Title: The Soundtrack of My Summer
Spoilers from: Season 4.... What's already happened and what I've heard is going to happen. Of course, when you don't like the results... that's what fanfic is for!
Summary: It's the summer before Derek and Casey are about to go off to college, so the family decides to spend it in Mexico City. While there, Casey and Derek end up sharing a room, Casey gets a stalker, and Derek figures out just who Casey sees in her dreams.
A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews! Let's keep them going, shall we? And just so you know, I'm going to try to update this story at least every weekend, but you never know what school is going to throw at you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Life with Derek, Boys Like Girls, or the game Clue, but I DO own Mexico City! (Just kidding.)
Chapter 2- Top Of The World
(Casey's POV)
"Now boarding flight 232, Mexico City."
"If you kids don't hurry it up, we're going to be late!" Nora panicked as we shuffled along toward the gate.
"It's not our fault that the plate in Derek's head kept setting off the metal detector."
"Casey!"
"What? It certainly seems like there's nothing but metal up there!"
As I proceeded to rap my fist against Derek's skull, Nora and George rolled their eyes and pushed Marti onto the airplane.
"Would you stop it?" Derek spat, swatting my hand away. "You're going to mess up my hair."
"Oh, like you spend hours every morning on your hair," I rolled my eyes. Derek pretended like he put so much effort into his tough guy charade, but he didn't have me fooled. In reality, Derek Venturi spent about two minutes running his hands through his hair and the other twenty-eight minutes flexing his non-existent muscles in the mirror in an attempt to piss me off by hogging the bathroom.
"Don't hate me because I'm popular," Derek smirked, running a hand through his messy brown locks.
"Oh, I don't. I hate you because you're an arrogant, self-centered, pig-headed, chauvinistic, bigoted..."
"Okay, you lost me at pig, Space Case. But I think those were insults."
As I laughed at his extremely low intelligence, I noticed that Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti were seated together on one side of the aisle, my mom and George next to an elderly woman on the other side.
This could not be happening.
"Excuse me, but where's your ticket?" a skimpily dressed redhead asked me. She was clearly a flight attendant, and one could only guess that she attended to the men on her plane extremely well.
"Right here," I sighed, flashing her it. "Where am I supposed to sit?"
"Row M, seat number 6. It's a window seat at the very back of the plane! Enjoy!"
As I watched her flounce away, I couldn't help but realize that mom and George had gotten tickets for Derek and I at the very opposite end of the plane.
"I guess they're sick of being around all the fighting," Derek smirked. "It's a nice plus to know I drive more people crazy than just you."
"Come on," I sighed, casting an accusing look at my mother before dragging Derek to the back of the plane. As we proceeded down the aisle, Derek began making faces at the other passengers.
"Call me," he mouthed, and I rolled my eyes in disgust.
"You can't even get on a plane without hitting on the first thing in a skirt."
"That's because I enjoy relishing in the fact that I am irresistible," Derek replied, flashing me his trademark grin as he slid into the seat next to me.
On the other side of Derek sat a gray-haired woman, probably around sixty-five, with a bird on the top of her hat.
"Get ready," Derek whispered, his mouth close to my ear.
"For what?"
"For someone to die! Honestly, look at that woman, Case! She looks like a life-sized Mrs. Peacock!"
"Would you shut up!?" I scolded him as the woman next to Derek turned to face him. I expected her to be angry after Derek had just insulted her hat, but she had an enormous smile on her face.
"Don't you just love airplanes? They can fly, they're free-spirited... why, they're just like birds!"
"Mhm," I smiled, being as polite as possible. Derek, on the other hand...
"Talk about obsessed," he whispered under his breath, and I shoved my elbow into his chest as hard as physically possible.
My sneaky mother and her horrible conspiring husband are so going to get it.
At just that moment, the redhead attendant came on the loudspeaker to instruct us about safety. Following my handout, I paid as close attention as possible, repeating the directions over and over in my head. Derek, on the other hand, seemed to be paying not enough attention on the safety rules and a little too much attention on the woman's cleavage.
As soon as the woman finished talking, we were about to take off. And that's when I remembered that dreadful encounter on an airplane from ten years ago.
"But Daddy," I complained.
"Wait until we get to Orlando, then you can have your book back," Dennis replied.
"But I want to read now!"
"No, Casey, honey. You'll get airplane-sick."
"Airplane-sick? Is that even a word? Because I've read the dictionary, Daddy, and I know it's not in there."
"Yes, I know pumpkin. It's just an expression."
"Then I promise I won't get airplane-sick. Just please, please give me my book!"
"Alright," Dennis sighed, giving in to his seven-year old daughter. "But I have to take care of Liz, so I can't be rushing you to the bathroom every five minutes if you start to feel nauseous."
"I know," I told him, rolling my eyes. I wasn't a baby anymore. I can watch PG movies, now.
Delighted, I opened up to the page I had left off and continued reading. I got so into my book, in fact, that I completely forgot where I was until a large engine began humming.
So when the plane began to move, I didn't even notice it. I didn't notice as my father took my hand, I didn't notice as a woman on the other side of me began breathing into a paper bag, and I definitely didn't notice when my seatbelt came undone.
