This Is Life With Derek

LWD S04-E24: Color-Coded Casey

"DER-REK! YOU HAVEN'T STARTED PACKING?" Casey stormed into his room, rapidly picking items up off his floor and sorting them. "You'll never be ready to leave for university!"

Not looking up from his computer, Derek drawled, "I don't know if anyone has told you this yet, Spacey, but there's like three weeks left before we go to Queens." He glanced over the top of the screen, watching as Casey sniffed at his stray clothes before deciding to load everything into his empty laundry basket. "But by all means, do my laundry. Just keep in mind that next time I would appreciate the complete maid outfit."

Immediately straightening, Casey cried, "DER-REK, be serious! You haven't implemented a system of packing! This will take weeks! But don't panic, I've already developed a color-coded system."

"Wow, that sounds so fun."

Casey absentmindedly continued filling his laundry basket as she explained, talking rapidly, "So, the stickers work fairly well. I'm pink, you're blue, Lizzie's green, Edwin's red, Marti's purple, the baby is yellow, and Mom and George are orange." She took a breath, beaming, "Then I add either a black, white or gray sticker depending on whether or not we're taking it to university. Black stays, white goes and gray-"

Sometime during her rant, Derek had rose from his desk and approached her, finally cutting her off with a shout of "CASEY!" Once he gained her attention, he continued at a lower level, "Why does everyone need a sticker if we're the only ones leaving?"

"That way there's no confusion, Derek!"

"Believe me, Case. I don't think we'd get to Queens with one of Marti's stuffed animals."

She sniffed, raising her chin high into the air as she snatched up his laundry basket and left his room.

Shaking his head, Derek returned to his desk, flopping into his chair, and pulling up the tab he had quickly minimized when she walked into his room. Derek returned to work, mumbling under his breath, "Casey, Casey, Casey."

🎵 "It used to be my mother and my sister and me,

A happy little family, and alright with me.

Then Mom got married, that's when everything changed,

Some things were lost, and others were gained.

A new school, a new house,

So many changes make my head spin.

Now I've got a brother who gets under my skin.

This is life with Derek,

This is life with Derek,

This is life with Lizzie, Edwin, George and Nora, Marti, and Casey.

Livin' life with Derek,

Livin' life with Derek!" 🎵

Casey shrugged. "So, I might be a bit of a perfectionist. I thrive on organization. Is that so much of a bad thing? Entering a new stage of life has particularly increased my need for perfection fighting against the unknown. My 'University Prep' notebook is organized by dates and items and color-coded by subject and priority. Also, containing detailed lists of what I have and what I need, as well as, what to leave, buy or rent. Everything is in its rightful place at the correct time. So what if I see the world through rose colored glasses? But in my perfect world, there's always been that one person who never fails to show his true colors... and yes, we all know I'm talking about Derek."

Lizzie climbed the attic steps, pausing at the top to call, "Ed? You up here?"

"Yep! Come on up."

Popping into his room, Lizzie looked around whistling, "Jeez, it's a mess up here. What are you doing?"

Edwin's head popped up from behind his desk to look at her. "I'm cleaning out my file cabinet."

She sat carefully on his bed, picking up a folder and reading the title, 'Gassy Humor' at the top. Lizzie snorted, "I hope this is the pile you're throwing away."

He squinted over at the folder, "Nah, that's the save pile!"

Lizzie flipped to the next file, "Red Herrings?"

Peeking over the desk again, Edwin explained, "That's full of cover stories. I thought it might come in handy for high school."

"Interesting and surprisingly on subject of what I wanted to talk about."

Edwin stood, crossing the room to sit by her. "What's up?"

"Are you as nervous as I am?"

"About high school?" Lizzie confirmed it with a nod and Edwin agreed, "Yeah... I'm nervous too."

Lizzie played with a loose thread on his comforter, "Do you feel like we're getting overlooked just because Casey and Derek are going to university?"

He snorted. "Of course, that's the way it's always been."

"Right. I just wish everyone would pay attention to what we're going through too."

"You and me both, sis."

Her head drooped. "When they were going to high school, it was all about them."

Edwin continued for her, "And now that they're going to university, it's all about that."

Nodding, Lizzie pointed out, "They're always going to be one step ahead of us."

Hearing footsteps climbing the stairs, Edwin and Lizzie turned to the door just in time to see Mart's head pop through. "What's up?"

The two waved her in and she plopped down on the floor in front of them. Edwin looked to Lizzie before answering his sister, "We were just talking about high school."

"Are you excited?"

Both Edwin and Lizzie cringed, before Lizzie answered her, "I think I'm more nervous than anything, Marti."

"Same." Edwin agreed.

Marti's forehead wrinkled. "What are you so nervous about?"

Lizzie hesitated, "Mostly fitting in, I guess."

Scratching the back of his neck, Edwin added, "For me it's living up to Derek's reputation."

Frowning, Marti looked between the two. "Shouldn't you be yourselves?"

Forcing a laugh, Lizzie cried, "No! Marti, this is high school!"

Edwin shook his head frantically. "Nothing is normal in high school!"

"So, what are you going to do?"

"We don't know..." Edwin started.

Lizzie finished, "Everyone's so involved in Derek and Casey going to university that no one gives us the time of day."

"Have you tried talking to anybody?" Sadly, they both nodded before Marti continued, "Then try again and tell them how you feel!" She uncrossed her legs from the floor and stood. "Come on, I'll show you." Marti pointed at Edwin, "You be Dad." Then she pointed at Lizzie, "And you be Nora." Marti beamed and pointed at herself, "And I'll be you two."

Clearing her throat, Marti took a giant leap to the right. Lowering her voice, she imitated, "Dad, we need to talk." Jumping to the left, she raised her voice, "Us too, Mom." Back to the right, "Lizzie and I want to talk about high school." A skip to the left, "We're really nervous about starting something new."

Marti came to rest in the middle again, taking a quick bow then standing straight. "See? It's that easy!" Marti clapped once and headed out of Edwin's room, calling over her shoulder, "If you want an encore, I'll be in my tent."

Edwin and Lizzie stared at the closed door for a beat. Smiling softly, Lizzie laughed, "She is a character."

"That's our Marti. Never afraid to color outside the lines."

Returning to Derek's room with a basket full of clean laundry and her 'University Prep' notebook, Casey stood in front of Derek's desk until he looked up.

Smirking with arched eyebrows, he took off his headphones. "I thought I said I needed the full maid outfit."

Casey rolled her eyes, ignoring the blush creeping up her neck. "Whatever, Derek." She ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook and thrust it and his laundry basket at him.

Derek barely managed to grab it before she let go. Fumbling for a second, he finally secured both objects. Looking briefly at the paper, he asked, "What's this?"

"It's your copy of the things you need to pack. I think you'll find it's all pretty black and white, so even you can understand it. Get started and I'll be back later."

Rolling his eyes at her retreating form, he threw the plans over his shoulder before returning his full attention to his laptop.

"Mom? George? Can we talk to you?"

Lizzie and Edwin stood in the doorway, watching as their frazzled parents hurried around the kitchen.

"Uh, Lizard, can it wait? We're kind of in the middle of something right now."

Edwin stood firm, "We've been waiting, Nora."

George looked up from scavenging through a drawer. "Ed, later, alright?"

Shaking his head, Edwin pursued the subject, "We want to talk to you about high school."

Picking up George's search, Nora dug through the drawer. "High school? Yes, yes... okay we can... do that... later."

