Sorry, but I'm totally stumped on a new idea for a chapter story. But here's a one shot. I hope you enjoy it.
Nora was finishing tossing the salad while George sat the table. Suddenly they were startled by the sound of a door slamming and every picture on the wall shaking. As they ran into the living room they found Casey dead bolting the door while Derek stood outside pounding on it.
"Come on Case, you know I forgot my house keys. Let me in. How many times on the way home did I tell you I was sorry and that I really didn't mean it?"
"Well guess what Derek, you can't always just say whatever you want and then fix it with sorry."
Turning around to head up the stairs she saw George and Nora standing in the doorway staring at the scene that was unfolding before them.
"You can let him if you want, just please let me get up to my room first," and with that she was up the stairs and out of sight.
George moved towards the door and unlocked the dead bolt. Derek rushed in and asked, "Where is she?"
"She went up to her room Derek and from everything we've just heard and witnessed I don't think she wants you to follow."
"Listen it was just a big misunderstanding. She should know I really didn't mean it."
"You know Derek," George said, "I guess we've been lured into a false since of security. Ever since last summer you and Casey have formed some type of truce and we've actually existed peacefully in this house for the last six months. Why in the world did you have to revert back to your, for lack of better words, idiotic ways?"
"Listen, I'd really like to stay and chat, but right now I need to go handle something. We'll get back to my idiocy later, okay?" And with that, he was up the stairs and knocking on Casey's door.
"Come on Case, let me in. You know I didn't mean it. Just let me in so we can talk about it."
He waited for her reply but instead all he heard were muffled sobs coming from the other side of the door.
He was startled to feel a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Nora standing behind him. "Listen Derek, I don't know what happened but evidently it really upset Casey. Supper's ready so why don't you go down stairs and I'll see if I can get her to come down."
Derek begrudgingly headed to the table hoping that Nora could get her to come out. If he could just see her then maybe he could talk to her after dinner and straighten everything out.
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When Nora got to the table she was without Casey. Derek looked at her questioningly and she shrugged her shoulders. "She said she wasn't hungry and to eat without her. I told her I'd bring her up a plate in a little while. Derek, I really thought we were past all this. You know Casey has feelings too. I don't know what you said, but evidently it hurt her a great deal. Would it be too much to ask you to at least think before you speak next time?"
Derek wanted to tell Nora that he had thought about it and had felt like it was his only option. He hadn't wanted to go there, he really hadn't, but he had felt trapped. Instead he just asked, "When you take the food up can I come too? Maybe if you knock and tell her your there, she'll open the door and I can get in that way. I really do want to apologize and make things all right."
"All right, you can go up with me, but I'm serious, you better not screw it up and make things worse. Whatever you say, it better be genuine or Casey will see right through it."
"I understand and it will be, I promise."
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Derek stood with a plate of food in his hand as Nora knocked on Casey's door. "Casey, its Mom, Sweetie. I've got some supper for you. Please open the door."
They could hear her get up off her bed and click the lock. When she opened the door Derek's heart sank. There stood Casey with red swollen eyes and a splotchy face. He knew in an instant she had probably been crying ever since they got home and had never stopped.
When she realized that Derek was standing there with her mother she didn't say a word but moved to shut the door again, but Derek was quick enough to get half his body through the door frame before she could do it. Casey was startled by this and it allowed Derek to get the rest of the way in.
Shutting the door behind him he locked it. Setting the plate of food down on her desk he started to walk towards her. She began backing away instinctively and this broke his heart.
"Come on baby, I told you how sorry I am. I didn't mean it, but Bryan had you backed in that corner like a trapped animal and he was about to go in for the kill. What was I supposed to do?"
Casey didn't even respond. She just lay back down on her bed, her face buried in her pillow once again.
He moved over and lay down beside her, smoothing her hair down with one of his hands.
"It's killing me to see you like this and it's even worse knowing that I did it to you. Please at least talk to me. You know how much I love you. Just talk to me."
The anger that had been building in her finally released and she whipped her head around to face Derek. "You want me to talk to you. Fine, but I don't think you'll like what I have to say. I'm sick of it Derek. Sick and tired of it actually. I have to watch Molly shamelessly throw herself at you every day but Bryan says one thing to me and you go off. It would have been one thing if you had said something about him or just said get your hands off my step sister. Actually that would have seemed pretty logical. But of course that's something that's a foreign concept to you."
