PHEW!! its great 2 b back!! its been SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long since i've
updated!! (sry) but heres a long chapter 4 ya's!! a lot happens, 2, so make
sure not 2 skip anything important!!
btw. if anyone is getting technical, i KNOW richard vey's last name is actually ney. but vey just sounds better. doesn't it? i think so. but anyway, here's the next chapter!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What's got you so worried, Greer?" asked Darunia as the two of them walked into Bette Davis's party.
"I'm afraid that Zelda is going to do something drastic," Greer said. Then she stopped walking and faced Darunia. "You're friends with Link Harker, aren't you? Has he been....telling you anything lately?"
Darunia stared at her, wondering what she was trying to ask. "Um, he said that he just declined the lead in Casablanca, and that his pet cat died the other day and that.... oh yes, he's recently purchased a second yacht."
"Oh, that bloody actor!" Greer cried, startling the butlers awaiting them at the door. Daruina and Greer walked into the grand domain and handed their coats to a nearby employee. "Darunia, didn't he mention to you that he's been having a hidden affair with Zelda Jones?!"
"Nooo....."
"I don't believe his nerve!" Greer cried. "This has been going on for quite some time, and he didn't tell you!? Darunia, you know the gravity of this entire situation, don't you?"
"You mean Rick Blaine?"
"NO! I mean the whole Zelda-Link-romancey thing!"
"Well personally, I don't see any harm in it," Darunia said, shrugging. "In spite of the fact that Link is already married--although unhappily--I can't exactly see why this is a bad thing. Would you mind telling me why it's bothering you?"
"You oblivious, ignorant idiot!" Greer whispered sharply, pulling Darunia into an empty room. "Don't you read Variety? Who are the biggest rivaling families in Hollywood? Surely you know that one."
"Oh, I know this!" Darunia said. "Uh....are the Barrymores one of them?"
"The Harkers and the Joneses, you fool! They've been rivals ever since Vaudeville, and we all know how long ago that was! If Madeline Jones found out that her daughter was seeing Link Harker, she'd murder Zelda within two seconds!"
"Now that's a bit of an exasperation," Darunia said.
"Oh, all right," Greer sighed. "She wouldn't KILL her, but something terrible would happen! And if the secret ever leaked out, it would be spread all over the papers! People would eat them up! And I want Zelda to learn this is all a big slip-up before the whole world knows about it!"
"Relax, it's no big deal," Darunia said calmly. "You know that Harker fellow. He 'falls in love' with every actress he does a movie with. I'm his sole psychiatrist. He tells me everything. And besides, everybody is entitled to make mistakes, aren't they?"
"Have you gone mad?" Greer asked him indignantly.
"No, I think YOU'RE the one who has gone mad."
Greer ignored him and kept going. "When any normal person makes an error, almost no one else finds out! It's a secret for themselves and a few people around them! But when someone like us makes a mistake, Darunia, it's all over the front page! We can't escape that!" She took a deep breath. "And another thing! Link is already married, doesn't that disturb you in the least??"
"Technically speaking, he's not really married."
"What's that supposed to mean??"
"He called me this morning and told me that Malon just filed for a divorce."
Greer's mouth dropped. ".....................no." With that, she ran out of the room and tried to find Link and/or Zelda. "They have to be here, Zelda is never late for an extravagant party like this!!....oh no, I really HAVE gone mad. I've started talking to myself again! GR!"
"Din! I didn't know you were here," Zelda said on the other side of the house. "How are you enjoying the party?"
The dancer stepped out of the corner she'd been standing in, and tried to wipe away at the tears that were flowing down her face. "It's a horror." She grimaced at Zelda's confused expression. "Didn't you see the paper today?"
"No, I didn't, I was busy all morning."
"Well take a look at it now!" Forcefully, Din shoved the paper in her face. "And if you're wondering why I'm carrying it around in my purse, you'd best not ask. I'd rather not say."
Zelda's eyes widened as she glanced at the headline: "Hungarian Dancer Accused of Robbery". She turned to face Din. "Robbery?! YOU?"
"That's why everyone's so terribly uptight around me," Din explained sadly. "They all think I'll steal their jewels right underneath their nose, but I wouldn't! I'm not a thief, I tell you! I was accused of this--this felony when I was living in Hungary .... I thought I could escape it by coming here."
