"Hello?"
"Yes, I'm trying to reach Elisabeth Davis?"
"That would be me..."
"Elisabeth, my name Nicole Manning and I'm with People magazine. I'm calling to tell you that you're the grand prize winner of our Ally Mcbeal contest. You'll be visiting the set and making a guest appearance on Ally Mcbeal."
"Um, what? I'm sorry, I heard what you said, but um, are you sure?"
"Yes, Miss Davis, I'm quite sure. Congratulations. You'll be receiving your airline ticket and the rest of your information in a few days."
"Wow! Thank you!"

And that's pretty much how it went. Two weeks later I'm on a plane, still not believing what is happening. I am more excited than I've ever been in my life.

They put me in an incredible hotel that's close to the set. I'm staying for a week and scheduled to visit the set at least two days depending on how the shooting goes for my guest spot. The first thing I wanted to do was pick out some new clothes to wear to the set, so I went shopping. I found an incredible outfit for my first day on the set. At 8am the next morning I was standing in front of Calista Flockhart, still not quite believing that all this was happening. She was more genuine and more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.

"Elisabeth, how are you? It's so nice to have you here!"
"Thank you! It's so incredible to meet you! And, please, call me Lizzie."

We talked some more as she showed me around the set. I met the rest of the cast, watched them film some of the show and sat down to eat lunch with all of them! I was having an incredible time but there was a question that I had been dying to ask all day and I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"So, I understand that Robert Downey Jr. got out of rehab last week...I was wondering if he'll be making a return to the show..."

They all looked around at each other and then back at me. It was Peter who finally spoke up.

"We really can't tell you anything about that. Anything set to happen in future episodes is confidential. Actually, none of us are even sure yet what David is planning."

I simply smiled and nodded. I really wanted him to return to the show but I was having too great of a day to worry too much about it. After lunch I got to practice and tape my scenes, which were very small. We were finished with them by 5pm. It was time for me to leave the set. Calista walked me toward the door.

"You did great filming! Who knows? Maybe they'll ask you back sometime!"
I giggled, knowing she was just being nice."I wish!"
"Well, I know you've finished all of your scenes but you're more than welcome to come back and visit tomorrow. I'll be bringing Liam to the set and I'd love for you to meet him."
"Thank you! I'd love to do that!"
"Well, I'd better get back. See you tomorrow!"

I headed toward the exit, walking on air. As I pushed the door open, someone was standing on the other side about to open it. I almost knocked him over. I looked up and gasped...

"Robert!" (I didn't mean to be so familiar, that was just my initial reaction.)
He raised his eyebrows and mimicked my surprised tone of voice. "Elisabeth!"
I'm not sure how long I stood there with my mouth open before stuttering, "How did...um...I...do you...?"
He stared at me with an amused look on his face and waited for me to finish. When I ran out of words to stutter he pointed to the ID badge they had put on me first thing this morning. I looked down at the badge and blushed. "I'm sorry, I..."
"Don't be sorry. I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet you. Calista told me that you were coming today."
"Oh! Are you coming back to the show?"
He held up his hands and smiled slightly. "I'm just visiting today. Anything more than that is uncertain."
"Oh. Well, I'm glad that you're out of...um, I mean..."
"Out of rehab? Yeah, it feels pretty good to be out. It seems a little strange but I'm sure I'll adjust quickly. I should get going, but it's nice to meet you, Elisabeth."
He reached out to shake my hand. When I put my hand in his I completely forgot any clever or witty thing I might have said so I just smiled and nodded. He returned my smile with his own amazing smile and disappeared through the door. I took a minute to catch my breath before moving on. Wow, this is only the first day and it can't possibly get any better!

I was so excited to get back to the set that I arrived at 7am the next morning. I knocked lightly at the door to Calista's dressing room. "Come in..." I opened the door slowly to see Calista sitting in a chair across from Liam's high chair. She was trying to feed him some baby cereal but he was babbling and grinning so much that it was slow going. She didn't seem to mind. She looked up at me and smiled.
"Lizzie, hi! I'm glad you came." She glanced up at the clock on the wall. "You're a little early today...did you sleep okay?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Okay, I guess. I was just too excited to sleep much."
She looked up at me again and smiled slyly. "That wouldn't have anything to do with running into Robert on your way out of here yesterday, would it?"
"Oh, no! He said something to you! I knew I made a fool of myself! What did he say?"
Her smile widened and a bubbly laugh just barely escaped her lips. "Relax, Lizzie. All he said was that he ran into you and that you seemed nice. I just got the impression at lunch yesterday that you might have a little crush on him, that's all."
My face couldn't have gotten any redder. "Oh, well, it's just that he's such an incredibly talented actor...I really respect his work and he must be such a strong person because of everything he's been through..."
I looked everywhere but at Calista. She had finished with the baby cereal and began to wash Liam's hands and face. "I see. So you're not at all impressed by the fact that he's incredibly gorgeous..." She looked up and smiled again, not expecting an answer. "Come sit down and meet Liam." I sat down in the chair beside hers. She had moved Liam to her lap and smiled brightly as he began to babble, "Mamamamamamamama..." We sat there and talked for quite awhile. She made me feel so comfortable that it was almost like we were old friends. Pretty soon there was a knock at the door and Portia popped her head in. "Calista, they need you in hair and make-up now. I'll watch Liam until the nanny gets here." She looked over at me. "Hi Lizzie, good to see you again!" Calista jumped up and kissed Liam before handing him over. "Thanks, Portia. Come on, Lizzie. They can do your hair and make-up too and we can talk some more." Of course I couldn't refuse that so I followed her. I was never going to want to go home!

