He would always remember the first time he saw her. Between takes on a film, he was sitting on the steps of his trailer when he glimpsed her, walking some distance away, talking to one of the caterers. It was as if the entire scene played itself out in slow motion. The way she moved, the way the light breeze caught her dark hair and the way her hand came up, tucked an errant strand behind her ear. Something the other woman said to her made her laugh; he was too far away to hear what, but the sound of her laughter carried across to him. It was sweet and uninhibited and it somehow made him smile. Then she turned and glanced at him, their eyes meeting from afar, and his heart gave this weird little jump, like it already knew who she was. Of course, that was crazy. He hadn't laid eyes on her until now. But he nodded, and she smiled, and then she turned and before he knew it, she was gone, disappearing between two other trailers.

Cursing, he stubbed out the cigarette he'd been smoking and got to his feet. He had to find out who she was. 

"My god, did you see the way he looked at you?" Joanna Bowen looked at Lisa, amazed. "He couldn't take his eyes off of you." 

"Don't be ridiculous, Jo." Although she HAD noticed, and it shook her up. She ran a hand through her windblown hair and was surprised to find it was shaking just a little. "C'mon. As if Russell Crowe would be interested in me."

"Why wouldn't Russell Crowe be interested in you?" Her friend was fiercely loyal, and a persistent matchmaker. "You're pretty and nice....he's a huge movie star...you're available...he is, too, after that nasty breakup he had...."

"What nasty breakup?" But of course she'd heard of it. It was splashed across all the magazine covers and newspapers. "Well, I'm not looking to be the rebound girl for him, know what I mean?" She sighed. "Besides which, why are we even discussing this, anyway? It's not like we spoke to each other or anything."

"No, but you're about to."

"What are you, Jo, a damn psychic?"

"No...I'm saying that because he's walking over here right now." 

She blinked, startled. Dared to peek...and sure enough, there he was, coming towards them, his gaze fixated directly on her. Her heart began to pound wildly. God, in person, the man was stunning. She'd always thought he was, ever since she'd seen "Gladiator", but live and in the flesh, he was even more so. He was big and bold and carried himself with a lot of confidence. A discreet distance behind, his bodyguards followed. She felt a pang of sorrow that he had to live his life that way. But he appeared used to it. She, however, wasn't used to him, she realized, as he drew near. His presence alone was overwhelming. She felt so tiny and fragile standing next to him. So close to him, she could count the individual hairs in his beard and see the way his pupils dilated when he got close to her as well....as if he was scenting a potential mate. She didn't like that at all, although at the same time, it gave her a tiny thrill to realize that, indeed, he was interested in her.

"G'day, ladies..." his voice was deep and slightly rough and sent a shiver down her spine. He extended a hand to Jo first. "I'm Russell."

"Jo Bowen." They shook hands and ever the matchmaker, she said, "My friend, Lisa Cook."

"Lisa." Her name sounded intimate and sexy coming from him. He held out a hand to her, and against her better judgment, she took it. His hand completely enveloped hers and was warm and gentle, even though with one squeeze, he could probably crush it easily. She sensed the innate strength and power he had within him. An impish grin lit up his face as he continued just to gaze at her, as if trying to take in as much as he could about her. "Does Lisa speak?"

"Yes...I...I'm sorry." She managed to find her voice. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Crowe." 

"Russell, please." Their eyes met and for a moment they just stared at each other. Then almost at the same time, they both realized they were doing so...and she realized he still held her hand. She gave it a tug and when he looked at her, startled, she attempted to joke. "May I have it back?"

"Oh, sorry, love." She colored slightly when he called her that. Jo was watching the entire interplay between the two of them with extreme interest. Then she gave the lamest excuse Lisa had ever heard; to leave them alone with each other, obviously. "Listen, I've got to go finish making the arrangements for tomorrow, Leece, okay? I'll probably be around the truck or thereabouts, come find me. It was very nice to meet you, Russell." And with that, she disappeared.

Russ was grateful to her for that. He watched her watch her friend leave with a bit of dismay apparent on her face. God, she was beautiful, though not in the way he was used to. She was small---the top of her head barely grazed his shoulder, even with the black leather boots she was wearing--- and almost exotically pretty, with that silky dark hair and the biggest, darkest brown eyes he'd ever seen. Sweet and angelic looking, almost shy. Besides the boots, she had on black jeans and a snug red long sleeved t-shirt, which emphasized her curvy figure without being flaunting. Still, despite all of that, he got this sense that she was quiet and fairly reserved. It was in the way she couldn't quite meet his eyes when he spoke to her. "So, are you catering too, or just along for the ride?"

"A little of both." She smiled, tilting her head in that shy sort of way again that made his heart skip a beat. "Jo's a friend; mostly I'm helping out, although she really wants me to become her partner in this venture. Getting this job on your film was a lucky break for her." She pushed her hand through her hair again, like she had earlier. He noted the lack of a ring on her left hand. "Although, for all intents and purposes I'm a partner, I suppose. She pays me and we work as a team, although officially I've held out on her."

"So you'll be here the entire shoot, then." 

"Yeah." 

"Worked on many films before?" The conversation was really going nowhere but he couldn't think of what to say to her. Funny, that. He was never this tongue-tied around women.

"A few. None as ...well, huge as this one. You know, major stars and the like." She then seemed to remember that HE was considered a major star...and her blush made him smile.

"Mr. Crowe? They're asking for you on the set." A production member called from a short distance away. 

"Be right there, mate," he called back. Feeling her slipping away, he blurted out, "I'd like to take you out tonight."

She looked absolutely stunned. He hurried on, "After shooting. It's still pretty much pre-production stuff; the actual filming's not hot and heavy yet, so I should be out of here by eight or so. If you're not staying round here, I could ring you up when I'm done..."

"No." She tempered that with another one of those gentle smiles, slightly apologetic. "I'm sorry...but, no, thank you." 

"But I..."

"Listen, Mr. Cr...Russell...it was great meeting you, but I really have to get back to work. Thank you for asking me, though." She turned away and he felt his heart sink.

Somehow, he would find a way to get to know her better. He just had to. 

"You did WHAT?" Jo couldn't believe what she was hearing. 

"He asked me out and I said no. That's all." Lisa still couldn't believe she'd done that. Couldn't believe HE had done that. They'd only just met and hadn't really talked for very long and the man asked her out on a date? He was every bit the charmer he was reputed to be. And she was attracted to him, damn it. So why she'd turned him down, she didn't really know; other than the fact she got this feeling that getting involved with him would be like stepping out into the unknown and it faintly scared her.

"Russell Crowe, possibly the biggest star and most eligible man on the planet, asked you out and you told him NO???"

"Jo...I just don't want to set myself up for heartbreak, you know??? And god, look at him. He's got heartbreaker written all over him." 

"Leece...I get the feeling he'd be different."

"Yeah? Different how? Because he's rich and famous?"

"The way he was looking at you. Not all....lecherous and stuff like that. Like he really wanted to get to know you." Jo's voice grew soft. "Not all men are bad, honey."

'I know that."

"Then why won't you let any of them get close to you?"

"Because...because I haven't been attracted to any of them."

"Until now."

"Jo..."

"You couldn't have seen the way you were looking at him, either." She hugged her friend. "Listen, give the guy a chance. If he asks again."

"I doubt he'll ask me again." Lisa sighed. 

