Moonlightaholics

The Look-a-Like
Rated PG
By Ella713

Someone who looks exactly like Isabelle turns Los Angeles upside down


Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Greg Stone often told himself that Los Angeles was dead. And looking at the same old crowd of people do the same old things was tiresome. Nothing was new anymore. The same train wrecks did the same things night after night. Every now and again you'd get something really juicy like a politician or CEO who had a transexual lover or something huge like that. But those stories were few and far between.

So there he sat at the Rooftop Bar right in the heart of downtown L.A. and he was bored.

Kelsey glided into the Rooftop Bar like she owned it. And for this one night she did. Everybody turned to stare at the drop dead gorgeous woman in the skintight leather pants and flowing silk top.
"Mrs. Kostan" A waiter said approaching her. Kelsey stopped and looked at the little man.
"I'm sorry?" She said,
"If you be begging my pardon Mrs. Kostan, I have a table reserved for you" He said leading her to the chicest part of the club and offering her a seat at the best table in the joint!. Kelsey wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Whoever this Kostan broad was, she was loaded. The waiter quickly disappeared and came back with the most expensive champagne they had. He poured her a glass and waited until she took a sip then disappeared again. Two men approached her table and she invited them to join her. Over the course of 4 hours they dined on some of the best food, drank the finest champagne, and danced to the latest tunes. Kelsey was having the time of her life!

Greg saw Isabelle Kostan right away. There's no way you could miss that kind of beauty. In a way he couldn't believe that the Governor's wife would choose to come out alone to booze up, dine and flirt all evening, but no one really knew much about Isabelle and Josef Kostan. Maybe they had an open relationship. Some really rich people did things that way. Greg took shot after shot, of Isabelle dancing and locking lips with a blonde hunk who had his arms wrapped tightly around her.

His editor was going to love this!

Isabelle was in her office before everyone arrived which was her habit. Brian walked in and sat in the chair in front of her. She looked up and smiled.
"Yes. Is there something you wish?" She asked calmly.
"I'd like to know if you and Mr. Kostan are having any troubles." He said seriously.
"Josef? Of course not. Josef is always happy no matter what the day." She said in surprise.
"I have to know Isabelle. There are some things that should be kept quiet and discreet but I understand. You know I do. But doing something brazenly before the world is something quite different." Isabelle looked hard at Brian. He was accusing her of something. Something that was punishable by death. But she had done nothing.
"My Lord, I say to you I am confused. My life with Josef is satisfying. There has been nothing indiscreet" Brian laid the morning paper on her desk.

"Governor's wife has secret night out!"

And there was a photograph that looked very much like Isabelle. So much that Isabelle was shocked herself.
"My Lord, that is not me. Josef and I were together the whole of the night. We did not go anywhere" She said. Brian said nothing but let his mind sweep over hers. So lightly it felt as if he were caressing her.
"My apologies Isabelle. But this..whoever this is, looks remarkably like you. We must set a plan in motion right away. The Governor's wife can not be seen this way." He said and walked out of the office. Isabelle quickly rang Josef.

"Well, well, well my little party girl!" Josef joked. "What were up to while I was fast asleep?"

Isabelle smiled to herself. Josef had that effect on people.
"So you have seen the newspaper?" She asked quietly.
"Actually no I haven't, but my Chief of Staff notified me first thing. Do you have any idea who this woman is?"
"No, but the resemblance is remarkable, even the outfit seemed to hand picked from my wardrobe" Isabelle explained. "What do you wish me to do?"
"My first instinct was to have you come back to Sacramento, but stay where you are for now. See if you can find out who this woman is. Call Ted and see if he can check into all the talent agencies and see if anyone in particular was looking for your doppelganger. I will relay this Counsel to put them at ease." Josef replied.
"And what do you wish me to do when I find the responsible parties?"
Josef hesitated. Since becoming Governor he had to be very careful. He had enemies. Powerful enemies that were always plotting against him.
"Any other time I would have asked you to deal with this as you see fit, but in this case....take them to Counsel." Josef said.
"Yes my darling.....would you also speak with Brian....I feel that my Lord...well he may.." She began to say.
"I'll take care of it" Josef said.

Kelsey woke up late and very hungover. Some useless man laid next to her. She always hated looking at a man in her bed the next morning. Someone how it brought what had gone on last night into full reality. She generally tried to get whoever it was out of her sight once she was finished with them. But occasionally she would get some clingy man who was so enthralled by her beauty. She swept the hair from her eyes and pushed the man. He stirred and tossed over opening his eyes.
"Go home" Kelsey said in disgust.
"What time is it?" He asked sitting up quickly. Looking over at her clock he saw the time and immediately jumped up. His wife was going to kill him! Literally! He scampered around trying to find his socks and shoes. When he had finally left Kelsey got up, showered and made some very strong coffee. When she felt a little better she called room service and ordered a light breakfast. She opened up her laptop and heard the familiar ding alerting her to a message.

