Lights, Camera, Action.

Dedicated to StellarPerformance who introduced me to my new love of the film industry.

"Cut! Nice run, nice run. I think that'll wrap it up for today. See everyone bright and early tomorrow!" A whoop of laughter and applause went up as the director headed towards the back room to review today's shots. One of the actors called that he was going to a party and everyone was invited, but I didn't jump to follow like everyone else did.

I was pretty silent throughout the work day, most people just called me Dee, for some reason. My name was Ivy Walker so I had no idea where the 'Dee' came from. I wasn't a large producer, editor, designer, or anything really. I was a lowly and humble assistant, running to get actors and camera crew when told, keeping out of everyone else's way.

Not saying that I was ignored, because I was pretty helpful throughout a movie's production. I just tended to stay to myself instead of going to large profile parties like everyone else.

"Ivy, you heading back to hotel?" Gemma Williams, one of the extras that had a speaking role ("Are you joshing us, Moonslide?"), wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we headed towards the room where she would take off her makeup. The film, a fantasy/adventure/action/romance genre twist, took place on a far away planet and all the extras had vibrant makeup and feathers/leaves in their hair. It looked strange on some of the extras but Gemma could make it work. And she did. She made it look like a fashion do instead of a fashion please don't.

"Yea. You going to the party with Roman and them?" She shrugged and started pulling the leaves and feathers from her hair as we walked towards the station where female extras got ready.

"I kind of want to seeing as how Patrick is going and you know I'm madly in love with him. But I don't want to show up by myself." Patrick Reynolds was one of the minor characters in the movie and Gemma had been an extra in four of his movies. It was pretty funny to see her eyes glaze over whenever he was filming his scenes.

"Hey girls. Is Ollie in here?" Roman Timson poked his head through the door, nodding to us as he spoke. Ollie Frank was an assistant to an assistant to the main assistant to the director. Him and Roman, one of the major characters in the film, had been friends since preschool and they often hung out after shooting. I glanced around the room, looking for the redhead, but to no avail.

"Nope, sorry Rome. If I see him, I'll tell him you're looking for him?" He nodded, smiling, and then left. Gemma shivered, a grin on her lips as she walked into a changing cubby. Poor girl had a crush on Roman too.

While Gemma changed out of the unflattering (on anyone else, that is) suit, I scanned my reflection in the makeup mirror. I looked tired. Dark blue circles were starting to show through the makeup I'd put on them, making my brown eyes look strained. My usually straight-ish brown hair was starting to curl more than usual. I had frown lines between my eyes, from examining promo pictures over and over again.

"Why don't we... go to the hotel, get all dolled up and go to the party?" Gemma had stepped from the cubby and was packing her suit into her locker, grabbing her purse and keys as she did so.

"I don't know, Gemma. I know he said everyone was invited, but it's kind of silly for an assistant to go to one of these parties." She turned, hands on her hips, and smirked at me.

"Are you or are you not getting more money than Ollie Frank?" I mumbled something, knowing where she was going with that argument and disliking it.

"Well, he'll be there." I pulled my keys from my pocket, making a face behind her back which she probably knew I was doing.

"Who makes more money doesn't matter, Gems. Ollie Frank is adored among the cast and crew."

She turned around, frowning at me a little.

"You're adored."

I raised an eyebrow, my hands folding infront of my chest unconsciously.

"They call me 'Dee.'"

She nodded slowly before continuing to walk towards the parking lot. Very few cars were still out there.

"Okay, well... how about this, okay? We go to the hotel, get dolled up, make an appearance at the party so that I can see Patrick, and then leave? Thirty minutes to an hour, tops. Please, Ivy! Please, pretty please, with Splenda on top?" That was her thing, Splenda.

"Fine, fine. But an hour tops it, okay? One hour and one second, no." She nodded, grinning and actually bouncing.

"I'll see you at the hotel!" I barely got a 'Ditto' out before she disappeared into her car and down the road. She was definitely in a rush.

xxxxxxxxx

By time I got to my hotel room, Gemma was standing outside of it with a duffle bag. And knowing Gemma, inside lay eight outfits (atleast), shoes, makeup, and accessories. She always went above and beyond.

