AN: This is the first fanfic chapter I'm typing with my new laptop! And now that I have a laptop I'll hopefully begin to write a bit more often and then start getting some new stories started, so check back for that.
Casey unlocked the front door of the house that afternoon and felt really relieved after talking with Sam. She had a similar butterfly feeling as when she was crushing on him, but managed not to be klutzy around him.
She walked in to find George and Nora standing in front of Edwin, who sat on the couch. "Casey, we were just discussing you." Nora said to her daughter sternly.
"Mom, chill. What's going on?" Casey took off her hoodie.
"We were just talking with Edwin about your, activities, together." Nora said.
"Oh." Casey exchanged a nervous glance with Edwin. "Well that's fine because I have something to tel you then, we both do." She sat next to Edwin.
"We do?" Edwin asked.
"Uh, yeah." Casey assured him. "First of all, we broke up. And we never had sex together. So you guys don't have to worry." She and Edwin stood up to tried and escape.
"oh really?" George stopped them. "Because that's not what it seemed like."
"Dad. Calm down." Edwin said. "We seriously are done with, Casey's with another guy now." Edwin let it slip out.
"Oh is she?" Nora asked.
"Actually no I'm not. I just went on a date with a different guy, but that's it. No second date or anything." Casey explained.
"And you guys know that what you were doing was wrong, right?" George asked them.
"Uh huh." Edwin nodded.
"hell yeah." Casey agreed. Her mom appeared shocked. Casey swore all the time, just not around her parents or Marti.
"Ok then, you guys can go. We believe you." George dismissed them.
"Ok." The step-siblings said in unison and rushed up the stairs.
"So you're not going out with Derek again?" Edwin asked when they reached the outside of Casewy's bedroom.
"No, you were right. He's not the right guy for me." She smiled at him. Edwin smiled and they shared a hug. Edwin went up to his room while Casey walked into hers. She noticed Derek sitting at her desk.
"How's Sam?" Derek asked as he turned to her.
"How'd you know I was with Sam?" Casey asked with her hand on the doorknob.
"You left this up on your laptop." Derek pointed at a picture of Casey sitting on Sam's lap at a restaurant.
"He's doing ok. We were just doing some homework." She tightened her grip.
"You expect me to believe that?" Derek stood and started walking towards her. "Are you cheating on me with him?"
"Derek, we aren't together. And no I wasn't doing anything with Sam, except homework." Casey turned to leave.
"I don't believe you." Derek put his palm to the door and held it closed. He jerked Casey to face him. "And we are together, you don't remember how you were making out with me in my room before our date last night?"
"Derek what are you doing, let go of me." Casey tried to pull away, but failed.
"I opened myself up to you. I have cared for you since you first moved in. Don't shut me out." He leaned in and kissed her. Casey felt her body instantly relax. "You see?" He asked after a long kiss.
"How do you do that?" Casey asked.
"I'm a good kisser what can I say." Derek held her hand and walked her to her bed.
"Wait, I have no attraction to you, we can't do this." She stopped herself from kissing him.
"Just tell me when to stop." Derek whispered in her ear as he pulled her tank top up over her head.
Casey knew in her head and her heart to stop this, but her body had a mind of its own. She kissed Derek softly and sucked on his bottom lip. Derek pulled her onto his lap and pulled off his shirt. Casey dug her nails into his back and made him grimace.
"You Venturi's." Casey murmured. Then she realized Derek was struggling to get his jeans off and what was going on began to sink in. "Stop." She said and got off the bed.
"What's wrong?" Derek asked her with surprise.
"I don't like you and we aren't together and I don't wanna do this. Get out of my room." She told him while putting her shirt back on. Derek became angry and grabbed her waist. "What are you doing? Derek, let go."
"No, I'm convinced that I truly love you. You can't turn me away." Derek pulled her close.
He tried to hold on to her as she struggled for freedom. "What's wrong with you?" She asked as she finally got away.
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Derek grabbed her. Casey lightly hit his chest with her hands as she flailed to get away. When she finally did Derek's knuckles met her face.
Casey felt blood fall out of her nostril and drop from her chin to the floor. Tears blurred her vision. "Get out of here right now?" She demanded.
"I'm sorry Casey, I didn't mean it. I don't want to hurt you." He apologized.
"I don't care. Casey yelled at him. "Get out of my room!" She cried and opened her door for him to leave. Derek kissed her forehead and apologized before leaving. Casey slammed her door and looked over to her vanity mirror.
