DISCLAIMER: I neither own Glee nor the characters. . .nor the actors who portray the characters. . .The characters are the property of Ryan Murphy, and the actors are real people who have the best job in the world. This is purely for fun. Enjoy :)

A/N: Ah, now that the two stars have been cast, the drama can begin!

Casting Call

Chapter Four: Co-Star Chemistry

Finn stood outside of the little building on the large production lot, holding his new script tightly against his chest with his arms crossed over it. He wasn't letting this thing out of his sight if it killed him! He was looking forward to going back to his room and running lines with Puck all night long.

There was only one problem: the bus had left and there was no way for him to get back to the hotel.

He couldn't find Puck; he was probably still inside. He hoped that Puck had really been cast as the friend. He was still in shock he'd been cast as the lead role; he had to pinch himself after stepping out of Ryan's office to make sure he wasn't still dreaming in the Green Room.

Letting a huge yawn escape his lips, he wondered how he was going to get back to his hotel. He really needed to relax.

"Hey, Ohio!" His spirits raised when he heard the unmistakable sound of his new co-star, Rachel Berry, who he was slowly starting to worship as a goddess of some kind. He smiled brightly at her as she rolled down the tinted windows of a very expensive-looking car. She smiled at him, but her eyes were once again covered with designer sunglasses. "Need a ride?"

"Yeah, the bus left for the hotel without me. I'm kind of stuck."

"Well, come on. I wanted you to meet my agent, then I'll drop you off." She opened the side door to the backseat and he hopped into the car. He looked over at Rachel timidly and she was primping her hair in a mirror. He was still a bit starstruck around her. He was crushing on her, hardcore. Being alone with her after the stress of the day, it was easier to admit to himself now that he definitely had a thing for her. How could he not? She was a beautiful, talented celebrity. But she was his co-star, and he was some nobody from Bumblefuck, Ohio. But a guy could dream, and he was the lucky man who will be starring opposite of her once filming starts. At least he'll get to be around her.

"Thanks. I really don't know what to do now, you know? I know nothing about agents or anything like that. I feel lost." She stopped looking at herself in the mirror and turned to Finn, pulling the sunglasses off of her face.

"I know how you feel. It's been a while since I was in your position, but there was a time where I was struggling to make it in New York. Getting an agent was brutal, which was one of the reasons I suggested you see Herman. He's a fair man who won't try and take more than what he's earned. You can never be too careful with people in Hollywood, Finn. Remember that." Soaking up every word and committing it to memory, Finn shook his head enthusiastically. She knew what she was talking about, and from that point on, he knew that she would be the only person he trusted in Hollywood.

"Will you. . . help me?" He asked the question hesitantly, not wanting to hear rejection coming from the brunette Broadway star. She looked at him curiously, and he back-tracked and started to ramble anxiously. "I mean, I don't know anything about the business, and Ryan was throwing around words like 'pick-ups' and 'up-fronts,' and I felt like such a dweeb just sitting there and nodding like I knew what he was talking about. What does a publicist even do? Do I need to get one too?" Before he could continue his nervous questioning, Rachel inched closer to him on the seat and placed a finger to his lips to stop him.

"Finn?" It was the first time he'd heard her say his name, and his heart started to pound so loud he was afraid she would be able to hear it. He held the script even tighter against his chest, hoping to stifle the sound of his hammering heart.

"Yes, Rachel?"

She smiled slowly, and he was mesmerized by her beauty. "Relax. I would be more than happy to help you get comfortable with the business. I sure wish I had someone like that who could have helped me when I was starting out. You're too adorable, Ohio. Your naiveté will get you murdered in this town without me. You're lucky I just happen to be your co-star. I know this business inside and out." She pinched his cheek in an affectionate way and he nodded, resisting the urge to lean over and kiss her. . .

What, where did that thought come from?

He shook the insane idea out of his head and smiled at her as best as he could. This was not good! He couldn't go around thinking about kissing his co-star. It was unacceptable.

But looking at her in the backseat of the luxurious town car, he could picture them as "Hollywood's New It Couple," holding hands and going out to restaurants. Being photographed by Paparazzi, and worshiped by fans.

But it was just pure fantasy. She was a star and he was still a nobody. They hadn't even started filming the show, and he was already imagining an unattainable life.

