Chapter 2

Jeff Colby threw back a scotch on the rocks at his home in Denver and watched as the woman who was protraying his wife descended the stairs. Even after all this time he still couldn't get used to her, or the fact that she refused to play the part correctly. "Fallon would never wear that to a family party," he chided as he took in her attire, noting that it was much more like something that Sammy Jo would've worn in her early days in Denver then his beloved wife ever would.

"Second brain injuries do wonders to a person's personalities don't you think?" Holly all but purred as she leaned into him.

"Is that why you're always hitting on my brother?" he asked as he pulled away from her.

"Half-brother," Holly corrected with amusement. "Besides, he's cute, returns the interest, and it's all in good fun. Your wife wouldn't cheat on you so neither will I. At least let me have the fun of flirting with her ex."

"And if something were to happen between the two of you, do my wife and son come home finally? My niece?"

Holly shrugged: "you never know when you're dealing with who you're dealing with."

"And just who are we dealing with? You never have said."

"Look, Jeff, someone knows. He's the only one who needs to right now. More people know; people get hurt. Believe me, there are people I would like to tell, favors I would like to call in, I'm not doing this because I want to.
You think I wanted to walk in and take over someone else's life? I had one of my own."

"You were a con artist."

"Yeah. A long time ago.
You know it's a funny thing. I was a con artist and reformed but I still wear the title. A woman I know was a thief and a traitor. A guy got killed in her place. Name ruined. She's one of the good guys now, or so they tell me. Doesn't matter that she almost got her husband killed, that he lost 15 years with his daughter while she only lost 10. He still has to kiss her butt and try to make nice with the kid, who incidentally she didn't tell him about till she was left on the doorstep when she was 5! But she was a HERO!" Holly listed in a tight, low voice not wanting to raise it and draw attention to them. "I did what I had to do survive when I was younger. I had no choice. Just like I have no choice now. Like your wife has no choice now.
But listen to me.
And listen well.
A few well placed red herrings to the right people at the right time and she'll have the back up she needs.
I might have been a con artist, Jeff, but I also had a heart.

I had people I loved too.

My being a con artist is NOT what the person behind this has on me. I loved the wrong person at the wrong time and now I'm paying for it.
And I'm sorry that your family is too.
I wish I could do more.
But I can't get caught trying to help them.
If I do. . ." Holly shook her head. "They're not stupid. They'll catch a slip. They'll help her."

"I just want my family back," Jeff said miserably as he signaled the caterer for another drink.

"Yeah. I know what you mean," Holly sighed as she watched the people starting to enter the graduation party for Lauren Colby. "Look, I went shopping with Krystal the other day. Why don't I go change into the dress she picked out for me to wear tonight? Make things a little easier.
Just don't drink too much… don't want those lines to get blurred," she added as she kissed his cheek quickly before she headed back towards the stairs causing Jeff to shake his head in confusion, especially as she paused at the bottom of the stairs to talk to a blonde woman that he vaguely remembered as being the mother of a classmate of Lauren's and invited her upstairs with her, but his attention was quickly diverted by the arrival of his brother-in-law Steven and his new boyfriend. . .

Ethan slinked into Rebecca's room at Kelly's: "You ok beauty?" he asked slipping easily into his American accent. Brushing back tears, she turned and ran into his waiting arms: "Oh, that good?" he asked as he easily caught her to his chest.

"Elizabeth is on to me… or at least she is out to prove I'm conning Nikolas, which means she's turning Lucky and Lulu against me. Lucky who wanted to get me into bed now doesn't trust me because she convinced him it was all part of my plan to get to Nikolas and Alexis is well. . . Alexis!" she complained into his shoulder.

Ethan couldn't help but chuckle. As the oldest boy of his generation he was used to his cousins, and even an aunt, crying incoherently into his shoulder. And all said and done, this time she was actually comprehensible. "And your point would be?" he asked stepping back and pushing the hair back from the sides of her face.

