One Week Matchmakers
Author: Krys Yuy
Summary: Post-Summer School Blues. Plans begin to form in order to unite Derek and Casey. Outrageous and ridiculous, but plans nonetheless. In the midst of it all are Edwin and Lizzie, who try to make sense of the whole mess.
Pairing/Characters: Derek Venturi/Casey MacDonald
Warning:Spoilers for latest Life with Derek episodes.
Rating: K
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used.
Author's Notes: I'm extremely sorry for the long wait. I know it isn't much of an excuse and you've heard this before, but school just had to take priority. I am living in another country for a year, so I've had to adjust and whatnot. I hope to update in a timelier manner, but I really can't make any promises. Please read and review so I know there's still interest, and that my lateness hasn't caused anyone to write this story off. Without further adieu, please enjoy!

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Chapter 03 – Sunday: Battle Plans

The following day Edwin and Lizzie could be found standing by the door to his room, while six younger kids were sprawled on the ground in front of them. Because Marti had asked after dinner if she could have her friends over, Casey and Derek were unaware that their day camp charges were coming over for a visit, having been in their rooms at the time Marti approached their parents. Derek had left to play some hockey scrimmages with his friends at the rink in the park and Casey was expected to spend the entire day at the mall with Emily. Each teenager had left the house before the kids had arrived in the afternoon.

George and Nora were working at the dinner table for presentations they had the coming week. They were close enough to call for any emergencies, but had firmly reminded Edwin and Lizzie that it was their job to entertain the kids. After all, it had only been after Edwin and Lizzie's insistence that they finally caved in to Marti's request. Their agreement to watch the kids had sealed the deal, and although it aroused their parents' suspicions, Edwin and Lizzie had managed to dodge all questions.

At one o'clock, all of Marti's friends had been dropped off by their parents one by one. They filed in anxiously, asking after Derek and Casey, but when they realized they weren't there, sighs and pouts of disappointments went around the small group. Amongst the complaints, Edwin and Lizzie had herded the kids all upstairs, directing them up to Edwin's room.

Lizzie and Edwin had planned it the night before in the games closet. Though he had heavily protested, Lizzie reminded him whose idea it was to have the kids over. His protests were mostly silenced after that. Edwin's room was the farthest from the first floor and they were practically guaranteed privacy. They could plan all they wanted to without being disturbed, and they would also be able to hear someone coming up the stairs, so they could act casual before anyone could catch on to what they were up to.

Marti made the general introductions on both sides, and now it seemed like they were having a staring contest. Finally, Edwin opened his mouth, ready to break the awkward silence when Carlos pointed at his figure collection on the dresser.

"Whoa… look at all his cool action figures," Carlos said in awe, scrambling up to take a closer look.

The other boys followed suit and before Edwin could blink, they each had their hands on his precious models. "Hands off!" he barked in his best authoritative voice.

The kids didn't even flinch as they launched into a battle role-play. Edwin had to duck as Jack jumped on to the bed and bounced over by the door, nearly hitting Lizzie as well.

"Hey!" Lizzie stumbled as the boys started running around the room, chasing each other. They swarmed around her and Edwin, using the older kids as human shields as they pretended to attack each other. "Marti! A little help?" When she looked up, her stepsister wasn't in the same place as before. "Marti?"

Her eyes searched the room before she found Marti and Brooke huddled in a corner, ignoring the commotion and whispering excitedly to each other. She tried calling her stepsister again, but Marti was too absorbed in her conversation to hear over the chatter of her other friends. She sighed and turned back to face Edwin, only to see that he had disappeared.

"Oh, this is going really well," she muttered under her breath.

Lizzie marched towards the door, pushing past the rowdy boys and going down the stairs, back onto the second floor landing. She sighed, shaking her head as she made a beeline for the games closet. She opened the door and as expected, found her stepbrother huddled on the floor, muttering to himself.

She closed the door securely behind her, turning on the single light bulb, and placed her hands on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?"

Edwin got up from the floor and crossed his arms defensively. "Hiding from the little devils."

