author: Lucinda
rating: pg 13.
main characters: Willow, Cordelia, Alex Dane
pairings: hints of Cordelia/Jason Nesmith, Willow/Alex Dane, Gwen DeMarco/Angel
disclaimer; I own nobody from Buffy/Angel or from Galaxy Quest. There may be a few minor original characters.
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, Twisting the Hellmouth, anyone else please ask, I'll probably say yes.
dedicated to Rose, who I blame for the idea.
note: AU post season 6ish for BtVS, AU season 2ish for Angel. Tara split with Willow and left town. Willow resurrected Buffy who was rather cold and doing naughty things with Spike. Willow felt left out, unappreciated and very hurt by Buffy's reaction to her resurrection, so she moved to LA. Darla stayed dead. Post Galaxy Quest the Movie.
Willow shook her head, trying to figure out how her life had become so entirely strange. She lived in Los Angeles now, in room two seventeen of the hotel Hyperion, owned by Angel. The place was beautiful, even though parts of it still needed restoration and serious repairs. Instead of paying the traditional cash or check rent, she helped in the general fighting of evil and helping the hopeless, lending her computer skills and the occasional magic.
Most of her spells even worked exactly as they were supposed to now. Her major ones, like when she'd resurected Buffy and excorcised the evil demon ghost from the new base of Gunn's friends had gone perfectly. Her blessing intended to protect the coffee maker from Cordelia... had gone less smoothly.
Yes, she was essentially living with Cordelia Chase, her one time nemisis, Wesley Wyndham-Price formerly the stuffiest stiffest shape of a person she'd ever seen, Fred who had a gift for physics and invention that left Willow in awe, and Angel the souled vampire. None of this was anything like how she'd pictured her life being at twenty. Well, except for the not living in Sunnydale anymore part.
Now, she was waiting for Cordelia to come back from an audition for a part on a television series. Maybe then she could actually get Cordy to tell her what she'd actually been auditioning for anyhow. Realistically, she knew that if her friend got a part, she'd find herself watching the show, just so that she could offer Cordelia the encouragement, but it would be so much better if it was something enjoyable.
Bored, she flipped on the television, putting it onto the SciFi channel since there wasn't anyone here to argue with her at the moment. There was currently a show on about aliens living in Roswell, New Mexico. Willow sighed, settling into the chair as she tried to pick up the storyline and figure out who all the characters were. Then, there was the regularly scheduled commercial break with the delightfully bizarre commercials that SciFi was well known for.
Then came a commercial that made her sit up and grin with delight. Galaxy Quest, shown Thursday nights at ten pacific. She felt like leaping with joy. She'd caught a few episodes of that, and had enjoyed them imensely. But every time she found it, it was shortly before it would be rescheduled. She'd only caught a handful of the new episodes, and about two dozen of the original series... It was such a nice thing that it had the same core characters this time around, played by the same actors.
She'd always liked the show. Her favorite character had always been Dr. Lazarus, the guy who saved people by being smarter, rather than blasting them. She's wanted to like Tawny Madison, seeing as she'd been the only consistant female character, but she'd just seemed so... well, what did she do besides look pretty and be someone for Taggert to flirt with between planets? She seemed to have a lot more to do in the newer series. Willow smiled as she settled back to watch.
It ended with the dramatic distress call of a small trading vessel, making Willow realize that this had to be a rerun, she remembered seeing the episode where Taggert saved the Space-Merchant - plus the mandatory pretty yet exotic daughter, from a landslide while his engineering staff had made some repairs to their ship. Taggert seemed almost like a man-slut, going from woman to woman to female... And they always fell for it.
She heard the door shut, and the tapping of Cordelia's heels on the floor as she walked across the marble inlaid floors. Smiling, Willow made her way over to meet her friend, certain from Cordelia's smile that something had gone well.
"Hey... everything go well?"
Cordelia gave a happy squeal and hugged Willow with more force than her elegant appearance would imply she even possessed. "I got the part! I got the part!"
"Wonderful! Now, who are you going to be and on what? You didn't actually tell me before you left." Willow smiled, enjoying Cordelia's happiness.
Cordelia paused, looking at Willow. "I didn't? But I thought... no, that must have been Wesley. I get to be a princess... well, an alien princess in some science fiction show... but still, a princess. I think it's called Galaxy hunt or search..." She pulled out a crumpled paper, and unfolded it. "Right, Galaxy Quest."
Willow's jaw dropped. "Galaxy Quest? With Gwen DeMarco and Alex Dane and Jason Nesmith? Galaxy Quest with the ship Protector? You're going to be on Galaxy Quest? That's great!"
"Which one's the cute but arrogant captain Taggert? I have an onscreen kiss with him..." Cordelia looked amused by Willow's reaction.
"That's Jason Nesmith. His character is like that, always flirting with the ladies. Maybe I can go over there with you for the shooting..." Willow had the feeling that she was getting a far away look in her eyes.
"I guess I'm the girl of the episode then. Hey, it's not too bad, and maybe there's a chance of it becoming recurring... I can hope." Cordelia sounded almost philosophical.
end part 1.
"I hope he's not reverting to the old version of himself." Gwen's soft voice caught the attention of her co-star, Alex Dane.
He looked at her, attempting to remove the last of the make-up that transformed him into Dr. Lazarus, the Tev'Meck medical advisor of the Protector. "Why do you say that? I must have missed it."
"They've picked someone for the Princess... and he was growling about her. Something about a conceited, disrespectful aspiring actress with a sharp tongue. But apparently they look good on camera together." Gwen's voice held a bit of worry.
Alex frowned a bit, remembering how much it had irritated everyone forced into contact with Jason Nesmith when he'd been in his 'arrogant phase'. The period of time after the series had been canceled, but before the Thermians. He'd become a rampant egomaniac. "Perhaps, or maybe she just has a personality that grates against him? We'll have to keep an eye on him."
"On a different note, I got the revised scripts. It seems that Tawny gets a secret admirer - someone silhouetted watching her, and little presents. Also looks like her admirer is Laz." She smiled, eyes twinkling at the idea. She'd been thinking for a while that it would be nice to have Tawny involved in something other than sighing after Taggert.
"Laz is Tawny's secret admirer now? Are you sure that they'll keep that? I've been trying to get a bit more emotion for him for a long time now." Alex was smiling, his mind envisioning the possibility of having significant screen time, and a decent sub-plot for Laz. As a bonus, it was always a delight to have screen time with Gwen.
She grinned, running her hand through her blond hair, sighing as she sat beside him. "I really hope so. You're great to work with, never get the characters emotions mixed up with yours, and if Tawny's with Laz, she's not being all dewy eyed at Taggert."
"So... a secret admirer for Tawny. Let me see, is dear old Laz verging on stalker hood? Or perhaps he's simply decided that there are some interesting things to see right there on the Protector..." Alex looked hopeful as he flipped through the script. Character development was good. Better still, it would give him a chance to familiarize himself with the script before they started it.
He'd just gotten to the part that was having Laz/unidentified figure slipping out of Tawny's room when there was a crashing noise and all of the lights suddenly went out.
"Not again! What could it be this time? That's the second power failure this week." Gwen sounded a bit nervous, and rather unhappy.