"Mom, please. We really need to talk."

"Right now, we have to get this paperwork done for Derek and Casey."

"Dad, really, we-"

Nora cut across him, "George, did you get that bank stuff done for Derek?"

George cringed, "Not yet."

"You were supposed to do that a week ago!"

"I'll get it done... tomorrow." George added.

"Tomorrow we have to do the paperwork for Casey!"

"Okay, I'll do it after we finish getting the rest of their things out of the vehicle." The pair walked out the backdoor, forgetting their middle children were talking to them.

As soon as they were alone, Edwin shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"I feel like a ghost in my own home."

"Same, sister."

Lizzie stared at him, "So, what's our next step?"

"I think I might have an idea. Meet me in the games closet and we'll work out the red tape."

"Right. I'll get my notebook."

Stopping abruptly outside her bedroom door, Casey paused to scribble furiously into her notebook. Unexpectedly, something ran into her and both parties let out a startled, "Ompf!"

"Der-rek!"

"Hey, it's not my fault. You're the one that stopped."

"Well, watch where you're going!"

"I was going to my room, but you're in the way."

She held up her notebook. "I just thought of something I had to write down!"

Rolling his eyes, he snatched it from her. Flipping through it, he jeered, "Tell me, is this 'The Life and Times of Klutzilla' or 'A Day in the Life of Spacey' or-"

Casey snatched to the notebook back, interrupting him, "No, it's my 'University Prep' notebook, the prequel to the classic 'Packing List'.

Derek snorted, "Funny, Case." He looked her over, commenting, "I'm surprised your notebook doesn't match your first day of class outfit that you picked out three weeks ago."

A flush materialized across her cheeks, much to Derek's amusement. "This isn't the notebook I'm using the first day of class so it's not a problem."

He laughed, "So, they do match!" Mocking in his best feminine voice, "Just let me know what color it is so we don't clash!" He slipped by her into his room still snickering. As he swung the door shut, Casey caught it and followed him in.

"Derek, why aren't you taking this seriously?" He landed roughly in his desk chair and ignored her. Casey pushed, "Why can't you acknowledge that this is hard for both of us?"

"See Spacey, that's what makes us different."

"That I acknowledge my feelings and you don't?"

Smirking, he clasped his hands in front of his face. "Nope! You have feelings and... I don't."

"Are you trying to tell me, Derek Venturi, that you feel nothing about packing up your childhood bedroom, moving to another town, leaving your family and friends, going to university, and not having your room to come home to?"

He avoided her eyes, clicking around on his computer. "Forget it, Princess. I'm not biting."

Casey paced back and forth in front of his desk quietly for a few minutes. Finally, she broke, "Well, you're right. I'm not like you. I can't pretend I don't have feelings. Even though, I've only lived in this house for a few years, it's really become home to me. I know we all had problems adjusting when we first moved in, but I'm really, really going to miss it here." Her voice wobbled and her eyes welled up with unshed tears.

Derek, sensing trouble, looked up in horror. "No! Oh, no! Absolutely no tears in this room!"

Ignoring him, Casey plopped down on his bed and folded her arms across her chest as the tears ran down her cheeks.

Groaning, Derek covered his face with his hands. "Case-ey!" Dropping his hands, he looked at her cautiously as she wiped at her eyes. "Can't you cry in your own room?"

Suddenly angry, Casey jumped up again. "Right, Derek. I forgot you're allergic to tears! And did you forget that they're not going to be our rooms when we come back?"

Giving in to anger himself, Derek sprung up from his chair. "How can I forget it, Casey, when you're reminding me every two seconds?"

"At least I'm living in reality! You think you can avoid it by ignoring it?"

"I deal with it differently!"

"I'll say! Well, Derek, why don't you just grow up!"

He chuckled humorlessly. "Me? Hate to break it to ya, Space Case, but you're not dealing with reality any better than I am!"

Casey bristled. "And exactly what do you mean by that?"

"The extra keenerness? The super codes? The freak-outs? Yeah, you definitely have everything under control!"

"Excuse me? I'm planning for the future! Which is more than I can say about you!"

Derek rolled his eyes, plucking the notebook out of her hand and shaking it in the air. "Just because I haven't filled six notebooks with plans, doesn't mean I don't have them!"

Unexpectedly softening, Casey asked quietly, "Then why can't you start packing, Derek?" suddenly

Calming down as well, Derek snorted. "When have I ever done anything that far ahead of time?"

Casey stole the notebook back and used it to slap his shoulder. "DER-REK! This is serious!"

Angry again, Derek huffed. "Casey, drop it. I'm not packing anything." She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut across her as he hauled her to the door, "No, no, that's it. You're out of here."

She lingered in the doorway. "You can talk until you're blue in the face, but you're still going to have to do this."

Huddled together in the game closet, Lizzie stated, "We need a strategy."

"Playing nice isn't getting us anywhere. I say we confront them... loudly." Edwin suggested.

Lizzie nodded, hovering her pen over the notebook. "The time has come for drastic measures. Now, we need tactics."

"Way ahead of you, sis." Edwin motioned for the pad and pen. "Alright, I say we trap them in the kitchen after dinner."

"I say the basement. There's too many escape routes out of the kitchen. If we go down and trap them in their room, we can stand in the doorway and block them in."

Edwin scratched out some things and rewrote. "Good, good. Okay, now, what things do you want to say to them?"

Lizzie snorted sarcastically, "Let's see, where to start? First of all, I'm tired of being in Casey's shadow. I have things going on in my life too!"

"Hear, hear! Only Derek's shadow is twice as large."

Conceding his point with a nod, Lizzie continued, "That should be our lead. We're just as concerned going to high school as they are going to university."

"It's not fair that just because they experienced it first, the transition isn't any less serious for us."

"We should get just as much attention." Lizzie took a deep breath, which served to calm her slightly. "Let's try once more to talk to them calmly." Edwin raised a skeptical eyebrow, so Lizzie clarified, "Separately. You talk to your dad and I'll talk to my mom."

"Divide and conquer?"

"Exactly. Then if that doesn't work, we'll pull out the big guns."

He stuck out a hand for her to shake. "Good luck."

"You too, bro."

Lizzie found Nora sitting on a kitchen stool, hovering over a stack of papers. Nora looked up briefly, "Oh hey, Liz. Be a peach and hand me those papers on the counter."

Looking at all the scattered papers on the counter, Lizzie asked, "Which ones?"

"The stack by the phone."

She brought them over to her mom before taking a seat across the island from her. "Mom, I'm not going to beat around the subject. I'm tired of Casey getting all of your attention."

Nora's face showed her shock. "Lizzie! That's hardly true. You-"

Interrupting, Lizzie gave her a hard look. "Trust me, it's true. No matter what's going on, Casey's problems always get top priority."

"Honey, you sound like you have a touch of the green-eyed monster."

"I'm just pointing out how it is. When Casey was starting high school, it was a big deal. Now, when I'm starting high school, Casey's starting at university. So, she gets the attention, and I don't. Well, I have important things happening too!"

"No one's saying that you don't, sweetie. But right now, we have to help Casey and Der-"

"See! That's what I've been saying all along!"

"Look, Liz, you know the saying the grass is always greener on the other side? I'm sure there's plenty of things you do that Casey wishes she-"

"That's the thing, Mom. This isn't about how we're different, it's about how we're the same. We all start high school at some point and-"

Grimacing as she looked at her watch, Nora stood. "Listen, sweetie, we'll talk later. Right now, I have to pick up some things for Casey." She grabbed her keys and purse off the counter and was out the door.

