Working on it – LWD
Summary: Set after the movie.
Disclaimer: I don't own LWD. It would have never gone on the Disney channel- I don't own that either.
A/N: Thanks to those who have left me comments! I like to know what you're thinking. Keep in touch. Glad those of you who have ventured to read it are enjoying it.
Chapter 6
Breakfast was louder than it had been in a while. Derek had his own level of loudness while he pestered his siblings, ordering Edwin to make a plate while he took a bite of Marti's toast. And they all complained about Fiona and Vicky's arrival next week.
George muttered about Harry and a sprained ankle – and who goes hiking for a damn bachelor party anyways?
"Aunt Fiona is always about to cry, and Victoria is peter-noisy", Marti stumbled over the word. Lizzie bit her tongue to keep from laughing.
"I think you mean patronizing, kiddo", Derek chuckled.
"Yeah, that. Then who's Peter?" Marti asked, scrunching her eyebrows together in confusion.
"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers?" Edwin offered.
"Oh, that Peter", Marti nodded.
"Uh, Mom…" Lizzie started slowly. "Where are we putting them?"
Derek groaned. "I've got that figured out, but can I finish my breakfast first?" he complained.
"You're assigning bedrooms?" George asked dubiously.
"Yup, I got it covered", he nodded, eating like he wasn't being stared at.
"Vicky isn't sharing with you", Nora rolled her eyes, leaning over the baby seat as she let Simon try a small bite of mashed bananas.
Lizzie choked on a piece of bacon trying not to laugh, remembering the discussion she had had with her oldest step-brother about her dear cousin. Edwin helpfully slapped her on the back.
"No chiz, Nora", Derek made a disgusted face.
"Alright, Derek, let's hear your idea", Nora nodded.
He shrugged. "We were going to switch the bedrooms while I was here anyway. You guys take my room, and I move into the basement this weekend. Edwin keeps his room – 'cause let's face it, no one else likes it up there. Harry and Fiona take Liz and Casey's room, Icky Vicky can sleep in Marti's room-"
"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Marti glared.
"I'm getting there", Derek placated. "The couch in the basement is a pull-out, and we've got an air mattress. The girls crash with me, and hopefully I won't wake up to Vicky caressing my hair – again." He shuddered dramatically.
"We can have a slumber party?" Marti asked excitedly.
"Victoria did what?" Nora groaned.
"Sure, why not", Derek shrugged, answering Marti. "You've got to clean your room though."
"Drat!" Marti pulled a face.
"The four of you are going to be able to share a room without fighting?" Nora asked skeptically, "For four days?"
"It's a pretty big room", Derek pointed out. "And there's the attached bathroom."
"What do you think, George?" Nora questioned.
He made a face. "I don't know, Nora. Do you think Casey will go along with this?"
Lizzie pulled out her phone and started typing. "I'm texting her. Hold on. Casey can sleep on the air mattress in Marti's room with Vicky or in the living room if she doesn't like it."
"Or the porch", Derek added with a mouthful of pancakes.
Lizzie elbowed him discreetly.
"Ow!"
She blinked at him lazily as her phone beeped. "What happened?" she asked, tilting her head innocently even though he was glaring at her. Lizzie read the reply from Casey and chuckled. "She said it's fine as long as Derek picks up his underwear from the floor. If there's a problem, she'll take the air mattress somewhere else."
Derek snatched her phone and started texting Casey.
"Der-ek!" she complained when he leaned away from her reaching hand. "Give it back."
"Hold on", he smacked her hand away.
"Text her yourself", Lizzie whined.
"I am!" he laughed.
"With your own phone, moron!" she reprimanded. "She'll know it's you anyway."
Edwin rolled his eyes. "And you guys are all seriously going to share a room? We should start digging a hole in the backyard now."
"Liz, Marti, will you two be alright with this?" Nora asked, pointedly interrupting what might have ended up being a slap fight between Derek and Lizzie over her phone.
"Sleepover!" Marti repeated, nodding happily.
Lizzie groaned, reaching over Derek's shoulder for her phone again where he was gleefully harassing Casey. "Give me- ugh, Mom, I don't care. But I'm with Casey on the subject of Derek's underwear."
"What were you and Case doing with my underwear?" Derek teased.
"I'll dye them all pink if you don't give me my phone back right now!"
"Sure you will", he chuckled, moving to put his plate in the sink, shoving her phone in his pocket. "Come on, Lizard. You can help me pack up my room." He took off up the stairs.
"I- what? My phone- Mom!" she yelped.
"Seriously?" Nora groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Go on", she dismissed her daughter. "And remember you all agreed to this ludicrous idea. So if you can't get along, George and I will not be refereeing", she said seriously.
