Derek did relax; but only after I promised to keep my speed down to 75mph and to put something quieter on the radio.

Then he kept looking at me, chuckling and shaking his head.

"What?" I asked after a while.

"I'm a bad influence."

"You always were, hun. I've even had to roll out the swear box again."

"Cool! What are you gonna buy with it this time?"

In the months before we dated, as things improved slightly between us and my language had been Derek-bad, I had had another swear box. I managed to save up enough money to pay for two tickets to see Muse in concert, and because by the time the date came around we were an item, I took Derek.

Hence the compilation CD.

I shrugged. "I could do with a new toaster."

"How very rock'n'roll!"

We grinned. The grins became gentle smiles, and when it got uncomfortable we both turned to the scenery.


Derek directed me once we got into New York City. It might be the city where I lived, but I didn't often drive around it, and certainly not the area of town we were heading to.

"Where will we park?"

"They'll have valet-parking." Derek said. "You just pull up at the VIP entrance and some one will get the car."

"How did you manage to persuade Louisa to get me on the list?"

He shrugged. "I didn't. I'm on the list anyway. I can take as many people as I like."
I stared at him.

"It's no big deal, Casey. These places are desperate for the right people to be there. Currently, I'm the right sort of person. I won't always be…so I take advantage while I can."

I blew out a breath as we drew up outside.

"You still shouldn't be seen with me on your arm. I wasn't kidding about your rep."

Derek unbuckled himself and opened the car door.

"Seriously Case. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror today?"

And then he was out of the car and round to my door to open it, and I (still stunned at his comment) stepped from the car into a hail of light-bulb flashes and cries of 'Mr Venturi, Over here!' 'Smile, please!' 'And…one with your arm around her…"

That last request rang out like a bell across the melee. Derek waved to the cameras and handed the car keys to a valet. As we stepped towards the door, he put his hand on the small of my back to guide me in.

It burned on my skin.


I wasn't a total night club virgin. I had had friends at college who when they saw me lovelorn after Derek tried to deal with it by dragging me to every night club in the Kingston vicinity.

I hated every minute.

It wasn't that I didn't like the music. I loved it! And I loved dancing. I just hated the expectation that you would go home with a new guy on your arm and wake up the next morning not knowing whether to be relieved or regretful.

Besides, the first time I had ventured into a night club after Derek…I had seen him kissing someone else.

"You okay?" he murmured close to my ear as we passed along the corridor and into the nightclub.

"Memories." I merely said, and his arm tightened around me.

"I'm sorry."

That confused the hell out of me.


We had skipped the queue and gone straight upstairs to the VIP suite. We had our own bar, sofas, and a small dance floor. It appeared we were the only ones there despite the main dancefloor downstairs was heaving.

"What can I get you?" Our host said.

"Mineral water." Derek and I chorused. Derek looked at me.

"You can drink, you know. I won't be offended."

"No. I can't." I said, hoping he didn't ask me to explain how the taste of alcohol these days made me feel sick now that I knew about his problem.

Despite us pulling over and swapping drivers, we had beaten the others to the club. Guiltily I realised this was my fault.

"I guess you drove too fast." Derek said by my ear. I laughed.

"Never thought I would hear it that way round." He went on.

Then I realised he still had hold of my waist.

I turned in his arms and we stared at each other.

"Friends?" I asked.

"At least." He replied and kissed my forehead.

"You kill me, Venturi." I whispered.

"Right back at ya, McDonald."

We grinned.

If this friendship was I all I got…I was happy.

And so, I got the feeling, was Derek.


"Der!" it was a loud squeak from the bottom of the steps leading up to our mezzanine level, and I heard his groan as he pulled away from me. Suddenly the whole Louisa thing worried me less than before. I knew Derek and I knew he wasn't interested in her.

"Beam me up Scotty." He whispered.

"There's Klingons on the starboard bow capt'n." I retorted.

"Shut up!" Derek said, but only because he couldn't keep a straight face.

I bit my lip.

"Or maybe she's a Ferengi…"

"Casey…" Derek said warningly, but his eyes sparkled even as he reprimanded me.

I was on a roll…

"I've got it. She's the Borg. 'Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!'"

Derek walked me backwards to the wall.

"You. Pack it in."

"Or what?" I asked, teasingly.

"Or I'll tell everyone about the Lost Panties."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try Me." Our eyes locked. He'd do it too. He would tell them about the night I some how lost my underwear as he was walking me between his dorm and my own. (No I'm not telling. It's too embarrassing. What I will say was it was another almost, but not quite.)

I nodded. Derek stepped back and turned to face his little leech.

"Louisa! How was the trip?"

"OOhh. Der! It was so cool! Benny had these running lights on the Hummer and when we came down Fifth everyone was staring. It was amazing." She peered at me.