Lizzie let out a muffled scream of frustration.

"Dad, can we talk?" Edwin dropped down on the couch next to George.

George looked up from his newspaper, "What about, Ed?"

"Well, actually... Derek."

Straightening angrily, George asked, "What's he done now?"

"Uh, nothing. More along the lines of how Derek is... favored."

"I wouldn't say he's favored, Ed. He's just... Derek, you know?"

Edwin hung his head, "Yeah, but you do favor him over me."

"That's comparing apples to oranges. You and Derek are entirely different."

Crossing his arms, Edwin huffed. "You don't have to tell me something I'm desperately aware of! I know we're different, okay? I'm talking about how no one is concerned with Lizzie and me starting high school because Derek and Casey are starting university! They get the red-carpet treatment while Lizzie and I are invisible!"

George stared at Edwin in shock. "Easy, Edwin. You're a little red in the face."

"Really? Wow, that's surprising, considering I'm not upset at all!"

"I think you need to take some time and calm down, Edwin, before we talk about this anymore."

Edwin huffed angrily again just as Derek flopped into his chair, reaching for the remote. As a game roared to life, Edwin stood, muttering to himself as he walked around the back of the couch, "Derek's here! Better roll out the red carpet!"

"DER-REK! HAVE YOU PACKED ANYTHING?" Casey flew to his closet, quickly pulling out his suitcase and opening it on his bed before returning to the closet.

Instantly, Derek was out of his chair, tossing off his headphones and striding across the room to block her path. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Spacey! You are not packing my clothes now!"

Crossing her arms, Casey turned away from him. Noticing his clean laundry still in the basket, she picked it up, crying, "Derek, you haven't even hung these up yet!" Casey carried it to his closet and pulled out some empty hangers.

Behind her back, Derek rolled his eyes as he took a seat on his bed, watching as she hung up his clothes methodically.

"What have you been doing all this time anyway?"

"Casey, Casey, Casey. I've been busy."

She snorted, "Yeah, I'm sure. Drafting emails to all your fan club members?"

Derek snickered. "Nah, I use a form letter." Casey whipped around to look at him, making him laugh even harder. "I'm kidding, Spacey!"

Blowing some strands of hair out of her face, Casey turned back to his closet. Still laughing, Derek returned to his desk although he left his headphones off.

"Then what are you working on that's so important?"

Smirking, Derek taunted, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

Edwin and Lizzie marched down the basement stairs. Walking determinedly inside George and Nora's bedroom, they crossed their arms as they stared down their parents. Lizzie started, "Mom, George."

Finishing for her, Edwin stated, "We have something to say."

"Can this wait? We're exhausted." George collapsed backwards onto their bed.

"No, Dad. You need to listen to us."

Lizzie nodded, backing him up. "We've been waiting all summer and frankly, we're both sick of it."

"We're tired of being in Derek and Casey's shadows."

"We know they're going to university and that it's going to be hard on all of us for them to leave, but-"

Edwin finished her sentence, "We're going through a transition too. And-"

"We're both nervous about high school. We'd like-"

"To be able to talk about it, but-"

Growing more frustrated, Lizzie's voice raised, "All we hear about is Casey-"

"And Derek-"

Together, Lizzie and Edwin shouted, "All the time!"

Continuing, Lizzie ranted, "They're getting all the attention and-"

"New stuff for university, while-"

"We need stuff for high school, but-"

"We haven't gotten what we need!"

Lizzie stomped once. "Not to mention how we feel-"

"Being ignored! It's like-"

"We don't matter." Completing their rant together, they turned to look at each other. Lizzie nodded and with that they retreated out of their parents' bedroom, closing the door behind them.

Stacks of boxes surrounded Casey as she sat on the living room floor. She used her notebook as a guide as she sorted. Sheets of colored stickers fanned out in front of her as she reached for another box. Casey leaned back against Derek's chair as she flipped through her notebook.

Behind her, Derek turned up the television volume. Casey tilted her head back, "Derek, do you have to turn it so loud? I'm trying to concentrate."

Derek rolled his eyes, leaning over the side of his chair to hover over her shoulder. He studied the stickers sticking everywhere. "What color means neurotic keener on steroids?"

Casey glared at him but didn't say anything.

Leaning further down, Derek pulled off a pink sticker from her sheet. "Oh, it's pink, right?" In one fatal swoop, Derek stuck it to her forehead.

"DER-REK!"

Through his laughter, Derek called, "Perfect! I've finished my packing!"

Dramatically, Casey peeled the sticker off her forehead and threw it at him. He deflected it with one hand, still snickering. Casey huffed, returning to work and Derek rolled his eyes, going back to his show.

Tilting her head to the side, Casey thought for a minute before she shouted, "DER-REK!"

Jumping at her sudden outburst, Derek looked over his chair at her. "What? I didn't even do anything!"

"You finished your packing?"

He smirked winningly at her, "Yup, just with one sticker." Casey's eyes narrowed and Derek winked, "You're the only thing I need, Princess."

Arching an eyebrow, Casey questioned, "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," Derek teased, "Then you can do everything for me."

Casey rolled her eyes. "I don't think so, Derek."

Hanging over his chair, Derek leaned closer to her. "Aww, come on, Case."

She pushed his face away. "Not a chance."

Derek drew closer again. "We both know you won't be able to resist packing my things in perfect order. She gave herself away as she shifted back and forth. He pulled back, smirking. "That's what I thought."

There was a beat of silence before he asked, "So, why do you have all the baby's things spread across the living room?" His gaze wondered over the explosion of items on the floor."

"Because, Derek, this is a golden opportunity to sort and label while everyone is in bed."

"And remind me again why you have to do this?"

Sighing, Casey shook her head. "Everything needs to be sorted and organized before it's packed."

"Oh, right." He picked up a rattle and a pacifier off the floor. "I almost forgot that we needed these things to go to Queen's."

Grabbing the items out of his hand, Casey returned them carefully to their places. "Der-rek! Be careful!"

"Casey, you're being ridiculous."

Crossing her arms, she glared up at him. "No, I'm not! Now, leave me alone. I have a lot to do tonight." She started sorting the baby clothes by size and color. Derek looked to the ceiling, banging his head against his chair.

As she came into the kitchen, Marti folded her arms importantly. "Dad, Nora, I think you need to talk to Edwin and Lizzie."

George looked up, "Why's that, Marti?"

"They're really upset because no one is listening to them."

"Of course, we listen to them." Nora assured her.

She was already shaking her head, Marti argued, "No, you haven't been. They want to talk about high school, but you haven't let them."

Nora winced, "We've been busy, Marti."

Marti eyed them both sternly. "That's no excuse."

Trying to ease his daughter, George joked, "Anything else we should know, munchkin?"

"Do you know that Casey is color-coding everything because she's so stressed out about leaving?"

The smile dropped from George's face. "It's not a control thing?"

Shaking her head, Marti sighed before responding, "Yes, but only because she wants to fight against the unknown."

Nora's eyes widened. "Wow, that's deep, Miss Smarti. Did Casey tell you that?"

"Nope!" Marti popped the p. "I figured it out."

"Thanks for sharing with us." Nora looked sideways at George.