"Hey, you're a fan, at least go out with him once, just to say you did." Jo teased her. "And then we can both watch "Gladiator" together and you can tell me what he's really, really like."

"I liked him better in "Mystery, Alaska", "Lisa told her. "That's the way I've always pictured he's REALLY like. Kind of sweet, and playful and funny....not like everyone says he is, all obnoxious and crude."

"He's probably a little bit of it all, you know. But you'll never find out if you don't go out with him."

"I'll never find out," Lisa responded, "because he's never going to ask again." 

But the next day proved her wrong. She didn't seek him out; in fact, she went out of her way to try to studiously avoid him. He was the one to find her. 

"Hi." He seemed rather subdued, for him. She couldn't stop the instant smile that came over her face, despite herself. He was handsome and strong, his personality magnetic and quite dominating. "Hi."

"Been asking round for you."

"You have?" She seemed astonished and a little puzzled. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to see you again, wanted to talk to you again." He glanced around them. "Are you really busy right now?"

"I...no." She couldn't lie to him; not when he was looking at her like he was. 

"I've got a bit of time. Look, Lisa, I know you don't want to go out with me, but...maybe we could start out a little more humbly and you'd see that I'm not such a bad bloke, despite what you might've heard."

She smiled some more. He WAS playful and funny...and she really was attracted to him. "What might I have heard?" she inquired politely, and then he realized she was teasing him right back.

"Oh, you know...all sorts of shit."

She attempted to keep a straight and serious face. "Is some of the shit true?"

He grinned. "Mostly not, although sometimes a tiny part of it is....but not the really bad parts." 

She nodded. "I see." Gravely she added, "What's the humble part of this, then?"

"Come sit..." he gestured over to a corner, where there was relative quiet and privacy, "over there..." he reached into a cooler she had nearby, "and I'll buy you a drink and we'll just talk." He tossed her a can of Coke.

"Not really buying me a drink when I'm the one who brought that here," she commented, but she smiled again. "So I guess I'd be buying you one. But all right. Not much harm in that, I guess." They both popped the tops on the cans and began walking over to the side. He pulled out a box for her to sit on, sat on one beside her, and they simply talked, just as he'd said. She found herself able to easily talk to Russell. He was unpretentious, and, well...normal. She was amused by his personality. Just as she'd suspected, he could be boisterous and somewhat crude at times, but he was also funny and kind. He enjoyed teasing her, and she found that she was able to tease him in return and he really seemed to get a kick out of that.

For his part, Russell thought she was intriguing. At first, there was that shy thing going, but then she seemed to warm up to him and soon she was just chatting away as if they were old friends. She seemed to be interested in him on just a basic, personal level...none of that movie star bullshit getting in the way. Most women would talk to him with obvious stars in their eyes; want to know what it was like working with so-and-so or the secrets behind this movie or that. Not her. She'd seemed to have forgotten he was the star of this movie set they were both sitting on, and he appreciated that.

He sensed that she was attracted to him, but something was holding her back. Maybe she'd been burned before. Certainly it happened to most everyone, right? She didn't appear haunted by any ghosts in her past, just that there was a reservation about her where he was concerned, that she was a tiny bit scared of him. He didn't want to push her but something told him that, for his peace of mind, he needed to get to know her. Maybe she wasn't what she appeared to be, sweet and somewhat innocent, but something told him, deep down in his gut, that she was someone special.

So he couldn't help asking again. "Would you...would you go out with me? Sometime. Not now, if you're not ready. But..." his voice got soft and fairly coaxing, "would you give me a chance? Sometime before this movie ends."

She smiled, glanced down at her feet. "This movie just started filming, so that gives you...what? A couple of months to win me over?"

He realized she was teasing him yet again. "Yeah." 

Lifting her head, she fixed those deep brown eyes on him and he knew they would be his undoing, every time. "Okay. I'd...I'd really like that. Maybe...this weekend."

It was the middle of the week already. He felt elated, like a teenage kid or something. "Okay." 

"But..." she dipped her head slightly, suddenly quite shy again, "I wouldn't mind if we talked...like this...until then. This has been fun."

"You're not working all the time, right? Certainly not as much as me on this thing. Why don't you...when you're not busy, come watch me film. There's a lot of time in between and we could just spend it like this. You can stay as long as you want, come and go, it doesn't matter."

"I wouldn't be in the way?" 

"You're never in my way, Lissy." He said it gently, softly, without even thinking. 

"What...what did you call me?" Although she smiled at him again, blinking, startled. 

"Sorry, love. I tend to nickname everyone. It's a habit. If you'd rather I not call you that...it just sort of slipped out." 

"No...I...I like it. Lissy." She said it curiously, testing it out. "No one's ever called me that before." She seemed pleased with his nickname for her. 

"So I'd be the first." He liked that. 

She nodded. Russell calling her by a special name, just between the two of them, tugged at her heart. The way he was looking at her now....with those stunning eyes of his, made her grow all warm and flushed. She felt like a schoolgirl who had just gotten noticed by the most important and revered jock on campus.

Someone called to him that he was once again wanted on set. He sighed. "Look, Lissy, I've got to go. Can you come with me now or do you want to come find me in a bit?"

"I'll come find you in a bit."

"Promise?" He grinned at her. "'Cause I'll hunt you down if you don't show up straightaway." 

"I promise." Before getting to his feet, he gallantly kissed her hand, which made her laugh. "Till we meet again, fair maiden." Then he sprinted off across the sound stage.

Good lord, the man was charming. 

She just hoped she knew what she was getting herself into. 

So he went back to work, although he found it hard to focus and remember his lines. Which never happened with him-when it came to the work, he tended to be a bit of a perfectionist, almost to the obsessive point. He kept thinking about her. After about an hour, he happened to look over to the side...and there she was, keeping a respectful distance away, but right where he was able to see her. He'd told everyone to allow her on set, to allow her access to him at all times, and they'd seemed to follow his directions. In fact, while he watched, one of the crew members brought her over a chair, and she sat there and gave him a tiny wave when she noticed his eyes on her. He noted the fact that several people watched this with keen interest and made himself a mental note that, above all else, no rumors got out about his potential interest in her. Didn't want to scare her off, not while she was warming up to him and getting used to his presence.

Truth was, Lissy...he loved calling her that, loved the way it just felt right...was both extraordinary and normal at the same time, and he cherished that. The women he'd been linked to more recently had all been celebrities in their own right, and the fact that he was now interested in a 'normal' girl made him feel more grounded, gave him a sense of stability.

In fact, the speed at which he found himself feeling comfortable and relaxed around her would have been somewhat alarming if it hadn't felt so damn good. She didn't seem to have any agenda where he was concerned, didn't seem to want to use him to gain access to anything or to further herself in any way...she simply enjoyed being around him. At least he thought so. He hoped so.

Lissy...for that's what she began to think of herself as....really saw him in a new light as she watched him working. He was so focused, so dedicated to his work. It showed when you watched him in a film, and she found the whole creation process and the way he got to that final point fascinating. In fact, Russell the man fascinated her. He was so not what she'd expected. There was none of the movie star about him when he was with her. He'd called it his 'movie star life' earlier while joking with her, and she got the feeling it was a very separate and distinct part of him, and certainly NOT the biggest portion of his life. In fact, they'd talked about his farm and his family, in Australia, and although she knew about some of that from reading magazines, she found he was basically that normal bloke he'd told her he was.

