Disclaimer: I don't own LWD!

A/N: Hey guys! I'm really really sorry for making you wait this long for the next chapter!!! There has been going on so much in my life lately that I never found the time to write. Now I'm finally slowing down and the first thing my bad conscience told me to do was to finally go on with this story. Thanks for everyone who's still (or for the first time, too) reading this story: Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I Dream of Derek

And it's still eerily quiet in the usually very loud Venturi-MacDonald-kitchen. Eventually my mom breaks the silence:

"Derek, are you aware that you just said you love your sister Casey?"

"Stepsister. And you didn't hear me right I said "the Casey you all love", which doesn't include me."

He denies saying what we all thought we heard him say and it seems like the rest of the family believes him, but I've become a master in the art of seeing through most of Derek's lies. I can see his hands trembling lightly and the slightly panicked look in his face. But I guess it was just a slip, he didn't really mean it.

As everybody continues eating I wonder if his denial is good or bad. Breaking it to the family like that wouldn't be the best idea, but the fact is that there is no good way to tell something like that. And maybe he really didn't mean it and I'm just overreacting! Sometimes I wish I could just turn my brain off and stop thinking, just like Derek seems to do…

"You know Derek, I really wish you had meant what you said, and it would really be nice to see that you have come to accept my daughters as your sisters."

"Lizzie? Maybe. But Casey? No way. She'll never be my sister."

Though shocked at first, when I look at Derek I see him winking at me. And surprisingly, I understand what he's trying to tell me.

"Derek's right, mom. And I will never consider Derek my brother, though I do love Marti and Edwin as if they were my real siblings."

"Well, we can't say we're really shocked about that, right Nora?"

"No, you're right George. You see when we first talked about moving together and merging our families we knew that you two may not be able to consider each other real siblings. You were both old enough to actually rather date each other than to learn to care for each other as siblings do…"

At this point of her speech, both Derek and I trade quick glances and turn a light shade of pink, but no words of disgust or agreement are uttered.

"…but for the sake of this family, would you please just be friends with each other and get along just a little better so the neighbours will stop thinking that you're trying to kill each other?"

"Well, we can try, right Derek?"

"I guess…"

"So if Derek and Casey aren't siblings then they can get married and live happily ever after, right Dad?"

"Oh Marti, Nora and I considered the possibility of them dating just after they first met, but if they really had been attracted to each other they would have acted upon it then and not now, 2 years after knowing each other, right?"

As both, Derek and me, mumble words of agreement, Edwin laughs at the notion of me and Derek dating. Mom and George laugh half-heartedly while giving us strange looks, as if they suspected something at the lack of us freaking out about the whole issue. And Marti and Lizzie are both smiling and shaking their heads at us, Lizzie because she knows better about me and Marti because it seems that nothing can convince her that we are not meant to be with each other.

I don't dare to look at Derek though; I don't want to see the look on his face right now. Nor do I want him to see the look on my face. I fear to see agreement or negation in his eyes and I don't know which I fear the most. Above all, I don't want him to notice that I'm barely able not to break out in tears. I just feel so sad: that I didn't give my parents the benefit of the doubt about realizing the problems that the whole merging-our-families business would bring with it. That it never occurred to me that they would keep an open mind about any outcome. And I feel conflicted, too. Mom and George seemed so relieved that Derek and I never started dating. But Marti wants us to be together so much that I can't stand to break her hopes. I love her like a sister and I do not want to hurt her. It's for crying out loud!!! And I hate Derek for doing this to me, but I love him and I can't stand this whole situation, I feel like I'm going crazy! I need to get out of here!

"Thank you for breakfast, I'm going to go to prepare for school now."

"Aw, Casey, can you drop me off at my school? Pleeeease!"

"Sure Marti, I'll be down in a second."

Thank God for Marti. This way I won't have to go to school with Derek. I run up the stairs to my room. First, I take a couple of deep breaths to calm myself.

"Everything is going to be okay, everything is going to be okay, everything is going to be okay."

Thinking about it, maybe that weird conversation we just had was the best possible scenario that could have happened. This way I know that Nora and George wouldn't be disgusted if they knew about my feelings for Derek. I feel somewhat better, at school I'll talk to Paul and I hope he'll be able to help me with this whole situation.

Since I'm still in my pyjamas I change into my street clothes.

I wonder if I should put on a shawl… nah, I guess it's not that cold yet. Grabbing my schoolbag I run down the stairs and put on my coat.

"Marti, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am, and Sir Monks-a-lot is ready too!"

"You're taking him with you on your first school-trip?"

"Of course, he's going to protect me on the trip!"

"Then Sir-Monks-a-lot must be very brave!"

"No, he's a coward, but I'll make him protect me because if he doesn't I wont give him any more bananas!"

I laugh out loud about her comments, Marti is really cute, though she's somewhat taking after Derek.

Thinking of the devil…

"So, Marti, are you ready to go?"

"What are you talking about, Derek? She asked me to give her a ride!"

"I asked both of you! Casey is the safer driver but Smerek knows the way to my school!"

