A/N: Another chapter up. I've had a comment or two about the story losing its spark and becoming repetitive. That was my biggest fear whenever I started this fic, especially with how long it was originally planned to be. Thanks to all the people who have read and reviewed (whether you liked it or thought it sucked), I'm still blown away with the success that this story has had.
Disclaimer: You know it, I know it. Let's leave it at that.
Now, on with the show!
(Saturday morning – 8:45 A.M.)
For the first time in a long time, Derek was able to sleep and not actually be tormented by his dreams. However, he wished that he would've got to enjoy them a little bit longer, before the shaking started.
"Mmmm…Marti, not now…I'll play with you later…" Derek mumbled. He really didn't want to quit the dream he was having about him and Casey de-virginizing the hot tub of a luxury resort.
"Tempting offer, but we've got some things to discuss first." Instantly recognizing that the voice didn't belong to his little sister, Derek turned over to see Casey (already fixed up for the day) smiling at him.
"Yep. It is a beautiful morning" Derek replied. Despite the sleepiness that clung to him, he gave her one of his smirks.
"Der-ek" she said, giving him a slap on the arm. Unlike usual encounters like this in the past, Derek could tell that this was actually meant to be playful.
"So, what is it that couldn't wait three more hours for us to discuss?"
"Hmm, let's see. How about what will happen when our family, our friends, and everybody else finds out?"
"First of all, Sam, Ralph, Emily, Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti already know."
Casey stared at him, stunned. "Wait, how did they all find out?"
"Well, Sam and Ralph practically pulled it out of me. Edweirdo and Lizzie found out after spying on the emergency guy meeting a few weeks back. Emily found out by spying on Sam and Ralph after you mentioned that I was acting weird."
"And Marti?"
"I haven't figured that one out myself. Trust me, when it comes to Marti, it's best not to worry about how she figures this stuff out."
"Well, what are we going to do about our parents and the people at school?"
"There's that rumor floating around at school about us anyway. I say screw the consequences and just let them know."
"How?"
"Go public. How else?"
Casey went wide-eyed. "You can't be serious?"
Derek just looked at her. "You've got a better idea?" Casey shook her head. "Good. Although, you may want to break the news to Max gently." He could sense the effect that had on her.
"I didn't bother to think about that. He's such a good guy. I don't want to hu…"
"He'll be fine. Maybe we can hook him and Kendra up?"
Casey immediately swatted him. "Der-ek."
"What?" he laughed out. After a few seconds of laughing, the conversation turned serious again.
"So, what about Mom and George?"
"I…I don't know. I just hope and pray that it won't cause them to split up. I don't want to hurt Dad or the rest of them like that."
Casey reached over and took Derek's hand in hers. "I know how you feel."
Suddenly, Marti's voice yelled out from the bottom of the stairs. "Smerek! Casey! Breakfast is ready!"
Resigning themselves to figure out a better plan later, they decided to at least get through the weekend.
(Sunday afternoon – 5:24 P.M.)
Smelly Nelly's had very few customers for this time of day. That couldn't have worked out any better for Casey if she wanted to. She had called Max and told him that she needed to meet with him privately. She now found herself sitting in a corner booth, teetering on the edge of sanity.
"Derek, I don't think I can do this" Casey said in a panicked tone. Derek was standing next to her, trying to calm her down.
"Look, just relax. Remember to breathe. Everything will be fine" Derek said, trying to reassure her. 'God, I suck at this comforting thing. Why can't I just prank her to take her mind off her nerves?'
The sound of the door opening and caught their attention. It was Max.
"Good luck" Derek whispered to Casey before walking away.
"Hey Casey" Max said, taking a seat opposite from her.
"H-hey Max."
"Sooooo…what did you need to talk to me about?"
"I…I…" The words wouldn't come to Casey. Looking out the corner of her eye, she noticed Derek and Sally, who were watching from the cash register. Derek mouthed words of encouragement to her. Even Sally tried to give her some encouragement by giving her a smile.
