Disclaimer: I don't own life with Derek or 50 Shades

Chapter Nine

I made sure to get to Emily's house before Derek woke up. The first day after my declaration I knew he'd be at his worst and decided to play it safe and avoid. Or maybe I was more procrastinating. Either way, I didn't feel ready to deal with him yet.

Emily was barely awake when she answered the door, and I felt guilty as I watched her down a second and then a third cup of coffee.

"I've done it." I announced unceremoniously.

"Done what?" Emily mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"I've finally told Derek." My knee was bobbing up and down and anyone would think it was me who'd drunk three cups of coffee.

Emily spluttered her last sip of coffee all over herself. "You what?!"

"I told him," I frowned in confusion. "You didn't think I was going to?"

"No! I mean, I guess I knew it was coming but I always thought it would be him who would..." She started rambling and I had no idea what she was talking about.

"As if! You know what Derek's like." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I guess that's true, but still..."

"I mean, he lives for ruining my life, why would he be the one to stop it?"

"Huh?" Now she was looking confused.

"He gets too much fun out of it. He was never just gonna stop bugging me. So I have to be the bigger man." I drew myself up. "I told him once and for all, there will be no more arguments, pranks or name calling. Any of the above will be ignored. I will not retaliate or give him the satisfaction of a reaction." I nodded to myself at the end of my mini speech.

"You told him you were going to ignore him?" Emily asked slowly.

My puzzled frown came back. "Yeah, what did you think I meant?"

"Nothing. I need more coffee." Emily mumbled, then looked at me with wide eyes. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course it is. It'll be rough for awhile, but then he'll get bored and leave me alone, just like you said." I smiled confidently.

"I said that?" She hurriedly poured more coffee and sat back down.

"Yes, you did. You said I should just ignore him and he'd get bored." I said patiently. I really should have waited to talk to her until she'd woken up properly.

"Right, well maybe I was wrong about that." She said a little nervously.

"No, you weren't. You were absolutely right. It's the only way I can put a stop to these childish... Shanannigans." I was firm in my resolve, determined to carry this through.

"Casey..." Emily said despairingly. I didn't get why she was pushing this, I would have thought she'd be the the first person to advocate my ignoring Derek.

Emily's phone rang. She answered it and tried to hide her guilty blush. "Oh, hi... Well, thing is, she's here already... Yeah I know... But there's been a... development." Emily had retreated to what she thought was a safe distance, but was smart enough to try and make her conversation subtle. I narrowed my eyes and she hung up, coming back into the room to join me.

"So, that was Cher." Emily told me, unprompted. "She's coming over. If it's ok with you of course?" She was fidgety and her eyes were evasive. I didn't even want to know what she'd done that warranted this behaviour. Oh, who was I kidding? Of course I wanted to know! I just didn't think I'd like the answer.

I nodded cautiously. I was beginning to think my friends getting along wasn't such a good thing. Especially not when they ganged up on me. Thank god they would be separated when we went back to University.

An uncomfortable silence prevailed until Cher arrived.

"Hey girls!" She immediately flung herself at us, and if I didn't know better, I'd think she was completely innocent.

I tried for the rest of the day to wheedle out what it was they were conspiring about, but the only thing open to observation were the secretive smiles when they thought I wasn't looking.

In the end they convinced me between them to read Fifty Shades of Grey, a book which made me want giggle like a fifteen year old and blush until my head exploded. They were both reading it and said I should read it too so we had something to talk about. I protested, bringing up the evils of peer pressure and how good friends don't manipulate each other, but all in vain. I opened the pages with a shudder.

"It's really not that bad Casey, it's really a love story." Cher encouraged.

"Yeah, about a sexual deviant." I muttered.

"Oh, come on. Just because people don't talk about it does not mean they don't do it." Emily said matter of factly.

I blushed a deeper shade. Well whatever 'people' did, I sure didn't.

It was typical that I reached the first sex scene just after I got home. I was reading in my room as I didn't want anyone to know what I was reading, but of course everyone decided that today was talk to Casey day.

First was Lizzie. She'd refused to speak to me after last night, and now she wanted to come say sorry. "I'm so sorry, Casey. I know it wasn't really your fault. It was Derek doing that protective big brother thing he does so badly." She pulled a face at that sentiment. We both found it somewhat ironic how he chose to protect the women in his home from people doing something he'd probably do.

"Yeah, well you wouldn't be the first to suffer from him doing that." I said sympathetically.

"Yeah..." Lizzie didn't look convinced. Had she forgotten me and Sam already? "I don't think that was from brotherly motives."

"Yeah, your probably right." I sighed, "I was after his best friend, and we all know Derek doesn't like to share."

Lizzie laughed and I smiled.

"So has Darren called yet?" I asked.

"Nah, but it's only been a day." Her face took on a worried look. "That's normal right?"

I nodded. "He'll probably call later. Or tomorrow."

