-1Hey guys!!!! New Chappy! Yea! So yeah read on! Mild swearing beware!

Disclaimer: I don't own LWD!

Rain began to pour while Casey drove. Nothing would stop her from reaching Derek and allowing him to be a part of her's and Leanna's lives. Nothing would stop her from being apart from Derek much longer. She smiled to herself while she drove.

Two hours later, she sat in the parking lot of Derek's apartment. She saw his car parked and she knew he was home. She glanced at Leanna who was playing with some dolls in the backseat. She took a deep breath and turned the car off. The rain seem to come down harder as she exited the car and carried Lee to the lobby of the apartment building.

Casey shook the water off of her and looked at the apartment mailboxes. She ran her finger down the apartment numbers until she came to Venturi, Apt. 10A. She looked down at her daughter who seem to be getting antsy. Seeing as it was 8 in the morning, it was understandable. Casey figured out that 10A was on the second floor and grabbed Lee's hand and went to the stairs.

She took the slowly as to settle her heart from beating so fast. Of course that didn't help and she started to shake with nervousness. Lee looked concerned at her mother.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" she asked Casey. Her big blue eyes questioning her mother.

Casey sighed and replied, "I'm just nervous about what I'm going to do honey." Leanna nodded her head as if she understood. Casey continued shaking as they went by the rooms.

2A, 4A, 6A, 8A she counted off in her head. She felt her heart take a giant leap when she saw the number 10A. She contemplated on just running towards the staircase again and returning to the road back to New York. But it was as if she was frozen to the spot she located at. She raised her hand to knock on the door not realizing what she was doing. Lee just looked at the door with questions in her eyes.

"Who's there?" came an uneven voice. It was Derek's but it sounded different. Casey knew that tone from somewhere but couldn't place it.

"Um, its me Casey. And Leanna. Please open the door." she pleaded. She didn't know whether he would open the door, but she was going to tell him what was on her mind if she had to stand in the hall and do it.

She heard something slump against the door. "I ain't opening the door for you." he said. Casey frowned and realized how she knew that tone. He was drunk. Drunk at 8 in the morning!

She pounded her fist on the door. "Derek let me in now! I know your drunk! LET ME IN!" she yelled at the closed door in her face.

She heard movement and the lock clicking. The door opened slightly and she saw Derek's form retreat. She pushed the door open the rest of the way with Leanna peeking around her. The apartment was torn apart and looked like it had gone through a robbery. She saw beer bottles strewn across the island in the kitchen. As she stepped into the living room, she saw an empty bottle laying on the floor. She picked it up and read the label. Absolute. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yep, I drank it all." he said as he stumbled towards the bathroom. She rolled her eyes as she traveled the rest of the apartment. His bedroom seemed untouched by his drunkenness and she ushered Leanna in there. She turned the TV on and went back into the living room.

Derek had beaten her there and was sitting on his couch with a bottle in his hand. It was Budweiser and he seemed to be drowning it real fast.

"Derek, I came here to talk to you but your drunk! How can I tell you anything right now?" Casey whined. Derek winced at her high pitched voice.

"I'll tell you something Casey. I think you're a selfish bitch and a whore." he blurted out with no remorse. Everyone knew Derek was a mean drunk.

Casey bit her lip and then spoke. "Derek I don't think you mean that so I'm just going to ignore it." Derek laughed and took another swig of his alcohol. "Why are you drinking?"

"Why am I drinking? I was bored. I had nothing better to do, so I drank." he said spitefully. Of course that was not his true meaning for drinking.

"Ok, well Derek, I'm going to tell you why I came here." Casey began as she got off the couch. She kicked a few bottles out of her way towards the kitchen. She turned the faucet on and made a cup of water. She searched the cupboards for aspirin until she found some. She returned to the living room with it and sat it in front of Derek who just pushed it farther away.

Casey rolled her eyes at his stupidity and continued. "I was on my way to New York again." Derek looked at her questionley but she continued. "Yeah I know I wasn't suppose to leave until next week but I just couldn't take it here anymore. Anyways, I was on the road for like two hours and I had time to think. And all I could think about was how I hurt you and how I thought I was doing you a favor by running."

He smirked but she ignored it and continued. "I thought about everything we ever did together. It made me smile. Those were the best days of my life. Even when I'm in New York I think about you. Everything made me think about you. No matter how much distance I put between the two of us, I still want to be with you. And I know now that keeping you from Leanna was not my best decision. You do deserve to be a part of her life." Derek looked away from her while he gulped the last of the beer in the bottle down.

