A/N: My god. Marti again. –shakes head– Admit it. You so love me : )

Disclaimer: I do NOT own LWD or any of the pretty presents that are being wrapped. Because, in a way, they belong to the McDonalds and Venturis.

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Blast From the Past

Chapter 29—Are You Smarter Than A Fourth-Grader?

By VirgoMaiden

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As Edwin and Derek pulled out of the driveway, Casey and Lizzie let out a big sigh of relief and pulled out a huge bag from under Casey's bed.

"Whoa…" I said in awe. "What is that?"

"Present bag," Lizzie informed me. "And the only reason that you're seeing this is that your presents are already under the tree."

"For whom?"

"Derek, Edwin, Mom, and your dad."

"Although Mom and George's presents are mine to deal with!" Casey called from the hall. A second later, she entered her room, arms full with wrapping supplies, and kicked the door shut with her foot, even though Dad and Nora weren't back yet. "They're the hardest to wrap."

"What about Derek's?" Lizzie asked, beginning to spread them out.

"I don't have it yet," Casey said. "How about you?"

Lizzie shrugged and held up a box. "Cologne."

Casey groaned as she let the supplies fall onto the bed. "See? And I've got…nothing! And will still have nothing on Christmas morning!"

"You're overreacting," Lizzie said calmly, picking out a pair of scissors from the pile and taking Derek's gift in hand. "So, what'd you get Edwin?"

"A finance tracker book," Casey said absently as she rooted through the supplies for some suitable paper. "You know, for when Derek owes him money."

"Nice," I said, twirling a ribbon around my finger. "You can bet that Der's going to be really happy with that…"

Casey blushed and muttered something under her breath. I couldn't hear it, but I sure got the right message.

"Hey, Lizzie," I said over my shoulder, "Didn't you say that you were going to make some cookies?"

Liz's head whirled up. "My god," she whispered. "I totally forgot about them…"

With that, she ran out of the room. I turned to Casey.

"So, Casey," I said casually, "What's the haps with you and Derek? I heard you screaming at each other last night."

She flinched and looked at me apologetically. "You heard?"

"The Davises probably heard," I said. "All of London probably heard."

She sighed. "The 'haps' is nothing out of the ordinary."

"Besides the fact that you two have the hots for each other?"

"What?" she spluttered. "What? We don't – I mean – there's nothing –''

"You can't lie to me, Casey," I said. "You're creative, and resourceful, but I don't think that you can lie. Well, not to me at least."

"But there's nothing -!"

"Right," I said slowly, "Because freaking out when Vicky supposedly kissed Derek and hearing Noelle say something about locking lips in the basement is 'nothing.'"

She sighed and looked down at the wrapping mess in front of her. "You're freakishly smart, do you know that?" she asked.

I smiled and made a quick cut in the paper in front of me. "I do," I said. "It comes with being the eyes and ears of the house."

"And here I thought Edwin and Derek knew everything," she said sarcastically.

"In my opinion," I said, ignoring her, "You and Derek getting the hots for each other was doomed to happen. When, however, was the million dollar question."

"So I now have 'the hots' for your brother?" she asked, putting emphasis on 'the hots.'

"Yes," I said primly. "You do. Stop denying it."

"This sounds so wrong," Casey muttered, burying her face in her hand.

"But, just so you know, I personally don't think that the relationship will last too long."

"And why not?" she asked, tone challenging.

"In my opinion, the relationship is based on lust. You know, Unresolved Sexual Tension. UST."

Casey looked at me as if I had grown two heads. "How the heck did you get so smart? And where did you learn words like 'UST'?"

I shrugged. "I'm nine, but I also have four older siblings in high school. I was bound to figure them out sooner or later."

She groaned. "So are you going to tell me too that this relationship is incest?"

"No," I said, "because it isn't. How many people have to tell you that?"

"I dunno," she said. "Maybe the church? The Pope?"

"The Pope isn't supposed to have 'feelings' for anyone in that way," I said in a 'no duh' tone.

"I'm just…not in the mood to face your brother right now, Marti," Casey said, going back to her wrapping. Downstairs, I could hear Lizzie banging around in the kitchen.

"Because of Vicky?" I asked. "And the kiss?"

"Yes," she said evenly. "He told me that I wasn't a game to him and kisses me right then and there. And then what does he do? Goes off and kisses my cousin. Again."

"I don't think that that was all him," I said. "Derek may be…Derek, but there's no way that he'd go off and make out with someone else after having just claimed feelings for another."

"You make this sound like an after-school special."

"Because it's turning into one," I said. "But seriously. Believe me when I say that he's not the type to cheat on someone that he says he's so serious about."

"What about Kendra?" she asked. "He was going to ask someone out even though he was dating her."

"Kendra is Kendra," I said. "Remember how she was off with that French guy? Der probably did it for some sore of satisfaction-revenge or whatever."

"So as long as I don't cheat on him…?"

"Then you're golden," I said. "Because when he's dating someone, he usually makes them feel like the luckiest person in the room."

"That he does…" she said quietly, looking down at the almost-finished present in her lap.

I looked out of her window and saw Derek's beaten up car pulling into the driveway. "You know, I think that lunch is ready," I said. "Why don't we go downstairs?"

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A/N: Lots of conversation in here. Hope that all of the sibling bonding time isn't making you too nauseous.

VM