Chapter 2, My friends.

It took too long, I know, and I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I do not own Life with Derek. Just the plot.

She looked tired. That was the first thing that came into his mind, when he saw her. Casey was standing in the middle of hallway talking to Lizzie and Edwin. He couldn't help but to worry were they have left Marti.

"Derek!" Edwin said as quickly as he saw him,

"I'm so glad you are here man." He had grown up a little bit. Everyone always thought that Edwin will be the Derek-junior, but they couldn't be further from truth. Of course he did stupid pranks with his older brother and played it all strong and macho shit, but in the situations like this you could see that he is so kind and helpful. Derek nodded in greeting so Edwin went on with playing some sort of word game with Lizzie, and only guess Derek had, was because of the fears his younger stepsister had for hospitals.

"Hey," Casey said turning to him and flashing an almost true smile. Almost.

"How is it going in there?" he asked looking for any bad signs in her facial expressions, but there was none, she just sighed in relief and said that everything was alright. It should be over in and hour or so. "Probably because she isn't so young anymore."

"Let's go grab some coffee for you." Derek said taking her arm and trying to make her move.

"But what if she needs me?" she asks nervous and scared. He took stronger hold of her arm and smiled at her what he thought was his reassuring smile. "It'll be okay, Casey. My dad's there."

She didn't look convinced at all, but she still went with him to cafeteria. "Em, do you know where Marti is?" Derek asked as they sat down with their steaming cups of coffee. He wanted his voice to sound as cool and emotionless as it could, but it still came out broken.

"She stayed with Emily. George thought that wasn't a good idea bringing her with us."

Well at least there he could totally agree with his father. Any hospital or medic place wasn't for children especially as sweet and innocent as his little sister.

"When this will be over we could bring her to look at her new brother," she said when Derek didn't reply. When their eye met he thought he saw tears in them, but she lowered her head as fast as the thought popped up. (Now there will be something real between me and Derek, something blood related). He hadn't forgotten. He hadn't forgotten a single word she had written down. But they still were in hospital; some things would have to wait till they get home.

"You can go in now," the doctor told the kids that were standing all together outside the ward. Doctor Alche really admired big families. They had 4 (Marti wasn't there) children standing there and they didn't even fear to have the fifth. He didn't understand how it was possible to lead such a big family. Maybe that's was just his profession that took almost all his time and he didn't have any time left for family.

"Mom?" Casey asked running to the bad next to where George was standing.

"It's a boy," she mother was smiling while her cheeks were wet from tears. Only after seeing that her mother was fine she let her gaze drift to the tiny creature in mothers' hands. "His name is Christen, for.."

"Our grandfather, yes I know, " Casey cut in as her hand gently touched Christens little fingers.

"You're so cute you know that, mister baby?" she said smiling down on him. That was when his eyes thought of opening and two beautiful brown eyes were looking exactly in her heart. Of course there would be something of him even in the newborn.

"Look, he has Venturis eyes!" Edwin squirmed and all room laughed. "He has McDonalds smile, too." Lizzie added brushing young boys head.

"Yes he has," Derek agreed, and that was only when Casey noticed that he was right behind her. An arm on her shoulder was his, not Lizzies.

"Casey, want to hold him?" Nora asked looking at her older daughter with all the love in the universe.

He was small, so light, and so fragile; he was beautiful.

"You look amazing," Derek whispered in her ear and she could swear, she had never been happier before.

All the family had gone somewhere so Derek couldn't take the curiosity took the diary, went to some lonely corner and opened it in some random page again.

"I moved in today in my new apartment. I bought wine and beer, if maybe he preferred to drink something not so lady-like, and some chips. But he never came. I was sure he would come to see the perfect apartment I was talking on about, maybe only to mock me because he had to live in dorms, what he actually liked (there was all the society, parties) .And there wasn't me. Yes, he didn't show up. So I'm putting the beers in the fridge for someday when he maybe will come to visit. I hit the wine bottle though; I don't think I'll ever be able to get that wall back white again. Well, I'll just color it again. And I won't do such a stupid thing again. Breaking dishes, screaming - that isn't me. I don't want to be that kind of person."

