PROLOGUE

Sometimes, GTFW likes to play tricks on me... and leaping me into some of the most embarrassing situations – no matter what the cost – the male libido, the red-faced moments or the sexual connotations that trick may be a part of.

"Okay, cut!" a deep male voice filled the room. "That was great, you two. Really got me going. Remember everyone. You get ME going, you're going to get everyone else going too." Laughter filled in the room. "Okay, let's all take a breather. I need some privacy, if you know what I mean." Again another bout of laughter came and died away.

Sam’s eyes popped open and looked up into the face of another man lying on top of him – his eyes widened in surprise and distain.  His mouth dropped open in shock and he just blinked at him for a moment before tossing him off and moving on the bedding he was on.  Glancing down at himself, he was surprised to see that he was totally buck-naked.  He raked at the blanket beside him, and then saw the fake nails.  He inwardly moaned.  ‘I’ve leaped into a woman… again.’

        The blonde haired man, who was obviously naked except for the vampire fangs and a black cape, smiled back down at Sam as he placed his hands on his hips.  "Hey, I'll be ready for the next scene tomorrow." He leaned forward and placed a kiss on Sam's cheek. "Don't be late, sugarplum." With that, he pivoted then walked away.

        Sam shivered at the thought of where the man was a moment ago and swallowed hard as he looked around to see that he was on a set and there were men and a few women standing around everywhere        "Ronnie, aren't you going to get dressed?" a female voice asked. "We're off duty. Let's go get something to eat."

        Hearing someone call out, he looked over and saw a lovely brunette coming over to his side.  “Off duty?” he asked her.  He glanced over at the man as he walked away.  “Off duty?” he asked again then looked over at her once again.  “Oh boy!”

PART ONE

        The longhaired brunette sighed then marched over to Sam, then grabbed at the blanket.  A tug of war ensued between the two.  “Come on, lover.  Shooting is over for the day.  You can be with Romero tomorrow.”  The shock of the woman’s words made Sam look back toward the way the man had left and she victoriously won the tug of war.  Standing up quickly, Sam grabbed at the blanket again, but before he could cover up, the brunette slapped at Sam’s bare butt.  “Ronnie!  Stop playing with the props, will you?  Get in the shower and get dressed.  I made reservations and you are not going to make me late.  Got it?”

LOVER?!  Sam thought to himself as he looked up at her.  PROPS!?  Finally, Sam was able to wrap the blanket around himself and straightened his shoulders.  “I’m not going to make you late.  I… I’m… chilled,” Sam told her then started to where he hoped the showers where. 

“Veronica, where do you think you’re taking that blanket?” asked the man who had been talking when he first leaped in.  “Leave it on the bed so we can prepare for shooting tomorrow.”  He then gestured toward the direction of the showers.  “Now git, will you?”  You’re holding me up for Marcia.  You expect me to go around with this all day?” he gestured down at his midsection.

Sam’s eyes dropped to the man’s pants, noticed the bulge there and quickly glanced back up embarrassed not only at himself, but for the man as well.  “I… um… I’ll bring it back.  I’m cold all of a sudden,” Sam tried to explain as he tried to keep his eyes from straying again.  “Go ahead and go to Marcia.  I’ll bring it back.  I promise.”

“Are you nuts?  Harold doesn’t like it… never has,” the response came from the woman next to him.

Harold shook his head.  “We keep the temperature above eighty degrees for effect and she’s cold.”  He frowned at Sam before he tilted his head to the side in thought.  “You’re not pregnant are you?  You’ll mess up the entire shooting schedule if you are.”

Harold noticed how Veronica’s mouth dropped open in shock, hesitated then shook her head negatively.  He sighed at even the thought of it.  It would ruin everything if his star were out because of pregnancy.  “Go on.  Get going.  And that better be back in less than ten minutes or I’m taking it out of your pay.”

“Yes sir,” Sam supplied.  He saw the young brunette motioning to him and he quickly went after her.  “All right.”  He finally caught up with her in the restroom where the showers were located.  He handed her the blanket and without comment quickly got into a shower.  He was totally showered and dressed and ready to go in less than ten minutes.  “Okay,” he said as he stepped back into the waiting area to see the attractive brunette tapping her foot a bit aggravatedly.  “Listen, I… I need to return the blanket and then I’m ready to go.  Okay?”

         She sighed, rolled her eyes then smiled at him.  “Okay,” she told him softly.  “Just don’t forget your makeup.  You know I like it when you wear that mauve lipstick.”  She reached out to pinch Sam’s chin affectionately then started toward the door.  “I’ll be in the car, darling.”

        “I don’t’ even want to think about the implications of that,” Al stated as he walked out of the Imaging Chamber, hearing the last part of what she had said.  He waited for a moment as he watched her leave.  “So, how’s it going, Sam?”

"How's it going?!"  Sam asked him hotly.  "How’s it going!?"  He asked again even more flabbergasted.  "What do I have to do to leap, Al?  I want to know, okay?  I want to know now."

