A/N: Well I never thought I would see the day, but I can now honestly say, this is the end. Cadillac Hotel is complete! Whoohoo! Not the best chapter, but it was basically an ending not meant to have much content. I'm sending the McDonald-Venturi clan back to Canada. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks! -Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek and I don't own the song Cadillac Hotel which was the inspiration for this story…the name pops up somewhere in here. :)

Chapter Thirteen

Going Home Never Sounded So Good

Our vacation was officially over. We were loading up the car and preparing to check out of the hotel. Since we returned to the hotel the night before Derek and I hadn't really talked about what was going on between us or if we were going to tell anyone. The whole time we were packing I was about ready to burst at the seams with happiness and excitement, but I couldn't say anything. A couple of times, when we passed each other while we packed, Derek and I shared this look that showed we knew what had happened between us—that was enough for me to keep it all to myself for awhile.

When we were finished packing up we dragged all the luggage out to the car. While George began the stash all the suitcases in the back, he said as he glanced back at Derek and me where we were standing to watch him load up, "I hope no rules were broken."

"None whatsoever," I responded immediately.

"Well, except for one," Derek piped up.

George turned to him, a scowl on his face, "Excuse me?"

"You know, number four? The whole 'try to have fun' thing…" Derek explained as he threw an arm around my shoulders, "How am I supposed to have fun when I've got Space Case following me around?"

I pushed him off, rolling my eyes at the same time, "That doesn't sound right…I don't usually spend my time chasing after barn yard animals."

"I see this vacation did nothing to bring you two closer together," My mom replied as she joined us by the car.

"Oh no, we bonded," Derek corrected, "Over how lame the Rules were."

"Yeah, Dad," Edwin added as he and Lizzie popped up from where they had already been sitting in the car. "Did you see some of the girls that were out here? You totally encroached on Derek's game—"

Lizzie had elbowed him in the side, "What Edwin means is Derek was disappointed that this was exclusively a family vacation."

"I was disappointed that I had to spend most of my vacation with Derek," I exclaimed, "I had to go out to eat with him, do you know how excruciating that is?"

"Oh you'll live," my mom patted my head as she moved to get into the car. She took Marti's hand, "Come on, Marti. Time to go home."

"Say goodbye to the beach, the warm sand, the sunny skies," George began.

"Dad!" Derek interrupted, "Stop rubbing it in."

"Okay," George responded, closing the back of the van. "Let's head out."

The rest of us, climbed into the car. Derek and I were squished in the back next to each other again—but this time I didn't mind all that much. Out of the sight of any of our family members, Derek took my hand and squeezed it gently. The ride home was going to be a thousand times better than the ride there had been.

"So, all-in-all a good vacation?" My mom asked, and was answered with a series of groans. She added, "The Rules aside."

"Yes," I answered, "Rules aside, I had a great time."

"Me too," Derek piped up.

"My God they agree on something," George chuckled, "It must be the end of the world because I never thought I would see the day."

My mom laughed with him, "George."

Derek leaned over to whisper in my ear, "We agree on quite a few things now, don't we?"

I smiled widely, despite myself, and nodded. We could definitely agree that this vacation had been the best we would have in a long time. And leaving didn't seem so bad, because of all that we got to bring home with us. So, goodbyes to the beach, the sand, the ocean, the sunny skies and the Cadillac Hotel were miniscule disappointments when compared to coming home completely infatuated with Derek, knowing he felt exactly the same. Two weeks on a sunny beach had nothing on the days to come with Derek. Yeah, that was a bit sappy but if I was to be with Derek, someone had to be the sensitive one.