"Miss Monroe?"

She watched him make his way across the beach. She didn't think it was over-paranoid to step closer to the sound of the waves crashing against the sandy shore, especially considering the huge, slathering hound by his side.

She'd found it easy to discover who Cas was dating - so many open secrets in Hollywood and plenty of people owed her - but looking into him had led to confusion. Why was a magna-cum-laude graduate of Harvard Business School working as a junior production runner?

He strode over to her easily, strong legs unfazed by the shifting sand. She had to admit Cas could pick 'em. The guy was gorgeous. Charming smile and straight white teeth, and utterly insincere as he held his hand out to shake.

"Thank you for meeting me," she said, taking it briefly.

"Didn't really have a choice, did I?"

She ignored his tone, and the sub-vocal growl from the dog, crossing her arms.

"So why here?" he asked, glancing around the pristine beach with only a few dog walkers and surfers. "Oh, deniability I suppose?"

He was clearly a quick thinker, but she was quicker. She decided she may as well be honest. "That, and you can't get a good recording with the sounds of the ocean."

The look of slight disgust on his face was interesting. So, no recording then, despite her worries. Perhaps not as smart as she'd thought.

"You expected to be recorded? Are you planning on threatening Cas some more?"

"I don't threaten Caspian. I've dedicated a large part of my career to his, and he means a lot to me. That's why I know what's best for him."

"You think preventing him from having any kind of personal life is good for him? Or is it good for you? Keeps him reliant."

She sighed. Love was a thing for pointless, small, people with pointless, small obsessions.

"And you act like you have his best interests in mind. That's rich. I'm sure you'd be the first out the door if the money dried up. If the parts stopped coming."

"You know nothing about me."

"I know Caspian can be a lot more than some gay icon. Getting token parts. He has talent."

She thought that would set him off - he was clenching his jaw and his fist, and she took another step back. It didn't, though, surprisingly. His hand relaxed and he narrowed his eyes.

"He has talent, huh? Is that why you're keeping him firmly in the young adult tier? Refusing to send him scripts for meatier stuff, despite him asking for it?"

The man just didn't get it. Though the uncertainty she'd had before came back, because there were clearly some things he did notice, and she wondered if Caspian had realized too.

"He needs to learn his craft. Sharpen his teeth. He isn't ready to go up against the big boys yet, you must be able to see that. He's still immature, emotional. Surely that's what you like about him?"

He bared his teeth. "You've had almost total control over his life for over six years. He doesn't have friends you haven't vetted, he barely sees his own mother. And you wonder why he's still immature."

He turned away, his deep voice whipped towards her by the rising wind. "But you don't care about that, do you? All you're interested in is the money you make while he's bankable in the way you want, because it's you who isn't talented enough to help him bridge genres."

"You don't know what you're talking about. It's irrelevant, though, because you won't be a problem anymore."

"I won't?" He turned back, crossing his arms over his chest, tilting his head. Veronica almost managed to admire the clear 'fuck you, I won't do what you tell me' in his eyes.

She had to do this carefully. He couldn't be cowed in the same way Cas could, he didn't have as much to lose. But she did have one card to play, particularly now she'd met him and could see the way his face changed every time he thought of Caspian.

"You claim to want what's best for him, don't you? You can give him that. You leave. Tell him it's over, and I'll make sure he gets to audition for one of those dramatic roles he wants so much."

"Why would I trust you to keep your word?"

She shrugged. He had no choice. Though this time, she really was planning on following through, if only because an appropriate role had come up that would still keep the core fan base happy.

"I can get the role, but it can just as easily go to another client. I have a new one, actually. Just as sweet and pretty as him. But younger and far more eager to please. Maybe I'll just decide Caspian is too much hard work. It's up to you."

He backed away, his face a picture of conflict. She could tell he'd like to push her in the ocean and watch her be carried away by the currents, fast in the approaching summer storm, and the knowledge that it was breaking him gave her a sense of immense power.

"Fine," he said, after a long moment. "I'll do it."

"Good boy," she said, but he'd already stalked away.

* * * *

Ben stood at the apartment block of Cas' best friend, Lila by his side. They hadn't met yet, though Ben wasn't sensitive about it - he knew their relationship scared and excited Cas in equal measure and it meant he still wanted to keep Ben all to himself. Ben was proud, watching him develop, become stronger and more in tune with his true identity.

He knew that Penny was aware of him as an unnamed boyfriend. Cas had mentioned as much. And had also said she'd offered support to him when he had felt out of his depth and lost in newfound celebrity all those years ago. She was needed again.

He only knew the block because Cas had pointed it out one time, but he had no idea which number she lived at. He went for the time-honored tradition of ringing a random buzzer and asking for her. On the third attempt, the elderly voice told him it was number six, so he rang that one.

"Penny?"

"Who is it?"

"Ben Grayson. Can I come up?"

She was on the sidewalk two minutes later.

"Sorry, I don't really let strangers in," she admitted, flinching away when Lila growled.

"Lila, no. Sorry. But don't worry about that. I'm here for Cas. You know who I am?"

"Obviously."

"I need your help."

