disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 10: Is Everyone Happy?

Marti glanced at the clock nervously for about the thousandth time since she got at Casey's wedding rehearsal. Since she was a bridesmaid, she had to be there, to know when to walk down the aisle and where to stand. After spending an hour practicing since Casey wanted to make sure that it was perfect, they finally went to the wedding rehearsal dinner. It was in the same hall that they were going to be tomorrow for the wedding reception. Casey wanted to make sure her wedding party knew where everything was so that they could help the guests tomorrow.

Marti rolled her eyes when she heard this. Although Casey wanted everything to be perfect, she didn't turn into a bridezilla as many assumed that she would. Her kindness and thoughtfulness for everyone's feelings stayed with her throughout the planning of her wedding.

At the beginning, Marti was so happy that Casey and Tristan were getting married but when she heard the story, she understood why Lizzie and Nora didn't approve with Casey being with Tristan. They put on a kind face for Casey's sake, especially when Tristan proposed but when Tristan and Casey weren't there, Nora and Lizzie made it obvious that they disliked Tristan. Marti now disliked him too and was going to make sure Casey didn't make the biggest mistake of her life, which was to marry Tristan.

So this led up to why Marti was glancing at the clock so frequently. She had to wait until all the speeches were done before she got up. That was the plan she made with Jess. It gave Jess plenty of time to get here.

"… and that is why, I love you with all of my heart. In fact, I can't wait till the wedding tomorrow when I stand up in front of all our friends and family, and say 'I do' to being with you for the rest of my life," Tristan finished as everyone clapped, having the 'aw isn't that sweet' look on their faces.

Casey stood up, and kissed him, and everyone said 'aw.' Marti rolled her eyes, and glanced at her family. Edwin and George looked bored, both looking at their watches, counting down the minutes for when they could go home. Lizzie inconspicuously stuck her finger in her mouth, making a gagging noise, showing her mother. Nora nudged her and Lizzie stopped just before Casey looked over, seeing Nora's and Lizzie's faces plastered with a fake smile. Casey was so oblivious that she didn't notice the unrealistic look of their smiles.

Casey then looked at everyone as Tristan sat down, having her announce the end of the meal. "Well, that's it for the speeches. We look forward in seeing all of you tomorrow, have a good-"

"Wait!" Marti cried, standing up. Casey and everyone looked at her, shocked that she interrupted Casey. "Before everyone leaves, I planned something special for my stepsister," Marti explained. Everyone smiled, thinking how sweet it was that the youngest in the family wanted to say something. Casey sat down, nodding for her to continue. "Well, with the help of my friends from school…" Marti started, which was Jess' cue and she didn't let Marti down.

All at once, Jess came out, followed by others, all carrying instruments. Jess was in the band at school, and being friends with practically everyone in band, they were all too eager to help. They climbed on stage, knowing where to stand and plug everything in since one of Jess' friends had a brother who worked here and allowed them to come the day before to know what to do. Everyone was staring at the teenagers who basically had set up in thirty seconds then turned back to Marti.

"We have prepared a song, for which I'm going to sing. It was Casey's favourite love song as a teenager," Marti finished, silently thanking her mother for forcing her to go to singing lessons, thinking that she had a true talent. Marti nodded her head, and the drummer started the song as Marti quickly walked up to the mike and arrived on the stage just before she had to start singing.

"If I could take you away, Pretend I was queen, What would you say, Would you think I'm unreal, 'Cause everybody's got their way I should feel," Marti began to sing, staring at Casey's face, knowing that Casey recognized the song and what it meant.

People started to get up and dance to the song. It took Tristan's constant nudging to get Casey to come dance with him. They made it on the dance floor when Marti was singing the chorus the second time.

"Everybody's talking how I can't, can't be your love, But I want, want, want to be your love, Want to be your love for real. Everybody's talking how I can't, can't be your love, But I want, want, want to be your love, Want to be your love for real. Want to be everything, Everything." Marti continued to sing, never taking her eyes off Casey. The wave of guilt that was shown on Casey's face was unmistakable as she danced with Tristan. It was almost like she felt that she was cheating on Tristan because she was dancing to this song.

