Archive of Our Own ^beta

But that's the thing, isn't it? When you're here, alone in the woods, and you look at the sky for the first time– And I mean really, really look– you realize some things. 

How vast the universe is. How small we are. How nothing really matters, yet, everything matters at the same time. 

We may be small, especially compared to the stars, but we are not meaningless. We change the lives of the people around us every day, even in passing. Even for people we cross paths with once and never again. 

I look up at the stars and I realize. I realize this about myself, about the people around me in my life. I wonder about the people I've seen on this journey, the ones I'll probably never see again. What are their lives like? What do they think when they look at the stars? Do they ever stop to look up, or are they like me? Are they too caught up in their own lives to notice the world around them; the people that make life worth living?

And that's what it comes down to, isn't it? No matter what happens, no matter what obstacle stands in my way next, it'll be okay. It'll be okay, and life will carry on. I'll meet people, new people, some who I'll become lifelong friends with and others who will be nothing more than the background of a distant memory. But for a moment, we were there. We were connected. Like all the stars in the sky, and the constellations they form. 

Every single star in a constellation is important. It wouldn't be the same without all of them there. It would become something completely different. In every constellation, if certain stars suddenly vanished, the whole thing would fall apart. 

There's no real way to know what star I am in any given person’s constellation, but in my own, I am my North Star. I am crucial to my own story, my own path. It starts and ends with me. 

As I look up at the stars, I know my story isn't over yet. My constellation is just forming. I have so many more people to meet, so many more stars to connect with. I have so much life left to live. 

For the first time, when I look at the stars, I can truly see. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent into Denver. Please turn off all portable electronic devices and stow them until we have arrived at the gate. In preparation for landing in Denver, be certain your seat back is straight up and your seat belt is fastened. Please secure your carry-on items, stow your tray table, and pass any remaining service items and unwanted reading materials to the flight attendants. Thank you.”

Regina sighs at the flight attendant’s announcement, closing her book and slipping it into her bag under the seat in front of her. To anyone else who might be watching her in the first class section of this airplane, they would have thought she had impeccable timing. She's gotten to the very end of her book just as they were about to descend. 

In fact, that's exactly what the woman across the aisle thinks. She looks at Regina and grins. “So? Did you like the ending?”

Regina has no idea who this woman is. She’d seen Regina reading her book as soon as they were at cruising altitude and starting rambling about how much she loved the book immediately. Regina had indulged her, mostly because she seemed genuinely interested in the book, and not Regina herself. 

She's gotten good at perfecting her incognito look over the years, but even then, she does still get recognized sometimes. That'll happen when you're a two-time Oscar nominated movie star. 

“It was great,” Regina tells her. She doesn't have the heart to tell this woman she's read this book so many times, she has it practically memorized. Well, in some cases, literally memorized. 

“I just love the ending Diana found for herself,” the woman rattles on. “It's just such a profound thing, you know? Finding yourself like that. It’s so rare to get a good story where the main character doesn’t need a love interest to find her worth!” 

Regina hums and nods. “Yeah, definitely.”

“I heard they're making a movie for it. Supposed to come out next year, I think.”

Regina stiffens up in her seat. Is her cover blown? Did this woman know all along?

“We’ll just have to see if it's any good,” the woman continues, clearly not noticing Regina's shift in body language. “The movie adaptations rarely are.”

Regina shrugs. “Yeah, we'll see.”

Regina wonders if this woman will ever piece it together. Maybe whenever the movie comes out, and she sees it in theaters, she’ll realize who the woman she saw reading the book on that plane actually was.

When Regina's face fills the silver screen, starring in the movie as Diana. 

Regina puts on her sunglasses the moment the plane lands. The extra layers of anonymity probably aren't as necessary as the Denver airport as they are at LAX, but she's not taking any risks. Once they’re allowed to move, she grabs her bag under her seat, and her carryon from the overhead bin. 

She’s got two extra suitcases that'll be waiting for her at baggage claim. It's annoying, and a huge hassle, but she's going to be in Colorado for twelve weeks. She's not leaving anything up to chance. 

Karen, her personal assistant, is also gathering up her bags. Regina’s glad she's able to be here for the whole shoot. Gretchen, her manager, is going to be flying back and forth between Los Angeles and Colorado for the next couple of months, and honestly, Regina does not envy her. Flying that much sucks. She won't be getting here for a few more days, when filming will already be in full swing. 

Being in first class, they're some of the first people off the plane. They beeline for the baggage claim, looking to minimize their time in the airport itself. Regina’s been in the Denver airport twice before, both times for layovers, and the place freaked her out. Maybe she’s been spending too much time listening to true crime podcasts. It’s not even like anything is proven when it comes to the Denver airport. It’s just full of bad vibes. 

And, well, as a highly successful actress, large parts of Regina’s life center around vibes. Getting the feeling of a character, of a scene, of the complicated politics of movie promotion, interviews, premieres, all of it. She’s damn good at her job, and she credits a significant part of that to getting the hell away when a situation or place has bad vibes. Protect her peace, protect her image, protect herself. That’s her motto.

It takes them forever to get to the damn baggage claim, but they get there. Their luggage isn’t there yet, so all they can do is stand around and wait for the conveyor to start moving and for luggage to come out. Regina spots a bathroom nearby, and puts her carry-on bag down next to Karen.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom,” she tells her. “I’ll be right back.”

“Kay-kay!” Karen replies, looking down at her phone. “Our car will be ready to pick up whenever we get our luggage!”

“You’re the best,” Regina tells her with a smile. “Be right back,” she repeats, adjusting her purse on her shoulder, and heading towards the bathrooms.

God, she’s had to pee for a while. She should have just gone on the damn plane, but she hates plane bathrooms. She doesn’t know anyone who doesn’t mind them. She’s just glad there’s bathrooms near the baggage claim, so she doesn’t have to wait until they get to the ho–.

“Oof! ” 

Instead of walking into the bathroom, she’s walked directly into someone coming out of it. One of the straps of her purse slips off her shoulder, a couple of items tumbling out onto the ground.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” the mystery woman says. Regina’s too busy scrambling with her bag to even look at her.

“You should really watch where you’re going,” Regina tells her, crouching down at the same time as the other woman to collect her things. 

It’s not much. Her sunglasses case, some lip balm she’s definitely going to throw out, now that even its container has touched an airport bathroom floor, and her book. She grabs the glasses case and the lip balm, and the woman grabs the book.

Regina looks up at her. As annoyed as she is, she has to admit. This random woman is very beautiful. Even after coming off a plane, she takes Regina’s breath away. Her strawberry blonde hair is up in a single loose braid, and she’s dressed like she belongs in Colorado. One with the wilderness or whatever. Regina isn’t paying too close attention to that. Her face is soft, curious, and very, very beautiful.

“This is a good book,” the woman comments.

“Yeah, it is,” Regina replies, a little stunned. 

There’s a cough from someone behind them. They quickly stand up, moving to the side, to let someone else into the bathroom instead of blocking the entryway.

“Um, here,” the woman says, handing her the book back. “I’m so sorry again. It’s been a long day.”

Regina takes the book and waves her hand. “It’s okay. Stuff happens.”

The woman gives her a little smile, but then clears her throat. “Um, anyways. Sorry again. Enjoy Colorado.”

“Thanks,” Regina replies. “You too.”

The woman heads off, towards baggage claim. 

Regina looks back down at the book in her hands again, before slipping it into her purse. Her eyes run over the familiar title, and the name of the author.

I See Stars 

Cady Heron

She puts the book away, straightens herself out, and heads into the bathroom. She doesn’t want to dwell on the beautiful woman she literally ran into in the bathroom of the fucking Denver airport. She’s gotta focus, so she can go to the bathroom, get her luggage, and get the hell out of here.

She has work to do.

The rental car they get isn’t bad. It’s no luxury vehicle, but it’s classy enough for Regina, and will let her fly under the radar when she’s not on set. They’re shooting almost exclusively on location for this movie, which is why she’s about to spend the next several weeks of her life in Boulder, Colorado, a place she’d only heard of maybe a handful of times before auditioning for this movie. 

The drive to the hotel takes them a little under an hour, with traffic. It’s nothing compared to the nightmare of getting to and from LAX whenever she’s actually home. She’s just happy that they got here early enough to have a relaxing night in her room, and actually get some good rest before the start of filming tomorrow. 

The hotel is gorgeous. It’s the nicest hotel in Boulder, according to Karen’s research. It’s got a private spa on site, which Regina hopes she might be able to use at some point. Knowing what filming schedules are like, she doubts it, but hey, maybe! She could use a good spa day. She always could. 

