Bebe Goes To Hollywood: 8 Final

 

It's Emmy Award time! The glamor, the beauty, the excitement - experience it all with Bebe and her friends.
The story, sadly, comes to an End for now, but I have a small continuation in mind!

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Author's Note: I really love reading your critiques and comments.
Please let me know what you think of Bebe's life. Thanks! ~Clara
 
This version of Bebe Goes To Hollywood: 8 Final 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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Chapter 8 Final

"All of your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them."
~ Walt Disney.
 

Oscar was waiting outside of the condo building at 6:30 Sunday morning. Rose and Bebe has to be at the studio my 8:00 at the latest to be ready for The Emmy Award Show that evening, which began its red-carpet events at 3:00 in the afternoon in order to be edited and ready to go 5:00 West Coast Time - 8:00 Eastern Time.

"Good morning, ladies," Oscar said with a great deal of joy in his voice. "A beautiful day for an exciting event! Will Mr MacNeal be joining us this morning?"

Rose laughed at Oscar's formality while working. Ed and Oscar were actually very friendly. They'd gone fishing together on several occasions and whenever a new action film came out, you can be sure that Ed and Oscar were going to be at an opening-day viewing, but while he was working, Oscar was always all business.

"He'll be driving himself to to the studio around noon, Oscar," Rose smiled from under her large, floppy hat. She and Bebe had been told to shower and comb out their hair this morning, but no makeup or hair work. That would all be taken care of in the hair and makeup room at the studio. "He didn't get home until after three this morning. He needs a little sleep."

Oscar held open the door as Rose slid into the large limousine, sliding across the seat in her tight fitting Jeans.

"You look sleepy this morning, Ms Bebe," Oscar laughed, "or is that just because you're not wearing any makeup?"

Bebe stopped and leaned her face on the stout man's chest. "I don't think I sleep more than an hour all night, Oscar. This whole thing has me so nervous."

Oscar patted the young actress's shoulder. "There's no reason to be nervous. You got the nomination, that was the hard part. Now, you just get dressed up, sit back, look beautiful and enjoy the day. If you win, you have to make a speech. If you don't win, all you have to do is smile and applaud for the other woman. Now that I think of it, it's actually easier if you don't win."

Bebe smiled at Oscar's chiding. "To tell you the truth," Bebe said quietly, "I'd kinda rather not win for just that reason. I can say lines, but giving a sincere speech.... I'd rather not, you know?"

Oscar kissed her head. "I know, honey, but I also know how talented you are. If I were you, I'd have a speech ready." He helped her into the limo and off they went to the studio.
 

~^~
 

Within a half an hour of the their arrival at the studio, Rose and Bebe had had their hair shampooed, again, and conditioned, again, and rolled into curlers - Rose into small curlers so that she could give the effect of a perm to add body, Bebe into larger curlers so that her hair could hang nicely with some fullness.

The last few weeks had been a blur of beautification for Bebe and Rose. Skin care, hair coloring, discussions of Botox and minor surgeries, both of which Rose and Bebe refused, dietary restrictions imposed both by the studio's stylist and themselves, and dress fittings after dress fittings after dress fittings. Now, their bodies were being inspected for stray hairs from top to bottom by women they didn't know who were armed with razors and tweezers. The two actresses stood in just their bras and panties and tried to make the day seem less awkward than it really was.

"Good morning, my goddesses," a very flamboyant sounding, male voice came from the doorway. "Is it safe to come in?"

"Come on in Cameron," Rose sighed. The studio's style-esthetician, which meant he was the man charged with insuring that all of the studio's stars appeared superhuman when they strode the red carpet, had become a constant presence over the last week. He was an infinitely upbeat personality with the ability to say horrible, hurtful things and make them sound like compliments, while simultaneously giving compliments that had a strangely insulting quality to them.

Rose found him exhausting, but Bebe liked him.

"Oh, I see we've started down the road to hideousness that eventually leads to beauty," he laughed as he took in the sight of the two women in their undies and curlers. Rose shook her head, but Bebe laughed. Cameron continued "And when will the rest of the team be arriving?"

"Turn around," one of the women inspecting the Bebe grunted.

"Don and Viv will be coming around 1:30, Blaine, Joanne, Nancy and Ed will be here around noon." Each nominee got a ticket for themselves and a 'plus one.' Vivian was Don's 'Plus One,' Blaine was Bebe's and, since no one from the east coast was able to fly out for the event, Joanne was Ed's 'Plus One' and Nancy was Rose's.

Bebe had used her new found influence to wrangle five tickets for the balcony as well. One each for Ella and MK, another for Oscar and two for Oscar's little girls. When the logistics of getting his girls to the theater began to worry Oscar, Bebe had laughed. "They can ride with us, Oscar. We'd love to have them with us." She'd said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world to have a driver's family join a group of stars as they went to one of the most important award ceremonies of the year. Oscar knew better, but if Bebe said it was ok, then it was ok. She was changing all the rules for everyone.

"Well, Don and Ed are easy, just throw them into a tux, but young Mr Blaine will need to have his hair trimmed at the very least," Cameron took notes. "I hope that his acne isn't acting up."

He made a note to check on his skin, then continued down his list. "Vivian has her own stylist," he huffed at that, obviously not happy that he was not dressing her, "so she'll be all set. Now, I've seen Joanne's dress - just a little black number, nothing too challenging and it'll look good on her, but I am concerned about your sister Nancy, Bebe. Have you seen her dress?"

"No," Bebe replied.

"Me neither and that's concerning," Cameron put his clipboard under his arm and fretted. "Once the press sees how much alike you look, they're sure to want to take pictures of you together. Granted, you are supposed to be the one who's shinning, but we don't want her looking scruffy."

"I'm sure she'll look lovely, Cameron," Rose assured him.

"Well, let's hope so," he smirked as he picked up the white and navy blue gown that hung on a hanger nearby and held it to Bebe's near-naked body. "You, my dear, will be looking like a princess. We can't have your sister looking like a poor relation."

"Don't worry, Cam," Bebe laughed. "Nancy didn't show me her dress because she wanted it to be a surprise, but I'm sure she'll look gorgeous. She always does."

"My name is 'Cameron,' not 'Cam' and you know it," he said, as if he'd just received the greatest insult of all time. He hung the gown back up and said, in his queen-y-est voice, "You're just lucky that I love you, you little pain in the ass. I know that your sister isn't walking the red carpet, but she'll be in plenty of pictures. Let's make sure she shines, ok? She just doesn't have to shine as brightly as you two. You two need to explode through every screen in the world, tonight." He started to walk away, but called over his shoulder, "Glamour, ladies! That's the name of today's game! Glamour! That's 'glamour' with a 'U' - because that makes it that much more glamorous."

"You can put your robes on now, girls," Meg, the head of hair and makeup said as she came in. "You've passed inspection. We can start your makeup, now. You've got at least a couple of hours in the chair ahead of you. Hopefully, when we're all done with you, you'll look like you never touched any makeup this morning."

Rose rolled her eyes. "We'll look like manikins, you mean. Perfect, painted manikins."

"Don't go becoming a hardcore feminist on me, today, Rose," Meg laughed. "The studios all want their stars to be beautiful at these events. That's just the way the things are. So, let's make you beautiful."

Once their robes were on, they spent the next hour and a half being made up and 'finished' in every way possible, except their lips.

At eleven thirty, they took a break and had a light lunch, salads and water.

"Well, look at you two," Ed said with a laugh as he entered with Blaine, Joanne and Nancy. "Sitting around in your robes and curlers. You make a very pretty picture." He pulled out his phone to take a picture.