“Hey!  Take it easy, Sam!  Geez!  What’s got you all hot? I ask a simple question and you start in on me like I did something wrong,” Al shook his head, lifting the handlink as he did so.  “You know, you need to switch to decaf.”  With the glare that Al got from Sam, Al raised his eyebrows in defense.  “What?”

“I don't need to switch to decaf, Al.  I need to know who the hell I am and why I had some guy on top of me dressed like a vampire.  I also have a weird sensation that this woman that I've leaped into is interested in other women as well.  Al..."  Sam saw the amused look on Al’s face and he didn’t appreciate it, not one little bit.  "Tell me what's going on, Al."

"A guy was on top of you, dressed as a what?" Al asked surprised and restless with what he wanted to say.  Instead, he just smiled at the situation that Sam was in. 

"Okay, okay. Keep your pants on... or rather your skirt." Al raised the handlink. "Okay, you're name is..." Al chuckled at the information that appeared on the screen before him.  “Veronica LaTuffee and you're poor…” he frowned at the information and how it got stuck in the handlink then hit it on its side before amending his sentence.  "You're a porn star currently filming Veronica Does Castle Dracula. Oh geez!"

"What?!  A Porn star!?  No no no no no!  I... No!  I can't have leaped into a porn star Al!  I'm not a woman!  I can't be a porn star!  Veronica... Veronica Does Castle Dracula!?  I... I can't do this!"  Sam looked up at the ceiling.  "I can't do this!"  He shook his head again and said it once more for good measure.  "I... I just can't!"

"Relax, will you, Sam? You don't actually have to do any acting. At least, not if you leap before tomorrow afternoon."

"I sure as well hope that I'm out of here by tomorrow afternoon then.  What do I have to do?"  he asked a bit exasperatedly.  "Come on, Al.  I need to know now... before I have to go meet up with that... that girl outside."

"Okay, let me just see if I can get Ziggy to give me a little more info.... there. Ziggy says that there is a thirty-nine point ninety-three percent chance that you are here to help someone named Jessica Delude."

“How?”

Al shrugged.  “She doesn’t say.”

"Well, that would be nice to know, Al.  I'm going to go meet ... this woman outside.  Please try to find out what is going on, okay?  I really don't want to be kept in the dark on this leap.  Okay?"  The whole situation around him and not yet knowing anything about the leap already was enough to throw the leaper completely off track.  He ran his hand through his hair and headed out of the building toward the attractive brunette sitting in the car.

        Al nodded as he punched on the handlink as he followed Sam out the door.  “Just so you don’t sound completely lost, the woman in the car is Lara Holtz.  She’s your… uhm… well… ha… your girlfriend.” 

        Sam stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned slightly as he glanced back at Al.  The look that he gave was enough to keep Al talking.

        “She’s a fellow porn actress – that’s how you met… and she’s apparently is the jealous type so be careful who you make goo-goo eyes at.”

        When Sam reached out and finally opened up the car door, he gave Al another look and all Al could do was shrug.  “I don’t give out the assignments.  I’m just along for the ride.”

“About time, lover.  Hop in,” Lara told Sam as she started the car.

Sam settled in the seat then reached around and grabbed the seatbelt.  “Uh, where are we going again?  I mean, I know that you already told me but I’ve forgotten,” Sam said softly hoping that Al would help out with a name as well as tell him what the heck he had to do to leap out of Dodge.

“Nowhere fancy.  Just Michigan’s,” Lara said to her with a smile as she put the car into drive and headed toward the exit of the establishment.

        Al’s fingers flew over the handlink then he looked at the answer that was given to him and his eyes grew wide.  “Oh, that’s a local…” he cleared his throat then finished, “A local lesbian bar.”

        Sam had chocked on his drink before, but it was the first time that he had ever choked on his own tongue.  He began coughing and he couldn’t stop.  Lara even pulled the car over and began lightly patting his back.  Finally when the coughing came to a halt, Sam looked over at her and whimpered, “I… I’m fine… really.”

        "Are you sure?" Lara ask gently.  "Honey, if you're not feeling well, I can cancel the reservations and we can just go home and order a pizza."

"That... might be a good idea, Sam," Al told him plainly. "I don’t think you want to be around that many women fondling each other under the table."

“Well, you did make the reservations.  I... I don't want you to be mad, but, I... I'm really not feeling very well.  Actually, I feel a little nauseous.  You... you know..." Sam said hoping to everything that was holy that she did understand. 

Lara nodded.  "Okay, sweetie.  I hope you're not pregnant," Lara said concerned for her well being as she brushed her hair.  Lara then turned her attention back to the car and put the car back in drive.  She started back onto the road, and then pulled out her cell phone to call the restaurant to cancel the reservation. 

Al nodded as well, lifting the handlink as he did so.  “Sam, I’m gonna go back and see if Ziggy will come up with something on this leap.  Be back soon,” he assured him as he opened the Imaging Chamber door and stepped toward the door.

