Behind the Scenes Chapter 3, an once upon a time fanfic

Behind the Scenes – Chapter 3

Enjoy and don't forget to drop a review and let me know what you think! I do NOT own Once Upon a Time, its characters, the script used in this story, and this is all for fun!

Filming had finished for season five episode twenty a week prior and the cast was given the next three weeks to rest. Filming season five had been brutal on everyone, a lot more time went in to creating "Dark Swan" and all the emotions that each episode entailed took a toll on every cast member involved.

Jen had gone to Colin's trailer after wrapping her last scene on that Saturday, but after a few knocks and no answer, she shrugged off his absence and made her way to her own trailer. She stepped up the stairs and opened the door to walk inside when she was met with a sweet aroma, like a smack to the face. She stepped all the way in and saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers, already placed into a vase, for her on the desk. Walking over, she bent over and took a whiff, smiling at the kind gesture. She searched within the flowers and found a card, pulled it out and read…

Thanks for having my back when I needed it, and for staying with me. Right now, I need to disappear, get my head on straight. I'm ok. I'll see you in a week, love.

-C

Colin, her heart warmed, and butterflies began to dance around in her stomach. Please be ok, really… she looked up, whispering into the universe as if he could somehow hear her, wherever he ended up.

She took on last whiff of the flowers and headed for the shower.

The three weeks seemed to buzz by so quickly, almost like it had never even happened. Jen spent her time off at home, kicked back, reading a few different books to help her escape the reality that she couldn't bring herself to deal with, falling in love with her best friend as he falls out of love with his soon to be ex-wife. What a mess, she had thought, Keep your head on straight. A simple reminder her father always told her in the tricky world of show business, a phrase she often brought herself back to, to stay grounded.

Jen had a role call early that morning and left her studio apartment around 3:30a.m. She had to be in hair and make-up by 4:15a.m., not her earliest call time, but early enough to dread it after a few weeks of rising and sleeping when she wanted. She checked her phone on the drive over. Still radio silence from her best friend. This had been the longest they had gone without speaking and Jen was starting to feel a little stir crazy, wondering what had happened to him after he left, wondering if he was ok, if he fixed things or ended up actually leaving Helen, where had he gone if he did leave her…the thoughts were zipping by so quickly in her mind that she almost forgot to take the turn to the studio parking lot. She parked her car in its usual spot. No one had a labeled spot but everyone respected where everyone else parked, almost like they were labeled for each actor. She got out and headed to her trailer to drop off her bag and head right over to hair and make-up. Before she set her phone down on the desk, she sent one last text to Colin.

Hey, C!

Back on set and it feels eerily quiet. When do you get back?

She pressed send and after setting her phone down, she turned and left, heading over to hair and make-up.

Jen sat in her chair in the make-up trailer and closed her eyes, resting her head back while her make-up lady, Tina, worked her magic for a simple, natural look. Not too surprisingly, it didn't take much to accomplish the Emma Swan look. Eloise, her hair lady, came over to them and plugged in the curling iron, ready to give Jen her loose wavy curls. Jen lifted her head, offered Eloise a small smile, and pulled her script from her bag to start reviewing lines for the day. No rest anymore, back to it she spoke internally.

After about an hour had passed, it was almost time for Jen to be on set. She stood, thanked the ladies who had stayed by her side these last five years and went out the door and headed over to her last stop before set, the costume department. To accomplish an Emma Swan look, there were usually boots and a leather jacket involved, and today was no different. She was handed a tan tank top, tank sweater, one of her signature red leather jackets, black pants, and black boots. She quickly changed, touched up her hair in the mirror, and headed on her way to the apartment set for her first scene of the episode.

She took a few deep breaths, went over her lines in her head, and got into a grieving head space, which honestly to her, didn't take much as she was still very much missing her TV soulmate. She greeted her other co-workers, Jared, Ginny, and Josh with small hugs and they all got in to position to film.

