A/N: Okay, I totally get this is a weird ideal, but I am writing this because a friend requested it. So, basically George and Nora NEVER got married. Casey and Derek were childhood friends/neighbors/high school sweet hearts. Now they are getting ready to move out together. I don't own Life With Derek.
Casey POV
It was so weird to look around my half of my room and see nothing, but boxes. "I can't believe that my baby girl is moving out." My mother said as she stood in the doorway. I looked back at her and smiled. She made it seem like my father didn't do everything but kick me out. I totally get it through. They needed the space for the new baby. Things were tight with nine people in this house one more would make it miserable.
"I always thought when she finally got out of here I would get my room." Abbey said as she looked up from her seat on her bed. Abbey is my oldest younger sister. "But, no Lizzie is moving in here." She said as she looked up at my mother with a frown on her face.
"You know I would love for you all to have your own rooms, but we just can't afford a place that big." My mother said as she sat down on Abbey's bed.
"It still sucks." Abbey said as she looked at my mother.
"Well, blame it on your mother." My mother said as she looked at Abbey. Okay, this is where I have to explain my 'special' family. I guess that would probably be easiest to start with the beginning. My mother, Nora, met my father, Nicholas, at a Halloween party when she was twenty and he was twenty-one. They were both drunk as hell and my mother was dressed like a slut. Long story short I came along nine months later. There was just one problem. My father was engaged to Melissa and instead of picking they did something weird. My parents got married, but Melissa and my dad stayed together. Weird right? Well when that's all you ever have known it's not so bad. Melissa had Abbey a little less than a year after I was born. The next year my mother had Mason and the year after she had James. Then the next year Lizzie came along. She was the baby for about ten years then Melissa had Chastity who is now three and now baby Megan is going to be here soon. I know it's crazy, but I love it.
"Oh trust me I do." Abbey said as she looked at my mother.
"Well, I love you kiddo." My mother said as she hugged Abbey.
"I love you too, Nora." Abbey said as she looked at my mother.
"CASEY! DEREK IS HERE!" Mason called from downstairs. I ran down the stairs to see my best friend standing by the front door. Derek Venturi had lived next store my whole life. We were born to be best friends. Our mothers were best friends. However, when we were in our first year of high school we stopped just being best friends.
"There you are Princess." Derek said as he pulled me into a big hug then a kiss. It was funny to think that just four years ago we stood here and had our first kiss. I couldn't help, but smile at the thought.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DEREK!" I yelled as I walked into the house. I tried to slam the door, but he stopped it with his foot.
"I didn't do anything wrong." He said as he looked at me. I couldn't help, but to look into his big brown eyes. The truth is that I had a crush on him for a while, but I didn't want to throw away such a good friendship. So, I tried going out with his friend Sam. "Someone had to put Sam into his place. You do realize that he just wants to sleep with you?" He asked me.
"What is it to you?" I asked as I looked at him. Next thing I know he lips were on mine.
"I don't want anyone else touching you like that. I love you Casey McDonald." He said as he looked at me.
"Isn't that cute?" My mother said as she came into the room. There was always someone around this place.
"Isn't that cute?" Melissa asked as she looked at us. I guess some things never change.
"Yeah well, I am part of it so it has to be." Derek said as he smiled at Melissa.
"You are very adorable." I said as I looked at him.
"Well, thank you." He said with a smile. "Okay then, I got my uncle's van for the day and we have your truck so let's get moving." He said as he handed me my key to our apartment. We found a great apartment only five minutes away.
"Yeah, let me get the gang all together." I said as I looked back towards the stairs.
"Hold on me do this." Melissa said as she looked at me. "MCDONALD CHILDREN GET DOWN HERE!" She yelled up the stairs. I worked like a charm. Soon enough all the McDonald clan was moving boxes out of the house. I looked over at Derek standing in his drive way as his father, brother, and sister help him.
"Casey you sure you want to move in with this clown?" His father George called across the lawn.
"Yeah, you know till Edward Cullen comes for me." I said with a laugh as Marti, his sister just smiled at me. She was my Twilight buddy.
"I am better than any damn vampire." Derek said as he looked at me.
