A.N. I wrote this chapter previous to "The Mistake".

Ch. 1

Three months previous to that interview, Dr. Robert Chase was sitting in his apartment, reading, when his telephone rang. The i.d. came up "Australia", so Chase happily answered, figuring it was his sister, Faye calling. It was a woman's voice on the phone, but this woman was clearly older than his sister, but her voice sounded breathy and weepy, as though she had been crying.

"Hello, is this Robert Chase? It's your stepmother, Lola Chase. I just called to tell you that your father, my husband died."

Chase was stunned. The woman had gushed it out, as though she wouldn't be able to say it slowly. This statement brought a rush of tears from the woman, but Chase hadn't noticed. After two minutes of stunned silence on Chase's part, and loud weeping on his stepmother's part, Chase finally came to his senses enough to ask:

"What did he die of?"

"Well, cancer of course dear. I mean surely this didn't come as a surprise. He visited you two months ago, surely he said something?"

"No, he didn't. He didn't say anything, I didn't even know he was sick." Chase felt angry now with his father for not telling him. The anger felt much easier that the crying he wanted to do. He always felt stupid enough for crying for legitimate reasons, but crying over the father that abandoned him, and then lied to him was down right insane.

"Oh, I didn't know. I know this must be weird for you, given your, uh, relationship with Rowan, but the funeral is next week, here in Sydney. I totally understand if you don't want to go, but you might want to say goodbye. Well, I'm so sorry, dear, you had to learn like this, but I have other people to call and I must be off." And with one final sob, she said goodbye and got off the phone."

Chase wasn't sure what to do now. He felt foolish for wishing his stepmother had stayed on the phone. They never met before, and that was the first time they had spoken. In fact, come to think of it, he didn't even remember his father mentioning he had gotten remarried, however he felt so out of it and confused he couldn't be sure. After much staring into space, Chase felt de-numbed enough to call his sister, Faye.

Chase knew to call her cell and not her home phone, as he knew she probably wouldn't be home. When Faye wasn't furiously working, she was traveling. Last time they talked she confessed that she hadn't been to her house for almost a month. Chase had enough brainpower to vaguely wonder if she was even aware of their father's death.

"Hello?" His sister's voice dragged him out of his thought. He heard music in the background and knew Faye was probably at a nightclub. Faye was a party girl. She wasn't into drugs or drinking, but she loved to dance and to meet new people. She seemed to always have energy. Chase really admired her for it. She would work at the hospital all day and then hit the clubs and dance all night with only an hour of sleep. He didn't know how she did it.

"Hi, Faye? Its Rob." By his younger sister's tone and the fact that she was parting Chase assumed she hadn't heard the news. Faye was incredibly angry with their father, to the point when she was almost suicidal in her junior year of high school, but he didn't think she would be so unaffected. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm great Rob! I'm in Wellinton now, visiting a friend, but whats up with you. You sound like someone died!" Faye sounded generally concerned, and her comment nearly broke Chase's heart. How on earth was he going to tell her?

"Um, have you spoken to Lola or Dad lately?" Chase new it was a stupid question, and a surefire way to get Faye angry.

"Rob, what on earth are you talking about. I haven't talked to Dad since he left 10 years ago! Why would I possibly want to talk to that good-for nothing slime-ball, A-hole…"

"Faye don't say that! He's dead, he's dead, he died, he's dead!" With every word, Chase slid further and further into hysteria, and by the end of his sentence he was crying uncontralably. Faye had the same reaction Chase first had. She was totally silent, listening to her brother sob. Finally after a while she spoke.

"What? He died? What of?" Faye's voice was quiet and subdued. Chase's weeping subsided, and his older brother instint kicked in. He only heard his proud, strong sister use that tone once, when their mom died. It was pitiful and terrible to hear and Chase desperately wanted to comfort her.

"Cancer. He had cancer. His funerals next week, but I don't think I'm going." Chase surprised himself by this last sentence. He wasn't sure at first whether he wanted to go, but now that he said it, he was sure that he didn't.

