A/N: This is a rough oneshot written from Nora's POV. It's set before Casey and Derek meet, and is intended to show Nora's understanding of the potential for a relationship between the two.
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of LwD.
"Aww, look at her little fingers!"
It was April 1991. The snow on the ground hadn't yet thawed, and Nora McDonald, a fresh-faced woman of 21, had just given birth to their first daughter, Cassandra. Her husband, Dennis, stood by her side and looked down at their newborn.
"She's perfect, Nora. Just like her mom." Dennis planted a kiss on top of Nora's head.
"Aww, Dennis, no one's perfect. Except maybe our little Casey."
"Casey?"
"Yeah, Casey. I thought it would be a cute nickname."
"Oh, I just thought that we'd call her Cassie, or Cassandra. But I like Casey." Dennis, although new to parenthood, knew not to disagree with his wife immediately after giving birth.
"Thanks, honey."
Nora snuggled down further into the hospital bed, cradling Casey in her arms. She and Dennis had only been married a short ten months, and Casey was a huge surprise to both of them. A lovely surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. She and Dennis had been planning to wait for a few years to start their family, until Nora was done with her undergraduate studies and Dennis had gotten established at a law firm. Instead, she wasn't even done with her junior year and Dennis was expecting to graduate from law school next month.
"Do you want anything?" Dennis asked. "I'm going to get a pop."
"No, thanks, sweetie, I'm just going to rest a little."
"Do you need me to get the nurse?"
"No, I'm fine."
Dennis left the room, and Nora turned her attention to the tiny pink bundle in her arms. "You're going to have a wonderful life, Casey. You're going to be smart, and
beautiful, and successful, and, when the time is right, you'll meet a man just like your father."
*****Fast Forward*****
Nora stood on the doorstep with Lizzie in her arms and Casey by her side. Ten years had passed, and she was watching Dennis back down the driveway. He had gotten hired by a corporate litigation firm in New York City, and after several years of fighting, they decided that he should go and she would stay in Toronto. So much for my fairy-tale life, thought Nora. Now I have two girls and no husband. At least I still have my work.
And work Nora did. She threw herself into her business, steadily climbing through the ranks of the design firm until she was made a partner. Her hard work made it possible for Casey and Lizzie to attend a prestigious, all-girls private school, and the three of them fashioned a quiet, enjoyable life in a small condo in Toronto. She still felt that something was missing, though, so after several years of keeping to herself, she started dating again.
Most of her dates were terrible. The men she met were either jobless, classless, or just plain annoying. Some would come around for a while, but would leave shortly after she got her hopes up. She only introduced one of the men to the girls. Until, of course, she met George.
George Venturi was a blind date, something Nora said she'd never do. She was lonely, though, and although she loved her girls, she needed some adult male attention. George gave her that, and more. He was entertaining and endearing, and she quickly fell for him. The only problem was that he lived in London, two hours away, and she rarely got a chance to see him.
One night, after a particularly enjoyable date, George looked into her eyes, and said, "Nora, I need to ask you something."
Oh, wow, is this it? Is George proposing? We've only been dating for two months! That's insane! I haven't even met his kids! And he hasn't met mine! Nora answered him in a tremulous voice, "Yes, George?"
"Would you like to meet my children?"
Oh, thank goodness.
"George, I would love to meet your kids."
"Great! How do you feel about next weekend? You can bring your girls over to the house and we can get all of the kids together."
"Oh, George, I don't know if that's going to work. Casey has a party next weekend, and she's been excited about it for weeks. If I don't let her go, she'll hate me."
George's face fell. "Well, maybe some other time."
Nora thought hard. "Well, no, this could work: Casey's cousin Vicki is going to the same party, and maybe she can stay with her and Fiona. I'll try to work something out."
*****Fast Forward*****
Nora was making the drive to London with Lizzie in the backseat, trying to calm herself down. She was meeting George's kids for the first time, and she really wanted things to go well. If the kids like me, and if Lizzie and I like them, then maybe we can really make this work. Maybe there really is a future for George and me. Casey wasn't too thrilled that I pawned her off on Fiona and Vicki, but you know what? I need a little fun too. And George is … fun. Wonderful. Amazing.
As she pulled into the driveway of the Venturis' cozy home, George opened the door and greeted her with a hearty, "Nora! You're here!" and ran out to envelope her in a big hug. He stopped short of kissing her when he saw Lizzie poke her head out from the backseat.
"Is it safe to come out yet?" Lizzie asked.
"Yes, it's fine, honey. Come on out, I want to introduce you to George."
Lizzie held out her hand and said, "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Venturi."
"Hi, Lizzie," George said as he shook her hand. "You can call me George."
"Well, hi, George."
George turned his attention back to Nora. "Are you ready to go meet my little hellions?"
"Um … are they that bad?"
"Oh, no," George pshawed. "They're really great kids. They're just … well, they're still adjusting to Abby leaving, and they're not really ready to meet any of my girlfriends yet, especially Derek. I've given them all a very stern talking-to though, and they should be on their best behavior tonight." He paused. "Mainly because I paid them."
He PAID them?! Nora thought. Is this how things are done around here? And what did he mean by "any of my girlfriends"? I thought I was the only one!
"Oh, well … that's a very, um, unique parenting tactic. Does it work?"
"Not really. But I expressed to them how important this evening really was to me, and I think they'll respect it."
"Well, OK, let's go meet your kids!" With her right arms around George and her left hand in Lizzie's, the three of them walked into the house.
When Nora walked in, she saw George's three children sitting in the family room watching television. Derek, the oldest, had the remote and was trained intently on the hockey game. The middle child, Edwin, was sitting on the left side of the couch and trying to get Derek's attention, and the youngest, Marti, was gluing scraps of paper to a piece of cardboard.
"Kids? I'd like you to meet Nora and her daughter, Lizzie."
The three children didn't respond, and George cleared his throat. "Guys?"
Still, nothing.
Finally, George took the remote out of Derek's hand, turned the television off, and asked, amid protests, "Do I have your attention now?"
The kids started complaining about various things, the loudest being Derek about missing the game for George's "stupid dinner party." He stood to go to his room, and was stopped by Nora. "Derek, it's very nice to meet you. I've been looking forward to it for a while."
"Yeah—" Derek started, then changed his tone when he saw the dangerous gleam in his father's eye. "It's very nice to meet you too, Nora. I thought you had two daughters? Where's the other one?"
"Oh, that would be my daughter, Casey. She's at a party tonight in Toronto and couldn't make it. You two should get along, though, she's about your age."
As Nora conversed with Derek, she carefully observed him and his behavior. He was tall for his age, with unkempt hair and deep brown eyes. He was handsome, like his father, and he oozed charm, despite his seeming lack of manners and self-centered aura.
Nora sighed internally. I was right. Casey will meet a man just like her father. My boyfriend's son. And I know Casey: once they meet, she'll fall for him, hard. And there's nothing that I can do to stop her. Oh, well, when the time comes, at least I'll be ready.