Disclaimer: Janet Evanovich owns the Stephanie Plum series.

Note: Hope you are enjoying this. Please read and review, okay?

Zoeykitty: I've always thought the whole 'Burg housewife thing was pretty Stepford, and how Steph seems to be always considering 'Burg expectations and marriage. Urgh. I just let Deering push it along.

BGLI: -Grin- See, I told you it wasn't gone forever!!

Valin: Thank you I hope you enjoy it even more this time around.

MysticMagsy: blush Thank you very much!

Chapter 5

Dominic paced the floor of the penthouse apartment. He couldn't sleep, and when he did he found himself dreaming of Haley. Always the same dream, over and over. It was a mission, scouting through a house, stumbling onto a room so dark he couldn't see a hand in front of his face. The darkness was cloying, suffocating and disturbingly alive, but he heard someone crying inside, then a painfully familiar voice calling his name. He stepped inside and nearly stumbled over Haley. He would kneel in front of her, his heart pounding as he realized she was all right, not even a scratch on her. Then he would reach out to wipe away her tears, but she shied away from him, crying harder. He could see her clearly for a moment, see her blue eyes widen with fright, staring at him like he was a stranger. And then she was gone.

Frankly, insomnia was better than having that damned dream one more time, better than seeing the fear in her eyes. That dream was the reason caffeine was invented. Besides, there was plenty for him to stay awake and get done. Like keeping tabs on Alec and keeping Dante from marching in and torturing any and all intel out of the little weasel. No matter how much he wanted to help.

Personally, Dom wouldn't have minded letting Dan and Angel have Alec indefinitely, but Uncle Ric seemed to think keeping the weasel alive and unaware of their suspicions was a better choice at the moment. Good thing he was the top boss, otherwise the guys might have been disinclined to agree. So they watched and waited.

The drop had been a complete waste- nobody even showed up to collect the cash, which could mean a lot of things, none of them good. The only good news was the lack of news at the moment. Four days, and nothing. The fact was they were just happy no Jane Doe bodies had been found in the area that matched the descriptions of the girls.

Dom flopped into the couch with a sigh and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping and he knew damned well his uncle hadn't been either. That was an amusing little factoid- it meant Uncle Ric did have it bad for Stephanie. Tank had told him that she was the reason for the amount of cars they had had destroyed. Even one of Ric's Porsches had fallen victim. This brought the ghost of a smile to his face. Ric had said Steph and Haley were a lot alike, but Dom had the feeling his uncle had no idea just how much alike. If he had he might have given up trying to fight the feelings he was obviously having for the 'Bombshell Bounty Hunter.' Poor guy, Dominic reflected, he was completely unprepared to deal with that breed of girl. Hell, he'd known Haley for about fifteen years and he was still unprepared for her half the time.

Of course, if they didn't get a break soon, Uncle Ric might never get a chance to explain himself. D winced at that idea and the slippery path it led for him as well. He refused to consider the possibility of a world without Haley. He didn't want to imagine it, let along survive in it. Boring, gray, and forgettable, that would be a good description. He pulled his thoughts away and back to the last week.

He had called Jason and had him visit with the caretakers and guardians of Deering's last two girlfriends. The results, well, the results had been bad enough Jason was having nightmares. Jason had been in black ops missions and dealt with things that drove other people off the deep end with disturbing calm. If something gave him nightmares, it was almost past imagining. Dominic thought back to the teleconference with Jason.

"Look, as far as I can tell, Deering didn't play mind games with them, he used them in a series of experiments with various chemical agents." Jason's green eyes were carefully blank, and his voice emotionless.

"Chemical agents?" Ranger asked, his voice and expression as blank as his employee's. Dom knew his own countenance matched theirs and was thankful for it. Right now it was just a mission, just more information. The actual ramifications of this particular intel could be dealt with later. Right now it was time for thought and strategy.

"The women aren't exactly in much of a shape to explain it, but if I had to guess based on their current states, I would say it wasn't just drugs but a process, probably aimed at erasing certain parts of the mind, certain memories or personality traits. Maybe a form of mind control..." for a split second the control slipped and a haunted expression entered Jason's eyes. "There wasn't exactly a lot of their minds left," he blinked and the wall was back up. "The second one mentioned a few things that made me think sensory deprivation chamber might have been used in conjunction with the pharmaceuticals."

