Title: Mistletoe Kiss
Rating: T
Author: iheartdotdotdot
Summary: it was Christmas Eve and Casey McDonald was with the one person she loved. There was nothing wrong with that. Dasey.
Author's Note: Happy Holidays!
Mistletoe Kiss
The Canadian wind blew open the door as Casey McDonald pushed her way into her downtown loft. Snowflakes blew in with Casey and the wind. Casey quickly shut the door, it banging shut with the wind. "Winter..." Casey mumbled as she unwrapped her scarf from her neck.
"What are you complaining about? The snow rocks." Casey jumped at the familiar male voice.
Casey walked into her living room and bit back a smile by biting down on her lower lip. "What are you doing here Derek?" Casey asked wondering how he managed to break into her apartment. Casey had always thought she kept it well locked and secured when she was away. "How did you get in here?" Casey asked looking around her loft for any signs of a break in.
"Nora gave me her copy of the key." Derek told Casey standing off of her couch. "Aren't you happy to see me?" Derek asked giving Casey his infamous smile, the one that always made her go weak at the knees.
"Sure I am Derek. It's just a little unexpected is all. Couldn't you have waited to see me tomorrow? Christmas Eve?" Casey asked him taking off her pea coat styled coat and tossing it on the coat rack.
"I wanted to have some time alone. Christmas at the McDonald-Ventury house is utter chaos. We never get any time alone." Derek explained stepping closer to Casey.
Casey took in a deep breath as she felt Derek's body heat jump onto her bare skin. She had tried to avoid this-being alone with Derek. Casey loved him, she always would, but she couldn't keep doing this.
They couldn't keep doing this. It was wrong.
"Derek...I can't do this. Especially now. I have to make the pumpkin pie for tomorrow and egg nog..." Casey said as she sidestepped Derek and walked into her kitchen.
"Come on Case, you have to stop this." Derek told Casey following behind her.
Casey walked into her kitchen and pulled out the ingredients for the pumpkin pie and egg nog. "Stop what?" Casey asked reading the recipe for the pumpkin pie. She let her eyes glaze over the small black letters as she tried to ignore the fact that Derek was standing in her kitchen, staring at her like that.
"Stop being so controlling and....scared." Derek told Casey leaning over the counter to get closer to her. "I love you Casey."
Casey jumped as if she had been shocked. "Don't. Don't say shit like that Derek. You don't love me."
Casey told Derek firmly. She set the recipe down on the counter.
"Okay, fine. I don't love you. I never have." Derek said quickly, his voice thick with hurt.
"Derek..." Casey walked around the counter until she was standing close to him. "I don't want to hurt you...but this has to end. It was one thing when we were in high school. But we're in college now, or at least I am." Casey thought back to how she was excelling wonderfully in college, she was on a fast track to getting her B.A. in English. While Derek was still living at home, working at the same place since high school and just letting it all pass him by.
"Casey, this isn't wrong." Derek fought Casey taking a hold of her thin wrist. "I love you."
Casey felt tears spring to her eyes. She stared at Derek who was staring back at her, his eye brows knitting together in the center of his forehead. "But it is Derek. If it wasn't wrong then why are we hiding?" Casey asked stepping back from Derek. She couldn't bare to do this anymore, she couldn't. She wanted ot have a normal life. Casey just wanted to fall in love with someone who could love her back, someone who wasn't Derek Ventury.
"I don't know." Derek let Casey's wrist go. "Do you just want me to leave?" Derek asked eyeing the door.
Casey shook her head before she realized what she was doing. She wanted him to leave, but she didn't all at the same time. "No. Stay." Casey walked back to her pumpkin pie. "Help me with the pie." Casey told Derek.
Derek smiled and nodded his head, his hair flopping over his eyes. "Okay."
Casey smiled back at Derek as they started to make the pumpkin pie. They talked like they always had, softly and close to each other. They didn't fight the entire time that it took to make the pie and it made Casey feel happy. She was glad that Derek was there, she just didn't know how to deal with the feelings that she had for him.
