SOUNDTRACK: "Misbehavin'" - Pentatonix

"Delta Flight 1050 with service from Los Angeles to New York City, JFK is now boarding," the announcement filled the terminal. "All passenger, please report to gate A35 for boarding."

Kate looked over at Jared as he stood from his seat in the Delta first class lounge. "Let's go, Gremlin," he said.

She shut her iPad down and slid it into its case. They were at LAX, waiting to board their flight to JFK for the New York premiere of Suicide Squad. Emma and Shayla were joining them, along with Micaela, Jared's stylist. Robin was already in New York City and she was meeting them at their hotel when they arrived. Kate was trying, and failing, to hide her nerves at the impending event.

"Terry said you could spend the night at his place," Emma informed her as they walked through the terminal. "It's probably easier that way. We'll be out super late and the hotel suite will be chaotic. You'll probably have more fun with him and the kids."

Kate nodded. "You're probably right. I'm still not entirely convinced any of this will be fun."

Jared nudged her and smiled. "It will be. I promise. You'll love it."

She looked over her shoulder at the rolling carry on she had brought. Since it was a shorter trip, she had only packed a couple of outfits. One of those was the blue/green outfit Alessandro had sent over for her. Kate was glad for the trip and the break from planning Camp activities, but her heart had taken up permanent residence in her throat in exchange for the break. Emma went ahead of them and everyone else followed suit. Kate was surprised to find herself seated next to Jared in First Class.

"What?" he asked as he stowed his bag under the seat in front of him.

"Nothing. I just figured you'd want to sit next to Shayla to go over a few things," she replied.

He smiled. "Nope. You get me the whole ride there," he said. She wasn't sure how to take his teasing tone. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you about a few things before the premiere," he added.

She groaned. "Like what?"

"Like what you can expect," he said.

"Lots of flashing lights and probably a bunch of flashing women," she replied dully. "Screaming girls, jet engine noise levels, and lots of me standing off to the side while you do your Celebrity thing."

'Celebrity thing' was what Kate referred to as the way Jared acted around fans and reporters. It wasn't a secret that every celebrity generally took on a different persona when around fans and doing publicity and Jared was no different. He was extra charming, extra patient, and extra Blue Steel-y. In fact, she had never seen a bad picture of him at an event. Lately a few of his outfits had been questionable, but damn it if he didn't look perfect whilst wearing them.

He laughed at her description. "That is the funniest thing I've heard all day," he gasped, wiping his eye with a finger. After a second, and catching his breath, he looked at her. "I was actually going to have you walk the carpet with me," he said, crowsing his legs. "If you're comfortable with it," he added.

After the scare with the photos of Kate a week ago, he realized the best way to keep her out of gossip magazines was to give reporters what they wanted. Originally he had planned to just have Kate come with him to the London premiere and sneak her in after he was done with the carpet. But now, he was hoping she'd be open to actually walking the carpet with him while he posed for photos and did interviews. That way the press would get a decent eye-full of her and maybe they'd stop hunting her for photos.

"You're serious?" she asked, bright blue eyes wide. Her stomach clenched atvthe thought.

"Only if you want to, though," Jared said, giving her a reassuring smile. "You don't have to. It can be a little much at times. Believe me, I get it."

But something inside her boldened her. If she could handle a street full of press and screaming fans, surely a weekend in Malibu with a couple hundred of them would be a walk in the park.

"No, I want to," she replied. "It will just be a big adjustment."

"You'll love it," he remarked happily, settling in for the flight.

About seven hours and an Uber ride later, Jared was dropping Kate off at Terry's apartment for the night. It was more of a drive-by, though. After a quick hug goodbye, she was essentially bundled out of the SUV with her bag and left on his front stoop. She rang the door buzzer and waited for Terry to let her in.

"Kate!" he smiled at her. "Good to see you again. Come on in."

She followed him up and through the studio. "I don't have my camera," she told him.

