AN: A month of school and public holidays pays havoc with my writing schedule. Back on track now though. There are three more chapters I think.


"Are you going to be okay?" Derek asked, regarding Casey with a look of concern as they exited the car. "You look a bit pale."

She shrugged. "I'll be fine now that we've put the timing back. Much as I want to spend lots of time with Sam and Ruth, meeting with them before eleven would just be asking for trouble."

Derek nodded, but the concern didn't leave his eyes. Casey paused before they crossed the street. She smiled.

"I'm okay, honestly. The queasiness never really leaves me, but at least the vomiting stops before lunch."

"Will you be able to eat or shall I look at trying to get us out of there before the food comes?"

Casey chuckled. He really was trying very hard to be a good father-to-be. Sometimes he tried almost a little too hard - verging on the over-protective.

"I'll be fine. I'll just stick with something plain like pizza. And remember, I'm the one "driving" so that you can have a drink."

Derek sighed as he took her hand to cross the street. "These guys know us better than we know ourselves." He commented. "If we manage to keep the secret for the duration of their stay I'll be very surprised."

All things considered, Sam and Ruth's family vacation to Ottawa had not been timed very well. Yes, Derek and Casey were still on sick leave and therefore free to spend time with their friends but that the visit coincided with what was Casey's eighth week of her pregnancy did not bode well.

Casey had morning sickness now and it was hard to hide it.

But Sam had held true to his promise that he would bring his family to see his best friends in their home city and the two best friends were so keen to catch up that neither had the heart to turn Sam away.

If they had all been staying under one roof the secret would definitely have been shared because hiding the crippling bouts of early morning vomiting would have been impossible. Ruth, however, had insisted that they stay in a reasonably priced hotel not far away and Casey had not tried to dissuade her.


"Nervous?" asked Casey as she pulled open the door to the restaurant.

"Should I be?" Derek asked, his eyes flashing to hers. "I mean obviously it's not just Sam but Ruth as well…"

Casey laughed. "She's lovely, Derek. She won't bite."

He frowned. "It's just…shit…She's Sam's wife! My best friend is married!"

She smiled. "It's worse than that. He's a father!"

Derek swallowed. "Thanks for your support."

"He's still Sam." She pointed out.
"I know…I just I miss the guy. I want to go back to seeing him regularly but if the two most important people in his life don't like me…" he let his thoughts trail away.

"You'll be fine." She reassured him and stepped inside the building. "Besides, soon you'll have fatherhood in common too. You'll be glad of his help, I'm sure."

Two steps in something collided with Casey's legs. She frowned and looked down to find a tiny child dressed as "Ariel" clinging to her pants.

"Dasey!" The little girl squealed and Casey beamed and bent down to sweep her god-daughter into her arms.

"Amy!" She cooed back. "You came to see me!"

"Dasey." The little girl said softly and snuggled into her neck.

Derek watched his girlfriend with the little tot in her arms and had a rush of something warm and sappy about the future.

"Are you going to introduce me?" He asked, coughing first to remove the fluffiness.

"Of course! Amy, this is Derek. He's daddy's friend." She smiled at the expression on Derek's face. "And mine."

"Hello Amy." Derek said stroking a little pink cheek. "I've heard a lot about you."
Amy said nothing, because she was almost a year old and her vocabulary was limited to the names of the people and things around her. Her eyes widened though and she smiled timidly.

Casey glanced across and spotted Sam and Ruth who were looking on indulgently from a nearby booth.

"Let's go see Mommy and Daddy." Casey suggested and still carrying her little bundle in mermaid's scales, she walked across the restaurant floor.

"Amy's walking?" Casey said in disbelief as soon as she reached her friend, without waiting for introductions. Ruth nodded.

"Since last week. She took her first step the night you came to us while Derek was in hospital and she hasn't looked back since."

"Wow! That's…frightening."

"Tell me about it. We've had to frantically move everything. It's ten times worse than when she started crawling."

