Chapter 3 : It's Just A Place I'm Looking For

"I don't know your thoughts these days
We're strangers in an empty space
I don't understand your heart
It's easier to be apart."
- Keane, We Might As Well Be Strangers

Casey tested the doorknob and was immensely grateful that it was unlocked. Then, squelching her urge to run away, she swung open the door and stepped inside. The way that Trevor followed her without hesitation tightened the knot in her stomach. He trusted her and she was betraying him.

"So, I can't wait to see this amazing punk CD collection," Trevor said, looking around curiously as Casey shut the door behind them. 'I can't do this. I have to tell him the truth before anyone sees us.'

"Uh, confession time." She walked ahead of him and turned around, straining to focus on the punk boy in front of her instead of the home she had so dearly missed. "I don't have a punk CD collection."

"Really?" Trevor didn't sound surprised.

'And this is my house, not some friend's who is holding on to said collection.' But she didn't have time to add the rest because a scream interrupted them, coming from behind her. Whipping around, Casey came face to face with her youngest stepsibling.

"Uh, Marti, Marti, it's okay. Trevor is a friend," she assured her. Her heart hammered in her chest. It was all happening too fast.

"I'm sorry, Trevor." It was easier to focus on someone who wasn't likely to cry or yell at her.

"Nah, it's cool. I get that all the time." Then the door opened behind him and Derek Venturi stepped inside. Casey's heart raced and she blamed it on nerves and excitement. She couldn't be in love with him anymore.

"Woah!" He didn't even seem to register Trevor's presence. His eyes were locked on her. It seemed like time had stopped, freezing the scene and stretching it out just to torment her.

"Casey?" Time caught up with them as the punk boy looked at her in confusion. "I thought they were expecting us…" Thankfully, the all too apparent guilt on her face said everything. "Ah. I see." Disappointment tinged by anger flashed in his eyes, but he quickly masked it behind calm acceptance. The brunette sighed, relieved that he wouldn't abandon her just yet. She needed him now more than ever.

A thick, intense silence fell between all of them. What could you say to the family you left behind? What could you say to the one who did the leaving?

"Is it really you?" a small, shaky voice asked. Casey turned to look at Marti, who was still half-hidden by the railing on the stairs. Seemingly struck mute by the question, the brunette could only nod slowly in response, holding her breath as she anticipated her stepsister's reaction.

This seemed to break whatever spell had held the child captive and she leapt forth to throw her arms around Casey's waist, clutching her tightly as if--should she let go--she might disappear again.

Tears filled both of their eyes as the brunette pried Marti's arms loose enough for her to kneel and wrap the little girl in her arms. Even the two witnesses felt their hearts constrict at the sight, though both were far too macho to give any indication of such.

"Don't ever leave me again," she choked through sobs.

Stroking her hair soothingly, Casey cautiously replied, "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." It was specific enough to comfort Marti, while vague enough to keep Casey from feeling too guilty when she moved away for college.

Blue eyes flickered onto brown. Derek hadn't said a word since they startled him. He held her gaze and she saw disbelief, excitement, guilt, worry, and a million other emotions reflected in his eyes. They both wished desperately that the other would speak first and since she had been the one to leave, Casey supposed that it was up to her to break the ice.

"Hi, Derek," she said softly.

"Hey, Casey." All was still and silent for a moment, except for the sound of Marti's crying. Then, looking between the two, Trevor realized that he had been forgotten. The black-haired teenager felt horribly out of place and decided that it might be best if he quietly stepped out and talked to Casey later.

As if snapping out of a trance, Casey's head jerked when she heard the front door open. Had it not been for Marti, she would have jumped up and grabbed his arm, physically restraining him from leaving. She pinned him with her gaze instead.

"Where are you going?" Desperation and fear laced her voice.

"I don't think I should be here for this," Trevor responded gently.

"What? But--" She trailed off, looking helpless and pleading at the same time. They stared at each other in a wordless exchange, silently saying, 'I don't belong here,' and 'I can't do this alone'.

