Title: The Happiest Day Of Someone's Life
Author: jcfl16
Summary: It's a happy day. Kind of. Okay not really. Alright it sucked. But it could get better. Right? Set after college when Casey and Derek are 27, Edwin and Lizzie are 23, Marti is 16 and Little Simon is 9. Sequel to 'The Happiest Day Of Whose Life?' won't make sense if you don't read the first.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I don't own LWD or the character's this is completely non-profit and for entertainment purposes only. Don't sue.
Author's Note: Sorry it took a while, I hadn't even started it (because I didn't think anyone would want to read more) when I got the first review asking me to continue. But now it's going to be a three part-er. So here is part two, please read and review.
The Happiest Day Of Someone's Life
Next Day (Before the Wedding):
Casey's POV:
I've managed to steer clear of both my mother and Derek since yesterday, but pretty soon I'm going to have to walk into a room with both of them, and about 35 other assorted guests.
Lizzie's fiancé Mike seems like a good guy, but his family… Let's just say I can definitely tell which ones have heard about Derek and me.
This is insane! I can't even go to my own sister's wedding without having to face my past, a past that has caused me nothing but trouble. I'm not sure why I ever thought dating then marrying Derek was a good idea.
Why am I even so scared to face them? It's my life I can do what I please with it. Yeah. Okay, time to go in there and show them whose boss.
Mantra: I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
Why is it that now, that I'm walking in, I've realized that I can't do this.
General POV:
Casey's confident smile turns quickly into an uncomfortable grimace as she walks to find her seat. All the people seem to be staring at her. Or maybe that's just the paranoia settling in.
She makes her way to her sister slowing relaxing her face into what she hopes is a casual smile. A quick hug and then Lizzie is introducing her to everyone in Mike's family. Casey reminds Lizzie that she should be getting ready, and that it's bad luck to see the groom before the wedding, but she doesn't seem to care.
Casey starts to relax more fully when she sees that neither Derek nor her mother is present, though she wonders where the former is, and doubts that she'll like the answer. But that isn't her problem. She needs to focus on making her baby sister's big day amazing.
Just as she settles in to the 'maid of honor' role she feels a tap on her shoulder.
"Please don't be Derek, please don't be Derek." She mumbles to herself as she turns around.
It's not Derek.
It's her mother.
Let the fun begin (A.N.: Casey would like you to note the sarcasm in that sentence).
"Hi Casey." Nora says.
"Hi mom." Casey replies, her voice unintentionally getting a little colder.
"Could you help your other siblings with the chairs?"The problem with not hiring a wedding planner was having to do all the work yourself.
"Yeah. Sure." Casey said.
"Okay then. They're in the room over there." And with a point of her finger Nora leaves the conversation.
For a full minute Casey just stares at her mother's retreating form. The first civil words that Nora's said to her in months, and not one of them was 'sorry'.
Are. You. Kidding. Me.
Yeah, sure, Casey lied to Nora about Derek and her, but Nora called her a disappointment and said that Derek and her were an abomination. That was not okay.
8 months ago, the reveal:
"Mom, please calm down. It's not that bad." Casey said trying to sooth her mother.
"Not that bad?" Nora exclaimed "You must be joking. This is the worst possible news you could give us."
"Now Nora…" George tried to help, but was cut off.
"No. Don't 'Now Nora' me." She says turning to look at him. "This is awful. The only way it could be worse is if they told us Casey was pregnant." Nora stopped and wheeled her head around to Casey "You're not pregnant are you?"
"No mom. I'm not." Casey says trying to help stop the drama in any way she could.
"Look Nora," Derek cut in "Me and Casey love each other," Nora scoffed, but Derek continued "we love each other and all we want is your support."
"Yes. That's it."Casey jumped in. "Look mom I'm sorry we waited so long to tell you but we were worried about how you'd react, and at the beginning we didn't want to say anything till we were serious…"
"I'd say being married definitely makes it serious." George said.
"We didn't mean for that to happen dad." Derek remarked "But when it did it felt right."
"Yes. And now we want to have an actual ceremony, with all of our family and friends and…"Casey.
"No!" Nora yelled, and everyone looked at her startled. "No."
"No, what mom?" Casey questioned tentatively.
"No, I will not allow you to showcase this… this… abomination in front of our family and friends."
"Abomination?" Casey whispered.
"I don't know when exactly you decided to become such a corrupt and twisted person Casey, but I for one will not have you proudly displaying the fact to everyone I know."