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better... It was about 12:30 and I was watching Calista struggle though a pretty tough scene. She couldn't seem to stop laughing long enough to get her lines out. Her laugh was so infectious that I was giggling a little myself when someone walked up behind me. "She's incredible, isn't she?" I recognized the voice and took a breath. I had to keep my composure this time! I turned and looked up at him. "Robert, hi! Visiting two days in a row?" I raised my eyebrows hoping for some hint that he was returning to the show. He smiled. (that incredible smile!) "I could say the same thing about you...I would think you'd have better ways to spend your vacation than hanging around a mediocre actress who can't seem to say the word hypocritical." He smiled, knowing she was walking towards us and within earshot. She frowned and punched him in the shoulder playfully. "Watch it, Downey. Just for that, you're buying me lunch. Come on, Lizzie, why don't you come with us?"
"Oh, no. I don't want to impose."
Robert grinned, still rubbing his shoulder. "Please come. I'll need a neutral party to protect me from her."
Calista smiled. "Great. Just let me go change clothes and check on Liam. I'll be back in about 10 minutes."
I sat and made small talk with Robert while she was gone. A few minutes later she came back with bad news.
"I'm sorry, but Liam's running a small fever. I'm going to take him home and call the pediatrition. I'm sorry, Lizzie. Maybe we can get together again before you head back home."
"You know where to find me. I hope everything's okay."
"I'm sure it's nothing serious. I just want to get him taken care of right away."
"I'll walk you out", I said as I began to follow her back to her dressing room.
"Hey, where you going? I thought we were going to have lunch?" He lightly grabbed my arm as he spoke.
"Oh. Well, I thought..."
"You don't want me to have to eat by myself do you? Come on, my treat. Anywhere you want to go."
Calista turned back and smiled.
"Sure, go ahead with Robert, Lizzie. I'll try to call you at your hotel before you have to leave." "Well, okay, sure."

I still couldn't believe it. I was eating lunch with Robert Downey Jr. and had so far managed not to make a complete fool of myself. He was so nice and down to earth that I actually began to relax.
"So, have you had a lot of job offers since you've become available again?"
"I've had several. Enough that I won't be able to accept them all. I'm still in the deciding stages."
I smiled and looked down at my salad. "So you haven't decided yet to accept the offer to return as Larry Paul and finish out this season of Ally?"
He grinned and shook his fork at me. "I am not that easy to trick. I can't tell you anything about Ally Mcbeal!"
I laughed. "Well, you can't blame me for trying."
"So what about you? What do you do for a living? Any plans to reprise your role on Ally?"
"Are you kidding? I've never done any acting before in my life! I'm lucky they put up with me as long as they did! I'm actually a medical transcriptionist. I get to work out of my apartment and set my own hours. I really enjoy it. It gives me time to do other things that I want to do."
"Such as...?"
"Such as...come to California and have lunch with award winning actors. It's my favorite hobby." I looked up for his reaction just in time to catch him rolling his eyes. I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up. "Did you just roll your eyes at me? Unbelievable!" He shook his head and smiled at me. (He makes me so uncomfortable when he looks directly in my eyes like that!) "I just can't believe you just fed me that line, that's all."
"What line? What are you talking about?"
"Acting like you're glad to be here when I practically had to drag you away from Calista and force you to have lunch with me!"
I stared at him with my mouth open for a few seconds before I realized and snapped it shut. Again I couldn't contain my laughter. (Am I just giddy?) "Is that what you think happened?"
"Okay then, look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't rather be sitting here with Calista."
I was having trouble believing the direction the conversation was taking. Looking him in the eye made it harder for me to speak but I finally managed. "I wouldn't rather be sitting here with Calista."
He broke into a wide grin and his eyes were dancing with laughter. "Calista was just telling me yesterday afternoon how well you two had hit it off. Just wait till I tell her that her new friend likes me better!"
"Hey! That's not what I said! You're putting words in my mouth!" He was laughing so I gave up and shook my head. "You two compete over everything, don't you?"
"Well, not everything, but a lot. She's my best friend." He was still smiling slightly but more serious now. "She's stood by me through everything I've done. She always tries to tell me that I'm not just some druggie who will never be able to change." He shook his head.
"Well, you know she's right, don't you?"
"You know, when something has been a part of your life for so long you just begin to believe that's who you are. Even if I never do drugs again that's how I'll always be remembered. I see it all over the news. I'm the guy who has everything and throws it all away because I'm too weak and stupid to change."
I was shocked. "But that's not who you are at all! You're a good person, a great father, an incredibly talented actor, and who knows what other things that I'm not even aware of because I just met you! I can't believe that's how you see yourself!" I stopped, a little embarrassed that I had gotten so carried away.
He just smiled again. "Thanks. Sorry, I don't know why we're talking about this. Let's talk about what you're going to do with the rest of your vacation. More lunches with 'award winning actors'?"
"You're making fun of me."
"No, I'm not. That's just my round about way of finding out if you might be free to go to a movie premier with me tonight."
"Are you serious?"
"Well, yeah. I know it's short notice but I just got my invitation yesterday and I don't want to go by myself. And don't tell me you don't have anything to wear because I'd be happy to take you shopping to find a new dress."
I smiled at him, dumbfounded. "You're going to take me shopping?"
"Why not?"
"Well, I just haven't ever met a guy who likes to shop"
He laughed. " I didn't say I like to shop. It's just that I'm going to need a new tux anyway. Everything I had before rehab is pretty much out of style now. I just figured you could come with me and pick out a dress. We can go now and then I'll take you back to you hotel to get ready. The premier starts at 9 so I'll pick you up at 7 and we can go have dinner first. What do you think?"
I shook my head and covered my face with my hands. (I'm dreaming, I must be dreaming!) When I uncovered my face he was still there, looking quizzically at me. I shook my head again and laughed. "Did you really think there was a chance I'd say no?"

I still couldn't believe all of this was happening. I was standing in my hotel suite fixing my hair. (I wish I had that guy from the Ally set to fix it for me now!) As I thought about whether to put in up or leave it down. I reflected on my day. The clerks at the store had run back and forth bringing me beautiful dresses, but it was Robert who had picked out the one I ended up with. I turned to where it was hanging a touched it lightly to make sure it was really there. I had helped him decide on his tux, too. We had such a great time laughing and talking, it was like we'd known each other for years. I had just finished slipping on my new dress when there was a knock on the door. I instantly got butterflies in my stomach. That's the only way I know to describe how I felt inside. I had to keep reminding myself to calm down. This was not a date! It sure felt a lot like a date, though...I opened the door and gasped at how great he looked. He smiled and handed me a beautiful peach colored rose. "Wow. You look beautiful."
"Thank you! You brought me a rose?" I was incredulous.
"Well...there was a vase of flowers at the front desk. I talked the receptionist into letting me have one."
"You did what? I can't believe you did that. I...wait a minute. There are no flowers at the front desk. There are cookies, but no flowers."
He smiled. "You got me. I couldn't come empty handed, but if I'd have known about those cookies..."
"You're nuts."
"You wouldn't believe how often I'm told that. Are you ready to go?"
"Well, if you think they won't mind that I'm not wearing any shoes..." I glanced around the room trying to figure out where I had put them. He walked over and pulled them out from under a pile of hair and make-up accessories that were strewn all over the bed. "How did you know?"
"Ah, I have a knack for things like this. Now, are you ready?"
"Yes, I am, but what's the big rush? The premier doesn't start for two hours."
ll, you want to get there early so you can have your picture taken by all the media who'll be standing around outside."
"Media? I, um..."
What, you didn't think there'd be media? It is a movie premier. Don't be nervous. You look great."
"I guess I wasn't thinking of that particular aspect of it. What if I spill something on me at dinner?"
He raised his eyebrows at me. "Let's try not to do that, okay? " He held out his arm.
"Okay." I took a deep breath and took his arm and he led me downstairs to the limo.

