A/n: Holy crap...I'm sorry. School, work, Sims 4, it's all been crazy and you deserve better. It might not be long but here ya go...hope this helps you forgive me.
"Welcome home, kids!" Nora exclaimed before any explaining could be done. She wrapped her arms around her daughter's neck, successfully breaking the grasp Casey had on Derek. George did a similar act and clapped his teenaged son in the back with unneeded force. The young lovers split hands and their shared parents cast a discrete worried glance to one another.
"Who's hungry!" George shouted, though the raised volume truly wasn't necessary as no one was talking or even moving. "Let's go get a late family dinner! Lizzie, Edwin, take their bags and Marti and get settled in the van. We will meet you in a few minutes." George was far too cheerful and Nora's smile was twisted and tight, quite scary.
"They are in so much trouble." Edwin mumbled to Lizzie as they dragged the bags and Marti to the parking lot.
"I know right. I've never seen mom so tense. Not since she gave me the safe sex talk." Lizzie said quietly. Marti was skipping up ahead. "Do you think they're doing it?"
"Ew." Edwin groaned. "And yes. Derek only looks that relaxed after relations with a girl."
"And I've never actually seen Casey look that so...serene." Lizzie paused and looked at her brother. In unison they cringed.
"Ew." They agreed simultaneously.
Back inside the bus depot George had his hand over his mouth and Nora was pinching the bridge of her nose.
"How long?" George demanded with an exhausted tone.
"How long...what?" Derek asked.
"This. You. Two. How long has...this been going on?"
"About three weeks." Casey muttered, looking at her shoes and grasping the cuffs of Derek's uni sweatshirt. She felt like a scolded child in the principal's office.
"Have you two...participated in...acts of adult digression?" Nora was looking anywhere but her children. Right now, a spot on the water stained ceiling held her attention like a challenging sudoku.
"Nora, gross." Derek groaned. Casey elbowed him. They were in enough trouble, his attitude wouldn't help them now.
"Derek, answer your stepmother. We need to know...for lack of a better term...how deep we are in." George snapped.
"Yes." Casey said quickly before Derek could object or make or worse. "We have."
"Oh, my." Nora groaned.
"I thought you two were cool with this. You said it was okay!" Derek exclaimed.
"In theory, Derek Michael! We didn't actually think it was going to happen. We assumed you would go to college and make a friendship. See other people. Not see each other!" George yelled. The clerk at the desk had perked up from his newspaper and was watching the family drama play out.
"What your father means is...we want you kids to be happy. Naturally, we just didn't actually believe it would happen with each other. So, although this isn't fully unwelcomed...it is amazingly unexpected." Nora paused and took her timid daughters hand. "Please, tell me you're at least using protection."
"Mom, please!" Casey turned a violent shade of pink and Derek chuckled, only to receive a smack to the back of the head from George.
"It's not funny, young man! You can barely feed and clothe yourself. Let alone another tiny human." George released a painful sigh. "Let's just go try and have a normal dinner. We will talk about this more tomorrow."
Twenty minutes later all seven McDonald-Venturi's were sitting around a table at family chain restaurant with a lot of loud tacky decorations. Their server had just taken their drink order and the young woman could nearly taste the tension at the table. Derek was sitting between George and Edwin. Casey was squeezed between Marti and Lizzie. George and Nora were sitting side by side, tightly holding hands. Were they religious, it would have looked like they were saying a quiet prayer.
"Mom, can I have mozzarella sticks?" Marti asked. Derek and Casey looked at the eight year old girl.
"Sure, honey. But please get apple slices too. Balance it out." Nora said easily.
"When did that happen? Her calling you...mom." Derek asked.
"Uh, a few months ago. It just started. Hardly noticed." Nora answered simply, not looking up from her menu.
"Oh, I guess we've been gone for awhile." Casey looked at Derek across the table. She wondered if he was thinking anything similar to her. They shared a mom...with a third grader. Edwin called her Nora. Lizzie called him George. It made it easier to draw the line that clearly read STEP-siblings. Now with Marti calling them mom and dad...the line was so blurry its ink was smudging into oblivion.
"Alright, who is ready to order?" The falsely cheerful server broke the tense silence.
"I'm not very hungry." Casey muttered.
"Me neither." Derek added.
