Hi everyone, this is the last chapter. Thank you so much for following this story. It was incredibly fun to write, and all of your reviews were very much appreciated.

I'll be posting a sequel to this in the near future. So many of you wanted to see Derek's side (myself included!) that I figured it would be a good idea. It'll be key scenes from Derek's POV, nothing as long or involved as this story was, though. Alert me if you haven't so you'll know when it's posted! (Nothing like shameless self-promotion on the final lap, eh? But I know you guys will forgive me, because like I said, our fandom is wonderful!)

I deliberately left the ending a little open…you can fill in the blanks yourself!

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

Chapter 10: Overtime

I was more excited for this game than I'd ever been. Not only because Mom and George were getting to see Derek play, but I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I wouldn't have to lie to the HGs anymore.

Mom, George, and I squeezed into the back of the Prince. We were going to pick Sam up at his dorm. I couldn't wait to see his reaction to our news.

"What happened?" was the first thing out of his mouth as he opened the passenger door.

Derek turned to wink at me. "Sammy, you are not allowed to say 'I told you so,'" he warned.

Sam shrugged. "I promise. Tell me!"

We told him the story of last night (omitting certain details for our parents' benefit, of course) during the ride to the Memorial Centre, and Sam practically bounced in his seat the whole time.

"I won't say 'I told you so.'" He grinned at Derek. "But I will say, if you act all boyfriendy-girlfriendy around me, I will be forced to puke in public."

Derek removed one hand from the wheel and punched him in the arm. "Not funny, Richards."

"Derek!" Mom reprimanded him. Derek put both hands back on the wheel.

Sam turned towards the three confused people in the backseat. "That was what Derek told us when you and I started going out, remember, Case?" he explained.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Sam had paraphrased, of course, but the point was made: Derek owed Sam big-time for helping to get us together after what Derek had put him through.

()()()()()

We arrived with a few minutes to spare. The HGs were already passing around the face paint. I offered Mom and George a spot with us, but they decided to go further up the bleachers and sit with Sam's parents.

I headed over to HGs and said hello.

"What happened last night?" Sarah asked with concern. "You and Derek disappeared."

I had completely forgotten that I hadn't said goodbye to anyone last night.

"I wasn't feeling well, so we went home," I said, thinking quickly. That was close enough to the truth.

"That's a shame. Are you better now?"

I nodded. "I feel fine, thanks."

"You seem to be in a really good mood," Brooke remarked.

"Look at you, you can't stop smiling," Lauren agreed.

I covered my mouth when I realized she was right. But once I removed my hand, I was still grinning like crazy. So much for not having to lie to them anymore. But I could still tell the partial truth. "I can't help it, you guys. I'm just really happy my parents are here." (And that Derek and I are finally together!)

"Your parents are here too?" Gina asked.

I froze. Oops. "I mean, Derek's parents." I can't believe I did that!

The girls seemed to buy it. Gina continued, "You must be really close to them, huh?"

"Very close." I didn't elaborate, and the game was about to start, so no one made any other remarks.

I realized something, though. We had no reason to hide from the HGs. Do I really want to pretend that my mom isn't my mom every time she comes to visit?

I had to check with Derek first. It wasn't necessary to tell his teammates; I'm sure they'd hear about it eventually. But even so, I wanted to make sure that he wouldn't mind if the girls knew. I felt like the stepsibling factor was the biggest issue for both of us, and if the HGs found out and still liked me, I would know that it honestly didn't matter that our parents are married.

I took a deep breath and stepped carefully down the bleachers towards the Gaels' box. Derek wasn't starting today, as usual, so I picked my way through the crowd and ducked my head down next to where he was sitting.

"Hey," he said warmly when he saw me. What a difference from a few days ago, eh?

"I have a weird request," I told him.

"Shoot."

"I accidentally called Nora my mom," I began. Derek groaned quietly, but I wouldn't let him respond just yet. "I think I need to tell the HGs the truth. Just the fact that Nora is my mom and George is your dad. We don't have to explain anything else about our past together. But it would be so much easier if I could talk openly about our parents."

