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"Relax, don't do it, When you want to go to it Relax, don't do it, When you want to come" ~ Frankie Goes To Hollywood XXX "He's not a good guy, Don," Hank Miller sipped his single malt scotch and let out a grateful sigh as it burned his throat and warmed him to his core. "His father is State Representative Richard Crawford from up in Fresno. After young James was arrested for the ninth time - drugs, theft, extortion, you name it - State Representative Crawford washed his hands of his youngest. After all, with four other sons, all of whom were successful and making him look good, Jim-bo was just an embarrassment. His arrest for 'extortion,' 'Impersonating a Police Officer' and 'Assault and Battery Upon Mr Edward McNeal' was his tenth arrest. Unfortunately, daddy didn't know about this one, so Jim-bo went to prison this time." "Ok," Don nodded, "but why is he out? I mean, he should have been in for at least a few years, right?" "Right, but dad was out doing a political event when a reporter asked him about his youngest son being in prison. So, daddy made some calls and made a deal with the parole board and got his baby boy a job to help him straighten himself out." "Well that didn't work out very well, did it?" Don sipped his beer. "It never does." Hank took another sip of his scotch. "The more daddy helps a messed up kid, the more messed up the kid becomes. It's like a scientific rule, but the Representative hasn't heard about it, I guess. So, how do you want to handle this, Don. I can call a friend at LAPD and they can pay him a visit and threaten to revoke his parole. That might scare him into leaving the clinic on his own." "No," Don said. "Let's leave him alone for now - give him enough rope and see if he hangs himself. Just keep an eye on him for me, ok, Hank?" "Will do. What about the woman?" "What woman?" "His girlfriend. The one who used to teach at Bianca's school." Don rubbed his stressed forehead. "He got her out, too?" "Apparently." Don thought for a few minutes. "I just don't know right now, Hank. Let's give this some thought before we do anything." XXX The early summer water of the North Atlantic was still very cool. Falmouth, nestled into the north east corner of Narragansett Bay, was at least a bit warmer than it would be in the waters on the beaches further east on the flexed-arm of land that made up Cape Cod. "Just jump in," Ed said, chilled, but happy on this early summer day. What could be better than owning this beautiful house, enjoying this beautiful day and sharing it all with the beautiful woman he was falling deeper and deeper in love with everyday. "Do you want me to go into shock!?" Rose laughed and splashed water towards Ed. "It's cold, for crying out loud." "Yeah, but you're torturing yourself by going so slow. You're already up to your hips. Just jump in, or just sit down. It's great, once you get into it." "See these, Ed?" She held her hands beneath her shapely breasts. "These are sensitive. I can't just throw them into cold water. Be patient." "Oh, Geez," Ed said, as, in one quick motion, he stood, grabbed Rose into his strong arms and fell backwards back into the chilly water, with Rose screaming all the way. When they resurfaced, Rose was bouncing in playful rage. "You're a jerk, McNeal! You know that? A jerk!" She couldn't maintain her anger though and broke into laughter. "I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack." Ed just laughed, then hugged her tightly. "Better?" "No," Rose teased. "I'm cold, I'm salty, I'm shivering and I'm in love with a jerk! I am not 'better!' You big goofball!" She punched him, playfully, in the chest, causing Ed to let out a deep groan of pretend pain and he fell backwards, back into the cool water, once again pulling Rose with him. This time, when they surfaced, she just laughed and enjoyed the feel of the cool, salt water on her skin and the warmth of Ed's body heat against her back. The two of them floated in their own private world, looking at the beautiful home, perched just off the sandy beach, that they'd been able to buy. It was truly unbelievable, barely into their twenties and they already owned something like... this. It was theirs and it was beautiful. "We're really lucky, Ed," Rose said with a satisfied sigh. "I'm lucky, Rosie," Ed laughed. "You're talented. If it hadn't been for 'Civil Disobedience,' you would have found another show sooner or later. I just lucked into all of this because of Bebe." Rose chuckled. "I don't know about that, Ed. I'm at this point in my life because of Bebe, too. Maybe I would have made it big without her... maybe not... but all of this is because Bebe stood up for me - and for you." She turned and kissed him. The kiss was long, soft and warm. "Even being with you... I'd never have known you if it weren't for Bebe." They floated a little longer. "Maybe we could call her tonight," Rose said. "I miss her. I'm a little worried about her being out there without us." "Sure," Ed said, "but we'll have to go into town to get some reception. The cable company is coming tomorrow afternoon to install our modem and our cell phone reception extender. After that, we'll be in good shape here. I'm really enjoying our alone-time. Can we wait to call her tomorrow?" "Sure. I'm sure she is fine." Rose kissed him, again. "I love you, you know." "Yeah," Ed smiled. "You mentioned that." XXX John wiped the condensation from the mirror in his bathroom. The hot shower felt good, but didn't eliminate the anxiety he was feeling about today - the first day of shooting for a movie he knew nothing about. He hadn't seen a script, hadn't gotten a synopsis and didn't even know his character's name. His schedule