Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update, I was being nitpicky with this chapter... I'm still not completely sure I like how it came out, but there has been a lack of LWD fics these past few days so I figured I'd post this chapter to help change that ;-) Thank you so much everyone for the reviews! I always appreciate them very much! The encouragement really helps :-) I hope you alllike this chapter!

A few weeks later, I went in for a check-up. Dr. Graves said that everything was fine, and that the fetus was developing normally. Mom and I were glad to know this, and she gave my hand a squeeze as we left the doctor's office.

Derek was at home, sitting on the couch in the living room alone with the television off. He looked very apprehensive. As soon as he saw me come in, he stood up, obviously itching to know what was going on.

"Everything's fine," I assured him with a smile. "Our baby's fine."

He let out a breath of relief and my Mom gave him a gentle pat on the back and soft smile as she passed him to go into the kitchen, leaving us alone.

But just then, Edwin came down the stairs.

"Hey, Derek, want to play Mortal Combat with me?" he asked his older brother.

"Uh…yeah, sure," Derek said slowly. He glanced back at me and I gave him a smile before going up to my bedroom.

I booted up my computer and went back on to that teen parents website. As I was creating my own username so I could begin posting about my own pregnancy (now THAT felt weird to say… or think… nevermind…), there was a soft knock on my door.

I whirled around to see Lizzie standing at my doorway, looking concerned. "I want to know what's wrong, Casey," she said in her gentle Lizzie-way.

I sighed. I mind as well tell her. "Come on in," I told her, getting up and sitting down on my bed, gesturing for her to do the same. She walked over and sat down next to me, her big blue eyes worried.

"There's no easy way to say this, kiddo," I began. "Um… I did something a bit foolish and now I'm… pregnant."

She gawked at me. "You mean… you're going to have a baby?" she tried to process this.

I nodded slowly. "Yes."

"It's not Sam's, is it," she said knowingly. I stared at her. She was always so wise for such a young kid.

I nodded again. "You're right. It's not."

"It's Derek's," she said flatly, eyes wide.

My jaw dropped. "How did you… nevermind. Yeah. It is."

"Wow," she breathed. There was a pause. "So, you and Derek had sex?"

I almost choked on my own saliva. My face flushed. This is definitely not a conversation I wanted to have with my little sister.

"I thought you hated each other," she continued, shaking her head in surprise.

I didn't even know how to respond to that. I just sat there like a deer caught in the headlights until, to my relief, Mom called for Lizzie to come set the table for dinner.

"I'll help you out, Casey," Lizzie told me before she left, giving me a hug.

Touched, I felt my eyes begin to tear up. "Thanks, kiddo."

She gave me one of her small smiles and left the room. I sat on my bed, wiping away my tears until Mom called me for dinner.

That night, as I walked by Derek's room to go to the bathroom, I heard George talking with him. Nosily, I listened in.

"…I just don't think you're ready for this kind of responsibility," George said to him.

"I didn't think I was either. But I started thinking about it, I mean really thinking about it," Derek replied. "And I really want this baby."

I heard George sigh in slight frustration. "Derek, you do realize how difficult it is to be a parent, right? You really want to be a teenaged father?"

"I didn't until I realized that I was going to be. Now I want it more than anything in the world," Derek responded in the most serious, genuine tone I've ever heard.

I felt tears sting my eyes for the second time that day.

I tried to go to bed early that night, but couldn't fall asleep, thinking about what Derek had said. It really had an effect on me.

Around midnight, I crept into his room. The lights were out, but the light from the hall strewn in as I opened the door slightly, and I could see that he wasn't sleeping.

"Case?" he sat up, confused and wondering if he should be concerned.

"I can't sleep," I whispered to him.

"Come here," he moved so there was room for me on his bed.

I crawled in under the blankets. His body was warm next to mine. A comfortable silence ensued. I shivered, feeling a cool breeze from Derek's open window. He put his arm around me and drew me closer to his warm body. I snuggled into him.

"You want me to close the window?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I shook my head. "Just stay here." This felt nice. I was warm again cuddled up with him.

He began rubbing my back gently in small circles, and I had never felt so comforted as I did then. I closed my eyes, relaxing completely. And before I knew it, I had nodded off.

The next morning, I woke up still snuggled up with Derek. I was actually practically on top of him. His arms were wrapped around me, holding me loosely. I looked up and saw him still asleep, looking peaceful and boyish. I grinned. He looked so cute there, his cheeks slightly flushed and his lips in a bit of a pout. I wondered what he was dreaming about.

Not able to resist, I moved up and gently touched my lips to his cute pout. To my surprise, his lips instantly moved against my own, and his hands pressed me tighter to him.

