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The engines of the Boeing 777 started to roar, as the jet began its descent, readying for the landing. Looking out the window, Piper could see the world beneath her becoming larger and taking shape. The trees were now distinguishable from the grass, and the buildings from the streets.

Pulling herself from the view, she leaned back in her seat with her hands folded in her lap and closed her eyes. For some reason, the taking off and landing process always gave her an uneasy feeling. Once up in the air that feeling was forgotten, unless the plane hit a bit of turbulence, which served as a reminder that she was in a cylinder, hurling at 36,000 feet in the air and going 500 MPH. When that happened, her knuckles would turn white while gripping the armrest beside her.

Finally, the unfasten seat belt signs were on and everyone in the cabin started pulling their bags and belongings from the compartments above them. Piper had managed to shove her roller bag into the tight space, despite Daniel doubting that it would fit. That was typical of him, though. Often, he would tell her that she couldn’t do something, always pointing out the negative in a situation. Piper usually ignored it and did whatever it was she wanted, anyway. This time was no exception and yet again, she proved him wrong. With a firm tug, the bag was free and she was on her way off the plane.

After exiting the ramp off the plane, the passengers slowly trickled into the terminal. Piper was located close to the middle of the crowd. Pulling her bag behind her, she observed that there really wasn’t anything special about the Harper Rock airport. It seemed to be a good bit smaller than the San Francisco International Airport. Now that place was a bit intimidating the first couple of times that she had used it, on her own. In fact, she had almost missed her flight to Paris, last summer, when she went to the wrong gate, after getting turned around in the massive corridors. That wouldn’t happen again. As soon as she got to Paris, Piper had downloaded an app on her phone. It would pull up the terminal maps of most all major airports. Harper Rock, luckily, was one of the airports on the map.

Standing outside near the curb, Piper squinted into the sunlight. She only realized that she had left her sunglasses at home, after she rummaged through the bottom of her purse. With a sigh, she hoped there was a shop in the lobby of the hotel where she would be staying. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take the uber driver long to pick her up.

After waiting for fifteen minutes, a black Volkswagen Jetta, which looked to be about 10 years old or more, pulled up to the curb in front of the brunette.

“Are you Ms. Smith?” The driver leaned over the passenger seat and spoke out the open window. The driver was a man that seemed to be in his thirties. He had a round face that was half hidden by a black beard. He turned down the radio that was blasting R.E.M., and waited for Piper to respond.

“Yes. You are the Uber driver?” She asked as she pulled her bag closer, getting ready to lift it up and put it in the car.

“Yes.” He nodded.

After realizing that he had no intention of opening the door for her, she did so herself. There was no doubt that she wasn’t in San Francisco any longer. After sliding into the seat next to her belongings, her nose wrinkled from the stench. It smelled like fast food and sweat. The little green tree that hung from the rear view mirror was obviously not doing its job.

“I need to get to the West Hotel.” Piper said as she did her best not to touch anything that she didn’t have to. The outside of the car had given a good indication as to what the inside would look like, and it didn't fail the expectation. There was random stale french fries strewn about in the floorboards, along with other unidentifiable forgotten food items.

“Where are you from?” As they pulled away, the driver looked back at his attractive young client, through the rear view mirror. From the looks of her, she seemed to come from money and she kind of gave off a ‘better than thou’ type of vibe. If he was right, he would have bet that she disliked people like him. That thought only made him want to talk to her more, as there was a part of him that liked the idea of her being uncomfortable.

Her eyes caught the reflection of his. She wished he would keep his attention on the traffic. Not really being in the mood to have a conversation with a stranger, she gave him a plastic smile and a deliberately short answer. “San Francisco.”

“Ah California, huh? That’s a good distance away. What…”

“I’m sorry, but is the hotel very far?” Piper interrupted on purpose. She really had no desire to have a conversation and was at this point questioning why she didn’t just use a cab, instead.

“No. It’s just about two more blocks.” He said as he looked at her through the mirror again.

Piper pulled her phone out and decided now was a good time to pretend to be on the phone, at least until she got to the hotel. It seemed the driver could take a hint and left her alone, the rest of the way.

“Here we are. That will be 20 bucks.” He lied. It was only ten, but he didn’t like this girl and wanted to get something over on her.

“Here you go.” Piper felt it was a little high, but she also just wanted to get to her room and settled, so she promptly paid the guy and pulled her bag from the backseat, behind her.

The check in process was thankfully quick and the room wasn’t too far from the lobby. It was a ground floor room and just down the hall to the right; room 109.

Once inside and the password to the internet was acquired, Piper immediately started looking up the names of the businesses that were associated with her father.

