Robert met Calista at the door with a smile and a hand out for her bag. “Hey, so how was Liam? Is he going to miss you?”

“Not hardly. He and Jennifer really get along well and she’s taken him off to the park, his favorite place. He’ll be fine, but I hope you don’t mind, I left the number for the center with her, you know, in case of emergency. She has my cell phone, but I just wanted to cover all the bases.”

“No problem. Well, come on in. Listen, I’ll put your bag in my room for now -- I’m not sure where the staff want to put you yet. What do you say we try to get a little rehearsing in before dinner? We can go back to the den; we won’t be disturbed there. Go on back, last door on the left and I’ll be right back,” he said, taking her bag and starting toward the stairs before she even had a chance to respond.

Calista stared after him and shook her head. She wasn’t sure what to think, but decided that Robert seemed straightforward enough. She went to the den and was studying the script when Robert returned. Robert had arranged for most of the furniture to be moved from the room and had left in place only the couch and a small table on which a tape recorder rested. Calista was sitting at one end of the couch. He walked over and sat down, not exactly next to her, but close enough that she could feel the warmth from his body and smell his aftershave.

She shivered slightly, before shaking her head and looking back at the script in her hand. “Have you read through all this yet?” she asked, sounding a little provoked.

“Not quite all the way through,” he replied, which was a little bit of a lie, as he had actually pored over the script in his car, before even leaving the studio.

“Well have you seen that he’s got them hopping back into bed tonight? Don’t you think that’s a little soon? I mean, he just came back from Detroit and I haven’t even, I mean, she hasn’t even agreed to take him back.” Robert hid his smile at her little slip-up. “She just said she’d think about it! She never said they were picking up where they left off!” Calista sputtered, indignantly.

“I’m sure David knows what he’s doing and has his reasons for doing it” Robert said, “Thank God,” he added to himself. “Let’s just give it a try, run the lines and try, as much as we can, to work on our movements, and see how it goes. I know it’s different, working here in the den, but David gave me a tape of the music he intends to use for these remaining scenes; to kind of help us get a feel for things.

“Well, ok. Guess we really don’t have much choice.”

“So, it says here, that the next scene picks up outside the bar, and Larry and Ally are walking down the street, arm in arm. Ally is laughing at Larry. Ok, you’re up first,” Robert said, as he arose from the couch and grabbing Calista by the hands, pulled her up to her feet. “Come on, it says ‘arm in arm’” and he pulled her over next to him and slid his arm through hers. Calista had to struggle to hide what he was doing to her, every time he touched her. It was a good thing he was holding on to her, because her legs felt as if they were about to buckle beneath her. She forced herself to breathe deeply, before they slowly started walking.

“Larry, that was so funny! I cannot believe you got up on the stage and sang that incredibly corny song! Have you no pride at all?” she asked, looking up at him, laughing. But she soon stopped laughing when she saw the serious look on Larry’s face.

He had stopped walking and reached down, cupping Ally’s cheeks in his hands, softly brushing the hair out of her eyes. Looking directly into her eyes, he said, “No, Ally, when it comes to you and getting you back, pride is the last thing in the world I have. And as corny as that song might have been, the lyrics really meant something. You are the one I’ve been looking for all my life. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you and now that I’ve finally come to that realization, I’ll do anything I can, even getting up on a stage in front of all our friends, making a complete idiot of my self, to convince you of that. Oh Ally, don’t you know by now,” he said so tenderly, slowly caressing her cheek, “you are it for me.” And he kissed her, ever so softly, a feather of a kiss, on her lips and then dropped his hands and continued walking “down the street.” She stood rooted to the ground, with her mouth open, watching him walk away.

Calista had read the script; she had known the lines that Robert was supposed to say to her. But actually hearing him say them to her, feeling his warm hands on her cheeks, and seeing the look of intensity in his eyes, ah, those eyes of his, well, the scene had had the desired effect that David had apparently been looking for; the thing was, she had simply not been prepared for it.

It was at this point that Robert hit “play” on the tape deck and the following song began.

One word, that’s all you said
Something in your voice caused me to turn my head
Your smile, just captured me
You were in my future, far as I could see
And I don’t know how it happened, but it happened
You asked me if I loved you, if I always will

Well, you had me from hello
I felt love start to grow the moment
That I looked into your eyes
You won me
It was over from the start
You completely stole my heart
And now you won’t let go
I never even had a chance you know
You had me from hello

Following the script, “Ally” hurried to catch up with “Larry”, slipping her arm through his, and leaning her head on his shoulder, and they continued to walk together, “down the street, as night fell around them.”