Over the course of the next couple of days, they'd settle into a familiar routine. He would usually seek her out first; she still hated to bother him, even though he'd assured her time and again that she wasn't doing so; and they'd talk, until he was called away for something or she was needed to help Jo. After the initial contact every day, she then felt more comfortable about going to find him. Watched him work and they'd just talk some more, about anything and everything. He didn't ask her for more, didn't pressure her about anything after work. She would leave, and he'd let her, tell her goodnight and he'd see her the next day, and not try to get her to stay or anything like that.

Until Friday night, as they were sitting there waiting for yet another shot to be set up. Russell looked at her and he seemed almost hesitant. She loved the moments she'd see in him of vulnerability, because it was so unlike him and it touched her deeply. "Lissy?"

"Yeah?" 

"So...are we on for tomorrow night, then? I want to take you to dinner. Someplace nice. If that's okay with you." 

"That'd be good." Suddenly the logistics of going out with him was something she'd never considered. Of course, there would be the guards and, well, things most regular couples didn't usually contend with. "Do you want me to meet you someplace?"

"Not a chance, love." He looked determined. "It's a date, I'm picking you up. At seven, is that okay? You'll have to tell me where you live." 

Now THAT was going to be interesting. She wondered if it would be in a limo, or what. So she told him where, and he seemed to be very happy she'd finally accepted. She was still scared of her involvement with him, but she was happy she'd accepted, too.

"Oh, my god!! You told him yes??" Jo couldn't believe it when Lissy told her. 

"Good grief, Josie...first you can't believe it when I turned him down and now you can't believe it because I said yes. Make up your mind." 

"No...No, sweetie, that's fantastic. See, I told you to give him a chance." Her friend was elated. "He's a great guy, isn't he? I notice you two have been talking a lot, and spending a lot of time together...Lissy." She laughed when Lisa blushed.

 "That's just what he calls me. Kind of a nickname, you know? Like I call him Russ, and you Jo, and you usually call me Leece or something," she responded, a little defensively.

"He also calls you 'love' a lot," her friend remarked. 

"He's Australian, Jo. He calls a lot of women 'love'." Lissy was rummaging through her closet, trying to find something to wear for the date that night. That's truly what it was, according to Russell...a date. Wow.

"He doesn't say it in the same tone he says it with you." 

"Look...we're only officially going out together for the first time tonight. Not heading to the altar or anything. Don't make more of it than it is." She finished flipping through all the clothes on the rack. "What in the HELL am I going to wear??" she cried.

"Oh, any old thing, honey. Don't make more of it than it is," Jo teased her. But when she caught the look of panic and despair, she continued soothingly, "Let's go shopping and find something to wow this man."

"The whole nine yards?"

"You're going out with Russell Crowe, you know. Of COURSE the whole nine yards." 

Lissy couldn't help but laugh at that as she grabbed her purse. "OK, let's go find THE perfect dress." 

"You look beautiful," Russell commented later that evening. 

He'd arrived at seven o'clock on the dot, looking devastatingly handsome himself in nice trousers, a neat dress shirt....even a jacket, she noted, impressed. She invited him into her comfy little home, smoothed the skirt a little self-consciously at his approving appraisal. She'd thought the dress a little too sexy for a first date, but Jo had told her she'd looked stunning in it, and, truth be told, she felt so pretty and delicately feminine when she put it on. It was basic black, with a short and full skirt and a halter top with a daringly low back. The bodice clasped at the back of her neck, but dipped to a V in the front, showing off a fair expanse of skin. Kind of like that white Marilyn Monroe dress. She'd chosen to wear minimal jewelry, her hair loose and sleek, her makeup soft and understated, because the dress was such a showstopper as it was. More money than she'd planned to spend on a single item of clothing; but it WAS a special occasion, it would keep well for future, and, Jo'd told her with a wink, she'd pay her extra on this job just to get her to buy it. And it was worth it, the way Russell was looking at her now.

"Thank you." She'd suddenly turned shy again, he noted. He felt like a nervous kid himself. To distract her from herself, he looked around him. "Nice place you have here."

"It's small and cozy, but it's home." She smiled. "I've just got to throw some things into my bag...make yourself welcome here." She disappeared into the other room as he wandered, looking at the photos scattered all over of her friends and family, and then something in her entertainment center caught his eye. "Ah ha."

"What?" Lissy entered the room again and stopped when she saw what he'd pulled off the shelf. And turned a rather beguiling shade of pink. "I...I like your movies."

"Love, you've got some things I've done here that I don't even think my mum owns copies of." He grinned, teasing her. "You're a fan." 

"I hope...I hope you don't really just think of me that way, Russ." She looked a little hurt and he set down the video he was holding. "I mean, I am...." she tried to clarify, "...but I don't think of you like that, either. Not any more." She sighed, trying to explain. "You're just Russell to me, does that make sense?"

"Yeah." His tone softened and he couldn't help himself, he brushed his fingertips across her cheek. "Makes perfect sense. I'm glad, sweetheart." 

'Just Russell'. He liked that. With Lissy, he didn't have to pretend, didn't have to try to maintain any sort of 'image' that she might be expecting. Because she didn't. She simply liked him for who he was, the real person inside. That meant a lot to him. In such a short time he felt comfortable enough to show his true self to her. To trust her. He felt she was slowly beginning to open up more to him, too. He wasn't perfect and she didn't expect him to be. Just seemed to care about him, faults and all.

He led her to his rented black BMW and held the door open for her. Took her to the restaurant he'd picked out. The only concessions he'd made tonight for his celebrity was, of course, the unobtrusive but constant presence of his bodyguards in the background and the fact that he'd managed to get them alone in a private, enclosed back section of the restaurant.  Lissy didn't comment on either one. She already accepted the fact that he was under guard a great deal of the time as a sad, but necessary fact of his life, and tended to disregard it as much as he usually did. And he got the feeling she was grateful they were alone and uninterrupted. He knew, though, that if his relationship with her progressed the way it seemed to, that eventually word would leak to the press. And she would have to deal with that. And he hoped that by then they would be close enough that he would be able to help her deal with that often unpleasant part of his life.

But right now he was concentrating on tonight, trying to make it especially perfect for her. He was nervous and eager at the same time. At first things seemed so formal, until she looked at him and smiled. "Russ, please."

"Please what?"

"You don't need to impress me. I'm suitably impressed. But...it's just us, right? Me, normal Lissy. You, normal Russell. Like always. Let's just relax and enjoy tonight, okay?"

He loved that so much about her, her open easygoing ways. She was still shy and somewhat reserved around him sometimes but she was also very honest with him and he admired that about her. So he found himself able to relax and it was like their time spent together on the set, teasing, laughing, talking. Enjoying each other's company.

By the end of the evening he knew he was beginning to fall in love with her. 

The very idea of this should have scared the living bloody hell out of him but it just seemed like a natural progression of things. However, he knew that if he pushed her too far, too fast, she'd bolt. He knew she still, way deep down, had serious doubts about getting too involved with him; he'd catch that in her every so often.

So he planned to build things between them slowly, let time take over and make things between them strong and secure. 

When he finally brought her back to her tiny house, she invited him inside briefly, more, he knew, for his sake and his security than any seductive intentions. She smiled, looking lovely and radiant as she set her bag down on the table. "Thank you for tonight. It was fun. I had a wonderful time."

