Chapter 3

Don pulled in to his apartment complex and grabbed all of his things from out of the car. He fumbled for the key to his mailbox and retrieved the flyers and inserts filling the box. Tucking the paper mound under his arm, he closed the box and trudged up the cement stairs to his two bedroom apartment. He threw everything on the table, kicked off his shoes, hung his keys beside the door and placed his gun and handcuffs on the counter. After he grabbed the next-to-last beer from the six pack in the fridge, he collected the script and a DVD. He placed the disc in the player and sat in the recliner facing the television.

As he flipped through the first few pages of the script, Shayne appeared on the screen. She sat in a dressing gown in front of a vanity table gazing out the small octagonal window of an upper room of a house. In the background two other women busied themselves with preparations. The first brushed and styled Shayne's long Auburn hair while the second lifted a white gown lying across the bed. Shayne stood and untied the belt as the silky fabric of her robe slipped from her shoulder to the floor. The second woman helped her into the dress and fastened the buttons down her back. Shayne stepped back, smoothed the skirt and straightened the sleeves. She glanced nervously in the mirror and regarded the reflections of the two women behind her. Both had tears in their eyes. Shayne turned back around but the camera's point of view remained. She walked toward the women who embraced her. Then, to Don's surprise, she spoke to them in perfect French. Don followed the spoken dialogue as well as he could but eventually relied on the subtitles; however, he soon found that knowing exactly what was being said wasn't necessary. Shayne portrayed precisely what needed to be known through her face and her actions.

He watched Shayne finish preparing for her wedding, in a dress that he soon learned had been made from the silk of an Allied parachute. She descended the steps and walked across the lawn of the house to a small chapel. She collected a bouquet of flowers from the garden outside and tied it with the ribbon that had been securing her hair. Two girls in similarly-constructed lilac colored dresses kissed her and preceded her into the church. Shayne followed them, alone, as a guitar began to play. The congregation stood and turned toward her, and the camera shifted to her point of view. She began the walk down the short aisle. As the tall, blonde haired man at the altar turned to face her, the shot changed and widened. A younger version of Shayne was crossing a meadow, picking flowers as she approached a tall, blonde man working in the adjacent field.

The story eventually unfolded that Shayne's character and this young man had been engaged during the Occupation of Northern France in 1942. Her fiancé Paul had been sent to a work camp along with most of the men in their costal town of Merville. Shayne's character, Claire, and the remaining residents of the town were pushed behind the Atlantic Wall and away from their homes. Claire's family retreated across the Bénouville Bridge, later known as Pegasus Bridge, through Ouistreham and east into Caen. There, they joined with relatives, friends and their countrymen attempting to survive the war. On June 7, 1944 during the Battle for Caen, Claire rescued a wounded soldier from the 27th Canadian Armoured Regiment and saved him from the massacre at the Abbaye d'Ardenne. After hiding the man with her own family among the inhabitant of Caen in the Abbaye-aux-Hommes, a makeshift refuge during the battle, she also nursed his wounds, keeping him alive with meager supplies for weeks. The battle continued for months, and during this time she engaged in a passionate love affair with him. Eventually, he was well enough to rejoin the Allied troops fighting within and around the city. In an emotionally charged scene, she smuggled the man through enemy lines to safety. He promised to return to her following the war. They exchange longing looks and she gives him her locket for remembrance and safekeeping.

The scene then moved forward to Paul's return following the liberation of Paris. He reunited briefly with Claire until he joins with the Allied forces fighting toward Germany before there was time for them to be married. When word arrived that Paul was missing and presumed dead, Claire left the rubble that was Caen for her home and threw herself into the routine of caring for the widows and injured in her village using supplies left by the Americans soldiers during the Battle of Normandy. She feigned celebration with the rest of the world on VE Day. For the next year, she politely rejected social invitations from all the men of the town, all the while holding out hope that one of the men had made it through the war and would be coming for her. In the penultimate scene of the film, Claire was working in her small vegetable garden when the camera panned back for a long shot showing a blonde man walking down the road toward her cottage. The man approached silently until he cast a shadow over her. His face is backlit in the sun so that the audience is unable to tell which man has returned. Finally, the scene switched back to the chapel where the man turns to finally reveal his identity. Daniel, the Canadian soldier took Claire's hand as she reached the altar. They knelt together as the ending credits rolled.

Don found himself surprised to realize that he had watched an entire foreign film, and even more so that he had enjoyed it. Charlie was right, Shayne was incredible and he had been unable to keep his eyes off of her.

