I seriously love you guys, thank you so very much for all the lovely responses! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It does somewhat of a 180, but as Derek knows, all good things come to an end.

I had this chapter finished already a few days ago, but FF was having problems and no one was able to upload anything. :/

P.S. I've only been to a night club once, just this month actually. It's a lot of fun, except for when guys hit on you. :0

Disclaimer: I don't own LWD.

Chapter VII

When he caught sight of her a short while after, standing there on the stairs, it was as if he was transported back to the past when they had actually attempted to go to a party together. He can't remember who was throwing the party, where it was, or what he even did there. He wondered idly if that was because he was drunk, or if all he could think about when he was there was about Casey and how she had acted before they almost got caught.

It shouldn't have to be said, but he nearly lost his cool that night. The way she conspired with him, the way she stripped in front of him, the way they hid underneath their dining table practically on each other. He couldn't stand how adorable and how Casey she was when she came up with her silly sneaking out plans, or how she had actually climbed down a tree. These thoughts left a lingering smile on his lips, and he was shaken out of his reverie when he realized Casey was blushing underneath his gaze.

That's right, it wasn't that night almost two years ago. It was the present, and things were very different. As Derek gazed at her a bit more while she tried not let on that she knew he was staring, he knew that there were some things in common with that night. She was still as beautiful and sexy, if not more so now. She still had that blue eye shadow that looked something more like a purplish hue now – he'd stolen the real blue one and kept it, not wanting her to wear it for her insipid boyfriends anymore. And, she still blushed when he gave her an appreciative glance.

He couldn't help it, "You look... nice, Case." He said softly, his voice losing all the edge it had acquired over the last few weeks. Casey still avoided his eyes and mumbled a 'thanks'. He noticed her breathing became shallower and he took a small step back, somewhat surprised. The tension in the room thickened, and it felt all too similar to those times when they would stop the bickering, stop the teasing, and just feel. The kids had already gone to sleep; their parents were in the basement. Carter was in the upstairs bathroom putting copious amounts of gel into his hair.

It was just the two of them alone. He was surrounded by memories and he felt his throat constrict. He fell in love with her here, and even though she didn't feel the same way and he knows that he should move on, he can't. Because the moment he'll truly start to hate her, he'll take one look at her at a moment like this and his resolve will break. He once thought that their pointless but never tiring banter was something timeless, something that could never cease, but they had hardly spoken two words to each other without it being charged with negative emotions.

It should not be like this, and he would not let it continue. He was running a fool's errand, thinking that she would ever want him in the way he wanted her. If they could only be friends, then he would have to accept that. It was so very hard for him to see her, and be with her without actually having her, but if he could be important to her in some way, he would take it.

It didn't mean he hated the situation any less. Perhaps... perhaps it was better this way. He feared though, that it would take forever and a day to get over her. That even if he meets a cool chick and marries her, he'll have Casey stored in the back of his mind. When he gets home from work every day, he'll wonder what she's doing and if she's alright. When he eats breakfast in the morning, and downs the box of milk without pouring into a glass, he'll unconsciously look over his shoulder to see if Casey will be there to reprimand him. When he goes out at night with his girl or his friends, he'll wonder if Casey is having as much fun as he is, and what she would look like dancing beside him.

But, that's okay. It's all good. He could survive without Casey being his. He could, be a brother to her. No, scratch that last thought. He could never be a brother to her, because that rule's out possibilities, even the most minute. For now, and perhaps always, he'll settle for being her best friend sans stupid romcoms and yoga classes.

"Casey—"

"Derek—"

They started, and they smiled a bit sheepishly.

"You go." She said quietly, descending the stairs and standing in front of him in her tight blood red dress that sent blood rushing to areas he was very familiar with.

"Casey, I... I'm not the best with words, you know that but," he started, getting a bit distracted with the way she stared at him like she wanted him. Did she always look like that?