had been changed yesterday. Instead of starting in the recording studio, he was starting with filming. Don said it was not unusual for changes like this to occur, but it was definitely scary. He looked at himself in the mirror. His face, smooth, plump and feminine. His hair reached to his shoulder blades and then some. His shoulders, narrow and rounded. His arms, small and smooth, no sign of muscle. His breasts becoming quite respectable, pert and girlish. His hips round and wider than before. But then... There it was. Small and limp and useless and ugly. Why was this a part of his life? Why couldn't he be either one thing or the other? Why was he stuck, like this, in between? It wasn't fair. When he was a boy, he knew he wasn't really adequate. He was small and weak and unable to compete with the other boys. Now, as a girl, he was happy, and pretty and in love. Maybe God, if there was a God, enjoyed playing games like this - like in Greek mythology. It just wasn't fair, though, that he had to be a pawn in this stupid game. He hated his situation and that little piece of skin so, so much. It just wasn't fair. Why couldn't it just fall off? Lately, he'd been reading stories, fantasies, in which a man would lose his penis and somehow, magically, he'd be a woman. Fully functioning and beautiful. Why couldn't something like that happen to him? "Johnny?" Nancy knocked on the door. "Are you all set? I'm sorry, but I have to run to get to work on time." "I'm fine, Nan. Thanks," John said without enthusiasm. "Have a good day." "You, too... umm..., could you open the door for a minute?" "I'm naked, Nancy." "Johnny, I used to change your diapers and I'm a Doctor. Please, can I just talk to you face to face for a minute." John opened the door and reached for a towel, but Nancy stopped him. "You're fine, honey. Just... give me a hug." He let his sister pull him in tightly to her chest. He listened to her heart thump as she spoke. "You're not scared, are you?" "Not scared," John said, quietly, "petrified." "I'm sorry I can't be there for you, honey. I'm still being watched pretty closely at work and I'm afraid that any thing could draw attention to me. It's like I'm on probation or something. I wish I could go with you." "I know. I'll be fine. Joanne will be there." She kissed his cheek. "Be good, be careful and be wonderful." "Ok." John smiled as she released him. "Call if you need me. Love you." "Love you, too." She left. Dressed and waiting for Joanne and Oscar to arrive, he sent yet another text to Ed and Rose. 'MISS YOU GUYS. HOPE THE HOUSE IS GREAT. PLEASE CALL WHEN YOU CAN. I COULD USE SOME ADVICE. DON'T GET SUNBURNED. LOVE YOU BOTH.' He pushed send and watched as the message turned blue. It was the fifth text he'd sent in three days. He missed them more than he expected and he wanted Uncle Ed to be here to make everything all right. How did this happen? He'd always been timid unless he was acting, but Ed used to hang around with him, not the other way around. Now, he needed Ed's approval of everything he did and he didn't know why. He looked at his phone and snickered. Exactly one year ago today, he was standing in the kitchen of his mother's cottage on Cape Cod when his phone rang. Ed was there, and his mom. That was the day that changed his life. Maureen Weldon offered him an opportunity he'd never expected, to play a secondary lead in a play he loved. To play Bianca. It was just a play. A stupid, local production. Then Ed kissed him and everything has been messed up ever since. And now... Were things better or worse? Better, of course. He was rich. He was working. He was famous, although that wasn't always 'better' than being anonymous. Mom was happy with Mr McManus. Nancy was sober and working. He had friends, real friends. He loved Ella and MK like sisters - Cassie and Annie like cousins. Kylie was great, too. Her career as a spokesperson was taking off, so he didn't see her as much, but he felt very close to her, too. And then there was Blaine. How could a boy make him feel so... complete. Without him, he felt small and alone. With him... he felt beautiful and loved and happy. He didn't just date Blaine, he craved Blaine. He needed to be near Blaine like an addict needed a fix. That was what was wrong, right now. He needed Blaine. The entry panel rang. He pushed the video feed and saw Joanne waiting. "Good morning, Bebe. I'm a little early, sorry." "No problem, mom. Come on up," his voice sounded sad. He pushed the button, opened the door and waited for the elevator. When it opened, Joanne stepped out, but so did the answer to his prayers. "Blaine!" He ran to him and clung to him tightly. "Well..." Joanne stepped aside. "Good morning, Mom. How are you? Oh, I'm fine, Bebe, thank you for asking?" She smiled at the young lovers. "Come on, you two," she took her son by the arm and guided them towards the apartment. "Let's go inside until Oscar gets here." For now, at least, John felt less scared. XXX "Alright, So," Robert Lopez, one of the composers for the film was on the set, along with his wife and co-writer, Kristen as well as Rob Marshall, the director, "we're trying to get all the kitchen-interior scenes done before moving on to the next set." John had just met Colin Mulbry, the young man who'd be playing his character's friend in the film. He seemed like a nice kid, but his Scottish accent made him difficult to understand. Luckily, when acting, he had a huge assortment of accents from which to choose. Rob Marshall came over to where John and Colin were seated and motioned for a PA to bring their 'sides,' the scripts for just the scene they were filming. "I'm sorry for all the secrecy, but Disney is very concerned about this project, so it's