Chapter One

The clock on the wall of Kelly's ticked endlessly as the hands spiraled around another hour. Dillon Quartermaine stared at it dolefully, sighing with each passing minute. Trying to ignore the waitresses' inquisitive glances, he slouched lower in his seat, tucking his chin onto his chest, bouncing his foot anxiously. Where the hell was Georgie? They had made plans to meet here on their lunch break and she was at least an hour and a half late. He had tried her cell phone numerous times even though he knew she always turned it off when she studied. And lately that was all she had time for, he grimaced then shook his head at his own selfishness. Georgie Jones was brilliant and ambitious; so much so that she had been accepted to every ivy league school on the east coast. It were these traits that had first attracted him and now a couple years later, he couldn't start to begrudge her for them. At the ding of the bell, he perked, dashing around in his seat. His face immediately fell at the sight of Mac Scorpio who still never looked pleased to see his youngest daughter's boyfriend.

"Dillon," Mac nodded politely, praying Georgie would hurry off to Brown or Harvard or wherever she chose.

"Mac," Dillon returned just as nicely, wishing his girlfriend's father would hurry up and retire, maybe relocate to Florida. "Um, have you happened to see Georgie around by any chance?"

"No, why? Is she missing?" he asked quickly, the timed response of every Port Charles resident.

"No, no, nothing like that. She's just a little late for our lunch date, that's all."

Mac visibly relaxed.

"Oh well, you know her. She's been really caught up in preparing for school lately. Speaking of that," he gave Dillon a hard look. "What are your future plans of late? You know graduation's right around the corner."

"Well, it's not mob apprenticeship if that's what you're worried about," Dillon laughed nervously. "I've, uh, been keeping pretty busy myself these days with the community theater. Me and Emily have been working really hard on producing a quality play. We've been holding auditions for days."

"I see. Well good luck," Mac clapped him on the back without any heart and Dillon sighed as he walked away. He knew that Georgie's father would never see him as anything but trouble; he was just a good for nothing Quartermaine, but the knowledge of it still brought him down. He tried and tried to prove to people that he was an anomaly of the clan, just like Jason and Emily but some never got over first impressions. As he was lost in thoughts, a whirlwind entered the restaurant. Georgie Jones huffed and puffed to the table, laden down with armfuls of books and a shoulder bag carrying a laptop. She immediately burst into a torrent of apologies.

"Oh my gosh, Dillon, I am just so sorry! My study group ran late and I just lost complete track of time! I know this is like the third time this week and-"

"Gee thanks for reminding me," he mumbled, then grabbed her hand, pulling her into the seat next to him. "Listen, babe, don't worry about it. Just sit and have a sandwich with me please."

He cringed at the pleading wide-eyed look she gave him and knew what she was going to say next. She never disappointed.

"Dill, I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me but I really have to pound in one more session. Alex just got this new study booklet straight from Yale chemistry textbooks and I just have to take a crack at it."

"Alex? Alex the nerd who you're always with these days?" Dillon sputtered. "Georgie, you see more of this Alex kid than you do me-your boyfriend! Happen to remember me?"

Georgie's face softened into a smile and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his shoulder.

"Of course, I remember you. I still love you and think about you all the time. You know that. Hey, how about I make it up to you tonight? We'll have a special dinner and maybe some special dessert…" she trailed off with a wink. "Come on, what do ya say?"

Dillon hesitated but couldn't help but melt at her tempting smile. He grumbled,

"Oh, alright already. Go do your nerdy stuff and…maybe I will take you up on that dessert."

Georgie laughed, squeezing him one last time,

"Ooh I knew you'd understand. Thank you sweetie and remember we're on for tonight."

With that she rushed out the door just like she had came and Dillon muttered,

"It's not me who had the problem remembering."

……

"Dillon? Dillon? Dillon, wake up!"

Dillon jolted back to awareness at the unusual tone of his cousin's voice. Emily Bowen Quartermaine Cassadine looked at him like he had sprouted another head.

"Dillon, what is wrong with you today? You've been drifting ever since your lunch break. I really need your input on these auditions. This is your script by the way."

"Shhh," he hissed. "We promised not to mention that. You know I'm afraid people won't take it seriously if they knew I wrote it."

"I know, I know. My lips are sealed," she smiled brightly. "But you can't keep a brilliant screenplay writer like yourself hidden under wraps for too long."

"Yeah, I know. Even Georgie doesn't know. I want it to be a surprise for anniversary; to let her know that her boyfriend is worth something."

Em ruffled his hair playfully and said,

"Well get your head out of the clouds while I go gather the next batch of girls, okay? The role of Natalie is too important for you to be not paying attention. You have to find the perfect one, the one you see in your head."

Dillon nodded his agreement and sunk lower into his chair. He wished his heads were in the clouds but instead his mind was focused on Georgie and his new nemesis Alex Kingston. He was the son of a professor at PCU with an extraordinarily high IQ and more extracurricular activities on his resume than Martin Scorsese movies. It bothered him immensely how much time Georgie spent with him and how much they had in common. It left him feeling out in the cold more times than one.

When Emily came back into the theater with a group of maybe eight girls following her, he shrugged off his dark thoughts and focused on the task at hand. Sitting beside him Emily whispered,

"Well, this is it. Our Natalie better be one of these ladies. Otherwise we're sunk."

"Okay," Dillon announced loudly, clapping to get their attention. "Girls, take your seats and we'll begin. First up is…"he trailed off to read the clipboard on his lap. " #39, this is your lucky day. You'll be auditioning first."

From the crowd a small tan girl dressed in shocking pink came forward. Setting a pretty face and shaking a mane of golden blond hair, she cleared her throat.

