Butch stands in the corner of the set surrounded by girls. The basement party room had been thrown together in Studio B in about twenty-four hours by the production carpenters. Mitch was standing in the middle of the room with his Steadicam focused on Butch and his admirers.

The boy is all dressed up for the big moment, his debut on the social scene. He smiles while talking to Denise as the others stand around and listen. Mitch slowly pans the camera in a half circle and finally zooms in on Beverly and Adam.

"I never would have believed it," Beverly says. "He looks great, and Denise is all over him."

"I told him there were three things he could talk about," Adam says. "School, movies and Justin Bieber"

Beverly giggles. "That was clever. It's no wonder they're hanging on his every word. So ... like what was this big thing you wanted to tell me?"

"We better sit down first," Adam says. "Is there anywhere private?"

Beverly grins, thinking Adam was making a move. "Um, sure, we can go upstairs, but then everyone will think something bad. I know, let's go in the laundry room."

She led Adam over to a doorway and slid open a folding door. Inside there is a washer, a dryer, and little room for anything else. Alan had two cameras on the scene, both hidden behind the false walls of the set. Beverly turns on the light and then pulls the door shut, turning to face Adam. Her face says she is expecting something, maybe another kiss.

"Is this private enough?" Beverly asks.

"I guess."

"Are you going to kiss me again?"

"Oh ... I hadn't thought about that, but that will work," Adam says.

Beverly closes her eyes and Adam leans in for the contact. The instant their lips touch her eyes fly open and she freezes. The kiss lasts for at least ten seconds and then Adam pulls away.

"Beverly ... are you okay?" He asks.

"Uh ... uh, what was that place ... who are you?"

"I'm a Regalian ... I'm not human. We live on the other side of the galaxy and I just came here for a visit, you don't need to be afraid of me," Adam says.

"No, I'm not afraid ... you're Adam. Why ... why didn't you tell me before?" Beverly asks.

"Because I like you," Adam says. "And because I don't want you to think I'm crazy when I do this." And with that Adam kisses her again, and Beverly melts in his arms. This time she pulls back and stares at him.

"I'm ... I'm kissing an alien."

"See, its fun ... but I can't be your boyfriend, Beverly. I might not be here much longer," Adam says.

She nods. "Yes, you'll have to go home. What was that place, was that your planet?"

"Yes, I gave you an image of my home world ... I can put thoughts in your head."

"You read minds?"

Adam nods. "Yeah ... sorta, the human mind is open to me."

Beverly gives him a coy smile. "So ... then what am I thinking now?"

Adam reaches out a hand and touches her shoulder. His eyes get wide and he grins.

"Cool, that would be awesome." And then Beverly reaches over and turns out the light.

"Cut," Alan yelled.

The lights came back up and Mark laughed. "Thank you, Ms. Cooper, two kisses in one day."

"Long as it's in the script," Beverly laughed.

Her fame on the show had made her quite popular in the Hollywood scene. And with her mother's approval, Beverly now had her first real boyfriend, a sixteen year old singer. Mark had laughed when he saw her photo with the boy in a teen magazine, now it was her turn to fight off the fans.

The kid extras were back at work, and they were shooting things like this party scene and school activities all week long. Tomorrow there was a shoot in the neighborhood with Casey over something the Vernon's dog was seen doing.

It wasn't that Adam was ignorant when it came to understanding human reproduction since the Regalians did it too, and in much the same fashion. But it was inevitable that the subject would come up on the show and Mark had written the scene he would play with Martin Barnes. The other writers had been only too glad to side-step the issue, Mark had made it funny. Besides they had a trained dog on the show now, a dead ringer for Sugar, Alan's golden retriever.

The scene was to open with Maxine, an amazingly talented animal belonging to Jeff Inman. This dog had starred in films for over eight years and being around strange people and funny equipment didn't matter. The only thing she focused on was Jeff, and the myriad of hand signals the man used to control his four legged actor.

Maxine had taken an instant liking to Mark and always stood patiently awaiting their scenes. In this one she would be seen trotting down the street with Adam and then would pull the leash from the boy's hand and scurry off into Barnes' yard. The man had a huge garden of precious flowers and shrubs which he carefully guarded so her transgression would soon be noted.

But when Adam rounded the fence he came upon Maxine and another dog copulating, although that would not be shown on screen. Adam's reaction and understanding of what was going on would be priceless, and then Barnes would look over the gate and see it as well. His frown would turn to a smile when he saw Adam watching, and the discussion would take them carefully through a minefield of sexual expression.

That would all happen tomorrow, it was now late morning and Mark had a meeting with Todd before his school classes began. Unlike most public school students, Mark and the other cast members under contract had school year round, except for notable events and two solid vacation periods. But Todd's offer to take him to lunch was unusual, and Mark wondered what was up.

By now Todd had figured out what Brian and Mark shared. It didn't affect his relationship with either of them since he let Rosie set the policy when it came to the boy. But this was client business, and Brian would come along to listen since Mark never went anywhere without him, that was a given.

The back room at Tia's Grill was empty, Todd made sure of that. The party room could hold fifty, but today it was only the three of them. Todd waited until they had ordered and then lay out what was on his mind.

"As a performer you belong to the Screen Actors Guild, and as a writer the Writers Guild of America. Both guilds have a contract on you, this you already know. I think we have an issue coming up, but so far it's only rumor," Todd said.