As the song was ending, Casey gently pushed Tristan away and ran out of the room. Marti quickly jumped off the stage and ran after her. She heard Nora saying that everything was just fine and heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Lizzie following her. She wasn't sure if she would be able to confront Casey if Lizzie was there but she figured that Lizzie didn't like Tristan that much either anyways.

"Casey," Marti called as she walked into the washroom.

"Go away." Marti heard a muffled voice say between the sobs from behind one of the stalls.

"Casey what's wrong?" Lizzie asked. Marti looked at Lizzie, seeing in her eyes concern for her sister but also hopefulness that the wedding was called off.

"Nothing, I'm fine," Casey said.

"Casey, you're not fine, tell me what's wrong," Lizzie demanded.

"We sang Derek's and her song, that's what's wrong," Marti said bluntly for both Lizzie and Casey to hear.

"Wait, if that was their song, that would make them, like, make them a couple," Lizzie said slowly.

Casey opened the door so quickly that it smacked the side of the stall but that didn't faze her. She walked out of the stall, and pointed at Lizzie, still holding a tissue in her hand.

"Derek and I were NEVER a couple," she said to Lizzie harshly.

"Ya, because you two were too immature to talk things out with each other," Marti said.

Casey looked at Marti, making a sound in her throat that was in between a sob and a hysterical cry. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again, making the same sound, not knowing what to say.

"Casey, it's okay. You can still call off the wedding and be with Derek. You two belong together," Marti said.

"Ya, and we never liked Tristan," Lizzie added.

Casey continued to make the sound and Lizzie and Marti gave her a weird look. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She then pointed her finger at Marti before she spoke.

"Whoever your source is, they are extremely missed informed-"

"My source got it from you," Marti interrupted. Casey closed her eyes, regretting her decision to tell Jess and Lacy the true story.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I love Tristan and I don't want to hear anymore of this nonsense about Derek being my soul mate or whatever," Casey said just before Nora came into the washroom.

"What's going on, everyone is wondering what happened. Did you called off the wedding or something?" Nora asked. Marti closed her mouth, not sure how Nora would react to knowing that her daughter and stepson were in love with each other.

"No she didn't call off the wedding. Everything's fine, just got too hot in there for Casey," Lizzie said, covering for her sisters.

"Alright then, let's get back out there," Nora replied, leading the way out of the washroom.

Casey sighed and followed right behind her. When she left the washroom, she noticed that Tristan was standing next to the door. His face showed how worried he was which reminded Casey of why she loved him so much. "I'm fine," Casey said to him. He nodded, grabbing her hand and kissing it, trying to comfort her. His kindness made Casey realizes that she had no doubt in her mind that she chose the right guy. Tristan then pulled her towards the hall, preparing to make their last farewells before they left for the night.

Before Casey entered the hall, she looked behind her, seeing Marti, Lizzie, and Jess talking. Casey felt like she wanted to let go of Tristan's hand, run, and hide in the washroom again. She got the feeling that even though her mind was so sure that she was picking the right guy, many others didn't think so.

When she started dating Tristan, she had gotten into a huge fight with many people. Nora, Lizzie, and Heather didn't approve of them dating. Even though she wasn't living with Nora at the time, Nora still tried to ground her and forbid her from seeing Tristan. Lizzie and Heather second that decision. She was angry with her mother, sister, and friend that she didn't even talk to them for two weeks but she knew they were just trying to protect her. She brought Tristan home over the first holiday she could to show Nora and Lizzie how happy she was with him. Heather had already seen them, being Casey's roommate. She thought that she had convinced them that Tristan wasn't a terrible person but seeing Lizzie talking to Marti and Jess at that moment told her that Lizzie was nowhere close to welcoming Tristan into the family.

"So that went well," Jess said to Marti once Casey was out of earshot. While they were in the washroom, Jess' friends quickly packed up and left. Jess stayed behind because she and Marti were nowhere near giving up.