Derek considered this. I was surprised when he nodded without too much deliberation. "Go for it. If they can't handle it, they have no business being your friends."

"Are you sure about that? Your teammates would hear about it eventually."

He paused, but that didn't seem to change his mind. "I'm sure," he said confidently. "I don't care anymore what people think about us. We're together, and that's all that matters."

I was so relieved. "Thank you, Der. I'm glad all the lying will be over."

He smirked. "I may be The Lord of the Lies, but I was getting sick of it, myself."

"Have a good game, O Lord of the Lies," I teased. Derek stretched out an arm to swat at me. I ducked out of his reach, and he grinned.

I turned back to wave as I climbed up the bleachers, but he was already facing the ice, involved in the game again. It was up to me now to set the record straight.

I made my way back up the bleachers and took my seat next to Sarah. I waited for a break in the game action, and then announced, "I have something to tell all of you."

Every HG's head turned toward me in unison. It would have been funny if I wasn't so nervous.

I took a deep breath, and went for it. "Derek and I haven't been completely honest about our relationship." I saw several pairs of eyes looking at me curiously, so I pressed on. "Derek's parents up there," I gestured towards them, "are my parents, too."

Next to me, Sarah and Brooke exchanged a horrified glance, and I realized how I had sounded. So much for not making a big deal out of it. "No! I mean, we're stepsiblings."

Realization dawned on their faces, and I relaxed as I looked around to see nothing but smiles.

"So, is that your mom or your dad up there?" Gina asked.

"My mom. She married Derek's dad when we were fifteen."

"Wow. So were you already with Derek, or did you get together afterwards?" That was Brooke.

"Afterwards." I didn't bother to explain how long afterwards. Now was not the time. Maybe someday, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered right now was that our biggest secret was out in the open, and I was still seeing smiles. "You really don't think it's weird?" I asked, just to be perfectly clear.

"Of course not," Sarah insisted. "It's a little unconventional, sure, but not weird."

"Yeah. It actually happens more than you think. My cousin married her stepbrother," Lauren said.

Brooke nodded. "It's true. I saw the pictures. He was totally hot," she giggled, putting her arm around me.

"Thanks, you guys. I'm glad you're okay with it. Derek and I don't like to tell people, but we decided not to let it bother us anymore."

"Good for you," Sarah said, smiling.

I looked around at the other HGs. I could not believe how lucky I was to have such understanding parents, nice friends, and hey, look at that, a boyfriend who just scored a goal!

()()()()()

The next weekend, our entire family made the trip to Kingston for Derek's game. The kids and I camped out in the living room, while our parents took my room. (Derek probably wouldn't have given up his room anyway, but he did need to get his rest for the game, so we let him keep his bed.)

We told the kids at dinner. Marti asked if she could be the flower girl at our wedding. Derek said he'd let her know in a few years, while I blushed like crazy.

Lizzie and Edwin's reaction was as infuriating as my mother's had been.

"Took you long enough," said Edwin.

"Had to happen sooner or later," said Lizzie.

Then they bent their heads together and started whispering. Apparently, this wasn't exactly earth-shattering news to them. Mom and George just looked at each other and shrugged.

()()()()()

Our winter break finally arrived, and we were headed back to London. It would be the first time back at the house since August, and I was a little nervous to see the changes. There had been a lot of necessary adjustments for the new baby.

The first thing I noticed was that the entire downstairs was baby-proofed. No sharp corners, covers on the outlets, and all that. And there was a crib in the corner.

"That was Marti's," Derek remarked, as he went over to examine it.

Lizzie came bursting through the door. "You're home!" She gave me a big hug. "Like all the baby stuff?"

"It's so exciting!"

It really was. We went over to a pile of presents in the corner, which Lizzie explained were from people at work. We had talked to Mom about it, and she insisted that she didn't need a baby shower or lots of gifts. This baby was already getting five kids' worth of hand-me-downs.