She and Karen have adjoining suites on the top floor of the hotel. They’re far from the nicest suites Regina’s ever stayed in, but they’re still pretty decent. And the balcony has a beautiful view of the mountains, which seems to be the main reason people come to Boulder in the first place. Regina’s grateful for the internal door between their suites. Even though Karen is her assistant, she’s also one of her closest friends in the world. Gretchen ranks up there too, despite also being her manager. It’s hard, working with her friends, and striking that balance, but she’s grateful she has them. 

People never really realize how lonely it is to be at the top.

Regina’s getting settled into her suite, unpacking some of her stuff, when there’s a knock on the internal door. “Come in.”

“Just a reminder that we have the mixer tonight at eight,” Karen tells her. “It’ll be right downstairs, but we should definitely try to be on time.”

Regina closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “Right. No time to relax.”

Karen gives her a sympathetic smile. “Not when the producers want to treat us to drinks and whatever food they’re actually gonna serve.”

“I’ll be ready,” Regina assures her. It’s still a few hours away, but Karen knows Regina well. It’s going to take her that long to actually get dressed up and ready for a mixer event, especially after flying.

Karen leaves her to do her thing. Regina unpacks a bit more, before getting out the dress she’s picked out for tonight, along with all her makeup and hair products. Luckily, there is plenty of room on the counter in the oversized bathroom for all her crap. She takes a long, much-needed shower, and starts on her routine to get ready for a professional dinner.

It’s meditative, honestly. Not as meditative as getting her hair and makeup done before going to set. For that, she just has to sit there, and let things be done to her. Doing her own hair and makeup is different, but still nice. 

It might not be the relaxing evening she’d been looking forward to, but it’s something. She’ll take it.

The producers have rented out the ballroom downstairs, turning it into a big event for all the cast and crew to meet and mingle. Regina’s attended so many of these damn events, but they’re usually somewhere in LA. She’s a bit nervous about the event being in the same hotel they’ll be living in for the better part of the next twelve weeks. What if some crazed fan finds out, and she ends up having to deal with stalkers in this hotel that is clearly not used to celebrities?

Who is she kidding? She’s in fucking Boulder. A city of, what, a hundred thousand people? Maybe? She’ll be fine. She’s overreacting, which is kind of her whole thing. She didn’t get nominated for those Oscars for nothing.

Gretchen’s convinced this’ll be the one she’ll finally win with. Regina’s still not sure. The script is promising, yeah, but the director is practically an unknown. A few indie films, sure, but nothing crazy. Hell, she only really agreed to sign on in the first place because she did genuinely really like the book. Well, that, and they offered her the role without an audition. Honestly, a bit of a longshot, given the lower budget and general lack of experience on the part of the filmmakers themselves, but she’d still said yes. She’d even surprised Gretchen with that one, who more brought up the job offer in passing as opposed to anything serious. The pay rate here is way below Regina’s normal going price, but she’d negotiated well. She’d told Gretchen (and herself, in a sense), that the real reason she was doing this movie was because the book was so popular, and it was sure to be a huge box office hit simply based on that alone. That’s when Gretchen started on her whole thing about this being a potential Oscar winner, which feels like such a longshot, it's not even funny. 

Still, the film will give Regina a chance to flex some of her more serious acting skills, and her solo skills at that. Sure, there’ll be other characters to bounce off of, but the book (and the script) really focuses on Diana's journey as an individual, and less on any long term relationships with the people around her. 

Regina’s leaning against a standing table, swirling the olive in her martini with one hand, as she idly thinks about the movie they're here to make. Karen’s chattering a few feet away with someone. Regina hasn't gotten the slightest idea who, but it doesn't matter much to her. Some crew member, probably. Karen's always quick to make friends. It's part of why she excels so much at being Regina’s assistant. Regina knows she can be an asshole sometimes. She's been called a diva more than once, and frankly, she knows it's not wrong. But if people don't want to do things for her, they’ll do them for Karen. No one understands how a woman so nice could work for someone so bitchy, but Regina never explains it to the ones who complain. 

She's not a bitch to Karen. Well, if she is, it's never really about Karen, and she always apologizes afterwards. The same can be said for Gretchen, honestly. They get her, and they aren't afraid to call her out (in private) when she's crossing a line, either with them or with others in their professional lives. 

It's a valuable trait to have in the people around you, especially when your real circle is as empty as hers.  

“Regina!”

She's pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. She blinks, looking up, and sees a familiar duo approaching her. 

It's the director and assistant director, Janis ‘Imi’ike and Damian Hubbard. She's met them a couple of times now, at certain pre-production meetings and the like. All five-foot-three of Janis is striding towards her (although, with those platform shoes on, she's probably more like five-foot-five at the moment), looking far fancier than she did at the last two meetings. Damian’s at her side, towering above her by at least half a foot, and that's without any real lift in his shoes. 

“There you are!” Damian says with a smile. “We've been looking for you!”

Regina gives a little shrug. “I've been right here.” 

Janis gives her a bit of a look, and then puts on a clearly fake smile. Acting really isn't her thing. Regina knows Janis doesn't like her very much, but the producers asked the author who would be her dream Diana, and she'd apparently answered with Regina's name. Since the casting director was able to secure Regina for the role, Janis didn't get much of a say, even as the actual director. Clearly, she's trying to put on her best professional demeanor about it, but, well, like Regina already knows, acting isn't really her thing. 

“We wanted to finally introduce you to…” Damian pauses, looking over his shoulder. “Oh, come on. She was just here.”

“I'll go find her,” Janis offers. “Stay put. Both of you.”

Regina shrugs, taking a big sip of her martini. Probably more than she should at a work event, but whatever. She's an actress. Actresses are messy. Who gives a shit if she gets a little drunk at a random ass hotel in Boulder, Colorado?

“I can't believe she got distracted again,” Damian sighs, shaking his head as Janis heads off to find… Well, Regina's not sure who she's actually looking for. “We finally got the two of you in the same room.”

Regina raises an eyebrow. “The two of us?” 

“You and Caddy!” Damian exclaims. “You know, the author!”

“I thought it was pronounced Cady, ” Regina points out.

Damian waves his hand. “It is, it is. Sorry, old college nickname.”

“You knew Cady back in college?”

“Oh, yeah, all three of us were inseparable. Well, Janis and I have been besties since the first day of Kindergarten. Caddy– Cady was her freshman year roommate. She fit perfectly into our dynamic.”

Regina hums. She wishes she hadn't actually asked. She takes another sip, tapping her fingers on the table. “Ah. That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

Before Regina can reply, she spots Janis walking back up to them, a familiar strawberry blonde woman at her side. Regina blinks, stunned for a moment. 

“At long last!” Janis says, clapping her hands together once. “Cady, Regina. Regina, Cady.”

“We’ve met,” Cady replies with a little smile, staring at Regina.

Janis’s jaw drops. “You have? ”

“We ran into each other in the airport bathroom,” Cady tells her. “Literally. I wasn’t paying attention and walked right into her.”

Regina knows she should say something, but she’s stuck. Cady is beautiful. She had been very pretty in the bathroom, absolutely, but now? Dressed up for this mixer? She’s drop dead gorgeous.  

“Sorry about that,” Cady says to Regina. “I’m always scatterbrained after flying.”

Regina’s brain realizes the very pretty girl is talking to her directly, and snaps back into reality. “It’s no big deal. I was snappier than I should have been.” She blinks. “Wait, you commented on your own book?”

Cady laughs. “I did. I didn’t realize it was you until now. I knew you looked familiar, but…”

“I try very hard to not be completely recognizable when I travel,” Regina replies. “So I’m glad to hear it worked.”

“Sorry for not making it to those meetings in LA,” Cady says. “I–.”

Regina shakes her head and cuts her off. “Don’t worry about it. Life happens. We’re here now, which is what matters.”

“...Right.”

Janis and Damian get called away to talk with some producers, leaving Regina and Cady alone. Well, not entirely alone. Karen’s nearby, but she’s wrapped up in her own conversation. Cady keeps shifting her weight, glancing around and generally looking very uncomfortable.

“First time at something like this?” Regina asks, taking another sip of her martini. 

Cady blushes slightly. “That obvious?” 

“These things are more annoying than anything,” Regina sighs. “Especially when we’re on-location. I’d rather be relaxing after traveling, but y’know,” she shrugs, “always gotta do these formalities for the producers.”

“All of your movies have had a mixer?”

Regina gives a half-shrug, half-nod. “Pretty much. I’ve skipped them sometimes, but usually, I have to go. It’s annoying.” 

“Oh. Sorry.”

“You keep apologizing for things that aren’t your fault,” Regina comments. “Don’t do that.”