Everything inside of Casey was telling her to go with him, to kiss him and to lojve him. It felt so right. But those voices in the other part of Casey's brain was telling her it was wrong, she shouldn't have these feelings for Derek. It wasn't right.
After Casey shoved the pie into the oven she clapped her hands together and smiled at Derek. "Done." she said.
Derek nodded his head, leaning over the mixing bowl. "Now, for the best part...eating the leftovers." Derek smiled at Casey as he shoved his index finger into the bowl and ate the leftovers.
Casey walked up to Derek and the mixing bowl. "We shouldn't, it's just a little disgusting." Casey told Derek staring at the mixture.
"Come on Case, don't be such a tight ass." Derek fought smiling at her.
Casey shrugged her shoulders as she dipped her finger into teh mixing bowl. Leave it up to Derek Ventury to get Casey to do crazy things she normally wouldn't. Casey licked the mix off her finger and smiled at Derek as she ate it. "Happy?" She asked.
Derek nodded his head as he laughed. "You have some..." Derek pointed at Casey's face.
Casey automatically brought her hand to her face. "Did I get it?" She asked after wiping at her cheek.
Derek shook his head, smiling. "No."
Derek walked up to Casey. He leaned close to her face. Casey felt her breath catch as Derek leaned close to her lips and kissed her softly. "There." He mumbled after leanign away from her.
"Derek..." Casey mumbled wishing he wouldn't get this close to her and kiss her. She had a hard time fighting it off.
"What?" Derek asked leaning close to Casey again and kissing her softly on the side of her mouth.
"We can't do this." Casey answered leaning against the counter.
"Yes we can." Derek said.
Derek brought his hands up and touched both of Casey's cheeks. He smiled at Casey before kissing her on the mouth. Casey instinctively shut her eyes as Derek kissed her. She felt herself grow weak as Derek's lips covered her own.
Casey kissed Derek back as she leaned into the counter for support. Derek's hands left her cheeks and started roaming her waist and hips. Derek lifted her shirt from her skin and he ran his fingers along her bare stomach, sending electric sparks up Casey's spin.
"Derek..." Casey mumbled softly as she turned from Derek's lips. "We just can't."
Derek leaned away from Casey. "Casey." Derek said simply.
Casey turned back to Derek. He was staring down at Casey and it was burning into Casey's skin. "What?" She asked setting her hands on the count.
"Nothing. I'll see you tomorrow I guess." Derek stepped away from Casey and picked up his jacket from one of the kitchen chairs.
Casey watched as Derek pulled his leather jacket over his shoulders. Derek walked into the living room and set the spare key down on the coffee table. "Derek wait." Casey walked up to him, racking her fingers through her hair.
"What?" Derek asked stopping and turning around to face Casey.
"I just...I don't want to hurt you." Casey said clasping her hands together. She watched Derek shrug his shoulders.
"Just do what you have to Case. Have fun living the life you want to have." Derek turned around again and started for the door.
Casey felt her heart pounding in her chest as she watched him walk away. She couldn't bear to lose him, as much as she had been fighting them all of these years...she loved him. She didn't want to lose him. "Derek." Casey walked up to Derek. HE was standing at Casey's front door, his hand on the door knob. "I don't want you to leave."
Derek turned around to face Casey. he shrugged his shoulders lazily. "I can't keep doing this Casey. I can't keep you wanting to be together and then not wanting to be together the next second. I can't do it."
Casey nodded her head as she walked up to Derek. "I know."
"'Bye Casey." Derek walked out of Casey's loft and shut the door behind him.
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Casey had fallen asleep watching It's A Wonderful Life. She woke up just as the ending credits started to scroll across her tv set. Casey sat up on her couch. She shut her eyes as she pictured the look on Derek's face. He had been so hurt. She had hurt him.
Casey glanced at the small Christmas tree that she had set up three weeks earlier. Casey had always loved Christmas; it was full of joy and good cheer and great food. Casey had always loved every second of it. Now it was nothing more than just a burden. It was just a time now that she had to learn to avoid and ignore Derek when she had to go back home.