"Well done last night. Will contact you later of upcoming plans"

She logged into her debit account and saw that $50,000 had been deposited into her account. She smiled and looked at the photographs again. She had to admit that her and this Isabelle looked like twins. Kelsey knew she should feel bad, but this was never her plan. Her mother had wanted her to be a model ever since she shot up to 5'10 inches while in junior high. Her mother paraded her in front of endless photographers who all said she would be next Cindy Crawford or Elle McPherson. And for a while it really seemed to be happening. She was getting picked up for catalog shoots and making decent money. But her mother insisted that runway modeling was where the real money was. And she was right. But it was also where you would be sexually harassed before and after each show. Designers who insisted you sleep with them if you wanted to be the lead model. By the time she was 19 years old she had slept with dozens of men and all it got her was a reputation. Slowly the jobs offers started to disappear and with it her money. She found herself in Vegas dancing with other once hopeful models who either lost their looks or their contacts and now were stuck as showgirls in Las Vegas. That's where she met Hardison Lockwood. He worked for a very strong Independent Party in California and wanted to play a joke on his friend Josef Kostan. The name sounded familiar to Kelsey but she didn't give it a second thought. Anyway Lockwood said she looked just like his friends wife and all she had to do was get dressed up and flirt and drink and hook up with the man of her choice. And for that he would pay her $100,000! Kelsey had only $400.00 in her bank account at the time and this offer sounded like a dream come true. But now looking through the envelope Lockwood had left for her at the swank hotel he put her up in, she felt like a tramp. She ruining someone's marriage for a laugh. She went to Google and typed in Josef Kostan. Crap! This guy was the Governor of California and Isabelle was his wife! Screw this she thought to herself and she quickly grabbed her clothes and started to pack. With $50,000 she could go anywhere and start over. She heard her computer ding again. She sat back down and read the email.

"Your next assignment will be to go to the Restaurant Mélisse. A man will join you for dinner. After dinner you will be driven to the L'Ermitage Beverly Hills there will be a room reserved for you. Do whatever you wish to do but make sure you are seen. Refusal to do this will require me to take back all funds immediately."

She poured herself another cup of coffee and said to herself. Just this one last time.

The dress that was delivered for Kelsey to wear for the night was exquisite. An original Ralph Lauren Couture. The black halter razor back dress fit her slim body like a second skin. She pulled her long black hair into a ponytail. She studied the photos of Isabelle Kostan for an hour. The woman was the epitome of grace. She rarely smiled and Kelsey would have to keep that in mind. Her posture and her make up, if she wore makeup was always perfect. She took one last look in the mirror sighed and picked up her clutch and walked out of her room. She made her way into the lobby and saw a few members of the press there waiting. She walked past them with her head held high not acknowledging them. The Limo driver who was waiting opened the door for her and she slipped inside.

Isabelle received a phone call from an associate who was dining at Mélisse
"Isabelle, you won't believe this, but a woman that could be your twin just walked into Mélisse! I swear I thought it was you at first. Even the Maitre D, called this woman Mrs. Kostan!"

Kelsey again was seated at the best best table. In a few moments and unbelievably handsome man came and sat next to her.
"Hello, my names is Cameron. I'll be your date for the evening." he said in a very deep voice.
Kelsey looked the man over cooly and took a sip of the champagne that was placed in front of her.
"So how did you get swindled by Lockwood?" He asked with slight grimace. Kelsey still trying to remain in character looked up in shock.
"I have no idea what you mean" She replied.
"Hey, don't worry. We all are bought and paid for. This isn't the first time for Lockwood you know. He found me in an off -Broadway play a couple of years ago. Said he had an acting gig for me. A little joke he wanted to play on a friend. Offered me more than I was making in New York that's for sure. So I took the job. He paid me $75,000. When I found out his game was ruin some poor guy's career, I tried to bail but he said if I did, he'd pull out all of his funds. I had no place go. I mean I moved here for the job. If I left. I'd have no money and no work, no apartment. Nothing." Kelsey listened and shook her head slowly.
"So why do you still continue to do it?" Kelsey asked. Cameron shrugged his shoulders.
"A man's gotta eat" He replied. Kelsey stood up quickly and threw her glass of champagne in the man's face. Surprised at what she had done she grabbed her purse and walked out of the restaurant.

Isabelle had her driver pull up to the restaurant. As soon as they pulled up the look-a-like quickly got into the limo. When she saw that she got into the wrong vehicle she placed her hand over mouth.
"I am so sorry!" She gasped. Isabelle turned slowly to face her and the severity of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh my God!" she said.
"Drive" Isabelle ordered to the driver and they sped off into the night.

Kelsey sat back in the limo terrified. She was sitting next to the woman that she was being paid to humiliate...and she didn't look happy. Kelsey thought she should at least plead her case. Maybe Mrs. Kostan would understand.
"Mrs..." She started to say. Isabelle held up on long slender hand
"Silence" She said in a controlled voice.

