There was no other way to say it. Bermuda was beautiful. So, so beautiful. Laura was kind of pinching herself as she stared out on the horizon. From her little balcony outside her room, she could actually see the entire Atlantic Ocean and it was gorgeous. It was calm tonight and just what she needed after a long day of running around the island on a slew of promo duties for Into Thin Air.

Along with Jennifer, the publicist from Paramount assigned to her promo run, they had started at the airport where Laura was more than happy to tour the hangars and chat with the pilots there. They moved on to St. Catherine's church, and stopped by the Crystal Caves where she was shown around inside and wowed by it's wonder. Jennifer had moved her along to the Royal Naval Dockyard on the west side the island, where they also stopped by the Dockyard Glassworks and she picked up something cool for Ross and her father, then onto St. James church which was a stunning sight to see.

The city of Hamilton and some shipwrecks were on the list for tomorrow before Jennifer pointed out that they would have to stop by the pink beach and Laura was kind of excited for that. She'd never seen anything except for the yellow-ish sandy beaches of Los Angeles. She leaned her head back and listened to the quietness of the ocean, sipping on the most delicious mojito she'd ever tasted. Her feet rested on the chaise she laid on, her legs sore from standing mostly all day and crouching down into the caves, wishing she had worn or had a spare pair of flats instead of the heels.

After arriving at the hotel, the most gorgeous hotel ever in her opinion, Laura had quickly changed out of her cute skirt and top, let her hair down and pulled on the most comfortable pair of shorts with one of his tees that she may or may not have stolen from Ross before they left Los Angeles. She had no regrets about it either. It still smelled like him and she could sleep in it for months.

She opened her eyes as she set the drink down on the table and looked out at the pristine beach with more chaises lined up. There were some couples enjoying the sunshine that still beamed down onto them, and a few other hotel guests were on the beach and enjoying the water. She thought about going down there and probably would later on, but right now, she needed to rest...and to call her boyfriend who was supposed to be all settled in his own hotel in Puno, Peru. The little city was just on the border of Peru and Bolivia and unlike her stops, Ross would be hiking to his the next day.

Laura had tried to pinpoint the location of The Gate of the Gods on Google Maps and it was a lost cause. Not even getting the coordinates, or close to them and entering them was getting her anywhere. She was just praying he had cell service there and would be sending her creepy pictures while she'd send him breathtaking ones. Reaching for her phone on the table next to her, Laura checked the time - 8:14 p.m. It wasn't late, but it wasn't early either and she still wanted to go down to the beach before she hit the sack and prepared herself for a full day tomorrow.

Scrolling down the list of places for the next day, she let out a deep sigh and got off from the lounge chair, escaping back into her room. She slipped on her sandals and grabbed her room key. The plan was to go down to the beach and relax while calling Ross, and then grab a bite to eat at the restaurant, complete with another one of those mojitos. But before she could even get to the elevator, her phone was buzzing in her hand.

"Hi there sexy," Laura bit down on her tongue, her mouth curling into a smile as she answered the call from Ross.

"Sexy? I'm pretty sure I look anything but sexy right now, but I'll take it."

"And I'll argue that you're sexy all the time."

"This conversation got turned around. I'm the one supposed to be telling you that."

"But you tell me that all the time. My turn," Laura headed out towards the beach and slipped off her sandals fast, letting her toes sink into the sand. "How was your flight?"

"It was okay. We stopped in Lima and then were put on the smallest plane possible to Puno. I swear that there weren't even five seats on this thing."

Laura laughed at him and heard him take a seat somewhere, and she was willing to bet was his bed. She could see him in her mind, sprawled over the bed, and letting his shoes drop where they came off. "How'd Michael like it?" she asked about his uncle who Ross asked to come along.

Michael was the uncle who was really into the Ancient Aliens conspiracy theories and could tell anyone about "The Chariots of the Gods", Anunnaki, Greys, star people and more. It was always interesting talking with Michael and even Laura had to admit, he had her believing some of it. For Ross's role in the movie, he definitely picked up some things about the theories from Michael, so this trip was definitely a very cool thing for him.