"Please stay."

"Okay." Trevor reluctantly moved away from the door and stood by Casey. He still thought that his presence would only complicate matters.

After an awkward beat, Trevor asked, "So, you're Casey's stepbrother?"

"Derek Venturi," he replied gruffly, stiffly putting his hand out.

"Trevor Jones." He shook his hand, looking nothing but friendly and Casey smiled. It was obvious that she hoped that the punk would get along well with her family and vice versa. "So, how do you know Casey?" Derek asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"We met a little over a year ago, in New York."

"So that would make you…?"

"A friend who's looked after me," Casey interjected hastily.

Derek was about to challenge this statement when the back door opened and shut, voices carrying into the living room. 'Oh no.'

"No, Edwin, you have to take the function of x and--"

"No, Lizzie, you have to invert the equation first," Edwin challenged. They could hear rummaging around in the kitchen as the pair made themselves a snack.

"Please, I got a ninety-eight on the last test and you only got a ninety-two. I think I know more about math," Lizzie argued.

Casey paled and subconsciously pulled Marti closer to her, who had stopped crying but refused to loosen her hold. 'Lizzie.' It took all of her strength not to leap back and run out the door. Her stomach lurched in dread as her head spun with thoughts about her younger sister. 'She'll be furious. She probably hates me. I never should have come back.'

Derek's chest swelled with sympathy. Even he was beginning to feel renewed stirrings of anger towards her, but they were far overtaken by pity and fear that all of the emotional consequences of her actions--acted out by her family members--would drive her out of their arms again.

"I'll go see if I can somehow make this easier," Derek whispered as he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank you." She gave him a watery smile. He returned it and strode out of the living room, glancing behind him to make sure Casey was still there before he turned the corner.

"Hey, guys, how was school?" Derek asked. Years of lying and practicing deception had helped him under many circumstances, but even the Lord of the Lies couldn't hide his anxiety.

"Good. Is something wrong?" Edwin asked suspiciously.

"No, no. Nothing's wrong," he assured them quickly. Lizzie and Edwin shared a look that clearly stated that they didn't believe him. "Honestly, it's a good thing!" He hesitated, realizing that it was very important that he was careful with his words. The middle children looked at him expectantly.

"Um, well, I don't really know how to say it," Derek said, swallowing thickly. Gathering up his courage he quickly blurted, "Casey's back."

The middle children's eyes popped and they both looked taken aback.

"B-back?" Edwin repeated, looking nervous yet somewhat hopeful. Unable to speak, his older brother merely nodded in assent. "She's back, as in, she's here?" he asked. Once again, Derek nodded.

"Lizzie?" Derek tried to gauge her reaction, but it was as if she was paralyzed. Yet, he could see her brain was whirring with frenzied activity. "Lizzie, are you okay?"

Suddenly, without a word or any indication that she had heard him, the younger teen turned and fled, running out the back door. It was only when it crashed closed behind her that Edwin snapped out of shock and took after her.

"Lizzie! Wait!"

Looking like a deer caught in headlights, Derek willed himself to move, but he felt as if his whole body was made of cement. 'What just happened?' Panic flooded him as he wondered if they would have to lose one McDonald girl in exchange for the other.

"Lizzie!" Ignoring the stitch in his side, Edwin gasped for air as he pumped his legs, trying to catch up with the human blur in front of him. 'When the heck did she get so fast?' "Lizzie! It's just me. Come on!" If she heard him, she didn't slow down.

The dark-haired boy chased his stepsister for four blocks before she finally slowed and collapsed in the grass. As he got closer, Edwin saw that her chest was shuddering with sobs as she gasped for air. He dropped to his knees beside her and gathered her into his lap, folding her legs over his. Small fists clutched the back of his shirt as hot tears dampened his collar and rolled onto his neck.

"Shh, it's okay." Edwin gently rocked her back and forth, remembering how he had seen Nora comfort her the same way the day that Casey left.

