Lily offered Mike another lemon drop without thinking, and he took it, popping it into his mouth without looking at it or her. She was studying her script in earnest so that she would be ready for the next scene she had to do with Jo. Since their return from the island, Jo had nitpicked everything she did. Her delivery wasn't right, she didn't throw the right line at the right time, she missed her mark, you named it she found it to be a problem. It was like she was back in the first grade and the pretty girl was tattle telling.

One good thing to happen since their return was that Mike had accepted Lily, and so she had made her place next to him, pulling over a tall director's chair and sitting next to him while she waited for her turn in front of the camera.

She had learned that he was better at learning the script then she was, she only had to say her lines aloud, and he remembered them, and he seemed to take almost as much pleasure in telling her what she got wrong as Jo did in telling everyone else. Lily didn't mind, though, it gave him something to do, and she needed all the help she could get from a non-judgemental source.

She hadn't had much to do with Finn since they had returned. The last real conversation she had with him had been in the graveyard, but she didn't think he was avoiding her so much as ignoring her because he didn't appear to go out of the way to avoid her when she was around.

Lily had learned that Mike was his nephew and that he went to school during the first half of the day and then was picked up by one of the studio drivers and brought to the sound stage where he awaited a nanny or sitter. She wasn't sure what she was referred to by Finn. Lily had only seen her once, and she was beautiful. Tall and lithe with red hair and beautiful skin and a perfect dress sense.

Feeling a presence next to her, Lily looked up and saw the very woman she was thinking about standing next to her with her gaze trained on Finn as he talked with the director and Jo.

"Move, I need to sit there," she insisted to Lily without looking away from Finn.

Lily was so taken aback by the command that she could only stare at the woman with round eyes.

"Are you deaf, move," she insisted once more.

Lily slowly stood looking over at Mike who was completely zoned out; he wasn't even looking at the set anymore, he was staring at the floor in front of him. He had seemed to close himself off more than he usually did.

Lily moved over behind the two, leaning against a wall, looking at the woman with a perplexed expression as she tried to figure out what had just happened. She supposed she could have stood up to her and refused to move, but it would have probably upset Mike, and she didn't want to do that.

Finn looked over at her with a raised eyebrow and then at Mike and the redhead who wiggled her fingers at him as she crossed her legs, making the most of them in her very short skirt.

Shaking her head, Lily slid down the wall, sitting on the floor and bringing her knees up to her chest as she tucked her wool blend skirt under them for modesty.

Joe and Finn ran the scene once more, and this time, Mudd was happy with it.

Lily looked up and noted that Mudd was scanning the people milling around as if looking for someone, and after a moment he frowned and stomped off in the direction of the back of the sound stage.

While Finn was no longer avoiding her, Lily was doing her best to avoid Mudd. She knew it was only a matter of time before Mudd pushed the issue, and she only hoped she was strong enough to push back.

Finn walked over to the redhead, his face its usual stern mask, as he spoke to Mike and the woman for a moment. The woman stood with her profile towards Lily then she gave a sweet smile and laid her hand on Finn's arm, squeezing it, and Lily felt an answering squeeze in her heart at the redhead's action.

Finn smiled past her at Mike, who stood while keeping his gaze firmly on the floor in front of him. The redhead looked over her shoulder at him and frowned, but her back was to Finn, so he didn't see it. Turning back towards Finn, she tugged on his arm, pulling him away from Mike and a good distance away from Mike as if she wanted to have a private conversation with Finn.

Lily watched as she got right up on him, looking up at him as her chest almost brushed his. He was frowning at whatever she was saying.

Lily silently slid up next to Mike, holding out the back of lemon drops, letting him take another one before shoving the bag in his pocket.

"You don't like her, do you?" she asked softly, and Mike jerked his head once to the left which she knew meant no. "Does she hurt you?" she asked, but he jerked no once more.

"She's mean and only interested in your uncle, not you?" Lily guessed. He didn't respond, which most likely meant yes. "I hear you, and I see you, Mike, I'll talk to your uncle." She assured him because how could she not. His response was to give a little smile, so small she thought she had imagined it.

Finn looked over at her; his eyes narrowing, and when the woman with him turned to look at her, Lily took a step back as she charged towards her.

"Leave him alone," she insisted as she reached Mike and put her hand on his shoulder. He accepted the touch but flinched.

"He doesn't like it when you touch him?" Lily said softly.

"How would you know?" she asked snidely.

"Because he just said that he doesn't," Lily insisted.

"I didn't hear him," she denied with an eye roll as if Lily was the stupid one.

"I did, and if you didn't, then you must not be very good at your job. Mike would appreciate it if you took your hand off his shoulder." Lily nodded in the direction of her hand.

Mike smiled his little smile that let Lily know she was doing the right thing.

She might not be able to be her own voice all the time, but she could be Mike's. She was strong enough for that.

"Is there a problem?" Finn asked as he walked towards them

"Mike doesn't like to be touched," Lily explained.

"No he doesn't, but he lets Gretchen," Finn said.

"He may let her, but he doesn't like it," Lily stood firm, knowing she was right.

Gretchen squeezed Mike's shoulder, and he flinched, stepping back, confirming what Lily said.

"I'm sorry, Buddy, I didn't know," Gretchen cooed. "Let's go home, and I'll get you some dinner," she suggested. "I'll make enough for your uncle Finn, and he can join us later, alright?"

Lily knew it was a dig at her, a way to let her know that Finn would be coming home to her at the end of the day, and Lily couldn't help but wonder if it was true.

Finn was shooting Lily one of his intense looks again. "No, don't wait for me. I'm not sure what time I'll be home, filming is supposed to run late."

Lily knew for a fact that it wasn't. They had wrapped for the day. However, she didn't say anything as she silently returned Finn's stare.

"Alright," Gretchen said with a forced smile as she called for Mike to follow her.

"We need to talk," he demanded after they had gone.

"Don't you want your girlfriend to know you need to talk to me?" Lily gave him a mocking smile.

"Not particularly. I'll meet you at your place in an hour," Finn said, then turned and walked away. It would serve him right if she didn't go if she stood him up instead. She took a minute to imagine the great Finn Baxter banging on her apartment door and her not being there to answer it. Then nice Lily took over, the Lily that wanted to spend time with Finn Baxter more than anything else, and she knew she would be there when he arrived.

What she didn't know was what he wanted to talk about. She turned and headed back towards her dressing room with a hundred different thoughts flowing through her mind, but she was too excited and nervous to focus on any one of them.