It happened so fast, Gavin isn't sure how exactly it happened: the very next day after Shay broke up with him, he was back together with Astrid. Maybe that's what the whole thing was about in the first place, maybe the universe arranged his involvement in this film just to engineer this reunion. Maybe Astrid is his dharma, maybe not....she's certainly very different from the Astrid he used to date. Of course they were younger then, and have both grown, have different perspectives & attitudes: this Astrid is focused on him in a way his former lover was not. She's with him whenever he's free, she dotes on him & has devoted herself to his career as an actor. Which is something that has started to grow on him, especially with Astrid helping him with him rehearse his lines, making him feel confident enough as an actor to call himself an actor. They always worked well together as photographer & model: now they work even better together as thespians....Gavin has learned to enjoy calling himself that, a 'thespian'.

It wasn't long after the first magazine photos of Gavin & Astrid in their movie costumes hit the stands that Gavin started being recognized in public. The amusing thing is, people know nothing about him & confuse him with his character. When people come up to him, calling him Dream, Gavin has carte blanche to do or say any bizarre thing that comes to mind, and people just accept it. A strange echo of when he used to crash celebrity parties & engage in his theater of the absurd there. It would be preferable, however, if these fans couldn't just stroll up to his yard & wait to catch a glimpse of him coming in or going out. When Gavin is lucky, Justin will have sent them packing, something Gavin can't bring himself to do...but Justin isn't always around, and what's more, Justin is leaving. He & Eleanor are moving in together. Gavin loves true love, and has nothing but sincerest wishes of happiness for his friends. But Gavin has no intention of staying here once Justin is gone either, he needs to be somewhere where he is protected. Whether he likes it or not, he has to live like a star now, & hide himself away from the public.

Astrid has fans now, too. When they are out together, the people that recognize them point & stare, and sometimes giggle weirdly. Astrid has told him there's a lot of fanfic about their characters that has them involved sexually. Even though their characters are siblings....Gavin finds the whole idea revolting, but the more he & Astrid are seen together in the tabloids, the more this kind of thing finds it's way onto the internet. Astrid follows it closely, and is constantly reporting to him about it, though he asks her not to. "Oh, look, this one has pictures," she says, beckoning for him to come look at the computer. Gavin goes to see, and there is a picture of them, embracing, his lips on her breast. "Astrid, where did this photo come from?" Gavin asks, his brow knitted as he tries to remember the situation depicted, and figure out how it could have been photographed without his knowledge.."Oh, c'mon, Gavin, that's obviously not us: that's not my breast...they've just put our faces on other bodies," Astrid says & she's right. They did a remarkable job, absolutely seamless. "But I know that breast," Gavin says, sure he's seen that very breast, often enough that it has stuck in his memory..."And his hand, too...they're models, I've worked with them both," Gavin remembers, seeing his own photographs in his mind. "Astrid, how do we stop people from putting this kind of stuff online?" Astrid rolls her eyes & laughs, "You could send a cease & desist email to 'deathboy69', Gavin, but I don't think you want to be bothering yourself with that crap. It's not about us, it's about our characters. In the end, it will only lead to more interest in our film, and that means more work for us. I won't show you this stuff if it bothers you..." Gavin looks at the picture again. It's a very nice piece of erotica, actually. And it isn't him, it isn't her, it's models he's photographed like this himself. "Let's take some pictures," he says, and Astrid smiles at him & they head upstairs to his room. "You've really got to move out of here," she says as she starts undressing. "I'm looking for a house, Astrid," Gavin replies, looking at her through his lens as he sets up his camera. She tosses her hair & pouts up at him, knowing he's zooming in on her. "I'm going to have the photo studio of my dreams. I could buy myself a gallery, too, if I wanted....though now that I'm an 'actor', if I try to show my art, I'll look like a poser," Gavin sighs. Astrid poses for him, & Gavin shoots a picture. "Who cares what people think?" Astrid asks, "Buy yourself a gallery if you want. Make yourself happy, screw everyone else." Gavin watches Astrid though the lens. Neither of them has said 'I love you' since they've gotten back together, Gavin isn't real sure about how he feels about her, or if he should trust her...but she is there for him, all the time. Maybe it's self-interest, she nourishes him because she seeks to feed off him. She's certainly turned on by their public image, the way the characters' fans react to them as a couple, and she talks all the time about the sequel they'll probably do, though he isn't finished with the first movie yet. "You'll probably be spending a lot of time at my house when I have one, Astrid. Perhaps you should consider moving in with me..." Astrid agrees quickly, like she was just waiting for the invitation.