"Second Chances"

Chapter 25: Summer with the Winchesters

A/N #1: I can't believe my summer is practically over and I barely updated! *sigh* I'm ashamed and I deeply apologize. This chapter had been written for a few weeks now and I was debating on whether I needed to add more to it or not. I decided not to. So I hope you enjoy it!

A/N #2: Thank you so much for everyone who is still reading this slowly-updated story. It truly means the world to me so thank you so much for your support!

Shout Out: I remember saying that I would give a shout out to the 350th Reviewer goes to A Smiling Cat.

Review Reply for Airri (Guest from 7/31/13): For your question about Edwin, in my head he hasn't just accepted the excuse about Casey from George and Nora. Edwin would have pestered Lizzie for some answers to the point that she 'threatened' to show him her latest karate moves if he didn't stop. This would have stopped his questions but he would have been nosier. Since Casey didn't leave anything incriminating behind, he has only his 'research' notes to go back on plus there is Derek's reaction to Casey's departure that Edwin is discreetly focusing on. I hope that answers your question. Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer #1: I don't own Life with Derek or Supernatural. They belong to their respective owners (I thank them for creating them in the first place).

Disclaimer #2: The following characters are mine:

Toronto Hockey Buds: Devon McCloud, Tyler Jacobs, Alex Johnston, Carter Wilson

Full Summary: Graduation is finally here and both Casey and Derek are thrilled. But will a visit from two strangers get Derek to realize what he has right in front of him before it's too late? Now what if these two strangers cause Casey to act differently than what Derek is use to? [Set during 'Futuritis'] Crossover with SPN (pre-series).

Remember: John Winchester is Nora McDonald-Venturi's older brother (Siblings: John, Nora & Fiona)

Reference to Life With Derek Episodes: none

Reference to Supernatural Episodes (quotes or outfits): "It's A Terrible Life", "Sin City" and "Route 666"

Reference to "Second Chances: Outtakes": "Fright Night"

LAST TIME:

"And you've grown up so much." He confessed softly which only had her smile widen.

"I've missed you Dad, there's so much I want to tell you." She gushed as she still registered the fact that her father was actually standing before her.

A chuckle from behind Casey caught the attention of the father/daughter duo. "I think you can tell him everything while he eats Case. Dad's had a long drive." Sam offered with clear amusement in his eyes.

John chuckled as he looked towards his second son, "Hey Sammy. Where's Dean?"

Sam pointed towards the back entrance, "Probably finishing off another bowl of chili." He announced a little loudly.

"I heard that!" Dean shouted from the kitchen, although it sounded a bit muffled. Sam snickered as Casey giggled before Dean shouted towards them again, "Hey Dad!"

John shook his head for his oldest son's greeting before he took a step back and grabbed his duffel bags again, "Lead the way."

Sam quickly took John's bags and headed for the living room while Casey chatted away with John as she led him to the kitchen to join Dean and Bobby. There was a lot that they needed to catch up on.

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[July 2004]

And catch up they did.

For that first week (when all the Winchesters were taking a temporary residence under Bobby's roof), every topic was touched upon and it was all in the sense of 'catching up'.

Casey learned about how the hunting scene has been going for the last four years (in greater detail) while getting emphasis on the more recent cases that the men had handled.

The men (mainly John and Bobby) learned about Casey's graduation and how her life in Toronto and London had been in general, with a few quirky anecdotes (like her false-alarm case when Edwin told her the house was haunted) that she just had to share. A few of it was repetitive for Sam and Dean but they didn't mind, they were just pleased to see Casey's excitement present when she shared what she had done. They did notice a few moments of hesitation in her tales…those usually involved Derek.

During Casey's retelling, John found himself enthralled with all that his daughter was able to experience and accomplish over the last few years. Although it pained him that she had to be away from him and her brothers, he was grateful that she was able to experience a semblance of a normal life (something he wasn't able to give to his sons). It did have him questioning himself at times as to why Casey would be willing to give all that up to join them again. If she loved it so much, why leave?

