Bebe Goes To Hollywood: 1

 

Bebe is back and about to start filming her first movie, but, of course, there are potholes on her
road to movie stardom.

PLEASE NOTE, this is not a stand alone story, but a continuation of Kiss Me Bianca and Bebe in LaLa Land.

---

 
Author's Note:
Hi, everyone. I know it's been a good long while since I last posted a Bebe story, but, to be perfectly
honest, the delay is all your fault. See, I'm not a cross-dresser or gender-fluid or anything else. I
just fantasize and write stories for fun. The problem is, you all have embraced Bebe so lovingly that
I am scared to death of ruining one of my favorite characters or your image of Bebe. You have all been
so generous with your comments and emails that I want to do my very best for you. I am also petrified
that, as I explore Bebe's intersex life, that I may insult those of you with gender nonconforming
identities.

Honestly, I love and support you all and I never, ever want to hurt your feelings. As I prepared to
take on this next phase of Bebe's life, I spoke to a number of gender-fluid, and gender nonconforming
friends and asked a lot of questions about their experiences and feelings. This type of research is
not typical of how I usually write (ie. Fantasy), but, again, I wanted to be as honest in my writing
as I could. So, I know that by making this more of a real-life story than many of the other works on
this site, that I am treading on dangerous ground, but I hope that I am telling the story well and
with the appropriate amount of sensitivity.

Please, if I should write anything insulting or just plain wrong, let me know. I want to do my best
for Bebe and for all of you.

With all of my love and respect,

Clara.
 
This version of Bebe Goes To Hollywood: 1 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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And Now - The Story -
 
Chapter 1

"PEOPLE ARE FUNNY. THEY WORK SO HARD AT LIVING THAT THEY FORGET HOW TO LIVE"
~ Gary Cooper as Longfellow Deeds in 'Mr Deeds Goes To Town' ~ 1936
 

"That's the last of them," Ed said as he put a box down in the living room of Nancy's apartment, two floors below their own. "Put that one in Bebe's bedroom for me, will you, Blaine?" He looked at the mess he and Blaine had created and shook his head. "Where are the girls, for crying out loud? They knew that we had to get this all moved before five o'clock."

Blaine came back down the hall and shrugged. "My mom said they were going curtain shopping."

"And how long does that take?"

Blaine chuckled. "For most people, probably an hour or so, but my mom is pretty particular, as you've probably noticed. This could be an all day event for her."

Ed nodded. "She does have great taste, though, and it's nice that she's helping to make Bebe's room down here nice for her. Everything in our condo still looks like an efficiency apartment. None of us have had time to do anything about the place. Maybe, when Rosie and I come back in August, we'll leave enough time to do some decorating."

"If you ask my mom, she'll have it all done for you when you get back."

Ed laughed at that.

"I'm serious, Ed. Decorating is, like, her favorite thing to do. She's good at it, too."

Ed patted Blaine's shoulder. "Ok. I'll think about it." He looked around the condo, which was almost exactly the same as his, and shook his head. "Blaine," he sounded suddenly serious, "call me if anything goes wrong here, ok? If you notice anything odd happening, call or text immediately and I can be back here in five or six hours."

"Everything will be fine, Ed. Nancy's been fine for five months, now, and Bebe is doing great. She's got me and my mom, Ella, MJ, Don... you're not leaving her alone, out here. She's in good hands. Go back to Cape Cod and relax in your new house. Enjoy yourself."

Ed was really looking forward to getting back to The Cape. They'd wrapped the shooting on 'Civil Disobedience' more than two months ago and both he and Rose were anxious to get out of Los Angeles. It had been an amazing and turbulent year since he and his best friend, John, had been cast as lovers in 'The Taming Of The Shrew.' No one could have ever guessed how things would have turned out just a year later. He definitely needed a rest. So did Rose. So did Bebe, but she'd gotten so damned popular because of the show that she had to stay to film the movie she'd signed on to and, to be honest, that worried him - a lot.

"We're back!" Rose sang from the doorway. She kissed Ed and continued, "Don't hate us for taking so long, but we found the cutest curtains, bed-set, towels - everything for Bebe's room down here. Honestly, Ed, before we start shooting again, we have to do something about our place."

Ed laughed. "Yeah, Rosie. I know. We'll plan some time."

"I'll do it for you, if you'd like," Joanne said, happily. "I'd be thrilled to do it."

Ed looked at Blaine and laughed.

"Told you," Blaine chuckled as Bebe slipped under his arm and hugged him.

Ed checked his watch. "Alright, everyone, we need to get ready. We're meeting Don and Viv at their club in an hour for our farewell dinner. Beebs, you're going to have to deal with this mess in the morning, ok? You'll probably need to sleep at our place, tonight. I hope that you don't need anything that we brought down here, because it's all a mess.

"Nope, I left my dress hanging on the back of your bedroom door so it wouldn't get wrinkled or brought down." John smiled at his own resourcefulness. "And I left a set of sheets and my pillow in Nancy's linen closet so I could stay down here. That way, I won't be in your way in the morning."

"Ok," Ed looked at Nancy. "We'll all go up and get changed. Is fifteen minutes enough time for you to get ready?"

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Ed. I know that this is all run-of-the-mill for you, but I'm going to go out to dinner with Don Ferry at his club. Don frigging -Ferry, Ed. I can be ready in fifteen seconds if you want to get going, now."

Ed smiled as friendly as he could. He still didn't trust Nancy and he was very nervous about leaving Bebe in her care. Yeah, yeah, he knew that John was really an adult, but... well... Bebe wasn't and he worried about her all the time. "Ok, then. We'll meet you in the lobby in fifteen."
 

~^~
 

"There's my beautiful little lady!" Larry Rosen, the manager of the country club said as he embraced John and kissed his cheek. "Welcome back, sweetheart. Tell me, how is your sister doing at the clinic. Is it working out for her?"