"That's alright. I've actually got a shoot scheduled for tonight," he said over his shoulder. "You'll be with Alex and the boys." He stopped on the stairs. "Unless you want to help?" he asked.

Her interest was piqued. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Rihanna. For Diesel," he said, opening the apartment door.

Kate actually dropped her bag in shock. "You serious?" she asked.

Terry laughed. "Yes. I'm serious. Do you want to help?"

"Do bears fucking shit in the woods?" she asked.

"Alright. Well, see if Alex needs anything. If not, meet me downstairs in twenty minutes," he told her. "You can help me set up."

She could hardly contain her glee. After checking with Alex, she practically skipped down to the studio. Terry was setting up the lights when the buzzer on the front door rang.

"Get that, will you?" he asked, tightening a screw on a stand.

Kate buzzed the door open and a minute later, there was a knock on the studio's door. She opened it and was greeted by a young woman.

"Juanita, here for Rihanna," she replied.

Kate could see several people lined up on the narrow staircase behind her. "Right, come on in."

It seemed like an endless sea of people streamed through the door. The next three hours passed faster than Kate could count. Rihanna arrived and breezed into the room like the goddess she was. She had posing down to a science and Terry got what he wanted within an hour. As her team was packing up, it was all Kate could do to ask Rihanna for a selfie.

"You're Terry's new assistant?" the singer asked.

"Not exactly," the photographer interjected. "She's actually Jared Leto's daughter. He's in town for a premiere and she's staying with me tonight. They're off to London tomorrow night."

Rihanna looked at Kate again. "Yeah, I can totally see it now. Your dad's a cool guy."

"Have you met him?" Kate asked, trying to contain her shriek of excitement.

"I have," Rihanna smiled. "He was very nice and very charming. How come you aren't at the premiere with him?" she asked.

"Oh - I, uh...I'm not ready to do two of those things in a row. I'll be at the one in London on Tuesday," Kate replied, her face falling. "It's a little more than I can handle. I'm content to just watch from the sidelines. Jared has enough charisma and likes attention enough for the both of us."

The young woman burst into laughter. "I can see that," she smiled. "Well, have fun in London. I'm sure you'll do great at the premiere. Just try to smile and relax, even when you're blinded."

Kate nodded and smiled as the singer got up to leave with her stylist. "It was nice to meet you. Thanks so much for the picture!" she called after her.

Terry walked the group out and returned a few minutes later after bidding them farewell. He looked at Kate expectantly. "Well? What did you think?" he asked, grinning.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God!" she exclaimed, twirling around on her toes in the middle of the large studio. "I just met Rihanna. I just helped you take pictures of Rihanna. Holy fucking shit, no one is going to believe this."

He laughed. "I'm glad you had fun. But you've gotta keep it under wraps, for obvious reasons," he said. "I'm under contract. You can't post any photos or anything until after the shoot goes to the publisher."

