A/N:

So, let me start by saying, I'M SO SO SORRY!

I'm really sorry for not updating for the last... 3 years! I'm really really sorry about that. I just hope that you still want to continue reading this fic.

I can't believe I'm updating this once again. I'm so happy.

I hope you'll like the update!

I don't own TVD and TO


CHAPTER 5

Break Room

"Hey Can" Kat greeted when she sat beside Candice

"Hey, are you okay?" Candice asked

"Tired and sleepy" Kat answered

"I know what you mean. We did a lot of scenes today" Candice said

Kat agreed, "The writers took a lot of adjustments because of the spin off"

Candice hummed

"I still can't believe that they got it! It was really great news! I'm so happy for them!" Kat chattered

Candice smiled, "I'm so happy for them too"

Kat looked at Candice, "I know. I mean you're like the first one to know about it! And you didn't even tell us"

"Hey, it was not my news to share!" Candice defended

Kat eyed her teasingly, "Well, it's understandable that you're one of the first people to know"

Candice mocked glare at her, "Kaaaaat"

"Oh come on Can! Admit it!" Kat countered

"Joe and I are just friends, Kat" Candice emphasized

Kat nodded and snickered slyly, "What do you think he's doing right now?"

"Shooting some scenes for the first episode" Candice answered immediately

Kat stifled her smirk, "How do you know that?"

"Joseph told me" Candice said nonchantly

Kat faked a gasp, "Joseph tells you his schedule? My, Joe is such a good friend"

"Kaaaaaat!" Candice whined

Kat laughed, "Fine, fine, I'll stop. For now"

Candice pouted and Kat just blew her a kiss in return

Both of them were now minding their own business. Kat was busy scrolling on her phone while Candice was trying her best to stay awake. She opted to read a magazine to help her. They were both on a break

Phone vibrated

Is Caroline very busy saving her pony town? Too busy to answer a phone call?

Candice furrowed her brows as she read the message and replied

What do you mean?

Well, I just finished reading my script for tomorrow morning. Seems like Caroline is still on Klaus' mind even though he's a thousand miles away from her

Candice smiled at that.

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Joseph was busy reading his script for his scenes tomorrow morning. Well, this morning, noticing that it was already past midnight. Joseph massaged his temples trying his best to concentrate. When he reached the line of his character mentioning Caroline. He smiled a bit. He thought of the actress and without knowing, he grabbed his phone and started texting. He's not sure what she's doing at the moment so he's not expecting a reply but when he heard his phone vibrate, he grinned.

He smirked at her reply and responded. "She must be working right now" he thought as he waited for her reply

Phone vibrated twice

Really? That's interesting

Did he call her?

Yes but unfortunately she's too busy to pick up her phone.

But don't worry love, he left her a voicemail

Joseph grinned as he replied. He started reading his script again while waiting for his phone to vibrate

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Candice grinned as she read his reply. She decided to play along with Joseph's antics

And what did he say?

Candice chuckled softly as she sent the message.

Kat looked at her, "You okay, Can?"

She wondered why Candice chuckled out of nowhere when there was just the two them

"Yeah, totally" Candice replied, smiling

Kat eyed her weirdly. She noticed Candice was holding her phone and busy scrolling at her messages. Kat mouthed an 'ohhh'. She must be texting someone

Phone vibrated

Can't say, sweetheart. It's a bit personal

Candice shook her head as she read his reply. She immediately typed her response

Huh. I understand. Knowing Klaus, he doesn't want to let his enemies know his weakness

Soft spot love, not weakness

Candice rolled her eyes

I thought we established that she is his weakness? We finished that debate.

I backed down from that debate because you were being stubborn and Kevin was already annoyed at us for being childish and delaying the shoot

Candice gasped and muttered, "You brit!" and started to typed furiously

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

I am NOT stubborn and it was not my fault the shoot was delayed!

Joseph laughed when he read Candice's reply. Joseph expected this kind of reply from her

Are you sure? Because I remember that you were so invested with our debate, you didn't want to move to your position for the shoot

The cameras were not working right at that time that's why our shoot got delayed!And you didn't 'backed' down, I totally won that debate

Joseph snickered and rolled his eyes

I still insist that Caroline is Klaus' soft spot. Not weakness

Debatable. We're sooo going to have this debate again when you're back

Well, if you insist sweetheart. Prepare your arguments. Valid arguments

I present VALID arguments, if you must know. I'm pretty good at it

Joseph chuckled. Oh how he missed talking with this woman. He can already picture out all her expressions while typing her replies. If only they were in the same set.. Joseph sighed

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Are you shooting right now Can?