Alex sighed as he closed the scrpt. He couldn't even see the pages, and Gwen was just a not quite black shape in the darkness. "I'm not sure... last time they said it had to do with the fuse box. But Surely they would have fixed that."
Something brushed against his shoulder, and for a moment, he felt himself tense as he tried to figure out what was touching him. But it was Gwen's hand. "Alex? Were there a lot of cables between here and the door to the parking lot? I'm feeling the need for some fresh air."
Alex held Gwen's arm as they very slowly made their way to the door. It was the most unsettling thing, but he was certain that there were eyes on him, someone or maybe something watching him. Something nasty and dangerous, lurking in the dark, hidden and free to do anything that it wanted... It was with extreme relief that he found the door, opening it and letting in the bright afternoon sunlight. He and Gwen both stepped outside, breathing deep sighs.
"There's... there really isn't anything watching us in there, is there?" Gwen's voice was a soft plea for reasurrance.
He glanced back into the darkness, uncertainty dancing inside of him. But, logically, how could there be something there that hadn't been there when the lights had been on? "Why would there be something watching us? Surely it was just our imaginations running away with us."
But Alex wasn't quite certain about that. He was certain he'd felt someone watching him, and apparently so was Gwen. But it must have been a camera man, or maybe a stagehand. Right?
"Everything will be better in the morning. Why don't we just go have something to eat and relax for a bit? Fred and Lilairi brought a few things along today, maybe there's some of that Aldorian truffle left." He still had his hand on Gwen's arm, as if the simple reminder that he wan't alone would make everything feel more normal.
"Alex, you know there isn't really Aldorian Truffle..." Her smile let him know that she knew he was trying to distract her and appreciated the gesture.
He leaned close, and with a wicked grin he whispered "The Thermians didn't know that. And you love the truffle."
end part 2.
Cordelia was excited. Today, she started her rehersal for her television appearance on Galaxy Quest. Willow had told her quite a bit about the show, getting this dreamy eyed look when she talked about 'Dr. Lazarus'. She'd have to see what the guy was like. Personally, she'd thought the guy she was in the scene with, Jason Nesmith was pretty good looking... in an entirely too arrogant, self centered smug sort of way.
She would be a guest actor on a television series... one that had a definite fan base in certain circles. A series fan base meant the chance for a fan base for Cordelia Chase, and fans meant more jobs that actually paid. Not that she minded helping people, but... was it wrong to want a few nice things occasionally?
Looking around, she found that the set seemed to have something going on near the rear door, some of the camera people were scurrying, and there was what her Sunnydale experience told her was supressed panic from the people who seemed to have authority. Something wasn't going right. She just hoped that it was something simple and mundane and normal. She had a vague sinking feeling that it wasn't a 'normal' problem.
She then felt someone bump into her, and with a small turn, she saw that it was Gwen DeMarco, the female lead of the show. "Hey... umm, what's going on over there?"
"Something's wrong with the computer that controls the lighting over there. One of the techs said he was worried about a computer virus... Only we're already pushing the repair budget pretty hard for the fact that it's for the whole month."
Cordelia sighed. "There was a time when I would have asked why a computer would need to worry about a virus when it's a machine... But I have a room mate now who's probably forgotten more about computers than I'll ever know. She knows all about viruses and programs. And she'd probably charge less than whoever they normally call out. I can probably get her on my cell phone and have her over here in under an hour."
Gwen smiled, and put one hand on Cordelia's elbow, towing her along towards the knot of unhappy people. "Wonderful. We'll just tell Marty and he'll ask you to have her pop over, and then everyhing will be working again. We might actually be able to stay on schedule."
Really, it wasn't much more complicated than that. Willow had made this squeak of excitement, insisting that she'd be there and ready to go in under an hour. Cordelia had shaken her head, certain that Willow's enthusiasm had a bit to do with one Alexander Dane, rather than the possibility of a paycheck.
"Are you ready to reherse, 'Princess'? If so, we should go to one of the less cluttered areas." Nesmith's voice had a lazy drawl to it, the sort that called up memories of some half remembered handsome western star she'd seen at her Grandma's house as a litle girl. But the confidence he had... part of her wanted to say that it was because he knew he was good at what he did, and part of her wanted to say he was an arrogant jerk.
Cordelia gave him a far too sweet smile. "Anytime, 'Captain Taggert'. Just lead the way, and I'll be there."
"It's not Captain, it's Commander." He was giving her this look, as if he couldn't quite believe that she had gotten his character's title wrong.
Cordelia concealed a smile. Honestly, didn't anyone try to deflate this guy's ego occasionally? She knew exactly what the title of his character was. She'd just said it wrong to annoy him. It made his eyes sparkle.
So, she began rehearsing her scene with Taggert talking to the Princess. Apparently his ship needed some rare natural mineral for their systems to work and her planet had that exact resource. She grinned at the phrasing... 'her planet. Her planet. HER planet.' It had a nice ring to it.
Nesmith's character was a lot like him, over confident, convinced of his charm and appeal, and maybe a bit impulsive. And her character was supposed to fall for it. Hmmm... what else was there? Oh, 'strong warrior tradition among her people' did that mean she would be a warrior princess, or would she be surrounded by a hunky bodyguard or two?
But if she were honest with herself, three years ago, she would have been all over a guy like that. After all, he was good looking, confident, had social manners, and he looked pretty well off. The old her, the Queen C would have grabbed for him. AS it was, she... well, she was torn between the urge to kiss him breathless or slap him, which she didn't want to do for the continuation of her job.
Yeah, he had a definite appeal to her inner material girl, but... She was stronger than that. She didn't have to give in to these urges. When they came to the scripted kiss as a sign of their deal, it practically sizzled, and she heard some definite comments from a few onlookers. What did it hurt if she was just following the script?
She could enjoy this part quite a lot at this rate. He was a good kisser. And she hadn't enjoyed arguing this much with someone in a long time.
end part 3.
Willow sighed yet again as she tried to explain to the security guard that no, she was not some random fan trying to get onto the set. She had been asked to come here to deal with a computer problem. No, she did not know exactly what was wrong with the computer, she hadn't seen it yet. No, she did not have any cameras of any sort with her. No, she was not a reporter of any sort.
"Actually, John, I do think we were expecting someone for some computer repairs. Marty's about to give himself a hernia trying to scream the computer into obedience." The voice belonged to a woman, and a quick glance revealed it to be Tawny Madison... er, the actress who played her at any rate. She was still in her uniform, holding a stack of papers in one arm.
With that minor miracle of timing, Willow found herself admitted. She was now officially on the set of Galaxy Quest, which was entirely cool. She tried to keep her expression from betraying her excitement. Even so, she found herself looking around, recognizing the various sets as some of the rooms on the Protector.
"You've watched the show?" Her voice was a bit amused.
Feeling herself blush, Willow nodded. "When I can... the local stations keep rescheduling it. Makes it hard to watch, you know. Umm.... I should be asking what's wrong with the computer, but... would it be terribly rude to ask what's planned for the show?"
"It's the computer that controls the lighting systems for the sets, and I really have no idea how it does that. My character may talk to computers, but I don't. As for the show..." Ms. DeMarco gave a small smile, and looked around before leaning in and giving a small whisper "I finally get a sub-plot that doesn't involve the computer or Taggert. It gets kicked off in the same episode that has your friend appearing."