"Well, I'm, uh, Liberty Norton, I mean Liberty Jacks. You can call me Libby though. Well," she grinned. "Only if you give me the part. But hey, I'm ready when you are."

Emily leaned over and whispered in Dillon's ear excitedly.

"I know her! She's the secret daughter that showed up here a couple months ago. Poor Jax didn't know a thing about her; I guess he just had a one night tryst with her mother and well look at her. She's obviously his. I wonder if she's any good."

"We'll find out," he replied. "Okay well, feel free to begin, Libby. Start with page 5 and read the highlighted paragraph."

The girl surveyed him with laughing crystal blue eyes and said teasingly,

"You're awful young to be a director, don't ya think? What are you-a year younger than me?!"

Dillon coughed his indignation, flushing at her audacity. While he stammered a comeback, she bounced downstage and said jovially,

"Hey, don't worry about it, playboy. Okay, here goes nothing."

Like a magic spell that settled on the theater, everyone watched in silence as she performed. She moved with fluid like gestures and spoke in the gently passionate tones "Natalie" was supposed to. Her voice carried to the back wall and she mesmerized them.

"What, Johnny?" she recited, her eyes often leaving the script and resting on our audience. "You think I don't know what you do for a living? You think I don't know that you're a cold hard killer and a dirty, underhanded gangster? Well let me tell you something, Johnny Cavarone, I don't care what you do."

Dillon felt her gaze pin on him and he felt like mob hitman Johnny Cavarone staring at Natalie Rockwell and his breath caught in his chest. It was like he was the only one in the room as she continued,

"Some things are just meant to be and I was meant to sing in your club. I'm not here to judge you, convert you or even save you. I'm just here to love you and I hope you'll let me."

When her voice faded away the hush slowly broke over the theater and the New York accent was gone, a faster, perkier one in it's place. She threw up her hands and called over her shoulder,

"Well that's my best shot. Call me if I get it; ignore me if I don't. I don't deal well with spoken rejection."

Emily grabbed a stunned Dillon's arm and laughed excitedly,

"That was fantastic! Oh my god, Dillon, what do you think?"

Dilllon murmured slowly,

"I think we found our Natalie."

……

Late that night until a little past midnight, Dillon sat on the Scorpio's porch swing, waiting for Georgie once again. Finally when Dillon was about to call it a night, a sleek red sports car screeched up and Georgie piled out of it. She was laughing her goodbyes until she noticed a dark Dillon coming to meet her on the walk. She giggled nervously when he got close enough.

"Wow, you wouldn't believe how tough Yale science is."

"Don't bullshit me, Georgie," he cut her off. "I don't deserve to be tossed aside like this, no matter how important college is. If you can't see that, then maybe we shouldn't try to see each other at all."

Georgie went pale at the angry outburst and the hurt glisten in his eyes.

"Dillon, I'm so incredibly sorry. I know I've been saying that a lot lately but I don't know how else to put it. You're wonderful for being so patient these last few weeks and I'll make it up to you, I promise. It's just school takes up so much of my time these days."

"Hasn't it always?" he demanded, refusing to back down so easily this time. "When have I ever come first? I'm sick of it, Georgie!"

"I know, sweetie," she said quietly, taking his hand and holding it to her heart. "And I swear this won't happen again. I love you too much and I hate to hurt you. Please say you'll forgive me?"

Dillon hated to do it, hated himself for it, but he could never not forgive Georgie. She was his first love, his only love and those just didn't come around that often. Tucking her into the curve of him, he kissed her gently.

"I forgive you and I love you too. Now let's get out of here before Mac gets home."

The next few weeks passed in a crazy blur. Dillon was more and more up to his neck in play preparations and Georgie continued her constant studying. For a change, Dillon now often cancelled their plans, having to spend many week nights and weekend mornings holding practices in pregnant Emily's place. He was immersed in his story of territory wars, unshakable love and not to mention, the frequent usage of weapons, bar fights and sexual innuendos. His life practically became Johnny Cavarone's and he found himself creating a tight knit family among his cast. One morning when he was desperately trying to reach Georgie and the cast was filing in, Libby Jacks flitted into the theater, proving her nickname of "Hummingbird." She was quick as lightning in wit, comebacks, memorization and moods. She made everyone laugh and cry at the same time and still had the energy to coach others. Dillon recognized in her the same love and drive for acting that he had, drawing the two of them into a friendly, jokey relationship.

"Still trying to get a hold of the librarian?" she asked with a yawn, sitting on the floor in a strange lotus position. Dillon nodded and asked in confusion,

"What exactly are you doing, Libby? Besides being extremely weird, that is."

She gave him a 'I can't believe you don't know' look.

"I am aligning my harmony for the day if you must know. Duh. You should try it."

"No thanks," he chuckled. "I think my harmony's fine and I enjoy having circulation in my legs. And please don't call Georgie a librarian."

"Sure, no problem," she shrugged, rolling her eyes. "I'll lay off your lame girlfriend if you'll help your leading actress out."

"With what?" he sighed and she grinned sheepishly.

"I can't get up. There's kind of no feeling in my legs."

"I won't say I told you so," he chuckled, reaching a hand down to offer aid. "Okay, I will. I told you so, weirdo."

With an attacking growl Libby jerked on his arm fiercely, surprising him and causing him to topple off his chair, landing in a painful heap beside her and taking his coffee with him. The other cast members burst into laughter and Dillon rolled onto his side to look at her grumpily.

"You are such a pain in the ass," he snapped mock-angrily. As he began to tickle her on the floor in a puddle of lukewarm coffee, he heard a confused, hurt voice that quickly changed to anger.

"Dillon?! What are you doing?"

Dillon stopped and stared at Georgie, holding a bakery bag and wearing a frozen smile. As he started to explain, she fled.