"Dad, can I go to the set with you?" 13 year old Cassandra asked as Roger got ready for work. He appeared in the movie they moved to LA to make and Roger was offered a television series, LA Dreams. He played a husband and father who is also the lead singer in a band who travels on the road with his teenage son. A role he knew a lot about. It was in it's third season and still going strong. Alexandra went back to law school and get a degree. She took the bar and became a lawyer. She had her own law office, which she ran out of the house so she could be home for Cassandra. She represented actors and she was very active in AIDS charities.
"Princess, it's gonna be boring. I'm not singing today." he said looking down at her as he fixed his hair.
"So, I like hanging out on the set with you. Please." she begged looking up at him.
"Are you sure it's me you like hanging out with or is it Zach?" he asked teasing her.
"It's both. Please daddy. Pretty please." she asked looking up at him.
"Fine. Just make sure your homework is done. I don't want to get another phone call from your mom yelling at me for taking you with me before you did your homework." he said putting his cell phone in his pocket and putting his denim jacket on.
"OK daddy. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You totally rock. I'll meet you in the car." she cheered as Roger went to Alexandra's office.
"Baby, I'm leaving. Cassie's coming with me, OK?" he asked as he entered the office. She was looking over some papers at her desk.
"OK Baby. Make sure her homework is done. And please don't let her hang out with Zach all day. You know how she gets." she said without looking up from the papers.
"Her homework is done and don't worry about Zach. He's a good kid." he smiled leaning down to kiss her head.
"Roger, she's only 13 years old. She's too young to be into boys." she said looking up at him taking her glasses off.
"Don't worry Baby. I'll keep an eye on her. Do you wanna meet me and Cassie on the set? We can go out to dinner." he suggested looking down at her.
"Yeah, I just need to finish looking over this contract. If I'm not there by 6, go without me and I'll make something here." she said looking up at him.
"But I don't want to eat without you." he whined sitting on the corner of her desk.
"I know Baby, I'm sorry. I just need to look this over. Josh needs to sign it by tomorrow." she told him getting up to stand in front of him.
"Baby, you've been working too hard lately. You're gonna burn yourself out." he said wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her to him.
"I know I've missed a lot of dinners with you and Cassie lately and I'm sorry. It's just, contract negotiations are time consuming. You know as well as anyone that actors need extra attention." she smiled looking up at him.
"But I wanna be the only actor you show extra attention to." he whined leaning in to kiss her.
"Well, you get extra special attention." she smiled kissing him again.
"Just don't work too late Baby, OK? Me and Cassie miss you." he smiled looking into her blue eyes.
"I'll try to meet you guys for dinner, OK? I promise." she smiled kissing him again.
"OK Baby. We'll be waiting for you. I love you." he smiled caressing her face.
"I love you too Roger." she smiled before sitting back in her chair as Roger left the house.
"Daddy, what took you so long? We're gonna be late." Cassandra asked standing outside Roger's Corvette convertible.
"I was saying goodbye to your mom. She said she would meet us on the set so we could all go out to dinner together." he smiled as they got into the car.
"Are you sure she's really gonna meet us? You know she's been working a lot lately." she asked fastening her seat belt.
"She promised princess, and you know your mom would never promise if she really wasn't gonna meet us." he smiled looking over at her.
"You're right dad. Mom would never make a promise she couldn't keep." she smiled looking up at him as he backed out of the driveway and began driving to the studio.When they arrived they got out of the car and started towards the set. A producer rushed out before they could enter.
"Roger, we have a problem." he said looking up at him.
"Well hello to you too Tim." he smiled looking down at him.
"Roger, everything we shot yesterday was destroyed." he said looking up at him.
"What the hell do you mean destroyed? We shot the concert footage yesterday. How are we supposed to get an audience together on such short notice to re shoot the scene?" he asked looking over at him.
"There's a benefit concert going on tonight for a pediatric AIDS foundation. The organizers agreed to let us borrow their audience." he said as they began walking into the studio.
"There's a pediatric AIDS benefit in town and no one contacted me or Alex? Why am I just finding out about this now?" he said looking down at him.
