Second Chances
Title: Second Chances
Author: speedy
Fandom: General Hospital
Rating: PG
Summary: Zander wakes up with a new life before him, a life far away from Port Charles.
Disclaimer: I'm not the Rat, so obviously the characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.
Notes: Just moving this over from my now defunct website. Late 2003/early 2004.
Zander stood on the docks, staring at Emily coldly. He had nothing to say to her, not now, not after everything that had happened. He felt like such a fool. She never wanted him back, she only wanted Nikolas. He was second best and now she was getting what she'd always wanted.
She was talking, but he just tuned her out. I just want you to be happy, it's for the best, I'm sorry things turned out this way, I hope we can still be friends... Blah, blah, blah. He'd heard it all before. And it meant nothing. He was with Faith now and had just found about the child Liz was carrying. He was sure once they talked about it, Liz would share custody with him. That was his future. Emily was his past.
Emily glanced beyond him, then looked towards him again, but couldn't look him in the eye. A tear fell down her. "I'm so sorry, Zander. I had to do it."
As he turned around, he spotted a gun. As if the world had suddenly gone into slow motion, a flash came from the barrel and he saw Jason's face behind the gun. He felt the bullet enter his chest. He stumbled backward towards the edge of the docks, shocked. He looked at Emily and knew. She had betrayed him. She had lured him here for Jason. He felt a second bullet rip through his chest, through his already broken heart.
The last thing he felt was the stabbing iciness of the harbor as the freezing water swallowed him whole.
Zander's eyes reluctantly opened, but only halfway. His vision was fuzzy, too fuzzy to make anything out. His whole body ached. Every time he breathed, it felt like his lungs were on fire, not mention that the simple act of breathing was like being shot all over again. He was so groggy, he wondered if he was on drugs again.
He suddenly remembered his dream, but it wasn't a dream. Emily had set him up to be killed by Jason. She destroyed his life, then helped to end the little that was left.
The room slowly started to come into focus. It was a hospital room, but way too institutional to be GH. White walls, no pictures, no flowers, no TV. This obviously wasn't heaven, so Jason and Emily had failed. He was still alive.
Then again, when Faith found out, he might wish he hadn't lived.
A man sat at his bedside, reading a file. Zander didn't recognize him. The man was older, his light brown hair was graying, the lines in his face hinted at a hard life. He was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Something in his demeanor did not scream mob, so Zander guessed he didn't work for Faith or Sonny, which meant he had to be PCPD.
The man looked up and smiled. "You're awake," he said somewhat cheerfully, but impassive.
"Where am I?" Zander asked, hacking a little as he spoke. His throat was so dry, his voice was barely more than a whisper.
"You're in a hospital," the man answered, getting Zander a cup of water. "You were on a ventilator for a few days. We weren't sure you were going to make it there for a while."
The water was cold, but nothing like the lake had been. It soothed his dry throat a bit and helped drive out some of the cobwebs in his head. "Who are you?"
"Your uncle asked me to get involved."
He snorted. His uncle never even knew he'd been in Port Charles until his father had moved back, despite the fact Guy had been a police captain and still had contacts with the department. "You're one of Uncle Guy's PCPD buddies, then," he said, sounding anything but impressed or grateful.
"Yeah, you could say that," the man said, not responding to the bitter tone in the young man's voice. "He was worried about your relationship with Faith Rosco. You're lucky he contacted me. If we hadn't been there, you'd be dead right now."
Death didn't sound so bad after Emily's betrayal. "Who is 'we'?"
"World Security Bureau. I've done some checking on you, kid. You've got skills that could be of use to us. I think you've got some potential as an agent. If you're interested."
"And if I'm not?"
"Port Charles thinks you're dead, kid. You're a ghost."
"No," Zander said, shaking his head. "Liz is pregnant. It's my baby. Emily, my dad, Alexis... I can't leave, not now."
