A/N: Be forewarned, this chapter is kinda all over the place. Thoughts and stressed words are in italics.

Disclaimer: I own London. I own France. I own a pair of Mike Seater's underpants. Too much? Sorry 'bout that. Maybe I should just stick to saying "I Disclaim" and leave the rhyming to the professionals.

OOOOOOOO

"Hey, baby," Derek greeted Casey as he walked into the kitchen.

Looking up from the cookie dough she was mixing, she gave him a smile. "Hey. How was work?"

He shrugged. "Work's work."

Casey bit back a smile. Her husband liked to act like his job was some huge burden, but anybody who knew Derek knew he loved his job at the paper. Deadlines weren't really his thing, but getting paid to write about sports was his own little version of heaven.

Just then he started glancing around as if searching for something.

"The mail is on the mantle in the front room," she told him before he could ask.

Shaking his head, he grinned. "You know me too well."

While he was walking off in search of the mail, Casey called out to him, "Hey, if Nate asks you if he can go somewhere don't let him; he's grounded."

Returning to the kitchen, mail in hand, Derek asked, "for what?"

"He cut school today. While Emily and I were hanging out we caught him red handed on a lunch date with his girlfriend."

The girlfriend part hit him harder than the cutting class part. He hated to be all old school about it, but boys will be boys, and teenage boys cut school sometimes. But the girlfriend thing…that was just weird. Derek had met plenty of Ambers, Kishas, Kelseys, and Sandys while they'd waited patiently on the couch for Nate to return or tried unsuccessfully to sneak up to his room, but he hardly ever saw the same girl twice. He just couldn't fathom his son having a steady girlfriend--Derek gave it two weeks, tops.

"A girlfriend huh?" He shook his head and returned to opening the bills. "Anyone we've met before?" he asked, not really sounding interested.

"Yeah, actually," Casey was back to stirring the dough, "it's Lauren," she said, somewhat offhandedly.

"Lauren?" he repeated blankly. 'Lauren… do I know a Lauren?' he wondered, and then a thought occurred to him. "Wait- you don't mean…" his voice trailed off in horror.

"Yeah," she smiled brightly, "its Emily's Lauren. How cute is that?" she asked, enthusiastically. "I mean, I was so overwhelmed by the cuteness factor that I almost forgot to punish him. But then I thought about how if he didn't go to class, he'd be behind the curve, and then he wouldn't be successful at University and never get a good job. He could end up on the streets begging--"

"Be quiet," Derek snapped, interrupting her babbling. His head was spinning and her incessant chattering wasn't helping matters. "This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Eyes straying from the bowl, Casey caught sight of her husband's angry face.

"Which part?" she asked, insulted.

"Why's he dating that girl?" Derek was talking more to himself than to Casey. "So he can break her heart and our families will have something to fight about for the next twenty years. Jesus," he swore.

To say Casey was surprised by his outburst would've been an understatement.

"How do you know he'll break her heart?"

"Hello?" He gave her an incredulous look. "Have you met our son? He's me reincarnated. Bless his heart, but he's not wired to go with just one girl. He's got a new one here each week."

"You say he's just like you, but you were able to date just one girl when you were his age. You only dated Emily for years."

His brows shot up into his hairline. Apparently his wife had taken leave of her senses.

"Well, I mean not counting me," she corrected sheepishly. "But that's beside the point; you know what I was trying to say."

Slamming the long forgotten mail down on the counter, he narrowed his eyes at her. "That is so not beside the point. I left her for you; I couldn't be faithful, which is totally my point."

"Okay," she exhaled loudly, "but you've always been faithful to me," she countered.

"Because we are in love."

Casey stood, hands upon hips. "And how do you know Nate's not in love?"

"They're in high school," he yelled, "They don't know what love is yet. We didn't at that age. Part of the reason things got so messed up when we were younger was because we didn't know what we really felt for each other," he explained.

"They are not us," she shouted back. What was wrong with Derek? Couldn't he see? "And they are not you and Emily, or me and Sam, or Sam and Emily. They are Nathan and Lauren, and they like each other," she stressed, completely fed up with a conversation she really couldn't even believe she was having.

"Well I don't like it." Derek slammed a fist into one of the cabinets. "I didn't want you and Emily hanging out in the first place, but no you had to do it anyway. And now Nate's caught up with Lauren and it's gonna fuck things up even more than they already are."

Casey threw her hands up. "What are you talking about?"