“Oh, um…”

Regina takes a deep breath. “What do you drink?”

Cady blinks. “What?”

“What’s your preferred drink? It’s an open bar.” Regina downs the rest of her martini, which, admittedly, isn’t a lot. “I’ll grab you something. You look like you could use a drink.”

“Oh, uh, a vodka cran, please.”

Regina nods, and heads over to the bar. Well, at least if she has to be at this stupid event, maybe she can get a bit drunk and flirt a little. Seriously, though, she needs to get Cady to chill out first before she drops a single compliment. She’s got that look in her eyes that reminds Regina of Gretchen when a situation is falling apart. It’s practically a catastrophe, no matter how small or large the actual situation is, and somehow, Gretchen always makes it work out. Still, Cady isn’t Gretchen, and Regina has no idea how she’ll react to continually being very stressed out. 

She’s not entirely sure why she cares so much. She’s pretty notoriously selfish, if you ask the press. But she’s a celebrity; that’s kind of her whole thing. Yet, she’s not immune to a pretty girl, also pretty notoriously so. Regina’s love life is almost as hot a topic as the occasional public meltdown, much to her dismay. 

A part of her feels a little presumptuous to assume that anything could come of this, but she’s nothing if not a little delusional. Cady’s pretty, and if Regina’s going to be stuck in Boulder, Colorado for the next twelve weeks, well, she’d like to have some fun with it.

It ends up being a pretty fun night. Cady’s fun to flirt with. She gets all blushy and flustered whenever Regina compliments her, but after a couple of drinks, she starts feeling comfortable enough to flirt back. At least, Regina thinks so. She can’t know what’s inside her head, after all, but she does like to think she’s pretty good at reading people. And, well, she may be a critically acclaimed actress, but this author? Definitely not. She wears her heart on her sleeve. And her face. And her eyes, which continue to drift more towards Regina’s cleavage as the night goes on.

Regina’s amused, honestly. She can’t blame the woman. She’s hot, and she knows it. And Cady, well, Cady’s fucking gorgeous too. Oh, Regina’s drunk. Right. She’s gotta keep herself in check, and not go too far. 

That’s all she needs, messy rumors about her on the first day of a new shoot. Well, the rumors are probably already spreading, but no matter how badly she wants to, she will not invite Cady up to her hotel room tonight. No, she will not. Cady will go home to the house she’s apparently renting in Boulder, and they’ll see each other tomorrow. At work. Where they will be professional.

Oh, who’s Regina kidding? She’ll flirt with Cady any chance she gets. If anything, it’ll be a fun little game to keep her occupied during long days on set. She assumes Cady has no real idea of what she’s in for when it comes to a movie set, but she’s certainly not going to be the bearer of bad news. If anything, she’s hoping that she can be Cady’s entertainment too, during the long, extensive hours spent doing nothing on set. 

Sit around and wait. Sit around and look pretty. Sit around and flirt with the ridiculously hot author who seems to enjoy flirting back. 

There are worse ways to spend time on set. Regina would know.

But that’s tomorrow. For now, she’ll flirt with Cady, and make her laugh, and smile, and everything else. It’s fun, and well, she’s making a connection. That’s what tonight’s supposed to be about, isn’t it? Making connections?

As well as Cady keeps smiling at her like that, well, Regina will do just about anything to make it keep going.

It’s not the first time Regina’s shown up to set hungover on the first day of a shoot, and it certainly won’t be the last. Karen drives her to the on-location shoot before dawn, with Regina downing a huge cold brew in the passenger seat. She spends far too long in the hair and makeup trailer, an experience she’s very much used to. Karen goes to get her another coffee once she’s done with the first, both fighting off exhaustion and her hangover.

There’s a lot of waiting around in her trailer, which is pretty close to the actual set. Well, “set”. 

Today’s shoot is in a bar in Boulder, which has been rented out and shut down for the day. They’re starting with a scene damn near the middle of the movie, which, well, isn’t exactly out of the norm, especially for an on-location movie like this one. Scenes are filmed almost exclusively out of order. Regina’s very used to jumping into character in the middle of the story, and having to switch what part of the character’s arc she’s working with from day to day.

Her trailer, like the others, is currently in the parking lot of the bar. It’s not a particularly big trailer. In fact, it’s one of the smallest ones she’s ever had for a movie. Still, she knows that for on-location shoots, space is much more limited. Even if it is very small, she’s able to lay down on the tiny couch and microdose sleep until she’s called to set, so she'll take it. 

There’s a knock on her trailer door, and she shoots up on the couch. Karen’s sitting in a folding chair in the corner, and looks up from her phone. 

“Is it time?” Regina asks.

Karen shakes her head. “Not for another hour, at least. That’s without delays.”

Regina stands up, heading towards the door. She opens it up, blinking as the sunlight pours into the tiny trailer. She looks down, knowing whoever knocked is likely standing on the ground, not the singular tall step hanging off the trailer. To her surprise, she finds Cady staring up at her, looking just as exhausted as Regina feels.

“Um, hi,” Cady greets awkwardly.

“Hi,” Regina replies. There’s several long beats of silence, before Regina says something else. “Did you need something?”

Cady blinks and shakes her head slightly. “No, I, uh… Sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“No, no,” Regina insists. “Uh, come in. There’s not a ton of space, but come in.” She steps back, letting Cady climb up into the trailer. 

Cady seems confused to see Karen sitting in the trailer. “Um, hi.”

“Hi!” Karen greets with a smile. “I’m Karen, Regina’s personal assistant.”

“I’m Cady,” Cady smiles back a bit, seeming to relax a bit more. “The author.”

Karen nods excitedly. “Yeah! The book was so good! It’s great to get to meet you.”

Cady’s eyes light up. “You read it?”

“Of course!” Karen tilts her head slightly. “Well, I listened to the audiobook. Reading isn’t really my strong suit.”

“An audiobook is still a book,” Regina insists, to which Cady nods.

“Yeah, absolutely. The narrator we got did a phenomenal job too.”

“Definitely!” Karen looks down at her phone. “Ah, Gretchen wants me to call her real quick. I’ll take it outside.”

Regina, as always, finds herself extremely grateful that Karen knows how to read a room better than damn near anyone she knows. Regina knows Gretchen’s not calling Karen. She only ever calls Karen in the evenings, when her workday is over. But Karen damn well knows Regina was flirting with Cady yesterday, and, well, now she’s here. She’s not sure why Cady’s here, but she is.

Once Karen leaves the trailer, Regina gestures to the tiny couch that barely fits two people. Hell, when she was laying on it, her legs were hanging off completely, draped over the side to fit in the tiny spot between the couch and the wall. 

“I really wasn’t expecting this to be this small,” Cady comments as she sits down. “I figured you would at least have a big trailer.”

Regina sits down next to her, laughing lightly. “Well, it’s definitely one of the smallest I’ve ever had. But I’m not surprised, honestly.”

“Really? Why not?”

“We’re on-location, for one,” Regina points out. “We’re going to have to move the trailers around to different locations throughout the entirety of filming. They can’t be particularly bulky. A private one is in my contract, but as much as I’d like something bigger, I know that’s not exactly practical. Besides,” she shrugs, “the budget’s a little smaller than what I’m used to. I’m just kinda rolling with it.”

Cady tilts her head slightly, watching Regina carefully. “Everyone warned me you’d be more of a diva.”

“Rumors and gossip are the most powerful tools in Hollywood,” Regina tells her with another shrug. “I try not to live up to them, but I have my moments.”

Cady laughs. “You’re much more honest than I expected too.”

Regina flashes her a smile. “That’s just for you, pretty girl.”

Cady blushes. “I… That’s why I came here. To, uh, talk to you, and try not to blow everything up.”

Regina raises an eyebrow at her. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“Um, I just…” Cady wrings her hands together nervously. “I just didn't want to send the wrong message, or anything. God, I'm so bad at this.”

“Take your time.”

Cady looks at her. “You're a lot nicer than I expected.”

Regina chuckles. “I'm gonna take that as a compliment.”

Cady’s face turns bright red. “I– I didn't mean–!”

“It's alright. Just take your time.”

Cady closes her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. “I had a lot of fun flirting last night. Really, I did. And I don't want to, like, presume anything, or assume whatever, but I just wanted to make it very clear that I can't really do anything serious right now. I just can't. And I know it's a little crazy to even have this conversation, and I wasn't sure if I should, but I just–.”

“You are so wound up,” Regina remarks, tilting her head slightly. “You’d get along really well with my manager. She’ll be here in a few days.”

Cady blinks, face red again. “Um… I don't really know what to say to that.”

