A/N: So I'm back to writing one shots again. I really hope this fandom doesn't die out, even though the show ended. Hope you enjoy and shoot me a comment afterwards! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own LWD or any of its characters

Nora hummed quietly to herself as she stirred the soft and gooey batter in the bowl. It was quiet within the house, the kids still sleeping peacefully in their rooms while Nora went about her Saturday morning routine of making delicious chocolate chip cookies. It wasn't often that Nora got this type of time to herself, at least now she didn't. Back before she married George, nearly every morning was filled with the peace and quiet she was now basking in. Casey and Lizzie were never quarrelling; there was never any reason for them to. Nora would be able to finish her duties around the apartment in quiet serenity. Ah, those were the days. The days before she moved into the rambunctious home in London, Ontario. The days before Lizzie had a partner in crime.

And the days before Casey met Derek.

Nora put the bowl down and sat on the nearest stool, rubbing a hand across her forehead. Even now when it was peaceful and quiet, just the thought of her two eldest kin gave her a headache. She inwardly groaned, cursing herself for ruining the moment. Even when the duo weren't even awake, they still had the power to annoy the hell out of her. Their encounters were embedded into her memory forever.

She sighed heavily, standing back up to attend to her dish. She wasn't going to let Derek/Casey drama ruin her day. Between the two of them, it was way too back and forth for Nora to understand what was going on. She never could convincingly tell what it was that kept them at arms and insistently fighting. She stopped stirring the bowl for a moment, a thought crossing her mind. Realization set in, enough to send her mind reeling.

"It couldn't be…" she whispered to herself, taking in a deep breath. There was no way what she thought could be true. Those two couldn't stand being in the same room with each other. They fought about every little thing that she could think of. It didn't add up that what she thought could possibly be true.

Nora remembered a time when she thought they hated each other…

Nora turned off the vacuum, wiping a bead of sweat off of her forehead. She looked around the living room, gazing at the cleanliness she had perfected in the hour or so she had it to herself in satisfaction. She took a deep breath, basking in the peace and silence before somebody violently slammed the front door behind her.

"How could you do that to me Derek?!" Casey shouted, throwing her coat at him. Derek was unscathed by the throw, a devilish grin spread across his face as he unconsciously hung the coat up for her.

"Come on, the guy was a big zero anyway!" he chided, acting as if what he had done was no big deal. Nora closed her eyes in frustration.

"What did you do this time Derek?" she asked in a monotone voice. These types of things happened everyday with those two, and Nora didn't quite have it in her to be the punishing mom at that moment.

"I'll tell you what he did! He barged in on my date and started interrogating the guy I was with!" Casey shouted in dramatic form. When Casey was upset, she tended to digress to lesser age; the more upset she was, the younger she became. So when Casey started stomping her feet when she walked, Nora knew she had just traveled back ten years to when Casey was five.

"Hey, I was only making sure the guy was good enough for Casey" Derek stated casually, throwing himself into his recliner.

"You had him sprinting out of the restaurant after five minutes!" she argued, standing authoritatively over Derek's chair. He ignored her presence, turning on the TV to the hockey game.

"What can I say? He couldn't handle the pressure, he doesn't deserve to be out on a date with you" He said, not taking his eyes off the TV. Nora looked at him in speculation at that comment. Casey must've completely overlooked the compliment in her anger. Derek sighed when Casey made a jump for the remote, clicking the television off.

"You have no right intervening in my life like that Derek!" she said, staring daggers at him. He chose to ignore her challenge, moving to go up to his bedroom.

"Relax Case, I'm sure I didn't destroy your entire romantic career" he said nonchalantly, pausing halfway up the stairs in mock thought "You know, maybe I actually did destroy it…Kudos to me!" he said with that usual grin on his face, easily making his way up the stairs, leaving a fuming Casey at the bottom.

"I hate you Derek Venturi!" she shouted, racing up the stairs after him. Nora shook her head at the encounter, making her way back into the kitchen to finish up her work.

Nora sat herself on the couch, knowing in her current state that she wasn't going to get any work done. She remembered countless moments like this one happening all the time in the house over the last three years, letting herself relax slightly. She must've been out of her mind to actually think there might be something between the two of them. But then she also remembered moments where the fighting between them didn't always seem so solemn and hurtful…

Nora walked into the kitchen, looking through the cupboard for a dust rag. Derek and Casey were sitting at the counter, Casey doing homework and Derek noisily munching on a bag of potato chips. Casey reached over to grab a couple of chips, but Derek snatched the bag away from her before she was able to.

"Derek, let me have some!" she whined, giving him the pouty look. Derek looked at her with a devilish grin.

"Yeah right princess! These are my chips!" He said, holding the bag out of her arm's reach.

"Derek, George bought those for all of us" Casey stated, giving him an incredulous look. He brushed it off, getting up to leave the room.

"Whatever Case; you need to watch your figure anyway" he said as he left the room. Nora sprung around to reprimand him, but stopped when Casey didn't retaliate. All she did was roll her eyes, grabbing a box of cookies out of the cabinet instead. Nora could've sworn she even saw a small smirk cross Casey's face as she continued her homework in silence. Confused about the whole thing, Nora chose to ignore it and go to her room.

She thought that she knew everything about her kids. How to take care of them, what kind of things bugged them, and what was going on in their lives. She thought she had it all figured out, but she even remembered times Derek was nice to Casey she happened to overlook.

Nora was busy putting the finishing touches on the kitchen, knowing she had to hurry up to take Casey to her dance recital. She paused when she heard Casey wailing dramatically in the living room. Making her way to the kitchen door, she paused in the doorway when she saw Derek in there with her.

"I don't think I can do this Derek! I haven't practiced nearly enough!" she wailed, lying in a heaping mess on the couch. Derek had every opportunity to goad her right then; had the best chance to make a fool of Casey in her vulnerable state. Instead, he kneeled beside her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Case, you're the hardest working person I know, especially when it comes to your dancing" he said in a calming voice. "You're gonna do great out there, I promise" he finished, rubbing her arm to comfort her. She calmed down a bit at his statement.

"You really think so?" she asked, just as surprised as Nora at what he had said. He nodded his head.

"I know so. And I'm gonna be there too, so I wanna see an awesome performance, got it?" He said with a smirk on his face. She smiled, nodding enthusiastically.

"Good. Let's go get you cleaned up before hand though" he said, standing up and guiding her upstairs. Nora watched the scene in amazement, not realizing that Derek had this type of decency within him.

Nora stood up, her headache from before completely gone. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't such a crazy thought that there might be something between Derek and Casey. In fact, she was almost sure there was something there.

Nora proceeded to busy herself with chores around the house, occasionally glancing out the window to see if the kids were almost home. What she saw made her breath catch and her movements stopped. Down the street she saw Derek and Casey hand in hand as they walked back from school. Casey was cuddled close to Derek, a serene smile on her face as she chatted with Derek, who walked at a slow pace, neither with a care in the world except for each other. Nora looked away, not knowing quite how to react to the sight. But without her control, a small smile crept on to her face. She may have liked the days before the two families merged, before all the drama and chaos had ensued.

But despite all of that, she loved the days that came after Casey had met Derek.