Jesus.

What the hell happened last night? Did he kiss Casey? Derek knew he had taken it too far. Had their lips actually touched? He couldn't remember. It was more of a…yeah they touched. He had felt it in his boxers. And he was pretty sure she had felt it too.

It was the build-up, the pure anticipation. All that edging round each other, trying to out-do themselves. He hadn't expected her to fight back. But she did. She rose to the challenge, nearly had him to. Or at least she had nearly clocked on the same level as him. It was…intriguing.

Fuck that…

He'd just let it go. Besides, it would be hilarious seeing Casey's face this morning now that he knew all her secrets and had felt her body pressed against his. No doubt she'd be racked with guilt when she saw Max this morning at school. Although that would actually mean something had happened between them. "Don't think about it man." Derek advised himself as he took the stairs three at a time down to breakfast.

"Nobody Panic!" He shouted as he landed triumphantly beside the table, blowing an imaginary trumpet. "I'm here now. Everything's going to be alright." He boomed his voice across the room but to no avail. Nobody even considered him. He had expected screeching and a lecture on morning etiquette but all he received was a simple smile from Nora. "Where's Casey?" Derek asked, walking past Edwin and Lizzie with his hand stretched flat so that he smacked their heads effortlessly.

"Urgh! Derek!" Lizzie spluttered into her cheerio's. Edwin, who had been receiving the same greeting from Derek every morning since he was five didn't even flinch. "She's left for school already. Max picked her up in his new Prius." Derek exploded in laughter. "A Prius? What a Homo!" Marti looked up from her egg soldiers. "What's a Homo?" George's eyes bulged. "Derek! We have impressionable young ears at the table." Derek just shook his head in amusement. "Come on Dad. A Prius? Even you know something's a bit bent in that?" George's head bobbed to the side in agreement before he saw Nora's face and his expression turned to stone. "Eh- No Derek. No I don't." George turned away from the table before he could get in any more trouble.

"You know Derek I think what Casey says is right." Lizzie said observantly. "What?" Derek replied, uninterested. "I think you do get out of bed in the mornings just to annoy her." Derek looked as if he were considering her opinion then starred her straight in the eye. "You know what I think Lizzie?" The whole table groaned as they waited for Derek reply with something smart. "I think that if you believe anything your psycho sister says, then you're just as stupid as she is." Lizzie, a quick learner from Edwin, just smiled politely and went back to eating her cereal.

Derek scowled. Well that was hardly fun. Where was Casey when you needed her for a good old early morning argument? Derek dropped his spoon and grabbed Edwin's toast. "I'm gonna get an early start." He explained, heading towards the door shoving the soya bread into his mouth." Nobody really reacted apart from Nora who looked up and smiled again. "Have a nice day Honey!"

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In school Derek ran through the corridors trying to find Sam to tell him the news. It never actually occurred to Derek that telling Casey's Sam that he had nearly gotten with his ex-girlfriend was pretty much the most untactful that might come out of his mouth, he just wanted to fill Sam in on the latest thing he had done to annoy his step-sister. But while formulating the perfect words in his head of how to tell Sam, Derek actually had a chance to think about what had happened last night. He had kissed his step-sister. He had rubbed his body against hers and had basically spelled out sex.

His sister.

Sam hardly gave him a chance to get a word in edgeways, he was too hyped up about the game on Saturday. This suited Derek as he was still in disbelief about what he had done. He jumped about with Sam and threw the ball in the hallway, but he was on autopilot. "Dude, come on. Snap out of it." Sam clicked his fingers in front of Derek's face until his friend blinked and laughed at what he was doing. The cafeteria swung back into view. "Sorry man I'm totally out of it today." Sam responded by punching him hard on the arm so that Derek's chair slid a couple of centimetres across the floor. "What the hell was that for?" Derek said gripping his dead arm. Sam laughed and raised his hands in peace. "Just trying to wake you up."

Derek cracked his neck in ninja fashion and squinted his eyes at Sam. "You picked the wrong person to wake up." He lunged at his best-friend who laughed as they crashed to the floor of the cafeteria. It was just starting into a good old fashion punch up when Derek heard someone call him. "Derek! What are you doing?" He bent his head in the direction of the voice and found a disgruntled upside-down Casey standing with her hands on her hips. "Er-waking up I think." Derek mumbled, slapping Sam hard on the face before scrambling off the floor.

"God you're so immature." Casey spat, turning back round to her table with Max and Emily. Derek couldn't help it, he always had the last say. "You didn't mind it last night." He whispered vehemently in her ear. Casey's eyes flashed as she turned back to him quickly. "Stop it Derek." She demanded, putting her hand on his chest in an attempt to create some space between them. He was very close…Derek knew he should be feeling guilty like he had been earlier, but it was just such a juicy chance to annoy her. "You know you loved it Casey. Maybe later, we could start from where we left off?" He raised his eyebrows, leaning further into her.