"This is the way it is, kid. You got yourself mixed up in the mob and it killed you. Sweet little Emily set you up. If Jason Morgan hadn't taken you out, Faith Rosco would've done it herself eventually. You're too good for poison like her." The man paused, letting his words sink in. "This is your second chance, kid. You can make things right, save the world."
"I want to go home. Why can't I tell my family what I'm doing, that I'm okay?"
The man sighed and looked down sadly, finally showing some emotion. "It's better this way, believe me. I know what I'm talking about."
Yeah, right, Zander thought. "You do, huh? You got a family?" he asked angrily, raising his voice. Unfortunately, his weak voice couldn't portray the frustration he was really feeling. "You got a kid on the way?"
"I've been in those shoes, kid," the man said softly, understandingly. "Take my word for it."
"I don't have any choice in this?"
The man shrugged dismissively. "Not really. It sucks, but the WSB saved your life, they expect to get something out of it."
It wasn't much of an opportunity as far as Zander was concerned. It was death, either way. "It's 'they' now, huh?" he replied bitterly.
"Hey, if it were up to me, I'd let you go." The man shook his head. "Children aren't worth giving up for this job. I wish I'd figured that out when I was your age. My life would be a lot different right now."
"So what am I supposed to do? I'm no James Bond."
The man smiled politely. "Why don't you rest now and we'll talk about this later," he suggested. "Just worry about getting better for right now."
The man closed his file and headed for the door. Zander watched him, weariness coming over him again. "You never gave me your name," he said, stopping the older man at the door.
The man looked down and sighed, before looking at Zander. "Jones," he replied. "Frisco Jones."
Zander knew that name. He'd heard it before, at a hospital gathering a long time ago, when Maxie had told him about her heart transplant. "You're Maxie's father? The spy?"
The man flashed him a sad smile. "The one and only. Get some rest, kid."
The door closed behind him, leaving Zander alone. He closed his eyes in an effort to sleep, but his mind was busy with Frisco's words sinking in and contemplating what this new life - a life without Emily, without his father and without ever knowing his child - would bring.
Author: speedy
Fandom: General Hospital
Rating: PG
Summary: Zander wakes up with a new life before him, a life far away from Port Charles.
Disclaimer: I'm not the Rat, so obviously the characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.
Notes: Just moving this over from my now defunct website. Late 2003/early 2004.
Zander stood on the docks, staring at Emily coldly. He had nothing to say to her, not now, not after everything that had happened. He felt like such a fool. She never wanted him back, she only wanted Nikolas. He was second best and now she was getting what she'd always wanted.
She was talking, but he just tuned her out. I just want you to be happy, it's for the best, I'm sorry things turned out this way, I hope we can still be friends... Blah, blah, blah. He'd heard it all before. And it meant nothing. He was with Faith now and had just found about the child Liz was carrying. He was sure once they talked about it, Liz would share custody with him. That was his future. Emily was his past.
Emily glanced beyond him, then looked towards him again, but couldn't look him in the eye. A tear fell down her. "I'm so sorry, Zander. I had to do it."
As he turned around, he spotted a gun. As if the world had suddenly gone into slow motion, a flash came from the barrel and he saw Jason's face behind the gun. He felt the bullet enter his chest. He stumbled backward towards the edge of the docks, shocked. He looked at Emily and knew. She had betrayed him. She had lured him here for Jason. He felt a second bullet rip through his chest, through his already broken heart.
The last thing he felt was the stabbing iciness of the harbor as the freezing water swallowed him whole.
Zander's eyes reluctantly opened, but only halfway. His vision was fuzzy, too fuzzy to make anything out. His whole body ached. Every time he breathed, it felt like his lungs were on fire, not mention that the simple act of breathing was like being shot all over again. He was so groggy, he wondered if he was on drugs again.
He suddenly remembered his dream, but it wasn't a dream. Emily had set him up to be killed by Jason. She destroyed his life, then helped to end the little that was left.
