Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Life with Derek belongs to Disney Channel and Family Channel. The songs don't belong to me, either. All or Nothing belongs to O-Town, I believe. Drowning belongs to the Backstreet Boys.
It was the night of the big school dance. Lizzie stood with a group of her friends, while Edwin was out on the dance floor doing his crazy dance moves. As the quick upbeat song changed into a slower, steadier one, she glanced over at Edwin. He seemed to be glancing around the gym for a girl who would be appropriate to dance with him. Was it just Lizzie's imagination, or did Edwin's eyes seem to linger on her longer than they did on anybody else? Lizzie shook her head. Yeah right. He was her stepbrother; he wouldn't ask her to dance. It was a crazy thought.
"Uh, Lizzie? Would you dance with me?" asked a boy from her class, named James. She smiled, and nodded.
"Yeah. I'd like that." She replied, as she followed him out to the center of the gym. She glanced around, and saw Edwin staring at her. When he caught her looking at him, he quickly glanced away. She shook her head, and blushed.
"You okay?" asked James.
"What?" Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She replied distantly, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"I know when he's been on your mind; that distant look in your eyes. I thought with time you'd realize it's over, over. It's not the way I choose to live, and something somewhere's gotta give. A share in this relationship gets older, older."
Lizzie and James talked a little bit while they danced, but after a while, James could see that she wasn't quite her usual, spunky self, and they fell silent.
" 'Cuz I want it all, or nothing at all. There's nowhere left to fall, when you reach the bottom it's now or never. Is it all? Or are we just friends? Is this how it ends? With a simple telephone call, you leave me here with nothing at all."
When the song ended, James thanked Lizzie for the dance, and they went their separate ways. When the dance ended, Edwin and Lizzie headed home, neither one of them talking to the other. After being asked how the dance was, and after George and Lizzie had showed off their mad dancing skills, she got into her pajamas, and headed to bed. But no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't get to sleep. "Why do I wish that I had danced with Edwin?" she asked herself. She shouldn't want that. It was wrong. He was her stepbrother, for Fred's sake!
Lizzie thought that maybe a nice mug of hot chocolate would help her fall asleep, so she walked downstairs to the kitchen, and was surprised to find Edwin sitting at the counter drinking his own mug of hot chocolate. She did not want to see him right then, and was about to head back upstairs, when he noticed her.
"Hey." He said, not looking directly at her, "What are you doing down here?"
"Oh, hey Edwin. I was going to get some hot chocolate, but then I thought that you might want to be left alone, so I'm just going to go back upstairs." Lizzie replied, while turning from the kitchen.
"There's room enough in here for two people. I don't mind." Edwin replied, and Lizzie stopped in her tracks. It's not like she would be able to come up with a good excuse not to stay in the kitchen now.
"I'm sorry for telling your mom. You know, about the dancing thing." Edwin said.
"It's okay. You were only trying to help. And I did end up having a good time." She replied.
"Yeah, me too. I just wish…" Edwin trailed off.
"You just wish what?" she asked.
"Never mind. It's stupid."
"Come on, Edwin. You can tell me." She said.
"I said never mind." He shot back. Lizzie backed away from the counter, wear she had been mixing her drink.
"Okay, all right. Forget I asked." She said defensively.
"There's no more marshmallows." Said Edwin, changing the subject.
Lizzie grinned. "That's what you think." And she reached into the cupboard above the stove, behind a cylinder of oatmeal, and produced a new bag of mini marshmallows. "When you're in this family, you just have to know where to look." She said while tearing the bag open.
Edwin grinned. "That's true, and they dumped a bunch of marshmallows into their mugs of steaming cocoa. Then Edwin stood up.
"Where are you going?" asked Lizzie. Edwin looked over his shoulder.
"Just wait for a second." He said, and Lizzie sat down at the counter, and stirred her drink. A few minutes later, Edwin sauntered back into the kitchen.
"Hey, Lizzie. Follow me." And he walked back into the living room. Lizzie followed him, purely out of curiosity. Edwin pushed a button on the stereo, and music started playing.
"Look Lizzie, what I was going to say in the kitchen, was, well, I wish I could've asked you to dance. But we're stepsiblings, and people would think I was stupid, and sick, and crazy. But I can't help it. So would you dance with me?" Edwin said, his face turning bright red.
Lizzie blushed. "I wanted to dance with you too, Edwin. And I would love to dance with you now." She stepped toward the boy, and put her hands on his shoulders, as his hands slid around her waist.
"Don't pretend you're sorry, I know you're not. I know you've got the power to make me weak inside. And girl you leave me breathless, But its okay, Cause you are my survival. Now hear me say, I can't imagine Life without your love. And even forever don't seem like long enough.
Every time I breathe I take you in, then my heart beats again. Baby I cant help it. Keep me drowning in your love. And every time I try to rise above, I'm swept away by love. Baby I cant help it. Keep me drowning in your love."
Lizzie looked at Edwin, and he grinned. She smiled back, and danced closer to him. As she laid her head against Edwin's shoulder, she couldn't help thinking that this was it. This was what she'd wanted all along.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Now please review, because reviews are like endorphins. They make you happy. Heck, give me some ConCrit, or flame me. I don't care. I just want to know what y'all think, and what I could do better on.