"What have you heard?" Mark asked.

"Have any of the writers said anything to you about joining a strike?"

"A strike, whatever for?"

"The contracts come up for renewal in two months, yours included. There's been some buzz about payment for new media after the season ends. A lot of shows are being sold out on DVD, and the writers have nothing in their contracts to cover that."

"Oh crap," Mark said. "This is only our first full season, are they going to DVD us as well?"

"Triton has the option, but you have a piece of that in your contract because I wrote it, the others don't," Todd said.

"So if the Writers Guild goes on strike we don't have a season three, is that what I hear?"

"Afraid so, depends on how long it lasts. It might even spill over into film studios, and Lord knows what SAG will do about that," Todd said.

"You mean my deal with Hank? Fuck, Todd ... that's all I need," Mark said.

"You have a SAG rule that says you cannot strike while under contract and a WGA rule that says you have to honor the picket line. Your position is pretty unique, except that there are a lot of directors and producers in the same boat."

"So if the WGA strikes I just get a long vacation until they come back?" Mark asked.

"If Triton plans to be understanding, otherwise we might be facing a breach of contract suit," Todd said.

"It's Lee isn't it, he would do something like that to protect his money," Mark said.

Todd nodded. "You have a good grasp of the situation."

"Damn, we have three weeks to go on the shooting schedule, at least it's all written. Would they stop the production completely?"

"I don't know what the stagehands will do ... Brian?"

"The trades usually take their own vote, they'll be reluctant to support a strike, and they'll be out of work for who knows how long if they do."

Mark nodded. "So we have to get the whole thing shot pronto, at least finish the season. If there's a strike I guess we can't produce any further script material, at least publicly. I know the guys, we might get them to meet and talk about next season. Now I'm worried about the film, does Hank know?"

Todd nodded. "I heard all this from him in the first place, he has spies everywhere. But he also has a finished script and he's producing, I'll bet he gets to shoot his movie."

Mark sighed. "That's something at least."

"Just do your work, Alan will probably know about this very soon. Then he can push to finish up ahead of schedule if necessary," Todd said.

"We were only supposed to cover two-thirds of a season, sixteen episodes. The rest was preempted by specials and such, maybe that's a good thing," Mark said.

"Either way, your reputation is made, Mark. Let's just ride this out and see what happens," Brian said.

"Good advice," Todd agreed.

Three weeks of production, which meant three full episodes to shoot. At least they had shot bits and pieces into the future, but they had the major scenes to configure. The sexcapades with Maxine and Martin Barnes led into the revelation that Adam's 'mother' was once again pregnant. Vera had already been outfitted with a pregnant suit to begin showing the swelling. The baby was to be born next season.

Adam was to begin his end of the year science project, producing what could only be called a 'thingy' at the moment. It was this device that was to create the final episode where Adam's father arrives on Earth. It all had that E.T. phone home feeling about it, Mark thought that was perfect.

Mark went home that night and couldn't sleep a wink. Brian knew the boy was immersed in thought, he accepted a kiss good night and nothing more. But Mark lay there and stared up at the ceiling, so Brian got up and made them some hot chocolate.

They sat in the darkness of Brian's living room and talked. "I never figured it to end like this," Mark said.

"It's not over, sweetie ... it just might get delayed," Brian replied.

"No, I mean my debut on television is over no matter what happens. It's like I've stepped through a curtain and I'm in a new place. I thought Adam would be the ticket for a long time, but now I can see beyond that."

"You want to quit the show?" Brian asked.

"No, but I want greater things to start happening. Hank will give me that chance. I feel a commitment to Steve and the others. Poor Wayne will be crushed if the show dies…he sees this as his last chance at glory." Mark sat his mug down and slid over beside Brian. "You've grown too, made some good career moves."

"I'd run a camera while you sell pencils on Hollywood Boulevard if that's what it takes," Brian said.

Mark laughed. "Yeah, like that will ever happen. We have a partnership here, we're engaged, nothing is going to separate us. But the others, I feel responsible for them. I want to go over and kick Lee Real's ass if he doesn't stand behind us."

Now Brian laughed. "Take Tim with you, because if Steve is out of work that man is gonna be seriously mad."

"If the writers strike I'll be mad at them, and then go stand on the picket lines because I agree with them. If Lee makes money off what I write and he finds a new way to do it then he has to share, that's only fair. My guys make less than a hundred thousand a year just to make his millions. Lord, I sound like a socialist," Mark said.

He turned to Brian and smiled. "If Lee screws us over then I'm going to quit the show, I'm sure I can find a technicality somewhere. Let him have a show without its star and see where that gets him."

"Mark ... stuff like that sounds good, but it will hurt your reputation as well. What's most likely to happen is the writers go out and we get a month or two of vacation before things get settled. Don't forecast disaster before it even begins."

"Action," Alan yelled, and Adam lead Maxine down the street towards home. The dog strains at the leash and pulls Adam along until he finally has to let go. She runs across Martin's yard and around the corner of the house. There is some growling and then silence, Adam runs to see what is happening.

He rounds the corner and looks down, skidding to a stop. Adam's eyes get wide and then his head tilts to one side, and then tilts the other way. He gets this silly smile on his face until a pair of hands drop on top of the gate and Martin looks over.

"Hello, Adam, what ... ?" And then Martin sees the dogs. He frowns and then smiles as he sees Adam watching.

