Title: Acting The Part
Author: Pattyanne
snapkik@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: None of the BtVS
characters belong to me.
Rating: Up to NC-17
Summary: AU. William St James is an
actor on a hit television series. While
appearing at a fan convention, he meets
Buffy and her six year old daughter,
Melanie.
Part one....
"I can't believe you'd rather do this than go to Disneyland."
Buffy took a tighter grip on her six year old daughter's hand
as the crowd milled around them waiting for the doors to open.
It was a hot and smoggy Los Angeles day, and the last thing
she personally wanted to do was be where she was. But, it was
Melanie's choice and since it was her birthday celebration, Buffy
had given in as graciously as she could manage.
Her little girl was waiting patiently, far more patiently than she
was herself. The child's quiet and shy demeanor kept her from
romping around the grounds of the convention center as other
children were. She kept her hand tightly in her mother's, watching
the kids with downcast eyes.
Impulsively, Buffy scooped her up and carried her over into the
small amount of shade provided by the building's overhang. Her
baby's golden brown curls were damp with sweat at the hairline,
but she didn't complain about being too hot. Her round blue eyes
were fixed on the wall behind her mother, and Buffy turned around
to examine the poster herself.
Even though the entire cast of the program was featured on the
colorful poster, it wasn't hard to see who the star of this particular
show was. He stood up front, smack in the middle, his costars fanned
out on either side and slightly behind him.
William St. James sported a wicked grin in the picture, his head
tilted slightly to one side. His short hair was platinum blonde, and
his eyes sparkled a bright blue. He was dressed in what she assumed
was some sort of 'space cowboy' outfit, consisting of snug black
pants, a black t-shirt, a short leather jacket, and scuffed boots. There
was a futuristic looking weapon of some kind in a holster slung low
on his hip.
Buffy rolled her eyes. Handsome and charming, and he probably knew
it well.
Although she herself didn't watch the program, Melanie was
devoted to it...and to it's star. She had his picture pinned up in
several places on her bedroom walls, pictures she had carefully
clipped from one of the dozen fan magazines centered around the
show.
A school mate of hers had alerted her to the upcoming convention,
and the child had immediately begun a campaign to win over her
mother's approval for her attendance. Her sixth birthday gave her
the perfect opportunity. She had declined all of Buffy's offers for
a party, turned down a trip to Disneyland, and had even rejected
the idea of taking several friends along to have their hair and nails
done, then to attend a fancy tea party at the Ritz-Carlton.
The only thing she wanted, the child had sworn, was to attend
this convention and see her hero.
Buffy, who had initially nixed the idea for several reasons that
she refused to divulge, had finally given in four days ago...the
same evening she'd had a bitter argument on the phone with her
philandering ex-husband over him canceling yet another weekend
with their daughter.
Melanie had taken the news as calmly as she always did, well
used to this sort of treatment from her father. Angel had never
been much in her life, and she wasn't expecting him to be. She had
simply sat in the middle of her bedroom floor, arranging her dolls
in their beds and kissing them goodnight before silently padding
out into the living room for a glass of milk and a couple of graham
crackers.
Buffy had turned on the television, and when the theme music had
begun for 'Outpost: Space', she had sat down with her daughter to watch,
something she'd never done before. When the first commercial break
came along, she had suggested that maybe going to that convention
was a good idea after all.
Melanie's little face had lit up like a sunbeam, and she had
bubbled over in a most uncharacteristic manner, flinging her arms
around Buffy's neck and hugging her tightly.
After putting the child to bed, Buffy had switched on her computer
and gone looking for information about the upcoming event. It wasn't
difficult to find. She lost count of how many web sites were devoted
to both the show in general, and the star in particular. Printing out
the necessary facts and figures, she'd scanned a few of the 'fan-fiction'
archives and read some of the stories posted there by amateur writers.
She printed three of them suitable to read to a child, then came
across one with a warning on it, a warning stating that the contents
were absolutely not to be perused by anyone under the age of seventeen.
Wondering how in the world they could enforce such a rule, Buffy
began reading the story. It wasn't long before she realized that the
author hadn't been kidding around. This was definitely not for a child's
eyes.
The sexual content was intense. Some of it was a little unbelievable,
but she kept reading it anyway...all the way to the end. By the time
she was finished, she felt flushed and a little antsy. Definitely in need
of a cooling shower, she took one that lasted almost twenty minutes.
But after climbing into bed, she couldn't erase the images the
story had provoked out of her mind. And, since she had a face to
attach those images to...
Sleep hadn't come easily that night.
********************
Still carrying her daughter, Buffy stepped inside a cavernous room
that was blessedly cool. Someone, thank God, had cranked up the
AC full blast.
She looked around in amazement. There was table, after table,
after table, of merchandise pertaining to 'Outpost: Space'. There
were literally no empty places on any of the displays.
T-shirts by the dozen, posters, 8X10 glossies, books, magazines,
videos and dvds, original artwork, knock-offs of the costumes,
cheap copies of the jewelry and weapons worn by the actors,
bedsheets, blankets, stemware, commemorative plates, cell
phone covers, framed autographed pictures, toys, and other
assorted paraphernalia covered the tables...everything a fan of the
show could possibly want.