As we sat waiting for our meal, the reality of what was happening began to sink in. The more I realized that I wasn't dreaming, the more nervous I got.
"Are you okay? You've barely said a word since we got here. Are you sure you like Japanese food? We could have gone somewhere else."
"No, I love Japanese food. The truth is...well, it's just that...I'm a little nervous."
"Hmm...Well that would explain why you're stirring the ice cubes in your coke. If this is about the media, it's really not that bad. Is there some reason why you don't want to have your picture taken with me? Is there a boyfriend back where you're from who's going to come looking for me? Where are you from anyway?"
"Wow, you're really full of questions tonight. Um, okay. It is partially due to the media. It's not that I don't want to have my picture taken with you it's just I've never really liked having my picture taken in general. I don't have a boyfriend anywhere and I'm from a small suburb ouside of Atlanta, Georgia. As for my nervousness, I'm embarrassed to admit this but this whole situation has me a little intimidated. There will be so many people there and I'm afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing and making a complete fool of myself." I finally stopped and took a breath. His smile had widened with every sentence and he almost looked...amused?
"Relax. All you need to do is smile. I'm sure the rest will come more naturally than you think. Besides, no one is going to be that interested in us. They'll be more interested in the people that are actually in the movie premiering tonight."
He was only partially wrong.

We arrived at the premier shortly after eight. I think he realized I was still a little nervous when he took my shaking hand to help me out of the car. He smiled that slightly amused smile and slid his arm around my waist. Relax, just smile and follow my lead."
Smile? I couldn't stop smiling if I needed to. I knew he only put his arm around me to make me more at ease and to guide me through the crowd but it still made my heart beat so fast that I was sure he'd notice. He was mostly right about the reporters. Only a few of them stopped us to ask questions. They mostly wanted to know about his release from rehab, how he was doing and what his job prospects were. We were almost inside when the last reporter to stop us asked about me. He glanced at me, smiled and said, "This is my friend Elisabeth Davis."
However, the young woman wouldn't let it go at that. "You seem awfully cozy for just friends. Should we tell all the heartbroken fans that you're off the market again?" He shook his head and smiled at her. "You know, I just can't keep anything from you. We just met yesterday but we're planning to get married tomorrow." He looked at his watch. "Oops, look at the time. We've got to get inside before we're late."
We found our seats and after we sat down he leaned over and whispered, "Sorry about that. I should have prepared you. I knew someone was bound to ask. You just seemed to get so nervous at the thought of reporters that I didn't want to make it worse."
"Is she going to print that we're dating?"
"Probably...unless she prints that we're married...does it matter?"
"No, it's just that I...she...you think she'll print that we're married? She knew you were just joking, didn't she?"
"Of course she did, but I doubt she'll let a scoop like that go to waste. Don't worry, it'll all blow over just like all gossip does. I had to give her something or there's no telling what she would have printed...You're nervous again. And you were doing so well."
He paused and looked at me. "Let me see your hands."
"No, I'm...really, I'm fine."
"Good. Then there's no reason why you can't show me your hands."
I held out my hands which were shaking visibly. He shook his head and took my hands in his to steady them. He laughed quietly and joked, "You know, if you got out of the house more maybe you wouldn't be so nervous around people!" I giggled and relaxed a little. "That's a little better. Now you can concentrate on the movie. Jami Gertz is in it. She's the one who invited me. From what I understand it's one of those weepy woman's movies. I'm really glad you came with me. I can't imagine showing up at one of these 'chick flicks' by myself."
The movie began, but he only let go of one of my hands. For whatever reason, he continued to hold my right hand in his left. Concentrate on the movie? That should be a challenge. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. He glanced over at me, smiled and lightly squeezed my hand.
It really was a good movie. I actually got so interested in it that I didn't notice exactly when he let go of my hand.
It was after eleven when we got back in the limo.
"We're invited to the party at the Hilton but unless you really want to go, there's this place I know of where we can get coffee and ice cream. I'm really in the mood for a sundae...unless it's past your bedtime..."
I laughed. "I'm on vacation remember? A sundae sounds great."
We went to this small cafe that wasn't really even crowded. We both ordered a chocolate sundae and a cup of coffee and found a booth in the corner. At this point I was convinced I must be dreaming. We shared our whole lives sitting in that booth. He talked about his father and the rest of his family, his marriage and divorce and, eventually, his son. I had tears in my eyes listening to him talk about Indio and how much he loves him. Deborah had gotten full custody when Robert went to rehab and he wasn't getting to see much of him now. He began to get a little embarrassed when he realized how emotional he was getting talking about his son and turned the conversation to me. He seemed so attentive and interested in every detail that I found myself telling him things I had never told anyone else.
"So, if your entire family's in Delaware, how did you end up in Georgia?"
"Because I'm naive. I followed my high school sweetheart to Atlanta right after graduation. He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me but he was really just afraid of being alone. Less than a year later he was sleeping with his boss and I was on my own. My parents always wanted me to move back closer to them but I never did. I like it there. In fact, there's a little coffee shop very similar to this one called Westside that my roommate and I go to every weekend. It's just a small place but they have good coffee and they have live entertainment whenever they can get it."
It was three in the morning before we left the cafe. When we got to my hotel I told him he didn't have to walk me to my room but he did anyway. We spoke in low voices so we wouldn't disturb anyone in the other rooms.
"Thanks for going with me..."
I shook my head and smiled. "Thank you. I had a great time. I won't know what to do with the rest of my week after this."
"You should get some sleep. I know you were at the Ally set early this morning . You must be tired."
"You know, it's funny, I don't feel tired. I doubt if I'll sleep much tonight."
"Hmm..probably all that coffee you drank. You should have ordered decaf."
I smiled and nodded but said nothing. I knew the coffee wasn't the reason I was wide awake. I wasn't sure what to do next so I just stood there. There was a short silence that wasn't as awkward as it should have been before he pulled me into his arms and hugged me. It was only for a few seconds and the next thing I knew he had taken the room key out of my hand, opened the door and handed it back to me.
"Goodbye, Elisabeth"
I barely managed the word "bye" before turning and walking into my room. After I closed the door I turned and looked out the peephole to watch him walk away. I pushed aside all the junk on the bed and layed down on top of the covers wondering if any of this had been real.