"She can't. She can't be gone!" Lizzie cried in distress, knocking over her chair as she rose from the table.

"Lizzie," George began, glancing at Nora with uncertainty, but receiving no response. The mother was staring at the table in front of her, lost in thought. "That's just what the letter says. I'm sure that she'll come back."

"Of course she will," she lashed out. "It's just a bid for attention or something. She's just trying to make us all feel guilty for being mad at her." Even as she spoke, Lizzie looked afraid.

"I don't think--" George started.

"Who careswhat you think?" she interrupted. "You don't know Casey at all! This is just her way of getting back at us." She growled in frustration. "This is just like her to be so selfish, not caring who she hurts as long as she gets her way. She's just like you, Derek."

Derek's head snapped up at the mention of his name and he scowled at her.

"Hey! I'm not the one who gave her the silent treatment for over a week," he shot back.

"Yeah, well, I'm not the one who literally pushed her out the door!" Lizzie argued, walking around the table to yell in his face. He mirrored her movements.

"You didn't stop me! You didn't tell her not to go!" The younger child froze in horror. Then her face screwed up in a mixture of anger and grief.

"I didn't think she meant it!" Lizzie cried defensively, hostility crumbling into remorse. Then, shaking with sobs, she crumpled to the floor and Derek breathed in sharply. He didn't do tears. He couldn't handle crying girls, especially ones that weren't Marti.

To his relief, Nora snapped out of her trance and swooped down on her daughter. She picked her up into her lap and rocked her back and forth, shushing her gently. Lizzie clung as if to a life raft and continued to cry.

"It's okay, Lizzie. She'll come back." Nora gazed at the door, looking through it and picturing her eldest child. "She'll come back."

"She can't be back," Lizzie gasped mournfully. "I don't want to see her, Edwin. Why did she have to come back now?"

"I wish I knew, Liz," Edwin replied, trying to ignore the guilt that was knotting up his insides. He did want to see Casey. The truth was that he was glad that she was back. But, looking down at his miserable stepsister, he felt like a traitor.

"Lizzie! Wait!" Casey's heart clenched as she heard the back door open and shut for the second time. She could guess what had happened. Trevor gave her a sympathetic look, but his eyes held a mixture of bitterness and haughtiness. It was very seldom that the punk boy was tempted to rub it in when he was right, but Casey's betrayal had hurt and angered him. The fact that he had stayed by her side anyway was a testament to how much he cared about her.

Just then, Derek opened the kitchen doors and re-joined the group. The look on his face confirmed Casey's suspicions. 'What have I done? She hates me. They probably all hate me. What am I doing here? I never should have come back.' Tears filled her eyes and she looked down to hide them. But a hand clapped onto each of her shoulders and she found herself looking into the face of Derek Venturi. He was about to say something, but they were interrupted by the sound of the back door opening and closing.

"Hey, kids, I'm home early!" Nora called from the kitchen. Casey's eyes widened and flickered in the direction of her mother's voice,

"Mom," she whispered hoarsely, choking on emotion. Before Derek could even attempt to run interference, footsteps approached the living room and there she was. Nora looked more tired than her daughter had remembered her, but, in her eyes, she was radiant. Nora screamed in shock, clapping her hand to her mouth as she froze in the doorway.

"Smarti, how about we go upstairs and I'll put on your favorite CD," Derek suggested, looking back and forth between the two McDonald women.

"No, I don't want to leave Casey!" she protested as she clung tightly to her stepsister's shirt. The teenager snapped out of her trance and plastered on a fake smile.

"It's okay, Marti," she assured her. "I'll be here when you get back," she promised as she smoothed the child's hair. Though she didn't look quite satisfied, Marti let Derek carry her up to her room.

Once the youngest Venturi was out of earshot, Casey rose to her feet and stepped toward her mother. The movement hurled Nora back into reality and she looked her daughter up and down.

"Casey?" she whispered in disbelief.