The little girl wasn't finished, "And you have figured out that Smerek is trying to hide that packing up his room is making him sad, right?"

George and Nora looked to each other, surprised.

Clearing his throat, George asked, "Did Derek say that?"

"Puh-lease, he would never say that. I figured that out too." Both George and Nora shifted in their seats as Marti studied them. Marti chirped, "I didn't think you knew." Marti danced over to the cupboard, grabbing a granola bar before she skipped to the door.

Turning back, Marti sighed heavily, "I'm too young to be the only one knowing what's going on around here."

Listening to Marti trudge up the stairs, George chuckled, "She's no shrinking violet, is she?"

Nora winced, "I think we better make things right with Lizzie and Edwin."

Cringing as well, George agreed. "And then do something about Casey."

"And Derek-" Nora started. They eyed each other before Nora finished, "Well, I don't know what to do with Derek."

"Now that I think about it, he has been acting a little off-color."

"He has been pretty subdued... for Derek that is."

George's answer was cut off by the arrival of Edwin and Lizzie.

Lizzie stepped into the kitchen, immediately complaining, "Mom, we've got to do something about Casey!"

Hastily, Edwin agreed, "Amen! She stickered my entire room!"

"I know, I know." Nora opened the cupboard to grab some dishes and gasped. "Oh my, things have gotten out of hand." She turned back to them, holding stickered plates and glasses.

"She stickered our dishes?" George asked appalled.

Sighing, Nora answered, "It seems so."

As Derek walked into the kitchen, the hushed voices immediately ceased. He looked around at his dad, Nora, Edwin, and Lizzie, who stared back at him wide-eyed before they heaved a collective sigh.

"What's wrong?" Derek asked as he took a seat.

Edwin answered, "We thought you were Casey."

Snorting, Derek responded sarcastically, "Nope, but if I start acting like her, commit me. So, what's up then?"

George cleared his throat. "We were just saying that things have gotten a little out of hand."

"Uh, you think?"

"Derek, be nice." Nora chided. "We were just discussing the newest addition of stickers." She opened the cupboard to show him the stickered glassware.

"She's insane."

"Derek!" George scolded.

"It's true, Dad."

Nodding along, Edwin filled his brother in. "Before I could even say anything, she covered my whole room. All my things have red stickers on them now!"

Lizzie spoke up, "I agree. This has gone way too far. But what do we do to get her to stop?"

Before anyone could answer, they heard Marti whine loudly from upstairs. "Caaaaaaaaseeeey! Sir Monks a Lot doesn't need to wear a purple sticker!"

Derek choked on his food then jumped as Marti screamed, "SMEREK! HELP!"

Snorting, Edwin teased, "Looks like you're the only one who can save Sir Monks a Lot, D."

Groaning, Derek left on his rescue mission, "CASEY! Don't make me come up there!"

Edwin and Lizzie got up, intending to watch the show, but George stopped them by calling, "Wait a minute, Edwin, Lizzie."

"What's up?" Edwin asked, sitting back down.

"We've been talking and..." George trailed off so Nora could take over.

"We are so sorry."

George nodded. "We didn't mean to make you feel that way."

Nora patted her stomach. "It's been a stressful time for all of us... with the baby on its way and Derek and Casey off to university... I know it's no excuse, but I hope you forgive us."

"We've never had kids going to university before. It's hard for us as well." George added.

Nora motioned for Edwin and Lizzie to lean closer and she held out a hand to each of them. "I'll take you both shopping on my day off."

"And tomorrow after dinner, we'll go to the basement and talk about anything you want, okay?"

Lizzie and Edwin eyed each other. Finally, Lizzie gave Edwin a miniscule nod and he turned to his dad and Nora asking, "And if you don't follow through with your promises?"

His dad winced. "You can pick our punishment."

Communicating silently, they nodded. Lizzie smiled, "Agreed. It's a deal."

George went back to his breakfast, but Nora stared off into space saying, "Now, if only we could figure out how to handle Casey."

"We need to plan an intervention or something." Edwin lamented.

Lizzie perked up, "Hey, that's an idea! We'll all sit her down and confront her!"

George and Nora looked to each other, silently deliberating. Nora hesitated, "I think... I think we might have to." She winced at the end of her sentence.

Edwin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you serious?"

Picking up his labeled glass and plate, George nodded. "You plan it out today and we'll implement it after work."

Excitedly, Lizzie asked, "You're really giving us the green light to do this?"

Nora grimaced, "Within reason, of course." She shot a smile at Lizzie and then told George, "We better get to work, George."

"Right!" George took a final bite of breakfast before turning to help Nora up. They gathered their things and headed to the door, calling goodbyes out over their shoulders.

Smirking, Edwin turned to Lizzie. "Lizzie, it's our red-letter day."

"It's about time!"

"CASEY! Don't make me come up there!"

Splitting his name from upstairs, Casey's head peaked over the banister. "I'm not scared of you." She disappeared around the corner again.

Marti called again, "HELP, SMEREK!"

"Three seconds, Case!"

"NO, NOT MY PONY!"

"THREE!"

"Casey, the animals don't need stickers!"

"TWO!"

"NOT MY TENT!"

"ONE!"

"Please, Casey, stop!"

"TIME'S UP, SPACEY!" Derek's feet thudded up the stairs. He rounded the corner, finding Casey and Marti kneeling by the girl's tent in the hall. Derek hauled Casey up by the arm.

Casey cried, "Der-rek!" as she ripped her arm from his grasp. "I told you, everything has to be sorted and labeled."

"And I told you, we're not going to end up at Queen's with one of Smarti's animals!"

They circled each other closely, noses almost touching. "Derek, there's nothing wrong with organizing!"

"Casey, you don't need to organize everyone's things!"

"But-"

"But nothing! No one else is involved! It's just you and me, Case!"

Behind them a small giggle interrupted Casey's comeback. Both Derek and Casey had forgotten their witness.

"What's so funny, Smarts?"

Giggling again, Marti answered, "You two are cute when you fight like that." Marti sighed wistfully, "I wish I had a step-sib like that."

Derek forced a laugh, "Trust me, Smarts, ya don't." He quickly disappeared into his room, both girls staring after him.

Casey walked in the front door, bags of new stickers and notebooks weighing heavily from her arms. After taking a few steps inside, she stopped dead in her tracks. Lizzie, Marti, Nora, George, and Edwin lined the couch, staring expectantly at her. Derek reclined easily in his chair, hands behind his head and looking bored.

Lizzie spoke first, "Hello, Casey."

"Please, take a seat." Edwin inclined his head to the chair by the door.

Clearing his throat, George added, "We have something we'd like to discuss with you."

Looking between everyone, Casey refused to sit. "Is this an intervention?"

Nora winced, her voice a wobbly state of nervousness, "Well, no, we just want to... lend some color... to how we're all handling... things around here."

"So, it is an intervention." Casey sunk slowly into the chair.

Edwin waved a hand impatiently. "Sure, intervention, conspiracy, tomato, tomato, whatever you want to call it. Let's just get to it. Lizzie, proceed."

Straightening in her seat, Lizzie started again, "Well, frankly, Casey, you're driving everyone nuts."

Derek snorted, mumbling, "Nothing new there."

Casey shot him a glare before her mother drew her attention away from Derek. "Listen, Casey. The stickers on the dishes were a little much."

"Mom, I'm simply organizing and color-coding to enable a more efficient packing routine!"

George frowned. "We understand that. It's just... not everything has to be labeled."