“Al!” Sam hissed at him.  “Stop!”  The moment the word was out of his mouth, he regretted it. 

Lara turned her head sharply as she looked at him in confusion as she lowered the phone away from her ear.  “What do you mean, stop?  Changed your mind?”

"Uhm... no.  Can... can we go home?" Sam asked her softly.  "I... I'm sorry that you have to cancel the reservations, dear."  Sam ran his hand over his face and then turned to look out the window.  "And... yeah... I hope that you're right... that I'm not pregnant," he said softly; hopefully; praying that he was right.  God, help me.

        Lara smiled softly at his words, especially the ‘dear’ part.  “I’d rather make sure you are okay than go out anyway.  And don’t worry.  I know when you are feeling ill that you’d rather sleep alone.  I’ll take the couch tonight.” 

        It took another fifteen minutes of uncomfortable silence before they made it back to the apartment.  Lara was gracious enough to guide Sam toward the apartment and inside then onto the couch.

"Are you up for pizza?  Or should I just make you some hot tea?"

"Thanks for understanding, Lara. I knew... I knew that you were the one who always understood me."  Sam wasn’t sure exactly where the words were coming from, but he was glad that someone appreciated the woman that was taking care of him at the moment.  “No… no pizza, but the hot tea sounds nice though.  Please?”

Before Lara could even respond, Sam’s hand shot out to catch her arm.  “Are you sure that you want to do this?  I mean, it’s not a bother, is it?  I don’t want you to baby me.”

Carefully, Lara took a hold of Sam’s hand and held it between her own hands.  “Baby, nothing is a bother when it comes to you,” she told him and then gave him a peck on the lips.  “I’m going to order myself a pizza and if you want a slice, then you can have one.  And I’ll get the water on to boil for that tea.”  She caressed Sam’s cheek sweetly, then turned and went toward the kitchen.

Sam couldn’t help but watch as she left.  As soon as she was out of earshot, he looked up at the ceiling and said, “Why me, huh?  Why me?”  He shook his head as he looked back toward the kitchen.  “Oh boy.  What next?”

        Returning to the living room, Lara sat beside Sam and then pulled him towards her so that his head was resting upon her shoulder.  She sighed gently.  “I’m so lucky to have you, Ronnie.  I don’t know what I would do without you.”

        Hearing her words, Sam inwardly groaned, ‘Why me, why me?’  He sat there for a long moment trying to come up with the words that might be spoken back to something so heartfelt.  “I’m the lucky one,” he finally said.  He wished that he had thought of something else, but before he could, she leaned forward, turned and kissed him – and it wasn’t just a peck either.  Sam wasn’t quite sure why it bothered him, but it did.  He was about to gently pull away from her when the Imaging Chamber door slid open.  He quickly separated from her and stood up.  Looking around the room, he quickly made his way to the bathroom and shut the door hastily.

Lara sighed with sympathy as she watch her lover hurry to the bathroom.  "Poor darling," she murmured to herself and then leaned back in the couch.

        Al relocated into the bathroom just in time to see Sam rinsing out his mouth with water.  “Sorry it took so long, Sam.  Ziggy decided to research ‘biological oddities’,” Al shook his head and then saw the paleness on Sam’s face.  “You all right?”

"No, Al, I'm not all right.  I'm a porn star who is a lesbian and I have no idea how to tell Lara in there that I'm not interested in anything that she is planning tonight.  Okay?" Sam saw his mouth drop open.  Sam didn’t want to hear anything raunchy but he did want to know what he needed to do to get to leap.  "Now, tell me, Al.  Why am I here, so I can get the hell outta Dodge!" he muttered hastily through clenched teeth.

        Al raised his hand defensively.  "Okay, okay, calm down, Sam.  I'm sure Lara doesn't have any plans other than a simple snuggle and a movie, especially since it's blatantly obvious that you aren't feeling your usual self."  He raised the handlink and pressed some buttons.  "Apparently, there's another up and coming star in Veronica's line of films.  She's…damn... she's seventeen, Sam."  He pressed a few more buttons.  "Her name's Deborah Whittaker.  Ziggy says there's an eighty-three percent chance that you're here to get her to get out of Dodge, to paraphrase you."

"A seventeen year old doesn't need to be in this line of business, Al, that's for sure." Sam shook his head sadly.  "Okay, well, where can I find Ms. Whittaker?  I mean, how am I supposed to help her if I don't know where she is?" Sam asked Al but he could also hear the knock on the bathroom door.

“Are you okay?” Lara asked concerned.  “Do you needs some help, lover?”

        Sam rolled his eyes.  “Uhm, no… I’ll… I’ll be okay,” he said sort of sickly.  “Just… give me a few minutes, okay?”

        “Okay, darling,” she said gently through the door.  “Just yell if you need me.”  As she finished saying it, the teakettle whistled and Sam could hear her begin to walk away.  “Tea will be ready when you come out.”