Rebecca reacted by punching him in the chest. She didn't need him teasing her out of the mood she was in right now. She needed him commiserating.

It wasn't like all of the Carrington girls were raised to be spoiled brats, especially not her. She had, after all, been adopted when she was 3 years old after living in various foster homes, by a father who had been kidnapped and not raised by his rich family and a mother who had been a member of the family's staff.

As it were they were all expected to do charity work once they reached a certain age and all interned in the family businesses to try to find where they fit in the world they were raised in. Each of the girls, and the boys for that matter, could run a household, manage a PR disaster, deal with the paparazzi, manage a construction site, set up a fundraiser of various sizes, and take a meeting in more than one language.

Each of them had had different dreams for the future based on those accomplishments. "Look, this isn't supposed to be me. This is not what my life was supposed to be like. I was supposed to go to med school. Be a pediatrician. Work as a peds cardiologist. Help kids like Aunt Krystina or Cancer patients, like the ones we did the fundraisers for.
I'm not supposed to be conning some grieving widower and I'm sure as hell am not supposed to be pretending to be sleeping with you!"

"Is that that bad?"

"Aside from the ill factor invovled LB?"

Laughing he moved her to the bed and pushed her down, then laid down next to her, his arm over her shoulder as he spoke and looked up at the ceiling: "You know when we were kids it was always so easy. You, Danny, Krystina, Lauren, Francesca, Scott, Dexter and Me having parties on the floor of the great room at Grandpa's or Grandpa Jason's. It didn't matter the age differences. We were all taken care of.
Loved.
Safe.
If I couldn't go to Mom or Dad I could go to your dad and mom or Uncle Steven or Uncle Miles and Aunt Monica then there was Grandma and Grandpa and Grandma Krystal it was always safe and always encouraging and then it was all gone."

"I know. This wasn't supposed to be me. I wasn't supposed to be some hospital tech. I know that alone sounds so stupid and self pitying. I mean you should have a corner office at any of three companies!
But then. . .LB, when I found that lump. . . God I was sooo scared. All I wanted was to call my mom. I wanted to me surrounded by that love. For all of us to be on that floor. For someone to be calling down to shut up and go to sleep already. For them to start coming down and putting on the videos. For your parents to be on a couch with your dad in the corner and mom with her head in his lap laughing. My parents on another one. Miles in front of the tv with us cracking jokes. Grandpa and Grandma curled up on a couch in a corner, because even though they have the whole thing they always stay in that one corner wrapped in each other's arms. And uncle Steven and his guy trying to be discrete in the back leaning against each other and the wall . . "

"And in the morning Grandma Alexis swooping in demanding to know why we were all sleeping on the floor and acting uncivilized and ordering breakfast be served. You would go up with the girls and us guys would be in the other room and we'd be running back and forth. Till we were ordered to breakfast," Ethan put in smiling at the memory.

"And you all would've wanted to stay and probably would have, but my parents and I we. . .we've go into Grandpa's study. That party would've been after the biopsy. My mom would've taken me. And, anyway, we'd be sitting there, I'd be curled in my Dad's lap and Grandpa Blake would be making calls to make sure the best would be available should the worse happen. Grandma Alexis would be making impossible orders that it would be impossible that I'd have Cancer at my age. And Grandma Krystal would be trying to keep everything calm.
Then when I got the results. . . it would've been. . . that sundae I had. . . my Dad would've taken me for it, not Nikolas" Rebecca said simply as tears ran down her cheeks and Ethan pulled her closer. "While they planned a family dinner at the house to celebrate the good news."

"Which would've ended with a repeat of the sleepover."

"Only with Grandma Alexis either in a quest room or on one of the couches. . ."

Ethan shifted on the bed and looked at Rebecca's face with a sad expression: "Do you think this is easier for me?
I have to run this con with my real mom pretending she's anything else.
I have to call her horrible names.
Watch as Luke and his wife tear her apart, try to set her up for crimes she didn't commit.
I want to tell her it's going to be ok.
Hug her.
Make it easier.|
At least I can for you--- or try to."