"In the flesh," she replied, wiping her eyes as tears poured down her cheeks. Her mother stifled a sob.

"Oh my God." A steady flow of tears trickled down Nora's face as well. "Oh my God!" Then she ran forward and captured the blue-eyed teenager in a tight embrace. "I can't believe you're here—actually here!" Nora exclaimed between sobs and raining kisses all over Casey's forehead, cheeks, and hair. The daughter overflowed with relief, regret, joy, and guilt—all at once.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," Casey apologized tremulously.

"I know, baby. I know. It's okay," Nora responded soothingly, stroking her long brown hair as every cell in her body resonated with joy and relief. 'My baby is here. I'm holding her safe and sound in my arms.' It felt like a heavenly dream--one that she never wanted to wake up from.

Meanwhile, Trevor stood off to the side, trying not to intrude on the moment. Once again, he felt horribly out of place and wanted nothing more than to turn around and slip back into the shadowy night. 'But I can't do that to Casey. She needs me. And if things turn out the way I think they will, she'll need me now more than ever.'

"How dare you! What are you doing here?"

"I…I…"

"Get out."

"But--"

"I said get out!"

"Trevor?" Casey's voice snapped him back to the present.

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" she asked, looking concerned.

"I'm fine," he lied, smiling to reassure her.

"Um, Casey, who exactly is Trevor?" Nora hadn't noticed the gothic-looking boy until Casey said his name. She tried not to stare or reveal her discomfort, but the stranger in her living room looked like some kind of cult member.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce the two of you. Mom, this is my friend, Trevor. Trevor, this is my mom."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. McDonald." The brunette stuck out his hand politely and Nora shook it.

"And it's nice to meet you, Trevor," she returned graciously. Then an awkward silence fell over the trio.

"You have a lovely home," Trevor offered, trying to break the tension.

"Thank you." Once again, silence swallowed up the room. Casey rubbed her arm nervously as anxiety came over her again. Doubt twisted her stomach into knots as she thought about Lizzie, Edwin, and George's reactions. Lizzie would be the worst, but what about the others? 'Be rational, Casey. George will probably be the most forgiving and it's insulting for you to assume that he would be anything but kind.' As for Edwin, only time could tell. It was possible that he would be angry himself and even angrier on the rest of the family's behalf. The kid was unpredictable.

"Your room hasn't changed much," Nora said in a wobbly voice. "I…uh…I kept it clean, but it's mostly the same." The brunette gave her daughter a wavering smile as she thought about her youngest daughter's meltdown and the damage that Lizzie had wreaked on Casey's belongings. Fortunately, most of it had been repairable, except for a couple of posters that she hoped would go unnoticed. Nora didn't want to tell Casey what happened on that day. She just wanted to leave it all behind them, everything that had happened since Casey ran away from home.

"Would you mind if I showed Trevor my room?" Casey asked tentatively, wanting to get away from the swarm of emotions that were suffocating her. Really, she wanted to leave the house, but she didn't want to scare her family again.

"Oh, sure. That's fine," Nora answered quickly. 'Upstairs, alone with a boy I don't know? Well, you've had plenty of time to be alone with him already, if you wanted to.' She watched her teenage daughter lead the punk boy upstairs and felt pinpricks of anxiety. 'And how can I tell you no when any second you could disappear again?'

"I should call George," she realized suddenly. Without hesitation, Nora dug in her purse for her cell phone and whipped it out. Her fingers were hovering over the number pad when she did pause. She was about to make a very important phone call--one that should be made in private. Nora picked up her purse and quickly changed locations.

After Nora closed the door to her and George's bedroom, she quickly dialed her husband's cell phone number. Each ring increased her anxiety as she wondered what she would do if he didn't pick up. Should she leave him a message? Should she call him on his work line?

"Hey, sweetheart."

"Oh, George, I'm so glad you picked up," Nora said with relief.

"Why? Is something wrong? Is it the kids?" George asked, sounding panicky.