"I don't think I'm going to go either, Rob." said his sister. She sounded calm, but rather broken. "I want to see you," she said after a while.

"Do you want to come here? To Jersey?" he asked. He desperately wanted to see her to. He hadn't see her since the summer when he visited Sydney for her birthday.

"Yeah. That… that would be good."

The next week had passed in a daze for Chase, and he thought it was obvious to his co-workers. Faye had called the next day to tell him to expect her in a week. They agreed Chase would pick her up at the airport, as Faye had only been in Jersey twice and didn't know her way around.

Before Chase knew it he was at Gate 4 waiting for his sister. He was thoughtful, but he surprised himself when he started to get excited to see his sister, as people from her flight became coming up the ramp. Then he started getting nervous and thinking up frightening scenarios. What if she was a broken wreck? What if she decided not to come? What if she had killed herself? What if she blamed him? Or if she looked washed-out and he didn't recognize her, or if they both started crying in front of everyone? What if…

All Chases insecurities flew away at the sight of his beautiful sister walking towards him, and all his feelings were lifted off of him except happiness to see his sister. Faye caught sight of him, grinned broadly, laughed, and ran towards him, all dignity forgotten. He caught her in his arms and swung her around. They were still the exact same height.

Chase pulled back, gripping her shoulders and peering into her green eyes, identical to his. However, while his eyes were calm and displayed his rather cool nature, hers were wild and impulsive. She had always been wild, but when their dad left, her wildness increased. She never did anything illegal, like drugs or drinking, but she worked to hard at school and with friends, and partied too much. Although she was good at hiding it, she often didn't sleep for days on end, just drinking coffee. She didn't have an eating disorder per se, but she sometimes was so busy she just forgot to eat. However, she never looked washed-out or tired, and seemed to display undying energy. Only Robert knew she cried herself to sleep every night and had wild fears. To the rest of the world, she was a goddess, perfect, brave, and magnificent. To Rob she was his little sister, scared and anxious.

Chase had never known a connection as he had with Faye. They were a year apart, and yet everyone mistook them for twins. They were best friends and each other's biggest competitors. They were each the most popular, best-looking people at their school, nicknamed "The Magnificent two". They each had their fair share of relationships, but people where often jealous of there own relationship. Nasty rumors were spread about them having a love affair, but they didn't care. In school, they ignored the gossip, but at home they'd often laugh about it. Even their best friends weren't quite sure if the rumors were true.

The thought of them being romantic was ridiculous, but in a way they were in love. No one at their school or anyone else they knew could understand what they went through and were going through with their parents. Rob never loved anyone as he loved as he did Faye, and the rest of the girls at their school seemed shallow and naive compared with her. Faye respected and admired Robert more that anyone and all the other boys seemed stupid and ignorant. Robert got mad at anyone for hurting her, and vise versa. At the sight of each other both knew they could never forgive their father. If either of them had been only children it would have been different, but neither of them could bear seeing each other hurt.

Robert and Faye just stood there hugging each other until everyone else on her flight had gone to baggage claim before even saying a word. Then they finally pulled away and looked at each other. Their identical eyes both showed extreme grief. There fathers death brought back memories that neither of them wanted to re-visit. It was best that they were together for this too.

Neither of the siblings was quite sure what to say. It would feel weird exchanging pleasantries when they both just wanted to hug and cry their hearts out. They were often able to communicate feelings with out speaking, so at times talking was rather awkward, especially in a public place. They were now extremely relieved they didn't go to the funeral. Neither of them would have been able to bear people giving apologies or saying nice things about their father when they just wanted to punch his selfish head in. Chase decided to break the ice.

"Hi." he said. It was a really stupid thing to say, but he didn't care.

"Hi." Faye said, with a small, sad laugh, which Rob returned. "How have you been?"

"Marvelous," he replied with a laugh. "Best week of my life." he said sarcastically. It was seemingly light and humorous, but it also sounded very bitter. "And you?"

