Page 10

PART VI

When she arrived at the set, Selene hoped that everything would get on smoothly. It helped that Badger seemed to know exactly where to go when they pulled up to Lincoln Center.

Selene had been leaning forward looking out of the window as they'd passed the fountain and the unmistakable facade of the concert hall. She sat back against the seat and smiled, breathing deeply at the image she'd just put in her head. "Isn't it amazing?"

William's hand covered hers on the seat and suddenly she was breathing harder for a whole other reason.

The man could make her hyperventilate if given the chance with just a look and a touch.

He was dangerous to her well-being .

"I looked it up earlier."

She turned her head to see Badger lift his gaze up into the rear-view mirror.

He grinned. "On the plane over here I watched Ghostbusters on streaming."

William smiled at her and she grinned back at him before talking to Badger again. "Did you watch it because it's set in New York?"

He nodded. "Cypher told me it's one of the best New York based films to watch. That and Men in Black."

Selene's shoulders shook with laughter. "And Lincoln Center?"

Badger looked a little confused. "Sigourney Weaver's character, Dana, is a musician here at the Center."

"Oh!" Selene winced. "Sorry. I don't think I've seen that since I was a kid." Her brow furrowed a little. "Or maybe when I was a teen? I don't remember."

William gave her hand a pat. "Maybe when you get some down time, we can put the movie on. I'm sure we can get one of our phones to connect to the TV in the house."

Badger nodded and then slowed the car to turn into the garage. "If we have any trouble, we can just contact Cypher."

"Cypher." Selene turned to William. I don't think I've met Cypher, right? "

He shook his head. "None of us have. She's a voice from the ether at the moment."

She?

Selene smiled at that. "A voice from the ether? That sounds very sci-fi."

As the car climbed up the ramp to the floor that had been reserved for the cast and crew, Selene snapped her fingers.

"I got it!"

She looked at William and then she looked at the back of Badger's head since he was navigating through the parking lot.

"Jem." She moved around in her seat, dancing. "Cypher is like Synergy."

The speaker in the car flared to life and a voice called out.

"Are you a Jem girl, too?"

"Yes!" Selene felt her heart swell at the excitement in Cypher's voice. "My mom had all of the episodes on DVD somehow."

William laughed and smiled at her. "That's Cypher. She's everywhere a signal can go."

"And then some. Don't forget that. I'm going to have to find some Synergy earrings on ETSY."

The car came to a stop and Badger turned around in his seat. "We have arrived.

Cypher's voice filled the car again. "I've sent a text message to the Production Assistant. They are expecting you. "

Badger was already out of the car, walking around to her side of the vehicle.

William got out on the driver's side, and she undid her seat belt in time for Badger to open her door. He put his hand out for hers and she took it, standing up a moment later. "Thanks, Evander."

He managed to keep his smile almost hidden. "I'll be here when you need me, Miss Carter."

He started to bow over her hand, and she curtsied in response.

Evander's eyes were snapping with humor at that, and William pulled her into his side, softly whispering to them both.

"Now, now, children."

Before they began to walk, William leaned in and placed a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Ready?"

She leaned back and looked at him, confused but also a little stunned. "For that?"

He smiled at her. "Sorry. I should have asked."

She shook her head, wrapping her arm around his back. "We're supposed to be together. Dating. It would be weird if you didn't touch me."

His eyes darkened, or maybe that was just her imagination in the shadows of the parking structure. "We should discuss it later," he closed his lips, his gaze moving over her face, "what's okay to do in front of others."

"Sure. "

She nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. Just looking at his lips, remembering what it was like to kiss him.

"But until then," she centered herself, her feet flat on the ground behind her, "I think if you've come all the way to New York to be on the set of my movie with me, a kiss wouldn't be out of hand. Right?"

"A kiss."

Two words.

That's all it was.

But the look in his eyes.

The way his hand on her lower back pressing deeper against her.

"Yeah." She smiled. "A kiss."

He leaned in as she rose up on the toes of her boots and she put a kiss against his lips.

She had been prepared for it to feel awkward.

For him to tense up.

For her to realize how silly it all was.

But...

That's not what happened.

What happened was a little bit of time travel and a whole lot of shivers that went down her spine and settled in other places.

Wow.

