YES, YES, YES. I KNOW, I KNOW! I'm negelecting my other stories! (Ready, Set, Confusion and What She Doesn't Know Will Hurt Her) I KNOW THIS! I'm sorryyyyyyyyyy. It's just... I've been really busy writing this novel. I started it for NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month. AKA, November). And... well... I couldn't get to 50K words in a month, but... now that the month is over, I've still kept writing it. It's kind of my love. haha

It's called, Another Day, Another Disaster.

And if youlove Step-Sibling Romance (which I know you do), you will love this novel. HEHE.

If you want to read it, the link is in my profile! It's not done yet, and I haven't even posted all I have written. I like to edit it before I post it, (obviously), and I never get around to editing it. lol

SO ANYWAYS. I just had this idea the other night while watching The Grinch, because... well.. there's this one part that I saw and was like, Dude... you know that if someone proposed to Casey... well... sh*t's gonna go down. haha

I'm a loser. So anyways. Here's a one shot for your enjoyment!

BTW: If you've seen the "Season Five" episodes of Life with Derek on Wikipedia... they're fake. I know because my friend Erin and I wrote them. :D

The Kind of Woman

An L-Doubleya-Dizzle Fanfiction

I should have known. It's never a good idea to look at him. Ever.

I mean, what made me look at him in the first place?

My loving boyfriend of two years just freaking got down on his knee and popped the long awaited question… and I chose that particular moment in time not to look at him but at the person in my life who always ruins everything!?

Well I guess this was no different! Of course he had to ruin the one thing in my life that was meant to be sacred and special!

Why was he there anyways!?
Well… I know the answer to that: he was obligated to be there, but… still!

Time went by slower than imaginable; it was like I was the only one with the ability to move, and I was just stuck looking between two guys with two completely different emotions on their face.

One was anticipation and affection; the other was shock and… what else was in that look?!
I couldn't even understand it! He almost looked… No, it couldn't be.

I didn't really have time to process before I heard my boyfriend call to me.

"Casey?" He sounded very worried and… needless to say it made things a lot harder.

I glanced down at him, giving him a weak smile before excusing myself from the room.

I couldn't be there for any longer. The eyes, just staring at me from every direction!
It was unnerving!

Especially his eyes… God, I just couldn't get them out of my mind.

What did I expect to get from looking at him? What could I possibly have wanted him to do!? Say?!

I was now in the laundry room of my old house back in London; my family and boyfriend waiting for me to return, possibly with an answer and an explanation.

I didn't know what I was doing. All I knew was that I didn't want to go back in there, ever. I suspected that eventually, my boyfriend would come to find me, and tell me that I didn't need to answer him right away.

That was partly what I wanted. I didn't want to answer him. The problem was that he would eventually expect a 'yes' or a 'no' and… I don't think I could ever say 'yes'.

You may think I'm insane, really. Because… what kind of woman stays with a man for two years and doesn't want to marry him?

Well I'll tell you.

The kind of woman who is in love with someone else, but is too afraid of breaking the other man's heart, especially if the man she's really in love with doesn't love her back.

The kind of woman who is in love… with her step-brother.

Xxx

The opposite of what I thought was going to happen, happened.

It wasn't my boyfriend that came into the laundry room after me, it was him.

"What are you doing?" He sounded exasperated.

I said nothing.

"Casey, come on. Just go out there and tell the poor sap that you'll marry him." He continued, and I looked at him, surprised.

I still didn't say anything, and I could tell that he didn't want to be where he was, saying what he was saying. I looked away again.

He sighed, "If this is about..." he couldn't finish. "Casey, just marry him."

My eyes stung. Until that moment, I had held strong, hadn't felt the urge to cry. But hearing him say 'Just marry him' in that... 'It's never going to happen' way... it hurt.

The tears fell silently, and I don't think he knew they were even there, as I was looking directly out the window of the door and he was behind me.

"I won't." was all I said, and I let myself out of the house.

Xxx

I didn't know where I was going; all I knew was that I didn't want anyone to find me.

The man I loved, didn't love me, and the man that did love me, was someone that I could never love.

