Disclaimer- I do not own Life With Derek or any characters from that show.

So this is my new idea for a story. This story takes place when Casey and Derek are both 29 years old. Derek is a professional hockey player who gets suspend at the beginning of the season for starting a brawl which led to someone being severely injured. He is suspended for the rest of the season which led him to start messing up. He gets a DUI and has to call Casey to bail him out because his dad and Sam both refuse to put up with his antics. Casey agrees to let Derek stay with her while he gets back on his feet. Casey on the other hand has problems of her own. She just got a divorce from Max and is now learning how to balance a job and taking care of two children by herself. She has a 9 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. Hope you like it!!

Chapter 1

Derek Venturi sat in a bar watching a hockey game on a flat screen TV mounted on the wall. It was a game he should have been in, a game that he would have dominated in but that wasn't going to happen. According to the league, Derek Venturi was not allowed to play hockey for the rest of the season. He had been suspended for the rest of what should have been his best season. The only reason he had been punished more so then everyone else was because he had started the brawl in the hockey rink in the middle of the game. He had punched someone square in the face. At the end of the brawl there had been one guy severely injured (he had a concussion and a broken nose) and others with minor injuries. The league had made an example of Derek Venturi showing that they would not tolerate such behavior. Since then Derek had been on a slippery to rock bottom. He was no a frequent fixture at this particular bar. He did have a large amount of money put away but had forgotten to pay his rent. This ended up in him being unceremoniously kicked out of his apartment. He was now living with Sam who was on the verge of kicking him out. George was tired of Derek's antics, too. But it didn't seem as if Derek cared what anyone thought.

"And the Toronto Maple Leafs win another great played game," the announcer on the TV said. Derek watched the television with an annoyed look on his face.

"Good fucking job," Derek mumbled under his breath.

"Hey Venturi put a smile on your face. Your team is winning," the bartender said.

"Their not my team anymore," Derek answered.

"Next season you'll get your chance again. Next season you'll kick all their asses not literally of course that's what got you in trouble in the first place," the bartender laughed.

"Haha very funny," Derek replied. Derek got up and pulled a few crumbled bills out of his pocket, throwing them on the counter.

"Hey you okay to get home," the bartender called after him.

"Yeah I got it," Derek said leaving the bar.

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"Yeah I realize this," Casey Miller said into her cell phone as she walked through the supermarket pushing a cart. She grabbed a box of cereal that looked completely unhealthy and threw it into the cart.

"Emily what am I supposed to do? He said he can't make it. Joey is going to be crushed once again," Casey said.

"Yeah I guess," Casey mumbled as Emily said something back. Casey suddenly turned around and looked up and down the aisle.

"Hey Em I am going to call you back okay," Casey said hanging up the phone.

"Becca! Rebecca Elizabeth Miller where are you?" Casey exclaimed.

"Hey mommy," a little girl said skipping down the aisle.

"Becca where were you?" Casey exclaimed.

"Looking at the books," the six year old answered. She was a small girl with shoulder length black curls and big blue eyes.

"Well don't do go off on your own again. I thought something happened to you," Casey said reaching out to hold Becca's hand.

"Hey mommy can we get a dog?" Becca asked as they walked down the cereal aisle.

"No, we can't get a dog," Casey answered as she tried to steer the cart and hold Rebecca's at the same time.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because you can't take care of a fish so why would I get you a dog?" Casey said.

"Because I want one," Becca replied.

"Well I want lower gas prices but I doubt I am going to get that just because I want it," Casey countered.

"Mom Joey has plenty of gas," Becca said with a grin.

"Sweetie that's not the kind of gas I am talking about," Casey said.

"Oh well can I get a dog anyway?" Becca asked. Casey looked at her daughter who was looking up at her with a hopeful look on her face.

"Honey if we could but right now I would think about it but a dog would be too much. I mean you two have school and I have work," Casey said.

"Daddy can help take care of it," Becca said. Casey stopped walking and realized that she had yet to tell Becca that once again Max was blowing off a visit. Max and Casey had been divorce for about a year now and ever since Max had been acting nothing like a parent. He had started missing visits with his children which only occurred every weekend. He had been fine with this in court and now Casey was starting to realize why. She had been surprised when he didn't insist on more time with the kids but now she was beginning to think that he didn't plan to visit his kids at all. He had missed two straight weekends before this one. He barely called the kids anymore but that didn't stop Joey from trying to call his father only to be told that he was busy at the moment. She didn't understand how he could not miss a single child support payment but actually seeing his children was hard.

