Author's Note: I have decided that I'm going to post a series of holiday fanfics featuring our best couple: Dasey. This will be the first…Christmas. So, I hope that you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek. Nor do I own The Polar Express, the song "Believe", sung by Josh Groban, Hershey's kisses, or candy canes.
Summary: He didn't believe in Santa any more. He hadn't for a long time. He also didn't believe in the magic that the Christmas season could bring. She felt that she needed to change that. After all, everyone needs something to believe in.
Believe
Children sleeping, snow is softly falling
Dreams are calling like bells in the distance
We were dreamers not so long ago
Derek was relaxing in his recliner watching a hockey game as snow fell gracefully outside. It had been snowing steadily for the past few days, covering all of London in a beautiful blanket of crystal white. It glittered in the dying light, casting a heavenly glow just outside the window. Derek, however, was oblivious to the beauty around him. All that existed was him and the hockey game.
But, as fate would have it, Casey came home. Well, not everything could be perfect.
Casey was followed in by Marti, who was carrying a bag just as big as her. Casey quickly relieved her of the bag and began to help her with her coat, gloves, scarf, and hat. As soon as she was free, Marti bounded over to Derek and fell into his lap. Derek laughed and sat up, putting the hockey game on mute.
"Guess what, Smerek!"
Derek laughed again. "What, Smarti?"
"Casey took me to the mall for Christmas shopping. She bought me this cool necklace that lights up and a Christmas sweater and a pretzel. I even got my picture taken with Santa! And she helped me pick presents out for everyone. You'll never guess what I got you!" Marti smiled up at her, ecstasy written all over her face.
Derek grinned. "What did you get me, Marti?"
Casey quickly stepped in as Marti was about to open her mouth. "Nuh-uh. I don't think so, Derek." She picked Marti up out of Derek's lap and set her back down on the floor. She handed her the big bag and steered her towards the stairs. "Go take that stuff upstairs, Marti, and hide it in a good spot! And don't tell Derek what you got him!"
Marti laughed and headed upstairs, the bag dragging behind her.
Casey turned on Derek, shaking her head. "I can't believe that you would do that to your sister!" She headed over to the desk in the dining room and began to look for paper. "I mean, she spent a lot of time and effort trying to think of the perfect gift for you. Then, you want to go and ruin it by manipulating her into telling you what it is! That's just wrong, Derek. It completely ruins the magic of Christmas morning." She set a stack of colored paper, pens, pencils, and crayons on the table before turning back to Derek. "It'll do you some good to wait. Besides, there's only three days until Christmas."
Derek just shook his head. "Yeah, the magic of Christmas. Whatever, Casey." He turned the hockey game back on and pretended as though she was not there. Nothing new there. Casey let out a huff and headed into the kitchen.
Derek was laughing to himself. What magic of Christmas? Believing in Santa Claus? That ship sailed long ago. Why pretend that something was there when it was not? It was pointless. It only led to disappointment. Who wanted to go on believing something only to find out that it had all been a hoax? For once, Derek was in favor of the truth.
Casey came back in carrying Christmas-wrapped Hershey's kisses and candy canes. She laid them down on the table as well. Derek heard the unwrapping of foil and quickly turned around. He was met with the sight of Casey popping a kiss in her mouth and a bright smile overtaking her face. She looked like a child. For a girl who prided herself in being so mature, she certainly let childhood wonders take her easily.
"What?" she asked, her grin becoming a grimace as she noticed Derek staring at her.
He simply shrugged and turned back the television as Marti jumped the last three steps to downstairs. She walked over to Casey and took a seat at the table, promptly grabbing one of the candy canes and shoving it into her mouth. She pulled a piece of red construction paper to her and a green crayon. She was about to start when she looked over at Derek.
"Want to write one too, Derek?" She looked at the back of his chair expectantly.
"Write what?" he asked, not even bothering to turn around.
"A letter to Santa!"
Derek did all that he could not to let out a laugh. Right, the big guy. "I think that I'll pass. Thanks, though Marti."
Marti frowned and turned to Casey. "How will Santa know what Derek wants if he doesn't write him a letter?"
