I went back to work, so sorry the updates stopped coming as frequently.

As always I own nothing.

Kara didn't get much opportunity to sit down and figure out the budget. While there was less chaos in her days since hiring Sam, that didn't mean things were completely calm.

Tuesday they'd ended up having about fifty background actors on set. She had Sam mostly maintaining their setup, but they went through stuff so fast that by lunch she had to send Nia to the store just so they wouldn't be completely boned at the start of Wednesday.

Then on Wednesday they had a company move halfway through the day. Those were always tough. They had to go in and set up, and then once they were done filming at the location, pack up and move to the next one. So, basically, it was like two days packed into one because they had to load and unload multiple times. It was more difficult than it needed to be because of Clark's equipment, she knew that.

Sam had worked with other crafty companies, and she told Kara what their operations were like. Everything was on carts, so they were completely mobile, and the trailers the other companies had were much nicer—and they had ramps to make everything easier. Every time Kara packed up snacks into a box so she could carry it back to the trailer she thought how nice it would be to just grab a cart as it was and push it back instead of spending ten minutes breaking down a table, and then an additional ten or so transporting it all back and forth. But she didn't see Clark making upgrades any time soon.

But since that took so much time they were completely slammed, and when Clark called her to ask why she hadn't sent over the budget, she was so busy she didn't even feel her phone vibrating in her pocket. She had to text him that the past couple of days had been a little too chaotic, and that she would get those numbers to him on Thursday.

So, on Thursday she was happy that they were going to be at a soundstage. Those days were always easier. She was able to park the trailer close to the building, and getting everything inside was relatively simple. And being inside meant air conditioning, meaning she would be going through exponentially less water and ice. Plus, she was able to have the ice trailer parked right near hers, and that meant she could actually have the ice trailer hooked up to power. Normally it was at basecamp, and it just sat there in the sun baking so that all the drinks inside were hot and the ice melted so quickly that she had to buy extra just to accommodate. But when it was plugged in the cooling system would actually work, and that would make her life infinitely easier.

Not to mention everything was in one place that day. She didn't have to drive a mile away to stock basecamp coolers. They were fifty yards from her own trailer. It was going to be an easy day, and they were there the next day as well. That meant it was a walk-away. They would simply clean up and drain and stock the coolers for the next day, then roll out and come in the next day completely set up. Which was great, because they still weren't being given a pre-call, and it was definitely screwing them over on a daily basis.

But that Thursday setting up was a breeze, and she was in the trailer working on the first pass-around not even an hour after call while the girls took care of set. It was easy enough, just a pesto-pasta salad with fresh veggies. The thing that took the longest was getting the water to boil for the pasta, but once that was rolling, she was flying. And thankfully the crew loved it. The first round she did was gone within seconds, and then she was running back to the trailer to cup up more.

After that things honestly started to move pretty slowly for them. People weren't out in the heat, so they weren't going through water nearly as fast, just as she expected. And for once, hot coffee was more popular than iced coffee. Really that was all that needed to be done on set besides stocking something every now and then. It was getting close to lunch, so people were about to be fed a full meal. Sam had set handled, and Nia had gone to the trailer to clean and organize.

It was one of those rare days when things were going right, and she felt like she was able to take a step back for a moment because she didn't feel like she was constantly playing catchup. So, she grabbed her backpack with her laptop from the front seat of the truck and went inside to find a quiet place to go over the budget.

Thankfully the soundstage had its own WiFi, and she'd done shows there before, so her laptop connected to the network automatically. She instantly set up music and plugged in her headphones so she wouldn't blow a take once they started rolling again, for some reason not able to concentrate without something blasting in her ear besides the walkie chatter or the crew moving around her.

She logged into the account for the credit card and entered the few receipts she had and finalized those so that she could add it to the ever-growing running total she had to send to Clark. Then she set to work with going through the photos on her phone, checking every credit card and petty cash cover sheet and writing down the totals. Then she added the ice purchase orders, winching at the amounts over the past three weeks and couple of days.

After she set about adding up the totals. With every number she typed in, her heart grew heavier and heavier. With the budget they had, they really only should have spent around $9,000 thus far. But $9,000 came and went only halfway through, and when she landed on her final total of over $17,000, she had to take a moment to stare blankly at the number on her phone as panic settled deep in the pit on her stomach.

She had the urge to yell, "Fuck!" as loudly as she possibly could, but she was still on set, and they were in the middle of a scene. Instead she quietly closed her laptop and slid it back into her backpack. She waited until they called cut to slip out the front door and go back to the truck to put her bag back inside. But she still felt panicky and wound up, so she went to the ice trailer and pulled open the door.

