A/N - Inspired by that wonderful episode of 'Friends' involving Ross and Joey... You'll know which one :P.. This is a mini Chapter fic. I just had the idea and had to put it down. The next chapter is nearly done.

I do not own Life With Derek.

Enjoy!

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She blames it on course work, hard liquor, an idiot of a step-brother, the hectic schedules of her extra curricular activities, Derek, extra-credit assignments, lack of a jumping social life and well...Derek. Several things stopped her from going to the nearest hardware store to grab an axe and go 'Here's Johnny' on his ass. Her mother, his father, her sister, his brother and sister. And maybe her best friend who might mourn his loss similar to how she would take the loss of a Prada bag. Besides that, her conscience never played the part of 'Don't do it Casey, it's wrong'. Because when it comes to Derek Venturi, any pain she can inflict on him is definitely not wrong. She's pretty sure that heaven would forget a mini poisoning.

"Can we talk?" She just walked faster. "Casey?" Her feet were moving like lightening. "Casey!" She was practically skipping now. He finally stopped, and she let out a low, happy breath. "Oi! Klutzilla!"

She paused. Her nostrils flared when she noticed her fellow college students who were milling around a second ago, now completely enthralled by this little shouting match she has been trying to avoid. With a sheepish grin here, and a quick duck of the head in shame there, she turned around, glare in place and glared as she never glared before. Part of her enjoyed him being taken aback by the force of her glare. And by part? She means her whole being. "What?" She hissed. Scandal. She hated it.

He shrugged, his smirk proud for all the world to see. "How about tonight?"

Her jaw dropped. "To.." She sputtered. "No."

She turned quickly, her head low, and marched away. Again. And to her chagrin, he followed. Again. "Why not?"

She cursed him. She cursed his athletic ability, she cursed his coaches for training him, and she even made it far enough to curse George, who she liked except for his mistake in spawning an older son, for recognizing his aptitude for sport. Bah! Hockey! How hard could hitting a puck be? "I'm not talking to you." She grinned cheerfully in an all out fake voice.

"Which is why you're talking to me about not talking to me?" He smirked.

She glared over her shoulder at him again, just for good measure. "Yes." Making a beeline for it, she changed directions. Stupid Derek, jumping over a bench easily to keep up and getting all 'wow' glances from the girls. She had to proposition Spielberg to make a biography of her life. Let everyone else see him for what he truly is.

"Great." He grinned. "I'll pick you up." He patted her back. "Three o' clock okay?"

She gasped, nearly stumbling against a sophomore as she halted to face him. "No. I said no. And you can't force me."

"Why? What would you do if I do try to force you?"

He looked way to casual and not worried. She didn't like that. "I..." He raised his eyebrows at her. "I would..." Think Casey, think. "I would..." She hated him, he should be arrested for disturbing the...Oh! She gave him her best smug, triumphant look. "I will get you arrested."

He thought about it for a second before he shrugged. "Go ahead. I've got friends."

"Is even bribery not out of your league?" She asked in surprise.

Looking up thoughtfully, he shrugged again and held out his hands in helplessness. "Sorry to disappoint but...nah." With a final wink he turned and strutted away.

Stupid Derek with his stupid confidence. He might think he'd won, but she was determined to beat him at his own game. Turning around, she saw two girls enthusiastically whispering, their heads together, their glances pointedly on her step-brother's retreating back. "He's gay." She said sympathetically, happy to see their faces fall so fast. She strutted happily away, feeling remarkably better.

Some might say that she gets certain ideas from a certain step-brother. Ideas involving illegal activity, morally questionable acts and even some selfish behavioural patterns. Her defence? It's not like he invented them. But the way she looks at it, bribery of a fellow roommate is not the same as bribery of a police officer or a court judge. Because, lets face it, it's not illegal. However, the problem with the bribery of a fellow private citizen, you can't exactly threaten to take them to court and make them pay. Which is what she was immediately wishing she could do, the minute Derek calmly opened her bedroom door she had locked previously.

"Ready to go?" She stared at him in disbelief. He looked at her expectantly. "Spacey?"

"How did you...?"

"Master key." He said nonchalantly. Of course, that's who she has to kill.

Crossing her arms, she snuggled further into her covers and sent him her best 'level seven' death glare. "I'm not coming."

He kept a mock 'this-hurts-me-more-than-it-hurts-you' expression. "You kinda are."

Her glare hit level eight. "No."

He took purposeful strides towards her. "Yes."

He was too close now. He grabbed her comforter, which she already had in a tight death grip. "No."

"Yes."

Level ten. She was giving him a level ten. "I won't let you."

"Sure you won't." With a quick flick of his wrist, the comforter was off her, and the next thing she knew, she was deposited unceremoniously onto his shoulder cave-man style. She squealed.

"Put me down." She punched his back, and kicked his chest.

"No can do." And calmly just like the Neanderthal she always knew he was, he successfully immobilized her. Stupid Derek, and his stupid strength. "Shall we?" She rolled her eyes. How positively courteous of him.

He headed towards her living room, ignoring the wonderful, calmly spoken threats she spouted out after years of abuse. Her fists kept hitting him, but he still ignored her. Which was extremely annoying. "....if mom and George find out about this, and I'm not saying 'if' as in 'if'. I'm saying 'if' as in most definitel-"

"Got her bag?" She stopped her ranting, his question surprising her.

"Yeah, I packed some of her things." Casey's jaw dropped. She didn't. "Look after her 'k?." She did.