Rebecca shifted and propped herself up on an arm: "Come on, there's gotta be some--- what is it they call them downunder, colleen, whose's gotten your attention?"

"A colleen is Irish, which you know damned well. A shelila is Australian."

"Well, is there some Shelia you're interested in?"

"Well, I'd be putting the moves on Lulu or Maxie if I could," he shrugged.

"So you mean you haven't bought Maxie a magazine to get her to date you," she teased reaching back and grabbing a pillow to throw at him.

"I'm a Colby and Carrington, why not?" he shot back with ease, knowing the accusation was true. It wasn't like he hadn't bought expensive gifts and gotten high placed jobs for girls he was interested in the past.

Bella laughed: "so now why not make a move on at least one of them that doesn't involve buying expensive gifts, or can't you hack it that way?"

"The old witch is trying to make it look like I'm Spencer's son and I have to, therefore, take the flake's side in their frienemy drama."

"I thought you liked her," she pouted.

"She made you cry," LB said simply as he cupped the side of her face.

"LB, you've dated other girls who have made us cry. Try another one," Bella shot back easily as she sat up.

"You never. . ." he started to accuse.

"It was handled," she replied with a flip of her hair as she pulled her legs up to her chest and looked at him over her shoulder.

LB laughed, knowing full well that the female members of his family had often made things hard on the women that he, Scott, and Danny had brought home. Of course know knowing there was a reason made it seem funny to him. "Fine. Maxie has longterm potential. I can actually see her handling Grandma Alexis."

"Wow. Can hold her own against Alexis Colby even while shaking in her designer shoes. . . yeah I can picture it," Rebecca laughed. "And Lulu?"

"Let's just say she'd be good for something else and leave it at that."

"Ill. . . Ill . . .Ill.. . you are such a dog!" she laughed as she reached back and threw another pillow at him.

"Learned a few tricks from Uncle Miles over the years," he laughed as he raised and dropped his eyebrows at her.

"If your father ever heard you say that!" she admonished with a shake of her head.

LB laughed: "Hey, dad isn't all that much better in the dog department. You do know my father was with Sammy Jo and my mother at the same time at one point, but of course I'm not supposed to know that…"

"And you thought I needed to?" she asked shuddering. "Thanks for ruining that perfect image for me."

"My parents weren't perfect. They have the divorce decrees to prove it. But they loved each other and always found their way back to each other," he reminded, growing serious.

"Think they will this time?" Rebecca asked as she leaned her head onto her knees.

"Yeah," Ethan sighed. "I don't know if Spencer's buying what Mom's trying to sell. Don't get me wrong he wants to. . . I know how to do the cons and manipulate. Working for Grandma Alexis at Colbyco was good for that. And in truth it isn't much different from real business, but Dad, the Grandfathers, and Uncles were more subtle. I can at least keep Luke's books better then him and skim enough to put aside so maybe we can. . ."

"NO! LB, you remember what happened the last time!"

"Yeah, it was just an idea."

"Anyway, we need to have an emergency plan. Tracey isn't buying what we're selling."

"Think she knows? Suspects?"

"Mom didn't have the accent back then," he reminded. "And we were kids."

"Sometimes it's subliminal, besides didn't you take classes with her son?"

"No. I think Lauren did. And that was before he got kicked out of school. But he did teach me this horrid accent for that film they talked me into doing for their project."

Rebecca looked down then back at him: "Do you ever wonder about them? What they've been told has happened to us? If they. . ." she started then stopped crawling tiredly into his side.

"Hey," Ethan started as he wrapped his arms around her: "They're fighters. Colby. Carrington. Doesn't matter. They probably have money in reserve for ransom demands and a list of suspects.

Look at all the miracles we've had as a family.
My mom came back to us.
Your Dad.
Krystal.
We're a strong family who makes it through everything and more."

"Right.