Piper leaned against the headboard, sitting with her legs crossed under her and the laptop resting on her knees, her fingers punched away at the keys. With a few keywords put into the search bar, it was time to wait on google to do the rest. Chewing on her bottom lip, Piper’s gaze bore into the screen.

A list of different companies that were associated with her father were there, in front of her. Could it really be that easy? Without hesitation, she clicked on the first one listed. It was an ad for Genesis Labs . The irony wasn’t lost on her. Apparently, her father was in the business of finding baby daddies with DNA paternity tests. Well, it was obvious that she needed to secure an appointment. After a quick phone call, she was set up for a 10 o’clock appointment on Wednesday of the following week.

With a grin from ear to ear, Piper continued to look at the other results that Google had provided. Dr. Nilson was obviously a very busy man. Through this search, once again, she came across pictures of him. His eyes. She couldn’t stop staring into his eyes. Immediately she began to imagine how things might go, once she met him. Would he be shocked and happy, or would he deny her existence and be angry for her tracking him down? That thought caused a lump to form in her throat.
No matter the outcome, the resolve remained the same. She would meet him and let him know that he had a daughter. Just as she clicked onto another site, her cell started to ring; it was Daniel calling.

“Hey, you!” Piper set her laptop to the side and stretched out her legs.

“How’s the search going? Have you talked to him yet?” Daniel paced in front of his couch as he spoke to her. It was killing him, not being there with her. He had suggested more than once to her that he should go with her. Of course, in Piper’s true form, she insisted on going alone. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn, independent and most importantly - irresistible.

“You won’t believe this, but he has a company that specializes in DNA reports for paternity testing. Like The Maury Show type testing.” She laughed and stood up to walk over to the window.

“Seriously?” He snorted into the phone. “That’s hilarious and a little too Ironic.”

“You think?” She laughed and immediately the lyrics from Alanis Morrissette pop into her head.

“Yeah, I really do think” The lyrics made their way into Daniel’s head as well.

“So of course, I made an appointment. It’s for next Wednesday.” She watched a woman and little boy cross the street in front of the hotel.

“Well, be careful Pipes. I wish you would let me go there. I mean, what if he is an asshole.” The thought of her getting hurt drove him crazy.

“You know this is something I have to do on my own. If he is an asshole, well, then I leave and never look back. I do appreciate it, though. Your offer. It means the world.” She turned from the window and started putting on her shoes. “Hey, let me call you back. I am hungry and need to get out of this room for a while.”

“Okay. Well make sure you call me and let me know what’s going on, okay?”

“Of course. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye.” He hung up and sat down on his couch with a sigh.

Cyril was looking at the appointment book, and stopped suddenly. He frowned as he picked up the phone and called the receptionist. As he waited for her to pick harrumphed silently in an annoyed fashion.

Janice saw the light on the phone console light up. She sighed. Taking her time she slowly recapped her nail polish and waved her hand a bit before picking pushing the button. “What?” Her tone was flat.

Cyril sighed hard. “That is no way to answer a call Janice.”

“What Cyril?! I knew it was you. You’re just going to tell me to do something.. I was being expedient and saving time. But now you have wasted all the time i just saved. So what is it Cyril?” She continued to wave and blow on her nails.

Drawing a breath to expel the exasperation he felt, he answered, “You have entered an appointment for Dr. Nilson on the datebook. *I* am handling the lab now. *I* handle the appointments.”

“Duh Cyril. The woman called said she had her DNA results and she needed see someone about the results. *YOU* aren't a doctor Cyril. Dr. Nilson is.. Do you know how I know that Cyril? By the title Dr. in his name.. That isn’t in yours.” She disconnected and shook the nail polish bottle.

Cyril’s hands fisted, he wanted to fire her so bad! He had made the mistake of telling Doc he was planning on firing her, when Doc gave him a hard look and said, he -was not- firing Jane. Why Doc kept her around he didn’t know. Hell Doc couldn’t even get her name right. Her name was Janice. Standing up he went out to the lobby. “Jane! .. Dammit! I mean Janice.. Doc turned the lab over to me. That means the appointments come to me! And besides ..Doc wont be here.”

Janice gave Cyril a pitying look. “Doc comes by every day Cyril.” She said it as though she were talking to a mentally challenged child. “He brought donuts yesterday…”

“He was not.. He did not!” Cyril frowned at her.

“Did so. Don’t believe me.. Ask Troy.” She opened her polish and started painting her other hand. ‘Do not make me mess this up…”

Cyril looked at Troy, who in turn nodded at Cyril, and added “Bavarian Creme filled ones. Those are my favorite.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?!”