"Gems, why can you never just pick something? Do you always have to have eight things to chose from?" She shook her head, glancing at me as I shut the door and walked to where she was pulling the clothes out.

"These aren't for me, Ives. They are for you." I raised my hands, shaking them and my head at the same time.

"No. No. No, and a million times no. I'm picking out my outfit."

"Of course. Out of these choices."

I knew that fighting with her was pointless so I submitted. She happily started flaunting the clothes around, dancing behind the fabrics and making silly faces. None were really my style, but they weren't slutty or anything. Gemma wasn't like that.

Finally we settled on our outfits. She wore a dress that reached her knees and reached behind her neck as a halter top. She wore her dark red hair down, naturally curly, which complimented the white dress nicely. A pair of white flats, light makeup, and a smile completed the image.

My outfit was awkward for me, but I just wasn't used to anything other than jeans or sweat pants. The skirt was black and ended at my knees, a split in the front that went up a few inches, not showing anything though. The blouse was half sleeved, ending at my elbows, and was a little tight. It was white and the neckline was in the V shape, but a black under shirt kept things from being flaunted. A satin feeling ribbon was tied into a bow in the front of the blouse, just under the bust.

Gemma curled my hair and pinned parts back, small sections falling into my face. She re-applied my makeup, hiding the circles that she promised were barely visible, and making the frown lines between my eyes go away with a gentle massage. A black pair of flats and a small white and black handbag ended my ensemble. The person in the mirror was me, but it wasn't me.

"No one is going to know it is me." Gemma snuck her arm into the crook of mine, linking our elbows together. Together in the mirror, we made quite the pair.

"No worries darling. It's definitely still you under it all." I stuck my tongue out at her and laughing, we made our way towards the door.

We'd decided to only take one car, her's. The party was at a local club, small enough that the cast and crew often rented it out for these little parties. Sometimes they'd let the public in, sometimes not. And by the group of people walking in the door when we pulled in, tonight they were letting them in.

"Remember Gemma, an hour." She saluted and we made our way, arm in arm again, towards the door. The bouncer knew Gemma (she frequented the parties with some of the other extras) and allowed her in. I had been in the middle of fishing out my ID when he just nodded at me to pass.

"I didn't get carded!" To say I was dumbstruck would be an understatement. I always got carded. It was a tradition.

"You definitely look over twenty-one to me." I made a gurgling sound and then laughed. Not being carded gave me momentary high. But it was gone when the lights started flashing and I saw the number of people in there.

"Oh, I forgot how much I hate clubs and parties." Gemma laughed, linking our arms again, and headed towards the back where everyone from the film were. Ollie and Roman, a few females already on their arms, smiled and waved to Gemma when she walked through the velvet curtains first. I stumbled in behind her, feeling awkward and out of place. Ollie stared at me a little oddly and then started laughing. Roman nudged his arm.

"Wanna let me in on the joke?" Ollie stopped laughing, still regarding me oddly.

"That, Rome, is Dee." Ollie knew my real name but it was doubtful that Roman did so he used my... alias?

"Dayum, Dee!" I laughed, slightly forced, and followed Gemma a little further into the masses. A few extras spoke to Gemma, a few crew spoke to me (when they realized who I was).

"I wonder where Patrick is." I shrugged and then scanned the crowd for him. He was tall, blond, and built. It couldn't be this hard to find him, could it. My gaze stopped halfway across the room when it landed on the main character of the film, Mars Ketting. Thankfully he was paying no attention to the crowd, instead talking to someone animatedly, laughing and throwing his hands in the air at intervals, his shaggy brown hair moving as he did, his green eyes glinting in the flashing lights.

I let my eyes continue their movement but they barely had to move. Mars was talking to Patrick. Just my luck. My best friend's crush was talking to my crush. My best friend was going to drag me so she could talk to her crush. I really didn't want to be near my crush. I'd do something stupid. Like talk.

"Oh, there he is! Come on, before we lose him!" Grabbing my hand, Gemma started pulling me behind her. It must of looked like I was being forced to go into a lion's den with all the fear and shock written on my face. Fortunately, Gemma couldn't see me. I didn't want anyone to know about my small crush on Mars.