John kissed the man's cheek in return and smiled. This was one of the nicest and most obliging men he'd ever met, but others had told him that Larry could be dangerous if he was crossed. 'Stay on his good side' was the most frequently given advice when his name came up. So far, that had not been a problem. He seemed to adore John, well, Bebe, anyway, and John liked him as well. "She's doing great, thanks for asking." He turned and grabbed his sister's hand, pulling her forward.

"This is Nancy. Nancy, this is Larry Rosen. He's the man who put in a good word for you at the clinic."

Nancy smiled, but she was a bit uncomfortable with the situation. She owed this man a lot, but had never actually met him. It was a bit awkward. "Oh," Nancy extended her hand to shake his, "thank you so much, sir. I really appreciate your help."

"Of course you do, my dear," Larry took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he kissed it and held it a little longer than necessary. "I hear that things are going very well at the clinic. Let's keep it that way, ok? And if you need anything to help out your little sister, you just call here and ask for me. I'll do anything for her."

The word 'her' was stressed just enough to let Nancy know that her job had been procured as a favor for Bebe, not Nancy, and she needed to remember that. In fact, since Nancy had arrived in LA in January, it had become increasingly clear to her that in the Venn Diagram that displayed normal life in the LA/Hollywood world, and the world of wealth and fame, there was only a very thin overlap that included Nancy - and that was only due to the generosity of Johnny. As a sister, she was thrilled to be included in the wonderfully interesting life that Johnny had found here, but as a recovering addict, a part of her resented the privilege that Johnny experienced and she fought to keep those thoughts down.

"Well, thank you for everything. I love being out here with Bebe."

"Ed!" Don's booming voice came from the entrance to the private dining room. He pulled Ed into a tight hug and beat his shoulder firmly. "Man, I can't tell you how much I've missed you guys!" Everyone got a hug and a kiss as he guided them into the dining room. "It's going to be a very long summer with you and Rosie back on Cape Cod," Don said as his wife, Vivian, made her greetings and everyone took their seats.

"Then come visit us," Rose said as Ed pushed her seat in for her. "You enjoyed your time on The Cape last summer. Come stay with us for a while."

"I just might," Don smiled. "I just might."

They all enjoyed their meal and the conversation that went on around it. As coffee was being poured, Vivian said, "Are you out of school for the summer, Bebe?"

"Since Tuesday," John smiled.

"Any plans for the summer, then?"

Don laughed. "Yeah, She has plans, Viv. Eighteen hour days while they shoot that movie at Disney, right Bebe?"

John shrugged "I guess. Its all pretty daunting, though."

"You'll do great, sweetness," Don threw his arm around him and squeezed his shoulders supportively. "You're a natural. Look at how you took over the set on the show. The movie will be no different."

John sipped his mango juice. "Rita says I shouldn't improvise anything on the movie set. She says that their schedule won't allow it."

"Yeah, well, Rita's wrong," Don laughed. "Do What feels right, sweetheart, and if the director is worth his salt, he'll use what works best - whether it was in the script or not. They hired Bebe Foley because they've seen what Bebe Foley can do. Don't stop doing what you do, baby. That's why you're there."

"When do you start?" Vivian asked.

"Next Wednesday..." John said, but Rose interrupted.

"...but she's got her first costume fitting tomorrow. I am desperate to go with her, but we need to get back to The Cape to sign the papers on our house, so... ugh!...It's just so frustrating."

"Well, do you need someone to go with you?" Vivian asked. "I have a meeting for one of my charities, but if you're nervous..."

"That's ok," Joanne smiled. "I'm going with Bebe. If you'd like to come, too, that's fine with us, though."

"No, no. As long as she's not going alone." Vivian seemed a bit relieved to not have to change her plans. "A fifteen year old shouldn't be out alone in this part of the world, even at Disney Studios."

"We'll have to leave early, of course," Joanne looked to John to remind him to be up early. "LA traffic and all. Ohh," she let out an exaggerated exclamation, "I hate driving across town at that time of day." She gave a little, nervous laugh while she turned to Nancy. "Will you be able to join us?"

As Nancy replied, Don grabbed his phone and typed.

"No," Nancy sipped her water. "I have to work. God, I would love to see what a Hollywood costumer does, though. Maybe next time I will be able to work it out."

"I'm excited to see it, too," Joanne Agreed. "I've never been to anything like this, before! My life has become so much more fun since Bebe came into it."

"All set!" Don said as he slipped his phone back into his shirt pocket. "Joanne, just get to Bebe's place by 7:30 and Oscar will pick you both up there."

"Oscar!?" John was surprised. "But, he works for ABC."

"Which is owned by Disney. He'll work out the billing and, besides, Angel, he adores you. He'd do it for nothing if you asked him."

"That's right," Rose teased, "Oscar was your first fan. Well... after your Uncle Ed."

That made everyone chuckle.

"So," Vivian returned her attention to John, "Are you excited to get started?"

"I guess," John shrugged, "but 'petrified' may be a better word."

"Oh, stop it," Ed took John's tiny hand in his big mitt. "You're the bravest person I know. None of us would be here, now, if you hadn't stood up to the producers back on Cape Cod."

"Not just the producers," Don laughed, "she stood up to me, for crying out loud. Imagine that! Me, a big movie star and this fourteen year old girl in a local production of The Taming Of The Shrew starts telling me what's-what! Right after I met you, I got in the car and called Viv and I said, 'Viv, you are not going to believe it, but this little Massachusetts spit-fire just put me in my place.' I couldn't believe it!"

"It's true," Vivian said to the laughter of everyone at the table. "He said, 'Mark my words, Viv, a year from now this girl is either going to be star or in jail.'"

"I stand by that statement!" Don said.

"So?" Vivian continued. "What are you going to wear?"

Blaine threw down his napkin, dramatically. "Seriously!? Does it really matter? I mean, they've already cast her in the movie, right? She's bought, like, twenty dresses and tried on, like, three hundred! That's all she's done for the last three weeks!"

