Disclaimer: Drake and Josh are owned by Viacomm and Dan Schneider, not me, although I think I'd take much better care of them.

Summary: It's the summer after high school graduation: time for Josh and Drake to part, as their lives take separate paths.

Author: therubyone

A TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

Chapter One – Friday Afternoon (A Camping We Will Go)

"Don't worry, Mom, you'll do fine," Josh Nichols tried to convince his stepmother Audrey Parker-Nichols. He and his stepbrother Drake and their father Walter had spent the last week teaching Audrey how to drive a manual stick shift. She was going to use the yellow VW convertible, while the boys used her SUV. The stepbrothers were going camping for a long weekend at Lake Henshaw, where the family had spent some vacation time over the years.

Josh could tell that tears were forming in Audrey's eyes by the way she blinked in the sunlight and caught her breath, even though she was smiling. These little glimpses of a mother's conflicted emotions were coming at more and more frequent intervals. In two weeks' time, Josh would be heading off to college.

Drake Parker and his back-up band were joining the final seven weeks of The Sparks' summer tour, to open for them, as a replacement for the Farley Rangers, who had been forced to drop off the bill due to a member's continued drug abuse (hushed up) and resulting injury (reason given for withdrawing). Drake was scheduled to leave on Tuesday. Drake, to put it simply, was in heaven.

Walter Nichols, while concerned about his wife's feelings, seemed pleased that the nest would soon be a little emptier. He put an arm around Audrey and said to his son and stepson (both nearly grown men now!), "I'll take the bug, if necessary. We'll manage. You two just go off and have some fun," and with a meaningful look, he added " – peaceful and quiet fun, that is."

"Do you have any last-minute questions? You boys have never been camping without me and your dad before. Are you sure you wouldn't rather do something else, something less risky?" asked Audrey, sounding unsure. Audrey's imagination was filled with images of the boys starting a forest fire, being attacked in the wild by chupacabras, giving themselves food poisoning and getting dehydrated, driving recklessly, or finding themselves in a myriad of threatening and unfortunate predicaments.

Walter pooh-poohed his wife's objections, saying "Oh, this is perfect for them. They just want to go and do guy things, like not shaving or bathing, with no un-cool parents hovering over them."

Both boys kissed Audrey, got in the vehicle, and headed out. Drake was driving and Josh was navigating. Drake laughed and said to Josh, as they pulled out of the driveway, "This is probably the last 'peace and quiet' either of us is going to have for a rather l-o-n-g time!" Drake was elated that his dreams were coming true.

"No doubt! You'll be attending the School of Rock and I'll be doin' it up at UCLA!" answered Josh, equally excited about the future.

Drake put in The Sparks' latest CD. "I need to study their sound some more. I want to learn as much as I can from them!"

"In between the beer and the groupies, you mean?" kidded Josh.

"Yeah, well, it won't be ALL fun and games," Drake said, looking forward to the fun and games, but not at all minding the hard work involved, either.

After a quick stop at the drugstore, they got on the highway and headed for their destination. After listening to the new CD, the boys then sang along to The Sparks' Greatest Hits. One of their #1 songs was "Seven Things I'll Miss About You."

Drake asked Josh, "So, what seven things will you miss about me?"

Josh answered, "Okay. Number One. When you rush in all excited, about to have a heart attack, and you're shouting my name. Like if you don't tell me something immediately, you'll explode."

Drake, nettled, replied, "Well! Then I'll have to say I'll miss the way it never fails to startle you and you fall over and / or break something: all in response to the sound of my voice."

Josh, noting Drake's critical tone, said, diplomatically, "Number Two. I'll miss Bad Movie Tuesdays, won't you?"

Drake was like a badger, always ready to dig in his heels at what he perceived as an insult. Recognizing that Josh had not been trying to put him down, Drake backed off and said, "I'll list that as my second as well."

"Maybe you should start, while I'm organizing my thoughts," said Josh, wanting to avoid any trouble.

After changing lanes, Drake said, "I'll miss going on double dates with you. But you always crack me up so much, I have to watch out that the girl doesn't feel neglected!"

"I'll miss when we play video games," Josh said. "We've had some epic battles."

"And I will miss hanging out at The Premiere watching you work, while you fill me up with free soda and popcorn," continued Drake.

Josh cleared his throat and said, "You'll be surprised to hear me say this, but I will kind of miss you getting me into . . . situations."

Drake guffawed and answered, "Then I'll say I'll miss you trying - and failing - to get us out of 'situations.'"

Josh drummed his fingers on the dashboard. He continued, "This is hard. There are too many things. Can I say I'll miss seeing you every day?"

Since Drake started the topic, he got to set the rules. He replied, "That's lame, man. Too general." Drake turned off the highway onto a smaller state road, then continued, "I should have put this first: I will miss our fights."