Blood was covering a large section of her face and she had some bruising on her cheek. She didn't bother to clean her face; she just sat on her floor and sobbed.
Casey walked into the bathroom and wet a washcloth to clean the dried blood off of her face about twenty minutes later. There was a knock at the bathroom door. "Casey?" Edwin's voice asked. Casey knew he was the one to turn to in the house for this.
She opened the door to him and saw his jaw drop. "What happened?" He walked in and closed the door behind him.
"Promise not to tell anybody." Casey continued washing her face. "Derek hit me."
"What?" Edwin was enraged.
"Calm down." Casey said.
"No, I won't. If he hits me that's bad, but if he hits you that's horrible." He stormed out of the bathroom and banged on Derek's door.
"What do you want?" Derek asked as he opened the door.
"You hit Casey. To you that might be ok, but I'm not just gonna stand aside and let her get hurt." Edwin stood up to his abuser.
"What did you just say to me?" Derek looked down at his brother.
"You heard me." Edwin didn't back down.
"Big mistake little bro." Derek grabbed his brother and they began fighting with eachother. Derek had a size and strength advantage and easily pummeled Edwin. Casey noticed that they were both getting seriously injured.
"Guys stop it!" She cried to them. "Lizzie!" Casey cried out to her sister.
Lizzie came out of her room and was shocked by the fighting. "What's going on?" She asked.
"Keep Marti in her room, I'm going to get Mom and George." Casey instructed. Lizzie went into Marti's room and Casey ran down to the dining room. "I need you guys upstairs right now!" Casey said before leading them upstairs to the fight.
George and Nora noticed Casey's bruised face and had heard Edwin crying for help and immediately followed her. They saw both of the boys gravely hurt and had to stop the fight. George got in and pulled them apart. "Stop it this instant!" George yelled.
Derek and Edwin stared eachother down.
"Casey call an ambulance." Nora instructed her daughter.
Derek and Edwin were both rushed to the hospital to get their injuries checked. Nora had a nurse look at Casey's face too. Casey was told that her face would heal within a week and she should be ok. "That's what happened before I came to get you guys." Casey finished reliving the trauma of Derek hitting her and then beating up Edwin.
"That's horrible." Nora said. A doctor came up to the three of them and said they could visit Edwin and Derek. Casey went to go see her two step-brothers. "Doctor how are they?" Nora asked.
"I want to keep them in the hospital overnight for observation, but they should be well enough to come home tomorrow." The doctor explained. "Derek should probably sit out of his next hockey game just to be safe, but he mainly has bruising and a few abrasions."
"What about Edwin?" George asked.
"I'm a bit more concerned about Edwin. He sprained his left wrist in addition to bruising and we needed to give him a few stitches on his head. Mr. Venturi has Derek had a history of fighting with Edwin?" The doctor asked George.
"Not more than any average brothers would." George said.
"Why are you asking?" Nora asked.
"Edwin seems to have previous injuries that are very similar to the ones he sustained during this fight. It looks like Derek might be physically abusing Edwin." The doctor said before walking away. George and Nora looked at eachother with worry.
Casey helped Edwin have a sip of water. "You really didn't have to do that." Casey said to Edwin.
"Of course I had to, I couldn't stand to see you hurt." Edwin explained.
"It was very sweet of you. Derek was acting totally normal and then this crazy rage came out of him all of a sudden." Casey said half to herself and half to Edwin.
"I've been aware of that for a while." Edwin said to her.
"What do you mean?" Casey asked.
"Nothing." Edwin tried to shrug it off.
"No, please tell me." Casey held Edwin's hand.
"Derek's been hitting me and stuff for a while." Edwin said.
"He has?" Casey asked.
"That's why I was so scared when you said you were going out with him. I didn't want him to seriously hurt you." Edwin explained.
"Now it all makes sense, well you don't have to worry anymore. I think George and Nora are going to get some help for Derek." Casey noticed Derek starting to wake up from a nap he was taking. "And thanks for protecting me." She gave Edwin a thank you kiss on the cheek.
"Casey, I am so sorry for everything. I hope you understand I didn't mean any of it." Derek tried to win her back.
"Honestly Derek, you should be less focused on me and more focused on yourself." Casey said before walking out of the room and leaving him.
Derek turned his head to his brother "What did you tell her?" He asked.
"The truth." Edwin answered. "But now neither of us have her and we're in hospital beds all beat up."
"Yeah, and you're a lot stronger than I thought you were Ed." Derek said.
"Truce?" Edwin asked.
"Truce." Derek answered.