Jumping in, Edwin agreed, "Like my room, for example. Nothing from my room is going anywhere!"

"Mine either!" Lizzie added

"And my animals know where they go!" Marti blurted.

Nora put in, "George and I know what belongs to us as well. But Miss Case, we really do appreciate you helping out with the baby's things." She patted her stomach lightly.

Frowning, Casey looked away from everyone.

Lizzie's voice grew more consoling, "We get that organizing is your thing, sis, but it's gone too far."

Frantically, Edwin nodded. "So, it came down to an intervention."

Wincing at Edwin's choice of word, Nora soldiered on, "You and Derek are the only ones moving so focus on the two of you. Okay, Case?" Derek shot a look at Nora but didn't comment.

Trying to appease Casey, George smiled. "When the time comes for the move, everything will work out."

Casey just barely resisted rolling her eyes. Instead, she looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. "Can I go now?"

Slowly, Nora nodded. "I think that's about everything we wanted to say. Right, everyone?" Nods went off around the couch, but Derek only rolled his eyes.

Not waiting for more, Casey jumped out of her chair and raced up the stairs. Her bedroom door slammed loudly, causing everyone to flinch.

Edwin shook his head. "I still think we should have done a Godfather move."

Marti knocked softly on Casey's door, waiting for Casey's permission. She slipped in quietly, approaching Casey and crawling gently into bed with her. Carefully, she cuddled into her side. "Are you okay, Casey?"

"I'm fine. Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to check on you after," Marti held up her hands to make air quotes, "The intervention."

"Aww, that's nice of you. But I'm okay."

"You don't have to say that, you know. It's okay to not be okay all the time."

Casey gave the girl a watery smile as she tucked a strand of Marti's hair behind her ear. "You're too young to understand so much."

Marti smiled, leaning her head against Casey's shoulder. She waited a moment before she whispered, "You know my brother needs you, right?"

"Marti... he would never say that."

"Doesn't make it any less true."

"I'm not sure I believe that, kiddo."

"Just don't stop trying no matter what he says. His sorry butt needs you or he'll never make it."

Casey grew quiet. Several minutes passed before she volunteered, "He makes it so hard sometimes."

"I know. That's how he is, but he really does care."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

"Seriously. He's sad about his room and doesn't want anyone to know. I'll talk to him about it. Things will get better, you'll see."

Chuckling, Casey teased, "I think you're chasing rainbows, Marti."

"What's wrong with that? I love rainbows!"

She pulled Marti in for a side hug. "You're so sweet, Marti. Thank you, but you really don't have to talk to him. I can handle Derek."

Marti smiled innocently up at her. "Bet I can get him to talk about his ffff-feelings!"

Casey laughed as Marti mocked her older brother. The two collapsed against each other, giggling. As they sobered, Marti wrapped her arms around Casey's neck tightly, uttering tenderly, "I love you, Casey."

"I love you too, kiddo."

"Casey, this is your third uninvited visit in the last," Derek checked his watch, "Two hours. What the hell do you want now?"

She clutched her notebook securely to her chest, holding her chin high. "I'm double checking my list, Derek." He rolled his eyes and went back to his computer. Casey studied him for a beat, "What are you working on so intently?"

Not looking up, he teased, "I thought I'd document 'The Life and Times of Klutzilla' for you, since the fam is going to lock you up... or kill you. Honest, it's a toss-up between the two."

"You are not."

"Fine, don't believe me. But I'd take it seriously that you're the star of everyone's annoyment if I were you."

"Annoyance, Derek."

"See, even you agree."

Casey sniffed. "Whatever." She snapped her notebook close and left his room.

"You again?"

Casey ignored Derek as she rounded his bed. She pulled out a measuring tape to measure his closet.

Derek's mouth hung open. "Uh, Case?" Casey didn't answer so he continued, "Do you happen to know the number to call for a straitjacket?"

She turned and glared at him but continued to write down the measurements in her notebook. Derek watched her take more measurements for a while before he shook his head and returned to his work.

They both worked in silence, Casey having moved to his bed as she glanced around his room and scratched out notes.

Suddenly, Derek belched loudly.

"Gross, Derek! Don't be disgusting!"

"Hey, if you don't like it, get out."

"I can't. I have work to do."

"You're spending more time in here than in your own room."

"Your point?"

"What more do you possibly need to do? Measure the carpet? Count the dust bunnies under my bed?"

"No, Derek. And for the record, I wouldn't crawl under your bed even if you paid me."

He rolled his eyes and the two went back to work in silence until Casey crossed the room, opening a drawer in his dresser that caught Derek's attention. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked alarmed as she sifted through his boxers.

"Sorting out the desirables from the... undesirables." Casey threw several articles out of the drawer, turning to add stickers.

Derek bailed out of his chair. His eyes were wide and movements frantic as he wedged himself between her and his drawer. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I can handle this myself." He backed into his dresser to close the drawer.

Casey let out a "Hmpf!" Crying, "I doubt it!" She tried to dodge around him, but he grabbed her by the shoulders. As she struggled against him, she split out, "DER-REK!"

"Nuh uh, not a chance. But it's nice to know you find my boxers... desirable." He added a cheeky wink as he sat her on the bed. Derek smirked at the blush creeping up her neck as she huffed and crossed her arms.

Derek had just sat down at his desk when Casey popped up from the bed. He jumped out of his chair and forced her back down into the bed. In two strides, he ran to the door, throwing it open and hollering, "NORA! GET YOUR DAUGHTER OUT OF MY ROOM! SHE'S COLOR-CODING MY... SOCKS!"

Stumbling into the kitchen, Derek found Edwin and Marti snacking on some cookies and milk. "Ed, sandwich." Edwin complied, leaping up.

Derek leaned over Marti and took a bite out of the cookie in her hand. She giggled, "Smerek! That's mine!"

"Sorry, Smarti. Had to make sure you didn't toothpaste them." All three of them chuckled at the prank.

Marti grinned proudly. "Not this time."

He ruffled her hair. Derek took a seat, picking up Marti's stickered glass, "I can't believe her."

Edwin passed the finished sandwich to Derek. "At least the intervention helped."

"Ha! For you maybe, but not for me."

"It can't be that bad."

"She's always in my room!" Derek munched on his sandwich, talking through a mouthful, "You know what she did earlier? She brought a tape measurer to measure my closet. What the hell does she need to do that for?"

Shaking his head, Edwin explained, "She's Casey."

Derek grunted. "She's el nutso." He hurriedly picked up his things. "I can't leave her unsupervised." Derek rushed out of the kitchen.

Edwin stared after him. Looking at Marti with brows furrowed, he asked, "Don't you think it's out of the blue how he's letting her in his room?"

Marti nodded. "We've never been able to do that. Even me."

"It's weird. That's got to be some sort of red flag." Edwin put his finger to his chin, thinking it over.

"It's Casey. She makes him do things." Marti shrugged.

Edwin tapped his chin. "Right, but the question is... why?"

She grinned slyly, "You're the detective... snoop!"

"Not a bad idea, Smarti." Edwin followed Derek out, stopping in the doorway. "Although, I've tried to find Derek's weakness before and never proved anything conclusive." He looked back at her, shrugging before he left.

To herself, Marti shook her head. "Amateur. Obviously, his weakness is Casey."

Marti walked into Derek's room unannounced. "Smerek, do you have the blues?"

"The blue what, Smarti?" Derek clicked at his computer one last time before giving her his full attention.

