Bebe in LaLa Land: 3

 

Still finding his way through the world of a fourteen year old girl,
twenty year old John continues his life as a high school freshman and his career
as an actress on a TV show with a major star in the lead.

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Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who wrote to ask about the delay in getting this installment posted. The business of this time of year, combined with a car accident I had and the need to buy a new car made it a challenge for me to find the time to finish. I apologize and am sorry for the delay.

I hope you enjoy it and, as always, comments and critiques are always welcome! ~Clara.
 
This version of Bebe in LaLa Land: 3 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

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THE WORK OF BEING A STUDENT AND AN ACTRESS -or- ONLY THE INSANE EQUATE PAIN WITH SUCCESS
 

All three of them slept throughout most of Sunday. Ed was exhausted because he had been at the shoot all night, Rose was exhausted from waiting up for John and John was exhausted from a long morning of shooting and a long night of dancing and romance. Rose turned on a RomCom in the afternoon and they all slept in front of it. Dinner was a call to Uber and an order from Chic-Fil-A in the TV room, then back to bed.

As they all ate breakfast on Monday morning, Rose reviewed the call sheet for Monday and Tuesday. "Looks like you have to be in at 10:00 both today
and tomorrow, Ed. I'm going in for noon today and 2:00 tomorrow and Bebe, it looks like you're called for 4:00 till 'finished' both days. I hope they don't keep you too late on a school night. I figured that you'd be on the set during the day with a tutor more than you are."

"Me, too," John sipped his strawberry-banana smoothie and worked hurriedly to finish some history homework that he'd promised Rose he'd have finished on Sunday.

"They can't keep her too late," Ed said. "I think that they have to let her go by 10:00 if she's under sixteen."

"That means she won't be home till 11:00, though. I'll talk to the producers and see if we can get her out by 9:00."

"Don't you think you're being a little pushy?" John asked. "I mean, I'm not really fourteen and some of them know that. What difference does it make?"

"The difference is that you have to maintain your grades, Bebe. Yes, you have a career, but you also have a full time job as a student. Let Rosie take care of these things for you. That's why your mom made us your guardians, we can't have you burning the candle at both ends."

John's phone chimed and he glanced at it. "Oscar's here to pick me up."

He rinsed out his glass and left it in the sink, then opened the utility closet in the kitchen to check himself in the tall mirror on the back of the door. His dark hair was held back with a white headband, his makeup looked nice and fresh, his blue, Oxford blouse was well pressed as was his soft, grey, wrap-around skirt was equally crisp. His knee socks and shoes were just right, too.

Satisfied, he grabbed his backpack, kissed Rose and Ed, then hustled out the door.

Rose had been watching him the whole time and she marveled at how natural his feminine proclivities had become. Checking everything before he left the apartment, looking just right. Even the bounce of his wavy hair had increased as he became more comfortable with his feminine movements.

She liked it. She liked it a lot. Why couldn't all men behave that way?

John climbed into the town car, where Kylie was already waiting, typing up a paper on her laptop. The privacy divider was up, so John pushed the button and said, "'Morning, Oscar."

"'Morning, Miss. Buckle up."

When his seat belt was on, Kylie closed her laptop and looked at John, expectantly. "So?"

John looked around for a clue to the context of that question. "So, What?"

Kylie let out a frustrated sigh, "So... did he call you?"

"Blaine? No, of course not."

"Really? Not even a text?"

"Well... we did text a little, but it was just stuff like, you know, 'I had
a great time,' stuff. Nothing big."

"Ok, well, that's still a good sign! What did Rose say about Friday?"

"Nothing. I haven't talked to her about it. I haven't even gotten a call sheet, yet."

"Speaking of which, did you get an email about today's call?"

"No. I'm called at 4:00. You?"

"I am, now. I wasn't before, but I haven't gotten any pages."

"Huh. Now that you mention it, neither have I."

"I wonder what we're doing, then?"

The morning at school was filled with questions about Blaine. Did he call? Did he text? What was the kiss like? Did he say anything about going steady? And these questions weren't just from Ella and MK. They were from everyone! Lord, girls were so interested in this relationship stuff! Guys would have forgotten about a kiss after a couple of days. These girls were fixated on it.

To be honest, though, John didn't dislike the attention.

"Who can tell me about the acting technique of Practical Aesthetics?" Miss Stephanie asked in Theater Class.

Several girls in the front put their hands up, but the teacher looked beyond them, surveying the class for a victim. When she settled on a vulnerable student, she called on the girl, "Miss Joanne."

The poor girl was shy and quiet. She was Asian and, if possible, was even less developed than John. She almost always looked like a deer caught in the headlights. John had seen her struggle with social interactions since
he arrived. It was obvious that she had no idea how to answer and that Miss Stephanie had called on her specifically to drive that point home. "I'm sorry, Miss Stephanie, but I don't know," was the child's eventual response.

"Hmm," the teacher registered disgust without saying anything. "Miss Tianna?"

Another quiet girl responded, "I don't know Miss. Sorry."

When her eyes landed on John, he knew that he was the next victim. "Miss Bianca?"

John considered taking the 'I don't know route' to allow this woman to feel more superior, which is what she wanted, but he just couldn't do it - not after she'd already embarrassed two other students just because she could.

"Act before you think and think before you act, Miss Stephanie."

The teacher's eyes narrowed and she said, "Meaning what, Miss Bianca, and please stand so that everyone can hear what you're saying."

"Bitch," MK whispered as he stood. "She knows that no one knows what that is."

"Umm," John stalled just a bit, but eventually spoke, "I think it means to do all of your work ahead of time, like memorize every thing and create a strong backstory, so that, when you're acting, you don't have to think about how your character would react - you just do it. Am I close, Miss Stephanie?"

The teacher seemed almost irritated that John's answer was correct. "Well, Miss Bianca, you are correct, but there is certainly a lot more to it than just that. Have you worked with a teacher who encouraged the use of Practical Aesthetics, Miss Bianca?"

The only two staff members who still called him Miss Bianca instead of Miss Bebe, were Miss Stephanie and Miss Gabriella and John wasn't nuts about it. It seemed so stuffy. Bebe seemed younger and more girlish. It helped him feel like he fit in better.

"Yes, Miss, I have. I took a youth class last summer at Emerson College in Boston and one of my teachers there was very dedicated to Practical Aesthetics. He made us write long backstories for each character we played. Even if was just a supporting role."

"And did it help you as an actress, Miss Bianca?"

"Yes, Miss, it did, but I did overdo it a few times, though."

"Oh, really," the teacher scoffed. How on earth could someone overdo this system? "How, pray tell, could you 'overdo' your preparation for a role, Miss Bianca?" she let out a little huff of amusement. "I mean, Miss Bianca, the better prepared for a role an actress is, the better her performance, correct?"

"Yes, Miss."

"Then, if you're writing a backstory, how could you possibly 'over prepare' for a role?"

Now, several of Miss Stephanie's favorites in the front of the class were turned and looking smugly at John. Maybe this new girl was pretty and got
kissed at Homecoming, but Miss Stephanie was about to put her in her place! Good!