Everyone stared at Blaine in amused astonishment. "You went dress shopping with her?" Don chuckled.

Blaine looked around at everyone's faces. "Yeah. Of course. I mean, I wanted to spend time with my girlfriend."

"Ahh," Don nodded, knowingly, then he turned to Ed and said. "Poor kid. He's smitten," causing everyone to laugh.

"He sure is," Ed slapped Blaine's shoulder. "'twitterpated,' as they say in Bambi."

"Oh, stop," Joanne tried to defend her son, "he enjoyed every minute of it." This made Don and Ed laugh all the harder. "Seriously, he did. And why wouldn't he enjoy seeing a beautiful girl dressed in a beautiful dress."

"Forget it, Joanne," Rose smiled along with everyone else, "they're Neanderthal's. They'll never understand. Anyway, Viv, Bebe is sticking with her trademark fit and flare style. It's a beautiful, knee length dress with a really full skirt."

"It's gorgeous," Nancy took over. "Really soft, cotton, sleeveless, bright purple with a faded pattern on it. Shows just a little of 'the girls.' So pretty! I'm telling you guys, if you knew this child growing up the way that I did, this change towards everything feminine would shock you as much as it shocks me."

"It's true," Ed offered. "A year ago, I'd have never believed she'd be this girly."

"Get used to it, Blaine," Rose laughed. "You may just end up with an All-American-1950s-Housewife if you marry this one."

"It's not just the dress, though," Blaine continued to complain. "After she'd finally picked out the right dress, Rose took her shopping for underwear. UNDERWEAR! For crying out loud! It's under the dress! What difference does it make what color her underwear is!?"

"A white bra showed through the fabric," Rose explained, causing the women to nod, knowingly. "Besides, she's starting her movie career. She needs to look and feel like a movie star. Cotton underwear doesn't do that. My Bebe needed silk and lace and that's what she got."

They all laughed, again, and Vivian held up a glass of champagne. "Alright, everyone," she said with a commanding voice. "A toast!" Everyone held up a champagne glass, except Blaine and John, who were too young, and Nancy, who was now living a straight-edge life. "To Bebe! The girl who's bringing back femininity!"

"To Bebe!" They all clinked glasses and took a drink.

Dinner was served and devoured and as coffee was served and as the dessert was being prepared, John whispered to Don and asked if they could speak in private for a few minutes.

Nodding, Don stood and said, "If you'll all excuse me for a moment, I'd like to have a few words with my beautiful, youngest and favorite daughter before we eat dessert."

"Hey!" Rose feigned being hurt. "I'm right here!"

"Sorry, Rosie," Don teased. "The truth hurts, sometimes."

Rose laughed, but Vivian added, "It's a joke for you, but I'm pretty sure that he actually feels more like a father to Bebe than he does to our own daughter."

"Now, that's just not true," Don laughed. "Come on, Bianca," he spoke to John as if he was scolding him, "it's time for a father-daughter conversation."

John pretended to be surprised at Don's request as he took his hand and accompanied him out onto the balcony. The others just continued talking and paid no particular attention to the accomplished movie star giving advice to the up-and-comer.

"What's up, Princess?" Don asked when they were alone. "Nervous about tomorrow?"

"Well, yeah, of course," John nodded, "but there's something else and I need to talk to you about it."

Don sat on a bench and patted the seat beside him. "What is it, honey. You can tell me anything."

John sat, nodded and took a deep breath, but said nothing.

After a few moments, Don said, "Sounds serious, baby. What is it?"

He took another big breath, then finally, John blurted out, "Ok. See, Don..." he bounced a little and turned away, "I think it's time."

"Time for what, baby?" Don asked, suspecting what John was speaking of.

"You know... time to go all the way."

"With Blaine?" Don chuckled as he said this.

"What?" John was momentarily confused. "No! God, no! We're too young... well, you know what I mean. No. I mean," he indicated his lap, "you know. All the way."

Don waited patiently, but John didn't continue. "If it's time to go all the way, Beebs, then it's time to say it out loud."

John nodded. "Yeah. Ok. It's time to... become a girl. Like, completely. To have the surgery and... be a real woman."

Don leaned over and kissed John's temple. "That's great, as long as you're one hundred percent sure, Beebs. Are you? You seem nervous."

John nodded. "Of course I'm nervous, Don. Once I do it, I can't undo it. I just think, it's time."

Don nodded. "Have you talked to anyone about this?"

"Just my therapist. I think I knew this was where I was headed since I was diagnosed as intersexed last summer. It seems inevitable."

"It isn't, baby. It's a decision and one that you need to be responsible for. Is this what you really want?"

"I think so. Yeah."

"Why?"

John looked shocked. "Why? I mean... I've been living this way for a year, now?"

"Yeah, but that was for work, at least at first. Is this for work?"

"Yes, of course, but..."

Don waited.

"I want to be a woman, Don. For real. I mean... if I could become a complete woman, you know, reproductive system and all, I would. I'm tired of pretending. I want to be a real woman. I need your help, though. I want to do it as quietly as possible and with the movie schedule going almost till the show starts shooting again... well, I'm not sure how to do what needs to be done in the time that I have, you know?"

Don pulled him close, then pulled John's head to his shoulder and rested his own head on John's. He sighed and said quietly, "I'll help you, sweetheart, but you're going to have to talk to the rest of your family about this, too. Your mom, sister, Uncle Ed, Rosie... not to mention Blaine and Joanne. As personal as this is for you, it will impact them as well."

John nodded, rubbing his smooth cheek on Don's rough one. "I know, but... I just don't want to ruin their summer. And I really don't want them to get mad at me."

That made Don chuckle. He straightened his head and looked at his young protégé. "Mad at you? You realize that your our own, personal Mary Lennox, don't you?"

John looked confused. "Mary Lennox?"

