A/N - I do not own Life with Derek. Here's a part of Season 2.. and thanks for the great reviews of encouragement :)

Enjoy!

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In Dating the best friend...

"Can I ask you something?"

Casey turned to face her boyfriend, her grin widening at another gentlemanly quality Sam seemed to possess. "Sure. Anything."

He hesitated, his hand squeezing hers in reassurance. "Why were you so on edge about the whole Emily and Derek thing?"

She faltered, stalling them both. "What do you mean?"

Sighing, he stopped and turned towards her. "I mean. What's the big deal?"

Her eyes widened. "What's the big deal? He didn't even like her, Sam. He only asked her out to get back at me."

"And that's all it was?"

"Yeah, that's all it is. What did you think it was about?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I thought you just didn't like the thought of your best friend and Derek together."

Casey's gaze dropped nervously. "Well, yeah. That was one of the factors I guess. It's just that, we all know him, I didn't want to see her hurt."

"So then if they actually liked each other, you wouldn't mind?"

She had to stop herself from bursting out into laughter. "The two of them? Together?" Her grin fell when Sam looked at her pointedly. "Of course not. I would be happy for them." Sam raised his eyebrows at her. "I would!" She protested.

"Okay then." Grabbing her hand he had previously let go, he started walking, pulling Casey alongside him.

They continued walking in silence until Casey suddenly halted again. "What did you mean by 'if they actually liked each other'?"

Sam shrugged again. "I don't know. I thought it'd be pretty cool. We could double date together." He turned to start walking, but Casey stayed put.

"But.. Derek doesn't like Emily, does he?"

"I don't know. She's a girl. By definition, she's his type." Sam laughed.

"But.."

"Casey, relax. I was just joking. I hereby promise that Derek hasn't mentioned Emily in a romantic way." He nudged her lightly. "Okay?"

She nodded, her eyes glazed over due to the disturbing and distracting thoughts swirling in her head. "Okay." She whispered.

Grinning, Sam grabbed her more tightly and pulled her with him. "Boy, you guys really do hate each other."

In Scoring the goal...

"You got that?" Derek questioned as he easily slid around his step-sister and moved to the opposite side of the rink.

"Yeah. I think so." Lizzie called after him nervously.

"Good. Then come at me." He crouched down in preparation.

Lizzie's eyes widened. "What?"

"Come at me."

"But I just learned how to stop."

"I know. I was there." He gestured for her to come forward.

"But.."

"Lizzie! Do we need to have the Venturi's aren't quitters speech again?"

His step-sister's eyes narrowed in concentration. "No. But if I hit you.."

"I'll blame Casey." He finished smoothly. "Now, come on. I don't have all day."

With a quick breath to rid her nervousness, Lizzie set off. She skated effortlessly towards her elder step-brother. As she neared him, she twisted her ankles, just like she was taught. Nothing happened, she continued to go towards him. Closing her eyes in panic, she twisted more violently and came to a screeching stop just an inch in front of him. Derek removed her helmet, his wide grin contagious. "I did it!" She screeched as she threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

Derek teetered dangerously before he found his footing. "Knew you had it in you. Now if we could only teach your sister some class.."

"Thank you." Lizzie beamed letting him go. "I never thought I could do it."

"Yeah well. Unlike Casey, you're not Klutzy. You could be a Venturi legacy as yet."

They moved towards the exit of the rink, this time, Lizzie independently skating without the help of her step-brother. "I can't wait to tell everyone that I finally learned how to stop." She said excitedly as she removed the protective padding Derek had lent her.

"Yeah. Especially Casey." He smirked his face sporting a faraway look. "Just imagine her face when I prove that once again, I'm better than her."

Lizzie rolled her eyes as she opened the door to the outside world. Who knew that Derek Venturi couldn't go two minutes without mentioning her sister?

In being in the Middle...

"That was a dirty trick you pulled." Derek mumbled as he stormed into the kitchen after not being able to sort things out with Emily.

Casey smiled mischievously as the rest of the family looked on, confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Casey pulled a dirty trick?" Edwin questioned as he took his seat at the counter.

"Oh yeah." Derek moved his arms elaborately. "A sneaky, mean... sneaky trick."

"And what trick is this?" Nora asked distractedly. To her, preparing dinner was more pressing.

"She and Sam pretended that he was going to quit the hockey team. The hockey team! Who does that?"

"In my defence.." Casey said calmly. "It was just to teach Derek a lesson for trying to meddle in our relationship for his own Swedish gain."

Nora eyed her step-son warily. "That makes perfect sense."

Derek smiled sheepishly. "I was only thinking of Sam and Casey." At the scoffs around the room, his eyes widened in innocence. "I was." He ignored it when they gave each other knowing looks. "It doesn't matter. At least these two.." He gestured to his step-sister. "Love birds are back together. Sweden, here we come." He grinned.

Everyone else looked expectantly at Casey. It was a well known fact that she always wanted the chance to burst his bubble. Avoiding everyone's gaze, she smoothly stepped off her stool and walked around the family until she stood behind Derek who was leaning forward against the counter. Reaching around him for a carrot stick her mother had placed in the middle, she leaned slightly against him until her lips were achingly close to his ear. "Actually, we broke up." She whispered smugly as she snatched the vegetable from the bowl and quickly made her way out of the kitchen. She couldn't help but add a bounce to her step. He had stiffened the moment she had whispered those words against his skin.