        Al looked toward the door.  “Sounds like Lara’s a heck of a nice

lady," he commented.  He did get a glare from Sam for that, the kind that told him that he’d better give him what he wanted and right now.

Tapping some buttons on the handlink, Al read the info.  "You should meet Deborah tomorrow at the set.  Her manager - damn nozzle, if you ask me - suggested that she watch a filming before actually starting her own role as... oh, geez..., as Countess Sensuousa'."

"Countess Sensuousa?" He rolled his eyes again.  “What a name!  I hate to even think about what my role is in that piece of crap that they are filming," he said with a shake of his head. 

        Al tapped on the handlink again.  “You’re the heroine that gives up her virginity to the Count’s lustful advances so that your friends may be spared eternal undeadness.  Countess Sensuousa… uh… you don’t want to know.  Best thing you can do for that girl is get her out of this movie.  Period.  Plus, she's underage so Ziggy says there's a good chance that you're here to put her manager out of business too."

"I can't imagine why anyone would do that to a child, Al.  Why?" he asked as he started toward the door.

Al looked at Sam sadly.  “Money,” he told him simply.  “There are a lot of sickos out there who are into that sort of crap.  The girl was probably trying to get into the movies and just got the wrong manager.”

        Sam sighed and opened the door and headed back out into the living room.

        Seeing Veronica come out of the bathroom, Lara gently smiled at her.  “Tea’s ready.”

        “Thanks,” Sam told her with a grateful smile.  Going and sitting down on the couch again, he leaned back with the hot tea and took a sip of it and tried his best to relax, but it was difficult when Lara kept trying to cozy up to him.

        “Uhm, I think… I think that I might go to bed early.  I… I really appreciate it that you said that you’d be taking the couch tonight.  Honestly, Lara, you are the best.”  Sam told her quite understanding where the words were coming from now.  “You are the best friend and lover that I’ve ever had.”  Sam watched as his hand went out to Lara’s face and caressed her cheek.  “Promise me?” He wasn’t sure what he was asking but it was obvious in Lara’s face that she knew.

        Lara smiled lovingly at her, taking her caressing hand and kissed it.  “Always and forever.  You get some rest, darling.  I’m going to watch a little television before I snooze.” 

        Sam nodded then turned and headed toward the bedroom.

        “Well, its obvious someone appreciates Lara,” Al told Sam as they approached the bedroom together.

        Sam closed the door and walked a few feet away from the door before he looked over at Al and said, “Yeah, well, everyone needs to be appreciated, Al, and from what I’m feeling from the psycho-synergizing from Veronica, she appreciates her an awful lot.”  That statement only got a grin from Al.  “Come on, Al.  What can I do?”

        Al frowned lightly at his words.  “What can you do about what?  The romance between Veronica and Lara or the situation with Deborah?” he asked thoroughly enjoying Sam’s uneasiness.

        Sam plopped down on the bed and looked up at Al with a frown.  “Both, Al.  Both.”  He shook his head and closed his eyes.  “This… this is just too much, Al.  I mean, I’m a lesbian porn star making… making … what is the title of this movie again?” Sam asked not liking the way that Al was grinning from ear to ear.

        “Veronica Does Castle Dracula,” Al told him plainly.  “I actually got a peek at this one when Beth was in Japan for a medical conference.”  Sam gave him a look that was equally chastising and awed.  “Hey, I was missing her, okay?  Anyway, you’ve got the best part of the entire movie!  Lucky lady!”

        Sam looked up at Al in shock.  “Great.  Just great.  I’m worried about a relationship with Lara and now worried about Deborah and trying to figure out how to get her out of this... this line of business and here you are telling me that I'm a lucky lady!  Al.  If you can't give me some kind of helpful information about what I need to do here... and nothing of it being of sexual orientation, then go home.”

"Okay, okay.  Don't get your pantyhose in a bind,” Al told him as he raised the handlink.  “Ziggy says that you have to somehow buddy up to Deborah when she is on the set tomorrow.  She also says that unless you want to be in a scene in the movie, you need a reasonable excuse to give to the director, like... you've started your period or something."

“I can’t believe this, Al.  I really can’t.  I can’t buddy up to Deborah without Lara in there getting upset.  Remember?  You said that she was the jealous type.  What am I supposed to do?" Sam asked him as he rubbed his brow.

Al shrugged.  “Hey, no one ever said this job was easy, Sam,” Al reminded him.  “Besides, you’ll think of something.  You can say you’re showing the new kid on the block the ropes.  Well… maybe not when you consider what line of work you’re in.”  Al scratched his head.  “Maybe you could try it from the other end and go after Deborah’s manager.  Somehow, you’ve got to get it out that he’s been recruiting under aged girls for this.”

        “I know, Al, I know.”  Sam leaned back against the bed and laid down.  “Why can’t I just have an easy leap?  Save the cat and leap?  Why?  Why does it have to be so damn complicated?” he asked the ceiling.  “Why?”  Sam turned his head to Al and shook his head at his partner grinning.  “And no, Al… you can’t come to work with me tomorrow. It’s going to be weird enough as it is.  I don’t need you there hamming things up.  Okay?”

