They had kept him in the hospital way too long, he felt. He must have good insurance or someone knows how to write up the problems to keep them paying. Once Dr. Masters gave him the go-ahead, he began his pull-ups. He had gotten away from her, and no one was going to tell on him.
Eight weeks after the shooting he was ready to go, and the production company has been filming, having filmed the whole beginning and as many parts as they could around his part, but the time has come for them to hit the road. Liana has gone on a leave of absence with the school district.
The Burkhart's have moved to a much smaller home in Northern Plano. Sam has ripped the house apart in the last two weeks. Toby hated that they had to leave, he wanted to watch and maybe even help put it back together, but Sam said he would film the progress and keep him updated daily if they could connect to him.
He has seen Candace twice since his conversation in his hospital room. Each time he had a check-up she seemed to be around, but he had not called her. He has been busy getting healthy and didn't want to have her hanging in the back of his mind again. Yes, it had been nice to pick on her, but did he want to go there again?
*
The producer sent out his gopher to check him out a couple of weeks after he got out of the hospital. He has a pretty good idea of what is expected from this movie. Toby was sure it was to make sure he would be good to go having never met him before. Yes, he had lost some of his mass, but he knew he could build it right back up after being given the go-ahead.
They went over the script, and he realized he would be doing a lot of pretending against a green screen, while the scary stuff was put in later. He was good at pretending. So, Jacob Monroe and he sat around Louise's living room and drank a few beers. They bantered back and forth about this crazy world they created as he thumbed through the script. Most will be done on a soundstage with a green screen background. It will be a CGI movie with about a year of editing to make it believable. Jacob bought a laptop with some of the scenes already worked out on the planet they come from. They were scary to Toby. Travis was attached to his knee as they showed the aliens attaching to the ore containers for the trip to Earth. That is what they are working on right now. They are establishing the events that led up to them making it to Earth. Travis hung by his leg listening to everything the man told him and was fascinated with the scenery of the planet. He pointed out things and asked questions about the different aspects he saw seeming quite interested in this movie.
Toby was never a scary movie fan, but it hadn't seemed to phase Travis. Jacob talked about a bunch of people he never heard of as if Toby should know them. He was happy to hear the Marines were already there and they had been shooting around Toby some. He could be green-screened in with them if there was more delay. Toby was beginning to think he was going to film the whole thing by himself as Jacob explained the special effects process.
Yes, they have made the Predator series with the Aliens on Earth but this time they come on their own to set up the Earth as a colony. So that adds to the storyline. Plus, it is hundreds of years in the future. He is among the dregs of society in the future world devastated by war. He lives out in the middle of nowhere working in an ore smelting plant. Taking the ore from strange planets and smelting it on Earth so they can build ships to find a new usable world. They have the smelters so far out in the dead zone. They did that to keep the general population safe from harmful fumes and strange bacteria. If the workers died it was no big deal. Basically, you work, or you die, and escape is impossible being that they were surrounded by hundreds of miles of desert. Jacob told them the premise of the movie showing different sites of the background while Travis hung on his knee taking it all in.
Missy called often and she was so encouraging about his health. She had been right, they are working on the plot and the boob shots are gone and the movie might be good. She told him, sounding relieved about this movie's future. She is staying at the old house since he is in Dallas. If they are filming in the area, they can all stay at Rob's with her. She noticed Toby hadn't spoken about Liana like he was interested in her, so she made the offer. She would love to get a hold of him again. Toby is torn; he doesn't want to encourage Missy; she is a good friend but that is all. He hadn't had a longing to be with her, so the sexual attraction was not there. He asked Jacob to find them someplace close to the studio to stay. He planned to tell her they furnished him a place when she asked for an answer. Right now, she was given a 'we will see' answer. Putting it off, not knowing what is expected of him.
Frank is out of jail on a fifty-thousand-dollar bond. Not much for a human life. Toby wasn't too happy that Louise was using his money to bail him out, but it was Louise's money now. He can't come within a thousand yards of Toby so he can't visit his mother nor live with her because Toby will live right next door. That would keep him far away.
