A/N: As I promised, this chapter will be longer and probably more exciting since the first two were the intro and set-up to the main problem. Enjoy

Tickets cont.

"Der-ek!" Casey screamed as she walked into the house at half past eleven. She had not only been greeted outside by two trash bins tipped over at the side of the road, but a pile of mail littering the front walkway up to their house. "I don't think you really get the concept of taking in the mail." She continued holding up the remaining mail.

Derek made a clicking noise with his mouth and sighed, "Sorry Case, you know me, too stupid to bring in mail."

Casey glared at him before ushering herself out of the living room and into the kitchen. When she returned with a glass of chocolate milk and cookies Derek was standing behind the couch looking at her weird with a sly expression on his face. He knew that she just wouldn't go to the convention, especially if she knew why.

As Casey made her way to the couch, she grew less and less interested in Derek's weird behavior and instead focused on the magazines sitting on the coffee table in front of her. It wasn't until he grabbed the milk and half eaten cookies that she spoke again.

"What do you think you're doing... Derek?" Casey asked, leaving his name hanging at the end of her question.

"Eating." He replied happily, still stalling on the ticket issue. "Listen Case... Casey." He wasn't sure where this was going as he chugged back her milk in between his sentence. "I need you to drop me off tomorrow at the convention center, you know the one about half and hour from here. Kay?"

She looked up him with skepticism in her eyes. "Like you have plans." He chuckled back to himself.

She lunged forward ready to slap him across the face, but missed as he stepped back which left him chuckling more. "Why would I drive you there if you are being such a...a...ugh! Why can't you drive yourself there?"

Good question. Crap... "There is no parking and I figured if you wanted the car at all, than you could, I mean, the event goes all day."

At first Casey almost responded with a big fat no, but the thought of having Derek gone all day and the Prince to herself was very pleasing. "Sure, why not." She finally replied kneeling against the back of the couch.

"We good here?" Derek asked leaning over the couch, his eyes completely on Casey.

"Uh huh." She answered back a little too mechanically, totally unaware of Derek's later intentions.

The next morning Derek was ready to go in surprisingly good time. He shoved the tickets into his leather jacket just as Casey was making her way down stairs. Why the hell does he look tired. She better not make us late, well me late. I can' believe I am going through with this. Derek glanced down at his other hand that was holding a ring from Casey's jewelery box and a much older ring that was his dad's from his last marriage. He had to pull off this gig well enough not to get into serious trouble. He did not want to face his dad if he got a phone call in Toronto about Derek impersonating him.

"Ready?" Casey asked with a yawn in her voice. Derek nodded and they stepped into the windy morning air.

The car ride down was far worse than imagined by Derek. She wasn't talking, he didn't know what to say. He wanted to wait until they were at the center before forcing Casey help him out. What happens if she totally predicts what's gonna happen? I could be stuck outside all day. You can do this Derek. Just steal the keys when she turns off the car and tell her the ramifications and if she still doesn't comply, threaten her by pretending to call Nora about her hair equipment fiasco.

Far quicker than hoped, the car pulled up to the front entrance of the center. Derek looked outside his side car window and saw a guard standing at the only door taking tickets. He gulped before focusing his attention on the keys. One shot. Within a few seconds Casey had shifted her gaze to to her left view mirror and Derek took his chance lunging for the keys.

"Beeeeeep" The horn sounded as Derek horrendously discovered that he had missed the keys completely and hit the car horn smack in the center of the wheel. Casey, clearly in a dream state, came back to reality just as she whipped herself around to see what Derek had just done. In doing so, she accidentally smacked him over the back, causing him to cry out in pain as his hand slipped off the wheel and grabbed onto the front of the drivers seat for support. Both of them entering a state of awkwardness winced as their bodies froze in position, afraid of moving or causing a worse situation. Derek attempted to lift himself from the seat without laying on top of her, but every time he tried, his back shot back in pain. Why isn't she trying to help! I can't believe this happened. Out of all the possibilities of the crap that can go wrong, I get stuck with this! Maybe if I let myself fall I can turn to over and pull myself up...What! Oh god.

