Nightwing: Heartache

Part 19: First Day of Filming

August 5, 4:40am
Los Angeles

God it was early. Willa pulled her sneakers and sweatshirt on and hopped out of her bedroom. A car was waiting for her outside to take her to set. 5am call-times always suck, but at least it was only a twenty minute commute to work. At least she didn't have to get ready in the morning. That was hair and makeup's job over the next hour and a half. All Willa had to do was get there.

She grabbed the green smoothie Lilah had left in her fridge last night, gasping and almost dropping it when she saw Connor sitting at her dining room table. He startled back at Willa's cry, stumbling out of his chair. With his super hearing, it was probably like an alarm this early in the morning.

"Jesus christ," Willa put a hand on her chest, "how did you get in here?"

"Sorry," Connor smiled, standing up, "there's a zeta stop right outside and Dick gave me the code to get in."

Willa rolled her eyes. Of course Dick knew the code to her security system. Annoying. "Ready to go?" Willa asked curtly, already heading out the door. Connor was in front of her in a second, opening it for her. Willa rolled her eyes again.

The car ride was silent. It was too early for Willa to make conversation. She listened to a podcast and ran through her lines in her mind, how she would play the scene this morning. First days always made her nervous, the finality of it. She had done all this character work, mapped out the arc she wanted Becca to have, how she wanted the audience to see her, but once she did the first scene, it was real, she had to pull it off.

She yawned as the car pulled up to the set. It was on location today, at UCLA. The crew was getting the lighting right, setting up the banners for the fictional university that had been created for the movie. Willa headed to her trailer to drop off her things.

"Can't you just carry me to my trailer, Super Boy?"

Connor startled again, eyebrows raised, then smiled when he realized Willa was joking. "Is that what your security usually does?"

"My security guards don't usually have super strength," Willa shrugged, "I also usually choose when to have private security."

Connor held up his hands at the jab, "hey, that's an issue to bring up with-" he stopped and met Willa's eyes again, unsure. Now it was a little awkward, the unspoken acknowledgement of Dick Grayson.

"Don't worry," Willa replied cheerily, "my objections have been noted. And I will make sure he will most definitely have a headache until this whole thing is over."

Connor grinned, "you're funny."

"You forgot?" She blinked innocently which caused Connor to chuckle. They stopped at the door to the hair and makeup trailer. Connor opened the door for her. "It's good to see you, Willa."

"You too, Connor."

It broke the slight awkwardness between them. When Willa thought about it, this was their first time spending time together alone. Not in a group, or with M'gann and Dick, but the two of them. Turns out she didn't know him that well. But it was nice to see him again.

"So Gar told me you popped the question?" She asked from the makeup chair. Connor was on a couch in the back, probably texting M'gann, but he broke into a wide smile at Willa's question. And it might have been the bright lights of the mirror, but he might have even blushed a little. It was confirmation enough. "Congratulations," Willa told him earnestly.

"Thank you," he paused, "Megan will be so excited to tell you about in person."

Another bright spot about this arrangement. Willa had spent a lot of time running from who she was years ago and she put her friends in that category too. And now, with Connor here now, she remembered how wonderful M'gann and Artemis were, what good friends they were. How she missed them. All of them. It hit her like a slap, all the things she had to give up in order to be okay.