The roast, which had started out as a lighthearted affair in an attempt to send Derek off with a smile, had ended in tears after Casey wasn't able to hold in her sadness. Her family was surprised, of course, but they didn't have time to comment on it, as Casey's tears set off Marti's, whose sobs proceeded to drown out the rest of the room.

"Don't go, Smerek!"

"I'm sorry, Smarti."

The youngest McDonald-Venturi was inconsolable, and she did not stop crying until her exhaustion caught up to her and she drifted off to sleep (but not before Derek got his fill of Special Smarti Smugs). The rest of the family had also cried alongside her, though they were not able to match her intensity. Derek had tried his best to hold it together, he didn't do tears, after all, but if anyone could lower Derek's guard, it was Marti.

Abby, Derek's mother, had arrived late to the roast, after the waterworks had subsided. Upon seeing the puffy-eyed McDonald-Venturi family huddled around the couch, sans Marti, she was, understandably, reluctant to actually take Derek with her to Spain, especially after hearing how hard Marti took the news. George agreed that perhaps they'd been hasty in their decision, but was shocked to find that Derek agreed with him and Abby, for once.

"Dad," he began, "I know it's going to be tough to be apart from you guys and my friends for half a year... But I dug this hole for myself, and I figure if I back out of the consequences now, I'll continue to do so throughout my life. And as much as I know that Casey could help bail me out, again, I also know that she won't always be around to protect me." He paused for a second to clear his throat, as his voice had already cracked a bit while he was speaking. "I... don't want to leave, but I think I have to if I'm going to grow as a person. I know that you were able to buckle down and get serious about your life after you were out of high school, but I realize that I can't follow your example to the letter; I have to be my own man."

In awe of his resolve to see things through, and struggling to keep more tears at bay, all that George could manage to articulate was a choked up "I'm so proud of you, Derek."

"Are you sure you don't want to leave in the morning, Derek?" Nora asked, almost pleadingly. "You should give Marti a proper goodbye."

Derek hesitated for a moment. He could feel his resolve crumbling with every second he remained in the house, but one firm shake of his head steeled it once more. "Sorry, Nora, but I wouldn't be able to say no to Marti's crying face a second time. Tell her I'll be back before she knows it, okay?"

"We're going to miss you, Derek," his other misty-eyed siblings chimed in.

"I'll miss you too, guys."

He turned to his younger brother and his newest younger sister, placing his hands on their shoulders while looking at them straight in the eyes. "Ed, protect Liz. Liz, protect Ed."

The tone of his words was familiar, yet different. He wasn't hitting them up for money or ordering them to do some mundane chore for him, but instead asking them to watch out for each other while he was away.

"You got it, big bro."

He paused as he faced Casey, taking a moment to ruminate, not wanting his last words to her to be a dumb joke or hurtful barb, "Case... take care, okay?"

Casey was surprisingly overwhelmed, despite how in favor of this idea she had initially been. So overwhelmed, in fact, that she could only muster a nod in response, as her throat knotted up and her blue eyes welled up with tears.

After some goodbye hugs and more tears, Derek and his mom went out into the cold night. The house was deathly still as Abby's car pulled out of the driveway and disappeared down the street. Derek was gone, and he wouldn't be back for at least six months, and that was only if he didn't end up enjoying his life abroad.

Nora was resting her hand on her husband's shoulder, which was trembling as he looked on at the door to their house. "Georgie, are you okay?"

"No..." he whispered, his voice shaking. However, as Derek's last words to him played back in his head, his shoulders stopped shaking and he wiped away the tears in his eyes; it was hard to believe, but his little boy was actually growing up. Facing his family once more, he stood tall, his chest swollen with pride and his smile still quivering, "But he will be."

Just a little something that I was inspired to write after I finished rewatching the show last week and was reminded of how good it was. It's likely that I'll write additional chapters for this (and other stories, separate from this one), but I've been very bad with following up in the past, so no promises. Still, if I see that people are interested in more, then I'll certainly take that into consideration, so feel free to leave your feedback.