Don smiled. "Mary Lennox. You don't know The Secret Garden?'"

John shrugged. "I've heard some of the songs..."

Don laughed. "Not the musical, Bebe. Before it was a musical, it was a book. In the book, this little girl named Mary Lennox loses her parents and has to move in with her Uncle Archie and, just by being her own, stubborn self, Mary makes everybody's lives better. She teaches her Uncle how to love again, saves her cousin from an imagined disease, makes all of the servants feel good about themselves... all kinds of good things."

John shrugged, again. "That doesn't sound like me. I seem to upset everyone, no matter what I do."

"And so did Mary Lennox, baby. That's my point. You do what you think is right and everyone gets mad at you, but what happens as a result? Let's see - Ed and Rose have careers that they never expected, Nancy is recovering from addiction and getting her career back on track, your mother is finding new happiness with a new man, Blaine and Joanne have found you to love and care for and my career is doing better than it has in years AND I've found a whole new family to add to my own. So, yes, Mary Lennox, you are a bit of a tornado that churns up everybody's lives, but you are also the person that makes us all whole and we all love you for that."

John laid his head on Don's chest and let a few tears fall. "Thank you, Don."

"No, baby, thank you. You've done wonderful things for all of us. Now, it's time for you to do something for yourself. Something to make yourself 'more whole.' I know that it's a very personal thing and that makes it hard to talk about it, but believe me, baby - even if they need to ask some questions, everyone is going to understand and support you. I promise." He kissed the fragrant hair of the young woman he was holding. Then he raised her damp face to look into her eyes. "I promise."

John threw his arms around Don's neck and held tightly. "Thank you, daddy," and Don's heart melted.
 

~^~
 

"I'm serious," Blaine was saying as Don and John returned. "I was dragged along to A MILLION stores and looked at A BILLION dresses! I told Bebe which one I liked. She buys it and takes it home and shows you three," he indicated his mother, Rose and Nancy, "and you tell her it's awful! What's the point in having me involved?"

"Wait!" Nancy held up her hand. "Are you talking about the red dress?"

Rose's eyes popped as she remembered the dress. "The one with the white polka dots?"

"Yeah!" Blaine nodded as he sipped his Coke.

"Blaine, honey," Joanne laughed. "She looked like she was wearing Minnie Mouse's dress! She can't wear that to a studio - particularly not to Disney!" The women all laughed.

"Honestly, Viv," Rose explained. "It was an adorable dress, but it kinda screamed 'Minnie Mouse."

Ed threw his arm around Blaine's shoulder. "It's ok, Blaine. I like Minnie Mouse, too."

"What's so funny?" John asked.

"My taste in dresses, apparently," Blaine complained, with a touch of humor.

John sat and kissed the boy's cheek. "Not to me."

"See?" Blaine said to everyone at the table.

"Everything ok?" Vivian asked her husband, quietly.

"Everything's fine. She's just nervous." He smiled.
 

~^~
 

"Hey, Nancy," John stepped into his sister's bedroom where she was watching a rerun of 'Friends' as she sat in bed, checking her email on her tablet. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

Her little brother looked adorable in his baby blue nightie, but something was obviously upsetting him. "Sure, Johnny," she smiled and patted the bed beside her. "Come sit."

John sat on the bed, his legs tucked under his bottom. He watched the old sitcom for a few moments. "I like this one. This is the one where the college kids all make out in the area where the paleontology books are stored and Ross' thesis is there, right?"

"Yeah," Nancy smiled. "It's one of my favorites, too." She looked at John. He looked so much younger than he used to. So much more feminine. So much more vulnerable and frightened. Yet, he was her savior, in a way. Something was wrong, now, though. Nancy smiled as sweetly as she could. "What's the matter, Johnny?"

He took a deep breath."Look, Nance," he looked at the mattress as he chose his words. "I know that you've got a lot on you plate right now and I don't want to add any stress to it, but... I need to tell you something."

"Sure, Johnny. What is it, baby?"

"I think... no, I know that it's time for me to move forward with... you know... things."

Nancy felt a bit sick in the pit of her stomach. She'd been pretty bad at handling important things in her own life. Now, it seemed like Johnny needed her support and advice. What the Hell did she know about what he was going through?

"You mean you're considering having complete reassignment surgery?"

"Yeah. I am. It's time, I think."

"You think?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm sure. It's the right thing to do and the right time to do it."

Nancy nodded. He seemed pretty sure, but she felt the need to offer him the opportunity to talk it out some more. "You're sure...? Ok. I guess I'm not real surprised that you're doing it, just a little surprised that you'd do it now, when things are so busy for you."

He nodded. "Don's going to help me schedule it. He'll deal with the show and he has connections at your clinic. He's calling them to set up everything. I'm hoping to have the first procedure in August, when the movie wraps."

"August? Wow. That's quick. What does your therapist think about this?"

"She supports it. I hope you will too."

Nancy hugged her fragile, little brother. "Of course I will, Johnny. I'm here for whatever you need."

"Thanks," John said as he left her hug and smiled at her.

"It's a big step, Johnny. You're sure that you're ready?" Nancy's concern was genuine.

"I am. I'm sure. I need to do it - soon, too. I just.. I don't know... I just don't want to be in flux like this anymore. Half-boy-half-girl all confused and scared, you know?

Nancy nodded. "I understand, Johnny. But... being a woman isn't always easy, you know. It's not just pretty dresses and a cute boyfriend, Johnny. It's dealing with jerks, not making as much as men, social prejudices... it's a whole package and you've been shielded from a lot of it because of your school, your friends and your job. That could all change later in your life and there's no going back."

"I know. I'm ready, though."

Nancy gave him a sad, but supportive smile. "And Rose and Ed and mom are all ok with this?"

John shrugged. "I don't know. I've only told you and Don and I only told Don tonight when we went out onto the porch."

"Wow!" Nancy's eyes shot open. "You need to talk to them, too, Johnny..." then something occurred to her. "Wait! You told me before you told Ed and Rose?"

