Ok... to be honest... I'm running out of ideas for this story, so it will be ending very soon. This is another shorter chapter and I don't know exactly how I feel about it... So I'll let you decide. ;)

It's back in the Alternate reality with our Derek.

Chapter 7

Nothing Alike

"Did you get rid of him?" Casey asked as she stepped inside the living room from her hiding place in the kitchen. "Is the chess geek gone?"

Derek rolled his eyes, "Yes, Casey, Max just left."

Casey let out a relived sigh and then turned to glare at him, "And did you tell him the truth?"

Derek shrugged, "I tried... but he wouldn't believe me."

"What do you mean he wouldn't believe you?" Casey shrieked as she took a step towards him.

"I told him that I'd decided to extract some revenge on you and it was just a prank but he only laughed in my face saying I would never have to guts to stand up to you."

Casey groaned, "Well that's just great! Now thanks to you, Max Miller thinks I actually like him!"

"You know it's pretty ironic if you ask me." Derek chuckled.

"Excuse me?"

"In my world, Max Miller is Captain of the football team and quite the looker. He and Casey even dated for a while... That is until she realized he was changing her identity and she became allergic to him... or something like that..."

Casey scoffed, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

"Hey, you said you would believe me if I helped you get rid of Max." Derek frowned.

"Technically you didn't really achieve that goal considering he still thinks I'm in love with him, so the deal's off." Casey scowled and then made her way up the stairs, without a second glance back.

Derek clenched his fists and let out a growl as he dashed up the stairs behind her.

"The deal is not off! I got rid of Max just like you asked, so you better help me out or you'll seriously wish you'd never messed with me!" Derek shouted as he banged his fist repeatedly against her locked door.

"Get lost, Derek!" Casey shouted back.

"Fine, then I will just go make a call to a certain chess geek and tell him you changed your mind and would love to go out on a date with him tonight." Derek sneered.

"You don't have the guts!"

"Just as I have told you a million times before, I do have the guts because I'm not the spineless stepbrother you know."

There was a pause and then a click as Casey's door opened and Casey stood in the doorway with her arms crossed against her chest.

"I want you to prove it."

"Prove what?"

"Prove that you're from another reality."

"Haven't I already done that by pranking you and pretty much being the opposite of the Derek from this world?"

"You told me the other day that you and Casey from your world have "moments" where you actually treat each other civilly. If that's true then you must know a lot about her... and if she is me... then tell me something that this Derek wouldn't know but you do."

Derek shook his head, "There's only one problem with that. Casey is nothing like you."

"Meaning?"

Derek let out a sigh, "Meaning that the Casey from my world would never let her younger sister dress like a skank, she would never lie to her mother behind her back, she'd never call people names and pick on them because they're different, and, unlike you, Casey would be there for me if I needed her help. No questions asked."

There was a flash of hurt in Alter-Casey's eyes as she stared at Derek and then averted her gaze to the ground.

Derek continued on, softening his tone, "I don't have to prove anything to you. I just want to know... Do you believe me or not?"

"I don't know, ok!" She suddenly shouted as she stared up at him with perplexed blue eyes. "This is all so messed up! I don't know what to believe!"

"How do you think I feel?" Derek shouted back. "My whole life has been turned upside down and I have no idea how to turn it right-side up again!"

"And that's not my problem!"

"What's with all the shouting?" Edwin suddenly appeared from the attic, startling both Casey and Derek as they turned to face him.

"It's nothing, Ed, go back to your room."

"It's about the prank we pulled isn't it?" His eyes were wide with terror. "I knew we shouldn't have done it!"

"You were in on the whole Max thing too?" Casey seethed as she took a threatening step towards the attic stairs.

"Please don't kill me?" Edwin cowered with his hands in front of his face. "It was all Derek's idea!"

Derek blocked Casey's path as she tried to go after Edwin, "Leave him alone, Case. We have much bigger things to discuss right now anyway."

Casey glared at him and then turned her attention to the younger stepbrother, "You'll get it later, Ed-weirdo!" She warned and then made her way back inside her bedroom.

Edwin stared at his older brother in complete shock, "Ok, seriously... Who are you and what have you done with my brother? Because regular Derek would never have stood up to Casey... and you even got her to back down!"

"It's complicated, Ed," Derek shook his head. "But I promise you that I'll figure it out."

Derek winked at his alternate brother and then followed Alter-Casey into her bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"That did not just happen..." Edwin mumbled in disbelief as he slowly made his way back up the attic stairs and into his own room.

Alter-Casey was sitting on the edge of her bed with her head in her hands when Derek entered the room. He stood there awkwardly for a couple seconds before clearing his throat.

Casey let out a sigh as she looked up at him in annoyance, "Look, Derek... Just like I said before, even if your little story is true, what does it have to do with me? Why can't you figure your own way home?"

Derek took a seat in her computer chair and glanced around the bedroom, noticing that it was almost set up the same as his but with different paint and posters on the walls, and not to mention the furniture was different as well.

"Because technically this does have to do with you... I practically wished you into existence... (sort of) when I laughed at the idea of a world where Casey pulled pranks on me."