While the men were a little unnerved when Casey brought up the topic of boys, it was quickly pushed to the side when they learned that she kept up with her training as best she could by masquerading it as something else. This led to John wanting a demonstration. For the last few days, Casey has been doing some of her old drills and some of her exercise routines that she had started in Toronto (which were carried on in London). Suffice to say that John was impressed and proud of his daughter and her discipline to keep the physical regime going, especially when she didn't have hunting as an outlet for all that energy.

Casey was currently showing off her marksmanship at the makeshift shooting range on Bobby's property when John brought up a possible next step for them.

"I think it's about time that I take you on that long overdue solo hunt." John announced as he watched his daughter line up her next shot. So far she's managed to hit all the targets he's pointed out to her which he wasn't expecting. He thought her time away would lead her to being a little rusty; turned out that he was wrong.

Casey paused and turned to face her father. "What?"

John crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I took your brothers on their solo hunts after they turned sixteen and since you were with Nora…" he shrugged as he looked out to where the other targets stood in the distance, "well, if you're serious about hunting again then I think a solo hunt is a way to truly prove it."

Casey blinked as she tried to process what John was proposing to her. She remembered when Sam and Dean went on their solo hunts with John after they turned sixteen. She usually spent that time with Bobby but she remembered how her brothers would tell her how they had full reign of the case, meaning research and attack strategies were all under their control while John would sit back and provide backup if need be. The only time John truly took over was during the interviews (since who would take a teenager's questions seriously if they led the interview) or if a situation turned deadly (which was rare since John picked the solo hunts for them to ensure that that didn't happen).

What Casey was having a hard time processing was the fact that she's already been on hunts so she didn't get why she needed to go on a solo hunt. Didn't she prove herself worthy already?

"But I'm nineteen Dad," she reminded him, "I know how to handle myself on a case." She checked over her gun one more time before she fired off another shot.

John nodded, agreeing to not only her argument but to the fact that she had hit her target once again. "True but so could your brothers when it was time for their solo hunts."

Casey shifted her weight between her feet as she fought off the urge she had to argue with her father.

And he noticed that she was fighting with herself, which caused him to chuckle. "Just humor me Honey."

She didn't want to. She loved group hunts as they were but if handling a solo hunt gave her more freedom in the field when her father was concerned…then why not? There was no harm in doing more of the work. Then again, it would be nice to run the show for once (something she was never able to fully do before because her brothers would hold the 'I'm older so we're doing it my way' argument against her).

Casey sighed. "Fine, what did you have in mind?"

"There's a case a few hours from here in Iowa that I thought would be enough for a solo hunt." John explained as he extended his hand out towards the direction of the targets, signaling to her to continue with her shooting.

Casey's brow furrowed, "Iowa?"

John nodded. "I have the location inside." He motioned for her to take the next shot. Once she did, hitting her target once again, he continued, "I'll tag along to make your cover more convincing if need be but like your brothers, you'd have to do all the work as if I'm not there. I'll just be the backup."

Casey eyed her father carefully, "So basically I lead the hunt?" She wasn't sure if he'd actually let her lead since she was not only the youngest but also his only daughter. Hunting can sometimes have a sexist quality to it.

"Yes." He confirmed as he watched her fire off three more shots before she checked the magazine clip. "This is a way for me to see for myself that you can handle yourself when you're truly out there doing the job." When it truly matters, was left unsaid.

She nodded as she slid the clip back into place before she fired off her last shot; the momentum caused the last pop-can to propel off the post it was positioned on. Casey smirked; it looked like her time spent in archery club paid off.

She quickly turned to face her pleased father. "When do we leave?"

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Casey was up in her room repacking for her solo hunt when Sam and Dean got the news from John.

"You're taking her to Iowa." Dean stated from his seat at the kitchen table as he stared at his father. Sam was sitting beside Dean while John sat across from them. Bobby was busy cooking up some grilled cheese sandwiches yet he was still listening in to the Winchesters.