"Mmm…Casey…" he mumbled sleepily, sliding his tongue into my mouth.

At first I was too shocked to do anything, but I felt his warm tongue caress my own and moaned, giving in.

As we kissed, I felt his hand slid up under my shirt to feel my bare stomach. I looked up to see him now fully awake, but still kissing me. His eyes met my own and he pulled away, his hand still splayed on my stomach. He rubbed it gently, an awestruck expression on his face as he realized that our baby was in there.

I softly smiled, bringing my hand down and covering his hand with my own.

He smirked and leaned down, brushing his lips against mine again. I didn't know what we were doing and what this meant, but I didn't care. I just kissed him back.

We made out for a little while, but I realized it was getting late and we had to get ready for school.

"Derek…" I giggled as I felt him kissing a pathway down my neck. "We have to get ready for school."

"Don't wanna," he mumbled against my throat like a little kid.

I laughed, pulling away from him. He groaned as I did so, and I smirked.

"Later," I promised him, a teasing look in my eyes. He just looked at me, this new emotion in his eyes. Something powerful. Something like…

Love?

No, I quickly told myself. Lust, maybe. Not love. It couldn't be love.

I took a shower, got dressed, and went downstairs into the kitchen, in a good mood.

"Morning," I smiled at everyone.

Mom and George exchanged looks of "what's up with her?" and Lizzie and Edwin just looked at me. I could tell from his expression that Edwin now knew. I bet Lizzie had told him. Lizzie and Edwin had seemed to be getting close.

"I want pancakes!" Marti shouted suddenly, banging her fork on the table.

"Settle down there, Smarti," Derek came into the kitchen, dressed and his hair wet and spiky from the shower. He smirked at me and sat down next to Marti.

When did he get so cute?

I wanted to slap myself for thinking it, but it was true. He was looking better and better everyday.

He tickled Marti until she was screaming with laughter. He was so good with her. I think he'll make a good father.

Mom served us pancakes and I found myself starving. I ate a lot more than usual, and my Mom noticed with a smile. I blushed, knowing what she was thinking.

Derek walked to school with me.

"When's your next doctor's appointment?" he asked me, breaking the silence as we crossed a street.

"In a few weeks," I responded. "Mom wants me to keep going in for check ups. I think she's paranoid because I'm so young."

He nodded. "Can… I come with you next time?"

My eyebrows shot up. I had never bothered asking him the first time. Why hadn't I? "Of course you can," I told him, sliding my arm through his. I felt bad for not asking before. "It's your baby, too. You should be able to be involved just as much as I am."

"Except for the whole carrying part," he gave a chuckle.

I laughed. "Right. There's not much you can do there."

We walked on. Neither of us mentioned the make-out session we had had this morning.

That night, I spent most of my time on the teen mothers forum. I got to telling people about my story. Everyone was so supportive, it was great. I was really glad that I had joined. I was interested if the teen fathers forum was as active. So, I clicked over to it and had a look.

I scrolled down the message board. There were a lot of posts, much more than I had expected. I read a few of them. Most of the guys were nervous almost-fathers in high school. There were a lot of posts about what to expect when the baby comes. But one post really caught my eye.

Subject: HELP!

Author: HockeyPlayer311

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum. I just recently found out that I got a girl pregnant. We both just turned sixteen, and we're in the same grade. We've decided to keep the baby.

I don't know why, but I really want this baby. I'm really excited about being a dad. That's not the problem at all. The problem is with the mother of that baby. We're not together or anything, but I want to be. It's confusing for me, but I think I'm falling in love with her. I've never felt this way before and it scares me. So I don't know what I should do about it. I don't think she feels the same way. Help!

P.S. The girl is my stepsister, to make things even more messed up.

I stared at this entry for several minutes. I looked at the time. It had just been posted a few minutes ago.

It couldn't be Derek. It just couldn't be.

But it did sound like our story, pretty much exactly. And the username? Derek was a hockey player who loved the band 311.

But he said that he was falling in love with the girl. So it couldn't possibly be me.

I mean… could it?

I drove myself crazy for about twenty minutes, just staring at the post, thinking about it, re-reading it, contemplating. I shook my head. This was crazy. It was obviously just some strange coincidence. That's all.

I shut off the computer so I couldn't re-read it any longer; although I'm sure I now had the post memorized. I sat down on my bed and took out my French homework, trying to get my mind off of it.

Then, Derek surprised me.

"Hey, Case," he said, causing me to jump.

He saw that I was startled and made a face. "Oops. Sorry."

I sighed heavily. "It's okay." I smoothed back my hair. "What's up?"

"Just checking in," he said.

I gave a nod, hiding a smile. It was really sweet the way he was all worried about the baby. "We're fine," I gave him the assurance he needed.