Buffy mentally calculated the balance in her checkbook. No
way would she be walking out of here without spending a small
fortune on her birthday girl.
She stopped cold when she found herself face to face with
a life-sized cardboard cut out of William St. James. Something
told her she'd definitely be going home with this is the back
seat of her car.
Melanie was enraptured. Although she was only six, she was
very advanced in her reading, far more than the other first
graders in her class, and she had no trouble figuring out the
gist of the message at the bottom of the cut out.
Mr. St. James, it said, was available for a personal photo
and an autograph...for a price. A fairly hefty one.
Buffy was ready to shrug it off....she knew Melanie would be
far too shy to participate in this ritual....when she caught
her little girl's eye.
"Mommy...can I do this?" the child piped.
Truly surprised, Buffy stammered, "This? You mean...have
your picture taken with him?"
Melanie nodded solemnly. "Yes, please, Mommy."
Buffy glanced down at the price list. Geez louise! This guy
sure had a high opinion of his monetary value. "Honey...I
don't know. This is a real person you know...not like Micky
Mouse."
"I know, Mommy. Pleeeese," the child begged.
Sighing, Buffy gave in, hoping she had her credit card in her
wallet.
********************
Sitting in the largest auditorium the convention center had, Buffy
glanced around at the people occupying the seats. They were
all very different...men, women, teenagers and the elderly, all
different nationalities and ethnicities. However, they all had one
thing very much in common...a deep and abiding love for 'Outpost:
Space' and for it's star.
It was standing room only, and she was grateful she'd had the
foresight to arrive early.
When the lights dimmed, the chattering crowd became mute.
"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the second annual 'Outpost:
Space; fan convention!" a voice announced over the PA system.
"The cast and creators of the show are pleased that you could
make it."
The voice recited a list of rules regarding convention etiquette.
Apparently, taking an unauthorized photograph was an offense
punishable by hanging and if they even thought they saw a video
camera being used, heads would be rolling in the aisles.
The show's creator appeared on the stage, and the crowd applauded
mightily. He was followed shortly after by three of the writers, and
they went through a prepared presentation that nearly put Buffy to
sleep, followed by a question and answer session from people lined
up on either side of the stage.
When Melanie suddenly sat up and became interested, Buffy
shook her head to fight off the drowsiness trying to overtake her.
"Okay," the canned voice chirped, "we know who you're all waiting
to see, so we won't torture you anymore. Worldwide Entertainment
is very pleased to present to you...the star of 'Outpost: Space'...William
St. James!!"
The applause was thunderous this time, with most of the people
in the auditorium leaping eagerly to their feet.
Buffy remained seated as the man walked out on the stage, smiling
in a very friendly manner and waving at the adoring crowd.
The minute she saw him, the naughty story she'd read all came
rushing back and her cheeks turned bright red.
Melanie was in heaven, though. Her little hands clapped just as
enthusiastically as everyone else's, and she bounced up and down
in her chair.
Her mother, however, was having a difficult time concentrating on
anything being said on stage. Against her will, her brain was
channeling the words he'd been given to say in the story.
Things like...."You see those stars out there? I'm about to make
them explode behind your closed eyes." and "There's a bed in the
back of the shuttle craft...it's big enough for two. Why don't we
go climb in and I'll cover your body with kisses."
Seeing the face in person, somehow the words didn't seem as
corny as they had when she'd read them.
********************
When the question and answer session was announced, Melanie
shocked Buffy again by begging to participate.
Resigned by now to her daughter's unusual behavior, Buffy gamely
took her by the hand and walked her up to the line.
She stood back, letting Melanie "do it by herself", proud of her
little girl's courage.
But, when it was her turn at the microphone, she spun around
and stared at her mother. Her eyes were wide and her lips
were moving. Buffy recognized the signs of an impending
attack of bashfulness, and her heart broke for her baby.
She crouched next to her. "What's wrong, honey?"
"I...I don't know what to ask. You tell me something, Mommy.
Please?"
"Me?" Buffy said, trying to keep her voice to a whisper. "I
don't know anything about the show...or about him. I..I can't
tell you what to ask. I..."
Her voice trailed off when tears began to pool in Melanie's
blue eyes, and her lower lip began to tremble.
"Oh...don't cry, baby," Buffy pleaded, pushing her
daughter's soft brown curls out of her eyes. "Please, now..."
"Did you want to ask me something, luv?" a soft voice asked.
Buffy looked up and saw that William St. James had come
over to the edge of the stage and was bending over to speak
to Melanie. His voice was kind and encouraging, and his smile
was open and friendly.
Melanie tugged on Buffy's sleeve, redrawing her attention. "What
should I do, Mommy?" she whispered, hiding her face against her
mother's neck.
"Um...well.." Buffy racked her brain to come up with a suggestion,
then leaned over and whispered it in Melanie's ear.
The child's eyes brightened instantly, as she considered it to be
a wonderful question.
Turning to face her idol, she grinned up at him. His return smile
widened considerably as she asked her question:
"Do you have any pets?"
TBC....
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