very hush-hush at the moment. Has anyone told you anything about your characters?" Colin said, yes, but John shook his head. "I have no idea what's happening, other than this is the most uncomfortable dress I have ever worn in my life." The dress was truly a work of art - various shade of feminine blue, a modest, scooped neck that revealed some shoulder, large, puffed sleeves with ruffles all about them, a tight bodice that displayed his narrow, corseted upper body, then a vast, white skirt that dropped with layer after layer of beautiful lace and ribbons. Beneath that, layer after layer of petticoats made the whole ensemble weigh a ton and it had a bustle that made his rear-end stick out lick a side-table. The bustle made sitting with his back against a chair-back impossible. The director smiled and nodded. "Well, we all have to suffer for our art." John glanced at the actor next to him in a well fitting suit of the 1890s and wondered how much he was suffering. "So," Rob Marshall continued, "we're looking at a very short scene, here. You're both supposed to be at a party up stairs, but you've snuck down here to take a peak into the Cook's office and see if she is hiding stolen money in there. You only have fifteen lines or so. Take a look at your sides and we'll block the scene, then get a shot. Ok?" John looked at his lines. Nothing very exciting, just basic stuff. These lines certainly didn't give him any insight into his character. "Ready?" Mr Marshall asked. "Umm." John was uncertain as to whether he should ask a question or not. Finally, he decided to give it a shot. "Can I ask a question?" "Sure." The director smiled, a bit too condescendingly. "I don't know anything about the story or the character... I haven't even heard the music. I don't know the tone of the film or anything else. To be honest, I don't know how to play the scene. I don't want to be difficult, but could I please either see a full script or at least get a summary so I know what to do?" The actor beside John crossed his legs and leaned away, separating himself from the young actress. "I see." The director smiled, but, again, there was some condescension in that smile. "And how many movies have you made, Ms Foley?" "None," John said, "but I'd like to do a good job for you, Mr Marshall, and I can't do that if I'm meant to act blindly." As timid and quiet as John had become off set, acting was still his home turf and he knew what he needed to do a good job. "Ok, look," Robert Lopez interrupted. "We made a decision to only release plot information on a need-to-know basis. I know that's inconvenient, Bebe, but it's how things are for this movie." "Well, I'd say that she needs to know," came a British-accented voice from behind John. He turned and saw Lily James standing behind him, her arms folded. "I saw the whole script, Rob. Why can't she?" Both men looked at each other with uncomfortable expressions. "To be honest, Lily," Robert Lopez said, "Bebe is a bit of an unknown commodity. She is very young, we can't really hold her to a non- disclosure deal and we really want this all kept under wraps. So, Lily..." "It's our decision, Lily," The director snapped his words. "End of story. So, Bebe, let's go walk through the blocking." Lily was a bit put out. "Look, Rob..." "End of story." He looked away from Lily and back to the younger actors. "Let's go." Bebe took the pages of her side and she and Colin walked onto the kitchen set and Rob Marshall walked them through the scene, explaining their positions and what his expectations were. "It's meant to be a bit comic, a bit serious, but, mostly, it just moves the story along. Ok? Let's try it." Colin and John moved to what looked like a doorway to a staircase and waited instructions. "Ok," the director called. "Aaaand, let's see what it looks like. Go." John and Colin came out of the 'stairwell' looking around and moving stealthily. "Good," the director said. "Now, find your way into the kitchen, and..." As the young actors did as they were told, John saw a pot on the counter and acted as if he was pulling himself up to explore that area, but, instead, he grabbed the handle on the pot and intentionally pulled it down, sending it crashing to the floor. The crash was very noisy and scared Colin, but John was trying to make the scene funnier, so he made a big deal of hushing his costar. Rob Marshall yelled, "Stop, Stop, Stop! Bebe... what are you doing? It's a simple scene! Don't make more of it than what I am asking!" "I don't KNOW what I am doing or what you're asking!" John stood firmly by the counter and folded his arms. "You said it was supposed to be a little funny, so I tried to be funny. You don't want that?" "No!" The director stood, frustrated that his first day with this young actress had gotten off on the wrong foot. "Actually, Rob," Robert Lopez said, "I kinda liked it." "Bob," The director stood and headed to where the songwriter was standing, "not now. This is my set, remember." By now, Joanne had come closer, standing by Lily James. Lily put her hand on Joanne's arm, though and said, "Give her a minute. She's doing fine. Let her set her own rules. Rob's a good director, but he's a bit of a know-it-all and he likes to talk down to women on set. Let her take charge." Reluctantly, Joanne waited and watched. Rob got closer to the younger actors and Colin moved aside. "I'm sorry, Mr Marshall. I had nothing to do with this." The director ignored him. "Alright, young lady, lets get something straight. This is my set and you will do as I say or we will be saying goodbye very quickly." "All I'm asking for is to see a script so I know what the heck I'm doing..." "Give her a script, Rob," a new voice joined the fray, it was Kristen