A.N. This is my first Life with Derek fic, so if things don't fit, I apologize ahead of time.
Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.
Chapter 1: Things Are Going to Change
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Danielle's mom asked as she stopped the car in her ex-husband's driveway,
"I'm sure Mom. Derek said that he could use another Venturi with my new step sisters around. Besides, I think it's time I meet them." Dani said with a sweet smile on her lips. Her mom sighed and nodded. The two went to the door of their old home.
Dani looked around, it didn't look much different, it did look cleaner, but not much. Dani's mom waited in the car as Dani knocked on the door. When Marti answered their mom honked, waved, and pulled out.
"Nani!" Marti jumped at Dani and Dani picked her up,
"Is that you Smarti?" Dani looked her little sister over, she wasn't so little anymore. Marti nodded.
"Am I bigger Nani?" Marti pulled back a little and looked at Dani trying to make herself look older, smiling all the while.
"Yeah, you are Smarti! And I see you're missing a tooth." Marti looked pleased her older sister had noticed. "Where are Edwin and Derek?" Dani looked around the living room, noting the old couch was gone, replaced with something nicer, but out of place in the home she remembered.
"They're in Smerek's room. They're going over some plans." Marti whispered this information into Dani's ear.
"Oh, okay, well, go tell them Nani's here." Dani put Marti down and watched her run up the stairs.
"Okay!" Marti darted up the stairs towards Derek's room at full speed.
"This, is home." Dani put her bags by the stairs and looked around a little. "At least it was. Things are definitely not the same."
"Dani?" A voice from the top of the stairs said; Dani looked up and saw her older brother looking at her curiously.
"Derek!" Dani ran up the stairs and threw her arms around him, Derek hugged her back.
"Honestly Derek, you cou-" came an unfamiliar voice from down the hall. "Who's this?" asked the person. She was pretty, but Dani didn't like her.
"This, is my little sister Danielle, she's staying here now." Derek sounded possessive, and Dani knew she was home.
"You never told me that there was another one of you!" The girl wasn't a happy camper, but she didn't seem like she ever was. She was about Derek's age, but annoying Dani to no end already. She didn't know how she was going to live with this girl.
"You are?" Dani asked pointedly.
"Oh, you are Derek's sister, I can tell by the way you so kindly introduced yourself!" The girl said rather sarcastically.
"Dani, this is Casey, one of our new step sisters, not my favorite person in the world." Derek gave Casey a look of disgust.
"The feeling's mutual." Casey shot a dirty look right back at him. "I didn't mean to be rude before, I was just surprised by a strange person in the house." Her tone was much more polite now.
"I could say the same to you, minus the half apology before." Dani on the other hand, stayed curt.
"Well, it's nice to meet you. My mom married your dad that makes us step sisters." Casey's peppiness was going to get old fast.
"Yeah, I know. Um, Derek, where am I going to sleep?" Dani had done the math in her head. There were only four bedrooms she knew of, and there were seven, now eight, people living in the house. She didn't want to share a room, especially not with this girl.
"I don't know, um, come on, we'll talk to Dad and Nora." Derek headed downstairs and Dani followed.
"Okay..."
"Dani! Nice to see you!" Dani knew that voice, it was deeper than before, but it was him.
"Edwin! Wow, you're almost as tall as me!" Dani hugged her younger brother.
"That's right, and I intend to get taller." Dani ruffled Edwin's hair, he scowled and tried to fix it, making everyone laugh.
"Come on Dani, we have to talk to Dad." Dani followed Derek down the stairs to the kitchen. "Hey Dad, look who's here," Derek stopped in front of their father. He looked up from the files he was looking at and stood up, forgetting the files completely.
"Dani! You weren't supposed to get here till tomorrow." He seemed a little worried, but Dani figured he'd live. She went over and hugged him.
"I know. Mom was going out of town tomorrow so she just brought me over today." George hugged her back.
"Why didn't you call and tell me? We'd have been more prepared."
"Sorry, we lost your number. Mom never put it in her phone." Dani rolled her eyes at her mother's pettiness.
"It's fine. Nora! Can you come up here a sec?" A woman came up from the basement.
"Oh! You must be Danielle! I've heard so much about you!" Dani was assuming this was Nora, her new step-mother. She seemed nice enough.
"Um, why didn't you tell me that George had another daughter Mom?" Casey was obviously irritated, Dani wanted to laugh. It so wasn't a big deal.
"I'm sorry, I forgot! I just kind of forgot to tell you." Nora braced herself.
"Oh! Is this George's other daughter, um, Danielle right?" A girl, a little younger than Edwin, asked. She was obviously Casey's younger sister.
"Yeah, I-" Dani was interrupted by Casey.
"YOU TOLD LIZZY, BUT NOT ME!" Dani was beginning to understand that Casey was pretty easily upset, this would be fun.
"I'm sorry Casey! But outbursts like that don't make the situation any better!" Nora said sternly.
"Um, Dad, Dani needs a place to sleep." Derek said getting back to the reason he was there.
"Oh! Yeah, your room was supposed to be ready by tomorrow, but it'll be another week, or two…" He was the same as before she left, Dani relaxed. "Um, you can have Derek's room, if it's alright with Derek, till we get a better place for you, he can take the couch." Derek quickly looked up in alarm.
"I don't know, I mean, it's Derek's room." Dani knew how Derek felt about his room.
"Alright, um, how about Edwin stays with Derek and you taking Edwin's room till yours is finished?" Derek grimaced.
"Or, she can bunk with Marti, I doubt Marti would mind." Derek slowly inched his way over to Marti.
"I want Nani to sleep in my room! It'll be like a sleep over!" Dani smiled.
"I don't mind. I'll sleep on the top bunk." Marti jumped on Dani and she nearly toppled over.
"Then it's settled." Nora said. "Danielle will stay in Marti's room until her room is finished." She said happily.
"Alright everyone, let's get out of the kitchen and go get some chow." George motioned to the door.
"I could totally eat a veggie burger." Dani was now 100 sure she'd have trouble getting along with her new step sister.
"A veggie burger?" Dani didn't mask the disgust she felt when she heard that. "Ewe, can we just grab a pizza or something?" Dani really hoped they weren't all vegetarians now.
"If it's alright with Nora," George shot a hopeful look at Nora.
"Of course, we don't just eat veggie burgers, a pizza sounds good." Nora hadn't seemed too thrilled by the thought of a veggie burger at the moment, and had jumped on the chance to have a pizza.
"Oh thank God! No veggie crap!" Derek said unsympathetically.
At dinner that evening Dani sat next to Derek. "What have you been up to since I left with Mom?" She asked him quietly.
"Nothing really, ruling the school, having fun pranking Casey. She really is the most annoying person I think I'll ever meet." He said, Dani laughed.
"Is, Aiden still going to school?" She was hesitant to ask, but she just had to. Derek nearly choked.
"Dani, stay away from him, he's bad news!" He said sternly, Dani looked down.
"Derek! You haven't given him a chance! He's really sweet, and we get each other." Dani was a little angry, she was more determined now to find him. "Now tell me if he's still there, so I at least know he's okay." Derek sighed.
"Yeah, he still goes. Dani, promise me, you won't go looking for him." Dani didn't look at him.
"No, I'm sorry Derek, I won't promise you anything." Dani attempted no further conversation after that.
A.N. There's the first chapter everyone! I hope you all like it; I worked pretty hard on trying to get everything at least okay. I know I left it as a cliffy, but it's just more fun for me that way ;). Well, I hope you all review, it would make me very happy. I'll try to update ASAP. REVIEW!