Regina gives her a little smile, patting Cady’s knee. “ Relax. It’s just a little fun, harmless flirting. That's all. If you want me to stop, I'll stop. But I don't expect anything back.” Her smile widens a bit. “I just think you're cute when you're all red and flustered.” 

“Oh, um, thank you,” Cady replies. “I don't mind the flirting! I like it, actually. I like it a lot. But I just wanted to be clear. That's all.”

“Message received,” Regina tells her. “Seriously, though. You gotta relax. You’re gonna have a miserable time on set if you’re all wound up like this.” 

Cady rubs her temple. “It’s a little hard not to be right now.”

Regina leans back in her seat, leaning her elbows against the armrest on the side of the couch. “Tell me about it.”

Cady turns her head to look at her. “Tell you… About it?”

Regina shrugs. “Yeah. Clearly, something’s on your mind. Talk to me. Get it off your chest. I'm a real good listener.” She hits Cady with that million dollar smile, the one that's landed her in blockbuster movies time and time again. 

Cady stares at her for a few more moments, before seemingly giving in. “It’s just… Life, I guess. My ex-husband keeps harassing me about the book, because he's convinced that I See Stars is about our relationship, when the whole goddamn point is that it's about Diana rebuilding her life on her own. And then my mom’s dog is sick, and probably gonna die soon. Technically it's her partner’s dog, but they're both a wreck over it, so I keep flying back to Illinois to try and help out because they're convinced that the chemo is gonna work this time, and I just…” She shakes her head. “It’s a lot.”

“That does sound like a lot,” Regina replies. “I'm sorry to hear about the dog. That's always tough.”

“Yeah,” Cady sighs. “That's where I was flying back from when I ran into you. Literally. Still sorry about that, by the way.”

Regina cracks a tiny smile. “You're not gonna stop saying that, are you?” 

“Probably not,” Cady replies with a little smile of her own. She takes a deep breath, and the smile vanishes. “I got to say my goodbyes and stuff, at least. I don't think he's gonna make it through filming, and I'm supposed to be here the entire time.” 

“I'm really sorry to hear that. That's always tough. I remember when Ms. Peebles died.”

“Ms. Peebles?” 

“My childhood dog,” Regina explains. “She was this tiny little Chihuahua my mom mostly treated like an accessory. She kinda hated my mom, but my mom didn't care, really. Ms. Peebles used to come hang out in my room, mostly because I’d only pet her and stuff if she came up to me.” She stares at the opposite wall of the trailer for a few moments, reminiscing. “She lived way longer than she should have. She passed when I was filming my second ever movie. My mom didn't even tell me until after filming was done.”

“That's fucked up. I'm really sorry.” 

“Thanks. I thought my mom would take it harder, but…” Regina shrugs. “She got Coco Chanel a few weeks later.”

“Another Chihuahua?”

“You know it.”

Cady lets out a little laugh. “Rocky isn't their only dog. They have three, actually. But Sharon, my mom’s partner, she basically brought him back from the brink of death as a puppy. They're both having a hard time accepting it.”

“That's sweet, though,” Regina comments. “They clearly love him a lot.”

“Yeah,” Cady replies, slightly teary eyed. “He's a good dog.”

“Can I give you a hug?” Regina asks, to which Cady nods. Regina wraps her arms around Cady, holding her close for a good minute or so. Cady pulls back, and Regina lets go, giving her a soft smile. “Better?”

“Yeah,” Cady replies in a soft voice. “I'm feeling better.”

“Good.”

They’re interrupted by a brisk knocking on the door to Regina’s trailer. They both stand up at once, Cady’s face turning bright red again.

Regina heads over to the door and opens it. Karen’s standing on the little step, a small smile on her face. “Sorry, Gi! You’re needed on set.”

“Damn, already?”

“They’re ready a little early.”

“That’s… Genuinely shocking.” She looks over her shoulder, and winks at Cady. “Hope you’re ready to see the master at work.”

Cady gives her a sheepish little smile. “Can’t wait!”

It's a few days into filming, and Regina is having a horrible day. She spilt coffee on herself before getting to set, and then when Karen went and got her another one, some idiot bumped into her on her way to Regina's trailer and knocked it all over the ground. She had to go through pretty much all of hair and makeup uncaffeinated, and then finally got a coffee. They spent the morning filming one of the grosser scenes in the movie/book, where Diana falls into mud while trying to hike a basic trail, and then has a bit of a breakdown. Sure, she's got a stunt woman to do the fall, but she's still gotta spend half the day covered in mud, and can't even go back to her own trailer, lest it, y'know, get covered in mud. 

And then, for the cherry on top of an already miserable morning, Regina gets some texts from her mother around lunch. 

June

You should fire whoever took and whoever approved that Instagram post. You look like a cow. 

June

I hope you aren't eating like that in Colorado.

Regina deletes the messages as soon as she gets them. Her mother means well, she knows she does, but it never, ever lands right. 

It's customary for Regina to have pre-made Instagram posts that were taken weeks before filming even started whenever she's shooting a movie, especially one shot on location. Sure, there's security, but no one wants crazed fans showing up. Besides, there's all sorts of rules around when she can post anything from set anyways. Usually, that's not until the movie is about to come out. She got in trouble a few times as a teenager for it, but one close call with a stalker helped her realize why those rules actually keep her safe. 

She can't even remember what post went up today. She doesn't want to check, and see what June's talking about. She doesn't want to see herself the way June always has, with the most critical eye imaginable for her body. 

But she can't help it. She can't stop herself. Like the endless cycle of hell, she opens up her Instagram, and looks. 

It's from a lunch a few weeks ago she had with Karen and Gretchen. She's posed, sitting at the table in front of her meal, a big plate of pasta. She's got her sunglasses on, and she's looking over them into the camera with an eyebrow raised. Hell, half her body isn't even visible, because of the table. 

She looks fine. Sure, she's not the skinniest she's ever been, a fact her mother loves to remind her about all the damn time, but she was a teenager then. She was a teenager filming a TV show about girls stranded in the wilderness. Her character had to be skinny. She was starving, for crying out loud!

But that role remains the only role she's ever won a major award for. Her first, and only, Emmy. June loves to remind her of that. As if her body had anything to do with her getting that award, and not the incredible amount of work she put into acting, and the way she portrayed the tragedy of her character. 

But no. June has to remind her at every opportunity that even if she's a famous actress, she doesn't win awards anymore. She's a washed up cow, who eats giant plates of pasta for lunch. 

(Never mind the fact that she barely ate any that day, and took the rest of it home. Never mind the fact it took her four days to finish all of the leftovers. Never mind the fact that she’s playing a woman who lets herself go a bit after her divorce. Never mind the fact that what she eats is none of June’s business. ) 

She closes Instagram, fury boiling inside of her, mixed in with a healthy heaping of disgust. Regina wants to scream, to hit things, to cry, to throw up. She's over it. All of it? She's over it. 

She's sitting in a chair in a closed tent, one that's acting as her makeshift trailer while she’s covered in mud. She gives her phone back to Karen, who dutifully wipes it off and slips it into a plastic bag. 

“Go put it in my trailer,” Regina snaps. “I don't want to look at it.”

Karen gives her a suspicious look, but Regina doesn't say another word. Karen just stands up, and heads out of the tent, towards Regina’s trailer. 

Regina sits there, crossing her arms. She doesn't care if the mud gets messed up. They're gonna have to do more touch-ups after lunch anyways. Lunch. What a stupid concept today. She’s just stuck sitting in this stupid little tent. She can't go to the craft services tent, she can't go to her trailer, she can't do anything because all of this stupid fucking mud. 

She's gonna rip Cady's head off for putting this scene in the book. It fucking sucks. What a stupid scene. Everything about this is so fucking stupid. She hates it. 

The flap to the tent opens, but Regina doesn't look up. “That was fast,” she comments, expecting it to be Karen, somehow back already from dropping off her phone. 

“Um…” 

Regina’s head snaps up at the voice. It's Cady, standing in front of her with a plate with a sandwich on it. 

“I heard you couldn't go to craft services today,” Cady says, “because of all the mud. And I felt bad, because, y’know, kinda my fault. So I snuck out a sandwich for you. Y’know, because we aren't supposed to take any food out of the tent.”

Regina stares at Cady for a long moment. Then two, then three. 

And then, she snaps. 

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Regina yells. “I can't eat that! I can't eat anything when I'm stuck like this! ” 

Cady slinks back, her face turning bright red. “Um, I–.”

“Get out, ” Regina snarls. “Get out!”

Cady hurries back out of the tent, and immediately, a wave of regret hits Regina like a big, yellow school bus. 