Grinning widely, she took a bite out of the carrot. Goodbye, Sweden!

In paying for the Candidate...

Casey squeaked as she snapped back in fear. "What.. was that?"

Derek looked mildly amused as he looked down at her from his bed. "I don't know. Did it move?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. What sort of a question is that?

"If it moved." He continued. "It's probably my pet Gerbil I lost in the fifth grade." Grinning at her disgusted features he turned back to his comic.

"Me alone is not going to do anything. You need an exterminator."

"Ah! But you alone is the only one responsible for my Grade one story to be all over the school. So, you alone are responsible to make this bedroom livable again."

Her eyes narrowed. "This is way worse than what I did."

Derek cupped his hand over his ear. "Wait. Do I hear someone not working?" He looked expectantly around the room.

"Fine." Casey snapped. "I will do as you ask, just this once. Since I feel...kinda.. sorta.. guilty. But only this once." She sighed as she bent down again to look under his bed.

"One more thing." Derek said gaining her attention. "Before you start, don't forget to wear the French Maid outfit in my closet."

Casey screeched as she threw the cloth in her hand right at his face before storming out of his bedroom in anger. Derek watched her leave, a smirk adorned on his face. Shrugging, he went back to his comic. At least he tried.

In Battling for power...

Paul spit out the water in surprise as his office door was unceremoniously thrown open.

"So, this is the deal." Derek said smoothly as he sat down on the couch. "I need you to tell Miss Spaz that she needs to play my music since she's singing in my band." He looked expectantly at the guidance counsellor who was still coughing and sputtering. "You okay?"

Paul let out a final breath to unclog his throat. "Yeah. Fine. Why do you want me to tell her?"

"Because she listens to you." Derek said in an obvious manner.

"Uh huh. So then, how do you feel about her singing in your band?"

Derek looked to the man behind the desk thoughtfully. "If I tell you how I really feel, will you tell her to stop this whole 'love-me-I'm-a-hippi' sort of music?"

Paul let out a knowing laugh. "I'll tell you what, if you tell me how you really feel, I'll make sure that she does what she thinks is right."

Derek looked at him skeptically for a moment. "Fine. I think that it sucks that she's trying to take over my rock band and turn it into a girly/feel good band."

"And why does it 'suck'?"

"Because.. it's a rock band..?"

"And you think she's compromising your musical integrity?"

"Uh.. Duh!"

"I see." Paul smiled. "I think you need to talk to her. Explain your view on the whole thing. You'll be surprised at how much she'll respect you for it."

Derek stayed silent for about two seconds before he erupted in laughter. Paul however, thought it prudent to ignore this defence mechanism.

"All I'm saying is, the fact that the two of you are in a band together means that you are allies. Working together brings forth a lot of respect for your colleagues, or in your case, your band mates. In other words, you two are on your way to being.. well.. friends."

Derek eyed him as if he had lost his mind. "You know what? Forget it!" He stood up and headed for the door. He turned to face Paul one last time as he opened the door. "And by the way, Casey and I will never, ever, ever become friends." With that last parting shot, he slammed the door shut behind him.

Paul smiled knowingly at the empty room. The first step to anything is denial.

In Lying to get ahead..

Casey rolled her eyes in frustration before she poked Derek again. Groaning, he snuggled back into bed, pulling the comforter over his head. With one strong pull, she yanked it away from him and dropped it on the ground.

"Casey!" He snapped. "What's the deal?"

"Derek!" She snapped back. "You promised to glue the project once I'm done placing it."

He cocked one eye open. "You sure?"

She bent her head forward until her nose was nearly touching his. "I'm positive."

Groaning again, he grabbed the pillow from under him and put it over his head. "Why don't you do it? You're already up." His voice was muffled but she could make out the words clearly.

Casey sighed. She was tired, annoyed and sleep deprived. This wasn't helping. In a huff, she marched into the bathroom and without a second thought, emptied the large bowl of potpourri, filled it with water, marched back to her step-brother's bedroom and dumped it on his now exposed head. Derek snapped awake as he quickly sat up in bed completely doused in water.

"Wha.. Huh?.. Wha.." He glared at Casey who simply looked down at him expectantly. "What the hell?"

"I told you it was your turn."

His eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Oh.. yeah?"

She was going to stand her ground. "Yeah."

Within seconds, he got off his bed, grabbed her and deposited her unceremoniously on top of his shoulder as he headed to the bathroom. Casey punched him hard against his back, feeling panicked at the prospect of not being able to shriek to the high heavens since it was well past midnight. "It's your turn McDonald." He entered the shower area and grabbed the nozzle. Just as he placed her down, he blasted the water at her with full force. Casey yelped as she tried to grab the nozzle away from him. They struggled against each other, water flying everywhere. Finally, he pinned her against the wall, his breathing as laboured as hers. Casey tried hard not to concentrate on the fact that her clothes felt like an unwelcome second skin, and that his body heat could be felt strongly against the her own. The cold water wasn't helping. They stood like that for sometime. Neither moving their gaze for fear of losing this match they had gotten themselves into.

After his breathing returned to normal, Derek smirked. "Next time, I'm not going to be so nice." Pushing himself away from her, he ran his fingers through his hair, now slicked wet. "G'night Princess." With that final parting shot, he left.

Casey cursed herself as well as him. She would have said something witty and insulting if she had not been distracted by how her body heated up while they were in that..unique position. Damn Derek and his male tendencies!

A/N - Please feel free to review.. they make me happy :)