Disclaimer/ Author's Note:

I don't own Life with Derek . . . If I did I would not be posting on story takes place during Derek and Casey's senior year of high school. It contains infrequent references to info that we learn in season 3, so if you haven't seen it yet or read the episode summaries, there might be a couple of spoilers. This is my first fan fiction ever so be nice. :-)

Chapter #1--A Casual Comment

In Casey's mind it had all started with George. Or more precisely, with a comment that he made at dinner one night.

Prior to that night Casey had gotten used to thinking of Derek as a stepbrother. An annoying and sometimes altogether lousy stepbrother, but a member of her family more or less.

Around that time, Derek was being been surprisingly decent to her. A few weeks earlier he had come across her crying on the steps of the school after being dumped by her latest boyfriend. Although no words of comfort were passed between them, he had dragged her with him to his job at Smellie Nellie's and had given her a free piece of pie.

While this had made Casey feel a bit better at the time, his behavior since then decidedly did not. He had stopped insulting her as much and even refrained from responding to most of her quips. She figured that this was because he thought that she was still a bit upset over her break-up. Yes, Derek Venturi apparently pitied her, and frankly, it was pissing her off.

Her mother, on the other hand, seemed to find this a refreshing change of pace. And when she said something to this effect, Casey couldn't help but reply snidely.

"Derek just seems like he's being nice," she had said. "Really, he's been such a jerk since the time that we moved in that even behavior unworthy of an eight-year old seems like it deserves a gold-star."

"Hey!" commented a then eight-year-old Marti, looking slightly offended.

Nora shook her head at her daughter in disappointment.

That's when George made the infamous comment.

"Actually," he said, between bites of his food, "even though Nora and I complained about it, all the fighting when you moved in was kind of a relief. I mean, it was so much better than if you guys had started dating."

"What!" Casey practically screamed, dropping her fork. Meanwhile Derek nearly gagged on the food he'd just stuffed in his mouth, Nora threw George a reproachful look, and Lizzie and Edwin were just staring at George with their mouths open. Only Marti went on with what she was doing as if nothing out of the ordinary had been said.

"I mean," said George, looking like he'd been backed into a corner by their stares, "it's not like we would have been upset or surprised if that had happened. You're not actually related," he laughed nervously. "We just didn't want it to be awkward for you, Casey, living with someone who had dumped you."

"Georgie!" said Nora, shaking her head and giving her husband an even more reproachful stare.

Meanwhile Derek was looking more and more amused. He threw Casey a definite smirk, which she returned with her own withering glare.

"What Georgie means, honey," said Nora, "is that you're such a nice girl and it could've only ended badly since Derek is well . . ."

"Derek?" Casey filled in.

"Well, yes," said her mother.

"Hey!" said Derek, "I think that I might resent that."

"Oh, come on," said Casey, turning to him. "You don't exactly have the best track record with girls. You dumped one of your girlfriends so that you wouldn't have to buy her a Valentine's Day gift and almost cheated on her with another girl."

"I wouldn't do anything like that to someone I actually cared about," Derek said, as if this was utterly obvious, making Casey snort in distain.

"That's probably true," Edwin jumped in. "I mean, Derek couldn't sleep for like two nights when he found out that Scott guy was cheating on you."

"Derek!" George yelled. "That's the kind of thing that you should mention as soon as you find out about it."

Derek turned to his brother and hit him while Casey rolled her eyes.

"Gee, Derek," she said testily, "I frankly don't know whether to be annoyed that you waited so long to say anything or flattered that you did something about it at all."

"Be flattered," he said, smirking at her.

After that they went back to their normal arguing and the rest of meal passed as most did in their house. Nora threw up her hands in the air, realizing that the ceasefire she'd so gladly noted had ended.

But things had just started to get weird . . .