Summary: Spoilers for Futuritis 3 of 3

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: Don't own LWD

A 'Case' of Futuritis Part 3 of 3

"Twenty minute warning people!" George bellowed up the stairs. "Grad-train express leaves in twenty minutes!"

"Hey dad!" Edwin burst down the stairs. "Do you mind if I go to school early?" George paused.

"Now there's a question you don't hear often," he acknowledged.

"I just want to spend some time at my soon-to-be high school," Edwin said smoothly. "Get used to my surroundings, check out the lockers...flush pressure in the bathrooms!"

"That sounds...peculiar," George said. "But okay." Edwin looked gleeful as he took off in a mad rush for the door, too fast for George to ask whether Derek was going to take him. Lizzie came down the stairs next, dressed up for graduation.

"Where did Edwin go?" Lizzie asked, looking around. "I was going to sit next to him in the car."

"He took off to check out the high school," George shrugged. Lizzie looked upset.

"Daddy, I'm weady!" Marti came down the stairs with a giant teddy bear and George grimaced.

"There's not enough seats in the car for your bear," George said.

"I'm not going without my bear!" Marti shouted, and started crying.

"Marti!" George moaned. "Please?"

"Um..." Lizzie stepped forward. "Marti, tell you what...why don't you leave the bear here and you can hang out with me at Graduation?" she suggested. Marti looked gratified at the idea and nodded.

"Okay!" she ran back upstairs just as Derek and Casey came down, fully dressed with their graduation robes over their arms.

"Ready to go!" Casey said, smiling brightly. She looked refreshed and perky and Derek looked oddly refreshed too.

"You guys are getting along," George smiled. "It's a miracle!"

"Dad," Derek rolled his eyes. "Can we go?"

"Nora!" George called towards the kitchen. Nora came out wearing a giant green muumuu and George almost groaned out loud. At least there weren't any big problems making them run late yet, other than Marti's bear which had been successfully averted by a quick thinking Lizzie.

"Ugh! All my maternity clothes are hideous and my regular dresses won't fit around the middle anymore and I decided to wear this..." Nora looked like she was about to start crying. "But I look awful!"

"Mom, hang on," Casey stepped forward and tossed her gown at Derek. "You guys go without us, I'll help mom put together a rocking outfit and we'll be there shortly," she said.

"We'll see you there," George called as Nora and Casey walked towards the basement bedroom. For their crazy family, they were surprisingly having very few problems today and for that, George could only be thankful.

***** *** *****

Edwin hurried into the school, undetected so far by any outside presence that would hamper him. He spotted Sam and Ralph having some sort of argument over pants and walked over.

"Hey guys," Edwin said brightly.

"Hey, where's Derek?" Sam asked. Edwin shrugged.

"He's on his way with the rest of the family. But he said I need to make a name for myself so here I am!" Sam and Ralph rolled their eyes and took off looking for their friend.

***** *** *****

Casey shook nervously, holding tightly to Emily's hand.

"Casey, relax!" Emily instructed in a loud whisper. "Your speech will be fine."

"Yeah," Derek said on her other side. "I helped, after all. It should be great!"

"And now we will hear from our Valedictorian," Principal Lassiter said, gesturing to Casey. "Casey McDonald!" there was a smattering of polite applause and she walked forward to the stage, trembling the whole time.

Casey too a deep breath. "I was thinking about graduation and how scary it can be, but then I started thinking about what got me to this point, " She paused, nerves relaxing.

"A long time ago, it used to be just my mom and me and my little sister in Toronto. We were a happy family and everything was great there. Then my mom got remarried and everything changed. A lot of my old life was lost, my friends, my old school...but I also gained a lot in return, a new school, new house, new friends and a new family," Casey paused, smiling at her family in the front row. "I got a new step-father, two new step-brothers and a step-sister. And everything was even more than alright, it was better than before," Casey stopped again and took a quick peek at Derek. "And even though things can seem scary and nerve-wracking, and we seem to be losing so much, we're about to gain so much more! We're about to gain a new kind of experience in life that may just turn out to be even better than anything we've experienced to this point. So, let us go into the future, knowing that with family behind us and new friends at our side, we can only succeed!"

The entire auditorium burst into thunderous applause for Casey's speech. She beamed and glanced over to Derek, mouthing 'thank-you' to him.

Lizzie glanced around as well during the applause. "Where's Edwin?" she whispered to Marti, who just shrugged.

"AHAHAA!" a caped, masked figure ran onto the stage and shot a fist in the air triumphantly. Lizzie, Nora, George, Marti Casey and Derek all groaned and looked embarassed, though Derek looked a little proud.

"Who is that masked figure!" Lassiter demanded.

"I...am..." Edwin ripped off his mask. "Edwin Venturi!"

"There's another one?" Lassiter looked horror-struck.

"I will see you all in September!" Edwin leapt nimbly off the stage. "Edwin away!" Lassiter took off after him and after he sorted Edwin out, the graduation commencement began.

"Laurence Daily," Lassiter was calling the names, along with Paul and another teacher who were handing out the diplomas.

