"Derek we need you to babysit tonight"

The teen dropped the TV remote on the table and spun in his chair to face his father.
"Again? I did it like...a month ago!" he cried
George raised an eyebrow, grabbing Marti and lifting her onto his hip as she ran past
"I know, but Nora and I have a double date with another couple from her book club"

Derek wrinkled his nose "Aren't you a little old for double dates Dad?"
The man ignored him, placing Marti back down so she could launch herself onto the couch to watch TV.

"Casey's at Emily's and Lizzie's on a date, so it'll just be you Ed and Marti – like old times"
"Whatever" Derek muttered, turning back to the hockey game "Hey Smarti turn it back!"
The youngest Venturi groaned, switching off her cartoons before running upstairs.

...

"Can we order a pizza at least?" Edwin questioned, balancing on the back of the couch as he stared at his brother.
"Nope"
"Why?"
"Because I'm gonna order one after you and Smarti are asleep, and we only have enough money for one order"

Edwin rolled his eyes and slid to his feet "Worst babysitter ever" he grumbled wandering into the kitchen.

"Heard that" Derek called after him, flicking through the channels.

...

When it hit 7pm, Derek stood and stretched.
"Smarti time for bed!" he yelled, cracking his knuckles
"No Smerek!" she protested, rolling out from under the table.

He darted for her, picking her up and carrying her upstairs kicking and screaming.
Edwin watched, resisting the urge to laugh as he collapsed onto the couch and grabbed the remote.

"What time's Lizzie supposed to be back anyway?" Derek demanded, returning 15 minutes later looking slightly worn out as he sunk back into his chair.
Edwin shrugged "Nora said no later than 9"

The eldest Venturi studied the clock with a frown
"You going to bed now?" he wondered
Edwin laughed "I'm 15, I don't have to go to bed for hours"
"Oh really?"

The boy sighed and clambered to his feet, tossing his brother the remote as he headed upstairs.
Smiling in satisfaction, Derek sat back and ordered his pizza, flicking over to a horror movie that was just starting.

...

After an hour, the doorbell finally sounded, and Derek stood rubbing his hands.
"This is so on the house" he declared, sauntering over to open it.

Instead, Lizzie shoved past him, chucking her jacket on the hook in the hallway.
"You're back early" Derek observed, closing the door with one last hopeful look down the street.
"What's it to you?" she snarled, kicking off her shoes
Derek held his hands up in surrender "Geez just taking an interest"
"Well don't" Lizzie told him shortly, taking the stairs two at a time.
"Aye aye captain"

...

The girl sighed, throwing herself onto her bed and covering her face with a pillow.
Instantly she retracted it, wincing. She stood and wandered to her mirror, lifting her head to study a dark bruise appearing on her cheek.

'Some date that turned out to be' she thought bitterly, pulling off her top to reveal finger shaped bruising trailing up her arms.

Dumping her clothes in the laundry, she pulled on some pyjama bottoms and a hoodie, before curling up on her bed with a magazine.

She was disturbed moments later by a quiet knock on the door.
"Come in" she mumbled, not bothering to look up
"How'd it go?" Edwin questioned, walking over and taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

Lizzie made the mistake of looking up, before she could even answer, her stomach dropped at the rate of which her step brothers face changed.

"What happened to you?" he asked, voice deathly quiet
"Nothing, slipped on the sidewalk, walked into a lamppost" Lizzie rattled off, rolling away from him.
Edwin reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her, jumping as she let out a cry.
Frowning, he rolled up her sleeves to show the bruising and his jaw set, his anger clear.

"Fell over huh?" he said, lifting his eyes up to lock onto hers
"Forget it Ed" Lizzie insisted, rolling down her sleeves once more
"No way!"
"It's none of your business!"
"You got beat up by your boyfriend!"
"Shut up nimrod!"

They were interrupted by the door banging open and Derek in the doorway.
"Will you both shut it!" he snapped "I'm trying to watch a movie down there!"

Edwin turned to Lizzie "Tell him" he ordered
"No" she whispered "I'm fine really" she assured Derek, before glaring at his brother.
"Glad to hear it" he drawled "So shut up, both of you"

He turned to leave, but Edwin stopped him
"If you don't tell him I will"
Derek rolled his eyes "Tell me what?"

The pair looked at Lizzie, who bowed her head in silence.
"Fine" Edwin sighed "She got beat up"

Derek frowned, pushing himself off the doorframe where he'd been leaning
"By who?"
"No-one" Lizzie said desperately "Now leave it, we'll be quiet, promise"

Derek ignored her, finally noticing the bruise that was darkening across her cheekbone
"Who was it Liz?" he asked again, narrowing his eyes at her
"I-I..."
"It was Mark" Edwin growled, cutting in Lizzie's stuttering.

Derek nodded slowly, before crouching in front of the girl "Ed ice" he instructed, tilting her chin to inspect her face.
The boy ran off, reappearing moments later with a bag of frozen peas "This is all we've got"
"It'll do" Derek told him grimly, holding them out to Lizzie who took them with a sigh.