Willow was walking with Ms DeMarco, attempting to remember her name. 'And as Lt. Tawny Madison.. yes, Gwen.' She gave a small smile as the name clicked into place. "That sounds really good. Does it involve... ummm, never mind. Do you think you'll enjoy it?"
Soon, Willow was entrenched near the computer, vaguely aware that Cordelia was either rehearsing with Nesmith or having an arguement punctuated by occasional kisses. The panels were opened, and she was inspecting the inner workings of the computer system. The more she looked, the less happy she became. It was starting to look less and less like something had just died and more like someone had... well, sabotaged the system.
She felt someone looming behind her, which was actually pathetically simple to do, considering that she was semi scrunched on the floor. She twisted slightly, trying to look at who was there, a small part of her hoping that it wasn't some horrible, nasty... wait, this was LA, not Sunnydale. It was most likely someone from the cast or crew. Her head banged into the metal casing, briefly making her see swirls and spots of intense blue gold color.
He looked incredibly tall, with nice shoulders. He was wearing the uniform of one of the Protector, with insignia that looked familiar. His light brown hair almost brushed his collar, and his eyes were filled with interest as he looked at her. There was something about him that seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.
She gave a tiny wiggle of her fingers and a tentative smile. "Hi.. I'm Willow Rosenberg, and I'm supposed to help the computer get better."
He smiled at her, and the expression changed his features from near intimidating to delightful. "I'm glad that someone can make something of it."
His voice just seemed to slip right inside and make parts of her quiver with... well, they quivered. "You're Alex Dane." Realizing how stupidly obvious that must have sounded, she blushed, debating crawling back into the system. "I mean, of course you are, and you know exactly who you are, but you look a lot different out of the makeup and with hair and all, not that you're in any danger of loosing your hair, because it looks really good, but... oh dear, I'm babbling... sorry? I'm delighted to meet you."
"Always nice to meet someone who recognizes me. But you're right, I do look a bit different as Dr Lazarus. Somehow, you aren't quite what I'd expected from an associate of Ms Chase." His voice was doing that thing again, the sort of velvety almost tangible rolling over her that almost made her want to roll over and purr.
She was almost tempted to ask for the ground to open up and swallow her right about now. "It's your voice... really distinctive. In a good way."
"So... what happened to the computer?" He was grinning at her, and Willow could feel her insides turning all mushy and sticky.
She ducked her head slightly, almost wishing that she could still hide behind her hair. "Well, a couple of the wires seem to have come loose, and there's a chip that's umm.. rather dead, possibly beyond repair. A couple of the others came loose... I can get it functioning again in about an hour, but I'd rather run a diagnostic and make sure there aren't any internal problems in the software..."
He looked at her for a few moments before giving a slight shake of his head, as if he'd become lost in thought for a moment. "I'd suggest running the diagnostic just in case. Today's already shot for filming."
"Yeah... I suppose so. Maybe someone can ask Security to make sure they keep an eye on the computers... I'm sort of thinking out loud, I guess. I think some of this was deliberate effort to kill the computer."
"That's horrible? Who would do such a thing, this computer makes our paychecks happen!" The man couldn't have been any taller than Willow, and he probably didn't weigh more than half again her weight, if that. Lean and almost gangly, there were grey hairs and a few wrinkles around the eyes and the corners of his mouth. "I'm Marty. You're hired for as long as this is giving us problems."
Alex looked back at her, leaving her pulse racing and her head spinning from another of those amazing smiles. "Welcome aboard, Willow."
end part 4
Gwen had mentioned with relief that Cordelia's friend the computer person had arrived and was working on the computer, a small smile dancing in her eyes the whole time. He knew her well enough to know that she found something interesting and amusing about all of this. He felt a moment's temptation to ask her what was so amusing, but didn't.
"Maybe I should go see if she's found anything then." He'd been wondering a little what sort of room mate the aspiring actress would have. Maybe someone quiet and shy, rather nondescript and plain, the type who would be a stablyzing influence on an actress.
He had just about convinced himself that this Willow would be nobody particularly memorable when he arrived at the computer, seeing it opened up with a medium sized toolbox open beside it, with odd stickers at angles on the sides. One said 'Of Course I don't Look Busy, I Did it Right the First Time', while others were a picture of a stylized willow tree, a cresent moon and star, and it looked like there were stickers for a few televison series. He could see one for the X-Files, and one that he couldn't place with a scowling pale man with short hair labeled LaCroix.
For a few moments, he stood there, staring at a pair of green canvas sneakers and legs loosely encased in faded blue jeans. How did he ask if she was making progress without possibly causing any further problems?
It turned out that his worry was needless. She twisted, obviously trying to see who was standing there, knocking her head against part of the casing in the process. She sat there, looking up at him, blinking slightly as her fingers touched her head. She gave a small fingerwave with her other hand, and a small smile that lit up her eyes, whick looked rather green, possibly enhanced by the green of her shirt, which skimmed over her body. She was quite pretty, and with that bright red hair, not at all easy to forget.
"Hi... I'm Willow Rosenberg, and I'm supposed to help the computer get better." Her voice was soft, as if she was nervous. But it ws a pleasant voice, and he found himself smiling as she introduced herself.
"I'm glad that someone can make something of it." Part of his mind cringed, certain that he'd just said something abundantly obvious.
"You're Alex Dane." Her eyes had practically lit up when he spoke, and then she blushed, going this delightlful shade of pink. "I mean, of course you are, and you know exactly who you are, but you look a lot different out of the makeup and with hair and all, not that you're in any danger of loosing your hair, because it looks really good, but... oh dear, I'm babbling... sorry? I'm delighted to meet you."
He had no idea how she'd said all of that in a single breath. The light in her eyes... it made him feel warm inside for reasons that he wasn't certain he wanted to look into. "Always nice to meet someone who recognizes me. But you're right, I do look a bit different as Dr Lazarus. Somehow, you aren't quite what I'd expected from an associate of Ms Chase."
"It's your voice... really distinctive. In a good way."
"So... what happened to the computer?" He was grinning at her, part of his mind wondering how much thought she'd put into it to recognize his voice. How many episodes had she watched, how many of the other assorted small roles that he'd managed to be cast in had this redhead watched?
She ducked her head slightly, her hair falling forward, not quite obscuring her face. Her words held a great deal more confidence when she spoke about the computer. "Well, a couple of the wires seem to have come loose, and there's a chip that's umm.. rather dead, possibly beyond repair. A couple of the others came loose... I can get it functioning again in about an hour, but I'd rather run a diagnostic and make sure there aren't any internal problems in the software..."
He found himself picturing her in the sunlight, on a beach, the ocean spray dampening her sundress, a smile on her face and her eyes sparkling... Suddenly annoyed with himself, he shook his head, insisting to himself that he did not need to indulge in some decadent beach fantasy about this woman. "I'd suggest running the diagnostic just in case. Today's already shot for filming."
Her eyes seemed to focus on something in the distance, but her slender russet brows dipped slighlty, marking her as being lost in thought, not the contemplation of something behind him. "Yeah... I suppose so. Maybe someone can ask Security to make sure they keep an eye on the computers... I'm sort of thinking out loud, I guess. I think some of this was deliberate effort to kill the computer."