“You said you were dieting..” Troy frowning in apology. “You said not to tempt you…”

“Not about the donuts! About Doc!” Cyril ground out.

“You really didn’t know?” Troy looked at him, as if he thought Cyril was fooling him. “He has an apartment upstairs. The area marked “Personal Stay Out or Die”. What did you think it was? Storage?”

Troy grinned, only to have the grin die, as Cyril said. “Yes.. Old records, files,.. They have to be kept.. “ Then Cyril frowned, “He has an apartment upstairs?!”

Janice snickered, making no attempt to hide it. “Why do you think he can just pop up all the time?! Jesus Cyril.”

Cyril openned his mouth and then shut it agian. He knew how Doc could just pop up, vampire powers. But he couldn't very well tell them that, now could he? NO! But dammit! Doc could have told him he had an apartment.. He paused in his train of thought. Or.. maybe that’s just what Doc told them.. To keep them from being suspicious? Yes.. that is what it was.. Yes. Clever. Taking a breath, Cyril started again, “About this appointment.. *I* will be handling it.”

Janice gave Troy a look, “I win. You owe me lunch.” She looked at Cyril and smiled, “Sure. You handle it. And when the client has to end up seeing Doc anyway.. We will all three.. Know.. *I* was right.”

Piper: Clutching the envelope with the DNA results to her chest, Piper stepped up to the front entrance of Genesis Labs. The thumping of her heart could be felt throughout her entire body, she was both excited and scared. The not knowing how it would go was killing her, and yet she had to fight the urge to turn and run back to California; the place which offered security and routine. She knew who she was there and never had to worry about whether someone was going to accept her or not. This was new territory and she didn’t quite know how to deal with it.

Pausing for a moment with closed eyes , she leaned her head back and took in the moment. With the warmth of the afternoon sunlight settled on her cheeks, her lungs filled as she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I can do this,” was her inner dialog and she opened her eyes, pushing the door open.

Not confident of where to go, once inside, Piper began looking for a receptionist desk that she could check in

Doc: As the door opened, Janice did not even bother to hide her Glamour magazine that was wide open to an article on "Ten ways to help him bring you to Climax" on her circular reception desk. The girl that walked through the door was young. Normally it was young males that were coming in for Do-it-Yourself-DNA kits; as they tried to avoid being made to pay. This girl must be a baby-mama trying to secure child support. Reaching into the bin under her desk, she pulled out the Genesis Labs at home Do-it-Yourself-DNA kit. She sat it on the counter top, and readied to ring up the sale, at the astoundingly affordable cost of $79.99.

Piper: With raised eyebrows, Piper’s eyes cut over to a woman, whom appeared to be on the dawn of middle age. The woman seemed to possess the power of being dismissive while simultaneously greeting Piper with a quick toss of a box onto a counter in front of her and asking if she could help her.

Piper’s back stiffened and her chin lifted as she walked over to the lady. Once at the counter, she saw the box that had been tossed on the counter’s surface. It seemed to be some sort of home DNA kit. Piper placed her envelope down next to the box and smiled.

“I am here for my ten o’clock appointment. I am Ms. Smith.” Her brown eyes squinted slightly as they spotted the article that the woman had been so engrossed in earlier. It was difficult not to giggle.

Doc: Janice' bland expression now changed to one exuding interest. So this was the mysterious appointment that Cyril was going to take over. She and Troy had a bet going. Troy said that Cyril would handle it just fine. She on the other hand had it being escalated to Doc's level. She slid a surreptitious glance at Troy to see if he had noticed the girl, she barely repressed her grunt of dismay when she noted that Troy had indeed noted her entrance. She would have to play this right. she had been planning on telling the girl that Doc wasn't there.. hoping the girl would throw a fit, and demand to see him. But she couldn’t do that with Troy watching. He would call foul. She wanted to win. Not so much to beat Troy, but to rub Cyril's face in it.. that she had been right all along. She tossed the Kit back into the bin, and depressed the button that rang Cyril's office. "Your ten o'clock is here." Her voice had a smug tone to it. "He will be out in a minute, Ms...Smith."

Janice gave the girl a very thorough once over. She judged her to be barely twenty years old, so that meant she was too young for Doc. Doc had rules. He dated no one under a certain age. The fact that he was married, didn't stop him either. Janice herself had contemplated a fling with him, until she realized what a colossal dickhead he was. The only reason she stayed, was he paid well and he didn't mind the she did her nails at the desk. Her reverie was broken as Cyril strolled up to the reception desk.

