Comfort

It's the end of June the next time Casey and Derek come home after the Incident. The Incident that happened over Spring Break. That Incident.

Nora can still barely look her daughter in the eye, and she hasn't spoken more than a handful of words to her step-son in the almost three months since it happened. And George just doesn't know what to say to either of them. He wasn't there that day, but he knows what happened.

"This chicken is really great, Mom," Casey tries, her voice weak and unsure.

Despite the Incident, the entire family is gathered around the dinner table the first night Derek and Casey are home, trying to push through a tension so palpable it could be cut with a knife.

"Thank you, Cassandra."

That's another thing. Nora only ever calls Casey 'Cassandra' now. That's how a child knows they're in trouble— when their parent calls them by their full name.

Nobody speaks for the remainder of dinner. Lizzie and Edwin try to lighten the mood, but it doesn't work.

Casey helps clean up the plates and utensils after dinner, but it does no good. Nora still won't look at her.

Casey sighs mournfully, leaving the kitchen to head into the living room, sitting down on the sofa next to Derek's recliner.

Derek drops down into his recliner, looking at Casey with an apologetic smile.

Casey leans her head back for a moment, picking it back up when her mother stands in front of her with her arms crossed, eyes darting back and forth between her daughter and step-son.

"Cassandra, scoot over," Nora says, and it's not a request.

Casey frowns, but does as she's told, moving to the opposite side of the sofa.

It's later on, after most everyone has gone to sleep that Derek hears a knock at his bedroom door. Hoping it's Casey, he shoots up off his bed and almost runs to his door.

"Lizzie," Derek sighs, and it comes out sounding much more disappointed than he intends.

Lizzie scrunches her eyebrows together and pushes past her step-brother, closing his bedroom door behind her.

"Expecting someone else?" Lizzie asks, a knowing smirk on her face.

Derek rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as Lizzie sits cross-legged in his desk chair.

"What are you doing here, Liz?" Derek questions, frustrated.

As far as Derek knows, Nora and his father haven't told the younger kids about the Incident. Lizzie and Edwin probably have some idea, but they haven't been explicitly told.

"Why are Mom and George acting so weird?" Lizzie asks, stealing a potato chip from a bag on Derek's desk.

"Dunno," Derek lies, not looking at his step-sister.

"Liar," she says, crunching on the chip.

Derek rolls his eyes, sitting down on the floor at the foot of his bed.

"And it's just you and Casey that seem to be getting the heat," Lizzie points out, eating another potato chip. "Wonder why that is."

Lizzie raises her eyebrows at Derek, hoping he'll just tell her.

"I mean, Mom wouldn't even let Casey sit near you at dinner, or on the sofa after," Lizzie starts, laughing. "So, either you did something terrible, or you both did something terrible."

Derek looks at her pointedly.

"Oh, just tell me! I've never seen Mom act like this— And I think I've only heard her call Casey 'Cassandra' like, ten times in my entire life, and two of those times were tonight."

Derek drops his head into his hands.

"Your mom came home at an inopportune time one day over Spring Break," Derek says, hoping that's enough information for Lizzie.

Derek doesn't exactly want to tell Lizzie the whole story. One of his step-sisters knowing about his sex life is enough.

"No way!" Lizzie gasps, her laughing now cackling. "She walked in?!"

"No, she just… heard," Derek explains, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Yeah, that was maybe not Derek's finest moment. And it wasn't entirely his fault! Casey came into his room all on her own and it was her idea to have sex twenty minutes before their family was supposed to be home from school and work.

"Oh. My. Gosh."

Derek tips his head back against his bed, leaning his arms on his knees.

"That explains so much," Lizzie chuckles, tipping the potato chip bag and sliding the crumbs into her mouth.

Derek scrubs his hands down his face, wincing at the memory of coming downstairs and seeing Nora in the kitchen. He thought she might've killed him right then and there.

"Queens' Spring Break was the end of March, right?" Lizzie asks, which Derek nods in affirmative to. "It's June. Are you guys still…?"

Derek nods, laughing lightly.

"As of yesterday, yeah," Derek states, remembering yesterday in Casey's dorm room fondly.

Lizzie gets quiet for a moment.

"Do you love her?" she asks, resting her head against the back of Derek's desk chair.

Derek bites his lip. It really is an easy answer. He and Casey have been at this for nine months now, and while the whole time it's mostly been just sex, Derek hasn't so much as looked at another woman since that first time.

"I think you know the answer to that question," Derek says, his eyes meeting Lizzie's.

Lizzie rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, but I want to hear you say it. She's my sister. And you're my brother, and I love the both of you, but I do know how you can be. I'm not letting you destroy her," Lizzie declares, crossing her arms over her chest.

Derek nods, understanding.

"I've never even said it to her, and you want me to tell you?"

Lizzie nods.

"I almost said it once. We were at a party a little before Spring Break. I just, I looked at her, and I almost said it. I didn't want to freak her out. That night was the first time she met the hockey team— my friends. I didn't want to spring too much on her in one night."

Lizzie nods again, this time processing what Derek is saying.

"But you still haven't told her?" Lizzie wonders.

Derek shakes his head, shrugging his shoulders.

"I guess I'm just worried she doesn't feel the same way."

Lizzie smiles a half-smile.

"I think she does. She kept looking at you tonight. Looking to you. She's upset about my mom, and she looked to you for comfort. So, I think she does. She won't say it though."

Derek cocks his head to the side, questioning.

Lizzie laughs a little, thinking it's funny how oblivious the Venturi men can be.

"She probably doesn't want to scare you off. She probably thinks dropping the 'L' word will make you hightail it as far away from her as you can get."

"It won't."

Hello friends. This one-shot, "Comfort" is part of my most recent series, including "Alabama", "S.O.S.", "Party", and "Red-Handed". This is the first one-shot in that series to fall after "Red-Handed". I know this isn't technically Dasey, but it kinda is. And for some reason, I needed Lizzie to talk some sense into Derek. I just needed it, lol.

Thanks for reading.