Not really but I'm on set, how about you?

Just reading my script for tomorrow. What time will you finish?

Candice stared at his message for a while. She wondered why he asked that question. Does he want to call her? Candice shook her head for thinking like that. No way. Maybe he's just asking for the sake of asking

Don't know. Been up since 5 am yesterday. We need to take lot of scenes

Are you taking a break now?

Yeah, Kat and I are taking a break now. We're both exhausted

You must take a rest while you have the time Can

Candice nodded after reading the message then she realized Joseph can't see her. She sighed. Even if he's not here, Joseph still takes care of me. She's lucky to have a ... friend like him. She missed him. She missed talking to him.

Okay. Btw, you mentioned about calling Caroline. Did she call him after that?

No. I think Klaus just want her to listen to his voicemail

Candice bit her lip as she replied

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Oh. Well, is he planning to call Caroline…. again?

Joseph stared at her reply. He must be overthinking right now. Is she saying that she also wants to talk to him?

Does she want him to call her..again?

Joseph tapped his fingers as he waited for her reply

Phone vibrates

Joseph read her message and smiled

If he wants to… and if he's not too busy

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Candice jumped a little when she heard her ringtone. She was anxious when she sent her message. She looked at her phone and saw Joseph's name

"Ohhh, who's that?" Kat asked Candice, "Is it Joseph?"

Kat gave Candice a knowing look and wiggled her eyebrows

Candice rolled her eyes at Kat, "He just wants to ask something"

Kat saw Candice inhaled before she answered the call. She heard Candice greeted the caller softly. Kat giggled. She knew Candice was texting with Joseph earlier. She perked up when she heard Candice say 'brit'. Of course Kat knows who's 'brit' is.

Kat loves observing these two. It was like watching a movie. She was a bit sad when she heard about the spin off because she knew that these two will be apart due to different sets. It was so sudden that Kat felt she was forced to click 'pause' of the movie and she doesn't like clicking 'pause' at all. Now, there's no more daily updates about these two between her and Nina

Kat observed silently as she watched Candice talk with Joseph. Candice chuckled and talked softly with the caller. She heard Candice talk about not eating anything after dinner. She heard Candice insisting that she was okay. She watched as her friend insisted a couple of times before standing up and went to the table with snacks and fruits. Her friend grabbed an apple and took a bite and muttered something like 'there, I ate something' and 'no, I'm not pretending'. Kat noticed that Candice tried to tone her voice like she was annoyed but Kat saw Candice smiling despite the tone

"Joseph must've insisted that Candice should eat something" Kat thought. "Aww, that's so sweet. He's still taking care of her even though he's not here" Kat giggled. Candice raised an eyebrow at her. Kat saw this and took it as an invitation to interrupt their call

"Hey Joe!" Kat greeted as she stood beside Candice, "Checking up on Candice?"

Kat heard Joe's chuckles while Candice nudged her

Kat smirked, "She's actually not eating the apple Joseph, just want you to know"

"Kaaaaat!" Candice whined. Kat laughed and winked at her

Kat laughed some more when she heard her friend saying, "I'm eating! I'm eating it!"

Candice pouted at Kat and motioned at the apple and mouthed 'tell him the truth'

"Just kidding Joe! She's eating it .. now" Kat said, smirking

Candice groaned

Kat likes seeing Candice like this. She looks so cute and carefree. Kat just wants to watch her being dramatic. Kat saw Candice walking away from the room and saying, "Yeah, Yeah, I'm on my way to grab some water now". Kat giggled at that "Candice really listens to Joseph"

Nina entered the room just as Candice stepped outside the room. Candice nodded at Nina and continued her way out. Nina nodded back and noticed Candice grinning while talking on the phone

Nina saw Kat and sat beside her, "Who's she talking to?"

Kat smiled, "Brit"

Nina grinned, "Really?"

"Apparently they're textmates and call each other"

Nina gushed, "What were they talking about?"

Kat smirked, "Something about eating. I think Joe was checking up on Candice"

"That's so sweet!"

"I agree and also, Candice might know some of Joe's schedules" Kat said and wiggled her brows

"So, are they a 'thing' now?" Nina asked as she gestured the quote and quote gesture

"Candice said 'just friends' " Kat answered and returned the gesture

Nina groaned, "Still?"

Kat hummed in reply

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Caroline just stood outside the room while she drank her water. She was still on the phone with Joseph.

