Fic: Off the Stage (4/14)
Title: Off the Stage (4/14)
Author: gradgirl (aka Ali)
Rating: PG-13 (eventually NC-17)
Characters/Pairings: Van Hansis/Eric Sheffer Stevens
Summary: Future fic. What happens off the stage when Van and Eric meet again?
Warnings: RPS. If you are offended by the idea, please do not read this story.
Disclaimer: Complete fabrication, never happened, never expect to happen. There are no intentions to offend or cause harm.
Author’s Notes: The whole thing (credit and blame) goes to cherimola. Without her, I never would have attempted to write this. Thanks to my amazing beta, reilaroo, I cannot post without and thanks also to slayerkitty for insisting I post. Comments are appreciated and loved. Thank you ~Ali
Previous Chapters: { Chapter 1} { Chapter 2} { Chapter 3}
Chapter Four
The animosity between Davis and Campbell continued to grow throughout the play, but there would be moments, glimmers of opportunities where they could relate to each other as brothers again. Eric and Van relished the opportunity to develop their characters and the antagonistic nature of the relationship. It reminded them of their previous work. Van was a little concerned; the tension between Reid and Luke was an underlying sexual chemistry. The tension between Davis and Campbell was two brothers seeking control. As a way to combat his concerns, Van decided to focus on his scenes with Mia. She played Laura, Eric's fiancée in the play, but Van's character develops feelings for Laura as well. It adds to the hostility between the brothers.
During one of the first rehearsals, Van found himself sitting next to Mia on the stage. They were waiting for the rest of the cast to come back from lunch. Van and Mia's scene was the first one up.
"This seat taken?" Mia asked with a teasing grin.
Van glanced up at her and smiled in return. "I'm just waiting for you."
She plopped down next to him, her thigh brushed against his. They sat for a couple of moments, their legs swinging off the side of the stage.
"I was meaning to ask," Van finally noted. "Were you in Fool for Love?"
She gasped. "You saw that?" The young woman wasn’t sure if anyone outside of the family members of the cast saw that particular play.
"Yeah, you were great." He turned, sitting cross-legged next to her.
Mia turned as well, her body mirroring Van's. "I loved playing Cat," she admitted. "Sometimes it's just about the character."
"Exactly!" he said empathetically. "And with this play-”
“All the characters are amazing.” She looked at him for a moment. “And speaking of amazing, you and Eric…" she observed. "I relish watching the two of you together.”
He leaned closer, ready to share a secret. "I think he brings it out of me. Eric sets the bar high in his work. He's always prepared but willing to go the extra mile."
Mia leaned in closer as well. "I think you bring it out of him as well.” She didn’t know if it was because they had already known each other or what, but there was an added tension and pain in their interactions. This early into the play rehearsal, and they portrayed the brothers’ disconnect so well. She had especially noticed a longing in Van’s performances. “And…" She offered him a tentative smile. "I think you'll do that with me."
Eric had come into the theater a few minutes earlier and watched the scene on the stage unfold in front of him. He couldn't quite figure out what was going on, especially since he couldn't hear them. He had to rely on their body language to explain the scene and what he saw left him even more confused.
Van pulled away and Eric heard the blonde chuckle. A small smile tugged at his own lips.
"I think you'll push me," Van told Mia. "I've seen you before, remember?"
She smiled and nodded her head. Van reached for her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.
More cast members started to come in, but Van and Mia continued to sit. They talked quietly, discussing their scene and where they thought their characters were coming from and where they would be ending. It was as though they were in their own little world.
"All right," Neil appeared from the back of the theater.
Eric jumped slightly. He'd been engrossed in watching Van and Mia, trying to decipher their encounter.
"Great, you're already on the stage," the director noted of the couple. "We'll start with your scene. Whenever you're ready," he called.
Van stood up and held his hand out for Mia. She smiled in appreciation, and he led her over to her mark. The scene called for them to meet for the first time. Mia's character, Laura, isn't able to come with Eric's character, Davis, but she doesn't want him to face the family alone. Laura ends up at the estate waiting for Davis and finds Campbell, Van's character, instead.
Van walked off to the side for a moment, becoming Campbell. His shoulders slumped and he ran his fingers through his hair a few times.
Eric stood up and started to make his way closer to the stage. He didn't want to miss anything.
Van stalked onto the stage, and Mia jumped slightly.
The blonde took one look at Mia and a bitter laugh left his mouth. "Reporter or long-lost relative? Both seem to be tripping over each other to get here."
"Excuse me?" Mia asked, her voice a little shaky.
Van continued to haunt the stage. As Campbell, his movements had a predatory nature to them. "Look, I know my father wasn't the nicest person in the world, but when did leaving a family-those who actually knew him-well, when did leaving a family to grieve in private be something so unheard of?"
