her…um…the world on fire. It just seemed to annoy her that he wasn't living up to what she saw in him.
Llanview
Starr sat on her bed, deep in thought. She watched the tarantula crawl up her arm. "So what do you think Fuzzy Feet? Who should I pick to be a mole at The Sentinel?" She sighed. "I know, I know. Who am I kidding? Of course I'm the best person for the job." The spider crawled onto her chest and down her belly. "I don't think it would be a problem. Mic Corinthos would never suspect who I am. Everyone still thinks that Daddy runs the newspaper. Its his way of shielding me from the harrassment of angry constituents. And there are very few photos of Jack and I in circulation – Daddy is very concerned about privacy. If I infiltrate The Sentinel, I seriously doubt anyone would have the remotest clue who I am." Fuzzy Feet had reached her knee by this point. "Besides, it would allow me to spend more time with Jack. I know, I know. Why would I care about spending time with my bratty little brother? Well, I'll tell you why. He may be annoying, but he is family. And I do love him. Don't go spreading that around, though." She picked up Fuzzy Feet and put him back in his habitat. "Sorry to leave you, bud. I have a wedding to attend."
It wasn't really a wedding. Asa Buchanan was renewing his vows with his wife, Renee. It was a grand affair, planned to perfection by CC Collins. The guests had a marvelous time, and in between bouts of bickering, the happy couple seemed to enjoy it too. Matt and Jack stood over by the refreshment stand, surveying the crowd. "Hey, did you see the babe who organized the event?" Jack shook his head. "She would take your breath away. I could write a song about her." Jack grinned. "She'd probably love that. Chicks dig that sort of thing." A deep voice behind them responded. "True, but if you write too many songs for too many chicks, they no longer seem to appreciate the sentiment." Jack and Matt turned around to see River Carpenter standing there. Jack clapped him on the back. "Coz! Great to see you! Mom will be thrilled that you came." River rolled his eyes. "Isn't she occupied enough with clucking over you and Starr? Must she play mother hen to me, also?" Jack shrugged. "Hey, she cares. Would you rather that no one gave a damn about you?" River looked at the ceiling. "A man can dream, can't he?"
Matt rapped his hand against Jack's shoulder. "Speaking of dreaming, here she comes." CC Collins walked over to the refreshment table, perusing the offerings to see if anything needed replenishing. She saw the three men watching her, and smiled. River was struck by how dazzling it was. A ray of sunshine that his life had not seen in a very long time. He glanced at Matt and Jack, who didn't move a muscle. Adopting a devil-may-care attitude, he strolled over to CC. "My two young friends would like very much to meet you, but they are too caught up in the first strains of puppy love. I decided to take pity on them and make the introductions." CC raised one eyebrow. Matt heard River's words and glared daggers at him. Seeing Matt's ire, Jack squelched his desire to laugh. He grabbed Matt's arm and drug him over to River and CC. River continued, "My name is River Carpenter. This is Matt Rappaport and Jack Manning." CC smiled again. "I'm Christina Collins. But you can call me CC."
River nodded. "CC, it's a pleasure. You may be interested to know that Matt and Jack are starting up a band. What are you calling it? In Your Dreams, or something like that?" Matt gritted through his teeth. "Its called Dream Weaver." He smiled at CC. "I'm the lead singer, and Jack will be playing the drums. We're still searching for a keyboard player and guitarist." CC tilted her head. "I know a very talented pianist, but he lives in Pine Valley." Matt raised his eyebrows. "Does he play rock music?" CC nodded. "He's very versatile. He ultimately wants to become a jazz pianist, but he's willing to get started any way that he can." Matt was excited now. "Can you give me his phone number? I'd love to meet him." She smiled and pulled out her daytimer. She found Pete Cortlandt's number, and wrote it down for Matt. He flashed her a smile. "This is so cool! Thanks!" Annoyed that Matt was getting all the attention, River reclaimed the conversation. "So, CC, how is it that you know Asa and Renee?" She focused her beautiful eyes back on him. "I don't really know them. Renee hired me to organize their vow renewal. I'm an event planner." River looked thoughtful. "I've been to a number of events here in town and I don't recall seeing you before. Are you new to the business?" She shook her head. "I've been doing this a couple of years. I travel around to various towns. I am new to Llanview. This is my first event here, and I hope to have more."
River hid his disappointment that she wasn't a local. "Where do you live when you aren't travelling?" "Port Charles, New York." Jack's face lit up. "Hey, I go to school there!" CC smiled at him. "Really? PCU?" Jack nodded. "I'm an undergraduate right now, premed. I want to be a doctor." CC nodded. "PCU has a great medical school that works closely with General Hospital. I wish you well." Matt horned in. "I'll be heading up to Port Charles with Jack. When we get the band together, we want to audition for L&B Records." CC nodded again. "Good choice. They've backed some great musicians, and are very fair with their contracts. Again, I wish you well." She smiled at the three men. "Well, I have to make my rounds. Its been nice meeting you all." She started to turn away, and River put his hand on her shoulder. "Um…CC. Do you have a business card you could give me? In case I ever want to plan an event, or know of someone who needs your services." She flashed her dazzling smile again, and pulled out her day timer. She extracted a card and handed it to him. As he took it, their fingers brushed. He couldn't be sure, but he thought maybe her cheeks turned a slightly darker shade of pink. He was having trouble breathing. He smiled slowly. "Thank you very much, CC." She nodded and walked briskly away.