Disclaimer : I do not own Life With Derek

A/N: Wow...I've been gone a while. Sorry about that. Lots going on...and I'm sure you dont wanna hear about it. lol :D

This chapter's not really my favorite...but I was drawing a blank on what to do for this prompt. So this is what I ended up with.

Ummm this came from a Life With Derek forum that I found. It's for GJ7B.X's challenge to write 30 oneshots. None of these are related to each in anyway, other then they're LWD. None of them will be rated higher then T.

Hope you like them!

"Talking"

"Thinking"

Flashback

Pop-Up Book

Casey opened the door to the front door and was greeted with the sounds of yelling. She could clearly make out Derek's voice and she was surprised to hear him yelling at someone who wasn't her.
Walking into the kitchen she found Derek and George standing at opposite sides of the kitchen, glaring daggers at each other.

"You're not getting out of this one Derek!"

"No of course not! Why would you ever let me get out of anything?"

"Derek this is serious! You hit someone! You could be in a lot of trouble!"

Casey's eyebrows shot up and she looked closely at Derek's face. He had a split lip and stitches across his right eyebrow.

"Derek's I'll do the best I can but-"

Derek suddenly stiffened and threw up his hands, "I don't want to hear it."

He turned and went to leave the room, but as he was brushing past Casey he stopped and looked over his shoulder, "Too bad you can't just buy them a stupid pop-up book."

George rubbed the heels of his hands in to his eyes as Derek continued out of the room and stormed upstairs.

"George?"

George looked over at her, and shook his head, "Not now Casey."

He went down to the basement, leaving Casey all alone.

"What is going on?"

Gently knocking on Derek's door, Casey slowly pushed it open and stuck her head in, "Derek?"

"Whadooyouwan?" His voice was muffled by the pillow over his face.

"What's going on?"

Throwing the pillow across the room Derek turned his head to look at her, "What do you care?"

"What happened?" Casey asked again, ignoring the question.

"I got in a fight at hockey practice."

"Derek!"

"Don't even start. They're fine. I'm fine. No problem."

"Why?"

"He pissed me off."

Casey rolled her eyes, "Of course. What other reason would you need?"

"Not now Casey!" Derek snapped.

Casey took a step back, "Derek" she said softly.

"Just go."

"What did you mean by buying a stupid pop-up book."

Derek suddenly sat up, "Are you deaf woman? I said GET OUT!"

Casey jumped in fear then turned and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Derek threw himself back onto the bed and dug his hands into his eyes.

"Again. Again!"

Derek groaned softly and let his head fall back, "No more Smarti"

3 year old Marti Venturi folded her arms and stuck out her bottom lip, "Pleeeeeeeeeeeease Smerek?"

Derek kept his eyes closed and shook his head, "No. I told you this was the last time…five times ago!"

"But-but-but-"

Derek cracked open one eye to see Marti's eyes filling with tears and her chin starting to trembled. Sitting up quickly Derek snatched the book back off the nightstand, "You are such a cheater"

Marti giggled in excitement and settled back in next to her brother on the bed.

Derek shot up out of his bed, a slight sweat running down his body. Sighing deeply, he pushed himself out of his bed, opened the door and softly went into Casey room.

Kneeling on her bed, he gently shook her sleeping form.

"Casey" he whispered, "Casey wake up!"

Casey groaned softly and slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyes widened when she saw a form leaning over her and she opened her mouth to scream.

Derek quickly put his hand over her mouth and growled softly, "Shut up. It's me Space Case."

Casey's eyes narrowed slightly as they adjusted to the dark. Then they widened again when she realized Derek was sitting on her bed, in the dark, wearing nothing but boxer.

Ripping his hand off her mouth she hissed, "What are you doing here?"

Derek put his hand back in his lap and looked away, "I…I just…"

Casey sat up and pulled her blankets closer around her, "You what?"

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Derek finally spoke, but he wouldn't look at her. He kept his eyes trained on the door.

"I was 10 when the fighting started. I would lay awake at night listening to them yell at each other."

Casey leaned forward, Derek had never talked about his life when he was younger.

"They were so wrapped up in their fights, they kinda forgot about us kids. So I…I took care of us. I watched Marti, made sure she was happy. Helped Edwin with his schoolwork. Made food."

Derek turned and looked at Casey, "Surprising huh? Me, responsible."

"Yeah" Casey murmured.

"It was like that for two years. I got Edwin up, I put Marti to bed. Then right after I turned 12, my Mom finally left. I blamed my Dad at first. I was so sure it was his fault. Now…I know it was because

of both of them."

Casey gently put a hand on Derek's arm, "Derek, not that I mind knowing more about you….but what does this have to do with a pop-up book?"

Derek smiled sadly, "It was Dad's way of making everything better. Like one stupid book would fix everything."

Marti sat on the floor screaming her head off as Derek ran around the kitchen trying to find her favorite sippy-cup.

Edwin trudged in, a frown on his face, "Hey Derek?"

"Yeah. Hang on Marti. I can't find it."

"NOW!"

"It's about my math test."

Derek opened the cupboard above the freezer and rolled his eyes, "Found it Smart!"

He started to wash it out, "What about your math test?"

"I failed it."

Derek gave the cup to Marti who immediately lit up like a Christmas tree and snatched it out of his hands.