"Thank you, Janice." Cyril smiled affably at the receptionist, before turning to the guest. "And you must be Ms. Smith." He extended his hand, "Cyril Emmerson, Operations Manager for Genesis Holdings. Why don't we head back to my office." He gave Janice another smile.

Piper: It was as if a switch had been flipped; the receptionist’s entire demeanor changed after Piper introduced herself. The woman, seemed almost amused as she lifted the handset to the phone in front of her and announced to the person on the other end of it, that their appointment had arrived.

After hanging up, the receptionist appeared to be looking her over. Piper took in a breath and felt her cheeks warm up a few degrees. She couldn’t help but assume she was being judged as some wayward teen that had gotten herself in trouble and couldn’t figure out who was her baby daddy. Not that she really cared what the woman thought, that was the least of her worries. No, her attention was entirely set on how things might would play out, once Dr. Nelson found out about his unconventional Hawaiian souvenir.

Piper gathered up her envelope and turned toward the man that introduced himself as Cyril Emerson, the Operations Manager. After shaking his hand, she nodded with a smile and started following him to his office. Just before they got out of earshot of Janice and Troy, Piper spoke up. “Dr. Nilson works here, right?”

Doc: Janice did a mental "SCORE" scream in her head. 'That's right little Missy, don't you let Cyril pooh pooh your demand to see Doc.' She silently said, before looking at Troy with a grin that said, 'you're going to owe me lunch... again!'

Cyril smiled at her as they headed down the hall. "Doctor Nilson is the CEO, however, I am the COO, or Chief Operations Officer. Meaning I handle the day to day business aspects of everything Genesis." He tried not to sound pompous as he as added, "Whether it is the Lab, the travel agency, the testing center, or even the Asylum, I am the one that handles it. Doctor Nilson is looking to retire from the day to day grind. He does pop in occasionally however." Upon reaching his office, he gestured for her the precede him inside. Once they were both in, he shut the door behind them. "Have a seat," he took the seat at his desk. "So .. how can Genesis Labs help you today?"

Piper: Upon hearing the list of companies that her father, Dr. Nilson, was associated with, she couldn’t help but feel impressed. There also seemed to be a bit of pride mixed up with those feelings. Sure, she didn’t really know the man, but did that really matter? Half of her genetics came from him, after all.
Still holding on to the envelope, Piper took the seat that was offered to her. She smiled at Mr. Emerson as she rolled some words around her head, trying to pick the right ones to say. Being one rip off the band aid, she decided to start with the truth. That truth was that Genesis Labs wasn’t capable of helping her, only Dr. Nilson.

“Mr. Emerson, I am here to give this to Dr. Nilson.” She held the envelope out, waiting for him to take it. “Inside that envelope is a DNA report. If Genesis Labs is to help me, it will need to start with Dr. Nilson’s DNA. There is also a picture included in that envelope. The picture is of Dr. Olivia Smith, from when she attended a medical convention in Hawaii during the summer of 1998. A convention that Dr. Nilson attended. My mother and Dr. Nilson had sex and I was the consequence. Before you worry that I am here to collect money from him. I can tell you, this is not the case. My mother is a well sought-after cardiologist in San Francisco and my grandparents are very well off. I merely wish to let him know that I exist.” There, she said it, and the envelope held the proverbial smoking gun.

Doc: Cyril was in mid-reach for the aforementioned envelope when his hand stilled. He blinked. Did she say she needed Dr. Nilson's DNA? Yes .. yes she did. She said those words. 'My mother and Dr. Nilson had sex.' Cyril's eyes gradually got wider and wider. The pleasant business appropriate smile was washed from his face, as he stared at that envelope.

Cyril was not going to accept that envelope. No way. If he took that envelope, and it turned out.. if Dr. Nilson deigned to cough up his DNA, which ..was a puzzle in itself, did vampires have DNA? He mentally shook himself back to the matter at hand. Once that envelope left that girl's hand, if Doc wasn't her father, she could start a scene by saying that Cyril had tampered with it. An ugly scene. He retracted his hand without accepting the envelope.

"Well.. " Cyril was silent for a moment, the next words he said were critical. "As Chief Operations Officer, I am not empowered to get into the details of CEO's life." Sure, Cyril did have that power, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "I Think this is a matter for you and he alone.."