"How many scenes left?"

"3 more scenes and I'm done"

"That's quite a lot"

"Yeah, we've been retaking some of the scenes because of the adjustments. How about you?"

"Well, I'm done for this schedule. I'm just reading my script"

"Oh. so, who's filming now?"

"Daniel. Why? do you want to talk to him?"

Candice rolled her eyes. She can hear the teasing tone that Joseph was using

"How many times do I have to tell you that Daniel's married?"

"The same times as I told you that he's not the loyal type"

"Oh shut up" Candice said as she heard Joseph chuckles and she continued, "How's the shooting so far?"

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

"Great. Though there also a lot of complications in between"

"How about the actors?"

"They're nice. Still awkward but they seem pretty easy to talk to"

"That's good. I'm sure you'll get comfortable with them soon"

"I hope but I'm mostly talking with Daniel and Phoebe. Well, Claire will be arriving soon"

Candice hummed, "Tell them I said hi"

"Will do, sweetheart"

Joseph smiled as he answered some of the questions. What did Kat say earlier? Oh right. Checking up. Maybe Candice was checking up on him too. She's trying to check if I'm comfortable in the set. He grinned as he thought of something

"Say Candice, do you still have time before your shoot?"

He heard Candice hum on the other line, "I still have a few more minutes, why?"

"Can you help me with my lines?"

"What lines?"

"Klaus' voicemail. I mean I just want to get it right. Is that okay with you?"

"Is this the same voicemail that you will leave on Caroline's phone?"

"Yes. So, what do you say? Can you be my critic for today?"

"Sure"

"I'll start, okay?"

"Shoot"

Joseph can hear Candice's breaths from the other line. He's sure that she's excited to hear it. She always anticipated some of Klaus' lines before. Joseph exhaled deeply

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

"CarolineI'm standing in one of my favorite places in the world surrounded by food, music, art, culture, and all I can think about is how much I want to show it to you. Maybe one day you'll let me"

Candice gasped when she heard the lines. That was so sweet. She can imagine Caroline's reaction when she hears it. Does she have this scene in the script? She got lost in the moment while thinking about the scene

"Can? Candice? Still there, sweetheart?"

Joseph called out for Candice a couple more times before he heard her reply

"Yeah, I'm still here.."

"How was it?"

"It's… it sounds amazing Joe"

"Really? Did I get it right?"

"Uh-huh. You're voice was really good"

Joseph smirked, "You found my voice nice, love?"

"I'm pretty sure that it's the accent thing"

He heard Candice giggled on the other end. He likes the sound of that

"Since Klaus called Caroline… is she going to New Orleans soon? Because you know .. his love interest. Klaroline"

Joseph clenched his jaw for a moment. He knows the answer to that question. He was not so inclined with the characters that Julie presented during their meetings. He remembered one conversation when Julie talked about his new love interest, he was against it. He stated that his character already has one but Julie waved him off saying that they can't get Caroline out of Mystic Falls and she already has plans for her. So, there goes his hope of having Candice on the same set, down to the drain.

"I'm not sure"

"Oh."

silence

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Candice saw one of the crew approached her. She motioned that it was her time to shoot and she nodded in return. She bit her lip as she listened for the silence that she had with the other end. She sighed

"Hey Joe, I have to go. Break's over"

"I see"

"Yeah"

"So, I guess I have to say goodbye"

Candice hummed

"Bye Can, please take care"

Candice smiled at that and replied softly

"You too Joe, and get some sleep. I'm sure you'll get your hands full this morning"

Joseph laughed at that

"Goodnight JoMo"

"Goodnight sweetheart"

They were quiet for a while.

Candice started to feel awkward and said, "So, byeee" and she hung up. Candice stood awkwardly. Why does it feel that there was something missing? Candice shook her head. Micheal mentioned before about clearing the air. Maybe I'll start thinking about that.


It's been weeks since the call between Candice and Joseph. They text each other sometimes but it lessened as the days passed by. They were both very busy filming for their respective series. It's also been a while since the last text they sent to each other.

Candice enjoyed her days off. She just stayed at home and relaxed. She will be back at work tomorrow. Another busy week for her and her co-stars ahead.

Phone vibrated.

Hey Candice. How are you?

Candice raised an eyebrow as she read the message

Hey. I'm fine. What about you?

Phone vibrated

Good. I'm back on set tomorrow. Some scenes to film

That's great!