Kate sobered up. "Right. I know. Everything's got its veil of secrecy," she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Welcome to Showbiz," he replied.

~~~

We'll be there in five, Emma's text read. Make sure you're downstairs waiting. We've got to get over to the airport right away.

Kate sighed and stood up, adjusting her neon pink Vans - a gift from Jared a couple weeks ago. Alex was nursing one of the twins and gave her a gentle wave from her rocking chair in the corner of the living room.

"Headed out?" she asked, her brown eyes tired, but filled with light.

Kate nodded. "Yeah. They're five minutes away. Gotta catch a plane right after, so I'm stuck waiting down on the curb," she chuckled. She walked over and gave the woman a half-hug. "Thanks for having me."

"Oh, anytime. We may take you up on that offer more often when they get older," Alex smiled.

Kate took her bag downstairs where she found Terry sitting in his office, looking at proofs from the the shoot with Rihanna the night before. He looked up when she walked past him to go to the door.

"My dad will be here in a few minutes," she explained.

The photographer stood and walked around his desk. "I'll walk you down," he answered with a smile. "You're welcome here anytime. I'd love to have you and Jared out to the house in New Mexico."

She scoffed. "Good luck. It's all I can do to get five minutes of his time," she smiled.

Terry laughed. "I get that," he said. He held the studio door open for her and followed her down the steps. "Have fun in London," he added. "It was great to have you here."

He opened the front door to the building and she stepped out after a quick hug. No sooner had she stepped to the sidewalk than a black van pulled up. The window rolled down and Jared's head appeared.

"Get in loser. We're going to London," he said, sticking his tongue out. Kate let the driver take her bag and put it in the back with everyone else's before getting into the back seat next to Jared. Shayla sat in the front next to the driver while Emma and Micaela sat in the back. "Did you have fun?" he asked.

Kate nodded. "He had a photo shoot and I helped him out with it. Alex and the twins are fine. They send their love," she replied.

"A photo shoot?" Shayla asked. "Who with?"

"Terry said I can't say," Kate answered cryptically.

"You know I can just text him and ask," Jared said, pulling his phone out. His nosiness had been an unexpected trait for Kate to learn about.

"Rihanna," Kate said finally. "For a Diesel campaign."

"Did you get to meet her?" Micaela asked.

"Yes!" Kate gushed. "She was really cool. Said you were cool, too," she added, looking at Jared.

"I know," he smiled confidently.

"So you've met her?" Kate asked.

"Several times. We have mutual friends. She's a fun girl," he answered. "We did a cover of one of her songs. It's one of our most popular."

"Yeah, right. Stay," Kate replied. The car was silent for a few seconds. "What airport are we flying out of?" she asked after a second.

"A private one. We're catching a private plane," Shayla called from the front seat. "With everyone else."

"Everyone else? What's that supposed to mean?" Kate asked, looking between the assistant and her father.

"We're catching a plane with the rest of the cast," Jared explained. "Your little brain is about to explode, Gremlin," he laughed.

Kate tried to mask her excitement for the rest of the drive to the airport, but it didn't go over as well as she had hoped. A smirk kept playing on Jared's lips as she tried to figure out what to do with herself. About forty minutes later, they finally arrived and it was all Kate could do not to leap out of the car onto the tarmac. Jared waited while everyone else got out to arrange the luggage, holding her back with a hand on her shoulder.

"Just remember these are normal people, okay? They're not any different from you or me," he reminded her. "Breathe. We'll be on the plane together for a while, so the sparkle should wear off after a little bit."

She smiled. "This is, by far, the coolest thing you've ever done for me," she squealed quietly.

He laughed. "Go on. We're gonna be late," he said, nudging her out of the Van.

Kate couldn't keep the smile from her face as she took in the private jet on the tarmac in front of her. Several other SUVs were parked around the plane and people were milling about. She could spot Will Smith near one of the cars and she nearly screamed his name. She turned to look at Jared as he got out of the car behind her. Micaela, Shayla, and Emma were piling back into the car.

"Wait - aren't they coming?" Kate asked, nodding to the other three women.

"The studio is only paying for a jet big enough for the talent," Emma replied. "We're catching a flight out of LaGuardia," she explained. "Life of the rich and famous," she teased.

"But don't you need Shayla with you? You two are practically fused at the hip," she asked as he led her away from the car.

"I can spare her for eight hours," he smiled at her. "Come on. I'll introduce you to the cast."

Kate had to remind herself to put one foot in front of the other as they approached the array of celebrities in front of them. She barely even registered the van pull away as Jared put an arm around her shoulders. Cara Delivigne was taking a video on her phone and he stuck his tongue out at her as he dipped his head into frame. The model-turned-actress looked at him and smiled.

"You made it!" she exclaimed, embracing him.

"Yeah. Just had to make a stop first," he replied. "My daughter, Kate."

Kate gave the statuesque beauty a nervous wave. "Hi," she managed.

"Wait - you have a daughter?" Margot Robbie remarked, coming over with a shorter Asian woman in tow. "How come you never told me that, Jared?"

Jared smiled. "It never came up?" he replied, shrugging guiltily.

"I'm Karen," the Asian woman said, holding her hand out. "Nice to meet you."

"Kate," the teen answered with a smile.

"This is Cara and Margot," Jared continued. "Who else is coming with us?"

"Will, obviously," Cara said, nodding over her shoulder. "And David. Joel and Jai are already on the plane. Just waiting for Jay."

"Wow. You're not the latest person for once in your life," Kate remarked, surprising even herself. "Impressive, Jared."

Everyone laughed and he gave her a playful glare. "Watch it. I can ship you right back to L.A.," he warned jokingly. "Why don't we get a picture?" he suggested, holding his phone out and allowing everyone to cram in around him. He stuck his tongue out and everyone made silly faces as he took the photo.

"Jared Leto," Will Smith said, walking over to the group. "My man." The two men embraced warmly. "You brought a guest?"

"This is my daughter, Kate," Jared said.

Will held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Kate. I'm Will."

She smiled at him, her nerves disappearing slightly. "Hi."

"Alright everyone! We are scheduled to take off in about twenty minutes. If you could all board?" a flight attendant said from the bottom of the stairs that led up to the plane.

GOSSIP BOARD

SHADYOAKES666 POSTED: I think Jared is bringing Kate to the London premiere. They were in the background of one of Cara's videos. And she cropped up in a picture Jared posted from the tarmac. I thought she would have been at the New York premiere since Emma posted a Snap from the car with Kate in it.

HURRICANE POSTED: Are you sure? Maybe he's just bringing her along for the trip. But, Suicide Squad is one of those teen movies; it wouldn't be weird to have her with him.

SHADYOAKES666 POSTED: I don't know. Either way she's with him. If she makes an appearance, I might scream my face off.

WWJLD564 POSTED: I'll just be happy if he's wearing something that doesn't make me want to gouge my eyes out.

