A/N: Here's chapter seven. Casey and Sam have a little argument. Just for clarification, in previous chapters it may have seemed like Casey had never confronted Sam about the cheating…however, while she's never really confronted him about his constant cheating with her ex best friend, they have had arguments about it (especially when he works to the wee hours of the morn—I just heard that phrase on a show I was watching and I had to use it). Most of them spring up from Sam's sort of paranoia over getting caught (cause if you remember he did promise never to do it again). Oh, and the two little sections of italics at the end of the chapter are dreams. The first comes from after the fight at the party when they were in college. And the second, well, you'll just have to see. Anyway, on with the chapter. R&R. Thanks! –Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own LWD.

Chapter Seven

Where Did It Go Wrong, So Wrong

Casey was sitting on the floor again, looking through albums. Derek had gone home hours before, after his offer to stay until Sam came home was turned down. Mikay had been in bed asleep for even longer. Once she had the house quiet and empty, Casey really began to process all that had happened. When she found a bottle of wine in her kitchen, she had immediately poured herself a glass. She felt she had deserved it, she had a long day. She took the glass with her into the living room when she decided to take a look at one more album that she hadn't gotten to look at while Derek was there. Her and Sam's wedding album.

She flipped through some of the professional pictures that were taken just after the ceremony, of her, Sam, their families, and wedding party. Everyone had a smile plastered on their faces, even her. Casey didn't know how she could look so happy. They were already having problems when they got married, even Derek had said so. Those problems had only escalated over the years. The logical, reasonable Casey she once was would never risk such a thing by accepting the proposal. Why would she have done that?

"He was a safe; he was what you thought you wanted."

"You want a Sam that doesn't exist anymore. And you should know that better than anyone."

Remembering Derek's words from earlier, Casey wondered when he had come to know her better than she knew herself. How he had become her best friend she didn't know, but only one day of his support showed her she was lucky to have him. She stared down at the picture of Sam, her, Derek and Emily—their best man and maid of honor—and it all felt wrong.

Casey took another sip of her wine as she turned to the section of the album that consisted of snapshots take by the cameras they had left on every table at the reception. Most of the pictures were of the various guests taken at the table. There were some of her first dance with Sam, and some of her dance with her father. Then she came upon a picture that interested her, but she didn't get a chance to really look at it before she heard Sam come in the front door.

Casey didn't move from where she sat. She just downed what was left of her glass of wine. She heard him toss his keys down and a few moments after he was starting into the living room. Casey figured he thought she had left the light on when she went to bed. She also heard his sharp intake of breath when he caught sight of her.

He sighed, frustrated, "Casey, I told you not to wait up."

Casey placed the album, open, on the coffee table. She then stood and turned to Sam, "I wasn't waiting up."

"Yeah, and you weren't looking for lipstick on my shirt collar, or going through my call logs on my cell," Sam snapped, "Don't you think it's about time you gave up on this paranoia?"

Casey let out a short chuckle, "Feeling a little guilty? All I said was, 'I wasn't waiting up.' Maybe I'm just not aware of how that sounds like an accusation of unfaithfulness."

"We've had this argument enough times for me to know that finding you up after I was working late meant some kind of wild accusation." Sam rolled his eyes. "I am not cheating on you, maybe one of these days you'll believe me. Or maybe you'll learn to trust me."

Casey closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She would love to trust him, and not believe Derek or her sister. But she couldn't stop seeing that last picture she had looked at: Casey dancing with Derek and in the background Sam was dancing with Emily.

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"I cannot believe you." Casey replied as soon as the limo door closed after them. "At our wedding, our wedding."

"Casey, what are you…"

"Dancing with Emily, Emily. At our wedding." Casey exclaimed.

"I don't see what the big deal is. It was one dance, and you were dancing with Derek. I don't see how that's any different." Sam responded.

"It is different. There's one key difference. I've never slept with Derek, especially not behind your back." Casey said angrily.

"This is stupid Case, are you going to ruin our wedding night over this?"

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"No. I don't trust you." Casey murmured. "But you haven't given me any reason to."

"Casey…"

"No, I'm talking now." Casey cut Sam off. "Because we've been married nine years and I've kept quiet. I can't do that anymore, I don't know how I did it that long.

"I don't need lipstick or a suspicious phone number on your phone, for me to know you are anything but faithful. And you can say it as many times as you want, but even over drinks, no cliental meeting keeps you out past one." Casey finished, and walked past Sam to head for the stair, muttering, "You can sleep on the couch."

Casey climbed the stairs, entered her room and almost immediately collapsed on her bed. She couldn't figure out where all the fight in her had come from. She felt heartbroken and fed up, but strong. She felt as if a burden she had shouldered was being lifted. Even as a few tears trailed down her cheeks over what this meant for her, she knew she had done something that had been a long time coming. Without changing out of the clothes she had worn that day, she curled into her covers and fell into somewhat reminiscent dreams.

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"Casey, I promise you it will never happen again." Sam was begging, "I'm so sorry. So sorry. Please give me another chance."

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"I just, I don't understand." Casey spoke through sobs. "I can't figure out what happened, what went wrong."

"Shh." Derek murmured, pulling Casey close into a tight hug. "It's going to be okay."

"I want to believe that." Casey whispered, still shaking. "But it hurts."

"I promise," Derek responded as he pressed a light kiss to her hair. "Things will get better."

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When Casey woke the next morning, she recalled only a trickling of a memory that she couldn't quite place. All she knew was that it took place in the house the McDonald's had shared with the Venturis, and she was still her teenage self. She shook it off as only a dream, but she could still feel the feather light touch of lips to her hair that made her skin tingle.