A/N: This one is a little light on the Dandy, but I really wanted to delve into Rishi and Mindy's relationship a little before moving on. As always, please leave comments, positive or negative. I love hearing what other people think.

CH 20

Mindy tucked herself into bed, pulling the coverlet up to her chin. She was wide awake. She stared at the ceiling fan making lazy circles over her head. It squeaked slightly on each turn. Normally she didn't even notice it, but right now she felt herself counting the rotations in time with the sound.

She blew out a frustrated breath and sat up. She grabbed her glasses from the end table and settled them on her face. "Rishi!" She yelled in the direction of her door, hoping he was still awake. She slipped out of the bed and padded over to her bedroom door, jutting her head out into the apartment. "Rishi?"

She saw his head poking up slightly over the back of her couch, a pair of gigantic headphones bobbing in time with some unheard beat. She said his name again, this time very loudly. He snapped his head around, pulling the headphones down. "Mindy?"

She walked over to him and placed her hands on the back of the couch, leaning over to see what he was doing. He had his computer on his lap and a digital mix-board filled the screen. "Working on stuff?"

He nodded. "Just some backbeats." He closed the program and set the computer on the table. "You need something?" He had turned completely to face her.

She sighed and dropped her hands to her side. "I can't sleep. I think maybe I got a second hand high at that party. I feel so wired." She moved over to sit on the back of the couch.

Rishi laughed. "You can't get second hand high from just being in a room with somebody. You weren't even in there for ten minutes before you snuck outside with your boyfriend."

Mindy reached down and picked up the throw pillow, swatting her brother with it. "I didn't… he's not.. well, he's… I don't know…" She trailed off, dropping the pillow back down. What was she doing with Danny? She looked down and plucked at the buttons running down the front of her pj's, making a face. "You want to do that thing we used to do when you were a kid?" She needed to distract him from his current line of questioning.

He frowned. "Come on, do we have to?"

She stuck her bottom lip out and opened her eyes wide, nodding. "Come, on baby brother, you know you love it."

He sighed, levering himself up from the couch. "Fine. I'll be in there in a minute." Underneath the exasperated tone he was secretly pleased.

Mindy hopped up and down a bit, skipping over to her dvd collection and plucking one from the shelf, quickly dashing back into her room. Rishi gathered up the pillows and blanket from the couch and followed her.

He plopped down beside her on the bed, spreading his blanket out over him and tucking his pillow behind him. "Same one as always?"

She pointed the remote at the tv sitting on her dresser, hitting the play button as she spoke. "Of course."

Mindy was sitting on her bed painting her fingernails listening to music on the little pink boom box sitting on her night stand. The music was some kicky pop flowing out at a low volume. She mouthed the words and bobbed her head. She was wearing her favorite flannel pajamas. The ones that were way too big, but oh so comfy.

She glanced up at the sound of the door hinge squeaking. Rishi was standing there, his head barely higher than the doorknob. His bare feet poked out from under his pajamas. She was struck once again how small he was for his age. She reached over and turned off the music. "I didn't wake you up did I?"

He slipped further into her room and shut the door behind him, shaking his head and tugging at the bottom of his shirt. "I can't sleep."

She set the nail polish down and waved her hands in front of her. "Come here." She pointed to the bed beside her.

He smiled and sprinted over to the bed pouncing on it. He crossed his legs, imitating his sister. She looked down at him, his thin little shoulders poking against the white cotton of his night shirt. "Can we watch a movie?"

She gave him a knowing look. "Can't sleep, eh? This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" She really should make him go back to his room.

He looked up at her doing his best doe-eyes, his little mouth slightly turned down. "Mom and Dad only let me watch educational ones. You have all the good ones, with bad words in them too." He was getting really good at this. Just a slight wheedling tone combined with that puppy look. She supposed he learned from the best. It was the exact look she gave her parents when begging for tickets to the Jewel concert.

She gave in. "Alright alright." As soon as the words left her mouth he had jumped back down off the bed and scurried underneath it, pulling out a large shoe box. She kept her movie collection hidden as though they were dirty, which to her parents, they were. They thought they were trash that distracted her from her education. Whatever.

He slipped one out and hurried over to her TV, popping the tape in the VCR and hitting play. "Which one?" She asked even though she knew the answer. He jumped back into the bed, this time snuggling under the big fluffy blankets. She got up and flipped the light switch off, leaving only one lamp and the blue glow of the tv to light the room.

He glanced up at her with a grin. "The one with the boy who wishes he was big and then wakes up and he's big, and there's that one part where they play the giant piano with their feet, but later he doesn't like being big." The words came out in an excited rush.

She scooted in beside him. "You know, Rish, it's not that hard to remember the name of this movie. You said it like three times while describing it to me." She put one arm around him, letting him use her as a head rest.