Casey laughed, opening up another kiss. "Well, that's assuming that Derek isn't already on the Naughty list. He may just be getting coal this year." Marti laughed too and began to write her letter. "What color do you think I should use, Marti?" Casey held up a piece of white and green paper.
Marti bit her lip and debated it in her head. "Um…the green! Use the red crayon!" She handed over the red crayon to Casey and proceeded with her letter.
Casey nodded and began to write her own letter.
Derek, since the game had just ended, got up and joined the two at the table. He sat down next to Casey and looked down at her paper. He could not believe it! She was actually writing a letter to Santa. Was she not a little old for that? He let out a small chuckle as he reached for a candy cane. He looked over at Marti, who was fairly absorbed in her letter. She was currently drawing a picture at the bottom of the paper in purple crayon. She then hastily signed her name with a yellow crayon.
"Done!" she said, handing it to Casey to look at.
Casey smiled and set it off to the side. "I'll let your dad and Nora take a look at it before we send it off tomorrow."
Marti looked a fearful. "Will Santa get it in time?"
Casey nodded reassuringly. "Of course. Santa has super-fast express mail. Besides, I'm sure he got your first one already."
Marti nodded and jumped up. She headed up stairs and once she was finally out of earshot, Derek broke out into laughter.
"You're writing a letter to Santa?" he asked, grabbing it from her. "Please don't tell me that you don't know the truth by now?"
Casey grabbed it back off of him. "Shut up, Derek! Marti could hear you," she hissed before writing a little note at the bottom of her note. She started to fold it up.
"Oh, what was that?" Derek asked as he continued to laugh. "A wish for world peace, perhaps?"
Casey shook her head as she placed it in the envelope. "No. A wish for you."
"A wish for me?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Yes, that you'll end up finding something to believe in." Casey addressed the letter to the North Pole and wrote up another one for Marti's letter.
"You know that the post office just throws those away?"
"Of course, Derek." Casey shook her head and looked him in the eyes. "But that's not the point."
"Oh, really?" Derek said, challenging her. "Then, pray tell, what is?"
"The point, Derek, is to simply believe."
"Believe in what?" Derek asked, laughter threaded through his voice. "Santa Claus? The Tooth fairy? Come on, Casey. The concepts are ridiculous."
Casey shrugged. "That may be. However, it's not Marti or the thousands of children that believe in something that can't possibly be possible that I feel sorry for. It's you that I feel sorry for. You don't believe in that magic."
Derek laughed bitterly, getting annoyed. "There it is again with the 'magic'! What magic?"
Casey smiled at him as she picked up all the art supplies that she and Marti had used. "The magic that says that anything can happen. The magic of childhood. The magic that helps you to believe that anything is possible even if all logic defies it. It's purely about believing."
"I believe in Christmas, Case," Derek said, looking serious.
"Really?"
"Yeah." The trademark Derek smirk formed on his handsome face. "I believe in presents and Christmas dinner."
"There was a time that you believed, Derek. I can just imagine you lying awake in your bed, praying that you'd hear Santa downstairs lying your presents under the tree. I can see you putting out homemade cookies and a glass of milk. I can see you standing outside on Christmas morning looking for signs that he had been there. Where did that go? Just because you know the truth doesn't mean that you can't believe." Casey's eyes were glowing as she looked up at him, waiting for him to respond.
"Everyone has to grow up, Casey."
"Maybe," she said, nodding in agreement. "But that doesn't mean that we have to lose all of our childhood." With that she walked away, leaving Derek to his thoughts.
He watched her retreat, doubt plastered in his thoughts. She was crazy. Purely insane. "Magic my butt."
But one by one we all had to grow up
When it seems that magic's slipped away
We find it all again on Christmas day
Derek smoothed the snow down on Marti's snowman's head as she searched the yard for rocks for his mouth. Snow was still falling gently, letting some of the light from the noon sun shine, albeit dimly, from behind the snow clouds. As he watched Marti prance around the yard, he tightened his scarf around his neck. He placed his hands in his pockets as he racked his brain for a gift idea for Casey.
