Clouds.

Drip, drip, drip.

A puffy cumulus cloud and Vince's even puffier hair are the first thing E sees when he comes to after almost drowning at 4-H summer camp. For two kids from Queens, 4-H Camp is always a refuge from the hot summer heat. They get to stay up late, eat all the junk food they want, swim all day and watch the cute girls from the Girl Scout Camp across from the lake. Vince and Eric always looked forward to it, and this year had proven to be no different.

However, what E couldn't have expected was that the record rainfall the area had seen that spring and how high the lake was. One dive off the pier had taken a dark turn and he had nearly gone under for good. If it hadn't been for Vince and his strangely skillful swimming, he could have ended up going back to Queens in the back of a hearse. Instead, the sun is blocked out by Vince's big head and he's gonna be alright.

It's twenty years later and Eric is running down the stairs as fast as his legs will carry him. He can hear Drama yelling at Ari and Turtle behind him but his attention is wholly focused on watching the driver's side door. The air smells of burning gasoline and he's trying to push the security guy out of the way.

"Who gives a fuck about the fire?" Eric screams as he peaks over the guy's shoulder. He lets out an audible sigh of relief when Vince emerges in a cloud of smoke, his lanky frame huddled on the ground. Vince holds up his hand to indicate that he is okay but Eric is at his side in an instant. "Vince, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Vince breathes heavily as he allows Eric to help him up. Eric notices how distant and dark his eyes are and doesn't like it in the least. He's seen that recklessness there before, and it never ends in anything good. After Mandy and after Medellin, Vince had nearly imploded. "Vin, come on, just let the guy check you out," Eric pleads uselessly. Vince still hasn't let go of his arm but he's trying to shake off the paramedic. Ari and Turtle are behind Drama, concern written across all three faces.

"I saw my life flash before my eyes."

Eric hears Ari's wistful comment as the stunt coordinator helps Vince remove his pack. Eric is still by his side, his hand resting on his shoulder. He's afraid to stop touching him for even a minute, as if his touch is what's keeping him alive or something. "I didn't," Vince laughs humorlessly. "I just saw Ma and she was pissed."

Drama snorts and Eric has to smile because Rita Chase would kill her son if she knew what had just happened. And then she would kill Eric for letting him do it in the first place and Drama for standing by and watching while his baby brother risked his life. Turtle might escape from her wrath, but his own mother would kill him for not watching out for his friends. They were all screwed.

After a few moments, Vince shrugs everyone off and starts back, saying that he is ready to go again. Ari is in the director's face and Drama is chasing after his brother and Turtle is looking at E as if to say What the fuck you gonna do now, Super Manager? "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," E mutters. He jogs ahead and finds Drama talking to a stone-faced Vince. "Hey, Drama, give us a minute?"

"Yeah, E, see if you can talk some sense into Baby Bro here," he says before patting Vince on the shoulder. "I'll be around if you need me."

Once Drama is gone, Vince holds up his hand as if to say he doesn't want to hear it. "You're gonna listen whether you want to hear it or not, so you might as well get comfortable," Eric informs him hotly. Vince makes like he is going to leave but E steps in front of him. Vince might have six inches and a few million dollars on E, but Eric is as tenacious as a bulldog. "You're not doing that again. I don't care what you think you have to prove or whatever, I am not letting you do it."

"Letting me?" Vince laughed cockily. "Since when do you let me do anything? I pay you, E."

Eric swallows the insult because he knows Vince's head isn't in a good place. "You remember what you said back there? Your mom would be pissed," E reminds him. "I shouldn't have let you do that in the first place. And don't give me that shit about letting you do anything. You know that if I said not to do it, you wouldn't do it. You can assert your paycheck all you want, but it's not about the money between us so don't fucking go there."

Vince ducks his head like a little boy scolded. "Sorry, E," he apologized before leaning back against the dusty caravan truck. "I just have something to prove to myself now."

"How about you prove to me that you've been listening to me all these years and tell Nick to use a stunt double?" Eric nearly begs. "Vince, I cannot watching you do that again. You could have been seriously hurt. Yeah, I know you're fine, but what if we're not lucky next time? I do not want to have to call your mother and tell her that I let you fuck up your career or worse, your life. Please don't do that to us."

Nick ambles up, his camera tucked under his arm and a walkie talkie blaring from his pocket. "Ready to go again?"

"He's not going."

"I believe Vince can speak for himself," Nick nearly spat, looking disdainfully at Eric. "Vince?"

"I said he's not going."

Vince shrugs with a grin and looks up at his director. "You heard my guy, I'm out."

Eric and Vince don't say anything as they head back for his car. Turtle and Drama are behind in Drama's Continental. Eric pauses at a stoplight on Sunset and looks out of the corner of his aviators at his best friend.

"Hey, E, remember that time at 4-H camp when you almost drowned?"

"Of course I do," Eric replies, tapping his hand on the steering wheel. "I almost died." He could still see Vince's shadow looming over him and feel the cold lake water dripping on his forehead. "You saved my life."

Vince smiles as he remembers. "Yeah, I did, huh?" he remembers. "So we're even?"'

Eric arches his eyebrow at him. "You're kidding right?"

"Come on, I didn't do the stunt," Vince pleads. "Just give me this."

"Fine, Vince," Eric laughs as the car lunges forward. "Yeah, we're even."