"Yup, she's slowly cracking. Now onto faze two," Marti said.

Lizzie looked from one girl to the other. "What?"

"It's time for bonding, wanna help?" Marti asked. Lizzie nodded, wanting to be on the inside of a plan, rather than the outside. It reminded her of the days that she and Edwin use to spy on their siblings.

--

Casey began digging into her purse for her keys as she walked to her apartment door. She could knock but she wasn't sure if Emily was home. Emily left when the speeches were done, going over to her boyfriend's house to help him pack. He was moving in with Emily since Casey was moving into Tristan's apartment. She finally found her keys and opened the door. She walked in, turning on the living room lights and screamed, seeing Marti sitting on the couch.

"My goodness Marti. You know how to really scare someone to death. How did you get in here?" she asked.

"You gave Nora a spare key," Marti said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Okay. Do you usually sit in the dark by yourself?" Casey asked.

"I'm not alone," Marti said calmly.

"Hey Case," Lizzie said behind her.

Casey jumped and turned around. She had no idea that Lizzie was behind her and now that she looked closer, she noticed that Lizzie was blocking the only exit out of the apartment. "What's going on?" she asked her two sisters.

"Intervention," Marti said as if she was explaining everything. "Lizzie, Jess," Marti continued.

Casey saw Jess came out of the kitchen and went to the coffee table. It was only then that she noticed a laptop and projector on her coffee table as it turned on and faced her empty wall. This was where her t.v. use to be, but she noticed that it was pushed aside so that the projector could show up on a clean white wall. Jess nodded to Lizzie and Lizzie turned off the lights, which made Casey look up at the wall. 'Dasey' was all it said in fancy letters.

"Oh. My. God." Was all Casey could spit out, staring at the wall. Her name was morphed with Derek's as if she was a fictional character that people wanted to get together. "I think I need to sit," she said, dropping her purse and sitting beside Marti on the couch.

"So we have been called together because we all want the same thing," Marti started.

"To ruin my life," Casey muttered.

"No, to make sure that you're happy," Lizzie finished for Marti.

"I am-"

"Let us finish," Marti interrupted.

"We don't think that you're happy now," Jess said, pressing enter on the laptop. The next screen said 'Exhibit A,' and underneath, just one word, 'Tristan'.

"Tristan cheated on you," Lizzie said, "and you just forgave him because he said he was sorry."

"No, I forgave him because he meant it," Casey corrected.

"After a year. And did he call you up or anything? No, it was only when you called," Marti replied.

"Because I blocked his email and wouldn't talk to him on the phone."

"But what did he tell you?" Lizzie asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Did he tell you that he just kissed Dana that one time?" she clarified.

"I know he kissed Dana, I told Jess about that. He said that it was a mistake."

"Yes, but did you also know that he and Dana dated for five months after you left. That Dana broke up with him because she wanted to date someone older," Jess said.

Casey opened and closed her mouth. She didn't know that part. "How do you know that this is true?" she asked them.

"I told them." Heather said, coming out of the kitchen. "I never wanted to tell you because I wanted you to get over him as fast as you could. I thought this information would push you farther into your depression. Then when you started dating Tristan, I didn't want us to get into a bigger fight, since we already had one when you two started dating. So I kept my mouth shut," she explained.

"How many other people are in this apartment?" Casey demanded.

"Just us, I was making you tea," Heather said, handing Casey her favourite mug.

"Well, it doesn't matter. What's done is done. Tristan chose me in the end, and I forgave him years ago."

"Have you forgiven Dana?" Lizzie asked as Jess pressed enter on the keyboard and the next screen said 'Exhibit B, Dana'.

"Yes I have. It's not good to hold grudges, it makes you bitter," Casey said.

This was half true. She never thought much about Dana and even though she never was sorry for what she did, Casey forgave her. Casey didn't want to waste her time thinking about Dana.

Before anyone said another word, Jess pressed enter and another slide came on, saying 'Exhibit C, Derek'.

"Crap," Casey muttered under her breath.