Piper: Like a marble statue, Piper’s face and poise stayed steadfast and unmoving, not even a flinch, as she watched Mr. Emerson’s expression go from smiling to that of internal conflict. She sat there silently as he spoke and pulled his hand away from the envelope. This was one of the scenarios that she had played out in her head, and it didn’t come as a surprise. Of course, this was of a delicate nature; especially given the fact that Dr. Nilson was obviously a successful doctor and businessman. It would stand to reason that they would try to protect his best interest, and how would a girl from off the streets, claiming to be his daughter, be in his best interest. No, she wasn’t surprised.

Pulling her hand back, she settled the envelope onto her lap and she gave him a terse smile before replying.

“Of course, this is why I made an appointment with Dr. Nilson. I honestly would prefer to hand the envelope directly to him and I am more than willing to respect any wishes for this to remain discreet. Like I said, I am not here for money. I only wish for him to be aware of me. Also, considering he has these labs…” She paused to look around and then back at Mr. Emerson. “I am more than willing to submit to a new DNA test, so that he may be able to run it himself. This way there will be no doubt in his mind. I am not asking for much. Just a chance to meet the possessor of half of my genetics.” This time her smile lasted for more than a second, as she waited for him to respond. He would either put her in touch with Dr. Nilson, or he would escort her out of there. Either way, she wasn’t going to give up. This thought led to another, the detective she had hired, she still hadn’t heard from him. Maybe she should mention him too.

Doc: Cyril had the grace to look chagrined at her comment about making the appointment with Doc. He should have left it alone. But how did he know? He thought Janice was undermining him again. Janice always undermined him, and Doc typically took her side. As much as Doc was a hard ***, he had a soft for females. What ever hold Janice had over Doc, it was good because he had yet to have Doc side with him. And now, she would be right again. He impatiently tapped his fingers on the top of the desk as he decided how to proceed. It was a personal matter. One he did not need to get involved in, unless Doc said otherwise, but that still meant he had to tell Doc.

"Yes, of course that was your intention. However, I did not know that at the time, so I did not inform him of the appointment. As COO, it is my job to deal with appointments. However, your case is unique. So here is what I propose. You supply me with a number that I can reach you at. I will give Dr. Nilson a call and pass your number onto him, and then you two, handle it from there.. How does that sound?" With any luck, she will accept and be gone before Janice figures out she was right.. Again.

Piper: Piper's expression remained the same, except that her right eyebrow raised slightly. She was doing her best not to be a little aggravated with the man. But not only was there the fact that she had to wait longer, than for the fact that he felt the need to continuously point out his title. Normally when someone did that, it was a good indication that they were either a manipulator, and by making the other person feel subordinate they found it easier to assert their control, or they simply had low self-esteem and needed to push around their titles to make themselves feel superior.

Taking in a grounding breath, she exhaled slowly. She could either accept and hope that the man would do as he said, or she could dig in her heels a little.

“I see. But since you are the Chief Operations Manager, and as you have stated - it was your job to deal with the appointments, properly. It seems that this is something that you failed to do. When I called and made the appointment, I was assured that I would be talking to Dr. Nilson, the CEO and not the COO. I will wait here while you call him and let him know that he has an appointment, the thing you should have done in the first place.” She did not smile at him, this time.

Doc: Cyril opened his mouth, then shut it. He pushed his glasses up his nose. Well hell. She was right. She had made the appointment with Dr. Nilson and had he not interfered, Doc would be here right now, and he would blissfully ignorant of the whole sordid mess. He sighed a slow long suffering sigh, as he picked up the receiver and dialed Doc's number on the office land line. He gave her a look that said, don't expect much. Once the call connected, Cyril mouthed, "Voice mail" to Ms. Smith.

"Hello Dr. Nilson, this is Cyril." The fact Cyril addressed him formally, should tell Doc it wasn't the usual, come sign papers. "There is a Ms. Smith here at the Lab, who made an appointment to see you, but she got me instead. She is desirous of speaking with you in person. If you get this call in the next few minutes, call me back please. Thank you Doctor."

Hanging up the receiver, Cyril gave her a look, "Happy? He really a busy man. If I remember correctly, he is booked until after eight pm tonight." He leaned back in his seat. "Doubt you want to hang around all night...?"

Piper: A small chuckle escaped her lips. "I have the patience of a saint. I waited eighteen years to talk to him, I am positive I can wait a bit longer." She folded her hands and smiled. "Could I lean on your hospitality, though, and ask you for a drink, preferably water." Now she just wanted to be a bit of a pain, a small payback for leaving a message that could be easily dismissed by Dr. Nilson, as not being important. There was nothing that spoke of its personal nature.