"They just got here and the only thing they've done so far is play with your dolls and run around the room," she replied, wondering why Edwin was losing his composure so easily. "Rowdy, yes. Spawns of the devil? That may be an exaggeration on your part."

"They wouldn't even listen to me. I can't do this!" he exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands. Then he paused before glaring at her. "And they're action figures!"

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Don't chicken out now, Edwin!"

His expression was getting more wide-eyed by the minute as his imagination went into over-drive. "They're going to destroy my room!"

"Only if you let them," she replied with a sigh. "Come on, we're thirteen now. We can handle a bunch of kids." She sounded much more confident than she felt. "We just need teamwork." She placed both hands on his shoulders and gave him a good shake. "Now, get a grip. We can definitely do this. You just can't run out when things get the tiniest bit tough."

"You're right." Edwin breathed in deeply. "No, you're definitely right." He nodded, gathering himself together and calming down. "I mean, together we're twenty-six! We can totally handle this."

Lizzie muffled a chuckle and patted his shoulder. "So, you're okay now? No more hyperventilating?"

He straightened. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Good." Lizzie then roughly pushed him out of the games closet. "Now lets take back control and get this meeting in order. We have a lot of planning to do."

"Hey, hey! No pushing!" he exclaimed as he stumbled out into the hallway.

"This is why they got to you so easily – you're soft," Lizzie stated, walking past him and back up the stairs to his attic room.

"I so am not!" he shouted after her, following her up the stairs.

He walked into his room to find it perfectly intact, as it had always been, except the boys were bouncing around and on the bed, still very much into their role-play. More of Edwin's prized action figures had found their way into their hands, and the girls were still giggling to each other in a corner. Lizzie closed the door behind him as he walked into the room further, stopping by his bedside table. He cleared his throat loudly, but they all continued to mess around. Edwin was trying to think of some clever way to trick them into listening to him when Lizzie let out a piercing whistle, her fingers brought up to her lips.

All the children plus Edwin winced and placed their hands over their ears.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Nathan asked, lowering his hands once the ringing stopped. "Are you trying to make us go deaf?" He glared at Lizzie for extra effect, but she only returned his stare until he looked away first.

"You guys were all invited here for a reason, and it was not to play with Edwin's dolls," Lizzie stated, crossing her arms.

"Action figures," Edwin corrected immediately. He then went around the room and took back his possessions, amidst the groans and complaints. "And no one touches my stuff again." He placed his collection in an empty box and stuffed it in the closet, to be organized later when the children were gone.

"You're no fun," Carlos stated with a small pout.

Nick stuck out his tongue. "Party pooper."

"I can't believe it was my bright idea to get you guys together here." Edwin sighed and placed his head on his palms.

The boys were still grumbling amongst themselves when Lizzie signaled to her stepsister. Marti popped up from her corner and made her way over to Lizzie. "Yes? Is there something I can do for you?" she asked innocently.

"Can you help us get this meeting started?" Lizzie leaned down so she could whisper in Marti's ears. "They're not exactly giving us their full attention."

"Oh, sure. That's easy!" She clapped her hands twice and smiled as all eyes turned to her. "You guys ready to talk battle plans?"

Jack plopped down on the bed, legs crossed and nodded excitedly. "Sure thing, Marti!"

The other boys followed Jack's lead, though with a little less enthusiasm, but they followed all the same. Carlos and Nick joined Jack on the bed, mirroring his position, while Brooke and Nathan sat on the floor. Lizzie opted to lean back against the closed door as Marti stood at the front with Edwin pacing next to her.

Finally, he went to the bookcase next to his desk and reached behind his school textbooks to pull out a black binder hidden at the back. He rolled his computer chair over by the door and sat down, opening his research binder with pen at the ready. "All right, guys. You had little more than a day to think things over," he began.

"What'd you come up with?" Marti finished for him, looking at them expectantly.

No one said anything immediately – instead, they looked at each other, waiting for someone else to go first. Marti started tapping her foot and crossed her arms, looking as intimidating as a seven-year old could. "Well?"

Nick glanced around before raising his hand. Marti pointed at him and he started to speak as he lowered his hand. "Well, Nate and I figured that to get them together, they should be by each other's side all the time," he stated. "So we were thinking –"

"Handcuff them together," Nathan interrupted. He demonstrated by holding his hands up as if they were restrained.