He laughed derisively. "I don't give a damn how much progress you think you've made with Emily, if you think she's gonna be okay with her daughter dating mini me you're crazy."

"What's wrong with you?" she cried. Casey felt dangerously close to tears and it was mainly because she felt so confused. Derek wasn't prone to yelling at her or talking to her like she was an idiot, and it was making her feel, well, bad. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because you always do this," he yelled, frustrated. "You always set yourself up to get hurt. You used to do it with your father and now you're doing it with Emily. You want to be her friend, but you want Nate and Lauren to be together? That's just stupid." He shook his head at her. "Mark my words, Emily and Sam are not going to like this."

"You don't know that," Casey said, shaking her head in denial.

"Yes, I do, and if you're honest with yourself you'll realize you know it too." Walking over to his wife, Derek placed a hand on each of her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. "Princess," he said, voice much gentler, "up until a few months ago these people hated us. So do you really believe that Emily and Sam want to see a boy who looks and acts just like a man they can't stand hitting on their daughter?"

She sighed. "I can't speak for Sam, but I know Emily won't care." Derek started to speak, but Casey went on. "But even if she does care, so what? It won't affect us, we're friends now and something like our kids dating isn't going to change that."

Running a hand through his hair, he gave her an almost pitying glance. "For your sake I hope you're right," he told her.

But Derek knew she was wrong, and he hated that. And he hated to see his wife hurt, but what he hated even more was knowing that he couldn't do anything to stop it. Frowning, he left the room in disgust, not with her, but with himself. He'd meant to talk to Nate about Lauren weeks ago and now it was too late. He could only hope that by some miracle Emily and Sam didn't care.

OOOO

"Mom, please say something," Lauren begged. Emily had remained silent throughout the entire ride home and now they were sitting in their living room having the tensest staring contest ever. Lauren figured her mother was just waiting on her father to get home so they could have the pleasure of lecturing and punishing her together, but enough was enough. The silence was grating and she was beyond anxious--Lauren just wanted to get it all over with.

"What do you want me to say?" Emily asked in a clipped tone.

"Something, anything." Lauren shrugged. "I just want you to tell me what you're thinking."

Something in Emily seemed to snap. She'd been trying to keep a tap on her anger which is why she'd been trying to remain quiet until Sam got home, but to hell with it. If Lauren wanted to know what she was thinking then she'd give her an earful alright.

Emily slanted her eyes in Lauren's direction. "When I was telling you and Tony about everything that happened with me and the Venturi's when I was younger were you listening to anything I said? I know you heard me, but were you listening?"

"Umm, y-yeah, yeah," Lauren stuttered, caught off guard by the question.

Standing abruptly, Emily folded her arms across her chest and glared down at her daughter. "Then why in God's name would you purposely repeat my mistakes?"

"What?!"

"Derek is an ass; a cheater. He doesn't care about people's feelings." Emily was already bordering on hysterical. Head swimming, she was having trouble expressing her thoughts vocally.

"Okay, fine, I couldn't agree more." Lauren really couldn't have agreed more, she believed all those things to be true; but what did that have to do with Nate? "But I'm not dating Derek, I'm dating his son."

Unfortunately for Lauren, Sam had picked that very moment to walk through the front door, so he heard her last words.

"No you're not," he said simply, staring at his daughter.

"Yes, I am." "Yes, she is." Both mother and daughter had spoken through clenched teeth; they were both pissed, just for very different reasons.

"No, she's not," he addressed his wife, "our daughter is too smart to get sucked in by a Venturi. She would never do something so stupid."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," she demanded, standing. "And you're right, I'm not stupid, which is why I have no problem differentiating between Derek and his son, something you two seem unable to do."

Inhaling sharply, Emily drew herself up. "Excuse me?"

"If anyone's acting stupid here it's the two of you." Lauren gasped at her own words, but she'd just hit a point of no return so she kept right on going. "How dare you judge Nate? You don't even know him."

"I know he wasn't here five minutes before he was fighting your brother and hitting on you," Emily responded. "That boy is Derek reborn, from his smirk to the way he thinks he can best any guy and get any girl. And just like his father would've done, he will use you," she stressed.

"Yeah, you would say that," Lauren snapped back.

Grabbing her daughter's arm, Emily pulled her right in front of her, making sure she had Lauren's attention when she told her, "I say it because it's true; I should know, I lived it. Do I think Nathan's going to leave you for his step-sister? No. But he will hurt you, mark my words."

"No he won't," Sam piped up. There was no point in letting the two women in his life continue to argue, when he'd already come to a decision. "He won't hurt her, because he won't be able to."