"Dogs have no sense of shame," Martin says. "But it's not like they can get a room at the motel, is it?"

"Why would they go to a motel?" Adam asks.

"Humans need privacy, animals don't seem to bother."

"I saw a guy and his girlfriend down at the park, they didn't seem to mind either," Adam says.

Martin nods as Maxine growls, signaling the finish. "Go home, Maxine," Martin says and the dog bounds away at Jeff Inman's hand signals.

"Just because some kids don't have any sense doesn't mean you should follow their example," Martin says. "One day you'll be married and understand how foolish it is to do things like that in public."

"Yeah, I'll wait," Adam says. "My father would be really mad if I started having kids before I find a mate."

Martin smiles. "A wise decision. You're very smart for a teenager."

"Cut," Alan yelled.

Mark turned around wondering why Alan had stopped the scene, they weren't finished yet. But Tina was over whispering in Alan's ear and the look on his face wasn't good. Alan nodded at her words and then shook his head.

"Break, sorry guys ... I have to take a break," Alan said.

The crew moved the cameras and Casey took a walk back to the cast trailer. Mark looked for Brian and saw him with Tommy over by the limo.

"What was that all about?" Mark asked. "Do you know?"

"Yeah, bad news ... Wayne was sent to the hospital complaining of chest pains last night," Brian said.

"Oh shit, is he all right?"

"Too soon to tell, Tim was going to run over there and call me," Brian said.

The event put a damper on the day's shooting, not something they could really afford. But Tina made the rounds telling everyone they were on hold and by eleven they knew the worst. Wayne had a heart attack, he might be out indefinitely.

Alan cancelled the shoot and called a meeting back at the studio for one o'clock, Mark and Brian boarded the limo and headed back into town.

"So what does this mean to the show?" Brian asked.

"It takes Puckett out of the equation, that's for sure," Mark said. "Jeez, didn't anyone know he had a heart problem? They gave everyone a physical three months ago when we got started."

"He may not have known, or maybe he was hiding the problem from us, I don't know," Brian said. "How do we get around not having a Puckett in the scenes?"

"We have Brenda, Thank God. I guess we'll have to make a few changes, do you think he'll be okay?"

"It's too soon to tell," Brian said.

The meeting was pretty low key. The only news was that Wayne was in intensive care and stable. There had only been one major scene left for Wayne in the season, the PTA meeting. Mark said they could put Brenda in his place with some re-writing, and it was agreed to go ahead with that.

Mark opted out of classes for the afternoon and sat down with the writers to hash out the scene change. It was a somber bunch…Wayne was well liked by the writers group.

"I suppose having Jones stonewall the PTA is just as good as Puckett kissing their ass as we planned," Mike said.

"That will work," Mark said. "But the whole issue of bake sales to raise money seems pretty lame now with her, any suggestions?"

"We started off the show with Steve selling raffle tickets so that's been used," Tony said.

"This is all a setup for season three, isn't it?" Evan asked. "Are we looking for some controversial event that the PTA won't like?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about something like gambling," Mark said. "They could fight about that and then settle for ... say a spaghetti dinner. Adam, the kids and a few parents ought to create some great moments of culinary disaster."

"Adam cooking? That would be a riot," Mike said. "We haven't talked much about next season."

Mark looked around the room and saw that there were some questions on everyone's face. Maybe it ought to be discussed? "Are we going to have one, is that what you're thinking?" He asked. "I know you've all heard the rumors, any thoughts?"

Mike sighed, he was the senior man. "If the WGA calls it we have to go out, Mark."

"Oh, I get that, I'll be there too. But I have a different relationship to Triton than you guys. Todd says I may get my ass sued for picketing because of my SAG contract."

"Well that plain sucks," Pete said.

Mark nodded. "The point is we don't know how long anything like that might last ... a month ... two months? If we don't get back at it quickly then season three is in trouble. I was just hoping they don't call us up and say they want twenty-four episodes, and that just might happen."

Mike shook his head. "You've seen the ratings so far. I don't see them cutting us back. Expanding the season is the only way to go."

"And what if we don't have a Puckett?" Pete asked.

"That's a whole new issue," Mark said. "If Wayne can't come back I'd say we're pretty screwed. Anyone remember replacing a main character like that which ever worked?"

"No ... that's what killed a lot of shows," Mike said.

"I know I'm still one of the new guys learning what can and can't be done, but what if we cloned Puckett, could Adam do something like that?" Stan asked.

Mark stared at him for a moment. "Never thought of that, someone write that down and ... Oh My God, what a thought. What did Evan Taylor do best when he started in films?"

Evan was to play Adam's father, episode sixteen was to start shooting in less than ten days.

Mike smiled. "Evan played that doctor character, the evil scientist. A 'B' movie for sure, but hell this is television. I see what you're suggesting."

They spent an hour talking about cloning Puckett, a purely Regalian solution. Mark didn't want to think it would be necessary, but it might if Wayne couldn't come back. The meeting broke up and Mark found Brian in Alan's office.

"Any word?" Mark asked, and Brian shook his head. Alan looked dejected so Mark shut the door and sat down.

"Okay, the guys know about the WGA situation, and they're not happy about it," Mark said. "With Wayne out we suggest putting Brenda in the PTA scenes. I'll have the script changes by tomorrow. That was the obstacle we can deal with, as for Wayne himself and what we might do for next season ... I have a suggestion."