Back in the real world the clock showed that it was a little after midnight, and his call time for the next day was 8:30. He took the last beer from the fridge and read the rest of the script. By the time he finished, he was in complete agreement with Shayne. It was amazing. This was definitely the type of film Don knew his friends would want to see, too. He reached for his phone and dialed Megan's number, even though it was after 1 am. She wasn't asleep.

"Hey, Don. What do you need?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to check in with you. I didn't have chance to call after this afternoon. Everything go okay?"

"Yeah. Absolutely. We spent most of the day reviewing case reports from the past six weeks. I think they're going to have us basically on desk duty until they finish the audits for last year, anyway. It's a good break for all of us."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I still feel bad about it, though."

"Don't. So how was your first day in Show Business? You kick it at the Viper Room tonight?"

Don laughed. "No Viper Room, but the first day went pretty well, I think."

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"They're shooting the first scenes. I have at least two that I'll have to be on hand for."

"Sounds pretty neat. I've always wondered what goes into making a film. Now you'll have all the inside info."

"Yeah, I guess so. Any more word on Colby?"

"No, not after you called. David was going to stop in on him after work, though. I'm sure there will be a report in the morning. I'll keep you updated."

"Ok, thanks, Megan. I'm gonna hit the sack. You should do the same."

"Tell me about it. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Don."

"Good night, Megan."

Don closed his phone and walked into his bedroom. He pulled off his shirt and unbuckled his pants, depositing them both in the overflowing hamper. He would have to remember to take his laundry with him the next time he went to Charlie's. It was cheaper and more convenient, although slower than the Laundromat. He pushed that thought out of his too tired mind and brushed his teeth. Two minutes later he fell into his bed, setting the alarm just before he dozed off.

At 8:10 the next morning, Don arrived at Sound Stage 3 on the Warner lot. He grabbed a bottle of juice from the catering table and looked around for Joe or Shayne. He saw Joe across the room, about 10 yards away. As he headed toward him, Shayne appeared from Wardrobe through the door on his right.

"Good morning, Don," she smiled as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Hey, Shayne. How's it going?"

"Pretty well, actually. We've already finished a scene." She informed him.

"Really? You guys work fast."

"They're dressing the set for your first sequence right now," she said. "I guess you were heading over there to meet up with Joe. I'll let you go."

"Thanks. I'd better get over there." He started to walk away but turned back to her. "Shayne?"

"Yeah, Don?"

"I have to take back something I said yesterday," he decided. Her brow furrowed as she waited for him to finish. "I watched your film last night, the French one. You are that good of an actress."

She blushed and lightly touched his arm. "Joe's looking for you."

Don nodded and walked away. He made his way over to Joe and found out what the plan was for the next scene. Joe explained how the shoot would go and what he expected from Don. They began the filming and Don actually got caught up in the action. He was able to provide insight and instruction that added to the authenticity of the segment. When the scene wrapped they moved on to the next, where Don finally got to see Shayne in action.

As he approached the set, he was surprised to find that the rooms set out in front of him looked exactly like the Safe Houses where he'd had to place witnesses for protection in the past. Watching the actors take their places outside of and around the interior of the room, his mind drifted back to Dr. Karen Fisher and how he had almost failed to protect her following the prison bus wreck. That thought made him even angrier with the whole situation. He should be working cases not fooling around here! Still, he had to admit that the scenery around here was much better than what he normally dealt with on a daily basis.

Shayne crossed in front of where he was standing to find her mark for the next take. The other actors positioned themselves and waited for Billy's instructions.

He marveled as he watched Shayne control the situation. When the cameras were rolling she ceased to be the blushing, shy girl that he often saw when he looked at her. Here, in her element, she was strong and confident, like the girl who had held his emotions captive the night before. She and Gareth led the raid on the smugglers' warehouse and an intense firefight ensued. Don was also pleased to notice how well both "agents" handled the weapons, as well as the physical aspects of the roles they were playing. Neither used a stand-in and both were very convincing in their portrayal. Combined with the script, things were really shaping up well. At least Don felt they were.

Around 1:30 they broke for lunch. Don took that chance to check in again with Megan and the team. She assured him that everything was fine back in the real world. He hung up grudgingly and decided to call Charlie and leave a message about the laundry. Before he could do so, Shayne breezed past him and unlocked the Highlander Hybrid parked beside his Suburban. She didn't notice him as she dialed a number on her phone. He didn't hear what she said, but she hung up a few seconds later. It was at this point when she saw Don standing at his vehicle.

"Hey, Don! I didn't see you there. You have plans for lunch?" she asked.

He scratched his head. "I don't have to be back until 2:30, so I thought about stopping in at the office, but I just called Megan and she said that all they're doing is paperwork. I don't want to get in on that, so no, no plans."

"I don't have to be back until then, either. I was going to drive back to the house and grab lunch, maybe a swim. You wanna join me?"

