Don't own.

One Shot

That's all it took to end one life

One of the three died that night

One heart stopped beating

Two lungs stopped breathing

Three people stopped living—

By mourning light…

The baby cried out as she emerged from the womb. "It's a girl," the doctor yelled. Dazed and sweaty Casey fell back against the hospital bed pillows and stared up at the ceiling.

"Casey, did you hear that? We have a little baby girl," Derek said to me and took my hand.

"A little baby girl." She whispered. Her gaze never left the ceiling above her head as doctors and nurses around her busied themselves by checking on the little one.

"Casey?" Derek called to her. "It's all over…"

"No its not," she said softly and shifted her gaze to him "It's just barely begun…" with that, said she fell unconscious.

Hours later, she woke still in the hospital bed. Her room was dark but she could distinctly make out a figure sitting by her bed. Their soft, gentle voice drifted to meet her ears.

"Your mama's going to take good care of you, you know that?" Casey immediately recognized the voice. "Yeah…she's going to be a great mother. She may seem rough around the edges, but I know she means well. She loves you, and don't tell her I said this, but I love her." Derek cradled his baby in his arms and stared down at her lovingly.

Casey assumed that he didn't know she was awake because he kept on talking. "So how do you like the world so far? Pretty scary, huh? It can be beautiful though. There are a lot of great things out there to look forward to. And the most beautiful thing in the world is love. You're going to find that perfect guy someday and you're going to see how wonderful it can be. I found my perfect girl. I mean, look at your mother. She's gorgeous. She's smart and funny and amazing. Everything she does makes my heart beat a thousand miles a minute. I just hope one day I can get the courage to tell her."

Casey wasn't surprised to hear this coming from her stepbrother. She had known for a while. And she returned his feelings, but she knew they could never be together. Derek deserved someone so much better than her. He deserved a girl that could give him her heart, not just one night.

"I wonder what your name will be. Knowing your mother, it will be a majestic name. A name of pure beauty." Casey felt her eyelids get heavy and they slowly closed. Her final thought, as she was lulled off to sleep to the sound of Derek's gentle voice was, 'Abigail…'

"Casey! You are so…ugh!" Derek shoved her into a nearby wall.

"I'm so what Derek?" she spat his name. Her face was contorted in fury. This all started the same way everything with them started. A fight.

"You're so mother fuckin'…" he started angrily grinding his teeth together then sighed. "…so fucking beautiful."

Casey growled and glared at him before smashing her lips to his. "Don't lie to me."

They'd spent the night together. No one said 'I love you'. No one replied 'I love you too'. It was sex. It was pleasure. It was the beginning.

A month later Casey took a pregnancy test because she skipped her period. That was when the ball started rolling. She told Derek. Didn't tell him it was his. But he guessed. And he was pissed.

"How could this happen?" he yelled and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Derek was pacing around the room and Casey sat in the corner.

"Did you skip health class too Derek?" she snapped. She really was in no mood for stupid questions.

"Shut up. I know how it happened. I mean how did this happen to us?"

"Us?" Casey asked incredulously. "No, no, no Derek. That is where you are mistaken. This didn't happen to 'us'. This happened to me. You're not going to be the one who has to go through the humiliation. I am. You're not going to have to carry this baby around. I am. You're not the one who is going to be seen at a little whore! I am!" Casey stood and glared at Derek. "Hell I wouldn't be surprised if they give you an award. 'Awesome. Score for Venturi. Knocked up his stepsister. This guy will do anything for sex.'"

"You know I'm apart of this as much as you are. When are we going to tell Nora and Dad?"

"Never." Casey answered. "We aren't telling them anything. I'm telling them I went to a party, got drunk, and now I'm pregnant with and unknown guy's baby. You are not a part of this."

"Oh fuck no. We will tell them the truth. Don't you dare try to save yourself here." He shook his head.

She gave him a weird look. "Try to-try to save myself? No. I'm in trouble either way. But this way you're not. And George doesn't know his son fucked his stepsister. You win in this one Derek."

Casey told George and her mother the story she made up. They bought it until Derek told them the truth. The two of them weren't allowed in the same room together. At dinners, one would have their food sent up to them. They had Casey moved to an all girls school and Derek was forced to join twelve different after school programs to keep them from crossing paths.

Nora told them that once the baby was born, Casey would give it up for adoption. Though she never said anything, Casey desperately wanted to keep her baby.

Over the course of eight months, Derek and Casey only saw each other twice. When they were both getting midnight snacks one night. And when Casey ran to Derek's room in tears when the baby was coming.

They left for the hospital without telling anyone. They knew there would be hell to pay in the morning but that didn't matter. One night. That's all they needed to be alone. One night to have their baby. One night to pretend everything was all right.

Soon after Casey came home from the hospital and grounded for a lifetime, she was sitting in her room. Abby was lying in her crib next to Casey's bed. Nora was trying to get someone to come for her. Some adoption agency.

Casey loved that little girl. She loved her more then life. Abby was all Casey had to live for. And she would be taken eventually.

Everything starts with a fight.

Casey held the handgun in her hand. One bullet. That's all she could find. That's all she needed.

"I'm sorry Abigail. I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted to put you through this life. You deserve something better." Casey leaned down and kissed her babies sleeping head. Then she cocked the hammer.

The metal was cool against her tongue. Tears leaked freely down her cheeks. Slowly, gently, she put more and more pressure on the trigger. Closer. The bullet would fire and everything would be over. Just a little more.

Bang! The door to her room burst open and Derek barged in.

"Casey! I talked to No-," he paused and took everything in. "what are you doing?"

Casey had let go of the trigger. Now Derek would have to witness it. She started pulling it again. He lunged at her and tore it from her mouth. She still held on strong.

"Casey, drop the gun. Please you don't need to do this."

"Yes…I ...do." she grunted and her shoulder was pressed into Derek's stomach. He was leaning over her trying to pull the weapon away. The barrel of the gun was pressed to Derek's stomach as well.

The struggle had moved closer and closer to Casey's bed. Derek did his best to pry Casey's fingers off the gun but she held them tighter. Suddenly Derek's fingers slipped. The trigger was pulled. Fachooo!

Both teenagers froze. Casey looked over Derek's body. It was fine. She looked over hers. She was also fine. She glanced up at Derek. She was shaking then turned to the crib.

"MY BABY! NOOO!"

I've had this one lying around for a while. I actually wrote this for an English project. Got a C on it. Tell me what you think. Review.

(A/N: In case you don't know parts of a gun the barrel and the muzzle are two different things. The muzzle is where the bullet comes out. Not the barrel. So it is possible that Derek wasn't shot.)