A/N: I feel so awful about how long its been since an update. This chapter is really long; hopefully that helps some. This chapter just kept getting out of hand and I kept trying to control it. Hopefully you like what you read, because I thought it was going a totally different way, honestly. I like how it turned out, though. So here you are.

Disclaimer: Along with Life With Derek, I also do not own Lifetime, Monopoly, Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, E! True Hollywood Story, or Wayne Gretky. I used a lot of entertainment references in this chapter, didn't I?

Sam's POV

I know that as the ex, it's rude to say this, but I don't envy Derek right now at all. I realize that Casey is upset with what seems like a sound reason, as it seems she's expecting him to leave her, but the drama that ensues is just something I am glad I'm not a part of. I can't wait for Edwin and Lizzie to get back from their honeymoon, so she will chill. This week has been just pathetic so far. First, when they left, we stayed long enough to get everything cleaned up. With Casey wearing her proverbial "super organizational" hat, things went quickly.

Afterward the family, mine and Emily's brothers, and the four of us who were staying for the week went out for dinner. Casey, still apparently socially conscious of her "situation", made her excuses to go to the restroom several times. Marti or Emily would always follow, and bring her back within five or six minutes. Marti seemed to be having a less awkward time of it than Casey, and quite frankly, her love triangle situation is a lot more uncomfortable. But then, Marti's got that talent of making awkward situations seem like a blast. I really don't know how she does it.

Sunday was the only day both Derek and Casey would be with us all day, because they had to work. Casey was determined to be hostess extraordinaire, and made us all a huge spread for breakfast. Then it was off to the hotel to see off the remaining guests, which consisted of their parents, Marti, Dimmy, and Alan. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall in Dimmy and Alan's room last night. I heard from Nora, whose room was next to theirs, that some wrestling of the jealous friend type had been heard, and having been there as a teen, I was wondering how that would turn out. After we dropped them off at the airport, the girls went shopping, and Derek and Trevor and I caught some sports highlights and pre-game predictions. It was later, when we met up for a late lunch, that I wondered if Casey could make it to Friday.

Emily's POV

Things had been going well. That is, until lunch on Sunday. When asked about what was going on in his life, Trevor responded that he was looking forward to his impending wedding. After I had learned of Casey's reaction to Lizzie's own engagement, I swore not to tell her, but I guess I forgot to tell Trevor. Casey's reaction was to say, "wow, wedding fever must be in the air", and that's pretty much when it started to get awkward. For the rest of the entire day. We finished lunch with Derek and I attempting to carry the conversation away from topics revolving around weddings, Casey all the while shooting daggers at me for hiding this from her. I guess it was a bad move not telling her. Now she's going to think I didn't tell her because she should be worried about something, even though she shouldn't. Not to mention, the conversation was pretty stilted without Casey's cheerful lighthearted banter, which had dwindled to almost no speaking at all at Trevor's comment.

Lunch finally ended, and then we went back to Casey and Derek's apartment. Casey's perfect hostess attitude had been replaced with a need to hole up alone in her room, which is what she did as soon as we got there. The rest of us sat in the dining room and Derek wondered if maybe he shouldn't wait until Lizzie and Edwin got back to propose. No, he couldn't do that; Lizzie would be very disappointed. The whole thing had been planned so she could be there. He could use the money he got from an endorsement to take Casey to New York so Lizzie and Edwin could be there. No, he couldn't interrupt their honeymoon. He'd just have to wait it out. Sam and Trevor threw out some suggestions, none of them good enough to work. Then it hit me.

"Delia and I could take Casey to a male strip club."

Outrage from the three men at the table. Now I had to explain myself.

"Think about it. I'll listen to whatever rant Casey chooses to give me about how Derek doesn't care, or whatever. Then I'll say maybe she should pretend to be single again for a night, so tomorrow night the three of us girls will go out, have some fun. It'll take a little convincing, but not much, and she'll go. We will get there, and she'll be so out of her element, so uncomfortable, that she'll come home early. I'd be willing to bet we'd only be there ten, fifteen minutes, tops. This is Casey we're talking about here. It wouldn't make sense for Derek to be romantic, what with Sam and Trevor there. But she'll go to hole up in her room again, and there will be candles, rose petals, whatever totally cliché crap you have to do while we're gone. She'll remember Derek's behavior at the wedding and, maybe, just maybe, she'll calm down until Friday."

"That's brilliant! Give her what she thinks she wants, a night of freedom, she realizes she's still miserable. She comes home expecting to stay miserable, and I've been secretly romantic. It just might work." "Yeah, and we'll get out of your guys way." "But what about today?"

