I Remember You

Chapter 28

Lily was not filming on Monday, and she should have had the day off, but Mason called her in to look at the new set and to work on a few songs. When she arrived on the set it was to find Mason and Elias deep in conversation while Finn, Cassie, and Finn's new girlfriend stood watching them talk. Whatever was being said was important, and the three bystanders were watching in earnest at what the outcome would be.

Lily took a moment to see if she could read the vibe between the new woman and Finn or even Cassie, but there was no definitive outcome for her musings. Cassie was between the two, making it hard to get a read. She wandered up slowly, standing off to the side, focusing her attention on Mason and Elias.

She looked over when she felt Finn's gaze land on her. Their eyes met, but whatever he was thinking was a mystery, as he turned his attention back towards Mason and Elias.

"You know, I've been in this business a long time," she heard the new woman murmur to Cassie, "but there are still certain stars who make me a bit giddy." The woman's attention was focused on Elias.

"There you are!" Mason called as he waved Lily over to where he was standing. "Finn, you too!"

Finn and Lily slowly approached Mason and Elias, and when they reached them, Elias placed his arm around Lily squeezing her.

"Let's talk before you leave, I have an offer to make you," he said softly in her ear. Her head jerked up to look at him, her eyes wide. Elias Emory's offer could only be one thing; he was offering to give her a recording contract. He made stars.

"Now the final scenes will be as follows, Cassie, you too!" He waved her over as well.

Desmond will enter an abandoned night club. He will be sucked into the past, and that's where he will remember the Brooke of a former life. His missing leg will be revealed to the audience as he awakes from a dream and a drunken stupor in his own home. Needing more alcohol, companionship, food, whatever, he ventures into the bar he frequents. There he will find Brooke with his best friend. Not giving her a chance to refuse because he is a little jealous, he will grab her and take her onto the dance floor, there they will dance, and he will kiss her. That's our ending."

Mason looked from Finn to Lily, who didn't say anything.

"Are you going to CGI the missing leg?" Elias asked. "Won't that be an injury that's hard to keep up with in future episodes?"

"No, Finn already has the injury and has agreed to let us use it, thanks to Lily." Mason didn't realize the heaviness of his statement as he moved over to the piano and started to sift through sheet music.

Lily, looked hesitantly at Finn, who was watching her closely, uncomfortable under his gaze she let her eyes leave him, and they landed on the new woman, who was smiling as if amused by something. She knew about Finn's leg, which could only mean one thing.

Next, she let her gaze move to Cassie, whose mouth was working like a fish and Elias, who was staring dumbfounded at Mason.

"A song, people, we need a song!" Mason demanded from the piano.

Cassie and Lily rushed towards him, and Elias followed more slowly with Finn. Saying something softly under his breath to Finn as they walked.

"It has to be romantic, something still found on a jukebox today, but old enough to take Desmond back into the past so that he wants to kiss her and see if it feels the same as it did in his dream," Mason said as he shuffled paper.

"Then it has to be Sinatra or Elvis," Cassie said, reaching for some music, but Mason swatted her hand away, so Cassie swatted his backside. "Do you want me to help old man?" she growled.

Mason gave her a quick kiss as an apology, and she seemed appeased.

"Can it be instrumental?" Lily asked softly. "Something like Blue Moon or Sleep Walk or In the Still of the Night?"

They all turned to look at her, and she looked hesitantly at them all. "They're classics and almost always found on jukeboxes."

"Still of the Night, what are the words?" Mason asked.

Elias sat down at the piano and started to play while Cassie and Lily picked out the tune, humming and then helping each other with the lyrics.

"That's it," Mason said, "it's only a shame that you can't sing it."

"Why can't she?" Elias asked. "The show is fiction, and you can have her sing it in the background if you want."

"Why not Cassie?" Lily asked, afraid to sing it.

"I'll think about it. Now let's move on to the song in the night club. We've settled on I Remember You, let's hear it." Mason insisted.

"You know Uncle Mason. A please would go a long way in getting you what you want!" Lily returned, a bit miffed that he was so bossy.

"You go, girl!" Cassie offered up her fist for a fist bump.

"I am your boss!" Mason exclaimed.

"Manners are never out of style," Elias backed up Lily which earned him a sour look.

"My dear Lily," Mason bowed, "would you be so kind as to favor us with a song, preferably the one you have to sing for the show."

Lily curtsied and then stuck her tongue out at him before she joined Elias on the piano bench.

"Lord, save me from the women in this family," Mason mumbled as he rubbed his face.

*******

Finn wandered back over to Lana and stood beside her, watching as Lily started to work with Elias on the song.

"Uncle Mason?" Lana asked softly, causing Finn to bend his head towards her to hear her.

"Not by blood, she is a friend of the family or something like that," he returned just a softly.

Lily caught Finn's attention as she started to sing. He didn't even realize he was staring.

"You've got it bad," Lana smiled.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Finn denied.

Lana laughed and linked her arm through his, noting the way Lily's eyes narrowed at her action. "Don't worry; she has it just as bad as you do. I must admit it will make the show easier to sell if you two are a real-life item," she mused. "As will your leg, it will make you more popular than ever, especially when the world finds out you were a SEAL."

"I hardly see how the fact that I was a SEAL will matter," Finn denied once more.

"That's because you were a SEAL, for the rest of us common folk, it's a pretty big deal." Lana squeezed his arm, looking up at him as he watched Lily.

"It amazes me that she's the one to break down all of your walls and fight through all of the armor you wear around your heart. She's not much to look at." She felt Finn tense at her words, "I'm not saying it to be mean, but I would have thought that you would have fallen for a leggy, large busted, long-haired beauty, not a curly-headed, petite, bundle of positive energy."

"I have not-"

"Yes you have, stop fighting it. You let her convince you to show your leg to the world, and after a single desperate look, you jumped in to save her. You can't stop looking at her right now." Lana looked up at his shocked expression and smiled. "I hope one day a man will look at me in the same way." She went up on her tip-toes and gave him a brief kiss of goodbye and good luck. "There that should give her something to think about." Then she patted his arm, turned and waved to Mason and Cassie and left Finn standing alone and feeling as if he had just been sucker-punched.

He looked over at Lily who quickly looked away, then his eyes encountered Mason's, and blast it all if the man didn't wink at him. Frustrated beyond anything he had ever experienced, Finn turned sharply and left the set.

Perhaps a run would help take the edge off his frustration, but then again maybe a kiss would too.