Casey shook her head as she remembered the year before. After Casey had started her freshman year at University she broke up with Derek. She couldn't keep being with him when no one else around. She couldn't keep lying about being in love with Derek.
Derek had taken it hard, he put off going to college to snowboard and hang out with friends. Casey felt guilty about how it had affected Derek, but she wanted a life that she could be proud of. She hated feeling like she was doing something wrong. She needed a normal life.
Casey stood up off her couch. She thought about calling Derek adn talking ot him, but she knew that it would just make it harder. All of this was hard.
Loving Derek was the hardest thing in Casey's life, the whole nineteen years.
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Casey woke up early on Christmas Eve. She had to drive back home. As Casey wrapped up the pumpkin pie and put the egg nog in a container she felt her stomach do somersaults. She was nervous about seeing Derek, especially since they both had to act like nothing was wrong.
Casey quickly packed up all of the food, presents and clothes that she would need for the next two days and then she headed out to her car. Casey drove quickly to her old home, the one that had made her life complicated.
Casey walked into the house, which was currently empty. She let out a sigh. They all must be shopping or getting last minute food at the store. Casey put all of the presents under the tree and she went into the kitchen to put away the pumpkin pie and egg nog.
"What are you doing?" Casey jumped and turned around. Derek was standing in the kitchen a loose smile on his face.
"Hi Derek." Casey put the pumpkin pie and egg nog into the fridge. She shook her head upset that she had to face Derek alone, Casey had been counting on not having to face Derek alone.
"They are at the store." Derek explained, as if he could read her thoughts.
"Oh." Casey turned from the fridge.
"It's fine Casey, you don't have to keep acting weird." Derek told Casey.
"I'm not-"
"Yeah, you are." Derek turned from Casey and walked into the living room.
"When will they be back?" Casey asked following Derek into the living room.
Derek shrugged. "I don't know." He sat down in his chair and turned on the tv.
Casey sat on the couch and stared at the tv. She watched Derek set it on The Santa Clause. Derek sat back in his chair and watched the movie. Casey pulled her hair into a pony tail and she stared at the front door, she wished that her mom and George would hurry and get back. She couldn't stand the silence anymore.
Casey watched the movie half way through, watching Derek out of the corner of her eye. "what?" Derek asked turning to face Casey.
Casey blushed and turned away from Derek, embarrassed that she had been caught staring at him. "Nothing."
"Bull." Casey turned to Derek and she saw him smiling at her.
"Fine." Casey turned on her side to face Derek. "I'm sorry, okay? I really am."
Derek shrugged his shoulders. "You keep saying that."
Derek turned his attention back to the movie. "Derek..." Casey let out a sigh. "I love you. I really do." She said before standing off the couch and heading upstairs, towards her old bedroom.
"What was that?" Casey turned to face Derek, who was staring at her from over his chair.
Casey shrugged her shoulders. "I just wanted you to know."
"You can't keep doing this Casey." Derek stood out of his chair. "You're either in or you're out. You can't be both."
Casey nodded her head. She understood that, she just couldn't make her brain and heart be in sync with each other. "I know, I know Derek."
"Just stop overanalyzing. Stop thinking. Just do what you want to do. What do you want to do Casey?" Derek asked Casey walking up to her.
Casey took a deep breath and shut her eyes. She willed herself to not listen to any of the voice in her head, she wanted to listen to just her heart. "I want to be with you." Casey mumbled. She opened her eyes and Derek was smiling at her.
"Good."
"What? Why?" Casey asked confused.
Derek pointed up over their heads. Casey followed his finger and she saw mistletoe hanging over their heads. "Oh." Casey looked at Derek and smiled. "I guess we should kiss then."
Derek nodded his head in agreement. "I guess so."
Casey stood on her tip-toes and quickly kissed Derek on the lips. She listened to the Christmas movie finish as she kissed Derek. It was Christmas Eve. and Casey McDonald was with the one person that she loved. There was nothing wrong with that.
Nothing at all.