He looked over his suitcase one last time. Why was he bothering to do this? This was all his cousin's fault. They had been so close growing up, she was more a sister than a cousin. They had been nearly joined at the hip when they were younger. She was the original political correspondent. He followed in her footsteps. And he wound up being the better political one. She moved on to entertainment, which was her real love. She loved politics, and cared deeply about making a difference, but she cared more about what rich celebrities were doing what. She claimed it was so much more fun, that politics were too serious, too heavy for her now, and that she just wanted to have some fun being a reporter.
He picked it up and headed out to his car. The entire drive to Dulles all he could think about was how idiotic he was to go through with this. He wanted to turn back, but something was stopping him. That something was CJ. He wanted to see her again; he wanted to know what there was between them. He wanted to see her again. He wanted to know that she was alright. He wanted to be able to prove that he still loved her, that he still wanted her, and that if she would just take him, he'd marry her on the spot. He never was exactly afraid of marriage, but he had never really pictured himself settled down with a wife and kids before he had met CJ. Now, things were different, he found himself able to picture himself coming home to children, helping them with their homework, exchanging loving glances with CJ. He still could.
The entire plane ride, he alternated between kicking himself for going, and looking forward to what he was going to find. More importantly, who. But as the plane neared closer and closer to LA, he found the tension growing stronger and stronger. He didn't want to go. He wanted to turn back. He wanted to take the round trip ticket and use it as soon as he got off the airplane. But he knew his cousin wouldn't let him. he was forced to spend at least a week in LA. But at least his cousin promised that he wouldn't have to go see CJ. And Doreen usually kept her promises.
Although knowing her, she'd probably set up something where they'd just 'happen' to run into each other. He wondered what CJ thought, if CJ knew that she was his cousin. He knew that she had asked about him, which meant that Doreen had told her that she knew him, although they didn't look that much alike. They only had the same hair, the same eyes, and similar faces. Ok, so maybe they did look very much alike. His whole family did, they all had the same red hair, the same blue hazel eyes, and the same oval face. That must have been how CJ first noticed her, because she looked like him.
As the plane touched down, he found himself twitching with fear and anxiety. He collected his carryon bag, not trusting the airports with his luggage, and walked out into the terminal to find Doreen waiting there. The biggest difference between the two of them looks wise was that Doreen had hair down to the middle of her back, held by a large ornate clip, while his hair fell in messy curls to the nape of his neck. She ran up to him and gave him a tight hug that left him gasping for breath. "Danny! You actually came!" she seemed overjoyed. He grinned and laughed.
"Of course I did, would I let down my cousin? I know what you can say about me. I count as a media target now that I write bestselling books.'
"Bestselling?"
"Haven't you read today's NY times bestseller list?"
"Oh my god, Danny, that's wonderful! Congratulations!" Danny grinned, and followed her off towards her car. "It's so great to see you."
"Great seeing you too. How's California treating you?"
"I love it here. The sun's great. You should move out here. You're too pale and pasty." Danny looked down at his pale skin and laughed.
"I like being able to extra as a ghost."
"Well Boo to you too." this was what he missed; he missed the funny, sarcastic exchanges between him and his cousin. He missed the ones between himself and CJ as well. They just clashed so well that they got along. It felt so natural to be near his cousin again. They had been so close when they were younger, and he felt like he was 16 again, chilling with one of his best friends in the world. His sister was one of the few people he could trust, and he had told her every detail of his life. She returned the favor. After what was almost a decade of drifting apart, it felt like old times again.
He needed that. He needed to feel like he used to. He needed to get his mind off of CJ. If Doreen knew anything, it was how to distract someone. It was always one of the things that she did best. She was able to calm and comfort even the most distressed person. She claimed it was from her single year of nursing school. "Too much blood" she had claimed when she dropped out. She instead fell back on her major, journalism. She wound up loving it more than she ever liked anything along the lines of being a doctor.
"So, Doreen, what's on the agenda, what famous places are you taking me to?"
"Mann's Chinese theater work?"
"Sounds fun."
"First we have to stop by my office. It's semi-famous." She swung out onto Olympic boulevard, and pulled up in front of two large buildings. "Welcome," she said, gesturing around like a tour guide as she lead the way to the elevator, "to the century towers. Home of Doreen Concannon freelance media journalist. Also formerly home to Remington Steele Investigations."
"Thought this place looked familiar. James Bond before he made it."
"Yeah, this place feels a lot homier when you're in it than when you see it on TV."
"I can see how that can happen." She strode out of the elevator, and hung a left through a set of double glass doors, nodding to another woman sitting in the outer office. "Michelle, this is my cousin Danny, Danny, this is a reporter in training, Michelle." They shook hands, and Doreen lead the way into the back office. "Michelle's a lot better than she looks, but having someone below me in the outer office makes me look better." Danny laughed at his sisters selfishness, a selfishness he knew she needed in order to get anywhere in the world. "Anyways, just had to drop this thing off." She flopped a folder from her briefcase down on the desk, and picked up another two.
Danny was busying himself looking around the office at all the photos hanging on the wall of Doreen with famous people. "Hey, Dode, who's that?" he said, gesturing to one photographed that seemed to draw the eye directly to it.
"That," she said walking over to join him, "would be Robert Gleason, founding director of Cosmic Nation productions." Danny almost cringed. His self control was the only thing that stopped it. Cosmic Nation, that was the firm that CJ worked for. And as far as he could see, Gleason had a lot more going for him than Danny did. He wasn't what you would call gorgeous but the man certainly had charisma. He had close cropped grey hair streaked with black, penetrating soulful brown eyes, and one of those carefree grins of a man who knew he could take on the world and win. He wondered if that charisma had ensnared CJ as well.
"Cosmic Nation, eh?" Doreen knew exactly what Danny was implying by that simple sentence.
"Yes, Cosmic Nation. Great little firm. Shame they're in such trouble with John Goodman though. Anyways, just had to stop in here for that, let's go." Danny gave one last glare at the photo before walking out with his cousin.