"Well. Miss," John looked at the smug faces of the girls looking at him. What the heck, he didn't want to just be average. He knew more than them and he wasn't going to pretend that he didn't any more. In fact he'd used this method a million times with great success, but he'd seen others bog themselves down in the backstories, so he drew from their mistakes. "Sometimes, the backstories got so... in depth... that they created a new character that was different than the one that the author had created. So, when I drew on my backstory, I disrupted the flow of the scene."

The teacher liked this answer. "So, the method was sound, but you, Miss Bianca, misused it. Is that correct?"

Again, MK whispered, "F-ing Bitch."

"I guess so, yes, Miss."

Miss Stephanie grinned. She'd put that little shit, Bianca, in her place and she was pleased. "Well, we can hardly blame a technique for your misuse of it, now can we. Thank you, Miss Bianca. You may be seated."

Were teachers always like this? Had they always demeaned everything he'd done before? John didn't think so. There was something about this teacher that he definitely disliked and she obviously felt the same way about him
- or Bebe - or Bianca - or... whomever....

Ella reached over and gripped his knee and gave it a supportive shake. "Good job."

John shrugged. "She didn't seem to think so." He whispered, but he was obviously louder than he'd expected to be.

"Excuse me, Miss Bianca?" Miss Stephanie said, rather dramatically.

John stood, again and awaited his fate.

"What did you say?"

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I said that you didn't seem to like my answer. I had hoped that you would, but I seemed to disappoint you and I didn't want to do that. I'm sorry."

Miss Stephanie looked at the other girls. She had two options - explode at the girl who'd just apologized for disappointing her or look like a good teacher and defuse the moment. She knew what she wanted to do, but she opted to do the other.

"You didn't disappoint me, Miss Bianca. Your answer was very concise. Thank you. I'm sorry if you felt that I didn't appreciate your input. I certainly do."

There was an awkward silence before Miss Stephanie continued. "So, if we are all on the same page, now, you may sit, Miss Bianca."

"Thank you, Miss Stephanie." John sat and let out a relieved sigh. Theater class had always been his safe place when he was in school. Now, he felt like a mouse and Miss Stephanie was a hungry cat. He needed to figure out a way to win her over, if he could.

A few hours, a test in World Religions and whole lot of conversations regarding the pros and cons (although the other girls could see no cons) of dating Blaine later and John and Kylie were climbing back into the town car. Oscar wasn't driving though, so Kylie's hopes of stopping at In-N-Out Burger were dashed. This driver was a non-nonsense woman named Loraine who looked like she worked for the Secret Service, rather than the studio.

"No way, girls," the storm-trooper of a chauffeur said through the speaker. "The studio pays me to get you from point A to point B. No stops in between."

"Thanks a million," Kylie sighed as she sat back and sulked in her seat. "Jerk," she muttered.

"We can stop at the commissary or get something from the snack table at the studio," John tried to cheer up his co-star.

"Yeah, but it won't be an In-N-Out Burger, though." She sighed. "What scenes are you doing, today?"

"I don't know. I know that it's with Don, but I wasn't sent any pages. I guess I'll find out when I get there? You?"

"I got pages, but I only have a few lines. It's with 'Peter,' 'Cora's' brother. Looks like we're arguing over something. That's all I can make out."

"Oh, 'Peter' is played by Darrin from the audition. You'll like him. He was very good at the ball field!"

"Cool. I'm looking forward to getting this going. I've only been on set four times so far. I really like it and I'd love to do more. I hope this show works out. My mom keeps saying not to get my hopes up."

John sighed, now, too. "I know. My mom's the same. 'It's not an easy life, John! Think twice about not having a back up!'"

Kylie laughed. "You're mom calls you JOHN!? Why?"

Suddenly, John realized what he'd said. "Oh, that's just my mom. She calls me John, my sister Sam and Rose Harry. She's just weird that way."

"Yeah, I guess!" Kylie giggled. "Maybe I'll start calling you 'John,' too."

"No, please! Don't!" John felt something close to panic. Rose would kill him if she found out he'd slipped up like this! "I really don't like it and I don't want the girls calling me that at school. I hate being called John or even Bianca! Please, just call me Bebe."

"Ok. Ok. Calm down! I'll call you Bebe, ok? Wow! I guess that's a raw nerve or something, huh? Does Rose mind being called 'Harry'?"

"Not really, but if you call her that, she'll start calling me 'John' to tease me, so... if you don't mind..."

Kylie sighed. This was a less fun trip than she'd expected. "Alright. Have it your way."

"Am I ever going to wear a different costume?" John asked as Julia buttoned up the front of the same blue-plaid dress he'd worn each time he'd filmed a scene so far.

"Oh, hush, you little brat," Julia teased. You're not wearing the slip are you? Be grateful. Besides the change in storyline is all your fault, so grin and bear it."

"I still haven't gotten any script pages to look at though. Is this unusual?" John asked.

"Beats me," Julia shrugged. "I have no idea how actors work. I just play a supporting role." She giggled at herself.

"Bebe, Bebe, Bebe," Barbara Gravel, 'Alex's' character supervisor burst into the room with great flair and drama. "Forgive me, baby, but there wasn't any time to forward pages to you. Don is on the set waiting and he and the director want to try something different in this scene. If it works, great. If not, then we do it over again with new pages. Sound good? Good! Now, let's get you on set."

"Wait!" Julia was irked. "Her hair isn't right, yet! Give me five more minutes. She isn't due on set for ten, for crying out loud!"

"I'm sorry," Barbara let go of John and smiled. "I'm just very excited to try this. You'll love it, Bebe! I promise!"

"What are we doing?"

"Just wait! It's going to be massive."

Finally, properly brushed out, John was nearly dragged by Barbara to the set. Don was talking to the director and both looked pleased with themselves.

"Here she is, boys! All set to get started." Barbara was wound up, which made John a little nervous.

"There she is!" Don Ferry grinned and gave John a big bear hug, pulling him right off of the ground. "We're going to make history here today, Bebe! Are you excited?"

"Confused, is a better word." John looked at the expectant faces. "What's going on?"

Let me explain," the director laughed. "Remember when you and Don improvised for us at the audition?"

John nodded.

"Well, I got to thinking. After the whole wardrobe issue at the ball field and our ideas to change the plot, I spoke to the writers and asked them to just give me a scenario for you and Don to improvise. Maybe it'll work. Maybe it won't, but I really want to try it. What do you think?"

"What does she think!?" Don put his arm around John and shook him, hard. "She thinks it's brilliant! Don't you, Bebe! This is going to be great!"

"Oh... ok." John was in no position to argue. "I'll do my best."

"And that will be amazing, I'm sure!" Don grinned. "Trust me, Bebe! I've never been this excited about a filming before!"

"Great," the director said, "but before you get the scenario, have you ever been hit on camera before?"

John shook his head.