I don't believe it! I have the most conniving little sister in the world. And judging from the grin on her face she knows exactly what she's doing.

"Well, then let's get it over with."

While Marti says goodbye to George and Mom I get the car out of the garage, all the time being followed by a grinning Derek. Eventually, I lose it:

"What are you grinning at?!?"

"Marti's matchmaker skills, or haven't you noticed what she's trying to do?"

Sighing, I agree with him, but…

"But what are we going to do about it?"

"Hook up?"

"Stop kidding! We need to find a way to make it clear to her that we will never be a couple…right?"

"If you wish so…"

"I didn't say that."

"What do you mean?"

"Uhm, I, nothing, just forget it…"

Damn, I said that last sentence before thinking about it! Ugh, I really have to remember to always check out what… Huh? What? Why is Derek smiling like that? More importantly…why is he leaning towards where I'm sitting? Why is he taking off his seat belt? I'm trying to back away into my seat to avoid being so close to him, but there's only so much space to do so. He's leaning closer! Is he trying to kiss me again? Is Kendra here?! Okay, that was a stupid thought…aaaaah! He smells so good, oh god, he's so close I can feel his breath tingling my lips, making me involuntarily shiver…which in turn makes him smile. A real smile, a smile that is going to be the end of me. I think my brain is going to shut down now, good bye realm of conscious acting…

"Casey! Smerek! Are you ready to go?"

And just like that I'm back and Derek backs away from me. Grinning like an idiot he says:

"Saved by the little sister."

How infuriating can a situation really get? Because I think I'm entering unknown realms of rage here! I am going to kill him!!!!!!!! As soon as we drop off Marti.

Shaking off the thoughts of manslaughter, I force myself to calm down and eventually manage to put a smile on my face.

"Okay Marti, I'm ready! Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, I'm ready, I'm ready!"

"Okay then! Derek, will you tell me where to drive to?"

"Okay, you need to turn left there and then…"

Thus, with Derek giving me the instructions where to drive to and Marti correcting him every once in a while we make it to her school's parking lot just in time.

"Okay, now let's find your teacher and your classmates."

"They're right over there by the big bus!"

Marti jumps out of the car and runs towards her classmates, completely forgetting about her backpack, though not of Sir Monks-A-Lot.

I reach out for her backpack, but just when I'm about to grab it, Derek snatches it away from me.

"What exactly are you doing?"

He just gives me a smile and gets out of the car saying:

"It's heavy."

Okay, how many times can the same guy leave me speechless in just one morning? And how am I supposed to keep my guards up around him if he suddenly begins to behave like a gentleman? This just has to be some kind of joke.

Sighing and trying to clear my head in the process, I step out of the car too, and walk towards the bus to say goodbye to Marti.

When I join Derek at the crowd of little children chattering noisily, Marti comes to us and takes us by the hand.

"Come on guys, you need to meet my teacher and give her my backpack!"

She drags us to the place where a smiling middle-aged woman is standing, apparently talking to the parents of the rest of her bunch of pupils.

"Hello Derek! Nice of you to drop off your sister before going to school yourself. Oh, and you must be Casey, Derek's girlfriend, Marti has told me a lot about you."

"W…what? I think there's some kind of misunderstanding here, I'm not…"

"Aw, darling you don't need to hide our relationship, the whole world shall know that we are in love with each other!"

"Der-ek! Stop fooling around and tell…"

"Casey, listen to your boyfriend and relax, you're old enough to have a relationship with whomever you feel like. Oh, look what time it is! We need to go or we'll be late! You can give me Marti's backpack I'll store it with the rest of them. Have a nice day!"

And just like that she hurries away to gather the kids leaving me dumbstruck beside a laughing Derek and a grinning Marti.

"Marti! You can't just go around telling people lies like that!"

"I'm sorry Casey, do you hate me now?"

Who can stay mad at her when she pulls her puppy-dog-eyes-trick?

"Of course not…"

"Well then there's no problem! Bye Casey, bye Derek, now you can kiss inside the car all you want!"

Is this kid for real? And Derek's still laughing while we're heading to the car!

"Oh stop laughing, this is not funny! Anyway, why didn't you tell her the truth?"

"Don't know, maybe because your expression was just priceless?"

"You're unbelievable!"

"I know."

"Ugh, just get inside the car so we can get to school where I don't have to be around you all the time!"

Once inside, he just grins at me and shakes his head.

"What?!"

"You know that you could just drop the attitude and admit that you actually want to spend all day by my side…"

"Cut the crap, will you? Why would I want to do that?"

"For the same reason that you haven't gone on a date for quiet some time."

"I just broke up with Max!"

"That was a long time ago, like in the dark ages."

Ok, that's just about it. He wants to play dirty? Well, two can play this game!

"For your information, I'm going on a date this afternoon."

He suddenly sits up straight in his seat and the grin on his face disappears as quickly as it appeared.

"Really? Who with?"

That's a very good question...

A/N: Like it? Hate it? Review!