She hates all of this. She hates that this day sucks, that this fucking scene involves unholy amounts of mud all over her. She hates that her mother cannot let go of the past despite her two recent nominations, and that they only nominate her but never let her win because the Academy is a joke. And she hates that she took it all on Cady, poor, sweet, innocent Cady, who's having an awful time without Regina losing her temper

So yeah, she hates all of this, but above all, she hates herself. 

Later that night, Regina sits on the floor of her suite, nursing a bottle of vodka she had sent up from the bar. She's already cleared out the mini bar of anything worthwhile. And, well, when the movie star staying in your hotel in goddamn Boulder, Colorado, demands a full bottle of vodka, well, you get her a full bottle of vodka. 

She stares out into the open air, taking another sip. Today was miserable. She doesn't want to talk about it. She doesn't want to think about it. She just wants to sit on the floor, and drink until she passes out. Or throws up. Possibly both. Preferably not at the same time, though. That would mean she dies, and that would suck. 

Or would it, really?

Maybe she should unlock the door between her suite and Karen’s. Just in case. But that would mean getting up off the ground, and she does not want to do that. 

She stares up at the door, trying to will it unlocked with her mind. Just then, as she’s staring at it, someone starts pounding on the other side, making Regina nearly jump out of her skin. 

“Regina George! ” Gretchen’s voice pierces through the door, clear as day. “Open this door right now! ”

Regina groans. The only thing worse than drinking alone is getting caught drinking alone by Gretchen. She slowly gets herself up off the floor, while Gretchen continues yelling at her through the door. 

“I'll get someone to come up here and let us in if you don't open the damn door!” 

Gretchen nearly stumbles into the room, as Regina swings open the internal door when she's about to start pounding on it again. Regina looks at her, taking another swig directly from the bottle. 

“What? ” Regina asks. 

“Give me that!” 

Regina tries to hold the bottle up high enough so Gretchen can't reach it, but she's too drunk and sluggish to get it out of her reach in time. Gretchen’s very short, but apparently, Regina’s already very drunk. 

“Was this full?” Gretchen asks. 

Regina shrugs. “Maybe.” 

“Regina, ” Gretchen sighs, putting the bottle down on the table next to them. “What happened? Last I heard from Karen, everyone thought you were way nicer than you appear. And then my plane touches down, and suddenly we’re in crisis mode?”

Regina grumbles to herself, reaching for the bottle, which Gretchen snatches up again. 

“No. You've had enough.”

Regina flips Gretchen off, and stumbles towards her bed. She faceplants into it, not moving from her new position. Gretchen puts down the bottle again and follows her in, staring at Regina for several long moments before saying anything else. 

“What happened?” Gretchen asks again, her voice softer this time. “I know you, Gi. I know you don't get like this unprompted. So talk to me. Tell me what happened.”

“June happened,” Regina says, as if that should be more than enough of an answer in and of itself.

And, well, it kind of is. For Gretchen, at least, it is. She’s known Regina for years, longer than most people in her life. Regina’s not sure if it makes her inevitable breakdowns in front of Gretchen easier or harder.

“What’d she say this time?”

“Fugly cow.”

“Seriously?” Gretchen asks. “Those exact words?”

“Might as well have been,” Regina grumbles. “She did call me a cow. The rest was implied.”

Gretchen lets out a deep breath. “She’s wrong.”

“Helpful.”

Gretchen throws her hands up in the air. “What else do you want me to say, Gi? Look, I get it. She’s a miserable asshole. A stage mom, all grown up, and upset she can’t control you like she used to. I get it. But we go through this song and dance every couple of months. ” 

Regina turns her head and glares at Gretchen. “Fuck you.”

“I’m not wrong, ” Gretchen tells her. “And you know I love you dearly. But every couple of months, your mom says some shit, and she’s always wrong, but you always have this big freakout, and every time it happens in public, or God forbid, on set, it’s harder and harder to fix it. ”

“Get out of my room,” Regina tries to snarl, but it comes out a lot more pathetic than she intends. 

Gretchen crosses her arms. “No. I’m not like that girl, Regina. You can’t just yell at me to make me go away.”

Regina groans again, faceplanting back against the bed. “I really messed up, Gretch. I fucked up bigtime.”

Gretchen takes a deep breath, putting a hand on Regina’s back. “I know, Gi. I know. I…” She sighs again, shaking her head. “I don’t really know what else to say.”

Regina lets out a single laugh. “ That’s new. You always have something to say.”

“I’m going to assume that’s the alcohol talking.”

“Probably,” Regina shrugs. She lifts herself up, and then collapses back down against the bed. “ Ugh. ”

Gretchen pats her back again. “One step at a time. We’re gonna get you sobered up and showered, because you fucking stink.”

Regina laughs again. “Thanks, Gretch. I always know I can count on you to bring the compliments.”

“What was the last thing you ate?”

Regina gives her a look. “What do you think? ”

Gretchen sighs, rubbing her temples. “We need to get some food in you. Your stomach needs something to absorb that alcohol, or you’re still gonna be drunk by morning.”

“Maybe if I show up to set drunk, it’ll explain today.”

“You and I both know that’s a horrible idea.”

Regina groans again. “ God. I fucking yelled at Cady.”

“You did,” Gretchen confirms. 

“Helpful as always.”

“I mean, it’s true. You did do it. The question is, what are you gonna do about it?”

Regina tilts her head and looks up at her. “What?”

“What are you gonna do about it?” Gretchen repeats. “Are you gonna go through the rest of these twelve weeks without addressing it, or are you gonna apologize?”

Regina takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. “Drunk me doesn’t want to show my face ever again.”

“Sober you has a decision to make, then.”

Regina grumbles to herself. “Sober me sucks.”

“Sober you does not suck. Sometimes sober you does sucky things, but that doesn’t mean you suck.”

“Can you just go get the food or whatever?” 

“Karen’s already on it.”

“Ugh, ” Regina groans. “You aren’t leaving me alone, are you?”

“Not when you’ve drank as much as you have,” Gretchen tells her. “I know better than that.”

“Can you at least stop talking?”

Gretchen rolls her eyes and lays back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “Sure. But you’re showering after you eat. You really do stink.”

“Please shut up. Please. ”

Gretchen makes a little zipping motion over her mouth, and Regina sighs, rolling onto her side, so she can face away from Gretchen.

She really wishes Gretchen wasn’t so goddamn right all the time.

The next day, Regina shows up to set hungover and ashamed. As soon as she's done in hair and makeup, she hides out in her trailer, not wanting to face anyone at all. 

Gretchen’s out doing damage control again. Regina doesn't know how she does it, really. All she knows is she owes Gretchen her career. And her life, probably. She's saved both of them on more than one occasion. 

And Karen, well, Karen's on a very specific mission this morning. 

Regina sits on the crappy little couch in her trailer, staring off into space, waiting for the brisk triple knock on her door she knows is Karen. When she finally hears it, she simply calls out, “Come in.”

The door opens, and Karen steps inside. Just behind her is a very nervous looking Cady. 

“Thanks, Kare,” Regina says softly. 

“Of course,” Karen replies. “I'll be right outside if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

Karen slips out past Cady, leaving the two of them alone. Regina notices Cady’s wringing her hands together nervously again. She really wishes she would stop doing that, but then again, Regina’s given her every reason to be nervous.

“Hi,” Regina says softly. 

“Hello,” Cady replies. 

“I want to apologize for yesterday,” Regina tells her. “I… I was having a terrible day, and I took it out on you, and that's not okay. Not in the slightest. So I'm sorry. I really, truly am.”

Cady gives her the tiniest smile. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

“Of course.” 

“Can I, um, ask if you're okay?”

Regina looks up, raising an eyebrow. “What?”

“Well, you said yesterday was terrible. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Regina stares at her for a few more moments, processing her words. “You, Cady Heron, are too good for this industry. You're lucky you have some great people on your side. You would get eaten alive in some of the circles I've seen.”

“It's a good thing I'm not really in the industry then,” Cady remarks.

“I suppose not,” Regina hums. “I'm doing better today, for the record. And thank you for asking.”

“Of course. And I'm glad to hear it.” 

“Still, I…” Regina hesitates, unsure if she should actually say what she wants to say next. For only a split second, she decides against it, before changing her mind once again. “I would like to make it up to you, if you'll let me.”

Cady blinks. “How?”

“Let me take you out to dinner,” Regina offers. “And I swear, no screaming this time.”

Cady cracks a little smile. “Sure. I’d love that. But, um, don't we have a late night tonight?”

Regina closes her eyes and sighs. “Right. I forgot we start shooting some night scenes soon.” She opens her eyes and waves her hand. “Right. Well, the next time we actually wrap at a reasonable hour, I'll take you out to dinner, wherever you'd like.” 