Lauren and Emily turned their gazes to him, both watching expectantly.

"The two of you are done," Sam told his daughter, finality coloring his words. "Call him, text him, do whatever, but you tell that boy it's over."

"Daddy, no!" Lauren couldn't help it, she stomped her foot.

"I'm sorry, pumpkin," Sam said, and oddly enough he did sound sorry, "But I won't allow a Venturi, any Venturi, to hurt anyone in this family ever again."

"The only ones hurting me are you," she declared, pointing an accusing finger at her parents. "I hate you!" After the bitter words escaped hr lips, Lauren ran up the stairs to her room.

Upon hearing their daughter's door slam, Sam and Emily flinched.

"Sam," Emily's voice broke a little, "I just don't want--

Taking two big steps, Sam reached his wife and embraced her. "Shush. It's for her own good; she'll get over it," he assured her.

Would she really get over it? Emily wasn't so sure. Because, really, had any of them--herself, Sam, Casey, or Derek--ever gotten over the issues from their past? Nope, the past had a way of sticking with a person well into their future. Emily just hoped what they'd just done didn't come back to bite them all in the ass.

OOOO

As soon as Lauren slammed her door it opened right back up.

"Tony, do you have any idea what mom and dad just did?" Lauren asked, voice wild, once her brother was through the doorway and had shut the door.

"Yeah, I heard." He bit back a smile. "I think the whole neighborhood heard."

"This isn't funny."

"No, it isn't," he agreed, as he watched her swipe at her eyes.

"Oh," Lauren whined, "what am I gonna do?"

Tony sighed, unsure of what he was about to say. Truthfully, he agreed with his parents, but that didn't mean that he got any pleasure from watching his sister go through something so painful. He wanted her to be happy, which is why he agreed not to rat her out in the first place and why he was about to give her some advice that completely went against everything he thought was right.

"First, you're gonna stop crying." He tossed her the box of tissues that'd been sitting on her bookshelf. "And if you don't want to stop seeing Nate then don't stop seeing him."

Sniffling, she shook her head. "But mom and dad said—

"Forget what they said" he told her, interrupting. "Since when have we done every little thing they told us to do?"

She thought about that for a moment before shaking her head again. "This is different though."

"You're right; this is very different. If ever there was a time to break the rules it's now."

"Well," she said, slowly, "I was supposed to see him again tomorrow night."

"Then see him. If mom and dad ask where you're going just tell them you'll be with me; I'll cover for you," he promised.

"Thanks, Tony," she gave him a hug, "this means a lot. I mean, I know you don't really like Nate."

"No, I don't," he admitted. "But I like you okay, so what the hell, I'll help," he joked lightly.

"Gee, thanks," Lauren said, dryly. "It's nice to know you care."

Her cheeks may have been tear streaked and her eyes might've been red and puffy, but the sparkle was back in her eyes. Lauren was happy again. Things may have been all messed up, but at least she was going to get to keep seeing Nate, even if she did have to lie to do it. And, hopefully, one day she wouldn't have to lie anymore because, if it was the last thing she did, she was going to prove to her parents that Nate wasn't Derek--that he was nothing like his father.

OOOOOO

"You're still going to see her?" Shawn asked in disbelief.

Nate pulled on his lettermen's jacket and ran his hand through his perfectly messed hair a few times before answering. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

Shawn shot him an incredulous look. "You heard mom and dad yesterday right?"

"Who didn't?" he joked.

"Given the fact that they had a big fight about you seeing this girl, do you really think that continuing to see her is a good idea?" Shawn asked in a clipped tone. Sometimes his brother's nerve was truly galling.

Pocketing his keys, Nate responded, "they never said I couldn't date her, and even if they had--"

"You wouldn't have listened," he guessed. "I don't think--

"Chill, Shawn," Nate interrupted him, trying to stave off a lecture he really didn't want to hear. "Take a breath," he instructed. "Mom has to work late and dad is at club, so I'm not going to get caught. Everything's gonna be cool," he said, before leaving out the door.

When he heard a car engine start, Shawn couldn't help but roll his eyes. His brother was delusional. Since when did "Westside Story"-type relationships ever turn out "cool"? One way or another things were going to end badly.

OOOO

"So why'd you wanna meet here?" Nate asked, as Lauren slid into the passenger seat of his car. "Did you want to get food or something?"

"No," she shook her head, "I had to leave the house with Tony and this McDonalds was in the direction he was going. Plus I figured it was on your way too so you'd have to know where it was."

