A/N: okay guys. This is it. The golden last chapter. And it is 100% fluff. All the loose ends are tied up in a sloppy bow. This is actually the first story I have ever finished. I'll probably revisit and rewrite it later. But you guys deserve closure. Thanks for reading! Much love, Little Crickett.
Three Years and Eleven Months Later
"Der-ek!" Casey's voice echoed through the apartment. Pink and purple streamers were hung everywhere, along with the ever creepy face of a cartoon princess, Mia adored.
"Vanessa! Derek! Where are you? Come see how gorgeous this child is!" Casey was in the bedroom with a very grown Mia. Three years old and sporting a very purple very frilly party dress with matching hair bows. Though, Casey was having issues wriggling the excited three year old into her new white tights which completed the ensemble.
"It's my birthday!" Mia shouted. "Daddy where are you?"
"Mia, sit still. Mama's gotta get these tights on. It's too cold to run around without them."
"I can do it!" Mia groaned and shoved her mother's hands out of the way. "I can do it!"
"Alright then, Ms. Independent. Do it." Casey chuckled and stepped back, watching her toddler daughter squirm into the tiny leggings.
It had been a crazy long insane road. Casey was going on thirty, which definitely made her cringe to think about. It also meant that she had spent upwards of fifteen years with Derek Venturi.
After that first horrifying night in the living room not everything had been smooth sailing. In fact, George and Nora hadn't looked Derek or Casey in the eyes for weeks. Even coming home for Christmas was still weird. Marti was actually the first one to be okay with it with a remarkable quote that she doesn't even remember saying "Derek smiles a lot more with Casey and Casey laughs a whole bunch. Why can't we be happy because they are?"
Going back to college was the easy part until Casey accepted the dance program and left for a year. It was a dark year for not only Derek but the entire family. Derek's brooding was kicked up to a ten. Everyone took to skulking around him like a wary cat waiting to be kicked.
The night Casey got back from New York Derek took her out to a fancy dinner. She babbled through the appetizer and entrée and halfway through desert Derek officially lost it.
"Yeah, that's great, Casey." He snapped through clenched teeth. "But can you just shut up for like five seconds."
"Uh, yeah. Sure, Derek." She muttered. "I'm sorry. It's just been super exciting...and I guess I have a lot to say. I didn't mean to upset you." Her tone was drenched in bitter sarcasm.
"You...you aren't upsetting me." He paused and took a long drink of his beer. Having turned 21 during Casey's absence he had taken to beer and shouting at hockey games with George and Edwin. It was very cathartic. "How old are we?"
"Twenty-one. College sophomores...juniors in the fall. Why?"
"And we've been together for...how long?"
"You mean like been together...or known each other? Because I feel like you should know our anniversary you, jerk. Seriously. I haven't been gone that long." Casey huffed.
"Case, come on." He pleaded with an exasperated sigh.
"We've been together for almost three years. We've known each other for, like, seven." She muttered.
"Yeah. So, a long ass time. Anyways..." He took another long pause which made Casey's heart race.
"Are you dumping me? Did you drag me out a fancy dinner on my first night back in town to dump me? Is it Vanessa? Seriously, Derek? Seriously?" She ranted, tears welling up in her eyes.
"No, you idiot. Just...just, calm down, spazz. I'm kind of doing the opposite of breaking up with you. If you would just...stop talking...for like...a minute. This isn't easy. Okay?" His teeth were gritted again as he looked at that blue eyed princess. Her hair was a little shorter and she had thick bangs. Not really his liking, but not his choice, she pointed out at the airport. She was beautiful, like drop dead gorgeous. Not the off brand pretty where she had a great personality. But actually, could be a CoverGirl model. And this was it. Right now. As she tried to hide the fact she was crying into a $10 piece of fudge cake.
"Casey Jane McDonald. You're high maintenance. You talk a lot. You're a know it all. You're a morning person who is stupidly punctual."
"Are you just sitting here listing all of my bad qualities."