John nodded.

Nancy leaned over and hugged him tightly. "Johnny... I can't tell you how much that means to me, but... you still need to talk to them before they leave."

John shook his head. "I'll email them."

"Like Hell you will!" Nancy laughed as she stood and grabbed her robe. "Go get your robe. We're going upstairs and talk to them."

"What? Now?"

"Right now, little lady! Let's go." She swatted his butt as she pushed him out of the room. "I am not getting blamed for letting them leave before you talk to them."
 

~^~
 

"Well, that's a lot to process," Ed shook his sleepy head and looked to Rose, who was sitting on one side of John, with Nancy on the other. "What do you think, Rosie?"

"What do I think?" She smiled at John and took his hand. "It's not my place to think anything, except maybe that I'm thrilled that you're made this decision, Beebs. I'm so happy for you!" She kissed his cheek. "And don't worry, sweetie. Uncle Ed is happy for you, too."

Rose's reaction actually surprised Ed a bit. He looked at John and made sure that he held eye contact with with his former-friend-current-ward and spoke seriously. "You do realize that this is a one way street, Bebe, right? Once they snip it off, they can't sew it back on."

"Oh, God, Ed!" Rose scolded her lover as she ran her fingers over John's soft, long hair. "Don't be so crass! You knew this day was coming. Now, support your niece. She doesn't need any naysayers around her right now."

Ed looked at the two women and the person he considered more as a daughter than a friend and he realized that Rose was right. This conversation really began in John's mother's Cape Cod kitchen a year ago. Maybe, if John had not played Bianca, things may have been delayed a few years, but this was preordained. It was going to happen one day or another. John was long gone. It was time to make Bebe a complete girl so that she could someday become a complete woman.

Ed stood and crossed the few feet that separated him from the women and he took John's hand and pulled him to his feet, wrapping him in a huge, loving hug. "Ok, Beebs, but I do have one stipulation."

"What's that?" John asked, his voice muffled by the hug.

"You have to keep us updated every step of the way and UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will any surgery take place unless I am with you. Do you understand? I will be the last person to kiss you as they roll you out of your hospital room and I will be the first person to kiss you when open your eyes. Understood?"

John nodded as he softly cried into Ed's chest.

"You may have to fight Blaine for that," Rose stood, crossed her arms and smiled at her little family.

"I can take a Blaine," Ed joked.

"Well," Rose stood and joined Ed in hugging John, "we really should get to bed. We have a flight in five hours and Beebs has a big day tomorrow." She kissed the back of John's head. "Good night, baby."

Ed slowly released John and kissed his cheek. "I mean it, now. NOTHING happens unless I'm with you, ok?"

John nodded and wiped the tears from his cheek. "I promise."
 

~^~
 

"Alright, ladies," Oscar smiled as he pulled open the backdoor to the limo he'd acquired for the day. "I will be on the lot all day." He helped John out of the car and looked at the pretty purple dress he was wearing. "You look amazing today, Princess. So grown up and beautiful."

John accepted a hug from the stocky man as Joanne got out of the car behind him.

"You have a good day today, Princess," Oscar smiled. "I remember the first day that I drove you from school to the studio. I had an inkling that you would be a star on that show, but now... now you're on the verge of being a movie star. I am so proud of you."

"Thank you, Oscar," John kissed his cheek. "I'll do my best."

"I know you will, Princess. Now, have a good first day."

John smiled as he stepped aside to allow Joanne space to pass. "I'll send a text when she's all done, Oscar. Thank you."

"My pleasure, ma'am. I'll be waiting."

Joanne took John's arm and led him towards the wardrobe signs. "Oh, this is so exciting, Bebe! Isn't it?" Just being on a Disney lot was enough to make Joanne bubbly.

"I feel like I'm going to pass out," John said, slightly breathless.

"Oh, don't be silly," Joanne laughed. "You're as big a star as either of those other girls."

"You're kidding, right?" John shook his head. "I mean, I'm about to start working with Lily James and Anna Kendrick. That's Cinderella and Beca Mitchell. I am not even close to being in their league, Joanne." For a moment, he stopped to think. "Maybe I should just go home, now, and save myself the embarrassment of looking stupid next to them."

Joanne nudged him forward, again. "Oh, my Lord, are you serious? You're the star of the most popular show in the world right now and you've been working with Don Ferry for nearly a year. He never made you nervous."

"Well," John shrugged, "to be quite honest, I thought that Don's career was pretty much over when I met him. I didn't realize he'd taken a sabbatical from acting. So, I was never intimidated by him, really. And besides, Don's name comes first on the show, then Ed, then Marion, then Rose, then me - So, I'm not really 'the star' of the show. That's kinda comforting."

"Well, your name won't be first on this film, either, so relax."

They reached the door with the words "Wardrobe Building 7" written on it and Joanne stopped and turned John to face her. "Ok, Bebe, this is it. Are you ready?"

John nodded. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"Good." She looked at the young woman with her. "You look beautiful, you know."

"Thank you," John blushed.

"That color purple is just gorgeous on you." Joanne smoothed the full skirt of the bright purple, fit and flare dress that John wore. It's scooped neck line revealed just a hint of his developing cleavage and his ever present 'BB' necklace, while the dress's skirt ended just at his knees. The faded-tapestry-print of the dress made it perfectly elegant without being overly dressy for a warm, early summer morning and the low heeled pumps that had been dyed to match tied everything together for Bebe's ensemble. Simple, fresh makeup and silver studs in his ears made him look just as mature as any other fifteen year old without making him look like he was trying to look older.

"Here we go," Joanne nearly giggled as she pushed the door open and led John into the cool, air conditioned air.

"May I help you?" A woman asked at a desk, just inside the door.

"Yes, thank you," Joanne smiled. "This is Bebe Foley. She's here for a wardrobe fitting. Are we in the right place?"