"I'm not corrupt, I'm in love." Casey said starting to tear up.
"Don't you think you're being a little harsh Nora?" Derek questioned, trying to help Casey. He couldn't stand it when she cried, and not because he 'Didn't do tears' but because he loved her. "It's not like we're actually related or something."
"You're brother and sister. And don't even try to pretend like the word 'step' makes that much of a difference because it doesn't. Did you forget about Simon so quickly? He has both of yours DNA. I'm so disappointed in you Casey and you to Derek."
"What else is new." He mumbled.
"The only way I could even begin to forgive you is if you ended this charade. And if you could do it quickly and quietly before any of your brothers or sisters found out..."
"No." Casey said sternly (now holding back her tears).
"Excuse me?" Nora said affronted.
"I said no. As in n-o, no."
"No what?" Nora said for clarification.
"No I won't 'break up' with Derek just to appease you, first because I love him and second because it would mean getting divorced."
"Oh yes you will break up." Nora stands as she says this completely ignoring the fact that it would be divorce (because they are married).
"No I won't." Casey says, standing herself. "This isn't some school project you want me to do better on, this is my LIFE. And I love Derek. If you want to be disappointed in me fine, but I've done nothing wrong."
"Other than the fact that you slept with your BROTHER! You're ruining your reputation. I mean what are you going to do with your life now? No one will accept you, they'll think you're a freak. Oh, and the people, what about them? What will people say, and what will they think? You slept with your brother."
"First it's STEPbrother, and second so what? I'm married to him. That's what married people do, they have S-E-X." she stressed every syllable of that last word.
"You shouldn't have married him."
"Hey! Hold on minute Nora. That's my son." George interjects.
"Yes and he shouldn't have married my daughter. Don't you see George they've both thrown their lives away. Nobody else will want them if they find out they slept with their sibling."
"Everything else in my life is perfect, according to you, everything else you're proud of. Well guess what I'm proud of my relationship and I don't care what people think."
"Well you should."
"But I don't. And if YOU want to be in MY life YOU will accept Derek and I, and you won't worry about other people."
"Then I guess I don't want to be in your life." Nora said eyes full of tears. "You should leave now."
That was the last time she set foot in the MacDonald-Venturi house until her sister's wedding plans started. And of the few words that have passed between Nora and Casey since then none have been friendly.
Back to Present:
With a huff Casey walks to the room her mother had indicated. This should be fun. Helping the family set up for Lizzie's wedding. Potentially running into Derek after last night's debacle, or worse seeing him with some two bit trollop.
"Casey!"Screams Simon as he runs to hide behind her legs.
"Hey, Simon." It's been a while since Casey's seen her baby brother. "How ar…" She starts.
"Oh no you don't you little twerp!" Screams Marti. "You can't hide behind Casey." She says with a glare at her younger brother.
"What's going on?" Casey asks looking between 16 year old sister Marti and 9 year old brother Simon.
"…" "…" They both rambled quickly at the same time.
"What?" Casey interjected with a look of utter confusion.
Just when they were about to start up again Edwin looked up from the chairs he was taking down and said,
"Simon messed up Marti's make up and put peanut butter on her face because she told him Santa was an alien." Edwin said this calmly like it was something that happened every day (and most likely it was, these are the MacDonald-Venturi's we're talking about).
"Thanks Ed." Casey said turning back to the siblings who started running in a circle around her trying to catch/runaway from each other.
"No prob." Edwin chuckled and continued his task.
Casey try's to catch them as they go around her legs, but only manages to get very dizzy.
"Have they been like this all morning?" Casey asks Ed.
"Yep."
"You'd think they'd be tired."
"Nope."
"Thank you monosyllabic man. I don't know how I could have ever lasted without those spectacular responses." Casey says rolling her eyes.
"I know." Says Edwin with a huge grin.
That's one thing she missed from not being home: her energetic, crazy, loving siblings. Edwin, Lizzie and Marti didn't care that Derek and her had been together (and still wouldn't) as long as they didn't kiss in front of them, and Simon wasn't old enough to care about those sorts of things.
In fact when they had found out (much to Nora's horror) they hadn't been surprised. Marti claimed to have always known and Edwin and Lizzie said that according to their data (that they used to collect) this was a logical outcome.
Casey had been so worried after telling her parents but in the end it hadn't mattered. As Casey reached out to grab her siblings she couldn't help but smile. She loved this crazy, hectic family.
Derek's POV:
I was at the other end of the room taking chairs down, and decide not to interfere. I had no clue what to say to Casey after yesterday, and she looked happy over there with Marti, Edwin, and Simon.