It was only when she heard Badger clear his throat that she realized that she'd lost herself a little too much in his undercover role .

She stepped back and put a hand to her cheek which was still tingling.

"Wow."

William smiled at her. "Exactly."

He turned, his arm still around her and they began to walk.

She let out breath after breath as they walked, and she heard him draw in a single breath.

"Sorry," she murmured under her breath. "I don't know what I was thinking."

She felt his hand smooth down to her hip and he bumped against her shoulder.

"Would it be okay if I tell you that I've been thinking about that for a long time?"

She looked up at him as the automatic doors opened up for them. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

Selene waved to a couple of the crew that walked by and they called out to her with smiles.

"You think we can talk about this later? If we talk now, I'm going to be blushing all day long." She spoke under her breath as another crew member caught her eye and looked at his watch. She called out to the man in his faded denims and his almost uniform flannel shirt. "I know, Joe. I know. I'm early."

The crewman gave her two thumbs up and continued walking.

She looked up at William, realizing she wanted to explain. "I'm never late, but it's become a thing when I come in, sometimes moments before call time. When the time is ticking down sometimes, I get cheers. Like a marathon runner coming in at the end of the race."

William chuckled and rubbed his hand against her hip as they walked in and stopped at the sign in table.

"Morning, Miss Carter."

"Please, Maureen. Selene is fine."

Maureen grinned from ear to ear. "Sorry. Word came through that we're supposed to call you Miss Carter. I was hoping that it was a miscommunication."

Selene signed in on the sheet and smiled at the young woman behind the desk. "Yeah. I really don't have an issue. I'll talk to Cooper."

Maureen shook her head. "No. No, that's all right. I'm sure it'll be fine as long as you're okay with it."

William saw the slight shift in Selene's expression.

She wasn't upset at Maureen. She was smiling at the younger woman, her voice was warm and calm.

But he knew enough about Selene through his interaction with her and the postgraduate thesis he got whenever he talked to Mary about her favorite singer, that she was kind and courteous. He'd even seen people online, influencers or content people, push to the front of a meet and greet or signing line, demanding access to Selene.

He wasn't saying that she didn't get upset or flustered, but she handled people well. She made sure that the people who had waited for her got the attention they deserved, but she wasn't rude to the interlopers. Even if she was straight forward and didn't allow for arguments.

Sure, people got upset, but he'd seen enough interaction when people had been trying to get public sentiment against her, but people who saw her as a genuinely nice person always seemed to drown out the shouting.

"Maureen?" Selene stepped up to his side and put her hand on his arm. "This is William. He's going to be on set with me until we wrap."

Maureen looked from Selene to him. And then back again.

Maureen didn't seem to hide her thoughts at all.

He could see the excitement and joy in her face.

And then felt her emotions welling up inside of her before she turned back to Selene and grinned, bright white teeth showing. "OMG. OH. MY. GOODNESS! Are you two... dating?"

Her voice had started naturally but had climbed up incrementally until it was close to the excited scream of a pygmy goat.

Selene touched a finger to her lips to gently shush Maureen, but William could see that all work in the area had stopped, and every head was turned in their direction.

He didn't acknowledge their looks, but he was keenly aware of them.

"I'll see you later, okay?"

Maureen was dancing around with one hand clamped over her mouth. "Mmm'kaay."

Before they walked away from the table, Maureen pointed down the hall and moved her hand for a second. "Your dressing room is down there. Your name is on it."

Then she clamped her hand over her mouth and did a little jig or something before she sat back down behind the desk.

William leaned closer. "Why does it feel like she sucked all the oxygen out of the room?"

Selene looked up at him. "She's a sweetheart. Puts her all into her job. That's mostly what we have here," she explained. "A bunch of great people who are awesome at what they do. I can only hope that I put in a performance worthy of the welcome they've given me."

He nodded, his mind working on the problem of keeping her safe. "No one rolled up the welcome mat or tried to trip you with it?"

She gave him a sideways glance as they continued to walk. "No. Not that I can think of. Honestly, the first couple of days, I'm not even sure I was speaking English. I was so off my game. You can ask me to sing every single one of my songs backwards and I could probably do it, but put me in front of a camera and call ACTION? If Mitchel hadn't put in a couple of weeks of working with me ahead of the start of filming? I think I might have lost my lunch in front of everyone."