He could be a jerk and not get her anything. He was a jerk, but not an insensitive jerk. So that option was ruled out. He could randomly pick something up at the market that had little or no value but somehow he saw that plan backfiring as well. He could use the gift he had intended on giving Jenna before they broke up. They were these silver dangly earrings with different colored gems on them. However, as easy as that would be, they certainly did not scream 'Casey' and he felt that somehow giving her those would be wrong. It looked like he would have to go to the mall on Christmas Eve eve with all the other idiots that had procrastinated on gift-buying. Perfect.
Just then, the girl in question came outside. She was bundled up in a black pea coat with a pink hat and matching scarf and gloves. She carried a Santa hat, carrot, and a small box of raisins left over from Halloween (what kind of treat was that anyway?) in her hands. Marti looked up the moment she heard the front door close. Upon seeing Casey's gifts, she ran over to her and took them from her.
"Thanks, Casey!" She moved over to her snowman and began putting the raisins for the mouth in place.
"Derek?"
He turned around to look at her questioningly. He could tell immediately that she wanted something. She had that look in her eyes.
"What do you want now?"
"Play nicely, Derek," she said, a little laughter escaping her mouth. "I need a favor."
"Obviously." He looked at her, eyebrow raised as though encouraging her to continue.
"I need a ride to mall."
"Still not done with your Christmas shopping?" Derek asked, teasing her. "Not like you to drag your feet."
Casey rolled her eyes at him. "Well, I didn't get to do much shopping for my gifts yesterday. I still need one for Emily, Marti, and you."
Derek's ear perked up. "You-you didn't get me a gift yet?"
Casey laughed. "Well, I couldn't very well buy it while Marti was there. She surely would have blabbed. Besides, I didn't quite see anything that screamed 'World's Enormous Git'."
Derek let out a bitter laugh. "Very funny. You're lucky I was headed there myself otherwise I wouldn't bother after that comment." Casey rolled her eyes again. "Just let me grab my keys and wallet." He headed back into the house and grabbed the items in question off of the table next to the door.
He headed back out the house and was met by quite a sight. Casey was dancing with Marti around her snowman. The snow was falling a little heavier now. Casey danced through the falling snowflakes with such a grace that put them all to shame. Her legs led her around in an intricate path and her heels kicked up at odd angles. Her arms were elegantly twisting above her head. The snow had settled in her curly, dark brown hair and on the top of her hat. She was a vision and Derek could not make himself look away. He was entranced. He could not explain it. This was his stepsister, the super keener who was still writing letters to Santa Claus at the age of seventeen. He could not believe this was happening. But what was happening?
Believe in what your heart is saying
Hear the melody that's playing
Casey practically dragged Derek through a department store to look for Marti's present. She wanted something purple. Marti's whole wardrobe was practically purple. She had to be growing tired of it. But Casey would not be satisfied with any other color. Once she (finally) found an "adorable" purple sweater and paid for it, they were (finally) headed out into the mall. At least they were until Casey stopped at a jewelry case. Of course.
"Oh. It's beautiful," Casey awed, looking down at some white gold bracelets on display. Derek casually looked over her shoulder. She was eyeing up bracelets with elegant carvings on them. In the middle were words such as 'Live', 'Laugh', 'Love', 'Happiness', 'Joy', and (good God) 'Believe'. The word was haunting him!
"Well," Casey said, tearing her eyes away from them. She looked up at Derek with a smile on her face. "I have some shopping to do. I'll just give you a call when I'm done, shall I?" She did not wait for a response and was out the door before he could register what she had just said.
Now he was on his own and had to decide what to get her. He had no idea. He was clueless. The girl had practically everything that she wanted. How was he supposed to know what she would want or even like? This was useless. He should have just kept her around and asked her to pick out something for herself. It certainly would have saved him some agony. But she would probably tell him to figure it out himself anyway as she spouted off about the magic of Christmas or whatever she was on about nowadays.
"Would you like to take a look a one of these bracelets?" A sickly sweet voice asked behind him. He turned around to see a heavily made-up sales woman gazing down at him from behind thick glasses and two pounds of mascara and eye shadow apiece. "I see that your girlfriend was rather taken with them."
Derek let out a choking noise. He just looked up at her with wide eyes, trying to form a sentence. Girlfriend? Was she serious? "I...uh…she's…," he broke off, just looking up at her.