"There is a simple salt-and-burn case there that she could work on by herself." John explained as he looked between his two sons.

Sam's brow furrowed out of confusion. "Why does she even need to go on a solo hunt? She's capable already. She proved that in Waterloo." He understood why they each had to participate in a solo hunt when they were sixteen but Casey was different, not only was she three years older than when she was supposed to go on the solo hunt, she was also very capable in the field, which she proved ever since they reunited with her on her graduation day. Why did she need to be tested now? Even the last week of drills and tests that John had Casey do were too excessive in Sam's opinion. Casey was more than capable of doing the job alone.

"You're taking her to Iowa." Dean repeated as he blinked yet his eyes weren't focused on anything in particular.

John nodded for both his sons' remarks yet he decided to answer Sam's questions. "She had you and Dean there. I need to know that she could handle a case on her own. I did it to you boys. It's now her turn." He also didn't want to say that he was taking this solo hunt as his chance to catch up with his daughter, something Sam and Dean had three weeks to do. This solo hunt was a chance to spend some one-on-one time with his child and since Casey had been away for four years, that bonding time was now long overdue.

"You're taking her to Iowa!" Dean repeated more firmly which resulted in a clank from the stove when Bobby whacked the steel spatula against the frying pan. The sound grabbed everyone's attention.

"Boy, stop acting like a broken record. We heard you the first time." Bobby protested as he glared at Dean.

Dean blinked again before he looked to Bobby then to John, "We just got her back and yet you want to split us up again." He argued; he still couldn't believe what he was hearing. After four years of being away from his little sister, he gets her back only to have her taken away again. How was that fair? It may seem a bit drastic but for Dean, his family was his everything. He didn't know what he'd do without them, either of them.

John sighed, "You boys will be a couple towns over working your own case. Both cases shouldn't take long."

When Dean made no move to agree with John's proposal, Sam intervened and nudged his brother to gain his attention. Dean turned his head with a questioning look on his face.

"She deserves this chance to prove herself Dean," Sam started in hopes of swaying Dean, "She can do this."

Sam didn't want Casey to leave them so soon after returning yet he understood why a solo hunt would be good for her to experience. He knew that he and Dean could get pretty bossy on hunts so Casey never really had a chance before to call the shots. This solo hunt would be a great thing for her and before they know it, the three of them will be hunting again. They won't be separated for long.

Heavy steps were heard above them before they heard the loud creaking that came from the stairs. A loud thump was then heard before a shout. "I'm ready!" Casey announced before they heard more creaking on the stairs; she was going back up for something.

Dean groaned after hearing her excitement, running his hand through his hair, before he looked to his father. "What's our case?"

While Sam and Dean were getting the basic details about their case from John, Casey was retrieving a package that she had left in her room. Bobby had helped her with it and she planned to mail it before they truly hit the road to Iowa. She just hoped that the package got to its destination on time.

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[Fri. July 30, 2004]

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Lizzie, happy birthday to you!" Everyone in the McDonald-Venturi family sang before the newly turned fourteen year old blew out the candles to her birthday cake. They just finished having a family dinner after they had spent a few hours rounding up everything they needed for Lizzie's party the next day. They'd been at it since George and Nora got home from work.

Marti was jumping in her seat (causing her brothers to laugh at the sight) as she waited for Nora to pass her a slice of birthday cake. Instead of taking the first slice, Lizzie passed it to the bouncing girl beside her. She continued to pass out the slices her mother passed to her until everyone had a slice. Only then did Lizzie accept a slice for herself.

Everyone was quiet as they ate their slice of dessert yet Marti broke the silence when she finished first.

"Present time!" Marti gleefully exclaimed as she bounced in her seat; it seemed like she had too much energy in her tiny body.

Everyone laughed.

"Marti, let Lizzie have a chance to finish her cake." George reasoned with his youngest yet it seemed like she didn't like the answer.