"Ok. I'd like Don to be able to give you a backhanded slap near the end of the scene. Now, he's a pro at this. His fingers will be loose and we'll put the sound of the slap in later. All we need for you to do is to hit your mark on the floor and react like he hit you hard. Ok?"

"Ok." John moved to the little blue 'X' on the floor and Don moved to his. Unexpectedly, Don suddenly spun around and his fingers hit John's cheek. It wasn't hard at all. Just his fingers on John's face."

"Now, react. He just slapped you." The director was surprised that John hadn't done anything.

"Oh! That was it?" John grabbed his cheek and pulled to the side, his face wincing.

"Great!" The director said. "Let's try that three more times."

Each time Don barely touched John and each time, John acted as if it really hurt.

"Excellent!" The director clapped his hands. "Now, when the time comes, just hit that mark and everything will be perfect! Ready to read the scenario?"

John took the page. It was less than a quarter of a page of scene synopsis, but it was a lot to take in.

"Wow," John whispered. ""Wow."

"Wow, is right," Don Ferry grinned. "Think you can do it?"

"I can try," John shrugged.

The three of them discussed a few things about camera placement, where to look, what happened at the end of the scene, etc, until Don finally grabbed John and hugged him again, then kissed the top of his head. "Let's do this, Bebe!" He grinned. "Just be 'Alex' and think of me as 'Daddy,' and we'll be great."

"Ok." John swallowed and shook his head. "I'm going to let you set the tone, though, ok?"

"Ok, sweetheart." Don kissed his head, again, and John noticed that nearly the entire cast and crew was standing and watching. "And remember, no matter what I say, I love you, right? Both as Don and as Daddy - I love you."

John nodded. He noticed that Rose and Ed were watching along with Marion, Kylie and Darrin. John grimaced in their direction, then shrugged and laid chest down on the bed, his torso held up by his elbows, and began to act as if he was doing homework. The room was decorated as any teen girls
would have been in 1961, with teddy dears, dolls, a small record player, a rack of 45rpm records and a collection of books, including some Nancy Drew Mysteries.

"Here we go, ladies and gentlemen," the director shouted. "I need this set dead silent until I call 'cut!' Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Alright, then... Action!"

John laid on his bed and did homework. It seemed like he'd been doing homework for a very long time before the door suddenly burst open, surprising him.

"What the hell were you doing behind the school today?" Don's character grunted through gritted teeth.

"What?" John sat up and looked as frightened as any child would in this situation.

"What? Did you say 'What!?' I come home to find this on my front porch with this note!" Don produced Alex's slip with a note written in large letters reading 'SLUT.' "And your grandmother tells me that she had to come and get you at the ball field, this afternoon."

"Daddy, I just..."

"Just what? Did a striptease for the boys? Maybe let them see your underwear? Maybe something worse... a whole lot worse? Did they touch you!?
Did anyone... touch you!?"

"Daddy, I swear all I did was play baseball!"

"In your panties!? How on earth did some boy end up with your slip? You had to have taken it off!"

"I did, daddy, but not like that! I just needed to take it off because..."

"Because, why? Because you really are a slut?"

Even though they were just acting a scene, the word hit John like a ton of bricks and his eyes watered.

"Daddy...?" Don turned his back to John and John rose to go to him and reason with him, but, as planned, Don turned and backhanded him across the face.

Unfortunately, John had overstepped his mark and instead of a strategically precise stage slap, Don connected a mighty slap with the back of his hand on the small actor, sending him first to the edge of the bed, then to the floor where he sobbed.

"My daughter!" Don raged. "My little girl! Taking off her underwear for a group of boys. Do you have any idea how bad this is, Alex! You've destroyed your name - and probably mine as as well!"

He raised his hand to deal another blow, but from the doorway, 'Nana' shouted, "Jason!"

He stopped and took in the sight of his mother-in-law. He controlled his rage for a moment before throwing the slip at his 'daughter.' "I'm glad your mother didn't live to see this." He grunted as he pushed out the doorway past Nana and 'Susan' who ran in to hold 'Alex' as she sobbed.

"And cut!" The director yelled. "HOLY SHIT!" He shouted and clapped. "HOLY GOD DAMNED SHIT, DON! That was unbelievable!" He held out a fist for Don to bump, but Don pushed right past and hurried to the young actress who was sobbing on the floor.

"Bebe. Bebe. Bebe, honey," Don pushed through the crew, Marion and Rose and grabbed John under the arms, lifting him off the floor and he hugged him tightly as he said, "I'm sorry , baby. Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry."

He couldn't stop the sobbing, but John said, "I'm ok."

"Don," Marion was suddenly very concerned, "did you actually hit her!?"

Don nodded. "Pretty hard, too. One of us must have missed our mark."

John pulled his head away from Don's shoulder, but the hug was too tight to pull completely away. "I'm ok. Honestly, I am, it's just that... that was amazing! That was the best thing I ever did!"

"Bebe!" Rose looked at John's face, "you've got a shiner coming in on your right eye."

"Shit," Don hissed. "We need an ice pack for this girl, RIGHT NOW!"

A dozen people scrambled to get the star what he wanted, while Ed ran forward and pulled John away from Don's chest.

"You hit her for real!? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It was my fault, Uncle Ed," John said. "I missed my mark."

"No, it was my fault," Don ran his thumb gently across John's bruised eye. "I've been doing this for decades. You're a baby. I should have been more careful, but, honest to God, Bebe, your reactions where just perfect. You kept me so 'in the moment' that I wasn't even sure I'd hit you until I left the room. If Marion hadn't stopped me, I probably would have hit you again. I'm sorry, baby. Can you forgive me?"

A PA arrived and handed him an ice pack, which Don placed gently on John's eye.

"Jesus, Don," Ed said as he watched his costar help his 'niece.' "You really tagged her. Holy cow, Beebs, are you going to be ok?"

John just nodded and smiled. "I'd do that again in a heart beat! Don, you're so good! I thought you were really going to kill me! I was petrified!"

The star kissed the novice's cheek. "I'll never hurt you, again, baby! I swear. I feel just awful about this."

The director finally spoke up. "You're ok, then Bebe?"

John smiled and nodded, again.

"Good, then let me just tell you guys, that was one of the best scenes I ever filmed! I checked the recordings and we got nothing but great stuff! You two are like lightning in a bottle, I swear. We are going to have a huge hit on our hands when this is released. I can feel it!"

"That's the best I can do, honey," Rose was doing her best to work the makeup around John's eye, but it was a bit sensitive and when she tried to spread it closer, he'd flinch. "I think you'll just have to explain what happened to the other girls."

John looked in the mirror. It wasn't horrible. On a guy, it would be just a passing joke, and if John were still a guy, he wouldn't mind going out with a bit of a black eye at all, but he wasn't a guy any more and he dreaded having to appear at school like this.

"Please, Rose, can't I just stay home today. Maybe it'll look better tomorrow."

Rose smiled at his girlish vanity. "Oh, don't be a baby. Just tell them you were doing a stunt on the show and it went a little wrong. I bet they'll think it's cool. Annie and Cassie thought it was awesome last night when you were Skyping with them, didn't they?"