"Me, too." He grinned. "See you tomorrow, right? I'll be there way before you so just come and find me, okay?"

"Okay." 

He laughed. "I know you won't, so I'll come find you. See you in the morning, Lissy. Good night." He meant for the kiss to be brief and sweet. But as soon as he took her in his arms and touched his mouth to hers, she made a soft sound of longing and he was a goner. He warned himself to go slowly, but he couldn't stop himself from taking tender possession of her. She hesitated but as he coaxed more from her, she surrendered to him, opening her mouth under his, inviting him in. He held her close, losing all of his good intentions quite rapidly...and when he forgot where he was and what exactly he was doing, rubbing himself slowly against her, she gave a startled jerk and pushed at him. "Please...don't. I think you'd better go."

He looked at her and didn't like the fear in her eyes. "Lissy..."

"Russell, please go now. Please." 

"We'll talk tomorrow. Okay?" When she didn't answer him, he repeated, more urgently, "Okay, Lissy??"

"I...goodnight, Russell." She turned away from him and that really hurt. He didn't know what exactly he'd done to her but was afraid he'd done just what he'd been determined not to do. He'd pushed and she was running scared. But he wanted to give her time and space so he just said quietly, "Good night," and left her alone.

Lissy heard the door shut behind him and wanted to cry. Why had she done that, ruined what had been a perfectly wonderful evening and an even more perfect moment between them?

The truth was, she knew she was already more than halfway in love with him. The feelings she felt for him were very intense and powerful and it frightened the shit out of her. He had so much potential to hurt her, really hurt her. She didn't even know if she was merely an on-set fling for him, although every instinct she had about him screamed that wasn't true. She felt that with her, he was able to be the real person he truly was, and that he at least cared for her. But he also was so different than any man she'd ever known before. What man had she ever dated before that had his photo in a magazine nearly every week and every detail of his life documented in the tabloids? And she knew if she continued this with him, she'd find herself a part of it all. She knew none of that was real, but it was still daunting to consider.

But if he had such a huge potential to cause her pain, he also had the potential to be the best thing she'd ever known. She had to consider that, too. The way he looked at her, touched her, kissed her...she'd never felt more cherished than when she was with him. She had to consider that, too.

But now she'd probably destroyed any chance she might have had with him, by asking him to leave. She didn't want to face him in the morning. 

He had several people keeping a watch out for when she arrived on set, and the moment that she did, he was notified. He wasn't sure what he would say to reassure her; only that he couldn't let her slip away from him. So he strode determinedly to where she was working. "Hey."

He saw her stiffen, and she wouldn't turn around. "Hi," she said in a small voice, and he didn't like that at all. 

"Can we talk now, love?"

"I can't. I'm pretty busy." 

"Lissy...we need to talk about what happened last night."

"Shh. Keep your voice down." The fact that she seemed to be almost embarrassed that she'd been with him the previous evening bothered him. "Nothing happened last night, Russell."

"Well, you'd never know that from the way you're acting. I didn't fucking rape you or anything, you know."

"That's a really sweet way of looking at it." Now she seemed mad. 

"Well, I don't know what the fuck I DID do, so why don't you enlighten me?" He was doing that thing that always got him into trouble, shooting his mouth off without thinking about it. He knew he should be gentler and more understanding but maybe this would shock her into feeling something, ANYTHING towards him again.

"Nothing. It was nothing, okay?"

He got really close to her and hissed, "It wasn't fucking nothing. I felt it, you felt it. Why are you doing this, Lissy?"

She turned and glared at him but he was startled to see tears swimming in her eyes. He felt like a first class heel but still didn't know exactly what for.  "This was a mistake. We can't do this. I'm wrong for you, Russell, and we both know it."

"No. You THINK it. I don't know it. I don't know it at all. I just think you're scared, baby. Scared senseless. So am I. Give me a chance, Liss. Please...give us a chance."

"I...I can't." But she looked away and he knew he'd hit it dead on. 

"God damn it, Lissy. Let's talk about this, right now." 

"No." 

"Yes...right now." Of course, just then a hapless crew member called for him, and he thundered out, "Not right now," seemingly contradicting himself. 

"Mr. Crowe...they insist..."

"Tell them," he bellowed, "to do another damn shot instead. To wait. I don't know and I don't care. I can't come right now." 

"But..."

"Get the fuck out of here and tell them! Now!!" She cringed from him when he yelled and he truly DID feel bad about hollering at the crew, holding up the production, but he got the feeling if he didn't talk about it with her now he would never get the chance to. He waited until the poor soul hurried off, and then looked at her. "Please, Lissy, come and talk to me, now, okay?"

"Are you...are you going to start screaming and being bossy with me, too?" He couldn't tell if she was joking, still angry, or just plain confused. 

"No. I'm going to ask you, beg you, anything I can. Please."

"You really should go do your scene or whatever, Russell."

"You won't talk to me if I let you go now."

"If I promise...to come to your trailer in a bit and talk, will you just go back to work?" 

"Lissy...you had better promise this time, for sure. Or I WILL hunt you down, I swear. "

"I'll come...in a couple of hours. I promise." It was a small concession but he looked at it as a major victory. 

"If I'm still filming," he told her, cupping her chin and making her look directly at him, "you wait. You tell one of the blokes you're ready, and you wait. I'll be right there, as quick as I can. Okay?"

She nodded, and then he simply couldn't help himself, he gently touched his lips to hers in a very tender kiss. Then he sprinted off to smooth things over with the crew, director and producers.

It seemed that was all he'd be doing today, smoothing things over. 

"What the hell was all that about?" Jo asked. She'd known something was up from the first time she'd saw Lissy that morning and asked her how the date with Russell had gone. All she'd gotten was a mumbled, noncommittal 'okay' and the pale look on her face had immediately contradicted that. Jo was dying to know what had gone wrong but was waiting for Lissy to confide in her. One couldn't have missed the confrontation with Russell, though, and she saw how much her friend was trying not to cry.

"He's...he's upset at me for what happened last night." Lissy swiped at her face, trying valiantly not to break down. "But he needs to get in line, 'cause I'm upset at myself for what happened last night, too."

"Want to talk about it?"

"There's not much to tell." But she opened up, told her everything, from the moment he'd arrived at her door, to the wonderfulness of the time she'd spent with him, to that butter-melting good night kiss and her rejection of him. Jo just listened and when she was all done, she only said, "I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is, I pushed him away. It was the best moment of my life, and I made him stop, made him leave. He's right, you know, Jo. I AM scared. I'm scared of how fast things are moving between us. I'm scared of the way he makes me feel and the way I think I'M making him feel, 'cause I can see it in his eyes. I'm scared he'll hurt me. I'm scared that I'm falling hard and quick, and there's no control I have over it. I'm scared...I'm scared of loving him." The last one was said in a whisper.

"Leece...I'm going to say what I said before. If you don't take a chance on him, how will you ever know? He could be the best thing to happen to you. He could be your entire lifetime of happiness, right here in front of you, but you've got to take a chance on that to find out. And you've got to tell him everything you've just told me."

"I...I just can't."

"You've got to, honey. You've got to let him know that's how you feel. You've got to trust him enough to be able to tell him that; otherwise you're not going to be able to get over this and try to build anything with him."

"I've scarcely known him a week! How can we be building anything at all?" But they had the beginnings of it, she knew, and it was absolutely terrifying. 