It was like a movie now in his mind. Her slander body, shaking in frustration, wine bottle in her hands and than - all red, so red. It was a horror movie he didn't want to watch, but which always kept him awake in the nights. She could have hurt herself. And for what? For him?!?

"We were attending in that dance competition i so badly wanted to win. I and Derek danced together. I couldn't explain how wonderful that felt. He's strong arms, gorgeous smile. We won. I couldn't do it without him."

Of course she could. She can take everyone's breath away with just one pirouette. She didn't even need him there. All Derek did was look pretty, or disgusting in that show.

"I'm so glad to be home." Casey sighed as she felt backwards on their couch. She was looking around the room trying to find something different as they left, but in all the living room was just the same.

"It really is," Derek answered popping into his lovely chair he missed so much. "How long will you stay?"

"For the weekend, I'm really happy it's Friday and we can all relax a bit and enjoy our awesome news." She said, small smile covering her lips, and he was sure she was remembering the sight of the little Christen. She fell in love with him as soon as he opened his eyes, and not only for the obvious similarity Derek and he shared, but just because he was one of the beautiful things she had ever seen. So pure and innocent.

"And you?"

"I'll go back first thing tomorrow morning." Her eyes become dark as he said so and he remembered something else from her diary `Because all the time he was here I could feel that he can't wait to get the hell out of here. Like I was some deadly disease.` So he felt the need to explain a bit more,

"I have hockey practice in the afternoon, and there are some important games coming up, so I just can't skip it this time."

Her face lit up a bit. She took the TV control and turned it on, on some music channel, music filled the room, but it still was soft enough to keep the conversation going. She couldn't recall when, was the last time they sat like this just talking, she wanted it to last a bit longer.

"Oh. How's it going for you? The hockey I mean. Everything as you expected?" her question set him a bit off the guard. He knew she knew about his hockey career, after all, she had been there, every single time. So how was she possible to lie like this?

"It's good. It really is good for me. I never thought I would be there, playing at Queens, leading such a strong team." he answered truthfully. It's all he could ever dream of.

"And you? How's the school going, dancing?" Derek asked. He was sincerely hoping she will tell him about the contest, let him in her life, show him he still had a chance to fix everything.

"It's amazing. They have so many interesting courses, so interesting teachers. And dancing, it's great; sometimes I even get all the big stage just for myself. It's an incredible feeling to be there, even if the lights are off and nobody is watching. "

She didn't say anything about the contest. She didn't want him to feel obligated to come. That's why she didn't tell her family too, although, she didn't really understand it herself.

Derek was going to say something when Edwin And Lizzie came in and screaming Marti fallowed.

"Derek! Your home!" she cried jumping up in his

lap and hugging him so over tightly.

"Hey, princess. How is my favorite little sister?" he asked smile crawling in his creatures. Marti just did that to him, he could never avoid her, and she was his love of the life.

"I have a brother! Have you seen him?" she asked eyes light as sun with joy and happiness. How easy it was to be a kid, he thought. Ho would like to get those years back, although, back then, he didn't have Casey in his life. Now life was so much interesting, he concluded.

"Mhm. He is so cute and lovely and I thing he will be my favorite sibling for a while," he teased.

"No!!!! I hate him, I hate him." She roared angrily. If there was something she already knew she never want to loose was his older brothers admiration.

"Kidding, hon. You will always be my first best. And don't say you hate him. I actually thing you will really like him. He has the same brown eyes as me, ad smile like McDonalds has, and I think you will be his admiration object. You could help him by giving some of the toys you have, right?"

Derek asked, but his eyes caught a movement on his right and there was moment before he understood what it was. Casey had gone upstairs.

He had forgotten she was in the room. He muffled a frustrate sigh in Marti's hair and wondered how things got so freaking complicated.