"I see grandma made it."

"Louisa…" Derek warned her. She threw an arm around his neck and rubbed up against him.

"Come on babe, let's go check out the bathroom. I'm in the mood for a party."

"How much have you had to drink, Louisa?" Derek asked, suspicion crowding both our minds.

"A smidgen." She giggled, but her eyes were glazing over.

Derek looked over at Benny.

"A smidgen under a quart of vodka."
"Jesus Benny!"

Benny shrugged. "Don't look at me, D. I was driving, I couldn't tell. She was in the back with Henrietta. I found the empty bottle."

Derek looked around. "Where is Henrietta?"

"In a dark corner with Matthew. They met up at the door."

Derek groaned. "I feel fifteen again."

I knew the feeling.

I jerked my head at Louisa who had found a perch on a sofa and was making herself comfortable.

"I think she's probably settling in for the night."

"Please god!" Derek exclaimed, his tone pleading.

Benny sighed and looked at her.

"How do they get like that?"

"Boredom mainly." I answered.

"Did you go through that phase, Casey?"

Derek laughed.

"No. Casey is as sober as they come."
I ignored him and we followed Benny to a spare sofa. Louisa was now snoring away, the sound just audible over the sound coming from the DJ booth.

"I got really drunk once." I told him. "Very drunk. I came within a hair's breadth of being hospitalised."

"Why?"

"Alcohol poisoning."

"No. I meant why drink so much?"

Now I regretted telling him, because Derek was looking at me and I didn't want to elaborate in front of him.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." My voice was quiet and I avoided Derek's eyes. "It was only the once."

"When?" Derek asked, suddenly forcefully. I didn't answer.

And he knew.

It was just after I dumped him.

Benwick sensing the tension, and, I was fairly sure, understanding what it was about nudged Derek.

"What do you want to do about Louisa?"

Derek shrugged. "Let her sleep it off, but keep an eye on her. Where did she get the quart of vodka from anyway?"

"Henrietta says it was in her bag."

Derek blew out a breath.

"I'm too old for this."

I chuckled and he looked at me, but the humour of his statement seemed to get to him too and he smiled at me. After a few moments, he stood up.

"I'm going to look for Henrietta. Maybe we should take Louisa home."

I nodded. "I'll watch her."

Benny was quiet as Derek walked away but as soon as he had gone Derek's friend pounced.

"He talks about you a lot."

"That's funny, because Marti and Ed say that he doesn't."

Derek's best friend chuckled. "They're family, and biased. He knows he can spout crap at me and I'll listen. He listened a lot to me when I got injured."

He motioned to his left leg and I remembered the limp.

"I got in a block in a training session and my leg broke badly. They pinned it, but it didn't heal properly and my career was over. Derek was there for me all the way through. He told me about his drinking problem and all the stuff that went on in college. And he told me about you. It hit him hard when you dumped him."
"I didn't do it lightly." I protested.

"I didn't say you did. But, Casey be careful. I know Derek and it's easy to assume that he has everything under control. He is very good at covering up."

"I know. I lived with him, remember?"

Benny chuckled. "Oh yeah. I heard all about that. Did you seriously put the principal's furniture on the school roof?"

I grinned. Benny smacked me on the back. "Way to go, Casey!"

My face became serious again. "Do you think Derek will forgive me?"

"Perhaps. Just be careful with the friend thing that you both understand what it is. There are many categories of friends and I would hate for one of you two to get hurt because they think you are closer than you actually are."

I bit my lip.

"You mean one of us thinking the friendship is something more when it isn't?"

Benwick nodded and looked beyond me, and I realised Derek was coming up the stairs with Henrietta.

He was warning me that Derek only wanted friendship. And whilst I told myself that was all I had been expecting, I couldn't ignore the fact I wanted more.


Henrietta bent over to look at her sister.

"Louie?"

"Ugh."

"She's still breathing, she just needs to sleep it off." The older girl said standing up again.

Derek adopted his 'pissed elder brother' stance. God how many times had I seen that?

"Why did you let her drink it?" He asked.

"Relax it was watered down. She only puts about a third vodka and two thirds water."

His look was incredulous.

"Does she look like someone who has only had a third of a quart to you?"

"Maybe she didn't water it down so much tonight and she forgot."

I stepped between Derek and Henrietta before he did something stupid.

"Or maybe she didn't water it down at all this time." I said.

Henrietta shrugged. "Then she is an idiot."

No shit…and so are you.

"I'm taking you home." Derek announced to them. "I'm not being responsible for the pair of you behaving like fifteen year olds."

Benny shook his head. "You can't fit both of them in your car. I'll take them back in the Hummer. She can stretch out and sleep then."

Derek opened his mouth to answer and that's when we heard it.

"FIRE!"

What few lights there were went out and then the screaming started.