He saw the door at the end of the hall and could see her name printed on the card outside.

SELENE

He smiled and wondered if she knew that no one needed to hear her last name to know who she was. Like Madonna. Or-

"I wonder if they have my costumes in the dressing room, I can't wait to see-"

The door swung open ahead of them and Mandy stepped into the hall.

She took one look at Selene and the color drained from her face.

"Oh, you're here. Early."

Selene looked up at him smiling. "See? Everyone's used to me coming in at the last minute." She turned to Mandy. "Mandy, you met William last night at Cooper, right? I-"

William's gaze was still on Mandy and the pulse throbbing in her neck. "Is something wrong?"

Mandy didn't move her gaze from Selene's face, but Selene must have seen something off in the other woman as well .

She stepped closer, reaching out to touch her. "Mandy?"

William wasn't sure if Selene had been able to touch Mandy at all. From his physical place he didn't see her make contact, but Mandy pulled back so fast she almost stumbled backwards into the dressing room.

"Don't..." She grabbed the door frame, her knuckles went nearly white. "You... you don't want to see-"

William turned, grasping Selene by her upper arms, he walked her back against the wall of the hallway. He made sure to make eye contact with her. "I need you to stay here."

She nodded, her throat working, but she put her back against the wall and he turned back toward her dressing room.

"Mandy. Move."

He was almost to the doorway when Mandy put her hands out and pushed him back.

"No!"

Frowning, he looked down at her hands still held between them.

"Mandy, let me in."

She shook her head. "No. We... we need to let someone know."

"I need to see if someone's in there-"

"I didn't see anyone!"

"Mandy, move- "

He heard Selene's voice behind him in the hallway. "Cooper. Yes. I think something happened to my dressing room."

Mandy looked up and around his arm at Selene. "Don't! Don't do that! I can fix it! I can take care of it! Don't call-"

"Okay, Cooper. We're here outside in the hall. William's trying to get in the room but-"

"Don’t tell him-"

While she was distracted, William took her by the shoulders and moved her to the side.

Mandy stumbled, shaken by the sudden movement.

And that's when he went into the room.

Or what was left of it.

"Wiliam?"

He heard Selene's voice. Not just the question in it, but also the fear.

He didn't blame her.

With the fuss Mandy had made and the way he'd bodily moved her off to the side, no doubt Selene was worried about what he was looking at. Or if there was someone in the room with him.

"Stay outside, Selene. I'm going to check the bathroom."

Reaching for the small of his back under his jacket, he grasped the grip of his gun and pulled it out. He pointed it toward the bathroom and moved quietly across the floor .

Well, as quietly as he could with shards of the mirror littered across the carpet.

Holding his gun before him, he moved toward the bathroom, narrowing his gaze to the darkened room.

The main part of the dressing room was lit, the lightbulbs around the mirror frame still warm with light.

He had a feeling that the bathroom, as dark as it was, didn't have working lights.

So he stepped closer but kept himself out of sight of the dark interior.

Reaching his foot out, he caught the edge of the door on the toe of his shoe and spoke with a clear and measured tone. "Call out if you're in the bathroom. I'm armed and I will use it."

Silence was his only answer.

With an in-drawn breath, William pushed the door open.

There wasn't anything on the other side of the door except for a shower, toilet and sink.

For a moment, he'd almost wished that there was someone in there. Someone he could grab and question and hopefully put an end to all of this.

No, put an end to the danger.

The last thing he wanted to do was walk away from her.

"William?"

He heard footfalls pounding down the hallway.

"It's clear!" He turned around, taking a quick inventory of the room and shaking his head. "It's clear! I'm coming out."

He turned around and walked out of the room, his sidearm tucked away again. He took a quick look at everyone standing around and smiled, holding his hands up. "Sorry, folks! There was a mouse."

"A mouse?" One of the teamsters looked at Selene and saw how scared she looked.

She was standing next to Mandy, holding onto the sleeve of her cardigan.

Selene let out a long pent-up breath. "Oh my goodness... remind me not to watch Princess Bride before a filming day, right?"

William smiled at her. She was thinking quickly. "R.O.U.S.?"

