A/N: Sorry for the delay- but I did warn you guys. Thanks for the reviews! I hope you guys like this one. -Jess

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine...

Chapter Seven

Casey wasn't sure how long they sat there in silence- not exactly an uncomfortable one, just... slightly odd, at least for them. Don hadn't ever been big on the whole just-sit-and-hold-a-girl thing- there had usually been a lecture or a minor interrogation. When she finally couldn't stand it anymore- because, really, she knew he was dying to ask her about everything that had happened in the years since they'd last seen each other- she said the first thing that popped into her head- and winced the moment the question was out of her mouth.

"What did you ever see in Devon?" Admittedly, it was something she'd wanted to know for a couple of years now, from the moment she'd peered over the banister in her mother and step-father's mansion and seen Don helping her step-sister with her coat. Of course, Don had no idea that she'd seen that- or, for that matter, that Devon even had a step-sister, at least not as far as Casey knew anyway, so she supposed she should have expected that look of complete and utter shock that crossed his face as he lifted his head off her shoulder.

"What? How do you even know about Devon?" he sputtered- it made absolutely no sense to him. Eleven years or not, he knew Casey wasn't the type of person Devon would hang out with. She was just too damned nice whereas his ex-girlfriend... well, he'd have to agree with Stella on that one- Devon was a walking stereo-type. The pretty little rich girl who was too caught up in herself and spending Daddy's money to really care about anyone or anything else. And that wasn't Casey- or they type of person Casey would ever associate with.

Or so he would have thought before he caught the blush rising on her cheeks and the way she dropped her gaze down to his chest. "She's my step-sister."

Don's jaw dropped at her admission. Almost instantly, he collected himself again and narrowed his eyes. "She said she didn't have any siblings," he muttered, wondering at how Casey had apparently been connected to his life in a couple of ways for the past two years and yet he'd missed it.

His remark earned a snort from Casey. "Devon and I don't exactly consider each other sisters, Don," she said wryly, her nose crinkling. Don chuckled lightly at the expression on her face- it was one he knew all too well from their earlier years. "I learned pretty early on that my life would be a whole lot less complicated if I just stayed out of Devon's way... so, when I saw you at the house that first night... I stayed on the landing, quiet as a mouse and just... just hoping..."

Don quirked an eyebrow, curiosity filling him. "Hoping what, pest?" She'd seen him? Heard him? And she'd still hidden- just because she hadn't wanted to upset her step-sister? Sure, Devon could be... unpleasant, to put it mildly- really mildly- when angry, but Don thought that Casey definitely could have at least said "hello" that night.

Casey ducked her head and mumbled, "Hoping that you'd look up and see me."

He let out a long, slow hiss of air. "Why didn't you come down, Casey? You could've at least said 'hi;' it wouldn't have been the end of the world."

In response, Casey shook her head slowly. "No, but... I was scared, Don. Not just of Devon, though you've got to admit- she's like the freaking Wicked Witch when she's pissed," she said, and the comment earned a slight chuckle from Don- it was, he silently agreed, a pretty good comparison. "I... It had been years, Donnie. I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me- or worse, that I'd just be some kid you used to know."

Don jerked back at that. "Some kid I used to know? Casey... C'mon, you have to know you're more than that. I mean..." Ah, hell- this is why he'd never had a relationship that lasted more than three weeks. He didn't do.. this. This talking about feelings and another person's importance in his life. With his friends- with Danny and Stella, Lindsay, hell, even Mac, Adam, and Sheldon- it was simply understood; it never had to be said. And any time it had ever come to this moment in a relationship... well, he'd walked- okay, so maybe it was more accurately put that he ran.

Talks like this scared him- and what scared him even more was that, for once, he wasn't looking for the nearest exit. His palms were sweating, and he could feel the beads of perspiration on his forehead, but he was still there, still sitting on Casey's couch, holding her- and wondering how in the world he was going to convince her that he actually cared. Not in the boyfriend/girlfriend manner- he'd vehemently deny it until Frosty the Snowman started looking for a condo in Hell because there was no way he could possibly have feelings like that for the pest he'd grown up next door to- but he did care. He couldn't- wouldn't even bother trying to- deny that. He cared about her; he always had and he always would.