"Well, I'm a little embarrassed as I just realized we've been standing here hugging for the past 20 minutes." Faye's eyes held humor and she had a coy smile on her stunning face. "Want to go get my bags, or is this what you had in mind for my visit. Standing around in the airport? Untraditional, but I like it."

"What, you need me to direct you to the baggage claim, you have been here before. Other people can manage by themselves you know! Wait a minute, did you say bags, how many did you bring?" Robert replied, crossing his arms.

"Well, I need one for clothes, one for shoes, one for hair, one for makeup, and one for souvenirs." Faye responded, counting off on her fingers as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Souvenirs," Rob screeched in scandalized tones. "Where do you think you are, Milan? We're in Jersey, what do you hope to bring back, construction tools? Road-builders autographs? A lovely miniature crane?" The siblings suddenly burst out laughing as if they hadn't laughed in years. After five minutes, they finally started walking towards baggage claim, lightly chatting. It wasn't until they got to the car when talk even turned to their father.

"I don't think I would have been able to go to the funeral." Faye admitted. "I mean, how do you say goodbye to a man you haven't seen for ten years and who's made no effort to try to see you or even speak with you. I mean, as far as I see it…" Faye's words where interrupted by her brother screeching the brakes and pulling into the driveway of a CVS, nearly killing a couple of shoppers when he accidently bumped up on the curb. Giving them no recognition, he turned in amazement to the beautiful woman on his right.

"Wait a minute, let me get this straight, you haven't seen him since he left?" Robert stared at her in shock.

"No, of course not!" Faye's suspicious eyes searched Roberts face for a few seconds before whispering, "Have you?"

"What? Uh, no. I haven't," Chase's need to protect his sister stopped him from telling her the truth. "I just thought, you know, since you lived so close, and are still in touch with his relatives." Robert wasn't meeting Faye's eyes, and she cast him one suspicious look as he turned back onto the road. She didn't press the subject, however. After a couple of minutes of thoughtful silence, Faye broke the ice by asking about dinner plans, and the siblings chatted lightly until they reached his apartment.

Robert walked into Princeton Plainsboro Hospital two weeks later in a better mood then he had felt in a long time. He thought how strange it was that his father's death had caused him happiness, but it was more being with his sister than anything. He had taken off two weeks of work to spend time with her, and Cuddy immediately allowed it. Chase didn't take many vacations, and he only had two sick days while working in Princeton. This was more than can be said for Faye however. With all the vacationing and partying she did, Chase was surprised she had managed to keep that job for so long. However, she was a fantastic doctor, so when she was there, it made up for her absences. "Besides," she used to say, laughing, "I'm pretty sure my boss, Dr. Parillo, has a crush on me."

However even Dr. Parillo couldn't let her slide this time. Apparently with all the traveling she'd been doing, she hadn't been to work in about two months. One week into her visit and her boss said it was the final straw and she lossed her job. Faye shrugged and said she was thinking of leaving Sydney anyway. She was thinking of leaving for a long time and was only staying for her job. However, for now, she just wanted to take it easy and stay with her brother.

Robert was having an amazing time with his sister. Every morning they'd get up and eat breakfast together, talking and planning there day together. They never ran out of things to talk about, whether they were reminiscing, or telling each other stories. They were each the only person in the world who the other could talk about there feelings with and pour there heart out to. It always been that way and it always will be. Then, they'd go out for the day and do different things; whether it was shopping, walking around museums or going to a zoo or park, they always had fun. After going out to lunch, they'd go back to Chase's apartment and rest and eat dinner, before heading out to clubs to dance all night. This was how it was every day, except for the three days they spent visiting New York, where Faye had never been.

It was the best two weeks Rob had had for a long time, and he would be incredibly sorry to see Faye go. Fortunatly, it looked like she wasn't leaving anytime soon, so Chase felt good for now. However, he still had to go to work, but he hoped it wouldn't be as stressful knowing his sister was in the same state.

Fat chance.