Hollywood Royalty

Grace had never been friends with someone Pedro’s age before. Well… That may not have been completely true since she had been friends with Benedict but that was different. Benedict had been friends with Tom first so the ‘Sherlock’ actor was sort of a package deal. Grace had also spent a lot of time around older people while working on film sets but her new found friendship with Pedro was still different. Pedro was different from Benedict just from the fact that Grace never spent any time around Benedict with just the two of them present and no one else. Grace honestly didn’t feel the age difference between her and Pedro. She wasn’t exactly sure why. Maybe it was because Pedro acted a lot younger than his age or maybe because Grace acted much older than her own age. It could’ve been both but Grace knew that her newfound friendship might be good for her. She had been cautious about getting involved with other celebrities but Pedro had seemed genuine and she had a gut feeling that he wouldn’t be trouble for her in that aspect. In an aspect of pure attraction… Now that was what had Grace worried about Pedro and any time spent with him especially since last night. Grace knew that it would probably be safer if they didn’t spend any time alone but it would be nearly impossible seeing as they would have to rehearse their scripts together in the upcoming weeks.

She wasn’t really hungover from the night before since she only had a couple of glasses to drink but it was still more than usual. If she remembered correctly then she was sure that Pedro probably had way more to drink then she did. There was something different about him that was quite different than herself. He seemed to enjoy the life of the party and live his life carefree which was a foreign concept to Grace. She couldn’t help but compare it to how Tom was. Tom always loved leaving parties early and substituting a night out for a night in with a cup of tea and a show on Netflix. Pedro almost seemed childlike in his excitement for adventure and going out. She remembered the way his face lit up in excitement when he found out what club they were going to. Grace steered herself away from any thoughts of last night because she knew that she had to remain professional with Pedro or at least on a friends basis. She couldn’t afford more drama in her life.

Grace was always a morning person especially when it involved her work. Grace was just happy to be back to work after such a long time away from film sets. Her hotel room was situated with a small kitchen so she made herself a cup of Earl Grey tea to help her in her morning routine before leaving her room. She was dressed in a black A-line skirt with a blue dragon fly pattern covering the vintage looking skirt. Her sleeveless blouse was a pristine pale color with black buttons and a black collar. It was way too warm for tights that she would’ve paired it with in London so Grace instead opted for no tights and paired off the outfit with a pair of peep toes flats with a cupcake theme on them. It was the iconic Grace Gallagher style that got so much attention from fashion magazines with her vintage and odd style. She applied minimal make-up and put her hair in her favorite French braid style.

Grace was all set to go so she left the hotel room with Ash on his leash. The blonde paused momentarily outside Pedro’s room but she decided to leave him in peace. He was probably sleeping off a hangover and Grace honestly didn’t know how to face him after last night. Pedro didn’t have to be at the set for a couple of hours anyways so there was really no point. The movie studios sent her a car to take her to the film set which she was grateful for. Grace had a meeting with Baz about the scheduled film shoot at the palace in Monaco as well as her duties on set as a producer. It was Grace’s first job as producer and she was a little nervous but she was assured by others that it was well worth producing a film. You had much more say in the film making process.

The studios were being very accommodating to Grace seeing as how they were letting her bring her dog to set. She figured that once you got to a certain level in stardom there wasn’t much they didn’t let you do. Bringing her dog was the only thing she really preferred doing when taking advantage of her fame. The car picked her up just outside the doors and they were off to the studio in little to no time at all. There was a bit of traffic on the way but the studio wasn’t that far away.

“Grace!” A voice called out as she entered one of the conference rooms in the studio. Grace had decided to release Ash from his leash once they were inside the building. He tended to follow her everywhere she went anyways. She looked up and locked eyes with Baz who looked very happy to see her. Grace smiled in response.

“Hello, Baz.” Grace greeted.

“Did you and Pascal have a nice flight yesterday? I hear that the studio sent you guys here on a private plane.” The Australian actor inquired conversationally. She noticed that some of the other producers were in the room including George Clooney who she hadn’t seen since the premiere of ‘The Descendants’.

“Yes, it was quite kind of them. Pedro seemed to enjoy the flight immensely.” Baz smiled.

“I’m sure Pascal enjoyed himself. I hope he hasn’t scared you off or anything… The guy seems pretty wild. It was brought to my attention that you two have already met up about the script.” Grace blushed.