The woman checked her tablet's screen and smiled at them. "Yes, you are. Hi, Bebe, I'm Ashley. Welcome. I'll take you to the right fitting room. Are you her mother?"

Joanne was about to say that she was not Bebe's mother, but John, still very nervous and not wanting to be left alone jumped in, "Yes. This is my mom."

Joanne did a quick double take, then, seeing the pleading in John's eyes, turned to Ashley and said. "Yes. I am her mother."

"Well, very nice to meet you both," Ashley smiled. "Right this way."

As they walked down the long hallway, Joanne took John’s hand in hers. "Relax," She whispered.

John nodded. "Okay, mom."

That made Joanne smile. She liked the sound of that.

Ashley opened up the door to the fitting room and indicated that John and Joanne should enter. "Come on in and make yourself at home, ladies," she said. "There’s coffee, fresh fruit and pastry to the left. The costumers will be in in a few minutes and..." Ashley looked around the room. "... Ms Kendrick? Are you in here?"

With that, one of John’s favorite actresses, Anna Kendrick, stepped out from behind a rack of costumes. "I’m here, Ashley, and I told you to call me ‘Anna.’"

Ashley smiled. "Of course, Ms Kendrick. This is Ms..."

"Bebe!" Anna said with great familiarity as she hustled over to John and gave him a warm hug. "You look beautiful! Welcome to your first movie."

John realized that he and the star of Pitch Perfect were nearly exactly the same size. Small, thin, small breasted with dark hair – they really did look like sisters.

Anna stood back and held John’s hands as she spread his arms wide. "Wow, Bebe! You look... amazing! Look at me – leggings, a tunic and flip flops – and look at you, all dressed up like a princess. Wow! I feel like a scrub."

John laughed. "Thanks, Ms Kendrick."

"And that is the last time you every say that, Bebe!" Anna slapped his arm, lightly. "We are going to be working together for the next eight weeks or so. I am ‘Anna,’ and you and I are sisters."

John smiled at the star’s familiarity. "Thanks, Anna. This is my mom, Joanne."

Anna shook her hand. "Hi, Joanne. Very nice to meet you."

"Oh, hello," Joanne beamed as she shook her hand. "I just love your movies, Anna. You’re amazing."

"Oh, that’s sweet," Anna smiled.

Just then, the door opened again and Ashley entered with a woman wearing a floppy hat, leggings, a loose blouse and sun glasses to hide her identity, but her curly, dirty blonde hair told everyone that this was, in fact, Cinderella herself – Lily James.

"Ladies," Ashley said. "May I introduce your third sister, Lily James."

The British actress removed her hat and sun glasses revealing the trademark, crooked smile and beautiful eyes that had helped contribute to her stardom. "Hi!" She said. "I’m Lily."

Anna strode comfortably to the other actress and hugged her. "Hi, Lily. You may not remember me, but we met at the Oscars a few years ago."

Lily laughed. "Don’t remember you!?" She looked shocked. "You’re Beca f-ing Mitchell," she teased, quoting the Character of Fat Amy from Pitch Perfect 2. "Of course I remember you!" They hugged, again.

"And," Anna acted as hostess, "this is our little sister, Bebe."

"Oh, my God, Bebe!" Lily smiled as she crossed the distance between them and hugged John with surprising strength. "I’ve heard so much about you and I just binge-watched ‘Civil Disobedience’ on the plane. You’re amazing, sweetheart! I’m so happy to meet you!"

Very taken aback by the effusiveness of Lily James’ greeting, John smiled and said, "Um, thank you, Ms..."

"Uh, Uh, Uh," She interrupted. "I’m Lily or Lil. Is this your mom?"

"Yes," John tried to gain control of his overwrought emotions. Lily James knows who he is! How is that possible!?

Before he could speak, though, Lily was off to meet Joanne. "I’m Lily, and your name is?"

"Oh, I’m Joanne, Ms... Lily. I’m so honored to meet you. I mean, to meet both of you. I’m such a big fan of both of you."

"Oh, don’t be silly," Lily brushed away the compliment. "The Honor is all mine. Now, I could kill for a strong, hot cup of coffee. I smell it, but I don’t see it."

"It’s right over here," Ashley said, leading all of them to the back corner where the service tables was set up.

After nearly an hour of chatting and getting to know each other, they heard a call from the front of the room. "Ladies!? Ladies!? If I could interrupt, would you mind coming this way so that we can get started?"

"Oops," Lily giggled. "Time to start earning our money."

As they stood, John straightened his dress and said, "Well, we don’t have any acting or singing until next Wednesday, right?"

"I have some recording time scheduled tomorrow," Anna said with a shrug, "but Lily’s right – actresses get paid for looking nice in clothing. You look pretty in your costumes on the show, right? But the actress that plays your sister on the show is, essentially, a model for the costumers. As you get older, that will become more important for your career."

"Oh," this gave John pause. His costumes for ‘The Taming Of The Shrew’ were beautiful, but the acting was the focus of the production. His clothes on series were pretty run of the mill for the early 1960s, But Anna was right, Rose was always dressed to the nines and was anybody’s wet dream at all times.

"I think I should probably get out of the way, honey," Joanne said, interrupting his thoughts. "They probably don’t want me to be here."

As she kissed John’s cheek and prepared to go, Anna said, "Oh, don’t be silly. You’re fine here. My mom used to always be at fittings and rehearsals when I was doing Broadway shows – even during my first few movies. No one will mind – and if they do, I’ll say something to them."

"Oh," Joanne looked to John. "Do you want me to stay, Beebs?"

"Yes, mom," John breathed a sigh of relief. "I’d feel much better if you stayed."

"Ok, honey. I’ll sit to the side, though. If you want me to leave, just let me know, ok?"

John nodded.

"Did your mom just call you ‘Beebs?’" Anna asked with a big smile.

"Yeah. My friends and family all call me Beebs."