"Yeah, or next week." Her expression was sceptical, clearly not buying what I was selling. "Anyway, I gotta go. Places to go, protests to organise. See ya later."

"See you." I sighed. Why did I give relationship advice/girly pep talks? I was no good at it.

Second Mom came for a mother daughter heart to heart. I knew she missed me when I was at university, but I would have preferred not to have the lecture on the importance of friends and a social life amongst my studies.

And last came Derek, entering without knocking and with the usual greeting of 'space-case'. He looked a little amused when I greeted him politely, but somewhat coldly.

"Whatcha readin'?" He asked casually.

I didn't bother trying to hide the cover, he'd find a way to find out anyway. Probably involving wrestling it out of my hands or going in my room while I was asleep. This way was better.

He laughed, "Isn't that pornographic?" He asked, delighting in in the blush I wasn't able to suppress.

"It's a romance novel, and yes it does contain some sexual scenes." I said as calmly as I could. I was currently reading one of said scenes which wasn't helping.

"That's not what Sam's sister says, she says it's about an uptight virginal prude who gets seduced by a kinky billionaire who does all sortsa nasty stuff to her." He grinned at my discomfort. "Sounds like you, you hoping for your kinky rich guy to show up?"

I resisted the urge to hurt him. Badly. And, no it wasn't in any way related to the goings on in the book 'cause that would just be... Ew. "She's nothing like me. And she's not an uptight prude."

"Well if you're right about the second part then you've got to be right about the first part."

I clenched my jaw. This was not going to turn into a fight, he was not going to provoke me out of my resolution.

"I see you didn't correct me about the kinky billionaire doing nasty things to her. I wouldn't have thought that was your kind of thing." He tilted his head to the side like he was examining me. "But then I could be wrong. Do you want someone to tie you up and do bad things to you, Princess?"

By now I was pretty sure I was causing myself an ulcer, but I refused to break. "What a person reads doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their personal preferences." I managed, though if justice had prevailed over physics, the coldness of my tone would have turned him into a snowman.

"Oh, come on Case, you know you want to yell at me for that one."

I ignored him and turned the page, though I hadn't really read a word since he came in.

"Casey, Casey, Casey." He sat down in my office chair. "Why don't you just give in? You know I'll win in the end. I always do."

"It's not about winning, Derek. It's about stopping this childishness." I looked at him then and he looked a little worried under his smirk. I smiled for the first time since he came in. "It's time we grew up."

He left, throwing the words 'dinner's ready' over his shoulder.

I sighed and rolled onto my back. This was going to be harder than I thought.

I was the last one downstairs and took my seat while conversation was already going on around me. I breathed a sigh of relief; Derek was already talking to George about his hockey games. No hassling Casey for the time being.

I was almost halfway through dinner before he decided to make another attempt, pretending to reach for the peas and knocking my drink on me in the process.

I hissed, but bit my tongue. "I'm going to go get changed." I said with every bit of calm I had left in me.

The whole table looked at me, stunned.

"Casey, are you ok?" Mom asked.

"Fine, it's just a little juice. I'll be right back." I knew that wasn't what she meant, but I was in no mood to talk to her about Derek. I even managed to avoid giving Derek the evils as I left. Not so much as I came back in (which got a small smile from him), but I still didn't say anything to him.

The rest of the meal was significantly quieter, everyone pausing to give me strange looks every few minutes. Luckily they were over it by the time we'd all finished.

The day passed with an attempt by Derek to get me to fight him for the remote and lots of name calling, though I was proud to say, none of it by me.

I dreamt that night that I'd killed Derek and hidden his body under my bed, and was trying to stop everyone from finding out.

I woke up and stretched leisurely, thinking I was up early as my alarm hadn't gone off. I came to my senses and my head whipped around to my alarm clock. Ten twenty! Someone had turned off my alarm and I knew who. Instinct had me out of my bed and halfway to Derek's room before I took a breath and remembered my resolution. I turned and headed for the stairs, still in my pyjamas.

The first thing I saw when I got to the kitchen was Derek's smirk. I decided to wipe that off the only way I could without arguing (which would probably have made it bigger, thinking about it).

"Thanks for turning off my alarm Der, haven't felt this well rested in forever." I smiled sweetly and walked past my open mouthed sister, sneaking a glance and Derek's frown as I went.

"Yeah, well I thought you'd be enjoying your dreams what with what you're reading. You seemed to be, what with the huge smile on your face. It was adorable." He put it on really thick at the end, his smirk returning.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times before answering. "Actually I was dreaming about you." I could have kicked myself. Why, oh why did I say that? That would give him enough ammunition for a month!

His expression froze and his eyes looked panicked. To my surprise, he turned to Lizzie and started asking about what she was doing that day (soccer practice followed by a round of milkshakes at Smelly Nellie's, as she had somehow managed to convince the manager to do soya milk and ice-cream), ending the conversation.

I shrugged, too relieved to care why he wasn't teasing me.