~~~

Kate did one last check in the mirror near the hotel suite's door as Jared slid his shoes on. Her clothes fit perfectly thanks to the seamstress Alessandro had sent. The outfit made her feel confident and excitement filled her body for the day's events. Jared's outfit on the other hand...let's just say Kate's excitement was too preoccupying for her to comment fully on his clothing choice.

He had on a kelly green overcoat that went down to his knees and he had paired it with bright pink trousers, completing the look with black dress shoes. Micaela had done both of their hair and Kate's makeup because it was so simple. Jared's hair was slicked back while Kate's was pin-straight down her back and her makeup was neutral, highlighting her natural beauty.

"The car is here!" Shayla called from her room.

Jared stood and pulled his phone out. "Let me take a picture of you for Alessandro."

Kate turned to face him, taking a careful step on her high heels. In the days leading up to the trip, she had spent a significant amount of time wearing the black shoes. Emma suggested she practice walking in them so that when she hit the carpet, she'd look comfortable in them.

"You look awesome, Kate," Shayla said as she breezed in from the room she was sharing with Emma. "Emma, let's go! Robin's downstairs!"

Emma appeared from their room behind Shayla, putting in an earring. "Yeah. Jared, you got everything?" she asked.

He nodded and put a hand on Kate's back, guiding her toward the suite's main door. "Remember everything we talked about," he said as they walked.

They got in the elevator and as they got out, she could hear a scuffle of noises outside of the hotel's front door. Several photographers were waiting on the sidewalk, cameras out. Kate hesitated, but Jared urged her forward.

"Smile and breathe," he whispered against her ear.