The phone was ringing. I sat up wondering what time it was and when I had fallen asleep. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock...7:30. I picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Lizzie, hi it's Calista, did I wake you?"
"Um, yeah, but that's okay. How's Liam doing?"
"Oh, he's fine. The pediatrician gave him some medicine and he's feeling much better today. The reason why I called is that David would like you to come back to the set. He thinks you saw too much of the storyline and wants you to sign some papers saying you won't tell anyone."
"Sure...um, I can be there in about an hour, is that okay?"
"That's great. I'll see you then."

I got to the set at about 8:45 and ran into Jane as she was going to get something out of her car. "Hi, Lizzie! It's good to see you again. David has those papers for you in his office and Calista wanted you to come by her dressing room after you sign them. Would you tell her that they need her on set 3 in 20 minutes?"
"Sure, Jane. Thanks."
Signing the papers didn't take long and a few minutes later I was knocking on Calista's door. She called for me to come in and when I opened the door she looked up from the script she was studying and smiled. Liam was sleeping soundly in his crib.
Calista smiled widely. "Lizzie, I have some exciting news for you. Did you sign the papers?"
"Yes, just a minute ago, why?"
"Because now I can tell you the exciting news! Robert is coming back to the show. David called him about the same time I called you. He's coming today to discuss a contract. It looks like Ally and Larry may be getting back together! I wanted to be the one to tell you because I know how much you liked those characters together."
"Wow, that's great. I'm glad they asked me to sign those contracts so that you were able to tell me."
"Speaking of Robert, how was lunch yesterday?"
"Lunch?"
"Yes, lunch...you did have lunch with Robert yesterday didn't you?"
"Oh! Yes, yes I did. It was, um, it was really good. Oh! I almost forgot! I was supposed to tell you that they want you on set three in 20 minutes and that was about 10 minutes ago, so..."
"Okay...so lunch was just...good?"
"Well, I mean, no, it was great, it's just that..." I wanted to tell her everything that had happened yesterday but there wasn't enough time before she had to be on the set. It didn't matter because I was interrupted by another knock at the door.
"Come in..." It was Robert who opened the door. He seemed surprised to see me. "Elisabeth...I didn't know you were coming back today."
I smiled. "Neither did I."
"So how long have you been up?...I mean, here. How long have you been here?"
"I just got here a few minutes ago."
Calista watched us with raised eyebrows. He remembered what he came for and walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "Looks like I'm back..."
Calista smiled brightly at him. "I know, congratulations! Now, I was just asking Lizzie how lunch went yesterday and all I got was that it was...good. What about you?"
He glanced over at me and then looked back at Calista and grinned. "Yeah, lunch was good. Why?"
Calista frowned at both of us and shrugged her shoulders. "Something is being kept from me and I want to find out what it is...but seeing as how I'm due on the set I guess it'll have to wait. Would you two mind staying with Liam for a few more minutes until the nanny gets here? She's running a little late this morning."
We said we would and she headed for the set. This silence seemed a little more awkward than the one last night. When he had left the hotel I wasn't sure I'd ever see him again and here we are only 6 hours later.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"Did you sleep much?"
"Not much. Maybe two or three hours. I'm not sure what time I fell asleep. You?"
"Well, by the time I got home and out of that tux it was almost four. I guess I got about three hours before David called."
"I'm glad they've decided to bring Larry back to the show."
"Yeah, me too. I won't be doing as much as I was before because I don't need those hours right now but it'll be good to be back. I didn't think I'd miss everyone like I do. You know, I didn't even think about not saying anything in front of you. I'm probably gonna hear about it from David."
"No, that's okay. The reason they called me in this morning was to sign a confidentiality contract. David thought I had seen too much. Calista had already told me you were coming back."
There was another silence. Robert walked over to Liam's crib to watch him sleep. Since he had his back turned to me I took the opportunity to stare at him. I knew I was in trouble. I had only known him for three days and I couldn't imagine what my life was going to be like without him. He turned around suddenly and caught me still in a trance, staring at him. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine..I'm just, um...I guess a little sleepy. I haven't had my coffee yet this morning."
"I'm not sure you need any coffee. Didn't you have enough last night?"
Just the memory of last night made me smile. I just shook my head, too busy remembering last night to say anything. He walked over closer to where I was standing and took me by the wrist, holding my hand where he could see it. My hands were surprisingly steady although I think the rest of me was shaking. "You seem to have finally relaxed...I guess that's a good thing."
"Yeah, you know, Calista's just so wonderful. She um..." He was staring so intently at me that I was having difficulty. "She makes me feel really comfortable." I tried to look in his eyes but had to glance away.
"MmmHmm...so obviously I don't have that comforting effect on you."
"Robert, I...I don't tell my life story to people I don't feel comfortable with. Why..why would you think that?"
"You know, I don't know, maybe it's because every time I get too close you start stuttering."
My face must have turned several different shades of red but I couldn't help but smile. I was going to try to defend myself when the door opened. Calista took two steps and then stopped, staring at us with raised eyebrows. We were standing less than two feet apart, my face was completely red and he was still holding my wrist. "Sorry to interrupt...oh, wait, this is my dressing room. So...what's going on?"
If possible, I'm sure I turned even redder. "Nothing, I..." I took a step back and tried to pull my wrist away but Robert smiled somewhat wickedly and held on tighter. He then gave me a little tug, pulling me back to where I had been before I took a step back. "It's nothing really. I was just talking to Elisabeth about her nervousness, which is probably induced by too much coffee...ah, I just think she needs to relax a little, don't you?"
Calista looked at me and then back at Robert and shook her head. "Whatever...um, first, the nanny's here so, thank you for watching Liam but you're both free to go. Second, Lizzie, David is in the editing room and he said if you'd like to see how the scenes you did look, you're welcome to come check them out."
Robert spoke up before I could. "Cool, I'll go too. I'd love to see how your scenes turned out."
Calista left and Robert and I headed toward the editing room. "Hey, Elisabeth listen, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you just now...Did I embarrass you?"
I stopped and turned to look at him with a half smile. "What do you think?"
"Well, your face does look a little warm.." He put the back of his hand to my cheek. "Yup, feels a little warm too. I guess I embarrassed you. I can't really say that I didn't do it intentionally but if you're mad at me I'll promise to try to behave better for the rest of the week..."
"Robert, I'm not mad at you, but I...the rest of the week?"
"Yeah, you're not flying out until Saturday, right?"
"That's true, but..."
"Elisabeth, I was hoping we could spend some more time together before you leave. I don't start work until next week and I'd be happy to show you around LA or whatever you want to do. I promise to try to avoid the media at all costs..."
I took a deep breath. (I seemed to be doing that quite a bit this week.) "How can I turn down an offer like that?"
We went in and watched the scenes I had taped. Robert laughed when he saw the clothes they had put me in for the show. They were nothing like what I usually wear. "Wow, that's, um...that's...wow..."
It was my turn to laugh. "It's what, Robert?"
"It's a very...interesting dress."
"Well, what would you expect from a girl who's trying to win back her husband?"
We left the editing room and were heading toward the set where Calista was working. "Apparantly not modesty..." He glanced over at me. Are you turning red again? I'm j ust joking, you know, the dress looked really good on you."
"It's not what you said it's the way you looked at me just now...I know it's silly but I felt like you were remembering that dress, and...yeah, that embarrassed me."
We had reached set three and stopped walking. He turned to face me and had that amused look in his eyes.
"That's not silly. I was picturing you in that dress." I must have turned really red then because his smile widened even more. "Sorry. I just think that color looks so good on you..."
"Oh, I see. You just said that so you could watch me get embarrassed again."
He raised an eyebrow at me as something in his jacket pocket began to ring. "Sorry, that's my cell phone. I guess you'll just have to wonder." He answered the phone and turned and walked to a quieter area. I turned to watch Calista, who seemed to be discussing things with the director. I stared off into space and reflected about what a wonderful week it had been. He wasn't flirting with me just now...was he? The next thing I knew he was behind me again. "Hi.Um...I have to go. That was Deborah. She has a meeting to make and she's going to let me take Indio to lunch, so... Are you going to be back at your hotel this evening?"
"You know, I'm not sure...I haven't made any plans, so I guess..."
"You're not sure...okay, let's just do it this way." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a card and wrote something on it. "This one is the number at my apartment and the other one is my cell phone...Will you call me? Like maybe tonight when you leave here?"
I was almost speechless. "Sure."
"Good." Calista was headed towards us and he waved to her as he headed toward the door. "Sorry Cal, gotta go! I'm taking Indio to lunch!"
"Oh, that's great!"
She waved and then turned to me. I was still holding the card in my hand, staring blankly at it. "What's that?" She leaned closer and looked at the card. "Is that his cell phone number? Wow. That must have been some lunch you had yesterday. Wanna talk about it?"
"Desperately! Do you have time?"
"Sure. How 'bout lunch?"