“Pedro’s been quite nice to me.” Baz smirked at Grace’s politeness but he had been a little concerned with how the blonde actress and Latino actor would get along. He knew Grace for quite a while so he was familiar with her kind and quiet nature. Pedro, on the other hand, was a bit of a wild card with his vulgar humor and charming ways. Baz had been afraid that the two would clash but fortunately Grace hadn’t seemed disturbed by the mere thought of the older actor. The award winning director was glad for that.

“I’m glad to hear that, Grace.” Baz led her to the large table where all the other producers were sitting around. He gestured for her to take a seat next to George who smiled at her in greeting. Grace returned his smile in response before taking a look at the scheduled shoots for the next couple of months of filming.

“Now that everyone’s here I guess we should discuss the matter in Monaco.” Baz glanced at Grace. “Grace, I take it that everything is set for Monaco?” Grace blushed in shyness as everyone turned their attention to her. George gave her an encouraging smile before she spoke.

“Yes, the palace is set for shooting during September 15th through September 30th .” She confirmed as she looked to every person in the room. “If we finish shooting here in LA on time then we should be able to make it to Monaco on schedule and even if we don’t we can always come back during reshoots.”

“Sounds good. When we finish up in Monaco we’ll end production in Pennsylvania then next summer we’ll return for reshoots. What kind of accommodations will we have in Monaco by the way, Grace?” Baz inquired.

“Well, Prince Albert has offered to have the producers, actors, and you put up in the palace for our stay in Monte Carlo and the studio is paying for the rest of the crew members to stay at a hotel in the city.” Grace tended to call her Uncle by his official title in public but it was instilled in her from a young age. She was raised with such formalities. “There are of course certain areas that are prohibited from filming but I’ve already emailed everyone the map highlighting the areas where we’re allowed to film.”

“Great, thank you, I don’t think I’ve stayed in a palace before. Should be interesting… Tell your uncle I said thank you.” Baz responded and Grace blushed.

“No problem.” Grace said and she knew that she would probably have to have a talk with everyone about royal etiquette but that could wait. They still had a month and a half before production would move to Monaco.

“Now we’ll move onto the budget.” Baz said and they continued the conversation regarding the production of the film. The meeting must’ve lasted a couple of hours as they burned through topics like budget, schedules of actors, and the timeline of filming. Meetings like these may have previously bored Grace but now it was a much needed distraction. She definitely felt more important in the film making process as she was allowed to give her own input and opinion over the production. It was odd being in the producer role of things but Grace could tell that it would be easy getting into it. The meeting soon ended and most of the producers filed out of the conference room.

The table reading was scheduled to start in about fifteen minutes so Grace, Baz, and George remained in the room and waited for the other actors to show up. A couple of assistants brought them coffee and a cup of tea for Grace in the meantime. She never really liked the taste of coffee anyways, the taste was a little too bitter for her liking. Baz quickly left the room to catch up with a producer who had already left. Something about forgetting to ask them about a problem with the costume department. George then focused his attention on Grace.

“It’s been a long time, Grace.” George said and Grace smiled politely.

“It has, George, how is everything? I heard you got married… A congratulations is in order I suppose.” Grace told him. George grinned as his wife came up into the conversation.

“Thanks… Yeah, finally got tied down although I really don’t know how. Amal is way too smart for me so I haven’t the slightest what she’s doing with an idiot like me.” Grace laughed.

“Oh but you have such a pretty face, George. I guess you’re arm candy material now.” He laughed.
“I guess I am.” His smile faded as he remembered all the headlines in the news about Grace and her previous marital problems. “I was sorry to hear about you and Tom, Grace.” Grace’s smile was replaced with a sad one. She knew that she would probably be hearing this a lot during filming since she knew George and Tom knew Robert. Grace was a bit scared about spending time with Robert since a paranoid part of her was convinced that he was going to spy on her for Tom. It was probably ridiculous but Grace was still terrified at the possibility.

“Well, somethings don’t work out I suppose. You know how difficult this job is and especially when the other person has the same job. Conflicting schedules can really tear a marriage apart.” Grace told him and it was the line she had rehearsed so many times in front of the mirror. It was a total lie but Grace could never tell anyone the truth. Everyone knew the truth about the newest Hollywood love triangle but that was only half of it. No one knew the other half of her failed marriage and Grace wanted to keep it that way. George gave her an understanding look.

“Of course. Grace, just know that if you ever need anything then don’t hesitate to ask… Okay?” Grace smiled but she already knew that she would never take him up on that offer. She preferred to just keep her business to herself rather than dropping her problems onto other people’s laps.