Anderson-Lopez, the other half of the song writing team. She'd been working on some lyrics to the side of the studio, but came over to try to calm things down. "She knows not to share anything with anyone, right Bebe?" John nodded, but he didn't get a word out before Rob Marshall said, "No. She has the smallest part of the three sisters and I'll provide all the information she needs." "I need to see a script..." John started saying, but was again interrupted. "No. Now, I know that you're doing well on that TV show, but that's mostly due to Don Ferry's star power. Now, I have a wall full of awards in my office that indicate that I know what the hell I am doing, so suppose you start listening to what I'm saying and we get this small, little, insignificant scene filmed and we move on!?" John wanted to back down. He wanted to just be a good girl and do what the director wanted, but he couldn't. Acting meant too much to him and he didn't want to do a mediocre job - or worse. This was a big opportunity, but he needed to do things his way. Not only that, he knew that Rob Marshall was behaving this way because he saw Bebe as a helpless little piece of set-dressing and he was not going to be treated that way by Rob Marshall or anyone else. He folded his arms and stared down the director. "I need a script or every single scene is going to be this difficult. I'm sorry, Mr Marshall, but I need to know what I'm doing or I can't do what you want me to do." Now, Rob Marshall leaned back and folded his arms. "No." He stared at the young actress who showed no sign of backing down. "This is not my first rodeo, Bebe..." "I know, Mr Marshall." John had hardly blinked. "I have watched all of your movies a dozen times. I know what you can do and I wish you knew what I can do." "Well, if you know what I do, then you know that I know what I'm doing..." "I know that you knew what you were doing on 'Chicago' and 'Mary Poppins Returns.'" Now, the whole studio grew quiet as everyone listened to see how far this child would push the well established, but bossy director. "Meaning?" he asked. "Mr Marshall, I respect you and I admire much of your work, but as much as I like 'Chicago' and 'Mary Poppins Returns,' I don't think 'Nine' works very well at all and I think you made a big mistake by reducing the role of The Mysterious Man/Narrator in 'Into The Woods.'" The silence was palpable as the two stared at each other. Everyone expected the little girl in the elaborate costume to back down, but she didn't budge an inch. As the tension grew, they expected that the director would just fire the girl and move on, but nothing happened. Finally, Rob Marshal spoke first. His eyes remained locked on Bebe's and spoke loudly. "Bob?" he said to Robert Lopez. "Yeah, Rob?" "Can we get this kid a script?" The entire room breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. "Sure," Robert Lopez called the script girl over and took a copy from her. As he handed it to John, he whispered, "you better live up to the challenge you just set forth for yourself." John breathed for the first time in what seemed like a week. "I'll do my best," he whispered back. He took the script and looked at Colin, who shook his head, held up his hands as if to say, 'good luck,' and walked away. "Well, aren't you the courageous one?" Kristen Anderson-Lopez said. "I'm Kristen." She shook John's hand. "Very nice to meet you. I love your show." She was a slightly heavy, but very attractive, dark haired woman with a friendly smile. "Do me a favor, though - If you have a problem with a lyric, let's talk about it in private, ok?" "Ok." John nodded. "Do you think I went too far? Should I apologize?" "Are kidding?" Kristen said. "You just set the parameters of your relationship with Rob. Don't back down, now, or he'll think he won. Just do what you were hired to do. He'll be fine." "Is she in trouble?" Joanne asked Lily. "I don't think so." The beautiful woman giggled as she spoke. "If she does a good job from here, he should get over it." "Thank goodness," Joanne sighed. "I guess that Disney Studios isn't much like Disneyland." "Not by a long shot." Lily giggled some more. "Well, that was an interesting way to start her movie career," Rob Marshall spoke quietly to Robert Lopez. "She seems to know what she wants." Lopez laughed, a little nervous about the mood on the set. "She sure does," Marshall chuckled. "I think I'm going to like this kid." He looked around and called out, "Everyone be ready to start shooting in one hour! One hour! Ok?" Then he sat in his tall, director's chair held his hands, palms up, towards John. "One hour, Ms Foley. Enjoy your reading." XXX "You would not believe this kid, Oscar!" Joanne was beaming with joy and pride. "First she puts a famous director in his place, then she does such an amazing job, that at the end of the day, he hugged her and told her how great she was." "Doesn't surprise me one bit, ma'm." Oscar smiled as he looked into his rear view mirror to see the faces of his passengers. "I could have told you that she would know what to do in there." Joanne looked at John and shook her head. "Oh, Bebe, you had me so scared, but you were so amazing! And that boy, Colin, he didn't know what to make of you, at all! He thought you were just some pretty, little thing. He didn't expect you to stand up to Rob Marshall the way you did! My God, Bebe, I'm so impressed. No Don, no Rosie, no Ed and you just took over that set!" John smiled at all the praise from Joanne. "Thanks, mom. Now I have to live up to the level that my big mouth set." As they pulled out of the studio parking lot, John turned on his phone. As soon as the screen lit up, he saw a text from Blaine that read 'MOM SAYS YOU KICKED