"That's horrible. Who would do such a thing, this computer makes our paychecks happen!" The man couldn't have been any taller than Willow, and he probably didn't weigh more than half again her weight, if that. Lean and almost gangly, there were grey hairs and a few wrinkles around the eyes and the corners of his mouth. "I'm Marty. You're hired for as long as this is giving us problems." Marty was there, his voice full of indignant shock. He was apparently convinced of her talent, and was offering to keep her there...
For some reason, the idea of her staying was nice. Alex looked back at her, smiling as he looked over her smooth cheek and delighted eyes, seeing just a hint of her tongue between her teeth... Perhaps the idea of her staying gave him a bit too warm of a feeling. "Welcome aboard, Willow."
He was still smiling as he walked away, a disobedient corner of his mind attempting to picture her in a swimsuit, her body glistening with water, or laying in a meadow of wild flowers, smiling up at him, lips swollen from kisses... She was definitely someone to remember. Hopefully, she could keep everything working properly so that they could get the filming done. A part of him almost wondered if there would be a way to get her on camera, thus forcing her to stay around longer... Hmmm, wasn't the Princess supposed to have an entourage? Maybe someone could talk Willow into that.
end part 5.
Cordelia felt wonderful. She had a part, her rehersals were going well, and Nesmith was a great kisser. Maybe they hadn't needed to practice the kiss as much as the lines, but... well, she wanted everything to go right. And he was cute in a ruggedly handsome sort of way. Arrogant, self centered, domineering... all of that, but handsome. And she didn't care, really she didn't. She was only going to be here for a little while, and then it would be back to looking for her next acting job. Glancing at the page of script in her hand, she noticed that her character had an entourage. "I wonder what sort of entourage the princess of a planet gets on this series anyhow?"
She almost collided with Gwen, who was smiling at Alex Dane. He looked... well, he looked as if he was taking a mental vacation from work in order to have some private little fantasy. From the surprised expression on Gwen's face, it wasn't exactly ordinary behavior for him. She felt a moment of envy, not only did he have the job security that he felt that he could geta way with flights of fantasy on set, but he had the sort of life that let him. No rampaging demons, no fear of vampires attacking or the end of the world... Their lives must be so much easier and safer.
"Umm, Gwen... Miss DeMarco... I was trying to figure something out... Maybe you can help me here?" Part of her winced, thinking she sounded almost like she was sucking up, but another part insisted that she had to be polite to the more experienced actors and crew that could help or hurt her possible future employment.
Gwen DeMarco turned, smiling in amusement. "What did you want to find out? More ways to deflate the ego of 'Captain' Taggert?"
Smiling as she thought back to her years as the snob-queen of Sunnydale, Cordelia smiled. "No, I think I can deal with his ego, considering that I'm only here for a while. I was just... it mentions an entourage, and I'm wondering what that's going to actually mean, you know? Where do I try to learn about that? Do I have ladies in waiting, or bodyguards, or advisors... and they never did actually mention what sort of wardrobe I... umm... the Princess gets."
"Talk to Benny... he's the one who wrote the script. If you need a lady in waiting or an advisor, maybe you can have Willow. She's already here, and shouldn't throw a fit about any possible electronics problems."
Cordelia smiled, wondering if there was a reason why Mr. Dane of the amazing voice had been so quick to suggest Willow. Maybe it was because she was here, and trying to fix the computers, but... what if it wasn't? What if he'd decided that he wanted a little Willowy goodness? With a careful eye, she gave an evaluation, deciding that he'd look good with Willow, and maybe he could appreciate her. And if he broke her heart, Willow could hex him into next Tuesday.
It turned out that Benny was one of their two main scriptwriters, and Gwen was on her way over to ask about a few points in a later script, so she said that she'd introduce her. Gwen was all excited about a sub plot that would give her a secret admirer leaving presents. Cordelia had smiled, thinking that there was nothing wrong with Gwen's character getting an admirer, and presents, and maybe a few smoochies.
After a bit of deliberation, it was decided that she should have a nonthreatening entourage, the better to give an impression of the planet as a non danger. There would be an older advisior, probably male, and a lady in waiting of some sort, preferably pretty. Gwen had smiled as she'd mentioned Willow, and Cordelia had snickered, thinking back to the talentless show their senior year. Hadn't Willow had stage fright? This should get interesting...
After a few questions about who Willow was, Cordelia spotted her friend over by one of the support columns, holding a cup of coffee talking with one of the technicians, gesturing at the lights overhead. "That's Willow over there, the red head."
Benny looked, and nodded. "Pretty enough, looks non-threatening, and hmm... most likely they'll put her in one of the gowns like your character, only with less jewelry. Ankle length ivory, with split sleeves. Why don't you talk to her and see if she'd be interested? Assuming that the lights work right to start filming again tomorrow..."
Cordelia smiled as she made her way over to Willow, hearing her friend asking some questions on the special effects make up, and exactly how did they get Alex's hair to all vanish for his character?
"Hey, Willow? Do you think the computer will be ready tomorrow? Seems there's a bit of anxiety to get things going again... And I get an entourage! Oh, do you want to be my handmaiden? I get a handmaiden, and a long dress... This is great!" She was almost bouncing with excitement.
Willow looked at her, her face paling. "Me? But... your handmaiden will be in the scene with you... as in in front of the camera! I have stage fright."
"Well, that's sort of the whole point, having someone in front of the camera with me. It'll be fun, just picture it, a long pale gown, sparkling fake jewels, impressive background..." She started to imagine it, picturing herself graciosly receiving her visitors, elegantly seated on a small throne, diamonds and emeralds sparkling on her jewelry... The visiting crew members and Commander Taggert bowing before her...
"I never aspired to be a handmaiden of the Queen C. What makes this better?" Willow had a small smile, and there was only worry and curiosity in her words.
Cordelia smiled at her friend, pulling out the patented 'puppy eyes' expression. "Please? I want someone that I know won't try to blow things for me. Besides, how many chances will you get to actually be in the screen of one of the shows you watch?"
Willow sighed, her eyes rolling slightly. "Cordy, stage fright, remember? I'd never be able to say anything! And, well, I'm sure I'd look silly."
"But Willow! On screen with Alex Dane and Jason Nesmith! You can't just blow off a chance like that!" Why didn't Willow understand how great this chance was? She'd had to audition and sweat for her part, and Willow was just being offered the chance for being in the right place at the right time.
Willow stopped, and something seemed to shift for her. "With Alex Dane? I'd be on screen with Alex Dane? There aren't any lines for me to mangle? I suppose I could manage... assuming all the handmaiden needs to do is look pretty?"
Was that a crush? Definitely a crush. "No lines, you just get to sit there looking nice and decorative, adding to the impression of the princess is important and cool."
"Assuming that this is okay with whoever does the casting... I could go for a chance to be on screen with Alex Dane."
Cordelia smiled. Victory was hers, she had arranged for Willow to be on screen with the object of her crush. She'd definitely have a front row seat if anything developed. Even better, Willow's crush was someone that she wasn't interested in, although that voice... Well, she could defintely see a few benefits.
