Twilight 2

For Rod Serling

You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundries are that of imagination. That's the sign post up ahead, your next stop, the Twilight Zone...

Gale Harold was exhausted as he entered his apartment in Toronto. You got to love 16 hour shooting days he thought to himself. The last day of the week is usually a long one. It's the day we play catch up and try and get back on schedule. Well, I get tomorrow off, you think to yourself, and Monday will be an easy day. It's location shooting in a park with Randy and the kids that play Gus. What the hell, maybe I'll get to work on my tan a little.

You grab some juice and glance through the mail. It's just the usual junk. Screw it, I'm going to bed. Ah ,the glamorous life of an actor you think. You just go get undressed and climb into bed. Almost instantly you fall asleep.

Actor Gale Harold, known for his portrayal of a gay ad executive on television, is about to receive the insight into his character that few actors can ever achieve. But it's an insight that's only available with a trip to… the Twilight Zone.

Someone's pounding on your door and yelling. You slowly come out of a deep sleep. Who the hell is waking me up like that on a Sunday morning you think very groggy. Your eyes slowly open and what you see instantly snaps you awake. You're in the bed on the loft set. But you look again. It's the loft but not the set. There's a ceiling and all four walls. What's going on you think. This has to be someone's idea of a practical joke. But man did they go to a lot of expense.

"Brian, wake up! I know you're in there. We're late. We were supposed to pick up Gus twenty minutes ago." That sounds like Randy yelling.

"Go away ,Randy!" you yell back. "And go tell Peter your practical joke didn't work."

"Randy? Who the hell is Randy? And who's Peter? God damn you, Brian, if you had a threesome last night, it's over. It's really over between us. This was your last chance," you hear him yell back.

"Hold on a second. I'm still half asleep." Fine, he wants to play the joke out, I'll go along. You climb out and open the loft's sliding door. It sure looks like Randy.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asks.

"I worked late last night," you answer.

"And who the hell is Randy and Peter?"

"They're a couple of friends that like practical jokes. I thought you were Randy."

"Fine. Go grab a shower real fast. I'll pour you some juice and call the girls. Just have to tell them we're running late." You kind of stand there not knowing what to do. "Damn it, go. I'm not joining you."

He heads for the fridge while you head for the bathroom. The closet is stocked with clothes and all the fixtures work in the bathroom. This isn't a practical joke you slowly start to realize. This is real. I must be dreaming you think. If I am, fine, I'll just go along for the ride. You shower fast then grab some jeans and a pullover sweater. You always did kind of like some of the clothing that wardrobe gave Brian.

"Ready?" he asks as he hands you that glass of juice.

"Keys, wallet, yep got everything."

"Gus's gift?" he says and points to the package on the couch.

Shit. What else am I going to forget or not know about? "Would you mind driving?" you ask Justin/Randy.

"You want me to drive the jeep? Are you ok?" he asks with the sound of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm just beat. I've been working too many hours. Would you mind?"

'No, it's just the first time you ever asked. You never let anyone else drive it."

"If I can't trust you who can I trust?" you tell him which brings a smile to his face.

Twenty minutes later Justin pulls the jeep up in front of an older home. It's exactly like the house where they shoot the exterior shots of Melanie and Lindsay's house. But before you can walk up and knock on the door it opens and a three year old comes flying down the walk.

"Daddy!" he yells as he leaps into your arms.

"Hey, sonny boy, looks like you missed me," you ask, trying to stay in character.

"I made this for you in school." Gus gives you a red paper flower.

"Thank you, Gus. I'll put it in water when I get home."

"You don't put it in water, Daddy. It's not a real flower."

Smart kid you think as you start to laugh a little. "Well, I'll do something so I can keep it forever."

"Ok. Hi Uncle Justin, we going to the park?"

"We sure are, Gus. We're going to have lots of fun today."

***

Justin and Gus are playing together. You're just sitting and watching. It's just like what the script said we were going to do in the shoot Monday. I remember some of the dialogue so let's see what happens. This was supposed to be like a non-date date between Justin and Brian. Justin had left fiddle boy and the two of them were trying to patch things up. In this scene Brian was supposed to just try and talk. Before he couldn't just come out and say what he was feeling. So he fucked Rage and drove Justin away thinking that was for the best for Justin. The problem was they were both as miserable apart as much as they were when they were together. So they were trying to patch it up.

"Penny for your thoughts."

You look up and it's Justin. "I was thinking about what a jackass I've been," you tell him.

"We've both been."

The two of you just sit quietly and just watch Gus and a bunch of kids play together. "It will work out between us you know," you tell Justin.

"How can you be so sure?"

You've seen the story outlines for the rest of season three. The boys get back together eventually. But you can't exactly say that. "Let's just say it's written somewhere."

***

With the pressure and demands of shooting you really haven't had the chance to have a nice quiet day like this in a long time. You've always been drawn to Randy/Justin as a friend. The chemistry between the two of you is what made the show work. The three of you just have a great day together. But soon it's over. The two of you drop off Gus with the gift and then Justin drives you back to the loft.

"I'll see you Wednesday night," Justin tells you as he heads for his own car.

"Great," you tell him as he opens the car door. "And Justin…" he turns to face you. "I promise things are going to work out."

Justin just smiles and calls out "Later," as you watch him get into his car and drive away.

Ring!

The phone ringing wakes you up out of a sound sleep. You know where it's at and find it with your eyes closed.

"Whoever this is, you're a dead man," you say into the phone.

"Gale, where are you? You were due in make-up a half an hour ago."

"It's Sunday."

"Gale, its Monday. We're shooting today. There's a car waiting downstairs. Get cleaned up and get down there."

Shit, where the hell did Sunday go? You leap out of bed and jump in the shower. Shave and start getting dressed. You reach into your pocket to check that you have your keys. But you don't pull out your keys; you pull out a paper flower, the paper flower that Gus gave you. That Gus gave you! What the hell is going on? You sit down and think. You spent the day with Justin and Gus but that was a dream. It has to be a dream. "Oh man, this is too weird" you say softly. But you look at the flower. There's the proof. But you know you can't tell anyone. They'll lock you up and throw away the key. You think for a moment. Forget it. It'll just have to be my own little secret. But it was a nice day you think as you leave the flower on the counter and head out.

They say to truly know a man you have to walk a mile in his shoes. Gale Harold just spent his Sunday going for a little stroll, just a little stroll in the Twilight Zone.

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