We decided to order in and we sat in her dressing room talking. I filled her in on everything that had happened yesterday including how we talked until three am at that cafe and how he had said he wanted to spend more time with me before I left. I was talking quickly, barely stopping to take a breath. When I finished, I put my head in my hands. "Calista, I'm in trouble." She stopped eating and looked at me. "What do you mean you're in trouble? Everything you've told me sounds great! What's the problem?"
"Calista, I...I've known him for a total of three days and I'm already falling for him. That's a problem because in three more days I'm going back to Dunwoody and I'll never see him again. What makes this problem even worse is that he wants to spend more time with me! If I'm this bad after three days, what do you think will happen to me before I leave on Saturday?"
"Well, I guess I can kind of see where you're coming from, but I mean, it's Robert . And he obviously really likes you or he wouldn't be spending all this time with you, not to mention that he gave you his cell phone number. Do you know that only about 5 other people have that number? Let's see, his mom, Deborah, his agent, I think his parole officer might have it, and me. That's all. You are gonna call him, aren't you?"
"I guess so. I mean, how could I not? So...has he said anything to you about me?"
"Lizzie! I haven't even had a chance to talk to him! Seems he's been spending all his free time with you...Now let's go back to last night. I understand him putting his arm around you to guide you through the crowd but you said he held your hand during the movie? What was up with that?"
"Well, I told you he grabbed both of my hands to stop me from shaking, then he just didn't let go of one of them. I mean, he did eventually, I just don't know exactly when. I just figured he was trying to help me relax."
Calista laughed. "Sure, Lizzie. I'm sure that was it and I'm sure that was why he hugged you at your hotel room...Look, I realize that I haven't really known you that long but my advice is this - Enjoy this week and worry about the rest later. So, you're falling for him. Big deal. You'll go back home, you'll think about him for a couple of months and then you'll meet some other guy and get over him. If you're having such a good time I don't see any reason to cut it short."
"I couldn't cut it short if I wanted to. So, um...since I'll probably never find out...is he a good kisser?"
She laughed again. "I wouldn't know. There's absolutely nothing romantic about doing love scenes for a tv show. You're too worried about whether your head is tilted just the right way for the camera angle and you've got the director calling out instructions to you...our onscreen kisses are just...work." She smiled devilishly. "Who knows? Maybe in a few days you can tell me!"