Candice bit her lip as she replied. She doesn't know why but she feels that something's bothering Micheal. It must be the reason why he's texting her right now.

Soooo, what's up Trevino?

I'm too obvious huh. Haha

Yeah, I'm sure you're not texting for small talks. soooo, what's up?

Micheal sighed as he read Candice's reply. He's really not sure why he's texting her. He doesn't want to intrude or something. But… Here goes nothing.. feels like she didn't know

Remember the 'clear the air' that I've mentioned?

Yeah, why?

Have you done it?

Uhm.. no, not really

Oh

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

"Oh shit. Now, I'm screwed! I knew I shouldn't have intrude" Micheal thought as he heard his phone vibrated

Oh…? Micheal, what's going on?

Micheal scratched his head. Oh no. Don't tell me…I'll be the first one to tell her.. shit.

Can, you know that I'm here for you,right? You're my friend.. you're like my sister

Yeah, and you're my brother too Mich. tell me now

"You asked for it, Can. I'm sorry for being the messenger of this news" Micheal said while typing.

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Joseph and Claire… it seems… they're dating.

Candice read the message for a couple of times and when it finally sink into her, all she can do was mouthed, "oh"

That's great news! I'm so happy for them!

Candice replied and stared into space. She got lost in her thoughts until she felt her phone vibrating nonstop. Micheal was calling her now. She stared at it for a while then pressed the ignore button

Are you okay Can?

Of course. I'll tease Joseph about it. Thanks for telling me

Right… Candice, I'm here okay?

What are you talking about? Haha. I better go and rest now Micheal. I'll see you tomorrow on set.

Candice reread the messages again and sighed. She sat on her bed and tossed her phone softly on the bed.

He's dating now huh. That must be the reason why there were fewer texts than before. That's great for him. I mean.. we really are friends..just friends. Claire's nice too. Joseph can take care of her. And I shouldn't be feeling this way.

Candice lay down on the bed and covered her eyes

So much for clearing the air


Everyone heard the news

And to say that everyone was shock would be the understatement of the year

Everyone was like, "Have you heard?" and "I can't believe it"

Well, everyone that had noticed about 'them' had these kind of reaction

The actors talked about it and didn't know how to react. They waited for the actress to arrive on set. Trying to get a glimpse of how she was dealing it

When Candice arrived on set, Kat and Nina hugged her in greeting. It was nothing unusual because this is how they usually greet each other. Micheal was also there and hugged Candice. Micheal squeezed her softly and whispered, "You okay?"

Candice hugged him tightly in return and replied, "Of course"

Micheal smiled a little and patted her head

Candice glared at him, "Don't touch my hair Trevino"

Micheal just chuckled and walked away

Nina and Kat watched the interaction and gave each other soft smiles then held each of Candice's hands

"You ready Can?" Kat asked

"About what?" Candice replied

"We're going to have a busy week" Kat said

Candice groaned, " I know"

"This is going to be exhausting…" Nina started and they continued to chatter as they went to the location for their shoot

"How is she?" Ian asked as soon as Micheal reached their group after greeting Candice

"She said she's fine" Micheal replied

"She doesn't want to make ita big deal" Zach said, "Candice doesn't like that"

"Well, it looks like she doesn't want to talk about it, so let's just follow her lead" Paul mentioned

Ian nodded, "The girls can handle this"


"Hello Blondie"

"Since when did Ian become Damon?" Candice said. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Ian

Ian Somerholder just chuckled, "Just trying to lift your spirits up"

Candice scoffed, "Why do you have to try? I'm always perky"

Ian gave her a knowing look and said, "Yep, always"

Candice rolled her eyes and recalled Ian hugging her 'that' day and smiled a little

They were both preparing for their shoot. The crew as still busy making final adjustments before the shoot starts

"How are things with Nina?" Candice teased

"Good. We're good" Ian replied shortly

Candice looked at him weirdly. Ian mouthed 'what?'. Candice just shrugged and thought, "Maybe they had a fight"

Candice phone suddenly rang. She looked at her phone and sighed

Ian whistled, "Now that's the name I didn't expect to see on your phone, Can"

"Well, whatever" Candice replied and kept her phone in her phone

"Aren't you going to take the call?" Ian asked

Candice shrugged,"We're busy"

"Right.. so it doesn't have to do with somebody else. Like someone who ALMOST have the same name" Ian teased

"IAN, stop" Candice chided

Ian raised his arms up. "Stopping"

A moment of silence between the two

"So, how did you meet that singer?" Ian casually asked

Candice groaned


"CUT!"