"Put that thing away, Edward MacNeal," Rose scolded. "I don't want a picture of me in curlers floating around waiting for TMZ to find it." She looked in her mirror and shook her head. "I look like my grandmother with all of these things in my hair."

Ed laughed. "Not to me you don't." He kissed her cheek. "Yikes! That's a lot of makeup you're sporting, there."

She gave him a playful slap and shooed him away.

Blaine smiled a silly smile at Bebe.

"What?" She asked with a giggle.

"Nothing," he chuckled. "You just look... funny."

"Yeah, well, this is what it takes to look beautiful, apparently."

He laughed, bent and kissed her cheek. "All you have to do is smile to look beautiful."

"To you, I guess," Bebe laughed, now, too. "I'm told that the natural light of day and the cameras don't get along, so I have to go through all of this."

"And you'll be gorgeous, I'm sure," Joanne kissed Bebe's other cheek, now. "I'm so excited, Bebe. Aren't you?"

"I guess," Bebe shrugged. "It's a bit overwhelming right now. It's my first nomination, so I'm fine if I don't win."

"Atta girl," Rose reaches over and squeezed her hand. "I feel the same way."

Nancy hung her garment bag on the costume rack nearby and looked around the room. She too kissed Bebe's cheek, then said, "So, this is what your office looks like? Fancier than mine, that's for sure."

Bebe smiled. "You'd better watch out for Cameron, Nan. He wants to see your dress."

Nancy shook her head. "Cameron can suck it. I'm wearing what I picked out and he'll have to be happy with it. I don't work for ABC or Disney. I'm going to be comfortable."

Just then, a bustle of talking and excited movement came from the entrance. Everyone turned and saw Oscar entering holding hands with seven year old Mia and nine year old Sofía, his daughters.

"Is it ok if the girls come by for a visit?" He asked, looking around to be sure he wasn't interrupting anything. "They're pretty excited and their going crazy in the limo."

"Sofía! Mia!" Bebe spun in her chair and opened her arms wide to invite them to her. "My favorite little girls! Come give me a hug!"

Oscar released the girls, who dashed to Bebe to get their hugs in.

"I didn't get them all dressed up, yet," Oscar explained to Joanne. "I'm hoping I can use a dressing room here to get them changed before we leave. If that's an issue, I'll take them to the Birger King around the corner and change them there."

"We'll make sure that they get changed here, Oscar," Rose smiled at the girls. "They are NOT going to get changed in a filthy Burger King restroom."

"What are you wearing," little Mia asked, touching the curlers in Rose's hair.

"These are called 'curlers,' honey," Rose explained. "Bebe and I don't have pretty curls in our hair like you two do, so we have to use these to curl our hair."

"Do they hurt?" The child asked.

"Actually, they do hurt, a little," Rose laughed. "Here, come sit in our laps."

Rose took Mia in her lap and Bebe took Sofía.

Meg returned and clapped her hands. "Lunch time is over, ladies... oh, my... we have quite the crowd, don't we?"

Ed waved, "Hi, Meg. We can all get out of your way, if you want."

Meg smiled and shook her head, "Don't be silly. Why don't you and Blaine go get changed into your tux shirts, then I can brush and spray your hair so that you'll be presentable. Oscar, you crop your hair so close that there's not much I can help you with there."

Oscar laughed. "I'm good, thanks. The girls and I aren't going to be downstairs, anyway. We'll be in the balcony. No one will be photographing us."

Meg nodded and turned to Nancy and Joanne. "Why don't you ladies sit in these chairs, here and I'll brush you out and see if I can do anything for you."

Joanne took a seat, eager for some pointers. Nancy looked into the mirror and said, "I think I'm good."

Meg smiled and grabbed a tube of lipstick. She walked to Nancy and looked into the mirror with her. "Here. Try this color. I think you'll like it."

"Thanks," Nancy said, a bit intrigued. She knew how to be pretty and how to 'do herself up' for a night out, but she did enjoy trying new things. She spread the lipstick across her lips and smiled. "Wow! I like that. It makes my lips look fuller."

"It does," Meg smiled. "Here, seal it with this."

Nancy tried the sealer as well. "That's great! Thanks!"

"My pleasure," Meg was pleased with Nancy's response. "Why don't you sit in a chair and I give you just a few 'extras' to make your hair pop, too."

Pleased with the lipstick, Nancy joined the crowd.

The next ninety minutes were a blur of hair brushes, mascara brushes, hairspray, hairpins and chatter.

The little girls were amazed by it all.

"Your eyes look so big and pretty," Mia said to Rose.

"Your lips are so shiny," Sofia said to Bebe.

Meg made sure that the little girls were included in the feminine regime as well. The girls remained on Bebe and Rose's laps as Meg straightened their hair, then used curlers to put waves back into it, but the waves were more controlled and flattering. Bebe used her little finger to spread very pale pink lip gloss on their lips, too and Meg found each of them an inexpensive, but glittery tiara-headpiece. Just a little rouge was put on their cheeks, but mostly their faces were just tickled by the large blending and powder brushes.

"Oh, you both look so beautiful!" Bebe said with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Oh, my goodness, you're so pretty that you're going to make Rose and me look bad!"

The girls loved that.

"You're very good with the girls," Nancy said, quietly. She'd been watching her little sister, fascinated, not just by her ability to endure the rather severe beauty regime that had been inflicted upon her, but also by how she engaged so naturally and in such a nurturing way with Oscar's girls.

Bebe smiled and shrugged. "I like being 'the big sister' for a change. You were my big sister and took care of me when I was little. Then, Rose was kinda my big sister and taught me how to be a girl... I really like being the big girl for a change."

Nancy smiled and kissed Bebe's hair. "Don't grow up too quickly, Bebe. The world really likes you just like this."

When it was time to dress, Rose was the first target of the costumers. Rose was wearing clothing by an important designer, but the studio costumers had last say on all of her choices and they were going to do the final fittings before the event. Bebe's gown had been designed by the studio costumers as a tribute to an iconic actress from long ago.

As Rose stepped into her pale, rose colored, mermaid style gown, Nancy and Joanne both opened their garment bags and began changing and Bebe knelt down and asked Oscar's girls, "How would you like me to help you get dressed?"

Thrilled to be doing the same thing as the grownups, they each took one of Bebe's hands and bounced with her to the garment bag that Oscar had carried in.

"Oh, my goodness!" Bebe exclaimed as she removed a very pretty, little dress from the bag. It was obviously Mia's, judging by the size, but Bebe made a big deal out of deciding who would wear it.

"Who's beautiful dress could this be?"

Mia giggled and bounced. "It's mine!"

"No this can't be yours! This is a dress for a grown up lady. You're still a little girl. This must be someone else's."

"No, it's mine!" Mia was laughing so hard at the teasing and flattery that she could barely speak.

Bebe held it up and showed it to the other women. "Nancy," she teased, "I think you put your dress in the wrong bag. Look at this beautiful dress. Mia says it's her's, but I think it's much too grown up for her. What do you think."

Nancy smiled and considered the dress. "You know, that dress is much too pretty for me. The only person I know pretty enough to wear that is Mia. Maybe you should try it on her and see if it fits."

"Ok," Bebe shook her head theatrically, "if you say so."

Still in her robe, Bebe squatted daintily in front of the smallest child. "Here, let's take this off." She lifted the tee shirt style dress off of Mia, warning her to be careful of her hair, then lowered the lovely silver-grey dress onto the little girl.