"Yeah, but they don't go to Notre Dame. These are snotty, rich, California girls. They evaluate EVERYTHING and being from Massachusetts does NOT make it easy to be cool here!"

John's phone chimed and he looked at it and groaned.

"Who text you?" Rose put his headband on and brushed the hair behind it. She adored this look for him! So sweet and innocent.

"Blaine."

"So... are you going out with him on Friday or not? The boy deserves an answer."

"Even if I wanted to, how could I possibly go now? I mean, just look at me! I'm a quarter-raccoon, for crying out loud!"

Rose smiled even more at this answer. Not, 'I'm not going on a date with a boy,' but, essentially, 'I don't want him to see me unless I'm beautiful.'

"I'm sure that Blaine will understand and, besides, it may be gone by Friday night, anyway. You're not on the Friday call sheet at all. You should go."

John heaved a heavy sigh. "I don't know."

"You should go."

"But, what if..."

"Alright. I've made your decision for you. You're going. End of conversation. Text him and say 'yes' so that you can finish getting ready for school."

"Arrrggggh! Fine!" John said with frustration, "but I HATE not having any say in ANYTHING any more!"

"It was your decision, young lady," Rose looked into her vanity mirror at the frustrated child who was having his hair brushed out for him. "Children have no say, Bebe. You knew that when you signed on."

"Yeah, but I didn't think I'd have to, you know..."

"What? Date boys? Yeah, well, to be honest, I never really thought about that either, but now that I think about what life was like when I was a freshman in high school, yeah, boys were a huge part of my life, so, guess what, sweet-cheeks, they're going to be a big part of yours, too. So, put on your big-girl panties and toughen up. Maybe you were a mature boy once, but not any more. You're a little girl - and until you are LEGALLY eighteen again, you're MY little girl, so I will be making your decisions for you. Am I understood?"

"What's going on in here?" Ed appeared in the doorway, wet from the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. Since his first trip to LA back in July, he'd been following a strict exercise regime that the studio's trainer had suggested. He was up to running ten miles a day on a treadmill as well as working two hours a day with weights. When John and Rose turned to look towards him, each was stunned by how well toned he'd become in such a brief time. Rose, certainly, had noticed his biceps, but this was the first glimpse of his chest and abs. He had become quite impressive.

John looked from Ed to himself. There could not have been a more stark difference between him and his friend. As Ed had grown and toned and become more masculine, John had actually lost a good deal of mass and muscle and the hormones and the lotions he was using had made his skin softer and more beautiful.

"She's just being difficult this morning," Rose shook her head and put the brush down. "You know how kids are."

John wanted to scream that he was not a kid, but the evidence of what a man and woman looked like stood before him. Rose had always been a goddess, but now Ed was almost a god, himself.

They were tall and beautiful and fit.

John was small and weak and vulnerable.

There really was no denying it. He was a child. He wasn't just acting as a child, anymore, he'd reverted to being one.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, then he grabbed his phone and ran past Ed to the kitchen.

Ed watched him, then turned to Rose with a questioning look.

"I don't know?" she shrugged. "Kids."

Ed took a moment to wrap a robe around him, then went to the kitchen, where John was mixing some fruit into a bowl of plain yogurt. Certainly, one of the best things about living in California was the taste of the fruit.

John plopped himself onto a high stool by the counter and began eating, ignoring Ed who was watching.

Ed pulled out the stool next to his friend and sat and waited while John ate.

Finally, Ed said, "The plums are great, aren't they? I diced them up so we could have them for breakfast."

John nodded. "Thanks." He kept his attention focused on his bowl, though.

"You know, honey," Ed took on a paternal attitude, "we don't want to be in opposition to you, all the time, but this is the life that you chose."

John nodded, but kept eating.

"Now, Rose and I love you and want to do right by you. We also know how talented you are and we want to help you to succeed, just like you helped us, but, Bebe... you've got to meet us halfway, right? What's going on today?"

John shrugged and remained focused on his yogurt. Ed waited patiently as tears formed in John's eyes.

A couple of minutes ticked by in silence before John said, "I'm not trying to cause any trouble, you know."

"I know," Ed's tone remained patient and paternal. He rubbed John's shoulder.

"It's just... well, yesterday afternoon on the set, I felt... right. I felt
like I knew what I was doing. I was an actor, you know?"

"I know, Bebe, I know."

"And now... I'm going to a school where 'pretty' counts for a lot more than
'smart' or 'talented' and I look... awful!" The tears broke free of John's
eyes.

"No, you don't, baby. You look like a beautiful girl. You just have a black eye. I'm sure that you're not the first girl to go to Notre Dame who had a black eye. I mean, there's a basketball team and a field hockey team... those girls must get bruised occasionally, right?"

"Well, I'm the first one that I've seen since I got there! I'll never REALLY be one of them, Uncle Ed, and now they're going to pick on me for being beat up - and beat up by a movie star, no less! Even though it was my fault."

Ed glanced to the door where Rose stood, arms folded, leaning against the opening, watching Ed and John. She raised her eye brows, encouraging Ed to do what needed to be done. He nodded and turned back to John.

"Ok, so here's the situation," Ed said calmly. "You're going to school today, there is no question about that. You're going to be missing days later on, so you can't miss, now. That's the situation, now how can I help to make it easier for you to do that? That's the only real question."

John groaned, "Come on..."

"No. This is not a discussion. You're going to school. That's not up for discussion. So. What can I do to make it easier."

John shrugged. "Could you, maybe, call the school and tell the office what happened so that Miss Gabriella doesn't get on my case."

"I can do better than that." Ed smiled. "I'll get dressed and ride to school with you. We'll go into the office together and talk to that battle-axe together. How's that."

John nodded, then hugged his uncle/friend. "That's good. Thank you."

Ed hugged him and smiled. "That's what I'm here for, honey. Remember that. I'll go get changed and I'll text Oscar to make sure he can take me to the studio." He stopped before leaving the kitchen. "One other thing. This boy, Blaine, that's taking you to a movie... I'd like to meet him. I
think I should have a talk with him before your date."

"It's not a date..."

"Of course it is, Bebe, and I want to have a word with him before you go out. And, like I said before, this is not open for discussion. It would seem odd if I let my niece go out with a boy without talking to him first. Tell him that he needs to pick you up here before the movie and that I want to meet him."

"Ed..."

"Uncle Ed, Bebe. I know that you might not agree with me, right now, but I am only doing this for your own good."

Ed walked away and John groaned and stared at his phone's screen.

Once in his room, Ed pulled on his boxers, then took off his robe. As he turned to his dresser, he spotted Rose standing near his bed with a quirky smile on her face. He stopped and faced her.

"You know," she said as she sauntered towards him, "most guys your age aren't as patient as you are."

Ed smiled, let out a little laugh and said, "Most guys my age don't have a best friend that needs them to be their uncle."

Rose hugged him, then kissed his cheek. "You're a good man, 'Uncle' Ed. She's really lucky to have you."