She gave him a withering look and opened her mouth to retort when Max was suddenly beside them. "You better not be threatening my girlfriend Venturi." Derek looked him up and down as if he were a piece of scum. "Actually Maxie we were just having a private conversation. You know, step-sibling to step-sibling?" Max was unperturbed by Derek's obvious rude take down of him. "Whatever Derek. Casey's right. You talk the biggest loada shit." Casey laughed and walked away with her boyfriend, giving Derek a side-way look to see his face. Derek however, was the master of cool. His face was arrogant as ever as he watched Casey slink away with Max. Not that he wasn't raging out on the inside.

"Dude your sister's hot." Derek looked at Sam in disgust, because that was what he's expected to do. "Sam, come on. Don't make me sick." They sat back down to their lunch and Sam waved his apple in front of his face thinking. "I totally blew it with Casey." Derek laughed and took a massive bite out of his sandwich. "Sam," he said, displaying the contents of his mouth to most of the table. "Believe me, you dodged a bullet there." Sam shook his head. "Nah man. I blew it. I mean," Sam placed his hands in front of him as if holding Casey's imaginary hips straddling him. "You should have seen the way she moved."

Derek starred at his friend for a few seconds, surprised how enthralled Sam was by his own imagination. Casey couldn't have been that good. "Sam," he said rationally. "How would you know? You've been with like two girls. You're hardly experienced." Sam shook his head. "I know a little more than you think." Derek looked at his friend and considered bursting his smug little bubble. Then again, it didn't really matter to Derek whether Sam was a Virgin or not. If he was having a good time keeping it a secret then who was Derek to ruin it for him?

"Alright," Sam said, swallowing a massive chunk of Pink Lady. "Tell me you don't think that's hot?" Derek turned round, following Sam's gaze and saw Casey and Max making-out. "Dude!" Derek turned round immediately, swinging for Sam for making him look. "No look!" Sam said, ducking and laughing. Derek looked back round to watch the couple. They were standing up for the whole cafeteria to see. Derek snarled at their lack of privacy all of a sudden. It looked like a simple kiss but Max had pulled Casey close enough to him that he could slid one finger down the front of skirt, something which Casey giggled hysterically at. "Max!" She said, looking round her to see if anyone had saw, to her surprise her eyes locked with Derek's.

Casey smiled manically, realising the leverage she held over Derek at that moment. She pulled Max's head down and raised herself on her tip-toes so that she could whisper into his ear. Derek watched intensely, though on the outside he only looked mildly interested. He supposed he should say something to cover the moment. "This is disgusting." He managed in the direction of Sam. "Yeah. Completely revolting." Sam said, not really paying attention.

Casey took time with her whisper, pushing her body up against Max's as far as it would go. Max responded by pulling her into him further and skimming his fingers along the area of skin where her skirt and t-shirt met. Finally she pulled away slightly, biting her lip and watching Max's expression of shock. "Get a room." Derek muttered shaking his head, feeling that if he didn't turn away now he'd…get turned on maybe? Whatever.

He pulled Sam round with him. "Don't be so desperate." Derek snapped to him, embarrassed at himself more than anything. "Yeah but it was hot right?" Sam said, nudging Derek comically. Derek just shook his head. "I have never been so put off my food in my life." He bit into his sandwich.

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Casey spent the whole car ride home banging her head against the window. "It wasn't that bad." Emily said rubbing her friend's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "Emily come on!" Casey said desperately, "I just completely embarrassed myself in front of the whole school." Emily sighed. "Really Casey you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. Loads of people enjoy public displays of affection." Casey looked up at her in surprise. "But Em! I'm not most people. I am Casey MacDonald. I don't do public displays."

"Oh Casey!" Emily's mom laughed at her from the driver's seat. "Don't be such a prude!" Casey folded her arms and thought about why she had done it anyway. Derek had been watching and she couldn't help but put on a show for that little perve. If he thought she was going to show him how freaked out she actually was about what happened last night then he had another thing coming. "Are you coming in for a while?" She asked Emily after she thanked her mom for the lift.

"Is Derek going to be there?" Emily said, he eyebrow quirked. "No, thank God." Casey replied, rolling her eyes. He has hockey practice." Emily smiled, "Good, then we can talk freely about what happened last night." Of course she had told Emily, she was her best-friend and she was hardly going to figure out what to do about it by herself. She pushed her key in the lock to find the door had already been opened. "On no," she said with a sneaking suspicion, knowing who was in.