He nestled into her, yawning loudly. "Big. Big. Big."

She looked down at him. He wouldn't make it through the whole movie, he almost never did. She tilted back and settled in to enjoy watching Tom Hanks act like a ten year old boy.

An hour later she peeked down at him and he was snoring lightly. She flipped the covers back and scooped him up. He was heavier than he looked. She huffed a little on the way to the door. He stirred and looked up at her. "Mindy?"

She stopped and looked down at him. "Good, you're awake. I don't think I can get the door open without putting you down." She bent over and sat him down.

He rubbed the sleep in his eyes. "Do you have to leave?"

Confusion swept across her features and she knelt down to look him in the eyes. "What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere. I'm just putting you to bed."

She patted him on the shoulder and started to stand. He looked down at the floor. "I mean to college. Mom and dad say you're going to college, to be a doctor, and that you'll only come home on Christmas." He frowned, his lip quivering just a little. He bit it and looked back up at her. "Who's going to take me to soccer practice?"

A vice squeezed around her heart. She was already going to be homesick when she left, but this was too much. The little boy standing in front of her meant more to her than any other person in her life. She remembered when she found out her mom was pregnant. She'd had a meltdown of epic proportions. She just knew a sibling would ruin her life.

She'd held him when her mom had brought him home, and she'd been astonished at how little he was, and how delicate. She'd cradled him nervously, afraid he would break, but she'd instantly been in love.

Now he was standing in front of her, on the verge of tears, and she was just staring at him in silence. He continued on. "You always take me after school, and I don't like it when mom comes because she makes me wear the big shin guards, the other kids make fun of me, 'cause I'm so much smaller, but they don't do that when you're there, 'cause you told Eddie Tudeski you'd stick his head in a toilet if he called me a shrimp again." The words poured out quickly, taking no pauses for breaths. When he reached the end he took a big gulp of air.

Mindy stayed on her knees and drew him in for a hug. She completely enveloped him. "I love you, Rish. It doesn't matter where I am, you can call me any time, and I'll visit more often than just Christmas. You tell Eddie and his stupid friends that I have connections with the mob."

They both had tears streaming down their cheeks. Mindy pulled back and wiped Rishi's face with the sleeve of her pajamas, and then tended to her own. She stood up and opened her door. "Come on, you have to go to bed or you'll never be able to wake up in the morning."

He followed her down the hall. "I wish I would wake up big tomorrow, then I could go with you."

She reached down and squeezed his shoulder. "When you really are big, you can come visit me in the city, and we'll stay up and watch movies just like we do now, ok?"

The credits rolled across the screen as Mindy's eyes drifted closed. She didn't even bother to turn off the light. She stretched her arms as she yawned one last time, accidentally whacking Rishi in the face.

"Hey." He pushed her hand down. He had fallen asleep halfway through the movie. He pushed himself back up against the headboard, poking Mindy until she gave up trying to sleep.

She grunted and opened her eyes. "What?"

He rubbed his face with one hand, trying to wake himself up. "You know he loves you, right?"

She feigned confusion. "Tom Hanks?"

Rishi snorted. "I don't even think he knows it yet, but it's there. Come on, Mindy. Why did you stay here tonight?" He watched her slowly turn her face into her pillow.

"What are you talking about? Where else would I have gone?" She mumbled into the fabric, hoping he would just drop it. Rishi's words had caused a warmth to blossom in her chest. It spread to her face and ears. She felt them burning. She chanced a quick glance and was disappointed to see the same look of curiosity on his face.

"I would have been fine here on my own. You could have went home with him. We're all adults." He scooted back down under the covers, tucking the pillow behind his head. "And don't pretend you haven't, you know, reached that level where you can spend the night at each other's places. I could tell it was different between you."

She sat up, interested now. "Different, how?"

"Well, I've only seen you two together a handful of times." He closed his eyes and continued talking. "Those other times were different."

Mindy was wide awake now. Rishi had noticed something, before? He yawned. "But, back then he would only look at you that way when he thought you wouldn't notice. He'd just stare at you, snapping back to himself only when you looked in his direction." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, clearly on the precipice of sleep.

She waited a few seconds for him to continue. When he didn't she shoved him gently. "Don't leave me hanging. How is it different?"

Rishi shrugged without opening his eyes. "I don't know. He doesn't snap back anymore, at least not all the way."

Rishi flipped over onto his side and began snoozing in earnest. Mindy turned to her back, shoving Rishi's leg out of the way with her foot. She stared up at the ceiling fan. Still working away, squeaking steadily. She began to count again. It was like counting sheep. The constant rhythm lulling her. One. Two. Three.