He does expect him to go to jail at least for a while. They all feel he needs counseling more than anything. How warped can a man be that his first reaction is to shoot because his mother is paying attention to someone else? What would have happened if she had remarried? Would he have gone after him if his world fell apart? Why was he going around with a gun in his pocket anyway? No one knew and that was the problem.
*
The store was doing well, and Toby spent some time there each week. Liana and Leila both moved in with Louise when their parents moved out. She made the offer because it was Leila's senior year, and she had only a few weeks of school left. She and Travis share a room that he loves. They shoved the queen-sized bed against the wall and slept just fine. The drive from Plano was too much for her so Louise suggested Liana stay in Frank's old room until they were ready to leave. They are a big happy family and Allen drives in mid-morning to avoid the traffic as the house was taken apart.
*
Now the plans are in order and Louise will not be coming to LA with them after all. She didn't want to add insult to injury with Frank. She and Stan have spent a lot of time with him talking about their disappointments and expectations of his life. He lost his job because he was drinking too much, being late, or absent from work. Brooding over the divorce and how screwed up his life was. He took it out on Toby. He tells his mother he had driven by the house just to look and remember old times. He planned to go ask his mother to let him come home and get his life together, and there was Toby's truck. Once he heard the store was sold to him, he had nothing to fall back on. He had stolen everything from him, even the roof over his head. His answer was to get rid of him.
The Oh Shit moment came as soon as he fell. Travis' look is etched in his mind. He was standing on the stairs at eye level with him. The big brave man ran from a one-year-old thinking the kid couldn't tell them anything and he would get away with killing him. He was shocked when the police came for him. Travis did talk and word for word he told the detectives what Frank did and said to his father.
He had a pretty big audience because no one could believe a sixteen-month-old could talk so well. Then add the memory this was unbelievable the Detective thought as they videoed his statement. That was the story for weeks on the local TV news. Travis became as famous as Toby with him speaking to the reporter and the poor little guy's concern for his father poured out on everyone's TV screen.
The movie's popularity soared as he recovered. Everyone who missed it when it came out, went wanting to see who he was. Others went back to watch it again concerned they may not see him again in another film. For days, the reports change from he is close to death to he is doing fine.
Toby carried his and Travis' suitcase to the front door. The shuttle would be there soon. They had dinner with the Burkharts last night so they could say goodbye to Liana, well them all. They had become close over the months of his convalescence. Linda said something interesting last night at dinner. She felt she would never have grandchildren and Travis she felt was as close as she would get. Toby has noticed that Liana has never flirted or acted as if she was interested in him period. For him that was strange, but he hadn't been interested in her either. She was great with Travis and that is how he planned to leave it.
He was feeling better but occasionally he had a pain run across his chest. Masters called it phantom pain from severed nerve endings. Otherwise, he was good, and his muscles have come back quickly.
*
He noticed the shuttled drive up and he called out for Liana and Travis to come on. Louise came quickly from the kitchen wiping her hands on a dishcloth to get her last hug. Louise had tears on her cheeks as they waved goodbye to her. He wished she would come. They have a house for them waiting with plenty of room for them all. He kept the hope that maybe later she would come even if only for a week. The offer was made, and he will wait to see if she calls.
Jacob sent them pictures of the house they found for them. It was not a big one but will work. Toby hadn't wanted some mansion like Missy lived in, just something comfortable. That is what they found for rent. Lots of actors rent homes near the studio for the duration of the shoot. This one came furnished with a month-to-month lease which is perfect for them.
Toby was getting anxious that this was going to be so different from the other movie. He read the script the last few days. A mining ship returns to Earth and unknowingly brings Aliens attached to the ore shuttles and he again is the star. How did this happen he doesn't know. He starts as just one of the guys working in the smelting plant. As the usual storyline goes, the higher-ups are taken down first and he is left to lead the group of workers to save themselves along with the Earth from the Aliens. There aren't many but there is a big mama laying eggs all over the place. The desert seems to bother them too.