The door man pushed the door open for them and she was very nearly tempted to run and hide. What seemed like twenty photographers swarmed around them, shouting Jared's name. Flashes blinded her and she had to focus on Emma's brown pony tail around the spots in her vision. She could feel Jared behind her as he kept his chest pressed against her back, making sure he had an arm extended between her and any wayward photogs. The feeling of other bodies closing in around her made her heart race. A hand took hers and led her to the car, helping her into the back seat. After blinking rapidly for several seconds while Jared signed a few autographs, she realized it had been Robin.

"Robin!" the teen exclaimed, still blinking. "Jesus Christ, what was that?"

"You're fine," the woman assured her.

"That was your first paparazzi crowding," Emma remarked from the the farthest seat in the back.

Kate tried to focus her eyes and looked out of the window to see Jared signing, making furtive glances over toward the car. Emma gave him a thumbs up and Shayla herded him to the car. A second later, Jared was sitting next to Kate, pulling his sunglasses off.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded. "That was...is the premiere going to be like that?!" she asked, her confidence suddenly shaken.

"No, sweetie," Robin said, patting her shoulder. "They'll be behind barriers. It'll be loud, but no one without a pass will be close to you."

Kate nodded and watched as the street went by outside of the SUV. Robin was talking to Jared about different interviews and doing a quick run-through of what he could expect, so Kate tried to calm her nerves a bit. Their car joined a line of others heading for the Odeon. Fans had lined the street behind barriers that were covered in icons from the film's promotional materials. She could see multiple fans that had dressed up as characters from the film, mostly the Joker and Harley Quinn. To her surprise, the event wasn't as big as the press made them out to be. Only about a block of the street had been cordoned off and traffic was still flowing like normal on the street. On the outside, it looked far less intimidating than she anticipated.

"Alright Kate," Robin started as they inched through the line slowly. "When you get out, everyone will be screaming for your dad. Emma will keep you company while he does the photo call and a couple interviews."

"No," Jared said suddenly. "She's not going off to the side to hide. The whole point of bringing her was so I didn't have to hide her anymore. She does the photo call with me and stays with me during interviews."

"Jared, she's not part of the cast. She can't do a full photo call with you," Robin reasoned.

He sighed. "Fine. But she's not going to stand off to the side. Otherwise, why bring her?"

The driver stopped in front of a bright pink carpet. Shayla got out first as a security guard opened the passenger door. Kate was instantly engulfed in a wave of sound that would have put a jet engine to shame. After one last apprehensive look at Jared, she took the guard's hand and stepped out of the car. Shayla led her off to the side slightly to allow the others to get out. The instant Jared stepped out of the car, the street erupted into screams. Most of them were feminine, but there was one particularly ardent teen boy directly behind her that gave Kate the slightest of pauses.

"Kate," Jared said over the crowd, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"I know: smile and breathe," she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

He laughed and led her up the carpet for a few steps before getting pulled away by Robin. Shayla and Emma kept Kate company as she watched him work the crowd, stopping for a few photographs. When he came to a child being held up by her mother, Jared reached over and pulled the little girl from the crowd. Kate felt the tiniest twinge of jealousy that this girl was getting something she would never have, but the feeling quickly disappeared when a photographer snapped a picture with a flash.

"Oh my God, Kate!" Cara exclaimed, walking over to the trio of women. "You look absolutely fantastic! Legs for days, woman!"

Kate blushed and smiled. "Thank you."

Her skirt was shorter than she normally preferred, but it was the high heels that did the trick. They added an extra three inches to her already-statuesque frame. The result made her look several years older than sixteen, but the playful dress countered it nicely. After posing for a quick goofy photo with the teen, Cara disappeared up the carpet, flanked by a publicist and assistant.

"Kate!" Robin beckoned from a little ways up the carpet.

Kate walked up the carpet, aware of multiple sets of eyes on her. She could hear people talking.

"Isn't that Jared Leto's kid?" one photographer asked out loud.

This drew more attention to her, but she tried to act confident. Robin reached out a hand as she got closer and passed her off to Jared.

