"Hello?" He heard her answer her phone.
"Hey Case," he said into the speaker.
"Hey Der," she answered softly.
"Happy Birthday!"
"Thanks! You never forget my birthday," she noted.
"How could I forget the day that my beautiful step-sister was born?" he asked ironically.
"Yeah," he heard her grimace at his words.
"Come over," he prompted (or begged).
"You know I can't…"
"Why not?" he said irritability.
"Because I'm married Derek, and I have to spend my birthday with my husband," Casey reasoned. Always the voice of reason.
"That has never stopped you before."
"Well maybe… it should."
He panicked. "What are you saying Case?"
"I'm saying that we should stop this sneaking around altogether before we make things worse. I promised in a church, before God, that I would be with him until death do us part. That's what I have to do."
"So I have to kill the guy?" he chuckled.
"Der-ek!"
He smiled at her response. They were always the same. "What's this really about, princess?"
"I'm pregnant."
His heart stopped and his breath got caught in his throat. Pregnant?!
"Say something," she begged.
"Is the baby his or….?" He had to ask, because they were having this affair for god knows how long and, just maybe, he could be the father.
"No. I haven't had sex with him after my last period. It's not his." He could hear how sure she was.
"So it's mine? And you want to end this? What are you going to do? Have sex with him right now and pretend that you got knocked up by him? I won't stand for this! That is my baby, my kid! If you don't want it, fine! But I want it, so just carry it to term and I'll raise the kid after that!"
He heard her cry on the other end of the line. "When I found out I was pregnant I asked for the divorce, okay? I'm not with him anymore! But I thought you didn't want this! I thought you didn't care. I thought all you wanted was sex!"
"How about all the times I said that I love you? How about all the times I said that I wanted you to leave him?"
"You said that during sex! I didn't think you'd mean it. I'm an insecure woman, okay? So excuse me for assuming those things!"
"Casey McDonald, so God help me, if you don't drag your ass into my apartment right now I'll go find you!" he threatened, amusedly. He was not mad anymore. She was going to be his, he was sure of it.
"Der-ek! You can't tell me what to do!" she fired back.
"Oh yes I can! You're having my baby, and now I want to make love to you, 'cause that what we do. We make love princess, we don't fuck and we don't have just sex. You know that. That little thing in your tummy is the proof of our love. It's our baby! So come here right now!"
The line disconnected and he knew she was coming. And hours later, when Casey McDonald was asleep in Derek Venturi's arms (just how it's suppose to be), he reached for her belly and said goodnight to his baby for the first time ever.
The first of many, many more.