A/N: I'm back with another LWD story, except this one is a multiple chapter story instead of just a one shot. Hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this instead of paying attention in physics class. Remember, bold wording is for thoughts, no flashbacks this chapter, sorry!

"Derek!" Casey shouted from the bottom of the stairs. A typical Monday morning, Casey was frustrated because she was running 5 minutes late on her usual weekday routine. She stood tapping her foot impatiently for about 30 second before she stomped upstairs and pounded on his door.

Derek opened the door to see Casey steaming from the ears. Finding her anger rather amusing, he slouched in the doorway and put a smirk upon his face.

"What can I do for ya Case?" Casey shook her head in disgust, and shoved past him, barging into his room and started searching through every nook and cranny in there. Derek just sat in his doorway, not attempting to stop her in the least, curiosity coursing through him. After a few minutes of desperate searching, she turned around and glared angrily at Derek.

"What are you looking at, Klutzilla?" he asked in a mocking tone. Casey just rolled her eyes.

"My hair brush, where did you hide it?" She asked, pointing an accusing finger at Derek. She crossed her arms as if making a stand and Derek couldn't help but smile.

"How would I know?" He walked over to his bed and sat down, disregarding the hissy fit Casey was directing towards him.

"Smerek!" Marti shouted from the hallway as she came sprinting excitedly into Derek's room. She had her princess dress on and a comb in her hand, and she was jumping up and down in front of him. "Smerek, does my hair look pretty?" She asked, gleefully showcasing her neatly combed hair to her favorite person in the world.

"It sure does Smarti" Derek said, pulling the comb she had used out of her hand and handing it to Casey. "That solves the comb catastrophe" he added, laughing at her bemused expression. Casey's anger faded and changed to confusion as she realized Derek was still dressed in only his boxers and a nightshirt.

"Why aren't you getting ready for school? We have to leave in 5 minutes"

"Well, if you must know, I have a doctor's appointment today, so I get to sleep in" Derek said in a chiding tone. He plopped himself back down on his bed with his hands behind his head. "Have fun at school without my protection today, Case!" he said, winking at his step-sister.

Casey rolled her eyes before she walked out of the room to finish getting ready for school. Derek rolled over to the side of his bed with an evil grin on his face, reaching for the phone. He quickly dialed a number, and the phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Jason, its Derek. Listen, I need you to do me a favor today…"

"I can't believe he went to those measures to have me humiliated!" Casey shouted as she stomped through the halls, her hair covered in pasta sauce. Students laughed as she strode by, making her way to her locker. Emily came up behind her silently.

"It's not as bad as you might think. The pasta sauce will come out easy" Emily suggested, trying to cheer her friend up. Casey glared daggers at Emily, so she backed off a little. Casey went to grab her math book, when all of her school books came toppling out of her locker. She let out a small frustrated scream while Emily bent down to help her pick up the books.

"Why does he feel he has to make my life as shitty as possible?" Casey asked. Throughout the day, numerous students had played pranks solely on Casey, humiliating her to an all time high that day. She had slipped in olive oil placed in front of her locker, had a door slammed in her face, had her hands glued to her desk, had spaghetti sauce poured on her in the cafeteria, and had her locker sabotaged, all at the command of the high and mighty Derek Venturi.

"I'm sure he was just trying to have some fun with you" Emily said. Casey gave her a disbelieving look. "Then again, I could be wrong" she added, she didn't want to be subject to Casey's anger today.

"This has been the worst day of my life" Casey groaned, leaning against her locker, wary if another prank was to be pulled on her.

"Well, at least it's all behind you now that school is over" Emily said, trying once again to brighten Casey's spirits.

"No, its not! Now I have to go home and deal with Derek!" Casey whined. She started walking towards the exit, but stopped when she realized Emily wasn't following her. She gave her a questioning look.

"I gotta go meet Trevor by his locker. We're going to a concert together tonight" Emily said, before she timidly tiptoed away from the mess that was supposed to be Casey. She proceeded to walk home by herself.

"Derek, what the hell is wrong with you? You couldn't just once leave me…." Casey stopped talking once she fully made her way into the living room to find she had been speaking to nobody. Derek was usually on his favorite recliner, watching TV by the time she got home. Puzzled for not the first time today, she quietly made her way to her room. She didn't make it all the way as she saw Derek sitting at the edge of his bed, staring off into space. She dared to enter into his room, and walk right in front of him; Derek was watching the ground intently until Casey waved a hand in front of his face.