"I-I-” Mia started to respond, her voice still fearful. Then as the words appeared to clarify themselves, Mia replied, "Who are you?"
Van finally stopped moving. He gave the young woman a weary gaze. "Just one of the family. Tell me something," he requested, looking at the young woman before him. "What's your name?"
"Laura," she replied, still giving Van a weary look. Laura wasn't sure why she was brought to this place, when after three years Davis never mentioned a family. Now she was dragged to this house and told stories of people with such venom that she was beginning to wonder who Davis really was.
"Laura. That's a nice name," Van replied truthfully.
Mia stepped back, surprise knocking into her, and she looked at the man across from her. A gentle smile tugged at her lips. It was the first time “Laura” felt any kind of comfort since arriving at the Hale Estate. "Thank you. And you're…Campbell?"
"Yes. Reporter or vulture?" he asked, a verbal volleyball game had begun.
"Neither, I'm-” She shook her head, not sure who she was any more. "I'm just Laura."
He stood for a moment, trying to rein in his anger. “I wish it was as simple as me telling you I'm Campbell and the descent into madness around here was something new." He glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled. "But I'd be lying."
She found herself smiling in return.
"So tell me something, Laura. How do you give up hope?"
Mia's eyes widened slightly. "I'm sorry?"
"How do you give up hope?" He walked closer to her, the fight out of his body, and the shell of a young man in so much pain was evident. "I know exactly who and what my father was. A man who loved my mother so much he walked out on a family he already had. And yet…" He laughed bitterly. "And yet, that boy he left, it wasn't me," he pointed to himself, "but I feel like it was. My 'brother,' no, I'm not allowed to call him that. Davis…" He stopped and shook his head.
"Davis what?" she asked gently. She knew that her character's fiancée hated being around this family again, but Laura wasn't sure why.
"As much pain as he's in… And I know he's hurting… Why wouldn't he want to know me?" Tears started to shimmer in Van's eyes and his voice softened, again he was sounding like the child Davis left behind. "I used to pray he'd come back, I used to search for information about him on the Internet. And now he's back?" His eyes widened as if the shock was still new to him as well. "He's back and it's stupid," he admitted, his toe digging into the floor, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I want to be 10 again and find out everything that has happened to my big brother since he left."
Slowly, Mia's feet started to move toward Van. Her hands reached up and she placed them on his shoulders. It was an odd situation, but Laura was immediately drawn to Campbell and normal rules of conduct disappeared.
Van shuddered at the touch, as though he wasn't used to anyone caring or feeling something other than disregard. "I'm sorry," he admitted, his gaze leading out into the almost-empty theater. Van's eyes found Eric.
The redhead swallowed, completely engrossed in his former co-star. He felt like Van was talking directly to him, and he shifted in his chair nervously but also anticipating the next move.
"For what?" Mia questioned.
"I don't know you, and yet I feel more comfortable talking to you than anyone else in my world." His gaze stayed on Eric's for another moment before he turned and looked at the young woman. "I've done nothing to make you feel comfortable here. My mother would be appalled," he admitted with a rueful grin.
Mia returned the smile. "Sometimes it's nice just to have an honest conversation with another person."
"I can't remember the last time that's happened," he admitted. "I can't remember the last time I felt free enough to…" his voice trailed off and his hand rose up. He placed a gentle palm to Mia's cheek. The young woman leaned in closer for a moment.
"Campbell!" the woman playing Van's mother called from off the stage.
Quickly letting go of Mia, Van came back to himself. "Duty calls," he muttered.
Eric started to get up, making his way to the stage. His character was to come in at the last moment of the scene, and he'd forgotten his cue. He'd been caught up in Van and needed to rush to keep the action going. He made a mental note to be more careful next time. He assured himself that his lack of professionalism was due to having not worked with Van in so long. When they used to rehearse, there were times when he'd get caught up in Van, in the younger man's portrayal of Luke, that he'd forget a line or miss a cue. After all this time, Eric thought it would have passed.
Van slowly walked toward his exit. He didn't see Eric on the stage and wanted to give his friend time to make his cue. He finally turned and looked briefly over Mia's shoulder, seeing Eric in place. He smiled gently to himself. "It was nice meeting you, Laura," Van said. "I hope if I ever have the pleasure again, that I'll have better manners."
Mia opened her mouth to explain why "Laura" was there.
"Campbell!" the mother called again.
Van hurried off the stage, and Eric came on from the opposite direction.
"There you are," he greeted Mia and rushed up to her. Taking her face in his hands, he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I'm sorry, Laura. I hope you-” He shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure how I can explain my family to you. When you agreed to marry me, I hoped to spare you all of this."