Sam meanwhile was greeting Derek. It involved some convoluted handshake, a few "hey dudes!" and that back-slapping thing. It didn't go unmissed by either man that the man-hug was tighter and longer than would ever have been permitted when they were at school.

"Good trip?" Derek asked.

Sam nodded. "Amy slept all the way. Of course that means she was up all last night but, yeah, as flights go I've had worse."

"So are you going to introduce me?" Derek asked pointedly glancing towards the attractive woman who hovered next to them, chatting eagerly with Derek's girlfriend and her own little daughter. Their recent interactions had not allowed time for Derek to meet Ruth so he was still slightly nervous about it which was a new feeling for him. He'd never felt nervous about meeting a woman before: not even Nora. And definitely not Casey.

Sam waited for a pause in the excited conversation which was taking place between his wife and Casey. When they broke off their happy catching up, he curled an eyebrow and smiled.

"Ruth, this is Derek…my best friend. D, this is Ruth, my wife and I can't tell you how completely wrong it feels to be introducing you now. It should have happened five years ago."

All of them nodded sadly at the sentiment.

Breaking the spell, Ruth smiled broadly and held out her hand. "Hi Derek! I'd say I've heard a lot about you but I figure you already know that's a given."

Derek nodded. "Likewise. Casey is very fond of you and your little mermaid here." He grinned at the tiny girl and she beamed back at him. "Tell me." He said turning back to Ruth. "What witchcraft did Sam use on you? You're far too nice for him."
Sam snorted. "Forget it Venturi. Your charm won't work here."

"Oh I don't know," Ruth winked at Derek. "I'm always looking for an upgrade."

Casey laughed. "Upgrade?"

Sam also laughed. "Plus it's a package deal, man. You take Ruth, you get the mermaid… How are you with diapers these days?"
They all chuckled as they took their seats and strapped Amy into her highchair, but not before Casey overheard Derek murmur "I guess we're going to find out" under his breath. She waited until he was sitting beside her and then squeezed his hand under the table.

"So," Sam started, his eyes glancing over the menu and then back at his friends. "Obviously I know the whole story of how you're still sitting here not lying in a cemetery. I also know why you've been absent because Casey filled us in while you were in hospital, but I have to say that I'm still missing a huge chunk of the story."

"Really?" Derek said, sipping at his complementary glass of water. "What did she leave out?"
Sam glanced up. "The bit where hell froze over and you two hooked up." He said dramatically.

Casey choked on her water.

"Sam!" protested Ruth. "You can't say that!"

"Funny. I thought I just did." He deadpanned.

Ruth huffed. "You get more like your father every day Samuel!"

He frowned. "Oh come on, honey. I've known these two for too long to think any other way. Derek I've known nearly all my life. The idea of him and his "accident by marriage" shacking up together is just…"

"Bizarre?" asked Casey.

"Wrong?" Derek asked, amused.

"Actually I was going to say poetic justice." Sam said with a broad grin. A ripple of laughter circled the group. "This is going to be one hell of a story." He decided. "Go on. I'm listening."
Casey grinned. "You know most of it." She said and sipped again at the water in front of her.

"Oh? If you told me that night after I saw Derek at the hospital you're going to have to repeat it. I'd had a whiskey or two."

"More like three or four." Ruth pointed out. "I thought Casey and I were going to have to carry you to bed, slung between us like a scarecrow."
Sam pulled a face and Casey put her hand on top of his across the table.

"I'd have done it willingly." She said. "You've done it often enough for me." (Which was true. Sam had – repeatedly – when Casey had started to drink heavily.)

Sam stared at her with concern. "But that's all over now, isn't it?" He asked. Casey nodded and Derek sighed to himself. He had a good idea just exactly what they were talking about. He was aware of the issues Casey had for a while in her past. She had shared some bad stories about the darkest times: dark times largely due to him.

