Loophole

Disclaimer: I own nothing…my sock was taken away.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Anyway…here it is, it's a bit random but I love it the same :)…

Italics: lyrics

Bold: flashback)

Chapter 4: Loophole

Everyone had gone out; they had gone and left Derek in a house with his crazy stepsister, Casey McDonald. Sure…she was usually the level headed one…but this was an exception, a huge exception.

Derek had walked by her room; her door was opened slightly, enough for him to peer in and just in time to see Casey jumping around on her bed. She was singing along loudly to 'Real Wild Child' from Everlife, and bobbing her head to the beat, as well as swaying her hips.

He forgot himself and stood completely in the doorway, just watching her. She spun around and saw him, almost falling over and off the bed, to that he laughed.

"Klutzilla returns." He crossed his arms over his chest, stepping into her room completely.

"As does Jackass, I see." She huffed and turned off her iPod, the docking bay was silenced as she turned around again to face Derek. "Do you need something?" She asked, less angry.

"I was just walking by when I saw you through a crack in the door…it was entertaining." He said, smirking.

"You sound like a stalker; looking through a crack in the door while I dance and jump around in a bedroom." She shook her head at how wrong her sentence could sound to foreign ears.

"Well, when you put it like that, Case, you know somebody could easily misinterpret that as stalking; I was merely watching an entertaining show by my stepsister." He explained.

"That has so much potential to be wrong…really wrong…like, 'I was entertaining myself by watching my stepsister jump and dance around in a bedroom', wrong…and that's so wrong." Casey said, shaking her head.

"Whatever." He said dismissively. "Can we move on?" Casey opened her mouth to say something but Derek immediately cut in. "I don't care if that could sound wrong, so don't say it." He waved a finger in her face and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fine; Wanna make a snowman?" She perked up immediately.

"We were outside, like, two hours ago and you were complaining it was too cold…and now you want to go back out there?" She nodded. "Fine." He left the room to get ready.

They met in front of the door to the cabin's backyard.

"So, what are you wearing tomorrow?" Casey asked as she lay in a big pile of snow and made a snow angel.

"What am I? An Emily cut-out?" Derek asked as he watched her move her arms and legs until she was too tired to continue.

"I'm just trying to make cwonversation." She stated.

"Yeah, well…'cwonversation?'" He asked, she nodded. "Whatever, I don't want to know."

"You want to know the problem with snow angels?" He shrugged. "When you get up, it'll never be perfect, because there will always be that last handprint you leave behind when you climb out." She explained looking up at his silhouette, which was shielding the sun from her eyes.

"Here." He offered his hand out, she took it with confusion, he pulled her up with ease and she landed in front of him, he could feel her hot breath on his lips. "No handprint." He whispered, still holding her hand; their closeness was enough to intoxicate the two of them.

"Always has a loophole." She whispered and smirked, he smirked back at her.

"What's your point? I don't see your perfect snow angel complaining." He continued to whisper, as though a loud noise would wake them from a dream and their close proximity would be lost. Their faces were slowly inching closer, but at the mention of the snow angel Casey came to her senses and snapped back.

She looked at the snow angel. "Perfect." She sighed and smiled.

"Sure…but I may not always be there to pick up. What happens when you need to make a snow angel and I'm not around?" Derek asked.

"Oh…I'll just have to manage." She said jokingly. "One handprint isn't tremendously depressing, just slightly." She shrugged and picked up a handful of snow from her snow angel, making its wing look contorted. Derek gasped.

"You ruined the angel! It'll never fly agai-mm" Derek was cut of into murmuring because Casey shoved the snow she had picked up and had shoved it into his mouth. He coughed and spit it out onto the ground.

"Ew…what happens if I accidentally use that snow for our snowman? You couldn't have done that over there where I wouldn't go? Look, that's just disgusting." She pointed to the snow that Derek had just spat out.

"That's disgusting? That snow had dirt in it! You infiltrated my mouth with dirt and God-Knows-What-Else, and that's disgusting?" He asked frantically pointing to the snow.

"Yep." She said, raising her head up in pride, he just glared at her playfully and shook his head.

"You're going to regret saying that." With that said he pounced on her and they tumbled to the ground; Casey let out a shriek as they rolled around.

"Derek!" She laughed as they kept rolling around the frigid snow. They finally stopped, too tired to continue the playful wrestling. Their faces were close, Derek was atop of Casey; he willed himself to get up but he couldn't. Derek let out a deep breath silently and Casey felt his hot breath on her lips.

Her eyes darted away from his briefly to his lips and back, Derek didn't seem to notice though. Derek let out another breath as Casey took in breath, she wound up taking in his breath, she closed her mouth, a mint taste on her tongue. She relished in the feeling.

Their faces were inching closer, neither of them looking for a loophole. Alas, their lips met; sweetly and gently caressing the other's lips. They broke apart in need of air, Derek immediately sat up. He looked away as he stood up and left for the door. Casey buried her head in the snow.

He left. He'd gone after he kissed her…then why'd he do it? Casey hadn't regretted it in the least bit…but did he? He must've…he left.

Casey felt a single tear roll down her cheek, she brushed it off and went straight to the room she shared with Lizzie, turned on the radio up loud. She tuned in to here the last bit of te introduction.

"-by Colbie Caillat!" Casey listened, she loved Colbie!

I've been awake for a while now

But she didn't want to hear this song! Casey let out a loud groan, but too tired and lazy too get up and turn the radio off.

You've got me feelin like a child now
cause every time I see your bubbly face
I get the tinglies in a silly place

Derek walked into her room and sat beside her on the bed.

"Uh…what do you want?" She asked bitterly, he shrugged.

"I felt like coming to see my favourite stepsister." He said, smiling.

"Um…since when?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Since when am I your favourite stepsister? You hate me." She said pointedly. He shook his head.

"No I don't." He smiled again and left. Casey's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What?!" She asked herself aloud,

It starts in my toes
and I crinkle my nose
where ever it goes I always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go

"You've got to be kidding me." Casey muttered.

"Nope; you dragged me into that stupid shrink's office, he told us to spend time doing each other's favourite hobbies and so we are. This is a skating rink," he pointed to the ice, "these are skates," he gestured to the skates, "those are nets," to motioned towards the nets, "and this is a hockey stick." He said slowly, tapping her on the head lightly with the hockey stick.

"I know, Derek!" Casey growled practically.

"Good."

"But I don't know how to skate."

"How do you grow up in Canada and not learn how to skate?!" She shrugged. "Fine; I'll teach you, get your bony butt out on the ice." She nodded and saluted as she wobbled onto the ice and fell immediately.

"Ow…" She said lowly. Derek laughed as he watched her puzzled face, she had fallen so she was sitting with her legs sprawled out.

"Wow…that was a great start…"

The rain is fallin on my window pane
but we are hidin in a safer place
under covers stayin safe and warm
you give me feelins that I adore

Casey sat and stared out the window, the rain was hitting the glass hard.

"You okay?" Derek asked, as he crept into her room, she nodded, though she was far from okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She sniffed.

"You don't have to cry, y'know."

"How can I not? He's getting married tomorrow…he only told us today."

"I get it…really. But Case, it's his loss you're not going to be a part of his life anymore, not yours."

Casey finally lost it and turned off the stereo, stupid flashbacks, she thought bitterly.