"Can I get the presents then?" Marti pleaded as she looked between George and Nora.

"I'll get them Marti." Edwin offered; he knew his sister meant well yet he wouldn't trust her hyper-self to carry potentially delicate presents.

Derek smacked his brother on the shoulder just before he got up. "You do that Ed." Derek quipped before he made a move to have another slice of cake. No one made a move to stop him.

By the time Edwin had moved all the gifts to Lizzie's side, she was finished her cake and ready to open them. She managed to get a new mp3 player from her mom and George to replace the one she broke a few weeks ago as well as her favorite soccer player's jersey from her step-siblings. She was surprised to find that her dad had mailed her three tickets and passes for a soccer tournament that was taking place in just a few weeks in Toronto. She loved every one of her gifts but when Nora got up to retrieve something from her purse, Lizzie was surprised to see that it was another gift for her.

"Mom, the mp3 player is enough. You didn't have to get me anything else." Lizzie exclaimed as Nora took her seat.

Nora smiled while her hand was outstretched to Lizzie. "I know that dear but this actually came for you in the mail."

Lizzie blinked as she took the small package from her mom. It was wrapped in the typical brown wrapping that postal parcels were wrapped in. Her name and address were scrawled in the middle yet it was the return address that stumped Lizzie. It came from New York…from her dad.

Her brow furrowed as she looked up to her mom. "Why would Dad send another gift?"

Nora shrugged yet she motioned for Lizzie to open the package.

Everyone waited with bated breath as Lizzie carefully tore the brown wrapping off, only to reveal birthday wrapping underneath it.

Getting impatient, Marti got up from her seat and moved to stand behind Lizzie so that she could watch over Lizzie's shoulder as she opened her present. When Lizzie finally opened the lid to her gift, both girls gasped yet Marti didn't remain speechless for long.

"It's Casey!"

Derek's head snapped up (he was focused more on his second slice of cake than on Lizzie's slow unwrapping) as he stared at his sister with a disbelieving look on his face. "What?" It was the last thing he was expecting Marti to say. Was Casey at Dennis' place in New York?

All Marti did was point to Lizzie's gift.

Lizzie, on the other hand, was too busy looking inside the box. There was a photo of a smiling Casey holding up a 'Happy Birthday Lizzie' sign as she wore a birthday hat on her head. But that wasn't the only thing that had Lizzie speechless. Also wearing party hats and with party horns in their hands were Sam and Dean with smiles on their faces. They looked about ready to blow a party horn at Casey's face. Lizzie just wanted to laugh at the thought. Her three cousins were just hilarious together but the presence of the fourth member in the photo was surprising. Standing on Casey's other side, with a crooked party hat on his head was John Winchester and he had his own smile on his face, as if he was happy to see his kids goofing off before a photo was to be taken. It definitely looked like they were having fun in the photo, like they were celebrating Lizzie's birthday with her even though they couldn't be there in person. It warmed Lizzie's heart.

Lizzie picked up the photo and turned it around. The words 'we wish we could be there' were written above 'July 2004'. The birthday girl smiled as she recognized the handwriting as Casey's. Come to think of it, the parcel's addresses were done in the same handwriting too. Lizzie's attention soon turned to the white paper inside the box. She passed the photo to her mom before she picked up the little note.

When we were younger, I remember how you used to always play with Dean's necklace whenever you weren't playing soccer with Sam. It may not be like Dean's but it's from the same collection. I hope you like it and always wear it.

Happy birthday Liz!

~Casey and the boys

Lizzie laughed at the memory as she moved the note aside. It was then that she saw a small golden pendent with a leather-like chain that was nestled in the middle of the tissue paper bundle. It was similar to Dean's necklace, yet instead of the bull-head, the golden pendent was of a miniature totem pole. Lizzie quickly picked up the necklace and put it on.