"But apparently you couldn't," Zelda said, handing the newspaper back to her. She paused. "How did you get to America if everyone in Hungary thought you were a criminal?"
"I stowed away on a ship," Din explained. "There was no other way."
"I see..." Zelda said slowly. "This seems somewhat serious. What did you allegedly steal?"
"Some dia--" Din stopped mid-sentence and guided Zelda to a secluded corner near a large potted palm. "Some diamonds from one of the biggest jewel-makers in town. But I did not do it! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time! And now the Hungarian .... police know where I am, and I'll probably be killed!" She broke into a fit of sobbing hysterics.
"No, no, don't cry," Zelda pleaded, putting her arms around her and hugging her in a sisterly fashion. "All we need to do is prove your innocence .... we can try you here, in court, right? Uh......"
"ZELDA!! There you are, I've been searching for you all over the place!" came a sharp British voice from nearby. Din and Zelda turned around to see Greer stalking towards them. "All right, where's Link?"
Forgetting the conversation she'd just had, Zelda smiled widely. "He's getting a divorce from Malon! They're having a meeting now with their lawyers, and it'll all be over by tomorrow! Isn't that wonderful??"
"But doesn't it take months to get a divorce?" Greer asked.
"Yes, that's what I asked. Then Link told me he's been preparing papers for the longest time, even without Malon's consent. But neither of us expected her to be the one to file for the divorce."
After a short silence, Greer put on a strained smile. "Well....then! I am so... happy for you, if that's the....case."
"It's so nice to have a friend who cares!" Zelda gushed.
"So who is that you were just talking to?"
"Oh! I'm sorry, this is--" Zelda turned to introduce Din, but no one was there. In confusion, she looked around. "Oh no, she left! I was hoping to be able to introduce the two of you to each other."
"Wait a minute, was that that Hungarian dancer?" Greer asked. "Din? The one who robbed a--"
"Well, yes and no," Zelda sighed. "She's the dancer, but she isn't a criminal. She was .... framed, or something! She told me that she was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Zelda, she might not be telling the truth," Greer said uncomfortably. "How do you know she isn't lying?"
"I--I don't for sure," Zelda stammered. "But I don't think she's the type of girl who would lie to me."
Greer sighed. "Well now she'll have two police systems after her, and I don't think there's any evidence pointing in her favor. That's what the article said, anyway. But we don't know whether she herself is lying or telling the truth, Zelda. You never know these days."
The two of them stared at each other in disdain for a while, each wanting to explain to the other what their beliefs were exactly.
"I think I'll go find Bette," Zelda finally muttered. "It's not polite to avoid a hostess at her own party."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hello?"
"Zelda?"
"Link!" Zelda slid off the bed and sat on a chair nearer to the telephone. "I've been waiting all morning for your call! Quick, tell me! How did last night go?" She frowned when there was a silence. "..... Link? ..... hello?"
"Let's just say that I hate the word allimony."
"ALLImony?!" Zelda asked incredulously. "For what you can get her for, you shouldn't have to give her a dime!! What in Mary's name does she need allimony for?!"
Link sighed again. "She's going to have a baby."
Zelda dropped the phone from shock. She could hear Link's voice calling from the other end of the phone on the floor, wondering where she'd gone. Slowly, Zelda picked it up again and said, "How much? How much allimony did that hideous animal ask you for, anyway?"
"She--She wants ten grand."
"Ten thousand dollars?!" Zelda asked in disbelief. "I can't--that's inconceivable!! Ten thous--she's going to be re-married in no time, anyway!"
"She's a conniving monster, that's what she is," Link huffed scornfully. "Tearing everything she can out of my wallet. Not like I can't afford it, but I still can't get over the fact that she asked for that much."
There was a silence. Then Zelda asked, "How much longer is she going to be staying in your house?"
"Just 'til the end of the week. She's got an apartment to stay at, so...." There was another uncomfortable pause. "I'd better go," Link finally said. "I'm supposed to be down at breakfast in a couple minutes."
"All right....goodbye."
"Bye."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Three days later, Zelda was walking off the set of her movie with Nayru.
"Phew! All that dancing about has me pooped," Nayru sighed. "Wish I could get that Hungarian gal to give me a hand sometime."
"Din! Oh no, I've forgotten all about her! Have you seen her around, Nay?"
"Nope. Not all week. I know she likes to hang around the lot, but her scene's already been finished. Maybe she decided to quit coming."
