***This has been beta'd by JDL71

Chapter 2

Sam was a wreck. While he had known when his agent had him audition that it could happen, he hadn't really thought he would be able to interact with Gabriel Novak. During the audition, he had been told one of the authors would be there to make sure they cast someone who was right for the role but had never actually met the author. Since he hadn't met the author that day, Sam didn't think he would get the chance to. Having read the books, having read anything with Gabriel's name on it, Sam was familiar with the character he was trying out for. He might be able to land a role later if the rumors were correct about the series maybe being picked up for a television show. But Jared was portrayed as smaller than his brother and which had pretty much ruled him out for the part.

Sam very much doubted they would be able to find someone taller than him. Thus, it was a genuine surprise when his agent called to let him know he got the role. A surprise, and a chance for his anxiety to come up. If there was one thing Sam was seriously struggling with since he came on the scene was meeting people he idolized. Most were friendly enough that Sam didn't feel too embarrassed. He was able to laugh it off as he stumbled over his words or when his palms began to sweat when shaking hands with someone he knew.

Gabriel Novak wasn't just some celebrity though; he was someone who Sam had spent hours upon hours becoming immersed in the worlds that Gabriel had created. Sam had always been a fan of dystopian novels, and the second he stumbled upon Gabriel's work he was hooked. It was still a bit different each time, but the thing which made Gabriel special was that he was never out for a series contract. His books always had a definite start, middle, and end, every single one. Up until the Supernatural series. With Gabriel holding his own with his novels it was a surprise when Sam found Gabriel's name alongside someone else's. For a second, when he came across the book, he thought it was a mistake until he picked it up.

Supernatural was different than anything Sam had read before. It was easy to understand from one book to the other, but while it had some parts that were very clearly written by Gabriel, it was easy to tell that this series belonged to a co-author, Chuck Shurley. Still, Sam enjoyed the series, though he read for the sections he could point out as Gabriel's own, ones that tended to circle Jared often. Knowing it was Gabriel's character he was playing made Sam re-read the entire series from cover to cover before he had even received his script.

Even the script was different than what Sam was expecting, having half-expected to start filming the first book in the series, Sam was pleasantly surprised to find out they were doing Jared's backstory. If they got the contract Sam knew Gabriel was aiming for; it would help explain a few things both for their future television audience as well as for the those who already loved the books. But by the time it was his first day of filming Sam was a nervous wreck. He could recite his lines correctly; he knew he had the character down and had gotten to know his co-worker Jessica who was a perfect fit for Adrianne.

Right before Sam was about to step onto the set, Jessica placed her hand on his arm to get his attention. They had been about to enter in to let the director know they were in position when she moved; Sam turned to look down at the woman who was looking at him with a slight frown.

"Are you okay?" asked Jessica, keeping her voice low as not to alert anyone in the area that something could be wrong.

Sam sighed before nodding his head. "Yeah, it's just… he could be out there, you know?"

Seeing Jessica scrunch her nose slightly Sam continued. "Gabriel, I mean, Gabriel Novak… he's known to have his hand in the filming itself, and I mean if I were him I would want to be there for the first scene in case something went wrong, you know? Get a feel for the cast? I mean what if he's out there and doesn't like that I was cast for Jared? He wasn't there for my audition… and I know he can't do much with my contract being signed and all but… oh Jessica, what if he doesn't think I'm good enough to play Jared?"

"Sam, Sam you need to calm down."

Realizing that she was right, and he had started to work himself into a mess, Sam tried to calm down. Jessica thankfully held his arm which was about to reach up and undo his stylists work on his hair. Breathing in deeply a few times, Sam tried to calm himself down while closing his eyes. Once he felt he was calm enough, Sam opened his eyes to look at Jessica who stood before him, still with her hand on his arm while he tried to calm himself.

"There you are, now you need to relax. I know it's easier said than done, but I can promise you that Gabriel isn't going to fire you or whatever you have rolling around in your head. He may not have been the one casting us, but he must not have a problem with you being picked if he didn't say anything, right?"