A blast of cold air hit her, and she climbed into the refreshing chill. Not all ice trailers were the same. Some had two compartments, one side that held drinks, and another that held the ice. Others were all one unit, just with a door in the back and a walkway along the inside that allowed a person to climb inside. This was one of those, thankfully, so Kara climbed into the portable freezer and closed the door just enough so that a crack of light poured through. She was worried for a second about getting locked inside, but even if she did, she realized she wouldn't have minded because she would have gotten a break, and she had her phone to call for help.

The whir of the freezer unit was loud, but not obnoxious. It was actually almost calming, like the white noise machine she used to help her fall asleep before it broke and she never bothered to buy a new one. Not to mention the coolness of the dark, cramped, freezer was a welcome contrast to the heat outside. While they were filming in the sound stage, she still had to run back and forth to the trailer, and even those brief periods outside were too long.

It was nice, taking a moment to cool off and be in peace, even if just for a second. She used the flashlight function on her phone to look around the trailer at their stock. They had a good bit of water, LaCroix, and Gatorade, but she knew how quickly her crew would deplete the stash. There was nearly $800 of drinks and ice in the trailer, yet she knew she would have to buy at least $500 for the next day, and that was pretty much their entire daily budget right there.

She didn't know what to do, but she hoped Clark would. And she also hoped he wouldn't be angry she'd let things get so out of hand. But the only way to know was to call him. So, she begrudgingly opened the door to the trailer and walked back out into the blinding sun.

"Good morning," Clark said in greeting when he answered her call. "How's it going?"

"I'm fucked," was all she said.

Clark was silent for a moment, then in a worried voice said, "What do you mean?"

"Clark, we've spent over $17,000 so far," she said, her own voice high and strained.

"What?" Clark asked incredulously. "How?"

"Water and drinks," Kara said flatly. "I'm spending almost double the daily budget on those things alone."

"What the hell?" he asked, then again he asked, "How?"

"Dude, that's just what it takes," Kara told him. "We get this huge order in the morning, and by the end of the day, it's almost all gone."

"What are you buying from them?"

"The usual stuff: water, ice, LaCroix, Gatorade." She walked over to Clark's trailer and poked her head inside, finding it neat and tidy with Nia nowhere in sight. She breathed a sigh of relief at that. At least that was one thing she didn't have to worry about, her crew doing what they needed to do.

"There's your problem right there," Clark said in a matter-of-fact tone. "LaCroix and Gatorade are expensive. Start by not buying that anymore."

Kara was silent, then hesitantly said, "Clark, I can't. Those things are more popular than bottled water and soda half the time." She walked into the trailer and leaned against the prep table, standing directly in the line of the pathetic wisps of air from the trailer's ancient AC unit.

"Yeah, but they're not necessary," Clark shot back, though not in a harsh tone. "And just stop shopping for a couple of days. Use what you have on-hand."

"We barely have anything, though," Kara said. "We're going through shit like crazy. Seriously, it's unreal. We can't stop shopping all together. We still need things."

"Well, just buy cheaper stuff. Off-brand everything. Peanuts and pretzels instead of almonds and dried fruit. No more sandwich meat. If people want sandwiches, they can make peanut butter and jelly."

These were not the answers Kara was hoping for. These weren't solutions, at least not ones that would work. "Clark, no one's going to be happy. They don't want that crap. They want name-brand, and they want good, healthy snacks. That's what we're going through to most of—the dried fruit, granola, fancy nuts. You know what film people are like. They're spoiled as fuck. And they hate catering, so we're going through sandwich stuff at lightning speed."

"Well you can't do that anymore. Not on a lower budget show like this," Clark tried to reason.

"But this isn't a lower budget show," Kara said. "It's area standard. We're literally making top dollar. There's a budget, it's just not going to us. And that's the problem. People are expecting area standard crafty, but we're trying to operate on an indie budget."

"That's the budget we got," Clark said with an air of indifference. It was crazy how he could go from concerned to not giving a fuck at the drop of a hat. "You're the key, you gotta try to make it work."

"Yeah, but if I try the way you're proposing, no one's gonna be happy," Kara said. And she already knew the AD staff weren't her biggest fans. Plus she'd gone way over budget, so no doubt the higher ups wouldn't be happy about it. Then she had to add insult to injury by delivering shittier food? Clark was going to get them fired. "People really like what we've been putting out. I'd hate for that to change. I at least want people to be happy."