Zelda was pretty sure that wasn't the reason.
"Um....I mean to tell you this earlier," Nayru said, fumbling a bit with something. "But you're supposed to be in Meyer's office right now. He and Gannondorf are in there now, and they said it was important."
Zelda shivered. "I wonder what they want with me....I haven't been doing anything wrong, have I?"
"Relax," Nayru told her. "It might not be a bad thing, y'know. I'll see you later, I'm heading for the Brown Derby."
"See you."
Nayru sighed as she saw her friend walk towards the office building. She knew what the meeting was about, but had been too afraid to tell Zelda herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well then, what's this all about?" Zelda asked politely, once arriving in Louis B. Meyer's office.
Meyer leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk and interlocking his fingers. "It's about your--it's about Link Harker."
Zelda's smile faded. "Oh. How did you find out about that?"
"Dear friend of Link's told us," Gannondorf asked us. "Y'know, Darunia. I don't think he meant it in a bad way, but it kind of slipped, and Mr. Meyer and I sort of think that it's a problem."
"Why?" Zelda blurted. "Why is it a problem?"
Meyer glanced at Gannondorf, then shifted his gaze back to Zelda. "My dear Ms. Jones, you know perfectly well 'why'. Yes, the chemisty is good for the selling of the picture, but there are more cons than pros in this situation. Even if Link just got his divorce, he's already been married twice and it appears that this romance has been going before he and his wife seperated. And also, I don't think that it's very good publicity for the studio."
"Now explain that one to me," Zelda said through clenched teeth.
"Simple," Gannondorf obliged. "You are a Jones, he is a Harker. Jones + Harker = big fight. Nothing like a family feud to break up a romance, I'm afraid."
"So now my life has turned into a Romeo and Juliet story, is that it?!" Zelda asked in rage.
"But it's true, Zelda!" Meyer insisted. "It won't look good on us for you to be together."
"So now everything I do reflects on the studio??" Zelda demanded. "I don't believe this! Does my life not belong to me?!"
"Yes, it is your life," Meyer consented. "But without me, that life can perish, go to waste, and then slowly diminish. I hold the strings, Jones, and it isn't wise to make me yank on them too hard." The mogul's expression was now so stern and red that it would scare the skin off of anyone--except Zelda.
"Why do you want to control me?!" Zelda cried. "You've got everyone! Gable, Lawford, Garland, and that ludicrous cartoon rabbit--anyone and everyone! It's like you say--more stars than there are in heaven! Why must you punish me out of everyone?!"
"We're doing this because we have to," Gannondorf said. "We don't want you to have to face your parents, either, Zelda. You know as well as we do that you can't just go about--"
"I am old enough to make my own decisions!" Zelda shouted, standing up in fury.
"We respect that, Zelda," Meyer said. "But the bottom line is that this affair with Harker has to end."
Biting on her lip to keep herself from crying, the actress ran out of the room and closed the door loudly behind her. Blindly, Zelda ran straight into the arms of her best friend.
"Zelda, I'm so sorry!"
Zelda lifted her head and stepped out of Greer's embrace, which she had just sped right into. "You .... you know what just went on in there?"
"Well yes, for two reasons," Greer sighed. "You three were shouting so loud, I'm sure that those in RKO could hear you .... and Nayru just came and told me why you were in that meeting."
"Do you mean to tell me that Nayru knew about this?" Zelda asked in shock.
"Yes."
"That--"
"But Zelda, this is all my fault!" Greer whimpered. "I'm the one who told Darunia about in the first place! If I hadn't said anything to him, he wouldn't have mentioned anything to Loxley and Meyer!"
Staring at her, Zelda's face began to turn a deep red again. "Why did you tell him?! WHY?!"
"I was worried about you!" Greer said. "I--I needed to talk to someone, I wanted somebody to help me put some sense into you!"
"Well you didn't do too well, Garson!" Zelda cried. "All you got me was a huge argument with my boss that could easily lose me my career and a REALLY bad mood! Thanks for being a friend!" Breathing heavily, Zelda turned on her heel and was about to walk away.
"Zelda--"
"Stop!" Zelda shouted, swinging her arm behind her and striking Greer's cheek. "From now on, I'd really appreciate if you'd just let my life be my life, and keep your nose out of my business!!"
With that, she ran as fast as she could out of the building.
