Well. It's been about a thousand years since I've updated. I'm really, really, terribly sorry about that. But I finally got some inspiration and felt like I should finish this, so here's the final chapter. Sorry if it's a little rushed, but I sort of wanted it to seem like it went fast. And I know Derek's completely OOC, but what the hey, he's in love: )

Disclaimer: Fssh. You really think if I owned it Derek and Casey would still be just stepsiblings?

Yep, so anyways, without further adieu… the finale! Enjoy!

CCC

It was about a week after we had gotten home that I pulled my stepbrother harshly into my room and slammed the door behind us both. He leaned down to place a small kiss on my lips.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We need to talk."

He chuckled. "Well that's never a good start."

I couldn't help but smile as I pushed him to sit on my bed, then positioned myself beside him.

"Well, I've been thinking, and I feel like we should tell George and my mom."

He stayed expressionless and I assumed he was feeling as much doubt about it as I had felt when the thought first occurred to me.

"Well, we have to tell them eventually and I figure it's pointless to-"

"No." he said firmly, and for once the infuriating smirk had melted clean off of his face. "We don't."

I sighed, "Derek, come on."

"No. We don't have to tell them. Not now, not ever."

And with that, Derek was out of my room and I could already feel the tears beginning to well up in the corners of my eyes.

DDD

"What is it?" Sam asked me later that day as I sank slowly into the plush couch he had in his room.

"Huh?"

"That's the third time you've sighed since you got here," Sam clarified, "I know when something's wrong with my best friend."

"Oh, it's just… a girl."

"A girl? Might you care to specify which girl and why?"

"No."

There was a pause where I'm guessing Sam was waiting for me to give a real answer. When I didn't continue, he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Well, get over it, man. I wanna play Babe Raider without the constant interruption of your deep-ass sighs."

I laughed, then just smirked in his direction.

"First off, don't tell me what to do. Second," I paused, "I'll try."

CCC

I had been in Emily's house a grand total of about three seconds before she got me to talk. And okay, so I know Derek didn't want anyone to know. But I mean, she's my best friend. I knew she wouldn't tell a soul. And okay, so she's Emily. But that doesn't mean she can't keep a secret when it's extremely important. Like, my life depended on it.

Besides, I knew she'd be completely supportive. And she is.

Well, mostly…

"How could you do this to me?!" she was yelling. But I mean, you can't expect her to accept us immediately. "You've totally and completely betrayed me! You know how much I like Derek! I thought you guys freaking hated each other! Aren't you, like, mortal enemies or something? How can you get together! Not to mention the fact that he's your fucking brother!"

"Step." I clarified.

"Whatever. Like it even matters. What's important is that you went after a guy you totally knew I liked!"

"I thought you were over him," I told her calmly, "You did go out with Sam."

"Yeah, well. Just because I like a guy doesn't mean you can expect me to be, like, a nun."

I sighed, "I thought you'd be the one who'd support us."

And then my head was in my hands and I sniffed and inconspicuously pinched my arm, willing tears to come.

"I thought that you could be the one person I could tell…" I made my voice falter.

"Oh Casey," it was her turn to sigh. "I guess I don't really mean all of that. If you guys really love each other, than who am I to stop you?"

I looked up, all signs of my 'crying' nonexistent. "So you really support us, then?"

She smiled. "I guess I do."

I embraced her, nearly squeezing her to death, I believe.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You don't know how much this means to me." I cried.

And then I was out of there.

DDD

"DEREK!"

I didn't even flinch. It was like I had been anticipating the shriek before I even heard her utter it. Before I even heard her footsteps as she pounded up the stairs. Before I even heard the door slam, indicating her arrival home. As did I anticipate the click of my door as she opened it and walked into my room.

"What is it?" I asked.

We hadn't spoken since the day before, when she had suggested we tell our parents about our relationship.

She sat down next to me on my bed, but didn't look my way, and instead chose to focus her attention towards the carpet on my floor.

"I… I really think we should tell George and mom."

"Not this again," I growled, "Casey, please. We don't have to tell them."

"But Derek! I just know they're going to support us, even be happy for us! Emily is and I think they'll-"

"Emily is?"

"Huh?"

I turned to face her, my eyebrows furrowed angrily.

"You said 'Emily is'. What do you mean, Emily is?"

She stared even more intently at the ground as she spoke her next few words.

"Well… I kind of… told her."

"You WHAT?"

"I'm sorry, Derek, but you forced me to!"

"I forcedyou to? I didn't want to tell anyone!" I screamed furiously.

"That's just it! I needed to tell someone! And Emily was the only one I felt I could choose to tell on my own. But she's completely supportive, Derek. It's great! She's not going to tell anyone else and-"

"Get out."

I was nearly fuming and consumed by anger, which is the excuse I use now for why I ignored the hurt and sadness and regret I could clearly see in her expression as she pleaded for me to just hear her out.

"Get out." I repeated.

She did as she was told. As soon as she was gone, I lay down on my bed and raised my hand to try to soothe the growing pain in my temples.

CCC

It was nearly a week before Derek and I spoke again. You'd think that would be hard considering we live in the same house, go to the same school, have a lot of the same friends. But it was surprisingly easy to go without seeing each other for six and a half days.