I stayed around the set most of the day and watched them tape. I left at about six and went back to my hotel. I had decided to order room service and was waiting for it to arrive. I sat on the bed with Robert's numbers in my hand. I wanted to call him but I was really nervous. I finally picked up the phone and dialed the number to his apartment but hung up when I got the answering machine. I hesitated before calling his cell phone. What would I say? What if he was busy. He might even still be at his ex wife's house with Indio. I was still debating when there was a knock at the door. I decided that I would go ahead and eat and then try his apartment again. I opened the door to see, not room service, but Robert standing there. I was too surprised to say anything. "You were supposed to call me..." He smiled. "Can I come in?"
"Um..sure, of course. Come in." I stepped aside to let him in the door. Just before I closed it my room service came and I signed for it. When I turned around he was right behind me. "Well, I was going to call...as a matter of fact I had just called your apartment when you knocked on the door."
"Oh, so you called the apartment...did you leave a message?"
"No."
"Did you call the cell phone?" He was looking at me with that amused smile on his face that told me he knew I was uncomfortable with calling his cell phone. I sighed, rolled my eyes and then smiled at him. "No, Robert, I did not call your cell phone. But then, you already know that because if I had called it you would have heard it ring."
His smile widened. "Are you getting smart with me? Because that's probably a good sign."
Getting smart with you is a good sign? You wanna explain the logic behind that?"
"Well, I'm standing about three feet from you and you're not stuttering yet. Aside from that I've definately never heard that tone of voice before so it must mean you're beginning to feel more comfortable around me."
"That's an interesting theory"
"Theory? You want to test it and see if I'm right?"
"Test it?" There were those butterflies again. Where was he going with this? He walked over, switched on the radio beside the bed and turned the dial until he found a slow song. He walked back over to me and put his hands on my waist. "How about a dance?"
"A...dance?" He smiled and shook his head. Since I wasn't moving he reached for my hands and placed them on his shoulders before returning his hands to my waist. There were only a few inches between us. He began moving to the music and I had little choice but to move with him but I avoided his gaze as much as possible. After about a minute he asked, "So, how're we doing with the nervousness?"
"Good, good...I'm good. No shaking hands or anything..." (Could he not hear my heart? It seemed to be drowning out the music!)
"That's great. Maybe next time you can even look at me when you say that." He smiled slyly and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer so that I was pressed against him, my head resting against his shoulder. He rested his chin lightly on the top of my head and whispered, "Are you still good?"
I opened my mouth to answer but I couldn't seem to make any sound come out. He didn't seem to expect an answer. I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by the light smell of his cologne and the gentle way his arms were wrapped around me. I'm not sure how long we danced like that. I snapped out of my trance when he stopped moving and realized that the music had changed to a faster song. He dropped his hands from my waist and motioned to the plate of food room service had delivered. "So, were you going to eat that, because I thought I might take you out somewhere."
"I think I can put that in the fridge. Going out somewhere sounds good." At that point all I knew was that I needed to get out of that room. Just as we were about to walk out the door, his cell phone rang. "It's Calista. She and Greg are just leaving to get something to eat and she wants to know if we want to meet them?"
"Yeah, sure. That sounds good." On one hand I just wanted to be alone with him, but when I thought about the fact that after Saturday I would never see him again the sensible side of me took over. (Okay, so maybe I had some small hope that I would see him again after that, but I'm not that naive!)
In his car on the way to the restaurant I stayed pretty quiet. I noticed that he kept glancing over at me but I just stared out the window. In my mind I could still feel his arms around me, my head on his shoulder...
" Elisabeth..."
"Hmm?"
"I realize I've only known you for a few days but I didn't have you figured for the quiet type...everything okay?"
I finally looked over at him and smiled. "Sorry. I'm still dancing..."
He smiled back at me. "Yeah...me too."
He reached over and took my hand in his, but this time he intertwined his fingers with mine. I really didn't have anything to say now so we rode the rest of the way in silence.

As we walked from the car to the restaurant, he took my hand again. Calista and Greg were already inside waiting on us and had gotten a corner booth. (Those seem to be popular among people who are easily recognized.) They were sitting across from each other but when Calista saw us come in she moved over to sit with Greg. We had a really good time during dinner. This was the first time I had really spent any time with Greg and I found him to be as funny as his character on the show. It was amazing that I felt as though I had known these people for years. While we were waiting on dessert to arrive, Calista and I exited to the ladies room. As soon as we got out of earshot Calista turned to me anxiously. "So?"
"So..."
"Come on, Lizzie! I can tell something is different. Something has happened since the last time I saw you. Did he kiss you?"
"No! No, we just...we just danced."
"You...danced?"
"Yeah. In my hotel room, right before you called."
She shook her head and laughed.
"Whatever works for you. Lizzie. Are you going to kiss him?"
"I don't know. Right now, I'm teetering on the edge of completely falling for him. I know you think that I'll just go home and forget about him after a couple of months, and maybe you're right, although I have my doubts. And if I kiss him...I' m afraid that'll just knock me right over the edge and I'll never be able to meet another man without comparing him to Robert and having him come up short."
"But, Lizzie, if you don't kiss him, won't you spend the rest of your life knowing that you had the opportunity and wishing you had taken it? You could spend the rest of your life wondering what it would have been like and wishing you had taken the chance."
"Who says I have the opportunity? I don't even know that he wants to kiss me."
"Lizzie, come on! Have you initiated anything that's happened between you two?"
"No, but..."
"Besides I could tell when I talked to him right before he went to your hotel tonight that..."
"You talked to him tonight? Before he came to my hotel?"
"Yeah, he came by the set. Looking for you, I might add. He didn't tell you?"
"No..."
"Oops, well you didn't hear it from me. Anyway..."
"What did he say? Did he say anything about me?"
"Yes, he talked about nothing but you for 45 minutes waiting for you to call before I told him to go on to your hotel. But I can't tell you what he said anymore than I would tell him what you said about him earlier today. My point is that I can tell he really likes you and I'm surprised he hasn't kissed you already. We'd better get back before they start wondering if we fell in."
When we got back, Robert gave both of us one of those looks. He knew we'd been talking about him. He stood up to let me get back on the inside of the booth. "I could have just sat on the outside.."
"Yeah, but I wanted to be sure you couldn't get away."
After dinner we all decided to go see a movie. Robert wanted to see the latest horror film but Calista and Greg quickly vetoed the idea. We decided on an action film but he looked disappointed with our choice. The talk I had with Calista had made me feel a little more bold so a few minutes into the movie I turned and whispered to him. "You know, we don't have to be at a horror movie for you to put your arm around me..." He raised his eyebrows, surprised and pushed up the arm between our seats so that it wouldn't be in the way. As he put his arm around me and pulled me closer he whispered, "It's a good thing you said something...I was about to try that old yawning trick!" I giggled and leaned my head over against him.
Later as he walked me up to my hotel room he asked what I thought of the movie.
"I'm not sure."
"You're not sure...meaning you didn't like it?"
"I'm not sure meaning that when I'm that close to you everything else..." I looked into his eyes and had to catch my breath. "Everything else seems to fade into the background."
We were in the elevator. He pushed my hair back out of my face and touched my cheek. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?"
"I know you're leaving on Saturday. I didn't mean for things to happen like this."
"Me neither. But I don't regret it." We stopped outside of my room. "Do you want to come in?"
He smiled. "Yeah...but I won't."
He leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek. "You'll call me in the morning?"
"The minute I wake up if you want..." He nodded and opened my door for me before turning back toward the elevator.

