Serendipity

CHAPTER 7

Filming began without a hitch, and by lunch they had even managed to make up a little ground on the work that was missed the day before. Now it was late afternoon, and Chase Evans was standing off to the side of the sound stage, behind the mess of cameras and cables, with a well-worn copy of the script in his hand as he watched Quinn channel Detective Charlie Conway just as she'd existed inside his mind. This, watching actors take the characters he'd written and bring them to life, was his favorite part of writing, and he smiled as Quinn glowered and delivered her next line of dialogue with perfect timing and just the right amount of snarky bitchiness. She was good.

A shadow to his right, inching closer to the set, drew his attention and, as he looked closer, he could tell that it was Rachel. The Broadway star had been everything he'd hoped she would be in her take earlier that morning, and all of his doubts and fears about her being ready had disappeared the moment she'd stepped onto her mark and opened her mouth. He tapped his script against his thigh and abandoned his vantage point to sidle up beside the brunette, who looked absolutely entranced by Quinn's performance.

"She's pretty good, isn't she?" he said softly, pulling Rachel's attention away from the set where Quinn was waving her arms emphatically with whatever line of dialogue she had just delivered.

Rachel licked her lips and nodded as she turned to find Chase Evans, the screenwriter, standing a few feet away. "She's amazing," she said honestly, her eyes drifting away from the writer and back to Quinn who was now standing with her hands on her hips and her head dropped in defeat.

"AND CUT!" the director's voice boomed over the sound stage.

Quinn looked up and smiled at Ryan Shields, the actor playing her Captain, and smiled. She obliged the burly, bald-headed man by giving him a high five, her hand practically disappearing into his giant paw, before they sauntered off of the set and wandered off into different directions. She waded through a sea of grips, techs, and prop masters as she passed out of the lights and into the shadows, her eyes busy scanning the crowd for Rachel.

Chase watched a genuine smile break free across the blonde's face as her eyes landed on Rachel and, as he glanced at the brunette, he was a little surprised to see that she was wearing an identical grin. Interesting, he thought to himself as Rachel launched herself at the taller woman and practically tackled her to the floor.

"Jesus, Rach!" Quinn laughed as she struggled to catch the excited brunette. She adjusted her grip and wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist as the smaller woman's arms snaked around her neck. Her breath caught in her throat at the proximity of Rachel's lips and she tried to cover it up by playfully asking, "What was that for?"

"You're amazing!" Rachel said earnestly, hugging Quinn even tighter. "So good, Quinn. Really."

Quinn blushed and squeezed the brunette back gently before carefully setting her back down onto the floor. "Thank you," she said softly. "You ready for our first big scene together?"

Rachel nodded and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I am."

Finally seeing Chase standing off to the side, Quinn turned to the writer and grinned. "So, what did you think?"

Chase laughed. "I think Ms. Berry wrapped my thoughts up pretty well."

Quinn arched a brow and grinned. "You're not going to jump on me too, are you?"

"I think I'll leave the jumping to her," he said, tilting his head at Rachel.

"Thank god," Quinn sighed in mock relief.

Chase rolled his eyes good-naturedly and looked over at the set where James Moore was pointing something out to one of the cameramen. "I think they're going to be ready for you soon," he said, tilting his head indicatively.