She shrugged and took a step away from the wall, smiling back at the assembled group. "Sorry." She let go of Mandy's cardigan and held out her hands in front of her about a foot apart. "I swear, it had a tail this long."

"That's it?"

Selene turned a smile to the teamster who'd spoken to her earlier. She moved her hands a few more inches apart. "What about this long?"

William could see the tension draining out of everyone. Some of the crew were already walking away, chuckling to themselves.

One of the women in the hall, with bold white letters spelled out across the chest of her black t-shirt saying, 'GOT DUCK TAPE?' waved a hand in the air. "Honey, that's just a normal New York rat. I've seen one drag a full pizza box down a flight of stairs. I'm surprised you haven't seen one until now!"

"I guess I just needed to get into the New York flow." She lowered her head and then tipped her chin up to smile at the DUCK TAPE T-shirt lady. "Thanks, Alanda!"

The woman and her awesome t-shirt walked away. "No problem, Selene. See you on set."

Cooper came down the hallway with another man at his elbow.

That cleared out the rest of the staff.

Cooper moved right to Selene and hugged her close. He lowered his head and almost whispered to her. "Are you okay?"

She looked at Cooper with a smile. "Yes. I'm... I'm going to be." She gestured to the woman standing next to her. "You should thank Mandy for that. I don't know what happened inside, but she came out before we could go in. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. She saved me from walking into..."

William held out his hand to the man he didn't know. "I'm William Winchester."

The man with the nearly silver hair shook his hand and nodded. "Mitchel Longstreet. I'm the director of the film. Did I see you come out of there?"

William nodded. "I went in to make sure that there wasn't someone in the bathroom. "

He saw Mitchel's brows lift and recognized hope when he saw it.

And then disappointment.

"Do I want to go in there?"

William looked down at the carpeted hallway. "Not in those shoes. There is glass on the floor. A lot of it." He turned to Selene, and she walked into his arms. "I'm glad you decided to wear the boots today. If you'd come to set with those soft slip ons you had out at the door, you might have hurt yourself."

William looked past Selene's ear, and he could see that Cooper and Mitchel both understood what he was saying.

Whoever had done this might have been trying to hurt her, not just damage the dressing room or Selene's things.

Selene pulled back slightly. "Mandy?"

They both turned to look where the assistant had been, but she was gone. They all turned to look down the hallway where they'd come from and saw Mandy walking down the hall.

Selene reached out and touched Cooper's arm. "She's got soft bottomed shoes, Cooper. Can you make sure she didn't get cut when she was in my dressing room?"

Cooper moved after her.

At first Mandy kept walking with her face turned toward her shoulder, but when Cooper jogged after her she stopped and put her back to the wall .

William tucked Selene into his side as they watched Cooper talk to Mandy.

They were far enough away that William couldn't hear the conversation.

A quick look at the hallway said there weren't any cameras covering the area.

"I hope she's okay. Cooper doesn't want to lose her."

William and Selene turned toward the director.

He caught their curious looks and explained. "Mandy's been working with Cooper for a few years. This is the first picture that she's on the production side of things. He's really trying to make sure that she sticks around."

Selene leaned into him, and he rubbed her lower back gently.

"I hope that she won't be too upset by what she saw."

Cooper rejoined them in the hall. "I told Mandy she could take the rest of the day and tomorrow if she needed to, but she's a trooper. She wouldn't hear of leaving us."

Selene looked up at Cooper and bit her lip for a moment. "If she'd like to talk to someone. Someone who can help if she does get upset? I'd be happy to pay for it."

Cooper shook his head. "She'll be happy to hear that, but our employees have full medical coverage during our productions. And those who sign up for the next movie under the production company are kept on the insurance in between productions."

William saw the other man look at him. "I do everything I can to help my people. We make sure they're taken care of and that way we never have an issue keeping employees coming back."

William nodded, thinking that it was a generous set up with the production company. It was the same with Big Sky Bodyguards. Between large assignments, they were kept on staff and the insurance that comes along with it. It kept workers loyal to have a company that cares about them.

Cooper moved on and poked his head into the dressing room, when he turned back around, he looked like he'd been socked in the gut.

He blew out a breath and smiled at Selene. "I need to talk to Mitchel about how we're going to revamp the shooting schedule for today."

