Leaving, a "Life With Derek" fanfiction

by l-NonToxic-l

09.17.2007

Discliamer: I don't own 'LWD' or the characters. Or the song.

Pairings: Dasey.

I'm leaving, today.

I'll say "goodbye" to by favorite face.

Don't wanna go,

But I just can't stay

And be treated…

I won't be treated this way.

-- 'Leaving' by Plain White T's

Casey was furious.

If Derek knew anything, it was how to get her mad. And he knew that she was angrier with him now than ever before.

Preparing himself for the verbal onslaught, he opened the door to their studio apartment in Toronto. He snuck in quietly, hoping she was asleep. Then he noticed the kitchen light was on. Shit.

"Hey, Case…" He tentatively greeted.

Casey turned. Her eyes were red, but she had tried to cover it up. Derek was sure that if he checked the bathroom, the Visene eye drops would be pulled to the front of the cabinet and her makeup would still be out. But he could read her like a book. He knew she'd been crying. "Here, honey, I saved you dinner." She removed the plate from the microwave. Pesto tortellini with wilted spinach, steamed carrots and her signature garlic bread. Derek felt horrible. She had made all his favorites in celebration. He was knocked out of his reverie by the sound of the plate being dropped onto the counter. "Enjoy." She stated, voice completely void of any emotion. She turned and walked into the laundry room.

Derek followed, knowing he had royally pissed her off. She was folding clothes from the dryer. His clothes. None of her own.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, but before he could even clasp his hands, she had moved out of his grasp. "I'm moving out, Derek."

His heart sunk. It fell further into the pit of his stomach than it ever had before. It was worse than the time she'd told him she hated him in high school, worse than when she agreed to go out on a date with Noel, worse than the time she called their initial hookup a mistake. This was real. She was his life. And she wanted to leave him.

"Case…" He choked out, voice full.

She continued folding. "No, Derek. It's bullshit. Here I am, acting like I'm nothing more than your stepsister –"

"That's not true, the whole team knows we're –"

"While you get to go 'celebrate' team victory at a strip club? I can't do it anymore. I can't take all the responsibility. I can't be the only one that's in love in this relationship."

Derek reached for her hand, but she pulled it away before he could touch her. "That's not true and you know it. You're everything to me."

She finally faced him. "We had plans, Derek! It's your birthday! We always stay in on your birthday! I cook, you piss me off, we eat, watch our movie, and we just stay in! You left me here, I feel like such an idiot! I told everyone how tonight was going to be our night! And now, I see on fucking ESPN that you spent your victory night drinking at a strip club?"

"Casey, NOTHING HAPPENED!"

"That doesn't even matter, Derek! You blew me off! EIGHT YEARS and you've never blown me off! Not on a night like tonight! All I ask is to have your undivided fucking attention three nights a year. Our birthdays and anniversary. And you spend one of those three nights with Skanky McHIV and your drinking buddies?"

"Casey, I fucked up, okay?! I'm sorry! But what was I supposed to tell them, 'Oh, sorry guys, my stepsister always cooks me dinner on my birthday?!'"

She looked down. He couldn't stop making it worse. "You know I want to tell them."

"What do you think would happen if word got out that I was dating my stepsister?"

Her head snapped up, eyes afire. "YOU'D STILL BE THE BEST GODDAMN HOCKEY PLAYER IN CANADA, DEREK!"

Derek didn't say anything, just looked away from her eyes. He was lucky they had such a lovely washing machine or he'd have nothing to look at. "Do you know how hard this is for me, Derek? I take all the responsibility, I do all the work around here. And that's fine, but I have to work on top of it! Because mom and George might get suspicious if you let me live here rent-free. I hate not being able to tell them!"

"I'm sorry, Casey." He mentally slapped himself for the lame reply.

"I just can't do it anymore, Derek. I'm twenty-four years old and according to everyone, I've been single for eight years with the exception of a few dates. I want to have someone I can marry, who I can have children with… damn it, Derek, I know people in relationships that have lasted half as long as ours who already have children! I want to quit my job and be a housewife. It's not like you don't make the money. I want to get the fuck off the pill! I don't know anyone my age who still takes it! But we can't risk it, right? Because what would people say if perpetually-single Casey McDonald got pregnant? Wouldn't mom and George want to meet the father? I HATE THIS, DEREK!"

