A/N: So I screwed up… I know it. I'm so sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long for an update. I shouldn't make excuses, but I just get rather lazy over the summer. That's a lie…I'm always lazy, it's just to the max during the summer. Thanks to everybody who read and reviewed my last chapter and thanks to those of you who are going to read this chapter; god knows I don't deserve any readers with how long this has taken. This is a very heartfelt chapter, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Remember, flashbacks are in italics for those of you who are new to my style!


Casey woke early the next morning, feeling more lighthearted and at ease than she usually had on any other school day. She kept her eyes closed a while longer, her other senses picking up on her environment. The scent of a spicy cologne filled her nostrils, mixed along with the vanilla scent of her body wash. The room was surprisingly cool, feeling a soft breeze whisking past her face, yet she was completely warm. One arm was behind her pillow, the other resting on a rough, muscular hand softly gripping at her waist. It was at this that Casey realized she wasn't in her room at all, but in her stepbrother Derek's room, with him resting peacefully beside her.

Panic set in for Casey, as she realized what had happened between them last night. Her breaths became short in her lungs, her grip on both the pillow and the hand on her waist becoming tighter. Derek must have sensed Casey's uneasiness, as he stirred beside her. She turned slowly to look into his hazelnut eyes, which were staring back at her, full of concern. Her breathing became steady once again; her body relaxing as Derek's hand slowly caressed her arm. She had realized that she wanted this, wanted Derek for far longer than she cared to remember.

"You ok?" Derek asked groggily, his body still not fully risen from sleep. Casey put on a light smile, placing her hand on top of Derek's.

"I'm great" Casey said with a smile, before snuggling back in beside him.

"You know what time it is, right?" he asked calmly.

"No idea" Casey said lazily, not bothering to look at the clock on the nightstand right in front of her.

"Well usually by now you'd be out of the house and on your way off to school to study before first period"

"Point being?" Casey asked casually, throwing her hand in the air.

"Are you feeling alright?! Have you come down with psychotic fever?!" Derek asked with laughter in his eyes.

"I don't want to go to school today!" Casey huffed in a pouty, childlike way, throwing the covers back over her head. Derek got out from under the covers and stood up; leaving a wide eyed Casey in the bed.

"I never said that you could leave!" Casey shouted playfully, throwing a pillow in his direction. It hit him directly in the head, causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Oh, that's it!" Derek said, running back to the bed and throwing himself on top of Casey. He began to tickle her mercilessly, only letting up once she was entirely red in the face.

"Alright, alright! Uncle!" she shouted, feeling her jaw slightly unhinging by how much she was giggling. Derek let up a bit, allowing Casey to slip from underneath him. She watched as the smile that was previously on Derek's face disappeared, replaced with a worried look.

"What's wrong?" she asked kindly, concerned what could change Derek's mood so swiftly.

"You don't regret anything, do you?" Derek asked, getting slightly frantic as he did. Casey shook her head.

"Of course not, why would I?" Casey answered, running a hand through her hair.

"Because you're not the most impulsive person on earth" Derek said with a half smile. Casey returned the smile, glancing at the clock on his nightstand. It was only 6'oclock in the morning and Casey already felt fully awake.

"I'm gonna go take a shower before school" Casey said, using all of her effort to get out of the nice, cozy bed. She got to the door before she was pulled back to face a smiling Derek, who planted his lips on hers softly. A moment passed before he pulled away, leaving her dazed and weak in the knees. He chuckled lightly.

"I felt compelled to do that" he said, winking at Casey before he opened the door and sped downstairs to breakfast. Casey stumbled to the bathroom, struggling to keep "Klutzilla" away, on her way to a very long, warm shower.


Derek sped into the school parking lot, only remembering the brake when he had finally found a spot and careened right into it. Casey stepped out of the vehicle all frazzled. She felt her face, looking for any irregularities.

"Thank God we got here alive" Casey said, trying to get her breathing pattern back to normal.