It is a battle as the Aliens eat the population and implant babies in the other half gluing them to the walls. Their only saving grace is they are in a remote part of the Earth to keep the smelting fumes of the ore from causing a problem with the population of the Earth. If something in the ore killed the workers, they knew they could find more. These were the dregs of society, malcontents who didn't assimilate into the well-behaved society the world has become. If you want to eat and have a place to sleep, you work. Otherwise, there were many hundreds of miles of desert before you could find a population of more than scrub farmers who were barely making it in this world. Sure, he was a malcontent as a teenager and found himself sent out to this place to live out his short life.
He and the Marines are a rag-tag group of metal workers plunged into the fight of their lives. And yes, there are women in this desolate area. Several sexy women arrive right before the Aliens land. Women would never have lived out there, except the place is also used as punishment. A futuristic gulag per say. His woman wouldn't say what she had done wrong, but she attached herself to Toby's character on sight. She picked him out as the shuttle landed. He was large and handsome in a rough way, and she figured he could stand on his own to protect her. That glint in his eye told her he would be glad to.
He had no idea who this sexy actress would be, but if she is addressed as the sexy woman in the script, she must be. If she does everything the script asks of her she has to be tough too. Toby fights like hell to keep his piece of ass alive. Becoming attached very quickly to this sexy woman, he's no fool. As the other men compete for the few other women's affection the Aliens come and start killing everyone they can get their slimy acid-filled hands on.
*
With thanks to the heavens above that Liana was with him, the sign with Toby McBride's name on it was a welcome sight. Except, he saw the paparazzi were lined up waiting for them. It looked like they were waiting right along with the limo driver for him. Seeing the horde of people Liana held Travis back and let Toby meet them head-on.
He has done this before, and she saw how rabid the press was in Dallas after the shooting. She didn't want any part of it. She held Travis back to protect him. They all wanted a video of him talking about himself after the shooting.
She knew they were dangerous here; she had watched TMZ enough. Skimming the press line, they went straight to the luggage claim. Cameras were flashing and questions were flying. Most of them were asking about his health and they were glad to see him back. He flashed his handsome smile and told them all, "I'm almost at 100%, and thanks for being concerned for me. I'm here for a new movie, but this one will take a while to come out. We will be filming for a while." He looked over and saw Liana wrestling the suitcases and stepped away from the press line.
The limo driver followed as they collected the pile of luggage, they brought the car seat and all. They kept asking questions and he kept smiling, answering them with one- or two-word answers. Travis walked next to him, and they turned their cameras on him, amazed at how much he had grown. Liana stood back and let them swarm him. Toby knew what to do. If not, he was big enough to make them move. Finally making it to the limo Travis asked, "Are those the crazy people you talked about."
Laughing he told him, "Yes, and that is why you have to stay close to me or Liana or you may be stepped on," Toby told him as the seat belt went around the car seat. It was the biggest one they made, and he still had to be in one until he was seven. That will be an interesting car seat.
*
Liana was getting the diaper bag settled, her purse, and her carry-on as the car pulled away before they were settled. Toby fell back on her laughing, she pushed him off, "I hope it is not going to be this crazy every day. I might renegotiate my contract for hazard pay," she told him, settling in for a long ride.
"And I wouldn't hold it against you, but no it should slow down at least for you two. You're in the land of sunshine and earthquakes, enjoy your time here," Toby said and settled back to relax. He knows the traffic is hell and pulls a beer out of the fridge offering one to Liana. She declined and gave Travis water and took one for herself.
They all sat back and watched the world go by. The driver didn't seem to work for the movie studio. He didn't have any witty banter or sight-seeing pointers. He missed Alex; he made the trips go quicker. They drove past the exit to Missy's place going down the coast highway. Travis became excited about going in the ocean, but the driver squelched that by telling them the water was too cold this time of year.