As she and Willow rode back to the hotel, Cordelia was still smiling. She had a part, Nesmith was a great kisser, and Willow had a crush. Yeah, life was good right now.
end part 6.
rating: pg 13.
main characters: Willow, Cordelia, Alex Dane
pairings: hints of Cordelia/Jason Nesmith, Willow/Alex Dane, Gwen DeMarco/Angel
disclaimer; I own nobody from Buffy/Angel or from Galaxy Quest. There may be a few minor original characters.
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, NHA, Twisting the Hellmouth, anyone else please ask, I'll probably say yes.
dedicated to Rose, who I blame for the idea.
note: AU post season 6ish for BtVS, AU season 2ish for Angel. Tara split with Willow and left town. Willow resurrected Buffy who was rather cold and doing naughty things with Spike. Willow felt left out, unappreciated and very hurt by Buffy's reaction to her resurrection, so she moved to LA. Darla stayed dead. Post Galaxy Quest the Movie.
Willow shook her head, trying to figure out how her life had become so entirely strange. She lived in Los Angeles now, in room two seventeen of the hotel Hyperion, owned by Angel. The place was beautiful, even though parts of it still needed restoration and serious repairs. Instead of paying the traditional cash or check rent, she helped in the general fighting of evil and helping the hopeless, lending her computer skills and the occasional magic.
Most of her spells even worked exactly as they were supposed to now. Her major ones, like when she'd resurected Buffy and excorcised the evil demon ghost from the new base of Gunn's friends had gone perfectly. Her blessing intended to protect the coffee maker from Cordelia... had gone less smoothly.
Yes, she was essentially living with Cordelia Chase, her one time nemisis, Wesley Wyndham-Price formerly the stuffiest stiffest shape of a person she'd ever seen, Fred who had a gift for physics and invention that left Willow in awe, and Angel the souled vampire. None of this was anything like how she'd pictured her life being at twenty. Well, except for the not living in Sunnydale anymore part.
Now, she was waiting for Cordelia to come back from an audition for a part on a television series. Maybe then she could actually get Cordy to tell her what she'd actually been auditioning for anyhow. Realistically, she knew that if her friend got a part, she'd find herself watching the show, just so that she could offer Cordelia the encouragement, but it would be so much better if it was something enjoyable.
Bored, she flipped on the television, putting it onto the SciFi channel since there wasn't anyone here to argue with her at the moment. There was currently a show on about aliens living in Roswell, New Mexico. Willow sighed, settling into the chair as she tried to pick up the storyline and figure out who all the characters were. Then, there was the regularly scheduled commercial break with the delightfully bizarre commercials that SciFi was well known for.
Then came a commercial that made her sit up and grin with delight. Galaxy Quest, shown Thursday nights at ten pacific. She felt like leaping with joy. She'd caught a few episodes of that, and had enjoyed them imensely. But every time she found it, it was shortly before it would be rescheduled. She'd only caught a handful of the new episodes, and about two dozen of the original series... It was such a nice thing that it had the same core characters this time around, played by the same actors.
She'd always liked the show. Her favorite character had always been Dr. Lazarus, the guy who saved people by being smarter, rather than blasting them. She's wanted to like Tawny Madison, seeing as she'd been the only consistant female character, but she'd just seemed so... well, what did she do besides look pretty and be someone for Taggert to flirt with between planets? She seemed to have a lot more to do in the newer series. Willow smiled as she settled back to watch.
It ended with the dramatic distress call of a small trading vessel, making Willow realize that this had to be a rerun, she remembered seeing the episode where Taggert saved the Space-Merchant - plus the mandatory pretty yet exotic daughter, from a landslide while his engineering staff had made some repairs to their ship. Taggert seemed almost like a man-slut, going from woman to woman to female... And they always fell for it.
She heard the door shut, and the tapping of Cordelia's heels on the floor as she walked across the marble inlaid floors. Smiling, Willow made her way over to meet her friend, certain from Cordelia's smile that something had gone well.
"Hey... everything go well?"
Cordelia gave a happy squeal and hugged Willow with more force than her elegant appearance would imply she even possessed. "I got the part! I got the part!"
"Wonderful! Now, who are you going to be and on what? You didn't actually tell me before you left." Willow smiled, enjoying Cordelia's happiness.
Cordelia paused, looking at Willow. "I didn't? But I thought... no, that must have been Wesley. I get to be a princess... well, an alien princess in some science fiction show... but still, a princess. I think it's called Galaxy hunt or search..." She pulled out a crumpled paper, and unfolded it. "Right, Galaxy Quest."
Willow's jaw dropped. "Galaxy Quest? With Gwen DeMarco and Alex Dane and Jason Nesmith? Galaxy Quest with the ship Protector? You're going to be on Galaxy Quest? That's great!"
"Which one's the cute but arrogant captain Taggert? I have an onscreen kiss with him..." Cordelia looked amused by Willow's reaction.
"That's Jason Nesmith. His character is like that, always flirting with the ladies. Maybe I can go over there with you for the shooting..." Willow had the feeling that she was getting a far away look in her eyes.
"I guess I'm the girl of the episode then. Hey, it's not too bad, and maybe there's a chance of it becoming recurring... I can hope." Cordelia sounded almost philosophical.
end part 1.
"I hope he's not reverting to the old version of himself." Gwen's soft voice caught the attention of her co-star, Alex Dane.
He looked at her, attempting to remove the last of the make-up that transformed him into Dr. Lazarus, the Tev'Meck medical advisor of the Protector. "Why do you say that? I must have missed it."
"They've picked someone for the Princess... and he was growling about her. Something about a conceited, disrespectful aspiring actress with a sharp tongue. But apparently they look good on camera together." Gwen's voice held a bit of worry.
Alex frowned a bit, remembering how much it had irritated everyone forced into contact with Jason Nesmith when he'd been in his 'arrogant phase'. The period of time after the series had been canceled, but before the Thermians. He'd become a rampant egomaniac. "Perhaps, or maybe she just has a personality that grates against him? We'll have to keep an eye on him."
"On a different note, I got the revised scripts. It seems that Tawny gets a secret admirer - someone silhouetted watching her, and little presents. Also looks like her admirer is Laz." She smiled, eyes twinkling at the idea. She'd been thinking for a while that it would be nice to have Tawny involved in something other than sighing after Taggert.
"Laz is Tawny's secret admirer now? Are you sure that they'll keep that? I've been trying to get a bit more emotion for him for a long time now." Alex was smiling, his mind envisioning the possibility of having significant screen time, and a decent sub-plot for Laz. As a bonus, it was always a delight to have screen time with Gwen.
She grinned, running her hand through her blond hair, sighing as she sat beside him. "I really hope so. You're great to work with, never get the characters emotions mixed up with yours, and if Tawny's with Laz, she's not being all dewy eyed at Taggert."
"So... a secret admirer for Tawny. Let me see, is dear old Laz verging on stalker hood? Or perhaps he's simply decided that there are some interesting things to see right there on the Protector..." Alex looked hopeful as he flipped through the script. Character development was good. Better still, it would give him a chance to familiarize himself with the script before they started it.
He'd just gotten to the part that was having Laz/unidentified figure slipping out of Tawny's room when there was a crashing noise and all of the lights suddenly went out.
"Not again! What could it be this time? That's the second power failure this week." Gwen sounded a bit nervous, and rather unhappy.