"So if you don't hold grudges, then why-"

"With Derek it's different," Casey interrupted Marti, looking at the floor.

"Is it possible that it's different with him because you love him and it hurts too much to see him, or even think about him," Lizzie said softly.

Casey shook her head, not wanting to look at anyone, afraid that her face would say it all.

"Casey," Jess said slowly. "You lied to me and my sister. You said that you have no idea what Derek's feelings were for you but we talked to Derek. When Tristan came to get you the next day, Derek told you that he had feelings for you. He begged you to stay with him and you said no. We want to know why. What were you afraid of?"

"What are you afraid of?" Lizzie asked. They all looked at Casey but she didn't move her head.

"She's afraid to get her heart broken. She's spent all these years protecting it, she wants to do what's safe, what has no risk," Heather said as if Casey wasn't there.

Casey snapped her head up and looked at all the women in her living room. "I may have loved Derek at one point, and maybe even now," she said when Jess tried to open her mouth. "But that doesn't mean that I don't love Tristan. Tristan makes me happy and I want to be with him. Please just let me make my own decisions," she pleaded.

No one said anything for a couple of heartbeats. Finally, Marti broke the silence. "Okay Casey, you win. You better get some sleep, you're going to have a big day tomorrow," she told her.

Casey stood up without another word and went to her room, closing the door loudly, hinting for them to leave. Jess turned off her electronics and packed them up.

"Wait, that's it. You guys are just going to give up?" Lizzie asked. Marti and Jess didn't say anything. They just walked out the door. Lizzie and Heather followed them, both completely confused.

"She's not meant to be with Tristan, I thought you guys believed that," Heather said, as they all got into the elevator.

"Of course we believe that," Marti said as the door closed. "We just had to make it seem like Casey won. Hopefully, it'll put the seed of doubt in her head," she finished.

"Oh. That makes sense I guess," Lizzie said. "So what's next?"

"Plan B," Jess said as they left the elevator.

--

Jess walked into her empty house not knowing if her sister would be home. Lacy bartended on weekends to get extra money. She was just about to go to bed when she heard Lacy open the front door softly, not sure if Jess would be asleep. This told Jess that Lacy had the early shift at the bar this weekend. This meant that she would be there all day tomorrow, which was perfect because Lacy wouldn't be around to try to stop Jess tomorrow.

"Hey," Jess said, coming down the stairs.

"Hey," Lacy replied, plopping down on the couch.

"How was work?" Jess asked, lifting up Lacy's feet so she could sit on the couch, letting Lacy put her legs on her lap.

"Oh, you know, same old, same old. I serve drinks mostly to drunks who try to hit on me and listen to people's depressing lives," she said, closing her eyes.

"Anyone interesting?" Jess asked. Lacy usually had a story to tell when she got home from the bar.

"Well, there was one," Lacy said sitting up, getting ready to tell her. Jess turned to her, waiting for her to continue. "This one guy came in and asked for the strongest drink we had. He looked like he was really hurting so I asked him what was wrong." Lacy paused for dramatic effect. "He said he was getting married tomorrow. I asked him why he wasn't excited. Well, he told me that he was only marrying her because he feels guilty. That he cheated on her once and that he felt like he needed to spend his whole life making up for it. Marrying her was just the next step to his life sentence. He said that he did love her, but didn't want to spend the rest of his life with her. He didn't want to break it off because he knows that she loves him and he doesn't want to hurt her. Poor girl. She's marrying someone that doesn't love her the way she wants him to," Lacy finished.

"So what happened to the guy?" Jess asked.

"His friend picked him up. He is going to have one hell of a hangover for his wedding," Lacy said. "Well, I'm going to bed. Hey, are you going to Casey's wedding tomorrow?" Lacy asked while getting up. Jess nodded. "Tell me how it goes," Lacy said, making her way up the stairs.

"I will," Jess called after her, glad that Lacy didn't ask her if she still planned to stop the wedding because she knew that she couldn't lie to her sister. Jess sighed and made her way up the stairs, wanting to get some sleep before the big day.

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