Christmas Party
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the plot.
A/N: Thanks for all your awesome reviews, you guys all rock! All the kids' outfits for the party are in my profile, so check that out to get more of an idea of how they look. So here it is, chapter 5:::
Chapter 5: Christmas Party
"Are you kidding me?" Lizzie whined.
"Yes; out!" Casey shooed her to the door of their room.
"Casey…" She whined, "this is my room too you know!" She protested but it was too late, Casey shoved her out the door, handed her the dress she was wearing and shut the door firmly. Casey let out a long breath as she leaned against her door. "You suck!" She heard Lizzie yell then stomp away.
"Lizzie!" Edwin's voice was muffled through the door.
"OUT!" Lizzie yelled. Edwin groaned and walked to Casey's door.
"I hope you're happy," He grumbled loud enough for her to hear, "I just got booted out of my own room." Casey rolled her eyes and looked at her dress hanging up on the closet door.
XOXO
"Dude, what's your damage? You look fine." Edwin protested as Derek's incessant fidgeting with his clothes continued.
"Fine?! Ed, fine isn't 'fine' isn't good enough unless a girl is using it in the context where she's calling a guy 'fi-i-ine'." Derek said, moving his head in a circular motion and snapping his fingers while he said the last word.
"Fine, Dude, you look awesome." Derek softened immediately.
"You really think I look awesome." He asked, eyebrows rose looking down at his outfit.
"Derek, do I look like an Emily cut-out?" Edwin asked, annoyed. Derek's eyebrows scrunched together as he recalled saying that to Casey's just the day before. "I think you've gone chick on me, Derek." Edwin said, solemnly shaking his head. Derek raised an eyebrow at him.
"Don't make me sick Lizzie on you." He said warningly.
"Actually, Lizzie won't be sicking anyone tonight." Lizzie's rang through the decorated living room. Lizzie then stepped out from behind a wall, twirling and standing in place, wearing a huge grin.
"Whoa…nice work, Liz…you look great! You sure you still want to be a tomboy?" Lizzie nodded at Derek. "Well, you look nothing like one today…but you look awesome."
"Thanks, Derek. You look great." She smiled sweetly and her gaze averted to Edwin, her smile became more sheepish and she blushed ever so slightly. "What do you think Edwin?" She glanced down at herself self-consciously.
"Wow…y-you look…wow, it's…" Derek elbowed him slightly in the gut, trying to make the words come out. "Amazing…" Edwin said wide-eyes.
"Aw…you guys are matching!" Derek said, clasping his hands together. "And that's how to be an Emily cut-out." He said, snapping his head at Edwin. The two looked at the other then at them selves and blushed.
"Oops…well, this is what happens when Lizzie insists on not telling anyone what she was wearing." Edwin said. Lizzie hit him on the back of his head. "OW!" He said, overreacting and rubbing his head.
"Baby." Lizzie muttered.
"Right…okay. As much as I love to see Edwin getting beat up by a girl we need to get ready before we all get beat up by Nora." Derek said, the two young teens nodded.
"Agreed." They said simultaneously.
XOXO
"Hey, Derek!" Derek waved at his unknown relative.
"Hey…you!" Derek said, hoping his name would come out eventually.
"What's up? How's the whole stepfamily thing going?" Derek tried not to roll his eyes, how did his family have so much information on his life yet he couldn't remember their names?
"Oh…you know…crazy." He said shrugging, trying to find a way out of this dreadful conversation.
"Yeah, I got that!" He said chuckling. Derek looked around desperately. Suddenly the lights began to dim and Derek sighed in relief.
"I said, I didn't want a big entry!" Derek heard Casey hiss.
"Oh, but honey, you look gorgeous! You deserve one!" Nora's insistent voice could be heard.
"But…but Mom!" It was too late though, Nora had come down the flight of stairs and the spot lights above her remained dimmed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like your attention please!" Edwin handed her a microphone he had by the table that was holding a laptop with all the music on it. "Thank you, Edwin. Ladies and gentlemen!" Nora voice echoed.
"I'd like to present my daughter, Casey McDonald; she is going to sing a Christmas carol for us tonight!" Casey's silhouette appeared at the top of the stairs. Row by row the spot lights above her became brighter as she stepped under them.
She took the microphone from Nora and everyone ah-ed and ooh-ed at her. Derek held in a gasp.
"Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies
Well I'm all grown up now
And still need help somehow
I'm not a child
But my heart still can dream
So here's my life long wish
My grown up list
Not for myself
But for a world in need
No more lives torn apart
That war would never start
And time would heal all hearts
That everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
No
This is my grown up Christmas list
As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree
But heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Could never heal
A hurting human soul
No mare lives torn apart
That war would never start
And time would heal all hearts
That everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
No
This is my grown up Christmas list
What is this illusion called?
The innocence of youth
Maybe only in our blind belief
Can we ever find the truth?
No mare lives torn apart
That war would never start
And time would heal all hearts
That everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
No
This is my grown up Christmas list
This is my only life long wish
This is my grown up Christmas…
List…Thank you." Casey said before stepping off the stairs.
"Wow…that was…and you look," Derek gulped, "whoa." His eyes were wide and he was mesmerized by her. She blushed.
"Is that good?" She asked, biting her lip.
"Well…" Edwin elbowed him in the gut, but Derek only gulped again. "I…um…what was the question?" He asked as his eyes wandered her body again, this time she smirked.
"Is that good?" She repeated.
"Is what good?" He asked, his eyes still raking her body. She winked at Edwin and he held back laughter. She took a step towards Derek and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What you said." She leaned up to his ear so she was whispering huskily into it. Derek held back a shiver as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck.
"What…what did I say?" His eyes shut briefly as she breathed against his neck.
"Wow …you look…that was…whoa." She repeated for him, her arms wrapped tighter around his neck and he instinctively wrapped his around her waist.
"Amazing." He breathed, she smiled, she felt safe in his arms, like there were unbreakable walls around her. Then there was a voice being cleared and they separated immediately.
"Nate." The boy stuck out a hand to Casey; she shook it gently and offered her name.
"Nate…" Derek's voice practically growled, this cousin he knew.
"Hey Derek." He said, trying not to sound cold, but Casey felt the arctic breeze in his voice and she stepped closer to Derek unnoticed to the two teen boys.
"Derek…who is he?" She asked quietly, being sure he didn't hear.
"A cousin…a distant cousin." Derek replied, not caring if Nate heard.
"Oh…Derek, you don't need to be so cold." He put a hand on Casey's shoulder and she gave Derek a glance as if asking for help.
"Paws off, Nate." He knocked Nate's arm away from her and put his arm around her shoulders protectively.
"Aw…is Derek jealous of his cousin? Chill Der, I'm not going to take your girlfriend away, she'll just run into my arms." He smirked that infamous Venturi smirk, but his lacked the playfulness, the charm…all that was left was a wicked, cold, lopsided smile.
"Excuse me, but I'm standing right here and I refuse to be called out to like a dog!" Casey said stepping forward and poking Nate in the chest. He raised an eyebrow at her then looked at Derek.
"You've got a feisty one on your hands, I like that." The last bit of the comment was directed at Casey, which earned him a slap. People looked on in interest but upon seeing it was Nate who had gotten hit they turned back to their business.
His eyes filled with fury and he grabbed Casey's wrist, Derek stepped forward and pushed him away.
"I said, paws off, Nate." He shoved him harder.
"What are you going to do about it?" Nate stepped forward but made the mistake known when Derek took an even more intimidating step forward and looked down slightly into the shorter boy's eyes.
"I don't think you want to know." He said in a low voice, with that they separated, leaving Casey standing in the space alone, wondering what had just happened.
"I don't know you!" Marti screamed at her aunt then made her way over to Casey. "Casey, please tell this lady I don't know who she is, and that I shouldn't obey a stranger's orders." Casey looked up at the woman who was standing awkwardly behind Marti.
"I'm sorry about her acting this way, ma'am. She…just doesn't quite remember everyone."
"Oh, don't worry about it." The woman said, brightening up immensely. She walked away and Marti looked up at Casey.
"I don't know her, or anyone…minus Nate. But that's 'cuz he's a butt face." Casey raised an eyebrow at the little girl. Many agreeing people cheered at Marti's words and she smiled.
"I agree, but that doesn't mean you need to shout it out." She said laughing, Marti joined her.
But around the corner, someone wasn't laughing so hard.
A/N: I know, I know I haven't updated in forever and I'm so so so sorry. So, this chapter is extra long. I know it's not so humorous and it's more on the dramatic side, but I tried, I hope you guys like it, please review! I work hard on this stuff…