"Oh, just take a look sweetheart," she coaxed, pulling them out from behind the display and setting the bracelets out in front of him. Derek looked down at the price. More than he wanted to spend. A lot more than he wanted to spend, actually. Well, what alterative did he have? Besides, he was sure that she did not see the price. Either that or he could tell her it was some knock off.
But why did he feel the need to get her something…great? Why could he not just walk into some random store, pick her up some random thing, and hand it over? Why could it not be that simple? Things were never that simple with Casey, that's why. He sighed, picking the Believe bracelet up off the tray. Well, that was that.
He handed it back to the make up artist/saleswoman along with his credit card. He did not look as she rang it up and quickly signed his name. He thought that if he did he would feel some kind of buyer's remorse. However, he accidentally looked at the receipt and was oddly pleased with his purchase. He placed the little box in his pocket and headed out of the store, carefully dodging the perfume ladies who were eager for some last minute commission before the holiday.
He casually strolled around the mall, looking in shop windows, secretly hoping to find Casey buying his present. While he was happy with what he got her, he did not want to feel stupid if he spent far too much on her. How embarrassing would that be. If worse came to worse, he could always slip her those gaudy earrings that he was going to give Jenna.
On his second lap around, he spotted her coming out of a sports store, slipping her purchase into a bigger bag from the department store that they had been to together. Derek smirked, wondering what she could have gotten him in there. There had been that state-of-the-line hockey stick he had been eyeing for quite some time and had been hinting on every chance he got. There also was a jersey from the Oilers that he had been hoping for.
Casey spotted him and made her way over to him. She gave him a smile and held up the two bags in her hands. "I'm done. Ready to go?"
Derek nodded and followed her out to the car. He really hoped it was that jersey.
There's no time to waste
There's so much to celebrate
It was a Venturi tradition to decorate the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. It was something that, despite himself, Derek always looked forward to. He would think back on earlier days when his mother was still around and his belief in Santa was stronger than ever. He could remember climbing up on a chair to put a hockey ornament at the top of the tree, moving the chair to another spot, and picking another ornament. He could remember Christmas carols playing softly in the background on the radio and his mother singing along while she and his father danced around the living room.
Times were different now. Not worse, just different.
Sickly pop versions of age old carols played loudly as the Venturi-McDonald clan bumped into each other, each trying to get at the tree. But no one could contend with Casey. She was psycho. She over analyzed and tried to prefect everything. Christmas tree decorating was no different. If an ornament did not hang exactly right, she would rush over to fix before stepping back again to make sure that it was right.
Once all the ornaments were in place, it was time for the angel tree topper. It was a very big deal. Every year, someone else had the honor of placing the angel at the top of the tree. This year was Casey's turn. She smiled brightly as George handed her the angel carefully for it was an antique that came from his grandmother. Casey gracefully climbed up onto a chair and gently placed the angel on the tallest branch at the top. She adjusted her slightly before moving back to examine her.
For Derek, the world seemed to freeze for a moment. All that he could see was Casey and the perfect conditions that surrounded her. Just outside the window, snow was falling still. The street light just outside their window was shinning brilliantly, causing the snow to glitter in the most amazing colors. The only light inside the house were the white lights of the tree. The radio had switched to a calm and beautiful instrumental version of Silent Night. The lights cast an exquisite glow on Casey's flawless skin. However, apart from the light, she seemed to be radiating her own glow. Maybe it was vibrancy of her smile. Maybe it was the "spirit of the season." Maybe he was just losing his mind. Or maybe, just maybe, it was something else all together. But he did not want to go there.
Suddenly, the world caught back up to him and he was shaken from his thoughts as Marti pulled him down into his chair with her. She smiled up at him.
"Doesn't it look beautiful, Smerek?" she asked, looking up at the tree in awe.
Derek nodded, his eyes on Casey as she climbed off the chair and made her way over the couch. "Yeah, it really does."
Casey looked over at Derek and smiled charmingly at him. There was a sparkle in her eye that simply drove him crazy. He smiled back awkwardly before quickly turning his gaze away.
Oh, he went there.