The dress was, essentially, a little silver-grey shift with a thin, nearly transparent over-dress. It had a round collar with little pearlescent buttons along its opening, belled sleeves that reached to her elbows, a wide, elastic waist that caused the top to blouse and a wide skirt that reached her knees, about an inch past the underdress. The outer dress was dotted with the same pearlescent buttons, seemingly in randomly places, and embroidered pink flowers and grey vines. The dress probably cost less than fifty dollars and looked perfect on the beautiful child.

Bebe oohed and Ahh-ed over how pretty it was, then asked Sofia to help zip Mia up, praising her for being such a good big sister as she did so.

Sofia's dress was next, and Bebe pulled it out slowly, letting the long, flowing skirts appear dramatically, while she sounded breathless. "Mom," she said to Joanne, "just look at this beautiful dress! Can you imagine how beautiful Sofia will look wearing this!?"

"Oh my," Joanne, still in a black slip, came over and inspected the dress, fingering the soft material. "This is a very special dress, Sofia. You're a very lucky lady."

"I know," Sofia bounced and bit her thumbnail. "I picked it out with my abuela."

"Oh," Joanne smiled, "I love Blaine, but I always wished I'd had a little girl that I could dress in pretty clothes like this." Then she smiled at Bebe. "But I have you, now, baby."

Bebe smiled and squatted down, again, helping Sofia to remove her dress, again cautioning to be careful of her hair.

The peach colored dress was a soft chiffon with a scooped neck, softly ruffled sleeves, and empire waist and just yards and yards of soft, flowing skirts below. The chiffon top was plain and pretty, but the skirt was sparsely decorated with little bouquets of roses, each tied with a pink ribbon.

Sofia's long hair had been shaped into gently falling ringlets that perfectly imitated the flow of the skirts. When Meg saw the dress, she said, "You know what would go great with that?"

Everyone waited while she grabbed some flowers from a vase and wove them into a perfect little head band that popped out of Sofia's dark, hair. She quickly made another with baby's breath for Mia as well.

Between the tiaras and the flowers, the girls felt like movie stars and Bebe's constant praise of them made them feel even more special.

"Ok, Bebe," the costumer called across the room. "Your turn."

Bebe stood and took the girls' hands. "Come on. Let's go see if my dress is as pretty as yours."

When they caught sight of Rose, Bebe's breath caught in her throat. Rose was stunning. Her soft, Rose colored gown didn't come anywhere near her shoulders. There were very small sleeves that sat on her biceps and were attached to the bodice that sat just at the top of her breasts. The neckline plunged between her breasts and ended at the sash that formed the waistline. From there, the skirt hung loosely and flowed around her hips in a very sexy way. There was a slit up the front that allowed her shapely legs to protrude from the dress with each step. The dress was a study in seduction. Her pale skin and soft hair was the main focus, but whatever material there was was designed to amplify, rather than cover, the curves beneath.

"Wow," Bebe breathed.

"You look pretty," Mia said.

"Well, thank you," Rose bent to the child. "And look at you! You're gorgeous!" Then she turned to Sofia, "And so are you!"

By now, Joanne and Nancy were dressed, too. Joanne in a lovely, little black dress that looked perfect for any fancy occasion and Nancy in a black, halter top gown that made her look statuesque and elegant. Bebe, still in her robe turned the girls around and said, "Wow, girls. Look at how pretty everyone is! Don't you feel special to be here with so many pretty girls. I know that I do!"

"You need to get pretty, now, too, Bebe," Sofia said. "Then we'll all be like princesses."

Bebe smiled, "Ok, but I'm going to need your help to get dressed up, ok? Come on over to the mirrors."

The costumer was smiling at the girls. "Are you my helpers to get Bebe ready?"

The girls smiled and looked excited.

"Here," the costumer held the gown, "we have to spread this on the floor so that Bianca can step into it, ok?"

"Why did she call you 'Bianca?'" Mia asked.

"Because that's my name," Bebe laughed. "Bebe is just my nickname."

The girls nodded and eagerly helped to spread the yards of fabric across the floor. They were entranced by the softness of the Pearl-White material with the navy-blue flowers embroidered sparingly around the bodice and on the lower part of the skirt. The embroidery also incorporated tiny jet beads and the hem of the dress was trimmed with a black tulle ruffle. The abundant amount of material was due to the luxurious train that was designed to trail behind her on the red carpet.

"It's so soft," Sofia was charmed by the confection of cloth.

"Isn't it wonderful?" The costumer asked. "It's real silk organdy. We want Bianca to feel like a princess when she walks down the red carpet tonight. She's a star, now, you know?"

"She is?" The girls asked in unison.

"Yes, she is," the costumer smiled, and gave Bebe a glance as well. "So we designed this gown after a gown that another big movie star wore. Her name was Audrey Hepburn and she wore a dress just like this in a movie called 'Sabrina.' You probably never saw that movie, though, have you?"

"I've seen it," Sofia said. "The girl's a witch and her cat can talk."

Bebe laughed. "That's a different 'Sabrina,' sweetheart, but I like that one better."

While they maneuvered the material, Bebe put on a pair of very classic looking, three inch, black pumps with a very narrow, pointed toe and very slender heel.

When the dress was all been spread out, the costumer folded one section under, allowing Bebe to get close enough to the center of the gown to step into it. An assistant costumer offered a hand which Bebe accepted and, as delicately as possible, she stepped into the garment.

"Ok," the costumer explained, quietly, "you're going to take off your robe and we're going to raise the dress up onto you. Now, the dress has a built in bustier, so you won't be wearing a bra. Once I have the bodice up to your chest, I want you to hold the top against your belly and breasts. I'll undo your bra and we can slip it off of you while you hold up the dress and maintain your modesty."

The costumer gave Bebe a sweet, protective smile and Bebe nodded that she understood.

The costumer and her assistant, with the aid of Mia and Sofia, raised the top of the dress to Bebe's chest. She held it in place while the costumer undid the back of her bra and they maneuvered the bra off of her while still maintaining her modesty in front of the little girls.

"Keep holding that while we lace up the back." costumer and her assistant worked together to pull the laces as tight as possible, causing Bebe to grunt quietly with each tug.

"Why are you tying her in like that?" Sofia asked. "Can't you just use a zipper?"

The costumer chuckled at that. "No, honey, we can't. See, this dress has to fit nice and tight so that it always stays up on Bianca's chest. See how her back is all showing? She won't have her shoulders to hold up the dress, so these laces need to be very tight."

The girl nodded, but then asked Bebe, "Does it hurt?"

Bebe shook her head, but then considered her answer. "To be honest, Sof, it is very tight, but I'd rather be certain that it stays up and I don't have an accident."

"An accident." Mia asked. "Like a potty accident?"

"No, silly," her older sister scolded. "Like having the dress fall down and having everyone see her boobies."

That made Bebe, the costumer and her assistant all laugh.

When the laces were secured, the costumer told her assistant to get the needle and thread.

Once they had started stitching up the back of the dress, Sofia made a very obvious observation. "You're sewing her into the dress?"

"Yes, we are, sweetie," the costumer smiled. "This is a very big night for Bianca and we don't want people seeing any zippers of buttons on her dress, so we are sewing her into it."

"How will she get out!?"

"After the show and the reception, we'll use a seam puller to undo all the stitches I'm putting in, now. Then we'll undo the laces and take the dress off."

"What if she has to pee?" Mia asked, again causing the women to chuckle, this time at the apparent one-track-mindedness of the little girls.

"Well, let's hope she doesn't," the costumer laughed, but she gave Bebe a sideways glance as well, "because if she does, she's going to need a lot of help from people to hold this dress aside."

"See, girls," Bebe spoke. "Tonight, this dress is the star and I'm just wearing it."

"Oh," the girls said in unison.

