A/N: This is the last chapter! All done! Finito! End! Yay!! I completed another story. I'm excited for myself. Hope you're excited too! Anyway, I don't got much to say...except...Read & Review, Review, Review!!!! I want to know what you guys thought. Thanks for reading. -Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek.

Chapter Ten

This Is My Heart Beating Faster

I was frozen. I couldn't move. Derek hadn't moved either. He still stood mere inches away from me. Silence had filled the room after Derek's last comment. I didn't know how to reply to it. I couldn't help but find some truth in his words, but it was hard to believe I could be that selfish and insensitive. That isn't who I am, it was more like Derek than me. Still, I had to accept it. I had done exactly as he said I did. And that wasn't his fault. It was mine.

"I can't blame this is on you, can I?" I spoke softly, shattering the silence.

"No, you can't." Derek said quietly as well. I opened my mouth to reply, but Derek cut me off to add to his last words. "If anything, I care about you more than you care about me."

"That's not true!" I exclaimed as my eyes shot up to meet his.

"It isn't?" Derek responded matter-of-factly.

"No." I shook my head. "I care about you."

"If you care about me, then why don't you want to be with me?" Derek questioned, searching my eyes for the answer.

"It's not that I don't want to be with you." I said.

"Then what is it?" Derek prodded. "Why can't you just be with me?"

"It's just...that I'm afraid."

"What's there to be afraid of, Case?"

"Everything!" I said forcefully. "I'm afraid that even though I want to be with you so badly, you don't want to be with me the same way I want to be with you. I'm afraid that even when we can be together that we won't be able to make it work. I'm afraid that I'm opening myself up too much to you, and that I might make it too easy for you to hurt me."

"Casey, I want you. I want all of you. I could never hurt you. We could make this work, I know it. I love you, can't you see that?" Derek responded.

"You love me?" I replied, my eyes wide as my brain registered what he had said.

"Yes. God, Casey...I love you so much." Derek sighed. "I knew I was falling for you the first minute we got together. I thought it was too good to be true that someone like you would want someone like me. Then I realized that you didn't really want me. You wanted what I could give you that Sam couldn't. It hurt, finding that out. But I didn't let go of you, because I knew it would hurt a lot worse to not have you."

"Derek, I..." I started.

"Casey, please." Derek interrupted me. "Just say it. Just say that you don't want to be with me. I love you, I do. But you need to say it, so I can get over it. So I can get past this and move on. Please, Casey, just say it. I can't run circles around it anymore."

"Derek, I don't..." I began, then paused, looking him straight in the eyes. "I don't want to say it."

"What?" Derek asked. "Why not? Casey, you can't keep me holding on like this."

"I can't say it." I responed. "I can't say it if I don't mean it."

"What do you mean you don't mean it?"

"I want to be with you, Derek." I smiled. "I want a real relationship with you. If you're open to it, I'm willing to try."

"Do you really mean that Casey?" Derek asked, his voice low. I could see the doubt and insecurity reflected in his eyes.

"Yes. I mean it." I nodded, and I made to continue but I was cut off.

Derek had closed the distance between us and had his arms wrapped around me. He pulled me close to him. And though it was probably the millionth time he had done this, it felt like the first. I melted into him and let out a sigh just before his lips met mine.

Once we pulled apart, Derek stuck close to me. He rested his forehead against mine. His nose brushed mine as he moved to press a kiss to my cheek, and another right below my ear. When he spoke his breath tickled my skin.

"So, what were you saying?"

"I..." I began, then laughed lightly. "I can't remember."

Derek paused for just a moment, "I love you Case."

I looked into his eyes and knew I meant the words that left my lips next. "I love you too, Derek."

Derek smiled--that I-could-absolutely-melt smile--and I was sure I had made the right choice. It didn't matter how wrong he was for me, it was right. It didn't matter how hard it might be, we would do it because it was all we knew. All we had. It was right not because of how it looked on paper, but because of how we felt. As Derek kissed me again, I was positive--absolutely positive--I had chosen the right one.

THE END

A/N2: So, I haven't been getting emails for alerts and stuff, so I figure everyone else hasn't either...If you're on my alerts list for this story or me as an author (and you're not getting them)...and you'd like to get them personally from me in the meantime (cause I'm probably going to be getting a bunch done soon) just email me at the address that's on the site (you know the little highlighted word email). It should give you my personal email address and if you send me yours I'll personally send you an email update sort of thing...Anyway...Review!! You know I'd love you for it..Thanks again! -Mac