Ed put his arms around Rose. She could feel the firmness of his newly toned muscles and it was impossible not to feel the shape of his member through the material of his boxers. "He's lucky to have you, too. In fact, we're all lucky to have each other. Let's never forget that."

"Ed McNeal to see Miss Gabriella, please." Ed said to the secretary working the front desk at Notre Dame.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr McNeal, but Miss Gabriella is busy this morning and won't be able to speak with you." She turned and walked away from the counter.

Ed looked at the woman and felt his anger rise, but he pushed it down and said, "Excuse me, ma'am, but Miss Gabriella has a meeting with me. I called over an hour ago and set up the meeting. I changed my schedule to be here and I need to speak to her, now, please."

"I understand, Mr McNeal. I made the appointment for you, but I didn't realize that Miss Gabriella had a meeting this morning."

Ed weighed his options. If he barged into the office, they could call the police and throw John out of school - no good. If he made a ruckus at the
desk, they could call the police, as well - no good. Finally, he decided on diplomacy.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said, pleasantly, "What is your name?"

"I'm Miss Dorothy, Mr McNeal."

"Well, Miss, Dorothy, I followed the rules as laid out in the school handbook. I called ahead and a meeting was set up. I arrived in time for the meeting and with every intention of speaking to the headmistress regarding a matter that I feel is urgent, so, please, call Miss Gabriella and tell her that Mr McNeal is here and he will remain here for as long as it takes for her to live up to her obligations. Also, please make her aware that the studio is making out the checks for both the school's services and my time and if my time at the studio is interrupted due to Miss Gabriella's inability to live up to her obligations, then the studio will be billing Notre Dame for every minute that I am late. Thank you."

The woman gave a snarky smirk and walked to her desk, picked up the phone and made a call. After a few minutes of whispering, she hung up and walked back to the counter.

"Miss Gabriella will just be another moment, Mr McNeal."

"Thank you." Ed smiled pleasantly at the woman.

Eventuality, the door to Miss Gabriella's office opened and she appeared, smiling as if she was pleased to find Ed and John waiting.

"Mr McNeal! I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting! Please, do come in, and good morning Miss Bianca, how are..." she stopped mid sentence. "... Miss
Bianca, what happened to your face!? It looks awful!"

"That is why I wanted to meet with you, Miss Gabriella," Ed said. "May we speak in your office?"

They were ushered in.

"Oh, my dear, let me look at that!" John was uncomfortable with Miss Gabriella's close proximity as well as her faux concern for his injury. "Well that is just terrible!"

Then she looked at Ed, "You do realize, Mr McNeal, that we are obligated to report any incidences of domestic abuse, don't you?" she moved around the desk to her chair

As Ed took a seat, he stopped and looked at the headmistress. "Are you suggesting that I hit my niece, Miss Gabriella?"

"I am suggesting nothing, Mr McNeal, just pointing out my obligations."

Ed took out his phone and pressed a preset number, then the 'speaker' option.

"Hey, Ed!" The cheery voice came through the phone. "What's up? I'm almost to the studio."

"Hi, Don," Ed said. "Sorry to bother you, but I'm at Bebe's school and the headmistress is very concerned about Bebe's black eye. Would you mind explaining what happened."

"Sure. Am I on speaker?"

"You are."

"Ok. Good morning, headmistress. My name is Don Ferry and I am both Ed and Bebe's costar on 'Civil Disobedience.'"

At the mention of his name, the headmistress looked up at Ed with a touch of disbelief in her eyes, but Ed just nodded and pointed back at the phone.

"Well, yesterday," Don continued, "Bebe and I were improvising a scene together and in that scene, I needed to slap her. Well, one of us missed our mark and instead of my fingers grazing her cheek, I hit her square in the eye. The studios has filed an accident report. I can forward a copy to you, if you'd like."

Miss Gabriella was used to dealing with wealthy people, of course, but the name Don Ferry was a big one. A decade ago, Don had been an action hero star of the highest order, but he interrupted his own career in order to focus on more substantial movie and theater roles. He'd one a Tony Award for his role in a revival of 'A View From The Bridge' just a few months earlier. Now, the buzz around his return to the small screen was everywhere in the trade publications. The headmistress could not have been more impressed by the name of the man on the other end of the phone if he'd said he was Tom Hanks or Robert DiNero.

"Oh... I see... well, thank you, Mr Ferry. Ummm... I don't think that a copy
the accident report is necessary, at least not at this time, but I will let Mr McNeal know if one is needed down the road." Miss Gabriella was slightly flushed from just speaking to Don.

"My pleasure, headmistress," Don was charming and warm on the other end of the phone. "I'm available, anytime."

Then, the voice from the phone asked, "All Set, Ed?"

"All set, Don. Thanks! I'll see you in about an hour. Bye." The call ended.

Miss Gabriella smiled at Ed. "Well, Mr McNeal, I believe that we are all set, now. Miss Bianca, you can get to first period class."

Ed stood and extended his hand to the woman. She smiled and shook it, but Ed held it tightly and said, "Miss Gabriella, I don't know quite why, but
I do not feel very welcome in your office. What I mean is, after our first meeting, following your mistreatment of Bebe, combined with today's difficulty in getting in to see you, I feel as if my presence is an inconvenience to you. I hope that we might be able to meet in a more friendly manner the next time. I know that I am young, but I am very responsible and I have been given the job of watching out for Bebe's best interests. Let's try to meet in a more equitable manner next time. What do you say."

Miss Gabriella feigned shock at this statement. "Well, Mr McNeal, I have no idea what you mean. I don't treat you any differently than I do any other guardian of one of my girls."

"Hmm," Ed grunted, "well, I suppose that might be so." He released her hand and left, thanking her as he did.

"Wow!" Ella said, way too loudly since they were entering their Theatre Class. "Don Ferry gave you a black eye! That's awesome!"

"You're gonna be famous when this gets out!" MK added.

"It's not getting out," John laughed. "We're just moving on as if it's makeup."

"Does Blaine know about this?" Ella was examining his eye, closely.

"No. Why?"

"Well, if he's taking you out on Friday and you're going to be looking like you've just lost a kick-boxing match, you should probably let him know."

"I'm sure it'll be better by then," John found the girls at Notre Dame, especially these two, to have been remarkably sympathetic about his black eye. As the bell that began period two sounded, John settled into a seat in the auditorium.

"Ok, ladies," Miss Stephanie called them to order, "you've got your scripts and you know what I expect you..." she stopped and stared at John.
Her eyes narrowed as she examined the bruise on his face from several rows away. "Miss Bebe, please wait in my office."

John looked around. The logical thing to do at the moment would be to explain what happened to the teacher, but this was not a very logical teacher. Instead, he stood and said, "Yes, Miss," and went to wait for her in the theater office, while the teacher continued her instructions to the class.

A few minutes later, Miss Stephanie joined him. "Well, Miss Bianca... that
is quite a bruise you're sporting on your eye. What happened?

