Seeing Derek again had awakened something in Casey she hadn't felt in a long time. Her marriage was an unhappy one and they had barely been hanging on by a thread for years - she was finally ready to admit it was time to file for divorce. But in between caring for their combined four children in George and Nora's new house, Derek and Casey didn't have a lot of alone time - at first anyway. She eyed him up as he went to the fridge to grab something to eat, checking out his ass and smiling approvingly. Fuck, Casey really needed to stop lusting after Derek - it was inappropriate on so many levels. "Everything all good with Skyler after last night's scare?" she teased, somewhat out of concern. Thinking someone had broken in had scared them all.
He nodded. "Yeah, she's fine. Made fun of me afterwards, if you can believe that," Derek snorted as he grabbed some pudding and a spoon then started digging in.
Skyler chose that moment to enter the kitchen but took one look at them and then backed out. "They're flirting again," the two of them heard her complain to her cousins.
"Kids," Casey scoffed, her heart starting to pound.
"Yeah, you're a married woman! Wait, why is she telling your kids this?" A confused Derek shrugged as he went back to eating his pudding.
She shrugged. "I have no clue. At least she and Luca have called a temporary truce. Did we really drive Mom and George up the wall like this all the time? I can't believe they put up with it for years."
"Probably."
George and Nora made their way in and sat down at the island. "Anybody willing to make us breakfast?" George asked them.
"We could order in," Derek suggested.
Casey laughed. "Nice try but we're ordering dinner."
"Why are we ordering dinner?" Nora sighed but flashed them a grateful smile. She was so thrilled to have their oldest children - and grandchildren - visiting - but nobody was up for doing any work.
"Because we said so," Derek joked.
"Nice one!" Casey leaned over and high fived him.
"It's crackling in here," George sighed. A confused Derek and Casey just stared at him but Nora seemed to understand what he was hinting at and choked on air. George handed over her water bottle and she guzzled some down.
"Anyway, we're going out to breakfast. Anybody want to join us?" Nora asked once she had finally stopped choking.
"We do!" the kids screamed from the living room.
"Well, you heard them. Let's go!" Nora urged.
"Thanks, have a fun time!" Casey really appreciated that they were taking the kids out for at least an hour. She wanted some alone time with Derek. Fuck, why did she keep doing this?
"You sure you two don't want to go?" George pressed.
"We're sure. Besides, I already ate."
"You ate pudding," Casey shot back.
"I still ate!"
"And that's our cue to leave." Nora urged her husband to stand up, and she and George headed to the living room. "Oh my God, it's gotten worse now that they're older - the sexual tension is unbearable," she complained to him, just loud enough that Casey and Derek both heard it.
Casey's face immediately reddened. "I'm going to kill her."
"Not if I kill them first. What are they doing - is our family conspiring against us here?"
"Sure feels like it. Anyway, I'm going to shower before everybody gets back and uses all the hot water. And that is not an invitation to join me," she warned him.
"It sure sounds like one, Case!" he yelled at her as she took off up the stairs to shower.
She cackled before closing the door and taking off her clothes to hop in the shower. The guilt was still there, reminding her that she was still married, but Casey wondered if their family was on to something. She really needed to call her husband and finally rip the band-aid off (and also find a lawyer). She had made this trip on her own with the kids for a reason. She showered quickly, got dressed, and then headed back downstairs to find Derek watching TV. "Everything all good?" she checked.
"It is," he confirmed.
A suspicious Casey narrowed her eyes. "Are you checking me out?"
Derek shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. And besides, we're done talking about this. The jokes were fine and funny but that's enough. You are married."
"Yeah, I know that." She glanced down at the wedding and engagement rings on her finger and wondered why she was still wearing them. So out of frustration but feeling a sense of peace for the first time in a long time, Casey took them off and placed the rings on the table.
"What are you doing?" he asked her incredulously.
"Throwing in the towel on my marriage because we both checked out a while ago."
Derek could only sigh. "This is dangerous, what you're doing. Our family's just fucking with us - you know them."
"Oh yeah, I know them. And I also know us, and what's gone unsaid all these years, Derek."