"We'll take a 5 minute break and shoot again!" The director announced as he left his spot

Paul Wesley ran towards the snack table. He grabbed his phone to check some messages and saw Candice's phone ringing. He was shooting some scenes with Candice today. The director also announced that the actors should leave their phones on the snack table just in case it will disturb the shoot. Paul glanced at Candice's ringing phone and saw a name and sighed. "Don't want to meddle, don't want to meddle" Paul repeated this mantra in his head. He let out a loud sigh when the ringing stopped and rang again

"Damn it" Paul cursed. He grabbed Candice's ringing phone and ran towards her.

"Hey Can!" Paul called as he approached her. Candice looked up from her script

"Your phone keeps on ringing. I think someone's calling" Paul said and gave her phone

Candice mouthed 'oh' as she reached out for her phone and looked at the caller

JoMo

Candice stared at it for a few seconds and locked her phone. She set it down on the table and muttered, "Thanks" to Paul. She continued reading her script

Paul observed silently her actions. He raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to take that?"

"Huh?" Candice replied, caught off-gurad

Paul gestured at the phone

"Ah, no" Candice said

"Why?"

"We're working"

Paul hummed. Paul was not an idiot. He knew who was calling. That's the reason why he gave her her phone in the first place. If it was somebody else, he would've just ignored it

Paul sat beside Candice, "So, are you like.. not talking to him?"

Candice looked at Paul. Paul just smiled at her innocently like he was just casually asking her. He's trying to make it look like it was just a simple question but they both know that it's not

"Not right now. We're busy. Don't have time to take some calls" Candice said

"Can, Joseph is…" Paul started but Candice interrupted him, "I don't really want to talk about it, Paul. I mean, there's nothing to talk about"

Paul stared at her for a minute then patted her shoulder, "Alright"

Candice smiled at him gratefully. Candice was not oblivious by the actions around her. She can tell that some of her costars were concerned about her.. since 'that' news. The day she was back on set after the news and when Ian and Paul hugged her at that day was a dead give away that her costars talked about it before she arrived. The others also hugged her and she remembered saying 'what's this? It is give Candice-a-hug-day today? Seriously guys' and they just laughed after that. Candice sighed inwardly. It's been few days ...or like a week since then

"But you need to take his call soon,though.. when you're not too busy" Paul said and gave her a knowing look, "Okay?"

Candice just smiled at him


"I saw Joe calling her again but she still ignores it" Nina said

"Still? Why is she ignoring it?" Kat replied

Nina shrugged, "Probably don't want to talk about it"

"Girls! Busy gossiping aren't we?" Paul announced as he and Ian entered the break room

Kat and Nina rolled their eyes

"We're not gossiping. We're just talking about it" Kat stated

Paul hummed as he made a coffee

"So, anything new?" Ian asked as he drank his cola and stood beside Nina

"Nothing" Nina replied as she also drank from Ian's cola

"Hey, do you know anyone's number from the other set? Well, besides Joseph and Claire" Kat asked

Paul and Ian looked at each other

"I have Daniel's" Ian said

Paul shrugged, "also Phoebe's"

"Wait, you have Phoebe's number?" Nina asked and the rest looked at Paul

"Yeah, why?" Paul asked, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

The three exchanged strange looks

"Well, maybe you can ask Phoebe about the situation over there" Kat said

Paul scoffed, "Yeah, because gossiping about our fellow actors is a great way to start a relationship"

The girls gasped

Paul bit his lip, "I meant friendship"

"Yeah man! You go brother!" Ian teased and patted Paul on the back

"You're with Phoebe?" Nina said excitedly

"No, we're just friends! You know, hanging out" Paul stated

"Why do I feel that I already heard these statements before?" Kat giggled

"Oho! So we have another one!" Ian chuckled

Paul sighed, "Ok fine. I kind of like her, okay?"

The girls giggled and mouthed 'awww'

"We're still getting to know each other" Paul emphasized, "So please don't make it awkward"

Nina laughed, "Don't worry about us, worry about him" and pointed at Ian

Ian smirked at Paul, "No promises Paul"

Paul rolled his eyes

"So, can you ask Phoebe?" Kat asked

"Look guys, I don't think we should meddle, you know" Paul started, "They're adults. They know what they're doing"

"Fine" Kat and Nina agreed begrudgingly

"Let's talk about you instead!" Kat exclaimed and Nina joined her, "Yeah! Like when did this start?"

"Noooo" Paul whined, "Ian, control your girlfriend!"