They continued their ride to see Rachel's agent in silence. Every now and then Rachel would get a phone call and he would hear her argue with some person or another about things he had no clue about. He still held onto his script like his life depended on it, and bounced his leg nervously for the duration of the ride.

They pulled up to a hotel that made his own look like the Holiday Inn. This was how the stars lived! He was plucked out of another celebrity fantasy when Rachel grabbed his wrist and brought him back to the matter at hand.

"C'mon, Ohio. Time to meet your new agent."

"Oy vey! That face! That ponim!" Herman was walking circles around Finn, and Rachel was laughing at the terrified look on his face at the intense scrutiny of her agent. "For a gentile you sure have good bone structure!"

"Thank you?" Rachel laughed even harder.

"Let me talk to my bubbie for a minute, I'll be right back." Herman pulled Rachel away from Finn and started to whisper to her in rushed tones. "Are you sure about this goy? I mean, I don't want to kvetch, but this kid has no experience and no training at all."

"Herman, this is me! Would I ever steer you wrong? Even if the Glee thing doesn't work out, he's a good client to pick up. You and the producers both said the same thing; the guy has the face of a star. I can cover his fees until we get our stipends."

He looked at her severely. "You don't have a thing for this goy, do you? Remember what I told you about dating co-stars! Business and pleasure never mix!" Rachel nodded her head firmly, but had to squash down the disappointment she'd felt when she was reminded of the strict rules of her trade. Never get involved with your co-star.

Even if he was an adorable, tall, awkward boy from Ohio, who knew nothing of the harsh realities of Hollywood.

She thought about what Finn had asked her in the car. He'd asked her to be a sort of mentor to him. Normally she would have shot down an offer like that, but there was something about him that made her sympathetic towards his plight. He'd looked so lost, standing outside of the building, clutching his script like a child holds onto a blanket. He'd seemed so naive when he was talking about the things he didn't yet understand about the show. She felt it was almost like her duty to help him. She actually wanted to help him. She couldn't say no.

But a thing? Did she really have a thing for her new co-star? She looked over at him and he was staring at the main lobby like he was at the Louvre. Everything about this town seemed to mesmerize him, and his child-like wonder and naiveté was more enduring to her than annoying. He was by far the nicest guy she'd ever met, and he did have a face and body of a model.

Shit. She thought to herself. I so have a thing for my co-star!

But she was a professional. Acting was her life. She could totally cover it up, and no one would ever know.

"Herman, who do you think you're talking to? This is me! I've never crushed on a co-star, and I don't plan on starting."

"Good! It's settled then! Finn!" She saw him turn around and trot back over to the two of them, still holding onto that script for dear life. "I will see you in the morning after the read-through to talk about the terms of your contract. Good luck at the read-through tomorrow. Here's my card. Call me anytime." Finn took the card and shook the man's large, chubby hand.

"Thank you Mr. Katz!"

"Ah, Mazel Tov!" Rachel placed a hand on Finn's back, and led him out of the hotel lobby and back to the car. She grinned when she saw him yawn widely, and knew he would have to get used to the demanding hours of the job.

"C'mon Ohio, you must be exhausted." He nodded sleepily and got into the town-car. When the car pulled out onto the freeway, it was immediately caught in LA rush hour traffic. She sighed. She knew they would be there for a while. "You can take a nap if you want. First lesson about LA is that you never want to get stuck in traffic this bad. You'll be here for hours."

He chuckled. "What sage advice coming from the Broadway star! Don't get stuck in traffic?"

"Hey! You said you wanted to know about this town. Traffic is a big issue here! It could make you late for the audition of your life!"

"We just had the audition of our lives!" She smiled at his tired enthusiasm while he yawned again. "You were amazing." He'd said it so groggily, she'd barely heard him.

"What?" His eyelids were drooping, but he looked at her with hooded eyes and he smiled.

"I've never heard someone who could sing like you before. I was really starstruck."

She blushed furiously. No one besides her agent told her she was amazing. She'd gotten good reviews during Phantom, but nothing earth-shattering. For the first time in her life, she tried to be modest.

"No, it's nothing, really. . ." But he cut her off.