"There is this boy in my literature class, I think his name is Layton, who doesn't stop bothering me. He is really creepy, he always after a lecture asks me out, and when him down, he start shouting and blaming me for being a tease. Am I really? I wish Sam was hear and took care of him, like he did that time on our senior year. Joseph is awful memory I'd like to forget. he never stopped harassing me, touching me, pinning me to wall. He was so much stronger than me, and after every – no – he became even more aggressive. Sam was a lot of help bag than. I just wish he was here now to do something with this Layton guy. I don't want history repeating ever again. "

You can say that Derek was shocked. And he was sure it is time to call Sam for a little chat.

Sam didn't pick up first time he called, so Derek had a moment to calm himself. It wasn't as if he was worried that she had told Sam instead of him, but the fact that none told him this. He hadn't noticed. "Yeah?" finally! Sam's voice answered the call.

"hey, dude. What's up?" Derek asked trying to sound as casual as he could. It never really works out though.

"I'm good. What's up with you? You sound off."

Sam said. He went to college near Vancouver, got the scholarship playing hockey, just as Derek. Both of them were a bit sad that they couldn't go to same college, but they had no real choices.

"Tell me about Joseph, Sam." He went straight to the point. He was itching everywhere fro the strange feeling of being left outside.

"What Joseph?" Sam wasn't so fast to caught up.

"Senior year, Casey, Joseph, you. Tell me about it and I'll let you stay alive." Derek threatened.

"Ogh." A small silence. "Why did she tell you now? It's been so long."

"The real question is why didn't you tell me back than?" he asked back. He wasn't going to say that he read her diary. He's 20, damn, he is too old to read girls diaries.

"She asked me not to."

"The boy code says that.."

"Boy code was a shit," Sam interrupted "Made up in your little twisted mind. She always wants to solve her own problems, so you know how hard it was for her to came to me and ask for help. How afraid had she been." He sounded accusing. Derek knew his best friend had all the rights to.

"Tell me everything."

"She hadn't told you?" he asked. He was always very found to secrets and he wanted people to trust him so he didn't really like the idea off telling Derek everything if she hadn't already broken the promise.

"No, no she did." Derek lied. "But you know how she is, always lefts some hurtful thing outside the picture. I just want to hear everything. Please, Sam."

"Okay. You probably remember him, he was on our hockey team the last year. Joseph – small, brown hair, fast on ice, but really loose. "

He really did remember him. He was the one that attacked Casey? How was it possible? He thought they were friends. You can never go against you team player, everyone knew that. Maybe that's why he didn't see it, tried to ignore it.

"Casey came to me like two months before the end of the school year. She was already broken up with Max and focused on studying. She told me she didn't want new relationships sp fast that's why she turned that guy down. I guess he didn't really understand the point. He was stalking her, I mean even to me it was troublesome, but she said she will take her of it. Than one day she had been pushed in the supply closet and he was preventing her to get out. His hands .. I mean you shouldn't know all the little details, so he pulled some more tricks like that and when he was starting to hurt her, like leaving bruises on her wrists she came to me. Asked me to help and I did. "

Even if Sam left all the little details out Derek couldn't stop imagining all the worst scenarios that could have happened to his girl. His? Really?

"What did you do?" How did he save her?

"Beat the crap out of him and threatened his

position in our team. It's good to be best friend of captain." He laughed.

"She is my freaking step sister and he wasn't afraid to play with her! Why would he worry about his position in team!!" he yelled. He didn't get it. He didn't get it at all.

"Well, you see, em. You don't want to hear answer on that question."

"SAM!!!!"

"Remember how you treated her in school. She was Klutzilla, keener, you didn't act at all that you cared, so he thought you didn't. we your friends knew otherwise, but he thought that if one boy of the team had gotten her that he should and could too. Derek you should understand that he was really unpleasant person and everything ended nicely so there is no need to reveal the past."

Derek looked at the book in his hand and he knew that Sam was right. But in this case right wasn't the thing in his mind. Wrong was what'll make everything better. Right already didn't work out for any of them.

A/N That's all for now. Leave a review ^^