She didn't know where to go for comfort. Zelda stopped outside the building and waited for an idea to come. Then she had it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'll get it!" Link called, as a knock sounded at his door. Not like Malon would've answered it anyway, and it was those stupid butlers' week off. He opened the door, and his mouth dropped in shock. "Zelda?!"
"Link!" She ran into the house and threw her arms about him. Tears were splashing onto his shoulder as the door swung shut. "L-Link, I'm--I'm-- "
"Calm down, Zel," Link said, prying her off of him and leading her onto a couch in the living room. "Please, just tell me what the problem is."
"Meyer knows what's going on b-between us," Zelda whispered, clinging to Link. "I just came out of a meeting with him, a-and he told me we've got to stop seeing each other! And I d-don't know what to do!"
Link tried to quiet her down. "S'okay, Zel. We can just keep this thing going. Some big-headed studio boss isn't going to come inbetween us. He can't break up love. Just 'cause he's so important makes him think he can get away with anything. You just calm down--it's all going to his head, I tell ya."
"B-but Link, he CAN get away with anything! You know that!"
"Not something like this," Link insisted quietly. He put his hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. "You don't have to worry."
Zelda shuddered and took a deep breath. Then she kissed him back--it seemed to reassure her a little. They stopped to catch their breath, and Link stood up.
"I've gotta be going," he said. "I'm supposed to go to the harbor. Bogart wanted me to come watch him in a boat race. You wanna come?"
Zelda stood as well. Then she looked upstairs. "Is Malon home?"
"Yes....."
"I'll meet you at the harbor," Zelda said distractedly, waving her hand at him. "I want to go have a word with your ex-wife."
Link shrugged with a sigh and headed out the front door. "Do whatever you want, Zel. It's your head, not mine."
Slowly and steadily, Zelda climbed up the grand staircase. She was going to have this out with Malon once and for all. She wasn't afraid. But she did freeze when she saw Malon standing at the top of the stairs.
"I thought I heard someone down there," Malon muttered, looking Zelda up and down. "So you're the one who made Link want to leave me, huh?"
"He wanted to leave you before he even met me," Zelda chuckled. "You made him suffer for what he didn't want. I'm making him happy for what he DOES want." She smirked at her.
Stiffening, Malon walked into another room and motioned for Zelda to follow. Cautiously, she did. Walking over to a small green purse, Malon opened it and got out a signed check. "This is what you want, isn't it? I haven't cashed it yet."
Zelda wanted to tell Malon she'd had no right asking for allimony from Link, but she knew that as a soon-to-be-mother, she had every right to. Zelda remained silent.
Laughing, Malon waved it in front of her. "I should've gotten this divorce a long time ago. Especially if Link already knows about the other little flings I've been having."
"You are more typical than I even dared to hope," Zelda growled.
"Well that goes double, sister," Malon laughed. "What did you come up here for, anyhow?"
"I understand that you need allimony," Zelda said quietly. "But I think that ten thousand dollars is a lot of money to ask for--even if you are becoming a mother."
"Ha! Look at the humble one! Listen honey, this baby is all a matter of opinion." Malon began to walk back to her purse.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zelda asked slowly, walking closer.
"Just as I say," Malon said sweetly. "In my opinion, I'm going to have a baby. But some may disagree with me." Now it was her turn to smirk.
Zelda stared at her. Then she struck out with her hand again and whacked Malon on the side of her head. "You animal! You monster!" As Malon tried to stand back up, Zelda reached down and took the check out of her hand.
"Give that back to me, Jones!" Malon whispered sharply, getting to her feet.
With a blank expression, Zelda tore the check slowly into small pieces. "Give what back to you?"
"You're skating on thin ice now, Jones!"
"No, you are!" Zelda said back. "Do you know what I could do to you for lying to the government about something like allimony?! You could be imprisoned for life! So don't even think of trying to get me in hot water, you understand?!"
Malon grimaced darkly at her. "You.....you....."
"You keep that thought," Zelda said, walking out of the door. Grinning to herself, she flew down the stairs and picked up a telephone. She asked the operator for Shirley Harker's number.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is Mrs. Harker there?"
"Hold on a moment, please." ..........
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Harker, wonderful to talk to you--"
"Who is this, may I ask?"