John stood as the teacher sat, "I was hit in the eye on the set, Miss Stephanie. My Uncle Ed and I met with Miss Gabriella this morning and explained everything to her. It was just an accident."

"Hmm," Miss Stephanie seemed genuinely concerned, which John found a bit off putting, for some reason. "I don't mean to pry, Miss Bianca, but, as a teacher, it is my responsibility to ask questions when I see a child has been hurt. How did this 'accident' happen?"

John explained as briefly as possible.

"So, Don Ferry gave you your first black eye? That's not a bad story for your memoirs, I suppose."

Miss Stephanie was surprisingly cordial. She glanced out the window of her office, which opened to the auditorium, to be sure that the other class members were doing what they were supposed to be doing before returning her gaze to John and saying, "Your injury is only part of the reason that I called you in here, today, Miss Bianca. Do you have your phone with you?"

Perplexed, John answered that he did, but hadn't checked it recently. "Please look at it, now. I'm sure you've gotten some interesting messages."

When he looked, John had several surprising emails and texts.

ALL CAST AND CREW REPORT TO SOUND STAGE 8 FOR A MEETING. 4PM.
NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE CHANGED. ALL CAST ON CALL 8:00AM TO 9:00PM EVERY DAY
JUVENILE ACTORS: TUTORS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON SET
DEBUT EPISODE PUSHED FORWARD TO OCTOBER 28. FIRST EPISODE - TWO HOUR TV-MOVIE

"Wow!" John said in a loud whisper.

"Indeed," Miss Stephanie turned back to him.

"Ummm, Miss, if you don't mind me asking, how did you know about my schedule change?"

"Well," Miss Stephanie sat behind her desk, "that is the reason I called you in." She let that hang in the air for a moment as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "You see, since you and Kylie will be on set for a long time every day next week, you'll need several tutors and..."

John felt a wave of anxiety wash over him.

"... since I am the only one here who has both of you as students, I will be your afternoon/evening tutor. I worked for the tutorial service for years before coming to Norte Dame, so, it seems that I am the logical choice."

She stared at John, daring him to say something.

Finally, he nodded and said, "Oh, I see. Ummm... thank you, Miss Stephanie.
It'll be good to have someone I know..."

"You don't have to pretend to be happy, Bianca," it was the first time that Miss Stephanie had not used the word 'Miss' before his adopted name and he found it shocking and a bit disrespectful. "I know that you don't like me and you probably know that I feel the same way about you."

"I don't dislike you, Miss. Honestly, I don't. I'm just a bit... scared, I
guess, of you."

The teacher smirked. "Hmmm. Well, I must tell you, Bianca, there is something about you that bothers me. Something... dishonest."

John blinked in confusion, which made his wounded eye hurt. Involuntarily, he touched it. "Dishonest, Miss? I... I'm... not..."

"Yes, well, we'll see." She stood and walked to the door, opening it and indicating that John should leave. "We'll be spending a lot of time together, so, I warn you, watch your step, little girl, or you'll regret it. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," John stood and started towards the door, but stopped and spoke again. "Miss Stephanie... I don't know what I ever did to make you hate me, but I'm sorry. Truly... I'm sorry."

She snickered. "I don't think you are, Bianca, but I promise you, if you don't watch yourself, you will be sorry, young lady. Very, very sorry, indeed. Now, go join your class."

"Oh! Look, we found the perfect dress for you to wear Friday, night!" Ella held her phone-screen facing John so that he could see the yellow, peasant dress. He barely glanced at it. He went back to eating his bowl of Italian wedding soup and glanced around the cafeteria to see if there were any teachers around listening to their conversation.

"I don't need a new dress to go to a movie. It's not even a date."

"Of course it is," Ella didn't even look up, "and of course you do."

John just shook his head and concentrated on his soup.

"What's the matter with you?" MK asked. "You've been weird since Miss Stephanie called you into her office. What happened?"

John shrugged and looked at the picture on Ella's phone. "It's pretty, but it's seven hundred dollars. I'm not buying a seven hundred dollar dress to go to a movie. Besides..." he pointed to his eye.

Undeterred, Ella went back to her phone to search some more, but MK persisted. "What did she say to you?"

John put down his spoon and shook his head. "She's going to be my on-set tutor after school next week and she basically threatened to destroy me if I wasn't 'a perfect little girl' when she was around. She even came right out and said she didn't like me." He sighed. "I'm screwed."

"Ah, man, that sucks," Ella said, but she immediately turned the tables and showed John a similar dress to the one she'd picked out. "Look! Almost the same dress and only $24 on this site. If you order it today, you'll have it by Friday!"

"Yeah, and that's another thing," John sighed again. "My uncle wants to have 'the talk' with Blaine before we go out Friday. It's not even a date..."

"Yes it is," the girls said in unison, neither looking up from Ella's screen.

"Besides, I don't know if I have to work, now. I don't know what to tell him."

"Tell him your uncle is being weird and wants to talk to him before you go out." KM said, still focused on the phone screen.

"Well," John was uncomfortable with Ed being called weird, "he's not being 'weird,' I don't think... just protective, I guess. My mom put him in
charge of me and he's just trying to be... like a dad, I guess."

"Then tell him that," MK seemed bored by John's trepidation. "Both my Dad and my step dad embarrass me like that all the time. I think it's just some kind of a 'macho guy' thing. You know, 'I'm the alpha male around here.' They all do it."

"Text him, though," Ella looked up. "Let him know what's going on so he doesn't think you're blowing him off. What size are you, a four?"

"Ummm, I think I'm down to a two, now," John looked at his phone and thought. Finally, he began to text.

'HI. ABOUT FRIDAY. I AM STILL WAITING TO SEE WHAT MY SCHEDULE IS. SORRY. THEY CALLED A MEETING FOR THIS AFTERNOON. I'LL LET YOU KNOW AFTER THAT.'

The reply came quickly. 'KEWL. I HOPE YOU CAN MAKE IT. THERE'S A NEW MARVEL MOVIE OPENING. SHOULD BE GOOD.'

John text again, 'ANOTHER THING. I'M SORRY, BUT MY UNCLE ED WANTS TO MEET YOU BEFORE WE GO TO THE MOVIE. WOULD THAT BE OK?'

The reply surprised John. 'HAHAHA. HE WANTS TO GIVE ME THE 'I HAVE A GUN AND I KNOW HOW TO USE IT SPEECH,' HUH? THAT'S FINE. LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN GO AND THEN WHAT TIME HE WANTS TO THREATEN ME. IF FRIDAY DOESN'T WORK, I'M AROUND ALL WEEKEND. JUST LET ME KNOW.'

'GREAT! THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING!' John was relieved.

'DA NADA,' Blaine replied.

Ella heard John's sigh of relieve and grabbed his phone and read the the texts. "See. I told you. I ordered the dress. It'll be at my house Thursday. I'll get it to you for Friday night. It's cute. You'll look cute in it, too."

"Oh... ummm... thanks. What do I owe you?"