"Thanks, Nora", George nodded seriously. "That goes for me too!"
"George!" she muttered exasperatedly, and then nodded at Lizzie. "We'll start packing to move things upstairs."
Lizzie got up and rinsed her plate off and put it in the dishwasher along with Derek's.
"Dad, a nod would have been fine", Edwin offered.
"A pony would be better", Marti added. "Nora, I'm full."
"We're not getting a pony", George said dryly, "For the millionth time since you could talk."
"Go play, honey", Nora took Marti's plate and got to the dishwasher before Lizzie closed it.
"I'm going to color!" Marti announced as she disappeared into the family room.
"And I'm going to get my phone back before Derek starts deleting all the guys on my contact list", Lizzie grumbled, jogging through the house and up the house.
Edwin snickered. "I'm glad that's not my job. She'd kick my ass."
George groaned, "'All'? Just how many boys' numbers are on her phone?"
"Soccer team, science club, AV club – they don't really count, and some guys from her karate class" Edwin shrugged. "And Matt, of course – plus Sam and Ralph…"
"I have a headache", George complained. "Wait a minute… Derek's Sam and Ralph?"
"Ralph works at the mall", Edwin explained. "We see him a lot. And Sam calls when he's in town and no one else is around to play hockey with. I usually play goalie."
"Does Derek know that?" George made a face, clearly remembering the Sam and Casey dating fiasco ad Derek's conniption fit.
Edwin shrugged. "I didn't tell him. He'd freak out over nothing. I have their numbers too."
"Let's try to keep it quiet then", George advised.
"Oh, thank god", Edwin muttered under his breath. "I thought you were gonna try to say 'on the DL' again."
Nora laughed under her breath.
"Don't you have some homework to do?" George narrowed his eyes.
"It's a holiday, Georgie", Nora reminded calmly.
"Go clean you room or something-"
Thump!
"Or make sure Derek and Lizzie don't break something", he stared up at the ceiling towards Derek's room. He made a face. "That's not something I thought I'd ever have to say."
"Nah, they broke that vase when he was teaching her hockey a few years ago", Edwin refuted.
"So that tale about a sudden earthquake was bunk, huh?" Nora raised a sarcastic eyebrow.
"Maybe just a tad", Edwin held his thumb and forefinger slightly apart.
"Just as well", Nora smirked. "That was an ugly vase. It was from Dennis's mother. I'd been looking for an excuse to toss it for years."
"I told you, you should have 'lost' it in the move", George chuckled.
"When we were still married, Helen always said that she wanted her ashes in that thing and on our mantelpiece", Nora rolled her eyes. "Dennis made sure I got it on purpose", she laughed.
"Creepy", Edwin grimaced. He got up to put his own plate away. "I'm going upstairs."
00
Lizzie made her way down the hallway and shoved at Derek's half open door, walking in without invitation to find him at his computer. "Derek, I want my phone", she demanded.
"Huh, sucks for you", he said lightly.
"Oh, my god. Are you being annoying on purpose for any reason in particular?" she asked aggravatedly.
He smirked lazily.
"Derek!"
"What?"
"My phone", she said dryly.
"What about it?"
She groaned, deciding to give up for the time being. "Is this your idea of packing?" she asked, flopping on his bed and picking up a car magazine to flip through.
"I thought you could do it while I supervise", he teased.
"Ha-ha", she glared at him. "Not happening."
"Yeah, yeah", he muttered, clicking on the playlist he wanted and reaching to turn up the volume of his speakers. "I'm gonna grab some boxes from the attic to throw stuff in." He paused briefly at the door. "Are you actually going to help?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Will you give me my phone back if I don't?"
He grinned, "Nope."
"Go get the damn boxes."
She heard the smack of the pull-down ladder as it hit the floor and went to his computer to rename all of his playlists.
Lizzie was lounging on his bed again when he came back a few minutes later, a cocky quirk at the corner of her mouth. Never let it be said that she didn't learn to prank.
"What did you do?" he asked accusingly when he saw the look on her face as he dropped the stack of boxes at the doorway.
She smoothed her features instantly. "Nothing… I was just wondering if this half-naked girl actually knows anything about cars", she gestured to the magazine.
He raised an eyebrow, only half buying it. "No one buys that for her knowledge", he pointed out.
"I have a sudden urge to wash my hands", she muttered, scooting off the bed and quickly running into the bathroom, ignoring his laughter.
He was still amused when she came back. "Better?" Derek shook his head.
"I want to take a bath in Clorox", she scowled. "You'll warn me before I touch anything icky, right?"
He shrugged. "Stay away from the bottom drawer of the night table."
"And the box under the bed", she muttered under her breath, flushing slightly.