I was a mature adult, I could handle it without turning all fan girl!

"Patrick! Mars! Hey!" Gemma had this undeniably happy and chipper tone to her voice that I know she wasn't faking. If it was me, it'd be forced to the point of being almost sarcastic.

"Hey Gemma, glad you could make it. Who is this?" I knew no one would know it was me.

"This is Ivy Walker." She spoke as if it was obvious when, obviously, it wasn't.

Patrick had a guilty look on his face. I smiled at him, taking pity on him partially because he was Gemma's dream guy and partially because I knew he was a genuinely nice guy.

"Also known as Dee, the Come and Go girl." That was my other title. Come and Go girl. It sounded dirty, but Roman was the one who created it so that was to be expected.

"Why do they call you Dee if you're name is Ivy?" That was Mars, his Irish accent making me shiver a bit. Thankfully at that moment, Gemma chose to bump her hip with mine, so the shiver was hopefully unnoticed.

"Because her father is Dean Morris Walker, the owner of the filming company we're all with right now and that's how people know her. Dean's Daughter."

I tried to keep the shocked look off my face. I didn't even know that! How did I not even know that?!

"You're dad is D.M. Walker?" I nodded, still a little shocked as to where I got my nickname. So people knew me because my father? Talk about an ego kill.

Patrick nodded, impressed with the information, and Mars just continued sipping his drink. I tried to think of my facial expression. If it was bored, he might think I'm smug or arrogant because of who my father was.

Not that I cared what he thought about me.

Much.

xxxxxxxxx

At some point, Patrick and Gemma went off to dance, leaving me with Mars. During the time before Patrick and Gemma left, we were all talking and laughing. I'd even participated in the conversations, making the four of us laugh more than once. But once the two left, it got quiet. Not the awkward kind, but not the comfortable kind.

"Can you keep a secret?" It was the first thing to be said since we'd been left alone and I have to admit that I jumped a bit when his Irish baritone voice appeared at my ear.

"Uh, s-sure." He nodded a bit, not saying anything for a few moments. He took a sip from his drink, eyeing the crowd a little ways away from us. My own drink was clutched between both of my hands, my eyes going between watching Mars and watching the liquid dance with the beat of the song playing at the moment.

"Patrick likes Gemma." I looked up from the patternst the liquid was making and looked over at him, a little disbelieving.

"Are you sure?" He nodded, taking another sip from his drink before looking over at me.

"Why, is that so hard to believe?"

I shook my head, scanning the crowd for the duo, my eyes going over the people's faces quickly.

"No, it's just-- in confidence?-- she likes him too." I continued looking for them but having no luck.

"They'd make a nice couple." I nodded and then turned to face him a little more.

"So how do you like filming the movie? I know that some days you look like you could throttle Josh but I promise, he's doing everything he can to make this painless." Josh Michaels was the director and sometimes I even had the tendency to want to shake him about. He dragged things out, things that didn't need to take so long.

"It's like every movie I've done before and probably every one after. There are times when I wish it would last forever and times when I wish it would just be over with. But I'm looking forward to the end result. I think that it will be worth it. How about you, Come and Go girl? You like it?"

I shrugged a bit, taking a very small sip from my very alcoholic drink. Gemma ordered it for me. If I was ordering, it'd be a water.

"If you mean the actual movie, I think the parts I've seen are fantastic. But if you mean my job... Josh isn't the most demanding director I've worked with but it isn't a walk through the park. He's requested some pretty strange things of me. Like the kiwi baskets on everyone's first day filming, do you remember? I had to spend the night carving everyone's name into the kiwi. Actors, extras, crew. Everyone." He laughed, leaning backwards a little.

"I would of told him where he could put that kiwi basket." I laughed lightly, my eyes moving down to my drink.

We sat in another bout of comfortable/awkward silence, listening to the music (feeling it through the chairs we were sitting on). I then realized that I didn't have a watch or a way to tell the time. Which meant the hour could be done and over with and I was still here. I glanced over and noticed that Mars had a watch on.

