This idea for this story came about after a conversation we had on Fan Forum. Thank you to all my new friends over there for letting me play with this. The story really took on a life of its own and didn't turn out anything like I imagined it would! I hope you like it, all comments are really appreciated. Thank you kindly.

CHAPTER 1.

"Of course we'll be there on Friday! Wouldn't miss it for the world." Paige sighed and clicked off the call before slamming her phone down onto her desk with more force than was necessary.

"Woah." It was a quiet evening in the garage and Toby had been watching Paige during the phone call. He couldn't resist commenting. "It's a good job Sly didn't have you under oath during that conversation. Who was that?"

Paige looked up at him. "I hate lying, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Was it that obvious?" she asked Paige.

"Only to me," grinned Toby.

Paige sighed again. "That was Rachel, an old school friend of mine. She was my best friend, actually. I haven't seen her for about eight years."

"And you don't want to see her now?" asked Toby. He wandered over to her desk and perched on the corner.

"No, it's not like that, not really," Paige tried to explain. "I do want to see her. She hasn't been home in such a long time. She's a singer, she's made quite a name for herself in New York, but her Mom hasn't been too well this year and she wanted to come back to LA."

"Understandable," noted Toby, folding his arms across his chest. "So what's happening on Friday that you told her you wouldn't miss for the world… except really you're hoping we get caught up in a crazy life threatening case instead?"

"She's opening a karaoke club and she's invited me to her opening night," answered Paige. "She's holding a contest to attract customers and she wants me to take part."

"Sounds like the kind of night out you love," noted Toby. He unfolded his arms and studied Paige as she shifted her weight and shuffled some papers on her desk. "Oh," he said, after a few minutes. "Paige, it's OK to feel some trepidation about seeing someone you used to be close to after an extended period of this time." He paused. "Especially if you didn't part on great terms."

Paige looked up at him and flashed a weak smile. She should have known Toby would figure out why she was so torn about seeing her old friend again. "Don't get me wrong, Toby," she began. "She was a great friend to me back in high school. Rachel was the only person who knew the truth about my mom and later she was there for me when my dad…" her voice hitched with emotion and she had to take a breath before continuing. "When my dad died."

Toby nodded understandingly. "So you feel you owe her your friendship, even though you had some kind of fight before she left for New York."

Paige shrugged. "It wasn't even a fight. We just drifted apart. I met Drew and had Ralph and…" she trailed off as she thought back to that time and the mixed emotions flared up like they always did. Of course having Ralph in her life was the best thing that ever happened to her, but sometimes she wished the circumstances had been different.

"Very few childhood friendships survive the transition to adulthood," Toby told her. "It's one thing hanging out in the mall, swooning over boy bands and promising you'll be besties forever when you're fifteen, but then real life hits you and things change. People change, don't blame yourself."

"I'm not blaming…" began Paige, but then she realised he was right. "We had all these dreams about going to New York together," she explained. "We used to sing all the time in school and then we'd sneak into clubs under-age and sing at open mic nights, or karaoke nights. She was always a better singer than me and it didn't matter, I was proud of her. Her voice attracted a lot of attention. She actually got a recording contract, just a one album deal on an indie label, but I was so excited for her. Then after I had Ralph…"

"Your social life became non-existent," Toby finished her sentence for her. "And she made it clear that she wasn't happy that you'd stopped hanging out with her."

Paige nodded. "I know she never liked Drew and she resented Ralph. I had to grow up so fast, Toby and Rachel didn't. Then when Drew left and I realised he wasn't coming back she was there for me again, I don't know how I would have got myself through those first few months without her, but I couldn't help feeling that somehow she was saying 'I told you so'."

"Are you sure you weren't projecting your own feelings about Drew onto her?" asked Toby.

Paige thought about his words for a minute before answering. "Maybe," she admitted finally. "I'd never thought about it like that before. I guess maybe I always knew deep down that he would leave me."

"So now she's coming back to town and it's stirring up all those old memories and you're not sure how to deal with them," Toby pointed out.

"It would be nice just to meet up with her again, maybe go for dinner somewhere, catch up on old times," explained Paige. "But she wants me to sing at her new club and… and I don't think I can do that, not in front of her, not after all this time."

"You have a fantastic voice," smiled Toby. "You'll do great!"

Paige shook her head. "She was always so competitive," she said. "When you're teenagers that kind of thing is normal though, right? Healthy competition, my dad used to call it. It didn't matter that she got a higher grade than me for a history assignment because I'd get a better grade than her in an English paper the week after. When we got older it was different. She got a job in a big department store while I was waiting tables in a backstreet diner. She would sing in clubs after work while I was stuck at home changing diapers. She had a string of amazing boyfriends that took her to fancy restaurants and knew how to treat her properly, while I…"

"While you had Drew," noted Toby, snidely.

Paige sighed. She often wondered what her life would have been like if she hadn't met Drew, but the thought of not having Ralph was just too much to bear and so she pushed it to the back of her mind. "Eventually she got offered her first residency at this amazing club in NYC and her life went in a different direction," Paige finished.

"While you got stuck with a bunch of geniuses, saving the world every day," said Toby.

Paige laughed. "And I wouldn't change a thing," she admitted. "But I had to struggle for years to get here. She's never had to struggle for anything in her life."

Toby folded his arms again and leaned in to make sure no one else heard him speak. "Jealousy is ugly on you, Paige," he said.

"I'm not jealous of her!" Paige hissed. Then she closed her eyes. "OK, maybe just a little," she admitted. "We've kept in touch by email since she left, but hers have basically just been a list of all the amazing things that have happened to her since the last email. So tell me how am I going to get over this jealousy before Friday so I have the guts to sing at her shiny new karaoke bar and not completely embarrass myself?"

"I suggest you focus on the song," offered Toby. "I don't think you care about winning do you. You just feel you have to prove something to Rachel."

Paige smiled. "I can't help feeling she's only asked me to sing so she can remind me how she's a much better singer. I don't need to win her stupid contest."

"Contest? What contest?" It was Walter. He had just walked into the garage and came straight over to her desk. Paige greeted him with a kiss. "Who is entering a contest?"

"And you thought Rachel was competitive," noted Toby, dryly.

"An old friend of mine is opening a new club and she's holding a karaoke contest on Friday," Paige explained.

"Excellent," Walter beamed. "You will win, of course."

"Walter, I don't think…" began Paige, but Walter wasn't listening.

"Are duets allowed? We should enter together," he continued. "I will choose a song that most closely matches our vocal ranges and…"

"What?" exclaimed Paige. "You want to enter a karaoke contest? You don't even like singing."

"That's not true," insisted Walter. "I have been researching the subject since you asked me to pay more attention to your interests. Besides, we've sung a duet before. The Elvis John number, don't you remember? I thought that was quite successful."

"Elton John," Paige corrected him. "And of course I remember, but we were only singing Don't Go Breaking My Heart to distract an evil dictator so we could stop him carrying out his plans. This competition will be entirely different."

"I disagree," replied Walter in his usual blunt style. "We've already proved that our singing voices complement each other. I believe that now we are romantically involved our intimacy will only serve to heighten the experience."

"You want to sing a sultry little number with Paige?" asked Toby, not quite sure he was hearing this correctly. "On stage? In front of people?"

"I can tell by the tone of your voice that you don't think we can pull this off, Toby," sneered Walter. "I would have expected more support from a friend. In fact, I hope you and Happy will be there on Friday to cheer us on. We can double date. I'll go and select a song."

Without saying another word Walter ran up the stairs to the loft, leaving Paige and Toby speechless.