"Casey, are you okay?" Max's words snapped her out of her stupor.
"I've been thinking about a lot of things lately. About us..."
"Us?"
"Max, you're a good guy and I really did like you, but…" Casey didn't even have to finish.
"You found someone else, didn't you?" Max said, hanging his head.
Casey nodded her head, with a few tears starting to slip out. "Max, I'm so sorry. I really didn't want to do this to you."
"Do you love him?" was all he said in return.
Casey was caught off-guard. "What?"
"Do you love him?"
It took a second, but Casey found her voice again. "Yes."
"If you love him, and he's good to you, I can handle it" Max said, finally lifting his head back up to look at her.
"Thank you Max" she said, getting up and giving him a hug. "Again, I'm so sorry about this."
"It's okay, but if he's ever hurts you, let me know and I'll deal with him" Max said in a joking manner. This generated a laugh from Casey. As the separated, Max returned to his seat, while Casey grabbed her coat and made her way toward the exit.
Meanwhile, Derek and Sally continued to look on.
"Well, he took that as well as anyone could expect" Sally said.
"I know. I feel sorry for him, and for Casey. I know that was hell on her" Derek replied.
"So, what a difference from Thursday night to now."
"Hey, shit happens."
"Oh, come on Derek. Admit it, I have good instincts."
"No, my little sister has good instincts. You just made a lucky guess."
"Derek!" Sally replied, smacking him on the arm with a rag.
"So, how have things been since you and Patrick split up?"
"Derek, I don't think that you should be trying to hit on me. I'm sure Casey won't appreciate it" Sally said, giving him a suspicious eye.
"I'm not asking for me" Derek said, looking over at Max.
"You can't be serious."
"What, he could probably use some friendly service from a cute waitress to help cheer him up" he said, giving her one of his patented smirks. Sally returned the smirk, then shaking her head, walked off to go serve Max. As Sally walked up to Max, Derek just watched. 'I hope I can do something to make things right. I owe him more than anything for being able to let Casey go.'
(Monday morning – 9:00 A.M.)
Casey and Derek stood outside the doors off their school.
"So, are you ready?" Derek said.
"No. Derek, I'm scared to death" Casey replied.
"It's okay, Casey. You'll be fine."
"It's not me that I'm worried about. Derek, you've got so much to lose from this."
"Look, I've got Sam, Ralph, Emily, the guys on the team, and you. That'll be enough for me" Derek said, trying to reassure her.
Casey gave a half-hearted grin. He knew his words had some effect on her, but at the same time, knew she was wondering if he really meant that he cared more for her than his popularity. He knew that was just one of the things that he would have to prove to her in time - along with straightening up his behavior, actually taking school more seriously, giving up chasing after girls, etc., etc.
Derek pulled the door open. Taking Casey's hand in his, he gave it a gentle squeeze before they stepped into the school. As they walked the halls, he could feel the eyes glued upon him - a sharp contrast to the high-fives, hugs, and congratulations he was expecting after Friday night's big game (which he still got from his hockey teammates). They made quick stops to their locker before the bell rang for first period. Before Casey could turn to head down the hall, he decided now was a good time to scrap the "no PDA" rule entirely. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick kiss. He could practically hear the gasps coming from as far as the other end of the hall.
"Have a good day, and don't worry" he said, easing off of the hug.
"I'll...I'll try to" Casey stuttered, still in shock by the sudden gesture before turning around and heading to class. Before she rounded the corner, she turned around and mouthed "I love you" to him.
"Love you too" he mouthed back. Derek just smiled before readjusting his bookbag and going to class.
(12:30 P.M.)
As she took a seat with Emily at the lunch table, Casey couldn't shake the feeling that all eyes on her. All day long, she had to endure stares, glares, and whispers about her and Derek. She hadn't felt so bad since she fell down the steps when she first started attending the school and Derek called her Klutzilla. As a matter of fact, she actually would prefer that day to what she was dealing with now.
"I don't think that walking into school together and holding hands was a good idea" she muttered before taking a bite of her sandwich. "Or kissing each other before leaving my locker for first period."