He went on to explain Evan and what they might do to create a duplicate Puckett if necessary. Alan looked skeptical at first but as Mark went on talking about Adam's father as the Regalian scientist he seemed to brighten up.

"Wow ... you work fast," Alan finally said. "It would give season three one hell of a bang for the opening episode."

"I don't want to replace Wayne," Mark said. "We have six months before the scheduled work starts, he might be recovered by then. But even if he does come back to work we might still want to use the clone thing as a gimmick. Can we get Evan to stay on with us?"

"Probably ... I'll make sure he's available. So rather than send Adam's father back to Regalia we leave him here for several episodes next season. I like that, we'll see if that works." Alan sighed and then smiled. "You know, kiddo, you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Mark laughed. "Thank you, boss."

"I'm going to see Wayne this evening," Alan said. "Tina is over at the hospital now trying to find out anything new. As I see it, if the Writer's Guild calls a strike then we have to close down for a period of time to satisfy them. No one will be happy with that and we may lose some key people on staff if it drags on. I'm going to talk with Triton this afternoon, he gets to decide."

"Whatever they do will slow us down," Mark said. "I'll spend some of my off time working on the story line, but I need a vacation too."

Alan nodded. "You deserve it, you all do. I think we can knock this out in two weeks, finish the season and begin prep for season three before anything starts."

"Yeah, let's do that," Mark said.

Mark and the writers were just finishing up the changes to the PTA scene when Tina got back from the hospital. When the meeting broke up Brian pulled Mark into his office and shut the door.

"I don't think Wayne will be coming back, he had a stroke this morning. A one-two punch like that at his age is devastating," Brian said.

"But he's gonna live, isn't he?" Mark asked, tears forming in his eyes.

Brian pulled him in for a hug. "I don't know, sweetie. He's in the best place right now. If he can survive the next few days his chances are much better."

Mark sobbed, it was all too much for him to absorb at once. The boy might be a strong player in the show, but he was still just a kid. Brian let the boy's tears flow uninterrupted for a while and then he sat Mark down.

"I want to do something for him," Mark said, wiping his face with a tissue. "What can we do?"

Brian nodded and thought for a while. "Triton will have to make a public statement about this, would you like to be the spokesman?"

"Me? Oh God, how can I talk without crying?"

"You cry, that will be just fine. The fans of the show adore you, and I think you're just the one they'd like to hear this from."

Mark nodded. "Okay ... I'll do it, will Triton let me?"

"Let's find out," Brian said. He picked up the phone and called Lee Real's office. Within in a minute Lee was on the line.

"Brian, any new word on Wayne Edwards?" Lee asked. "I have Walter Triton and Alan here in the office."

"He had a stroke this morning, at least he was under medical care when it happened," Brian said. "Lee, Mark wants to make a public statement about Wayne before the fans find out the hard way."

"Mark does? Is he sure, that's a pretty brave thing to do," Lee replied. "Hold on."

He had covered the phone and Brian knew he was asking the others what they thought. In less than a minute he was back. "Alan says that's about what he expected from his star player, and Walter has no problems. Where is he going to do this?"

"Where will you talk, Mark?" Brian asked.

"In front of the hospital, four o'clock today," Mark said.

"The main entrance of the hospital at four," Brian relayed.

"You handle security, I'll get the press over there at four," Lee said. "And just to make sure he's the focus of the announcement we'll stay away until after he's done."

"Thank you, Lee," Brian said and he hung up. "Do you want to change?"

"Yes, I want this to be a solemn statement," Mark said.

Brian called Tim and gave him a heads up, Tommy was at the studio fifteen minutes later and they took the limo back to the house for a change of clothes. Tim called back and said he and Steve would meet them there.

Mark was quiet until right before they got to the hospital. "I don't want this to come off like Wayne is about to pass away, even if that is close to the truth. I would much rather have it seem like a celebration of his career and just simply more about how much we love him."

Brian nodded, feeling the boy's emotions wash over him. "You have the right idea, it would be better to celebrate his accomplishments."

They pulled up into the hospital grounds and a gaggle of news vans was damn near blocking the driveway. James steered the limo up close to the entrance and they could see several of Tim's men, a podium and a dozen camera crews. Whatever Lee said to the media it had gone over big. The limo was surrounded by reporters with microphones as Tommy stepped out of the car and held them back, and then Mark made his appearance.

The first thing he saw was Tim and Steve, both dressed in suits and ties, a very professional image. And that was how Mark felt, their image here was important. Mark ignored the shouted questions, but he got the message, no one had been told why they were here.

Mark shook hands with Tim and Steve then turned and approached the podium. He had written no prepared statement, the facts would speak for themselves. Mark cleared his throat and began.

"Hello ... my name is Mark Harrison and I'm here today because a dear friend of mine is in this hospital. Last night, Wayne Edwards, who works with me on the television show, was stricken with a heart attack, he's now in critical condition.

"I wanted the fans of the program to know how much we love this man and care deeply about what has happened to him. I know your thoughts and prayers will go out to him in this moment of personal crisis.

"The past eight months of working with Wayne has been the best time of my life and I've learned a lot from him. He was chosen for the role because no one else could play that part like he can, and we knew that before the show even began. His career has spanned almost five decades, giving us great and memorable character performances no matter what medium he chose.