"You what?"

Derek wiped his hands off and leaned against the counter, "Ed. What happened?"

Edwin shrugged, "I dunno. I just…couldn't remember anything."

Derek sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Well, don't worry about it. We'll figure something out."

"Okay."

"Hey kids!"

George came through the back door, his arms full of paperwork, "How was your day?"

"Good" the boys muttered while Marti leaped to her feet, "I played with Dimi. He fell in mud!"

George dropped all of his things on the counter, "That's great honey."

"Dad, did you go shopping?"

George raised his eyebrows, "Was I supposed to?"

Derek shook his head and turned away, "Mac and cheese again tonight."

Edwin groaned slightly while Marti cheered.

"Dad just didn't get that things weren't right at home."

Derek looked up from the carpet and locked eyes with Casey, "He was never there to see it."

Casey shifted on her bed so she was now sitting side by side with Derek. Keeping her eyes connected with his. She didn't say a word, she hardly dared to breath. Derek seemed to be off in his own world and she didn't want to do anything that would bring him out of it, not until she heard the whole story.

Near the end of dinner Marti started throwing a fit and crying for her mom. Nothing Derek, Edwin or George could do would calm her down. Finally George went to his briefcase and pulled out a book.

Derek raised an eyebrow, "What is that?" he tried to speak over the screaming Marti in his arms.

"It's a present for Marti."

"What for?"

George shrugged, "Well it might help."

"You want to bribe her?"

George ignored Derek's comment and smiled at his daughter, "Marti. If you'll stop, I have a present for you."

Marti wiped at her tears, "What kind of present?" she whispered.

George brought the book out from behind his back, "It's a book."

Marti shrieked in excitement, "It's a pop-up book!"

She wiggled out of Derek's arms, snatched the book out of her father's hands and ran over to the couch.

George smiled, "See? Problem solved."

"No, not problem solved. Problem avoided. Just like everything else around here"

"Derek! What is going on with you?"

Derek stared at his father a moment before shaking his head and storming up the stairs.

Derek suddenly jumped to his feet and started pacing, "What's how it always was with him. Instead of confronted it, he just gave it a quick fix."

Casey tilted her head, "You mean, like you do now?"

Derek stopped suddenly and turned back to her, "Yeah. Exactly like I do now. Difference, he was the parents. I was the kid. Hell I still am. I've earned that right!"

Casey stood up and place her hands on Derek's chest to calm him down, "What made you stop taking care of everything?"

After reading to Marti for almost two hours, Derek quietly slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him. Sighing deeply he tiredly made his way to his room.

"Derek?"

Derek turned to see his father coming around the corner from the stairs, "What?"

"Marti asleep?"

Derek snorted, "Finally."

"Listen Derek, thanks for putting her to bed."

Derek shrugged, "Whatever"

He opened his door but stopped when George spoke again, "I know these past few months have been hard Derek."

"Don't"

"But we're going to get through this."

"Of course we will."

George sighed, "Derek, will you look at me please?"

Derek slowly turned, his face completely blank, "What?"

"What do you want from me Derek? I'm doing the best I can here"

"Yeah right."

"Derek!"

"If you were doing the best you could, Marti would be crying for you at night, not me! If you were doing the best you could, you would know Edwin failed his math final at school last week! If you were doing the best you could Mom wouldn't have moved out!"

"ENOUGH!"

Derek's mouth snapped shut and his chest heaved with his anger.

"This that what you really think Derek? Your mom left because I wasn't doing my best?"

Derek looked away.

"I see." George threw up his hands, "Well I'm not really sure how to fix this."

Derek narrowed his eyes, "You can't fix it Dad. I'm not Marti, I can't be bought off with a stupid pop-up book."

Before George could say a word Derek ran into his room and slammed the door behind him, quickly locking it to keep his father from following him.

He listened for George's footsteps to fade away before he let his head fall back against door. Again. Again. And again.

His dad was right.

Enough.

Tears burned his eyes and slid down his checks.

Tonight was the last night.

The last night he cried.

The last night he let everyone walk all over him.

The last night he was put last.

The last night he cared.

Casey suddenly threw her arms around Derek's neck and held his close.

Derek's stiffened, "What are you doing?"

"You're like this because of a stupid pop-up book?"

Derek slowly brought his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair.

"I…." he didn't know what to say.

They stood like for several minute before Casey finally pulled back enough to look Derek in the eye, her arms still around his neck, "Stay with me tonight?" she whispered.

Derek stared at her in shock. This wasn't what he was expecting. A lecture, some yelling. A reason to fight with her. But not…acceptance.

"Casey…."

She put a finger to his lips, "Tonight sleep. Tomorrow we're talking."

Derek nodded slowly and Casey led him to her bed.

They slid under the covers and Casey held onto Derek tightly.

She gentle stroked his hair as his breathing deepened and he slipped off into sleep.

As she settled down she smiled to herself.

She knew they would never talk about it.

He would be gone in the morning.

But tonight was the first night.

The first night she had hugged him

The first night he had told anyone what he felt.

The first night both their guards had been down.

The first night he knew she really cared.

A/N: Okay...I'm really not liking that ending much...but shrugs oh well...and yeah I know they're pretty OOC...but again oh well. lol...Please Review