"Language!" My mother said from the behind me. Since his mother passed away a few years back my mother and Melissa step in when they feel they have to.
"Okay, are you ready to see how many people we can cram in the place?" Derek asked me as we got in my gray 1985 Chevy truck.
"Of course." I said as I smiled at him. It took all afternoon to unpack all of our belongings and the furniture that his father got us.
"So, we are all alone." He said as he walked into my room where I was putting the last book on the shelf.
"For the first time in our life." I said as my cell rang. I looked at the caller ID. "It's mom." I said as I went to answer it.
"Let it ring." He said as he wrapped his arms around me.
"Sure thing." I said as I leaned into kiss him. "Let's go to the grocery store." I said as I smiled at him.
"It's my day off and you are sending me off to work." He said as he looked at me. "That's mean."
"Well, then what do you propose we eat tonight?" I asked him. He just pulled me closer to him. "Be serious here Derek."
"I will order pizza." He said as he looked at me.
"That's a waste of money." I said.
"Fine, I will go to the grocery store, but I want you naked when I get home." He said as he let go of me.
"Don't forget no junk food!" I called after him.
"Yeah, yeah." He said as he walked out the front door, but he came back in for a moment. "I love you Case." He said. He has been really big on telling people that when he leaves the house because the last words his mother said to him was "Wear clean underwear." She was killed by a drunk driver on her way home from work the night of our sophomore homecoming dance.
"Love you, too. Be safe." I said as I smiled at him. Soon after he left I spread my textbooks on the floor around me. Both Derek and I were going to Western. We both had gotten into Queen's, but I figured my family needed me. So, he stayed back with me. I grabbed my laptop and set on the coffee table and turned on one of my YouTube playlist. It had all of my favorite songs and the ones that made me think of Derek.
"I am home." He said as he walked in about an hour later with a mass amount of food. "And you are on the floor." He said as he laughed at me.
"What all did you get?" I asked him.
"Everything on the list you left in the truck and some goodies." He said as we walked into our kitchen.
"What kind of goodies?" I asked him.
"Junk food goodies." He said as he put a box of cookies in the cabinet.
"I so knew you couldn't stop yourself." I said as I smiled at him.
"Well, sorry I don't trust this whole planned out menu thing. Especially since you pulled them off a health food site." He said as he looked at me. "Speaking of your menu what is for dinner tonight?" He asked as he handed me my list and recipes that I had left in the truck on accident.
"Here you can pick." I said as I handed him the list back.
"Inside-out Lasagna looks like it might be edible." He said as he looked at me.
"Want to help?" I asked him.
"Can't I have to work on my paper for Finance, but I will bring one of the TV dinner stands and a chair and watch you." He said as he walked into his room.
"Well at least we have some use for those." I said with a laugh as I grabbed a large pot from the counter.
"Yeah, but I think your mother only gave them to us because she wanted to get rid of them." He said as he brought out two of the little tables. I watched as he placed his books on one and his laptop on the other before bringing out his computer chair.
"Of course." I said as I looked at him. "They were the worst Christmas present ever." I said with a laugh.
"Well, I am sorry my dad sucks at getting Christmas gifts." He said as he looked at me.
"I know he paid me to buy Marti's gift last year." I said as I looked at him.
"That explains why I got socks and she got a doll house." He said as he smiled at me. "But that doll house made her year." He said.
"I know, that's why it was worth sneaking over to your place at three in the morning to put it together." I said as I looked at him.
"You are way too good of a person, Casey McDonald." Derek said as he looked at me.
"No, I'm not that good of a person." I said as I smiled at him.
"That is so not true and I can prove it." He said as he got up.
"How?" I asked him. Next thing I know he is lifting up my shirt to reveal my scar.
"This right here proves it." He said as he traced the scar. I had gotten it two years ago when I gave Abbey a kidney. She had cancer and that was the last thing left that could save her. "You saved your sister's life even when it was painful. I couldn't have done that."
"No you couldn't of you probably aren't a match." I said as I smiled at him.
"How can you make it seem like nothing big?" He asked.
"Because it wasn't."