"Well, maybe you can start buying nicer stuff again if you get things back on track, but for now this is what you have to do," Clark said, a hint of finality in his voice. "Copy?"

Kara's jaw tightened, but she answered with a hollow, "Copy."

"Other than that, is everything okay?" Clark asked, his mood already sounding like it was lifting. Kara, on the other hand, felt her spirits sinking lower and lower by the second.

"Yeah, it's good. Sam's been a great addition to the team, and people like the food we've been putting out," she told him, finally pushing off the prep table and walking to the back of the trailer, staring into the empty sinks. "I don't know what I'll pass now, though."

"Easy, cheap stuff. Pop some popcorn and pass that around, inexpensive things like that."

Popcorn? Really? That wasn't a pass-around. That was something they put in a bowl on one of the tables to add stuff to it. Not as a substantial snack for crew. But she just swallowed her complaints and grumbled a low, "Copy."

"You can do it," Clark said. "Just budget better, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Kara said, her shoulders sagging and her dread curling in her stomach. This conversation had been the exact opposite of helpful.

When they hung up, Kara hanged her head and closed her eyes, took off her hat, and leaned onto the sink, gripping the rim tightly. She took in deep breaths to calm herself, to try to push down the anxiety that threatened to overwhelm her. She tried to clear her head, to focus on the roar of the generator motor outside or the low hum of the trailer AC. She counted to ten in her head, then did it again, and again.

She was so focused on not freaking out that she didn't notice someone had walked into the trailer, didn't realize there was someone walking towards her until she heard a soft, tentative, "Kara?"

The blonde jumped slightly, her pulse racing as her brain automatically recognized the source of that voice. Even though she was still on edge, a smile instantly made its way to her face as she turned to see Lena standing there with a question in her eyes and concern etched across her features.

She was wearing a black dress and yet another pair of heels, once again making Kara feel inadequate with how gorgeous she looked. Whoever did Lena's hair and makeup were geniuses, because they always somehow made her look more stunning than normal. Today her makeup was dark and smokey, and her hair was in waves cascading down her back. She looked so beautiful Kara momentarily forgot all of her problems, because all she could think about was how good Lena looked in that dress, but how much better she would look out of it.

"Are you okay?" Lena asked, clasping her hands in front of her and pulling nervously at her fingers.

"I am now that you're here," Kara responded, the corners of her mouth lifting into a smile again. "Hang on." She ducked around Lena and went to the door of the trailer, grabbing it and pulling it closed. There was a latch on the inside, and Kara slid it into place. She never locked the door to the trailer, but she wanted to be safe when it came to Lena, not sorry. "I do need a hug, though."

Lena gave a small smirk as she crossed the trailer before wrapping her arms around Kara's neck. The blonde's arms went to her waist, snaking around it and pulling her in for a near bone-crushing hug. They stayed there for a moment, wrapped up in each other until Lena pulled away slightly, her hands going to Kara's cheeks and cupping them sweetly.

"I think this is the most I've seen you since we took our photo together Monday," Lena said, biting her lip briefly.

"I know," Kara said with a groan, dropping her forehead to Lena's. "I'm sorry. It's been crazy."

Lena leaned back and snorted. "Kara, don't apologize. You were doing your job. We were both doing our jobs." She finally took a step back, out of Kara's arms, but she made sure to grab hold of her hand instead. "Honestly, this is the first chance I've had to step away since that morning. The only reason I do now is because they didn't need me until ten, and then I got ready, and I've just been told they're running behind and it'll be another forty-five minutes before they're ready for me on set, if they get to my first scene before lunch at all." She shrugged. "So I had a little downtime, and I figured seeing you was more interesting than sitting in my trailer by myself." She blushed briefly, realizing she'd picked up Kara's habit of talking too much when she was nervous—and she was always at least a little nervous around Kara. "Sorry," she muttered shyly. "Now I'm the one rambling for a change."

"It's fine," Kara said with a small laugh. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you stopped by." She squeezed Lena's hand, looking down at their intertwined fingers. She thought about telling Lena that she'd been missing her the past couple of days, but she was afraid to do so. After all, they'd seen each other in passing. It wasn't like they'd had no contact. Besides, it had only been a couple of days since their last interaction. Admitting to missing her would possibly be coming on too strong, and she didn't want to do that—didn't want to scare off the actress. So instead she said, "I needed the distraction."

Lena narrowed her eyes slightly, regarding the blonde carefully. "What's going on?"

Kara sighed and looked up again, locking eyes with Lena. "We have no fucking money."

"What do you mean?" Lena's brow furrowed with confusion.