After seeing a few failed attempts on Derek's part to lift himself up, Casey finally loosened up a bit and sat back trying to figure out a way to safely pull him up as he hovered over her lap, both hands clasping the small bit of seat in front of her in between her legs. Just as she was about to open the door and step out, Derek's arms gave way as he fell twisting to his side and landing on top of her. After a few seconds of limpness, he arched his back and pulled himself up towards the passenger seat.

"Sorry." He said as her face went scarlet red. She nodded as they both wondered what was going on before Derek's initial key retrieval event. "Do you wanna come in?" Derek asked sheepishly, ready to return to his normal blunt self. She gave him a confused expression as he went on to tell her how he got the tickets and what they had to do. When she surprisingly agreed to go with it, he appeared speechless. This doesn't make any sense! She sees me attempt to grab the keys and I tell her all the rules and guidelines we are about to break, and she agrees to go in? That was easier than I thought. Kind of nice too... Well not nice, just easier. Yeah, definitely just easier.

Casey pulled the car around the turn-around and drove around back. In her left pocket was her mom's ticket and on her finger was her ring that Derek had taken earlier. She didn't know exactly what she was doing, but only that everything seemed to blur. Her morning had been so dull. With staying up late thinking about what Derek's ulterior motives were about today and then the quiet trip here, his sudden outburst was a shock that sent her into another state of being. Her heart wasn't racing and she was able to focus well enough to hand the security guys her ticket as it was stamped, but her whole body was almost shivering and she could feel her pulse everywhere in her body.

When the car stopped and the keys were taken out of the ignition and pocketed, Derek seemed back to normal. Underneath his jacket poked out a navy blue and white colored t shirt with the E and the A of 'Leafs' barely visible. Casey calmed down again as she started walking, but she wasn't speaking still, just nodding. Casey is really freaking me right now. She has this complacent facial expression and she isn't even talking to me, yet alone yelling. Oh crap, here we go.

The man with the orange shirt that read "Event Coordinator" greeted them warmly as he welcomed his so called radio contest winners inside the building. The back was so different then the front. In the main room, there were aisles upon aisles of different sports teams with their managers there publicizing their team and sometimes even a rare player signing autographs. But in the back, the atmosphere was completely different. Players and managers alike were talking about everything from family to the latest beer commercial all nonchalantly. And as Casey and Derek were moved farther into the room, the "Event Coordinator" began introducing them to people around the door.

Derek was thrilled. He began shifting his eyes from Luongo to the refreshments table and then to Kesler relaxing in the back at a table with a fellow team mate.

"This is George and Nora Venturi." The Coordinator said catching Derek and Casey off guard. The first suit in front of them shook Derek's hand as another behind them whispered something to his friend about their age. The next people that they were introduced to were a lot friendlier. They asked how their day had been so far and how long they had to drive. It wasn't until a Toronto Blue Jays player asked them about their back story, did the questions ever venture into a difficult category.

"I don't want to seem rude here, but how old are you two. I ask because my sister's friend married when she was twenty because her husband and her had been such good friends since they were in diapers. How long have you known each other?"

"Seven years." Derek cut in as Casey was ready to say three. "We met each other at a mental institution." Derek continued as Casey elbowed him in the ribs clearly feeling better now.

"I was visiting a woman that I convinced to come off the streets and get help and... George had been..." Casey almost finished off as Derek added, "delivering a package for one of the patients. She came out of the visiting room. " Derek pointed to Casey, "and she was a wreck, dropped out of high school in her last year and I offered her some help with summer classes to get her equivalent degree." Derek finished off quite happy with himself as he had been tickling Casey's side in order for her not to cut in."

"So you are..." The player started making calculations in his head. "twenty five?" The player asked a little astonished.