"Where's Mark now?" Edwin questioned, returning to his seat beside his sister
"Does it matter?" she said, wincing at the cold on her skin
"It does if I'm gonna talk to him"
"You're not going anywhere near him!"
"That's my decision, and I'm not letting him get away with this!"

Amidst the arguing, the bedroom door opened once more to reveal Marti stood rubbing her eyes.
"Why're you shouting?" she mumbled
Derek straightened up and smiled at her "Come on Smarti" he said softly "Back to bed"
The girl craned her neck to see past him "Why has Lizzie got the peas? Are you cooking?"
"No, now bed" Derek instructed, his tone firmer.

Marti rushed past him, jumping on the bed beside her step sister
"When I hit my head on the table, Daddy made me have peas" she told her "Did you hit your head too?"

Lizzie couldn't help but smile "Something like that"
Edwin snorted "Not really" earning an elbow to the ribs.
Derek groaned, running a hand down his face "Right Smarti go back to bed"
"No Smerek!"
"Yes!"

The girl reached out and clutched Lizzie's arm, jumping as she cried out in pain.
"Did I hurt you?" Marti asked worriedly, looking up at the girl with wide eyes.
Lizzie shook her head, tears pricking her eyes as she bit her lip.
"You okay?" Edwin whispered in concern.

Lizzie swallowed hard, lowering the peas slightly.
Marti gasped, scrambling to her feet "What happened?"
Derek came up behind her, lifting her onto his hip so she couldn't get away again "Nothing" he told her firmly.

"She fell over" Edwin told his little sister in a dull voice "She'll be okay won't you Lizzie?"
The teen nodded quickly, shoving the ice back on her face.
"Back in a sec" Derek murmured, carrying a now silent Marti back to bed.

...

After he returned, he sat the other side of Lizzie on her bed as she proceeded to tell them all that had happened that evening.

"Mark said that we were nearly 16 so it was expected for us to...you know" she trailed off feeling embarrassed.
"That's rubbish, you know that right?" Derek told her sincerely and she nodded
"That's Mark for you" Edwin growled "I always said he was a creep"
"You used to be best friends idiot" Derek snorted
"Yeah, didn't stop him from being a creep!"

"Anyway" Lizzie continued "We got to his house and he said all this stuff, told me his parents weren't due home for hours. He tried to pull me inside but I said I was gonna come home. That's when he got mad...Said I was being rude and selfish and disrespectful, and then he hit me"

She stopped, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat as Edwin wrapped an arm round her shoulders.

Derek sighed, resting his face in his hands "Where does he live?" he asked eventually
"Why?" Lizzie panicked, scrambling upright
"Liz relax, I'll go and talk to him, I won't hurt him"
"No! Derek please! He made me promise not to tell or I'd get it worse at school on Monday!"

The boys froze "What?" they asked in unison
Lizzie screwed her eyes shut "Please" she whispered "Just, stay here"
Derek unclenched his fists, unsure of when they balled themselves up "Okay"
The girl released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, a stray tear rolling down her cheek.

Edwin leaned over and wiped it away, careful of her bruising which was now not so red thanks to the ice.

"I won't go and see him" Derek said "But as soon as Dad and Nora get back, you're gonna tell them everything" his tone was serious as his eyes locked onto hers.

Lizzie nodded slowly "Alright" she whispered "I will...Will you come with me?"
Both boys nodded getting to their feet.
"Now" Derek began "I have the end of a movie to watch...you coming?"

The other two exchanged a glance before nodding.
"Great, Ed get the chips and put the peas back"
They watched Derek jog back downstairs after checking once more on Marti.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Edwin questioned, hand resting on Lizzie's shoulder
She smiled slightly "Yeah...thanks Ed" she mumbled, hugging him.
He laughed, resting his chin atop her head, he always found it amusing how his growth spurt had left him much taller than her.

...

Once downstairs, he took off into the kitchen to fulfil Derek's orders.
He was stood in front of the TV trying to get the signal back.
Lizzie crept up behind him, suddenly wrapping her arms round his middle, making him jump.

"Liz come on you know I don't do hugs" he groaned, wriggling.
She quickly let go of him, bowing her head until he tilted it up to face him
"But I'll make an exception" he smirked, pulling her into his chest.

The girl sighed, feeling safe in the hockey players grip.
"You know Derek, you're actually a great big brother" she told him once they'd separated
"Of course I am" he drawled "It's me!"

They started laughing, collapsing into their respectable seats as Edwin returned with the snacks.

When they checked on her halfway through the movie, Lizzie was curled up, her head resting on Edwin's lap, she was fast asleep.

"We're still gonna pay Mark a visit right?" the boy checked, not even taking his eyes of the screen
"Of course" Derek told him, pushing back in his chair so the foot stool popped out "No-one hurts a Venturi-McDonald and gets away with it"