"You're good with words when you're trying to be an ass." She retorted, her expression taking on a teasing glint. Derek's face broke out into a smile then, feeling a bit relieved.

"What happened... was crazy and—"

"Definitely crazy." She cut in, but not sounding like she believed it.

"Definitely hot." He smirked, feeling a bit nervous of what her reaction would be.

"I guess I got caught up in the Venturi charm, or something." She bit her lip, but not because she was nervous. She was smiling, in this cute way at him, and he knew she was flirting and doing a bad job of hiding it. He was taken aback by the situation, he hated the girl more than anything in the world an hour ago, and here they were as if the last month had never happened. Was this the clashing and co-existing he had long theorized about? He could still see the hurt in her eyes and he grimaced. He averted his eyes for a second when he still felt a gaping hole in his chest from his own pain, but looked back at her, his eyes glittering with delight.

"Was that a compliment McDonald, why, I thought I'd never see the day." He reached out, and flipped her hair over her shoulder. They both flinched, but smiled at each other nervously. It was obvious to the both of them that the tension and attraction was still there. It's been there for five years. Only now, it had recently culminated. He thought back to history class for a second, a day when Casey was sick so he could actually pay attention. His teacher described the waxing and waning of powerful countries and how it continued in an endless cycle. Casey... wouldn't let it happen again, would she?

He felt his throat dry up, and his eyes trailed down her curves ever so slowly while she fought to keep her eyes on his face. When his gaze finally managed to get back up to her face, he swallowed slowly.

"Casey, let's just... forget everything that happened and start over. Well, not over over. You're not nearly as irritating and uptight as when we were fifteen." He smiled warmly as her, his smirk gone and his eyes genuine. Casey pretended to be offended, but he could see the relief in her posture, the same way she had relaxed when she came to his place the day after Valentine's. When she'd shown up at his doorstep after months of missing her desperately. Perhaps he was wrong about the thing she was missing being him, and he was just getting ahead of himself.

How little did he know.

"Derek, I'm really sorry I freaked out like I did then. I just..." Casey still couldn't find it in her to blatantly talk about the attraction between them. It was almost as if, if one of them said it, they would realize how stupid they were for being attracted in the first place and forcibly stop themselves. She... didn't want to stop, she realized her eyes widening. Derek raised his eyebrow curiously.

"What's wrong, Case?" he asked, putting his hands on her shoulders, her hair brushing his hands. They were still standing by the stairwell, and they both thought about their March break the year before when she had divided the house. It felt just like then, the air charged with something exciting, their eyes locked with the other. Derek brushed his thumbs on her skin, and Casey's eyes darkened.

Fuck.

Casey crushed her lips to his initiating the kiss, Derek caught completely off guard before he pushed her up against the wall. She threaded her fingers through his hair, grinding her body into his. Derek grasped at her satin dress, his hands coming dangerously close to her chest before sliding them down over her ass and gripping her thighs, lifting her up and grinding against her. They fought with their tongues, trying as hard as they could to be quiet but they could hardly contain their lust.

Carter was still upstairs. Their parents were downstairs. Sam and Emily would be there any minute.

But they just couldn't fucking help it.

"Ungh, Casey, I want..." Derek groaned into the kiss, pouring his feelings into the kiss. He couldn't say it now, and he was afraid if he ever did, he would scare her and lose her for another torturous month or possibly forever. Did she only want him like this? Maybe he would have to accept that if that meant having her, if that meant he had to blind himself to the fact she wasn't in love with him.

The ability of coherent thought left him when the remainder of his blood rushed downwards, and Casey responded in kind by grinding into him, squeezing her chest upon his.

"Why... why do you make me feel like this?" Casey said, after they stopped to catch their breath. Derek moved in to kiss her again, and she bit his bottom lip making him smirk at the daring and sexy move.

"I don't know... fuck Casey, you make me fucking hate you and then you make me want you so much." You make me love you so much.