Lizzie and Edwin shared a look before Edwin cleared his throat. "You want to… handcuff them," he reiterated. "And where did you get this brilliant idea?"

"From a TV show!" Nick answered brightly, seeing no flaw in the plan. "If they're handcuffed, then they'd have to stay together."

Murmurs of agreement came from the other children before Edwin spoke again. "While I agree with the idea of getting them to be by each other's side as much as possible, I don't know if handcuffs are the way to go about it." He shrugged, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "We want to be subtle about this."

Brooke lifted her baseball cap slightly to scratch her forehead in confusion. "What does subtle mean?"

"Discreet." Blank stares met Lizzie's answer and she blinked. "You have to make sure they don't know what you're doing."

"Oh." Nathan shrugged at the same time as his brother, and their disinterested looks were identical as he said, "Our whole 'keep it a secret' thing. We know that."

"Then handcuffs are definitely not the way to go. Besides, it'd probably only annoy them, not get them closer together." Edwin lifted his hand as Nick opened his mouth to speak. "In the feelings sense, I mean."

Nick shrugged, looking down at his older sibling from the bed. "Well, it seemed like a good idea, didn't it, bro?"

"Yeah, but then again, we're guys." Nathan leaned back against the bed, crossing his arms and frowning. "I mean, we can help with whatever plan we end up using, but coming up with one? That lovey-dovey stuff is for the girls." He made a face.

Marti immediately looked indignant at that comment, and Edwin interrupted her before she could say anything that would instigate a fight. He definitely didn't want them getting distracted again. "I suppose we're lucky you guys even spent a little time thinking about it, so we'll leave it at that. Now for the next –"

Nick's right hand shot into the air and Edwin pointed at him, a bit annoyed at being interrupted, but still both amused and perplexed by the eager look on the boy's face. "Are you sure we can't use handcuffs? Because I really think it will –"

Edwin groaned and Lizzie sighed. "Unless you know of a way to get handcuffs on them without them noticing, then you can't do it. Besides, I don't think you want them to go after you on the first day," Edwin commented absent-mindedly, tapping his pen against his paper.

Nathan looked at the two older kids in suspicion. "Who said anything about them going after us?"

"Uh, well." Edwin exchanged looks with Lizzie and winced when she frowned at him. He hadn't meant to say those words exactly, but he knew if either teenager discovered the matchmaking plans, they would have to deal with their wrath. Especially if the whole cocoa smile theory ended up being just a figment of Marti's imagination. Edwin couldn't rule out the possibility, but he wouldn't voice it aloud either, knowing it would only hurt his little sister. If Derek or Casey even suspected what was going on, the Alpha Force would have a whole new set of problems to deal with. They might even have to abandon Operation: Matchmaker entirely if it meant avoiding detection and preserving themselves.

Edwin tried to choose his words carefully so he wouldn't inadvertently make the kids rethink their decision to help. "You've never seen Derek mad, have you? Or Casey, for that matter?" he asked.

"We saw Casey get mad at Derek when we threw paper balls at her that one time," Brooke piped up. "And also when we painted her."

"Well, Casey isn't as bad as Derek," Edwin replied. He shared a look with Lizzie and Marti and they simultaneously shivered as they remembered the babysitting incident. After they had 'tortured' Derek for being a lazy babysitter, he was a force to be reckoned with when he got free from Teddy's bindings. Edwin still felt like counting his lucky stars when he thought of how Derek had let them go at the end.

Lizzie spoke up from her position by the door. "The bottom line is that we have to nudge them towards each other without them actually knowing that we're doing it. 'Cause if they find out…"

"It's gonna be trouble!" Marti finished dramatically, her face serious as she looked at each of her friends.

"Okay. We get it, we get it. The captain and lieutenant finding out equals bad," Nathan commented airily, looking almost bored. "You guys are just repeating yourselves!"

"We're just making sure you understand how important it is to be sneaky about this," Edwin replied defensively, deciding he didn't quite like Nathan's attitude.

"Well, we know!"