When the sewing was done, everyone stepped aside so that the costumer could appraise her work.

The dress and Bianca had truly become one entity. Bebe's small, elegant shoulders and thin arms led to small, but apparent breasts that were hugged by the gown's top, which swooped elegantly down to Bebe's lower back, then gently nipped her waist before exploding into a waterfall of material that hung straight to the floor in front, but trailed beautifully for eight feet behind. When the great costumer, Edith Head, had designed Audrey Hepburn's original gown, the skirt had been a pencil skirt and the rest of the gownskirt had been added for effect, but this 'homage' to the original was just one large, flowing confection of soft, femininity.

"How do you feel?" The costumer asked.

Bebe shrugged. "Kinda trapped, but everything is so soft and beautiful... I guess it's ok."

"Ok?" The costumer laughed. "This dress cost nearly twenty five thousand dollars. 'Ok' is not what we were going for. You look gorgeous, honey, and I mean that. Does it feel heavy?"

"A little."

"It'll feel heavier when you walk, of course, because of the train, but the impact it'll have will be amazing, I guarantee it. You and this dress will be on every fashion website and in every fashion magazine for months. Next spring, when girls are buying their prom dresses, their going to be carrying pictures of you in this dress with them to tell their mothers, 'this is what I want.'"

Bebe smiled and looked at herself in all of the mirrors. "It is beautiful, Tina. Thank you."

"Just doing my job, Angel. Now, let Meg finish up with you and you can be on your way. I'll see you after the reception. Good luck."

Bebe held up the front of her skirts in order to be able to walk. The little girls, seeing the train dragging behind, each grabbed a bit of material and held it and walked behind Bebe as if they were attendants to a Royal Princess.

Meg finished off Bebe's look with a small, rhinestone headband that added sparkle to her jet black hair. Her bangs were full and curled, her hair shone with life and body and the ends were curled under to give a full body look.

Lastly, Meg touched up Bebe's eyes to make sure that all of the colors complimented the dress, then, the final touch, Bebe's lips received several layers of classic, rich red lipstick and a glossy sealer. "From here on out, no food, as little drink as possible, don't lick your lips, don't wipe your lips and avoid actually making contact with people when kissing them. Before the 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Dramatic Series' award is given, you'll be escorted to makeup for a one last touch up and I'll make sure that you're ready. Any questions?"

"Doesn't sounds like much fun," Bebe smiled.

"It's not supposed to be fun, Bebe. It's only a party on TV. In real life, you're working. Have fun and all, but remember, tonight you are representing ABC and Disney. You need to be perfect throughout the evening. Answer the questions on the red carpet with a big smile and lots of enthusiasm, meet other actors and new directors, and all of that, but remember your appearance and your dress are the focus of the evening. You're both perfect right now. It's up to you to keep everything perfect all night. Understood?"

Bebe took a deep breath and smiled.

Meg smiled back and relaxed a bit. She sputtered for a moment, then said, "I know it doesn't count for much Bebe, but I can't tell you how proud I am of you. I mean, it was less than a year ago that you first sat in that chair and I tried to figure out how to make you look like a tomboy in 1961. Now, just look at you. You're a bonafide star, you look like a princess and you're nominated for the most important award in your field. I know it's silly for me to say this, but it's true - every single person on this crew thinks of you as daughter or a niece. We have all watched you grow so much... well, look what I've done. I've gone and made myself cry."

Bebe squeezed Meg's hand in hers and smiled. "Thank you, Meg. That means so much to me. Oh, geez, now I 'm going to cry, too."

"Oh, God, NO!" Meg was genuinely concerned, and her voice raised in pitch and emotion. "You need to leave in like five minutes. I don't have time to redo everything!"

That made Bebe laugh. "It's ok, Meg. Sorry. I'm ok." She smiled as she dabbed the corners of her eyes.

Meg hugged her tightly. It was the first time she'd ever done that. "We all love you, honey. We believe in you and we all want you to win tonight, but if that doesn't happen, remember that we're all here to help you get ready for next season starting Tuesday morning. Ok?"

Bebe nodded. "Thank you, Meg."

"Oh, good heavens, DO NOT WRINKLE THAT DRESS OR MY ACTRESS!" The overly dramatic screech came from the doorway, where Cameron was entering with Blaine, Don and Ed following close behind.

As he passed Joanne and Nancy, he waved his hand up and down in an appraising manner. "Oh, yes, very nice." When he reached Rose, he stopped for a moment, "Oh, yes, just perfect. Sex on toast. I love it!"

"Hey!" Ed yelled, genuinely irritated. "Watch yourself, Cameron. That's my fiancé, you're talking about."

Unperturbed, Cameron moved on and spotted Mia and Sofia. "And who, precisely, do these... two... belong?"

Bebe pulled up the front of her gown and hustled over to the two adorable, but confused girls. She took on in each hand. "This is Sofia and Mia and they are with me."

"Well, not on the carpet, they're not, but you look ravenous, my dear."

Bebe ignored Cameron's remark and looked at the girls. "Sofia. Mia. This, very rude man, is Cameron. Say 'hello' to him, please." She was hoping that Cameron would pick up on the 'rude' comment and improve his behavior.

"Hello, sir," Sofia said.

Mia said, "Hi."

"Alright, now," Cameron started clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "I want a picture outside in front of the studio sign before we go..."

"Cameron," Bebe interrupted. "Two, very polite young ladies just said 'hello' to you. Don't you have something to say?"

He laughed. "Not now, love. Too much to do. Like I was saying, everyone..."

"Cameron," Bebe's stubborn streak was starting to show. "While everyone else associated with this show has been dismissing you as an egotistical no talent, I have stood up for you and have always been nice to you. Now, as I was saying... these two, lovely ladies just said 'hello' to you. Don't you have something to say to them?"

Cameron crossed his arms and purses his lips. For a moment, he looked as if he was sucking on a very sour candy. He tried to stare down Bebe for a few moments, then , realizing that the reason he was even in the room at this particular moment was due to Bebe's talent, he plastered on a fake smile and bent slightly. He looked at each of the girls and said, "I'm sorry, ladies. It's very nice to meet you." When he stood he raised an eyebrow at Bebe and made a face that said, 'Good enough?' Bebe nodded and they continued on.

"You look amazing," Blaine said as he laced his arm around her waist.

She smiled at him. "Thanks, but you probably shouldn't touch me right now. If the dress doesn't look perfect, I'm in big trouble."

He laughed, but then realized she might actually mean it.

"I'm serious, Blaine. This dress costs as much as my mom makes in a year. I love you with all my heart, you know that, but please, be careful."

"Oh..." he said, a bit stunned, "... ok." He leaned over to kiss her cheek, but she pulled away.

"No, Blaine. No kisses until later, either. Geez."

"Why?"

"Blaine, honey," Joanne smiled at her son, "Bebe's not Bebe tonight. She's been given very strict orders. Give her some space until the show starts. She'll be fine, then."

He nodded, still a little hurt. He fell back a bit in the procession.

Bebe noticed he was lagging behind and she stopped, each hand still clinging to a child. "Blaine, I'm sorry... I love you. You look so handsome in that tux... please forgive me. I'm a wreck."

That made him smile. "You're the most beautiful wreck I've ever seen," he smiled, again. Then he kissed his hand and touched her arm with the kiss.

She smiled at him. "You know, I think a kiss on my shoulder may be ok."

Blaine moved closer, but Mia stopped him with, "Don't step on the dress!" He smiled more broadly, then, carefully, leaned in and kissed Bebe's small, soft shoulder. It was a soft, lingering kiss and they both wanted more, but... work, work, work...
 

