Casey was sobbing into her phone. "I just thought, maybe this time Mom, it was the real deal. I was ready to…" She coughed.

Nora winced because whilst she was happy her daughter felt comfortable enough to share that sort of information with her, she wasn't sure she was comfortable enough to hear it.

"Did you?" She grimaced in anticipation.

"What? No! I mean we'd not discussed the future and I hadn't met his parents, and Derek hates him and…"
Nora smiled at the last comment. "Does Derek know Morgan dumped you?"

"No. Derek's full of the hockey scout's visit. It's hard to get any sense out of him these days even when I see him. Not that he speaks words of wisdom normally."

"He's not that bad Casey. If he was that bad, you wouldn't be friends."
"We are not friends! That's just a vicious rumour started by people who know better."

Nora chuckled. "So how come you are still living with him even though it's nearly graduation?"
"James' parents are great landlords." Casey stiffly. "And he and Carl are decent roommates."

"And Derek?"

"I put up with him because it's a package deal." She lied.

"I've got to go. Robbie has a play-date this afternoon and I need to get going. Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine." Casey said, looking at the clock. "Derek will be home in a minute." She said softly as though embarrassed that his presence would actually make her happier.

"Tell him to make sure he calls us Saturday after the game."

"Sure."

"And Casey?"
"Yes?"
"I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too Mom."

Shortly afterwards the front door banged and she heard her step-brother's distinctive stomp up the stairs. There was a pause as he reached her room then he crashed, uninvited, through the door.

"You look like shit. Get dressed we're going out." He barked, turned around and left the room.

Casey stared at the open doorway expecting him to come back and when he didn't she climbed off her bed and went after him.

"And I should follow your orders because…?"

"I'm in a good mood and clearly it's the only offer you've had tonight."
"Der-ek!"

"Just do it lame brain. Everyone else is out doing their own stuff and I'm not having anyone say that I'm boring by staying in. Just a jeans and a t-shirt will do. I'm not pushing the boat out."

Casey opened her mouth to protest but then realised that if she did he would probably pick her up, carrying her to her room and force her to get dressed.

"Okay." She said eventually. "But let the records show that I'm doing this under protest."

Derek grinned.

.

He took her to an afternoon showing of a gangster movie and she complained loudly. In reality, however, when they had pulled into the movie theatre parking lot her stomach had turned in anticipation of him wanting them to watch something that might potentially have love scenes or worse, sex. She knew her mind would go straight to her broken relationship and then there would be tears. Derek didn't do tears. She had looked across at her step-brother and decided what the hell it would serve him right.

The movie was good with no romance but a decent plot, and afterwards he took her out to dinner in a little bistro nearby. They talked for a couple of hours over the food, sitting in the bar area when they had finished eating and then eventually when the place was starting to close leaving to walk back to their car.

In the whole time, her mind never once strayed to Morgan and the break-up. The last ever time it did, Derek prompted it by saying unexpectedly, "He's an ass, and I told him so."

Casey frowned in confusion.

"Morgan." Derek explained, showing that he did actually know why she had been a mess when he got home. "I caught the fucker kissing someone outside the rink and went postal on him. When he got chance to breathe he told me you had split up…so I went postal on him again."

Casey smiled. "Thanks."

Derek shrugged. "It's what brothers are supposed to do, eh?"

"Friends do it too Derek." Casey said pointedly.

He grimaced, but she noted the amusement in his eyes which meant he wasn't as anti her suggestion as he made out.

"Friends? That's just a vicious rumour made up by people who know better." He said causing Casey to laugh.

Derek slung an arm around her shoulders. "Do me a favour? Next time I tell you to avoid a guy because he's a tool, at least ask me why before you ignore me."

Casey nodded. "Does that mean I get to comment on the Venturi Vixens?"

"Over my dead body!"

James and Casey were eating breakfast on Friday morning. They were perched on the two bar stools in the kitchen, Casey with a bowl of nutritious wholegrain cereal, James with a strawberry pop-tart.

Casey opened her mouth to comment on the cardboard offering her roommate was tucking into, when upstairs a door slammed and someone started stomping around the house.

"I'll be happy when Saturday is over." James commented between mouthfuls. "He's fucking unbearable at the moment."
Casey nodded. "I know. But it's a big deal. If he doesn't attract the attention of the scouts this weekend he'll have to get a job and actually work for a living."

James laughed. "You know Derek though, Case. Whatever he does he'll come out of it successful and popular."
"Please. Don't remind me. He has the luck of the devil. He'll be a rip-roaring success, earn lots of money, marry a top-class model and have scores of cute little mini-Dereks. And the rest of us inadequates who actually work for a living will have mortgages, failed marriages and IVF to look forward to."

"Top models and mini-dereks. You've put some thought into this."