I knew how much she loved them, how much she'd give for them, any of them, and two of them weren't even her flesh and blood, three if you count dad.
It was easy to see how she fit in this family, into my family. Listen to this, Derek Venturi being a sap. This shouldn't happen. It's all Casey's fault.
How did she manage to do this to me every time? It was like when we were back in college. Like when all of this first started to happen.
College "Senior Year" when 'it' all started:
Announcer 1: "30 seconds left on the clock. Smith's coming down the ice, he hands the puck off to Venturi."
Announcer 2: "Looks like Venturi's going to make the shot. Question is: can he make it?"
Announcer 1: "Yes! He made it! Score!"
Announcer 2: "Queen's wins 'The Championship Game!'"
Derek is hoisted in to the air by his teammates and everyone's cheering. If he was dreaming he would have woken up by this point, but he's not dreaming. This is actually happening. He just won the championship game in his senior year. He feels like he's gonna throw up, but all everyone can see is his cool eyes and arrogant smirk.
As his teammates set him down, he scan's the crowd.
There she is. Just like every week these last three years. Watching his game and smiling the biggest smile he's ever seen. Casey.
If someone would have told him 2 years ago that he and Casey would be 'friends' he would have laughed his head off.
Well maybe 'friends' isn't the right term. But it defiantly wasn't a brother/sister thing. They still fought and everything —in fact they fought more now than they ever had back at home—but they also understood each other better and actually wanted to be around each other. Strange how that happens.
When they started college Derek was dating Casey's best friend, Emily (who was also her roommate), they ended up spending a lot more time together than is actually healthy, and considering who they are this drove them insane. Their relationship, however, didn't start to change until after Emily and him broke up.
All he knows is one minute he's dating Emily, next minute she's with Sam. Don't get him wrong, there are no hard feelings between Em and him, but it still wasn't easy to lose his girlfriend to his best friend, and Casey got that.
So she started going to his games. The whole first season she complained and annoyed everyone around her with her questions about who was winning. The next season she still complained but didn't really have to ask questions anymore. And this season she still complained, but mostly just to annoy Derek, and not because she didn't want to go.
So when he wins the championship of course Casey is the first person he looks for. And when he leaves the locker room she's the first person he sees. Casey clobbers him with a big hug and Derek (of course being Derek) tells her to get off she's spoiling his rep, but that was all for show, what a sap he was to like hugs from his stepsister. Darn Casey!
"Oh, whatever Venturi! You know you love me." Casey said as she playfully punched his shoulder.
Derek made a face then said, "Why are you waiting out here anyway? I told you I was celebrating with my team tonight."
"Yeah, well, I… may have… I mean…umm…"
"What did you do?" Derek asked preparing to give Casey the stink eye.
"I accidently invited everyone over to our apartment." She said under breath.
"You what?"
"I Accidently Invited them over." She said more forcefully.
"Whose them, Casey?" Because he knew she couldn't be speaking of his team if she was mumbling like this.
"The family." Casey said try to smile, but it came out weak and wobbly.
"UGH! You didn't." Derek groaned.
Casey just nodded, confirming that she did.
Now don't get them wrong, they love their family. But that's the problem. It's THEIR family. They might not be sure what's going on with the two of them but it makes them awkward around their parents.
Derek reluctantly gets into the car and complains the whole way back to the apartment—the car's to hot, Casey's driving is awful, he wants to be with his team, why's he got to go to the apartment now, it's all Casey's fault—and other such nonsense. This annoys Casey, so they end up arguing by the time they reach the front door, where their family happens to be waiting with pizza, root beer, and a pretty big present.
"Of course they are." Everyone groans as the two round the corner.
And the night continues as such: Derek and Casey barely say two words to each other and when they do they begin to argue. The family rolls their eyes and laughs at the two of them. And everyone feels like they're back at home. Well, almost everyone.
When everyone leaves they start yelling again. And somewhere between "it's your fault" and "I hate you" the argument get's more intense.
"They're family Derek! I couldn't just tell them no." Casey yelled.
"Yes you could have! I do it all the time!" Derek screamed back.
"Well maybe I'm not like you!"
"No you're not, 'cause if you were we wouldn't have this problem!"
"UGH! YOU…YOU…YOU SELF SERVING JERK!" she exclaimed as she hit him.
"WELL AT LEAST I'M NOT THE FAMILY'S LAP DOG!" he roared as he tried to block her punches.
