Chapter Two

Elena squared her shoulders and prepared herself to walk into the rehearsal room. She could already hear the voices coming through the door, loud and boisterous, the happy sounds of people who have worked together many times before reuniting once again. She didn't hear Damon's voice though, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. She had to be ready for anything.

She dressed carefully that morning, white-button down and skinny blue jeans with converse sneakers. She wanted everyone to know she was there to work. She wasn't just some daytime TV dilettante who was afraid of breaking a nail. She was a real actress, trained at Julliard, she shouldn't feel intimidated by all these stars.

But she did. She'd never made a movie before, other than student films. What if it was a totally different process and she made a fool of herself? In front of him?

She took a deep, cleansing breath like her yoga teacher taught her to do, and tried to calm her mind. Alaric was on her side; he'd help her through it. And she was a professional, she could figure it out. It wasn't rocket science. It was an action movie.

Before she lost her nerve she palmed open the door and entered. Tables and chairs were set up in a big square so everyone faced each other. Each place had a name card, Elena found hers and was relieved to see she wasn't sitting next to Damon but instead his brother Stefan Salvatore and a woman named Caroline Forbes. Neither was at their place, but she knew enough, at least, about Stefan to be grateful to Ric for the assigned seating.

Stefan Salvatore was Hollywood's favorite gay actor. He had been accepted and celebrated like Rock Hudson should have been in his day, and other than losing the occasional role of romantic lead to a more hetero counterpart, he enjoyed a fame almost as great as his brother's. In this movie he played the evil Dr. Pavel Wasilewski, the notorious Polish scientist who is out to kill our heroes, secret agents Nina and Ian, to gain secrets to obtaining a dirty bomb. She heard his laughter emanating from the craft table and she turned to see him just as he spotted her.

He was surrounded by most of the rest of the cast and crew, so when he shouted out, "Our leading lady has arrived!" everyone turned as one to her. He smiled a wide smile that reminded her of Damon's but was far kinder. He walked over to her and stuck out a hand.

"Welcome pretty Elena to our little movie," he said with a flourish. "I'm Stefan Salvatore."

Like he needed an introduction, Elena thought, and returned his handshake. "Happy to be here," she replied with a smile nearly as big as his own.

Stefan introduced her to the rest of the group. She was relieved to not spot Damon. That reunion she'd rather put off as long as possible.

There was Caroline Forbes, a vivacious blonde bombshell who played an unnamed spy who was brutally murdered in the first scene. She met Tyler Lockwood, Stefan's partner and bit-part player; Matt Donovan, Stefan's long-time stuntman; and Bonnie Bennet, the movie's makeup artist. They were all old friends and had worked together on several movies.

Soon Matt had her laughing hysterically over his impersonation of what Stefan looked like when he tried to salsa dance. They were all doubled over, Stefan included, when they heard a slow, solitary clap coming from the entrance.

They all stopped abruptly and turned in unison towards the door, like guilty children caught in the act.

Damon stood in the doorway, still clapping, messenger bag slung over one shoulder, a humorless grin defining his face. Beside him, Ric, ear plastered to his phone gave him a dirty look, but didn't interrupt his phone conversation.

"Well, I see we've all met the daytime princess and star of our movie." Damon moved into the room and threw his bag on the table.

Suddenly everyone broke apart and headed to his or her seats, further proof of their apparent guilt.

Damon sat across from Elena and glared at her as he chewed on a plastic straw. Elena tried to ignore him and started up a side conversation with Caroline about the first scene, but it was hard to keep her concentration with him staring at her like he was sure she was an escaped convict.

The tension was thick in the room and everyone knew it. The cast and crew, used to Damon's moods, took it in stride knowing once he got busy he usually became more agreeable. But there was no denying his new co-star rubbed him the wrong way.

Finally Ric broke the ice by beginning the read-through. Elena was happy to settle down and get to work.

Occasionally she snuck looks at Damon during the run-through. As much as he seemed like an entitled asshole, when he was working he transformed into a total pro. He was conscious of the other actor's work and did his best to get his star power out of the way and let the other person shine.

She had seen it in his movies as well. He had a way of being a star and an ensemble player all at the same time. Not an easy thing to pull off. She tried to remember what she knew of his personal life. Never been married, linked to one model or another until he met Katherine Petrova, who, in an interesting twist was dating his brother before he came out of the closet. They had been dating for a few years, but Elena couldn't remember ever hearing of wedding plans.

Wait. Why on earth was she speculating on Damon's private life? The man was clearly an egomaniac and too good-looking for his own good. 'He's got dem eyes', her mother would have said, quoting Moonstruck. They were not ocean blue, too icy for that. What kind of blue were they?

"Ms. Gilbert."

She jumped a little in her seat to see a PA asking her if she was ready for lunch. She nodded, grabbed her purse and headed for the restroom where she planned on either splashing her face with cold water or slitting her wrists. She had to stop thinking about Damon.

This was probably all part of his elaborate plan to drive her nuts.

After lunch they read through the script one more time and eventually got to their feet to run through some of the blocking.

"K, Elena. Now here is where you meet Ian for the first time. He's just almost been killed by an unseen sniper and you appear moments later. He's suspicious of you, but you've got to convince him you're in as much danger as he is, ok?" Ric retreated to his folding chair to watch the scene.

They took their places and began.

"Action!" Ric yelled.

Nina: Are you ok?

(Nina kneels down to check on a prone Ian.)

Ian: Are you insane? Duck down, there's a sniper on the loose.

(Ian grabs Nina's arm and pulls her down to a crouching position).

Elena's arm tingled a little where he touched it and she rubbed it like it was a pain she was trying to smooth away.

Ian: You must have seen him. You came from that direction.

(His eyes search hers but Nina gives nothing away.)

Nina: I didn't see anything.

"Cut!" Ric called out. "Elena that was perfect with the arm rubbing. We're getting a real sense of the chemistry right from the get- go." He turned to his assistant. "Jot that down. Want to make sure we get that on camera."

Ric continued to give notes and Elena tried to listen but she could feel Damon staring at her. Finally she turned around and hissed, "What?"

He was giving her a curious look, like he couldn't decide what to think of her.

"Nothing," he said then looked back at Ric.

She turned back around as well, her long hair flipping around in it's ponytail like a horse's mane.

Damon's gaze immediately traveled back to her backside, taking in a good long look at her curves. She had plenty of them, that was for sure.

He trained his eyes elsewhere. She was a co-worker, plain and simple. He had a girlfriend and Elena Gilbert looked like she stacked used men on the side of her bed to use as a bookshelf.

His eyes returned to her and immediately fell to her tight, round ass taunting him in dark denim. Did she have to be just his type? Did she have to be that beautiful, and apparently a gifted actress as well?

He closed his eyes in momentary defeat. He knew she was beautiful before. But now he knew she was dangerous.


AN1:A little awkward with the formatting of the script, but it's all I have at my disposal. Let me know if it isn't clear what's happening.

AN2: Please read and review. It makes me happy deep down in a special place. No, not THERE, perv. Jeez.