"WELL SO DO I, CASEY!" He raked his hands through his hair to calm himself. "I want to kiss you so badly, all the time. When we go home I want to be with you. I want to hold you on the couch when we have the lame Christmas movie marathon. But instead, I don't even sit next to you. I miss you when I don't touch you. I hate this whole thing!"

"So let's end it. We're still young enough to be able to move on."

Derek felt his eyes tear for the first time since his father told him he and his mother were divorcing. "No. I'm not giving up on this."

Casey looked down. "I am," she replied, her voice small.

He took her face in his hands. "Don't you dare say that. Don't ever say that! We said we'd be together no matter what it took. You can't just give up!"

"I have to. I'm dying here, Derek. I can't lie to my family anymore. I can't keep wanting something we can't have. It's tearing me apart. One day, I won't even be me anymore."

Derek wiped her tears with his thumbs. "You can't, Case. You gotta stay strong, please! What are we alone?"

"We won't be alone, Derek. We'll move on."

"I'm nothing without you, Casey."

"We're gonna have to learn to live apart. My stuff is already packed… I'm taking a cab to the Sheraton and staying there while I apartment hunt. Please, let me go. The taxi company needs at least twenty minutes notice."

She walked away, and Derek let her, stunned. His arms fell to his sides. "Oh, and Derek?" He turned to see her in the doorway to the laundry room, "Your clothes are all washed. I didn't get to finish folding. I've laid out what needs to be drycleaned. Your assistant is coming over tomorrow to pick it up. There are enough groceries for a while, but I left you a list of ingredients for your favorite foods. The dishes are all washed and the bathroom and your office are organized." She turned and walked back in to the kitchen. Derek heard the buttons on the phone beep as she pressed them and ran to stop her.

He grabbed the phone from her and hung it up. "Derek…"

He was panicking. He needed her to stay. She's his life. She was like oxygen, blood, water… he needed her to survive. He dialed the familiar phone number and waited for an answer. Finally, the call connected.

"Hello, Nora? It's Derek."

Casey's eyes widened. "Derek, hang up the phone."

"Yeah, it was Casey. Sure, I'll give her the phone in a second, but I have a question for you first."

"DEREK." Her face was getting red. He still wasn't thinking straight.

"See, Nora, I screwed up tonight… Oh, you saw it on the news, too?... Well, yeah… Of course she was pissed… Nora, Nora stop. I already got the lecture from Casey. But that's not the issue. The issue is that I missed the birthday dinner Casey made for me. It's kind of been a tradition since we moved out. She cooks me whatever my favorite food is that year and we watch a movie and it's all very exciting. But tonight I missed it. Which especially sucks because even though it was my birthday, I bought her a lovely ring… Yeah, I know, right?"

Casey's eyes widened. "Derek… Put. Down. The. Phone."

He got down on one knee in front of Casey and pulled the velvet box out of his pocket. He balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear and opened it. "It's quite an amazing ring, Nora. Three-point-seven-five karats, white gold, from Tiffany's, no less. Classic Tiffany setting. It's gorgeous. Which is why I bought it for Casey. Nora, I need your permission to marry your daughter."

Casey felt the tears run down her face and barely even noticed the sound of her mother laughing on the phone.

"I'm dead serious, Nora. We've been seeing each other for eight years. Since grade eleven." Now Nora was screaming and Casey still didn't care. "Nora, Nora, stop. Please. We never wanted to tell you, but then Casey decided tonight that she was going to leave me. I couldn't let that happen. She's everything to me, she's my life, my oxygen, my blood," he said, reciting his thoughts from the moment he decided to call his stepmother. "She's beautiful and I love her more than anything. I'd give my life for her. I can't imagine my life without her in it. I feel like a part of me dies the second I'm not touching her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Now Nora was sobbing. "Thank you, Nora. I'm glad you said yes. Now the only question is, will your daughter?... Well, I sure hope so, too, Nora… Thank you, I really appreciate it. Tell Ed, Liz, Marti, and Dad for me, too, please? Okay, thanks again… Bye, Nora."

He hung up the phone and raised a questioning eyebrow at Casey. "So, will you marry me?"

"How could I not after all that?!" She responded, laughing through her tears.

Derek grinned and stood up, pulling her into his arms. "Is that a yes, McDonald?"

"Of course, you idiot… what are you gonna do when you have to start calling me 'Venturi?'"

"Smile like an idiot every time."

"Kinda like now?"

"Exactly like now."

He kissed her and all thoughts of calling the cab company were immediately expelled.

[Fin.