Hope everybody had a great new year. You may find this chapter a little weird but I needed it to set up the next which will probably be the last one. Anyways I hope you like it. And still un-beta'd which tells me I need to get my act together and contact my beta. -sigh-

Dont own LwD.

Derek sighed as he closed the door after his two siblings. Great, now half his family was in his room. His sanctuary the place he went to get away from everyone, not Casey though. All he needed now were Nora and George and Marti to complete the little get together that was going on now.

"See Casey, no one's going to believe I of all people was doing homework," he said rolling his eyes at Casey as he settled himself on the computer chair. His bed was getting quite crowded what with Casey, Lizzie and Edwin on it. Hmmm…he needed to have a talk with Edwin. Sitting on his bed was simply not done.

"You never know, they might think you are becoming a better student," Casey said hopefully, ever the incurable optimist.

Lizzie began laughing and covered it up with a cough while Edwin outright snorted and began laughing. Derek himself grinned. The idea of him doing homework was pretty far-fetched and he had told Casey that. But when Casey looked at him with that smile and those eyes he had melted faster than a Popsicle in summer and had given in but not before half-heartedly protesting. He still had to hold on to some vestige of dignity, didn't he?

Casey had stuck to her word and made him do homework or at least attempted to. But it was hard to when Derek kept throwing small pieces of paper at her or sneaking in kisses. But she had to admit, doing homework or at least attempting to do homework with Derek was fun, especially when there were kisses involved.

"Seriously, Derek, how did you think that anyone would believe you both were actually doing homework? I mean Casey, everyone will believe, but you?" Edwin asked as he struggled to contain his laughter.

"Oh I know how he was convinced," Lizzie said with a knowing smirk on her face. And Casey and Derek blushed. Well Derek tried not to go tomato red but failed admirably in the process.

Edwin too caught on and smirked and Derek groaned. Edwin was probably going to milk him for all he was worth or threaten to reveal that Casey kissing Derek could convince Derek of going along with anything. Even doing homework.

"So how long have both of you known?" Casey asked.

"Ever since a week ago when both of you left storming and then came in for lunch together. Both of you were sitting together and just looked so happy." Edwin said in a thoughtful voice.

Derek and Casey smiled at that memory.

"But we never told anyone so how did you know?" Casey asked her eyebrows scrunching as she tried to figure out how could Edwin possibly.

"I went over all the possibilities in my head and stuck with the one that seemed most logical. Besides my research binder is filled with notes about your interactions. It was not hard to arrive at that conclusion." Edwin said smirking.

Casey once again marveled at Edwin's intelligence as well as the hard work he put into whatever he was doing. Derek merely sighed; his little brother was going to be a social failure if he spent more time with a binder than anything else.

"Did you too guess at around that time Lizzie?" Derek asked Lizzie who had been sitting quietly next to Casey.

"I didn't guess. Edwin told me. By the way, you should know that he looked out for you'll. If it weren't for him, I'm sure you'd have been caught earlier because you were too busy making googly eyes at each other." Lizzie said determined to give Edwin his due.

Casey sucked in a deep breath and looked at Edwin who was staring protractedly at his hands. She went over to him and gave him a tight hug. This was by far the sweetest thing he had ever done.

Edwin went red and squirmed in Casey's embrace. Just because he had a soft spot for romantic couples did not mean he would allow himself to be subjected to hugs of the Casey kind. For goodness sakes, he was a teenage boy after all. After some amount of squirming Casey let go of him while Edwin muttered furiously how much he didn't like hugs.

Derek stared at his younger brother thoughtfully, touched that Edwin had actually been a lookout for them. He got up and hooked an arm around his neck and ruffled his hair. That was his way of showing affection and saying thank you. And one that Edwin clearly preferred because he did not squirm as much.

Edwin sat down next to Lizzie who smiled at him.

"Now that we got that out of the way, let's move onto other things," Lizzie said taking charge.

It was such a Casey like gesture that Derek couldn't help but be amused.

"What other things Lizard?" he asked

"Like how are you going to tell mom and George and then your friends? That kind of stuff." Lizzie said carefully, not wanting to freak them out but yet wanting to impress upon them the advantage of letting everyone know as soon as possible before they found out themselves and suffered from a heart attack in the process.

"Sam and Emily know but Mom and George…" with that Casey tailed off. She quailed at the thought of telling her parents.

"Shit." And that was all Derek said but it encompassed what they felt, very well. Silence pervaded the room as Casey and Derek fell into deep thought about what to do while Edwin and Lizzie try to think of the worst case scenario.

"We'll have to tell them," Casey said biting her lip.

"Obviously."

"But how will we tell them?"

"Upfront. Because there is no other way."

Casey gulped at this statement from Derek. Everything suddenly seemed so much more serious. But she was willing to go all the way; she was willing to give this thing with Derek a chance. And she wanted her mother to know that she was committed.

Edwin and Lizzie stared at Derek and Casey. It seemed as the two had suddenly grown up. They really were serious about this relationship about theirs. It was a little scary to watch but at the same time it filled them with admiration for what their siblings were about to do.

"Come on Spacey, we've got some parents to freak."

"Not if we go with that attitude."

"Then what should we do?"

"Make a presentation."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"And they call you the intelligent one."

"Hey…"

Edwin shook his head as he watched them both walk out of the room and continue to argue, things might be changing but Derek and Casey and their constant bickering; that would never change.

And that in itself was reassuring.

Edited as of April 19th, 2010