"Seriously? My mom is wealthy and my dad is filthy, stinking rich and they both have guilty consciences because of the divorce. I could have bought you the other dress and they'd never even notice it on my credit card statement."

"You're fourteen and you have a credit card?" John was shocked. Back when he was twenty, he still only had a debit card.

Ella smiled. "I'm fifteen and I have a stack of credit cards. Life in Beverly Hills is different, Bebe. Now, Friday, after school, let's all go get a facial and have our nails done. That way you'll look perfect for Friday night!"

"Yes!" MK thrust her hand up in a triumphant fist! "Sounds awesome!"

"Wait, Wait, Wait..." John tried to dissuade them. "I don't even know what
my work schedule is. Besides, I've never had a facial..."

MK's eyes bulged. "Are you sure that you're really a girl?"

John flushed a bit. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're in high school and you've never had a facial? What kind of primitive, inhuman place is Massachusetts, anyway!?"

John giggled at her joke. "I mean, people had facials, but... well, my mom
is a college professor and my sister is a kinda 'all business' woman, so...
facials weren't really on the menu, you know."

"Wow," MK lamented, "that's so sad."

"Yeah," Ella agreed distractedly as she held up her phone again and showed John a picture of some very pretty, flat, yellow and jeweled sandals. "Sad. I bought you these, too, so you'll need to have your nails done."

John snickered and nodded, "Ok, but I still need to find out if I have to work."

The sound stage was well lite and there were a lot of people gathering and sitting in the chairs for the meeting. Some wore suits and others street clothes, but John had been costumed in dark blue, short sleeved dress that hugged his modest breasts nicely and blossomed out into a pleated skirt that ended just below his knees. The dress had very tiny white polka dots all over it and on his feet were some very cute, dark blue and white saddle shoes.

The only others in costume were Ed, Marion, Don and Rose, who all entered together. Like John, they were all dressed as if going to a special occasion of some sort. Rose leaned over and kissed John's cheek before taking the seat next to him. "Hi, honey," she whispered. "You look adorable in that dress." Her smile was warm and loving.

John smiled in response. "Thanks."

"May I have your attention, please," a voice came from the speakers near the front. "We'd like to get started. We have a lot to do."

The people settled into chairs to hear what was going on.

"Good afternoon, everyone," the man at the podium said. "My name is Edwin Sanchez and I am a programming director at ABC television and I am here with good news and bad news, today."

There were a few mumbles around the room.

"Obviously, when we first signed Don Ferry to a TV show, we knew that there would be a lot of interest in the project, but now that this show has been in production for a few months, things are getting a little, shall we say, 'crazy' around this show and we need to put out a product very quickly."

A hand was raised in the area where all the writers were congregated and the man at the podium pointed and said, "Yes?"

"What precipitated this rush to the production? I mean, we've been writing and rewriting this series since March, but why the sudden need to get it up and on the air in, what, two and a half weeks?"

"Good question," Mr Sanchez said. "In fact, the blame falls firmly on all of you. The scenes you all filmed of Don and," he checked his notes, "is it 'Ed McNeal' who's playing your partner, Don?"

Don slapped Ed's back, "It Sure is! Here's my partner, right here."

The man nodded and continued, "Well, those scenes are testing very well, and the scenes filmed recently, the ones on the ball field and between the youngest daughter and Don, Well, those are testing off the charts! The truth is, the buzz around this show is getting out of control and we need to capitalize on that ASAP."

There was a general murmur amongst the cast and crew and Rose threw her arm around John's shoulders and kissed his cheek. "Wow!" She whispered as she shook him. "How cool is that!?"

John nodded, but, in fact, he was a little overwhelmed with how the show was moving forward. He felt as if he'd hardly even spent any time on the set. It was a lot to take in. "Cool, I guess."

The director took the podium and said, "Ok, listen, people, I have a schedule that will let us pull this all together. We have, essentially, three storylines. One - Don and his partner at work and the upheaval of civil disobedience in the early sixties. Two - Don and his youngest daughter and the accusations that he's made about her and, three, Don's oldest daughter and her relationship with Don's character, her little sister and the developing romance between her and Don's partner."

John shot Rose a look at the mention of a romance between her character and Ed's. She made a comical smile and whispered, "We only found out about it this morning."

The director continued, "So, the plan is to concentrate on the 'Don and Alex' relationship for the next few afternoons, the 'Young Lovers' story for the next few mornings and finishing up the holes in the 'Workplace' story for the rest of this week. That should wrap up the two-hour debut movie. Then, next week, we kick ass and make some inroads on the rest of this season. Sound good, everyone?"

Everyone applauded. There was a somewhat stunned enthusiasm flowing through the room and there were a lot of murmurs from cast and crew members who'd worked on dozens of shows that had never gotten a chance to succeed. Suddenly, this show seemed special and looked like it had the possibility to actually become a big hit.

They began the afternoon shoot on the back lot, where John, Marion and Rose were passengers in a beautiful, 1959 Oldsmobile Super 88. It was candy-apple red, two HUGE doors and bright white interior. John and Rose climbed into the backseat, while Marion rode in the passenger seat, next to Don.

On cue, they drove up to a small church on the lot, where Ed, who was supposed to be entering the church, turned and waved, then walked to the car.

"'Morning, 'Jason,'" Ed, in character as Sargent Bob Partridge, greeted Don. "Is this the family?"

'Jason' exited the car, a little less than happy to see his partner at church. 'Bob' helped Marion out of the car with a Cheshire grin on his face. As the storyline had progressed, 'Jason' was slowly accepting 'Bob' as his new partner, but there was still friction. 'Bob' offered Marion a hand.

"Well, thank you," Marion grinned, then turned to 'Jason.' "'Jason,' who is this charming, young man"

'Jason shook his head as he helped John as 'Alex' out of the backseat. "'Nana,' this is my new partner, 'Bob Partridge.'"

'Bob' reached in and helped 'Susan' out the backseat. When their eyes met, 'Bob' grinned. "Hi," He half-whispered.

"Hi," 'Susan' replied with a sweet smile, as she moved her hair behind her ears. The chemistry between the two was obvious.

"So," Jason walked around the car with his youngest daughter, 'Alex' following, "what brings you to my church on this lovely morning, huh?" His attitude indicated he was a bit annoyed.

"I just needed to get myself back to church, is all. So, this must be 'Susan,' then." He smiled as he shook her hand.

"And this young lady must be 'Alex.'" He shook John's hand as well. "I've heard a lot about you, young lady." His smile grew just a bit serious.

"Nice to meet you, sir," 'Alex' replied.

"That's quite a shiner you've got there, little lady. Looks like you've gone a few rounds with Floyd Patterson." 'Bob' smiled warmly, but the confused, little girl covered the bruise with her hand and hurried to her grandmother's side.

'Bob' turned to the family and said, "Umm, would you ladies mind going into the church without your dad for just a few minutes? I have a little something to discuss with him."

The girls and Marion looked towards 'Jason,' who nodded for them to go on without him.

"And cut!" The director called. "Great! Let's set up for the closeups. Did you guys catch Rose's face over Ed's shoulder?"