"May I?" I gestured to his watch and he held his arm towards me, the actual clock part on his wrist. I turned his hand and focused on the clock, my vision blurred slightly by the lights and the alcohol. I hadn't had much, but I was a light weight. And proud.

The clock confirmed that it was past my hour deadline. I let go of his hand and then scanned the crowd again. Failing to find Patrick and Gemma, I leaned back and sighed, a little miffed. I took the drink I'd been flirting around with drinking and downed the last of it.

"It's been fun, but I'm going to go. Early day tomorrow, you know." I stood up and swayed a bit, frowning as I did so. I'd been sitting all night so I had to get used to standing with the flashing lights.

"Gemma taking you back to the hotel?" I shook my head, focusing on his shoulder rather than his face. I wasn't good at looking at people's faces.

"She was supposed to, but I won't find her in this muck. I'm just going to call a cab." Mars finished his drink and stood up, not swaying in the least.

"I'll take you. I'm headed towards my house anyways."

Not to sound stalkerish, but I knew that he lived near where we were filming.

We walked out of the club and I followed him to his car. Gemma and I had parked on the other side so I had no idea if she was even still here. He opened the door for me and I slid into the seat. I was feeling giddy and warm, probably to do with my being a light weight.

"Ready?" I nodded slowly, smiling over at Mars and then leaning back into the seat a little.

"Born so."

xxxxxxxxx

Apparently Mars and I took a detour last night. A detour to his house. A detour to the bedroom. A detour to the bed. I think you get the picture. It was just past nine in the morning when I got up and it took me until almost nine thirty to find all my clothes. Mars was already gone, the major actors having to be infront of the camera by seven in the morning.

I called a cab and then waited a few blocks down away from the house, wearing a rumpled outfit and with complete sex hair that I just couldn't tame. The cabby gave me a look and I grumbled out the hotel name.

I ran to my room, swiped the card, and then slammed the door shut. I was angry, I think. Or scared.

I don't act like that. I don't sleep with people that I barely know, even if I work with them. I don't sleep with people I work with. I don't sleep with people I'm not in a relationship with and have been for the past few months! It had to be the alcohol.

I froze on my way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. God, what did Mars think of me? He wasn't showing any intimate or romantic interest towards me, that I could remember. But it was a bit fuzzy. I didn't drink that much. Why, oh why, was I such a light weight?!

I took a quick shower, washed my face of the already smeared makeup, and got dressed for work. Jeans and a white tshirt, to draw the least amount of attention to me as possible. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and grabbing my things, headed towards my car. My cell phone sat in the indention where the steering wheel was, hidden from public view. It blinked with a new text message. From Gemma.

"Couldnt find you last night. You coming in today?"

I bit my lip as I started the car. It didn't seem that she knew I'd left with Mars last night. Maybe no one knew and if that was the case, no one was going to know. We only had about another month of filming and I could avoid Mars that long.

Oh, who was I kidding? I couldn't avoid him! As the filming drew closer to a close I'd be forced to be around him more for the fine tuning of the final draft.

When I arrived, Josh was leaving the building, walking slowly towards one of the outer buildings.

"What's up, Josh?" He smiled, slowing down to a halt infront of me.

"Apparently when I said 'Check the gate' no one listened. And then we found out that the empty reels were destroyed by sun exposer. So I sent Meredith to go get the backups from my office." That was about an hour away, easily.

He continued his walk towards the outer buildings and I made my way into the main one. Everyone was lounging around, goofing off and being themselves. Most the extras and the characters had changed from their costumes into normal clothes but left their makeup on. I saw Gemma, leaning into Patrick and talking and laughing with him, Roman, Ollie, and Mars. I slipped unnoticed into one of the video tents and pushed my way through the people to my usual seat.

"Ivy, was that you at the club last night? You looked so different!" That was one of the many comments I received. I smiled, said it was, and continued doing what I was which was skim through the promo pictures and decide which ones to use.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I slowly turned to look behind me. Gemma smiled and then sat down beside me, flipping through the pictures in silence for a moment.