"It's good you know then!"

"Fine!"

"Great!"

"Awesome!"

Wha- oh, for cryin' out loud. Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Okay then," she interrupted, clapping her hands. "As stimulating as this conversation seems, let's move on."

"That's what I've been saying!" Nathan said in frustration, still glaring.

Lizzie silenced him with a look. "I think we're agreed that we need to keep them close together as often as possible."

"That should be easy enough. I mean since they are working together for summer camp," Edwin stated, scribbling down more notes as ideas came into his head. "Willingly. That's already a huge step in their whatever-you-want-to-call-it-ship."

The kids weren't the only ones with blank faces, as Lizzie blinked, not quite sure what her stepbrother was trying to get at. "What?"

Edwin paused and looked up from his research binder to explain himself. "Well, they're certainly not in a relationship, and it's not exactly a friendship or a family-ship." He shrugged. "It's a whatever-ship right now."

"You do know the meaning of 'relationship', right?" Lizzie's eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to follow his logic. She wondered if it meant she had lived with the Venturis too long if he was actually making a weird sort of sense. "And family-ship is not a word."

"I know. I made it up." He tapped the side of his head with his pen and winked. "Just go with it." He glanced down at his binder. "Now where were we… ah, yes!" He looked up at the young audience that was staring back expectantly. "We have to try and trip them up – see how they react when close together." He gestured to all the kids. "Of course, you guys will need to report back."

Carlos, after a long period of uncharacteristic silence but characteristic fidgeting, chose that moment to speak up. "We should lock them in a closet."

Handcuffs, locked closets… what are these kids watching?! Lizzie shook her head, but offered the younger boy a puzzled smile. "Why don't you explain why you think that's a good idea?"

He shrugged as if the reasoning should have been clear to them already. "Yesterday, my older sister was talking on the phone to one of her friends. She was saying how she had to play a game where she and a boy went in a closet for seven minutes," he elaborated, making nonsensical gestures with his hands. "And it had something to do with heaven…"

There was a pause of confused silence among the younger kids, and attempts not to fidget uncomfortably by Edwin and Lizzie, before Jack pouted and said, "I don't get it."

Carlos nodded in agreement. "I know, it sounded weird to me too, but she seemed really happy about it. She was giggling a lot," he replied, scrunching his nose in disgust. "And squealing. I don't get that." He looked at all the girls in the room as if they were strange specimen. "Why do girls squeal all the time?"

Brooke twisted her body slightly from her position on the floor in order to smack Carlos on the knee, the nearest part of him she could reach. He yelped and scooted back as far as he could out of her reach without falling off the bed. "We don't squeal!" she exclaimed.

Though Marti shared her friend's indignant look, she almost begrudgingly commented, "Actually, I've heard Casey squeal."

Somehow Brooke didn't look too surprised to hear that. Neither did the boys if their rolled eyes were any indication. "Well, I know I don't squeal," Brooke muttered, adjusting her baseball cap firmly.

"I don't either," Marti added. She gave one of Edwin's legs a slight kick when he smothered a disbelieving snort.

"Neither do I," Lizzie replied, holding her hands up and shrugging.

Carlos eyed them skeptically but chose not to give Brooke any reason to hit him again. "Yeah well, since Casey does the weird squealing thing like my sister, then the closet should work." He looked at Lizzie and Edwin for approval. "Right?"

"Hmm… maybe…" Lizzie shrugged when Edwin raised an eyebrow at her. She leaned down so only her stepbrother would hear her whispers. "Getting them together in a confined space isn't such a bad idea. And the kids can play it off as an accident or something."

"I guess," Edwin replied thoughtfully. He jotted down more notes and Lizzie decided she would have to take another peek at his binder later when the kids returned home. "I'll try and come up with something." He nodded at Carlos. "We'll take your idea into consideration."

"Yes!" Carlos exclaimed softly, pumping a fist in the air. He shared a high-five with Jack, and smiled triumphantly at Nick and Nathan.

Both brothers gave him dirty looks and Lizzie jumped in before the siblings could speak. "All right, time for the next idea!" She gestured towards Jack – he was currently her favorite if only for the fact that he was proving to be calmer than the other boys on the Alpha Force. "The floor's yours, Jack."