A car accident resulting in amnesia.

Child kidnappings.

Brain tumors.

None of it compares to this!"

"You don't think a coup of a country and a bloody wedding day massacre compare darling?" he wondered.

"Don't even tempt fate by going there!" Rebecca warned as she shot to her feet. "Besides, what if I do go back? They all but bought me and I can bet you from Alexis's reactions to me and how damned sure she was that I was Emily's long lost twin from the start who arranged that transfer ! What does that do to my mom and dad?"

"Hey. They paid legal expenses. And medical expenses. You weren't in the best shape when you came to us, Beauty. And you know full well that if they knew you had a sister. . ."

"They would've taken both of us or made sure we were in contact."

"You know that they have people looking for us. Sooner or later the right ones are going to find us and get us out of this mess."

"Yeah."

"Hey, I'm telling you. This isn't going to end like Aunt Amanda and Maldavia."

"God, do you have to keep bringing that up! I swear, LB. . ." she chastised as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Princess Belle, your Dad would kill me if I did."

"You always were the first one to rush in and try to keep me safe. Catch me from falling out of trees and all that. . ."

"Never missed, did I?"

"Well there was this one time. . ."

"Must have been when you were dropped on your head. . ." he shot back as he kissed her hiar, enjoying her teasing.

Adam Carrington stared at the picture of his daughter as his wife wondered into his darkened study. Shaking her head, she stood and watched him. There he was in an unbuttoned white business shirt while the rest of the family, including herself, were getting ready to attend Lauren's graduation party.

Quietly approaching him, Kirby tried to think of the best tack in dealing with him. He had always been proud and stubborn, but the last few years had taken something more than their daughter from him. She knew all too well that she needed to be careful with him. But she also knew that she had to push him for his own good. "Adam, you can't keep doing this to yourself," she chided softly, knowing full well that he was more than aware that she was in the room.

"I should've known. Done things differently. Her returning me to the family was not out of generosity," he rambled, and, and she let him, knowing that he rarely let names slip. It was his way of trying to protect those he loved. "Now look at how the family's paying for my stupidity."

"They don't blame you."

"Well, they should!" he spit out harshly. "I should've known that Isabella's adoption went too easily, especially after what happened with the surrogacy. Especially with who the lawyer who handled it was. I just thought she was repaying a debt. I was wrong."

"You're being. . ."

"Don't say I'm being too hard on myself, Kirby. There's so much you don't know," he admitted as he let the picture drop to the desk and roll his wheelchair around it. "I was one of her play things. I broke the main rule. Don't let someone else--- especially not someone younger—turn your head.

Not only did I do that but it was her husband's bastard daughter.

And from what Holly told me when I got her drunk one night that bastard daughter has one of her own sashaying around whose father isn't known. The timing would coincide with my release to my family."

"Oh, Adam," Kirby sighed, her heart breaking for him. "You can't be saying!"

"Yes I can and I am!" he started angrily and then deflated some, "get enough alcohol in that Sutton woman and you'd be surprised what you could learn.

This IS my fault."

"If it were, why did she choose you? It has to go further back or she wouldn't have targeted your family to begin with," she started, dropping to her knees in front of him. "A slight by your parents.
Grandfather.
Anyone.
That woman and her family are crazy," she continued to point out logically.

"And Fallon, LB, and Isabella are paying no price!"

"No, Adam! We all are, " she said sadly as she put her head in his lap and cried for all of them. Cried the tears tat she knew he wouldn't allow himself to.

Winifred pulled off her glasses and plopped in her contacts before she quickly undid her braids and pulled her hair efficiently back into a slick chignon before stripping to reveal sexy, expensive lingerie. With ease she slipped a chemise over her bra and sat down at the desk and keyed in a few strokes that would connect her to a face to face conversation with her on again off again boyfriend. "What no make up?" Danny Carrington asked as soon as his image popped up on her scene.

"What can I say? I'm a natural beauty, " she shot back as she cocked her head to the side with slight amusement, lone used to his lines.