        “Hey, did I say anything?” Al countered. 

“No, but you were thinking it.”

Al frowned.  “Geez, Sam.  That hurts that you think of me in that manner.  I’m a married man, after all.”

        “And if I remember correctly, you were the one that was still telling me that even if you were married… that you could look but couldn’t touch.  I don’t know why I remember that… but I do,” Sam told him plainly.

"Yeah, but there are occasions during the year where it’s don't look, except your loved ones - like anniversaries and birthdays," Al told him.  "And today is Beth's birthday so I'm going to be a good boy for her sake."

        "There are miracles," Sam muttered.  The look that Al gave him told him that he didn’t think that it was very funny.  "But, tomorrow's not her birthday, Al.  So... in that respect, you still can't... because I said so.”

        Al glared at him.  “You take all the fun out of being a hologram, Sam,” Al told him plainly.  “Sometimes I think you were born in a monastery.”  Al lifted the handlink, tossed him a goodbye wave then disappeared from his sight.

        Lara had thought that she had heard Ronnie talking out in her sleep so she sneaked up to the bedroom door and listened for a moment before tears began to form in her eyes.  ‘She wants someone else!  Whoever that Al is, she wants him instead of me!’  Returning to the couch, Lara cried silently.  Sleep finally won out when the tears had exhausted her.

PART TWO

Sam hadn’t slept well at all.  For some reason, he had a vision of Lara coming and creeping into the bed with him and certain things happening between the two of them.  When he came out of the bedroom, he saw Lara still asleep on the couch and decided to go ahead and make some coffee and breakfast before they had to go back to work.  The term ‘work’ even made him shiver and he made a face after taking a sip of the hot brew that he had made.  It wasn’t work.  It was degrading.

“So, did you sleep well?” Lara asked sleepily, but her voice was bland and had no merriment in it as it had last night.

Sam was pulling out the eggs and bacon out of the refrigerator when he heard Lara’s voice behind him.  Standing up quickly, he turned to face her as the bacon dropped from his hand.  “Uh… not well at all,” he told her softly as he bent down to pick up the bacon.  ‘Thank gawd that it wasn’t the eggs,’ he thought to himself.  “Dreams.  Guess this… this thing at work is driving me nuts.  Vampires and the such,” he told her as he put the bacon and eggs on the counter.  “What… what would you like to eat?” he asked her with a grin.  “Scrambled, fried, poached, or a-la-Beckett?”

"Is that the last name of your dream lover? Beckett?" Lara asked as she stepped into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.  "Is that the person you've been seeing behind my back?"

        Sam blinked at her words.  “What?” he said as he shook his head and held up a hand to her.  “I… I haven’t been seeing anyone behind your back, Lara.  Beckett…  he is a high school friend who always made awesome omelets when I went to his parents house,” he lied to her about who Beckett was, but he wished that Al was here to help him out of the spot he was in.  Sam took a step toward her.  “Why do you think that I would see someone behind your back?”

        Lara gave her a glare.  “Oh, come on, Veronica!  I heard you in your sleep! If you want your precious... 'Al'... whoever he or she is, why don't you just come out and say it?"

Sam blinked at her for a long moment as he realized that she had been listening at the door last night to hear him talking with Al.  He sighed heavily as he walked over to her and took her hands.  She immediately took them away from him, but he grabbed them again and held on tight.

"Al is a dream that I've had before, Lara."  Sam grinned as he heard the Imaging Chamber door open and heard Al ask how things were.  "He torments me in those dreams.  He won't tell me things that I need to know and acts like any normal man."  Sam looked deeply into her eyes.  "You don't have to worry about Al," Sam told her plainly. "I only want you."

        Lara sighed at his words.  “I suppose I am a little... possessive. But when I have the best, I don't want anyone trying to steal the best from me." Lara leaned forward and kissed Sam gently. "Scrambled."

        "Scrambled?" Sam asked her with a smile.  "Not a problem."  Walking over to the stove, he found a bowl and scrambled four eggs in it.  "Care for more coffee? I'll pour it for you."

Lara shook her head.  "No, that's okay.  I'll pour it."  Lara turned and reached for the coffee pot.  She paused right before she started to pour it as she glanced at Veronica.  Pouring the coffee, she put it back then picked up her mug.  "I'm just surprised that you've decided on the 'sin' breakfast instead of your usual bowl of fruit?"

"The 'sin' breakfast, huh? Well, sometimes, you need the fat intake.  Not all the time... but..." Sam glanced over his shoulder at her and grinned.  "You know how I am."

After making breakfast and eating, Sam started gathering the dishes together so that he could wash them, but he couldn’t help but grin at Lara as she looked at him as if he was nuts.  “What?  I’m cleaning up.”

“Yeah, I know.  And it’s freaking me out,” Lara told her bluntly. “I thought you said you hated cleaning.”