The Saturday after the incident in his room, however, I was in my room finishing up a report for English class when there came a soft knocking on my door. Thinking it must be Lizzie, I called out for her to come in, before remembering that she had soccer practice that afternoon. I looked over to see Derek standing in my doorway, smiling apologetically, if that's at all possible for his face.

"Oh… hi, Derek."

"Casey…" he came over and put his arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.

Despite our earlier conflict, I couldn't help but to melt into his embrace. Nor could I help feeling disappointment when he began to pull away. And of course I couldn't help pulling him in for a kiss, as he just looked so adorable in his unusually meek state.

"Case. I'm so sorry," he said when I finally let him go, "I didn't have to get so angry with you. I was being way too controlling and I know it."

I was amazed; stunned, almost to the point of being speech-less. Almost.

"It's okay, Derek. I know it's pretty frightening, telling people about us… Especially our parents, but…"

I felt tears come to my eyes and, as hard as I tried to stop them, they flowed freely down my cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Derek asked, leaning over to wipe the tears from my face with his thumbs.

I sniffed and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"I just… I don't want to have to pretend to fight with you. I want to… I want to be able to hold your hand at school-" a small sob escaped my lips, "-and kiss you in public. And… and I want to have a real wedding. A dream wedding with our parents and families. And…" I paused, "I just want to be able to love you, Derek."

"Shhh," he comforted, taking me into his arms, "It's alright, Case. You can love me. And I can love you. And I do love you. So stop worrying."

It took a moment for him to continue and when he did it was in nothing more than a whisper, "And… and we'll tell our parents. Tomorrow, if you want. We'll tell them about us."

I looked up at him, my tears beginning to dry up, "You mean that?"

"Would I lie to you?"

I buried my face in his chest and mumbled something along the lines of "of course not" before wrapping my arms around his slim waist.

"I love you, Derek."

"I love you, too."

DDD

It was a mistake, of course. Why do you think I had been so against it in the first place? But as Casey and I started to plan our speech out, even I began to think maybe it would be alright.

I should've gone with my instincts. As we all know, they're always right.

It started out okay. Casey and I told our parents that we had something important to tell them. They, of course, thought nothing of it. And so after the younger ones were tucked away safely in their beds, Casey and I made our way downstairs, to where our parents were tiredly awaiting what they probably thought would be us complaining about one another once again.

We decided it would be better not to beat around the bush. And so, there we stood in front of them and Casey wove her fingers through mine and faced them and said clearly and strongly, "Derek and I. We… we love each other."

George's face sunk into about the sourest frown I had ever seen him don. Nora sunk into a chair, her hand over her heart.

"But…but…" Nora stammered, "You were… just yesterday, you were arguing and… just like before…"

Casey and I explained that it had all been staged; concocted to conceal our secret, ever since the vacation they had forced us to take.

It was after the initial shock and the fact that this was really the truth sunk in that the yelling began; screaming, scolding, bellowing. Plus sobbing from both Nora and Casey. There would surely have been a physical confrontation as well, if Nora hadn't held my dad back.

It was nearly two in the morning when they had finally finished their verbal assault. Casey must have been crying for nearly three hours nonstop and at that point was physically shaking and shivering, and George had the nerve to rip my arm from its place around her shoulders. Nora, who had done considerably less shouting and considerably more whimpering, placed her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Please, let's all just go to bed," she began, then turned to us with an expression all too close to a glare, and swallowed hard before continuing. "We'll deal with… this in the morning."

CCC

Military school. That was their solution to our… problem.

It was two days later and Derek had nearly all of his possessions packed away in bags, stuffed into the back of the car. They had told everyone about an hour earlier, giving Derek just enough time to pack and no time to say goodbye to me. Or at least, that was the plan.

But Lizzie had 'hurt her foot' about fifteen minutes before Derek had to leave and an unexpected emergency visit to the hospital was necessary.

"I'm going to stay behind to do my last once-over to make sure I haven't left anything behind," he said to them before they pulled out of the driveway.

I, of course, hadn't left my room since two days before.

As soon as I heard the door close behind him, however, I flew down the stairs and into his waiting arms.

"How can you let them take you away, Derek?" I cried into his chest.

"What can I do about it?" he replied calmly.

"Say no!" I told him, "Refuse to go, threaten them, run away, anything!"

He smiled and stroked the back of my hair, "One year and two months."

"What?"

A car horn sounded, then George's voice yelling that it was time for them to leave. Lizzie came hurrying through the door, apologizing profusely about George and Nora finding out and her only sparing us five minutes. I thanked her anyway and sent her up the stairs.

"One year and two months," Derek repeated.

He leaned down and placed one chaste kiss on the corner of my lips.

"Then we'll both be eighteen. It won't matter whether or not they accept us."

And then he was gone. And I hardly even minded. Because in his absence he left an unspoken promise. A promise that, with all my heart and soul and body, I believed.

A promise that he would come back and we could finally be together.

And as the car backed out of the driveway and its noise, as well as Derek, grew further and further away, I realized I had a smile on my face. Because, if it was for Derek, I knew I could wait.