"The name is not important," Zelda said, a sound of triumph in her voice. "But the next time you see your son, tell him that he is ten thousand dollars richer than he was yesterday. Compliments of a dear friend. Good-bye."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N:
well, that was a lot, wasn't it? oi. ah well. plz review, everyone!!
btw. if anyone is getting technical, i KNOW richard vey's last name is actually ney. but vey just sounds better. doesn't it? i think so. but anyway, here's the next chapter!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What's got you so worried, Greer?" asked Darunia as the two of them walked into Bette Davis's party.
"I'm afraid that Zelda is going to do something drastic," Greer said. Then she stopped walking and faced Darunia. "You're friends with Link Harker, aren't you? Has he been....telling you anything lately?"
Darunia stared at her, wondering what she was trying to ask. "Um, he said that he just declined the lead in Casablanca, and that his pet cat died the other day and that.... oh yes, he's recently purchased a second yacht."
"Oh, that bloody actor!" Greer cried, startling the butlers awaiting them at the door. Daruina and Greer walked into the grand domain and handed their coats to a nearby employee. "Darunia, didn't he mention to you that he's been having a hidden affair with Zelda Jones?!"
"Nooo....."
"I don't believe his nerve!" Greer cried. "This has been going on for quite some time, and he didn't tell you!? Darunia, you know the gravity of this entire situation, don't you?"
"You mean Rick Blaine?"
"NO! I mean the whole Zelda-Link-romancey thing!"
"Well personally, I don't see any harm in it," Darunia said, shrugging. "In spite of the fact that Link is already married--although unhappily--I can't exactly see why this is a bad thing. Would you mind telling me why it's bothering you?"
"You oblivious, ignorant idiot!" Greer whispered sharply, pulling Darunia into an empty room. "Don't you read Variety? Who are the biggest rivaling families in Hollywood? Surely you know that one."
"Oh, I know this!" Darunia said. "Uh....are the Barrymores one of them?"
"The Harkers and the Joneses, you fool! They've been rivals ever since Vaudeville, and we all know how long ago that was! If Madeline Jones found out that her daughter was seeing Link Harker, she'd murder Zelda within two seconds!"
"Now that's a bit of an exasperation," Darunia said.
"Oh, all right," Greer sighed. "She wouldn't KILL her, but something terrible would happen! And if the secret ever leaked out, it would be spread all over the papers! People would eat them up! And I want Zelda to learn this is all a big slip-up before the whole world knows about it!"
"Relax, it's no big deal," Darunia said calmly. "You know that Harker fellow. He 'falls in love' with every actress he does a movie with. I'm his sole psychiatrist. He tells me everything. And besides, everybody is entitled to make mistakes, aren't they?"
"Have you gone mad?" Greer asked him indignantly.
"No, I think YOU'RE the one who has gone mad."
Greer ignored him and kept going. "When any normal person makes an error, almost no one else finds out! It's a secret for themselves and a few people around them! But when someone like us makes a mistake, Darunia, it's all over the front page! We can't escape that!" She took a deep breath. "And another thing! Link is already married, doesn't that disturb you in the least??"
"Technically speaking, he's not really married."
"What's that supposed to mean??"
"He called me this morning and told me that Malon just filed for a divorce."
Greer's mouth dropped. ".....................no." With that, she ran out of the room and tried to find Link and/or Zelda. "They have to be here, Zelda is never late for an extravagant party like this!!....oh no, I really HAVE gone mad. I've started talking to myself again! GR!"
"Din! I didn't know you were here," Zelda said on the other side of the house. "How are you enjoying the party?"
The dancer stepped out of the corner she'd been standing in, and tried to wipe away at the tears that were flowing down her face. "It's a horror." She grimaced at Zelda's confused expression. "Didn't you see the paper today?"
"No, I didn't, I was busy all morning."
"Well take a look at it now!" Forcefully, Din shoved the paper in her face. "And if you're wondering why I'm carrying it around in my purse, you'd best not ask. I'd rather not say."
Zelda's eyes widened as she glanced at the headline: "Hungarian Dancer Accused of Robbery". She turned to face Din. "Robbery?! YOU?"
"That's why everyone's so terribly uptight around me," Din explained sadly. "They all think I'll steal their jewels right underneath their nose, but I wouldn't! I'm not a thief, I tell you! I was accused of this--this felony when I was living in Hungary .... I thought I could escape it by coming here."
"But apparently you couldn't," Zelda said, handing the newspaper back to her. She paused. "How did you get to America if everyone in Hungary thought you were a criminal?"