"I mean... are you sad?"

He looked at her, face emotionless. "I suppose... a little. Why do you ask?"

"Because Casey is... and I just thought you would be too." His brow quirked and she was quick to add, "And I guess I am too... a little."

Derek pulled her into his lap. "Okay, let's start with what's making you sad."

"I'm sad you're leaving. And Casey too."

"Ah, Smarti. I'm going to miss you. But you understand I still have to go, right?"

She nodded. "But you have to pack up your room and everything." They both paused the conversation to look around his room.

Derek sounded considerably sadder when he spoke again, "It's not all bad, Smarti."

"So, you are blue then."

He hesitated. "Yeah. But I'm excited too. University should be great." Marti continued to frown, so Derek reassured her, "Hey, before you know it, I'll be back and while I'm gone, we'll talk all the time. 'Kay?"

"Okay, Smerek. What about Casey?"

Exaggeratedly, Derek rolled his eyes. "Trust me, Smarts, it'll be hard to keep her off the phone."

"That's not what I meant. She's sad now."

"About?"

Marti pulled away to look at him seriously. "Smerek! She's having a hard time. Can't you give her a break?"

Derek pretended to look her tiny body over. "You okay? I think you're going soft on me."

"Be serious, Smerek. She's trying to deal with change. You know, control things she can so the other stuff isn't so scary."

Avoiding Marti's inquisitive eyes, Derek dropped her gaze. "I'm not trying to mess anything up."

Smiling lightly, Marti nudged him until he looked up again. "I know, but you're just... a lot sometimes."

He sighed. "Case and I will be alright. You don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried. I know you care." She beamed at his grimace.

Trying to lighten the air, Derek joked, "When did you get so smart, Smarti?"

"I've always been the smartest. You're just now noticing it."

Derek laughed, pulling her closer to him again. "The rest of us aren't nearly as smart as you. Guess that makes you the black sheep in this hectic herd."

"Um, I think you mean purple cat, Smerek. Purple is the best color."

"Right, my bad. Purple cat then." He tickled her sides and she cried out happily before jumping out of his lap. Marti turned to eye him, "Let her help you, Smerek. We all know you can't do it without her."

He snorted then winced. "Can't argue that."

Marti beamed and skipped down the hall.

They ran into each other in the hall between their rooms. Or more accurately, Derek bumped into the box Casey was hauling. "Easy there, Spacey. Not looking for a return of Klutzilla, are you?"

Rolling her eyes, Casey ignored his remark. "Derek, you can't avoid the inevitable forever."

Particularly amused by this statement, he muttered, "Well, that's a pretty big gray area."

Casey arched a perfect eyebrow. "What's gray about packing up your room?"

Derek closed his eyes and sighed. "Have you ever known me to do something ahead of time?"

"Der-rek! This isn't homework! Packing is going to take time."

He studied her intently as if searching for something. Finally, he threw his head back, groaning, "Alright, but this is a once in a blue moon kind of thing, got it? And I'm not giving you permission to go into color-coding keener freak mode."

"You're actually asking me to help?"

After a long drawn out groan, a slyness crossed Derek's face as he leaned closer to her, whispering, "Wear the maid costume this time."

"Der-rek!" Casey hissed, immediately looking around the hall.

Laughing, he tapped her cheek. "Gee, Case, you're a little pink in the face." Casey shewed his hand away, causing her to fumble the box she was holding. Derek chuckled, "Flustered much?" Ignoring him, Casey threw open her bedroom door, leaving a smirking Derek in the hallway.

When Casey knocked on Derek's door with boxes in hand, she didn't expect him to go through with it. Derek opened the door, the picture of casual cool as he leaned against the doorframe. His sweatpants hung low on his hips as he blocked her way in.

He smirked, taking in her baggy tee and short shorts with her hair falling in soft strands around her face. "You forgot the maid costume."

"What is it with you and the maid thing?"

Derek shrugged as his smirk grew. "If you're doing work for me, you might as well dress for the part."

"I'm not doing work for you. I'm helping, jerk."

"Are you saying you don't have a plan in place?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

Casey sighed. "Okay, fine. But you're not going to sit around and watch me. You're helping."

He held up a finger. "On one condition. Do you promise to listen when I tell you not to pack something?"

Reluctantly, Casey nodded. "Alright, but you can't wait until the last minute. We won't have much time left when we get back from the lodge."

Derek held out a hand for her to shake. "Deal, Princess." He paused, adding sarcastically, "Anything for you to leave me alone."

She withdrew her hand and ducked under his arm. Derek grinned as he shut the door behind them.

Tossing the boxes down on his floor, Casey quipped, "I'm tickled pink, D."

Rolling his eyes, Derek sat on his bed. "Don't get used to it. So, where do we start, keener?"

"Well, why don't we start with the stuff we know we have to move to the basement?"

"Probs better start in the closet then." Derek led the way over and opened the door. Items fell out in every direction.

"Oh my gosh, it's a war zone!" Derek picked up a piece of pizza and threw it at her. "Gross, Derek!"

He snickered, leaning against the door, and gesturing to his closet with one hand, "After you, Princess."

Putting her chin high into the air, she declared, "I refuse to crawl down there. You can do that, and I'll label." Derek watched her climb into his bed, easily making herself comfortable as she sat on her feet. She pulled out a sheet of stickers and looked at him expectantly. He sighed, sinking to his knees.

"So, I take it you've finished your packing then if you're focusing on mine." They had finished his closet, except for the clothes Derek had refused to pack. Now, Derek and Casey sat in front of his bed as they sorted the things they had swept out from underneath.

Casey nodded. "I've packed just about everything. I keep changing my mind about what I'm taking and what's staying though."

Derek leaned closer, "Did you pack your maid costume?" He paused to smirk, "You know, for when you do my laundry and clean my room."

Her cheeks grew rosy. "Derek, I am not doing your laundry." He raised an eyebrow and she continued hastily, "OR cleaning your room."

"What would you do with the maid costume then?" He shot her a wink, reclining causally on the floor as he waited for her to answer.

"Der-rek!" She crisscrossed her legs, causing her t-shirt to inch further up her legs, immediately catching Derek's attention. He pulled his eyes away as she said, "I still don't understand why you keep bringing that up. I don't even have a maid outfit."

"Really? Better fix that then."

She arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I can think of a few reasons."

"Gee, Der, this is quite the shrine to yourself you have going on." Casey commented as she started wrapping his trophies and awards in tissue paper.

He approached his bookshelf to join her, gazing at his most prized possessions. Derek reached for a hockey puck branded with 'MVP' and picked it up fondly. "You should be honored even touching these things."

Casey teasingly covered her heart with fake sincerity. "I'm truly flattered."

Derek smirked, "You should be. I don't share, you know."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I think I may have picked up on that once or twice over the years."

Chuckling, he grabbed some tissue paper. "Hey, I can share. I just choose not to."

"And what Derek wants, Derek gets."

His twinkling eyes jumped to hers. "Not always." He nudged his shoulder into hers lightly. "You've stopped me from getting... everything."

She snorted. "Hardly." Casey picked up another trophy and wrapped it carefully.

"Exhibit A." Derek held up a hockey card in front of her face.

"What's that?" Realization flashed across her features. "Is that..."

"Yup. The one you tried to flush."

"You kept it?"

"Duh." They locked eyes. "I'll hold it over your head for eternity."