They weren't issues anymore and her drinking days were over long before the fledgling bump announced itself in their lives. In fact, they were over as soon as he walked back into her life but Derek didn't think he would ever get used to the idea of Casey as a heavy drinker. He knew it had happened and he was glad she was out the other side, but it didn't sit easy with him.

Casey's voice cut across his musings.

"I didn't tell you that night." She reassured Sam. "But I didn't hide what was going on from you, at least not in the beginning. Derek is Mikey."

Sam nodded. "I was just beginning to figure that out. When did you find out?"

"When I first came to Ottawa, but Marti knew before me. Or rather she suspected. She encouraged me to come here, knowing that one way or another I'd flush out the truth."

"Why "Mikey"?" Sam asked Derek who shrugged.

"To start with I was reaching out towards home in a fit of…I don't know…loneliness. Does that sound lame?"

None of them nodded.

"Casey had sent me – the real me - a Facebook message – several actually and as is usual with Casey I got sucked into her ridiculousness." He grinned affectionately at his girlfriend who aimed a mock-punch at him.

"What he means to say is that my message reminded him of how much he missed me."
Sam laughed. "Forgive me for pointing this out but since when does Derek Venturi miss Casey McDonald?"
Derek smirked. "Honestly? The first time I ever missed Casey was the first night in dorms at college. I missed all of the family, but it was the noises from Casey's room at night that I missed the most."

Casey's eyes widened. He had never told her that before; not even in their most intimate moments.

"Noises?" Sam sounded intrigued. Derek had never said anything about Casey making nocturnal noises whilst they were at school. His mind started to run away with him until Casey cut across the conversation.
"So help me Derek, if you start saying I snore…" Casey warned.

He laughed loudly and brushed her hair away from her face affectionately. "No, honey. You don't snore. Not since I got you those breathing strips at least."

"I don't wear breathing strips!" Casey objected. She didn't. But Derek couldn't help himself. It was something about having Sam sitting opposite them. It was just like the lunch hall at school.

"Ooops! Sorry. Our little secret!" Derek stage-whispered and pecked her on the cheek. (Like high school only different).

"I do not wear breathing strips!" She insisted her cheeks red with fury and embarrassment.

"It's okay. I understand, Casey. You don't want Sam to know."

"Der-ek!" Casey complained.

Sam laughed. "Now you see. That's what I expect to happen between them." He said to Ruth. "Duck and cover we could be in for a long one."

By the time the waiter had come, Casey was glaring at Derek and he was smirking back. It was just like old times – except that Derek knew if he kept it up he would hurt her and he had no intention of ever doing that again. He sat forward and took a sip of his drink and under the table his fingers found hers and pulled them to rest on his thigh. Casey met his eyes with her own and he saw the warmth again.

"We'd become close over Facebook, email etc. But I knew it couldn't continue so when the whole situation started to get painful, I decided to put a stop to it. I found out where she was staying and paid Casey a visit." He smiled gently at the mother of his unborn child. "The visit didn't go at all the way I planned it."

"Go on…" Sam pushed.

Casey chuckled. "I smacked him round the face."
Derek snorted. "Only after you'd already kissed me." He pointed out.

"That was shock." She protested.

"It was shocking! Nice but…you know."
"What do you mean nice? It was great."

"What?"
"It wasn't a "nice" kiss it was a "great" kiss." Casey withdrew her hand from his thigh and folded her arms.

"…which was completely negated by the subsequent right hook." Derek stared back at her.

"You deserved it." She sniped.

"How?" Derek curled an eyebrow.

"You didn't tell me you were Mikey."

"You didn't know I was Mikey when you hit me."

"I had my suspicions." Casey's voice faltered. The reality was she couldn't remember exactly what had been behind her decision to hit him. Unjustified grief?

"No you didn't." Derek objected. "ANYWAY," he cut across her protests. "I explained the situation and then left."
"Derek the chicken part 1" Casey muttered.

Sam and Ruth exchanged confused looks. Casey elaborated.

