Chapter Text
Rose was still on set doing reshoots for the latest instalment in the increasingly batshit franchise she'd been filming for what felt like forever, when she got a call from Shane. It was perfect timing: she was an hour into 2 hours of makeup and prosthetics, bored out of her mind despite the lovely makeup artist - Niki’s - steady stream of industry gossip, and she’d been dying to find out whether he had had the courage to talk to his parents yet. His personal life was so much more high stakes than even the worst onset stories she'd heard recently. She picked up immediately with a chirpy, "Hi loverboy!"
When they caught the greeting, Niki paused mid reapplying colour along her hairline to give her a look that had her giggling and distracted her for a second, so she missed the voice in the background of Shane's call growling out "What did she say?".
Shane coughed awkwardly and struggled through a greeting, "Hi. um. hi." He hadn't sounded this nervous in a while (not, in fact, since Rose and his last date together) and Rose’s ears pricked up. "Shane? What's going on?"
He sighed and for a moment, there was a muffled exchange, like he'd put his hand over the receiver to talk to someone else. Then he came back on the line. "I was just wondering if... when your reshoots are over, would you like to come up to the cottage? I'm gonna be here another couple of weeks and I know you said they're nearly over so I thought..." He trailed off, clearly anxious about the invitation, and Rose took pity on him.
“Honestly, I have no idea when we’re going to be done - these reshoots are going longer than the original shoot at this point but let me just…”
She looks round the trailer, scanning the calendar pinned by one of the mirrors and what she saw had her brightening immediately. "Babe, your timing is impeccable. I got a long weekend coming up while they sort out some other people's stuff if you're free from Friday?"
Shane seemed to choke on air for a moment, and Rose thought maybe she'd misunderstood his offer when he squeaked, "Friday as in this Friday?"
"If that's too soon we can find another time - I know how precious your off season alone time is."
There was a pregnant pause at the other end of the line before Shane finally admitted quietly, "So it's not so much alone time."
Rose blinked, taking a second to parse what he's saying before she found herself slamming a hand down on the arm of the makeup chair, and immediately grimaced in apology at Niki when her carefully applied makeup left smudges on the pleather. She hissed into the phone, quiet enough no-one outside would hear and confident Niki had heard much worse. "Shane. Fricking. Hollander. Do you have a boy with you?! When did this happen?"
She could hear the smile in Shane's voice, so rare even in his most unguarded moments with her, when he spoke. "Yeah. I... yes. I'd like you to - I'd like if you could meet him?" It was definitely a question rather than a statement, but no way was Rose turning down this opportunity. She wiggled in her seat, knocking Niki’s makeup brushes away in her enthusiasm.
"It’s a date. You and your boy better come get me from Ottawa airport on Friday. I will be there. And Shane, be prepared to tell me Ev.Er.Y.Thing. If you don't I'm going to get it out of your boyfriend, you see if I don't."
He laughed at that, quiet but confident, and she felt herself smiling back, uncontrollably delighted, at his dry reply, "Oh, I think he can handle you."