"Who goes there?" They heard Derek's voice as she opened the door, followed by laughter from others. Casey groaned and walked into the room to find Derek and Sam on the coach with two girls planted firmly on their laps. "Remind you of anytime yesterday?" Derek chided, as they dropped their bags at the bottom of the stairs. Casey turned round, her eyes wide. "You're not doing what I think you're doing are you?" She asked, scared to hear his answer.

Derek threw back his head and laughed. "Maybe later." As the four chatted amongst themselves Emily and Casey ate Ben and Jerry's on the kitchen counters. Emily had tried to talk about what happened the night before but Casey's forced her not to until after Derek was gone somewhere. It was such a delicate game, she couldn't give him any kind of leverage over her. "It's a game?" Emily said in disbelief before Casey shushed her loudly. "Shut up Em." She hissed, we're trying to go for tact here!" Emily ignored her waving hands and pressed on. "Yeah but who said it was a game? You or Derek?"

Casey didn't have time to consider this as Derek sauntered into the room, magnificently impressed with himself. "What are you so happy about?" Casey snapped as he pulled out six cans from the fridge. "Nothing." He said innocently. Casey eyed his fingers with disgust. Derek laughed, following her gaze. "You really do think the worst of me don't you?" He said, throwing them both a can each. "Can you blame me?" Casey retorted, placing her can down on the counter, uninterested in anything he could give her.

Derek winked at Emily, smiling at her as if they had a personal joke. Emily wasn't quite past her crush phase but at least she could smile at him now without stuttering like an idiot. "Do me a favour Em?" He said, tweaking one of her curls at the side of her face. Casey could see Emily's lip quivering. "Bring these drinks into the guys while I take a leak?" Emily looked sideways at Casey, who rolled her eyes in return. Without a word she slid off the counter and took the cans out of Derek's hand. As soon as she was sure she was out of Derek's line of sight she turned back to Casey and shook her head vehemently. Casey nodded ever so slightly, understanding what her best-friend meant but not sure if Emily really had a say in what she was going to do.

After Derek heard Emily's footsteps on the wooden floor of the sitting-room he opened his mouth, no doubt to say something smart but Casey beat him to it. "I told Emily you retard!" She hissed at him, watching realisation dawn on his face. His eyes squinted at her for a second then he relaxed. "We should really have rules for this game." He murmured, close to her face. "It doesn't matter," he said lazily sliding his hands up her bare legs. "Just means we get to play even when Emily's around."

"No it doesn't Derek." Casey hissed at him, pushed his hands back to where they came from. Derek laughed pompously and shook his head. "Come on Casey, you know you wore that skirt trying to get one over on me. And what the hell was that in the cafeteria?" Casey resisted the urge to blush, instead replacing it with a look of defiance. "What?" She said innocently, "You mean you didn't enjoy it?"

A look of annoyance passed over Derek's face until he looked down to watch his hand slid up the inside of her thigh. She had already spread her legs wide enough for him to stand in between them, which meant easy access. "I'm not sloppy seconds Derek." She said, grabbing his wrist to stop him from going any further. "Didn't you get enough from your personal cheerleader in there?" Derek laughed and shook his head. "I didn't anyway." Casey couldn't hide her surprise. "Not when there are other people in the room." He explained.

Casey snorted. "Don't be such a prude. Just because I can handle it and you can't." She whispered, literally right in his face. "Yeah I'm a prude because I have respect for myself?" He said sarcastically. Casey felt her face burning up, but she relaxed herself and leaned back. "You're just jealous it wasn't you." Derek snarled at how true it was, and retaliated by pulling her hips until she was pressed against him. She just smiled sweetly at him, watching what he would do next.

"You're losing MacDonald." Derek said simply as he leaned forward into her. "Please Venturi. You're hardly even a competitor." Derek jerked her waist harshly and pulled her body until she could feel the complete outline of his chest. She breathed deeply as he looked into her eyes, trying to psyche her out. "You're out of your league Derek." She whispered, finding herself in the same situation as last night. Derek looked down her top, grinning, "Yeah Right." He said, then licked her bottom lip.

Casey was shocked. Of all the things she expected Derek to do that was not one of them. Derek didn't even wait for her to breath; he pulled her lips against his and forced his tongue into her mouth just long enough to feel her tongue against his. Casey gasped as his hand slid straight up her skirt and his kiss deepened. She was not expecting this.

Just when she lifted her hands with the idea of running them through his hair he pulled away from her, leaving her gasping for breath and her legs in a very unladylike position. He was laughing on his way back to the sitting-room but of course took one last look back at her, just to make sure he'd done the job. Sure enough she was still sitting the way he'd left her, but now she was staring at him with fury. Exactly the way he wanted her.