"Oh come on, I was driving completely safe" Derek reasoned, waving off Casey and walking up the school steps.

"Yeah, if you call driving 90 in a 30 zone safe!" Casey said, glaring at Derek. He merely shrugged.

"Hey, I was only trying to be courteous to our fellow citizens by driving fast enough so they could get to where they need to be on time" Derek said with an innocent smile. He didn't notice the group of kids he passed, staring wide eyed at him, and whispering to their peers.

"You always have to find an excuse for everything. Why can't you just admit that you were driving like a douche bag and get it over with?" Casey asked, patting him on the shoulder rather roughly, easing him into surrender.

"Because that would imply that I've done something wrong when I haven't done anything" he said, trying with high success to get Casey going. Casey's fist started shaking with anger, letting Derek know that he had passed with flying colors.

"You're so reckless with everything you do. Can't you at least be a little more careful when you have me in the car with you?!" she pleaded, realizing he had flustered her more than she had been in the car.

"I could, but that would just be…" he trailed off, catching Casey's attention. He was pale in the face, looking towards the hallway. Casey turned to see everyone in the school staring at Derek with sadness and pity written all over their faces. It took her a moment to realize why they were staring at him in such a way, almost forgetting Derek's condition.

"Emily…" Casey muttered under her breath. She should have known better than to trust Emily with such a secret, knowing how big her friend's mouth could be. She turned to Derek, laying a comforting hand on his arm.

"Wanna get out of here?" she asked softly. He didn't look away from the crowd in the hall, which was getting increasingly larger, but he nodded all the same. Casey calmly took his hand, leading him in the opposite direction back out of the school. She eased his lanyard with his keys on it out of his pocket, concluding that he was in no condition to drive and that he would have a no problem with her driving right now, as they silently made their way to his car. He got in the passenger side without question, causing Casey to worry about him. She started the car, pulled out of the lot, and drove off down the street towards an unknown destination.


Casey had never played hooky before, but she didn't care whether she was or not at this point. She kept a watchful eye on Derek, who hadn't said or done much of anything since they had started driving.

"I'm sorry" Casey muttered, glancing towards Derek with a look of regret, "It was me who told Emily about you" she said cautiously, afraid he was going to be angry with her. Derek made no sign that he had heard her, making her worry even more.

"Its fine" he finally responded, "its probably better that they know now anyway" he said, turning towards Casey, "Now it won't be a surprised to them when I die" he said downtrodden, adjusting his seat so that he could lie down.

Casey winced at his words, hearing his hopelessness in his voice, "Derek, you can't just give up. I'm sure the doctors are working to find a solution right now."

"A solution that isn't there, Casey. They won't be able to figure out anything, just like they weren't able to for my mother" he said, his eyes narrowing.

"What exactly happened with your mom Derek?" Casey asked. She didn't want to push him, but she felt compelled to know the story. He took a few deep breaths before he answered.

"It happened about seven years ago, right after Marti had been born. Back then, everybody was happy. I had my mom and dad, little Edwin, and precious Marti who was the cutest baby I had ever seen. We had the perfect family, and my mother was as strong a woman as I had ever met. She seemed flawless, able to deal with any situation and clean up any mess with the swoop of a finger. Nothing seemed to sway her or frighten her, and I loved her more than anything" Derek paused, wiping his eyes free of his tears and sniffling a bit. Casey placed her hand on his hand in his lap, chiding him to keep going.

"One night while she was putting Marti to bed, she collapsed on the floor. My dad rushed her to the hospital and the doctors were astounded by what they found. They had concluded that her heart was deteriorating, but for what reasons was a mystery to them. She had no record of basically any health problems in the past, and for this to come up out of the dark was just scary. She wasn't the same after that; having to stay in bed all day long. She couldn't take care of Marti anymore, so I helped out quite a bit with raising little Marti. Then the day came…"

Derek was walking through the hall towards Marti's room, ready to feed her supper, when he heard his mother's hoarse voice call his name. He adverted his direction immediately and sprinted toward his mother's side.