Inside . . . I built the wall
So high around my heart
I thought I’d never fall
One touch, you brought it down
The bricks of my defenses scattered on the ground
And I swore to me I wasn’t gonna love again
The last time was the last time,
I’d let someone in, but

You had me from hello
I felt love start to grow the moment
That I looked into your eyes
You won me
It was over from the start,
You completely stole my heart
And now you won’t let go
I never even had a chance you know
You had me from hello
Girl, you had me from hello

Calista and Robert had had to stop walking long before the song had ended, having run out of room to walk. They had simply stood, arm in arm, with Calista’s head resting on Robert’s shoulder, as the words of the song washed over them. Calista couldn’t get over the feelings she was having, and this song, God, this song could have been written for them. She thought back on the very first time they had met on the set. Yep, he had had her from the moment that they had first met at the studio. The chemistry between them had been immediate and overwhelming. Robert, it seems, was also recalling the same moment.

As the song ended, Robert looked down at Calista and was surprised to see tears shimmering in her eyes, and falling softly onto her cheeks. He felt a tightness in his chest, at the sight of the tears. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at her again, staring into her eyes, willing her to see all the love he felt for her, that he knew she must be able to see in his eyes. Suddenly, the next song on the tape began to play. Robert pulled Calista into his arms and whispered into her ear, “I think the script says we’re supposed to dance to this one” and he linked his arms behind her, drawing her up against his body. He placed his hand on the back of her head and gently pressed her head to his chest and began to slowly dance with her.

How can I convince you what you see is real
Who am I to blame you for doubting what you feel
I was always reachin', you were just a girl I knew
I took for granted the friend I have in you

I was living for a dream,
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world,
That was just my style
Now I look into your eyes
I can see forever,
The search is over
You were with me all the while

Can we last forever, will we fall apart
At times it's so confusing, these questions of the heart
You followed me through changes, and patiently you'd wait
Till I came to my senses, through some miracle of fate

The sensuous movement of his body against hers was Calista’s undoing. Ever since Robert had returned to the set, he had slowly, slowly been chipping away at her defenses, with looks, touches, gestures, as well as the words that Larry had uttered to Ally, that she knew Robert intended for her to take to heart as well. She had tried so hard to hold out against the onslaught of feelings that were overwhelming her. But it was just too much. As she danced with him, her body pressed against his, movement for movement, she knew that she loved him, she loved him with every fiber of her being. Being away from him for eight months had done nothing to change that; if anything, it had only strengthened the love she had for him. And add to that, the fact that she was so incredibly proud of him. He had fought a hard fight, and while it was by no means over, he was winning the battle. He had struggled, on his own, but was now acknowledging that he wanted and needed her with him, to finish it and continue on together.

I was living for a dream,
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world,
That was just my style
Now I look into your eyes
I can see forever,
The search is over
You were with me all the while

Now the miles stretch out behind me loves that I have lost
Broken hearts lie victims of the game
Then good luck it finally stuck like lightning from the blue
Every highway leading me back to you

Now at last I hold you, now all is said and done
The search has come full circle, our destinies are one
So if you ever loved me show me that you give a damn
You'll know for certain the man I really am

I was living for a dream,
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world,
That was just my style
Then I touched your heart
I can hear you whisper,
The search is over
Love was right before my eyes

The song ended and they stopped dancing. Calista’s heart was beating so hard she was sure Robert could feel it; she was afraid to meet his eyes. Robert placed a finger under Calista’s chin and gently lifted her face to meet his. At the look in his eyes, Calista finally let go and when his lips touched hers then, everything else fell away. All the doubts, the insecurities, the uncertainness faded away as the rightness of the kiss and the feeling of completeness took over. Robert moaned into her mouth and she opened her lips, allowing him access inside. And then her legs did indeed buckle beneath her, but Robert’s arms held her up, up against his body and he kissed her deeply, on and on. And they were both, finally, home. He pulled away, but only for a moment. He picked her up, swinging her into his arms as if she were as light as a feather, and looked into her eyes, questioning her. She simply nodded and he walked quickly out of the den and up the stairs to his room.