Johnny wasn't sure what kind of reception would be waiting for him the next day on the set. He and Clem had talked the night before for hours, mainly him just trying to comfort her. She didn't want to go to class.

"John, how can I?" she'd nearly wailed. "Everyone's seen me naked, everyone's seen me having sex!"

"I know, darling, I know, and it must feel terrible, but the truth is the sooner you get back into your groove, the sooner people will begin to forget. Just talk to Kim and act as normal as possible."

"But people will be laughing at me." Her hopeless, dreadful crying was twisting John's heart.

"Maybe at first, but honestly, Clemmy, this pretty much defines the time when you have to just 'power through,'" he told her. "Some people won't even realize it's you." This was just wishful thinking on his part, he knew, since people had been rabid for information about "the mystery woman" with whom he'd spent the weekend.

"You really think I should go?" Her voice sounded small, unsure, and John wanted to reach through the phone to hug her.

"I do, truly. You've not done anything wrong, have you? You went away for a mini break with your boyfriend, that's all."

"Okay. Okay."

Now, as he headed to the studio, he wondered if he could take his own advice and act like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Of course, he knew that his situation was exponentially easier than Clem's. This wasn't the first time he'd gone through this, after all. And people were used to seeing salacious photographs of him.

And he was a bloke.

He knew it shouldn't matter, but it did. It was always the women they wanted to see, wasn't it?

Poor Clem! Poor, shy Clem, who was so insecure about her body, who was always so sure she looked bad, especially compared to her sister. John reflected grimly that Hy probably wouldn't have minded being photographed in flagrante with Johnny. It wouldn't have hurt her career, and she was stunning, she knew it.

How awkward that he'd fallen for the "homely" sister, the private one who didn't seek out fame in any way.

He walked on to the set, greeting people, who for the most part simply greeted him back. He wondered what Hy would be like.

He didn't have long to wonder. She was in the make up chair next to him when he sat down.

"Good morning." Her voice was neutral and cordial.

"Good morning, Hy," he responded evenly. He and Clem had already decided that he shouldn't bring anything up, that he should leave it up to Hyacinth whether or not she wanted to talk about it.

Apparently, she didn't. They sat in silence until the makeup people came to do their faces, at which point they started to talk to them, about neutral topics like the weather. John knew that Derek, who was working on his face, wouldn't bring up John's weekend with Clem; He'd known Derek for a while, and he was a pro, through and through. Avi, who was working on Hy, he didn't know as well, but he, too, kept the conversational topics in safe, staid waters.

The director, Ron, had a few words to say, however. "I know that there are some unfortunate photographs and video floating around from this past weekend," he began. "I hope we can all be professional and not let them interfere with the work at hand. Johnny's here, he's obviously ready to work, so let's be as professional as he's being, and just let the other shit go, okay?"

There were nods and "okay"s all around from the crew.

Hyacinth, Johnny noticed, didn't respond at all; her expression remained emotionless as she stood with her arms crossed.

"Places, please," Ron called, and John and Hy sat down on the sofa together, as if they were having a movie night.

They ran through the lines a few times, taking notes from the director every time, and Johnny could see that there was going to be a huge problem between him and Hy. She was leaden, her affect flat. All of the beautiful chemistry that they'd had before, the feeling of something blooming between them, was gone. They were now merely actors reading lines, at least on Hy's part.

"Cut!" the director called for the fourth time. "Hy, a little looser, please? You're supposed to be falling in love with him, not negotiating a sublet, you know?"

"Sorry, Ron," Hy responded with a sigh. "I'll do it better, promise."

"Could you guys scoot closer to each other, please?"

Hy moved about a centimeter toward John, who made up the difference and moved way inside her personal space.

Hyacinth moved slightly away from him, as though he smelled bad.

John bit his lips together, but said nothing.

Things went on this way until noon, by which time it was obvious that nothing they'd shot that morning would be usable at all.

"Lunch!" Came the call, and everyone broke. Normally Johnny and Hy would eat together, but today she took her food to her chair and sat, not speaking to anyone.

"Johnny!" Ron called.

John approached the director where he sat, next to the camera, going over something with the DP.

"Give us a minute, will you, Greg?" he asked.

The DP nodded and loped off, a million things to do, always.

"So, I know that things have really hit the fan with you and Hy's sister and all that," he began without preamble. "The only reason I'm talking to you and not her is that you seem more open to talking right now. Hy's completely closed off. Are you guys going to be able to get past this, or what? Can you talk to her? Because you must know what what we shot is utter crap, not one usable frame."

John nodded, sighing. "I know, and I'm sorry."

"Well, it's not really you, it's her, she's completely shut down towards you emotionally. Just have a little talk and see if you can work it out, okay? Because this can't continue. I'm really surprised, she's usually such a pro."

"Yeah, well, this situation is a real mess," John said regretfully. "You can see how she'd be upset."

"I know, I know, and I'll talk to her if I have to, but then everything becomes official, and I'd rather just keep things friendly if possible."

"Okay, I'll talk to her," John said, sighing inwardly. It wasn't a conversation he relished having. He just told himself that, however bad he was feeling, it had to be a hundred times worse for poor, gentle, quiet Clem. For the thousandth time, he wished they'd just gone inside to have their fun, like Clementine wanted. This in turn made him angry. Why shouldn't they be able to make love outside? Lots of people did it, with no harm done.

Because he wasn't "lots of people," and he knew it. But why should Clementine have to pay the price for that?

She just did, that was the way the world worked. And he knew that she knew it. An irrational part of him, however, still felt guilt.

He sighed again, this time out loud, and walked over to where Hy sat with her salad in her lap, perusing her script.

"Hy? Hy? Can we talk, please?"

Hyacinth looked up at him, her gaze cool.

"Look, Hy, we have to talk about this, yeah? It's really hurting the picture."

Hyacinth looked around. "Did Ronny ask you to come talk to me?"

John nodded. "He doesn't want to get involved if he doesn't have to."

"I see. Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"I want—I want to apologize for how things worked out, for how you found out," John began awkwardly. "I know it couldn't have been very pleasant. We tried so many times to figure out how to tell you—"

"Well, you didn't try hard enough," Hyacinth interrupted flatly. "I must have looked so foolish to the two of you, making my flirty little moves while you were getting it on with her whenever you could."

Johnny winced at her casual words.

Hyacinth was shaking her head. "You and plain Jane Clem, who'da thought?"

John tried manfully to hold on to his temper. "What's bothering you, Hy? The fact that I was seeing someone else, or that it was Clementine?"

"Well, gosh, Johnny," Hy responded, her eyes sarcastically round, "there's so much about this situation that bothers me that I'm not sure what's bothering me more, you know?"

John sighed yet again, biting his lip. "Look, I fell in love with your sister, that's all there is to it, yeah?"

"Fell in love?" Hy repeated. "Oh, please, you are not in love with Clem. You can't be."

"Why not?" John countered.

"With Clem? Who doesn't know how to dress and can't tell a joke and looks like an elephant in all her mismatching clothes?"

John was getting angry now. "What? That's your very own sister you're talking about, and the woman I love, so I'll thank you to watch your mouth!"

A few people turned to stare at them, and John tried again to lower his voice.

"Yes, that's right, Johnny, my sister, my sister, and you had no business to start anything with her, anything!"

Hyacinth rose, spilling the salad in her lap everywhere. "Ron?" she called as she approached him. "I'm not feeling well, we're going to have to cancel this afternoon's shooting, I'm sorry."

And with those words, Hyacinth stormed off the set, a first in her career.

Johnny rolled his eyes as he looked at Ron.

That could've gone better.