Edwin came home then, and there was more hugging, and exclaiming over baby items. Edwin was wishing with all his might for a boy. I don't care what it is, as long as it's healthy. (But if I had to pick, I'd want a girl. There's too much testosterone in this house already.)

George came home with Marti a little later, and Mom followed soon after. It was her last day at work for awhile.

"So wonderful to have you home," she told Derek and me, kissing the tops of our heads. Derek made a face, but he was too busy having a tickle fight with Marti to care too much.

"You, too, Mom. Now you have a few weeks to relax before the baby comes."

"Relax?" She laughed. "Honey, wait until you see how much there's left to do!"

George nodded. "We'll give you the grand tour." He led everyone upstairs, and Derek and I gasped when we saw my room. It was an exact replica of Mom and George's basement bedroom.

"You're sleeping here now?" I looked wistfully around my old room, but I wasn't really upset. How could I be? My home was in Kingston.

"Yes, and I'm sorry we didn't tell you beforehand. We had a tough time figuring out where the baby should go. Whatever we did, it was obvious we couldn't stay in the basement anymore," Mom explained.

"Wait a minute. So that means…" I stepped over to Derek's door and pushed it open.

It was completely empty. When we left in August, he had kept most of his posters on the walls and a mattress on the floor, claiming that it would always be his room. And now, it was painted pale yellow, obviously awaiting baby furniture.

"You gave up your room?" I squeaked. Derek came over and wrapped his arms around me, laying his chin on my shoulder.

"Shocking, isn't it?" I could feel him smirking.

"I can't believe you're letting the baby have your room." I was still having trouble processing this development.

Derek sighed. "What can I say? Nora and Dad are very convincing. It was time to let go."

"That's right," George spoke up proudly. "We had a long talk with Derek, and he decided to do a nice thing for us. You're a good influence, Case."

"Hey, this was Derek's decision. It had nothing to do with me."

"Thank you, Casey. At least somebody appreciates my inherent good qualities," Derek said teasingly.

George rolled his eyes. "Well, who can I thank for teaching you big words like 'inherent'? Casey, or is that the result of your university education?"

They bantered on like this for awhile, but I tuned them out. I walked into the baby's room and tried to imagine it full of the gifts from downstairs. It was absolutely amazing that in just a few weeks, I would have a new brother or sister.

Mom joined me, pointing out where the furniture would go.

"It took weeks to get the stench out," she whispered. "We actually found a pizza slice buried at the back of the closet under some of Derek's trophies."

"Ew." I shuddered. This baby would have a lot to live up to in this room. Let's hope she's neater than Derek. "Where's the rest of Derek's stuff?"

"The basement." Mom paused. "You know, Case, we thought long and hard about where to put everyone. We thought about having you and Derek stay in the basement together."

I paled at the thought. "Whoa, Mom, I don't think sharing a room is such a good idea—"

"No, no, don't worry. That's something we'll consider down the road. That's not something you're ready to do yet, I'm assuming?"

I understood what she was asking-but-not-asking. "Don't worry, Mom, I'm definitely not ready for that yet." Derek and I were still sleeping in our own bedrooms, thank you very much. (Though the couch had been seeing a lot more action than before!)

She sighed. "Good. So, we decided that for now, you'll bunk with Lizzie. There's enough room for a cot next to her bed. And Ed and Derek will share the attic. It's big enough for both their egos."

We giggled. "Sounds good, Mom. It'll be fun staying with Liz. We have a lot of girl talk to catch up on while I'm here."

"I'm glad you're okay with all of this."

"Of course." I hugged her. "The room is going to look great when it's done."

()()()()()

Somehow, I hadn't realized that Derek and I would be spending a lot of time home alone. Lizzie, Ed, and Marti still had school for another week before Christmas, and George was at work. Mom, true to her word, was busy every day. She went food shopping to stock up on easy dinners for George to make, shopping for diapers, baby formula, and other necessities, and of course, she went furniture shopping. We had Marti's crib, but there was plenty more to get. And then she would come home and nap for a few hours. I don't know how she did it.

