WHO: Rhett and Xo WHEN: Friday, June 8th WHERE: Channel Six SUMMARY: Rhett announces he's staying on the film in honor of Moira. | Xo and Rhett talk in the dressing room after the show WARNINGS: Suggestive.
[The segment begins with focusing in on Xo and Rhett behind her anchor desk, both looking somber. Rhett looks more put together than the last time he was on air, but there’s definitely a weariness to him. He’s put on a front of strength and composure, but the sadness is there. In the lower third the graphic reads Rhett Wyatt Speaks Out, below it even smaller text reads JUNE 9, 2018]
Xo Valdez Munroe: Thank you for joining us tonight, Fall City. Tonight we have our guest, Rhett Wyatt who had previously spoken to us in regards to Moira MacTeer and her unfortunate disappearance that has recently been revealed to have led to her untimely death. He has agreed to sit with us here to speak to our community in this time. Mr. Wyatt, thank you for joining us tonight.
Rhett Wyatt: Thank you very much for having me. I wish it was under happier circumstances.
Xo Valdez Munroe: The community has been rocked by the loss, but given your personal ties to Moira, I can imagine this is a very difficult time for you.
Rhett Wyatt: Moira and I had known each other for a very long time. I met her when I was still new to the business and she was already very established, and I felt like I really learned a lot from her. We had our highs and our lows and when we broke up, naturally, we fell into less frequent contact. But I’ll always be grateful to this project for giving me a chance to reconnect with her and an opportunity for us to put aside our past and build a new relationship together as co-stars and friends on-set. [his voice breaks a little and he gets teary and shakes his head before he changes the subject.] Lightning Bugs was extremely important to Moira. It wasn’t just another film to her.
Xo Valdez Munroe: Would you say that in a way Moira might have seen this as a legacy project for herself?
Rhett Wyatt: I don’t feel that I’m the right person to say that. I will say that she really connected with Cora March. She truly felt a kinship with her. More than anything else in the world, she wanted to create Lightning Bugs as a way to bring more light onto Cora’s story in the hope that it might help her or help someone else.
Xo Valdez Munroe: Of course your continued involvement in this project, in light of events, has been up for discussion.
Rhett Wyatt: It definitely has. You should see my phone. Which is why I would like to take the opportunity here to make an announcement. After a lot of thorough contemplation, I have decided to stay with the Lightning Bugs film as a tribute to Moira. I believe that it is what Moira would have wanted me to do and that’s what made the decision for me. I feel I should do it for her.
Xo Valdez Munroe: That is a very moving tribute to someone that you obviously cared for. What do you feel like next steps should be for the film?
Rhett Wyatt: Obviously, we’re going to have to look at what happened and take the steps to ensure that nothing like it can happen again. I’m sure the police will find whoever did this and bring them to justice soon. In the meantime, we just have to keep taking it one day at a time and work together toward a brighter tomorrow after this very black night.
Xo Valdez Munroe: That’s very inspirational at a time like this. Thank you for spending the time here with us at Channel Six.
Rhett Wyatt: Thank you, Channel Six, for having me.
[He reaches to offer her his hand and the screen fades]
The cameras were cut off and Xos hand went to the back of her neck, rubbing against the crick that had been there for days now. But while she dimmed the internal lights now that the cameras were off and they were no longer on the air she was conscious to the fact that there was still another person there who had never needed to agree to be on her show to begin with.
Despite the tragedy she also knew the boost of the announcement would raise her profile. It seemed cynical to think about a career moment in a situation like this but Rhett was media savvy, he had to have known that. And she didn't know what to say. Thank you? Sorry for your loss? She didn't know him at all.
“Did you need anything?” She asked instead, a soft smile on her face. “I imagine you don't want to stick around the studio.”
Rhett had known it was time to address the press and make an announcement. His choice was to give a lot of interviews or give one interview as an exclusive. There were a lot of reasons that Channel 6 was the obvious best choice.
Even though Xo left Rhett more confused than any other person he currently knew. He did not understand this woman.