"I sat there waiting for you to wake up afterwards. I was so scared because it was only months after the accident. I was scared that I was going to lose you and I could have. So, yeah it is a big deal." He said as he hugged me. "You're the most amazing person I know." He said as he leaned in to kiss me. Then there was a knock at the door. "I have to get the door." He said as he pulled away.
"My water is boiling anyway." I said as I smiled at him.
"DUDE!" I heard Sam yell as he walked into the living room.
"Something smells good." My friend Emily, who was dating Sam, said.
"Casey is in the kitchen." Derek said before they all walked in. "Let me move this shit." He said as he looked at his set up.
"Should we come back later?" Emily asked.
"No, I wasn't getting much work done anyways." Derek said with a smile.
"So, what's for dinner?" Sam asked.
"Inside-out Lasagna." I said as I looked at him then the stove. "There is going to be enough if you two plan on sticking around." I said with a smile.
"You know me I can't turn down food." Sam said as he looked at me.
"How about I give you guys the grand tour?" Derek said with a laugh.
"Sounds good to me." Emily said with a smile. In a weird way I loved the fact that Emily stayed here because of Sam. Simply for the fact she is the only real friend I had besides Derek and I need someone to help me deal with Derek. That and she really changed the womanizer known as Sam.
"Okay well, this is Casey's room." He said as he pointed to the room right in front of us. Then he turned around. "And this is mine." He said. "And this room right there is the bathroom." He said. Our living room doubled as a living room and dining room.
"It's not much." I said as I looked at them. "But, it's perfect."
"How much longer till dinner?" Derek asked me. I looked at my pasta and sauce.
"Just a few minutes." I said as I looked at him.
"So, not long enough to turn on the game?" He asked with a laugh. George made sure the cable people came out today because Derek isn't very happy without his hockey.
"Go ahead, but just to check the score." I said with a smile.
"You coming, Em?" Sam asked.
"I am going to talk to Casey for a minute." She answered as she looked at me. It wasn't long after the boys headed towards the living room that she pulled me into my room.
"Something going on?" I asked her as she shut the door. "Because if this about history notes we don't need to be like this." I said as I tried to be funny.
"No, it's a lot bigger than notes." She said as she sat down on my bed.
"Did Sam do something?" I asked as I looked at her.
"No, well yes, but it's not what you think." She said as she looked up at me. "I am … going to have a baby." She said as she started to cry.
"Oh don't cry." I said as I looked at her.
"How can I not cry my life is ruined?" She said.
"No, it's not." I said as I looked at her. "My mother had me when she was in college." I said as I looked at her.
"That doesn't help matters. No offense your family are freaks." She said as she looked at me.
"I know, but I am here for you." I said as I looked at her. "You tell Sam yet?"
"Yeah, that's the weird thing. He is over the moon happy." She said as she looked at me.
"That's good because that is not how anyone would think he would be. No offense he can be an ass." I said as I looked at her. "Now let's go eat." I said as I smiled at her.
"I wish I could handle things as well as you do Casey." She said as she hugged me.
"Well, it takes growing up with five siblings to turn out like this." I said as we walked back in the kitchen.
"Dinner is served." I said as I walked out with a big bowl of pasta. Emily followed behind with four plates.
"Do you need me to get anything?" Derek asked.
"No I will get it." I said as I looked at him.
"You notice something?" He asked. I looked around the living room to see he picked up the mess I left behind before.
"You straightened up. Thank you." I said as I hugged him before I walked back into the kitchen. I grabbed drinks and walked back in. "Okay, I have soda for Derek and Sam." I said as I handed them their glasses. "And ice water for us." I said as I handed Emily a glass. "I got everything right, right?" I asked before I sat down next to Derek.
"Perfect." Derek said with a smile.
"This looks great Casey." Emily said with a smile.
"Thank you." I said as I watched Derek and Sam pile their plates up. "I just hope we get some." I said with a laugh.
"Well, you wouldn't go with my idea earlier so you have to deal with it." Derek said with a smile.
"You are a sick person Derek Venturi." I said as I smiled at him.
"But, you love me." He replied as the bowl finally made it to me.
"Yeah you got me there." I said as I placed the almost empty bowl in the middle of the small table.