ASS TODAY. GOOD. LOVE YOU.' Then another from Don that read, 'JOANNE SAYS YOU HAD A ROCKY START TO FILMING. JUST LIKE AT OUR SHOW, HUH? GOOD FOR YOU. ITS NICE TO BE BACK IN FRONT OF A CAMERA WHERE YOU BELONG, ISN'T IT?' It really was, too. Who knew why, but on a stage was the one place that he felt at home. It didn't matter if it was a theater stage or a sound stage, something inside him guided him when he was there. XXX The sound of a car traveling over the unpaved driveway to the 'cottage' in Falmouth was the only indication that Rose was pulling up to the house. Ed had leased another Tesla for the summer. The electric vehicle was perfect for trips around The Cape. She'd left before he'd gotten up and they had no cell phone reception, anyway, so the note she'd left reading 'I'll be back with breakfast,' didn't give Ed a lot of information. "Morning, beautiful!" Ed called from the porch where he'd set the outside table with plates and glasses for whatever Rose brought home for breakfast. She hurried up the porch with two bags, one in each hand, stopping on her way to the table to kiss Ed. "Good morning. I bought bagels, cream cheese, a couple of jams and some lox, which I find disgusting, but I know you like them." "Wow!" Ed smiled. "Carbs galore! We really must be on vacation!" Rose smiled as she placed items from her bags onto the table. "The cable guy called. He'll be here by one o'clock. He's running a little late, but we'll have cable, Internet and the cell reception extender installed this afternoon." "Great." Rose smiled as she placed the last item, a small box, on Ed's plate. "I admit, though, I've kind of enjoyed being off-the-grid for a few days." She kissed Ed again as she moved towards her chair. "Me too." He smiled at how much he enjoyed their relaxed intimacy. Then, he noticed the little box on his plate. "What's this?" Rose smiled a playful, innocent smile. "A present." "It's not my birthday, Rosie. What's the occasion?" "The occasion," rather than sitting, she returned to Ed and hugged him, looking up into his rugged, handsome face, "is that I hate being called 'Rosie' - it sounds like the name of a maid in a 1930s movie - but I am madly, deeply in love with a man that makes me melt every time he says it. I just wanted to acknowledge that." Ed smiled. "Thanks, Rosie, but I didn't get you anything." "Ed, you did all of the work to find this house and buy it. This house is a huge commitment for us. This gift is just a token of what all that means to me. Now, open it." He picked up the small box and shook it, but nothing rattled inside. "I don't suppose it's a necklace with a silver BB on it, is it?" "Oh, heaven forbid!" Rose teased. "How embarrassing would it be to be seen out in public wearing the same jewelry as your niece!?" They both chuckled at that. Finally, Ed took his arm from around Rose and opened the small package. After removing the wrapping paper, he saw a small, red box with a gold, saw toothed design running around the edge and the word 'Cartier' written in the center. That word caused Ed to stop and look at Rose with a surprised expression. "Go ahead," she encouraged, "open it." When he flipped the cover open, the ring inside took his breath away. It was a rather large circle of white gold with six, black enameled circles around it. Each circle was separated by a pattern of small, but beautifully cut diamonds. The diamonds filled that space between the circles with three horizontal rows in each section, four on the top, three in the middle and four on the bottom. Each diamond sparkled and created an elegant, yet masculine pattern. Ed didn't know much about jewelry, but he knew that this was a very expensive ring - like, in-excess-of-ten-thousand-dollars expensive. When, at last, he could breath again, he said, "Rosie, this is... too much..." But Rose just smiled at him as she sunk to one knee and took one of his hands in hers. "It's not nearly enough, Ed. I know this is a bit different and may seem a little silly, but will you, Ed McNeal, marry me and call me 'Rosie' for the rest of your life?" Caught completely off guard, Ed stuttered over his reply. "Rosie... I mean... Rose... I wanted to... Oh, shit, YES, ROSIE... I will be honored, delighted, thrilled, and ecstatic to marry you." He helped her up and they embraced and kissed and smiled, broadly. "I'm sorry to steal your thunder, but I couldn't wait." "I don't care about that, but you've got to let me buy you a ring later today." She smiled. "Let you? I planned on making you buy me one the moment that the cable guy leaves." "Sounds like a plan," Ed smiled as he kissed her more firmly, more tenderly, more lovingly, more sincerely than ever before. XXX "Glenmorangie twenty-five - double - neat," Hank Miller told the bartender as he planted himself on a stool. The bartender poured and placed the drink in front of Hank. "That'll be sixty-five dollars." Hank threw eighty dollars on the bar and said, "Keep the change." As he sipped the whiskey, the woman next to him considered what she'd just seen. "Excuse me," she asked, interested, "Did you just pay eighty dollars for a drink?" Hank laughed. "No. I paid sixty five for the best single malt on the planet. I don't usually indulge, but I've had a really good day and I want to celebrate. What are you drinking?" "I'm drinking 'Jack' and I thought IT was overpriced." "Bourbon!?" Hank feigned being shocked. "That's not whiskey! Hell, they even spell the WORD 'whiskey' wrong on the label. That'll destroy your taste buds. Quick, we have to get you something worth drinking before you can't tell the difference between heaven and garbage." He held up his hand to get the bartender's attention then indicated his own drink. "Another