Susan, her future ex-roommate came behind Derek to face her. The fact that Casey was still upside down didn't help. "How could you do this to me?"

"I'm sorry." Susan squealed. "But this play off game is important. We have to do anything we can to help our team."

Casey could feel Derek smirk against her. "At least your roommate has some school spirit."

She ignored him. "So you sacrifice me for a trophy?"

Susan winced apologetically. "There's nothing wrong with being a sacrificial lamb. They generally die quick."

Level ten glare. Which probably looked like a half seizure of an expression from her place just above a stupid Venturi's butt. "I hate you."

Susan grinned. "You love me."

Derek sighed. "Well ladies, great how you've come out an all, but I've got a hostage to get to my place. Thanks Sue."

Another level ten glare to Susan's way, which her roommate seemed to ignore. "No problem. Sorry, Case."

With a quick shift of her on his shoulders to secure her like a pathetic stack of potatoes, Derek was on his way. Casey raised her head slightly to face Susan's disappearing waving form. "I want my Brody Jenner t-shirt back."

There's something highly embarrassing about stopping to get gas while her wrist was handcuffed to the car door. She could have at least pretended that she was a fugitive being captured and held against her will, if the handcuffs hadn't been all frilly and pink.

"Excuse me, kid." This twelve year old mini Eminem type looked around before his glance landed on her. "Come here." She beamed brilliantly. The kid seemed to panic as he looked around anxiously. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." He shifted from one foot to another. "There's five bucks in it for you." With a quick glance over his shoulder, he took cautious steps towards her. He stopped four feet away from her. "Hey." She grinned. "I'm Casey." He smiled slightly. "Could you do me a favour and could you go tell that nice man behind the counter that the guy in the black jacket has handcuffed me to the car?" The boys eyes widened. "Go on. Five bucks." She practically made shooing noises. With a quick glance at her, the kid trotted quickly to the store. Casey sat back and smiled. If he gets arrested, it just might be a perk.

It took two minutes for the store manager to come out, and she didn't like the look of him at all. The moment he put his head through her window, she just barely stopped herself from puking at the foul odour of liquor and cigarette smoke. "What seems to be the problem?" He grinned widely. Yellow teeth. She doesn't like yellow teeth. Maybe he didn't get that she was in pretend danger.

She tried to talk. She really did. But that meant breathing. She coughed instead. "That guy.." Another cough. She stopped when Derek's grinning form lazily slid into the driver's seat next to her.

"Told you she's hot." He circled his arm around her and pulled her towards him. If she wasn't moving away from that God-awful smell, she wouldn't have snuggled. Her nose buried in his collar did wonders.

"Yeah, she is." The man leered. She snuggled further, and his grip tightened.

"Thanks for the snacks, but my girlfriend and I really have to keep going." Her head snapped up in surprise to look at him. She immediately regretted it when the smell reached her nostrils. Back to snuggling against him. Who knew that a Venturi would smell like a field of daisies compared to.. that guy? "This role playing stuff has to end by the time the parents come home for dinner." She pinched him hard, which he also ignored. Just like her protests, her free will, and all around contempt.

"Have fun, you two." The guy chuckled, giving her a once over appreciative glance. Derek practically bruised her with his grip. Tapping the car in a no doubt male comraderie bonding moment, he glanced at her once more and left.

She pushed herself away from him. "Why does everything go your way?"

He shrugged as he started the ignition. "The world is fair like that."

Showering him with another glare, she faced away from him. "And I'm not your stupid girlfriend." She mumbled darkly.

"Okay then. Next time a drunk middle aged man is interested, I'll throw you to them and say 'enjoy'." He grinned.

It was only the seventh time in her life she used the level twelve death glare.

"It's a hotel."

"Yes, genius."

"But the whole team is staying at a hotel."

"You're sounding like a broken record."

"You know what this means? I can leave whenever I want." She finished smugly.

A barely important moment passed as he stared at her. Then, he shrugged and faced away from her. "Fine. Suit yourself."

Her jaw dropped. "Are you serious? You drag me to another state, hours of driving and eating unhealthy junk food, getting me to miss Friday's lectures, and now you're saying that I can leave?"

He raised his head from filling the form as the receptionist lifted an immaculately done eyebrow at the scene before her. "That's what I'm saying."

"But... what about..." Ignoring her, he smiled at the receptionist, who smiled back and picked up his bag, leaving hers where he had put it. "Derek.." Picking up her bag, and cursing him to oblivion, she followed him. "You can't just dump me alone in another state."

He took the stairs, looking at the numbers of the doors as they passed. "Why not?"

"Why not?" She followed him as he found the floor he was looking for. "Because it's insensitive, and rude and people don't generally do this."

He sent her a full on Derek Venturi smirk over his shoulder. "Good thing I'm not like others then, isn't it?"

"But..."

He found his room, and easily slid in the key card. Pushing open the door, he stepped over the threshold and faced her. "Have a safe journey back, Case." With a grin on his face, probably enjoying the jaw dropped expression she had on hers, he shut the door. In her face.

She stared. Then she looked down the hall both ways. It was the weekend. And her social life is practically non-existant...Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door, immediately regretting the decision she made as his smug expression appeared almost instantly. With a glare, she pushed against his shoulder and strode in purposefully. "Not. A. Word." She said dangerously.

His only response was to chuckle as he closed the door behind her. Damn the Venturi line.

TBC

A/N 2 - Please review :)