"It's okay Casey. Everything will be okay" Emily tried to reassure her.
"No, it won't" Casey moaned.
"Please, the number of people actually freaking out about this is actually lower than you think" Max said, taking a seat across from the two girls.
"M-Max. How…?" Casey couldn't even form a complete sentence.
"Word travels fast. I've talked to guys on the football team to let them know that I don't want to hear them talking junk about you and Derek" Max said. This brought a faint smile to Casey's face.
"Aww, that's so sweet. See Casey, things will be alright."
The smile quickly left Casey's face. "I'm getting death threats from Derek's groupies taped to my locker. How is that alright?"
"First of all, that's ex-groupies." Casey and Emily froze at the sound of Derek's voice. "Second of all, you'd be the first person to die from fingernail scratches if any of them actually try to carry out the threat. Thirdly, how can you have so little faith? You've survived the Klutzilla trials, your cousin Vicki, the school president election, and lying to Mrs. Pummleman…do I need to continue the list?" he said as he sat down next to Casey.
Casey shook her head.
"Don't forget 'Male Code Blue'. That one was a classic" Sam said as he and Ralph took seats at the same table.
"Ah, yes, good times" Derek said in a sarcastic tone. "Maxine, how's it going?"
"Just fine Dereka" Max quipped. "You owe me big time."
"Yeah, I know" Derek said. 'Although you and Sally seemed to get along fine after Casey left. Hopefully, my debt will be settled sooner rather than later.'
Sam and Ralph just looked back and forth at Derek and Casey. "So, you two finally…" Ralph said before getting choked up. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry."
Derek just stared at him before turning to Casey and Emily. "Is he a long lost brother to one of you two?"
"Der-ek" Casey let out before giving him a slap on the arm.
"It's good to that the lovely couple hasn't changed too much." Derek and Casey immediately turned around to see Kendra standing behind them.
Their thoughts mirrored each other. 'How is she going to react? Wait, why does she have such a big smile on her face?' And then there was the thought when Kendra pulled both of them into a monstrous hug: 'Air…need…air…boobs suffocating…me…'
"I'm so happy for you two!" Kendra exclaimed. She finally let go, allowing Casey and Derek to recover from the lack of oxygen. "I just knew you two would make such a cute couple!"
"Huh?" was all Casey and Derek could come up with.
"So many people have been waiting for this day!"
"Uh, how many?" Derek asked.
"A few people predicted it not long after Casey got here. Since then, after watching you two, it's just grown from there."
Casey's jaw dropped at this revelation. Derek just looked wide-eyed.
Max leaned over and whispered to Sam and Ralph. "I hate it for them when they find out about the betting." Unfortunately, he didn't say it low enough, because Derek and Casey suddenly whipped around.
"What bet?!"
(12:45 P.M.)
Derek, Casey, Emily, Sam, Ralph, Max, and Kendra just stood there, watching the small crowd that had gathered around one of the lockers. Every once in a while, some would walk off, only to be replaced by others asking loudly what the latest news is.
"Hey, isn't that Schlepper's locker?" Derek asked.
"I think…no, Sheldon wouldn't do that!" Emily exclaimed.
"Only one way to find out." With that, Derek made his way over to the locker. A few seconds later, the rest of the group followed. He squeezed his way through the crowd up to the front. Sure enough, there was Sheldon Schlepper holding some paper and a money box, while Frank (Derek's old business partner in the merchandise scheme he was running) was holding a notebook filled with names, dollar amounts, and dates.
"Come on, when are you going to pay up?!" Someone yelled out.
"As soon as we found out the actual day they got together" Frank let out in an exasperated tone.
"It was last Friday night" Derek said.
"Thanks Derek, that really helps us…" Sheldon started before looking at him in horror.
"Yeah, thanks…" Frank started before he looked turned his head and stared in horror also. He hadn't forgotten what happened after he double crossed Derek with the merchandise scheme.
"So, you boys are taking bets about me behind my back?"