~^~
 

The coordination that it took to have limousines arrive at precisely the right moment and for the traffic to not become snarled and for everything to be timed in such a way that the press could move smoothly from one distinguished person to the next without anyone having to wait more than a few second and for all of this to look unplanned and spontaneous was massive. Each limo driver had a specific time to arrive in a lot about a mile away, then to line up in their proper place and then proceed to each of the waiting areas along the way until, finally, they opened the doors and let the celebrities and their guests out of the vehicles. It was a long process and each driver was receiving messages via cell phones and two way radios almost continually. It was very similar to the work being done by air traffic controllers over at LAX at the same time.

There were four limousines for the performance-nominees from 'Civil Disobedience.' Don and Vivian we're in the first vehicle, Marion and her girlfriend in the second, Ed and Rose in the third and In the forth, and largest, Nancy and Joanne sat looking towards the rear of the car while Bebe and Blaine sat facing the front. Between Blaine and Bebe were Mia and Sofia, both talking pretty much nonstop in a haze of excitement and boredom.

As they waited in the last waiting area, Oscar looked over the seat and said, "I think it's time for you two to join me up here, girls. We're going to be letting the ladies and Mr Blaine out at the next stop."

"Noooo," the girls groaned in unison. "We want to stay with Bebe."

"I know, girls, but you can't do that. Ms Bebe and Mr Blaine have work to do on the red carpet and they can't have you with them."

"Oh, please," they sang again in that plaintive tune that all little girls seem to know. "We'll be good."

"I can stay with the girls," Joanne smiled. "You can sit back here with me until the car is parked."

The girls looked crestfallen.

"You have to get out when we do, mom," Blaine explained. "If you go through the side entrance, you have to sit in the balcony. Your seats are on the floor."

"Oh," Joanne realized her son was correct. "Sorry, girls."

"Tell you what," Bebe's eyes lit up as she spoke to the girls. "If you both promise to be very good girls and always hold onto our hands, you can walk down the red carpet with Blaine and me. How does that sound?"

"Yes!" The girls shouted in unison.

"Oh, I don't think that's a great idea," Nancy said.

"She's right, Bebe," Joanne said. "They were pretty specific about what they wanted you to do."

"I agree, Ms Bebe," Oscar actually looked scared. "I appreciate you getting us tickets and everything, but it's pretty unusual for a driver to be attending something like this, let alone his children. This might not be the best idea."

Bebe looked at Blaine who shrugged, "I kinda gotta agree with them, Beebs. The studio wants things to go a very specific way..."

Bebe looked at the girls, then back at everyone else in the limo. "Look, my hair is perfect, my makeup is perfect, my dress isn't wrinkled... I'm doing everything that the studio wants me to do. They didn't tell me that I had to be mean to little girls, though. Look how beautiful they are! They're all dressed up for the red carpet. I think it would be criminal not to include them. Oscar, I can have an usher bring them up to you before the event starts, ok? Please say it's ok."

"Yeah, daddy, please!" Sofia begged, causing Mia to join in as well.

Oscar looked at Bebe. He knew that arguing with her was pointless. He shrugged and sighed, "Oh, alright, but you two better do exactly as they say, do you understand me?"

"Yay!" The girls yelled. "We'll be good! We promise!"

There was a knock on the side window, Oscar turned and saw a man waving him forward, so he rolled forward and joined the procession on final approach to the disembarkment point. They had clear instructions regarding how to get out of the car. If it was a male celebrity, he should get out first. If it was a female celebrity, a male escort should get out first to help the female celebrity to get out of the vehicle as gracefully as possible. Blaine was seated on the far left in order to be able to perform his role. When the limo stopped, he waited for the uniformed attendant to open the door, then he got out and briefly looked at the vast crowd of people. When he turned and offered a hand, he was surprise that Nancy was the next guest to exit.

Nancy smiled at Blaine's confused look. "Bebe's orders," she whispered as she waved at the crowd, many of whom assumed that she was Bebe Foley.

Next, Joanne emerged. "Thank you, sweetheart," she said as she joined Nancy to the side.

Next came Sofia, beaming at the confused, but enthusiastic crowd.

Blaine was relieved when he felt Bebe's hand take his. When she exited the limo, the crowd went crazy, hooting and applauding wildly, causing Mia to be frightened of getting out of the vehicle, so Bebe turned and picked her up, holding the child on her hip, her head on her shoulder, nose buried in Bebe's neck.

Bebe rubbed the child's back for a few moments, then waved at the crowd.

Once again, Joanne offered to take the girls, but Bebe shook her head 'no.' Then she spoke into Blaine's ear. He nodded and took the five year old from a Bebe and held her the same way that Bebe had. Bebe then took Sofia by one hand, Blaine by the other and she moved towards the first interview spot as if there was nothing at all unusual about what was currently happening. A huge smile on her face and an occasional big wave of the hand that she used to hold on to Blaine, and all was fine with this young starlet.

Each stop along the red carpet was a variation of the same questions -

• Are you excited? - Yes, and I'm very honored to have been recognized.
• Who are you wearing? - This was designed by the studio costume
  department. It's inspired by Edith Head's creation for Audrey Hepburn.
• Who is your handsome escort tonight? - This is my boyfriend, Blaine.
• And who are these charming little girls? - These are my friends Mia and
  Sofia. Aren't they beautiful?

By the third stop, Mia was enjoying the attention. She was no longer clinging to a Blaine, but she was standing on her own and smiling for pictures.

As they reached the last stop on the carpet, Don, Marion, Ed and Rose were all waiting for them. It was the TMZ stop and, of course, it was manned by TMZ's 'Friend of The Show,' Austen Meadows.

"And here she is," Meadows gushed as Bebe and company approached, "and she seems to have brought her whole family with her. Bebe, did you get married and have a family over the summer!?"

Bebe laughed, "Of course not, Mr Meadows. You know my boyfriend, Blaine, and these are my friends, Sofia and Mia."

"Well, hello, girls," Meadows tried to be friendly, but it came off as a bit creepy. "And how do you know Bebe?"

"Our daddy drives her," Sofia offered.

Meadows looked surprised, "These are your chauffeur's children?"

"These are my friend's children," Bebe smiled, "and they looked so beautiful that I wanted them to walk the red carpet with me so that everyone could see them."

Don leaned toward's Ed's ear and whispered, "Does she think these things through, or just do them? Because, whether we win or lose, every single news show is going to lead with shots of Bebe Foley and her two little friends. You can't BUY publicity like this!"

Ed chuckled. "I don't think she's ever though about anything except being nice to people. She hates to disappoint. I'm sure that she took the girls because the girls wanted to go with her."

"Well, thank God she's on our team."

"So, Bebe," Meadows was all smiles, "I can't remember an Emmy Award nomination quite like yours in the past. Nominated for a 'writers' credit without ever being listed as a writer on the show and nominated as 'Outstanding Lead Actress' despite being billed fifth in the credits. Do you have anything to say about that?"

"Not really, Mr Meadows," Bebe smiled that huge, beautiful, girlish smile of hers. "I mean, I kinda felt like the show would be nominated because it's so popular and I knew that the others all deserved their nominations, but I was pretty shocked when I heard that I was nominated."

"May I say something, Austen?" Don interrupted.

"Of course," Meadows moved the microphone to Don.

"Everyone has seen 'Civil Disobedience' and I think that they are aware of how important Bebe is to the show. By the fourth episode, the producers approached us about changing the billing on the show to have Bebe appear second, or maybe even first, but she refused to let them do that. She is, unquestionably, the lead on our show. She sets the tone, she drives the story, she sets the performance bar at a stupidly high mark."