"You'll notice a couple of recurring themes in this tale. Derek getting cold feet and running away from me is one of them."
"That's unfair especially since I was doing it to protect you."
"Protect me? Ha! That's a joke! As I recall it was me that helped you solve the Papillion case and it was me that saved your hide in that wretched bunker!"

Sam began to chuckle. Ruth frowned.

"I thought these two were supposed to be a couple."
Sam laughed. "Clearly they are. The question is a couple of what?"

Casey turned to glare at Sam but Derek smirked, so Casey glared at him instead.

"I guess it took me a while to win her over." Derek said turning back to the glass of water in front of him.

"Pah! You got that one backward." Casey pointed out. "Like I said. You kept running away from me…until I whacked the big guy over the head."
"Not your finest hour."
"It saved your butt."
"He was over three hundred pound and you hit him with a frying pan. It was like…"
"David tackling Goliath, I know."

"I was going to say Fay Wray hitting King Kong with her designer handbag."

The conversation between Casey and Derek went on for a while. The waiter came with beers and took their orders and still the banter continued. Ruth looked at Sam. "Do you understand any of this?"

"No."
"Good. Just so long as I'm not the only one."

Eventually, Casey realised Sam had caught none of the Derek and Casey story except the fact that they still argued like teenagers. She put a hand up to stop Derek and turned to Sam.

"I came to Ottawa to clear my head. Derek appeared and told me some of the truth of the situation. He wanted to disappear again but fate had other ideas. Instead I ended up helping him out with his case and then staying. The rest as they say is history."
Ruth smiled. "Sweet and to the point." She said. "But I think I like the other version just as much."

Derek grinned at his best friend's wife, and Casey knew they were going to be good friends too.


It would have been easy for Sam and Ruth to assume that the fighting between Derek and Casey was a bad sign. So far they had argued as much as Sam was used to from their school days. But the husband and wife were not fooled. For a start the pair in front of them was sitting very close to each other and was usually touching. Then there was the way their eyes sparkled whenever their gazes met.

Finally, there was the fact that the intensity of the arguments meant they were completely wrapped up in each other – almost to the exclusion of the people around them.

After Casey's brief summary of her reunion with Derek, the latter was quiet. Arguments with Casey were fun so long as they both knew they weren't serious. His amusement at her reactions was carefully orchestrated not to upset her too much and he was good at reading every single signal from her body language. He had always been good at reading Casey, but he had to be especially careful right now. The new hormones running through her had altered the game. It was as though someone had changed the rules while he wasn't looking: Casey was more sensitive in many ways.

Yet, whilst that put a limit on his teasing and retaliation, it wasn't the only motive for his silence. He had known Casey a long time. They were comfortable in each other's company. It was inevitable that there were times that he would take her for granted. He knew he did.

But, just when the comfort between them had grown to such an extent that it became trite the light would catch her face in a certain way or she would smile his favourite smile and he was awe-struck again: astounded that she wanted him. The frequency and depth of these moments had only increased when they had discovered her pregnancy.

Derek Venturi was a lucky man and he knew it. He wanted Casey to know that he knew it too.

When the waiter brought their food, Derek took advantage of the distraction to catch Casey's form in his curved arm, and kiss her softly.

"I love you." He murmured nuzzling the space behind her ear.

Blushing Casey smiled back. "I love you too." She replied returning the kiss.

They didn't notice Sam and Ruth watching them, transfixed.


About the same time that their food was delivered, the low hum of the restaurant and its clientele was interrupted by a loud, tinny fanfare.

"What's that?" asked Sam, surprised.

The waiter had just placed Sam's food in front of him.

"That's the "Swordfish Special"." The employee replied. "Someone has ordered our special Swordfish Special Platter. "When we bring it to the table we sound the swordfish fanfare so that everyone knows and then we pipe it in."

"Pipe?" Derek asked cautiously.

At that moment, from somewhere across the restaurant came the canned sound of a bagpipe.