Casey arched her back, her cleavage meeting his face when his fingers slid a bit up her dress, tracing the outline of her underwear. He knew he couldn't go that far... right here, right now. She was so tempting, and so willing that he found himself feeling the dampness of the cotton cloth separating him from her.

Casey's head fell into the crook of his neck then, and she bit at his neck and sucked at it, making his eyes roll back into his head from the pleasure. He would've asked where she learned that from, but he didn't want to think about that.

He would only have her for a moment now, and when she was alone again... he would go after her.

She was like a drug, and once he had a taste he couldn't stop. Who was he kidding? Even though she had broken his heart, he was trying not to give into the urges she called forth in him for the last month. The sound of her whimpers and moans drove him crazy, and he was yet again experiencing the extreme end of a feeling because of her. He'd never felt so turned on in his life, and he couldn't fathom feeling like this with any other girl. The doorbell sounded and they froze. They looked at each other and smiled slyly, letting each other go.

They weren't enemies. They weren't quite lovers.

They were the best of friends. They were step-siblings.

But best friends neither step-siblings do things like that. Derek and Casey just chalked it up to something they would add to their resume of what made them special.

As they all gathered outside, they reconnected with their old friends and decided to have a good time that night. Carter got into his car, and Emily followed suit deciding she wanted to catch up with Casey. Sam got in the Prince, and waited for Derek to start the car.

Derek and Casey eyes met before they entered their respective cars, and an unspoken promise of lust filled their expressions. Casey licked her lips, still tasting him on them. She gave him a brilliant smile and got in her car.

Derek looked up at the quarter moon in the abnormally clear sky. Would it make him a wretched person to sleep with someone he loved who didn't love him in return? Or just a fool?

-

"You get that from Casey?" Sam asked after a few minutes of silence. The streets were relatively quiet as they approached the downtown area of London, and Derek was driving smoothly, a permanent smile attached to his face.

He glanced up at the purple charm Casey made and had hooked on his car mirror last year. They bickered about how girly it looked, but when her eyes got light and he knew she wanted to cry, he kept it there for her sake. He had loved it from the get-go but he was lord of the lies after all.

"Yeah, girly huh? She could've made it something neutral... like orange or something. But purple? Nah man, not cool." Derek said, strumming against the wheel to non-existent music blaring in his car. Sam grinned at his upbeat behaviour.

"No, D. I mean the huge hickey on your neck."

The colour from Derek's face drained and his smile dropped into a nervous twittery thing. "I... wha... Sam, you're too funny. That's the most disgusting thing I've... Casey and me, no no... um..."

"I call bullshit." Sam said, laughing at him.

"Damnit. I keep losing my touch." Or perhaps he was always transparent about Casey. Asher, Lizzie and Edwin knew. He suspected Marti too.

"Oh come off it. I've known since like junior year." Sam revealed all too nonchalant. Derek sighed.

"Well, I hope you haven't told that yappy girlfriend of yours." Derek sneered, not wanting to face the possible consequences. If you told Emily anything, she told the world, including Casey who was usually first in line. That didn't bode well for Derek and their current situation that had very well heated up recently.

"Nah, I wasn't sure until now. Even if I was, I wouldn't have told her. She loves you both, you and Casey, but she can't handle herself when she gets excited." Sam explained, his voice strangely affectionate. Derek almost smiled, and wondered if he sounded like that when he talked about Casey. It was weird the four of them, it was like they all switched places in each other's lives.

"Am I really that obvious though?" Derek asked curiously, and looked up ahead where Carter's car was going through a green light.

"Dude, you're both obvious. You're like polar opposites, and, well, you know what they say about opposites as lame as that is." Sam grinned, running a hand through his now shorter hair. Derek rolled his eyes and hid a smile.

"Too bad she's not actually interested in me that way." Derek replied, his excitement levelling off. They were nearing the club, and they saw a line of young twentysomethings anxiously waiting to get inside. He followed Carter to the nearest parking lot.