"So that makes it your fault, not mine." She scoffed.

"But it has to do with you as well... and the Casey from my world I guess too..."

Casey sat up straighter on the bed and faced him with a serious look in her eyes, "What about the Derek from this world? What do you think happened to him?"

"I... I honestly don't know..." Derek thought about it for a moment. "Maybe he disappeared... Or... maybe we switched places. I'm not really sure."

"So you're saying that he could be in your universe right now?" Casey raised a brow.

"It's a possibility." Derek shrugged. "But I'm not a multiple reality specialist, so who knows..."

Casey let out a snort as she grinned, "I can just imagine that dork freaking out in your world right now. It's the ultimate prank."

"Knowing Casey, she's probably already sent him to a psych ward to be evaluated because there's no way she wouldn't notice the difference." He smirked. "Unless she thinks it's another prank, which is actually pretty funny."

"Now we're talking." Alter-Casey grinned up at him as she leaned back on the bed with her arms holding her up. "It is the ultimate prank."

"Yeah... the ultimate prank..."

But what fun is it when I don't have Casey getting angry and yelling "Der-ek!"? Derek thought with a frown. It was one of the joys that came with pranking my stepsister. Plus it was one of the only times I could ever get her attention solely focussed on me. Why? Because I like the attention. I'm greedy. And I'll admit... I find it really hot when she's yelling at me.

"Derek, are you listening to me?" Alter-Casey's voice suddenly cut through his thoughts and Derek turned to look at her.

"What were you saying?"

Casey groaned, "If you would get your thoughts out of the clouds then maybe you would hear me."

Even though... come to think of it... Now that I've seen this Casey constantly in a foul mood, cheerful Casey was always a turn on as well. Derek thought as Casey continued to glare his way.

"Anyway," Casey rolled her eyes, "as I was trying to say... What was the last thing you and other Casey said to each other before you woke up here?"

"Why?"

"Just answer the question." She demanded.

Derek sighed with irritation as he thought back to his last conversation with Casey, "She was angry that she couldn't get the purple dye that I put in her shampoo bottle out of her hair for her date with Truman."

"Truman?" Casey glowered. "Is he scum in that reality as well?"

"Well... I don't trust him."

"Ok..." Casey rolled her eyes, "anyway so she was upset because of your prank and that she couldn't go out... Then what?"

"I got grounded for two weeks and she flashed me my trademark smirk. Oh and my dad was trying to pull the guilt trip on me by asking how I would like it if Casey did something like that to me, which I replied with 'Casey would never have the guts to prank me.' And that's when I started thinking about it and the more humorous I thought it was... and yeah... now I'm here."

"And this world's Derek might be there." She said as she leaned forward once again and rested her chin on her fists. Her eyes then lit up as she turned to him with a grin, "You know this might not be such a bad thing. Maybe you got switched because you were supposed to be here."

"Excuse me?" Derek was confused.

Casey stood up and stared at him intently, "It's obvious that you and I are more alike and that the other Derek and Casey are alike, so maybe it all worked out for the best. I couldn't stand having that dork in my life and you couldn't stand having the other Casey in your life, hence why we enjoyed pranking them."

Derek frowned as he stood up, suddenly feeling angry at her words, "You and I are nothing alike! Unlike you, I actually don't mind having Casey in my life. In fact, ever since the McDonalds moved in, my life has been better. At first, I admit, I couldn't stand her and I thought she was invading on my territory, especially with her keener, goody-two-shoes ways, but then I actually got to know her and I... well... I realized that she's not that bad."

Casey was shocked by his outburst as she stared at him with wide eyes, "So... you don't hate the other Casey?"

Derek shook his head, "No, I don't. In fact, after switching realities and being forced to live with you, I understand now what Casey has to go through living with me, and I wouldn't blame her if she hated my guts."

"You like her don't you?" Casey suddenly asked with a smirk.

Derek looked away, "That's ridiculous. She's my stepsister."

"Yeah, the stepsister you have the hots for. Don't deny it. I can see it in your eyes."

Derek shook his head, "Even if I did, it wouldn't matter because I know she would never feel the same way."

"But I do."

Now Derek was beyond confused as he stared at Alter-Casey grinning back at him, "What?"

"From the moment I laid I eyes on you, I knew you were different, and for some reason I felt an attraction to you. I of course didn't want to admit it so I lashed out on you, but the more you stood up to me and the more you tried to prove yourself..." As Casey was speaking, she began to move towards Derek, forcing Derek to back away. "I couldn't help but become attracted to you, especially after you saved me from Truman and I watched you punch him out."

"I... I thought you didn't remember that?" Derek asked as he was backed into the wall.

"I did," she smirked. "I just didn't want you to know."

"So all this time, you've believed that I wasn't Alter-Derek?" Derek frowned.

Casey shrugged, "A part of me still denied it, until now."

Derek could feel the sweat on his brow begin to drip down his face as Casey pressed herself against him, trapping him between her body and the wall. Her dark eyes, terrified him as she rested her hands on his hips.