He put his arm around Bebe and hugged her closer. "I always tease Rose that Bebe is my favorite daughter, but I'll tell you the truth - without her, all of us, Marion, Ed, Rose and I would all be doing something else tonight. We certainly wouldn't be here, at the Emmys. So - believe me, she deserves not just that nomination, but that award."

As he squeezed her again, Bebe looked up and said, "Thanks, Don."

"I mean it, my love. I really do."

A little tired of this love-fest, Meadows said, "Tell me, Don, what do you have to say to the critiques who say that 'Civil Disobedience' is a little to goody-goody. That the cops are a little to perfect, that the grandmother is too kind, that the love affair between Ed and Rose is a little too sweet and that Bebe is too smart for a girl her age. One critic even said that the show was nothing more than a combination of 'Hill Street Blues' and 'Leave it to Beaver?'"

Don smiled, "I believe that that critic was you, Austen, and that's fine. We're not looking to please everyone, we're just making the best show that we can, and, besides, I loved 'Hill Street Blues' and I can't think of any other show that was made in 1957 that people still watch today other than 'Leave it to Beaver,' so I guess if we have to be compared to two other shows, at least we're being compared to two great shows."

Meadows gave up and faced the camera, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's the cast of 'Civil Disobedience' headed in to see what the evening holds for them. Good luck, everyone." As they moved into the theater, Meadows was saying, "And here we have Gracie Mae Trainer, star of the hit series 'Middleton' coming down the carpet..."

As they entered the theater, the first person waiting for them was Cameron. His arms were crossed, his foot was tapping and his lips were pursed. He was not happy.

"Well, well, well," he snapped, "I thought I made it very clear what was expected of you tonight, Bianca, yet I find you can't follow simple instructions." Don whispered to Vivian and handed her his cell phone as the little man's tirade continued. "I said, 'protect the dress,' instead you first appear on the carpet with a sticky child on your hip. Do you have any idea how much that dress cost? Do you have any idea how important it is to project the right image on the red carpet? Do you have any idea..."

"Cameron, Cameron, Cameron," Don interrupted and put his arm around the man's shoulder. "Please, step over here and let me have a word with you." He led him to the side of the lobby.

"Don't try to calm me down, Don. She had specific instructions..."

"Understood, Cameron, but let's take a breath and consider a couple of things. For instance, we all know that Bebe never sticks to the script, right? So the fact that she went off script tonight shouldn't be a big surprise to anyone."

"Yes, but..."

"Also, your job is to SUPPORT the cast tonight. You did a great job getting her ready, but she is always a loose cannon, Cameron, so relax and let her do things the way she always does things - her own way."

Cameron was about to protest some more, but Vivian handed back Don's cell phone. He glanced at the phone and smiled. Then he held up the phone so Cameron could see. "Look, Cameron. When you call up this year's 'Emmy Awards Red Carpet,' every major outlet has the same first photo - Bianca 'Bebe' Foley walking the red carpet with her handsome boyfriend and two beautiful, little girls. Look - Vogue, British Vogue, 'E' Entertainment, even NBC - a competing network. Do you think that all of those outlets would have had Bebe on the site just because of a dress, no matter how beautiful it is?"

Cameron took the phone and looked at the photos. "You mean... she planned this?"

Don laughed. "She never plans these things, Cameron. She's just... magical." Don took his phone back and called to the others, "Come on, kids. Let's get inside."
 

~^~
 

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Television Industry's biggest night of the year! The Emmy Awards!" James Corden's boyish smile welcomed everyone to the event. "I'm afraid that I may not get the attention I deserve as tonight's host, so I'm going to follow Bebe Foley's lead and accessorize appropriately for tonight's show."

With that, a very good looking young actor appeared on the stage with a little girl holding each of his hands. While the audience was looking at the actors entering, Corden put on a 'Bebe' wig and joined the others. Corden took one child by the hand and began waving and walking until he came to another actor, his back to the audience and a microphone in his hand.

The new actor asked, "So, tell me, Bebe, why have you brought these two, adorable children with you, tonight?"

When the actor turned to face James Corden, the audience immediately recognized him as Stephen Colbert and they cheered.

"Oh, I'm just being the sweetest, most adorable child actor in the history of television," Corden replied as the television feed settled on a shot of Bebe, Blaine and the rest of the cast laughing at the presentation. Bebe's mouth was wide open in joy and surprise. Her expression became even more shocked and happy as the two late night talk show hosts began singing to the tune of 'Let It Go.'

'The lights shine bright in the valley tonight
Not a critic to be seen
A kingdom of entertainment
And it looks like I'm the queen

My charm is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I've tried

Invite them in, and let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, the feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know

I'm the show. I'm the show
Can't hold me back anymore
I'm the show. I'm the show
Watch Don Ferry slam the door

I don't care what he's going to say
Let the show rage on
The script never bothered me anyway"

The number ended and the audience exploded in applause as they rose for an ovation. Obviously, the number had been worked out before, but because of Bebe's insistence that Sofia and Mia come with her on the red carpet, the child actors had been added. The camera returned to Bebe who was blowing kisses to the actors on stage as she bounced up and down in appreciation. It was a great way to start the evening off.
 

~^~
 

The evening kicked off with a series of writing awards. The episode of 'Civil Disobedience" entitled 'One Little Slip' for which Bebe had been included in the credits, lost to another episode of 'Civil Disobedience' entitled 'Crazy From The Heat' about a riot. Bebe smiled through the loss, happy that the show had won, regardless.

When the winner of the 'Outstanding Featured Actress' award was announced and that the winner was Marion, Bebe found herself leaping into the aisle to hug her older costar. Marion was obviously very moved by the award and when she took the stage, she wiped a tear from her eye and thanked her life partner, the writers and directors, but then ended with, "And I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to thank the young actress who brought life back into my career. The girl who brings so much energy and emotion to every scene I share with her and makes an old lady like me look fresh and new on camera. Bebe, this is as much your award as it is mine, baby. Thank you."

The camera cut to Bebe as she waved and wept with joy, both for her friend and for her words.

The awards went on and the next of the 'Civil Disobedience' crew to be in contention was Rose in the category of 'Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series.' "And the winner is," Christina Hendricks read from the podium. She opened the envelope and smiled. "Rose Mason, 'Civil Disobedience.'"

Rose stood, a bit in shock, and hugged Bebe to her left, then moved to the aisle, hugging Ed along the way. Don met her in the aisle to hug her as well, and by the time she reached the stage, she was having a very hard time focusing on what she needed to do and say. Luckily, there was an usher waiting at the stairs to guide her towards the podium.

Christina Hendricks hugged her, too, then she turned and faced the audience.

"Wow.... I've completely forgotten what I had rehearsed... so, I apologize to everyone I'm going to miss. Umm... mom and dad, of course, thank you for your love and support. Don Ferry and the production staff at ABC, thank you for taking a chance on three unknown, inexperienced actors from Massachusetts... umm... my wonderful costar and fiancé, Ed MacNeal. You're my rock, baby. Thank you so much for everything... oh, and of course, my wonderful younger cousin, my BFF, the girl who taught me how to act... Bebe... thank you, my love."

When she returned to her seat, she hugged a weepy Bebe hard and kissed her cheeks and forehead several times before sitting.

Next, came Ed's category. Karl Urban was the presenter. He read the nominees and Ed smiled and looked cool as he waited for the winner to be announced. "And the winner is," he pulled the card out of the envelope, "big surprise," he smiled, "Ed MacNeal for 'Civil Disobedience.'"