"You wanna marry me, space case?" He sighed.
"What?" Her head snapped up and looked at Derek. He looked scared. Like a puppy who had peed on the carpet and was waiting for people to find out.
"What what?"
"Did you just...?"
"Yeah. I did. Is that...cool?" He muttered.
"Let me see the ring." Casey said.
"I don't have one."
"You're proposing without a ring. I know you don't watch chick flicks but seriously...you should know basic protocol." She ranted.
"It's not my fault you're so damn picky! Damn, spoiled princess. Nothing I get would make you happy or be even close to good enough. I'm not girly enough to know what the hell you would even want! I was gonna let you pick your own stupid ring. From a real jewelry place."
"Oh. That's better. I like that. Good job, Venturi."
And they were married not more that six months after that. Turns out Casey already had a majority of it planned, just waiting for Derek to finally pop the question, and didn't take too much to do.
It was a beautiful, and oddly simple wedding. No one was weird or uncomfortable. Lizzie looked beautiful in her soft blue maid of honor dress that matched Edwin's best man tie. They wrote their own vows which were not without the branded Casey and Derek snark and banter. Up, down, and all around. Casey and Derek stuck it out.
And now, she was watching their three year old daughter finish shimming up her tights. Giant blue eyes, long brown waves, a little spitfire like Derek and far too smart like Casey. A perfect combination.
"I did it!" Mia said triumphantly.
"Yes, you did." Casey scooped up her little girl. "Let's go and find daddy and Aunt Vanessa so we can get going."
Twenty minutes later Casey was cutting the cake at a local gymnastics studio. The kids were climbing and swinging from ropes and diving into little foam pits. It was toddler heaven.
"Geez, Case. Big enough cake?" Lizzie asked as she sat down beside her sister on a plastic table bench. Casey was putting candles on a rather giant strawberry sheet cake.
"Geeze, Liz. Big enough ring?" Casey teased back. "When were you going to tell me?"
"Oh, you noticed did you?" Lizzie blushed and looked down at her two carat engagement ring. A little too much bling for her taste, but damn it was gorgeous.
"I noticed it from the parking lot!" Casey sat down to talk to her sister. "When did she ask?"
"A few days ago! Right in front of our dojo class. Third graders everywhere were oohing and ahhing. Amanda likes making a scene."
"You're worth making a scene over." Casey wrapped her younger sister in a hug. "When are Edwin and Jess getting here?"
"Soon, I hope. Have you seen Jess recently? She's massive. Like, I'm worried she'll go into labor during this party." Lizzie laughed.
"God, I hope not. Too many babies as is. It's kind of sucky Marti couldn't make it. I mean she'll be here next week, but it's not the same."
"It's your fault for having Mia during finals season. She's a college senior. Very selfish of you."
"Jesus. I know. I'm so rotten. I can't believe Marti is a college senior. And I have a three year old.
"Are you and Derek gonna have anymore?" Lizzie pried just as Derek walked up behind her with a brunette baby boy I'm each arm. Theodore Martin Venturi and Owen Phillip Venturi were a whopping three months old. Apparently, twins ran deep as a river on Derek's mom's side of the family and no one told Casey.
"Hey, Liz. The twins are hardly a trimester old. Let's chill out before we start planning anymore. Here, take one." He handed Teddy to Lizzie and Owen to Casey before sitting down. Teddy was fast asleep and Lizzie was enamored with him. Owen however was awake and alert, squirming around trying to look at everything. That's how it was. Teddy was chill and zen. Slept a lot, hardly cried, the lowest maintenance baby ever. Owen however never slept, didn't latch very well, and was always trying to wiggle away. Three months old and already the problem child.
"You want kids?" Derek asked as he scooped a finger full of icing off the cake.
"Derek gross. Don't do that. The kids still have to eat that." Casey scolded. "Be an adult."
"I have three kids. I pay bills. I have a very naggy wife who doesn't shut up." He plopped icing on her nose. "I'm very adult, thank you very much."