"His patience with those of us who had little experience has been wonderful and he is still very much a part of our cast. Wayne has taught me so much about life, and for that I am grateful. But I'm here today to tell you how much he is loved, by me and the entire cast. The show is not over and I wanted you to know that. We have done our job for this season and look forward to the next.

"I want each and every one of our fans to share their feelings with Wayne in any way that they can. I would love to see an avalanche of cards and letters sent here to Wayne, I also know he loves cats in case you just have to send him a stuffed toy. Wayne needs to feel your love to get better, he has mine ... and now it's your turn."

He turned and gestured to Steve who joined him and they embraced before Mark continued. "We're going inside to see Wayne if we can. They won't allow him many visitors so I will have to take your best wishes in there with me as I give him mine. My thanks to the media here today for allowing me to share my feelings about Wayne, I suppose the hospital will keep you informed as to his condition ... that's all."

Mark and Steve turned away towards the hospital entrance and Tim's crew kept the media from following. The boys would not be allowed into the intensive care unit, the only person who could visit was Wayne's younger sister and she met with them in waiting room. It didn't matter that the boys had never met her before, she recognized them.

"Hello ... I'm Marsha Beall, Wayne's sister," She said.

She went to shake Mark's hand and he hugged her instead. It was a moment of sincere affection, and she held him for a long time before they could talk.

"He knew you were coming and said to tell you the truth," Marsha said. "The stroke has left one side of his body paralyzed and he can barely talk. But the doctors say he will recover, they just don't know how soon. I think he's upset that this will hurt your program."

Mark shook his head. "The show is nothing compared to his life, you tell him that. I want him to know that we care about him, a lot of people feel that way ... give him our love."

Marsha and her husband would take Wayne back to San Diego during his period of recovery and Mark agreed it would be a good way to get him out of the spotlight for some quiet time. But within twenty-four hours of the media announcement the response of the fans was heard, and felt.

Cards, letters, stuffed toy cats and flowers deluged both the studio and hospital. Mark had photos taken of the cast standing knee deep in all that outpouring of affection. Marsha called and said Wayne couldn't stop smiling when he saw them. The cards and letters were boxed and the toys donated to the Children's Hospital, Wayne would be moved to San Diego, and the final weeks of the show progressed.

Brenda understood the importance of assuming the leadership role with Wayne out for the rest of the season. The script reading for the PTA scene was slated to be a sober affair and Mark worried that the humor would be lost. But Brenda was a pro and when the time came she would be everything the character needed to make people laugh.

The scene included Mr. Blake (Leonard Avery) for the science department, Mrs. Congreve (Beth Schultz) for English and introduced Nyla Osolo as the math teacher. Alan had been delighted to discover this Nigerian born actress to play the part, her dark features provided a much needed contrast to Brenda's blonde image.

Besides the four school related characters, Alan had cast eight unknown actors to play the roles of parents for the episode. The script reading session that morning had a different feeling as some of these people didn't have a close association with Wayne. Alan sat at the head of the long table when the session began.

"The set up is that Brighton High School always has some silly fund raising effort to support the sports teams, the band, and other school activities for the kids. This year a parent has encouraged the PTA to put on a casino night and several of the other parents are against gambling. After a lot of wrangling it will be decided to hold a spaghetti dinner instead."

Alan stopped and smiled. "We're going to be setting up one of what I have no doubt will be the funniest scenes this show has produced so far. Mark has only outlined for me the writers thoughts on the chaos Adam, Steve and Butch will create as the volunteers chosen by Ms. Jones to run the kitchen for the dinner. I imagine there will be a lot of cleanup after the scene is shot. So…let's begin."

The good thing about being an assistant on the show was that Brian got to hear everything in these meetings before the work actually began. Script readings were where they hashed out problems, and it worked well because the cast always seemed to have a feel for the work.

Just talking through the lines showed Alan where there might be tongue-tied situations due to phrasing and he could change that. Characters would be given their first directions on motivation for the lines they were saying, and would have immediate feedback to the director if needed. This was the place to accomplish that, not when the meter was running on expensive crew participation in the studio.

The new people were only new to the show. Each of them had small part experience in other productions. As the moderator for the PTA meeting, Brenda led the cast through the ten minute scene like a pro.

Ten minutes was a long time for one scene, it would be presented wall to wall with commercials on either end and thus had to be a completed piece of the episode. Coming back from a commercial after that scene the plot would jump to something else and the audience had to grasp the entire concept in one go.

Commercials were a necessary evil as sponsors paid the bills. Adam Conquers Earth was in the top twenty on demand programs for the season, and sponsors were beating down the door to get in. The great thing was that this show was spread out over the audience demographic charts. People from six to sixty had tuned in during that preliminary short season and Triton was one of the happiest producers on the media street.

Brenda smiled and assumed the role of Vice-Principal. "May I have your attention please," She begins. "From the minutes of our last meeting it seems there is some debate about the means of fundraising at our next scheduled event."

"Yah, I don't want no gambling in my kid's school, it sets a bad example," The man playing Mr. Trent says.

"Yeah, what he says," Another parent throws out.

Jones nods. "I see, and since I'm new here will you explain the problem? It seems Brighton has had a Casino Night before, it's a good fundraising idea."

"It rewards bad behavior, isn't that what you guys are supposed to prevent?" Trent says. "I don't want my kids thinking that gambling for money is a good idea."

"Yeah, what he says," The other man says.