Ed smiled as he stood and turned to kiss Rose. Then he reached across her to hug Bebe. Don shook his hand as he hustled down the aisle to the stairs and then straight to the podium. He accepted the trophy and smiled, holding it up to the audience.

Ed remained cool and well prepared. "Well, gee, thank you everyone. This is quite an honor. Thank you to my family back in Massachusetts and everyone who has been involved with the show - you're all amazing. Don, thank you for teaching me so much and Rosie, thank you for making my life worthwhile."

He took a breath and continued, "You know, a lot of casts say that they are a family, but we really are and I mean, Rose and I met because I had a family friend whom I referred to as my niece and Rose had a cousin and we all ended up in a little Shakespearean production last summer on Cape Cod. When my 'niece,' Bianca, became noticed, Don Ferry came to see her on stage and, somehow, she managed to arrange auditions for Rose and me. Rose, of course, did great. I didn't and when I was really failing, my little niece jumped into my audition and saved me. I know you've already heard a lot about her tonight, but I would not be here if it weren't for Bebe. Bebe, honey, I thank you for everything and I will love you forever. And, because of that, I cannot accept this award. It doesn't belong to me. It belongs to you. So, met me in the aisle, baby. I want you to have this."

The crowd stood and applauded as Ed hustled back down the stairs and Bebe maneuvered her voluptuous gown into the aisle. Once she was free, she held up the front of her skirts and ran down the aisle to Ed. She threw her arm around his chest and hugged him. When she released Ed, he handed her his trophy, but Bebe made sure that he held on, too, and she raised her hand as high as she could, forcing Ed to do so as well, and they held the trophy aloft as the audience continued to applaud and photographers took endless numbers of pictures of this very unusual Emmy Award moment.

"We're at commercial," someone yelled and an usher took Bebe by the arm, saying, "Ms Foley, I'm supposed to bring you to your makeup artist so you can be ready for your category."

"Ok," Bebe smiled, then turned to Ed, stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I don't even care if I win, anymore. This was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

Ed kissed her back, "You deserve it, baby. I still want you to win, though. Now, go get yourself all beautiful, again. Your eyes seem to keep leaking and messing up your makeup."

Bebe smiled and went with the usher.
 

~^~
 

"Good God, Bianca," Meg laughed. "What did you do? Did someone point a hose at your face? You're a mess!"

"It's been a more emotional night than I expected, I guess," she laughed, too.

"I know. I was watching on the monitor. We've got fifteen minutes to get your face reassembled, so let's get started."

Meg used makeup wipes to clean off the wreckage around her eyes. Then began the process of coloring and lining her eyes again. "Are you enjoying yourself?" Meg made small talk as she worked.

"It's amazing, Meg. I met so many people - Laura Linney, Bill Hader, Ellen Page, Bruce Campbell... it's unbelievable!"

Meg smiled at the youthful enthusiasm of the starlet. "I think they're all excited to meet you, too, Bebe."

That made Bebe giggle. "No. I don't think so."

"Hmm... that opening number wasn't about Ellen Page or any of those other people, Bebe. It was about you. Now, your category is coming up in a few minutes. If you win, then you know what to do, right?"

"Yes. I go to the podium and recite my speech."

"And if you don't win?"

"Then I stay put."

"No, Bebe. If you don't win, you applaud the winner and cheer her on. The camera stays on the runner ups, as well as the winner. Up until now, it's been your night. Everyone has been praising you and the cameras have loved you and the way that you've been over emotional about everyone else's win. If you win, try to keep it together, but if you lose... you absolutely MUST hold it together. Do you understand?"

"I do," Bebe said very soberly as she took a deep breath. "I'll... be a pro."

"That's my girl," Meg smiled and looked over her work. "Your makeup's ready, honey. Are you?"

Bebe's smile came back in full force. "I am."

"Than go get 'em, baby."
 

~^~
 

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said, "please welcome Tina Fey." The audience applauded wildly for the brilliant writer/actress.

"The nominees for 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Dramatic Series' are -

• Emma Roberts, Nighttown."

There was applause.

• "Megan Boone, Who Can Say?"

More applause.

• "Laurie Metcalf, Riversong"

More applause.

Bebe leaned towards Blaine and whispered, "I can't beat these women. This is nuts."

Blaine shrugged. "I don't know... I think you're as good as any of them."

Bebe scoffed. "Yeah, sure."

Tina Fey continued, "Mary Steenburgen, My Neighbor's Keeper."

More applause.

"And Bianca Foley," the applause nearly drown out the title of the show, "Civil Disobedience."

Bebe looked around at trying to make sense of the din. Had someone important entered during the introduction? The cameras caught her looking confused.

Tina Fey opened the envelope and and smiled, holding it to her chest as she waited for the noise to subside.

When, at last she felt she could be heard, she spoke, "And the winner is - and I'm sure this is no surprise," the cheering started to build again. "BIANCA FOLEY!" She shouted as loudly as she could, causing the audience to leap to their feet.

Bebe hadn't been able to hear the winner's name, though. She looked to Blaine and asked, "Who won?"

"You!" He laughed.

She looked to Rose. "Did I win?"

Rose laughed out loud, "Yes, Beebs, you won. Go on up."

Shocked, she pulled up her skirts and worked her way out to the aisle where Ed hugged her and kissed her cheek, then handed her off to Don, who did the same.

The cheers were deafening as she climbed the stairs, all of the noise was becoming disorienting. Suddenly, the podium seemed miles away, the lights seemed blinding, her dress seemed to get heavier and heavier, she began to feel light headed and purple clouds began to interfere with her vision.

At the podium, Tina Fey was smiling and applauding, but she saw that the young actress was struggling. So, she hurried over to her and hugged her in order to offer support without making it too obvious that the young woman was about to pass out.

"Breathe with me, Bianca," she said as kindly as she could. "Take a nice deep breath and lean on me so we can make it to the podium, ok?"

Bebe did as she was told and her sight began to clear.

"Do you think you can walk to the podium with me?" Tina asked.

She nodded and took the five unsteady steps it took to reach the podium where a model stood waiting with the iconic Emmy Award. She smiled and handed it to Bebe, who took it and stared at it, blankly as her brain processed the fact that she'd not only just won her first Emmy, but that she'd won it in a contest against Emma Roberts, Laurie Metcalf, Megan Boone and Mary Steenburgen.

Suddenly, it was all too overwhelming. She felt herself shake and as much as she tried not to, the tears began to flow, which, oddly, caused the applause to increase. Tina Fey put her arm around her and she spoke into her ear. "Can you make your acceptance speech, honey? If not, I can walk you off the stage."

Bebe turned her head and spoke into Tina Fey's ear. "I can do it. Thank you, but, please, stay with me."

Tina smiled and guided her forward to the podium and encouraged her to put the trophy on the podium so she could hold on to the podium for support.

When the sound finally ebbed and she could start her speech, Bebe took a deep breath and said, "I'm pretty sure that I knew what I was going to say, but now I can't think of what that was. Thank you to my real mom in Massachusetts and Joanne, my mom out here. Thank you Don Ferry for taking a chance on me. Thank you Uncle Ed and Rose for everything you have done for me. Thank you Nancy for being the most courageous woman and best sister I could ask for. Thank you Oscar and your girls, you're the best. Thank you, Ella and MaryKate, Cassie and Annie, all of you are my very best friends and I couldn't get through life without you. Thank you to my agent Vera for everything you've done for me. Thank you to the staff and crew at 'Civil Disobedience' for putting up with me. Thank all of you for all of this amazing support and, most of all... thank you, Blaine. Blaine... I love you so, so much and I've put you through so much this year. I'm so sorry for all of that, but thank you for still loving me."