Danny laughed: "and a piece of work, Dexter. But I like you anyway."

"So we're down to like this week. Who's the new piece of arm candy?" she wondered, knowing that he was far from celibate when she wasn't in his direct proximity, but that he wasn't necessarily a manwhore either.

"No one you know," he shrug.

"Good, then I won't have to gouge her eyes out."

Danny rolled his eyes in exasperation knowing that sooner or later they were either going to have to make a commitment or break things off completely. He wasn't sure what he wanted and didn't want to have to make that choice anytime soon so he quickly changed the subject: "you have any news?"

"Nothing earthshathering.
We avoid each other so as not to slip and I still can't hack into what I need to."

"What about the coyote?"

"You mean the Jackal?" she laughed.

"Whatever." Danny answered unimpressed.

Winifred rolled her eyes: "when you need his expertise you'll care. And I'm working on it. But I have to take my time. He's highly excitable and. . . It's not like I can just spring this whole thing on him. I do and this whole thing blows up in our faces. It could get all of them killed!"

"Yeah," he admitted tiredly. He hated talking about the subject. Facing it. If he didn't he could almost pretend that they were all just away. Fallon and LB at the house in California. Isabella at school like she was supposed to be. And Winnie safe behind a desk in an office in DC.

"Look, we need to end the transmission," she told him, breaking into his sullen mood, and making him realize that he had lost precious time with her because of his interversion.

"Yeah. I know. Before the block runs out. I'm getting used to it. TTUL."

"Yeah. Whatever," Winnie sighed as she sighed off, knowing that right now it was better to play uninterested then admit her true feelings.

Luke Spencer knocked on his 'English Rose's' hotel room door and smiled as she answered. "Take a walk with me, English?" he ordered with his most charming grin.

Half asleep, but dressed in a silk top and dress pants as she didn't know when Helena would call her, 'Holly' barely held back her groan. "It's the middle of the night, Luke," she complained.

"Since when has that stopped us," he smirked.

Rolling her eyes, she forced a smiled: "I won't remind you of the fact that we were younger then, because I'd only be reminding myself of the same thing," she rebutted. "At least let me grab my wrap."

Luke watched her movements as she did just that, noticing the minute differences from the woman he had once known and loved. Even as she pulled the door shut behind her and let him escort her down the hall and out of the hotel he took in the differences wondering how he hadn't noticed them before.

"Really, Luke! What is this all about?" she finally demanded 15 minutes later as they stood on the docks.

"You tell me."

"Luke, you're the one who came to my room and dragged me down here."

"Didn't here you complaining."

"LUKE!"

"Really, English, although I shouldn't call you that anymore, should I?"

"Luke, I'm tired. I want to go back to bed. What are you going on about?" she pouted, coming close to stomping her foot as she wrapped her arms and her wrap tighter around her.

"There was no Singapore hookup."

"Fine. So I got the cities and dates and guy screwed up. Are you happy now? You got me to admit it! You're off the hook. Be a gent and tell Ethan for me, would you?" she asked as she turned to leave.

"Not so fast. Wasn't a hook up because you're not Holly," Luke stepped in to cover.

"Luke what ever are you talking about. Has all that alcohol finally gone to your brain?" she demanded as she spun around to glare at him.

"No, but apparently your mother's accent has gone to yours," Tracey said as she came out of the shadows. "I have to say you were good. Almost had me fooled. Until the whole necklace thing. You knew a little too much about it for your own good."

"Let me get this straight, Tracey, I knew too much about a piece of jewelry that had once been auctioned off, so I can't be Holly?" she wondered, perplexed.

"When you--- or rather Holly--- should've been in a coma at the time, then yes," Mac said as he approached the group from the other direction, "You also slipped in something you said to me."

