Jen sat silently, staring at the concrete floor of the sound stage. This wasn't going as wonderfully as she had planned. Maggie was hiding in the bathroom from Kari, who was now talking to Rembrandt about her "singing" career and a possible duet. Cleavant just sat in his chair and scowled at anyone who entered his range of vision. After trying to engage Cleavant in some form of conversation, Wade had decided to take a quick nap in the seat to Jen's right. Well, at least Quinn and Jerry seemed to be getting along together. Just then she felt someone sit down in the seat to her left and heave a heavy sigh. Jen looked up to see Quinn seated next to her, rubbing his hands over his face. She caught sight of a depressed Jerry sulking across the stage to some windowed offices. Scratch the last pair of doubles. Utterly dismayed, Jen returned her stare back to the floor and played with her necklace.
"What's that?" Quinn asked after a few minutes, causing Jen to jump a bit.
"What's what?"
"Your necklace. What's it of?"
Jen looked down at the pendant on the dog-tag chain that encircled her neck. She rolled the glass marble around in the flat silver lattice gate enclosing it.
"This?" She held up the pendant for him to inspect. "It's nothing really. Just a cheap piece of jewelry that I bought at the Natural History Museum in New York."
"For a piece of junk jewelry it's beautiful," Quinn commented as he twirled the multicolored marble between his fingers. "Why did you buy it?"
Jen blushed at the question and took the pendant from his hand.
"It reminded me of the vortex. The marble reflects all different shades of purple and blue and sometimes, it's just clear. Then the outside silver looks like a moon gate." She could feel her eyes glaze over as she stared at the sparkling orb.
"You really like the show, don't you?"
Jolted out of her spacing, she smirked at him.
"It took you that long to figure it out?"
Quinn chuckled.
"I'm not that dense. It's just that I've seen die-hard fans of shows. I have been to some sci-fi conventions, but not for long. You stick out like a sore thumb if you don't have a costume. But when you were just talking, you just left. You were a million universes away. You're really into all this."
"Sometimes it's just easier to believe in this."
"Why? What I'd give for a normal life right now."
"You'd get too bored. But your world. All the possibilities. The fantasies and dreams."
"The dangers and nightmares. It's not all good, Jen. It's not dull, but it's never restful. You're always on the go. Always adapting. Never knowing the future."
Jen stared blankly down at the floor again. She knew the dangers; she saw them every Friday on TV. But…
"I would just like to see one world. Just one. To see what it's like. How it would feel. All those worlds. I could see so many things for real. Meet Alec Ramsay and the Black. See a superhero in action. I've just seen it so many times on TV…"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rant, but I just get so tired." Quinn slumped down in the chair and cradled his head in his hands. "I'm just so very tired."
"I'll go find Mr. Giltomas. He might have some beds set up or at least some coffee."
Jen rose out of the folding chair and left the dosing Wade and stressed-out Quinn. This wasn't going as she planned at all.