"You're helpless." Casey sighed and wiped her nose off while trying to keep Owen in her arms. "So, do you want kids, Lizzie?"
"Um, actually. Amanda and I have discussed it. At length. And we think we are cool with just being the really awesome aunts who give expensive gifts and cash."
"A good a plan as any." Derek commended as Vanessa's now six year old son Jackson walked up.
"Casey, when can we have cake?" Jackson asked rather politely.
"We have to sing Happy Birthday to the birthday girl first. Can you go get her?" Casey asked.
"You mean this birthday girl?" Vanessa walked up behind her son with Mia on her hip.
After their first drinking binge on the couch nearly three years ago Vanessa and Casey had become nearly inseparable. Vanessa quickly left the sex shop and came to teach with Casey at the studio. It paid more so eventually she left her crappy apartment and move into the same apartment building as Derek and Casey. The three occasionally got a babysitter for the kids and even went out together for dinner or a decent night at the bar. There was even, half drunken, talk about Jackson and Mia ending up together. It was rather dull domestic bliss. Vanessa put Mia down and she went right up to Lizzie and Casey and kissed each of her brothers on the head.
"I love the babies, mama." She told Casey. "Can they eat cake too?"
"Not yet sweetie. But I'm sure you'll eat enough for the both of them." Casey kissed her daughter and handed her son off to Derek. "Hey, all kids here for the Venturi birthday party, we are going to sing Happy Birthday and then eat cake and open presents!"
Owen took this opportunity to open his mouth and let put one long wail. Derek stood and took several steps away, much to his pleasure. The gaggle of sugar fueled toddlers proved to be too much for him and Owen. Who knew a preschooler could have so many friends? Derek found a spot a bit away next to his father. George was hanging back while Nora was up close and personal taking pictures with their superior camera.
"Pretty crazy." George commented.
"Like a midget mosh pit. I'm covered in glitter and spit up all day every day." Derek sighed.
"You love it."
"Yeah, well. It's not awful." Derek smiled in spite of himself.
"Never thought I'd see you get to this point. Figured some poor girl was going to murder you in your sleep."
"Man, it came close when Casey was eight months pregnant with the twins."
"You did good, son. You did good. And honestly, I'm glad it's Casey."
"Several years of marriage and three grand kids later. That's good to hear." Derek scoffed.
"You do make some damn cute kids." George said as he took Owen from Derek's arms.
"Hell yeah we do." Derek said. Owen cooed in agreement.
"I gotta know. Was everything you dumb kids went through worth it? All the fighting. Years of emotional sabotage and torture. The time you two nearly split up right before you found out about the twins. Back when Nora and I were rather disgusted by it all. You guys aren't bitter about any of it, right?"
"Not at all. Yeah, it was worth it. All of it. One hundred percent. She still drives me bat shit crazy. But I'm glad it's her screaming about how I left only a sip of milk left in the carton. Ya, know."
During this conversation the kids had finished singing and were tearing into the cake. Casey sauntered over with Mia on her hip. Teddy had been passed off to Nora. Mia was holding a paper plate with a generous helping of cake.
"Daddy, we brought you and Poppa some cake." She said sweetly. Derek took his daughter from Casey and kissed Casey like they were nineteen again.
"I love you, space case." He said when George made a pointed cough.
"I love you too, Venturi. Now, eat some damn cake." Casey took the plate of cake from Mia and smashed it in Derek's face.
"Oh you're gonna get it, spazz!" He laughed evilly. Casey had begun to run away cackling and Derek lunged after her while clinging on to Mia. "Mia, lets go get mommy. Help, me get mommy!" With that Derek and and his daughter chased Casey to the foam pit where all three of them jumped in and were giggling and tossing foam cubes at each other. Taking turns tossing their birthday girl in the air. Nora sauntered over to George, each holding a grandson, and kissed him
"Our kids are idiots." She laughed.
"Happy idiots." George countered.
~FIN~