Romancing the Fangirl Read online

  * * *

  Not today!

  * * *

  Today, they were going to fulfill one of Leslie’s greatest wishes: she was going to do a “meet and greet” with her two favorite stars! She had signed up immediately and paid dearly to be able to get an autographed photo with each of them. David Duchovny’s alter ego, Mulder, had been her first crush from the show X-Files and she wasn’t over him yet! Leslie had dug out her VHS tape of the X-Files movie and a silver Sharpie for him to sign it.

  The other actor, Alexander Weber, was the newest addition to her current favorite T.V. series, a vampire thriller called Bloodbath. It was creepy, funny, sexy all rolled into one. Alexander was one of the main vampires and he could bite her neck anytime if that is what you got!

  She had been trying to get Katherine to watch it with her since they were both X-Files fanatics, but she had been dead set on only watching “one show at a time” due to her schedule since she “couldn’t keep up” and “didn’t dare take off work”, she thought with a frown at the silly reasons her friend had shot her down. Boo hoo!

  * * *

  But today?

  * * *

  Today, she was not letting Katherine get out of going to the convention. Meeting David Duchovny was going to be the hook for her. Katherine was almost as big a fan as Leslie, before her parents had died. Today, she wanted to rekindle that flame of life and excitement she knew was hidden inside her friend. It had been a long time since Katherine had any fun and Leslie worried about her.

  * * *

  “Katherine! Wake up, sleepyhead,” Leslie shouted, giving up on the whispering to gently wake the sleeping beauty who was more than likely still passed out in her room. Katherine was everything Leslie wanted to be: where Katherine was tall and skinny, Leslie was short and curvy. Katherine had blonde hair and Leslie highlighted hers to get anywhere remotely close to blonde with her dark brown curls. Leslie wasn’t jealous. Instead, she reveled in their differences. Today was an example: their costumes.

  When she bought the tickets, she ordered costumes online for them both based on their figures. Leslie playfully ordered a long, white gown to dress up as Princess Leia as well as a dress-up gown for Katherine. Today her friend would be Princess Peach from the video game. Both would be princesses and both costumes would be flattering to their respective figures. Leslie wanted to dress as Padme (her favorite!) but was terrified to be in white spandex in public. There was just no way in Hell that was happening.

  * * *

  “Katherine! You gotta wake up and get ready,” she said opening the bedroom door to her friend’s condo and ducking as a large pillow came flying at her head. Morning person, she was not. Kat could work fourteen hours straight and be on her feet running the entire time, but as for waking up? That did not happen quickly.

  “Wake up, Grumpy-Ass. I have plans for us. You have to get up and get ready,” she explained, sitting on the end of the bed and hopping up and down annoyingly. She knew it would bug the crap out of Katherine and eventually get her up. The mattress sprang up and down repeatedly. It was obviously working as she heard Katherine mutter a curse word.

  * * *

  “Stop it” Katherine groaned, feeling Leslie bounce up and down at the end of her bed. “Seriously, stop,” she repeated. Leslie was a bundle of energy and she’d like to siphon some of it from her occasionally. Leslie was always smiling, laughing and on the go – today was no exception. She was like a shaken up Coke, ready to spew energy any second. And when she did, Leslie was everywhere. As it was, the “Coke can” was bouncing on the end of her bed annoyingly.

  * * *

  “I swear, you are a freakin’ bingo ball in a dryer. What did you have for breakfast? Crack? I think I need my key back from you,” Katherine said grumpily as she tossed back the covers to get up and head for the restroom, uncaring at her state of dress. This time, Leslie was lucky she was dressed at all but that is what you got when you barged in on someone. Leslie demanded she get up, so fine. She would! One of these days she was going to end up accidently mooning Leslie, if it didn’t end up being deliberate.

  * * *

  “Hey! Whoa! My eyes!” Leslie feigned as she saw her friend was only half-dressed and barely so. Glaringly white legs, a bright blue flash of panties and a grey T-shirt was all that she saw before she turned away, shielding her eyes. “You really gotta warn somebody before you flash them,” she teased, knowing she had her friend at least up and moving now.

  * * *

  Katherine rolled her eyes in the mirror as she brushed her teeth to get the film out of her mouth. She had slept hard and she needed it. “What time is it and what’s up your sleeve today?” she garbled the question aloud, unsure if Leslie was still in her bedroom or if she had walked off. After rinsing her mouth, she walked out and stopped dead in her tracks at the peach-colored monstrosity that lay on the bed and the sight that Leslie proudly presented with a massive grin. She was dressed head to toe in a white gown complete with a God-awful brown wig in order to look like Princess Leia.

  “You are kidding, right?” Katherine asked, surprised. “Where are you going like that?” she questioned and almost dreaded the answer. This did not bode well for her going back to bed.

  * * *

  Leslie laughed and clapped her hands excitedly. “WE,” she said gesturing between them both pointedly, “are meeting David Duchovny and Alexander Weber today at the convention downtown! Can you believe it?” she cried out excitedly. “I bought us tickets six months ago and hoped you would be off. I wanted to surprise you,” she exclaimed.