The somewhat bashful brunette chanced a glance at Marti before ducking his head and tracing invisible patterns on Edwin's comforter. "My Dad gives my Mom flowers all the time," he began. "Sometimes for Valentine's, and other times, just because. She's always really happy when she gets flowers." Jack looked at Marti for approval as he continued, "We should get Casey flowers and say they're from Derek."

Marti grinned and Jack beamed in response until Lizzie commented honestly, "That's a sweet idea, Jack, but knowing Casey…" She almost regretted saying anything when the boy's face fell slightly.

Edwin finished his stepsister's thought. "She'll confront Derek, and then Derek will have no idea what she's talking about."

Marti moved forward, noticing her friend's downtrodden look, and whispered something while patting his shoulder in a comforting gesture. Jack stiffened and because he was looking down, Lizzie couldn't see the expression on his face, but she hid a smile as she noticed the tips of his ears were red.

She looked towards the other kids, and continued, "That'll open up a can of worms."

Brooke's eyebrows drew together in disgust. "Eww! Why would you want to open a can of worms?!" She shuddered from her position on the floor.

Next to her, Nathan rolled his eyes, annoyed, muttering under his breath. However, he turned around in disbelief as his brother echoed Brooke's statement in complete agreement. Nick, his eyes wide, added, "Who would put worms in a can?! Gross, gross, gross!"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Nathan shook his head at his brother and Nick stared down at him in sincere puzzlement.

"What?"

His brother sighed in exasperation. "There's not really a can of worms. Duh."

"It's an expression," Lizzie explained and continued forward, not wanting the kids to get distracted. Again. We are seriously going around in circles.

Brooke still looked a little green at the thought of worms, but raised her hand to speak. "Can I talk about my idea now?"

"Go ahead," Edwin said with a nod.

The little girl seemed to forget all about worms as she said, "Well, my mom and I watch a whole bunch of romantic movies where the lady trips, and the guy catches her and their eyes meet…" Her words trailed off dreamily.

Edwin and Lizzie shared amused looks as Nick impatiently added, "… and?"

Brooke blinked back into reality. "And what? Get Casey in Derek's arms." She shrugged as if it were that simple. "It should all work out from there," she stated with childish naivety.

"Like an instant love connection?" Edwin joked under his breath, and Lizzie had to muffle a laugh. "But it will throw them off balance if we can actually get it to happen."

"It's not a bad idea," Lizzie commented, putting in her two-cents as she laid a hand on the back of Edwin's chair, leaning against it.

"So trip Casey so she falls into Derek's arms. Hmm. Could work if you execute it flawlessly," Edwin said thoughtfully, continuing to write notes. He looked pointedly at all the kids, aware that they were waiting and listening to him. "Remember. You have to make sure they don't realize what you're doing."

Nathan just seemed to squirm more from his spot on the floor before he blurted out, "Can't we just tell them they love each other?"

Both Edwin and Lizzie had carefully blank expressions. "Uh. No."

Lizzie shrugged. "If we wanted them to freak, maybe."

Nathan frowned, crossing his arms. "Why not?"

"First off, they don't love each other," Edwin answered honestly even as Marti made a sound of protest.

"Then why are we even doing this?" Nathan asked, throwing up his arms in exasperation.

"This whole experiment is to get them together because we think they like each other," Lizzie replied, her fingers drumming along the edges of Edwin's chair.

Marti didn't like the thought of Derek and Casey 'possibly' liking each other – she knew they did. They were just too stubborn to realize it. She thought of her favorite fairytales, of the happy endings with the princes and princesses. "We have to get them to kiss!" she stated boldly.

Lizzie shook her head. "Umm… that's easier said than done, Marti."

"We'd have more luck with the handcuff idea," Edwin stated wryly. He raised a hand before an eager Nick could say anything. "No."

His cheer cut off, Nick deflated and rested his head on one hand, sighing.

Marti pouted up at her stepsister. "Then I want to get Smerek to smile at her more."

