Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. Except Jon.

Her little sister was getting married. That thought just kept running through Casey's mind as she tried to get to sleep in her old bed, in her old room in the McDonald/Venturi house. It had certainly been a huge day for her.

She had spent months running from all her problems. Running from repercussions and feelings she just wasn't ready for but she knew even before she left that it would all have to come to a head someday.

She hadn't really planed to make this trip to London today but she had been packing the last of her measly amount of things to be sent to her new apartment in New York when she found her engagement ring. She had placed it in a ring box she had kept herself from a few years ago and then packed it away in the bottom of her suitcase before she left. At first she hadn't been able to look at it and then slowly the need to see it had started to go way. But this morning when she found the ring and opened the box it sparkled up at her just like the day Sam first gave it to her. She knew then and there that Sam deserved to hear things from her face to face.

She hadn't told him about what happened with Derek just before the non-wedding. She had thought about doing just that but she knew that it would only hurt him more. The guilt over that act would have to be hers to bear.

Casey sighed and looked around the room. This was the room she spent most of her teenage life in and this was the room she shared with Sam when they stayed here over a year ago and here she was again, in the same room. It all just seemed to come back around full circle.

She wasn't really sure if she liked that idea or not but she did know that coming here today had definitely been the right thing. Talking with Sam had been what was best. She was glad that he was moving on with his life. He hadn't wanted to move back to London in the first place and now he got to go back to Toronto and start his life all over again. Although it had been months and their lives had been complicated over the last year or so she still missed him all the time. The weirdest part was she missed him when they were in the same room together. She knew they couldn't be together but she still missed the way things used to be. She just missed how it seemed that her life had fallen into place.

Then Casey smiled as again thoughts of Lizzie came to mind. When she had left Sam and made her way home she had been scared beyond belief that somehow they wouldn't accept her that they would be angry and not want her around. She had been wrong.

The moment the door was opened she was greeted with shook and awe but also with happiness and excitement. Everyone seemed to miss her and love her just as much as they always did. It was all she could have asked for and yet she felt guilty for running away from them in the first place.

They sat and talked and she told them all of her job and her promotion and of her friends, then after being prompted she told them about her visit with Sam, well the reader digest version anyway. After they seemed to be out of questions she asked her own, inquiring how everyone was and what they had been up to. There lives just seemed to go on without her and that made her a little sad but mostly happy.

The biggest surprise of the night however wasn't her sudden arrival but Jon's proposal to Lizzie as they all sat and relaxed in the living room. Casey had watched as her sister smiled, she radiated happiness and love. It was the most amazing site. Her answer didn't come in a calm however but in an explosion of yeses that she was sure the neighbors heard. It was a happy moment and Casey was so overjoyed she was there to share it.

Her mother cried and hugging Lizzie while Edwin and George scowled at first protesting that they had only been together for less than a year and that they were too young but George at least was persuaded by her mother's insistence that age and time didn't matter when it came to love. After this Edwin half smiled but still made little remarks. Marti however was the happiest of them all with all questions about the wedding that couldn't possibly have been figured out in the 10 minutes they had been engaged.

After the excitement ended they all went out for ice cream to celebrate and then headed home, off to their respective rooms for sleep and here she was laying down in her bed as sleep yet again eluded her.

It seemed she couldn't stop thinking. She thought about everything that is except that thing over there with the pin in it. That thing that she had yet to determine if it was a mistake, that thing that scared her to death and caused her to run, that thing that might be love, that thing that involved a certain step-brother.

All day long she would consciously push thoughts of him out of her mind but as sleep approached every night he would just seem to creep in there. He was the last thought she had every night as sleep finally claimed her.

Grocery shopping was a chore that Derek put off as long as possible. He hated to shop for food especially when he was hungry as he was right now. This is why he relied so much on take out.

As he wondered the isled looking at the 20 different kinds of tomato sauce he cursed his need for sustenance. If he was being truthful he really enjoyed food it was the preparing and shopping for it parts that he hated.

Derek looked around and didn't see anyone coming. He smirked to himself as he ran down the isle with the shopping cart, sailing and then he turned a corner fast only to slam into another cart and cause an explosion of metal on metal and food flying everywhere. He wanted to laugh but knew the other person probably wouldn't find it funny so instead started to quickly pick up all he could carry and then finally he looked up at the victim of his childish game only to come face to face with the person he saw every night in his sleep.