"Yes mom?" Derek responded, looking his mother in the face. She was entirely pale, with bags under her eyes and her skin wrinkled to the bone. She looked twenty years older than she was, lying in that bed that day. She reached out and took his hand in hers. Her skin felt cold and clammy. From her touch alone, Derek could tell that she did not have much time left.

"Derek, I won't be able to be here with you much longer" she said softly, barely above a whisper but loud enough for Derek to hear. Derek wildly shook his head

"Don't say that mommy. We need you here with us" Derek said, tears coming to his eyes. Being eleven years old, he was lost on what he could do or say to help his mother.

"Derek, I need you to do something for me…Can you promise me to do it?" she asked, causing Derek to lean forward to hear her request, despite his consistent crying. He nodded his head, wiping his nose before looking back up at his mother.

"I need you to be strong for Edwin and Marti. I need you to do everything in your power to help take care of them, to help raise them to be good kids, and lead a rich, happy life. I need you to help your father, and to be good for him, he's going to be going through a rough time, and really needs you" she said, her voice getting lower and lower as she spoke. Derek struggled to listen, but heard her all the same. He nodded once again through his tears.

"And never forget Derek; I'll always love you, with all my heart" she croaked out, before her eyes slid shut. Her grip on her son's hand loosened and fell to the side of the bed, causing him to panic.

"Mommy?...Mommy?!" he called out, his cries getting desperate. He curled up on the side of her and laid his head in his mother's lap, weeping incessantly until there were no more tears to fall. He stood back up near his mother's side, gazing at her now lifeless form, his sobs slowly subsiding.

"I promise mom; I'll do my best take care of Edwin and Marti. I'll be strong for them, and I'll help out dad" he leaned forward, kissing his mother's forehead "I love you too mom" he said solemnly, before slowly leaving the room, walking downstairs to give his dad the news that mom was gone.

Casey wiped the tears from her eyes, sniffling rather loudly from her sobs. She had unconsciously pulled over to the side of the road, choosing to fully focus on Derek's story.

"I'm so sorry Derek. I never knew" she said solemnly, gazing at Derek with a newfound admiration. She had never known just how much Derek had been through, and he was an awfully normal boy for having been through so much.

"That's why I was so hostile to you when you, Nora, and Lizzie moved in. I didn't want a new family, a new start to our journey; I just wanted my mom back. So I was selfish, and I was jerk to you for the longest time. I felt that it was better to hate you rather than accept you as my new family" Derek said, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb, "But I never hated you, I couldn't even dislike you. There were so many things that made me admire you, so many things that you could do, but I couldn't" he finished leaning further back in his seat. They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Casey spoke up.

"This is why you can't give up, not yet" Derek just sat there as Casey grew from a disheartened child, to a determined woman. "You just can't; you think this is a one way street, where you can just shove your feelings onto me and then just give up. That's not the way it works with me" Casey said, putting a hand on Derek's jaw line and turning his head to fully face her, "I need you Derek; I need you to stay strong through this, for me"

Derek's eyes softened as she said this, finding Casey's touch rather empowering to him. She decided to keep going.

"I know it's hard; I know how rough you've had it. But I know you can do it. I believe in you" she said, a small smile fluttering across her face. Without any hesitation, Derek roughly kissed her, wanting the tingling sensation that he felt whenever he touched her to engulf him, to take him away from his worries, if only for a few moments. He pulled away slightly to look into her eyes.

"I'll stay strong, if only for you Case" he said, before taking her lips once again with his own.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Thanks to all of you who read this chapter and stuck with it, I'm sorry again for such a long delay; I just got lazy over the summer. Now that school has started back up (freshman in college) and I do most of my writing in class anyway, expect an update before long. I'd appreciate plenty of reviews, just to let me know if my writing is slipping or not. Thanks again!