"Oh." He shrugged. "Wait- why'd you have to leave with Tony?"

Sighing, Lauren said, "It's a long story, one I suppose we should talk about." She was reluctant to fill Nate in on what had happened, mainly because she didn't want to think about it anymore, but she figured he ought to know what was going on with her.

"Okay," he said, slowly, "do you want to go someplace in particular?"

"No; maybe you could just drive around and we could talk in the car," she suggested.

Nodding, he put the car in drive and they proceeded to cruise.

Having picked up on the sour note in her voice, Nate slanted her a glance. "Is everything alright?"

"No," she sighed, "not really."

Placing his hand on top of her own, he laced their fingers together. "Tell me about it, baby."

"I will," She mustered up a smile for him, "But first tell me what happened when you got home yesterday. How did your parents take everything?"

"Well, my mom thought it was the cutest thing ever," he told her, doing a comically high pitched imitation of Casey.

Lauren giggled lightly, before asking. "And your father?"

He didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was so he figured he'd just have to dance around the truth a little. It simply wouldn't do to tell her that his father thought their relationship was going to fuck up everything.

"My dad wasn't as happy about it." 'Understatement of the year,' he thought. "But it's cool," he said, ambiguously.

Lauren sagged with relief; at least the Venturi's had taken it well. "You're so lucky," she squeezed his hand, "my parents flipped out."

"Like how?"

"Like, I shouldn't even be here right now because I've been forbidden to see you." The anger and bitterness were back in her voice. "They told me to break up with you."

"What?!" he exclaimed, slightly shocked; even his parents hadn't gone that far. Turning sharply, he pulled the car over to the side of the road.

"Yup, they went all crazy even though I kept telling them you were different."

"Different from what?" he asked, confused.

"Your father, silly," she told him, patting his chest. "They're so convinced you're just like him, but I know you'd never be so callous and backstabbing as he was. You're not a liar or a user"--she was meaning to compliment him, "you actually have feelings."

Pulling his hand away, he asked, in a tone she couldn't quite decipher, "And my father doesn't?" He knew she hadn't meant to, but she'd offended him.

"What's wrong?" It was Lauren's turn to be confused; she couldn't fathom why he sounded mad all of a sudden.

"You make my dad sound like he's evil incarnate or something," Nate told her.

"Look," apparently his irritation was contagious, because now she was slightly annoyed, "I'm not saying he's Charles Manson, but you have to admit your parents are no angels. Just look at what they did to my parents."

God, Nate was sick of hearing about the past. That's what was wrong with everyone: they couldn't forget something that happened like twenty years ago. "That was like forever ago. And, really, is what they did so bad? They were just two teenagers who were in love and wanted to be together, like us."

He was getting himself worked up, and Lauren had to wonder if he even realized that he'd just told her he was in love with her (albeit in a lame ass way) for the first time. She couldn't really think about that right then though, because she was still trying to process the fact that he seemed to think that his parents were in the clear simply because they were in love.

"What's love got to do with it?" She coked an eyebrow in his direction. "Okay, I'll be generous and cut your mom a little slack, but your father started dating my mother knowing he was into your mom. That's just dirty."

"Umm, hello? He was a kid and kids make mistakes." Nate sounded exasperated. "Big deal," he mumbled, sarcastically.

"A mistake is forgetting to turn the iron off, not forgetting to tell your girlfriend that you're screwing her best friend. Humph," Lauren folded her arms across her chest, "for all anyone knows there could have been other girls. Derek was quite the player," her tone was derisive at best, "so I guess my mom should just be happy he didn't give her something."

Nate went on the defensive. "From what I've heard she should be happy he gave her the time of day. She was the queen of all losers."

"No, no;" she shook her head, "I believe that was your mother, and in case you're wondering she also held the title of queen of all sluts," she snapped back.

"Let me get this straight," he tapped his forehead in mock concentration, "my father was a man-whore and my mother was a loser slut. So how desperate and pathetic were your parents to have wanted them?" he asked, with feigned curiosity. "Better yet, why don't you tell me why your father wanted to be Derek Venturi so badly he could taste it."

"Please," she scoffed, "why would my father want to be an incestuous freak?" Her eyes widened, she was so surprised at the words that had come out of her mouth. Hands down, that was one of the single meanest thing she'd ever said.

And it hurt Nate. Badly. He refused to let it show though; face red and angry, he answered her. "Who knows? I guess it's one of life's great mysteries like why my father would've ever lowered himself and dated a bottom rung, socially retarded, little wannabe like your mother."