Doc: She was going to stay?! God dammit! What if he didn't call?! Knowing Cyril's luck he wouldn't. And there they would be.. staring at one another for hours. Well, Cyril sat a bit straighter. He wasn't going to let a slip of a thing keep him from his duties. he would ignore and carry on with business... just as soon as he got her a water. "Yes.. I will get you some water.. would you like it chilled?" Someone in his position might have asked that sarcastically, but that wasn't Cyril's way. Yes he was annoyed, but he was a professional, and he would remain professional.

Piper: "That would be fantastic." She smiled and pulled out her phone, it was time to update her facebook page and play a few games. "Oh, is there internet here?" She asked without looking up from the phone screen.

Doc: Cyril was in the process of standing, when he looked at her. "Yes, however it is a closed system. Due to the fact our network contains confidential information, I cannot and will not give you access. I shall be back with your water shortly. " Cyril was halfway to the kitchenette, when Doc spoke into his mind. ~A Ms. Smith? Couldn't she be more unique in her fake name? It is most likely a reporter. Get rid of her.~

Cyril's shoulders sagged. Great. Just great. How was he supposed to get rid of her? And didn't she deserve to at least meet him once, after all..once would be enough, she would happily wash her hands of the asshole. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, and headed back to the office. No, he wasn't going to brush her off. His steps now had more purpose. Entering his office, he thrust the bottle at the girl, and moved to his phone. He redialed Doc's number, and impatiently waited for the voicemail, once it connected, "No, and I am not getting rid of her. She's not a reporter." he hung up the phone, and then realized how that might have looked and sounded to her. "He um.. called Janice..." He said lying through his teeth.

Piper: Piper almost dropped her phone, when the water bottle dropped down into her lap. She had just finished re-posting a meme that she read on her timeline and found funny. What was that for? She was just about to say something, when Mr. Emerson grabbed his phone and started dialing. His words were concerning, and she couldn't help but think he was talking about her. What did he mean, she's not a reporter and more importantly, he was already trying to get rid of her. Did he call her father, while he was getting her drink? Maybe the 'voicemail' that he originally left was bogus.

The last bit was obviously a lie. I lie was always preceded with an "Um". She tucked her phone back into her purse and looked him in his eyes. "And Janice told him I was a reporter? Next time you speak with him, please let him know that his daughter is waiting to talk to him."

Doc: "What? No.. no.. " Cyril shook his head. "No Janice didn't tell him that.. he and Ms. McGee have a love hate relationship. They love to hate each other. She owns the Harper Rock Sun.. and is always trying to start trouble, give him bad press." He gave her sympathetic look. "He can be.. " He paused as he tried to think of a nice way to describe Doc's arrogant demeaning manner he could get.. for no particular reason. "... abrupt. You have to realiz...." The ring of the phone cut him off.

Picking up the phone, "This is Cy..." But he was interrupted by Doc.

"I know who the **** you are Cyril.. What is the deal with this Ms. Smith? No prevaricating .. just the facts."

Oh he wanted just facts did he? Fine. Cyril could give him facts. "She claims you are her biological sperm donor." Bam. Take that for facts. There was silence on the other end of the line, before finally a much cooler, less animated Doc replied, "Proof?" Cyril replied, "She has a DNA report, but is willing to undergo another one."

More silence, then, "Have Troy get cheek swab. Stand with him while he does it. Seal the sample and all three of you initial it." The line went dead.

Slowly Cyril replaced the phone in its cradle. "He wants Troy to take a cheek swab."

Piper: Doing her best not to get upset, Piper listened to Cyril’s side of the conversation. She really shouldn’t be surprised with how the conversation had gone, after all, this was one of the scenarios she had played out in her head. Piper’s spine stiffened and she scooted to the edge of her chair.

What did she really expect? A warm welcoming of tears and hugs? No, that only happened on television. This wasn’t the Hallmark channel, this was real life and sometimes real life could be very disappointing.

Swallowing down a bit of pride, she nodded at the man as he told her he needed a swab of her cheek.

“I understand.” Those were the only words she could muster in that moment. Desperately though, she wanted to ask Mr. Emerson if Dr. Nilson seemed surprised or angry about her claim. She had immediately imagined that he was denying the paternity and wanted nothing to do with her. That thought caused her stomach to roll. “Would you please give him the envelope, too?” Her eyes held the disappointment that she was feeling.

Doc: Cyril was loath to accept anything. He didn't need to be a go between for them. At some point, if this did prove to be Doc's child, Doc would need to face her. And she should be able to give it to him personally. If she didn't she would always have that wonder in the back of her mind. As much as Cyril knew he would protect Doc, should this girl be his daughter, that meant Cyril would be protecting her too, so he might as well start now.