"Camera rolling. A mark…B mark…and…action!" a voice called out.

When Josh had delivered his line to Ginny, it was time for her and Jared to make their way up the few stairs and into the apartment.

"Hey, big boy, I missed you!" Josh delivered his line with ease as he had a son at home and loved being able to be a dad at home and at work, a dad to a newborn, that is.

"Hey, mom," Jen kept her voice low, almost monotone, as Emma who so deeply missed Hook, but also so simply as Jen who still missed Colin.

"Emma, Henry! Did everyone else…"

"Regina, Robin. They're here, too."

"Grandpa came back with Belle, at least we think he did."

Jen moved closer over to Ginny for her next line.

"And Hook?"

Jen made eye contact with Ginny, letting sadness wash over her face. She shook her head know and glanced away, letting herself really feel the loss of this character, the loss of her best friend, reality mixing with fiction.

Ginny pulled her into a hug and she hugged her back, "Oh, Emma, I'm so sorry."

"I made so many mistakes, Mom. I should never have gone down there." Her voice was just above a whisper as she delivered her lines to Ginny.

"It's okay," she released her from the hug and pulled back to see her face to face, still holding on to her hands to show a close mother/daughter relationship, one full of support, "Look, we all made it back, and we helped so many people move on. You got to see Hook one last time."

"Well, there's more to it. We weren't the only ones that came through the portal. Hades and Zelena, they made it back, too. They have Robin's baby." Josh spoke his lines smoothly, no hiccup in the emotions he delivered along with it.

The cameras ran a few moments longer and then a voice called, "Cut!"

Everyone broke character momentarily, looking at each other, Josh cracking a joke at Ginny, playing with the baby and handing him back over to Ginny to do the scene again, Jared throwing a small punch at Jen who returned a small punch and laughed.

Feels like home she thought, momentarily forgetting the reality she faced of still not having seen or heard from Colin. She didn't know when she would and she didn't want to seem too eager, so she kept her questions to herself regarding his whereabouts and when he has to return for his scenes.

The director called out for everyone to start again, they did this scene six more times before the director and producer felt satisfied with the playback.

Jen headed over to craft services for a bite to eat. She wasn't really in the mood for anything, but she knew she wouldn't have time to eat later so snacking now felt like the right thing to do. She found herself gravitating towards the fruit and grabbed a napkin, placing a few strawberries, blueberries, and grapes into it. She walked down the table, gazing at all the food before her, but nothing else appealed to her already miniscule appetite. She left and walked back to her trailer to pass the time until she filmed her next scene.

Getting inside, she grabbed her phone from the desk and flopped down onto the couch, leaning her head back onto the pillow and putting her feet up on the other at the opposite end. She laid her napkin on her stomach and grabbed a few blueberries, tossing them into her mouth as she unlocked her phone with the other hand. Still no response from Colin. What the hell is going on with you? She questioned angrily. She grabbed a few grapes and ate them, one at a time as she mindlessly scrolled through her social media platforms. Her notifications had to be silenced for the amount of love from her fans that poured in. While grateful for every message, tweet, picture, etc. that came into her, she knew realistically there was no way to respond to everyone, as much as she wanted to, so she was merely scrolling and internally thanking each person as their name and message came and went.

After not too long, Jen had become almost bored with that and set her phone down, picking up her book from the top of the couch where she had placed it three weeks back when she needed to take a break from reading, her favorite hobby, and get back on set to film.

She opened it and gazed upon the last words she had remembered reading, when it hit her like a ton of bricks, This is where I left off when I went to go find Colin to film last… she shut the book and threw it across the room in frustration.

What is wrong with me? Why am I pining over a man who I don't even think feels any ounce more than a friendship with me? Time to refocus! She stood and headed back to set, brushing off any further thoughts of Colin for the rest of the day.

