disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek or any of its characters. I'm merely borrowing for my own amusement.

He hadn't realized she was going to be at this party.

If he'd known, he wouldn't have shown up.

They'd done a good job of avoiding each other thus far. Which was saying a lot considering they were sharing a tiny apartment. But ever since the kiss they'd seemed to have agreed to a silent rule that whenever they crossed path - in the kitchen, in the hallway, in the living room, even on campus - one of them would leave.

And it was currently Casey's turn to leave.

Since they'd already run into each other earlier in the day, in the apartment buildings laundry room, and Derek had swiftly reversed course and gone back upstairs with his basket. Even though he had long ago run out of clean clothes and really could've done with doing a load. It had been his turn though as Casey had left the campus cafeteria yesterday when Derek and his friends had come in.

Now though Casey was making no moves to leave even though Derek was sure she'd seen him across the room.

He wasn't sure what was pissing him off more: that she was negating on their unspoken agreement, or that she was clearly doing so because she didn't want to leave the guy she was talking with.

He was just her type too. A big dumb jock looking guy. It was ironic almost that a girl who prided herself so much on her own intelligence always went for the dullest bulb in the room.

Derek didn't think he'd ever figure Casey McDonald out. She was the strangest mix of a person he'd ever encountered.

She could be sweet and thoughtful but also selfish and shallow.

Headstrong and confident but insecure and nervous.

She could rage against a sexist video game but spend hours playing it.

She could spend her whole life studying to get into the best Universities and then run away at the last minute to dance in New York.

She could be gone for a year and never talk to him, then come back and tell him she'd missed him.

She could complain for three years about living with him and then beg to move into his apartment.

She could kiss him back and then flirt with another guy in front of him.

She could pretend she didn't see him when he was standing right next to her.

Derek hadn't really intended to wind up there, but that's where he found himself in the span of a few strides.

"Can I talk to you?"

He didn't wait for her to answer. Grabbing her elbow, he started dragging her away.

The tool she'd been laughing with didn't even protest, much less try to stop them. Even as Casey protested.

Once again, she'd demonstrated her ability to pick 'em.

Pulling Casey along, Derek cut in front of the girl next in line for the bathroom and slammed the door closed on the shouts of protest, bolting the lock.

"What the hell is your problem!" demanded Casey as Derek finally released her, ripping her arm away and whirling on him.

"You need to go," he told her plainly.

Casey gaped at him.

"What?" she demanded sharply.

"You don't have to go home, Case, but you can't stay here."

She spluttered.

"I'm not going anywhere, Derek!" she finally managed to shout, glaring at him.

"Well, I'm not leaving," said Derek, calmly. "I don't know why you're even here, you don't even know any of these people-"

"That's usually why people attend parties, Derek," she snapped, "to get to know people."

"Find a different party," Derek said bluntly.

"You are the most -!"

"I thought we had an understanding," he interrupted before she had a chance to finish raging. "It's your turn to leave, Casey."

"I'm not leaving," she repeated stubbornly.

"Yes," he insisted, "You are."

"No, Derek." She shook her head. "I'm not doing this anymore. It's gone on long enough. I'm not - I'm moving on from ... what happened, okay. Let's just forget about it," she said, "Let's just forget about it and move on, okay?"

Derek folded his arms.

"Fine," he agreed. "We'll move on."

For a moment Casey looked relieved. Until he added,

"But you're not moving on here."

Then she looked exasperated again.

"Derek-"

"Casey, if you don't want your potential "moving on" partner to wind up with a broken nose I suggest you "move on" elsewhere," he advised, refusing to budge on the matter.

Now she looked uncomfortable.

"I wasn't - I didn't mean "move on" like that Derek," she said shifting awkwardly, "I meant move on like move past this. As in, what mature adults would do instead of say: avoiding each other like the plague and sneaking around their own home..." she trailed off on pointedly.

"Well," said Derek, maturely, "When you do "move on" as in "move on", maybe "move on" with someone who isn't an idiot. You know someone who actually gives a damn when the girl he's into is being dragged away by another guy against her will."