“Oh, that's a dangerous game. You have no idea the type of food I like.”

Regina shrugs. “I'm down with most things. Besides, you know the area a lot better than I do.” 

“You’re in for a real treat, then,” Cady replies with a smirk. “Y’know, whenever we actually can do it.”

“Can't wait,” Regina tells her, a genuine smile on her face. 

The opportunity for dinner doesn't come until the middle of week two of filming. They haven't even been filming exclusively night scenes, but filming has gone late every single day. There simply hasn't been enough time for dinner, unless eaten in bed and promptly passing out afterwards. 

That is, until the day that there's a car accident down the road from their shooting location, and the power goes out. The car hit a transformer, knocking out all electricity in the neighborhood. With no power, they certainly can't film, and the electric company can’t get out there to fix it for at least several more hours. And, even then, they aren't sure how much of the day’s footage had survived the power outage, and what they're going to need to reshoot. Since the directors can't check until the power comes back anyways, they send everyone home for the day, telling them to enjoy a free afternoon and evening off. 

As soon as it's announced, Regina searches the small crowd of cast and crew to find Cady staring back at her, a smile on her face. 

They've both come to the same conclusion. 

Dinner. 

Regina picks up Cady that evening, after they've both gone home and changed. Cady rents a cute little house on the outskirts of Boulder, in a quiet neighborhood that Regina finds quite charming. It's definitely not the type of thing she's used to. She's been a SoCal native her whole life, and has never really lived in a small house before. 

“Your place is so cute,” Regina tells Cady as she gets into the car. 

Cady smiles at her. “Thank you! I’m very proud of the little garden. I worked really hard on it.”

“It's very aesthetic,” Regina replies. “So, uh, where are we going, exactly?”

“Can I put the address in your phone?”

Regina nods, pulling the phone off the dashboard mount and handing it to Cady. She types for a few moments, and then hands it back. There's not a restaurant name, just an address, in the Maps app. 

Regina raises an eyebrow. “No hints?”

“Not yet!”

Regina shrugs and hits start, and then puts the car in drive. As she pulls away from Cady’s house, she starts talking. “So, how long have you been living in Boulder?”

“Going on four years now,” Cady replies. 

“What brought you here?”

“My divorce,” Cady laughs. “Well, somewhat. I always thought Colorado was very beautiful. I was primarily working for a publishing house at the time, and writing on the side. They’ve got an office in Denver, and when everything in my life kinda went to shit, I had the opportunity to put in for a transfer. I did, and, now, here I am.”

“Where were you living before?”

“Boston,” Cady replies, a sour look on her face. “I’d been in the area since college, and wanted to leave for some time, but my ex got a decent job there, so… I was stuck for a while. We got married fresh out of college. It was a choice.”

Regina chuckles. “Sure sounds a lot like Diana.”

Cady shrugs. “Yeah, well, I mean, I won't lie. I projected onto her a lot when I was writing I See Stars. Our experiences have somewhat similar stories, but the details are very different. But the feelings, the feelings are definitely a bit more true to life.”

“That's really cool,” Regina tells her. “Genuinely. She just has such a compelling story arc. And her feelings always feel so… Real. Which I guess, y’know, makes sense, given what you just told me.”

Cady smiles. “Thank you. You've been doing a really great job with her so far. I mean, like, seriously. I'm always impressed with how you capture her emotions, even so out-of-order like this.”

Regina flashes her a dazzling smile. “Thank you! That's movie magic, baby. Just wait until you see it all put together.”

“Trust me, I can't wait.”

To Regina's surprise, they pull up to a small Kenyan restaurant. 

“Not that I'm complaining, but this was not what I expected.”

Cady smiles, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Have you ever had Kenyan food before?”

Regina shakes her head. “Can't say I have.”

“What about Ethiopian food?”

“Yeah. It was delicious. ”

“Kenyan food is similar-ish,” Cady tells her. “But if you liked Ethiopian, you'll probably like this.”

“Well, I'm excited to try it.” Regina puts her sunglasses on before getting out of the car, much to Cady’s confusion. 

“We’re going inside.”

“Yeah, I know. I usually have to wear them indoors to not get recognized. That, and, y'know, dressing more casual.” She gestures to herself, in jeans and a sweater, her makeup at a minimum.

“Oh. Right. Is it weird that I forget that you're, like, super famous sometimes?”

Regina flashes her a smile. “Not at all.”

“I mean, even though we’re actively working on a movie together?”

Regina shrugs. “Eh. I get it. Celebrities are this… Elusive thing for most people. They don't really think of us as people too. But we are, at the end of the day. We’re human too.”

They head into the restaurant, which is fairly small. They order at the counter (after getting recommendations from Cady), and then head to one of the several empty tables. Someone comes out after a little bit to bring them their food, and strikes up a conversation with Cady in… Well, a different language. Regina’s not entirely sure exactly which one. 

After the employee walks back to the kitchen, Regina stares at Cady. “What language was that?”

“Swahili,” Cady replies.

“You speak Swahili? ”

Cady nods. “I grew up in Kenya, actually.”

“Shut up. Shut up. ”

“I didn't say anything.”

Regina waves her hand. “How’d you end up in Kenya?”

“My mom’s a zoologist,” Cady explains. “She did field research there for most of my childhood. We moved there when I was like… Three, I think? And then came back when I was sixteen.”

“Wow,” Regina replies. “That's… Really cool, actually.”

Cady smiles. “Thanks! But, yeah, I love coming here. It's nostalgic for me, obviously, and the owners love me. And I get to practice my Swahili. I lost a lot of it when I moved back, so I try to practice whenever I can.” 

“That's great,” Regina says. She looks down at the food in front of them. “And this all smells delicious. ” 

“Well, let’s dig in!”

The food is absolutely incredible, but that's not Regina’s only focus tonight. Sure, this is supposed to be making up for the incident last week, but, well, Cady has certainly piqued Regina’s interest. And not just because they’re working so closely together on this movie. 

“So,” Regina begins, “can I ask if you’re working on a new book?”

Cady smiles. “You certainly can.”

Regina stares at her for a few moments. “Well, are you?”

“I am.”

“...What’s it about?”

“Well, I can't go into too much detail,” she begins, a sly smile on her face, “but I can tell you that it's about a single mom learning to find love again after a nasty divorce.”

“I'm noticing a theme here,” Regina replies, waving her hand a bit. “Are all of your books about divorce?”

“No, not all of them,” Cady says. “Just… Well, just the ones I've finished after the divorce. Which, well, I see your point. But not all of them are!”

“Uh-huh,” Regina teases with a smile. “Sure. ”

“I swear! There's the one about the little girl who gets raised by lions, and the one where the male love interest dies!”

Regina raises an eyebrow. “Male love interest? That implies there's a non-male love interest.”

Cady holds the back of her hand up to her forehead, gasping dramatically. “I've said too much!”

Regina laughs, shaking her head. “And they say I've got a flair for the dramatics.”

“I learned from the best.”

“The best, huh?”

“Don't let it go to your head,” Cady teases. “Wouldn't want you to float away.”

Regina laughs again, smiling brightly. “You’re fun. I like you.”

Cady beams back at her. “Good! Because you're stuck with me for the next ten weeks, and that would really suck if you hated me.”

“Oh, Heron,” Regina replies, tilting her head slightly, staring wistfully at Cady. “I could never.”

Time goes on, and filming continues. They’ve entered the fourth week of production, and Regina’s really gotten used to being out here in Boulder. Sure, the specifics of the day to day are very different, depending on where they're going for the on-location shoot each day, but her general schedule is pretty consistent. 

It also helps that she’s got some fun, new things to do in her downtime. 

There’s a lot of sitting around and waiting on set, and a lot of actors often have something to keep them occupied. Regina usually just messes around on her phone, or works on some of her social media stuff, but she's a little more hands-off this shoot. It helps that Cady has been spending a lot of time in Regina’s trailer when neither of them are needed on set, and, well, when Cady isn't around, Regina’s found herself reading. 

It's not like Regina never reads. She tries to read at least a handful of books a year, but she spends much more of her time ingesting visual media. It makes sense, of course. She's an actress. She's always looking to see what her peers are doing (and how they're doing it). But, occasionally, she reads, especially books that are in the rumor mill for movie adaptations. It's how she read I See Stars for the first time, actually, a little over a year ago. 

But this time, she's not reading anything slotted for an adaptation. She's not even reading anything recent. She's reading Cady’s first book, the one she published immediately after finishing college. 