"I mean the budget for craft services is a joke, and I'm spending nearly three times that a day, basically because of drinks and ice, and now my boss wants me to stop buying LaCroix and Gatorade to compensate. But that's what people are drinking the most of, so there's no way I can do that without pissing people off. And certain people on crew hate me already, so I don't want the whole crew to hate me, too," she rattled off, barely taking time to pause for breath. "And that's not even counting the food, which is expensive as fuck, too, because everyone on set apparently has expensive taste. It's like at this point I have to choose whether or not I'm going to feed people or hydrate them, and even if I cut one of those completely, I'm still in the hole." The blonde began shaking her head fiercely, her ponytail swinging behind her. "I don't know how we're going to make it to the end of the show when our whole budget's almost gone."

Lena shook her head as well, flabbergasted. "That's ridiculous. You can't stop buying things. Your setup has looked amazing. There's so much variety, and your pass-arounds have been delicious. These things obviously take money. Why are they not giving it to you?"

It didn't make any sense. This was the highest-paying role Lena had ever landed, so obviously there was money somewhere. To her it seemed her salary was unnecessarily high, especially considering she was already rich. Why did she have to make so much if it meant departments would have so little?

"I wish I knew," Kara said, finally removing her hand from Lena's to throw both of hers up in exasperation. "But I seriously don't know what to do." She set them down at her sides and shrugged, her face falling.

Lena didn't know what to tell her. She had no idea, either. But surely there was some solution, somewhere. She was about to tell Kara so, to wrap her arms around her again and hold her close and promise her everything would be okay. However, the handle of the trailer door jiggling and someone struggling to open it got both of their attentions, and Kara rushed to unlock it.

When it swung open, Nia walked in, frowning deeply. "What the hell is wrong with the door?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I dunno, guess it got stuck," Kara said innocently, and Lena was impressed at her ability to lie so easily. "You know how shitty this trailer is. I'm surprised the whole door hasn't fallen off yet."

"Amen," Nia said, rolling her eyes, then looked around Kara and suddenly noticed Lena. "Oh, uh, hi," she said hesitantly, her eyes wide when she realized cast was in the trailer. "Did you need anything?"

Lena quickly shook her head. "No, I was just leaving, actually," she said, ducking her head to hide her blush. "Goodbye," she told Kara quietly before scurrying out the door as quickly as she could on her heels.

Kara's shoulders instantly fell once she was gone, the anxiety back once again with Lena no longer around to distract her from it.

"Should I go shopping now?" Nia asked, only causing the anxiety to spike.

"We can't go shopping," Kara said, a tightness forming in her chest.

"Why not?" Nia asked, obviously confused.

"Because, Nia," Kara said, ready to launch into the spiel again, "we fucked the budget."

When Lena got to set, she went straight to video village. That's where the director's chair was set up, along with producers and such. There were a couple of producers on set with them regularly, Harrison "Harry" Wells and Morgan Edge. She'd barely spoken to either of them, and she didn't know if they'd be open to talking money with her. But she had to try. She was going to try. Until she saw the UPM walk up and decided he was a better option. He was open, way more friendly. She intercepted him before he got to the village.

"Got a minute?" she asked J'onn.

He nodded. "Sure, what's up?"

"So, I was just wondering… if there's a reason crafty's budget is so low," she said slowly, carefully. She didn't want to overstep or get Kara in trouble, but she also knew that if she pushed for something it was more likely to happen. After all, one of the benefits of being a star was that people listened to her.

"That's what the producers wanted to spend on crafty," J'onn said, letting out a deep sigh. The look on his face told him he knew this had been coming. "It's not enough, is it?"

Lena shook her head a little. "No, not really. I mean, you've seen the spread they've been putting out. Does it look cheap?"

"No, it looks amazing," J'onn said as an answer. "I figured they were over, but everyone's been pretty happy, so I haven't worried too much." He searched her face for a moment, obviously curious why she had a sudden interest in craft service's budget. "Do you know something I don't?"

Lena froze for a second, realizing she had to choose her words carefully. "Kara and I have become friendly, and she just mentioned in passing she was concerned about the budget, so I was wondering." She shifted her weight awkwardly from foot to foot, her face growing hot. How was it that she was an actress, that she lived a lie every day, yet telling this particular lie made her feel like she had a spotlight on her?

"I don't get why these guys don't want to pay for anything," J'onn muttered, keeping his voice low as his dark eyes glanced at the two producers, sitting in their chairs with—wouldn't you know it—LaCroix's in their hands. "It's not like there's no money. There's tons of money, they're just not wanting to spend it." He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "I'll talk to them, see what I can do."