I walked through the streets of london and found a local park to safely walk through, considering it was dark, and cold. I had no jacket, obviously because I wasn't planning on running out. It was December, and... Canada so... there's all the information you need. I was on the verge of frostbite after walking for a half an hour.

I couldn't stop moving though, or it would just get worse; and I don't just mean the cold.

If I stopped moving, they would find me. I know its selfish, I really do... but I just couldn't deal with them right now.

None of them.

Xxx

Eventually I had to stop; I walked into a local coffee shop and sat down, basking in the warmth.

One of the workers came over to me, noticing I was alone and had no coat.

I told them not to worry, I wasn't homeless, and although I had no money to buy anything, I would only stay for a few minutes and then leave.
I didn't want to be a bother.

They refused to listen to me, and gave me a free hot chocolate and offered to call me a cab to go home, or call someone that I knew to come pick me up.

I told them it was fine and that I didn't live far, and that I would just walk home. Lies, of course. But I thanked them for the free beverage and went on my way.

Xxx

After walking another hour, I couldn't feel my legs, or arms anymore.

It was around then that I heard a car honking and my name being called.

"Goddamn it, Casey! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" It was him.

It always was, wasn't it. He was always the one to rescue me; although it was never on his own terms.

I kept walking. He followed me in the car.

"Casey Christina McDonald, get your ass in this car, right now!" He was mad, but... I was too determined to care.

"Casey!" His voice was shrill and it startled me. I've never heard him so angry. But I couldn't give in.

I heard the car turn off and the car door slam shut. I quickened my steps, but it was no use; my legs were too cold and I was no match for his stride.

He reached me in no time, and wrapped a coat around me, and I collapsed against him, sobbing.

"Damn it, Casey." He ran his hands through my hair. "Don't ever do that again!" He reprimanded.

I couldn't speak, but it didn't really matter. He walked me back to the car, where we sat with the heat on full power.

"Could you just explain to me, what in God's name you were thinking?!" He asked; it wasn't as much of a yell as it should have been.

I still couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"Damn it, would you just talk to me!?" That one broke me. His voice when he said it... he sounded desperate, like he needed me to say something to him.

"I'm a coward." I told him.

It took him a second for him to respond, as he was surprised I even said anything, "Well yeah, tell me something I don't know." He rolled his eyes, but I could tell he didn't mean that.

I looked at him, and he stared right back, "I can't marry him."

He blinked, and I was almost positive it was because he didn't want me to notice that his eyes were different now. They weren't as dark.

"Yes you can." he insisted, despite the change.

"No, I can't. I've thought about it more than you can imagine. I've thought about it with him, with Robert, with Adam..." I took a breath, my teeth chattering, as I was still cold, "I never see it working out."

It was his turn to be silent, as he looked out the driver's side window.

"But I can't tell him 'no'. I can't bare to hurt him." I continued.

He looked at me again, "You can't hurt him... but you can't marry him, either?" He asked, as if to make sure that I had even listened to myself speak.

I nodded, "I'm a mess."

He laughed, "Always."

I smiled, "I love you, Derek." I was looking ahead, but I could see in my peripherals that he didn't look surprised.

"I know..." I looked at him; he smiled back.

"I can't marry him, Derek." I added.

"I don't want you to." He admitted, taking my hand in his.

"But how do I say no without hurting him?" My smile disappeared as I realized that even though part of the puzzle was solved, the rest wasn't.

"You'll think of something." His eyes were golden, as he spoke.

I whined.

"Stop whining. You're a big girl, Casey. You've got to do things for yourself; live your life for you not for some snobby, rich boy who thinks he's better than me."

I laughed, "Jealousy rears its ugly head."

"I've got nothing to be jealous of. Who are you with right now, Spacey?" He smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "Just drive, loser."

Xxx

"What are you trying to do, give us all a heart attack!?" Frank greeted me, as I walked through the door of my mom and George's house.

"Hey." Derek spoke from behind me, "Cool it. I didn't see you running out the door to find her."

"Well, what did you expect me to do? I just proposed to the woman I love and she runs out the door without so much as an explanation." Frank replied.