  “I’m so excited! I can’t believe it – do you think he will mind signing something? I brought a VHS tape since it’s small to carry – I wanted to have him autograph a few of them but didn’t want to go over the top with it,” Leslie explained as she straightened her wig that had enlarged buns attached to each side. There was no way she could get her shoulder length hair to form the cinnamon roll shapes that were the Leia trademark.

  “I considered having him try to sign a T-shirt but only if that T-shirt is on me!” Leslie joked lecherously and wagged her eyebrows suggestively. “Mulder is still a hottie,” she continued as she grinned. “You don’t look excited. This will be fun!” she pleaded and spun around to show her costume.

  * * *

  Katherine stared at Leslie stunned. She was bubbling with excitement and she could understand why! Both had been huge fans and she looked adorable dressed up. But if she was dressed as Leia, who was the other character? She didn’t remember anything orange-colored from Star Wars that involved tulle and frills. “So if you are Leia, who am I?” she hedged.

  * * *

  She had been to a convention years ago with Leslie and remembered hordes of people in costume. That time, they had gone as “con-virgins” and wore shorts, sneakers, and carried a backpack not knowing what they were getting in to. It was an eye opening, exciting, experience that was full of surprises. Detailed outfits, throngs of people, hard-to-find items for sale, as well as panels where you could learn more about your favorite series. Apparently, this time, they were going in full costume and meeting Mulder from X-Files. She would honestly not be surprised if Leslie didn’t whip out a boob for the actor to sign. Being dressed head to toe in a gown was probably safest for all involved.

  * * *

  “You are Princess Peach,” Katherine heard Leslie explain and practically groaned aloud. It would be cute and delicate, but she would be stopped by every man in overalls all day long for a photo. Just as every Storm Trooper or Wookie would be stopping Leslie for pictures.

  She had been amazed at the amount of costumes and intricate details each one had. It had been incredibly fun to watch them pose repeatedly for photos for all the people that were not in costume. This time, she would be posing. She shook her head “You want to do this, huh?” Katherine questioned, already knowing the answer.

  * * *

  “Yes!” Leslie practically shouted and hugged Katherine. “Do yo
u mind? I will drive so we don’t have to ride the ‘L’ in full gear,” she offered. She knew she was pleading now. Kat did not look thrilled to be dressed as a princess, but Leslie couldn’t afford some of the other costumes at the time. If she got Katherine to the convention, she knew that they would have a fantastic time. “Pocky is involved, I promise,” Leslie exclaimed and crossed her heart with a smile.

  * * *

  Katherine laughed at the excitement in her voice that Leslie could barely contain. She knew Leslie had a massive crush on Duchovny but had no idea who the other fellow was. Katherine could not let her down when she had put so much work into both of them going.

  “All right. All right,” she agreed. “But one condition,” she bargained. Katherine saw Leslie nod, her eyes brimming with excitement. “This Peach Princess is not wearing heels. I will wear flats since we’ll be doing a lot of walking. Agreed?” she said, compromising. “And lots of Pocky, dammit.”

  * * *

  “Oh my gosh, Kat! You’re the best!” Leslie cried out happily using Katherine’s childhood nickname. Hugging her again, Leslie picked up her bag and escaped the bedroom so Katherine could change.

  “I will zip you up once you get it on,” she announced and closed the door firmly. She was so glad Katherine would be getting out today and having a bit of fun. It was one thing for them to have dinner or go shopping together, but it was a whole other thing to get her out for some real entertainment.

  * * *

  Katherine glanced at the bedroom door as it closed and then to the pastel creation on the bed. Grimacing lightly, she pulled the itchy contraption over her head and began to don the costume ever so carefully. She noticed that the large skirt, while it did not have a hoop to it, had quite a bit of fullness that was surprising. The tulle would itch like Hell today if she sat down. Pulling her long, blonde hair into a ponytail on top of her head, she twisted it into a bun, grinning at the image. The princess comb that Leslie had thought to buy completed the look perfectly. Opening the bedroom door, she grinned at Leslie’s excited visage. Her friend was practically bursting at the seams from excitement. How could she ever dampen that spirit by refusing to go?

  * * *

  “Zip me up, you fool, and let’s get going,” she teased affectionately and laughed aloud when Leslie gave out a large squeal of delight, hugging her. Katherine knew she had made the right decision giving in and dressing up for her. Leslie had a heart of gold and took care of everyone and everything.

  * * *

  “I still can’t believe you did this,” Katherine said in awe at her thoughtfulness and planning. She vowed to give her friend the money for the intricate costume and knew it must have been expensive to get the tickets as well. She would be certain to make sure she thanked Leslie again later, treating her excited girlfriend to something special. Hugging Leslie again, she grabbed her wallet.

  “Let’s go. I hear Pocky screaming my name for breakfast,” she said, imagining the light, airy biscuits in all flavors. The two linked arms and laughed as they headed down the steps in a swish of cheap fabric.

