Here it is, the last chapter! It's not really a worthy end to my Harry Potter length fanfic, but I couldn't really come up with a suitably dramatic end, so you guys can have a disgustingly fluffy one instead.

Disclaimer: Life With Derek is not mine, but I feel like I've sort of been it's foster parent throughout this fic, and now it's time to hand it back to it's real parents. *cries*

Chapter Thirty-Two

"No, I do not owe you my purple court shoes for putting the idea into my head. I'd have figured it out eventually." I asserted confidently, then at Cher's preparatory indrawn breath at the other end of the line I continued, "And if I didn't then Derek would have."

Emily chuckled. "I doubt it. Derek's had a crush on you for how many years and he only started to think the feeling was mutual when klutzilla reared her ugly head, which only happened because you knew you liked him."

I'd never seen the point in conference calls before Cher and Emily met. Now I didn't know what I'd do without them. "Love, Emily, he has been in love with me for how many years." I corrected smugly. Derek probably wouldn't approve of me letting them in on this detail, but I couldn't care less. We didn't get to be dating by worrying about pissing each other off. "And klutzilla had nothing to do with this."

"I bet he thinks klutzilla is adorable," Emily gushed, "And all these years the only reason he hated it was because it showed you liked someone else."

I snorted. "Derek still thinks I'm as ridiculous and nerdy as he ever did, it's just now he also thinks I have a great butt."

"Casey, he always thought you had a great butt. He'd have had to be blind not to." Emily countered.

"I wish I had your butt, it's so firm and toned. Mine's just skinny." Cher lamented.

"Then do some actual exercise!" I advised, even though I disagreed. Cher had a marvelous butt. "Twenty minutes a week of doing squats in front of the TV isn't going to work as well as a lifetime of dance training."

"Hey! I exercise!" I could practically hear her accompanying pout over the phone.

"Sex is the best kind of exercise." Emily agreed to an unspoken statement.

I laughed. "I thought that was swimming?"

"That's second best." Emily informed us sagely.

"So what do you get your booty-licious backside from, Emily?" Cher asked, "Swimming or sex?"

"Swimming, definitely swimming." Emily sighed. "I haven't got through batteries this fast since I played with furbies."

Cher and I gave giggles that would, to an untrained ear, sound like they belonged to a couple twelve year olds.

"Oh, grow up! I'm an independent twenty-first century woman who has needs and isn't afraid to satisfy them herself if no one else is there to do it for me." Emily proclaimed proudly.

"Bravo." I said. "But seriously, not as much has changed with me and Derek as you'd think. Yesterday I ended up with smudges of cheesecake down my dress because we got into a food fight over which Shrek film is the best."

"The first one." They chorused.

"Right." I agreed. "And just because I insinuated that Derek only preferred the third because of Snow White singing the Immigrant Song he flicked his cheesecake at me!"

Half-past three and I hung up and went to bed, my mind making idle chatter in the background of my thoughts until I eventually drifted off.

I awoke with a start and a slight shriek, throwing the covers away from me as I looked straight at the thing that had woken me up. Derek. I glared.

"Wow Spacey, and I thought you were a morning person!" He said brightly, grinning at my puffy face, birds nest hair and death glare.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, the low, threatening tone I used slightly undermined by the drowsiness that hadn't left me yet.

"Just thought I'd come see my girlfriend before the family gets here." Derek's expression was completely innocent. It was alarming to say the least.

"They aren't coming until twelve." I pointed out, reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table.

"Yeah, and it's eleven now." He informed me.

I choked a little on my water, grabbing his arm and twisting it so I could see the time on his watch, comparing it to the one displayed on my alarm clock. He was right. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?!" I demanded, ignoring the fact that if he had he probably wouldn't be alive and talking to me still.

"But you look so adorable when you're asleep!"

I narrowed my eyes, waiting for him to get to the insulting part.

"Dribbling gently on the pillow, snoring loud enough to scare off small children, face all smooshed up into the pillow..." He went on. "You're like the original sleeping beauty."

I got up to dig out my things ready to take a shower, hitting him on the back of the head on the way past.

"Hey!" He grabbed my wrist. "Where do you think you're going after I came all this way to see you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Shower."

"Want me to come with you?" He leered.

"Ew!" I made a disgusted face. "As if I'd ever have sex in a public shower room!"

Derek chuckled. "You saying you would in a private one?"

I shrugged. "I'm a neat freak. To me, clean is sexy." I winked as I left the room.

"I'll bear that in mind!" Derek called after me, after a small moment of shock.

I giggled and made my way to the showers.

We spent the rest of the day at the park with our family; by the time I'd come out of the shower we'd only had time for a quick make-out session before they'd arrived and Derek sulked for the next half an hour because he hadn't got his hands up my shirt. I made it worse by telling him how cute he was when he pouted.

It wasn't too long before he was chasing Marti around the playground though, ignoring the disapproving parents that watched them clamber over equipment meant for children younger than Marti, let alone Derek. Wasn't like anyone else was playing on them anyway, and they'd given up the swing to an overweight kid who's Mom wouldn't let her play with the other kids because of her asthma.

Lizzie and I laughed as Derek tripped over pothole and only just managed to right himself before he fell on a five year old who was running back and forth seemingly chasing his imaginary friend.

Edwin got up and joined them after finishing his candy bar, grabbing Lizzie's arm to pull her with him and gesturing me up.

I stumbled somewhat reluctantly to my feet, still feeling my late night and the grogginess of lying in later than usual, but grinned anyway as I joined my boyfriend and our siblings in the chase until I was too tired to realistically keep up. Instead I went over to the picnic blanket and took Simon off to the baby swings. He was barely big enough to stay in them, but he liked being a part of things and I hadn't spent much time with him over the weekend. I sometimes felt a little like I was missing out on him by being all the way out in Kingston.

I grinned at Derek as he ran past us yelling to Simon to throw up on me, and turned back to my baby brother. "Don't you ever listen to anything that loony tells you, okay?" I warned Simon. I pushed him a little longer, but it was clear he was enjoying watching the others more than my efforts, and they were gradually dropping off until it was just Derek running to catch up with them back at the picnic blanket.

Once we were all assembled, Mom pulled out sandwiches and chips from her bag (that changing bag was like a Tardis; she somehow had room in there for all of Simon's nappies and clothes and everything, plus an entire picnic) and the carnage began.

I looked around at my family. Edwin and Lizzie were arguing over bacon again as she tried pointlessly to convince him that he shouldn't be eating an animal that was smarter than a three year old human while he mockingly rebutted with her old argument that we shouldn't measure the value of life by intelligence. Mom was lying across the blanket, head on George's lap with Simon cradled against her side, George's left hand resting on her hip as he ate his sandwich.

And then there was Derek, who had already managed to scarf down his sandwich and was now looking longingly at my cupcake. I broke half off and handed it to him.

He leaned forward to press a grateful kiss to my lips. "I love you." He said, quietly enough that only I could hear.

I smiled. "Love you too." I replied at a normal volume, drawing a few glances from the family.

"Geeze, Case, let the whole world know why don't you." Derek teased, a little embarrassed.

I grinned and pulled him in, planting a big, sloppy kiss on his cheek that made him grimace and wipe his face disgustedly. "I plan to."

And I did. Whether the world wanted to hear it or not.

There you have it guys! Thank you so much for reading and for your amazing comments, this was my first ever fanfic and you all made the experience so worthwhile. Goodbye. *cries again*