And The Winner Is...
by TheBucketWoman
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter Thirty Six
Part One: Derek
He got it all on tape. Casey's face when she recognized her father coming toward her with flowers was so indescribably goofy that he just had to zoom in. Nobody would have believed that a human face could turn so Picasso-esque all by itself if he didn't capture it.
Any second now, he thought. Yep, here we go.
She burst into tears. Obviously, these were happy tears, not unlike the ones that inevitably followed a viewing of Love, Actually or something like that, but he still felt twitchy and wouldn't be able to relax until she stopped. She crouched down to grab the flowers and give her Dad a really ginger hug (that makeup she had on ran like cake frosting) but he pulled her into a real hug, getting a little mark on the shoulder of his t-shirt for his trouble.
She sobbed and giggled her way through the encore of "Suddenly Seymour." Chris was about three seconds from breaking down right along with her. The guy laughed in embarrassment as he slung his arm around Casey. Both of them were a little off key for part of it, but no one seemed to care.
Casey would say that Chris was perfect for Ralph. Derek could picture the both of them, weeping at chick flicks for all eternity. He hoped Ralph went for it.
It took his entire lifetime before he could get backstage. First there was the audience, who seemed hell bent on blocking his every chance of getting to the door. Then there were the people who wanted to talk to him. One of them, thankfully was Edwin, who said he'd take the camera home. The kid seemed shocked that Derek had actually said yes, like he didn't expect to be trusted with the task. Did he think he was delivering a kidney to the hospital or something? He could dump off a camera, no big deal.
Then there was the matter of Sam and Ralph. Derek thought there was a chance that Ralphie didn't know that he was going to the cast party. And he was going; if they had to drag him, he was going. Sam, of course, didn't need to be told twice; he knew Brianna would be there.
When Derek reached them, he said:
"So the two of you can just follow me in the car, right?"
"Mhmm," Sam said.
"Where we going?" Ralph said, right on cue.
"Chris's parents' house, dude," Sam said. "Cast party. And you're going."
Sam read Derek's mind.
"And now that that's settled," Derek said.
"Who said anything about 'settled'?" Ralph said.
"And now that that's settled," Derek repeated. "I have to go get yelled at."
"Not beaten up?" Sam said.
Derek grinned. "Maaaybe?" he sing-songed.
He hopped onto the stage, trying his best to look official and since he was camera boy, nobody seemed to notice him doing it. He ducked through the gap in the curtain and disappeared. At first he'd been about to wait with all of the others for the cast to come out, but then he remembered that he could go to the back if he wanted to.
"Y'all decent?" he called.
"Not if we can help it," Brianna said.
"Yeah, me too," Derek said.
"YOU," Casey said.
"Uh-oh," Derek said, pretending to run away as she gave chase around the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch, and in some cases, to get out of the way.
"You knew my Dad was coming?" she asked, when she caught him.
"I was sworn to secrecy," Derek said. He closed his eyes, bracing for a hit.
"I didn't even mention the play to him until yesterday," she said. "How long ago did you tell him?"
"I dunno," Derek said. "Beginning of the week?"
"And he came," she said.
"No no no no no, you're not gonna cry again," Derek said.
"De-rek!" she said, swatting his arm. "You moment killer!"
"I'm not the one being violent," Derek said. "Not that I mind, really though; you can feel free to beat me to your heart's content, because you know how hot you are when you crack that—mmph."
She put a hand over his mouth.
"Anybody have any duct tape?" she asked.
"Oooh, kinky," Dave said. Derek pointed at him and mumbled something that might have been "What he said."
"Ew!" Casey said, taking her hand away.
"Don't stop," Derek said.
She ignored him and paused for a second. "What was I yelling at him about?"
"Killing the moment," Emily said.
"Oh yeah," Casey said. "So back to that..."
She grabbed him and hugged him suddenly enough to make him go "ooof."
"I love you," she whispered in his ear.
"Love you more," he whispered back. She let go of him.
"Are you seriously not gonna kiss her, you dumbass?" Chris said.
It took Derek a second to realize someone was talking to him.
"Huh?" he said.
"Never mind," Chris said. "Why be so pedestrian with the kissing when you can have straight up eye sex?"
Casey turned red, and by the feel of it, Derek thought he did, too.
"Ooh? What'd I miss?" Sheldon said from the door of the tiny bathroom. He was toweling off his hair. It looked like he'd stuck his head under the faucet first chance he got.
"Nice hair, Schlep" Derek said, to change the subject.
"Hey! Floppy though I may be, I figure it beats the hell outta the whole Outsiders thing I had going," Sheldon said.
"Good point," Derek said.
"Took me forever to get his hair to do that, you know," Casey said.
"And I do appreciate it," Sheldon said. "But picture the looks I'd get if I went out in public like that."