Lauren gasped, but quickly recovered; he wasn't about to get the best of her or her mother. "You don't have to pretend Nate," she said in a syrupy sweet voice. "I know you wish it could've worked out between them, then they'd have gotten married and we'd be related and you could french your sister just like your dear old daddy."

"I don't know," Nate said, playing along despite his anger…or maybe because of it. "Would we just be frenching or could we fuck too?" He was being purposely coarse to hurt her. Giving her an appraising look, he said, "I've never had a spiteful bitch before, but I'd be willing to try you out."

There went what little control over her anger she'd had left. She slapped him. "That," she told him, as he flexed his stinging jaw, "is the last time I ever touch you again." Reaching under her shirt, she felt around for the chain that held his class ring, snatched it off, and threw it in his face. "We're so over."

"Really?" he asked, mockingly. "And here I was just about to propose."

Rolling his eyes, Nate turned the key in the ignition and put his hand on the gearshift.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to the chapel," he deadpanned. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm taking you home. The sooner we leave, the sooner I can pretend we never met and move on with my life," he said, meanly. "Hmm, I wonder what Mariah's doing tonight?"

Clucking her tongue, Lauren opened her door and was out of the car before Nate even knew what was happening.

"What?" he asked her through the window.

"I'll find my own way home," she told him. "I wouldn't want you to keep poor Mariah waiting."

Mad as he was, it was getting darker by the minute and she was a chick.

He sighed. "Lauren--

"Maybe I'll call Ricky," she made a big show of pulling out her phone and going through her contact list, "or Lance, well, there's always Danny, and I can't forget about Corey, Marky, or--

"I get it--you can find a ride." He threw his hands up. "Great; wonderful even. Call whoever you want, I couldn't really give a damn." That was a lie--you don't stop loving somebody in the span of a few minutes--but he'd never let her know he still cared. He was hurt and angry, and more than ready to be away from her.

"Try not to get yourself mugged," Nate said, before throwing the gearshift in 'drive' and speeding off.

When he pulled off, all she felt was extremely relieved. Now she could drop the pretenses and cry. And cry is exactly what she did.

It was a good fifteen minutes before she could even pull it together enough to call for a ride.

OOOO

Tony had been riding around with Bam and Johnny looking for something to get into when Lauren had called and asked, through shallow breaths and hysterical sobs, for a ride home, so it was Bam and Johnny who were with him when he picked her up five minutes later.

When they found her, sitting on the curb under a street light, she was still crying.

Tony jumped out the car, barely taking the time to park well.

"What the hell happened?"

"Well," she sniffed, "hello to you too brother." Glancing past Tony, she saw Bam and Johnny exit the car. "And you brought the cavalry. Great."

"Hey, Stimpy," Bam greeted her. It was an old joke between them from some show they all used to watch on TV Land together when they were younger.

Standing up and brushing off her skirt, she nodded at her brother's two oldest friends.

"How are y'all doing?" she said, as if there was nothing weird about their current situation.

"Shouldn't we be asking you that?" Johnny piped up.

"Yeah, Ren, tell us what happened?"

"Nothing," she said flatly. This had quickly become the single worst week of her life and she wanted to talk about it about as much as she wanted a hole in the head.

Glancing pointedly at her red and swollen hand, Johnny said, "It sure doesn't look like nothing."

"Did you and Venturi get in a fight?" Tony's anger had him practically whispering. If the guy had hurt his sister…well, even God wouldn't be able to save him.

"Yes," she said, but quickly added, "but not how you think. We argued, I slapped him and got out of the car, and he left. End. Of. Story."

"What'd he do to make you hit him?" Tony pressed. He could count the number of people his sister had ever hit on one hand. He was the one with the anger problem, not Lauren; the few times she had gotten physical with someone they'd had it coming.

"He was being an ass." Another simple answer. There was no way in hell Lauren was going to repeat the heated exchange they'd had; it wouldn't accomplish anything except make Tony want to go put his foot in Nathan's ass.

"That's it?" her brother asked, voice skeptical.

"Yup." She walked over to the car. "Now, if you're done with the interrogation I'd like to go home. Shotgun," she announced, before plopping down in the front seat.

The three boys all exchanged a look.

"This is so not over," Tony declared, before heading for the driver's seat.

Bam and Johnny grinned at each other; they'd figured as much.

TBC…

Reviews Are Always Welcome!

A/N: Hate it? Love it? Let me know.