Casey rolled her eyes.

"He knows who you are, Derek. I told him when he asked who the weirdo was glaring at us."

"Ah, so you did see me earlier," Derek confirmed with some satisfaction. "I knew it."

"I think everybody saw you, Derek," Casey retorted flatly. "You looked like you were trying to set us on fire with sheer willpower alone." She looked hesitant to admit the next part, "He thought you were an ex-boyfriend."

"And what did you tell him?" Derek asked, keeping carefully nonchalant.

"That you're jealous," she answered simply. "Because you have a massive crush on him."

Derek laughed.

Casey joined in and some of the tension that seemed to have been weighing down on them lately suddenly wasn't so heavy anymore.

"I think we should probably get out of here before they break the door down," Casey suggested, making to move around Derek to get to the lock.

"In a minute," he said.

Then he grabbed her around the waist and backed her up against the sink and brought his mouth down on hers.

This kiss wasn't like the first. Born of anger and frustration and an uncontrollable need to do something. Something to make her understand what he was feeling in that moment, even though he himself didn't fully understand why he felt it.

Don't get him wrong, the first kiss had been good.

Too damn good.

But it hadn't been the best kiss. It had been too quick, too sudden.

Too short.

It hadn't been enough about savoring the moment.

This kiss was different.

Despite the insistent banging on the floor and the angry muffled shouts that had never stopped since the moment they'd jumped the queue, Derek was in no hurry.

No rush.

He'd waited ten fucking days to taste her again, the people outside could wait a few minutes. Hell, they could find another bathroom for all he cared.

Her lips were as soft as he'd remembered them. They moved effortlessly in sync with his, following his lead. When he licked at her bottom lip she opened her mouth instantly, inviting him in, her tongue darting out to greet his.

She was much more agreeable like this. She didn't try to fight him for control or try to dominate. She simply took what he gave and met him halfway.

And she made the sexiest little sounds of approval when he did something she liked.

Like when he pressed in closer to her. When he sucked on her tongue. When he growled in response to her tugging on the back of his hair.

Reluctantly, eventually, Derek broke away from her mouth.

He liked the way Casey's eyes stayed closed for a few seconds longer than his, before blinking back open. Like she needed a minute.

He'd always known her eyes were blue, but he'd never really looked at them up close before. Never noticed that they also had swirls of gray in them too.

"Derek…" she whispered, softly. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips looked a little bee-stung.

"You were right, you know," he said, "I am jealous."

Casey's breath stuttered.

"I -" she swallowed, "I know."

"Were you trying…?"

She shook her head no.

"I don't even know why," Derek admitted, absently taking her hand between them and stroking his thumb across her knuckles.

"Why you're jealous?" she asked, still panting a little.

"Why it's changed," he explained.

Casey's eye flitted down to their linked hands.

"I don't know why either," she confessed.

"So … you feel it too?" Derek asked, hesitantly. Vulnerably.

Casey nodded.

"Yes."

Derek felt something like relief settle over him.

"What should we do about it?" he wondered.

Casey cracked a wry smile at that.

"Besides make out in a bathroom?"

Derek huffed a laugh.

"Yeah. Besides that."

She looked thoughtful for a minute.

"I guess," she said finally, "we should try and see where it takes us…"

"So, what you're proposing," said Derek slowly, "is that we just go with the flow?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" He tipped his chin down to try and hide a smile. "You wouldn't want to, I don't know, write a pros and cons list first? Do a little research? Have a classic Casey McDonald freak out?"

Casey just smirked back at him.

"I already know all your cons, Derek," she reminded him.

"And my pros," he agreed.

Casey pushed him away, but they were both laughing.

"Alright," Derek said, lifting their joined hands and brushing his mouth over her knuckles. "Have it your way, Case, we'll go with the flow."

"Derek," she said, leaning in close, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "don't you know by now? I always get my way."

- GoddessoftheMaan