Sam couldn’t help but grin at her more.  “I do hate cleaning.  But if I figure if I clean it now then I won’t have to do it later,” he told her logically.  “You know if we cleaned as we went, it wouldn’t look so messy anyway.”  But that logical consequence that his mother had tried to teach him so often as he was growing up didn’t seem to work on Lara.  “What?”

        Lara extended her hand.  “Give me the plates,” she told Sam plainly.  “The last time you cleaned up, it took a week to get the dishwasher repaired.”

        “And… I’ve… I’ve learned a lot since then.  Come on, I’ll be okay.  Just… trust me, Lara.  Trust me.  You can even watch over my shoulder if you’d like,” Sam said with a grin.

        Lara sighed in frustration.  “You’re impossible.”  Dropping her hand, she shook her head as she headed for the bedroom.  “Do whatever you want but you’re paying the repair bill.”

        “Great relationship they have,” Al said sarcastically as he watched the scene play out before him.  “Reminds me of Thomas, Julianna's ex-boyfriend and ex-fiancé. They were good together, admittedly. But he was possessive. Tried to tell Jules he was all wrong

for her but she wouldn't listen. Of course, he wound up leaving her while she was pregnant with his child. Still, Veronica doesn't seem to have any problems with her relationship with Lara. She's absolutely ga-ga over her. Can't get her to talk about anything else." Al stopped when Sam gave him a look. "And good morning to you too, Sam."

Sam blinked at the information that Al gave him about his daughter's relationship with her ex-finance and then about how ga ga Veronica was over the woman who was now in the living room.  Sam glanced toward the living room then ran his teeth over his lip hoping that she wouldn’t come back into the room.  He nodded at Al’s good morning.  “Well, thank you, lover,” he said sarcastically as he turned and looked back at Al.

The look that Al gave him was priceless and Sam smiled brightly.  “You missed the beginning of that conversation.”  The only reaction that Al gave him was one eyebrow rising slightly.  “Lara thought that I wanted to be with Al Beckett.”  The look on Al’s face went from awe to a grin then to laughter.  “Quit it,” Sam murmured to him hotly as he turned once more in the small kitchen to open the dishwasher and plate the plates into it.

        "Gee, I didn't know you thought of me that way, Darling," Al teased him, still laughing from what Sam had told him. "But, I hate to break your heart. I belong to someone else. I hope you'll get over me very soon." Al saw the glare that Sam gave and he gave a chuckle.  “Oh, lighten up will ya?”

"Well, I'm glad that you can make jokes.  I don't see the humor in this at the moment.  I mean... oh... when am I supposed to be up at the stud... studio?" Sam stammered when he saw Lara stick her head into the kitchen once again.

Lara looked around the kitchen with a frown then looked at Veronica with concern.  “If you keep up talking to yourself like that, you aren't going to the studio at all today. Honey, you've been acting very strangely ever since we left work yesterday. Are you okay? You're not coming down with something, are you?"

        Al couldn’t help but chuckle.  “He's coming down with something that's for sure after that comment to me, darlin'.”

"Uhm... no," Sam said trying to ignore Al's words.  "I... just wasn't feeling well yesterday and today... well... I guess I'm just mainly on a high from the carbs from breakfast," he told her as he loaded the rest of the dishes into the dishwasher.  Opening the bottom cabinet, he placed in the dishwashing detergent and filled the container then closed it.  Placing it back, he shut the dishwasher and turned back to her and found her standing beside him, her hand shooting out to his forehead to check for a fever.  "Ohhh stop it.  I'm fine," he chastised her.

Lara exhaled in frustration. "Okay. If you insist. You better finish getting ready. We have to be at the studio in an hour and it'll take nearly that long in the traffic we're going to hit." Lara started for the door again. "But I'm bringing the blanket with us, just in case. I don't want you to get any worse if you are catching a cold. That would ruin your chances of finishing this movie for sure."

Al watched as Lara left the kitchen and bounced on the balls of his feet.  “Ahhh, the love of a good woman,” he grinned as he glanced at Sam.

Sam nodded at her and quickly moved along with her then turned back to Al and gave him a shrug.

Going into the bedroom, he quickly changed into a tank top and some shorts, the looked at himself in the mirror and just shake his head.  ‘There’s no way that I’m wearing this,’ he thought to himself.  Taking off the shorts, he headed to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans before he heard Lara call out, “Come on, lets go!”  Quickly dressing in them, he slipped on a pair of flip-flops also in the closet and started out toward the living room.

        Lara looked at the way Veronica was dressed and smiled.  She couldn’t avoid looking sexy if she tried, and she was actually sensible for a change!  Most of the time, she put on makeup only for the artists to take it all off of her when she got to the studio.  “Come on, we’re running late,” she told Sam as she grabbed her wallet and started for the door.  “Harold won’t be happy if we’re late today.  I hear we get to meet the girl who’s going to play the Countess,” she chuckled slightly.  “Can’t wait to see you two do the big finale.”