“Thank you, George.” He smiled.

“Don’t mention it, Kiddo.” George looked her over for a moment before laughing in what sounded like amusement. “God, you’ve grown up. How old were you the last time I saw you?” She smiled.

“I think I was twenty.” George shook his head.

“I think I realized just how old I am.” They both laughed and the conversation turned to remembering their filming in Hawaii. Grace was glad for the change in subject and the two spent the rest of their time talking before the other actors started showing up. It didn’t take long before everyone got acquainted with each other. Lily Colins seemed very down to earth and kind so Grace knew that she would have no problem getting along with her. She chatted with Anthony Hopkins a little and she could tell he didn’t remember her from those times on the red carpet and Grace couldn’t have been more thankful. Her reunion with Robert had gone really good with the older actor joking around as usual and he didn’t even bring up Tom. Some small part actors were also there and Grace mingled with them as well. She had almost forgotten than one very important actor was missing until he finally arrived. Grace was chatting with Robert again when she felt a pair of hands cover her eyes and she blushed because she exactly who it was.

“Guess who?” The deep voice whispered into her ear and she was suddenly reminded of the night before. The close proximity of her and Pedro as they danced to a Rihanna song. There it was again… That insane attraction she seemed to have towards Pedro. Trying to avoid her attraction to Pedro? Yeah that was seemingly not going to happen in the near future.

“Um… Blake Shelton?” She inquired and Pedro removed his hands from her before letting out a huff of annoyance.

“No, I’m way better looking.” Grace frowned as Pedro walked around to face her.

“That’s rude. I happen to think Blake Shelton is very charming.” Pedro wasn’t sure whether or not to be troubled by that piece of information. He knew that Grace could probably have her choice of men and maybe even Blake Shelton if he was single.

“I’m starting to question your taste… You could’ve said hello last night. I think he was at the club with his girlfriend although she’d probably whack you over the head for trying to steal her man.” Grace playfully glared at him.

“I would never do such a thing and it would’ve been weird if I just fangirled over the two of them at a Rihanna concert.” They laughed and it was as if the two of them were in their own little world until they were led back to reality when they heard Robert clear his throat. She swallowed nervously as noticed the slightly suspicious look in the older actor’s eyes. Her and Pedro’s close proximity must have looked off when they only knew each other for about a week. Grace forced a smile on her face as she looked back to Robert.

“I’ve been so rude. Sorry, Robert… This is Pedro by the way. Pedro this is Robert.” She introduced and the two shook his hands cordially although it took a moment before Robert’s eyes finally left Grace.

“I’m such a huge fan of yours, I can’t even begin to describe.” Pedro boosted as he shook Robert’s hand and the Iron Man actor smiled.

“Thanks and I’m a big fan of ‘Game of Thrones’.” Pedro seemed more than excited to be meeting Robert but Grace could tell that Robert had stiffened quite a bit. This caused Grace to worry more over the fact whether or not Robert was spying on her for Tom. She tried to dismiss that suspicion as being stupid because Robert was a husband and father… Why would he waste his time getting into her and Tom’s personal business. Grace told herself that he probably just felt awkward around her since he was friends with Tom and that was it. Either way Grace knew that she had to be careful whilst on set. Pedro and Robert then broke into a casual conversation in which Grace joined in on as she forced another smile onto her face. Robert soon excused himself when he saw George waving him over, leaving Pedro and Grace alone. Pedro gave her an odd look which led her to believe that he had probably seen the lingering look she gave Robert.

“What’s up?” Grace was broken out of her paranoia by his random question. She tore her gaze away from Robert and George, meeting Pedro’s concerned eyes. Why did his eyes look so lovely when he looked concerned?

“What?” Pedro gave her a serious look.

“You know what… What’s with the weird looks between you and Robert. Did you hit his car or something?” Grace laughed nervously.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Pedro gave her a look and Grace relented with a sigh. “Fine… He’s a friend of my ex okay?” Pedro gave her a bewildered look. It was odd hearing about a costar’s personal life all across the news but it was weirder when a costar acknowledged that news. It was a bit like being on the inside.

“Your ex?” She gave him a look before looking around the room to spot if there were any eavesdroppers but there were none. You’d think her life was like a spy movie or something.
“Lower your voice please.” She spoke to him softly. Pedro then wondered if her life was really that bad? Was her life so bad that she couldn’t trust anyone around her? She seemed to trust him enough if she was going to divulge something about her private life to him. Pedro had to make sure that he wouldn’t do anything to betray that kind of trust.