"Yep!" The director of photography called back. "We caught Bebe over Don's shoulder, too. We just need to do closeups for Don and Ed."

"Perfect! Ladies, you have a thirty-minute break. Then we'll do the church interior and Don and Bebe in the parking lot."

John sat next to Rose and said, "This is really weird. I had a teacher at at Emerson who told us that TV and film could be very disorienting, but he never told us that you'd just be set decoration in a lot of your scenes."

"I know," Rose smiled at him. "You know, it's getting harder and harder for me to remember that we went to college together. You're a whole different person, now, and you look absolutely adorable in that dress."

John smiled. Any attention from Rose was always welcome, even if it was, just a little, condescending. "I know. I guess I'll never be John again, huh?"

Rose took his hand in hers. "Is that so bad? I mean, I liked 'John' just fine, but I love Bebe. I really, do."

"As a boyfriend, or a niece?"

She smiled. The clothes that she wore, a sleeveless, white turtle neck top that clung to her amazing shape and a narrow, black skirt that reached just below her knees, and the way they'd done her hair, made her look like a teenager from 1961, but as he looked at her with twenty-first century eyes, she looked a lot older than him. She really could be his aunt. "As both, Beebs. I love you as both. And in that dress, I wish I could take you for myself, right here, right now."

"Here's the synopsis," the head writer handed a page to Don and John.

"No script?" John asked.

The writer smiled. "Hey, you created this scenario - you find your way out of it. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how you do it." He laughed at his own teasing remark.

Dan laughed, too, then said, "Don't worry, honey. You'll do great. We just have to resolve what happened in the scene in your bedroom. Remember the scene we did at the audition? Use some of that. You'll be great."

John nodded. They discussed the scene for a few minutes. The director gave them some parameters to follow. Their space was limited and they needed to face specific directions for the cameras. Other than that, they had a lot of leeway.

John was told that there would be a scene inserted in which Don, Ed as well as the catcher and the umpire from the baseball game would have a conversation in the parking lot and the catcher would tell Don how 'Alex's' slip really ended up in hands of Cora's brother, Pete, etc, etc. He also explained that they hadn't yet written that scene. The head writer wanted to see how this resolution scene panned out, then he would create the parking lot scene as a link between their arrival and this conversation.

"You about ready?" The director asked them.

"I think so," Don said, then patted John on the shoulder and said, "Let's have some fun, ok?"

John nodded, nervously, and glanced at the cast and crew, all of whom were watching them very closely, almost as if all of their futures were riding on what he and Don did in the next few minutes, which, of course, they were.

The Assistant Director called for the camera, light, sound and every other kind of crew imaginable to be ready, then the Director said, in a quiet and measured voice, "Action."

Don, as 'Jason,' exited the church first and John, as ''Alex,' followed. 'Jason' looked irritated and 'Alex' looked scared. They walked to the front of 'Jason's' Oldsmobile where he paced for a moment before speaking.

"Alex... I just spoke to Ricky Pendergast and Coach Hassett."

'Alex' folded her arms across her stomach and looked away from her father.

'Jason' continued. "Look, Alex... they told me about what happened on the ball field the other day. How the boys... treated you because you're... developing... you know, becoming a woman."

A tear rolled down 'Alex's' cheek.

"They told me that the the reason that Cora's brother ended up with your slip was because Nana and Sue took you home. That the only reason you took it off was to play ball better. Is that true?"

'Alex' nodded, but didn't look at her father. He reached for her to turn her face to him, but she flinched. He moved more gently this time and turned her face so he could see the black eye that he'd given his daughter. A look of shame crossed his face.

"Baby," he whispered, "I'm sorry. It was a bad day at work and... honey, I'll never forgive myself. I wish you'd told me..."

Suddenly the young girl's temperament changed violently, "TOLD YOU!? How, daddy? I barely got a word out of my mouth before you slapped me. How could I have told you anything!?"

'Jason' pulled his hand away, hung his head and leaned against the front of his massive car, pushed his hands into his pockets and, for a moment, hung his head. When he looked up, again, he looked sad and broken, "I wish your mother was here, baby. I've always been a rotten parent to you girls."

"No, daddy..."

"Yes, baby, I have been. I relied on your mom to do everything. This job I have, Alex... it eats you up. That little jerk, Peter... he set me off, Ali, and I just took it all out on you." He stood straighter and looked at the weak child. "I'll never do it again, baby. I swear. I'll be better."

He opened his arms to invite the child in for a hug, but she looked away for a moment.

"I miss her daddy."

"I know, honey. I miss her, too."

"But its more than that, Dad. Sometimes... I hate her. I hate her for leaving. I hate her for leaving me alone. And I hate myself for hating her. I feel like I'm falling apart, daddy. I hate everything, now. I hate Nana, I hate Sue, and I hate you because I don't know how to feel anything else. I just want to go back to last year."

When 'Alex' looked at her father, her brokenness was a perfect reflection of his. When he tried to hug her, she pulled away, but he was bigger and stronger and he pulled her tightly to his broad, strong chest. She struggled, weakly, as he rested his head on hers and whispered, "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so, so sorry. I love you, Alex. I'm so, so, sorry."

Eventually, the child relaxed into her father's embrace and cried uncontrollably.

After ten seconds or more, the Director called, "And cut!"

The normal sound of the camera and sound crews relaxing didn't occur. No one moved. Don continued to hold John tightly. Very gradually , he loosened his hold on him and he sniffed back his own tears as he whispered, "Are you ok?"

John nodded. "I think so."

He kissed John's smooth cheek as he stepped back. "Be careful with your emotions, Bebe. You gave me an awful lot. Make sure there's some left for Bebe when she needs it."

Ed and Rose had walked over to them and waited quietly as Don kissed John, again. "Are you sure you're ok? You're shaking pretty hard."

John nodded, but his face screwed up into a confused ball as he began crying even harder than he'd done in the scene. His shaking became uncontrollable. Ed stepped forward and swept him up into his arms.

"Beebs!" Ed lifted John into the air and hurried towards a chair in the camera area. "Beebs, honey, are you ok?"

John concentrated on his breathing as he struggled to gain control of himself. He was oblivious of what was happening until he was already seated in the chair. When his vision cleared, he saw Ed's concerned face and Rose's tear drenched face looking at him.

"What happened?" he asked in a confused whisper.

"I think you might have passed out," Ed said with a sigh of relief. "Do you feel ok, now?"

Rose pushed past Ed and hugged John's head to her breasts. Her breathing indicated relief.

"Passed out?" John was confused. "From acting?"

"From your emotions, baby," Rose rocked him gently in her embrace. "You're a girl, now, Bebe. Right down to the hormones and girls need to learn how to control their emotions." She closed her eyes and laid her head on his.

"Is she ok?" The Director asked.

"I think so," Ed said.

"Well, if it's any consolation," The Director patted Ed's shoulder, "I think that your little niece, here, may have just won herself an Emmy Award."
 
 
To Be Continued...