AN: Well, here's the next Chapter... I want to try to get a bit deeper into this story but on the other hand I finally want to involve the family into Casey and Derek's new life's together too. Maybe I'll try to blend both into this one and the next Chapter will be a impromptu visit... Maybe already for the engagement... I am not sure yet. I'll see once I start writing where this Chapter wants me to head. Don't worry about me forgetting Andrew because we'll see a bit more of him in this Chapter too. -Keisha
Chapter 12 „Shooting lessons"
Once both Casey and Derek have been to the Directors office to ask him whether if a residency was possible for her and he'd agreed happily welcoming Casey to the team, both head home. Derek with a considerable amount of files beneath his arm he still has to go over and give his okay to and Casey with her own work-load. She needs to do her paperwork to enroll in online classes and start studying so she'll be able to start working. Dr. Martinovic has told her he'd happily help her along and would let her study some of his cases to teach her a thing or two, so he's given Casey a load of his own files to work through, too.
Both get into Derek's car and drive home. Once there they each deposit their load of files on the kitchen table and retreat to their rooms to get freshened up and changed before either can begin to work. They still have to go grocery shopping, too because the fridge is empty and except for a few different juices there is nothing to drink there either.
Casey's POV
'I am glad that today went so well. I hadn't counted on it, to be honest.' I am rummaging through my closet and getting changed out of the day clothes into a pair of jeans and a cozy Totoro Sweatshirt. I take on my black chucks to go with the washed out black tube jeans and the pair of black boots with studs and sculls adorning them. I comb through my hair, which has been up in a tight bun and pull out the Doughnut bun maker from it. It looks hideous right now so I comb through it again and quickly make two french braids on either side of my head, leaving them open at the end, so they end in two ponytails and stay out of my face. I check my make up and apply some light eye shadow matching my turquoise T shirt.
Once I am satisfied with the way I look like I take a bag and stuff my essentials in it. Such as Mobile Phone (which has been switched off since I've had to leave the hospital so Steven can't try to locate it), wallet and a lip gloss along with some chewing gums, a bar of chocolate, a small bag to carry groceries, a mirror to check my make-up with, a pen and notepad, a pack of tissues, some cosmetic tissues. The usual things I carry around with me on a daily basis. Once I am satisfied I haven't left anything behind I walk downstairs and find a note.
Derek's POV
As soon as we get home I retreat to my room to get changed. I change into a pair of dark grey jeans and an old D-Rock T shirt I've somehow found in my closet. I take on a shirt to cover it up tough. The shirt is dark blue and it looks nice enough. Figuring I'll probably have enough time, I head downstairs and proceed to open my safe and get out a Smith and Wesson Model 5964 Pistol, our standard gun with 9mm cartridges. I check the chamber and load and lock it before making my way into the next room, my shooting range. I've left a note on the kitchen table, should Casey be done before I am... I tend to forget the time when I'm down here.
I walk up to the shooting range and don a pair of headphones. Then I put up a target and let it move to far end of the room. I put on a pair of plastic glasses to shield my eyes and take a deep breath before unlocking the gun and taking aim. With rapid succession and full concentration I fire all fifteen shots at the dummy and grin victoriously as I see where the bullet holes are. I've fired five of the bullets directly at the head and almost none have missed the mark, the remaining ten bullets were fired directly at the heart and have left nice holes all around the area. I grin as I lock and put the gun down. I am surprised to see Casey standing directly behind me with another pair of headphones sitting atop her head. „You're shooting skill is great." She says after I've put the gun down, securing it I pulled the headphones off my head.
„Thanks for the compliment, but if it was bad I wouldn't be doing what I am." I laugh easily. Just then she says something that surprises me a great deal. „Can you teach me?" I blink at her thinking I've misheard. „What did you just say?" I ask for clarification and she gently takes the gun in her hand testing its weight. „Can you teach me to shoot?" She asks again, her eyes hard and feelings I can't decipher running over her features. „Why?" I shoot back a question, softly taking the gun back and taking out the empty cartridge. „Because I want to be able to defend myself." It's the only correct answer she could have given me. Because it's the only reason why I would let her near any gun. „I can show you how it's done, We can shoot another round and then we'll get on the way for grocery shopping." I say sternly moving to the safe and getting a new cartridge to load the gun with.
I tell her to take a firm stand with her legs spread slightly and hold the gun with both her hands. One hand holding the gun with a finger round the trigger and the other holding the gun from below and keeping it steady. Then taking careful aim and pulling the trigger. Her first shot doesn't even hit the target because she'd squeezed her eyes shut and hadn't counted on the recoil, almost tripping over if I wasn't holding her steady from behind. I firmly hold onto her arms and show her again, explaining that she has to keep her eyes open and to forget thinking about anything else other than her target. She has to keep her complete focus on the target and then she has to pull the trigger, if she doesn't keep attention she might accidentally end up hurting herself or me in the process.
She sighs and then takes a stand again, this time with fierce determination in her eyes. She holds onto the gun like I've shown her to and takes aim, biting her tongue slightly while concentrating. „It's just as if you were operating someone, if you miss even by a few inches you can either get shot, or kill you're opponent." I explain and she nods slightly, indicating she's heard me but not wanting to break her concentration by answering. This time she shrugs my offered hand off her back and grimly focuses on her target before pulling the trigger and she actually hits the target. When we pull it close again we see that the bullet went through the 8 just skirting past the 9 and a bit off from the actual x where she'd probably aimed the gun at. She hands me the gun gingerly and I pull out the cartridge and lock it before putting it down.