“It’s a charming studio,” Rhett said. “But I wouldn’t want to impose.” It would depend a little on how long it took Rhett’s people to map out a good exit strategy. “I heard that Olly had the chicken pox, I am sorry to hear that. I hope he has made a recovery and that the case wasn’t too severe.”
“Charming is a nice way of saying small.” She held back the yawn that threatened to over take her, instead if forced back behind her ears. But she liked their studio, they tried to make it work with what little they had. Not everyone could be NBC.
She was a little surprised that Rhett had heard about Olly, or that he continued to show interest in her son. “It should be cleared up in a few more days.” She offered for explanation. “But outside of being uncomfortable and sick he'll be fine in the end. Just itchy a little longer.”
“Charming is also a nice way to say charming,” Rhett pointed out. He wasn’t calling the studio small. Size was relative. If you compared it to other small towns of this population that didn’t have any local channel at all, the place was huge. He thought it was a fine size for what it was.
“I’m happy to hear that. Itchiness aside. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, all things considered.” Xo hadn’t been murdered, her son was sick but it could have been worse, she wasn’t sleeping much but at least she was able to sleep when she had the chance to. The murder impacted her through work and from general community but it wasn’t as if Moira was someone that she had any particular attachments to.
She got up, motioning for him to follow. “Come on. I’ve got cookies in my dressing room.”
“I suppose that’s the best we can hope for in circumstances like these.” Rhett said. He offered her a weak smile. Cookies? Her dressing room? Rhett couldn’t say that any reporter had ever made that offer to him before. He’d been invited to dressing rooms under certain pretenses before, but Rhett could tell that Xo did indeed mean the dessert.
He blinked but stood to follow. Rhett was a little amused. Confused, certainly. But they had seemed to have put the troubles they’d had before behind them after Rhett had pulled her irate camera woman’s car from the ditch. “Do you make this offer to all of your guests?” It was an attempt at light humor.
“When they’ve had hard days. Or weeks.” Xo shrugged as she made her way towards her dressing room. It was always stocked with snacks and beverages, it was an old habit. Food always helped things be better if at least for the blood sugar boost.
Once she was in the dressing room the cookie tin was pulled out and popped open. “They’re fancy cookies too. I’ve soda too. Don’t tell my son, I don’t let him have it at home.”
“We’ll just keep this between the two of us,” Rhett said. “I won’t tell your son and you won’t tell my trainer or dietician.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten a cookie.
Xo held out the tin. “Now you’re just making me depressed. You need two cookies.”
Rhett’s let out a light laugh and took the tin. He studied the cookies. “Alright,” he said. “But which two of these are the best?” He looked at her for her recommendation.
“That’s a very personal question.” Xo turned to her mini fridge to pull out a sprite to hand over to Rhett. “You can tell a lot about someone from their cookie choice.”
He looked down with a smile before he met her eyes. “Scared that I might get to know you better?” Rhett took the Sprite.
Her eyebrow quirked up but she still had a smile to belay that. “You didn’t seem all that interested in knowing me better. But cookies are a good way.”
It took a moment for Rhett to catch her meaning. He blinked before the realization dawned. She had sent him her number and Rhett hadn’t used it yet. “Oh,” he said. “I’m sorry it came off that way. That was entirely about the timing and our occupational circumstances. It had nothing to do with whether I’d want to get to know you better. I apologize for making you feel that way.”
Xo shook her head, though the smile didn’t entirely go away. They were expected excuses, reasons to not talk to her. But he could have his reasons, she wasn’t here to yell at him. Not today anyway. “Rhett, don’t apologize. Go on, pick your cookies. I won’t even get mad if you take three.”
Rhett had planned to call her once this film was done and there was no longer a conflict of interest. He picked a rectangular one with sugar on top and a circular one. His bases were covered. “I can see you as a mother.”
That seemed a weird thing to say to someone. “That’s probably a good thing.” she smirked as she leaned back against her dressing table. “Since I am one.”
“From what I’ve seen, you’re a very good one,” Rhett said. “You put your child first.” Not every parent did.
“Well yeah.” Xo shrugged, hands finding the table for something to do that wasn't defensively closing up. The instinct was there but years of stubbornness and training resisted. “I'm all he's got. So I have to.”
