Note: Thank you to all the lovely people who read this, and for all the feedback, support, and reviews. I hope everyone enjoys the slightly re-edited version. Please do read and review!
Disclaimer: Janet Evanovich own the plum series. I'm just borrowing it for profitless play time.
Chapter 4
I woke up weightless, floating suspended in absolute dark. Franticly I tried to reach out, find out where I was. Maybe I was blind? That would explain the total darkness, but... I couldn't move. Shit. I willed my arms to move, and then my legs, but nothing happened. I tried sitting up, moving my head- all with no results. I wasn't even sure if I was blinking.
I took a deep breath and screamed. At least I thought I was screaming. I didn't hear it, somehow. Maybe I was deaf too?
It took a few minutes of blind, gut-wrenching terror before I realized the truth. Okay, it might have been hours or days; I wasn't exactly in a position to know. Floating the warm darkness, I might have been in water but if I was it was exactly the temperature of my body and I couldn't even tell where it ended and I began. I felt tiny pinpricks in my arms and legs, or rather where my arms and legs should be, as if my brain was desperately trying to locate my body. I didn't take a lot of comfort in that- how many stories had I read about people feeling 'ghost limbs' after losing one?
Nope, the truth gradually sank in past the mind-numbing terror. I was dead.
Death wasn't what I had expected, however. I was fairly certain there was supposed to be some pearly gates or burning lakes, not floating in a cosmic pool. Unless this was limbo. Great. I'm dead and in limbo and I don't even know how I got here.
I realized the pinpricks had stopped about a heartbeat before my mind began flashing my entire life story in front of me. Ok, not the entire life story just hopelessly random scenes in no particular order. The only thing that everything had in common was the eerie clarity of everything. Colors, sounds, even smells rushed over me.
I just relaxed and enjoyed the show. I cringed as I watched a teenage Joe Morelli walk through the door of the Tasty Pastry and flash me a flirtatious smile. Of all the things... and then I was standing in my apartment in nothing but a towel, Ranger standing close enough I could feel his body heat as he put the SEAL's hat on my head then tucked a few wayward strands behind my ear. "Proud of you, Babe," he said softly. Even dead I felt a wave of heat. How sad is that?
But then those memories began to fade, and felt more distant. Like they were a part of some other life, or some place I could never go back to. And there were other, more colorful memories floating to the surface.
I found myself standing in a kitchen, slathering rich chocolate frosting on a cake, then turned to look up into the face of Charles Deering. I smiled and gestured to the cake. "Do you think she'll like it?"
"Of course she will. Your sister adores everything you do, darling, just like me." I laughed at him, brandishing the chocolate-laden butter knife threateningly. He rolled his eyes.
I lay back in the deck chair with a contented sigh and turned my head to watch my baby sister flirting shamelessly with one of the crewmembers. I shook my head and closed my eyes in surrender.
I opened them with a shriek at the sound of a gun firing close by. I was sitting at my parents' dining room table, a beautiful dinner spread out before me. The only thing amiss was the smoking hole in the turkey and the sad, broken state of the platter it was resting on. I glanced at my grandmother who was glaring at the gun in her hand. My eye began to twitch and I clapped my hand over it.
"Serena, are you all right?" someone asked, their voice concerned. I reluctantly opened my eyes, revealing an impossibly beautiful sandy beach and a vast expanse of glittering blue beyond it. I looked up into my sister's concerned gaze and nodded slowly.
"I'm fine. Just fell a little hard. Is Misty all right?" The horse in question nickered softly to my right. But when I looked to assure myself she was okay I wasn't at the beach anymore. I was sitting across a table from a Hispanic guy dressed like a rapper/thug and he was laughing.
"I always wanted to be Professor Higgins," he said in a deep voice, still chuckling. Gangsters watched My Fair Lady? And why was I discussing giving a gangster the role of Professor Higgins?
Good grief, I had to be tripping...
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They were back around the table in the conference room, Stephanie's seat conspicuously empty this time. No one mentioned taking it out, and no one looked at it either.
"So Haley has a habbit?" Tank prompted once everyone was seated.
"Yeah," Dom sighed, "Diet pills."
"Huh? Why does she need a dealer for diet pills?" Bobby looked skeptical. "They have whole aisles full of them in the store."
"Ephedra," Angel supplied. "Haley and her group at home popped Stackers like they were fucking candy even after the FDA banned it."
"So Deering keeps cheerleaders in diet heaven now?" Lester's eyebrows were raised.
"Along with his more usual clientele, yeah," Dante answered.
"How does this concern the case again?" Tank asked.