When they reached a large gated estate Kelsey began to really become frightened. She was going to die. Just because some juvenile politician wanted to get rid of his adversary! The tears started to build up in her eyes but she had to be strong. Isabelle got out of the limo and motioned to Kelsey to follow her. On shaky legs Kelsey walked up the stairs and heard the large doors open to let them in and then close loudly. A very gorgeous man walked out to meet them.
"Hello Sweetheart" He said as he approached Isabelle and kissed her on the lips. Shit! This was the freaking Governor! Kelsey knew she was dead where she stood. Josef looked at the young woman and chuckled. "Well, I'll be damned!" he exclaimed. "You two are identical in every way with exception to the eye color"
"Mr. Governor please let me explain. This isn't my fault! I didn't want to do this!" Kelsey yelled.
"Oh, that we know" Josef said walking up to her. "What we want to know is who paid you to do this?"
Kelsey looked at both of them. Well, she might as well kiss her $50,000 away and tell them the truth.
"Hardison Lockwood came up to me in Vegas where I was dancing in a show. He said he wanted to play a trick on a friend and I was a dead ringer for his friend's wife. He said he'd pay me $50,000. I was going to back out but then he said he would take back all the money and I don't have anything. I spent everything leaving Las Vegas to get here!" She screamed with tears in her eyes.

Josef looked at the woman for a long time making up his mind. Isabelle knew her husband very well. She knew when a diabolical plan was forming.

Hardison had no idea what happened to Kelsey. Cameron said she became agitated and threw a drink in his face and took off. She didn't try to access the cash so either she was hurt and in the hospital or she had become one of the many casualties of urban city life. In any case, he would have to think of something else. There's no way he would find another Isabelle look-a-like, but Josef Kostan had to be stopped. The man was growing more popular each moment. Commentators were already speculating that he might be running for President soon and that couldn't happen! Even members of the ultra conservative party were singing the praises of Josef Kostan! He poured himself a stiff drink. He just needed to think things out. He heard a knock at his door and heard his housekeeper walking towards his office.
"Mr. Lockwood. Miss Kelsey Chambers is here to see you sir. She says it's of the utmost importance"
Where the hell had she been? It had been almost two weeks!
"Send her in" He said in anger. Kelsey strode in wearing tight jeans and Caesar's Palace sweatshirt. "Where the hell have you been!" He barked out. "I've been calling you for over a week! Why didn't you finish the assignment?" Kelsey looked at him and shrugged.
"It didn't seem right. The Kostans are nice people." She tried to explain. Lockewood quickly stood in front of her a slapped her face. He expected her to cry, scream, or hold her face. But she stood there still staring at him.
"You know what Kelsey! Get hell out of my house! You won't get a dime from me! Not one red cent"
Kelsey stepped in front of him and slapped him so hard he hit a wall. He slowly got up and rubbed his face which felt like it was fire.
"What you're going to do Lockwood is sit you fat ass down in that chair and do what you do best. Writing checks. And it's going to be a big one or next time I won't be so nice!"

"Isabelle you know we really can't have your twin roaming around the streets." Josef said thoughtfully.
"Do you have something in mind?" Isabelle asked.
"Maybe....."

Hardison Lockwood was finished. He'd come face to face with the Devil himself. All that time he would tell people he was a man of faith but he really wasn't. He'd condemn other men and call them Godless just to win votes, but he realized that it was he, who was the sinner. God had sent Satan to him in the form of a beautiful woman and she rid him of all he had. And now all he could do was pray.

Helmut met Josef, Isabelle and Kelsey at his estate in Vienna. Helmut starred at the young woman for a long time.
"Remarkable!" He finally said.
"With Josef's position in politics growing stronger we can't have my doppelganger running around the streets of Los Angeles" Isabelle said.
"Indeed. Well Kelsey what do you think of Vienna? Do you think you could be happy here?" Helmut asked. Kelsey knew she would say yes, because there was nothing else she could do. She was now damned. Maybe this new life wouldn't be so bad. It certainly would better than they way she was living before. Helmut wasn't a repulsive man. He seemed quite nice and gentle. And he was handsome for an older guy. She simply nodded her head and smiled. The strange thing was that in time she grew to love Helmut with all her heart. They were perfect for one another. He exposed her to opera and the ballet and she shared with him her love of romance films which he said he found charming. And no other guy she dated had ever said anything like that and they most certainly wouldn't be caught dead watching a chick flick! But more importantly, for the first time in her life she was happy. Sublimely so.

Mick would have said that Josef was nervous, but he knew that wasn't true. But anytime Josef was completely quiet that's when Mick got nervous. This was a huge step not just for Josef but for all vampires and one they felt was long overdue. Over 400 vampires were in this ballroom awaiting the news. The phone rang and every voice was hushed as Beth picked up the phone, listened, and hung up the phone. She turned to face everyone with a bright smile.
"It's official! Josef Kostan has just received the nomination. He's running for President!" She screamed out. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Josef stood in front of everyone. But truth be known Josef was nervous. More nervous than he'd ever been.














The End