"Say no more," Casey said. "Em, where did we put the—"
"One step ahead of you, Case," Emily said, squeezing some goo into her hand. "Come here, Floppy, before you turn into Frizzy." Sheldon obeyed, and Emily worked the stuff into his hair.
"Meow?" Sheldon said.
"Hush," Emily said.
"Raoowrrrr" Sheldon said, cracking Emily up.
"Aanyway," Derek said, sick of their display already. "You ready to go, Case?"
"Mmhhmm," Casey said, putting on lip balm. Her face was scrubbed shiny-clean, and Derek had the feeling she was sick of makeup for the moment. It was a rare thing to see her without at least a little mascara, but he kinda liked it.
"Now how do we sneak out?" Derek said.
"Ha!" Casey said. "You wish. Me too, actually, but there's no way around it. We have to go out the front."
"I guess this is just what I get for dating a celebrity," Derek said.
Casey snorted. "This ain't Notting Hill."
"What-ing Hill?" he said.
"Hugh Grant movie," she said.
"Never mind. Don't wanna know," Derek said. He led her out onto the stage, and when people saw her, there was just enough applause to turn her red again. She went out, hugged the 'rents and got a whole bunch of praise heaped onto her, getting more and more embarrassed by the second. He enjoyed watching it, until he was pulled into the throng, too.
"So, Derek," a familiar voice said from behind him. He turned around to see Mrs. Zeldin. His stomach dropped in fear, the way it always did when he saw a teacher out of context.
"Um, hi," was all he could think of to say.
"I was thinking that now that you have some experience directing a play, maybe you can help out with our winter show?" she said.
"I was just the camera guy," Derek said. "Jack was the director. He's right over there." He pointed to Jack, who was presently trapped in a sea of old ladies.
"Yes," she said. "I know Jack; I was just talking to him, but according to this, you were the assistant director." She held up the playbill.
"The what?" he said. She handed it to him. Sure enough, some wiseass, Jack most likely, had actually put him down as assistant director. He groaned.
"Jack tells me you show a lot of promise," Mrs. Zeldin said. "Can't say I'm surprised."
People really needed to stop with this type of thing.
"Thanks," he said. He squirmed for a second until a man came up behind Mrs. Zeldin and put his arms around her. Derek figured it was safe to assume that it was Mr. Zeldin.
"Katie," he said. "We should get going, or else the sitter's gonna have our heads."
Derek looked at him gratefully.
Mrs. Zeldin looked at her watch. "Oh my gosh," she said. "By the way, Greg, this is Derek Venturi. Remember Pirate Pete?"
"Pirate Pete, yeah. Nice to meet you," Mr. Zeldin said, shaking Derek's hand. "I hate to meet and run, but..."
"Babysitter, yeah," Derek said.
"We had a great time, tonight, though," Mr. Zeldin added as he dragged his wife to the door. "You should be proud."
"Thanks," Derek called.
Part Two: Casey.
She ran into the crowd to hug her father. Then she smacked him on the arm.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked.
"Why didn't you tell me you were in a play in the first place?" Dennis answered. "Had to hear it from your creepy boyfriend. No offense, George."
"None taken," George said. "He's my son and I love him, but if Marti brought home a boy like him..."
"Exactly," Dennis said.
"Quit it, you two," Casey said.
"You're no fun," Dennis said.
"Seriously, you should've told me," Casey said.
"And ruin the surprise?" he said. "Okay, think about it. You would've been more nervous than usual and you know it. You've always been like that. You used to make your Mom and I sit in the back of the audience for every recital, every play, and every choir performance you'd ever been in. I'm just lucky that Derek and your Mom, incidentally, can keep a secret."
Casey pouted.
Dennis reached into his pocket. "Pouting are we? I guess you don't want this then."
Casey watched him pull a small box out of his pocket. She reached for it and he held it up out of her reach for a second.
"Oh, so you love me now, huh?" Dennis teased.
"Dad-dy!" Casey said.
He handed her the box which she opened to reveal a silver filigree bracelet. Casey stared at it for a second, fascinated, pulling it out and holding it to the light.
"You like?" Dennis asked.
"I love," Casey said hugging him. "Thanks, Dad."
Later, she would discover some cash hidden under the little piece of foam rubber that cushioned the bracelet.
"Well," Dennis said. "Since I know you have a party to go to, I shall threaten your boyfriend one more time, and go back to the hotel. How 'bout lunch tomorrow? Just you, me, and Lizzie? Shall I have my people call your people?"
"Um," Casey said, pretending to mull the idea over. "Sure." She turned around, searching the crowd for a second. "Hey Sam!"
"Yo?" he said, turning around.