"Do we have time for that?"

"I think so, but we'd better hurry. Here, hop in." She hit a button to unlock the passenger side door. Don opened the door and climbed in beside her place. She joined him and backed out of the lot. As they turned west toward the Hills, Don asked her exactly where they were going.

"Vince's house on Mulholland Drive. It was Marlon Brando's."

Don played dumb. "Vince?"

Shayne kept her eyes forward, "Vincent Chase, my boyfriend. He's on location in New Zealand and I'm staying there, at least while he's gone."

"Sounds pretty serious," pried Don.

"It's Hollywood, Don. Nothing's ever that serious, and you can't trust anyone but your agent, and half the time you can't even trust him. But we've been seeing each other for about six months, and I'd kind of been living there anyway, so when he left he said I should stay and look after the place, plus he knew I was going to be working here this month."

"I see." Don was dying for a subject change. "So, that movie I watched last night, you were amazing." She tried to stop him, but he brushed her off, "Honestly, Shayne. I know I don't watch that many movies, just whatever's on at 2 am, but if there were more acted like that, I just might."

"Seriously, Don, I'd rather not discuss my work. It makes me really self-conscious."

"It was good work, though. You have a right to be proud of it."

She looked at him for a second but quickly put her eyes back on The 101, making sure not to miss the Coldwater Canyon exit. After another ten minutes of silence they approached the gate of the large Old Hollywood home on a vast, manicured ground. She punched in the access code and continued down the driveway to the house. She parked the car, but Don grabbed her hand before she got out.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know you didn't. It's hard sometimes, all the critics and everything. I guess you just put up this shield around yourself in some way. Everyone has a way to deal with it. I just don't talk about it." He nodded, but she continued. "It means a lot to me that you took the time to watch it and that you appreciated it. Thank you." She finally smiled.

Don smiled back at her and nodded. The got out of the car and went into the house. Don whistled at the size and plush interior. He especially liked the plasma screens, some the size of movie house screens, in most of the rooms. At the end of the tour he had counted at least four bedrooms.

"How many people actually live here?" he asked.

"Well, there's Vince, of course and his manager Eric Murphy. Everyone calls him "E." Then there's Vince's brother Johnny Chase, better known as "Drama." He's done a good bit of work over the years: Viking Quest, 90210, Pacific Blue, and tons of other TV stuff in the 90's, and he's in Vancouver right now shooting an Ed Burns series or mini-series or something. The last guy is Turtle. He's the driver and pretty much miscellaneous go-to guy. He's hoping to get into the music business managing clients. They all grew up together in Queens."

"So it's you and these four guys?"

"Well, like I said, Vince is in New Zealand and E is with him. Turtle went to Vancouver with Drama. So it's just me. Oh, and Jack Nicholson uses the gate to get in to his place, too."

"How long are you going to be alone?"

Shayne shrugged. "Vince and E aren't supposed to get back until February or March and I have no idea about the other two." They stopped in the kitchen and Shayne pulled out salads and tuna to make sandwiches. "Is this okay?" she asked. Don nodded and she fixed them both one of each. She then grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and showed him to the deck overlooking Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.

"Wow, my place is a little closer to the studio, but this view has me beat."

Shayne smiled. "I know. It's amazing, isn't it? If you'd told me 10 years ago, even 5 years ago that I'd be sitting on Marlon Brando, or Vincent Chase's back deck on my lunch break from shooting a movie," she trailed off and looked out over the landscape. "I guess it goes without saying that I never would have believed you."

"It's kind of amazing where we end up in life," conceded Don.

Shayne agreed. They sat for a moment longer in the sun until she took their plates inside and reappeared a few minutes later in a swimsuit and robe. She carried a pair of trunks for Don, too. She offered them to him. He thought about it for a second but passed. He did follow her down to the pool, though. As she waded into the shallow end and began swimming laps, Don selected a lounge chair in the sun. He watched her swim about three laps before he dozed off. The next thing he saw was Shayne standing over him, fully dressed and ready to go, softly shaking his shoulder.

"It's time to go," she said softly. Don pushed his sunglasses off his face and rubbed his eyes. She was smiling. "I think someone works too hard."

Don smiled back at her through squinted eyes. "Who doesn't?" She offered him a hand, and he took it as he stood to his feet. "Ready to go?" he asked as he pulled a pack of gum from his pocket and offered her a piece. She took one and nodded her head. They both headed back through the house and to her car. As they got in he turned to her and asked, "You have any Britney Spears in here?"

Shayne looked at him, a little stricken, until she realized that he was joking. They both burst into laughter as she pulled down the driveway and headed back toward the studio.