Note: Hey so this is of course going to be a Dasey story. Sorry if it comes at you kind of fast, but I'm not a patient person so ya lol. Um enjoy!
"Mama." Casey McDonald smiled down at her four year old daughter then looked up and her smile faded. Truman had come to visit her at Queens one weekend of her freshmen year and although she knew she'd never truly love him the way she did Derek, Casey made some bad decisions that night resulting in Danielle McDonald. After Casey found out she was pregnant, she moved out of the country to the United States, found a cheap, crappy apartment, got a job, and restarted her life. And all the while she ignored her family, changed her number, did everything in her power to keep them from finding her. The last they saw of her was at the hospital right after Danielle was born.
Casey could still remember looking up at everyone's shocked faces but then she saw Derek. He had known everything and the only emotion on his face was anger. Anger and sadness.
Casey set down her daughter and turned on the TV to the news.
"And in other news, tonight The Kings will be playing the Canadian hockey champions…" Casey's eyes almost bugged out of her head as she saw a picture of Derek, who still pretty much looked the same on the TV screen cheering as his team scored a goal. "What's wrong mama?" Danielle asked.
Casey looked at her daughter. "We're going to a hockey game baby."
Casey and Danielle arrived at the Staples Center four hours before the game. Casey walked around to other side of her Honda and got Danielle out of her car seat. Clutching her daughter to her chest, Casey walked around and snuck in a back door to an empty hall way.
"Hey! Uh miss, you're not supposed to be back here!" Someone said. Someone familiar. Casey turned around and stared into the warm brown eyes of her step brother. And Derek stared right back.
"Holy shit." He mumbled under his breath. Casey just stood there and Danielle stayed asleep in Casey's arms.
"Case?" Derek asked.
"Um…I have to go." Casey said turning on her heals and trying to fast walk away without waking up Danielle.
"Casey, come back!" Derek cried running after her outside and picking up speed. Casey put Danielle back in her car seat and tried to start up her car unsuccessfully. Story of her life. She lived in a crap shack apartment, worked for right above minimum wage because she never finished college, she had no hopes and dreams, an abusive boyfriend (oh yes, Casey had also landed herself a great boyfriend named Beau…he was just away on business), nothing in her life had turned out how it was supposed to!
"Casey!" she gasped and looked at her window to see Derek pounding on the door. She slowly rolled down the window and he bent down.
"Can I get in?" he asked. She nodded and unlocked the car, sliding over to the passenger seat letting him sit in the driver's seat.
Casey's Point of View
"Is that her?" Derek asked looking back at Danielle who was still sleeping. I nodded.
"What's her name?" he asked.
"Danielle." He froze at the sound of my voice then looked at me.
"Casey…what happened?" I took a deep shaky breath and then he grabbed my arm as I started to pull away from him. I gasped in pain and he rolled up my sleeve to reveal a huge bruise I'd gotten from Beau the week before.
"Tell me. Now." He said through clenched teeth, eyes not leaving my arm. Over the next hour I explained everything…from the day I ran away to the second I saw his picture on the news. Derek listened intently and when I was done, sitting there breathing heavily he surprised me. He reached out and wrapped an arm around me, giving me a hug. I wrapped both my arms around him and we just sat there like that for a long time.
"I'm so sorry this happened Case." He whispered. He was different than I remembered. But a good different. While I was pregnant with Danielle he definitely got more mature and nicer to me but this was beyond.
"Thank you." I whispered. When he finally released me, I started wishing he hadn't.
"Take me to your house." He said shocking me again.
"Why?" I asked.
"I want to see it." I sighed and picked up Danielle who had woken up but was playing the PSP I'd saved up for months to buy her so that she'd have something to do while Beau was over instead of listen to the violence. We walked to a bus stop and took a bus to about five minutes from the apartment then walked from there. When we got inside the one bedroom, one bathroom, half a living room, and half a kitchen hell hole Derek looked around eyes wide.
Then he turned to me.
"Pack your stuff." I watched Danielle sit down on the couch and turn on the TV. She was a very bright child already.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I want you to come stay with me." My jaw dropped.
"Like in Canada?" I asked. He nodded.
"Back home, and in the hotel the team's staying at. You can stay in the holding room during the game, or I could get you box seats; whatever you want Case. And then you'll come home with me and I'll take care of you and Danielle! I'm gonna make everything better Casey!" He exclaimed. I looked down and realized he was holding my hands in his. I felt my eyes well up with tears. This was the escape I'd being praying for.
"You don't have to do that Derek." I choked out. He put a hand on my face.
"I want to Casey. Please let me take care of you." I looked into his eyes and felt the sparks start to fly. I took a deep shaky breath and looked around the crap hole apartment.
"Ok."