"No, no, no. Nothing's wrong," she quickly assured him. "Actually, something's right. Something that hasn't been right in a long time," she continued vaguely. "I mean, it's complicated, but it's the good kind of complicated. I think…"

"What? What is it?"

"She's back." There was silence on both ends of the line. George didn't have to ask who "she" was. Even though the family had been working towards moving on, Casey and her disappearance had lingered in the back of everyone's minds.

"What do you mean 'she's back'?"

"She came home," Nora clarified, sounding frightened and excited--like a child trying their first ride on a bicycle.

"She just…showed up?" He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Yes. Well, I don't know. I think so. I came home early today and there she was, holding Marti in our living room," she recounted. "Derek was there too. He took Marti upstairs. Oh! Casey brought a friend with her."

"Wait, wait, wait," George requested. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I have so many questions that I don't know where to start," he murmured thoughtfully. "Did she look okay?"

"She looked healthy and well taken care of, except for her clothes," Nora answered. "They were a little tattered and dirty, but that could be part of the look, as far as I know."

"Part of the look?"

"Well, she was dressed kind of punk-y."

"Oh." His brow furrowed as he tried to picture Casey dressed in black, wearing heavy makeup, and he just couldn't see it.

"But so was the boy with her."

"Boy?"

"Her friend, Trevor," Nora filled in.

"Oh." He took a deep breath. "Well, is she home to stay?" There was a long pause.

"I--I don't know."

"So, is it just like you pictured it?" Casey asked as she led Trevor inside her room. Her eyes scanned the familiar surroundings. Some of her dance posters were gone, but her favorites were still hanging on the wall. 'I wonder what happened to them.' Her books filled the shelves, nearly overflowing them, and all over the room there were girly touches of decoration.

"Casey," Trevor turned around and closed the door. Hoping that they wouldn't be interrupted, he continued, "We need to talk." The brunette's face fell, eyes reflecting guilt.

"I know," she replied pitifully. "I just…" She sunk down onto her bed and gestured for him to join her. Once he was settled, she tried again. "I really, really wanted to come back, but I knew that I couldn't go through all this by myself." He nodded, encouraging her to go on. "So, I broke my promise and I lied to you." Casey paused, breathing deeply. "And I'm not sorry."

"What?"

"I'm not sorry," she repeated, standing up and pacing back and forth. "I'm not sorry because I needed--no, need--you and I don't think I could have made it this far without you." Her breaths were coming faster. "I know that it's completely unfair to you and that I'm a selfish person for doing it, but I," she sniffled as tears welled in her eyes, "I just…" Warm tears poured down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, hey now." Trevor jumped to his feet and gently pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back in a comforting manner. Then he chuckled and Casey felt the vibrations in her cheek, which was pressed into the crook of his neck. "You know it's not fair to cry when I'm trying to be mad at you. That's cheating," he teased. Laughter bubbled up in Casey's throat, but she just smiled.

Suddenly, the door swung open behind them, revealing Derek, who looked quite startled.

"Oh, sorry, um…I didn't think that anyone would be in here," he apologized, looking flustered. Casey pulled out of Trevor's arms and, keeping her back to her stepbrother, carefully crossed the room without revealing her face.

"It's fine," she replied somewhat stiffly, attempting to conceal any waver in her voice that might give her away. The situation was awkward enough without Derek freaking out about her crying. So, she sneakily grabbed a tissue and dabbed her eyes with it. "I was just showing Trevor my old room," Casey explained.

"Uh huh." Derek eyed Casey's so-called friend suspiciously. What he had walked in on looked more like a passionate embrace than a friendly hug to him. 'But we got bigger problems than that right now.' Bitterly swallowing his jealousy, Derek commented, "It's still yours, you know."

"What?" Casey had been distracted, trying to peek at her reflection to see if her makeup had smudged. She spun around to face him.

"The room--it's still yours," he clarified.

"Oh, right."