"So far, so good. We go out to the Hayu Marca mountains tomorrow and did you know that David was here with us too?"

"I thought he was scheduled to go there later on?"

"We ran into him at the airport; said he had a conflict so they switched his to right now with me. We get to go to the Gate and the Stone Garden together."

"Sounds like a party," Laura laughed a bit, a little jealous that they were doing the promo stops together. She hadn't seen David since the Vanity Fair shoot and he was only there for that day. Hopefully, she was crossing her fingers, that he'd be at Cannes with them all so they could catch up. She had gotten to know David really well when they were shooting since his character, Amunet, was sort of Magellan's protector.

She sat down on the edge of the sand, watching the waves crash against the grains and heard him get up for a minute, telling her to hold on as he discarded something off his body. "Ross, you should see this view. It's kind of spectacular."

"Mine's better."

"I'm going to ignore that one. No way is Puno better than the Atlantic Ocean. The sky is literally turning pink right now."

He scoffed, "I'm in a private lodge on an island in the middle of Lake Titicaca."

"Let me say this again. Beach. Bermuda. Pink sky sunset."

"Sex on the beach worthy?"

Laura smiled at his comment. "Many, many times over."

+++

Ross Lynch had been to some cool places in his life. Very cool places like Venice, Italy during Carnevale; Santorini, Greece where Ryland thought it would be fun to play hookie one day and led all of his siblings on a while goose chase to find him; the Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway; Jacob's Well in Texas which was the coolest cliff dive he'd ever taken, Okunoshima Island, aka Rabbit island in Japan; the underwater rollercoaster in Yokohama; every single road in Tuscany, Italy; the ice hotel in Norway; hell, he'd even seen the magical Northern Lights from Finland. But this - the Puerta de Hayu Marka was something else altogether.

He was tempted to put his hand in the keyhole and see what would happen. Would he be beamed into the next world? Would he become a God? As much as that would be cool, he wasn't putting his hand anywhere near it. Ross posed for the photographer as he came up beside him as he checked out the Gate. His camera went off and Ross listened to the tour guide as he told him and his uncle about the Gate and it's history. According to the guide, the Gate was just that - a Gate that heroes passed through to join their Gods and to a new life of immortality.

He told them about the legend of Amaru Meru, an Incan priest who fled from with a golden disk known as the key of the Gods of the Seven Rays. The priest presented the disk to the watchful Shaman priests and a ritual was performed, and as it was done, the disk opened the portal up. With that, he stepped through it and was never seen from again. Ross watched his uncle ask more questions, trying to get to the bottom of the theory and see if it was really true and if he also would disappear...and while Mike was doing that, he was pulled away for a few more shots.

They had been up at seven a.m., told to dress in shorts and the hiking boots that were provided and were on a boat headed to Puno and then escorted in a car, which drove them an hour outside the city and into the mountains. The photographer and guide met him, Mike, David and their appointed studio publicist Simone at the base of the mountain, which they proceeded to hike up and as soon as they were in the clearing, Ross was given another outfit to change into for the press opp...and he was burning up in it.

Why the studio thought it was best for him and David to change into something "professional" was beyond him. He thought that wearing the shorts and gear on his back would be more authentic for his character and for the movie, but he wasn't the one running the promo show. Even David was second guessing the wardrobe change and was asking Simone about it right now.

"Wouldn't it be smarter for us to be in these things for the press conference?"

"They are for the press conference," Simone told him, still staring at her phone.

Ross held back a little laugh. Even if you weren't in the business, you could still tell that Simone was new to all of this. She wasn't paying attention and had her nose and her fingers stuck to her phone instead of tending to her clients. He was a bit surprised she even got reception here anyway. He looked away for a moment before watching David step towards her carefully and she didn't turn or even acknowledge his presence. This was freaking David Bailie, who was not only the coolest silent pirate ever, he was the best Shakespearean actor Ross had ever known. But Simone was not impressed at all...and he was willing to bet that if it was him asking something, her full attention would be his.