one of these for this lovely lady, please." The bartender served the drink and Hank handed him his credit card. "Why don't you just put this on file." He smiled at the woman, then winked at the bartender. "We'll be having a few more before the night is done." He turned his gaze to the woman who was sniffing the glass of whiskey. "It doesn't smell very strong." "Well, it is," Hank laughed. "You need to sip it slowly or you'll find yourself falling off the stool before that glass is done. Now, just take a little sip." She did. "And?" Hank smiled at her. "It's nice. I can taste something different... flowers, almost." "Very good." Hank sipped his. "There is a floral quality to it compared to most other Scottish distilleries." She sipped again. "I taste fruit, too. Apricots, maybe? Or... is that lemon? Mmm... It's got a nice feel going down, too." "It's the best," Hank smiled. "Better than sex." She sipped again. "Close, but not better." She smiled. "Maybe you've just been having sex with the wrong person." "Maybe." He smiled flirtatiously. "So, what's the occasion?" The woman moved slightly closer, her smile warmer than before. He gave her a very self satisfied look. "Well, if you must know - first, my divorce papers were finalized this morning, so I'm a free man for the first time in six years, and then I closed one of the biggest deals of my career this afternoon. So, I'll be making millions and, because I closed the deal AFTER my papers came through, I will not have to share a penny with my ex." "Well," the woman said, holding up her glass, "that calls for a toast. To a great day!" Hank clinked his glass on hers. "A great day, indeed!" They both sipped. "So," the woman asked, very interested, "what do you do that makes you millions of dollars?" He laughed. "I broker deals between the US government and foreign companies. I also broker deals with US companies and foreign governments. It's tough and it's aggravating, but when it comes together, it's like winning a football game. Right now, I feel like spiking the ball and doing a victory dance in the end zone." "Well, good for you." The woman smiled at his enthusiasm and held up her glass in another toast. "And, what do you do?" Hank asked. "A little of this and a little of that. I've been an actress and I've taught acting... I've been a waitress and a temp... right now, I'm kind of between jobs. I had an interview here, at the hotel, earlier and I had nothing else to do, so I stopped for a drink. Nice place, isn't it?" Hank looked around and nodded. "It is." He sipped some more, then acted a bit more sly and said, "So, you're here alone, then?" "All by my lonesome," the woman flirted. Hank looked around. "Say, how would you like to take these drinks into the restaurant and have a nice big meal? Steak? Lobster? Whatever?" "That sounds great," she smiled. She grabbed her purse and stood and took his arm as they headed for the door. "I guess if we're going to continue this relationship, we should get to know each other. My name is Stephanie. What's yours?" Hank smiled at her. "My name is Dave." XXX "I'm so jealous!" Kylie smiled across the table at John. The five of them, John, Kylie, Blaine, MK and Ella were sitting at the circular table in the picnic area at the food-truck-court with huge portions of all kinds of food spread out in front of them. There were nachos, cheese fries, pork fried rice, pot stickers, portions of shawarma... you name it, they'd bought it. "Working with Lily James and Anna Kendrick! It must be amazing!" John smiled. "I haven't actually had scenes with them, yet, but they're really nice to me. The work isn't as much fun as the show, though. Everyone is really stressed and the makeup room isn't even any fun. They just work on me. No chatting or gossip or anything." Kylie shrugged. "Do people hang out on the set?" "Hardly at all," John explained. "Every one camps out in their trailers until they're called to places. Then, there's just a little 'How are doing' kind of chat, but that's it. It's really lonely. I spend more time with mom... well, Blaine's mom... than anyone else. I can see why so many actors get hooked on drugs and alcohol. It's just plain boring." "Oh, my heart breaks for you," MK smiled. "Yeah," Ella laughed. "You live a rough life." "I know." John gave a small chuckle. "It's just not what I expected." "Maybe it's because you're making a movie that will be less than a couple of hours long," Blaine had been thinking about this. "I mean, you filmed sixteen tv shows for your first season. That's sixteen hours of show. Now, you're doing like two hours in twelve or sixteen weeks. They can take their time and make everything perfect, right?" "Good point," Kylie agreed. "By the way, what's the movie about, anyway?" John sighed. "I can't tell you. It's all got to be kept a secret. I had to fight to find out for myself." "And how are the songs?" "I don't know. I haven't recorded anything, yet. Anna and Lily say the songs are great, but I haven't heard any of them. My schedule keeps changing." "Hey," MK was getting tired of the 'shop talk' between Bebe and Kylie, "you guys want to go see that new horror movie tomorrow afternoon? I hear it's really scary." "I do!" Ella enthused. "I have to baby sit my little brother on Friday, but I can do tomorrow." "I'll go, too," Kylie said. "I'm dying to see it!" "Sounds like fun." Blaine smiled at Bebe, who made a 'sorry' face. "You guys go and see it. I'm not really interested in horror movies. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon. It'll probably be a long one. Blood work and check up and all that." "Ooo," Kylie grimaced. "Sounds serious. Are you ok?" "You don't know?" MK was shocked. "She's been out of town, stupid." Ella slapped MK's arm. "Why? What did I miss?" Kylie looked at the others. John was about to launch into an explanation, but MK and Ella pulled Kylie in close and started telling her the whole, somewhat elaborated, story. "I'll go to the doctors with you," Blaine whispered. "Sorry. I didn't forget. I just wasn't thinking." "No," John insisted, "have fun. You don't need to sit around a doctor's office all day." "I know I don't NEED to, but I'm going to, anyway." John kissed Blaine's cheek. "Thanks." John's phone rang. The number was not familiar, but the exchange looked like a Disney Studios number so he answered it, assuming that his schedule was changing again. "Hello?" "Hi, is this Bebe?" the woman's voice asked. "Yes. This is Bebe." "Hi, Bebe. Kristen Anderson-Lopez, here. Hey, Bob and I have an idea. Can you come to our place tomorrow morning for a few hours?" John shook his head in shock. "Umm, Yes, I suppose so, but... umm... I have a doctor's appointment at one o'clock, so I'd need to leave in time to get there." "Oh, hang on." Kristen covered her phone and John could hear muffled conversation until she returned to speaking to him. "Are you free tonight? Say, in an hour and a half or so? We'll only be a couple of hours, but we live up in Brentwood, so it's a bit of a haul. We don't want to make you late for your appointment tomorrow." "Umm... Yeah... sure, I guess. I'll need to get a ride, but, yeah. I'll be there in an hour and a half. What's the address?" "I'll grab my cell and I'll text you the address. It's not hard to find. We'll see you soon." She hung up the phone. "Where are you going to be in an hour and a half?" Blaine asked. "The Lopez' house in Brentwood." John was grabbing his purse and tidying up his food mess. "Brentwood!?" "Yeah. Can you drive me?" "I... I don't know. I'll call mom and ask. I don't know Brentwood at all." "Ok. Call mom and ask. I'm going to run to the ladies' room. If mom says 'no' can you see if Oscar is around, or call an Uber or Lyft? Nancy's working till seven. I'll text her. I gotta get there, though." "Ok," Blaine said, confused as to why he was being asked to do all this so urgently, but understanding that Bebe was excited about it, so he grabbed his phone and pressed his mom's contact button. "Sorry," John said to the girls. "I gotta run. I'll call you guys tomorrow." Kylie grabbed John's arm as he was passing, though, "Wait a minute, Bebe. Just hold up a minute." Excited and hurried, John swung his head around and said, "What? What's up?" Kylie spoke with quiet surprise. "You have a dick?" John showed no surprise, insult or concern. In a very matter of fact voice, he said, "Yeah. So?" "So!?" Kylie was shocked both by the new information as well as the casual attitude Bebe was displaying. "So... how did you keep this a secret from me for a whole year?" John looked to the girls and then back to Kylie. This wasn't in any way pertinent to the matters on which he was focused at the moment, so he gave Kylie a response designed to answer her question honestly as well as allow him to move on and get to Brentwood. He shrugged and said, "It's not a very big one." XXX "What would you think about a Christmas wedding?" Rose asked. They we're looking out at the ocean and enjoying the breeze. "Whatever you want, Rosie," Ed smiled at her happiness. "Would we get married here or in LA?" "Huh." Rose looked at him. "I was just assuming we'd get married here, but maybe LA would be better." "Well, I don't think it matters, really. If we get married here, our LA friends have travel. If we get married there, our Massachusetts family and friends will have to travel. Maybe we should get married at Disney World so that everyone has to travel." Rose sat up taller. "Disney World! I love that idea!" Ed laughed. "I was only kidding, but whatever you want is great." "Ok, Mr McNeal," the man from Spectral Cable Company came out onto the farmers porch that wrapped around the Falmouth house, carrying a stack of paperwork, "I need a few signatures and you'll be all set to go." Ed signed everything and chatted with the workman. "You have cable access in every room and the picture looks great. Your internet access is going to appear on your devices as 'Disobedience 1' and your password is 'best-show-on-television,' all one word, no hyphens." Ed laughed as he continued to sign the papers. "That's funny, Joe, thank you." Rose sat at the table as well and she grabbed her iPad and started entering the password. "Your cell phones should work in a few minutes, too. I just need to program the expander to the Verizon towers. I'll do that while you sign everything and make sure that everything works." "Sounds great," Ed said. He finished the paperwork as Rose announced that she was online. "Perfect," Joe said. "I'll go program the cell phone expander while you connect all your devices." Ed grabbed his phone as the cable guy walked away. He was about to open his 'settings' app, but his attention was drawn to Rose as she sat bolt upright. "Oh, my God," she muttered. "What!?" Ed was suddenly concerned. Rose looked at him, pale. "Ed... Bebe... Ed, something's happened in LA. We need to call her." Ed grabbed Rose's phone and read a series of texts from his best- friend-turned-niece. "Goddamnit!" he handed the phone back to Rose and stood. "I'm sorry," Joe, the cable guy, said as he stepped back out onto the porch. "Is everything working ok?" Ed was flush with adrenaline. "Everything you've done is great, Joe, thanks. I just need... are you all done?" "Yeah," the confused man confirmed as he gathered his paperwork. "All done. I'll get out of your way. I hope everything's ok." "Everything's fine," Rose assured him. "Thank you for everything." "My