Later that night Derek and Casey were in their separate childhood rooms. Derek looked around, feeling a strange air of comfort surround him. His walls were dark and covered with posters, album covers, and sharpie signatures of his friends. His desk was less cluttered but still had a mess of pens and papers and a book or two on it. There was no pile of laundry on the floor and the bed was made, other than that it was like he never left home. Derek dropped his duffle on the floor and fell face first into his bed. It felt so nice to be out of that brick wall cell he shared with Robin. Whom he should really text, giving an update on the outing to the family. Derek rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling where a wilting poster of a bikini clad beach model was stuck. He smiled and recalled the giant feminist fit Casey pitched when she saw him stick it up there. Marti was already tucked into bed. George and Nora were heatedly discussing circumstances in their bedroom. Lizzie and Edwin were in the basement/rec room playing ping pong.
"This is so weird." Lizzie said as she served the tiny ball to Edwin. "I can't believe Derek and Casey are doing the did."
"I know right. I thought dad was going to bust a gasket when Derek offered Casey the last of his milkshake." Edwin paused and spiked the plastic orb in his sister's court.
Edwin and Lizzie were now older than Derek and Casey were when they met. Lizzie kept her hair short but it had gained the same kind of wave that Casey's had. She was no longer the awkward tomboy in oversized jerseys and track pants, though she still blatantly objected to frills and sparkles. She had really grown into herself once her and Edwin hit high school. Edwin too had outgrown his geeky self….at least outwardly. He no longer had Derek's hand-me-downs, or mile long reputation following him, and his warm brown eyes were now framed by designer black glasses, which made many of the girls in the tenth grade swoon. Puberty had hit the Venturi-McDonald household for the second time, but luckily Edwin and Lizzie had not changed their relationship. When the pair went out together they were frequently mistaken for fraternal twins. As they grew up their dynamic had more or less stayed the same. Especially since Edwin and Lizzie had the same taste in girls.
"I figured mom and George wouldn't freak out so hardcore."
"Maybe they're just afraid of the two splitting up and ruining the entire family. I mean think about it. Derek is vengeful and Casey is bitter. If those two dumped each other, Christmas would be the worst holiday ever." Edwin said pointedly.
"I don't think they will split up. I mean think about everything we've already been through. And they already know everything about each other and they really get each other. Plus, I saw the way Derek and Casey looked at each other. As gross as it was...I think we are all in this for the long haul." the bounced the ball to Edwin and it rolled off the table. "My point."
"Dammit." he grumbled.
Upstairs, Casey was lying on her bed. The purple comforter smelled like home. The stuffed animal Emily gave her was tucked under her arm and the Broadway posters were still perfectly hung on her pinkish walls. Memorabilia from high school was all around. Trophies, theatre props, tests with bright A's circled on them, college acceptance letters, and dozens of pictures with friends and family. The only thing missing was the obnoxious music pounding from Derek's room. Just loud enough to thump her walls and piss her off. She would burst into his room to complain and he would be doing shirtless push ups. She would get flustered, yell gibberish, and flee back to room. Her face blushed at the memory. There was a soft knock at her door, figuring it was mom she just shouted.
"Come in." she offered. The door pushed open and Derek was standing in the doorway.
"Hey, princess." his voice was soft.
"Hi, what's up?" she did her best to keep her voice casual. She sat up on her bed and noticed how tired he seemed.
"One a scale from one to St
eve Bushemi how weird is today?"
"Really weird. Mom and George have really lost it." Casey muttered. Derek came in and sat down in her desk chair.
"How are you….doing?" He was hesitant. Being not only male but also a Venturi he didn't enjoy the Where Are We talk or anything about emotions.
"I'm tired. And nervous. They've been in their room pacing and talking for hours. This can't be good." Casey clutched the small pink bear to her chest.
"Nah. Dad only yelled a little bit. We'll be fine. If he's really mad at me he shouts for a lot longer." he paused and ran a hand through his hair. "How..uh, committed are you to...this?"
"This? Um, I would say fairly so."
"Alright. Just needed to know." he got up and placed a very light kiss on her head. "I'll see you tomorrow. Night, Space Case. Don't stay up all night spazzing out over this. Take a xanax or something. Don't need you all fussy and tired tomorrow."
"Shut up, De-rek. I do not get fussy! Get out of my room and go to sleep." she laughed. He left the room but both knew the other wouldn't sleep. This was just the calm before the storm.
A/n: Forgive me? I love you! Please review and be awesome. Not that you have to try. Much love, Little Crickett