"You two are sickening." Sam said as he looked at us.
"Get over it." I said as I looked at him. It's hard to believe that I actually went out with him. I am so happy Derek said something or I could be living with him.
"I am going to just because you feed me." He said as he looked at me.
"We need to get costumes before next week. We have to go to the Halloween party." Derek said as he looked at me.
"Of course it's the only time everyone really gets together." I said with a smile. My parents team up with Derek's dad and have a killer Halloween party every year since we were five. It one of the big events you can't miss.
"I just had to remind you because Marti is afraid we will forget." Derek said as he looked at me.
"I could never forget." I said as I looked at him.
"In other news, I think I will be coming by a lot this is great." Sam said with his mouth full. I just laughed. However, that laugh changed into a cough and the next thing I know I am having trouble breathing.
"Casey, what do we do?" Emily asked. Derek didn't answer just walked over to the television stand and brought back my inhaler.
"Better?' He asked as I sat the inhaler down on the table.
"Yeah, I am fine. I don't know why this is happening more and more." I said as I looked at him. Truth is I did, I just wasn't ready to admit it.
"That was so scary." Emily said as she looked at me. "What if our baby has Asthma?" Emily asked Sam.
"I don't know, call Casey when we have a problem." He said as he looked at her.
"Hold up why are worried about that?" Derek asked. "Unless…you're knocked up!" Derek yelled.
"Yeah." Emily said weakly.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me." He said as he got up and hugged Emily. "I am happy for you guys, but I better be high on the list for a Godfather." He said with a laugh.
"I am sure they have more to worry about." I said as I smiled at him.
"Yeah, but we already picked you two." Emily said as she looked at me.
"Wow that is soon." I said as I looked at her.
"It was a no brainer we are only children and you two are like family to us." Emily said with a smile.
"Well, thank you." I said as I looked at her.
"So, these are pictures from all your trips?" Sam asked as he looked around our living room walls as I cleared the table. In high school I join a program that allowed me to go to other countries and work in orphanages there. I went to Italy, Israel, El Salvador, and Germany. Not to mention I always went to New Orleans and New York with school to help rebuild the cities.
"Yeah, took them all myself." I said as I walked towards him.
"They are great." He said as he looked at me. Photography is one of the many things that I feel that I am pretty freaking good at.
"That's what I thought." I said as I walked back towards the kitchen.
"Emily is throwing up." Derek said as he walked into the room.
"I will take her home." Sam said as he opened the door. "Shit I am blocked in." Sam said.
"I will take her home. You want a ride?" Derek asked Sam.
"Nah I will stick around for a while." Sam said as he sat down on the sofa.
"Emily, I am going to take you home." Derek said as he walked back into the hallway. "I love you Case." He said as he stood in the doorway. Emily was almost to the car.
"I love you, too. Be safe." I said as I looked at him. It was a few minutes later after we heard the car pull away that Sam looked at me.
"Do you ever worry he won't come home?" Sam asked as he looked at me.
"All the time. Ever since Shelly's death life seems so small." I said as I looked at Sam.
"I don't want you to tell Derek or Emily this, but I can't remember that night at all. I got so fucking wasted. All I remember is going over there the next day and you were holding Marti crying along with her. That was the only time I have ever seen Derek cry." He said as he looked at me.
"Sometimes I wish I didn't remember." I said as I looked at him. "Shelly was like a mother to me and I know I don't need another mother. But, my mom and Melissa weren't always available when I needed them." I said as I looked at him. "Nothing was worse than coming home from such a great night to be pulled into their living room. " I felt myself starting to tear up as my mind traveled back to that night.
"I still can't believe Emily's face when you started singing along with Just Dance." Derek said with a laugh as we got out of the car.
"I know it was epic." I said as I looked at him. That's when I noticed Mason was sitting on the Venturi's door step. "What's going on?" I asked him.
"I was just told to make sure you two go inside." He said as he looked at us. We walked into the room full of crying people.
"What the hell is going on?" Derek asked.
"Oh sweetie." My mother said as she ran to hug him and then me. "Come on and sit down." She said through her tears. We sat down on the sofa. "There was an accident tonight. Shelly is gone."