pleasure," Joe said. "And, I really do love your show." "Thank you, Joe." Rose gave him her best smile. "I'm sorry, but we really need to make some calls right now." "Yeah, I understand," he nodded and exited. "Call her," Rose said to Ed. XXX "Calm down, Ed," Don said into his phone. "We're dealing with it." Vivian could only hear the words from Don's end of the conversation, but the tone of the voice speaking into his ear was very agitated. "Ed, you know that we couldn't reach you. I called Hank. He's on it." Vivian, who had been ready to leave for a late-luncheon/early-dinner, sighed as she sat on the settee and crossed her legs in a way that told Don that she was not happy with being made to wait. "Ed, Buddy. I need to go, but I'll call you tonight, ok? I promise, Bebe is fine and we're on top of this." He glanced at Viv, who pointed at her watch. "No," Don continued to talk to Ed, while holding a hand up to Vivian to indicate that he understood that she wanted to leave, "you don't need to fly back. I promise, I'll keep you in the loop. We just couldn't reach you for the last few days. I don't know why she's not answering her phone now, Buddy, but I'm sure that she's fine. She knows to reach out if she's in trouble. You taught her well." Don listened for a few more moments. "Ed, Ed, Ed... I understand, but everything is fine and if I don't get going right now, my wife is going to stab me... Understood. Talk soon. Give my love to Rose. Bye." He disconnected. Vivian stood, shaking her head. "You know that this is never going to end, right?" "It'll be fine, Viv." Don grabbed his suit coat and they headed to the door. "Even after the surgery," Vivian pointed out, "she'll still have a secret and secrets make life difficult. You can't always protect her, Don." "I'm not protecting HER, dear. I'm protecting our little golden-calf. Now, let's get going or we'll be late." "We're already late." Don kissed her cheek to clam her down. "Only just a little, dear. Fashionably late, as they say. Come on. Let's go." XXX "I'm sorry we're late," Blaine said, as he and Bebe were led into the sprawling mansion Robert Lopez shared with his wife, Kristen Anderson- Lopez. "The GPS on my phone took us to 'Atherton Boulevard' instead of 'Atherton Court.' I don't really know Brentwood very well. Sorry." "No problem." Robert Lopez smiled. "Happens all the time. We should have warned you. You're here now and that's all that counts." "Your home is gorgeous." John smiled as he looked about the beautiful home. "Thank you," Kristen said as she met them in the 'music room.' "I'm sorry.mi was upstairs helping the girls with homework. Come on over to the piano, Bebe. I'd like to play you something." They gathered by the piano, Blaine hanging back, just a bit, so as not to be in the way. "Bob and I have been looking at your dailies and, even though you only have completed a few scenes, we saw a... oh, I guess you'd call it a sad-mischievousness in your character that we didn't expect to see and it got us thinking." "Originally," Bob Lopez said, "your character didn't have a solo number. Just a duet with Lily and a trio for all three sisters, but we really like what you're doing and we want to enlarge your part, a bit." "Substantially, actually," Kristen corrected. She unfolded a piece of notebook paper and placed it on the music stand of their huge, Yamaha grand piano. "We wrote this earlier today and we played it for Rob Marshall. He likes it a lot. If you can sing it, we'll add it in and change the script as needed to accommodate it." "Wow!" Blaine let out, involuntarily. "Sorry," he said when everyone turned to look at him. "Don't be," Bob said and he waved for Blaine to join them at the piano. "Your girlfriend is a very impressive talent. If things go well, everyone's going to be saying, 'Wow!'" "Except Mr Marshall," John said, uncertainly. "I don't think he likes me very much." Kristen and Bob exchanged smiles. "He likes you, fine, Bebe. It's just that, once you stood up to him, he wanted to push you as far as you'd go to see if you'd back down," Bob explained. "And you didn't," Kristen smiled. "He was very impressed, Bebe. He's on your side, now. I promise." John smiled, relieved. "Really? Oh, thank goodness." "Ok," Bob smiled. "Listen to this." Kristen started playing a simple, but engaging piano line in a minor key. When she started singing, John was surprised by how well she could sing. He'd always assumed song writers couldn't sing, for some reason, but her voice was lovely. She sang, 'Where am I going? Not where they plan Why does life seem so determined To make me settle on a man? Who am I really? I'm not like them Not a thing of beauty Not a shining gem I'll never be like like her I'll never find my way I'll never be the princess In a beautiful play.' Bob joined her for the refrain 'I just want to be the girl Who no one ever sees The one who no one bothers The one who is just... me.' Kristen stopped playing and looked at John. "Are you ok?" John realized he was crying and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry. It's beautiful. I love it." "The idea is," Bob explained, "that by the end of the song you've realized that being you is ok. You're not the pretty woman-doll that Lily's character is and you're not the brilliant, analytical-woman that Anna's character is. You're just - you - and you're happy to be that way. Almost defiantly happy to be that way. What do you think?" "I can't believe you wrote this for me." The weeping continued. "It's not just how my character feels. It's how I feel. All the time. I'm always afraid that I'm not what I'm supposed to be." Kristen reached up and took his hand. "That's because you're a girl, honey. We all feel that way."