Casey rolled her eyes, swiping it out of his hand. "It was your own fault. You couldn't just share the house like a normal human being."

"Like you can talk." He poked her side, teasing, "Did you remember to pack the pink and blue tape?"

She tried to keep the smile off her face. "No, Derek, I didn't because I won't be living with you."

"So, what happens when you get the roommate from hell and wish you were living with me instead?"

"Like that will happen."

"Don't discount it, Case. Could happen."

"I highly doubt it, Derek."

After they took the last of his posters down, Derek studied the bare walls. "No posters, no signs, no records. How depressing." He sat down on the floor, leaning back against the bed beside Casey.

She faced him, studying his face. "Is this hard for you? I know it's different for you than me. You've lived here your entire life." Derek shrugged, so Casey continued, "It makes me sad. I don't want to leave the family behind." They made eye contact briefly before Derek dropped it.

Casey plowed on, "I'm nervous moving to a new city again. Starting classes and trying to make friends... Aren't you nervous at all?"

"I don't remember signing up for a shrink session."

"Come on, Derek. It's us. We're going through this together. You can tell me how you feel."

"I don't do feelings, Case."

She studied him. "You don't fool me, you know. You may be able to deceive everyone else, but I know better. You're a good guy, Der." Casey drew her legs up to her chest and Derek's eyes traced the movement.

Derek scratched the back of his neck. "Sure, it's a little sad. But there's got be bigger and better things ahead of us, right Princess?" He grinned confidently. "At least for me. I don't know what happens to keeners like you at university."

"DER-REK!"

After they had been through every nook and cranny, the two sat in the middle of Derek's floor as they labeled and packed. "See, D. We work well together. At least when you're not being such a jerk."

Derek laughed. "Spacey, I think you're getting punchy."

She smiled back at him, "I don't see why, we've only been at this for hours."

He rolled his eyes as he folded up a full box, silently requesting the packing tape from her. Casey complied before turning back to her own box. "Der-rek!"

Jumping at her outburst, Derek questioned, "What?"

"You're not taking your trophies to Queen's!" Casey ripped the white sticker off the box.

"Casey, those are my prized possessions!"

"Derek, they're going to stay in the basement!"

He grabbed the box from her. "No! We've never been apart!"

Casey's face softened. "It's time, Derek. Besides, there won't be room for them with all the new ones you're going to get."

Derek looked at her, slowly releasing his hold on the box. "Well, when you put it that way." He turned his back on her and the box, working on filling the next with comics and magazines. Derek only turned back around after Casey had successfully relabeled the box and taped it up.

They worked in silence as Casey started in on carefully folding his clothes. "Oh my, when is this from?" Casey held up a small hockey jersey with 'VENTURI' boldly embossed across the back.

"Third grade. We were league champs that year." He smiled genuinely as he reached for it.

"Aww, it's sooo cute!"

He smirked at her comment then looked back to the jersey in his hands. "I should give this to Smarti."

Casey smiled. "That's sweet, Der. She'd love that."

Tossing it to the side, he went back to his comics, thumbing through a couple until she interrupted again, "It's hard to believe you were ever this small."

Derek raised an eyebrow up and down. "Wow, thanks, Case."

A hint of pink dusted her cheeks. "Do you have to turn everything into an innuendo?"

Still smirking, he shrugged. "You bring it up." He snickered at her widened eyes and the new flush his comment brought to her features.

Shaking herself, she held up the sweatshirt in her hands. "I meant this, you jerk."

Before Derek realized what she was doing, Casey had slipped it over her head and walked to his mirror. He watched her study her reflection, turning this way and that. His hand reached up to grasp the back of his neck on its own accord as Casey turned back to him, expecting him to say something.

Derek shrugged. "I grew out of it."

Casey turned back to the mirror. "That's too bad. It's really nice. So soft." She bounced back to her place on the floor, taking a seat to fold the rest of his clothes. Derek watched her silently as he returned to his own box.

Casey scanned through a folder. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the handwriting. "Derek, did you write this music?"

His head whipped to see what she had before he ripped it out of her hands. "Never go through a musician's unfinished work, Casey. That's like a crime."

She snorted. "Pardon me, I didn't know I was living with Mozart."

"Who?"

"Derek! You don't know who Mozart is?"

"Isn't he a drummer?"

"No! He's-"

"Relax, Case. I was just winding you up."

Her eyes narrowed. "I think you were just trying to distract me. So, did you write that?" Casey indicated the folder in his hand.

Casually, he shrugged. "I was just playing around with some things." He dropped it into a box. "Hand me that stack of CDs." Casey followed through with his request and Derek sat down on his bed to sort through them. She watched him until he spoke, "Well, don't just stand there. Bring some more over here and get to work."

Rolling her eyes, she carried the rest of the CDs over and dropped down next to him. "Are you taking all of these?"

Derek opened a case, studying the inside cover. "Nah, only my faves... and the ones that drive you crazy." He laughed as she split his name.

"Do you really live just to irritate me?"

"Yup, that's why we have to go to the same university."

She pushed him and he laughed. Sarcastically she commented, "Lovely. I feel so special."

"Hey, you should. It's you and me, Case, off into the wild blue yonder." He gestured crazily into the air, causing her to laugh. "We'll need a playlist."

"You make it sound like such an adventure."

"You bet, Princess. University with me will be a blast."

Casey teased, "I'm not sure that's quite the word I would have chosen."

He smirked, pulling gently on the sleeve of his old sweatshirt she was still wearing. "I'll keep you on your toes."

"I have no doubt about that." She laughed then sobered as she glanced down at his hand pulling her sleeve. Sighing, she started to pull her arms out. "I can take a hint."

Derek reached out to stop her as Casey started pulling it up. "No!" Casey raised a surprised eyebrow. Derek winced. "I mean... I can't use it, so... you can have it." She stared in shock, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. Casey shrugged back into it, smiling.

He finally looked at her, smirking. "Just do me a favor, yeah? Don't contaminate it with any keener germs." She laughed, shoving him gently.

"So, tell me more about this so-called adventure playlist."

"Well, better start with the classics." Derek held up a Proclaimers CD. "No road trip is complete without 500 miles."

"Of course."

"We can go into White Stripes later."

They laughed together. "I can't believe we missed out on that concert."

He snorted, "You and me both."

"Will it contain any preppy pop?" She teased.

"Hell, no. Any playlist of mine has to be fantastic and preppy pop doesn't fit into that equation."

Edwin sprawled back into his pillows as Lizzie continued to scribble furiously at his desk. Suddenly, she spoke, "Promise me something?"

He rolled over to face her. "What?"

"We won't let any high school drama come between us."

His brows knitted as he took in her worried features. "Why would it?"

She shrugged. "Casey and Derek always had drama."

Snorting, Edwin pointed out, "Yeah, but we're nothing like them."

Lizzie agreed, smiling. "True, we're besties."

"That's right. No matter what, we've got each other." He stood and approached the desk, leaning over to read her work. "What are you working on?"

"I thought I'd write down some of my goals for high school." She handed the sheet to him.

Edwin nodded, reading out loud, "Win a soccer championship. Try hockey again." His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "You want to play hockey again? You hated it!"

"Yeah, I know." Lizzie gritted her teeth as she bit out, "Because I couldn't stop."

He shrugged. "Your bruises." Edwin handed the list back to her.

"What? You don't have goals?"

"I suppose..."