Derek looked up to meet Casey's steady gaze. Her face was full of concern, her past anger forgotten, and a little shock spread over her features as she saw the expression that was written all over his face. It was fear.

"Hey Case" Derek muttered, staring back at the ground once again. Casey sat down next to him, bringing her knees to her chest, leaning her head back against the mattress and sighing heavily. She relaxed and silently rested there for a few minutes before she realized she was still in Derek's room, and was receiving no objection to her presence there from her step-brother.

"What's up with you?" Casey asked, a hint of curiosity nagging in her voice. Derek didn't respond until Casey snapped her fingers in front of him to catch his attention, and repeated the question.

"Nothing really, I just have to go back to the doctor tomorrow for more tests" Derek said, fidgeting with his hands in a very "un-Derek" like manner. Casey knew he was hiding something, but decided not to push him. He was acting weird enough as it was already without her trying to prod.

Casey placed a hand on Derek's shoulder, "You gonna be ok?" she asked. Derek merely nodded.

"If you need anything, I'm right next door" Casey said before leaving his room, closing the door behind her. She proceeded to her room to finish her nightly studying.

Dinner that night was rather silent as well. The only conversation that went on was between Edwin and Lizzie about some experiment they were working on and Marti rambling on to the family about her day at preschool. Casey observed Nora and George shoot Derek worried glances throughout the duration of dinner. All Derek did was shift food around on his plate with his fork, keeping his head down the entire time.

"May I be excused?" Derek asked, once his entire dinner was shifted to different parts of his plate. He hadn't taken a single bite of it. George gave Nora a stern look, before she nodded slightly, sending Derek rushing off to his room. Marti continued to rant about her day while the rest of the family finished dinner in silence.

Casey was busy typing an essay that had been assigned to her during her lousy school day when a soft knock on the door alerted her.

"Come in" Casey said, not looking away from her essay on the computer screen. She finished typing her sentence in progress, then spun around in her computer chair to see Derek silently leaning in her doorway.

"What's up?" Casey asked, noting the slight sadness in his eyes as he sat there, motionless. He gave no response at first, but came around a few moments later.

"How was school today?" Derek asked, in a surprisingly polite tone. He crossed his arms, waiting for an answer patiently.

Casey abruptly shot out of her chair, shocked at Derek's behavior. "What?" Casey asked, still vamped in disbelief.

"How was school today" Derek repeated, in a tone like he was talking to a mentally slow being.

"Um……….actually it was terrible" Casey said, shooting a glare at Derek. He saw her expression, his eyes going wide.

"Oh shit, I forgot. I'm sorry about that Casey" Derek said sincerely, his demeanor falling slightly.

"Why the hell did you have to do that Derek?!" Casey asked, seeing his vulnerability as an advantage in this argument.

"I was just trying to have a little fun. It was uncalled for, and I'm sorry" he said, his eyes now trained on the floor.

Casey sat there in a stupor. Derek Venturi, the last person she ever thought would stop ridiculing her, was apologizing to her for his actions. A thousand questions ran through her mind. Why is he acting so nice? Is this some sort of trick he's trying to play on me? Can I trust this kid who's made my life a living hell since I moved in with his family?

"How can I make it up to you?" he asked, taking a seat on her bed. His eyes pleaded for her forgiveness. Casey shivered slightly when she caught his gaze, but recovered quickly.

"You could start by being a little nicer to me from now on" she said, crossing her arms defiantly.

Derek looked deep in thought for a minute before he smirked, "I think I can do that one" he said.

"Good. Well then, apology accepted" Casey said, before waiving Derek off, signaling his time to leave so she could continue with her essay.

"Sweet" Derek said, before turning to leave her room.

"Hey Derek?" She called as he had gotten to the doorway. He stopped and turned his attention back to Casey.

"Thanks for apologizing" she said sweetly, a small smile forming upon her face. Derek nodded before closing the door behind him, making his way back to his room.

Casey sat still and quiet for a few moments, her eyes still trained upon the door. She spun back to the computer to finish her essay. Once she was finished, she decided to go to bed; she was exhausted from her stressful day. As she lay in bed, her thoughts drifted to Derek and their conversation from earlier. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face, completely relaxed for the first time in awhile.

Finally, Casey did not think it so bad to be living in the same house as Derek Venturi.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, the writing will get better as the story goes on. Now give me your feedback by writing me a review, even if a very small one, because all of them are appreciated. Thanks!