AN: Another multi chapter fic, while I still haven't finished the other stories...but bare with me...I am trying a Casey centric for the first time...and I promise to get back to the others real soon.

ummm also my friend Swordslien has been almost 'been there done that' with most of the incidents in this fic...I have just taken the liberty to make them more fun and improvised and in character with Dasey....i hope you like it...

Disclaimer: I had threatened and begged but all in vain.

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The walls are closing in…and she stares almost animatedly at the closed elevator door. Till she actually realizes that its closed and he has gone… suddenly… because he was right here….almost instinctively she presses 1 on her cell phone and listens to the ring go off on the other end…and perhaps if she hadn't been feeling so claustrophobic, she would have taken time to explain how he had gotten on her speed dial…

"Allo…?" he picks up on the 8th ring…and he sounds sleepy but his voice is all too clear…almost as if he is right there behind her, whispering right in her ear….and all the other sounds seem to be drowning off..

"De-rek…how could you leave me here? I told you to wait for me. Didn't I? But you're such a jerk. You left and you know I hate small places. You assho…"

"Casey?"

"Who else, you bastard? Why did you leave?" she can't even see the elevator door anymore…it's getting fainter and fainter by the minute….

"Are you having a dream Casey?" and his voice is really too close, "because it's like…" he pauses as if to check the time, while she does the same and brings her wrist close to her face.

"Four fifteen" they say in unison.

"AM!" Derek adds.

And her eyes snap open. She is lying on her bed in her dorm room, her phone pressed to her ear…

And Derek is still on the other line…

She had called him up in the middle of a dream…fuck

"uh…I guess I was having a dream.."

Derek chuckles at the other end and Casey could swear that it was the most irritating sound. Ever.

"Casey, Casey, Casey, you are having a dream about me. Wait till everyone hears about this."

"And you actually woke up at 4 in the morning to answer my call. Wait till everyone hears this one." She snaps and hangs up.

Idiot.

But the damage was done.

She switches on her bedside lamp and takes out her dream diary.

Dear Diary,

I had a dream about Derek. Again. Except that this time I even landed up calling him up in the middle of it. So now he knows that I have been dreaming about him. If that doesn't bloat his already inflated ego, I don't know what will.

What do I do? I really do need to stop dreaming about him. This was the 4th time in this week alone and you already have the records of all the weeks that have preceded this one.

But you know what? This one was different, here he kind of had disappeared suddenly and I had been shit scared. I wonder if there is some kind of meaning to that. Oh! Diary I hope not. This is really not what I need a night before I decide to tell him about my feelings.

Yes! Diary, I have decided. I am going to do it tomorrow and I am going to be all romantic about it. Fancy restaurant and all.

I'm going to tell Derek Venturi that I'm in love with him.

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Derek Venturi has one weakness and Casey Mcdonald knows just when to take advantage of it.

"No Derek, you wouldn't have to pay for a thing." She emphasizes for the tenth time.

"I'll pay for everything. I promise." she repeats.

"But why The Blue Mosaic? Its expensive and they have that awful music playing…"

"De-rek. That's Jazz and it's beautiful. And don't worry about the expenses…I'll take the tab…I'll even pay for your parking. Just come on time."

Casey waited with bated breath as Derek took his time making his decision and if it wasn't for the fact that they were having this conversation on the phone she would have done something like shake him enough to rattle a 'yes. I'll be there…'. That was the extent of her nervousness…

"I get extra desert…." Pat comes the reply.

Casey rolls her eyes. Was she seriously in love with him.

"Yeah…yeah sure…and double round of that scotch or whatever."

"hmmm…." Derek mumbles. Is he still contemplating?

"Derek. It ultimately means that you get to eat and drink for free…." Maybe he hasn't registered it in yet…

"yeah…yeah… that's why I am scared…what's the catch?"

"De-rek! There is no catch…this may come as a surprise to you but some people are not as contriving as you."

"Says the girl who pretended not to know how to dance so she could get extra help from the dance instructor…"

"De-rek, that was almost a year ago…and I did that because you advised me on it…"

Derek chuckled at the other end, "yeah I may have forgotten to mention that he was gay…"

"Like how you forgot to mention that he had hit on you before…"

"Oh c'mon Princess…I can't help it if nobody can resist the charms of me…"

"Whatever!" she was half surprised that how five years with Derek had not gotten her a squint till now. With all the eye rolling she did around him...(And all that look anywhere but at his lips…life with him was tough..)

"Fine Princess. I'll come…"

Thank God.

"Good…and Derek?"

"What now?"

"Dress nicely..," she really needs this to be perfect….

"What? Tux and all? Are you inviting me to a funeral…?"

"No. No. Not a Tux but something in your wardrobe which doesn't smell of your hockey sweat…" (She doesn't think its necessary to mention that she has his hockey sweatshirt in her own wardrobe….those are just minor details after all…)

"Please" she plays it down and dirty this time…because this if nothing else is ought to work…

"Fine. I'll see you at eight…"

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There is a difference in a dream date and a date. In a dream date she sees herself confident and poised and ravishing and Derek is in black trousers and white dinner jacket and has presented her with blue orchids and she is laughing at all his jokes and he is discussing books and movies with her. And there is violin playing in the background and the food is just perfect, and the wine makes her a little intoxicated and he offers to drive her back and she invites him for a night cap, but he politely refuses and then whispers in her ears that he would come up the next time, when she wasn't that drunk…because he doesn't want to take advantage of her. (And she realizes that she has been reading far too many Mills&Boons )

And then they are dates which ultimately come down to Derek being late, she having spilled water on her dress as she waits for him, (just why won't her hands stop shaking?). the waiter coughing pointedly and asking her if she was sure that they shouldn't just dress the table for one….screw the blue mosaic…why hadn't she called him to the neighborhood diner instead…

And then he shows up. Grinning. (As if he thinks that smile would make her less angry. It does.)

And even though it's not a dinner jacket or a tuxedo it's a nice crisp white shirt and a (strangely) clean pair of jeans.

And it would do.

"Sorry Princess. Got caught up." He says sliding in opposite her. "So shoot…why exactly are we here?"

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AN...How was it? please review. And another thing, if it doesn't seem too angsty yet, don't worry...loads of angst and cliches to come up in the later chapters.....Reviews....please (it works for Casey afterall)