"What?" asked a flabbergasted Josh.

"I could never do anything like that with a little sister," Drake explained. "You know, the tackling and wrestling and all that. It always seemed to make my anger disappear. Plus we always apologized afterwards. I can only remember one time that Megan ever said 'sorry" and that was when she messed up our school video project."

"I think I know what you mean. Sometimes when we were fighting, even though I was mad, I felt like I would bust out laughing, right in the middle of the slapping and flicking," Josh had to admit.

"Don't forget the head butting," added Drake.

"Or the pinching. You were always big with the pinching," Josh emphasized. "You must have picked that up from Megan! I'll substitute the fighting, then, for my number five."

"Finally, I'll miss all your sound effects, especially when you get all worked up and you lose the ability to say words, so you just make noises. What's amazing is that I can actually understand you, when you're doing that!" Drake stated.

Josh didn't take offense. He was too busy thinking. He asked, "Can I say I'll miss your freckles?"

Drake raised his eyebrows, a silent warning that he didn't consider that a proper choice.

Josh spoke up quickly, "Then I'll pick how enthusiastic you are about the latest styles, trends and what-not, like your clothes, the crazy toys and new kinds of candy, and making sure we went to see all the top acts appearing at the Mega-Dome."

"Hey, Navigator. Was that our turn that we just missed?" Drake inquired, gripping the steering wheel.

Checking the map, which had been forgotten during their talk, Josh replied, "Oops. Sorry. Better find a place to turn around."

Shortly thereafter, they arrived at their destination, some 35 miles northeast of the city. Once they located their assigned space, they started to make camp.

As he hauled their beach chairs out of the vehicle, Drake mused, "Sometimes it felt like this day would never come. But when I look back, it seems like high school has flown by. Stepping into this tour comes right on time."

Since the momentous news about joining the line-up with The Sparks, Josh hadn't seen much of Drake. There were so many details to pin down. "Are you nervous?" he asked his stepbrother.

"Hell, yes! But excited, too. I feel like I've been waiting for this ever since I held my first guitar. All the practice and playing those weird, little gigs, is finally paying off," Drake replied.

"My wish for you is that it's everything you've been hoping it would be. The world is just waiting to acknowledge your talents," Josh told him, speaking from the heart. Josh set the bag containing the tent to one side and hooked up a pump to the cigarette lighter in the car, in order to inflate an air mattress.

"Do you think Mom could be any madder about you not choosing to become a doctor, teacher or lawyer?" bubbled Drake, as he dragged materials over to the brick fireplace.

"She's certainly said so often enough! I realized during my internship with Megan's class that not only did I not have the patience, but also that I just wouldn't want to work with kids all the time. As for the law, I think that's Megan's destiny – before she enters politics, that is," reflected Josh.

"Ya think? I foresee a much darker future for our little sister, as a dominatrix or some kind of madam, running her own highly profitable porn website and building an S&M empire," Drake said, making a sour face.

"Alright," agreed Josh, laughing, throwing up his hands in resignation, impressed at Drake's use of such big words. "And then she could go into politics, after she's made her first million."

"We can be certain she'll keep Mom and Walter busy, one way or the other, once we're out of the way. Then Mom won't have time to brood over both sons going into entertainment," said Drake, summing it up. Drake struggled to insert a pole into the ground, so they could hang a lantern from it.

Josh, still smarting over Audrey's disapproval, said "Mom has only herself to blame! She was the one who encouraged me to try out for the school play. She said it would help me to meet girls. She was right, of course, but I don't think she expected me to enjoy acting as much as I did." Josh sat down at the picnic table and worked at zipping their sleeping bags together.

"You didn't get accepted into UCLA on your acting creds alone. You're an awesome writer and a natural comedian, too. However, I'd recommend not telling anybody about the magic tricks," Drake advised Josh, flipping his hair out of his eyes as he looked around for the best place to set up another pole.

"We'll see if it goes anywhere. At least Dad was fine with my choice. 'Like father, like son,' with a possible career in television," Josh chuckled, in response.

"Just don't ever let me catch you broadcasting the weather again. That is definitely not where your future lies," Drake further chided him.

Evasively, Josh answered, "Who can say? I want to follow this path wherever it takes me." He mounded up the joined sleeping bags and set them on top of the table.

Drake told Josh, "Los Angeles is only two hours away. At least you can check up on Mom and Dad occasionally, while I'm on the road. And I'm looking forward to some exciting weekends on campus, visiting you and pulling the co-eds."

After the boys unloaded some more of the equipment, they built a fire in the on-site fireplace, so their meal could cook while they set up the tent.

"What's next after the tour?" Josh inquired.