"Nah. He has a life plan too. It involves air hostesses, playboy bunnies and yes, supermodels."

"What about librarians?"

Casey snorted. "Like he'd ever sleep with a keener."

"So these little mini-dereks would be your nephews." James pointed out.

"Yeah. Pity me. I get to spend every Christmas for the rest of my life surrounded by multiple Dereks."

"Noisy."

Casey grimaced and nodded. She looked up at the clock. "I've got to go. I might not have many weeks to go till we finish but I need to make every one count if I want to hit graduate school in the Fall."

She placed her bowl beside the sink, patted James on the back by way of a goodbye and then left the room.

James was thoughtful for a moment, wondering if it had occurred to either of his two best friends that they would be forced to live apart next year – and unless by some miracle they both wised up to the feelings they had for each other that next year would last the rest of their lives. He remembered the way Casey had been at various times over the last three years when her relationships failed. The tears and tension.

He wondered what it would be like when Derek and Casey had to say goodbye to each other – and whether he could emigrate before that happened.

"Jesus Derek. Would you calm the fuck down!" Carl shouted as Derek cannoned into him coming up the stairs.

"I'm late for a lecture and I've picked up the wrong files." Derek said, sounding uncharacteristically like Casey. Stress did weird things to him and for the past year he had found himself behaving more and more like a keener and less like his usual self. He knew if he was to stand any chance of getting signed for a major league team he had to show he was reliable. He was rivalling Casey for the time and effort he was putting into his studies right now. Saturday would be the culmination of all his hard work on and off the ice. He didn't need the repeated warnings from the coaching team at Queens he knew what was at stake. He was good enough to make it – provided he didn't fuck it up.

Derek was nervous – actually he was beyond nervous.

Casey had promised to come on Saturday to watch the game, and he wasn't afraid to admit - to himself at least – that he was hoping she would hang around afterwards to stop him vomiting on a scout or two. Their family had wanted to come too but Edwin and Lizzie had exams and Robbie had come out in chicken pox.

.

"Venturi." Coach Matthews greeted him as he checked in later that day. "All on track for tomorrow?"

"Yes Coach."

"Cool. I got you your predicted grades through from the Dean's office." Derek looked at him in panic. The older man laughed. "Relax. They're impressive. You've busted a gut this year and it shows in your marks. I've told you before, major league teams are looking for more than just someone who can play hockey. They want signs of commitment and dependability. Your performance off the ice this year has been as stellar as your performance on it. What do you put that down to?"

Derek shrugged, still shaking too much to be care free. "Planning and dedication?" he queried. The coach looked at him and laughed.

"I'd have said it had more to do with that beautiful step-sister of yours."

"Which one would that be?" Derek asked, rolling his eyes.

"The one who nags you to death after every game." Coach smirked. "Is she coming tomorrow?"
"That's the plan."

"Good. Can't be without your lucky charm, can we?" then his jovial face got serious. "Derek, I can't emphasise how important tomorrow is. You screw up tomorrow there won't be many other chances. Just turn up, do well and then let me take it from there."

"Okay." Derek tried to breathe.

"Listen. Don't expect to get word straight away. Sometimes they go away and take their time. Just do me a favour, and don't get wasted until you know, okay?"

"Sure."

"And tell Casey to cheer loudly."

"Let me through." Casey pleaded as she tried to shove her way through the crowds of groupies lining the corridor outside the dressing room. It was still half an hour before the game was due to start but the hockey girls were all in the halls waiting for their favourite players. Derek wasn't the only senior hockey player who was playing for the big time today – but he had his fair share of (very jealous) groupies.

"Clear off McDonald!" One of the over-made-up barbies called. "Join the queue."

The door to the changing rooms opened and Coach Matthews poked his head out.

"Casey?" He called more in hope than expectation.

"I'm here!" she shouted, waving her arm in the air. Someone grabbed it and yanked her into the forbidden territory of the home team changing room.

"Thank the fuck. I can't get him out of the john."

Casey found herself propelled towards the men's washrooms and eventually towards one particular cubicle.

"He's in there." Her escort said and shoved her to the door.

"Derek?" Casey asked. "Are you okay?"

She was rewarded with the sound of someone vomiting loudly and found herself rolling her eyes.

"You know, moron, I'd love for all those brain-dead floozies out there to hear you right now."
"Urgh!" Was all he managed.

She laughed. "Derek. Come on. It's a hockey game. You've been playing hockey since you were ten. This is no different."

There was a flush and he emerged from the enclosure looking pale and worn. Casey tilted her head to look at him.

"You don't have to play. You could come home with me and I'll cook your favourite."

"Don't tempt me, Casey. Right now it sounds great."

