Author's Note: Okay, we are going back in time one hour here for the continuation of the LwD part of the story. The rest of the chapters will not do this.


"If dressing up like a lady helps me help others then dress like a lady I shall!" – Josh Nichols

Episode: "Suddenly Brothers" Pilot

Show: Drake & Josh


Chapter 2 – A Nightmare Come True?


MacDonald-Venturi Household – London, Ontario, Canada

Friday Morning – 10:12 AM – Derek's Bedroom

Today had been a scheduled 'no school day.' As to why was unknown by Derek; Casey would probably know. She was the type to keep up with information like that. All Derek cared about was the fact that there was no school today and after staying up half the night, he was glad to have the chance to sleep in.

After the bizarre happenings of earlier that morning, Derek finally found some way to get to sleep sometime around 7:30 AM. He had drifted himself off to sleep by telling himself repeatedly that it had just been a trick of the darkness on his eyes or a strange dream or nightmare or something, anything of the sort. Nevertheless, his peace in slumber did not last as long as he would have liked.

Derek woke to the sounds of his merged family conversing vociferously in the hallway. He heard Casey's name being said more than once, but when he did not hear her voice after each mention of her name, he became curious to know what was going on. They sounded frenetic, concerned, displaced…alarmed even.

'Maybe I wasn't imaging things last night or dreaming and she's floating over her bed again,' he thought. 'I sure hope not…that was too weird and crazy to even believe the first time around.'

When he finally entered the hallway from his room, he saw the concerned looks on all of their faces. "What's going on?"

Nora turned to her stepson only to pale at the thought of what her answer would have to be. She turned back to her husband and leaned against his chest for comfort. She was obviously taking this very hard, whatever this was.

George wrapped his arms around his wife and looked at his eldest son. "Well, you know how Casey is usually up way before now…even on non-school days like this one," he answered his son cautiously before explaining fully what was going on, expecting Derek to make some snide remark about how Casey always gets up before dawn. Expecting him to be completely in disregard for any of the rest of the family's feelings on the issue. "She is such a light sleeper, always waking at even the slightest amount of noise. Nonetheless, Casey…is in a deep slumber."

He paused for a moment waiting for Derek's reaction. Even though the family had noticed a slight difference in how the two had been getting along lately ever since Derek had ratted out Scott four-timing ways to Casey, but George was not entirely sure if that would mean Derek could actually be civil about what was now going on. The two still argued and got on one another's nerves as if the last few weeks had never even happened, yet they somehow seemed to be more like friends now. As if they had come to some sort of understanding, while still not fully able to get along a majority of the time. In Nora and George's opinion, at least it was a start.

This particular situation, however, was a little too odd to really understand for any of them right now. Many teens sleep in, and Casey could not really be considered an exception to that, right? Nevertheless, this all still seemed off. Ever since the MacDonalds had moved in Casey had never been known to them as the type to sleep in for any reason, except for any very rare occasion when she would actually sleep in, not to count, the fact that nothing whatsoever could wake her up this morning. It normally being a usual school day, one would expect her to awaken early anyway. Something she would never miss for any reason even if the schools were closed for scheduled maintenance. On every given school day and sometimes even on the weekends, she was up as soon as her alarm would go off and making her way to the bathroom for a shower and on the weekends she be up by 8:00 AM – every time. But not this morning, oh no, this morning Lizzie had heard the alarm sounding inside Casey's room from the hallway and entered to find her sleeping peacefully while the noise continued to resound against the walls of Casey's room. Not even a stir was seen from Casey from the loud noise around them; she barely even moved at all except the sudden movements of breathing. Lizzie sprinted down the stairs to get her mother and after many attempts to wake the teenage girl; they were now all here standing outside of her room in the middle of the hallway, worried sick.

Nevertheless, George still felt it necessary to expect a joyous celebration or at least a comment made in joyous merriment by the teenage boy standing before him. None came, although, it almost appeared as if Derek had paled at the mention of Casey not waking up at the usual 6:00 AM time that she gets up every weekday morning to start off her day, but George decided that he was probably just imaging things.

"She is still alive—she is breathing. We checked, but she will not wake up. We have tried everything we can think of to wake her," George finished explaining and waited again for his son's reaction.