"How was I supposed to know that the ex brother-in-law used to wildcat for my father or that he was a chauffeur for my father-in-law?" she deflated as she threw her hands up in defeat and then started to panic. "Oh, please, you can't. . . she'll kill them. . . I don't even know. . . my husband, daughters, brother. . . the rest. . . she had them left for dead on the side of the road a couple of miles away from my father-in-law's. . . . I can't bring myself to try to find out. . ."

"Adam's in a wheelchair, often pictured with Kirby.

Jeff's going around town with a 'Fallon' on his arm, probably the real Holly. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised I never realized who she reminded me of physically of before. I supposed the accent always threw me.

Anyway, Lauren just graduated college and Francesca's an honor student. . . no mention of your son. . ." Tracey listed off without thinking.

"Care to take a guess as to why?" Fallon lashed out angrily. She knew full well about her replacement, but hearing that her brother was in a wheelchair and that her daughters were doing fine without her was not helping her mood.

"Ethan," Mac and Luke deduced in unison.

"And the camera shy heiress would be. . . who? Rebecca?" Tracey wondered.

"If you're talking about Adam and Kirby's daughter, then her name is Isabella, but yes. Helena has her going by Rebecca," Fallon admitted, then with panic in her tone, added: "look, Jeff's or my, depending on which failed marriage/entanglement you want to connect her to, sister is in town. I've seen her and avoided her. I think the kids have too for the most part.

But if any one else were to find out any of this Helena won't hesitate to kill us."

"You have any idea as to why?" Mac asked.

"The old bat doesn't need a reason, or haven't you figured that out, Malcolm?" Luke put in.

"Luke," Tracey chastised.

Fallon swallowed: "there's a connection between Adam and Alexis Davis that I'm not supposed to know about. Something to do with a kid."

"Samantha?" Luke wondered.

"Let's stick to what we know," Mac suggested.

"And I guess the wedding massacre in Maldavia," Fallon continued thoughtfully. "I mean, I wasn't there, but with royalty invovled there can always be a connection, can't there?"

"The what?"

"Google it," Mac told him. "Interesting reading. Hey, Georgia did a report on it.

Look, I have some contacts at the WSB. I'll give them a call and we'll do everything we can to try to make sure that your cover--- all of your covers--- stay intact."

"You guys figured it out, how long until someone else does?" she asked tiredly.

"You do business with anyone else in town?" Tracey asked.

"No. My father's businesses were on the up and up. So were Jason's. One of my former step-father's, Dex, he might have dealth with Jasper Jacks and his family, but I don't recall meeting him. When I had my store I had some dealings with Wyndams, but they were all long distance, and I gave up the store before I had my second daughter."

"What about your mother or Sable?"

"Your guess would be as good as mine. Not to mention the men they were with, although contrary to popular belief Sable's list really isn't that long. She was faithful to Jason and then she had flirtations with my father and Dex. Other then that there really haven't been that many. . . My mother. . . now there's a woman who can give Erica Kane a run for her money and win."

"I'll see what I can get my contacts to find," Mac reassured.

"Discretely, please," Fallon begged.

"Call Sean in for this," Tracey told him. "Tell him I'll pay for everything."

"You don't have too," Fallon started to protest.

"Fine, then reimburse me when this is over."

"All right."

Mac shook his head: "Look, if I can find a way to get a message to your family discretely to let them know that you're ok is there anything you want me to say or send so they know that it's from you?"

"Can you let me--- no. I know. The message should be: 'Randall sends her regards,' sent with a toy car. A red sports car or in a card with one on it. Or if you can't do that in a blank white satin scrap book. . . in fact that might work better. Especially since Lauren just graduated. It'll get mixed in with the gifts. No one would notice that one was for Jeff and not her."

"What does it mean?"

"It doesn't matter. Jeff will understand. That's all that matters," Fallon answered. "Now can I please go back to the hotel. It's bloody cold out here and I'm dreadfully tired."

"I'll take you," Luke told her simply.

"Thank you," was her only reply, hoping that she hadn't given away too much while at the same time hoping that she had given away enough. . .