Believe in what you feel inside
And give your dreams the wings to fly
It was 11:45 pm. Fifteen minutes until Christmas. Derek had just finished wrapping Casey's present after much debate. He wanted to give it her, especially after tonight but something about it felt awkward. This was his stepsister and he was going to give her something that he thought was seriously romantic. It was the most romantic thing that he had given a girl by far. It had meaning, it cost a lot, and there was a corny note attached. Oh, he had gone soft.
He sighed and walked out of his room, intending on putting Casey's present underneath the tree. He quietly walked down the stairs, not wanting anyone to wake up. He froze for the second time that night when he saw that a certain someone was sitting in front of the tree. He quickly slipped the box into his pocket before continuing down to her.
She looked radiant. She was sitting crossed legged on the floor wearing pink flannel pajama bottoms with reindeers on them and a matching pink tee shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun. He could tell that she was not wearing any make up and he felt that it made her look that much better. She was clutching a cup of hot chocolate in her small hands with three marshmallows bobbing around like miniature icebergs. In front of her was a plate of cookies that he could have sworn Marti put out for Santa after he was done reading her The Night Before Christmas.
He let out a small chuckle and sat down next to her. She looked up at him and shook her head, a small smile on her face. She quietly picked up a green sugar cookie and handed it to him as she selected a thumbprint with red icing. She took a bite from it and looked back to the Christmas tree.
"I can't believe we're eating Santa's cookies," he said as he took a bite from his own. He grabbed her hot chocolate from her quickly and took a generous sip before handing it back to her. "I think that this puts us on the Naughty list for sure."
Casey shook her head and finished her cookie and took her own sip from the hot chocolate. She sighed, leaning back against the couch with her eyes still on the tree.
"I was 10 years old when I learned that Santa wasn't real," she started suddenly. She didn't look at him to see if he was listening. She kept her eyes straight forward. "A few kids had been talking about it at school. It came as a shock. I went home and cried that day. It was like…reading a book that you get so absorbed in and then when it's over…you feel like something is missing, like you've lost something dear to you." She sighed, risking a glance at Derek. "That Christmas, my dad and I stayed up until midnight just sitting in front of the tree, drinking hot chocolate, and eating Santa's cookies. Then, at the stroke of midnight, he let me open a present. I think he wanted it to be a way to say that he was sorry. But I wasn't mad. I understand. It's about magic and believing that anything can happen. Anyway, this has become a kind of tradition for me, even when he left." She let a smile creep on her lips. She looked up at Derek and offered him her mug of chocolate.
He accepted it, eager for its warmth. But he knew that she was not just offering her chocolate. She was offering him a chance to tell his story. He gazed up at the lit tree, contemplating on how to tell the story. He was not sure if he wanted to tell it but he figured since she shared hers, he would have to share his.
"I was 7." Casey quickly turned her head to look at him. He nodded. "Yeah, I know. It was an accident. I heard my mom and dad taking about it. I can't really even remember what they were saying. Something along the lines of a Santa suit and the whole plan. My parents weren't very subtle. I was angry. I didn't like that they could lie to me. I felt like I'd been duped. I held it against them for quite a while. But I got that hockey stick I wanted so…." He tapered off, laughing at the memory of that Christmas morning.
Casey nodded. She took the hot chocolate back off of him and drank what was left. She placed the mug on the table next to her and turned back to the tree. "See, this is what Christmas is about, Derek."
Derek looked over at her. Her knees were pulled up to her chest with her arms around her legs. Her chin was resting on her knees and she looked thoughtful, waiting for him to respond. She looked adorable. There was no other word for it. Casey was downright adorable.
He grabbed a blanket from off the couch and threw it over her shoulders before he spoke. "What? Drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies meant for Santa at five till midnight?"
Casey let out a little laugh. She looked over at Derek with that playful smile on her lips as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her. "No. I mean…not fighting, sharing stories…being together." She looked away.
Derek nodded but could not help but push her buttons. "I thought it was about the magic and the believing?" He smirked at her as she turned to look at him in the eyes.
He had expected her to return to her playful smile but she was serious. "I saw you reading The Night Before Christmas to Marti. That's that magic, Derek. You were helping her to believe."