"Well, uh, I wouldn't exactly call it 'betting'…" Frank said.
"Uh-huh. Well, then…" Derek said, cracking his knuckles.
Sheldon immediately panicked. "Sam and Ralph placed bets too!" he said, flipping Frank's notebook to the last page. Sure enough, there it was: Sam Richards and Ralph Papadapolis, 50 dollars each.
Ralph and Sam immediately moved between Derek and Sheldon, swiping the notebook in the process.
"I'm sure that's just a typo" Ralph blurted out nervously.
"Let's just get rid of that…" Sam said, holding an eraser to the paper. "And you wrote it in ink, you sons of bitches."
"Five!" All four boys looked up to see Derek glaring at them.
"Four!" They started to ease their way through the crowd.
"Three!" The crowd was now out of the way, as they scooted further down the hall.
"Two!" All four boys had now turned around…
"One!" All four boys were now in a dead sprint, with Derek hot on their heels. Casey and Emily immediately took off behind him.
The crowd just stood there, letting out laughs when a scream of mercy or the sound of Derek yelling "I'm going to kill you!" erupted down the hallway. They could also hear Emily yelling "Derek, you better not hurt my boyfriend!" and Casey yelling "I'm not going to bail you out if you get in trouble! Der-ek!"
(6:32 P.M.)
Derek plopped down in the chair behind his desk, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. He had a little bit of time before Nora and George finished dinner. Perfect time to unwind from the events at school and practice.
"Hey" Casey's voice called out from the doorway.
"Hey" Derek replied.
Casey walked into the room and up to his desk. "Well, today was…interesting."
"I'll say." A few seconds passed before both of them started laughing.
"I can't believe so many people thought we were a cute couple" Casey laughed.
"I can't believe that there was actually a betting ring going on about us" Derek said.
"I mean, did people really read into our behavior that much?"
Derek shrugged his shoulders in response. Without warning, he grabbed Casey's wrist. She let out a squeal as she was pulled into his lap. "See, you were so worried that we were going to be branded as outcasts."
"Shut up" was Casey's retort.
He suddenly developed a smirk on his face. "I love the way your eyes sparkle when you get angry." Casey didn't even get the chance to respond before he kissed her. They start out light and broken, but quickly develop in both passion and consistency.
"Mmm…Derek" Casey murmured through a kiss.
"Yes" Derek replied, while still being kissed.
"We're being watched…"
"No, we're not…"
"Yes, we are…" Derek opened his eyes to see that Casey has one eye fixed on the door.
"Casey, no we're…yes, we are." Sure enough, Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti were peaking around the door frame. Marti had a huge smile on her face, Lizzie had a faint smile, while Edwin was making a gagging gesture.
"Um, guys, a little privacy please?" Casey said.
Derek smiled and nodded his head at Marti, and did the same to Lizzie. He then glared at Edwin and did a slashing gesture across his throat. With that, the three younger siblings/step-siblings disappeared. "Now, where were we?" he said, leaning back in for another kiss.
"Kids! Dinner's ready!" Nora yelled from downstairs.
"Great timing, Mom" Casey said sarcastically as the both got up.
"Why, Casey McDonald. How dare you take such a tone" Derek said in a joking manner. That earned him a slap on the arm. "By the way, don't be shocked if a green bean or two comes flying your way."
"Der-ek!" Casey whined.
"Relax. It's just for appearances only."
"If you do it, you won't get any of these later" Casey said, giving him a light kiss on the lips.
Derek thinks about it for a moment. "You drive a hard bargain, McDonald."
'Looks like Derek doesn't alway get what he wants' Casey thought about finally being able to get through a dinner without food being thrown at her.
'Looks like I'm going to get exactly what I want' Derek thought about the time he would get to spend alone with Casey after dinner.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. There are only three more chapters left, but that still doesn't mean that the action is over yet. George and Nora are due for a surprise revelation, Truman still needs to get bashed, and I've got my own special way lined up to close the story and bring it full circle. Stay tuned and don't forget to leave a review.