Derek and I were put in charge of decorations. I was happy that Derek seemed as into it as I was. We picked out bunny stencils for the walls, these adorable glass clings for the window, and other fun accessories. Mom came home one day to find us covered in white paint, clutching our stomachs and laughing hysterically on the bedroom floor. We had been stenciling the walls, and let's just say we aren't very good at it. We had to buy more yellow paint to cover them up and start all over the next day.

()()()()()

The baby's room was finally finished two days before Christmas.

Derek and I stood in the hallway, admiring our handiwork. He wrapped an arm around me.

"Hey, when we get married, are you going to take my name?"

My head snapped up and I looked at him sternly. "What?"

He shrugged. "I'm just asking."

I settled back against him. "I think so. Why?"

"This baby is going to be a 'McDonald dash Venturi.' So I if you do the McDonald dash thing too, you and the baby will be the only ones in the family that have that name."

"I never even thought about that. But you know, I think I'm just going to stick to becoming regular old Mrs. Derek Venturi. We can let the baby have the dash."

He poked me gently. "Trust me, there is nothing regular or old about being a Venturi."

I shook my head. "Sometimes I still can't believe that I get to see this side of you."

"What do you mean?" He pressed a kiss to my neck.

"That's what I mean. I never in a million years thought you'd be standing here saying you want to marry me."

He gulped. "I was talking about in the future. Way, way, way in the future." I could feel him tense up.

"Calm down. I know that's what you mean. I just can't believe that we're in this place, you know? You and me, not hating each other."

"How could I hate someone I love so much?"

"Say that again." Hearing it never got old.

"Say what?" he murmured into my hair.

I turned around to face him and put my arms around his neck. "I love you."

He moved in closer towards me. "I love you, Case."

Just as our lips were about to touch, Marti let out a shriek. She called up the stairs, "It's time! It's time!"

Derek grabbed my hand and we raced down the stairs. He scooped Marti up and asked, "Is the baby coming?"

"Yes he or she is!" Marti said excitedly. Derek and I grinned at each other. Before we could say anything, George came through the door.

"Good, you're here. Listen, you two bring Marti with you and pick up Edwin and Lizzie and meet us at the hospital. Okay? Okay. Coat. Suitcase. Keys." He glanced around wildly. "Okay. Okay. Bye."

Derek laughed. "Wow. Marti, I hope you know where we're supposed to pick up Ed and Liz, because he's already gone." I peered out the window, and Derek was right.

Marti put a finger to her chin. "Lizzie is probably at Jamie's, and Edwin is in detention."

"Detention?!" Derek and I both said it, but I sounded worried, while Derek sounded proud.

"During Christmas vacation?" I continued.

"Yup," Marti answered. "Edwin has your old seat in the principal's office, Smerek."

Derek and Marti high-fived. I rolled my eyes. Typical Derek. But I wouldn't have him any other way!

"Let's go, you two," I told them. "We don't want to miss anything!"

So we grabbed our coats and headed out the door.

Derek took my hand. "We're about to meet our new brother or sister," he said happily, hugging me to him.

"I know, I can't believe it. It's going to be so weird to have a baby in the house. And," I smirked, "it'll be good practice for us."

Derek shoved me. "Very funny, Space Case."

"I think you should have a baby," Marti spoke up as we climbed into The Prince.

"What would our baby be to this baby? Step-half-niece or nephew?" I laughed.

Derek groaned. "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

"Our family was only mildly crazy before. Now we're adding a whole new dimension to it," I teased.

Derek kissed me. "I don't care if you don't."

I pretended to think about it. "Nah, I don't mind."

Marti grabbed both our shoulders and shook us. "You love him, he loves you, I get it. Now let's go! I want to see this baby!"

We laughed. "Marti's right, let's go." Derek pulled onto the road.

And off we went to meet our new sibling.