"And you sir, I don't recognize you ... will you tell me your name?" Jones asks.

"I'm Melvin Trent, Benny is my brother."

"I figures," A woman says. "You don't even have kids at this school."

"I'm not married, but my niece and nephew go here," Melvin replies.

"Mr. Trent ... both of you, this is a meeting for parents. I appreciate you have strong feelings about gambling, but stuffing the ballot box with relatives is out of order, Mr. Trent ... Melvin."

"Yeah, what she says," The woman says.

"Oh shut up, Doris," Benny Trent says. "You and your daughter never come to these events anyway."

"Don't you tell me to shut up, I have every right ... "

"Quiet, please," Jones says. "I want a quick show of hands, who thinks a Casino Night is a good thing?" Three hands went up. "And those opposed?" Six hands went up.

"Mr. Blake, you don't get to vote, you work here," Jones says.

"Oh, sorry," Blake says.

"The majority doesn't seem to want a Casino Night, so is there another suggestion to raise funds?"

"Why do we need to raise money, doesn't the school board give you guys enough?" Melvin asks.

"I suggest you keep quiet, Mr. Trent, you don't have a vote here," Jones says. "But the question is valid, and no, the school board doesn't directly support our extracurricular activities. The school pays for the lights and the air conditioning, the water and the cleaning of facilities after games, but there are other costs they don't fund."

"Yes, like the basketball team uniforms," Mr. Meyers says. "My son's uniform doesn't fit him anymore, he's a growing boy."

"You feed him too much as it is," Doris says.

"Well your daughter looks like a walking advertisement for an anorexia clinic," Meyers says.

"Quiet, please," Jones yells. "I want suggestions for another type of event because a naked basketball team is out of the question."

"I'd like to see a spaghetti dinner," Melvin says.

"Yeah, what he said," Benny says.

"We did that before and it was a success," Meyers says.

"I worked on that, I'm Nina Stewart's father," Mr. Stewart says.

"And was it a success, Mr. Stewart?" Jones asks..

"Yeah, I suppose. About two hundred showed up, we made a lot of sauce and pasta that night, and then cleaned up a huge mess. If you do it again I suggest you have student volunteers this time, the parents can't do it all alone."

"We have a large basketball team," Jones says. "I think we can get them to volunteer."

"Well my son can't cook worth a damn," Meyers says.

"Then maybe he'd rather go naked," Doris says. "Let him empty the trash."

Meyers laughs. "He hasn't figured that one out either."

"Break," Alan said. "This all sounds fine so far. I want to build the aggression slowly and your blocking will address that this afternoon. What I want to see is a mirror of what the boys will create when we do this scene."

If we get a chance to do this scene, Alan thought, but he couldn't say that out loud. He was actually looking forward to staging a food fight in a huge kitchen. The 1965 film, The Great Race, had one of the greatest food fights in film history, although none of his characters would come through it unscathed.

Evan Taylor arrived just before lunch and Alan dismissed the line readings to meet with the man. Evan shook Mark's hand and smiled, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"I really admire your work. I know we're going to have fun with this aren't we?" Evan said.

"Yes, it's just things are a little subdued around here with Wayne Edwards in the hospital, but we'll do our best," Mark said.

"I was very sorry to hear that, Wayne and I worked together on several projects," Evan said. "I was thoroughly enjoying his role on the show here, what are you going to do now?"

"We have some ideas that might pan out, but I don't know what they'll decide yet. Right now we're going to see if we can sell you as Uncle Neila. The audience will know you're Adam's real father, and so will the character of Jones, our other alien."

"Oh? That ought to be interesting," Evan said.

"Let's go find Brenda, she's about to do the PTA scene this afternoon," Mark said. "And I have a thingy to set off."

Evan laughed. "A thingy? Now there's a highly technical television term."

"Adam built it from his Regalian iPod device and it was only supposed to broadcast sound from one side of a room to another in his science project. But the sound is supposed to have gone hyper-space and that's what attracts you to this place. Simple, but then a lot of what we do in the way of plot is silly, kinda like Star Trek."

"Oh don't go there," Evan said. "I'm a Trekkie from way back."

"Oh Lord, you and about half the cast and crew. Well, you'll see we let that show influence ours in your episode," Mark said. "Come on, let's go find Brenda."

They slid into the conference room just as the line rehearsal was breaking up and Brenda headed straight for Mark. "I can work with this, but I think Alan wants a few tweaks to the script. Hello, Evan."

"Brenda, good to see you again," Evan replied, giving her a hug.

"Oh, you know each other?" Mark asked.

"Divine Women, I was a minor villain on the show several times," Evan explained.

"You were a great villain, and I bet neither of us ever thought we'd be here playing aliens, you'll love it," Brenda said.

"I will, you can count on it."

"Unfortunately Evan only gets about a minute of screen time in the episode, but there are greater plans in the works for that role," Mark said. "And since even aliens live by eating, how about we do something for lunch?"

"That's good for me," Brenda said.

Mark said a few words to Tommy as they boarded the limo and left the studio. Evan had given the large man a glance and Mark almost laughed. Once they settled in for the ride Evan had to comment.

"Goodness, he's a rather large fellow," Evan said.

"Tommy? He's been my security for months, he works for Tim Real," Mark said.

"You know Tim?" Evan said.

"Oh yes, he's a close friend."