Day turned into night and Jen continued filming her scenes for season five's twenty first episode. She had filmed her scenes on the bridge in the early afternoon hours, re-filming those a few times until again, the director and producer were satisfied. She had a break and decided to treat herself off set for dinner as she wasn't needed until late that evening.

Unbeknownst to Jen, as she had left, Colin arrived back on set not too long after. He parked his car in his usual spot and headed to his trailer before heading to hair and make-up. That guyliner didn't put itself on and he sure wasn't talented enough to not poke himself in the eye trying to do it.

Unlocking his door, he walked into the darkness and turned the lights on. There on his trailer couch was his phone, completely drained of any battery life. Aye, that's where I left it, he muttered to himself. He had no desire to return to set once he realized three weeks prior that he had lost his phone. He took the opportunity to go radio silent, to really process everything that had happened to him recently, and to reflect on what he had planned to do moving forward. He grabbed his charger from a cabinet and plugged it in, and then plugged his phone in. He waited a few minutes for it to turn on to see if he had missed anything important while he was away. And then it began, several pings in a row, signaling messages and missed calls. He grabbed his phone into his right hand and began scrolling with his left. Several missed calls and text from his now ex-wife, not legally but matter of fact speaking. He swiped those away and moved on scrolling. His hand came to a sudden halt when he saw her name. Her most recent text had come in that morning, everything else spaced out of the course of the last three weeks.

Text Message from JMo : Hey, C!

Back on set and it feels eerily quiet. When do you get back?

Missed Call: JMo

Text Message from JMo: Getting a lot of reading done around here. Anything new and exciting happening to you?

Missed Call: JMo

Text Message from JMo: Hey, Col, thanks for the flowers. They smell great! Sorry I missed you before you left! See you soon?

That was it. That was one thing he adored so greatly of his best friend, how under-bearing she was. She never pushed too hard, she knew when to step back, she knew when to give space and when to comfort. She knew just what he needed when it came to being a best friend. Hell, he thought at one point during their time together throughout season four, She'd probably make a great wife if I wasn't already married. And all of those thoughts came rushing back to him now. He knew he needed to find her, to explain what happened with his phone being left behind and where he was. He set his phone back down to charge and left to head to her trailer.

He knocked a few times and got no answer. Ginny and Josh happened to be walking by and noted to him that Jen had left.

"Is she coming back tonight?" Colin asked them.

The pair both shrugged and went on their way. Colin went back down the steps of her trailer and headed off to hair and make-up, wondering when he'd see Jen next.

Colin had finished filming his scene back down in the underworld version of Granny's Diner and headed off set, back to his trailer. He grabbed his phone from his trailer and went back to Jen's. He noticed it was unlocked and walked in, hoping to find her. He flipped the lights on for the front half and looked around, noting she hadn't been back yet. He sat down on her couch, frustrated and ready to give up on seeing her the rest of the evening when he suddenly heard the latch of her trailer door.

Jen arrived back on set. It was now close to 9p.m. and she had a call time for 10p.m. One hour to rest, she realized with excitement, maybe I can squeeze in a nap! Upon reaching her steps, she noted that the lights were already on inside. Did I forget to turn them off before I left? Her heart began to thump a little harder, worried she had forgotten and wasted energy and money for no reason other than she was careless. She grabbed the handle and opened the door, seeing an all too familiar face waiting for her on the couch.

"Colin!" she smiled eagerly, stepping inside and right over to him, leaning over, and giving him a hug. All feelings of frustration towards him and not hearing from him vanished in that moment.

"There's my Swan" he joked, letting out a belly laugh. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down to his lap. He breathed in her familiar scent and couldn't help but smile at how normal this all felt, to be back where he felt he truly belonged and was wanted.

Jen pulled back from his hug after a longer than usual squeeze, she had missed him after all, so it didn't feel wrong to hug him so sincerely. "I…where…I'm happy to see you, Col," her smile beamed from ear to ear as she shook away the other thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry about that, love. I had some soul searching to do. Went back home to Ireland. I'm ok, I am. Better now!" He pulled her in for another hug, as if to show her just how much he had healed in those three weeks. He had a way to go, but something in him just felt better, like a weight lifted off his shoulders.