"Oh." said Sam. "How…erm…nice."

The two women in their party however had gone quiet, but their partners had not noticed. They were watching the procession delivering the steaming platter to a table a few feet away from them: a procession of three waiting staff which carried respectively the platter, the side dishes and two small vase-like containers sporting a collection of lit sparklers and indoor fireworks.

"Wow!" Derek said. "All that for a fish!"

He turned to look at Casey and then he frowned.

Her eyes were panicked, her skin tone wrong and her hand was pressed to her mouth.

Which is when Derek noticed the smell. The smell of freshly cooked swordfish.

"Move!" Casey hissed through her hand and gritted teeth. Derek flew out of the booth and stood to one side as his girlfriend sprinted for the ladies room.


Casey hadn't known that one of the restaurant's specialities was swordfish. If she had done she wouldn't have allowed them to pick this venue. Casey liked fish as much as anyone.

Unfortunately Bump did not.

The waiter informing them about the seafood platter never really registered with her, until the smell of sizzling fish hit her hormonally-enhanced olfactory system. i.e. her nose. The bile rose immediately.

After she had clambered past Derek and made for the facilities, she had tunnel vision for her destination. She ran through the tables, thumping the door with the frosted glass panel with the same urgency as she had done one day many moons ago in the hospital.

To her relief, the bathroom was empty so she picked the nearest stall, slammed the door shut behind her and began the process of heaving.

It didn't take long. She had eaten only a dry slice of toast for "breakfast" and drunk only a cup of rooibos tea so there was little for her body to reject.

As the heaving died away she became aware of her surroundings. Firstly, she registered the fact that she wasn't the only one in the bathroom now, and secondly, the person in the other stall was also vomiting.

After several minutes, satisfied that she was no longer going to disgrace herself, Casey flushed the toilet and left the stall. She crossed the floor to the sinks and began to inspect herself in the mirror. She looked pale, slightly washed out but otherwise her make-up and appearance were little changed. She washed her mouth around and straightened her clothes.

Casey was just about to leave the room when the door to the other stall opened. Casey stared in disbelief as Ruth emerged looking like a mirror image of Casey.

The two women stopped in their tracks and regarded each other in shock.

Then they both began to laugh.

Ruth spoke first.

"With Amy" she said "It was the smell of gasoline. I had to send Sam to fill up the car every time I ran low. And I couldn't go with him. I once vomited in their little red sand bucket and another time in a bucket of cut flowers. Of course they were very understanding once I explained." She rubbed her still-flat tummy affectionately. "Clearly this one is different."

Casey nodded. "I should have known Bump doesn't like fish." She admitted rubbing her own stomach. "I tried a tuna fish salad the other day. I was trying to be good, you know, plenty of oily fish and all that. Tasted okay on the way down not so hot later."

They grinned. Casey went on. "And why does no one tell you that ginger cookies may make you feel less nauseous but if you're going to be sick you're going to be sick and ginger tastes foul second time around?"

"How many weeks?" Ruth asked.

"Eight." Casey said. "You?"

"Seven. I didn't know I was pregnant until last week."

"I've known I was for a while, before I even took the test."

Ruth smiled. "Is Derek okay about it?"
Casey laughed. "He thinks he's superman."

They giggled.

"Planned?" Ruth asked. Casey rolled her eyes.

"Do you think Derek and I planned any of this?" She asked. "No. Not falling in love, not living together and definitely not the mini-me which is on its way. Ironic given that I live for order and a schedule."

"Are you happy?" Casey's friend asked.

Casey beamed. "I have everything I have ever wanted in my life." She said. "How can I not be ecstatic? Although I will be glad to see a view other than the rear of the toilet pan first thing in the morning." She giggled.

"Me too. Have you told your parents?"
"About the baby? No. I think we have bigger news first. Wow! I never thought I would ever say there was bigger news than my pregnancy!"

