It didn't just stop with the one article. The news was picked up from there and it spread. And spread. And spread. And now, Ross was getting curious about the story. Was it actually true? Did she say something along the lines that everything was fake? Maybe she was drunk at the time, maybe it was before he got there, maybe she said it in all seriousness and that would be his cue to freak out. His mind kept going back to that morning in Thailand when she muttered out loud and admitted she had been worried that they wouldn't make it as a couple. It had been a week or so since Rydel and Ellington called up Laura and she had got him on Skype as soon as he got back from the set, explaining everything and apologizing for something that he was pretty sure didn't actually happen. Now, though, since the articles kept popping up almost everywhere, he was even starting to doubt his trust in her and that was something he never wanted to doubt.

He closed his eyes in the back of the car, taking him back to their apartment after his flight from Vancouver and hoped that they could just put this behind them for once and for all. He'd only be back in LA for a week before he had to go back up to Vancouver, finishing up a few more episodes before the movie promo tour officially started. Riker's Grease premiere was in just a couple of days and Ross was looking forward to celebrate his brother and the movie, and not put the limelight on the rumors surrounding him and Laura.

He wasn't much for reading or believing anything on gossip sites anyhow, especially this one considering they were the ones who shit all over his parents' relationship without a care in the world. But now, being in one of those "celebrity relationships" he was kind of forced to pay attention. He knew he loved Laura and that she loved him. They were both in this for the long haul. She wasn't just his girlfriend, she was his partner. The one who would dance with him in the rain and surprise him with tickets to hockey games in Vancouver with his friends that he thought he was too tired to go to but went anyway and had the time of his life. She was the partner who would call him out on not cleaning the bathroom and remind him that he had a dentist appointment, because let's be honest there, everyone hates going to the dentist. She would even promise him a candy run or something silly after he went, because she was that person and she knew him like she knew how to play the etude #2 without any mistakes.

He arrived back at his apartment sooner than he thought and he let out a sigh of relief as soon as he stepped through the door. It felt good to be home, even if it was only for a week. A soft sound of old Ella Fitzgerald tunes came from inside the bedroom. He left his luggage at the door and tossed the keys on the ottoman before he followed the song. While it was quiet out in the living spaces, it wasn't inside the bedroom. It didn't even matter right now that they were in the middle of a could be celeb couple scandal, what mattered was that watching her dance around to the old track while changing the sheets on the bed brought a big smile to his face. He leaned up against the door jamb, fighting the urge to pull out the phone from his pocket and get her on video. He watched her for a bit more before stepping inside and joining her in the dance. Ross spun her around into his arms and beamed even more at the joy spread over her face that he was home. Her hand in his and his at the small of her back, he pulled her closer and stepped around the sheets at their feet, dancing as well as they could before he was tripping over the bedding she had left on the floor. He spun her around once more into his arms as they got tangled in the fabric below them and took a little tumble onto the floor.

"Sorry. I should've moved those," she bit on her lip. "Welcome home."

Ross tugged on her arms, wrapping them up around his neck while he cupped her bottom and scooted her closer to him. "Thanks for the dance."

"We're gonna have to do that one again," she mentioned, her hands starting to play with the hairs on the back of his neck. "I like dancing with you."

He kissed her before she could prolong her welcome home monologue with more words. He wanted her kisses, not words at this particular moment. Her kisses always started off sweet and grew with hunger. Right now, they tasted of blueberries with a little hint of honey, something that tasted really, really good and he hoped there were leftovers from that meal or something she could make him later on. He nipped at her lips again before they parted for air. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. I didn't expect you home this early. I was trying to clean up."

"Traffic was better than expected," he shrugged his shoulders, sitting up in the mess of sheets that they were still tangled in. They'd been tangled in sheets before, but this time, it wasn't sexy. It was just messy and getting back up on his feet, he pulled her up and started to help her with making up the bed that he'd be crashing in as soon as it was made.

"Are you hungry?"

He shook his head, tucking the one corner over the mattress before doing the same for the opposite one. "Maybe later. I'm kind of exhausted. I headed straight to the airport from working ten hours last night."

"They still have you out on the water?"

"Most is sound stage, but last night was the water," Ross told her, throwing the pillow up by the headboard before chucking off his shoes. Leaving them on the floor, he threw his body over the mattress, punching the pillow and getting ready for a long nap that he know he deserved. He started to rest up as Laura took the old sheets back out to the living space, getting ready to wash them before she returned and climbed into the space next to him.

"I know you want to nap and you can sleep until tomorrow morning if you want," her voice was soft and low. "But we do need to talk more, about..."

"I know," he cut her off. "Later though."

He watched her nod her head before leaning in and capturing her lips again. He knew they had to talk face to face about this all. Skype was one thing, but having the face to face talk was another. It was better. It would make them get on the same page once again and prove to everyone that all the reports were crap and they weren't faking anything about their relationship. Not one bit.