"Let her read for the afternoon. We're going to a musical tonight. Casey loves it; it's actually the show Lizzie works on. She will cheer right up when she sees the comedy. And there's no love story involved, so no reason to worry about her comparing herself to anyone. We all know what happens when she does that!"

"Yeah, wonder if you could temporarily get Lifetime removed from your cable lineup?"

"Ha. I wish!"

"But what if she doesn't feel uncomfortable?"

"Even better. She'll come home and see what you've done and feel guilty."

So it was settled. We pulled out a game of Monopoly, and actually managed to get Casey to join us. Of course, not only did she try to win, she tried to make Derek lose. It was like we were back in high school. Back when they were denying their feelings for each other, and everything turned into a competition.

When the game was over, Casey wanted to talk to me privately, so we headed down to the coffee shop on her street. When we got away from the others, the first thing out of her mouth was "when?"

"When what?"

"When is he breaking up with me?"

"He's not. But why would I even know something like that?"

"I heard you guys having some sort of powwow while I was reading this afternoon. I'm sure he was telling you to act like it's no big deal so I'll cause less of a scene. Well it wont work."

"Casey, trust me on this. Derek is really happy with you."

"Happy, yeah. Satisfied? No."

"Case, tell me why you always constantly agonize over the worst possible situation. We've been best friends since you moved in next door to me, and you have always done this."

"Look, I can tell something is bad between us. I can't talk to him about it. He'll get angry and leave me. I mean, I know he's going to anyway, but if we part company as friends it'll be a lot less awkward on the rest of the family."

I figured at this point, putting the plan into action was the only way to stop the conversation, as my keeping secret skills aren't much better than they were in high school. If she kept this annoying complaining up, I'd end up telling her about Friday, and no one needs that.

"So, how about this. If you really think he's going to leave you, then pretend you're single again. Come out with Delia and I and we'll have a girl's night out. Maybe if you have fun, you'll realize being single isn't so bad."

"Hmm. Yeah. That sounds okay. Let's do it."

"Okay. So, I want to apologize. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Trevor and I. Lizzie told me you were upset so much by her engagement, that I decided I wouldn't tell you. I guess I just forgot to tell him not to mention it."

"So you were never going to tell me? We talk all the time, we're still best friends, unlike most people in high school. My best friend hides that she's engaged. What, were you not going to invite me to your wedding, too?"

"No, Case! It's not like that I just…"

What did I say? I was just waiting until the proposal. But if I don't tell her that, what is she going to think? This is why Derek and I kept steering the conversation away from weddings earlier. It just makes things a lot easier.

"I'm not getting married until the end of next year, I figured maybe I'd let you get used to Lizzie and Edwin being married and then I'd tell you. I was only thinking of your feelings."

"Well, I was hurt. But I see that you were trying to protect me from myself, which needs to be done sometimes. We all know I don't adjust well. I'm not adjusting well to the thought of not having Derek anymore. And maybe that's because I have a tiny piece of hope that he isn't going to leave me."

"He's not going to leave you! Anyway, I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. Let's go meet up with everyone for tonight."

Lizzie's POV

I know I said that if Derek was going to propose in front of their friends, that I wanted to be there too. I guess maybe I didn't realize that Casey was so high strung. And maybe that's my fault. I've lived with her for a total of nineteen years. I know all her issues and behavior, and I really should have seen this coming. We've been in New York for barely over a day, and already I've gotten two emails from Derek, plus one each from Emily and Sam. I don't know why they bothered emailing me, unless they think she's going to get to the point that she leaves him. I mean if she did that I'd step in and try to fix it, what little I can do from here anyway. And I guess emails are a lot less intrusive. They weren't calling or anything. I did choose to check my email. Edwin thinks it's hilarious.

We had dinner with dad last night, because I feel kind of guilty about the fact that we go home a lot more than we see him. Not that we go home a lot. Just on Christmas, and then there was the weekend Ed proposed, and we're going for Mom's big fiftieth birthday bash soon. We go to Dad's on Thanksgiving. Mom and George aren't off, since Thanksgiving is a month earlier in Canada. I think if I were Dad that would make me feel kind of like a victim of circumstance, we come see him since everyone is off. It's not like that. Its just Christmas is a routine we didn't want to change. We've had Christmas together since Mom and George got married. It's a great time and I couldn't bear to skip a year. And there's also the fact that Casey and I didn't want to spend Christmas away from Edwin and Derek. This is the first year we've actually been public to the family. Dad never thought it was weird that Derek and Edwin came to Thanksgiving, though. But no one has ever denied that we were a twisted set of siblings, whether they knew we were together or not.