"I'm hoping it will lead straight to a recording session in L.A. and eventually to the Grammies," Drake said, revealing his dreams of things to come.

"You'll get there," Josh reassured him. "And speaking of Grammy, if you can convert someone as tough as she is into a fan . . . is she still running your fansite and hawking your T-shirts?"

"Yes, she is. She's remarkable. I bet she'll be setting up a website for you, too, as soon as you get some decent head shots," Drake said in reply.

"I don't know about that," Josh snorted, mortified at the thought, using a stick to poke at the fire. "I'm more private than you are." He placed assorted foil packets on the wire rack over the flames.

He then joined Drake as they worked together to set up their tent. The process went smoothly; they had helped Walter on numerous occasions, in addition to using it themselves in their backyard.

"Man, if you are going to be famous in this day and age, you've got to harness the power of the internet!" expanded Drake, picking up the thread of their conversation. "Put your fans to work for you – it's free, a labor of love! There might even be some way to make money off them, I'm thinking." Drake had held no interest in the subjects he'd been taught at school, but he was fast developing a head for any kind of business that was connected with his income and professional development.

As Josh rearranged the foil packets over the fire, Drake rolled the cooler next to the picnic table and took two bottles out of it. "Remember when we used to toast with pudding? I think this calls for a toast." He twisted off the caps of the beer bottles and handed one to Josh.

Josh stared at the bottles incredulously. "Where'd you get these?" he wanted to know.

"I begged Dad. He made me promise we wouldn't drink and drive," Drake replied, with a smile in his voice. "Walter's such a big softie. No wonder Mom loves him!"

Josh shook his head in disbelief. He didn't think his father would have given in to such a request if he'd been the one to ask. He joined Drake, who was already sitting in one of the beach chairs. They faced the lake where they beheld a magnificent view of Palomar Mountain, rising beyond the opposite shore. Lake Henshaw was located in Cleveland National Forest. It was hard to believe that they weren't that far from home; it seemed as if they were alone in the wilderness. The air smelled clean and the only sounds to be heard were made by the resident birds, insects and animals, in counterpoint to the soughing of the breeze through the tree branches.

Drake proposed the toast. "Now, here's to our perfect, brilliant futures!" The boys clinked the bottles together. "To good times and golden days ahead," he finished. They each took a sip. Drake added, "You know, I'm glad I'm leaving first. I don't think I could stand being alone in our room. I hope I'll be able to get my own place pretty soon after the tour."

Josh didn't relish the thought of being alone in their room, either; after all, he'd never been alone in it, and Drake had, before Josh moved in. He didn't want to rain on Drake's parade, though, so he said nothing about the sad little feeling that was growing in the pit of his stomach. Instead, he said "You won't ever have to worry about being alone. Besides your management team and band mates, you'll always have all that attention from the ladies. I can easily imagine a posse forming up around you. Then, after you hit the big time, you'll need to have a security team, a driver and a personal assistant. So maybe you should spend a little time alone, since that's not something you'll ever have again."

"I'm not cut out for solitude," Drake insisted. "What about you? I already don't like it that you'll have a roommate in college that won't be me."

"I'm using some of the money I saved up from working at The Premiere to pay extra for a single. So I won't have a roommate. You can put your jealousy away! I need to be able to explore and develop my craft without any distractions. Most of the other students will be more experienced than me, so I'll have to catch up – fast," Josh said, having given the matter considerable thought.

"Nobody can concentrate like you, Josh. I don't think you'll have any trouble." Drake leaned over and squeezed Josh's thigh. "You've got focus. Whatever interests you, you always make sure you master it."

Like twin shooting stars, the boys had been on a collision course since they had been forced into sharing a room early in their freshman year of high school. Although they were very different in appearance and approach, there was a tangible link between them that had been growing from the start. Megan's tortures had acted as a binding agent on them, as well as their continued close proximity. As time passed, they had grown from stepbrothers to brothers to best friends.

During the summer between their junior and senior years, they had also entered into an intimate physical relationship as well, which seemed to them a natural progression to their interaction. This was kept a precious secret between them, something they held apart from the world and the rest of their daily, outer lives. Even though they had attempted to sort out what this meant, they hadn't come to any other conclusions except that they were still interested in pursuing relationships with females and knew instinctively that this private aspect of their connection would stop as they went their individual ways into the wider world. What had begun as an "experiment" had evolved into a regular activity between them, complete with its own signals, language and rituals.

Although they were both prepared to go their own ways, saying goodbye wasn't going to be easy. They were almost one entity at this point: "Drake'n'Josh." They'd never been tighter and, despite their quarrels, they always forgave each other and took genuine pleasure in each other's company. The coming separation was going to be a major change for them both.

Continued in Chapter 2