Sam nodded his head while trying to calm his breathing. It had been a long time since he was that close to a panic attack. Seeing Jessica smile at him, helped. Sam didn't have any attraction to her, not with them working together and him having a strict policy never to date fellow actors. "Thanks," murmured Sam. "I think I'm okay now it's just… he's like one of my idols you know? I'm a huge fan of his work, even the older stuff and I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of him."

Jessica laughed softly, waving at someone behind Sam, probably to let them know they would need another moment before they started. "It's alright Sam; you're allowed to be a fan, just... Breathe okay? I'm sure by the end of the movie you'll be able to talk to him and geek out all you want, while I haven't worked with him before I have a friend who was in his last film. She told me he always makes time for people who want to talk between sets. If you play your cards right, you might even get an autograph."

Tugging on his hand, Jessica guided Sam toward the set they would be using today. It was a relaxed scene, one he shouldn't have any problems to fall into the mindset of Jared. Walking to his spot, Sam avoided looking beyond the director, although he could see Gabriel sitting just off to the side. Taking a breath; Sam breathed in, and Jared breathed out. It was a smooth transition, and while he recited his lines for the cameras, Sam couldn't help but be thankful he didn't seem to mess anything up. By the time the first take was done, Sam knew he was in the clear, at least for today.

Wrapping up the last take, Sam couldn't help the grin that nearly split his face when the director called out that was it for today. Sighing, Sam let loose his Jared-mask and turned to Jessica who walked with him back to the green room. There were a few chairs in the small area where they would be able to relax if needed, but Sam was full of energy.

"Well that went well, if we keep it up for the rest of it, we might even be able to finish this thing early."

Jessica laughed slightly at Sam's optimism. "Yeah, when Hell freezes over, there's going to be something to set us back, there always is." Nodding, Sam still couldn't fight off his grin. "What has you so happy anyway? Before we went out there you were just shy of rocking in a corner, and now you're practically bouncing off the walls," asked Jessica while grabbing one of the bottles of water on the table and taking a drink.

"I didn't mess up! I mean sure take four and five weren't perfect, but I didn't do anything major that would ruin the scene for him to complain about. I guess I was worried over nothing." It was a relief to know that he hadn't messed up in front of the man, while it could still happen it wouldn't be on the first day which had been Sam's primary concern, starting things off on a sour note.

"Well don't look now but I have a feeling your day is about to get better," said Jessica before nodding her head to the open doorway of the room.

Standing there was Gabriel Novack, the same man Sam had been trying to avoid looking at only a few minutes before. Sam didn't register as Jessica left the room, all he could see was Gabriel making his way inside and leaning up against the wall. The man was beautiful. Sam had known, he had been pictures and even a few videos of Gabriel, but it was something else being only a few feet away from him. There was something about him, something almost enthralling that dragged Sam in.

"I gotta say I'm impressed, kid. Typically, it takes a few takes before the actor grasps the character, but you did it in one." Gabriel's voice broke Sam out of the trance he had been lost in, trying to drink in the sight of the man.

He could feel his cheeks start to flush slightly, and mentally cursed his complexion, while he typically would have more of a darker tone as he enjoyed the sun, Jared was pale, and thus Sam knew his blush was visible. "I uh…" Sam tried to speak but his mouth ran dry, taking a second, he swallowed trying to fight back his nerves and tried again. "Jared is an easy character for me to work with. It helps that you wrote the books first since we're doing a preview of the series, it wasn't that hard to get into his headspace."

Seeing Gabriel nod, Sam shifted slightly; the silence was making him uncomfortable while Gabriel thought over his words. Biting the inside of his cheek, Sam glanced around the room, not wanting to see if Gabriel was disappointed. He had thought he was in the clear after the scene was done, but maybe he had ruined what Gabriel thought Jared should be like, or perhaps the author had changed his mind on taking a shot with Sam at all.

"So, you've read the series?" asked Gabriel with a slight smirk on his lips, Sam was nearly petrified to see that.