  4

  Katherine knew it would be crazy insane at the convention center but had no idea as to the depths of what the costumes would bring. They were stopped repeatedly for photos from the moment they left the parking garage to the second they got their plastic bracelets to enter the hall. People in cosplay where everywhere and dividing up into groups for photos. It was incredible the smiles and laughs everyone shared. It was downright infectious and Katherine found herself grinning like the Cheshire Cat even before entering the hall. The atmosphere was electric and invigorating.

  * * *

  Glad she had the foresight to wear flats, even if they didn’t match, Katherine could only imagine the pain of some of the cosplayers as she saw the intricate boots or platform shoes that their costumes required. Katherine took several photos with her phone herself, a few selfies, as well as had others take a photo of her and Leslie with others in costume. It was great fun and she was glad she had agreed to go. The crush of bodies was a bit disorienting from the throngs of people and she even got a scrape on her arm from someone’s spiked costume. Regardless, it was amazing to see all the sights.

  Standing in line, Katherine heard on the intercom the details of where each meet and greet would be held. She had to stand firm against Leslie’s urging to get out of line, but she was definitely getting a Game of Thrones T-shirt from the vendor and she had already been in line for fifteen minutes. She had elbowed her way into the line after being pushed out of the way and someone took her spot. There was no way she was bailing as of yet! Leslie’s pacing and tugging was making her feel a bit rushed. When her turn came around she selected shirts for them both. Then she grabbed two coffee mugs, one for herself and one for Leslie. Katherine also picked up a metal sword that was fashioned into a pen for her favorite teacher as a “thank you” for the tickets.

  Paying the cashier, she allowed herself to be pulled through the crowds quickly by Leslie to the other side of the hall, only to stand in line once again. They waited patiently, smiled and took photos during the interim with others nearby to pass the time. Both grinned like loons as they got their chance to meet the famous star and took photos. Leslie was on cloud nine and could barely be contained as they were shuffled off to make room for the next person in line.

  * * *

  “Did you see that? He signed my tape! I’m so damned happy! I can’t wait to download my photos,” Leslie exclaimed over the din of the crowd. It was incredibly loud, like a dull roar, from the number of people in the large hall. She had heard earlier that they were limiting entrance due to the fire code enforcement and was glad they had arrived as early as they had. That would have been awful to have to wait outside for hours on end, only to hear that they couldn’t go in until someone left. Ugh!

  Leslie could see that Katherine was excited as well to get her photo taken with the star. He had been accommodating and had allowed them to both get in a photo together. That pic she would be framing, she thought. She hoped she looked halfway decent in it and not like a grinning idiot. Tugging Katherine along, they moved to another walkway in order to get in line to meet Alexander Weber. Leslie had been a huge fan for the last two seasons and, one of these days, she was going to get Katherine hooked on the series, too. Maybe I should just buy her the DVDs? Then she decided to just get them for herself and have Kat come over for a girl’s night of wine and Giovanni, Weber’s character from Bloodbath.

  * * *

  Katherine found herself in line, once again. Only this time, the line was not as long. Nor was it full of women thirty to fifty years old. This line was full of women and men that looked to be just over twenty or not much more than that. Each person in line had two red dots upon their neck to resemble a vampire bite. She had seen the red circles earlier and thought nothing of it, but now it made sense.

  Katherine saw several younger women come out of the meet and greet area fanning themselves. They were exclaiming that they “loved Giovanni” and “wanted him to turn them into vampires”. Katherine rolled her eyes at the absurdity. X-Files was great, but it was pretend. She did not ever want to be the subject of Mulder’s investigations because that meant there was some weird, freaky stuff going on around her. This show, she didn’t know anything about it and was tempted to get out of line to make room for someone else. The only reasons Katherine didn’t leave were because she could only imagine how expensive the ticket had been and did she want to disappoint Leslie.

  Googling the name on her phone, she checked a few websites to get the general story. It sounded like a soap opera with vampires. Okay, she could go for that. A little bit of action and a whole lot of romance? Gotcha. Looking at images, she saw several pictures of a good looking, blonde man and could see why the women were excited. Apparently, Giovanni was one of the main characters of the show and was a hot topic with the ladies.

  As the line drew closer, Katherine could see him from afar and was mildly imp
ressed. He had a winning smile for each woman. He shook their hands and accepting their hugs. The actor posed with each playfully and, occasionally, signed an article of clothing or a DVD. She saw that he seemed to be genuinely an outgoing person and she could see why he had made it as far as he had in Hollywood. His features were quite striking and made a devastating combination. She could see Leslie was practically giddy with the idea of meeting him.

  * * *

  “I can’t wait to see him,” she heard Leslie say loudly in order to be heard over the crowd. Frankly, she couldn’t either and that surprised her. She hadn’t really had a crush on anyone in forever and for her to be all googly-eyed over a celebrity was so out of character for her. But then again, so was dressing as a princess in public. Her last crush had been on Mulder years ago. Nodding in agreement, Katherine decided that she was definitely going to have to watch the show one of these days. Maybe the next two days she was off, she could coerce (Ha! There would be no coercing!) Leslie into vegging out with her in front of the television.