"I'll take you when the water warms up some more. The summer is coming soon," Liana offered to soothe his frustration that he needed to be set free to play. Lately, he has been playing with the neighbor's son who is four and they run all the time. Travis doesn't have his coordination, but he does his best to keep up. His favorite game is chasing the one in the motorized Mercedes kid car. He comes back scratched, stinking, and bruised but happy, isn't that what little boy play is for?
*
Pulling up to a house that was not the one they agreed on Toby told the driver, "wrong address."
"This is the address they gave me Sir. Maybe you're meeting someone here," he said as a couple of women came out the front door."
"Hil," Toby yelled as a beautiful woman sprinted towards the car but came up short. He expected her to jump on him but only grabbed his shoulders smiling as if she was thrilled but concerned she would hurt him.
"Oh, you look so good. I didn't know what to expect with all the tabloid stories," she said, searching his eyes for a problem. One had him near death and the next he was fine they didn't know which one to believe. When they heard he was coming everyone was anxious to see what he was like. His being weak was hard to cope with for the ladies.
Hugging her tightly he said, "Stop worrying if I was not fit, I wouldn't be here," he told her lifting her, he held her tightly against his chest. They hadn't been close during the first movie, but it was good to see her again. They had an abbreviated sex scene with her. He had touched many of her bits during the fantasy scene they filmed to play while he was in Afghanistan. Good old thoughts of being home.
*
"Ok, let me explain the house change," Hil said as he released her, he wanted to hear this.
"Yeah, this is not the house we expected. We expected something much smaller," he said looking over the home.
"Well, we took a cue from Missy and hoped you would agree to stay here with a few of us. The house is great and one of the other actresses has a son who is two so we thought they might have fun playing and two nannies watching them all the time," Hil offered.
"Ok, this is different but sure let's see what you have here," he said, sounding very unsure.
"Come on Toby, we have a great cook and the place as you can see is big with plenty of room for all of us," she said, paying attention to the people coming out of the limo. "Oh, my goodness, look at you Travis, you're so big."
"I know, I grow fast," he said wiping his hands as if to say I'm done with that ride.
"I'm sure you don't remember her, but she was in my first movie when you were little. This is Liana, his nanny. I'm sure you heard that Amy came back a long time ago."
"I heard a few things, and we can talk about that later. Please come in and see what you think. We have been waiting for dinner for you. I remember you do like to eat," Hil teased, taking his arm and walking him towards the house. Three very pretty women waited for them at the door.
Allison Hardy, an actress he has seen in several movies. Fifer Larkspur, a pretty girl who he had no idea who she was, he figured he would find out later, but that name sounds made up. Celia Fonda, he was told nothing more again just another pretty girl. Was he to live with a bunch of women who wanted to drive him crazy?
Everyone was introduced around as a small boy came running up with a frazzled middle-aged woman chasing behind him.
"I'm sorry ma'am he got away again," the woman said looking flustered.
"Not a problem," Allison said, "this is my son, Oliver," she said cupping his head as he jerked away to walk towards Travis. He had all his attention. Toby wondered if that was part of the terrible twos.
"Hi, I'm Travis," he said and put out his hand to shake.
Toby smiled apparently, he picked that up along the way. Oliver must not have because he looked to his mother for help. Bending down she took his hand and placed it in Travis', and they shook. Both smiled and a friendship began.
"It is nice to meet you, Travis, this is Oliver. I thought you said he was younger," Allison asked looking at Hil.
"My birthday is December 19th. I'm seventeen months old," Travis told her.
"You are, who taught you that," Toby asked, impressed he knew that.
"Leila told me, so when people asked, I could tell them."
"Very good, soon you will be eighteen months old. The 19th is in a few days," Toby told him.
"I know she explained it to me, but I have to wait to be older," Travis told him, a little put off to have to explain something he already knew.
The home was beautiful, and the rooms were great. They had a choice to either have Travis right next to him or let Liana have him upstairs with her. So, the late nights they expect to be having, won't wake the kids with them coming in.
*
Each room was cookie cutter, good sized, with a shower, if you want to soak there was a hot tub out back. The backyard had a nice pool, and the door was well-secured. No way was one of the munchkins going to be getting out there on their own. Toby began to relax and the smell coming from the kitchen smelled like heaven and it was not a salad.