She chuckled. "Then you really would hate me forever. I'd be the one who held you back from your dream; the one who didn't goad you into playing; the one who let you down."

"What makes you think I can't do this without your input?"

"You…you'd rather have your head over the toilet than start warming up. You'd rather feel sorry for yourself than discuss tactics with the coach. And you'd rather waste your time talking to your step-sister than eyeing the barbies outside."

He snorted and their eyes met. "Bimbos? Barbies?"

The girls who hang around you like a rash, D."

He smirked. "You know every time I turn around, you're there. What does that make you?"

"A fool Derek."

He laughed. "You said it babe!" He straightened up. "Where are you sitting? The usual?"

She nodded. "You can do this. If only because I've told you so many times that you can't…that you'll be a wastrel. Go out there and prove me wrong."

Derek stepped forward and caught her waist with his arm. He placed a kiss in her hair.

"Meet me afterwards." He demanded.

"If I don't have anywhere else to be."

They grinned at each other.

"Thanks sis."

"Idiot!"

And then he walked away from her and joined the rest of the team.

"Where is she?" Derek said as soon as he came off the ice.

"What?"

"Where's Casey?"

The junior member of the team frowned. "Out front I guess."

Derek pulled a face. "You know. If you're going to get anywhere you need to start paying attention." He barked and made his way to the dressing room.

Casey beat him.

"You were too loose in your challenges." She announced. "But I don't think they noticed. I'm sure I caught them smiling a couple of times. Of course that could be just wind."

Derek groaned. "You're no fucking help, you know that?"

She laughed. "You played well, Derek. Relax. I'm sure you did fine." She glanced towards the door. "I need to go. I have no desire to see Redburn in his birthday suit again. I'm still scarred from the last time."

Derek kissed her on the head. "I know what you mean. I have to share a fucking shower with him." He paused. "Don't disappear."

"Wouldn't dream of it. But I do need to phone home before my cell explodes with texts."

"See you later?"

"Only if I don't see you coming first."

His room was empty. Not just absent of him, but all his things, all the possessions she was used to seeing around: The posters, the photos, the bric-a-brac of twenty two years of a guy's life.

Casey stood in the open door way and looked, unsure what she was feeling but definitely certain that she didn't like it.

"Did he get the flight okay?" James asked from behind her. Casey nodded without looking, not wanting him to see her face.

"He was lucky. The idiot set off the x-ray machine at security with that ridiculous belt he bought last week. They had to get him to take his pants off and he stood there in front of this tiny female security officer in boxers that said "Kiss my ass"."

"You saw all this?"
Casey grinned and finally turned round. "Yeah. I watched him through the barriers into security. I saw him go through. He texted me later to berate me for pissing myself with laughter as I watched."

James saw the sadness in her eyes. "Did he say goodbye?" He asked softly.

Casey sighed. "I think there was a "So long, Spacey" in there some where."

"That's all he said?"

"Yeah…why?" Casey was confused.

James was too but for a different reason.

He couldn't believe Derek would just walk out of Casey's life like that without a proper goodbye. They were going to be living at opposite ends of the country for the foreseeable future: Derek playing for a top ranking hockey team, Casey in graduate school. James wasn't dumb. He didn't expect them to declare undying love in Departures, but from what he could see Derek had made no plans to meet up with Casey again. This was a guy who hadn't spent more than a week apart from his step-sister in nearly six years – a step-sister who was now his best friend. And here he was leaving it all to a "so long" and a vague possibility of them both attending future family gatherings. He was forced to wonder if Derek really was glad to be getting away from Casey after all.

Casey made her way to her room. Derek was gone. For the first time in six years there was a significant distance between them. Their conversations had always been unplanned disagreements when they stumbled across each other as they went about their lives. Communication between them now would have to be planned. Casey wasn't sure either of them was ready for that.

She hadn't expected a romantic goodbye the way Jay had, but she had sort of expected him to use the 'g' word. She hadn't expected hugging or stuff, but a rough slap on the back wouldn't have gone amiss. And she certainly hadn't been expecting the sight of his empty room to play havoc with her feelings the way it was.

Casey missed him – and it hadn't even been two hours.

Pushing open the door to her room, Casey remembered the sight of Derek standing there in his silly state of undressed in Security. It should have made her laugh, but the most vivid thing was his eyes. Despite his manner towards her, the way his eyes locked on hers as he walked out of her sight – well that would be the only goodbye she was going to get.

As she entered the room she stopped. There on her perfectly made bed was an envelope she hadn't left there. She stepped closer and saw the handwriting was Derek's scrawl. Casey it said simply.

Casey sat down on the bed, picked up the envelope and opened it.

There were three things inside: A ticket to a hockey match in three weeks, a return plane ticket to Vancouver also dated three weeks hence, and a post-it note.

"Be There!" It ordered.