William saw Selene's expression change.

He saw hints of panic in her features.

"I'm good." She grinned at both men. "I can film. I can just change in the wardrobe trailer and get make up in the make-up trailer. We're all good."

William saw the knowing looks that passed between the two men. Concern. Worry. Relief.

Mitchel stepped closer and Selene stepped forward to meet him. "Are you sure? I wouldn't have an issue if you wanted to take the day. Or two."

Selene didn't surprise William when she reached out and touched Mitchel's hand. "I'm fine. I'm ready to go as soon as you are. This is going to be great."

Mitchel smiled at her, covering her hand with his. "If you're sure."

She nodded immediately. "I'm ready. The crew is ready. Everything is coming together and I'm just another excited cog in the wheel. We're so close to the finish line." She hesitated for a moment. "Unless you have a doubt about where I am."

William heard the unusual sound of fear in her voice.

Not a physical fear.

If he was right, she was afraid of letting people down.

He'd had that same fear before. Lived with it as a constant when his mother died, and he'd been away from home. Away from his dad and sister.

Selene was a talent. She was incredible.

But she was also human.

And here he could see it.

He looked to Mitchel or Cooper to soothe her fears. They were the ones she was looking to for help.

For validation.

He just hoped that they could see it, too.

Mitchel lowered his voice in both tone and volume as he looked directly into her eyes. "Selene. You can't see yourself through the lens like I do. So, I'm going to tell you that this movie? This movie is going to show the world that your talent may have no boundaries. If you say you're ready to go. I'm ready to go, but understand that your safety, both physically and mentally, is of the utmost priority to me and to Cooper. Together, we are going to make a movie that sets Hollywood on its head. And when this is over, and people see what you can do, they're going to be begging you to do another and another."

Cooper leaned in as well. "If you need a day or a few hours, whatever it takes to be certain that you're one hundred percent ready, you can have it."

Selene turned to look at him and William saw the trust in her eyes when her gaze met his. She smiled and he felt his whole body heat.

"I'm ready for this." She looked back at Cooper and Mitchel. "The crew doesn't know what happened in my dressing room. If I took time off, they'd know that something had happened. I'm sure by now they all know what happened in my trailer. I know how superstitious people are in dance and theater. I'm sure there's something similar for movies. I don't want anyone to think there's something wrong with the production." She looked at William with another smile. "Thanks to Mandy and William, I haven't seen anything in the room, and I choose not to think about it. We've got work to do."

Cooper clapped his hands together and William thought he saw more than a hint of relief in his eyes.

Mitchel looked straight into Selene's eyes and nodded. "If you're ready to work, let's get to work. "

He turned and gave William a nod. "You're about to see something... amazing."

Mitchel leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before stepping back and giving her a nod. "I'm going to go and see how the crew is doing. I'll have Mandy come and get you and take you to make-up."

He walked away with Cooper on his heels, leaving him with Selene.

"You've always been amazing," he told her.

She blushed and looked away. "You're just saying that because your sister likes my music."

"Correction," he lowered his chin. "My sister LOVES your music."

"She's the sweetest." Selene beamed back at him and reached for his hand. "Thanks for everything you've done for me already. With you around," her smile softened, "I feel safe."

The tone of her voice said that she meant it. The look in her eyes made him feel... so many things.

Things he didn't have the time to mull over. He had a job to do.

He had to keep her safe.

And he was going to do it.

"Miss Carter?"

He felt Selene tense a little at the interruption.

Or maybe it was the name.

She turned to look at the end of the hall.

Mandy was standing there, her clipboard in her arms. "Cooper wants me to show you to the makeup trailer?"

Selene nodded and started down the hallway. William wondered if she was still holding his hand because of their 'relationship' or because she wanted to.

Then he realized that he didn't care.

When they reached Mandy, the assistant looked down at their joined hands and something tensed in her brow. "Uh... I have a place that he can wait for you."

Selene shook her head. "He's coming with me."

Mandy's backbone got a little longer, but she didn't argue. "Ohkay..." She looked back at their joined hands before she adjusted her clipboard in her arms, her shoulders rising with tension. "Come with me then."

William made a mental note to ask Cooper if Mandy had been read into his job as they followed her through the service hallways.