"And here is my beautiful daughter now," he remarked, smiling at her reassuringly. It took Kate a second to realize he was also talking to a reporter and they were being filmed.

"It's Kate, right?" the reporter asked with a smile.

Kate nodded. "Yeah."

"What do you think of all of the hype around your dad's performance?" the reporter asked, holding a microphone out to her.

"Well, I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure he did well in it," she replied. "Jared is thorough and always takes every single one of his projects seriously," she added, surprising herself with her sudden ability to articulate herself.

Jared looked at her in a mixture of surprise and happiness. "She's very smart, isn't she?" he asked the reporter, a playful twinkle in his eye as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"What's your dad like at home?" the reporter asked, clearly hoping for some type of juicy gossip.

Kate laughed. "He's like any other normal dad...if normal dads work long hours and run around the house in mismatched socks and ugly old bathrobes," she replied in a teasing tone making the reporter and Jared laugh.

"Get outta here," Jared said, jokingly shoving her away and out of the camera's frame.

She walked over to stand next to Emma as he continued the interview. After a few minutes, he walked back over to them and put his hand on her back, leading her further up the carpet.

"Jared, photo call," Robin reminded him.

The group stood to the side as he walked in front of a backdrop for the film, posing easily. He slid a hand into the pocket of his trousers, allowing the side of the jacket to slide back. In a less-obnoxious outfit, he would have looked quite debonair. The news of her presence must have spread through the crowd quickly because after a minute of just Jared, several photographers were asking for Kate to join him. He gestured for her to stand next him and he put an arm around her waist, holding her close to his chest.

As the photographers snapped away, Kate realized how different her life had become. If someone had told her a year ago that she'd be standing next to an Academy Award winner at his movie premiere, she'd have laughed in their face. She'd have actually shat herself if someone added that the Academy Award winner was her father. It had been the most chaotic year of her life, and now that things had more or less settled, she was grateful that it had all happened. Yes, she missed her mother, but her mother's death had brought her to Jared, who had opened her up to a whole new world of possibilities like a Gucci-clad Aladdin. She realized that she wouldn't have it any other way.

~~~

GOSSIP BOARD

HURRICANE POSTED: KATE WAS AT THE PREMIERE!!!! She looked absolutely incredible!

SHADYOAKES666 POSTED: I know! I was so surprised she was there! And Jared...I can forgive him the atrocious attire because of how adorably sweet he was with Kate. I literally think my ovaries exploded from the cuteness.

HURRICANE POSTED: I hate most of the Gucci line, but somehow Kate looked great in it. I wonder why Jared brought her to the event. I always figured he would be really private. He rarely takes dates to anything. I figured he'd keep her private the same way he keeps most of his friends private, only showing them off occasionally on his social media. She's a teenager. I'm sure she doesn't want a bunch of strangers keeping tabs on her daily life.

WWJLD564 POSTED: I love that he's bringing her places. I also love that he took her with him around the rest of the cast. She took several pictures with Cara. I'm actually hoping she goes into modeling because damn, she is gorgeous.

SHADYOAKES666 POSTED: I really hope she's at Camp this year. It will be nice to see what other fans say about how she acts. She seemed to really hold her own against Jared in the photos. And that interview...Oh. My. God. So cute.

HURRICANE POSTED: Anyone else notice how she calls him 'Jared' instead of Dad? Like how you would a step-father? Or a random relative? I don't know of that many parents who let their kids call them by their first names. Kind of confirms my suspicions about him not being involved in her life until recently.

WWJLD564 POSTED: Jesus. Imagine how crazy that must be for her. One day, you're playing soccer at your local high school, the next you're being shuttled off to Los Angeles by your rock star/Oscar-winning father to live in the House of Mystery. Talk about sudden life changes. I wonder if Jared will continue to be all lovey-dovey with her or if this was just an act to make him look good after spilling the beans?

HURRICANE POSTED: Only time will tell.