Celebs:
Busy Phillips, Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes.
Codes:
FFF, reluc, oral, toys.
Intro:
Welcome, readers. This story is another one-shot interlude that is connected to my other stories but not dependent on them. I hope it will entertain any 'Dawson's Creek' fem-slash fans out there. This story takes place during the filming of that classic show's fifth season. All readers are encouraged to send feedback. I would appreciate it. Votes are great too (one per person please).
Standard disclaimer- This story is a satirical fantasy. This story is fictional, even though its plot and characters are based on real events and people. I the author have no connection to these real people other than being their fan. To the best of my knowledge the real people do not act the way my characters based on them do. This story was not written for financial profit and I expect none from it. This story contains adult themes and situations, so if you are under 18 or don't like that kind of stuff, please don't read it. As parts of this story are controversial, I also do not recommend it be read by the close-minded. Thanks.
***
Busy On the Creek
Wilmington, North Carolina. October 2001.
People had always called her Busy.
Ever since her birth, she was always moving, and that was the reason for the name. Elizabeth Phillips was doing something whenever anyone saw her. Even when she appeared at rest, she was in reality planning and preparing for her next move towards her current goal. Her family gave her a nickname based on this quality, and it stuck.
Now, for the first time she could recall, Busy Phillips was halted and at a loss for what to do.
"This is how we roll," the writer and director Kevin Williamson had told her. "If you can't take it, you don't belong here."
Fine, Busy was thinking now, maybe you're right. She had said nothing to Williamson when he spoke to her an hour ago, only nodded and walked away in a huff. Now she was considering the issue and clenching her hands.
Busy was a new starring cast member in Williamson's hit Warner Brothers television series 'Dawson's Creek'. She had started work on the teen drama in the summer playing Audrey Liddell, a girl from Los Angeles who attended college on the United States east coast. It was a fun role and one that allowed Busy to use both her talent for drama and sharp comedic tongue to their fullest extent. She was twenty-two years old and already a veteran actress with credits in multiple TV series and a few independent films. She had initially been thrilled to get a job on a hit show like 'Dawson's Creek' and thought it would be a snap. Boy, had she been wrong.
I should have listened to the rumors, Busy told herself. She was standing on the sidelines of the set, watching the rest of the cast act out a scene. Four of the other five regulars were present, as only Kerr Smith was off that day. He and the four currently on set had little film industry experience other than the show. No regular TV roles and only a few small movie parts. Busy had figured a show where rookies like them could do well enough to get high critical acclaim and ratings among teen audiences would be easy for a veteran like her. She had ignored what she'd heard about Williamson's scripts being full of heavy adult themes, verbose complex dialogue, and deep relationships between the characters.
I got a lot of that during 'Freaks and Geeks' and my other work, Busy had thought at the time. Surely, this show can't be any worse.
The first few episodes she filmed had changed her mind quickly. Production was delayed by budget troubles and the September 11 attacks. Thus Williamson had worked the cast and crew very hard in the weeks before the new season's broadcast release. Busy had been relieved when she completed the first three episodes and got to take time off to finish the movie she had been filming over the summer. That film, 'Home Room', had meant a lot to her, and it too had suffered production delays thanks to financing and September 11.
After Busy finished, it was back to 'Dawson's Creek' and its scripts that forced her to rehearse for hours to get things right. Busy soon discovered that every rumor was understated about the intensity of Williamson's writing and what he expected of his actors. Acting on this show had become the greatest challenge of her career.
"It's not usually this heavy," the show's star James Van Der Beek had told her. "We just have a big workload because of all the delays. It should slack off once we get past sweeps."
Busy didn't know if she could last that long. The summer had been easier, she recalled, but the only benefit it brought was that the first two episodes of the new season were ready on time. The next two were rushed, and they were filming number five now. Six and seven were going to start next week, and then eight and nine the week after. Only then were they all going to be allowed a few consecutive days off.
How much longer can I take this? Busy wondered. Goddamn network executives losing faith in the show's low ratings and cutting our finances. Goddamn terrorists fucking things up in general. Goddamn series creator expecting my co-stars and me to keep doing our best with his impossible demands. To hell with them all.
She looked at each of her co-stars on the set, sizing them up one by one. Upon getting to know them Busy was forced to admit they did have some skills. James, the tall blond heartthrob who played title character Dawson, was a worthy star. His fame in this series had launched him into a small film career and made him a well-known teen idol. Busy expected his face would be recognized by the public long after their show went off the air.
The stocky young dark-haired actor who played Dawson's best friend Pacey, Josh Jackson, was even more talented. He had won multiple Teen Choice Awards for his 'Dawson's Creek' role and had several small movie parts under his belt as well. Busy had never heard of him before they met, but it soon became evident to her he was an actor of great range and stamina. She fully expected him to retain a strong TV and film career after the show ended while James's declined.
Then there were the other actresses. Like Busy, Michelle Williams was a shapely blonde in her early twenties. Her figure was a bit shorter and slimmer than Busy's, her honey hair curlier and a shade lighter, and her skin less tanned. Busy was unfamiliar with her work outside 'Dawson's Creek', but if what she had seen on the show was any indication Michelle too would have a strong career. She was a very dedicated actress and her presence affected everyone around her on the set just as her character Jen's did on their series. Everyone was inspired to challenge themselves and work harder with a talent of such caliber nearby.
The show's other starring actress, Katie Holmes, was a tall girl of twenty-three with a runner's figure. Long dark hair framed an open face with doe brown eyes that along with her shy manner had benefitted her character Joey Potter's image as the girl next door. Katie defied that image with a skill and wisdom beyond her years. Busy had been unable to believe such talent could come out of high school plays and small film roles. We've got a lasting icon here, she considered Katie's future. Even if she quits acting for some reason, I have a feeling Katie Holmes will always be on the public's mind.
And what of me, Busy mused, placing herself against the four. Am I really better than they are, as I thought before we started working together? I have to say I don't know. I can predict others' futures with success, my talent for observation allows me that, but my own future is much harder to judge. I know I have some fans. I got a lot of critical praise on 'Freaks and Geeks' and I intend to continue acting. I would like a normal life someday, a husband and children, but life in the spotlight would be nice too.
She grimaced, aware of an intense gaze on her. The cast had stopped between takes, and tall black-clad Williamson was addressing them on needed improvements. Michelle's brown eyes, the most prominent feature of her heart-shaped face, were looking at Busy. Why does she stare at me so much? Busy wondered. She blinked her own deep blue eyes and waved at Michelle. The other actress immediately ran a hand through her pixie cut hair and looked away. Busy shook her own shoulder length curls and grinned to herself.