Evan looked over at Brenda and smiled. That one glance said Evan knew all about Tim, and yet he wouldn't say anything in mixed company. Mark couldn't wait to get the man alone, but at least he understood that in all likelihood Evan was gay.

The Beverly Wilshire was a trendy upscale spot for lunch, and the limo deposited them on the sidewalk where Mark led the way inside.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Harrison ... table for three?" Antonio asked as they swept through the door.

"Yes, please," Mark replied. "Any room on the patio?"

"Absolutely ... right this way."

The familiarity was not lost on Evan. Mark might still be a boy, but he had the name recognition here in town. The Beverly Wilshire was one of the elegant restaurants on the boulevard, a place to be seen.

They were shown to a quiet shaded table and the waiter handed out menus and then took their order.

"You come here often?" Evan asked.

"It's convenient, and Triton runs a tab for me," Mark said. "At least the fans don't bother me here."

"I suppose that's an issue at your age," Evan said.

"We all get too much attention," Brenda said. "Excuse me, will you?"

Brenda left the table and Mark couldn't wait a second longer. "So ... how do you know Tim, I take it you're not a member of the dojo."

Evan smiled. "Um, I've been to his club ... you know about the club?"

"Sure, I'm a member," Mark said.

"Oh ... really? He lets you go there?"

"I can, just not in the public spaces. We eat in his private dining room and watch the club through the mirror. I really enjoy going there for the comedy acts. I'm gay, Evan ... my partner is one of the assistant directors of the show, you'll meet him this afternoon."

Evan studied him for a moment and then smiled. "You really are one of the most unique young men I've ever met. I see that none of this Hollywood nonsense has gone to your head."

Mark nodded. "I have people who won't allow that, Brian being foremost on that list. I made him a promise to avoid the trap a lot of kids fall into. It's one of the most important things about our relationship."

"I take it he's a lot older, isn't that a risk?" Evan asked.

"This is all a risk, you know that. I chose him, and only our closest friends know ... I'd like to include you in the circle."

Evan smiled. "It would be my pleasure. Tim and I are the same age and I think he's a handsome man. But my partner and I have been together since college, and neither of us has allowed anything to come between us."

"Outstanding," Mark said. "But for obvious reasons I have to maintain secrecy on my partnership, and I don't think it would do my career any good to come out. Enough about that ... here's Brenda ... "

Lunch was excellent and just as they were finishing up Hank Dobbs walked in the restaurant. He was with several men and nodded Mark's way, and then giving it a second thought he rose from his table and came over.

"Hello, Mark ... just wanted you to know everything is going fine, Todd said you were worried."

"Thanks for telling me, I was concerned," Mark said. "Have you met Brenda and Evan before?"

"Ahh, the lovely vice on your show," Hank said, taking Brenda's hand and smiling. "So nice to meet you ... Hello, Evan."

"Hank ... you staying busy?" Evan asked.

"As ever ... ask Mark, he can tell you now, the secret is out as of this morning. I have to get back, nice to see you all ... and Mark, see you this weekend."

"Sure, Hank, I'll be there," Mark replied.

They were no sooner seated in the limo then Brenda had to ask. "What secret are you keeping?"

Mark laughed. "Hank has given me a part in his next film. I'm going to be his co-star."

"Really?" Brenda squealed and she grabbed Mark in a hug. "That's great ... you're headed right for the top, baby."

Mark blushed at the attention and Evan laughed. "I can't think of a more deserving person," He said.

Brian drove the four of them to Hank's estate off Mulholland on Saturday afternoon. The limo seemed a silly way to attract attention so they took the Jeep, with Tim and Steve sitting in back. Steve had been looking forward to the event all week long since this was going to be his first Hollywood cookout.

The boys had pondered the 'dating' situation all week long, wondering what it would look like when they appeared with two older men. But Tim had assured them that if anyone thought something about it they would think he was Brian's man-friend. There was a guard at the gate to the community and Brian handed him the invitation. The man checked his list and waved them on through.

There was more star power in this enclave of homes than probably any other in the hills surrounding the film capital of America. Cars lined the road some distance from Hank's driveway, but a valet took the car and they walked up onto the property.

The scene looked like nothing more than a huge family picnic. Kids and dogs were running in the yard and smoke was rising from a barbeque pit over on one side. The only difference was that in the first two minutes Mark saw five of the most popular film stars on the Hollywood scene. And then a young lady ran up and smiled.

"Hi, Mark," She said. "I'm Trisha Dobbs. Daddy said you would be coming."

"Hello, Trisha," Mark said. "This is Steve Biddle, Brian Simmons and Tim Real."

The star struck look on her face didn't wander past Steve and he smiled, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Trisha," Steve said. The girl looked like she was about to faint as she took his hand and shook it.

"Is your father around?" Mark asked.

Trisha snapped back from her moment of adoration and nodded. "Just follow the smoke, he's burning dinner."

Steve understood his role and walked with Trisha as they crossed the yard. Brian and Tim wanted to laugh but didn't dare. This girl was the daughter of what was probably the biggest star in town, and yet she was agog at Steve's presence.

Mark found humor in the situation, he always had. Just because he was the star of the show didn't mean he was the fan's favorite target, Steve had held that place from the beginning. Hank was fussing over the grill when they walked up and he looked up with a grin.

"Hey great, you're here. It's been a while since I cooked like this." Then he turned to a young man who seemed to be hovering in the background. "Francis, take over here, will you?" Francis nodded and moved right in. Tim couldn't help but notice he was an attractive Hawaiian boy.