As he and Liana discussed up or down stairs, they heard his name twice, some giggling, and a reference to Paul Walker, but younger, sexier, bigger, and alive.
Liana laughed and asked, "Are you sure you want to live here? You may never get any sleep."
"If it becomes a problem we can move. But I'm not easy," Toby told her.
She will be up and Toby down and truly he was not interested in any of them. Plus, he noticed he had a lock on his door and the key on the dresser. No, the bath was not as good as Rob's place but better than Louise's hall bath.
There was a very pleasant sound of a gong and plenty of noise, so dinner was on.
Who he assumed was the maid who gave him the once over when she came out carrying a bowl of salad? A Mexican food feast was on the table as she smiled at him. They set out to eat it all with several other people introduced as the meal progressed.
Mike called; he would be glad to come out if he needed him once he told him his living arrangements. Missy called to see how he was and got pissed when she heard Hil would be living with him. "You know she has the hots for you," Missy complained.
"I was not interested in her, so don't worry about my virtue," he teased and let her go. It was late and he needed rest. He heard male voices at about 10:00 and complained about no leftovers right before he fell asleep. Whoops, someone should have told him he would have slowed down because dinner was good, he was suffering for it now.
*
He missed Bobbie's cooking; he was on his own at Louise's; she was not much of a dinner eater. She held him to his word, and he had to pay for food. He spent a lot having dinners for them delivered until he felt better. Liana was not a cook; he learned that quickly.
The following day after their arrival Missy's premier was there. The limo picked him up and then swung by her place. She was happy to see him and climbed in his lap hugging and kissing him on the way. If the turnout says anything about a movie, she should make a fortune. He was blinded by the flashes from the cameras as they walked the red carpet to the screams of the fans.
They shortened some scenes and added the home shots to the movie. It was much better after the changes. He could tell others were shocked it was Missy behind that demure woman when all the hair came undone when she walked out of her bathroom at home.
They partied the night away and Toby's head was spinning with all the people he was introduced to and the connections he made he didn't want. Everyone knew he had been shot and expressed their concerns and were surprised he looked so well so quickly. He was dropped off the next morning to sleep the day away.
At two in the afternoon, Liana opened his unlocked door and let Travis wake him by climbing all over him. Something Missy had done earlier that morning. It was easier to give in to her than to fight her off. He sacrificed his virtue for peace or a piece, depending on how you looked at it. He couldn't complain he had enjoyed her as much as she enjoyed him. That big house echoed with their sounds of lovemaking.
The next day he was told to be ready to go by 6:00 in the morning and he was expected to be on set shortly after.
*
"Now he knows why the little ones are in a far corner bedroom upstairs. At 5:00 the noise level grew to the point no one could sleep, and the smell of breakfast forced Toby up quickly. He had no idea what they would do to him today, so he took a shower and was ready to go.
He met the men at the table. Again, Toby had seen them in movies. One man was John Cabot he has been in hundreds of movies the other was Jack Granger. He was a younger man with a very short haircut and Toby saw his future on his head.
Jack lives in Montana. He found out, he bought a ranch with his money and will 'stay only as long as he is needed for the part,' he told Toby as they ate breakfast. John was a coarse military man in most of the movies he had seen him in. The explanation he gave for his part was just about up once Toby gets up to speed with the movie he dies off.
Toby gets to take over the fight. John dies eaten by the big mama Alien. According to John all she wants to do is lay her eggs and they just won't let her. Then on Toby's part, Dimitri takes over the leadership role. The rag-tag iron workers take on the battle. These men were sent there because they were misfits in the well-organized world of the future. His name sounds Russian, and he is glad that he doesn't have an accent to deal with. That is good because he has never tried to talk with anything but his natural Texas accent.
Again, this was his life. All the talk was about the movie. They were on the road by 6:00. There were seven of them in the limo all going to the same studio. He was given his own trailer with his name on the door, and a basket of muffins, coffee, and directions to the Craft services area before being left alone. Relaxing back for about thirty minutes he looked the place over and reread the script not knowing where they planned to start filming.