"I just…want it to last longer than it did for me." He shrugged, turning back to the tree that already had piled underneath it.
Casey smiled at him. "See. You do believe."
Just then the clock chimed midnight. Both stopped as it rang out its twelve chimes. When Derek turned back to Casey, she was holding a long box in her hands with a smile on her face. It was wrapped perfectly in green paper with a red bow in the upper left corner. She slid it into his arms and bit her lip in anticipation. She was on the balls of her feet, excitement written all over her face.
"Well, go on! Open it!"
Derek laughed at her as he opened the package. It was rather light. It was not the hockey jersey. Damn. He set the wrapping aside and placed the box down on the ground. Too short to be a hockey stick. Double damn. He gave her a quick smile before pulling the lid off the box. Oh. Triple damn. Did he feel stupid or what?
A Maple Leafs foam finger. Awesome. Really. And after all that money he spent on her present. Yeah, she was getting those gaudy earrings. Cheap Casey.
He smiled up at her, trying to hide that fact that he was disappointed. She still looked excited though. Now he really thought that she was psycho. It was a foam finger.
"Well why don't you put it on?" she suggested, a sparkle in her eye growing with every second.
What was this girl on? Derek concealed an eye roll as he picked it up and put it on. As he slipped his hand in, he felt paper inside. He pulled it out and looked down at it in the dull light. No way. They were hockey tickets to a Leafs game! They were practically up against the glass! They must have cost her a fortune. Good Casey.
"I can't…" he broke off, staring down at the tickets again. He could not believe it. He had been wanting to go to a game all season. They were perfect.
"You like it?" she asked, worry plastered all over her perfectly adorable face.
He gaped at her for a moment before laughing. Then, suddenly, he pulled her into a one armed hug. "Of course. They're awesome!"
She smiled brightly as he pulled away to look at them once again. "I figured you could take Sam."
Derek laughed again, shaking his head. "Are you kidding? You're coming with me!"
Casey shook her head, ready to protest but Derek was shoving a small box into her hands. She grinned and began to pull the paper off of it, disregarding the note that he had attached to the top. She gasped when she saw that it was a jewelry box and glanced up at him.
"Derek-," she started but he quickly cut her off.
"Just open it, Case."
She took a breath and popped the lip open. She gasped again, face to face with the bracelet she had coveted in the store only two days ago. It looked beautiful in the light of the tree and Derek could have sworn that there were tears in her eyes.
"I can't accept this, Derek. It must have cost a fortune." She slid the box back into his hands, looking uncomfortable.
Derek shook his head as he took the bracelet out and motioned for her to hold out her arm. "Of course you can. After all, these tickets are hard to come by."
Casey looked down at the bracelet glittering on her wrist, Believe staring back up at her. She smiled. "Well, if you insist."
"I do," he said, picking a small piece of paper off the floor. He handed it over to her. "You missed something."
She took the piece of paper from him and read the small phrase scribbled on it in Derek's scrawl. She sighed, looking up at him, tears definitely in her eyes this time. She was lucky that she was Casey since he could handle tears with just anyone.
"Case…"
"I did?" she asked, looking somewhat uncertain. "What?"
"You and me."
Casey flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she buried her face into his neck. A few tears escaped from her eyes as he possessively wrapped his own arms around her waist. She slowly looked up at him, her blue eyes shinning with happiness. He smiled down at her, bringing a hand up to stroke her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut at his touch. He slowly moved closer to her, lips almost touching. She took a breath before closing the distance between them. The kiss was soft, sweet, and romantic. The bracelet shimmered on her wrist, the tickets lay on his chair, and the note feel to the ground as Casey pulled Derek closer.
"For giving me something to believe in.
-Derek"
They slowly pulled away but stayed wrapped in each others arms. Casey smiled at him. "Merry Christmas, Derek."
"Merry Christmas, Case." He pulled her in for another kiss.
Oh, he was good.
You have everything you need
If you just believe.
Well, there you go. I hope that you liked it! I had a blast writing it! I just love Dasey! Teehee. Anyway, please review to let me know how I did! I gave you an early Christmas present now it's time to give me mine!
Happy Holidays everyone!