"Oh, that’s adorable!" Anna laughed, as she hurried ahead to tell Lily about their little sister’s nickname.

Ashley was waiting up front with three women who were all in their thirties and wearing bib-aprons with lots of pockets, all of which were filled with tailoring tools.

"Good morning, ladies," the woman in the center said. "I’m Doreen, I’m an assistant costumer here at Disney and these are my colleagues, Jane and Aubrey, and we’ll be doing your primary fittings today. We’ve got a lot to do, so, if you don’t mind, please strip and stand up here on the platforms so we can get started."

John looked confused and he glanced at his co-stars who were both kicking off their shoes and pulling down the waist-bands of their leggings. "Oh...um..." he stuttered. "We just... undress? Right here?"

Anna and Lily looked at each other with knowing smiles, each remembering their first movie fitting.

"Don’t worry about it, love," Lily giggled. "We’re all girls here. You’ll get used to it."

Joanne put her hand on John’s shoulder. "It’s ok, Beebs. You’ll be fine." She knew that John had been in his skivvies in front of Ella, MK and Kylie without any problems. "Want me to unzip you?"

A bit nervously, John said, "Yes. Thanks, mom."

Joanne lowered the zipper, then pulled the dress free of his shoulders and lowered it to the floor, revealing the expensive and elegant, silk, purple bra and panty set that Rose had insisted John needed to complete his ensemble.

"Oh, that’s pretty, but..." Anna said and at that moment, John realized that his co-stars were both wearing flesh-toned teddy-style one piece undergarments that allowed them both to appear nearly naked.

"Oh, Bebe," Lily interrupted, "you should always wear a tan, one-piece for fittings. They like to see how the colors look on us and they get upset when your underwear bleeds through."

John looked down. "Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know..."

"Well, of course you didn’t," Anna said, "but we can fix that." She turned to the woman in charge and said, "Um, Doreen. This is Bebe’s first studio fitting and... well... do you think you could get her something more... appropriate? Just for today."

Doreen turned and looked at the young actress. "Oh," she laughed, just a little, "darling you look adorable, but... of course. Ashley, could you go over to ‘Wardrobe 1’ and get a size two one-piece for our little up and comer, here?"

"Of course," Ashley smiled and hustled off to get the garment.

"In the meantime," Doreen clapped her hands, "let’s start with bloomers, ladies. We shouldn’t have any big problems with those."

Each actress took their place on the three-foot-wide circles that stood in front of the mirrors and waited as the costumers gathered the elaborate bloomers that they’d be wearing under their costumes. John stood on the middle platform, with Anna to his left and Lily to his right.

"By the way," Anna said to Lily, "I loved all the denim outfits that you wore in that Beatles movie. Each one was adorable."

Lily laughed. "Thanks. You know, Danny Boyle directed that and he only used a costumer for Himesh Patel, who played ‘Jack.’ He gave me and the other secondaries a budget and sent us out to buy clothes that fit our characters. I figured, you know, an underpaid school teacher who wanted to look cool... denim, right?" She laughed, again.

"Well, I loved it! It looked great on the screen."

As the chit-chat and shop-talk continued, they each stepped into their bloomers and the costumers fussed with every aspect of the garment. The older actresses barely noticed as the additional pieces of clothing as they were added.

Occasionally, Doreen, who was working on John’s costume pieces, would sigh or huff and mutter that the purple of his panties was ruining the look of the bloomers, or the color of his bra was ruining the look of the chemise. John felt awkward and kept muttering apologies, which Doreen ignored.

Finally, Ashley returned with a small package containing a flesh colored item, which John assumed was his ‘onesie.’ Thank God! Now, Doreen wouldn’t complain and he’d look more like Anna and Lily.

Doreen held up a finger, indicating that Ashley should wait a moment, and she finished pinning John’s chemise.

"Ok," Doreen finally said. "I’m done with this. Let’s take these off and you can put on the teddy."

John nodded as Doreen dropped the bloomers to the floor and he stepped out. Then she helped him remove the chemise.

"Open that for her," Doreen instructed Ashley, who opened the bag containing the new one-piece garment and she shook it loose to so the garment unfolded and relaxed.

"Let’s get you out of your fancy panties and into something more appropriate."

Ashley handed John the onesie and smiled as she walked away to throw away the wrapping.

Then, without warning, Doreen slipped her fingers under the waist band of John’s purple silk panties and pulled them down, exposing... everything.

John screamed, dropped the one-piece and slammed his hands over his groin to hide his secret, but it was too late. It had been seen by two sets of astounded eyes.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Lily screamed at Doreen.

"Leave her alone!" Joanne pulled Doreen aside, then hurried John towards the clothes racks.

"Get out!" Anna screamed as she and Lily pushed all three costumers towards and out the door.

"What’s going on!?" Ashley called out, confused, as she emerged from a different row of costumes.

Joanne left John in the safety of the costumes and grabbed Ashley, perhaps too firmly, by the arm and led her to the door as well. As she ushered the confused, young woman into the hallway, she said, "Do not come into this room until I invite you back in!"

She slammed the door in the faces of the three baffled costumers and receptionist, but the door reopened immediately and Joanne reappeared, looking directly at Doreen. "I don’t care who you work for, if you EVER do something like that to my daughter again, I will pound you into dust and throw that dust into the wastebasket."

The door slammed again, but this time the sound of the lock being turned in the handle was very obvious.

Turning from the door, Joanne grabbed the one-piece garment from the floor and ran back to John, who had pulled his panties back up and was seated in the food services area, weeping with embarrassment.

"Is she ok?" Anna asked Joanne.

Joanne stopped and looked from Anna to Lily and back again. "Yeah... I don’t know, but..."

"It’s ok," Lily said. "We saw, but I don’t think anyone else did. It’s not a big deal."

Joanne’s eyes opened wide. "Not a big deal!?" She looked back towards John and said. "Please. Give us a few minutes."

