This is his third glass of champagne. The groomsmen each got a glass, but some of them weren't drinking. He saw Edwin look at him questioningly. He didn't care. He downed the glass and went for the last one on the tray. It was Casey's wedding day. The girl who has lived across the hall from him for four years. The girl who was supposed to go to the same university as him, but chose to take a year off to go dancing in New York. And who had stayed there, had fallen in love with a guy Derek actually liked.

Tom. What was so special about Tom anyways? Just because they could talk sports and make fun of Casey together. Just because he had been nice enough to ask him and Edwin to be his groomsmen alongside his actual friends. He wanted to despise him like all the other boyfriends Casey had had. But he couldn't. He was a nice guy and Casey had never looked happier than she did with him. He was so happy for them. Ecstatic. He downed the last glass of champagne. It was starting to get to him. He'd better stop. He didn't want to ruin Casey's wedding. Her day, her week, yes. Not this. This was important to her. She had started planning it ever since they had gotten engaged the year prior. She was surprisingly not a bridezilla. She didn't have high demands of anyone other than herself.

"I guess this is it" Tom broke the casual noise of small talk the other groomsmen were making amongst themselves. "Thank you all for being here" he continued "it really means a lot to me, friends who have supported me along the way and my new family. You're all here to celebrate us—" His voice trailed off as Derek snuck out of the room. He really didn't want Tom to be his family. Because that would've meant that Casey was his family too. He made his way up the stairs to his old bedroom. As he opened the door, he was caught off guard.

She had been holding a picture frame of the family, then she jumped as the door opened. She was in her wedding dress. There were glass shards on the floor as the frame fell. Derek looked at her and saw she'd been crying. On her wedding day. "So-sorry," she stuttered as Derek just stared at her. He slowly and as quietly as he could closed the door. "I was just looking for a place to hide and thought no one would look for me here."

"What's wrong?" Derek was proud of himself for getting out some words after a stunned silence.

"I think I'm just getting cold feet." Casey replied looking down at her feet.

"Do you want me to get someone? Lizzie or Nora—" Derek didn't want to be the one who helped her through this. Because he might have given her the wrong advice.

Casey reached for his hand as he had started to turn around to get someone else. "No, I just got away from them, they were suffocating me."

"Sure it's not the dress?" Derek tried to make a joke. When he didn't get a reply, he continued: "So how'd you get away from them?"

"I said I needed to go work on my vows," Casey replied.

"And they believed you? You're Casey you must've had them ready for months," he looked down on his bed and there it was, paper and pen with many crossed out words written on it.

"I can't do it. I can't write the vows. And if I can't do that, then should I even be marrying him?" Casey looked down. She hadn't realized that she was still holding his hand. He had been aware of it the whole time. The spot where she'd been touching him was sending shivers down his spine. She didn't remove her hand.

"Do you love him?" she watched her hesitate and then nod. "Does he make you happy?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Then what's the problem?" the champagne must've gotten to him because he was thinking of how close they were. Close enough to kiss her. To change her mind. To have her run away with him. He smiled at the thought.

"You—know what? There is no problem. I was just being silly. Thanks for talking to me Derek. Can I use your room to finish my vows?" Casey answered his smile with hers. Derek couldn't be sure, but he thought it hadn't quite reached her eyes.

"Sure, whatever the bride wants, she gets" he winked at her before getting out of the room. He could've sworn he heard a fresh sniffle as he closed the door. This wasn't something he should be dealing with.

As he went back downstairs he saw a familiar figure. "Victoria!" he exclaimed. He was confused as her lips met his. "Derek, long time no kiss. Why don't we take this somewhere a little more private?"

He woke up to his phone ringing. He checked it. Casey. He looked to his side and saw Victoria still sleeping. He hesitated as he answered it. "De-rek! I can't believe you missed my wedding!" He couldn't help but smile at the familiar tone of his "nickname". "I'm sorry, Case—"

She interrupted him "No, I really thought we had a moment before the wedding where we could be—friends. I guess I was the only one who felt that way. You owe me 150 dollars for your plate of chicken. After that never speak to me again!"

He crashed down on the bed as the call had ended. "Who was that?" He looked to his side, Victoria had woken up. She really did look just like Casey.