Derek smirked at that, almost deciding to let that one slide – but he really couldn't. "I thought you would have learned your lesson after the first time."
"Oh, shut up", she grumbled. "It's not like it was my idea to begin with."
"Yeah, yeah, the devil made you do it", he laughed.
"Casey's not the devil", Lizzie said mildly.
"Blah, blah, blah", Derek waived her off, "Devil, spawn of Satan; tomato, potato."
She rolled her eyes and went to grab a box. "Where do you want me to start?"
He made a face and looked around. "The desk, I guess. The drawers come out though, so just the stuff on top. And the stuff on the shelf should fit in there too."
She nodded and sat in the desk chair and started moving things into the box. "Fair warning, if Harry and Fiona have sex in my bed, I'm moving into your room until Mom and George buy me a new mattress – and until I stop having nightmares."
Derek faked heaving. "I really didn't need that horrifying visual."
"What? Aunt Fiona's 'O' face?" Lizzie snorted.
"Lizzie!"
He tossed a pillow at her head while she laughed.
"You should have just given me back my phone", she pointed out.
0
Edwin had decided to bypass Derek's room completely to avoid getting suckered into doing all the work just in time to hear his brother yell at Lizzie for saying something about an 'O' face – he really didn't want to know.
But instead of sneaking stealthily past the ominous red door that led into his brother's room, he tripped over an unsuspecting pile of boxes. "Shit!" he cursed as he flew through the air and then smacked his elbow on the floor.
He heard muffled laughter behind him and groaned. Of course everyone available saw that.
"If you're practicing for pole vaulting, Ed, you're missing the pole", Derek offered dryly. "Now get in here and help. Quit smashing my boxes."
"Your concern is touching", Edwin said sarcastically as he stood up.
"Well, you did stick the landing", Lizzie teased. "I wish we had caught that on camera. Are you okay?"
Edwin rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, except for the mini heart attack I just had. And if your pride is somewhere on your ass, that hurts too."
Lizzie buried a grin.
"More packing, less chatting", Derek ordered, taking the blankets off the bed and tossing them on his cushioned chair under the window. "I don't want to do this all day."
"Funny", Edwin muttered under his breath. "I didn't want to do this at all."
"Ed, take out the dresser drawers and stack them in the hallway on the left. I'm gonna put the mattress and box spring on the other side."
Edwin gave a mock salute. "Aye, aye, King Derek, sir", he answered sarcastically.
Derek smacked the back of his head as he passed. "Everyone's a smartass", he groused.
Lizzie smirked. Derek had no idea that the playlist they were currently listening to was now labeled 'Color Me Pretty'. Never mind that she had added 'The Best of Brittany Spears Hits' to his library and put it in his rock mix category.
He was going to kill her slowly sometime in the near future. Hopefully it would be before Fiona, Vicky, and Harry got here.
"Hey, D, can I unhook the stuff over here we aren't using?" she asked distractedly.
He nodded, "If you don't blow it up. The printer, the lamp, the stereo- oh, wait", he finished sarcastically, "My stereo magically room hopped."
Edwin looked at the empty spot of the shelf curiously. "Hey, where did your stereo go?"
"I told you", Lizzie said to Derek, trying not to laugh, "There was a little mix up."
"Yeah, in your head", Derek rolled his eyes.
"I only borrowed it", she laughed.
"If you don't intend to give it back, it's stealing, not borrowing."
"Wait, Liz has your stereo?" Edwin asked incredulously. "And she's still alive?"
"Yeah, well, Derek has always secretly wanted to share his things", Lizzie explained with a straight face. "I was just helping."
"I what?" Derek laughed outright. "That is a lie! Somebody get her a straitjacket; she's gone mad."
"Sharing is caring, Derek", Lizzie sing-songed playfully, now finished with the desk and moving to clear the piles of CDs from the shelf.
"Do you want me to hit you in the face with another pillow?" Derek asked dryly.
She just grinned back at him and started unplugging things.
Edwin snickered. His siblings were something else. If Casey had dared to take anything from Derek's room even if he wasn't here – much less his stereo – she would have woken up with her underwear thrown on the front lawn and come out of the shower with blue hair. He wasn't going to question the dynamic though. It would give him an unnecessary headache. Liz was too easy going for Derek to get on her nerves as much as he bothered Casey – his brother didn't like to work that hard. And Lizzie didn't usually do things to get on his brother's nerves for the hell of it – although if he deserved it, that was another matter entirely.
After a few hours of steady work, Derek's room had been cleared, his things strewn down the hallway. Even the shelves were unscrewed from the walls. He and Edwin carried the mattress, box spring, and the dresser down to the living room while Lizzie vacuumed the room so Mom and George could move their things in immediately. They had all decided to get the beds moved and set up first, before shuffling the rest of their belongings around.