Casey looked at him with sad eyes. She knew he wasn't really listening to her but she continued. "Derek, I'm sorry. I want you to be Lee's dad. I don't want to run anymore. Derek will you say something?"

Derek looked at her with cold eyes that made her shudder. He tossed his bottle at the wall and it shattered into a million of pieces. "You want me to say somethin'?" he asked. She was afraid to nod her head yes, but she mouthed the word yes anyways.

"I think you are a selfish bitch like I said before. I think you only care about yourself. And your probably coming to me telling me this stuff because you need money or something. You want me to be in Leanna's life now, so you can get child support? You think I'm stupid? I may be drunk but I know when I'm getting played." Casey looked at him in shock. Why was he doing this? He was calling her a liar.

"Why don't you just leave Casey? Go back to New York and leave us alone. We were so much better without you around. Everyone was at peace when you were gone. We didn't have to hear someone bitch twenty-four seven. Everything didn't always have to be perfect. I didn't have to protect you. I didn't have to deal with all of you pettiness." he said in a cold voice. She could feel tears falling from her eyes. She hated him for making her cry and worse for saying these cruel things to her. She came here to make amends and now he was making it worse. Well he was drunk, but she thought drunks always told the truth. Oh god!

"But Derek," Casey started but was interrupted by Derek.

"Get out of my apartment and take your bastard daughter with you. I don't even think you know who her real father is. Its not me that's a fact. Its probably Sam or maybe even that guy in New York. There's probably ten other guys who could probably be the father. But one thing is for certain, I AM NOT THE FATHER OF YOUR BASTARD CHILD! SO DO NOT PIN HER ON ME BECAUSE HER FATHER DOESN'T WANT HER!" he yelled. Casey's tears came harder. How dare he call her daughter a bastard or say she was a whore. But her heart broke even more when another voice joined them.

"Mommy is what Uncle Derek says true? My daddy doesn't want me?" came a wobbly voice laced with tears. She looked at her beautiful daughter who was crying so hard. Her head whipped back at Derek as she stood from the couch. She walked a couple of steps until she was in front of him. She put her face right in his and screamed the loudest she'd ever screamed.

"DON'T YOU EVER CALL MY DAUGHTER A BASTARD! SHE IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND LOVING CHILD I HAVE EVER SEEN. SHE IS MY PRIDE AND JOY! NEVER LET HER NAME PASS YOUR LIPS AGAIN. I AM NOT A WHORE. SHE IS YOUR CHILD NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY. I WILL GO BACK TO NEW YORK JUST SO YOU CAN'T HURT HER AGAIN. AND WHEN YOU SAY HER FATHER DOESN'T WANT HER, THEN THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT. YOU ARE A DRUNK ASSHOLE. I JUST HOPE WHEN YOU SOBER UP YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID AND WHAT YOUR DAUGHTER'S FACE LOOKED LIKE WHEN YOU RUINED HER YOUNG LIFE!" Casey picked up Derek's camera and snapped some pictures of him drunk and Leanna crying.

She walked over to her daughter and picked her up and cuddled her. "I love you sweetie. No matter what I love you." she kept repeating as they walked out of the apartment and Derek's life for good. Casey seat buckled the child in and started the car. She pulled out of the parking lot without ever looking back. She flipped the radio as she drove. The song filled the speakers.

Ooh hey, yeah

Hush, just stop
There's nothing you can do or say, baby
I've had enough
I'm not your property as from today, baby
You might think that I won't make it on my own
But now I'm…

Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My loneliness ain't killing me no more
I'm stronger

That I ever thought that I could be, baby
I used to go with the flow
Didn't really care 'bout me
You might think that I can't take it, but you're wrong
'Cause now I'm…

Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My loneliness ain't killing me no more
I'm stronger

Come on, now
Oh, yeah

Here I go, on my own
I don't need nobody, better off alone
Here I go, on my own now
I don't need nobody, not anybody
Here I go, alright, here I go

Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My loneliness ain't killing me no more
I'm stronger

Casey tried to smile knowing the song was true. But her heart was breaking more then she ever knew possible. All she did know for certain was she was heading back to New York without any intention of ever coming back.

A/N: Don't fret. This isn't the end yet. Still debating on whether they are going to be together. Oy. Well R&R and I'll be just so happy to update again lol! Also a big thanks goes out to my faithful readers and reviewers! Maybe I'll make it too 100!!!!! Oh yeah the song is Stronger by Britney Spears. Much love Lil D.