"I stowed away on a ship," Din explained. "There was no other way."
"I see..." Zelda said slowly. "This seems somewhat serious. What did you allegedly steal?"
"Some dia--" Din stopped mid-sentence and guided Zelda to a secluded corner near a large potted palm. "Some diamonds from one of the biggest jewel-makers in town. But I did not do it! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time! And now the Hungarian .... police know where I am, and I'll probably be killed!" She broke into a fit of sobbing hysterics.
"No, no, don't cry," Zelda pleaded, putting her arms around her and hugging her in a sisterly fashion. "All we need to do is prove your innocence .... we can try you here, in court, right? Uh......"
"ZELDA!! There you are, I've been searching for you all over the place!" came a sharp British voice from nearby. Din and Zelda turned around to see Greer stalking towards them. "All right, where's Link?"
Forgetting the conversation she'd just had, Zelda smiled widely. "He's getting a divorce from Malon! They're having a meeting now with their lawyers, and it'll all be over by tomorrow! Isn't that wonderful??"
"But doesn't it take months to get a divorce?" Greer asked.
"Yes, that's what I asked. Then Link told me he's been preparing papers for the longest time, even without Malon's consent. But neither of us expected her to be the one to file for the divorce."
After a short silence, Greer put on a strained smile. "Well....then! I am so... happy for you, if that's the....case."
"It's so nice to have a friend who cares!" Zelda gushed.
"So who is that you were just talking to?"
"Oh! I'm sorry, this is--" Zelda turned to introduce Din, but no one was there. In confusion, she looked around. "Oh no, she left! I was hoping to be able to introduce the two of you to each other."
"Wait a minute, was that that Hungarian dancer?" Greer asked. "Din? The one who robbed a--"
"Well, yes and no," Zelda sighed. "She's the dancer, but she isn't a criminal. She was .... framed, or something! She told me that she was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Zelda, she might not be telling the truth," Greer said uncomfortably. "How do you know she isn't lying?"
"I--I don't for sure," Zelda stammered. "But I don't think she's the type of girl who would lie to me."
Greer sighed. "Well now she'll have two police systems after her, and I don't think there's any evidence pointing in her favor. That's what the article said, anyway. But we don't know whether she herself is lying or telling the truth, Zelda. You never know these days."
The two of them stared at each other in disdain for a while, each wanting to explain to the other what their beliefs were exactly.
"I think I'll go find Bette," Zelda finally muttered. "It's not polite to avoid a hostess at her own party."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hello?"
"Zelda?"
"Link!" Zelda slid off the bed and sat on a chair nearer to the telephone. "I've been waiting all morning for your call! Quick, tell me! How did last night go?" She frowned when there was a silence. "..... Link? ..... hello?"
"Let's just say that I hate the word allimony."
"ALLImony?!" Zelda asked incredulously. "For what you can get her for, you shouldn't have to give her a dime!! What in Mary's name does she need allimony for?!"
Link sighed again. "She's going to have a baby."
Zelda dropped the phone from shock. She could hear Link's voice calling from the other end of the phone on the floor, wondering where she'd gone. Slowly, Zelda picked it up again and said, "How much? How much allimony did that hideous animal ask you for, anyway?"
"She--She wants ten grand."
"Ten thousand dollars?!" Zelda asked in disbelief. "I can't--that's inconceivable!! Ten thous--she's going to be re-married in no time, anyway!"
"She's a conniving monster, that's what she is," Link huffed scornfully. "Tearing everything she can out of my wallet. Not like I can't afford it, but I still can't get over the fact that she asked for that much."
There was a silence. Then Zelda asked, "How much longer is she going to be staying in your house?"
"Just 'til the end of the week. She's got an apartment to stay at, so...." There was another uncomfortable pause. "I'd better go," Link finally said. "I'm supposed to be down at breakfast in a couple minutes."
"All right....goodbye."
"Bye."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Three days later, Zelda was walking off the set of her movie with Nayru.
"Phew! All that dancing about has me pooped," Nayru sighed. "Wish I could get that Hungarian gal to give me a hand sometime."
"Din! Oh no, I've forgotten all about her! Have you seen her around, Nay?"
"Nope. Not all week. I know she likes to hang around the lot, but her scene's already been finished. Maybe she decided to quit coming."
Zelda was pretty sure that wasn't the reason.