"Case," he started on a sigh, willing himself to hold onto the tiny thread of patience that was quickly slipping away- how on earth could she possibly doubt that he cared? That he had always cared? Damn it, she should know him better than that! "If you'd just been 'some kid,' I wouldn't have knocked you're old man's lights out for laying a hand on you. I wouldn't have threated Johnny Peterson to within an inch of his pathetic little life for talking shit about you at school and being just stupid enough to do it where I could hear. I wouldn't have left my window unlocked and cracked open in the middle of freaking winter just in case Sam forgot to leave hers open for you," he practically growled. Didn't she know this? Why was he having to explain it- hadn't he shown her time and time again that she was important to him?

It took Casey a moment to register everything that he'd said and, when she did, she couldn't help but blurt out, "You threatened Johnny Peterson? Why? When? Why didn't I know about it?" Johnny Peterson had been a couple of years older than her- Tommy's age. He'd always thought he was God's gift to women- it didn't help that so many girls had wanted to date him... or that so many of them actually had. He'd hit on her a couple of times- which she'd thought was terrible, since she'd been thirteen and in the seventh grade, while he'd been a sophomore in high school at the time, but she'd developed early and lots of guys, much to her dismay, had taunted and teased her about it- and, once, he'd even tried to feel her up.

Don shrugged- seriously, he said all that and the one thing she latched onto was the fact that he'd threatened Peterson? Somehow, that just figured. "What do you mean 'why'? I just told you- he was talking shit about you. Called you an ice queen because you wouldn't let him get anywhere with you- among other things. And, like I said, he was stupid enough to do it where I could here- 'course, I'd have done it anyway at that point." When she arched one eyebrow, he added, "I heard you tell Sam that he'd groped you in the hall."

"Again, how did I not know about this?" Casey demanded with a glare that made him glad looks couldn't kill.

Still, he wore a smug smirk when he calmly replied, "Because I didn't want you to- you'd have gotten pissed and gone off on one of your rants about how you were perfectly capable of taking care of yourself and, quite honestly, I didn't want to hear it." He shrugged again then reached out and tugged on a lock of hair that had escaped from her pony-tail- it had been a long-standing joke for years that Casey's hair couldn't ever truly be tamed. "The point is, I did it because I cared- I do care, pest. I wouldn't have damn near had a stroke when Adam told me what you'd tried to do if I didn't- I wouldn't be here now, right this minute, if I didn't. And it pisses me off to think that you ever, even for a moment, thought that I didn't." It did a hell of a lot more than piss him off, he thought- it hurt. It really and truly hurt him, but he wasn't about to admit that.

It had been a brief thought two years ago- granted, it had lasted long enough to keep her paralyzed in fear on the staircase- and Casey was surprised to find herself almost overwhelmed with guilt for it now. He'd never say it out loud- she knew him better than to think that he would- but she could see the pain her words had caused him. She'd let her insecurities get the better of her that night, and she'd been sorry for it then- and was even sorrier now. "I'm sorry," she told him, wondering how many times she'd say those words to him that evening. If they kept talking about the past- and she had no doubts that was exactly what they were going to do- she was sure she'd be saying it plenty.

Don nodded once to let her know he accepted the apology, though it still grated on his nerves- but he figured that was partially just because he felt like he'd been on a roller coaster all day, and the ride had gotten a lot bumpier with Adam's admission. It caught him by surprise when Casey suddenly started giggling. "You are such a liar, Donnie Flack." At that, his blue eyes narrowed into a glare- was she serious? Was he going to have to go through all- "You didn't 'threaten Johnny Peterson to within an inch of his pathetic little life,' and, if you did, you sure as heck didn't stop there- you beat him up. At the very least, you punched him and gave him a couple of black eyes and broke his nose."

Don smirked and rolled his eyes- she'd really had him scared there for a minute. He did not want to repeat that conversation- ever, with anyone. "He deserved it," he said with a shrug, and he knew Casey wasn't going to argue the point with him.