A/N: Chapter 13 is here. Spooky!

Late that night, once the pants were already off, Derek's phone lit up. A text from Casey.

Meet me in the quad. Please. -Princess

Short and sweet. Derek didn't respond but put on his jeans and a sweatshirt and trudged over to the green space of land. At one in the morning it was totally devoid of humans. It was foggy and eerie looking. Cold and misty. He found Casey standing in the exact place where their picnic was. She was wearing a short black dress that accented her long legs and perfect breasts. A pale blue sweater was the only warm thing she had on. Her hair was expertly french braided and make up perfectly applied. She looked like a goddess.

"Hi," She said when he had finally approached ear shot.

"Hey."

"So, I don't care."

"About what?" he had his hands in his pockets, looking anywhere but at her.

"What we are." Casey sighed. "I just know that you're an idiot and I miss your stupid face when you're not around. So, I don't care if I'm your girlfriend, or your sister, or even just your ...friend. I just kind of want your dumbass back in my life."

"How well spoken. Like true poetry." Derek mocked.

"It sounded better in my head." Casey muttered, looking at her pink painted toes.

"You're not my sister." Derek confirmed. "You're not my booty call or friend with benefits. Trust me, I wouldn't put up with your crap just for sex. Not worth it."

"Okay, wow. thanks." Casey snapped.

"Hey, wait, Spazz. I want you in my life too. But not just as a useless girlfriend. Girlfriends don't last for me. So, that's why I don't know what you are to me. Because you mean more to me than anyone ever has."

"Even Marti?"

"Let's not get crazy here, Princess." Derek laughed.

"I want people to...know."

"About what?"

"Us…"

"Let's start with our family…test the waters." Derek closed the distance and wrapped her in a hug, thoroughly enjoying their height difference. He rested his head on hers. "Is Jade in your room?"

"No." Casey said slowly. Derek lowered his lips to hers and kissed her until she lost air.

"Good." Derek laced his fingers with her and dragged her back to her room while she laughed and pretended to object.

The next morning, Derek woke up next to Casey in a horribly small bed. She had her back to him and her blue eyes were still shut with peaceful dreams. Her once perfect braid had been tugged and frayed. Now, loose waves wrapped around her serene face and down her shoulders. Derek lightly traced the space between her shoulder blades. She slightly stirred but didn't wake up. He swung his legs over the bed and pulled on his boxers. Cradling his head in his hands, he too for the first time realized they would have to face their parents.

"Shit…" he groaned as flashbacks from the night before came to his head. Apologies laced with kisses. She was an amazing kisser. Lips so soft and tongue so hot. Fingers tugging down pants and excited laughter. Never in a million years would he have guess her skin would be so freakin soft. The way she layed on the bed under him with her long limbs wrapped around him. He hated the way he loved being inside of her...not in his typical raunchy fuck way. But it felt nearly right...being one with her. As irritating and know it all and brown nosing and a worrying princess brat as she was...Derek knew he loved her because none of that really bothered him.

"Fuck." He muttered and got dressed. He went down to the cafeteria and found Sam with his face nearly in a bowl of cheerios.

"Hey, man." Sam greeted as Derek sat down across from him. "Haven't see you in a minute. What's new?"

"I'm fucking my sister." Derek muttered as he scrubbed his face awake. He snatched the

orange juice from beside his friend's breakfast and guzzled it down.

"Huh?" Sam looked up and realized that his old friend looked like hammered shit. "Woah, man. Casey?"

"Well, the only other two options are Lizzie and Marti. So yes, you moron. Casey." Derek snapped.

"How's that working out for you?"

"I feel like I belong on one of those daytime talk shows with the fake therapist and the booing crowd. I mean, it's not just sex. Which is the worst part. I actually have...like, human emotions for her. And this is awesome. If we didn't share parents. And if we didn't have to go back to them tonight. Because Casey is amazing...I mean...she's Casey. But Nora and dad...as okay as they think they are with this...are pretty sure its all hypothetical."

"George and Nora are cool with you two bumping uglies?" Sam slurped his cereal.

"Not in such disgusting terms...but more or less...I don't know. Ah, fuck. I couldn't be happy with some dance slut."

"Dude, you never were. Not even in high school. It's always been Casey."

"Shut up." Derek said with not much malice.

"You drank my juice." Sam deadpanned.

"Fight me." Derek chuckled and left the table.

Twenty minutes later he let himself into Casey's room, having left it unlocked. She wasn't there but a note left on her computer said she was in the shower, if he came back. If. She clearly still wasn't convinced that she wasn't just another booty call. Derek reclined on her bed and buried himself in her scent. Floral laundry soap and her gentle perfume.

"Oh, hey." Casey's voice woke him up sometime later. She was in a fluffy pink robe and her wet hair hung all around her. "You're back."

"Well, yeah. I brought breakfast." He motioned to the banana and bagel on her desk.

"Thanks." She said genuinely. "Um, I have to get dressed. Look away or something."

"Dude, I've seen you naked so much." he laughed.

"This is different!" she defended.

"Not really, Princess."

"Derek, just look at the wall for a minute."

"Fine." he huffed, though thoroughly amused at her bashfulness. "So, when are we leaving for the bus station?"

"Around five." she slipped on a purple sweater dress and some black tights. "Okay, you can look. Are you packed?"

"No. Are you?"

"Since I got the phone call. Don't you have a class to get to?"

"Who cares?" Derek laughed but Casey just rolled her eyes, not amused at the man's academic apathy.

"Well, I have a class to attend...so, meet me here at five. We will get a cab to the bus station and be home by eight." she paused and picked up her backpack. "Are we...telling them?"

"I don't know." His voice was devoid of tone.

"Okay." she said firmly. "I'll see you tonight, Derek." Casey smiled at him and left the room. His insides felt warm as he fell back asleep on her bed.

7:45pm

Casey had been asleep on his shoulder for nearly an hour now. Her textbook was on her lap and her legs were curled up under her. She had traded the cute sweater dress for his Queens hoodie. A hoodie and tights had never looked so good, he thought. Derek mainly had been looking out the window at the boring scenery. Highways, small roads, fields, cities. They all passed by with no meaning to him, but he couldn't help thinking that each of these places were someones hometown. Where they grew up or will grow old. Where they had their first kiss, wedding, first child. These places meant nothing to him, but to someone, these little map dots were the whole world.

"Hey, Casey." Derek shrugged her awake. "We're almost home."

"Huh? Oh, okay." she wiped the drool from her mouth and looked around the dark bus. Only seven other people were on the bus to the hometown they shared with the apparent teenage lovers. To anyone else, they looked like an average young couple. Casey momentarily enjoyed this thought before the gravity sunk in. "What are we doing?"

"I have an idea." Derek said cryptically without looking at her. He took her hand and absently kissed the back of it. Twenty minutes later the bus pulled in and Derek and Casey grabbed their duffels. Their entire family was waiting inside the building. Both Derek and Casey's hearts were racing, though neither said a word. As they stumbled off the bus, Derek didn't let go of Casey's hand. He laced their fingers and held it tighter. Casey didn't know his angle but trusted him enough not to question. The entered the bus depot building and the family first focused on the young adults individually then saw that they were jointed at the hands.

"I like to make an entrance." Derek said only loud enough for Casey to hear.

"Why are Derek and Casey holding hands?" Marti asked loud enough for the entire depot to hear.

A/N: There you go. Lucky number 13. Hope you enjoyed it. :) More to come so please read and review! Much Love, Little Crickett.