"That hickey usually says otherwise, especially since it's Casey. You know, Casey." Derek almost laughed, and turned into the practically full parking lot and looked around for a spot.

"I know, it surprised the hell out of me too. I once joked with her about ladies in the street and freaks in the bed, but damn I never knew." Derek's grin got even wider, but then he continued, his smile fading. "But nah man, she doesn't actually like me or anything. We're just..."

"Can't help but want to jump each other at every possible moment?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Sam eyed Derek closely, and felt almost sorry for him. He was sure that Casey was in love with him too, but he supposed his powers of observation were still lacking. They would have fun now, but what happens to Derek when Casey gets tired of him and moves on?

-

Derek stood up by the bar as the odd man out, and watched the swarming crowd of dancers moving to the beat. The club was nearly pitch black except for the swirling blue lights that came from odd angles, and the DJ was overhead on another level. Several girls came up to him and tried to entice him to dance, while the guys next to him shot him dirty looks as they were having no luck picking up girls that night.

Casey threaded her fingers through her hair as she danced up against Carter, her ass grinding against his front. She moved through the motions mindlessly, her eyes constantly seeking out Derek. She found him and she felt a shiver go through her, an intense heat pooling in her stomach. He was already looking at her, a permanent smirk attached to his lips, and his eyes dark and mischievous. He was leaning against the bar in dark jeans and a deep grey shirt that she recalled vividly from when she was pressed up against him. He didn't have to move, make or a motion or a sound. She knew he wanted her.

Even though she was dancing with her boyfriend so suggestively, he wasn't jealous for once in his life. Casey wanted him and he felt his confidence come back with a vengeance. The blue lights hit her face and he was struck with how unbelievably sexy she looked in that dress, her hair wild and her eyes dark with lust for him. Would this be the way she looked underneath him? He wanted her, and he needed her so bad that his jeans were becoming increasingly tight on his person. Casey groaned as Derek's gaze become more intense and her want became too unbearable. She looked away finally, and turned to kiss Carter on the cheek. She seeked out Emily and saw her dancing with Sam, and she smiled at how adorable they looked.

She asked Emily to come to the washroom with her, and her best friend readily agreed. Derek saw this exchange and decided to make his move for the night. He saw Carter walking to the bar to get a drink, and he didn't know whether to smile or punch his lights out. His girl wanted him, and so he was satisfied for now. He followed the girls silently, weaving in and out of the crowd. It was so packed that it was a mission to get to the other side of the club, but it would be worth it.

They came out of the washroom then, and Casey sent Emily off to look for Sam and she would look for Carter. Emily joined the crowd, and just as Casey spotted Carter by the bar, she was grabbed from behind. She stiffened, but she smelled his wonderful scent and relaxed. He pulled her back to a dark corner of the wall, and he leaned against it when she started to dance. He kept her hands on her hips, trying not to moan. His head was spinning and he felt like he wanted to pass out because he was so hot. He leaned into her, and moved her hair to the side, placing his lips on her neck much like he did when he slept with her at her dorm. He wasn't drunk yet, but he felt like he was high off of her.

Casey turned around then, and caught his lips in a deep kiss. They felt like they could do this forever. Her body melded perfectly with his, and he kept her close, dragging his fingers down her sides in urgency while she grabbed at his hair.

"He can't make you feel like this, Case... no one ever could, could they?" he whispered, their eyes briefly open as they kissed. Her blue eyes pierced through his, and she smiled, licking her lips slowly.

"I never wanted to accept it... but even all those years when we hadn't so much as kissed or touched, you still made me feel more turned on than anyone I've ever dated..." she explained in a long breath, her voice husky.

"Only I can make you feel good, right Case?" Derek cupped her ass, squeezing it and lifting her easily against him. Her womanly scent wafted up to his nose then and he nearly dropped her as his legs became jelly.

"Only you. I want you."

"Same here, babe. Same here."