        Sam swallowed and blinked at her words as she continued on toward the car.  Sam’s eyes widened and he glanced at Al.  He motioned toward the car and Sam quickly opened the door and sat down.

        “Are you sure that you’re okay?”

        “Sure,” Sam said after he cleared his throat.  “Let’s go to… er… work,” he finally managed to say it.

        The trip was as long as Lara had estimated and they arrived at the studio fifty minutes later, needing to literally run in and get to the meeting on time.  Lara smiled at Harold as they stepped onto the stage and gave him their attention.

        Al popped in beside his friend and pointed toward a younger looking woman who was just about standing opposite of him in the room.  “There she is, Sam.  That’s Deborah.  Gawd, she looks like she’s only fourteen!  Her manager is a sick man, that’s all I have to say.

        When Sam’s eyes met the young ladies eyes, she smiled lightly at him.  She did look extraordinarily young.  He turned his head to look back at Lara and saw her edge closer to his side, almost snuggling up to him.  ‘Oh boy,’ he thought to himself.  ‘How am I going to do this?’ he asked as he looked over at Al for some kind of confirmation of his unknown request.

        “We all here?” Harold asked as he looked around the room to see all of his cast somewhat circled around.  “All right.  Let me introduce our newest member.  Ms. Deborah Whittaker.”

        Harold watched Deborah step out of the line and lightly raise her hand up for everyone to see her.  “Deborah, is going to be our Countess, I believe, right, Miranda?”  Seeing her nod, Harold clapped his hands together.  “Right.  So… after the next couple of minor scenes that we will be filming today, she’s going to start tomorrow full bore.”  He couldn’t help but grin.  “Like I told you guys the other day… lets get me going once again!”

The clapping around the room just set Harold up and he walked over to where Ronnie and Lara were standing and grabbed Ronnie and pulled her into my embrace and kiss her cheek.  Funny, she seems more distant than before.  "You okay, sweetcheeks?" Harold ask as he reached around and lightly goosed Sam’s butt.

        Sam winced internally at being grabbed and kissed by the director.  Not exactly appropriate workplace behavior but then again this wasn’t exactly an appropriate workplace, was it?

        “Fine,” Sam told him.  “Umm…” he started, looking towards Al for some help but not getting a single bit of it.  “The new girl… Deborah… think I could show her around?”  He felt the look from Lara and he turned to assure her.  “She seemed a little nervous.  I just want her to make sure that she feels welcome.”  Lara didn’t seem convinced completely so Sam placed a kiss on her cheek.  “Besides, I think I'd better sit today out." That gets a concerned look from both Harold and Lara. "I'm fine, really. It's just... you know... Lady's stuff."

        Hearing something wasn’t right with one of my ladies, Harold leaned in toward her and calmly asked, “That time of the month, already?  I thought that we tried to schedule around that, sweetie?” Seeing the blush that came up on her cheeks, he reached out and rubbed Sam’s shoulders gently.  “If that’s the case, baby doll, don’t worry.  We’ll find something for you to do for a week.  OK?”

        Sam nodded at his words, his face red with the supposition that he made.  “Yeah, sure. I’ll just go show the new girl around for now.”  Sam started away from the small group towards Deborah, giving a glare towards Al for the look on his face.  “Not a word,” he warned under his breath before smiling as he approached Deborah.  He extended his hand toward her.  “Hi, I’m S… Veronica.”

        After being introduced to the group, Deborah just stood in the corner more than a little embarrassed, but she knew that in the long run that things were going to be okay.  She came out here for this job and that's what she planned to do... a job.  ‘It's a job.  Just keep saying that mantra over and over again,' she thought to herself.

But when a drop dead gorgeous woman walked up toward her, smiling and extending a hand, Deborah smiled back at her gingerly.  When she heard the name, she knew that she must have looked completely stupid as she stared at her and her mouth dropped open. "Veronica?  Ohhhh wow... I've heard so much about you."  Deborah grabbed her hand and gave her a hearty handshake.  "It's... it's an honor to meet you."

Sam lowered his head at her words, uncomfortable with the compliment.  “Uhhh… thanks.  I think.”  Humming and hawing for a moment, Sam finally found something to say.

“So, you’re… you’re new here, right?” Sam looked at Al, desperate for some assistance in this leap.  “Where do you come from, Deborah?”

"From Texas.  I'm from West Texas."  Deborah nodded at Veronica gently not really sure if she wanted to say the name of the town that she grew up in.  If anyone ever suspected that she had ran away from home and started this lifestyle, they might try to send her back... the question was... if she wanted to go back or not. 

        Al shrugged at Sam’s look and picked up the handlink and poked at it nonchalantly, but nothing was coming up to suit him.  He turned his hand over and shrugged one shoulder up and shook his head.  “Nada.”

        From the way that Deborah answered the question, Sam got the feeling that she didn’t want to go back to West Texas.  ‘Great.  Can you make things any harder?’ he wondered.  “Nice Country… or so I’ve heard,” he finished rather lamely.  “So… what made you decide to get into this… line of work?”