"You know what, Frank? I'm tired of you and your attitude. You think you can come into Casey's life and just expect everything to be perfect and proper, well you guess what! Being with Casey isn't supposed to be like that! It's supposed to be one obstacle after another! Those are the sorts of things that make you stronger as a couple, and as people. If you don't get that, then you can just get the hell out, okay? Because Casey deserves better than you." My jaw dropped. The last time I'd seen Derek lash out in that manner was at Truman, in Grade Twelve when I caught him kissing my cousin, Vicky.

"Well it doesn't matter what you think, now does it? Your just her brother. Casey can think for herself, right Casey?" Frank was obviously not understanding things.

I looked at Derek, who's eyes were lit with fire, and it gave me this... gust of courage, "First of all, Frank, Derek is my step-brother, and I don't know how many times I've told you that. Second of all, you are right. I can think for myself; however, until now, you've never really shown any interest in my thoughts. It was always, 'Frank knows best' and all that jazz, well you know what I think?" I was drawing a blank, and Frank was waiting, "I think... well, I think that Frank doesn't know best!"

It was a lame attempt, but... whatever. Derek chuckled, and I glared at him. He was supposed to be on my side!

"What are you saying Casey?" Frank asked, and... really?! Was he this dense.

"I'm saying, that I don't love you! I don't think I ever have, and I never will because I love someone else, and believe me, they are so much better than you are." So much for not hurting him; although I guess it didn't really matter now, because... looking back on our relationship, it had always been what he wanted, and never what I needed.

Frank looked at me, and then at Derek, who was smirking up a storm, of course. Him and his constant gloating!

My 'basically-ex' boyfriend looked at me as if he'd had a sudden realization. Uh-DOI!

"Oh, I see what's going on here... you're in love with your brother!" He looked like he was going to be sick to his stomach which... wouldn't be necessary if he ever fucking listened to me when I spoke!

"You see... there's the problem, right there, buddy." Derek reacted, "Casey just said, notmore than two minutes ago, that I was her step-brother, and you just don't fucking listen do you!?"

"Derek!" I heard George say, and I wondered how long they'd all been there, because... it was the first time I noticed them. It seemed the be the first time Derek noticed them too, because his eyes went wide at his father's voice.

"George, forgive me for being disrespectful, but... this is kind of between the three of us right now, so..." I begged with my eyes for the rest of the family to leave.

They did. George offered a, "We'll talk later" on the way out, as the rest followed.

"Yes, Frank. I am in love with Derek, okay? So if you don't mind... would you just get the hell out of my life, and never come back?" I spoke as soon as the coast was clear.

Frank's eyes narrowed, "What about our apartment?"

I was about to say something when Derek intervened, "Keep it. Case'll be by to pick up her things, and then you are never to speak to her ever again. Got it?"

Frank said nothing; he just made his way out the door, slamming it as he went.

It made me flinch momentarily, but soon I started firing questions, "Where do you propose I stay, Derek?! Did you even think of that before you went and opened your trap!?"

Fighting was default for us.

"You're moving in with me." It was a statement.

I raised my eyebrows, "Who said I wanted to move in with you?"

His eyebrows rose as well as he took a step towards me, smirking, "That's not something that interests you?"

Damn him and his charm.

"It might be... interesting... slightly." I replied.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist, "Good."

"You know... you've yet to acknowledge that you feel the same way as I do." I reminded him.

"Oh, I know." Smirk still in place, "But I thought... why tell you how I feel... when I can show you?"

And he kissed me. That one kiss held more passion and feeling than all of the kisses I'd shared with Frank in the two years we'd dated combined. It was... something. There was no doubt that he loved me.

But it couldn't hurt to hear it, right?

"I love you, Casey." He said, shortly after we'd broke from the kiss for air. Our eyes were still closed, and our faces were still so close to one another's that I could feel the heat of his breath on my cheek.

"I love you, too."

And that was the moment I realized what kind of woman I really was.

I was the kind of woman who knows what she wants in life.
The kind of woman that fights for what she believes in.
The kind of woman that will always be happy now that she's got the one man who she loves more than anyone.

The kind of woman that was still in love with her step-brother.