Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. I'll tell you if I add any new ones.

Derek hated malls. It was something that he had learned a long time ago but yet the feeling didn't get any better over time. He had avoided them for a long time preferring to get what he needed online or at small stores. Yet in spite of this he still spent most of his morning pushing his way though people who were wandering and waited in lines that seemed to take hours. But finally he made his way out found the car that he had rented before he went to the mall. He stored the gift that he had bought his Dad and Nora in the trunk. He looked at it before he closed the lid and wondered again if he should have let the cute brunette talk him into it. At least he wasn't staying around for long to have to endure it. He smiled at that thought and then closed the lid.

Derek left the mall parking lot and headed toward the hall. Looking at the directions that his dad had given him before he left to shower that morning he turned left and then pulled into an empty parking lot recognizing the other three cars from the driveway.

Derek parked and made his way toward the entrance when he spotted Sam on the side of the building. As he got closer he saw that Sam's eyes were closed and he was just finishing a cigarette. That was definitely something he hadn't expected to see of he oldest friend.

"Is the family that stressful?" Derek smirked.

Sam's eyes popped open as he turned towards Derek with a somewhat guilty look on this face. "It started out as a way to relieve some of the stress at school and then kinda got away from me. Casey hates it but I really am trying to quit. She gave me until we move into the new place because she says she didn't want the smell of my clothes to cause the place to smell."

Derek nodded. That certainly sounded like Casey although that she was going out with a smoker in the first place didn't seem like her even if it was Sam. "So what made you decide to move back to London after all these years?"

"The only real answer for that is Casey. She has wanted to move back since pretty much right after she left. But she stayed in Toronto for me to finish up school."

"So you guys have been together for a long time?"

"It'll be 4 years in October."

"Wow." That was a long time. He hadn't been with a woman for more then 6 months and they had been together for years. "So it's really serious obviously with you guys moving in together and all?"

"Yeah it's serious. We've been living together for the last 3 years and well we haven't told everyone this but it's you so..." Sam looked around as though he was gonna get caught blurting it out.

Before he could continue however Casey came sauntering around the corner. "I was worried you had run away or something. What are you guys doing out here?" She turned to Derek with a disapproving look. "Don't tell me you smoke now too?"

"Nah, that stuff will damage the skin. Can't have that?" He smiled at her.

Before Casey could think of a response Sam laid his arm over her shoulder. "We were just about to head in and finish helping with the decorations. Right, Derek?"

"Right."

Casey looked from one man to the other and then shrugged. "Well luckily we left the heavy musical equipment for you strong men."

"Hey what about Ed and Dad?" Derek half wined, half teased.

"Well your dad hurt his back last year and now he can't really lift anything heavy and Edwin is off getting lunch for everyone."

Sam smiled over at Derek. "Well your just in luck then Case because me and Derek are just the strong men you are looking for. What do you say Derek should we give her a hand." He looked at Derek and turned his eyes to the pool that was half covered just down from them.

"Sure Sam I'd be happy to." He smiled back. With that they both leaned in and picked up Casey between them and started walking.

Casey was laughing at first. "You guys what are you up to?" She noticed that they missed the entrance and then she looked ahead to see there intended destination and began to squirm. "Don't you dare. Put me down now. I swear I will kill you both in your sleep." But they both went on. Just as they got to the edge they lifted her up higher.

"Any last words Space Case." Derek asked.

Then it hit her. She turned her body enough to see Sam's face and smiled down at him evilly. "Sam honey if you put me in that pool your not gonna know anyone's touch but your own for a long, long time. Remember two Christmas' ago." She could see him thinking it over and then he pulled her out of Derek's reach and set her down on the ground.

He looked down sheepishly. "Man you don't wanna know what happened two Christmas' ago. Believe me it was bad."

"Whipped." Derek stated and left the two to there own devices as he made his way to the hall. He really didn't want to think about what Casey and Sam did together. Truthfully just the thought of it made his skin crawl.

Casey watched Derek enter the building. She really thought that he would have put up a fight about Sam chickening out like that but he just seemed to take it and move on. She didn't quite understand that, it didn't seem like the Derek thing to do.

She looked back at Sam to see the guilty look on his face. She put thoughts of Derek aside and moved in and hugged him. She felt his arms encircle her as she leaned in. They stood like that for a minute or two before she leaned back and smiled at him. "You know I have you wrapped around my little finger." She pulled up her finger and twirled it.

Sam smiled down at her. "Well maybe that's exactly where I like to be."

"Good to know." With that she leaned up and kissed the sensitive spot on the side of his neck and then moved toward the building knowing it wouldn't be long before he followed.

Just as predicted he came running up and wrapped his arms around her from behind taking her off the ground and twirling her. "You are such a tease woman."

She laughed and once he put her down she took his hand and headed for the building. "You know you love it."

Hours later all the decorations were up and the place looked great. The music equipment was all set up and the banners hung everywhere with pictures of Nora and George on them from each year they were married.

Casey was in the little mini kitchen trying to hang the final banner above the little cupboards but not exactly succeeding. The onther side had been easily accessed but this side was in the corner and out of reach. She stretched up as tall as she could but still it wasn't at all straight.

She was about to give up and let it lay lopsided when a warm body came up behind her and took the banner from her hand and fixed it in place all the while essentially trapping her between his body and the counter.

As they finished she turned to see a smiling Derek. They were so close that almost every part of their bodies were touching. She looked into his eyes as the smile left his mouth as he realized just what was going on. She took a sharp intake of breathe.

"Maybe you should move back a little so I can get out of the way." She said softly.

"I can't the island counter is stabbing me in the back as it is." He said equally as softly. He kept looking into her eyes. It didn't even seem like he was blinking.

Not that she wasn't doing the same. Every part of her body that touched his felt like it was slowly burning from the inside out.

Then suddenly his eyes shifted to her mouth. With the eye contact broken she ducked down and shifted away from him. Putting some much needed distance between them.

She looked at him from the kitchen doorway as she was making her exit. There had been complete silence and he hadn't yet turn around. He had both hands on the counter and his head slightly tilted down.

Casey forced herself to look away and entered the main room. What had that been about. She could still feel him pushed against her and she brought her finger to her mouth and chewed on her knuckle. She need some air.

Just as she was making her way outside however she was stopped by a hand on her arm. She turned to find Lizzie looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"Where are you going we were just deciding on what to get for supper."

Casey looked over at the group of people she loved and saw Sam having an animated conversation with Edwin. She couldn't help but feel guilty looking at him after what didn't happen in the kitchen.

Her eyes shifted to the kitchen doorway where Derek now stood looking at her under hooded eyes.

Casey shook her head and looked at her little sister. "I'm not going anywhere." With that she moved over and joined the family as Sam pulled her close and she closed her eyes.

She opened them long enough to look up at Derek one more time but he wasn't looking her way anymore. In fact he was no where in sight.

Hope guys enjoyed that. I can't wait to hear what you have to say.