It's one of my own unwritten rules (and one of the rules of about every other shooting range I've ever frequented) Never put down a fully armed weapon without securing it. You always pull out the cartridge and lock the gun. Many disasters can be prevented this way. I explain this to Casey who nods and still seems to be marveling over the fact that she's shot a bullet with a real gun and not a plastic gun at a fair. „Can we do this again sometime?" She asks. „Sure, if you want to I can teach you how this works." I smile as I lock the guns away safely and we both move back upstairs sitting down together to formulate a list of things we'll need in the grocery department. Casey is making an additional list of things she'll need for herself as well, while one of her cats jumps up into her lap and the other moves about playing with a ball Casey's produced from somewhere out of one of her many bags. I still look at both animals with careful trepidation, because I still can't believe that both of these tiger-sized things are merely kittens.
She easily shoos it away and it sulks slightly before tapping my leg with its snout. Gently I pat its head and it starts to purr. The other having heard the first one comes close too and seemingly wants the same attention as it bumps my other hand and I start to pat it too. „Wow, these really are like any average kitten." I marvel and Casey rolls her eyes at me in a I-told-you-so-but-you-wouldn't-believe-me fashion. „How about Pancakes for breakfast tomorrow?" She asks and I nod eagerly. Casey's pancakes are to die for. I would eat heaps of them back in our teenage days (without her knowing of course), I'd always claim they tasted like clay, and whenever she looked for the pile of freshly made pancakes to eat one or two herself there would never be any found. I grin fondly at the memory.
„You know that we should call them, right?" She asks and I look up at her questioningly. „Our family. We need to call them anyway because of the engagement. We'll both be expected and it's probably going to get their hopes up if we turn up together.." She says and my face falls slightly. 'So, she doesn't want our family to think we're together... That should be fine, because we really aren't together in that sense of the word...We just live together under the same roof... Tough one to explain that to the rents...' She clears her throat and once again brings me back to the here and now.
„Ähm...why don't we let them believe we did get together. It would get them off our backs if we do." I offer not adding the silent (And because I would love for it to be true). She merely shrugs. „You're right. Then they won't go round asking a gazillion of questions when we get there together." She turns slightly red and I grin wondering what's going through that head of hers. Sometimes I'd kill merely for a glimpse behind the eyes of the brunette beauty grinning coyly at me from the next seat.
I take a deep breath before I dial the family from my phone. „Hi Nora." I say greeting her mother with warmth. „Everything's going just great with the Leafs. We're off season currently so no games for me, right now. That doesn't mean we aren't practicing almost every Sunday... Well, yeah about Liz and Ed. It's this next week on Saturday right?" I ask looking at Casey and biting my tongue. I give her a quick wink, telling her that I'll make the slip up soon, so that Nora will know that she's here with me.
„This Saturday?" I ask feigning ignorance. „Yeah...riight. No I didn't forget... I've actually called off my Training Session right Case?" He looks at me and I give him a incredolous look. This is his big master plan?
„I had you call the coach remember?" I quip back easily. „Ähm...yeah...well about that...ühm, we happened to run into each other and she's come over for a visit?" He more asks then tells my mom, making no guise of his outright lie. „Gimme the phone." I put out my hand and relieved he drops the phone in it like it was hot as coals. „Hi mom, yea, yea everything's great. Can we talk about that once we're there? Yeah, this Saturday we'll be getting on our way in the morning. Have a nice night mom. No tell Edwin he did not win that bet! No neither did Lizzy, or Marti...or Simon!" I add as an afterthought. Knowing our family well enough to be sure that even the youngest of our sibling probably has his own bet running on the outcome of our relationship.
Once the phone has been put down I let out a sigh of relief. „Handling them won't be easy...We need a perfectly thought out story we can present them with. You know Lizzy and Edwin will probably see right through us." I add. „I know..." Derek answers and for a brief second I see raw longing displayed on his features but he quickly masks it up with one of his usual smirks. „Well Princess, you're carriage awaits.." He says leading the way to his car.
Meanwhile elsewhere entirely:
Steven's POV
So the little McDonald-Venturi Clan is planning an engagement... That'll be the perfect time to strike. That's when those two will be the least protected. I doubt he'll have the security detail amped up to the max. And even if he does... I know how to bribe my way through anything. You better get ready McDonald-Venturi's because this Engagement won't be something you'll ever forget... I laugh out manically as ideas run through my head of the things I could do... I am going to be having so much fun striking where it hurts that fucker the most... And then I'll go in for the kill... Casey is my next target after that. I laugh out gleefully as I start formulating a plan and send out some of my people to keep an close eye on the family and somehow get their feet into the planning of the festivities...
AN: Sooooo, I know it's another cliffy and I'm sorry but usually when I start writing a Chapter I am never sure how much I'm putting into one Chapter. Many of you want me to get to the Dasey and I will but I am trying to keep this as realistic as possible and they wouldn't jump each other's bones given the situation they are in. They will realize their feelings for each other and you all already know that Derek does know of his extend of feelings towards her the only question is when will he tell her and will she realize her own feelings? In the next Chapter I am going to be having so much fun with them having to act like a couple...Casey is surely in for the day of her life... -Anyway Review Guys and Please No more „Please write more" at least write „Can't wait for another chapter" because that sounds a bit more polite Thank you for reading guys. -Love Keisha