+++

While Ross took his nap - a long, and deserved one - Laura was doing quite the opposite. She left him a note just in case he woke up and she was gone and had quickly run to her new stylist for a fitting for the premiere, stopped by her agency and even did two loads of laundry. Now back at the apartment, it was nearing the night hours and Ross was still in bed. She didn't mind it so much though. He had been working long and weird hours for the past few weeks on the show and she had been lucky to get two minutes with him in between his call times. Settling in on the sofa after putting away the sheets, and wheeling his luggage back to the bedroom, Laura turned on the news just to drain out the quiet. If it was quiet, that meant she had more thoughts running through her head about what they would say now since they were face to face. As soon as that article had hit the web, she had been on the phone with Amy and Mona, and Chris, and her mom, and even her lawyers. She had issued a comment on both of their behalf, blasting the website and calling them outright liars, but still...the damage was done and it still had her twisted up inside when she had a moment to think about it. She hated thinking about it.

After the article was out, it was picked up and while she knew he was working, the best they could do at the time was a Skype call in a half hour's time. That, for her, wasn't enough. She really needed to tell him everything again and make sure he knew that she would never say anything like that and show him just how much she was in this. This wasn't a boyfriend/girlfriend situation where they would fight about it and have sex and that was it. She didn't consider Ross her boyfriend anymore, he was her partner. The one that she could really see a lifelong future with. She saw a home and children and a clowder of cats that could climb all over Ross and he'd let them. Having a partner was way different than having a boyfriend.

A partner saw you when you were looking a little worse for wear and still said you looked beautiful. A partner meant that they would pick you up at the airport even when you said you didn't need a ride. A partner meant that he would always answer your calls and texts, even if it was just to say that they'd call you later on because they were in the middle of something. A partner meant understanding and affection and going through everything together; it meant throwing the petty jealousy issues out the window and planning a future. They weren't exactly at the planning the future down to the date yet, but it was in the works.

Her feet up on the ottoman now, she plopped her one elbow on the pillow by her side and watched the images on the flat screen go by. She knew she should open the folder full of sides that her mom had passed to her when she stopped by the HBO offices earlier but at the moment, it was the furthest from her mind. What she really wanted to do was go back to the bedroom and force Ross to wake up so they could talk and then make up. She was looking forward to some making up time. Humming along to the soft song on the commercial that was airing, Laura began to get her own beat in her head and really wished she had stolen the piano from her parents for her own place. Maybe when she was in something bigger than an apartment, she would. Leaving the couch behind, Laura pulled a notepad out of a drawer in the kitchen, scribbling down the notes she had playing in her mind. There weren't any lyrics yet, but maybe this was the start that she needed to getting back into music and convincing Scott that she definitely had another album, or two, in her.

Looking back over the notes, she didn't notice or hear Ross shuffling down the hallway in his socks and boxers until he placed his hand just above the piece of paper she'd been sliding all over the countertop to write down the notes. She smiled up at him, leaving the paper were it was and rounding the counter to hug him tight.

"I love your hugs," he muttered into her shoulder and Laura could feel him smile against it.

"You can have all of them." She pulled back, sliding her hands from around his neck to just linger on his defined arms. "Have a good nap?"

Ross nodded. "I didn't know I could sleep that long."

Her lips curved upward. "Oh, I knew. Remember in Cape Town when we all went bar hopping and you were the party popper who slept? 15 hours."

"It wasn't that long."

"Yes, Ross. Yes, it was." She stayed close to him and wiped some stray hairs away from his eyes. "Are you hungry?"

He rolled his head from side to side, weighing the options of eating versus not eating and she knew it was going to be a yes. He was a Lynch after all and she wasn't really sure if he had woken up during the time she was gone and eaten or not. She was making him something either way. It wouldn't be a juicy and delicious steak like they had made together before he left for Vancouver, but it would still be something. Sliding back into the kitchen, Laura pulled out some veggies and other things to fix up while he took a seat on one of the stools. She busied her hands, debating in her mind whether to start off by talking about his work or just jump right into handling the stories that were being printed about them as they spoke.

"You're gonna grill that all together, right?"

Laura smiled up at Ross, knowing that was coming. So far, on his massive sandwich, there was three kinds of cheese, tomatoes, and peppers, and grilling it was never not an option. A Grilled Dagwood is what she used to call it. Now, she called it the Ross special, and add even more cheese after, with mayo. It was an acquired taste. "When do I not grill this?"

"True."

Silence overcame them again. Normally, silence wasn't a problem at all. But with this situation looming over her head, it actually made it awkward for her and that's something she never wanted to feel around him. Ever. Sandwich on the skillet, she gave it about two more seconds before flipping it over and breaking the silence. "I don't know how to approach this."

"Approach what?"

"This," her hands waved about. "The stories, the rumors and us talking about it all."

"Babe," Ross reached for one of her hands and held it tight. "Just talk. What are you feeling?"

"What am I feeling?" That was easy. She knew exactly what she was feeling. "I'm feeling that I love the life out of you and hate that these stories are flying their way around us and we'll be answering questions about silly things now instead of actually talking about our passions. I'm feeling that all the stories are going to get to us and break us and I'm feeling that this is entirely my fault, which it is, and you're going to just leave because you don't need this silly drama."