Unknown to Lizzie and the rest of the blended family, Casey had the birthday gift planned for a while and it was only when she got to Bobby's place that she was able to ask the older hunter if he was able to find the pendent since he was the one that found Dean's pendent for them back in 1991. Once Bobby had retrieved the pendent that Casey asked for, Casey had gotten her father and brothers to help her with the photo for Lizzie (she used the argument that since they couldn't be there in person, Lizzie deserved to know that they were still thinking about her special day).

Lizzie was so absorbed in her gift that Lizzie didn't notice the looks the Venturi brothers were sending one another while George had gotten up to look at the photo over Nora's shoulder.

"She sent you a gift?" Derek questioned, bringing all the attention to him, "We've heard nothing from her for basically a month and all of a sudden she sends a gift...from New York." He didn't get why he was angry by the idea of Casey sending a gift to the house now when they've heard nothing from her all month. He thought her absence wouldn't bug him but apparently, he was hiding more than he thought from himself.

"That's enough Derek." George scolded his eldest son as he discreetly watched Lizzie for her reaction. What none of the kids knew was that Casey called Nora's cell phone once a week (usually this was after her post-hunt video chat with Devon but Nora didn't know that).

Derek rolled his eyes. "All I'm saying is that if I pulled a stunt like that, I'd be punished for it."

Lizzie looked to Edwin before quirking her eyebrow at him. He shook his head as a response; he didn't know what was going on with Derek.

Marti quickly made her way to her brother's side. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she gave him a huge side hug. His arm snaked around her tiny body to return the hug. She then nuzzled her face into his neck and mumbled something to him. He tilted his head down, he knew she said something but he couldn't hear her. Somehow sensing her brother's curiosity, she tightened her hug as she moved so that she could whisper to him.

"It's okay to miss her Smerek but she'll come back, you'll see. She'll come back." Marti softly told her oldest brother with so much confidence that his body stiffened by her words. He didn't miss Casey, there was just no way…right?

Marti pulled back and gave Derek a toothy grin at him before she asked for more cake.

Everyone laughed for Marti's need for more sweets but Derek was grateful for his sister's ability to shift people's focus like she does. He definitely needed it since he didn't know what to make of Marti's words. He was just glad that no one else seemed to have heard her.

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[Mon. Aug. 2, 2004]

The vengeful spirit flamed out in front of Casey and John's eyes just as Casey lit the spirit's former bones on fire with some salt added in. John had been the decoy, granting Casey enough time to salt the bones and burn the spirit to a crisp.

John exhaled deeply as he looked around the empty cemetery. "It looks like you've completed your solo hunt Honey. How does it feel?"

Casey panted as she tried to hide the fact that the spirit had irritated one of her healed Waterloo wounds. "It feels good but Casper was a bitch."

John laughed. "You've spent too much time with Dean." He stated as he moved to grab one of the shovels to help Casey refill the grave again. He tried to hide the fact that he was favoring his left side a bit; the ghost had thrown him around a few times moments ago.

She shrugged as she grabbed her shovel again. "I don't mind."

They let the fire burn out for a bit before they started to fill up the grave again. They finished the job as quickly as possible before they made their way to John's truck. They went back to their motel room, packed their things up and left town.

Casey was still trying to calm down from her adrenaline rush when John broke the silence between them.

"So, are you still sure you want to do this?" He questioned yet his attention was solely on the dark road ahead of him, his headlights providing the only source of light in the area.

She rolled her eyes as she turned to face him, "I'm not backing out Dad."

John chuckled; he was just double checking. "Alright, are you up for another hunt then?"

Her jaw dropped. Was he serious? "Now?"

John nodded. "Your brothers called this morning with news that they finished their hunt last night so I sent them to the next one." He quickly turned to look at her (she looked stunned), before he turned his eyes back onto the road. "We're meeting up with them for that one."

She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she managed to get out what she wanted to ask, "You already found another hunt?" When she thought about it more, the fact that her father had found another job while currently on a job didn't surprise her. She had done all the work on the job so it only made sense that he'd look for something while he bid his time for her to call on him when she needed his input.