"Tell him that, too. I'll bet you he's feeling a lot of the same stuff you are, only he's dealing with it in a different way. And maybe, the two of you can deal with it together."

"I don't think he's feeling the same way, Jo. Look at him! He's tough, stoic, a fighter. He doesn't have any doubts about anything." 

"Lisa...we both agreed that's just an image. An image he's especially good at portraying, but an image. I think you've seen what he's like deep down. When it comes right down to it, he's just a man, same as any others. Just a human being, you know. And I think you need to look at him like that."

She suddenly thought back to last night, when she told him that he was 'just Russell' to her, and remembered the soft and tender look in his eyes when she'd said that. And knew that deep down, she DID know the real person, and he was so much more precious and brave and strong as that person than any part he would ever play. To her, anyway. And wasn't that what he wanted? Wasn't that what he seemed to cherish from her? Wasn't that what she...loved... so much about him?

"I'm scared to talk to him," she confessed, and Jo hugged her. 

"Of course you are," her friend soothed. "It's hard to put your heart on the line like that. But you think about everything you know about him, and everything you could ever want and have, with him. And then, you hang tough and you fight for it. With all you've got. Strength and honor, woman!" Lissy couldn't help but smile at the obvious "Gladiator" reference.

"Strength and honor!" She laughed through her tears and shook her fist in the air. 

She felt that dwindling, however, a short time later as she made her way to find Russell. Apparently, he'd given instructions to keep an eye out for her, because as she approached his trailer, one crew member told her that he was still filming but he'd notify him directly that she was there and ready to talk; and one of his bodyguards actually let her inside and told her that Russell wanted her to make herself comfortable and wait for him.

She sat there and looked around her, not wanting to seem snoopy, but just curious what it was like for him. He was surprisingly rather tidy. His belongings were stacked neatly off to one side; there was a pile of books there and she riffled through them, intrigued. He was reading one of the Jack Aubrey novels; she knew after this film he was planning on filming another one of those as the series was quite popular. There were a couple of other books pertinent to that time period and a couple that had to do with this part he was currently involved in. He did extensive research and studying with any new role he did, and that was one of the things that she thought made him such a wonderful actor. There was also a notebook there in which he'd meticulously written notes as he read, and she smiled to think of him in that capacity.

The door opened then and she jumped slightly, not quite meeting his eyes as he came inside. "I'm glad you came, Lissy." He was speaking so softly, as if she would run away from him at any moment.

"I told you I would." He looked at her, just sitting there, perfectly still. She was so beautiful. He could tell how upset she still was; her face was so pale, but he felt such a rush of emotion when he saw her. He couldn't lose her. He would do whatever it took, but he wouldn't let her hide from him.

"Yeah, you did. It means a lot to me that you did, too. Thank you." 

She nodded and he felt his heart twist at the hurt confusion he saw in her. Kneeling in front of her, he took her hands in his, tilted his head so he could see her more clearly. "Look at me, Lissy, sweetheart."

Her lip trembled but she did as he'd asked, big brown eyes brimming with tears. "Hey..." he tried to lighten the mood, wanting to see her smile. "It's only me. You know, 'Just Russell'. Just me. Please don't be afraid of me, baby. Please."

"I'm...not afraid of you."

He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. "Little liar." But he smiled at her. 

"I'm not, Russ, really. It's just that..." her voice trailed off. 

"You're afraid of this. Of us. Aren't you?" 

She nodded again. 

"Then you admit you feel it...that there IS something special between us?"

Another nod. He wished she'd speak but didn't want to force anything. So he simply told her, "I'm scared too, love." 

She looked amazed at this. He went on, "I'm scared because what I feel for you is so strong already and so intense. It fucking terrifies me, Lissy. I don't know what to expect from you, with you, and it's like standing on the edge of something mysterious deciding whether or not to jump in. On the one hand, I could stay safe, but on the other hand the unknown could turn out to be something wonderful. Is that what you're feeling?"

"Yes...I...I feel so much for you, Russell. And it's great, but it's confusing...we hardly know each other...this has all come about in mere days, and I don't know what to make of it."

"You DO know me, love. You do." He tried to get her to understand. "We've talked and gotten to know each other...I feel secure with you, in a way I've hardly been able to with very many people. God, baby...I feel alive when I'm with you. It's honest and it's good. And I get the feeling it's so right...please don't turn your back on it now. I'll try to go slow, I promise. We'll take it one day at a time, okay? We'll work through it together. We'll face it head on, together. I won't rush you or pressure you. We'll just take things as they come. We'll be scared, but we'll be all right, as long as we're with each other, Lissy. Please."

He'd done all the talking but he'd addressed every concern that was in her heart. When she looked at him, she saw him, just as he was at that moment, not a larger than life movie star with his name in lights. Just him.

Just Russell. 

So she whispered, "Yes," and he felt his heart soar. She felt HER heart soar because he was right, she couldn't just throw this away, not when all the potential hadn't been explored by the both of them yet. He grinned and she felt that familiar rush of heat and yes, blossoming love for him. He reached up and brushed her hair back from her cheek, his touch lingering there as he stroked her face. She'd never seen him look as vulnerable as he did at that moment, watching her.

She couldn't contain herself, she ran one hand through his wavy hair---he had such wonderful, naturally wavy hair---and smiled back at him. "I'm sorry I behaved so awfully last night," she told him, and he just shook his head. "I'm sorry I pushed you so much. I didn't mean to, you know."

"It's...it's okay. I...liked you kissing me..." that old shyness was back, but she was so honest about it that it made him chuckle. And then he was hugging her close to him, and then he couldn't help himself once more either, he pulled back just enough to gaze into her eyes, see her happy smile, and he had to kiss her again. And this time it was slow and careful, but she responded to him with a kind of soft sort of wonder, much as she had last night.

When at last he drew back from her, he still had her face framed in between his big hands and his expression grew serious. "Sweetheart...I have to tell you, people are already talking around here about the two of us. And we're going to have to assume that word is going to get out before too long that we're together. Things could become... difficult for you."

"You mean photographers and gossip and stuff like that?" When he nodded, watching for any regretful discomfort, she shrugged. "But we'll know what's true and what's not, won't we?"

Her simple, accepting answer quite stunned him. How she could manage to seem so innocent, yet so wise about all of it, he didn't know. "I can deal with it, Russell. As long as we know how things really are for us, we'll be fine. We'll work through it together, isn't that what you said?" She smiled. "I'll be okay."

"I'll protect you and keep you as safe as you can be, Liss. "

She shrugged again. "I know." 

He looked incredulously at her. "Now how could you bloody well know all that?"

"Because I trust you." 

It was the simplest yet most profound gift she could give to him. It shook him to his core, deep down inside. And he knew, in that instant, that he DID love her, but he had vowed to her that they would develop things slowly and at a reasonable pace, and he was determined to keep that promise to her. So he just held her tight to him without saying another word and they remained locked together that way until there was another hesitant knock at the door and he was summoned back on set. But she was by his side this time as he went back to work and it felt so right. So damn good and so perfect.