Anyway, part of what Edwin thought was so funny was Dad. I was telling him about the first email from Derek, the one where he told me about Trevor breaking the news and he and Emily doing damage control. He was like "why would Casey be upset that her best friend is engaged?" I explained to him about her behavior during the last few months.

"Well that I can understand. Her little sister getting married first. Heck, I studied that in school, thanks to Shakespeare. Taming of the Shrew, anyone? But Emily is the same age as she is, or her sister."

"But Emily is her best friend, and it was the timing."

I'm not entirely sure he quite got it. Dad's girlfriend Claire started asking me about the baby and said she'd explain it to him later.

Edwin's POV

I didn't mind that Derek, Emily and Sam were emailing us. The situation was funny, and of course, it definitely lightened the mood after this afternoon's incident. I guess we'd done too much walking out in the heat, because Lizzie fainted. It was only for a few minutes, and when she came to I got her to a doctor. He gave her some water and said she'd be fine and to keep her out of the afternoon sun. Still, it made me a little nervous. So that's when we decided to stop by her Dad's early. When we got there it was awkward because Claire was there but Dennis wasn't. So she decided to check her email, because we just didn't know Claire very well. That's when she found email from Casey. Casey was telling her about Emily's girl's night out plan. Telling her that she was trying out the single life for a night. Lizzie's responses to the others had basically been "keep working at it". To Casey she said "sounds great Case, but if you have fun, please don't give Derek the old heave ho until you and I can talk about it in person". I personally thought it was a brilliant response, but then Derek breached the non-intrusive email and called us during dinner.

Derek's POV

I know what you're thinking. I should know better than to interrupt my brother and my pregnant stepsister on their honeymoon, during their dinner with my future father in law. There are so many reasons why it's a bad idea right there in the sentence. Brother, honeymoon. Pregnant stepsister. During dinner. Future father in law. I mean, it's obviously a bad idea. But Casey checked her email with her phone during intermission, and showed Emily, who told me what Lizzie said. Which sounded good on the whole "wait until we can talk about" level. But on the whole "don't leave Derek" level I was really pissed. I mean, I know she thinks I'm going to leave her, but I don't want her getting the idea to leave me. I had to give Lizzie a piece of my mind.

Lizzie's POV

We'd finished our salads and were waiting on our main courses. My cell rang and obviously I was going to ignore it. I got it out to silence it, and that's when I saw the caller ID.

"It's Derek."

"Why is he calling?"

"I'll ask." I answer. "Derek? Why are you calling?"

"Why? That's the question I should be asking you. Why did you give Casey the idea to break up with me?"

"What? She didn't!"

"No. She didn't. But you brought the idea up to her. And she seemed really happy with your response.

All 'I'm so glad Lizzie wants to talk, talking always helps me'. Yeah Lizzie wants to talk about dumping Derek, what's that about?"

"Derek, all I meant was that I didn't want her to do anything rash before I got there. I was trying to put off the inevitable blow up until the proposal, exactly like you're trying to. And exactly like Emily, Sam and Trevor, who I hear feels like crap after his little accidental confession yesterday. Trust me, Casey is not thinking of leaving you, it's just to make her feel like she has some control. Look, just continue with the plan. Emily told me you were planning to be romantic. Keep it up. And if you want some advice on what to do until then, all I can tell you is to make her feel important to you. Say, tell her you want to buy a car with her. She'll be reassured. Because you wouldn't make an offer like that if you were going to leave."

"Liz, I don't need to buy another new car, we just paid our other one off."

"Derek, you don't actually have to buy a new car. Just think of something like that that'll make her feel secure."

"And how does buying a car help Casey feel secure again?"

"Derek, stay with me. Say we're dating. Would I ask you to make an expensive investment like a car payment each month with me and then leave?"

"Not unless you want to be an extortionist insensitive jerk."

"Exactly. And even though you can be an insensitive jerk at times, her words, not mine, you aren't that mean."

"Right. Well considering buying a car would be pretty impractical right now, you're going to have to come up with something else."

"Me? Derek, I'm on my honeymoon. I'm at dinner, which by the way has arrived now. I'm getting off the phone. Take what you can from what I told you but my shrimp ravioli is getting cold, and my dinner companions are getting insulted."

"Okay, fine. But if she leaves me it's on your head."