I actually slept until nine o'clock the next morning. I guess the lack of sleep the last few days had finally caught up with me. I sat up in bed and reached for the phone, remembering my promise. I dialed Robert's apartment number but got the machine again. I hung up and dialed his cell phone. "Hello?"
"Good morning. You're out and about awfully early."
"No, you're just sleeping late."
I could picture the smile on his face. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, actually, I don't remember waking up at all. Although I did dream..."
"Oh, you did? Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really. I think I'll just keep it to myself."
"Uh-huh. Until you share it with Calista later."
I grinned. "Maybe."
"So...are you decent?"
I looked down at the cotton shorts and cropped t-shirt I had slept in. "Yes, why?" There was a knock at the door. "Can I come in?" I dropped the phone and ran over to the door to look out the peephole. Sure enough, he was standing there. "No, you can't come in! I haven't had a shower, I have no make-up on and there's no telling what my hair looks like! NO! Are you crazy?" He hung up his phone when he realized I was standing at the door. He looked up at the peephole knowing that I was watching him. "Please? I'm sure you look beautiful..."
"That's what you think! That's what men always think but it's not true! Come back in a half hour!"
He laughed. "I don't want to come back later, I'm here now...Lizzie, please let me in..."
I cracked the door about half and inch but left the chain latch hooked. "Did you just call me Lizzie? You never call me Lizzie...why.."
"I'll call you whatever you want if it'll get me in the door..."
I sighed and opened the door the rest of the way. "See, I knew you'd look beautiful." He stepped forward to give me a hug but I backed away. "Don't touch me. I don't have on deoderant, I haven't even brushed my teeth yet." He stopped and smiled at me. He looked first at my tousled hair and then ran his eyes over me, all the way down to my bare feet. I immediately blushed. "Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what? It's just that you look really...cute."
"I look cute?"
"Yeah...I never knew you had your belly button pierced..."
"Yeah, well, now you know. Can I go take a shower now?"
"Of course. Don't let me stop you."
I pulled some clothes out of my suitcase and took them into the bathroom with me, shaking my head at him again before I closed the door. I had finished with the shower and was putting on make-up when I heard the phone ring. Before I could get to it he answered it.
"Hello?..Yeah, hi...no, I think Lizzie's in the shower, or getting dressed or something...oh, hang on..." He looked up, amused, as I flung open the bathroom door. I had put on some jeans and a short-sleeved red sweater but my hair was still dripping and my make-up was half on. He smiled, still amused and held the phone out to me. "It's Calista..."
I tried to give him my most menacing look but it melted away quickly. "Hello?"
"Hi...Lizzie, is there something you want to talk about? Did Robert...did he spend the night there?"
"No, he did not. He just showed up before I was even out of the bed this morning and made me let him in."
"Oh, hmm, that sounds like him. Well, I just called to talk to you about last night but it sounds like you're busy, so um, why don't you just call me later?"
"Sure. Yeah, I'll do that." Robert reached up and gently took the phone away from me. "Calista? Sorry, but I really need for Lizzie to finish getting ready now." He looked at me imploringly and I headed back to the bathroom.
I finished getting ready and came back out of the bathroom. "So, where are we in such a hurry to get to?"
"How do you feel about surprises?"
"Hmm...I don't know...what kind of surprises?"
"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise..." He got up from where he was sitting and moved toward me. "Can I touch you now?"
"MmmHmm...if you tell me where we're going."
He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. "Nah, I'd rather surprise you.Come on, let's go. We have a long drive ahead of us."
"A long drive?"

Two hours later we pulled up at the San Diego Zoo. He had made me close my eyes for the last few minutes so he could surprise me. The first thing he said when I opened my eyes was, "You're not allergic to animals are you?"
I laughed. "No. I've always wanted to see the San Diego Zoo...wow!"
It would take too long to go through all the details of the day but we had a great time. He had brought a camera and kept wanting to take pictures of me beside the animals. I was even starting to get used to people staring and asking for his autograph. In this type of environment he acted just like a big kid. We stayed at the zoo for several hours and when we left, he showed me around San Diego. We ate dinner at an incredible italian restaurant. When we had finished eating he turned to me and said, "So, what would you like to do next?"
"Hmm...I would like to find a mocha latte with extra whipped creame and chocolate syrup!"
He shook his head at me and laughed. "You're in luck. There's a Starbucks right around the corner."
We left the restaurant and decided to walk to Starbucks to get our coffee and on the walk back I noticed how beautiful the lights of the city were. It was the first time I'd really noticed how beautiful a big city could be at night. Maybe it was just the company I was in. We spent the two hour drive back talking about the events of the day. I was on cloud nine until he asked what I wanted to do tomorrow. Tomorrow - Friday - the last day I would have to spend with him before going back home.