Ranger nodded, and forced himself to speak. "Right. Anything else?" he asked, praying that there wasn't. No more horrible possibilities to lurk at the back of his mind. No such luck tonight.

"Each of them was with him for several months, then found wandering the streets. There's no proof he caused the situation and neither woman would testify against him, even if their testimonies would be admissible. They both ask after him, in their more lucid moments," Jason cleared his throat. "Nothing else really. But I'd suggest you find him soon. The guy is twisted, and he's going to twist whoever he has in his grasp until they fit into his world." He paused and seemed to consider his next idea. "I'd venture to guess that this process is what Deering has Alec for. He'd need someone with a chemistry background for this stuff."

Dom was brought back to the present by the sound of the door opening.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" his uncle's voice said quietly as he entered the room. Dom just looked at him skeptically.

"Shouldn't you?"

Ric sighed. "Probably. Alec finally left the hotel. Newark, he left on a chartered jet." Dom was on his feet now, and wide-awake.

"Why the hell didn't we catch that?" he demanded. Ric shrugged.

"Pre-arranged most likely. I've got Bobby getting the company's records, and Ash managed to hit the plane with a tracking device."

"He's been dying to try that," Dom said, and sank back onto the couch.

"Get some rest. It'll take a couple hours to get the information, but we'll leave as soon as it comes in."

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The next morning, I was rudely shaken off my dream clouds by Alia's weight landing solidly in the bed next to me. I was still finding it difficult to wake up, but she seemed to understand and gave me a minute or two to reorient myself.

"Wake up sleeping beauty!" She said brightly. "It's a whole new world!"

"You are mixing up your Disney, chica," I grumped as I sat up rubbing my eyes.

Alia grinned and handed me a glass of water. "Well if you didn't get up soon you were going to be singing 'Under the Sea.'" I refrained from giving in to the urge to throw something at her. I was after all the more mature and responsible one.

Yeah, I know, shut up.

I stood up and stumbled toward the shower. "Give me time. I have morning hair." This earned me a look of sympathy.

"Don't worry. We have the same hair, remember? Take your time. It's not like there's a waiting room full of patients." She called back as she flopped down with an apple from the breakfast tray that had appeared somehow, and a book. Apparently she had been expecting the wait.

The shower helped clear my head of some of the early morning muddles, but I still felt bone tired, So while I combed out my hair, I focused as much as I could on remembering what had happened to me lately. An hour later, my hair was blow-dried and styled, my make-up was done, I was wearing another cute little sundress, I had a raging headache. And I had reached the conclusion that I had no foggy idea where I was, how I got here, or why I was here.

"Where are we going again?" I asked as I walked back into the bedroom.

"Our appointment with the Professor," Alia said, looking up from her book with a smile. "Alec will be here in a minute. I've been wandering around this place forever and I still keep getting lost." She shook her head. "Alec says I have no sense of direction, but he doesn't mind." This thought seemed to cheer her up. "I think they move the hallways, sometimes." I smiled at that idea.

"Hey, you know what you asked, about hallucinating that Ranger person?" She looked thoughtful for a moment. "It gave me funny dreams last night. I kept dreaming about…" she frowned. "About people from back when we lived in the US." Her eyes were cloudy and confused as she continued, "It makes me feel guilty. I should dream about Alec!" she looked dangerously close to tears. "How am I going to make it up to him/"

I put a hand to her shoulder. "Please don't cry," I said desperately. "I shouldn't have brought it up at all, it's my fault for disturbing you with it in the first place." I tried to smile and look reassuring.

Alia sniffled. "I need to talk to the professor," she said quietly. "The dreams felt so real!"

I sat down next to her, pouring us both a glass of orange juice. It tasted a little bitter, but maybe it was just the effects of the toothpaste I'd used. "What did you dream about?" She traced patterns in the tablecloth and refused to raise her eyes.

"Just... stuff," she mumbled. "Playing games and then other stuff. Dancing, sitting around a campfire." When she finally did look up she was obviously guilt-stricken.