Gossip traveled fast. Especially celebrity gossip, and the juicier the scoop, the quicker it seemed to get out there. He didn't know who had been the one to leak the word about Lissy, but someone had, because one of his co-stars had passed him the latest issue of 'People', hot off the presses, and there it was:

Crowe's Mystery Woman

News from the set of megastar Russell Crowe's latest film is that the Aussie actor has become smitten with a caterer while on location. Sources close to the actor say that all his free time on set and a good deal of the time off has been spent with the young lady, identified as Lisa Cook, 35. Not much is known about the couple except that they met a few days into filming, and, in the words of an unidentified crew member, 'have been inseparable ever since'. Will she be the one to tame the notorious bad boy, or is this just an on-set fling? Only time will tell.

There was even a blurry paparazzi photo of Lissy, apparently taken without her knowledge and at a distance. He wasn't even in the shot with her; it looked like she was at the market shopping for groceries. If he didn't know her so well, he wouldn't even have figured it to be her, it was so fuzzy. The only way he could tell was her familiar USA baseball cap she often wore while she was working and the fact she was also wearing a rugby shirt he'd given her as a silly little gift.

He was upset, wondering who the 'unidentified crew member' might be so he could take him or her apart slowly, piece by piece; and then he was concerned for Lissy. He remembered he'd promised to help her deal with the effects of his celebrity, and so he took the magazine on his first available break and went to go find her.

He couldn't have been surprised more when he DID find her. She was sitting on a crate, looking at the magazine with Jo. When she saw him, she giggled. "I'm in 'People', Russ. Isn't that hilarious?"

"I warned you this would happen..." but he had to gaze astonished at her, as she held it up for him to see. "Want me to autograph it for you?" she teased him.

"Lissy, damn it, it's not really funny."

"Of course, it is." He sat beside her and she elbowed him in the side. "It's not like I'm in there because I killed anyone or anything. I didn't even make the cover, just some little blurb off to the side here." She gazed at the page with a critical eye. "The photo's not very flattering, though. Is it?"

"So you find this completely amusing, do you?"

"God, yes, Russell. The fact that anyone would be concerned with me is absolutely funny, just because I'm seeing you. I'm your 'Mystery Woman'. That's a ripping riot." She read aloud dramatically, "Will she be the one to tame the notorious bad boy, or is this just an on-set fling? Only time will tell." Laughing again, she kissed his cheek. "Poor notorious bad boy." She actually hated him being called that as much as he did but at least they could joke about such things together. "Makes me sound like I need a chair and a whip, to tame you."

"My little kitten with a whip, that's you." He had to grin at her cavalier attitude. "You're sure you're okay with it?"

"The only thing I might not be okay with is that they gave my age. Oh, and the fact that they were at the grocery store. When they start printing all the junk food I bought, I'd probably get pissed off then." She hugged him. "I'm okay, Russ, really."

"Well, I'm NOT okay with the fact you're being followed around when I'm not with you. I'm going to hire someone to watch you when I can't be with you, just to make sure you're safe."

Her face fell. "Please don't do that."

"Lissy..." But he didn't want to stifle her, even though his first instinct was to protect her. "All right. For now. But if things get worse, we'll discuss it again, okay?"

She nodded. Still looked a little down by the reality bit he'd given her, so he said gently, "Together, baby. Working it out together, remember?"

"Yeah." She laid her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her and just held her. 

He knew it was only the beginning. 

A couple of weeks later, he put his foot down. He had to. 

It started when she came home from the set fairly late one night. A lot of times, when shooting went pretty far into the evening, Russell would actually have to send her home. He usually tried to send one of the guards along with her, but she'd always refuse. Still, that evening, she found out what was really going on.

She was about to put her key into the lock of her front door when someone behind her said, "Excuse me, Miss Cook?"

Screaming, she almost dropped everything and whirled around to attack whoever had spoken. A man threw up both arms, showing he was only holding a notebook and a pen. "I'm sorry I scared you, love. Don't hurt me."

She had never seen him before. He had an Australian accent and was middle-aged and pretty average looking. "Do I know you?"

"Peter Westfield, Miss Cook, with 'New Idea' magazine, from Australia."

"Oh, for the love of God..." 

"I'd just like to speak to you about your relationship with Russell Crowe." 

"I have no comments about my relationship with Russell. Now if you'll excuse me, Mr...Westfield, was it? It's very late and I'm quite tired." 

"Just one little statement, perhaps? I've been waiting here for a long time to speak to you."

She got all frosty and upset. "Did I have an appointment with you? One that perhaps I had forgotten to keep?"

"No..."

"Well, then, I would have to say that unsolicited bothering of me AT MY HOME would pretty much constitute harassment. Now, I have told you...as politely as I can...that I am not speaking to you about Russell. About anything. So please, leave me alone. Good night."

Just then, as she made to stick the key in the lock again, another voice.  "Is this man threatening you, Miss Cook?"

She whipped around and this time DID recognize the second man standing there. He was one of Russell's 'team', David, she thought his name was. The guard he tried to send her home with nearly every night. She was furious when she realized that, despite her protests, Russell had indeed put her under watch without her knowledge. But she managed a polite yet very exhausted smile. "No. He was just leaving."

"Yeah, well, let me help him along." Firmly the guy...yes, his name WAS David, she remembered...muscled his way between her and the reporter. "Get lost and stop bothering the lady, or we'll press charges."

"You don't have anything on me, mate...." But the man moved away. "I'll be in touch, Miss Cook."

"He won't bother you again, Miss Cook. I'll see to it." David helped gather her packages and open her door. "When you screamed, it positively freaked me right out, it did. I thought perhaps he was a mugger."

"How long have you been watching me?" She turned the lights on and let him follow her, instinctively scanning the entire interior of her house for any danger. When he wouldn't answer her, she insisted, "How long?"

"For...some time now, Miss Cook, ever since that first article about you came out. You weren't supposed to know about it...I'd been discreet and tried not to let on...but I thought you were being attacked..."

"I know. It's okay. But will you do a favor for me? Please call the set and have someone tell Mr. Crowe...Russell...that I would like him to come over here as soon as he can. I believe filming was winding down as I was leaving, so he should be available shortly."

"Miss...please don't be angry at him. He was doing what he thought best, and we had to agree under the circumstances. It's very late, you should get some rest. I'll be outside if you need anything." The big, brawny guy actually looked fearful of her wrath himself. It would have amused her had she not been completely furious.

"David...I know you were just doing your job. You were doing what Russell asked you to do, and you really were a big help to me. But I need to speak with him about this and I need to do it tonight. So please, call him. You're also working for me, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll call the set right away." He moved to leave her just long enough to do what she'd asked and when he did, his jacket fell open and she saw he wore a gun in a shoulder holster. It was like a nightmarish episode of "Miami Vice" or something.

A gun! Good lord, what was Russell thinking of? He had some major explaining to do. 

He knew when the call came in he was in a lot of deep shit. 

He'd told her they would work things through together, and of course he'd meant it...but he worried about her constantly when she wasn't in the security of the set and she wasn't with him. So he'd had David cover her in those times, when he couldn't protect her. It made him feel helpless. Knowing one of the guys was watching over her was about the next best thing to having her with him twenty-four seven.

It had worked out, too, if only she hadn't had that Australian reporter lying in wait for her tonight. He couldn't fault David; he'd done what he'd been trained to do, and if he'd not have come forward, it would have been his ass on the line. But he'd wished he'd have had a chance to tell Lissy before she'd found out about it in such a shocking fashion. He actually wished, in fact, that he'd come clean with her about it from nearly the start. Because now he knew, as he pulled into her driveway, that he was in for a doozy of a fight.