"I mean, you are planning on staying, right?" Derek inquired. Guilt flashed across his stepsister's face.

"I--"

"Casey! Casey! Come look at the picture I drew," Marti insisted as she ran down the hallway and into her stepsibling's room. She grabbed her hand and gently tugged on it. Casey smiled. It had never been easy to resist those big brown eyes, especially when Marti was being sweet and adorable.

"Okay." Throwing an apologetic look at Trevor, Casey allowed her stepsister to lead her away. Just as they were passing through the doorway, she glanced at Derek, who crossed his arms and gave her a look that clearly said, "This isn't over."

After Derek was sure that his stepsister was out of earshot, he turned a suspicious eye on Trevor.

"So, just how long have you known Casey?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Uh, well." Trevor paused to think about it. Just how long had it been? Then he remembered. He met Casey in the end of January when he was heading over to his friend Chris's house.

An icy wind bit his nose and cheeks as Trevor trudged through the snow. 'Just a few more blocks.' He tugged his jacket tighter around himself and watched his breath snake away from his mouth like smoke.

"Ah!" Trevor jumped, startled, when he heard the feminine voice shriek in pain. Looking around, he tried to discern where the disturbance had come from. Noisy sobs and sniffles came from his right and as he looked down, he realized that someone was under the bridge.

Concerned and a little curious, Trevor navigated around the railing and quietly walked down the hill, under the bridge. There, he saw a skinny girl with slightly frazzled brown hair, facing away from him as she curled her knees to her chest on the ground. Thankfully, the underside of the bridge was clear of snow, but it was still freezing.

"Uh, hey, are you okay?" he asked tentatively. The girl quickly jumped to her feet and whipped around, wiping tears from her eyes.

"What do you want?" she demanded, fire blazing in her eyes. At first, he thought she was angry, but then he saw that her hands were trembling at her sides, and not from the cold.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," he answered. "I heard you yell." The girl straightened, looking defensive.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Now leave me alone." Trevor sighed and was about to walk away when he noticed that her clothes were dirty. 'And just what is she doing under a bridge, in the middle of winter, at night, all by herself?' Then it hit him. 'Of course.

"You're a runaway, aren't you?" he inquired. Her eyes flew open wide.

"Oh, no, no. Not me," she denied. But it was written all over her face. She was lying.

"It's okay, you know." Trevor sat down, resting his arms on his knees. Smiling warmly, he explained, "I ran away from home too." The brunette relaxed a bit, sitting down a couple of feet away from him. "How long have you been on the streets?"

After a moment of hesitation, she answered, "About two weeks." Trevor nodded.

"I figured about as much. What's your name, princess?"

"Princess!" She cried, offended. Despite his best efforts, Trevor laughed heartily.

"What? You don't think it fits?" He teased.

"No, no I don't." When she crossed her arms in front of her, jutting out her bottom lip and completing the picture, the punk boy doubled over. "Well, I'm so glad that I could amuse you," she snapped. Trevor collected himself, still chuckling good-naturedly.

"You aredefinitely a princess," he announced, grinning cheekily. "So, unless you want me to keep calling you that, you're going to have to give me your name."

Continuing to sulk, the teenage girl, who he estimated to be about sixteen, refused to speak to him.

"Oh, come on," he coaxed. "There's nothing wrong with being a princess. If the tiara fits, and all that." The corners of her lips tugged upwards. Though she tried to fight it, she couldn't suppress the smile.

"Casey."

"I'm Trevor."

"Just over a year."

"So, I guess the two of you are pretty close," Derek stated nonchalantly, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall.

"You could say that," he answered vaguely, observing Casey's stepbrother's reaction. The muscles in his jaw twitched. 'Hmm. I guess Casey was wrong about him.'

"Derek, could you come here for a minute?" Nora called from downstairs.

"Coming," Derek shouted back, giving Trevor one more mistrustful glance as he strolled out the door.

Following the sound of bustling about, Derek traveled to the kitchen and spotted his stepmother, who was in the middle of making dinner.