The gopher came by and invited him to a much fancier trailer. They told him he finally was to meet the bosses. On the way over he saw the Marines walking in the lot and called out to them. Jogging over to them they came towards him smiling with hardy pats on the back and man hugs later. They all expressed their concerns for him looking him over to evaluate his condition, with rough handling they seemed pleased to see he was in good shape.
"I am good guys, you know I'm tough so don't worry about me."
"This picture is not a picnic, and it is only getting harder Toby," Bart told him as Keith stood behind him nodding his head in agreement.
"I am good guys, everyone is walking around me like I'm going to break apart and I'm fine."
"Ok, talk to us in a few days when you have run the obstacle course six times so they can get the camera angle right," Jim added to the conversation.
"Ok, let me go see what they want from me, and I hope to see you on set." Toby turned and went back to Jacob.
*
Two weeks later he had a two-hour wait for a scene set up. Jack and John's characters are dead. Bart's face was melted off yesterday by alien spit, so he guessed he could say he is dead too. They dropped a piece of green cloth on his face and CGI would create the effect. Keith, George, Jim, and another fifteen guys, a mixture of military and ore workers are burning aliens or pouring molten metal on them. They were using a futuristic sonic blaster the military brought to control the outbreak. They try their best to not get eaten or impregnated but lose that battle.
George was right it was exhausting, and the California sun didn't help, but the breeze off the ocean was a welcome relief. They could stand in the doorway of the hanger to catch a break. They could catch some cooler air during breaks and watch the ocean waves break on the beach. But they wanted him sweaty and dirty. The fricken makeup girls walked around misting him with water and mineral oil all day. It did cool you down, but the crap kept getting in his eyes. The makeup girls wanted to keep it, it was hot and he was miserable. It always kept the plot of the story going. He will have the softest skin by the end of that movie. He may look tough, but his skin is baby-butt soft.
His woman has not come back yet and those parts of them together are saved for the last few weeks. When her schedule could handle the shootings, she would be back. He was glad he wasn't the only one being a pain and slowing production. He has seen pictures of her, and she is a well-known actress. He can't wait to crawl all over her fake or not, he needs to crawl over someone. Hil is starting to look good, but he thinks something is going on between her and Allison because Hil was killed off weeks ago. Who knows maybe there is a threesome going on upstairs? Allison's part was dead too. A squid thing jumped out of her chest a few weeks ago.
They have some good boob shots before it ripped her chest apart. They taped a green cloth to her chest so she could react, but the description was exciting. He got to watch as her stomach was covered with a green cloth to simulate the explosion and freak out with the rest of the crew on cue. But they were all still in the house. Maybe they are pulling a Missy and living off someone else if they can. Toby didn't care, none of them had knocked on his door.
They filmed all the parts when the group of women came to the ore processing area before Toby got there. They also filmed her reaction to Toby's character Dimitri as the women are brought into the processing plant. They bantered that they hoped that the hookers brought for them were attractive. One of the Marines made a joke, "Attractive would be good, I just hope none end up being a two-bagger. One for her face and one for me so I can't see the rest of her." As the humorous quips subsided, the normal 'filler banter' returned. Something was needed to raise the morale of the workers, several men speculated as they watched as they unload them.
That was the way they started his part of the movie. He was told by the Marines as they described his woman using their hands a lot. Apparently, they had been impressed with her then she went to work on her other movie. For Toby's part, he just stands back and watches as they unload them, catching the woman's eye. They would CGI him in easily for that part and that is why they went ahead and filmed it. Toby's looks and cool domainer is what attracted her to him. Like he could handle himself and her.
He was glad he had decided that this was his last movie. This director was a stickler and they never got to see the Rushes. He would at least like to see how it was going. They only interacted as director and actors, nothing more. He was brilliant in all the movies.