He always tried to think the best of anyone who chose this profession but since he had met Simone the day before, she had been all over him and almost left David behind at the airport...and for dinner. Once she had insisted they had to have dinner together, he was the one to make sure she meant for all of them. It wasn't just an ignorance problem, it was a fan situation and he wasn't exactly the most comfortable with her.

"I agree," Ross finally spoke up when David wasn't getting anywhere and Simone stopped looking at her phone. "We should be back in the hiking clothes, not in these. I'm changing."

"But you look amazing in what you have on," Simone said, trying to flatter him.

Ross smirked and rolled his eyes. "I'm sure I do, but I'm not wearing these for just photos. David and I can change back when we do the press conference at the hotel later on."

David patted his shoulder as the two started to change again, back into their shorts and hiking boots and Ross even put back on the hat that he was given to shield away the sun and heat. Now, it was much, much better. He was cooler and more than happy now to pose for more photos if the photographer wanted, but it was time they headed over to the Stone Garden. David still had to see where his character got lost from and then they'd be back down the mountain and to the hotel for the actual conference. South American press had been arriving all day, according to whispers around and he was excited to talk more about the film that was going to blow up.

"This is seriously cool," he said aloud once they returned to the hotel and he was hanging out with David before the press conference, flipping through the shots on his phone he had taken. They had seen the frogs, the Sphinx, the tortoise but his favorite was the African Queen. They had spent a few hours more at the Stone Garden, soaking up more history and theories about the mysterious place while David got in his press opp. His uncle had still been asking most, if not all, of the questions about if people had disappeared from there as well. That answer was yes, just like the Gate of the Gods.

Simone had been a little more focused since they returned, making sure everything was running on time for the conference, although, she was still pushing David to the side. Ross would definitely let Paramount know about that. He didn't want her to get fired, but she needed to give him the respect he deserved. He was in this movie too, after all. It wasn't just him and Laura, and Jenna, Milo and Gale. They were the big names on the mock poster Alex had shown him during their Vanity Fair shoot, but this movie was huge and he hoped they'd all get their names on it.

He put away his phone, slipping it into his pocket as his and David's names were called to come into the conference room. Ross put on his best smile and waved to the handful of South American press, praying that he could still recall most of his Spanish he'd been learning and re-learning over the years. He wasn't fluent and still needed the translator in his ear, but sometimes, he could decipher the language all on his own.

The press asked the normal questions; what the movie was about, why they were a part of it, how they got the roles, any funny things from set before one asked about Laura and how her role affected both of their characters. It wasn't a normal question - not that they've been asked a ton of questions about the movie so far, but this one, it was different and he liked it.

"Laura's character, Magellan," David started and tilted his head over to Ross, "well, she's something. Isn't she?"

"I don't even think that begins to describe Magellan."

"She's feisty and mad and the way Laura portrays her anger is brilliant. I've done angry before on movies and plays but nothing like Laura does."

Ross nodded. "She's like that in real life too," he slipped in, biting his lip to stop that. "Magellan comes into all of their lives and while everyone who was there before was just trying to get through the day, she comes and throws them all into the fire. She wakes them up and smacks them and says 'Why the hell aren't you doing anything to get back?' It really does wake them up and start thinking about their return."

"My relationship with Magellan is more paternal where as Ross, as Rory, is romantic."

"You're the Prince Charming of the movie?" the reporter asked, adding to their question.

"Lord, no," Ross shook his head, laughing a bit. "There isn't anyone charming in this movie. It's about survival and knowing that your roots matter."