Alex sighed as he closed the scrpt. He couldn't even see the pages, and Gwen was just a not quite black shape in the darkness. "I'm not sure... last time they said it had to do with the fuse box. But Surely they would have fixed that."
Something brushed against his shoulder, and for a moment, he felt himself tense as he tried to figure out what was touching him. But it was Gwen's hand. "Alex? Were there a lot of cables between here and the door to the parking lot? I'm feeling the need for some fresh air."
Alex held Gwen's arm as they very slowly made their way to the door. It was the most unsettling thing, but he was certain that there were eyes on him, someone or maybe something watching him. Something nasty and dangerous, lurking in the dark, hidden and free to do anything that it wanted... It was with extreme relief that he found the door, opening it and letting in the bright afternoon sunlight. He and Gwen both stepped outside, breathing deep sighs.
"There's... there really isn't anything watching us in there, is there?" Gwen's voice was a soft plea for reasurrance.
He glanced back into the darkness, uncertainty dancing inside of him. But, logically, how could there be something there that hadn't been there when the lights had been on? "Why would there be something watching us? Surely it was just our imaginations running away with us."
But Alex wasn't quite certain about that. He was certain he'd felt someone watching him, and apparently so was Gwen. But it must have been a camera man, or maybe a stagehand. Right?
"Everything will be better in the morning. Why don't we just go have something to eat and relax for a bit? Fred and Lilairi brought a few things along today, maybe there's some of that Aldorian truffle left." He still had his hand on Gwen's arm, as if the simple reminder that he wan't alone would make everything feel more normal.
"Alex, you know there isn't really Aldorian Truffle..." Her smile let him know that she knew he was trying to distract her and appreciated the gesture.
He leaned close, and with a wicked grin he whispered "The Thermians didn't know that. And you love the truffle."
end part 2.
Cordelia was excited. Today, she started her rehersal for her television appearance on Galaxy Quest. Willow had told her quite a bit about the show, getting this dreamy eyed look when she talked about 'Dr. Lazarus'. She'd have to see what the guy was like. Personally, she'd thought the guy she was in the scene with, Jason Nesmith was pretty good looking... in an entirely too arrogant, self centered smug sort of way.
She would be a guest actor on a television series... one that had a definite fan base in certain circles. A series fan base meant the chance for a fan base for Cordelia Chase, and fans meant more jobs that actually paid. Not that she minded helping people, but... was it wrong to want a few nice things occasionally?
Looking around, she found that the set seemed to have something going on near the rear door, some of the camera people were scurrying, and there was what her Sunnydale experience told her was supressed panic from the people who seemed to have authority. Something wasn't going right. She just hoped that it was something simple and mundane and normal. She had a vague sinking feeling that it wasn't a 'normal' problem.
She then felt someone bump into her, and with a small turn, she saw that it was Gwen DeMarco, the female lead of the show. "Hey... umm, what's going on over there?"
"Something's wrong with the computer that controls the lighting over there. One of the techs said he was worried about a computer virus... Only we're already pushing the repair budget pretty hard for the fact that it's for the whole month."
Cordelia sighed. "There was a time when I would have asked why a computer would need to worry about a virus when it's a machine... But I have a room mate now who's probably forgotten more about computers than I'll ever know. She knows all about viruses and programs. And she'd probably charge less than whoever they normally call out. I can probably get her on my cell phone and have her over here in under an hour."
Gwen smiled, and put one hand on Cordelia's elbow, towing her along towards the knot of unhappy people. "Wonderful. We'll just tell Marty and he'll ask you to have her pop over, and then everyhing will be working again. We might actually be able to stay on schedule."
Really, it wasn't much more complicated than that. Willow had made this squeak of excitement, insisting that she'd be there and ready to go in under an hour. Cordelia had shaken her head, certain that Willow's enthusiasm had a bit to do with one Alexander Dane, rather than the possibility of a paycheck.
"Are you ready to reherse, 'Princess'? If so, we should go to one of the less cluttered areas." Nesmith's voice had a lazy drawl to it, the sort that called up memories of some half remembered handsome western star she'd seen at her Grandma's house as a litle girl. But the confidence he had... part of her wanted to say that it was because he knew he was good at what he did, and part of her wanted to say he was an arrogant jerk.
Cordelia gave him a far too sweet smile. "Anytime, 'Captain Taggert'. Just lead the way, and I'll be there."
"It's not Captain, it's Commander." He was giving her this look, as if he couldn't quite believe that she had gotten his character's title wrong.
Cordelia concealed a smile. Honestly, didn't anyone try to deflate this guy's ego occasionally? She knew exactly what the title of his character was. She'd just said it wrong to annoy him. It made his eyes sparkle.
So, she began rehearsing her scene with Taggert talking to the Princess. Apparently his ship needed some rare natural mineral for their systems to work and her planet had that exact resource. She grinned at the phrasing... 'her planet. Her planet. HER planet.' It had a nice ring to it.
Nesmith's character was a lot like him, over confident, convinced of his charm and appeal, and maybe a bit impulsive. And her character was supposed to fall for it. Hmmm... what else was there? Oh, 'strong warrior tradition among her people' did that mean she would be a warrior princess, or would she be surrounded by a hunky bodyguard or two?
But if she were honest with herself, three years ago, she would have been all over a guy like that. After all, he was good looking, confident, had social manners, and he looked pretty well off. The old her, the Queen C would have grabbed for him. AS it was, she... well, she was torn between the urge to kiss him breathless or slap him, which she didn't want to do for the continuation of her job.
Yeah, he had a definite appeal to her inner material girl, but... She was stronger than that. She didn't have to give in to these urges. When they came to the scripted kiss as a sign of their deal, it practically sizzled, and she heard some definite comments from a few onlookers. What did it hurt if she was just following the script?
She could enjoy this part quite a lot at this rate. He was a good kisser. And she hadn't enjoyed arguing this much with someone in a long time.
end part 3.
Willow sighed yet again as she tried to explain to the security guard that no, she was not some random fan trying to get onto the set. She had been asked to come here to deal with a computer problem. No, she did not know exactly what was wrong with the computer, she hadn't seen it yet. No, she did not have any cameras of any sort with her. No, she was not a reporter of any sort.
"Actually, John, I do think we were expecting someone for some computer repairs. Marty's about to give himself a hernia trying to scream the computer into obedience." The voice belonged to a woman, and a quick glance revealed it to be Tawny Madison... er, the actress who played her at any rate. She was still in her uniform, holding a stack of papers in one arm.
With that minor miracle of timing, Willow found herself admitted. She was now officially on the set of Galaxy Quest, which was entirely cool. She tried to keep her expression from betraying her excitement. Even so, she found herself looking around, recognizing the various sets as some of the rooms on the Protector.
"You've watched the show?" Her voice was a bit amused.
Feeling herself blush, Willow nodded. "When I can... the local stations keep rescheduling it. Makes it hard to watch, you know. Umm.... I should be asking what's wrong with the computer, but... would it be terribly rude to ask what's planned for the show?"
"It's the computer that controls the lighting systems for the sets, and I really have no idea how it does that. My character may talk to computers, but I don't. As for the show..." Ms. DeMarco gave a small smile, and looked around before leaning in and giving a small whisper "I finally get a sub-plot that doesn't involve the computer or Taggert. It gets kicked off in the same episode that has your friend appearing."