“I just feel weird around him because he’s friends with my ex and I think the feeling is mutual.” Grace told him whilst casting another look in Robert’s direction.

“Do you think he’s going to spy on you or something?” Grace blushed because it sounded even more ridiculous coming out of Pedro’s mouth.

“I don’t know… I know it sounds stupid but my ex and his… Well, his girlfriend have been pretty adamant about getting my attention. You should really see my inbox.” Pedro raised a brow.
“Why? You’re divorced, aren’t you? Do they want something from you?” Pedro really hoped that the media hadn’t been making up the divorce of Grace Gallagher and Tom Hiddleston. He knew that it shouldn’t have mattered to him whether or not she was divorced but his attraction towards the blonde actress told him otherwise. Grace sighed.

“They want to make amends.” Pedro gave her a look of disbelief.

“Amends?” He repeated as though he might have misheard Grace.

“Yes… I used to be friends with his girlfriend for a very long time and I guess she feels bad or something. She wants to be friends again apparently. My ex and I didn’t exactly part on good terms so I’m guessing he’s just following her lead.” Pedro scoffed.

“That’s insane.” Grace shrugged.

“Well, that’s Hollywood I guess. Anyways, my point is that I’m just really paranoid right now. I don’t think I’m at a point where I can face them yet and I’ve been paranoid about the whole thing. Seeing Robert has just really freaked me out about it.” Pedro stared at the worried looking Brit. He could tell that this was something that was really troubling her. It must have been hard trying move on yet having your past constantly shoved in your face.

“I’m sorry, this must be really difficult… the media that is.” Grace bit her lip.

“It was never that bad for me before but considering the people involved… Well, the media is having a field day with this whole thing. I signed the papers like two months ago but it still hasn’t really let up.” Pedro suddenly wanted to hold Grace in his arms and not let go. She looked so vulnerable and worried in that exact moment.

“Maybe we can go out for some lunch today… To get your mind off things. I mean as friends of course.” Grace smiled but it seemed a little forced.

“The reason I wanted to tell you all of this is because I don’t want to get you in trouble or anything.” Pedro looked confused so Grace continued. “It probably wasn’t really smart for us to go out last night like that. I just want to be honest and upfront about this to you… I’m really complicated right now and I don’t want to drag anyone down with me. I’d like to think that we’re friends but the media won’t see it that way. They’ll make up anything they want about us and I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with something like that.”

Pedro was left in a confused and trouble state as Grace finished up her little speech. He knew that the media had always followed the blonde around. She was a very famous actress who had been in a relationship with a famous actor for a long time. Not to mention the fact that Grace had also been best friends with one of the most famous popstars in the world. Grace attracted quite a bit of attention to herself but Pedro hadn’t given her whole issue with the media much thought. He really liked to be around her because, despite her time spent in the industry, she still had something innocent and kind about her. She was a genuine person and that was hard to find. There was also the fact that he was really attracted to her even though he really tried to shove those newfound feelings aside.

“I don’t really care about any of that.” Grace narrowed her blue eyes at him. Pedro wanted to laugh at her attempt at looking intimidating. Her intimidating demeanor looked rather cute to the Latino actor.

“You should care because it would be your reputation on the line. If you’re seen with me in public than it would be hard for a lot of people to take you seriously as an actor.”

“Then we’ll avoid the public eye. Let’s watch a move tonight in yours or my hotel room and order room service.” He suggested and Grace starred at him incredulously. Did his career not matter to him? She knew she should’ve turned him down so that she could avoid him but for some reason she just couldn’t find it in herself to do so.

“As friends.” Pedro smiled at her answer. He felt a sensation of excitement and happiness come over him as he stared at the slightly shorter blonde.

“Of course.” Grace smiled in response before deciding to change the subject.

“Let’s go over there. I’m sure George is probably furious with me for not already introducing you two.”

It was about half an hour after all the actors got acquainted when Baz decided to start the table read. Baz, of course, narrated the script whilst all the actors spoke their lines. Grace had only read her lines with Pedro the day before so she was a little nervous to be reading with actors like Robert and Lily who she had never previously worked with. It was a little awkward between her and Robert because not only was he friends with her ex but she also shared a couple of romantic scenes with him. Apparently Baz was going to include Grace Kelly’s experience on the set of ‘Mogambo’… As if this situation wasn’t already awkward enough. It finally came time for her and Pedro to read lines and the older actor gave her a comforting smile before Baz set up the scene.

