*****194:015

Michael sat in Tracy's office, behind the desk, with the huge floor to ceiling drapes completely open and the sounds of ocean and sea gulls and traffic downstairs guzzling in. Tracy stood alone next to the fireplace, looking up at her framed pictures, the one she'd just put there, taken the night before, of the back of the van as she and Blaze hung out the window, flipping the reporters off, was classic. That rush of rebellion that sometimes hit her was captured there, and she felt her own reaction to it whenever she saw it...triumph, plain and simple.

"It's like that Brad Paisley song about being a celebrity, and getting away with anything and everything." Tracy mused, not looking at Michael. She fingered the frame remembering. "The more your name gets in the paper the more your price goes up."

"I'll admit this was a little unexpected." Michael was reading an online summary of the past evening's events starting with Blaze's club being busted and commencing through the high-speed paparazzi chase after Tracy bailed him out. "The concert sold out a month ago. The second concert."

"The encore, unplanned second-night show, you mean? The one I didn't agree to?" She quipped, unhappy about doing two performances in Atlanta this weekend.

"Be glad I didn't book you a third night, they wanted a third night, they could have sold that out as well."

"You be glad you didn't book me a third concert. I'd have made you a liar." She finally turned and Michael glanced up at her. Her hair, which she normally wore up and concealed had lately been down and straggling, the colors were wildly exhilarating, flashes of tawny amid the white and gold, how did she do that? Was it natural? And those riotous twirls of curl, so.... Trademark. And her demeanor had been so.... Confident recently, as if she really had come into her own. She seemed to be past grieving, into acceptance, and above all, so creative he couldn't keep up with her at all.

"You'll have enough with this take to pay your dad back what you borrowed against the fortress up north." He said, glancing back at the folder Staci, his secretary had given him earlier. "Are you okay with the Disney today?"

"I've been working it, Mikey."

"When could you possibly have time?"

"In the shower." She answered promptly. "I work the character in the shower. Sounds great. Know all my lines, got 'em laminated and stuck up in the shower. Works like a charm. Let's get this ball rolling."

Michael shook his head in disbelief. Out of all the clients he had represented or was currently representing, Tracy McCaffrey was the most eccentric, complex personality he had ever met. No need for sleep? Laminated lines in the shower? What next?

*****

Exhausted she carried her board out the gate, and held it for Danny, who slipped through and let it bang behind him.

His hair, longer now, and very streaked from the late summer sun it had received bounced along his shoulders. His eyes moved curiously along the shoreline, taking in the two paparazzi vans, and the slight movement as Tracy's 'stalkers', as she liked to call them, (not to their faces, but behind their backs, came forward.

"Marc's here." Danny announced. He knew Marc Shepherd by sight, and some of the other regulars as well.

"Hey, Danny, going surfing with mom, today?" Marc asked as he drew closer. Tracy had rules about talking to Marc, and Danny looked to her, to see if today was a day he could speak. Tracy nodded.

"Yeah, mom said it's foggy out, and you won't get too many good pictures. Mom doesn't want my picture all over the rags like hers is." Danny shoved his board under his arm and hefted it against his body.

Marc eyed Tracy thoughtfully. "Really? Does your Mom pretty much hate the press, Dan?"

"What's the press?" Danny again looked to Tracy whose demeanor was very casual, there weren't many guys around, she felt relatively safe and relaxed. She needed this time on the waves to sort out some things in her head, the last two weeks had been too eventful. She needed to just be with Danny. His presence always calmed her.

"Them." Tracy said cheerfully, trudging across the sucking sand.

Marc followed them. "Hey, Danny, how come you guys don't hang out with Austin anymore?"

Danny stopped walking and shaded his eyes. Tracy stopped and turned. She nodded at Danny's forthright questioning look. "Go ahead." She said gently. "You can talk to Marc. As long as he doesn't ask you personal questions, remember, we talked about personal questions?"

They had spoken about what things Danny might be asked and what things he was allowed to talk about. She'd coached him extensively, because as the only child articulate enough in their family to answer anything at all, he got fielded a number of questions too mature for him.

Danny considered, he liked to posture a little, as most six-year-olds did when they thought an adult was really paying attention to them. "Austin got married." He finally said simply. "He hangs out with Lisa now."

Marc reeled back. Austin had gotten married? That was news. He glanced at Tracy, she was smiling softly, and he quickly snapped a picture of her against the dawning sky, the wetsuit, the light background, the long hair sexily floating around her exquisite features... he had so many pictures of her, it made his own library of other celebrity pics look dull, but he couldn't help snapping even one more. It always happened that way for him.

"Is that true Trace? Did Austin get hitched?"

"Pretty sure they're making an announcement today, or tomorrow. They've been on their honeymoon for a month." She said blithely, and then turned to keep walking. "It's nice that there was something you didn't know."

"Chris and Kelly and Steven got to stay with us until yesterday. They were totally hanging out, Marc." Danny said, turning the attention back on himself.

Marc glanced at Tracy again. "How do you feel about that, Trace? Lost one of the fan club boy toys?"

Tracy counted to ten. "Austin and Lisa are some of my best friends."

"Except they had a big fight." Danny chimed in, and Tracy shot him a warning glance but he wasn't looking at her. She turned her board to block Marc's view of him, and tried to shush him this time, knowing where Marc's thoughts would lead him.

"Austin and Lisa wanted an explanation from me about some tabloid pictures. I guess they got caught up in some doctored shots on the cover of.... The Tattler, or something. It's all over, Marc, no need to worry, old friends can have spats and not lose their friendship. You don't need to report it to your... whoever you report to...."

"I'm freelance, Trace, you know that."

"Well, I just didn't know what you would make of me and Austin and Lisa having a fight over a month ago. Obviously, all is well, I just watched his kids for a month."

"Is that the only reason for the fight? Not that he was telling you he was marrying Lisa and you pitched a fit, since you wanted him for yourself."

Tracy shook her head and turned around to continue walking out to the water. She really needed the water....

Marc would sell whatever scoop he thought would make him an extra buck. He really wasn't any better than any of the rest of them... even Lisa. They all had the same thing in mind... exploit others.

She scooted Danny away as others joined Marc and started following them, but not too close. Jake had showed up with his board as well, and two other bodyguards now, both waiting on the sand. This was unfortunate, but necessary when she had the children with her. Danny threw his board down into the tiny penny surf, and tried to paddle, but got stuck on the sand, and Tracy used her foot to push him out a little further. He glanced up at her and grinned. All would be forgotten in a few seconds as they harnessed the waves.

****