Willow was walking with Ms DeMarco, attempting to remember her name. 'And as Lt. Tawny Madison.. yes, Gwen.' She gave a small smile as the name clicked into place. "That sounds really good. Does it involve... ummm, never mind. Do you think you'll enjoy it?"
Soon, Willow was entrenched near the computer, vaguely aware that Cordelia was either rehearsing with Nesmith or having an arguement punctuated by occasional kisses. The panels were opened, and she was inspecting the inner workings of the computer system. The more she looked, the less happy she became. It was starting to look less and less like something had just died and more like someone had... well, sabotaged the system.
She felt someone looming behind her, which was actually pathetically simple to do, considering that she was semi scrunched on the floor. She twisted slightly, trying to look at who was there, a small part of her hoping that it wasn't some horrible, nasty... wait, this was LA, not Sunnydale. It was most likely someone from the cast or crew. Her head banged into the metal casing, briefly making her see swirls and spots of intense blue gold color.
He looked incredibly tall, with nice shoulders. He was wearing the uniform of one of the Protector, with insignia that looked familiar. His light brown hair almost brushed his collar, and his eyes were filled with interest as he looked at her. There was something about him that seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.
She gave a tiny wiggle of her fingers and a tentative smile. "Hi.. I'm Willow Rosenberg, and I'm supposed to help the computer get better."
He smiled at her, and the expression changed his features from near intimidating to delightful. "I'm glad that someone can make something of it."
His voice just seemed to slip right inside and make parts of her quiver with... well, they quivered. "You're Alex Dane." Realizing how stupidly obvious that must have sounded, she blushed, debating crawling back into the system. "I mean, of course you are, and you know exactly who you are, but you look a lot different out of the makeup and with hair and all, not that you're in any danger of loosing your hair, because it looks really good, but... oh dear, I'm babbling... sorry? I'm delighted to meet you."
"Always nice to meet someone who recognizes me. But you're right, I do look a bit different as Dr Lazarus. Somehow, you aren't quite what I'd expected from an associate of Ms Chase." His voice was doing that thing again, the sort of velvety almost tangible rolling over her that almost made her want to roll over and purr.
She was almost tempted to ask for the ground to open up and swallow her right about now. "It's your voice... really distinctive. In a good way."
"So... what happened to the computer?" He was grinning at her, and Willow could feel her insides turning all mushy and sticky.
She ducked her head slightly, almost wishing that she could still hide behind her hair. "Well, a couple of the wires seem to have come loose, and there's a chip that's umm.. rather dead, possibly beyond repair. A couple of the others came loose... I can get it functioning again in about an hour, but I'd rather run a diagnostic and make sure there aren't any internal problems in the software..."
He looked at her for a few moments before giving a slight shake of his head, as if he'd become lost in thought for a moment. "I'd suggest running the diagnostic just in case. Today's already shot for filming."
"Yeah... I suppose so. Maybe someone can ask Security to make sure they keep an eye on the computers... I'm sort of thinking out loud, I guess. I think some of this was deliberate effort to kill the computer."
"That's horrible? Who would do such a thing, this computer makes our paychecks happen!" The man couldn't have been any taller than Willow, and he probably didn't weigh more than half again her weight, if that. Lean and almost gangly, there were grey hairs and a few wrinkles around the eyes and the corners of his mouth. "I'm Marty. You're hired for as long as this is giving us problems."
Alex looked back at her, leaving her pulse racing and her head spinning from another of those amazing smiles. "Welcome aboard, Willow."
end part 4
Gwen had mentioned with relief that Cordelia's friend the computer person had arrived and was working on the computer, a small smile dancing in her eyes the whole time. He knew her well enough to know that she found something interesting and amusing about all of this. He felt a moment's temptation to ask her what was so amusing, but didn't.
"Maybe I should go see if she's found anything then." He'd been wondering a little what sort of room mate the aspiring actress would have. Maybe someone quiet and shy, rather nondescript and plain, the type who would be a stablyzing influence on an actress.
He had just about convinced himself that this Willow would be nobody particularly memorable when he arrived at the computer, seeing it opened up with a medium sized toolbox open beside it, with odd stickers at angles on the sides. One said 'Of Course I don't Look Busy, I Did it Right the First Time', while others were a picture of a stylized willow tree, a cresent moon and star, and it looked like there were stickers for a few televison series. He could see one for the X-Files, and one that he couldn't place with a scowling pale man with short hair labeled LaCroix.
For a few moments, he stood there, staring at a pair of green canvas sneakers and legs loosely encased in faded blue jeans. How did he ask if she was making progress without possibly causing any further problems?
It turned out that his worry was needless. She twisted, obviously trying to see who was standing there, knocking her head against part of the casing in the process. She sat there, looking up at him, blinking slightly as her fingers touched her head. She gave a small fingerwave with her other hand, and a small smile that lit up her eyes, whick looked rather green, possibly enhanced by the green of her shirt, which skimmed over her body. She was quite pretty, and with that bright red hair, not at all easy to forget.
"Hi... I'm Willow Rosenberg, and I'm supposed to help the computer get better." Her voice was soft, as if she was nervous. But it ws a pleasant voice, and he found himself smiling as she introduced herself.
"I'm glad that someone can make something of it." Part of his mind cringed, certain that he'd just said something abundantly obvious.
"You're Alex Dane." Her eyes had practically lit up when he spoke, and then she blushed, going this delightlful shade of pink. "I mean, of course you are, and you know exactly who you are, but you look a lot different out of the makeup and with hair and all, not that you're in any danger of loosing your hair, because it looks really good, but... oh dear, I'm babbling... sorry? I'm delighted to meet you."
He had no idea how she'd said all of that in a single breath. The light in her eyes... it made him feel warm inside for reasons that he wasn't certain he wanted to look into. "Always nice to meet someone who recognizes me. But you're right, I do look a bit different as Dr Lazarus. Somehow, you aren't quite what I'd expected from an associate of Ms Chase."
"It's your voice... really distinctive. In a good way."
"So... what happened to the computer?" He was grinning at her, part of his mind wondering how much thought she'd put into it to recognize his voice. How many episodes had she watched, how many of the other assorted small roles that he'd managed to be cast in had this redhead watched?
She ducked her head slightly, her hair falling forward, not quite obscuring her face. Her words held a great deal more confidence when she spoke about the computer. "Well, a couple of the wires seem to have come loose, and there's a chip that's umm.. rather dead, possibly beyond repair. A couple of the others came loose... I can get it functioning again in about an hour, but I'd rather run a diagnostic and make sure there aren't any internal problems in the software..."
He found himself picturing her in the sunlight, on a beach, the ocean spray dampening her sundress, a smile on her face and her eyes sparkling... Suddenly annoyed with himself, he shook his head, insisting to himself that he did not need to indulge in some decadent beach fantasy about this woman. "I'd suggest running the diagnostic just in case. Today's already shot for filming."
Her eyes seemed to focus on something in the distance, but her slender russet brows dipped slighlty, marking her as being lost in thought, not the contemplation of something behind him. "Yeah... I suppose so. Maybe someone can ask Security to make sure they keep an eye on the computers... I'm sort of thinking out loud, I guess. I think some of this was deliberate effort to kill the computer."