"Deering knows Haley. And I seriously doubt her resemblance to the girl who helped take him down went unnoticed. Which probably means that he knew damned well who he was kidnapping earlier. And he might just mean to keep them both."
"So who would he call for Haley's ransom?" Ranger's voice was calm and even.
"Her parents. But he hasn't called them. I have a team at home monitoring their phones," Dom answered. He slumped into his seat.
"Any other possibilities?" Ranger asked, looking around the room expectantly.
"Weasel," Angel said with a triumphant smirk, pushing a stack of papers forward. "I mean her ex, Alec Masters. Seems he's diversifying lately. His bank records show some pretty large withdrawals, funneled into accounts traceable to none other than our pal, Charles Deering. And he's made some even bigger deposits."
Ranger looked thoughtful. "Steph said Alec was in town?"
"I sent two of my guys to follow him," Dom said. "Didn't want him getting underfoot."
Dante was smirking. "Looks like he's more than underfoot. He's partnering up with Deering in something. Alec being a chemist and all, it doesn't take a genius to guess what it might be, but word on the street is it's not narcotics. Mind altering is the term that' s getting used but that could mean a lot of shit."
Ranger's eyes darkened and his face was set in grim lines. "So they've teamed up to get rid of both Stephanie and Haley, in addition to whatever drug they're creating."
"Looks like," Angel replied, sifting through the folder in front of him. "And the weird thing is that from what Dan and some of the others have gathered, this drug they're working on is being marketed to males. Rich, upscale guys." The tension in the room rose a few levels, until the air became alive with it
"Tank, I want a full team on Alec in addition to the guys Dom has on him," Ranger ordered, looking around at his men. "Every movement, every phone call. I want to know if he even breathes funny. Mean time, we prepare for the drop tonight. It's probably a dead end, but I am not taking that chance."
The others nodded and began filing out of the room to attend their tasks.
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I smiled and curled up a little more. I was comfortable, beyond that actually. This was sheer bliss. I was snuggled up in a soft, cuddly blanket, floating on a fluffy white cloud watching the whole world slowly turning below me. I thought it was much prettier from this angle, all bright colors and sparkling waters. No street gangs or ugly buildings, no fights or heartbreak; no ghettos or sleazy skips or skanky mafia princesses. All I needed was something to drink and life would be perfect... Drink... "Drink?" I asked the air around me.
"She's waking up," someone said. They sounded amused, which annoyed me. Why should I wake up when the dream was going so beautifully? Then again, I really wanted something to drink. Ah, the sacrifices. I tried to open my eyes but they didn't seem ready to cooperate. I kept trying though, until they finally began to drift open. I sighed in pleasure when I saw my surroundings- I was in a huge bed, soft and fluffy as the cloud I'd been dreaming of, looking up into a sheer mosquito net draping from the ceiling. The linens were white and had to be Egyptian cotton, while the walls were a warm cream color. A breeze ruffled the netting and drifted across my skin, bringing with it the scent of oranges and the tang of the ocean. Maybe I wasn't awake just yet.
"How are you?" Asked a familiar voice. I turned my head to see a vaguely familiar male. I squinted at him, and tried to figure out who in the hell I was looking at. He had a pleasant face, with sparkling green eyes and brown hair. A little young for me, but still handsome.
"Nice to see you again," he said, handing me a glass of water. "Take a drink. That stuff you took can cause some very nasty dehydration."
I took the glass, which looked suspiciously like crystal, and sipped the water quietly, still trying to figure out who he was. Light brown hair, nice build, early twenties... Finally my neurons seemed to wake up. Alec.
"Alec?" I asked for confirmation. "What are you doing here?" I asked him. "And where am I?"
"Me?" he chuckled. "I'm overseeing an investment," he smiled at me, and there was something a little unsettling in those green eyes. He really was a scary little combination of Dickie and Joe. Except for the eyes. The eyes had echoes of something else, almost hidden, but it was there all the same...
"Investment?" I asked, stalling for time. Alec just motioned to my glass.
"You'll see. Drink up. You don't want to go passing out do you?" I glared at him and downed the rest of the water.
"You made me hang up on Ranger," I said. Frowning at him. "He's probably really pissed about that."
Alec smiled condescendingly. "Don't worry about him. That's all in the past." He took my arm and pulled me into a sitting position. "Now we need to get going. You have an appointment."