Everything he had picked up dropped to the ground as he looked at her like he hadn't seen her in years when in fact it had only been 7 months, 3 days, 2 hours and a few minutes but who was counting right. "Casey?"

She herself had seemed to be in a trance but quickly came out of it as a store employee approached them. "Are you ok? What exactly is going on here?"

Derek turned to the boy that couldn't be more than 16. "I didn't see her coming when I turned a corner, no big deal."

The boy seemed to give him an evil eye. Then he took out a walky talky and called for someone to clean up the isle. That was when Derek noticed that his tomato sauce bottle had broke open and tomato sauce was all over the floor as well as broken glass. He immediately moved Casey out of the way and over to the side as the maintenance guy came to clean up the mess.

The boy turned to him and again looked at him evilly and told him he would have to tell his manager about this and see what had to be done.

"Come on, it was an accident."

"I don't know about that. We will let the video cameras tell us that sir."

Derek cursed, as he knew exactly what the cameras would show. Without thinking he grabbed a still mute Casey and ran out of the supermarket as fast as possible as the boy ran after him yelling. Lucky for him he gave up after making it to the door. Once they were on the sidewalk a little ways away Derek stopped and then looked at Casey worried what she would do.

What happened next he didn't expect though. She burst out into laughter. Not that soft sweet kind but the loud hysterical kind. "Did…you…see…his face…." After a minute all he could do was laugh with her. The people walking by gave them weird looks, which only served to full the laughter.

After a good 15 minutes they finally stopped laughing and silence seemed to take over. Then something hit him. "Casey what are you doing here?"

"I just live down the block."

"Since when?"

"A few months ago, I'm running the New York office of DD publishing."

Casey had been living in New York and he hadn't known. How was that possible?

"Crap." Casey shouted.

"What?"

"My dinner was in that cart and I'm hungry."

Derek laughed at her inappropriate outburst. "There's a great pizza place just around the corner if you wanna check it out."

Casey seemed to be fighting some sort of battle with herself but eventually agreed. They made there way to the pizza place and were seated in a booth. It didn't take long to order the pizza as they both liked pepperoni, cheese, mushrooms and green peppers. The hard part came after the pizza was ordered and they had nothing to do but wait.

"So…I heard that you won an award a few months ago. Congratulations"

Derek smiled softly. "It was no big deal. My boss entered one of my photos, they seemed to like it."

She looked at him strange. "It's not like the Derek I know to be shy about any accomplishments. You used to boost about how many little packages of butter you could eat." She smiled at the memory.

"I'll have you know I could still beat anyone at that game."

"Oh what a talent."

"Shut up McDonald."

"Make me Venturi."

"So that's the way you want it to be is it?"

"So what if it is."

Derek smiled and went to get up when the waiter arrived with the pizza. That quickly put an end to any conversation as they both ate like they hadn't eaten in years. Once they were done Derek paid the check despite Casey's protests and they made there way back out onto the streets of New York.

The sky had turned a gray color as they air got cooler. "I'll walk you home." Derek insisted.

"You don't have to. I just live a few blocks away and I walk there all the time."

"Don't argue. It's getting dark and this is New York not London."

"I know that Derek." Yet despite this they both started to walk down the street to her apartment. The walk there was silent. Not so much an awkward one like last time but a content one as the city seemed to move at warp speed around them.

"This is me." Casey said as she stopped in front of a brick townhouse.

"Oh." Derek looked up at the house then back at her. Without even thinking about it he moved in closer. They just seemed to stare at one another. His hand reached up to touch her cheek. It was almost there when she suddenly moved out of the way.

Casey practically ran up half of the stairs. "Umm…I'll see you around I guess."

Derek sighed and smiled softly at her. "Yeah I guess." With that he turned and started down the street. He was about to turn the corner when he felt a hand in his. He turned to see Casey there.

She smiled. "I just wanted to say thanks for dinner." She leaned up and kissed his cheek and then ran back to her townhouse.

Derek watched her as she closed the door behind her and then noticed that his hand wasn't empty. He smiled down at the 10 dollar bill in his hand.

"Same old Casey." With that he headed home.

I hope you enjoyed that. I just thought this way they could get reintroduced to one another and see how things go.

I can't wait to hear what you all think so review please.

Thank you for all the reviews that you have already made and please keep giving me any suggestions you can think of.