"It was only a dream," I reasoned. "You can't control your dreams."

She drank the orange juice slowly. "You're right. But I can't stop thinking now, that I have forgotten something. Something really important."

I yawned and stretched, then smiled at her. "Welcome to my world." She laughed a little at that, so I continued. "It's probably nothing, just some chore or something. You'll figure it out."

Alia sighed, twisting a curl around her finger. "You're probably right."

Alec chose that particular moment to knock on the door, so I let him in, carefully stepping aside as my sister all but tackled him. He laughed, holding her tightly, then lifting her off the ground. She yelped in protest and began wriggling, trying to get down. "Only if you behave," he said, still laughing.

"Don't I always?" she asked, looking up at him with big Bambi eyes. I had taught her that trick, I realized with a start, but I had never mastered them as well as she had. Alec smiled indulgently.

"Not really, no," he said, but he let her down. She laughed at that, stepping away from him as soon as her feet brushed the ground to take my hand.

"We're off to see the wizard," she announced brightly. Alec gave a long-suffering sigh, but I had to laugh.

We made our way down the hall and through a few more hallways decorated with huge mirrors and life size portraits, then down a flight of sweeping marble stairs that led to a cathedral like foyer. The ceiling soared overhead and the intricate mosaics under our feet made my head spin again. I had thought it was a mansion before, but looking around now, 'mansion' didn't do the place justice. It was more like a palace. No wonder Alia always seemed to have visions of fairy tales dancing in her head.

More hallways, more twists and turns brought us to a huge set of carved wooden doors. Alec pushed them open to reveal another library. Or maybe it was the same library, but I couldn't tell. I didn't remember the staircase last time, so it might have been different. I frowned, hating myself for not remembering. I ought to be more aware of my surroundings, an inner voice lectured sternly.

Charles was sitting at his desk, reading a large and impressive-looking book, so I followed my little sister toward him. He looked up, his midnight eyes glittering in the light. "Good morning, ladies," He said in that beautiful baritone. I really did love that voice. How could someone with that voice be bad?

"Good morning, professor," Alia said. "We're here for our appointment."

His smile was affectionate, his voice warm as he looked at her. "I think I might be able to squeeze you in." He gestured for us to be seated in the two armchairs facing the desk, and then rifled through a drawer.

I sat and watched him curiously. He finally produced two files and placed them on the desk. Just looking at the files gave me a wave of nostalgia, but I wasn't sure why. My distress must have registered on my face because in an instant Charles was crouched beside me, handing me a linen handkerchief. "Now, now my girl. None of this. It's just some routine medicine."

I blinked away the tears, dabbing at my eyes. "Thank you. I'm not sure what's wrong with me, I just felt all emotional."

"Perfectly understandable, my love," he said soothingly. "Now watch Alia. She's a pro at this."

I turned to look at my sister who just smiled faintly. She opened her hand to reveal a simple, innocuous pair of white pills before she downed them, chasing it with a glass of water. Deering offered me another set of pills. Mine weren't white, but a pale pink.

"Different?" I asked, taking them and looking at the things curiously.

"Different stages," he said simply. Ah. Like birth control? I almost laughed, but not quite. Instead I accepted a glass of water from Alec and swallowed the pills. Charles nodded in approval, then stood and began speaking to Alec in a low voice. I yawned, suddenly feeling very sleepy. I leaned back in the chair and looked at Haley. She shook her head at me, smiling, and said something, but I didn't catch it. I nodded and let my eyes drift closed, relaxing into the leather.

The RangeMan teams glared unhappily at the map in front of them. If the map had had a lick of human sense or self preservation it would have slid back into its home on the hard drive, packed a small bag and hitch-hiked its way on out the Internet and hidden somewhere in a Russian PC in Siberia. But it didn't possess those survival skills, so it remained where it was blinking cheekily.

Ranger was using a few choice words of Spanish he normally would never have considered speaking aloud. Of course Deering had a private island. And of course that would be where Alec's chartered jet would land. And of course the private island would have to be uncomfortably close to place he felt genetically wary of getting too close to.

"Cuba," Lester muttered, adding a string of unwholesome Portuguese epithets.

"Fucking A," Tank said in agreement.

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