She looked livid when he came inside. Her bodyguard and his were all together out there in front of the house; no sense in trying to be discreet anymore. What a party. At least they'd both be safe. He wasn't sure they'd be able to do anything to protect him from her, however. He was definitely on his own there.

She didn't waste any time with pleasantries. "WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING??? We TALKED about this and you PROMISED me that we would discuss this TOGETHER. Damn you, Russell, you didn't tell me!! Didn't feel we could talk about it as a couple. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"I know." He tried to sound soothing, but she would have none of it. 

"You went against my wishes and you hid that from me! If you had insisted and we had talked about it rationally that would be one thing but you completely ignored that I had asked you not to give me a guard, and you went and did it behind my back! That hurts me that you couldn't trust me enough to talk about it with me first."

"I do trust you, Liss. But I can't trust you to know what's best in a situation like this. You haven't been involved in something like this before and you can't possibly understand what it's like. I hoped you would let me make that decision for you, to keep you safe. "He was pleading with her. "God, baby...if anything happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself."

"I might not be able to forgive you, either." But her tone was softer and he knew she really did understand. Still, the hiding of it all was the issue. But he could see in her eyes that she knew why he'd done that too. Both of them were incredibly stubborn people.

"Lissy, sweetheart, I'm sorry I kept this from you. I only did it because when we're not together I go crazy worrying about you. I needed to know that you'd be safe." He took her in his arms and held her, whispering in her ear. "I need to protect you because that's how I am when I love someone. I'm protective as hell and I...."

She lifted her head from his shoulder and he saw the tears gleaming. "What did you just say?"

"That's how I am...I'm protective as hell...and I'm not going to apologize for it."

"No...No...That part in the middle. That's how you are when what?"

He then realized what he'd told her and he wasn't going to apologize for that part, either. "That's how I am when I love someone. I love you, Lissy."

"You do?" She was openly crying. 

"I'd think," he teased her gently, "that that was pretty blatantly obvious by now." 

"I love you, too, Russell." She said it simply, easily. He grinned. "You do?"

"Well, duh." They had to laugh and then he was squeezing her tight and raining kisses all over her sweet face. "I AM sorry, sweetheart."

"I know you are. I don't agree with what you did still, but I know why you did it, and I really WAS grateful that he was here tonight." She sighed. "I forgive you. Although next time, please come to me and let me know any major decisions you want to make concerning the two of us."

He nodded. Then he took her mouth in a slow and deep lingering kiss. He knew that she was still scared; hell, he was, too...but the absolute rightness of them couldn't be ignored. With patience and understanding and an abundance of love...they would make this work. "I love you," he told her again. Then, "I don't want to let you go. I just want to shelter you and keep you safe forever."

"I don't want you to let me go, either." She took a deep breath. This was a huge step for them but she was ready to take it. "Stay the night, Russell."

"Are you sure?"

"I've never felt more sure of anything in my entire life." She pressed her cheek against his chest. "Stay with me tonight."

He got that mischievous grin. "If I do, you might not get a lot of sleep tonight."

"I don't care."

"Let me tell the blokes then."

She blushed. "Do you have to?"

Actually, he didn't. They were pretty used to all sorts of wacky situations where he was concerned. Not so much women as the other facets of his life. So he just kissed her again. "No. They'll pretty much figure when I don't come out where I'll be."

She shook her head, giggling at the absurdity of it. "This is so weird."

He let her take his hand in hers and lead him to her bedroom. "This is so right."

Somehow...it was both. 

It was actually as perfect as two people could be. 

She was nervous; asking him to spend the night with her took a lot of courage. But she trusted him; knew he wouldn't hurt her and the time was right for them to become lovers.

He was nervous because he knew that from this point on there was no turning back. He was giving everything he had to Lissy; already he knew that she was The One, the woman he wanted for the rest of his life...and it was scary, entrusting your heart to someone in that regard. Contrary to what the press said; he'd only been in love a couple of times in his life. And he'd never taken it to the point he was prepared to with this woman.

She brought him to her room and turned the light on low, smiled at him in that somewhat shy way she had when she was unsure. He simply hugged her and waited for her to make the first move. Then she whispered, "Can I tame you, notorious bad boy?" and he chuckled at her teasing of him.

"I doubt it."

"I somehow doubt it, too," she replied, "but I'll have fun trying."

He smiled and kissed her, long and deep and possessive. She clung to him and soon they were both tumbling backward onto her bed. He took over and she let him, lying there beneath him as he carefully undressed her, kissing and caressing each part of her as it was revealed to him. "You're beautiful," he told her, when at last all the barriers were stripped away and she lay there vulnerably bare and open to him. She was small and delicate...and she belonged to him.

Leaving her only long enough to undress himself, he returned to her and let her sweet gaze wander all over him. "You...are magnificent," she told him, and he grinned at her choice of words. "I love you."

He grinned even more at that. "I love you, too, Liss." He knew from the little she'd told him and what he'd heard from Jo that she hadn't dated much recently and that she definitely didn't give either her heart or her body lightly. So it was even more precious to him, what she was offering him. He was gentle at first, but then she encouraged him with softly spoken words and then with her own little hands moving feverishly all over him.

When he slid inside of her, it was a perfect fit. She was made for him and it felt like the greatest welcoming he'd ever known. She moved with him, unable to hold back her cries of passion, and he loved that, knowing he was giving her such pleasure.

In the aftermath, he held her, barely able to register what had just gone on between them. She cuddled trustingly into him and sighed contentedly. 

There was a long span of comfortable, soothing silence, and then she simply said, "Wow."

"Yeah, I'd agree with you there." They both laughed sleepily. He kissed her temple. "Lissy, I know this isn't a really good time to talk about this, but...will you let David stay on with you? For my peace of mind."

"Bad to get me with my defenses down, Russ, after all that just now." But she conceded, "Okay."

"Thank you." 

"You're welcome."

"He said you were tough with that reporter. That if he hadn't come along, you'd have probably taken him out all on your own."

"Quit teasing me." 

"I'm serious, Lissy. He said he was even bloody well scared of you, especially when you interrogated him about watching you."

"I do believe he was." He smiled and kissed her once more. "I'd be scared of you, too. You were none too happy when I got here. Although that's entirely my fault."

"I'm glad you can accept when you're wrong. That's one of the things I love about you." 

He snickered. "Yeah, right." She yawned and he tucked her close to him. "Sleep now, sweetheart."

"Mmmhmm..." she was already nearly out, exhausted by all the adventure of the evening. He fell asleep, too, with her nestled securely in his arms. 

A bloke could certainly get used to this, night after night. 

After that, things couldn't really be better for the two of them. They were closer than ever before, although both of them tried to stay as private as possible, just to avoid all the attention and hype. He either spent the night with her at her house, or he even had her come to the hotel suite he was staying at and she would spend the night with him there. He preferred that; it was so much more secure, but after she'd allowed David to remain as her off hours guard, he didn't want to push for anything more.

Of course they couldn't help it, they WERE photographed on the sly a few times, but the photos were incredibly blurry and neither of them would publicly comment on the other at all.

Lissy seemed to get along well with David. She became used to having him around when Russell wasn't with her, and rather than ignore his presence, she often went out of her way to make him feel welcome around her. It cracked Russell up quite a bit, but was so typically Lissy. One time, he'd actually came home after filming to find her playing cards with the fellow, much to his amusement.