On the drive, Lila in the back seat breathing hot air over Penny's shoulder, he found it in himself to ask what had burned at his conscience since Cas had told him the details of meeting Penny. He knew the answer from Cas' sweet, naïve perspective, and he had a suspicion Penny's version would be sharper - more cynical. And closer to the truth.

"Why are you friends with Cas?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she answered quickly, with bite. "He's lovable - you of all people should know that."

"Sure, but I get a different side to him."

He couldn't say he got more, though he was sure it was accurate. He got everything of Cas - his genuine thoughtfulness, not the one curated by Veronica. His real, unsophisticated guilelessness. His vulnerabilities, too, that he kept locked down for others. No, he couldn't tell her that, but he was intrigued by how close this best friend got, who Cas spoke about with love.

"You met him through his agent, right?"

"Oh yeah, Veronica. Well, she was my agent too, then."

"She isn't now?"

"She fired me when I wouldn't keep passing information to her about Cas." She must have seen the look on his face, despite keeping his gaze firmly forward. "He knew from the beginning that I was his babysitter and she called the shots. We just became friends anyway. We're very similar, really. I mean, it took a year before I even realized her questions about how he was doing were more than just motherly concern. That they weren't really about him and more about his brand."

"Oh?"

"You must recognize his brand? Squeaky clean Disney prince stylings?"

There was that cynicism he'd been expecting. And, yes, he had noticed - Cas had too, but not to the same depth; it was too much a part of his identity by now. How every part cast him as the good-boy lead, sweeping the equally pure girl off her feet. Sometimes there was dramatic, blood-free violence, more often there were one-dimensional antagonists being pointlessly cruel, but they were always defeated in the end. And Cas never had any meat to get his teeth into. Never any wicked humor, never any genuine, risky, drama.

"Cas told me you were meant to move in with him when he got his new place."

"He did?" She sounded shaky at that. Overwhelmed. "Yeah, we planned it that way. We already did, for a few months, before he got that house - Veronica organized us an apartment, but then Cas made it big. He was in that apocalyptic adventure movie, you know it?"

Of course he did. It'd been Cas' big break - one of the main leads in a big-budget summer blockbuster, a slightly wobbly adaptation of a best-selling book. The role had been nothing special, but Cas had shone, of course, and it had led to countless more, similar roles. They showed off his pretty features and PG-rated shots of his body and, to a lesser degree, his acting ability. Ben knew he was capable of so much more.

"Why didn't you then? It's big enough."

"Why do you think?"

"Veronica?"

"Of course. I didn't ask Cas what she'd said to him, but she told me to give him some space. And she said I was, uh, a bad influence on him. Maybe it was true, he was sure innocent enough. And then she fired me. Probably to keep me away from him. It didn't work though. He was even more loyal when I told him she'd said that about me."

It hurt how few friends Cas had - and it had nothing to do with how well he got on with people. Everyone loved him - he just kept them at arm's length. Ben didn't know how much of it was Veronica, but he suspected it was at least some of Cas not trusting people to stand by him. Ben still wondered how he'd broken down the walls long enough to slip into his heart.

When they got to the house, Cas came running down the steps, wrapping his arms around Ben's neck, covering his mouth and cheeks with kisses, only stopping to pet Lila.

"Cee, Penny's here."

Cas stopped for a moment, a shadow passing across his face. Ben wanted to know why, but he couldn't ask, because she was there, pulling Cas away and hugging his whole body. Whatever it was passed, because moments later they were giggling together, running up the steps and into the house, leaving Ben to follow with a shake of his head.

Ben's throat was beginning to burn, a lump being replaced by a feeling of nausea.

"Do you guys want coffee? I'll make something-,"

"Sit down, Cee, I need to talk to you."

"Not without a drink-,"

"No. Sit down, please."

Cas stopped in his excitable movements, his face dropping.

"Why did you bring Penny here, anyway? You guys haven't even met."

"I wanted you to have someone with you," Ben admitted.

Cas' face went through several emotions, starting with confusion and ending with something that made Ben's heart crack.

"Why? Ben, why? Don't do this, please."

It should have made it easier, that he didn't have to spell it out - that Cas saw what was happening before it hit. But he felt unwelcome tears fill his eyes.

"Cee-,"

"No! You don't get to call me that now! Why would you do this?"

Cas stepped away from him, putting the hideous blocky couch between them, but his arms were lifted in a plea that Ben had to answer.

"Please, hear me out. I think you already knew. You read the contract, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Cas' gaze flicked to the window, long fingers picking at his nails.

"And?"

"It's bullshit. We can beat it, if we do it together. I don't want-"

"Neither do I." Ben took Cas' arms to stop the frantic scratching and pulling he'd started. "But we have to. It's not bullshit, not legally. She has you tied up so you can't break it, and even if you did, or didn't re-sign to her at the end, you wouldn't be able to use any of the other agents out there. You know that."

Cas' face dropped further.

"She'll crush everything you worked so hard for."

"I don't care about that. I don't care about her. Please, Ben. Please don't do this to us."

"I'm sorry." His voice broke. "I love you, but I can't be the reason you lose everything you've worked for. I'll wait though. I promise. You're my person, Cee."

Tears poured down Cas' face unhindered, while Ben did his best to turn away, to not keep consoling him. He had to be strong for the pair of them. Ben wasn't a good enough consolation prize, even if Cas had convinced himself he was.