Jen held tightly to him, running her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. She felt so right in his arms, not only because of the crush she had developed over the course of time with him, but because he truly was her best friend, the perfect epitome of the words in every sense, and she had missed him so greatly during their time away.

Before either really understood or processed what was happening next, their lips met, and like fire and ice, the moment felt just right. Colin leaned in more, kissing her passionately, feeling her responding equally in return. He moved his hand to the back of her head, holding her in the gentlest way. His hand ran through her long blonde locks, caressing as much of her as he could in that moment. Ever so slowly, his hands slid down her back to her hips, grabbing on the back side and tugging at her waist, hungry for more closeness between them.

Jen's heart was racing when she felt Colin's lips find hers. A tingling buzz as his glided across hers like they'd done so many times before, but this was different. This wasn't 'Hook' kissing her, this was Colin himself, something she had only recently began dreaming off. It all felt right. Her hands had moved from the nape of his neck to his shoulders, gripping on to the shirt he was wearing. She held tight, not wanting this moment to end. Her fingers ran down the V-neckline and traced along his chest, feeling the smooth hair he had there, a trait she found so attractive. As quickly as they dropped down, her hands moved back up to his cheeks as their faces twisted this way and that, enveloping each other in this passionate moment. And for a second, they stopped, coming up for air. Colin's eyes opened, only to be met by Jen's. Two seas of blue staring directly into the other. A smile and small laugh escaped both their mouths, now red and raw from their passion moments before.

"Wow…" Colin whispered breathlessly.

Jen could only nod in agreement, for fear of ruining the moment between them.

Colin moved both his hands to the sides of her neck and pulled her back in for a gentle kiss on the forehead, "I missed you, Jen," he spoke just above a whisper. His eyes searched hers for mutual confirmation before she even spoke.

"I missed you too, Col, more than you know…" She placed her hands on top of his and felt their warmth.

Colin intertwined his fingers with hers and held firmly. "I'm sorry for the radio silence. I left my phone here," he began to explain.

Jen interrupted him, "you don't have to explain yourself to me, I understand." Her chin dipped and her eyes darted down to their hands and back up to his eyes.

"But I do, that wasn't right of me to have not found a way to reach out. I just…I needed to clear my head. To figure out what was right for me…for my son…" Now Colin looked down and away, recalling that he wasn't the only one affected by Helen's actions.

Jen dipped her head in his direction, "Hey," her forehead touched his, "It's really ok. I'm just glad you're here now." She shifted slightly in his lap, so all her weight was equal on top of him.

She felt Colin begin to shift his body forward and she placed her foot back down on the ground of her trailer, finding her footing and pulling him up to a standing position with her.

"I appreciate you so much, Jen," he offered a smile at her, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly, something he knew Jen loved him doing. It got a laugh out of her every time and this moment was no different.

He leaned in and kissed her one more time, running his tongue along hers to taste the sweetness he was finding very becoming of her. "I know you have to be back on set soon, but I couldn't wait any longer to see you."

"I'm glad you did," she released his hands and wrapped her arms around him again, just wanting to remain close to him in that instance for as long as she could. Those last three weeks had felt like years, but she wouldn't let him know that.

"I do have to get going," her voice sounded a little saddened by her words.

Colin stepped back, nodded, and smiled once more, placing a kiss on the side of her head. "As do I. Shall we?" He offered his hand out to her.

Jen grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers once more into his, the warmth pulsating between their palms. She walked out the door and down the steps with him, off to hair and make-up for some touch ups before her next scene needed to be filmed.

Luckily for the pair, walking hand in hand was nothing new for them, they did this for years as best friends. Hell, in this undetermined moment, they were still nothing more, but for both of them, they knew something had shifted, they knew now that things were changing. The question remained, were they both ready for it?