"So, Mark ... Brian, glad you could come," Hank said.

"Hank this is Tim Real, one of my closest friends ... and that one over there attached to your daughter is Steve Biddle," Mark said.

Hank laughed. "She's been pestering me all morning, I'm glad you brought him along. Tim, nice to meet you. Real, any relation to Lee?"

"My father," Tim said.

"Of course, I was just joking," Hank said, and then he turned to Steve. "Hello, Steve ... so glad to finally meet you."

"My pleasure, Mr. Dobbs," Steve said.

"Please, its Hank ... don't let the age fool ya, I'm the biggest kid in town."

Trisha nodded. "He isn't kidding, just stay off the basketball court with him."

Hank had quickly zeroed in on Steve, and Mark hoped there was something in the works for his friend. Hank had said he wanted Steve to meet some people.

"Steve, I wanted you here for a reason ... you see those two men over there?" Hank said, pointing at two guys sprawled out in lawn chairs by the pool. "That's Nathan Pierce and Michael Burton…I know they'd like to meet you."

"That's cool, what do they do?" Steve asked.

"Some pretty big independent films. Nathan just directed Baseline, I'm sure you saw that."

"Wow, that was awesome," Steve said.

"Yup, I was one of the producers," Hank said. "I really like working with all these new people. There's so much unknown talent out there and discovering them is my kind of fun," Hank said. "Come on, I'll give you an intro. Trisha, why don't you show Mark my game room, I'm sure he'll be amused."

Hank led Steve across the lawn while Mark followed Trisha into the house. Brian and Tim looked around, wondering what they ought to be doing. Tim smiled at Francis who was turning the meat on the grill.

"So Francis, are you Hank's permanent backup on the grill?"

"I am if you folks want to eat. It's a good thing he knows how to act, cooking is not his thing," Francis said. "Hey, I know you. My brudda took lessons at your dojo. I saw you in combat a few times, you still doing that?"

"Not really, I run a security business now," Tim said. "You work for Hank?"

"Sometimes, my brudda and I run a business, we cook for people, make a luau and bring a little of the Islands along too. All traditional, none of that tourist crap," Francis said. "I cook for you sometime if you like." He pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket and handed it over.

"I'll remember that," Tim said, pocketing the card. He was watching Steve and Hank talking to these two guys in the chairs. Maybe something would come of it, Steve needed a project. It wasn't about the money; the boy needed something to sink his teeth into.

Ever since Mark had mentioned his film project with Hank, Steve had been on edge. His role in the television show had kept him busy, but now they were facing the end of that for a while and the boy needed something to do. They had spent hours sailing during the lag times and Steve was becoming quite the little sailor, but it didn't satisfy him.

Being in a relationship with someone this young never would have happened if the boy had been anyone but Steve. Yes, there were the childish moments, but Steve was possessed by the desire to perform. His steely-eyed concentration during scenes before the camera, and the intense focus he brought to his part on the show spoke volumes about the way Steve accepted his calling as an actor.

Now he was ready for a breakaway moment of his own when the glory wouldn't be shared. Given the chance, Steve would become a super-star in just a few short years, Tim knew all of this, and it worried him. What if the boy was changed by it all?

He and Brian had spent hours in conversation about such things as they stood behind the cameras and watched their boys perform. Mark was a different breed all together. He was a fountain of creativity and always would be. But Steve needed the right vehicle for his talents. He needed guidance that Tim knew he couldn't provide.

And that left him with thoughts about doing what was right for the boy. If it came down to it he would step aside to allow Steve room to grow. Tim only hoped it wouldn't be necessary, because if it happened it would break his heart, and it would prove Jean right all along.

These thoughts were still in his head as Steve broke away from the small gathering and approached. "I think I've got something going on here, you think Todd Mason would manage me?"

"I don't see why not, you need some negotiating power now I assume?"

"Yeah, he needs to check this all out," Steve said. "They want to put me in a film and they're looking for scripts. Hank says this happens a lot, many producers choose a star before the film."

"Yes, my father says that happens too."

"It's all so vague, but Hank says not to worry, he has options on dozens of scripts and maybe we can use one of them." Steve smiled. "It feels good that someone wants me in a film."

"I'll call Todd, unless you want your mother to do it," Tim said.

"No, you do it. I want to keep her at arms length on this. These are my decisions to make, not hers."

Tim grinned. "I love it when you get aggressive."

Steve laughed. "Yeah, I know ... later, okay?"

Trisha and Mark returned from the house and she went back to staring at Steve. He knew better than to take off anywhere alone with her so he turned to Mark.

"Maybe I got something going with those guys Hank knows," Steve said.

"I hope so, Hank seems to be backing you ... I do too," Mark said.

"I know you do, I still need your support. Seems they haven't chosen a story line yet and when they do I want your opinion."

"Done deal. If I had the time I'd write a story that would include the both of us, maybe next year," Mark said. "But I think we both need to learn a lot more about making movies so keep your eyes open."

Steve smiled. "You know I'd kiss you right this second, but Trisha would totally freak."

Mark grinned. "Yeah, it'd almost be worth it just to see that." And they both dissolved in laughter.


On to Chapter Eighteen

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"Adam Conquers Earth" Copyright © 2011 Chris James. All rights reserved.
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