        Deborah was so enamored to be standing in front of a woman who was adored in many of her films that she leaned in a bit conspiratorially and said, “To be totally honest… to meet women like you who know what they want out of life… and…”

        “Aaaannndddd…” Sam prompted.

        “And the guys.  They are so hot!” she whispered with a sparkle in her eyes.  “Come on… I know that one of them has to be your beau.  Right?”

"Oh, boy," Sam murmured under his breath, slipping a glance at Al for guidance and, as usual, getting nothing. Deborah gave him an odd look, telling him that she expected an answer to her enamored question.

"Actually... no," he told her, his face reddening just from the thought. "I'm... kind of... well... interested in... umm... the other... half."  It wasn’t exactly elegant in its manner but at least it isn’t as crass sounding as what he could have said.

Deborah frowned slightly. "The other... oh!" she blushed almost immediately.  "I'm ... I'm so sorry.  Let me... oh... oh boy... let me go ahead and just take my knee out of my mouth and remove the foot from my stomach, maybe?"  Deborah said before she took a step back away from her then stepped forward once more not wanting Veronica to think that she didn't want to be around her.

Not knowing what to say or do now, Deborah finally just said, “Excuse me, please," and tried to move around Veronica but of course it wasn’t that easy.

"Wait a minute," Sam said gently, touching her shoulder to keep her from passing. "Why... why would you even be interested in women like me... I mean... I'm not exactly a role model for anyone, even if I were straight. I... I don't think you understand exactly what it is we do here."

        Sam looked to Al again, waiting for anything new at all.  “Deborah," he finally said, turning back to her. "I don't want you to go into this without knowing everything that goes on here. It's... this wasn't really my first choice as a career move."

Deborah looked at Sam a bit warily.  She looked down at the floor for a moment before she looked back up at him.  "What was your first choice as a career?  Didn't you want to be a movie star?  I mean... you are one!  It doesn't matter really how you came to be one... does it?”

        Sam took a breath before exhaling, finding the words that he hoped would change this young girl’s course in life.  “Sometimes it matters more to have a good reputation." Sam paused before asking, "Deborah, do you know what we're filming here? It's not going to be something that you'd want your parents or any of your friends to see."

"Ain't that the truth," Al commented.

"I know what the film is about.  It's a vampire movie.  My agent told me about it.  I'm supposed to be the Mistress Vampire... unless...” Deborah saw the frown appear on Veronica’s face and she felt her breathing increase exponentially.  "... unless... I'm the bait and you are really the mistress," she said as she took another step back as if getting ready to bolt if she needed to.  

"No... no, you have the lead," Sam corrected to try to make things clear. "It's just that... it's not just a vampire movie. It's..." Sam hesitated before pushing forward. "It's a pornographic movie."

"A..." Deborah stopped as her mouth dropped open but she immediately closed it and licked her mouth as it had gone dry.  "O..of course," she said softly.  "A pornographic vampire story.  Didn't I say that?"  Seeing Veronica shake her head, she nodded quickly trying to cover her shock as she licked her lips again.  "I meant to."

Sam smiled shyly at her.  “You know, it’s not like I didn’t know,” he told her with a wink hoping that it wasn’t too much.

Al shook his head at her answer.  “The kid’s messed up, Sam.  She’s gonna do anything to get into the movie business, no matter what.”

"Didn't you know that it's illegal to have a minor in a pornographic film?" Sam asked, hoping to reason with her.  The look on her face told him that it wasn’t working. "Listen, I just don't want you to make the same mistakes that I did."

"I don't see any mistakes that you made.  You’re a movie star.  I've wanted to be one since I was little.  And who says that I'm underage?"  Deborah could tell what Veronica was doing.  She was giving her a way out.  

‘Great,’ Sam thought as he glanced at Al, who seemed to be more interested in one of the co-stars walking by in an outfit that left nothing to the imagination.

“Alllll…” Sam muttered under his breath.  ‘Just when I need info, he’s goggling at the girls!’

“I’ve… I’ve made plenty of mistakes.  This… this is a mistake itself,” Sam said, trying to hint to Al as to what information he needed.  “Umm… do you see my name in any big blockbusters?”

"I... I think so."

“I don’t think so,” Al replied.  He knew that Sam didn’t think that he was actually listening to his conversation with Deborah, but when a woman walked by in a cape and high heels with only a stitch on here and there; it tends to grab the attention.  Any guy would be watching… well… everyone except for Sam – the True Blue Boy Scout.

Picking up the handlink, he said, "Actually, Veronica..." he paused then shake his head.  "Sam.… You’re not just here for Deborah.  You're here for Veronica too.  She dies right after she makes this movie, Sam."

Sam shook his head, an answer of a kind to both Deborah and Al.  "No, Deborah. I've never been in anything but porno’s. I made a mistake a long time ago and now I'm paying for it. Who knows what will happen to me in the future?" Sam glanced at Al to get