Glancing briefly at the area where Van recently exited, Mia offered Eric a smile. "Davis, it's… It hasn't been that bad at all."
"Excellent! Excellent!" Neil called as he walked back toward the stage.
Van came back on from his exit and stood next to his two co-stars.
"I have a couple of notes," Neil replied. "Van, we'll need you to leave the stage a little sooner, but I liked the lingering look you gave Mia. The smile was a nice touch, you looked like even though you didn’t know her very well, you already wanted her and couldn’t wait to see her again.”
Van stilled for a moment. He had been smiling at Eric. He hoped no one picked up on that. And Eric felt like he should say something. It was his fault that Van had taken too long to get off the stage. He opened his mouth and shot a glance at Van. The younger man shook his head no, and Eric's mouth quickly closed.
Neil reviewed a few more notes and the cast was asked to move on to the next scene. The two men and Mia weren't necessary so they went back to sit in the seats. Mia sat a little bit away from them. She needed to pick up her script, review her lines for her next scene. Eric and Van had theirs almost completely memorized and sat quietly for a few moments, watching as their costars started to get ready for their scene.
"You were brilliant," Eric told Van quietly. "So much so that I was late on my cue."
Van turned and offered Eric a sly grin. "You didn't appreciate my lingering look on your fiancée?"
The older man chuckled softly in return. "You and Mia have a gentle chemistry, the 'lingering look'…" He sighed. "Well, if Davis had seen it, his brother would have been decked for sure. But you and Mia…” Eric paused, at a loss for words. “You did look great together.” He was referring to the moments he had seen before they started their scene though.
"You're just shocked to see me act that way with a woman." Van emphasized the last word with a gentle bump of his shoulder to Eric's.
Eric looked at him for a moment, but Van's gaze was locked on the stage. He didn't want to comment on the chemistry or any surprise he felt. Van's love life was none of Eric's business. He decided to deflect by attempting a joke. "The first time I had a kiss a woman-other than Jenny-for a show, it did throw me."
"Waiting for beard burn?" Van teased, his eyes finally meeting Eric's.
The older man swallowed thickly. It was just Van teasing, the way he always did. A quick laugh, a dirty joke, the joy Van had in so much of his life was something Eric had always found contagious and a little off-putting. When Van was like this, Eric felt every one of the nine years separating them. He couldn't then and he definitely wouldn't now understand why that bothered him so much.
"Yes," he finally murmured. Instead of saying: It felt so odd to kiss someone other than you.
*
Van tried not to show his excitement too much when he got to work. Reid was going to kiss Luke. It wasn't supposed to be much of a kiss, Van knew that. And as much as he enjoyed the teasing and the back and forth, this was going to be a big moment for his character and Eric's. Reid was going to finally stop calling Luke "Mr. Snyder." It sometimes reminded Van of a 19th century novel, where the hero and heroine could only address themselves by their surnames until they were ready to admit how they felt.
He knew Eric would be ready and willing to run lines. He loved that about his new co-star. Eric embodied Reid in such a brilliant way and it was fun to sit back and watch. But more than that, Eric loved to run lines and really work on the scenes. The fast-paced nature of the soap didn't allow for much rehearsal, so any time outside of the sound stage was precious to Van; he was grateful that Eric recognized that as well.
One thing Van didn't know was how much of the scene Eric wanted to rehearse. Generally with the kissing scenes, Van and Jake never rehearsed. Granted, they'd been co-stars and best friends for three years, a kiss or touch wasn't something to be concerned about. With Eric, though, Van wasn't sure how to broach the subject.
Getting to his dressing room, Van wasn't surprised to find Eric already there. He was grateful that the redhead had been heeding Van's advice to think of his dressing room as a place to hang out.
"Hey, Van," Eric greeted him. "The rehearsal hall is kind of full right now. Do you just want to go over the scenes in here?"
"Yeah," the blonde answered.
They went over the first few scenes with very little problems. There were a couple of stops and starts, Van dropping a line or Eric not sure where to move. Then they came to the last scene. Both men were quiet for a moment. Van fiddled with this script, tapping it against his leg.
"Uh, Eric?" he finally asked.
"Yeah?"
"It's completely up to you, and feel free to say no," Van prefaced himself, holding up his hands in a form of surrender.
Eric wasn't sure what Van was about to say, and it made him a little uncomfortable. "Okay," he replied slowly.
"Do you want to rehearse the kiss part or wait until we tape?"
