A/N: This is quite a long chapter. So much I wanted to fit in! There is a scene in here that is quite reminiscent of Episode 2x07 "Crushin' on the Coach". I bet you'll be able to spot it immediately ;)

I do not own Life With Derek, nor any of the characters affiliated.

It had taken them a long time to decide what movie to go see, until they both agreed on an action film. Casey wasn't into horror, like Derek (who tried to insist, just to get on her nerves), and Derek definitely wasn't going to see a 'rom-com'. He had made that mistake once, and paid for it severely with all the puking he had done after it.

The theatre was pretty full, so they had to sit closer to the screen than Derek would have liked. Truthfully, he liked the very back row (make-out central), but that was, seemingly, not an option.

As soon as Casey and him sat down, the theatre went dark, and the trailers started. Casey's hand instinctively dipped into the popcorn bag that Derek was holding on his lap, and as soon as she did, he jerked it away.

"Hey, that's mine," he whispered loudly, protecting his bag, holding his hand over the opening.

She glared at him. "I thought we were sharing." Her own whisper was aggravated.

He shook his head. "I bought you a movie ticket. I wasn't going to buy you popcorn, too." He tried to pay attention to the big screen like everyone else and "shushed" her, but Casey grabbed another handful of his snack, and he pulled it away again, a good portion of it landing in the seat beside him. He was thankful nobody was sitting there.

"I didn't know it was all yours, or else I would have bought some, too."

"Go get some. I might save your seat."

She 'humphed', and grabbed hold of his arm, not allowing him to pull the bag away as she stuffed her other hand in the bag. "I thought this was a date, Derek. You don't expect me to buy my own, do you?"

Smiling knowingly, Derek nodded. "Yep."

"So you made Sally buy all her own food," Casey asked, interrogatively.

"Ah, ah! Rule number three! Or was it four?" Derek corrected. Casey wasn't allowed to mention his ex. "And, by the way, Sally often paid for me. Sweet, sweet equality."

"Oh, real gallant, Derek." She had always been a hopeless romantic, and she was reminding him of that fact. "You don't mind if I call her up later to verify that?"

That comment made him nervous. The last thing he needed was Casey talking to Sally. "Fine," he grumbled and relaxed his arm.

He was aware that Casey made no attempt of removing her hand from his forearm, as she dipped into the bag. The touch stung his arm the longer she held on, but it felt good, like a low heat.

They stayed like that for a good amount of the movie until Casey took a drink of his pop, giving him a defiant gaze, daring him to protest. The area she had been holding suddenly became cold, and his whole body shivered. It was probably a half an hour later before he inattentively extended his arm and rested it on the back of Casey's chair. He didn't realize what he was doing until it had already been done. It felt so natural for him to put his arm around a girl at the movies, and he froze up when he remembered it was Casey.

He felt her shoulders tighten, and he began to freak out a little. Yes, he had put his arm around Casey at the party, but they had been outside at night, and Casey had been drunk, and she had admitted that she missed him.

It had been completely different. It was a comforting, reassuring gesture before. Now, this was more intimate and more of a 'significant other' type of gesture. The only reason he would put his arm around a girl at the movies was because he liked her. And he did. But she didn't even know it, or care to foster those feelings. Casey didn't even like him, much less welcome the embrace.

She shifted kind of uncomfortably, and he understood she wanted more space, but he felt too awkward to move a muscle. And it wasn't just them in the theatre. The people behind him would probably start chuckling if he removed his arm just moments after putting it there. It was quite a while before he could decide what to do, and he saw Casey out of the corner of his eye look at him. He didn't dare make eye contact with her, or it would only make the whole situation even more unpleasant. If he just ignored her and pretended everything was totally fine, like he put his arm around her all the time, then she would give in.