Lizzie patted the younger girl's head. "That's really up to them, Marti," she reminded gently. "There's nothing we can really do about that. But the whole close proximity thing may work to move them in that direction." She looked from her stepsister to the other kids in the room. "You guys have to get them together as much as possible without being too obvious. Maybe make them brush against each other and such."

Edwin had been nodding along to everything she was saying and added, "That has to be the main priority then."

"So we have to… what?" Carlos asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Make them touch," Marti replied, mimicking Edwin's 'research' tone. She only smiled innocently when her brother frowned at her.

"Like hold hands and stuff?" Jack wondered aloud, scratching his head.

"Yeah, but that's gonna be a little hard," Lizzie replied thoughtfully. She started pacing what little space there was by Edwin's door. "Maybe make sure she bumps into him a lot…" She nodded in time with her thoughts. "We have to take advantage of this whole 'being together during summer camp' thing. When they're at home, they rarely hang around each other unless the situation calls for it." She glanced at Edwin and thought of Casey and Derek on the couch the day before. "Like yesterday."

Edwin nodded in agreement, but his pen was moving across the page faster than usual – it was clear he had come up with an exciting idea. Lizzie touched his shoulder, silently questioning, and he replied, "At dinner tonight, I'll sit in Casey's usual seat next to you. We could tell her I need your help on a project I want to work on for when business camp starts tomorrow. Then she has to sit in my seat between Marti –"

"– and Derek." Lizzie's eyes lit up. "She'll have to sit right next to him." The two step-siblings exchanged high-fives, Edwin raising his hand without even looking back. "Excellent."

"Right?" Edwin seemed particularly smug about his idea. He looked down at his list and back up at the curious faces peering at him. "Lizzie and I handle things from here, the home base. You guys are at the front with Marti as our go-between." He clasped his hands together and measured up each Alpha Force member. "I was able to obtain a copy of Casey's schedule for activities this week with help from Lizzie." He acknowledged his stepsister's help with a nod and tapped a pencil on his research binder. "I think I've come up with a few ways to use your ideas so they fit in with the activities and won't draw too much suspicion. Now listen up, 'cause here's how things are going to work…"

–

"So, are you up for hitting the beach this week?"

Derek didn't bother looking up from unlacing his skates as his best friend plopped down beside him on the bench. He hesitated before he answered, "I can't."

He didn't have to turn his head to know that a confused expression was plastered on Sam's face. "Why not? Didn't you just finish summer school?"

"Yeah." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But I sorta promised Marti I would help out at her summer camp for the last week," he replied, inwardly praying that Sam had forgotten Casey was volunteering.

"Wait, isn't that –"

Derek winced. Crap, crap, crap.

"– a little too low-key a role for the great Derek Venturi to break out into the summer life before junior year?" Sam laughed, nudging his friend with his elbow.

"Oh yeah. Right." Derek chuckled as well, and Sam didn't notice or chose not to comment on the half-heartedness of it. "But I did promise Smarti," he repeated, wondering at the relief that Sam hadn't mentioned Casey.

"And a promise to your little sis is binding upon pain of death," he commented in good humor. He lifted a hand before Derek could open his mouth. "I know, I know. Don't mention your soft spot or suffer. Blah, blah – I've heard it all before." Sam placed his skates in his sports bag and tied his sneakers. "It's no big deal. We have the whole summer to kick back and relax." He stood up, shouldering his duffel. "You wanna get some pizza with the guys?"

"Yeah, sure," Derek agreed readily. "I'll be right there." He watched as Sam nodded and sauntered over to the other guys who were waiting by the park footpath.

The relief from Sam not asking about Casey was still prevalent at the forefront of his mind and he frowned. He passed it off as him not wanting the others to find out he was spending time with his stepsister more than necessary. The excuse sounded decidedly false but he shrugged it off. He told himself he didn't want Sam to know because mentioning an ex-girlfriend wasn't cool. Even if the couple had broken up months ago, Derek was sure it would just make things awkward. He firmly ignored the small voice at the back of his head, mocking him and asking questions he wasn't yet ready to answer.

–

Edwin nodded and leaned back, looking at each child as if sizing him or her up. "So you guys know what to do then?"