"That's horrible. Who would do such a thing, this computer makes our paychecks happen!" The man couldn't have been any taller than Willow, and he probably didn't weigh more than half again her weight, if that. Lean and almost gangly, there were grey hairs and a few wrinkles around the eyes and the corners of his mouth. "I'm Marty. You're hired for as long as this is giving us problems." Marty was there, his voice full of indignant shock. He was apparently convinced of her talent, and was offering to keep her there...
For some reason, the idea of her staying was nice. Alex looked back at her, smiling as he looked over her smooth cheek and delighted eyes, seeing just a hint of her tongue between her teeth... Perhaps the idea of her staying gave him a bit too warm of a feeling. "Welcome aboard, Willow."
He was still smiling as he walked away, a disobedient corner of his mind attempting to picture her in a swimsuit, her body glistening with water, or laying in a meadow of wild flowers, smiling up at him, lips swollen from kisses... She was definitely someone to remember. Hopefully, she could keep everything working properly so that they could get the filming done. A part of him almost wondered if there would be a way to get her on camera, thus forcing her to stay around longer... Hmmm, wasn't the Princess supposed to have an entourage? Maybe someone could talk Willow into that.
end part 5.
Cordelia felt wonderful. She had a part, her rehersals were going well, and Nesmith was a great kisser. Maybe they hadn't needed to practice the kiss as much as the lines, but... well, she wanted everything to go right. And he was cute in a ruggedly handsome sort of way. Arrogant, self centered, domineering... all of that, but handsome. And she didn't care, really she didn't. She was only going to be here for a little while, and then it would be back to looking for her next acting job. Glancing at the page of script in her hand, she noticed that her character had an entourage. "I wonder what sort of entourage the princess of a planet gets on this series anyhow?"
She almost collided with Gwen, who was smiling at Alex Dane. He looked... well, he looked as if he was taking a mental vacation from work in order to have some private little fantasy. From the surprised expression on Gwen's face, it wasn't exactly ordinary behavior for him. She felt a moment of envy, not only did he have the job security that he felt that he could geta way with flights of fantasy on set, but he had the sort of life that let him. No rampaging demons, no fear of vampires attacking or the end of the world... Their lives must be so much easier and safer.
"Umm, Gwen... Miss DeMarco... I was trying to figure something out... Maybe you can help me here?" Part of her winced, thinking she sounded almost like she was sucking up, but another part insisted that she had to be polite to the more experienced actors and crew that could help or hurt her possible future employment.
Gwen DeMarco turned, smiling in amusement. "What did you want to find out? More ways to deflate the ego of 'Captain' Taggert?"
Smiling as she thought back to her years as the snob-queen of Sunnydale, Cordelia smiled. "No, I think I can deal with his ego, considering that I'm only here for a while. I was just... it mentions an entourage, and I'm wondering what that's going to actually mean, you know? Where do I try to learn about that? Do I have ladies in waiting, or bodyguards, or advisors... and they never did actually mention what sort of wardrobe I... umm... the Princess gets."
"Talk to Benny... he's the one who wrote the script. If you need a lady in waiting or an advisor, maybe you can have Willow. She's already here, and shouldn't throw a fit about any possible electronics problems."
Cordelia smiled, wondering if there was a reason why Mr. Dane of the amazing voice had been so quick to suggest Willow. Maybe it was because she was here, and trying to fix the computers, but... what if it wasn't? What if he'd decided that he wanted a little Willowy goodness? With a careful eye, she gave an evaluation, deciding that he'd look good with Willow, and maybe he could appreciate her. And if he broke her heart, Willow could hex him into next Tuesday.
It turned out that Benny was one of their two main scriptwriters, and Gwen was on her way over to ask about a few points in a later script, so she said that she'd introduce her. Gwen was all excited about a sub plot that would give her a secret admirer leaving presents. Cordelia had smiled, thinking that there was nothing wrong with Gwen's character getting an admirer, and presents, and maybe a few smoochies.
After a bit of deliberation, it was decided that she should have a nonthreatening entourage, the better to give an impression of the planet as a non danger. There would be an older advisior, probably male, and a lady in waiting of some sort, preferably pretty. Gwen had smiled as she'd mentioned Willow, and Cordelia had snickered, thinking back to the talentless show their senior year. Hadn't Willow had stage fright? This should get interesting...
After a few questions about who Willow was, Cordelia spotted her friend over by one of the support columns, holding a cup of coffee talking with one of the technicians, gesturing at the lights overhead. "That's Willow over there, the red head."
Benny looked, and nodded. "Pretty enough, looks non-threatening, and hmm... most likely they'll put her in one of the gowns like your character, only with less jewelry. Ankle length ivory, with split sleeves. Why don't you talk to her and see if she'd be interested? Assuming that the lights work right to start filming again tomorrow..."
Cordelia smiled as she made her way over to Willow, hearing her friend asking some questions on the special effects make up, and exactly how did they get Alex's hair to all vanish for his character?
"Hey, Willow? Do you think the computer will be ready tomorrow? Seems there's a bit of anxiety to get things going again... And I get an entourage! Oh, do you want to be my handmaiden? I get a handmaiden, and a long dress... This is great!" She was almost bouncing with excitement.
Willow looked at her, her face paling. "Me? But... your handmaiden will be in the scene with you... as in in front of the camera! I have stage fright."
"Well, that's sort of the whole point, having someone in front of the camera with me. It'll be fun, just picture it, a long pale gown, sparkling fake jewels, impressive background..." She started to imagine it, picturing herself graciosly receiving her visitors, elegantly seated on a small throne, diamonds and emeralds sparkling on her jewelry... The visiting crew members and Commander Taggert bowing before her...
"I never aspired to be a handmaiden of the Queen C. What makes this better?" Willow had a small smile, and there was only worry and curiosity in her words.
Cordelia smiled at her friend, pulling out the patented 'puppy eyes' expression. "Please? I want someone that I know won't try to blow things for me. Besides, how many chances will you get to actually be in the screen of one of the shows you watch?"
Willow sighed, her eyes rolling slightly. "Cordy, stage fright, remember? I'd never be able to say anything! And, well, I'm sure I'd look silly."
"But Willow! On screen with Alex Dane and Jason Nesmith! You can't just blow off a chance like that!" Why didn't Willow understand how great this chance was? She'd had to audition and sweat for her part, and Willow was just being offered the chance for being in the right place at the right time.
Willow stopped, and something seemed to shift for her. "With Alex Dane? I'd be on screen with Alex Dane? There aren't any lines for me to mangle? I suppose I could manage... assuming all the handmaiden needs to do is look pretty?"
Was that a crush? Definitely a crush. "No lines, you just get to sit there looking nice and decorative, adding to the impression of the princess is important and cool."
"Assuming that this is okay with whoever does the casting... I could go for a chance to be on screen with Alex Dane."
Cordelia smiled. Victory was hers, she had arranged for Willow to be on screen with the object of her crush. She'd definitely have a front row seat if anything developed. Even better, Willow's crush was someone that she wasn't interested in, although that voice... Well, she could defintely see a few benefits.
As she and Willow rode back to the hotel, Cordelia was still smiling. She had a part, Nesmith was a great kisser, and Willow had a crush. Yeah, life was good right now.
end part 6.