It's one of the two Cady mentioned at dinner a couple of weeks ago, the one about the young girl who’s raised by lions, It Roars. It's a bit of a shorter read, but Regina devours the whole thing in the course of two days on set. It's far more playful, far more whimsical, as it explores the concept of a child being a part of a lion pride, and the adventures they go on together. It's a very different tone from I See Stars, but Regina still loves it. 

When she's finally done with it, she goes searching for Cady on set. Cady’s been busy the last couple of days. Regina’s not privy to all the details, but she knows Cady’s been stuck in a lot more production meetings in-between takes lately. It's normal for movies, honestly. Regina's just been lonelier the last few days, but she's had the book to dive into. 

Well, until now. Now she's done, and she wants to find Cady, and talk to her about it. Desperately. 

She finds Cady leaving a tent with the directors, talking amongst themselves. She jogs up, a big smile on her face. “Cady!”

Cady looks up, and smiles back when she sees her. “Regina! What's up?”

Regina pulls the book out of her bag. “I finished it!”

Cady blinks, staring wide eyed at the book in Regina’s hands. “You… Did?”

“Of course I did! I needed to read these other books of yours. I just finished It Roars, and I've got A Hundred Photographs back in my trailer!”

“I… Wow,” Cady replies, clearly at a loss for words. “What did you think?”

“I loved it,” Regina gushes. “It was so cute. I loved the way Cub fit right in with all the lions, and how Mama protected her. It was so freaking cute. Ugh. I’d read ten more books about Cub’s adventures, really.”

Cady smiles. “I'm so glad. It really means a lot, coming from you.”

“Of course!” Regina smiles back, hitting her with that million dollar smile. “Actually, I was wondering if you’d be willing to sign my book.”

Cady blinks. “Wait, really?”

“Duh. ” Regina fishes a pen out of her bag, and then hands both the book and the pen to Cady, a knowing smile on her face. 

Cady stares at the items in Regina’s hands for a few moments, before taking them. “Well, anything for a fan.”

Regina beams at her, ignoring the looks they're both getting from Janis, Damian, and everyone else who's just passing by. She really doesn't care, truly. 

She's just happy to make Cady so happy. 

During week six, Boulder gets hit by a nasty storm that ends up being much stronger than expected. The forecast had predicted the winds would take the storm in a different direction, but, well, they were wrong. 

They’d been booked for an outdoor shoot that day, and given the amount of permits it takes to get things going for on-location shoots, there was no way they'd be able to pivot to indoor scenes for the day. 

So, the directors notify everyone not to come to set, and enjoy an unexpected day off. 

When Regina hears the news, it's straight from Karen’s mouth, telling her she can go back to bed. It takes Regina a few moments to process what she's saying, and then shakes her head. 

“You and Gretchen go do whatever you want today too. Enjoy a day off together. But first, see if you can book a spa day for two downstairs.”

Karen raises an eyebrow at her. “For two?”

Regina nods, pulling out her phone. “I'm calling Cady.”

Karen gives her a knowing smile, and then nods. She hurries to the other room to make the last-minute booking, while Regina gives Cady a call. 

“Hello?” Cady answers, her voice clearly sleepy. 

“Hey, Cady,” Regina replies. “Did you hear the announcement?”

“Uh huh,” Cady yawns. “Janis called me directly. I was just gonna…” Another yawn. “Get some more sleep.”

“I was wondering if you might want to come over here and get a spa day with me,” Regina offers. “My treat.”

“Wait, really?”

“Really.”

“What time?”

“Karen’s booking it now,” Regina explains. “For both of us. If it's not until later, well, honestly, we can both just nap until it's time, if you want to come over now.”

It's a bold offer, and Regina knows that. She waits for a beat of silence on the phone, and then two, and then three. At last, Cady responds. 

“I'll head right over.”

The spa has plenty of availability, given it's a weekday, and outside of production, there aren’t a lot of other people staying at this hotel. It starts shortly after Cady gets there, and the two of them are brought into a private spa room. 

It's exactly what Regina needed. They get pampered from head to toe, with massages, calm music, delicious, fresh food, and private masseuses, who tend to their every need. They don't do a lot of talking, instead just basking in their relaxation together. 

The session lasts several hours, but by the mid afternoon, their spa day is over. Regina invites Cady up to her suite when they're done, so they can relax and enjoy the rest of the day off. 

“Woah, ” Cady murmurs when she steps inside. “This is so nice.”

“It's pretty decent,” Regina shrugs. “It's not the worst I've ever stayed in, but it's far from the best.”

“What was the best?”

Regina has to think for a few moments. “There was this place in Vegas we went for my 21st birthday. The suite was nicer than anywhere I've ever lived, and that's saying something.”

“Damn. ” Cady looks around some more. “Is there, um, somewhere I should put my bag?”

“Wherever,” Regina shrugs. She heads over to the large, plush couch in the living room area of the suite. “I just figured we’d hang out here. Maybe watch something.”

“Maybe we could watch one of your movies together,” Cady suggests. 

Regina makes a face, plopping down onto the couch. “Ugh. I don't really like watching my own stuff. I'm too critical of myself.”

Cady sits down next to her. “That's fair, I guess. We don't have to. It's just an idea.”

“Let's pick something else.” Regina grabs the remote and opens up Netflix, scrolling a bit through the popular section. “Ugh. Another fucking dating show.”

“Not a big reality TV fan?”

“I like some reality TV,” Regina admits. “But nowadays, half the slop on Netflix is just people trying to build an Instagram following. They're insufferable. I've met far too many people who think putting up with whatever bizarre ‘experiment’ Nick Lachey is trying to pass as reality TV for a season puts them on the same level of celebrity as me. ” She scoffs. “I really try not to be an asshole, but I have my limits when putting up with other assholes.”

“I don't think you're an asshole,” Cady tells her. “I can see how some of these people would be annoying.”

“It's definitely only some of them. Some of them are perfectly fine people.” Regina sighs, continuing to scroll. “Gretchen really wanted me to do one of the celebrity dating shows a couple years back, but I just… I’m an actress, y’know? And a damn good one at that. I don't need to sink to the low or reality TV, even if my dating life is abysmal.”

A confused look crosses Cady’s face. “Really? I thought you were, like, on and off with Shane Oman?”

Regina bursts out laughing. “ Shane? No, absolutely not. Although, I see why you'd think that. He's just a good friend.”

“Oh. Well, that's good.”

“It is?”

Cady blushes a bit. “Yeah. I mean, like, we’ve been flirting a lot, and I just, I’d feel bad if, like, there was something with him, and we were flirting, and… Yeah.”

Regina gives her a little smile. “Y’know, for an author, you really get stuck with your words a lot.”

Cady crosses her arms. “Only with you. You make me all flustered. And nervous.”

“I make you nervous, pretty girl?”

“Exactly! You're this super attractive person, literally the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and you sit here and call me pretty girl, ” Cady gestures wildly. “Me! Of course I get all flustered and nervous.”

“See, that's what I like about you,” Regina tells her. “Most people, most people would have said, ‘Super attractive celebrity’. You say person. Because you actually see me as a person.” Regina takes a deep breath. “You'd be surprised about how rare that actually is.”

Cady frowns. “I mean, you are. You are a person. An amazing actress, yes, but a person first.”

Regina’s vision starts to get blurry. She doesn't realize what’s happening until Cady wraps her up in a hug, and Regina actually starts crying. 

“I'm sorry,” Cady murmurs. “I didn't mean to make you upset.”

“No, no, I'm not… Well I am, but not at you,” Regina tells her, wiping her eyes. “I… I don't know the last time someone's said that to me. Or the last time I felt like it was true.” She takes another shaky breath. “Everyone thinks fame is this… Incredible, amazing thing, and sometimes, sometimes it is, but most of the time, it's just… Lonely.”

“People focus on the idea of you, and not the real person you are.”

Regina laughs. “See, now you're good with words again.”

Cady lets out a little laugh of her own, giving Regina another squeeze. “I do words good… Sometimes.”

It's enough to make Regina laugh harder, wiping the tears from her eyes. She pulls back from the hug, smiling at Cady. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Cady replies. 

“Y’know, when I… Freaked out at you, in the first week, I…” Regina sighs, shaking her head. “I really am sorry about that.”

“Regina, it's okay,” Cady assures her. “You were having a bad day. We all have bad days sometimes.”

“I'm usually not allowed to have those,” Regina admits. “Gretchen had to make sure no one took any videos of it or anything and leaked it. Because any time I have a bad day and freak out, that tends to happen. And then it's all over the media, and I get branded as some crazed diva, and I…” She shakes her head. “I shouldn't have lashed out at you. I know that.”

