This chapter has a lot of dialogue in it and it's longer than most of my others, but my last chapter really sucked, and so I really tried to improve this one back to my original standards. If you hate it, please comment, I need the criticism. If you love it, please comment, because it's a major self esteem booster! Enjoy.

The night of the movies was little better than the night before. Derek was able to get Casey to sleep in her own bed, but he when he lay down in his own, he was lonely and cold. There was a hole in his chest where his heart had been, and it was lying open, gaping out, like a painfully fresh war wound. He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, the moonlight shining in his eyes, outlining his bleeding chest. The shadows creeped up on him, with devious whispers of nightmares to come.
After spending hours tossing and turning, fed up with ghosts chasing him through his head, Derek padded down the hall to Casey's room. He found her sitting up with her lamp on, blankets balled up around her waist, quickly glancing around the darkest corners of the room. When she finally saw him standing in her doorway, Casey's sweat covered face broke into a relieved look of surprise.

"Derek!!" she excitedly whispered. Then she looked confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, was checking up on you….?"

Casey raised one eyebrow. "Really?" She asked skeptically.

"Um, yeah. You know how it is. With everything going on, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Uh huh. Okay, sure. If that's what you want me to think. Well as you can see, I'm fine…."

Knowing she would send him away if he didn't tell her the truth, he interrupted, "Ok, actually, I couldn't get to sleep. It's too quiet and I …. "He took a breath. "…. I needed someone to keep me company."

Casey's pained face revealed understanding. She scooted over and patted one half of her twin size bed. Derek rushed over, and crawled under her warm covers. They settled down comfortably, with Derek on his back, holding Casey tightly in his arms.

After cocooning them in her soft blankets, Casey fell almost instantaneously asleep. Derek stayed awake for a couple minutes more, absorbing the warmth and comfort Casey could provide. His heart didn't hurt as bad, he wasn't cold, and the only whispers he heard were of warm places and happy people. He was finally relaxed enough to follow his step sister into a sweet unconscious darkness.

ZZZZZZZZZ

Ding dong! The doorbell echoed throughout the house, waking Casey from her peaceful slumber. She slowly stretched under her covers, enjoying the feel of bliss and a full night's sleep, until her feet hit something warm, and alive. Her body quickly snapped to attention, and whipping her head around, caught sight of the 'thing' in her bed. Then she rolled her eyes at herself for being so oblivious.



Of course Derek was in her bed from last night. That's how she was finally able to fall asleep. Of course he was in her bed. How else had she stayed warm last night? Of course he was in there! That's why Casey was able to not wake up moaning in heartache this morning!

The doorbell rang again, reminding Casey of why she was awake in the first place. She quietly crept downstairs, running past Edwin's and Marti's rooms.

Before opening the door, Casey did a quick double check on her hair, which was an absolute mess, and straightened her disorganized pajamas. Then she pulled open the door.

The word shock didn't even begin to describe her feelings at seeing Sam and Emily standing outside. "Hi, Casey," Emily said quietly, almost unsure of how to approach her best friend, and her best friends newfound "issues". Sam looked just as nervous, if his almost non existent smile proved anything.

"What are you doing here?" Casey asked. Then she realized what she had said. "Sorry, I just kind of blurted that out. I mean, why are you here at" She checked her cellphone. "Eight in the morning?"

Sam and Emily looked at each other, then at Casey and back again. "Well, we came to see how you guys were doing. Are you mad?" Emily asked.

"Mad? No! You guys obviously care. Of course I'm not mad. But you could have picked a better time. "

"Sorry Casey. Can, uh, we come in?" Sam inquired, fidgeting on the doorstep.

"What? Oh. OH! Yeah. Sure. Come in." She stood aside to let them through. After a thoroughly uncomfortable silence, where they just stared at her, then the floor, then back at her, she said, "Um, Derek isn't up yet, let me go get him. Just, um, just stay. I'll be right back." Casey raced upstairs, leaving Sam and Emily looking small and alone in the empty living room.

When she got to her room, she saw that Derek was still not up, and that he was cuddling with Casey's pillow. She sat down on an empty spot on her bed.

"Derek…" She called softly. He groaned and turned away from her.

"Derek…. It's time to get up…" She gently pushed his hair back from his face.

"Derek!" She shook his shoulder. He just curled into a ball and hid his thick head of hair under the covers. "Derek, Sam and Emily are here. They want to talk to us."

At that comment, his head jerked up. But the momentum of that action and the narrowness of Casey's bed caused him to roll off, and slam on to the floor.

Casey burst out laughing. Derek looked up at her and grinned a boyish grin, one that made her heart melt. They sat in those positions for a moment, just absorbing each other's sunniness, the happy 

light they shone upon one another. Then Casey heard Emily call her name up the stairs. She blinked out of her peaceful, isolated moment, and sighed.

Derek, just remembering the comment made before he fell off the bed, asked, "Did you say Sam and Emily are here?"

Casey solemnly nodded. "Oh." Derek remarked. "I guess we should head down then." Again, Casey had to agree, just not whole heartedly. "Yeah, I guess so," She said in a cheerless voice.

The step siblings headed down stairs, making an odd pair while wearing pj's, having bed head, and trying to kill their guests with morning breath.

"Hey Sam!" Derek exclaimed, trying to be the same Derek he was before his family was destroyed. Trying, but failing miserably.

"Hey man. How ya doing, with, um, you know, everything?" Sam came over and patted Derek's shoulder in a sign of manly affection and sympathy.

"Fine, dude." He looked at the two girls staring at him and his odd behavior. "Lets go chill in my room. It's quiet up there."

Sam nodded knowingly. The boys trudged upstairs to Derek's room, slamming the bedroom door, and leaving the house in silence.

Ok… Maybe a bad way to leave off, but this was super long, like previously mentioned, and I wanted kind of a cliff hanger, you know, with the not knowing what Emily and Casey or Sam and Derek will talk about… It's a work in progress. I hope you liked it.