"It's like you've never been on a film set before," Emma chuckled, as she watched her best friend bounce up and down on his heels while his head swiveled back and forth.

It took a moment for her words to sink in and when they did, Killian stopped moving to turn back and face her. "This is… this is not a normal film set, Ems. This is… it's just… it's magic."

Emma offered him a big beautiful smile as he bounced on his heels once more and then turned back around to face the large stage being prepared ahead of them.

It had been a busy couple of weeks for them both, thanks to their demanding filming schedules. Whenever Emma wasn't on set, she tended to be locked away in the room that had once been her bedroom, fielding calls from Lionsgate executives and her lawyer as they began the process of searching for producers and directors to fit her screenplay. Killian had barely seen her outside of the bed they now shared, and while he was endlessly proud of his best friend's work ethic, he'd missed spending time with her. So when she'd suggested that he join her for the tiny scene she needed to reshoot one Friday morning, he'd pounced on the opportunity. Not only would he be able to explore the set while he waited for Emma to nail her reshoot, but he would also get to spend the rest of the day with the woman he loved. As far as Killian was concerned, there was no better way to spend the day.

Emma had been planning to introduce him to her director that morning, but she hadn't told Killian that. She knew how unpredictable things could become on any kind of set, and the last thing she'd wanted to do was let her friend down. So instead, she simply allowed him to make his way cautiously around the space, exploring the many different set designs and props that were being shuffled from one location to the next.

"Will I get to meet some of your new co-stars today?" Killian asked, spinning on his heels to turn and face her once more.

"No. I was planning to hide you away in my trailer like the dirty little secret you are," Emma deadpanned. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and then said, "Of course. I can't wait for you to meet everyone, Killian."

He took a large step forward to bring himself closer to her and then reached for Emma's hand. "I can't wait to meet them too," he promised, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze before he let go and turned back to set his sights on his next target. It didn't take long for his gaze to be drawn to one of the larger props that were still in production, and Emma gave him an encouraging nod before he practically ran across the room to get a better look at it.

"Such a nerd," she muttered to herself, as she cast a look around for any sign of Merida, who would be her co-star that morning.

"Was that remark aimed at me?" came a familiar voice from just behind her, and Emma pivoted on her heels to face the man walking towards her.

"No, Sir. I was um… I brought my best friend to set for the reshoot," she explained, as she waved a hand vaguely in Killian's direction. "He's a massive nerd – and a big fan of yours."

"Ahh, yes, I remember now. Killian, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Sir," Emma confirmed, smiling widely up at her director.

"I've told you before, it's Steven," he assured her, leaning in as if to whisper a secret. As he pulled back he asked, "Would you like to make the introductions?"

"I'd love to."

Emma took the lead as she crossed the large lot with her director trailing a step or two behind her, and then came to a stop a couple of feet away from where her best friend was standing. Killian was busy learning about the mechanics that had gone into the creation of the animatronic he was carefully examining. Emma shot another quick look over her shoulder to make sure the legendary director was still with her, and then reached out to tap her best friend carefully on the arm.

"Oh, hey," he greeted enthusiastically, before turning back to the machine in front of them. "Adam was just telling me about how they'd made the body of this beast from a magnesium-based alloy because it's light-weight, which makes it easier to mimic the movement they're aiming for, and yet, it's sturdy enough that they can blow it up and it should still function for reshoots," Killian explained.

Emma could hear her director chuckling just behind her.

"That's… truly fascinating," she said, because she wasn't entirely sure what that information was supposed to mean, but she had a feeling that it was incredibly important information to all of the men gathered around her. Emma shook her head a little to clear it of thoughts of magnesium alloys and then tried again. "Killian," she called out softly, "There's someone here who would like to meet you."

Emma felt the man behind her take a step closer just as Killian turned to look at her, and then back to the animatronic in front of him. The double-take he did was comical, and Emma had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from laughing at him.

"Ste… Ste… Steven Spielberg," he eventually croaked out.

"You must be Killian," the other man offered, leaning around Emma to hold out a hand for shaking. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Your best friend has told me all about you."

Killian looked between Emma and her director and then back again before he held out a slightly trembling hand. "It's uh… it's an honor, Sir."

"Please, the honor is all mine," the older man assured him. "It's always wonderful to meet a fan and even better to meet one who's already in the industry."

Killian laughed an awkward, high-pitched laugh. It was a noise Emma had never heard him make before, and one she suddenly realized she would strive to hear again in their future because seeing her best friend act so star-struck was actually kind of cute.

"I guess I'll leave you guys to it and head for the makeup trailer," she said, as she took a step back and away from her best friend, who was still clinging tightly to her director's hand.

"We'll see you on set, Emma," the older man called out, and she paused just long enough to watch Killian nod his agreement before she turned to head for the large trailer just outside the studio.