Cady puts a hand on Regina’s knee. “I know you do. But you are human, despite what people think. Humans make mistakes sometimes. That doesn't make you a horrible person, or anything. You are allowed to have bad days, too.”

Regina smiles softly at her. “Thank you. And I'm sorry for dumping all this on you.”

Cady shakes her head. “I dumped, like, all my bullcrap on you the second day I knew you. You don't have to apologize.”

“I guess so,” Regina laughs. She takes another deep breath. “I just… Thank you. I… I don't… Now, don't get me wrong, I love my friends. I love Gretchen and Karen very dearly. They have done more for me than words will ever be able to express.”

“I sense a but coming.”

“But, ” Regina continues, “usually, when I talk to them about my problems, it's always solutions, solutions, solutions. I don't always want that, y’know? And that's one of the many things I like about you.” Regina smiles. “You just… Let me talk.”

Cady smiles back. “Everyone just needs to vent sometimes.”

“Yeah. It's really nice. So, thank you.”

“Of course,” Cady replies. “I like talking to you, and listening to you talk. And I do genuinely care, I hope you know that.”

“I do, I absolutely do. And I genuinely care too. I hope you know that.”

Cady laughs. “You invited me over for a spa day. It's pretty obvious you care.”

Regina lets out a laugh of her own. “Okay, yeah. That I did.”

Cady starts wringing her hands together, but she doesn't say anything right away. She looks down, avoiding eye contact, as she continues to fiddle with her hands. 

“What's wrong?” Regina asks, raising an eyebrow at her. 

“Hm?”

“Cady, I know you,” Regina says. “Whenever you start doing that with your hands, you're nervous.” She takes Cady’s hands in hers. “I don't want you to be nervous.”

Cady’s face turns bright red. “I… I had a thought, but I… I really don't want to mess things up.”

“Mess things up how?”

Cady looks down again. “I…” she stammers. 

Regina squeezes her hands softly. “It's okay. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“I… Was thinking that I…” Cady takes a big, shaky breath. “Really, really wanted to kiss you. But I didn't want… I didn't want to… I–.”

Regina cuts her off, leaning forward and kissing her. She feels Cady squeak beneath her lips, but quickly return the kiss. 

Soft. Her lips are so soft, so smooth. Regina wraps an arm around her, pulling her in closer. She scoots practically into Regina’s lap, the two of them melting into one. 

When they pull back for air, Regina smiles at her. “You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that for.”

“I've got a pretty good idea, actually,” Cady replies with a smile. “About the same amount of time I have. Six weeks.”

“Give or take,” Regina teases back. She lifts Cady into her lap, Cady settling in nicely. Cady wraps her arms around Regina’s shoulders, Regina wrapping her arms around Cady’s waist, and they go back in for more. 

They don't do very much talking after that. 

Over the second half of filming, Regina and Cady’s relationship becomes a bit of an open secret. They haven't really defined it or anything, but everyone knows. 

They aren't exactly hiding it. Sure, they aren't, like, kissing in public, but they're practically always glued to each other’s side, and touching in some way. Yeah, they were close before, but now? Inseparable. 

They spend practically all of their free time in Regina’s trailer. She's having a hard time finishing A Hundred Photographs, because, well, there's a very beautiful girl with her who both needs and deserves constant affection. Hell, even after their workdays are done, they can't be pried apart. Cady’s hardly spent a single full night at her own house ever since they've kissed, instead spending all of her time in Regina’s hotel suite.

It's nauseating, really. Regina’s always been so annoyed by people who act like this. But now? Now she gets it. 

Reality dating shows be damned. She's found the best damn woman she could ever ask for. 

Which, in and of itself, is scary. Despite her status, her image, she's had a lack of serious relationships in her life. It's hard, getting famous so young. She's been very lonely for a very long time. Sure, casual stuff, but this? This puts all of that to shame.

But can it really even be serious if they aren't talking about it?

In the middle of week ten, Cady gets a call while on the way back to Regina’s trailer. It's the one she's been dreading this entire time, the one Regina expected to have come a lot sooner. 

The dog has passed away. 

Cady’s upset, of course. Very upset. She curls up in Regina’s lap, sobbing into her arms, as soon as they get inside the trailer. Regina holds her, and comforts her as best she can. There's only so much she can do, of course. Cady just has to feel her feelings, and that's okay. 

Regina will be here, for whatever Cady needs. 

Later that night, Cady gets another call from her mother while Regina is in the shower. When Regina comes out of the bathroom, she finds Cady sitting cross-legged on the bed, waiting for her. 

“You sent flowers.”

Regina blinks. “I did,” she confirms. “I had Karen find her address and the best florist in Chicago, but I made sure there were daisies and tulips.”

Cady smiles softly at her. “You remembered.”

“I did,” Regina replies with a little smile. It had been a passing conversation, weeks and weeks ago at this point, but Cady had briefly mentioned that those were her mother’s and her mother’s partner’s favorite flowers. “I wanted to make sure they had something to smile about, even if just for a moment.”

“I love you,” Cady says, completely catching Regina off guard. “I love you. I just… I had to say it.”

Regina steps over to the bed, cupping Cady’s cheeks in her hands. “I love you too,” she replies. 

She leans down, kissing Cady softly on the lips. Cady kisses back, gentle, light. It's nothing like the intense, passionate, lust-filled kisses they've exchanged many times over the last few weeks. It's much softer, filled with much more love.

“Come back to LA with me,” Regina tells her.

Cady blinks. “What?”

“Move in with me,” Regina clarifies, still cradling Cady’s face. “When filming is over. Come back to LA with me. I love you so goddamn much, Cady Heron. I can't imagine my life without you in it anymore.”

“You're serious?”

“I've never been more serious in my life. We can completely renovate one of the bedrooms. We'll turn it into your dream writing space. Whatever you need, whatever you want, I'll make it happen.” She rubs Cady's cheek with her thumb. “I want you in my life, Cady. Today, tomorrow, always.”

“Okay,” Cady replies with a smile. 

“Okay?”

“Okay,” Cady repeats. “I'll go to LA. But I have to go see my mom first, as soon as filming is over.”

“Of course,” Regina nods. “I get it.”

“Would you… Like to come with me?” Cady asks. “I get it if you can't. I know you're a busy person, and–.”

“Cady,” Regina cuts her off. “I'd love to. I'll move whatever I need to move to make it work. Which I don't think is too much anyways, but I swear to you, I'll make it happen.”

Cady smiles softly at her. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

It’s a phrase she's said a shocking amount of times in her life for someone who's had hardly any serious relationships, but then again, she is an actress. But this? Here and now? With Cady Heron, the author she's come to treasure and adore more than anything else in the world?

She's never meant it more genuinely in her life. 

Epilogue

“And the Academy Award for Best Actress goes to…”

With what feels like the slowest movements possible, the presenter opens the envelope. Regina’s trying her very best to remain calm and composed, knowing damn well there’s a camera two feet in front of her right now. 

“Regina George.”

There's thunderous applause around her, but time stands still. The words don't feel real. Nothing feels real. 

Her hand is squeezed, and she realizes. She needs to get up. She squeezes back, turning and giving the origin of the squeeze a big hug and a kiss. 

Cady gives her a quick kiss back, before gently nudging her towards the stage. The music is playing, and the applause is still going. Regina takes a quick breath, filling herself with every ounce of media training she's had over the years. She strides towards the stage, lifting up her dress a bit as to not trip as she climbs the stairs, heading towards the presenters. 

She's handed her first ever Oscar. I See Stars has picked up a number of nominations and awards this year, but Regina still can't fully believe it. The little statue feels heavy in her hands, but she knows her time is limited. She has to give her speech, and give it now. 

“This is so surreal. Thank you, thank you all so much,” Regina begins, speaking into the microphone. “I had a speech written down, but I… I totally forgot to bring it.”

That gets a laugh from the audience. She spots Cady, who's absolutely beaming at her. She smiles back, taking another quick breath. 

“So I'm gonna try my best,” she continues. “Thank you so much to the Academy, for this award and this opportunity. Thank you to my family, for always supporting me and my dreams. Thank you to the cast and crew of I See Stars, for everything they did to make this movie so incredible.”

With her general bases covered, she locks eyes with Cady again. 

“And thank you, from the very bottom of my heart, to the woman who created it all in the first place. To the woman who gave me such an important, dynamic, incredible character to play. To the love of my life, Cady Heron.” 

There's a round of thunderous applause, and the music starts playing that tells Regina she’s out of time. She lifts her Oscar into the air slightly, smiling as wide as she can. She always knew that her next step towards an EGOT, her biggest career goal, would feel rewarding, but for it to be this role? Given everything else it's given her in her life?

It’s a moment she’ll never forget.