"Actually twenty three, I had skipped two grades in secondary school, but when I moved to a new city and had to put up with my mom's new husband's dreadful son, I started falling very much behind." Casey let in with a pained expression.

Derek's expression saddened as he quickly jumped to the parallel with his and Casey's life. Is she no longer just making things up? Is that how she feels about me? Whatever ! It's not like I care...I think.

With Casey's last statement, the baseball player nodded his head and bid them good day as he continued past them a little taken back at Casey's small outburst. They stood there in loss of words, which was quite odd for the two of them as the Coordinator approached them again. "How is it going you two. Really great guys here, right?" He beamed before noticing their sudden frailty. "Smile." He added after squeezing them together as their arms lay limp by their sides. He gave them both a troubled look and resumed talking to another contest winner.

What was up with the Coordinator guy all of a sudden? Is he onto us? This was so stupid! We are way too young to be a married couple. Let alone be a married couple. Well obviously Derek! Oh my gosh, he is looking over here at us weird again. Quick!

Derek spun around grabbing Casey's hand as he waved at the weary man in the orange shirt from across the room. Casey quickly unhitched her hand from his after he had finished waving and shot him a death stare.

"What are you doing?" She asked peeved.

"I think he suspects we are imposters." Derek said under his breathe just loud enough for Casey to hear. "I was trying to look married.

Casey held back a chuckle at Derek's immaturity and rolled her eyes. "Just to let you know, Derek." She said softening at his name, "I find your lack of puritan modesty very refreshing, but I can tell you for a fact that he is not onto us" Casey replied air quoting the last two words.

Derek gave her a puzzled expression as her face began to redden again. "Why's that?" He asked eying the Coordinator again.

Barely able to escape her mouth, Casey released the words, "When you were talking to the ball player about our meeting, the Coordinator asked if we were having troubles in the bed department." Casey finished trailing off leaving the last words undecipherable.

"The what?" Derek asked still wondering what Casey was saying as Casey looked hassled at saying those words in front of her step-brother again. "Bed Department." Casey whispered.

Derek's sudden realization grew into a loud laugh as he coughed back behind the laughter, "Haha. Of course he would think you were bad in bed!"

A little too loud for just their ears, a few heads swiveled at the sound of Derek and Casey's commotion. And one nosy lady in particular spoke up.

"Since when is it always the females fault when it comes to sex?" The short, but strong willed lady asked Derek.

Derek suddenly felt very uncomfortable and nauseous. I don't know whether it was the fact that the lady could have been listening into our full conversation or the topic at hand, but at that instant I wanted to chuck my breakfast. It was fine lying to everyone about a fake live, but now it just felt awkward. Did they not realize that she was my step sister? Okay maybe they didn't. But that is just wrong, right?

While Derek had been daydreaming, the lady was now arguing with a man in a suit on the topic and it was branching out fast. Soon they had made it to whether it was right for a woman to show personal displays of affection if it was alright for the man to.

"So you are saying a guy can kiss his girl friend, but the girl can't initiate a kiss in public. That is complete bull shit!" The woman retorted.

"I am just saying that it looks more apropriate that way. Go on George, kiss her." The suit demanded. "You'll see. It's far less showy in public. I mean, no offense but a lady who initiates that stuff just looks like a who..." The suit continued until he was cut off by the short lady again.

"Oh! Is that so!" The lady chuckled behind hard breaths.

"Don't believe me, I will prove it." The suit replied, now focusing on Derek and Casey. "Kiss your wife and please everyone tell me how subtle and not disturbing it is to other people!"

Casey froze in her tracks and Derek hung back awkwardly unsure of his next move.

Okay, so that was long and I guess it was the first sign of more than just sibling rivalry. I made it more awkward for Dasey than most people have done it, because I believe it's hard to see the characters committing to those feelings and actions so early on. Tell me what you think! What do you think could come out of this scheme?