"Same reason we are. With contract negotiations and us nearing the end of the season, things have been crazy. So you wanna do it?" he asked looking up at him as Roger smiled down at Cassandra.
"Yeah. Yeah, I wanna do it. Let me call Alex and let her know. This is something she wouldn't want to miss." he smiled taking his cell phone out of his pocket.
"Dad, can I go too?" Cassandra asked looking up at him.
"Of course princess." he smiled kissing her head before dialing his cell phone. As he waited for Alexandra to pick up the phone in her office he watched Cassandra walk over to his young co star Zach. Zach played Roger's teenage son on the show and he and Cassandra had become good friends over the three years they knew each other. When Cassandra turned 12, she developed a crush on Zach, but with Cassandra's HIV, Roger and Alexandra had to keep a close eye on things like that.
"Alex Davis." Alexandra said answering the phone.
"Baby, dinner's off tonight. I'm playing a pediatric AIDS benefit and it's being filmed for the show." he said smiling at Cassandra.
"Why are we just finding out about this benefit now?" she asked taking her glasses off.
"Same reason why you've been so busy. Everyone is scatterbrained with contract negotiations and the end of the season. Can you bring Cassandra a cool outfit when you come tonight?" he asked rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.
"Sure Baby. What time is the benefit?" she asked looking down at the contract in front of her.
"I don't know. Tim, what time is the benefit?" he asked looking over at Tim.
"8." he said looking up from his script.
"8 o'clock Baby." he said speaking back into the phone.
"I'll be there Baby. I'm almost done looking over Josh' contract. I'll be there soon, OK?" she said looking over at the picture of Roger and Cassandra that sat on her desk. It was from her last birthday. They were in the backyard and Cassandra was looking down at her birthday cake as Roger sat next to her smiling down at her.
"Thank you Baby. I'll see you soon. I love you." he said smiling.
"Roger, when have you known me to miss a pediatric AIDS benefit?" she asked smiling up.
"Never." he smiled as Cassandra ran to him.
"Dad, can you ask mom to bring my pink sweater please? And my dark blue jeans." she asked looking up at him.
"Did you hear that?" he asked laughing.
"Yeah, I heard. I love you both. I'll see you soon." she smiled before hanging up the phone. She and Roger went to every pediatric AIDS benefit that LA hosted and Roger usually headlined. It was public knowledge that Roger and Cassandra were positive and they became role models via Mark's award winning documentary about them.
"Roger, we need you over here." Tim called out looking up from the script.
"Coming." he answered putting the cell phone back in his pocket.
"Daddy, can Zach come to the benefit with us? Please." Cassandra asked looking up at Roger.
"Yeah princess. Zach can come with us." he smiled as Alexandra pulled up to the set in her mini van.
"Thank you daddy. You're the best." she smiled before rushing back to Zach.
"Hi Baby. Am I late?" Alexandra asked looking up Roger as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
"You are right on time. You look beautiful Baby." he smiled looking down at her.
"Thank you Baby. Where's the princess?" Alexandra asked looking up at him.
"With Zach, where she's been all day." he laughed as they directed their attention to them.
"Are you sure this is such a good idea Roger? Not only are they too young to be dating, but with her HIV." she asked looking up at him.
"They're not gonna start dating Alex. They're only 13." he smiled looking down at her.
"I hope not." she said as Roger kissed her head.
"Cassie, look who's here." Roger called out looking over at Cassandra.
"Mom, did you bring my pink sweater and dark blue jeans?" she asked looking over at her.
"And your pink sandals. They're in the van." she smiled looking over at her.
"Mom, you're the best. I'm gonna go get changed." she smiled looking over at them.
"OK sweetie." Alexandra smiled as Cassandra ran to the mini van.
"I'm glad you were able to get away and spend the night with me and Cassie." Roger smiled looking down at her.
"Me too. I'm really sorry I've been neglecting you and Cassie. As soon as contract negotiation season is over, I'll have more time to be me." she said smiling up at him.
"Baby, I don't know why you don't just take a break. You're gonna burn yourself out." he said looking down at her.