"Yeah, I mean I figured I would give it a shot even if it's not your typical work." Knowing that he was caught now, Sam internally winced, could he sound any more insulting? "Not that I don't enjoy your other work, this series has a different edge that your earlier work hadn't before. Maybe it had to do with you having a co-author, but there seemed to be more focus on the actual character development than the independent worlds."

It seemed the longer Gabriel went without speaking, the less control Sam had of his mouth. As he finally managed to stop talking, needing to breathe, Sam couldn't help but worry Gabriel would take offense. Gabriel seemed like a nice guy, everyone had said so who had worked with him before, and here was Sam running his mouth when the guy had only stopped in to say hi.

"You're cute when you're all flustered; you know that?

Blinking, Sam lifted his eyes up from where they had been staring at the floor and caught Gabriel's smile.

"As much as it does my ego good to see someone like you, a rising star with a body crafted by the gods themselves, obviously being a fan of my work… would you like to talk about it over drinks?"

Speechless, Sam didn't know how to respond. Unable to comprehend that not only was Gabriel not angry but was offering to take him out for drinks. Sam had to fight back a squeak from escaping his throat when the man came closer to him.

"I mean if you have other plans… but I would like to take you out if you're not busy since you're done for the day? My treat?"

Finally, able to move Sam felt almost giddy at being able to spend time with Gabriel, that Gabriel wanted to spend time with him. Relaxing just a bit, Sam nodded while he answered. "Yeah, I would like that… I need to wash up in my trailer before we head out… do you want to meet up in about half an hour? There's a place about ten minutes from here." Watching as Gabriel's smirk widened slightly, Sam tried to fight the flop in his stomach at the look.

"Yeah, I think I know the place, small little bar that's just enough out of the way we shouldn't get mobbed? Roadhouse I think it's called?"

Nodding Sam watched while Gabriel turned, his eyes automatically checking the other man's ass out.

"Half hour Samsquatch, I expect to see you there," Gabriel called out, who was making his way out of the room.

Sam was unable to keep his eyes from the other's ass, uncertain if Gabriel was swaying his hips on purpose or if that was merely how the man walked. While he hated the thought of Gabriel leaving, Sam had to admit that he loved watching him go. Cursing once Gabriel was out of sight, Sam quickly made his way to his trailer. It took him no time to strip down and grab a shower, the water pressure wasn't the best in the world, but it would at least wash off his makeup and stress-sweat.

Drying off once he was clean, Sam was near frantic while searching through his things. He only had a few things in the trailer, most of his clothes were on the other side of town in his hotel room. The set had been kind enough to provide him with somewhere he could store a few things and shower when he got off work, but the trailer wasn't designed for him to stay in long-term. Sadly, Sam didn't have time to make it back to his hotel room and arrive at The Roadhouse if he didn't want Gabriel to think he was standing him up.

Throwing on a button-up shirt and jeans, Sam sighed before pulling on his jacket and boots. It wasn't fancy, but it was comfortable and something that wouldn't seem out of place for where they were going. Locking up once he was done, Sam made his way off the property and toward the bar. It wasn't a long walk, and sooner than Sam had been expecting he was outside the door. Taking a deep breath, Sam wiped his palms on his jeans before opening the door and walking inside.

It took all of a second for Sam to spot Gabriel. There is something special about the man, while Gabriel wasn't doing anything more than sitting at a booth with a drink in his hand Sam could feel his eyes drawn to him, taking the golden form in. Stepping into the bar, Sam didn't even notice as the bartender pushed her chest practically on the table to give him a better look. Thankfully Sam didn't have to say anything as Gabriel spotted him and called out his name. The sound of the author merely mentioning his name shouldn't cause Sam's heart to skip a beat.

"Hey Gabriel, am I late?" He noticed Gabriel's smile brightened when Sam sat down, and while he knew it was going to get him in trouble, Sam couldn't help but wonder what he would have to do to make sure Gabriel was always smiling. More importantly, Sam wanted to make sure Gabriel was always smiling for him.

P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter or Instagram as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I'm reading (I always review so you know what you're getting into) I'm on Goodreads as well, the same name as always.