They each saluted, even Nathan – their excitement over the plan building as they thought of the events of the next day. "Yes, sir!"

"All right." He clapped his hands. "Time for a break, I'd say. Who's up for pizza?"

Shouts of agreement went all around and the kids scrambled out of the room, Lizzie and Edwin following at a more moderate pace.

"You think this is actually going to work?" Edwin asked, research binder in tow as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Lizzie hesitated. "I'd like to think it will."

Edwin nodded slowly as she glanced at him. "Yeah," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "Me too."

–

Casey turned around after waving goodbye to Emily and checked the bags of art supplies she had in either arm, making sure she hadn't dropped anything. I hope I can finish this all tonight… As she walked across the lawn to the front door, she rummaged in her purse for her house keys.

"Bye Lieutenant!"

Casey immediately looked up, searching for the source of the voices. "Oh!" She recognized the two kids waving at her as a car pulled away from the sidewalk. "Bye Nathan, Nick!" she called back, though confused as to the reason for their appearance.

She watched until the car disappeared around the corner and entered the house, calling out greetings. She dropped her shopping bags on the stairs as Nora answered from the kitchen. Casey walked in and saw her mother and George washing and drying dishes.

She leaned against the center island with one hand, cocking her head inquisitively. "What were Nathan and Nick doing here?"

"You mean Marti's friends?" Nora glanced at her over her shoulder, scrubbing several plates. "They were all here for the afternoon, hanging out and having fun, playing dress-up – the usual."

"Really." Casey wondered why she hadn't known about it. "Which friends?"

"As you know, Nathan and Nick. Then there was… Carlos, Jack, and Brooke," Nora replied thoughtfully. She handed cleaned plates off to George, who was drying.

"All the kids from day camp then." She frowned, knowing the kids hadn't mentioned anything on Friday. "Huh." Casey remembered the pile of work she saw on the dinner table, and didn't think her mom or George had the time to babysit. "Who was watching them?"

"Lizzie and Edwin, actually," George answered, piling up the dry dishes to one side of the sink. "Your mom and I were working down here, and they were watching the kids upstairs."

"How about you, hon? Was your day okay?" Nora asked when Casey remained silent.

"Hmm?" Casey shook her head as if ridding it of her previous thoughts. "Oh, it was fine. Very productive. Em and I did the mall thing, and I shopped for some supplies I needed for summer camp this week."

Nora nodded. "That's good then."

"Do you want some pizza, Casey? There's a few slices left over," George offered, gesturing to the pizza box on the center of the kitchen island. "You might want to get it now before Derek gets home. Then all bets are off." He smiled wryly as he dried a plate Nora handed to him, the last of the bunch.

"Thanks, but no thanks." She straightened and shook her head. "I'll just wait for dinner tonight. I'll be in my room working till then."

Casey turned around after George and her mom nodded, picking up her supplies as she passed them on the stairs. The whole Alpha Force had been over at the house that afternoon and she hadn't had a clue about it. It must have been a last minute invite, though she wondered why the usually talkative Marti chose not to say anything.

Derek's crazy suspicions must be rubbing off on me. She looked at his closed bedroom door, imagining her stepbrother and rolled her eyes. Marti just had a play date with her friends, nothing else.

Casey walked into her room and laid all her shopping bags on the floor. She chose not to think about anything unnecessary, more pre-occupied with organizing the treasure hunt. Still, she couldn't quite shake off the feeling she was missing something.

–

Dinnertime finally rolled around hours later, and Casey walked down the stairs to find her usual seat occupied. "Edwin?"

"Huh?" He looked up from the notes he was sharing with Lizzie. "Oh, sorry Casey, but do you mind if I steal your seat for tonight? I want to go over this project with Lizzie before business camp starts up again tomorrow."

Casey crossed her arms and regarded the pre-teens carefully. "You guys can talk across the table, can't you?" she pointed out. She didn't question why Edwin was consulting her sister; the two were loyal confidantes unless choosing sides in her and Derek's fights. She eyed the empty chair at the far left of the table, knowing its occupant would have something to say about the seat change.

"It's easier than trying to talk over other conversations," Lizzie replied smoothly, grabbing a bread roll from the dinner spread.