The room slowly started to come into focus. It was a hospital room, but way too institutional to be GH. White walls, no pictures, no flowers, no TV. This obviously wasn't heaven, so Jason and Emily had failed. He was still alive.
Then again, when Faith found out, he might wish he hadn't lived.
A man sat at his bedside, reading a file. Zander didn't recognize him. The man was older, his light brown hair was graying, the lines in his face hinted at a hard life. He was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Something in his demeanor did not scream mob, so Zander guessed he didn't work for Faith or Sonny, which meant he had to be PCPD.
The man looked up and smiled. "You're awake," he said somewhat cheerfully, but impassive.
"Where am I?" Zander asked, hacking a little as he spoke. His throat was so dry, his voice was barely more than a whisper.
"You're in a hospital," the man answered, getting Zander a cup of water. "You were on a ventilator for a few days. We weren't sure you were going to make it there for a while."
The water was cold, but nothing like the lake had been. It soothed his dry throat a bit and helped drive out some of the cobwebs in his head. "Who are you?"
"Your uncle asked me to get involved."
He snorted. His uncle never even knew he'd been in Port Charles until his father had moved back, despite the fact Guy had been a police captain and still had contacts with the department. "You're one of Uncle Guy's PCPD buddies, then," he said, sounding anything but impressed or grateful.
"Yeah, you could say that," the man said, not responding to the bitter tone in the young man's voice. "He was worried about your relationship with Faith Rosco. You're lucky he contacted me. If we hadn't been there, you'd be dead right now."
Death didn't sound so bad after Emily's betrayal. "Who is 'we'?"
"World Security Bureau. I've done some checking on you, kid. You've got skills that could be of use to us. I think you've got some potential as an agent. If you're interested."
"And if I'm not?"
"Port Charles thinks you're dead, kid. You're a ghost."
"No," Zander said, shaking his head. "Liz is pregnant. It's my baby. Emily, my dad, Alexis... I can't leave, not now."
"This is the way it is, kid. You got yourself mixed up in the mob and it killed you. Sweet little Emily set you up. If Jason Morgan hadn't taken you out, Faith Rosco would've done it herself eventually. You're too good for poison like her." The man paused, letting his words sink in. "This is your second chance, kid. You can make things right, save the world."
"I want to go home. Why can't I tell my family what I'm doing, that I'm okay?"
The man sighed and looked down sadly, finally showing some emotion. "It's better this way, believe me. I know what I'm talking about."
Yeah, right, Zander thought. "You do, huh? You got a family?" he asked angrily, raising his voice. Unfortunately, his weak voice couldn't portray the frustration he was really feeling. "You got a kid on the way?"
"I've been in those shoes, kid," the man said softly, understandingly. "Take my word for it."
"I don't have any choice in this?"
The man shrugged dismissively. "Not really. It sucks, but the WSB saved your life, they expect to get something out of it."
It wasn't much of an opportunity as far as Zander was concerned. It was death, either way. "It's 'they' now, huh?" he replied bitterly.
"Hey, if it were up to me, I'd let you go." The man shook his head. "Children aren't worth giving up for this job. I wish I'd figured that out when I was your age. My life would be a lot different right now."
"So what am I supposed to do? I'm no James Bond."
The man smiled politely. "Why don't you rest now and we'll talk about this later," he suggested. "Just worry about getting better for right now."
The man closed his file and headed for the door. Zander watched him, weariness coming over him again. "You never gave me your name," he said, stopping the older man at the door.
The man looked down and sighed, before looking at Zander. "Jones," he replied. "Frisco Jones."
Zander knew that name. He'd heard it before, at a hospital gathering a long time ago, when Maxie had told him about her heart transplant. "You're Maxie's father? The spy?"
The man flashed him a sad smile. "The one and only. Get some rest, kid."
The door closed behind him, leaving Zander alone. He closed his eyes in an effort to sleep, but his mind was busy with Frisco's words sinking in and contemplating what this new life - a life without Emily, without his father and without ever knowing his child - would bring.