I hung up before he guilted me into an hour-long conversation about Casey-chilling techniques. When we'd moved into the apartment, it had started right back up, Ed and I doing the negotiating for whatever Casey and Derek's issue-of-the-week was. In place of the games closet, was a rooftop deck. I'd told Derek he was going to have to learn to negotiate without a middleman, and that interrupting my honeymoon would be unacceptable, but did he listen? Not surprisingly, no, he didn't. I normally wouldn't have even left my phone on, but my doctor told me I should, in case the latest round of tests showed anything unusual.

Derek's POV

I'd attempted to use Lizzie's advice. It was good really, just not something I could do at the moment. But I was working on tomorrow night. I figured the clichés, a.k.a. champagne, rose petals, chocolate covered strawberries, would not show creativity, which would only make me look like I was trying to get myself out of trouble. I had to think past that and do something that would impress Casey. Not exactly easy. So I did something a little bad. I got Edwin to crack Casey's password. Okay, so it's not like I haven't done it before. But it had been years, so I'm sure he thought I was past that by now.

I went on her blog to her private entries to see if I could learn about everything she's been hiding the last few months. Since she's decided I'm leaving, though I really don't know what ever originally gave her the idea, she's stopped being the "share your feelings queen". I had kind of lost touch with the part of her that was like that. It bothered me. The fact that I even had to spy on her personal writings, is sad.

What I found out shocked me. She's not the strong girl she pretends to be. After what I read, it's no wonder she's so jaded. Her boss is pressuring her to behave unethically. He wants her to strip for him. It's insane. I just can't believe she would put up with it. She refuses to do it obviously, and he refuses to raise or promote her. She even took a pay cut. He calls her a whore and she just takes it. I wondered what could possibly make her want to stay in a working environment like that anyway. Probably he was giving her some sort of "you'll never work in this town again" line and it was working.

I wanted to confront her, make her quit, although I knew she'd know I read her private entries. Who the hell cares, though, right? I wonder if he did that to other women he worked with. With my day off, I decided to do a little research. I told Sam what I'd done. He was about to lecture me about reading private writings. I told him just exactly what I'd read, and he was as shocked and upset as I was. He suggested I pay Casey a little visit and watch and see what I could find out. I did, and it was as expected.

Casey, who had an actual office, as opposed to a cubicle, was tense. When I entered the small room surrounded with windows, she had her back to me. I cleared my throat and she said, "don't worry, I'm on it, I'll have it done in ten minutes."

"Case?"

"Derek? What are you doing here? Do you want me to get in trouble?"

"Actually, yes."

"What?"

Here's where I knew I had her. True, I read her journal. But if I made a big deal out of what I'd read, she'd realize it was important to me that she get out. And it was severely important. But I had to make sure she knew that, treading on such thin ice already.

"Honestly, I want to you to quit."

"But why?"

"Well, you haven't been talking much lately. You used to talk about your feelings all the time. I was really worried. So I figured out your password and read your blog. Why didn't you tell me what was going on? Why did you put up with it? Why haven't you turned him in?"

"Why didn't I tell you? I thought you just didn't care anymore."

"Casey, I know you feel the need to constantly compare your relationship with other people's, but I care about you more than anything. Just because Edwin and Lizzie are on their honeymoon doesn't have anything to do with us. It's pretty apparent to me that you think it does. I want what's best for you, and honey, this whole work situation is definitely not best."

"I didn't have much choice. He is my boss; he has that held over my head. If I quit, he can keep me from getting a new job."

"Casey, there are laws keeping behavior like this from going on in the workplace. Both your dad and your stepdad are lawyers. Between the two of them, you could have this man so tied up in litigation, he'd get you the best job in the country to keep word from getting out."

"Right, because who wants to tell their father, or stepfather, that they're being sexually harassed at work? Hell, I didn't want to tell you." She hisses in a loud whisper.

"You obviously never tell me anything anymore. But that's no excuse to put up with this shit."

"Derek, please."

"No, Casey, I understand that you are in a situation that no one likes talking about. But those are the kinds that can only hurt you if you don't talk about it. Tell me exactly what is going on."

"I don't think this is the best time, or place. Meet me at the café a block over at one. And get us a table where others can't easily hear us."

As I headed out I noticed a couple of other women who seemed as tense and unnerved as Casey had been lately. Were they victims?

Three hours later we were ordering lunch. Once she realized I was concerned, it was like turning on a spigot. The words just poured out. She talked about how when her boss had been promoted to his current level, and he'd gone from an equal level to her to a higher one, he'd begun harassing her. Again I asked her why she didn't quit. Her answer included all the expected suspects. Like she'd already told me, he told her he would keep her from getting a new job. She told me she'd been searching under the radar, but everything she found included a rather large pay cut. And finally, she wasn't ready to admit everything that had been going on for the last year. She was positive it would only be harder if she told someone. So she stayed, and she kept quiet, and she refused to acquiesce to his demands, and she suffered.