And unexpectedly, her shoulders slowly relaxed beneath his arm, and she slightly leaned into his chest. Her shoulder hit the same spot it had when he held her at the party. Derek desperately hoped she couldn't feel his heart beat, because it was embarrassingly fast. He tried to pay attention to the movie - it was almost over, anyway - but all his attention was turned to the feeling of Casey against his body, sipping his soft drink, eating his popcorn. The smell of whatever perfume she was wearing was completely intoxicating, and it took everything in him not to turn his head and kiss her temple.

It would be so easy. Maybe she wouldn't even notice, he reasoned with himself, but knew she definitely would, and then she'd blow up and probably deck him in the nose and run away screaming.

It wasn't worth it. It wasn't the right time. But he was determined to wait until it finally was the right time, no matter how long it would take.

"Damn it," Casey muttered, as they drove back to the house that she was staying at.

"What's wrong?" Derek inquired. He had never heard Casey swear before, so the mild curse that had escaped her lips really surprised him. He had figured Casey was one of those gospel-preaching, temperance indoctrinators, but she was readily proving him wrong ever since their parents were on the outs. She was drinking, and now swearing. Maybe she wasn't so innocent as she appeared...

"My mom still went to that Open House."

She was right. Their new car was missing from the driveway. Obviously, their plan that Nora would be too distraught after seeing Derek with Casey, didn't work out.

"I was sure she would stay," Casey complained. "And I was hoping she would call George right away."

"I told you it would take time, Case."

"Why won't she just forgive him already and work something out?" she stared at Derek, not really for an answer, just his acknowledgement. "If you really love someone, shouldn't you be able to put differences aside and forgive each other? And if that's the case, then why did you and I reconcile way before them?" She ended her rant and looked over to him. His eyes were locked on hers, and Derek knew his expression wasn't trying to keep his feelings a secret anymore. If you really love someone... He loved her, and for some strange moment, he wasn't afraid to show it.

Maybe it was because she let him hold him at the movies. Maybe it was because she seemed completely oblivious to his advances. Maybe it was… maybe it was Maybelline?

"Case," he whispered, and he figured he looked just about the way he felt, because he could see her gulp and her eyes click in.

"Derek, stop it!" she commanded, but he didn't listen. When did he ever listen to her, and why would he start now? "Why did we forgive each other so quickly?" Her gaze went down, and he noticed she started fumbling with her purse.

Biting his tongue, Derek looked forward, and then put both his hands on the steering wheel, where he could account for both of them. He held tight. If he didn't keep his hands occupied, he knew they would wander over to Casey. Maybe that was why she was playing with her purse, he thought. Could Casey…

"Casey, am I your brother?" he asked.

She looked shocked. "What?"

He wrung the steering wheel. "Do you see me as your brother?" He waited a while longer for her to answer, but she stayed silent. "Casey, I have to know, because if you do…" He searched for words. "I have these… feelings…" His voice trailed, not knowing what to say.

The car filled with silence, and Derek looked at his lap.

"Feelings?" Casey repeated.

"Just answer the question, Casey. Do you see me as your brother?" His breathing was shallow, and he couldn't bring himself to look in her direction. He probably just blew it. There was no way in hell she could even remotely feel the same way for him, and he just ruined what little relationship they had.

She waited so long to reply that Derek almost gave up hope of her ever saying anything. His eyes shut, and he reconciled himself to try and stop loving her. But his heart jolted back to life when he felt a hand rest on his. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at Casey's hand. He took his hand off the steering wheel and laced his fingers through hers. He traced his gaze up her arm, and then to her face, and she was smiling, though it looked pained.

"Derek," she began, but he reached out his other hand and touched her cheek gently with his fingertips, then let his hand rest in her hair, above her neck. He began leaning in, but stopped when Casey pulled away. "Derek, stop."

He exhaled quietly. Of course, he thought, shaking his head. It was too good to be true.

She sighed. "You know why I can't answer that question, Derek," she tried explaining. "Think about it: the whole reason we went out together tonight was to reunite our family. We have a family to think about. It's not just us."