"You rang?"

"Huh?" Nora gave him a puzzled look and then her mouth formed an "o" as she remembered. "Yes. Ah, I was just wondering if you'd seen Edwin and Lizzie this afternoon." Derek sucked in a sharp breath. He'd forgotten about them in all of the chaos.

"Uh…"

"Oh no. What happened?" Derek considered lying, but given the seriousness of the situation, he decided against it. Swallowing thickly, he formulated a response.

"Well, uh, they got home around three fifteen and I headed them off in the kitchen to…uh…tell them the news about Casey." Nora's eyes widened.

"How did they take it?" The motherly concern in her voice only made it harder.

"Well, Edwin…uh…I don't know about him, but Lizzie was…" he trailed off, scratching his head. "Lizzie was pretty upset about it." Nora nodded in understanding. "And she ran out." A loud clang made Derek's eyes fly from the living room to the woman in front of him. She looked shocked. Guessing what had happened, his eyes flickered to the floor and found a large metal spatula that Nora had been cooking with. Gently, he bent over and picked up the cooking utensil, avoiding his stepmother's gaze.

After he dropped it in the sink, Nora snapped out of her daze and whirled on him.

"She ran out!" she cried in a panicky voice. Derek's eyes shot up in surprise. "What about Edwin?"

"He ran after her," Derek blurted out nervously.

"And you just let them go?" Nora asked incredulously.

"Well, I--" His stepmother held up a warning hand, eyes pinched shut.

"Just stay here and keep an eye on Marti while I go look for them," she instructed. Then Nora snatched up her purse and keys, and stormed out in a huff.

Derek flinched as the door slammed behind her. He snorted angrily. 'What was I supposed to do, leave Casey, Trevor, and Marti here all by themselves? Yeah, that's a great idea--stick Casey with babysitting when she hasn't even been home for thirty minutes. Besides, the kids haven't been gone that long.' After having some time to digest the situation, Derek was sure that his siblings would be fine. Edwin only ran out to look after Lizzie, and Derek figured that Lizzie just needed some time to process, away from her sister. 'They'll look out for each other, just like they always do.'

The swings creaked as Edwin and Lizzie slowly swung back and forth, sitting side by side. Going to the park had been Edwin's idea. Even though it was mid-afternoon, their only company had been each other. Nowadays, all the children played at the larger, better-equipped park that was about a mile down the road. Smart kid that he was, Edwin figured that he and Lizzie could use a little privacy.

Once Lizzie stopped crying, she was silent. Her stepbrother wished that she would say something, anything, just so that he would know that she was okay, but he didn't want to push her. So he quietly stayed by her side, hoping that it helped.

"Hey, Edwin?" He snapped to attention.

"Yeah?" Lizzie was silent for a moment and then she lightly hopped off of her swing.

"Let's go home." She flashed him a small smile and waited for him to join her, which, of course, he did. As he fell into step beside her, Edwin wondered what Lizzie was thinking. She seemed calm, as if she had somehow made peace with everything. 'But how could she just accept everything so fast?' He was pretty sure that she couldn't and hadn't. But he wasn't going to ask. It was all going to have to come out eventually, and, knowing Lizzie, it would be sooner rather than later.

As they were walking home, headlights flashing and a car horn honking startled the pair. They whipped around and saw Nora driving towards them. 'This can't be good.' Edwin swallowed thickly. Lizzie, however, seemed abnormally calm.

"Hi, Mom." Nora blinked, looking confused.

"Hi, Lizard. Hi, Edwin." She unlocked the car doors, waiting for them to climb in.

"Hey, Nora," Edwin greeted her awkwardly, pulling open the van door and holding it for Lizzie.

"Thank you." They both sat down in the middle seat and Edwin shut the door behind them.

"So, how was school?" Nora asked nervously, glancing at her children in the rearview mirror as she started driving.

"It was fine."