More questions came and went and by the time the two hours had passed, he was beat. A full day of hiking and being out in the hot, hot sun, plus talking and trying to speak Spanish to several reporters, all he really wanted to do was climb into a bathtub and fall asleep...and that was what he was doing right now. David had stolen his uncle away and to the best of his knowledge were at the bar, taking advantage of the local fare. He'd join them later, but at the moment, needed rest. So much rest. He was in shape, don't get him wrong. He hit the gym every couple of days and was up to benching 250, and Laura was always dragging him to Runyon or some other off the beaten path trail, but actually hiking up the Andes Mountains was a whole other thing.

He set his phone on the ledge of the windowsill and slipped his eyes closed, stretching out as much as he could in the average tub. His brothers would tease him if they knew he preferred the bath to a shower, but his brothers were no where near him at this moment in time. Ross tried to let the stress go and thought about the next few weeks instead of why Simone's behavior was still bothering him. He wasn't any stranger to girls almost throwing themselves at him, or his brothers. They'd experienced that for five full years on tour. Each city was a different girl and yes, he was the Tinder guy throughout all of those years. But now, it was different, and it was for a damn good reason.

Ross had the woman of his dreams - the one that still made his fingers tingle and toes curl when she smiled and the one that when she said his name, it was like music. He was fully, and unexplainably in love with Laura; so much that she was the first thing he thought about in the morning, the last thing on his mind at night and in between all the minutes of all the days, she was the one making his heart beat faster than a hummingbird's wings flapped. So when Simone started her flirting and not working demeanor, he wasn't surprised, but he wasn't happy about it either.

There was a system he had in place, but he actually hadn't used it in a long time. The only girls he had been around, besides Laura for the past year, were other co-stars, his mom and Rydel, plus a few, much younger cousins who still thought of him as Austin Moon. The system involved him pushing the girl off to his brothers or him suddenly disappearing from the situation. Neither of those were an option here, though.

Ross let the thought go, slipping on his jeans after drying himself up after getting out of the bath. His hair was still sloppy wet and just as he reached for his shirt, there was a knock on his door. His plans were to meet Mike and David down at the bar and they'd kick back until the next morning when they both left for Lima, for yet another press conference and then back to Los Angeles for him. That was the plan anyhow, and it all changed as soon as he opened the door, still shirtless, to see Simone.

She was dressed down, more like a normal girl now and nothing was coming out of her mouth when he asked her what she needed. Her own blonde was pulled into a ponytail, her jean shorts were ripped in almost every place possible and Ross snorted lowly. While yes, she was off duty and not on the clock, someone, anyone really, wearing that to represent a film studio was questionable to him. He stared at her for just a bit longer, still without a word and watched her mouth drop a little bit more. Ross shook his head, slipping the fabric over his upper half and snapped his fingers.

"Sorry, sorry," Simone apologized. "I just wanted to give you the schedule for Lima in advance. We're out of here early tomorrow morning and just as soon as our flight lands, we're off to the hotel for the conference."

Ross nodded, looking over just how many outlets were going to be there and when he looked up, Simone had made it from the threshold to by the balcony. Doing a double take, he moved towards her and left the schedule on the table beside the door. "Thanks for dropping this off. I was just..."

"On your way out? I've heard that before." You could say that Ross was shocked as Simone laid her hand on his chest and started to slide her hand up to his neck, but after the day they had had, he wasn't the least surprised.

He put a stop on whatever the hell she was doing. "You do know that I'm happily taken, right?"

Simone shrugged her shoulders. "So am I."

"Then what the hell are you doing?" He placed her hand back by her side and backed up from her.

"You're on my list, and I'm taking advantage of my list."

"Your list?"

"You know...the list of celebrities you can cheat with. You're my number two."

Was she insane? Of course she was. Who the hell actually acted on a list anyhow...or who even had a list like that anymore? "Screw your list," he shook his head and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door.

"Ooo, up against a surface. I like it."

"No. I'm still happily taken by a woman I'm very much in love with. There's no way in hell I'm going to cheat on her, and especially with you. If I knew the person you're involved with, I would advise them to really think about your relationship."