"Forget it," he muttered, and let go of her, putting one hand on the steering wheel, and the other on the gear shift.

She grabbed hold of her purse again and unbuckled her seat belt. When she realized Derek wasn't going to agree with her, she cracked her door open and put a foot out. "I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

He smiled, knowing it probably looked very contrived. "I guess." He watched her leave the car, and before she slammed the door closed, she looked back at Derek again, like she felt bad or something.

It wasn't like he was a feeble schoolboy who would lament, after his crush threw dirt in his face. He'd bounce back.

It was better this way. Now he knew where he stood with Casey. She - in classic Casey form - was thinking about others before herself. And he knew she was right. The reason she gave was the exact reason that he had been struggling with for the past few years.

Revving the engine, Derek pulled away from the curb and drove away quickly, making a lot of noise in the process.

He'd just been shot down by his step sister. The whole neighbourhood might as well know he was upset.

"You're back so early. It's not even ten," Edwin informed as Derek came in the house, obviously upset. "I'm assuming the date didn't go well."

Derek glared at Edwin. "None of your business," he replied, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. The rest of the house seemed to be quiet, and Derek guessed his dad had gone to bed. He knew Marti was definitely in bed, since it was almost an hour past her bedtime.

Edwin stood up from the dining table, where he had a textbook out and a calculator beside it. "So who was your 'date'?" he questioned, a smug little look on his face that Derek wanted to smack off.

Derek crossed his arms and stood in front of Edwin, unimpressed. "Again, none of your business."

Walking back to the table, Edwin held up a pencil and said, "Dad and I had a sneaky suspicion who you were taking out today, and I'm here to confirm it."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Do whatever you want. I'm going to bed." Without another word, Derek bolted up the stairs before Edwin could catch him, and locked himself in his room.

"Hey! I'm going to keep knocking on your door all night until you admit who you went out with," Ed informed, knocking on the door.

Derek changed his shirt and grumbled. He opened the door, and let his brother in, and then sat on his bed, flopping down.

"So, taking in account your comments before you left this evening, Dad and I deduced that -"

"It was Casey, alright?" Derek blurted, leaning backward on the bed. He ran his hands through his hair and groaned.

"So it was Casey!" Edwin exclaimed triumphantly, like he had weaseled it out of Derek. "I knew it!" After a moment of victory, Edwin then scrunched his eyebrows together, and then looked at Derek, who was still covering his face with his hands. "Which leads to the next question: why did you go on a date with Casey?"

Uncovering himself, Derek looked at Edwin, and then got up from the bed. He went to the doorway and looked outside, like he was checking there wasn't anybody there, and then closed it and locked it. Turning around, he grabbed Edwin by the shoulders and sat him down on his desk chair and then swivelled him around so he was facing the bed. Still leaning over his little brother, Derek said, "I'm going to tell you something, and it does not leave this room, or so help me, you will be wishing you were never born."

Edwin gulped and nodded. "I swear."

Sighing, Derek stood straight and started pacing, not knowing how to form his thoughts into words. "Casey and I…" He looked at the ceiling. "Casey and I have a deal going," he started. Good place to start, he decided. He turned to Edwin and stopped. "We're trying to get Dad and Nora back together, and we kind of need each other's help."

"What kind of 'help'?" Ed questioned, leaning forward in the chair, intrigued.

"Nora is pretty intent on leaving. She's pretty serious, looking for apartments already-"

"What!" Edwin shouted, standing from the chair. "She can't do that-"

Derek nodded, and pushed Edwin back into the seat. "I know. That's why I've enlisted Casey to help me get Nora to realize that what she does also affects us. Casey and I decided we would date for a while -" He held up a hand to stop Edwin from saying anything until he was finished, "- so she starts talking to Dad again."