“So things ended less than amicably with the father.” Rhett frowned. “I am very sorry to hear that.”
He couldn't possibly be that clueless, could he? Xo was beginning to wonder just how thick the bubble of Rhett's life went. But then again she was also used to everyone knowing her business. It was strange when someone didn't. “There was nothing to end.” Xo answered pointedly. “There's never been any father involved in Olly's life.”
Rhett’s brow furrowed. “I’m afraid I don’t follow?”
Professionalism kept her from screaming in that moment because outside of her mother's guilt sessions she didn't have to talk about this often anymore. Take a breath. Count to three. Don't grit her teeth, it'd give her a headache if she did. “I don't know who his dad is.” Xo attempted this as calm and breezy as she could. “So he doesn't have one.”
Technically, not having a father was not at all the same as not knowing who the father was, but that semantic was a lot smaller than the actual revelation was. His eyes widened as he took this in. “Oh,” Rhett said. He blinked and looked back at her. “Oh, I see.”
That meant either she’d had multiple partners around the conception window, or she’d visited a sperm bank. Since she’d seemed very career-focused the first time Rhett had met her, he didn’t think it was the latter. Rhett had met her six y...Oh.
Well, that did explain why she’d been acting strange.
His tone softened. “That’s very difficult too. I can imagine even moreso in a small town.” To find out the father, she would have had to contact all of the fathers and asked for a test. What a very awkward situation. Rhett could understand why she hadn’t done so.
“Well,” he said. “If it provides you any small measure of answers or relief, I cannot have sons. Which is a shame, because I’ve always wanted one. Growing up in a household of all sisters and no brothers, especially. I’ve always thought it would be nice to have a good mix.”
Xo was not entirely sure how to answer that. She knew Rhett had kids, it was a little easy to look up. Unless he had taken measures beforehand, which obviously she had never bothered to ask. “I'm... Not sure that's how that works, but thanks. Not that it matters.”
“It’s a long and complicated story,” Rhett said. For some reason, Xo struck Rhett as a woman who might be skeptical of curses. She had very clearly never been cursed by anyone. Let alone a family member. “It may to Olly one day.” Rhett shrugged before he straightened and met Xo’s eyes. “I’m glad you told me,” he said. “I don’t know you very well and I wouldn’t want to presume anything. I’ve already made that mistake.” Rhett occasionally did learn. “We can change the subject if you’d like.”
“Yeah.” Xo would be super up for a subject change. She took a cookie for herself. “You probably need to head out anyway. Want any cookies for the road? They’re the fanciest of the store bought ones, I know they’re hard to resist.”
“They are very tempting,” Rhett agreed, looking at Xo. He reached into the tin and took two. His expression softened. “Thank you.” She’d been kind. Rhett wasn’t just talking about the cookies.
With that Xo put the lid back onto the tin, setting it back into its proper place. “Think nothing of it.” She brushed it off with an awkward shrug. “Just don't send your nutritionist after me.”
“If she catches me, I’ll tell her I don’t have any idea where they came from. Your secret is safe with me.”
A playful smile started to play at the corners of her mouth even as she tried to hold it back. “I can be your illegal cookie dealer.”
Rhett tried not to laugh at that, mostly because she was trying not to smile. “I’d like that,” he said. “We can arrange secret meetings behind your son’s and my nutritionist's backs.”
“Olly's pretty nosy, we'd have to arrange it at the station. Or the one back alley in Fall City.”
“....Fall City has a back alley?”
Xo laughed as she shook her head. “Oh Fall City has all kinds of secrets, including it's lonely back alley. Maybe if you're good I'll share some with you.”
Rhett’s smile curved and his chin tipped to look at her. He shared a conspiratorial glance. “I’ll have to try to be good then.”
“Don't tell Effie I'm getting you in trouble.” She offered a wink.
He moved closer. “That will be our secret too,” Rhett promised.
She didn't move away when he stepped closer. And probably Xo should have. There should have been very specific boundaries created but right now she couldn't think of what they were, her eyes flickering up to his. “I love secrets.”
“We’re acquiring quite a few of them.” His eyes stayed on hers as he slipped an arm around her waist.