I'm sooo sorry I haven't written in the longest time!! I've been so busy. My family had to give up my dog recently because he had, shall we say, anger management problems. It was really hard. Then add school and boys, cute boys, in the mix, and my life has been really hectic lately. I'll try to write sooner! Xoxo

Derek and Casey hurriedly got ready. They went downstairs for breakfast, but being so used to Nora making their meals, they physically weren't able to make their own. The kitchen was too harsh of a reminder of what they had lost, and what couldn't be found.

Casey looked at Derek, tears in her eyes, and said, "Let's go out for a while."

Derek, also blinking back his painful emotions, cleared his throat before replying. "Um, yeah. A day out might be fun."

His voice was rougher than normal, and Casey could just tell how close he was to tears. Then she realized that he hadn't cried once since finding out about their family….

Softly she said, "You know, its okay to cry. No one, I guess I mean me, would think you're any less of a man for crying."

He glared at her through with shiny eyes. "I'm not crying. I have allergies! They make my eyes all weird!"

"Derek, it's November…." Casey tried to say gently.

"So?? We probably have mold."

Knowing further arguing would be useless, Casey just rushed into Derek's car, and turned up the radio, drowning out anymore dangerous, tear provoking thoughts.

Derek and Casey went to Dunkin' Donuts for food. They decided that for the rest of the day, they would stay out of the house. Both kids had enough money to keep them occupied for a couple of hours at the very least.

They headed to the movies. Sitting in a dark theater, getting absorbed into an alternate reality, made their life disappear. All their troubles, worries, hopes, desires… But the last one was harder to escape.

-

Derek only went to see a chick flick with Casey because he was being stupid. He realized that now, sitting in a dark theater, watching a sexy kissing scene, right next to a sexy girl.

'Whoa… I did not just call Casey sexy. I would never say that. I wouldn't even think that! But I did…'



When Casey had asked him if he minded seeing Ever After, which was this week's special showing at the theater, he had been so intent on his….. "internal battles" (for he would not believe he would cry. Men didn't cry. And that's what Derek was, a man)….. that he hadn't been paying attention.

Oh, but he was now. He was well aware of the movie, and the romantic atmosphere, and the girl…

Movies were his date place. He never went without a girl. Correction, without a girl he could make out with. That's probably what was making this so uncomfortable. He had trained his body to expect certain types of attention, and it wasn't receiving any. It couldn't be that he……it wasn't that…… he DID NOT like Casey. That was gross, and bad!

But part of him was left wondering.

-

Casey was trying to concentrate on the movie. She really was. Ever After was one of those feel good, warm and fuzzy movies she loved. But it was hard to watch it with Derek constantly moving and twitching in his seat. As the movie went on, the more and more aware she was of Derek--well his uncomfortability. Cough, cough.

She found herself watching him more than the film. She noticed every time he twitched, fidgeted, so much as scratched. It was so cute to watch how awkward he was when the kissing scene came up! At least it was, until she saw all the other couples start their own mini make out sessions. And then Derek kept glancing at her, licking his lips, and looking down.

Casey's heart started racing. Her breathing got more and more shallow. She tried to calm down by closing her eyes, but that only made everything worse. She just kept imagining Derek leaning over and kissing her.

When her eyes flew open, and she saw him, it just played over in her mind. And the part that really scared her, was how much she wanted it to happen. She wanted to be just like one of Derek's dates, and for a moment she was content to pretend.

'It's not even that big of deal. Who would care if we started going out? People would think our emotional stress had brought us closer together. I mean, Derek and I are just two ordinary kids, now that Mom and…'

she couldn't even finish the thought. That was all that she needed to snap out of that kind of mind set. Casey, who was now cold and lonely on the inside, instead of warm and, somewhat, envious of the other couples, was more than happy to try to finish out the movie.

Derek on the other hand…..

-



'What the HECK is going on?! I need to get out of here. Okay, calm down D, only a half hour more. A half hour?! I can't sit by her right now! I should not be thinking like this! What am I going to do!'

Derek finally had to excuse himself to the bathroom. He needed to calm himself down, all of himself… Then he waited outside the theater for the movie to be over, knowing that if he went back in, and saw Casey there, looking happy and pretty and all that crap he was starting to love hate, he wouldn't be able to restrain himself from giving her a mind blowing kiss.

And a few more after that.

Well how about that. I really did not think this chapter was going to turn out like that. And I wrote it. HA! George and gang in the ground not even a week, and already the kids are experiencing some "new freedom" they never would have had if George and Nora were still together.

Thanks for reading, and please, please comment!!