"Becca daddy can't help take care of it," Casey said.

"Yes, he can! I will ask him when he comes to see us tomorrow," Becca said. Casey sighed and tried to choose her next few words carefully.

"Becca daddy isn't going to be able to come this weekend," Casey said.

"Why? He promised he would come this weekend!" Becca said.

"I know but he is just really busy," Casey said. Becca pulled her hand out of her mother's grip. She started to walk down the aisle and Casey followed.

"Becca I'm sorry," Casey said.

"Whatever," she answered.

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About an hour later Casey and Rebecca were picking up Joey from his baseball practice. The 9 year old boy came barreling toward the car cleats hanging form his shoulders. He had Max's short black hair with Casey's big blue eyes. He had Max's tall body while Rebecca had inherited Casey's smaller frame.

"Hey Joey. How was practice?" Casey asked as he climbed into the front seat.

"TJ got hit in the face with a ball," he told her smirking as he fastened his seat belt.

"How did that happen?" Casey asked.

"He was in the left field and Rocky hit it out but he wasn't paying attention. The ball wasn't going that fast so he only got a black eye but it was so cool," Joey remarked.

"Because black eyes are the coolest thing in the world," Casey remarked.

"You know what I mean mom," he said.

"No, I have no idea what you mean actually," Casey replied.

"Guess what Joey," Becca said from the backseat.

"What Becca," he asked.

"Daddy isn't coming again," Becca told him and Casey sighed. This was not how she wanted Joey to find out. Joey had felt practically shunned by his father since the divorce. He had reacted in a way that everyone was telling her was normal for a little boy. Joey had started acting out in school and being very uncooperative at home. She kept saying though that Joey wasn't like that before the divorce he had been a very sweet little boy. Now he was turning into a little troublemaker. In fact George said that he reminded him a lot of Derek at his age which made Casey's skin crawl. She and Derek hadn't kept in touch a lot most of the years in fact she had last seen him right before the divorce although she had called him after the hockey brawl only for him to answer drunk prompting her to hang up the phone. She didn't have time for Derek and his antics especially now when she had two little ones to deal with all on her own.

"He isn't coming?" Joey said looking at his mother.

"He is busy this weekend but I am sure he will come next weekend," Casey said. Joey turned and stared out his window.

"You guys I am really sorry okay. I wish there was something I could do," Casey told them. When they were both silent she sighed and drove away from the baseball field.

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Later that night after the kids were asleep Casey was sitting with Emily in her living room listening as Emily went on and on about Max.

"I mean this is completely irresponsible of him," Emily said.

"I know," Casey agreed.

"I feel so bad for them but you even more. You deserve a break every now and then," Emily stated.

"Emily I don't care about getting a break it's them I am worried about. Joey is really taking this all hard and I don't know what to do," Casey said.

"Well you could-," Emily started before she was interrupted by Casey's cell phone ringing. Casey reached over and grabbed her cell phone from the coffee table. She looked at it confused for a few moments.

"Who is it?" Emily asked.

"No idea," Casey said opening the phone and answering it.

"Hello," she said.

"Hey Casey my favorite sister," Derek said.

"Oh god. What do you want Derek?" Casey said.

"Well I was wondering if I could ask a tiny favor," Derek said.

"What?" she asked.

"Well I need a place to stay. You see I got kicked out of my apartment for forgetting to pay the rent and Sam won't put me up anymore. I was wondering if I could stay with you for a tiny bit just until I get things straightened out," Derek asked.

"Keep dreaming," Casey retorted.

"Casey how can you say no to your dear step brother who is in great need?" Derek said.

"Easy. No," Casey answered.

"Casey please," Derek pleaded.

"Derek I have two kids I have to take care of I don't have time for another," Casey told him.

"I promise you won't even know that I am there," Derek told her.

"I don't think so," Casey said.

"Case I am asking you for one favor can't you help a guy out. I am sure Max won't mind," Derek said.

"Max and I are divorce," Casey stated icily.

"Ouch when did that happen?" Derek asked.

"About a year ago," Casey answered.

"Oh well don't you see we need time to catch up. Bond and all that good stuff," Derek said.

"Derek you can stay here for a few days but that is it," Casey finally said.

"Great! You are wonderful. Now could you just come pick me up at the Toronto Jail it's on 550 Gerrard Street so see you in ten," Derek said hanging up the phone.

"Wait a minute!" Casey yelled to a dead phone.

(A/N-Hope you liked it!! Please review!!)