Edwin lifted his shoulders. "What else? That's your big secret that you had to lock the door while everyone else in the house is sleeping?" He lifted an eyebrow and stared at Derek. "What else is up, bro?"

Derek began pacing again, running his hands through his hair, agitated. He groaned loudly, like it hurt to continue. "There's also this other thing…"

"With Casey?"

Derek nodded and stopped pacing. "Yes, with Casey." He plopped back down on the bed, leaning forward on his knees. "I might… have feelings for Casey." He spat it out, almost like the words tasted foul. He didn't look at Edwin, but knew the kid was going nuts.

"You cannot be serious!" Ed shot up again, and then took Derek's place pacing the room. "What kind of feelings are we talking about, here? There can be a lot of different things you could feel," he asked, clarifying.

Derek looked up.

"Do you feel kind of sick around her? Because that could mean you don't like her at all. She could actually repulse you." He kept pacing. "Or kind of lightheaded? She does wear a lot of perfume sometimes. Or general giddiness? That could be -"

"Enough, Ed!" Derek shouted. "Yes, alright? I feel all of those things, and it's not because I find her nauseating or she wears perfume. She makes me feel… like losing control. I can't handle myself around her anymore. I miss her, okay? And I admitted my feelings for her tonight, and I almost kissed her, and then she told me that we can't actually date, because it could get in the way of the family." He stood. "And now she probably doesn't want to see me ever again because I royally screwed up, but if we don't follow through with this dating plan, then there's probably no hope of Dad and Nora getting back together, and I'm killing myself for letting this whole thing get out of hand, because we all know if Derek Venturi wasn't such an asshole, Nora never would have blown up at Dad the way that she did in the first place!" Exasperated, he looked at his bedside table. He wanted to throw something, and he saw that beer bottle that he had kept from Kendra's party. It had been Casey's first alcoholic beverage, and he realized he was a fool for ever wanting to keep it.

He grabbed the thing and raised it over his head to smash it on the floor, but Edwin put out his hands and grabbed Derek's arm before he could do anything.

"Whoa!" Ed cried, and grabbed the bottle from Derek's hand, putting it on the desk, away from his acting-up brother. "Just chill, alright? This isn't your fault. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe Dad is the royal asshole of the family? I mean, look how you and I turned out."

That snapped Derek out of his growing rage, and cocked an eyebrow at Edwin. "What do you mean?"

Ed smirked and cocked his head. "Don't you think if Dad was a little better with the ladies, then we would be, too?"

Derek scoffed. "We? You have problems because you're a twerp. I am great with the ladies."

Edwin crossed his arms. "Doesn't sound like you were tonight. You've got to admit that Dad isn't the greatest role model so far. He already divorced Mom, and on the brink of divorce with Nora. No matter how much you think this is all about you, there has to be a better reason for two women to storm out of this house."

That was a pill to swallow. His dad had always been so cool. Derek hadn't even put him as an option. And besides, if Derek had been that bad, Nora wouldn't have even married George in the first place and force them all to live together.

He put an arm around Ed's neck, threatening an arm lock. "You have a point there, little bro." Derek went to the door and unlocked it, and opened it. "Remember, this has been our secret." With that, he threw Ed out of his room and slammed the door shut.

Immediately, he went to his desk and picked up the bottle he had almost smashed to a million little pieces. The thing meant a lot to him, and he couldn't believe that he almost got rid of it.

But then he guessed he did that with a lot of things that he cherished. Look at what he had done to Casey for the past three years? He teased and hurt her deliberately just because he was trying to keep himself from loving her. And it didn't even work.

Before he had another angry burst, he took the bottle and put it in a shoebox at the back of his closet. Sure, he might forget about it there, but at least he knew it would be safe.

And then he tried to do the same thing with his feelings. But for some reason, they couldn't fit in a shoe box.

Told you it would be similar to that scene in "Crushin' on the Coach". It's kind of what I wish Derek had admitted to Ed.

Review ;)