"What the hell are you talking about Alec?" But my voice didn't hold the outrage it should have. In fact, I really wasn't that upset at all, come to think of it. And anyway, this wasn't bad as far as kidnappings went. Abruzzi and the Slayers had been a lot worse. No comfy beds, and more hitting. Besides, it all seemed so far away, so long ago. Almost like it was just a story…
I frowned, thinking that maybe I should be a lot more upset about this. Shouldn't I be kicking and screaming? I tried kicking and struggling then, but it took so much energy that I just kind of stumbled and fell forward. Luckily Alec caught me, and pulled me back upright.
"Now, bella," he said softly. "None of that. Just take some calm, deep breaths." And, surprisingly, I did. I knew I normally never would have, but arguing just seemed like so much wasted effort.
"Now isn't that better?" he asked, smiling reassuringly and I just nodded in response. "Let's get going, then." He put an arm around my waist and guided me slowly out of the room. I still felt like maybe this was more dream than real. I mean, how many kidnappers kidnap you to what looks like a gorgeous beachfront mansion, tuck you into Egyptian cotton sheets, and make sure you aren't dehydrated?
As we walked I got more and more steady on my feet, but Alec kept a hold of my arm, like a gentleman escorting a lady at some old fashioned ball. Except that I was still in my bounty hunting gear, and he was dressed like a yacht-club member. Wait, no I wasn't. I looked down at myself and stared in surprise. I was wearing a pair of breezy cotton pants and a light blue tank top. My feet were bare, but they had had a damn good pedicure recently. I was so busy staring I stumbled and fell into Alec again. It would have been a great opportunity to shove free and run for it but I was still dizzy. Maybe in a few minutes, when the dizzy goes away...
"Take it easy, bella," Alec chuckled and set me back upright. I nodded, and looked at him again. He hadn't said my name, I realized suddenly. Wasn't that odd?
We wove through a maze of hallways. Or maybe it was one hallway. I couldn't keep track of my surroundings from even one step to the next, so it could have been different dimensions and I wouldn't have been able to say. I yawned and thought how nice it would be to be back on the cloud this time with that mug of hot chocolate I'd wanted. This led my thoughts down other, more interesting paths, and I was in the middle of contemplating the origin of marshmallows when we stopped in front of a door. Alec looked at me seriously.
"Now, this is very important. You have to behave yourself or you'll get another shot. You need to stay awake and explain yourself."
"MMhm," I nodded. Explain myself? What did I have to explain, I wondered. Oh, maybe Ranger was waiting to yell at me for hanging up on him. I hadn't meant to…
Alec walked me through the door and into a library. There were polished wood floors and wooden shelves and lots and lots of books. I really should read more often. A man laughed somewhere to my left and I looked to see who it might have been. It took me a minute to recognize Charles Deering. He had aged since I had seen him, and his once dark hair was now more salt-and-pepper. He looked like a European gentleman, dressed in a casual linen suit, with a closely trimmed moustache and a heavy gold ring on his right hand.
"Good evening, my darling," he said in his pleasant baritone. I bet he was a good singer. "Glad you could join our little party. Care for something to drink?" He gestured to the small tray beside him, holding a variety of crystal or glass pitchers and decanters. The liquids sparkled like jewels in the light, taunting my still dry throat.
"Please," I said softly. Deering smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and handed me a glass of something cool and scarlet. "Thank you," I said my voice quiet and sleepy. "I thought Alec said I had a doctor's visit."
Deering laughed again. "Now if it isn't too much trouble, I need your help to answer a few questions." I tilted my head and frowned a little. I had the distant notion that I wasn't supposed to help him, but he seemed so nice… wasn't he a drug dealer though? Yes, and I had captured him… It all seemed so far a way and distant though. Surely something so long ago couldn't really be important.
"Questions?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink. I sighed in pleasure as the cool sweetness eased the dryness. Deering nodded and came to sit in the chair beside me. He took my free hand in his and fixed me with an intense stare.
"Do you know who you are?" he asked. I blinked and sat back a little. Of all the strange questions…
"Of course I know! I'm-" I stuttered to a halt when no name presented itself as the answer. My hands began to shake, then my entire body trembled. I would have dropped the glass if Alec hadn't appeared just in time to catch it. Charles squeezed my hand and sighed.
"I was afraid of this." He shook his head sadly. "I'm so sorry, my dear. I'm afraid it might have been inevitable…" I stared at him wide-eyed, a wave of panic rising inside me.
"Who am I?" I asked, my eyes beginning to fill with tears. "I caught you when you were-" I stopped. What had he been? I couldn't remember anymore. "I know you?" I looked desperately from one man to the other. "I know you, right? You're Charles Deering, and you are Alec Masters?"
"Don't panic, darling," Charles said calmly. "We will explain everything to you."