"Emily Davis," the cheering for Emily was loud, exuberant and almost obnoxious.

"EMILY WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?" someone yelled.

"Dude..." Sam laughed and Emily blushed.

"Okay Ralph!" Emily called and then hurried off the stage and sat down next to Casey while Casey waited for her turn. It was a small graduating class, only 70 students, so they could sit wherever they wanted.

"Truman French," a couple of boos and Truman slunk across the stage and got his diploma before hurrying back to his seat and sliding down in it.

Eventually it was Casey's turn and despite a small stumble, she made it across the stage to receive her diploma as well as a hug from Paul and a quick, whispered "Congratulations."

Last but not least on anyone's lists, was Derek. When he walked across the stage he held his diploma in one hand and a remote in the other. With a large smirk he clicked the remote and a tidal wave of balloons came out of the ceiling, followed by a shower of confetti and streamers.

"My fellow graduates," Derek shouted. "We did it! So let's make some noise!"

The graduating class cheered and clapped for Derek's celebratory prank and they played with the balloons and congratulated each other and hugged and said last goodbyes and somehow in it, Derek and Casey even hugged briefly before pulling away and looking embarrassed.

***** *** *****

At that evening's celebration dinner for the graduates of the McDonald-Venturi household, Edwin stood up.

"Everybody!" Edwin said loudly. "I have an announcement. I have been suspended from high school before I've even started!" Derek looked incredibly proud of his brother.

"Hey, a legend before his time!" Derek bumped fists with Edwin and Edwin sat down, looking self-satisfied. Lizzie however, didn't look so thrilled. She shot a glare at Edwin who just shrugged and smirked.

"I have an announcement too!" Marti stood up.

"Hey, you're not talking baby-talk anymore!" Nora commented excitedly. Maybe her youngest daughter was starting to be more ready for the baby.

"Who told?" Marti asked.

"Why'd you stop, Smarti?" Derek asked.

"Cos my big sister told me to," Marti gestured across the table.

"Marti, I didn't..."

"I think she was talking about me," Lizzie looked sheepish and Casey looked proud.

"Well, do you mind if I make an announcement?" Casey stood up as well.

"I have one too," Derek stood up and tossed his napkin on his plate.

"I'm going to Queens!" the two eldest said at the same time. They both gasped and turned to each other at the same time.

"What?" they looked flabbergasted and Nora and George looked ready to burst (and a little oblivious).

"You're taking the scholarship then?" Nora said excitedly.

"You got into QUEENS?" George looked shocked.

"We're going to the same university?" Casey's voice sounded full of wonder and hope and Derek's heart lifted, feeling better than he'd felt in a long time.

The family pulled around each other, hugging and congratulating the two oldest and reveling in the feeling of finally being a whole family, together and united.

Epilogue

Derek was in the kitchen eating ice cream out of the carton when Casey came down.

"I just want to thank you for helping me with my speech," Casey said, grabbing a spoon from the counter.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for," Derek said nonchalantly. He took a bite and Casey scooped some ice cream out and took her own bite.

"We make a good team," she said thoughtfully once she finished her ice cream.

"It was all me, are you kidding?" Derek said. Casey looked annoyed.

"Der-ek!" she said. "You're the most annoying..." she paused, staring into his eyes. "Friend," she finished. She reached out to scoop more ice cream and Derek grabbed her wrist.

"Case..." he breathed her name out and the world slowed down for a moment and Casey didn't know what was happening but suddenly there it was.

Derek was kissing Casey. Derek Venturi was kissing Casey McDonald. It was brief, a barely-there happening before he pulled away, cheeks reddening, looking embarrassed.

Casey stared at him for several seconds and Derek stared back, neither moving or hardly breathing. Then, Casey pulled in again and they were kissing once more, only this time, it didn't end.

***** *** *****

A/N: Don-Jam: I'm sorry, I couldn't resist! It's a build-up for my next project!

That being said, I'll reveal what my next project is! I'm tackling the 2 movies! I'm going to give you my version of what I think they'll be. The first is going to be the McDonald-Venturi family going on a last hurrah before Derek and Casey leave for Queens. Adventure ensues.

The second is a little more serious. It's going to be Derek and Casey's first year of university, getting to know new friends, learning to take care of themselves without their family, the family learning to get along without Derek and Casey and the arrival of the addition to the McDonald-Venturi household.

Thanks formally to all my readers. I really feel so blessed that I have so many fans. I appreciate all your comments and support. Thank you to Lady Azura, Arielle, Daisy617, J. and all my friends from Dasey Nation. Thanks to my friend Becca who listened to me announce every time I hit a milestone in reviews. Thanks to everyone who reviewed each chapter, it means a lot to me that you like it enough to review so often (I'm awful and perpetually lazy about my reviews. So bad!) Thanks to the writers of Life With Derek for sucking so hardcore that they inspired me to write my own version of the ending. Thanks of course to Daphne Ballon for creating such an awesome show.

Wheew! That should be everyone! Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.