"I'll speak up myself if I have to," Lena said honestly. "Maybe they'll listen if it comes from me." She crossed her arms over her chest, but not too tightly as to wrinkle her wardrobe. "Kara… and the other girls… have just been doing such a great job. I would hate for them to not be able to deliver to the best of their abilities simply because they don't have the money. If I have to put up some myself—"

"Lena, no," J'onn said, stopping her quickly. "There is money. Harry and Morgan are just being stingy with it. I'll see if I can get them to loosen their grip on some of it."

"Great," Lena said, smiling at him appreciatively.

She hoped he could figure it out with them, hoped they would agree to give crafty more money without her saying another word about it. Because the less she involved herself with Kara's affairs the better. She knew that, but she couldn't just sit idly by and let Kara drown, either. And no, Kara hadn't asked for her help, but she didn't need to. Lena didn't even offer it, simply gave without a second thought. But she really, really hoped this would be the end of her involvement. Because as much as she wanted to help Kara, she didn't want Kara to know about it. She didn't know how the blonde would respond to her meddling, whether she'd be appreciative or angry for getting J'onn involved. No, it was better if she didn't integrate herself anymore.

But dammit, she knew she would if she had to.

As the twelfth hour approached Kara began to get nervous. They'd be owing second meal soon, and Lena had said they'd been behind schedule. That meant the probability of them doing it was very high. And while that technically didn't come out of their budget, it still was paid for on their card. And obviously money was stretched too thinly to go out and buy over $600 worth of food. So, she needed them to wrap, and she needed them to do it soon.

She was putting the dishes away that she'd washed from their second pass-around when J'onn walked into the trailer. Kara immediately froze when she saw him, her heart dropping to her stomach.

"Second meal?" she asked weakly, trying not to sound too displeased with the idea.

"No, we're going to wrap in the next forty-five minutes," J'onn told her with a soft smile. "So don't worry about that."

"Oh, okay," Kara said, her shoulders sagging with relief. "So, what's up, then? Can I get something for you?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to you about the budget," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I heard you're a little over."

Kara's jaw tightened involuntarily, and she became guarded. "Um, just, like… Almost double." She winced, waiting for the anger to come from her superior.

But he was more stunned than anything. "Really?"

"It's the heat, J'onn," Kara said, a little too defensively. "Keeping people hydrated is really expensive."

"I know, I know," J'onn said softly. "That's not your fault. You weren't given what you needed to succeed financially."

"I—" Kara stared at him for a moment, taken aback. "Thank you."

J'onn gave another smile. "I've talked to producers, and they've agreed to do whatever it takes to keep crew happy." He looked to her pointedly, almost proudly. "They love what you've been putting out and didn't want it to go away. So, don't go crazy, but keep getting what you need and don't worry about the money. Okay?"

Kara blinked a few times, almost certain she'd heard him wrong. "I—uh, okay. Yes, sir."

The moment he was out of the trailer Kara dashed to set, rounding up Nia and Sam and dragging them outside to the back of the building.

"What the fuck, dude?" Sam asked. "What's got you so hype? We're broke, remember?" She rolled her eyes, still bitter from when Kara had told her the news at lunch.

"Not anymore," Kara said, beaming from ear to ear. "I just talked to J'onn, and apparently producers finally agreed to give us more money. He told us to get whatever we need to keep things going like we have been."

Nia's eyes brightened. "You mean—"

"I'm sending you shopping first thing in the morning, and you can go nuts—within reason," Kara finished for her.

"How the fuck did this happen?" Sam asked, though she was smiling.

"No idea, not gonna question it," Kara said with a shrug of her shoulders. She pulled her phone from her pocket and smirked at the girls. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm about to order a fuck ton of drinks and ice—Gatorade and LaCroix included."

"Yeah, suck it, Clark," Sam said loudly, holding up a hand for Nia to high five, and the brunette happily returned it.

Kara glanced back at them chatting happily about all the stuff Nia was going to buy the next day as she walked away to concentrate on the order. She walked into this show having nothing, and now she had everything. She had basically a bottomless budget and a solid team supporting her. And she had Lena, to top everything off.

She didn't know how this had suddenly become her life, a life where things actually went right, and she didn't constantly feel like she was in a tailspin. Because that was the exact opposite of how she'd been three weeks prior. But for once she didn't want to question the good things in her life, or wait for them to come to a catastrophic end. For once she just wanted to enjoy the happiness—the hope—for as long as she could.

Clark means well but is terribly misguided. Until next time.

DF