I woke early the next morning, about 6:30. I layed there trying to hold on to the wonderful dream I had been having. I fought the impulse to call Robert right away. I knew it was early and he was probably still sleeping but this was our last real day together! (My flight was at noon on Saturday so I knew we wouldn't have any real time together tomorrow.) I decided to get out of bed and get showered and dressed before I called him. That way maybe I wouldn't wake him and I'd be ready if he pulled something like he did yesterday. I was headed for the shower when the phone rang. "Hello?"
"Good morning.."
"Robert? Where are you?", I asked suspiciously.
He lauged softly. "Relax.I just woke up. I'm not standing outside your door, I'm still in my apartment, in my bed. You have nothing to worry about. bu t...you sound awfully awake. Why aren't you sleeping?"
"I dunno. I just woke up a few minutes ago."
"You woke up a few minutes ago and you haven't called me yet? You do realize this is our last day together?"
My heart jumped at the softness of his voice. "Sorry. I was just about to take a shower. I thought I'd clean up first."
"Hmm...I think you're paranoid. So, what do you want to do today?"
"I don't know. As long as you're there I'll be happy...I was going to go by and see Calista for a few minutes this morning. Do you want to meet me over there when you get ready?"
"Sure. I do have a couple of things to do this morning though so I'll see you there in about two hours."

I had called Calista, so when I got to the set at 7:30 she was waiting for me, anxious to hear the latest news. I told her all about our day in San Diego as quickly as I could, without leaving anything out.
"Sounds like a great day. So did he kiss you?"
"Yeah, on my cheek, on the top of my head..."
She smiled. "You sound disappointed, Lizzie. I thought you didn't want him to kiss you..."
"Well, I don't...in a way. But...Did I tell you I had a dream about him a couple of nights ago?"
"No...what kind of dream?"
"Nothing serious really. I don't even remember all of it. I just remember that he was there. "
She looked confused. "He was where?"
"He was with me. Don't you see what this means? I'm ruined! Tomorrow I'll go back to Dunwoody and I'll spend the rest of my life dating men who don't quite measure up. I'm going to be just like Ally and I'll never get married!"
"Hey! Who said Ally was never getting married? Larry's back, remember?"
I sighed. "Yeah. I remember."
"Lizzie...Gosh, I don't know what else to tell you. I mean, I understand how you feel but you have only known him a few days. How can you be so sure you'll never be able to get over him? I'm sure there are lots of really nice, eligible guys in Atlanta. You might meet one next week."
"I don't deny that's a possibility. I'm just suggesting that if I do meet some great, eligible guy I won't appreciate him because he's not Robert." I stopped and looked at her for a minute. "I'm going to miss you too, by the way."
She giggled. "Oh, sure. Robert's this unforgettable, perfect person and I'm just an afterthought. Just kidding. Seriously though, we can call and email each other. You can even come back and visit some time. I'll even let you stay with me so you don't have to pay for a hotel."
I felt like crying but I smiled anyway. "I never thought I'd make such an incredible friend in just a few days. You've got to be the sweetest person I've ever known."
At that point, Robert knocked and then entered the room. He glanced from Calista to me noticing the looks on our faces and the tears in my eyes. "What's going on?"
Calista spoke up. "Our friend here seems to be having trouble saying goodbye."
He walked over and sat down beside me. "Hmm...I can relate. You know the best way to avoid that? By not leaving. But we have a whole day ahead of us. Did you think of something you want to do?"
"Sorry, I haven't even been thinking about it. I was sitting here talking to Calista."
"Yup, and Calista needs to get to work. I'll see you guys later. Lizzie, if I don't see you again before I go, you've got my number, right?"
I smiled at her. "Yeah, I've got it." She walked out and closed the door, leaving us alone. I looked up at him and more tears began to form in my eyes.
"Lizzie, don't", he whisperd. "Don't do that. We still have the rest of the day to spend together and it's only 8:30. Look, I brought you breakfast." He walked over and picked up a bag he had set down when he came in the door. "A chicken biscuit and orange juice...no coffee although I guess you could use some."
"My favorite. You remember everything." We sat and talked while we ate but we both seemed to be low on things to say. When we finished I got up to throw the bags and wrappers away. He cleared his throat. "So what were you and Calista talking about this morning?"
"You."
"Elisabeth..." He took my hand and pulled me down into his lap, startling me. "Robert, I...I, um..."
He looked intently at me. "I thought we were past this stuttering thing."
"Hmm..guess not." I was having trouble meeting his gaze so I leaned my head over on his shoulder and closed my eyes. I had a feeling that 20 years from now I would still remember how I felt at this moment. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before he finally spoke up. "Hey, I know. Why don't we go to the beach? I'll bet you've never been in the Pacific Ocean before."
"You'd be right. I've been in the Gulf but never the Pacific. Sure, let's go."
Of course, when he made the suggestion I had no idea that he had friends who had their own secluded section of the beach. When Robert called them they told him we were more than welcome to use it. The Pacific was beautiful. We took a picnic lunch and stayed out there until about four or so. We got in the ocean some but spent most of the day under an umbrella just listening to the waves. We talked some about Robert's future and which jobs he had decided to take. Ally would take up most of his time right now but there was a movie he wanted to do in a few months. I was happy that he sounded so positive about his future. When we had gotten enough sun for the day we decided to rent some movies and hole up in the air conditioned hotel for the rest of the day. We had discovered we were both fans of the classics so we rented Casablanca, The Philadelphia Story and Arsenic and Old Lace. We ordered room service for dinner and sat down on the bed to watch our movies. About halfway through the third movie I fell asleep. We were stretched out with his arm around me and my head resting on his chest. I woke up exactly the same way the next morning.

When I woke up at about seven I could feel him gently stroking my hair. I lifted my head slightly to look up at him. "Hi."
"Hi."
That was about all we had to say. I layed my head back down for a few minutes, but a few minutes was all we had. He left to go back to his apartment and clean up while I cleaned up and packed. By the time he got back I was ready and it was time to go to the airport. He drove me to the airport and waited with me for an hour while we waited for my boarding call. Those last few minutes were the hardest. We stood by the gate with his arms wrapped around me. As they gave the final call for my flight, he pulled back and looked at me. "You still have my number, right?"
I just nodded. I was afraid if I said anything the tears would start to fall. "You call me anytime you want to. I mean that."
I nodded again, my eyes beginning to water in spite of my efforts. He gently pushed my hair back out of my face and placed his hand at the nape of my neck. He leaned forward and softly kissed me. "You have to go now, Elisabeth..."
Turning my back and getting on that plane was the hardest thing I've ever done. But I knew I would remember every detail of this week for the rest of my life.

Go to the sequel!