He slept in the trailer with the AC blowing on him trying to chill him to the bone until someone knocked on his door. Then he was back out to the sun and dirt. They are to be chased by green screen figures through the now-not-working smelting plant trying to stay alive.
*
Dimitri has his woman inside a cooled iron molding vat sealed to keep the Aliens from getting to her. He has only so long to get back to her before she dies from the lack of oxygen. That would be more desirable than being torn apart by an Alien who is popping out of people day and night.
They filmed him closing the lid and calling out to her frantically and then he ran like hell to keep away from the approaching Aliens. They were to climb all over the vat trying to get to her, but she was safe inside unless they suddenly became smart and learned to unlatch the vat lid and spin the lever.
Toby endures an early morning production meeting giving them motivation to play the part. Someone walks him through each scene and it drives him crazy. Why did they give him a script if they told him each part and how to act it? Never again with this director, he vowed. He could see why other actors drank and rebelled on set. They try to make you feel stupid and he hates it.
*
Travis loved it there, he had someone to play with and was a brown bunny from playing in the pool. Oliver turned out to be a decent kid, playful but not verbal which was fine. Travis talked for both. Oliver would just stand beside him nodding his head waiting to receive whatever Travis asked for. Liana found a piano teacher and rented a piano for them to work on. He is working on his third 'concheeto' is what he calls them.
She wants to put him on YouTube, but Travis can't play the songs he composed. His fingers are too short. He can play the melody and he plays well with both hands, just not all the notes he wants for the piece, so he won't play for the camera. He refuses and tucks his hands under his armpits when they approach him about playing for the camera.
He works his lessons with Liana, writes little stories, and drives the Mercedes kid car his daddy had Liana bought for him in circles in the driveway. He is a happy kid.
The one trip to the ocean was short-lived. The beach was covered in seaweed and the crabs, they freaked both boys out. Screaming and running to the van they were ready to go. Oliver was older and in the terrible twos big time, but he couldn't do what Travis could do. Liana was glad he had this experience with Oliver. So many very bright kids don't know how to play with other kids. Travis at least tries. He has learned to dumb down his interaction, so he will play with him.
They pound on the piano and make noise and smash trucks together just for fun. Allison is jealous and hopes some smarts will rub off on her kid and the nanny is amazed and happy he is not her responsibility. Day to day they all get along well and have taken the boys to most places they would enjoy. Museums, theme parks, malls, whatever they can think of to entertain them and themselves as the days wear on. Toby gets to pay, and he doesn't seem to care. He is paid so much more than the others. Allison and Hil have been going to auditions trying to find work in other productions. So far nothing he wonders how long they can stay here.
*
They have been at this movie for six months and it hasn't rained once. They've had three tremors not even enough to scare any of them. He hates green and wishes one of those fake Aliens would just kill him at this point. He is sick of being chased by green monsters with white dots on them. He can just imagine how the men under those green clothes feel.
At least he has clothes on, the wife beater was falling apart from the acid spit, but it covered up the scars that eat into his flesh. He has worn the same one for days and the smell is horrendous, no wonder the monsters can find him. Just sniff the air. That is how they want him and apply sand and baby oil on him every day to look the part. They have fans they toss sand into to simulate sand storms. He is in hell but plans to live.
George, Toby, and three other men are the only ones left fighting. They have figured out a good way to kill them, but they are still losing people daily. George is scheduled to die tomorrow. He goes out in a blaze of glory that they have practiced for the last day and a half to make sure it is perfect before the pyrotechnics are used. He can't wait to go back to Dallas and leave this all behind. He doesn't want to be the hero again. He doesn't get enough at-a-boys from this crew to stay encouraged on this shoot.
*
Back in Dallas, the house is going well, and Toby receives videos or pictures daily. Allen has turned it into a daily blog of Toby's house that he can visit at any time online. Linda loves it and goes with Allen every few weeks to see the progress. She found a good home decorator who was trying to get an idea of what Toby wanted in his house. She sends sites for him to look over and emails are flying back and forth between them. I like this and don't like this, it is written constantly.