"YOU'RE INSUFFERABLE!"
"YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!"
"JERK!"
"PRINCESS!"
"I HATE YOU!"
"NOT AS MUCH AS I HATE YOU!"
Their lips smashed together, her hands slid behind his neck, his hands slid to her lower back and they moved so close together that not even air could fit between them.
Neither of them was thinking. Because if they would have been thinking then this wouldn't of happened.
Later they'd think. Then they'd try to deny anything happened, they'd try to avoid it, and they'd try to pretend like it didn't mean anything. But in one month's time they wouldn't able to deny it, avoid it, or pretend like it didn't mean anything, because it did.
Back to Present:
General POV:
Setting up the chair's took longer than expected, what with Marti and Simon still messing around, but it eventually got done. And, much to Casey and Derek's relief, without much interaction between the two of them.
Soon after they were finished with the chairs they were dragged away. It was time for the bride and groom to start getting ready. Casey went to her sister's aid and Derek (along with Edwin) went to help guests find their seats.
Derek's at the Opening of the Church:
"So you gonna tell me what happened between you and Casey, or am I going to have to guess?" Ed asked smirking at his brother while they waited for a elderly woman to get out of her car and up to the church steps.
Derek looked at Ed and glared. "Nothing happened." He said.
"Oh, bologna!"
"Drop it Ed." Derek grumbled.
"No. I won't drop it. Tell me is it juicy? Did you fight? Or was it dirty?" Ed said wiggling his eyebrows.
"Nothing happened Ed, and even if it did I wouldn't tell my kid brother."
"I'm not a kid anymore, bro. You have to stop treating me like one. And you have to tell me what's going on with you and Casey."
"Nothing's going on."
Edwin just looked at him.
Thankfully the old lady got there at that exact moment and Derek was able to escort her to her seat. He'd never been so happy to be helping an old person. And when he got back Edwin was leaving to seat someone.
When Edwin got back though Derek realized the conversation wasn't over. He did not want to talk about kissing his soon to be ex-wife Casey or the consequences that could result from it. He hoped a lot of people chose this exact moment to show up, otherwise this was going to be a very long day.
Casey's in Bride's Room:
"Case can you zip me up please?" asked Lizzie.
"Sure." Casey says putting down the bouquet that she just tied a ribbon around.
Casey looked at her sister's reflection in the mirror and smiled at how beautiful Liz looked. Lizzie smiled back and said:
"Thanks."
"No problem." Short pause. "You look beautiful Liz. I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks."Liz said as her smile got impossibly bigger.
"When I get married no mother-in-laws are invited." Marti complained as she walked in.
"Is Tanya bothering you Marti?" Liz asked turning to look at Marti, who looked a little flustered.
"Only, of course." Marti replied. "I swear if I have to answer one more question about gardenias I'm gonna…"
"Well," Casey interrupted "try to be nice to her it's Lizzie's only mother-in-law."
"So far." Marti added, and was promptly smacked by Lizzie.
"Don't mess with Marti." Liz remarked playfully.
Nora chose this moment to walk in.
"Oh, my baby. Look at you. You look gorgeous." Nora said coming over to look at Lizzie.
"Thanks mom."
"I'm so proud of you, if…"
Nora kept talking but Casey drowned her out. If she was going to keep from crying—well, keep from crying sad tears anyway—then she couldn't listen to her mother. She couldn't hear how Nora loved Mike so much and how wonderful a daughter Lizzie was for choosing him and so on and so on. She was happy for Lizzie but, it really sucked what her mom was doing.
Casey watched her sisters and mother talk. She watched them put the garter on Lizzie and joke about it coming off. She watched them fix their hair and make-up. She watched everything and said nothing.
Lizzie would look at her every once and a while and Casey would give her a reassuring smile. This was Lizzie's day so Casey could put on a happy face and bear whatever her mother said. She could watch her mother do all these things for Lizzie that she would never do for her. She could handle it, because she wasn't wrong. Sure Derek had turned out to be a bad choice but she was honestly in love with him when they got married. Plus she loved her family, maybe she wasn't happily married but she was in a loving family (her brother's and sister's anyway and George). So Casey could deal.
"It's time." George said as he poked his head in. Yeah Casey could deal, and she would.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed that. I have one more chapter to put up then that's it. So here's the BIG QUESTION: Should this have a Dasey friendly or Dasey un-friendly ending? I'll let my reviewer's decide. I'll tally all the vote's a week after I post this and see what ending won. Thanks again for reading.