Chapter 4- Good Vibrations

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, and receive no profit from it except my fun in writing it.

Casey sat down beside Lizzie after having danced about 10 dances in a row. Only the first one had been with Derek- there were a lot of old friends here, Sam among them. He had asked for about 3 dances and she had obliged, knowing that if she kept dancing with Derek she wouldn't be able to disguise how she felt about him. Derek had danced with about 9 other girls and was still at it. She'd have to stop him soon, lest he wear himself out before the party ended, and that she would not have. She was looking at him with a soft smile on her face when Lizzie interrupted her thoughts.

"So have you and Derek settled everything between you?"

Casey started and looked at her sister. "What?"

Lizzie laughed. "I mean, have you two finally confessed all? Because it certainly looks that way to me."

"I'm not sure what you mean, Lizzie."

Lizzie snorted. "Yes, you do. I think that you admitted your undying love for each other before you got here tonight. I think that you can't wait until the party is over so you can finally get started loving each other. I bet you have a room all ready upstairs. Am I right or am I right?"

Casey gasped. "Lizzie, you're scary. Do you know that?"

"Not scary, Casey. Just observant. Not that you have to be too observant with you two. Number one, it was obvious that you two were into each other from the beginning, and all the fighting was just your method of denial. Number two, denial continued by never coming home when you knew the other would be there, but you two have always talked by phone, I'd guess a few times a week. Right?"

"Right."

"Number three, my engagement forces you both here together. Derek immediately shows signs of trying to make something work by suggesting a law partnership. You have reservations but you catch the next plane here anyway. Number four, when you came downstairs in that hot little number Derek was waiting at the door for you, but the second he saw you he went pale and grabbed the kitchen countertop like it was a lifeline. He spent the next minutes looking at everything in the room but you, so George decided to bring things to a head by making you two ride together. Number five, when you danced tonight I would have known it if I hadn't had anything else to go on. Need I elaborate?"

Casey grinned. "Nope. You're right, even down to the room upstairs. We planned to tell you tomorrow."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Let's see, Mom wanted to avoid any hint of scandal at my engagement party, right?"

"More like Derek and I didn't want to draw attention away from Sean and yourself. It's your night tonight. We'll have other nights."

"Much appreciated, Casey. But you know," Lizzie said in the midst of an obviously fake yawn and accompanying arm stretch, "you're not the only one that has a room reserved upstairs, and right now I'm inclined to speed us both up on our way to carnal joys by calling it a night."

Casey laughed. "Oh, sis, I owe you big time. You have no idea."

"You think I'm doing this for you? I've wanted to push Sean off the dance floor and into the elevator for about 2 hours now. You and Derek might want to try beating us there, because it wouldn't surprise me if the elevators got stuck tonight."

Soon after, the party began breaking up, but Derek couldn't find Casey anywhere. No one seemed to know where she had gone. Sam was trying to find her too. It was only too obvious that Sam would have liked to rekindle an old flame with Casey, and Derek was seething. So where had Casey gone?

Sam walked up to Derek. "Hey, Der, have you seen Casey?"

"No, man, why?"

"I just thought I might take her out for drinks."

Derek looked at Sam as if he was an idiot. "Sam, you've carried a torch for Casey ever since high school. Even after she dumped you for Ben. And after she eventually dumped him you still tried to come back for more. She's NEVER been interested, Sam. Why do you keep beating a dead horse?"

"What's it to you if I do?"

"Would you like a news flash, Sam? Casey's in love, man. She's all but engaged. So you just stay away from her, got it?"

"Really. That must be killing you, Derek. How do you sleep at night?"

Derek threw him a look and crossed his arms. "Would you care to explain that, Sam?"

"Talk about carrying torches. Has she ever wanted YOU, Derek? And don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. We were best friends, remember? I've carried a lit match for Casey compared to your torch. So if she's all but engaged, why don't you just let it go?"

Derek looked at him for a moment and decided to tell the truth. What the hell, the party was over anyway.

"I'm not letting go because I won, Sam. She's mine."

"Derek, what are you talking about? She's your stepsister, for God's sake!"

"If you'd tell me how that remotely matters anymore, I'll be glad to listen. We're not related by blood, and we haven't slept under the same roof for ten years now."

Sam smirked. "So she's yours and you've not slept with her yet? Yeah, right. Either you're living in a fantasy world or the great Derek Venturi has lost his touch."

Derek saw red. "Man, that is NONE of your business. You just take my word for it, she's mine. So you just stay away from her, got it?"

Sam noticed that they were beginning to create a scene and backed off. "All right, Derek. I'm leaving. But you're one sick puppy, you know that? This isn't over. I'll be back."

Sam pointed his finger in Derek's face before he turned around and walked away. Derek stood there for a moment and shook his head. People around him had started to move again, and he looked around for Casey. He hoped that she hadn't seen any of that. She was still nowhere to be found. "Maybe she's already gone up to the room," he thought. He went to the front desk to find out.

"My name is Derek Venturi. Are there any messages for me?"

The clerk checked. "Ah, yes, I do have one here for you, sir."

Derek took the sealed envelope. What if she'd changed her mind? What if she'd heard his argument with Sam and run away? He took a deep breath and opened the envelope.

There was no written message, only a room key.

Derek opened the door to the hotel room to find that Casey had already set the mood. The room was lit only by one dim lamp. There was a scent of candles in the air, but no candles. "Hotel rules, I guess," thought Derek. Mood music was playing in the background, and yes, the bottle of champagne that he had ordered was there as well. The bed had been turned back…but most importantly, there was Casey, waiting for him.

"You're here." They both said it at the same time, then laughed at their own insecurities.

"Of course I'm here." They'd done it again. This was too silly.

"I had a kind of altercation with Sam downstairs a few minutes ago," Derek blurted out.

"With Sam? What about?"

"He was looking for you, to ask you out. I, er...I ended up telling him about us, but I'm not sure he believed me."

Casey sighed. "I did notice that he hadn't given up on me. Maybe we should go talk to him tomorrow, together. He needs to get on with his life."

"So do we," Derek murmured as he approached and took her in his arms. "But I did sort of expect to find you had slipped into something more comfortable."

Casey nuzzled his neck and whispered in his ear. "It's a sari, darling. I've just been waiting for you to come and unwrap me."

"Show me how."

Casey guided his hands to the place where she had tucked in the end of the sari, and Derek began slowly removing the garment. He found it tantalizing to unwind the filmy garment from her body and delighted in exploring Casey as he gradually exposed her. He was gratified to realize that she was equally uninhibited about touching him. When they finished undressing each other, Derek picked Casey up and carried her to the bed, put her down gently and laid down beside her.

"Casey, I…"

Casey laid one finger over his mouth, which he immediately began kissing with ragged breath. "No words, Derek. Show me."

With that, Derek covered Casey's mouth with his, and they continued staking their claim to each other, speaking without words and finding ultimate bliss in pleasing each other. And after their love climaxed in shared ecstasy, they held each other, talking and touching before they eventually fell asleep, each heart having finally found it's home.

AN: I've had lots of hits but I'd like more reviews- tell me how you think I can improve my writing! And thanks for reading!