"Listen Case…"
"No, you listen. This isn't going to work. How could you say something like that? How could you ask him if he was so desperate that he had to resort to slumming? Slumming, Derek? If you really loved me those words wouldn't have even left your mouth. I think subconsciously that's really how you feel about me and that's the real reason we don't go public."
"That's a bunch of bull Casey and you know it. God, don't you know how much I love you. And besides, we both agreed that we would stay quiet. All we have is one more semester, Case. That's it and then we're through here. We'll go to university together and we can be everything we really are."
Casey was still looking at him and he felt this was a good sign. Running the back of his hand along her cheek he brushed the hair from out of her eyes. Moving in closer so that he was only inches away from her face he went on. "Baby we'll go to university and you'll just be Casey McDonald and I'll just be Derek Venturi and we'll just be us. No whispers, no scandal."
He went on, "I told you I think it's the best thing for you, but you agreed. None of the guys would think anything of it, I mean come on, and with them it would be some school boy fantasy to be sleeping with your step sister. But for you, Case, I'm afraid it would be a nightmare."
Casey still didn't say a word so he went on; hoping to say something that would help her realized how committed he was to her. "Just a few more months and everything will fall into place perfectly. Case, I can just picture it now. After the hockey games, you'll be waiting for me and when I come out I can swoop you up in my arms. I can tell everyone the real reason I play so great is because my good luck charm is there."
Derek saw a small smile at the corner of her lips and took this as a sign that maybe he was starting to get somewhere. "And I can just picture seeing you on campus and walking up behind you and putting my arms around you. I'll lean down and whisper in your ear, telling you how incredible you look. We'll be able to walk around hand in hand all the time, because I hate it when I can't touch you. Casey it's going to be great. Can't you just see it?"
Finally Casey spoke. "Yes Derek, I can see it, but it's from a distance. Because right now, the big picture is how you could ever say something that cruel without somehow really meaning it."
"Casey, I know Bryan. I hear how he talks. What you don't know is that I've had to hear him talk about my hot step sister all season. I've tried to discourage him every way I could but as you can see, it didn't work. Casey, he looks at you as the top notch on the belt. He thinks that if he could get to you he'd really have a lot to talk about in the locker room. When I saw the way he had you cornered I paniced and it just came out. I was desperate Casey. I swear I didn't mean it. I could never mean that."
He cupped her face with his hand. "Don't you know I don't feel that way about you? I could never feel that way about you."
"I don't know Derek, my heart tells me that but then my head tell me something else. I've had to watch Molly throw herself at you all year and it hurts. Someone finally shows some interest in me and what do you do, you humiliate me."
"Case, please baby, you've got to listen. Have you ever seen me give Molly one indication that she has a chance. I've stuck to my story since the day school started, that I've sworn off girls this year so that I could concentrate on hockey. I've never given her any indication that she ever remotely had a chance with me."
Casey moved in closer until she was snuggled up against Derek's chest. She felt him rub his lips against the top of her head before she felt his gentle kiss and she couldn't help herself. She had to smile. Moving her head up so that she was looking in his eyes she gave in and smiled, an honest and genuine one that tugged at his heart.
"Casey, if you don't believe anything else, you've got to believe this. If anyone's slumming its you. You could do so much better than me and I know that."
Casey softly placed a kiss on his lips and then pulled away. "So, tell me more about how it's going to be at university. You have me very intrigued."
"Well, I'll tell you what one of the best parts will be. I can beat the hell out of anyone that comes close to laying a hand on you."
"Oh really, and why's that."
"Because honestly Case, no one's good enough for you. But if you're going slumming, I better be the only bum that you pick up." And with that he rolled her over and began slowly kissing up her neck, sending shivers up and down her spine. When he reached her ear he softly whispered, "I love you Case and you're absolutely perfect. Don't ever forget that." Then moving on he captured her lips in his and once again all was right with the world because they could be themselves, totally together and totally committed. Appearances be damned.
All right, let me know what you think. And if you have any good story ideas, pm me. Maybe it would be something that would jump start me. Again, please review. I miss hearing from all of you.