One month later

He opened the door. A familiar beauty looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"What was so important you wanted to talk to me about? What's wrong?"

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" she snapped.

"Victoria, would you like to come in?" she walked past him into his apartment not really giving him an answer.

"What did you—" he was interrupted by the three most terrifying words in the English language.

"I am pregnant," followed by the three second most terrifying "and it's yours."

Fifteen years later

"You still owe me for that plate of chicken" she forced herself to smile as she pulled away.

"I'm so sorry, Casey. I can't imagine what you must be going through." the last they had seen each other was a year ago at Christmas. It had been awkward. They had been overly polite as Luca had made a slingshot out of his spoon to better aim peas at Skyler. Her son was just like him as his daughter was terrifyingly like her aunt. The thought of him having to grow up without a father was devastating. "How is Luca holding up?" he found himself asking.

"He's not coming out of his room. He doesn't want to come to the funeral. I don't know how to talk to him, he's so much like—" she didn't need to finish that sentence.

He knocked on his old bedroom door. Tom and Casey had moved in their parents' old house as Marti moved out and George and Nora needed to downgrade. They had wanted a big family like the one Casey had grown up with. "Mom! Go away! I'm not going!" teenage angst, what fun. He prepared himself mentally as he opened the door.

"Uncle D? What are you doing here? I thought you mostly avoided family events," Luca was avoiding his gaze, he didn't want anyone knowing he had been crying.

"You know deep, deep, deep, like way deep inside. I do care about your mom. And she's really hurting. She could use someone to be there for her." Luca finally looked up at him. His face was pale and tears were streaming down his cheeks. His voice was barely audible when he said "I don't know what to say. I feel like I should be strong for her, but I just can't -" Derek found himself pulling his nephew into a hug. He didn't do hugs. But this was different. It was a grieving child. He liked children. They weren't as difficult to get along with as adults. "You don't have to say anything. This is enough for her. Just you being there."

He waited in the hallway as Luca washed his face in the bathroom. Then they made their way downstairs. Casey was surprised as Luca came up to her and hugged her. "Mom, I'm so sorry-"

"It's okay baby, I know. I know." Casey responded to the hug as he looked over his son's shoulder. Thank you, she mouthed to Derek with tears streaming down her face. Derek smiled weakly. He'd actually done something nice for Casey.

After the wake he had stayed to help clean up around the house. Everyone else had left. Luca was in his room.

"Someone has actually got some food stuck on my wall." Casey exclaimed.

"Why do you sound excited about that?" his step-sister was weird. He was used to it.

"That means I can actually try my new device to clean this off!" she ran to her cabinet of cleaning supplies in the other room. He waited for a while in the kitchen for her to come back, but she didn't. When he went to see what's the hold up he found her holding a wrapped present and crying.

She looked up as she heard his footsteps. "I found this, it has my name on it. In his—his handwriting."

"Oh, Case." He sat down next to her. "Do you want to open it?"

"No. I'm not—ready. I—It's too much right now. Do you want a beer?" she stood up, gathering herself quickly.

"Sure," he replied. It had been a long day.

They sat on the stairs quietly, drinking their beers.

"I was thinking," he started.

"Yeah?" she looked up at him.

"If you wanted to I could move in here. Just for a while. Until you- That would mean Skyler too, of course."

"You don't have to do that. I'm fine. We're fine." she'd started crying again. This time hard. She was shaking. He instinctively pulled her into a hug.

He went into the kitchen to get some tissues for her. When he returned, she thanked him and blew her nose loudly. "That would mean I would have to deal with Icky-Vicky?" She was considering it.

"She's not around much," he said quietly.

"Oh." she looked down "How's Skyler dealing with that?"

"She's trying to be cool, but I know it bothers her. Her mom is more interested in a career than spending time with her."

"Yeah I know that feeling from my dad."

"So, what do you say? Can we move in?"

"There'd have to be some rules."

"Of course," he couldn't help but smile at her as they clinked their beer bottles together and took a sip.

"Did we finally have our feel-good family moment?"

"Don't push it." She laughed at his comment. It was the best sound he'd heard in a while.