A/N: Okay, so this is just a one shot….I know shocker right? Well at least it will be finished…lol. Okay, so this is a Dasey, of course, inspired by the song Awake by Secondhand Serenade. So without further delay, here it is.
Derek's POV:
I watched her as she danced with him. Her head on his shoulder, only barely moving across the dance floor.
With every appearance by you,
blinding my eyes, I can hardly remember the last time I felt like I do.
You're an angel disguised.
Occasionally, she would look up at him and smile. That smile that once meant the world to me. And for that brief moment, I imagined that she was smiling at me. But everything we ever had was ruined one drunken night. I could have said no to the drunken blonde that had offered herself to me as I should have. I should have just gone home, however, in that state of mind, saying no isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind. They continued to dance, looking at each other with so much love and affection.
And you're lying real still,
but your heart beat is fast just like mine.
And the movie's long over,
that's three that have passed, one more's fine.
It killed me, because that should have been me she was dancing with. It should have been me making her the happiest woman on this earth.
Will you stay awake for me?
I don't wanna miss anything
I don't wanna miss anything
I will share the air I breathe,
I'll give you my heart on a string,
I just don't wanna miss anything.
I continued to watch, and for a split second, she looked at me, and I could tell she wasn't really truly happy with him as she had been with me. He had started out as the rebound for her. And I didn't expect anything else to happen. Especially not this. But here we are. Me watching while she gives her life to some oaf she met in college after she left me.
I'm trying real hard not to shake.
I'm biting my tongue,
but I'm feeling alive and with every breathe that I take,
I feel like I've won.
You're my key to survival.
And if it's a hero you want, I can save you.
Just stay here.
Your whispers are priceless.
Your breathe, it is dear. So please stay near.
His name was Jacob. He was a psych major, like her, and that's how they met. I didn't know the rest of the details but I knew he wasn't right for her. There was only one man right for her and that was me. We both knew it.
flashback:
Casey had forgotten her purse at her boyfriend, Derek's, friend's apartment. The bubbly blonde had invited them over for drinks after finals were over. Casey had forgotten to call her mother like she had promised, and told Derek that she would see him back at their apartment. She had left in such a hurry that she had forgotten to grab it. She returned to the apartment, knocking on the door several times before deciding to walk in anyway. What she found was more than she had wanted to find. The scene playing out in front of her was crushing. Andrea, the 'friend' of Derek's was on top of him while they were in the middle of a heated make out session. All of a sudden she couldn't breath. Her sight became blurred as the tears began to sting her eyes, her purse long forgotten. Without realizing it, she spoke softly, but loud enough for them to hear her.
"Derek how could you?" she asked slowly. As soon as the silence was broken by Casey's meek voice, Derek shoved the Andrea off of him and stood as quickly as he could without falling over.
"Casey...How long have you been standing there?" he asked, his words slurred by the amount of liquor he had consumed.
She looked at him, disbelief taking over her broken features. "Long enough, Venturi. You know, I don't even know what made me believe that I could trust you. I guess I just thought that, you know, you'd changed since high school. And I never thought I'd be one of the girls you crushed with your carelessness. Guess I was wrong." she spoke solomnly.
"Casey this is not what it looks like. I swear I would never hurt you--"
"Well, it's a little late for that, don't you think, Derek?" she said, reaching for her forgotten purse that was sitting on the chair by the door. "By the time you get home, I'll be gone. Have a nice life Derek." she finished, closing the door quietly behind her.
end flashback
It hurt me to think about how it had all happened. How stupid I had been. I mean, how hard is it to say no? Well, for anyone else but me, it might not be that much to ask. And it shouldn't have been too much to ask for me that night. However, I can't change the past. If I could...Well, it would be me up there dancing with Casey.
Will you stay awake for me?
I don't wanna miss anything
I don't wanna miss anything
I will share the air I breathe,
I'll give you my heart on a string,
I just don't wanna miss anything.
I had to admit, she was a wonderful actress. Everyone in the audience was fooled by her merry façade. But we were the only two people in the entire room that knew her true feelings. Feelings of regret. I admitted to her that I had made a mistake but she told me that there was no way she could trust me again. Not after what I did. And no matter what I did or how hard I tried to make her mine again, she stayed true to what she said. Finally I accepted it. And then I got the invitation in the mail. I could've sworn that my heart stopped beating.
Say my name.
I just want to hear you.
Say my name.
So I know it's true.
You're changing me.
You're changing me.
You showed me how to live.
So just say. So just say,
I knew this union wouldn't last. There was no way it could. Her heart was still mine, and mine hers. And this was proven to me by Casey herself.
That you'll stay awake for me.
I don't wanna miss anything.
I don't wanna miss anything.
I will share the air I breathe,
I'll give you my heart on a string,
I just don't wanna miss anything
As the song ended, she kissed Jacob softly on the cheek as they left the dance floor so all the others could dance. I sat at my table silently, watching her whisper something to her new husband and then began walking towards me. My heart sped up as she approached where I sat, slowly sipping on my drink. I was trying not to let my nervousness show as she finally reached where I was.
"Derek, I need to talk to you." she spoke quickly and quietly. I only nodded as she pulled on my arm, signaling me to stand and walk with her. I complied silently as she dragged me to a secluded area of the hall they had rented for the reception. She turned to me and began to ring her hands and bite her lip, like she always did when she had a confession to make.
"So, what do you need to talk to me about, Mrs. Peterson?" I asked her, using her newly acquired name.
"Okay, I know that it's a little bit late for this, but I think I made a mistake." she said. Her words genuinely shocked me. I motioned for her to continue quickly. "Well, I mean, yes I love Jacob, but I just thought that at the actual wedding there would be some sort of spark or connection or something, but it was more like kissing a friend. And I know it's too late, but I don't know if I can spend the rest of my life knowing that he's not really the one for me." she paused and looked up into my eyes. "Derek, I know what I said, but I don't think I could live, knowing that the man I married wasn't you." she finished. She reached for my hands and the words that escaped her lips next shocked me more than anything else she had said in the last two minutes she had been speaking.
"Derek, will you marry me?"
She looked so beautiful. Standing there in her white wedding dress, veil falling gracefully over her neatly curled hair which was pinned perfectly into place. I was stunned. I couldn't move….breathe….speak. "Derek?" she whispered. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes as I stayed silent. Finally, I spoke.
"Casey, I don't think you could have picked a worse time to do this than this very moment. You made me sit and watch you marry someone that wasn't me, and now, after you've already danced your first dance as husband and wife, you choose to tell me that you 'd rather be with me than him. Really Casey." I spoke quietly in disbelief. Finally, I nodded.
"What does that mean Derek?" she asked quietly, tears smearing her makeup.
"It means…yes. Yes Casey, I'll marry you." I said slowly, leaning down to kiss her softly. I immediately knew that the fire we once had was back the second our lips touched.
Casey went back to her reception and pulled Jacob away for so she could talk to him. I don't know what was said, but I do know that he left in a rage, flipping over a table in anger as he left. 'That went well' I thought to myself. After that, Casey stepped onto the stage and asked the band if she could use the microphone. The band complied and she went on to explain to the crowd of confused family and friends what was going on. Needless to say, they took it considerably better than the groom.
It's been three years since that day, and not long after that, two months after to be exact, we were married. I guess what Derek wants, Derek really does get.