"Of course." Both women said in unison.

"Bebe? Bebe, baby, are you ok?" Joanne asked as she rubbed John’s back.

"Ok!?" John said in a nearly hysterical whisper. "I want to go home. Please. Just take me home."

Joanne sat beside him and whispered as well. "It’ll be ok, baby. I’m sure that it will."

"No. I want to go. Please. Just call Oscar. I can’t face them, now. I need to leave."

"Well..." Joanne was uncertain as to what to do at this point. If they left, not only could it be the end of Bebe’s participation in this movie, it may be the end of her entire career. "If that’s what you want... I guess we could leave, but, Bebe... you know that there could be legal and financial consequences..."

"Please, mom, please. Just take me home."

Oh, God. She called her ‘mom’ again. What to do?

"Could I, maybe, talk to you both for a few minutes?" Joanne’s thoughts had been interrupted by Anna Kendrick’s voice.

John didn’t even look up, but Joanne nodded and moved over a seat so Anna could sit between John and herself. Anna fidgeted for a moment as Lily moved into the chair on the other side of John, who kept his tear filled eyes focused on the floor.

"Bebe," Anna spoke haltingly, choosing her words carefully. "First, you have to know that this doesn’t matter to me, or Lily." She looked at lily and raised her eye brows, asking Lily for help.

"That’s right, love," Lily was as careful with her words as Anna. "Your secret is safe with us. They didn’t see, I’m sure of it."

"I think she’s right, Bebe," Joanne confirmed. "I was screaming so loudly and so quickly... I think they just thought I’d gone nuts because they’d pulled off your panties."

"And we joined in when we saw what was happening," Anna said.

"May I ask you a question?" Lily asked.

John, still in his purple bra and panties, nodded.

"Why keep it a secret?"

John’s eyes moved slowly from the floor to Lily’s eyes. "Why? Because I don’t want anyone to know."

"Honey," Lily continued, "it’s the twenty-first century. People change gender. It’s not as big a deal as it used to be."

"But I’m not just... this wasn’t a choice... it..." John choked back another crying jag while he recounted a thumb-nail summary of his life since his audition for The Taming Of The Shrew and ended by saying, "and the worst thing is, I just decided this week to complete everything. I just spoke to my sister, cousin and uncle about it last night."

Had anyone been looking at Joanne, they would have noticed the blood draining from her face. "Oh, my," she gasped. "Bebe... you’re going to... baby... you never told me... or Blaine."

"I’m sorry, mom," John weeped a bit more. "I was going to... this weekend... I’m so sorry."

"I understand, Bebe," Joanne looked embarrassed. "I’m just... a bit surprised, I guess."

"Of course you are," Anna comforted Joanne. "I’m sure that Bebe had intended... wait... did you say you told your cousin and uncle, but you hadn’t told your mother? Bebe? Oh, Joanne, no wonder you were upset."

Joanne looked at John, then cleared her throat. "Yes, well... to be perfectly honest... I’m not exactly Bebe’s mother, although I do think of her as a daughter. She’s... well... kind of like my daughter-in-law. See, she and my son, Blaine, have been dating for quite some time. Bebe’s mom is back in Massachusetts, so..."

"Well, thank goodness you were here, today," Lily patted Joanne’s shoulder. "Here, come sit with Bebe." She stood and switched seats with Joanne.

Joanne sat next to John and placed her arm around his shoulder and pulled his head to her shoulder, an offer that John accepted, gratefully.

"Alright," Anna sighed. "Back to the matter at hand. Bebe, your secret is safe with us and we are just as thrilled as we could be to have you as our little sister in this movie. Right, Lily?"

"That’s right, Bebe," Lily confirmed.

"Or, Beebs," Anna teased as she ran her hand along John’s cheek. "I still love that nickname, but, right now, I think we need to get the costumers back in here so we can get this project moving. Why don’t you get dressed in that one-piece and then we’ll get back to work. Ok?"

John nodded and stood.

A few moments later, the three costumers and Ashley, who were still waiting in the hall, heard the lock, the door handle being undone and then the door swung open, allowing them to see the, now somewhat imposing, figure of young Bebe Foley’s mother in the doorway. Someone who’d become, to them, in the past hour, the most formidable of all stage mothers.

Joanne folded her arms and stared at the costumers. When no one spoke for the first few moments, a confused Ashley finally asked, "Is everything ok in there?"

Joanne glanced at the young woman and said, "Why don’t you go ahead back in, Ashley. I need to have a word with these ladies."

Ashley squeezed by Joanne and disappeared into the fitting room.

Finally, Doreen felt the need to move things along. "Look, Mrs Foley, I don’t know quite what happened in there..."

"That’s not my name," Joanne interrupted without moving a muscle.

"What?" The confused costumer asked.

"My name is ‘Joanne,’ not ‘Mrs Foley,’ and I’ll tell you what happened in there – My daughter... my FIF-TEEN-YEAR-OLD daughter, had her panties yanked off of her in front of a room of strangers without a second of warning. She was shocked and embarrassed as was I. Do you understand what happened, now?"

Doreen looked to her colleagues for support, but neither said anything. "Ok, I understand, Mrs... Joanne, but that’s just how things work around here. She’ll get used to it, I’m sure." Doreen tried to smile reassuringly.

"Oh, I’m sure that she won’t, Doreen, and you know why I’m sure it won’t? Because if it ever does happen again, my daughter and I will be out this door, off of this lot and onto The Today Show as quickly as humanly possible. Wouldn’t they love to hear how Disney treated this young, beautiful, star? You bet they would. So. Do we understand each other?"

"We do," Doreen said, contritely, but without every actually apologizing.

"Good. Now, let’s start all of this over, shall we? My daughter – one of the most notable actresses in the world today – the young woman who you are here TO SUPPORT, not harass - is waiting."

Doreen sighed heavily. "Yes, ma’m."
 
 
To Be Continued...