"It was more than fine!" Lizzie insisted excitedly. "In math class, I whipped Jenny Crater on three different problems. She was so embarrassed."

"Good for you," Nora responded, wishing that she knew what was going on in Lizzie's mind. Experience had taught her that Lizzie could be quite explosive, especially once she was confronted with the subject of her anger. Her eyes met Edwin's in the mirror and he gave her a helpless look. They could only imagine what would happen when they got home.

"And Dimi said that horses couldn't be purple, but he was wrong; so I colored her purple anyway," Marti explained, showcasing her picture. Casey smiled, tracing her finger over the horse's mane.

"That's very good, Marti," she complimented as her eyes misted with tears. 'I can't believe I missed a whole year of her life.' Her eyes traveled over her eight-year-old stepsister. Some of her baby teeth had been replaced with her permanent ones and in couple of places there were simply gaps, promises of what was to come. She was taller as well, coming all the way up her elbow. 'Even her drawings have improved.'

"I really missed you, Casey," Marti commented in a quiet voice.

"Me too, kid." A few tears snaked down both of their cheeks as Casey captured her stepsister in a tight embrace. She had been gone for almost as long as she had lived with the Venturis, but that didn't seem to make her miss them any less.

A knock on the doorframe startled Casey and she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"Yes?" she asked in a shaky voice, turning to the entrance.

"Mind if I borrow Casey for a while, Smarti?"

"Okay, Smerek," she assented reluctantly, turning to a fresh page in her drawing pad. Smiling fondly, Casey took a last look at Marti before following Derek out of the room. Wordlessly, he led her down the hallway and opened his door, gesturing for her to enter.

Once they were both inside, with the door closed, Derek sat down on his bed and pulled over his computer chair for Casey. She sat down and crossed her legs, waiting for him to begin. Obviously, Derek had something to say that he didn't want to say in front of young, innocent ears.

Derek cleared his throat and said in a raspy voice, "Look, none of this is easy for me to say, so try not to interrupt me or anything, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I can do that," Casey assured him, sitting up straighter. Her stepbrother scratched the back of his neck, which was a nervous habit of his.

"I'm not good talking about…feelings, but I do happen to really…care…about you," he admitted, scarlet flushing his cheeks. He cleared his throat again. "And I'm really glad that you decided to come back home." Derek paused again, looking down at the floor as he clasped his hands together. "We missed you a lot and…um…" he trailed off. Taking a deep breath, his eyes raised to meet hers, looking frightened, "What I need to ask, need to know, is if you're home to stay or if this is just some kind of rest stop for you. Because if that's what it is, then I…no, we need you to leave as soon as possible."

Adrenaline surged in Casey's veins. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and all of her nerves began to tingle. She knew that Derek was right. If she wasn't going to stay and reconnect with her family, then she was only torturing them with her presence. She was ripping open old wounds and unless she planned on staying and helping them heal properly, then she had no business being there at all.

"Look, I'm not trying to hurt you or drive you out of the family or anything," Derek blurted into the silence. He'd seen the deer-in-headlights look on her face and was attempting to do a little damage control. "I'm just trying to protect them from any more damage." He was lost for words. He wanted to explain to her just how much she had hurt their family, and how much she had hurt him. But, looking at her guilt-stricken face and her tear-filled eyes, he just couldn't. Suddenly, Derek felt a very strong urge to protect her. He wished that he could somehow shield her from the consequences of her actions.

Still, he had everyone else to think about, especially all of the younger kids. So, he braced himself to ask the million-dollar question.

"So, what's it going to be?"

A/N: Hey, guys! ducks rotten tomatoes being thrown in her direction Wow, you have good aim. I'm sorry that this chapter took so long and I'm really sorry if it sucks! This one was really hard to write and I felt like I felt really pressured to make it as good and realistic as possible. I'm not quite satisfied with the result, but I don't want to deprive anyone any longer and I don't know if I could make it much better anyway. So, here it is. The next one, hopefully, won't take as long. Until then, adios!