"Seriously, Broadway. You blew me away. If this never works out; if we film the pilot and it never gets picked up. . .I'll always remember singing with you. And I'll always be your biggest fan. I just wanted you to know."

Rachel sat in the back-seat of the town-car, watching her tall, naive co-star fall into a light nap. Her heart was being fast and erratic, and she repeated Finn's words in her head over and over again.

He said I was amazing! He said he would always be my fan! She couldn't help the pure elation that passed through her while Finn napped next to her. She felt a rush of affection for him, and spent the next few minutes watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful, so innocent. All she wanted to do was kiss him.

So she did. She leaned into his body which was slumped against the car door, and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He never stirred, and she blushed furiously at the idea that she had just stolen a kiss from her new co-star not even a full nine hours after they'd met. They had a chemistry she'd never experienced with anyone before. She also realized with a blush, that her thing was more than just a thing.

She didn't care.

This is bad. This is bad. This is bad. The words repeated in her head but she couldn't resist the pull she'd felt for him. Finn was different. He was special.

And he was her co-star.

She looked outside of her window at the thick LA traffic, and leaned her head back against the soft, leather seats. The exhaustion of the day took hold of her, and she nodded off into a nap as well. In her slumber, she could not stop her body from slumping against Finn's in a light embrace.

Finn woke up from his nap and felt weight on top of him. He rubbed the thickness of sleep out of his eyes, and looked down to see what was up against him.

It was Rachel. His star.

She was sleeping, and seeing her face up close was further validation of her beauty. He placed a hesitant hand on the side of her face and his fingers tenderly brushed against the soft skin. It felt like silk under his fingertips. She had the shiniest, thickest hair he'd ever seen, and he leaned down to inhale the fragrance. It smelled like wildflowers.

She leaned into his body while still asleep, and he could feel her breasts pressing into his side. He started to panic. When was the last time he'd been this close to a girl? He was ashamed to admit he hadn't had a girlfriend in months, and hadn't been laid in almost as long. And Rachel was too gorgeous, too unattainable, to be pressing so close to him. He felt the need burn through him, and mentally scolded himself for thinking about Rachel that way. But he was a man, a grown man with needs, and she was slowly becoming his obsession.

So he continued to hold her while she slept. That way, he could imagine them vacationing on a tropical beach somewhere, in a place he couldn't pronounce, holding her like this as they sipped Margaritas. If he thought about that, he wouldn't have to think about how much he wanted to touch her silky skin, or hear her glorious voice call out his name. . .

The car finally started to pull off of the freeway, and Rachel woke up from her nap with Finn's arm wrapped around her waist. She turned around to look at him, and he couldn't disguise the lust in his eyes at their proximity. Her eyes were wide in shock, and she placed a hand on the side of his face. The simple act of her touching him made him forget his place in life. He was a nobody, and she was a star. But in the back of that town-car, they were Finn and Rachel.

And he wanted to kiss her. So he did.

It was soft at first. He leaned down to meet her face and she looked like she was torn between kissing him and pulling away. He made the decision for her, and placed his lips on hers in a soft caress. Her lips parted with a breathy sigh, and he took this opportunity to deepen the kiss and wrap his arm around her waist. She melted into his embrace, and he rejoiced when she reciprocated the kiss in earnest. He knew she'd felt it, too! They had a chemistry that they just couldn't deny!

Suddenly, the town-car stopped, and the two realized that they had finally reached Finn's hotel. Rachel broke apart from him, and he awkwardly gathered the script that had fallen onto the floor.

"So I'll see you in the morning, Ohio?" He wanted to say something to her about what had just happened, but she had put her sunglasses back on and he couldn't see her eyes. He sighed. He sure had a lot more to learn about Hollywood.

"Yeah. Have a good night, Broadway." He got out of the car and ran up to his hotel room as fast as he could. Literally, he ran up the stairs instead of taking the elevator to run off his excess energy. Kissing Rachel had been the icing on the cake of the best day of his life. As he called his mom to tell her the good news, all he could think of while he heard his mother screaming was that he was the lucky bastard who would get to see her tomorrow.

Salut mes amis!

The two co-stars have a chemistry they can't deny! What will happen when rehearsals start?

Until Next Time. . .*sings* Don't Stop. . .Reviewing!

Merci Mille Fois

The Minsk