"Sounds like the McDonald-Venturis have a bit of a shock coming."

"Yeah! "Hi Mom! Guess what? Derek's still alive, we live together and by the way he's knocked me up!" What a conversation that one is going to be!"

"Well Sam and I are here if you need us."

"Thanks Ruth. We appreciate that."

"Ooo! I'm so excited! We get to do the whole pregnancy thing together this time!"

"We did it together last time. I was there looking after you." Casey pointed out. She had delivered Amelia after all.

"Yes, but it will mean so much more this time. This time I get to see you hold your baby at the end too. I missed that for you last time."

"I love Amelia as if she was my own, Ruth." Casey persisted.

"I know. I will love your little one like my own too. Maybe our children will grow up to be best friends like their fathers." Ruth wondered.
Casey smiled, her eyes filling with unshed tears and a lump coming to her throat.

"Derek and Sam would love that." She agreed.

"Talking of whom…"

"Yes. We should go back. I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"


Derek stood up as Casey approached and took her into his arms.

"Bad?" he asked. Casey glanced at Ruth.

"I had company." She said. "It wasn't so bad."
"Company?" Derek queried.

Casey raised an eyebrow in question to Ruth. She nodded and then spoke.

"Casey and I are suffering from the same condition right now." She explained.

Derek frowned. "Suffering from…? But Casey's…"

"Yes I know." Ruth said. "So am I."

Derek's eyes widened. "Wow! Congratulations! That's fantastic news! How many weeks?" (Because Derek has recently become an expert in these things.)

"Seven."

Derek nodded. "We're eight weeks." He told her. "So that will be early spring."

Sam looked confused. "Am I missing something?" he asked, bewildered.

Casey, Derek and Ruth smiled indulgently at him.

"Let's just say you aren't the only stud in the room anymore, hotshot." Ruth said. Derek laughed.

"What?" Sam was still confused.

Casey smiled softly and placed a hand on his. "What these two are trying to tell you is that I'm pregnant, Sam. Derek's going to be a father just like you."

Sam began to laugh hysterically. "Best freaking prank ever!"


"That was nice." Casey said, slipping off her shoes gratefully and flopping onto the couch. It was late – dark outside- and they had only just left Sam and his family after a full afternoon and evening of sightseeing.

Derek joined her and pulled her into his lap.

"Yeah. It was. Especially after we all quit keeping secrets."
"Poor Sam." Casey said remembering the conversation early on in the day. "He didn't know whether to hit you or hug you."
"I'm sure he still thinks it's a prank."

"Me too."
Derek kissed her head. "I don't blame the guy though. Sometimes I wake up and wonder if I'm dreaming. I keep thinking I'm in Vancouver in that hideous apartment waiting for an asshole that never showed. I don't get what I did that led me back to you. I don't get that you want me and I certainly don't get what I did so right that I earned Bump." His hands rubbed her belly gently. "I understand why Dad was so sappy after Robbie's birth now." He kissed her softly. "I'm so proud of you."
"I'm proud of you too. I'm proud of how you never forgot your family. I'm proud of how you stayed on track even when you lost everything. And I'm proud of the way you've taken our news. You're going to be a father soon and I know you're going to be the best I could ever have picked even if I had planned it all."

"You're not so bad yourself."

They kissed again.

"Let's go to bed." Derek suggested and then when she hesitated. "Relax! Your virtue is safe."

"What virtue? I'm pregnant!"

They made their way to the bedroom in the dark.

"Ruth was asking about us telling the 'rents." Casey noted.

"Oh."

"Yeah…oh."
Derek sighed. "Soon. I promise. Let's just enjoy the peace for a few more days first."

"We are on a deadline, here."

"I know. I know. I just want to have a few more answers to give them."

"Answers to what?" Casey's voice queried.
"Their questions. Because there will be lots of questions."
"So what sort of answers were you hoping to give them?" Casey asked.

"You'll see." Derek said cryptically. "You'll see."