Casey woke the next morning with both hands trapped. One had something painful in the top of it that pulled at her very veins. The other had its fingers intertwined with another, masculine hand. It was soft and gentle and her mind, hovered on the edge of sleep, trying to work out why it was significant. Her eyes flew open as soon as she recalled last night's brief conversation with Derek.

Derek!

Derek, the irritating step-brother-cum-bane of her existence who she hadn't seen in three years.

Derek, tormentor of her teenage years, bizarre brief friend of her college year.

Derek, the guy whose last words to her, prior to last night, were "Screw you Casey! If I never see you again it won't be long enough!"

She saw a mass of red-brown hair beside her hand on the bed. He was asleep. It had been three years since she had seen Derek and she had thought she would never see him again. The relief which washed over her brought tears to her eyes and she squeezed his hand. The slight movement made him stir and he raised his head and looked at her.

For a whole minute they looked at each other, and then he spoke.

"God you look rough!"

"Take a look in the mirror, hot shot!"

"At least, I'm not the one in the hospital bed."

"Keep this up buster and you might be!"

He smirked at her. "You're rusty, Casey. You need to hone your insults."

"Yeah well. No one seems to want to argue with me these days." She paused. "Come to think of it, you were the only one who argued with me then!"

They both grinned.

"God! I've missed this." She said, honestly.

"You see! I told you. Everyone succumbs to the old Venturi charm in the end."

"Moron!"

"Lamebrain!"

"Egotistical jerk!"

"Princess!"

He grinned at her and moved his other hand to sandwich her fingers between his. Then he looked serious.

"Case. About what I said, three years ago…"

"Forget it. Three years was three years. And look at me. I'm exactly where you said I would be."

He shook his head. "No. I said you'd fail at it. You haven't. This isn't your doing. This is your manager not looking after you."

Casey sighed. "I'm just so tired. There aren't enough hours in the day. I've never been so disorganised."
"You…disorganised! Ha ha ha ha. Says the girl who used to have her underwear drawer laid out by colour and comfort."

She looked at him in horror. "How the hell did you know how my underwear drawer was laid out?"

"I was looking for your diary."

"Der-ek!"

Derek beamed at her. "I've been waiting three years to hear that again."

"What are you doing here, Derek?" She said after another lost moment.

"Visiting my lousy step-sister in hospital, what's it look like?"

"I mean what are you doing in LA?"

"I live here, Casey."

"What?" she looked surprised. "Since when?"

"Since I dropped out of college."

"You did WHAT?" she shrieked at him. "Der-ek!"

He looked confused. "Didn't Nora tell you?"

"No. They said you'd done something stupid and that you were persona non grata but I sort of assumed it was get someone pregnant or something."

"Thanks, Casey. It means a lot that you think that much of me."

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I've been distracted for a while."

"Yeah well. I dropped out and came down here. Had a few jobs, lost a few jobs. Same old, same old. Actually, I won't be around much longer I'm off back home."

She frowned. "Why?"

"No job, no money, no home." He said matter-of-factly.

"Derek." She used the hand he had trapped to brush his overly long hair from his face. The moment passed and she hardened herself.

"You need a hair cut."

"You need a personality transplant but hey, I'm not fussy."

She shook her head at him, smiling.

The door opened and Casey's doctor appeared.

"Ah! Miss McDonald. Back on the planet, I see."
Derek snorted. "She's never been on the same planet as us, doc."

Casey moved the hand he still had trapped and tried to bat him on the nose. The doctor smiled.

"Yes. You seem to be improving. How do you feel?"

"Exhausted." She said. "And hungry."

"That's good. I'll get them to bring you some breakfast. We'll be keeping you here for a few days to regain your strength and then I want you to take a vacation."

Casey shook her head. "I can't. I've got concerts and commitments."

"Miss McDonald. I'm only going to say this once, okay?"

Casey nodded.

"If you keep up the pace you are, you will be dead before you are thirty. You stopped eating. You weren't sleeping. Even if that was all your body would end up in a bad way, but I know how this industry works, it's only a matter of time before you start reaching for something to mask the exhaustion. I've seen many celebrities through here using drugs to compensate when all they really need is a rest. That, Casey, is a dead end street."

"She's not going down that route." Derek said, determinedly.

The doctor smiled. "Good. Because otherwise I'm wasting my time."

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They shared their first breakfast together in a very long time. Casey eating from the tray placed in front of her, Derek from the table across the other side of the room…at the start at least. But then when he couldn't stand it anymore he brought his plate to her bedside and they ate in silence, side by side.

"So." Said Derek, finishing a mouthful. "Where's lover boy?"

Casey frowned. "Lover boy?"

"Yeah, the waste of space boyfriend you've been all over the gossip mags with."

Casey looked away. "Sean?"

"Was that his name?"
"Yeah." She looked back at Derek. "It should have been 'Truman'." She said pointedly.

"Oh." Derek understood. "How long before you found out?"

"Four months." She said. "Turned out, his 'daughter' co-star was giving him one in his trailer between takes."

Derek took the un-Casey-like expressions in his stride. "Niiiice!" he said.

Casey laughed. "Gives a whole new meaning to familial bonding."

Her step-brother gave her a strange look. "You're taking it well."

She shrugged. "The writing was on the wall anyway. I don't have relationships very often and when I do, they don't last long." She looked sad.

"When are you leaving?" she asked after a minute.

"Can't wait to be rid of me?" he asked.

"No. But you said you were leaving LA. I just wondered when."
"Lease is up on my flea-pit in ten days. So I'll be around to see you off on your vacation."

Casey leaned back against her pillows. "He's going to insist, isn't he?"

"Who, the doctor?"

"Yeah."
"Never mind the doctor, I'm going to insist. You need a break."

"It's easier said than done. I have contracts to fulfil and commitments."
Derek put down his plate and Casey gulped. It really wasn't a good idea to come between Derek and his food.

"You are going on vacation, if I have to drag you there myself." He said slowly and forcefully.

"Fine. It's a deal!" she said, suddenly.

"What's a deal?" Derek asked, resuming his breakfast.

"I'll go on vacation…." She smiled. "If you come with me."