"Um....I mean to tell you this earlier," Nayru said, fumbling a bit with something. "But you're supposed to be in Meyer's office right now. He and Gannondorf are in there now, and they said it was important."
Zelda shivered. "I wonder what they want with me....I haven't been doing anything wrong, have I?"
"Relax," Nayru told her. "It might not be a bad thing, y'know. I'll see you later, I'm heading for the Brown Derby."
"See you."
Nayru sighed as she saw her friend walk towards the office building. She knew what the meeting was about, but had been too afraid to tell Zelda herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well then, what's this all about?" Zelda asked politely, once arriving in Louis B. Meyer's office.
Meyer leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk and interlocking his fingers. "It's about your--it's about Link Harker."
Zelda's smile faded. "Oh. How did you find out about that?"
"Dear friend of Link's told us," Gannondorf asked us. "Y'know, Darunia. I don't think he meant it in a bad way, but it kind of slipped, and Mr. Meyer and I sort of think that it's a problem."
"Why?" Zelda blurted. "Why is it a problem?"
Meyer glanced at Gannondorf, then shifted his gaze back to Zelda. "My dear Ms. Jones, you know perfectly well 'why'. Yes, the chemisty is good for the selling of the picture, but there are more cons than pros in this situation. Even if Link just got his divorce, he's already been married twice and it appears that this romance has been going before he and his wife seperated. And also, I don't think that it's very good publicity for the studio."
"Now explain that one to me," Zelda said through clenched teeth.
"Simple," Gannondorf obliged. "You are a Jones, he is a Harker. Jones + Harker = big fight. Nothing like a family feud to break up a romance, I'm afraid."
"So now my life has turned into a Romeo and Juliet story, is that it?!" Zelda asked in rage.
"But it's true, Zelda!" Meyer insisted. "It won't look good on us for you to be together."
"So now everything I do reflects on the studio??" Zelda demanded. "I don't believe this! Does my life not belong to me?!"
"Yes, it is your life," Meyer consented. "But without me, that life can perish, go to waste, and then slowly diminish. I hold the strings, Jones, and it isn't wise to make me yank on them too hard." The mogul's expression was now so stern and red that it would scare the skin off of anyone--except Zelda.
"Why do you want to control me?!" Zelda cried. "You've got everyone! Gable, Lawford, Garland, and that ludicrous cartoon rabbit--anyone and everyone! It's like you say--more stars than there are in heaven! Why must you punish me out of everyone?!"
"We're doing this because we have to," Gannondorf said. "We don't want you to have to face your parents, either, Zelda. You know as well as we do that you can't just go about--"
"I am old enough to make my own decisions!" Zelda shouted, standing up in fury.
"We respect that, Zelda," Meyer said. "But the bottom line is that this affair with Harker has to end."
Biting on her lip to keep herself from crying, the actress ran out of the room and closed the door loudly behind her. Blindly, Zelda ran straight into the arms of her best friend.
"Zelda, I'm so sorry!"
Zelda lifted her head and stepped out of Greer's embrace, which she had just sped right into. "You .... you know what just went on in there?"
"Well yes, for two reasons," Greer sighed. "You three were shouting so loud, I'm sure that those in RKO could hear you .... and Nayru just came and told me why you were in that meeting."
"Do you mean to tell me that Nayru knew about this?" Zelda asked in shock.
"Yes."
"That--"
"But Zelda, this is all my fault!" Greer whimpered. "I'm the one who told Darunia about in the first place! If I hadn't said anything to him, he wouldn't have mentioned anything to Loxley and Meyer!"
Staring at her, Zelda's face began to turn a deep red again. "Why did you tell him?! WHY?!"
"I was worried about you!" Greer said. "I--I needed to talk to someone, I wanted somebody to help me put some sense into you!"
"Well you didn't do too well, Garson!" Zelda cried. "All you got me was a huge argument with my boss that could easily lose me my career and a REALLY bad mood! Thanks for being a friend!" Breathing heavily, Zelda turned on her heel and was about to walk away.
"Zelda--"
"Stop!" Zelda shouted, swinging her arm behind her and striking Greer's cheek. "From now on, I'd really appreciate if you'd just let my life be my life, and keep your nose out of my business!!"
With that, she ran as fast as she could out of the building.
She didn't know where to go for comfort. Zelda stopped outside the building and waited for an idea to come. Then she had it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'll get it!" Link called, as a knock sounded at his door. Not like Malon would've answered it anyway, and it was those stupid butlers' week off. He opened the door, and his mouth dropped in shock. "Zelda?!"
