Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Life with Derek or Down with Love.

Chapter 2: Derek Gets a Phone Call

"You'll never guess who called me earlier today," Derek said, the moment he came into the studio.

Sheldon, mouth full of coffee, quickly swallowed. "Hillary Clinton?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Dude, you host Midnight Chatter, not The Daily Show. Get off the politics kick; you know we don't touch that stuff with a ten-foot pole."

It was Sheldon's turn to roll his own eyes. "Du-ude," he mocked, "Are you going to tell me who called or not?"

Derek smirked. "One Miss Emily Davis."

Sheldon's eyes went wide. "My Emily?"

"Shel, she hasn't been your Emily in ten years." Sheldon blushed, but Derek ignored it. "Anyway, how many Emily Davises do we both know? She wants to meet with me."

"With…with you?" Sheldon looked a little stunned, and made a gulping sound.

Derek cocked his eyebrow in disgust. "Pull yourself together. This is strictly business. You heard how she's this big-shot publisher, right?"

"Yes…"

"Well, apparently she's publishing some controversial new book that's going to 'change the world' or something—" he smirked doubtfully, "—and wants Know Studios to do a piece on it."

"Wow." Sheldon put down his coffee mug and shifted in his seat. "Do you think I could help out?"

Derek slapped his own forehead in mock aggravation. "You really have a one-track mind, you know that?"

"I'm sorry. I just would love to see her again, that's all."

Derek decided it was time to stop jerking him around. The poor guy was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Okay, okay. We're going to air the piece on Midnight Chatter, so of course you get to help. Happy?"

Sheldon jumped up, and Derek was afraid he was going to get a hug. Instead, Sheldon began pacing back and forth in front of his desk.

"I can't believe this," he said, still pacing.

"Well, believe it. Now, could you possibly start thinking about something more important, like, I don't know, your job?" Derek said pointedly.

Sheldon snapped to attention. It had always been a running joke between them that Derek could fire Sheldon at any moment. Not that he ever would. The two had struck up an unlikely friendship when they had both decided to move to New York. And when Sheldon had pitched his talk show idea to Know Studios, Derek decided they could become lucrative partners. So here they were, two years later, and still going strong.

"Right. Um, so this is what I have for next week so far…" Sheldon began.

DwL=LwD

"Derek, I have two hours before I have to be back at the airport, and you're telling me you have to work?"

"I'm sorry, Kendra, but I can't skip out on this lunch. It's important." But even he knew his resolve was waning. Emily could reschedule, couldn't she?

"Can't she reschedule?" Kendra was practically barking at him, but he couldn't blame her. He had promised her that anytime she was in New York, he'd make himself available. They had both been pretty vulnerable back then; Kendra had just broken off her engagement with Patrick, and Derek had just moved to New York and didn't know anyone besides Sheldon. So they'd had a friends-with-benefits thing going on for the past few years, and so far, it worked for them. Kendra didn't have time for a relationship, because as a flight attendant she was always flitting off to some exotic locale, and Derek didn't care to settle down.

The one time he had a legitimate excuse not to meet her, and she was making him feel guilty. The worst part was that it was working. He weighed his options. Meet with Emily about some book, or spend two hours in bed with a sexy flight attendant.

It didn't take much thought.

"Okay, Ken, I'll reschedule. My place in fifteen?"

Kendra had on her happy voice again. "Sure thing, Derry. See you in ten." She hung up, and Derek cringed. She never had stopped calling him Derry. It was one of the many things that still irritated him about her. But oh well. It was a small price to pay.

DwL=LwD

Sheldon stood at his bathroom mirror, staring intently at himself.

"Hi, Emily, it's so good to see you again."

"Em, wow, it's been a long time."

"I know the last time we talked, we weren't really getting along…"

"I'm an idiot. Forgive me? Marry me?"

Sheldon chuckled. No matter what he said, it was going to be awkward. Derek was meeting with her today to get the business stuff out of the way, and then he could step in and help with the creative part. He was excited to see what she looked like now. If she was married. If she would consider giving him a second chance. And oh, yeah, if the book she was promoting was any good.

They had been so close for so long. He knew it was mainly his fault that they had drifted apart. They hadn't talked in nearly ten years, and the last time they had, they had broken up. He could've tried to stay in touch, but it was too painful. And the next thing he knew, a year had gone by, and that was that. More years went by, and now he was hearing about her phone call to Derek. Crazy.

"Hi, Emily. It's great to see you again. What do you say we forget the past and start over?"

Sheldon nodded into the mirror. That would have to do.

DwL=LwD

"Hi, this is Derek Venturi from Know Studios."

Emily's secretary put him through.

"Hey, Derek! I can't wait to see you again!" Emily sounded so excited that Derek almost felt guilty.

"Well, Em, that's why I'm calling. Something came up, and I can't make our lunch."

Emily's heart skipped a beat. Oh, no. He heard that it's Casey's book, and now he wants nothing to do with us. "Oh, um, okay. How about tomorrow instead?" She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing. Luckily, Derek obliged.

"Sounds good. I'll see you at the same time tomorrow."

Emily breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, see you then." She hung up the phone, and then quickly dialed Casey to tell her of the change in plans.

Derek hung up as well, and two seconds later, there was a knock at the door, along with a shrill voice calling, "Derry!"

Derek's face twitched, but he reminded himself that in a few minutes, she wouldn't be talking much.