"You strike me as being a very level headed young lady. Let us surmise for the moment that I take the envelope you offer, and I give it to him. What does that get you? Not much. My suggestion, because I know him, out of sight .. is out of mind. If his business manager gives him an envelope, it is not significant. However, if you were to give it to him, I believe it would be."

Piper: "Very well, but do tell him that I am 100 percent positive that he is my father. You see, I hired a detective, a Mr. Jake Grigson. He told me that without a doubt that Dr. Nilson is my birth father and should be said that Mr. Grigson is a specialist in these matters." Liar liar pants on fire. She didn't really know why she was lying, but she couldn’t help herself. Maybe she subconsciously thought by saying those things that Dr. Nilson would walk through the door. Silly, Piper.

“Anyway, do you swab my cheek here?” Her dark eyes moved around the room. “Or is there another room?”

Doc: Cyril nodded, not connecting the significance of the detective and the man that Cyril had shown the door weeks earlier. That would be an ah-ha moment for another time. Cyril's nod was to her suggestion to get the swab taken. "Yes, of course. Doc.. Dr. Nilson wants Troy to take the swab. He is a senior technician. " Cyril reached for the phone and dialed Troy extension.

Troy answered the phone, "Yes Cyril.. Doc's already called me. I will meet you in exam room one."

Cyril never had a chance to say a word. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then smiled politely at Ms. Smith and gestured to the door. "Exam room 1."

Piper: Clutching the envelope, Piper nodded and stood up. There wasn’t going to be a knock on the door and there wasn’t going to a happy Dr. Nilson on the other side of it. A tinge of sadness mixed in with a lot of disappointment rippled through her. The fear that this was a feeling she would have to get used to, caused a sigh to make its way to her lips.

Suck it up, Piper, she told herself. You still have an amazing life in California.

“Lead the way.” She gave Mr. Emerson a quick smile and a nod toward the door.

Doc: Cyril led the way to the exam room, where Troy was in the process of scrubbing and drying his hands. Tossing the used paper towel into a foot operated trash container, Troy then began pulling on a fresh pair of latex gloves and paused. Troy looked at the girl. "Ms. Smith?" Troy gave her an appreciative smile, she was attractive. "Not allergic to latex I hope? If you are, speak now, and I will get a pair of Nitrile." Troy had no idea why she was here, but she looked depressed, he tried to cheer her up. "This is painless wont hurt a bit.. "

Piper: As they walked into the room, Piper looked around. Nothing really made it stand out from any other medical exam room that she had seen. It had the typical things like a computer, rolling Doctor’s stool, an exam table, supply cabinet, sink and a chair for the patient to sit.

But what did stand out, was the guy already in the room. He must have been Troy, the technician. He was in the process of getting things set up when Mr. Emerson opened the door.

He definitely seemed to have a good bedside manner, or was it his smile. Either way, Piper felt herself smiling.

“No. I am not. So, do I say ahh?” The test she took at home had a whole lot less fanfare. She just took the swab from its wrapper, ran it on the inside of her cheek and then placed it into the plastic baggie that had been provided. After sealing it and mailing it back, it took almost a month to get the results. God, she hoped that it wouldn’t take that long for Genesis Labs to get the results. “also, how long does it usually take to get the results?”

Doc: Troy finished pulling on the latex gloves, and grinned at her. "Well... for you.. because you are special," He winked, "Twenty-four hours." He moved to the tray, where the ampule tipped swab lay. Taking the swab he broke the seal, and slid the ampule down. "Now you can say .. ah." He moved toward her to get the swab.

Meanwhile Cyril was rolling his eyes at Troy. It simply would not do for Troy to start a relationship with a possible Doc offspring. Cyril made a face, Or worse! A NON-Doc-offspring that hung around because of Troy. Oh this was not good, no not good at all.

Piper: Piper’s amber eyes watched Troy as he went through the process of getting the swab ready.

“Twenty-four hours? Well, that is much better than a month. Is that also because I am special, or do you say that to everyone?” Her eyes twinkled, Piper couldn’t help but flirt back. Besides, she could use the distraction and Troy was both charming and attractive. “Ahhh….” She opened her mouth and waited.

Doc: Troy swabbed the inside of her cheek, making sure to get several good swipes in. Once done, he slid the ampule up and snapped it closed, and then slid it into a plastic specimen bag. "Well.. You are definitely special.. " He gave her another smile, before starting to note the details on the outside of the bag. "It is not every day that the big man calls and tells me to give you undivided attention." Troy then sealed the plastic bag by pulling the cover off the adhesive strip, and folded it over. He initialed across the seal. "Apparently he is going to run this one himself." He offered her the black marker. "If you will initial right there on top of the seal."