He chuckled; he found the surprise in her voice to be amusing for him. "I had to keep myself busy while you worked on this one." He quipped before he sobered his attitude up, what he was about to say wasn't a joking matter, "Lately there have been a string of deaths connected to a building in Ohio. It sounded like our kind of thing."

She nodded along yet she didn't get why they were going if her brothers were already heading there. "So do you think it's more complex than a two-man job?" It was the only explanation she could think of.

John shrugged, "It weren't hurt to have us there too. I have a feeling that it'll be a bit harder to get on site if your brothers were the only ones there." It wasn't that he thought his sons couldn't handle it. It was the fact that those boys could only pose as so many things without drawing suspicion towards them. And John had a feeling that their covers for this case would have to be more creative than what they're use to.

Casey sighed as she rummaged for her sweater in the back seat. Once she found it, she unzipped it and spread it over her legs since the truck's AC was on yet she was still hot from the grave digging she had to do. "Alright, so what's the company that owns the building? I might be able to think of a cover while we drive." She asked after she settled into her seat a little more.

"Sandover Bridge & Iron Inc."

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It took the Winchester family under a week to finish the case at Sandover Bridge & Iron Inc. It turned out that the spirit of P.T. Sandover (founder of the company) was influencing his employees to work themselves into the ground and if failure was ever brought up, the employees had been coerced into taking their own lives as punishment for failing the company.

In order to get into the building, John and Sam had posed as members from an insurance company that were there for the company's routine reports while Dean took a temporary security guard position as Casey worked in the mailroom as a temp-worker. Once they figured out that it was Sandover's spirit that was behind the suicides, they raced to find something that had Sandover's remains in it (since Sandover was originally cremated). It turned out that there was a pair of his gloves included in the company's commemorative display on the twenty-second floor. It was a bit touch-and-go once the spirit was on to them but Casey managed to burn the gloves before the spirit could do any real damage to their family.

After that case, they only had a few days of rest before two more cases caught their attention. Dean and John stayed in Ohio to deal with a succubus case in the city of Athens while Sam and Casey traveled to Kentucky for another haunting. The younger team didn't like the fact that they were assigned the easier of the two cases but they were pleased when John ordered Dean to give the Impala keys over to them. Dean was not happy about that.

While Casey and Sam had finished their hunt within a week, Dean and John took just over two weeks to find and kill the succubus they were after. During the extra time, Casey and Sam just waited for John and Dean to meet up with them a few towns over from where their haunting was.

However when the older team returned, the younger team could tell that there was something different just off the mannerisms their older brother was giving off. That all seemed to get pushed under the proverbial rug when Dean saw his baby again; his beloved Chevy Impala. Apparently the sight of his car had brightened his mood greatly.

Before any of the Winchesters knew it, September had arrived.

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Used Hunts: Alright so many SPN fans may have noticed that a few hunts from the show were mentioned in this chapter…here's where:

1 = The haunting at Sandover Bridge & Iron Inc. was from 4x17 ("It's A Terrible Life") yet the Winchesters had their memories for this version

2 = Succubus case in Athens, Ohio is actually two cases (referenced on the show yet it didn't have an actual episode focused on it) merged together

2a = 3x04 ("Sin City") mentioned the Succubus case (by Dean and Richie)

2b = 1x13 ("Route 666") mentioned a case taking place in Athens, Ohio for a few weeks (by Dean to Sam)

A/N #3: And there you have it...how was that? It may have been a little fast-paced when compared to the earlier chapters but if I truly went into detail on the hunts, then I may never get the story going to where I truly want to write from. So what did you think? How were the Winchesters? How about the blended family in London? Please let me know in a review! Reviewers will get a little teaser into the next chapter!

This may be early but I wish everyone a safe and happy long weekend that is quickly approaching!

Originally Published: August 29, 2013