People watched them as they got more intense, some of them thoroughly enjoying the scene while other stared on in jealousy, never having experienced that kind of passion before.

"Let's go home." She said breathily, her movements becoming more and more frantic. She felt a burning need in the pit of her stomach and she needed him right now. Derek looked at her in surprise, his heart rate increasing quickly. The music fell away from his ears, and coherent thought began to slip away.

"What? But..." he couldn't believe he was saying this, "How's Carter going to come back?" Carter was staying at their place and was sleeping on the couch for the couple nights that he'd be staying there.

"You've underestimated me again, Venturi... I made sure I gave him my key, should such occasions arise." A devilish smile graced her lips, and he crushed his lips against hers, feeling the heat in his body spike.

"McDonald, there's a reason why I..." he bit his tongue, and he came too close to almost saying those words that would've surely been the death of him. He settled to run his hand down the side of her face affectionately as she stared with him with wanting eyes.

He let her down gently, and grasped her waist as they walked out of the club. She quickly texted Carter, telling him she wasn't feeling well and asked Derek to take her home. She turned off her phone then, and threw it in her purse, and grinned up at Derek.

It was official. They could never be siblings. They could never be strictly friends. They didn't want to be enemies, and when they tried, it didn't last very long. They both wanted more, but to what degree was unclear. Derek pushed these thoughts out of his mind, and while he knew he may very well end up with an irreparable broken heart after she got tired of this attraction they felt, he couldn't find it in himself to pass up the chance.

-

The morning after, the sunlight filtered through his blinds and fell on her beautiful face. The hot summer morning breeze blew through the window and tousled his white curtains. The sunrise's glow painted his room beautifully, and he couldn't for the life of him remember what it looked like the night before because he concentrated solely on her. Last night had been amazing, unforgettable and undeniably the best night of his life -- and he could hardly believe that it wasn't another one of his dreams. He couldn't believe it had happened, until he looked down at her curvy bare legs that is, that stretched for miles and were tangled up in his.

He looked at her for several minutes sleeping there in his green and white pyjama shirt and skimpy cotton panties, enjoying the silence of the house. He felt completely at peace, and he contemplated ways of how he could prank her when she woke up. He had never done that with her in his bed before and the occasion practically begged for it. His devious thoughts trailed off, and he looked at her pouty lips that were parted slightly as she slept on. How would they progress from here, would she break up with Carter? He felt a pain stab at his heart when he realized he was completely unsure.

He only hoped that she wouldn't wake up and regret what they did. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want it to happen again. Last night was different from just sex. At first it was frantic and they couldn't wait to get each other's clothes off, and like with anything else, they poured insane amounts of passion into each action. Then, it slowed down and the way that they had looked at each other took his breath away. Her eyes had welled up in tears again because she was feeling so much emotion, and he repeatedly gave her face tender kisses as he entered her again and again.

He held her and snuggled her under his broad chest, his chin resting atop her head as he drifted back to sleep. For now, he would enjoy being here with her like this.

-

A few hours later, Carter looked for his girlfriend in her room. He opened the door slightly, not wanting to wake her in case she was still asleep. He frowned to see her bed made. Where could she have gone so early in the morning, when she wasn't feeling well the night before? He had been worried sick, but knew Casey would be angry if he didn't have a good time without her.

Her step-brother drove her home, so maybe he had an idea where she was. He walked the short distance to Derek's room, and knocked gently. He never really talked to Derek before, and he got the impression the oldest of the Venturi kids didn't like him very much. He didn't hear a response, and noticed his knocking had pushed the door slightly open. It hadn't been shut. Curiously, he reached down for the knob and pushed over, glancing over to the bed.

A dark scowl formed on his face as he noticed a half-naked Casey wrapped up in Derek's arms, her hair tousled and their clothes littering the floor. They had sex. She cheated on him. With her step-brother.

No one did this to him, and got away with it.

tbc.