Piper: Her smile disappeared. “Yeah, special…” She mumbled as he wrote on the bag.

He then spoke about Dr. Nilson handling the tests himself. Did she hear that right? Taking the marker from him, she spoke up. “So, he normally doesn’t run the tests?” Piper pushed the tip of the marker against the bag and wrote the initials P.S. She handed the marker back to him and hesitated slightly before releasing it, making sure he saw her smile.

Doc: Troy saw the smile and stood a bit straighter, and flexed his mostly non-existent shoulder muscles. He had been working out at the gym lately and maybe it showed. At least that was his hope. His hope was in vain. He took the pen and shoved it at Cyril without looking, keeping his focus on her, "Oh no.. he doesn't. He does usually double check the findings and signs off on them.. but since Cyril took over, and he hired that Dr. Pedot, he doesn't really have to do that any more. So yea.. you are special." He smiled at her.

Piper: Troy was turning out to be a goldmine for information. Piper made a quick mental note of it, maybe she could exploit a bit further. “Hmm. Maybe I am special, then.” Her smile widened and she crinkled her nose just a bit at him. According to Daniel, it was “cute” when she did that. “I have to say, I find all of this fascinating. I would love to pick your brains about how this all works.” Guys loved it when they felt that they know a little more than the girl.

The fact that she had been admitted to Stanford for the fall and her interests were with Gene therapy, were something that he would have no idea about She had already been contacted by Dr. Kay, the head of the department. She already had a shoe in with the program. Some may have argued it was because of her mother and grandfather. Both were well respected in the medical community. That may have helped played a small part, but she had already proven herself, on her own merit, as the valedictorian of her class and her high ACT score.

“Maybe we could get a coffee and you can tell me all about it. After you are finished here, of course. Besides, I am not from here and I could use a tour guide.” Please bite…please bite.

Doc: "Oh absolutely!" Troy bit and bit hard. "I am actually off shift at three, maybe we could grab a snack and I could show you around?" He said without even looking at Cyril, who was about to have coronary at what he overheard.

Cyril scribbled his initials on the bag, and attempted to remedy what he saw as a train wreck happening in front of him. "Here Troy. THank you.. you can go now." There was a distinct bite to the comments directed at Troy.

Troy wasn't phased by what he considered Cyril's 'nervous Nellie' attitude. He gave Ms. Smith a quick eye roll to let her know, that this was a typical Cyril reaction. Taking the pen and the plastic specimen bag, Troy grinning, wrote his number on a card and held it out to her. "I am off at three.. call me."

Cyril wanted to yank that card right out of the girl's hand. However he couldn't very well do that. Because, one, it was unprofessional and two, it was rude as hell and would be reason for her to file a complaint. And.. three if she was Doc's kid, it would make for a very tense future relationship. For the first time, Cyril hoped fervently, this girl had it all wrong, and Doc would see through her and her 'DNA'.

Piper: “Thanks! That would be so lovely.” Her voice was full of amusement and almost held a sing song quality. She turned the card over and looked at the number that had been scribbled on the back of it.

This tiny win did a lot to lift her spirits. In fact, she had to fight the urge to stick her tongue out at Cyril. There, take that. One didn’t have to imagine that he wasn’t happy about the arrangement. The looks that he was giving, said it all. He may be the COO and the gatekeeper to Dr. Nilson, but where there is a will there is a way. Piper wanted information and she would get it. Besides, she wasn’t really lying. She could definitely use a good tour guide. It had grown boring sitting around the hotel, alone. In fact, she had considered taking Daniel up on his offer of him joining her in Harper Rock.

“I will see you at three and I will just meet you outside of the office.” She turned and left the room with a bounce.

Doc: Cyril wanted to let her leave alone and unescorted, but with how his day was going, she would probably slip, fall and break a bone or something on the premise and sue them. Trying to not look as aggravated as he felt, he wordlessly showed Ms. Smith to the front door and held it open for her. "Have a good day.. " It was said in a pleasant professional voice, but the look on his face did not match the spoken word. He then made the mistake to glance at Janice, who was wearing a cat-who-got-the-canary grin. Great. Just great. He should have called in sick.

Piper: Piper stopped just on the other side of the front door and turned to Cyril. "Thanks for everything, Mr. Emerson. I hope that you have a fantastic day." The word fantastic was emphasized and with that, she turned and headed down the street, toward the hotel. She didn’t get the outcome she had been hoping for, but assuredly, there was progress made and in a couple of hours she would be with Troy and all his knowledge about Dr. Nilson.