"C-Casey... What are you doing?" Derek trembled as her hands began to move upwards, roaming his chest and muscles.

"Isn't this what you've always wanted?" She purred, pressing her lips up against his ear. "For Casey to want you, to like you, to have feelings towards you?"

"B... but you're not..."

"I may not have the same personality as your Casey but I have the looks..." She grinned, bringing her hands up to play with his hair.

Derek had to admit, if he blocked out the personality difference, and only looked at the physical aspect, he would have Casey throwing herself at him right now, which, at the moment, felt really good.

"Forget about going back to your own world, Derek, you can stay here and be with me. That way, at least you'll have what you want. You'll have Casey." She said as she pressed her lips against his jaw and began to slowly move upwards, towards his lips.

I'll have Casey. Derek thought it over as his body began to shiver with anticipation at finally feeling Casey's lips against his. But she isn't Casey! A voice suddenly screamed from the back of his mind. She may have her looks but that's not the only reason you like Casey, is it? Don't you miss her quirky ways? Keener, dancer, feminist, cheerful, klutzilla, drama queen, protective older sister, feisty, health-freak, afraid of horror movies, poet, friendly, can't lie... "Der-ek!"

"No!" Derek yelled as he pulled away, just as Alter-Casey's lips were about to touch his.

"Derek, what's the problem?" Casey glowered.

"I can't do this! You may look like her, but you will never be her!"

"But..."

Derek shook his head as he grabbed Casey by the shoulders and shoved her off of him; he then made his way towards the door and yanked it open.

"Derek, where are you going?" Casey seethed through clenched teeth.

"I'm going home." He said and then slammed the door behind him.

# # #

Derek paced the floor of Alternate Derek's bedroom as he ran his hands through his hair trying to process all the thoughts racing through his mind at the moment.

Alter-Casey has the hots for me! Alter-Casey almost kissed me! She was lying to me this whole time! EVIL Alter-Casey has the HOTS for me!

I like Casey, MY Casey, not Alter-Casey, and I like her MORE than just a stepsister! I like everything about her and I don't care that she's a keener, or a klutz, or a grade-grubber, or anything that I've always tease her about; I like Casey the way she is!

Derek stopped pacing. But... does Casey like me more than a stepbrother...? Why would she? Derek frowned. I've been nothing but a jerk to her the past few years. And now I sort of understand what it's like living with a monster in the room next door...

Derek let out a groan as he pulled at the hairs in his head with guilt. I am so sorry, Case! I wish I could take back all the mean things I've ever done! And now, more than ever, I just want to go home so that I can tell you how I feel.

Derek slumped down on top of the bed and let his head rest in his hands. He had no idea how he was supposed to get back to his world and to his Casey. Alter-Casey definitely wouldn't want to help him now, considering he'd just rejected her and told her he liked the other her more.

Derek let out a heavy sigh. This just seems impossible though... Maybe I should just give up... Maybe Alter-Casey is right and I am meant to be here instead of there...

Derek stood up and turned on the stereo on Alter-Derek's dresser. Sometimes music helped him calm down and think a little better. The song that began to play wasn't exactly Derek's style of music but it had a good tune, so he decided to let it play and sat back down as he listened.

What would you say
if I
told you that all I've thought about
is you
since you've been gone
I wish some way, some how
I could turn this world right back around
and mend mistakes I made.

Derek's ears perked up at the lyrics of the song and he began to listen more intently. It seemed to be saying the exact thoughts he was having.

So I could say to you that
I know things aren't quite like what they used to be
different faces, different places yeah.
We could try, oh yeah we could try.

What would you say if I
told you that I'm not givin' up
however long it takes
It's clear that things have changed
since when we started
but we can't just walk away, babe.

Derek felt guilty now for thinking of giving up and he knew that he couldn't do that. He was meant to be in his world with his Casey and not here with Alter-Casey.

So I am telling you
that I know,
things aren't quite like what they used to be
different places, different faces yeah
We could try, oh yeah we could try.

I know, things aren't quite like what they used to be.

Different faces, different places, yeah

We can try, oh we can try...

"I will try!" Derek exclaimed as he jumped up from the bed. "I won't give up and I will get back to where I belong! I will get back to Casey one way or another!"

Suddenly Derek's head started pounding and he dropped to his knees in pain, clutching at his forehead. It felt like a migraine was invading but a hundred times worse.

"Aaah!" He cried out. "What is going on?"

Lol! So Derek yelling out "I will try!" seems really corny to me but oh well. Like I said, I'm running out of ideas...

Thanks for all the reviews and for reading this story! I hope to get more reviews! They motivate me and force me to complete this story no matter how much I am losing my mind. Haha! :D

That song btw was by "Between the Trees" and it's called "We Can Try". I know I used one of their songs in a story before but I love them so much that I needed to use them again. Plus, I realized while listening to that song and trying to come up with ideas for this story, that the lyrics fit perfectly! If you haven't heard that song before, I highly recommend you checking it out! It was the reason I fell in love with this band!

Thanks again, readers and reviewers! You guys and girls are Awwwesommme!