"No." I said as I looked at her then Derek.
"She was coming home from the store and a drunk driver ran a red light and hit her." My mother chocked out. I just wrapped my arms around Derek and we sobbed together.
"Why are asking about that?" I asked him.
"I just … I don't know." He said as he looked at me. "If Derek's dad passed away who would take care of Edwin and Marti?" He asked.
"George changed his will not that long ago so that Derek would." I said as I looked at him.
"What about your siblings? What if something happened to all three of your parents?" He asked.
"Abbey, Chastity and the baby would go with Grandma Winters." I said as I looked at him. "Mason, James, and Lizzie would go to Aunt Mia." I answered. "You aren't planning on dying are you?" I asked him.
"No, it's just I never had to wonder about it before." He said as he looked at me. "I got to be careless and live for me, but now."
"Hey you have to live a long life, okay." I said as I looked at him. I think he could tell I had more on my mind. "I don't think Derek could handle losing anyone else." I said as I looked at him.
"I know it's more than Asthma." He said as he looked at me. I figured this would happen. His mother is a nurse inn my doctor's office. "Why haven't you told him?" He asked me.
"Because like I said Derek can't lose anyone else." I said as I looked at him. "This is nothing big." I said as I looked at him. "I will be fine."
"But, what if you aren't fine? Casey this is a big deal, its cancer." He said as he looked at me. When the doctor said it, it didn't faze me. But, sitting here with a friend it cut like a knife.
"Haven't you learned you're not getting rid of me that easy?" I asked as I smiled at him.
"You are way too strong." He said as he looked at me.
"Isn't strong a good thing when it comes to this?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I guess it is." He said as he looked at me. "But, I know you watched Abbey go through this. You know how much pain it is going to be. You don't need to go through this alone." He said as he looked at me. "Tell Derek."
"It will hurt him too much." I said as I looked at him.
"It will hurt him more if he hears it from someone else." Sam said. "Losing his mother destroyed him. Losing you will kill him."
"He isn't going to lose me." I said as I started to cry. "I can't … I won't put him through that." I said as I looked down. "I love him to damn much to do that."
"I hate to say this Case you can't control this one." He said as he got up. "You can't fix everything on your own for once. You need to tell him. This isn't feeding an abounded baby or taking care of the kitten you found in the middle of the street." He said as he walked around me.
"Sam, I learned very early on that if I put my mind to it I could do anything. I can handle this." I said as I looked at him. "Telling him will only hurt him more, so keep your damn mouth shut!" I yelled. Then there was a knock on the door.
"Hello." I said as I answered the door for an older woman holding a pie.
"I heard yelling should I go?" She asked. "I am your neighbor from upstairs. Welcome to the building." She said as she handed me the pie and then left.
"Thank you!" I called after her. "Nice going you scared off the neighbor." I said as I looked at Sam as I closed the door.
"No you were the one yelling like a fool." He said as he looked at me.
"You really want to talk to me like that in my house?" I asked him.
"See this is why we didn't work out." He said as he looked at me.
"No, Derek is the reason we didn't work out." I said as I looked at him.
"See, point proven is there anything you have never told Derek. The dude even has your cycle memorized." Sam said as he followed me into the kitchen. "He knows about every douchebag who pulled you into a closet because they thought you and Abbey would be easy because of your family situation. He knows about the time Mason threw you down the stairs when you were seven. He knows everything." Sam said.
"How the hell do you know about that shit?" I asked him.
"Em." He said as he looked at me.
"She has been too much time around your mother. Can't you people keep things to yourself?" I asked him.
"Honestly no, but that's not the point." He said as he looked at me.
"I AM HOME!" Derek called from the living room.
"Tell him." Sam said as we walked into the living room.
"Tell me what?" Derek asked as he looked at me.
"How much I want Sam to leave so I can strip you down and take advantage of my big strong hockey man." I said as I hugged him.
"I like that ideal." He said as he leaned into kiss me.
"I knew you would." I said as I pulled away from him. "But, you have a game to watch and I have to study."
"You're a cruel woman." He said as I walked towards my room.
"But, you love me." I said as I smiled at him.
"Well, you got me there." He said.