"Wanna be my people?" Casey asked. She pointed to her Dad. "Call his people?"
"Do I get ten percent?"Sam asked, coming over.
"No!" Casey said.
"Okay," Sam said, grinning. "Who's his people?"
"Marti," Dennis said.
Marti waved.
"Oh no," Sam deadpanned. "Not her! Hardest. Bargainer. Ever." He picked Marti up and swung her.
With a final hug and kiss, Dennis excused himself.
Casey noticed that people were making much of Marti in general. Chris took one look at her and at George and Casey's Mom and gushed some more about their perfect Kodak family. Marti was unfazed, but liked him immediately.
Plus, Marti was the one who stopped Ralph from sneaking out the door. Derek didn't call her Smarti for nothing.
"Ral-phie!" she whined. "Don't say hi!"
Casey suppressed a giggle as Ralph grudgingly about faced and came back toward them to give her a hug.
After her Mom and George dragged a drooping Marti toward Derek to say goodbye, Casey asked Ralph what he thought of the show.
"It was cool," he said. "Pretty cool. But I coulda used more drums. And maybe shorter skirts."
Old habits die hard, Casey thought. She gave him her best "Who are you kidding?" look. Sam nudged his shoulder.
"That's what I said," Chris joked. Later, Casey swore to Derek that she saw Ralph lock eyes with Chris and give him a tentative smile. It took all Casey had not to squeal and bounce. Also, Ralph was wearing clothes that fit him.
A little later, at the party, there was dancing. Casey dragged Ralph out into the middle of Chris's living room to make him dance with her. She figured it was a little too soon to expect him to dance with Chris, but they did manage to dance in the general vicinity of each other for several songs. Meanwhile, Ralph could really dance. He was a drummer, which took care of a certain amount of rhythm and coordination, but Casey didn't expect him to be as good as he was.
Then there was Sam who danced with Brianna. For the whole six weeks or so that Casey had dated Sam, he'd never once danced with her. And now she saw why. But at least he wasn't stepping on Brianna's feet. Brianna seemed to think that his stiff-armed clumsiness was cute, but by the end of the night, she'd taught him how to stay mostly still and look cool while she danced.
It took a lot of nagging to get Derek to dance, so everyone expected him to have slightly less rhythm than Sheldon, who was happily spazzing it up with Emily. Casey knew better. Some random Sean Paul song started to play and Derek suddenly rediscovered the showoff-y side of his personality. Casey hadn't seen him do anything like this in months and there was nothing to do but go with it. He pulled her close and did everything but break dance, thank God. He kept his eyes on hers the whole time. His PDA rule forbade the grinding that most people did, of course, but they did manage to get pretty close all the same.
After four or five songs, Derek left Casey to get the both of them some soda from the cooler in the kitchen, but he came right back through the swinging door looking empty-handed and a little traumatized.
"No soda?" Casey asked.
"Yeah, well," Derek said. "Kitchen's a little occupied."
"Ooh!" Casey said. "By whom." She looked around the room to see who was missing.
"Nosy," Derek said."Who says 'whom'?"
"People who speak English," Casey said as she continued her informal census and found that Ralph and Chris were the only ones not dancing.
Casey squealed. "Were they making out?"
Derek looked at her incredulously.
"More than making out?" Casey asked.
"No!" Derek said, shaking his head. The more Casey thought about it, the more she realized that Derek probably wouldn't still be conscious if he'd walked in on people having actual sex in a kitchen.
"Well?" Casey said. "Aren't you happy for them?"
He started to shudder, but then said, "Yeah, okay. I am."
Several minutes later, there was cheering when Chris and Ralph emerged from the kitchen. Both were trying to be nonchalant, but there was no mistaking the mussed hair and the swollen mouths. Not to mention what might have been a hickie on Chris's collarbone.
As the party wound down, the dancing gave way to singing. Chris dragged out an acoustic guitar, and played it a little but then happily passed it on to a couple of others who could play. Derek tried to hold out, but eventually played Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" while pretty much everyone but him sang. It almost felt like summer camp.
"Anyone else feel like s'mores?" Derek said.
"I was gonna say that," Emily said.
"Me too," Casey said.
A slow trickle of people out the door signaled the end of the party. People hugged and kissed. Exhanged "See you tomorrows."
On the porch, Sam asked Derek and Casey if they wouldn't mind giving him a ride.
"Why," Derek said. "What's wrong with your car?"
"Nothing," Sam said, raising an eyebrow like he thought Derek was being a little dense. He spoke a little slower. "I just think that maybe Ralph'll need it more than me."
Casey raised a quick hand to cover her mouth and locked eyes with Emily who was doing the same thing nearby.
"But what about Chris's folks?" Casey wondered.
"They have their own car," Sam deadpanned.
"Point taken," Casey said.