The older man let out a breath. He was relieved for two reasons. One, the request was simple enough, but after Van's preparing Eric, he wasn't sure what to expect. And two, he actually did want to practice the kiss. Eric couldn’t remember playing a gay character before. He was sure he must have and it didn’t bother him when he was told at the audition. But kissing another man, well, kissing anyone other than his wife, still took some getting used to. Eric was a professional and he trusted Van, but for the first time since his arrival on the show, he felt nervous.
"Yeah, that'd be great," Eric replied.
Van smiled and nodded his head. "Okay."
They started to go through the scene, Eric putting just enough fear and concern in his voice; Reid wondering what would happen if he actually lost his medical license.
Van automatically reached out and rubbed his hand across Eric's back. It wasn't in the script, but Eric found it comforting both as Reid and as himself. Reid needed the reassurance and Eric desired the support.
"What else am I?" Eric asked.
Van looked at him for a moment. "You're an urban cowboy!"
Both men laughed and Eric was supposed to make the call, but he got stuck on that line. "I'm sorry," he finally replied, wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye.
"What?" Van asked his own mouth curled into a smile.
"Whenever I hear urban cowboy, I think of John Travolta and that is the complete opposite of who I am and what Reid is."
Van chuckled, trying to picture Eric on a stage singing and dancing. His laugh deepened for a moment and when he looked at Eric, it grew louder.
"See what I mean?" Eric gasped.
And the younger man had to grab his sides, to keep himself together. "Yeah. Okay, but…" He held up his hand. "You do snark better than almost anyone I've ever seen."
The redhead stopped as Van's words started to sink in. "Thank you."
Van shrugged nonchalantly. "I mean it. Ready?"
"Yeah." He took a deep breath and stood next to Van again. "What else am I?"
Van smiled. "You're an urban cowboy!"
Both men chuckled, not as hard, but a gentle laugh to ease some of Reid's tension. Eric did the phone call part of the scene before he turned to look at Van.
"Well?" he asked, his eyebrows rose, almost meeting his hairline.
Eric reached out, grasped Van's face, and pulled him close. He tugged a little too hard, and they bumped foreheads. Both men pulled away with a wince.
"I'm sorry," Eric said, rubbing his forehead.
"It's okay," Van assured him. "That's why we rehearse, right?"
"Yeah." Eric reached for his co-star again, cognizant of his movements, and pulled Van close, planting a kiss on him. With a smack he pulled away.
Van looked completely dazed, and Eric rambled through the rest of his lines, moving past him as though he were going to walk out the door.
"Um, Doctor Oliver, you do realize that you kissed me, right?" Van's voice sounded so young and bewildered. "And I mean, that's okay, it's nothing to be embarrassed by. I mean, you're excited, you just got some really good news, but I think it would be kind of weird if we pretended that it didn't happen."
Eric swallowed for a moment. Once again, he was reminded of Van's talent, how he could turn from his friend and co-star into the young, petulant Mr. Snyder. "I know what I did. It had nothing to do with the phone call," Eric responded, hoping that the shaky tone he thought he heard in his voice was just his imagination. "I wanted to kiss you. I've been wanting to kiss you for a long time…Luke."
Van smacked his hands together. "That was great!" he insisted, coming closer, placing his hand on Eric's shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze. "I love that Reid finally calls him Luke."
"Yeah," Eric responded, and he chuckled softly. "I had to work hard to keep a straight face, you looked so poleaxed. It was brilliant."
Knowing how great an actor Eric was, Van nervously bit his lip at the compliment. He loved working with Eric; he thought he was so talented and to get a compliment from someone he admired, it made him feel good about himself. “Uh, want to run through the scene again?"
Eric's shoulder felt warm from Van's touch and a part of him wanted to say no. But he knew how important the scene was and he wanted to get it right. "Yeah," he replied.
They practiced a few more times, trying to work out the blocking in their own minds, so that once they got to the stage, they could tape without any delays. Each time they separated with a smack of lips. Van wasn’t sure how he felt about it, Eric was a nice kisser, but sometimes he pulled him so close that he felt his teeth mashed with Eric’s. The warm palms against his face was a nice touch though, especially since Eric didn’t let go right away and Van found his head bobbing along with the excitement Reid was displaying.
"Well, I better head to make-up," Van announced. "And I promise I'll make sure to shave before we tape later."
Eric gave him a confused look. "Why?"
The younger man reached out and ran his finger down Eric's jaw line. "Beard burn," Van noted.
The redhead ducked his head, and a nervous laugh escaped his lips. One more thing he'd have to remember when his love interest was another man. "Right."
----------------------
Well, it's been kind of a crazy week. I honestly cannot thank you enough for taking a chance on this story. I do appreciate the support and comments. And I'm really glad you liked the "play." ~Ali
Onto Chapter Five...