SHOUTOUTS/ANSWERS

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SPOTTY: Yes, he is. Sad, but true.

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I will, I will.

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Maibe Josie: Nope. Yeah, I've been told that. Sorry. I'll try to fix it later.

DISCLAIMER

LWD belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. I only own characters you don't recognize. Even though I didn't say it, Edwin and Lizzie have been picked up from school, and I'm not sure if Marti was in preschool or not, but she's home too. I'd normally add last names when bringing in a character for the first time, but I think we all remember which kids are Venturis and MacDonalds. Oh, and in a previous chap I said Nora "MacDonald" instead of "Venturi" and I accidentally switched the last names around for her and George. Sorry. Now, I know some wives keep their maiden names, but Nora didn't strike me as that type. I'm also aware that the way the charges are filed may be unrealistic, so if you know how they're supposed to be filed, tell me and I'll fix it.

It had seemed to Casey like she had just fallen asleep when she felt herself being shaken awake.

"Mmm? What?" she mumbled.

"Come on, Case. We gotta go," she heard Derek say.

"Where?" was her next question.

"Police station," her stepbrother.

"What? What'd you do?" Casey wondered, bolting up. Did he somehow find out who it was? Did he beat him up? Is he in trouble? she thought silently.

"Now, hold on. I didn't do anything," Derek told her. Well, not in the way you think, he added silently.

"Well, then, why do we---" Casey began to ask.

"The police want to take your statement," Nora interrupted.

"You told them?" Casey asked. "You told them?" she shrieked, turning to Derek. She began to hit him. "I can't believe you told them! You said you wouldn't! You said you wouldn't! You promised! You promised!" Derek just let Casey hit him until she ran out of steam. Then, she began to cry.

"Sssssh, sssshhhhh," the teen shushed, holding his stepsister. "It's okay. It's okay, Case. It's all gonna be all right," he assured.

"Honey, we're all on your side," Nora said softly.

"That's right, Casey. We're all behind you," George agreed.

"Just one thing: Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti---they can't know," Casey requested.

"I can stay behind. Look after them," George told her.

"Thanks," Casey said softly.

"Come on," Derek gently told her. With that, they stood up and Casey, Derek, and Nora headed for the door.

"Smerek! Smerek!" Martie exclaimed, running up to him. Lizzie and Edwin were at the little girl's heels.

"Hey, Smarti. I've gotta go do something with Casey for a little while, okay?" Derek stated.

"Can we come?" Lizzie queried.

"No!" Casey cried. "I mean, no. You'll be bored," she corrected herself.

"Casey's right. We gotta go somethin' that you three would find pretty boring," Derek agreed.

"Well, what is it?" Edwin wondered.

"Edwin," Derek said in a sharp tone.

"Right. Never mind," Edwin acknowledged.

"Well, I'm not whipped into submission like some people. I'm going," Lizzie declared.

"No you're not! I don't want you there!" Casey screamed. Lizzie's head jerked back as if she had been slapped.

"What?" she gasped.

"Okay. Okay, Casey. Calm down. There's no need to upset the younger kids," the eldest Venturi soothed. He mouthed an apology to the younger girl and then he followed his stepsister and stepmother out the door.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Marti wondered.

"Oh, nothing you don't need to worry about, Pumpkin," George answered, picking the girl up. "What do you say we go look for a snack?" he suggested.

"Yay!" his daughter cheered. They went into the kitchen. Lizzie and Edwin stared at each other.

"What do you think's wrong with Casey?" Edwin asked.

"I don't know. She's never snapped at me before," Lizzie replied.

"Yeah. That was pretty weird," Edwin agreed.

"And did you see the look on her face? She totally didn't want to go," Lizzie noted.

"So, why did she?" Edwin wondered. In the car, Casey had fallen silent and just stared right in front of her.

"Hey," Derek said. Casey didn't answer. He leaned over and smacked her gently. She jumped.

"Whoa. Easy," he told her. "How you holdin'?" he questioned. Casey just shrugged. "Just keep hangin'. We'll get there soon," he comforted. Nora looked in the mirror in surprise. Was Derek actually be nice to Casey? This was a first. But then again, she wouldn't question it. Casey needed all the support she could get. Finally, they were at the station.

"Let's go, kids," Nora stated. They all unbuckled themselves and then went inside. Casey blew out her breath and then followed her mother and stepbrother inside the building.

"May I help you?" the desk clerk questioned in a monotone.

"I'm Nora Venturi. I'm here for my daughter, Casey," Nora stated.

"Oh, yes. Of course," the desk clerk said, instantly becoming more attentive. She picked up the phone and pressed a button. "Sir? The Venturi family is here," she said. She listened for a few minutes. When she was done, she hung up the phone.

"An officer will be with you shortly," she stated.

"Thank you," the Venturi matriarch acknowledged. Derek fidgeted. He didn't know what to do. He was only here to support Casey. A female officer came out.

"Mrs. Venturi, I'm Detective Sarah Kingston," she introduced herself. "And this must be Casey," she noted.

"Yes, Ma'am," the girl confirmed.

"Now, according to what your father said over the phone, the rape occurred two weeks ago?" Detective Kingston queried.

"Yes, Ma'am," Casey confirmed again.

"Why did you wait so long before telling anybody about it?" Detective Kingston questioned.

"I was---ashamed. I felt so dirty. And I---" she blew out a breath. "I can't sleep in that bed ever again," she continued.

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Detective Kingston suggested. Casey nodded.

"Well, I gone up to my room to change my top because a jerk decided it'd be funny to dump salsa on me," she began. As she talked, everything came rushing back.

"Hey, what do you---" Casey's enraged question was cut off as he shut the door. Then, with quick strides, he walked up to Casey and forced her onto her bed. "What are---get off!" she exclaimed, struggling to get free. He pinned her hands above her head. "Stop!" Casey cried. Then he lowered her hand to her jeans. "Don't," she pleaded. Then, she began to cry.

When she was done, Casey realized she had begun crying. Nora put a hand to her mouth and choked back a gasping sob.

"Oh, baby. Baby, I'm so sorry," the woman said, taking the girl into a hug. Derek could only stare. He remembered that.

Just then, one of the senior hockey players came walking by. He tripped, spilling a bowl of salsa on Casey's shirt. The girl jumped up with an exclamation of disgust and surprise. He tripped, spilling a bowl of salsa on Casey's shirt.

Derek frowned, trying to figure out who it was. He knew the guy was one of the senior hockey players, but he couldn't figure out why he seemed so familiar. In his head, he replayed the last scene before Casey had gone upstairs.

He tripped, spilling a bowl of salsa on Casey's shirt.

In his mind, Derek froze the boy's face. Then it clicked.

"Wait, wait, wait," he said.

"What?" his stepsister asked.

"I think I know who it is," he told them.

"Who?" Casey wondered. Derek knows this guy's name? I can get some justice? she thought to herself.

"He's on the senior hockey team," Derek told them. He blew out a breath and then continued, "His name's Brent Hartwood."