The house is French provincial, Toby doesn't want to change the exterior of the house he knows it is classic, but he doesn't like that style of furniture. He is not a prissy boy so no on French style furniture. It's a little too prissy for him. She is sending him different designs in hopes he will pick some things to give her ideas of which way to go. She will happily fill his home with furniture before he gets there.
*
He talks to Louise but not as much as in the beginning he is just so busy and exhausted. The store is doing well Monica sends him an accounting each week. Occasionally he pays attention to the bottom line.
Katlynn got a brand new Civic for her birthday/graduation present. The party was in their new house, and she sent him lots of pictures online. The place looked great with new furniture and his father has stayed away. The lawsuit was in all the news and women all over the country are complaining about the same problem in their area.
So many different departments are paying attention hoping to not get sued. This suit could cost them a lot of money. Many women have had it far worse than Kate did. As medical reports and X-rays come in, the case grows into a major class action suit. Bringing the state's Attorney General into the fight, with more cities, counties, and states becoming involved. They had to put a stop to police officers covering for police officers and protect their families from them. He wished he could dig up his mother and have them take x-rays of her body and make him pay for what he did to her.
*
He emailed back how happy he was for them, and he was. He felt bad he couldn't make it to the party, but he was working for every penny he was making. He just wanted to go home. He goes for days not seeing Travis awake. Coming in at night he looks at him often to assure himself he is good. He does talk to him often during breaks and he sounds happy and fills him in on all he has been doing. Toby told Liana to have the teacher record the music and plans to give it to the producer to see if he would use it for the movie soundtrack.
What he had heard over the phone was amazing how well it went along with the storyline. Even with the disjointed filming, the music seemed to flow with the movie so well. At times he was afraid he was scaring him as he described the scene he was working on to him. Each time he called he asked and would listen to the storyline for the day.
The intimate filming and all the interaction are set for the following Monday and a free weekend was called as they wait for Cassie Lancaster to be available for shooting. So, at 11:00 Toby watched the car lights pass the front of the house and opened the door.
Missy smiled as she slipped in. This was a booty call deluxe and they both needed it. No way would he be able to stay under control with the sex scenes on Monday without release. Missy offered to be that release, so she slipped in quietly and they headed for his room. With most of the costars finished with their parts, they had gone home so they didn't have to be as quiet.
A hug and a kiss later and he had her pinned to the bed as they pulled each other's clothes off.
She stumbled out at five not wanting the other people to know she was there. She was happy and desperate for Toby to change his mind and keep her. Putting her out the front door with a kiss he locked the door and went back to bed hoping for a few hours' sleep, but he was feeling good.
*
Cassie was a nice tall girl. He was tired of working with short women. They got his reaction to first seeing her as she approached. He gave her his sexy smile laced with concern. He knew the other men wouldn't like him taking one for himself when all the banter had been for them all to take them on was conveyed in his face. They worked around the introduction by having Toby stand off to the side when the ladies' stepped off the transport.
She knew her chance for survival in this place was hooking up with one man. That was made clear with the banter as they approached the main building acting quite concerned. They may have been bad girls in the real world, but to expect them to take on all these men was suicide. Picking him out quickly she staked her claim. He was handsome, big, and strong, and no one opposed him. Things went great until a shipment came in and people started coming up missing.
The sex scenes went well, and the last scene was him pulling her from the iron vat. Dirtying them both up and adding a few gruesome injuries to him as he opened the vat and Cassie lay close to death as fresh air filled the mold. He pulled her from the vat, and they sat and kissed, and the movie was over as he held her breathing heavily. Big Mama lay dead as her acid burned into the concrete floor opening up a vast void for her to fall into.
Thank God. The last scene was the last scene, and he was out of there.
He had survived no matter how they had tried to kill him. The camera panned back and one of the remaining Marines stood watching them embrace from the smelting room floor. Three people out of a couple hundred survived. The film crew applauded after the director called, "CUT." Three people survived Toby, Cassie, and Jim. Now how do they tell the world when the whole place is a disaster area?