The audience began to applaud, again, but Bebe spoke once more. "Oh... and thank you, Tina Fey, for not letting me pass out on the way up here."

What Bebe intended to be a sincere thank you, was received as a witty end to her speech by the audience, so the applause increased even more.

As Bebe was ushered stage right, the announcer's voice rang out, "To present the award for 'Outstanding Actor in a Dramatic Series,' please welcome Henry Winkler." Bebe felt the older man squeeze her arm and say 'congratulations' on the way past, but things were still unfocused.

In the wings, someone handed her a small cup of water, which helped her tremendously. Just the touch of the fluid to her lips helped revive her and turn her brain back on.

"The nominees for 'Outstanding Actor in a Dramatic Series' are..."

She turned to listen, but someone told her that she needed to move to a press area. Whoever it was started to pull her arm, but she stopped and said in a loud whisper, "No. I want to see if Don wins." The usher in charge of her sighed heavily.

• "Jim Parsons, Tango in the Morning"

There was applause.

• "Don Ferry, Civil Disobedience"

Huge applause

• "Andrew Lincoln, The Walking Dead."

More applause

• "Mark Harmon, NCIS."

More applause

• "and Anthony LaPaglia, Homeward"

"And the winner is..." he opened the envelope and looked at the card... "Don Ferry, Civil Disobedience."

The crowd went nuts before the title of the show could be announced.

Don kissed Vivian, then stood, turned and hugged Ed and Rose in the row behind him, then blew a kiss to Marion before moving quickly down the aisle and up the stairs, onto the stage.

As he crossed towards the podium, he spotted Bebe applauding from the wings, so he walked straight past Henry Winkler, holding up his index finger indicating he needed a moment, and he continued till he reached Bebe. Then he took her hand and led her back to the podium, where he shook Winkler's hand and accepted the statue.

"Thank you," he said in a clear, confident voice, "Thank you, all, very, very much. This is quite an honor. You know, we all like to say that the awards don't really matter, yet, here we all are, so... they do. I've been in this business a long, long time and I'm touched to receive this recognition. Viv, thank you for being my guide, my voice of reason, my everything for so long. Ed, Rose, Marion, all the writers, crew, everyone at 'Civil Disobedience,' thank you for being the best of the best. I have never felt as much a part of a team as I do on this show."

He stopped and looked at Bebe, then pulled her closer.

"About sixteen months ago, I was asked to go to Cape Cod to see a young actress who had auditioned for the part of 'Alex' on the show, which was odd, since 'Alex' was meant to be my youngest son. I watched these three amazing, young actors on stage and I knew that Ed was perfect to play my partner and that if we changed my oldest 'son' to my oldest 'daughter,' then Rose was perfect, too..."

"...but that younger kid...there was something odd about her. She was quirky and impetuous on stage - not always the best combination for TV. We did another screen test with her and the producers and I kept scratching our heads. She was cute, yeah, and she had a great presence, but she couldn't stick to the script."

Everyone chuckled at that.

"So, we decided not to cast her, that is, until her third screen test was seen by my wife who said I was an idiot. Since she says that a lot, I had to ask her what idiocy in particular she was referring to. It was Viv who said that Bebe was the right choice and because of her, my costars and I are all here tonight receiving these awards. Bebe," he hugged her tighter, "all of these awards tonight are yours. Thank you for everything you do on that set everyday. You truly are my favorite child, but... I'm keeping my Emmy."

He kissed her cheek and the audience stood to applaud as Don led Bebe back to the wings, with Henry Winkler congratulating them both as they walked.

"To present the award for Outstanding Dramatic Series," the announcer was saying, but Bebe's attention was taken by Meg, the makeup artist, who was waiting in the twilight-lit wings to fix her, once again, wet face, "please welcome Edie Falco."

"Honest to God, Bianca," Meg scolded, playfully, "I have never had to work so hard on one face in my whole life!"

"Sorry," Bebe said, sincerely, but her face could not get rid of the grin she was wearing.

As Meg worked quickly, Bebe could hear the nominations.

"Riversong, Nighttown, Civil Disobedience, Tango in the Morning and Who Can Say?"

"Here we go, Bebe," Don whispered, uncharacteristically excited.

"And the winner is," she opened the envelope and shook her head. "I don't think that this is going to surprise anyone," she chuckled. "The winner is... 'Civil Disobedience!'"

As the audience erupted, Meg made one last correction to Bebe's makeup before Don grabbed her and actually raised her high up into the air, then swung her around, her skirts and train flowing in the breeze he created. "We did it, Bebe! We did it!" He shouted. "Come on!"

He put her feet back on the ground and took her hand, nearly running onto the stage, with Bebe struggling to keep up.

On stage, Ed, Marion, Rose and the whole production crew were climbing the stairs, huge smiles on all of their faces. Don released Bebe's hand so that he could lift Rose high in the air the way he had done to Bebe. Then, in a rush of adrenaline, he lifted Ed up, too. Finally, he enfolded Marion in a big hug. "Can you believe it, Mar?" He said into her ear. "How long have we worked to get here?"

When he released his costar, they both had tears in their eyes.

Finally, the whole team assembled by the podium and the producer spent a moment thanking everyone at ABC and Disney before saying, "I think that, once again, we need to hear from the young lady of the evening. Bianca? Do you have something to say?"

The audience applauded as Bebe moved to the microphone and smiled. "I guess I've thanked everyone already, so... well, let me talk to the kids out there who want to be actors, or singers, or whatever, and are being told that they can't do it for some reason - please - don't listen to the people who say you can't. They're wrong. You can. We can all change and grow and become who we want to be. I am not the same person I was a year ago when I arrived in California. I never could have imagined that my life would become what it is or that so many people would support what I do. Believe in yourselves and be who you want to be. Just for a moment, let me talk to every single person who is in this room and making a living in show business... if anyone ever told, you when you were young that you shouldn't do this, or that you weren't good enough, or if you didn't have the right body type... whatever they said to discourage you... if anyone ever heard any of those things, would you please stand up?"

Nearly every person in the lower part of the theater and a lot of people up above stood up.

"See!?" Bebe shouted, "If we can do it, you can too. It'll take years of hard work and lots of tears, but if you believe in yourself, you can do anything you want and be anyone you want to be. So, right now, stand up in your living room, or your bedroom, or wherever you are and say to the world, 'I CAN DO IT!'"

Unexpectedly, the audience all started chanting, "I CAN DO IT! I CAN DO IT! I CAN DO IT!" Until they all erupted into cheers and applause.
 

~^~
 

"A most unusual Emmy Awards presentation tonight," the anchor woman for the CNN News Report read from the prompter. "Bianca 'Bebe' Foley, star of the ABC hit drama series 'Civil Disobedience' seemed to have started some kind of revolution on the floor of the theater. The young star who won the Emmy Award for 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Dramatic Series,' was thanked by each of her cast mates and her producers as the show won twelve Emmys, including Outstanding Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, Featured Actress, Supporting Actor, Lead Actor, a handful of writing and directing awards and 'Outstanding Dramatic Series' at tonight's event. She spoke to any of her fans who may be afraid to follow their dreams and encouraged them to stand up and say, 'I can do it,' prompting this reaction from the audience."

They showed a clips of the chanting crowd.

"Wow, Gail," the coanchor said when the clip ended, "looks like that little girl has a lot of power in her. A kid like that could actually change peoples' lives."

"I think she may already have, Joyce."

The other news outlets all featured similar stories.
 
 
THE END
 
BUT
 
Please Follow Bebe's last Adventure soon in Bebe: A Disney Wedding!