"I'm really sorry about last night, Ivy. Patrick and I just lost track of time and by time I realized how late it was, you were no where to be found. And then Patrick and I went to his house." She was looking down, genuinely guilty that she forgot the hour deadline.

"What happened?" She looked up, smiling lightly and blushing just the smallest bit.

"Nothing, really. We talked, he told me he liked me, I told him I liked him, talked some more, then fell asleep." I nodded and then went back to thumbing through the promos. So Mars wasn't kidding.

"What about you? How'd you get home?" I was saved from answering by someone poking their head in and calling for Gemma. She told me she'd see me later and then disappeared from the video tent. I stopped thumbing through the pictures, staring down at a picture of Mars and Patrick, in character, training to fight with swords. I was on location during that shoot, watching them fight and try to get their lines in at the appropriate times.

"I had a lot of fun that day." My head shot up and then down again. Mars stepped closer, still looking down at the picture.

"Can I help you?"

He ran a hand through his hair and looked around the tent. He was in his costume and looked out of place surrounded by the jeans and tshirts in the room.

"About last night. I--" I held up a hand, shaking my head. I was curious as to what he'd say, but I wasn't strong enough to hear. I knew that.

"We're both responsible adults, Mars. Don't worry, I'm not going to hold this over your head in any way." He shifted from one foot to the other, watching me strangely.

"I knew who you were. Even all dressed up, I still knew who you were. I also knew your name was Ivy Walker." I stood up and walked towards one of the tables in the back where there was a water cooler. I grabbed one of the styrofoam cups and filled it half way.

"Mars, I don't--"

"Mars, come on, we're needed for the scene. Meredith's back." Mars nodded to Roman and then looked back at me. I smiled and then made a shooing motion with my hands. He nodded but didn't move.

"Come watch the scene?"

I was struck silent but I nodded. He disappeared quickly and I slowly followed. By time I got to the set, he was running a rehearsal, going through the lines and movements without the camera running.

"I have a confession to make. I knew that when we got here that they wouldn't let all of us leave. They'd need someone to stay behind, to assure that the ones leaving knew not to come back or he'd die. And I knew it had to be me that stayed." Moonslide, played beautifully by Mars, was talking to his team. This is where the uproar came, accompanied by Gemma's "Are you joshing us, Moonslide?"

The movie ended happily because Moonslide would end up marrying one of the inhabitants and being able to escape and get back to his team. But that was still a while away from the scene they were going through right now.

"Okay, check the gate! Everyone back to starting points. Lights! Background movement. Okay, aand, action!" The team started running through the gates and towards Moonslide and Ragier (Roman's character). They all embraced them, happy they'd survived being captured earlier. Ragier kept a straight face even though he knew that Moonslide was going to have to stay.

"I have a confession to make." Everyone stopped talking, watching Moonslide as he moved through the crowd. The camera followed his movement, never once leaving his charasmatic presence. and then he stopped moving and turned towards the crew. Just like that, he went from charasmatic Moonslide to charasmatic Mars. His eyes moved around until he found me.

"I like Ivy Walker." Hoots, whistles, and applause followed that. Gemma was probably clapping the loudest, Patrick at her side. He winked at Mars and I glared lightly at him. With a deep breath, Mars started walking past all the equipment and crew members until he got to me. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me to him, pressing our mouths together in a kiss I barely remembered from last night.

The whistles, screams, and applause got louder until I thought my head would explode. Well, it could of been my insides that were making all the noise. We pulled apart and he smiled at me.

"Sorry for embarassing you." I shook my head a little, pressing my forehead to his.

"I think I'm okay with it at the moment." He laughed and pressed a quick kiss to my lips.

"Aand, cut!" We turned to Josh who had one of the cameras aimed at us.

I turned red and pressed my face into the chest infront of me, laughing under my breath.

"That better not end up on the blooper reel."

A/N: Woo, another one! This one, as stated at the beginning, is dedicated to StellarPerformance who made me go with him to a film seminar and I fell in love.
I actually had a lot of fun writing this. The movie I talk about is Other Side of Chrome but the actors/extras/crew are all my own.
Review and let me know how you felt about it...