I did notice it, however, as the plane began to lift off the ground. I felt myself sliding in my seat, but my feet couldn't reach the floor to steady myself. I was seriously in trouble.
"Daddy!" I called, waving my hands in his face.
"I told you, no bathroom runs," Dennis sighed, calming little Lizzie down as she began to cry.
"Daddy, help! Help! HELP!"
As passengers finally began to hear my screaming, the pilot panicked. A little girl screamed in terror, and he didn't know why.
"Emergency landing!" He called as my Dad finally turned to me.
"What is it, Casey honey?"
"I can't stop! I'm all over the place! I'm going to fall out of the sky!"
"No you're not, honey! You're inside the plane!"
"But I'm not buckled in right!" I replied as I began to cry.
My Dad reached for my seatbelt, panicking, but it was no use. The belt was broken, and the plane was headed for a nose-dive on the runway.
"Hold on!" The pilot cried, and I grasped my father and the woman's arms for dear life.
As the plane hit the ground hard, I felt my body fling forward. The seat in front of me stopped me, but not my book.
As my Dad checked my pulse and continued to ask whether I was alright, the only thing I could see was my favorite book shooting down the airplane aisle and out of sight.
"Oh god!" I gasped, and Derek turned to me in confusion.
"What is it, Space Case? Afraid of flying?" He mocked.
"Sort of."
"Are you serious? How can you be afraid of flying? Haven't you ever flown before?"
"Yeah, but the seatbelt was broken and the pilot had to stop short and I lurched forward and my nose broke and my Dad freaked out and my wonderful, wonderful book was gone forever and I don't want that to happen again!"
"Casey, you need to chillz," Derek replied, his eyes wide. I was going into full panic mode.
"My seat belt? Is it on right?"
"It's fine," Derek replied, tugging on it tightly for reassurance. "You're not going anywhere, and neither are your ridiculous chick novels."
"That is just so you to laugh at me in my hour of need," I moaned, placing me head in my hands.
"Casey, you bring it on yourself. Even you wouldn't be able to look at your face right now and not laugh."
"How very kind of you," I spat. I had to admit, his taunting was sort of helping. It kept my mind off of the very thought of take-off. Up until I heard the engine hum.
"Derek!" I screamed, my fingernails digging into his arm.
"What?!"
"We're taking off!" I shouted, shutting my eyes.
"It helps to keep your eyes open, Case."
"I don't care!" I moaned, slamming my forehead on his shoulder. "We're going to die either way!"
"No, we're not," Derek consoled, ripping my fingers off of his arm and entwining my hand with his instead. "And I'm..... uh...... well, you know."
"You're what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry," he choked out, nearly gagging at the word. I had to admit, I was pretty shocked too.
"You are? For what?"
"I didn't realize you were so terrified by this flying thing," he admitted. "So, I'm sorry. Okay?"
I sat, openmouthed in bewilderment for the next five minutes. His apology had been such a shock to me that it had rendered me speechless and almost unconscious.
It wasn't until Derek spoke my name that I was shaken out of my daze.
"Case."
"What?"
"You can let go now. We're in the air."
I blinked, taking a moment to process what Derek had just said. We were in the air? So that meant.... I had made it through the take-off? Yeah, I had! Heck, I didn't even notice the take-off! It was almost as if....
No, I thought. Not a chance. There was no way that Derek Venturi would have apologized just to help me conquer my fears.
"Case."
"Sorry," I responded, releasing his hand.
And the flight continued on without a hitch.
"Thank you for flying on flight 232. It has been a pleasure flying with you."
I could almost hear the flirtatiousness in her voice as Derek and I began to pack up our carry-ons. My books, I was pleased to see, were all still nestled comfortably in their bag.
"It was nice sitting with you," the peacock lady smiled. "It actually brought back some pleasant memories."
"Really? What were those?" I asked, intrigued. Derek, on the other hand, continued packing up and didn't even act like he was listening.
"You children reminded me of my first flight with my husband. Oh, the memory! He held my hand the entire way. He was such a splendid man!"
"Why didn't he come with you?" I asked.
"Well, my dear, Edward passed away a few years ago. He was a birdwatcher, and the most magnificent one I have ever met!"
I was thankful that Derek hadn't bothered listening to this lady talk, otherwise he would have probably rolled his eyes right in front of her.
"I am so sorry for your loss," I responded.
"Thank you," she smiled genuinely. "I almost felt like he was here with me today, holding my hand as that young boy held yours. You two really are quite the couple."
"Oh, we're not," I tried to explain as Derek stood up beside me. It appeared that she had finally gotten his attention.
"Well, maybe someday," she grinned, and flounced down the aisle as gracefully as a bird. Go figure.
"We never speak of that woman again," Derek ordered.
"Agreed."
But as I hopped off the plane and got my first look at Mexico City, I couldn't help but wonder at that one word. Someday.
A/N: I hope you liked it! And don't worry... Dasey won't be happening quite as fast as this chapter makes it seem. There's still a lot left to happen, and we've only just arrived in Mexico City!