Killian had watched Emma shoot scenes many times before. Years ago, when they used to work together, he would often sit just off-camera and watch her work before he was called to set. There had always been something so compelling about seeing Emma in her element and that had never changed, no matter how long they'd known each other or how often Killian had sat and watched her perform. However, that morning, as he took a seat beside Steven Spielberg, something felt incredibly different. He wasn't sure if it was because it had been so long since he'd last seen Emma in action, or if it was because she was being directed by an absolute legend, but as he watched, Killian felt transported to another world. He'd read the script before so he knew the basic premise of the movie, but seeing Emma in action made him feel like a voyeur, looking in on a whole new world. If there had been any doubt that his best friend was perfect for the role, Killian knew it would all be wiped away the moment the fans got their chance to experience the final product.

To make the moment even more special, watching a master like Spielberg in action was a complete dream come true for Killian. Ever since he'd been a child, and he had known that acting was where his heart lay, Killian had wanted to work for the master of the craft. While he may not have been the one on stage performing under the man's direction, sitting beside him while he directed Emma was the next best thing, as far as Killian was concerned.

True to her word, "Cut!" was called after less than an hour on set, and Emma offered Killian a small smile before she was ushered off the stage and back to the wardrobe trailer. Killian felt a little awkward at first, unsure of what he should do now or where he should wait for Emma, but thankfully, his companion was happy to take the lead.

Slipping down from his seat, Steven Spielberg motioned for Killian to follow after him as he made his way off the set.

"Your friend is quite the actress," he offered, guiding Killian through hallways and doors hidden behind the main stage.

"Yes, yes she is," Killian agreed. He was silent for a long moment before he added, "She's also one hell of a screenwriter too, although, she would probably never admit that herself."

"She writes too?" the legendary director clarified, sounding mildly interested by this piece of information.

"She does, yeah. Or, at least, she has. She's just sold her first screenplay to Lionsgate Films. They're hammering out some of the finer details now."

"Interesting," the other man mused, and Killian really hoped that he hadn't overstepped by sharing that information with Emma's director. After all, it wouldn't be the first time an actor had more than one project on the books at the same time, so it really shouldn't change a thing.

Killian finally got his chance to meet the rest of Emma's castmates a little over an hour later, when they joined the small group for brunch at a restaurant not far from the studio. While his best friend would be headlining the movie, she was joined by three other truly wonderful actors.

Merida was a fellow European immigrant trying to navigate the unusual waters of Los Angeles while she attempted to make the most of her big break in Hollywood. As a Scottish woman, she and Killian were able to trade stories of the times they'd been misunderstood by Americans, thanks to their unique accents.

August was playing the love interest opposite Emma's character, and while Killian had felt that initial stab of jealousy in his heart the moment his best friend had stepped into the other man's arms, as the day wore on, he began to worry less and less about the idea of someone else kissing the woman he loved. It was obvious that August wasn't harboring any romantic feelings towards Emma. Instead, the two of them seemed to share an almost sibling-like bond that made Killian feel as though his best friend were in the best of hands.

And then there was Arthur. Killian wasn't entirely sure what he thought of Arthur just yet. Before they had left the house that morning, Emma had warned him that Arthur was the one person she hadn't yet managed to fully bond with amongst the cast and crew. Now that he had met the guy, Killian could see why. The other man was perfectly polite to everyone at brunch, but he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that Arthur was holding a large part of himself back from everyone else in the room.

"Is he always like that?" Killian asked, once they were shut safely inside the car, ready to head back to their home.

"Yeah. I don't think it's because he dislikes us, I just think maybe he needs a little bit more time to be sure he can trust us before he starts offering up his secrets," Emma suggested.

"That makes sense. This industry isn't exactly an easy one to get by in," Killian commiserated, as he threw the car into reverse and began backing out of their parking space.

"I was uh… I was thinking of maybe inviting them all to the New Year's party," Emma mused. "We'll still be shooting then, thanks to all the different holidays coming up, and I know a lot of them don't have family in the area. Even if they travel home for the holiday season, I thought extending an invite would be nice."

Killian's eyes flicked over to Emma's for just a brief moment before he reached out and took her hand into his own, holding it tightly against his thigh.

"I think that's a brilliant idea," he assured her, because it was exactly the kind of thing he'd expected from his best friend. She was always happy to extend a hand to anyone and everyone who needed it, and it was why she had such an incredible reputation in their industry. Emma was well known for always being warm and welcoming to everyone she worked with, no matter what they were shooting. She was hard to dislike, and now that he was thinking about it, Killian wasn't entirely sure he knew of anyone who didn't like his best friend.

"We should probably call your parents soon to invite them to this thing, though," he chuckled. "If not, they're gonna find out about it when other people start tagging you in posts about it on Instagram."

Emma snorted out a laugh as she relaxed her grip on his fingers, allowing Killian to shift gears while she kept her hand resting teasingly high on his thigh.

"I wasn't planning to wait that long," she defended, and then paused for a moment before she added, "Just long enough to work out how to tell my mom that we're together before my dad spills the beans."

While Killian kept his eyes focused studiously on the road ahead of them, Emma still noticed the way he swallowed hard at the reminder of the ultimatum David had issued to them both, just before they'd left her parents' house.

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