Candice shook her head a little as she walked quickly with one of the crew. She was resting earlier when a crew tapped her awake. He told her that the director asked for her presence. She was given a paper about her scene with Silas. She was glad that it was only one line. It looked like it's her first meeting with Silas, she wondered which of her costars will be the Silas this time.

The director walked with her as they went to the location. The director explained that he just wanted to squeeze a scene since there was still time and the actors were here before their official break time. Candice just nodded good naturedly saying that its okay since it's just a short scene

Candice was semi-aware what she was doing but she can't really say that her mind was functioning well. She just woken up and have to shoot a scene immediately. She was directly led to her position when she reached the location and just listened for the director's instructions

"PLACES EVERYONE! THREE, TWO, ONE. START!" the director shouted

Candice acted out the things that she was supposed to do. Walking towards the car. Looking around the surroundings. Pausing for a moment. Dropping the car keys. Counting slowly as she stood upright, walked around the back of the car and asked, "Who's there?"

She heard footsteps and knew her costar was already at her back but it was still not the time to turn. She saw the director's signal and slowly turned to meet Silas and her jaw dropped

She was so surprised to see him there that she voiced out, "Oh my god"

A lot of things ran into her mind during those few seconds. She didn't know he was Silas. She thought it was going to be Paul or Ian or Zach. Did the crew mention him? Did the director tell her? She can't seem to recall since her mind was not functioning well earlier. Oh god. She needs to focus. This is a scene. Work. Work. Work.

She saw him smile. His adorable dimpled smiled that she really likes to see. And his eyes, they're…. Urgh.

"Hello Caroline"

Screw that accent

After shooting the scene, people fussed around the area but the two actors remained still and stared at each other

"Hello Can" Joseph greeted softly

Candice breathed,"Hey"

One of the crew and one writer approached them and coughed softly to get their attention. Both actors looked at their way

"Candice, I have the script here for your meeting with Silas. I'm sorry if…" the writer started

"Wait, so this is a scene when I meet Silas?" Candice interrupted, processing the information. Her mind finally started to work well. The writer nodded in reply

"I thought I will be filming this scene next week" Candice stated

"Yes, that was the schedule but since we took some adjustments and there's still things going on with having another set…" one of the crew explained and glanced at Joseph

"So I need to memorize these lines by today" Candice said

The crew and writer glanced at each other warily

"If possible, maybe in two hours Candice" the crew replied

Candice massaged her temples and sighed, "Okay"

"We're really sorry about this Candice, if you want we can discuss the lines and setup at your break room" the writer offered at the same time the crew talked to Joseph about the location for the next scene

Candice took a glance at Joseph before replying, " Yeah, let's talk there"

Joseph conversed with the crew as he also watched Candice and the writer walked away

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Candice sighed for the nth time, "I can't believe this is happening right now" she thought, "I'm so not yet ready for this"

Candice tapped the script on the table. She finished memorizing her lines for the upcoming scene. What a scene it's going to be. Urgh. I'm not yet prepared for this!

"Knock. Knock"

Candice looked up and saw Nina, "Hey"

"Hi" Nina greeted back and sat beside Candice, "Everything's okay?"

"Yep. Just memorizing some lines" Candice said cheerfully

"Too cheerful for her normal cheerful tone" Nina cringed in thought

"Candice? Are you ready?"

Both actresses looked up and saw one of the crew

"Yeah, I'm ready" Candice responded and stood up

The crew nodded, "We'll start filming 20 minutes from now"

"Oh." Candice said, "Uhm, could you go back here if we only have 3 - 5 minutes left before filming? I think I still need to finalize some of my lines"

The crew looked at her and nodded slowly, "I guess I can go back here later"

"Thank you" Candice said and the crew left

Candice sat back and Nina stared at her knowingly

"What?" Candice said and avoided Nina's gaze

"Are you avoiding someone, Can?" Nina asked

Candice scoffed, "No"

"Yeah? 'Cause on my way here I saw someone who awfully look like Joe" Nina stated

"Oh, well, Joseph Morgan's here" Candice said nonchantly

"Yes! So?" Nina inquired

"So.. what?" Candice shot back

"Did you know he's going to be here on set today?" Nina exclaimed

Candice sighed. She realized Nina will not let this topic slide. "No I didn't. Apparently, this was also not part of the schedule"

"What do you mean?"

"You know we're filming scenes with Silas now, right? My first meeting with Silas was supposed to be next week and my Silas is Joseph"

"And now the schedule is kind of messed up?"