"Well, then add them!" Lizzie thrust the list back into his hands.

Taking a pen out from behind his ear, he pulled up another chair. "Alright, I will."

Leaning over him, Lizzie read out loud as he wrote, "Join the science club. Make people laugh. Pull the prank. Have a steady girlfriend." Lizzie laughed. "If it wasn't for the first one, I would have thought this was Derek's list."

"Derek wouldn't be caught dead in science club... unless it was for a girl."

They both chuckled. Eventually, Lizzie drew his attention back to their list. "Do you have any more?"

"I suppose what I'd really like to do is..."

"Yes?" Lizzie prompted.

"Be the school mascot."

Lizzie busted out in laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I know, you wish you were as cool as me."

"Yeah, Edwin, I'm just green with envy."

"You got something better, sis?"

"Sure do." She turned the list towards her.

Edwin read out loud, "Start an environmental club. Well, you'd be the one to get it done."

"Thanks."

Edwin reached for the list. "Alright, let's sign it."

"Wait!" Lizzie stopped him. "First, let's make a pact at the end." She wrote, "On this day, we, Edwin and Lizzie, promise to put forth our best efforts to accomplish the above high school goals and any others we add henceforth. We will hold each other accountable and assist the other in any way possible to achieve said goals."

"Looks good, but I think it needs a bit more." He reached forward to write, "As best friends, we will stick together, promising never to let any high school drama come between us. We will look out for each other against all harm and danger."

"That's nice, Ed. But we have to have a clause." She added, "If one of us should make any breach of this pact, he or she will be subjected to any means of punishment determined by the other."

He gulped. "Right. Now can we sign it?"

Lizzie nodded, signing her name with a flourish. Edwin took the pen and added his untidy scrawl at the bottom. When he finished, Lizzie leaned back, "I'm not as nervous anymore."

"Me either." Edwin agreed. "I'm actually getting excited."

"Same here. It should be fun."

Smirking, Edwin added, "Lizzie, we're going to paint the town red... or at least the high school halls."

"No thanks!" Lizzie snorted. "I don't want to end up in Derek's chair."

"Ha! It's my chair now, Liz! Come on, I need you as my partner in crime!"

Shaking her head, she laughed again. "Where would Sherlock be without Watson?"

"Probably dead."

The two laughed together before Lizzie grew serious again, smiling softly at him. "So, everything worked out?"

He grinned back, nudging her shoulder, "With flying colors, Liz."

"I better get to bed. Night, Ed."

Stowing their pact in his file cabinet, Edwin called, "Night!" Lizzie disappeared down the stairs.

"So, if you wouldn't let me touch anything at your desk..." Casey leaned closer to him, teasing, "Just what is it that you're working on that's so secretive?" With a devious smile, she jumped off the floor towards his desk.

Derek sprung up after her, stepping between her and his computer. He wiggled a finger at her, mocking, "Nuh, uh, uh, uh! Curiosity killed the Casey!"

Casey pursued it, trying to spin around him. They struggled, pushing, and shoving the other.

"Okay, I warned you!" Derek lifted her up, tackling her backwards onto his bed.

"Der-rek!" Casey shrieked through her laughter as he tickled her sides at a frantic pace. Gasping, she tried to swat his hands away.

He laughed as tears rolled down her cheeks. Caught off guard, he flinched as her hands reached for his sides, nailing one of his ticklish spots. Casey took advantage of it, increasing her tickling. Derek inhaled deeply, collapsing on top of her as he gasped for breath.

Giggling, Casey flipped them over, using the momentum to climb on top of him to continue her actions. Her hips straddled him, hopelessly pinning him to the bed. Hitting a particular spot, he spasmed underneath her.

"Ca-Ca-Case!" She giggled as he squirmed. Trying to hold him still, she tightened her thighs around him, causing her to bounce as she traced her tickling fingers up and down his sides.

His eyes widened as he stuttered, "Ca-Ca-Ca-Cas-sey-ey!" Growing tired, but not wanting to give up as she was clearly winning, Casey dropped more of her weight against him.

"Case-y-y-y! St-st-STOP!" He finally got the last work out in desperation, trying to catch her wandering hands.

She slowed her movements, still giggling as she rested against him. Casey taunted, leaning over him, her curtain of hair framing them. "What's the matter, Der? Not getting what you want?"

Gulping for air, Derek reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Casey leaned back on her haunches, giving him room. She watched him for a few moments, her concern growing. She rocked forward to check on him, "Der-"

"Stop moving!"

Startled, Casey angled back again. "What? What's wrong?"

Derek couldn't answer, his chest heaving as Casey kept shifting. Groaning, Derek's hands shot up to grip her waist, urgently trying to stop her fidgeting. Finally, he whispered, "Just don't move, okay?"

Clearly confused, she studied his closed eyes. His fingers dug into her hips as he tried to move her. Stubbornly, Casey held her ground, sinking further into him. "What are you doing?"

He kept his eyes close, but his voice was hoarse. "Trying not to shock you."

Growing frustrated, Casey crossed her arms causing her to rock firmly against him. Derek's grip tightened at her waist as he sat up as far as he could with Casey in his lap. Struggling against her, Derek pulled her one way and Casey fought to go the other.

In the struggle for dominance, Casey cried, "DER-REK!" just as things shifted. He moaned loudly as she split his name, body falling back into the pillows, taking Casey with him. She caught herself with both hands on his chest.

Understanding hit her as his firm member pressed into her. Her eyes widened and she blushed furiously, frozen in place as she straddled him, thighs clamping around him in shock.

Derek panted, his fingers leaving bruises on her hips. She stared disbelieving down at him as her hair brushed against his face. A quiet gasp escaped her as his hardness twitched against her. His eyes blinked open, locking onto hers. Mouth parting, he huskily whispered, "Surpri-"

With a bang, Derek's door flew open, causing both Derek and Casey to jump. Edwin stood in his pajamas, astonishment across his features as he turned beet red. His jaw opened and closed comically. He finally managed, "What's going on?"

His words broke them out of their state of shock. Casey realized she was still straddling Derek and abruptly threw her leg up and over so she could sit down on the bed. Behind her, Derek shifted uncomfortably.

Even though he cleared his throat, Derek's voice came out gruffly, "We were packing, Ed."

Edwin shook his head as if to clear it. Then a Venturi smirk appeared on his face. "That did not look like packing. That looked more like-"

Derek didn't let him finish, cutting across him, "Doesn't matter, Edwin."

Losing some of his confidence, Edwin dropped the smirk and the subject. "Right, well, you woke me. Whatever you're doing, keep it down. It's three in the morning!"

Quietly, Casey shrieked, cheeks tinted pink. "It's what? Oh my gosh, I didn't know it was that late! I need to go!" She leaped off Derek's bed and scurried past Edwin.

"Not a word, Edwin."

Raising an eyebrow significantly, Edwin maintained eye contact as he slowly backed out of Derek's room, closing the door as he went.

After the door clicked shut, Derek pulled a pillow over his face, groaning loudly into it. Frustrated, he threw the pillow across the room before sitting up and grumbling, "Shower. Now."

Toweling his hair dry, Derek stepped out of the bathroom, muttering, "Gotta love blue ball-" He cut himself off, spying Marti in the hallway, "Balloooooons."

"Smerek? Why are you showering at four in the morning?"

"I got really dirty packing, Smarti."

Her tiny brow knit in confusion. "How?"

Derek chuckled somberly, "Casey."