Once she finished, she carried the vacuum down to the basement for her mom to use. Their room had been emptied as well and piled into the rest of the basement.
"Okay", she announced walking into the room. "You guys can take bed upstairs. There are boxes stacked against the wall, but there's enough walking space. Just be careful."
"Thanks, Liz", Nora said taking the vacuum.
"Ed, can you carry the frame? Derek and I will follow you with the box spring", George said.
"I'll help Edwin", Lizzie offered. "That frame isn't heavy, but it's a queen, so it's gonna be awkward on the stairs."
George nodded. "Good point. Let's go. Nora can finish in here, and we'll put Derek's bed in next."
0
They took a break from moving to eat lunch, and by the time they finished, and things were mostly in order and put away, it was almost dinner time. Edwin suggested tacos since they were fairly easy and quick to make, and Nora agreed and went into the kitchen with George following to help.
Dinner was quiet since it had been a long day, and they finally sat down to watch a movie. Liz had beat Edwin at rock, paper, scissors and picked Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.
It was nearing eight o'clock when the phone rang. Derek groaned but got up to get it anyway. He checked the caller ID before answering, "Sex addicts hotline, how can I direct your call?"
"Der-ek!" he heard from George and from the other end of the phone line.
"'Sup, Case?" he chuckled.
"I need to talk to Mom", she said flatly.
"Yeah, what for?" he asked blandly.
She gave a long-suffering sigh. "I'm pregnant."
Derek dropped the phone, and then promptly scrambled for it when everyone turned to look at him curiously. "You're what?!" he roared.
She laughed. "Kidding, I'm kidding, Derek."
He hung up on her.
Ten seconds later the phone rang again.
He picked it up and growled into the phone. "That was not funny."
"It was a little funny. Look I know you're in a mood, or whatever-"
"What's that supposed to mean?" he grumbled.
She laughed. "Let me talk to Mom. I need to let her know my flight information."
"You damn near gave me a heart attack", he said roughly. "I'm not done yelling at you yet."
"Learn to take a joke, D."
"I can take a joke. You're just not funny", he muttered. "You can be unfunny to your mother." He turned to raise his voice over the television. "Nora, your astronaut daughter is on the phone."
"Astronaut?" George muttered as Nora got up and went to talk to Casey, taking the phone into the kitchen.
"Space Cadet", Lizzie answered, rolling her eyes. She was instant messaging Matt, explaining that she hadn't texted because Derek had kidnapped her cell phone and they had spent the day rearranging the house.
She didn't mention she might have to wrestle the phone from her step-brother's back pocket later. Maybe bribery would work…
0
Derek had disappeared after he got off the phone with Casey, and Lizzie had lost track of him. She was startled when she finally went upstairs to go to bed only to find him in her room with his stereo playing music, on lounging quite comfortably on her bed.
"Derek! What the hell are you doing in here?" she stared incredulously, pushing the door closed and leaning against it.
"Well… I was going to snoop through your closet, but then I found your pile of photo albums", he grinned, gesturing to a pile on her floor.
She wasn't amused. "Those were in a box under my bed", Lizzie said pointedly.
"Go figure." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"That's creepy", she reminded. "Why are you in here going through my room?"
"I was bored. You took my stereo."
"What's that got to do with anything?" Lizzie laughed.
"And funny thing… your radio was under the bed too", he raised his eyebrows.
She shrugged. "Go figure. I want my cell phone back." She walked over to the bed and held her hand out.
"I want my stereo", he said lazily.
Lizzie picked up a pillow and whacked him with it. "It's right there! Give me my phone!"
"Ah, ah", he scolded. "You didn't ask very nicely."
She scowled. "You stole my phone, and ransacked my room! How nice do you really expect me to be about it? Don't think I won't go through your pockets."
He laughed. "You would not- hey!"
She had hit him with her pillow again. He grabbed it from her, making her fall onto the bed half on top of him, and she began rifling through his pockets.
"Where is it?" she demanded.
"Would you stop frisking me!" he yelped.
"Cell phone", she repeated irritatedly, still digging in his pockets.
He went on the offensive then, searching for her ticklish spot.
"Ah, Derek!" she shrieked. "Stop it!"
"Hush!" he laughed under his breath. "Are you trying to wake everyone up?"
"Stop tickling me!"
"Stop digging in my pockets like a raccoon!" he retorted.
She burst out laughing and fell to her side on the bed. "Give me my phone and take your stereo, cranky."
He grinned and pulled her phone from his back pocket. She snatched it before he changed his mind and ran away with it again. Derek got off her bed and unplugged his stereo and went to the door.
"Night, Liz", he laughed.
She rolled her eyes as he closed the door behind him, "Jerk."