Derek panned their faces, looking at each of them one at a time. Looking for explanations, hoping for one of them to crack and say that it was a joke, a way to get him back at him for all the hateful things he has done to her since the MacDonalds moved in, but no such luck. Their faces remained serious, stone even. Nora looked almost as if she were about to break down crying right there and then.

'This has got to be joke. It has to be. This is just not possible,' he thought, desperately mocking their shenanigans. 'Things like this just don't happen to people. At least, not in the 'can't wake up, but are still alive' type of way. I know what I seen earlier this morning, but that had to be imaginary, right? I had to just be seeing things or dreaming or…something.'

He decided it was time to turn on the 'mocking' Derek Venturi-attitude. He smirked at them as he continued to look at each one of them. 'They can't fool me.'

"What? That doesn't make any sense," Derek retorted in an amused manner, narrowing his eyes smirk still intact, but appearing somewhat confused nonetheless. Then he scowled when he realized it was time to move on from 'scornful' Derek Venturi-attitude and to turn on the 'I-don't-care-about-anyone-but-myself' typical-Derek Venturi-attitude. He found it necessary at a time like this. "Are you guys trying to pull some type of prank on me to see how I would react or what? Is this just some way to trick me into being concerned for her?" He was not buying this for one minute, at least not until he was certain they were telling the truth. His usual attitude towards Casey from before the Scott incident was showing in his attempt to sound unconcerned and perturbed by their antics. "You can't pull one over on me, alright? I'm a prankster at heart. I know every angle to these things. You can't trick me."

"No, we're seer-ee-us, Smerek!" Marti exclaimed to him drawing out the word 'serious' to show emphasis on the word, yet she did not look to be as concerned as the others were, but hearing it from Marti he knew what the others had told him was true. His Smarti would never lie to him even for a joke. She might go along with it for a little while, but she would always be the one to spill the beans to him by now.

'So, I really wasn't imaging things last night . . . something bad did happen.' He told himself as he closed his eyes and inwardly sighed in an attempt to hide his newly found concern. No matter what they did or said from now on, he was not going to let them know that this was affecting him in any way whatsoever. Oh no, it was time to be the old Derek again. The one that people always thought of as a cool jerk with a could-care-less attitude about what was going with anyone else, with the confidence in himself to match it. It was time to start looking out only for number one again – and the only number one he knew, was himself.


Author's Note:Date – Wednesday, September 27 – Wednesday, May 23, 2007.

Chapter Totals: Approx. 4 pages, 1,975 words, 34 paragraphs, and 180 lines.

Just so you know, I love posting my chapter statistics, so I am sure you have noticed that I have been posting these every chapter and I will continue to do so.

Are you getting the jest of things yet? Are you beginning to figure out how I have changed some scenes in "Crushing the Coach" yet? Yeah, that is starting to come out and will continue to be explained as the story continues. I am guessing you are confused…uh, sorry if you are, but this is how the story is going to go. Therefore, I cannot answer any questions, like "So what exactly did you change?", "Just what is their relationship right now in the story?" and other questions like that because those will be answered in the story and I do not want to ruin anything. Personally, at least one or two of those many questions swirling around in your brain has already been answered. ;) I'm just not telling which one.

I had to change him back, by the way. I was getting really aggravated at myself for writing him, what seemed to be, out of character for most of this. I know, I know. For most intents and purposes, he was what some would call in character, but then there are others who would say differently even after seeing "Crushing the Coach" and many of the other episodes where Derek ends up showing that he really does have a soft spot, not only for Marti, but also for Casey in his heart. Nevertheless, I really don't get how I have no trouble keeping Martin in character all of the time and have so much trouble keeping Derek in character all of the time. I mean, they are practically one in the same! They have the same personality and they both love to aggravate the hell out of their same age as them stepsisters. Although, Martin tends to show that he cares about Diana much more often and more easily than Derek ever does with Casey (some may beg to differ on Derek's part, and I would actually have to agree with them), but of course they haven't known each other as long as Martin and Diana have.

However, how much is this situation here really going to affect him? Will he crack and admit to someone that he actually is concerned for her? You will just have to continue reading to find out. Really, you will because I'm not going to tell you. I have tons of plans for this and the mission action is coming up eventually. That should be interesting, right?

Destini Jen Venturi

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