"Technically no. Julie was so worried that the actors on the other set might not make it for the schedule next week. So she gathered all the actors that have scenes in TVD and told them if they finish filming three fourths of their scenes this week, they should be able to come here for the TVD scenes. The writer said that Joseph was the first one to finish it all up"

Nina grinned, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Just friends,Nina" Candice emphasized

Nina rolled her eyes, "Okay, so now that we've got the 'how is he here' covered. How about we talk about 'what are you going to do?' "

"What do you mean? He's here for work" Candice said stubbornly

"And also to explain" Nina shot back

Candice glared at her

"Come on Can, I mean it's so obvious why he's here. He wants to explain"

"Why does he needs to be here to explain?"

"Gee, Can, I don't know. Maybe because you keep ignoring his calls and messages" Nina replied, "Don't you dare deny. I saw you clicking the ignore button for a million times"

"I'm busy working. I don't have time to chat"

"Yeah, and it doesn't really have something to do about 'that' news"

Candice shrugged

Nina groaned, "Can look, just give him a chance to explain"

"Nina, contrary to what you guys really believe about us, we're really just friends. He doesn't need to explain anything to me"

"Come on Candice, don't be stubborn"

"Okay, let's entertain your thought that maybe there's feelings somewhere, but why does it matter now? He's with someone else"

"Yes, I get that but why does he keep calling you?"

"Maybe he just want to talk about you know about his feelings for his girl" Candice muttered, "And maybe I'm just not in the mood for those kind of things"

"Do you really think that they're dating?"

"Well, the article clearly said that Claire was the one who said it"

Nina sighed defeatedly, "Can.."

"Look Nin, I know you like the idea of Joseph and I but Claire and Joseph are good together. Joseph is actually close with Claire. I mean I teased him about her sometimes. The last time we talked, he shared about her arriving on their set" Candice chuckled good naturedly, "So, I'm not really that surprised to hear them dating"

"You're not?"

Candice bit her lip, "Not really"

"Oh Can" Nina said and held Candice's hand, "I really thought there's something, you know. I just think you need to talk to him"

"Uh-huh. I will, I mean we do have a scene together"

Nina looked at her seriously

"Come on Nina, stop bringing the two of us together. Joseph and I are just friends! That's all it is"

"Are you seriously telling me that there was nothing there? At all?"

Candice looked down, "Well, a part of me might have drop a little when I heard the news but that's just it. Just a little drop"

Candice saw one of the crew gesturing her about the film so she stood up

"Nina, you don't have to look so troubled because of this. This is the basic concept of our industry" Candice said when she saw Nina's troubled expression

Candice tapped Nina and smiled a little, "Out of sight, out of mind" and then she walked away

Nina watched Candice leaving. I'm troubled because you're my friend Can. I don't want to see you like this. I know how much it affects you inside. You won't even say his nickname anymore

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

Ian whistled as he approached Joseph, "Woohoo, looks who's here. I'm surprised to see you here, mate"

They were at the outside snack table near the trailers. Ian opened a cola while Joseph ate a sandwich

Joseph laughed, "Well, I finished most of my scenes in the other set. Now I have to finish some of my scenes here"

"Where are the others?"

"Oh you know, still filming"

"Oh, so you're the first one here. Jumped at the first chance to see someone?" Ian wiggled his eyebrows

Joseph chuckled

"How's Claire?" Ian asked

"Good, good. She's still over there filming. She might be the next one to finish her scenes"

"Well, I must say, Congratulations man" Ian said and patted Joseph's shoulder

Joseph smiled awkwardly

"I really thought it was Candice" Ian stated, "Have you talk to her yet?"

Joseph sighed, "No, I think she's busy memorizing her lines"

"You're going to talk to her, right?" Ian asked seriously

Joseph nodded in reply, "I just don't want to disturb her right now. I don't think she likes to be disturb right now"

Ian just shrugged

"How is she?" Joseph asked. His anxiety was shown by the tone of his voice

Ian smiled teasingly, "Well, She's fine. That's what she always says". Joseph just nodded

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Ian asked

Joseph looked at him, "I'll tell her myself"

Ian continued to drink his cola, "You know Joe, Candice is a very beautiful woman"

Joseph nodded at turned to Ian. He's trying to dechiper what Ian was trying to say

"I just want you to know that there might be other guys trying their best to get her attention out there" Ian said and tapped Joseph's shoulders, "So, think hard what you want to do about it"

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

"Hey Candice!" Ian called out and ran towards the actress

"Ian" Candice greeted

"Where are you going?" Ian asked as he walked along with Candice

"Shoot. With Joseph" Candice answered

"Oh yeah. Talked to him earlier" Ian casually said

Candice looked at him strangely, "Okay..?"