"Didn't you kidnap me?" I asked suddenly. "I hung up on someone, and you kidnapped me…" I shook my head and tried to think. Charles' hand touched my chin and tilted my head to look at him again. His kind blue eyes held mine.
"Your name is Serena." His voice was rich and musical. "And you belong here, with us. With me," he added with another smile. "You've just been very sick, love. It will affect your memory for a while, but everything will get better."
I thought about that. Thinking was so much hard work, why did I keep doing it? He was handsome, and kind. And oddly enough he thought I belonged with him. The knot of panic began to loosen and I accepted his words. "Sick?" I asked.
Alec reappeared and handed me a glass of the juice or whatever it was. "Fever, and It's gone on for weeks now. It's affected your memory, but it should be temporary." I breathed a sigh of relief and stared down into the dark crimson liquid, watching the light play across it as I turned the glass.
"Serena…" I mused over my name.
"Serena Darling," Charles said with a note of pride in his voice. I turned the name in my head, examining it like I did the drink. Something about it was a little foreign, but I liked it anyway. Serena Darling, who lived in a palace by the sea, complete with a handsome king. I smiled and looked up into Charles' blue eyes. He smiled and I saw a note of triumph in it. He leaned forward and kissed my cheek.
A thought drifted into my muddled head. Everything had happened so fast... wasn't there something else I was looking for? Wasn't I supposed to be somewhere? Everything was dancing now, and the world was blurring a little, but in a happy way. It was like I was in that place right on the edge of going to sleep when you've lost 10 lbs, found the perfect pair of shoes, got a date with a hot guy, and money in the bank all in the same day. I hadn't been there often before, so it was a nice feeling. "Can I have some ice? I feel dizzy..."
"Take this," Alec said, appearing on my other side, a pair of pills in his hand. "They'll help with the dizziness." I took them and downed them with the remainder of the juice.
"Take her back to her room," Charles told Alec. "I'll have something sent up for lunch." He rose, then helped me to my feet. "Now, darling, go get some rest. And then you can have a visitor this afternoon."
"Visitor?" I asked, swaying slightly and fighting to stay standing.
"Your younger sister. She's very eager to see you again," he said, handing me off to Alec. I shook my head wonderingly. I didn't remember having a sister, at least not one younger. I had a vague idea of there being an older sister, but we were out the door before I got my head and mouth to reconnect. "Haley?" I looked up at Alec as he guided me down the hall. He just smiled.
"She's going to be thrilled you're awake again," he said. "But you can visit later. For now just get some rest. Whenever you wake up, we'll get you ready for visitors."
We were in my room again. How'd we do that? I knew that walk was longer than that... wasn't it? Too much thinking. That was it. Too much. I crawled back into the bed. Time to get back to my cloud.
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As I slowly resurfaced back into the land of the living, I wondered vaguely how long I had slept. An hour? A day? It didn't really matter of course, but I felt mildly curious. Truthfully, the way I felt it might have been a week, but at leastI was relaxed. It was heaven. This bed was heaven. This feeling was heaven.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Alec's voice interrupted my happily drowsy train of thought. I sighed and looked to see him leaning against the doorframe.
"'Morning," I replied. "Shower?" I started to sit up as slowly as I could. The dizziness wasn't as bad this time around, so I decided to go for broke and try standing. It was slow going but I managed not to fall over.
While I struggled out of bed Alec walked across the room and opened a door I hadn't noticed. "The shower's in here. Do you need any help?" He asked gently. I took an experimental step, and then another. I didn't stumble, and it was a mostly straight line. Still, I held off my judgement until I was standing next to him.
"I think I'll be fine."
He nodded, and gestured to another door behind him. "There are some clothes in the closet. Call me when you're ready." And he was gone. I sighed, wishing I could move that fast, but I really didn't want to push my luck right now. Maybe later.
My angst over my current lack of agility was cut short when I looked at the bathroom I had just entered. Cool marble, shining silver, mirrors... modern but vaguely old world. Props to the decorator for pulling that one off. There was a large set of cabinets on the wall to my right. The bottom turned out to have a supply of huge and impossibly fluffy towels in coordinating colors, and the top... the top was a further extension of the heaven theory. Stocked full of skin creams, potions, powders, and every type of hair product for curly hair I could ever have imagined, along with several sizes of curling irons and a selection of Clinique make-up. I snagged some expensive-looking shampoo and conditioner, some body wash and jumped into the shower.
Sweet lady but the shower was heavenly as well. Not quite as good as Ranger's but... Ranger.