“Grace and Prince Rainier take a turn through the palace’s gardens. The weather in Monte Carlo was warm with a nice ocean breeze. Grace glanced at the Prince from the corner of her eye, a small smirk on her face.” That was Grace’s que to start reading her lines.

“You know I had half a mind to not even come.” Grace read and Pedro started to read his lines in response.

“That would’ve been very rude of you, Miss Kelly.”

“I think it would’ve been in my right not to show up after all the cancellations you made time after time.” Grace had to admit to the weirdness of all of this. It finally dawned on her that she was portraying her grandmother in a film and that was beyond weird.

“Some of us don’t have the luxury of traveling to far away countries for photo shoots. Some people have real jobs.” Grace gave him an offended look.

“And being a Prince of a figure headed monarchy is a real job?” Pedro gave her an incredulous look.

“If this was three centuries ago I could your head for that.” Grace shot him a doubtful look.

“I think you’ve mistaken Monaco for Medieval England.” Pedro chuckled as he was instructed by the script.

“You’re quite bold, aren’t you? I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman like you, Miss Kelly.” Grace smirked at Pedro with a certain twinkle in her eyes.

“It’s Grace and there are no women like me.” Grace and Pedro’s scene wrapped up so Baz continued his narration onto the next one but a lot of the other actors were still caught up in the scene that Grace and Pedro just performed. The chemistry between the two actors was undeniable and everyone in the room felt the connection between them. Maybe that was what made Grace Gallagher such a good actress… She had such an incredible, intense chemistry with Ryan Gosling that made everyone believe in them as a couple yet there was really nothing there. It almost felt like the other actors were intruding on a private, intimate moment between Grace and Pedro.

A certain Marvel actor looked between the two actors with a curious expression on his face but looked away as he continued to read the script. To be honest Robert didn’t have any ill intentions towards Grace but he could tell she was uncomfortable by the way she was acting around him. He didn’t really blame her anyways because he had been through a divorce before and it always lost you friends in the end. Although his divorce hadn’t been as high profile as Grace and Tom’s divorce was.

Robert had been Tom’s friend for a few years since filming the first Avengers film. The guy was really nice and sort of goofy but was an extremely talented actor. Robert kind of felt like it was his responsibility to take Tom under his wing. That being said… Robert had met Grace numerous times during the filming of that movie all those years ago but was never sure what to make of her. She seemed very kind but remained closed off which he summed up as being because she was a quiet and shy person. Grace Gallagher had always been a mysterious character to him especially when she was with Tom. He could never tell whether she was genuinely happy with Tom or not. Her smiles always seemed good natured and warm but her eyes told a different story. Tom always made sure to have Grace on his arm and he looked upon her like you would look at a trophy or prize.
Robert never thought the relationship would last because of that and yet it did. He wasn’t too surprised to hear about their divorce although he was rather disappointed to hear how Tom handled the aftermath seeing as how he got involved with some popstar.

The older actor was also very surprised to see this different side of Grace. He expected her to be more aloof or even sad but he couldn’t get a good read on her… At least not until Pedro Pascal showed up. The blonde actress’s face practically lit up at the sight of him. He thought it was an interesting turn of events especially as he observed the two of them for the remainder of the afternoon. The two costars practically remained glued together, not really letting anyone else in on their conversation. His suspicions were confirmed when he witnessed the undeniable chemistry between the two as they rehearsed their scene together for the first time. A huge part of him was a little disappointed because he had been hoping that Tom would snap out of his early midlife crisis and go back to Grace, begging for forgiveness.

Unfortunately that most likely wasn’t going to be the case in this circumstance especially not with Grace going all googly eyes for The Red Viper over there. He supposed that Tom really did fuck himself over on that one because not only did Grace seem very interested in Pedro but the older actor seemed to reciprocate those feelings. Pedro looked at Grace with something akin to adoration and intrigue which was different from how Tom would look at her. The British actor always stared at her with admiration and disbelief which Robert had summed up as him being stuck on the image of Grace Kelly. Tom had Grace Kelly’s nearly identical looking twin and that was what drew him to her.
Robert didn’t know Pedro enough to determine what his intentions were with Grace but he knew that he made her laugh and smile which was a rare sight when she was with Tom. He had never seen the blonde look so carefree… So her age. Even if all that was between the two was just friendship, he knew that it would be good for Grace. He only hoped that Tom hadn’t completely ruined her because what Tom did was unforgivable.