"You're not a cheater, Casey. You're better than this."
She choked. "Maybe I'm not better than this." She turned around and sauntered back into the kitchen, grinning when he finally gave in and followed her.
"If you're playing a game, it's not funny," Derek warned her.
"I'm not trying to be fun nor am I playing a game. We're alone, Derek." God, she didn't know where this confidence was coming from but she hoped it didn't magically go away. "Come and take me."
Derek's eyes darkened and he strolled over to Casey and picked her up, setting her down on the counter and proceeded to kiss her. "Fuck," he moaned.
"That's the idea," she agreed.
"You can't just say things like that," he chided before diving in closer to kiss her again.
The two of them were so caught up in the moment they didn't even hear the door clicking open and closing about ten minutes later. "My eyes!" Skyler shrieked and the two of them pulled away from each other as quickly as possible.
"How much do you want to keep quiet?" Derek asked his daughter, despite knowing bribe money probably wouldn't work on her for too long.
She pondered the price of silence for about ninety seconds before coming to a decision. "Fifty dollars," Skyler informed him, holding out her hand.
"You drive a hard bargain, kiddo." However, he was proud of her and handed over her bribe money.
She beamed at him. "Thank you, Daddy." Then she took off back towards the living room. "Grandma, they were making out!" Casey and Derek heard her say.
"Wow, that bribe money did not last long," an impressed Casey murmured.
"I should ask for it back," he sulked.
"Ah, are you upset your daughter just sold us out?" She bit her lip, guilt rising up within her. "Okay, I can't do this. I need to go call my husband first and tell him our marriage is over."
"You sure?" Derek checked.
"Absolutely." She gave him a quick kiss, took her cell phone out of her pocket, and then went outside to make the phone call that was about to end her marriage. Unsurprisingly, her husband didn't object nor seem upset - he had also seen the writing on the wall. Casey hung up the phone, feeling lighter than she had in what felt like forever, and went back inside. She inhaled and exhaled a few times, trying to calm herself, while a concerned Derek checked on her.
"You sure everything's okay?"
"My marriage is over, and I'm not even that upset. Neither is he. The kids might be, but I think they know. Especially after this trip," Casey joked. She urged him closer and then kissed him. "God, I love you."
Shock colored his tone when Derek responded. "You love me?"
"You didn't know that before, Derek Venturi? Are you dense?" she teased.
"I'll show you dense," he grumbled. "I love you, Casey McDonald. God help me."
She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We should probably hold off until I actually file for divorce and it's final." It'd be the right thing to do but they were past that several hours ago. Okay, days, when they first reunited and that spark between them lit up even brighter.
"I can't believe little miss perfect cheated." He was a little proud of her for it, though. Getting Casey out of her comfort zone was never easy.
"Yeah, neither can I." The guilt wasn't about to fade away but she'd learn to live with it.
"So it is safe to come in or are you two having a quickie?" a worried Nora questioned from the doorway, refusing to look into the kitchen.
Both Casey and Derek laughed. "Mother!" she scolded.
"What? It's a valid question with you two!"
"Well, I finally called the man I'm married to and you'll be happy to know that we're divorcing," she informed Nora.
She fist pumped as she came into the kitchen, realizing it was safe. "Finally! He's a nice man and I'll love him for giving me my grandbabies but you haven't been happy for a long time, kiddo. I saw something in you with Derek that I haven't seen in forever. I don't condone the cheating, though, as thrilled as I am that you two finally pulled your heads out of your asses. But congratulations." Nora hoped she could get another grandbaby out of these two idiots, because honestly, it was inevitable at this point.
"Thanks, Mom."
"Yeah, we really appreciate your support, Nora." Derek beamed at his stepmother, and he and Casey hugged her before separately returning to the living room.
Luca and Skyler would have to learn to get along soon because Casey and Derek's families would definitely blend as soon as her divorce was finalized (they didn't expect that their children would actually get along, however). The two of them eloped just five weeks later, refusing to waste any more time because they belonged together and everyone knew it. Finally admitting it to themselves freed them both in a way neither expected.