His lips covered her hand immediately as she slipped the sandwich onto a plate and towards him. He left the sandwich where it stopped and pulled her around the counter. "I'm not going to leave because of a story," Ross brushed away some hair from the side of her face, making her look at him.

"But you could and it scares me."

"But I'm not. Laur, when I told you I was all in this, I meant it. That means through all the bullshit stories and stupid crap our families make us go through."

A small smirk emerged on her lips. "But the story..."

"Honest? After I read it, it did make me wonder. You mentioned having doubts in Thailand and it all did start to worry me and kind of make me believe that this could've been something where a reporter overheard a conversation. Even if they did though, I still wouldn't leave you. We'd be doing exactly what we're doing now and talking about it. I'm not going to throw in the towel over something silly like this," Ross explained. "Did you say anything like this?"

"No," her eyes got wide. "God, no."

"Then that's all I need to know. You didn't say it. It's just someone wanting to start trouble because we're the most perfect couple ever and they're jealous. At least that's what Rydel has been texting me since this broke and she warned me that if we broke up, she'd never talk to me again."

Laura bowed her head, her forehead resting on his arm lightly over Rydel being the biggest Raura cheerleader ever. "I love your sister."

"So do I," he agreed. "And, I love you." His hands rested on her neck, making the space between them disappear as he pulled her close to kiss her.

"I love you too," she whispered. "You're going to be okay with everything? The press are bound to ask us something at the premiere this week."

"If they want something to talk about, they can talk about how flashy my sister's ring is going to be on this red carpet, or how Riker and Sofia are going to be flirting up a storm."

"Should we even walk the carpet together? I don't want all the attention to be on us and if we are or aren't a PR couple instead of on Riker and his movie."

Ross shook his head. "The attention will still be on Riker. I'm not putting a foot on that carpet without you."

By now, his sandwich was cold and she really didn't care, neither did he. Her arms slid across his arms again, hugging him tight. They could do this. Not that she had any doubt, but now she could say that without a doubt they could really be a celebrity couple who weren't going to give a shit about what the press said about them. They knew what they had was real and that was all that mattered. They would talk and fight and make up and grow. They weren't going to just give up. That wasn't them and it wasn't an option. She was happy it wasn't an option.

"Laura," he beckoned her attention again. "I still want that sandwich."

+++

In the days that had passed, things between Ross and Laura weren't just better, they were more than better. They had met up with his brothers for lunch and even got in a date night complete with a trip to their spot on the beach before premiere day, where mostly, they just laid around. Binge watching old episodes of The Walking Dead was the best thing they had done in a while. When three o'clock rolled around though, both of them started to get ready for the event. Since it was Riker's premiere, Laura didn't recruit her entire team to make her up and instead was relying on what she was taught over the years about her makeup and hair.

Even though they had two separate bathrooms so they wouldn't be on top of each other, somehow, they still tried to be in one bathroom. Sitting on top of the counter, Laura was busy trying to master her eyeliner while Ross was shaving next to her. Not that he didn't like not shaving on a regular basis for his role as Joseph, who was supposed to be sporting a beard, but it felt good to have clean skin. Plus, this was his brother's premiere and he was on a mission not to embarrass him, even though Riker was known for doing that to each of siblings in the past.

"Remember the last time we were in a bathroom like this together?"

A smirk came up over his face and he looked over at her through the mirror. "You mean that time that you seduced me?"

"I did not seduce you."

"Yes, Laura, you did. You were very good at it," he winked. "The way you just happened to have almost nothing on."

"I was in a bathroom. Of course I had almost nothing on," she argued back.

He rolled his eyes, splashing water on his face and rubbing soothing lotion over it before he felt the burn. Heading back into their room, Ross made a beeline into the closet and combed over the clothes that hung on his side of the racks. He pulled down a shirt and jacket randomly before glancing over at the dress she had planned to wear. It was stunning and had looped cutouts going from the shoulder to the other side of the dress and suddenly, he wasn't so sure about what he had picked out. It was his staple premiere uniform - tailored shirt, popped collar over a leather jacket, black jeans, black shoes; and if she was going to be wearing that, he was going to look like a total slob.

"This is what you're wearing?"

"What?"

He poked his head out of the closet. "The blue dress hanging. That's what you're wearing?"

"No," she confirmed, hopping down from the counter with her makeup done and walking his way. "That's for something else. I'm wearing the jumpsuit behind it. Why?"

Ross pulled the other garment out from underneath the dress and if he thought the dress was going to get her catcalls, the jumpsuit was going to get her taken away from him for sure. He would imagine it on her body now, hugging every sweet curve that he had penciled his name on. The top of it was all lace and he knew for sure she'd been wearing nothing but another lacy bra underneath and suddenly, he was flashing back to Cape Town when she let the whole metropolis see what was underneath. Nope, this was not what she would be wearing.

"Um...this is what you're wearing? Really?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," he cleared his throat. "Nothing at all...if you want to be whistled at by every stranger and weirdo in Hollywood."

"Aww, you're being all boyfriendy again," Laura slipped into the closet with him, taking the jumpsuit off the hanger he held in his hands. "I like when you're like that."