He gave a smirk and a nod, but didn't turn to go. "So… Edwin asked if we picked out any names yet."

I had known that Edwin knew. Lizzie definitely wouldn't keep that from him. Especially since it concerned his brother. I chuckled. "It's still really early."

"Yeah, we have some time," he agreed, leaning back against the wall. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, I'm going to go get a snack. You want anything?"

I shook my head. "No thanks."

He turned to go, but I stopped him. "Derek?"

"Yeah?" he turned back around, glancing at me questioningly.

I bit my lip, several seconds of silence following. "…nothing."

"Okay…" he gave his Derek smirk and exited the room.

I sighed and went back to my homework.

I woke up several hours later, my face in my French book. Confused and groggy, I looked at the time. It was extremely late, or extremely early, depending on how you look at it. I shoved my books onto the floor and pulled off my jeans. Then I slid under the covers, not even bothering to shut off the light. I was exhausted. I closed my eyes and fell back to sleep within seconds.

I woke up the next morning with a rush of nausea. I leapt up, holding my mouth, and booked it to the bathroom. Upon arriving, I puked my guts up.

"And the morning sickness begins," I muttered to myself as I flushed the toilet. Another bout of nausea kicked in. I sank to the floor in front of my porcelain god.

"Casey?" I heard Lizzie's voice behind me. I hadn't had the chance to shut the door, never mind lock it. She peered over at me. "Are you okay?"

I answered with another great round of vomiting. Lizzie ran to go get my mother, who rushed upstairs, still in her bathrobe.

"Oh, Casey," Mom said gently, pulling my hair back as I finished up.

I sank back onto my heels and wiped my mouth. "Ughhhh," I responded, feeling horrible.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Lizzie asked my Mom with worried eyes.

"She's going to be just fine, honey. It's just a touch of morning sickness," she explained to her. Mom looked back at me. "Why don't you go lie back down, Casey? I'll bring up a bucket for you in case you feel sick again. And some ginger ale. Okay?" She helped me up and rubbed my back tenderly. I felt like a little girl again.

I just nodded, pouting slightly as she steered me back into my bedroom. She helped me get under the covers and even tucked me in. I was so grateful to have her right then and there, you have no idea!

"I'll stay with her, Mom," Lizzie said, sitting down at the edge of my bed.

"Alright, sweetie. I'll be back in a few minutes, Casey," my Mom said and went off.

"What's going on?" Derek came into the room, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Casey's not feeling good," Lizzie explained to him, taking my hand and rubbing it gently, playing the comforting older sister as she had so many times in the past.

Derek was alert then. His head snapped towards me.

"It's just morning sickness," I told him before he had to chance to say anything.

"Aww," he gave a sympathetic look. He came over and sat down next to me. Lizzie looked intrigued at his concern.

I, on the other hand, was just starting to feel green again.

"Oh no," I murmured before jumping out of bed and running back to the bathroom.

I heard Derek and Lizzie run after me, and felt Derek pull my loose hair off of my face. I finished up and then flushed the toilet, sinking back down onto the floor. Derek let go of my hair and sat down next to me, patting my leg gently. My Mom appeared with a glass of ginger ale in her hand and some saltines.

"Let's get her back into her room, Derek," she instructed him. He dutifully helped me onto my feet and guided me back to my bedroom, one arm around my waist. He tucked me back into bed and I sighed heavily. It felt like I had the stomach flu.

"Please tell me this doesn't last the whole pregnancy," I said to my mother as I took a sip of ginger ale.

She shook her head. "Just a few weeks, usually."

"Thank God," I said. "It's awful." My stomach felt like it was doing flip-flops.

"Do you want me to stay home with you today, sweetie?" I could see that my Mom felt bad for me. She probably remembered what it was like.

I shook my head. "I'll be fine."

"I'll stay with her," Derek volunteered.

The three of us looked at him.

"No, Derek, you need to go to school," Mom said to him.

"Then who's going to be here for Casey?"

"I'll be fine by myself, Derek," I said. Then I groaned in pain as I felt my stomach to the twist. I clutched my abdomen, wincing slightly.

"Just this once?" Derek's eyes pleaded with my Mom.

She looked very hesitant.

"Please?" he even choked out the "P" word!

I could see my Mom was stunned and at a loss. "Fine," she said with a loud sigh, obviously not liking the idea. "Just because nobody else will be home. But this is the only time, Derek," she wagged her finger at him.

He nodded quickly.

I was silently grateful to have Derek for the day. I knew he would take care of me. That made me feel better.

Mom nudged Lizzie to go get ready for school, and she looked over at me. "If you need me, Case, you know you can call me." She felt guilty for leaving me. I bet she was glad Derek was staying with me, too. Although she would never admit it.