"I can't Roger. I'm trying to establish a name for myself. I can't do that unless I continue working and take clients." she said looking up at him.
"Alex, I understand where you're coming from, but you need to slow down. Working yourself to death is not gonna help." he said looking down at her.
"I know you're right Roger. Just give me until the end of this season and I'll slow down next year." she smiled leaning up to kiss him.
"You know I could never say no to you." he smiled caressing her face.
"Roger, wardrobe." Tim called out coming out of the trailer.
"I'm coming Tim. I'll see you in a bit Baby. I love you." he smiled leaning down to kiss her again.
"I love you too Roger." she smiled watching him go to the wardrobe trailer. When she met him in Joanne's office all those years ago, the last thing she expected was to be married to him with a teenage daughter living in Los Angeles on the set of the television series he starred in. They lived in a modest house with 4 bedrooms and an in ground pool. Cassandra went to a school for gifted children and she played the violin. Much to Roger's dismay, but Alexandra told him, it was a stringed instrument, so he should count his blessings.
"Mom, how do I look?" Cassandra asked coming out of Roger's trailer dressed for the benefit.
"You look beautiful sweetheart. Why don't you put your other clothes in the minivan and we'll wait for daddy?" she smiled looking down at her.
"OK mom." she smiled running to the minivan to put her clothes in there before they went to the set to wait for Roger.
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"Cut. OK Roger that was great. Zach you need to get changed for the benefit." Tim called out lookng over at the young star as Roger approached Alexandra who was sitting in his seat on the set.
"Josh, just sign the contract. It's a good deal... you're not gonna get that much... because Bradley's been around a lot longer than you... I can't talk to you right now Josh. Why don't you come by my office tomorrow morning? We can talk more about this... OK 9 is good... see you then." she said closing her cell phone. "God, I hate actors." she called out putting her head back.
"Present company excepted, I hope." Roger smiled looking down at her.
"Of course. This kid doesn't know when he has it good, I swear." she smiled looking up at him as he sat next to her.
"Well, if anyone could talk some sense into him, it's you Baby." he smiled leaning over to kiss her.
"If not, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to drop him." she said putting her phone into her purse.
"You would drop him just for driving you crazy?" he asked looking down at her.
"Roger, how am I supposed to represent a kid who doesn't know when his life is good? I mean, these spoiled kids think they're life is so hard just because they can't have the car they want or get into the party they want to get into. This is insane. Why the hell am I doing this? I'm making myself crazy negotiating contracts giving them more privilege and more fame when all they need is a kick in the ass with real life." she said getting up from the chair.
"Alex, what is this about?" he asked going to her.
"I almost missed this benefit because of spoiled kids like Josh. A benefit that is important to me, for what? So this kid could get paid more for pretending to be a sensitive role model?" she said looking up at him.
"Alex, if you're so unhappy about who you represent, quit. You know I'll support your decision. But don't beat yourself up for not knowing about the benefit. I didn't know about it either." he said putting his arms around her.
"It's not just that Roger. It's everything. I feel like this place is sucking the life out of me. I mean, here you are, making a difference and I'm representing the bottom feeders of this profession. This is not what I want my daughter to see me doing." she said looking up at him.
"So do something else. Alex, I love you and if you want to do something else, I'm all for it. Just as long as you're happy, that's all I care about." he said smiling down at her.
"And how do I go about doing that?" she asked looking up at him.
"You'll find it. Just take your time. Alex, there's no reason why you can't do good here." he smiled down at her.
"You know what? You're right. When Josh comes in tomorrow, I'm gonna tell him to find another lawyer because I'm done. I'm not doing contract negotiations or representing any more actors who think about only themselves and how much money they're worth. I need to start devoting myself to something that matters." she smiled looking up at him.
"Roger, we gotta go." Zach called out as he and Cassandra started walking towards them.
"OK kiddo, I'm coming. Do you want to ride with us? We're taking Alex' minivan and we have plenty of room." he asked smiling down at his daughter and co star.
"Sure, thanks." he smiled as Alexandra looked up at him smiling before they all went to the minivan.