I dropped my loofah to the floor in shock and watched it lay there as the rest of that thought registered. When had I hung up on him? And for that matter who was he? A friend? Or some product of my fever-induced hallucinations? I bit my lip as I thought about the possibilities. I'd have to ask Charles or Alec. Or my sister. I felt my spirit sink a little under the guilt I felt over forgetting someone like a little sister.
My hair blow dried and gelled into submission, and still feeling like I was getting ready for my own funeral, I padded out to the closet. My enthusiasm for the heaven idea dissipated as I eyed the contents. Dresses. Skirts. A few slacks or cotton pants like I had been wearing when I woke up. I had been hoping for jeans for some reason. I went over my options for several minutes before finally slipping on a cute red sundress with a halter neckline and an almost-modest hem. Checking myself out in the mirror, I couldn't help but smile. It was a nice look for me.
A knock at the door broke my concentration. "Come in," I said, even as I turned and headed toward it.
The door opened to reveal Alec. He took in my change of clothing and smiled appreciatively. "You look beautiful, Serena. Red suits you." I smiled and was about to thank him when he stepped inside to allow someone else through. "Serena, Alia is here to see you," he announced.
A young woman with curly hair a few shades blonder than my own and my own blue eyes stepped inside hesitantly. She wore a white princess lined sundress and her feet bare. Her smile was dazzling and I smiled back. My little sister, Alia. A momentary twinge of doubt entered me when I realized this wasn't the name that had been on the tip of my tongue, but I pushed it away. Later. I'd worry about it later. For now, I did know her, somewhere deep down, and I was genuinely glad to see her.
"I missed you so much!" she cried, rushing forward to engulf me in a hug. I returned it happily.
"Me too. Are you all right?" I inquired, worried that maybe she had been ill as well. She just laughed.
"Of course I am. Alec is here!" She stepped back and took Alec's hand, looking up at him adoringly for a moment before looking back at me. "And now you're better and everything will be so perfect!" I smiled at her and nodded. She was right, it was all going to be perfect. I didn't know what I had been so worried about.
Someone brought us a lunch tray, complete with the divine juice though this time I noticed the faint alcohol taint, and somewhere in between the conversation and the Boston crème cake, whatever few bits of worry I had were eased away again. Alec excused himself to take a phone call in the middle of the meal.
A few minutes after he left, Alia's eyes darted toward the door. "I miss him already! Isn't that so silly?"
I laughed at her, sinking back in my seat. I felt full, and contented and... calm. She seemed pretty calm too, especially for someone who seemed to have such a tremendous inner energy. "It's not silly," I reassured her. "Silly is trying to figure out if someone is real or just a hallucination." Her eyes flew to mine as if I had just grown a second head.
"What?" she asked, clearly startled. I merely laughed and waved my hand through the air.
"There's this guy, named Ranger. I keep thinking about him, mainly thinking I hung up on him for some weird reason, but since I'm so messed up I can't even figure out if he's real or not." I sighed and rested my chin on my hand, regarding her over the remains of dessert. "Do you know him? Is he a friend of mine or something?" Alia frowned and looked thoughtful.
"I don't know. The name sounds familiar. Maybe it was a very long time ago? Back before Mama and Daddy died?" This sat me back in my seat. Our parents were dead? I swallowed hard and shook my head.
"They're dead? I don't even remember them…"
Alia gasped at that and seized my hand where it lay on the table. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even think- Oh, forgive me, Serena? I forgot. I'm terrible about that. But don't worry. You'll remember everything again. You'll see! The professor's never wrong about stuff like this."
I sighed and nodded, taking a sip of my drink. I hoped she was right. "Professor?" I asked to distract myself.
"Charles," she laughed, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks. "It is a silly name, isn't it?" I took another sip and laughing.
"Not really. I think it fits." I paused reflecting on the other questions that had been burning in my mind recently. The breeze drifting through the window jogged my memory on at least one of them. "Where are we?" I asked softly.
Alia shrugged. "Goldwater Island."
I just stared at her. "What?"
She had the good grace to look a little sheepish. "The professor's private island. He didn't have a name for it, and Neverland was taken." She made a disgusted face. "I could just kill Michael Jackson for ruining that name."
I poured myself another glass of the drink and agreed with her.
I took another drink and realized my worries had eased away again. It was lovely to sit in the palatial room and look out the huge window at the ocean and the beach and just drift away in thought, or lack of. But glancing at Alia I could see her still trying to think, she'd looked off balance since my question about hallucinations. I wondered at her reaction, but it was hard to really worry as the languor of the tropical sunset seeped into my soul.