"Link!" She ran into the house and threw her arms about him. Tears were splashing onto his shoulder as the door swung shut. "L-Link, I'm--I'm-- "
"Calm down, Zel," Link said, prying her off of him and leading her onto a couch in the living room. "Please, just tell me what the problem is."
"Meyer knows what's going on b-between us," Zelda whispered, clinging to Link. "I just came out of a meeting with him, a-and he told me we've got to stop seeing each other! And I d-don't know what to do!"
Link tried to quiet her down. "S'okay, Zel. We can just keep this thing going. Some big-headed studio boss isn't going to come inbetween us. He can't break up love. Just 'cause he's so important makes him think he can get away with anything. You just calm down--it's all going to his head, I tell ya."
"B-but Link, he CAN get away with anything! You know that!"
"Not something like this," Link insisted quietly. He put his hand on her cheek and kissed her softly. "You don't have to worry."
Zelda shuddered and took a deep breath. Then she kissed him back--it seemed to reassure her a little. They stopped to catch their breath, and Link stood up.
"I've gotta be going," he said. "I'm supposed to go to the harbor. Bogart wanted me to come watch him in a boat race. You wanna come?"
Zelda stood as well. Then she looked upstairs. "Is Malon home?"
"Yes....."
"I'll meet you at the harbor," Zelda said distractedly, waving her hand at him. "I want to go have a word with your ex-wife."
Link shrugged with a sigh and headed out the front door. "Do whatever you want, Zel. It's your head, not mine."
Slowly and steadily, Zelda climbed up the grand staircase. She was going to have this out with Malon once and for all. She wasn't afraid. But she did freeze when she saw Malon standing at the top of the stairs.
"I thought I heard someone down there," Malon muttered, looking Zelda up and down. "So you're the one who made Link want to leave me, huh?"
"He wanted to leave you before he even met me," Zelda chuckled. "You made him suffer for what he didn't want. I'm making him happy for what he DOES want." She smirked at her.
Stiffening, Malon walked into another room and motioned for Zelda to follow. Cautiously, she did. Walking over to a small green purse, Malon opened it and got out a signed check. "This is what you want, isn't it? I haven't cashed it yet."
Zelda wanted to tell Malon she'd had no right asking for allimony from Link, but she knew that as a soon-to-be-mother, she had every right to. Zelda remained silent.
Laughing, Malon waved it in front of her. "I should've gotten this divorce a long time ago. Especially if Link already knows about the other little flings I've been having."
"You are more typical than I even dared to hope," Zelda growled.
"Well that goes double, sister," Malon laughed. "What did you come up here for, anyhow?"
"I understand that you need allimony," Zelda said quietly. "But I think that ten thousand dollars is a lot of money to ask for--even if you are becoming a mother."
"Ha! Look at the humble one! Listen honey, this baby is all a matter of opinion." Malon began to walk back to her purse.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zelda asked slowly, walking closer.
"Just as I say," Malon said sweetly. "In my opinion, I'm going to have a baby. But some may disagree with me." Now it was her turn to smirk.
Zelda stared at her. Then she struck out with her hand again and whacked Malon on the side of her head. "You animal! You monster!" As Malon tried to stand back up, Zelda reached down and took the check out of her hand.
"Give that back to me, Jones!" Malon whispered sharply, getting to her feet.
With a blank expression, Zelda tore the check slowly into small pieces. "Give what back to you?"
"You're skating on thin ice now, Jones!"
"No, you are!" Zelda said back. "Do you know what I could do to you for lying to the government about something like allimony?! You could be imprisoned for life! So don't even think of trying to get me in hot water, you understand?!"
Malon grimaced darkly at her. "You.....you....."
"You keep that thought," Zelda said, walking out of the door. Grinning to herself, she flew down the stairs and picked up a telephone. She asked the operator for Shirley Harker's number.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is Mrs. Harker there?"
"Hold on a moment, please." ..........
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Harker, wonderful to talk to you--"
"Who is this, may I ask?"
"The name is not important," Zelda said, a sound of triumph in her voice. "But the next time you see your son, tell him that he is ten thousand dollars richer than he was yesterday. Compliments of a dear friend. Good-bye."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N:
well, that was a lot, wasn't it? oi. ah well. plz review, everyone!!