"Are you going to talk to him?" Ian asked

"Yeah, of course. We have a shoot together"

"About the news?" Ian emphasized

Candice groaned, "Don't tell me you too. I mean Nina already talk to me about this. What is this? Is this couple goals or something?"

Ian laughed and squeezed Candice's arm lightly, "Just let the guy explain Can"

Candice glared, "Why? So you can continue your silly bet thing?"

Ian chuckled, "Hear him out, okay?" and walked away

Candice sighed, "Why are they all fussing about this?"

~~~~~ Behind the scenes~~~~~

"Everyone said that you were gone for good""

"It's true. But I never meant to go without saying goodbye""

"You don't owe me an explanation. You're moving on. By all means, go"

"Well, that's just it, isn't it? I never had any intention of moving on. The truth is, I've tried to stop thinking about you.. and I can't"

"Come to New Orleans. What are you afraid of?""

"You. I'm afraid of you"

"Woah, this is quite an atmosphere" one of the crew mentioned

They were shooting the scenes in some parts of the woods. They silently observed as the actors did their lines

"You can really feel the uneasy tension that the director wants from the scene" one of the crew responded

"Maybe because the scene is somehow related to them" one of the crew muttered. She was one of the crew who was always present in the 'Klaroline' scenes. She glanced at Kevin who also looked at her, "You got inspired with them again?"

Kevin sighed, "A little"

She stifled a giggle, "Well, if it helps, the others are also a little affected"

Kavi shook his head, "I'm just a little sad for them. I might be writing their last scene soon or probaly this will be their last scene"

She gasped, "Oh no"

Kevin nodded his head, "Yeah, Julie wants to end The Originals presence in TVD as quickly as possible"

Kevin watched as the actors continued to act the director's orders. He observed as they reached the violent parts of the scene. He also noted how the actors have only little interaction in between which is kind of unusual for them. He sighed, "Oh boy. This does not look good"

"Great work everyone! Candice, Joseph, you're finished! Now let's go to the next scene" the director announced

Candice and Joseph thanked the crew as the crew moved along for their next shooting location. They stood next to each other as Kevin approached them with a guilty expression. Kevin gazed at the both of them before saying, "We'll leave in 20 minutes Joe, we need to get back"

Joseph nodded in return

Kevin looked at Candice, "Nice job today Can. Both of you did great"

Candice smiled, "Thanks Kevin"

Kevin looked at them warily and muttered, "I'll go ahead" and walked away

Candice inhaled slowly and turned to Joseph, "Great job today Morgan"

Joseph smiled a little, "You too"

"Glad I've memorized it all within two hours" Candice said cheerfully. Too cheerful for Joseph's liking

Joseph looked at Candice seriously as they started to walk out of the woods

"Can we talk?"

Candice looked at him, "Of course. What do you want to talk about?"

"Claire" Joseph answered

Candice cringed on the inside, "Yeah! I forgot to congratulate you, that's great news Joseph"

"Can, I'm sorry for this.. the confusion… the costars..the set.." Joseph stuttered

Candice giggled good naturedly, "Joseph, you don't have to apologize.."

"Then let me explain.."

"You also don't owe me an explanation" Candice interrupted as she stared at Joseph and smiled a little, "Just because I swore to never date someone I work with doesn't mean you also have to do that too"

She started to walk away but Joseph held her wrist, "Candice"

Candice bit her lip as she noticed the defeated tone from Joseph. Candice held Joseph's hand and stared at his face one more time

"Claire's a wonderful woman. I'm happy for you.. for the both of you" Candice whispered as she let go of his hand, "You should go, Kevin's waiting" then she walked away from him

This time, Joseph didn't stop her

I did the right thing. He's with somebody now. I'm just his friend. He doesn't need to explain anything to me because I'm just his friend. He also doesn't need to apologize because there is nothing to apologize for. We're just pretty close that's why there was a little confusion happened but it doesn't matter. We're moving on from it. We have to move on from it

Though, it doesn't mean it didn't hurt a little when he didn't fight hard enough to let me hear him explain.


A/N: CHAPTER 5 everyone!

I really hope you enjoyed reading it. Tell me your reactions or anything! I just want to know what you think about it! :)