He still had to insist she leave him when things went late. She so hated to, but things were more relaxed now that he knew she was being protected and she was okay with that. She'd given him an extra key to her house and he'd gotten an extra pass card for her to get into his hotel suite without him.

One night, they'd agreed to meet afterward at her place. It was quite late and as soon as he let himself inside, he could tell by the quiet that she was already asleep. But she'd thoughtfully left lights on for him so he could find his way about.

He went into her bedroom and saw her lying there curled on her side. He loved to watch her as she slept, since she looked so peaceful and it made him feel especially nurturing towards her. Quickly he undressed, leaving everything in a big heap on her bedroom floor. Lissy always teased him about the way he was so tidy in his trailer, even at his hotel, but how sloppy he was when he was there with her. He'd told her he was just being a dominant male marking out his territory. He slid into bed with her, spooning against her and holding her close. She stirred and then came awake with a small jerk.

He kissed her in the sensitive spot just below her ear and whispered, rather unnecessarily, "It's just me."

She smiled; he could sense it without seeing it. "Well, I certainly hope so. There's not a whole lot of naked men I usually let into my bed at..." she looked over at the clock, "...one-thirty in the morning," she teased him, her voice slightly husky with sleep. Wriggling back against him with her delectable behind, she was rewarded with a low growl and a pinch.

"There'd better not be ANY other men in your bed, naked or otherwise," he warned her. She was wearing one of his flannel shirts to sleep in and it slipped off one shoulder. He took advantage of that to nip her there and she giggled.

"Only you." She stifled a yawn and curled against him just so. She loved the feel of him in bed with her, actually. He was big and solid and so warm. He smelled clean and fresh, too, having taken a quick shower before coming to her. His hair was still slightly damp and she shivered with pleasure as he nuzzled her bare skin that the shirt exposed.

"Only me," he agreed. Then, "Go back to sleep, love. I'm here now." 

She turned in his arms and looked indignantly at him. He hadn't turned the low lamplight off yet and they could see each other. He grinned at her expression. "No way, not when YOU'RE the naked man in my bed."

"Wanton hussy." But he tugged at her clothing, impatiently. "You know, Liss, it'd make things a lot easier if you'd just come to bed naked, too. Save me a bit of time."

"I enjoy giving you a challenge." She obediently raised her arms and let him undress her, pulling it off her in one easy movement. It joined the pile on the floor. Her panties soon followed and she laughed again. "You're such a slob."

"But you love me." He lifted her on top of him and they just looked at each other for a long, tender moment. 

"I love you."  She had to agree and he kissed her. "I love you, too." 

Most of their nights usually ended in such a fashion. It was a habit he thoroughly enjoyed with her. 

Then the big moment came. One night as they lay there after making love, she commented, "My family wants to meet you."

"I'd like to meet them." It was true. He knew she was close to them but hadn't had much time for them or for any of her other friends, because she had been spending it all with him. He knew she had one brother, one sister, a few nephews and a niece she adored, and her mother. Her parents had divorced when she was small and she hadn't had contact with her father in years.

"I have to warn you, it's kind of a test." He looked quizzically at her. "What kind of test?"

"Russell...my family has seen the photos and heard all the gossip, even about you from before. They want to make sure you're good for me. It's not like they're going to haul you away if they find you offensive, but I thought you should know." She hugged him. "They're going to love you, as I do, though, so relax."

He kissed the side of her neck. "If they're as great as you are, no worries, love."

They were indeed a lot like her. Although not as reserved. They immediately welcomed him in as one of them and he found he was able to relax and be himself and they seemed to accept that readily. Her sister was wonderfully friendly; as was her mother. Her brother was quieter than even her, but he managed to engage him into talking about sports and so he was fine. He loved the kids. The youngest two were the only ones he met but they warmed to him immediately, chattering away as if they'd known him for a long time. Her niece was almost exactly like Lissy personality-wise, somewhat shy but very sweet. She was just a toddler but she somehow sensed that he was all right and so let him hold her on his lap. Lissy's older, preschool aged nephew was incredibly exuberant and instantly wanted to know why Russell sounded funny when he talked. He told him about Australia and won him over completely when he told about his horses and his cattle. Both children wanted to go there and see his animals and he told them that someday that might be a possibility.

They were alone on the back deck of her mother's house later. Looking up at the stars, he held her back against him, with his arms wrapped around her. He sighed with contentment and she half turned to smile at him. "I think they liked you."

"I loved all of them."

"The kids certainly loved you. They really adored you. You're quite good with them."

"I love kids. Do you want kids?"

She seemed a little taken aback at where the conversation was headed but said, "Yes. Someday, I do."

He wanted to ask, 'with me?' but knew that would be a bit much. So he said nothing and just snuggled her close. 

But when they went back into the house and looked at both little children fast asleep on the living room sofa, and she bent to kiss them goodnight as the two of them were getting ready to leave, he wanted it so bad.

He wanted that with her. 

The movie was progressing a little ahead of schedule. Soon they were in what was looking to be the last week of filming and there was suddenly a sort of tension between them. Of course Lissy had always known that the movie would come to an end; that Russell would have to go back home to Australia eventually, but she had been able to put it out of her mind until now. Now she wondered where that would leave her; she knew Russell loved her but wasn't sure what the end of the filming would mean to them and where they would end up from here.

He brought it up when they finally finished the movie and he had her alone after the wrap party.  "I want you to come home and meet MY family now."

They were sitting on the balcony of his hotel suite, looking out over the night skyline. She felt elated and said, "All right."

"When I say I want you to come home, Lissy," he went on, taking a deep breath and finally deciding just to plunge right on in, "I mean I want it to be your home, too." Her eyes got huge and he went on, "I want to share your life with you, baby. I want you to share mine."

"I...I don't know what to say." 

"Say yes." When she looked at him again, he was holding something out to her. "Oh, my god...Russ..." She opened it and it was the most beautifully exquisite ring she had ever seen. Platinum with diamonds; not too showy and too large, but stunning nonetheless. It fit her perfectly when he slid it on.

"It's not going to be the easiest thing, Lissy," he warned. "You've seen what it can get like. It's complicated sometimes. And I know I'm asking a lot of you, since you're based here and I'm based there, but we can compromise and I think we can make it work."

She smiled. "Work it out together. "

It had become kind of their motto. "Yeah." Then he coaxed, "So...what's your answer then?"

She got that sparkle in her eyes that told him she was up to something. "Pick a shape."

"What?" But he knew what she meant. That night, out on her mother's back deck, the stars had been really bold and bright. She'd told him how much she'd loved that scene in "A Beautiful Mind", where he'd stood there and traced the stars with Jennifer Connelly. So he'd held her that night, and he'd made her name really weird things, and he'd drawn them dramatically in the night sky and made her laugh hysterically. He looked at her now. "A heart."

She nodded, and stood, extending her hand to him. He came and stood beside her. It was her left hand, the one that he'd just placed the ring on. She lifted his hand with hers, pointed their fingers heavenward, and drew a big heart. With a huge flourish.

And at the end of it, she spelled out, "Y-E-S."

He laughed then and she cried, and they hugged each other and laughed and cried even more. 

It was still really scary, but it DID feel so perfect. She knew Russell was right; life with him wouldn't be the easiest thing.

But it would be a hell of a lot of fun.