Casey paused before she conceded, "I guess it's all right."

"You can sit here, Casey!" Marti beamed and pointed to the seat to her left, the one that also conveniently put her oldest stepsister next to Derek.

Nora and George seemed to reach the same conclusion simultaneously. "Y'know, I don't know if that's such a good idea," Nora started, knowing there was already enough tension without the oldest teenagers sitting side by side.

"Marti, why don't you switch with Casey for tonight, honey?" George suggested.

"But Daddy, I like my spot!" Marti gave her best pout and scrunched her eyebrows together. There was no way she was going to let Casey sit anywhere else but in between her and Derek.

"It's fine, Mom, George," Casey replied, sitting down in her newly assigned seat. "I think Derek and I can handle sitting next to each other for one night. I mean, our rooms are next to each other."

"That's true, but the walls are there for a reason."

Casey resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Come on, guys, it won't be the end of the world. I know you can't trust Derek, but you can trust me."

"We do trust you to behave yourself, Casey. It's just –" Nora turned her thoughts over in her head, wondering how to phrase it. "– well, Derek has the tendency to bring out your more, umm, vocal side."

Casey nearly pouted like Marti before catching herself. "It's not a big deal," she reiterated. "We're not that bad."

The whole table gave her pointed looks and Casey thought Edwin even hid a snort behind his water glass.

"Hey!" She frowned.

"What are you complaining about now?"

Casey didn't turn at the sound of Derek's voice, but out of the corner of her eye, saw him slide into his seat and without further adieu, began piling his plate with food. This isn't that big a deal.

"Wait – why are you sitting next to me?"

Casey rolled her eyes. "I just switched with Edwin for the night."

"Well, switch back," he demanded.

She finally turned her head to glare at him. "Why?"

"Sit back there." He pointed to her usual seat, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Casey noted he completely bypassed her question.

"As if I'm going to take orders from you," she muttered, reaching for a bowl of vegetables. She wasn't moving now, not if it would please Derek.

"You were happy to take my ideas yesterday," he pointed out smugly. "Why can't you accept my orders like that, too?"

"You were smart then – you're just being a jerk now!" she shot back, inwardly frustrated on how they always ended up on opposite sides. Where was the truce from yesterday?

He steadfastly ignored the voice in his head asking why he was making such a big deal about seats when he had joined Casey on the couch the day before. Well, she was reverting back to her annoying, frustrating self, he reasoned.

And you like fighting with her.

Derek twitched at that, simultaneously snatching his right hand back when it accidentally brushed Casey's as he reached for a piece of chicken. "Get over yourself," he snapped defensively. Underneath the table where no one could see, he pressed the back of his hand on his jeans.

Casey bristled, but her mother raised an eyebrow and she bit her tongue. She had said she could behave, and she would. But he's so frustrating! she thought furiously. … and confusing. She stabbed a boiled potato viciously.

Edwin and Lizzie's eyes widened and they turned to each other slowly, gesturing to their respective siblings across the table. Derek had an unusual bout of tension seen in the stern set of his jaw, and Casey was ignoring him and making small talk with Marti. The youngest Venturi was answering each question honestly, but her eyes lingered to where Casey's vegetables were getting stabbed and her mouth had formed a small 'o'.

Nora and George sighed at the same time, but knew it would be a wasted effort to have their eldest children switch seats now. Besides, it had been no guarantee that they would have acted civil to each other even if they had been across the table.

"At least they're not throwing food," George muttered to Nora under his breath. He shrugged when she gave him an exasperated look.

"De-rek! Get your own potatoes!"

"They're on the other side of the table. Your plate is so much closer."

Both parents took in Derek's smug smirk and Casey's irritated frown, and they wondered if their children were ever going to truly accept each other. They sighed yet again and tried unsuccessfully to diffuse the situation with the usual results of protests on both sides, and so neither of them noticed Derek flexing his right hand slightly throughout the rest of dinner.

---

To be continued in Chapter 04 – Monday: Alpha Force Unite!
Not much to say, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. Stay tuned to see exactly what the Alpha Force attempts to do on the first day back of summer camp.