As I was thinking of the best suggestion to make, I remembered Lizzie's advice about couples and car buying, and suddenly I knew how to fix her problem and ours. I also knew it was now time to tell her about my trade and my raise.

"So quit."

"I can't afford to quit."

"We can afford for you to quit. And you really can't stay in a job you hate, especially not when you're being treated so bad. Also not when we're moving."

"What do you mean, moving?"

"Well, I've been traded to a better team, and I got a fifteen percent raise."

"And we can afford for me to quit, and we're moving?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No. In fact, I'm not sure how I feel right now, but it's pretty good."

"So don't go back."

"Don't go back where?"

"To work. Go gather your things and tell your boss you won't be coming back."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Why not?"

"Because I'm about three weeks from finishing the biggest project I've ever pulled off, which will make me eligible for a better job elsewhere. I've been dealing with this for almost a year, three more weeks is nothing. And he'll be on a business trip for almost two of them. I'll be on a business trip for one of them. There's really only one week of the probable three we'll even both be in the office together. I'll quit when the project is done. Deal?"

"Deal." She rummages through her bag, and finds her cell.

"Who are you calling?"

"Emily and Lizzie."

She then pardons herself from the table and I can't help but follow unseen to see what she thinks is so important that it can't wait.

"Emily? I'm not coming tonight. ….I just realized Derek isn't leaving and it was all in my head. ….Well some horrible things have been going on at work and he told me that we can afford it if I quit. We wouldn't be able to afford anything if he was leaving me. ….He got traded. ….Anyway I'll talk to you when I get home later. I might take the afternoon off, I can't do much until my meetings tomorrow anyway. I was actually calling to apologize for the way I acted at lunch yesterday. ….It wasn't like me. ….Yeah, bye."

Figures Ms. Organized couldn't decide not to participate in Emily's little plan without calling her as soon as the decision was made. But hey, I didn't want her to have to go anyway. I wonder why she's calling Lizzie. It's not like her to interrupt someone's honeymoon, except of course, Dad and Nora's, but then we all did that really.

"Hey Liz. Sorry for calling, but I really had to talk just for a few minutes. ….No, I'm not mad at Derek at all. I'm actually happier thanks to him than I've been in a long time. ….I'm calling you to apologize for all the crap I put you through lately. I know it's been a horrible time for me to have a breakdown. ….Mmhmm. Put Edwin on for a minute, please? Ed? I just wanted to apologize to you too, I've been pretty awful these past few months. ….I know. Derek and I just had a conversation that opened my eyes, and once I realized how stupid I'd been, I also realized how pigheaded as well. ….Okay, let me talk to Lizzie again. Bye, Ed. ….Well, I don't want to be more of a bother, so I'll explain it when you guys get back, but we were having lunch and discussing some things, one of which included some unsavory things that have been going down at my job, and he told me I should quit. ….Why are you giggling? ….Advice you gave Derek on women? Right. Well I'll tell you the rest later. Love you, bye."

I knew Lizzie would recognize it as my version of car buying, and once she hears about Casey's boss, she'll no doubt understand why. At any rate, I beat Casey back to the table, and wonder why it is I always have to go the long, hard way around to save myself from disaster. I also have to wonder why Casey makes it so easy for me to have a disaster to save myself from. Sometimes I can see the odd similarities in our relationship and those on the daytime soaps Lizzie has become addicted to, sad but true. Casey's always tearful and angry, ready to storm out at any trigger, while I spend an entire argument backpedaling and trying to save my masculinity. Don't get me wrong, we're great together. Sometimes though, I think we should see a counselor. Edwin and Lizzie had marriage counseling before their wedding, for about six weeks, and they seemed to learn a lot about what to expect from marriage. Casey seems to think we should see one too, but is convinced only Paul could handle our stepsibling status, and he's back home. Ed and Liz's group sessions were lead by a couple who didn't even know the two were stepsiblings. I'm pretty sure, to get Casey and I ready for our wedding, all our "dirty laundry" would need to be aired. Including the fact that we met when her mom married my dad. Sure, our friends and family were cool with it, but certainly we'd faced our share of backlash over it. No doubt if I were ever to reach Gretzky status, and Casey made some sort of career overhaul into a celebrity occupation, E! would be sure to do a True Hollywood Story capturing every twisted moment of our lives. Surely we'd need to be completely adjusted to ever deal with something like that.