"I know," I gave her a nod, showing her I was alright.

"Take care of her, Derek," she looked over at Derek.

"I will," he said, his eyes not moving from my own.

Mom left and Derek and I continued to look at each other. I broke away from our stare first, my cheeks feeling flushed. All I could think about was that post on the message board.

"Do you want anything?" he asked me.

I shook my head, not looking at him. Then I winced, feeling another cramp. "Ughhh," I moaned as I held my stomach.

Derek got into the bed with me. "Where does it hurt?"

I lied back so I could pull my shirt up and show him. "Here," I pointed it out. I groaned as I felt the cramping again. I started feeling nauseous again.

Suddenly Derek's warm hands were on me, gently rubbing my stomach, easing the cramps. I gave a sigh at the feeling of him massaging away the pain. It felt amazing.

"Don't stop," I begged him, closing my eyes.

And he didn't stop. He rubbed and massaged until the pain was completely gone.

"Thank you," I murmured, opening my eyes to look up at him.

He nodded, and lied down next to me. Feeling much better, I curled up against him and fell asleep.

When I woke up again, about an hour later, I saw that Derek was still lying down next to me, staring up at the ceiling. I groggily sat up, yawning.

"Have a nice nap?" Derek looked amused.

I grinned sheepishly. "You relaxed me."

"I'm glad," he said, sitting up as well. He stretched and I watched his muscles flex underneath his wife beater. Nice. So very nice.

I giggled out loud at my thought and Derek raised an eyebrow at me.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing," I just smiled innocently. I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"Anytime," he said. He stopped me from leaning back though, as I drew away from his cheek. He pulled me in closer to him and pressed his lips against my own.

The kiss was gentle at first, but then became more passionate. I wrapped my arms around him and lied back onto the bed, bringing him down with me. His hands slipped under my shirt, making me feel like I was on fire.

But in a good way.

I moaned against his lips, desperate for him. Maybe it was another symptom of the pregnancy. Sudden horniness.

I yanked his shirt off, wanting to feel his hard muscles. My hands wandered and Derek groaned in pleasure against my lips. He slid my shirt up over my head, and then began making a pathway down my neck. He moved over my chest and then pressed hot, wet kisses against my stomach. He looked up at me and gave this cute grin then. I grinned back, but then got more serious.

"I want you, Derek," I murmured, my eyes now seductive slits.

His eyes widened at my declaration, but I knew that he was going to adhere to my demand. Clothes began coming off.

"I don't want to hurt the baby," Derek looked very apprehensive as he moved over me.

"It's okay, Derek," I told him. "It won't hurt the baby. I promise."

It felt so right.

When we were finished, we lied there, panting and gasping for air. Derek pressed his lips against my sweaty forehead and I hugged him closely. I gave his ear a little nibble and he chuckled. I smiled.

He kissed the inside of my wrist. I nuzzled his neck. He kissed the side of my throat. I laced my fingers through his. He smirked and laid his head on my chest. I ran my hand through his hair, stroking him gently until he fell asleep. I fell asleep soon after, a smile on my face.

I heard the phone ring and Derek cursed to himself, muttering as he quickly pulled on some clothes and went to go grab the phone. He brought the cordless in here.

"No, she's fine. She's asleep," I heard him say into the phone, keeping his voice low. "Yeah, I'll try to get her to have some lunch….okay…yup…alright…bye." He hung up and I could feel his eyes on me. I pretended to continue sleeping, my eyes still feeling a bit too heavy to bother opening. I heard him leave.

I laid down for a bit more, then got up and put my clothes back on. I was feeling much better, but still kind of sleepy. I lied back down, just as Derek came in. He was holding a plate with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on it and some potato chips. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Lunch," he announced, handing me the plate and sitting down next to me.

Once again, I was floored by him. "Thank you," I said with a smile, very impressed. I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

It was a nice gesture, but I wasn't very hungry. I nibbled on the sandwich and ate one chip.

"Come on, Case. You gotta eat for the baby," Derek said, watching me pick at my lunch.

I sighed, knowing he was right, and forced half the sandwich and most of the chips down. I finished the rest of my ginger ale and lied back down on my pillow.

"You want to go watch TV?" he asked, seeing a bored expression on my face, I'm sure.

I nodded, and he helped me out of bed. I didn't need the help, but I think it made Derek feel better knowing that he was helping me. So I let him guide me downstairs and into the living room. I sat back on the couch and Derek turned the TV on. He even let me pick what to watch. Wow.

I put on the Golden Girls and watched him scowl. I giggled, and cuddled up against him. He put his arm around me, relaxing, and kissed the top of my head.

And I knew I was falling in love with him.